It's been a while since I was peed on

Today was interesting.
We started out with just a few hours LESS than normal of sleep. No big deal. Still going to be a great day.

I had plans to go to a friends after Breastfeeding group and needed to bring my son's swing. I pick up the swing in it's travel configuration... Start to walk towards the front door and SMACK. Swing seat hits me smack in the middle of the face. I'm not sure if this has ever happened to you... but it's pleasant. I promise. Try it.

Get to group... Forgot my baby carrier. Again no big deal, just easier to wear my son to the third floor... with a diaper bag. We're still in a good mood. We decided to be!

Another friend let me borrow some cloth diapers to try out on my son. I was excited to get home and try him in one in particular. It says "Love you to the moon and back" on the butt. So cute.

After running a few errands we get home just in time for the tornado sirens to start howling but I had already checked the weather. The worst of it was north of me.

I change him into the cute diaper, get a couple pictures... And then he poops. Typical. So I change the diaper (obviously)

This is when it happened. This is when my son peed on me. Not the first time, probably won't be the last. But all I could think about was "Well.. it's been a while since he peed on me. Guess it was bound to happen"

Mom and baby are both clean and dry. And watching A Land Before Time while dinner cooks in the crock pot.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
Roughly 1.5lbs of frozen chicken breast (or not frozen for quicker cook time)
1/8 cup of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of lemon pepper seasoning

Cook until chicken is done (Approximately 4 hours on high)


Anyone else find it ironic that I picked lemon pepper chicken (the night before when I planned out dinner) on the day I get peed on? Yeah... Me either.

You! Lingerie

I was so excited to get the mail today! Let me show you why: 

These arrived this morning. They. Are. Gorgeous. 

The top one is a soft, silky cup with a hot pink lace frame, hot pink straps and hot pink nursing clips. Super cute. 

The bottom one is a hot pink cup, covered in gray lace with gray straps that include a hot pink bow above each hot pink nursing clip. 

Yes, you read correctly. These are NURSING BRAS. And they're beautiful! My boobs are grateful. They've been feeling rather unloved lately being clad in boring, ugly bras. Now they feel alive, they feel sexy. I'm not sure why I'm talking about them like they are their own people (but maybe they are)

The best part? They're AFFORDABLE! They actually run a little less expensive than the boring but functional Motherhood Maternity bras that I had purchased reluctantly while I was pregnant. I love these so much more! 

I've been wearing the gray lace bra for 5 hours now and it's just as comfortable as some of my uglier bras, and more comfortable than others. This bra is a total winner. I can't wait to order more. I need one of every style. Every color. Why should nursing mean you can't be sexy also? It doesn't! Thank you, You! Lingerie! 

Let me recap for you why I'm in love. 

1. They came shipped faster than I expected
2. They were not expensive at all, I bought two for around the price of one MM bra
3. They're soooo pretty
4. I feel like gorgeous needs to be mentioned also
5. I got a thank you card with my purchase. It's a very awesome touch that definitely left an impression. 

*These opinions are my own. I was not paid for this post nor was I given these bras for review. They were a paid purchase and I will purchase again. But I won't turn down a bra if You! Lingerie feels like sending one.*

Cloth Diapers, Day one

I don't have a brand favorite yet... But I am addicted. The end.

Cloth Diapers

I'm a little overwhelmed today. I thought disposables could get confusing (Imagine me trying to figure out what a size 1-2 was, and why it didn't fit my son who by all manufacturer's websites should be in a size 2)

So I am taking the plunge. I want to TRY cloth diapers. This is not a complete conversion but a complete conversion is possible. Previously I didn't cloth diaper because my husband showed some apprehension on changing a cloth diaper and having to rinse it off. Today, I realized that I am the one that changes probably 90% or greater of his diapers. If I have to change him into a disposable once in a while for my husband to be comfortable watching him when I need to run out for a bit, that will still save us money. Also, I plan on keeping my beloved throw aways for over nights.

This is why I started to research. It looks like there are a wide variety of prices, types, styles and accessories to choose from. From what I have gathered, I will likely need the following:

- Wet Bag (for away from home)
- Some sort of diaper pail (Can I just use a 5 gallon bucket? No idea.)
- Diapers (duh)
- Inserts - If I pick Pocket Diapers. Exclude if you pick an AIO, or All in One
- DEFINITELY need a diaper sprayer. (Link to one I found on Amazon that won't break the bank)

I don't know if I am leaving anything out. I'm really very new at this. What are your favorite cloth diapers? What did you like about them? Where do you find the best deals on them?

Things I wish someone would have told me before I had a baby

Since my son is just about 3 1/2 months old, I'm sure this list will needed edited as I go. Work in progress, just like our children right?

1. Newborn smell is addicting
2. It's really hard. It's awesome, but mostly it's hard.
3. Even though it's hard, it's the best feeling ever.
4. It's okay to get frustrated and give your child off for a little "Papa time"
5. Breastfeeding isn't instinctual. You will have to learn
6. Poop really doesn't bother you when it's your own kid's poop (at first)
7. But anything you were queasy to before, might still bother you
8. Pregnancy hormones are just replaced by mom hormones. You'll still cry at Hallmark commercials.
9. Invest in a good camera with a long battery life.
10. You'll take a million pictures of your child. Most of them he/she will be asleep.
11. It's unreasonable to think you will get a picture of your child in EVERY. SINGLE. OUTFIT.
12. Number 11 is so true, it needs an extra number
13. Babies are tougher than you think
14. No matter what you do, or how you parent... Someone else thinks you are doing it wrong. Don't stress.
15. Parent how you feel comfortable. If your baby is fed, clothed, happy and healthy. You're doing it right.
16. The best thing in the world is baby snuggles.
17. Followed very closely by baby laughs.
18. Your baby is unique and doesn't need to hit milestones as quickly/slowly as other children.
19. Sleeping through the night is a myth. Not all babies will EVER sleep through the night. Some will though.
20. People really don't jump at the chance to come see you and the baby when you come home. Prepare for loneliness, it will be okay. Make yourself frozen cookie dough and plenty of crockpot meals so you can just focus on the baby and taking naps.
21. Showers become a lot shorter as a mom
22. It physically hurts to hear your baby cry
23. You'll be able to spend hours watching him/her sleep.
24. Someday, you will notice your baby woke up in the bassinet and you will PRAY to God he/she didn't see you as you duck out of the room for a second.
25. You'll eventually stop changing baby's clothes every time something gets on them. You'll start assessing for how bad it is first.
26. However many clothes you think you baby needs for an outing, double it, just in case.
27. Never leave the house with less than 4 diapers.
28. Your baby WILL poop, 45 seconds after you put a fresh diaper on him/her. Not always, it will be random. So that is fun.
29. Babies don't need to bathe every day. Don't feel bad if it's been a few days and you haven't fit a bath time in.
30. Play games with your baby and have fun. They don't know about life's major stresses. Enjoy watching the world through their eyes.

Cinnamon

Did you know that cinnamon is pretty much awesome? I really didn't. I ignored all of the advice to use more cinnamon until four days ago. Changed. My. Life.

So, you may or may not know... but I am a type 2 diabetic. Or I was. We can debate that later. I consider myself a reversed diabetic. That doesn't mean life is the same way as it was before I was diagnosed but it does mean that I'm not worried about checking my sugars as often or feeling the dread of being on the verge of insulin dependency. My a1c is a 5.7 which is barely in the pre-diabetic range and that is down from 6.6 the test three months before. 

My secret is simple. I eat an average (notice I said average) of 60g of carbs per meal and 30g of carbs per snack. I also eat around eight times a day. If I'm hungry. I eat. I'm breastfeeding so I eat more calories than I would otherwise but I stick within these guidelines. Doing all that dropped me from 6.6 to 5.7 but my fasting number in the morning is still out of control at an average of 130. 

That's when my midwife suggested cinnamon. How come the endocrinologist didn't suggest this while I was pregnant, I will never know. I struggled a little to find the best way to ingest the 2 tsp daily at bedtime. Coffee had been suggested but just before bed sounds like a terrible idea. In a glass of milk, I couldn't get it to mix right and it clumped to the top. Toast. Tried that. Did you know 1 tsp of cinnamon on a piece of buttered whole wheat toast STILL burns? Nope. Me either. I tried baking some apples with the cinnamon and some butter. I am not sure if my apples were bad or if I did it wrong. I probably did it wrong but that was a big fat nope. Finally I tried a smoothie. 

• Just 2 tsp of cinnamon
• your favorite vanilla flavored protein powder (I like   Creamy Vanilla Profit) 
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• a handful of ice cubes
• couple drops of liquid sweetener. 

Blend and enjoy. 

So a couple things this picture doesn't mention? It helps with inflammation also. Or so my midwife said. I'm not in flames so I'm not sure ;)

Simply incredible

Life has been so busy this week.

The Fall semester started. I'm working a part time job. I have a three month old. I started a five times a day workout routine so that I can be healthy to get pregnant again and I attend four different mommy groups, plus help run a mommy play date group. Busy busy. So I've been stressed to the max this week. I can't seem to keep up on my homework and I have approximately 72 hours left until it's all due for the week. I'm not even close to done.

But I'm sitting here with my textbook in my lap watching my son sleep in his swing with his favorite toy (his Wubbanub) on his tiny little lap and I can't help but wonder why me? What did I do so right to deserve this precious little life? How did I earn this? How do I earn another? How do I not mess this up?

I can't even draw a stick figure correctly. How did I make this precious, beautiful, incredible little boy? And further more, how is it that I can nourish him without spending a dime when so many other moms have such a hard time doing so? I'm counting my blessings for sure tonight. Especially watching his little angel face.