Project 365: Weeks 1-5

Finally trying to get caught up on Miss Raleigh Grace's Project 365... a picture a day for a year! :) 

Here are weeks 1-5 :)

Must Have Items: Birth - 3 months

I just thought I would do a really quick post for you soon to be new MOM's who are trying to figure out what you might need/want these first few months of your babies life! 


I'm linking up {here}!

Here goes... some of these are rather obvious but I just tried to list anything/everything that I could think of that we used :) 

General:

• Car seat (We love ours- snugride 35 by graco, rittenhouse pattern.  Make sure you get a pattern you love bc we definitely take 999 pictures a day of her in it :-P
• Diapers (we prefer pampers swaddlers sensitive)
• Wipes (we prefer pampers sensitive, thick)
• Butt paste (literally)
• Bouncy seat (get the one at target that actually BOUNCES itself... we didn't do that this go round but wish we did! Believe me, your legs or arms will get tired of bouncing ha)
• Swing (ours goes side to side and front to back, plays 4 different tunes, 4 or 5 different speeds, has a birdie mobile and mirror, and can be used on battery or plugged in-- might sound a little too fancy for a swing but its so worth it!)
• Wubbanub (this has made finding RG's passy so much easier and it doesn't fall out of her mouth onto the floor)
• Stroller (we used snap n go... Love it!)
• Prince lionheart wipe warmer
• Burp cloths aka cloth diapers
• Baby/infant tub
• J&J bedtime bath soap/lotion- it smells delish! (although we don't use the lotion anymore bc little miss has sensitive skin so our pedi suggested eucerine cream not lotion)
• Glow worm (Its fisher price-Soothe and Glow Seahorse... its comes in pink and blue)
• Recieving blankets (the hospital ones are still my fave!)
• Wash cloths
• Towels
• Bottles (We have Dr. Brown and Playtex... RG could care less which ones we use)
• Variety of passies (the "soothies" from the hospital were RG's fav)
• Play mat
• Sound machine (plays white noise, ocean, stream, etc)
• Sleep sheep
• Books
• Batteries. lots of them ha!

Diaper bag:

• Bottles (clean ones ha!)
• Bottled water (one for mixing with formula and one for me)
• Snacks for mommy
• Formula container
• Passy wipes (the First Steps brand smell soo good!)
• Extra passies (you wouldn't believe how often we forgot or lost her passy in transit somewhere... that is until the wubbanub-- then it was just if we forgot it)
• Nursing cover (LOOVE mine Bebe au Lait... worth every penny!)
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Changing pad
• Change of clothes

Mom:

• Breast pads (omg... you think you don't need them until you leak in public... AWKARD! ha)
• Pads
• Peri bottle
• Nursing cover
• Breastmilk Storage containers
• Breast pump (again, you might think not a necessity but wait till you are so full you are in paaain ha! I waited until after I had RG to purchase. We purchased the single Medela pump - originally I wanted the double pump but 300 dollars. um no. and I haven't looked back)
• Nursing tanks!! (got a couple from wally world- paired with a cardigan and wha-lah! perfect outfit :) )
• Large(r) underwear (didn't want to reuin my "good" ones and I wanted something just a little looser- I loved just cheap black ones from wally world or target) (& I loved the mesh ones the hospital gave you!)
• comfie pants!! (gauchos, sweats, and my fav- the crushed velvet type running suits from old navy or somewhere like that... they were a little more dressy than just sweats)

all of the italic items were things that were LIFE SAVERS :) 

hope this helped some?? :) if you have questions on items I listed or have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll be happy to answer as best I can.  

and because no post is a good post without a picture :)

I really don't know what we could do without RG's bouncy seat... she sleeps there every night and for every nap! 

*these are my own personal opinions and I was in no way compensated for any of the items listed above*

RG by the Week: 14 Weeks!

Stats:
no clue, and I just realized today that her next dr. apt isn't until SIX months! Holy Cow, kinda makes me sad-- I love getting her stats (but I'm not missing giving her the dreaded shots)! I am going to have to make a point of weighing her on my own at home.

Milestones: 
More giggling-- specifically when I'm pulling clothes over her head :-P
She is arching her back a TON-- sometimes when holding her she almost flips out of your hands if you aren't holding on good.  She is really on the move and her name "squirmy wormy" really does apply.  She's getting better at sucking her thumb/ hands. She LOVES sucking/chewing on her hands! At the mall on Wednesday, she kept loosing her passy and every time I noticed it she would already be going to town either sucking or chewing on her thumb. 

Feeding:
I pumped ONCE this week ha! 
She is eating every 2 hours (and sometimes every hour and a half!!!) when awake- I hope this is just a growth spurt. During the nights, every 4ish hours... I'm missing the good sleep I used to get!

Sleep:
Obviously, from previous statement, I am sleeping less and so is Miss RG.  I think this has something to do with her growing (fingers crossed!)... I really think she is just waking up to eat because after I feed her she goes right back to sleep... I just miss those 6 or 7 hours of sleep we had been getting before Christmas. sigh. 
She knows when we put her in her bouncer that it means bedtime.  She gets really upset and cries at first but within seconds she is usually okay with her passy in her mouth.  Sunday was the first night she got to "feeling better" from her cold- she slept 7 hours, then the rest of the nights this week went downhill as far as sleep but she is done with her antibiotics and feeling great I think. 

Behavior: 
I love watching her! Whether it be smiles, stares, or sad faces she just amazes me! I love watching her grow and learn.  She really is the most entertaining girl ever! She is the sweetest thing and I just love her!  She is awesome at keeping herself happy and self-soothing.  Whether we are putting her down to sleep or just hanging in her swing, she keeps herself happy.  (even though I never put her down when I'm home, haha, if she's awake I feel like I should be playing/entertaining her, haha)  
She loves fussing and grunting.  At first we thought it was only when she was mad/needing something but now, I really believe she just enjoys vocalizing.  She still coo's and I could watch her all day. She loves to do her big wide gummy smiles that just melt my heart!  She's playing more (with her playmat and rattles on her car seat) kicking them and grabbing for them.  Like I said earlier, she giggles sometimes when I am pulling her clothes over her head :) still no LAUGH though in my opinion.
When she starts fussing she is now saying MAAAMAH! (aka Mama!) I totally know and understand that shes not doing it on purpose but sometimes I pretend she is and a lot of times it actually makes sense... ha!

kicking the toys

chewing and sucking on her hands while playing

Loves: 
DADDY, when daddy comes home and greets her, bath time (man can she splash like crazy... I can't put as much water in the tub anymore because she makes a huge mess!), laying on her playmat and grabbing/kicking the toys, smiling, CHEWING on anything and everything she can get her hands on (hair, clothes, bibs, fingers, hands, etc), reading books, standing, sitting up, tv (sigh)- specifically football, looking at phones, computers or any sort of technology, being talked to, being kissed, playing dress up with mommy!, looking at herself in the mirror, sucking her thumb (and sometimes sticking a finger up her nose ha!), blowing bubbles with her mouth, being held.

playing with Daddy

such a big girl! she loves standing

being held by her GREAT grandma

Being held by her GREAT grandpa

Clothes: 
Still a mix between newborn and 0-3... its so funny to me that so many of her 0-3 swallow her yet others are a great fit.  Most of her newborn clothes are getting too small but mommy is trying to get in "one last wear".... I just can't believe its time to be packing them up!  Diaper- I think we've purchased our last box of newborns :( 

Favorite Moments:
EVERYTHING. (seriously) Her pouty lip I never see anymore and her cute "butt stretch" she does when she wakes up is becoming rare.

Most Challenging: 
Me getting re-adjusted to a little less sleep and feeding her what seems like ALL the time.  Those hour and a half times between feedings sure takes a toll on me!
Wednesday night she had a rough night (could it have been all the shopping we put her through and the Chinese food I had for lunch?)  Poor girl was having tummy issues, she probably spit up 7+ times after one feeding and had bad gas, too! :(  She was a little fussy all evening from that and perhaps from being sleepy as well. We gave her a bath and for the first time she cried :( It was PITIFUL! 

even during the challenging times, this face always makes it all better!

Looking Forward to:
a REAL, GOOD, Laugh!

everyone says this looks just like her daddy :)

Mommy Moments:
Getting over my cold finally!! Although, Wednesday, I wasn't feeling great a little nauseous- not sure if it was from the pizza we had for dinner (it was major garlic-y, or the chinese food we had for lunch).  Wednesday K took me shopping and I FINALLY got a nursing bra that ACTUALLY FITS!! The first place turned me away bc they didn't have "my size if you know what I mean lol.  They sent me to a speciality shop where I found one that FIT!! Even though it was over 70 dollars I was sooo excited! K even said, "you act like you're really excited about a new bra!" ha! Boy did he nail that on the head haha!
Ladies- if you don't have a bra that REALLY fits you, go get one! Not only is it way worth every penny, it will change-your-life!! :)
Welp, good news and bad news! AF decided to come this week... I wasn't ready for her but I guess it means that things are back to "normal" as far as my body goes... Also, my hair is stillllll falling out in clumps. yuck!
On a positive note, I went to the mountains for a day trip with RG to see my mom's parents and their side of the family! We had a great visit with a beautiful sunset!

my mom swinging RG

the beautiful sunset

view from inside :)

Firsts:
Saying MAMA!!! :) (see above if your confused on how a 14 week old can talk!)
She noticeably "giggled" when I was pulling her shirt over her head twice in one day... She loves playing dress up with mommy ;)
First time playing soccer &
swinging in a porch swing :) (See above photo's)

playing soccer at our friends house 

our God-daughter helping RG learn to play soccer :) 

and she shoots....

and she scores :)

One Year Ago...

See I told you {yesterday} there were lots of fun anniversaries coming up! :) hehe

One year ago, today, K and I found out that I was pregnant!! We could not have ever been more excited!  You can read how I revealed this information to the blog world {here}!!

I can not believe how much our lives have changed for the better in the past year and I am looking forward to ALL the years to come! :) 

I often look at this sweet little girl looking back up at me and have a "moment" where my eyes tear up and I just Thank God for her and for blessing us with such a sweet, healthy baby girl! 

And because I don't think I have actually shared HOW we found out... I think now would be a great time.  If I have previously posted this please forgive me :)

This is from my private blog, the day we found out! 

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!

So here's the story-

several months ago I switched from my insurance to KJ's insurance.  Well... come to find out my new insurance did not cover the BC that I had been on .  My wonderful doctors office worked with me to get several months of samples to hold me through until we got it worked out with the insurance.  It never got worked out so basically I was left with no BC right before Christmas time.  Thats when K and I talked and decided that I would just stay off of it and let God do his work :). 

A little background on how far along I am and how we found out..

I have been keeping an eye on my symptoms this month mainly because I am just trying to get in touch with my body and I knew that we have not been preventing pregnancy so it was a possibility.  This whole week I have had a super hard time sleeping through the night- I have been waking up from once to 4 or more times during the night and I have been having crazy dreams.  I also have been super stopped up (nose congestion) so I don't know if that has something to do with that either.  Starting about 2 days ago I have started having a super sore back/ back pain- right under my rib cage on my back-- this has never happened to me before so I was curious.  Yesterday morning I took my first HPT and it did.not.work. at.all.  I'm talking the control line didn't even show.  Afterwards I was so frustrated because it was then time to go to work.  So this morning I decided I would test again.  Well it was from the same pack as the test that didnt work yesterday so I was skeptical from the get-go.  The control line- check!  The pregnant line... well it was barely there and I'm talking BARELY! ha! I didn't know what to think... I hear a line is a line but I kept second guessing myself about the test being a dud like the one yesterday.  So this afternoon, I pick up 2 more tests.  One- regular, one-digital.  BUT I decided to hold onto the test until I presented the first one to hub's. 

He got home from work and after a tiny bit of small talk our conversation went a little something like this...

Me: Hey, wanna see something?
K: yea, sure.  what is it?
Me: well come here....
Me: {as I present him with the test from this morning}... I think I'm pregnant. 
K: oh really?
Me: yea......... but i'm not sure......... so i bought some more tests....... want me to take one?
K: if you want
Me: okay....

You get the idea... So the test showed up similar to the one from this morning.  Barely there. Hubby isnt convinced- he says, "Maybe its always like that".  I disagree but tell him that I have a digital that came with that one if he wants me to try it.  He does. So I try it. and guess what... well it didnt work either!!!! There was supposted to be a little timer thing that shows up after 30 seconds to say the test is working correctly-- but that never happened! ugh! Very Frustrated with a capital F!  So by this time its time for K to go hang out with his friend Jake (they had already planned a "guys night").  K still isnt convinced so I tell him that after he leaves I am going to go buy ANOTHER digital.  I get home and immediately take it.  Well good news, the control "hourglass" works right away as stated it would.  The results are to appear "within 3 minutes."  Well right at one minute- I read, "PREGNANT!" :) 

YIPPEEE!!!! My friend Heather texts me asking if I found out ( I had called/ texted her this morning curious about what exactly a "faint" line meant) so I told her what it said.  She was thrilled!!!!
So I email K the picture (remember he's out with friends) and text him saying to check his email. His response, "Snapple" haha

And that was that!!

I headed over to my friend Mel's house to surprise her (Mel is Jakes wife) who has been married just about as long as I we have been and is also Trying to Conceive :) We are trying to wait as much as we can to tell everyone until after a Doc's apt!

in other fun news... if you haven't checked out my post from yesterday, RG is now ROLLING OVER! Go {here} to watch the video :) 

On the Move!

Not only did our sweet girl turn 100 days old today....
she also...
ROLLED OVER for the first time tonight! 


I was taking a shower and her Daddy was watching her play.  When I got out of the shower he, very nonchalantly, said, "she keeps on rolling over." I'm immediately like "WHAT!?! are you SERIOUS!?! " then he proceeds to say, "Oh, is this something new? I thought maybe you had been working with her." 


Oh the fun! I had been playing with her today, during her tummy time, but she showed no signs of rolling over yet!  He said that every time he put her on her belly and try to get a close up picture of her from the floor angle she would get really fussy, then flip onto her back and be content- playing/ chewing on the toys on her mat. K said that she did this about 9 times before I got out of the shower and acted like she had been doing it for weeks.  


I told him I didn't believe him so I grab my camera and demand he make RG show me her skills... and guess what... she did!! :) 


Here is my BABY girl who is now rolling over. I still can not believe she is actually doing this!! I am so proud of her but also sad at how fast these days are going by!!


I love this little girl so much!  

I love the little look she gives me at the end where she is like, 

"seriously mom, you doubted I could roll over... so not a big deal, I've been doing this for days!" haha

100 Days!!

Lots of milestones and anniversary's to celebrate!

What a crazy fun milestone! 

100 days ago , today, we welcomed a sweet little bundle of joy!

my sister and I the night before Raleigh Grace's arrival :)
 (is it bad that this picture sorta-kinda makes me miss pregnancy :-P)

getting ready to meet Little Miss!

Welcome to the world, Raleigh Grace!  What a BEAUTIFUL, sweet girl :)

100 days old! 

all smiles 

her new favorite thing- arching her back! 

I can NOT believe how quickly the time is flying! I love you to the moon and back Miss Raleigh Grace!!

Want to see a picture of her everyday since birth? 

WELL, you, my friend, are in luck!! I am in the process of getting caught up on her "Project 365"- a picture a day for the first year of her life! Stay tuned as I will be posting those as I get them completed :)

The Power of a Praying Mother: Prayer Calender

Praying for your kids....

Even before it was time for K and I to start our family, I have always prayed for our future kids.  Now that we are the proud parents of Miss. Raleigh Grace I find myself praying but not nearly as much as I would like to nor as deep as I would like.  When I stop and pray I feel like my prayers are often the same... prayers for protection, for salvation and for her future spouse.  Though there is NOTHING wrong with these simple prayers I want to go deeper.  Sometimes I even think, "I don't know how to pray for her or what to pray for her."  If you are a mom and have ever had any of these thoughts I have something that I found that I want to pass along to you.  

A mom of one of the YL (Young Life) kiddos I used to lead posted {this}... she is a true woman of the Lord and a wonderful example, and leader!  She has shared the links and possible ways to incorporate this prayer calender into your crazy busy life on here {blog}.

Inspired by Action has created a Prayer Calender (see below) and you can download it {here} for free!  

I hope that this blesses you!! :) and feel free to pass it on! :) 

Homemade Applesauce!!

This morning I got up and fed Miss RG... after putting her down for her nap and feeling EXTRA motivated by none other than Mallorie @ Happy Home... I made my way to the kitchen.  Mallorie had posted a recipe awhile back on how to make Homemade Applesauce and I always thought it looked so easy and DELICIOUS so today when I saw her post a picture on facebook that she was making it, I thought YES! I had several apples already and I thought what a better way to use them.  I did not peel my apples (oops) so we will see how it turns out otherwise... you can find her recipe {here}.  Hope y'all have a good weekend! Mine is starting great with a beautiful girl playing and a yummy smell filling my house! 

Ingredients:

8-10 Apples

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I actually used less)

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

{I didn't go by this recipe verbatim, however, I did use it as a guide}


UPDATE: not peeling the apples worked fine but I did have to put it in the food processor for a few seconds... also, I added a drop of honey... mmm! :) 

"7 Christmases" 2011: Part 3

Part 3:

Our family of 3! We opened presents Christmas Eve, Eve, after my family had left.  We did this because we knew we weren't going to have any other time to spend time together until after Christmas.  K's big gift was a pair of Oakleys that he had been wanting for a couple of years, and my big gift was my D3100! So happy I had this just in time for Christmas :). RG got a "sheep-on-the-go" , a sound spa with a projection lamp that she loves to stare at, the book, "I'll Love You Forever" {from mommy of course} and a few other items. 

goof  ball