postpartum

a teething newborn is the absolute worst.

April 8, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Truth. I wouldn’t wish a teething newborn on anyone. Know what’s worse than a teething 6-month old? A baby that still does not have head and neck control, but is somehow popping teeth through; a baby that is just beginning to sleep longer than 2 hours a night, but is somehow popping teeth through; a baby that is just getting the hang of nursing, but is somehow popping teeth through their teeny, tiny, tender gums.

That, my friends, is the absolute worst. That is, in fact, what mommy nightmares are made of.

I’ll admit — we had it easy with Ari. I think I remember, like, one serious teething incident. But otherwise? Nothing. This time around is a whole other ballgame. She’s constantly cranky. Not normal cranky. Screaming cranky. It’s horrifying. Absolutely horrifying.

I want to die. But instead? I cry. Not one teething ring will work — they are too small to fit into her mouth. She is constantly drooling and sticking her hand in her mouth. A teething baby is completely bizarre to me — let alone a baby that barely even knows day from night!

We have an amber teething necklace, but it’s too big for her neck. Which is weird; because these necklaces are practically scary small.

Our world is currently a cluster of tylenol and hylands teething tablets. And I’m not sure either work. It. Sucks. No other words can describe it.

In other news, it appears that her colic is beginning to subside. You know, just in time for the teething rage to take over! Ha! It’s really not funny, but I have to find the humor in it or I will otherwise lose my mind!

Funny thing is, when we’re out in public, people will comment on her hair. It never fails. Someone will say “Just LOOK at all of her HAIR! How old is she!?” And I’ll say, “Ten weeks.” And I don’t just stop there. Nope. Parent oversharer here. I’ll continue to say, “And she’s already teething!”

As if to say, “Do you F’in believe my life right now?!” And I absolutely love Mommy strangers… because they DO get it. And they commiserate with me. No one wants to be the mom with the teething newborn.

One woman actually said, “Well at least she didn’t have teeth when she was born!” To which I actually thought … it might have been nice because she was also a nightmare in my womb and she might as well have had a full mouth of teeth the day she was born. Ha!

The one thing I can remind myself is the ONE thing I will never say to a brand new mom… and that is… that this moment will not last forever. Cause to a new mom knee-deep in colic/teething/sleep regression, they just don’t (and can’t) understand that.

Ahh, the wisdom of a second child. The understanding that I *will*, in fact, sleep again; Remy will sleep through the night; and someday in the distant future, I will stop smelling like spoiled milk.

So basically life with a newborn can be summed up by saying “it sucks, but I’ll survive.”

The Only Banana Bread Recipe You Will Ever Need

March 30, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

Since I lost my job in December (eek – still stings a little to say!) I’ve been upping my domesticity game in a major way. Not only have I been keeping myself on a ‘cleaning schedule’ [ugh — that sounds terribly domestic], but I’ve also been trying to stay on a meal schedule of some sort.

And that includes breakfast.

Sure, it doesn’t always work out the way I want it to; but I stick to a ‘semi’ plan — which is helpful. I’m not going to lie — a lot of our breakfasts have included Organic Pop Tarts (yep – we’re totes real AND crunchy granola like that). But about every other week I make this AhhhMAZING banana bread and we can’t help but eat it morning, afternoon, and night. Seriously.

[gmc_recipe 9465]I can’t help but cut myself a piece while it’s still warm. I toast it for a few minutes and put a teeny bit* [*relative term] of butter on it… life-changing!

So please — if you’ve got some bananas on the counter that are turning an ugly color, consider putting them to good use with an awesome banana bread recipe! You won’t be mad. I promise. 😉

Remy Bea // 2 Months

March 29, 2016 by Rachel 2 Comments

Little Miss Bea turned 2 months old last week — and we welcome this milestone with sleep regression and lots of teething.

Yep. You read that right — teething. Already. In fact, Little Miss has been teething since she was 6 weeks old, but it wasn’t until 2 relatives and our pediatrician confirmed it that I began to truly accept that my newborn is, in fact, already trying to pop teeth through. {{ Insert huge UGHHHH here }}

Here’s how the rest of our 2nd month went:

She started to sleep at night*. (*This is a relative term for newborns. By ‘sleep at night’ I mean she would wake, nurse, and fall directly back to sleep.) Which was awesome!
Her hair turned from dark, dark, brown to a lighter shade of brown. I wouldn’t quite call it ‘light brown,’ as of yet. But I’m certain it will get there at some point. Neither myself nor Chad were particularly dark-haired children. I was at birth, but it got much lighter further into my childhood.
Nursing has gotten a tad bit more difficult. I’ve been using a nipple shield (due to my heavy supply) and since she began teething, she hasn’t been latching the same as before. She’s still getting enough milk, but the latch issue is just uncomfortable. We’re working on it, though! I’m determined to nurse for a full year!
She weighs 9lbs 1.5oz! She was 8lbs 6oz at her 1-month checkup, so yet another gain is great! However, that puts her at the 5th percentile for weight. I’m not worried and neither is the doc. She’s been tiny since birth and so was Ari. She’s still on the curve for where she should be!
That being said, she’s in the 50th percentile for height at 22 inches! Ari has never ever been anywhere near the 50th percentile for height (we never broke 10th percentile), so this is hilarious! 🙂
We’re still going strong with the colic, which is a major, major, bummer. There was one day last week where Chad came home from work to a screaming baby and a crying wife. Not just crying — bawling. It was horrible. Luckily, he saved the day. He forced Remy to take a bottle that night so that I could sleep. And sleep I did! — Plus I got to spoon Ari all night! It was perfect! Well, aside from the colicky baby and crying, it was perfect.
Oh — she won’t take a bottle. Well, she took a teeny bit that night. But mostly she won’t. It’s been a constant struggle. Which is ironic, considering Ari never latched and would only take a bottle of expressed milk.

It’s still amazing to me that a whole other month has flown by. For whatever reason it feels like she’s always been a part of our family. It’s strange. A good strange, but strange, nonetheless.

And regardless of how awful this past month was, my heart is still very, very, happy. ♥

PS. Is it too soon to start planning her first birthday party!?

Also, do you KNOW how difficult it is getting a decent picture of a colicky + teething two month old!?!?

life update

March 24, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Since Remy Bea was born (you know… TWO months ago), life has been a roller coaster, which I’ve talked about. Extensively. Like, extensively. And this here blog has suffered the wrath of long days and nights… By the time I have a few moments to myself to sit down at my computer, I just stare at a blank screen — sometimes for an hour or more — just trying to put words into sentences. But I promise — we have actually had a life over these last 8 weeks — we have actually had fun!

Lavish Salon + Cleats // Fundraisers For My Cousin

My cousin’s 9-year old daughter has been hospitalized for over 7 months now, awaiting surgery to have her pancreas completely removed. Friends of hers arranged two benefit fundraisers for the family and their expenses.

The first fundraiser was at Lavish Color Salon on Valentine’s Day. 100% of the proceeds + tips went directly to my cousin and her family. Haircuts, makeup, nail polish changes, basket raffles, and pictures with Elsa + Olaf were aplenty!

Ari l-o-v-e-d Elsa! At first he was a bit standoffish; but after he warmed up to her, he literally chased her around the salon.

The second fundraiser was at Cleats Restaurant in Chardon. They shut down the restaurant because the turnout was so huge! It was packed! It was wonderful to see such a great turnout for such a wonderful cause! And it happened to be such an amazingly beautiful day.

NOTE: Just before I went to post this I noticed that Gia was featured in a video from The Today Show!

Therapy dogs bring joy, happiness back to kids at children’s h…“Gia had been so sick every single minute of the day. Months and months went by with us not seeing a smile on her face or joy in her eyes, and the first experience of seeing our little Gia back was when she and Drummer got together.”

Posted by Today Show on Wednesday, March 23, 2016

{if you feel so inclined to donate, or just to read the story of Gia, please go here.}

The Akron Art Museum // Tots Create

It’s no secret that I freaking love the Akron Art Museum. It’s a wonderful asset to our community (no, I’m not [yet] a member and have literally zero skin in this game). Their Free Thursdays are the bomb dot com. But they also host amazeballs events, including Creative play dates for tots!

This is me: “You mean my kid can make a mess at YOUR place and I don’t have to freak?? DEAL.”

In the last month we’ve gone to two Tots Create events with Ari’s friend Veronique (and her mom, Betül). He has had so much fun — and released so much creative energy!

The Library // Story Time + Cooking Demos

Sigh – the library! Such a hidden gem! Our childrens section of our library here in Cuyahoga Falls has just gone through a major renovation. It is amazing! Ari loves the ‘puters [aka computers], which are kid-friendly in their bright colors and fun mouse! I’m impressed at how easily Ari has caught on to using a computer!

In addition to the computers, he has absolutely loved story time. Story time, at this age, consists of a ‘warm up’ song to get them singing and moving, before settling in for a series of short stories. It’s wonderful and engaging!

Another local library does other events like cooking demonstrations! Chad has taken Ari to a couple of these demos and events! I’m not certain if Ari has taken much away from it (I’ve not gone with them — Mama needs a break once in awhile!), but it’s awesome that these are offered, nonetheless!

The Parks // SOAR + More

I’m not certain if I’ve mentioned this before [though I’m certain I have at one point in my blogs life…], but we have a park in our backyard. Literally. Behind our property line is a park, complete with a toddler wading pool + playground! Unfortunately the playground is a bit out of Ari’s league at this point. It’s a ‘bigger kids’ type of playground.

But about 10 minutes from where we live is SOAR — an amazing wheelchair accessible playground, which happens to also be equally accessible to kids of all ages! Ari loves it — and I love it! Win-win!

We’re so grateful to have had a few really nice days to get outta the house and enjoy some sunshine!

Arts + Crafts // Creativity at Home

Not only have we had several playdates with friends + their kids over the last 6 weeks, but we’ve also managed to get in our share of crafts at home! Much in part to some help from Mimi, Ari has gotten all kindsa crafty!

I, on the other hand, prefer (at this point, at least) to use the Target easy-‘assembly’ craft-type things. Easier. Less-messy. More mom-of-a-newborn friendly. 😛

SO MUCH MORE //

We’ve been hitting up places like Cafe O’Play, The Lego Store, and local coffee shops with friends to pass the time. As hard as the days are, it oftentimes helps to have a ‘change of scenery’ — for all of us!

Mama’s Night Out // Paint Nite + CIFF Preview Party

I’ve had one semi-successful “night out” without Remy Bea. I went to a Paint Nite event with a dear friend. It’s, like, my 10th paint + wine night in the last 3 years. The one I recently went to was…. disappointing, to say the least. But I did get out for a night and get creative!

My first painting for Miss Remy Bea. ?? #latergram #paintnite #akron #RemyBea

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:51am PDT

I also had the chance to attend the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) preview party at the Akron Civic Theatre!

I will never get tired of this view. @akroncivic #ciff40 #akroncivic #wksu #ciff

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Mar 16, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT

I actually brought Remy Bea with me to this event. Not only did I see previews for a ton of movies I want to see, but Remy Bea was a huge hit with the crowd!

So yeah… life has been every emotion under the sun: Fun. Exhausting. Creative. Hilarious. So exciting. Miserable. And mostly just oh so full of life! ♥ I may be exhausted, friends; but my heart is happy.

sunshine + mom-time

March 10, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Friends, ya know what makes postpartum life even more excruciating? Complete lack of sunshine. But the weather gods shone down upon us the last couple of days and blessed us with a 75 degrees in Ohio. In early March, nonetheless!!

This little family has had several really rough days over the last week. Like, 7 straight hours of overnight colicky screaming. Lucky for me, I have my tribe to keep me sane. Sometimes they straight-up force me to be sane… and for that? I am forever grateful.

Well Tuesday my tribe really rallied for me in a big way.

We [meaning the kids + I — gosh, that still sounds weird!] got a slower start to the day than I anticipated. Yeahhhh… I’m still struggling with how much time to allot myself to get ready in the mornings. But, alas, we made it out of the house… and headed to the Lego Store! Last week Ari was supposed to go to the Lego Monthly Mini Build (a free event that the Lego Store holds each month), but he was so sick. And he’s been so bummed ever since. In fact, everyday since, I’ve said “Guess what we’re doing today?” and he’ll reply with, “Going to the Lego Store?” Insert sad face. No, kiddo. Not that. Well, until this past Tuesday. And his little heart was so happy to get to build his Easter Bunny Lego! And I was so happy to see him enjoy himself.

I let him play for as long as Miss Remy Bea would allow (I was babywearing her and she started getting fussy) before we headed to Panera for lunch. Sure, I wanted to go somewhere a tad bit more ‘authentic’ to my lifestyle… but sometimes (aka – when you have two children in tow), my lifestyle is exactly Panera. Ha!

Then I dropped both kids off with my Aunt (whom Ari loving refers to as Grandma Dee!) and headed over to Massage Envy in Beachwood. I had never been before, but I desperately needed a nice, stress-reducing, massage.

I arrived at LaPlace about 30 minutes early so I made a snap decision to really treat myself! Mitchell’s Ice Cream is right there and, considering we do not have one anywhere near us in Akron, I was totally down for a scoop of Wildberry Crumble!

Linda, the manager of the Beachwood locations, welcomed me upon my arrival into the spa. I filled out a Massage Wellness Chart, which is the equivalent of new-client paperwork, and the receptionist was kind enough to bring me an ice water to sip (which was much appreciated after eating that ice cream!).

Before meeting my massage therapist, Robert, the receptionist then brought me back to the waiting and relaxation area. I honestly could have fallen asleep right then and there thanks to a whole new level of exhaustion lately. But just before I drifted off, Robert came to greet me and take me back to my room. He talked to me about my massage and let me know that literally everything was customizable — the temperature of the heated table, the pressure of the massage, the volume of the music, etc. He then advised me that he would step out of the room and I should undress to my level of comfort.

The room was welcoming and relaxing. And my massage was perfection! As strange as it sounds, I haven’t had a whole lot of discomfort since Remy was born… all of my discomfort was felt during pregnancy! Ha! But, it turns out, there was trouble brewing below the surface. In fact, my shoulders, neck, and back were a complete disaster. Completely full of knots. Yeah… I’m not surprised. I carry a toddler and a newborn around nonstop; plus we co-sleep, which means we sleep at awkward angles and positions.

I absolutely loved my massage and the conversation during it! Some people want complete silence during their massages, but not me! It’s totally therapeutic to chat during a massage! Lucky for me, Robert was not only a talented massage therapist, but also a great conversationalist! As a new parent himself, we had a lot to chat about! The hour flew by — which is both a blessing and a curse, right?

By the time I was done, I was not only relaxed, but I was ready to see my babies. Even just being away from two hours is enough to reset and refresh myself. I felt rejuvenated and ready to take on the world! So a huge thank you to Linda and to Robert for the amazing experience at Massage Envy of Beachwood!

If you would like to check them out, visit their Facebook page here and their website here! With an introductory massage starting at just $49.99, you can book a massage at any of the following Beachwood locations: Gates Mills, Lyndhurst, Beachwood, Mayfield Heights, Richmond Heights, and Cleveland Heights. Just call 216-593-0140.

Disclosure: I was contacted by Massage Envy to receive one complimentary hour massage. As always, my opinions and thoughts are my own.

Weekly Mantra //

March 7, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

Guys. I’m holding onto my sanity by a string. Seriously. Remy is so incredibly colicky. And, unfortunately for everyone involved, our household has been hit with the flu in a major way. Chad has been sick since Tuesday evening with fever, chills, etc. And up until this morning, he hasn’t eaten more than a grapefruit. Yep, since Tuesday. One. single. grapefruit.

Also? Ari has been sick with a low-grade fever for several days. He’s okay-ish now, but we had days and days of an exhausted toddler. I thought it was bad that Ari fell asleep on the floor at night the week before?? Oh no… He fell asleep, on the couch, during the day! Whaaat? Yep. Sick kid, fo sho.

Other than sickness and colic, I’ve been doing nada. I am trying so hard to just keep things together. Luckily, we’ve all managed to be fed (minus Chad, who hasn’t eaten); our house is clean (thank GOD for lysol); and we’re alive.

But JESUS H. CHRIST, I would kill for a break. A break from sickness. A mother trucking break from colic would be nice, too. Because colic is a bitch to deal with and definitely doesn’t help with postpartum hormones.

PS. Do you know what it’s like to be blessed with TWO babies that are colicky?? Cause that’s just… lucky.