Our 7 month old :D

Oh Luke, you are getting so big!!

We got a lot of clothing items at Christmas. Most of them were 6 months and up. Some were 9-12. I'm pretty sure we're once again running out of clothes that fit him! It's so amazing how fast babies grow and change.

Our little man can roll from front to back and hang out on all 4's as he rocks and rocks!! I'm just waiting for him to move his knees forward and begin the crawling process. All in good time- I learned from his non-rolling self for 6 months, that you can't rush a baby's development. They do it all in their own time. He rolled both ways and pulled up on his knees all in 1 week! It was right around 6 1/2 months.

During the 6th month, he also cut 2 bottom teeth! Such pretty little pearly-whites. :) He takes 4 bottles a day of about 8 ounces on average. Sometimes it's more, and sometimes he doesn't feel like finishing the entire thing. During those bottle times he's also getting solids each time except with his last bottle before bedtime. He's mastered eating the fruits and veggies I give him, so I'm anxious to try some new stuff! I think he's ready, too. He's gotten into this thing lately where he acts like he hates drinking from his bottle. I at first assumed he just wasn't hungry, but after a few days of that and him getting behind on his eating habits, I had one fussy baby. Is it possible for babies to decide they don't want a bottle and just want solid food? He's only 7 months so I'm not sure if that's what's going on. Or, is it just a little phase? Either way, we're just trying different things during his eating time. He's been happier in that way this week, which is good. Luke's never been a fussy baby, so when he is, I always feel like a brand new mom having NO earthly idea what's going on with him at that moment. Although, I would still consider myself a new mom with a 7 month old. :)

So, a few weeks ago, my aunt came over and gave me a lesson on break baking! Yes, I know it's not in my new eating strategies these days, but we still break the rules every now and then. This is something I've been wanting to master since we got married. I went through so many sacks of flour in our tiny apartment kitchen in College Station. That was regular yeast bread, though. I never quite got the bread to turn out to my liking, so I guess I just lost the desire. My family, however, makes sourdough bread. You can't make that without a starter, and I never had that on hand. Anywho, my Aunt Ann came over (brought starter) and showed me a few little techniques in bread making. Yay for her! I've made several batches so far and have been able to share it with friends and family, since I would turn into the Michelin Man if it was laying around the house all the time. It's SO good. Check that one off the list, baby! Here's a pic of the rolls the came out of my last batch!

Yummy Valentine heart!

Getting on his hands and knees...

Sitting in a shopping cart all by himself!

Our Valentine

Paleo adventures!

The Paleo bandwagon? YES! Nate and I have definitely jumped aboard. I heard very little about this way of eating before starting it, but in the last few weeks, I've learned SO much more. I did a google search on Paleo diet and found some pretty amazing websites about it. My family has always tried hard to eat healthy and cut out as much processed foods as possible. We watched Food, Inc. a few years ago, and since then I have a hard time buying grocery store meat, as it's nearly impossible to get grass-fed meats.

Summing those things up, I can't say I've done exactly what I know is best in the way of eating food. We eat what's easy most of the time, with spurts here and there of "healthier eating" time periods.
Meats, fats, veggies, and small amounts of natural carbs are the best diet in my opinion. Lo and behold, that's what Paleo is (minus the refined sugars and grains)! I was SO excited to see there's a method out there that can help guide us through our desired eating ways!!

It just makes sense!

As we've been working on this the last week or so, I've definitely enjoyed the cooking aspect! I've have a TON of new veggies in my fridge that I can't say I've had in a LONG time, much less even tried before. Chard anyone??? Yes, I knew exactly what chard was before starting this journey... ha. Now, I do! And I can't wait to try it. Not to mention the plethera of other veggies filling our fridge! We're cooking with coconut and olive oil only and not being shy on the meats, either.

I will say the first week has been tough. I HATE the way I feel, but I love it in a way, too. I like the cleaner feeling I have, but I do believe my body is transitioning from horrible, disgusting processed food and sugar eating to this new method, and it's revolting against me! Nate and I have had pretty bad head aches and general tiredness. On a lighter note, I have not been hungry at all! I also haven't even craved anything sweet or "bready". It's kinda strange!

I've done things like this before and haven't had an easy time staying on the bandwagon. I'm really hoping this turns more into a lifestyle for us, as we're working to look at this way, rather than another "diet"! Nate and I ate like our usual ways yesterday, and today my stomach is hating me. Just after 1 week. We had mexican food and ate ice cream last night. Yikes is all I can say.

Soon and very soon we will be getting a Trader Joe's in The Woodlands! yippee!!! This means more of an opportunity to buy grassfed meats! My mom cooked with these kinds of meats when I was still living at home, and I will say they have a different, fresher taste.

I'm excited to see how this goes over the next month. Nate and I decided we'd pledge to do it for 1 month!