My how I have grown...

One month!

Two months!

Three months!


And everyday we love you more sweet boy!

Rowan would like to say...

"I'm so proud of my Aunt Paige!"

And I am so proud of my older sister.
A commitee at her school voted her "Teacher of the Year"!
She is also a student again herself.
She is working towards getting her Masters degree.
I don't know how she juggles being a mom,
a wife, a teacher and a student.
Not to mention all the things she is involved in at church.

But she does it well!

Way to go Paige!

We love you!

We had the perfect outfit to take a picture for Paige!

Her school colors are red and baby blue!

Happy Pumpkin Day!

Yes, I did it. I made Halloween cards! :)
Since most of our friends and family live out of town
and won't be able to see Rowan in his cute little

giraffe costume I figured Halloween cards

would be perfect.

Have a great weekend...

&

Happy Pumpkin Day!

gettin the hang of it.

He only cried 3 minutes tonight...and hasn't woken up yet.

Sweet!

I'm off to bed!

wow...

A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP!

REVOLUTIONARY!

Sweet boy slept from 8-5!!!

I was totally scared to go check on him this morning.

We are listening to him cry right now.
It isn't as easy today because I worked...
and I haven't spent much time with him.
I so want to go scoop him up and squeeze him.

BUT,

I can do this!
Consistency is key!

And thanks so much for the sweet, encouraging words!
A lurker even came out of hiding...Hi Paula!

Just thought I would blog it!
One, to remember this day.
And two, to keep me busy for a while...

And oh, this precious face.
He is truly "eat-able", as my dad says!

sleep or the lack of...

well, i haven't really written much about my
experiences as a mother. today i was thinking back
over Rowan's short life and feeling like i need to be
documenting more.

mom always says "you're gonna miss this" and
"it won't be like this for long".

and well...she is right.

so, Rowan, my beautiful baby boy,
drives me crazy
sometimes.

and this is why...

last night for example.

he fell asleep in my arms at 8:00.
i layed him down in his crib at 9:00.
at 10:00 he woke up.
he was awake till 11:00.
then up at 12:45.
then back down till 3:00.
then up at 5:00.
then up at 7:00.
then up for good at 8:00.

i'm exhausted people.

so today we started "crying it out".
before today i have thought it was awfully cruel
for a mother to let her child cry.
especially for 45 minutes.
well, that was awfully judgmental of me.
sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

so i noticed him rubbing his eyes and acting sleepy
around 11:15. i layed him down in his crib.
He cried until 12:10 then fell asleep.
He slept for 25 minutes.

The again around 2:00 he looked sleepy again.
He cried until 2:25. Then slept for 25 minutes.

Then this evening he cried for 13 minutes when i layed
him down. And he slept...i don't know how long.
Not enough time for me to finish the corn chowder
i was making.

Tonight after his bath and lotion and pjs,
i rocked him for 2 minutes and layed him down.

He cried less than one minute.
But then he was up an hour later.
Instead of rescuing him, I reassured him.
And he went back to sleep on his own.

It is 10:00 and this apartment is silent
except for the clanking of the keys as I type this.

Motherhood can be oh, so hard sometimes.
I feel like I don't have a clue what I am doing.
I just don't feel like I am good enough for Rowan.
"Mom guilt" haunts me.

Anyways, I better get to bed.
Who knows when he will be up again.
My beautiful baby boy who i am crazily in love with.

precious boy!

i love spending my days off with you!

homemade hot chocolate!

There is a cool crispness in the air this morning!
It is beautiful and I love it!
Just got a text from Alan that he killed a deer!
That's good for two reasons...
it's opening day of rifle season, and
that means he is one less away from his limit.
Meaning the quicker he kills his limit the less
he is gone from this house.
Oh to be married to a deer hunter!

Anyways...
what I am looking forward to today...
A big mug full of homemade hot chocolate.
A girl from work made the mix and gave it out
at Christmas last year.
It is absolutely the best hot chocolate I have
ever sipped!

Enjoy!

Rich & Creamy Cocoa Mix

¾ cup powdered nondairy creamer
½ cup nonfat dry milk powder
½ cup of milk chocolate chips
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teas.salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well.
Place in 1 pint food storage jar with tight fitting lid.
Lightly pack down.

Here are the directions for the gift tags...

1 jar of Rich & Creamy Cocoa mix
6 cups of boiling water
Place cocoa mix in medium saucepan.
Add water, stiruntil mix and chocolate chips are melted.
Makes 8 servings.

Now off to make a big breakfast and enjoy
time with my sister, my nephews, and

this precious little boy!

12 weeks tomorrow...

my thoughts for you, sweet boy!

my precious boy.

i want to memorize your face.

each crinkle.

and wrinkle.

the way your eyes dance when you smile.

your coos.

your giggles.

your precious hands.

precious feet.

your quirky ears.

beautiful lips.

the cries.

the tears.

i never want to forget.

your smell.

your soft skin.

the hilarious little faces you make.

i could stare at you forever.

hold you in my arms.

dreaming big dreams for you.

help me always remember.

having him...

makes life so much more fun!

I am not much on Halloween, but having
Rowan has made me more excited about it!
He has 4 halloween outfits that we bought
last year before we even knew he was on the way!
Not to mention the cutest costume
that I bought at none other than Walmart in August!
Two weeks after Halloween last year we found out
I was pregnant...so we all know what that means! :)

For Aunt Maggie in San Diego!

We love you and miss you lots!

life

life is hard...get a helmet.

i need a helmet!

what's up with me...

Other than nursing, changing, rocking, burping,
and adoring our baby boy I have been
goodwill-ing, cooking, sewing, and shopping!

Goodwill-ing.

I love to frequent Goodwill. It's like a treasure hunt. I put
Rowan is his stroller and off we go.
A few weeks ago I bought him 11 outfits
for 18.00. Three of the outfits are pictured below. I am not fond of the dinosaur on the second
jon-jon, so I am in the process of removing
the applique. I am either gonna have it
monogrammed or put some other type
of applique on it. Still can't beat paying $1.50 for it!

This Tuesday I found one of these plates.
I already have one, so I gave it to my mom.
It is a Southern Living Dress-me-Up Plate.
This picture was taken at one of my baby showers
(that I never blogged about).
By the way, this is the third one I
have bought at Goodwill.

I got this cute little wire basket with
these glass cups in it last week too.
I figure it is multi-functional.
Flowers, pens, pencils, buttons, candy, ...etc.

Cooking.

This salmon and couscous recipe is delicious.

Super healthy and super easy!

I saw Bobby Deen making this on Paula's Home Cooking.
I was proud that I introduced Alan to a food

he has never had. He loved it!

Also, that sweet polka dotted platter.
I ordered that when Rowan was a few days old
and I was having a rough day.
It is adorable!


Here is the buffalo chicken dip.
It was spicy...a little too spicy for baby boy...
but I ate some anyway.
It was a little salty, but good with Ritz chips!
If I make it again I will alter the recipe!

Sewing...

My friend Tara from work had a sweet
baby girl two weeks ago. I whipped these
up so I would have a little gift to take
her when we went to visit.

I also made Rowan a Christmas burp cloth.
I have bought fabric to make some Halloween ones.
Black and orange polka dots (pictured above)
and black with pumpkins.
I better get on the ball it is October 3rd already!

Shopping.
I love Walmart. I have found the
cutest outfits for Rowan there lately.
The great thing about it...they are only FOUR dollars!
And they are baby blue...which I love for my baby boy!

Etsy has pulled through for me again...
I ordered these waterproof vinyl stickers
a few weeks ago. I put them on
all of Rowan's bottles and pacifiers.
I thought they would be great for daycare.
Well...they were great for the
day and a half he was in daycare.
I will share our horror story
about that sometime later. (Maybe.)
I am trying to forget the experience right now.
Rowan will be staying with Ms. Laura
starting on Monday. So far...she has
already been a blessing!

So, I went back to work on September 25th.
Rowan stayed with Alan for my first day back
to help with the transition.
I cried all the way to work...and when I got to work.
Alan took him to Bass Pro for the first time.
He bought him a camoflauged pacifier.
I think it's cute that Alan took him, and even cuter
that Alan bought him something to remember the trip.
He even brought him to see me around 1:00.
Just what I needed to get me through the day!
They had a great day together.

Going back to work was/is very hard.
I hate leaving Rowan.
When I get to work I get busy so the
day will go by fast. I am so thankful I am only
away from him 3 days a week.
Alan has been doing a great job with him
in the afternoons. He picks him
up between 3:30 and 4:00.
It has been great to be back around
my work friends and to be back taking care of patients.
I am thankful for a great job, great co-workers
and a great boss.

Well, right now I am in Alabama.
Rowan and I came over on Friday morning.
We went to a really nice consignment sale this morning.
I got Rowan 14 outfits for 85 dollars!
Consignment sales are fun!

Well, I better get to bed.
Rowan will be waking me up again soon...
Night!

websites for new moms...

Baby Cheapskate

Full of weekly sales, where to get coupons, product reviews,

and special deals on the web.

I found out about the sale on Rowan's cradle on this site.

Baby Steals

They feature a new baby product each day!

It is posted at 9am MST.

Most of the time the item is 50% off.

And it's really good stuff!

Passionate Homemaking

This was some encouragement that I happened

upon the other day. I loved it...
and needed it. Like right then.

And what is a post without a picture...

Baby boy is loving bath time these days.

8 weeks ago...

I delivered this precious boy.

Oh, how my life has changed.

Oh, how my love for him grows each day!

He is starting to coo all the time.

It is the most precious noise I have ever heard!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

BooMama had a Diptacular 2009!

There were over 250 links to dips on her blog!

I want to try this one!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a 9x 13 casserole dish. Cook on 350 for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with remaining cheese immediately after removing from oven. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Changes:
Used a rotisserie chicken instead of canned chicken
Used 1/2 c. Ranch and 1/2 c. Blue Cheese dressing (instead of 1 c. Ranch)
Did not use all the shredded cheese it calls for. It really doesn't need any at all.
Used the entire bottle of wing sauce

I'll let you know how it goes...

missing our house!

my insanely messy desk!
cardmaking, and sewing, and whatever else!
Our sand colored walls and our RED kitchen!
It's amazing what color does for a room!
So much more interesting!

Our master bedroom!

Our guest bedroom!

So glad I have these pictures to remember our old house!

We still own the house, but it isn't ours anymore!

zinnias!

On Labor Day we didn't have anything to do...
so we loaded up baby boy and headed to Lane Southern Orchards.
We frequent the place for peach and strawberry ice cream...
(which is delicious, by the way)
but Monday we went to pick zinnias.
I noticed them on Sunday when we passed by,
while secretly hoping maybe we could go pick some.
Alan was so kind to take us, and it was his idea!
Beautiful flowers, sunshine, and fresh air...
All of which this new momma needed!

Rowan was asleep!

Alan had fun picking and I had fun taking pictures!

Here is the handful I picked! I was very picky! Aren't they gorgeous!

I love this picture. I love the brown paper bag. The flowers sticking out.

It reminds me of those flower stands you see on the movies

in Europe. Like on Notting Hill. Where people

go daily to buy fresh bread, flowers, and produce.

That would be so much more fun than just going to Kroger!

Our God is so creative!

It's the simple things in life...

watch out...

Momma has got a new ride!

Actually the whole Singleton family has a new ride.

We had been casually looking for a few weeks,
but we had decided that we would just sit back and
wait for a good deal.
Well...Alan happened upon a great deal on Craigslist
last Monday.
We went to look at it and drive it on Thursday.
We gave the guy earnest money till
we could get the money situated.
The guy delivered it to us on Saturday!

We have worked so hard to have the money
to buy something new.
What a blessing it is to see how hard work pays off!

update, or rambling...

it's 12:48 p.m.
ask me how it got to be this late.
i have no clue.
?

Mom came down last Monday.
So enjoyed having her here!
We shopped. ate. laughed. talked.
And played "babies" with Rowan.
Rowan and I went home with her on Wednesday.
We had a great visit.
Seeing my grandparents. nephews. and my sister.
She turned 32 last Wednesday.
Happy Birthday Paige!
Alan came to get us and we came home Sunday night.
Rowan finally went to his first church
service at my parents church.
He did great!

We found Rowan 3 outfits for next
summer and a precious dressy Christmas outfit
at various boutiques around here.
They were all 50-65% off!
Sweet deals!

The pictures from Rowan's newborn shoot were
waiting for us when we got home on Sunday!
They are precious!
I can't wait to frame them and get them hanging!

We are facing a major decision for our family.
Prayers are appreciated.
I am wondering if my faith has every really been exercised.

Rowan is 6 weeks old.
He weighs right at 10 lbs.
I think he is going through a major growth spurt.
He has been eating every hour and a half to two hours
today. I think my boobies might fall off.
He is more precious every day.

I am still adjusting to being a mom.
And honestly I have moments when I still cry.
I was so used to doing my own thing...

Last week I got mastitis from nursing.
I had a fever, flu-like symptoms, and a very, very sore
boobie. As my mom said..."The things we do for
our babies!" I am thankful to be feeling almost
back to normal.

Our house is now being rented out!!!
What a huge relief to our family!
We are thankful that God provided what
seems to be a wonderful tenant.

I was able to go get a pedicure tonight.
Alan stayed home with Rowan.
It was great to get out by myself for a couple of hours.
And my feet...well, they are thanking me.
They have been ignored.
Thanks Babe!

I am ready for a new hair-cut.
Not a "mom-do"!
I want a new stylist.
Someone like Becky who used to cut my hair.
She had it going on!

Do you ever have so many ideas...
and you don't know where to start?
Or you doubt yourself?
Or you fear failure?
Or you fear not having time?
Or you don't think you are smart enough,
crafty enough, or business savvy enough.
That's exactly how I feel.
But there are two things I want really bad.
Fear and doubt, go away!

I wish my family were closer in proximity.
I miss them like crazy.
I crave time with them like never before.

Some days go by and I realize...
I haven't brushed my teeth.
I haven't had a shower.
I haven't done anything I told myself I was gonna do.
I haven't taken my antibiotics.
I haven't prayed.
I haven't eaten anything.
I haven't drank anything.
Having a baby changes everything!

Well, that is everything that is my mind tonight.
I am going to crawl into bed.
Little boo will be beckoning soon...
Night.
it's 1:24 a.m. now.

my beautiful boy...

is six weeks old today!

It's really hard to find time to blog these days!
But we are alive and well!
Enjoying each moment and each day!

Southern Living...

if you read the magazine and need to renew...
if you need a good gift to give someone...
if you have always wanted a subscription but have never gotten one...

Amazon.com has a ONE year subscription for $5.00!!!
This price is good until next Saturday!

living vicariously

and dreaming about the day when I can sew and
make stuff again.

UCreate

Craft Gossip

Two awesome sites with tons of awesome tutorials,
patterns and ideas.

My sewing and crafting folders under my favorites are filling up!

Oh to dream...

those sweet little feet...

came straight from his momma.

the space between the big toe and the second toe.

Lauren said you could park a car between them.

he's already ready for flip-flops!