babies

Freshful Tips for Mom Life!

February 13, 2020 by Rachel 26 Comments

This post is sponsored by Gerber. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found out I was pregnant with my first child nearly 8 years ago to this day. In that moment, I had a crystal clear version of the type of parent I would be.

My husband and I knew how we would parent. I was sure of how I would ‘make’ my children behave and I certainly knew what kind of disciplinary style I would use. I was dead set on breastfeeding and then making my own baby food with my top-of-the-market blender.

But then real-life happened. Parenting wasn’t as easy as it appeared to be. By some sort of miracle, I quickly understood that we are all just doing our best.

Making your life easier as a busy mom is crucial.

Accepting that certain concessions need to be made, as a mother, for the sake of you and your children, is crucial.

Real-Life Tips to Help You With Your Baby

I’m sharing some of my go-to tips and tricks for both new and seasoned moms.

Fed is Best

You’ve heard it over and over again — “Breast is best.” Heck, I heard it nonstop from doctors, nurses, and strangers, throughout each of my three pregnancies.

But the truth is, so much more than breastfeeding goes into breastfeeding. And it may just be that breastfeeding is testing your sanity. So don’t stress about something so trivial. Whether your child is breastfed, bottle-fed, or formula-fed, says nothing about you as a parent.

Babies Need Very Little

Based on ads and marketing, you would think you’re going to need to double the size of your house when welcoming in a new baby. That narrative is completely false.

Babies need so little. Know what they need? They need food (see above), love, diapers, and a safe space. Everything else is unnecessary.

Sure, other items can be helpful, but they really just take up space. I can count on two hands the amount of ‘bonus items’ that I used over and over again (even my first didn’t make it into his own crib or room for nearly a year).

Don’t stress if you don’t ‘have it all.’ Your baby will get everything they truly need.

Give yourself a break

This is something a new mom hears time and time again. And it’s easier said than done. But there are things that you can control and give yourself a little break.

First and foremost, you’re doing a good job. Sleep is minimal and the crying just won’t stop, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a good job. Just survive this stage and know you’re a great parent.

Second, recognize now that everyone has been in this exact same position. Every one of us has felt like they are struggling to get by. Remember that every day for the rest of your parenting ‘career.’

Third, remove all expectations of what you expected to be like as a parent. Things are different now.

Perfect Moms Are Fake

Louder for the people in the back — Perfect moms are not real!

Sure, it would be awesome to have all of this time to make Pinterest-worthy pretty bento box lunches for our school-aged children and to puree our own baby food, but that’s just not realistic.

The reality is that our lives are much more chaotic. Stop focusing on the things you can do ‘from scratch,’ be it cookies for the preschool party, Valentine’s Day cards, and even baby food. These entrees are SO from Gerber are so convenient.

Look for trusted products like Gerber® Freshful Start™ to reduce the stress of mealtime

Mealtime equals chaos in my life. The school-aged kids are picky and the baby demands food now. Instead of making my own baby food, I looked to Gerber® Freshful Start™.

Gerber® Freshful Start™ offers high-quality, fresh tasting, cooked with love foods that are free of preservatives and GMOs! These always-organic baby and toddler foods are so fresh tasting they need to remain refrigerated.

This product line ranges from Homestyle Purees for the Sitter Stage to Veggie Entrees for toddlers. Both are prepared in minutes and make it easy for me when I’m dealing with the chaos of feeding a family of 5.

You can pick up the Gerber® Freshful Start™ line at your local Meijer store in the refrigerated section of the baby food aisle!

Because being the perfect mom is totally overrated. Be the mom that has happy, healthy, and well-fed children. Most of all remember this: We’re all just doing our best.

One Year Out // My Third Postpartum Journey

June 18, 2019 by Rachel 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe that one year ago today I was… anxious. Anxious and excited. I was beyond ready to meet our final and missing piece. It would still be two more days of waiting before Miss Mila Rose made her way into the world. And I spent these days doing a lot of walking and a lot of impatiently awaiting the start of labor.

But let’s back up — because if you had asked me if I wanted to have any more children after Remy was born 3.5 years ago, I would have emphatically said “Hell to the no.” And I’m not certain what changed. But at some point, I realized that our family needed a little bit more craziness. Enter our 3rd (and final) pregnancy.

Looking back on those last moments as a family of 4, I realize that, although I was anxious, I was also calm. I was ready — perhaps more ready than I’d ever been to tackle labor. I knew my body was capable of handling a rough 24-hours or so, all to help this beautiful new creature enter the world.

But what I didn’t realize at the time is that my postpartum experience would be drastically different this third time around. I was heavily prepared to be on the struggle bus shortly after delivery.

When I was okay, I decided not to hold my breath. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it didn’t. At least, not really. Or not in the same way as before.

And as I round out these last couple of days with my final baby, I’m celebrating the fact that we did it — we made it through our last postpartum period. Hoorayyyy!! Now let me snuggle my last ever newborn for just a teeeeeensy bit longer! Thursday will be here before I know it. ♥ ♥

Mila Rose // 10 + 11 Months

May 30, 2019 by Rachel 13 Comments

Guys — SO much has changed in just TWO MONTHS! I seriously don’t even know how it’s possible. Perhaps it’s the fact that Mila is my last baby, or perhaps it’s the fact that she’s a joyous baby in general… but time is flying and I’m over here just crying, y’all! I didn’t mean to go two months without updating on Mila, but things happened and I got distracted (as life goes).

The reason I haven’t been able to update is that we had ALL THINGS SICKNESS going on — again! Remy had another TWO UTIs and Mila had another ear infection followed by a 6-day fever of 104 degrees.

No worries — we’re on the mend now.

But here’s what you’ve missed in the last two months…

On The Move //

Girlfriend is MOBILE! Considering how late Remy began to walk, I was not at all hopeful that this baby would walk early. But she is walking around furniture and with help (ie. fingers or a walker). I’m eating it up and I just know she’ll be walking, unassisted, before I know it!

A Strong Will //

Remy always was and always will be my number one drama queen, but over the last two months, I’ve noticed a ‘spunk’ in Mila that cannot be ignored. She wants what she wants and she doesn’t want what she doesn’t want. As I navigate motherhood, I’m beginning to truly respect this aspect. Sure, it’s difficult, but isn’t all of motherhood? So as I see these little pieces of strong will shine through, I keep wondering what our future holds.

Stay tuned, friends!

Boob + Food //

This chick loves all of the food! Between nursing and real food, she’s practically eating nonstop. She will nurse in the morning, once again mid-morning, followed by a jar of food and some puffs, then nurses again before naptime, nurses after naptime, then will eat two jars of food and yogurt/puffs after naptime, more nursing before bedtime, and then sleeps. I feel like my life revolves around providing her with food!

Her favorite foods are peach puffs, pear and oatmeal baby food, and Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese! I honestly don’t remember giving my big kids mac and cheese until they were about 18 months, but Mila sees them eating it now and needs it! So I just cut it up and she will seriously eat an entire bowl!

Sleep //

I still count myself lucky. She’s still a decent sleeper. During times of crisis (ie. 104 fever and double-ear infection), she has wanted to be awake with me in the middle of the night; but other times she sleeps through the entire night. So yep. I’m definitely lucky.

Weight + Height //

Soooo she’s still a peanut. Despite her very healthy appetite, she is in the 6th percentile for weight.

Y’all, I get comments all the time about how tiny she is. But I guess my kids are just tiny? Cause she won’t. stop. eating!

Truthfully, I’m not sure how tall she is, because I pretty much check out after the weight portion. But she’s not tall. Ha!

Health //

Despite the double-ear infections, she is quite healthy. She’s my first baby to ever have an ear infection (let alone, 3!), so that’s been a bit jarring, but we’ve really rolled with it.

When she developed a high fever last week, I was super concerned. Neither Ari nor Remy have ever developed a high fever (I truly think they are not kids that really get fevers), so I was extra concerned. We ended up in Urgent Care on day 4, where they diagnosed her with a general virus; but by day 6 I decided it was time to see our pediatrician. He diagnosed her with a specific virus — Hand Foot and Mouth Disease — based on three sores found near her tonsils. I was surprised but somehow relieved that we had an answer. And two days later all symptoms were gone.

Favorites //

Her favorite people are her brother and sister — hands down. She lights up whenever she sees them and I totally love it.

Other favorites include her (outdoor) swing, her binky, trying new foods, nodding yes, and waving bye-bye.

If you need me in the next month, you can find me crying into my coffee (or wine) about how my last baby will be turning one at any moment. ♥ ♥

It’s Normal For Your Baby To Wake at Night

February 20, 2019 by Rachel 10 Comments

When I first became a mom nearly 7 years ago, I felt completely lost. I came home from the hospital and expected my baby to act like a ‘normal’ baby — you know, the babies that all of the moms are posting on their Facebook pages about? So when that didn’t happen, I was distraught. I vividly remember calling my friend Sarah and crying. Crying about the adjustment and crying about the fact that no one told me just how hard it would be.

See, my first baby did not sleep through the night. Nor did my second. Nor does my third. And despite what my Facebook friends would have me believe, it is absolutely normal for your baby to wake in the middle of the night.

I repeat — it is normal for your baby to wake up in the middle of the night!

For those moms in the back, your baby is normal!

I wish someone would have told me that the highlight reel I was viewing on Facebook was the extraordinary rather than the ordinary. Instead, I was inundated with “I can’t believe so-and-so has slept through the night since day 1! I’m so #blessed!” It left me feeling entirely defeated. I truly thought my baby was defective.

The highlight reel of social media left me feeling defeated. I thought my baby was defective because he didn't sleep through the night. Click To Tweet

But, it turns out, he was normal. He just wanted to eat and be held, as all newborns do. In fact, according to research, only 57% of babies stay asleep for 8-hours straight by one year of age.¹

Let’s break that down for a second — because babies go to sleep early. My own have always been put to bed at 7:30 PM. Eight hours from 7:30 PM is 3:30 AM. So at some point, if my baby goes to bed at 7:30 PM, they are still waking up in the middle of the night. Even if they go to sleep at 9:30 PM, that’s still a 5:30 AM wake-up call. And that’s only roughly half of newborns!

So for those of us with babies that wake to feed or be comforted in the middle of the night? That’s a 1:00 AM wake-up…. and/or 3:00 AM… and/or 5:00 AM. And lack of sleep can make even the not-so-hormonal people just a tad bit crazy.

Here I am, at 8 months with baby number three, and I can confidently say I somehow survived the deepest, darkest moments of sleep deprivation. I was not a “hashtag blessed” mom with my babies sleep. I was the opposite. I struggled. I cried. I, GASP!, even screamed.

But I also have spoken out about my struggles. And when I did, something magical happened. I learned that many others struggled with getting their babies to sleep at night. I breathed a collective sigh of relief. It may be a little true that misery loves company, but there is also a mutual support and understanding that comes with this kind of misery. The solidarity of knowing that I wasn’t on this journey alone was enough to really push me through.

So, Mama, I see you.

I know your struggles. I know you’re trying. I know you cry. And I absolutely know you’ll make it through.

In the meantime, if you need someone to talk to, to vent to, or to cry to… I am here.

¹Uninterrupted Infant Sleep, Development, and Maternal Mood

Mila Rose – 5 Months

December 7, 2018 by Rachel 4 Comments

If I could wrap up this last month in one word it would be the following: bittersweet.

Bittersweet because over this last month Mila has changed dramatically. She’s no longer a squishy little baby that just eats, sleeps, and poops. Nope. Now she laughs, smiles, and watches her siblings play. She’s, like, a real human now! Ha!

But I’m sad because that was the last time I’ll ever go through the newborn stage. My last baby is already FIVE MONTHS OLD — and that just seems crazy to me. I want, terribly, to relive these days again, another time.

In the same breath, I’m really okay with moving on with our lives — away from newborn ‘things.’ I am looking forward to watching Mila grow into an even bigger little human. I can’t wait to see her continue to interact with her siblings (and me!).

Here’s what else we’ve been up to over the last month —

As mentioned before, she laughs and smiles… a lot.

And apparently, she’s a fan of slapstick comedy. We found out by complete accident. The whole family was lying in bed when we playfully pushed Remy and she ‘fell’ back and laughed. Mila cracked up. Like, full-on belly laugh. It was hilarious so we did what every parent would do… we kept on ‘pushing’ the kids. And every single time, she would belly laugh.

A bit of a health update: She’s perfectly fine. Well, mostly.

This past month has been a whirlwind of appointments. We The first appointment was an echocardiogram at Akron Children’s Hospital. The technician let us know that there was nothing that required immediate attention and sent us on our way.

The second appointment was a dermatologist appointment at the Cleveland Clinic. These world-renowned doctors let us know that, again, while it’s odd that her hands and feet are still purple (a condition that should correct itself the first few weeks after birth), there didn’t appear to be anything causing it. At least not outwardly. I was asked quite a bit about whether or not autoimmune diseases run in our family (none to which I’m aware of), and we decided that if she still has this condition at her six-month well-visit, we’ll do a blood draw to test for things like lupus.

Just as I thought we were totally in the clear, I received a call from our pediatricians’ office. They called and said that the echo showed a hole in her heart and they wanted to refer her to a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children’s Hospital. And, sigh, my heart fell. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I knew that if it was anything serious, they never would have let us leave her echo.

So we saw a cardiologist and it was explained to us that 20% of all grown adults have this hole in their heart (from birth) and they may never be aware of it. She’s perfectly healthy, heart-wise — no murmur, nothing. In fact, she doesn’t even want to see us back! Hooray!

We’ll just be awaiting our 6-month well-visit to see if her hands and feet are still purple. That’s it!

Food? Not yet.

We haven’t yet started on food or cereal. But we are still EBF (exclusively breastfeeding). She’s gaining weight, which is a good sign. Truthfully, I’ve never doubted my ability to nourish my children. But the fact remains — she was born my largest baby at 8 lbs, which means she ‘should’ be following a heavier growth curve than she is. But my children are small — they always have been. So I’m not surprised that she dropped off her original curve and she’s trending more like my first two babies.

We never used cereal or rice with the first two babies (personal decision), but I considered it this third time around. I haven’t ruled it out (yet) but I’m holding off until our 6-month appointment. From her specialist appointments this past month, I have zero weight worries. She gained and gained with every appointment!

Sleep? Sometimes.

We’ve been super hit or miss this last month. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated. She’s been doing an awful lot of cluster feeding lately (thanks to a growth spurt and teething), so there are many . nights where I’m basically pulling an all-nighter. And then other nights she seems to sleep for 6-hour stretches. It’s weird. I can’t find a pattern. I’m just hoping it levels off soon.

We’re technically still co-sleeping (same room, not bedsharing), but as soon as we’re in the new house she’ll be in a separate room. I know it will be an adjustment, but we’ll all be adjusting to our new home, so fingers crossed that helps.

No more babies.

I honestly cannot wait to spend this holiday season with my little (big?) family of 5. I’m finally comfortable saying “We’re good with three kids. Believe it or not, I was considering a fourth just a few months back. But now that we’ve moved into our new home, I’m ready to settle into our family as it is. I feel like this new house may be our fourth ‘baby’. Ha!

So for now, I’ll just be over here eating up this last baby stage. Ever laugh, every thigh roll, every breastfeeding punch, and every sleepless night… I’ll just eat it all up.

Happy 5 months, Mila Rose. ♥ ♥

Finding My Village with Walgreens and TYLENOL®

December 4, 2018 by Rachel 11 Comments

Use as directed.
Momming ain’t easy, friends. One of the hardest parts of ‘momming,’ in my opinion, is the uncertainty. Bottle or breast? Cloth or disposables? You never know if what you’re doing is the right decision. You just make a judgment call based on the information given to you and make a decision you feel comfortable with… and hope for the best.

I count myself lucky that, over the years, I’ve built up a village of people that I can call upon in times of need. Without any immediate family nearby, my village is comprised of close friends, coworkers, and our Walgreens pharmacist.

I know what you’re thinking… “Your Walgreens pharmacist is part of your village?!” but hear me out. Walgreens is just a mile from our home and is open 24/7/365, which is so convenient! And, as children do, my three kids always seem to be sick in the middle of the night.

… and it’s so darn rough.

As luck would have it, Miss Mila Rose started teething very early (she had one tooth breaking through at just a month and a half old!). A teething newborn is enough to make even the most experienced mom anxious. Seeing a little one in pain, battling a low-grade fever, with tender gums, is truly heartbreaking.

Thankfully Kevin, our local Walgreens pharmacist, was quickly able to help me out in figuring out the dosage of Infant TYLENOL® that is appropriate for our little lady, based on her weight. After doing some quick math, he sent me off with the TYLENOL® and a sticky note with her dosage information and instructions so that I wouldn’t forget (newborn + teething = no sleep and very little memory for this Mama).

Best yet? You can purchase TYLENOL® for just $6.99 (.5 oz, 4 oz. and 24 ct.) and $8.99 (1 oz. and 2. oz) with your Walgreens card through 12/15.

It’s the moments like these — the tiny moments with my village — that have made the biggest impact on me as a mother. I trust that dye-free TYLENOL® will help to reduce the fever and pain in as little as 15-20 minutes, but I also trust that Kevin and Walgreens — the only retailer that carries every flavor — will be there to help guide me at those moments where I need a little bit of extra help.

Like I mentioned earlier — we’re all just doing the best that we can. So draw upon your village and use them as needed. Trust them in the same way I trust Kevin and TYLENOL® with my family.

Who is part

of your village?

Use as directed.