sweet simple & small

When you chose your child’s name, did it have a meaning or did you pick it just because you liked it?             When David and I were talking about names, we were lost! Neither of us knew where to start nor had any picked out before. I always liked the name Christopher. It’s my dad’s name, my brother’s name, my nephew’s middle name and it’s also David’s middle name. It’s a family name and I knew I would pass this name to my child, had it been a boy. We also loved the name Daniel. It’s a strong name for a baby boy, young guy, and an older man. Can you picture a sweet baby named Bill or Ted? Maybe you can, but I sure can’t! Daniel is also a strong biblical character. He was a man of faith! He endured being in the lion’s den and was not harmed because he was brave and faithful.  The name Christopher has the word CHRIST in it. I believe the name Christopher comes from the word Christian, so after all of this the n...

This is my first time ever joining a "Link up Party" and I am so excited to share 5 thinks I've been loving lately! I'm linking up with  Carolina Charm  and a few others so make sure to check out the other blogs listed above! 1. This summer, Dunkin' Donuts is doing Iced Tea and Iced Coffee for $1 if you buy the souvenir cup for the price of a medium drink (yes you get the drink in it as well!). David says their tea is better than McDonald's and I'll admit they are pretty close! I will say, DD's iced coffee definitely won my heart for sure! Loving this summer deal! 2. Beautiful Breastfeeding Laura from tiny toes, little nose  inspired this picture. I guess instagram had temporarily banned breastfeeding photos but now they are allowing them. If you're a proud breastfeeding mama post a pic on instagram with the hashtag beautifulbfing and you'll be able to see tons of awesome breastfeeding shots and even tandem nursing! (brea...

5 Months Old       Height & Weight :  I weighed her the other day and got 18 something.    Clothes:   She is wearing 6 months on Carter's and 6-9 months in everything else- right on track! :)     Eating: 100% Mama's milk! I am so proud of my exclusively breastmilk-fed baby who is growing marvelously. I have let her gnaw on a chunk of watermelon and strawberry but I do not feed her "baby food" and don't plan to. I've decided to forego the cereal/oatmeal stage and go to solids when she's able to grab for herself. I love love love nursing! She is starting to kick and squirm while I feed her which is funny because she's still totally latched on while do so. She's just playing. I love when she looks up and me- it just melts my heart. Im MUCH more comfortable with nursing in public too. Now that it is hot, I don't always use my cover anymore. I do and I don't but the other day I nursed her in chipotle without a...

Hi All! I decided to write this semi-short blog about 13 things I didn't know about labor! As many of you know, I went into labor (got induced) at 37 weeks so it was a tad early. I was just a few days shy of going to an all day "labor preparation" class with David. I don't know what to call it! Ha...anyways my actual labor story is too long and too personal to share at the moment so I decided to share just a portion of it for now! If you'd like to read David's version (it's shorter with not as much detail) then you can read that Here . This is just my personal experience. Yours may be, and probably is, MUCH different than mine so please no judging! :) These are in NO particular order- they are just as they came to mind! 1. "Checking" for dilation hurts! I have watched millions of "A baby story" on TLC, watched tons of YouTube videos, read many blogs, talked to multiple people but I had never heard ONCE that getting "checked...

Height:  26.5 inches  Weight:   16 lb 5 oz  Clothes:   3-6 month jammies, 6 month Onsies and usually 3-6 months on shorts or pants. Eating:   Still loving Mama's milk!  I am no hurry to start her on solids. After talking to the doctor, I'm going to keep breastfeeding and then introduce small things like banana, orange, etc. when she is able to grab things for her self (5-6 months?). I have zero interest in pureeing peas and force feeding her. When she can look at something and grab it herself (providing it is healthy) then she can have it. "Food before one is just for fun" so the most important source of nutrients for her is breast milk. Sleeping:   I could not be more proud of my little girl. She has consistently slept through the night since 8 weeks old! I'm talking 8-12 hours without waking up. Now she is sleeping a solid 12 hours every night. Her typical bed time is between 8 and 8:30 and she is always nursed to sleep...

So last weekend I went camping with my in-laws in Forest Lakes and it was so much fun! It was a bit chilly for this cactus baby but it was a blast just enjoying God's gorgeous creation, hiking, and of course- roasting 'smores! As I prepared to leave, I wondered how different it would be with a baby coming along- my mind went crazy! How many diapers should I bring? Should I bring her toys? What if she starts rolling over? Do I bring a pack n play?  How many wipes do I pack?? Bottles??? Extra clothes???? The list goes on. A couple people basically told me I was crazy for bringing a 3 month old camping but it was no different than having one while not camping- just a different atmosphere and temperature. I found so many good blogs on 'camping with infants' and those helped me prepare for my trip but I wanted to make my own list of essential supplies for camping with a baby. I didn't have to buy anything special for this trip which was great. So here is my top my most...

When I was pregnant, I remember going into Babies R Us and being incredibly overwhelmed with the bottle selection. Why can't there be ONE bottle and ONE nipples that babies drink from?? Why do moms have to go through nipple after nipple and bottle after bottle just to find the perfect little bottle for their baby?? Oh that's right- 'cause that would be too easy! As if motherhood isn't hard enough... Once Gracelyn arrived I was advised not to put ANYTHING in her mouth except for my nipple for at least a month so she could get used to breastfeeding. I heard this from friends but also got it confirmed by my doctor, nurse and lactation consultant as this would be easiest for her to get settled with breastfeeding. At 4 weeks old I introduced the bottle for the first time to get her used to it for when I returned back to work. I expected her to not want the bottle at first since I knew she liked breast feeding best but I did not expect her to just completely refuse the b...