Gather ‘round the teat babes it’s story time.
As you all know I took my stroller for it’s inaugural outing to the zoo. Things were going pretty smoothly and it was time for the baby to eat so we rolled up into the giraffe house. I felt oddly comfortable nursing coverless among the beasts. Big girl ran around and shouted things to her bff as they pointed at the giraffes. My sweet friend thankfully wrangled them both while I nursed. I packed myself away and got the baby strapped back in, started getting the big one back in the front of the stroller and it happened... @kamajalundh and her sweet babe exited the building and I thought we would be right behind...but...my toddler decided this was an opportune time to turn her body into linguini. Linguini can not be strapped into a stroller. Cue the poor old man who didn’t know what was about to hit him. “Ma’am do you need some help what can I do should I hold the stroller for you?” Guys I didn’t mean to but, I was sweating, milk covered, in a heightened state of anxiety in public with two kids. “No, no I’m fine.” Would you believe he persisted!? So, I HAD TO, I let him have it. “SIR I DO NOT NEED HELP THE STROLLER IS LOCKED WE ARE FINE!” Yes I am well aware I am a mom-ster. But, at that point I had to commit and do it alone. Eventually I got my little Italian carb dish into the stroller. And off we went to the dairy facility (how perfect right?). I started to feel bad for the old man. But, when I got outside and told the story to my girlfriend she said “What the heck? What does he think you do when he isn’t around?” I almost pissed my pants. How fucking true is that? Old man how would I get through life without your help? Now, don’t get me wrong yes, sometimes I wish someone would save me when I’m drowning in children. Unfortunately, for that fine gentlemen, on this particular day, I was on a mission with a point to prove and this lady didn’t need no help! Not from him! Maybe from my friend, but not from that strange man judging a hot mess momma. He didn’t know this was no where close to worst case scenario. I consider that little episode an successful, even easy day. A win for momma. Barely a scene that raised a need for a life vest. It’s ok to not take help too. You know what you can handle, and I knew my girl would be there in a heartbeat with a preserver if the tides rose! But, some people don’t know a monsoon from a sprinkle, everyone’s perception is different. I hope that poor old man still offers to help someone whose drowning. Just not me. Ha!
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Jord Watch Giveaway
Hello 2018! This year has been insane already, I feel like I have been going 100 miles a minute in a millions direction, how about you!
I can’t believe it’s almost Valentine’s Day already and I want to help you out with your gifting, because what are friends for? I am sure you have seen the GORGEOUS JORD Watch my husband has been wearing featured on my feed. It’s drool worthy y’all! I can't even believe I gave it to him I should have kept it for myself! I will have to add one to my wish list *cough cough* if you are reading this Chris.
If you want to nab one for you or your special someone you are in luck! I am hosting my first giveaway of the year with JORD. All you have to do is follow the link and enter for your chance to win $100 off your order! Don’t worry though if you don’t win, they are going to give you 10% off just for entering.
My husband can definitely be considered a watch enthusiast and he couldn’t wait to get this on his wrist. Honestly, after 10 years of gift buying this watch was definitely one of my favorites to give. Not to be “punny” but, it’s honestly a timeless look and unique gift to give, or get for yourself!
Here's a closer look, this is such a unique men’s watch. This style is called the
Dover in the color Zebrawood & Dark Sandlawood. They give you a conditioning oil with the watch that beings out the natural wood tones and really makes it pop. The case, face, has a big presence at 41mm, personally my favorite part of the watch is that the skeleton feature that allows you to see the inner mechanics working. The band is a stunner with a thickness of 24mm, made of zebrawood and dark sandalwood, the body is treated with tung oils, to bring out the delicious natural wood tones. It honestly just effortlessly adds some class and style to even the simplest outfit.
Hurry and enter that giveaway there is just a few days left!
Thanks for following along and best of luck in the giveaway! Stay tuned for more awesome products that I love coming in 2018. Happy Valentine’s Day Lovers! So much baby gear so little time! I have researched and researched and asked for advice and bought and sold and switched out baby gear. Here are the five things that I would say helped me through this first 2 months with two under 3! If you would have asked me last time around I know for a fact I would have had different answers I just don't think I every got around to writing that blog! Ok, here we go. Five faves from a second time momma. 1. Medela Pump in Style AdvancedI have had a love affair with this pump since my first time nursing. It is powerful, portable (enough), and super simple to use. There are tons of accessories you can get for it to make your life even easier. I has a pretty standard price point for a pump I would say in the $200 range. But, you may be able to get it covered by your insurance, see my blog about that here. I even used it to pump on a road trip with the battery adaptor when we thought it was a good idea to take a 9 month old on a 18 hour car trip. That I do not recommend. 2. Dooli Diaper Genie Compatible Bag AdapterDouble the poops double the stink. I had pretty much given up on my diaper genie before my second was born because I was so freakin sick of buying those special bags. How freakin’ annoying! Then I discovered this adapter which is amazing, you can use their 7 layer bags, or ANY bag, yes any bag!!! No more of pressing that last diaper in just to have the bag go flying into the bottom of the pail! Because we’re friends you can use the code SHAUNA30 for 30% off of your order. Boom! 3. Nuroo SwaddlerWe rotated through all of the brands of swaddles that we had on hand in the first few nights being home with the new baby. This one did the trick and it's super easy to use, no snaps or zippers, you can practically do it with your eyes closed in the middle of the night... 4. Fisher-Price Rock and PlayThis has been the preferred seat for relaxing and napping for both of my girls. I think that it is at just the right angle and snuggly enough to comfort them, it also has a vibration option. Super simple, easy to clean, light weight to take from room to room. It is also important that it keeps the baby high enough off of the ground so that the dog can't reach her. 5. Potter and Pehar Ring SlingI can not say enough about this sling! I am just really wishing I would have used a ring sling the first time around. I have no idea how I would have survived these first two months without it, I think I probably would have never left the house at all! With my oldest I was a little intimidated by baby carriers to be honest I am so glad that I got over that fear, I think you kind of have to wear your second to survive. I hope this is helpful for you mommas! Of course I could go on and on about baby gear, just feel free to ask!
The first rule of nap time is, don’t talk about nap time.
Don’t say “rest,” “relax,” “quiet time,” just don’t mention it and definitely at no point should you say the actual word NAP. That’s an immediate death sentence to whatever single child duty you thought you were going to get for day, forget it. In the earliest days of bringing my second daughter home, God smiled upon me and I enjoyed several days of tandem naps. There I was binge watching Criminal Minds, writing blogs, perfecting Instagram posts, sipping hot coffee, throwing my gear back and laughing at the poor souls whose wildling children refused to nap, snap chatting my success... I am so sorry for mocking you nap Gods, just as sorry as I am for not valuing naps when I was young! Why? Who wouldn’t WANT TO NAP??? It’s so amazing. Shut your body down mid-day, drift off to dreamland, wake up ready to finish it out with dinner, bath time, and PJs. What’s not to like?! A toddler without a nap is no longer a child. It is a creature from the depths sent to destroy you with a self destruction detention time of 8:30 pm. A whiny, over tired, disaster that will cry over not being able to balance a piece of fake fruit on a plate with one hand while it sucks the thumb of the other hand. A tiny tyrant. It demands snacks it doesn’t actually want and it’s dinner is always the wrong thing. You can not win. All I can say is, buckle up, get a second cup of coffee, pop the cork on that wine and let it breath because you will definitely be coming for it. Right after you successfully put your toddler in bed for the night, and then they get up, and you put them back in, and then they can’t find their doll that is literally right next to them, and then they need sip of water, and now another diaper change. Then, then pour that wine momma.... And the baby is up.... I could not be more paranoid about my kids getting sick right now! I can barely watch the news because they keep talking about people dying from the flu. Guys, people are dying from the FLU! How? Why? Why is the world this way?
I read this post about why you shouldn’t have sex in May, bear with me there’s a point here, and I get it now. Her point was that you will have a holiday baby. Which aside from having to endure the holiday chaos with a new baby which was her concern, I have a bigger one. The fucking germs!!! All the germs! The germs that are bigger than my one month old! I’m not going to openly admit how many times I have checked her temper since she was born because I would like to still have friends at the end of this blog. But, anyone who has had a newborn knows that magic number 100.4. If the thermometer shows that fateful number, straight to the doctor, day or night. Is her spit up runnier? Chunkier? Poops? Too much? Not enough? Having a winter baby is the worst I’m just gonna say it. My OB asked me at my six weeks postpartum appointment “Wasn’t it nice to have all that time off during the holidays.” NO. Nice is not the word I would choose. Bundling everyone up to their eyeballs and racing from door to door so the baby isn’t outside too long. Sanitizing all of things, nothing is safe, I’m pretty sure my daughters favorite babydoll got coloroxed! Kidding, but seriously... It’s not socially acceptable to tell people straight up, “Don’t touch my baby!” It should be! Paws off the barely vaccinated cherub! I know you want to, it’s like they magnetize us. But the germsssssssss! One of my friends wrote that a stranger, yes STRANGER touched her babies face, yes FACE. I would be a homicide suspect y’all!!! Yesterday during our grocery store adventure (nightmare) this lady started asking how old the baby was and then started trying to lean closer to see her over the fabric of the sling (which I was not going to pull down to expose her) and I started backing away, and I heard my husband hushed “Babe....” it was like slow motion. She did not attempt to touch the baby I believe she picked up on our social cues. Ha! Would you believe she was like offended though judging by what happened next. “Well, she looks sweet...from what I can see.” It was the tone, it made me laugh honestly. I didn’t let my family see her for more than 5 mins out of a sling last weekend, why does this lady think she needs a full view of my baby? People be crazy. My point, I have one. Order all the groceries. Watch all the Netflix. Bleach all the things. Snuggle all the babies. At home. Sincerely, Crazy ass, winter, baby momma Xoxo Monday was a helluva day. My baby is one month old and I have been flying solo for a few weeks here and getting my groove with two. But, it’s hard. I don’t think that it will ever not be hard. When your kids are little and you are in the thick of it you gotta be able to count on your partner. Luckily, I did a pretty good job choosing one if I do say so. Choosing the right person is only half of it. Marriage is work. It’s more work when there are two small people who demand 99.9% of your attention daily involved and you can barely keep your eyes open when they are in bed to mumble back in forth about your day. I am still on maternity leave so I am home with the girls 24/7 pretty much right now. That’s tough. My husband helps out where he can in the morning, comes home on lunch, and jumps back in the ring the minute he gets home. These toddler/infant days are all hands on deck. Just to make it through the day takes all you’ve got. I couldn’t imagine not having my partner to tag team it with me. I love him. He loves me. We do say it, but right now it isn’t the most important phrase in our relationship. That would be “thank you.” Thank you for giving our oldest a bath, for doing that load of laundry, for brewing that second pot of coffee, for being here. It doesn’t matter if the things you are they are doing are “their job” or “something you always do.” Just saying thank you and extending the appreciation, voicing it that’s what’s important. People want to feel needed, appreciated, they want to know their efforts aren’t going unnoticed. When you are killing yourself every day to keep the household running either at home or at work, it matters to that someone sees you, sees that you are doing your best. Just say thank you. I appreciate you. I love you.
I see you are doing your best. We can do this. Something has really been weighing on my heart lately and I feel like I need to get real and just get it out. NO. The answer is no and I don't need a reason but, I will give you a few later anyways. No to the event you want me to bring my kids to that is not really kid appropriate. No to your outting that starts at the precise time that my newborn starts her long block of sleep at night. No to you coming to visit said newborn during a time of the day that isn't going to "work" for us. I have criticized people, let's be really honest here, moms, in the past for running a tight ship. Let's just said our ship sails have been less than "snug" in our house. But, in my ripe old age and with mothering experience I realized a few things. Whatever way they are captaining their ship is none of my business. It affects me likely not at all. If they refuse to have their kids miss a nap, fine. If they don't allow sugar in their house, we will eat our candy when we get home. The way that someone else parents does not lessen or heighten my parenting style at all. We are all doing it "right." What happens to be "right" for my family this year, in this stage is saying no. Honestly evaluating situations, assesing their value and saying, thanks but no thanks. Right not we are just not at a point in our lives that we have the ability to say yes to everything for a number of reasons. The major ones being we have a two and less than two month old and it is the middle of cold and flu season. For me that right there is enough of a reason to say no to 90% of the requests. I am not saying that we are going to be in a bubble for the rest of our lives. I am sayig that we are in a very transitional period in our lives and it is time to focus on us. Our realtionships with our kids and each other. Also, I am not saying that we are going to say no to every single thing. I do want to say though I feel there is a stigma around the word no and a deep guilt that is felt by us for saying it. So, if you feel like you need permission to get out of something that is going to cause you or your family unnecesary stress, or you flat out don't want to do it, here it is. Just say no. What is worse, saying not to a chaotic party that doesn't have anything age appropriate for your kids to do and runs into nap times and ineveitably causes a fight with your spouse either at the event or on the way to or from it, or, just saying no politely we can't make it, and sending a card. Don't get me wrong my husband and I do not get into an argument every time we go to an event. However, when we force ourselves and daughter(s) to do something that we have been dreading all week, or we honestly know ahead of time is going to end in an epic meltdown, likely from our oldest, it puts a big stress on us all. I care about you, whoever you are inviting me to something. But, maybe we are just in different points in our lives. Someday I'll be in a position to go all Shonda Rhymes and yes it up. This year is not that point in my life. For my childless peeps, saying yes now means finding someone who will watch BOTH of my children, so whatever the night out costs, double it. Anything we decide to do now has to be REALLY worth it. Like your wedding, don't worry I never miss an opportunity to do the Wobble. I want to say yes to what is going to be the best for my girls especially and keeping them healthy and comfortable. So no. We can't come. We would love for you to come spend time with us though, in our baby proofed home, or at a child approriate event. XOXO
With my first daughter I fortunately, had a really positive breastfeeding experience and I knew I wanted to breastfeed with my second daughter as well. The only thing I would have changed about my experience the first time would have been having more of a stash saved before I went back to work. I intended on changing that the second time around and one of the key elements in that equation would be a really good pump. I don't know if you have shopped for breast pumps lately, but they are not cheap, and who wants to put that on their registry? That's no fun! I used the Ovia Pregnancy app to track my progress and one day scrolling through I saw an advertisement for Aeroflow Breastpumps. It said that they help you qualify for a FREE breast pump through your insurance, from top brands. I had quite the time getting my breast pump through my insurance the first time around. Searching for a company online that would help me qualify (and was legit), then being told that I had to wait until just a month out before I could order (as if remembering that was on the top of my list), getting a prescription from my OB to prove that I was in fact pregnant and in need of a pump (who would want one if they weren't pregnant?), and then having very limited options of which pump I could choose. About half way through my pregnancy I went on to the site via the link in the Ovia app. Entered my information and also immediately got an email that said I would be contacted in 3-5 business days. They let me know that since I wasn’t due for a while they would contact me one month out from my due date to make my choice of breast pump and would contact my provider for a prescription. That easy! I set an alert in my phone to contact Aeroflow a month out from my due date, but I had an email from them that morning! It confirmed that I was qualified and had a link to the site to make my selection. I chose The Medela Pump in Style Double Breast Pump. I got a confirmation email and it shipped within a week. No cost to me, a brand new, top of the line double breast pump came right to my door. Once my sweet baby girl arrived my new pump and I got to work, I have to say my breastfeeding and pumping journey has been even better this second time around! I highly recommend checking if your insurance coverage supports you getting your breast pump through Aeroflow. The customer service is excellent and the process was so easy. A great breast pump shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone who desires to breastfeed their baby, its a tough journey, I’m glad Aeroflow makes getting a pump stress free because lord knows motherhood isn't! This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my honest review of my experience with Aeroflow Breastpumps.
For me the new year is not about becoming a new person, I embrace the person I have become. I don’t want to wash away all the experiences that have gotten me to this place and this space I am in. That said this last year has been about getting uncomfortable, growing, and lots of change. Change to our family, changing careers, changing in relationships. Its been a year of growth and in growing there is pain. There were some really HIGH highs, and really LOW lows all around. But, being on the bottom makes getting to the top that much more worth it, that much sweeter, that much more appreciated. I am so glad I pushed and spent so much time doing little and big things with my oldest before her sister came along. Becoming a mom of two is no joke, some of it was expected but some of it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t think it would be so emotional. The physical exhaustion, I expected that. Feeling all of the “lasts” with my first daughter and experiencing all the “firsts” with my second, is an emotional exhaustion I didn't see coming. It’s a strange mix of sadness and excitement. 2017 was a transitional year on all fronts and it absolutely made me take a look at my priorities and what direction I want my life and my family’s. It has been an “all hands on deck” just to stay afloat type of year but, I think sometimes you need that. Sometimes we need to have a scrappy year where we are forced to see what’s important, what we really need. 2018 is sure to be another for the books. I’m done just surviving though, I’m ready to thrive. Thrive in my marriage, as a mom, in my career, in relationships, personally and for business. It’s time to get the most out of every aspect of my life no matter what this year. That's why I chose "THRIVE" for my word of the year. While I was soul searching and Insta scrolling trying to decide the direction that I wanted my life to take this year, the word spoke to me. Plans are being made, goals are being set, not for a resolution but, for a REALITY. What's your word for the year?
The pocket My husband really appreciates this one. It’s easy for my to get skin to skin time with my tiny babe because she is pretty consistently attached to my boobs. For him it has to be a little bit more intentional. It is the middle of winter though and it’s not the most comfortable to be shirtless around the house, or stuck under a blanket. The Pocket gave him the chance to have some snuggle and bonding time while keeping baby secure and warm. The Swaddler LIFE SAVER. For the first three nights my daughter was home we cycled through swaddles to see which one would be the ticket to us getting the most sleep. Most of them had entirely too much fabric that would bunch up around her face even when it was on the tightest option. She was only 6lbs 13.5oz so on the smaller side you could say. The Swaddler is stretch fabric that allowed me to swaddler her tight but, still had enough give to the fabric for her to move her arms around inside. Hello three hour newborn sleep stretches! Car Seat Cover/Nursing Cover It’s literally freezing in Wisconsin right now. Having the car seat covered is not an option it is a necessity! Most of the covers I have had in the past just drape over the seat and can blow open, the stretchy Nuroo cover stretches over the car seat and stays secure. Also, I can pull it off the cover her while nursing, or to cover her while transporting her outside while she is inside her sling. I have to say Nuroo really seems to have nailed it in the newborn department. Good quality products, beautiful gender neutral patterns, simple and clean designs. They are putting out some must have essentials for surviving those newborn days. Check them out here. *I was given Nuroo products complimentary for my honest review.*
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AuthorShauna Hyler, mommy of two beautiful girls! Working, blogging, and adventuring with the hubby and my sweet girls. Categories
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