Martha Metzler.com

Its that time again, Friday Fancies! Thanks for link up! Love me some pink and this outfit is simple but SO perfect for a night out on the town. I’m loving some one-shoulder dresses and have been on the lookout for the perfect one for all the weddings we have coming up. Whats yalls Friday plans? Have yall spotted any good one-shoulder dresses I could scope out?

Perspective is an interesting beast. It is wonderful when you have it, destructive when you don’t, and often times painful to obtain it. I have been given some perspective recently about being a mama and a wife.

You see, I’ve been worrying about Bud’s sleeping habits all week. He got off of his schedule when we were visiting North Carolina and has been up throughout the nights since we got there and even back here. I’ve done tons of research, talked to a few friends, and spent countless hours praying for wisdom.  Biggest lesson I learned, when you don’t have sleep, things seem to be a pretty big deal. For instance, I pouted for a solid 15 minutes last night because there wasn’t a new episode of “New Girl”. I teared up because I didn’t have any more pumpkin candy corn left in the house. (I had already depleted my hide-out stash).

Then perspective came.

Our dear friends are pregnant with their first child and he is getting deployed for a year and will miss the birth and most of the pregnancy. Sam and I thought we had a tough situation when we were afraid he would miss the birth of our son, but he was in Virginia in training… not Afghanistan. Perspective.

I know that people have said having a child really puts tension on your marriage but praise be to the Father, we haven’t experienced that yet. I think a lot of it is because of perspective. I know that Sam could be deployed and his command knows that he’d like to go on this next mission. Knowing that he could leave us for a year in the near future makes every moment seem extremely valuable. Even if he never deploys, what a wonderful existence we are living in right now treasuring each moment. We had some friends over last night and he is about to deploy as well. (There is a huge group from Fort Lewis leaving so that’s why a lot of our friends are heading out) but we were talking about the different perspective we have in our marriages.  My friend said, “I don’t get frustrated when I see his socks on the floor because that means he’s home.” Perspective. 

I read this article this morning. I wept. I wept for this family. I wept for families like them. I wept that God had blessed me with a healthy child but a healthy child I needed to daily let go of. Every night when Sam prays for our family he always says, “Lord take our boy and do what you will with him. We know he belongs to you.” and I always have to pray, “Give us the strength to truly lift our boy up to You Father and not hold him so tightly.”

I have been holding Bud so tightly and fretting over little hiccups like sleep habits. I am not underestimating the importance of good sleep and because we are committed to that, he is back on track and we are all well rested. But I have to keep perspective and in the midst of learning how to parent, constantly praising God for our son who so far is healthy and safe and loved. He can see, he can hear, he is reaching milestones, and he can kick his chubby little legs. He is breathing his sweet soft breath on my cheek and nuzzling his adorable neck into mine as I get to cuddle him so closely. I have to remember how amazing this is in the grand scheme of things.  I have to keep this perspective. 

I think we all now are sucked into the world that is Pinterest. Seriously, how many hours can I spend on Pinterest for crying out loud!? Facebook who?

This week I’m linking up with the Vintage Apple and showing my Pinterest pleasures for this week:

 Easiest Apple Pie EVER!

   

Bud,

Your mama is awful at posting on time for your monthly check-ins! We celebrated your 3 month birthday in North Carolina with your Gammy and DooDooPops. You are so loved little boy. You weigh in about 12 pounds 12 ounces! At 3 months you are squirmier than ever. You love to play with your play mat (Thanks Sarah Lidbom!) and can now reach for the hanging toys and grab hold for dear life. You have quite the death grip dude. You love grabbing Mama’s hair and earrings, forcing me to wear a bun and studs most days. You are smiling up a storm and gave me your first belly laugh this month. I teared right up hoping for a million days of laughter with our family. You found your feet too mister! You are on a roll and speaking of roll… you don’t want to roll over. You are tolerating tummy time much better these days but still don’t want to roll over! I make you laugh by trying to act out how you roll… Roy does it too. I’m pretty sure you are just collecting all of your material for mocking us later.

You got off your wonderful sleep schedule on your trip to NC but after a week of Sleep Boot Camp, you are back on track! I truly can’t get enough of you these days. Everytime I think I couldn’t be more smitten with you, I wake up and want to run to your crib and just snuggle the mess out of you. You make my days here at home so joy-filled and fulfilling. I pray constantly that you know the depth of our love for you but even more so, that your daddy’s and my love doesn’t compare one bit to the depth of love that your Savior has for you.

Keep growing my boy, I’ll soak it all in! I love you to the moon and back.

Your Mama

Did you ever have one of those weekends that you literally couldn’t script it any better? We definitely had one of those this weekend. Last night we were climbing into bed and were both so grateful for the time but so sad that it was Sunday night which meant the weekend was officially over.

Friday my friend Liz and I went to a local farm and took some pictures of Bud (which he was not so much interested in) and got a million baby pumpkins because if having too many baby pumpkins is wrong, I don’t want to be right. That night we went out to supper and it was so fun to get out of the house for a bit and have a girls night. We had a great time with her here and Bud loves his Auntie Lizzy.

Do you like how Bud isn’t looking at the camera in ANY of the pictures?! Such a diva… And yes, I’m hiding behind the scarecrow display laughing my butt off because I kept imagining what people were thinking seeing me hoist a 3 month old into a scarecrow face hole. Ahh…. poor dude is going to have years of therapy for the ways I’ll embarrass him.

Liz had to leave Saturday morning… only after we made her partake in Metzler Waffle Saturday of course. Waffle Saturday consists of me nursing Bud on the couch while Sam fixes us waffles and then we all snuggle while eating the best breakfast in the world. Greatest.Tradition.Ever. We have a really hard life.

Anyways, we took Lizzy to the airport Saturday morning and decided to go to a local farm, Schliters Farm, where they have a “pick your own” pumpkin patch. It was so fun. We walked around analyzing each pumpkin as if we were analyzing politicians. “No, that one is too squatty.” “Yeah, I feel like its trying to be something its not. I see right through you squatty pumpkin!”  So after we picked our pumpkin we put Bud down for his nap and Sam looked at me with his mischievous eyes and said, “Lets carve our pumpkin!!” So he poured himself a fall brew and I made some cider and we carved our pumpkin on the back porch. We of course managed to get in a pumpkin guts war and won the “Mature Couple Award” of 2011 as we were covered in pumpkin goo. We named our pumpkin Awkward Scarface because well, you see the picture. We baked the seeds, took pictures of our quirky pumpkin, and sat on the couch drinking cider like we were kids again. That night we ate chili and watched Horrible Bosses. It was officially fall.

Shout to my father-in-law's company, Park Designs for supplying all of our amazing Halloween decorations!

Sunday was a nice lazy day and we had the best time playing with Bud during his awake times. He is really figuring out Tummy Time and loves grabbing all of his toys. We tried a new church in our neighborhood Sunday night and had a great time meeting new people and getting back into a church routine again. All in all, AMAZING weekend.

What did yall do?! Any pumpkin goo wars!?

I’m cheating because this was technically Friday night. But Sam watched Bud so Liz and I could get out to supper. We went to Jake’s and had a great time over good food and wine. Of course it wasn’t a late night because I had to be home by 10 to nurse Bud one more time. But I got fancied up and wore heels without worrying about face-planting while carrying a car seat! WOO! Shout out to Mandy for the link up!

Blazer-Lucky Brand, Jeans-Cheap Monday, Necklace-Posh Mommy, Heels-Nine West

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and had fun putting together a “Friday Fancy” outfit. It’s been rainy off and on this week but when it’s “off” it has actually been gorgeous fall weather. My friend Liz is here visiting and we have had a great time going on hikes and even went to a pumpkin patch yesterday! Sam is going to watch Bud tonight while we get out for a girls night. If I had this outfit, I’d be twerkin’ it like nobody’s business. But instead, I’ll put on my Spanx and fall dress with my old cowboy boots that need to be resoled for the 3rd time.

Thanks to Long Distance Loving for the link up! Yall doing anything fun this weekend?

Hey people! Check me out over at Gretchen’s blog, I’m a guest writer today!

So I probably bugged out about traveling across the country with out 3 month old more than the average person. I really didn’t want any unforeseen disasters happening in the air or ground that I hadn’t planned for. SO, with the help of my friend Sarah who has paved the way for me in many ways, I put together a little “travel tips” post.

First, here are the things that I packed in my carry-on:

– diaper bag full of diapers and wipes because high altitude apparently gives Bud the crazy poops
– disposable diaper changing pad sheets (arm and hammer) because airport germs creep me out and I didn’t want Bud touching ANYTHING
– Dirty Diaper bags- these look like the little bags that you carry on your dog’s leash for his little treasures. Because I changed him on the fly sometimes, I just put the diaper in the bag and ditched them when I saw the nearest trash can
–  an economy size bag of antibacterial wipes… I wiped everything down in the plane including our seats and whenever something dropped that I thought he might touch… BOOM I AM GOING TO ANTIBACTERIALIZE YOU SUCKAAAA
– Johnson and Johnson antibacterial wipes for Bud’s hands and face. These were essential when we were on the ground. People like to touch a baby… especially women over the age of 70 who cough in their hands and then grab your sweet unexpecting baby’s hand that he proceeds to shove in his mouth.
– his reflux medicine and tylenol, but keep these in a separate zip lock bag that’s easy to get to from your diaper bag because you’ll have to pull them out for security
– his Sophie giraffe and Fanny (elephant rattle/blanket) along with another rattle toy
– 2 blankets, in case one inevitably dropped on the airport herpes floor
– 2 nursing covers… because I didn’t want the perv in our row to get a show
– extra footie PJs… again, blow outs were happening in the nether-regions of Bud’s body
– burp clothes
–  my clutch with all my IDs went on top along with my sweater

Things I packed in general:

– we had pack and plays at each grandparents house but let me tell ya…. Bud didn’t sleep well in those mothers. He’s used to a crib so we eventually went and got foam cut to fit the bottom of the pack and play so it’d feel like a mattress and he slept much better!
– the Sleep Sheep and Glow Seahorse plus extra batteries… both sleep essentials
– a butt load of clothes, socks, adorable outfits that he was miserable in, and hats. I’d pack HALF of what I packed clothes wise for him because when I got home, my mom had bought him an entire new wardrobe!
– Both grandparents stocked up on diapers and wipes so I didn’t have to travel with those which was super helpful
– Both grandparents also got a car seat base so we didn’t have to worry about checking that

General Travel Tips:

– I nursed during take-off and landing and his ears didn’t bother him AT ALL
– We are on a pretty tight schedule with the little man but I just accepted that the schedule would go out the window on the travel day. When he fussed… I nursed so I didn’t bother the people on the plane.
– Accept that when you fall asleep with your adorable baby on your chest, people in the bathroom line are going to stare at you…. for awhile. I woke up several times to ladies just staring at me like a caveman exhibit at the museum. Sam loved that part.
– Sit near the back of the plane because its louder and the white noise helped Bud sleep a bit.
– You are going to be paranoid about your baby crying, just accept that it might happen and realize you’re probably never going to see those people on the plane again! Bud was such a champ though because there was so much new stuff going on that he was fascinated with, so let them be curious! (hands free curious of course, airport germs give me the heebie jeebies)
–  We took out carseat and stroller and just checked them at the gate. This was helpful in the airport when we had a bunch of carry ons (Sam had his carry on plus our camera bag and I had the diaper bag and my carry on of Bud’s clothes, etc). So I actually carried Bud in my Moby Wrap most of the time and we put the bags in the stroller! I will say, we bought cases for both our stroller and carseat and I am so glad we did! The cases themselves were covered in scratches and dirt. So, an investment well spent. However, know that for security, you’ll have to break everything down and have it scanned separately. (USE THE FAMILY LINE at the check point, its awesome)
–  Because we’re cheap and didn’t want to buy a seat for Bud, I held him the whole time. Each plane ride I booked Sam and I window and aisle seats hoping that the middle one wouldn’t be taken and we could just lay Bud down there. All the flights were sold out except our very last leg on the way back from Detroit to Seattle and we had a whole row to ourselves! So I laid his blanket down and formed my Moby Wrap into a make-shift Boppy and he chilled in the seat in between us which we all loved.
– I changed diapers in the bathroom because Bud had some serious blow-outs but I wouldn’t do it without my disposable changing pads and wipes.
– Because planes can be chilly and cootie ridden, I dressed Bud in footie PJs and I’d do that 100 times over. The zip up ones made it easy to change diapers and he was warm and comfy.
–  Breastmilk and baby food are allowed through security and on the plane, I nursed so it wasn’t an issue but it was good to know.
-If you are nursing, wear super friendly nursing tops. I wore a tank top and cardigan so I could be discreet but could whip it out faster than a Tijuana hooker.

And like anything with a baby, patience and a sense of humor are necessities!

Our dining room table of stuff we packed!

Here is a little video of us on the last leg, you can tell we were giddy with excitement over our own row.

While we were home, we were thrown some sweet Sip and Sees so folks could meet Bud. You may be thinking, “What the @#$ is a sip and see!?” Well, it’s an excuse for southerners to get together when a new baby is born to eat desserts and drink wine at 2 in the afternoon. We had one at my mom’s house and it was so fun. We ate, we drank, and we marveled at how fun it would be when we moved back to NC… oh, that was just me?

Anyways, here are some pictures from my mom’s sip and see that she hosted along side of my beautiful friend Poodle.

Poodle!

Bud lookin so fly in his gingham outfit

Bud with his buddy Branch Junior

Bud with his friend Patsy

Party time! My mother really knows how to make a table look good.

Poodle and Lindsey, love these girls! Oh- and since Bud was fast asleep on my shoulder, my mom suggested we all turn sideways and look at the camera over our shoulders... no joke. Limited Too catalog anyone?

The Gammy! Nice face Bud.