One of my favorite things to do – you could say my favorite hobby – is to host creative parties and showers for my closest friends and family. I love a good theme centered around something they love or an … Continue reading
My daughter turned one. It was an occasion I always claimed I’d never waste money on a party my kids would never remember, but I didn’t know what it was like to survive the first year of your new baby’s … Continue reading
A few Little Rock ladies and I recently hosted a baby shower for my dear friend, Kami. She’s having a little boy in early March. Name to be determined. 🙂 Her best friend, Chrissy thought of a precious little theme: Welcome … Continue reading
So many good ideas are exchanged at the hair salon. Case and point: At my latest beauty appointment, the hairstylist inquired about my baby and, of course, the stories flowed. One of the things I shared is how Grace is teething pretty bad, and in an effort to avoid baby medicines as much as possible, I was thinking about ordering a bunch of different teething toys from Amazon (like this one, and this one here).
That’s when she told me about an idea she’d seen on Pinterest – breast milk popsicles!
Sounded like something that might work, so I immediately went home to try it. I figured it’d be pretty easy to do too. Well… I was right! Here’s all I did:
1. Pour breast milk into a few ice cube tray holes. I just filled them a tad more than halfway because I wanted to make sure she could fit them in her mouth later (but not too small that she could choke on them). Or you can try one of the many versions of this from Pinterest. The pacifier idea seems neat.
2. Cover really good with ice tray cover or press and seal wrap … Something you trust to protect it from freezer burn. Let the freezer do it’s magic.
3. Pop out and put into a teether toy like this one.
4. Pass it off to baby for them to teeth and suck on and enjoy.
5. Store the extras cubes for later.
I guess the breast milk is just a good lure to keep the cold on their gums and in their mouth. I know Grace likes teething rings but they lose their cool sooooo fast and other items like those aren’t fun for very long and she just drops them in exchange for her hand. So these popsicles are great for her cause she loves her milk! I love that she actually keeps it in her mouth and gnaws on it long enough for real lasting relief… Or so it seemed. Haha
She clearly loooovvvvveeeees this idea, and so do I! 🙂 Here she is enjoying them!
Gotta love this reaction! She was IN. TO. IT! 🙂
Happy mommy and baby selfie because of our successful little breast milk popsicle experiment!
I only made three cubes this go-round, so I only had to stow away two cubes for later, but I’ll be making a tray of extras ASAP so she’s never without one when she’s having a bad teething sesh.
I’m gonna try this flavor combo next because Grace loves, loves, loves the bananas I made her! (I’ll have to post next time about my adventures in baby food making! 😎)
Photo by Lyndsey Sullivan Photography
The sweetest part of my day is the time I spend with Grace at bedtime.
Sitting there, rocking her in the nursery, feeding her and whispering softly to her, or maybe not even making a sound, it’s just soothes me so.
I never expected to come to need that time for myself too. Those quiet, serene, love-drenched moments truly recharge me after a full day of work and baby rearing.
Often times, once Grace has dozed off after her bedtime bottle, I remain. Holding her. Staring at her little face. Thinking about how much I love her. And as she falls deeper asleep, I find myself looking around the dimly lit nursery.
What I see, beyond the reddish starry-sky night light, is the generosity of others – of the people who care about us and filled the room with its contents.
I see my 3rd grade school teacher in the humidifier she gave us. The one that helps keep Grace’s sniffles at bay each night.
I see all of Grace’s grands when my eyes land on the gorgeous crib and dresser. Pieces that will stay in our growing family’s home for years–probably decades. A constant reminder of the love they had for Grace, long before she was born.
I see my sweet friend Kami in the two little fox jars keeping the changing station organized and tidy. She found them and just had to get them for Grace’s fox accessorized nursery, even after she’d already gotten me a gift and helped throw me a shower. Those jars now also remind me of how eagerly she watches Grace for me sometimes. How she knows I have no family in town and lovingly wants to help (and cuddle a cute baby).
And my eyes always wander to Grace’s closet. The rocking chair is right next to it, so it’s hard to miss. Usually ajar, I’m able to see the fullness of all the racks. I bring a picture into my mind of the monogrammed sleep sack my neighbor had made for Grace after she was born. And I picture–cause it’s dark and I can’t see it–the clothes with little whales that my Grandy so excitedly picked out. The effort put in by Susanna who made baby clothes by hand. Her excitement to give gifts always makes me smile.
Each night, my thoughts hop about to various items in the room and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude fills my heart. I just can’t believe how many people cared enough about us to give us the things we rely on to care for our baby.
I mean, really. When you stop to think about a shower gift you are giving … You’re gifting new parents with the things they will use to pour out love on their new baby in the form of feeding, swaddling, changing, bathing … Parents use those things with love. They help create a bond between parent and child. Each item adds to the collective, and that collective powers us parents along. It gives us the tools to lovingly care of our babies.
So it’s not just a gift. It’s a beautiful, generous, amazing thing.
And that’s why, sitting there, with my innocent little baby asleep in my arms, I can’t help but take a deep breath and send up a prayer of thanks to God for it all. A prayer of thanks for you and your giving hearts.
Thank you for helping me raise my baby.
Photo by Lyndsey Sullivan Photography
All the Mrs. have been MIA for a while … big stuff happening. Two of us had babies, in fact. Three months since my last post, and since the birth of my daughter, I’m finally returning to share this part … Continue reading
35 WEEKS It’s been an eventful past two months. I’m sitting here one day shy of 35 weeks pregnant with about 5 weeks left… figured I should check in now and show you how things are going. THIRD TRIMESTER 28 weeks … Continue reading
Tomorrow marks the start of my third trimester. Crazy. Time flies when you’re having fun – er, when your pregnancy is so ailment-free and uneventful that you feel totally normal the whole time. However, I know the next three months … Continue reading
If you are friends with me on Facebook or our blog’s Facebook you might have heard WE’RE PREGNANT! Yay!
Matt and I could not be MORE excited or MORE grateful for this gift on the way!
Pregnancy details thus far:
Due date: May 8, 2014
How far along: I’ll be 17 weeks on Thanksgiving
Sickness: YES! I was sick the whole first trimester. I had morning sickness, mainly in the morning but felt nauseated the WHOLE DAY. I was also extremely tired. I only went home from work twice but I really struggled the whole way through. I had moments towards the end of the first trimester that I was really functional (aka cooked like crazy and picked up the house) but to be honest with you I was pretty down and out for most of it. Around week 13/14 I started feeling better. I still need an extra nap now and then and sometimes I eat something the baby didn’t like but it’s VERY different from the first trimester.
Gender: We find out the gender December 9! Hopefully the baby corporates. We don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, just praying for a healthy baby!
Showing: Yes! Or at least I think I am. See the bump in my stomach from the pictures? Well it’s usually not there. My jeans started to get uncomfortable to button at 10 weeks and by 13 weeks I didn’t even try to button them anymore. All other clothes pretty much still fit except if I wear a pencil skirt to work I may not zip it up all the way 🙂 I did get some maternity jeans with Lindsay a few weeks ago and they have been WONDERFUL but sweat pants are still my favorite right now.
Cravings: Nothing crazy but mostly stuff I loved before… ice cream, burgers, bread and cheese, fruit, water, smoothies, french fries. Some healthy, some not so healthy. Finding the right balance has been confusing to me. Mentally it’s so strange to be good with gaining weight but not gain too much weight. Still figuring that one out!
Telling people: We first told our parents at 8 weeks after our first appointment. It happen to be right before my birthday so I wrapped the ultrasound photos up in a box and told them this was the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten and I wanted them to open and see it. All four of their reactions were different and priceless! It was a special moment to me. After our 12 weeks appointment we started to tell all of our other family members and close friends. After my 16 week appointment (yesterday) we decided to share on social media and with YOU!
Movement: Yes! I wasn’t sure what I was feeling at first and it’s very delicate but it’s the most gentle little taps. It’s so sweet and I try to pay attention every time it happens. I can’t wait for Matt to be able to feel a real kick in the coming weeks.
These photos were taken by my very talented friend, Kati Mallory of Kati Mallory Photo & Design. We did a quick, fun shoot. Their are a few other pictures but I’m saving those for our Christmas card. Stay tuned and Happy Thanksgiving!
Not much to explain with this post, but I thought I’d show you what I’ve been up to since my last “nesting update” … we relocated the guest room furniture and decor in the now nursery to another room. Then, … Continue reading
mrs. and the misc. 