Samford Walker | 10 Months

Ten Month Highlights:

• 21lbs, 6 ozs. (at 9 mo), 31 inches long, 18 1/2 in head circumference (at 9 mo)
• Big Brown Eyes 
• Light Brown Hair with a couple adorable curls in the back
• Wearing 12-18 month clothing and 18 month pajamas \\ Pampers Size 3 diapers (we are close to a 4) \\ Size 2 shoes
• Nicknames: Little Man, Baby Ford, Brother Bear, Little Buddy
• Firsts: Trying to pull up on everything! You want to walk so bad, always standing when we put you down and pulling up to stand on anything. You love crawling on top of small boxes, under tables, etc. You love to explore... and man are you quick! Waving! You have started moving your right hand like you are trying to wave and say hello!
• You have the biggest smile and brightest eyes - and boy to you love your momma, daddy and sister. To see your face light up is just amazing! 
• We are holding strong at 6 teeth. You love to eat, but also love to chipmunk - storing food in your cheeks while you gobble, gobble. 
• Tricks: You understand when I say stop, you do. You also respond to your name really well! You love when you spot mommy, daddy or sissy and you come crawling! 
• Food: Momma's Milk - We send three 5 oz. bottles during the day and you nurse in the morning and at night. You also get three solid meals a day, sometimes avocado, chopped fruit and puffs. Or pureed veggies, shredded cheese and a couple crackers. We introduced more solid foods this month - diced ham, chicken, all veggies and fruits. Basically everything but honey. 
• Sleep: You go down between 6:30/7 and wake up around 6 AM. You love to sleep in a sleep sack on your belly in your crib.
• You are a good napper, giving us 2 strong naps during the day. 10 am and 2 pm. 
• We didn't travel much this month - spent a lot of time at home with Mommy - as Daddy had quite a bit of travel. We had lots of help from friends and sitters. 
• We took one trip on your first Memorial Day to Smith Mountain Lake for your first KA Lake Day. You chilled in the shade on the dock, but loved being on the water. 
• We spent your first Derby/Cinco at the Braddick's with a fun little celebration. 
• My first Mother's Day with you was very special - we went to early church, had a delicious brunch at home and spent the afternoon at Rockbridge Vineyards. You and your sissy bought momma matching ferns for the front porch. 
• You always have the best days at Mrs. Steph's and love your friend Ellie - who is just a couple weeks older than you.  
• You have the highest pitched squeal - always when you are happy - but man are you loud. 
• We pulled out the doorway bouncer this month, you don't love it - but it keeps you busy for a few minutes. 
• You love to play independently, crawling all over the play room, but you love to find all the things you can't have... cords, floor vents, random small pieces on the floor, sisters milk cups. 
• So happy we steered clear of the pacifier 
• Purchases this month: 18 month pj's and clothes, baby San Suns sandals, Food. Lots of food. 

Ten Month Favorites {Items We Couldn't Live Without}:

Sleep Sacks \\ Ergo 360 \\ Teething biscuits \\ Little People \\ Baby books

Baby bath tub \\  Silicone bibs \\ High-chair seat \\ outdoor pop up seat
....and and all toys he can get his hands on! 

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Three Months | Six Months | Nine Months

Coconut Lime Shrimp - Whole 30

We came across this recipe when J was on whole 30 (I was not - hints the rice) and it was a family favorite. We made it again last week, so you know it has to be good!

The prep is easy and takes less than 5 minutes. The entire dish is cooked in 15 min. One pan and you're done. 

We enjoyed ours with a yummy side salad and broccoli. 

Ingredients

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or removed)

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 c. coconut milk

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 tbsp. sriracha

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until pink, 2 minutes per side.
2. Pour over coconut milk and squeeze with lime juice. Top with cilantro and Sriracha and stir to combine.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, 5 minutes. 
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Annalee Estelle | 3 years Old

My sweet baby girl,

My how three suits you so very well. You are full of sugar and spice and everything in between. I want to just soak up each and every day with you, because they are filled to the brim with curiosity. You have a major fear of missing out, which is why you are always the first one awake in our house. 5:30 AM on the nose every day, we hear those little feet hit the floor and you head right for our bedside. Some days you'll crawl in with us - with promises of mommy's phone, or just to snuggle. But most days you want us up to head downstairs for hot milk and to play.

My how you love to play. You love airplanes and taking trips. We pack  up all your toys, stuffed animals, purses, puzzles, books, etc. and tote them in shoe boxes, shopping bags, purses - whatever you can find to fill and travel room to room as we find different airplanes to ride on. You love playing doctor and pretending you are Doc McStuffins. You still love cooking in your kitchen, currently ice cream and french fries are your favorite meal to serve. We have tea parties often and love to play with your babies a good bit too.

You love to be outside. You've gotten really good riding your tricycle on your own, but like for us to be close by. You love to go on walks, run races in the front yard, play in your pool and water table, blow bubbles or just explore the yard. You have a favorite spot on the corner where you love to stop and "make tacos" for our "tea party." (I'm glad our neighbors don't mind!)

Play-dough is a new favorite toy and cookie cutters are a must. Coloring is still a favorite - and you are getting a little better at actually coloring the picture and not just scribbling on the page. You love to trace your hands and painting is the best!

The Library is one of your favorite after school treats - and we always have piles of books beside your bed... reading a dozen or so every day. In March and April, GranDe was visiting and able to take you to story time every Thursday. It was amazing to watch you break out of your shell and become more comfortable each and every week.

You're favorite expressions, "But Why?", "What you mean?", "Ohhhh!", "Thank you Mommy/Daddy", "No Mam, Mommy!" (even to daddy)

Other favorites include Ice Cream, Paw Patrol, Airplanes, Puzzles, Popsicles, Watermelon, Bubble Guppies, Instruments for your band and pretending to "play jail". haha

We finished swim lessons just before your birthday and you LOVED being in the water. I am sure you could swim on your own if we let you, but you haven't quite branched out on your own just yet. You love your puddle jumper when we are out and we're ok with that for now.

During the winter you loved sledding and boy did we get to do a lot of it this year!

Halloween was your favorite holiday and you still love spiders! You were great at trick-or-treating and dressed up as a "Bubble Guppy Bumble Bee". Aka, you wanted to be a bubble guppy and mom had already picked out a bee costume - so we compromised.

Christmas is a close second and we sing Frosty The Snowman year-round to this day. You loved singing Christmas carols this year and asked Santa for a blue truck for Christmas. You love to sing and dance - Taylor Swift's Shake it Off is a favorite!

You are super tall - aka, 42 inches and a solid 40lbs. You're blue eyes and blond hair are sticking around I think. You're hair is getting curlier like your mamma's and you also got my feet - sporting a size 10 shoes.  You are potty trained and sleeping in your big girl bed like a champ, but you take a good 30 minutes of storytelling and songs before bed every night.

We tried dance this year, and you hated it. Would not participate at all. We started classes in September and at that point moms could go in with you - so we did and you would participate some, playing with props or sitting in the circle, but after parents couldn't go in - you didn't either. So, after January we decided to call it quits. We have a super cute costume hanging in your closet, but you want nothing to do with it. I thought maybe we could try again in the fall - but it's not looking so good.

You are surprisingly VERY shy and take awhile to warm up to anyone. You still cry most every time we leave you with a sitter. You love your mommy, daddy and Ford and are just content spending each and every day with just us.

We have spoiled you big time baby girl, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You have wonderful manners (most of the time), are friendly, so smart, a great eater, and full of life. We love you so and are so lucky to call you ours. You make me proud every day. Even on our hard days. I still love you so!

Here's to 3!

Samford Walker | 9 months

Nine Month Highlights:

• 21lbs, 6 ozs., 30 inches long, 18 1/2 in head circumference 
• Big Brown Eyes 
• Light Brown Hair that is starting to curl a little in the back
• Wearing 12 month clothing and 18 month pajamas \\ Pampers Size 3 diapers 
• Nicknames: Little Man, Baby Ford, Brother Bear, Buddy, Bubba
• Firsts: Crawling like a champ! It's more of an army crawl, but man can you move. 
• You started crawling up onto things - lower of coffee table, under your bouncer, etc.
• You got your first tooth - and 5 others quickly after! Your bottom two teeth came in first, followed by your top 4 next. Man, were they a doozy. You didn't sleep well, cried a lot, didn't want to eat or nurse and were just not a happy camper. So un-like you. 
• Tricks: Recognizing your name, laughs, talking/babbling, pinching things with your two fingers, sitting up well, but still can't move from laying to sitting yet. You like to prop up on one side and play with a toy. You love when you spot mommy, daddy or sissy and you come crawling! 
• Food: Momma's Milk - We send three 5 oz. bottles during the day and you nurse in the morning and at night. You love oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, apples, peas, green beans, corn, etc. We tried kale and you had a terrible tummy ache that night, so we are staring clear of green leafy veggies for the moment. We started giving you pieces of avocados, bananas, peas, eggs, crumbled meats, bread, crackers, yogurt. Really anything that is small and soft you have tried and love. You are a great eater! Three meals a day.
• We traveled to the Gulf Coast and spent almost two weeks at the beach. You traveled great - getting a little fussy during flight with your ears, since you didn't take a paci and we timed feedings not well. But it wasn't too bad. 
• You loved the beach and wanted to be on the move. 
• We enjoyed a ton of time with cousins, aunts, uncles and got to visit with your great-gramps. It was a very special visit! We also spent a ton of time with the Mangos and their families and you loved getting to snuggle with your god-momma. 
• You're not sure about the grass and how it feels, but you make the best faces when we put you in in! 
• Sleep: After a month or so of waking up every three hours to eat, we finally have you sleeping!! You go down between 6:30/7 and wake up around 6 AM. On May 1 we finally let you cry the one time you work up and you were just fine sleeping until 5 AM.
• You are a good napper, giving us 2 strong naps during the day. 9:30 am and 2 pm. 
• You love to sleep in a sleep sack on your belly in your crib.  
• You love Mrs. Stephanie who keeps you during the work-days and we love how sweet she is with you. 
• You love the booster seat and high chair, frog seat, bouncer and your new porch chair. However, you'd much rather be down on the ground and moving. 
• You have started to play independently and as long as you don't see us, you enjoy crawling all over the play room and exploring all your sisters toys. 
• We moved you forward facing in the ergo and you love looking out! 
• Still going strong without a paci. 
• Purchases this month: pj's, clothes, sun hat and sunscreen, lots of teethers, 

Nine Month Favorites {Items We Couldn't Live Without}:

Sleep Sacks \\ Ergo 360 \\ Teething biscuits \\ Little People \\ Baby books

Baby bath tub \\  Silicone bibs \\ High-chair seat \\ outdoor pop up seat
....and and all toys he can get his hands on! 

Welcome Baby | One Month | Two Months | Birth Announcement | Three Months | Six Months