Five on Friday

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It's Friday, need I say more? I spent my first night alone [my son was with me of course] EVER last night. I was sorta dreading the whole idea like a lot. I was fine! Caught up with this season's Project RunwayMy son slept through the night last night, woke up super happy. Ahh, today is a good day so far!

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Yesterday we used the Jumperoo finally. Haha we, like I was in it. Little mans feet almost touch the ground so I let him play. He loved it! Ear to ear smiles from him. 

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I started looking for Christmas stockings this week! Yup, it's not even fall yet and I'm thinking about Christmas :) I am so undecided but I know for sure I want them monogramed and I want them to be more of a classic style so they will fit any theme we choose to go with for the year. I don't want to re-buy them often.  

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Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Lattes...I will be making a trip there a.s.a.p. to indulge in one! 

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I love a good random post. I have been so busy lately and haven't had much time to sit down and write. 

So what are your Five's on Friday?

Twitter

Ok so I'm a little late to join Twitter, but I finally made one for the blog!

Follow me @SimplyIMeBlog

Happy Thursday :)

I Said I Would Never...

This weeks topic was a little challenging. I haven't been a Mom for long enough (at least I think so) to have a lot of "never" moments.

So far I said I would never...

Co-Sleep. I know a few people who co-sleep and their kids are still pretty young but they want there bed back and are having a hard time transitioning the kids out. I made the mental note to not co-sleep after hearing this. Well, that went out the window after night 2 of being home with baby. If any of us were going to get any sleep he needed to be close to us. I think around the time he was 2 weeks old he started sleeping in his bassinet and now he is in his crib, in his own room. I freaked out at first but look at that, no traumatic transition :)

Cloth Diapering Part 2

**This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own, and no compensation was provided**

My very first blog post was about my decision to cloth diaper, you can read about it here. It was a huge decision and thankfully my husband was all for it. I didn't start off cloth diapering, in fact I waited a long time, nearly 3 months! There was no real reason other than my son looked huge in them so I kept waiting it out. About 2 months ago I started finally started using cloth and I am kicking myself in the butt for not starting sooner!

Our diaper of choice is the Flip hybrid system. It is a one size diaper fitting babies 8-35 pounds (roughly). There is a series of snaps that can be adjusted to accommodate the size of your baby.

The outer cover is made of PUL and comes with either a stay-dry or organic cotton insert. We chose the stay dry insert because my little man is a heavy wetter and HATES being wet. The insert has size indicators making it easy to fold into the cover. 

When the diaper is dirty you can literally flip the insert into your diaper pail, wipe the cover clean and use it again. I reuse the same cover twice before grabbing a new one. As far as a stinky goes, in my experience the outer cover gets messy too therefore it all goes to wash. I have not had one blow out, which used to be normal for every stinky. Now I mentioned a diaper pail. I have a flip top garbage from Target and a Planet Wise pail liner. 

10 Survival Tips for Expecting Mom's

I am linking up with Becky again! I am a new mom so the only survival tips that I can offer are for those who are expecting their first baby. I cannot even fathom what this list will look like when I am pregnant the second time around a really long time from now!

1. SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP! If your a new mom you won't know what hit you once your sleep is all off. It's going to take a few weeks months to adjust. You can't bank sleep but you can enjoy an undisturbed rest for as long as you can.

2. Take advice with a grain of salt. You are going to get a lot of it, which makes this post a little ironic. People are going freely offer you advice all the time. You will hear how to speed up your labor, how to parent, which carseat is best, which brand of diapers is best, that you really don't need that (even if you really want it) that breastfeeding is best or that formula is best...you are the mother. YOU get to decide what is BEST. Just take it all in maybe one day you might use that advice depending on what is happening.

3. Accept help. Like advice people are going to offer help and you should certainly take it. After giving birth you are going to be sore and cleaning the bathrooms, heck going to the bathroom is painful. Let someone do that for you. Someone wants to bring over dinner while visiting with baby, take it! I was hesitant to accept help right off the bat. I wanted to settle in as a family of 3 for a couple of days. My husband did a lot, but after a few sleepless nights we both were exhausted. By day 3 I welcomed help from my Mom with open arms. She cleaned my house, I'm sorta a neat freak and it was driving me insane that things were not in their place. She cooked us dinner, and watched our son while I took the longest shower ever. I am so thankful for all her help :)

4. Back away from Google. Google can be really helpful or have you self diagnosing your newborn with all sorts of things. You are going to have leftover pregnancy hormones and freaking yourself out will only make it worse. Take it from me, I had a few Google freak outs and my husband had to reassure me that my son was just fine.

5. Trust your instincts. Good follow up from Google right? In all seriousness trust your maternal instincts. Doctors, friends and family don't live with you and see your baby on a daily basis. Do what works for you and trust the decisions you are making and stick with it :)

6. Set time aside for yourself. This is so important. You are going to be so consumed taking care of your baby that you will probably forget to make time for yourself. In the first 2 weeks this felt virtually impossible to make happen but we made it work. My me time was polishing my nails twice a week (I am a bit nail obsessed). I felt put together with freshly polished nails and it gave me some time to just relax, nails have to dry right? I have so much more me time now and one of my favorite things to do is to read. I love blogging too, I'm working on being more consistent :)

7. Don't neglect your significant other. Somewhere around the time my was son was 2 or 2.5 months old he started going to bed at a more reasonable hour. After I put him to bed instead of my husband and I crashing the second he fell asleep, we stayed up to start watching a new TV series. It was nice to have some alone time again.  Fast forward 2.5 months and we stay up late like we used to, sleep really does get better.

8. Plan ahead. Planning ahead will save you a lot of time when you are trying to leave the house. Leaving for the first time is going to feel like a production. The first time we left was to the 2 day doctor appointment. The appointment was at 9 AM and I got up at 7:30...what was I thinking?? I had to get myself ready, feed my son, get him ready....we were running out the door at 9:40. Lesson learned. The diaper bag is always packed and ready to go. I always clean it out when I get home so leaving is that much faster. Plan for the stinky diaper before you leave, or the spit up on the fresh outfit. Leaving the house will get easier over time.

9. Relax & enjoy being a mom. Yeah this one seems impossible but you have the time, trust me. I had to take my own advice several times. I am not one who sleeps when baby sleeps, I have too much energy by the time he goes down for a nap and I think of the long to do list I have. If your baby falls asleep in your arms there is seriously no need to rush to put them down the second they fall asleep. I dont believe you can spoil them! Before your baby turns 1 they will be on the move and those sweet snuggle moments will be lost. Enjoy them, there is nothing like it in the world!

10. Capture your memories. Self explanatory! I had a pregnancy journal and am so happy that I kept up with it until week 37. I am looking forward to sharing my sons journey into the world with him someday. Also take lots of pictures and videos, they change so much! But also know when to stop and just enjoy that cute moment with your baby.

Motherhood is amazing, there is no manual, or right or wrong way to do things. Have fun and enjoy the ride :)

My Goals as a Mother

Another week linking up with Becky. I have been a mother for such a short time and let me tell you I think this was my true calling in life. Getting this post started was hard, I never thought about my goals as a Mother before. I'm so glad I figured out my goals and I can't wait to look back at them someday.

Have fun  growing up I remember my parents took my brother and I to the park a lot, and played for hours on end with us. My Dad even played Barbies with me. We built forts and slept on the hideaway bed every weekend just becuase we could. In this day age electronics have taken over. I feel as though handing your child an iwhatever all the time takes the place of just having fun with them! I don't remember playing with a bunch of electronic stuff (probably because there wasn't that much then) but I do remember having fun with my parents those memories are really special to me and I want the same for my kids. (This also applies to me, having the camera out is one thing but being glued to the phone, ipad or computer takes away from time spent with my son. I don't ever want to hear him say "my mommy is always on her phone/ ipad") I want them to remember the amazing forts we make, fun shaped pancakes on a Saturday morning and the nerf gun wars we will get into. 

Patience this is a big one for me! I have the tendency to get impatient in life and I don't want to be an impatient mother. I want to enjoy each stage in life, even the hard ones. I guess that's where my patience will be tested the most. I want to find a way to always do things calmly even if that means walking away for a moment to compose myself before reacting to a situation. I believe in discipline but, I don't believe it should ever be based on how anger. I never want to lose my patience and end up regretting something I said that may have hurt their feelings. 

Show the true meaning of love I am head over heels in love with my husband. He is a wonderful man and a true blessing to me. I want my children to see this. I want them to know what love looks like. I want them to see how two people in love treat each other and that at times they don't always agree on things. We hold hands and kiss often and it's not something we will not stop doing...I'm not talking making out in front of them, I'm talking the kind of a kiss when my husband comes home from work. There will come a day when they start to find love and when they do they will know how they are to treat the other person as well as how they should be treated.

Listen I want my children to know that they can tell me anything. I never want them to feel nervous to tell me things because they don't want to disappoint me. I want them to know that we will get through tough stuff as a family and they are never alone in this journey we call life. 

Stay in The Word I grew up in church, in fact I asked my Mom when I was 5 if we could go to church. I have been going ever since! There is no doubt I am the person I am today from the realtionship I have with Jesus. I want my children to see that it's cool to be a Christian and that there is nothing to be ashamed of. 

Don't lose Myself Motherhood really changes a woman. You make sacrifices for the better of your child and often put yourself last on the list. I never even think twice about it either! I never want to stop being me and let myself go because I have kids. I can't be the best Mom if I don't make time for myself or continue reaching for my goals.

I never want to be hard on myself I will make mistakes no doubt. My son will never know that his Mom is learning everyday just like him! 

Quiet Mornings

Since having my son, a quiet morning is pretty rare. I try to wake up before him so that I can have some me time but honestly most mornings he is my alarm clock. For the past few weeks his sleep has been a little off, we are in the midst of the 4 month sleep regression. Getting him to fall asleep has been a challenge at any hour of the day, coupled with not staying asleep has this mommy T I R E D.

This morning I woke up about 15 minutes before him. I didn't run to make my coffee like I usually do or sneak in a quick shower. I didn't throw a load of clothes in the wash or even step foot out of my room. Instead I just laid there collecting my thoughts, thinking about what to do today, enjoying the quiet to just be, and let me tell you it was pretty amazing. I wasn't sure what time it was but quickly realized it wasn't that important. Then it hit me, this was my first time waking up, he slept through the night. I can't remember the last time he slept through the night, maybe a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but smile! My son woke up, nursed and fell right back to bed and I'm here sitting in the quiet again while my husband and baby are sound asleep.

I need to slow down more often. There is no need to always rush to get ready before my son is up for the day. There is no need to rush period! Sometimes just relaxing in the quiet of the morning can make you feel so refreshed.

The First Cold

Last Saturday I woke up to a super congested baby. His little nose was all stuffed up and he was trying to figure out how to breathe while sleeping. My heart hurt knowing there was nothing I could do to make it go away :( Naturally I started to get a little worried even though I knew he would get better. I hadn't realized the warm air humidifier I had been running can actually increase chances for bacteria. Talk about feeling terrible for a little while!

That night we headed to Babies R Us and Target and picked up a cold air humidifier, saline drops and a NoseFrida. Let me pause to talk about the NoseFrida. At first I was a little grossed out by the idea of having to suck boogers out of his nose. However the reviews were great and several people recommended it. Yeah I see why the reviews are great. It is so effective and way less intrusive than a bulb syringe. There is a filter so your not actually going to get boogers in your mouth. Ok let's get back on track. My baby is active he loves to play but for 2 days he was not having it. Every time I would put him down to play he would start coughing and then crying. Then his little nose would get plugged more. Not a good combo going on! He spits up a lot normally but last week it was pretty excessive and I found myself getting excited because I knew he was getting the mucus out.

 Thankfully there was never a fever and after a few rough nights and days little man was finally back to his normal self. Today he got a lot of stuff out of his system, lots of outfit changes, so I'm hoping its run its course! I hated every second of seeing him sick. I wanted to make him better and him while he slept to comfort him, oh wait I usually do that Haha.I thought seeing him get shots was bad but this was worse. At least he was back to himself after getting shots the next day. I don't like seeing my baby sick :( 

Do you remember your babies first cold? 

If I Had A Superpower

I missed last week but I am back this week for Becky's 52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose. This week is about superpowers. If I had one superpower it would be the ability freeze things. I'm not talking about making things cold, I'm talking about freezing time. I don't want to turn back the clocks, just make each moment last a little longer.

I feel like my baby is growing up too fast. Just a little over a month ago he rolled over for the first time, now he rolls both ways with ease. Tummy time is his favorite past time becuse he can attacking toys more efficiently. Tummy time used to seem like torture! He absolutely loves his Sophie the Giraffe and any toy that makes a crunchy sound. He is not fond of car rides right now, actually just the carseat, in realty anything that straps him in, he would much prefer to just be free. Unless he is in the Ergo then he can stay there for a good hour or more and even sneak in a nap in it. 

If given the opportunity to stand he takes is and cracks himself up when his little legs give out. Oh that laugh, I never want it to change and his baby smell I want to bottle it. The very idea of him growing up brings me to tears (literally) I want to enjoy him being tiny while I can. I love holding him close and giving him lots of kisses. I love it when he rests his head on my shoulder and hugs my neck. I love his baby toes and little moist hands. I love the little sounds he makes in his sleep and the huge smile I get in the morning when I pick him up. I have so many pictures of him and quite often I start from the beginning and look at all of them. He has changed so much!

I was in such a rush and the end of my pregnancy to have him and now it's been 4.5 months, where have those 4.5 months gone? So if I had a superpower it would be to freeze time so I can enjoy each moment just a bit longer.