Mothership Confessional

I started this blog after an important shift in my life. Many of my friends know of this shift, but I realized today that I have not ever written about it. A dear, dear friend of mine is walking the path that I was on many years ago. I pray everyday that hers does not end where mine did. I wrote her a letter today, and then I decided to share a little of my story with you. My mom had cancer. Had. My mom is free from cancer because now she walks with Jesus. My mom's battle with cancer was so random and unexpected. She was diagnosed in the summer of 2005. She had a canker sore that wouldn't go away. She feared she would lose her tongue, but she didn't. They found cancer in her neck so she had multiple lymph nodes removed and some surrounding tissue. She did radiation treatments and lost some hair at the top of her neck. After that, things were fine for awhile. Her doctor said this type of cancer was slow growing and would only appear in her neck and head areas. A ...

So I've been thinking a lot lately. About "swim suit season". And this new "mom body" that I have. Has anybody else been thinking about this?! Grab your 2nd cup of coffee, surround your kid(s) with all the toys they have, and attempt to sneak away to reflect with me for a few minutes. I delivered Ava 9 months ago. On paper, 9 months seems like such  a long time! But the reality is, is that it has flown by faster than I ever thought it would! I had planned on getting into a workout routine once I was feeling normal (hahaha normal... what is that?!) so that I could lose all my gained weight during pregnancy and get some muscle tone back. Well, that didn't pan out like I had hoped. Most of my weight simply fell off. I think I sweated and peed half of the weight off in the first week! But now I still have this extra 10 pounds on me with my muscles buried somewhere underneath. Boo. And it really frustrates and annoys me. B...

This last month with Ava has been...different! I have felt like she has already hit the 9 month mark a long time ago - she has seemed so grown up to me lately! She eats so  much table food it's ridiculous! Just this morning she ate an egg - scrambled, a piece of french toast, almost a whole banana, and a sprinkling of blueberries. And she might have even had some yogurt; I can't remember now. I mean, how can she only be in the 19th percentile for weight when that's what she eats?! And not to be gross, but now that I'm a mom I talk about this stuff all the time...her poop has almost no visible pieces of food in it anymore so I know her body is doing a better job of breaking it down and absorbing it! She still refuses to crawl. She can get to hands and knees from sitting and she'll reach out for things, but then she flops to the floor no matter how much bribing we do. She gets around on her belly by turning in circles or rolling around.  She is much b...

I'm a little late posting this. 8 months sure came quickly! Ava's personality is really coming out! She's been able to communicate her likes and dislikes a lot more recently. She has thrown a few "fits" when she's not happy with something! She's a little bit dramatic! She is working on crawling, so she's been a bit more on the fussy side over the last few weeks. She hangs out on all fours and rocks back and forth and can bring her knees forward, and then she bellyflops forward! She's still working on what to do with her arms. She can move backwards and log roll around the floor and get around the living room a bit. She's trying to figure out how to go from sitting to on her belly. Usually she just leans really far forward, face plants, and then smiles and frees her arms and legs! She is down to 2 naps a day, both (usually) an hour and a half apiece, but sometimes less. After she was waking 4 times a night and I realized going i...

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...

I feel like this month has gone by super fast! Have I said that before?! Probably. I also feel like Ava has changed so much in this past month...even though I'm sure I say that each time, too! The main reason why I feel that way is probably because Ava has begun eating food. I did some research and decided to skip the purées altogether and do Baby Led Weaning (eating) with her. This is an incredibly popular way of introducing solids to babies in Europe, and its becoming more popular in the US. Her first food was avocado, and while she liked to pick it up and turn her wrist around so she could see it from all angles, she brought it to her mouth and she was NOT impressed. But after just a few short days she became used to the sensation of food in her mouth and she ingested a bit of sweet potato! She did gag a lot - which is a main concern people have with BLW. Most of her food she was just sucking it down the first 2 weeks. She's now 4+ weeks into eating and she...

I have always had an eye for creating fun things for kids as a preschool teacher, and now that I am a mommy, I have been anxiously awaiting Ava to "come of age" for some DIY toys from household items! We recently emptied a roll of paper towels, and my instinct was to just throw the empty roll away.  But I stopped myself. What can I make with this? A baby rainstick! It's not fancy by any means, but my baby loves it! Here's What You'll Need: Empty paper towel roll (or a toilet paper roll) Clear packing tape Jingle bells (or other fillers - see below) Tissue paper Here's What to Do: Begin by taping one end of the paper roll closed. You will want to fold the tape over itself so the items inside won't stick to the tape. Tape well so the contents will not come out. Fill your paper roll with the jingle bells. And by fill, I mean toss a few in . There really doesn't need to be that many "noisemakers" in there...