Sebastian: 11 Months

In all my years, this one has flown by the fastest I think.  Maybe it’s because with the birth of Sebastian left my sleep-filled nights and while they returned for a very brief stint a couple of months ago, they’re now just a memory.  And we all know that with lack of sleep comes days that seem to float by and weeks that seem to meld together and months that suddenly are gone and “wait, where did January go?  Oh yeah, I’ve been as good as sleep-walking since then.”  Okay, so maybe that’s a gross exaggeration and I really don’t flit through my days carelessly and aimlessly but it’s the only excuse I can think of to explain the passing year. 

I think about time passing quickly a lot but recently whipping up Seb’s 11 month tie really made the thought count.

That cute kid’s gonna be ONE next month!  Like, whoa!

I’ll release all my emotion and thoughts on his past year next month but until then, let’s take a walk down Last Month Lane.  (I stole all these pics from Instagram so I apologize if you’re seeing them twice!)

Swing, meet Sebastian.  Sebastian, meet swing.  I don’t know why it took me this long to take all three kids outside together by myself but it did.  It was only this past month that I braved the backyard alone with them and was smart enough to sit Seb in the swing, which he LOVED, and which allowed me to watch the girls without having an extra 20 lbs. in my arms.  In my defense though, I guess the heat plus all the blood-sucking skeeters were good excuses to stay indoors but you can bet your bootie we’ve been out lots since this first time.

 

All I have to say about this one is, a plaid onesie?  #gimmealltheplaidonesies

I got Sebastian fully dressed this day and zero other people in the house were.  Not really an important detail to explain the photo but, just saying.  I just loved how he went from cute young gun to old man within the two seconds it took to set him in that teeny rocker.  And then within two seconds of being set in the rocker he would fall forward out of it…not his thing.  It’s swinging, not rocking, apparently, that rocks his world.

 

We’re borrowing this triple threat from a friend and this particular excursion was our second using it.  I was exceptionally exhausted that day thanks to the main character of this post so I let muscles do all the pushing.  It was, after all, the day after Thanksgiving and even though he can eat and eat and eat and eat and not show it, I considered it a selfless act of love; letting Anthony work off all those new calories.  ;)

 

And after the walk we parked the stroller in the front yard and it served as stadium seating for this guy to watch yard work being done.  His cute face totally redeemed him for the havoc he wraught the night before, so naturally I took a picture so that it could redeem him the next night, and the next night, and the next night…

Well that was last week and now I think I need to print it out and tape it to his door so I see it through my groggy eyes every time I have to walk in.  :)

I love you my son.  :)

Southern Charm

Get a load of these guys:

Pinchable, no?

So let me tell you, I/we are anti-decorating for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving BUT this year we made two exceptions.  One – our tree.  We bought a new (to us) tree off of Varage Sale (sorta like a glorified Craigslist) and it’s currently in its spot in the living room because, hey, we have a week and a half and we’re not hauling the nine-footer to and from the attic twice in that span.  And two – our kids.

[Half-smile on the left and right…the only ones you’ll see in this whole post.  Happy children have we but you’d never know it in pictures.]

Feltman Brothers sweetly sent each of our tots his/her own holiday outfit (this dress and this suit).  The girls have three Feltman Brothers dresses from their infant days and so I was excited to receive more because, not only are they beautiful and a staple in Southern children’s wardrobes (smocking is BIG down here), but they are dresses that are timeless and that the girls can pass down to their own daughters someday (and Sebastian can suit up his son(s) too!)  They’re investment pieces that’ll be handed from generation to generation and if you love history as much as I do, that is really awesome!  (I have a nerdy side and you just witnessed it.)

Before all that happens though, we will get our use out of them while they fit and so Sunday Mass-goers with us will see them quite possibly every weekend for the next several weeks and of course, we’ll throw a couple of tiny cardigans over them on Christmas Day and, as much as Anthony might shake his head on this one, I might have to find Sebastian some knee-highs… ;)
 
Last Sunday we took advantage of the 70 degree weather and got some stills of our munchkins.  
[Nope, it’s not a dirt smudge on her cheek; it’s a bruise.  As sweet as she looks, rough and tough more closely describe this one.]


 

[Exactly two seconds before Seb made an attempted lunch of the acorns in his grasp.]

This one might be my favorite:
 

Go check out Feltman Brothers and “ooh” and “aww” over all of their adorable clothes!  Every outfit includes hand-embroidery and the quality is incredible!  I couldn’t get over the intricacy of the lace stripes in Sebastian’s suit!  And the fabric the girls’ dresses are made of is great!  Usually when you think white you think see-through, but these dresses were thick enough to hide tiny, colored undies but thin enough that they didn’t look or feel stuffy.  Besides the holiday garb on our kids, I am in love with these bubble rompers and their adorbable sweater sets!  Dressing the little humans never gets old, does it?  :)

Have a great weekend!  I’ll be back Monday with an Advent calendar idea for you using this beauty from Inspired Life Shop!  Kristin is a friend of mine from college and she and a friend designed it.  If you don’t have a calendar yet, I highly recommend this one!  It’s a printable so you can have it up and running by next Sunday!  :)

Sebastian: 10 Months

Is it possible that a boy child can be more affectionate/sensitive/cuddly than (two) girl children?  In this house, yep.  So far anyway.  Soaking that right up we are.  


Happy 10 months kid.  :)

.           .           .

And, in case you’re interested, here are the girls at 10 months.

Sebastian: 9 Months

Having sick kids is the worst, am I right or am I right?  Monday, Seraphia’s nose turned into a faucet and she alone went through a whole roll of toilet paper (in lieu of tissues because we’re cool like that) and try as we might to not let whatever she had bite the the rest of us – clorox wipes, no sharing of anything, solitary confinement (just kidding, relax) – ‘twas to no avail because Sebastian turned his faucet on full speed yesterday.  And then today, well, you can just about imagine.  Cecilia.  The days are great and the nights even better.  If it weren’t for The NoseFrida Snotsucker we know and love so much (and you should too!), they’d be even better.  Snot stands no chance with that thing.  (Link is an affiliate link but we purchased the NF and really do love it!)
  So, in light of their broken plumbing, I let the girls indulge in TV yesterday.  What do you care, right?  I know.  Well, allow me to elaborate further and just tell you that it got me thinking back to those days when I had my parenting plans all laid out…and then this morning I made this e-card:
   

Let’s just say my mouth is harboring my foot for many things besides that.  (And just in case of misunderstanding, I really don’t have anything against TV nor did I ever really think my kids would never watch it.  I just want a healthy balance and yesterday was not it.)  But, c’est la vie.  Let’s move on.

Big Seb turned nine months last week:

He’s pulling himself up on whatever he can, da-daing his way through life, and eating almost whatever a spoon brings to his wide-open mouth.  He’s 100% more attached to me, me, meandnooneelse than the girls were (they were happy with either daddy or me) and it’s thrown me for quite the loop and has changed many a plan, many a day.  I can’t say it bothers me though because secretly I love being the sole love of his life and I pray that that affection never wavers.  :)

The girls.  They turn 27 months tomorrow.  
They’re cool as cucumbers most days and talking up a storm.  They can both count to twenty which I know is not really that impressive at their age but I just can’t get enough of it.  “Wun, two, chee, fo, ive, six, seben, eight, nine, ten, eweben, twelbe, serteen…”  So cute.  And thanks to Dora, Cecilia is a spanish speaker, counting up to eight in the foreign language.  She just blurted the numbers out one day.  See?  TV ain’t all that bad, huh?  ;)

We’ve labeled them 100% potty-trained and accidents are pretty rare during the day and naptimes and if they do happen, it’s usually my fault because I didn’t get them to the toilet fast enough.  (And this is where I put my foot in my mouth because last night they both wet the bed.)  And, ehem, prior to last night, we hadn’t changed a wet sheet of C’s for almost a month and S’ in a week.  It’s really one of the best feelings ever.  Changing one kid’s diapers ain’t no big thing y’all.
 

Lately, we’ve taken up walks around the neighborhood with all the kids in tow.
 

All of them…
 

And we’ve also managed to get out of the house at least twice a week which is a leap and bound from where we were a few weeks ago – it was church on Sunday and thazzzit.  Cabin fever has died down to a dull roar and I’ve started collecting my marbles.  And THAT, is good news for everyone.

Sebastian: 8 Months

The big boy (95th percentile in height!) turned eight months of age this month.  Can you believe it?  Neither can I.  I feel like this…
 
…was only yesterday.

It’s getting tougher to get his picture because he just doesn’t want to sit…

…still…

…ever.  [Nope, it’s not a spider web or a camera scratch; it’s slobber.  There’s lots of that these days.]

But finally I made a face, the right face, and out shone a little smile and a moment of contentment.
 

And just for kicks, the girls at eight months:


The apples don’t fall far from the tree and apparently they don’t fall far from each other either.  :)

Food A La Bebe

Sebastian turned seven months of age last week and so we have the celebratory tie photo:

And instead of telling you all about him and how he lives life these days – scooting, sleeping (all night!), smiling, spitting, chewing…), I thought I’d write up a little post I meant to get to when the twins were his age but didn’t.  Eating.  Specifically though, what he eats.  I am not the first parent to ever have fed their seven month old nor the last so I’m not going to pretend I’m the go-to source on what you should feed your baby when and how much and all that jazz.  But, I will tell you about how we make our own baby food and how awesome it is.  (Note:  I’ve included a few links in the following paragraphs that are affiliate links.  None of the products linked to were gifted to us by their respective companies.  They’re just things we have and love.)  So first…

Why?
”Dude, they like sell pre-made jars at the store that scream zero hassle and 100% convenience, so why make your own food?”  Let me tell ya.  We’re on this tiny little thing called a budget and it’s a pretty tight one.  You might’ve figured that one out if you’ve read the blog for longer than a week.  Anthony and I are still paying off student loans plus we’ve created a lifestyle that allows me to stay at home with our kids (even though some days I long to get up, dressed, and ready to hit the town er…work).  We also cloth diaper which saves a TON of moolah (read all about that here).  Point is, making our own baby food helps us keep our bills down and me at home.

[Throwback from when the girls were circa 8-9 months young and peas, in case you were wondering.]

Also, when you make your own baby food, you know exactly what’s going into (and out of, ha!) their bodies.  No worries about preservatives and all that mumbo jumbo.

What?
Everything.  Everything you can find in a jar at the store, you can make at home for a lot less.  A week ago, Anthony bought $8.20 worth of organic produce from a local market (sweet potatoes, zucchini, apples, and bananas).  Pureed, all of that produce will feed Sebastian for 42 days if he eats his normal half a cup per day (4 oz.).  Buying that much Gerber baby food (plastic canisters of non-organic puree) would cost us $24.72.  Going the organic and more comparable route, buying 42 jars of Earth’s Best organic baby food would cost us $41.27.  So, for a little bit of work, we’re getting fresh, organic baby food and saving a good chunk of change.  Now, double that and you’ll realize why we took this route with the twins.  :)

How?
The Baby Brezza.
 
Amazing.  I was gifted this by a good friend at the twins’ baby shower and it’s been one of the most (if not the most) valuable gift I’ve received.  It might seem a little much to shell out several $10 bills for this baby but even if we hadn’t received it as gift, we would have forked over that $$ knowing how easy this makes the process.  It makes making your own food a cinch because it steams and purees your food all-in-one.  All you have to do is cut up whatever it is you’re cooking, toss it in, press a few buttons and off it goes and off you can go until it beeps ‘done’.  Just want to steam?  It does it.  What about skipping the steam and pureeing?  Yep.  Welcome to twenty-fourteen everyone!


The Cooking for Baby cookbook.
 
The same person who gave us the Baby Brezza gave us this cookbook.  I have lots of knowledge inside the nog pertaining to painting and creating, very little about cooking.  However, this cookbook holds my hand through recipes and among the simple recipes it has those that make me feel like a gourmet chef.  Amaranth & plum swirl?  Got it.  Roasted red pepper & goat cheese puree?  Yep.  (However, its recipes need to be tailored to using the Baby Brezza…a.k.a. it assumes you’re going the steamer and pan route when you’re actually cutting those out if you use the Brezza.)  On top of divulging delish recipes even you will want to make for yourself (“Honey, we’re having silken tofu & peach puree for dinner.”), it’s divided into sections based on baby’s age and also has tips like “how often & how much” that most first-time parents (and even third-time parents like me who forget) know nothing about.

Tools.
Besides our beloved Brezza, we’ve found it helpful to have a peeler on hand (we’ve had this one going on seven years now) and an apple corer (like this one).  You can find both of these at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Target too.  Little things like this just cut down on prep time because, let’s face it, if you’re in the business of making baby food, chances are you have a baby and babies need attention, lots and lots of attention which leaves you with little and littler time.  #amiright  #oramiright

I know there are lots more little tools like these that cater to convenience so if you have any you use, please share!
 

Where?
Alternately titled ‘Storage’.
Usually when I make a batch of food for Seb, I stick one jar in the fridge and the rest all go into the freezer where they sit until the day before they’re needed.  Here’s a good FYI on food storage limits – Freezing Homemade Baby Food via Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food.

When the twins were at the puree stage, we bought several jars of pre-made baby food while on a trip away from home and saved those jars to store our homemade stuff in.  They’re the perfect size (obviously, considering what they held), easy to store, and can go straight from freezer to microwave.


We also use this Beaba freezer tray.  It has compartments that hold perfectly-sized proportions for the beginner-eater and all you have to do to empty a frozen compartment is turn it upside down and press the bottom of that compartment in until the food slides out.  
    

Also, if you’re on-the-go, grab a few of these reusable baby food pouches, fill them with your homemade stuff, and go.  No need to spend the $1 or more those things cost at the store.  (We didn’t use these with the girls but plan on grabbing a few for the boy.)


A few other helpful links:
What to feed baby and when
The “Dirty Dozen” – the twelve most pesticide-contaminated foods and the twelve least
Making homemade baby food according to Hello Little Scout
Tasty recipes from Amber at 3 Ladies & Their Gent

I hope this is helpful to anyone interested in venturing into baby food making.  I’m open to questions and advice from veterans so if you have either of those, leave a note in the com box! 

Happy pureeing!

A One, A Two, A One Two Three

Disclaimer:  This post is ALL about our kids – read:  grandparent and relative reading.  So, if you enjoy reading minor details about other people’s kids, this one will fit your bill.  If not, well, you can’t say I didn’t warn ya.  ;)

July was a milestone month ova here.  The twins turned big TWO on the ninth and little (big) Seb turned point five on the third.  Crazy.  I’ve never been that mom who cries tears over her babies growing up mainly because, yo, having three kids under the age of two is SO HARD!  Seriously.  In all humility I tell you, there is no juggler more able to juggle than me.  We have zero family within seven hours of us so most of the time, we’re on our own as far as the raising part goes (but we do have some incredible friends, thank the Lord, who have stepped in willingly during dire situations).  BUT, I’m that mom now.  All of a sudden these two tiny baby girls are big girls and our little man is a chunker and I’m in a fit of sadness because, where has the time gone??!!  I’ve been living day by day, literally surviving some days, longing for the day when “they can sit on their own”, “they can finally eat real food so I don’t have to breastfeed two at once so often”, “they sleep through the night”, “they can walk so I don’t have to carry them eeeverywhere”, “they can just tell me what they want so the guessing games can stop”, “he can sit up on his own so I don’t have to carry him and deal with two tots scratching at my legs to be held becauseI’mhomealoneandIonlyhavetwoarmsandtheyallneedmeatonceI’mgoingtogoinsanehelpppp”.  Breathe.  And now, take me back.  Back to those lamby cries and the ultra-dependency…okay, only for a minute though.  You know?  If you have triplets or twins or multiple little children, you know.  If you have one kid, you know.  You might not know all of the craziness that inhabits this place but, you know. 

Anyway, let me indulge you with my pictures of and details of our kids to make myself feel better.  Here they are, three ducks in a row:

[Onesies > Personal Creations | Headbands > homemade | Jorts > Target | Shoes > Target via Dirt Cheap] 
These are my attempts at a little b-day photoshoot.  It was me, the kids, the backyard, and five thousand mosquitos trying to thwart my efforts, not to mention childhood ADD.  But, despite all that, how cute are the baseball rompers that Personal Creations sent us?  They were so sweet and even customized them.  I asked them to put the girls names on theirs and stamp Sebastian’s to mirror daddy’s high school football jersey.  I’m thinking the blank fronts are going to make a great medium for some freezer paper stenciling, right? 
 

So, let’s break it down now, one-by-little-one.

Seraphia.  First born.  Pretty much the atypical oldest child.  Shy.  Super sensitive.  Won’t go outside of a five foot radius of mom and pops in public.  Has mad skills in leg-hanging.  Copies everything Cecilia does.  Gets mad and makes an angry face but can’t hold it long enough to make anyone thinks she’s serious.  Tough (person in) crowd…a.k.a. hard to get her to laugh.  Excellent fake crier (proof).  The silent, smart type. 

Has wavy hair with super curly ends that makes the cutest little ponies and piggies.  Funny runner.  Loves walking on her tip toes.  Listens when we say ‘no’.  Has an attitude that comes out when she’s needing attention that she’s not getting.  Scared of many things – the ocean, jumping off the couch, sliding down slides, bugs, Cecilia… 

So affectionate.  Loves to kiss mommy and daddy’s knees (because they’re right at her level) and feet.  Has earned herself at least 10 M&M’s for doing her business in the loo in the past 10 days.  Compared to C, rarely sits in time-out.  Etcetera, etcetera.  In a nutshell, she’s a real sweetheart with a large side of lush and a small side of sass.

[Swimsuit:  Target]


Cecilia.  Second born (by five 60-second chunks).  Oh boy, this girl.  Claiming neutrality when it comes to sensitivity.  Let her loose in public and good luck finding her.  Professional instigator.  Laughs at everything.  Dramatic crier.  Talks way more than her older counterpart, counts, yells the ABC’s.  However, she goes mute in public.

Perm not needed.  Jumps, runs, and dives like a five year old.  Anthony used to call her his “little linebacker” and she still is…pint-sized but the girl packs a punch.  “No” is a game.  Attitude Central.  Scared of the dark, some bugs, and nothing else.

   Pretty affectionate.  Needs all her “owies’ kissed right away.  Rough with Seraphia; gentle with Sebastian (usually).  Forget the toilet.  Knows the time-out corner very well.  Sometimes I want to squeeze her for being so dang cute and others for being so dang defiant.  You know how it goes.
 

 

Oh our girls.  The best of friends and the worst of friends.  Their two year doc appointment showed their stats to be almost the same making them…you guessed it…!twins! in almost the fullest degree.  Small heads, tall bodies, small weights.  Grounded apples close to their trees.

[Seraphia’s dress:  thrifted (Xhilaration) | Cecilia’s dress:  hand-me-down (shirt w/out tags)]


And then, Sebastian.  It’s now a few days before he hits seven months of age but I might as well throw in his sixth month picture:

Generally happy.  Very attached to his momma; much more so than his sisters were at his age (although sometimes I feel like he just views me as food…will have to have a talk with him about objectifying asap).  Currently on day/night three of sleep training and it’s going pretty well.  Sitting on his own.  Up on hands and knees any chance he gets.  Loves when I sing to him.  Mega-watt (and two-toothed) smile.  Giggles when his sisters fall to get his attention.  Excellent eater.  Seriously.  Caught on to spoon-feeding like that.  We haven’t been to the doc for his six month check-up yet but I’m betting on pretty high percentiles in height and weight. 

[Owner of one, mean bald spot.]


One, two, and three.  We love them so dang much and can’t wait to have more so…..

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…..meday. 

;)