Gift Guide: For Baby

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family and friends, full bellies and full hearts. Our little Fallon certainly didn't mind being the center of attention and chowing down on some sweet potatoes! We usually head out to the mall on Black Friday, but not really for the deals. I like to be part of the hustle and bustle without the pressure of snagging a specific item or having a list to go down. All the decorations and shoppers and Christmas displays just get me into the Christmas spirit. 

If you follow along on Instagram you already know that Fallon turned our Black Friday into Brown Friday when she decided to have a blow out as soon as we got to the mall. She pooped right through her festive pants and since it was so crowded I had to change her on her mat on the floor by the candy machines. Oh yes we did. Of course I had forgotten to pack an extra outfit but we couldn't let that ruin our fun. I just left her in her hoodie, diaper and furry booties and she rocked it like nobody's business. 

Even though I didn't shop at the stores, I did get some great deals online shopping after baby girl went to bed. I'm not quite finished and have my eye on a few things we will probably purchase during the Monday deals. I have noticed that tons of the sales started Thursday or Friday and are just continuing through Monday so hopefully everyone gets what they want with those discounts! 

I love the idea of something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. Mommy and Daddy are sticking to that with 4 gifts under the tree from us. But who knows what Santa will bring if Fallon is a really good girl. Here are a few items on her list that your babes might enjoy too. 

Alphabet Tee / Hoodie Jumper / Interactive Puppy / Penguin Doll / Activity Cube / Radio Flyer Push Wagon / Plates / BabyLit Book / Polka Dot Dress / Bow Onesie

The Non Joys Of Parenthood

I want to go ahead and preface this by saying I am so thankful I have a daughter. I appreciate that she is one hell of a gift and do not take the fact that she is healthy and thriving for granted for a single second. BUT I can't honestly say that I enjoy every moment of parenthood. Does anyone? I don't think it makes us ungrateful, just human. 

As much as I love seeing all the beautiful captures of motherhood in those moments of glory, we all know they don't tell most of the story. The parts that make us want to rip our hair out, run for the hills, pour the wine at 10AM, scream, cry or beat up a pillow. The frustration, the mental exhaustion, the sleep depravation. So, real talk people, here are 5 joys of parenthood I don't really find so joyous. 

Blowouts 

Dear God, how can so much crap come out of such a tiny body? I lost count of how many times we've had to wash the car seat padding and refill the bottle of stain remover. Little girlfriend is all go big or go home when it comes to shitting her pants.

Spit Up

My kid seems to think no outfit is complete without some regurgitated milk. She waits until I dress her and then BAM pukes on herself and usually me. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't smell. 

Fussing

I get that babies communicate via crying when they need something before they can use words. But fussing aka whining grates on my last nerve. Probably what irritates me the most is my kid does it because she's bored and refusing to entertain herself. Heaven forbid I should leave the room to relieve my bladder.

Infant Car Seat

I know these things are made the way they are made to keep my baby safe and that rocks. But they are a bitch to use. They are awkward and heavy to carry and strapping in a screaming baby is sometimes the most challenging thing I do all day. It's like wrangling a tiny bronco. 

Naps

Or really lack there of. If these are so necessary why is it so hard to get them to happen? I'm lucky if my kid takes more than one nap a day, if one at all ,and 40 minutes is pretty solid for her. Multiple naps totaling 3-4 hours per day all the websites speak of are laughable to me. You're tired, I'm giving you the opportunity to sleep. Sleep. OMG JUST SLEEP. You mamas who get several hours worth of nap time hustle or relaxation, count your blessings. I'll just be over here attempting to accomplish all the things in 40 minutes or less, doing them with a 14+ lb baby attached to me or doing none of them because I'm pushing the stroller or driving the car. 

I love my baby so freaking much I can't even put it into words. And I fully accept that motherhood is mostly messy and chaotic and so far from a series of perfect little squares. I can take the bad with the good, roll with the punches and laugh about it later. Being a mom is an amazing job but I'm just never going to love poop. 

4 Month Fussies

I won't even pretend that I have really any part of motherhood all figured out, but there for a minute I kind of thought I had found my groove. And then Fallon turned 4 months old. I swear it was like someone supercharged her overnight and she woke up pissed off. The past few weeks we've been losing our minds desperately trying to figure out why she's been upset 75% of the time and doing all kinds of ridiculous things to keep her from having constant meltdowns. 

4 month sleep regression? Transition to the crib? Growth spurt? Teething? Developmental? Gas? Boredom? Some combination of any or all of the above? Or dear God is this just her true personality emerging and she's going to be like this FOREVER? 

We introduced solids, gave her gas relief drops & Tylenol, took long walks, car rides, sang songs and played with all the toys. But the fussiness just kept up. I was wondering how I was going to do this everyday without beating my head against the wall in frustration. Other mamas could empathize, but mostly it was I honestly don't remember if mine went through that. Probably because we block out these times as way to preserve sanity and keep the human race going. 

And then just as quickly as this salty attitude came on, it left the building. I'm not saying we suddenly have a happy baby all the time. I mean, is that even a real thing? But the last few days we've had more smiles than tears, more giggles than fussing and more fun than frustration. I feel like I finally found my way out of the rabbit hole and we're back in the game. We will never know what this little phase was all about. But it really doesn't matter. One thing is for sure, we aren't one bit sad to see those 4 month fussies hit the road! 

Friday I'm In Love

All around me the Christmas season has begun but I just can't get into it until after Thanksgiving. I mean, I'm super excited for Fallon's first Christmas but we are still in fall mode for another week around here. There will be no tree, no Christmas music, no cookies and no decorating until next weekend. I could say there will be no shopping but who am I kidding? It's just not Christmas shopping yet. Don't worry, as soon as black Friday hits there will definitely not be a shortage of holiday cheer in this house. In the meantime, one last favorites roundup until it's all Christmas Vacation, NSYNC & Mariah Carey on repeat, twinkle lights and toy stores. 

I'm pretty sure half of my closet is made up of Target finds. I also go for something else and come out with something new in my wardrobe. I just snagged this cardigan and it is the softest, coziest thing ever!

I love my booties this time of year but running around with Fallon all the time requires comfy shoes. It's pretty awesome that there are tons of cute and stylish sneaks out right now. I just got these and they literally feel like slippers, the perfect compliment to any momiform. 

If Fallon falls asleep while we are out and about the last thing I need is strangers getting too close. I love MilkSnob car seat covers and this new one for fall/winter is the cutest.

My friend sent me this article about what SAHMs really do all day. Even if you're working mama, this is a good one. I was literally laughing out loud.

This website has the coolest mom tees. I could make a case for this one, this one, or this one. Maybe all 3!

My mom hosts Thanksgiving dinner and didn't ask me to bring anything but I might show up with a plate of these anyway. 

There are countless sweet and cuddly stuffed dolls for kids out there but Cuddle + Kind dolls are extra special. Not only are they handmade, each doll purchase provides 10 meals to kids who only dream of Thanksgiving dinner. I melted seeing Fallon grab her doll's little hand. 

The Bedtime Routine

I'm up past my bedtime tonight to talk about Fallon's bedtime routine. Before we left the NICU and brought our baby girl home we got to give her the first bath. The nurse was telling us that babies do not need baths every day but sometimes it can be helpful to relax them before bed. I had heard from many people that creating a bedtime routine was so, so helpful for both parents and babes so Chris and I decided to jump on the wagon. 

Fallon's umbilical cord took a few weeks to come off so we just bathed her with a wet rag a handful of times during that period. And she hated every second of it. The first night we were finally able to give her a sink bath with her baby tub we figured she would hate that too. We were wrong. She actually LOVED it. She was so happy and really enjoyed being in the water. But we quickly discovered she did not like being taken out of the water. She screamed like the air was on fire. It was all kinds of fun trying to get her lotion and pjs on while having our eardrums blown. And then one night she decided it was actually kind of nice to be wrapped up in a cozy towel and have lotion rubbed on her. So now we all look forward to the bedtime routine. 

Around 7PM we kick things off with a bath. If it's been a super crappy day and Fallon is just all kinds of fussy at 6:30, we start then, but I try to hold her off until 7. Typically Chris is sleeping upstairs so we've just made it part of the routine to use the first floor bathroom. This tub fits perfectly in the sink and Fallon loves to just relax in the warm water for a while. She usually sticks her hands under the faucet at some point and sprays water everywhere. I give her 10-15 minutes and then wash her with Tubby Todd soap. I've learned to take her out of the tub before I turn off the water or she totally loses her shit. Yea, we've got a diva on a hands. I wrap her up and bring her out to the living room and lay her on the couch. I have everything I need set out and ready to go so we move right to the next step of covering her in lotion. She usually babbles while I do this and it's pretty damn cute. 

I slip this little guy on her foot then put her in her pjs and we go onto the next step, the boob. I used let her nurse right to sleep and then put her to bed but now that she's a little older, I don't want her to need to nurse to bed. So now she nurses and then we snuggle. After a rough transition to her crib, we went with the recommendation for this swaddle blanket and it's worked like a charm. I swaddle her up and either cuddle on the couch or head upstairs to her room to rock in the rocker. By 8 I lay her down sleepy in her crib and she usually drifts right off to dream land. 

Having this routine keeps Chris and I on schedule and has helped Fallon understand when it is time to sleep for the night as she has gotten older. We try to stick to this sequence of events of every night but we also believe in teaching flexibility so now that she is used to sleeping in her own room, we will start mixing things up a bit here and there. So far our bedtime routine has been working out extremely well and I'm really glad we started it from the beginning. 

Do you have a bedtime routine for your kiddos?

Beanie Babes

Most days I try to get out of the house with Fallon, even if it's just to run through the Starbucks drive thru. She's a high stimulation kid so staying home all day bores her. Now that it seems the fall weather is here to stay, I'm loving all the beanie hats for mama and baby. I run cold, always, and wearing a coat while running errands is kind of a pain, especially now with a munchkin in tow. There isn't really much room in the cart anymore and I need both hands when I'm out and about. Fallon can't wear a coat in her carseat so really, throwing hats on both of us is the easiest thing to do, plus they are basically another way to accessorize! I've linked some of my favorites currently out there for you and your mini in case you wanna be beanie babes too. Can you tell we like pompoms? 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8


Happy Friday!

4 Months Of Fallon

Here we are again, another month has gone by. Fallon's 4 month check up was Monday and she's cruising along with her development and growing away. 13 lbs 14 oz, 25 inches of perfect baby girl. She was so brave getting her shots and only cried for about a second. We did learn that her knees are a little tight from her position in utero aka those long legs crunched up and her spending the last few weeks on her side. Luckily my sister is a PT so she's gong to show us some exercises to get those babies loosened up and we will be good to go. 

I think one of the best parts of motherhood is watching Fallon's personality come out a little more every day. I love finding the things that make her laugh so I can do them over and over and over again. Her gummy smile won't be all gummy for much longer because she's working on popping a tooth through. We transitioned from bedside cradle to crib this month and this swaddle has been our saving grace for making her feel comfortable in her own space. Naps are still spotty but I'll take them whenever and wherever they happen at this point. 

We started solids this week and oh man is it funny. Rice cereal was up first and she barely hesitated with the first bite then gobbled down the rest like she'd been doing it her whole life. I guess we're out of the running for parents of the year because we totally forgot to get baby spoons and ended up using a plastic one. Oops. We are now onto oatmeal and little miss piggy loves it. She's eating in her bumbo seat right now but we will have a shiny new high chair by this weekend for her to test drive. I can't even believe what a big girl she is already. I'm honestly not sad, just excited for all the fun things in store as she grows. 

In the beginning tummy time was no problem and Fallon actually seemed to enjoy it. And then one day she decided she hates it. It's been a struggle for a while but finally last week she was happy about it again and I caught her rolling over on camera! I figured out that if I put her down on her belly right by the dogs she will tolerate it much longer since she is focused on them and what they are doing. I'm pretty sure they will be her biggest motivation to crawl since she has become more and more interested in them lately. I just love watching their interactions and seeing Fallon reach out for them and giggle when they lick her face as she grabs their fur. 

Next month's update is going to feel like tomorrow!

Body After Baby

I had no plans whatsoever to do this post. I'm not opposed to putting it all out there at this point but this is a topic that can bring up negative feelings and emotions and that's not my intention with this blog. But my audience has spoken. This is what y'all wanted to hear about so here we go. 

When I got pregnant I was 28 years old and in good health. I walked about 3.5 miles several times a week with Ares and Chaos plus a few days of half hour strength training. I was and still am a vegetarian and whole heartedly believe in a eating well for your body but treating yourself in moderation. I'm 5 ft 4 in and my pre baby weight was 116 lbs. I was fortunate to be able to continue working out throughout my entire pregnancy, even doing HIIT cardio one or two days a week into my third trimester. I had developed an even bigger sweet tooth than I already had and definitely indulged more than I should have, but kept eating healthy for the most part. I was up to a 31 lb weight gain at 38 weeks but lost 3 lbs by the following week for a total of 28 lbs. My last weigh in was at 39 weeks and I delivered Fallon at 39 weeks, 6 days so 28 is the last number I have to go on.

I have no idea what determines the rate at which each woman loses baby weight or how quickly her body recovers. I'm sure genetics has a lot to do with it, probably the condition of your body during pregnancy and luck of the draw. Don't compare yourself to me or anyone else. After I delivered Fallon my belly started deflating like a basketball someone let the air out of. My uterus began contracting back down to its original size almost immediately. I wore this belly band under my clothes as soon as I was able to get dressed after giving birth, about 2 hours later. Maybe it helped, maybe not, but it definitely stopped the my organs are floating around inside my body feeling and I absolutely recommend it. I wore it for 2 weeks straight postpartum around my belly and then moved it to my hips for weeks 3-4. 

Fallon was born on a Wednesday and the first time I tried putting on anything but leggings was 4 days later when family was coming over. The pair of jean shorts I had worn until the last day of my pregnancy fit without a struggle but they were 1 size up from my normal size. The next day I wore a pair of pre baby jeans and they were snug, but not uncomfortably so. I didn't weight myself but I am fairly certain I lost all the baby weight within a week of delivery. I realize this sounds like I'm bragging and probably many of you are cursing the hell out of me right now. Please, please, please remember I am only giving all these details because I was asked to and I'm no better than any of you. This is just the way my body responded. 

The first time I weighed myself was actually on the scale at the pediatrician's office when Fallon was about 3 weeks old. I had lost all my baby weight and then some and even though I was pretty sure that was going to be the case by the way my clothes were fitting, it still seemed crazy. Breastfeeding takes a lot of calories but it doesn't make your body magically go back to the way it used to be. My hips are a little wider, the skin on my belly is a little stretched out and booty is not as perky as it once was. I've never had the most body confidence but strangely I am happier with my body now than I've ever been. 

I got the okay from my doctor to start walking Fallon in her stroller as soon as we got home. I was careful not to overdo it even though some people thought I was. I just knew that I needed to move as part of my healing process. At 4 weeks postpartum I was allowed to begin light pelvic floor exercises and then at my 6 week checkup I was cleared to resume my pre pregnancy workouts. Fallon will be 18 weeks old tomorrow and I currently weigh 114 lbs. I push her in the stroller or walk with her in my wrap several times a week up the big hills in our neighborhood or at the local park. When I have time I do half hour HIIT or strength workouts on YouTube but that may only happen 2-3 times a week. I eat my fruits, veggies, whole grains and protein but I also eat cheese fries, pizza and Halloween candy. 

I have less muscle tone than Ive had in a long time and sometimes that bothers me. I've had to get rid of several pairs of pants and tops because they no longer fit the shape of my post baby body. I see the loose skin on my tummy when I sit down and lift my shirt to nurse. My whole entire point to writing this, other than to answer the questions y'all have e-mailed me, is to say that I am perfectly imperfect just like you. I worked hard during my pregnancy so I deserve some credit there but mostly I hit the genetic lottery and just got plain lucky on losing the baby weight so quickly. I struggle with not being able to work harder post baby but my priority every day is Fallon. I struggle with recognizing my body in the mirror. I struggle with putting on a bikini and realizing it does't fit the way it used to. I struggle just like all of you. But my body protected and nourished my baby while she grew. I want to stay healthy for her but I also want to promote self confidence for her. 

My body after baby will never be the same. And that's okay. It might be better. It might not. But it's the one body I've got and it's my job to take care of it and love it the best that I can. Some days that's easy and some days it's hard and some days it's everything in between. I'm learning to push myself when I can and not sweat it when I can't. Having a baby changes your body in so many ways but the thing to remember is how incredible that is. 

A Spooky Surprise

We live in big neighborhood with lots of families who own pets. Some of the cats are free to roam outside their homes so it is not at all unusual to see them out and about. A few weeks ago when Chris came home from work in the morning he called me outside to see a cat hiding underneath our car. He said he had seen it wandering around several times over the last couple weeks but assumed it was someone's pet out for a stroll. But once he got a good look at it up close, it was clear this kitty was a stray. 

As you all know, we are both animal lovers to the core. When Chris said he wanted to try to catch and care for the cat my agreement came with no hesitation. If the cat was lost we wanted to find it's home and if not, we hoped to find it a new home. The cat was clearly starving, all skin and bones, and although clearly afraid it approached immediately when we brought out food. After being captured as gently as possible and put into a spare crate, we began mission nurse kitty back to health. 

We discovered the beautiful little calico was a she and since it was warm, felt comfortable leaving her in the garage for the first few days. She received water and food and time to get used to being off the streets. We also had to protect our resident cats in case she had fleas or any type of sickness/transmittable disease. We posted pictures on our neighborhood website but received zero response after a week and it is a very active community where many a lost pet is reunited with its family. It was clear she wasn't missing from a home nearby or no one was claiming her. She definitely did not have fleas and was showing us more and more of her sweet and loving personality each day so we brought her inside. Of course she had to stay in the crate when unattended until we made a trip to the vet and to allow Piper and Little O to get to know her scent. 

I knew at this point that not only were we going to find this little girl's home, if she ever had one, but she wasn't going to need to find a new one. She already had. Since it was a few weeks before Halloween and she's got those gorgeous haunting green eyes, we decided to name her Spooky and make her an official family member. A visit to the vet confirmed she's disease free and we got the all clear to introduce her to the rest of the crew. Today she is steadily gaining weight and strength and is so playful. The vet estimated her at about a year old but we will never really know her true age. The newest addition completely accepts Piper as the queen, O as her new nighttime romping buddy and all three dogs as teddy bears and is not afraid at all. She rubs up against Fallon, who in turn grabs her fur and tries to eat her, though she doesn't seem to mind, and snuggles with Chris or I when she's not busy exploring her new digs. We certainly did not plan on adding another furball to the mix but little Spooky literally showed up at our house and who were we to turn her away? Sometimes these things happen for a reason.

Fridays With Fallon

The day we were discharged from the hospital and able to go home as a family after Fallon was born was a Friday. I was holding Fallon that morning in the NICU and snapped a few pictures, one I captioned "Fridays with Fallon". A few weeks later my parents offered to hang with baby girl while Chris and I snuck out for our first date night since her arrival and Fridays was Fallon was born. It's now become a weekly thing, one night a week we can get together with family/friends and, well, hang out with Fallon.

Babies grow so freaking fast, you blink and no longer have a teensy newborn but a rolling, babbling, teething 17 week old. It's so nice that our families are able to watch her grow in real time and we all get to spend time together. We float houses so sometimes we host, sometimes my parents and sometimes my in-laws but it's extremely casual and no one is expected to reserve every single Friday night. As Fallon gets older and I am able to be away for longer, Chris and I will probably use a Friday here and there as date night and leave her with all her adoring fans. I am betting no one will complain. They might not even notice!

I'm sure we won't keep up with this forever as the little ones get older and have other things to do. But for now, we always look forward to Fridays and not just because it's the start of the weekend. Happy Friday friends!

Tips For Traveling With A Pint Sized Passenger

Some people told us traveling with a 3.5 month old baby was a little crazy. And some people said it was actually a good age for it. I guess it depends on a lot of different factors but it worked out really well for us. We already knew Fallon loves a crowd and has an adventurous personality so the hustle and bustle of travel was not a concern. But there were a few things we did that seemed to help everything go pretty smoothly. 

We flew out in afternoon both on the way down and on the way home. Originally we needed to fly down at this time due to Chris's work schedule but the more I thought about it, I realized it was a good idea anyway. Although Fallon isn't on much of a nap schedule, she does wake up and take a morning nap around the same time each day so I did not have to worry about switching that up or skipping the nap. If you can plan your flights so that you don't have to wake up the babe earlier than usual or miss a nap, it's probably best for everyone. 

Packing for a baby is basically just as involved for one day as it is for several. The only difference is the amount of clothing because you need all of the baby things regardless. I usually stress over trying to pack light to fly and make sure suitcases are not overweight. This time I was just focused on bringing everything I thought we would need for Fallon. We ended up with a big suitcase that was actually under 50lbs plus the diaper bag and a large tote as a carry on. I felt so prepared for any situation and I didn't forget anything like I think I would have if I was worried about overpacking. 

Sticking to the routine you have at home is not always easy on vacation. We keep a flexible schedule at home and replicated it the best we could while we were away. Babies cannot tell time so even if you can't get that part exact, keeping your sequence of events is still helpful. We woke up at Fallon's normal time every day, respected her morning nap, even if it was underneath a pool chair or covered up on the beach. We have this baby tub and it was so perfect for traveling since it folds flat. Just like at home we did our bedtime routine and Fallon got the cues it was time to go to sleep. We brought her rock n' play cradle as checked luggage and she slept in it right next to the bed just like we were at home.

We flew Delta so strollers and car seats fly free. The car seat came with us since we needed it for Fallon to ride from the airport to the hotel and then in the car we rented. We debated bringing the stroller but ended up deciding against it and I am so glad we did. It would have been a giant pain to add to our luggage and we wouldn't have needed it at all. Instead of a stroller I highly recommend bringing a wrap carrier like the Solly baby wrap. It doesn't take up much room in the diaper bag and I always have mine with me anyway. I used it to carry Fallon through the airport, nurse her in it on the planes, walking on the beach and at the wedding reception. The wedding and reception took place at the hotel we stayed at so after I took Fallon to the room for the bedtime routine I put her in my wrap and was able to go back and enjoy the reception well past her bedtime while she was fast asleep cuddled against me. 

And maybe my most important piece of advice: bring stain remover and plastic bags. Fallon had a few blowout including one on the plane on our way home. She was sitting on my lap. I would haven had to throw her clothes away and probably had my favorite jeans ruined if I didn't have both of these essentials. Yes, I walked through the airport with poop on my clothes but that stain came out and I didn't have to get rid of anything. Badge of motherhood. 

Happy Travels!