Halloween

It's absolutely crazy to think that it's already been a year since last Halloween when Evan and I were Toy Story characters and Maddox was the size of an apple (or something). (I cannot even handle the speed of time you guys. It's not okay that time goes this fast. Not okay.) It's especially weird to think about what I was doing a year ago. I think about it all the time because at this time last year I was pregnant and we had no idea that the baby would be a baby Maddox. And sometimes I just look back on my weekly blog pregnancy updates and laugh and laugh and laugh at how silly I was at like 17 weeks when I was like, "OMG. I'm, like, so huge, or whatever." (In my mind, past Larissa is a Valley Girl. She's awesome.)

My life is one long tangent from the first story I ever tried to tell.


So THIS Halloween. Check. Our church still does an indoor candy giveaway and all staff has to be there and so I decided not to help out since I wanted to hang out with Maddox on his first Halloween (and probably the only Halloween when I can eat all of his candy and he won't know the difference. Just kidding, that will happen for like the next 10). So I decided not to dress up and I just made Maddox a super simple costume.

And it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. The hat is from my friend Jess (shop, blog) and my mom and I made the tail. I actually broke her sewing machine in the process (Sorry, mom!) but she's supermom and fixed it and then I made her finish sewing it because I didn't want to be held responsible for breaking it twice. So when I say I "made" his costume, what I really mean is I bought the fabric and cut it out.

Also it would have been a good idea to take the fox hat with me to the fabric store and buy an orange fabric for his tail. But I don't always do "good ideas" and so that is why his tail is red and his hat is orange. Thumbs up for me. It also would have been a good idea for me to put his costume together before 2:30 today, but that's when I put his hat on and sewed the tail to the pants and realized that the colors are not even close to matching. I laughed pretty hard about it. I also was totally misinformed about how much fabric a "fat quarter" is and so I got two "fat quarters" for the one tail and I have so much fabric left that I'm going to make him a little fox friend. He also already has a fox friend so I have to figure out a different pattern for his new fox friend.

[You guys. My brain has literally been going 500 miles an hour for the past monthish. I feel like someone slipped me some crack and has been consistently slipping me crack and good ideas are just spilling out of my brain and into my life. So this jumbled and jarbled (not a word? it is now, B.) post is pretty much how my mind sounds 99% of the time. And also why it takes me like 2 hours to fall asleep at night.]

[That's his new "There is something sharp in my mouth. Take it out." face. Pretty cute, huh?]

the loveliest

I'm not really a morning person. And thankfully Maddox isn't either. We're usually rolling out of bed around 9. Meanwhile Evan's been up since like 5 and he's already been to the gym, showered, eaten two meals and is at work. I'm like, brushed my teeth. Check plus for today.

But sometimes it's worth it to be out of bed before the sunrise. So that you can fill your favorite mug with some black coffee and wrap yourself in your favorite scarf and head up to the highest point in the city for some sunrise viewing and picture taking.

It's really worth it when you wake up the next morning and there is a blanket of snow covering the ground and the temperatures have dipped way way way below an acceptable degree and it appears as though you caught the last of the beautiful fall days and probably one of the most glorious sunrises of your entire life.

we love fall

You know what is great about fall? What's great about fall is that winter is like knocking on the door to be let in and fall is like, "BACK THE HECK UP, LOSER." And fall proves itself over and over again with the most beautiful of days that absolutely require you to go outside and play in the leaves and open all the windows and doors and enjoy these fleeting moments of nice weather before there is too much snow and ice and cold. Because it's coming. Let's face it. Monday has a high of like 17. =[

And so that's what we did. We did some house projects on our patio instead of inside and then we went across the street to the park and played in the leaves with the puppy and the baby. He only tried to eat one leaf; I'm pretty proud. For a child who thinks everything belongs in his mouth, he's pretty good when it comes to the gross things. (Oh, that's probably just his mama's OCD gene showin through!)

Please also note his pumpkin. I carved it, don't worry. He did not. What I really wanted was a giant pumpkin I could put him inside and carve him 4 little holes for his arms and legs but Evan said no and then I couldn't find a giant enough pumpkin anyway. Also when I was a baby, for my first Halloween, my parent's friend carved me a pumpkin and the mouth was carved into my name. My name was carved into the mouth? I'm not sure how to say that. I'll say it both ways. Use your imagination.

But here's Maddox and his very first pumpkin, in his very first pile of leaves.

Um, the shirt. I KNOW. I cannot handle it. I simply cannot. The reason I ordered it is actually because Evan has one just like it (not the one he was wearing, even though kind of that one too) and I am that mom. And those adorable shoes that you can only see the bottoms of? Those were Evan's. Dressing a boy baby wasn't a ton of fun because everything girl is pink and frilly and polka dotted and FLOWERS IN THE HAIR OMG. But now that Maddox is older and bigger, GIVE TO ME ALL THE MINI ADULT BOY CLOTHES. Because, seriously.

seven months//dear maddox

Dear Maddox,

Today you are seven whole months! I feel like we just celebrated the six month mark, did we not? I remember putting you to sleep on your sixth month birthday and thinking to myself, "Remember this moment. Tomorrow he will be a day over six months and another day closer to another month older." And then, BAM! Here we are at seven months.

This age has been my favorite so far. You, little love, are so much fun. I absolutely adore getting to spend all of my time with you. Your little personality has really blossomed over the past month and I cannot wait to see it develop more and more.

You've caught on very fast that you are the center of our worlds. We cannot do anything unless you are right there in the middle of it. We cook dinner with you in your high chair in the middle of the kitchen. And if we take too long to make eye contact with you or feed you or look at you, you are quick to remind us that you are still there. You scream and yell and holler at us and child, you are so loud. We yell and scream and holler right back at you and you giggle and fall into a fit of hysterical laughter because you think that we are just the funniest humans on this planet. And that makes my heart so full.

You started grabbing our faces this month. You grab my cheeks or your daddy's beard and stare intently into our eyes. On one occasion I was picking a booger out of your nose (your least favorite thing) and you reached up and stuck your finger in my nose. You are a genius I'm sure of it.

Your daddy and I think you're just on the verge of crawling. I've seen you do it in your crib but you refuse to make any sort of effort on the ground. You've even started sleeping on your tummy with your cute little bum up in the air. When you're awake you can rock back onto your knees from your tummy and you've finally figured out how to lift your head up (rather than using it to prop your body up). This stage where you roll back to front to back to front to get your toy that's just out of your reach is about over. I know I'll set you on the carpet and go back to the couch and you'll be following me on your little hands and feet in no time at all. And that will be just the beginning.

You really are the sweetest baby. You have such a happy personality and you are constantly smiling. Sometimes I see babies who are just there and who don't make a ton of noise or engage. You're always engaged, always talking, always interested. You figure things out in no time at all. Like, if you're sitting on my lap while I'm eating, you open your mouth when I do hoping for a bite of food. You can feed yourself Puff baby snacks (even though most of them end up on your chin or in your high chair or smashed into your bib). When I'm feeding you, you open your mouth big and wide to tell me to give you another bite already! You reach for us to pick you up when you're sick of not being held. You're learning to walk in the walker that grandma bought you and you're the best at going backwards.

We finally have a schedule! I cannot even sing the praises of schedules enough. You have nap times and feeding times and a bed time. We are finally getting this thing down. But you are the most easy going baby in the world. And when I was being a crazy mother who thought that 9 pm was a good time to put you to bed, you went with it. When I realized that actually 7 pm was a better time for bed, you graciously accepted my change and if we are not doing our nighttime ritual by 6:30, you are one unhappy camper. It only took me 6+ months to feel comfortable at this mom thing. I can now clean up the house and work on my things and have dinner ready for when daddy comes home from work. I no longer feel like I'm drowning in not wanting to put you down and needing to be a mom constantly. It totally helps that you are now more "independent." I mean, I can set you on the ground with 15 toys and you're good for five minutes. These baby steps are making it my little love. Baby steps.

I know that I've only known you for seven months but I can't even remember my life before you. I know that I grew you for nine long months and those months seemed like an eternity and then here we are, almost to nine months again and these almost nine months seem like the blink of an eye. I know that never in my wildest imagination could I have realized how much I would love you and how quickly you would change my life. Sometimes I think about the first time I saw you and then the first time I held you as I was wheeled back to our room. Your daddy said he was a little worried about that moment, considering I was pumped full of so many drugs and couldn't keep my eyes open. But I held on tight to your tiny body wrapped in that blanket and stared into those deep blue eyes and fell madly in love with you. It took one tiny millisecond for you to change my life forever. Everyone says it will happen, but it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself. No amount of words will ever do that feeling justice.

But here we are now, seven months from that moment and I fall more in love with you every single day. You never stop amazing me with all the new things you learn and all the funny faces you make and all the sounds you sing out. I love every last thing about you and I will love you more tomorrow than I do today. Happy seven months, my sweet baby love. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Mama

about teeth.

Have you ever met those really annoying moms who are like, "We didn't even know __ was teething until a tooth popped up! No fussing, no crying, no typical teething signs." BLAH BLAH BLAH.

EXCEPT HOLLA AT CHA GIRRRRL

because Maddox is that baby.

Because homeboy has a tooth. A TOOTH. And I didn't even know it. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know it was here already. He was chewing on a clear toy a few weeks ago and when he pressed the toy against his gums I could see the white. But he was never fussy. He never had a temp. Throw the list of teething symptoms in the trash and burn. it. because my child has been a total champ with that SHARP tooth making its way through his gums.

You go, baby love!

It is my one small victory because Maddox also hates sleep. OR he hates sleep in his crib. He thinks nighttime is for two to three hour naps and wakes up and wants to play and eat and growl and yell and cry and I'm like, "Please, child. GO TO SLEEP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD."

But anyway, teeth. Isn't the human body the craziest thing ever? Like, how did that tooth decide to join us? One day it was just like, "I'M OUT." And now here it is? Related: I grew a baby. I mean, mostly I was an incubator. But I grew a baby. I grew a baby like I breathe air: I didn't have to think about it one time and my body took care of all that and I just ran around and got fat and tired and swollen and then they cut that baby out of me and that baby took a breath and lived on his own without being attached to me by a cord and gets bigger and bigger every single day and his body taught him to sit up and roll over and bounce and I didn't have to do anything but feed him and change his diaper and give him a place to sleep.

Mind Blown.

(Obviously I'm doing more than just feeding, changing and allowing sleep over here. Just to clarify.)

A guest post

The sweetest Amanda invited me to share a little bit about my love for fall on her blog today. I am so honored to be included on the sweetest little series she's starting this week. Ya'll should go on over and check it out! (But really, it was just another excuse for me to take a million more family pictures in this beautiful Montana fall.)

This weekend is for pumpkin carving and seed roasting and family pictures for a new friend and if the weather is cold you will definitely find me curled up in front of the fire place at my parent's house. Probably going to sneak some home made apple crisp in there as well. You can't go wrong with homemade apple crisp with apples from your uncle's tree. You just can't.

the pumpkin patch

Today we ventured to the pumpkin patch because nothing screams fall like some corn stalks twice your height and a million pumpkins in a field of mud. (See also: a baby in a beanie, pumpkin spice lattes, scarves and boots.) Maddox was the best trooper even though it was a little chilly and I'm sure pumpking patching wasn't high on his list of things he wanted to do (babies have a list, you guys). We also brought out our Happy Baby Wrap which was my best friend when Maddox was a frog-legged newborn but then he gained some weight and I just recently figured out how to wear a bigger, squirmier, launches-himself-backwards baby. And let me say, I'm a fan. Today mostly made me fall madly in love with Montana falls. Typically we have summer or winter, we're not big on the in betweens up here. But this year, Montana is gifting us some crisp fall days and some beautifully leafed trees and the best kind of weather to dust off your boots and pick up some coffee and spend a little extra time in the great outdoors before Montana realizes that it's two weeks into October and there's no snow on the ground. Everyone shhh about that last part. Let's all collectively see how long we can postpone winter. (Also, let's talk about how lucky we are to have farm land an inch from my city. Because you probably wouldn't believe that there are houses and subdivisions surrounding all of this and this pumpkin patch was maybe ten minutes from our house. Never leaving the last best place.) 

the weekend

you guys? i need to brag on my husband for a minute. it's been far too long since i've dedicated a post to him and he deserves some serious credit and high fives among other things for this weekend.

this week has been a week of mommy guilt and inadequacies and bad things happening to really good people and just all around shittiness. i was so looking forward to the weekend and just spending time with my family because after this week, that's all i really wanted.

but evan started The Best Friday Ever by taking our very restless and anti sleeping babe out of our room after i fed him and told me to sleep in for a while. he woke me up a little later to tell me that he had taken the day off of work a few months ago (just for fun, as a surprise) (and also right after he did that i unknowingly told him i would love it if one morning he was just like, "SURPRISE! no work today!" i'm telling you. our telepathy should get its own TV show.) and we were going to brunch to celebrate no work.

so we did. to our favorite brunch spot where we got our usual and we talked and hung out on a random day during the week.

THAT NEVER HAPPENS AND IT WAS AMAZING.

we also went to coffee and we also watched a few episodes of the office (still rewatching. still mad that it's over.) and evan turned to me and said, "i know that i said i didn't want to do anything tonight, but you need to go put a dress on because i told your mom we would be there at 5:30 so she could take maddox and i could take you to dinner."

INSERT HEART EYE EMOJI HERE.

so i got ready, he got ready, we dropped the baby off and went to our favorite fancy-pants-no-babies dinner location where we sat at a B-A-R and sipped big kid drinks and talked big kid talks. i ate my entire meal without the cutest little paw reaching into my plate faster than i can stop it. and i ate my entire meal without it growing cold. i felt so pampered and spoiled. (plusalso i had a big girl glass of wine. FANCY.)

but i missed my kid. for real. i love eating cold food with a bouncy baby on my lap and his fingers in my plate and grabbing at my fork and my glass. it's my jam and it's the very best.

i was plotting out my dessert POA when i jokingly asked evan, "so. you got any more tricks up your sleeve?" and indeed he did. out came two tickets to les mis. our friend slash the worship director at our church was a lead in the play and watching a play is like 423524 times better when you know the actors IRL. except for i don't know why they didn't ask me to be in the play because i spent the remainder of my friday night and all of saturday singing and dancing and all around being a movie star. because you know how i do.

saturday and sunday we hung out as a family and acted ridiculous (i found a scarf in my closet and tied it around my head and wore lipstick THREE. DAYS. IN. A. ROW. [first time in like a year.] which just makes me act so ridiculous) and had such a good weekend. i hate that weekends have to end because seriously, i could live on an endless saturday.