No more Bottles! :)

This was just another reminder of how big, my little girl was getting and I was having a HARD time letting go of the bottle. I just LOVE our cuddle times and I was so worried they would be long gone with the bottle. However, we did it! After weeks of me agonizing over when and how to make the switch, we just did it! Cold Turkey none the less!

My initial plan was to substitute out one bottle a day and slowly make the transition over the course of a few weeks, but after I gave her milk in her sippy cup for the first time and I discovered that it was going to be a battle of the wills, I threw my plan out the window and went cold turkey. I'm already discovering that this is going to be the process we'll have to take for most of C's transitions in the future. Just do it, fight through it and don't look back. She's definitely one determined, or should I say, stubborn, little girl. Wonder where she gets that from? :)

So, here's how it went down. On Sunday morning, Father's Day none the less :), we gave her milk in her sippy cup rather than her usual formula in her bottle, after her breakfast. She was NOT a fan! She took one sip, turned up her nose and refused to take another. I continued to offer it to her, along with water, throughout the day, and she barely drank anything. See what I told you, she was trying to break me down, but don't worry, I didn't cave. Even when Josh was ready to cave, I held my ground. So, at the end of the day, she only drank a total of 8oz. (6oz. milk + 2 oz. water) as compared to her usual 24oz. (16oz. formula + 8oz. water). Little stinker. But guess what? The next morning she was THIRSTY and she drank her whole serving of milk in her sippy cup within minutes. The rest of the day, went just as smoothly and by the end of the day, she drank her usual amount. Yea! :) So, she is officially a big girl now with no more bottles, not even before nap or bedtime. They are all put away in the cabinet and we're not looking back. And of course, she's now LOVING her milk. She gets so excited when she sees me pouring it into her cup. Sweet girl! She's done such a great job and I can hardly believe how quickly she's growing up. Way to roll with the punches Camryn. :)

And thankfully, I still get my cuddle time in. She still loves to cuddle after nap time, even if it's just for a minute or so. I'll take it. :)

Here she is after having her first drink of milk. See, NOT a fan at first. :)

Happy 2nd Father's Day!

Unfortunately, Josh was "on call" this weekend for work and ended up being SUPER busy on Sunday. :( However, we made the best of it and enjoyed celebrating Josh. Camryn and I made breakfast (biscuits and gravy, of course), then in between Josh's appointments, he was able to slip away for a bit so we could take him to lunch at his favorite restaurant, Roadhouse. :) And of course we didn't forget to get him a few gifts! :) Camryn gave him a personalized key chain and I gave him a much needed new wallet.





Dadda,

Happy Father's Day! Thank you for being the BEST Daddy in the whole wide world. Thank you for taking such good care of me and loving me SO much. Thank you for playing ball with me, snuggling with me and reading to me.

Love you,
Your Sweet Chunk

Just a few (okay, maybe more than a few) of my favorite pics of my 2 favorite people. :)

Camryn's 1 Year Pics!

For Camryn's 1 year b-day we wanted to take some pictures to document this super fun stage. So, we contacted Brooke from Itsy Bitsy Poses, our photographer for our Christmas pics, and set-up a session. It was a beautiful day (Saturday, May 22nd). We couldn't have asked for better weather or a better subject. :) Check them out below! So fun!

Camryn's First Birthday!

To say that I've been emotional these past few weeks is definitely an understatement. I'm thinking that it was a combination of party planning stress and just taking in how quickly this year has passed, but I was certainly having mixed emotions about Camryn turning 1. So, the night before, Josh and I held her extra tight, said an extra prayer thanking the Lord for her and gave her extra kisses. I had such a hard time laying her in her crib that night, knowing that the next day she was going to wake up and be 1 year old. Not my little baby anymore, but a toddler. :( I mustered up the strength, with a little encouragement from Josh, and began looking forward to her birthday bash the next day. I couldn't wait and seriously had a hard time sleeping. :)

The morning of her birthday, Josh and I went into her room and sang her "Happy Birthday" before getting her up. She just sat there so sweetly, smiling at us. It was so cute! Check it out! And be sure to turn DOWN the volume towards the end, unless you want to hear Josh and I sing. :)



For her party, we opted to have it at a local park, so that we could invite all of our family and friends. It was perfect! We really wanted everyone that had been a part of C's life this past year to be there. Family, Friends, Community Group from church, Playgroup from church. It was so much fun to have so many people that we love all together in one place. Seriously, nothing is better than that. :)

We grilled out, played with the kiddos and of course watched C smash her cake. Silly girl didn't really want to it eat, just to play with it. I'm sure her sweet tooth will develop sooner than later. :)

We had way too many cute pics to choose just a few to post. So, check out the fun slideshow below.



Thank you to all of our family that came extra early to help set-up. We couldn't have done it without you. And a special thanks to Erin, for designing the invite and baking the cutest and most delicious cupcakes and cake, and Bethany, for taking the most amazing photos. Love y'all.

The Best Birthday Ever!

So, after my super fun Senorita Margarita Party, my hubby had even more planned for my b-day. He surprised me with an amazing date on Wednesday night. He had asked his parents to come over and watch Camryn, so that he could take me to the movies! Now, we didn't go to just any old movie theater, he took me to Gold Class Cinemas! Let me just tell you, this theater is AMAZING! Seriously! It was soooo nice! Large comfy recliners, console for my purse, pillow and blanket to cuddle with during the movie, great wait staff and delicious food! It's kind of like riding first class at the movies! I wish we could watch every movie like this. :) It was so much fun! We saw "Letters to Juliet" and loved every minute of it. Okay, so maybe Josh didn't enjoy the movie as much as I did, but he was super sweet and pretended that he did. :)







Then, as if that wasn't enough, he surprised me again, with taking off work on Thursday, for my actual birthday, so that we could spend the day together. :) This was so much fun and made for the perfect day! He woke up bright and early with Camryn and headed to grab some donuts for breakfast while I SLEPT IN! :) Then, after breakfast and Camryn's quick nap, we headed out for a little shopping. Then, we headed for a yummy lunch at Taco Diner, followed by amazing cupcakes at Sprinkles. He knows me too well. :) Then, we headed back to watch a movie at home, while Camryn took her afternoon nap. When she woke up, we hoped in the car to meet my parents for dinner at Saltgrass Steak House. Seriously, all of my favorite foods and people in one day! It was so much fun and certainly THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!









Thanks so much Josh. You certainly went above and beyond. And don't worry, I won't expect this every year. Maybe just every other. :) J/K