Poppy fields

Ben, Hugo and I went on a hike last weekend at Silver Falls state park.  We met some friends there and spent the afternoon hiking and enjoying all of the waterfalls.  This was Hugo's first long-ish hike (around 5 miles) and he did great!  We stopped once to nurse and once for a quick diaper change.  Otherwise, he was in the carrier (ergo) and loved being outside.  On our way home,  we saw these gorgeous poppy fields on the side of the road near Mt. Angel, Oregon.  Of course we had to stop.  This was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

New dress, new hair!

I picked this dress up at Union Rose a few months ago.  A local designer, Hubris Apparel, created this beautiful frock that I couldn't pass up. I was newly postpartum and looking for something flattering and breastfeeding friendly. This dress fit the bill so it came home with me.  It is definitely breastfeeding friendly, but not exactly pump friendly, so I haven't gotten as much wear out of it as I'd hoped.  

I have been letting the color grow out of my hair for the  past year.  When I was pregnant, I decided to not use hair dye and I continued that path after Hugo was born.  It is so nice to not have to worry about going in every 6 weeks and spending tons of $$$ to get it colored.  It has taken some adjusting, but I decided I'm just going to rock the gray for now:)  I just got it cut about a week ago and got bangs, so the gray is really 'out there' now, but I'm kind of digging it.

Hugo update: 5 1/2 months old

I started back to work last month.  Between that and being a mom, I'm finding it hard to make the time for blogging.  The transition back to work has been very hard.  Much harder than I anticipated.  It's hard to get back into the swing of things, it's hard logistically (pumping,  bottles, diapers, lunch, etc.), and it's oh so hard on me to leave Hugo at daycare.  We are slowly getting into a routine and some aspects of it are getting easier.

I am so thankful to be able to work from home 1 day a week and I just found out that I am going to be able to cut my hours down and work 4 days/week for the rest of the summer (3 days in office, 1 from home).  This arrangement is making it bearable and I could not be happier to have more time with Hugo!

Speaking of Hugo-  he is wonderful!  He  is growing like crazy and doing so many new things.  I love watching him discover the world!

Likes:

*The Johnny Jump Up!  Our friend is letting us borrow an old school johnny jump up.  It hangs on a door frame and can bounce really high.  Hugo thinks it's the best thing ever!  He could spend hours in it if we let him.  He got the hang of it really quickly and LOVES to jump, jump, jump!

*His banana toothbrush and Rusty the robot.

*The dogs.  Hugo is really noticing the dogs now.  He watches them very closely and reaches out to grab them when they walk by.  He grabbed onto Kya's tail a couple of days ago and didn't want to let go.  She is very patient with him.  

*Being outside.  He loves sitting in the back yard looking up at the sky, grabbing onto plants, watching the chickens, and discovering so many new and fun things:)  We found a pack'n play at a yard sale last weekend that we have set up in the back yard.  It's his new favorite hang out spot.  

Dislikes:

*Hugo gets fussy when he is tired or too hot.  That's about it.  I can't really think of anything else to put here.  He is truly a very content and happy baby.

Sleeping:

Sleeping is hit or miss these days.  Some nights he sleeps like  a rock, maybe waking up once for a quick meal.  Other nights he is up 5+ times to nurse.  I think the transition to daycare really impacted his sleeping.  He had a hard time taking a bottle at first and ended up doing a little reverse cycling (when they nurse more frequently at night), which was fine with me. We bed share, so it is very easy for me to just roll over and nurse him whenever he pleases.  I'm much better at sleeping through it for the most part now, so I really don't mind.

Eating:

Hugo is still EBF and eats on demand when we are together.  I'm SO glad I stuck with breastfeeding.  It is so easy now and I absolutely love it.  I love the bond, I love being able to nurture my baby, I love when he gazes up at me so satisfied.  I pump 3 times per day at work to cover what he eats at daycare  (which is currently three 3 ounce bottles).  In about 2 more weeks we will start introducing solids.  We are planning on going with the baby led weaning method. 

Breastmilk popsicle!

Playing:

Hugo loves tummy time, rolling, reading, and his playmat.  He has a handful of favorite toys that he likes to grab, twist, shake, roll, etc.  The mirror is still a hit and he is just now discovering other babies, so playdates are more fun now:)  

Firsts:

Rolled from back to tummy - 5/23/14 (4 months old)

Discovered his feet! - 5/28/14

First day at daycare (loved interacting with and watching the other kids and was "very vocal") - 6/3/14

Transitioned away from being swaddled and discovered belly sleeping- 6/7/14

First taste of "real" food (he had blueberries and LOVED them). - 6/13/14  This seemed to go well, but I'm waiting until Hugo is 6 months to proceed with solids/BLW.  

First canoe trip - 6/29/14 (5 months old)

Sat up on his own- 7/4/14

Feet!

Isn't this the most adorable thing?  He was not a big fan of the life jacket, but we thought it was the cutest:)

On the river!  He slept for most of the trip.

Sitting up on his own!

A recent OOTD