PSSST....I HAVE A SECRET!!!

A really great giveaway! If you can guess what the giveaway item is then you get an extra entry in the contest! I even give you a small clue. ;) Giveaway announcement is on Friday so get to guessing! 

Only 1 guess per person please! :)

Thanks for following as always! 

-Jess

Routine?

I had a routine with Josiah, he was the easy one to fall asleep on his own. When he was Edens age I would just leave him in his crib and he would fall asleep all by himself in his quiet dark room.

Eden is a whole other story. This girl will only fall asleep if she is a.)rocked or b.)nursed.
I really don't mind too much, but this might become a problem when she is a little older. I have a swing that is wonderful but she will outgrow it someday. I don't want her to rely on me to get her to sleep. I am not a fan of the cry it out method at this age because she is still quite new to the world.

Since birth I have only swaddled her at night to get her to sleep long stretches. She sleeps anywhere from 6 hours to 9 hours. This is so nice!
Daytime sleeping is a lot more challenging. She has the hardest time with it.
I just realized last night that maybe I should start a routine with her. Duh!
Breastfeeding is established, she nurses every 2 hours to sometimes 4 hours, and it would be nice to have a break from the both of them at the same time.
Why didn't I think of this before? Probably because I have ultra mommy brain and I thought that I knew it all. ;)Well I just proved my self wrong! haha!

Wanna know what else is awesome? She won't take a binky from me. Nope! I still take one in the diaper bag just in case for the sitters, but she only wants one thing from mom.

Today I have started the routine process. I have realized that I don't really know what the heck I am doing sometimes and about %99.99 of the time I am just winging it. Is that what all of you moms do? Just go with your gut and hope it works? So now I swaddle her for nap times for now. I want to get this thing going and I figure since she sleeps so well swaddled, I might as well use that to my advantage. Eventually I will wean her from swaddle in the daytime once she has her routine down. Nighttime swaddles usually stay till she can break out of it and/or roll over.


My routine process for today has started like this with just my kids:

• Wake up at 8 feed Eden
• 8:30 get Josiah's breakfast going and wake him up
• 9-9:30 swaddle Eden to sleep
• 10 get Josiah a snack
• 11:30-12 wake Eden and nurse
• 12-12:30 Josiah lunch
• After lunch Josiah nap 
• 1:00 swaddle Eden to sleep
• 3-4 nurse Eden
• 3-4 wake Josiah from nap-then a snack
• 5-5:30-swaddle Eden-start dinner after
• 7-7:30 bathtime for both kids
• 8:00 Josiah bedtime(Ben puts Josiah to bed)
• 8-9 nurse Eden then swaddle

Well that's what my day looks like with the kiddos.

When we are out and about we don't really change the plans for the kids. Eden sleeps really well in her car seat and/or being worn and Josiah can do without a nap if needed. 

I always take a shower at night. I used to take one in the morning before the kids got up. That changed once I got spit up on too many times during the day resulting in another shower. So night time showering it is. :)

Besides, that gives me the chance to shower with my hubby ;) ;)--if ya know what I mean. haha!

When did you mommas start a routine with your little one? If you have more than one kid, was one harder than the other?

-Jess

So cute!....But.... :(

Guess what?!?!?!

I made this super cute dress from scratch!!!

Isn't so cute?!!

*********BUT********

I am so mad! 

Why?

Well I'll tell you why!

It was meant for Eden and it's WAY too big for her. Seriously this could fit a 3 year old! I wanted to make somthing that would go from a dress to a t-shirt late on. So depending on your little girl it would be a 2-3 year old dress to a 6-7 year old long shirt and probably could fit longer than that. Especially if you have some sewing skills and/or have tall skinny kiddos.

I really don't want to keep it for 2 years or longer if it don't fit her by 2. I don't grow tall children by any means whatsoever...I mean look at my husband and I! We are on the shorty-average side. I would rather it go to someone who would actually use it this summer. :)

So who wants to buy it from me?! :)

$5! Only because it's my first and there are a few flaws that you can't really see unless you are up close. 

So bummed that it won't fit Eden. :( Oh well. Back to the drawing board.

P.S. buyer needs to be local this time.
If I get enough feedback then maybe I'll make more in the future and I would be willing to sell throughout the US.

Thanks for reading guys!

-Jess

My New "Diet".

Most everyone can tell that I have lost a good amount of weight. Although I am still 10-15 lbs from my final goal weight I am healthier than I have ever been.

Breastfeeding has helped tremendously! I eat as much as I did when I was pregnant and the "diet" from pregnancy has not changed.
My soda habits are still kinda bad(3-4xs a week) but it is a lot better than before! If I do drink soda then I try and drink more water that day then any other.
I eat more fresh fruits and veggies. I always try and include a fruit and/or veggie in every meal and in at least one of my snack times. I have 2 snacks a day in between meals. I have to have something to eat in between otherwise I would eat 2xs more at a meal. Which to me is not the greatest thing to do and it makes me feel pretty crummy afterwards if I do eat a lot at a time.
I am active with my son, we go out of the house at least 2xs a week. Once to the library for toddler story time and once to the park. When Ben is home we try and take him out to the park more than that. Get that active toddler energy out! Makes for a sound sleeper too!

I meal plan now. My husbands schedule is always kind of wonky every week, so once I get his weekly schedule I go off to write out a meal plan.
The days that Ben works late at night and cannot eat dinner for us I prepare a salad for myself and a Josiah friendly dinner for little man. That usually consists of leftovers or a fun night of corn dogs or homemade mac'n'cheese. To save some money I sometimes go over to my parents house if Ben is working. I get a nice break when I do that and Josiah loves to play at Nana's house! ;)

All the other nights I try and make completely different meals throughout the week.
One night it'll be a beef or hamburger dish.
Another night I'll do a chicken dish.
Then a dish that I include fish in.

This makes leftovers extra yummy and a lot to choose from for my lunches.
Also, most meals that I make that freeze nicely I make extras of and throw it in the freezer for a few weeks. I love doing this! I get more time with my family when I do it this way. I prepare the extra dishes when both my kids are cooperative for nap times.

Wow. I just realized that this blog post went from my "diet" to meal planning! haha! maybe I should get off of here before I get myself into trouble. ;)

Meal planning helps me to look for yummy healthy recipes-coupon great deals and if you do it right, makes the food budget go just a little bit longer. :)

Pre-Prechool?

Both the moms and I have talked and discussed for a long time about doing this and it is really going to happen!
Starting this fall Josiah will be starting "school". Technically it's a daycare for his age, but he is going to learn so much!
I am going to already be cooped up in the house with 2 kids this winter and I really want Josiah to be able to have some fun after the summer is over. I already go out with the kids 2x or more in a week so that he can get his energy out. He sleeps so well at night when we do.

This school that he is going to has a waiting list. My MIL and I went way back in November to get him signed up for this. It is seriously one of the best early child ed programs in town I think.

Eden will be about 7 months old when we drive him to school, he'll be 2 years and 7months. He needs this, big brother needs a playtime with kids his own age.

Remember how I talked about his development in a blog post a couple weeks ago? Well him going to school is going to help with tremendously! He is starting at the earliest that they are allowed to start.

My little man is growing up. This summer we will be keeping our eyes peeled for:

mud/rain boots
a backpack
a lunch pail
school clothes

You all know how I like to get the best possible deal on things that we need want. ;)

-Jess

PS I'll be talking more about this school when I get more info. I am so excited for him, I can't wait till he starts!

Homemade Newborn Cloth Diapers

Before Eden was born I made a few fitted cloth diapers for her. They worked really well but we had to stop using them and start using stay dry up against her bottom. She gets really bad rashes if we don't use a stay dry on her skin. I use a barrier every time and she still seems to get a little red no matter what I do but stay dry keeps it looking the best.

For fit wise they fit her well.

The only things that I would really change is to make in inner a stay dry.

Have a waterproof outer sewn with it

Make it a pocket diaper or an AIO diaper for the ease of things.

I am going to start practicing to have a hidden PUL/waterproof barrier so that I can possibly sell/gift some in the future.

-Jess

Eden: 10 weeks

She is still breastfeeding like a champ and growing like a weed! At her last doctors appointment we got her shots, weight, and height. She is now 10lbs 6oz and 22 inches long. The average is that she is in the 47th percentile overall. I have never heard the percentiles for my kids until now. 

She is starting to coo and smile, these last few days she has very recently laughed. Such an adorable laugh that I come to tears. *Sniff*

She is(and has been for awhile)out of her newborn clothes, yet her 3 month clothes are a little loose. She is in that in between stage of clothing. 

Over the last 2 weeks she has formed a lovely bald spot on the back of her head..:/ She only is on her back to sleep at night and maybe 2xs during the day. All the other times she is on her tummy or being worn by me.

Here is a little bit of her. We love and adore her. Her brother treats her so well that I don't think that we will have problems with boys in the future. ;)

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-Jess