Grant - 14 months

Age: 14 Months

New Stuff: He loves to play hide and seek and laughs when you pop out and say "Boo!"

His new obsession is "playing" with our cat, Oliver.  His way of playing with the cat is swinging his arms at him until Oliver is upset and hissing.  Apparently this is amusing to Grant because it makes him laugh hysterically. Oliver is declawed, so Grant is in no danger :)

He loves to play with cars and balls.  He keeps alternating which hand he uses to throw and eat, so still no idea if he will be a lefty yet.  He likes to keep us guessing :)

Words: This week he started saying Mama and Dada with intent, like he knows that he is talking about his Mommy and Daddy.  He will also sometimes say Kitty.  Still not a lot on the word front, but he does babble quite a bit more than he used to.

Other Stuff:  This past week Grant has been sick with an unknown illness.  At first he was just having loose bowel movements, but it turned into low grade fever, and eventually a high fever of 103.6.  When I would take him to the doctor, his temp would be normal and then that afternoon it would spike to over 102.  This continued for 6 days and Friday he was finally playing and acting more like himself.  He was laughing and playing and then he stopped, started crying, and then his arms and legs started shaking.  Out of nowhere he just started shivering.  I panicked and took his temp and it was barely 100.  Not high enough to warrant the shaking in my opinion.  I started rocking him and trying to give him comfort.  He ended up falling asleep, but was still shivering. I had no idea what was happening so I called the nurse line and she asked how long ago I had checked his temp.  At this point it had been about 15-20 minutes so I took his temp again and it was already over 103.  Come to find out, a rapid onset fever can cause "chills" and that was why he was shaking so bad.  Saying that I was terrified by the chills sounds ridiculous, but when you're talking about a baby and it honestly looks like he is convulsing and has a high fever, it is terrifying.  He couldn't tell me that he felt cold, so I honestly had no idea what was happening.

Saturday he finally seemed to be feeling a little better, but was still having really soft stools.  Sunday he was fussy most of the day and his stomach seemed to be bothering him.  Now it's Monday and he still seems to be having tummy troubles and is fussy.  The constant dirty diapers have caused him to get a diaper rash despite all of the product I've been slathering on him, so diaper changes are very painful.

I have no idea what is wrong and I am really, really hoping that they were able to find something out with the stool sample I dropped of on Friday.  I feel so helpless watching my son suffer.  I've taken him to the doctor twice since this started and I don't feel like we've made any progress to get him feeling better.  I will update when I hear from the doctor's office with the culture results.
Update: His labs came back fine and he's been fever free for a week.  His tummy seems to be on the mend, but it's not 100% back to normal.  No idea what the problem was or if it was just a few different things at once.  I am just happy that I have my happy toddler back!

Stitch Fix - Fix #3 July 2015

Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service. When you sign up you fill out a surprisingly in-depth Style Profile about your sizes, your style, and pricing preferences, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month. This can include or exclude accessories as well (although I opted out of this option).  The fee for this service is $20, and that includes FREE shipping and FREE returns. If you decide to keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you decide to keep all five items in your "fix", you also get a 25% discount!) 
Once your Fix is delivered, you get to try them all on and decide if you want to keep any of the items or send them back in the prepaid return envelope.  Whatever you keep, you pay for.  If you don't like anything, you send it all back and you are just out the $20 styling fee.

My friends have been trying to talk me into Stitch Fix for months and I just wouldn't take the leap.  After losing all of my pregnancy weight, and having no new clothes and ZERO time to go shopping now that I'm busy with a 1 year old, I finally decided that I deserved this little package of happiness to be delivered to my door.

I was busy this week and didn't have time to make myself presentable and take pictures in the clothes. Sorry! My evenings have been full of baby showers, Pretty Little Liars, and UnReal and I have been lazy in the hair/makeup department this week.  I blame by underactive thyroid.  I will eventually upload a picture of the one thing I kept, since I have more time to take that one :)

Anyways, on to the Fix!

Stitch Fix - Fix #3

Renee C Morsey Crochet Trim Top - $48

Thoughts: I loved this right out of the box! I love pink and I loved the little detailing around the trim.  Unfortunately it was too tight in my bust area (which is a surprise since I stopped breastfeeding and am quite small now!)
Verdict: Sent back, sadly.

Pixley Sheryl Back Cutout Detail Top - $54

Thoughts: This had potential.  I didn't like that I would have to wear a strapless bra, and the material was kind of see through which I am not a fan of.  Ultimately it was too short for my long torso so that sealed the deal.
Verdict: Sent back.

41Hawthorn Neilson Halter Blouse - $54

Thoughts:  I immediately wasn't a fan of the material, but I did try it on.  Still didn't like the material on me and the fit didn't do anything for me either. 
Verdict: Sent Back.

Skies Are Blue Enna Short - $44

Thoughts:I specifically asked for some shorts in this fix and I appreciate that my stylist listened.  I loved the style of these! The little bow on the front is too cute.  Not a fan of the horizontal stripes though or the bland coloring.  I wanted something more colorful or maybe a fun print.  I did like the fit however.
Verdict:  Sent back.

Gilli Mitchel Maxi Dress - $78

Thoughts:  Another maxi! Yay! I love when my stylist looks at my Pinterest board and delivers! I pinned this dress in a different color, and she sent me this fun teal version.  The cutout on the back sealed the deal.  Adorable.  Not something you can find at Target, and it fit me perfectly.  Once I get some color this will look amazing.
Verdict:  KEPT!

Fix #3 was pretty great! The maxi was perfect for my style and an easy keep decision.  The shorts were so close to making the cut, but ultimately I wanted something more fun than bland horizontal stripes.

If you decide you want to give Stitch Fix a try yourself, please sign up via my link! Keep in mind that your fix will be totally tailored to your style and my fix doesn't reflect what you would receive at all.

Why I won’t apologize for my son’s early bedtime

 My son went to sleep at 6:30pm until he was almost a year old.  At that point he was waking up religiously at 5:00am every morning.  I tried pushing it later a few times, but he still woke up at the same time, and since he was still sleepy, he woke up in a bad mood.  Not a good way to start every day.  Around his first birthday, I started pushing bedtime a little later until I got it to 7:00pm, and now he sleeps until 6-6:30am.  This is perfect for us.  I wake up around the same time and we have an hour to get dressed and eat breakfast before I take him to daycare and go to work.

Even now there are evenings where I can tell that he is exhausted at 6 and just wants to go to bed.  My son is not a great napper most days.  If he gets in 1.5-2 hours that is a GREAT day.  Most of the time we are looking at a total of 1 hour, split into a morning and afternoon nap.  Since he doesn’t get much sleep during the day, he NEEDS the extra sleep at night.  And since he is naturally an early riser, he needs to go to bed earlier to get all of the sleep he needs.

An early bedtime causes lots of “problems” though.   We can’t usually go out to dinner.  Even if we went around 6:00, he’s tired and fussy, so it doesn’t make for an enjoyable experience.  When we visit family out of town, we leave early so that we can get home by 7:00 to put him in his own bed.  We’ve tried really hard to establish a solid bedtime routine with Grant so that he understands that it’s bedtime and he needs to go (and stay!) asleep.  It seems to have worked since he’s been sleeping through the night since around 7 months old and he hasn’t had one (knock on wood) night where we’ve had to go in and settle him.  Even when he’s been sick or teething, he sleeps through the night and if he wakes up he is able to settle himself.

Recently we had the 4th of July and multiple family members made comments about him staying up for fireworks.  I understand the excitement of watching him experience that for the first time, believe me, I’m looking forward to it too.  However, keeping Grant up 2.5 hours past his normal bedtime is not going to be enjoyable for anyone involved.  It’s going to consist of me trying to keep my whiny, tired 1 year old quiet so he doesn’t ruin everyone else’s holiday and trying to ignore the “look” people give you when you can’t keep your kid from crying. 

A major bonus of an early bedtime is 2-3 hours of kid free time! Some days my husband and I just want to cherish our alone time, I’ll take a bubble bath and he will watch YouTube videos or tv.  Other days we make it a movie night or have wine on the back porch.  And verrry occasionally I will use that time to catch up on cleaning, but let’s be serious here, most of the time it’s a movie/bubble bath. 

So, if I have had to miss a girl’s night or dinner or fireworks, I’m sorry.  My child was sleepy and we didn’t want to subject you to his tired cries.  We wanted him to be in a good mood the next morning and for us all to enjoy a good night’s sleep.  This is just a small season of our lives and it will be over before we know it.  I’m cherishing each night that I rock him to sleep and watch him on the monitor, because before I know it he will be a teenager barely making curfew and I know we will miss these early nights.

Stitch Fix - Fix #2 June/July 2015

Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service. When you sign up you fill out a surprisingly in-depth Style Profile about your sizes, your style, and pricing preferences, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month. This can include or exclude accessories as well (although I opted out of this option).  The fee for this service is $20, and that includes FREE shipping and FREE returns. If you decide to keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you decide to keep all five items in your "fix", you also get a 25% discount!) 

Once your Fix is delivered, you get to try them all on and decide if you want to keep any of the items or send them back in the prepaid return envelope.  Whatever you keep, you pay for.  If you don't like anything, you send it all back and you are just out the $20 styling fee.

My friends have been trying to talk me into Stitch Fix for months and I just wouldn't take the leap.  After losing all of my pregnancy weight, and having no new clothes and ZERO time to go shopping now that I'm busy with a 1 year old, I finally decided that I deserved this little package of happiness to be delivered to my door.

Stitch Fix - Fix #2

Loveappella Shenley Mesh Detail Knit Tank - $48

Thoughts: The color was beautiful and I loved the "mesh" detail.  However, the material wasn't forgiving on my mommy belly, and showed every bulge!

Verdict: Sent back


Papermoon Burns Crochet Detail Knit Tank - $38

Thoughts: Oh my goodness, I love the crochet detail on this tank!  Wasn't a fan on how it fit me in the front though.  These style of tanks always fall weird on my chest, and I just wasn't feeling it.

Verdict: Sent back.


Kut From The Kloth Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean - $78

Thoughts:  My friend, Megan, has raved about the jeans Stitch Fix sends her, so I knew chances were good that I was going to love these.  And I did.  How are they able to send you perfect jeans?? I've been buying from the Buckle since high school because that is the only place that I can find jeans that fit me correctly.  Yet, Stitch Fix nails it on the first try! The price is on target with what I usually spend on my jeans, but I'm still debating.  Gotta talk it over with the husband.

Verdict:  Regretfully sent back :(


Pixley Rachel Maxi Dress - $78

Thoughts: I specifically asked for a maxi dress and my stylist delivered TWO for me! This one, just missed the mark for me though.  I didn't like where the waist hit me, and it made me look wider than I am.  I like to accentuate my waist, and this didn't do that.  The color was also off for me.  It was pink and purple, and I just wasn't a fan.  Oh, and I'm pretty over chevron at this point.  Can we please move on to another print now?

Verdict:  Sent back.


Market & Spruce Rami Maxi Dress - $78

Thoughts:  Another maxi! Yay! I'm tall, so in my requests I asked for extra long maxis if they had any.  This dress was actually long enough for me! I love navy and I loved everything about this dress.  I feel like it does great things for my figure and the neckline works for church, work, beach, anything!

Verdict:  KEPT!


VERY pleased with Fix #2! I fell in love with two pieces in this fix and am trying really hard to talk myself out of buying both because of the price.  I feel like this fix was dead on with my style and I am going to request to keep this stylist since she really nailed my style.


If you decide you want to give Stitch Fix a try yourself, please sign up via my link! Keep in mind that your fix will be totally tailored to your style and my fix doesn't reflect what you would receive at all.

Grant - 1 year, 1 month

Is it weird/annoying to keep doing Grant updates?

He is growing and changing so much, that I want to keep them going! I think I will change up the format since he's officially a TODDLER now :)

Age: 1 year, 1 month

New Stuff:  Man, he's changed so much since his birthday.  He walks 100% of the time now.  No more crawling unless he's trying to go under something (the coffee table, legs, cat door, etc.).  He starting to pick up speed when he walks and he thinks it's hilarious to "run" away from you.  It's funny to me that he actually thinks he stands a chance of getting away lol.

He moved up to a new daycare class and I think he really enjoys the older kids.  They have toys more suited to his age now and when I drop him off he heads straight for the balls.  That kid LOVES balls! It's crazy.

He waves and claps and he thinks it's funny to drop his cup and food when he's sitting in the highchair.  I'm constantly retrieving his cup.

We've started "crafts" in his new daycare class too.  What do you do with these things? I was all sentimental at first, but already at 3 crafts in, I'm thinking "what do I do with all of this??"  I feel awful trashing it, but I know it's not logical to keep everything.

Summer is officially here with the heat index staying over 100 and very high humidity.  It is H.O.T. in East Texas people.  I  walked outside with a Kit Kat and it melted in like less than a minute.  No lie.  It's that hot.  So fishing and walking are out for now, but we bought a splash pad and baby pool and have been using that some.  Grant is a fan for a bit, but once it hits his face he's done.  Cold water in his face is a deal breaker apparently.

He has 8 teeth now.  4 on top and 4 on bottom.  Poor thing looks like he got my dental genes.  His teeth are so spaced apart! I know they are just baby teeth, but I think braces will be in this kid's future.  I had them twice, so he probably didn't stand a chance.

Oh and fit throwing has officially begun.  You take something away and he completely loses it.  You give it back, it totally stops like it never happened.  Nope not gonna be played little man.  I'm on to you.

We are down to just one bottle a day.  He drinks whole milk and water from his sippy cup during the day and before bed he gets a bottle with breastmilk.  He refuses to drink BM from anything other than a bottle.  I want to use up all of my frozen BM (which will take forever since we just do 4-5 oz a day now...) and I know that it is still so good for him! He finds comfort in a bottle before bed, and honestly it makes bedtime super easy, so I'm fine with it for now.  We will completely wean from the bottle eventually, but for now it's what works for us.

Words:  Not really talking yet.  He will say Mama and Dada and Bye Bye, but doesn't seem to relate it to to anything yet.  Still just babbling. 

I'm just going to take a little break and lay here in the middle of the floor.

I may not do these monthly anymore, but do an update here and there when he starts doing new things.  I really like to have a record of it to look back on.

Weaning from the Pump

I'm officially done pumping.  I have been for 3 weeks now, and thought I'd give a run down on how I decided to wean from my breast pump.  I read A LOT of articles, blogs, etc when I decided to stop pumping. Some women stop cold turkey, others wean verrrrry slowly, and others are gradual but quick.  I had already dropped down to 2 pumps a day (each pump about 15 mins) by 11 months, so I really didn't think I would have any problems.  I didn't get engorged anymore even if I skipped a pump, I just felt "full".  So I decided to drop my pump before bed and see how 1 pump went.  It went fine (no engorgement), so I did that for a few days and then started pumping every other day for about 10 minutes.  After the fullness between pumps started subsiding a little I started decreasing my pump time to 7 minutes and then I did 5 minutes for a couple of days.  Since I still wasn't having and pain or anything I decided to just stop completely and see what happened.  I felt full, but didn't have any pain.  And that was the end! I honestly expected that I'd have to pump at least once to relieve the pressure, but I never did.  I had one small lump form, but it worked itself out and didn't even hurt.

At church there was a baby crying and I felt an all too familiar "tingle" and thought "seriously??" THREE WEEKS LATER??  Sure enough, I am STILL producing milk.  I'm not sure how long it will actually take to dry up completely, but I am for sure done with the pump until Baby #2.

I still have a deep freeze full of frozen breastmilk, so I am giving Grant 1 bottle of BM before bed each night.  I know, I know, no bottles after 1! Well, he REFUSES to drink BM from a sippy cup.  Water and whole milk he will drink from a sippy cup happily, but BM?  Nope. Not doing it.  Throws it on the floor as soon as he figures out what it is.  So for now, it's 1 bottle before bed of Mommy's milk, so I can use my freezer stash up!


So, as a word of encouragement to any exclusive pumping moms out there, YOU CAN DO IT! You can make it to your goal! It's tough and time consuming, but you can make it!  And if you do decide to stop early or your supply just isn't there, that's fine too.  Do what is best for your baby and YOU! Your baby needs a happy, healthy mom!

Stitch Fix - My First Fix! (Fix #1) June 2015

Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service. When you sign up you fill out a surprisingly in-depth Style Profile about your sizes, your style, and pricing preferences, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month. This can include or exclude accessories as well (although I opted out of this option).  The fee for this service is $20, and that includes FREE shipping and FREE returns. If you decide to keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you decide to keep all five items in your "fix", you also get a 25% discount!) 

Once your Fix is delivered, you get to try them all on and decide if you want to keep any of the items or send them back in the prepaid return envelope.  Whatever you keep, you pay for.  If you don't like anything, you send it all back and you are just out the $20 styling fee.

My friends have been trying to talk me into Stitch Fix for months and I just wouldn't take the leap.  After losing all of my pregnancy weight, and having no new clothes and ZERO time to go shopping now that I'm busy with a 1 year old, I finally decided that I deserved this little package of happiness to be delivered to my door.

I am by no means a model, so please judge the clothes, not me!  My husband was going to take nice pictures for me, but got called out of town for work. So mirror selfies had to do :) 

Here we go...

Stitch Fix - Fix #1

First impressions: I love the colors and lace! It definitely seems to match my style.  I'm feeling positive!

1.  Skies Are Blue Wella Sweater Knit Tank - $54

Thoughts: I loved the color, but immediately HATED the material.  It is thick and sweatery, but almost see through at the same time.  I live in Texas.  It is about to reach 100 degree weather, I won't be wearing any thick knits for a while and when I do they won't be sleeveless.
Verdict: SENT BACK

2. May Pink Gander Lace Back Cardigan - $48

Thoughts: I really, really, really wanted to love this cardigan.  I love the colors, the stripes, the lace detail on the back is gorgeous and the material felt wonderful.  However, I felt like a bat.  I just can't wear this style.  I felt like it hung weird when my arms were down and it just didn't sit well.  If this had been a regular long sleeve cardigan I would have fallen in love immediately.
Verdict: SENT BACK

 3. Ezra Coaling Knit Top - $48

Thoughts: I liked the look of this shirt in the box, but when I tried it on it didn't do anything for my body.  The material felt stiff and almost itchy too. This one wasn't a winner for me.
Verdict: SENT BACK

4. Fun2Fun Darlene V-Neck Top - $38

Thoughts: I loved it in the box.  The print was great.  The color was great.  When I put it on... It felt AMAZING on! I felt so comfortable in this shirt and it was just so soft!  It could have been a little tighter on me, but my weight tends to fluctuate so I don't mind that it's a little loose right now.
Verdict: KEPT!

5. Brixon Ivy Romford Stretch Lace Knit Top - $64

Thoughts: My first thought was, "man that is a LOT of lace," and after trying it on, I still thought that.  There was a spaghetti strap cami that was attached and it did not fit me right at all. There was also a big strand of lace that was already hanging from the sleeve as soon as I took it out of the box. I made sure to include it in the picture.  Even if I had loved the shirt, I wouldn't pay $64 for clothing that is already frayed.
Verdict: SENT BACK

Overall I am pleased with Fix #1! I think my stylist (Rebecca) did a pretty good job of pulling pieces for me for the first go around.  The only obvious miss for me was the Sweater Tank.  Just the name itself sounds like such a contradiction that I really don't understand it, but I do live in Texas where it gets humid and hot during the summer.  I'm very happy that I actually fell in love with a piece on my first fix and I look forward to seeing what I get next month.

If you decide you want to give Stitch Fix a try yourself, please sign up via my link! Keep in mind that your fix will be totally tailored to your style and my fix doesn't reflect what you would receive at all.