Etsy Love: January Edition

As I mentioned in last month's "Etsy Love" post, I pretty much adore all the amazing shop owners who work hard everyday to make all the fan-damn-tastic homemade products we all have grown to love.  There are so many shops that are just too damn cool not to talk about, which was how my monthly "Etsy Love" posts were born. 

 

Here we are, month two.

 

 

For those who don't know, my beautiful mother works for Hallmark, hence my love for old school greeting cards.  She has sent me cards for just about everything that happens in life, one of the many things I love about that lady.  When I discovered all the hilarious greeting cards on Etsy a year or so ago, I've been in greeting card heaven ever since.  

 

Because of all the super creative, amazingly witty shop owners who come out with the most hilarious cards, I figured they deserve a post all on their own.  In light of my FAVORITE holiday that is just right around the corner, I bring to you my Valentine faves!

 

(Visit Diamond Donatello's Shop Here)

 

 

(Visit Julie Ann's Shop Here)

 

(Visit RowHouse14 Here)

 

(Visit Pattie Jansen's Shop Here)

 

(Visit Annie's Shop Here)

 

 

Don't forget to SHOP SMALL.  That's where it's at, yo.

 

(If you know of a shop or shop owner that you'd like me to feature, feel free to email me at annedxenos@gmail.com, or leave a comment below!)

 

Must Haves for Baby AND Mommy

Now that I've lived with my sweet little human for almost 6 months, I've gotten to know her much better.  We've slowly figured out what pisses her off along with what soothes her. 

Knowledge that is absolutely crucial for everyone's survival. 

 

My previous thoughts discussed here on "must haves" for baby & mommy, have definitely changed.

 I'm not saying those things aren't needed, but honestly, you could probably live without 'em. 

For us, the things I've listed below, we couldn't have lived without.

 

I started this list when Lara was a couple weeks old.  The week we brought her home from the hospital, my best friend told me she was pregnant. I WAS SO EXCITED!! 

So, this list quickly turned into a "I wish I would've registered for" list, one I could share with her. 

 

 

So here goes! 

 

 

 

It's Number 1 for a reason:  Oh, the turtle.

Cloud B Tranquil Turtle Nightlight

This is one magic frickin' turtle, y'all.  Lara LOVESSSS it, therefore we LOVEEEE it.  It plays sweet lullaby music as well as the option for soothing waves. There's volume control & an extra bonus is the adorable wave lightshow it shoots up on the nursery walls.  We literally use this thing EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.  And likely will for the next few years. If she wakes up whimpering in the middle of the night, instead of pulling her out of the crib to rock her back to sleep, we literally hit the button on the turtles back and she's RIGHT back to sleep.  I'm telling you, miracle worker.

 It's outrageously expensive at $50, but thankfully we registered for it and received it as a gift.  Funny story is that Jon really wanted this thing and we got in a mini argument at BabiesRUs because I told him it was ludicrous to register for a frickin' $50 nightlight.  He was insistent, so I said ok. And holy COW am I glad I did!!  Since I know you're reading this babe, I'll say it again, you were right.

 

Number 2: WubbaNub Pacifier

This one may be old news, but unfortunately I did not think to register for ANY!  Thankfully my mom got us one for my baby shower, but we have definitely added a few more to our collection.  You need a few of these bad boys to have in every room & your diaper bag.  The weight of the stuffed animal helps keep the paci in baby's mouth.

I'll take 5 of 'em. Please & thank you.

Number 3:  Safety 1st Lighted Baby Nail Clipper

Must have. But I will warn you, I still clipped the end of Lara's finger the other day.

Trust me.  The baby WILL survive.

Number 4: Brica Day & Night Musical Mirror

This is another one we did NOT register for.  I mean, who needs a mirror that plays music.

ME.

Sometimes when we're loading up to head out the door, Lara gets impatient & the crying begins.  As soon as we pop her in the car & hit the music button, she stops.  Also, the light that shines on them helps you actually SEE the baby when driving at night. Love this mirror!!

Number 5: Fisher Price Sit Me Up Frog Chair

I've been asked a TON about this chair, and I don't blame y'all.  We love it in our house!

It's a lifesaver when you're trying to cook dinner & baby wants to be with you.  I plop her in this & bring her in the kitchen with me, and she's totally content.  We put her in this around 8 weeks old and she was just fine!  Must have for sure.

Number 6:  Hallmark Record-A-Wish Lamb

If you're a working mommy, for some, month three brings the tough, dreaded return to work.   Something about this adorable little lamb has brought me much peace in dropping my girl off at daycare for the first time. I want her to hear my voice and have comfort even though I can't be there in person. Jon and I recorded ourselves singing "You Are My Sunshine." We have sung this to her many, many times over the past three months so she knows it well. It also plays other lullabies as well! Definitely a must have for all new mommies out there!! 

Number 7:  BABY SOCKS!!

 While teenie tiny baby shoes are cute.  That's about all they are...cute.  Not functional whatsoever.

Take my advice, REGISTER FOR SOME SOCKS.  You'll need 'em.

 

 Number 8: Henley Nursing Tank from Target

I have LIVED in this thing, in fact it's the first thing I wore the day after Lara was born.

Register for a couple of 'em.  I wish I would have.

Number 9: Baby Needs a Swing!!

 We have one upstairs AND downstairs we love them so much.

Don't think twice about having a swing in your house when you bring that baby home.

Number 10: JJCole Bundle Me Carseat Cover

 I LOVE THIS PRODUCT.

We just put it on Lara's carseat last week with the cold that has swept over Kansas City.  It's so warm we don't even need a blanket!  The best part is I can flip it up to cover her face when in and out of the car running errands. We actually got ours for $11 at a consignment sale, not really knowing what it was.  It's amazing!

And that wraps it up. 

As always, holler if you have questions & happy shopping....er registering.

;)

 

#RealLife

I'm getting super #real with ya 'all this morning. Airing my dirty laundry, er, dirty house for the world to see. 

While I love sharing pictures of my sweet girl grinning ear to ear...Newsflash: Those pictures aren't always #reallife.

Social media is a tiny little snapshot into who we are as people and the lives we lead. But let's just get real here. It's highly edited. Hell, they even have special filters to make your world look prettier than it may really be.  And WE are the editors of how we want our life to look.

It occurred to me over the weekend that my social media life isn't always an accurate portrayal of my #reallife. 

I start projects I don't finish. I have way more clutter in my house than I ever thought I would. I worry about really stupid stuff. 

And if I'm being totally honest, there are times where my dirty dishes sit in the sink for days on end. 

This is our cluttered mudroom. When I purchased three diaper bags because I just HAD to have one in every color, the intent was to keep them nicely hidden in a closet until ready for use.

Yeah, about that...

Most days my counter is full of diapers, bottle nipples, unopened mail along with the occasional half empty beer bottle from when we tried to sit down and enjoy a cocktail but duty called. And when I say 'duty,' I mean this cutie...

Remember that playroom I told you about? The playroom meant to store all of Lara's toys so our living room could look like adults lived in out home?

This clean laundry has been done for 2 weeks. TWO. But hey, at least it's clean. I got that going for me.

I mean, who has time to actually hang up your clothes at the end of the day? 

Clearly not my husband....or me. Mine are buried under his, who am I kidding here.

Bathroom counters are made for makeshift, middle of the night bottle making stations, right?

For the record, since these pictures were snapped, we've washed dishes and my kitchen sink is now.....full of new dirty dishes. The laundry basket however, still hasn't been touched. 

But you know what, that's totally ok. 

Because I do a lot more important shit these days. Like be a mom. 

Becoming a mother has changed me in ways I could've never imagined. 

Today, I learn to celebrate the small victories. Like getting fresh, clean water in my daughters humidifier night after night. 

Like ensuring her turtle nightlight has new batteries so she can fall asleep to the sound of cascading waves. 

Like making our bed every morning. 

And my favorite of all, taking time to giggle with my daughter while I squirt water on her little belly from her bright pink hippo bath toy.

And even when bath time ends like this, It's still a hundred times better than the time I would've spent washing dirty dishes.

Bottle Pets!

Can someone please tell me what we did before the internet??? Probably save ALOT of money. 

Last month, while online shopping for Christmas presents, I came across this brilliant idea...

 

 

I mean, what are they going to think of next!?!? 

Bottle Pets.

 

I mean, a baby bottle that looks like a COW! Hahahaha.  I just love it.

 

Lara loves it, too. 

Clearly.

 

She was NOT happy when the cow had emptied it's "utter." 

How's that for a play on words?

 

Besides the cuteness factor, it's practical as well.  It helps your little learn to hold their own bottle.  I can't wait to see Lara holding her little cow in the coming months!  And let's be honest, who's not excited for their little to learn how to feed themselves?

 

If you don't dig the cow, there a ton of other options. 
Check out their website here and Happy Shopping!

 

 

 

***This product was gifted to me, however the opinions are solely my own***

To cry or NOT to cry

That is the question.

This past month has been exciting, yes. It was Lara's first Christmas and Jon and I felt like we were kids again...waking her up, bringing her downstairs to see the gifts Santa brought her. We were just giddy. Giddy AND DELERIOUS. We haven't gotten a full nights sleep since sometime in November.

Yep, frickin' NOVEMBER. 

The craziest part about this, though, is that Lara has slept thru the night since we brought her home from the hospital. 

We got a taste of the good life, a life with sleep....and then boom. 

We woke up. 

Over the Christmas holiday it got really out of hand. We were up every few hours, on a good night.  We decided it was time to do something drastic.

So I turned to 'ol faithful, my Moms on Call book. My Baby Bible. If you haven't heard of Moms on call, check them out here. One of the many perks of blogging is that I've connected with lots of new mommies.  If we pool together all the advice we've been given & all we are learning everyday, we're all bound to keep our children alive.  Right?  I learned of Moms on Call via a blog connection and I'll tell ya, I probably read it every. single. day.  There's advice in there for just about everything you can think of. 

Baby Shower Lists.
Bathing.
Pooping.
Nail clipping.
Food allergies.

You name it, they cover it.

When I went back to work full time the first of December, I let things slide.  I wasn't reading the book. I didn't care about stupid routines & structure.  ALL I wanted was to be with my baby girl even if that meant keeping her up way beyond her bedtime.  Needless to say, she wasn't sleepin' and we weren't either.

Which leads me to this past week.  On New Years Eve, we put her to sleep around 8:00.  At midnight, the fireworks started.....and then the crying started. 

She fell back asleep but was up again a couple hours later, and then another couple hours later.  The next morning we decided it was time to get serious.  We dusted off the MOC book and start reading.  According to her age, they recommend breaking the middle of the night feedings by letting them "cry it out."  

I will admit, I've always thought that concept was just pure barbaric.

Well, it may be barbaric, but it works. 

But just because it works doesn't mean it isn't hard as hell.  That first night was TOUGH.  My heart broke in half listening to my baby helplessly cry her little heart out.  We pushed thru and twenty minutes later, she was asleep.  The next night, she slept 10 hours straight, and again the following night.

Now, I'm officially a believer.  For us, the technique has worked so far.

So tell me, what sleep training techniques have you tried?