NMM 10/17/11

Just think!  Your baby is going to learn how to love because of you!

Your words and actions start to have a lot more impact than you ever imagined before when you become a mom!  I realize that everything I do and say and how I treat other people, Kayla is going to mimic and I want to make sure I'm encouraging her to be the type of person people are proud to call their friend.  I hope that one day, when speaking of Kayla, people say, "Oh she is just the kindest person.  She is the type of person that would give you the shirt off her back."

Since delving into the cloth diapering community on facebook, I've started following two very hard to come by diapers.  For the most part, I think the moms in the community are so kind and helpful.  But when it comes to buying/selling/trading diapers, I think it brings out the worst in some of these mommas.  All I keep thinking is, Is this how you want your kids to treat other people?

So keep in mind, your little one is always watching and taking in your words and actions...make sure they are words and actions both you and he/she would be proud of!

NMM 9/26/11 - A little belated

Whatever you dream for your baby, be sure to keep dreaming for yourself.  

You will be richer for it.

Ok, honestly, I needed this advice this week.  And I'm not kidding you, I don't pick whichever saying from my book "Eat Your Peas" that I want to put up each week.  I am slowly going through the book one at a time in order.  (And honestly, if you know me at all, skipping around all willy-nilly isn't really my style.  I'm more of a structured, organized, read-a-book-from-front-to-back-no-matter-what-book-it-may-be kinda girl.)  So, if you are one of those people who has some belief in fate and destiny, I'm pretty sure this is it.

I've missed a few Mondays here and there as you probably know, and clearly that was supposed to happen so that I could come to this moment.  I've been struggling since we arrived here in Illinois with blogging for some reason.  And tonight, I just decided that I love blogging and I need to get back on the wagon.  So I forced myself to search through our stuff that isn't quite fully unpacked yet to find my book and write this post.

I've been spending as much time as I can with Kayla because I'm supposed to go back to work this week. (Don't even get me started on all the delays.)  I'm really struggling with this, as I always thought I would be a working mom.  I'd worked so hard for my career and I didn't want to give it up too easily.  Then we got married, and I had a hard time finding a job I liked, and I started thinking more and more about starting a family.  Here we are and Kayla and Justin are my priorities, not my career.  So it's been extremely difficult to wrap my head around leaving her to go to a job that's just that...a job.

But I have to remember that I am more than just Kayla's momma (which she says unknowingly now...I win! :)  I am a strong, independent woman who worked hard for everything she has.  And I have to remember that I don't think I'm ready to give up everything I am.  And I think that being away during the day will make me appreciate my time with Kayla so much more.  And not just that, I have a lot of other dreams and goals that I want to accomplish completely separate from being a mom.

So today, I needed this advice.  And I hope that maybe someone else needed it too. :)

Things I am going to try to write about this week:

• Getting back on track with my 101 list.
• Kayla's belated 8 month birthday post/pictures.
• My first day(s) back at work.
• Our little family DC experience.
• Of course some Friday Favorites.

Also, today marks exactly 1 month until our family trip to the Big Island of Hawaii.  It's ok to be jealous. :)  Maybe I can add a countdown to my blog....hm.

Have a GREAT week! :)

9/11/11

I needed this day.

I needed this poignant reminder to never take the people in your life for granted.

I needed the day filled with recaps, documentaries, and stories of the people directly and indirectly affected by that day 10 years ago.

I needed this day to remind myself that I have a choice.  I have a choice to focus on the positive or the negative.  I have a choice on how I live my life and how I react to things that happen.

This year has been the hardest of my life, but instead of dwelling on our seemingly terrible luck, I am going to be thankful I have a husband who has worked his butt off and stood by my side, unwaveringly.  Instead of being really sad I have to leave Kayla while returning to work, I'm going to focus on my identity as a woman, instead of just as a wife and mother.

I am so thankful to go to bed and wake up every morning with a beautiful, happy baby, an adoring husband, a wonderful family and fantastic friends.  That is my new focus.

NMM Labor Day

Go with the flow will come to have many new meanings.  Enjoy them all!

This is so true.  No two days are ever the same.  And no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to figure out how to get any sort of consistency, because there is none.  Kayla will sleep pretty good (7 pm to 4 or 5 am) for a few nights in a row and then all of the sudden, wake up at 1 or 2 am.  One week it's teething, the next week she's sick, the next week she's learning a new skill (like her new one...standing alone), and the week after that she's back to teething.

Oh and if you ever want to be on time again, you should probably give yourself an extra 45 minutes or so.

And now that we are really into solid foods, you see that one day she'll eat like she is a bottomless pit and the next day she isn't interested at all.




 I guess if it was predictable it would be boring!

Happy Labor Day!  I'll be spending a portion of my day reminiscing about my labor. :)

NMM 8/22/11

Be patient with yourself.  

This is definitely on-the-job training.

No real blog post since I'll probably be posting later today, or early tomorrow morning; but here are some recent iPhone photos.

In my new Ragababe Star Candy diaper :)

I really love bottles

This is how I usually find her post naps

And this :)

She loves to be like this playing with toys...kinda weird but I love her

Weekend morning family time :)

She's looking for her toy under the cabinet :)

NMM 8/8/11

I don't feel like posting today.  I'm still tired from what turned out to be a good weekend with one hellacious night.  So here's the new mom Monday advice.  No photo today either since I'm not in the mood to do any editing.  (Maybe I'll post an unedited one.)

Today's words of wisdom are simple yet they speak the truth:

Expect to fall in love everyday.

You definitely do.  Kayla could do exactly the same thing one day as she did the day before and at least once during the day, "God, I love you so much!" runs through my mind!

NMM 8/1/11

Holy moly, can you believe it's August?  Where is summer going?  I'm not gonna lie though...I really love the fall!!!  Bring on the leaves, cooler weather, football and Halloween in Hawaii!!!  Woot woot!

Anyways, back to the matter at hand:

Listen whole-heartedly to your partners instincts about baby, because they may just notice something that you have overlooked.  They know what they are talking about too!!

This week's tidbit is from me, not my "Eat Your Peas" book.  People always say that there is a "motherly instinct" and I think this is probably true.  But what you don't realize is that Dad has some instincts too, and just because you aren't really sure about what he's saying doesn't mean he is wrong.  Give your partner some credit and take their thoughts and opinions on what is going on with baby into serious consideration, because honestly, they are probably right.  It's sort of like 2 head are better than 1, and it is really nice to have someone there willing to help you out!!

Things Justin has figured out about Kayla long before I saw it:

• She hates being wet, and pees a TON
• She likes when you sing "Twinkle, twinkle" to her when putting her down
• She's not a big fan of those sleep sacks or footies because she hates to have her feet trapped
• She loves the texture of those Aden & Anais swaddling blankets in bed

I'm sure there are a bunch more, but my pregnancy brain has crept into my non-pregnancy body.  The point is, listen to your partner!  They know what they are talking about too and also have baby's best interest at heart, because they love her (him) just as much as you do!

Kayla seriously LOVES the pool...it's hilarious!

NMM 7/25/11

Keep a calendar handy to jot down those precious things your baby does. 

Years from now you'll be glad you did.

(And so will your baby!)

I wish I would have been more careful and organized about this one.  I think my blog is a wonderful way to look back on my pregnancy and motherhood up until this point.  And one of these days I'll start making a Kayla's scrapbook with the items my little sister got me for my baby shower.  And I guess I do take the monthly photos of Kayla so that's a nice way to document her growth.  Sometimes I wish I had a more creative idea of a way to keep track of all the little things: like the day that she first smiled for real, the day she first babbled or blew raspberries with her lips, or started army crawling.  I have a vague recollection of the dates but nothing exact.  If I knew the exact dates I could probably come up with some great do-it-yourself project for myself (or find one online).  Maybe I'll just see if I can look back and remember the approximate dates and come up with some sort of "milestone book."

Stay tuned later today after our doctor's appointment for an update (and maybe even a third post today!)  I also have updated some photos on our SmugMug page, and updated my 101 in 1,001 page (to include a link to Lauren's list), and hopefully when I get a chance I'll update my cloth diapering page with a few more reviews!!  Happy Monday!

I know this photo is blurry and I haven't even attempted an edit but I just love it! :)

NMM 7/18/11

What you didn't get right today you can practice again tomorrow.

(After all, isn't that what you will teach your little one?)

I feel like I'm making a million mistakes every day, but she's alive and kicking, I'm still breastfeeding successfully and she seems happy most of the time (maybe not the past few days but...)  I must be doing something right.  Part of what I love about being a mom is the trial and error, sort of like a puzzle for this puzzle lover! :)

NMM 7/11/11

Today's edition is one of my favorites!

There is nothing quite as sweet as baby toes.  Kiss them often!

I have nothing to say besides I seriously may kiss Kayla's toes a bit too often!  (Sorry this edition is a little late...I got caught up on our road trip how yesterday with entertaining my daughter and falling asleep.)

I'll try to post about our trip later today...maybe I'll post in segments!

Baby toes:

Trying hard to crawl...likes to push into plank position

NMM 7/4/11

Happy Fourth of July!!  Here's this week's NNM advice:

Trust your instincts.  You will be an unbelievable mom.

I think this can be a hard one to swallow, but trust me, you can't imagine how natural everything feels once you get used to your baby.  And YOU know best, even if it doesn't feel like it at first.

I hope everyone is enjoying time with their families and friends on this holiday!  This morning, Megan and I went to scope out our spot on the Lake for the fireworks, my sisters ran the Freedom 4 Miler while Nanny, Kayla and I cheered them on, and now we are getting ready for a day full of red, white and blue.  Photos to come soon, for now here's another one from our weekend at the pool...one of my favorites before editing.

P.S. Do you like my new signature?

NMM 6/27/11

This week's episode of New Mom Mondays:

When all else fails.  Breathe.

I can't even tell you how many times in the first 3-4 months of Kayla's life I had to put her down and take a few deep breaths.  A lot of times crying helped me, but I had a lot more going on as well!  I promise it gets better, and soon you will find that you no longer have to stop and take a few breaths because the frustrating times are few and far between the extremely joyous times!  You will soon miss those days when your son or daughter was a newborn...

Speaking of babies growing up to fast...here are a few short videos I took on Kayla's five month birthday when she decided she wanted to learn how to crawl...up on all fours and rocking like a mad woman...

NMM 6/20/11

Here's this week's tidbit of wisdom from "Eat Your Peas:"

When the baby keeps you awake all night, remember you will have a lifetime to catch up on your sleep.
But you'll never have this night with your little one again.

I definitely have to remember this every night, and honestly, it does help me a lot.  Especially now that I realize how quickly they grow up.  I can't believe I have an almost 5 month old who is a few days away from her first tooth!!!

Also, I'm in love with Photoshop and all the great things it can do, so now I'm not afraid of how tired I look in photos because I can adjust it! :)

NMM 6/13/11

Here's this week's edition of New Mom Mondays:

May your day be filled with hugs and giggles and silly things only a mother could love.


I know you moms know about all those silly things you relish in that your baby does.  And seriously, the giggles, I would do anything to get those from Kayla!  I'm pretty sure Kayla has the best laugh, but I think she's the best at everything! :)  And I sure do love waking up to this every morning...

Sorry it's so blurry, but she's very active and I can't control the shutter speed on my iPhone ;)

Stay tuned later this week for my 100th post!!  It will mostly likely be a recap of my week in Illinois.  I have to upload some photos.  I'll probably post them pre-photoshop editing so I have some time to learn!

New Mom Mondays 6/6/11

I think I'm going to start a new Monday blog post ritual.  My Nanny purchased a little book for me from the place she works in Glen Ellyn, IL.  She told me that she thought of me when she saw it and after she read it, she really felt like it was something I could have written, or something I already have written on my blog.  The book is called Eat Your Peas for New Moms: A little wisdom. And a lasting promise.  


Now, by no means at all do I think I am an expert, considering I've only been a mom for 4.5 months.  However, I feel like I've gone through a lot of things in these months, and I'm one of those people that analyzes everything, so every once in a while I think I have something profound to say.  :)  So every Monday, I will try my hardest to impart on my awesome readers a little piece of information that I have learned or come across regarding being a new mom.

Without further ado, I give you "New Mom Mondays!"

The book starts out like this (before giving you little tidbits of wisdom):

Congratulations!  Life as you know it is about to change forever.  And for the better!

Will it be easy?  Not on your life.  But it will be wonderful.  Exhilarating.  Exhausting.  Sometimes scary.  And always surprising.  Which brings me to the reason for this little book.

With all this newness in your life, you are not alone.  I promise.  Want to talk?  Here's my number (in case fatigue affects your memory.)  Call me!  (Ok so I'm not gonna post my phone number here, but the idea behind this page applies to all of you from me.  Send me an email, shoot me a comment, or a message on facebook.  I am always willing to listen and talk and give you any advice I have come across or read about or heard.  I am not embarrassed by much and I'd love to lend a VERY sympathetic ear!)


If you ever want to brag a little (or a lot), if you ever need a good laugh, or a good cry, or just some good old adult conversation Call me!  (or write to me)


I promise to listen (really listen) with all my heart.  What's more, I promise I won't get carried away with free advice (unless of course you really, really want some.)

In the meantime, here's a little homegrown wisdom to go with the wonder of your new little sweet pea...

New Mom Monday 6/6/11:

Your baby is so lucky to be loved by you.


This is so very true.  He/she is lucky to have you, as is everyone else in your life.  Don't ever forget this! And don't ever forget, you may not be the perfect mom, but you are the perfect mom for your little peanut!