7.31.2012

Insta Tuesday

Hey there! I'm linking up with Taingamala again this week for Insta Tuesday - aka the day where I can show you all my Instagram pics from the last week without feeling like a lone weirdo. Ha! ;-)





First up...

I bought this beauty with some birthday money last week! =D I have really been wanting something Vera Bradley lately. I'm not sure why other than the obvious - her stuff is so pretty! I thought about getting something smaller, but I'd hardly use something like that right now. So I decided to go with something more mom-friendly and this is what I ended up with! I love it!


Sigh. I got this email this week... Did they even read my blog?! My name is NOT Amy. I'm pretty sure it says that somewhere on this blog of mine. Geeeeez.


Charlotte and I went for a bit of a walk and I remembered I bought her some sunglasses. She always blinks like crazy when we go outside, so I thought these might help. They worked like a charm! They're a bit big for her, but, eh. They work! And, hey, don't we look cute?! =)


I sat her down on the couch for just a minute so I could do something and she was all happy about it! She's getting to be such a big girl...


Yummy fingers!! She's been chewing on her fingers a lot recently. Must be doing something good for her if she's doing it all the time.


I asked Joe to come back in the living room for something the other night and this is what he did instead. Kinda funny...but also kinda creepy! He's so weird. =P It's a good thing I like him! Haha!


I said it in yesterday's post, but I still can't believe this little girl is 4 months old!!! She's growing so fast!


Thanks for "tuning in!" Hope you enjoyed a look at our week. Remember, you can always follow me on Instagram (or anywhere else!) by clicking one of the buttons on the right sidebar.

Hope you're having a great week so far!

7.30.2012

SO Big!

On Saturday, our sweet little bean turned 4 months old! It's so hard to believe she's been here for 4 months already. Weren't we just bringing her home from the hospital a couple weeks ago???? Sigh.



Oh, sweet Charlotte, you are growing so fast! Getting bigger every day. Sometimes I want to stop it and make you stay little forever, but at the same time I love watching you grow. You are doing so many fun things - smiling, laughing, squealing, and lots of "talking!" You've been rolling over for a while now, but you can't roll back onto your tummy quite yet. I'm sure you'll get there, though! You are so much fun! You also like to hang out with your Daddy and make silly faces with him. You do it with me too sometimes, but I think you like doing it with him more. I'm okay with that. I love being home with you all the time and seeing all the new, fun things you do. Your daddy and I love you so, so much!


She hasn't had her 4 month checkup yet, so we're not quite sure how much she weighs. Joe thinks she weighs around 12 pounds. I'm inclined to agree with him since I'm really no good at these things. =) She's still in size 1 diapers, though I have a feeling that'll change soon. She's also still fitting into 0-3 month clothes, but those are getting a little snug. I pulled out her 3 month clothes a couple days ago and so far those are fitting well too! She has a little room to grow in them, though. Her waist is so tiny that even her 0-3 month pants/skirts are still too big. Sigh. This girl is a little string bean - long and lean!


She is sleeping through the night, as usual, in her crib. Just this month she started sleeping - wait for it - 12 hours a night! That is Babywise success, y'all! =) I can't even begin to describe what those first days of 8 hrs straight felt like. Ok, maybe I can: bliss. You just don't realize how much you've missed good sleep until you haven't had it in a while!

She takes about 4 naps a day, eating 4-5 times a day. She could probably go down to 4 feedings, but... I'm not so sure I'm ready for that yet. =P I know that sounds weird, but going down to 4 feedings makes me worry about my milk production. Some women can't produce enough if they don't have 5 feedings. Even now I'm pumping before I go to bed at night (after Charlotte is in bed for the night), so technically I'm doing 6 feedings. Anyway, I haven't decided I want to change anything yet, so I'm not going to!

My sweet smiling girl. ❤

She's still rolling over from belly to back, but like I said earlier, she can't go from back to belly yet. I've seen her trying a few times, but no luck yet! She has been squirming around when I put her on the floor, finding her way to different positions. It's only a matter of time! She's also still trying to sit up. Obviously she's a little small to really sit up, but she's working on it. 

I know I'm biased, but she's really a good little baby. Unless, of course, she misses a nap or is having a rough day. Everyone has rough days, though, and even the rough ones aren't unbearable anymore. I can definitely say those early postpartum hormones did not make those screamy baby moments any easier! 

Those eyes! That face! Love.

I love every day with this sweet, sweet baby. I'm one lucky momma to have her!


7.27.2012

Book Club Friday!


Hey guys! I'm linking up for Book Club Friday again this week. I've been reading a lot lately... Does it show? ;-) Last week I finished this awesome book:


Here's the synopsis from Amazon:

Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart? A Distant Melody is the first book in the WINGS OF GLORY series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II.

I am a total sucker for historical fiction. Love, love, love. So when this came up as a suggestion on my Goodreads page, I grabbed my Kindle and bought it. =)

After reading 2 Karen Kingsbury books, I was having a hard time trying to find something else to read - not to mention adjusting to another writer's style. {I have issues with that sometimes.} I had zero problems getting into this book! The author's writing style is similar to other authors I read, which helped a ton. Also, the storyline is fantastic. Girl meets cute flyboy, likes cute flyboy, but has a boyfriend. She writes flyboy while he's deployed anyway, and the things that happen while they're apart are interesting, amazing, and sometimes frustrating. I'll admit there was one point when I was so frustrated with the two main characters, Allie and Walt. But I'm pretty sure it's because I was pretending they were real people who needed to get it together! Haha. =) I tend to do that a lot too. 

Anyway, this book was a great read. I read it in about a week. It took me that long because I was rationing it out - not wanting it to end. This is a book in a series, but I haven't decided if I want to read the others because it follows the Novak brothers instead of just Walt - I got a little attached to his character. I downloaded a sample of the next one, so we'll see! But seriously if you like historical fiction, or a little bit of military love, get this book! ;-) I hope you love it as much as I did. {Also, if you've read the next book in the series (or the whole series), let me know what you thought!}

Happy weekend, y'all!


7.25.2012

It's a Good Thing...

Joe and I have a lot of fun together. We don't even need to go out somewhere to have a whole lot of laughs, which is a good thing with a baby around. {She provides us with some laughs too!}

Case in point:

Scene: Snuggling on the couch together watching TV while baby naps.

Sarah: *reaches over to get something off Joe's face.*
Joe: What are you doing?!
Sarah: Stop moving! You have hair on your face!
Joe: *dies laughing* Oh, really? Thanks for that astute observation, CPT Obvious. *salutes*
Sarah: *dies laughing* No, you had my hair on your face!!!

Both continue laughing for about 5 minutes.

Sarah: You have hair on your face!!! Bahahahaha!

Later....


Yeah... It's a good thing we're married. I'm not sure anyone else would put up with one of us! LOL! 

I hope that our poor kids {obviously we plan to have more} are able to join in on the silliness. Otherwise they're going to have pretty rough childhoods, enduring their parents' crazy. ;-) 

7.24.2012

Insta Tuesday!

Alooooha! Today I'm linking up over at Taingamala and sharing some Instagram photos for you to enjoy. =)




We'll start with yesterday and work our way backwards. That sound ok to you? Good! ;-)


I had Joe pick up Charlotte's refill for Zantac yesterday. It always makes me laugh when they put the "do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking this medication" stickers on her meds. No problem, guys! I won't give my almost-4 month old alcohol! I mean, really?


I went to Target this weekend and spent some birthday money! These are two of my purchases - new nail polish and super cute pj pants! It's the little things, y'all.


I got tagged for a "5 things" meme thingy! Thought you guys might like to know 5 more things about me too. =)


I put Charlotte down to play in the floor and she decided she didn't like where I put her. =P After I took this, she was 180 degrees from her original spot. Silly kiddo.


We put Charlotte in her exersaucer for the first time on Friday! (I think it was Friday. Might have been Saturday.) I figured since she loves standing while we hold her so much, she might like this. Turns out, she did! Of course, I had to stuff blankets behind her to keep her from falling over/back, but it worked! I'm sure she'll enjoy it more when she can really play with the toys on it, but she'll get there!

Hope you enjoyed a peek into our weekend! If you wanna follow me on Instagram (or anywhere else in the social media world), check out my little buttons over on the sidebar.

Hope y'all are having a great week!


7.20.2012

Book Club Friday: Coming Home

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite books and linking up for Book Club Friday! =D


I read a lot (and a lot more now that Charlotte isn't a newborn anymore - yay!) so I thought I'd share a recent favorite today - Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury.*

{via}

Here's the synopsis from Amazon:

Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family. The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven't had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word. In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God's promise of forever.

In case you've never read any of Karen Kingsbury's books before, this is the last book in The Baxters series. I think I read before that there are 22 books in this series. 22! That's a lot of history with these characters. I thought it would be hard to read because of all the catching up, but it really wasn't. The Baxter family is in and out of a couple other series (like the Bailey Flanigan series), so you're sort of able to keep up. 

Anyway, this last book was phenomenal. I'm a huge fan of KK anyway, and this book was definitely up to par. It took a turn I wasn't really prepared for, and I shed many tears while reading. Honestly, though, that's not something new with her books! I read Coming Home in less than a week because I just couldn't stop reading it! I think that even if you haven't read the rest of the series she sums up the characters pretty well - describing their backgrounds and things that happened in their past. And when the whole family gets together... That's when things really get interesting. Her books are always hard to put down and this one is no exception. I encourage you to try out her books, even if you've never read Christian Fiction before. I promise you won't be disappointed!

*I received no compensation for this review. I just love this book and the author and wanted to share with my lovely readers!

7.18.2012

InstaLife

One reason I really love Instagram is that it allows me to document fun stuff in my life. I know it's a bit silly to have "an app for that," but I do. Plus, who doesn't like sharing fun/cute photos with friends?! If you already follow me on Instagram, I guess you can ignore the rest of this post because I'm about to show you what I've been up to. =P

We celebrated my birthday (on the actual day) by going on a short little walk!
P.S. I love having my baby so close. It's like being pregnant...but not! ;-)

Miss Charlotte was being a bit of a drama queen while nursing.
Actually, she does this a lot. No idea why, but it's super cute!

Charlotte slept until I woke her at 7:55 am!! =D
What you can't see is that she's sucking her thumb. Hehe.

I got a belated birthday box from my bestie, full of goodies!
{Yeah, mommy books are goodies.}
Also, she made that card holder. Want one? Check her out on Etsy.
#shamelessplug #yourewelcomebestie

My little thumbsucker hanging out while we had a garage sale on Saturday.
I know it'll be hard to break her of this later, but it's so cute!

So that's what we've been up to lately! Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it's fun to share. If you'd like to keep up with me {and my adorable daughter} on Instagram, you can click here or on that little camera on the sidebar. =) {Btw (said in Barney's voice, of course), I have a Facebook page you can check out now too! Come say hi!}

Hope y'all are having a great week! 

7.17.2012

Blogger 411


Today I'm linking up with From Mrs. to Mama for some Blogger 411! I've gotten a bunch of new followers within the last year or so, and I figured it's probably time for a little get-to-know-you sesh. Because I'm not very good at coming up with questions like this, I've borrowed some that she provided. Enjoy!

How long have you been blogging? And what got you started blogging? Has your blog changed?


I've been blogging for almost 3 years! Seems weird that it's been that long. I started blogging when Joe was in basic and I was lonely. It gave me an outlet, especially because no one was reading it. =P My blog has definitely changed over the last 3 years. We went from basic, to AIT, to Hawaii, went through a deployment in the first 2 years and then I got pregnant. As all mommies know, things change when babies come into the picture. And since I got pregnant, this blog has been more baby talk than Army talk. And really, isn't baby talk more fun anyway? The Army can be such a downer sometimes. ;-)

Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you study?


Yes, indeedy, I did! I went to the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, which I'm sure NONE of you have heard of {unless you know me in real life or have lived there}.

{via}

I studied History with Teacher Licensure, which basically means I have a license to teach History/Social Studies in grades 7-12.

What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?


1. Improper use of grammar. {i.e. your instead of you're or there instead of their} It's worse if I can actually see it on paper/online.
2. Smacking or chewing with mouth open. {Insert scream here.} There were many days I left the room while my dad ate cereal for breakfast. The slurping and smacking were that bad. ::shudder::
3. People who drive huge trucks/SUVs but can't park them.

What is your favorite movie?


Truthfully, I have a lot of "favorite" movies. But the one that I can watch over and over and over and over again without getting tired of is The Holiday. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love that movie! I have watched it so many times that Joe won't watch it with me anymore. I don't even ask because I know he'll say no. =P

What is your drink of choice: wine, beer or liquor? Or water, soda, tea?


Since I got pregnant last year, I'm completely alcohol-free {not that it was ever really an issue, lol}. Even before that, my drink of choice was usually sweet tea. I drink it all the time. What can I say? I'm a Southern girl! =)

If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?


Probably Target. =P I don't know, I can't really think of anywhere else I'd spend $10,000! You can get everything at Target and it's always cute! Clothes, housewares, shoes... Yeah. I heart Target.

Picture from high school or college.


Bonus! I'll give you a picture of both! Although I pretty much look the same. =P

Senior year of high school.
This photo {one of the few I've scanned from HS} was taken for the local paper, if I remember correctly. 
We were the only seniors in marching band that year.
Sidenote: I grew up in a small town. My graduating class was 37 people. 3 of us were in band. =P

Junior year of college.
I don't remember why, but we decided we needed to take photos of us on campus one day. =)
This picture was taken below the bell tower, which you can see in the picture I posted above.

If you could travel ANYWHERE in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?

I don't know if I could pick just one place!! But at the top of the list are: England, Italy, and Germany. England because I was born there and would love to see my birthplace. The other two are for purely historical reasons. =) 

Current picture of you or you and your family.

Not the best picture, but it is the most current of all 3 of us!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Hopefully somewhere on the East Coast - ideally in NC. =) I'd like to have at least one more kiddo by then, if not 2. Since Charlotte will be about 5 (I just about had a heart attack just thinking about that!), we'll probably be knee-deep in homeschooling and having fun. Joe's hoping to be out of the Army by then (doing what he really loves) but until that actually happens we'll most likely be wherever the Army sends us!

I hope you enjoyed this little getting-to-know-you post. I enjoyed writing it! It's fun to do every once in a while. If you're new here, please say hi, introduce yourself and poke around my blog a bit. If you're not new, I hope you learned a little somethin' about me that you didn't know before. And if you've just been lurking for a while, now's a good opportunity for you to say hello!

7.15.2012

I Swear I'm a Better Blogger...

It occurred to me today that I haven't had an actual "here's what's going on" post in forever. Seems like the baby is getting all the attention these days {duh} and that just won't do! So here I am to fill you in on all the incredibly interesting things that have been going on in our lives.

...Yeah, we're actually not that interesting. =P Basically, Joe gets up at o'dark thirty and goes to work. I get up when Miss Charlotte gets up, usually around 7am. {Hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot by saying that...} Joe hangs out at work all day, but sometimes he comes home after PT for breakfast or for lunch, which is really nice. Charlotte naps a lot, but when she's not napping or eating she's usually doing something like this:



Safe to say this kid has the life. ;-) 

Me? Well, I do everything else. Like the laundry and cooking meals and cleaning the house. Oh, and changing 50 bazillion diapers. {but who's counting?} Honestly, though, I love it. I love hanging out with Charlotte all day and seeing all the new stuff she can do. Like sucking her thumb, rolling over, laughing, "talking," grabbing things... It's so much fun! The housework isn't quite so fun, but that comes with the territory.

Please excuse the lack of makeup and wet/messy hair. =P

In the Army part of our lives, Joe is currently trying to get promoted so that he can re-enlist. The process has been a pain in the butt, mainly because a certain NCO has kept Joe from going to the promotion board for basically the past year. This guy has come up with several totally ridiculous reasons for pulling the recommendation, but his favorite one is that he thinks Joe can't/couldn't pass a PT test. {Which is ridiculous because if he couldn't, he wouldn't have passed the last two...} I personally believe that this guy has a personal vendetta against Joe. The only reason I see for this is that, well... He doesn't like Joe because he can't communicate well and Joe questions him a lot. Not to be obnoxious, but to get clarification. Anyway. It's been a long process, but finally his 1SGT said something to this guy and now Joe is going to the board! 

Joe's re-enlistment window closes relatively soon, so we're hoping that he passes so that he's able to re-enlist as an E5 and avoid having to re-class. Whew! That's a lot! Plus, we're really hoping we'll end up somewhere much, much closer to home when we finally PCS the heck outta here and a re-enlistment will hopefully do that for us. If you've been following me for more than a minute, you know how much we've been dying to get back to the East Coast. Nothing against Hawaii, but it's just not home. Ok, well that's not entirely true. I'm not a huge fan of living in Hawaii. First off, it's like 5095976 miles away from home {or it might as well be for as much as it costs to go home for a visit}. Second, it's stinkin' expensive to live here. Gas? Hovers around $4 a gallon. Same for milk, which is ridiculous when you think about it. Even shopping at the commissary is expensive. The prices at local grocery stores are so horrendous I don't even want to talk about it. People here just really aren't that friendly - especially not compared to the South! And speaking of the South, there's only one restaurant here that serves sweet tea. No Chick fi A. No Olive Garden. No Kohls. No JC Penney. No WalMart super centers. 

I could go on forever here, so I'll just stop and say that I'm ready to be home. =) Also, about 90% of the friends I made while Joe was deployed have PCSed already. This leaves me a pretty lonely little wifey, except for the fact that my hubby is still hanging around. I'm incredibly thankful that {so far} another deployment isn't looming over us. I'm sure there will be one in our future - this is the Army, after all - but for now life is looking pretty good. 

And so, there you have it! We're lovin' life with our precious baby girl, praying for a promotion and re-enlistment, and anticipating being back on the mainland where visiting family is easy once again!

P.S. I found a nifty code to share my Instagram feed with you on the blog! Check it out over there on the side bar. =)

7.10.2012

Why July is My Favorite Month

First there's the 4th - friends, fireworks and fun! And then, there's my birthday!!

On the 4th, we invited some friends over for dinner and some good, old fashioned...nothing. =P Despite my best intentions, no photos were taken. I did, however, get a few shots of my super-cute daughter from the 4th! As much of a fail-blogger as I am, I am not a fail-mommy. Haha!

This was the best photo I got of her during out 20 mins outside. Sigh.

Charlotte and Daddy. =)

Charlotte and Mommy.

Notice how there isn't a picture of the 3 of us. I meant to have one of our friends get a picture of all of us, but obviously that didn't happen. Between cooking dinner, chatting, and husbands running in and out of the house pictures just didn't happen. Oh and I still have a kid to take care of. You know, all that. ;-)

All in all, it was a good night though. I had really wanted to go see fireworks on post, but there were two problems with that. 1) Fireworks didn't start until 8pm, which is right in the middle of Charlotte's last nap. 2) They opened the show to the public which means 5 bazillion more people than usual would be on post and we probably wouldn't get out of there until 10. Not really a good idea with an itty bitty baby. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to see some next year, wherever we are.


Today is my birthday! =D Big 'ole 26 for me! And it actually doesn't feel all that different or bad. Actually, it's more weird than anything. I don't feel 26! I didn't really feel 25 either, but I definitely don't feel like I should be closer to 30. This whole getting older thing is just plain weird to me. I don't really feel like I've aged that much since I got married. Maybe I don't feel older because I don't look older. I've always looked a lot younger than I am, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... But it makes aging weird for me. =P Anyway.

To celebrate my birthday, we actually went out to dinner with friends of ours on Saturday. I figured it'd be easier to do something celebratory {that I didn't have to cook for} on a weekend rather than a Monday after everyone got off work. I'm also not obsessive about celebrating things on the day of, so it works out. =) Also, no pictures were taken that night. I don't know what's wrong with me!

Over the last week (or so), I've gotten some pretty good gifts! First, Joe got me this little lovely thing:


Yep, I got a Kindle! I'd been looking at them a lot online recently and suddenly realized that I liked it more than the Nook I had. Amazon usually has similar (and sometimes even better) prices and more books available. Not only that, but they have a much bigger "lending library" where you can borrow books instead of buying them. With B&N, the book has to qualify for the lending program and often they're new and popular books. Anyway. The thing I love most about this little thing is that it's about a bazillion times lighter than the Nook I had. So yeah. Love it.

I opened my inbox this morning and found that my wonderfully awesome SIL, Anna, got me an Amazon gift card! Yay for more books to read! =D I had hoped my mom would get me one {I actually told her to get me an Amazon card before I even got the Kindle}, but she didn't. Oh well. She sent me a check - as did Joe's parents {Oh, I also got some pretty nifty hangers from them too!} - and my grandparents sent a gift card to Target! Woo! 

I think the best part of birthdays is being spoiled a little bit. Yes, you get gifts on Christmas, but that day isn't about you. Your birthday is totally, completely, 100% about you. And once a year, that's kinda nice. Especially when you're a mom and pretty much nothing is about you anymore. Am I right?! ;-)

7.03.2012

Milestones and Parenting

Omg. So all of my posts lately are baby related. Funny how that happens once a baby comes to town! And, I hate to break it to you, today is going to be no different!! {And I'm actually considering changing the name of my blog because I'm less Army and more baby these days. Thoughts?}

And before I get to today's actual post, I have to share one of Charlotte's firsts! She rolled over for the first time yesterday!! =D



I've decided that my/our parenting style is a little bit of everything. I know a lot of "crunchy" mamas and a few not-so crunchy mamas. I feel like I'm open to a lot of things/advice and so I guess I just take what I like from each parenting style.

When I was pregnant, I read Babywise and loved it. I still do, actually. Putting Charlotte on a flexible schedule has been one of the best things I've ever done. I don't have to worry if she's hungry or not, because I know she'll be hungry when she wakes up from her current nap. She eats, she's awake for a while and then she naps. That's how our day goes.

I usually don't let her fall asleep in the swing (but it does happen every once in a while) and she never just falls asleep while we're holding her or something. She sleeps in her crib for naps and at night. I'll be honest here, the first night we were home I did not want to leave her in that crib. Even with the monitor and just being down the hall (which really isn't that big), I was totally freaked out. Thankfully my husband followed through on his promise to me and made me leave her there. {I made him promise before she was born that he would be strong when I wasn't and tell me she'd be fine in her own room. I'm really glad I had that foresight!} And, of course, she was just fine. I heard every little sound she made - and I still hear every little sound. At first I missed her and it was hard, but after the first few weeks I was oh-so glad she slept in her own room. It gives me a break and a chance to really rest.

Babywise suggests not rocking babies to sleep or creating any kind of sleep prop - something they'd rely on to get sleep. I tried hard not to create a sleeping prop, but I think I did anyway. The child will not go to sleep without her paci. Unless we're in the car or something. If we're home and it's nap/bedtime, she needs the paci. I also have a fan running in her room that I'm pretty certain has become a prop. I use it because her room has no AC {like really? they couldn't put a unit in the 2nd bedroom?!} and it tends to get hot in there in the summer. One day the power went out and she wouldn't nap...at all. Sigh. I also rock her for a little while at night. I only do it before bedtime, so I don't think she really relies on that. But really? I do it just for me. =) She'd probably go to bed without it, but it's a really sweet time and I don't want to miss out on that. I don't think anyone would blame me for that!

And then there's the baby wearing. I love me some baby wearing. I don't do it all the time, but it's pretty stinkin' awesome. I started out with the Moby wrap, since my little bean was too small to be put in anything else until recently. {Technically, she was too small even for the Moby since it suggests using it at 8lbs. My girl didn't hit 8lbs until she was almost 2 months old!} Anyway, when she was less awake, the Moby calmed her down pretty easily. And sometimes it still does, but not always. Half the time she's more irritated that she's being restrained. She's also not a fan of being swaddled, but I think that's partially because she knows that means she's going to bed. ;-) I wear her when we're out and about too. It's nice to be able to go for a walk or go shopping without lugging around a carseat or pulling out the stroller. Just get the baby and carrier and you're good to go! I also like wearing her when I walk because I feel like I'm doing more work with that extra weight. Haha:)

First time at the beach, in the Moby wrap.

Walking around the neighborhood in the Ergo.
PS - I uncovered her head just for the photo. No sunburns for us!

I know "crunchy" mamas do the cloth diapering thing, but... Yeah, that's just not my thing. Personally, when I change that stinky diaper, I never ever want to see (or smell!) it again. =P Plus, I really hate doing laundry and the last thing I need is to be washing diapers!

I've taken a little bit to the alternative medicine side of things, but not much. I usually try to help her feel better by using gripe water if her tummy hurts, but like I said in my last post, she's on Zantac for reflux. Not too much I can do about that. I'd like for her to not be on any medication, but I guess we an't have it all. I did Charlotte an amber teething necklace the other day, though. She's been drooling so much lately and I feel like she's been teething off and on for a few weeks. So when I found one for cheap online, I ordered it! Even if she's not teething, it can't hurt anything. I've wrapped it around her wrist because I don't want it to get all twisted or something when she's sleeping. And she sleeps quite a bit, so it stays on her wrist.

Also, the breastfeeding. {I know it's not necessarily a "crunchy mama" thing.} I love the breastfeeding. Best decision I ever made. At first it really sucked {I mean, who wants super-sore, cracked nipples?!} but after the first 5-6 weeks, Charlotte got the hang of things and I was healing and it just... Well, it stopped sucking. Plus, it's pretty much the sweetest thing ever. I love that I am still the source of her food and that she can only get this goodness from me. =)


And when she puts her sweet little satisfied hands on me... Yeah, it's the sweetest thing.


Seriously, though, I am totally in love with Babywise. And to all the nay-sayers about the schedule, not feeding on-demand, and not co-sleeping, here's what I have to say:

First, Charlotte is healthy. Second, she sleeps through the night. {Bedtime is around 8, she wakes up at 6, I give her a paci and she usually doesn't wake up again until 7. Oh, yes. :)} Third, when she's not teething or going through a growth spurt, and her tummy isn't bothering her, she's really happy. And I am less stressed out because I'm not wondering what's going on with her all the time. She knows the routine. I know the routine. And if she's hungry a little earlier than usual, I feed her. If she's sleepy a little earlier than I'd like, I put her down anyway.



Opinions about either parenting styles aside, I really feel like I've taken the best from both worlds and kinda smooshed them together. You gotta do what works for YOU, right?!