The Hunt for the Perfect Christmas Tree

I feel like the holidays are just more special when you have kids.  I have this desire to make everything as magical and as special as can be for Ellis, because I want him to have fond memories of the holidays that he will have for a lifetime.   Our parents always made the holidays special for us, so we want to do the same for Ellis.

Also with the holidays comes traditions.  We're a heavy "traditions" family (see previous posts about traditions here, here and here ), and I'm so glad that Ellis gets to be apart of them going forward.

Like searching for the perfect Christmas Tree.

Zac wanted sooo badly to cut down a perfectly, un-perfect tree on his family's land where he hunts, but our little house can't quite accommodate a Clark Griswold tree, so we did the next best thing.  We found a homemade sign reading "cut your own tree" just a few miles up the road from our house & turned in.  About a quarter mile down a winding trail, we came upon a little old man, and a little old woman, staying warm in a little shack.  They handed us a saw, and told us to drive up the hill to park.  From there, we could take a left & walk down the trail or go down to the right, and cut down any tree we wanted.  We were to come back once we found one for some candy.  (They were so sweet!)

Once we got to the top of the hill, we actually spotted their house.  They were selling trees from their own yard!  There wasn't a lot to choose from, and they were definitely "rustic", but I guarantee you that we made their day.  After searching for about a half hour, we found a winner!

Least you think the day was perfect....  Ellis is OVER IT right about now.

I know Ellis is too young to remember all of his "firsts" but that's why we take photos, right?  To remember, to savor, to cherish... even the times we don't recall.  We can relive them through photographs.  And Lord knows, I will take a million. :)

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Remember The Year of the Baby Tree?
And the year it took us 4 minutes to find our tree?
Ahhhh, good memories indeed :)

Ellis: Nine Months Old

Dare I say it, but could this be the most fun age yet?!  Ellis is so entertaining right now, I just love hanging out with him.  He is learning new things every day & amazes me at how quickly he can get himself into trouble!

We've got a mover and a shaker on our hands... this kid is NEVER still.  Getting monthly photos is proving to be quite the challenge... 99.9% of them turn out blurry because Ellis is a busy busy baby!

He goes to the doctor for his 9 month well-check in 2 weeks, but I'm fairly certain he hasn't surpassed the 17 lb. mark yet.  Though he be but little, he is fierce!  Don't let his size fool you -- he will get around and do all the things, just like the big kids.  He can still wear some 6 month clothing, but for the most part is in 9 month clothing and still in size 3 diapers.

Ellis boy is getting braver and braver by the day -- pulling himself up on everything, climbing, standing independently for a few seconds at a time.  He's crawling everywhere -- not a traditional crawl, but either an army crawl or like a 3 legged crab crawl type thing.  It's so cute, but now that he is fully mobile, he's into everyyyyything.  He has learned the word "no" but it doesn't mean he listens. :)  

Question parents:  What word do you use instead of "no"?  I feel like I'm saying "no no" all.the.time.  I sometime use "ouch!" or "yucky" but mostly just say no. And I don't like.  It's so negative, and I feel like a broken record.

Ellis is enjoying more regular meals mashed up or in tiny pieces vs. just pureed veggies and fruits.  This month he's tried and loved chicken noodle soup, spaghetti, tenderloin with mashed potatoes, pork roast & brown rice with broccoli, pancakes, hash browns, chicken, and turkey -- to name a few of his favorites.  He sometimes hoards food in his cheeks, which I did as a child too, so that's kinda funny.  We're still nursing while at home, otherwise he still taking 5 oz of breastmilk at daycare every 3 hours.

We've had to do some sleep training this month because he wasn't going down at night, and waking up frequently out of the blue.  We did the dreaded "cry it out" method (which I didn't believe in) after a very frustrating night of frequent wake ups and not wanting to leave momma's arms. But I told myself he was safe, he had a full belly and clean diaper -- he was just playing me.  He just wanted to be held.  He cried for an hour straight.  It was equal parts heartbreaking and like nails on a chalk board.  We nearly caved multiple times but held firm, and he did eventually fall asleep.  He's had a couple other instances where he cried/whined for 20-25 minutes after I put him down for a nap or for the night, but does eventually get himself to sleep, so I'd say it's working!

He still just has the two bottom teeth, but I think the top ones will be in soon.  I't's kinda hard to picture him without his gummy smile.

We are currently teaching him to wave "hi" and "bye" and clap his hands.  Slowly, he's learning!

Things I love about Ellis this month:

- The way he sticks his tongue out and up over his upper lip when he's really concentrating.

- His giggle.  I think I say this every month, but man -- I realllly love it.

- His eyes & eye lashes.

- The way he flaps his arms like a bird when he's excited.
- His endless expressions.
- That he is generally always happy!

We're so looking forward to Christmas with this little one... he's going to be such a ball!


Previous recaps: One Month | Two Months | Three Months | Four Months | Five Months | Six Months | Seven Months | Eight Months 

Make: Lactation Cookies {and other tips for boosting your supply}

I'm currently just shy of 9 months into my breastfeeding journey.  I've shared before about the not so glamorous truths of breastfeeding in this post, and since then some aspects have gotten easier, while others have not.

A recent issue I've been dealing with is low supply, which just floors me because I was such an over-producer for the first three months.  Maybe this is my body's way of telling me that it's time to hang it up, but I so desperately want Ellis to receive momma's milk for the first year of his life.

I've heard the following ways can help increase your milk supply:

Drink a beer every night.
Drink a blue Gatorade.
Drink mother's milk tea.
Eat oatmeal.
Use Fennel essential oil.
Take a Fenungrek supplement.
Drink 75 million gallons of water a day.
Eat healthy fats like nuts and butter and avocados.
Put flax seed on everything.
Power pump.
Reduce stress.

I've tried a few things on the above list, but in my efforts to research how to increase my supply, I found this recipe for lactation cookies.  Basically, I was hooked at the word 'cookie'.

Zac, being the wonderful husband that he is, has been making me batches of these cookies every couple weeks, and I honestly do notice a slight increase my in supply when I eat them.  Plus, they taste really good, so I am highly recommending them.

We freeze them, and I eat one or two a day.  I notice that I pump about two more ounces in the morning when I eat them consistently.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but every drop counts!  Whether it's a coincidence or not, I'm not sure, but I certainly don't mind "needing" to eat my cookies everyday!

If anyone has had any luck in successfully boosting their supply, please share your secrets in the comment section below!





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Ellis: Eight Months Old

You know, they didn't lie when they said time is the greatest thief.

Ellis James is officially 8 months old as of Oct 19th, and I just don't know how this happened.  Every night when I nurse him to sleep, I scroll through the camera roll on my phone and my eyes quickly well up with tears.  They are mostly happy tears -- like, how in the world did we get so lucky?

Our cautiously, curious, little guy continues to light up our world.

This last month he finally cut a tooth!  And then right after that one poked though, a second one came up. Now we're working on not biting mom while nursing (OUCH!!).
(Please, if anyone has any tips on how to stop this from happening -- I'd love to hear them).

What's new this month? 

Ellis is scooting a bit on his bum and doing the ol' inch-worm body pull, but is not crawling yet.  He goes from sitting to the crawling position, but hasn't quite mastered getting his knees tucked under himself.  He more or less flops like a beached whale at this point -- his arms & legs go, but his belly stays on the ground. It's really kinda cute.  He is starting to pull himself up on things and we had to lower his crib this month too because he thinks he's a cool acrobat kid -- so for his safety, it's time we lowered it.

Speaking of cribs, Ellis is still sleeping pretty well at night for us (for the most part).  And as the days get shorter and shorter, he seems to be ready for bed earlier and earlier.  By 7:00-7:30 pm, he's spent.

Ellis boy is still a great eater, and we're now handing him things like puffs & crackers, and he feeds himself versus us feeding him. The best is when a piece of food gets "stuck" in his hand and he can't quite figure out how to get it off.  He still takes 5 oz of breast milk every 3 hours and eats homemade baby food for breakfast, lunch, & dinner.  He is very curious whenever we put something in our mouth, so gone are the days of eating in front of him and not offering him anything. Home boy wants a taste!

Little Ellis is finally starting to out grow his 6 month clothing & is still in size 3 diapers.  He also still very much loves to jabber, but lately it's really only in the comfort of his own home.  He says "ba ba ba," and da da da" ALOT.  I keep trying to get him to say "ma ma ma" but it seems his "m's" only come out when he's crying.  Go figure!

Although he doesn't say any words yet, the kid has impeccable hearing -- he can literally hear a pin drop.

Lately, Ellis really enjoys standing & playing with his activity table, but he definitely needs a spotter.  Oh, and the other day he laughed for 5 minutes straight at a clothes pin.  Thought it was the coolest thing ever.  He's pretty easy to please :)

Things I love about Ellis this month:
- How he loves re-watching videos of himself. He laughs and laughs and laughs!
- The way his face lights up when I sing & dance in the kitchen
- How his hair is starting to grow over his ears (dad says he needs a hair cut... mom says NO WAY!)
- They way he studies a new toy in his hands so intently
- That he enjoys being read to -- for as wiggly as he is, he sits pretty well for a book
- How much the ladies at daycare love & adore him




Missed a recap?
One Month | Two Months | Three Months | Four Months | Five Months | Six Months | Seven Months