weekend!

4:14 PM
This weekend was great! My best friend from Florida came to visit. I love seeing her, & I know how much she misses not seeing Kennedy grow. Great news, she moves back in 6 months! I can't wait. I was supposed to go down with her to go to school. But couldn't be away from my family. Brandon always thinks about if I would have where we both would be. SO CRAZY. 

me & shelby;prom 05'
at my wedding
So, the hubs, me, shelby & her boyfriend all went bowling...without the baby. This was so hard for me, because the next day I was to be away from her..ALL DAY. Then we wen't & saw "Hall Pass" which is hilarious FYI! So for our second date night since bugg-a-boo. It was great.

Then bright & early on Saturday I had my first 2011 wedding to shoot, it went great. The bride was gourgeous & the venues were beautiful! I didn't get home til about 11, & that is now the record for the longest I have ever been without bug. It was hard. They say it get easier, though I have left her maybe a hand-full of times for only 3 hours tops. It was awful. Luckily my next wedding isn't for a few months!

Sunday was just family timee spent in jammies, litterly all day.Just napping the day away. It was amazing. After a long day of being away from my family, it was what I needed. The hubs made..brace yourself.. me breakfast & dinner! Over all great weekend! 
What ya'll do?
Still taking questions ask them HERE!

whoa, major slippage! Gone,on & vote please :)
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DIY: menu board.

1:20 PM
What you will need:
Dry Erase board
Paper
Glue
Critcut {optional}


I picked colors that went with my kitchen, & I used scrapbooking paper, you can use whatever.


I also used my cricut but obviously you can cut them out yourself, or with a stencil or computer.
I used the "plantin schoolbook" cartdrige & I think the other one was "whimsy"  {dont take my word for it}


I just did M-F, & added the pretty things next to the menu & the pretty birdcage.
Pop'd them out & glue then onto the dry-erase board.
My board was only roughly 6 dollars, & came with 3M sticky's to put on the back to hold the fridge.

Its always a good idea for activities or a calendar!

Total expense: $6 and some change.

bub-bye!

8:51 AM
to whom?


Today oh montior, you will be taken away & have all of your memory downloaded.
We pray, the alarms that went off aren't over the limit & we won't be seeing you all year. 
If so, Kennedy will have Sandifer Syndrome & will correct it with meds! Which are just for reflux, no major meds.
Horray!
But now, we say hello to...
The angel care monitor. This is for the nights that she is in her bassinet, tho rare we will have it & for whenever the time comes when we put her in her crib.

& after a Mrs. Mama did her review on the Snuza, it looks as tho this might be joining the family as well.

I am so so happy to get rid of the monitor. Not that I don't love the peace of mind I get from it. But with all the skin issues it has given us {kennedy is now completely discolored where the skin came from the pads now} I just hated seeing my child hooked to something. With the two products I mentioned, it won't seem so scary. 

Her breathing has been GREAT! Last week was a big hurdle, it was even harder for her with her cold. But now she is back to normal, & We haven't had any alarms at night or any episodes of her stopping!
This is all great news so now we wait for the results!

ask me! {answers}

11:00 AM
I have gotten so many questions so far. Some of them were difficult to answer. I will be doing a few at a time. Here are 5. Keep them coming, remember you comment,email or ask HERE, I am loving answering them!








-the heartbreak. as much as it brings joy so so much joy, it brings so much heartbreak. I think of when she will get her heart broken, maybe break a bone, lose someone close to her, her dog dies; & it breaks my heart that she will feel that pain. The heartbreak of seeing my baby hooked up to machine was the worst feeling in the world, when she got her first shots just 2 weeks ago, was awful. I am sure as she gets older this answer will change a bit, it will be about her clothes when she is 16 or when she is 4 doesn't want to share her toys, but I think the heartbreak will always be the hardest part of motherhood.






-{this is going to be a long one}first off, whoever asked this. Thank you for asking it. I remember wanting to ask so many times, & until I got into the blog world I thought I was so alone. Until I actually started coming out about it on FB my inbox floods with messages from people I had no clue were going thru these things, & I love that they trusted me, to come to for questions. But, on to the question. My advice is obviously none of a professional & will differ from what kind of fertility issues you are dealing with. But, first & for most. DON'T GIVE UP! I know it sucks, I know its hard, I know you just want to throw in the towel. I am not saying every single person trying is going to end up with my ending, but I am so glad I tried & tried. & at the end of the day you want to be able to say we tried everything we could to get to our dream. As for miscarriages, if you have gone through one, sister..I am sorry from my heart of hearts, my heart aches for you. My advice is not going to be all the hype on moving on & forgetting. You won't. I still think about my babies, everyday. EVERYDAY. But..I can tell you, it will get easier. It may not be tomorrow it may not be in 6 months but it will. & I will say the same thing don't give up. As for both issues, talk about it. My first miscarriage I didn't talk about til almost a year later. It is the worst thing to do I think, talk about your baby. That in itself is healing power for me. Even if you make a blog that no one knows about, or write in a journal. It will help. & remember you aren't alone & there is tons of people that will be there for you. Like me :) {email me!}


-talk about a toughy. Originally I wanted to have another asap I am talking 6 weeks after, my fertility would be at it's peak & should ovulate which would be a  huge change in my life, to get pregnant within a month or so..could it be possible? I would love so many kids, or just 2. But, it doesn't seem as tho I will not have anymore. You can read about that HERE. I am having such a hard time with this. I have rebated not going back in April to possibly hearing that I defiantly can't, & just trying anyway around the middle of the year. My tissue/cervix won't be as weak as if we would wait a year or so. But, I don't know if I can be selfish knowing there is a chance I could miscarry. I know I can't handle another, emotionally let alone physically. But to cut to the chase, we arethinking about not going to my appt trying before the end of the year, if it results in a miscarriage; we are done. Never again, I got my miracle thats all we need. If we def do try I need to be prepared for a pre-mature birth & all it entails, can I be selfish knowing he/she maybe pre-mature? Or could I be blessed with a full-term baby by another miracle? I am worthy of another? everything is so uncertain with my dang babymaking parts; such a good question unfortunately I am not all that positive on the answer.






-I first started blogging as a way to keep my family up to date on Brandon  & I, it first started about our wedding, then I started reading other blogs about difficulty TTC & other women who had miscarriages, & it took off from there. 
-YES, I love being a stay at home mom. I hadn't worked about 1 & a half years before having Kennedy, I watched a child at our home, I went back to work about 2 weeks into my pregnancy & I could no longer work while pregnant. I have always want to be a at home mom, I love the cleaning, the diapers, the meal planning, making sure everything is ready for my husband before he goes to work {coffee,clothes, lunch made ect} Brandon works his butt for me to stay home, so I try to my  best to make our home my work!

ask me!

9:58 PM



Yup, I joined the bandwagon.
You can ask me ANYTHING via:
 comment, email {over on the right sidebar} or HERE!
Can't wait to hear what you guys wanna no, & answer them! :)

So get'ta askin yo.

10 things you don't say to a new/first time mom.

4:36 PM
So there are so many lists, what not to say to a pregnant women, what not to say to women TTC with IF.
Well ladies, I give you "what not to say/do to a new/first time mom"

1. "Sleep when the baby sleeps."
- Ok, for the first however long your husband/partner has off after the baby, this advice is great. For after, come on. When the baby is sleeping, I have a house to clean, dishes to do, do you have any idea how much laundry a baby goes thru a day not to mention my husbands, dogs to feed, floor to vaccum, meals to plan {prego mamas: DO THIS, it will save time & help your budget} bottles to clean, have I had time to go to the bathroom? have I brushed my teeth today? I should probably eat today. Yeah, no I will not be sleeping when the baby sleeps. Unless you have a nanny, if you do. High-five to you!

2. "Just wait..."
- Nope I don't want to wait, my parenting is different then yours & our children are different. I can't tell you enough how much I hate any sentence that starts with those two words. I know, I know I've ranted about this before, but its annoying!

3. "OMG, you do that?'
- This normally follows after you say the way you do something most the time it has to do with attachment parenting. I usually get it after I talk about co-sleeping, or Kennedy not being able to watch T.V til she is 2. This erks the crap out of me! Personally I love to hear about different parenting styles, it may not be the style for me but I'm not gonna judge you for it.

4. Do us all a favor, & if all the pink or blue things on a child do not give away their gender, do not guess. Or after we tell you the gender don't tell how much our child looks doesn't look like it. It's rude.

5. Please do not put your "i have no clue where they have been" hands all over my child or in one of my cases kiss my child if I do not know you. It's freakin weird & I don't want your germs.

6. Breastfeed vs formula.
- Ok, I'm pretty sure we no the benefits.  But not everyone can. Don't make a mother feel bad. They already probably feel bad themselves. I recently read "formula isn't the devil, & breast-milk won't make your baby fly". As long as your baby is getting the nutrient he/she needs, don't judge.

7. "My baby was doing {insert milestone} wayy before that at {insert age younger than your childs}
- ALL BABIES ARE DIFFERENT. I am genuinely happy your baby was sitting up 2 weeks {over exaggeration for effect} but my baby just isn't there yet. Don't make other feel like they are doing something wrong.

8. Are you going to get rid of the dogs now that the baby is here?  {You may have heard this more when you were pregnant.}
- Nope, I am not. I don't know where you grew up, but most people I grew up with ,had dogs.

9. "you already took her out & she is only {insert age}"
- Yes I did. It's not like I'm taking her out in a onesie her to grandmas when its cold outside. I think if dress appropriately why not take your baby out, sometimes people need to go to the store people. I know its crazy.

10."is that normal? {insert a corky thing your child does}
- Yup, I guess my child is just a freak & makes funky noises but thanks for looking at her as if she has 5 heads.

What would you add to the list?

major slippage! can we get a vote?
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hold the phone.

1:09 PM
MY BABY JUST SAT UP WITH HER BOPPY FOR SEVERAL MINUTES!!!
she isnt sitting straight up, but still this is HUGE!
she has to sit Indian-style to stay up 
i was so proud she knew to use her hands as support!
& she is feeling better, but now momma is gettin it

wear a bow.

8:21 AM

re lactation.

6:05 PM
So, as I said in a previous post. I would talk about my breastfeeding journey when I was ready & less of a touchy subject.
Well, I am ready.

It first started out great. Then she wouldn't latch on so I used a nipple shield or as the hubby called it my "extend-o nipple". This worked wonders, but then she wouldn't have it.
So I was just pumping and bottle feeding. In my mind, at least she was getting the nutrients & I was keeping eye-contact & touching her during the feeding, I felt no disconnection. So I was happy. She would latch great during bath-time, but that was only time, so werid.

Then I got my breast infection, & this is where it all started.
She start projectile throwing up, yes she has reflux but it was going beyond that.
My stored supply was dwindling so I was supplementing.
Well, then it was out, & I was no where near off penicilion yet.
So, we went full on formula. 
Bad idea, this made her tummy worse.
We switched to soy, & it was a whole new baby.
No spit up or anything.

So here we are at 3 months, still on formula. When I noticed my milk came back in. I did some research, learning that at 3 months most babies tolerance goes away! On top of that I have learned so much research on re lactation! After consulting a lactation consultant & my own google research, I started on re lactation journey, about 2 weeks ago! I started with a pumping schedule, but I started to slack. I am now on a very much strict schedule now. & I am starting fenugreek 3x a day tonight. I have also tried to get her to latch, & she does like a champ its like a whole new baby; but then she gets so ticked off that not enough is coming out. 

I really hope I can be another success story to re lactation. I recently read someone saying "I know I was ment to breastfeed" - I couldn't have put it better. 
So, here we go! You guys are now apart of my re lactation journey, it going to be hard very hard! 

my life=pumping for the next several weeks!
I am sooo excited!

first playdate.

2:56 PM
Kennedy had her first playdate Saturday morning, hmm maybe this is where the sick germs came from?
Anyway, thought I would do a little photo blog of the day! 

Meet Alayna, she is 7 months old, 4 months older than Kennedy & they are just a few cm's from being the same height!
she kept putting her hand on her chest like, MINE!

then she was holding her hand, obviously kennedy is more into her own hand over there haha
hand hold-age.



grabs to the face.



it didn't even phase kennedy haha

blue eyed babies!
on to after the play-date, I thought she would nap but she wanted to try out her toy!


teething baby=growl box

drowl box, alll over her cute ralph lauren outfit, sigh. outfits don't last long anymore.

I will leave you with this adorable photo of her singing while banging on the piano, tell me you didn't just laugh? haha 


vote for our cold-infested blog? :)

wear a bow.

8:14 PM
Some of you may read if The Staats if you do, you know that she lost her little girl late last week. She was just a few weeks older than Kennedy. Her name was Maddie. Wednesday is her funeral, her momma is asking if you have a little girl, to wear a bow & post a picture that day in remembrance. She was always in a big bow or flower just like Kennedy. I can't imagine the pain she is going thru, & don't have to words for her; but I know Kennedy will be wearing her biggest bow/flower on Wednesday for Maddie.

& if you have a little girl you should too, or even your self! I maybe putting a flower in my hair myself :)
If you don't have a little girl, stop on by & leave some support after-all isn't that what this blog-community is all about?


adventures in sick-land

2:14 PM
Another day, & she is still sick. I really thought I had kicked it in the butt last night, boiling, lysoling & starting everything ASAP but I was wrong.
On top of that, Brandon & I are getting it. Both of our throats are killing us. Bug & I went to bed at 11 last night, well she was sleeping at 8 & we woke up at about 1:45 this afternoon only with minimal feeding inbetween & diaper changes she has the *ahem* runs, really bad. She has been sleeping thru the night since 3 weeks but this is some serious sleep-age.
 I am crying more than her, she actually quite smiley when able to breath easily; but it is hard for me not to be able to instant make her better.
We have come to a mutal understanding about the booger-sucker. THANK GOODNESS. I think she realizes it is helping her, so it isn't a drama-crying fest. & which being able to do it more often is helping her breathing 100% better.

On a side note, while looking for more vicks I found this:
I must have bought it when I was a nanny with one of the children & forgot about it. If you see the most below I was using the old fashion temp. Well this thing rocks, I was ify on the ear ones, but I did a compare with the normal one & it was off by .1 degree, it also gives you a reassuring smiley if the temp is normal. It also takes the temp in seriously like 3 seconds. AWESOME! Brandon thought it was the coolest thing, he stuck up his nose { i cleaned it} to take his temp, in Kennedys belly button, it was hilarious. My husband...I tell ya.

Anyway, I am off to give another dose of meds. I scheduled a post for tomorrow, but I will do a update on Kennedy being sick as well; if I get time. 

Thanks to everyone for the lovely wishing her to get better comments & emails. You all are so nice!

P.S. It effing snowing out side? it was 60 last week! UGHH.

running

3:34 PM
..thats what bugs nose is doing, well its more like a faucet; among other symptoms that poped up over night.

 my day consists of this of this:

Right now,Bug is attempting to sleep in her swing;vaporizer right next it.

 Breathing is even more of a struggle with her being so stuffed up today. Sigh.

I had a great post for today, but I'm going to have to schedule them for thru out the week. :( my babies first cold. I guess we can never catch a break!

In the mean time, vote for this sick blog to brighten our day?



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the essentials - this month

10:12 AM

another month & more new things to share :)


  Bunnies By The Bay Security Blanket: She has it in a actually blanket but this thing is so small & so soft, Kennedy LOVES it. She grabs it & puts it up to her face or shakes it {it has a little rattle noise} it instantly comforts her, & I for see it being in her life for some years to come. Its a little pricey for such a little thing, $20, so hopefully we wont be lossing it anytime soon. They have them in blue too for little boy :)
Nivea renewal creme.First off let me say this upfront, I am a wrinkle creme fanatic, to the point that I have been using wrinkle cream...since.. I was 16. {dont judge haha} anyway, now that I rarely have time to do my at home facials or put on moisturizer during the day, & sometimes not even wash my face. This stuff ROCKS. I put it on at night the instant moisture is great & last thru out the next day, when I don't wear makeup..which is often anymore. So if you are a skin-freak like me. Try it :) 

Leg-a-rooz. They make changing diapers soo much more easy, & are super cute. I always get compliments on them, she can obviously only wear them in the house because it isn't quite warm enough to wear them outside, but for now they are def making daddy's life easier, he doesn't do well with buttons down the legs with sleepers.

Parents Choice Cloth Wipes. I lovee these wipes. First, They are cheaper than a "name brand" but totally work the same if not better. Secondly, they are so much better than a normal wipe, they don't smear the "ickys " around, they don't tear & are gentle enough that I use them for in between bath days for "wipe baths" 






Gain Febreze air-freshener. Ok so this this isn't a essential, but if you are as obsessed with the smell of gain as I am, get ready to fall in love. MMMM :) 


Mylicon Gas Drops. They are seriously a life-saver. I don't know how many of "those moms" told me they are a waste of money, & burping works just fine. UH, NO. She has really really bad gas bubbles sometimes, & with her reflux it makes it worse I think. This instantly, & I mean instantly makes her feel better & helps her get those big ol' bubbles out. Lots of mommas use all different kind, colic calm,little tummies; which do you love?



What is getting you by this month? 

kisses.

11:50 PM
if you haven't linked up to my getting to know you post, make sure you do so below! :)

we are losing our spot! you can vote once a day! 
just takes 2 clicks!
keep our journey, & what it took to get her in the baby blog-shere!
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getting to know you!

2:28 PM
Ok, so I got this idea from Oprah, when she had the ladies from the view on she said the easiest way to know about a lady is from her purse, & I thought hmm how fun! I really want to get to know my followers; mommas & non-mommas; so I thought I would do a fun link-up! 

What do you have in your purse &/or diaper bag?
Link up below & post pictures & list whatcha got! :)

I did my diaper bag:


pictured: two bottle, a 9oz & 4oz with gerber water, diapers,mittens, santi-hands,sassy bags, paci holder, powder, booger sucker, some change, burp cloth, squeaker for her enjoyment, formula holder {life saver},ziploc bag {with gas drops,destin,Rx cream for her toe, & clippers}
not pictured: extra set of clothes its alwayyys the one time you dont bring them you have ha blow out...honest.

when I dont want my purse, the diaper bag also contains this:

blackberry, point and shoot {sony powershot}, & planner/wallet

make sure you link up, & show whats in your bag? :)


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