8 months old!

Today our little Squishy turns 8 months old! 

(Playing with her friends Alex & Asher)

Time is flying by! Some days do go so slow, while others speed by, but the months are going like crazy! It's so bittersweet!

We're having so much fun with her. Just this week she has decided to pull herself up onto e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. And if she can't, she gets all fussy. Reminds me of myself. Kinda determined and then kinda all upset if it doesn't work out. Yikes. 

Even today, she was up...and then she forgot she couldn't walk yet, but tried anyway. It was not too bad of a fall, but it sure scared her! I doubt that will stop her, but ya never know. 

PERSONALITY

She is such a Momma's girl right now still. Follows me around everywhere and wants to climb on me and be right next to me every time I come into the room she's in. I think she doesn't understand that she isn't apart of me. Haha. It's so cute. Hard to keep up with stuff sometimes, but it's ok. She has the cutest smile ever- so gummy, tongue out and nose crinkle. Love it! 

I feel like she could be a little strong willed, but that could just be me mistaken her newfound love of climbing for something it's not. (ie: must climb, if can't climb,gets mad) I kinda hope it's just a phase. 

EATING

She is eating a little more and more each week. She still loves her oats and last week she started eating black beans to my delight. Now her and I can share since Adam isn't too fond of them. ;) ( but he will eat them, so that's good)

SLEEPING

It's going much better this month. She seems to always go to bed between 7-8p, then wakes up to eat at 5:30. Then lately her and I will jump on our guest futon and sleep until 9a! HUGE HUGE blessing!  Gives me some much needed extra sleep. Hoping next week sometime to begin waking up at 8ish to get some stuff done.( quiet time, work out, etc) I require a lot of sleep, so the last 8 months have been rough. I have been trying to pray every night that God just wakes me up earlier. We'll see.

HEALTH

Still going strong and nothing minor or major sick wise.

RIGHT NOW 

She isn't really pooping on the potty chair because she's a sneak and goes the minute after she wakes up, so I never catch her. Bummed, but it's ok, we will pick it back up soon.

She loves water and singing songs still. She loves taking walks and loves to army crawl e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e!

She's so cute and the best little sister ever! So thankful we've has these special 8 months with her!

Homemade DIY Carrot Face Lotion with SPF 40

Ok, so tbh ( to be honest- for all people like me who just figured out what that meant!) this stuff, once carrot is added, doesn't smell awesome. But, I consider it worth the momentary discomfort for the value of the ingredient.

Ok, so what you need:

A container with a lid. ( I use an old GNC lotion container)

Coconut oil

Beeswax

Olive Oil

Shea butter or cocoa butter 

Vitamin E

Carrot oil

Glass jar

So, this recipes really depends on how big your container is. So I measure mine by sight and feel based on the container I use above.

But it's basically equal parts coconut oil and Shea butter and then 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil and beeswax. Put all this in the glass jar. Boil a few inches of water in a pan while stirring the items in the glass jar until melting. 

After fully melted,carefully remove the  glass jar and immediately add Vitamin E, stir, then add 3-5 drops of Carrot, stir, then ASAP pour into your container. Beeswax is a MONSTER to clean up, so I always use an old spaghetti sauce jar then throw the sucker away. Ugh, too much clean up.

I then put the lotion in the fridge for a few hours to set. Then it's ready to use and wow, it is so good for your face. 

At night, I also swipe the bottom of my foot with it. ;)

Wondering why Carrot Oil is so good for you?

This is a screen shot from my favorite Essential Oil company called Eden's Garden- read what they have this say! Also, this is perfect as a natural sunscreen as Carrot Oil has a natural SPF of 38-40!! The second highest natural SPF!! 

Life Lately

I wanted to try to update this once or week or twice a month from now on. We will see. I am always finding and trying new things that I feel like people should know about! Well.... Some things anyway, haha.

So here goes to our life lately.

DOING:
Here in Florida, we can be outside year round. So we try to always be doing something. Lately, Blakely and I have been taking morning walks (again) together. She loves looking at the birds, palm trees, leaves and the many many dogs. (People in Sarasota *love* their dogs!) She hasn't quite decided if she likes them yet. We also play outside on our big patio sometime,go to the chiropractor and Target.  I definitely don't do as much as I thought I would with her by this age. I need to always be considering naps and  she is always needing sleep! And huge bummer, so far she doesn't like the beach, the 2x she has been)....but that will change when she can play in the the sand I am sure.

Look at the little yellow bathing beauty!



How  I'm doing:
Decent. This week was Greyson's 21 month mark. I feel so sad sometimes, but still healing and joyful and full of life again because of Blakely. I can't imagine being where I was from June 2012-June 2013  again. I feel different from her, but not the same as I was before, if that makes sense.  I just am so thankful that God knows what He is doing. I am thinking ahead on how to celebrate her 2nd birthday. :(

EATING:
About 2 weeks ago, I really jumped ship of my bad ways and have began eating 90-95% clean again. I have been cooking a lot with oats for me and Blakely, adding them into Smoothies, making homemade cookies and protein bars. I love Oats. 

Anyway, I decided I need to begin praying for a change of attitude towards food-- eat to live, not live to eat. And also, removing the emotional aspect of food that plagues so many women, myself very much included. 

I feel like the LORD has been answering and changing me and I have been doing pretty good. I am trying to be flexible and allow myself some room to breathe, since this is a lifestyle, not a diet. So far I love it and feel wayyyyy better and have more energy.
Other than Oats, I am eating a lot of delicious Florida Fruit, avocados, romaine heart  and          spinach salads(yum!!) and some of this quality stuff...

Adding natural peanut butter to tons of stuff now! ( homemade Ice cream, granola bars, Greek yogurt, etc) And those almonds were....bomb!

GOING:

Not very many places, but still having fun. I am *going* to the gym almost everyday now, though.

Not that kind...haha.

I try to go during Blakely's long afternoon nap. I'm there for about 20-30minutes, lifting and doing interval running on the treadmill. People, I have been out of shape 100% since getting pregnant with Greyson. I walked a ton with her, but that was it. 

  

LOVING 

-the way I feel after a work out. (Stronger.)

-the way Little Squish crawls to me and sucks on my shoulder each and every time I pull her out of bed.

- the way she loves to be on top of me and with me every.single.second. Though it is hard to get anything done. 

-the way she talks now.

- being more mindful of being healthy....actually caring.

-Florida weather. No snow here!

- my Chiropractor! He has helped me so much with my back (pinched nerve and tilted hip) and neck (military neck) ahh, I was in so much pain after we moved, now it's way better. :)

- sunshine and vitamin D

MAKING:

Things like, our own foaming handsoap, playing around with shampoo (tired of paying big monies to strip my hair,) and healthy food and snacks. Learning how to make a lot of the cookie goods I love out of simple ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa, honey, oats, peanuts butter,etc. (Recipes to follow.) I'm also going to be trying a few new recipes for homemade bread next week. Tired of the junk they cram in store bought. ( seriously, do you even know?) Also going to be experimenting with these things called Soap Nuts next week! Eee, I can't wait! (For shampoo and possibly laundry detergent!)

LEARNING:

To pray more for my mouth, my temper and attitude.

Take the small moments I do have to read a devotional, pray,etc.

To play more with my baby and wait til she's asleep to do the stuff I need or want to do.

How to structure her day for her best well being. 

How to avoid some challenges with her. ( for instance, since gaining her independence and army crawling e-v-e-r-y-where... She no longer enjoys being confined. She would scream when I would put her in her Bumbo to eat. I,stupidly at first assumed she was in pain somehow. Nope, just stubborn and angry. So after she wakes up and nurses, I change her diaper and carry her right down to her Bumbo before she even tastes freedom. She hasn't screamed since I prayed about that one. 

It's tough being a parent. Need wisdom and discernment constantly.

FINDING:

These apps to be extremely helpful in the things I'm about.

-SkinDeep- scan your beauty products, see if they are good for your or not. Cancerous or not. Eee.

-Edibly- scan your food to see what is in it that is good or bad!

-Eat this, not That.

- Butt, Leg, Arm workouts!

-Fitbit

-Essential Oils are good for everything! Recipes to follow on my new DIY carrot face lotion! Loving  Eden's Garden brand!! Christian company and good therapeutic grade stuff! And ....cheap!! ( they cut out the middle man!)

To close, we are loving living here in Florida, Adam is loving his new job and the best part is it's remote, so we can be wherever we want to be and he is home all the time! 

And that's a wrap...