5 MONTHS!!!

5 MONTHS = CRAZY!! I really cannot believe that our sweet boy is already 5 months old! Stafford turned 5 months on February 21st so I'm a little late in making this post...oops! He is growing so much and is such a blessing to us every single day. Since we haven't had a doctors appointment since his 4 month check-up, I'm going to have to guess on a few of his "stats" so here we go:

1. Feeding: Stafford has officially entered the baby food phase and it is a MESS (as you can see from my earlier post) but so much fun. Right now we are doing one vegetable at night and four 8 ounce (sometimes 9 or 10 ounce!) bottles of his Nutramigen. On the weekends, we are trying to incorporate a fruit in the mornings to get him adjusted to eating baby food twice a day. Right now, we are eating the Gerber "Supported Sitter" foods and he seems to really like them all. No favorites or least favorites yet although I tend to think he's not a huge bananas fan and he seems to really like carrots and sweet potatoes. To be so little, this dude can EAT! I have a feeling he'll be catching up very quickly with his weight! Stafford is STILL taking the Prevacid once a day but I think we are just about done with that...WOOHOO!

2. Sleeping: Ok, so apparently Momma has a hard time letting go (bad news for Stafford in the future) and he is still sleeping in his newborn rock-n-play sleeper in our room. He sleeps the entire night, usually from 8:30/9:00 pm until 6:30/7:00 am so I cannot complain one bit. I do think it's time to start the transition to his crib, though, because he will soon outgrow the sleeper AND lately, he's been a little restless. I'm guessing he's just not as comfortable in it as he used to be because he's growing and it's becoming a little cramped. We've started putting him down for naps in his crib to help transition him. Speaking of naps, he still takes two a day at day care but they are usually little short ones so he's tuckered out by 9:00 pm.

3. Weight: Not 100% sure on this since we haven't been to the doctor in a month but I'm guessing he weighs around 13 pounds. He's growing, though, because he's developed a fat roll or two on his little thighs...LOVE IT!!

4. Clothes: Stafford is now wearing 3-6 month clothes (pjs, gowns, cottony separates, playsuits) and some 6 month outfits (mostly Polo rompers or something to that effect). He can still wear a few 3 month things, like his smocked/dressy stuff but for the most part, I've had to put those tiny things away...sniff! We haven't ventured into the shoes yet but I'm guessing I'll start that here in the next month or so.

5. Personality: Boy, does this kiddo have a personality!! Of course he's mine so I'm a tad bit partial but he really does have the sweetest, calmest disposition. He will sit there and smile at you all day long. He's very content just hanging out and we literally can take him ANYWHERE without the slightest issue. He's super happy in the mornings (that didn't come from me), can stare you down in an instant and does have his serious moments. He loves to ride in the car and/or stroller, loves playing with his wubbanub and Sophie la Giraffe and loves being tickled. He has recently gotten into "squealing" and he TALKS TALKS TALKS all of the time (that he did get from me)!! He still only gets fussy when he's hungry and we aren't quick enough with that bottle. Other than that, Stafford is a very chilled out kiddo.

6. Fitness: This category is not aptly named but it makes me laugh to call it fitness so I guess I'll keep it! Stafford is still not on the triathlon circuit but he's getting there! :) He hasn't really rolled over much since the first time I posted about that...maybe twice since then. He still hates tummy time but not as bad as he used to...it helps for me to get on the floor with him and show him toys. We are "working" on his sitting up and he's doing pretty well. The Bumbo seat helps a lot with this I think. Pretty soon he'll be sitting up all by himself!! He is a strong little thing and loves to push off against the edge of his bathtub.

stafford and mr. lamb

so happy to be 5 months old!!

a little more serious about turning 5 months old!!

Peas & Carrots

What are your favorite veggies?! Peas and carrots have been the favs in the Stacy household lately! Stafford has been experimenting with baby food for the past month and it has been quite interesting and very MESSY to say the least!! We have had so much fun introducing him to new foods...fruits and veggies alike. Per his doctor's orders, we started out with rice cereal (mixed with formula) and he HATED it. I mean, HATED it. We tried it for about 3 days and Stafford just wasn't having it so we decided to go straight to the Level 1 ( aka, supported sitter per Gerber's label) baby food. The doctor did tell me to start with all vegetables first because this would prevent Stafford from developing a sweet tooth early on. He also said to try the same vegetable for 3-4 days in a row just to make sure Stafford wasn't allergic to any of them. Makes sense, huh?!

So, our routine right now is a 7 am bottle, an 11 am bottle, a 3 pm bottle, a 6 pm veggie and a 7 pm bottle. We have only been doing baby food once a day to help him get the hang of it and he is doing GREAT! It took him about a week to figure out the spoon, how to use his tongue to push the food down, etc. Now, when he sees the spoon coming he opens wide!! It is too cute! We've tried every veggie and he seems to like them all so far. No favorites or least favorites...yet! Below are some of the "first timer" pictures:

peas first then STRAIGHT to the bath!!


carrots then STRAIGHT to the bath...see a pattern here?!!

Baptism Sunday

OH! Last weekend was such a special weekend for the Stacy family!! On Sunday, February 19, 2012 Stafford was baptised at Christ United Methodist Church during the eleven o'clock service. This church holds such a special place in the hearts of the Stacys...Reed and his sibilings grew up in this church, his parents and grandparents attend here as well as his aunt/uncle/cousins. Needless to say, the Stacys are deeply rooted in CUMC. A few years ago, I transferred my membership from First Baptist (in Dyersburg) to Christ United and absolutely love everything about it. I could not think of a better church family for Stafford to be raised in.

We had a busy, fun and celebratory weekend with family. My parents, sister, grandmother and uncle all drove down for the event on Saturday and we had a fun dinner at Cock of the Walk that evening. Stafford did WONDERFULLY during the baptism itself...he stayed awake, didn't have any accidents, didn't have a meltdown and only somewhat stared down our pastor when he sprinkled him with water! Stafford was one of six (all boys too!) to be baptised during the service. On Sunday, after church, we had a HUGE family lunch with the Stacys, the McDaniels, the Hamiltons, the Staffords, the Collins' and the Popes (whew!!) at the Country Club of Jackson.

the reed stacy family

getting ready for the church service to start

uncle ronnie, memama, honey, poppa, stafford and sis

mimi and pop pop with carter, caroline reed and stafford

Happy Friday!!

Happy Friday Everyone!! Stafford has a BIG weekend coming up and we are SO GLAD that it is finally here! I'll report back next week to fill you in on Stafford's fun-filled weekend that will be all about him!! :)

YAY for Friday!!!

Best Valentine's Day Ever!!

Obviously, yesterday was Valentine's Day aka my FAVORITE day of the year!! I absolutely adore everything about this day...the pink, the red, hearts, flowers, chocolate and the gushy cards...it's the best!! Since this was our first Valentine's as a family of three, Reed & I decided to take little man along with us to dinner. I must say, it was the best Valentine's to date and I cannot wait for many more with my two boys!!

my handsome valentines...it doesn't get any better than these two

stafford posing with all of his loot!!

he was really interested in his sing-a-long card from honey & poppa

happy happy valentine's day!!!

Stafford's New Friend

My sweet angel has made a new friend...Mr. Lamb! Mr. Lamb lives in Stafford's crib but since Stafford isn't sleeping in his crib yet, he just discovered him a few days ago. This was literally one of the cutest things that I've ever seen! Stafford couldn't get enough of Mr. Lamb and just stared and stared at him for the longest time...he even gave him a few smiles and they had a little heart-to-heart. Of course, I had to grab my camera and capture this little moment:

lots to talk about

sweetest face in the world

mr. lamb and stafford just hanging out in the crib

And these are a few of our favorite things...

Ahhh, The Sound of Music...have I got you singing it yet?! So, with the beginning of February being a relatively slow month, I thought I'd post just a few (11) of our favorite baby "things." These items have been lifesavers, loves and personal favorites of mine over these past 19 weeks. Some of these were suggestions from friends and others were just things we stumbled across over the course of baby shopping and having Stafford enter into our lives. Isn't it funny how much stuff we'll buy and try, just to see if it works or not with solving our issues?!! See below for items and descriptions:

Kissy Kissy infant gowns: Super soft, well-made and they convert into rompers if you get tired of the gown look...BEST THINGS EVER and I got mine from Smitten Gift Boutique (here in Ridgeland) and Sweet Dreams (in Madison).

Graco Cool Mist Humidifier: Works wonders on babies (and adults!) with stuffy noses PLUS it has one of those soothing white noise sounds that puts you right to sleep! I bought mine at Babies R' Us...get one!

Fisher Price Newborn Rock and Play Sleeper: This bad boy virtually saved my "sleeping life." It allowed me to get back in the bed (and off of the couch) with my husband and Stafford loves it!! Plus, it's just high enough where all I need to do is lean over in the middle of the night and stick that paci back in if necessary! I bought this one at Babies R' Us.


Nap Nanny Chill: This was Stafford's bed for the first 8 weeks of his life...terrible acid reflux kept him from laying down flat and this little item worked wonders with helping him sleep through the early days! Since this was a little expensive, I used a Cyber-Sale coupon from Babies R' Us and purchased it online for 20% off!

Enfamil Nutramigen Ready-to-Feed Formula: Expensive but worth every penny when you have a child with acid reflux...it smells terrible but who cares when they eat it without spitting up?!! Oh, and just a little fun FYI: You know how I HATE white foods...the whole reason for that is attributed to my sweet little sister and the nasty, stinky formula she drank as an infant...white foods just brought back those memories. Well, naturally, my child is drinking THE SAME FORMULA...ew! Guess that white food aversion won't be changing anytime soon! I tend to buy this in cases, online, from Babies R'Us...they have the cheapest price ($52 for a case) and free, fast shipping!!

A&D ointment: Used often and Stafford has YET to have a diaper rash. I tend to buy the tubes, not the big tubs, because the tubes are easiest to transport. We have these laying all over the house!! I buy A&D at Babies R'Us and stock up when I get those 3 for $5 coupons!

Wubbanub: Best pacifier "holder" EVER MADE. Stafford got addicted to those Soothie pacifiers from the hospital and when they fell out of his mouth, they would bounce all over the place. Enter: the Wubbanub. It keeps the paci in and Stafford loves holding it! I got ours (we have 3) at Smitten Gift Boutique and Belles & Beaus (in Oxford).

Vanilla-scented Soothies: Best smelling pacifiers ever...thanks River Oaks Hospital! I actually restocked on these at Marty's Pharmacy near River Oaks...apparently they are the only place in Jackson that sells the scented ones.

Dr. Brown's Dishwasher Basket: Thank Heavens for this little item. I know it doesn't look like much but we have two of these and literally use them multiple times a day. They are great for holding all of the standard Dr. Brown's bottle parts. My only gripe with this product is that it doesn't hold enough...it only holds 3 bottles worth of parts so that's why we have 2! Overall, it is FABULOUS and very inexpensive!! These were gifts from my baby shower but came from Babies R'Us.

Chicco Key Fit 30 Car Seat: I love this car seat. It is relatively light-weight and very easy to snap and go, whether it be into his car seat base or into the stroller. Since I lug this thing around twice a day, it's nice that it isn't too heavy. I also love the fact that Stafford can use this seat until he weighs 30 pounds vs. the others that make you switch out at around 25 pounds. A baby shower hostess gift...THANK YOU...that came from my registry at Babies R'Us.

Baby Trend Expedition LX Jogging Stroller: PERFECT jogging stroller...literally! Since I'm not a huge exerciser, I was a little hesitant to purchase a jogging stroller but I'm so glad that I did. This stroller has such a smooth ride and it's so easy to plop Stafford in it and cruise around the neighborhood. Plus, it was VERY inexpensive ($140) compared to others out there. I'm running my first 5k (with Stafford) in March so I'll report back then on its "racing" abilities! This item was purchased at Babies R'Us.