The New Mama Mobile

For almost two years now, I've been driving the Malibu. Not just any Malibu. THE Malibu. The one that used to belong to my husband. The one that hauled around deer carcasses in the trunk -- had enough fast food wrappers, half eaten Little Debbies and sticky Mountain Dew cans in the backseat to legally classify him as a hoarder -- had so many grease/animal blood/fish gut/greasy food/mystery stains on the seats that I contemplated just lighting it on fire rather than cleaning it.

Yeah, that one.

Welp, it has been on it's last leg for a couple months now. (Thank God.) Plus the art of hauling Zora, Brody and all their crap necessities back and forth to Muskegon had become an issue. I was leery putting the 90 lb. crazy dog in the backseat with Brody... you never know when she's going to get excited and start frantically pacing from window to window. However, putting Zora in the front seat with me also made me super nervous since she likes to stand and put her face against the windshield.

So obviously I needed a bigger, safer vehicle for me and my babies.

Insert my brand new 2013 Dodge Durango SXT SUV.

So in addition to my favorite features like the sunroof, back up camera, Uconnect and a great stereo, the touch screen can store and display pictures of Lil Man. Thank you engineers who cater towards people who have super cute babies that they want to stare at while driving. 

And thank God for the backup camera. I had such a hard time backing up vehicles (even the tiny Malibu) that I simply refused to ever back-in anywhere. Now I can throw it in reverse with a teeny bit more confidence.

Clay and I had checked out a ton of SUVs and didn't even have the Durango on our list of possibilities. A salesman decided to grab the keys and show one to us anyways. It didn't spark our interest until he showed us the fold-and-tumble second row seating. Obviously we don't currently need third row seating, but the ability to tumble the bench seats gives us like a dozen layout options when we need to transport Brody, Zora and a ton of crap. 

Why more SUVs don't have the tumble seats is beyond me... it's what completely sold me on the vehicle. 

So yeah, this mama is super excited about being a first time SUV owner. Thankfully my husband knows that he is banned from the Durango without my permission and is fully aware that I will bury him in the backyard if I ever find so much as a Mountain Dew can left in there. Dog hair allowed. ;)

Side note: Google Reader disappears on Monday, so be sure to follow me on BlogLovin' to get your Brody fix!

Father's Day + Brody's 1st Pool Adventure

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! I hope everyone had an excellent day spending time with family and celebrating the joys of being a parent.

I had a bit of trouble coming up with a gift for Clay's first Father's Day, but this is what I ended up going with...

Custom prints available in my Etsy shop! 
It's the latitude and longitude coordinates and the date and time Brody was born. The bottom says "You became a father."

Clay went golfing with his dad in the afternoon and then joined us at Mama and Papa Z's house with the rest of my extended family for pool time and some grilling. Thankfully the rainy and foggy weather disappeared and it ended up being a beautiful day.

Since we FINALLY had a nice weekend, I was able to get Brody in the pool! I've been dying to do this for such a long time. He LOVED it!! He kicked and splashed like he does every day in the bathtub. He drenched himself (and me) and it didn't bother him at all to get water in his eyes. What a champ!

So I had a ton more great photos of him in the water, but apparently Dropbox failed me tonight. Gah.

Brody is also an excellent sharer. Like I mentioned in my last post, Brody hasn't felt very well for the last week. Welp, now my mom, grandma and myself are all sick. The only two times I've been sick this year, happened right after that cute lil mug coughed right in my face. So generous.

I wonder what that says about my immune system. I fight off anything I come across in public, but when Tank coughs in my face, I'm damn near out of commission.

So after a rough night of flu-like symptoms Saturday night, I felt a smidge better most of Sunday and then the symptoms came rushing back right after dinner. So thanks Lil Man, I appreciate it.

Six Month Checkup + Family Nuptials

I wasn't sure if Brody's coughing and chest congestion this entire week was because of teething or maybe allergies, but poor Lil Man has seen better days. When he sounded like he was coughing up a lung at breakfast Friday morning and we could barely get food down him because he was so plugged up, I decided to give the doctor a call. They managed to squeeze him in as well as give him his 6-month wellness check that was scheduled for Monday anyways.

Thankfully it's nothing more than congestion and we just need to wait it out. His wellness exam went well. He flirted and jabbered with the nurse and doctor, but no shots until he's feeling better. Tank measured 28.5 inches tall (96th percentile), weighed 21 lbs 8.2 oz (94th percentile) and had a head circumference of 46 cm (97th percentile).

Cheesus.

I'm so going to have one of those boys who are towering over me by the time he's a teenager. 

Friday evening was another Archambault wedding for Clay's cousin out in Lawton. Mama and Papa Z came over to watch Brody and Zora for the evening. Because we're super old people, we left around 9:30 (past our bedtime) and headed home.... and I missed Lil Man. xoxo

Fences + Birthday Cake

This weekend, like most, went way too quickly. Brody, Zora and I loaded up the car and went into Muskegon early Saturday morning. My sister's boyfriend had plans to fence in his backyard over the weekend, so after dropping Brody over at Great-Grandma's to spend the day with her and Aunt Bernie, I went over there to lend a hand. 

Afterwards, I was supposed to go out with Clay to his unofficial 10-year high school reunion, but too much fresh air put me into a small coma. So Brody, Zora and I passed out at my parent's house.

Baggy sweatpants make an excellent little chair for Brody's buns. 

Sunday was my nephew Jarrett's 4th birthday party. It was a beautiful day outside so all the kids (grown men included) ran wild around the backyard. Unfortunately, Brody's been having some teething problems. Poor little guy was pretty hysterical. After some Tylenol and cuddles, Lil Man called it an early night.

Momma Z and I started an apple cider vinegar regiment over the weekend. I've been reading how beneficial it is in the following areas:

• Cures hiccups
• Reduces nighttime leg cramps
• Whitens teeth
• Has anti-tumor potential   
• Prevents bladder stones and urinary tract infection
• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase stamina
• Alleviate symptoms of arthritis and gout
• Reduce sinus infections and sore throats
• Balance high cholesterol
• Improve skin conditions such as acne
• Protect against food poisoning
• Increase metabolism which promotes weight loss
• Improve digestion and fights constipation
• Prevent muscle fatigue after exercise
• Fight allergies in both humans and animals

Blah blah blah and all those other good things. So yeah, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm starting out with 2 tsp. three times a day so hopefully something good comes out of it. 

Weekend With Bernie

My Aunt Bernie (Grandma's sister) flew in from California on Friday to spend a few weeks in Michigan with all of us. It was wonderful to see her since the last time she was here was my wedding (July 2010). It was very exciting to finally get to introduce her to Brody. Unfortunately, we had a very rough day yesterday with teething issues so he wasn't his usual bubbly self.

Side note: Brody's second tooth finally popped through the other day. Why didn't anyone warn me that Brody was hiding dagger-like puppy teeth in there?! I'm afraid to put my finger in his mouth again.... which is why you breast feeding moms out there are super brave souls. Kudos to you.

Anyways, Saturday was spent catching up on freelance work and photographing my little bug. He's so adorable with his helmet... I just want to squish his face. xoxo

I want to squish Zora's adorable furry face too. She's such a good girl. Brody and her are going to be BFFs someday soon... unless Brody continues to pull her fur out.

Saturday night, we met up with my parents, sister and her boyfriend for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening with my grandparents and Aunt Bernie. Wonderful time with family.

Helmet initiation is going spectacular! Friday night was his first night sleeping in it and it went off without a hitch. Yesterday he had to go 8 hours on, 1 hour off and other than being a sweaty lil man with sore gums, he did so well. Breaking-in time is over and from now on, he has to be in the helmet 23  hours a day for however long it takes to fix his flat.