The Sprinkle on Top

This past month has been a whirlwind and I've loved every minute of it. Many people have told me how sad it is that babies grow up so fast. It is sad, but it's more fun and exciting to watch you learn and grow every day. We get a lot of Mommy-Daughter time and I have loved getting to be a part of every milestone you've hit and die every time your face lights up when I walk into the room. But some of my favorites... Every morning after you eat breakfast, I lay you on your changing pad by the window. After you're all cleaned up and dressed, we open the curtains and blinds. You roll onto your tummy and just watch out the window. Nothing exciting ever happens - well, once a neighbor was jump-starting his car - but you like to stare at the sky and tall grass. We lay on our backs and read stories. I lay you down first and you're usually confused until I lay down next to you. I pull out a book to read but instead of looking at the book, you turn and look ...

NOTE: I no longer breastfeed my baby girl due to a dairy and soy allergy, but I feel like I tried it all! I hope some of this advice might help others learning to breastfeed. The hardest part of my recovery from Evie's birth besides the raging hormones trying to balance themselves out was learning alongside my baby the art of breastfeeding. The lack of confidence in what I was doing mixed with the physical pain of nursing made those first few weeks of feedings a nightmare. I sought advice from anyone and everyone: online forums, my doctor, multiple nurses at the hospital, the on call lactation specialist, my mom and siblings…  I received some fantastic advice, but everyone had their own opinion on what would work and that added a level of frustration when I'd try it and come up against another wall. I'm sure other new moms have their own unique struggles to overcome when it comes to nursing a brand new baby so I wanted t...

I always heard that 4 months was the miracle month. At 4 months your baby would start sleeping through the night. At 4 months you can start feeding your baby rice cereal and solids. At 4 months... It's all true and this past month we have seen so many changes (for the better) happen in this little girl's life. Overnight, Evie, you became a big girl and gave up breast milk for formula. The change was not a happy one at first, but oh my the changes were worth every heartbreaking tear as we made the switch. Along with taking the bottle, you actually take a pacifier now, too. When mommy gives you your pacifier before bed or nap, your eyes close and you drift off within minutes when it used to take hours (no exaggeration). You love to suck on your pacifier, and roll it around in your mouth until it falls out. Sometimes you spit it out on purpose to make room for all of your fingers. It's a rare day when we don't catch you sucking on your fingers, mommy's hair...

Let's be honest: Pre-pregnancy me wasn't so good at the whole healthy living thing. I can't tell you how many times Justin and I would stay up until two in the morning watching back-to-back movies and eating frozen pizza, popcorn, and boxes of hostess treats. Yes, I said  boxes.  Plural. Of course we always set goals: Let's watch less TV, eat healthier, exercise more... none of which actually happened once we got back from long days at work and school. Transitioning into regular exercise ( Prenatal Pilates ) and eating a more balanced diet was tricky for me once we found out we were pregnant. Again, I tried. And again I failed. But at least I was getting better at it because now it wasn't just my health at stake, but Evie's. Throughout my pregnancy I gained around 40 lbs. A lot of that was Evie and fluid, and to be expected, but some of it was also proof of my weak-willed nature when it comes to food. (Feed me, Seymour!). With my body once again fully ...