A journey through my pregnancy.

So, this is an awesome tag that i absolutely cannot wait to do! What you hav to do is this: Answer each question with a photo. I'm tagging mommy bloggers Whitney and Melissa. You can find their blogs by clicking on their names. Let's get started!

A photo of you and your husband/family before this pregnancy.

How did you announce your pregnancy?

What were your first cravings?

First ultrasound photo. 

First belly photo

Belly photo from second trimester/12 weeks

How did you announce the gender of your baby?

Did you travel or vacation while pregnant?

Favorite part of being pregnant.

Favorite maternity photos.

Third trimester/28 week belly photo.

Photos from your baby shower/s.

Final belly photo
-This is me at 39w1d, a few hours before labor started.

Last thing you did before you gave birth?
-Made this pie. While in labor, lol.

First picture of your baby

This was SO much fun! Thanks to my YouTube friend, Rachel for tagging me!!

I tag any other blogger moms who read this post. Happy posting! :)

Date night

So, I would like to say first and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS to my awesome husband for landing this wonderful job! I am so proud of him, and so proud to be his wife. He is the hardest working man I've ever met, and even more importantly, he is the best daddy a girl could ask for.

As soon as we found out this Tuesday that he got the job, his siblings immediately volunteered to come babysit so we could go out for a celebratory dinner. Now, I have to be honest....before Tuesday, my babysitting contact list was one single person; my mother. So, of course I was hesitant in some ways. My sister in law is absolutely wonderful with Paisley, so that wasn't a concern. My brother in law has a five year old. He's pretty familiar with this, so that wasn't a concern either.

The thing is, I never really considered it "babysitting" when my mother came over to watch her. It might sound weird, but I guess it's because she's my mother. So, tonight felt like our first real date night. My mother has watched her while we ran errands, and once while we went to dinner a mile away at CJ's Chop House. Other than daycare, I'm never really without her!

We ended up going to Fatz in Camden, and it was wonderful. I made a promise not to text them, because I know wholeheartedly that they would certainly call if problems were to arise. So, I put my phone away, and my husband and I enjoyed each other's company. (Although, I did eat as expeditiously as possible!) We enjoyed each other so much, that it almost felt like we were the only ones there. We are 3 months away from our fourth wedding anniversary, and just passed our five year mark of  being together. Keeping the fire alive, especially with a new baby is so important. It is hard to fully focus on each other with our sweet girl around, and that's fine with me. It just felt good tonight to "reconnect" with each other in a sense. It also felt good to have a few drinks while I was there. ;)

All in all, date night was a complete success. Coming home to my sweet baby with her sweet giggles and heart melting toothless grin was the icing on the cake. If you've seen my Facebook, you'll know I haven't slept (literally) in days. Somehow, I'm okay with that. Every minute with her makes me smile.

Back to the point: Congratulations again to Nathan, and a HUGE thank you to Monica and Josh for being so great to their niece. And of course, I can't forget her sweet big cousin, Caleb, who absolutely loves and adores her. He is truly an amazing kid, and I'm so lucky to be his aunt.

I love all of them more than they'll ever know.

Until next time, my friends!

The truth about those aspirator bulbs!

If you read my last blog post, you'd see that I am absolutely in love with the Nosefrida. Upon researching the item, I found something very interesting, but also very disturbing.

We all love those bulbs we get from the hospital, right? I mean, let's be honest...how many people said to you, "save that bulb from the hospital, you'll never find another one as good!" I know I must've heard it ten times. I still like the bulb for getting her mouth and throat clear of build up and gunk. But did you know that you're required to wash the inside with alcohol? If you didn't know that, then I highly suggest just tossing it in the garbage now, to save yourself from what you're about to see. What happens when you don't fill the inside with alcohol?

That. Yes, that's mold. Disturbing, right? I thought so. I really wanted to post that because I know so many mommies that use them. So from one mommy to the next, use alcohol. 91% is the only strength that can kill the bacteria to prevent the mold from building up, so keep that in mind. Also, it only takes about a month to look like that, so if you haven't cleaned it with alcohol by now, it's probably too late. Once the mold forms, you can't get rid of it.

Yuck!

The Nosefrida!

I realized I hadn't written a blog in FOREVER, so I decided today would be the day. I've been dealing with quite the miserable baby. First it was a ear infection that turned into major congestion and a horrible cough,then it was a tummy virus, and now we are back to the congestion. Poor thing can hardly sleep from coughing! The joys of daycare! (Although I LOVE her daycare, I hate when she's sick.)


So, after lots and lots of persuasion and hesitation, we ordered the Nosefrida, and let me tell you...it is the BEST investment ever! That handy tool gets everything out. It may look like a terribly gross concept (and it kind of is) but I can guarantee you, nothing will get in your mouth, as most people fear! Unlike the rubber bulb straight from the hospital, it creates a suction around the baby's nostrils so there is absolutely no air. This causes it to be able to suction every last drop of yucky! Don't get me wrong, the bulb is still good for getting everything out of her mouth when she's try get o cough it up; but, the Nosefrida might just be the most disgusting but genius invention out there.


I'd really like to meet the inventor and ask "What even gave you the idea to make a tool that sucks snot out of your kid's nose BY MOUTH?" And then still give her/him a hug and say thank you.

Bottom line, if you have a child who can't blow their own nose yet, you need a Nosefrida. If you have Amazon Mom or Prime, it's eligible for free 2 day shipping, and it's only $15.

You can find one by clicking here.

Happy snot sucking, y'all! ;)

You know you're a new mommy when...

·         You could probably run the country on 3 hours of good deep sleep

·         You dress your baby up like a baby model everyday but you have been wearing the same yoga pants for a week.

·         You use your bare hands to wipe runny noses, or catch spit up

·         You sometimes never even make it out of your pajamas that day

·         You have forgotten what a hot meal is

·         You feel relief when you hear your baby pass gas or have a bowel movement because you can see how uncomfortable they are….really. Sometimes I think I get more relief than she does when I hear it! ;)

·         You’ve used the Similac website to check out your baby’s poop….more than once

·         You pick up items with your toes because you can’t set the baby down, and you can’t bend over

·         You finally do set the baby down, and you immediately miss them, even if they’re beside you

·         When your diaper bag is full of unnecessary "just in case" items & ends up being heavier than baby

·         Your phone's memory is suddenly insufficient due to the thousands of pictures you've taken in the last month...and clearing them out is sooooo not happening!

·         When eau de spit up is your newest perfume and you don't care!

·         When sleep sounds like a better option than any other event

·         When your new nightly routine consists of brushing your teeth, checking on baby, washing your face, checking on baby, getting in bed, getting out of bed, checking on baby…Then finally getting back in bed again just to think of needing to check on baby again

·         You're packing for a trip and realize you've packed more outfits for your little one than for yourself. There's the cute outfit, the casual outfit, the warm one, and the short sleeve one just in case the weather is unpredictable. After all, the little princess has to have options

·         Your wedding day suddenly becomes the second best day of your life

·         Your little one’s toothless smile brings you more joy than anything else ever has

·         You know where all of the best diaper, wipe, formula, and baby food sales are, but you can’t remember when Victoria’s Secret is having their semi-annual sale anymore

·         Spit up has become an accessory

·         You feel weird talking to some of your non-parent friends because you can’t think of a single non-baby related topic to discuss

·         You feel like you won the lottery every time you get formula or diaper coupons in the mail.





These are the best ones I’ve read and I contributed some of my own! Comment here on the blog to add your favorites!

Spoiling a newborn

Can you even spoil a newborn? Some say yes and some say no. Me? I'm one of the "no" people.

"Don't pick up your baby every time she cries or she will learn that it's okay."
"She should be on a schedule to prevent cluster feeding."
"She should be sleeping in her crib, not in your room."
"You shouldn't hold her all the time, you'll never be able to put her down without her crying."

Blah. Blah. Blah.

I appreciate everyone's concerns with my child, but here's the thing...to put it simply, only my concerns count when it comes to my child.

When she cries, I pick her up. I comfort her. She doesn't want it, she needs it. My body housed her for nine months, and holding her pressed up against it is familiar and comforting for her.

When she's hungry, I can tell. I will not wait one more hour just to keep a schedule. She sometimes snacks on two ounces at a time ALL day instead of ever drinking one full bottle, but that's okay by me. She is hungry, I will not deprive her.

She'll sleep in her crib when I'm ready for her to sleep in her crib. The sweet sound of her breathing has become my white noise and it comforts me. Whatever she needs, I am there immediately with her beside my bed. We do not co-sleep simply because I'm terrified of rolling over on her, but to mamas who do, good for you!

I hold her all the time. Period. I let her sleep in my arms, I hold her upright while she watches tv, I snuggle her when she's not feeling well. When it comes time to put her down, she doesn't cry. She's only going to be a snuggly baby for a short time before she wants to walk around and explore rather than being held by mommy. I will take advantage of it until she is just too old to be held anymore.

I don't think there's a single thing wrong with spoiling babies, if that's what you want to call it. They're only babies once, even though we are mommies forever. #snugglesforlife ;)

Look out, we're cleaning green!

I recently discovered how to make my own household cleaning products for just about everything, and I AM SO happy! My absolute favorite so far is the all purpose kitchen cleaner. It's nothing more than white vinegar and orange peels. Sounds stinky, right? Not at all! I eat halos this time of year as if my patronage is what keeps those little nectarines in business! I thought I'd start sharing my DIY cleaning product recipes for all of you other mamas who want to eliminate bleach and ammonia from your house now that you have a little one.

SO, what you do is quite simple.

Fill a spray bottle about 2/3 of the way full with pieces of orange peel (I keep them in larger pieces and roll them up to fit them in the bottle opening rather than having a bunch of teeny shreds)

Pour white vinegar in to fill the bottle

Close the top, and set it aside for two weeks, shaking it here and there whenever it crosses your mind. (Yes, the first batch takes a long time, but if you have two spray bottles, just start a new one when you notice the first bottle getting low.)

Drain the orange vinegar into a measuring cup, pick out the orange peels one by one, and pour the vinegar back into the bottle.

Now, I know that it seems silly to pick out the orange peels from that little top, (another reason I keep them in larger pieces) but it's really not too bad. You can use this same recipe in mason jars if you think it would be easier, but my only gripe about that, is you need to fill 2 or 3 jars to make the amount of cleaner  you would make by just pouring everything directly into the spray bottle. So all in all, making it straight in the bottle is a much quicker process to make the cleaner. Pulling the peels out really doesn't take that long, and then at the end you only have to funnel one container back into the spray bottle, rather than 2 or 3 jars. Whatever method works best for you is fine, though. :)

The orange oil from the peels seep into the vinegar, which makes for one AMAZING (and great smelling) cleaning product. It just smells so clean and citrusy. There’s no other way to describe it. The smell of straight vinegar is gone, and the orange smell is just heavenly. The natural oil from the peels breaks up dried on messes from your counter SO well, and it also helps pick up dirt and dust, etc. The vinegar is a natural cleaner and disinfectant. You can even clean grease or lots of dirt off of hands with this stuff before washing them. If you're interested in learning more, please tell me what type of cleaner you're looking to make, and I'll share my recipes for it if I have one (which I probably do)! :) Until next time, mamas!

*DISCLAIMER* - Do NOT use this product on granite counter tops. I am not sure about marble, but my mother has granite, and they specified no citrus and no vinegar. You may want to do some research before using this product if you have anything other than standard composite counters.