the day Boston turned 6 months and our Sunday tree fest - 3 of 3

Our very own human project, Boston James Cook, turned 6 months old Saturday, April 2nd!  As you can see, our baby-appetite for him is beyond imaginable...that is, unless you are a parent too.  If so, then you get our "obsession."  So, to go along with our obsession, we had a fun-filled day to celebrate his 6 months of giving.his.parents.the.greatest.joy.they.could.ever.imagine.  It's true - we have had the best 6 months ever!  We would say that we can't wait for another 6 months when he turns 1, but we'd be lying because we would really love for the next 6 months to slow-its-roll so we can enjoy and savor his baby-ness before he starts crawling and walking everywhere. 

Anyway, back to his special day.  We went to have his pictures taken at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth by one of my dearest friends, Cece.  Thank You, C!!!  Then, we went to Cheddars for lunch and then home where I became Martha Stewart (what? I can dream) and made his very first batch of solid foods.  The moment I got pregnant I always knew 2 things: we would use cloth diapers and I would make organic baby food for him to eat.  We both love to do things on the natural side, as much as possible.  I never could imagine what baby food makers put in their baby food jars that make them last on the shelf so long, nor do I want to know.  Therefore, if I make his food, then I know exactly what its made with.  Soooo, we decided we would start him on organic sweet potatoes.  Not just any sweet potatoes, Jersey Sweet Potatoes (we have no clue what the difference is in Jersey sweet potatoes vs. regular sweet potatoes, that's just what Central Market had).  Hopefully they don't make B act like those crazy "Jersey Shore" people (I have to admit, it's my guilty pleasure - thanks Tiff for getting me hooked on that show). 

I have had several people ask why I didn't start feeding him solid foods at 4 months.  In short, we wanted to make for-sure that his digestive system was in good working order before we introduced him to solid foods.  We were in no rush whatsoever to have him grow up faster than he already was.  So we made the executive decision to wait until he hit 6 months.  Plus, it made that day that much more special.  Here's a snippet of our day.  :-)

***The video below has music.  You can turn the blog music off below.***


Untitled from Jennifer Cook on Vimeo.

THEN, on Sunday, we went to about 4 or 5 different nurseries.  No, not baby nurseries, flower/tree nurseries.  Why, you ask?  Well, I had long ago heard of the tradition of soon-to-be-parents planting trees while pregnant so that when their child comes home they can take a picture next to it and then again each year on the child's birthday.  Well, that was in our plans, but not B's.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to it soon enough and he decided to make his appearance a tad bit early.  And then with the daily up-keep of a brand new baby/infant, we have yet to get around to picking out a tree to plant.  So, our idea was that we would do it for his 6 months birthday.  But, we didn't know exactly what kind of tree we wanted for him.  Our main goal in choosing a tree, other than it being pretty and having a good size, was that we wanted it to mean something.  So we did some online research and decided on a White Crape Myrtle.  Myrtles symbolize love (like the love we have for our B) and signify joy and happiness (like what B brings to our lives).  The myrtle in the Victorian Era was associated with duty, affection, discipline and home.  So it is definitely fitting.  Not to mention, we love the little white blooms.  Back to our mission on Sunday. After stopping at several nurseries, we were told that the white myrtles hadn't been delivered.  Calloway's will be getting them this weekend.  So our plan is to buy one this weekend and plant it real soon so we can get our picture of B next to it.  Then, when he turns 1, we'll take another picture of him.  From then on, we'll take a yearly picture of B standing next to it to show his and the tree's growth.  :)  Once we get it, we'll post about it to show y'all our new addition to our backyard, which is in desperate need of some tender lovin' care.  For now, a tree will work. 

~Jen and Jer Cook