Saturday, July 30, 2016

the one where Ava is 8 months old

Ava Estelle

Eight Months

 
Size:
Ava is 18lbs 9oz. My little chunk is wearing 6-9 months clothing comfortably.
 
Health:
Ava is still battling her cough and it also has added a runny nose to the picture. I took her to the doctor again yesterday for it as the cough/runny nose has also made her so much more irritable. The Dr had the same news as last time.. its viral, she will pass it. The end. Ugh.
 
Feeding:
8 months breastfed.
She is still getting food once or twice a day and also water in a sippy cup. She hasn't mastered the sippy cup and pretty much bites on it to get the water out but occasionally she will figure out how to suck on it and she gets so excited. Baby girl loves cold water. Her favorite foods so far seem to be green beans and pears. She is still nursing every 3-3.5 hours. I'm getting a little anxious for that to spread out a little more.
 
Sleep:
Ava is waking up once a night but doing well other than that. She goes down around 7pm and then wakes up anywhere from 2-4 am... eats, then goes back to sleep to around 7-8ish unless of course her big sister decides to wake up early and gets the whole house up at like, 6. That was fun, you know, after Ava had just gotten up at 4 to eat so I was barely back to sleep over an hour.. oh man. Why kids aren't born with the innate appreciation for a late morning, I will never understand. 
 
Extras:
-She is getting better and better at sitting up.
-She is finally more regularly putting weight on her legs.
-She can share headbands with her big sister (she has a huge head haha)
-She has been lifting her hips up off the floor, I think shes getting ready to crawl.
-Loves to take toys from her big sister
-Loves to pull on Daddys beard
-Is shy
-She is being more needy and doesn't want to be sat on the floor, in her bouncer, or pretty much be anywhere that isn't with me
 

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

the one where I am getting my mojo back

Here we are, 8 months into life with two kids and I am finally feeling like ME again. Less stressed, USUALLY less tired, doing things I love again... and lastly: caring about me again.
I have always been a gym goer. That never changed through two pregnancies but other than working out, I haven't been spending much time on myself.
Haircut? Probably had been 6 months. Pedicure? Probably two. Shopping for clothes that don't look like a Mumu? Over a year.
I have been a throw on an old t shirt with shorts kind of Mom for much longer than I care to admit. I guess since having Ava, getting dressed and doing my makeup has just been about being quick and easy. I have needed to wear clothing that is easy to nurse in & clothing that can be spit up on. Now that we are 8 months into nursing, it is so much easier so I don't have to be as worried about what I'm wearing (as long as I can get a boobie out we are good to go).
Fast forward to the past month or so and I have really taken on a new outlook about my appearance. First of all, old t shirts.. they are meant for the gym. Not running errands in. Second, I have more than lost my baby weight. I do not need to wear clothes I was wearing in the early months of pregnancy lol. It is more than ok for a Mother to care about her appearance. Its actually important for a mother to care about her appearance.
I cant get over how much more confident I feel when I have makeup on (I don't wear a lot) and actually make myself get dressed. I'm like a whole new person.
So anyways- my point- new Mommies, don't forget about yourself! Do what you can to make yourself feel beautiful. Take time for yourself! It is so needed and deserved!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

the one with cold brew coffee

Its been awhile since I have shared a fun recipe on here.. and what better way to make up for it than with a COLD BREW COFFEE recipe.

Parents, teachers, nurses, accountants, chefs, maids.. whatever it is that you do with your time-you know that caffeine helps you along the way. I like my coffee either super hot or cold. No in between. I find that I drink my hot coffee much faster than cold because I cannot do room temperature coffee. As a mother, I have had a time or two where I have had to use the microwave to reheat it and well, that just doesn't always cut it. Over the summer, iced coffee is my go-to. I also prefer Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks (judge all you want). The people who work at the DD right by our house are so, so nice... and almost every single time we go-they give Tori a free Donut because she says hi and well, she is cute as hell. Once I realized that it may not be normal for the workers at DD to know me and my children by name, I thought about the cost of a medium iced coffee and figured there has to be a cheaper way to do this. And like (most) things home made, iced coffee has been added to the list of cheaper to do at home.

Things you'll need:
-Strainer
-Coffee grounds
-Coffee filters
-Mason jars or pitchers

To Do: (told exactly by what I did)
-Put 1/3 cup of ground coffee and 1 1/2 cups of cold water in a mason jar. Close lid and let sit overnight (somewhere between 8-12 hours)
-The next day-your goal here is to get the grounds out of the water. I took the strainer and put it on top of an empty/clean mason jar. I put the coffee filter on top of that and then took the mix that was sitting overnight and slowly poured it into the clean mason jar. The coffee filter and strainer take care of getting the coffee grounds out.
-After you have done this, you will have an iced coffee concentrate. So when you are ready to drink it.. you will take the concentrate and pour some into a glass (I don't have a measurement for this because it is really just however you prefer the taste).. then you will add cold water, sugar, creamer.. pretty much whatever it is that you like to flavor your coffee with. Stir and add ice. ENJOY.



Wednesday, July 13, 2016

the one where you tell Tori your name

Hello friends. It has been awhile that I have posted anything other than an Ava monthly update. Let me start by saying, thanks for sticking around. Frankly, we have been having so much fun with Daddy home this summer that I am just too busy to blog. Or actually-too busy to remember to take pictures and blog right away so a lot of the fun we have been having I have forgotten details of before I can blog about it. Oops.
Today, Ill be honest-this post is a bit about bragging about my Tori and a bit about something I think every parent should do. And I mean that in a not bossy or that I know everything sort of way. But it has proven to add some happy.

Tori loves to know peoples names. It is how she connects. When we are at a restaurant, the grocery store.. pretty much if she locks eyes with you or wants any sort of interaction, she will ask you what your name is. Sometimes if she is feeling shy she will ask Mommy to ask for her but then I always tell her "its ok, you can ask him/her what their name is"...
People love it. I cant even tell you how many times people have told me they think it is just so sweet that she wants to know their name. This girl, already connecting and touching people in such a sweet and simple way. Its pretty awesome.

Rewind to a couple of weeks ago. We are at a birthday party and there is a family there with their two daughters. Their younger one has special needs. Tori notices she is playing with some toys that look fun and Tori heads over and asks the little girls mom "What is her name?".. The mother replies "This is Kayla.. thanks for asking Tori, you are playing so nice". Simple. Simple. Simple.
Before Dan and I are leaving the party.. the mother of the little girl says to me, "You are doing a great job with Tori..., she came over and played with Kayla and asked me what her name was.. a lot of kids see that she is different from them and cant play the way they do and they lose interest in her or pretend shes not even there. Tori just asked her name and played with her so sweet. Shes such a good girl".
I left the party and cried. Ugly cried. Like couldn't tell Dan why I was crying because I would cry harder cry. First, I know Tori is only three, so to her-she probably didn't see anything was different about this girl to begin with.. but regardless, she connected. She took her little bit of understanding about how happy it makes people when she asks their name and she rolled with it. She played with her. She shared with her. And her mom noticed. The little girl, Kayla didn't have a clue what was going on. No clue that she is different. But her mom, her mom does. Her mom knows that kids don't play with her. Her mom knows that she looks different and that people do sometimes make assumptions about her not being able to play. And in that moment, my sweet little Tori.. the one who loves to make people feel special.. did that for this mom. She made her so happy with just the most simple gesture. Ok, now I'm crying again just thinking about it.

Anywho, I guess my point is to not underestimate the power of a simple hello. A simple what is your name? A simple smile when you make eye contact. Your children are watching. They watch how you treat everyone you come across. Be someone that you would be proud of your child becoming.


 My little photographer who has the most pure heart
 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

the one where Ava is 7 months old

Ava Estelle

Seven Months

 
Size:
Ava is 18lbs 7oz. My little chunk is wearing 6-9 months clothing comfortably.
 
Health:
Ava has her first sickness right now as I type. She has developed this nasty cough for about 5 days that just wont go away. She does not have a fever or any issues with eating so when we took her to the Urgent Care at the beach (the cough was worse on vacay) they told us it is probably just allergies or something viral that would pass in a few days. Its Tuesday and the cough is still nasty enough that it is waking her up in the middle of the night so this afternoon we are taking her to see her pediatrician. Fingers crossed they have some answers and it is something easy and will pass asap.
 
Feeding:
7 months breastfed.
Once or twice a day I try to give her something else like applesauce, sweet potatoes or carrots. She likes them but definitely still prefers Moms boobies. 
 
Sleep:
Ava is waking up once a night but doing well other than that. She goes down around 7pm and then wakes up anywhere from 2-4 am... eats, then goes back to sleep to around 7-8ish. Or here and there she will totally surprise us and sleep in until 9 like my WHOLE HOUSE DID TODAY. It was amazing! 
 
Extras:
-She is all but sitting up on her own.
-Loves to pull hair. Mommys hair is great but Daddys beard is her favorite.
-Her hair is getting more blonde
-She loves bathtime with her big sister and loves to splash Mommy which then gets big sister so excited and big sister splashes mom and pretty much I look like I just showered after they are done their bath.
-She has a freakishly strong grip.
-She is the happiest girl I know.

 

 
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