The Cutest Baby Gate Ever!

Many months back, I approached our friend Jon with Pallet Rewind about making a baby gate for our house. You know, back when I assumed my son would be crawling if not walking by now. Silly me. The boy will not crawl to save his life, but I really do think he will be walking very soon - which brings us back to the baby gate. We live in a split-level house. Our main living space is on the second floor...aka the world's most un-baby-friendly play area. We knew from the beginning that we would have to buy a baby gate and that it would have to meet the following criteria:

• Must be heavy duty: We plan to have a couple more kiddos in the next few years, which means that we will have a gate at the top of these stairs for quite a while. The gate would need to last and also be durable enough to stand the wear and tear that babies/kids inflict on everything that they touch.
• Must be hardware-mounted: Because the gate is at the top of a flight of stairs, I want something that will stay in place. A pressure-mounted gate was not an option.
•  Must swing open: Because this is a main entry point that we use every time we come home or leave home, the gate needed to be as convenient as possible. Having to fumble around and slide a gate open and closed was not something that I wanted to deal with.
• Must be wide and tall: The stairway is very wide; the standard baby gate size is not big enough. And because I fear that my children will have Eric's daredevil genes (not my overly-cautious, scaredy-cat genes, unfortunately), I wanted a gate that was tall enough that no toddler would be able to scale it and climb over. 

Quite a list of must-haves. And let me say that when Jon showed up on Friday to show us the gate and install it, all of the requirements were met! My heart skipped a beat when I saw the gate. It is sooooo pretty and so well-made. It is exactly what I wanted (only better). It looks great in the house - so much better than the store-bought baby gates, even the more expensive ones. Seriously, take a look for yourself...

I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!

Thanks so much for making us the cutest baby gate that ever lived, Jon! To all my local friends who are looking for an alternative to the store-bought baby gate, check out Pallet Rewind.

Tuna Cakes: Don't Knock 'Em Until You Try 'Em!

I'll admit it - something about the two words "tuna cake," just doesn't sound that appealing. But if you can get past the name, you should definitely try these yummy discs of deliciousness! These are quick, easy, and really tasty (and chances are, you have most if not all ingredients already on hand). Eric and I both love these tuna cakes, and tonight was actually the first night I've made them since Wells has been born...he definitely ate almost an entire tuna cake himself - what a piggy.

Ingredients:

3  (5oz) cans of Albacore tuna, drained

1/2 Tbsp cajun seasoning (I use Old Bay)

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Panko)

1&1/2 tsp salt

1&1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

Instructions:

- Mix all ingredients in medium bowl until combined well. 

- Form into 3-inch patties.

- Heat skillet on medium (if not using a non-stick pan, spray cooking spray in pan to prevent sticking).

- Cook patties over medium heat. Flip patties over to ensure even cooking on both sides. When browned and cooked all the way through, remove patties from pan and put aside to keep warm while cooking the next batch,

- Serve warm. I always make a dipping sauce to go with them. (If you want a no-hassle dipping sauce, whip up an easy tarter sauce of mayo, chopped dill pickles, and lemon juice.)

- Enjoy!
*This recipe will make pproximately 8-10 tuna cakes.

What's In Wells' Easter Basket?

If you're wondering what exactly to put in your baby's Easter Basket (like I was), check out the items I put in Wells' (9 months old) very first Easter basket.

1. An Easter Carol: This is Wells' first Veggie Tales movie! I was a huge Veggie Tales fan as a kid and hope that Wells will grow to love them too. 

2. The First Easter: I wanted to include an Easter-themed book. This adorable board book tells such a cute story about the First Easter (a little lamb visits the empty tomb). It is so sweet! 

3. Yogurt Melts: My boy loves to eat. And what Easter basket is complete without something edible? He had not tried yogurt melts yet, so these were perfect. The verdict is in: Wells is a big fan of the melts - surprise, surprise :)

4. Bubbles: We recently introduced Wells to bubbles, and he loves them. So, I thought that would be a good item to put in his basket. When I saw these carrot-shaped ones at the dollar store, I knew they would be perfect. 

5. Frog Wash Mitt: Wells is a big fan of bath time. I thought this frog wash mitt was so cute, and kind of Spring-ish, right? I thought it was cute for the basket.

I really feel like I set a pretty good precedent for how the Easter Basket situation will go down in the Hankin household from here on out. This being our first Easter with a baby, I've been pumped about the basket for way longer than should be deemed normal. But I am so proud to report that I did not go overboard. As I said, I think that Wells' basket will be the standard for all future baskets for him and subsequent Hankin kiddos. Here are a few reasons why:

• Budget was kept! Well, to be honest, I actually did not have a set budget, but I really kept the costs to a minimum. Eric and I are pretty conservative with our money - even in gift giving. We like to spend money on experiences more than material presents. We like to gift each other with short weekend getaways or tickets to a concert, etc. for birthdays/anniversaries/Christmas. I really like that about our relationship and hope that we will continue to carry that into our growing family. We do give gifts, but we don't go overboard. 
• It was just enough! Though the items Wells got in his basket were not ones that he necessarily needed, but they are items that will definitely get their use! I don't like to buy items that I know are going to get played with for 2.5 seconds and be lost or broken or forgotten. For example, Wells has quite a few small stuffed animals. As much as I wanted him to have an adorable bunny in his basket, he just didn't need another stuffed animal. I wasn't willing to spend money on something that would get lost among the other stuffed toys - especially since he just isn't those types of toys yet.
• The true meaning of Easter was represented (the book and DVD). I want Wells (and our future children) to see past the chocolate and egg dyeing and baskets and understand the real meaning of Easter. I know that some Christians choose to forego all commercial Easter activities (egg hunts, Easter Bunny visits, Easter baskets, etc.), and I can understand where they are coming from. I am totally fine with my children participating in these activities as long as they know the real reason they are celebrating. Again, that kind of ties into why I am glad that we won't be getting all extravagant with our kids' baskets...I don't want them more excited about getting "stuff" than about Jesus being risen from the dead!

Wells' first Easter basket was a success in my book, and I look forward to all the years of baskets to come!

   

If Jesus was my son, we'd be in trouble...

Tomorrow will be my first Easter as a mother. Oh yes, the little man's basket is ready; we've dyed and hunted the eggs; and you better believe his Easter outfit is ready to go (and color-coordinated with his mommy and daddy's outfits...naturally). I have always loved holidays - and they are all the more fun with Wells. I know he won't remember his first Christmas tree or having green pancakes on his first St. Patrick's Day...but I don't care one bit. It's fun for me, and I know he will appreciate all the festivity when he is older :)

But anyway, back to Easter. I was reflecting earlier while in the shower (let's be honest, as a mother that is one of the only times that you are alone to actually get any thinking done!) about tomorrow's holiday. Easter is a time of celebration most definitely. A time to reflect on the greatest victory in history. The Lord of the universe rose from the dead! The very truth that makes Christianity different than other religions - we serve a LIVING God. But in order for Jesus to rise from the dead, he had to be...well, dead. And it was that death that I was reflecting on earlier.

A gruesome, painful way to die, absolutely. But Jesus was willing to take it all for us. However, it wasn't really Jesus that I was thinking about it. It was his Father. The very One who sent his son to die. The very One who sent his son to die for us. And it was that thought that I couldn't quite wrap my mind around. Only a lunatic would do that.

Let me start off by saying this: in the last 9.5 months, I have become a new person. Having a baby changed my life more than I ever thought possible. It's one of those things that you cannot fully prepare for. The love that you are suddenly overwhelmed with is unreal. I can remember one evening when Wells was only a week or two old. I was home alone with him while Eric was on a short trip to the store. He was asleep in his swing, and I was sitting in front of him singing, "You are my Sunshine." On the surface, you might think that that is sweet and totally normal. Not so much, I couldn't even get through one verse due to the sobbing (my sobbing, not Wells'). I would try over and over to get through it but couldn't. It's laughable now, but I was a serious mess - filled with so much stinking love that I couldn't even sing a song with a hypothetical situation of someone taking my baby (my sunshine away). Y'all, it was not pretty. Sure, I could blame it on the hormones (because goodness gracious at the hormones that invade your body after birthing a little human!), but the truth is, I was in love in a way that I had never known. I had been given a precious gift - one that I could never imagine letting go.

The hormones have died down now (although my husband may beg to differ at times), but the underlying feeling is the same. I'll admit it, I put the "mother" in "smother." And yes, I know I will need to back off a little so that I don't raise a wimp, But I am straight-up obsessed with that little guy. And as a mother of an infant, I kind of think that is the way it is supposed to be. He relies on me (and Eric, of course) for everything. I am there for him always and will do anything to protect him...anything. I mean, I have to fight the urge to do physical harm to the nurse who gives Wells his shots. I have turned into quite the mama bear.

If you're still with me, the topic at hand really is Easter, I promise! I just had to give you some back story! Like I said, only a lunatic would send their son off to die. God not only endured watching Jesus go through the worst pain (physically, spiritually, emotionally) ever, but He orchestrated the whole thing. What?! How could a father do that to his own son? I would bet that this is something that a lot of nonbelievers can't get past - heck, I can hardly get past it. But the reason is: he really was a lunatic - truly crazy...but the thing is, He was crazy about us. He loved us so much that he allowed his beloved Son to do what no one else could - save us from a life without Him. When I think about the love I have for my son, my sweet Wells, it's hard to imagine a love much greater. But God's love for us is an infinite amount greater - it has to be when you think about the sacrifice he made. Yes, Jesus paid the price (his life) for us, but God, his Father, paid a price even higher (am I even allowed to say that?). This is something I never thought about before today. Something that hits so close to home now that I have my own son. But it is something I really needed to think about. As a new mom, I am busy, busy, busy. I am lucky if I get a few minutes of down time a day - and as I said earlier, that might only be a shower! I needed a reminder of the love God has for me. I needed a reminder that no matter how busy I am, I need to take time to reflect on Him, talk to Him, listen to His Word. It is the least I could do for someone who did the unthinkable for me.

There's no way I could have made the sacrifice that our God made, and I wouldn't want to. If Jesus were my son, we'd all be in a whole lot of trouble. There is no way in this world that I would send my son to pay a debt that wasn't his (let's be real,  I'd probably even put up a fight if he had to pay a debt that was his!). But thanks be to God for the unimaginable, immeasurable, unconditional love that he has for us, the very ones who were the reason his son had to die. Wow...love doesn't get any stronger than that.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Wells is NINE Months!

I am well over a week late on this post since I could not find my camera charger to take pictures. Obviously, the charger was found, and the pictures were taken. You know, the pictures of my NINE MONTH and 10 days old baby!

Weighs: In this month alone, we were weighed twice at the doctor's office...because we have our 3rd double ear infection in 3 months! What the heck? The doctor said that this should be the last hoorah since Spring is coming. Fingers crossed, because this is getting insane. Anyway, at the doctor's appointment for the ears, Wells weighed 21 lbs (plus some oz that I can't remember :)). And at his 9-month well-check appointment, he dipped to right under 21 lbs...probably due to his loss of appetite from being sick.

Sleeps: Well, well, well. We were doing awesome with only waking once a night. And then ear infection #3 came along (plus what I am pretty sure was a growth spurt). We are hovering between one and two wake-ups a night. He has slept through the night exactly 3 times. And it. was. awesome. If we could make this an every night kinda thing, I'd be so appreciative (I'm talking to you, my sweet little child).

Eats: Everything :) Wells is eating three meals a day (and many days, an afternoon snack). He has recently started doing the cutest thing ever - whenever he sees you eating/drinking or sees that you are getting his food/drink ready, he starts to smack his lips. He wants you to know that he is ready to grub! We tried the sippy cup thing a while back, but he was not crazy about the nipple on it. I kind of forgot about it and reintroduced it to him recently, and he is doing great with it. He still loves to drink from a regular cup, too.

Wears: He can still squeeze into some 6-month onesies. He mostly wears 9-month and 12-month clothes. He is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: Loves to bang on his xylophone (or anything else). We might have a future drummer on our hands :) He still does great sitting and playing with his toys. Loves cruising around the kitchen & dining room in his walker. And as far as crawling - he STILL shows no real interest in it. He scoots himself to get to what he wants and apparently is completely content to just do that. When we went to our 9-month check-up, the doctor said that the way he stood when she examined him that he will probably be walking in the next month or two. This pretty much confirms what I have been thinking for a while - boy just wants to walk! He is always trying to pull up on things. He still loves being outside - we walk around the neighborhood on most afternoons/evenings. And bath time is still a favorite of his, but lately he is more interested in pulling up on the side of the tub to stand instead of playing with his bath toys.

Milestones: We have our SECOND WORD! A very unconventional second word :) "Moo" ...yes, as in the sound a cow makes. He has a stuffed cow that I hold up while I "moo" at him. Whenever I hold it up and "moo" now, he always repeats after me and "moos" over and over again. And on at least one occasion, I put the cow in front of him and he "moo"ed without me saying it first. We have heard "ma" and "da" on occasion but only from him babbling (and he LOVES to babble). So, yeah, his first real words that he understands how to use were not for his beloved parents who gave him the gift of life...nope, "uh oh" and "moo." Go figure.

Wells is seriously the light of our lives. These past nine months have been so awesome. We love that guy more than life itself and can't even remember what life was like without him...seriously, what did we do? :)

Wells is EIGHT Months!

How can it even be possible that another month has gone by?

Weighs: We had to go to the Dr. last week, and he weighed 19lbs and 10oz. He has been in the 19lb range for about 1.5 months or so now - he is not gaining at the rapid pace he used to! Still, we always get comments on what a big boy we have when we go out.

Sleeps: Wells has continued to do great in his crib. He had been waking up two times a night to eat. Since I am once again posting this monthly update a few days late, I can report that this past week, he only woke up ONCE throughout the night. And man, am I loving it! Because he has been so stuffy this month (he had RSV at the beginning of the month with a double ear infection, and just last week was diagnosed with another double ear infection!), he now sleeps with a cool mist humidifier in his room. Maybe that is why he is sleeping so well at night...I have been scared to let him sleep without it for fear that I will break the awesome sleeping streak!

Eats: I can't imagine a day ever coming with this guy won't be in love with eating. He still eats at least two "meals" a day (breakfast and dinner), but many times he will also eat lunch (a smaller portion than breakfast and dinner, though). This month he has officially tried seafood. As has been the case with literally every food we have ever fed him, he approved. No surprise there. The little man has given a thumb's up to shrimp, salmon, and tuna.

Wears: While he can still squeeze into some 6-month clothes like onesies, the pants are highwaters. He rocks the 9-month and 12-month clothes for the most part. He is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: Gosh, he seriously gets more fun every month. He does great at sitting and playing with his toys. He is a crazy man in his walker and goes all over the kitchen and dining room when we put him in it. It is really fun to watch him examine and explore his toys now, figuring out what they do and how they work. This boy still shows no real interest in crawling but he scoots himself to get to what he wants. But not in a way that you can watch him scoot from one spot to another right away...it's a slow scoot that happens over time. As in, over a space of a few minutes he is suddenly a few feet away from where he was, but you could never pinpoint a time when he scooted. It's cute though :) He lunges forward sometimes and will end up on his tummy, but then quickly lets you know that he is not happy being on his belly. He is trying to pull up on things, and I think he will have the hang of that in the next couple of days.

Milestones: Wells cut his second tooth this month! He is a good teething baby so far (knock on all the wood). He may be slightly fussy before one comes in, but nothing crazy or really even noteworthy. Even though he did it for a while around 3 months (as a fluke, apparently), I am considering him waking only once at night to be a milestone. I've gotta say how good I feel after a night's sleep now. I can't even imagine what it will be like on that first glorious night of not waking at all till through the night. Hallelujah choruses will be heard. And are you ready for this last milestone? His FIRST WORD!!!! Now, he has been babbling for a while, and you can occasionally hear "ma" or "da" (let the record show that "ma" was first :)). But he has now said his first word that he understands the meaning of and when to use it. So, what was the word? Drumroll please....."uh oh." I have been saying this to him for months now whenever he drops a toy. He now says it (not every time) when he drops a toy. I love it!

And there you have it. The eight month update. Blink, and the nine month update will be here. Crazy.

Wells is SEVEN Months!

I don't know how to say this without bursting into tears, but my sweet baby boy is officially closer to a 1-year-old than a newborn. What.in.the.world?

Weighs: As of a few weeks ago, 19lbs (and 9oz I think). Like whoah.

Sleeps: Well, since I am reporting this a week late (again), starting the day after he turned 7 months, he slept in his crib for the first time! He handled it very well...as for me, I missed him being right next to me in the Pack-n-Play. The second I heard his sweet little voice on the baby monitor when he woke up for that first feeding, I threw the covers off and flew into his nursery. Eric woke up startled because of my swiftness :) What can I say, my baby needed me! Wells is still waking up twice a night to eat; although last night it was only once. Fingers crossed that we are back to the one-time night feedings that I enjoyed for those 2 short but glorious weeks when he was 3 months old.

Eats: Still eating like a champ. I wonder how his little belly can hold anything else sometimes. He eats two "meals" a day now - breakfast and dinner. If it is a weekend and we are with him, he may have a little snack at lunch time. He does NOT like to see you eating and not sharing! Other than those "meals" and a small amount of juice, he is still exclusively breastfed. He still LOVES drinking from a cup. He is not a sippy cup kinda guy (yet). I think the nipple throws him off - he bites it and doesn't really understand that he is supposed to suck it like a bottle. We are working on it, though.

Wears: He can still wear his 6-month clothes, but the 9-month and 12-month items are a good fit right now. He is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: Now that he has been sitting up unassisted for a while and is more stable, he loves to sit and play with his toys. It is so fun to watch him learning and playing - we like to sit with him and play, but it is also nice to know that he can sit for a few minutes and entertain himself while we get some things done around the house. The other day, Eric was showing Wells how to play his new xylophone that he got for Christmas. Eric gave him the stick, and he hit the xylophone just like Eric had shown him. It was the cutest thing ever and so neat to watch him learn a task literally right before our eyes. Proud parent moment :) He still shows no interest in crawling (I've said it before, but I wouldn't be surprised if he skips crawling and goes straight to walking). I will put him on his tummy and press my hands against his feet so he can push against them and scoot forward. He's cool with it for a minute or two before he lets me know he's done. Note to self: make the next Hankin baby do more tummy time at an early age than we made Wells do.

Milestones: I am adding a new category this week - milestones. In the previous months, I have kind of mentioned his milestones (eating solids, sitting up, etc.) in the other categories. But I think they need their own category :) And to kick off this category: On his 7-month birthday, Wells cut his very first tooth! I cannot even handle the cuteness of that little nub. He didn't really cry and was a real trooper. Another milestone - Wells' first Christmas! He had no clue what was going on, but he was a fan of the tissue and wrapping paper...and the holiday food (surprise, surprise). And as I said before, another milestone this month was little mister sleeping in his crib.

Why must he grow up????????????????????????????????????????