Hiking in Arizona

 

...and spending some time at the nature center at the entrance of White Tank Mountain Park...

Two Months!

From 12 to 15 pounds,

21 to 25 inches,

he just keeps growing. 

I love you baby.

PS. I Love You.

Dear Onyx,

You are 2 months and 4 days old today.

      You share big gummy grins with everyone, but they wont be gummy for long! (You're getting teeth!) Which has been hard but we have a secret weapon if need be. The vacuum cleaner. Oh yes, it works! We just push the "on" button and you slowly start to relax. I can't take the pain away, but I will be with you when you go through it.

      This morning you suddenly became aware of your toes. You woke me up around 8 like you normally do, with only a minor interruption for the usual 5:30 am feeding. (Other than that you already sleep through the night!) I place you on my bent knees like a chair until I wake up. It takes me a few. Hehe. So anyway, this morning I noticed you were in a intense stare down with your littlest digits just wiggling them away. Then you tried to snatch one up! You looked so disappointed, not to mention confused why your arm just wouldn't do what you were trying to make it do! So I might have helped a little... You seemed pretty satisfied as you were wiggling your toes between your chubby fingers. It's been a good morning already!

      Bathing has been a fun experience. I was so afraid at first, you didn't even touch soapy water until you were over a week old. I figured out some tricks though, so I feel you're safe and you feel pumped to be in the bath! 

1. Plan. I make sure you don't have a nudey booty until the last minute so you're not cold and I have an open towel, diaper and outfit all on standby.
2. Warmth. I keep a little washcloth over the majority of your body re-soaking it with water every few seconds so you keep warm.
3. Royalty drying session. I dry you off with a hair dryer on low (and you love it!)

      Other than that, it's just a bath, but you sure seem to enjoy yourself. :)

      After your bath and morning nap we pretty much play all day until 9-9:30 at night when you fall asleep and we start all over the next day. I can't wait until you're laughin' kid. You're SO CLOSE!

      I'll write again soon.
                      Your mom.

A Good Ol' New Year Resolutions Post

10. Start a store on Esty selling knitted-crocheted-sewn children's clothing.

9. Gain new friends.

8. Lose the last few pounds of baby weight.

7. Stop obsessing over sweets. (Practice moderation.)

6. Drink more water.

5. Do a photo shoot using a handmade hat every month for Onyx's monthly birthday until he is 1 year old.

4. Eat a lot less meat. (During pregnancy I picked up the habit again and I don't what it becomes.)

3. Set time aside for violin practice.

2. Become a gentler person.

1. Set aside a lot more time to spend in prayer and mediation. 

Goodbye Christmas!

This clock was always so cool when I was a kid at my grandparents house. 

It would chime every hour and slowly turn from the sun to the moon as the day progressed.

 I was so happy my grandma still had it since she got rid of many of her possessions when she moved down south.  

For Christmas we had my grandmother's friends over to share a potluck style dinner. I made these name tags for all of our guests. Halfway through I realized I hadn't made any representing the real reason we celebrate and I made "Ronda" and "Sachie's" name tags and felt a lot better. ^^

Pretty things from around the house...

The rose paintings were another thing I was glad she kept. As a kid I thought those were the bee's knees!
... I was also pretty set on being a rose gardener for a brief period (maybe that's why I dug those rose paintings so much?) before I wanted to be a professional back up dancer, an opera singer and then to my most favorite

(which I am still to this day very much into) a wardrobe specialist for far off fantasy movies like the Chronicles of Narnia or Snow White. For now I think I'll just stick to sewing costumes for this bub.vv

Here I'm texting my mom, telling her I miss her and Washington. I missed the cold and all things green.
She told us while we were there that she wanted to be referred to as "Nana" for Onyx.
I love it! Grandma just didn't fit her. 

Table settings and more pretty things...

All of us getting our baby snuggles in before company came over.

I love him more everyday.