Fall Mantel Design

I was talking with friends yesterday and mentioned something about my blog and they were like, " you have a blog"? and I was like...yeah, it has been a while, huh? maybe I will do the mantle post that I took pictures for a WHIIIIILE back! I mean, I used to get so into the link parties and decorating for the holidays, etc...

I used to do posts like this http://pickledblu.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like.html

and even if I was busy or running low on creativity and time, I would at least do something like this

http://pickledblu.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-fall-yall.html

anywho, just to let you guys know that I am still alive and kickin' it. ( I know the phrase is alive and kicking- this is my own personal version. "Alive and kickin' it" is like cold kickin' it live, which is completely different and much cooler than the original version).
Here is what my mantel looks like these days!!!

The 5 year ago me, would have been struggling to let this play session go more than about 20 minutes before we cleaned it up. Now I am all like, that is tooo cute! Let's keep it all week!

I am embracing my new life ya'll...it is a defense mechanism to try and keep the crazy at bay!

The New Kid in Town

Look out...I am about to catch up on about 7 months worth of baby, so if you are in a hurry, this post might not be for you:)

Where does the time go? At one month I was struggling with all that comes with being a momma to a new baby. I was also figuring out how to be a mother of two. Breastfeeding...UGGGH...so hard for me! Shep was a natural. We did so amazing for the first two months. At about 6 weeks, he started cluster feeding in the evenings and I pretty much breast fed from about 5pm until about 10pm or until I was bone dry. Before long, I was bone dry more often than not and little Shepherd was not going to have it! After a bit of guilt, heartache and tears, I went to formula and did not look back.

 

At two months, I was getting in the swing of things. We had Shep on the boat a few times, and Jack and I took him to the pool at LEAST once a week! He is such a good baby. We just kept him fed and dry and he just came happily along for the ride. SWEET BOY! By this time, he weighed about 14 lbs. Even though he came into the world at an average 7lbs, he was never meant to be a little baby. Oh no...that 7lbs was 3 weeks before my due date...very much like Jack who arrived 4 weeks early at 6lbs 14oz.
At three months( picture above in Aubie outfit sleeping-I forgot the label) the smiles and ooohs and ahhs were in full swing. The grunting stopped. Up until about this time he grunted all night long. It gave me FITS! I could never sleep because I was afraid he was choking or something. NO, just GRUNTING!!! The above outfit was a 6 months size.


That did not last long. His four month picture is in a 9 month size and at his four month doctor's  appointment, he weighed 18 lbs. BIG BOY! Look at that grin. He'll give you the biggest smile, and then, he will squint his eyes and just get extra cute for you... I love it! I have been convinced that he has been teething since he was 4 months old, but at 7 1/2 months, still no teeth! He started solids about this time, and I thought he really liked it, but I guess I was wrong.  At this point, he cries when I bring out the food. He does not like eating from the spoon. He DOES like it when I mush my banana and give him tiny little bites!



At 5 months, I panicked and tried to get him wearing all of the 6-9 month clothing that I realized he was about to outgrow hence the snaps about to pop open in this picture. By this time, he was getting a lot stronger and I really started noticing how much he watched Jack. He just adores him ( and Jack loves his Shep). He was sleeping through the night at about 3 months, but about 5 months he decided to start waking up about 3-4 am for a bottle. He does not take a paci, so we were at a loss at what to do to comfort him. At first I thought it was a growth spurt, we were just getting up and feeding him. , and then at his 6 month check up, Dr. McGhee tells me that it is what she calls a "trained night feeding". Yes folks...we trained him to wake up in the wee hours of the morning...UGGGH!



Look at this doll. Rolling over and sitting up with some help to make sure he doesn't slam backwards! We had to switch him over to his big car seat ( the convertible rear facing) because he exceeded the weight limit on his carrier. Really, he was too heavy for me to carry in the carrier anyway, so I was kind of ready, but I dreaded letting go of the carrier because you can just get them out of the car and do things like grocery shop and they will stay asleep while you cart them around ( mostly).  He sits up now in the front of the cart with the padded cart cover that KK gave us when Jack was a baby. It blows my mind to see how fast he is growing!



Here he is at 7 months ( actually more like 7 1/2...the holidays really through me for a loop). I am feeling pretty confident that his eyes are going to stay blue. Dan and I were kind of shocked, but we love it and think they are pretty! He is IN LOVE with his brother. Watches his every move. Jack is equally smitten with Shep. He still asks to hold him all of the time and wants to go in and see him in his crib. It is so stinking cute. Of course, he is also loud during nap time which I have a VERY low tolerance for. I am trying to let it go a bit, but poor little Shep is always on the go with us and I just want him to get his rest. I think we have established the fact that he is a very fast growing boy!
Dan and I just put our foot down on the night feedings. I went through three nights of hell trying to comfort him with no bottle and no paci. Finally it was Friday and I asked Dan to take a shift. Shepherd slept straight through  for him( of course) until about 5:30 am and has been doing pretty good with it since. He still wakes about 4 am, but he is quiet and I think drifts in and out until about 5 or 5:30. Please say a little prayer that this keeps up! It has been nice getting to sleep straight through!



CRAZY big brother. Poor Shepherd does not have a chance.



Crazy or not, we are all so happy and looking forward to a great 2013!


One of these boys is Jack and one is Shep. Can you guess who is who? Could be twins, right?

Baby Steps

Whoah am I ever behind!!! I have so many little things that I want to say, post pictures of, etc...but this is really just a little stolen moment that I should not be spending blogging...so, baby steps. I will give you one thought today.

My oldest son is SOOOO materialistic this Christmas. All he does is ask for everything that he sees. Of course as parents we want to give them the world, but there is a huge gap between what I would like to do for my boys and what I am realistically capable of doing for my boys! Plus, there is this whole thing of how my husband and I worry that we are going to spoil him. I mean, it could even be too late. He has EVERYTHING! I know that some things just come with the age, but he just does not accept the fact that he cannot have everything that he sees.

I took him with me to choose a toy to give to a little boy his age who was less fortunate. He did a great job choosing. Once we got home with it, he whined for weeks about how he wanted it. I figured, it is his age, stick with it, keep explaining the lesson. It is a hard one, I know, but something that I feel he should at least be exposed to. Christmas is Jesus' birthday. It is a season of giving.

Still, he was bitter. He wanted the toy for himself. He continues to insist that Santa bring him everything that he sees. OK, I am getting worn down and starting to think, whoah, I have created a MONSTER!

Until....

We took the boys to the church for cocoa and cookies with Santa a few weeks ago. There was a "secret shop" that volunteers would take the children in with an allowance and a list of who to buy for. Jack got to shop for mommy, daddy, and little brother. They even helped him wrap it!

He has been soooo excited to give his little gifts. He wants to tell us what it is but we keep reminding him it is a secret. The only presents under the tree so far are the ones that Blu bought for us. He doesn't seem to mind at all that there is nothing there for him. He takes the gifts that he bought and shakes them and taunts us with how great they are! One night, we were laying and watching TV and he said, "mommy, you are going to really love your gift. It is going to be so great. I just want you to be happy on Christmas Eve. I love you".

* insert tear here *

So, I guess he IS getting exposed to the spirit of giving this year.

I think he is seeing that giving CAN be better than receiving.

So proud!

Of course, I am sure he will still expect, a radio remote control monster truck that can drive over rocks and grass, a race around track, fixers ( luigi and guido), a train track, turn pieces....oh the list goes on, but like I said,

baby steps!

 

 

Let's Hear it for the Boys!

 

 For Tigers, and Spidermans, and little boys of all kinds...

 

 

now that Halloween is over, it officially time to start the Christmas Season at the Pickle Tree!

 



 

We are having a great Fall around here, and I hate to rush the season, BUT....

 

this momma is closing up shop on November 30th...so get your orders in NOW!

 

 

With a 2-3 week turnaround, don't wait until the last minute if you have an event early in December.

 

 

Our Santa pictures are December 8th and I know we cannot be the only ones starting early!

 

 

 It seems that I have gone and become a regular boys clothes specialist!

 

 

I mean, I still have some girls stuff OF COURSE!

 

 

But after all of the years of shopping in the tiny little boys section, I feel good to be doing this

"boy mom" service of offering cute boystuff!

 



 

Need a brother sister set? This one is adorable! Quantities are limited on this dot fabric so order fast!

 



 

I can't wait to see it on my sweet little nieces!

 



 

LOVE this for a more mature, dressy look- would look awesome paired with brother in a red corduroy longall with a lime diamond monogram. Just ask!

 

Coming soon.....red corduroy peasant style dress with white monogram...

(that will take your through Valentines Day, folks...wink wink)

 



SGI- We Love You So!

We had an amazing beach get away a couple of weeks ago.

I closed the shop for a week, but I am still terribly behind. I am so grateful that I am so busy, but my goodness...I am so busy!

So anyway, it is totally worth it to have had this time with my family.

These little boys have stolen my heart and I do not think I will ever be the same.

 

I had so much fun building castles in the sand with Blu.....

 



 

And Blu....well Blu had his fun knocking them down!

 

We were up past our bedtimes, up waaay too early each morning and did not get naps.

So we had a few frowny faces and pouts.

 



 

This was an especially tricky evening!

 

 

He did get his second wind later!

 

 

Shepherd was a perfect little doll baby as usual. He is such a laid back baby!

 



 

 

I guess he doesn't have much choice with the way that we drag him around!

He spent most of his beach time in his carrier...with a fan to keep him cool of course. We tried laying him on the towel, but that blasted sand is everywhere and he kept getting it in his sweet eyes and mouth.

 

 

This was Blu's pose at the end of every day. OUT COLD!

 

 

Do you get carried away with sunrise and sunset pictures at the beach? I am always in such awe of the beauty that I take the same sunrise picture over and over!

 

 

This baby is so adorable. I dressed him for the pool two days in a row, but the poor little fella was just so tuckered out, he slept right through pool time!

No hurry...there will be plenty of time for swimming next year!

 



 

Sunrise off our patio...so pretty!

 



 

I love this kid!

 



 

We had so much fun searching for treasures on the beach on our last day.

We found the most GIANT shell and I thought we were both going to lose our minds we were so excited!

 



Goodbye Saint George Island. We will miss you until next year ( hopefully!)

These are the days....

It is all happening so fast! Somebody slow it down pleeeease!

Blu is in Pre-K? Seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital and I was crying because he had to lay on a bilirubin bed whenever he wasn't eating and it felt like the end of the world because I could not hold him every.single.second.
 

 



Now he says things like..."mom, I really do not like that loud hand blower ( public restroom). Can I just dry my hands on your pants"?

or
"Mom, look into my eyes when I am talking to you" ( as he turns my chin towards him with his hands).
or
"My eyes are sweating", when he is tired or has been swimming too much.
 

 



 

 Shepherd is growing waaay to fast, too. I forgot how fast that first year zips by. In my sleep deprived state, I have been doing a pretty poor job of organizing pictures of him.

 

Jack got up on his first try on his new trainer ski. He was not scared, but not especially keen on trying it again...oh well, I don't want to push!

 



Look at this little guy. How did he grow so fast? It AMAZES me!

He is so sweet and a such good baby. I count my blessings every day! He is sleeping from about 8 until around 6. AWESOME, I KNOW! He only takes short little cat naps during the day, though, which drives me CRAZY! Oh well, like I said, he is good!

 

Love my boys!

 



Busy Busy Busy...but nothing is getting done around here??

What a CRAZY month!

Shepherd came 3 weeks early. I got put on bed rest on a Monday and Tuesday morning at about 3 am, my water broke! Man, what does it take to get a day off around here???

The little guy was here just before 10pm on Tuesday night. It was pretty easy going as far as giving birth goes. My water broke, but I was not having very strong contractions, so they gave me pitocin. My contractions started heating up really fast, but then I got an epidural and it made my blood pressure drop and the baby's heart rate go down, so we had to stop the pitocin and the whole thing got slowed down my about 4 hours while they gave me stuff to get my blood pumping again!

Then, poof...it just started happening so fast after that.

Don't be alarmed by the picture above. I know it looks like he is not breathing or something because his little face is so blue, but it is just that he had a hard time squeezing through, so he was bruised terribly. Broke my heart, but he healed up pretty quickly. His color started looking normal by the next day.

Blu is so proud. When he wakes up in the morning he asks, "how is my baby"? He likes to put his cheek up to Shep's cheek. Heis teacher told him that boys don't give kisses, so he will hardly kiss him, but I can tell he wants to. I mean, is it not just human instinct to kiss a baby's cheek? I know that I cannot keep my lips off of him!

He looks like a little doll baby.

Chillin...

Thanks Aunt Jarah for the jon jon. It was one of the only nice outfits that he could wear at first.

LOVE this little gown. It will be a Pickle Tree staple once I get back to work!

And now, a month has passed ALREADY! I cannot believe it! Caring for a newborn and entertaining a 3 year old is proving to be QUITE a chore!

I am loving EVERY minute of it, though. I would not trade these precious moments for the WORLD!