The Hargrove Home

Eleven months old and I can't handle it! Sheesh. One whole month until she is ONE YEAR OLD!

• New words-Done and Yea
• Still not walking and really has no interest in trying right now
• Still co sleeping and taking two 2 hour naps a day
• Nursing round the clock still
• Wearing size 3 in shoes and 12m-18m in clothes
• 8 teeth
• Eating at least 1 solid meal a day (usually dinner)
• Personality is starting to show more-chatty and giggly 

Holy moly. We're in the double digits people. Baby girl is 10 months old and growing SO fast. At 10 months old:

• Wearing mostly 12m clothes
• Claps
• Waves
• Still only says mama, dada, and bubba but has been trying to say bye bye and milk lately
• Laughs so much and even has a fake laugh now
• Cruises either while holding onto something or pushing her walker
• Loves to "dance" (Bounce up and down or move her head back and forth)
• Still co sleeping
• Taking 2 naps a day
• Wakes twice during the night to nurse
• Eating lots of new foods
• Signs more, all done, and milk
• 7 teeth total (Following in her brother's footsteps, he had 8 by this age)
• Loves to talk and yell
• Tries to be brave and stand on her own but usually falls on her cloth diapered booty

This past month Abigail had her first Thanksgiving. She had turkey, some roasted green beans, and some cranberries. She loved it and had so much being around family. She was hardly ever put down, everyone just wanted to hold her. We are traveling out of the state for the first time next week to see Kaleb's stepdad's family for Christmas. It will be interesting to see how this trip goes with 2 kids. Pray for us! 

I am posting this update right before I type up her 10 month one because I am SO behind. #secondbabyprobs

At 9 months

• 4 teeth
• Pulling up on things and doing baby squats
• Nurses like a newborn still
• Found her own sleep schedule and has been taking great naps
• Still sleeps in our bed
• Wearing 9-12m clothes
• Still in size 3 diapers
• Finally fitting into 3-6m shoes
• Loves to jibber jabber all day long

Eight. Months. Old.

• Still only has 2 teeth on bottom but has 2 more trying to break through
• Crawls
• Tries to pull herself up (has succeeded a few times) but she is mostly wobbly right now
• Sits herself up and has great balance there now
• New foods she has tried-Corn, chicken, black beans, eggs, cheese, nectarines, mashed cauliflower
• Foods she has actually enjoyed-Nectarines and eggs
• Yells all day long
• Favorite word is Bubba
• Laughing more
• Nursing still allllll day
• Wakes 3 times at night usually to nurse, has at least 1 four hour stretch of sleep
• Seeing her chiropractor every other week now
• Size 9m-12m clothes
• Sticks her tongue out when she smiles

This month marks her first round of "holidays" even though Halloween isn't really a holiday I guess. Still so fun and can't wait to see her in her ladybug costume! Abigail's aunt sissy just got engaged so in a few months she will also be a flower girl! So many fun things happening over these next 6 months. Since she's already pulling up I thought I would bring out her walker soon but I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't want her to take her first steps yet. My heart wouldn't be able to handle it. She's getting so close to a year old that it almost hurts. I can't believe how quickly everything is moving lately-her development, age, milestones. It's all coming on so fast and I'm just begging time to slow down even for a moment. 

At 7 months our sweet girl-

• Has 2 teeth on bottom
• Finally sleeps without being swaddle but still has crazy movements
• Has somewhat of a rhythm she has set into with naps and bed time but still doesn't sleep in her crib so a lot of it is me laying down with her and sneaking away when she falls asleep
• Scoots backwards but hasn't figured out how to move forward yet
• Gets up on all fours but hasn't started crawling yet
• New foods she has tried-Ground beef, cauliflower, sweet potato, dry waffle
• Doesn't seem to care for food very much. She loves to play with it and try it but after a few minutes she's just completely over the whole thing
• Loves her exercauser
• Nurses round the clock still and through the night
• Only has to see the chiropractor every other week now instead of every week
• Wearing 9m clothes and a few 12m
• Size 3 diapers still
• Baby chats all day long and when there is a lot of people talking or her brother is being loud she HAS to be heard so she will yell at the top of her lungs
• Sits up on her own very well now and can move from sitting to being on her tummy but hasn't figured out the vice versa yet
• Still hardly laughs but when she does it's the best 30 seconds of our life

I guess it's time for that half a year post. The one that breaks my heart only second to the one year post. Half a year is such a mile marker. It means we're now inching our way towards a first birthday and it reminds me that time doesn't stand still even though I'm demanding it over and over again. I look at Abigail and I see me. Elijah has looked like his daddy since day one but Abigail is my claim to myself. She is me made over and while I love discovering the quirks and facial features we share as she grows I hate that she is not this tiny thing swaddled perfectly in my arms again. She is, in fact, half a year old. And at half a year she-

• 15 lbs 12oz
• 25 in
• Rolls all around 
• Scoots backwards
• Sits up for long periods of time but I'm still not comfortable leaving her sitting up by herself yet
• Has started BLW (Baby Led Weaning) and has tried avocado, banana, and mango
• Laughs more now but still not as much as we'd like
• Me and Elijah get the most laughs out of her which is probably because we try all day long to do it
• Size 3 diapers
• Size 6m clothes and fits in a few 12m rompers
• 0-3m size shoes
• Can say mama and is working on dada and bubba
• Still nurses round the clock and through the night, all night
• Does not sleep in her crib but that's about to change (Hello round 2 of CIO)
• Has 2 teeth on bottom that I can see but have not broken through the gum line yet

I have a three year old! This is crazy. Mostly because he's my OLDEST. How weird is that? I have an oldest and a youngest now. My oldest, my first born, he turned three. At three years old Elijah-

• Semi potty trained (is that a thing?)
• Wears size 3T in clothing and size 7 in kids shoes
• Talks ALL the time. He's never quiet.
• Favorite foods-PBJ (of course), fries, all fruit, kefir (drink), burritos, pasta
• Favorite TV show-Animal Mechanicals and Dino Train
• Loves to play on his LeapPad
• Loves to play at the park
• LOVES to swim and is a lot better now that he has had a few swim lessons
• Very obsessed with Star Horse (Star Wars) even though he's never actually watched it
• Loves anything dinosaur and even pretends he is a dinosaur. He has a great T-Rex impression
• Favorite phrases-"I'm hungry", "Sister is SOOO cute", and "Mmm. No, thanks."
• He's a sponge. Literally he soaks up everything around him all the time
• Has his first cavity (womp, womp)
• Sleeps about 11-12 hours at night
• Does not nap. He basically gave those up last year
• Loves the church nursery. He's always excited to play and see his friends
• Also, he has been nicknamed "The Runner" at church for obvious reasons-he escapes!
• Drums like his daddy. Seriously, he keeps beat really well for a three year old, it's kind of shocking
• Sings all day, everyday like his mama

For some reason month 4 went by very fast because month 5 seemed to sneak up on us. Here we go!
At 5 months-

• Wearing size 3 diapers
• Wearing 3-6m/6m clothes
• Moved up to the medium size in her cloth diapers
• Recently started nursing much more/being more fussy/chewing/drooling=TEETHING
• 30-45 minutes naps which basically means chick doesn't nap
• Sleeps in 2-3 hour stretches at night/co sleeps with us
• Won't sleep in her crib anymore
• Still swaddled but it's starting to look like that won't be for much longer
• Has started seeing the chiropractor a few times a week for Torticollis and her flat head
• Loves tummy time a lot more now
• Pushes up onto her hands
• Turns her head in the direction of any noise 
• Mostly just wants to be with mama
• Still doesn't laugh very much but smiles all the time
• Sits up on her own with a boppy behind her for when she leans too far over and falls
• Starting to like different toys
• Still hates her carseat
• Still has cradle cap
• Can put her paci in her mouth by herself
• LOVES her Sophie Giraffe and Captain Calamari (one of Elijah's old baby toys)

Dear Abigail,

Well, your shower is over. Clothes have been washed and put away in their proper monthly spots. Socks have found their sole mates and pretty dresses are hanging on the other side of brother's button downs and polos. Decor is hung on your side of the room and even though daddy told me he'd do it, I put the rest of the crib together as well as wiped down all sides and corners of things you will eventually touch. A labor playlist is waiting on Spotify, your diaper bag is packed and sitting in the corner of the room complete with the most adorable coming home outfit folded neatly and placed at the bottom. The swing is put together in the living room, cradle is sweetly adorning the corner of our room, and the spot underneath our vanity is filling quickly with things I'll need in the middle of the night for you. Everything and everyone is (im)patiently waiting for your arrival though we still have 8 weeks left. The last stretch is the hardest and I remember it with your brother. The last few weeks feel agonizing especially when you feel so prepared but sitting here looking around at all of your things I know that I'm not as ready for you as I feel.

I thought the same thing with Elijah. I was ready for him but then he came and my heart almost exploded with the love that overflowed for him. I almost couldn't handle it. Would I be able to catch my breath when looking at him ever again? Would I be able to protect him from all of the evil in this world? Would he always love and need me as much as he did those first months? A resounding no answers all of those questions as they will for you someday. I gave your brother up to the Lord when he was nine days old and it's an act I play over and over again. It'll be the same with you and though I don't want to be this mom I'm sure I'll continue doing it even as you grow into a woman, wife, and mother of your own someday.

I'm dreaming of your sweet nose that I can see so clearly in your sonogram pictures. I'm wondering if you will have dark hair like daddy or light hair like me. I'm curious to see how you and Elijah get along during these first months. I can't wait to wear you and have you up close always, smelling your hair which will inevitably hold the scent of Heaven. I can't wait to swaddle you and place you sweetly in the middle of your cradle. I can't wait to take you to Kerrville for the first time and have a party in your honor. I just can't wait...for everything.

I thought it would take forever to get from the one year post to this one. 6 months seems like a long time when you say it out loud but Elijah turning an entire year AND a half has completely caught me off guard. Has it really been 6 months already since I threw his first birthday party? And does this really mean that we are now 6 months away from him turning 2? This is cray, y'all. It's also really hard to remember what new developments/milestones have passed in the last 6 months so bare with me here. At 18 months-

• 23 lbs
• 33 inches
• Learning how to eat with a spoon
• Has a special night time/morning drink to help him sleep (tart cherry juice mixed with milk-it works wonders)
• Still taking 2 naps and sleeps about 11 hours at night (until the 18m sleep regression hit. Oy.)
• LOVES to dance
• Some new words: Banene (banana), Obi (My father in law), pawpaw (my dad), tree, pease (please), up, Nonna (My mother in law), yesh (yes)
• Phrases he's mastered: Bye dada and Hi mama
• Tries to sing along to certain songs in the car. It's probably the cutest thing ever
• Wearing 18m clothes but a few 12m shirts still fit
• Loves crayons but gets bored when trying to color
• Starting to be fairly picky
• Favorite foods are any type of mexican food, bananas, and pb&j
• Climbs on everything
• Extremely friendly. Says hi to people every time we're out and about
• Loves the park
• Gives kisses all the time
• Loves to be tickled and now knows how to tickle other people
• Knows how to sniff things when we ask him to smell something and can blow on his food when we tell him it's hot

There are a couple of exciting things going on in our home that have developed over the last few days. As of yesterday I am now the Social Media Manager for author Jodie Mitchell. She is my friends aunt and has self published 3 books of poetry (The Trusting Time, In The Suffering, Careful Whispers) and is currently working on her new book Legacy which will be releasing soon. I am so excited to help spread the word about all of her books. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and while you're at it check out her and her husbands ministry called April Sky Ministries. Seeing first hand how social media can help keep others updated on your works/works in progress I created (again) my own Twitter account. So follow, follow, follow!

Another wonderful opportunity God has presented us with is within the company Kaleb works for. I can't say what it is officially on here but keep us in your prayers and as soon as I get the ok I will let you all know. I thought that moving to Fort Worth  would open up doors for Kaleb but now I see that doors are being opened up for me as well and not to mention our family in general. We are also currently taking classes to become members at our new church. So many exciting and new changes happening that I had to share them with you all ASAP! All of these changes bring new meaning to Jeremiah 29:11-

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The countdown is officially on. 30 days until my boy turns 1! I will be soaking in many nursing sessions, tickle fights, and cuddles since they are all few and far between. Well, maybe not the tickle fights. At 11 months-

• 23 lbs
• 27 inches
• Sleeping through the night (FINALLY!)
• Can take a total of 9 steps though he did walk across the living room last night
• Still breastfed but usually every 4-5 hours and not at all during the night
• Eating 3 solid meals and snacking in between
• Recently discovered he likes playing in his pack n play
• Has a new found love for water
• Sticks his tongue out and back in 
• Started getting a little sad when daddy leaves the house
• Wearing 12m-18m clothes
• Cloth diapered full time but in disposables over night
• Will not wear shoes or hats
• Loves hanging out in the pool
• Completely off of his reflux medicine
• Cries at really loud noises (dogs barking, lions roaring, etc)

I'm going to go find a corner to sob in for a while. I literally have no words for this 10 months business. Who told him it was ok to be 10 months already?!?! UGH!

• 21 lbs (we haven't been to the dr so this is a guess)
• 27 inches (again, a guess)
• Eating 3 solid meals a day and still BF in between
• Trying to stand without help. He usually makes it 15-30 seconds before falling
• Only waking once at night and taking 3 short naps during the day
• Growls. (Yes. You read that right. He growls.)
• Shakes his head no when you say the word
• Claps his hands
• Says mama, dada, buh buh (bye bye)
• Pushes his walking toy but falls after a while
• Wearing 12m clothes and a few 18m shirts
• Sits in a big boy carseat but is still rear facing (check out these statistics)
• Loves for us to chase him down the hallway or into the kitchen

Oh my sweet guy! He is just too big for words anymore. I have to stop most days and just breathe because of how stinking huge he looks. He's still my baby but he's turning into my big baby and sooner than I'd like he'll be a toddler. This is so heartbreaking. At 9 months:

•  21 lbs 5 oz
• 27 inches long
• Loves yogurt melts (I make them myself) and still pasta is his favorite
• Teaching him how to drink out of a sippy cup (pretty entertaining)
• Cloth diapered full time! But sometimes I'm lazy and don't stuff the pockets right away.
• He pulls himself up and "cruises" while holding onto the furniture
• Waves and says "bu-bu" 
• Says dada 
• Opens and closes his fist as if trying to say hi
• He yells when I take things out of his mouth or away from him
• He also likes to having yelling matches with us. Its so cute!
• 8 teeth! His top 2 on the right side overlap each other. It's pretty adorable.
• Still BF and on his Nexium (hoping to get him taken off of it soon)
• He "dances" when Kaleb and I bounce up down in front of him

I remember wondering about all of the things he would be able to do by 9 months as I held him in my arms when he was 3 months. I really don't want him to grow up too fast but I do get very excited when he reaches a new milestone. It's bittersweet I guess. It's just like his first birthday coming up in 3 months. I'm so excited to celebrate his life with our family and friends but of course sad to think he's not this tiny bundle in my arms anymore. He's doing so well with his sleep now. He had an entire week of only waking once in the middle of the night to nurse but I guess that was a fluke. He wakes up 2-3 times now. I can work with that as long as he's in his crib. He attended his first crawfish boil at my in laws house this past weekend. I thought about letting him try a bite but it was even too spicy for me so he munched on some bread while the rest of us enjoyed the crawfish. His first Easter is coming up next weekend and my in law's will be coming up for that. Excited to celebrate with family and for him to get his first Easter "basket" (I put together an Easter dump truck instead).

Oh, Elijah. I cannot wait to see what these next few months as my baby hold for you. You're inching closer and closer to the big ONE and I feel like I can't even fathom the thought of you growing and never being my tiny squish again. Is this a first time mom feeling or does this happen with each kid? Constantly dreading yet getting excited about his very first birthday....

*sigh* my fat, fat is growing too fast.

8 months, y'all! I'll get straight to it-

• Haven't been to the doctor lately so I assume his heighth and weight are the same
• Eats everything except for eggs, honey, and sweets
• Favorite food: pasta 
• Wearing 9m-12m clothes
• Yells "ba-ba-ba-ba" all day long
• Learning to say dada and mama but not quite there yet
• Crawls
• Sit's up by himself
• Reaches up but doesn't pull himself up yet
• Pushes up on everything
• Very mischevious
• Still cloth diapered part time but just a few dipes away from being full time
• Breastfeeds every 3-4 hours now
• Now has 7 teeth
• Still gets his Nexium (acid reflux medicine) every morning
• Down to 2 night feedings

Elijah just recently got over his first ear infection, a double ear infection at that. It was honestly hard to deal with for 2-3 days (partly because he was cutting 2 more teeth) and then he seemed like he never had anything wrong with him. Now I just hope it stays gone. No more sickie, please! He gets to attend his first birthday party this Friday! Our sweet friends youngest daughter is turning one! How fun! And since that will be the last time we travel for the next month or longer we will be starting CIO again that night. Praying we don't completely mess it up this time by going out of town or giving in to old habits. He went down to 2 night feedings all by himself so I think this transition will be a lot smoother than it was 2 months ago. Before we move to Fort Worth I want to have him completely sleeping in his crib for bed time and nap times WITHOUT crying. 

Woah! We are now closer to the 1 year mark than we are if we back tracked to the day he was born. This precious little chunk has only been on this earth for 7 months but it feels like I never had a life before him. Sure I remember fondly the times I slept for hours upon hours without any interupptions and when Kaleb and I were able to enjoy a meal at restaurant without having to give up and take our meals to-go. But (and I think all parents would agree with  me) though those times were nice, they're nothing compared to the times with my baby. So at 7 months this is my guy-

• 20 lbs of deliciousness
• Still breastfed but eating fruits and veggies as well
• Apple sauce is his favorite 
• Still napping for 30 minutes at a time and waking every 2 hours at night
• He officially learned how to sit up by himself today
• He inch worms across the floor but not without getting on all 4's first and trying to crawl
• We are still doing cloth diapers part time (still trying to build my stash)
• He is super chatty and always sounds like he's trying to say "dada"
• I've started wearing him more and he is definitely a fan
• He still goes in the nursery at church but usually doesn't last very long before he misses me
• Still only has the bottom 4 teeth but is working hard on cutting his top 2
• Still gets his Nexium (reflux medicine) every day but does well if he goes without it for a couple of days
• He is in 9m-12m clothes. Most of the 12m stuff that fits him are t shirts, the rest of his clothes are all 9m
• His new way of falling asleep (besides being held) is holding one of his ears. So cute!
• He loves to be naked. Like, it's a little ridiculous. He could be a crying mess and the second we undress him and take his diaper off he's the happiest little baby in the world. 
• He is very ticklish! His back, underarms, and recently we've found that his feet are also ticklish.

His 6 month post told of our sleep training journey. There isn't much to tell on that other then we stopped because we thought he might be sick (he wasn't) and then kind of messed it up by reverting back to his old habits. We will be doing CIO again but for now we're back to no sleep in the Hargrove home. I am way tired but man he is cute! Just look at this face!

Half a year has come and gone. Half of an entire year! My guy is 6 whole months. Ok, sorry. I'm done. The shock is still overwhelming. Here we gooooooo-

• He is 19 lbs even (75th percentile)
• He is 26.5 inches long (45th percentile)
• He has 4 teeth (all on the bottom)
• He still doesn't crawl but he does roll around and push himself forward with his feet to get around. I call this inch worming across the floor. 
• He can sit up independently for a few minutes before leaning over and falling
• His personality is definitely developing
• He laughs and gets excited when seeing Kaleb or myself
• He is more cautious of strange faces
• He has discovered his voice and loves to yell
• He has discovered his feet finally (that's what happens when you're fat;]) and tries to chew his toes
• He has started eating solid foods (fruits and vegetables)
• His sleep is still pretty awful (more about that below)
• He still nurses every 2 hours like the piglet he is
• I have started putting him in the nursery at church on Sunday mornings

5 whole stinkin months! I can't believe this! These blog updates are being written way too soon for this mama's liking.

Well for starters I FINALLY got a new RSS reader. I say finally because Google shut down their reader in July and it is now December. Yep, FINALLY have a place to read all of the blogs I follow. If you're reading this and you blog, leave a comment telling me the name of yours so I can follow it. The RSS reader I'm using now is Feedly. I'm pretty much in love with it. It lets me organize the blogs I follow but putting them into certain categories. Love!

Anyway, well the time has come to move again. We found out last week that they are raising the rent at our apartment complex when our lease is up (Dec. 20th). They're raising it by almost $100. Um, no! There aren't even lights in the bedrooms. Not kidding! There are no ceiling fans/lights at all in either bedroom so in my opinion they're really pushing it already with what we pay now let alone raising the rent. So, needless to say, we're moving yet AGAIN. This will be my 5th move in the last 3 years. Absolutely insane! But the apartment we found is perfect for our finances and our family of 3. God is good, folks. So very good. I am going crazy though because we move-in 3 days before Christmas Eve which is at our place this year. Since it's Elijah's first Christmas we invited both families to our place. And to top it off Kaleb and I are both in a wedding the day before we move-in. Oh. Em. Gee. I kind of can't breathe if I think about all of it too much.

This will be life this month:
-Plan out the food for Whitney's lingerie shower (married ladies only)
-Plan decorations and food for Whitney's bachelorette party
-Pack up apartment/purge things
-Get the rest of Elijah's Christmas presents
-Get food for Christmas Eve dinner
-MOVE!
-Set up new apt + Christmas decor
-Get ready for rehearsal dinner and wedding. YAY Mason and Whitney
-Get Elijah's picture taken with Santa at the mall (that should be interesting)

^^I think somewhere in there I should add rest/breathe/eat. Ha! This is one busy month but I'm so excited for Mason and Whitney's wedding, our new place, AND Christmas time.

Also, Elijah turns 5 months in 9 days. *cue the tears*