Casen is 5 months old today!  I can't believe how big he's gotten. I can't even remember being pregnant anymore and being in the hospital for his birth seems like it happened a long time ago, but it just doesn't seem like he should be five months old already...if that makes any sense.

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5 Months

                                                                                           

                                                             

Life and Photo Update

Caleb got a 96 for Thanksgiving so we've been able to enjoy a nice few days just relaxing.  We got some Christmas shopping done and I've been able to get quite a bit of cleaning done with Caleb here to help keep Casen occupied.  Tomorrow we our headed to finish up the Christmas shopping and get a tree!

Nights with Casen had been getting really bad.  He was up every couple of hours to eat and then it would take at least an hour to get him back to sleep.  By around 4am I was so exhausted and frustrated he'd just end up in our bed so I could get a little sleep.  So, two nights ago we started the CIO approach and as far as we can tell it's been working well.  The first night he was tired around 10:30, so we put him in his crib and he cried for about a half an hour.  We go in every fifteen minutes to reassure him.  He slept from 11:30 to 5:30, ate, and then went back down until around 8.  Last night he had a little rougher time with it.  He went down around 10:00 slept about an hour, ate, we laid him back down and he only did a little fussing before falling asleep until 2:30 and then not again until 7.  The biggest difference i'm seeing is how easy he's falling asleep on his own after the nightly feedings and I feel so much better and more rested in the mornings!  I'm not going quite as strict as a lot of things i've read say to do.  I'm still rocking him before bed and most say just to lay them in the crib while they're awake.  I just like the rocking time and it helps calm him down.  They say it takes around 3-5 days for them to fully get the hang of it, since i'm not going so strict maybe a little longer, but so far so good.

 Helping dad on the computer

 He loves his teething biscuits.  I hope those stubborn teeth pop through soon!

 Snugglin'

 Fell asleep watching dad play games

One of his favorite games to play : )

On the fly family photo!

I lovee getting to see them together again : )

Yesterday we had our first Thanksgiving meal as a family.  It was definitely a different experience with a much smaller crowd, but I think for our first time doing it it turned out pretty well.

The main menu

And raspberry pie for dessert

Dadas Home!

Christmas Pictures

I can't wait until next year when Casen is able to sit up!  Getting a nice Christmas picture was nearly impossible this year.  Everything I tried to make for a cute christmas one he ended up having something in his mouth or positioned so all he wanted to do was eat his feet : )  Luckily, a black sheet over a couch or chair always seems to do the trick.

Home Sweet Home

 

Casen seems to be loving being back.  He didn't enjoy the car ride so much and I think it's going to be awhile before we get him in a car seat without screaming for awhile : )  But I had a really nice visit with family and got a clean house with some babysitters on board.  Tomorrow morning is finishing up the last little bits and then hopefully if all runs smoothly we should be back to a family of three by night <3

My days are filled with packing packing packing!  I love packing my things going from my old room because I find lots of treasures I forgot to take to Virginia the first time : )  Tomorrow night we make the twelve hour journey back to Virginia, back to my apartment, back to the warm weather (for which I am very thankful), and hopefully very soon back to my husband, and back to our lives as a little family.
Tonight I got a delicious dinner with family to say goodbyes until the next journey north.

Small Picture Update

I love getting packages! Especially when they're filled with Christmas goodies!

 

My little thumb sucker...or any other finger he finds.

There's nothing more peaceful than watching a baby sleep.

Lest We Forget

Thinking of My Marine and all those who have served and our currently serving.

Christmas Cards

My Christmas cards are done!  And I got them for free!  Well, almost.  I had to pay about 8 dollars with tax and shipping and handling, but my bill would have come to over fifty dollars, so thank you Shutterfly!  I don't think you can get cards for much cheapers than that.

I ended up going with this layout.  They're supposed to arrive in about a week.  I'm excited to see them : )

Shutterfly Offers Free Photocards to Bloggers

Shutterfly is offering 50 free photocards to bloggers.

Awesome!

Now that we are married and settled down as a family...as much as a Marine family can be, I would really like to start doing Christmas cards. With all the chaos and businesses surrounding Casen's birth I never got around to sending birth announcements out for Casen, so doing Christmas cards would be our first introduction as a family to those far away. Shutterfly is going to make this much easier and much more affordable for us this holiday season. To learn more about this offer, click here.

Photocards isn't all Shutterfly offers.  They also offer personalized calendars and canvas wall art.  A great way to add personal touches to an apartment or home.

Their holiday cards are so cute! I love how simple, but so elegant they are.  I couldn't pick which I liked best, but I have it narrowed down to these three : )

The Little Patriot

My aunt gave Casen a bunch of Patriots gear this weekend and I must admit...he looks cute in all of them : )

Tag

My mom and I made a tag blanket yesterday and a smaller one to travel with. I'm hoping to get him attached to something besides his mama to go to sleep : )

Sippy Cups

I purchased this Nuby sippy cup today from reviews that this is the best starter sippy cup.

Here's a link to their site.
Nuby cups

We'll see how it goes. If it ends up working i'll probably stick with this brand right up through the stages.

Our Little Ham

Casen has grown so much and with it has grown a big personality : )







He's now roughly around sixteen pounds, which in looking through our baby books, my little brother was around nine months...so he's a pretty big boy. He's eating foods and so far loves everything you put in his mouth and isn't patient for the next bite. Today we're off to find a sippy cup...it's really hard to believe we're at this stage already.