First product review

I was not paid or solicited to offer this product review (though I totally wish I was!). This is a review from one mom to another on a product that I have found really works, and smells oh-my-gawd-to-die-for!

Aden and Anais Mum+Bub shampoo and body wash is the most amazing shampoo/wash I have tried. And I have tried a few! The scent alone makes me swoon over my baby's head. His hair is soft, his skin is soft, and he still smells good and it has been 24 hours since his last bath. Of course it's tear free and free of all those bad chemicals. It's also all-natural, including the pawpaw fruit scent!

Seriously ladies, you know if I took the time out on a vacation to do this, that it MUST be good!!!

And for it being Aden and Anais, the price wasn't that bad either. I paid more for California Baby and it didn't smell half as good for near as long!

You can find it on their website, or at Buybuy Baby and Babies r us. Maybe other places, but those 3 are the ones I know.

Y'all can thank me later!

Blessed is our family

Yesterday my family and I had an opportunity to have a great friend of mine take our first family pictures. She did such an amazing job! I've only some samples, but I wanted to share.

I love my family and my friends so much! Today I am feeling truly blessed!

3 months and counting

E hit the 3 month mark today. Whoa. Time really does fly by.

Funny though. I feel like I just brought him home, but at the same time I feel like he has always been here. I look at pictures of me pregnant, and that feels like AGES ago. I can't even believe my stomach got that big. It didn't blow up until about 6.5 months, but then it took off! However, I still feel like I should be sitting here thinking "When the hell is my water going to break?" Yet here he is. My little stud muffin lying next to me on the couch. He's the greatest miracle on earth. At first I couldn't wrap my head around a baby in the house; not even just a baby...but MY baby. Now I would be soooooooo bored without him. My life wouldn't mean as much. I would still have all of these goals in every different direction. I would still be hesitant about being completely submerged into a relationship (trust me, I was fighting it!). But little E literally has changed my life for the better. Because of E, his father and I have put complete trust into each other. We are open and honest with each other. We aren't afraid to show each other how much we love and care for one another. We are a little more sensitive. And we aren't afraid of discussing the future. It's no longer "let's go with the flow." We are committed to one another. Marriage isn't on the table right now, but we know we want to be together for each other and for E.

I don't think K and I realized we needed to be saved, but E saved us. If I had to plan for a kid, I probably would have never had one. Same goes for K. Our lives have so much meaning now and we think twice about our decisions. Children are definitely a gift from God. Something you don't think you need or want, and when it arrives, you couldn't imagine life without it. It took me a couple of weeks to realize it, but that moment hits and forever your life is changed.

So thank you E, thank you K, and thank you God for giving me a gift that I didn't even know I needed.

As for the nugget, he's kicking ass and taking names.

Some of his accomplishments:

• Smiles. Nonstop. All day, all night. If he's not smiling, just wait 30 seconds. And not one of those half smiles either. No, no. This baby is all gums. His eyes beam and his mouth opens up wide. That little tongue starts wiggling and then he squeals... Eeeeeee!!! And it's smile from ear to ear. Gosh, I love him.
• He holds his head up for really long periods. He holds it up, moves it from side to side as he checks out the scenery. 
• Loves his daddy. Oh man do I have a daddy's boy on my hands! He hears his dad's voice and immediately starts looking around. When dad comes into view, E jumps into a 5 minute conversation full of laughing, smiles and sticking out his tongue.
• Loves his hands. Found them about 3 weeks ago and can't get enough of them. They're either in his mouth, holding my fingers, or grasping each other.
• Traveling guru. Best plane baby EVER. (Tomorrow we have an 8-9 hour drive. We'll talk after that!)
• Wants to walk, badly. He gripes until I pick him up in his feet, and off he goes. One foot in front of the other until we run out of room on the table (or until my arms get tired.)
• Best sleeper in the world. Falls asleep anywhere between 10:30 and 11:30 each night, and doesn't wake up until 7:30 like clock work.
• Talks to me. A lot! That might come from my side of the family. 
• Looks good in anything he wears. Seriously. I could put a Hitler outfit on him and people would think he's adorable. 
• He can sit up supported for a long time. 
• He LOVES Veggie Tales! If you don't know what Veggie Tales is, look it up. 

I could literally go on and on, but I'll stop. 

E, just want you to know, Mom and Dad are very proud of you in everything that you do. Even those little farts you get out right before bedtime so your tummy doesn't hurt. High fives all around!

Surviving the flight

I just have to take a moment to brag.

My little unplanned trio took a trip to Scottsdale over the weekend and E behaved like a champion!!!

I timed his feedings so he was eating at take-off and landing. He never had a problem with cabin pressure, except for his almost blowout in the diaper. But here's a tip for you mamas, the front bathrooms (at least in 737's) have a changing table in them!

When we landed in Arizona, we had people coming up to us just to compliment us on E's behavior. "I was nervous to sit next to you guys, but you baby didn't make a peep! What a good baby you have!" It definitely made us proud parents. He's such a rock star, seriously.

Literally, he slept most of the 3 hour flight, and when we was awake, he was sitting up and smiling at us. K did great too. Held him for me and took the middle seat so I could have the aisle. That's a good man!!! Plus, E is so happy when he's with his daddy... He's definitely a daddy's boy already.

We are about to make an almost 9 hour drive to Oklahoma this week for K's work. (Yay for being able to go home and see more family!!!). I hope E is going to be just as good in a car for that long. We already know it's going to take a lot longer to get home with all of the stops we need to make.

So I'm off of here for now to make a list of things to pack for the ride. Take some time to bask in the cuteness of my son. E also was able to meet my dog Gatsby for the first time. My parents have my dog while we get in a baby routine. Thanks parents!!

An airplane ride away...

Tomorrow we are visiting my parents at their home in Scottsdale, AZ. E hit 12 weeks today and I'm hoping that he behaves like a 12-week-old baby on the plane. And yes, I mean that in a good way. So far he has been a great baby... Hardly ever fussy. And he has been sleeping through the night for 4 weeks now!

So tomorrow morning we are waking up at 5 am, driving an hour and a half to the airport, boarding a plane, and taking a 3 hour direct flight to Phoenix. I have the diaper bag packed with a blanket, 5 diapers, 4 premixed formula bottles, 2 pacifiers, 3 burp cloths (?), 2 rattles, a child's book, all of his info needed for flying, a booger sucker, wipes, sanitizer wipes for pacifiers, hand sanitizer, and a change of clothes and socks. I'm dressing him in layers so I can take stuff off/put stuff on depending on the temp on the plane.

So there! I have no idea if I need all of that, but I am determined to be prepared for any disaster that might occur.

I'll update on the flight and how it went in the next few days. I'm just excited I am going to have a free babysitter so I can go out with K and have a good time. I miss doing things with him as a couple, as horrible as that might sound. (I don't know... Is that a bad thing?)

So I am off of here! Time to get packed so I'm not throwing random stuff in a bag at 5 am!

If anybody has any travel tips/advice, I'm all ears!!!!!

The interests of an 11 week old.

I have learned that E has some things he prefers to other things. I thought he would be too young to start taking a liking to certain things, but he proved me wrong. So here's a list of a few things that this little dude has come to love:

1. Boobs. And no, not just mine. His dad has posters of girls on dirt bikes in the garage and when I'm out there with them, E cannot take his eyes off of the posters. I could take him to the tool box and show him shiny things...doesn't matter. E wants boobs. And preferably boobs on a half-naked, skinny, blonde woman on a motorcycle.

2. Ceiling fans. It's almost creepy how much he flirts with the ceiling fan in the living room. We thought about taking him to Lowe's to the fan and light aisle, but figured he might go into sensory overload and spontaneously combust.

3. His hand. I don't get this. He chews on his hand nonstop. The nipple on a bottle and his hand almost always get into a martial arts' fight to see who wins the mouth at every feeding. The nipple only wins because I can pin his hand down with mine.

4. Poop. He LOVES to poop. And I can always tell he has pooped because he has this shit-eating grin on his face (no pun, intended. Really!). And when he poops more than once during the day, hold on tight! Because you are about to be taken on a baby joyride full of giggles and grins, and only the strong can survive that amount of cuteness.

5. His dad. Of course a little bit of me gets jealous, but he really does love his daddy. And I absolutely love seeing the two of them bond and interact with each other. E talks to me, but he cannot stop talking or smiling when K has him. It's actually pretty sweet.

6. Country music. Yes. He loves country music and that is it. Loves it the car, on a walk, in the house. Loves it any time, day or night. I'm going to keep telling myself this until it comes true.

7. Peeing out of his diaper. I say this because he makes it pretty damn obvious that he prefers peeing out of his diaper, rather than in his diaper. I mean, if he loved to pee in his diaper then we wouldn't have near as many peeing-out-of-his-diaper moments. Right??? Right.

8. Racing. Like I said in a previous post: If we have racing on television, he can't stop watching. I switch it over to football (or anything else for that matter) and his eyes drift away from the TV. Turn it back to racing...eyes back on the screen. He really is our little love child!

9. My hair. It must be because my hair is so luxurious and beautiful that he wants to grab it all of the time. The little guy must be jealous of my locks. Even when I put it up and pin it back, he always finds a way to get a hold of it. God blessed me with great hair and a baby with a death grip.

10. Curious George. I could read him 100 different books and I get the most attention from him when I read Curious George. But I mean, who could blame him? A monkey that can make blueberry pancakes and do other human feats?? That's just nuts!!!

He's definitely our child...

If anybody doesn't believe an infant can have a love for a sport, then I say to you, "whatever."

K and I are both fans of racing. Whether it be NASCAR, Motocross, Supercross, Trophy Truck, Off-road Racing, Desert Racing, Quads, Boats....you get the pic. But it's off-season for that kind of stuff (with motocross just starting a week ago). 

I, however, am a huge football fan as well. And I, like everyone else in America, was stoked about the Super Bowl yesterday. K is really indifferent when it comes to ball sports; racing is definitely his cup of tea. Well yesterday I had the replay of motocross on the SPEED network playing, and E couldn't take his eyes off of the television. Then I would flip to the Super Bowl--nothing. His attention would drift to the ceiling fan or the picture on the wall. I would flip back to motocross...bam! He would just stare at the television. 

This makes me neither happy or sad. Simply, because I love football, but I love racing more. If he wants to race as his hobby, I'll wrap him up in every safety garment and accessory available and send him on his way. If he decides he loves football further on, I'll do the same with that. But as of right now, I can tell he's our baby. He loves racing and I'm not going to stop him. K already has his dirt bike in the garage (training wheels on the way). Any hobby he decides he wants to pursue, I'll be behind him. Unless it's soccer. We're not doing that.

Coffee exists because moms exist. Fact.

I've always been a fan of coffee. I am a coffee connoisseur. I know what blends I like; what roasts work with what creams. I can smell a bad coffee bean from a mile away. I think I've perfected the cream/sugar ratio for one cup of joe. My investments in top-of-the-line coffee makers have all been worth it. That's right. No buyer's remorse here! I, my friends, am a coffee addict expert.

I used to think my love for coffee couldn't grow any more than what it was. But you see... I didn't know what real love was until I had a baby (coffee, people! Real love for coffee). Before, I drank coffee for the taste. My 8+ hours of sleep every night didn't demand that I drink it for an energy boost; a means of being able to keep my eyes open and perform every day human functions. No. My habit of drinking coffee came from the smell, the taste, and as a means of socializing with those who have also found themselves in this tasty habit.

But now my love has grown to an extreme proportion. I no longer drink it to socialize with people. Actually, coffee is now a way for me to retract into my quiet shell before the realization of pure instability hits me for the day. I want my coffee...and I want it ALONE. And not just one cup. No, no, no, silly reader. I drink numerous cups of coffee throughout the entire day. And I drink it for energy. I drink it to perform tasks. I drink it to still be able to speak English. I drink it to get dressed. My love has gone from an admiration to a full-on dependence. I depend on coffee...and I like to think it depends on me. There's no love/hate relationship here. It's all love. 100% of pure affection.

And I'm not the only one. The more moms I talk to, the more I realize they are in the same boat as me! They too depend on their morning joe. I bet you anything it was a woman with a newborn who discovered that the coffee bean can make something that a person ingests to feel a rush. A certain high, if you will. A spurt of energy. This woman probably ran out of her home in Colombia with spit-up on her clothes, her hair ratted, no bra, shrieking through her village and toward the mountainside. Everyone thought she was insane, and maybe she was. But a newborn can make you feel that way! She probably stumbled down a hill and landed on some beans. With nothing else to lose, she picked them, boiled them, and drank the brown water it left behind. It probably took effect within minutes and she became super mom. With this new potion she found, she shared it in her secret mom group so all moms could have that energy they need to get through the day. When word got out, a stupid man probably took credit for it and began selling it worldwide.

So you see? Moms (more than likely) invented coffee. And if you ask me, we are single-handedly the ones to thank for keeping this industry booming.

You're welcome.