I was kind of sad as I installed Leland's new big boy car seat today. To me it makes him not so much of a "baby" anymore! I know he still is, but it is just one more sign of how quick he is growing up!!

Tip

I was very skeptical about "store brand" forumlas. However, a friend of mine told me that her little boy is on the Parents Choice (Wal-Mart) formula and is doing great.

I started to research it a little bit (well A LOT) and the Parents Choice is made almost identical to Enfamil. I did feel a bit guilty about feeding my child the "store brand" formula just to save money, but after reading TONS of reviews online, I decided to give it a try. He did just fine!

I have since moved on to the Members Mark (Sam's) formula. It is EXACTLY like Enfamil. It even compares Enfamil, MM, and Similac on the back of the can. I have read reviews on it as well and it has more good reviews than the PC, but the PC had good reviews as well.

I went from paying $30 for a 32 oz can of Similac at Sam's, which lasted about a week and 2 to 3 days to paying $20 for a 52 oz can that last almost 2 weeks!!

If you have little ones or babies on the way, it is definitely worth the $40/year membership to Sam's for this formula if your child has no problems with Enfamil and as an added bonus, you will get cheaper gas!!

7 Months Old!

I am a little late, but Leland is now 7 months old!! He is sitting up pretty well, but still wabbles or falls back occasionally. He is babbling all the time and he has said "Ma Ma" and "Da Da"! He says them both at random times, but I am sure that we will start hearing them constantly soon!

He is loving baby food and puffs. He is not picky and will pretty much eat anything, but he still prefers vegtables over fruit. He loves puffs, but he hasn't mastered grabbing them and putting them in his mouth on his own yet. He still does not like juice, but he loves ice water. He prefers ice water out of my cup, but he will drink out of his cup. I have given him bites of a baked potato (plain) and he loves it. He also seemed to like bitting/gumming green beans the other night!

He still has no teeth and no sign of them coming in soon. I really am still unsure if he will crawl. He hates to be on his tummy. I believe that if he crawls it will be from a sitting position, but for now he is perfectly content sitting and playing with his toys.

We purchased a new bath seat (that they do not sell in stores anymore by the way. My little cousins had one similar to this and I do not know why they quit making them because the are great! I had to order online) Now he is not confined to a baby bath tub. He has a big time playing with his toys in our big tub!

His excema is better after 2 trips to the dermatologist. He is now using a wash, oil, and cream by Vanicream. It is pricy, but it is a miracle product! He was covered from the top of his head to the top of his feet and within 3 days he was clear!

Easy Entertaining.....

I got some great news last Monday. I have a spot on the main drag next to the concessions and entrance/exit of the Tannehill State Park Trade Days March 20th and 21st! I am so incredibly excited, but I am going to be VERY busy in the next 3 weeks getting everything ready to sell.

This is the first trade show I have ever done and I have the option to renew my space monthly through the end of the year if it goes well! That will mean that I will do a show every 3rd weekend in a month. I am praying that we make a profit! I have no idea how much is too much or too little to take, but I am taking what I think of each item and we will see how it goes!

You can visit my business site at:

http://www.lilmonkeydesigns.blogspot.com/ if you would like to see the items I will be selling and things I have already made. I am posting pictures of things as soon as I get them done. Items on the agenda for the show are:

paci clips

tabby blankets

covered wipe cases

burp cloths (some ribbon, applique, and fabric)

dresses

bubbles (boy and girl)

jumpers (both boy and girl and both short and long)

I have been sewing all this week and so far it has been easy to entertain Leland! (see below pictures!!)

He LOVES to watch the embroidery machine and a spool of thread and a measuring tape entertained him for quite a while!

Playing at Aldridge

I forgot to post these along with the other pictures from Aldridge the other day. We bought him this $1.79 ball and he LOVES it! He had a big time playing with it.

After searching at several stores in Birmingham, I finally found Leland a swing for the house. I figure it's worth the $25 to stay home away from the germs at the park, save gas, and I didn't know it, but it goes up to 4 yrs!

BIg Boy!

We will definitely be purchasing one of these cars in the Spring! We tested it out in Toys-R-Us today and he LOVED it! He laughed the whole time Jason pushed him around!

Soaking up the sun!

It has been so beautiful the past 3 days! We sat outside in the grass yesterday morning while Jason washed cars.

Today, after church, we took our lunch to Aldridge Gardens and spent a few hours walking around. Leland LOVES to be outside, so I can't wait for Spring to get here so that we can go a lot more often!

Visit with Granny and Grandaddy at the lake....

Talking about fishing with Grandaddy

Beautiful, Sunny Day....FINALLY!!

It was finally a decent day here in Birmingham! It was in the mid 50's, but felt nice in the sun even though it was a little windy. We stayed outside for a good bit today. Before lunch I took Leland and both dogs on a stroll.






























After lunch, we met up with a friend and her two boys at the park. Leland is just now sitting up good enough that I trusted putting him in a baby swing. He LOVED it! Some people think I make my child wear sun glasses, but I don't! He loves to wear them or a hat. He hates the sun in his eyes. If he doesn't have his sunglasses, he will reach for mine!















We got some much needed sunshine and fresh air today and I can't wait for warm weather to be here for good!! I have lake fever like you wouldn't believe and can't wait to take Leland back!

Vulcan

I apologize for the picture quality! The one day I leave my camera at home, Jason decides we need to make a pit stop by Vulcan.

I was raised in Birmingham, but I have never been to Vulcan. I have seen him many times passing by!

It is actually a very neat place. We took advantage of the warm museum before wrapping Leland up like an Eskimo child in his stroller to take the elevator to the top of Vulcan. Any one who knows me should know that I am VERY afraid of heights!! I did not want to get off of the elevator, but I stepped out and stood in that same spot until I finally found enough courage to walk a few steps out to grab a hand rail! We took 2 quick pictures, glanced at the view, and got back on the warm/heated elevator! (Yes, I am fully aware that we picked one of the coldest days of the year to go to this monument, but do you know my husband?? He wanted to go, so we went!) We will definitely be making a trip back when warmer weather graces us with it's precense!! We took pictures with our phones, but it was the best we could do.


Leland LOVED the big glass windows. He loves to stand and wiggle and will refuse to sit by locking his little legs!

He is slowly getting better at sitting on his own, but is still wobbly if he is not paying attention to sitting!

This marble is from my Mom's hometown, Sylacauga, AL. Can you see the two angels??

1st Valentine's Day!

We had a great Valentine's weekend! Jason has been off from the bank since Thursday, so we got to spend 4 days with him, minus while he was working at Hibbett. We had a very low key weekend that included playing in the snow, watching movies, church, and just hanging around the house enjoying some much needed family time!

This Valentine's Day was the best one yet for me. I got to spend it with two people that I love more than anything, my sweet baby boy and caring husband!