Disney Crafts

So, back in 2007 we went to Disneyland with our friends- The Bolander Family, and Sarah. My parents also tagged along.
Before the trip, I made a lot of crap gifts for the kids, and everyone else who is going.
Well, we are heading to Disney again this fall so Grayson can meet the real live Mickey Mouse! Plus, it is our 10 Year Anniversary!!! So, why not go back to the place where we family vacationed Honeymooned?
We will be traveling with some of the fam because, well, they came with us when we went 10 years ago. We are also taking my friend Sarah along. After all, we will need plenty of adults to rotate on and off the rides Grayson can't go on, and to help me stay sane!
So, I have been thinking of making some of the crafts again. I never got pictures of the Personalized Autograph books that I made for the Bolander kids....but here are a few things that I made and DID get pictures of.

This is a journal I made out of a notebook, using scrapbook paper and stickers. I love reading through it.

I mad these countdowns for each group that was going. I sent one to Sarah, one to the Bolanders and kept one for myself. It later made the first page of our scrapbook.

Each tag had a little poem about how many days were remaining until we went to Disneyland.

So, fast forward to now....Feeling a little crafty for this year's Disneyland trip. So the first craft project happened today.

This was taken while waiting for the Mod Podge to dry so I could put on a second coat. This is our jar for all our change to save up for spending money for Disneyland. Last time, we had over $100. However, we used to only pay in ACTUAL cash for things, so we had lots of change. The use of a debit card may curb the amount we save- but we are still going to try.

I hope to make a lot of things for our trip, such as autograph books, penny holders, pin holders, and so much more! Better get Crafting!



Sleeping Arrangements

I have been very timid about sharing this, but I have decided I don't care what others think.

Our family co-sleeps! That is right- Grayson sleeps in the same bed as Mike and I. It hasn't always been this way. When he was little he slept in a bassinet and his crib. But, around 3 or 4 months, we decided to wean Grayson from swaddling. Suddenly, he didn't like sleeping in his crib for the entire night. He would normally sleep in it until around 1 am, but after that he just didn't want anything to do with it. I personally do not believe in "Cry It Out" (after all, the Lord doesn't just leave us on this Earth and tell us to "cry-it-out" with no source of comfort, why would we do that to his precious little ones) and I needed sleep. Then, around 4 months Grayson began nursing every hour or so again. I REALLY needed sleep. So, we started co-sleeping. He would still do the first stretch of the night in his crib. The first time he woke up after we went to bed though, he would come to bed with us.
When we went to Texas however, he shared a bed with us the entire night. That put an end to him wanting to sleep in his crib. Add to that the fact that he would just crawl around his crib, or pull himself up to a standing position and walk around....
So we began fully co-sleeping. I LOVE a few things about co-sleeping. Grayson can nurse on demand through out the night, without me having to fully wake up. He gets the security that Mom and Dad are close by. I don't feel like I am putting him in a cage.
However, there were a few things I did not like- minimal space. We have a queen size bed, but Mike and I are not small people. On top of that, Grayson only likes to be snuggled up to one person. The other better be far away. Then, both Mike and Grayson are human furnaces...creating WAY TOO MUCH HEAT!
We had started trying to get Grayson back into his crib because it was no longer working for us. That went okay...until Grayson got sick. Then he was back in bed with us. I decided we needed to fix this. Something had to change. So- here is our new sleeping arrangement

I had never heard of Side-carring a crib until a gal on babycenter did it. Then I learned it is actually very popular. The crib is wedged up in the corner and the legs of the crib are (industrial strength) zip-tied to our bed. There is a LARGE blanket rolled and stuffed between the beds to make sure there is no crack for Grayson to fall in.
It has been wonderful! I am able to snuggle Grayson to sleep and then slide him over. I can scoot over to the edge to nurse him if he needs it....although, since we started this, he has slept much better at night and is only nursing 1-2 times at most.
We moved our bed into his room because we do hope to move away from this arrangement around the time he is a year old. We figure it will be easier to make the adjustments if he is not also learning to be in a new room. Plus, now we have an office/closet in the other room. Mike is able to get up for work at 4:30 am and go get ready without worrying if he will wake Grayson and I.

Co-sleeping is a great arrangement for us. I am not sure if I will do it with future babies- however, I will probably side-car the crib again, especially if I have another c-section.

I have heard a few myths about co-sleeping. That you will never get your child out of your bed. Not true. Most co-sleepers I know gently move their child out of their bed around 18 months. Others as soon as their child night weans. Yes, I have friends that have kept their children in their bed through toddler-hood, or in their room in their own toddler bed. But co-sleeping is not a sentence to have your child in your bed forever.
Another myth is that you will smother your child. I honestly really worried about this one. Mike moves so much and we are not small people....but that parent-instinct is there, and you don't smother your child. There are few instinces of it happening- but it is honestly EXTREMELY rare. There are precautions to take so if you do plan on co-sleeping- I would suggest looking into them. Newborns are better off in a co-sleeper or side-carred crib. Once your child is older (like Grayson), the risk of you rolling on them without them letting you know, etc is much less. And of course- you need to know what kind of sleeper YOU are. If you are a heavy sleeper, and would not wake up if your child cries out, you bump into them, etc...then co-sleeping may not be for you.
The best thing is, co-sleeping is shown to reduce the risk of SIDS! When done properly that is. The mother, even when sleeping, is closer to her child, and aware of his breathing. She is more likely to wake if her child has breathing issues.

I am so grateful that Mike- the person I thought would never be ok with this arrangement- also enjoys co-sleeping. It is the best thing for our family at this time.

Laundry Day

Today was laundry day. I normally LOATHE laundry. I loathe it so much, it is the reason we do not cloth diaper Grayson. But today, the laundry was not such a task.

Why?

Because I had a little extra help today.

Really cute help too.....

Where is Grayson?

Peek-a-boo

This is fun Mom!

I think we got it all? Anything left in there to fold?

Nope Mom- we are all good!

Grayson loves tagging along while I clean house. He motivates me to clean quickly too. I just put him on the floor and as he crawls and walks towards things, I go over and try and clean the area/pile before he gets to it. Yep, he has been quite the little motivator.

"A New Kind Of Family"

I remember an addiction I had to a certain show a while back. It was a great show, although, looking back- very "corny." Everyone on the show would have similar problems during the same episode, they would all learn a valuable lesson together. The father was a church leader, they preached the importance of waiting until marriage to have sex, yet addressed that teens do engage in this activity before marriage, and the consequences from it. The family loved each other through all these small problems, and even a rebel child who had to be sent to live with the grandparents. YEP- I was addicted to "7th Heaven"


"7th Heaven" now has reruns on ABC Family. I have taken the time to enjoy a few, especially a season I missed during a year without cable, while being a stay at home mom. Becuase of this viewing time, I have gotten to see commercials for the show on this network in the primetime.

Let's pause for a moment and think about the network's name.... ABC FAMILY.... One would imagine that such a network would show uplifting shows with good values, right?

Well, the current shows include : "Pretty Little Liars" "Secrets of the American Teenager" and the such. Each involves young teenage girls who gossip, spread rumors, have sex, often times very casually, and much of it is glamorized. And what is the networks slogan at the end of each commercial: "A New Kind of Family"

It is sad, that we now put on a "FAMILY" network, shows that actually glamorize the actions that are leading to the downfall of a healthy family and society. While it is reality that many teenagers do engage in such activities, there are still those who do not, or those who would not if it did not appear as though the consequences were non-existent on these shows.

I read an article somewhere that MTV actually thinks some girls are now TRYING to get pregnant as teenagers- for the stardom they may be able to find through shows such as their very own "Teen Mom."

The downfall of society begins with the values we teach our children...or rather DON'T teach our children. Should we shun a child that makes a bad decision...no. BUT- we should detour them to the best of our ability, from making such choices. We should help them seek uplifting entertainment that encourages the values and morals we want them to hold.

Satan has realized that the easiest way to destroy the family is from inside the home. While he can't just walk in the door, he has found two very easy entries from television and internet. Both are wonderful tools, but if not used with caution, can lead someone down a path that is destructive to the family and the soul.

I hope and pray that there will be a change in the hearts of man. That shows such as "Pretty Little Liars" will not be on networks that are marketed as "family" networks. I know they will never disappear, but I would hope that they would not be tied to a network that promotes FAMILY in their title or company.

8 Months Old

Yeah- Last minute picture of Grayson for his 8 month post.

I find it hard to believe that it is only 4 months until we will celebrate his 1st Birthday!

Grayson has had a CRAZY growth spurt this week! Leading to wanting 28-30 oz a day of Breastmilk/formula and solids all day long. We had 2-3 days of non-stop eating!!!!!

He now weighs in at 16 lbs 1 oz!!!! This seems so big to me. He just barely got into 3-6 month clothes last month and now, many of them are getting tight. A few 0-3 months still fit him, but only the brands that run REALLY big.

Grayson enjoys food right now. So, I suppose this picture is appropriate. He is enjoying the Gerber Puffs here. Oh, how I hate myself for those (actually these ones are the knock-off Parent's Choice brand). These things are filled with things he probably should not be getting yet- Gluten and Sugar....YUM!!!

I should really accept the fact that this is really such a small part of his diet, breastmilk is super sweet and packed with sugar (although natural), and it is something he really enjoys as he can feed himself, and it eases OUR minds because they melt as he chews them. He also is becoming open to purees- which he formerly despised. This is kind of nice because it is giving us a lot more options for food during the day. I am doing weight watchers now, so I make foods that are geared towards that, not always Grayson friendly. So purees are great for us during the day.

On to other milestones- Grayson has ditched the army crawl for real crawling. Well, usually. Sometimes he realizes that he can army crawl faster (maybe because he did it for over 2 months before moving on) and will drop down to the army crawl.

He has been pulling himself up to a standing position for quite some time now and has also been walking all around the living room using furniture.

Recently, he has taken a few steps every day with no support. However, he is not confident enough in himself to do anymore than that. I hope he continues to be timid with walking. I am not ready for him to be that mobile. He is already getting into everything!

Grayson has fought sleep a lot more since we returned from Texas. We have been trying to work on this, but after 2 weeks of trying to get him down for the night and him waking 30 minutes after he falls asleep, then fighting sleep for 2 hours, we have decided that we are going to go with the flow a little longer. However, during the middle of the night we are working to get him to realize he can put himself back to sleep and not comfort nurse every hour. Since we do not use "Cry It Out" this is taking some time, but we have seen improvement.

He is extremely talkative and has been playing with the words DaDa and MaMa- although I am still sure he has no idea what they mean.

Grayson has a sense of humor that is really starting to show through. He loves to make people laugh. He also has no problem letting you know if you have displeased him, taken away something he wants, not giving him food fast enough, etc. He loves to bounce on our legs and will bounce up and down if we stop- letting us know he wants to do it some more. He will dance to music (bounce up and down).

This has been a fun but exhausting stage. I have learned that mental and physical developments are so much fun, but also exhaust both baby and parents. I look forward to everything that we have yet to experience but am trying to treasure the here and now.

FOOD

Just wanted to share a few pictures of Grayson exploring food.
We have found Grayson has little interest in purees and so we are doing Baby Led Weaning/Solids. The name may be a little deceiving. (That is why I put Solids next to the word weaning) It is not about weaning from nursing. It is about how you introduce solids. It is a way of skipping purees for the most part and letting your child lead you in starting soft, solid foods that are in managable bite sizes. Letting the child learn to feed themselves. Now, we do give Grayson oatmeal and some purees- but not many.
Grayson is quite fond of bananas if they are the real thing and not purees. He refuses to eat pureed bananas.

However, his face today when we gave him broccoli was just too funny. I had to get the camera out. This is after about his 5th taste that I was able to catch one of his expressions on camera. After that he was not even willing to put the broccoli in his mouth. I guess we will try again another time.

He is also learning to use a sippy cup. I am not a fan of the ones with handles. For some reason they always seem like a step backward to me. Bottles do not have handles and regular cups do not have handles so why would I want to give him a sippy cup with handles.

Avent does make an insert for their bottle to replace the nipple and turn it into a sippy cup. So we bought some of those. The best thing- the water will not come out if you are biting!!!! Hoping that will help detour him from biting too much once he gets his top teeth in (during breastfeeding that is).

I must say, I never thought I would be on the *crunchy* side of parenting. So many of our parenting choices have suprised us. Baby Led Weaning is one such choice.

Top Moments of 2010- Part 3

4) Halloween

We enjoyed our Halloween this year as we were able to dress Grayson up (as Mickey Mouse thanks to Terrie) and go to the ward party, family members homes, and a few friend's houses. Mike used this as an excuse to collect candy for him to eat.

Mike and I decided we wanted to dress up a little as well so we had our friends bring us back a few accessories from Disney World. This is not a very good picture but it will do.

This was at Carma's office on Friday before Halloween.

3) Christmas

The first Christmas of a child- particularly a family's first- is more fore the parent's than the child. We were so excited that Grayson was old enough to help open his presents, crawl around, and enjoy the toys and other gifts he was given without too much help from Mommy and Daddy. However, I think we will enjoy watching him next Christmas even more.

Since I just posted pictures from this a few posts back- I think I will leave this moment pictureless.

2) TEXAS 2010!

We LOVE our friends The Bolander Family. We were so sad to see them move from Boise. However, we have enjoyed visiting them in Texas a few times. It is nice for us to escape the cold and head somewhere warm. We lucked out- Boise had some pretty cold temperatures while we were gone, and Texas stayed warm until about 2 hours after we were dropped off at the airport.

I learned a lot from the trip to Texas-

I will not take a baby who is teething, fights sleep and sleeps well in their own bed on a trip where they willl share a bed with mom and dad, be completely sleep deprived, and have to suddenly adjust to 5 kids who adore him, ever again.

Ok- I probably will, but needless to say, we are still trying to get Grayson to sleep in his own crib again, he is not napping well AT ALL, and has become SUPER CLINGY ever since the trip.

1) May 20, 2010

The Birth Of Grayson

Was there any doubt that this would be #1?

Grayson blessed us with his arrival on May 20th and has continued to bless our lives every day since.

He looks every bit like a Farrar but acts every bit like his Daddy.

He is a complete ham, extremely active, attentive (which is the only thing that resembles me and NOT Mike), and curious about the world around him. He enjoys walking along furniture, crawling, books, and any toys that he can make move, light up, or make sound.

To read Grayson's birth story CLICK HERE

2010 was definitely a year of changes, adventure, and BLESSINGS!

We look forward to 2011 and all that it holds.

Top Moments of 2010- Part 2

7. Road Trip-

When Grayson was just shy of 2 months old we took him, along with my parents, on his first road trip. We went to Omaha, NE and visited Winter Quarters- This is where my parents served their first mission- We also visited the Henry Doorley Zoo. If you have never been to this zoo- it in itself is worth the trip. It is AMAZING!!!!! We also went to Mnt Rushmore and Cody, WY where we visited the Buffalo Bill museum.

It was a great trip, Grayson did well, but I don't think I will do a 8 day roadtrip with only 1 day not driving, with a 2 month old again. However, it gave Grayson the claim that he had been to 7 states before he was 2 months old.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST FROM THIS TRIP

6. Last day at the J-O-B!!!

May 5th was so surreal to me! I couldn't believe that day was finally here. It was the last day at my job at Shearer & Bonney, PC- Attorneys at Law!

I still go back, with Grayson, and visit the old job and the last time I was there, I even trained a gal on something...LOL! At times, I miss getting up and ready everyday and going to work, but I would never give up this opportunity to stay home with Grayson.

5. May 12th comes and goes!

Yep, May 12th, my due date, came and went! I felt no hurry to push Grayson out before his due date, but being anti-induction, I began feeling a bit anxious. Between that and the constant emails, texts, and Facebook messages asking if I had gone into labor yet. I began walking, using the birthing ball, and so much more to encourage Grayson to drop and labor to begin. However, none of it seemed to help. I never got to the point of being "done" being pregnant, maybe that is why none of this worked.

Taking a little break

I am taking a little break from the family blog. I will probably be back within a week or so, but right now I am focusing on getting healthy and a few other things so taking the time to do lengthy posts is not at the top of the list. So yeah, the top ten moments- well, they will be put on hold.
Hope everyone is enjoying this new year and using it to accomplish the goals they have set.

Top Ten Moments of 2010- Part 1

Well, Grayson is napping and I honestly don't feel like doing much- so I figured I could start my Top Ten Moments of 2010!

#10- Farrar Family Reunion

This year we had the first ever Keith & Mary Farrar Family Reunion. Last year, my sisters were kind enough to nominate me (haha) to organize it. Of course- this was before I was expecting Grayson. So, organizing this and preparing for him was a lot of fun (plus other things I had to organize for).

Everyone made it except Eric and his family, and some of Merlin's kids. Hopefully next year EVERYONE will make it!

One of the best memories (besides Madison (Alicia's little girl) telling us how she is "Lovin on Michael (Jackson)") was when Mike and Ryder took the canoe out. There were AWFUL winds and yes- they swam it back. Here are some pictures of them emptying out the canoe and draining the items that were soaked/full of water.

#9- Sienna Visits

I love every year when we get to spend time with Mike's niece- Sienna! This year it was a little more low key then in the past. No roadtrips anywhere. Since I had left my job and stayed at home, we didn't have to worry about Mike and my mother-in-law Kathe getting days off so someone would be home to watch Sienna either.

Sienna was a great help to me with Grayson. I also enjoyed taking her out to the park, zoo and Discovery center (a museum/activity science center).

Sadly- I am not able to locate the memory card that has the 2-3 pictures of her visit here. I had actually taken SEVERAL pictures but my memory card was on the fritz and they ended up being "warped"

#8- Great Grandmas!

Grayson met both his Great Grandmas this summer.
Grayson met my Grandma Farrar at 2 months on the way home from his first roadtrip.

2-3 Weeks later he met Mike's Grandma Hayward when we were picking up Sienna. This picture was taken when we brought her back to Lewiston.

I feel blessed that we were able to take him to meet both his living Great Grandmas

I am sorry to say that Poppy- Mike's grandpa who raised him was not able to hold Grayson on this earth as he passed away in August. However, I am grateful for the knowledge that one day he will be able to be with Grayson.

The Rumors Aren't Always True

There is a popular rumor that goes around about Breastfeeding. That rumor- that you lose weight super fast while breastfeeding. I LOVED that! I was looking forward to the weight just coming off after I had Grayson.
Well, fast forward to actually having him....
First off- I had a c-section...so my hard core workouts were put on hold due to the incision. Second- I did lose 30 pounds within a month of Grayson being born. This seems minor, until you understand, I only gained 10 pounds while pregnant. I was SUPER excited with my lower weight, my pre-pregnancy clothes fitting better than before I conceived, and the fact I was doing it without hard core exercise.
Well, as I am quite open about- having PCOS/IR made it hard to establish a good milk supply. During one of my many visits to the local LC we discussed what I was eating. She kindly, but firmly, explained that my weightloss was great- but if I wanted to get my supply up, I needed to be eating more. I was hardly eating 1300 calories at the time. A breastfeeding mother needs a minimum of 1500 calories- preferably closer to 1800, to maintain her supply.
So, sadly, as I increased my calorie intake- I gained back all 30 pounds (remember again- I only gained 10 while pregnant). I promised myself I would not worry about it until Grayson was at least 6 months old. Well, he hit 6 months and then it was Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving I started thinking a lot about my weight. Every time I have tried to lose weight while Breastfeeding, my supply has tanked. By this time I was so down about my weight I was ready to wean if I had to start in January. However, Grayson started asking to nurse and both of us were enjoying the nursing sessions. SO, I was torn.
A visit to my OB, the LC, and a lot of research later- and I am positive there is a happy middle ground.
SO- I am beginning my weightloss journey. Hence, the ticker on the side of the blog. I actually started making some changes about 2 weeks ago and have lost 4 pounds already! My goal is to be down the 30 pounds I gained back by the time Grayson is 1.
I know a lot of people have their miracle diets, etc that they are using right now. I am happy that they have found something that works for them. However, one thing I have noticed, that in my personal opinion, these diets do not follow my personal guideline of what is healthy (The Word of Wisdom found in D&C Section 89), and with much prayer, I knew these diets were not in line with that guideline. I will be using that scripture as my guideline for my foods. Eating mostly fruits and vegetables, then whole grains and lastly meats. I feel the Lord knows what is best for the bodies that he designed for us, and so I will follow what he has set forth as healthy living standards.
I plan on doing Zumba (I have the original DVDs) and walking 3-4 days a week with a friend while her oldest daughter is in school.
Other than that, I hope to just be healthy in my choices, avoid junk foods and find small ways to be more active.
I normally don't share these goals, worried that it will be humiliating when I publicly fail...but that is just giving myself an out. If I share these goals, then I know I will need to succeed as others will be watching me.
So- what are your goals for 2011?

It Looks Like:

Just a quick thought-
It looks like Toys R Us threw up in my living room....
Grayson sure was spoiled by his Aunts this Christmas.

Grayson's First Christmas Part 1

Just wanted to post a few random Christmas pictures. But I felt I should give a little summary of events too.

So here it is. On Christmas Eve we went up to Carma & Amanda's house in the mountains (near Idaho City) to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. Good food, games, great company.

Here is a picture of Grayson with Aunt Joyce.

We played Christmas Carol Pictionary. This is my older brother Brian taking his turn.

Grayson enjoyed the wrapping paper, ribbon, and tissue paper!

He was spoiled plenty. We headed home and he slept the drive down. So, when we got home he was WIDE AWAKE! We tried to go to bed around 11:40, during which time Santa arrived, but Grayson was still not sleepy- so he opened Santa presents at 12:10 am.

He did a great job opening most of his gifts.

He finally fell asleep around 1:45 am and then woke up to eat around 3:30. After that we all slept (with one more nursing session in there) until 9:00 am.

I am quite tired (I actually have the stomach flu today) so I think I will end there for tonight.

Merry Christmas from the Robins Family