Obsessed with "Pinning"

I have a problem.

I. LOVE. PINNING.

Of course, I'm referring to Pinterest.

It is an amazing website, where you "pin" ideas to online "bulletin boards." You can pin decorating ideas, recipes, photographs you love, quotes, outfits, products...the list goes on and on.

For example, when I was decorating Declan's nursery, I would bookmark random pages so that I would remember different ideas. Now, on Pinterest, I could just "pin" images to a "Declan's nursery" bulletin board. It's super user friendly, and easy to figure out.

Some of my wonderful finds so far:

{I love everything about this room}

{Gourmet s'mores bar - ummm...yes, please!}

{Strawberry-lime margarita Jello shots - hello, lover!}

{I am doing this. Grandma + Declan = precious}

Have you tried Pinterest? If not, you totally should!

Declan figures out his new toy

This weekend we bought Declan a baby activity center. I think he loves it already! He really enjoys being able to look around the room and be a little more "independent."

Here's a little video of the little man trying to figure out his new toy:

P.S. Please excuse the drool hanging from his mouth - we are teething! :)

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We have hair!

When I was pregnant, I had wicked heartburn. I swore my baby was going to have a head full of hair. Much to our surprise (or not, if you look at our baby pictures), the kid was completely bald when he was born!!

Tonight when I was giving him a bath, I noticed he is starting to grow a little more!

It's looking like he's gonna be a little brown hair, blue-eyed boy!



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4 Years Ago

4 Years Ago

{I married my best friend.}


3 Years Ago
{We celebrated 1 year by going on a picnic.}


2 Years Ago
{We celebrated 2 years by going out to dinner.}


1 Year Ago
{We celebrated 3 years by spending the weekend at the casinos.}


And 6 Weeks Later
{We heard the most beautiful sound ever - a tiny heartbeat!}


And 8 Months Later
{We met our precious baby boy!}



Patrick,
I am so glad that I met you 13 years ago. I am so glad we both knew, at such a young age, that someday we would be married and have many beautiful children. I am so glad that we are fulfilling all of our dreams together. I can't imagine being on this journey with anyone else but you. You are the most amazing husband and father, and I am thankful for you every day!
Happy 4th Anniversary, babe!
-Alicia

Baby Cooler

Sometimes Declan gets a little overheated...




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4 Months

Declan,

You are 4 months old today, and you...

are getting chubbier and chubbier everyday - you love you some food! :)
are consistently rolling over from your tummy to your back
smiling at me every time you see me, and I LOVE it!
starting to grab at your toys, and you are close to gripping them
rub your lovie in your face when you are falling asleep
hate getting dressed. You cry every time I put clothes on you!
are starting to chew and drool a lot - are you teething?
still like your paci, but usually only when you are tired
are getting so much better with alone time. We can just leave you on the floor to play.
still love when I give you your baths
sleeping in your own room - my big boy!
are learning your voice. It is just adorable to hear you in the backseat talking!
love when I read you books
chuckle every once in a while, and it is precious!

You are such a joy in my life! I am so proud to be your mom! I can't wait to see the changes you continue to make! I love you!

-Momma

My Cupcake

Happy 4th!

I hope you all had an amazing Independence Day!

Patrick was at work, so Declan and I had a lazy morning. We went to Patrick's grandparents to swim this afternoon. It was super hot, though, so we stayed inside!!

Declan wore the sweetest blue and red outfit. The shirt has a crab - perfectly appropriate for my crabby boy! :)


And he had the cutest little plaid swim trunks. I. DIE.

Pizza Rounds

I made this delicious low calorie lunch today, and I wanted to share:




Start by toasting one 100 cal whole wheat sandwich round. Add 1/8 cup of 25 cal pizza sauce to each half. Sprinkle fat-free mozzarella cheese. Add shredded ham. Broil.

Enjoy this low calorie lunch, while getting your pizza fix!

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Sleep

I know that I am going to regret it as soon as I type this, but sleep is going great!!

When Declan was born, he was waking up every 3 hrs initially. At 9 weeks, he started waking up twice a night, at 2 and 5. Now, for the last few weeks, Declan has been sleeping from 9 to about 5:30 or 6.

He takes multiple naps throughout the day, usually lasting 30-45 minutes. He has one afternoon nap that lasts 2-3 hrs.

Declan slept in our room until he was 15 weeks old. He slept in the newborn part of the pack n play, and then we started putting him in the swing when he didn't fit in that anymore. Now he sleeps in his swing in his own room. We are going to transition him to his crib eventually, but we are enjoying the sleep too much right now!!

We are currently working on good sleep habits. We no longer allow him to fall asleep or sleep in our arms. We put him down right as he is getting sleepy. Apparently, this is important in teaching him how to self soothe. That way, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he can soothe himself back to sleep.

We also do not allow him to fall asleep while or right after eating. We follow the Eat-Play-Sleep routine.

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Baby Food

So far, Declan has tried organic brown rice cereal, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, and green beans.

His favorite is sweet potatoes, followed by carrots, and then peas. He DOES NOT like green beans. He makes the funniest face when he swallows them. (I tried to get a picture, but it's difficult balancing a camera, a bowl, and a baby that can't sit up on his own.) I'm going to try the green beans a few more times, especially since I have a whole batch frozen in my freezer. I'm hoping he learns to love them, and I can teach him to not be a picky eater like his dad! :)

I have been making baby food for about a week now, and it is going great! The processor we bought is so convenient. We buy all organic fresh and frozen veggies. I've never tasted "real" baby food, but I can tell you the stuff I make tastes like veggies. It is good!!

I plan on making squash next. I'm hoping he likes it, since it's the same texture as potatoes or carrots, but not as sweet. I'm hesitant to start the fruits because I don't want him to turn his nose up at veggies from that point on.

Declan nurses/takes a bottle every 3 hours. I am still nursing 2-3 times a day, pumping at work, and we are giving him formula in between. I did not think that I would be able to nurse for this long with me having such a crazy schedule. I'm so glad I can, because I love it!! And I know it is so good for him!! I will definitely be disappointed when we quit!

Sorry for this random post, but I wanted to be able to come back someday and see what I was feeding Deckers! :)

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