Genuine.

 As my sweet girl sleeps, I sit here and think quietly to myself. My thoughts are consumed with the world in which she is growing up. The world where materialistic things and the latest fashion trends guide our worth and our perception of beauty. I think about television and the media in general. How every advertisement, reality show, and sitcom focuses on the things of this world: money, fame, and artificial happiness.  

It makes me sad, but more so, it makes me want to fight; fight everything that defines us as anything other than ourselves as individuals.

As a parent, I want the best for my child. I want her to love, enjoy, play, succeed, and simply put, be genuine. I want Ellery to be free. Free of the world and what it tells her beauty looks like. I want her to know that money and success are not directly correlated. Neither is happiness. 

Ellery needs to know that we are not defined by our possessions, but rather our character. She needs to know that blessings do not always come with a price tag or in nicely wrapped packaging - they often come quietly, in love and peace and understanding. For these are the rarities of life, these are special and can't be bought. For these are the things I intend to teach. 

Ellie's New Trick.

Just before Justin flipped Ellery onto her stomach, I commented that she would probably start whining as soon as I turned on the camera. Now, cue our laughing at her predictability.

Anyway.

So, yes. It took 4 1/2 months, but my sweet Little finally figured out how to roll over.  She has been enjoying her tummy much more today (although the video seems to prove otherwise) and seems pretty proud of herself when she realizes her latest accomplishment.

Also, we were indeed very excited. So excited that, yes, Justin did in fact rub her belly like a little puppy dog.  We're proud of our little munchkin!

Healthy Preparation.

When I was pregnant I ate only what I was supposed to. I watched my sugar intake, cut back on unhealthy fats, and only on rare occasions did I let myself eat junk food. Since Ellery has come and blessed our little family, our plates are constantly filled with meals that consist of whatever is easy, fast, and still edible. This means, mostly using ingredients out of a can, frozen, or prepackaged in a different way. With Little around, my time is split and cooking dinner, although it always gets cooked, doesn't quite get the nutritional attention it deserves.

This is my attempt to change all of that.

Ellery deserves a healthy start, and in order for that to happen, I must make a change. I must feed my body the right foods, the healthy, whole foods - less chemicals, artificial additives, and preservatives. If we as a family make this change now, Ellery will grow up knowing only nutritious foods, and be ignorant of the opposite (at least until school age, I suppose). This is my hope.

My yesterday was spent in the kitchen, wearing baby, as I prepared for a healthier week. I'm inspired by the blog 100 Days of Real Food , and lately I have been trying to make most of our food, especially bread products, instead of buying it already packaged. This helps me control the ingredients, (such as salt, sugar, oil, butter) and gives me a better understanding of what is actually entering my body.

Yesterday I made:

  

Whole-Wheat Muffins: Topped with homemade granola, blueberries, and raspberries. Recipe here.

Whole-Wheat Tortillas. Recipe here.

Homemade Granola.
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp oil

So now I have a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a pinch, without feeling the urge to just have husband pick up something on the way home. We're getting one step closer to healthier eating, one recipe at a time. Just what my daughter deserves.

Look what she found.

But mama, napping is boring.

I'd rather play with my feet!

In the last week Ellery has become quite amused with her little feet. However, she gets a little frustrated when her belly hinders her ability to get them as close as she would ideally like.

Sun shining.

Stroller pushing.

Flower-stealing from the neighbors.

It's been that kind of weekend. 

Dear husband has been renovating our guest bathroom, and he is a non-stop, don't slow down for anything kind of hard worker, so most of my time was spent with Ellery enjoying the springtime.

Since the weather was g.l.o.r.i.o.u.s all weekend long, we spent our days enjoying the sun and taking advantage of our neighborhood. We walked across the street and clipped (with their permission, of course) a few beautiful blooms off our neighbors viburnum. Then spent a while after scattering filled mason jars and bud vases around the house, adding a semi-Southern Living kind of charm.

We also took advantage of our front porch. Stopping daddy long enough to have a short picnic on the swing.

While the grown-ups ate, Ellery played patiently in her newest form of entertainment. 

After lunch, mommy and daughter took a stroller ride down the road to Selman's Jewelers to drool over their latest shipment of bracelets. While Ellie napped, I visited with the owners, who happen to be our neighbors and friends. 
 

Later in the evening, Justin put the hammer down for the night, and we joined a bunch of our friends around a boiling pot crab boil and special seasonings and indulged in Mississippi's version of Lowcountry Boil.


It was perfect.


Ending a beautiful spring day surrounded by friends, their guitars, and a whole lot of laughs was exactly the ticket to a wonderful weekend.  

Ideas For A Great Saturday.

Go chew on something.

Play with a cup.

Maybe even blow a few bubbles with your drool. 

Enjoy your Saturday as much as Ellie is! :)

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Lately, I have been trying to look at food a little differently. Trying to see past just the fat and calorie content by also taking a look at the ingredient list; looking for more whole grains and less of those pesky words that I can't pronounce. 

Whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables have started showing up more often on our plates and replacing bleached all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour is just a start. But my little family loves desserts, and I love to bake. So with that, I've been trying to find slightly healthier alternatives that still taste great.

 Hence this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's amazing!  Even if you aren't watching your food intake, I would recommend giving this a try. It's that good! :) Enjoy!

 

Healthy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe made with Cream Cheese

These cookies puff up while baking so the instructions have you lightly flatten them with your finger part way through their baking time to deflate them.

• Canola oil (for greasing the cookie sheets)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 6 ounces

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with canola oil. Alternatively, line your baking sheet with parchment paper and skip the oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended.
3. Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix on low until just combined.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.
5. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture and mix with a large spoon until combined.
6. Place heaping teaspoonfuls (or use a 3/4 ounce scoop) onto baking sheet spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 7 minutes. Lightly flatten cookies with finger. Rotate baking sheet (front to back) and bake an additional 3 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Because I'm Slack...

 
and do not clip my poor child's fingernails near as often as I should, she now has approximately a billion scratches on her face, and legs, and arms.

Poor Ellery.

They don't seem to bother her, but I'm sure strangers in the grocery store silently judge me. But those of you who have been in my shoes know that trying to clip infant fingernails should be a job left to someone specifically trained in the field and has practiced on moving itty-bitty manikins for an entire semester. It never fails, the tips of Ellery's fingers always get clipped along with her fingernails.A little bleeding and a whole lot of screaming later, I determine that I will stick to the barbaric way of doing things: biting them off. Easier and safer on my Little's fingers...

Just what we need...

Another dog.

Meet Ottie.

He's our cute Welsh corgi & Paisley's new friend.

Precious, right?!

4-Month Little.

My little Ellie Kate,

I've been meaning to write your letter since we came home from the pediatrician on Tuesday, but you've been a little achy, running a temperature of over 100 F, and quite emotional since your shots. So, I determined snuggle time was much more of a priority.

I do love your snuggles and since they are few and far between these days, I take the time to cherish every single one.

Even though the past couple of days have been a bit of a challenge, your fourth month of life has been the best yet! You are so cute with your sweet dimple and giant smiles. You now respond with coos and giggles to people's faces, especially your daddy's. You are truly mesmerized and often cackle at the mere sight of him.

 

In the realm of entertainment, you are starting to play independently with your toys for longer amounts of time, and needing me less and less each day. Your favorite toy is your colorful zebra - and your hands.

You are gaining strength daily, but tire out quickly when on your tummy. (You still hate tummy time!) When sitting in my lap, you often try to stand up on your own, and prefer to be standing whenever possible. You hold your head steady, which I guess was developed out of necessity since your daddy likes to throw you high in the air.

We introduced you to the Bumbo seat this month, and so far you love it. You like to watch me cook dinner as you chew on your elephant and talk to it a little.
 

At your 4 month Well-Baby check-up you weighed 16 lbs 3 oz., and the pediatrician said you were perfect.  You're a healthy girl, growing every second. Our lives are filled with so much joy because of you, little munchkin, and watching you grow has been one of our greatest blessings.

Love upon love,

Mommy

Taste Testing.

While we ate lunch today, Ellery let her tastebuds do a little research of their own by conducting a mini-taste testing on a few of her favorite objects.

Which object you think she deemed the winner...

The Rings?

The Elephant's Rump?

 

Or *All Ten* of Her Fingers?

Crazy baby.

By the looks of it, I think the fingers take the cake... but that's just my opinion.

A Brownie for Breakfast Kind of Night.

I love babies!

I get giddy every time someone announces they are pregnant or posts a picture of their itty bitty newborn. I also love reading a good birth story and hearing baby names. 

 Sometimes I shed a happy tear. Sometimes I just grin from ear to ear. Either way it happens, my life is a little sweeter because of someone's little miracle.

This hasn't always been the case. Of course, I have always liked babies and thought of them as precious, but I didn't have a clue how much of a blessing they truly are until I had one of my own. 

As I watch my Ellie grow, looking more like a big girl every day, I already miss her itty-bitty-ness. I love this smiling, cooing, giggling when we sing stage that we are in, but there is something so magical about the love that is discovered and the family that is created in those first minutes, hours, and days after a new life is welcomed.

With all that said, it should be noted that the magic experienced in the early days is crucial to keep mommy sane on days like this one.

Admittedly, I treated myself to a brownie for breakfast this morning, because it was that kind of night.

My Little woke up around 2 AM and every 15 minutes thereafter. I tried patting her tummy, giving her the pacifier (over and over), unswaddling her, turning her on her belly, gas drops - everything I could think of without actually picking her up out of the crib.  When none of that worked, I tried nursing her. This helped her go to sleep, but she only stayed asleep 20 or so minutes before she was up fussing again.

I'm not sure what is going on with my little munchkin. This same scenario has occurred several times this week. I assume she's teething with the steady stream of drool that is constantly running down her chin and her frequent bouts of unhappiness.  Could that have something to do with my poor babies inability to sleep through the night?

I know I can't keep eating fattening desserts for breakfast to ease my tired soul, so I need your help, mommies! Have you experienced this? Do you have any suggestions on how to fix Ellie's restlessness? Any advice would will be received with a giant smile and a huge thank you!

Sleeping Fancy.

This is where I take a moment to tell you, dear readers, that we're moving up in the world. And by that I mean, we have a new bed. If we acquire any new furniture these days, especially if it is made of wood, my husband has most likely made it.  So, yes, my husband built me a bed. A bed! Like, cut down a tree, sawed the lumber, and used hand tools to make me a bed from scratch. Awesome, right? 

Justin has been building this piece of furniture in his head for about a year now. On his long drives to see me while we were living three states apart, he was planning, plotting, and figuring out the best way to tackle this project. 

Previously, our bed was a metal frame on wheels. Wheels that did not have a locking mechanism. Smart, huh?

 Justin's boss gave us this bad boy (with the mattress and box spring) for free, under one condition: it could never return to him.  We were poor, my big, pregnant belly was ever expanding, and the full size bed we were sharing seemed to be shrinking by the day; so, we happily accepted it. After a week or so of having to move the bed back to it's original location in the mornings, a good foot in any direction, making a bed frame was quickly put on the priority list.

Made out of quarter sawn white oak, this queen size baby is now complete and the focal point of our bedroom.

  I'll never have a more personalized bed. 

 A heart because he loves me.

  A tulip because it's my favorite flower.

For comparison: 

 Our bed on wheels:

Our grown-up bed: 

 

 Ellie approves, too! Way to go, daddy!

 
Weekends seem to come and go so quickly that by the time you realize how wonderful it is to simply spend time together, it is over and you're left wanting so much more.

This past weekend the three of us made our way to Baton Rouge for a couple estate sales and antique shopping. I strapped EK in the Ergo and held Justin's hand as we enjoyed our day strolling the streets and popping in whatever store we thought looked interesting. Ellery slept most of the time, making it feel almost like old times; life before having a kid.

This was probably our first all day outing since Ellie's been born. We've made long trips and gone several places, but Saturday was in and out of the car from 8 am to about 5:30pm. It was encouraging to see that we could be ourselves and she was capable of coming along for the ride.

When we got home we cleaned up the old cast iron corn stick pan we had purchased that day and put it to use. We snuggled our Ellie and thanked our Lord for such a blessed day.  

It's moments like these that make all the bad in the world, if only for a moment, disappear. When she coos and smiles and squeals a little, my heart melts, everything else doesn't matter.

^"And so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." 
                                                                                                                                            Titus 2:4-5
 

So, I'm not exactly sure how long it will last, but for the time being, I've given up Facebook.

This isn't for Lent nor is it because I suddenly just couldn't take all of the ridiculousness which Facebook exudes, because I, for some unknown and unfortunate reason, am severely addicted to the he said/she said drama that unfolds everyday, which is exactly why I feel this is the best decision for me.

I'm being called in a new direction. A direction in which I have not quite figured out yet.  I can feel God's pull, and his sweet whisper in my ear, preparing me for something greater than myself and my own selfish desires. In an attempt to listen closer, amplify His voice, and understand the message He is trying to get through to me, I've chosen to turn down the volume of some of the unnecessary distractions in my life, and start focusing upward. 

I want to live in a way that is pleasing to God. My desire sounds simple, and from the outside it may appear that our little family already has it all figured out, but internally we all struggle with the evil nature that we were born into, struggle to let go of the worldly temptations, and struggle to trust that God has a better way for us than the foolish path we would choose to take without him guiding our every step.

I'm not sure where God is leading me, but I know I want to hear Him when he calls. I am all kinds of blessed, but I often overlook it and I have come to expect the good things in life. With my sinful nature, I am in no way deserving of these blessings and Luke 12:48 puts it all in perspective. “But the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

As a wife, I am called to be the supportive helper to my husband. As a mother, I have the responsibility to be an example in speech, life, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12). These are big tasks and impossible to do on my own. But with His help and prayer, it is possible. All things are possible.