Happy Halloween!!!

Although I typically do not celebrate Halloween- I did want to participate in the festivities for my baby's first Halloween and document it for him -of course. Hopefully I'll get to post about this experience. Until then...

HHJ: Sept/Oct/Nov

I know this is a way over due but October came so fast...

Before I review my September goals let's just say I don't know how successful I thought I was going to be with a newborn ::FACEPALM::

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
○ Continue my weekly regime (the little regime that I have). It's been working so far but we will see how this continues with a newborn. Well, nope... not at all- I  failed miserably. Between diaper changes, feedings, and exhaustion this just did not happen. I am hoping next month will be better.

○ Add a few more products to my regime plus some basics. I got most of the basics that I needed. I even got a few Bee Mine products! I signed up for Sally's Beauty club and got a $5 off coupon and 15% off one of my purchases in October... I love saving money!

○ I really, really, really want to add half wigs into my regime. Nope. I didn't get a chance to go wig shopping at all. But the half wigs I thought about retiring I didn't because well... life with a newborn.

NOVEMBER- I'm scaling back my goals list for this month because... well there is no use setting myself up for failure...

○  Daily (or every other day) moisturizing. I found that this has help my hair tremendously. I did not know the importance of moisturized hair.
○  Protective styling. I'd like to maintain what I've done so far. I've even noticed some growth where I had the breakage.
○  Get back to taking my prenatal vitamins. This definitely helped with my growth- plus I love all the other perks it gives me (beautiful nails, dietary supplement because the new mommy diet sucks).

Hopefully November will prove to be much better in my journey.

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Last relaxer: 7/28/11            Last trim: 8/19/11
Next relaxer: 10/07/11
Current stretch: 10 weeks

Baby, You've got what I need!

Inspired by another mommy blogger- I decided to post my top five necessities during his first month.




1. Moby. I never thought I would be a baby wearer. In fact I never even researched the topic until I discovered that my little boy needed to be held all.day.long. I came across this wrap on another blog and I had been obsessed with getting it. My lactation consultant had one for my to try in her office and I loved it and so did he! Now I can actually use the bathroom when I need to.

2. My camera. This kid is so darn cute! And I want to be able to relieve every moment of this cuteness. I can't believe the difference in him in just 6 weeks... crazy!

I'll give this tummy time thing a try



 3. Car Seat/Stroller. There were quite a few times where I desperately needed to get out of the house. Perfect for long walks in the park.

4. Bottles. My intention was always to be able to pump breast milk so that other people can assist with feedings, however the bottles were needed way faster than I imagined.



5. Bassinet. There is no way as a first time mom that I could sleep very far from my baby. This is very convenient for middle-of-the-night feeding, naps, and everything in between. It's a safe way for co-sleeping although I will admit to bed-sharing a time or two.

Shut it mom! I'm trying to sleep here!

and there you have it. My list of must haves for this month {and a half}.

Hit the road, Jack!

I like documenting my newborn struggles. I think it will help me grow as a mom and hopefully help me later on if we are blessed to be able to travel this road again. Although my intention was not to make it about the struggles of breastfeeding- I found my that post to be very cathartic. So I'm at it again. But trust me it was intended to go a completely different direction.

So- next up: public outings.

I am deathly afraid of going out in public by myself with my baby. Here's why:

1. Something could go wrong. And by that I mean disastrous. I hate being flustered and I don't particularly care for crying babies so I am afraid of standing in the middle of the store with a screaming baby and everyone staring at me in disgust.

2. I don't like being flustered. And there is something about feeding and changing my flailing, wiggling son in public that flusters me. Sure it's no big deal to walk into a bathroom and change your baby but you already know how I feel about public restrooms. Plus, I use powdered formula so I can just see my baby screaming at me in the middle of the store with tears rolling down his little chubby cheeks and then boom! formula powder everywhere- left for some store employee to clean up and my baby even more upset because "mom! I'm hungry here!"

3. Ignoring mommy needs. Typically, I can ignore my needs to care for my baby when I'm at home. well to a certain extent. Instead of eating lunch at 1- I normally have it at 4 but that's no big deal.  Minimally I can let him whine while I use the bathroom. However, I can't ignore my needs in public. It's a weird thing to describe. Sometimes if I have to go to the bathroom while I'm home but baby requires my attention, I can hold my urine a lot longer than if I were walking around the grocery store. Although I have left a store without getting what I actually went there for. I just don't like feeling like trips were a waste.

4. I'm afraid of being unprepared. I took the baby for a walk with my brother and fed him during our walk. He spit out a little of his milk and when I went to reach for the burp cloth I realized I left it in the car. It completely freaked me out. Once I regained my composure I realized I could just use any cloth- including my sleeve but for those briefs moments I was thrown for a loop and I don't like being flustered.

There are going to be times where I have to be alone with him in public so I better get over this....quick!

One month old!

Okay. He's actually 6 weeks old but seriously whose counting?


So let's see. He has had 3 well visits so far. His pediatrician does well visits at one week, two weeks, one month, two months, etc. My baby boy is now 9 pounds 3 ounces! That's almost two pounds up from his birth weight. I can't believe how fast he's growing- we've already retired all of his newborn sized clothes. I am sure my little baby boy is even 10 pounds now. Honestly I miss the way he curled up when he was first born- now his arms are completely stretched and he only curls them when he's eating or sleeping.

His likes:

Bathtime. He sits so contently while mommy or daddy washes his bum and take pictures. The baby bathtub has a built in thermometer so we know the water temperature is always perfect for him. I look forward to when he's able to enjoy it by splashing the water around :)

Being held. Sometimes to my detriment. There are times where I can't get anything done because he wants to be held. While I love this (because when he's a teenager he'll probably despise when I touch him) I fear that I am spoiling him a little too much. When he has another caregiver that's not me- he won't always get his way. I'm trying to get him use to being soothed other ways by placing him in the swing, but this doesn't always work. Also, when we have visitors they like to hold him (who doesn't love holding babies) and he's usually napping which is not helping the situation.

Eating. Did I mention he's almost 10 pounds!

Being talked to. He loves when anybody talks to him. He stares at anyone who speaks to him.

His Dislikes:

Bedtime. My little guys fights his sleep like it stole something from him. We are beginning to establish a bedtime routine. At 8 pm he gets a bath, then a bottle, and then he is rocked to sleep. Sometimes it works like a charm and other times- not so much. One night I resorted to putting him in his car seat and putting it on top of the dryer. That worked until I took him off the dryer. Then my husband took him for a car ride... a very long car ride. Now granted I am the same way. It takes me an insanely long time to fall asleep but come on! He's only 6 weeks old... I guess he got it honestly.

Being alone. Cuddling is his absolutely favorite past time... second to eating.

Not being able to see. It's crazy how nosy this little guy is. he wants to be a part of the action and see everything.

And here's the cutest little baby ever....