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Summer Lovin’ // our summer in photos

July 12, 2019 by Rachel 16 Comments

Oh, HI! I didn’t mean to take a 10-ish day break from writing, but I have THE BEST excuse…

… we’ve been doing ALL THINGS SUMMER!

Oh — and we got a puppy. Because obviously, I make the best decisions. Ha! Her name is Lady and she’s a 12-week old terrier mix we adopted from a local shelter. The kids adore her and I am desperately trying to break her of her nipping habit.

But in addition to the puppy, we’ve been keeping busy with all things fun. From going to the library, to hitting up the splash pad, and everything in between.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not trying to keep my kids “busy” all Summer long. We have LOTS of downtime, too. We have quiet time at least once a day (whether it be in the form of naps or iPad or books).

But those spaces in between? That’s where the memories are made. They might not remember the details, but they’ll remember the fun. They’ll remember the fun of their first trip to Waterworks; they’ll remember the milkshakes and the popcorn; they’ll remember they caught goldfish (and named them Goldie + Jonathan).

And I’ll remember their smiles and contagious laughter. And it will be enough to get us through until the next Summer. ♥ ♥

What are you doing

 

to make the most

 

of your Summer?

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, busy mom, children, cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls, explore locally, Explore Ohio, family, live happy, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, summer, Summer Bucket List Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, being a mom, busy mom, children, cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls, explore locally, explore Ohio, Live Happy, mommyhood, motherhood, NEO, ohio, parenthood, pictures, summer, Summer Bucket List

Remy Bea // Three

February 5, 2019 by Rachel 11 Comments

One day I’ll be the mom that is on top of everything. This is not that time, friends. Hence, a belated birthday recap for my middle child — the one who keeps me on my toes — Remy Bea.

Remy Bea turned 3 on January 23rd. I’m in disbelief. Absolute disbelief.

It seemed like just yesterday that she came bursting into our world — faster than expected and with a full head of hair!

Since that day, she’s been full of spunk and sass. Her first year of life made me literally question whether or not I could survive my battle of postpartum depression and anxiety. It was really, really awful and I was not in a good place.

But soon after her first birthday, we settled into a routine that was — dare I say it — enjoyable! Her spunk and sass went from “threatening” to hilarious. She was an absolute joy!

Thank goodness, right?? Well, that joy of a child made me so brave in my pursuits of motherhood that I decided to have a third. And at some point between getting pregnant with baby number three and her arrival, Remy Bea turned into a full-fledged terrible two-year-old.

Over the last year, we’ve been learning a lot about one another. I know that she is incredibly strong-willed — which I keep reminding myself will suit her well through her adolescent and early adult years.

 

She is smart and brave and funnier than most other people I’ve met. She will light up a room with her smile and tell you exactly what is on her mind. She will steal your snacks and convince you to share your food with her. She will sing you her favorite songs and encourage you to ‘try your best.’

And I love every part of her — every painful, every stubborn, and every wonderful part of her.

Happy (belated) third birthday, Remy Bea. I love you a bushel and a peck. ♥

Filed Under: #MomLife, birthday, family, live happy, mommyhood, parenthood, pictures, Remy Bea Tagged With: #MomLife, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, children, family, life with a toddler, Live Happy, mommyhood, motherhood, parenthood, pictures

Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Tacos

January 18, 2019 by Rachel 12 Comments

Something I’ve wanted to do desperately over the last 4 years is to feel more comfortable cooking meals for my family. Thankfully, over the last year, I’ve gotten a lot more confidence when it comes to trying and creating new meals — in large part due to my beloved Instant Pot!

One of our absolute favorites right now is this Pulled Chicken Taco recipe. We use fresh tortillas (these are our favorites), garnished with sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and the sharpest shredded cheddar I can find!

I played around quite a bit with the salsa variations (less, more, and different flavors), but this seems to be spot on! Additionally, this is the type of meal where if you want to make it ahead and then throw it in the refrigerator for the next day, the chicken will just continue to soak up those delicious juices!

I hope you enjoy! Please tell me what you think!

[gmc_recipe 13755]

 

 

Filed Under: brews + food, busy mom, cooking, Instant Pot Recipes, pictures, recipe Tagged With: brews + food, busy mom, cooking, Instant Pot Recipes, pictures, recipes

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. ♥ ♥

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, busy mom, children, family, life, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, pictures Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, being a mom, busy mom, children, family, life, mommyhood, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, pictures

Mila Rose // 4 Months

October 29, 2018 by Rachel 15 Comments

Time flies, friends. It truly does. And this past month has been nothing short of a whirlwind. So much so, in fact, that I totally missed Mila’s 4-month milestone. No joke. By that, I mean that it was days — days! — before I realized she was 4-months-old, not 3-months-old.

Third kid problem? Yep. Girlfriend better get used to this. Ha!

So the good news is that the 4-month sleep regression that popped up early for us last month seems to have passed, but we’re now struggling to nap for longer stretches during the day. Sure, it’s a bit of a bummer, but I have a feeling it has to do with the three teeth she’s cutting presently.

The first tooth I mentioned last month still hasn’t made its way through completely, but it’s since been joined by two others cutting through her poor gums. So we’re dealing with the fussiness that comes along with that, but we’re managing.

She’s garnered the nickname Scooter from Mimi + Poppy because she will lay on the ground on her back and somehow manage to scoot all over the living room! And she’s still rolling over from back to belly over and over and over again.

And she’s found her little voice. Her favorite thing to do is laugh at her brother and sister — especially when they pretend to fall down. Between the laughter, babbling, and blowing raspberries, this child is LOUD. I suppose she has to be with two other crazy kids in the house, right?

We also had her four-month appointment with her pediatrician. She’s weighing in at 11 pounds 15 ounces, which puts her at 7.5 percentile on the growth chart. And her medical team is a little concerned because she also has what appears to be a circulation issue (they’re thinking likely Raynaud’s disease), but coupling that with her slow weight gain means that we have to make a trip to see a pediatric cardiologist and pediatric dermatologist to rule out any underlying heart issues.

Other than that, this little lady is doing wonderfully! She is happy as can be and truly a joy to have as a part of our little family. ♥ ♥

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, children, family, mommyhood, parenthood, pictures Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, being a mom, children, family, mommyhood, motherhood, parenthood, pictures

Mila Rose // 2 Months

August 22, 2018 by Rachel 20 Comments

I. cannot. believe. it’s. been. two. months! SERIOUSLY. It feels like she’s been around for way longer, but also? HOW is it already two months since her birth!? Crazytown. That’s how.

But real talk — I’ve been holding out on telling you something. Because I’ve been afraid to say it out loud:

Mila is such an easy baby. There. I said it.

It’s been one of those situations where I’m afraid to say it out loud. But here I am… saying it. She’s a really good baby.

She’s a great sleeper, she’s a wonderful napper, and she’s an overall happy baby. And I’ve just been afraid to tell you out of fear that I would jinx it.

From the night we brought her home from the hospital and slept for 5.5 hours straight, I was spoiled. Since then, she’s been sleeping regularly from 8:00 PM to 3:00 or 4:00 AM. So, basically, waking up at 3 AM and then again at 7 AM. That’s a huge change from my previous children. Having had two children that were awful newborns, I’m certainly not used to this.

But, after Mila’s two month well checkup, I’m learning to accept that this is real life.

She’s just a fantastic baby. And if she was my first baby, I would have 17 babies. She’s easy. She sleeps. She eats well. She is (mostly) happy. She is lovely. Truly… lovely!

While I still have moments of postpartum hormones (anxiety and sadness), it’s been fairly manageable. I suppose that’s one of the joys of having an easy baby.

But just do me a favor, okay? Please reach over and knock on wood for me. I’m still just a tad bit superstitious. 😉

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, busy mom, children, family, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, pictures, postpartum Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, baby girl, being a mom, children, family, mommyhood, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, pictures, postpartum

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