Baby Necessities: 3-5 Months

Time for our 3-5 month favorites... CRAZYY is all I have to say about that!

1. I never realized how soon babies need toys (maybe b/c I've never had a child).... But I feel like Gage was interested so early! For Christmas he got his first football and he can actually grip it! You get them at Target (direct link). This is by far one of his favorite toys. He puts on his little concentration face on and spins it in his sweet hands.

2. Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever invented these bad boys! 

The Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo (direct link). 

My sweet 9 pounds 7 ounce baby boy is now jumping and flailing his arms like a monkey in this thing! 

Mickeymouse Club House+Jumperoo= mommy can actually get something accomplished!

3. Sleep Sacs... ours are the Halo brand to be exact.

You can forget the swaddle blankets with wild man now. But he sleeps very well in these.

I put a cotton sleeper on him with this over it. Keeps him the perfect temperature.

4. Disposable Changing Pads

I try to avoid public bathroom changing stations at all cost. I use the back of my 4-runner most times, but the 2 times I have HAD to use one I have these handy! They are also handy at church... you never know when we will have an explosion! I just keep 2 or 3 in my diaper bag at a time. Convenient... it's all about convenience!!

5. Sweet Sophie...

You better be glad he likes you... ALL 20 dollars of you!

They are pricey (cheaper @ Amazon) but I REALLY wanted Gage to have one, just thought she was cute. Thankfully Sophie is in the car/diaper bag at all times... He likes to chew and suck on her, she is also easy for him to grab.

6. His new favorite paci is the Nuk.

 It stays in his mouth better and he seems to prefer it now over the Soothie now.

7. With flu season in full force, these wipes are a must! I wipe his face and hands every time we leave a public place. LOVE the smell too! :)

We are still loving:

Nap Nanny

Bumbo Seat
Boppy

Sleepers

Avent bottles

Any questions... feel free to ask! :)

Have a BLESSED Tuesday! :)

Breastfeeding... (Part 1)

I want to start off by saying I am not an expert at breastfeeding by any stretch of the imagination. Breastfeeding is NOT for every mom. I would NEVER judge a mom for choosing not to breastfeed. It is a challenge and every situation is different.

Most of you know from my monthly posts on Gage that we are still breastfeeding/getting breast milk.

For us, it has been a great experience. When we got back to the room shortly after Gage's arrival, I wanted to nurse him as soon as possible. I put him to my chest and he latched right on. From then on, he would latch on for each feeding. I am not saying every latch was perfect, he would occasionally fall asleep while nursing, but for the most part it just worked for us. 

The day I got home from the hospital, I started pumping. I would feed him 10 minutes on each side and pump for 10 minutes. I started producing A LOT of extra milk and I was concerned I would start producing too much milk so I cut back on the pumping. (Next go around, I will not cut back, knowing what I know now;)

 I absolutely LOVE bonding with my baby and knowing I am providing him the best source of nutrition. I will be the first to admit, I feel good that only I can give him this. 
From the beginning, I knew I did not want Gage to be on my boob 24/7. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that, but obviously I had to return to work in 8 short weeks so I wanted to get our schedule down before returning to work.

Most lactation specialist ask you to feed every two hours from the time you started. I realize, some babies need that and I would do whatever my baby required. But lets face it, this momma birthed a toddler, so feeding that frequently was not necessary for us. Gage would go 3 hours and that 3 hours started at the END of our feeding. Again, I realize everyone's situation is different... But sometimes I think we look too far into breastfeeding and that is what makes some moms stop. You have got to find what works for you! If your baby is healthy and gaining weight... stick to what YOU are doing! Me being so flexible is why I think it came easy for me.

I am glad I chose to pump for many reasons I would like to share with you:
(I am talking in past tense because most of this applies to when I was on maternity leave... I will explain our routine now in a later post)
1. It allowed me to breastfeed him one feeding and I (or someone else) could give him a bottle the next feeding. While they were giving him a bottle, I would pump to build my stock.
2.  Pumping would allow me to be done in 10 minutes versus 30 minutes. Let's face it, feeding for 30 to 45 minutes can be exhausting at times so this gave mommy a break when I needed it!  (Again, I would do this maybe once or twice a day to give me a break.)
3. Getting up every 2 hours to breastfeed for 30-45 minutes definitely gets exhausting. I would put a pumped bottle beside my bed, so that way when he woke up for his first feeding, I would give him the bottle. 10 minutes and your done! You know you will at least get 4 good hours of sleep with little interruption!
4. When we were out and about, I would bring my pump with me. On the way, I would sit in the back seat and pump away! Having a baby does not stop us from going places whenever and wherever we want. He fits right into our busy lives!
5. Having pumped bottles allows you to take a bottle with you when you are out and about instead of hunting for a place to nurse. Again, flexibility!
6. Being a working mom, I was able to freeze some milk. That way if I miss a "pumping session" due to a meeting or anything that comes up at work, then I know I have my stock to rely on.
7. My husband, aunts, uncles, cousins, Gage's grandparents, etc. were able to feed Gage. I will say again, I loved the fact that I was the only person that could provide this for him. But seeing those sweet moments when my mom gave her grandson a bottle for the first time, seeing my sister give him a bottle and teach ME a few tricks, and seeing Gage's sweet little fingers wrapped around his daddy's massive hand... I wouldn't trade these moments for the world.


Obviously, knowing that I was returning to work in 8 weeks, I had no choice but to pump along with breastfeeding. Honestly, knowing what I know now... I would choose to pump (& breastfeed) even if I chose to stay home. In MY opinion, it gives you the best of both worlds... bonding time with your baby, the satisfaction you are giving your baby the best nutrition possible, ability to save money,  flexibility, and...  SANITY! ;)

 Breastfeeding was one thing that scared me to death while pregnant because you hear so many horror stories. Hopefully this will give you expectant mommies a little encouragement... Take a deep breath and do what works for YOU!

I am working on a post on what our breastfeeding schedule looks like now as well as a "breastfeeding must-haves" post. It's a little different... but I am hoping to put a little ease to some working mommy's/expectant mommy's minds! 


Have a BLESSED Weekend!

Favorites for the Face!

First on the list...

I have always taken care of my skin by washing, using toner, moisturizing, etc. 

I am a sucker for a "anti-aging" products, whether they work or not, it makes me feel good that I am at least TRYING! 

For Christmas I asked for the Clarisonic, the Clarisonic Mia 2 to be exact, and I got it (thanks, mom!). 

Let me just tell you, I LOVE it! I have bought MANY face scrubs but there is nothing like this baby!!

First, I wash my face at night with my "Say Yes to Cucumbers Gentle Milk Cleanser" then I use my clarisonic and the face wash that came with it. Afterwards, my face feels like a baby's bottom!

This baby's bottom to be exact;)

Seriously, it is awesome! My make-up applies smoother and my skin looks SO much better even without make-up! (Still a scary sight, but I repeat BETTER!;)

My next new found love....

Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in nude. 

Most tinted moisturizers I have tried are too thick and make me look like I am wearing an inch of foundation. This stuff is perfect for me. It evens out my skin tone, moisturizes perfectly (without making you greasy), and not TOO much coverage... just enough!

Next on the list....

After Christmas, I headed to Ulta (with my giftcard in hand, thanks brother;) on a quest to find a new kabuki brush to apply my powder foundation (Bare Escentuals). I asked for help, because I did not want to spend 35 dollars on a make-up brush. She led me to the EcoTool brush line.

 The brush is incredibly soft and does not shed while applying your make-up! The best part, it's affordable (around $12!)

The one I bought is actually the bronzer brush, but it works perfectly!

And last on the list...

I have always used concealer. Is it a must? No, but I have always used it under my eyes for some reason. I always try new brands but I always come back to Covergirl Simply Ageless.

It covers well, but not too much to where you'll see pictures and you resemble a raccoon. ;)

Head on over to Little Daisy May to share your loves...

Have a BLESSED Wednesday! :)

My 2012/2013 Classroom....

 I said at the beginning of the school year I was going to post my classroom for all of my teacher friends! 

I have actually had the pictures since the beginning but just getting them up... remember I had a baby just a few days after school began!

Let's note that this was at the beginning of the school year before 19 little 8 year olds took over. Here you will find everything perfectly in it's place, organized, and labeled.

Now, you will find piles of paper here and there, desks slightly out of line,but I will have to say, for the most part, I keep it fairly organized.

Every Friday, we clean our classroom so we come into a fresh, clean room Monday morning.

ANYWAY, here you have it!

This is where I spend 9 (or so) hours, five days a week, with 19 eight year olds.

 As you can see, I like it bright and cheerful. They say not to over stimulate with too much going on.... OOPS, It works for us! ;)

I got these labels, let me re-word that, my wonderful MOM got these labels at Really Good Stuff.

I went label crazy this summer. In my defense, I was due to have a baby THE DAY AFTER SCHOOL STARTED.... so I wanted the sub to know where EVERYTHING was!

 Mom and I painted my podium & book shelf. 

We added this black and white contact paper you line your drawers with. It turned out great and surprisingly still looks like new!

We are an AMSTI school...

This is how I organized my games and things. Labeled on the drawer and file folders are labeled up top with game directions! It works great!

 This is where I keep my AMSTI manipulatives.... students have easy access to these items.

 This is my classroom library.

The bulletin board changes throughout the year...

"DIVE INTO READING" (below)

"FALL INTO READING" (obviously decorated in fall)

"WARM UP TO A GOOD BOOK" (starts with Christmas then changes into a winter theme)

Then I do a SPACE theme to end out the year.... and repeat!

All books are labeled with a color that represents the reading level....

Student's "mailboxes" 

...which work perfectly and are labeled with their class numbers and I get my "PAPER HANDLER" to sort them about twice a week!

Discipline System... which allows them to move up as well. Works pretty good!

My Helpers....

Library inspector, teacher's helper, sunstitute helper, center inspector, monitor, line leader, door holder, bathroom monitors, desk cleaners, scrap monsters.... that names a few. But each child is assigned a job and I TRY to change them about every 2 weeks.

 These are their cubbies.... mainly for library books.

The buckets are used for reading and math centers... that's a post in itself!

There you have it! My 2012 Third Grade Classroom! 

Feel free to ask any questions....  

I hope to get back to my home tour very soon! Next up is the kitchen & keeping room. I have the pictures, just a matter of uploading them and posting them!:)

HAVE A BLESSED THURSDAY (night)! 

My 2013 Goals...

I know, most people think setting "resolutions" are silly but I love setting goals for myself.

Let's get real here... it's an excuse for me to make a list!

This girl LOVES a list!

I will admit, nothing may get marked off but that list WILL be in my purse and that makes this momma feel good!!

Here we go!

1. Lose a few pounds

Get the last few pounds of my baby weight OFF! I am at my pre-preg weight but I still have about 7 pounds I would like to shed...

2. Tone up/ exercise regularly

This is hard for me because when I get home in the afternoons, I feel gulity going to workout after being away from him all day. (That is a poor excuse considering my "gym" is in my basement, sounded good though!;) Seriously, I'm going to have to get over it... gotta get my body back...especially before baby number 2! 

3. Organize my house

My house was totally organized from my nesting phase of pregnancy. But some little nugget has taken over, no need to explain! You working mommas know what I'm talking about....

Our laundry room, pantry, and drawers for sure. I need to tackle that closet too (I'm already overwhelmed!)

4. Create a gallery wall in our family room.

(I'm really liking this)

5. Fill the corner behind the couch.

Maybe with something like this:

 or this:

6. Ask the husband to build me toy chest out of pallets for behind our couch for all things BABY.

7. Fill the walls of our bedroom with wedding photos... 

got something in mind that just miiight involve canvases & a floating shelf!

8. Create burlap wreaths for windows in kitchen

9. Fill the old window my wonderful mom & dad got me for Christmas with pictures by my wonderful sister (have I mentioned how talented she is... only 50 times?!;) 

ANYWAY, when my house I grew up in got hit by the tornado, my mom saved the wooden windows and refinished them for us! They turned out perfect and I know exactly where it will be hanging in our home!

10. Create Gage a picture book of all the big/fun events that happened in his first year! Probably should start that now.... 

11.  Number 10 just reminded me! I want to make my BLOG into a book too! Possibly the end of this year...maybe next year?! Decision, decisions...

12. I probably should say I am going to cook more... who has time to cook around here?! I organized my dirty dishes in the sink a couple of weeks ago before leaving for work to make myself feel better! Maybe I should say I will try a few new recipes (I think I say that every year;).

13. Redesign my blog.... 

That gives me anxiety just thinking about it. But IT'S TIME! We need a new look around here! I might just hire it done!! Any recommendations?

13. Now it's time to get to what really matters... I want to read my Bible more. Maybe then my stomach won't sink when my Sunday school teacher says we are going to play a Bible trivia game! Seriously, I want to learn and become more confident in my conversations about God.

14. Grow as a mommy/wife/teacher. This girl still has A LOT to learn!

That's all I've got for now.... What do you want to accomplish in 2013? 
I need to make sure I didn't leave anything out!;)

Hope everyone has a BLESSED Year in 2013!