month 4

Oh October....Pier turned four months old last week and he is starting to get SO fun.  I mean, he was fun since day 1, but discovering his personality and his new milestones has been such a blast for us.  He's starting to giggle, and become more and more playful.  Even when I don't get any sleep, I know when I wake up the biggest baby smile is there to greet me (he loves the mornings!).

A few things this month that we're noticing...

We discovered the power of the Ergo baby carrier while we were in Asheville and that thing is the bomb.  Seriously saves us during nap time when he is mega fussy and nothing else will work! It's pretty hilarious though because Mr. Pier is very particular and must be bounced constantly or else he will wake up. No sitting down for us because apparently sitting down is for wimps. Another fun fact: in order for him to actually fall asleep I must prance around the house like this (wish I was joking). 

Mr. Pier is not only particular about his sleeping, he's particular about pretty much everything else.  And if things are not to his liking Mr. Pier turns into Angry Pier real quick.  We discovered that our child lives for the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  So much so that even when he is at his breaking point, if we sing it loud enough he will calm down completely.  No other song will do.  Except for the fact that Twinkle Twinkle constantly replays in my brain all day (and night) long, I will be forever in Mozart's debt for that one.

He's got a best friend named Xavier and they love each other.  My friend Val (yes I have friends here it's a wonderful, beautiful thing!) had her baby boy last month, so Pier is only 3 months older than him! The boys even spent their first Halloween together (Pier dressed up as Baylen Brees if you didn't see already). It's been such a gift to have them in our life here in Indy and I just can't wait to watch them grow up together :).

Also, the only thing cuter than a cute baby is TWO cute babies in matching oneseis. I mean....

A few more exciting things....

• He's learning how to sit up in his big boy chair (that's my name for it) and has excellent head control. 
• Loves to grab things and bring them immediately to his mouth. Yay for monthly milestones!
• Lately enjoys hitting mama in the face and trying to grab her nose so he can eat it.
• SOOOO active...even when he sleeps he uses me as a human StairMaster. Never tires of jerking those arms and legs around.
• The hands are currently his favorite toy and loves reaching out to discover new things. I'm just waiting for the day that he grabs Gertie's tail...oy.

Oh and y'all...something profound happened a few weeks ago... he actually started taking the pacifier!!! This is huge because for those that don't know, Pier basically uses me as a human pacifier. As much as I love nursing him, this girl could use a break every now and then :).  He also discovered his thumb!!!! This is especially joyous for me because I think babies who suck their thumbs are the most adorable things ever.  Even though he's only done this probably two times, it's been so dang cute to witness.

That's all I got right now! In all seriousness we are still not sleeping hardly at all, so y'all keep us in your prayers. 

asheville

We got back from our North Carolina vacation a few days ago and boy was it good for the soul! Brad's good friend from LSU got married last weekend, so we were in Asheville for his wedding festivities and decided to make a week long trip of it.  We were pumped to discover Asheville is only a 7 hour drive from Indy and thus commenced baby Pier's first road trip (!).

We were going to break up the travel into two days and stay our first night at a hotel, but minutes before we left I looked at Brad and said, "Why don't we just go camping for a night?! Is that crazy for wanting to camp with a 3 month old?" Apparently Dr. Brad did not think it was crazy to camp with a 3 month old because we ended up camping in the middle of nowhere, Kentucky under some lovely fall trees.  And thus commenced baby Pier's first camping trip (!). 

^ The look of awe and wonder that is camping in the outdoors

And it ended up being a fantastic adventure! Camping with a baby wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (yes, we barely slept, but really we don't sleep anyway so it's not that big of a difference).  The weather was perfect when we set up camp, so we made an executive decision to sleep without the rain cover on our tent so we could star gaze.  Ahhhh peaceful isn't it?  It was until about 3:00 in the morning...Brad looked over at me and said sleepily, "That's rain isn't it..." and I said cheerfully, "Yep." And then the heavens opened and the rain showed us no mercy as my poor husband got out and tried to put the raincover back on as quickly as possible. Don't worry, baby Pier slept through the whole ordeal (of course). 

The next day we got to Asheville for Davis and Anna's rehearsal dinner and man did those Blue Ridge Mountains look good! It was so so good visiting with friends that we haven't seen in for-eva....it was like a glorious Louisiana reunion in the mountains!

Thank you Mr. Adam for babysitting!!

We stayed in a house close to downtown with our friends Matt and Ali and Father Brad.  The benefits of having a BFF priest is that you get to do things like have mass in your living room #yesplz.

We had so much fun at the Hester wedding that I didn't take any pictures (that and my phone died ha!). We got him these headphones for the reception to protect his ears and to basically enhance his cuteness.  Seriously y'all aren't those headphones the cutest things EVER in the history of cute things?! Cute baby + obnoxious headphones = GOLD.  Thank you Ali for snapping this one for us ;)

The day we left Asheville we ate a yummy breakfast at the beautiful Hester home and got to say goodbye to all of our friends.  Fr. Brad ended up missing his flight (yay!) so we got to spend some extra time with him!

Now for part 2 of our vacation...we rented a cabin in the mountains with the Rodriguez's for a few days and did nothing but stuff like this:

This was the view from our window guys....NOT BAD

We also rocked the occasional selfie...which Brad and I are awesome at.

My favorite part of the whole trip was our family hike! It was just a little trail in the Blue Ridge Parkway but it was so relaxing and peaceful for the 3 of us.  Pier loved looking around on the way up, and once we made it to the top, he fell right asleep and didn't wake up until we got back to the car.

I'm already planning our next trip back... Miss you already North Carolina!!!!

month 3

Little Pier is growing up, y'all! Can you believe it's been 3 months? We officially are out of the fourth trimester and, to be honest, I feel like I can do anything after those first few months with a newborn!

He is the cutest, snuggliest, sweetest baby, and he's the best teacher I've ever had.  He's taught me more about God's love and mercy in these past weeks than I could have ever imagined.That 12 pound boy has also taught me that I have so much to learn in the art of motherhood.  Pure, genuine love is self sacrificing in the truest sense and I have become more aware of how to love others better by mothering this little baby.

Now for a few developments!  Month 2 was R-O-U-G-H -- my child was allergic to sleep, extremely fussy, and was clingy as could be...Brad was working long, long hours and I was getting 3 hours of sleep on a good night.  Then something beautiful happened over the past 2 weeks...He's still a very temperamental sleeper, but he's been a happier more relaxed baby lately and I'm not complaining at all :). He's starting to love play time and is cooing like crazy (I'm happy our conversations aren't one-sided anymore!)

Those baby smiles make me weak in the knees! I'm constantly reminded with each smile Pier gives me that this child serves as a tangible reminder of God's love for me.  And within the last few days he's been smiling every time he sees me or Brad, so I get a lot of reminders in that area:).

A few things I'm learning about Mr. Pier...

He doesn't like s'mores as much as his mama does...

He loves to sleep on his tummy! Which is not recommended buttttt...you gotta do what you gotta do when your child hates sleep.

Pier has officially discovered his hands! And currently they are his favorite toy. When he's not accidentally slapping himself in the face, he always has them folded in ready-to-pray position (probably foreshadowing how holy he will be right?! ;))

It's been a blast to watch him change over the course of just a few months.  Babies are so fun because there's always a new developmental milestone to look forward to! Here's to another great month!

month 2

As of yesterday, our little Pier is 2 months old!  

Isn't he such a joy?! I kiss those cheeks approximately 2304987 times a day.

This baby walrus LOVES baths.  If he's fussy, a bath calms him down immediately.  He goes to town kicking and splashing away...We might have a future swimmer on our hands ;).

We're still working on sleeping! He has started to take naps more frequently but still thinks nighttime is play time...particularly at 3 a.m.

He's starting to put on some pounds....I'm not complaining because this mama is a sucker for baby rolls. I've hatched a secret plan to make him as chubby as possible mwhaha.

We love you Pier Francis! You teach us something new each day and we can't wait to watch you grow sweet boy.

brad's 27th

It's Dr. Brad's birthday today!!!! So....sorry guys, I'm about to gush a little...

In case you didn't realize, I hit the jackpot marrying Bradley Fossier.  His joy is contagious. He tells the lamest corny jokes ever (and I secretly love it). He is selfless, humble, and courageous.  He is a genuine person and doesn't pretend to be anyone he isn't.  He is the most talented person I've ever known -- from drawing, to playing multiple instruments, to learning complicated medicine things -- he can do it all.  Above all, he is a holy husband and father and strives daily to bring his family to heaven.  I often tell people that he's my role model and I mean it.

Pier wanted the chance to give his daddy a special birthday shout out! But side note: there were probably 70 photos of him making the face on the left before I caught the face on the right.  He's all like seriously mom? And just like that his teenage years flash before my eyes.

As a true Ina Garten fan girl, I made her Mocha Ice Box cake to celebrate the big 2-7.  It has all the things I live for in a dessert -- coffee, chocolate, and cookies.

And since it's so rare for me to get all dressed up (aka wear clothes that are not pajamas), we took a few family photos!

We tried someplace new for dinner tonight called the St. Joseph Brewery. It used to be a Catholic Church! Um so we were all about that.  Beer, food, and Gothic architecture? Sign me up. 

I love you Bradley Fossier and I am so grateful you were born. Happiest of birthdays to you!