I need a Hobby

Everyday I tell myself the same thing, I will do something productive today. I don't mean folding laundry, teaching Holt a new trick, or getting us out of the house. Something productive for the family, or myself, however you want to look at it. I'm inspired by so many ideas on Pinterest, I should just do them. Now that Holt is down to one nap a day, which lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours, how should I spend my time? Typically I spend some time doing pointless stuff online, and I mean pointless. Facebook, reading blogs, reading TMZ, MSN, or browsing for something I "need" to buy. Then I move onto the Social Media job I have for a couple of companies setting up Facebook articles and tweets. I have about an hour left at this point, maybe 2 depending on how long he sleeps. An entire hour to do something, anything besides sit in front of the computer. I don't watch much TV anymore and I typically do chores when Holt is awake. So how do I spend this hour? I have no idea! Before I know it Holt is awake and another day has gone by where I haven't done a darn thing that is productive.

Now I told myself when I became a stay at home mom that I would spend more time with God. I'm not entirely sure what that means, which is why I think I am not very good at it. I know He doesn't care how we do it, we should just do it. I am not good at reading anything during the day because my mind is all over the place. I cannot concentrate until right before bed, so reading anything is out of the question. How do you spend time with God? As much as God would appreciate me spending 3 hours with Him each day, I think I need more of a hobby. I should spend 30 minutes with God instead of reading all the online Gossip and what my 50 friends I barely know anymore on Facebook are doing at that given second. That I should do. So how?

Holt has recently become somewhat of a picky eater. I find myself making food that he doesn't eat day in and day out. I just purchased Deceptively Delicious and it is full of yummy recipes that I cannot wait to try. As I started reading through it I thought, "Where am I going to find time to make him this food?" Uhhh, Hello Shea, you have at least 2 hours every afternoon to make something, anything. So I think I will work on my cooking skills. I have always longed to be good at baking too. With all these recipes on Pinterest I am loving, I can surely cook for my family. I want to get really good at baking so my kids friends know me for my yummy treats. Yes, I totally copied Monica from friends, but it's true.

What about decorating? We are building a new house and I should be planning how I want everything to look in every room. Ugh, really? I am not a fan of decorating. My mom is an Interior Decorator, I'll give her a budget and let her do it. I don't even know where to look for decorating ideas because that's how much I dislike it. Kyle is actually better at decorating than me. But shouldn't I want to?

So everyday I tell myself this and another day ends and I haven't done anything. There is unfolded laundry in baskets still if you want to know the honest truth. How am I spending my time? I can't nap during the day due to the guilt I feel. I can't really do anything for myself during the day while he is napping due to the guilt. This is an entirely new blog post in itself really. So my question is, how do you spend your free time? How do you spend time with God? How are you finding time to decorate for Fall or plan the Holidays? How are you cooking your family dinner? Help me find a better use of my time, please!

Holt is 13 months!

I questioned whether or not I should continue these posts (hence it being 2 weeks late). We're kinda at the point where there is not a whole lot of "new" going on. I guess it will be a month to month decision, if I feel like sharing what my lil munchkin, booger, tooty tooty, boo bear is up to! I'm not sure I can classify him as a walker just yet, although he can take several steps alone, his prefered method is still crawling. I wouldn't even know what to put down as the date in his baby book for taking "first" steps. He has taken his "first" steps, but that has been going on for like 6 weeks now and he still isn't quite confident enough to just take off. But I am very proud of him and nothing in the world beats that big smile on his face when he reaches me after walking. He is just so darn proud of himself. At one point the pediatrician told us to watch for his hips when he started walking because apparently the peg leg crawl we thought was so funny, could actually be a hip issue. Luckily, it's still just a funny crawl and he doesn't appear to have any trouble with his steps.

Besides starting to walk, here are a few other things the Holtster enjoys doing these days.

-Giving Bentley his morning treat. We let Bentley out and Holt picks out his treat from the box then crawls over to give it Bentley directly into his mouth...with a giggle every time.
-Lots and lots of pointing going on! Anything and everything is just about the coolest thing he has ever seen. If only he could tell me how neato he thought it all was.
-I think he is a bit of a hoarder. He can't just have one thing around him, he must have several. He crawls to get more things for his pile and must be surrounded by stuffed animals when he sleeps.
-Will push anything to get him from point A to point B, including but not limited to the kitchen barstool (eek!) and and exercise ball
-He seems to understand almost everything I tell him, especially everyday commands. Ok, I'm bragging a little, he doesn't know everything but he really has picked up on a lot more of what I say in the past month. "Go put this book back." "Can I have it?" "Can Mommy have a bite?" are just a few...
-He loves to bring me books to read. Books are his favorite. He looks at them all by himself. He plays with them, he points at things in them, and he wants me to read to him all the time!
-He prefers that shoes are on your feet at all times. He tries to put Daddy's shoes on me if he deems it necessary that I need shoes on and the closest ones are Kyle's. He likes to try and put them on himself. If you take them off, you better believe he will bring them back to your feet within seconds.
-We have about 75% mastered the skill of putting our cup back on the tray or counter when eating. Most the time he does and it makes a sound to make sure I turn around and praise him. Others he still just feels like throwing it down on top of Bentley.
-He's learning different sports skills! Hit hits balls with his golf club, throws balls when asked, and kicks on command from both a standing and sitting position.
-Absolutely OBSESSED with balloons. He will point them out before you can even see it. Meme has been suckered into buying a $10 fish balloon because he wouldn't let it go at the grocery store.
-He is currently enjoying picking out a new hat to wear each morning from the closet and then making you wear it when he is done. I'm glad he loves hats!

I've seriously slacked in the picture department this month too. I took like 8 that were worthy of keeping. Pretty bad of me. I promise to do better this month!

Rooms

It still hasn't really sunk in that Kyle and I will not be coming back to DFW...ever. I still feel like this is some long vacation. Our house is sold and closed and it is no longer "ours" like it was for 4.5 years. As I was about to leave the day we moved, Kyle walked me through each room, just like he did when he was proposing. Tears were flowing as we moved through the house because each room meant something different to me. A house is not just a house, it is part of you. Here is what the rooms mean to me:

The Living Room


-This room reminds me of our life as a married couple. We literally started growing old together in this room. Many nights were spent drinking wine watching our shows together like Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Lost to name a few. We celebrated watching TCU victories by chest bumping or me jumping in his arms to jump around. We watched more movies than I can count in this room, 90% of which I fell asleep watching. We slept on these couches holding our newborn baby boy time and time again. We watched the ball drop on NYE together, each year wondering what the next had in store for us. Holt played on the floor and Bentley always got to sit where he wanted, even if I had to move my seat. I folded laundry here, watched Holt kick around in my belly, let Bentley sleep on my lap like a tiny dog, and fell asleep on Kyle's lap. Nothing like a living room to make you feel safe and right at home.

The Kitchen


-This is the room I was so excited about when we first moved in. I pictured myself here making Kyle dinner as newlyweds. Cooking him up all of my favorites and learning what his favorites would be. We cooked meals here together on Holidays like Valentine's Day and Easter. Since we lived in this house, Easter was always there. We would stand around sipping on wine and cooking everything the night before so we could eat earlier on Sunday. The table is where we had many many discussions. It's where Kyle decided to take the job with the company that recently promoted him and moved us here. We discussed baby names, nursery ideas, reviewed sonograms pics, gave Holt his first solids, and said our dinner prayer. We can't forget Bentley either. He always stayed close by when I was in there cooking, sometimes too close and I would trip over him. I spent the most time in the kitchen. It was my first kitchen.

The "Media" Room


-We had high hopes for this media room that never was. Kyle wanted a projector for movies. We were supposed to watch movies in here, but always found ourselves on the couch in the living room instead. It really just became the "Wii" room. As newlyweds we would stay up way too late having way too many drinks playing Wii games like we were teenagers. It's the room where our famous Corona pictures were on display. (We take a Corona picture at every vacation destination.) Kyle's prized hammerhead shark hung on the wall. It is an atrocious looking thing, and he thinks I hate it. I don't hate it. It means so much to him and he lights up like a little kid when he gets to tell the story of catching that thing. For that reason alone, I don't hate it. It was also the "office", but we had a laptop in the kitchen so we hardly used it for that either. It was a neglected room but with a lot of memories regardless. It became Holt's playroom. I put his big toys in here and this is where we would play in the afternoon when I got bored of the living room. In the new house we will have a true media room and we also have high hopes for it...we'll see how that works out.

Holt's Nursery


-Before it became Holt's nursery, it was just a sad boring guest room that we always knew would be the nursery, just didn't know who it would belong to. A girl or a boy? We never decorated it, just condensed Kyle's Bachelor Pad into one room. Then it became our son's nursery, literally the weekend we found out what we were having. Kyle wanted to buy the furniture and paint it IMMEDIATELY. He was so excited. I let him do the decorating, it's not my thing anyways. I had bigger plans for the room. I knew I would feel most like a Mommy in this room. The months of planning would turn into holding my baby in my arms. I knew I would, and I did, spend a lot of time watching my baby just sleep in this room. We would, and did, rock and rock in the glider. When he was hungry, sick, restless, or just wanting to be cuddled...it would be in this room...and it was. This was perhaps the hardest room to say goodbye too. I had the most plans and strongest attachment to this room, even before Holt was here. I loved this little nursery. It's where we listened to music when all he could do was coo and smile...not even laugh yet! I would dance around as long as I needed to just to see that smile. This room tugs at my heartstrings, because in the new house...he will be nearly 18 months old before getting in his room. His baby days are long behind him, and so will be his first nursery.

BUT, onto bigger things...they should be breaking ground on our house anyday now. Here is the new lot that will hold a new house for us to make new, more permanent memories! Onward and upwards to the future! What do your rooms mean to you? They aren't just rooms...

Toddler Food Options

MOMS, HELP!

Holt's bloodwork at his one year appointment showed that he is mildly anemic. This was totally to be expected because I really can't get him to eat much meat. I would have a hard time eating meat if I only had 3 1/2 teeth too. He does not like the texture of lunch meat and is so over meatballs of any kind. He likes his veggies for the most part but would live on cheese, bread, mac n cheese, and bananas if I let him. He is also a fan of rice and beans. I wouldn't say he is a picky eater, just prefers some foods over others. He'll try anything for a few bites, just may not eat it all up. He also does not seem to like spaghetti sauce. I for one, am completely shocked by this. I thought for sure he would gobble up the english muffin pizza I made for him yesterday, but threw it on the floor for Bentley to gobble up instead.

I'd just like to know what kind of foods your kiddo prefers and if anyone elses kids were anemic. I'm giving him the over the counter iron supplement, awful by the way, but would like to get him in the habit of eating right too. Comment below or email me at shea.kummer@gmail.com with some thoughts! Thanks Mamas!

Holt's First Haircut

I think this is really a dreaded moment for Mom's. I'm thinking more so Mom's of boys because girl's don't really need haircuts like boys do. I could be wrong. I loved Holt's fratty flippy look and I felt like it was so him. I couldn't imagine not seeing those little flips, especially flippy thanks to Houston's humidity. It's also a huge reminder that your baby, is not a baby anymore. Getting his first haircut means cutting off what makes him look like a baby. I had mixed emotions about this haircut for that reason alone, but the constant comments about him being "such a pretty little girl" and "how old is she" certainly made this much easier. Kyle experienced the first girl comment the day we went for the haircut. We were paying for our lunch and asked what the frozen treat that came with the kid's meal was and the cashier said "She can come back for it when she's done eating." As Holt was clearly decked out in a blue polo and red, blue, and navy shorts. REALLY?! Kyle kept asking me, "Are we sure we want to cut his hair?" After that comment he confidently said, "Yeah, he needs a haircut". So we arrived at Pigtails and Crewcuts, an adorable and clean place for just kids, and paid every last penny of the overpriced First Haircut Package. What's that you ask? A picture and a lock of his hair in a baggie with the date on it. Yup, something we could and would have done ourselves anyways. What the heck, you only get one first haircut right? So 90 pictures later, seriously, Kyle snapped 90 pictures of this milestone...below are some favs to mark the occasion. Holt was incredibly happy the entire haircut with also made this process much easier on me. He was smiling and clapping and could not get enough of the fun firetruck he was sitting...errr standing in the entire time. When he was done, I was so happy with the way my boy looked...like a growing boy and not a baby, or girl...

Happy First Birthday Holt!

Stats:
20 lbs (10%)
31 in (75%)
Size 4 diaper
Size 3.5 shoe
12 mos clothes

Excuse the delay, I have been just a tad busy and overwhelmed with the move to Houston. So one week later, here is what my baby (toddler) boy has been up to this past month. He has been very busy exploring Meme's house, since this will be his new home until our house is done, hoping in December. More on that later...He has been zipping up the stairs, learning to climb off of furniture, and chase her poor handicapped dog around.

-Signs for "more" although sometimes gets it confused with clapping or one hand the right way and the other a palm. If it is meal time and he is doing any of these three motions going "uhhh? uhh?" I know it means more.
-He is understanding commands and questions. "Put mommy's shoe on" and he brings me my shoe and puts it on my foot and "brush your hair" also "where's your hair?" and he grabs his flippies.
-"Talks" on the phone or anything he thinks is a phone, like a remote control.
-Working on the "G" sound to complete his first real word doggie. Still Daaadaaa, with an occasional G in there
-Pushes everything while standing so he can practice walking, or any toy can be a car that he pushes on the floor
-Climbs off furniture the right way, thank goodness for this new skill!
-Loves giving his stuffed animals kisses. He grabs them and hugs them very tight with his mouth open on their noses going "ahhhhh, ahhhh"
-He's a climber
-He knows when he is wrong. He will look at me and smile before doing something or just look at me for reassurance. He has even started to hand me small objects on the floor he knows he should not have...unless it's food in which he eats that.
-Loves to feed himself with a spoon, but this doesn't happen all the time due to the huge mess he creates!
-I think he could be entertained by my makeup bag and it's contents for hours
-Plays peekaboo with anything
-We play ball, he pushes, throws or kicks it to me



Some new foods he tried:
-Sausage
-Spaghettios
-Happy Meal (nuggets and apples)
-Pimento Cheese
-Watermelon
-Cantaloupe
-Edamame
-Ice Cream



Like my kicks?

He is a very happy absolute joy to be around. He keeps me very busy and on my toes and I wouldn't change a minute. He's my best little buddy!

To my baby boy on his 1st Birthday

You would think I would know exactly what to say about you and your future, but the truth is, I don't even know where to begin. I can't describe what it was like to hear you cry for the first time, I can't explain how tired I was the first few months, I can't describe what it feels like to be your mom, and I can't describe how much I love you. Holt Cannon you are nothing short of a blessing in my life. You have only been here for a year and I cannot remember my life without you. How did it used to feel to wake up in the morning and not rush down the hall to see your bedhead and smiling face? How did it used to feel to go to bed without going into your room and checking to make sure you are breathing? (Yes, I still do this and I don't see it stopping anytime soon). When I say "Mommy loves you" before you go to bed each night, that doesn't even begin to describe what my heart feels for you, son.

I feel the early days, your newborn days slipping away. The memories fade so quickly, but not as quickly as you are growing. It's hard to picture you back then when I know you now. For as long as I can remember you have had more energy than anyone I have ever seen. Even when you are still, you are moving. You are wiggling your feet or rolling your hands, you just want to move constantly. Just like in my belly. The doctor said I should feel at least 10 movements an hour, you were more like 10 movements a minute. Daddy says this is a sure sign you will be an athlete, you have too much built up energy not too.

Daddy and I were looking at some pictures of me when I was pregnant with you and he said, "How can you even say you enjoyed this? You look so uncomfortable." I didn't think for a second about my response and I told him "Because it was just me and Holt, he was all mine." Luckily for other people, I get to share you now. Your personality is bigger than you are and everyone that meets you says you are the funniest, sweetest, orneriest little thing. You have the sweetest smile, but this silly laugh to go with it that says "I may be cute, but I am up to something." Strangers tell you how friendly you are. And although you are mistaken for a girl more often than a boy, everyone agrees you are the most handsome little guy. The first thing anyone says when they meet you is, "Those blue eyes!" It's impossible to look at you and not smile. You make my heart smile.

You lay your head on my shoulder and sigh out of no where, to me that means you love me but can't tell me yet. You wrap your legs around me really tight when I pick you up or you don't want me to put you down, to me that means you trust me. You kiss my cheek with the wettest slobbery kisses, to me that means you think I'm pretty (and apparently don't need makeup since you lick it off). You yell or point and smile at me all at once, that means you need me. You can do all of these things now, but in the very beginning, you just looked at me and it meant all of that. You loved me, you trusted me, you needed me. When I was ready hold you after you were born, I said "Hi Holt, it's Mommy." But you already knew that. You were less than an hour old and you looked right at me with a look that said, "I know Mommy." That look changed my life. You changed my life.

You are my best little buddy and watching you grow has been my greatest reward in life so far. I can't wait until you walk alongside me holding my hand or we practice baseball in the backyard (Shhh, don't tell Daddy. He will think I'm ruining your skills). With the first year behind us, we have so much ahead. And all too soon, you will be running away from me to school, to a date, to college...it will all be too soon.

I know you will be something great in life. You don't do a single thing until you know you can do it well and give it 100%. You like to figure things out. You like recognition. You like people. You know how to make people laugh. You know how to love.
I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be