Mothership Confessional

6 months...half birthday...Liam is growing up fast!! This has been the craziest  month in awhile. We moved halfway across the country...back home to Kansas! It was quite the adventure, but overall it went really smoothly, all things considered! We only lost 1 box and 1 floor lamp. Thankfully there wasn't anything irreplacable in that box, but frustrating nonetheless. Liam baby is growing leaps and bounds!! In these last few weeks he has become a much stronger sitter, even though he still can't do it independently yet. He likes you to sit on the floor so he can sit between your legs and play! He's getting around really well! He scoots backwards and rolls and can turn himself on his belly. He is always somewhere different everytime I see him in his crib over the monitor. He prefers to cram himself into the same corner of his crib to sleep! I'm loving all these baby milestones and new things he can do! He can entertain himself a little better and can stay awake...

I'm writing this up a little early because you know, moving. MOVING HALFWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY! My brain needs to keep moving forward and tackling things on the to-do list, and this post was one I could type up in a flash and cross off the ever-growing list!! I don't know why 5 months seems so much older to me than 4 months. It's just another 30 days! I think it's because I know we are so close to some major milestones and I also know how fast the back end of the first year goes...before I know it, Liam will be a tiny toddler chasing Ava around! What a crazy thought!! Liam has changed leaps and bounds this month. He's got a really strong core now and wants to sit up when I try to recline him in my lap. He can roll to his belly and has been sleeping on his tummy! He likes to swing his arms around and is getting pretty grabby! He's become a big chatterbox and he just loves to giggle and smile! There is so much drool everywhere and he usua...

Liam is starting to show his little personality! He loves to sit and look at you and chat and smile and giggle! He giggles when you tickle his sides or kiss on his cheeks and neck! I've seen him smile and coo at his toys, and sometimes he just giggles for no reason! He is liking to chew on his fingers and he's starting to hold onto toys and bring them to his mouth. He spends a little time in the jumperoo and he likes his bumbo seat and always enjoys time in the swing. Ava was not a swing baby so this is a nice change! Liam is drooling  everywhere  and thankfully spitting up doesn't happen nearly as much anymore! The amount of laundry I'm doing has greatly decreased now that there are less blow outs and spit-up rivers! He likes baths and hates tummy time! He is still in 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers, but I'm sure 9 month clothes will be needed soon! He is already 15+ pounds! Strangers who ask how old he is are always shocked whe...

The learning curve to becoming a new parent is steep. It was like a shock to my system, if I had to describe it concisely! My first baby is now almost 2 years old, and our newest little bundle just turned 3 months. Yep...I have 2 kids under the age of 2. Fun stuff!! So if you're reading this for some advice, you've come to the right place! 1. Your Parenting "Standards" Will Lower Take the current bar of expectations and standards in your world of parenting with one child and drop it down.  Now drop it down much lower than what you just did in your mind.  There. Just right!! I quickly learned that survival mode  goes on a whole lot longer than just that initial 6 week recovery period after your second baby is born! My parenting style is full of structure and routine. But once you have 2 tiny humans who need you nearly constantly, something's gotta give!  Ava gets oh-so-much screen time, both the iPad and the tv. I've struggled with thi...

Ever wondered if the MamaRoo baby swing is worth the money? Here is my review, and hopefully after reading this, you will be able to decide if it's a good purchase for your family! As a first-time mom, I had a lot on my shopping list for our baby girl. My goal was to search for good deals on quality products. We had planned on me being a stay-at-home mom, so we tried to be frugal to keep that goal a reality. At the same time, however, we had been trying to get pregnant for 4 years, and we had been dreaming of our little Ava Mckenzie for more like 5 or 6 years. So when we found out I was finally pregnant, we couldn't wait to spoil her! I had seen the MamaRoo before and I thought it was a brilliant concept for a swing. Different motions and speed options made so much sense to me. My impulsive brain said, "I want it!", while my practical brain said, "It costs too much!". I had been doing a really good job at not buying the most over-the-top thi...

How can it be that my Ava baby is 6 months old!? When I imagined my baby during pregnancy, I mostly imagined a tiny newborn. I didn't really think much about life with a bigger baby. She continually surprises us with her new skills and her ever-emerging personality. Here is what she is up to at 6 months: Sitting!!!  This is her latest skill. All of a sudden, Ava could sit for like 10 seconds before she would wobble and lean over! I think new Christmas toys were a big incentive for her. Within a week, I was able to set her next to me with her boppy pillow around her and let her play without having to have my hands at the ready behind her. She plays for quite awhile now until she is all done! Table food! We are giving Ava her first taste of food tonight! She's having avocado! If you are curious about Baby Led Weaning, I encourage you to read this book . It explains the idea of skipping purees and spoon feeding so well and answered every question I had! Fir...

I have found that as a new mommy, I am very interested in what other babies do all day, more specifically, what their routine is like. Every baby is so different, as is each household they live in. Since this is my first child, all I know is what Ava does. I have to say, I felt very out of place as an Army wife when we arrived at our first duty station. We only knew one other person here, and so I had zero friends. As female adults, it can be difficult to make new friends. And what does every Army wife sit around and talk about? Kids. Dogs. Deployments. At the time, I had none  of those. (well, I had experienced a deployment, but we weren't married yet and it was a Reservist Deployment, so it was "not on the same playing field".) My husband was encouraging me to branch out and meet people, and I had to try to explain to him that I had nothing to talk about, since all the conversations inevitably end up about kids. And all I could do was listen and smile politely. ...

Pumping. It's not my favorite mommy duty. But of course, I'll do anything for baby! I had a lot of luck with breastfeeding and pumping in the beginning. I had a great supply, and I found that I was quickly filling up the freezer with baggies of liquid gold. But then it occurred to me, why am I pumping all of this if I am not going back to work? I don't need a giant stash! I did a lot of reading on breastfeeding and all the ins and outs about it. I read that my body will produce exactly the right milk  for what Ava needs at each stage in her life. The right amount, the right chemical make up for what her body and brain needs at that time...it was really interesting to read about that. It's like our bodies are in sync with each other, even though she is not in my belly anymore! So then what was I going to do with all the milk I pumped in the first 2 months or so of her life? It wasn't what she needed anymore. "Newborn" milk would not be right fo...

This last month seems to have dragged on forever. And I guess that's a good thing, because I don't want Ava growing up too  fast! I'm pretty sure the reason it seemed so long was because of her sleeping issues. For a week and a half, napping was such a struggle. Her normal routine of being rocked to sleep and then carefully placed in her crib was no longer working...and neither was anything else I tried. So then I decided to sleep train her. Yeah. That was a long week, too!! But now she can put herself to sleep...without a swaddle...in her crib!!! !!!!! The majority of the time, she now babbles herself to sleep with only mild fussing. Once in a while she cries, probably because she'd rather play than nap. So life is a little easier since I don't have to wrangle a crying babe 5 times a day, everyday. Her naps are a little longer! She still naps for 30 minutes the majority of the time, but at least her 20 minute naps are a thing of the past! For now.....