Raising Charlie
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My 13 Month Breastfeeding Journey
First, I want to start by saying that each woman has to do what works for them. While this was my journey, I don’t mean to say what is right for others. This can be a sensitive topic in the mommysphere and while we live in a pro-shaming society, I don’t intend to do that here. Fed is best, whatever that may mean for you and for your family. Sour Milk? Is it just me, or do you feel like so many conversations about breastfeeding focus on the negative? It’s painful… it’s hard to get the perfect latch…it’s time consuming…you can’t drink alcohol or copius caffeine….you may leak….you may get…
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What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag… Simplified
I find it only fitting to follow up my previous post, “Post Partum Stuff I Wish I Knew” with this one. I remember being pregnant and getting on Pinterest to search what to bring to the hospital… and y’all. OVERKILL. Yes, those lists look pretty and cutesy, but it is wayyyyy overboard, in my opinion. And I don’t think I would describe myself as a low maintenance person either…At a Labor and Delivery Class offered by our hospital, the nurse was my kinda gal, who gave it to us straight. She told us less is more and that the hospital will pretty much have everything we need (and also to…
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A Stress Free Transition to Solids
If you watch any of my (many) Instastories then you have likely seen videos of my sweet Charlie girl shoveling in food at mealtimes…. broccoli, salmon, shrimp, tomatoes, spinach, Mac & cheese… you name it. The girl loves to eat, what can I say. I’ve had a few people reach out to me, asking how we were able to get her to not only eat such an array of foods, but also ease her transition to solids. So… I’m a first time mom and didn’t really know what I was doing… but I did what felt right and followed her cues. There’s so much information out there and pressure to…
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Post Partum Stuff I Wish I Knew…
I’ll never forget my sister driving me to the OB a few weeks after having Charlie. I was crying in the backseat, holding an ice pack on my lady parts. I don’t think I’ve ever been in more pain… While I had a totally normal (incredible) delivery and recovery, both of my stitches fell out about 3 weeks early… leaving my tear (albeit small), wide open. I had thought this was normal, until the pain became unbearable. THAT BEING SAID, I truly believe I could have easily prevented this from happening if I had made a few minor changes to my post partum care (more on this in a few).…
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Super Simple Sensory Play
I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! I took a couple of weeks off the blog, but I’m baaaaack. We had a wonderful Christmas with family, and Charlie took her first few steps! And for what it’s worth, or for those of you who read my last post… I’m still binging Hallmark movies. If you are like me, then you are finding yourself a bit out of sorts. Experiencing this post Christmas/pre- New Years time period where you are in a food coma from constant carbs and sugar, aren’t quite sure what day it is and are procrastinating taking Christmas down (so depressing). Also, if you’re anything like me then…
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Charlie’s First Year… A Slideshow
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A Letter to My Daughter: The Story of Your Birth
My Dearest Charlie, You are a miracle. And the day you were born was nothing short of miraculous. A day that your father and I will remember always. I’d been dreaming of being your mommy for as long as I can remember…but I had to wait. Your father and I fell in love and wanted nothing more than to bring you into the world….but we had to wait. So that’s exactly what we did. You were created out of love, perseverance, patience and hope. When we finally learned that you were growing inside of me, we (blissfully) waited some more. Carrying you was the most amazing experience. I cherished every…
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How I Prevented Stretch Marks…. and Defied Genetics
In a few weeks, my sweet Charlie will turn ONE (excuse me while I go cry in the corner). But seriously, it’s CRAZY how fast it’s going. I am already mourning the end of the baby year, but of course I’m so excited to celebrate our girl and experience the milestones to come. Facebook and Google Photos keep showing pics from one year ago… when I was almost 9 months pregnant. It’s really something else to look back and see your body, in such a drastically different state and realize how much it has transformed. This got me thinking about something that is on many pregnant (or soon to be…
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FREE or Cheap Learning Experiences for Baby!
Parenting can seem overwhelming. There’s so much information coming at you from all angles… buy this, do this, don’t do that, go here, eat this, watch out for that. All parents want the same thing- to raise happy, healthy, well-rounded human beings that will one day be successful adults. Because of this, us parents are easy targets for marketing gimmicks. And I’ve definitely fallen in that trap. Social media also shows all the cool stuff everyone else is doing, the latest and greatest of everything. This can create “mom guilt” and feelings of insecurity. I have found myself wondering if I should be doing things like that with my child.…
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8 Daily Brain Boosters for Baby
TEACHER NERD ALERT! For those of you that don’t know my background, I hold a M.Ed in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in diagnosing and teaching students with language based learning differences. For the last 8 years I taught 5th grade in a specialized setting. I am now a full time mom and loving every moment, but let’s be real, being a mom IS being a teacher. While I have taken countless courses and read at length about child development, it’s a whole other experience to witness it first hand and it is absolutely awesome. My Charlie is 10 months old (excuse me while I go cry in…