Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Already 6 Weeks!

I can't believe my little girl is already 6 weeks old! Actually, she's 6 weeks and 4 days old!

She is smiling more everyday and is extremely alert.  I always love the wide eyes and her very expressive facial expressions.  Here's a fun picture I took yesterday.  Those big blue eyes are definitely scoping me out... or wondering what in the world I'm holding.

Life with two kids had generally been great!  There's definitely been some minor adjustments that we've made, but overall, it isn't as hard as I thought it would be!  Bryleigh is a wonderfully happy little girl and she fits into the family perfectly.  Brennan couldn't love his little sister any more than he already does... :)


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Baby Smiles!

Our little girl has recently started smiling and we LOVE it!  The day we got an obvious real social smile was May 5th- Cinco de Mayo, and Bryleigh's 5 week birthday!  Here's what that beautiful smile looks like!  Enjoy!


And a couple of Brennan's big smiles for good measure... :)





Monday, May 14, 2012

Look What My Hubby Did! Our Awesome Backyard Sandbox!


We are the proud owners of this beautiful, brand new, home and hand-crafted sandbox!  We knew that our son was definitely outgrowing the little turtle sandbox and we wanted him to have an updated version!  I spent lots of time researching sandboxes, sand, and everything that goes along with them.  I finally found a blog that outlined a wonderful sandbox building plan and decided to go with that.  If you want to build this same sand box, check out these wonderful instructions: How to Build a Sandbox with Seats.

Now that the planning stage was over, it was Ryan's turn!  Together, we went and bought all of the wood and other materials (except the sand) and then Ryan got busy building.  I would have liked to help, but with a one week old baby at home, it wasn't very feasible.  After the frame was all built, 'planted' in the yard, and stained, it was time for sand!  My parents were nice enough to pick up the sand from Menards and bring it down to our place with their trailer.  We don't have a trailer and we didn't think that either of our vehicles would take very kindly to having over a ton of sand (LITERALLY) loaded into the trunk!  Anyway, after it was all said and done, here's how it turned out!

We love our new sandbox, especially Mr. Brennan!  Thanks, Daddy!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Review of Mombo Deluxe Pillow by Comfort and Harmony


I was recently asked to do a review of the Comfort & Harmony Mombo Deluxe Nursing Pillow & Infant Positioner. Here’s what Babies ‘R’ Us’ website says about it-
“The Firm2SoftTM, 2-Sided construction, is uniquely designed to offer distinct benefits on each side. The firm side offers enhanced back support during nursing and just the right elevation for baby. The soft side creates the perfect environment for lounging. The optional vibration helps soothe baby. Use the vibration anytime throughout the day.”
As soon as the pillow came, my test partner (my 3 week old daughter, Bryleigh) and I started using it.  I immediately fell in love.  I already had another very popular brand of nursing pillow, but I rarely used it.  That pillow was bulky, heavy, and slipped around on my waist.  The Mombo was totally different!  The first thing I noticed was the weight difference!  The Mombo is much lighter than other nursing pillows due to its partial foam construction, which is great!  It is very soft and plush on one side to allow baby to lounge in comfort.  The other side is flat and has a firm, yet soft, to give you a lot of support during nursing. I like the shape a lot!  I find that it fits around my waist comfortably and doesn’t slide much during feedings.  I like it so much that I find myself using this pillow at most feedings.

I love that the firm side is flat instead of rounded.  Every evening, as soon as supper is ready, Bryleigh decides that she NEEDS to eat.  The fact that the pillow is fairly deep and flat helps me to balance my plate, eat, and feed her at the same time.  

One other cool feature that this pillow has is vibration.  There is a vibration disc that gets slipped into the pillow and easily presses on and off to provide soothing vibrations to calm your baby.  I’ve used this feature a few times and my baby girl does seem to like it.  I would like to use it more, but with a 70 pound dog and a 2 year old boy running around my house, Bryleigh doesn’t get to spend much time just lying on the floor by herself!  Here is one picture of Bryleigh all cuddled up and enjoying the vibrations.

The only criticism I’m able to come up with so far is that the vibrations turns on so easily.  I’ve accidentally turned it on a few times while nursing.  It isn’t a big deal, though, as it easily turns off again. 

Along with the Mombo, I was sent a slipcover.  The pattern I was sent is the Blush n’ Blooms pattern and is so cute!  The patterned side it a soft material that easily wipes clean, though it is washable.  The other side is a super soft pink minky that makes me want to snuggle into it!  The slipcover was easy to get onto the pillow and looks awesome.

The Mombo is priced similarly to other nursing pillows and is available exclusively at Babies ‘R’ Us.  If you are in the market for a great nursing pillow, skip the rest and pick this one up!  It is awesome!

*I was given this product for review purposes.  All of my opinions about this product are solely my own.  Your opinions may differ.  I was not compensated to write this post in any way.*

Thursday, May 3, 2012

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Jacqueline Phelan, our latest giveaway winner!
Jacqueline has won her very own copy of Dustin Maher's new book 'Fit Moms for Life'!
Thank you to everyone who entered and to our awesome sponsor!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

What I did today: Prom hair

Today is my littlest cousin, Christi's, birthday.  It is also prom for her high school.  So.... here's what we did!

Before (well... after I cured it)

After!
I  thought it turned out nice!  Now if only the weather had been as nice... Hey, who doesn't love sleet on prom day?!?!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A Mother's Work is Never Done... So True!

I saw this on Facebook tonight and wanted to share it with you all!  Too funny...

 
A man came home from work and found his 5 children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn around garden, The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and no sign of the dog, walking in the door, he found ...an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, the throw rug was against one wall, In the front room the TV was on loudly with the cartoon channel, the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel... She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?...
 

''Yes," was his incredulous reply.  

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

This awesome photo is property of "Heath Robbins Photography"
http://www.facebook.com/HeathRobbinsPhotography
http://www.heathrobbins.com/