Thursday, April 25, 2024

Baby I Got You on My Mind

 

My Baby Shower for Toddler E 12/22
Today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite baby items I love and have used for both girls! I know it can feel really overwhelming seeing how many baby items are out there! I wanted to help some moms out for the most useful items I received and have researched that has helped me in care for our little munchkins.


I think the easiest way to do this is to talk by catergories! 

Clothing and Closet
So my first category will be talking about clothing and closet needs! To begin with I absolutely love these hangers for the girls closets! I love these because they are flat and can hold a lot of clothes! 


Some of my favorite outfits for baby E has been the following I use these bamboo gowns and they are such a life saver! They are so soft and a bit cheaper than the name brands out there 

I also love these bows I know they are not a need but I love to color coordinate with bot the girls! 

The only pacifiers we use! I love them because they stay in the baby’s mouth for the most part! 

My FAVORITE stain remover this stuff seriously does WONDERS! I always carry one of these in my diaper bag! 

Ready for Baby Sprinkle 01/2024
Babies really don’t need that many clothes I know we have been blessed with an over abundance of clothes! I always find it is good to give back so we donate frequently to our local pregnancy center to help out with clothes! When we do need clothes I hardly ever buy new instead some of my favorite places to find clothes is like Once Upon a Child, or your local consignment places! The times I have bought new was Old Navy they have such a good deal during Black Friday where pretty much all their baby clothes were 50% off! I love the Old Navy Sleepers because they have the double zipper so it makes diaper changes easy when you are barely awake at 2am. 

Hygiene Items
Now I want to talk about some of my favorite hygiene items that I absolutely love! 

My favorite hair brush I have used for both girls is the following! 
My Favorite hair brush for Toddler E! It doesn’t pull or anything on her fine hair.
The Tooth Paste I use on Toddler E is the Following along with the tooth brushes 
 
This is so essential well for me it has been I use my friend’s skin balm on both girls literally since the day they were born! It helps with diaper rash, moisture after bath time and my favorite it seriously helps loosen cradle cap flakes! I use this because it has no chemicals, and no sulfates, fragrances or junk! I am serious I have used this like when they were only a couple hours old! 

To help get the cradle cap off the head there is no better tool then this! It seriously helps comb out the flakes and I use it after I use the skin balm! I let the skin balm sit on their heads for like 20 minutes then use this comb! It helps so much! 

One of my favorite set of bibs is the following they are so absorbent! For reals though they are amazing! I think they are a good price and you can find so many cute patterns! 

Bath Time 
Now onto Bath Time! Babies Really don’t need much during bath time! I maybe only used the flower bath like 2 times in the kitchen sink what I found a lot easier was the angel care bath seat and I found a trick I usually put a warm tea towel so the holes don’t cause to much air flow to the baby while bathing them! 
I forget where I heard that hack but it makes bath time comfortable for little baby! You can honestly find these a lot at thrift stores for like under $5! I have seen so many of these and they don’t need brand new as babies quickly out grow this! 

Some of my favorite baby washes that are a little bit more on the lower tox side are the following! 

Baby Wearing My First with the Moby Wrap 

My favorite things to wash baby with! 

Toys I am very leery of because of the hazard of mold, so I do not let my girls play with any toys in the bath that could trap mold! That doesn’t mean they can’t still have fun toys in the tub! 
One of my favorite it has a dual power! It is a bath temp reader and a toy and super cheap!
 
I also love these water cups they have kept my daughter entertained for a long time! Honestly I think we found our set at the thrift store for $1

To dry off one of the tips I have learned is to throw the towel and their jammies in the dryer on high for about 20 min that way your baby will have a nice warm towel! After bath time I use my friend’s homemade skin balm again as a moisturizer! 

Sleepy Time
*Note Not Medical Advice*

Some things that really have helped our sleep routine are the following. I cannot emphasize how important it is to have a routine for bed it has helped out our girls tremendously. We usually do changing diaper, get them in their sleep sacks, bottles and then cuddles and we lay with them or rock them to sleep every night. Toddler E what helps her sleep too during night time and during nap time is this miracle device called the shusher! We found ours at a baby thrift store for $5! Normally they are $40 so keep your eyes out! 

The Sleep Sacks we have used! Now each sleep sack has a different TOG rating it does help to do your research on this! We generally don’t let our girls sleep in fleece jammies as the body cannot really breathe and it could lead to overheating. Once Upon a Child usually has Halo for super cheap! This is one thing I am firm on is a sleep sack 

Some books we adored! Which you can find super cheap on eBay! 

Sometimes if our daughters are having a really rough time I have found it helps to roll a little lavender on their chest or their feet! It seriously helps! Same with this magnesium lotion all you need for the lotion is a pea size amount and you rub it on their feet. I use revive essential oils because they are not a MLM and they are top quality just like doterra or young living but way more reasonable within my budget.

Right when Baby E was born 2/1/24
First Aid Favorite Items 
*AGAIN NOT medical advice*

Sometimes getting sick happens and it is awful to see your little ones sick! These are some of my absolute favorites when it comes to congestion and colds! My first is a humidifier and I put revive Breathe Air into and let it run through the night! They also have a roll on that you can put on their chest! 

Another thing I LOVE is these shower steamers my friend in Colorado actually used to make them and I aspire to make them as a part of my skin care business. They really help, you turn the shower onto the hottest setting I like to put 2 shower steamers on the shower floor and you sit in the bathroom not the shower and just breathe in the air with your baby! I actually just had to do this with Toddler E this last week as she was so so congested! I found some good ones on Etsy and I love them! Seriously they are a life saver! I am not even joking there has been times like 2am I let Toddler E play while just breathing in the steam and it helps her! 

To help further with congested or stuffy clogged noses we use these! The Haaka nose bulb is way better than the ones they give you in the hospital and you can clean them a lot easier! And to pick out those nasty boogers this is seriously a life saver! 

We don’t use Tylenol in this house but there is a cleaner alternative! We use Genexa! It is our favorite! 

For constipation this is my go to for probiotics, you can also order syringes that help! 
*Also chiropractic care helps a TON with constipation, tension and over all well being I try to take my infant weekly*

GET nail scissors instead of clippers, enough said there! 

At the Pumpkin Patch 21 Weeks with Baby E 
Colic Rememdies
*AGAIN NOT MEDICAL ADVICE*
Baby E has struggled so bad with colic it can be very very challenging at times from my thinking though it is from a lip and tongue tie she has which we will be getting resolved at the end of next month. She has reflux which can cause colic some things that have helped us are the following. The biggest lifesaver is the Nat Phos 6x I break a table in half and dissolve it in her mouth. It helps SO much. Another thing is the Colic Calm it is a homeopathic. Colic has a root and you have to discover that root. Another thing that can help big time is daily probiotic and weekly chiropractic care. I guess they don’t make the other stuff we have used any more which is a shame but it did help. So far the Nat Phos is the biggest thing working for us! 

Teething Remedies
Some of my favorite teething remedies! There is a lot of controversy about the Baltic necklaces so that is your own choice. We did use the bracelet only around her ankle and we did notice a difference! 
We got it from this trusted source they have so many fake Baltic on Amazon so it helps to get it from a trusted source. 

My favorite tincture we use during teething is all natural and it helps a ton, we do use western medicine to as needed and as prescribed by the girls pediatrician. We also use these homeopathic drops 
Baby E contact Napping! 
Diapers and Wipes 
This I know can be overwhelming as there are so so many options, I know I didn’t want to cloth diaper as I knew my limits and this would have been too hard on me. Some of my favorite diaper brands are the following (These are more lower tox options!) Also if you receive diapers you don’t want to use Walmart will actually give you in store credit and you can buy a cleaner option there! They need to be unopened and you show your ID
-Millie Moon (this is what we use and they are Target only)
-Dyper 
-Honest 
-Rascal and Friends 
-Little Journey’s by Aldi 

For wipes we order from Costco! You get 900 wipes for only like $20. I will use Huggies natural care in my diaper bags when I go out. 

Diaper Creams we love and balms!

Diaper Rash Spatula! It helps so it doesn’t get all over your hands! 

My favorite diaper pail! You don’t have to have special bags for this and we found ours new on marketplace for only $35, also hack while you’re traveling bring doggy bags for dirty diapers! 

DIAPER RASH REMEDY
*Not medical advice*
This is seriously my favorite diaper rash severe remedy. Toddler E had a virus back in December and she had 2 weeks of burning diaper rash every time she would go poop. She was like screaming in pain that is how bad it was! So I found trial and error what worked for her and every kid is different. I would first put on the Earth Mama Diaper Balm, then the Hello Bello Cream and then put a little bit of baby powder on top and baby powder in the diaper this helped TREMENDOUSLY! 

Baby Wearing, Strollers and Car Seats 
So baby wearing is actually very difficult with me with the spinal issues I face on a daily basis, but I feel so incredibly proud when I can baby wear! In fact when we went to the Zoo this last weekend I got to baby wear Toddler E while she had a contact nap on me! For the newborn phase I love the moby wrap! 
Moby Wrap



I LOVE this carrier! 
For when they get a little bit bigger I LOVE my Lille Baby carrier! I am so glad I did the research on this! And to make it even better I got both of mine second hand as they retail for a lot of money. The one I use I paid $40 for at a children’s consignment shop! The only my husband uses he we found on eBay and I bid $10 and I won it! 


Now onto car seats, the ones we use is Britax and then when they get older we use Chico Cleartex. I WILL never get a used car seat, unless you are borrowing it from a friend you trust with your life please do not buy one off marketplace because it is a good deal. Car seats can save lives… rear face as long as possible. The car seat and stroller combo is this: I know britax is expensive but you can find the strollers really cheap on market place! 

The next car seat can grow with our girls until they are 100lbs! I love this one because the straps never get twisted which is a pain if you haven’t worked with kids! 

Other Useful Things 
Honestly our Pedi’s best advice for a baby is to have a blanket on the floor they don’t need all this extra stuff like jumpers, activity tables etc. etc. I would say the two things we really have utilized with both though is our SnuggaPuppy Swing we found on MarketPlace for $50 I love it because it can swing both directions, they have a lot of these on Marketplace! Another thing is our little bouncer we have it works wonders I found it at thrift store so I cannot add that link but it is similar to this one! Please whatever you do, don’t use a bumbo it may look like a good idea but it can cause a lot of damage to the spine and the hips of your baby. 

Baby led weaning utensils, we have found a ton of the best baby led weaning plates and bowls honestly at thrift stores we haven’t had to buy a single one! We found the EZ plate that normally goes for $25! We found 2 for .50 cents a piece! SCORE!

This was a life saver when Toddler E was a baby! It helped when we would load her up in the car! 

This nightlight! It is portable and helps keep baby semi asleep for those late night diaper changes! 

Some great accounts I used on Instagram for baby Led weaning are the following you can find at Instagram:
@BLWmeals 
@101BeforeOne
@SolidStarts 

Another great app and it is worth paying the money for is called Wonder Weeks. It helps to know where your baby is at brain development wise, it helps give you activities to do and help understand if your baby is going through a sleep regression! 

I think I covered all the things I can think of! I am sure I am forgetting quite a few! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or need support! 

*Also random side note I am starting my own skin care line and would love to send you a FREE sample!*
You can find my information on 
Instagram:
@CrimsonCardinalProducts! 

Thank you for coming to my TED talk today! Finally I am done typing I started no joke 5 hours ago but you know being a mom, diaper changes, feeding, getting the girls down for naps, nannying today and then more of a cycle! 

Be Blessed!! Enjoy the Photos from my First Baby Shower! It was farm themed and the cutest thing ever! 

















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Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Making the Most with What You Have

Totality this is as dark as it got here
Well yesterday was the Solar Eclipse and where I am in Arkansas it was 98% Totality. It was very interesting to watch to say the least. The girls were napping when this happened it was so nice to watch the eclipse from the luxury of my own front porch haha…

After the Eclipse I wanted Toddler E to play outside which I am so proud of her she spent like 3 hours outside yesterday which is so good for her! I would love to do the 1000 hours of outside challenge each year I think we thrive in nature. 

What I wanted to talk about today is that it doesn’t take much to have a fun day outside!
Toddler E enjoying the 83 degree day! Budget pool! 
This past weekend I found a kiddie pool just a simple plastic one at Dollar General and some pool toys for her (Measuring cups, little bowls, diving rings and a couple wind up toys.) With the pool and the toys it was like $16 total! 

I am all for a cheaper budget! Most of my daughters’s toys have come from thrift stores. When I am thrifting I do look for more of a Montessori approach and more wooden toys, but we have a variety of wooden and plastic toys. Seeing what new toys go on Amazon is crazy to me! I have found some serious top brand toys for only a couple of dollars. We also finally got Toddler E a play structure for the yard and we found that on marketplace this last weekend. Seriously some of my favorite toy brands (Hape, Manhattan, Melissa and Doug and Fat Brain Toys) I have found at thrift stores usually all under $3. I highly recommend checking out your local thrift stores! 

Another place I absolutely love is Once Upon a Child. Depending on location you can get some pretty good deals! I got Toddler E’s swimsuit for like $3.50 there! There is also a really good consignment shop up NWA called Little Darlings and their prices are phenomenal!
Backpack Carrier we use a Ton!

We found a backpack carrier there and our baby shusher (normally retailed at $40 we paid $5.) Last summer actually we were coming back from Missouri and we stopped at Once Upon a Child in Springdale and they were having their end of summer sale! Anything spring or summer (short sleeves, shorts or tank tops) were 90% off! We were able to bless the pregnancy center here with 2 huge bags of clothing all for a total of probably $22! It was unbelievable I was getting an outfit for like .10 cents! 

You can usually find some good deals on Marketplace too! When Toddler E was a baby we got some of her most expensive items actually off of marketplace in such good condition! I’ll be talking about this in another post but one thing we have utilized for both girls is the Snuggapuppy Swing by Fisher Price. I absolutely adore this swing as I think it is so functional it can swing both ways side to side and back and forth. Normally it is $250 brand new we paid $50 on marketplace for it. Another one of my useful things we use daily is our Ubbi diaper pail! I got recommended to get this one from my cousin because unlike diaper genies or other ones this one is a steel container and it can use any garbage bag. These range on average $80 new on Amazon. We paid $35 and it was new (it was on one of those Amazon pallets and the only thing that was wrong with it was a dent in the side.) it’s not like a baby is going to care about a dent right? Haha 😂 

Another cheap budget idea is to make your child a play garden! It is very low budget and just requires a place where dirt can be, I find a lot of really cute kids garden things usually in the dollar section or dollar stores! My Toddler loves to play and also eat the dirt haha…I found these really cute mini pots for 4 for $1 at the local dollar tree! They are absolutely perfect for a child’s imagination. Children thrive imaginative play. I am all for that. 
The Play Garden 

Now however I will say stimulating toys do come in hand when Toddler E is screaming and then Baby E is screaming to, so to keep some of my sanity I will pull out a battery operated toy for Toddler E, we maybe have a total of 2 of them in our house. I am also not against screen time again there is a time and place for it we try to limit Toddler E screen time and when we do use screen time we try to go for a lot less stimulating shows like (Spot the Dog, Kipper the Dog, Mister Rogers, Little Bear and Hey Bear Sensory.) There is definitely a time and place for screen time. 

So whatever your means look like I wanted to give you some budget friendly ideas to do with your kids this summer. Whatever your means look like it is enough for you child. I encourage you to even just get outside for an hour with your child today. May you be blessed wherever you are reading this from! 


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Sunday, April 7, 2024

Moments in the Mundane…

Baby Wearing and Walking in Our Field 
So many moments in motherhood can feel so mundane sometimes I feel. Waking up to get Toddler E a bottle in the early morning hours to help her get back to sleep in the morning. Feeding another meal just to watch some of the pieces thrown on the floor to get licked up as a treat to the dogs later in the day. The moments of anticipation before my husband gets to walk through the door after a long work day he had ahead of him. The moments of crying with the girls because they are both crying and the flood of being overwhelmed. The moments of sweeping for the 5th time in the living room because there is dirt on the floor that sticks to your bare feet and it absolutely drives you batty. 

The moments of the sunshine basking on Toddler E as she wanders through the back yard barefoot. The moments of Baby E smiling as you talk to her being held to sleep. The moments of laughter together with your spouse as Toddler E discovered to climb up on the end table thinking it is an perfect thing to be a jungle gym. The moments of laughing with Toddler E just hearing her joy echo through our little farmhouse here. 
My Little Wild Child 


Mundane moments…

But these are the moments I want to choose to remember, these are the moments I want to replay over and over in my mind. Being a Stay at Home Mom I do feel it can be at times a mundane routine, especially if you are anything like me and I have an “ideal chore chart, ideal meal planning for the week and an ideal schedule of what my week will look like,” But what if there is beauty and more in the mundane? What if in these moments we slowed down to be child like minded again. To slow down the mundane of motherhood and start to live at the pace our children need us to be there for them. To remember in the moments of frustration that our todddler is clinging to our leg while we try to sweep up the mess, the loads of laundry and the endless dishes in the sink. 

I met with my good friend this week and that is what we were talking about this week was how it is so hard to keep our home clean with kids just running around and especially the toddler phase, I know the day to day life can feel like you are trapped in a whirlpool of mundane tasks but there is such a bigger purpose to these mundane moments. You get to be the mother to your child, and no body else in this world gets to mother your child. That thought alone my goodness gets me thinking, we get to mother and lead our children despite what seems to be mundane days. 

Mundane is defined by Oxford Language Dicitonary as “Lacking interest or excitement.” But you know what is funny is I don’t believe for a minute our child looks at the day with mundane eyes like we tend to do sometimes. The other night I was asleep in bed and just gave Toddler E her bottle hoping she would go back to sleep soon and the next thing I hear is her pacifier out of her mouth and her saying “Hi Mama.” Despite me wanting to go back to sleep I had a laugh with her and said “yes that’s me good job E.” She did proceed to go back to bed I think an hour later. But they don’t see dull moments in the day they see a world of color, they see the magical moments that we seem to miss as adults. They see a world of color where us as adults have seem to lost the color in our day to day life just more of a spectrum of black and white.  But what would happen I wonder as us as mom’s if we slowed down to see the excitement a child faces each day. 

The opposite of mundane is extraordinary and imaginative. Let that sink in for a minute when was the last time as a mom you had an extraordinary day or an imaginative day? I know this is such a reminder for me as a mom that I need to take time to literally slow down and smell the flowers. 

Toddler E Helping Me with Yardwork
My Toddler E has just discovered that she can pick flowers in our field and it is the cutest thing especially when she hands them to me, before this she would pick dandelions and most the time eat them. However sometimes she would make a wish with them by blowing them to watch them float away with the Arkansas breeze. Every moment she goes outside you should see her face light up of the love of nature she has. Like literally last week alone she spent I think close to 12 hours outside between 2 days. 

Children don’t live in the mundane they live in the extraordinary and imaginative. 

I wonder what would happen to us as society if we slowed down to make each day imaginative for our kids as a Stay at Home Mom. I think society to so often wants us to be focused on the mundane they take the color out of the day as a mom. We can get so wrapped up in other parent’s, parenting style or what Sally down the street house looks like compared to our own. Or overbooking our child’s schedule that we along the way start to introduce the mundane diet into their brains wired for creativity and imaginative play. 

I think this week I slowed down a bit and put mundane moments on the background and really started to try to live in the moment. To live each day as the Lord has made embracing it in my heart and mind “This is the day the LORD has made I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I started this week by doing some yard work as Baby E slept peacefully in the living room without her sister torturing her… Toddler E accompanied me and just loved to eat handfuls of dirt while I tilled the area of my flower beds. I successfully made a play garden area for Toddler E. I look back this week and there was so many extraordinary moments. Moments of Toddler E experiencing her first swim lessons this week, moments of Toddler E helping me pack some care packages for a dear friend of mine and moments of rearranging the living room despite Toddler E not getting her nap in for the day. These extraordinary moments…
Toddler E. Easter

We need more of these in motherhood, I know I get it how easy it is so get in the mundane routine but I want to encourage you to start to look for the color, the extra ordinary moments of the day you are faced with each and every day. Start to bring back the moments of childhood you get to live with your child. Maybe those moments aren’t mundane after all…
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Saturday, March 30, 2024

Making Memories Despite the Mess

Picnic set up in front yard 
Making memories despite the mess…As a mother I think I know for myself it is so easy to get caught up with how my house looks like with the current state of bottles piled up in the sink, loads of laundry just sitting in the living room waiting to be put back in the closet and toys scattered through various parts of the home. That it can be a really easy trap to say don’t come over for other mom friends. I know at times I get easily situated in that position. I saw a quote though recently “Come over despite the mess, come over if your child is having a rough day, come over if you’re having a rough day.” 

Yesterday was one of those days for me. I planned to have a picnic with some of my close mom friend’s yesterday and it was one of the best days outside! We just got our fence done in the front yard and it was so nice to just have a picnic and enjoy the simplicity of the beauty of the day. Despite the house being mess but I had a thought that children are not going to remember how many piles of laundry I didn’t get to, or the dishes in the sink. They are going to remember the moments of laughter the moments of riding in a wagon in the field or giving the dogs their leftover hot dogs these are the moments.

Toddler E enjoying the Picnic 
Yesterday brought me so much joy as a Stay at Home mom I know it can get tough and lonely in various moments. What if I told you though parenting is so much easier when you have a friend there with you. My good friend Aseaba was talking to me about this yesterday about how yes you are multiplying the amount of kids but meet anyways. Moms were never meant to do this journey alone and I think so many SHM feel so alone, alone in the mess, alone in the long days of parenting and alone in their mind. However you are never alone there are moms that are going through the same things you are going through maybe even right down the street! 

Yesterday was a moment to breathe in the beauty of simplicity…Picnic, bubbles, wagon rides and children’s laughter just floating in the spring time air. It was so nice to just sit and talk with Aseaba. We chatted for about 2.5 hours yesterday and it was beautiful. I actually met Aseaba online in a local mom’s group on Facebook. We have been friend’s for about a year now and what a beautiful year it has been. I remember telling Aseaba when I was pregnant with Baby E how thrilled and overjoyed she was to hear the news! 

Baby E snoozing in the sunshine
We need friends as Stay at Home Moms, we need people who we can say “hey my house is a mess come on over, Hey you’re struggling today with the mom load come on over, hey your kid is going through a sleep regression come on over.” I never want my table to be closed I want my table to be full. I saw a beautiful quote years ago stating “if God has blessed you don’t build a taller fence build a longer table.” One of my closest friend’s when I lived in Washington State had 10 kids and I remember just going over there to just have coffee together among the chaos, I would bring my nanny jobs there for play dates all the time. The amount of joy from the kids would just be such a blessing to watch. 

That’s what I aspire to be as a mom. I want my home to be full of memories among the simplicity. We have a pretty simple home just a 2 bedroom 1 bath home, but we are blessed to have land we have 5 acres here and that is amazing. Kids don’t need a lot to have a good time, they don’t need elaborate houses or the latest greatest toys, they thrive with simplicity. Maybe as a reminder to us that we can also thrive in simplicity. Thriving in simplicity what does that look like to you? It is something I want to work on more something that I need more of in my life. Yesterday I was a so overwhelmed by the state of the inside of my house I struggled at times to be in the simple moments, the simple moments of that Toddler E played outside for almost 7 hours yesterday with no screen time, the simple moments that Baby E slept so peacefully in the sunshine, ,the simple moments of watching Aseaba’s 5 children just play all so greatly and the simple moments of watching the rainbow bubbles glisten in the sunlight. 

All the kids enjoying the picnic 
I encourage you to start finding your beautiful moments in simplicity, the laundry will always be there, the dishes will always be there but this day won’t always be there. You never know when a moment will become a memory until you look back on it. You never know what core memories your child will make in those simple moments. 

It is so easy to not open your home up I get it I have been there, but in the midst of chaos beauty can be found. Fellowship, invite and go be with other moms. You are not alone… 

If you need a friend come on over, if you need some place for your kids to run come on over…

“You can hold my hand
When you need to let go
I can be your mountain 
When you’re feeling valley-low
I can be your streetlight 
Showing you the way home 
You can hold my hand 
When you need to let go 

I want a house with a crowded table 
And a place by the fire for everyone 
Let us take on the world while we are young and able 
And bring us back together when the day is done.”
-The Highwomen -“Crowded Table”

You are welcomed at my table…


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Sunday, March 24, 2024

Pregnancy…Hey at Least We aren’t an Elephant!

 

Pregnant Dec 2023 with Baby E
Pregnancy is what I wanted to talk about tonight in my blog…As the title says hey at least we aren’t an elephant! Not sure if you knew this or not but elephants are pregnant for 2 years! I have been pregnant with both girls for a total of 18 months which completely blows my mind even think about it! 

You know I thought during both pregnancies I would be this magical unicorn prancing around the pregnancy glow but man was I wrong! There were definitely moments of joy with each pregnancy but I was one of the women that didn’t enjoy being pregnant. My second pregnancy with Baby E did go a lot smoother than my first with Toddler E. I wish I could go back and tell my first pregnancy the tools that would help me manage through those 9 months the first time! 

I wanted tonight to share some of my favorite things that I have found helpful with both my pregnancies that helped! Whether you are planning to have another baby or would like to share this with women you know in your life who are expecting to have another baby! 

No one prepared me for what quiet pregnancy would be like, it was definitely a roller coaster for sure a ride some might not want to do again and others that would ride that coaster again! Whichever coaster you choose is completely fine! 

*DISCLAIMER THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE,* 

Some of the products I want to share are by no means medical advice, if you have general questions I would talk to your Midwife or your OBGYN. 

So as some of you know my pregnancy with Toddler E was very hard on me I was throwing up from week 6-week 33 with her and that was some of the hardest times I have gone through, this time round with Baby E I found taking Nux Vomica 200ck was a life saver it is a homeopathic remedy and it was one of the few things that actually helped me to not throw up all the time! Another one of my morning sickness (more like all day sickness) remedies is ginger chew candies! I loved the lemon ginger one and the mango ginger ones. I will include most of the links if I can remember too haha full mom brain in swing. I mean with Toddler E I tried everything (medication, sea bands, peppermint oil, sour candy, everything under the sun.) I swear by the nux vomica it also helps things get going in your gut too if you get what I mean. 

Another thing I dealt with was Pelvic Girdle pain with both girls and let me tell you that is brutal but there is help and you don’t have to suffer alone! One thing that really helped me was wearing an SI belt for extra support ok you may look dorky walking around Target but it is truly a lifesaver! I got mine off Amazon and it did help. Another thing that did help with both my pregnancies was going to weekly chiropractic care and seeing a certified Webster chiropractor, it helps get you and baby both into ideal position for labor and delivery! If you are unsure reach out to me and I would love to help research a good provider in your area! Essential oils from revive helped too, I used sore no more, Courage and Lavender all the roll on my joints. I love Revive as they are as high of quality as Young Living or Doterra but more in my price line of spending at the moment. Along with the occasional bath did help too! One more thing before I move onto the next is sleeping with a pillow between your legs I got a body pillow from Target for $10 and honestly it was better than any pregnancy pillow I tried as I tried like 4 different pregnancy pillows and all returned to Amazon…

Now onto comfort honestly a majority of my pregnancies I lived in boxers and tank tops at home when I didn’t have to go out, but when I went out I wore boxers and tanks tops too… totally kidding lol I wish I could but nobody wants to see that haha. I found Old Navy has some amazing maternity pants and when I got further along I found these great yoga pants from Amazon that really accompanied my body type and they were so comfortable. Something I struggled with both pregnancies is realizing how beautiful body is I mean you are growing a human being!

Baby E still cooking 2023 sometime 
That is a part of you! So if you are feeling like a blob I want to encourage you are not a blob and your body is doing this beautiful miracle, although it doesn’t feel like it as you down another TUMS in the midst of your day. So take a breath put on your maternity pants and look in the Mirror and say “Thank you body for growing me a child I get to Love.”

Something that really helped with my stretch marks too or some people call them tiger stripes was my friend’s skin balm she home makes! I love this stuff I cannot rave about it enough!! I also use it on my daughters for cradle cap, diaper rash you name it! 

Now onto 2nd-3rd Trimester! Something I really want to encourage you with is start gathering support whatever that looks like for you! Really start to practice self care too! Because let me tell you sometimes your hormones lie to you! I know mine did for sure! Something that helped me tremendously was getting an inflatable pool ring and laying belly down for even a 30 minute nap or having my husband give me a massage it took so much pressure off of my back! 

Something I want to encourage you with too is start making peace for birth coming! Whatever that looks like for you! For me I made labor and delivery playlists as music is very critical to me. I also loved the Mama Natural Pregnancy Affirmation cards my husband actually read these to me while in labor with Baby E and they tremendously helped me! 

Again I want to emphasize this and I cannot emphasize this enough build yourself a village, whatever that village may look like, when I was pregnant with Toddler E it was hard as I just moved to Arkansas a year before that coming from Colorado where I left behind a lot of my closest friends and it was a very trying time for me. But I look back on giving birth this last February and my goodness I am so incredibly blessed to now have my small village but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world I have made some really close friendships this last year and I know at times how hard it is to put yourself out there but do it. You will not regret yes things might feel chaotic going into the unknown of motherhood but what if I told you, you don’t have to do this alone? There are moms that go and have the same thoughts you have.
Pregnant with Toddler E JAN 2023

You are enough, and you will make it through this. If I knew how critical support would have been with my first pregnancy I would have tried so much harder than I did even though I feel at times I don’t fit in or fit a specific mold. One of my closest friends now here in Arkansas showed up so much for me postpartum I remember just crying my eyes out thank the Lord that I now have 2 close friends I can rely on and trust whole heartily who we have even offered to baby sit each other’s kids which is so hard to find in today’s society. I wish I knew back then what I knew now and I wouldn’t have felt so alone postpartum in the midst of being a new mom. I saw a beautiful quote that I will stand by saying “that a baby will not remember who held them but a mother will always remember who held her postpartum,”. So I encourage you to start building your village you can have all the material, holistic, OBGYN prescribed things in the world to make your pregnancy easier but support is what makes postpartum capable to know you’re not alone. And you are not alone ever…Don’t ever believe that lie as many women have endured this journey before you and are enduring it now. 

So take this pregnancy journey one step at a time they don’t have to be giant steps and hey if all you can do today is get that Taco Bell craving for the 50th time this week or need another nap on the couch there is no judgement. Pregnancy is hard but it is 9 months, and then you can look back on it and say hey I endured 9 months! I hope this blog helped you in some way or form!! Feel free to share with whoever! Take care and bless you!  

Below are links below for things I mentioned! Again *NOT medical advice*

Nux Vomica (Helps with morning sickness and constipation)

Lemon Ginger Chews (Helped with Morning Sickness and Loved these during Labor)

Pregnancy Support Belt (Helped with Pelvic Girdle Pain) 

Essential Oils from Revive (you will have to search on their site -Courage, Sore No More, Lavender)

Body Pillow (Helped my pelvic girdle pain at night!)

Old Navy Maternity Pants (So comfy!)

Boxers I lived in (no joke I still live in them) 

Amazon Maternity Shirts (Also so comfy!)

These Yoga Pants I swear are made from silk worms! (Oh and they have pockets!)

Great for taking a nap belly down! 

Stretch Mark/ Everything Skin Balm! (I love all the ingredients in these!)

Affirmation Cards by Mama Natural (My husband read these to me in labor!)




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Monday, March 18, 2024

The Mountains of Motherhood.

 

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The mountains of motherhood what does that mean to you? I think the first words that come to my mind is adventure. I use to live in Colorado and the Rockies and their glorious splendor. 

I don’t know about you but motherhood doesn’t always feel like a glorious splendor. Sometimes it feels like chaos but there is beauty in the chaos. It’s those beautiful glimmers that reminds me of what truly matters in life. It’s not the dishes piled up in the sink or the endless loads of laundry that sit with their daunting stare. It is the moments of my toddler patting my knee when baby E is crying for hours on end, it is the moments of Big sister and baby E cuddling on the couch. It is the glimmers of motherhood we need to remember, when the mountains seem big. 

Never in my life would I have thought I would have two children in less than 2 years. There has been moments of tears and moments of laughter already. I remember the days I would pray for what I have now, a soul longing for children but that void would remain there until God was faithful to keep his promise as Psalm 113:9 says “He will give the barren woman children making her home happy and herself a joyful mother.” 

I know at times parts of motherhood doesn’t feel very joyful does it? But there is such a bigger purpose to motherhood, you’re handpicked to be your kids mother what a blessing that is in itself! I think we can get so lost in the mundane routines of motherhood that we forget there is purpose in what seems to be he mountains of each day. That the end of the day our children aren’t going to remember the piles of dishes, or the never ending story of laundry, or the diaper changes that will make you want to puke but rather how much we showed up for them that day. 

What mountain are you facing today in motherhood? 

I don’t know fully what this blog will hold but I figured the name, Motherhood, Messes and Making Memories. Here’s to the view that the Mountains of Motherhood will be! 

Be blessed! 

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