Reflecting on 2012 and moving Forward

Looking back at 2012, it was officially the best year of my life yet! Now I can't wait to see what next year brings.



January 2012- I was super pregnant and having my baby moon in the Caribbean



2012 My husbands business really took off and allowed me to quit my job of 8 YEARS! Guys, I HATED my job. I love staying at home with my babe.


I had this little monkey. He was a miracle. He came 5 weeks early but is healthy as can be! SO many blessings!

He added the sweetest spirit to our home

My little sis came home from her mission and got to meet her two sweet nephews. :)












I FINALLY went to Harry Potter Land- if you know me you know I am OBSESSED with Harry Potter and it was a dream vacation!


Got to visit lots of fabulous beaches with my favorite guys


On top of that we bough our first custom home and are moving in less than TWO WEEKS!!!


Not a bad year if I do say so myself. :) I am feeling beyond blessed today looking back at the blessing we have received. This gets me excited for 2013. :) Happy New Years guys!!!

Updating My Blog List

Please let me know if you would like to be on my blog list :) I am trying to update things on here since I am going on for round 2!  Plus, I think it's such a good way for us infertile ladies to stay connected! :)

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was going through a box of old stuff and found my planner/calendar from the year we did IVF. Reading through it I almost died seeing my daily schedule...I wanted this baby SO BAD and tried to do everything perfect to make this happen. Not that it always works, but it would say daily affirmations, daily walks and workouts, drinking LOTS of water, working out  (lightly of course- because I was nervous of messing things up), Lupron shots, relaxation techniques, constant doctors appointments (seriously like 2-3 a week)! It's still amazing to me that it really worked the first time. After LOTS of failed IUI's, and months of chlomid I didn't think a positive was possible. I have a phone app that tracks my cycle now- like I said I started it this month. My cycle is due in the next week. Strangest thing is that when I was possibly ovulating this month I got SUPER nauseated...ya know like pregnancy nausea. For a splint second I thought...hmmmm maybe??? Jonny immediately got me a pregnancy test that said negative. I knew it would. I read online I guess you can get nauseated when you ovulate....strange??! This whole normal trying to get pregnant thing is so foreign to me. I feel so out of my element that I just want to call me RE and set an appt right now. Sounds silly to pay another 6 grand or so when I DID get pregnant on my own after Deklan was born. So...now I wait. Deklan is still SUCH a tiny baby to me. He still snuggles. I am loving every minute with this little guy. He is honestly my best friend. He does EVERYTHING with me. Jonny and I decided if nothing happends by March we will go sit down with our RE. Here are a few recent instagram photos of baby boy!

Back Here Again??

Hey guys I'm back! Today is my first day I have had a few hours to myself- and it's my husbands birthday! I am an awesome wife and sent him away golfing. (Sounds like more of a gift to me to get a few hours alone but I swear he likes it!) We have been out of town and when we finally got home we bought a house!! That has had us running ALL over getting ideas on what we want to do to this new place :)

All of the sudden out of nowhere I have been getting THE QUESTION- the one I despised hearing before having Deklan- When are you guys gonna try for number two?? Okay I don't HATE the question as much anymore- but I do feel the pressure. Truth is we were never really preventing. This month is the first month I can honestly say we are "trying." Meaning attempt to count days of the month and such. Because of our previous experience I get nervous counting days. I don't like the idea of testing at the end of the month and possibly getting a negative pregnancy test. Strange thing is if I was still pregnant right now and had not miscarried I would have another newborn here in 20 weeks. Crazy to think about, and I honestly try not to.

 So here we are again. The infertility thoughts of being inadequate are slowly creeping in. My plan is to count days and track my cycle for a few months and see how it goes. I have been regular since Deklan which is totally abnormal for me.  If it doesn't work we will go back to the fertility specialist for round two of in vitro. The thought I could get pregnant again in the next year excites me now! I am excited to experience it all over again. I would kinda like to skip this part and go straight to in vitro. It's SO SO hard on your body- but trying to get pregnant the old fashioned way is SO SO hard on your emotions. With in vitro it's all science. The natural way of trying to get pregnant is scary territory for me. Truth be told I am the happiest I have ever been in my life so I hate to ruin it with trying again. At the same time I WANT MORE BABIES! Deklan is amazing! More amazing than I could have imagined- and I am grateful to have such a precious miracle. I have watched so many of you have your miracle babies, and some of you still struggle or are newly pregnant. This has been such a crazy ride- who's in for round 2???? 2 weeks till my next period....I already feel drained.

MIA

My goodness I can't believe it's been a month since posting on this blog! I am working on updating my family blog over at www.jonnyandbrittany.blogspot.com We have been out of town for two weeks and just getting back into the swing of things- promise to read all your updates soon :) Hope everyone is doing good! I will try to get on here and update sometime this week :) For now I will leave you with this picture of Deklan- he is 6 MONTHS OLD NOW! Can you believe it?!

Sleeping Through the Night

Okay one more post on some baby related tips- hopefully these can help some of you out :)

I'm also seeking advice if any of you have tricks that work!

Let me start by saying Deklan was an AMAZING sleeper since he was born - no joke. The first two months I woke him up every three hours because he was a preemie to eat. After that I started letting him decide when to get up. At first it was twice a night, than once a night, then he would sometimes sleep till 8- 9 am! AMAZING! I was the luckiest mom in the world for reals! This baby NEVER fussed- took naps all day, and slept through the night.

Well, he turned 5 months old and BAM- he totally changed over night! He started being fussy during the day, he was still taking LOTS of naps, but for a week he was waking up every few hours in the night. Part of this problem I will admit was me. I'm a horrible sleeper myself with the worst insomnia- that mixed with waking up to ANY noise he would make was not a good mix. The fussiness I'm pretty sure is teething- which I talked about in my last post, but the sleep- STILL clueless at this point. Could be pain from teething, binky dependency, being spoiled, growth spurt maybe?? I just don't know. He is OBSESSED with his binky. So I decided to stop giving him his binky at night. During the day time naps I still allow for the binky. I tried the no binky at nap time the first day and he screamed for 45 minutes  This was just too much for me- I BALLED. SO far he is doing much better with no binky at night. I think he is still young enough to say that a binky is okay during the day. If he's 4 and walking around with a binky that might be a different story.

 I have however, officially turned my monitor off at night and set my alarm to 5:30 am. THAT way if he does get up for just a few minutes  he will learn to calm himself down and go back to sleep on his own. This terrified me the first night- really the first few nights I haven't slept, hopefully tonight will be different. The first night I woke up at 5:30 to hear him crying- BROKE. MY. HEART. Second night my alarm went off and he was ASLEEP for another few hours!!! WHAT??? So I am starting a bedtime routine. Bath, p.j's, Lavender oil, story, and snuggle time- then bed time. He needs to be somewhat awake when he goes down in his crib, with no binky. All nights so far he has cried ten minutes and then was out! Scheduling naps during the day like that wasn't working. With how much we travel, I just don't think that will work for us. :( I want my child to feel loved and important and yet NOT so spoiled that other people can't stand to watch him.

I also hired a babysitter to come to my house once a week every Tuesday for 4 hours- this way he get's used to us being apart every once in a while and doesn't go through the separation anxiety- at least I HOPE! Plus it gives me a break to run errands or go to the movies with the hubby- let's be honest- WE ALL need a break once in a while. AND in case it was a growth spurt I have been feeding him more and also trying bananas and pears for him once a day. I only give him a few bites since he's so young! http://pinkleblossom.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/startingsolids/ Here was a good blog on when to start with solids.

For you moms or soon to be moms this is a good blog to read on babies sleeping through the night: http://delightfulmomstuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/newborn-sleeping-through-night.html Thank you Aubrey for sharing it with me! REALLY good insight in there! I have a friend lending me a few books to read and hopefully I can share some of that insight as well- HOPEFULLY- he will continue doing better! Here is to a good nights rest! :)

Teething Tips

I am pretty positive Deklan is teething. He is drooling CONSTANTLY- TONS of it!!!! Plus he is chewing on everything in site! Including my arms, hands, pretty much everything is soaked by half way through the day causing us BOTH to need to change- SO I have been doing LOTS of reading on teething- signs and things to relieve the pain and thought I would share for those of you who are going through this or WILL go through this real soon- Hope it helps! The only thing so far I have really tried was the baby oragel- but Deklan HATED that stuff, baby Tylenol  and freezing his binkies. We also bought some of the raspberry binkies, and teething toys which are truly helpful! They look like this:

You freeze them and they work wonders if your baby can hold them in them self! :)

So a few signs your baby is teething: 

• Excessive drooling

• Chewing/biting on just about everything

• Irritability or fussiness

• Sore/tender/puffy gums

• Pull on ears

• Refuse food/nursing/bottles

• Have a rash around the face and neck (from excessive drool)

And a few random ideas I found online that may help :)
~ A frozen bagel-
    YES!  This has helped Jewel a lot!  Just be sure to watch baby closely.  As they gnaw on  the bagel
    and it softens, it can break apart.
~  Cold celery sticks-
     I had no idea that celery was a natural pain killer until a reader mentioned it.  I then 
     researched it a bit, and found out that it is in fact a natural remedy, and has been used as a pain killer
     since 30 AD.  You can real all about the benefits of celery here.
~  Lots of cuddles and love-
     If your babe is having trouble teething, spend as much time as possible cuddled up together.  If you
     nurse, nurse more during this time.  Hey, we can always use an excuse to stay in bed with our babes,
     right? ;)
~ Amber teething necklaces-
    several people suggested amber teething necklaces.  These necklaces offer a natural, drug- free
    alternative to soothing teething tots.  Besides that, they are beautiful, lightweight, and have a lot
    of other homeopathic benefits.  You can read all about amber teething necklaces as well as
    shop a great selection at Amber Artisans.  We just ordered one for Jewel, and I can not wait for it to get
    here!

~  Hyland's Teething Tablets-
     Hyland's Teething Tablets are another great homeopathic teething remedy.  Several readers
     suggested these tablets.  They are made from natural medicines and quickly dissolve once
     they hit babies tongue.  Hyland's also makes a teething gel.
~  Camilia Teething Medicine- 
     yet another homeopathic remedy.  Camilia Teething Medicine is an all natural teething 
      remedy that comes in liquid form.  While we have yet to try this remedy, I love that it comes in  
     sterile single use doses.  Camilia teething medicine can be purchased at Whole Food Markets as well as
     many  local  pharmacies.  Visit their site to find a retailer near you.



~  A cold wash cloth-  
     several readers mentioned a chilled wet wash cloth.  We have since tried it, and it really does help!  Jewel
     loved gnawing on it, and the cool cloth seemed to help alleviate some of the pain.  The cloth was also
     great at catching all of that teething drool- bonus!


~  A cold raw carrot to bite on-
     this tip from a reader was so helpful!  Jewel enjoyed the flavor of the raw carrot.  The coolness helped
     with the pain, and her teeth are not near strong enough to bite into the carrot,  making this a safe and
      very frugal teething tip!


~  Frozen foods- 
     many readers recommended frozen foods.  Some examples of foods mentioned were whole frozen green
    beans, frozen fruit slices, and ice cubes made of juice and then placed in a mesh feeder.  We have tried
    the juice ice cubes, and Jewel loved them!

~  The Teethifier 2 Advanced Back Teether-
     while I have not tried this product, it does look like it would be quite helpful, especially for babies who
     take a pacifier (Jewel doesn't).  You can real more about it here.

~  Baby Orajel-
     Baby Orajel is the #1 recommended teething brand used by pediatricians.  It is an instant relief gel,
     and comes in a pleasant cherry flavor.  We have used this product several times, and it does
     provide some relief.
~  Tommee Tippee Baby Teethers-  
      Tommee Tippee Baby Teethers come in a variety of different styles for every stage of 
      teething.  While some are meant for beginning teethers, others are specifically designed for the later
     stages of the teething process.  I have not tried these products, but they were heavily
     recommended to me, and they look like they would be very helpful. 

Stage two easy reach teether

~  Gripe Water-
     Gripe Water is a home remedy known to help with teething pain.  There are several different kinds
     out there, and all have slightly different ingredients.  One that was specifically recommended  to me in an
     email from a reader was  Little Tummys Gripe Water.
Hope it can be useful to some of you- I know I am going to go try the cold wash cloth. Babies can be SO fussy during teething time- I don't blame them though- OUCH!!! DO you guys have any other things that work- or have tried some of these???

One Year

Feeling full of emotions today.  One year ago today was the day we implanted our ONE embryo. We were full of so much hope (and fear)  all at the same time if that's even possible. Now one year later we have the most amazing special little boy. I had no idea what to expect with in vitro- it was hard work, expensive, emotional, and worth EVERY moment. I would do it all over again times ten for this ONE baby.  He made me a mom. The one thing I wanted in this world more than anything else. The beginning was hard- but as time goes and I get to know him more each day I love him even MORE. I had NO idea it was possible to love someone THIS much. Super mushy I know- but mushy is all I feel towards this little one.

This is a video of our journey. It's long, has some birth footage, and is not completely done. I am planning on shortening the video and posting on face book eventually It will take some time to get it where I want it. For now you can watch the undone video:)  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I cry almost every time I watch the birth moments now. I was totally drugged, loopy, and a little confused at the moment, but I do remember every sound and the feel of his teeny tiny body on mine the first time. After that first hour with him they wisked him away to be in the niccu for a week. That was so hard. I couldn't sleep at night so I would visit my baby as much as I could, but I was scared to touch him. I wish so badly I knew then what I know now because I would have done things differently. I was his mom- I SHOULD have been talking and touching him that very first day. IF I ever run into this again I will know what to do better. Little Deklan is a miracle- MY miracle. He brings an amazing spirit to our home. Happy implantation birthday baby boy! :) You have made our family feel complete and full of life!

A Post On Sorrow

One thing I have had to learn the hard way- is to not compare one person's sorrow to another. I did this a lot with my miscarriage and pretty much any other trial I faced in my life. The day after this mess I cleaned my whole house, worked out, went shopping, and tried my darnest to pretend it never happened. I did this because I felt I had NO RIGHT to be sad. There are too many other people that had been through SO much worse. A good friend of mine texted me and said even if you were 4 weeks pregnant you have the right to be sad about this. It's STILL a loss. I know it doesn't do any good to dwell on it either- BUT I think it's good to acknowledge it, accept it, and move forward. So I decided I needed some way to remember #2. I wrote this little one a letter, kept the pregnancy tests and the t-shirt I made Deklan and packaged it up.

As much as I attempted to pretend I was fine, it came out in "Other" ways that I wasn't. The first night all this happened I took a unisom to sleep. This stuff knocks me out if I take a whole one- so I did. Deklan woke up crying and I woke up sort of in a panic. I wasn't dreaming, but I wasn't fully awake. It was weird-  I woke up grabbed Deklan and put him on the bed next to his dad and gave him a binky- than I started freaking out asking Jonny where our "other " baby was. Sounds crazy I KNOW. I legitimately NO JOKE thought I had another baby in the room I couldn't find. I was pretty frantic about it- Jonny kept asking what are you talking about? He knew I was acting a little crazy so he forced me back down to sleep and took Deklan to go feed him. When I woke up I realized I MUST have been dreaming about this "other " baby or something- obviously I need to mourn this loss so I can move on.

I have been doing my best to mask how I'm feeling about the miscarriage but the truth and reality is that things change when you find out you had a life growing inside you. I was trying hard to figure out why my body felt so icky and bloated and tired- and NOW I know. Deklan was only 3 and a half months- and I was pregnant for 2 months of that! My body is a wreck! I can't help but think what would I had done differently had I known. I feel like if I would have just done something simple like progesterone- the baby would be okay. That guilt eats me up inside and causes SO much anxiety. ONCE again anxiety has creeped back into life. To the point that I CAN"T SLEEP! It's AWFUL! Especially when Deklan is now sleeping a good 8 FULL hours at night and I lay there and WATCH him sleep! WHY you ask? I think partially from a place of fear. Fear that I could loose my little one I do have. During the day I push those feelings aside and just love on my little boy. I have just heard SO MANY horrific tragic stories as of late of wonderful people loosing their children to an unknown disease or a drowning, or all these horrific things I can't seem to get out of my mind! AHH-HELP! Logically I know the liklihood of something happening is small- and that I am being ridiculous to worry about things I can't control, but I can't seem to turn it off at night. I'm sure it has something to do with the miscarriage.

 I am hoping that by recognizing the loss I can move forward. I think the fact that no one really knew about baby #2 made things hard. I WANT that short little life to have meaning. It meant something to me. I don't want him or her forgotten. I have a few family and friends that I would have been pregnant with. It will be hard to see when there baby is due and know that I SHOULD have been due with them. Our babies should be the same age. It's definitely different now, because I am happy for them, but it's still a reminder of what I lost. I feel like it's just a guessing game now. Was this a fluke or will it happen again on it's own? My mom gave me this rose the day after the miscarriage and it has been alive and perfect the past two weeks. Today it started dying. It felt like a reminder that this chapter is over. My sister in law who also went through a miscarriage believes that little soul was just TOO good to make it here on earth. They were so good they got  to go straight back to their heavenly father. I don't know how this works, or if I will see this other little one on the other side, but I hope so. I can feel that our family isn't complete yet. I'm not sure how or when it will be, but for now I'm trying my best to focus on Deklan. Now more than ever, I know what a true miracle life is. It has been ONE YEAR since in vitro- and soon I will be posting Deklan's birth video. :) Almost done with finishing it up :)


Oh and THANK YOU so much for your sweet comments- they all meant so much to me! This community has given me so much comfort in my times of need, and I couldn't be more grateful. :)

Baby #2

I am not even sure where to start with on this post. I have had a million emotions this past week and am still a little unsure on how I feel. I have been super busy these past few weeks with one sister coming home from her mission, one who got married, our first big family vacation, and lots of running around! This past week I was feeling EXTRA tired, totally broke out like crazy, and had LOTS of cramps. I was late on my period (by like 3 weeks) which is totally normal for me so I figured that time of the month was coming. I went to the store and bought some midol for the cramps and JUST in case....a pregnancy test. I went home, took care of Deklan, worked on his room for a while and then remembered I should take the pregnancy test- ya know for kicks and giggles because there was NO way I could be pregnant. The ONLY positive pregnancy test I have EVER gotten was right after in vitro this time around. Anyways, I took the test and didn't even think twice about it. I even thought in my head- I wonder if I will feel sad WHEN it shows up negative. Well it showed up positive.  I almost crapped my pants- sorry for the expression- but SERIOUSLY?!!! Never ONCE in almost NINE years have I got pregnant on my own and the FIRST possible month it could have happened- it DID! My last period was around July 1st (maybe a little before), which put me at around 7-8 weeks pregnant and my baby coming around April!! I. WAS.IN.SHOCK! So I tested again- it instantly showed positive. 

My husband was out of town, due to be back the next night- I didn't want to tell him over the phone- but how was I going to wait TWO DAYS! So I called my sister like twenty times till she picked up. She freaked out with me. All the sudden I was a nervous wreck- even though this is what I wanted- it hit me...TWO BABIES, 11 months apart, possibly TWO nurseries in my home, 2 car seats to lug around. I had JUST got excited about working out and getting my body back into shape- and I have a cruise coming up soon- like I said I panicked! Then I started thinking about how to announce this to Jonny- Deklan was going to be a big brother so I HAD to get him a t- shirt RIGHT? I thought I would pick him up at the airport- meet him at the checkpoint with Deklan wearing his shirt and holding the pee stick...lol NASTY I know- but I thought it would be funny. After searching everywhere in the heat, and lugging my newborn around a million different stores, I decided being newly pregnant I better give up the search and just make one. Who NEEDS a big brother t shirt at 3 months old right?? People just don't have those on hand. Here is what I came up with.

I even made a sign. And when I wrote Baby # 2-  it hit me how excited I was. I was going to have ANOTHER adorable newborn in my home. It will be hard, but OH MY GOSH- it was a miracle to have this happen naturally!

AFter all the hard work and getting SUPER excited it happened. I felt a gush, went in the bathroom and saw LOTS of blood. It was bright red. I remember bleeding a little with Deklan but nothing like this. I had bad cramps and my back hurt pretty bad. I flipped out and called Jonny crying- THAT is how he found out. LAME I know..but it didn't seam appropriate to surprise him and then say p.s I may be having a miscarriage as well. He FREAKED on the phone- he was too excited to let anything get him down. He was in the middle of a meeting and could no longer focus so he left to the airport to try to fly home early. My bishop came over and gave me a blessing, my brother in law picked up Jonny at the airport, and I rested. I knew the ER couldn't do anything at that point and I had set up an ultrasound for Monday. Sunday things got worse. The pain was worse and I had BIG blood clots. It was a rough few days with my emotions going up and down.

I finally got in for an ultrasound today at 1:00. I was A MESS up till then not knowing what to expect. I had heard so  many stories of the ultrasound during a miscarriage ...seeing the baby and no heartbeat, seeing NO baby at all, or seeing a baby WITH a heartbeat and knowing it's going to end soon, or a baby growing in your fallopian tube...ALL of these things scared me. I wasn't crying- just CRANKY and short with my husband...very irritable and confused.

I was in a daze during the appointment and just wanted to be over with it. The Dr. found nothing in the ultrasound. He said he knew one thing as a fact- I was pregnant as of right now in terms of my HCG levels. My cervix was closed meaning I had passed the baby probably. He DID say there could be a TINY chance of me being VERY early pregnant and just not being able to detect it. I HIGHLY doubt that with how much blood I lost and the icky pain. It just felt like a REALLY bad period. I held myself together really well during the whole thing. Then the Dr (who is also a family friend) said you are going to mourn for this baby at some point. It may be now, or it may be in nine months when you were supposed to have the baby- but it WILL happen. I had a little melt down in the office and then left.

To be honest I am doing okay right now. I feel like I have been through worse at this point. And I am just so incredibly grateful for baby Deklan AND to have even GOTTEN pregnant in the first place.  I went shopping and spent way too much money after all this to help me feel better. Tried to look at the positive side of all this- that I got pregnant AT ALL on my own.

The hardest part was not knowing how to feel. I felt guilty for being sad when I have been, because HOW could I be sad when I have this amazing baby right here with me and I had only known I was pregnant for a few short days. When I felt okay for the moment, I felt guilty for feeling okay when I was loosing baby #2 and could never get that exact child back. The one WE MADE outside of a petri dish. The sadness is coming from a place of what this child would have been like in our family...was it a boy- a girl? What would they have looked like? I don't like that the Dr. left things a little up in the air. I don't like that feeling in the back of my mind that MAYBE just MAYBE there is a baby there. I also feel SO SO SO incredibly guilty for the past few weeks running around like a mad woman for weddings, vacations, and other things like that. I was to say the least a STRESS BALL this past month with family drama going on. I felt like this all contributed and if I would have known I would have taken better care of myself...better care of my baby.

For now I am going to wait a few months on trying to get pregnant again- or LACK of some form of birth control. My body NEEDS to heal. I need to heal. I can't handle another miscarriage right now. Feeling this little bit of pain makes me feel so much for all of you ladies that have dealt with this several times. And ESPECIALLY for those of you who lost your babies further along. It hurts to feel that your bodies failed you on something so important- on sustaining that beautiful life. Life is precious...and fragile. Baby #2 will always have a special place in my heart.

These difficult times and trials have helped me to realize how beautiful life truly is. How things that seam so big in life are sometimes NOT worth worrying about. I am talking about drama and silly friends. I am going to soak up EVERY moment with my son- and hold him even tighter tonight.

Oh the Possibilities!

Remember how I ranted and raved about how amazing this guy was?? This is Dr. L. (From Advanced Fertility Care) This man literally changed our lives. He is so sweet and humble that he wouldn't take credit for his hard work- said it was all the man upstairs. But I truly believe that Heavenly Father gave him a talent to help make others families possible. He is honestly THE BEST! I would travel out of state if I needed to to help us again. I am OH SO excited to come back to this amazing clinic to use Deklan's frozen brothers and sisters that are hanging out in his office right now :)- 7 of them to be exact! Ladies if you are looking for someone GO TO DR. LARSEN! He is caring, understanding, and knows what's best! I trusted him in putting in one embryo and it all turned out the way it was supposed to.:)

 Deklan got to meet his new girlfriend he has been hanging out with since in the womb. My coworked/good friend Sheila did in vitro 4 weeks after me with Dr. L and we both came out with babies! SO exciting!!! Isn't she CUTE!!!!! Since Deklan was early they are about 2 months a part :)

 Jonny holding little Skarlet

 Dr. L with out little miracle babies- we couldn't be more grateful! We waited for this day for a long time :)

Excited/nervous to go through in vitro again- we are looking to maybe do this around Deklan's first birthday if it doesn't happen on it's own- rigorous I know- but hey! We waited 8 years for our fam so we are trying to catch up! Thank you to Dr. L and his amazing staff for helping us through such tough times! WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Favorite Baby Items So Far :)

I decided to put together a list for those soon to be moms out there. I know these helped me a lot in making my purchases. Although my hubby decided to buy everything under the sun anyways- haha!

SO the Nose Frida: This item sounded SO nasty to me when I heard about it- you literally use this device to SUCK the boogers out of your child. Do't worry- there is a piece to stop anything from ever actually getting back to you- but it WORKS! I think it was around $17- but it saved me some nights when Deklan was congested and couldn't breath. The normal ones they give you at the hospital don't get everything and are too big for their tiny noses. So a little saline solution plus this get's the job done!


The Boppy: The first few weeks being that Deklan wouldn't latch I assumed this was an unnecessary item. Now I LOVE IT! He uses it to prop himself up, he sleeps really well in it too. Another hint- buy your cover on etsy- cheap and WAY cuter! :)






Zipper onsie pajamas- WITH fold over hands. LOVED THESE! In the middle of the night when you don't want to snap up one THOUSAND snaps the zipper is quick and easy and fast- making it much more likley to not FULLY wake the baby up while changing him. Also mittens just fell off Deklan so the pajamas that ALSO had the hands that would overlap would help him from scratching himself. If I could redo things I would buy NONE of the non zipper type for the newborn stage.


So far the boppy has failed me...:( Totally disappointed although he may grow into it more as time goes- we'll see. As of right now he will only sit in it 5 minutes before crying to get out. BUT he does love his swing and we also LOVED his newborn sleeper we got him :)









We never did buy a bouncer because it was really never needed. His sleeper rocked and is portable- awesome for bringing him to a babysitters, traveling, or hanging out at the house. He slept in it the first few months and is now in his crib :) It keeps the baby at an incline to help with reflux as well. :)

We DO actually use our wipe warmer- and we like it :) Again keeps him sleepy at evening feeds which is nice :)

I actually LOVE my homemade moby wrap I got as a gift! I use it ALL THE TIME. Deklan loves to feel snuggled :) I actually like it better than the Moby because it's far less fabric and much LIGHTER for the summer! A baby Katan is I think what they call the lighter weight one :) I would suggest those instead- you can buy them HERE My hubby also just got the ergo carrier for him- we love it so far and are excited to try it out in Florida next week- much more sturdy for long trips.



For the stroller we got the city mini GT - LOVE it! At first ours came with a faulty wheel- had to get it replaced but once we did it works PERFECT! Very easy to use and lightweight which I LOVE! :)

Homedics Sound Spa Lullaby Relaxation Machine  

Also LOVE this item! Deklan has his on every night- it has different lullabies and soothing sounds and also a light projection giving images up on the ceiling. This is nice to add a little light into the room. 

To ADD to the wipe warmer we also got the organization system for the diaper area to go with it- LOVE this! It keeps everything nice and handy and easy to get to. 

We also got a second car seat base so we had one for both cars which has been super convenient since we never really know what car we are going to take for the day. We used the Chicco KeyFit carseta because it was lightweight- so glad we chose this option now!

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For a diaper pail we got the Dekor Plus- I will swear by this thing! It has no smell- hold LOTS of diapers & best of all you can use any bag on it. However I prefer the refill bags because you cut the bottom of the bag, tie it, and toss it- it's SUPER easy and makes good use of all the bag.


These are just a few of my favs so far- I'm sure I will be adding to this as I go- hope it can help some of you out there. :) Oh and another item I don't use much is the bath tub- I somewhat find it to be an annoyance to get out each time- and it's just in the way. I would say use your sink or take a bath with them- Deklan LOVES that :)

month one all over again...

I have felt SUPER icky all week :( Unfortunately AND fortunately started my first period again. It was painful and awful. At the same time it's a reminder that my body is working right now after all. My lack of pumping/breastfeeding as of late and attempting to start running again I think brought it on. I SHOULD pump again- it's just extremely frustrating to do 8 times a day to do it right. I have been cleaning out my garage and came across this...

My oh so familiar sharps container full of a gazillion needles I shot into myself to be able to have my little miracle. It reminded me of last year and all the hopes and dreams I had to finally bring a baby home. I held Deklan a little longer tonight, kissed him even more than I normally do (which is A LOT!) :) and said a quick prayer to say thank you for the amazing little boy who got sent to our home. It's hard to imagine that this little 9 pound baby boy will soon be walking talking, playing, dating, and all that other fun stuff a boy does :) He still amazes me every day. He smiles now and coo's and wants to grow up way too fast for me. He is squishy, squeaky, and oh so lovable!! I will have lots more pics and videos of him on my other blog though. :)

On a sad note we got rid of our dog Lexi this week. She got me through some REALLY tough times. including comforting me through the infertility. So I felt awful about finding her a new home. I felt even more guilty she wasn't getting the love and affection she deserved once Deklan came home. She was always out back in the heat and didn't get the chance to love on her as much. Our house cleaner lady is all alone here and took her and said she follows her around everywhere now and LOVES the attention! Made me so happy to hear- plus I can visit anytime I want since she is only a few miles away! I will miss this little fluffer!