Shortcake: Ten Months Old

(So, I completely missed the nine month post. It was on my mind, but never happened. Oh well, moving on.)

Eeeek! We have reached the double digits. Ten months feels really close to one year. How on earth is my baby almost a year old???!! The start of this month was a bit rough on our little guy, but we are happy to have our cheerful sweetheart back after over two weeks of fighting a crummy virus. We are implementing hand washing every ten minutes around here now. (Ok, maybe not, but we probably should.) That sickness coupled with two new teeth made for a sad and miserable little baby. However, our smiley guy is back and we couldn't be happier.

Shortcake still doesn't sleep through the night. We tried a bit of sleep training before Thanksgiving, but he didn't get the memo that nighttime is for sleeping. Thankfully when he is up a ten minute nursing session is all that he needs to settle down most nights, but this momma would really benefit from a full night of sleep. Maybe when he is one????

We gave him another haircut this month. This brings him up to three total. I got a little crazy in the back this time, but he can pull it off.

He is a little on the go army crawler these days. It is amazing how he gets around without getting his belly off the floor. He is definitely getting braver with his exploring and will often come and find me when I leave him behind. Time to start remembering to shut the basement door.

I would like to play with your camera, momma!

I am not positive if he has any real words yet. We have heard the start of momma, dada, and ball. But it isn't consistent enough for me to be convinced that he is really putting the words with the objects. He does have a firm grasp of many words, though, If I tell him no, he stops what he is doing and ducks his head. So sweet.

Why did you have to take it away from me?!!

I love watching him learn about his world. His sweet little hands love to open and shut things, push buttons, and of course bring every little thing in his mouth. He also has the odd habit of sticking this fingers into our mouths. Kind of funny, kind of gross.
I am so in love with this little guy. He is, as always, a tremendous blessing to us all. Stay sweet, Shortcake.

Baby's First Christmas

I nabbed this video of Shortcake's reaction to seeing the Christmas tree set up in the living room for the first time. Pure wonder and joy! Love it!

Merry First Christmas, baby!

O Christmas Tree!

For some reason this year, I am slow to decorate the house for Christmas. Maybe it is the fact that it is a new house and I am not sure where to put things. Lets face it, we really don't have much in the way of non holiday decorations up, so why add much for Christmas? We did get the tree and ornaments out in addition to our manger scene and the kids multiple manger scenes. I also attempted to hang the stockings. Lets just say that you should follow the directions when using Command Strips. Ha!

Anyway, I decided to let the girls decorate the tree on their own this year. I gave them some direction, but they mostly did it on their own. Our tree won't be gracing any magazine covers, but they love it and so do I. The joy of Christmas is still very fresh in our kids. Why not let them enjoy it?

Shortcake loved looking on as the girls worked. I have a great video of him seeing the tree after I had put it together. Maybe I will post it tomorrow.

Our Advent Plan

These days there are lots of "Advent" ideas floating around the internet. In most of these cases the term Advent is being used in a generic sense of a countdown. Advent to me means something different. The term Advent to me is preparing my heart for the coming of the King, the little baby in the manger, Jesus. The last few years we have done a few different Advent activities with the kids. Last year we had an Advent wreath and read an Advent devotion every evening in the month of December. This year I am planning on using a few different Advent calendars. One is a basic open the door calendar with a Bible passage behind each door. I also found this great Bible passage printable from Sugar Doodle.

I also want to do some sort of Christmas activity each day with the kids. In this busy time of year, I figure one of the best things I can give my kids is more of my time. Here are a few of the ideas I have found for activities.

from Haulin' with the Oats

from Crafty Morning

from Nurture Store

We will mix in these art projects with decorating and baking and I am also hoping to do some service projects in the month as well. I hope that by using these activities the kids realize that Christmas isn't just about the gifts and decorations, but about the coming of our Savior King.

The Sugar Detox Diet Rundown

So, remember when I promised I would share the results of my 2 week sugar detox? The time is now!! I had been hearing about this detox from Marta of Four Fit Sisters here and there for a while now. And frankly it didn't sound like something I could do. Cutting out sugar for two weeks is a scary thought. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed to do something to force a change in my eating habits. While weight really hasn't been much of an issue for me, thank you good genes, that doesn't mean that I was being healthy. As a stay at home mom, I found that I would often end up eating treats to get me through the slums of the day. Crabby morning? Better have some extra carbs with my coffee. Tired int he afternoon? Better sit down with a bag of sweet treats. Hard day and now the kids are all in bed? Better have some wine and snack. And while these on occasion may not be a big deal, they all add up. So, I did it! I signed up for Marta's 2 week sugar detox. As it turned out, this wasn't just a sugar detox. It was also gluten and dairy. Yikes! But you guys, I did it! I made it the two weeks with only a few slip ups. And you know what? I felt wonderful. Marta likes to say that you wouldn't put sugar into your gas tank on your vehicle and expect it to run, so why do we do it with our bodies?

Marta is offering one last sugar detox for the year starting next week Monday. Here is a link of where you can sign up. Marta offers great support and ideas throughout the detox and participating in a group was very helpful to me. And the support doesn't end with the sugar detox. The Four Fit Sisters website, Instagram feed, and Facebook site offer lots of great health and fitness ideas and support.

I am not still following the detox diet, but I am giving a lot more thought into what I put into my body and what I prepare for my family.

I am not receiving any compensation for this post. Just wanted to share a good thing with you, friends.