Monday, Monday

We had a good weekend 'round here.  On Saturday, we celebrated my mom's birthday by going to her two favorite places--the Habitat for Humanity store ("Restore") in Raleigh and the flea market.  Luckily, Davis and I love those places, too.  Derek stayed back to go toilet shopping...true story.  Davis was a real trooper and even survived the Chinese New Year celebration at the fairgrounds.  It was cool and we ate some good food, but it was LOUD.  D liked watching the little girls dance and seeing the dragons and other pretty sights.  He also sampled some Chinese noodles and said they were much better than the Ramen noodles I eat at home.

After our excursion, we came home and ate some of my mom's favorite cake, pineapple upside down cake, which was made from scratch by me.  I'm starting to do a lot more baking from scratch, as I've found that if you have a few basic ingredients on hand you can make just about anything--those ingredients being flour, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda.

On Sunday, Davis' grandpa (Derek's dad) came to visit and we enjoyed the beautiful, warm weather (and more pineapple upside down cake).  Davis tested out his new swing and took a nice nap in it.

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I used to think that the marketing people behind the wedding industry were the biggest geniuses in the world...

Now, I KNOW it's the marketing people behind the BABY industry who are, in fact, the biggest geniuses in the world.  I can't even tell you how much stuff we've bought thinking we really, really needed it, and unfortunately a lot of it has barely even been used.  There's already a very small window of time to use most of the baby gear we buy, and then when your baby doesn't use some of the stuff at all you feel like you've completely wasted your money.  I feel like I know a decent amount about babies and children, given all my schoolin' in child development, but there's something about those ads on Babies R Us and Amazon.com and Target commercials that make you feel like your child just can't survive without a _(fill in the blank)_...and if you want that language to develop and those motor skills to be on par, you just better have a _(fill in the blank)_ or your kid will be "behind", whatever that means.

With that being said (and my admission that I, too, am one of those suckers who has bought way too much baby gear), there are a few things we've purchased or that were given to us that have been very worthwhile and I'd buy them all over again.  Here they are, in no particular order:

-The sling--I have a Dr. Sears Balboa Baby sling that I use all the time.  I especially used it a lot when Davis was really small and never wanted to be put down.  It allows me to do things around the house and hold him at the same time, and he loves being in it.  It calms him almost instantly when he's fussy.  It's also great for shopping trips.

-The Boppy pillow--I use this a lot when nursing.  I just put it around my waist and Davis can lie across it on my lap.  That way, I can use my phone or read while he's refueling or after he falls asleep if I don't want to put him down.

-The baby gate--This is my new favorite, since the little man is all over the place!  It keeps him safely in the carpeted den and out of the kitchen, which has a hard tile floor.  I'm sure it has already paid for itself in the band-aids and Neosporin we've not had to buy.

-Sophie---Davis loves his little rubber giraffe and plays with her all the time.  She soothes his sore gums, squeaks at him, and gives him something to do in the car and at restaurants.  She also packs up nice; she fits right in mama's purse.

Those are just a few of our most valuable baby buys, in addition to the car seat, diapers, food, and the other stuff that you really do have to have.

Here are a few of Davis' favorite things at the moment:  my purse, the remote, DVD cases, Pepsi bottles, shoes (on other people), and magazines. 

We went to the park the other day, since it was a steamy 50-something degrees, and Davis got to swing by himself for the first time.  He was a little tense about it, but I'm sure he'll enjoy it more the next time we go... (Hurry up, warmer weather!)

Time flies...

...when you're having fun!  My sweet baby boy is going to be seven months old tomorrow.  I thought I'd just post some pictures that document our journey so far.  (Thanks, Jessica, for the idea!)

We stared and stared at this picture, our first glimpse of our little miracle.

I still can't believe I was that big........wow.

Sweet boy

One of my favorites.  I love these pajamas.

First smile caught on camera

Davis' first trip to the beach at 7 weeks old

He fell asleep waiting for the doctor to come in.  That must have been during the five minutes he actually liked the pacifier.

No better feeling than a sleeping baby on your chest...

Swinging on the porch, getting some fresh air

Happy boy

Helping Daddy shop at Lowe's

One of his favorite places to be

Happy Halloween!

D's second beach trip--Nags Head, NC

The infamous pink teether

This is the same reaction I get from Derek every year when I pull out the pink Christmas tree.

5 months

Davis' first pillow fort

Gettin' around...

A New Year...

With the new year we have seen Davis reach some new milestones and develop some new interests.  For one thing, he is CRAWLING now!  Help!  Don't get me wrong, I'm so proud of him and I'm glad he has finally reached this lifelong goal of his.....but gone are the days of, "Mommy's gonna run to the kitchen; I'll be right back!"  This child is into everything.  He's really curious and he loves to touch anything in sight.  His fascination du jour is the drawer pull on the desk I'm sitting at right now.  It's hard metal and makes such a nice clinging sound when he grabs it and lets go. 

Davis has also been really into cups lately.  He wants a sip (or four) of whatever his dad and I are drinking.  Don't worry, we only give him the really nutritious stuff like water and sweet tea. 

In an effort to get back in shape, I've been training with Jillian Michaels each morning (well, with her DVD), and I'm already feeling a little better about myself...maybe because I'm getting off my lazy hinie.  I won't lie, I don't think I will ever think it's "fun" to exercise in front of a TV in my den, but having a baby rolling and scooting and crawling under my feet and chasing my shoes sure does make it more interesting!  Ready for some warmer weather so we can take it outside...

Here are a few recent pictures.  Pardon the quality, as these were all taken with my phone.  I think I used the camera too much over the holidays because I haven't even taken it out since the snow.

D still loves carrots!

First time sitting in a real high chair and not in the carrier at a restaurant...at La Rancherita, of course

D's first redneck gear, thanks to Uncle Morgan