7 months old

With every day that goes by, Sawyer continues to show her blossoming personality (even though I feel we've seen it since day 1). Sometimes I am just in awe of her...everything about her just blows me away. I am just head over heels in love with our sweet baby girl. From her beyond happy personality to the milestones she seems to be accomplishing left and right, I just couldn't be prouder of her.

7 months....7 months....it just sounds old! And let me tell you, this little girl thinks she's old too! Little missy decided she wasn't having that pureed food so we now feed her chunks of steamed fruits and veggies. No joke, I've got a shopping bag full of baby food that I'm going to give to daycare so it doesn't go to waste. After only making it through squash, sweet potatoes and carrots, Sawyer decided to go on a 2 week food strike....oh dear. No joke, this girl would not open her mouth for anything but cereal, bottles, mum mums or to nurse. We even decided to buy the baby bullet and start making our own baby food thinking that maybe she disliked the texture of the packaged food. NOPE...no change! The Dr. gave us the go ahead on finger foods to see if that would help and hallelujah she LOVES it! Sad to say that we aren't getting any use of the baby bullet we bought, but we do use the steamer and the food jars. Last night Sawyer was eating her avocados and apples in her high chair, looking as cute as ever with her pig tails in her hair and I just couldn't believe how old she looked to me! 7 months....where has the time gone?!

Right now Sawyer...

-weighs almost 22 lbs...wow!

-blows raspberries like crazy

-shows her preference over certain toys

-has started showing her stubborn side and temper (don't know who she got that from ha!)

-would rather sit on the floor and play with her toys than be held

-calms down when she hears patty cake. She'll stop crying for this but will start back up the second you stop!

-Head butts the ones she loves. It sounds violent but it's actually quite sweet and you can tell it's a loving gesture with the precious smile she gives you along with it.

-has started reaching out for people.

-has two top teeth coming in

-eats three meals a day including her milk in between the meals

-favorite foods are avocados, apples and sweet potatoes

-is so photogenic! She loves to smile for the camera :)

-is such a Daddy's girl. She laughs like crazy when he nuzzles into her neck & loves to play with him.

-enjoyed her first sleepover with her buddy Jordyn.

-likes to pull her headbands and bows off while we are in the car. Mommy has to wait to put them on whenever we get to where we are going.

-can get into the sitting position on her own. We looked at her monitor yesterday to find her sitting her in crib and then watched her lay back down and do it all over again! 

Happy 7 months Sawyer Marguerite!! 

6 months old

Today marks the first day of Thanksgiving break and in the past this would mean sleeping in until 10:00 or maybe even later. However this year, here I am waking up at 5:00 a.m. to pump and get ready before Sawyer wakes up. As I was sitting on the couch watching the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas, drinking my coffee, and pumping (yes, I've learned how to multi-task), I thought about how different this year is from all the past years. All those little sacrifices, like waking up MUCH earlier, getting ready as quickly as possible in case she wakes up early, scheduling everything around her feeding and nap schedule....they couldn't be more worth it!! As tired, frazzled and unorganized I may be at sometimes, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I know I am almost a whole month late on this 6 month post...maybe it's because her turning 6 months was so dang hard for this momma! I know she is still so little, but oh my word it's just all going by too fast! 

 Sawyer at 6 months (October):

-weighed 20 lbs. 10 oz. at her 6 month checkup and was 27 inches long!

-has her two bottom front teeth and she cut them like a champ...they just popped up 

-still sleeping about 10 hours at night in her crib

-getting much better at taking naps during the day on the weekends (even though she still naps better at daycare than at home with us)

-had baby food for the 1st time...let's just say she's not a fan of squash

- thinks it's a game when Daddy feeds her dinner--she likes to blow/spit it out at him. I think it's pretty funny

-she eats her cereal in the morning and veggies at dinner

- has finally gotten used to her new carseat in Momma's car (she wasn't too fond of it at first)

-is a little charmer and a BIG ham! We can't go anywhere without people stopping to ooo and awww over how cute and happy she is (this proud momma isn't complaining though--I agree with them)

-has mastered the art of sitting up on her own. YAY!

-LOVES eating mum mums and can even pick up pieces and successfully (sometimes) put them in her mouth!

-is such a Daddy's girl. 

-loves just sitting with Daddy and watching TV. She won't do this with anyone but him.

-rolling is how she gets around. She'll roll from one end of our living room rug to the other.
-hasn't started crawling yet, but she turn herself a full 360 degrees when she is playing on her belly.
-will not stay still during diaper changes. She is constantly trying to flip herself over so she can play.

Our happy 6 month old!!

Posing for a picture at daycare

1st time in her new carseat.

 

Enjoying a visit from her cousins Rylee and Alli

Eating squash for the 1st time at Nana's.

5 Months Old

I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Sawyer is almost half a year old!! It seems like just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time. Unfortunately this post and the 4 month post aren't full of pictures like usual. My internet connection is shotty right now and the pictures are taking FORRRREVER to upload. I will have to upload them another time...so if you have come to see pictures...scroll no more. Check back later ;)

Highlights from this month (September):

-I haven't weighed her this month so all I can tell you is that she weighs A LOT...I'm guessing at least 18 and a half pounds.

-This month has been ROUGH in the sleep department! I've heard of the 4 month sleep regression...not sure if that's what it was but we went over 3 weeks straight of not sleeping through the night and waking up too many times for me to keep count.

-She is back to sleeping through the night...thank goodness!!

-She is eating cereal 2 times a day now and we will start veggies in a couple weeks.

-She takes her naps in her crib now--yaaay!

-We started the "cry it out" method, or should I say "the Ferber method" last week and it has worked like a charm :) Don't get me wrong though, the first few nights were so flipping hard!!

-Saywer loves playing Pattycake. She'll even start giggling right before you "roll em up, roll em up" because she's knows it's coming.

-She chews on everything...bibs and burp cloths are her favorite.

-The pacifier has turned into more of a chew toy with the occasional suckage.

-When she smiles at someone, she'll turn into you and bury her face like she's shy...it's too cute.

-She LOVES her jumperoo and all the cool toys and gadgets on it. 

-Car trips are no longer torture. She's usually pretty good at entertaining herself or just falling asleep.

-We are probably going to have to retire the Rock N'Play since she tries to flip over in it and push herself out. Just this morning she sat up in it and wouldn't lay back down! 

-She loves to watch the Little Mermaid in the mornings. I couldn't tell you how excited I was when I found that the old episodes come on at 5 am. Thank you DVR!

-She laughs when you copy her. If she sneezes and you do it too...she'll laugh and laugh.

-She is a tummy sleeper now. If you put her down on her back, she'll flip right over.

-If you smile at her, she'll smile back :)

-She LOVES daycare and her teachers. She hasn't cried once when I've dropped her off and she was only crying once when I picked her up (apparently she doesn't like the big industrial vacuum they were using in the hallway)

-She's just pretty much a happy baby girl these days and I couldn't love her more :)

Happy 5 months Sawyer Marguerite! 

4 months old

Yes, yes I know this post is long overdue...especially considering that Sawyer is no longer 4 months old. I'll actually be writing two posts tonight since I've been slacking in the posting department. Sawyer is now 5 months old, but hey...better late than never, right?!

Highlights from this month (August):

-she weighed in at 17 lbs. 12 oz at her 4 month check up and is 25 inches long (well into 90th percentile for both)

-she is grabbing anything and everything she can

-all that she grabs....goes straight into her mouth

-she watches us like a hawk while we are eating

-she started cereal and eats it like a champ...she doesn't let any go to waste!

-she drools a TON...you would swear she's teething but the doc says it'll still be a while before she cuts a tooth

-She starting to like her jumperoo more...possibly because her toes are just now touching the floor haha

-she has found her voice and boy is it LOUD!! We absolutely love hearing her "talk"

-she tries to mimic the faces and noises we make at her

-naps still take place in her swing

-she holds my hand and plays with it when she is falling asleep...it melts my heart.

-she giggles and it sounds like heaven!

-when she smiles, she smiles with her entire body...it's like she just can't contain it

-she started daycare on August 8th and I couldn't be happier with how well she has adapted

-tummy time is getting better, she lifts her head and shoulders up completely and can keep them up for a while before getting mad

-car rides scare Momma now...I always pray she sleeps the whole time and you better believe that the second the car stops...she starts crying and of course I would get stopped at every dang stop light there is!

-she sleeps through the night in her crib

-she has blowouts nonstop

-she has rolled over from back to belly a couple of times

I started back at work August 14th, which is why this post is so LATE! The beginning of the school year is so hectic...even more so now since I am having to adjust to being a working mom! It has definitely been struggle learning how to manage my time to try and get everything done! Needless to say, the majority of things that I accomplish and get done are on my priority list and everything else falls to the side. Luckily the dust is settling and our routines are set in place and we are getting the hang of it all.  

Mommy's first day back at work!

Having fun at daycare :)

An Ear Infection and a 30 Year Anniversary Celebration...

Things have been out of sorts around here for the past couple weeks but it seems like everything is settling back into place and we are getting back into our routine.  A routine isn't something I thought I'd ever have, much less CRAVE during summer break, but I have quickly learned that with a 3 month old...a routine is my best friend!!

Sawyer is recovering from her first ear infection...I guess I should say that I'm recovering too. Our poor little girl has had a tough few weeks. We've been dealing with lots of fussiness and lack of sleep. Sawyer started waking up in the middle of the night (luckily just once a night) and she started fighting naps BIG time. There were a couple days where she only took ONE twenty minute nap and it was only while being held by me. It all started with the 12 week growth spurt. From what I've read, these growth spurts last anywhere from a couple days to an entire week. Sawyer's growth spurts like to last for that entire week. (I'm sure you could tell that just by looking at my chunky monkey haha) Well once we got over that growth spurt, Sawyer caught the cold/congestion that Dusty and I had. Once the congestion was gone, we still had a fussy little girl on our hands. We figured it was teething from all the drool and fussiness, but we were wrong. I took her into the pediatrician to have her checked out because I knew there was just something that wasn't right. Sure enough, she had an ear infection! It was mild, not full blown so that was a plus. We got hooked up with some Amoxicillin and we were good to go. I have to admit I was a tad bit jealous that Sawyer got to have the pink bubblegum medicine that I absolutely LOVED when I was a kid. My mom even told me that I better not be sneaking any drinks of that creamy pink goodness ;) Unfortunately two days later Sawyer woke up and looked like she had been slapped in the face. The left side of her face and her left ear were bright red and hot to the touch. We had to go back to the Dr. and get a new antibiotic and numbing drops because apparently Amoxicillin just wasn't getting the job done. We are on day 5 of the new antibiotic and we are back to sleeping through the night and getting back to good naps during the day. Our daily and nightly routine are falling back into place now that our sweet baby girl is feeling better and can sleep soundly. HALLELUJAH!!!

Along with tending to a sick baby, we celebrated my parents' 30th wedding anniversary this past weekend.  As luck would have it, my parents had planned for the celebration to be in Granbury so everyone could make a little weekend trip out of it and come visit our little home. No, we didn't house the whole family, but we had lots of visitors :) Everyone was able to play and enjoy Granbury before having dinner that evening. After dinner, the whole gang came to our house so we could put Sawyer down for the night. The guys hung out outside while the ladies were inside watching home movies from my middle school and high school days that my parents brought from home. We had so much fun watching the videos especially since Brittney was over and she was in every single one of them with me....I guess that's what happens when you've been best friends since the age of two. Many of the videos were of us in high school cheering at the pep rallies and football games. While watching them, I realized that Sawyer will be able to watch her mom and dad on the same home videos. I never thought about it before, but all the videos from my junior year of cheering have Dusty on them also because you can't record pep rallies and football games without getting the football players in there. DUH!  We even have him on there dressed as a cheerleader doing cheers and chants from the homecoming pep rally. PRICELESS! I can't wait for Sawyer to watch them one day!

I know I had so much fun visiting with family and close friends all while celebrating my mom and dad's 30th wedding anniversary. I hope they had just as much fun as we did, and that it is a memory they can cherish forever. I cannot thank my parents enough for setting such an amazing example for my brother and I of what a marriage should be. One of my goals in life has always been to have a marriage as successful, loving, and strong as my parents. I know Dusty and I are only 2 years in, but I look forward to the day where we are celebrating our 30th anniversary surrounded by our family and friends. Dusty and I both look up to my parents so much and are very thankful for the wonderful example they set for us and the rest of our family. Thank you Mom and Dad for setting such a great foundation for Joey and me to base our marriages and families on. We cannot thank you enough for that!

OH.MY.WORD this cake was to die for!!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Pshhh...ear infection?? Who cares...it's bath time so I'm happy!!

Great Grandma, Sawyer, and Nana at the pool

3 month picture

Stylin' with her shades at the pool

3 months old!

3 months old

Here is the top news from Sawyer's life at 3 months old:

-She weighed in at 16 lbs. this morning. She was 14.2 lbs and 24 inches at her 2 month appointment back in June which put her in the 95th percentile for both. (We've already established that she is a very VERY good eater)

-She started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks old. Not gonna lie...it's pretty amazing! She currently goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm and sleeps until 7 or 8 am. Dusty and I consider ourselves pretty dang blessed that we've got such a good sleeper on our hands.

-She still doesn't sleep well in her crib--the longest nap was about 20 minutes. We'll just stick to the bassinet for and keep trying the crib every once in a while for naps.

-She still absolutely despises tummy time, which in turn makes Mommy hate tummy time because it's torture watching her cry. We TRY to do it every day, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I have to pick those times very wisely because if she has just eaten, is cranky or tired, she's going to let me hear it!

-Speaking of choosing those times wisely--Sawyer is already showing us her lovely temperament....she can go from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds!! We have nicknamed her eyebrows the "eyebrows of fury" because when she gets mad...they get RED! I think we are going to have a very strong-willed and temperamental child on our hands, but I wouldn't change a thing! I love her strong personality :)

-She LOVES standing and pushing with her legs. She rocks herself in her rock n' play by pushing her feet against the bottom.  You can even see some little leg muscles underneath those squeezable rolls!

-She is so smiley and talkative. The gooing and cooing makes my heart melt, especially when she is having those talks with her Daddy. She talks to him more than anyone...it's the sweetest thing to watch.

-Many of those talks happen first thing in the morning. I have to wake up early to pump and not too much later, I'll hear lots of goo's and coo's from Dusty and Saywer. I love walking in our bedroom and seeing Sawyer laying in our bed with her Daddy (who has pulled her in so they can talk) just cooing and gooing away along with lots of smiles. This is definitely a favorite part of my day!

-She likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Phineas and Ferb (Daddy and Sawyer watch P and F together)

Watching TV with Daddy.

 -The 12 week growth spurt has been a killer (more so on our house than me)! She was permanently attached to me, if it wasn't to nurse, it was just to be held. I'm not complaining about having her attached to me so much, it's just that I wasn't able to get ANYTHING done around the house. She decided that she didn't want to take good naps for few days. Those few days were the hardest! At most, she would take a 20 minute nap a day and it had to be while I was holding her. If I put her down, she would wake up and it was a scream fest. I am thanking the Lord that she is back on a good nap schedule!!
-She loves being outside! If she is fussing or crying, walk outside and she'll instantly get quiet. It's like magic!

Hanging out by the pool at Nana and Papa's.

Ahhh! This is the life!

-She is drooling and blowing bubbles like crazy! I wouldn't be surprised if she cuts a tooth within the next month...we'll see!

-Her right thumb has become her best friend. We try to replace it with the pacifier because that will be an easier habit to break, but that only works sometimes. If she's asleep in her bassinet, you better believe you'll see that right thumb in her mouth. There is even a picture of that in my previous post.

-Lastly....I am finding it hard to put her down when she falls asleep because she is just growing so fast. It is so bittersweet because I look forward to all the things to come, but at the same time, I don't want her to get any bigger. I know that is something every mom feels, but it's just so hard! I had to buy 6 and 9 month clothes just to make it through putting away her clothes that were too small. I needed to have something to look forward to! 

Yippee! I'm 3 months old!

Her favorite toy ;)

Oh how our lives have changed!

Needless to say, SO MUCH has changed since the last time I posted! If I were to try and catch you up on everything, we'd be here all night so I'll just talk about the most important things which is pretty much one and only thing...SAWYER :)

Sawyer Marguerite Williams

Our precious baby girl was born April 21, 2012 at 8:24 pm. Sawyer was 8 lbs. 8 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. There truly are not enough words to express how much we are in love with our sweet blessing from above. This post will probably be chocked full of pictures since she is already 3 months old. I still cannot believe that it has already been 3 months since she made her arrival. These past months have flown by and it is breaking my heart that she is getting so big so fast! Not going to lie, I got a little emotional this past week when going through her closet to put away the clothes that she can't fit into anymore. I know that there are SO many amazing things to look forward to, but I just can't help but get a little sad that it's going by so quickly. 

I am kicking myself for not keeping this blog updated..during the pregnancy and up until now. There are so many things that I want to write down so I don't forget them, but I just don't even know where to start! I guess I'll just begin with where we are at now....

Sawyer is exactly 3 months old today and we attempted to get her pictures taken at Target....it was an adventure to say the least. This momma will most likely NOT be trying that again. I think I'll stick to working with a photographer that doesn't try to cram people in even when you make an appointment. Not having to feel rushed or crazed is well worth the extra money if you ask me! We got one good picture out of the whole mess, but that's all I needed...just that one good picture. I will say though, my favorites so far have just been the sweet, precious moments I capture with my handy iPhone. If you follow me on Facebook then I am sure you have noticed that it did not take long for me to go into full on mommy mode with the pictures. I just can't stop taking them and posting them!! My sister in law told me within the first week of having Sawyer that it was very obvious I was a mommy now. My Facebook page was covered with pictures I had posted of her...and it has been that way ever since! 

Obviously this summer has been, hands down, the best summer ever! I have been enjoying every single second that I've been able to spend with Sawyer, Dusty and our family and friends. My summer started a little early--5 weeks to be exact. Sawyer couldn't have arrived at a better time. My leave just extended on into the summer so I've had a long summer break. We have had many, MANY lazy days (my favorite days with her by far), shopping days with Nikki and Hailey, Jayme and Jordan, Aunt Melanie, and of course Nana! We've even had some shopping days with Daddy (mostly grocery shopping, but hey shopping is shopping). We have spent many summer days at Nana and Papa's house so we can visit with them and Uncle Joey, Aunt Melanie, Grayson and Ella. Sawyer has been to her first play date (not that she played much) and her first birthday party. And of course summer wouldn't be complete without a summer vacation. This year we went to Caddo Lake along with my mom and dad (Nana and Papa). Dusty and I also celebrated our 2 year anniversary while we were there. 

Caddo Lake/2 Year Anniversary

I know I said this in my last post, which was 7 months ago buuuut I'm really going to keep up with blogging now. So get ready to read and keep up with the Williams! I'll leave you with some pictures from these past months :)

1 day old

Sawyer's dedication at church on Mother's Day

4th of July!

Ella's 2nd birthday party (It was a PJs and donuts party)

First bath

First shopping trip...to Target of course!!

1 month old!

1st play date

She is so good at the pouty lip, she can even do it in her sleep.

Those hands won't stay out of her mouth!

.Love.

2 months old...the 2 sides of Sawyer ;)

Hanging out at Nana and Papa's

That right thumb is her favorite.

I just can't get enough of this sweet face!

I’m still here!!

I know it’s been months since I’ve posted…it seems like once I had actually had some interesting things to write about I just couldn’t find the time!! I’m sure most of you know by now but in case you don’t, Dusty and I are expecting our baby girl April 22nd and we cannot find enough words to express how excited we are!!

Our “reveal” to my family, everybody say “Lauren’s pregnant!”

I am 25 weeks along and feeling great :) However, I couldn’t say the same for the 1st trimester. I don’t know why they call it morning sickness when mine liked to hang around ALL.DAY.LONG. This was another reason for no meal plan postings…I couldn’t even stand to look at recipes online much less cook them. Thankfully my doctor prescribed me what I like to call the miracle pill…you may know it as Zofran. The 2nd trimester has been much MUCH more kind to me and besides the occasional bouts of indigestion, I have no complaints. I am absolutely in love with feeling our baby girl move around inside my tummy and sharing every moment with Dusty. My next appointment is on the 19th for another another ultrasound and glucose testing. Here are our first pictures of Sawyer Marguerite.

9 weeks18 weeks 

My mom, sister in law and nephew came to visit yesterday and help clean out the room that will be Sawyer’s nursery. The room was previously housing all sorts of random things from wedding scrapbook items to Dusty’s hunting gear….needless to say, it was time to clean out and organize. Mom, Melanie and I went to work while Dusty and Grayson hung out and poked in from time to time. After a lunch break and some play time at the park, we were finished! The room is cleaned out and ready for paint, furniture and carpet…I’m only tackling one project at a time people. We did get her closet started and somewhat organized. I can’t believe how many clothes she already has and we still have a huge tub full of clothes that are waiting to folded neatly in a dresser. See for yourself!

 

Hopefully we’ll get the room painted within the next couple weeks and then get new carpet and furniture next month. Hopefully I’ll keep up with the blogging better than I had been recently so you’ll all be able to see pictures. Now that the holiday season has past and things have slowed back down to a normal pace, I am hoping I will be back to blogging on a weekly basis. I hope everyone had an AMAZING Christmas and a great start to the new year! The holidays were extra special for us this year, not just because we had an extra blessing to be joyful for, but because Dusty was not working or on call for Christmas! This was the first time in 3 years that Dusty and I were able to be together for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We were so blessed and thankful that his new job that he started in October gave him 4 days off for Christmas and 4 days off for New Years! Dusty and I loved soaking up every minute with our family and friends during the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. We found ourselves eagerly looking forward to next Christmas when we will have our 8 month old little girl here to share it with!

A pretty good “bump” picture…, I’ve been really bad about taking those so this is all I really have.  

Now that I’ve updated you all…it’s time for me to get ready for the week! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!