weekly meal planning

In order to help our family to stay accountable with healthy eating, I've created this printable that I have framed and am planning to reuse every week.  It's in a cute ombre pink color because, of course, it will most definitely help to make this more fun! ;)  If you'd like your own, I've made the document share-able (is that a word?) so that you can use it for your weekly planning!

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

You can find the document here.

Happy planning, mamas!

Happy 9 months!

My sweet girl is 9 months old today!  How on earth did it happen so quickly?  This is one of those big milestone ages that makes you really, really sad!  I was going through some of Keziah's clothes for a friend yesterday and as I picked up each newborn size, more and more tears filled my eyes.  Goodness, what am I going to do when she turns 1? Ah!

Anyway, this month, Keziah has begun crawling, walking along furniture, has 0 new teeth (last month stole the show in that department!), says "mama," "dada," and attempts to say doggy but sounds more like "da."  She sleeps a perfect 10.5 hour stretch at night before going back down for 2-3 hours more (this is great!).  Her smile is starting to get bigger, with more of a wrinkle in her nose and more teeth to show off.

And check out the headband I made for this month! Pretty sweet, huh? ;) I thought this was perfect for November!  Wait until you see what I have up my sleeve for Thanksgiving! ;)

First sickness

I never knew how moms did it: dealt with sick babies. Not that I was afraid of not being able to handle it, but that I wouldn't know what to do.  Keziah started getting a fever the other day. Was at 101.8 to be exact and I was definitely nervous. I'm the kind of person that always fears the worst, so my mind just goes all kinds of crazy directions. I sought some advice from other mamas and pretty much learned to just let it run its course (unless it gets above 103). So, I didn't want to interrupt her immune system's defense mechanism, so I let it ride. The next day she was normal again ...

Or so I thought.  Daddy brought home some kind of virus/cold and looks like it's getting the best of Keziah. Earlier today, she seemed a little off and sleeping more/longer than usual, so I was praying nothing would come of it. But after her (second!) nap today, she woke up with a nasty cough. Poor baby. Looks like she couldn't escape it. And here I thought breast fed babies were nearly invincible.  I'm just going to plug away at the vitamin C and hope that some of it transfers through to the milk and helps her out. I also read that elderberry works wonders, too so I'll have to go find some of that!!

God has blessed with me a superhuman immune system and now that I'm a mom and a Wife to another baby (shh!), I'm learning that it's definitely a blessing! Someone's gotta be well enough to care of the crew, right? ;)

I mean, look at this sad-looking Princess ... makes me sad.

weight struggles

I am so excited to blog tonight because I'm blogging from a brand new (to us), beautifully painted and stained, grown up computer desk!  A few months back, I scored a huge, solid wood desk for free off of a garage sale group on Facebook and Josh and I finally had time to redo it.  It's gorgeous and I'll show it to you some time soon ... hopefully tomorrow!! :)

I don't think I've ever blogged about it.  You know, that big, fat, ugly topic that all women hate to discuss, yet love to cry and complain about.  Yup, our weight.  Weight has always been a big struggle for me.  Not that I've always had lots of weight to lose, but I've been conscience about it for quite a while.  I've pretty much tried it all: Weight Watchers (lost 10 pounds in 3 months), watching calories (lost nothing), Paleo (lost 30 pounds in 5 months), and most recently, Trim Healthy Mama (lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks).  I stuck with Paleo the longest and thought it was very, very restrictive, it was definitely my favorite.  I felt my best, looked my best, and then BAM!!! I got pregnant ... my hormones, morning sickness, cravings, and bodily changes all got the best (err worst?) of me.  I gained each of those 30 pounds + 7 by the end of my pregnancy and guess what?  I haven't lost anything since!  Sure, I have maybe lost the 7 pounds, 2 ounces plus a tad bit of water weight since having Keziah, but not an ounce more.  I've been blaming it on the breast feeding (and I honestly do feel like that plays a big part in it), but I am pretty sure there's more to the picture than that (like, maybe the fact that my stomach is a bottomless pit and Josh has to keep up with me when it comes to eating).  I've gone back and forth with Oh, I'm going to do Paleo again or Trim Healthy Mama is best, but I think I've just finally had enough.  Josh and I want to start thinking about baby #2 very soon and I just cannot imagine gaining all of that weight again ON TOP of what I already have.  For me, that's just unacceptable, especially when I can't say that I've given it my 100% in trying.

Tomorrow, I am going to begin a 30-day "cleanse," if you will.  Pretty much just strict eating to detox my body and see how I feel.  I'm pretty sure that I'll feel awesome and want to give it another 30 days.  Anyone can do anything for 30 days, right?  That's where I always get messed up; thinking yes, let's do it for 1 year (like I swore to with Paleo)!!! Then I just feel all kinds of overwhelmed and like I've already failed when I didn't even give it a week!!

 I'll keep you updated on how things go, because this has to get done before trying for another baby.  It just has to.   

Compromises

Growing up, we always made Halloween a big deal; spooky decorations, fun costumes, lots of candy, the whole bit. I remember one Halloween, my family was struggling and my mom couldn't afford to buy us costumes, so my kindergarten teacher let us borrow one so that I wouldn't feel left out (that year, I was a bumble bee).  We always looked forward to Halloween and trick or treating and coming home and weighing our candy on the scale to see how much we actually got.  

The same "holiday" that I was celebrating excitedly, my Husband who was a wee little guy at the time was probably doing something totally different. A time or two, he went to a Fall festival at church where he played innocent games, played with friends, and enjoyed candy. His family never handed out candy, never dressed in costumes, never decorated for Halloween.  He was raised completely different than I was. 

Before Josh and I were even married, we did discuss how holidays would be celebrated; I celebrated Santa, he didn't; I celebrated Easter bunnies, he didn't. You get my point. We had lots of small compromises to make. Not that I ever believed in Santa or the Easter bunny or even the tooth fairy, there was excitement and joy in those things. Now that I'm a Believer, I actually am saddened that I ever celebrated the secular version of holidays ... not the actual meaning. However, every time we discussed Halloween, I was stubborn and didn't want to give it all up. I wanted Keziah to experience the excitement that I did when I got to dress up and go trick or treating. Even when I was a kid, I always dreamt about taking my kids trick or treating. But here we are, married, and we now have a family.  One thing that I'm learning every single day is that marriage is about compromise. 

So, what have we agreed on? Well, no Halloween.  Halloween is a day to celebrate evil, death, fear, etc. I don't mean to sound like a fundamental extremist here (I'm not, really), but this is how we've discussed it. This day is a day that the enemy is pleased in. When you get down to the bones of it all, this day is centered around fear. God did not place the spirit of fear in His beings. So why do we find joy and excitement in being afraid?  Sure, dressing a baby in a fluffy sheep costume is the cutest, sweetest, most yummy thing ever (trust me, this is what I wanted to do!), but the enemy is all about sugar-coating things and making them seem acceptable and since everyone is doing it, there couldn't be any harm in it, right? Well, that's what he'd like us to believe.  

I guess it just makes me a bit sad to think that our kids won't have the experience of dressing up and going out and I'm sure they'll have friends that are going out and doing it. BUT Josh pointed out that right now, if we "celebrated" Halloween, it'd be for me, not Keziah. Keziah doesn't know any different and she never will as long as she's raised without it. We will definitely start our own little traditions and have fun and make memories with our family, but just not the traditional way. :)  Plus, there are 364 other days of the year to dress up as the cutest, sweetest, most yummy things ever!!  I told Josh just expect to be the kind of dad that comes home from work and our kids are running around the house wearing crazy, silly costumes just because. And you better believe I'm going to be the kind of mom to let our kid wear her tutu, lion mask, rain boots, and gloves in the heat of Summer to run to the grocery store because that's what she wanted to wear. Okay, maybe, maybe not! Haha!! But the point is that he'll see more costumes every other day of the year than he'll know what to do with!! :) 

This means that tomorrow I'll be running to a few stores to see if I can find a yummy sheep costume to stick Keziah in so that mama can get her fix. ;) 

my job as a mom

Apparently, I actually do have some readers on this ol' blog.  They (well, you!) are ghost readers, and that's okay!  But, it's nice to know that people read and I'm not writing "just because."  I am the kind of person that finds joy in writing when I know others are going through the same thing, inspired, laughing, crying with me.  If you're reading, introduce yourself!! I love making new friends through social media! :)

Anyway, Keziah has her very first fever.  Breaks my heart.  She is still her laughing, smiley, giggly self ... just a very warm version!  As I was putting her to sleep tonight, rubbing her back, I got so teary-eyed!  I was thinking that when she's an older women, Lord willing, she will be holding one of her own littles, rubbing their back, comforting them as they are fighting sleep.  She will be worrying whether or not she's doing a good enough job, praying over them, asking and seeking guidance to be the best mother and wife that she can be.  One day, I'll be gone and all I can hope and pray for now is that I am investing and instilling the best that I can.  Every day I pray that God will keep her in the palm of His hand, guiding her along, and that one day she will seek Him with all of her heart and soul.  If she does that, well, my job as her mother has been successful.  God has used me for His glory.

Sorry to get all sappy on you, but my heart is heavy for her this evening.

Now that we have Keziah sleep-trained, I think I will be better about writing on here!  I don't mean to leave you all hanging for so many weeks!

Sell it all!

I have a little problem.  A "sell all of the things" problem.  Ever since I can remember, I've gone through little phases where I am so much in love with a certain "hobby" that I want to turn it into something much bigger. Scrapbooking? Yeah, I'll have others pay me to do theirs! 
Photography? Well, that actually turned into something, but wasn't long-living because quite honestly, I hate (hate!) editing and going through each. and. every. photo.  I'd rather just photograph Keziah and be good at it.  Maybe one day I'll return to it with a new fire and passion, but for now, Keziah is my #1 subject. Headbands? I could be sooo good at this! It's fun! 
And now .... are you ready for it? Buntings!  Cake buntings!  Cupcake toppers!  I've even gone one step further this time: I'VE OPENED AN ETSY SHOP! Okay, maybe buntings aren't in huge demand, but hey, someone buys them, right?  Psh, I know if I had it my way, I'd have buntings for every room (including the bathroom) because they are just so darn cute and make you happy!  But see, here's what I've been thinking:  I will list the buntings and cake toppers that I've already made, but in the future, I'll just continue to add small things to the shop that I've done for Keziah and actually enjoyed doing.  If no one buys anything, at least I had fun and used it as my creative outlet!  This bunting love was fueled by needing one for her room and I loooved making it, so I made 8 more (what?!).  I've made headbands for Keziah and get asked "where'd you buy that?" Now I can tell them, My Etsy shop, duh. And I've got a big, ol', fat new project turning in my head and I pray, pray, pray it turns out the way I'm hoping (hint: has to do with leather and baby feet!).  If it turns out, I'll post something on here (maybe even a tutorial) ... but if it is a complete fail, we'll just move on and act like it never happened! ;)

My dream isn't to be the best shop on Etsy ... even if I only have 1 item sell, I wouldn't care ... these hands just need something creative to do.  Mama doesn't like being bored!

The big move: Follow up

As you know, we just moved Keziah to her crib.  We loved having her with us in our room but she needed the space.  I would have loved to keep her with us, but she woke up often (every 2-4 hours) stretching her legs, passing gas (ha!), and just wanting to move around.  I told you about how our first night went, so just thought I'd follow up!

Night 2: I laid her down, again with no tears to be seen.  Great!!  Makes mama feel better about the whole transition.  When I laid her down, she woke up, rolled around for about 45 minutes and went to sleep.  No fussing, no tears (did I say that already?).  She slept for 8 hours straight.  I had to wake her to feed her so that I could get ready for work smoothly (usually I wake her to feed her and put her back to sleep so that I can get ready for work without having to entertain her and then I wake her 30 minutes before we leave so that I can feed her again and get her ready).  Perfect night.

Night 3: Again, I laid her down, no fussing at all.  She rolled around for a bit and went to sleep.  However, she woke up at 12 and then again at 4:30.  When I went in to get her, her poor feet and legs were so cold!  I put her to sleep in a onsie because I am more worried about her overheating.  We had the vent fan running instead of the central air since it was so nice out.  When I fed her (I'm sure I could have cut this feeding, but I didn't/don't have a problem nursing for comfort), I threw some pants on her and shut her vent.  When she woke up at 4:30, I fed her again and because she was cold, I should have brought her in our room ... changing her whole outfit at this point would have made her upset and I was worried of her falling off her changing table since she was so worked up.  Bad, rookie mom moment ...

Night 4/Last night:  I tried rocking her to sleep (well, to put her on the drowsy side) but she kept jerking her body and acting frustrated, so I thought maybe she wanted to just be left alone.  I laid her down, she rolled around (seeing a common theme here?) and she went to sleep.  This time, she slept for 8 hours straight.  Again, I woke up her to feed her since I had work today.  I am curious to see how long she will sleep without waking, but this morning wasn't the best time to try that because my luck, she would have woken up while I was in the shower and I would have had to run to her with dripping hair, cold body, mascara running down my face ... Just better that I woke her! haha!

I think that moving her was a great, big, scary move for me, but she really wanted it!! :)

Keziah and Big Jake

When Keziah was only a few weeks old, I knew I wanted to do something to capture her growth progression.  I searched Pinterest and the cutest/easiest one that I found was photographing the baby in the same chair each month.  I added a little extra and threw in Big Jake, too.  Big Jake is Daddy's old childhood teddy.  Daddy won't let me dress BJ as a girl or change his name.  Oy vey.  I guess a boy will have to do.

Here's what I've got 1-6 months. :)

Okay, maybe I cried while reviewing this post.  I'm too emotional for my own good.  Keziah is going to have a hard time running off and getting married.

The big move

Since day one, I've nursed Keziah to sleep and allowed her to comfort nurse at bed time.  I let her "use" me until she fell asleep and then I rocked her and snuggled her for about 30 minutes after that.  Then I laid her down in her rock and play sleeper, as close to my side of the bed as possible.  That worked for us and I have no regrets doing it that way.  

Last night, we made the big move.  I knew all day that it would be "the night" and just had a sick, unease feeling in my stomach about it.  Her room isn't even finished, after all.  The walls seem bare, the room feels lonely.  I begged my husband for us to go buy her a sound machine with a night light of some sort on it.  I did a little research on which had the best reviews and we found it at Babies R Us.  We moved the rocking chair and ottoman out of our room and into hers.  I put all of her books on her shelf in the closet (just to fill the room!).  When her bed time was drawing near, I felt like throwing up.  I had my husband dress her for bed while I walked in circles around her room, praying for her, for me, (all of course while I was crying) and afte, he found me in her room, sitting in the rocking chair (sobbing).  I was not ready for the move.  At all.  But after seeking advice from other moms, it came to me that the RNP sleeper was not a suitable place for her to be.  She needed to stretch her legs, practice her new skills (rolling over, playing with her feet, etc.) and I was disabling her from doing that.  She was ready, she just didn't know it yet ... I'd never given her the chance to experience something different.  

My husband kissed me and Keziah good night, gently told me "babe, she'll be fine" and closed her door.  I set her sound machine on and began our usual night time routine.  She ate, fell asleep, I burped her, and while I rocked and snuggled her, I was looking up sleep training methods on my phone.  It took but 2 minutes of reading before I confirmed that "crying it out" was not for us.  If I felt as horrible about leaving her alone, I could only imagine how she must have felt.  I did however, come across a "no tears" method. Sounded like something that I might be interested in, so I clicked it and began reading.  While I don't know if I followed it verbatim (because I only skimmed), here's what our night looked like:

After our usual night routine, I laid her in her crib and that was that.  I walked out of her room, left the door cracked and went into our room.  End of story.  Ha, yeah right.  That'd be glorious ... 

An hour later, our dog Charlie made his nosy way into her room and began whining at the side of her crib, waking her up.  She began screaming and crying, so I ran in, scooped her up, and calmed her down.  As soon as she was calm, I laid her down again and rubbed her tummy.  She cried (and not a wahwah way, but a WAAAHWAAAH way), I picked her up again, calmed her, laid her down and rubbed her tummy.  Repeat that about 4 more times.  Then, a miracle happened. When I laid her down the last time, while I rubbed her tummy, she settled in.  She grabbed her blanket, put her hands behind her head, and closed her eyes.  I crept out quietly and watched her for a few minutes on the monitor.  She slept for 4 hours.  4 hours!  I heard her stirring on the monitor at about 3:45, so I went in, fed her, and laid her back down.  No arguing, no fussing.  She went right to sleep.  This time, slept for 5 hours! 

Here's my take on it all.  I don't have a problem with nursing her until she falls asleep.  I don't have a problem  with her using me as a pacifier ... that's what I'm here to do.  Comfort her!  With me picking her up immediately when she cries, I was showing her that Mama's here; I'll comfort her and wanted to show her that, but also wanted to make a point in showing that when she lays down, it's time for sleep.  She knows how to soothe herself to sleep, I've watched her time and time before, so that's not the issue.  She didn't need help getting to sleep, she wanted to know that I was there.  Last night, I saw her wake up for about 3 minutes, move around and fall back asleep on her own.  She knows how to do it.  She did it.  We did it. Now, I'm only curious to see how tonight is going to go.  Gulp.

family photos and Keziah turning 6 months!

These photos almost didn't happen because sunlight wasn't our friend.  Neither was time.  And when you're married to my Husband, time is never on our side.  But, I'm glad we hurried, beat the sun going down and popped these out!  I think they turned out mighty good for us doing them ourselves . . . and my Husband isn't too horrible, if I do say so myself!  

When I was playing with Keziah this morning, I found that her second tooth cut through; I didn't even know there was another on it's way!  That might explain why she looks so happy in all of these photos.  Poor muffin.  Well, here's to my baby girl turning 6 months!!  Time, slow down, please!  I can't stand it!

Winner, winner, steak dinner

Here is Keziah's first, full "self serve" dinner.  I made steak, fresh green beans, and crash hot potatoes.  I set aside two chunks of steak, about 4 green beans, and 2 potatoes, all without salt, but they had other seasonings (garlic, pepper, rosemary, parsley). She enjoyed this meal more than any other so far!  

 I love this picture!  She kept trying to shovel more and more in without figuring out how to handle what she already had.  

 To get her used to a sippy cup, I put a little bit of filtered water in there for her to sip on.  Daddy helped her a little, but she was starting to get a hang of it!

why baby led weaning works for us

When I was pregnant, I was offered the flu vaccine since it was going around like crazy.  When the nurse gave me the questionnaire asking if I had been sick within the last 2 weeks, I answered yes, so I was unable to get the vaccine.  Long story short, I began researching to decide if I was going to go back and get it when I was "allowed."  This snowballed into a big, huge, scary eye-opening experience and made me begin questioning vaccines for my unborn baby.  After lots of research and discussing with my Husband, I did make my own, personal decision regarding vaccines (we follow a variation of Dr. Sears' selective delayed vaccination schedule).  Anyway, this post wasn't intended for discussing vaccines ... 

My baby is going to be 6 months old on Sunday, which means one thing ... food!

When Keziah was about 4-4.5 months old, I started researching on how and when to introduce foods.  That was a whole new realm, something scary that I had no clue how to go about!  I was asking a group on breastfeeding moms on Facebook about introducing foods and they mentioned Baby Led Weaning.  I had never heard of it so they referred me to the BLW group on Facebook to help answer any of my questions.  I read through the description of the method with open eyes, showed the information to Josh, we discussed it, I borrowed the BLW book from the library, read it, and that's what we decided was best for our family.  When Keziah had her 5-month appointment, the doctor began giving us tips on introducing foods to her (watch for readiness signs, give veggies first, no fruits right away, etc.) and that's when I mentioned BLW.  Now, we go to a holistic doctor; one that encourages breastfeeding, vaccines/delayed vaccines, etc., but he never heard of BLW and boy did I get probed with a million questions!  When I left, I called Josh crying because I was so upset with him.  I felt like he talked down to me because a) I'm a younger mom; b) "it's a choking hazard, no?"  

If you've never heard of Baby Led Weaning (also referred to as Baby Led Solids), it's as simple as skipping purees and allowing your baby to eat what you eat ... following their lead, their readiness.  Of course there are several precautionary details to pay attention to before starting (making sure they can sit unassisted, their tongue thrust reflex is gone, they actually show interest in eating).  Yup, if you're eating steak, potatoes, and green beans for dinner (like we are tonight!), so is baby!  You want to keep salt limited because their kidneys aren't developed enough to do the job for them.  Everything else is pretty much self-explanatory! The most-asked question we get when we discuss with friends and family is, "can't they choke?"  The answer is yes.  Keziah has also choked while nursing!  I've had to sit that girl up so fast and while I'm freaking out, she starts smiling (ha!).  Babies actually have a higher chance of choking on purees since they are slurping the food up and the gag relfex isn't kicking in to help.  With whole solids, when something moves too far in the back of her mouth, she will gag and her tongue will push her food forward, to a place that she's more comfortable with.  Gagging is a good thing ... mama needs to resist freaking out! haha 

The BLW method is great because you are giving your baby the chance to learn and explore!  They learn different textures of foods (slimy, soft, hard, bumpy, etc.) as well as weight, table manners (watching mom and dad converse, taking turns), and what she likes and doesn't like on her own timing.  You are also allowing her to control her own hunger signs.  If you're giving baby spoonfuls of food and "just this last bite (while making train or plane noises)," you're at a risk of overriding their body's "I'm full," or "I don't like this" signals while also making your baby uncomfortable with the eating experience. 

I've heard it said several times that "food before one is just for fun" so I have no worries that she is getting all of the nutrients her body needs.  With the sucking of different foods, she is actually getting nutrients from that food (fruits, veggies, meats!) ... and if you have doubts, check the diaper LOL I have found some pieces of carrots, so I know she's getting something.  Babies also show a desire for different things their body needs; for example, if she's going through a growth spurt, she'll opt for the carbs.  If she needs iron, she'll suck the piece of meat, etc.  

Anyway, in my opinion, BLW makes most sense for my family.  I'll definitely keep you posted on pictures and scary moments (because let's face it, it's bound to happen either way!).  

All of this to say, challenge the norm.  Just because society, our doctors, friends, family tell us what's best, research and learn what you think is best.  This isn't to say that people who do things the traditional way are wrong, I'm only saying that we should do our own research. :)  

how to be the perfect Wife

After Josh and I got married, I was so eager to go out and buy a new marriage devotional; one that we could do together before going to bed at night ... all before we cuddled and prayed and talked about our happily ever after.  But here's what took me some time to figure out: 1) Josh hates doing a structured devotional.  He would rather read his Bible on his own without being guided by someone else's viewpoints, and 2) the "perfect" marriage devotional just didn't exist.  Okay, so Josh didn't like doing devotionals, that's fine, I'd just search high and low for a good "how to be a godly Wife" book.  I'm still on the search for that as well.

When I first found out that I was pregnant, I downloaded a few different apps on my iPhone, one of which was the What to Expect app. What I enjoyed most about my WTE app was that there was a forum where you could converse with other expectant moms about just about anything.  You kind of "got to know" other moms who posted often.  If you had any parenting questions or wanted to know if any other mom was feeling their baby kick so soon, if horrible indigestion was "normal," along with many other topics, that was the place to go.  One thing that Josh and I argued most about while I was pregnant was that I was so hooked on these forums.  I would tell him another mom said that this isn't normal or someone lost their baby and now I'm so worried about ours.  He wouldn't have minded that I was interested in these forums if they didn't affect me ... but they did.  I worried more, thought this or that wasn't normal, questioned every single thing that I felt (or didn't) and questioned different parenting techniques that he and I already discussed.  Let me just say that I absolutely loved being pregnant and I cannot wait to go through it all again but I think that I could have enjoyed my pregnancy and the few days after birth more had I leaned more on Josh and put my faith in God throughout the whole thing rather than living it all through a message board.  Now, that's not to say that I didn't trust in God and lean on Josh because trust me, I would have been a mess if I didn't!

Now that I'm a Mom and Wife, I want to be sure that I can be the most perfect that I can.  I don't want to make big, scary mistakes!
While Josh and I were talking over dinner a few nights ago, he gently reminded me of something: that book and those resources that I've been seeking answers for has been under my nose all along.  I needed to just stop and remember that if I just tune into God and listen to His voice, He would show me how to be the "perfect" Mom and Wife.  That what other women have found to work in their marriage will not work in ours because God has designed us differently ... just as He has designed me and Keziah's relationship to be unique.  I only need to tune in and listen to God and everything else will smoothly and perfectly fall into place. I don't think I'll ever nail the whole "perfect Mom and Wife" title, but God will definitely guide me as long as I'm seeking Him!

the dreaded next step

Since day one, Keziah has been sleeping in her rock 'n play sleeper in our room.  I wouldn't have it any other way, honestly.  I love that I can watch her sleep, hear her right away when she needs me, and since I'm nursing, it makes it easier for me to just be able to grab her when she's hungry at 2am and have her right there.  I was pretty nervous about being able to switch her to her crib when the time came for several different reasons.  The rock 'n play sleeper is slightly inclined, unlike the crib.  The RNP also gives her a sense of security because it's a smaller, tighter spot for her and she feels snuggled, unlike with the crib.  Oh, and maybe the fact that the crib isn't in the same room as me makes me want to cry!  I've tried taking itty, bitty baby steps with her in our room.  I'll explain: I keep the RNP right next to the bed.  Like, if it's not touching the side of my bed, she's too far.  Sooo, I've tried inching her back.  Didn't work.  She just wasn't close enough!

She will be 6 months old next week, so I figured that maybe I should at least try getting her used to the crib.  I knew that in order for me to try, I'd need to be mentally prepared.  I wanted to have her room a little bit more put together so that she wouldn't feel so "cold" and deserted.  Or maybe abandoned.  That's a more accurate description of what I think she'd feel when she woke up and mama wasn't there.  I wanted to get the shades perfect so that I would let in enough light without it being too dark.  When I woke this morning, I was not prepared.  Keziah started rubbing her eyes, it was time for her to eat, so I figured eh why not? I took everything out of her crib, set up the baby monitor, grabbed my baby and started our naptime routine.

After she was asleep for 10 minutes, I slowly crept with Keziah in my arms, careful not to wake her before we reached our dreaded destination.  I set the Boppy pillow in her crib so that she would feel somewhat snug around her legs, dropped her blanket in and slowly lowered her in.  Her arms flailed, her eyes opened wide and a big smile came upon her face.  I was a strong mama; I gently caressed her cheek and turned and walked out.  As I quietly watched from outside of her bedroom door, my heart wanted to pull me back in there and snuggle her tightly in my arms and never return.  But instead, I watched her play with her feet, roll around, and talk to herself.  Within 8 minutes, she found a comfortable position and was out.  Could this be true?  Is she really asleep?  All of the worrying and dreading of this day and this is all?  

As I type this, I am watching her roll around in her crib, not crying for her mama (yet).  I want to leave her there until she gets a little antsy because I want her to become familiar with this new environment.  My plan is not to put her in there for nights yet; I want to only do naps for now.  When we've mastered our crib naps, I'll move to that 3-hour stretch of sleep in the morning before she awakes for the day.  Then, slowly work our way backwards with the beginning of her night, at 9 p.m., starting in her crib through the whole night.  I'm in no rush.  The weight limit for the RNP is 25 pounds, so as long as we've been successful before then, we're golden.    :)

Oh, and I thought I should add that she is now asleep again.  She's going on 1-hour in her crib so far.  This is actually easier than I thought it might be ... easier than we thought it might be.

What a Mama needs

It's been quite a while since I've posted on here and I definitely regret that. Ideally, I would have loved to blog from day one of our family's growth, but that hasn't been the case, clearly. But, we've got lots and lots of time for that, right?!  We'll catch up, I promise!

I need to do this. A mama needs to document life's most precious moments ... and the nitty gritty along the way.  I'm hoping to run with this blog a million miles an hour, so hold tight!  Here's what I envision: me sharing my little DIYs (got lots of them!), easy recipes, tips that have made mommyhood easier (for me, anyway!), and of course lots of pictures, laughter, and maybe even tears (let's keep those limited, okay?).  I hope to help and encourage other moms along their journey in ways that I've been helped.  I want to share my joys with you and I hope that you can do the same with me!  

This is our cozy little nook, so make yourself at home!  We've got lots to share and catch up on!