Open Letter To The New Mom

Open Letter to the New Mom

You've brought your beautiful new addition into the world. Congratulations! Now you just have to adjust to having this new little person depend on you for everything every second of the day. It's pretty hard right? I know I've been there and so has every other mom, even the ones who look like they always have everything together. I could tell you it will get easier, I'd also be lying. It doesn't get easier, ever. Life will eventually feel normal again though, It's just a different kind of normal. Eventually you and your new baby will find a groove and you will adjust and so will your baby. For right now all you can do is your best. So get a good cup of coffee (learn how to make a good cup at home, you'll need it), put the baby down and take a hot shower, and breathe mamma you're doing your best and it will pay off.

Packing With A 9 Month Old

Packing With A 9 Month Old

     Packing for a trip is different for everyone and every trip so I'm not going to go through every item I've packed for me and E. I am however going to tell you about a few of my favorite items that I make sure to have on every trip whether it be an overnight trip or week long vacation.

1. A good cross body bag

     I love cross body bags. They're easy to carry and still allow me to use my hands to carry ither things like a sleeping baby after a long day of shopping or laying on the beach.

2. Large Tote

     There are a million reasons to have a large tote packed for a trip. It could hold towels going to the pool. It could hold souvenirs on the trip back home. It can hold dirty clothes so they arent in the suitcase with your clean clothes. The uses are really endless.

3. Luggage Set

     A good luggage set makes all  the difference when packing for a trip. I opt for a hard case luggage set big enough to but mine, Scout's, and Easton's clothes in. This way we only have one big suitcase to keep up with.

4. Baby Carrier

     I have loved my baby carrier since day one it makes life so much easier. I don't know that this would be useful for every trip but since most of my trips include a lot of shopping the baby carrier comes in handy. It's an easy to keep E safe and still while still being hands free and is a lot lighter than the stroller. I would recommend this one for a younger baby, and this one for an older baby.

5. Pack n' Play

     The pack n' play is such a necessity. I love the ones that have the changing table attachment. Then you have an easily portable bed and a changing table for your little one. Plus it's east to set up and take down for those quick overnight stays.

6. Portable Sound Machine 

     E loves his sound machine at home so it just makes sense to bring one with us on trips. I tried to find the smallest one I could that would be easy to hook up and unhook. 

I hope this gives you a head start on packing for your next adventure. 

Planning A Vacation With A Baby

Planning a Vacation With a Baby

When my mom and I started planning our usual family summer vacation I thought it would be like it was last year. I was so wrong, now we have Easton and that changed everything. Now the hotels, restaurants, and entertainment have to be baby friendly which is a lot harder to find than I thought. Here are the steps we took to plan our vacation.

1. Pick a date and hotel

     This is the easiest part. Pick the dates you want to be out of town and start searching for hotels. I love hotels.com. It lets me look at many hotel options at once so I can get the best hotel for the best price. E loves the water, but pools are often to cold for him, so my goal was a hotel with a nice indoor pool and plenty of room for his pack n play. If your baby likes being outside you may look for something with or near a playground. also, take into consideration the location of the hotel. We wouldn't want a baby who is a light sleeper in a hotel in the middle of downtown in a big city.

2. Pick your Entertainment

     This was the hardest part for me because most of our usual entertainment was not baby friendly. Look for indoor attractions or attractions that give you an all day band so you can leave when baby needs a break and come back later. We chose to visit a small zoo (could be walked in 1 hour), Ripley's aquarium, and a small amusement park with games and rides a 9 month old can do 

(with mommy's help of course.)

3. Plan your dining 

     I love planning where we will eat. I try to choose hotels with a complimentary breakfast so one meal is out of the way. For lunch we try to keep it quick and light which can be harder when you have a baby eating table food. We chose to eat at places that had kids meals like mac&cheese, hot dogs, and fruits and veggies. Dinner was easy to plan because most dinner restaurants have kids meals. We just decided where the adults wanted to eat and easily found something E could eat too. If all else failed I ordered something that could easily be shared with him like pasta and steamed veggies, chicken and fries, or soups.

4. Plan your drive

     Easton does not like being in the car for long amounts of time so we tried to plan a lot of stops and plenty of car entertainment. We stopped roughly every hour to hour and a half for a few minutes. A couple of stops were to get gas and a quick diaper change, some were for food, most were just to stretch. In the car we had plenty of E's favorite snacks, toys to occupy him, and our portable DVD player attached to thee back seat head rest. we also have Amazon Prime which allows us to access to tons of movies to keep him (and us) entertained even on the go.

Our trip was a blast. There were still a few bumps in the read when we couldn't get a long enough nap time or food just didn't come fast enough but over all E did great and I thing it was a perfect first family vacation for our little man. I hope this helps you plan your perfect trip too.

Road Trip With A Baby Tips

Road Trip With A Baby Tips

     I'm finally back to blogging. It has been a long two weeks. For those of you who don't know we moved into an apartment about 45 minutes away the first weekend of July. (Check out my Moving With A Baby Blog.) I decided to take a a two week vacation from blogging to gete unpacked and set up. In light of my time off I decided to do a vacation theme this week so be sure to check back, or even better subscribe to get emails, to see the rest of my vacationing with  a baby blogs. So here we go road trip with a baby. Anyone who has a child knows that being in a car for a long amount of time is almost impossible. I have __ tips I've used for all of our day trips and extended car rides.

1. Snacks

     E cannot go anywhere without snacks and lots of them. I try to stick with snacks that are easy for him to eat in the car like rice husks, teething cookies, and cheerios. One of my favorite car ride items is this snack cup. It's adorable and keeps my car from being completely covered in cheerios. 

2. Toys 

     We actually keep a small basket of toys in our car at all times. I try to keep the toys in the car quiet toys that arent very loud and dont have lights so they arent distracting to me drivin.

Soft books are one of our favorites.

3. Frequent Stops

     Adults cant stay in a car for very long so we know babies cant. I suggest planning your stops ahead of time. Decide before your leave what cities youre going to stop in. Then only stop at places you know will have a baby changing station and good air conditioning (think McDonalds). 

4. Patients

     This is my biggest tip. Be patient with your baby. Road trips my be fun for us because we know where we are headed wherre as our babies only know they are stuck in a hot carseat strapped in with no one to play. 

Moving With A Baby

Moving With A Baby

Easton will be 9 months old in five days! We have been living with my parents since I was about 10 weeks pregnant with E to try and save money to buy a house. Space had started getting pretty tight at my parents house and we suddenly got a really great deal on a two bedroom apartment so we decided to move. The only catch is we moved in less than two weeks. We found out about the apartment on Friday, got the paperwork done on Tuesday, then moved in the following Monday. That means we moved in 10 days. It was chaotic but we survived and this is how we did it.

      The first thing we did was tell my parents we were moving and start packing. This makes our third move in two years so I'm feeling like a pro packer at this point. Our first two moves we went around to various businesses and stores and got boxes for free. I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THAT! The boxes they give are usually already weakened from being shipped to the store which makes them hold less and break more. For this move we went to the u-haul store. The boxes are usually about $2.50 each for the largest boxes or $20 for ten (this may vary depending on your location.) It was so worth the money to buy good boxes. I got all of our stuff and E's stuff from our bedroom in ten big boxes and four small boxes. They held a lot of stuff and were really strong which made moving them easier and quicker.

     Packing with a mobile infant isn't easy. In fact it may be nearly impossible, so my next suggestion would be find a baby sitter for a couple hours one day. My grandma took E to bible school at our church the Saturday before we moved and it made it so much easier to get the final boxes packed.

     Having a packing and moving plan is the next tip that helped me a ton (you guys know how much I love to plan.) I made a list of what order to pack things and made a schedule for the moving day. This helped me stay on track with my packing and made it easy to keep everyone who helped us move stay on the same page.

    That brings me to my last tip. Get help, hire help if you can afford it, or enlist friends and family. We had the help of my grandma, cousins, brothers, and my parents later on as well as a close friend and moving would have been impossible without them.

Here is my packing plan

• Tuesday

1. Toys E doesn't play with often
2. Out of season clothes (ours and E's)
3. Shoes we wouldn't need until after the move

• Wednesday

1. clothes we wouldn't be wearing for the next week
2. bedroom decor

• Friday

1. Kitchen items

• Saturday (Grandma had E)

1. anything left in our room we wouldn't be needing
2. essentials box (this box I kept open until the day we moved it held all of our electronics, chargers, and any thing we needed to get ready on monday morning)
3. unpacking kit (this was a small box with things like box cutters, cleaning supplies, laundry and dish detergents)

I hope this helps anyone who is moving. Leave me a comment if you would like to a post about sharing a room with our baby, and don't forget to follow me via e-mail to see my latest post. 

Meals for Babies and Young Todddlers

Meals for Babies and Young Toddlers

When E first switched to table food I was at a loss on what to feed him. He had two teeth and was working on growing two more but what could be eaten with only two teeth. Well it turns out there's a lot that he can eat. Here is a list of meals we've tried and love.

Breakfast

1. Whole wheat waffle with fruit cream cheese and chopped berries
2. Yogurt with cheerios and peaches
3. scrambled egg with sliced cherry tomatoes and whole wheat toast 
4. Baby food smoothie with cheerios
5. Chopped hard boiled egg with kiwi and pineapple chunks

Lunch

1. Vienna sausages with grapes and peas
2. Gerber pasta pickups with assorted veggies
3. Thinly cut up cheese quesadilla with black beans
4. Rainbow plate (tomatoes, chopped orange peppers, pineapple chunks, peas, blue berries, purple carrots)
5. Mac and cheese with grape tomatoes and broccoli

Snacks

1. Cheese puffs
2. Rice husks
3. Fruit cocktail 
4. Chopped fruit
5. Chopped veggies

Dinner

1. Chicken with mixed veggies and pasta
2. Tomato soup with gold flish
3. Ham cubes with peas and cooked carrots
4. Shredded chicken with rice and tomatoes
5. Lean ground hamburger with avocado and black berries

These are just a few of the foods E loves eating. For us it was really just trial and error. If I was eating something I would cut up a small piece and let Easton try it. After awhile E got better at chewing and trying new foods and now we have a pretty long list of food he loves.

Church Survival Bag

Church Survival Bag

Easton does not like church. He fusses and screams and does everything in his power to get in the floor to play. After awhile I had gotten to a point where I dreaded going to church because he was so hard to handle. That's when I decided it was time to change something. Then came my "great big bag of everything." Literally this bag is huge and has everything I could possibly need in it.

This is what I have with me on any given Sunday service.

Essentials

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Extra clothes

Snacks

• Bottle of milk
• Sippy cup of juice or koolaid
• Gerber little crunchies
• Puffs

Toys

• Stuffed Mickey Mouse
• Wooden car
• plastic chew-able book

and basically any other toy that might entertain him.

Keeping all of the toys that he loves and snacks to last through the whole service is the key. We still have our bad moments where I have to take him back to the nursery, but for the most part this bag keeps us quiet and content.

Bonus Item

• This portable chair folds down to be compact then folds out to be the perfect seat between my husband and I for E to play in during church. (He even made it through a 3 hour graduation in this seat)

Mommy and Baby Morning Routine

Mommy and Baby Morning Routine

Well guys I'm back again with another routine post. What can I say I love having a plan. Mine and E's morning routine helps me to get the most done in my morning. I love having the afternoon to spend with E and my husband, so I try to get all of my chores done in the morning. 

     Our typical morning

7 a.m.

     It's cuddle time. Easton usually takes a bottle while we cuddle in my bed and watch cartoons.

8 a.m. 

     Breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

8:30-10 a.m. 

     I clean E up from breakfast, change his diaper, and get him dressed for the day. Then I sit him in the floor or the play pen to play with his toys while I make our beds. Once our beds are made I start on laundry. Then I pick up and vacuum the bedroom.

10-11 a.m. 

      E is all played out and ready for his first nap of the day. While he sleeps I take a quick shower and get ready. Then I wipe down the high chair, table, and counter. Next I wash all of the dishes from breakfast. Once the kitchen is all clean I move to picking up the living room. Then it's time to sweep an mop. I love my swiffer sweeper mop it makes this chore so much faster and easier (get yours here).

11 a.m.- 12 p.m.

     This is my favorite time of the day to get outside and play. We go for walks or go to the pool, anything to get in some exercise while keeping E entertained.

That's the end of out morning routine. Our routine keeps me motivated to get as much accomplished as I can in the morning so I can enjoy my family in the afternoon. 

Baby and Mommy Night Time Routine

Baby and Mommy Night Time Routine

Creating a night time routine is easily one of the best things I've done with Easton so far. It improved his sleep schedule, my sleep schedule, and my productivity during the day. It took about two months before it truly started to feel like a routine but it was so worth all the time we put into it. One important tip I learned the hard way is make sure anyone who keeps your child or is around your child at night knows their schedule/routine. This way there are no miscommunications that could potentially throw off any progress you make.

So let's get started.

7-7:30 p.m. Dinner Time for Mom & Baby

     Now that Easton has switched to table food he usually eats pretty close to the same things I do at the same time I do. (I'll be posting a "what my 8 month old eats" soon so keep an eye out for that.) 

7:30-8 p.m. Calm Down Play

     I like to keep Easton in his high chair until bath time because he always makes such a mess with dinner so I use this time for some creative sensory play. Stacking blocks, finger painting (with edible paint) and shape sorting toys (like this one) are some of our favorites.

8-8:30 p.m. Bath Time for Baby

     Playing in the bathtub is one of Easton's favorite things to do. He loves to splash and play with his rubber ducky collection. 

8:30-9 p.m. Book, Bottle, and Bed for Baby

     At this point E is really starting to wined down. Usually me, E, and daddy will all cuddle up on our big bed and I will feed E while daddy reads him books. Bed time for E is 9 p.m.

9-10 p.m. Clean-up Time

     Now that E is in his crib I come into the kitchen and clean up any mess made from dinner. I also pick up any toys that have been scattered through the house and make sure the house is picked up for the next day.

10-11 p.m. Blogging/ Planning Time

     I am a compulsive planner (literally I have blogs planned till September) so I like to use this last little bit of free time for planning and of course blogging. 

11 p.m. Bed for Mom

     By 11 p.m. I turn off my computer set my alarm and head off to bed.

I hope this helps anyone trying to establish a nigh time routine. It's a lot of work and takes awhile to adjust to but it truly has made so much of a difference for me and E and I hope it will for you too. Leave a comment and tell me about your night time routine and check back later this week for my morning routine.

Top 10 baby items 0-3 months

Top 10 Baby Items
(0-3 months)

1. Rock n' Play Sleeper

     Easton would only sleep in his Rock n' Play for the first 4 months of his life. It rocks and is inclined so it's perfect for babies with tummy problems.

2.Muslin Blankets

     We loved our muslin blankets. They're not to thick and not to thin which makes them perfect for swaddling a new baby no matter the temperature. 

3.Swaddles

     Swaddles are a great way to make a baby feel cozy and snuggled tightly without all the work of actually swaddling them. 

4.Sleep Gowns

     Easton only used sleep gowns for the first couple months until he was able to get his legs out of them but they're perfect for night time. The open bottom makes diapers changes so much quicker so you can get back to sleep faster. 

5.Swing

     The swing was one of my most used baby items. Easton loved moving around at all times so the swing made it easier for me to get other things done without holding him all the time. I love the portable ones because then you can easily fold them for storage or to move from room to room with you. 

6.Boppy

     The boppy was a life save for feedings. Check out my hospital bag post to learn more about this amazing pillow. 

7.Travel System

     Our travel system was perfect for walking off that baby weight. I could just unfold the jogging stroller click on the carseat and be good to go. 

8.Play Mat

     We didn't use the play mat until about a month and a half but I wish i would have sooner. Baby can play laying on their back or have tummy time play. 

9.Avent Bottles

     Bottles are a necessity if you decide not to breast feed and I love Avent. They have so many styles and options at such a good price. 

10.Soothie

     I loved our pacifiers. They helped soothe Easton to sleep almost every night for the first 6 months. The Avent soothies were our favorite because they were easier for Easton to hold in his mouth which meant more sleep for mommy. 

I hope you enjoyed my top 10 products. If you have a favorite be sure to let us know in the comments.

What was in my hospital bag (planned C-Section edition)

What Was In My Hospital Bag

(Planned C-Section Edition)

Packing my hospital bag was one of the most exciting parts of pregnancy for me. It meant it was almost over. It was almost time to meet my baby boy. I researched tons and tons of blog posts trying to figure out exactly what I needed to pack and still ended up wishing I had packed more. So here it is this is the check list of what I would suggest packing for you and for your new addition. 

For Mom

• 2 pairs of black leggings
• 2 flowy tops that will match the leggings
• 2 tshirt dresses
• 2 button down pajamas 
• 1 Pack of high waisted underwear (size up the fluids will make you swell up after surgery)
• Tight fitting sports bra (target has the best)
• Travel toiletry kit
• Overnight pads
• Hair ties
• Bobby pins
• Chap stick 
• Light makeup (powder, blush, mascara)
• Nursing pads 

During my hospital stay I basically lived in my button down pjs or my t shirt dresses. They were comfy gave the doctors easy access to my incision and were easy to change into. (Check out the T shirt dress and Button down pajamas that I fell in love with during my stay.) I also saved so much time and money getting a Toiletry Kit instead of packing each individual item i had everything already packaged together in perfectly sized bottles for the three days i spent in the hospital. 

For Baby 

• Carseat (you have to have one to leave)
• Boppy
• Baby mittens
• 10 sleepers
• 2 coming home outfits
• Pacifier (if you plan on using them)
• Bottle (if bottle feeding)
• Blanket (to put over the carseat)

Easton's bag is where we made the most mistakes. We had to have my mom bring us extra sleepers mittens and a bottle. He had a lot of issues with his formula which caused him to throw up on everything we had packed (including his coming home outfit).

The most useful thing we did bring is by far the Boppy it made it so much easier for me to hold and feed Easton. I could place the boppy over my incision and put Easton on top of the boppy to help ease the pressure he put on the incision.

I hope this helps some of you pack your hospital bag. Enjoy it before you know it the preparing will be done and you'll have your sweet baby in your arms. 

Easton's Birth Story

Easton's Birth Story 

Easton Ryder

October 09, 2017

7:53am

My birth story actually started at my first doctors appointment. My doctor did a pelvic exam and determined my pelvic bone wasn't shaped correctly. He told me then that I may have to have a C-Section depending on the size of the baby. 

Fast forward to my 37 week checkup. Easton was measuring over 7 lbs already so my doctor gave me the choice to try to have a vaginal birth or to schedule a Cecarian. I CHOSE A CECARIAN. Yes you read that right I made the choice to have a C-Section. There were a lot of factors that played into my decision, some for safety, some for convenience. I was afraid of the baby getting stuck and it causing harm to him. I was also afraid we wouldn't make it to the hospital because we lived 45 minutes away, so the c-section just seemed best for us, and it was. I am so happy with my c-section I'm glad I had that decision for myself and my baby.

So we schedule the cecarian for October the 9th at 7:30 a.m. Scout and I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. When we got there we had to go straight up to labor and delivery and check in. We signed some paperwork then the nurse took us to our room. The hospital I delivered at keeps you in the same room for your whole stay which made everything so much easier. After we got to our room the nurses started an IV in my arm while Scout brought in all of our bags. From then until 7:15 the nurses gave me a lot of fluids. Then the anesthesiologist came in and explained my spinal work morphine a little more and we were off to the OR.

In the O.R. the first thing that needed to be done was the spinal. This part sucked. Ot took three tries to get the needle in the right spot. I remember after the secomt try I leaned against the nurse in front of me and my doctor held my hand and i just prayed lord help me get through this. Give me the strength to do this and get my baby here safely. The third try worked. I laid back and was immediately numb from the chest down. The morphine in the spinal did make me nauseous so they added phenergan which made me so so sleepy. 

Scout came into the room and minutes later my doctor said we have a baby. His first cry is by far the best noise I've ever heard. 

Scout went with Easton while I was being stitched up (stapled actually). Then I was moved back to my original bed and wheeled out past the nursery where I seen him for the first time. The new love of my life. Nothing can ever prepare you for the amount of love you will feel for your child.

When I got to my room all of my family got to come in one at a time  I was honestly in and out of sleep at this point but the one person that really stood out was my dad. He came in crying and told me I did a great job which for him is a very rare and unusual sight. Then they brought in the baby  I got to hold him for the first time and gravity shifted. My whole being was being held by the tiny life in my arms (and still is for that matter). Scout, Easton, and spent the day seeing visitors and bonding until about 6 p.m.

Then it was time to walk. The pain of walking after a major surgery is more than my words will ever explain. I felt like I was being torn apart. Between the pain in my uterus and the pain from my spinal injection it felt like I might die. But the good part is you will live. It will suck but it does end. Each time I stood up was easier. By the next morning I was able to get up and walk all the way down the hall and back then i got to take a shower. 

I've never felt the love i had for my husband in those few weeks following Eastons birth. He not only had to care for our son but he helped me with everything from showering to changing clothes. He was (and is) purely amazing. 

The next day we were released to go home. We had so much help and support from my family and Scout. About two weeks passed before I felt back to my semi-normal self. By four weeks I was feeling completely back to normal. My Cecerian was everything I could have wanted Easton's birth to be. The hospital, the doctors, and my support system made recovery better and I am proud to say I'm a C-Section Mama.

Story Book Baby Shower

One of the most exciting parts of being pregnant for me was my baby shower. It's such a fun time to get together with friends and family and celebrate the new addition. Here is a look at the baby shower I was thrown by my mom. It was a story book theme and I think she did amazing. 

All of the food had books to go with it.

And the decorations were perfectly coordinated with books as well. 

While they dropped in guests got a candle to light when our precious boy was born. They also colored page to make him his own ABCs book and signed our where the wild things are book.

The day was perfect.