Santa is not the one who comes to mind when I hear this phase, but what does come to mind is what we are starting to fondly refer to as "The Plaque". Crewe and I have been battling some kind of crude for the past 10 days. Yes you read that right I said TEN!!! It almost seems cruel to have mommy and baby sick at the same time especially when that said baby still wakes up 2 times a night. All that to say that I think we are on the end but you can find plenty of this

scattered all over our house since we have run out of Kleenex and who wants to go to the store the day before Thanksgiving. We have even resorted to cutting up daddy’s old undershirts to wipe all the runny noses.

We are still sooo excited for Thankgiving tomorrow even though it should be a crime to be so stuffed up you cannot taste anything you eat. Maybe it will help me control the amount of food I intake since it just isn't the same if you can't taste it??? Probably not. Crewe has enjoyed helping me cook.

I had some great pictures to share, but in true iphone fasion it crashed last night and in true Alexis fashion I had not backed it up since October, soooo... I lost all my pictures.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Nursing Momma's Tales

Sooooo.... I would not call myself an expert on breastfeeding but am working on meeting my goal of nursing Crewe for the first year of his life and it looks like we will be going over because he is showing not signs of weaning and I am not going to force the issue. I think back to when I was pregnant and really just wanted to make it to 6 months becasue much older than that seemed weird and too much like a little human. I guess I pictured him walking up and asking for it at that age and here I am with a 1 year old wondering what my life will be like again when it doesn't revolve around a pumping and nursing schedule. 

All this to say that I remember scouring the internet and blogs for advice, products, and information to help me tread these unknown waters. I stumbled on some helpful blogs that I still refer to now because her post were so helpful to this new momma.

I am hoping this will help some new momma's out there with some must have products and advice.

First off, if you decide to breastfeed definitely stick with it and don't let anybody change your mind or tell you that your baby is not getting enough. I went to a few breastfeeding meetings where I learned that a newborns tummy is only the size of a marble, so that small amount you are producing in the beginning is the perfect amount for you sweet babe.

Something else I was totally unprepared for was "cluster feeding". Crewe went through a period for about 4 to 5 weeks that he would want to nurse EVERY 30 minutes. It started around 5pm and went until about 10pm. This was the one time I can remember almost giving up because I figured I must not be producing enough. Turns out he was just establishing my supply. Hang in there it does get better.

Invest in a good breastpump. I use this one and have been very happy with it. It is worth the extra money to get a good one that is efficient.

These sterilization bags are a must have and make life so much simpler since free time is already at a minimum. I would definitely stock up.

Last but not least I would also have plenty of these and if you work hard on a proper latch you should not need any cream. I heard over and over that breastfeeding should not hurt and my experience was the first 2 weeks was pretty painful and once that is over is get much more comfortable. If you plan to nurse over 5 to 6 months it will get to the point where your little one can finish up in around 10 minutes. Let me tell you it changes your life!!!

One last product I promote to every new mommy is the Angel Care Monitor. It really helps put your mind at ease when your little angel is sleeping that they are still breathing. This is the BEST product and I would pay twice the amount just for the peace of mind it gave us. The cheapest I found it for was on this website. They just came out with one that has a video monitor which I love and will definitely be purchasing with our next baby. You can find that one here.


I hope this helps at least one momma out there. If you have any questions please leave me a comment. I would love to help and remember too well how scary those first few weeks are.

When weaning happens I will be posting about that, but for now I will have to start scouring the internet and blogs to learn how in the world to go about it :)!

Last but not least I love nursing becuase ALL the quality time I get to spend with this little guy!

Type A anyone???

Can I tell you that this

does not mesh well with my Type A personality and always wanting things to be clean and tidy. God does have a sense of humor and is gently teaching me to let go of the little things and enjoy all the things mommyhood has to offer. I must admit though, even looking at the picture still makes me cringe a little and this is just the beginning of him getting around. I feel like I am far to often trying to clean up after him rather than enjoying this fleeting time. I don't want to always be trapped in the "I can't wait until he...." montra. I want to be an intentional parent who takes the time to let him touch 20 pumpkins on the way into the grocery store EVERY time we go and who he remembers playing with him rather than just cleaning up after him.

Ahhh parenting, you present so many challenges yet so many joys.

However, I think this

is worth every single mess!

Happy Late Halloween

Late is how we roll in the Moran household ever since C-man arrived.

Crewe's new love is pumpkins. Everywhere we go we have to stop and talk to the pumpkins, touch the pumpkins, hug the pumpkins, and usually leave with about 5 pumpkins. A few days after halloween we had the bright idea to let Crewe get messy and carve a pumpkin thinking that he would enjoy that since he has some major affections for pumpkins. This is pretty much how it went.

Crewe don't eat the seeds.

Crewe don't eat the seeds

Buddy, you will choke don't put the seeds in your mouth.

I don't care mom, I think the seeds are a perfect snack.

No seeds and he lost interest.

I tried out a recipe I found on Pinterest this week that John has been begging me to make and TRUST ME these cookies do not disappoint. I thought they would turn out very flat and mushy, but was surprised at how perfect they look and taste. If you let them sit a bit before eating the oreo center get crunchy.

We finished off the weekend with a sick baby and popsicles being enjoyed by all!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



Today is the Day!

Today is the day, I will put it off no more; my first blog post. There are many things I would like to accomplish through this blog, the main being documenting my life as a momma. Becoming more creative, crafty, and house wifeish is also a goal. Right now most of my craftiness comes from stealing ideas from pinterest, but fear not I have big plans of posting my own ideas one day.

I came to love the blog world through Lullaby Lubbock (you should check them out) and came across so many more women who were real, creative and just plain fun. My camera is subpar (is that a word), but I plan on doing my best and hopefully creating friendships and sharing life expericneces with other amazing women.

Some things about me. I absolutely LOVE Christmas. I use exclamation points a lot when I write, text, and I am sure that will roll over to blogging. Being a momma is the best although I questions my abilities most days. My honey always makes me feel a little more secure with the person I am. I could make a job out of organizing. Freshly washed sheets are the best to get into at night. Changing hairstyles is always on my to do list and I wimp out at the last minute. I worry about everything and feel I can change the outcome of something by worrying (shame on me) and those are just a few.

 So here we are! Me, the Hubby, and C-Man

Picture courtesy of Brittany Strebeck (you should check out her blog too)

 

Talk Soon!