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5.30.2011

Facebook Page

If you haven't noticed it already, I added a facebook page to the right of my page! I'm hoping to start reviewing products and holding giveaways to help some of my fellow momma's with their own businesses and products! I'm also going to start selling some items of my own with my Aunt through THIS facebook page. At this point it will be mainly leggies, flower clips, and burp cloths... and I hope to add little dresses and bibs in the future! We shall see! My aunt makes adorable bows, so I'm sure she'll be posting lots of those as well! So please, go like both pages and spread the word!

5.29.2011

Boogie's Dedication/5 Month "Birthday"

We've had a full weekend! Friday evening we celebrated Boogie and dedicated her to the Lord! We celebrated at her godparent's house with burgers and hotdogs with Elah's grandparents, great grandmother, and her godparent's and "godsiblings". JoyAnn loves to tell everyone that she is Elah's godsister :) Nathan and Janelle prayed over us and mom got some wonderful pictures... I feel like this event was more important than any other event we'll have for Elah, at least until she decides to accept Christ into her life! It was a special evening, our little girl is such a blessing!

Saturday was Elah's 5 month "birthday! Sometime this week I'm going to try to attempt to take some photos (I try to do this every month) and I'm hoping mom can take some of the three of us!

You know what else happened on Elah's "birthday"... ugh. We spent a wonderful day with my mom, Elah was wonderful... we had a great time. Then we got home, and as usual got ready to get in the shower with Elah. Just before I set my foot down into the tub, I looked down and there was this HUGE spider. I am not even exaggerating on the size... it was bigger than my hand. I FREAKED. I had to shove Justin out of the way with Elah in my arms screaming "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Move! Babe Move!" He had no clue what was going on... until he looked in the tub. EW EW EW EW EW. According to Christa, it's a wolf spider. EW. Gross. EWWWW. I didn't want to go the bathroom period after that, and I seriously had J check the bathroom before I peed this morning, LOL! So we are at mom's house, because while there's a low chance that we'd have another spider that large in our house... I didn't want to encounter one alone with the off chance that there would be a second huge spider in the span of one weekend lol!

Anyways, here are some pics from Elah's dedication:

Nene and Boogie





Nana, JoyAnn, Boogie... and Jesse in the corner LOL


Nanny, Nana, Boogie, & JoyAnn



My little family of 3


Elah's godfather "Uncle Nathan" praying over us and Elah.








Elah with her godparents (they ROCK!)


Papaw, Boogie, and Nene... my parents are awesome :)





5.27.2011

Five Question Friday

 
1. Do you apologize to your kids?
If it's deserved! LOL!

2. What color are your nails right now?
Uh... nude, lol!

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)
Mom could tell when I really didn't feel well... so if I was actually sick then I stayed home.

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?
Hm, its' been a while.
5. Favorite website(s)?
babycenter.com







Go Long! Go Green! Giveaway (Go Green Pocket Diaper Champ 2.0)

My favorite diapers of allllllll time to put on Boogie's cute little bum are Go Green Pocket Diaper's, especially her Champs! Well.... she has a Champ 2.0 out! Go Long! Go Green! is giving away a Champ 2.0! Head over to her blog to enter for a chance to win!

Routines and Other Things

As crazy as you may think this sounds, up until now we didn't have a rock solid routine for Boogie. Which is crazy because I am the type of person that needs a routine, at least to a point! I have become a mommy that allows her child run the circus that I like to call life. I nurse her when she's hungry, I change her when she's wet, we play when she's happy, we nap when she's fussy... and it's all on HER time, not mine. Lately though, Boogie has created a pretty routine schedule for us. We wake up for the day between 8:30-9:30am, play, I eat breakfast, and we change 2 diapers. Then around 11am she's ready to go lay down again and nurse and sleep for about 2 hours. Sometimes I am able to get up and fix myself some lunch and throw a load of laundry in the washing machine before she realizes I'm gone, otherwise I read, blog, or catch up on shows I missed (I know... real exciting!). Around 1pm she wakes up, I eat if I didn't get to before, we change 2-3 diapers, we play, we cuddle, I nurse her, sometimes we go outside, she snacks on an apple or a banana. Between 5-7pm she starts fussing again and I either nurse her in the living room and just hold her, sometimes I put her in the floor on her blanket (however she doesn't appreciate that most days), or we lay down and I read or blog or watch tv (again... however during school I try to read schoolwork!). She wakes up 1-2 hours later and we play... and basically repeat everything we do allllllll day. Every other night around 8pm, sometimes earlier, we take a shower (if J is home, we all shower together and that way I am able to wash, he is able to wash and Elah just enjoys the warm water). On off nights we hop in the tub and Elah gets all squeaky clean. After that we cuddle, nurse, and she's ready to go down for the night. I can get more done in this time period because she sleeps till 12-2am depending on how well/long she napped during the day. I do laundry, help J with homework, cook dinner (typically on weekends when J is working because he is awesome and cooks the rest of the time usually), stuff diapers, etc until she wakes up. If J is off the next day we cuddle and talk and enjoy eachother's company, and then I cuddle up next to him and Boogie and we sleep til the next morning.

Some people might think my life sounds boring, and yes, sometimes it is... but I adore spending the day with my Elah, and I love being able to experience all the little moments with her! Eventually I hope that I can make time to workout, and if I can get her settled down enough in the mornings or evenings I'd like to go for walks... it's just getting TOO hot to take long walks in the middle of the day like we used to do! Especially considering I wear her in a wrap to walk (I prefer to do that over using a stroller... SO much easier). Yea, I lay around a lot, that also means I don't sleep as well at night... but the older she gets the longer I am able to leave her to sleep on her own, and eventually I plan on transitioning her to the pack n play or crib for naptimes during the day. She'll probably (hopefully) transition once she's eating food and not nursing as often... but who knows. I can't predict how she will be, but whatever SHE decides is how it will be... at least for the time being :) .

Tomorrow we are getting together with our families and Elah's godfamily (The Flint's) to eat burgers, enjoy eachother's company, but most importantly to dedicate our Boogie to the Lord. He has blessed us with this little girl, she lights up my life everyday and I can't believe I lived life for 22 years without her! She has created new hopes and dreams in my heart and I look forward to seeing what other adventures and antics she brings to my life!

And as I posted before... she will be 5 months old on Saturday! FIVE MONTHS. Yikes! That means she'll be crawling soon... sitting soon... eating soon... walking soon.... amazing. Who knows, 2-3 years from now I may be saying the same thing about Baby Massey #2! Life is incredible... it truely is.




5.26.2011

Time is flying...



Ignore my straps, Boogie was pulling on them!









My baby is going to be FIVE MONTHS OLD on Saturday... where has the time gone?

Like to Shop Online?

I love the ease of shopping online, I don't have to get ready or even get out of my pajamas, I don't have to get Elah dressed and snapped into her carseat... we can just hang out in bed, sit on the couch, or I can grab my laptop and sit in the floor with Boogie while she plays! Around the holidays, I HATE going out to buy Christmas gifts, especially on Black Friday! What better way to get amazing deals then to shop online?

There's a great websited called Become that is a great place to find just what you need or want. For instance, Justin and I are hoping to upgrade our Queen sized bed to a King sized... that's what happens when you co-sleep! Upgrading our bed means upgrading to larger sheet sets, larger comforter sets, and new decor! I have been craving, literally craving, the beach... the salt in the air, the sand beneath my toes, the sounds of seagulls flying overhead... so I searched for "beachy" bedding and this is what I found: Palm Bedding. So many beautiful sets! I really love the first set from JcPenny, it's simple, subtle, but has that beachy look to it!

I also love the look of bed canopies, when I think of sleeping in a "beachy" room I think of a giant comfortable bed with a canopy overhead... so I searched for that as well and found THESE. I love the first one! Isn't it pretty?!?! It's even on sale for 20% off! And since I was thinking about beds, I started thinking about where guests would sleep if we ever moved (because as you know, wherever Justin finds a dietary management position that is where we will go) where would our guests (aka family) sleep? Air mattresses are comfortable and they store very nicely in a closet! So I searched for them and found some great prices on various sizes of air mattresses HERE.

Become doesn't just have items for your bedroom though, they have everything you can imagine and more! They even have a great little coupon section to take you directly to their best deals, a simple, easy, and precise way to shop! And who doesn't like simple and easy when it comes to shopping?

5.24.2011

A 'Modern Family' for the 21st century

Contribution by Archie Watts
Not since my favorite show about nothing (Seinfeld) have I looked forward to watching a sitcom about something, ABC's Modern Family on Wednesday nights. The mocumentary style of following this hysterical family around an L.A. suburban neighborhood is fraught with the type of real human events that well, make for comedy.
I mean, this is a great take on a modern family. You have an older guy (Jay) married to a much younger woman (Gloria) and she has a son who is pre-teenish but acts 20 (Manny). There are two gay men (Mitchell and Cameron) who have adopted a Vietnamese baby (Lily). M! itchell is the adult son of Jay who also has an adult daughter Claire. Claire is an over-reactive homemaker with three typical and not so typical kids. Her husband is the biggest nerd in the world who thinks he is the coolest dude in the world. Yes it is quite the conglomeration of type A's and type B's, over zealous and laid back, serious and funny, nerdy and kind-of-hip people.
Even with all these cast members you never miss seeing any of them in every episode as it is set up in three vignettes, one for each family yet intertwines them all into a slice of life. If my satellite TV from Direc4U.com ever goes out on Wednesday nights, someone is gonna pay big time.

5.21.2011

Friends Come and Go...

I think one of the hardest things to overcome when you start growing up is realizing that the friends you had in school don't actually stick around forever. When I was in high school I thought the friends I had then would be my friends forever... I thought the people in my bridal party would be my friends forever... boy was I wrong! I was naive to think that when you make life changing decisions that defer from those friends that they would understand what you are going through, but they don't. That's just the way it is I guess. I'm blessed to have a few fellow mommy friends, both in person and in cyberland! If your not a mommy, then you just don't understand how much more time it takes to get out of the house and go places. I can't just leave at a moment's notice to get coffee or go shopping, I can't drop everything I'm doing to help you if you need something... I have to think of my daughter first. The only people that understand are the one's who have children. Now that I am a parent I've noticed my friends dwindling away, and honestly I think I'm better off! If I want to get coffee or go shopping... I can wrap Elah up and go whether or not I have someone to go with. Sometimes I would much rather be with Elah anyways, it's just a fact of life. No, I don't want to go back and experience the freedom I had prior to Elah because with her in my life I am happier than I have ever ever ever been.

That sure was depressing wasn't it? I didn't mean for it to come across that way, but isn't it amazing how people change? Isn't it amazing how YOU change as a person? This isn't pointed at anyone either... it's just something I have thought about a LOT today. It also makes me excited for times to come... and I hope to keep the friends I have in this moment, because they are the best I've ever had.


Five Question Friday



1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?

We try too. Elah goes down for her first stretch between 8 or 9pm, so if she decides to follow her routine, we all go lay down, pop in a movie, and I nurse Elah to sleep.

2. A question for the ladies...What kind of facial hair do you like on your man?
Justin looks like a baby without his goatee and mustache... I love his cute little goatee!

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?
I don't know if I've been on a bad vacation? Maybe Justin can refresh my memory when he reads this!

4. What's the first-ever blog you followed?
Life Happens During Naptime

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?
Love love love! Before we get pregnant with Baby #2, and when I am comfortable enough to leave Elah (or can talk a grandparent into tagging along)... I want to take Justin to Six Flags!!!!! We LOVE coasters!







Babywearing Safety

I am by no means an expert, but while I have only been a mommy for 5 months... I feel like I am knowledgeable and have done enough research to be able to share some safe babywearing tips with YOU! As I posted in another blog entry, babywearing is something I'm very passionate about. If you are planning on jumping into wearing your child, please research all available child carriers and be sure to not only read what the product's manufacturer has to say, but also reviews given by fellow momma's!

My favorite places to find reviews is on Baby Center's Babywearing Board, Baby Center's Babywearing Review Board (you  must be a member of BC and request to be added to this group to see reviews!), and The Baby Wearer. I researched all of my carriers, including researching if a homemade woven wrap would be safe. The Baby Wearer board has several posts, and I was pleased to find so many momma's giving their homemade wraps great reviews! Now, if I had discovered this site in the beginning, I may have used it prior to purchasing my carriers. The site, Pax Baby is a site you can purchase carriers and/or "rent or borrow" wraps so that you can decide which carriers are best for you and your little one! I purchased an Ergo, the original, and both infant inserts, and while I liked it it wasn't as comfy or as cozy as my wraps. I sold it to a great friend of mine who LOVES it, but I may not have made the purchase in the first place if I had tried it out before buying it! I also own a Moby Wrap, a Dolcino Woven Wrap, a Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze Wrap, and a homemade Osnabur Woven Wrap.

Some of the things I learned, especially after reading through many posts on Baby Center's Babywearing boards, included the dread "crotch danglers". Here is an article about how "crotch danglers" can be damaging to your little one's spine and hips... but please remember that this is someone's theory, and I believe it to be very true. When a child is placed in a forward facing carry, other than in a Buddha carry (in a ring sling), you are placing pressure on your child's shoulders and chest area... while they are being completely supported by their crotch. Please... just think about that. Would YOU want to have all your weighht supported by your crotch? I'm thinking NO. For the parent, your center of gravity can be completely thrown off, meaning you are more likely to trip or fall with your child in your arms! You are also supporting your little one with your shoulders and neck, which pulls on your back and can be very uncomfortable. Another issue, and I have found this to be true with Elah when belly to belly, if your child is facing out, they cannot turn into you for comfort. Elah becomes fussy and irritable when overstimulated, but when she is worn, she can turn her head into my chest for comfort and sleep if she is tired.

I LOVE wearing Elah on my back. I can get so much more done! What I learned about back carries is that it is NOT safe to wear your little one on your back in a stretchy wrap. Stretchy wraps include Moby Wraps, Sleepy Wraps, Homemade Jersery Wraps, etc. Don't believe me? Check out THIS babywearing blog, and please watch the videos!

Here are some tips I've gathered from BC's Babywearing Board - I do NOT take credit for these and you can find the full post HERE:

Pouch - These are tubes of fabric that you fold in half and wear like a sash. Your baby fits into the pocket made by the fold. These must be correctly sized in order to work properly. These come padded and unpadded.
Best for: Infants in several different carries and toddlers in the hip carry. Good for quick trips.
Not recommended for: Long carries with a heavy baby.
More info on Pouches
How to use them here and here.

Ring Sling (RS) - A carrier similar to pouches but with adjustable rings. These also come padded and unpadded.
Best for: Newborns through toddlers, great for nursing
Not good for: Some ring slings are not good for heavy toddlers
More info on Ring Slings
How to use them here.
How NOT to use them (works for pouches too) See thisthis, this and this
Correct positioning
Nursing in a RS

Wrap - A long piece of fabric that you wrap around you and your baby.•Stretchy - Worn on the front only, no matter what the photos on other sites show. It is not safe as a back carrier.


Best for: Newborns and up to about 18lbs (except for the Wrapsody which is more supportive!)

Not recommended for: Heavier babies, back carries, hip carries



•Woven - A woven piece of fabric that you wrap in various ways around you and your baby.

Best for: babies of any size

Not recommended for: These are great for everyone who has the patience to learn how to use them. It is not that hard, I promise! Practice, practice, practice!!

More info on WrapsHow to use them: here, here, stretchyNO back carries in a stretchy!Brand comparisonsOfficial Fish ThreadHow to break in a wrap:•Use it!

•Wash it (according to the directions--silk, wool, and cashmere should not be put in the washer/dryer)

•Put it in the dryer on no heat with an old pair of sneakers or tennis balls.

•Iron it.

•Sit on it.

•Sleep with it.

•Braid it

•Use it as a hammock/swing for your child.

•Pull it back and forth through your crib bars

Mei Tai (MT) - A large piece of fabric with long straps that you tie on. Can be worn on the front or the back. Since it ties on it does not need to be sized. XL straps are available on many carriers. Variations include a contoured body, hoods, and headrests.
Best for: Babies to toddlers.
Not recommended for: Tiny newborns only because they are not as easy to use as other newborn carriers. They are still safe though and many people use these with newborns.

•Wrap Conversions (WC) - MTs made out of woven wraps.


•Podaegi (Pod) - A carrier similar to a mei tai that has a blanket instead of bottom straps so only the top straps are used to secure the carrier.

•Onbuhimo - A carrier similar to a mei tai without a waist strap and uses rings on the waist to thread the shoulder straps through

More info on Mei Tais
How to use them: here and here

Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) - A carrier similar to a Mei Tai but uses buckles instead of ties. These are super comfortable and can be used for front or back carries and these are especially good for heavy toddlers. Can be adjusted for different users. Very dad-friendly!
Best for: Babies to toddlers.
Not recommended for: Difficult to fit depending on body shape. Some are difficult to use with newborns.

More info on SSCs
How to use them: here and here
Comparisons: here and here



I hope that all this info helps you decide what type of carrier to use and how to safely wear your little one!





5.19.2011

Changes are Coming!

Elah will be 5 months old next week.... what the heck?!?!? I can't believe it! That means in just about a month we'll be starting foooooood! We've decided to go with BLW: Baby Led Weaning. Baby Led Weaning is essentially skipping pureed foods and starting your little one on finger foods... It is called BLW because as soon as a baby starts solid foods, they begin the process of weaning from breast milk or formula.  This is typically a long and slow process, but it allows your child to choose what they would like to eat, feed themselves, and beginners learn to chew before they learn to swallow. It's about learning tastes, textures, and hopefully Elah will be more willing to eat a variety foods because of it! You aren't supposed to start BLW until your child is sitting unsupported, grabbing things and putting them in their mouths... however we gave Elah a taste of bananas and apples last week! I think she will definatley enjoy trying new foods once she is really ready... she LOVED her apples and "banene's"!







And when she's not eating yummy food... she's stealing Nene's Pepsi bottle or Poppa Grey's Mountain Dew!

5.18.2011

Bored...

That's right... bored. Justin cleaned everything today, Boogie is asleep, J is asleep... and I'm not all that interested in reading or watching a movie... so here's a random survey!

Mommy's Full Name: Sarah Massey

Age When Pregnant: 22

Current Age: 23

How Far along were you when you found out?: 5 weeks 1 day

Still with the father?: We've been married since 2007

What was your first reaction when you found out you were pregnant?: I couldn't believe it... I had to go back and look at the test multiple times! Month after month of seeing that negative sign, and finally there was a plus sign!

How did the Father react?: He was extremely scared and nervous, just like he is with every big change... but the further along I got the more he warmed up to being a daddy... and he is a GREAT daddy!

How did your parents take the news?: My mom started crying (from joy) and my dad asked "What's for dinner?" LOL, if you knew my dad you'd understand! He didn't have a clue what was going on, and when he figured it out he had a big goofy grin on his face and said, "NOOOO!"

How did you feel about your first ultra sound?: It was amazing! We were a little concerned at first because apparently there was an extra sac and they wanted to make sure there wasn't another baby in there! Justin about died when they said there was another sac in there!

When I heard the heart beat for the first time?: I was so relieved! After trying for so long I was nervous that it was too good to be true, she's our little miracle baby!

What month did you find out the sex of the baby?: 19 weeks
Where you happy about the sex of the baby?: Very much so, in the beginning I wanted a boy, but having a girl ended up being PERFECT!
What were your cravings?: Pineapple and Justin's homemade boneless hot wings!

Did you exercise when you were pregnant?: Yea right! I was so sick my entire pregnancy I basically lived in my bed. No kidding. I wasn't on bedrest and ended up in my bed anyways. Morning sickness is NOT MORNING sickness... it's ALL day sickness!

How much weight did you gain?: I didn't gain any weight, I actually lost weight!

Did you get morning sickness?: I was sick before I knew I was pregnant up until about 32 weeks.

Did you enjoy wearing maternity clothes?: Some, the pants were much more comfortable, and I really liked a few of my shirts... but generally I wore my regular clothes if I could

What books did you read when you were pregnant?: Anything I could get my hands on... every pregnancy book, every pregnancy website, I LIVED in my bed like I said before, so I read EVERYTHING.

Did you attend any pregnancy classes like LaMaza?: Yes, and Justin complained every time! LOL! I didn't really learn much sadly, I think all my reading accomplished everything I would have learned during the classes!

Overall...Describe your pregnancy?: I loved being pregnant, minus being sick all the time. I loved my pregnant belly, I loved feeling Elah kick, I loved how thick and soft my hair became, I was zit free... but I like having Elah outside my body more!

[[About the Delivery]]

How did you know you were in labor?: My water broke
Did your water break?: ...yes
What were you contractions like?: I didn't have any contractions until we got to the hospital 12 hours later and they started me on pitocin (I hate that stuff). The minor cramping I had prior to pitocin were nothing, the cramping I had in the first hour that they called contractions were nothing... then I had back labor. AWFUL.
How long were you in labor?: Water broke around 9pm Monday night, and I finally pushed Elah out at 9:07pm on Tuesday!

Epidural?: Yes, I could NOT take that back labor... the cramping in my abdomen was nothing compared to the back labor!

Who was in the delivery room with you?: J and Janelle

Was it an easy delivery?: I only pushed for an hour, and it wasn't bad at all! I could still feel her despite having the epidural (I appreciated that... one of the main reasons I did not want an epidural), and I only had a minor tear!
Did you cry during labor?: I cried when the back labor kicked in, most painful thing I have ever experienced. I didn't cry when Elah came out, I was so incredibly happy and TIRED, and it was so surreal that I didn't know what to do!

[[About the Baby]]

Baby's Full Name: Elah Moriah Massey

Birth Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Time Born: 9:07pm

Gender: Girl

Lenght: 18.5"

Weight: 5lbs 13 oz

What was the first thing you said to your baby?: Hey Elah!

Who visited you and the baby at the hospital? Our parents, Janelle, Justin's nanny, and his parent's pastor.

Did you breast feed?: Yes, still do!

What was the first night being a parent like? It felt so natural... I was meant to be a mother!
Did you get sleep? No, I honestly didn't get any sleep until we got home... the nurses came in the room too often at night to get any rest.

When did you go home?: On Friday, New Year's Eve after dinner.

[[Present Time]]

How old is your baby now?: She'll be 5 months in 10 days.

Still with the Father?: Happily and blissfully married :-D
Who does your baby look like know?: She looks a lot like me, but when she wiggles those eyebrows of hers... she looks just like her daddy!

Been Baptized?: No, I don't believe in baptizing babies... she needs to make that decision herself when she's old enough. However we are having a dedication next weekend!
Your baby's current milestone achievement?: She is a pro at rolling belly to back, her hand-eye coordination is improving, and I think any day now she'll be rolling back to belly!

Whats your baby's favorite thing to do? She loves to be worn, loves to eat, loves to shower, and LOVES to be held!

Whats your baby's favorite toy? Penny, a stuffed pink penguin

What is it like being a parent?: It's phenomenal! Everything I dreamt it would be and more... of course there are bad days and good days, but the good days far outweight the bad!

Ready for another one?: YES! But that won't be happening for quite a while according to J!



5.17.2011

Why, Mr. Sandman! It's So Nice to See You Again!

Mr. Sandman has returned! I have gotten two nights of sleep... literally, NIGHTS of sleep! Boogie goes down sometime between 8 or 9 and sleeps until 12 or 1 (I usually stay up and try to get things done if I can). THEN she goes down after nursing and sleeps until 9 or 10 in the morning! That's like 9-10 hours of sleep! It's AWESOME. Now, let me tell you how she sleeps this much. We co-sleep. Something I said I'd never ever ever do before having Elah, but goodness does it make for a better night's sleep for everyone. Now, we've been co-sleeping in a co-sleeper for about 2 months, and she was in a bassinet/pack n play for the first 2 months (when she wasn't sleeping ON me in an armchair) and then would sleep w/me in the bed until she finished nursing and I was sure she was asleep. But everytime I moved her back to her "bed" she would wake up 2 hours later. So... now, she sleeps in the floor or in her co-sleeper until 12 or 1 and then sleeps with me  (and J) with a pillow behind her back propping her up and facing me belly to belly. Now, I say she sleeps 9-10 hours, I mean that neither one of us get up, or wake up more than 2 minutes tops. She will stay asleep, realize she's hungry and nuzzle up to me and start nursing... never wakes up (it does wake me up, and I help her if she has trouble) but then we go right back to sleep. Before, we'd get up, change her diaper, nurse, and then try to get her back to sleep in her bed... no more of that! I put on her nighttime diaper at midnight and she stays in it until morning, her nighttime diaper consists of a Kawaii or Go Green regular pocket, with 2 microfiber inserts and a bamboo insert. She stays dry for up to 10 hours and stays rash free with TONS of CJ Butter. (This has been a trial and error for WEEKS). Hopefully that will work for us when we do get her to her own bed and she sleeps through the night without nursing!

I was planning on posting pics of my homemade wrap and my new wrap last night but I haven't had a chance... but I will soon! God Bless!

5.14.2011

Handling Changes

We are in our second weekend of Justin's new shift (doubles on the weekends, two 5-hour shifts during the week), and I think it's going fairly well. I spend the majority of the weekends at mom's, we work on crafts, love on Elah, and just enjoy being over at Nene's. It's definately strange being without Justin from basically Friday night- Monday morning, I guess in a way I'm experiencing a little bit of what a single parent goes through. Honestly, God bless all you single parents... I don't know how you do it! Elah is a great baby, but it's nice to have someone to hand her over to when her daddy gets home from work! And now that he works until 8 pm and has to be back in bed by 9pm to get enough sleep for the next day, there isn't much time in between for him to do much to help on the weekends. It's not so bad when I can get to mom's house, and really spending the day with Elah alone isn't bad at all, but I think we all know that everyone needs a break here and there! I can usually manage about 30-45 minutes to myself by putting Boogie in her door jumper, and our dear friend Christa is sharing her son's jumparoo so I'm sure that will help as well!

The plan for weekends was for me to have microwave, quick, easy food for dinners, but I'm not enjoying that so much... so I threw (well, not literally) Elah in the moby for a quick nap and I sauteed some zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and multi-colored bell peppers with a mesquite flavored chicken breast... and as soon as that's done I'm going to have it over quinoa! It's wierd cooking for one person, but most likely I'll have leftovers for Justin to have when he gets home (although he's not a fan of quinoa) or leftovers for tomorrow night!

Now that Elah is fast asleep on my chest, I think I'll go try to get some laundry done...but how much you want to bet she'll wake up as soon as I open that laundry room door....?

5.13.2011

Five Question Friday



1. Tube socks, calf socks, crew, ankle, none?
Ankle or none

2. Was your childs (children's) name a mutual decision or was it a debate? If you don't have children, do you plan on giving your spouse a say, or do you have a name you MUST have, regardless if your other half likes it or not?!
Elah was a name I really liked and J slowly fel in love with it... we wanted another biblical name to go along with it and I found Moriah and he immediately loved it. J will have a say in all our children's names.

3. What is your favorite type of weather?
A beautiful Spring day when flowers are in full bloom, the sun is shining, and the temperature is just right!


4. If left to your own devices, what time would you wake up every day?
10am... and sometimes Boogie lets me!

5. Have you bought your cemetery plots yet?
No, I want to be cremated... J isn't sure what he wants.




Babywearing Love

If you are a friend on facebook, then I'm sure you've seen the many pictures I have of my Boogie all wrapped up and snug on my chest or even my back! I can't even begin to express how much of a timesaver babywearing is, and how wonderful it is to have my sweet girl close to my heart. Elah falls asleep almost instantly when she's tired, the moment I tie that knot she's gone! If she's just grouchy and having a bad day, I can wrap her and she just looks around, grabs a hold of my shirt, sucks on the fabric of my wrap and is completely content. Some family members aren't comfortable with the fact that I carry Elah this way, and I've had both good and bad comments from strangers... but either way, I, the momma, know that my Boogie is completely content being worn... and here's my proof:

5 Days


2 Weeks

1.5 Months





You really should spread the fabric across babies back once it's tied on, I didn't do so here... but I did in the last pic of this section!



2 Months








3.5 Months

She dropped a little in the wrap on our walk to my parent's house... the longer you wrap the less often this happens!





And what would a blog entry be without a Flint Monster?
The wrap should be higher on his back, but this was just a quick wrap job on a bigger kid... which I'm so not used too! He was much wigglier and much taller than my Boogie!


So... as you can see, Boogie loves to be worn, and so does Monkey! Now I just have to patiently await my new Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze wrap to come in the mail and for my sweet momma to finish my homemade teal osnaburg wrap! EEK!