Tag Archives: mom

Our Pregnancy Announcement Photo One Year Later

It’s hard to believe we announced our pregnancy to the world a year ago today.  It seems like just yesterday, but so much has happened in the past year.   Three hundred and sixty five six (leap year!) days of excitement, planning, emotions, & picture-taking.  We decided to wait until after the first trimester to share with the social media world that our family was growing.  It was SO hard keeping quiet.  But, looking back, I’m glad that we had the chance to relish in the excitement quietly for a few months.  Plus, this gave me plenty of time to decide on a pregnancy announcement photo.

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How Our Pregnancy Announcement Video Went Viral

Never in a million years did I think I would be writing this post.  Wow!  As of this morning (February 1, 2017), our video has twenty-six THOUSAND views!?! It is still so surreal to me.  When I recorded Hub’s reaction to finding out he would be a father, I honestly didn’t even have any intentions of even uploading it to YouTube.  It was solely for the pregnancy announcement DVD I was planning to make.  But then I quit my job & started this blog. So, I started doing some research on YouTube’s Adsense program & decided, why not?  All, I have to do is upload a video & I might make a buck or two.  Worth a shot, right?! Was it ever!

So, here is how our pregnancy announcement video went viral.

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Monthly Footprint Art – January

January has been a pretty busy month between traveling, doctor’s appointments, and family visits causing it to FLY by.   Time almost got away from me, but luckily I broke out my paints & the bumbo with a few days to spare.  I plan on doing monthly footprint art for at least the first year (surprise).  Our little ones change so much over the first 12 months, it’s so precious to have keepsakes to help remember how teeny they once were.

For January, we (lol, really Lori??) I decided to do snowmen & penguins.  (Not that those are at all relevant to this North Carolina weather we’ve been having.)  I also did a Mama Bear & Baby Bear craft just for fun!!  I was feeling pretty confident this month since E can sit in his bumbo floor seat so well now.   What I didn’t consider, however, is how interested he is in his feet lately….  I had to be sure to keep a toy in his hands the entire time in order to stop him from eating paint, lol.

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E’s Favorite Things: 4 Months Old

E has come so far in the past month!  He is able to sit independently (well, for a few seconds at a time lol), has started to play with his feet, and will reach out for things he wants! I love watching him grow and learn day by day.  It is so astonishing to think that we were all his age once.  We all had to learn the things that are so easy to us now.  It’s amazing!!

He still enjoys many things we talked about in our three month post like his rattle & mirror, but here are his updated favorites from four months old!

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10 Things I Learned From Flying with a Baby

I feel like we are crazy people for flying with a baby (almost 5 months old).  & maybe we are, lol.  Apparently people do this all the time. I personally don’t know these people, but I’ve read about them. The anxiety level is at a whole new high.  Especially when you have very limited flight experience. The week prior to the trip was filled with pacing, lists, and consolidating.   But some how we made it out alive.  So, while this won’t dissolve your anxiety, here are 10 things I learned from flying with a baby that might help tone it down a notch.

  1. Baby wear!
    This literally saved my life.  E hates the car seat (can you blame him?) plus who wants to try & carry a baby AND all of their luggage?  Having both hands free makes everything so much easier & it gives babe the ability to take in all of the sights!  We use a Boba wrap because I love the convince.  I can put it on before we leave & be able to pop him in there in no time.
  2. You don’t need the extra seat.
    We bought E a seat because we figured it would be there if we needed to put him in his car seat.  Which we didn’t do. It was nice because then we got 6 carry on items rather than 4, but paying to check a bag is a lot cheaper than a ticket, lol!  So, if babe is under 1 just stick with the “infant in arms” option!
  3. Have suction options prepared!
    Whether it be a paci, bottle, or boob, be ready!  The sucking/swallowing helps regulate the pressure during take off & landing and helps minimize the pain in their ears.  This of course only works if babe is hungry and/or will take paci.  E wasn’t having any of the above during landing on our way home *eye roll* so I’m sure you can imagine how that went.
  4. Pack the bare minimum.
    You really don’t need EVERY toy.  I probably packed twelve and he only played with three.  Save yourself the room & the sanity by bringing the ones that are most likely to entertain him while crammed in an airplane.  Pro tip:  we use a paci clip on his favorite teething toy to save us from having to pick it up 147 times.  Plus, airplane floors? Ew.
  5. Save yourself a carry on.
    This is especially important if you’re visiting family.  We needed an extra bag in order to bring back everything E got over the three days we were gone!  If we hadn’t packed smartly, we would have had to buy & check a bag in order to bring everything home! & if you don’t need the extra bag that is one less thing you have to lug around the airport, so still a win!
  6. Improvise.
    Ya do what ya gotta do!  Need to pace the aisles? Have to sing the ABCs on repeat?  Babe want to nurse the whole time?  Whatever it is, do it!  You may be uncomfortable at first, but it’s a whole lot better than dealing with a screaming child.  My mom motto:  whatever works!
  7. Throw sleep/schedule out the window.
    Ugh, this was my biggest concern.   E struggles with sleep as it is.  How in the world was I going to get him to sleep between the driving to the airport, the flight, and the trip itself?!  I just had to let it go.  I nursed E to sleep as close to the beginning of the flight as possible & hoped for the best! No point in stressing over something you have limited control over.  Just enjoy the trip & focus on getting back on track once you’re home!
  8. Be cost-effective!
    We brought our pack n play as one of our carry ons (yay!).  But if you are unable to consolidate things in order to be able to do this don’t immediately decide to check it.  Delta charges $25 to check an item.  Is bringing your pack n play worth the $50?? You can buy one for cheaper than that!  Just leave it at grandma’s for the next visit!
  9. Take advantage of preferred seating.
    Getting on the plane first is so beneficial.  It was so much less stressful not having to worry about being in other people’s way or being too slow.  We were able to get everything situated and place our carry ons right above us with no hassle at all.  Plus, E loved watching everyone walk by as they were finding their seats. Win win!
  10. People RALLY!
    Probably because they want babe to stop crying as much as you do, but still.  It was so heartwarming for me to look back & see three different people smiling & making faces at E.  These strangers were doing their best to help calm a baby they would never see again.  Funny faces & all. How awesome is that?

Have you recently flown with a baby or will you be flying soon?  What are some things that helped you make it out with your sanity?

Happy flying!  Lots of love, Lori

New Year Resolutions as First Time Parents

Hubs & I have always sat down & discussed our New Year’s resolutions, but this year it was different from any year before. It was more serious this year: this was our first New Years Day as a family of three. We knew our resolutions for 2017 would be considerably different now that we have a tiny human that we so strongly influence and have to help guide through life on a daily basis.

So we got to work.

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Parenting: Why can’t we do both?

I recently read a blog post focusing on the joys of parenthood & how easily they can be snatched away by constant worry & stress.  It talked about taking an old school approach to parenting.  To think about how we were raised, before technology & judgement became so prevalent in order to ease the burden.   To let kids be kids & to not be a “hover parent”.

All of which I agree with.

However, it also took somewhat of a stab at the mom’s who may do a little more.  The specific example was a mother who does a birthday time capsule each year to give her son as an 18th birthday present.  I don’t think the idea was to guilt any mother for wanting to document things (whether for her child’s sake or for her own).  I think it was more supposed to let mothers know that is not a necessity in order to be a good parent.  BUT it really got me thinking.

Why can’t we do both?

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30 Things Moms Think About During Their First Night Out

Well, I braved the elements and finally had a night (okay, 1.5 hours) out of the house! I battled with whether I should go or not for a few days.  & then again a few hours the day of.  Hubs probably had to tell me six times to go, but I was still skeptical.  We are nursing & the 4 month sleep regression has been insane.  I was so nervous about all the things that hubs could end up having to deal with. What if he wakes up early? What if he’s hungry?  Do I have enough milk in the freezer? Will he take the bottle at night? Ahh!

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Baby’s First Christmas Craft: footprint art

I can’t believe it’s Christmas time already! A year ago today, I told hubs I was pregnant.  How crazy is that?! Time goes by so quickly! Just another reason why I love footprint art so much. (I promise I’ll do other crafts eventually, lol.)  Seeing how much those little feet have grown over time is amazing.  But out of all of the footprint art we’ve done, these Christmas footprint crafts are my favorite so far!
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Breastfeeding: the good, the bad & the ugly

Well, I’ve officially been breastfeeding 16 weeks. It’s crazy how fast time flies by. I’ve had someone attached to my nip 2-4 hours out of every day for almost a third of a year.  SAY WHAT! While my experience is short in comparison to some others, I have still learned so much.   So, here it is. Some of the good, the bad & the ugly I’ve come to know to be breastfeeding.

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