7 months.....oh yes!

Some of my favorite things.....


Bouncing in my Bumbo seat
Grabbing mommy and daddy's faces ( sometimes even gently to wake us up )
Trying to sit up more and more
Riding in shopping carts and sitting in high chairs
Banging my toys together
Post bathing rituals...laying on the changing table and talking and kicking like crazy :)
Looking at myself in the mirror and smiling from ear to ear
Going on strolls with mommy outside
Reaching out for mommy and daddy
Sleeping in my big girl bed like a champ still
Orajel
Keeping my mouth open at ALL TIMES!
Bouncing in my Einstein jumper WITHOUT a pillow below me :)
Watching mommy and daddy play Dr. Mario 
Eating, rubbing my hands in my food and putting them in my curls
Lastly, LAUGHING still. 


I will say it again....each month just gets better and better. I know we did NOTHING to deserve this little butterball. It is only by God's grace that we get to take care of her for a short time here on Earth. Thank you Lord Jesus! Amara continues to be a light in our family. She is a sort of "glue" that bonds us all even closer. She is a joy for everyone to watch grow, and seeing her really respond to things is so very exciting right now. 


7 months have come and gone in the blink of an eye. I am still trying to soak up every single second. I find a lot of purpose in being a mommy. Honestly, it makes me want to be an even better wife. I realize that the phase of Amara not really knowing what is going on is short-lived. Even more so than now, she will be watching everything that I do as it becomes an influence in her life good or bad. Lord, I am trusting you! Gabe and I know that we cannot do this without your guidance, your wisdom, your love, and your GRACE! 


Our favorite times with Amara I think are still the mornings. She will wake up and just talk to herself in her crib for about an hour or so every morning. It is a sweet sound! Then, we bring her downstairs for some cuddle time before we start our day. Also, I am really loving bath time at night. I love letting her "relax". She is eating her two spoon fed meals a day like a big girl...she has the stains to prove it :)


It is almost as if she is doing nothing much newer than 6 months, but she is just growing in those things....getting better at them. 


Blessed beyond belief! Love you boots!!

In the cart at JoAnn's....whatever it takes folks!

Our first Easter!

She literally makes her way to every inch of the bed throughout the night!

Still loves blowing her raspberries!

You can call me Papa....

I am a big fan of the blog, lay baby lay. Her style boards for nurseries are so inspiring, and I was personally inspired by her nursery for her little "peanut", Vivi ( such a cute name!)

Anyway, every now and then she posts printable downloads that make for great artwork! I have rearranged Amara's nursery due to the everlasting "paint smell", so I am in need of some more artwork over her dresser. As if buying frames isn't expensive enough, I am all about some free quality prints! I absolutely ADORE the song lyric, and her story behind the design. For your own print, click here! Be sure to actually download it instead of just printing from her site! Enjoy!

mama likey

I was out running some errands today, and actually left the store with a few finds that I couldn't resist! I went into USA Baby and fell in love with some of the newer BOON stuff. I am definitely a gadgets person, especially if I know that it will make life a little easier!! If they are worthless, I won't use them, but  if they actually make sense, I will take the time out to make use of them.

I bought the boon bottle drying rack before Amara came along because I LOVE it, but I do find that it gets filled very fast ( to the point that it is overflowing) with all of the "little bitty" pieces that need to dry. All of Amara's pacis, teethers, small bottle parts, etc.

TA DA!!!! Meet Twig :)

They also had Blossom, which is super cute also, but I went for white!

Here are some of the other Boon products that are on my list to buy.....

Top Priority!

squeezy fruit holder :)

caterpillar snack stack

flo

white whale pod

Ok, enough about boon! My other favorite find was this cute little bag by Itzy Ritzy for all things "wet!" Instead of my trusty grocery bag, I thought I would get great use out of this for Amara's first summer of being in the pool and her first swim lessons! :) They come in such cute patterns too!

Cute project for a little girl!

One of my friends came into town this week and was surprised with a baby shower at Cheesecake Factory... YUM! My budget it pretty tight right now, so I had to get creative. I am in love with Pinterest for this very reason. It really inspires me to want to be crafty and thrifty as well. I am slowly learning that less costly doesn't have to mean less quality. It is not really in my nature to be money conscious, but I am trying to change that! I really love the feeling of spending time on something for someone you love!

I had some leftover swaddle cloths that had never been used, and I found a cute tutorial for the cutest little hair pins ever. I threw them on some kraft paper and personalized it with my oh so handy stamp set, which is something I think everyone should have in their home!!

Some of the other girls at the shower loved them, so I offered to make them for their kids' Easter Baskets.

Just the perfect project for me to relax and kick off Spring!! yay!!

6.5 and counting

I am attempting to write my blog post during nap times, which seems nearly impossible sometimes because I have so many other things to do during nap times, but here goes...

I don't generally do a half month post on Amara, but I woke up this morning thinking about how quickly she is changing, and how I want to document these changes for us to look back on. Two weeks makes such a huge difference nowadays! We started food a little over two weeks ago. It is going well, however, it did take the full two weeks for her to finally open her mouth on her own for me to put the food in :). So far we have tried sweet potatoes, bananas, and apples. Bananas are the favorite choice right now, as they were for me when I was a baby. We are kind of having to trick her by getting her to open her mouth for the paci and then sliding food in there. Then, she will suck on the paci to suck the food down. It is a bad habit. I have to not even bring the paci to the table. Bad mommy! She is definitely getting the hang of it though! We are on a schedule ( somewhat), and it has changed my life!! Amara is usually in bed by about 8 and sleeps until 7:30. The past few nights she has been waking up around 5:30 for different reasons ( laying on her paci, in the corner of the bed with nowhere to go, on her tummy and can't roll back over, etc.)

It is really enjoyable for me to watch her sleep. We have a baby cam that we can check on her with, and she is a mover and a shaker. Most mornings, Gabe and I ask each other "what end was her head on THIS morning?" She is all over the place!! Our doctor said for us to let her cry it out when we put her down and don't put her down with a paci. Let her find it on her own to soothe herself. Amara has been a rockstar. She hasn't cried for more than 5 minutes, and that was just the first few nights! I am so proud of her!! She wakes up happy. You can just look at her now and make a face, and she will cast the BIGGEST smile ever! I live for those smiles right now!! My best part of the day is our morning rituals. We get up and let her sit in her vibrating chair and turn on Dora the Explorer ( the first and only show she took to for a while) or the Backyardigans ( she is loving right now), and Gabe and I will make breakfast and coffee and sit and eat. It is such a RICH time for me. It is like spending time with God in the morning. You know how that just starts your day off right!?! That is how I feel about our family time. It is just another one of those things that sets the pace for my day and my attitude!

I am just so thankful!!

I heart you....Spring!

It is Spring time here in Nashville, and I am loving it!! It is my favorite time of the year. Sunshine, eating outdoors, sandals, fun nail polish colors, iced coffees and of course spring PROJECTS!

 Cleaning hardly gets done around here anymore....at least not the way I like to clean. I would spring clean all of the time if I were able to. Since having Amara, I am just trying to keep my head above water and look good doing so. The thought of Spring cleaning is so overwhelming, but needs to be done. I have mixed in a little fun with the not so fun stuff. Anyway, here are a few of the things we have been celebrating the arrival of Spring with around the Patillo household...

The nastiness that WAS...

We are getting there!

Ummm...paper that has been in this tray since Christmas.
YIKES!

It is my keep all tray next to the stove....now adorning
a pattern from wrap that I am obsessed with! ( more on that
lata!)

I replaced the "snow" in my candle holders with moss.

Yellow daffodils....

Gumball wreath :)

Tutorial  here...

And last, BUT certainly not least.....Gabe is building us a farmhouse table!

In the words of Vince Vaughn in The Break Up " What my baby wants, My baby gets!"

Baby will finally have a nice place to set her lemons ;)

More details to come...whoo hoo!!

Happy half Birthday!!

We made it! A day that has come all too soon, yet not soon enough. I cannot believe that Amara is 6 months old. Since I don't really live in the moment as much as I should, I can't help but to think " Man, just 6 more months and she will be ONE YEAR!!" Holy cow! I have to tell myself to stop planning her first birthday party .....there is time Jenni. ( too late btw!)

 Every time I sit down to write her monthly blog, I have to start by taking a deep breath. I never know where to begin! So much has happened in this last month as far as her growth and her personality, it almost feels like a different child. Some of Amara's favorite things right now are:

playing/ sucking on her feet...
giving herself hickies on her arm...
rolling over on her tummy, and then screaming because she can't roll back over...
wearing cute summery rompers ( she said it herself)...
Being scared ...in a peekaboo kind of way, not a Friday the 13th kind...
kicking...
laughing from deep within her cute little belly...
lounging in bed with mommy and daddy in the morning ...
 Sadie Marie dog ( her soon to be partner in crime) and her fur...
Anything in a cup that Gabe or I are drinking. She wants to touch it constantly...
Baby Einstein bouncer playstation...
Listening to all of the AMAZING, Grammy - worthy songs that Gabe and I sing to her...

just to name a few.

I feel like we encountered a lot of "firsts" this month as well. Amara got told that she looks like a "doll"....oh wait.....that happens almost EVERYDAY. Not kidding. I think it is going to her head. :)

For real firsts.....We started blowing "raspberries", tried rice cereal in a bottle, spending more time in the nursery and napping in her big girl crib, trying to sit up by herself ( we are not quite there, but close), watching her first kids tv show ( leap frog on Netflix), sitting in a Bumbo, swinging at the park ( without mommy holding her), rode in a shopping cart ( not by choice - I still had to support her) and sat in a highchair while out to lunch. It is all so exciting watching her grow and be curious. She is a take it all in kind of girl. She is so observant.

I would say our biggest struggles have been trying to figure out if she is teething and knowing when and if to give her medicines, her not having a schedule yet, not sleeping through the night every night, letting her "cry it out", and for me personally, breastfeeding. I LOVE it, and I will miss it when it is gone I know. However, she has become a more and more aggressive eater and since we don't really have a schedule yet, it just makes planning my day that much more difficult. I will press on though!!

All in all, we are doing great! We are learning so much about ourselves as people and parents. It is really hard to not be joyful with her in the house. She just shines from the inside out when she smiles and the good days are GREAT days, but babies will be babies, and mommy and daddy will have their moments. I think of how God must look at us each morning....His mercies are new every morning. No matter how stressful the hours have been with Amara, after a nap....I will go to get her out of her bed, and there is a renewed spirit in me. I just want to forget before and start all over and not let it affect my mood. That is how I choose to be a mommy. Gabe and I  really try and stay focused on each other though and what is really important. We are the three musketeers....plus a Sadie Marie dog. I can't ask for much more out of life right now to be perfectly honest....Praise God! Sometimes, I have no words to speak when I want to express my gratitude to Him, I am so glad He knows my heart, and my heart is FULL!!

Enjoy the pics!

Blessings,
 The Patillos