Pumpkin Maze

I love October! I love it because it jumpstarts the Holidays. Halloween has been a favorite day of mine since childhood, and now that Bubba's here it's even better. I can't wait to dress him up in a costume and parade him around next week. I don't know what he's going to be yet, but it will be good.

Tonight Anthony and I took Bubba to the Pumpkin Patch. They have an amazingly, huge Pumpkin Maze. I overheard a woman say it took her two hours to go through! Crazy! But then I saw a picture, and thought it would probably take me longer than two hours. So, ofcourse we did not go through the pumpkin maze this year. Definitely when Bubba is older. There was a lot of other stuff to do there though. They had a giant pumpkin bounce house, hay rides, pony rides, petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin shooting range, haunted house, food, photobooths . . . endless fun.

We worked up quite an appetite with all that pumpkin fun, so we were pretty famished and headed off to Tracy to find some grub. After arguing with Anthony for what seemed like hours over whether we should go to Olive Garden or Famous Daves, I gave in and we ended up at Famous Daves. The food was actually really good, but we wont tell Anthony that.

After dinner, Anthony put his cornbread into a to-go container and said, "The cornbread fits in there perfecty. Just like you fit in with us perfectly, Bubba. Your Mommy and Daddy love you soooo much." It just touched my heart. I love seeing Anthony and Landon interact. Bubba is happiest with Mommy and Daddy together. I feel the same way. I am so happy and so content just spending time with my family. I am at such a joyful time in my life, and I hope it just gets better from here. I am reminded of the song by Edwin McCain. His words express my feelings best . . .

And these are the moments,

I thank God that I'm alive.

And these are the moments,

I'll remember all my life.

I've found all I've waited for,

And I could not ask for more.

Looking in your eyes,

Seeing all I need.

Everything you are,

Is everything to me.

And these are the moments,

I know heaven must exist.

And these are the moments,

I know all I need is this,

I have all I've waited for,

And I could not ask for more.

I could not ask for more than this time together,

I could ask for more than this time with you.

Every prayer has been answered,

Every dream I've had's come true.

Right here in this moment,

Is right where that I meant to be.

Ohh here with you, here with me.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Bubba!

Bubba turned six months on Friday, October 10th. Seriously, the very same day it seemed as if I had a different baby. He has been so fussy! I don't know if it's because he's teething or what. Part of my plan for when he turned six months, was to give him rice cereal before bed and really work hard to have him sleep in his crib. Because, I have been exclusively breastfeeding, we have been co-sleeping. It has worked really well for our family until now, because he's so big and so active (even in his sleep). It's just time for him to sleep in his own bed. I decided to try the Ferber method. Dr. William Ferber suggests letting the child self-soothe, but you check on them every so often, give comfort, without picking them up, and gradually increase the time intervals. Supposedly, if done right, the baby should be self-soothing and able to fall asleep in the crib within a week. Last night was difficult. I put him in his crib and he cried and cried. It was awful. I let him cry for about 20 minutes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I ended up bringing him back to our bed. I tried again today for naptime, and ended up giving in. I just hate to see him cry like that, but I think more than anything I need to disclipine myself. So, as of right now he's sleeping in his carseat. I know, I need to stick with the plan. This is harder than I thought.

It seems like the older kids get, the more challenges that arise. But then again, they become so much more fun, too. Bubba has been much more interactive. He loves to smile and flirt with ladies. He loves to hang out with the boys. He'll sit in his little rocker and watch football with Daddy and his friends. He entertains himself for longer periods of time. He's also almost crawling. He gets around pretty fast by rolling and scooting, but he's almost there. Landon also does push-ups. It's the funniest thing. But anyways, the other day just before naptime when he was so incredibly cranky, I rocked him to sleep. As I was holding in my arms my suddenly quiet and peaceful little boy, I came to realize that, wow, I have been a mother for six months. Half a year has already gone by in my son's life, and it happened so fast. He's already doing so much, and I'm kind of sad. My tiny little baby is no longer a tiny little baby, but I'm excited to see what other surprises he has in store for us. I'm excited to see who he becomes.

Landon's First Rice Cereal

Landon is only days away from his 6 month birthday and every time we eat, he stares, drools, and smacks his lips, so I figured we could start just a little early. After much anticipation, I fed him rice cereal today. I figured since Landon seemed so ready, it would go over very well. Unfortunately, I was wrong. His face said it all. Well, better luck next time.