First off, Happy Valentine's Day to you all! Jeff and I are waiting until Wednesday to celebrate our relatively new holiday, V-Delay! V-Delay comes two days after Valentine's Day and consists of each of us taking $5 and seeing who can get the best clearance Valentine's Day paraphernalia for the other. We both have the mindset that Valentine's Day can be cheesy and generic...so why not exploit that and make it fun(ny)? Our wedding anniversary is our special day to celebrate in the romantic manner.
So, as I said in my last blog post, I'm off of work as of last Friday through next Monday, enjoying the remainder of my parental leave time. Jeff was out of the house running around most of last Friday and Saturday which gave me lots of time with Shay Bug. And you know what? I'm learning so much from her.
JUST BE.
I've been so keyed up in my routine of work, taking care of baby, family time, errands & the damned never-ending To-Do List that I haven't stopped lately to just BE. Now let me insert the disclaimer that to just BE is a really difficult thing for me to understand, let alone do. I've read it in the bible, heard it preached in sermons, discussed it at length with my husband & friends and I get the concept but still didn't know HOW to actually DO it. Until now. There has never been a more real example to me than Shay. In her everyday life, she exemplifies what it means to just be. She doesn't fret about the future. She doesn't dwell on the past. There is only THIS moment and that's where she lives.
DON'T WORRY
With so much free time on my hands, my thoughts shifted from worrying about work to worrying about the future. Shay doesn't worry. She trusts that Mommy & Daddy are going to provide for her. I need to just trust that God will do the same for us, for me. As a parent, I love my child so very much and only want the best for her. How much more does God want that for His children?
BE YOURSELF
I LOVE Shay's innocence! I love that she is 100% not afraid to be herself. She doesn't worry about what other people will think of her. She isn't self-conscious. She doesn't get embarrassed. She has no fear of rejection. She hasn't yet been tainted by the crap that people and life will throw at her and formed walls to hide behind and defense mechanisms to keep herself from getting hurt. It makes me sad to know that as she grows older she will lose a some of that raw innocence. I have such a better understanding now as a parent of what God meant by putting such an emphasis on having a child-like heart.
RUN TO GOD
I hate it when Shay gets hurt or doesn't feel well and cries. As her mommy, I just can't stand to see her in any pain. But I love that she finds so much comfort when her Daddy & I just hold her. And she knows to come straight to us when she's in need of encouragement, cuddles, a hug...love. It's such an example to me of how I'm supposed to do the same with my heavenly Father. How often to I try to get my comfort from anything and anywhere but God?
JOY IN THE SIMPLE THINGS
Shay has so many crazy toys that light up, play music, teach concepts, move, etc. But you know what? She is happiest playing with a simple plastic bottle cap or batting around her bottles of lotion. As adults, we want the latest, greatest electronics, cars, houses, music, movies, gaming equipment, and the list goes on and on. How much more joy would we have in life to just find beauty in the simple things and appreciate what we already have?
Really, there is so much more that she's teaching me but I need to wrap it up. I'm sure I'll have more blogs on this topic. It's about time for her to wake up from her "cutie sleep" so we can all hit the Greenway on this beautiful day!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Baby Steps
I've been wanting to update this blog for awhile now, but work and family have kept me so busy that I haven't really had any down time (when I'm not too tired) to do so. Not complaining though, simply grateful to have a blessed life that I love living. However, this morning found me with extra time to sit down and get some jumbled words out. Daddy & Baby are both napping (they got up at 6:00 this morning and let me sleep in until 7:30). Work is delayed a couple of hours due to "massive by Tennessee standards, puny by Minnesota standards" snowfall from yesterday. So here I am...
The most exciting news as of late is that Shay Bug is starting to walk! Last Saturday, she took her first 4 unassisted steps. Last night it was 8 steps in a row. She's getting sturdier, but still looks like a tiny, drunkard staggering around...quite amusing for Mommy & Daddy! For the most part, crawling is a faster means of mobility so she'll take a few steps and then drop to the floor and crawl. You can almost hear her thinking, "Ah, screw it...this is too freakin' slow." Albeit, hopefully with a more graceful vocabulary.
We can't believe Shay is just over a month away from being a year old! Time really does fly! I still can't think of a better quote to describe the timespan of parenthood than "the days are long but the years are short."
Flight tickets are booked to Minnesota over Easter. We're excited to be able to bring Shay to Duluth to meet her Great Grandma Joyce, Great Grandpa Cliff, Uncle Ty and Aunt Jen (along with a host of other relatives) for the first time! Not so excited for the 4 flights that will take us there and home again (American Airlines does not have direct flights from Nashville to Minneapolis). This should be an adventure. Hoping (Praying, Pleading?) that Shay does not decide to fuss the entire time. We'll be armed with lots of toys and snacks!
I have tomorrow and all of next week off of work so I'm excited to spend lots of time with my little family. It's supposed to be in the 50's most of the time I'm off, so we plan to take lots of walks on the Greenway and perhaps get Buggy to the real zoo for the first time :)
Hope all of you are doing well and staying warm!
I'll leave you with a video of a Burton Buggy Bathtime Baby...
The most exciting news as of late is that Shay Bug is starting to walk! Last Saturday, she took her first 4 unassisted steps. Last night it was 8 steps in a row. She's getting sturdier, but still looks like a tiny, drunkard staggering around...quite amusing for Mommy & Daddy! For the most part, crawling is a faster means of mobility so she'll take a few steps and then drop to the floor and crawl. You can almost hear her thinking, "Ah, screw it...this is too freakin' slow." Albeit, hopefully with a more graceful vocabulary.
We can't believe Shay is just over a month away from being a year old! Time really does fly! I still can't think of a better quote to describe the timespan of parenthood than "the days are long but the years are short."
Flight tickets are booked to Minnesota over Easter. We're excited to be able to bring Shay to Duluth to meet her Great Grandma Joyce, Great Grandpa Cliff, Uncle Ty and Aunt Jen (along with a host of other relatives) for the first time! Not so excited for the 4 flights that will take us there and home again (American Airlines does not have direct flights from Nashville to Minneapolis). This should be an adventure. Hoping (Praying, Pleading?) that Shay does not decide to fuss the entire time. We'll be armed with lots of toys and snacks!
I have tomorrow and all of next week off of work so I'm excited to spend lots of time with my little family. It's supposed to be in the 50's most of the time I'm off, so we plan to take lots of walks on the Greenway and perhaps get Buggy to the real zoo for the first time :)
Hope all of you are doing well and staying warm!
I'll leave you with a video of a Burton Buggy Bathtime Baby...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
10 Months Old
Shay is 10 months old today! She's so much fun and learning so fast! I cannot believe that in just 2 short months she'll officially enter into Toddler World and leave Baby Land (although she can be 30 years old and she'll still always be my baby)!
Let's see...what has changed since my last post?
She's standing a lot on her own now. She still won't take any steps but we think it's just a short matter of time before she starts walking. According to Jeff's mom, he had only one speed when he was young and that was RUN! If she's anything like her daddy, we'll be in for it!
She has also declared war on eating anything green. By "war" I mean making dramatic gagging sounds and promptly spitting up the entire contents of her stomach. So far, no luck with peas, green beans or, the most recent attempt, pureed broccoli (which translates into a cheesy broccoli dip for mommy & daddy so not a total loss or waste of time spent steaming and pureeing the broccoli). I am so excited to get the book The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet that I just ordered. It got great reviews on Amazon and I love some of the Google preview recipes like combining apples and cabbage...something I never would have put together on my own. I'll get green in this kid one way or another!
She's continuing to sprout more teeth too! 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom. Just adding to the cuteness factor when she smiles. She's using them too...she thinks it's pretty funny to clamp down on her spoon and not let go. She just sits in her high chair booster seat with the spoon clamped firmly in her mouth and gives us a look of impish glee. She's a regular comedian!
Let's see, what else?
Shay's "15 minutes of fame" have extended to the Duluth News Tribune, the newspaper out of Duluth, Minnesota where several of my relatives live. My grandma sent a picture of Shay in to the paper and it made the "Grandma's Brag Book" section. Love this photo!
She should be waking up from her afternoon nap any moment now so it's time to sign off. Hope 2011 is off to a great start for you!
Let's see...what has changed since my last post?
She's standing a lot on her own now. She still won't take any steps but we think it's just a short matter of time before she starts walking. According to Jeff's mom, he had only one speed when he was young and that was RUN! If she's anything like her daddy, we'll be in for it!
She has also declared war on eating anything green. By "war" I mean making dramatic gagging sounds and promptly spitting up the entire contents of her stomach. So far, no luck with peas, green beans or, the most recent attempt, pureed broccoli (which translates into a cheesy broccoli dip for mommy & daddy so not a total loss or waste of time spent steaming and pureeing the broccoli). I am so excited to get the book The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet that I just ordered. It got great reviews on Amazon and I love some of the Google preview recipes like combining apples and cabbage...something I never would have put together on my own. I'll get green in this kid one way or another!
She's continuing to sprout more teeth too! 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom. Just adding to the cuteness factor when she smiles. She's using them too...she thinks it's pretty funny to clamp down on her spoon and not let go. She just sits in her high chair booster seat with the spoon clamped firmly in her mouth and gives us a look of impish glee. She's a regular comedian!
Let's see, what else?
Shay's "15 minutes of fame" have extended to the Duluth News Tribune, the newspaper out of Duluth, Minnesota where several of my relatives live. My grandma sent a picture of Shay in to the paper and it made the "Grandma's Brag Book" section. Love this photo!
She should be waking up from her afternoon nap any moment now so it's time to sign off. Hope 2011 is off to a great start for you!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Shay's 1st Christmas
It's hard to believe that this time last year I was 6+ months pregnant and we had not met Little Miss Shay yet. And this December 25th found her crawling around amidst a huge pile of presents at Jeff's parents' place for her first Christmas. She is one much-loved baby!
A happy Shay Bug by Papa & Mimi's Christmas tree
My mom and her boyfriend, Ron, flew in from Minnesota to spend Shay's first Christmas with us. The trip was Ron's gift to my mom (thank you Ron!). We all piled into "Nadia" to drive to New River Fellowship for a candlelight Christmas Eve Service (Yes, we name our cars. Our other one is named "Dominique." Bonus points to whoever can figure out the last names of the people we named them after). I'm not sure if it was the loud music, the dim lights or the crowd of people, but Shay sort of freaked out when we brought her into the main auditorium. So I headed right back out to the lobby with her and proceeded to give her Cheerios (we arrived right around the time she was due for dinner). She muched preferred Cheerios over church! After awhile, we were able to go back into the service where she was wiggly as could be in Daddy's arms but was content to quietly eat her Cheerios and puffs, only flinging them into the aisle once, LOL! When we got home, she was ready for bed so we put her down and then ordered Chinese food, a relatively new Christmas Eve tradition for Jeff & me, and we all watched "Meet the Parents." Not your typical Christmas Eve but fun nonetheless.
2 cars, a ton of gifts and baby gear later, we all arrived at Jeff's parent's house in the afternoon on Christmas Day. We had a beautiful white Christmas in Nashville, the first in 17 years, and the view of his parent's backyard was so pretty. Minnesota friends...trust me, a white Christmas in Tennessee is a big deal!
Jeff & me on Larry & Kay's deck
Shay took a long nap while we ate dinner and woke up in time to "open" her gifts. She was none too impressed and was more interested in crawling all over and exploring. Must have been total sensory overload for her. Dinner and gift opening were topped off by a visit from Santa (Larry) and the Grinch (Jeff) which totally freaked poor Shay out! Maybe next year they'll be more welcome.
Not at all happy about the Grinch honing in on Christmas
Santa "Larry" and the Grinch "Jeff" with an unhappy Buggy
I can't believe how many toys, clothes & books Shay got! And, since she's a Shay Bug, many were bug-themed. Jeff's Nana got her a set of 4 bug hand puppets. I think Jeff & I have had more fun with them than Shay! Thank you to everyone for loving on our little girl this Christmas and all throughout the year!
Shay checking out her Christmas bear from Aunt Julie & Uncle Bob
Christmas bow baby!
Also, congratulations go out to our friends Burke & Sarah Snyder on the arrival of their baby girl, Aubrey Caroline, who was born on December 23rd! She's beautiful!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A December to Remember
Christmas portrait
The Christmas tree is NOT going up this year. If the tree went up, Shay would figure out a way to bring it down. Likely right on top of herself! So, even though the tree won't be up, this will definitely be a December to remember. At this point, all of our Christmas shopping and wrapping is done! Looking forward to my Mom and her boyfriend coming to visit the 24th-26th and going over to Jeff's folk's place on Christmas Day. I can't wait to see Shay amidst all of the gift wrap and bows.
Baby Land continues to be THE best place to be! Shay Bug is learning and growing so fast! She's getting stronger and more coordinated by the hour it seems. She crawls at super speed and is pulling up and cruising around everything she can. We've caught her standing by herself on occasion but only when she's not aware she's doing it on her own (i.e. while busy passing a toy from hand to hand). If we try to get her to stand on her own and she knows it, she'll immediately drop down on the floor.
Squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears & oatmeal continue to be among her favorite foods, but she also likes her YoBaby yogart, bread, Cheerios, yogart melts (aka "baby crack") and, most recently, chicken. We make roasted chicken and give her very small pieces of it. She really seems to like it and will sit and happily munch away. We call her a little "Chicken Chomper." She's also busy trying to learn how to feed herself finger foods. She has her pincer grasp down and has made the connection that she needs to bring her hand up to her mouth. However, she hasn't quite mastered the art of releasing the food into her mouth. She gets it in about 50% of the time (although, she did manage to snatch one of her organic apple puffs off of the floor and eat it before we could grab it!). It's so fascinating watching her and realizing just how hard some things actually are. We take so much for granted as able-bodied adults.
Trying her hand at eating toast
She also has 6 teeth now! Those little pearly whites just keep popping out. We've been blessed that teething isn't the ordeal for us that we've heard it can be for others. She'll get a little fussy a day or two before a tooth breaks the surface, but that's really it. She doesn't run a fever or anything like that and continues to sleep like a champ (about 11 1/2 hrs. straight at night!
Oh, and remember those baby showers I blogged about? "Big" Shay had her baby on Dec. 3rd! A beautiful baby boy named Liam Gabriel. Congrats to the proud new parents! Comje on Burke & Sarah...Baby S. needds to join the December fun!
Oh, and remember those baby showers I blogged about? "Big" Shay had her baby on Dec. 3rd! A beautiful baby boy named Liam Gabriel. Congrats to the proud new parents! Comje on Burke & Sarah...Baby S. needds to join the December fun!
"Big Shay" and newborn baby Liam!
We don't really get white Christmases in Tennessee, but we did get some snow the other day. I had to take some pictures of Shay's first time out in the snow!
Daddy & Shay
Little Snow Angel
Thursday, November 18, 2010
7 Years, 8 Months and 15 Minutes of "Fame"
Monday November 15th marked Shay Bug's 8 month birthday and Tuesday the 16th was Jeff's and my 7 year anniversary. To celebrate, I took Monday off of work and we enjoyed a wonderful long weekend together as a family kick started by a great time hanging out with our friends Tony & Greg on Saturday followed by a fun time with my friend Jen (another friend from Belmont...I love reconnecting with my college friends as of late) and her beautiful family!
Monday also marked the first day the Opryland Hotel re-opened its doors over 6 months after the big flood hit Nashville. We love the hotel. It's absolutely beautiful with all of its amazing tropical garden atriums, especially when its all decked out for Christmas. Whenever friends and family from out of state come to visit, the hotel is one of our favorite places to take them. When the flood devastated the area, it was really sad to see the hotel close, needing 200 million+ for repairs.
So we figured, what better way to celebrate our anniversary but to head over to the hotel. I had told my mom that we planned to do that about a week before and she so thoughtfully arranged to have a gift certificate waiting for us in the newly renovated Cascades Lobby (thank you Mom!). We enjoyed a great lunch together at the Cascades Cafe and a leisurely stroll around the gardens with our Shay Bug. What a beautiful day! Here are some pics of us and a happy Buggy:
As we were heading out, we asked a lady if she would take a family snapshot of all of us in front of this beautiful new blown glass art piece showcased in the middle of the Cascades Lobby. While we was taking the picture, we noticed another guy also taking a photo with a really nice camera. At first I thought it was a little creepy that some stranger was taking my family's picture but then he came up and introduced himself as a photographer for the Associated Press who was doing a story on the hotel's re-opening.
The next day, I found the photo on the Associated Press' image site. Then I typed in "Opryland Hotel Jeff and Jamie Burton" into a Google search articles from news sources all across the country popped up with our picture! Everything from ABC and Yahoo News to the LA Times to a rinky dink newspaper in Idaho. So there you have it...our 15minutes seconds of fame, LOL!
Best. Anniversary. Yet.
Monday also marked the first day the Opryland Hotel re-opened its doors over 6 months after the big flood hit Nashville. We love the hotel. It's absolutely beautiful with all of its amazing tropical garden atriums, especially when its all decked out for Christmas. Whenever friends and family from out of state come to visit, the hotel is one of our favorite places to take them. When the flood devastated the area, it was really sad to see the hotel close, needing 200 million+ for repairs.
So we figured, what better way to celebrate our anniversary but to head over to the hotel. I had told my mom that we planned to do that about a week before and she so thoughtfully arranged to have a gift certificate waiting for us in the newly renovated Cascades Lobby (thank you Mom!). We enjoyed a great lunch together at the Cascades Cafe and a leisurely stroll around the gardens with our Shay Bug. What a beautiful day! Here are some pics of us and a happy Buggy:
Mmmm...applesauce
Buggy & me
A happy Jeff with his favorite guy...Sam Adams!
Peek-a-boo is funny!
LOVE this little mug!
My world (well, and a giant teddy bear)
New blown glass art piece in the Cascades Lobby
As we were heading out, we asked a lady if she would take a family snapshot of all of us in front of this beautiful new blown glass art piece showcased in the middle of the Cascades Lobby. While we was taking the picture, we noticed another guy also taking a photo with a really nice camera. At first I thought it was a little creepy that some stranger was taking my family's picture but then he came up and introduced himself as a photographer for the Associated Press who was doing a story on the hotel's re-opening.
The next day, I found the photo on the Associated Press' image site. Then I typed in "Opryland Hotel Jeff and Jamie Burton" into a Google search articles from news sources all across the country popped up with our picture! Everything from ABC and Yahoo News to the LA Times to a rinky dink newspaper in Idaho. So there you have it...our 15
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Best. Anniversary. Yet.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Earth Mama Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash Review
Saying that there are a LOT of products out there for babies is like saying water is wet. It can be mind boggling for new parents. Eight months ago, I was pretty much clueless about most of the vast number of baby products on the market. Now, while certainly not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, I have learned a lot and continue to be on the lookout for healthier, safer, all around better products. This time, the hunt was on for new shampoo/body wash for Shay Bug.
After much researching, I decided to go ahead and order Earth Mama Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash. Ever since having her, I've gotten on a more natural kick and am slowly adding to our expanding list of natural products. We still have a mix of traditional consumer products but I just don't want to put unnecessary parabens, sulfates, and a laundry list of other ingredients that I don't recognize, can't pronounce and that can be potentially harmful to any degree. Especially now that Shay is starting to get into things and crawl everywhere, I don't want to use harsh chemicals that can get onto her hands and therefore, into her mouth.
This product comes in a special dispenser that foams the soap. Why would this be necessary? It helps keep the soap from getting into baby's eyes. I opted for this even though it specifically says it's not formulated as a tear-free wash. This is due to the fact that it uses all natural ingredients (listed below) and is free of anesthetizers typically put into tear-free products.
Organic coconut oil, Organic olive oil, Organic aloe leaf juice, Organic vanilla bean extract, Organic orange oil, Kosher vegetable glycerin, Potassium citrate, Organic shea butter, Organic calendula extract
Angel Baby® Shampoo & Body Wash contains no petrochemical, synthetic surfactants, foaming agents or toxins of any kind. That means no sodium laureth sulfate, cocoamidylpropyl betaine, Quaternium-15, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde or phthalates.
The verdict? I deferred to my husband on this since he's the one who bathes our Shay Bug the most. So far, so good. The foaming dispenser is nice because it is easy to put on your hand and then apply to baby without it running everywhere. It smells good and seems to work well with no adverse skin reactions. The only small complaint was that the foam disappears quickly when applied with a washcloth so it's not as easy to see the soap application...a small price to pay for the benefits of the ingredients. Overall, a good product!
Next on the Mommy agenda is to try out some of the organic baby products from babybaby.
(Disclaimer: I am not paid to review any products on this blog. I just figured I'd share what works (and what doesn't) for us in the hopes that it helps anyone thinking about purchasing these products.)
After much researching, I decided to go ahead and order Earth Mama Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash. Ever since having her, I've gotten on a more natural kick and am slowly adding to our expanding list of natural products. We still have a mix of traditional consumer products but I just don't want to put unnecessary parabens, sulfates, and a laundry list of other ingredients that I don't recognize, can't pronounce and that can be potentially harmful to any degree. Especially now that Shay is starting to get into things and crawl everywhere, I don't want to use harsh chemicals that can get onto her hands and therefore, into her mouth.
This product comes in a special dispenser that foams the soap. Why would this be necessary? It helps keep the soap from getting into baby's eyes. I opted for this even though it specifically says it's not formulated as a tear-free wash. This is due to the fact that it uses all natural ingredients (listed below) and is free of anesthetizers typically put into tear-free products.
Organic coconut oil, Organic olive oil, Organic aloe leaf juice, Organic vanilla bean extract, Organic orange oil, Kosher vegetable glycerin, Potassium citrate, Organic shea butter, Organic calendula extract
Angel Baby® Shampoo & Body Wash contains no petrochemical, synthetic surfactants, foaming agents or toxins of any kind. That means no sodium laureth sulfate, cocoamidylpropyl betaine, Quaternium-15, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde or phthalates.
- USDA Certified Made With Organic Ingredients
- No 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, or phthalates
- No sodium lauryl sulfate, cocomidopropyl betaine or other synthetic surfactants
- No artificial preservatives (parabens, phenoxyethanol, etc)
The verdict? I deferred to my husband on this since he's the one who bathes our Shay Bug the most. So far, so good. The foaming dispenser is nice because it is easy to put on your hand and then apply to baby without it running everywhere. It smells good and seems to work well with no adverse skin reactions. The only small complaint was that the foam disappears quickly when applied with a washcloth so it's not as easy to see the soap application...a small price to pay for the benefits of the ingredients. Overall, a good product!
Next on the Mommy agenda is to try out some of the organic baby products from babybaby.
(Disclaimer: I am not paid to review any products on this blog. I just figured I'd share what works (and what doesn't) for us in the hopes that it helps anyone thinking about purchasing these products.)
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