My Favorite Baby Things

It's 2 o'clock...The Talk is on...and I just want to sit in silence. This morning Little Man and I had to run up to my school to turn in the laptop I had at home (that BTW was never turned on) for inventory purposes.  What I thought was going to be a quick visit ended up lasting two hours because everyone wanted to see and hold my baby.  Hello, germs.  I loved getting to show him off but the overstimulation has really done us in this afternoon. Phew!!!  I  have finally gotten him down for an afternoon nap after what seemed like hours of crying and fussing.  Nothing I could do worked.  FINALLY...a little nursing action calmed him down and he is out for the count right now.  I'm a terrible mom...he is on the bed with me as I'm typing.  There was no way I was going to risk him waking up trying to put him down in his "nap spot".  NO WAY!  Certainly other moms have done this too right?  Please tell me yes.

Since I am having a moment of peace and allowing my ears to take a break, I thought I would remind myself of the fabulous things that Little Man LOVES! 

First up...AVENT BOTTLES! (natural)

 I am a nursing mom of almost seven weeks..woohoo!!!  I never thought I would actually last more than a couple days breastfeeding but now it is second nature and is such a healthy option for my baby.  However when I venture out and need to pump bottles for him, Avent bottles are wonderful!  I get the natural ones and they have a great flow and L.M. (Little Man) adjusted to them on bottle #1.  He doesn't have any confusion with breastfeeding or bottle feeding.  They are a great product to have!

Second on my list...GRACO PACK N PLAY! 

 We have this guy (in green) right in our bedroom.  Since it has a changing station attached to it, we have an easy place right in our room for a changing table.  I couldn't imagine having to go upstairs every time LM needs a diaper changed.  Yes, the one upstairs is gorgeous BUT the convenience of having this one beats anything else.  It is also LM's nap time spot!  He won't sleep in this overnight (which is fine by me) but I am trying to get him adjusted to the roominess so that when we move him to his crib, he will be familiar with a similar space.  He sleeps belly down (ooooo I know I am breaking the rules!) in here with me closely supervising him! :)

Next up...SOOTHIE PACIFIER

 I didn't know a darn thing about pacifiers before he was born and now I have a favorite!  The Soothie paci is what the hospital gives you (or what you steal extras of) and they are fabulous.  I don't use a paci often but when I do, this one suits him best.  I have tried other brands and he just doesn't take them as well as he does with these.  

Fourth on the list: PLAY YARD!

 This was actually given to me by another mommy that had her baby a week before me!  She received four play yards and I had two but I didn't have one that I was using downstairs.  (BTW what a pain to have things up and downstairs)  She so graciously gave this one to me to use and to try if it worked.  Now, LM loves this play yard.  He will lay under it and stare at the toys for 30 minutes if I let him.  He coo's at them and swats them around.  He doesn't even care about the other play yards anymore.  Seriously...he could care less.  There is also a lifted more cushion-y part where the monkey's head is so LM has tummy time on this mat too.  He loves it because he can stare at the black/white contrast of the monkey's eyes.  This is a secret winner!

Last but not least and my FAVORITE!!!!....Rock-n-Play!

This baby product has been our saving grace here in our house!  After our first night home with LM, we knew we needed something that he would sleep in.  I sent my hubby out to Buy Buy Baby where he came home with this.  On the box said, "For a restful nights sleep."  My hubby said that is what sold him!  Turns out it truly is a gift!!!  The first week, LM woke up twice a night to nurse and then would go back to sleep with some rocking on my part.  Now (he is six weeks), LM only wakes up once in the night to nurse and sleeps peacefully in this.  It is elevated so if your baby has acid reflux or anything of that nature, it will help them.  It also allows them to rock themselves.  When LM pushes with his feet, the bed will rock and help put himself to sleep.  This is by far my favorite product out there!

Sooo...let's share our baby secrets.  What products do you love?  What has worked for you?
XOXO
Ashley

Obsessed.

It's Monday ya'll!  I used to dislike Monday mornings a lot but now that I am lucky enough to stay home with my little man, I have turned into quite the morning person.  I used to have to wake up at 5:15 to get ready for my fabulous job teaching fourth graders.  I swear most mornings I was not awake getting dressed and once I finally woke up at work, I questioned my ability to pick out clothes.  It's a wonder none of my coworkers ever asked me about my choice of wardrobe or why I was wearing mismatched shoes...friends? Maybe not...Just kidding!  Love my coworkers!

Anyways, I used to be obsessed with....

 A Starbucks Frappucino was my go-to drink on a daily basis for many many years. I thought I HAD to have this wonderful goodness in a plastic cup before I could get my day going.  Of course, I went through some health kicks where I gave up these caramel calories but it never lasted too long.  The only thing that gave me a bit of trouble was the fact that I was paying almost five bucks for one medium sized cup, filled with sugar, whipped cream, and the most perfect caramel drizzle. I now have no paycheck coming in which leads to not wanting to spend hubby's cash on something a bit higher priced that normal.  Perhaps they should consider lowering their prices permanently, not just during random happy hour weeks.

Seeing as how I have the problem I have (which dear Lord isn't a problem at all) I started looking for alternate options.  Let me start by saying I despise McDonald's.  I can't stand their food and I feel like it just adds a pound to each thigh eating it.  I used to have drunken evenings in college and found myself in a car full of sorority sisters driving through the McDonald's in Cullowhee for some paste-nuggets.  Ugh!  I would wake up hating life (hungover AND the idea that I ate that stuff.)  However I put my distaste for the place aside and thought I would try their Frappe's since the commercials claim they are amazing.

Well....

After my first sip, I was INSTANTLY hooked.  These things are AHHH-MAZING!  I can't get enough of them.  Now I know, I know...it's even more sugary goodness but I can't help myself.  Not only does it taste WAY better than Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Caribou Coffee, etc.  it is much cheaper.  I mean I save three dollars for an even bigger sized drink...talk about a deal!  I have limited myself to two a week at the moment because I could literally gain ten pounds in a week just eating these.  Since it is Monday morning...perhaps I should put little man in the car seat and head through the drive-through?!?!  It is a rainy, dreary Monday here in N.C...so the drive through window may see me once again this week.

Now my rant is over.  I think I just needed to justify why I drink these...yikes!  Obsessed much?!?
 

This morning has started out quite interesting already.  I woke up at four to feed my sweet little one and have been up ever since.  I don't know if it's the sound of the Sound Machine blaring in our bedroom, the obnoxiously loud snoring of the hubby, or the fact that my body is so used to being awake at the most random hours that is keeping me awake.  Whatever it is, I'm up and ready to take on Tuesday and what is has in store for me.

As I'm eating breakfast (English muffin & apple w/ peanut butter) I'm pondering what in the world I should blog about at 6:36 in the morning...

Perhaps thinking of all the things I know that has the word "Tuesday" in it. Random?

 

 I had to read "Tuesdays with Morrie" in college.  My minor was in psychology and I had to take a class called "Death and Dying"  Yes, I'm serious that was actually a class.  We read this book in that class and I believe had to write a paper on it.  What is sad is that I can't remember what the book was about or what I wrote my paper on.  All I can remember is that I thought my professor was like 80 something years old and I was worried that it might not be the best class for him to be teaching.  Mean?

 Fat Tuesday!  Have you ever been there?  I actually have only been to the one in Cancun, Mexico.  I went with a group of girlfriends in college for spring break. Yes, my parents actually let me go.  We went to the Fat Tuesday that was on the beach for a fun night out.  I can't remember all the details but I had a good time.  Cheers to Fat Tuesday!

I'm not thrilled to have thought of Ruby Tuesday for my random post today but I had to throw it in here.  I am not a fan of this restaurant at all.  In fact I am pretty funny when it comes to certain chain restaurants.  I can't eat there.  I don't know what it is about it but I can't bring myself to do it.  Same goes for restaurants like Red Lobster, Applebees, Fatz, etc. It's just not my thing.

Seriously, I could only think of three things that had the word "Tuesday" in them.  Maybe I'm not as awake as I think I am.

Let's research...

I found a list of songs that had the word "Tuesday" in them.  I don't know if I know these songs but perhaps you do?

 

Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones

Sunday Monday Tuesday by Jessica Jones

Tuesday's Dead by Cat Stevens

Tuesday Afternoon by Jennifer Brown

I only found one movie title with Tuesday in it.

If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium (1969)

That's about all I've got...Is there anything I'm missing?  

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

XOXO

-Ashley-

I woke up this Thursday feeling very blessed and thankful for the important people in my life.  My hubby and I got some news last night that really put us in a "funk" (don't worry - nothing baby related!).  For some reason, instead of waking up pissed, I woke up feeling grateful for my husband, family, and friends.  My husband is very chill and down to earth - nothing really frazzles him.  He keeps me calm, patient, and reminds me that the little things really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.  I'm not quite sure what I would do without him.  I woke up feeling grateful for my parents and sister.  Having my little one has really taught me to appreciate them and to appreciate what they have taught me as an adult.  I have such great examples that I can model from as I learn how to be a mom and parent our little one.  My sister has shown me what a love between an aunt and nephew can be.  She truly loves my little one and I think it is such a gift for both of them to have one another.  I woke up grateful for my friends because they have shown such kindness since the birth of our baby.  For all of these people, I am grateful and I can't thank them enough for their love and support. 

On a different note, my husband and I received a very special gift from a parent of mine.  I taught her son this year, of course until I left on maternity leave.  She is starting a photography business and gave us the gift of photo sessions for us once our little guy was born.  She has always loved pictures and she loves to tell a story through her work.  Search for Blake Marler Photography on facebook or online to find her spectacular work.  Here are a few of the pictures from our family session.

I am so beyond pleased with her work.  What's special about this session is that my husband and I didn't do wedding professional pictures or engagement pictures.  We just didn't feel like we needed them at the time.  I wish now that we had more from our wedding, other than what our resort captured for us.  I am so grateful for these pictures because we have this moment in our life captured forever and we will cherish these pictures for a lifetime.

Thank you to the special people in our lives that have given us something to smile about.

XOXO

-Ashley-

I know I know.  I said I would wait until later to post the "Reveal Picture" we put on facebook to tell our friends we were expecting.  I think it pretty much explains it all.

I Have Been Inspired.

I have been inspired.  My younger sister decided to start back up her blog called Sense of Wonder.  Her blog is a collaboration of DIY projects, questions to ponder, and a place to journal random thoughts.  I used to blog all the time and I lost track of time and got carried away with work, being booked solid on the weekends, and of course the greatest inspiration of all, my son.  I had this great vision to blog while I was pregnant and to track everything and every moment with my friends in the blog world.  Between morning sickness, teaching my fourth graders, and attempting to get rest, I completely fell short with blogging.  I did however get a chance to snap pictures along the way.  I didn't share ANY of my pregnancy pictures with friends on facebook or even with my closest friends.  I figured, "Who wants to see belly pictures?"  Now I'm wondering why am I even going to share them on my blog?!?  I want them to be seen.  I want to share my journey with you all in hopes that I could share in your journeys with you too. 

 One of my favorite moments of being pregnant was when we revealed our pregnancy to our family.  Have you heard of the game Mad Gab?  We took one of the cards and (kudos to my husband) came up with our own card for the game.  It says, "Jaw In Dash Layer Praying Nut".  When said quickly it should read "John and Ashley are pregnant."  It took my in laws quite awhile to figure it out and we video taped them attempting to read the card.  It was pretty hysterical.  Anyways, I searched far and wide to find a creative way to reveal our pregnancy to our family and my husband spit this idea out.  Who would have thought the Mr. could be so creative?  Wait until I post the picture we posted on facebook for our friends to see?!?  Totally the hubby's idea!

I have to say that I am thankful that my pregnancy is now over although I'm grateful for every moment I had during pregnancy.  There are many women who don't get to share in this experience and I reminded myself of that often.  I didn't want to complain or make a fuss over morning sickness, restless legs, or any of that.  Things could have been worse.  I am blessed with a healthy baby boy now and I couldn't be more happy.  I am looking forward to keeping up and starting my blog back up for you to read and to share.

XOXO

Ashley

Hello my fabulous blogger friends!!  It has been WAY too long since I have spent time posting and exploring on here.  Last time I posted was around Christmas time..yikes!  For all my fellow teachers out there, we know that the school year keeps us busy and sometimes things have to be put on the backburner.  Unfortunately blogging had to come to a halt. BOO!  Now that the year is coming to an end (woohoo!) I will get back into it and be able to read about you guys too!

I wanted to come on and share about some fun things that have been going on in my life recently.  I recently went on a cruise with my younger sister for her college spring break.  It was fabulous to take a week off work (which I never do) and just have some fun in the sun! We sailed out of Port Canaveral, Florida and sailed around the Bahamas!  It was a ball!  I just put a few of our pictures up here to see!

I really love going on cruises and being able to explore different and tropical places!  We had a lot of fun and it was the first time just my sister and I went on a vacation together!  Do you ever vacation with your siblings?  I always have people at my work tell me they go places with just their brothers or sisters and I guess I never thought of just traveling the two of us.  It was a lot of fun and I look forward to many more travels with my little sister!