Well we have made it through our second full month of Dave Ramsey and I must say it really is not too bad. I saw this video from the church pop up on my facebook this month and I thought "this is so true."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC7pPAyrSSg
When I think back on how foolish with money Justin and I were when we first got married I just can't imagine it now! I am like "WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!?!?!?" Ahhh! I mean we just bought whatever we wanted back then! Justin likes to blame the house on me. He wanted to just live in an apartment, but I thought "That is just throwing money away!" How was I supposed to know the whole economy was going to come crashing down and now we would be stuck and couldn't sell. oh well. We were very stupid though. I had about $20,000 or so saved up when we got married. Where is that now? Who knows! It turned into debt! And did we need it all? NOOOO! But I thought we did at the time. We ate out all the time and just did whatever we wanted. Now I can't even fathom it! I NEVER buy anything full price unless we really NEED it. Most everything we buy now is always searched for at yard sales or Craigslist first. I have actually NEVER even bought Kaitlyn a new outfit! Everything she has was either donated to us, bought from yard sales, or my mom does like to buy her a few things every so often. But I don't! I even buy her baby food on Craigslist! haha. Don't worry it is within date and unopened :)
The gist of the Dave Ramsey program is we pay cash for whatever we can, that is not drafted out of our account. And you set a budget. Like for instance we only allow $140 for groceries. And that includes diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies...everything. So then we allow $60 for restaurants/to-go foods etc. The premise of Dave Ramsey is that if I run out of our $140 grocery budget, I have to take it out of somewhere else...like our restaurant budget. It NEVER goes back on credit. It really helps to pay with cash too b/c you really are physically seeing exactly where your money goes! There is a lot more to it than that, but you get the picture. So far we are doing pretty well. Still a long ways to go, but still hoping to be able to live off one income this year! If anyone is ever interested in the program just ask us about it! We definitely recommend it!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
6 months ago...
Kaitlyn turned 6 months this past Sunday! I can't believe how fast she is growing! Although I can't say I miss the newborn stage since she is such a fussy baby! Maybe the first 2 weeks...She would actually let us cuddle her then. She has been getting slowly easier the older she gets as she is able to start entertaining herself with toys and what not. I am so looking forward to when she becomes mobile and really can play with stuff. And for those who say I won't...I guarantee I would rather have to watch out for and chase a mobile baby than constantly hold a screaming baby! So here are some updates of her 6 month check up:
Weight: 14 lbs 3 oz. Length: 24 1/4"
She is still a pretty small baby for her age being in the 10-25%. Currently she still is not eating solids very well. We have tried cereals and vegetables and the only time she will actually eat without a fight is in the bathtub! But I can't give her 3 baths a day! I thought maybe it was the lounging position of the tub, so I sat her in it without water but she wouldn't lay down in it or eat! She just prefers her bottles. I have also successfully hit the 6 month mark of exclusively pumping! I can successfully say that Kaitlyn has never had a drop of formula and all of her milk is exclusively pumped by me! I tried breastfeeding the first few weeks, but she would just never latch on unless I used this 'nipple shield' thing that I HATED! It would leak milk everywhere and I would get so annoyed. So I just started pumping. It's really not bad. I pump once in the morning before she wakes up, once mid afternoon when she is napping, and then 1-2 more times when Justin is home.
Kaitlyn has also started to not really let anyone else hold her besides me if I am in the same room. It is hard b/c even when Justin is home, I am still the one that usually still has to hold her, but secretly I love that she loves her Mommy so much! I know that I always vent on here about how hard she is, but I think Heavenly Father sent her to me for a reason. I have learned so much PATIENCE from her. Other things like work or whatever still stress me out so much, but it is amazing the bond that develops between a mother and baby. I usually always know what she wants and how to fix it. Even if it is not always convenient for me. And if I do have to have a difficult child I would at least prefer it to be my first! Those rare times that she does actually laugh...which are EXTREMELY rare make me so happy I could burst. Her smiles are much more common and those too melt my heart. Those happy times make it all so worth it. I just wish there were more of them! Guess I can't be greedy.
Weight: 14 lbs 3 oz. Length: 24 1/4"
She is still a pretty small baby for her age being in the 10-25%. Currently she still is not eating solids very well. We have tried cereals and vegetables and the only time she will actually eat without a fight is in the bathtub! But I can't give her 3 baths a day! I thought maybe it was the lounging position of the tub, so I sat her in it without water but she wouldn't lay down in it or eat! She just prefers her bottles. I have also successfully hit the 6 month mark of exclusively pumping! I can successfully say that Kaitlyn has never had a drop of formula and all of her milk is exclusively pumped by me! I tried breastfeeding the first few weeks, but she would just never latch on unless I used this 'nipple shield' thing that I HATED! It would leak milk everywhere and I would get so annoyed. So I just started pumping. It's really not bad. I pump once in the morning before she wakes up, once mid afternoon when she is napping, and then 1-2 more times when Justin is home.
Kaitlyn has also started to not really let anyone else hold her besides me if I am in the same room. It is hard b/c even when Justin is home, I am still the one that usually still has to hold her, but secretly I love that she loves her Mommy so much! I know that I always vent on here about how hard she is, but I think Heavenly Father sent her to me for a reason. I have learned so much PATIENCE from her. Other things like work or whatever still stress me out so much, but it is amazing the bond that develops between a mother and baby. I usually always know what she wants and how to fix it. Even if it is not always convenient for me. And if I do have to have a difficult child I would at least prefer it to be my first! Those rare times that she does actually laugh...which are EXTREMELY rare make me so happy I could burst. Her smiles are much more common and those too melt my heart. Those happy times make it all so worth it. I just wish there were more of them! Guess I can't be greedy.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Babysitter!
We are in desperate need of a sitter on Saturday April 10th during the day. My mom was originally supposed to watch Kaitlyn while we go to a wedding, but just realized that she has a big Singles Conference that she is in charge of and can't do it. Does anyone have any good sitters that they recommend that don't charge a fortune since we can't afford to pay too much???
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Engagements Galore!
These past two weekends for us have been busy busy! Two of my best friends from High School/College both had engagement parties back to back. It is so great to still all be able to get together with our group of girls and still act like no time has passed in between! We still have an annual Christmas dinner every year and we just realized this past year was our 10th dinner that we all attended! This year is also the year of the weddings apparently. First is my friend Chrissie's in April, then Justin's baby sister Ainsely in July, then my friend Ivy's in September, and my friend Miquel's in October!
The first party was in Wilson, NC which is right outsides of Greenville where I went to school at ECU. Since you drive right through Greensboro we dropped Kaitlyn off at Justin's brother's place and they watched her until we picked her up a few hours later! It was so nice of them!
Chrissie + John Engagement Party: It was a Kentucky Derby themed party...hence all the hats!
I actually made my dress below since it is so hard to find nice dresses these days. Plus I got the fabric at Wal-mart for like $8 or something like that with a Wal-mart gift card so I didn't have to cheat with our Dave Ramsey program! I am really trying to learn how to sew clothes. I basically just learn by trial and error. I hate that all the begineer sewing classes are so basic. I want to learn patterns!
This is Miquel & Kaiser's engagement party. Group shot of all the ladies.
The first party was in Wilson, NC which is right outsides of Greenville where I went to school at ECU. Since you drive right through Greensboro we dropped Kaitlyn off at Justin's brother's place and they watched her until we picked her up a few hours later! It was so nice of them!
Chrissie + John Engagement Party: It was a Kentucky Derby themed party...hence all the hats!
I actually made my dress below since it is so hard to find nice dresses these days. Plus I got the fabric at Wal-mart for like $8 or something like that with a Wal-mart gift card so I didn't have to cheat with our Dave Ramsey program! I am really trying to learn how to sew clothes. I basically just learn by trial and error. I hate that all the begineer sewing classes are so basic. I want to learn patterns!
This is Miquel & Kaiser's engagement party. Group shot of all the ladies.
Me and Miquel (future bride) and Kaitlyn. Who was VERY fussy that night!
Me and Justin with our friends Balti & Emily. They are expecting their first in June! Yay! I won't be the only Mommy of the group anymore! haha!
Me and Justin with our friends Balti & Emily. They are expecting their first in June! Yay! I won't be the only Mommy of the group anymore! haha!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Kaitlyn Milestones
Kaitlyn is finally hitting some milestones all before her 6 month birthday! As of today she can sit up unsupported! She falls over eventually I guess when she stops concentrating on what she is doing, but she can sit for about a minute by herself. If she leans forward too much she is able to pick her body back upright, but if she topples backwards then she is done. I was so happy though! I have been looking forward to the day when she would be able to sit and play with toys b/c she is not very fond of the bumbo or anything where she is restricted. She is also getting a lot better with rolling over. She can now easily roll from her back to her front when she wants to. Here are some pictures of her first day of sitting up like a big girl!
I love this picture here with her hand on her hip! Haha. She looks like she is about to sass me or something.
This toy here that I got at a yard sale is one of her favorites that encouraged her to sit up to play with it.
We have also still been trying to get her to eat solids, but still not much luck. She is content only eating her bottle. We have been trying rice cereal for about a week now and she still does not like it much and swallows hardly anything. It all just gets spit right back out. I guess it will just happen in time. I know I am not a fan of it though! Sooo messy! And so much more hassle than a bottle! haha.
I love this picture here with her hand on her hip! Haha. She looks like she is about to sass me or something.
This toy here that I got at a yard sale is one of her favorites that encouraged her to sit up to play with it.
We have also still been trying to get her to eat solids, but still not much luck. She is content only eating her bottle. We have been trying rice cereal for about a week now and she still does not like it much and swallows hardly anything. It all just gets spit right back out. I guess it will just happen in time. I know I am not a fan of it though! Sooo messy! And so much more hassle than a bottle! haha.
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