SAVINGS

Okay, this post will be very different from most of my posts. I have been clipping coupons and trying to find good deals for the past few weeks. A couple of friends and I have been doing this together, and it has really turned into a game. Our husbands all laugh at us and make fun of us, but we are convinced that they will eventually be appreciative of all the money we are saving them!! So I have to tell you about the good deals Blaine and I got this morning.
At Walgreen's we bought:
2 John Frieda Conditioners
1 John Frieda Shampoo
1 John Frieda Mouse
2 Jumbo size Huggies diapers
1 Crest Pro Health tooth paste
1 Lypsil lip moisturizer
1 Chemistry Conditioner
1 Glade scented oil candle with refills
1 Oust air sanitizer
1 Bic Soliel 4-pack refill cartridges
1 Nivea body wash
6 Boxes Tic-Tacs
2 Rimmel London Mascara
These items cost: $98.29
I paid out of pocket: $43.21
I will receive in Rebates: $20.64
I received in Register Rewards (This is money to be spent at Walgreen's): $11.00
So the actual cost for all of these items is........$11.57

Next we went to CVS. We only needed a couple of things there.
We bought:
1 Children's Advil
1 Gallon of Milk
4 Schick disposable razors
2 boxes ZipFizz energy drink mix
These items cost: $25.16
I paid out of pocket: $11.98
I received in Extra Care Bucks (Money to be spent at CVS.): $11.98
So the actual cost for these items was.......$0

I know most of you could care less about the purchases I make, but there are a couple of you who will really appreciate these fabulous buys!!!

Crazy Hair

This post is for those of you who keep telling me that my baby is bald. If you look closely at the pictures, you will be able to see the crazy hair he had this morning when he woke up. I'm not sure why he had crazy hair on the top of his head, but he did. It was sticking straight up, and it was very cute. So, I had to take a picture!!

The other pictures were taken just before we left to go to church. Mamaw B.J. got him this outfit, and I especially like the hat. He does so well with hats and looks so cute in them. It's a good thing because apparently lots of little boy outfits come with hats!



WARNING!! Do not be deceived! He only looks like he's crawling. He still hasn't figured out what to do with his hands. He rocks ferociously, does full push ups, and moves his knees back and forth, but he just doesn't know about moving his hands yet. I'm sure it won't be too much long. He gets so angry when he can't go to what he wants, and since he goes backwards (very quickly) he actually gets further away from whatever it is he's trying to get.

Carrots are Orange

And so are the babies who eat them!!

Blaine has been having carrots for dinner for the last few nights. Last night he was hungry before Todd got home, so I went ahead and fed him. When he was done eating I let him play with his bowl and spoon. He was very funny. He kept looking at his spoon like "How do I work this thing?"

Then he decided he would put it in his mouth, except he missed and almost shoved it in his ear.

Once he finally got it in his mouth, he was very proud of himself.

He continued to play with his spoon while I finished cooking dinner.

Then he started to get a little fussy. I think it was because he had finally gotten all of the carrots off of his spoon. He kept grunting at me like he wanted more. I'm sure you're all thinking, 'If he wanted more, why didn't you just give him more.' He wasn't actually hungry, and considering he is still nursing just as much now as he was before we began solid foods, he certainly didn't NEED any more. I mean you have all seen him, right? Poor thing is so malnourished looking! Anyway, by the end of it all, he was in a full pout about having an empty spoon!
I couldn't resist taking a picture! However, you'll be happy to know that as soon as I cleaned him up and got him out of his highchair, he was back to his happy self!

Play Time

Tonight after we got home from church, Todd and Blaine had a little play time while I played photographer. Blaine has this little cookie monster plush toy that he loves to play with. He will just sit and chew on it for long periods of time. I think it must be the giant eye balls that are so attractive to him because plush toys with regular eye balls aren't quite as intriguing to him. (I hope this doesn't mean that he will one day bring home a girl with giant eye balls!) So, I know it doesn't look like he likes this toy at all in the first picture. For some reason as soon as I got he camera out, he just looked at it and started to cry. I put the camera down and started talking to him, and he was fine. Then, I picked up the camera again, and he started to cry. We went through this several times before he finally decided it would be okay if I took a few pictures.
Bless his heart! The poor child is just as ticklish as I am. All you have to do is get close to his stomach........ or ribs or feet or neck and he just starts laughing hysterically. He can't help himself.


He also seems to have a new found fascination with hair. He likes to hold it, look at it and PULL IT!! For the first couple of days, I thought he just enjoyed holding on to something soft while he was nursing. But, apparently that is not the case because it happens quite frequently, and as you can see in the picture, Todd is not nursing him!!
They had fun playing in the floor, but when he's done, he's done. Here he is staying, "STOP, DADDY! That's enough for tonight!"

Bed Time

Tonight as I was putting Blaine to bed, I was thinking about how much I love doing that. Bed time is probably my most favorite part of the day. At any other time during the day, he is likely to fight his sleep. He may or may not let me hold him close and just love him, but bed time is different. After he's had his bath, has been slathered in lotion, and has his Jammies on, he's ready to eat and go to sleep. He just lays against me while I rock him. He may not even fall asleep right away, but he just lets me hold him. It's during that time that I reflect on the day.

Tonight I was thinking about how blessed we are to have such a happy and healthy baby, how fortunate I am to be able to stay home with him so that I get to relish each new 'trick' he learns no matter how small. Today, he made his first lunge forward (instead of backwards), and yesterday he started squealing (LOUDLY). Sometimes it's hard not to just lump those things in with the rest of the day, but I try to make sure I never take those small moments for granted, that I never forget to be grateful that God has given me such a happy healthy baby and a husband who is willing to work so hard so that I can stay home with him. God truly has blessed us with so much, and for that I am very thankful.

Peas

Blaine had peas for dinner tonight. It was his first real baby food. Everything up to this point has just been cereal. We were hoping for some good faces, but this kid seems to like anything you put in his mouth.

He's like a little bird. Any time you come close to him with a spoon, he opens his mouth. If you don't get it there quickly enough, he grunts and leans toward the spoon. He's a funny little guy.

You'll notice how in all of the previous pictures I'm holding his hands. That's because if you don't hold them down, he likes to take a bite and then shove his food the rest of the way in with his hands. (Sharon, that is my manicure from when were home. I told you it would last!)

Blaine's been squealing all day. I guess that's his latest trick.
The following pictures were taken last week. Mimi and Papa sent him this bucket hat from Swaha, and I put the hat on him right after I opened the package. He doesn't seem to mind having something on his head like some kids do. He just goes on about his business.


Todd made it home last night from his business trip to Pensacola, but he came home with a sore throat and head congestion. I'm hoping that it's just allergies, and Blaine and I don't end up with whatever it is.

Play Date

Blaine had his first play date today. I guess it was really my coupon clipping date instead of his play date, but it was fun none-the-less. Amy Mendez and I have been trying to save some money by clipping coupons and coordinating them with items that are already on sale at certain stores. It's really a lot of fun. Todd and Michael both make fun of us, but one day they'll realize just how much money we're saving them.
Michael and Amy have two children. Jayden will be three in November, and Kelso is only two months older than Blaine. Things started out a little slow for the kid's portion of this date. Jayden was taking a nap when we arrived. About the time she woke up, Kelso decided he needed a nap. As Kelso was waking up, Blaine thought he might as well follow suit, so he went down for a nap in Kelso's bed. Before we left, they were all awake and happy. It was really funny to watch them all playing. Jayden seems to be fascinated with babies, so she entertains quite well. Kelso is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything, which is also funny to watch. And Blaine, well, he just sits back and watches everything as he rocks on his hands and knees just wishing he could join in the fun. I don't think it will be too much longer. He really wants to be mobile and is quickly acquiring the strength and skills he needs to be that way!
Here are a couple of pictures of the three of them today. Unfortunately my camera batteries died, so I only got a couple. I think Amy has some that are better. I will try to post them soon.

Backing up!

It has been a quiet week, which has been nice for a change. We've been home almost every night, and have actually had dinner at our dinning room table 5 out of the past 6 nights. Those who have visited us will know what a feat that really is; we usually eat in front of the television. When we first got married, we didn't have a table, and then once we got a table, we didn't have any chairs. So, we started off eating in front of the t.v., and we just never corrected the problem even though we have had both a table and chairs for several years now. This week Blaine turned 5 months old, and we decided it was time for him to begin having dinner with us, just cereal of course. So we decided it was time for us to start eating at the table.

He very much enjoyed his rice cereal and was more than happy to have it for dinner every night last week. Tonight we moved on to oatmeal, which he seemed to enjoy even more than the rice cereal. I can't say that I blame him; it certainly smelled better!

Blaine has also been working very hard trying to figure out how to move himself about. Thus far he can only go backwards, but that he does quite well. This, however, makes him very frustrated because he can see what he wants, but the harder he tries to get to it, the further he gets from it. He has been working very hard to learn how to push up on his hands and knees at the same time. I am pleased to say that after a hard week's work, he was successful. He can now push up on his hands and knees at the same time and hold it for a little bit. As you can see from the pictures below, this requires great concentration. Especially, when you have a puppy dog trying to lick your toes!



Todd has been busy this week too. He has recently purchased items for his "Chemistry Lab", and has been busy 'experimenting'. What "Chemistry Lab" you may ask. Does he actually have a "Chemistry Lab"? NO! This lab is currently set up in the guest bathroom, kitchen, and back porch. Hopefully one day we will have a house that is big enough for all of his toys......well, maybe just some of his toys.

I've just been busy trying to clean up after the two of them. I'm sure this will only become more fun for me when Blaine is actually playing in the "Lab" with him!!

Something New

Not wanting to be outdone by everyone I know, I decided to start a blog to keep all of our friends and family updated about what happens in our daily lives. Please don't misunderstand, I am not insinuating that our daily lives are incredibly exciting, but most of those who will read this will be interested to know what Blaine has been up to. So, for those who are so far away and don't get to see him as often as we all would like, I will post pictures and notes of his latest 'tricks' and accomplishments.