3 Month Checkup and a Project in the Works

Logan had his 3 month check up this morning.  He has been growing like crazy so I was so interested to get an update on his stats.  Well the biggest change this time was his length.  He went from 21 inches to 24 1/2!  Now, part of that may be because of stretching out more vs staying curled but he has definitely gotten longer.  He was 13 pounds at his two months and now he is 15 pounds and 3 ounces.  He is a healthy growing boy!

We went and took some pictures this past weekend and although Logan was being stingy with his smiles, the photos turned out cute.  After a couple different poses he was pretty much over it!  The photographer was so nice though and let us take a break to go to lunch, so that when we came back we could try to get a family shot.  I am glad we did because we caught this one thankfully right before he almost lost it all together!

So that brings me to my latest project---A Gallery Wall!  I loved when my cousin Jen at A Daily Dose of Davis shared with us her gallery wall on her blog and then I was inspired even more when my friend Cayte recently showed me her wall of family photos.  I want to display these new portraits and other Logan photos and I have just the wall for it.  

Now my husband knows when I get my creative juices flowing it is all I can think about.  So he came home yesterday to a wall full of paper shapes to mark where everything goes and frames all over the floor.  So hubby is going to work on hanging them the next couple days and I will reveal the finished product at the end of this week so stay tuned!

It's Mega Swagbucks Friday!

One of my favorite ways to earn a little extra money is through Swagbucks.  What is Swagbucks? It’s a free search engine kind of like Google. The great thing about it is that each time you search the web using Swagbucks, you have the chance to earn “bucks” which you then can trade for things like gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Target and more or you can even have them pay you via Paypal.  I have shared that through earning these Swagbucks I was able to buy my Kindle back in Nov.  How did I do that you ask?  Well that is what I want to begin sharing with you. 

#1 way to earn Swagbucks is by searching! And today is the best day to get searching.  On Fridays you have a greater chance to win high value Swagbucks.  

* Use Swagbucks for ALL of your searches including sites you visit everyday. For instance if I want to go to Ebay, Facebook, or to my blog, Dancing in Uncertainty, I’ll simply type that into the Swagbucks search engine. No, I don’t win something every time, but it sure has increased my search engine usage and I win more as a result…and it only takes a couple of extra seconds.  As you search you randomly win anywhere from 7-50 Swagbucks.  And you can win more than once in a day.  I didn't figure that out until I had already been using it for a couple months.  

Some things to note:  1) You have to be logged in to your Swagbucks account and searching from there in order to earn them and 2) When you are ready to go somewhere new make sure to start again from Swagbucks.   

These two points lead me to the best helpful hint I have discovered in searching.  

* Download the Swagbucks toolbar. Seriously, if you do nothing else, at least do this one! I didn’t download the toolbar for a long time and when I finally did it I realized how much earning I missed out on because without the toolbar I’d forget to use Swagbucks. Basically what it does is download a toolbar that will allow your search engine to be Swagbucks instead of Google or whatever search engine you were previously using.  It works just the same as Google but now when I bring up my internet Swagbucks is right there and it remembers my password so that I am automatically signed in.  That eliminates having to get to Swagbucks first.  I just go right into searching for what I need and don't have to do any extra steps to begin earning.  And when I am done on Facebook and want to search for something else I can just click on the Swagbucks word in the toolbar and it takes me right back to the main page so I can search again.  

To download the toolbar, go to “Toolbars” and follow the instructions.

Here are some of the reasons why I love Swagbucks:

1. I can earn money for doing something I already do, not to mention it’s painlessly easy.  It doesn't make you rich but earning enough gift cards made buying my Kindle an easily affordable treat for myself.  

2. I can use the Swagbucks I earn to get cash deposited into my Paypal account which I can then transfer to my bank account and use for whatever I want.

3. I can trade the Swagbucks I earn in for Amazon.com gift cards. This is personally my favorite way of using Swagbucks because you get the most bang for your buck this way. And plus, Amazon carries almost everything, meaning I can get anything from diapers to batteries to books for FREE! Oh, and if you select items that qualify for free Super Saver Shipping, you don’t even have to pay any shipping costs either.

4. It's fun when those Swagbucks pop up on your screen!  And when I get a high number like 20 or 27 you would think I just won the lottery!

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up now and earn yourself some bucks!  You earn 30 Swagbucks just for joining.

Stay tuned.  I’ll continue to give you some tips for earning even more Swagbucks.  

From Newborn to Infant

Logan is 3 months old today and is now out of the "newborn" stage.  We have some plans this weekend to get some professional pictures done.  And then Logan has his three month Dr appointment next Tues so I will have to post his updated stats next week.  But for now I will leave you with a few pictures that I took the last couple days.  Look how well he is keeping his head up compared to last month's pictures.

Surrounded by Sunshine

I am loving this weather!  I know it is a little early to be having 80 degree days in March so I am enjoying it while it lasts.  

Logan is loving all this sunshine too!  I mean just look at these smiles!  He is my ray of sunshine even on cloudy days.  

But all this smiling and fresh air can be tiring too!  He fell asleep as we were playing on his activity mat.  I think it is so cute and funny how his arms always get to this position when he sleeps. 

Then today we went for a walk and it was so bright we had to wear our shades.  

 But the best part of the day is when Daddy comes home from work.

My NEW Man

Watch out ladies, there is a new man in town...

And he is ALL MINE! :)

Logan's Monkey Nursery

So when we started the adoption process we went back and forth about wether or not to get a nursery ready.  The agency offered their advice by suggesting waiting on showers and the nursery because of the unknown waiting time.  Their suggestion made sense because of the emotional factors to consider.  Would having a room in the house but no baby occupying it be too much to take?  What if you were matched up with a baby and then the birth mother changed her mind?  Now you had to come home to an empty nursery that you thought you would be bringing a baby into.  What if you are matched and know it is a girl and your family throws you a shower prior to the birth and the birth mother changes her mind? Now you have all girl things and maybe the baby still waiting for you is actually going to be a boy.  

I definitely understood all those points but each person is different and I wanted to at least get the nursery ready.  Wouldn't that be hard? some people wondered.  Sure, I would be lying if I didn't admit that there were days when the empty crib was like adding fuel to the fire of the sadness and longing that filled my heart.  But for me it was a preparation for what God had in store for us.  I didn't know what that would be or when it would transpire but I did know that God had led us this far and I wasn't about to let go of His hand.  So to us it was just another step in opening our hearts to Him and His plan for us.  And after all, I was expecting!  I was just as excited to prepare for our baby no matter how he/she was coming into this world.  

I had already been set on a monkey themed room for our little one shortly after we started our journey to parenthood.  If we had been pregnant I wouldn't have found out the sex of the baby and with the adoption we wouldn't know either.  So a gender neutral room was what I pictured anyway and was the best way to go for our situation.  So in June of 2011 we ordered the furniture and began painting.

Then it was my favorite part...THE DECORATING!

I had so much fun deciding what to do with the room.  At one point though, my ideas were getting a little carried away and Bill said I needed to scale back my thoughts so that the room wouldn't look like it threw up monkeys! That is just the creative side of me...a running list of ideas that needs to be contained.  So without further ado...here is the room when we finished it in July.  

So we did this and then closed the door.  It brought me a sense of peace knowing that it was ready for our little monkey!  The one wall is a decal I found online.  The canvas picture and growth chart on the other wall is the work of my friend Meghann who does awesome children's artwork. 

Here is her info.  You have to check out her work on Oopsy Daisy.  Everything she creates is so cute and perfect for your babies room, children's room, playroom etc.

Meghann O'Hara LLC.

Artist-www.meghannohara.com · Jul 2006 to present

I create children's art that is simple in shape, complex in character and all around sweet. My inspiration comes from fashion, clean mod design and love! Much of my work is distributed to high end boutiques and catalogue companies as stretched canvas prints by Oopsy Daisy Fine Art for Kids. www.oopsydaisy.com

And when Logan came into our lives it was such a joy to bring him into this room for the first time knowing our dreams and prayers for this little one had been answered.  Then we had fun adding all the wonderful gifts that everyone showered Logan with into his room.  It no longer was just a nursery in waiting but a room full of love for our Logan who was meant for us all along.