Still Here

UPDATE
My blog is now fixed. Thanks to all for you sweet comments. Special thanks to Traci at Sweet Cheeky Designs for taking the time fix my blog for me. Have a blessed day and hopefully I will have a post up again today.

Yes I am still here and this is still my blog. Sorry for the way it looks. Not sure what to do to fix it. I guess this means it is time for a blog makeover. Now I need to find time to find someone to do it for me. Any suggestions? I just wanted to let you know that I hope to get my blog fixed soon. Have a great week!

Tummy Time

Tummy Time!

We are spending more time on our tummy each day and Grayson is not a fan of it.  He likes to be on his back looking around.  But I wanted to share this picture with all of you. 

Hopefully I will get a chance to share our 1st day at daycare with all of you tomorrow.  Have a great night!

Mommy Question and Answers

I saw this on another blog yesterday and I thought it was neat.  Shout out to Karen for answering the questions on the Domestic Wannabe's blog.  I hope they don't mind me using this idea.  I am sure it is okay.  Karen has been great at helping me with questions I have in this mommy world.  In fact so many of you have been such a great support.  So with that a BIG THANKS!  

I have loved reading all your comments on my last post!  I am slowly getting to each of your blogs and answering emails and comments throughout the day. 

I loved these questions as I think all of us can learn a thing or two from one another. 

Question 1

What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mother?

The most surprising thing to me about being a mother is it is nothing as I thought it would be.  I grew up babysitting and I thought it would be some what like that, but it is not.  It is amazing how much you LOVE and ADORE your baby!  I use to wonder why mommy's I know didn't get out and now I know.  Some days the day just flies by and you will find that there are days where you don't shower or get a chance to brush your teeth.  I know that I have said I won't do that or I will do this.  Well when it comes to making your baby happy you will do the things you said you wouldn't and you will not do the things you said you would.  For example, during my pregnancy I told everyone that I planned on putting Grayson in his crib from day one.  In fact we didn't purchase a pack-n-play or a bassinett because I was determined to have G in his crib from day one.  Well that didn't happen!  Our first night at home I remember getting ready to go to bed and it just hit me like a TON of bricks.  I was overwhelmed by the thought of having to put him in his nursery which is on the other side of the house.  So I broke down and cried and begged Chad to let him stay in our room.  It was a tough first night as I didn't sleep at all because I was worried that something would happen to Grayson because he was sleeping in our bed.  So the next day Chad and my sister Amie went shopping for a Pack-N-Play.  So just know it is okay to say you are going to do this, but when it comes to the time to act upon it know it is okay to change your mind.  It is your right is the mommy!  At least that is my opinion! 

Question 2

What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon to be mommas?

Tip one - Write down all feedings, wet/dirty diapers, naps, and bedtime

Tip two - Routine

From day one I wrote down everything that took place with Grayson until he was 2 months old.  It helped me by first knowing that Grayson was getting enough to eat and two it helped me determine and stick to a schedule each day.  Don't get me wrong there are days where the routine doesn't work, but I do know that if Grayson gets a good morning nap he is a MUCH happier baby throughout the day.  Right now we are fighting routine as we are struggling with naps, but we will get it all worked out.  Okay back to routine, I remember before Grayson was six weeks old I put so much pressure on all of us to get a routine figured out and in a way I am glad that I did because now Grayson has some what of a routine and I know what his limits are and since 6 weeks of age Grayson has slept through the night (with the expection of a few nights here and there).  But please don't stress in the end it will all work out! 

Tip three - Eat, Play, Sleep

We follow this pattern and it has really helped with Grayson sleeping through the night and it helps with naps too.  When it is time for nap Grayson gets his diaper changed, I swaddle him, and rock him for a short time and he is out!  Start this early, one blog reader gave me a tip: After feeding him change his diaper that way he wakes up and doesn't fall asleep and want to nap.  Even if it is only 5 to 10 minutes of play time in the beginning over time it will get longer.   Remember these are just my tips what works for us may not work for you. 

Question 3

What are your top three baby products?

Well my TOP baby product would have been the nap nanny, but that got recalled so I really shouldn't promote it.  We used it before the recall and we loved it, but now it is just not safe to use. 

Swaddle Blankets are a MUST!  We still swaddle Grayson for naps and bedtime!  The one thing I would change is swaddling with Grayson's arms in the blanket versus out.  He won't let us swaddle with his arms in.  I have tired several times!  If we would have swaddled Grayson with his arms in I think in the earlier stages he would have slept better.  Remember that your baby wants to feel like he/she is in the womb.  So with our next baby we will swaddle with arms in! 

Reading or Watching Happiest Baby On The Block before your baby gets here.  I read it after Grayson was here and we used the tips, but again I would have done a few things differently.  In fact if you have any baby books you want to read please read them NOW you won't have time. 

Grayson didn't like the bouncy seat or the swing until recently.  But now I can put him in the bouncy seat and he will watch cartoons or Baby Einstein.  As for the swing he just recently started liking it and he will take naps in it.  He also has the activity Baby Einstein mat that he loves! 

One final mommy thought:  When I was registering for items such as the bouncy seat and the swing I wanted something that wasn't too boy or too girl so I ended up with the gender natural swing and bouncy seat.  They look great, but I probably would have gotten something different.  For example our bouncy seat doesn't vibrate and I wish it did and our swing doesn't have a mobile and again I wish it did.  I think when I was registering I thought about what would look the best rather then the function of the product.  I think now I would look at what it has to offer in terms of function and interaction for your little one.  I hope that make sense.  Just my thoughts take them or leave them! 

Happy Thursday and we can't end the post without a picture of Grayson!

All About Me

I have many new followers and it amazes me everyday that people read my blog at all.  So today I thought that I would spend some time with a brief overview of who I am!  Enjoy!

• I was not born and I did not grow up in NWA
• I have three sisters which includes a twin
• My parents both live in Montana
• I met my husband at Walmart Home Office
• We got married on the beach in Jamaica - can't wait to go back next year (hopefully?)
• We have 4 year old Weim dog named Bella
• We have a 3 month old baby boy named Grayson
• I secretly miss being pregnant (it is such a special bond that you have with your baby) and look forward to getting pregnant again (just not right now)
• I don't work for Walmart anymore I work for a toy vendor and work on the Walmart and Sam's Club Account
• My husband still works for Walmart (21 years)
• I would like to have 2 kids
• I have been blogging for a little over a year now
• I started blogging after reading Kelly's blog and thought it would be a great way for my family to see what we are doing and for me to journal my thoughts around infertility and now motherhood
• I love getting emails from blog followers
• I love to decorate my home and help others too
• I love local boutiques from clothing to household items
• I love a CLEAN house - you might think this is funny, but I often rearrange our house just so the house feels fresh and clean
• I think everything in our home should have a place where it belongs.  It makes for keeping our house clean and organized
• I am not a Collector or a Hoarder
• I hate smelly laundry - I (we) usually do laundry every other day
• I love when my house smells good.  Another funny fact is I probably have about 10 Febreze plug in's throughout my house, but any one that comes to my house always ask how do I get my house to smell this good.  Two things Febreze Plug In's and our Lampe Berger
• I love clean sheets
• I love snuggling in the morning with Grayson and holding him when I can while he is sleeping (don't tell Chad)
• I love working out and look forward to starting back to the gym in the next few weeks.  I enjoy doing pilates, walking, and Zumba. 
• I only drink WATER nothing else besides a glass of chocolate milk in the morning
• I am not a coffee drinker
• I love anything dark chocolate, my favorites are dark chocolate M&M's and Dove
• I love pedicures
• I love my family and friends couldn't ask for anything more
• I love the beach
• Favorite Seasons are Spring and Fall
• Love Twitter and Blogging as I have contacted with some many people and have made some great friends
• I love reality shows such as Rachel Zoe, Flipping Out, Real Housewives (all of them), basically anything on the Bravo channel, Project Runway, SYTYCD, Big Brother...the list can go on and on.
• I also DVR one soap opera and that is Young and the Restless
• Love watching movies on Sunday mornings - we don't do this very often now with Grayson and we are busy getting all of us ready for church
• Date Nights with Hubby
• Giving surprise gifts to my family
• Long walks with Bella and listening to music
• I love long showers and warm bubble baths
• I love shopping especially for baby clothes
• I love finding great websites that sale unique items... love ETSY!

So I know the list is a bit random and all over the place, but hopefully it gives you a brief overview of ME.  It was fun putting the list together and just for FUN I would love to hear ABOUT YOU.  Leave me a comment or link to your blog and I will stop over for a visit. 

Just in case you thought the above was boring here are a few pictures of Grayson to make you SMILE!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy 3 Months

Today Grayson is Three Months Old!  Wow is all I can say!  I can't believe he is already 3 Months Old!  He changes everyday and I love watching him grow.  So what is new with Grayson:

• He weighs 10 pounds 10 ounces and is 22 inches in length
• He drinks 5 ounces of breastmilk at each feeding
• He usually takes two 2 hour naps one in the AM and one in the afternoon, he also has two 45 minute naps.  He usually goes to bed around 8 or 9 PM and normally sleeps through the night, however this past week he woke up around 3AM for a feeding and went back to bed after 30 minutes

• Grayson has been struggling for the past several weeks with nap time, he will nap if you hold him, but I can't do that or I would get nothing done.  We fight all day to get him to nap in his crib.  We were using the nap nanny, but since the RECALL(BTW, thanks for all the emails and tweets about the recall) we do not use it and it has been a struggle to get him to sleep flat.  We have a small wedge in the crib and it does not work.  By the end of the day I think he is so tired that he ends up sleeping in the crib.   
• He has graduated out of newborn diapers (as of July 25th) and is now wearing size 1
• He is wearing size 0-3 month clothes

• He still likes to be held tight, music playing, paci in mouth, and rocked to go to sleep
• He still takes the bottle well, in fact we had problems last week with breastfeeding as I think he thinks that if he gets a bottle he gets it faster.  Smart boy!  So during the day last week Grayson would not breastfeed.  I ended up giving him a bottle and I pumped after each feeding.  We really worked on getting him to breastfeed throughout the weekend and he was doing much better until today.  I had a tough day getting Grayson to breastfeed.  So this mommy is worn out! 
• He loves to show us his SMILE 

• He follows us with his eyes if we are near him or if he hears our voices
• He talks and coos so much more at us.  More with daddy, those two can carry on a conversation for several minutes
• Today I heard Grayson laugh for the first time.  I was playing peek-a-boo with him and he just laughed every time I would show him my face
• He loves to look at his hands and he just started sucking on them
• He still likes the ceiling fan and staring at the lights  
• He loves bath time

• He loves watching cartoons, Baby Einstein, and So You Think You Can Dance, I think it is all the bright lights
• He enjoys playing with his Baby Einstein Activity Mat and he just kicks his legs and moves his arms
• He will reach and hold onto objects and just stares at the toy in his hand
• He still does not like the car seat and being in the car, unless Mommy is there to entertain him
• He can sit up well in his Bumbo seat and his Grayson chair

• He has been on two road trips and they went well.  The second road trip was nine hours.  That was tough, but to our surprise he slept well in his car seat.  We split the trip into two days going there, but on the way back we did it in one day and that was tough. 

• Next week Grayson will start going to Daycare some days and Mommy is sad, but I have no other choice.  (We will do a post on the subject another day)
• Grayson has grown and changed so much over the past month and is becoming our little man... I love him to pieces!

Pool Time

Grayson got to experience his first time in the pool this past weekend.  At least just his toes!  It was great to get out in the sun for a bit and enjoy some pool time with friends.  Here are a few pictures I took of Daddy and G playing.  I look forward to next summer when we can get in the water and splash and have fun with all our friends! 

 Happy Tuesday!

Come back later today for a 3 Month Update. 

Hi

Sorry for the boring title I just have so much to blog about that I wasn't sure what I should title this post so for now it is Hi.  I hate that I have gone a whole week and I haven't updated my blog.  Between taking care of Grayson, keeping up with our house, Working, and spending time with Chad it leaves little time to blog.  I could stay up late and blog, but right now I prefer to sleep so I typically go to bed between 9 and 10 PM.  It all depends on when G goes to bed for the night.  I am not going to lie the past several weeks I have felt overwhelmed and stressed.  I am overwhelmed because I have a lot of work to catch up on and I feel as if it NEVER ends.  I am stressed because in a few weeks Grayson will be going to daycare and I hate that I have to do this.  It is not my option and I am sad about it, but if I want to continue working at my current job then this is what has to happen.  I am a complete mess about it!  I am also stressing about breastfeeding and how to increase my supply in order to supply the daycare with enough milk to get him through the day plus some safety stock just in case he has a growth spurt day.  I strictly breastfeed at every feeding, however over the past several weeks I have had several meeting throughout the days and G has been given a bottle.  On those days I do pump.  I also have been pumping after Grayson nurses.  Any other suggestions?  How much safety stock should I supply the daycare in a few weeks?  Just talking about it and thinking about the day I have to take Grayson to daycare is making me sad.  I don't want to miss anything.  I love the place we are taking Grayson it just makes me sad because this was not the plan.  I just hope I feel better soon about this.  Another question I have is for any mommy who travels out of town on an overnight trip.  I will be making an overnight trip soon and I just want to know how does this work with breastfeeding?  Do you pump on your trip?  How do you keep the milk cold when traveling back home?  Any tips are greatly appreciated.  Okay enough about breastfeeding.  I also feel overwhelmed with keeping up with our house and preparing dinner every night.  I just feel like I am constantly going from the moment I get up until I go to bed.  Sorry for the complaining just sharing my thoughts and letting it go.  I have thank you cards to complete, I need to finish Grayson's playroom (can't wait to show all of you the pictures), I need to START working on Grayson's baby book, and I need to complete a Shutterfly book that I started in June.  By the way where did SUMMER go?  It has flown by... which is fine with me because it has been HOT!  I am ready for Fall, skip Winter, bring on Spring.  That would be ideal!  Anyways sorry for the random post, but I have a lot of things on my mind.  Thanks for listening and I can't end this post without sharing a few pictures of Grayson.  Because you are all probably here to see pictures of him.  He is growing and changing every day.  I am still so in love with this little guy!

Showing his muscles...love it!

Little Monkey!

Snuggling with Mommy!

All dressed up but no where to go!

First time in footy PJ's

So focused watching Baby Einstein!

Just in case I don't do another post before this weekend Chad and I are going on our first date night without Grayson.  I am looking forward to it.  

I hope you all of a Happy Thursday!

Busy Mommy

I have been SO busy that I have not had time to blog.  I do read and catch up on all your blogs by using my iPhone, but doing a post each day is tough right now.  I have so much going on right now that by the end of the day I am SO tired!  But I wanted to let you know that we are still here and Grayson is doing well!  Here is a picture just in case you would like to see little G. 

 Have a great Thursday!