Mr. Tax Man..

So our original plans with our income tax this year was to put it all towards future bills, and to pay off what we owe for Leighton. Which was fine with me, no complaints. THEN yesterday Taylor told me he was going to give me a little spending $ to get some things i wanted! I got really excited and started talking about a new Swiffer and vacuum cleaner, he quickly cut me off and said it was for FUN things.

See being on the "stay at home" mom budget doesn't leave me with a lot of shopping money, which is something all too new to this previous shopacholic, target..mall..hobby lobby..frequent visitor. I mean my last job was managing BCBGmaxazria, quite a difference from my current position!

So when he said that i got even MORE excited, and then all i could think about was what i was going to buy Leighton haha! I did think of one thing I'm going to get! RED JEANS! Target has some realllllly cute ones, they are only $22 which i think is pretty great! I may even get a cobalt blue pair too :) I could find the Target ones online, so heres a little red jean inspiration...

Im sure i will be able to come up with some other goodies ill need..im almost positive :)


This is something Leighton needs, not just wants, and since we have our table in our house now i like this option so much more. I can easily take it off and put it in the closet when she's done eating, and it can travel with us. love it.

Not sure if i will get this brand, I can get the Chicco one at Kids Village, so I might just go that route! PLUS while I'm in there i can snag her one of these babies..

THIS my friends is the best invention since Sophie the Giraffe..if you don't know who Sophie is your living on another planet, with no connection to the outside world. Its called Chew Beads, they were on the Today show, and they sell them at kids village, its supposed to be a necklace I wear that Leighton can chew on...as fun as that sounds i will not be sporting it, Leighton can just man handle it all on her own. My kid puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, she is a teething maniac! So this will be a dream come true for her..its the perfect size ,perfect texture, and pretty cute too :)


Hey...its only tuesday and I've got BOTH my posts in! YAY!

A little bit of everything

So ill admit it. Ive been pretty bad about blogging lately. I know when i say I've been busy MOST of you understand what i mean, because most of you are moms, or have been moms. So i know you will let me off the hook. Ive decided I'm going to try and blog twice a week...hopefully i can keep that goal :)


So heres a little mish-mash of things! First Leightons 5 months pics, and some information i feel like i left off her 5 month post!



This girl is a DADDYS girl for sure. The minute he walks in the door she smiles. He whistles when he walks in the room, so no matter where we are, if she hears whistling, she starts looking for him. Its so sweet. I love to watch them together, it makes my heart melt. Theres something about a daddy and a daughter together, i pray they are always this insane for each others attention.

Leighton used to talk ALOT, she would jabber and squeal. Somewhere during the 4th month she stopped talking so much, and started watching instead. I call her the "studier" She will literally stare holes through you. She watches EVERYTHING i do. She watches me walk, sweep, do dishes fold laundry, put on her diaper, make her food, eat, talk, everything. And she watches with such an intestity its kind of funny! I have a feeling we will have a smart little girl on our hands, she's not a hyper-active can't focus baby, she's very methodical about what she does. Sometimes when the TV is on...oops, and something funny happens, like on funniest home videos, she laughs! And when she's in her crib and wakes up, she will get her face up into the video monitor and smile or smack her lips! Yes, i think my baby will be the genius i was never close to being. haha! its also a good reminder to myself that i need to think hard, and quick, about everything i do or say around this little one. Im positive she's watching, so i better keep in step :)

She's getting very close to sitting on her own, which i am SO excited about! I can't wait to watch her sitting in the living room playing with toys...so cute. She's still a great eater, she takes a bottle 5 times a day, about 5 ounces every time, and eats 3 meals a day. Her favorite food is still avocados, bananas are a close second. Tomorrow we try apples for the first time!

So far she's had:

Rice ( i stopped feeding her rice, it has a natural sugar in it that gives babies a sort
of "sugar high" and then they crash later, no bueno. Its also really fatty.
Oatmeal ( I buy the Earths Best brand of this, its the healthiest I could find )
Avocados
Bananas
Butternut Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Peas

Within the next 3 weeks will we try apples, pears, and then green beans! :)

So far she's liked it all and eats it all very well..sometimes i mix the peas with the avocados because she's just not having it haha.

This will be a big week for us, we are going to try and drop the dream feed. For all of you non baby-wisers out there a dream feed is usually between 10:00-11:00pm, you wake baby up and feed them and put them straight back to sleep, we've been doing this with Leighton since she started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old. It works really well in helping baby make it through the night. However Leighton is almost 5.5 months old and she's starting to not want to eat it, she also drinks less during the day, so she's showing all the signs of being ready to let it go! So starting today , I will cut the time back by 10 minutes every other night, as well as the amount per ounce that she gets every other night, hopefully a week is all it will take, and little girl will be sleeping straight from 7:00pm-7:00am. Im sure soon following this she will be ready to move to a 4 hour schedule, and be half a year old, and be sitting...oh gosh she's growing so fast!

Anywho, this makes one post for the week...its monday, id say I'm off to a good start!

5 months!

5 months.

Little Leighton Erin Gibbs is 5 months old. In 28 days she will be half a year old. I say this every month, but time is passing by so quickly. Im looking forward to what 5 months will bring us. The beginning has been rough, she had RSV, still has it actually, but thankfully her little body is healing itself and we didn't need to visit the hospital...just the Dr...3 days in a row ;)

Every day she's more alert, stronger, and dying to learn about everything around her. I really really really want her to sit, we work on it a lot, most of the time she sits between my legs and we throw the ball to her puppy Moby. Sometimes i scoot back and she does ok for about 20 seconds and then realizes I've moved and reaches for my legs, its pretty hard to deny her, its really sweet she needs me :)

Im planning on taking her pictures later this week. Her nose is drying up, so they won't be super messy haha! So stay tuned for those!

Weight/Height: When we went to the doctor at the beginning of the month for her 4 month shots ( a little late ) she weighed 15.8 lbs and was 25 in long, at the middle of the month during her RSV visits she weighed in at 16lbs...even sick my baby likes to eat haha.

Motor Skills/Development: Gone are the days of her sitting in my lap not reaching for things. If she can reach it, she's going to grab it, and you better believe its going STRAIGHT to her mouth. If it doesn't fit in her mouth? Growling and crying will follow haha! Seriously..she just likes to eat, what can i say. Plus the constant teething...poor kid. She tries to turn the pages to her books, but its still difficult, plus in the middle of turning to page she realizes she hasn't tried to put it in her mouth ( OMG ) so then she tries, which makes her mad haha! Looking forward to her enjoying her toys and not being consumed by the need to eat them....all of them. She can spin, twist, and bop pretty much all the toys on her exersaucer now. She has also learned how to stomp her legs down to make herself bounce a little. And those legs, she can move those legs! I watch her on the monitor sometimes, and she will bring them all the way back to her chest, then SLAM them down on the bed. She does this before she falls asleep all the time..random. She also likes to do it while I'm trying to change her diaper, so fun :)


Independence/Sleep: This one has been a little rough, i think she was having a hard time with being sick, and i didn't even know she was sick yet. Her Dr. said RSV can make them feel like they have the flu, body aches, lethargic etc. I assumed she wanted a 4 hour schedule, but in all reality i think she was in the beginning stages of her sickness and just needed the extra sleep, today is the first day I feel she's 100% better and she's been on a 3 hour schedule all day, her doing not mine, so we will see how the week plays out. Im going to let her guide me through it and when I'm sure what she needs ill enforce it! She's at that weird stage of waking at 6 am instead of 7 am...anyone have any fixes for that?

She still does well with her independent play. She plays 20 minutes by herself, in either the exersaucer, or playmat every time she's awake. Ive started sitting her in the boppy pillow and propping her playmat in front of her, so she can practice sitting..she will do that for about 10 minutes happily. We can't use our bumbo, it really upsets her reflux and she spits up every time i leave her in it, i think its because it kind of pulls their legs up a little to high...who really knows!


I would normally put her schedule on here but since I'm not sure what it is that will just have to wait!


The next post will be of chubby-loves 5 month pics, not sure what I'm doing yet..but I'm sure they will be full of smiles, cute outfits, and rolls...deffinantley rolls :)

Bringing Up Girls

so I've been reading a book called "Bringing Up Girls" by James C. Dobson, at the urging of my friend Brittany, and let me tell you something...this book makes me cry every time i read it..literally, every time.

its loaded with stats and studies that help you understand a young girls brain, and emotional standing, but its also filled with Godly wisdom, from an obviously doting father.

I'm only 12 chapters in and its becoming overwhelmingly obvious that one of the main things a girl needs in her life is her father. He is her first crush, her first true love, her spiritual leader, and her guardian.

I had like 20 quotes underlined i wanted to write a post on, and then i read this list last night and i knew i had to share it with you all. I'm going to omit some things because its pretty lengthy, but i pray that all of you with little girls will share it with your husbands. its all so true, and so wonderful.

- Accept the fact that your little girl will melt your heart anytime she chooses.
-Take part in her life NOW, don't wait until she's 15 to try and develop a relationship
-Remember, if you yell at a boy not to play with a wall socket, he either will stomp off or do it anyway, a girl will cry.
-Her mom will show her how to back chocolate chip cookies. You will teach her how to dunk them in milk.
-Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her 200 times. Each.
-Never lose the wonder of watching her and her mother together.
-Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world.
-Trust her mom to understand the mystery of little girls. You have yet to figure out the mystery of big ones.
-Never, ever, make fun of her.
-Bear in mind that from the very beginning your personality will shape her.
-Never forget that supportive fathers produce daughters with high self-esteem.
-Give her a picture of you to put in her first purse. If you're lucky, she'll always cary a photo of you.
-Dont tolerate her temper tantrums. Not now. Not when she's 15. Your home will be more peaceful for this.
-Restrict her TV viewing, unless you want her to grow up with the values Hollywood teaches her.
-Little girls are fascinated by escalators, hold her hand.
-Make her a Valentines Day card, every year.
-Be home for dinner on time. VERY important.
-Ask her about her day, every day. Share her wonder.
-Keep her secrets. This way she will begin to trust men.
-Take her for a walk in the woods. Show her what poison ivy looks like, how to cross a stream, how to find her way back.
-Let her teach you. About what she learned in school today. About the pilgrims. How to sing her favorite song. How to bake a cake. How to braid Barbies hair :)
-Praise her OFTEN. Let her know you love her the way she is. If you tell her this often enough she might remember it throughout adolescence.
-Surpise her by showing up at school with lunch, bearing Happy Meals or Pizza.
-Never argue with her mom in front of her, as hard as it may be, walk away.
-Remember society is teaching her its values 24/7, you need to be more determined to teach her yours.
-Never permit her to talk back rudely- to you or to her mother. Or anybody else for that matter!
-Teach her patience, kindess, and tolerance. If you don't, many years from now you'll wish you had.
-Take her to the golf course with you.
-Think before you speak. Even when you don't mean to, you can end up hurting her feelings.
-NEVER laugh at her dreams.
-Take her out of town to somewhere she's never been at least once a year. This will develop her sense of adventure.
-Dont miss a recital, concert, play, or any other performance of hers. Not now. Not until she graduates.
-Encourage her to be kind, even to the girl nobody likes.
-Remember teenage girls spend hours in their room doing something. No mad has every really figured out what that something is. ( haha! )
-once she begins to develop physically and sexually don't pull away from her.
-Remind her that the most sacred thing between father and daughter is trust.
-Remember, your dealing with a 13 year old girl. For all intensive purposes your dealing with a fruit cake.
-Talk to her often about decision-making and sex. About her peer-pressure, about love, about romance, about God. You never know when it will be just the thing she needs to hear.
-Watch your language around her, insist she watch hers.
-Accept the fact that girls squeal when they're happy, or confused, or excited or scared or because they just saw a certain boy in line.
-When she's particularly angry sit down with her and haver her try to describe whats going on. Remember the more you listen, the more you'll learn.
-Dont subscribe to magazines that exploit women. It makes a statement about how you view all women.
-If you don't approve of the way she looks before she goes out, send her back to her room to start over. Be gentle, but firm.
-Dont let her play you and her mother against each other.
-Never call her names. No matter how mad you are. No matter what she did. If you do, she'll remember it for the rest of her life.
-Remmeber many girls look back on middle school as the worst time in their lives, stay tuned, stay involved.
-Volunteer to drive her and her friend to the movies, then just listen while they talk.
-The day she is born, as God to guide you in all aspects of raising her.
-Forgive her when she seeks forgiveness. This is the best way to teach her to forgive others.
-Teach her how to be moral in an age that bombards her with sexual imagery and innuendo.
-Teach her to pray for her enemies. This could possibly include a rotating cast of
classmates and ex-boyfriends.
-Teach her to treat each day as holy.
-Teach her that sometimes God has other plans.
-No matter how much you are tempted, don't yell at the refs or insult the umpire. Your embarrass her, and look like an idiot.
-you wil have to teach her to drive, without making her cry.
-Persuade her to buy gas when the fuel level is at a quarter tank, not when the needle is buried and she's running on fumes.
-Odd looking yours will start showing up at your house. This is expected because adolescent boys are odd looking.
-Let her see by the way you treat your wife, the way a man is supposed to treat a woman.


okay I'm going to cut it off there..theres two more pages and this post is getting a little long! i recommend reading the book yourself, it really is great! there is also a bringing up boys version for all you boy moms out there!

stay tuned for Leightons 5 month blog, were a little behind, her suffering with RSV has taken up a little bit of my time and delayed her photo shoot! ha!

sanity intact!

i made it..i survived! i just wanted to let everyone know!

with a little ok a TON of prayer, some encouraging words from friends and family, and a huuuuge adjustment to Leighton's schedule i came out on the other side with all of my hair, and still perfect vision :)

ill admit that at times my OCD complete control freak, scheduled out, nap nazi side takes over and i forget the best place to look for answers and comfort isn't through a website, blog, or friends ( although these are all places the Lord has blessed me immensely ) its on my knees in prayer.

He hears us. i need to always remember that...always.

SO little girl was wanting a four hour eating schedule instead of 3, and MUCH longer wake times. She was normally awake for 45mins -1hour. Now its an hour and half! pretty big jump! but she seems happy with it..she still wakes a little bit into her nap, but goes back to sleep pretty quick after! and since she started eating every 4 hours instead of 3, that means she dropped one feeding, she stopped spitting up all over me :) woohoo! i can wear normal clothes again! so all and all were both pretty happy.

its crazy to think how much this will all change again 2 months from now. and how in one month she will be half a year...even with the hair pulling days mixed into my angel baby days..this is all going by so fast! it literally flies by without me noticing.

one more confession. i love winter ( thats not the confession ) everything about it..the cold, the rain, the snow, the clothes..oooo the clothes! the anticipation of Christmas as soon as October hits..all the holidays, the music, the food, the decorations...like i said, all of it! { BUT }

i am soooooo excited about spring and summer this year. i cannot wait for it to warm up so we can go on walks outside, I'm dying to buy Leighton her first swimsuit and sit in a plastic pool in the yard during her wake time! ( if you drive by ACU and see us wake HI ) i can't wait for maxi skirts, tank tops with cute necklaces, BIG sunglasses, and MOST of all..planning the biggest and most AWESOME birthday ever for Leighton..who will be ONE in August. shut up right?! is it bad i already lay in bed and think of themes? hmmm...dont judge. if you know me at-all you should expect nothing less! haha!

well...since all is well in our world again, i have to go WAKE UP this girl from her nap...time for dinner and daddy will be home soon for the weekend! we just love weekends and taylor time :)

thanks for putting up with my spastic moment.

a little venting never hurt anybody

every now and again i have "one of those days"
one of those days where you feel like there will be no hair left in your head
and you just might scratch your eyeballs out.

yea...those days.

i think its only natural. and its just as natural to VENT about it. get it off your chest, just let-it-go.

up until the past 2 weeks i have known my baby like the back of my hand. i knew EXACTLEY when to put her down for nap, and she would sleep the entire 2 hours without a PEEP.

i knew exactly when she was hungry ( because it obviously followed the two hour nap)

there wasn't a day that didn't go by that surprised me.

until now.

now I'm completely lost. first came a growth spurt, then teeth, and rolling, and now a longer wake time, but i still have NO clue what to do with my child.

this girl used to take 3 2hour naps a day and sleep through the night 7-7 without a sound. and NOW we've got her waking every 45 minutes into her nap..talking to herself and playing with her hands..then crying for like 10 minutes..then going back to sleep...SOMETIMES. and waking around 4ish every night.

i blame the night wakings on rolling, those I'm not worried about they will smooth themselves back out when she's comfortable getting back and forth.

its the naps. i know i know that not everyone agrees with the schedule that i follow, but a lot of you do. and i also know that most moms will agree that 3 45 minute naps is not enough for a 5 month old.

our schedule USED to look like this...

7:00 wake and eat bottle and rice
7:45 nap
10:00 wake and eat bottle
11:00 nap
1:00 wake and eat bottle
2:10 nap
4:00 wake and eat bottle and avocado
6:00 night time bath and routine
7:00 bottle and straight to bed.
10:00 dreamfeed...straight to bed.

and this week it has looked somewhat like this

6:45 wake and eat bottle and rice
8:00 nap
10:30-11:00 wake and eat bottle and bananas
11:30-12:00 nap
2:00 wake and eat bottle
3:15 nap
4:30 wake and eat bottle and avocados
7:00 bath, bottle bed
10:00 dreamfeed ...straight to bed.

only all those naps she woke 45 minutes into them and played for like 15 minutes, then cried for 15, then went back to sleep.

she's starting to want to stay awake longer, and i THINK that may be the problem..im also thinking maybe an increase in calories for the night time issue, and she's obviously making it 3.5 to 4 hours in between eating in the morning. so maybe a 4 hour schedule soon?

oh these babies...always changing things on you right when your comfortable.

if any of my baby wise friends have any suggestions for our 45 minute intruder problem let me know! or a sample of what yalls schedules looked like a 5 months.

can you believe that? next week she will be 5 months old. thats just insane.

anyways just needed to type that out i think...its nice having a place to dump my problems other than my husband...he thanks you all hahaha!