A very Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday, mummy.  You were born to be my mother and I was born to be your daughter.  Happy Birthday, mummy   I thought I understood unconditional love; I didn't, not until I became a mother. Happy Birthday, mummy.  You are everything I hope to be.  Happy Birthday, mummy.  Thank you, for all you've done and all you continue to do.  I don't say this enough but I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  Happy Birthday, to the most beautiful, the  most special, the most wonderful, the most awesome momma there is.  You are my jam!

xo

Renata, your favorite child ;)

Monday.

Source

Every Monday I find myself wishing, praying, hoping that the day will zoom by (And I am not one to wish time away).  Since the end of my maternity leave, the close of a weekend has been hard.  Two whole days with my munchkin and then back to work for five days?  It will drive any momma mad.  

Then the day is over as quickly as it started and I am reunited with my babe.  I cherish those few hours we have at the end of the day.  I kiss her and hug her and squeeze her.  Against all her protesting, I cuddle her close; she is too busy rolling all over the place to want to sit still in my arms.  Then dinner must be made, bottles, pacifiers, and pump parts must be washed.  Baths are given, books are read, and jammies are put on.  We sing songs and then I nurse my babe into a state of drowsiness.  I miss her as soon as she falls asleep; though I would do anything to sleep myself.

The kitchen is cleaned, the dishes are put away, and the bags are prepared for our morning adventure.  Showers are taken, teeth are brushed, moisturizer is lathered, and one more peek into the crib is given.  I slowly and quickly fall into my bed.  My eyes begin to close as my head hits the pillow.  

How did I make it through this day?  I haven't a clue.  Thank you, God.  Let's do it again tomorrow.  

I am here to say that I am with you mommas.  My bones ache too as I lay in bed and contemplate hitting repeat, over and over again.  You can do it.  I can do it.  We can do it.  Then I remember that quote, and it is true.  I am not given anything I can't handle, and neither are you. 

But let's be real, this Monday thing, it's for the birds.

xx

Renata

Little Lady O is Six Months!

"Happy Girls are the Prettiest Girls"

-Audrey Hepburn

Little Miss O, you are a half-year old.  Momma cannot believe it has been six months since she first held your little hand.  You are every smile, every laugh, every great thing in my life.  I feel like I've known you forever.  It has been a ride more magical than I could have dreamed.  Every morning I rush to your room and hope you'll flash me one of your gummy smiles.  I love you more than words could ever do justice.   

Weight:  Little lady O is weighing in at 17 lbs 4 oz.  She is exactly 10 lbs heavier than the day she was born.  She has rolls upon rolls and I love it!  It is incredibly difficult to keep from from squeezing her.  And those cheeks!  Ah, dreamy I tell ya.

Eating:  I decided to wait until Liv turned six months to feed her any solids.  So, she has been exclusively breastfed at home and fed expressed breastmilk at daycare.  Thankfully for all of us she does well with breast and bottle.  However, it is important to mention that she will take a bottle from anyone but me.  She knows I have the goods and refuses to take anything else; the girl knows what she wants.

Wearing:  All of her footie pajamas are size 9 M.  Then she varies from 6-9 M to 9 M; sizing is a little loopy.  Honestly, I think it all depends on the brand of clothing.  So, I don't trust sizes in any way whatsoever.  

Doing:  She can ALMOST, almost sit completely unassisted.  By this I mean that she sits all by herself for a few minutes till she decides she is over it and throws herself back (on purpose). It scares the living crap out of me; she just thinks it is the funniest thing ever and laughs.  Oh, and it is absolutely important to mention that she now loves being on her tummy.  She can roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy like a boss.  The best thing about this?  The way she smiles as if to say, "Yay, I did it, momma!" She is so proud of herself and I cannot help but applaud and squeal like a crazy momma.  A crazy momma whose heart is about to burst with so much joy.

Sleep: The most dreaded topic of conversation, ever. Half of the time I feel like parents lie because they don't want to be the one to have the non sleeping baby. Well, here is the thing. Liv isn't a bad sleeper, actually she's a great sleeper. She goes down without a fuss and our routine is pretty much set in stone. The problem? She is an inconsistent sleeper. She will sleep trough the night for a few days and then go back to waking one to two times.  It's like Russian roulette, and it is a total mind %$*@, if you know what I mean.  This topic deserves an entire post of it's own,  which it shall have. Because I know, like me, many mommas feel alone in this department. 

Highlights: This past month has been an incredibly special one.  Liv met her great grandfather (My maternal grandfather), she celebrated her first Christmas, and she slept through her first New Year's Eve Fiesta.  Well, she woke up at around 11:40 but I was NOT about to let her get her party on.  So, we spent the last twenty minutes of 2014 nursing.  It was an incredible moment to share.  As I sat there staring at my beautiful daughter I could not help but feel blessed.  Our family is so blessed.  And I cannot wait for all the moments to be made this year, I'm a mush, get over it.

Parent Moment:  Even though I am well aware that there are many bumps and bruises in our future, I can't help but try my very hardest to keep my munchkin away from harm.  Then I go to put her in the carseat and bump her head on the ceiling of the car.  There weren't any tears (not from Liv, anyway).  I cried the entire drive to daycare.  I'm pretty sure those hormones haven't settled themselves (that is my story and I am sticking to it, tee hee).  

This month has been so much fun (though I think I am going to be saying this every month of your entire life).  To see your personality develop has been one of the best experiences of my life.  I can already tell that you are a little Sassy McSassy Pants.  For example, you have a fascination with water bottles.  As soon as you see a water bottle YOU must reach for it and grab it.  If I don't let you have it you put on a tantrum.  There are screams, fake tears and a couple back throws (It is quite the scene).  Oh, and excuse the poor quality of the photographs, they were taken with my phone (I had plans of uploading the ones from my camera, but exhaustion got the best of me, again).

Oh, and Liv has finally discovered the sticker on her onesie.  Monthly photo sessions will never be the same again ;)

xo

Renata

Happy Half Birthday to Us.

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

-Osho

This morning my sweet little awoke to the sound of my voice singing "Happy Half Birthday."  She looked up at me and smiled, a smile so full of love, and in that moment I understood.  I understood what they meant when they said that time would fly. The days, the weeks, the months, where have they gone?  It is all going by too quickly.  Don't believe me?  Have a baby.  If only I could make time stand still.  Just hold on to my baby for a little while longer.  Too soon the day will come where she no longer will want to be held and cuddled.  Too soon the day will come where she will no longer need me to rock her to sleep. Too soon, too soon.

Half of a year has flown by.  I've been a mother for 185 days; how can that be true?  These six months have been a roller coaster ride of emotions.  Every passing day I fall more madly in love with this little girl.  It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it.  So, today is a celebration.  A day to celebrate not only the half birthday of the sweetest girl in the world, but a day to recognize the most joyous day of my life.  I was reborn the day I held my baby for the first time.  We locked eyes and I knew, fate does exist.  She was meant to be mine, and I was meant to be her momma.

So, happy half birthday to us. 

Momma and Bebe Loves.

The things we love...

(This photograph was taken in St. Augustine when little Miss O was two months old)

In just a few days it will be six whole months since I've become a mum.  Don't get me wrong, I am by no means an expert, and I don't claim to be.  Yet, there are things that after these months I've realized work pretty well for us.  Again, my experience will not be your experience.  Every mother and every baby is different.  However, if you are anything like me, you will want to know as much about mothers and babies as you can.  

During my pregnancy I read blogs upon blogs upon blogs.  It was nice to hear the firsthand account of a mother's experience with certain products.  Even though there were products I tried out anyway (I am stubborn, trust me) it was a huge help when encountering the overwhelming world of all things baby.  Don't believe me?  Have you been to Babies R' Us?  Yeah, exactly.  So, here we go.

Let me start with the basics.  Diapers and Wipes.  Who knew that choosing diapers and wipes would be such a daunting task.  Pampers, Huggies, The Honest Company, Earth's Best, BabyGanics, and the list goes on and on.  After a lot of reading and much consideration we decided to go with The Honest Company diapers.  I am happy to report that we have no regrets.  Don't get me wrong, we have had a few leaks here and there (Mostly overnight).  Yet, I cannot think of anything else I would want on my munchkin's bum.  Little lady O has sensitive skin and knowing that there are no harsh chemicals on her soft skin gives me peace.  And, who can resist the adorable patterns?  Not this girl.  Now to the wipes.  Again, the options are endless.  We use Water Wipes and Honest Wipes.  Here and there we will use BabyGanics Wipes, the travel packs, mostly.  However, hands down my favorite are the Water Wipes.  They are thick and cloth-like and are the most safe next to homemade.  I also feel absolutely comfortable cleaning Miss O's face should the situation ever arise.  These may not work for you, but they have worked great for us.  Water Wipes can be ordered online or found at some Target stores.  Thankfully, I have found two Target stores nearby that keep them in stock.  In my opinion they are a MUST HAVE!

Bottles.  Again, it felt like there were a million options and even when I made a decision I was still nervous it wasn't the right one.  From the moment I became pregnant I knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  Even though breastfeeding was on the top of my "must-do" list, I knew that eventually I would have to go back to work (Sigh).  Going back to work meant that my sweet baby would have to take a bottle.  Before going back to work I tried to give her a bottle a couple of times with no success.  Apparently, when it comes to mum Baby O only wanted the boob (It is still like this to this day).  At first this made me extremely nervous.  I mean, how would she eat if she wouldn't take a bottle (Cue paranoid first time momma tears).  However, my mom and husband were both able to feed her expressed breast milk and we have been doing great at daycare (Thankfully). So, what has worked for us are the Tommee Tippee bottles.  Though, looking back at it now, I would probably have tried to get her to feed from the Medela bottles (Since I have a Medela breast pump).  Honestly, the amount of bottles and breast pump parts I wash Monday through Friday is borderline ridiculous.  It would probably have saved me a TON of time had Baby O been accustomed to Medela bottles.  You live and you learn, ladies.  You live and you learn.

Have you heard about the Rock'n Play?  Yeah, I hadn't either.  Then one fine day I read a blog post about how this magical sleeper was the only thing that would make this blogger's sweet child sleep.  Um, sleep, sign me up.  So, of course, I made sure it was the first item I registered for.  We have the Little Lamb Rock'n Play and still use it for naps here and there.  When we first came home from the hospital it was the place I would keep Baby O in during the day.  We live in a two-story house and I was not comfortable leaving my babe in her room while I was downstairs.  Enter the Rock'n Play.  We never used it for sleep at night, though, many people I know have (They also raved about it).  I also was afraid she would grow accustomed to sleeping in it all night leading to a nightmare when it was time to take it away.  Though, I may have the same problem for naps when she no longer fits in it (oy vey).  That is a story for a different day.

Strollers.  Picking a stoller was almost as hard as picking my daughter's name (Kidding, sort of).  After looking at what felt like a million strollers we FINALLY decided on the UPPAbaby Cruz.  I had my little momma heart set on the UPPAbaby Vista, however, my mother convinced me that the higher price tag for a bassinet was simply not worth it.  Truth-be-told, she was right.  Sure the bassinet looks absolutely adorable, yet, deep down I knew that it would barely have any use.  Baby O was born in the state of Florida in the month of July.  Have you experienced a Florida summer?  Yeah, there weren't that many strolls in those early days.  So, the UPPAbaby Cruz it was.  The fact that it is compact, can be used facing me, and has a huge under basket were huge advantages.  This choice then led us to the UPPAbaby Mesa carseat.  And we love it!  Yes, the carseat is a little on the heavy side, however, I love how it works perfectly with the UPPAbaby Cruz.  One click and you are ready to go.  In those early weeks when Baby O was asleep for every-single car ride, it made life easier to just take out her carseat and click it onto the Cruz base.  Six months in and we are still loving our decision.  I opted for the Denny (Red) for the stroller and for the Jake (Black) for the carseat.  

Blankets.  From the beginning I had my heart set on the Aden & Anais swaddle blankets.  They were the softest and most breathable blankets I could find.  Also, the cute prints didn't hurt.  When we first came home from the hospital I attempted to swaddle Baby O in them and put her down for the night.  Yet, the fact that she could maneuver her way out of the swaddle EVERY-SINGLE-TIME left me extremely uneasy.  I mean, it's not as though I could sleep without checking on her every 10 minutes, but, knowing that there could potentially be a loose blanket around my newborn in the middle of the night did not sit well with me.  So, I stopped using the Aden & Anais blankets as swaddles.  We continue to use them on the go and they work especially well as a makeshift nursing cover.  

So, since we could no longer use the Aden & Anais blankets as swaddles, I had to find something that would keep baby O feeling warm and secure throughout the night.  Enter the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle.  This was a life-saver in those early months.  In our situation it worked well because there came a time where baby O did not want to have her arms swaddled anymore.  The Halo Sleep Sack gave me the option of arms in or arms out.  We started with both arms in, then one arm out, and finally two arms out.  Now that she can roll over we stopped using the sleep sack altogether.  

Diaper Bags.  Honestly, this particular item is really up to you as the mom.  There are plenty of options to choose from and it is really what works for you.  When I was about seven months pregnant I decided that I was going to gift myself with the diaper bag of my own choosing.  I knew that I wanted something neutral (Pattern free) that I could carry without it looking too much like a diaper bag.  I mean, let's be real here, this was the bag I would most likely be wearing till the  Toddler days came about.  I was absolutely against anything that had little animals on them.  So, one day I was perusing the Coach website and came across this little gem.  It was just what I wanted.  I hurried to the store to test it out.  As soon as I put my little hands on this bag I knew it was the one.  The interior is easy to clean with lots of little compartments.  Also, it was a diaper bag that didn't look like a diaper bag.  Perfect!  At my baby shower, my good friend gifted me with this snazzy Pottery Barn diaper bag which I also loved.  When we went to St. Augustine with baby O having two diaper bags was a life saver.  I ended up using one for daily use and the other to pack all of her extra clothing.  I love both and whichever you choose will leave you feeling happy, trust me.

Once you become a mom you start to realize that you have to do whatever works for you and your baby.  These things have worked out great for us.  However, it does not necessarily mean they will work out the same for you.  Like I've mentioned before, I do not claim to be an expert in all things baby.  I am barely at expert level when it comes to baby O and I'm her mum!  Next time we shall discuss bath time essentials, because that deserves a post all on its own.

I hope that this was at least a smidge helpful.  If these don't work for you, I hope that I have at least eased your mind in knowing that whatever you choose will be okay.  No one will know your baby better than you.  As the days go by you will start to pick up on things that work and things that you could easily live without.  If you have any questions, please, ask away!

xx

Renata

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year, friends! What a year 2014 has been. At the beginning of every new year I like to take a step back and reflect. Reflect on the past year and how much change my soul has endured in the last 365 days. 2014 has been the year of my life; I became a mother. It is almost too difficult to imagine that anything could ever compare.  How on Earth will any one thing from here on out top the moment I first laid eyes on my daughter?  How will any single day supersede the first day I spent alongside my little family of three? Is there anything that could outweigh the immense amount of love I felt for my husband, my best friend, my daughter's father the first time he held our sweet baby?

2015, you have some big shoes to fill.  Then amidst my reflection I realize that this new year can be better. You see, this year will be a year of many firsts.  My daughter's first birthday; my heart feels it may burst out of my chest at the mere thought of this.  And, how are we to forget that coincidentally my husband and I will be celebrating our first year as parents.  Our first year of sleepless nights, early mornings, and a first year filled with more love than one could ever imagine.

As individuals, my husband and I will each celebrate that inevitable milestone; the dreaded 30th birthday.  When I stop to think of the days ahead, what comes to mind is a fiery urge to be better, to do better.  Be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter, and a better friend.  I want to love more and hurt less.  Ultimately, what I want is to fill my home with joy and an unlimited amount of love.  Be better, do better.  Sounds so simple, doesn't it? 

This year will be the year of "no excuses".  Here is to a year filled to the brim with happiness; for you, for me, for all of us.  

Xx

renata

Little Lady O is Five Months Old!

"Don't count the days, make the days count."

-Muhammad Ali

Since these posts are just a wee bit late, I feel there is some clarification needed on when little miss O turned five months old.  Baby O turned five months old on December 8th.  Goodness, where has the time gone.  Where is my squishy, sleepy little newborn?  There are moments I catch myself staring in awe at this little miracle God has blessed me with.  With all my might I try and hold on to these fleeting days.  Before I know it you will be a whole year old.  Let me not start to cry.  

Weight:  You haven't had a well-visit this month.  However, we do know that you are now weighing over 16 lbs (Yes, I bite your little rolls on a daily basis).  We don't know exactly how long you are measuring, but, your little footie sleepers have gotten a little tight and we can see how long you've gotten.

Eating:  At your 4 month check-up we were told it was okay to go ahead and feed you some rice cereal slash oatmeal.  Well, after lots of reading we decided not to do this and continue with our plan of exclusively feeding you breastmilk till  you are six months.  You continue to have 15 oz of expressed breastmilk at daycare and nurse on demand at home at night and on the weekends.  So far this has worked quite well for us and I could not be happier.

Little Extras:  This month you met your great grandpa (My maternal grandpa) and you loved him.  It was the most precious thing to see and I could not have been happier.  It is moments like this where I wish our family didn't live on a different continent.  So, we will soak in the time we have and hope for many more times to come.  You also have become an official roly-poly-wiggle worm.  You first started rolling over from your tummy to your back and now can roll from your back to your tummy.  It is the sweetest thing to watch and once you are done we have a full on celebration (You love all the attention).  Things at daycare were going fine till the Thanksgiving break.  I guess you spent too much time with your momma and when it was time to return to our normal routine you simply were not having it.  It's okay, it was only for a day.  Now you smile ear to ear whenever one of your teachers start to talk to you.  You are the youngest in your class and everyone loves up on you.  I can't say I blame them, you are the smushiest bug on the planet.

Being back at work for an entire month has been quite the ride.  It has made me appreciate the time we have together that much more.  It's not to say that it has been easy.  It hasn't  Yet, I know that this is for the best.  Your grandma said something to me the other day that really stuck.  She said, "It isn't about the quantity of time spent with your little one, but the quality of time."  Those words could not be more accurate.  When I am with you I am present, in the moment, soaking in all of your little features.  Even at this moment where you are taking your mid-morning nap on my bed I stop and stare at you.  I marvel at how perfect you are and how I could not fathom love this grand.  I love you monkey!

xx

Mummy

Little Lady O is Four Months Old!

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

This mum has got to get with the program!  On January 8th you will be SIX months old (Insert surprise face here).  Obviously we have been having way too much fun and I am way behind on these posts, but, such is life.  It is a new year and I will try to be better, do better, etc.  So, here it goes my little love.

Weight:  On your four month well-visit you weighed in at 15 lbs 1 0z (My little chunkster) and measured 24.5 inches (My little munchkin).  Everyday you get more and more delicious.  It is hard to keep me from nibbling on those rolls.

Eating: During the day while you are at daycare (holding back momma tears) you take three five oz bottles every three hours.  When you are not at daycare you are exclusively breastfed on demand.  Sometimes you will go three hours between nursing and sometimes two and a half.  It makes me happy that we have been able to continue our journey breastfeeding as long as we have.  

Clothing: This really depends on the brand of the clothing.  Personally, I try not to have you wear anything too tight (We live in Florida after all).  I'd say that most of your clothing is either 6 M or 3-6 M.  

Sleeping:  Yeah, about that.  So, we entered the four month sleep regression at 12 weeks.  We haven't had any consistency with your sleep which has made for one tired momma.  There are nights where you wake up once, and then there are nights where you wake up  two to three times.  Usually it is easy to put you back down unless, usually.

Little extras:  My sweet baby your first day at daycare was on November 3rd, just a few days shy of your four month birthday.  Man, nothing could have prepared me for being apart from you for that long.  The day was hard on both you and me.  Yet, we made it through.  Of course there were a few hiccups but ultimately you adjusted.  They weren't kidding when they said that babies are resilient.  The second week was much better for you, but, not for me.  I think overall it will always be harder on me than you. 

Olivia, you are the light of my life and I fall more in love with you each and every day.  I never thought I believed in destiny.  Yet, there are no ifs or ands about it.  I was destined to be your mummy.  I love you!