happy halloween!

This little monkey is wishing you a very happy halloween! 

More pics to come, of course. 

Can't wait to see your littles all dressed up too!

a million...

 ...that's how many things there are to decide/choose for the new house. At least it sure feels like it anyway!

Our offer for the new house was accepted back in August and things have been rather slow since then. They won't begin building til mid-November so it's been pretty quiet. We are lucky though to be getting in so early because that means we get to pick everything out and customize it a bit!

Last Friday we had a meeting with our builder to give us the skinny on what our selections appointment would be like. Basically he told us we have to pick everything out for the entire house at this 3-4 hour meeting. Oh and we can't change our minds on a single thing. Say what?!

So you best believe I have been on Pinterest like a mad woman. 

And yes, my poor husband. I'm probably, no, definitely driving him crazy with all my decision making. I guess I'm kind of indecisive about some things... ha! (if you're reading this Vince, stop with the eye rolls! jk)

But really. How am I supposed to pick out hardwoods, carpet, paint colors, cabinet style, and all that jazz in a 3 hour meeting? And did I mention I haven't even seen any of the options yet? Such a silly plan I tell ya!

We are so over the moon with the new house beginning construction next month. But I do think I might lose my marbles trying to figure this all out. 

Any tips for me on how to get organized and make real, lasting decisions? I'm scared to pick the wrong thing and then getting stuck with it. 

cuddles + a giveaway

Well, I apologize for my lack of content today but I currently have a (finally!!!) sleeping baby strapped to my chest...

Poor guy has been on a nap strike... so this is how we'll be rollin today.

To make up for my lack of posting, we have $150 giveaway going on over at September Farm! Enter below..

jess | nelle | kaelene
amy | karli | sarah
rachael | jamie | lisa
ali | alycia

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

cinnamon apple cobbler

Nothing says fall quite like a fresh baked apple cobbler!

Last week while visiting with family, my grandma (who we call Nonnie) brought me a bunch of apples from the tree in her yard and said that they would be perfect for baking with. Now, I'm not as great of a baker as Nonnie, but I must say that this apple cobbler is to die for. Serve warm with a scoop (or two) of ice cream and try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting!

Ingredients

Makes about 6 servings

Apple Filling:

5-6 apples - peeled, cored, and sliced (I'm not certain on the kind of apples that grow in Nonnie's yard but I would recommend a tart apple for this recipe)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cobbled Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup boiling water

1 - Preheat oven to 425° and coat baking dish of choice with cooking spray. 

2 - Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Add sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch and mix until coated throughout. Then set aside.

3 - In a mixing bowl (I used one attached to my KitchenAid Mixer), add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add softened butter to dry mix.

5 - Then in a small bowl, heat up 1/4 cup water in microwave til almost boiling and add vanilla.

6 - Add vanilla water to dry mix and combine until dough becomes sticky.

7 - Pour apples into baking dish and using your fingers, plop small pieces of dough over the top of the apple filling. Try not to work the dough too much and be sure to cover apples somewhat evenly.

8 - Bake for 25 minutes.

And enjoy!

Linking up with Annie & Natalie this week during Thoughts for Thursday. 

$125 cash up for grabs!

What's that you say? 

Another cash giveaway!? 

Oh yes please!

Go check out these lovely ladies and enter for your chance to win $125 buckaroos.

Liz | Jess | Tawnya

Penny | A Mommy App | Ali

Amy | Karissa | Jaelan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

life lately [truett]

Head over to the Farmer's Wife and check out a fun Q&A sesh with me today! This girl is awesome sauce and her two boys are stinkin' adorable. Go check her out!

I feel like so much has happened since Truett's five month update that I just need to post about it.

This guy has been checking off so many milestones lately.

He can sit by himself.

He is army crawling.

He is so close to actually crawling, it's kind of scary. He has the motions down but can't figure out how to do it all at the same time just yet.

He said 'MA MA' the other day! I swear it. I even have it on video. I had been working really hard at it and I swear it's probably the only thing he ever hears me say because I really wanted it to be his first word. And it was! I was in total shock and thought I was losing my mind but nope, I got it on video!

He is changing so much, guys, and I can barely keep up. I seriously can't take my eyes off of him for even a second without worrying I might miss something.. or that he might just take off rolling across the room.

And that he has.

playroom inspiration

Since our new home will begin construction next month, I have been dreaming up a storm for ideas on our new playroom.

The upstairs has a huge bonus room that we plan to turn into a room for Truett and future kiddos to play in and I have been browsing Pinterest like crazy trying to find some fun ideas for it.

I'm thinking I want a theme.. but at the same time, I don't want it to look too "theme-y," if that makes any sense at all..

I have been eyeing these teepees by B.E. Little You and Me and think it would be a fun addition to the playroom. True won't be able to fully enjoy it til he is a little older, but that doesn't mean I can't! I imagine getting all snuggly inside and reading stories..

[source]

I would love to do a big chalkboard wall like this as well. And of course, lots of book shelves!

[source]

[source]

And, of course, we'd need some rules...

[source]

I can't wait to get started on decorating and organizing for this room. It will be so nice to have a spot specifically for True and his buddies (aka my nephews) to play in one day.

You can find more of my Playroom Inspiration here.

What are your must-have playroom items/pieces? Anything you think is a must for True's new playroom?

[oh hey friday] | randoms

[one] Vince and I celebrated our 9th anniversary last Friday. Yep, you read that right. We have been dating for nine years! Crazy, I know. We had his mom come over to watch True for the night while we went out and enjoyed some fondue. It was delicious. And definitely a much needed night out for us. When we came home, True had woken up, but was fast asleep on Grandma's shoulder. It was so sweet to see and made me very happy that he was comfy and content with his Grandma.

[two] True is going through some major growing slash milestone hitting slash teething slash you name it. His favorite thing to do right now is to army crawl all over the house or to sit and bang on his Baby Einstein piano.

[three] I'm working on a fun new project that I just can't wait to share with you guys.. so here is a quick sneak peak. I'll give you a hint. It involves paint, wood, and this vinegar & steel wool stain I mixed up. Any ideas? No? Okay, just you wait!

[four] I saw this on Facebook the other day and just had to share. I know some of my mommy friends could really use this little reminder...

[five] I participated in a Journal Swap last month and was paired up with the lovely Donna at Grace & Galoshes. It was my first time doing a swap of any kind but it was really fun to be paired up with someone, learn about them, and discover a new blog. I wish I had taken a picture of the journal I sent to Donna (bad blogger moment!) but here is the one she sent me. I sure do love a good mint chevron!

Welp, that was my week! How was yours?

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday and Karli & Amy for Oh, Hey Friday!

a mommy app: review

Okay, all my fellow mommy app lovers out there, this post is for you!

I'm excited to be sharing with you all this fun and new app that was just released this past week. This new app is called A Mommy App and was created by husband and wife team, Jon & Tiffany, who are registered nurses and parents of two sweet little ones. The app was created for mommies to enjoy, document their little one's milestones, and even for a little bit of stress relief. And don't we all need a little bit of that!

You can read all about the features here, but first let me share a few of my favorites:

[My Kids] - Okay, not gonna lie, this was probably my favorite part! I love anything personalized and this was a lot of fun to create a little space for my babe. I decided to go with a fun winter theme.. maybe because it's freezing cold in my house, but whatev. I added a little deer, some snow, and made it nighttime. You can personalize it anyway you want and there are a bunch of fun little images to add. I think this would be a lot of fun to do with older little ones so they could help pick it all out with you. On the sides there are little arrows where you click and out pops a milestone tracker, likes, dislikes, and upcoming appointments and such.

[My Pregnancy] - No, no I am not pregnant. BUT this was funny to play around with. I took the 'Am I Pregnant' quiz for kicks and giggles and my result...

"Eat a cupcake".. Don't have to tell me twice! 

[Stress Relief] - I'm pretty much obsessed with True's sound machine but this stress relief portion of the app is the bee's knees. My favorite sound would have to be the thunder storm. Yes, yes, I know, I live in the PNW so I can just open my window and hear rain.. but we never get real storms! Also, you can click on whatever mood you are in and little affirmations and notes of encouragement will pop up. So thoughtful! 

Alright, now off you go & try out this new app.. I'm off to eat that cupcake now! 

The deets:
- You can purchase A Mommy App through the website here: www.amommyapp.com for $0.99 (such a steal!) available on iPhone and Android phones.
- Join The Mommy Glow community and follow along via Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

This post was brought to you by A Mommy App.

pumpkin patch pickins

Every year we have a tradition with all of Vince's family to go to the Pumpkin Patch and pick out some pumpkins. This time last year, I was pregnant with Truett and nobody knew it yet! It was especially exciting to think about how fun it would be the following year to bring him along with. Little did we all know, there would be two more babies added to the bunch!

The weather was overcast but the perfect temperature. And since it was a Friday afternoon we practically had the entire farm to ourselves!

He takes the pumpkin patch very seriously, guys.

We trekked through the fields in our rain boots, picked out a bunch a few pretty pumpkins, and munched on some kettle corn. Vince bought some pickled somethin' or other.. (can you tell I don't like pickles?) and overall, it was a great day! 

And I think this little guy really enjoyed his first time too.

Can't wait for next year when I'm sure I'll be chasing this little monkey through the corn maze, riding on the tractor, and pickin out more pumpkins!

xo

part 2 fertility journey

You can read part one of our journey here.

Okay, where was I? Oh yes. That phone call..

When we got word about Vince's sperm analysis we were faced with a difficult decision. Basically, our doctor explained that they would be referring us to a Reproductive Endocrinologist who would go over everything with us. Long story short, we would most definitely be needing extra assistance through either IUI or IVF.

It all hit me like a ton of bricks. I went through many highs and lows of thinking, 'okay, we can do this' and then 'okay, maybe we can adopt instead.' My mind was racing and was literally all over the place.

I didn't want to stress about it and most importantly, I didn't want Vince to stress about it. So we made a pack. We decided that we would take it easy, enjoy the rest of our summer and at the end of summer if I wasn't pregnant than we would go see the specialist.

We also decided to both go to Acupuncture once a week and see what that could do for us. If anything, we would zen out and have a happy, chill summer.

My acupuncturist, who also specializes in Chinese Herbal Medicine, put me on a supplement to be taken once a day during my fertile window. It tasted horrible and was such a pain in the arse but I stuck it out and drank it daily for three months. Vince was lucky though, and got to take capsules of some name I can't remember that were supposed to help his swimmers.

We stuck to it for the next three months and enjoyed the hell out of our summer! We went camping a few times, went on a vacation to the lake, drank a little and laughed a ton. We seriously had a blast and honestly, kind of forgot about the stress of trying to conceive.

Finally, the end of August rolled around and it was decision making time. We were still a few months shy of our one year mark, but with the news that Vince had Male Factor Infertility, we knew the process was going to be long and hard.

I remember, it was a Friday, and I was dialing the number to the Fertility Clinic and something triggered in my brain that hmmm, maybe I should just take a test and make sure I'm not pregnant. After months and months of pregnancy tests, and probably hundreds of dollars, I pretty much knew the drill on how to take them. Take it first thing in the morning when you wake up for the most accurate results. Well, it was already late in the afternoon so I missed my window. But I hung up the phone anyway and decided to wait til Monday to call the clinic. Plus, the next day was my sister-in-laws bachelorette party and I didn't want to be a total stress ball during that and wanted to have some fun.

Oh wait, I thought, tomorrow is Lindsey's bachelorette party! I need to know now if theres a chance I could be pregnant. Even though I was absolutely convinced that I was not and that there was pretty much not a shot in the dark that I could be, because of the test results, I decided to test anyway.

I dragged my feet up the stairs & popped open a brand new box of pregnancy tests and set it on the bathroom counter. I decided to fold some laundry while I waited the required 3 minutes, knowing that it was going to be another 'Not Pregnant.'

An hour passed and I realized I had completely forgotten to check it. I creeped into the bathroom to sneak a peak and low and behold.... 'Pregnant.'

Holy bananas! I took another test. And another. It was real! I mean, what! It was real. I could not believe my eyes. I was in absolute shock and even now the hairs on the back of my neck stick up just typing out this story. I cried and cried. Then waited impatiently for Vince to get home from the Academy and break the news. We just stared at each other, hugging, and crying, and laughing, and just so, so, so excited.

I will never, ever forget that day and how amazing we both felt after so many months of trying. I honestly can't say what did it, whether it was a mix of the Acupuncture, or the Chinese Herbal Medicine, or just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. But whatever it was, it worked. And nine months later we welcomed our sweet little boy, Truett James, to the world.

 - - - -

It took a lot for me to share this story with you all. It is such a personal and emotional thing but I am so glad to finally let it out there. I know that our struggle is not uncommon and my hope in sharing is that more couples out there feel comfortable with talking about it as well. It's not something to be ashamed of or to hide behind but something to embrace and accept. I think that once we accepted what was happening we were able to move pass it and really focus on the bigger picture. I know how huge the struggle is and my hope in writing this is to let you all know that you aren't alone. I wish I would have shared this story with any one of my friends or family while we were going through it but I chose to keep it to myself instead and I think that only caused more pain for me. So, if you are reading this, and also struggling, please, please, feel free to send me an email and reach out. I would be more than happy to lend my support, because I know how much it is needed.

xo

our fertility journey part 1

I have been debating for quite some time on whether or not to share this post with you. And actually, it's been sitting in my Drafts as I've been unable to commit to the Publish button. But I finally feel like now is the time to share our fertility story. And just a warning; this is super wordy!

We began trying to conceive officially in November 2012 after a couple months of toying with the idea of "trying not to try" (whatever the heck that means.. a term I clearly made up). I foolishly thought it would happen immediately and the day before my cycle was due I would run to the bathroom and pee on a stick. The reoccurring "Not Pregnant"s really started to take a toll. 

In January 2013 I decided to see an Acupuncturist for overall wellness and fertility help. I was not aware of any fertility issues at the time but figured seeing someone certainly couldn't hurt. I was a very regular 26 day cycler and pretty much knew the day of ovulation each round. So I wasn't quite sure what the deal was and why it was taking "so long" (again, read: naive). I figured cause we were young and healthy that it would happen with the snap of my fingers, but no. Big fat no. 

I digress. Anyway. Acupuncture. Yes, it was awesome getting poked my needles for an hour once a week, every week, for the next 8 months. But hey I did it. And in the end it paid off. I started taking some medley of Chinese herbs that tasted absolutely horrid. Despite the taste, I kept on keeping on.  Also during this time I started taking my temperature and tracking all there is to track for ovulation detection. 

During the next six months I struggled a lot with the "why" issue. Why wasn't I getting pregnant? Why was it taking so long? Why is so & so pregnant without even trying and we have been trying without any success? It started to eat me alive. It was consuming my every day live and my every thought. I would see commercials for Clear Blue pregnancy tests and burst into tears. I would hear radio commercials for a local fertility clinic and feel a deep pang in my stomach. It was such an emotional roller coaster and the worst part was not knowing what was wrong. 

Finally in June, after 7 months of no success, I decided to see my OB/GYN about it. Typically they say that a healthy couple may take up to a year to get pregnant and even though we hadn't yet reached that point I had a feeling something just wasn't quite right. I wasn't sure exactly what it was but I just couldn't shake the feeling. So when I saw my OB I expressed my concerns and she began asking all sorts of questions. After hearing my responses and taking a look at my charts, she carefully suggested everything with my body looked good and that maybe it was something else. Something else? I wondered. The idea hadn't even crossed my mind. I was so consumed by the thought that it was something with me and that I was doing something wrong or that maybe I just wasn't meant to have kids. 

My OB suggested that I gently bring up the idea to Vince of getting a sperm analysis. At first I was really scared of the idea. It was so much easier in my mind if something was "wrong" with me because that was something I could deal with. But once the idea was presented that it might be something with Vince's swimmers, I got really worried. I didn't want that burden to be on him. I didn't want him to feel self conscious about it or have to carry the stress of it all. Not to mention he was just finishing up at the Academy and had enough stress as it was in order to graduate and complete his testings. Now I was faced with the task of bringing up to him about this whole new scary test. 

He handled it much better than I had even imagined and agreed to take the test. 

A week passed and I got a call from our doctor. The news was not great. 

Bottom line, our doctor said we would have a really hard time conceiving naturally and she was almost certain we would need assistance. 

We were both in shock and faced a difficult decision.

Stayed tuned for Part 2...

a taste of the good stuff

Friday night we introduced Truett to his first bit of solid food. Yes, this is how we spend our Friday nights now. Wild and crazy, I tell ya!

After recommendation from our pediatrician (ask me how many times it took to correctly spell that word...) we chose to skip rice cereal and started with a healthy fruit mixed with some breast milk. Apparently, rice cereal is hard for babes to digest and can be tough on their tummies. So our doc said we could skip that and just give him some mashed up food around 5 months or wait til 6 and give him chunks.

Speaking of 'apparently', I can't get this song out of my head...

I digress.

Back to True...

He's been so curious every time we eat food and was making some seriously funny chewing faces, so we decided to go ahead and see what he would do with some mashed up avocado.

...

"Oh this looks like fun..."

"Mom, give me that, I got this."

"Wait. What is THAT?! Hmmm.. I dunno bout this, mom."

Well, let's just say he didn't love it... but he didn't hate it either! 

It was hilarious watching him eat the avocado and try to figure out what to do with it. I'm pretty sure he got more on himself, the table, and the floor than he did in his mouth. But hey, it was a successful first attempt I would say!

I mashed up the avocado with a little bit of breast milk and have been giving that to him the last few nights. I think we will keep with the avocado for a few more days and then see about trying a new food. 

Mamas -- what was your babe's first food? Any favorites or recommendations for this age? 

Oh and can I also just say that while this is a really exciting new thing, it also makes me incredibly sad that my little man is growing up so dang fast. bring on the waterworks...

xo

five months old [truett]

Okay, I know I say this every month -- but seriously, time, where are you going? I can't even believe my baby is five months old today. He is seriously such a happy little boy and we love him so freakin' much. 

On to the good stuff...

Weight/Height: I don't have an exact number for you this month but at his four month check up he was 18lb and 27inches, so I'm going to guess he is a little over 19lbs at this point. 

Clothes: Holy moley! This kid goes through clothes SO stinkin' fast. He is currently wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes but can easily fit into 9-12 month clothes. The 6-9 are a little on the snug side so he's pretty much right between sizes now. I seriously can't keep up with him! I swear last month I was posting about him between sizes too.

Sleep: We have actually been working really hard on his sleep training the last few weeks and he seems to finally have gotten over the dreaded four month sleep regression. He was also having some serious catnapping issues but we are getting over that as well. His bed time is now between 6:30 and 7 with a bath, lotion, and nursing session right before. I sing a few songs, lay him down while drowsy, and wait with him til he falls asleep. Every once in a while he needs to be picked up and calmed back down but he usually just squirms around and babbles and then eventually falls asleep. Some nights are easier than others. He is still waking about 3 times per night but only wakes for about a ten minute feed and then falls right back to sleep. I'm working on cutting out a night feed but it's all a work in progress. 

Feeding: During the day he nurses about every 2-3 hours and then 3 times at night at random intervals. He is still strictly breastfed. Though we did talk to his ped last month about starting on solids at his six month mark. She recommended skipping rice cereal and the purees and offering finger food chunks like avocado and bananas around 6 months, once he can sit well and such. I'm pretty excited for that! I can tell he is definitely getting ready for it. He loves to watch us eat and even mimics the chewing motion.

Likes: He loves his Monk Monk (monkey Jellycat) and chews on him all the time. His new favorite thing to do is yell! He just found his voice and thinks its really funny to scream and then he laughs. His laugh is still mostly silent with a few coughing type sounds, it's hilarious! He is always smiling and is such a happy baby. He loves to be on his belly. He still loves to rock and bounce while being held. He is fascinated by the doggies and tries to pet (see also: pull their hair) all the time. He now also enjoys going for walks in his stroller and looking around at everything. 

Dislikes: He is not crazy about this whole not-getting-to-sleep-on-mom&dad deal but he is adjusting really well. He's doing a million times better in the car. Diaper changes are still a challenge just because he likes to roll around. 

Milestones: He is working on being able to sit! He mostly bends forward and plays with something in front of him or holds or sucks his toes. He can't quite sit up straight unassisted just yet but he is almost there. He also has both the motions down for crawling but can't figure out how to do them at the same time. It's so funny to watch! It looks like he is swimming. He has become so much more aware of every little thing around him and now loves to look and everything and smile or laugh. He is just such a happy babe and so smiley all the time!

Events: His cousin Kamden was born just last week and he has True beat on his birth weight - weighing in at 9lb 8oz. He's a sweet baby and I can't wait for Truett, Miles, and Kamden to all grow up together. I can already tell they are going to be such great friends.

My birthday was also a couple of weeks ago. It's crazy to think this time last year I was pregnant with this silly little guy. He is such an absolute joy and we are so in love with him. I can't even imagine my life without him in it. 

And a quick mama update:

Weight Loss: Pish posh. I'm the same as last month. No shame in my game. The numbers just won't budge. I'm setting a goal for Christmas to be down ten, so wish me luck. Clearly I need it. 

Other Changes: My hair loss is finally starting to ease up. It was bad there for a little while, I mean bad. And now it's all funny looking where it's growing back in and I have a million tiny little hairs poking out all over. Hair spray is my best friend these days. Oh and my skin is also finally clearing up, thank goodness.

xo

Linking up with Annie & Natalie this week during Thoughts for Thursday. 

fall decorating: mantel

One of my favorite things about the Fall season is the decor. I love to decorate with pumpkins, leaves, pine cones, anything that scream Fall!

Here's what I came up with this year:

I try to switch it up each year and add something a little different from the prior. This time, however, I went with a whole new feel. 

After my vintage mason jar project a few weeks ago I decided to make a couple more in some fall colors. I chose a warm rusty red and a deep red brown. 

This quote I found on Etsy I just love! The wood frame adds a bit of texture as well. 

The "Fall" banner was a quick and easy DIY with some burlap, paint and stencil. 

I just love how it all turned out this year, the pops of color make it feel so cozy and warm. 

Next up: the front porch! Stay tuned.