Growing Too Fast!

Let's be honest--potentially every post from here on out could have this same title :( How is it that days can go by so slowly and then you blink and your newborn is gone? I know everyone says that, but it's true. I do my best to just enjoy each day and each phase that Palmer is in, because I know it will be gone all too soon. But once in a while I think about my tiny little baby and how I had no idea how those days would fly by. I miss him. I think I'll always miss my newborn Palmer. No matter how many babies I have, I will never have Palmer again. I'll never smell his newborn skin or hear his newborn cry or see those bleary eyes blink as they learn how to focus on my face. *sniff sniff. 

But moving on! I know that in the months to come I'll miss the stage Palmer's in right now, so let's focus on the AWESOMENESS of a 5 month old!

There's this:

And this:

He looooves his little Dumbo from Grandma Allen:

He's getting a little better at sitting up:

and can't stop rolling over:

He loves taking selfies with mom (ok, so it was my idea):

And, as usual, he has the BEST facial expressions:

He's pretty clingy when he's tired, and if he can't cling to me, he clings to his things--binky, teething ring, stuffed animal, all at the same time:

He has the most BEAUTIFUL eyes:

We had a great time hiking in St. George:

And playing with toys is getting more and more complicated...

He still loves bath time!!

He's my favorite pal. He smiles every morning when I get him out of bed, even before he can open his eyes. He's crazy about his baby food and sings for his supper--once he sees the spoon he starts kicking his legs and cooing and smiling. He's more cuddly than he used to be, which of course I love! He's not a fan of naps...like at all. But he still sleeps pretty well at night, so of the two, I'd prefer that :) He holds in his laughter, so when you finally get a giggle he's basically choking it out. He loves strangers--I think he gets bored just being at home with me all day every day, so whenever someone comes over or we go out he is all smiles. He rolls over basically the moment you set him down, but now he's getting better at rolling back so he doesn't fuss as much. He drools constantly and chews on anything he can get his hands on. I know I'm describing pretty much every 5 month old on the planet, but let me tell you...this baby is something special. I sure love his sweet spirit. What a blessing it is to have my little Palmer boy every single day! 

The Nursery

One of my favorite things about not working for the last two months of my pregnancy is that I had lots of time to finish up Palmer's nursery! Derek helped with all the big stuff--painting the walls and the crib, setting up the rocking chair and changing table, etc. I did a lot of the crafts and organizing while he was at work. Or at 1 in the morning when I couldn't sleep...

Most of the stuff we bought for the nursery was used. We got the crib and mattress for $15 because it was missing some bolts and was a little banged up. But Derek got the bolts for a few bucks and we used some of our brown paint left from last year to make the crib match the room (it was cherry-stained before...did not go great with the blue walls!)

One of the only things we bought new is my glider--it was my Mother's Day present from Derek! Let me tell you...I'm glad we spent the money on it. That thing is unbelievably comfy! I love it.

The matching crib bumper set and window valance came from DI, but I bought the brown room darkening curtains on sale at Walmart for a couple of bucks and then hemmed them to fit the window. It took some time without a sewing machine, but I had nothing better to do!

The green curtain behind the changing table also came from DI, and it's covering up a closet with a bunch of games and coats in it :) The decals are the other thing we spent some money on. They were about $30 on Etsy, and I really think they complete the room. Actually, I'll be honest...I planned the whole room around those decals!

This changing table was given to us for free because it was missing the shelves. What you see now are just the temporary shelves! Derek actually made the top one, we just haven't painted it yet. TJ made the other shelf, and it is painted (black) but I hadn't put it in until after Georgia took these pictures! The siver-y looking thing down there? Yeah, that's a duct-taped piece of cardboard. I'm inventive that way ;) The baskets came from the dollar store--another great find!

Derek and I found these shelves at DI and--you guessed it--painted them to match the room :) Most of the decor either came from the dollar store or was a gift, and then I made the blocks and the plaque with the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote.

One of my favorite presents--although there were TONS that I love--is that giraffe there. It was given to us by my mom's best friend Patti, and it is so awesome! It's a playmat to put the baby on instead of just a blanket on the floor. Not that I'm opposed to blankets on the floor, but this thing is awesome because it's so so soft! Palmer loves it. I'm dreading the day when he inevitably poops all over it...

This was one of my final projects, and one of my favorites :) I got the letters at walmart.com for about two bucks each, then used paper and mod podge to cover them. Derek and I got that stick from...well, don't tell anyone, but he broke it off a tree at a campground nearby ;) I'm so pleased with how well it came out!

Putting together this room for Palmer was one of my favorite ways to prepare for his birth. I know it's just stuff--a lot of it just fun, unnecessary stuff--but it made me think about my little boy constantly and it was so fun to picture him here in his room, someday playing with his toys and touching the animals on the walls. We won't live here long enough for it to really be any other kid's room (we're planning on three years at the most, so if we do have another baby in that time he/she still won't be big enough to enjoy it as much as Palmer will). It's really fun to have this place that is just for Palmer! We dreamed it up, we made it happen, and now we have the perfect baby to fill it with ;)

Palmer's Newborn Pictures

So, this post is more pictures of my baby! Is anyone surprised?

 My mom, Kari, Georgia, and Taylor arrived in Rexburg just as we were leaving the hospital!

 My little brother Taylor with Palmer. He's such a great uncle!

Derek's little brothers Dalton and Austin were also able to join us that first weekend. It was so great to have lots of family here to welcome Palmer!

 Isn't my mama beautiful?

Somebody commented that Palmer looks like a baby bird in this picture, and I totally agree! Cute little babe.

Since day one he's been big into covering his face when he's tired. He doesn't do it as much anymore, and I kind of miss it! Now he just grabs his face in frustration...

 I don't even know what to say about this...other than that Kendall and Derek were definitely bonding here...

When Palmer was two weeks old we took a trip down to St. George for General Conference weekend. He did pretty great on the drive once we adjusted his car seat to a more comfortable angle. While we were there Georgia did me a huge favor and took some more pictures of Palmer--while I took a NAP! It was pretty awesome.

And for the final picture...

Yep. That's my boy.