My 7 Month Mister

I love these overalls. 

My little Nolan is getting so big!! I love, love, love this stage he's in. He's a usually happy boy, and he's very, very busy. Anytime we help him stand up, he's usually jumping about 2 seconds later. 

We often find Nolan in the above position. We like to think he's working on his obliques. But he will seriously just hang out on his side. It makes me laugh. 

He is up on all fours! He can rock back and forth and scoot every so slightly. I am not ready for a crawler. I'm hoping it takes him a little while longer to figure it out. 

But honestly. This kid is so long!! At his last check up (that was somewhere between 6 and 7 months), he was 28 inches long, putting him in the 87th percentile! I can't believe how much he's grown. 

If that picture doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. Nolan's new foods since last month: avocado, oatmeal, cantaloupe, and sweet potato. I introduce a new food about every 5 days. Well, I try.  He's trying peas for lunch today. He better like them because I made 8 servings worth! :) From my observation, I think his favorite thing to eat is the banana and avocado puree I make- scarfs. it. down. 

Some things I love about Nolan right now: when I'm holding him, he often pats me on the back. If I ask for a kiss, sometimes he'll lean in to me, open mouthed. One morning when I got him out of the crib, he was so happy, and he leaned in to me right away for a an open mouthed kiss. How could you not love that?! He gets genuinely excited about eating his solids. He's going to fit right in with our family! He'll sit in the front of the cart while I grocery shop, which is AMAZING! He thinks Adam and I are hilarious, and he loves when we dance crazy in front of him. 

Some things I don't love about this stage right now: he pulls my hair all the time. I watch him eye my hair, waiting for the best time to grab it. It's painful. And I really don't like it. Yes, I'm definitely considering a hair cut. Nolan is really  into playing on the floor right now. So, he'll push against whomever is holding him to try to get down. And well, that just makes me sad. I love that he's growing in independence, but he seems too young to be doing this. 

Things Nolan loves right now: MY HAIR, paper, his sippy cup, baths, sitting up like a big boy, his jumperoo (!!!!!!!), the song "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen, Little Cabin in the Woods, the Baby Animals book, balloons, rolling everywhere, and laughing. 

Sweet, Noley Poley, I love you so much. Utterly crazy about you! I can't believe I get to be your mama. There are most certainly days that you literally pull my hair out, and I want to pull my hair out. But you, my boy, are such a joy bringer. Your Daddy and I love you more than you'll ever know. 

Marriage These Days

Sometimes, marriage is hard.

That was going to be my opening line for devotions with my team. And honestly, I can't remember if that was last month or back in November. But sometime not too far back, I was feeling that sentiment. 

And when my sweet high school girls look at my family, their eyes are seeing everything they hope and dream for: A perfect husband. A perfect baby (he's close!). A perfect life filled with laughter, happiness, and permanent rainbows in the sky. 

And sometimes I feel the need to reel them back in. 

Because marriage is hard sometimes. Worth every bit of hardness, but hard. It is not natural to choose someone else's needs, desires, and dreams above your own. It is not easy to believe the best all. the. time. It is not romantic to do laundry, cook dinner, and wash dishes 14 times a day. 

But worth it. Absolutely, 100% worth it. 

It's worth having the same conversation over and over to figure out how to better communicate with each other. It's worth the time and effort put in to make sure Adam feels respected and loved. It's worth the cost of dinner to make sure we go on a date every once in a while. It's worth it. 

Since our amazing baby boy entered our lives, Adam and I have talked more about our relationship than ever. More discussions on frustrations, hurt feelings,  miscommunications, and heart issues. I can remember wondering, "Is it going to feel like this from now on?" You know, asked in a panicky sort of way. 

But the amazing thing is, I've never felt more secure or more safe in a relationship than I do right now in our marriage. Because no matter how many times I sit baffled by Adam's way of thinking, or frustrated that he can't seem to close the cabinet doors EVER, or wondering if he knows he hurt my feelings, I'm confident of this: Adam is for me. And I mean that in the sense that Adam is rooting for my success. He believes in me. He is cheering me on while simultaneously doing things that are bringing about further refinement in my own heart. Which can be absolutely exasperating!! 

But worth it!

On Sunday, Adam and I both got all dressed up to go to dinner at the top of the Space Needle. This was my Christmas present to him. I used gift cards to go buy a new dress. I had one of my cheerleaders come over to curl my hair. It was the most dressed up I've been since our wedding day. And as I got ready, I got those excited butterflies in my stomach. Excited to spend time with my husband alone. Excited to do something new and fancy (for us!). Hopeful that I looked pretty for my man because Lord knows I haven't tried that hard in a long time. 

And as I looked at my cute husband throughout the night, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly grateful for him. Grateful for the hard stuff as we transitioned to a family of 3. Grateful for the ways he makes me laugh. And sometimes frustrates me. Grateful for the ways we dream together. Grateful for this journey we're on. Grateful that he's mine, and I'm his. 

Sometimes, marriage is hard. But it's so worth it!