Rylan - Six Months

Rylan turned six-months old right before Christmas. The fact that my baby is (now more than) half-way to his first birthday is completely crazy. 

And he does seem like he has grown up a lot in the last month. Not only is he much bigger (his growth chart is crazy steep), but he is sitting up by himself and has started eating some solid food. 

I'm so proud that we made it to my six-month breastfeeding goal! But due to several factors, we started the weaning process a few weeks ago and are officially done as of today. I am elated that this means no more pumping at work and it will be nice to not worry about the food, drinks, and medication I consume. However, I cried like crazy during our last nursing session tonight (and am currently commemorating the event with a large glass of wine…or three).

Rylan is still consistently waking up twice a night, but I am praying the little dude will sleep through the night soon (or at least just wake up once!). It feels like we are in a constant state of exhaustion. But he continues to make up for this by being the happiest, sweetest baby. And his smiles…ohmygosh. I seriously can't get enough of this little nugget.

It was nearly impossible to keep Rylan from trying to eat his sticker this month, but I did manage to get a few pictures…

Stats:

• Weight - 16 pounds, 9 ounces (25%)
• Height - 26 3/4 inches (50%)
• Head - 18 inches (96%)

Compared to his four-month stats, these are crazy high!

Milestones/Firsts:

• First Thanksgiving.
• At the end of the month, he started sitting up by himself…and was very proud. (Bonus points if you can spot the three Wizard of Oz-related items in this picture.)

• Rylan got his first taste of real food (oatmeal), and after a short hesitation, absolutely loved it. Ava also loved assisting :). 

Likes:

• Putting everything in his mouth.
• Kisses. 
• Laughing at his sister.
• Looking at "that cute baby" in the mirror.
• Swinging.

• Taking baths. He can go from super fussy to the happiest baby on the planet in about two seconds once he is in the bath.

• The excersaucer (#circleofneglect).

Dislikes:

• Sleeping through the night.

And finally, some other fun pictures from the month...

Naptime with Daddy.

Too cool for school.

The feeling is (usually) mutual.

My little reindeer at his class Christmas party.

Snuggling with Grammie.

Cookies & Castles

When I was in college, the TCU Tri Delta alums put on a "Cookies and Castles" fundraiser each year to raise money for Cook Children's Hospital. The Dallas Alumnae Chapter puts on a similar event to benefit Scottish Rite, and I knew Ava (a future fourth generation Tri Delt…no pressure) would love decorating a gingerbread house for a good cause. 

The event was held at the hospital, and it was a candy madhouse in there!

But Ava and I found a place in line and picked out some goodies.

Then we found our table, and Ava got after it. 

She was very serious about her gingerbread house decorating.

But she may have eaten more candy than went on the house.

Ava was so proud of the finished product.

After all the decorating, Ava ran off her sugar high at the Scottish Rite's fantastic playground.

I can't wait to go again next year!

Advent Activities 2014

One of the Christmas traditions that I have been dying to start is an advent calendar with a fun activity for each day. Ava was too young last year, but this year was perfect. I love the weeks leading up to Christmas, and the advent activities truly helped us make the most of them.

I found an adorable felt advent calendar from Pottery Barn with big pockets for each day. (You could totally make something similar as a DIY project, but I clearly didn't have time for such craftiness this year...and the sale price was too good to pass up.) Then I came up with a list of activities by combining some of our childhood traditions, Pinterest ideas, and fun DFW-area Christmas staples. I mapped these out on a calendar to ensure that the work/school nights were filled with easy activities. Finally, I wrote out all the activities on simple cards and filled the calendar. 

Below are the activities from this year. I can't wait to continue this tradition for many years to come!

Day 1: Elf on the Shelf

Ava named him Dobie. No idea where that came from, but I love it. We were not crazy Elf-on-the-Shelf parents, but rather simply moved him to a new location each night. Ava loved finding him in the morning, but her behavior wasn't really swayed by the fact that Dobie reported to Mr. Claus each night. Hopefully that will come next year.

Day 2: Watch Frosty the Snowman

Day 3: Read a Christmas Book

We went with The Polar Express. Such a beautiful book!

Day 4: Take Presents to School

Ava's school collected presents for two local charities to benefit children in need. Ava didn't completely get the concept this year, but I want to add more service activities like this to the calendar as she gets older.

Day 5: Write a Letter to Santa

Ava dictated her letter to me and then decorated it herself. Her list cracked me up!

The finished product...

Day 6: Watch Kate and Ellie in The Nutcracker

I was a little worried that Ava wouldn't make it through the whole thing, but she did great! It helped that it was in a small theatre, and we had seats with a great view. Her favorite characters, other than her cousins of course, were the mice at the beginning. Go figure. And Kate and Ellie were the most adorable gingerbread children ever!

Day 7: Pick and Decorate the Tree

We opted for a real tree this year, and I happen to think it was the most perfect one on the lot. In a couple years, I am determined to go cut one down ourselves at a local Christmas tree farm. Baby steps.

Day 8: Set Up the Nativity and Read the Nativity Story

It is the reason for the season. 

Day 9: Make Hot Apple Cider

Ava wasn't sure what to think at first, but then she realized that it is basically just like apple juice.

Day 10: Watch a Christmas Movie

On this night, we opted for the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. As expected, Ava was a huge fan.

Day 11: Hang up the Stockings

I could not for the life of me find the extra hook for Rylan's stocking (#secondchildproblems). But don't worry, his stocking was eventually hung with care.

Day 12: Make S'mores

I think this was my favorite activity of the month. There is nothing quite like roasting marshmallows with your child for the first time.

Day 13: Make a Gingerbread House

This deserves a whole separate post, but Ava had a blast decorating a gingerbread house at the Dallas Tri Delta Alumni Association's Cookies & Castles event, which benefits The Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. I think she ate more candy than went on the gingerbread house. 

Day 14: Take a Photo with Santa

Rylan wasn't quite sure what to think of the bearded stranger, but Ava loved meeting Santa. Despite her earlier letter, she simply requested "lipstick and chapstick" :). 

And I had to include the outtake. I was not-so-secretly excited to finally have a Santa picture with a crying child :).

Day 15: Read a Christmas Book

This was one of my favorite Christmas books as a kid, and the scratch-and-sniff pages smelled exactly has I remembered.

Day 16: Watch a Christmas Movie

Day 17: Read a Christmas Book

Our carriage ride was canceled due to the rain (so sad!), so we improvised with another book.

Day 18: Make a Christmas Craft

This wasn't really a craft, but a super easy art project for a work/school night. (printable)

Day 19: Watch a Christmas Movie

Grinch night!

Day 20: Buy Your Sibling a Gift

Rylan bought Ava's on Amazon (baby genius), and Ava couldn't pick just one item. 

Day 21: Make Hot Chocolate and Drive Around to See the Lights

Day 22: Make Snowman Pizza

This was super easy thanks to the store-bought crust and sauce. It was actually quite tasty, and I love that our snowman developed a little booty during baking. 

Day 23: Make Cookies for Santa

This will always be on the activity list. I saw the adorable Santa apron at Central Market and couldn't resist. 

Day 24: Open Present and Read Twas the Night Before Christmas

We ended our month of advent activities with two of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions - opening Christmas PJs and reading the book that we enjoyed every year growing up.