Downward Dog?

I think Kate had taking a liking to yoga.  It appears that she is mastering the downward dog at the ripe old age of 8.5 months!

And, because she is just too cute - here is another!

My Little Prepster!

Kate was quite the preppy girl today in her pastel madras!  She looked cute but, to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about her looking so casual. 

Shorts just aren't really my baby style.

But, like I mentioned, she looked cute so that's all that matters.  I think she would look cute in a potato sack though!

Could she be any prettier?  Alex already has his shot guns (yes multiple) ready!

Or any more rotten?

And she's done...

"I am going to pull up on this couch, OK?  You can stop taking my picture now."

In exciting news, Kate is officially letting go and standing completely unassisted for a few seconds at a time.

I've heard, from my MIL, that Alex started walking with two wooden spoons in his hands because he thought he waas holding on to someone's fingers.  I'm thinking Kate is following in her Daddy's footsteps as she stands much better when she has something in her hand!

I need a pause button - everything is going way to fast.  I will cry if KK (my most common nickname for my sweet girl) is walking before she is 9 months old.

Our Easter in Pictures!

We had a great first Easter!  I am busy getting today cleaning, working (yes I am working on my day off - ugh), and playing with Kate.  So, a quick post with pictures is all I have in me!

In her pretty Easter dress (that she hated)!

This look pretty much sums up how Kate felt about her dress.

We ditched the dress while opening her Easter basket!  She was instantly happy when the dress came off!  Kate's Great Uncle Frank made her basket - he has made every grandchild and great grandchild on my side of the family an Easter basket for decades!

Kate's basket was filled with her favorite snacks (puffs and freeze dried fruit) and clothes!!  She couldn't wait to get to the puffs and just started eating the eggs!

After changing into a new outfit from the Easter bunny, and taking a nice long nap, Kate was energized and ready to play!!

I cannot get over how perfect she is!

Alex took a few pictures of me and Kate and I love them!!  I did some test shots to get all of the camera settings just right, figured out where the best lighting was, and told him all he needed to do was zoom in/out and click!  He didn't master the zoom part but otherwise, they are great!

I love this picture so much!  I think it is one of he best pictures of Kate and I that we have!  I've cropped it (because we were totally caught in the act of watching Fox News), sent it to print, and plan on framing it!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter as well!!!

One Little Tea Pot

Ready for some tea!

Kate had a little tea party this afternoon!  She has loved her tea set from my mom for months now but, today, she has really been obsessed. 

I have heard her little tea pot song "One little tea pot ready for some tea.  Two little cups, one for you and me..." about a million times. 

Kate was utterly unimpressed when I disturbed her tea party for pictures.

After she got over the fact that the camera was in her face yet again, she resumed playing!  Sadie even got in on the tea party action!

And then she decided to look at the camera for momma!!

I've been taking some time to learn this bad boy:

All I have to say is wow, any type of Photoshop is HARD.  I did a 30 day trial of Lightroom and was so overwhelmed that I didn't use it at all.  I feel like Elements is much easier for someone like me to use.  I've been reading on-line tutorials, talking with Maxine a ton, and watching YouTube videos.  I still have SO much to learn.  But, I can tell an improvement!

Here is a comparison SOOC (straight out of camera - no edits) and after some edits.  I shoot in RAW which gives me better editing capabilities - I just need to learn how to edit better!

I can't wait to see how my editing improves as I spent more time in Elements.  I'm thinking I'll have some time to play around when we visit Alex's parents soon - I know my MIL will want to spend time with Kate so it will be a win win!!

AMP Diaper Winners & a Coupon Code!!!!

It took a little bit of time but, I tallied up all of the entries, loaded them into Excel to get a count, and used random.org to see who our lucky winners were!!

There were 93 entries!!

And the winners are:

Comment #29 - Nicole

And comment #11 - Kara!

Nicole and Kara, please send an email to Amy (info@beautifulbabygear) and let her know what type of diaper you want, what color (butternut, bubblegum, aqua, or lime), and give her your address so she can ship out your prize!!  If Amy does not hear from you by the end of the day tomorrow, a new winner will be selected.

Amy and I have a little something for everyone who entered this giveaway! 

Head on over to Beautiful Baby Gear and check out all of Amy's diapers and accessories!  Use coupon code BLOGGIVEAWAY and you will receive 10% off any purchase over $18!  So, even if you didn't win, you can purchase these awesome diapers at a bit of a discount!  The coupon code won't expire until May 31!

If you have any questions about the diapers, or cloth diapering in general, shoot Amy an email (info@beautifulbabygear.com)-  she would be more than willing to help! 

Thanks again to each and every one of you that took the time to learn about AMP diapers and enter this giveaway!!

Eight Months!!!

Happy 8 months Kate!!!

Eight month stats:
Weight: I'm guessing close to 17 pounds
Length: No clue
Size: a variety - some 3-6 still fits but some 9 month fits as well.  I hate how there is no consistency in clothing sizes for babies!
Diapers: Still in a size 3

What Kate is up to at eight months:
*She has mastered crawling and is in to everything.
*Kate can pull up and cruise around a bit.  She is also a huge daredevil and gives me multiple heart attacks a day.  Like today during our little 8 month photo shoot.  Who needs to sit and smile when you can lunge off of a chair and stand up?

*Her favorite toy right now is probably her  Leap Frog Learn & Grove Music Table.  Ours has green legs though!  I love that we can easily remove the legs and let Kate play with it while sitting down.  Even though she doesn't like to sit much at all these days.

*We've started teaching sign language and I hope she starts to pick up a few signs soon!
*She will give you a kiss (more like slobber/ suck on your cheek) if you ask her to!
*Kate is eating two meals of solids a day (usually purees) and we had started to give her more and more finger foods.  She loves Plum Organic Puffs and is starting to get the hang of softer foods like steamed carrots and peas.
 

 
*The biggest change, is that Kate has been sleeping through the night for the past 3 night!!!!  I am hoping we keep this trend up!!
 
I'm sure she will be really cruising around, standing without holding on to anything, and possibly walking by the time her 9th month rolls around!!!

Perfection

I was so excited when Melissa, our photographer, posted a few sneak peeks of Kate's session on facebook last night!  Melissa's work is beautiful but, when I saw Kate's pictures, the only word that came to mind was sheer perfection!

Kate is already a little model!! My friend Felicia let us borrow this petti romper for our shoot and is using this picture in her Etsy store Lovella Bowtique!!

And my absolute favorite!  The smocked dress, perfect smile, pretty eyes!  Gosh I love this girl so much!

Houston ladies - please run and check out Melissa Pickens Photography!  She is so wonderful and is a great person on top of being a fabulous photographer! 

Baby Signing

A few weeks ago Danielle asked if we had started any sign language with Kate.  We hadn't but, I've wanted to.  Prior to starting with our family, Danielle worked with a special needs child and helped her with sign language so that she could communicate.  So she really wanted to introduce signs to Kate.

Danielle suggested Signing Time as a good DVD to use as an introduction to signing.  I was also talking to my friend Kim about it and her girls love Baby Signing Time which is the infant/ younger version of the DVD Danielle suggested.

I ordered it and it came in this past week.  Kate has watched part of it a few times. I think she is still a little young to really grasp a lot of the signs but I'm hoping she picks up on some things!  I have a feeling cracker or snack will be her first sign - the girl is obsessed with Puffs!

Warning to all you moms (and dads) - the songs are super annoying.  I pretty much have "we're gonna eat, eat, eat a ____" going through my head all day. 

However, I will take annoying songs all day if it helps Kate learn to communicate her wants/ needs before she can actually form words to express herself!

It's Here!!

After nearly six months of waiting, Alex's truck was finally delivered this week!  He picked it up this morning and is so excited about it!  For those that haven't heard about this truck before, it is a 2011 Ford Raptor. 

I have to admit, it is a beauty.  And, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when it actually fit into our garage.  The thing is a BEAST!

Me and Kate giving you some perspective on just how huge it is!

We've been keeping busy.  Kate has started to sport her collection of Easter smocked dresses.

And I have learned that I need to tuck Kate's dresses into her bloomers so she can crawl around without getting caught all up in her clothes!

Kate had a photo shoot today with Melissa Pickens Photography and I cannot wait to see the pictures!  I have a feeling that Melissa got several super cute shots!!

I hope everyone has a good weekend!  Alex and I are heading out to dinner and drinks with our friends Don and Katie.  This will be our first sans baby date night since Kate was born!  Danielle is coming over to watch her and I am so, so excited!!!

Long Day but so Blessed!

Today has felt like the longest day ever. 

Work is killing me right now.  I am part time but doing a full desk of work.  Meaning, the person I am replacing was a full time employee.  And no job tasks have been taken away.  It is brutal right now. 

Yesterday, I left the house without even seeing Kate.  And today I was at the office for over 10 hours. 

The worst part is that I have no room to complain because Alex has been working CRAZY hours.  I'm talking he worked 16+ hours yesterday and was at the office from 1-4 or 5 am due to some major IT outages within our company. 

To any new readers, Alex and I work for the same oil and gas company but we work in different departments.  He's an IT guy and I am in Finance.

The best part of my day is coming home and scooping up my sweet girl!  She was so happy to see me today!  I didn't even care that she drooled all over my expensive suit that I just picked up from the dry cleaner.  Nor did I care that she spit up all over my silk blouse. 

While I love working, I am feeling a bit sad about some of the things I am now missing at home.  Kate is officially pulling up on any and everything.  She is also cruising around - meaning she can walk around her music table or the coffee table when holding on.

She has also discovered the joy of dog balls.  She will even throw them for Ollie.  It is the cutest thing ever.  Until she puts a nasty ball that is covered in dog slobber in her mouth.

But, I can forget all of the nastiness of dog balls in the mouth when I see this sweet smile!

And even though I have been working way more than planned, we are so blessed to have Danielle (the nanny) in our lives!  Not only does she love my child like her own - she also texts with me about American Idol!  She even was up to date on the "Are Haley and Casey dating" gossip!

How did I get so lucky?

We really are so incredibly blessed - and I hope that Danielle realizes how much she means to us.  I would not be able to function at the office if it weren't for her love and dedication to Kate.  She is such a God send!

Pear Tree Greetings Winner & Easter Cupon Code!

I was a little bit late drawing the winner for the PTG giveaway.  But, that's what happens with you are the mom of a cute almost 8 month old baby girl that hates to sleep.  Sigh.

Anyways, I used random.org to select the giveaway winner.  This is what Random spit out:

Lucky Number #19 was:

Megan - Pear Tree will be contacting you with instructions on how to claim your prize!!

And to all others - a coupon code!  Enter EASTER11 for 10% off an Easter order of $25 or more!!!  Happy shopping!!

AMP Cloth Diaper Giveaway!!!!

I am really excited about this giveaway!!

A sweet friend of mine, Amy, is in the process of starting the cloth diapering business Beautiful Baby Gear.  I wanted to help spread the word about the amazing diapers she has discovered, and now sells, so that her little business can start booming! 

A bit of background - Amy and I went to church together in Mandeville, LA.  I also went to high school with Amy's husband Patrick!  He was a star wrestler at our school!  I love when my friends find success - and I love helping with that success - so I just had to work with Amy for this giveaway!

Y'all know that I am not a cloth diapering momma.  But, my friend Christie (who recently found out she is expecting #2) has just ventured into the world of cloth diapers!  Christie was so sweet to volunteer to review the AMP diapers so y'all could learn a bit more about Amy's product!  And, two lucky readers will win the AMP diaper of their choice!

So, here is Christie's review:

When I was asked by Lindsey and Amy to review AMP diapers, I was really excited! As a fairly new CD'er, I am always willing to try out new diapers. When we made the decision to start cloth diapering, some major factors were absorbency, fit, trimness, and convenience. I was sent these two diapers:

AMP Stay-Dry AIO (all-in-one) 

 AMP Duo Diaper with a bamboo insert 

  

 When I received these diapers, the first thing I noticed was how incredibly stretchy they were. Usually, cloth diapers seem to be stiff and hard to manipulate so it fits well, but the elastic at the legs caught my eye!

The AMP AIO diaper was ready to go with one wash and ONE tumble in the dryer (which is amazing for an AIO diaper since the insert is built-in). The AMP duo pocket diaper was ready within one wash and dry, and I washed the bamboo inserts multiple times to achieve the highest absorbency. Finally, I was ready to try these out on my little guinea pig!

I started with the AIO because I was really excited to try out a cloth diaper that is basically as convenient as a disposable diaper.

As you can see, it has an incredibly trim appearance. Also, the velcro closure gave us a very snug fit around her tummy!


I put her on her tummy so she could scoot around a little. Usually, with some brands of cloth diapers, I have noticed that when Cailyn moves around, the diaper bunches up and she leaks out her legs. After about an hour of playtime, the diaper was like I had just put it on. 

It stayed leak-free for 2 1/2 hours (that's usually the amount of time I go between changing diapers). I also can't believe how incredibly trim it was - usually I put Cailyn in a disposable when we go out because cloth diapers can get so bulky. This one was as trim as a disposable and the fact that everything is built-in was so convenient.

Next, I tried the AMP Duo Diaper with bamboo insert. Most of my cloth diaper collection is made up of pocket diapers and they can be tricky at times. Between stuffing an insert and making sure it doesn't bunch up after a length of time, pocket CD's can be very challenging. Also, Cailyn tends to leak out of the legs of pocket diapers since the insert can create bulkiness in the bottom of the diaper, pulling the elastic away from her legs.

The fleece lining of the AMP Duo Diaper was super soft to the touch. Also, as soon as I put it on, I noticed how snug the leg holes were to her legs, even with the bamboo insert stuffed in! It seems like the leg holes or more ruched than other cloth diapers, so that may be why they fit so much better. 

I let her play with it on, and this one stayed leak-free for 2.5 hours as well. I thought it was too good to be true for a pocket diaper! 

Although I have never heard of AMP diapers before this review, I have to say they are incredibly underrated. All-in-all, they worked well absorbency-wise, were very trim, convenient, and fit her legs perfectly. If you are looking for a new brand of CD's or are about to give up on pocket diapers because of the awkward fit some of them have, I would definitely recommend trying AMP diapers!

How to Win:
In order to enter, and for all other entries to count, you must "Like" Beautiful Baby Gear on Facebook.  Post on BBG's wall and let them know who sent you their way!  You must also follow Beautiful Baby Gear's Blog in order to be eligible to win! 

To up your chances of winning (please leave a comment on this post when you have done any - or all - of the following):
*Follow Beautiful Baby gear on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway.  Be sure to link back to this post and tag Beautiful Baby Gear in your Tweet!
*For TWO additional entries, blog about this giveaway.  Be sure to link back to this post as well as link to either Beautiful Baby Gears Facebook, blog, website, or Twitter!
*For SIX additional entries, purchase an AMP diaper from Amy while this giveaway is going on.  Let me know you have made a purchase (I will verify with Amy)!
*Become a follower of We're Finally Three - or let me know that you already follow!
*Become a follower of Keeping up with the Croffords or let me know that you are already a follower!

Thank means you have 12 chances to win!! 

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday April 19 at 7pm CST.  I will tally all of the entires, draw a winner and announce that night!  Good luck!!!!

Multipurpose Toy

Now that Kate no longer wants to be trapped in the circle of neglect her exersaucer, she has discovered that it is super fun to climb under/ around/ on!

This is the toy that keeps on giving!  Best $60 I've ever spent.

Don't forget to enter my Pear Tree Greetings giveaway!  And, spread the word, Christie and I will be hosting our first ever joint giveaway starting Wednesday.  Here's a hint - all cloth diapering moms will be very excited about this (and I need Christie's help because I know nothing about CDing!)

Lazy Saturday!

I think we may be on the mend!

Kate woke up with a low grade fever but has been fever free since about lunch time!  Hopefully she stays that way!  I am also starting to feel a bit better!

Kate spent some time playing on her new foam mat today!  My living room is officially decorated in primary colors.  Anything to keep Kate's head from smacking the hardwoods, right?

I am still playing around with my new lens and trying to decide if I'm going to keep it.  I find it to be a bit soft - but I think that's because I got spoiled with how awesome my 50mm f/1.4 is.  Maxine suggested that I lower my shutter speed to hopefully decrease the "noise" in the pictures.  I also had to up my ISO a good bit due to the lighting in our living room but, I think it all worked together nicely!

Kate enjoyed playing with her new favorite toy for a while today!  I promise she loves this toy - she was just aggravated that I had the camera in her face yet again!

If any of you have little ones who love the remote, I highly suggest the Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote!  Kate loves it so much and hasn't grabbed for our real remote since we gave her this toy!

She also spent some time just looking cute!

Even though we are all feeling a better, I think we pushed our luck this afternoon when we tried to take Kate to the park.  I thought she might want to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air.  But, it was in the low 90s and just too hot for her. 

We lasted about 15 minutes at the park and Kate was pretty fussy most of the time there.  I did manage to get one smile out of her while swinging though!  And, if anyone is wondering, I wiped the swing down with an antibacterial wipe before putting Kate in - so, while I might be helping create a super bug that kills all of mankind, at least I know she isn't sucking on anything nasty when she chews on the swing!  (I'm sure a few of you will get a chuckle out of that one!)

Fussy pant Kate wanted her Daddy and not the swing.

Here's my favorite picture of the day!  Her eyelashes, sweet button nose, and perfect pout are simply amazing to me!  I love this sweet girl so much!!!  Thank you Maxine for another amazing edit!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  I'm bummed we had to cancel our beach plans but I know this low key weekend at home is exactly what the three of us need to get well again!

Picture Dump!

We are still wallowing in sickness over here.  I have strep as well and our PCP decided to put Alex on meds just to be safe.  I'm finally starting to feel a bit better this afternoon but Kate is still hit or miss.  She has a few hours every day (usually in the morning) where she appears to be fine.  However, she starts running fever around noon and is miserable for the rest of the day.

We'll head back to the doctor tomorrow if she still has fever.  I'm hoping her meds kick in and she finally starts getting better very soon!

I have several pictures from the past week that never made it to the blog!  I'm sure Kate's Mimi, Bebe, and Great MawMaw would love to see them!  Some are crappy iPhone pictures but others are really, really good!

We spent some time at the park last Friday!

And watched the cars before heading to Gymboree!  Kate could look out our french doors all day long!

She "helped" me with laundry on Monday!

We took some pictures with my new lens Wednesday.   Maxine, my photog friend, edited the first picture for me.  You can really tell a difference! 

Kate spent the few hours that she felt good today crawling all around!  It wore her out and made her feel pretty blah.  She's been super fussy, and running a fever, since around 1pm today.

She also spent some time laughing at her puppies!

We had plans to go to Galveston with some friends for the weekend but obviously those plans have been cancelled.  I'm hoping we can all rest up and get well this weekend.