Monday, June 30, 2014

Baby Shower!

Yesterday was our baby shower, which was so fun! We received so many great gifts! I was so excited about the clothes and blankets we received that I went ahead and washed the smaller sized ones. We also received our Rock N Play Sleeper that I went ahead and put together. So, now it is just sitting in our room waiting for her to come sleep in it! I had debated between that and a round bassinet, but the round bassinet I wanted went out of stock online for a long time then when it came back it was $50 more! Everyone I know raves about how great their Rock N Play Sleeper has been, so I thought I would just give that a try instead. Now all she needs is a few more clothes and some little items that I'll get when the consignment sales come back around in August.

Today was a babysitting day, which I only have 8 of those days left until I am going to stop watching him. He's not a hard baby to watch at all, but it will be nice to have some quality time  with Maddox before Natalie comes.

 I got all of laundry caught up which felt great!
Diapers getting some sunshine!

 I also put a pink crib sheet on the crib even though Natalie won't sleep in the crib until she sleeps through the night since she and Maddox are sharing a room. I also decluttered their room which has been on my to do list for a long time! I've still got some more organizing to do in their room before she comes, but it is all coming together so good! I still need to get one of these drawer carts to put her towels, wash cloths, swaddle wraps & socks in. I bought one of these for Maddox's things before he was born and it has worked out so great because they are compact and fit right in the closet.
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We ended the day with some great hamburgers for dinner and a movie!


What are/were your favorite things to receive at your baby shower??

-Hannah

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Productive Saturday

Today was a pretty productive day for us. We started out with a good breakfast, then headed out to run some errands. We went to the farmer's market for some ground beef and pork, but only ended up getting pork because there was no one selling ground beef today! We then went to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients to make Ham & Cheese Hawaiian Rolls and pick up a fruit tray for my baby shower tomorrow! I can't believe it is already that time! Then, we stopped by the library to pick out some books since we hadn't been in a few weeks.

When I got home I had some fluff mail! These diapers are so tiny! I can't wait to see her in them!

Bumgenius newborn AIOs in sassy, dazzle, butternut, and 2 zinnias! :)


We spent most of the day catching up on some chores. This third trimester fatigue really gets me moving slow some days, so my housekeeping has been lagging. I keep telling myself I need to keep to my normal routine because if I start getting lazy with it now, I'll keep being lazy once Natalie is born. 

We ended the day with some great dinner and watched Maddox's favorite movie right now Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. He has not seemed to care that we don't watch TV as much as we used to and if he goes all day without watching it he will sit down in the evening and watch a full movie or show. It's been about 3 days or so since we cancelled our satellite and I have not missed it one bit. I don't think any of us have!


Tomorrow will be a busy day of church and then my baby shower. I took tomorrow off work so we will probably spend the evening catching up on some very much needed yard work!

Who else gets excited for fluff mail?!?

-Hannah

Friday, June 27, 2014

Positive Parenting

This is a topic that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I thought I would just know how to discipline Maddox when the time came that he needed to be disciplined, but it turns out I have no idea what I'm doing! So, the first thing I like to do when I need answers to life's questions is to see what the Bible says about whatever I'm confused about. The first answer I found was in Proverbs 15:1 that says "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."  That really convicted my heart of not raising my voice at Maddox or anyone for that matter. I've noticed from working in the public and just being out in public that parents who yell at their kids, threaten their kids, or spank their kids the child(ren) tend to be more rambunctious and misbehave more than kids whose  parents discipline them positively and patiently. I know first hand though how much self control and patience it takes to be a positive parent and I fall short of that often. 

I want Maddox to honor Bryan and I and not see us as hypocrites because if we say it's not nice to hit others, but we spank him I can only imagine how confusing that would be.
I don't want to ever discipline Maddox out of anger. I need to remember that I am the adult and I have the learned ability of self control that Maddox just doesn't have yet and it is up to me to make the right decision. He doesn't know how to deal with his emotions such as anger and frustration, but I do and instead of getting angry and frustrated myself I need to teach him how to appropriately deal with those emotions. 

So my goal and prayer is that I grow in self control and patience so I can teach Maddox self control and patience. I want our home to be a happy peaceful home not a battlefield. We don't have a terrible discipline problem with Maddox because for an almost 2 year old he's pretty well behaved, but we do slip up in our positive parenting more than we should so that's what I would like to put an end to!
The only picture I managed to get from our day. Maddox playing at the Drs office.


How do you parent positively and patiently?? Any tips or advice?


-Hannah

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Saying Goodbye To Cable Television

We have been debating for months whether or not to cancel our satellite tv. Bryan and I are not big tv watchers anyway mainly because we don't have time and because there isn't hardly anything fit to watch anymore on tv. Unfortunately, we have let Maddox get a little out of hand with watching tv. The AAP recommends children under 2 should not watch tv at all and above that age they should only watch 2 hours a day. I think Maddox would have been fine after he turned 1 watching one movie or show in the evening or something as a family, but we did not stick to that very well. I hope to do better with Natalie! He doesn't really "watch" much tv, but he is like me and likes to have background noise, which is a terrible habit I hope to break both of us from. We don't really use the tv to "babysit" him either simply because he will only sit still and watch something if I am snuggled up next to him usually right before bed.  I definitely find myself having the tv on more when I am babysitting Little Man because I think he watches a lot of tv at his house. He gets fussy after a few minutes if the tv is turned off, which means Maddox is exposed to more tv during the day than I would like. On days it is just Maddox and I , I try to leave the tv off as much as possible.



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We finally got our contract down to where the cancellation fee would be the same price as one more bill would be, so we thought if we were really going to cancel it now would be the best time. Our bill was not very much the first few months, but they steadily increased the price over the last few months to now we are paying more than double what we started out paying, which is not fitting our budget anymore. Thankfully, Bryan agreed to be the one to call the company and let them know we wanted to cancel because they always try to wheel and deal with you to get you to stay. I felt a huge relief after he called them because I knew that was one less bill every month we would have to pay and I knew this would be a good for Maddox too (even though he may not realize that yet).

We still have Netflix and Bryan ordered the new version of "rabbit ears" for HD Tvs so we will get the local channels, so we won't be completely without tv, but we can really limit what Maddox watches and won't have to worry about him being exposed to commercials with Netflix. I do not like watching a kid's movie on cable tv and then they play commercials that are not suitable for children. Also, he won't be exposed to the "look at this cool toy you need to have right now" commercials, which I cringe every time they come on too! 

Our goal is to try to eliminate things from our home that are 
1.) not pleasing to God 
2.) taking time away that we could be spending with each other
3.) not beneficial to us or our children's health or development.

We've still got a ways to go to get our home to that "simple life" state we would like, but as long as we keep making baby steps we will get there eventually! My next goals are to get everyone eating healthier (which we are making baby steps towards that, but we often backslide) and to switch more of our cleaning products to natural cleaners!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

30 Weeks!

And the countdown begins! This week I am 30 weeks pregnant, which means only 10ish more weeks to go! I am so happy to be nearing the end to meet our baby girl, but it is also bittersweet because when I am not pregnant I miss being pregnant! So, I am just trying to enjoy these last few weeks even though I feel as big as a whale! :) 

Yesterday, Maddox and I had a great summer day at the pool. I always debate whether it is worth it to take him to the pool by myself because he can be alot to keep up with at times, but yesterday went great! The pool wasn't very busy and at times Maddox had the whole kiddie pool to himself. I also enjoyed taking him in the "big pool". There's nothing like the weightless feeling of being in the water when you are pregnant!

Eating a quick snack!

Today was a babysitting day which gave me the opportunity to catch up cleaning and laundry. Bryan came home on his lunch break so it was nice to have a little break in my day to get to talk to him and it also gave me a chance to do a few chores I can't do usually until Maddox goes to bed.
My snack for the day: Cucumbers with vinegar & salt. A pregnant woman's dream! :)
I also ordered 5 bumgenius xs or newborn AIO diapers, which I have been debating my whole pregnancy whether or not to get AIOs. Right now I have 24 newborn prefolds and 9 covers. I thought I would just go with that, but the more I got to thinking about how I needed some "easy" diapers for Bryan or if we were out and about I decided to go ahead and get a few AIOs. I'm definitely going to teach Bryan how to use prefolds and covers, but I know he will appreciate having a few diapers he can put on like disposables. I thought about going with Lil Joeys newborn AIOs by Rumparooz, but I have heard so many mixed reviews about them. Either people love them or hate them, so I decided to just go with bumgenius newborn diapers because their reviews were pretty consistent. I still may get a couple Lil Joeys just to see if I would like them or not.

What was your favorite snack when you were pregnant??

-Hannah

Friday, June 20, 2014

Citrus Lane Box

Maddox received his first Citrus Lane box yesterday! I have been wanting to try it out, but I really didn't know what great products they send and just couldn't justify spending $29 and not know what I was getting. A while back though I signed up for their email newsletter and I received a coupon code for $20 off a box, which means I could get a box for only $9! For those of you who haven't ever heard of Citrus Lane, it is basically a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime and the boxes are specifically designed for children from birth to age 5. You just tell them your child's birth date and gender and they send you a box once a month with toys and products age & gender appropriate for your child. What I didn't realize is they generally send organic, natural products and award winning toys that aren't battery powered (Hallelujah! I am not a fan of battery powered toys!)

So, here is what Maddox received and a little review on what I thought!
This is the card they send that describes each product that is in the box.

Here's how the box was packaged. On top you can see a Skip Hop Zoo Straw Bottle which was perfect because Maddox was in need of a new sippy cup! This retails for $6.

Next was a Bumkins Mickey Mouse wet bag which was also awesome because wet bags in general are so useful, but they are especially useful for cloth diapering mamas and it was an adorable Mickey Mouse print. This retails for $10.95. I also received a coupon code for 35% off at the Bumkins website!

Next was a Mudpuppy 12 piece pouch puzzle which again was great because I have been wanting to introduce Maddox to more puzzles. It is also great that you can just put the pieces right back in the pouch and zip it so you don't have to worry about losing pieces! This retails for $10.99
Sorry it is sideways!
And finally, he received 2 Plum Organics Mighty 4 nutrition bars, which we had never tried. Maddox seemed to like them and personally I though they tasted pretty good too! I also received a $1 off Plum Organics coupon, which was awesome because I like their products!

Total retail price for the sippy cup, wet bag, and puzzle is $27.94 so just for those things alone I got a great deal only paying $9! However, had I paid the full price at $29 I would have barely got $29 worth of product if you count the nutrition bars and coupon codes. This was all great stuff that I would have never thought to buy ordinarily. I love getting surprise boxes like that, but I will probably hold off on another subscription until I receive another coupon code.

If you would like to try Citrus Lane out for yourself CLICK HERE to get 50% off your first box!
In other news, today Maddox painted me a beautiful picture that we hung up on display. Art made by small children just seems like the finest art to me! :)  

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Time Flies When Your Having Fun...Or A Mom

Talk about busy! Time has just gotten away from me this last week! Friday and Saturday, we took a mini vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tn. We took Maddox to the aquarium, Dixie Stampede, and then to Dollywood on Saturday. He had a blast! His favorite part of the aquarium was the shark tunnel. We had to walk through it twice! He just screamed "SHARK!!" the whole time! Then, we went to Dixie Stampede for a dinner show and he was tuned in to it the whole time! They do tricks with horses and have little races with different animals while they serve you dinner, so that was right up Maddox's alley. He did not sleep good at our hotel which I didn't think he would because he never stays anywhere, but our house in his own bed. He was up every two hours and then finally woke up for the day at 5am, which made for a very long day Saturday! He slept the first hour or so that we were at Dollywood and so by the time he woke up it had gotten so crowded he only got to ride a couple of rides! It was also so hot that we didn't stay too long. By the time we were headed back home, I was really starting to get uncomfortable! I had definitely pushed my limit from not having much sleep, to walking around in the hot sun, and then to sitting in the car for an extended period of time. I was like that when I was pregnant with Maddox though too. I just feel like I don't have time to slow down and rest or that I'm fine and just need to tough it out.

Sunday was another typical Sunday of church and work with a Father's Day cook out in between, so Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I had went non-stop! Monday and Tuesday, I finally got back into a semi-normal routine of babysitting and housekeeping. The house looked like a disaster since I didn't have time to clean from Thursday-Sunday. Once I got it back into order I felt so much better! Yesterday, I cleaned out Maddox's closet and organized it since he and Natalie will be sharing a closet.

Today has also been a pretty typical day other than waking up feeling nauseous! It seems like the first trimester symptoms are starting to sneak back in the third trimester! I need to do some major deep cleaning, but I think that is just my nesting bug kicking in. I feel like I need to scrub and sanitize every inch of the house!

I've got some pictures from our weekend trip I plan to upload soon!

Now that I am back up to speed my daily posts won't be so all over the place!

Doesn't time seem to go by much faster since becoming a parent??

-Hannah

Monday, June 9, 2014

Hello Third Trimester!

I have officially made it to the third trimester of my pregnancy and I am definitely starting to feel it! Fatigue has seemed to creep back in, which I am trying to drink plenty of water and take my iron vitamin to help out a little bit. I've also gained 21 pounds so far which more than I gained my whole pregnancy with Maddox, so I'm starting to get that pregnancy waddle when I walk! Otherwise, the pregnancy is going great and she is a very active little girl! I can tell she is head down now because when she has the hiccups I feel them really low about at my hip line.

Weekends are always so busy for us so I didn't get any posts up. Bryan actually had a Staurday off for the first time in a very long time, so we started our day going to some yard sales. I love going to yard sales, but this is the first time this year I have had a chance to go. I definitely racked up on baby girl clothes! I tried not to go overboard considering I still have a baby shower coming up and the consignment sales here in a couple months, but it is hard for me to pass up a good deal! I feel better now that she has a few outfits because my nesting instinct has definitely started to kick in and it was killing me that she didn't have hardly any clothes!

Yard Sale Finds:)
After we got home from going to yard sales, I caught up on some much needed cleaning because Friday I had totally neglected my usual housekeeping. Then, we headed off to a local dirt race track where my family races. Maddox has a crazy obsession with cars, trucks, tractors, and race cars so this was right up his alley.This was the first time we have taken him to a race track and he was so excited to get to see cars racing in person. 
Bryan and Maddox watching the race cars!
He didn't quite make it through all the races before falling asleep, but he tried so hard to!

Today, I am trying to fight off the fatigue. I babysat Little Man and now that he is getting older it is hard to get him and Maddox on the same napping schedule, so on these days naps for me are usually out of the question! I keep debating in my head if this is really how it is going to be to have two or if it will be a little easier when it is Maddox and Natalie because if Maddox is napping I can just take Natalie to bed with me and nurse her while I lay down. I guess only time will tell!

Now we are ending the day reading one of Maddox's favorite books!

What are some of your best yard sale finds??

-Hannah

Friday, June 6, 2014

Pool Fun!


Today was a day full of playing! Cleaning definitely got put on the back burner today. I babysat Little Man today and he seemed to need a bit more attention than usual and Maddox just wanted to play and have my full attention all day, so I decided one day of not being right on top of my normal housekeeping wouldn't hurt nobody. At times I felt a little overwhelmed because I'm so used to cleaning as I go and not letting things get too out of hand, but that was just not possible today! 

After Little Man left, Maddox and I headed off to our local pool. We both were needing to get out of the house for a bit I think! He had a blast! We just stayed in the kiddie pool so he could have a little independence. I guess I didn't really think ahead of time that there would be bigger children (4-6 years old) in the kiddie pool too, not just toddlers. This worried me a little at first because I was afraid they would be too rough, but luckily there were some pretty nice kids there today! I also forgot how kids tend to take toys away from each other and then some parents don't say anything and just let their kids do it, but this was a great opportunity for me to teach Maddox that it's not a big deal and we will get the toy back eventually and if not that child needs it more than we do. This was a perfect way to practice Luke 6:30 "Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." Generosity and being able to share are such important character qualities to learn and learning the right way to respond when someone does something that is not so nice. At times I thought maybe I'll just buy him his own little pool to put in our backyard so we don't have to worry about other kids being too rough or taking his toys, but then I thought he needs to learn how to be around and communicate with all types of people because in life he's not always just going to be around his church friends or family. I want the main influences in his life be people who hold our similar beliefs and convictions, but I also want him to learn how to patiently and lovingly communicate with people that may not have our same beliefs so that he can use those skills to point those them toward the Lord. I know he is way too little to understand a ministry mindset, but learning to share and to be generous is a great foundation to start on.
The only picture I managed to get today as we were leaving the pool! Note: I did fix his car seat straps and raised the chest plate before we left. If y'all don't know I am like the car seat safety police lol! I just can't stand to see kids not buckled in right because it is so important!
How do you teach your children to handle other children when playing in public places?

-Hannah

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Breast Is Best

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Today I wanted to switch things up a little and talk on a specific  topic: Breastfeeding. I nursed Maddox for 15 months and now looking back I wish I would have went longer. I had a lot of pressure from others to stop nursing just because nursing a toddler in our society is "weird" for some reason. I am thankful now though that I have matured a lot more since then and I now realize that Bryan and I are the parents and when our time comes to be in the presence of God it is us who will have to give an account for how we raised our children not anyone else. So, I need to raise my children based on my convictions not on what society deems as normal or conventional. I plan to nurse Natalie for as long as she wishes because the benefits far outweigh any negatives.

Maddox was an awesome breast feeder right from the start. The only problem we ever had was that I had a very fast let down, so he couldn't swallow fast enough for a while. We always had to have a towel on hand until it slowed down enough that he wouldn't choke. 

If you are thinking about breastfeeding, here are some benefits: (These are just the ones I experienced, but you can go to the AAP website to read even more benefits)
-Maddox was never sick the whole time I nursed, though this may not apply to every baby. Breastfeeding is so good for their immune systems. It provides an extra layer of protection that formula just can't.
-Not having to wash bottles! Occasionally I'd have to wash a couple if someone else watched him, but not 10-12 a day!
-Convenience! I never had to worry about leaving the house without enough food for him and it is ready made! No mixing required!
-Bonding! It is such a special way to bond with your baby and you are providing something for them that  nobody else can.
-Chunky Babies! I don't think this applies to all babies, but Maddox was tiny and skinny when he was born and it only took a month of nursing for him to develop those cute fat rolls!

I just loved nursing Maddox. There were hard times where he just wanted to nurse all night and I would not sleep at all, but I would do it over again in a heartbeat and plan to once Natalie gets here! I hope she does as good as Maddox did because I would be heart broken if I couldn't nurse her! 

I think every momma should give it a shot and if it's not for you or it doesn't work out then a little breastmilk is better than none! It beaks my heart when mothers are just so against it and won't even try! I always tell pregnant women when they ask me about breastfeeding that it is a very self less thing. You have to die to your needs sometimes to meet the needs of your baby, but it is also so rewarding.

Side note: I just realized today that in November I'll have been nursing or pregnant for 3 consecutive years and counting! 

How long did you nurse your babies? Did you face any challenges that made you have to stop?

-Hannah

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Play Date

Today was a good productive day! I didn't have to babysit Little Man today so I got up and got all my morning routine chores out of the way. Maddox and I spent the majority of the day playing together. I love days that I can focus solely on him most of the day. I notice a huge difference in the number of times I have to say "no" or "Maddox don't do that", but the reality is in a few short months there won't be days that I can focus solely on him all day. I'm just trying to treasure these days and really use them to train his heart so that way he will be the best big brother he can be. 

We went to my mom's this afternoon so Maddox could play with his cousins, although he was more interested in playing cars by himself. I think he was afraid someone would take them from him.
He snuck away by himself and this is where I found him!
Nothing too exciting to report around here today!

Side Note: This is the beautiful orchid my husband got me! It's my kind a plant. You just add 3 ice cubes to water it once a week!

How was your Tuesday??

-Hannah

Monday, June 2, 2014

Teething Blues Episode 2

Today was a beautiful Monday. I finally got back into my normal cleaning routine Fly Lady style along with babysitting. I thought Maddox had gotten through the worst of his teething blues, but they came back for revenge today. He is cutting all 4 of his "eye" or "canine" teeth, whatever they are called and they have been by far the most painful teeth to come in. Praise God, he didn't have a fever this time, but he has had drool, diarrhea, lack of appetite, and of course pain. He had a very hard time napping today and would only sleep if I was rocking him, which of course I didn't mind the extra snuggles!
My poor little guy napping in my arms!
I got some fluff mail Saturday and today and I am waiting on one more package that will hopefully be here tomorrow. I love getting cloth diaper mail! It's like Christmas morning for me! haha Any other cloth diaper addicts out there?? :) 

I got 2 Bumgenius 4.0s for $26 & 3 Rumparooz OS Pockets for $22! The Kangaroo print & Powder are on the smallest setting & the Root Beer one is on the largest setting. I can't believe how tiny they get!
I am just getting so excited for Natalie to get here. I know I need to be focusing less on what type of bassinet to get and more on exercising & preparing for labor, but I just can't get that part of me motivated. My #1 goal though is to start drinking more water & by more I mean like a camel. At 36 weeks pregnant with Maddox I got extremely dehydrated and had to go to the hospital to get 2 bags of fluids! I was having terrible inconsistent contractions that were honestly worse than the contractions I had in actual labor. I do not want that to happen again!

What are some ways you prepared for labor??

-Hannah