Way Behind...Living in the...

I have been trying to decide for a few months now if I wanted to continue this blog.  I am still not sure but thought I would update it.  We have been very busy the last several months. 

I quit my teaching job in early January because of two reasons:

1-I have always wanted to stay at home with my kids

2-Justin's job is in Granbury and we will be moving there permanently in a short period of time from now.

Justin is a CPA and everyone knows how busy tax season is for CPA's.  The last couple of tax seasons, I haven't seen him a lot, often times he wouldn't get home until after I went to bed and was gone again before I got up to get ready for work, and then would be in his office all day Saturday and a lot of the time on Sundays.  We decided this was not going to be OK this year, now that we have added Malachi to our family.  So I quit teaching to move to Granbury so we would see Justin a little more.

We moved in February and lived in what we affectionately referred to as the ghetto.

This is a 700sq ft 2 bedroom 1 bathroom quadroplex.  Yes that is right we moved two adults, a newborn (and all his stuff), and a 20lb beagle here!!

Now we have a three bedroom, 2 bathroom, pretty nice house that we are used to.  This was a big change for us, but we made it work and Malachi and Justin actually got to see each other.  If we had stayed in Keller, that would not have happened.  So all in all in was worth it.  We actually went back and forth between Keller and Granbury.  We would go up on Monday and come home on Friday.

While we were there Malachi and I went and looked for a permanent house for us.  I also discovered HEB!!  I loved that grocery store.  We were driving around looking at different housing additions and such.  Our ultimate dream would be to find some land and build our dream house over time, but with the market the way it is, it might be better to buy a house instead. 

Malachi and I found a great housing addition that we fell in love with.  The lots are at least an acre and it seems very quiet and relaxing.  We have found a house in there that we really love and could see ourselves living there.

Here are some other pictures from OUR ghetto before we moved in.  We could tell that who ever lived in it before us had a huge shedding dog.  So we took our carpet cleaner and cleaned the carpets and scrubbed it down.  I had to bring the carpet cleaner home and clean it.  A little strange I know but it was consumed with dog hair, and it was grossssssssss.

Kitchen

Living room, from the dining area

Malachi's room

Bathroom

Our room

The carpet cleaner

 Here are some pictures of what it looked like while we were there.  I kept myself busy by doing puzzles and scrapbooking.

After all that work I was missing a piece

A slug by the front door.  Justin threw it out the front door and the next morning I saw in by the street.

Malachi's room.  I didn't want to take his new furniture and take a chance of it getting messed up, so Mom and Dad let us borrow a crib from there church for him to sleep in while we were there.  It was a big help.

We slept on an air mattress while we were there.  By the end of our stay, we had to blow it up every night.  Apparently it had a slow leak that turned into a very fast one.

Molly didn't appreciate the other dog smells in the house.

The bathroom with three people using it.  We had to take Malachi's bathtub out every time we needed to shower.

The kitchen while in use.

The living room...we took one of our love seats and the rocking chair from Malachi's room.

After spending 2 1/2 months in the Ghetto, no one was more excited to be home than me...well I guess I should say Molly.  She missed her back yard, her smells, and her fence.

Here is a picture of Justin's truck on the day we moved home.



Malachi and Molly-Friends or Enemies????

Malachi and Molly

Molly is our almost 4 year old Beagle.  She has been the center of our attention since July of 2008.  Since Malachi was born, she isn't quite sure where her place is any more.  She is very used to getting to sleep on the couch with me and always being in my lap.  When I got pregnant, however, things changed drastically in her little world.  She was still sleeping on the couch with me, but was moved to the end of the couch instead of sleeping in front of me.  She wasn't allowed to sit on me anymore, because as you can see, she is pretty big and would end up standing on my belly.

After Malachi was born she did take a backseat and has been feeling left out.  But, when I try to play with her she will only play a few minutes and then doesn't want to continue.  However, when I sit in the floor to play with the baby or change his diaper she insists on getting in my lap as well.  She is extrememly jealous.

When we first brought him home, she really didn't have much to do with him, but would go and smell the area he was in after we had picked him up.  This is Molly getting her first official glimpse at Malachi.  

She was being very good and wasn't jumping up which is very unusual for her. She is constantly jumping up on us and other adults. We have tried to break her of this habit, but haven't yet succeeded. We weren't worried about her jumping on him, because she doesn't jump up on our nieces and nephews unless they are encouraging her. We have always hoped she would be good with kids, that is the main reason we got a Beagle.

Malachi isn't quite sure what to think about her either.  They are often caught starring each other down.  She has started going up to him and smelling his face and he has reached out for her several times.  He will laugh and smile at her when she comes close.  She has even let him pull on her ears and the wrinkles under her chin.  I have caught her several times standing up on her back legs trying to see him in his pack n play or crib.  I think deep down she likes him, but she would never admit it.  I think it is similar to me cleaning her ears.  She really likes it, but doesn't want to admit it!!!!

You can tell by the look on her face, that she isn't quite sure what to think of Malachi just yet.  We constantly tell her, that she will soon love this little guy and they are going to be great friends!!!  She looks at us like really???  It's kind of funny and I hope she continues to do well with him, as he begins to crawl, climb, and walk all over her!!!!

Malachi at 3 months!!!

Malachi At 3 Months!!!

I know I skipped 2 months but January was a crazy month.  Malachi continues to amaze us every day. He continues to grow by leaps and bounds and is changing daily.  We decided that we weren't ok with giving Malachi all of his required shots at once, so after much thought and prayer we decided that it would be best to give him his shots but just spread them out.  So I have to take him back this week to have the second shot given that we skipped at his two month check up.  I can't wait to see how much he has grown since January, I know it is a lot.

Since Malachi was about 2 and 1/2 months old we had to start putting bibs on him during the day.  One night while giving him a bath I noticed the area around his neck and chest was red and irritated, I decided that was because of all the DROOOOLING he has been doing lately.  So here is our first official day of needing a bib.  I thought it was a perfect one for this occasion.  It's hard to see but it says FROG DROOL on it.  Go FROGS!!!

Also around this time Malachi totally surprised me one afternoon and rolled over in his crib.  I was so excited I screamed and ran and got my phone.  I called Justin first, of course, and he started laughing.  Then I sent a text message to the grandparents.  I then ran to get the video recorder and tried to get him to do it again, and guess what???  He did!!!  I am trying to get a video posted but I am not having much luck.  I will try again later.  But for now here are some pictures of him.  These were right after he rolled over.  He was so proud of himself and he stretched.

Malachi has also learned to stick his tongue out on que.  He has been trying since he was about 2 months old, and he has learned do to it finally.  When I am not paying enough attention to him, or so he thinks, he will start sticking it out back and forth real fast and laugh.  I can't believe how big he is getting.

His Aunt Paige thinks his facial experssions are hilariously and I must agree he is looking at me here.  This is just one of his many silly faces!!!

Malachi, our daily routine looks something like this...

8:00- Wake up time- we let Molly outside, feed the fish, get a clean diaper, and I make your bottle while you are playing in the floor.  Sometimes in the morning you are so happy and smiling so much you have a hard time eating.  You always wake up in the best mood though!!
8:30- Swing time!!!  It's a little odd though, this is really the only time you like to be in your swing. 
9:00- This is when we rock for our morning nap time, right now Mommy is still taking advantage of this nap time and me and Molly take a nap on the couch while you sleep in your crib.  You are still not a big napper, most of the time you sleep an hour or so, every once in a while you will take a 2 hour nap or so.
10:30- you like to play on your Baby Einstein Mat on the floor while I make your bottle
11:00-clean diaper and feeding.  For 30 minutes or so you sit in my lap and your bouncy seat to give your morning lunch time to settle in your tummy.
12:00- it is more play time, you and Mommy also have "school time" we are learning sign language and we read books too.
1:00-sometimes you take another little nap here
2:00-another clean diaper and afternoon lunch with more play time.  We have begun sitting you in your Super Activity Seat and you are doing pretty good.  After a while your little head gets a little tired from holding itself up so we play more on your play mat.
3:00- you take another short nap
4:00- more play time and stories
5:00-this is the time you have your pre-dinner dinner
5:30-6:30- depending on how long you slept at 3:00, you take a pre-nighty-nite nap until Daddy gets home.
6:45- Daddy and you have special time in the bath.
7:00- Mommy and Daddy have dinner
7:30ish- now it's your turn for dinner, after you eat it is time for bed.  Sometimes you let Mommy rock you to sleep, others you want to just lay down on your own.
11:00- me and you have our special time in the middle of the night, you get one last dinner, we like to call it your post dinner dinner
11:30- you are officially down for the night!!!!

Malachi your Daddy and I love you so much and are so excited to see all the milestones you are reaching.  When you are on your tummy you are trying to get up on your knees already.  I know it is very early, but it is crazy too!!!

Here are some other pictures of our sweet little man who has worked his way into so many lives!!!

Malachi's First Valentine's Day

Malachi's First Valentine's Day

I know we are going to have a year of firsts with our little guy and we celebrated another one recently.  Malachi's First Valentine's Day!!!

Justin and I have celebrated Valentine's Day a little differently since we got married.  While we were dating he would take me out, but once we were married we decided it was kind of silly so we stay at home.  Every year Justin cooks dinner on the grill.  We have steak, baked potatoes, salad and rolls.  We say every year that we're not going to do presents and I always hold up my end and he always brings me something home.  Every year I can expect a box of Godiva Chocolates, flowers, and a piece of cheesecake from Salt Grass.  It is a great night every year.

Well this year Justin totally fooled me.  We were down in Granbury on Sunday the 12th and didn't leave until 6, he told me we would need to swing by Hulen Mall to pick something up on the way home.  But he knew I would tell him it wasn't a big deal and let's just go home.  Then we went shopping on Monday night at Wal Mart, and I saw chocolate covered strawberries, knowing there wasn't a Salt Grass around.  He got this look on his face like uhoh I screwed up.  I told him it wasn't a big deal and we moved on.

Well low and behold when he got home on Valentine's Day he brought me in some beautiful flowers, and he asked me to go to the car and get something for him while he played with the baby.  Now, I thought this was odd, but went on out.  In the seat of the car was my bag of Godiva and a to go container from Salt Grass.  I have the best husband ever.  He bought all of these things on Thursday before and had been keeping them at his office.  Even after 7 years of this tradition he still finds ways to surprise me.  I love him so much!!!

Malachi is truly a blessing to our lives and we are so glad he is here, we wanted him for so long.  But I had a dilemma???  What do you buy a 2 and 1/2 month old for Valentine's Day?  Well, I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and found an adorable little giraffe.  Well that is what he got.  I was given a bunch of themed bibs from a friend at school and didn't have to buy one for Valentine's Day.  I was so excited.  He was pretty tired by the time the pictures came around so he wasn't having much fun.  But at least I got a few.  You can see the different bibs I had in the pictures.

All in All it was another fantastic Valentine's Day in The Bowden House!!!

Here are the pictures



Bittersweet

A Bittersweet Day

Well, the day finally came that I have been dreaming of since I was in kindergarten...I have an amazing husband an adorable little boy and I am at home.  For those of you who know me, know that I have been teaching for the past 7 years.  Since I was a little girl in Kindergarten I have always said I would teach until I had kids and then stay at home.  After months of prayers we finally got to make my dreams come true!!!

Justin talked to his boss a few weeks ago and it was determined that I would be able to stay at home and we would be moving to Granbury soon.  We found all this out on a Thursday evening and the next day I was in Flower Mound talking to my principal.  I was very grateful for the experience and time she gave me 7 years ago.  I was only 20 at the time looking for a job, and it was very difficult to find one, but she gave me the chance I needed. 

We have begun the process of looking for a house in Granbury!!! 

I had lots of great students and parents over the years and will truly miss that place, but I know that I am where I am supposed to be right now and couldn't be happier. 

Malachi's Finished Room

Malachi's Room

Malachi's room was finished before he arrived, but I haven't had a chance to post the finished pictures.  So here they are!!!!  I am very proud of it.  I designed and did it all myself.  Well, Justin did help paint it and put the mural up, but the idea was mine.

This is the view from the door

His giraffe and curtains

We bought this picture right after we moved into the house and have been storing it since then

I painted the letters for his name.  I tried several different ways, I think they turned out great!!

His bed, and yes that is a TCU mobile.  We bought it about 7 years ago right after we got married.  It officially started our Bowden Baby Box. 

This is his mural.  I absolutely love it!!!

This is his nightstand.  The girls on my team decorated our shower with these wooden blocks.  I have had fun placing them in his room.  The top words say New Bundle.

We do lots of reading around here.

All 7 cousins together after Jayden was born

I love my glider.  It has a gliding foot stool as well.

This is his dresser/changing table.  It has lights at the top.  His name is spelled out at the top, and then the word boy is on the next shelf.  The basket on top is from my class.  They filled it with books.

This basket was from my mom, sister, and sister-in-law.  It was filled with clothes and such.  These are just some of his giraffes.  What amazed us, was not one giraffe was duplicated.

I absolutely love his room.  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  For the month before he was born I would go in it frequently each day and just sit.  Before we went to bed each night I made Justin go in with me and we would talk about what parenthood was going to be like.  Our dreams finally came true!!!