Toby - Month Seven

Toby is now seven months old!

 

He's officially past the half-year mark, and we're barreling towards his *first* birthday -- at seven months old, Toby is still pretty much the cat's pajamas :)

He's our chunky butt, weighing in just under 21 pounds (his brother is 24 pounds, while poor RJ is only 29 pounds!) and is hitting the top of all the percentile charts for his age.

 

Toby has such a desire to be on the move already; he tries so hard to crawl, he just can't figure out how to get his big belly off the ground! He wants to sit up, but again, his stomach muscles just aren't as strong as he'd like them to be.

He's still not sleeping through the night, unfortunately for me, but he has at least gotten down to about two feedings per night - his first stretch of the night is usually his longest, somewhere from 10-3 (which is freaking awesome, don't get me wrong!) but there are nights still where he's up every two hours to eat. He's never fussy, never awake incessantly, just really really hungry apparently.

Justin and I can see him resembling his big brother quite a bit, but he's still his own special little mix of the two of us -- where the middle two blondies are the spitting images of their daddy, and Sidney is my carbon copy, Toby is just his own little dude. He doesn't really look exactly like anyone, but he sure does look a little like all of us! It's fun to watch him grow and change. Sidney is still just happy his hair is mostly brown (although it's lightening up every day) so she can say he looks like her :)

Toby is quite the eater (how else do you think he keeps up that 20 pound figure?!) which doesn't surprise me in the least -- everyone in this family seems to have a healthy appetite! He loves pretty much everything, although the face he makes when you give him something he doesn't like (or if you don't give something he does like to him fast enough, like in the photo above) is absolutely priceless.

Jaxon spent a few nights in the children's hospital at the beginning of July with a MRSA infection, so Toby and I were separated for some back-to-back nights. I have to admit, it was hard! As much as I hate dragging out of my comfy bed night after night, hour after hour, I hate not being there for it even more. These days are so precious and over so quickly, I try not to gripe too much and just go with the flow of enjoying every minute.

Most days are pure fun, some days are hard, but every day with Toby is absolutely perfect -- seven months of an awesome kid, full of happy giggles and squeals. I wouldn't trade this kid for anything in the world!

"Realness"

Tomorrow, Toby's monthly update post will be published.

 

And then after that, I think I'm going to take a hiatus -- definitely from blogging, maybe from all social media (although giving up my Facebook and Instagram will be hard) -- I just feel a need to pull back and reconnect.

 

Reconnect with myself and my family and my priorities. It's a struggle, and it's a part of our society these days -- everyone is so connected with the online world instantly, but are we really connecting to each other?

 

It's a question I think a lot of us are asking ourselves these days -- though if you're like me, you're not quite sure what the first step to regaining some of that "realness" should be.

 

For me, I'm just going to back away for the time being. I'd like to do a cold turkey month-long exodus. Just step away and see what else shines through.

 

You never know what's waiting on the other side of the closed door -- and if you never open it, the possibilities will forever be a mystery.

 

Mystery be damned, I want to know what's on the other side of that door.

Evening Walks with Birdie

Getting this dog was the best thing we've done in awhile. For me, she's the perfect fit to our family + she is everything you could want in a family dog or any dog for that matter. I am comforted by her presence, it just feels right having her around.

 

In the evenings, when the boys are finally asleep, the girls and I sneak off for a few minutes of time alone. We walk the gravel road towards the cabin. We pick wild berries. We jump over fresh piles of cow manure. We throw rocks in the creek. It's all the stereotypes of "country living" that, in my mind, comprise the perfect ending to any day.

 

I look forward to those stolen minutes, before the girls go to bed and the rest of the evening chores (or the couch) call my name. The sun has set, but the world is still lit in this beautiful warm haze. Stars are just beginning to fade through the sky. Rhealen always looks for the moon. I've taught Sidney how to cover it up by using her thumb and closing one eye. Like clockwork, they do their routines.

 

Birdie follows along beside us, through our legs and against our bodies before darting up the hill. I think she enjoys these evening walks, too. She runs and stretches and sniffs the entire time we walk. I have to keep reminding the girls to let her be, she'll come back when she's done. They call to her constantly, and she always obliges, tiring her little body out in double the time.

Of course having a dog is more work, another being to care for -- but Birdie makes it easy. She is never demanding, always gentle and so easy going. She was made for us.

 

I wanted a dog so badly for so long, and just like that, I found the perfect one. She fits into our family as perfectly as those evening walks we share.

The Funk (And Not the Good Kind)



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The older I get, the more I discover my strengths and my weaknesses. I like to think I've always been a rather mellow, patient, easy-flow kind of person. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers, and I rarely get overwhelmed by anything. I don't really get mad at anyone or anything. I've even learned to let go of old grudges I carried for years. Aside from my daily road rage, my temper just kind of steadies on an even plane.

 

And yet, lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed. It's this week, really. And there's not anything super specific to pin it down on. It's a mountain of little things, insignificant things that I know I shouldn't even let bother me. I know they're fleeting moments of aggravation, and in the scheme of things, they don't deserve the attention I'm giving them.

 

But yet, they keep piling up. And I'd be inhuman to say they aren't bothering me. Because they are. I've been rushed, forgetful, easily agitated, melancholy, and just plain tired all week (and we're only halfway through the week).

 

Even with four kids, our lives run on a pretty smooth schedule. It's not air-tight, and we can usually change things up fairly easy, but still -- we have our own sort of normal, and everyone is predictably their same crazy selves. We make it work for us, and honestly, most days it doesn't even feel like we're working that hard.

 

This week has felt hella hard.

 

I guess this is just one of those funks, I know people go in and out of them all of the time. I'm in the funk right now, deep and thick -- and I wouldn't be so upset or angry about it if I just had a viable or justifiable reason to be in the funk.

 

I keep thinking to myself, "what is wrong with you?! there are so many other things going on right now, snap out of it!"

 

But here I am, keeping it honest and writing it down -- hopefully sooner, rather than later, I can look back on this from the other side. Shake it off. Move forward. Get over yourself, woman.

Throwback to an old photo of me and Sidney - back when I thought one screaming baby was overwhelming. HA!

 

Birdie

On Saturday we added another blip to the crazy stream that is our lives: we got a dog!

We rescued this little girl, Birdie, from a local shelter + it was love at first sight. She's around 1.5 years old + they believe she's a Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd mix. She really is the sweetest little pup you could ever hope to meet!

I still can't believe we somehow talked Justin into owning a dog again (we had to rehome our last two dogs a few years back after they attacked our neighbor's dog) -- so even though we've brought Birdie home and plan on having her for years to come, I'm still holding my breath a little + I get worried she'll run off or get picked up or something drastic like that.

But so far, she's a dream + she doesn't bark, doesn't jump or do anything excessively annoying like that with either us or the kids. She hasn't tried to wander off and hasn't been down near the road by our house.

The only negative? She is determined to escape every kennel we put her in. She managed to escape two different kennels three different times! Each time though, she just comes right back to our front porch, to her little spot in the corner.

 

I am so glad we got a family dog, and I'm so glad we found her when we did. She is perfect --in my eyes-- and even though it's another level of crazy added to our days, I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

She's just one more baby to love :)

SWVA Perfection

This little corner of SWVA sure is a pretty one -- and on days like this one pictured, it's hard to imagine a more beautiful place to live. We have it all, all year long - sunny days, crisp evenings, cold nights. Sunny summers, snow-filled winters. We have thunderstorms in the spring and crunchy leaves in the fall. It's just picture-perfect all year long!

 

I've traveled quite a bit in my young life and seen all sorts of beautiful things, but I swear, that mountain covered view is my favorite thing in this whole world.

(Also, momma needs a haircut. And a selfie stick!)

You May Want to (Buy) This: Swankaroo

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How adorable are these child-size backpacks specifically designed with young children in mind?!

 

I can just see Rhealen carrying around her little ponies and sunglasses in that Kaleidoscope print bag + Jaxon carrying around his cars and apple slices in the Camo print bag.

 

Kendra, the brilliant mind behind Swankaroo, has been publishing one of my favorite blogs, Kendra May, for years now, and I'm a dedicated follower + I am so happy for her to be venturing out with this small business of hers. I don't know how she does it with two littles (and one on the way!)

 

You can find Swankaroo HERE and on Instagram HERE.

Toby - Month Six

Last week was wild, what with Jaxon being in the hospital (a post for another day) so I wasn't able to finish Toby's monthly update.

 

But here goes....

 

At six months old, our little T-man is quite the delicious ham. He is all giggles and smiles. He never meets a stranger. Unlike his big brother, Toby loves a crowd -- he will coo and squeal and perform for an audience of any size.

He is our big boy, with chunky thighs and a little potbelly that is perfect for kissing (or blowing raspberries, as Sidney loves to do!)

 

He's not quite sleeping through the night yet, which makes for some exhausting days, but he's getting there -- he is finally putting himself to sleep at night (and for naps!) which is a good sign we're heading in the right direction.

 

His first two teeth just popped in a few days ago; all that slobbering and gnawing proved worth it, I've never been so excited to see two little teeth pop through in my life!

 

Toby's favorite things include: pulling hair, jumping in his exerciser, laughing with his daddy, watching music videos (if they include cute girls shaking their butts, even better!), sink baths, and cuddling with his momma :)

He really, truly is such a good baby -- I don't know how we lucked up (yet again!) to have such an awesome kid, but I'm so happy we did.

 

Toby just cruises right along with us, never complaining (unless it's time to eat or sleep!) and always is happy just to be around his family.

 

What more could a momma ask for?