Disneyland with toddlers

 We are a Disney loving family! Ever since I was little, my mom has been obsessed with anything Disney and she's definitely passed that love on to me and my two sisters. My youngest sister is a Character Host at Disneyland and has been auditioning to be a princess there. We've had annual passes for the last 15 years and go at least 5 times a year. So you can see we're kinda crazy about it :)

Going to Disneyland is always fun, but going with a baby is a completely different experience! We first took my daughter when she was 3 months old. She had no clue what was going on but she was perfect!  We went again at 7 months, 10 months, 14 months and then this past weekend. Each time we've gone has become easier and yet much more difficult at the same time. As a little baby, she spit up a lot so we had to pack several back up outfits, bibs, burp cloths, etc plus I was breast feeding so frequent feedings had to be taken into consideration as well. Now she can wear the same outfit the whole day(thank you Jesus!) and can eat pretty much anything so that has been the easy part. The difficult thing is she does NOT want to nap or sit in her stroller while we're there. She is a child who needs a nap, and mommy needs her to sleep too. We've learned to just strap her in the stroller and push her around until she knocks out.

All of that being said, we see Disneyland through a whole different light when we take Emery. It's a magical place and the older she gets, the more fun she'll have. Rides need to be fast and spinny or she is not impressed, and she pretty much hates all of the characters and cries if any of the masked characters come at her which can be funny for the rest of us. She loves walking around like a big girl and she especially loves wearing her Rapunzel dress and twirling around in it. She's really been into holding her autograph book and pretending to write in it, and she does not want to give it up to the characters to be signed. I love sitting back and watching her take it all in and even though she won't really remember any of it, I'm glad I can pass my love for Disney on to her.

I've learned to not stress over all the little details. If she doesn't want to wear a bow that's ok; if she spills on her princess dress I'll wash it out; if she decides not to nap until 4pm well, we'll just deal. I just want to enjoy her while she's this little and this innocent. Pretty soon we'll be taking family trips to Disneyland and she won't want me to pick out her outfits or go on Dumbo or take pictures with characters. She'll want  to go off on her own, ride the big kid rides and laugh if I try to get a character to sign her autograph book. I love the age she's at right now and just want to soak it all up. <3

Documenting Life

When my husband and I got married I was looking for a way to document our years and we grew with each other and eventually grew our family. I really liked to scrapbook, but with a full-time job it was becoming more of a chore then fun to do. Shutterfly.com was just starting to get popular for photo gifts and other photo items and I noticed they offered Photo Books. After looking into them a bit I decided I liked their look and options and maybe it was a good idea to try out. 

I selected their 8x8 book for the year we got married. I wanted something compact enough but still large enough to actually see the pictures without squinting. And really, lets be honest, it was the cheapest option so it was more worth it in my mind as a "trial run". I ended up LOVING the book and how it documented our year with our favorite memories. I still make these books every year and call them our "year books". I like to include vacations, fun days, weddings, birthdays or anything that stands out in year with the good and the bad! I do always end up adding more pages to the standard book, but Shutterfly is great at having sales and coupons! 

Once Jase was born I also did a birth book just about him growing in my belly and his birth. I loved that one so much I ordered the same book for my mom and mother in law! Once he turned ONE I did a "year" book for just him. I guess it's basically his Baby Book. I will most likely do this for future kids as well. I con tuned with the same 8x8 size and love how they look on the shelf, all neat! 

I've noticed in the last year or so there have been many other companies doing these photo books but have been too chicken to try another "brand". Shutterfly has yet to disappoint with style, ease and quality for price (with the coupons) so I haven't had a really reason to switch. 

How do you mommas like document your days, years, months in print form? Any great, fun ideas?

<3 Lindsey

Love and Loss

As many of you know, my husband and I have one daughter, and our plans were to keep it that way for awhile. Last May, we had a little surprise when we found out we were pregnant again. Lots of different thoughts went through my head....are we ready for 2? Is Emery ready to be a big sister? How am I going to work and take care of two babies? I was excited, don't get me wrong, but nervous and stressed. I was still unhappy with my post baby body from Emery so that was another stress. 

We went in for a confirmation check up and they said that yes we were in fact pregnant. And then the morning sickness started. It was horrible when I had it being pregnant with Emery but now having to take care of her and deal with being sick, I didn't think I was going to make it. The day after Emery's first birthday we went in for my first ultrasound. We were so excited to see and hear our baby. We'd accepted the fact that our kids would be only 19 months apart and we were okay with it! 

Then it happened...the tech started the ultrasound and there was just an empty sack on the screen. No baby, no little heart beat beeping on the screen...nothing. My heart dropped, I didn't experience this at all with my first. She did a vaginal ultrasound and the same thing happened...she tried reassuring me saying maybe I wasn't as far as I thought but I knew I was. She couldn't really tell me anything though and I had to wait for my doctor to officially give me the news. 

As soon as she walked in I could tell it wouldn't be good. She said the baby hadn't grown and that there wasn't anything in the sac at all. She said I would miscarry and told me exactly how it would happen. I would have to go in for blood work twice a week to measure my hormone levels and make sure that they were going down, otherwise I would have to have surgery. 

Even though this baby was not planned, I was still completely devastated. What did I do wrong? Would I be able to have more children? I always wanted 3 but would 1 be all I could have? I had no clue what to do...we'd already told our families that we were expecting and now she had to go back and say never mind, there's no baby. It was horrible. 

After all the crying, sadness and feelings of inadequacy, came the waiting. When was 'it' going to happen? I hated the waiting...my husband had to go out of state for work the week of my birthday and I just KNEW it was going to happen then. Sure enough, on my birthday I started having some cramping. I went to the bathroom and didn't leave for over two hours...I won't go into details but it was horrible. 

     

My point in sharing this is not to get sympathy from you or to have you feeling sorry for me...it's to let women know that this is a much more common occurrence than people realize. It's not the end of the world either, you learn so much about yourself, your husband and your children. I appreciate my daughter so much more, I appreciate my husband so much more...when I become pregnant again I will appreciate that pregnancy so much more too. 

My miscarriage happened for a reason, I'm not sure what that reason was but I know God has a plan and that's how we've been able to get through this. I hope sharing my story helps someone else to get through any pregnancy hardships they may be going through. 

Thank you <3

Randi

Sick Day

We all have them and they usually, mostly, suck! Before having a child, I didn't necessarily mind sick days so much (besides the actual being sick part) because it meant a day of some rest on the couch by myself watching whatever I wanted and sleeping as much as I could. Today, with a toddler, a sick day looks a little different.

I'm not sure I should even call it a sick day because as a parent we don't really get those, do we? I woke up last Friday with a cold and literally dreaded my husband leaving in the morning for work leaving me with a child to take care of when all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. All I could think about was how "bad" of a parent I was about to be that day. I had no intentions of getting either of us dressed and planned on giving Jase whatever he wanted to eat, whatever toys he wanted to play with and letting him watch anything that would keep him still or in my view! I basically didn't care what Jase was doing as long as he wasn't going harm himself.. or me.

As I sat on the couch with my toddler watching Monster, Inc all I could think about was "no TV before three". Now, before I go any further let me tell you, we watch TV in this house. I leave it on all day when home as background noise. So far, Jase hasn't seemed to actually watch TV (unless it's FROZEN or a commercial) for long periods so I don't worry about him become a TV kid, at least not yet. That said, I don't really think it's the best thing in the world for a child to sit in front of the TV for a long period of time, especially at his age. BUT here I was putting on a movie hoping he would sit through it or at least not roam far and play with his toys in front of me. I basically didn't want to move if I didn't have to. Thankfully he must have realized mommy wasn't feeling well and he sat with me for a bit and then would play and come back and sit again. We did this basically all day until daddy came home. This mommy was SO thankful for that!

So, after the day was done and my husband was home I realized that one day of me being a "bad" parent didn't seem to affect Jase at all. He still wanted to play with dad when he got home, he still ate his dinner and wanted to go to his playroom upstairs to play and read books after dinner. I decided to give myself a little slack and realize though my sick days look a little different I can teach my son that it's ok sometimes to sit and relax. Hey, maybe I'm even teaching him to take care of his loved ones when their sick (you're welcome future wife of his :-)). The toddler cuddles may have made me feel better too! So, momma's and dad's too, lets give ourselves some slack and remember that our kids need us healthy so take that sick day!

<3 Lindsey

My nurse, Jase, playing peek-a-boo with Mommy's blanket.

To Sign or Not to Sign

Years ago, I was at Disneyland with Wes and I saw this baby who was signing "more" to his mom. I was impressed, but didn't think much of it passed that. When I had Zoë are started reading more about it. I definitely wanted to try it out, but I was a bit lost on where to start. Fortunately for me, a friend recommended Signing Time, a series of videos teaching signing through songs and repetition.

Zoë isn't much for TV and such, but she really enjoys Signing Time and has learned a lot from it. I also use a website called Baby Sign Language. If there's ever a word I'm looking for that we haven't come upon through Signing Time, I look it up there. They have a brief video that makes it easier for me to correctly sign versus trying to decipher a description of the sign. 

Now, her signs are far from perfect, but as long as you know what you're looking at, you can decipher what the signals are. I'm really glad we started to sign because it's given me the chance to communicate with Zoë more and I also feel like it helps along her comprehension skills. Another thing? It's helping us teach her basic manners like when to say please, thank you, and even sorry. 

I'm not sure how other mothers who have taught their children to sign have gone about doing so, but I am impressed with the success Signing Time has been for us. If you're ever looking to teach signing to your baby or even younger child, I certainly recommend it. I think it has even helped with actual speaking in ways. Check it out!

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers

I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine early in my pregnancy. We were talking about how expensive babies were and she brought up the idea of using cloth diapers. I laughed and said, "Heck no!" I wanted to start buying diapers early, but my dad laughed at me and said, "If you need diapers in the middle of the night, I'll get them." It wasn't until June that I really looked at the prices of diapers and did the math. "How many diapers does a baby use a day?" I asked my mom. When she said a minimum of 12, I remembered the conversation I had with my friend and immediately started researching cloth diapers.

After much research, it didn't seem as difficult as I thought it'd be. Next, I had to get Wes on board since he, too, would be diapering Zoë along with me. Surprisingly, he didn't oppose. So, I started researching which diapers to go with. There are A LOT. There's the main brands and then the individual makers and sellers. There's even people who sell them on Etsy! Not to mention, there are so many different types of cloth diapers out there: all-in-one, all-in-two, hybrid, pocket... Needless to say it wasn't an easy choice.

We bought a several different diapers to start: 2 newborn sized Bumgenius (all-in-ones), 2 Omni Softbums (hybrid), 2 Sprout Change (All-in-2), and 3 Blueberry (All-in-2). Then Wes' mom bought us 2 regular sized Bumgenius (all-in-ones) and we were sold. They were so easy to use, it was like using a regular diaper, just fatter. Then Zoë started having some major blow outs and my mom found Rumparooz (pocket). These, too, were like a regular diaper with the only difference being that you had to remove an insert to wash the diaper and then stuff it back in to use it again.

Between the Bumgenius and the Rumparooz, we were set...until about 3 months in when Zoë started leaking through the Bumgenius. This was a major bummer, but we couldn't help that Zoë was a heavy wetter. From there, we moved onto using Softbums Omni shells full time. These have been my favorite diapers to date.

My only complaint about the diapers is how long they take to wash. You have to wash them once, then send them through another cycle (or two) to make sure the soap is completely rinsed out. Also, you have to "strip" the diapers once a month or so which is an even longer process. It's not that big of a deal, but I do have to say that with the drought we're experiencing, I try to limit how often I wash a load. I'll be happy when we start to potty train.

xxo. Christina

Going Through Life Changes as a Family

Hi everyone!

Recently, I was accepted into San Francisco State University! When I applied, I didn't really expect to get in and wasn't really hoping for it, I just wanted to see if it was an option. But when that acceptance letter came in the mail, my heart JUMPED. I went racing to my parents' to tell them the news and Kenny and I seriously began to consider moving to San Francisco where I could continue my education.

Unfortunately, when it comes to life changing decisions, they are definitely more difficult to make when you have your own family to think of. I can't just up and leave to San Francisco and expect my husband and my daughter to happily go along with it. Kenny and I had to sit down and have a serious conversation about it. We dropped Dakota off at his mom's for the night and went to a little coffee shop (The Living Room), and talked. We weighed out all of our options, and it just felt great to be able to have a one on one conversation with my husband about our future as a family.

Ultimately, we decided that San Francisco is too expensive for us. Our life style would completely change. Dakota would be home with daddy all day, we would probably have to live in a much smaller space, and we would not be able to spend as much as we are used to each month. Yes, going to school there would be AMAZING, but I have my family to think of and they are the most important to me.

But, during our conversation, Kenny and I discussed other options. We know San Diego is not the place for us and we have been dreaming of living elsewhere just to get away and see what else the world has to offer. We want something that is more affordable, where we can explore and gain new experiences with our daughter. Kenny and I were born and raised here in San Diego, so we just don't want to feel that we are "stuck" here. Our whole family is here, which is nice and we love them so much, but I don't want regrets. I feel if we do not take the opportunity to get away now while Dakota is still so young, we won't ever do it. And since Dakota is still young, we can ALWAYS come back before she starts school and makes friends that she won't want to leave.

Anyway, we are still weighing out options and need to talk to our families before we make any set plans, but I'm excited that Kenny and I are on the same page. We are excited to really be on our own and to gain new experiences. Life should be about getting out of your comfort zone and I've NEVER done it. I want to FEEL what it is like to put myself out there, and not hold back because of fear of the unknown. This is my life and I want to really experience it as fully as I can.

What do you guys think? We're pretty set on our decision, but I would love some tips and advice on any areas that we should consider, or whether or not San Francisco still could be a possibility for us.

Thanks everyone!
Ramey

Losing Baby Weight When You're Me...

Some women are blessed with tiny bodies that stay tiny during pregnancy and after childbirth. I was and am NOT one of those women. I gained 50 lbs. while pregnant with Zoë. FIFTY! That's like a five year old! After I had Zoë, I was eager to lose weight, but without having to actually DO anything to do it. I've never been one to work out or diet. I mean, I've tried eating super healthy, but usually fall out of that within a week or two.

This time was no different for me. The thing is, I ate SUPER healthy throughout my pregnancy, so when I wasn't eating for two anymore, I indulged in all of the bad cravings I had. I've tried to reign it in, here and there, but haven't been successful in the matter. There was about a week or two where I was cooking healthy meals and trying to portion, but I really love eating. So even if I had healthy food, I over-ate.

Then there's the whole exercise element. I hate running. I really, really hate it. I hate it even more in the Fresno weather where there are only two temperatures: hot and cold. I do, however, really enjoy dancing. Hip hop is my favorite kind. I used to play Dance Central on our Xbox with Kinect, but since having Zoë we're a little tighter on space and it hasn't been as easy.

I've REALLY been wanting to find a baby wearing exercise class like ballet or Zumba, but no where in Fresno offers these as an option. Some people may ask, "Why don't you exercise when she's sleeping?" Well, as I mentioned the other day, Zoë cannot fall asleep without me which means she is still not sleeping through the night. So, during the day, I take a nap when she does to recuperate and if I'm not napping, I'm cleaning up. At night, I am doing all of the chores I couldn't tend to during the day and the cycle continues.

I don't want to make any more excuses, though, so I'm going to get the Zumba DVDs as well as the Hip Hop Ab videos. I know it seems like the same thing as playing Dance Central, but Dance central actually requires a specific area perimeter where as I can probably make do with the area I have with the videos. I'm really looking forward to starting that up! I do miss dancing. Aside from using it as an exercise, it's definitely one of my favorite activities!

How did you lose weight? Do you have any tips? What kind of diets worked for you?

Catch you next time!
Christina

Appreciating Who They Are

I have 4 children. 4 children creating messes, dishes, laundry, and chaos. Day in and day out, things are hectic (to put it lightly). Every once in a while, I need to step back and remember what makes each of my kids unique and beautiful. Here's what I've learned about my children:

Nick
Nick is a lover. He's compassionate towards his siblings. He yearns to be a helper. His imagination knows no bounds. He has a hero adventure at the ready at all times, good always prevails over evil. He knows every detail of every superhero he can get his hands on. He has an off-the-wall sense of humor that gets me rolling with laughter. He doesn't care what others are doing around him, he sticks to his interests and pursues his passions. He has made so much progress in his school work just this year alone. I'm proud of the man he is becoming.

Nathan
Nay is creative, inventive and a thinker. He is always coming up with connections between different areas of his school subjects. He sees the whole of life in ways even I miss. He aims to please, but in his own round about ways. Give him a box of Legos and he'll give you a spaceship like you've never seen. Tell him a joke and he'll have to explain to you why it's funny before he laughs. He thinks about everything. About how words are dissected; how the American Revolution affects us today; how science will advance in the future. He's a remarkable kid who will go far in life. I'm so privileged to watch him grow.

Natalie
My big girl is a spitfire. She won't hesitate to tell it like it is. She wears her favorite clothes, regardless if they match or not. She draws and paints. She can write her name. She quotes movies and shows like it's her job. She likes knowing the plan. Anytime you can give her a detailed schedule, she's more likely to go with the flow and avoid a meltdown. She's really coming into her place in the family. She's a delight.

Nicole
Nicoley is tender. She loves animals and babies as much as any mother. She's adventurous and fearless. She loves to snuggle and sometimes crawls in my lap just to kiss my face. She loves making you laugh. She gets shy when you catch her playing pat-a-cake with her dollies. She learns a new word everyday. She loves her siblings fiercely. She is the perfect completion to our family.

Motherhood is grueling. The days are long and monotonous. If I don't step back and look at what God has entrusted to me, I'm likely to miss it. I never want to take these heavenly treasures for granted.

Angela

The Joys of Being a Working Mom

     Before my daughter was born, I had no concept of what it was like to be a working mom. I worked 8 hours, came home, did my chores and then had plenty of time to do whatever the heck I wanted. My husband worked as an EMT at the time and we often worked opposite hours so I was truly on my own.

 When our daughter was born, everything changed. My life now revolves around her, and I couldn't be happier. I stayed home for the first three months before I had to go back to working eight hour days, five days a week. Now, I'm a preschool teacher, so you can imagine the guilt I felt raising other people's children while my own daughter was at home with her Gigi. 

*Side note: I love my mother and she's done an amazing job taking care of my daughter, but still I felt completely guilty leaving her in someone else's care*

     I was struggling with how to organize my day so I still had time to interact and play with my daughter, make dinner, and do all of the household duties. I was struggling with the guilt of leaving my daughter...how did these moms do it?! I only had one kid but I felt completely lost and defeated....there just wasn't enough time in the day to do everything I needed and I was so jealous of all my friends who were able to stay home with their babies. 

     All of that being said, I have a friend who chose to stay home after she had her son, an option I wish I had been able to choose. She still to this day has NO CLUE why I never have time to hang out with her and her son. I've explained several times that I work 6-7 hours a day and still have to pick up my daughter, come home, make dinner, have bath time and bedtime and try to squeeze in some one on one time with my daughter. Let's be real, I don't even have time to pee let alone plan a play date. How am I supposed to say to her that I'd rather spend time with my daughter than have a play date?! 

     Now that Emery is 15 months old, I've learned a few tricks. Most of my cleaning is done after she goes to bed, laundry is a family chore done on Sundays, and play dates consist of trips to Target or the park--kind of a two birds, one stone thing. I invite friends to go shopping with me whenever and wherever I go. If there's a craft I want to make then I have a craft day with friends and their kids. I've learned to just adapt to the situation and make it work. It's definitely not easy, but I'm still trying to figure this whole mom thing out and hopefully I'm doing a good job. ;)

-Randi

What Kind of Mom are YOU?

Hello Momma's and Happy Tuesday!

I belong to a moms group here in my hometown that meets during the school year, basically, every Thursday. This is my first full year I will will be attending as we just moved here last year and I'm SUPER excited about it. It's a great group of women, all ages, that meet at a local church to encourage each other while our kids play in the children's nursery (AKA Adult Time!). This group follows MOM to MOM Ministry's, which are booklets and videos basically about motherhood and how to navigate it with a forgiving heart. Why am I telling you this? Well, one of my Thursday meetings hit home hard and I feel the message is a great one for all of us moms just trying to keep our head above water sometimes.

This section talked about What Kind of Mother are You. It had so many good points about how every mom is going to parent differently, even maybe from how their own mother parented and thats OK. It also explained what kind of parent God calls us to be. I'm going to focus in on the points of the section that hit closest to home, for me.

1. Attempting to "do it all" will only "do you in"
• We all know that Pinterest Mom who has the perfect home and cute Bento Box lunches she sends off with her perfectly primed child to school right? Wait,  you don't know her? Me either! My point... Social Media only shows us what that person wants us to see, usually the good, not the bad. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Lose the "What would people think" perspective
• It doesn't matter what your neighbor/best friend/ mom/etc thinks of how you're raising your child. Are you breastfeeding, great. Formula feeding, great. Does your child sleep in bed with you, awesome. Oh, yours is sleeping through the night in their crib, way to go! The only thing that matters is what God thinks. Are we Providing, Protecting, Preparing and Passing it on. It DOES NOT matter how we get these goals accomplished, but that we take care of our children the best we can. 
3. You're not your mom, you're their mom
• This can apply to more than just that statement. I'm basically going to say that one thing I've learned since becoming a mother is that EVERY child is different. What may work for one may fail miserably for another. What your mom tells you worked wonders for her maybe be polar opposite with what works for your child. Shut those voices out if they're stressing you. You're mom and friends/family can come with great advice sometimes that might just save your life, but that doesn't mean ALL advice is good advice. Learn what's best for your child. 
4. Keep the Most Important Thing the Most Important Thing
• Love your children. This by far is the easiest thing to do and is not measured by the size of the bow on her head, contrary to what a picture of a beaming child might tell you with a hashtag that reads #thebiggerthebowthebetterthemommy. Be happy for that momma though, she's having a good day and we can all agree we want to shout from the roof top when we're having a good day! 

I am sure throughout my future posts you will learn about my struggles as a mother that will make you understand why these four points stood out to me. If I explained them now this post would be entirely too long and you would be bored if you even had the time to finish it during your child's nap!

I hope that you can look at these points, however, and be reminded that what ever you're doing, it's the right thing and you're doing great.

<3 Lindsey

Good night, Zoë

Like most babies, Zoë's got a daily bedtime routine that we go through, and while she's a fan of bath time and story time, that's about it. We start with bath time, which is usually a shower. She's not a fan of sitting down, so it seems like a waste of water to take a bath. Plus, she enjoys walking through the shower stream. Of course, it's crucial to have a non-slip mat in the shower for her. She's a quick little thing and it's no secret that it's easy to slip in the shower.

After her shower, she immediately points to her teeth and says "tooth." She enjoys brushing her own teeth, but the problem is, she doesn't really know how to brush them. That's when the crying begins. I lay her down with her head in my lap like my mom used to do with us and I brush her teeth, gums and tongue. Then it's time for her diaper. She is NEVER a fan of having her diaper put on, I'm really not sure why. Fortunately, I sing her a little song about specked frogs (I'll tell you more about that later) and she's content enough. 

While putting pajamas on would usually be the next step, we have to do one more before she gets dressed: lotion her up with Aquaphor first, then Mustela Stelatopia. She has eczema on her legs so the Aquaphor keeps the moisture in and the Mustela is a lotion meant for babies with eczema with special ingredients to "restore" the skin. It's not exactly a long process, but it's long enough when you've got a tired, squirming baby. After the lotion, we put on her pajamas and she's finally calmed down just in time for story time. 

It's cute, she sits down and then points to the bookshelf, signs book and says "buh." (It's strange, back in the day she actually said "book," but somewhere along the way it went to "buh." We're working on getting it back to "book.") No matter how tired she is, this nugget can read like ten books as long as you let her turn the pages. We usually limit it to two or three, though, depending on the length of the books we read.

Finally, and this is the part I should have worked on when she was younger, I nurse her to sleep. I read books while she was an infant about avoiding that habit, but she was quickly accustomed to it and I couldn't not do it without her crying furiously. I've been advised to let her "cry it out," but I just couldn't do it. So, here we are almost 15 months later and I'm still nursing her to sleep. Some people may judge me for it, but, hey, I'm doing the best I can. And that's why we've created this blog. None of us are perfect mothers, but we all do whatever we can to raise strong and healthy individuals.

Thanks for reading!
Christina