I'm Starting the Whole30!!

Hello readers!

Readers...hmmm...do I still have readers?? Hello...anyone out there??? (echo...echo...echo...) I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but I have a really exciting announcement! (Depending on your definition of exciting, of course!)

Yup! Today is day one! My husband and I have been feeling very bogged down lately. We are not in good physical or mental shape, and we decided that our life really needed an overhaul. This was our solution!

If you aren't familiar with the Whole30, you can read about it on their website here. But to put it in simple terms, it's basically a 30 day elimination diet to help heal and reset your body. You eat only what can be hunted and gathered (meat, seafood, veggies, fruit, healthy fats from nuts and seeds, etc.) You can not eat any breads, grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, soy, alcohol, or pretty much all the stuff that my diet consisted of before starting this. I miss ice cream already!

One of the most difficult things I've come across in preparing for these 30 days is finding compliant meals that are easy enough and familiar enough for me to actually cook and actually want to eat. I am not very good in the kitchen, so an easy to cook meal is a must!

I plan on posting as much as I can to showcase what my family has eaten for the day while on this diet. I hope that it will be helpful and informative, and give any of you out there that want to try this diet a boost of self confidence! Because trust me...if I can do it, anyone can do it! Now I just hope that I'm not eating those words later haha!

To help prepare for this month, I made my very first meal plan ever! Complete with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! It was not easy, but I was very proud of myself!

One of the tips for being successful on the Whole30 is to clear your kitchen of any non-compliant food so that you're not tempted to fall back into your old ways. I didn't throw anything away, but I did hide stuff, and I still have some non-compliant snacks and drinks (like milk) around for my toddler.

Here is a before and after of my refrigerator and pantry. After I cleaned everything out, and then after grocery shopping!

I honestly didn't realize how much crap (forgive my language but there's really no other way to describe it!) my family had been eating until I had to clear out my kitchen. It makes me so sad! But also so happy that we have decided to take on the challenge of the Whole30!

I have a feeling this is going to be a difficult journey for both myself and my husband, but I know that we owe it to ourselves and our family to take better care of the bodies we've been entrusted with. After all, you only get one!

I hope you'll follow us on this journey, and find our experience helpful! Make sure to subscribe to this blog to stay up to date!

Five Tips for New Moms!

So, you've found out your pregnant! Congratulations! Right now you are probably feeling an overwhelming amount of joy, fear, worry, or a mix of all three! Let me tell ya, you are not alone!!

I went through many phases of emotions during my pregnancy with Aria, and now that I'm 15 months into this motherhood thing, I feel like I need to share some of my tips with those of you who are currently where I was a year and a half ago!

1. Don't buy your baby every baby item known to man! They really don't need a lot!

     My "baby supply" list was about a mile long! Diapers, wipes, clothes, crib, bottles, bottle warmer, bottle washing thing for the dishwasher (no, I don't know what it's called ha), bottle drying rack, pacifiers, blankets, swings, mobiles, nursery decor, you name it...if it can be found at Babies R' Us, it was on my list! As time came to actually purchase these items, I narrowed it down to what my baby would actually need in her first few months of life and all of a sudden, having a baby in the house seemed like it would be a little less stressful! I am the type of person that gets stressed and a little depressed when I am surrounded with mess and clutter (which unfortunately happens too often in my home.) So the less baby stuff I had laying around waiting to be used, the better. Stick with the necessities and buy what your baby needs as your baby grows. Your wallet and sanity will thank you! (However, if you find an insanely good deal on something that you know your baby will need, get it asap and make sure you have a place to store it away out of sight until it's needed!)

2. Have a parenting plan, but be prepared and open to changing it daily!

     I decided while I was pregnant that I was not going to co-sleep. From what I read, it seemed unsafe and not practical for my families living situation. That plan flew out the door the first night home from the hospital! Co-sleeping ended up being the only way we could actually get any sleep around here on some nights! Now, I'm not saying that it will be like this with every plan you make, but you and your baby are about to go through a life long learning process, and it will be much less stressful for both of you if you are willing to make changes to your plans when necessary. It's just like they always say, "never say never!" Great...now I'm going to have Justin Bieber stuck in my head all day!

3. Trust your instincts! Mom knows best!

     You have probably heard this time and time again, but it really is true! You don't really understand the term 'motherly instincts' until you have a child. No matter what advice you are given (even in this very blog post,) whether it is solicited or not, always remember that no one knows your baby better than you! If you think your baby needs to go to bed by a certain time, then do it! Don't let any friend or family member or even parenting expert, tell you otherwise. My baby needed to be in bed between 6 and 6:30 pm, otherwise we couldn't get her down until closer to midnight! That makes for a tired baby, and two exhausted parents! Everyone said I was crazy, and said I should gently push her bedtime closer to 7 or 8. Nope! Not happening! I knew when my baby was ready for bed, and that was what worked best for us, so that's what we did! Just remember that as soon as you become pregnant, every person that's ever had, cared for, or even looked at a child will suddenly become an "expert." Just ignore when necessary!

4. Be prepared to take care of yourself physically and mentally, just as much as you are preparing to take care of your baby.

     This is one that I wish I would have focused on more while I was pregnant. You hear about postpartum depression and all the items you need to help your body heal, but you don't really think a whole lot about them. You are thinking about your baby and everything he/she needs and how much he/she will cry or how much he/she will eat and sleep etc etc. Rightfully so, the baby is the exciting part in all this! It's not fun to think about PPD, or tearing, or c-section scars, or nipple blisters and mastitis! The baby isn't the only one being born here. You are being reborn as a brand new mom. With that comes a lot of changes. Maybe physically, maybe mentally, but most likely both. When I wrote about the day Aria was born, I left out a lot of stuff that happened after her birth. Mainly because when I read that, I want to be reminded of all the happiness I felt that day! But I spent her whole first day of life in the hospital writhing in pain. I thought I had a UTI and my doctor didn't believe me. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't shower, I couldn't even really hold or enjoy my newborn baby! It wasn't until the next day they realized I was dealing with some very serious urinary retention (I never even thought of that as a possibility while I was pregnant) and I spent her second whole day/night of life attached to a catheter. I know, this is some really fun stuff to talk about, huh? I don't know how common that situation is, but it threw me for a loop and definitely put a damper on this exciting new chapter of my life. That, followed by another hospital stay for Aria's jaundice, accompanied with a few very frustrating doctors visits, and that threw me straight into some PPD. Ladies...I know it's not fun to think about these things, and you are probably saying "that wont happen to me" and I truly hope it doesn't! But just in case, do your research, get familiar with all possibilities, and be as prepared as possible for them.

5. Accept help when it is offered to you!
 
     This was another one that was difficult for me! I am a very independent person. I don't like help. I want to do anything and everything on my own. Especially when it came to baby! I brought this baby into the world, so now I need to do anything and everything on my own. Well, if you are blessed to have family and friends who want to help you out at all, let go of your independence for once in your life and let them in! Maybe they want to cook you dinner, or help clean your house, or maybe they want to snuggle your baby for a few minutes so you can go take a shower. Just say yes! You will have plenty of time for the rest of your life to be your independent self. Now is not the time! Enjoy that shower, honey! You deserve it...and let's be honest...you probably need it very badly haha!

Motherhood is definitely a change, but it doesn't have to be a scary one! Follow these tips, and I'm sure it will be a much better experience for you and your new baby!

Do you have any tips for a new mom?? Leave them in the comment section!


~Rachel~

Five Must-Have Makeup Products for Mom (or anyone who wears makeup!)

Let me start by saying I'm not what you would call a "glamorous" person, but I do like to feel pretty. My dear husband would tell me that I am always pretty no matter what. He's a smart man! However, I know that I feel prettiest when I've got a little bit of makeup on. I don't have to wear a ton, and I don't have to wear it everyday. I love the natural features that God has given me. But it just puts a little more oomph in my step. Ya know what I mean?

After I had my daughter, I did not feel very pretty. I just had a baby! The world didn't expect me to be pretty! But I didn't feel like myself, and when you are trying to learn how to live a whole new life that revolves around someone else  entirely, it's important to try and tap back into who you once were in order to avoid losing your whole self. 

For me, the simplest thing I could do was try to get myself back to feeling pretty with the very little time and effort I could afford. I wasn't about to sit there every day for 15-20 minutes and do my hair and makeup. No new mom has time for that! Unless your name is Kim Kardashian. But then you have someone to do that for you. ANYWAYS! I needed to find products that were quick and easy to use, and that stayed put all day so that I wasn't fussing with my makeup half way through the day. 

These are the products I think every woman, but especially every mom should have in her arsenal!

1. A good long wearing/natural looking base. For me and my normal/dry skin it is the Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation. I cannot say enough good things about this foundation! It is my holy grail! I only wear a thin layer of this stuff and it doesn't move all day! I also love it because I don't have to wear a powder over it, so it's just one quick step and my skin is perfected. If you don't like foundation, a BB cream or tinted moisturizer are both good options! Some days I skip this step and other days it's the only step I do. It all depends on my skin and the time crunch. 

2. A good under-eye concealer! It's no big secret that moms are tired. I'm going on almost 10 months of constant sleep deprivation! *yawn* But with this Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer, my dark tired under-eye circles are gone! Once again, I don't even need to top this with a powder for normal every day wear. Quick and easy! 

3. A nude colored eye liner for your water line. If your eyes are looking red, this is the key to getting them back to looking bright and awake! I use the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal eyeliner in Nude just on my lower water line and it makes a huge difference. HUGE! And it stays on pretty well for a decent portion of the day. Yesterday I went shopping with my mom, and I applied this at 9am and it was still on when I got home and 6pm. GOOD stuff! I really like their black and brown eyeliners too because they don't smudge, but the nude color is one that I MUST have! 

4. Don't have time to do eye shadow? Me either. Don't like to do eye shadow? Me either. Maybelline Color Tattoo by Eye Studio is your new best friend. I use Barely Branded for every day, and Bad to the Bronze if I want to up the ante a bit for a date or girls night out. Just apply this with your finger, and 15 seconds later you'll look like you actually put a whole lot of effort into doing your eye shadow. If you are ambitious, you can top this with powder shadows to create a glamorous look, but for me, just this is enough to satisfy!  Complete with your favorite eyeliner and mascara (or not!) and you're good to go. 

5. Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick. This stuff is UH-MAY-ZING! It is my absolute favorite lip product of all time. The color pictured here is Sweet Watermelon, which is a very universally flattering pink. Sometimes, as a mom, I feel like I'm walking around looking and feeling like a zombie, and this adds the perfect pop of color to my face so I don't feel so....dead, for a lack of a better word! If you are familiar with EmilyNoel83 on YouTube, she described this as the "sweatpants of lip products" because it is so easy to apply and comfortable on your lips. She was absolutely right! The one category this doesn't fit into is long lasting, as with any lip product really. But it is so easy to reapply, I don't even need to use a mirror, so I love it! 

Now if you're a blush person, just add a dab to your cheeks, and you're all set for the day! 

What are your favorite must-have makeup products in your routine? I would love to hear about them in the comments! Thank you so much for reading!

Easy DIY Headbands for Baby!

I can't tell you enough how much I ADORE a flower or bow on my bald little girls head. It's just so stinkin' cute! I was getting bored with the same ol' headbands that I had, so I decided to make up some new ones!

Here is what you will need:

1. Random accessories such as pre-made felt flowers, buttons, silk flowers, bows, whatever you want!! 

2. Elastic headbands. I bought a pack of headbands from Wal Mart for $2.50. I didn't like the bows on them but the elastic was the type that I was looking for (it fits my babies head best) so I just took the bows off and had the elastic left over. You could make your own by just sewing a length of elastic together, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious :) 

3. Felt scraps. Just in case you need to add a backing to any of your flowers, buttons, or bows.

4. Snaps. I used size 4 but something smaller would work too. I would use anything larger because you might be able to see it while the baby is wearing it. 

5. A hot glue gun and glue. You could use a needle and thread and sew these things, but I'm much too lazy for that, and waaaayy to impatient! 

Now for the fun part...making them!

There are only three easy steps...

1. Hot glue one half of the snap to your elastic headband. I use the flattest side of the snap so that it doesn't dig into my babies head. I also attach it onto the seam of the band so I don't have to worry about that showing while she's wearing it. 

2. Hot glue the other half onto the accessory of your choice. Here I used a pre-made fabric flower that I bought at a craft store. You could make one yourself if you were feeling extra crafty! 

3. Snap them together! Ta-da! Now you have a really cute headband! 

But wait....we're not done yet! The point of using the snaps is so that your headbands can be interchangeable, so go ahead and repeat steps one and two for all of the bands and accessories that you want. In the end, you will have a variety of headband combinations to choose from! 

If you check your craft stores clearance section, you can usually find some good deals on their pre-made flowers. That's where I found most of mine! But if you really want to do this on the cheap, you can make your own flowers out of felt, old t-shirts, fabric scraps, the possibilities are endless! Have fun, everyone! 

Controversial Parenting: Pacifier or No Pacifier?

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am not an expert. Heck, I'm not even a college grad. I am just a mom, living life, and always trying to do what's best for my baby and my family. I encourage everyone to do your own research when it comes to making decisions for your child.

While I was pregnant, I had every intention of giving my child a pacifier. I didn't think twice about it really. It was just what people did, so I would do it too! Then as I began reading more about breastfeeding, I learned about this lovely little thing called "nipple confusion." Being determined to breastfeed, this scared me! There was no way I would let anything interfere with my breastfeeding! Then my baby was born.....

On her second day of life, my daughter thought it would be a good idea to nurse for an hour and a half straight. Obviously baby gets what baby wants, and as much as I wanted to continue nursing her, my poor boobs just couldn't take it anymore!!! It was at that moment that I realized my baby was what I call a "comfort sucker." This isn't out of the norm. After all, sucking is one if the Five S's, but I never really understood how soothing it would be! I asked my mom what she would do, and she said "just give her the pacifier, she'll be fine." So, in went the pacifier and she took to it immediately! That second night in the hospital was much more restful than the first! That pacifier was a lifesaver!

However, the next morning, the lactation consultant came to visit me and her face immediately turned to horror as she noticed the pacifier in my daughters mouth! The official position of the hospital was that breastfed babies weren't supposed to have pacifiers for at least 6 weeks, and especially not the MAM pacifier that I had given my daughter.

Not only did the LC's words rip through my newly born mother heart, she then proceeded to pull the pacifier out of my peacefully sleeping babies mouth. Tears followed immediately, and not just from the baby. I was made to feel like such a terrible mother, and like I did not care if my baby learned to properly breastfeed. Why wasn't I strong enough to let my baby nurse as much as she wanted? Was nursing not supposed to hurt so bad? Was I doing it all wrong? Would my baby be able to latch correctly now that I've introduced a "dummy" nipple? So many thoughts went through my brain and I couldn't stop crying. The LC came and hugged me, and honestly all I wanted to do was smack her in the face. She left, and when the pediatrician came in, he took his turn telling me how horrible pacifiers are for breastfed babies. I didn't mean to be rude, but I told him to stop talking. I didn't want to hear it anymore. 

After all that trouble, my baby is now almost 12 weeks old, and "nipple confusion" has never been an issue for us. When she's hungry, she spits her pacifier out. When she's done eating, she refuses the boob and cries for the pacifier. I feel like introducing her to the pacifier also helped her to take to the bottle a bit better. 

The pacifier has been a lifesaver for us, and she will continue to have it until she no longer needs that comfort, or turns 1. Whichever comes first! 

What did you choose for your child? Did he/she use a pacifier, or did you decide you didn't want to go down that road? I'd love to hear your responses in the comment section!

Capturing Life's Moments

Being a new mom, I find myself taking pictures of my sweet adorable baby all... the... time! I can't help myself! Everything she does is just so cute and film worthy! Some pictures I take for pure sentimental value, and others end up being photos that just have to be displayed! How do I take all these pictures? With my phone! I use an iPhone 4S and I have it on me 24/7, so it only makes sense that most, if not all of my pictures are taken with this handy little device! It's convenient, and economical. No need to go out and buy some fancy-schmancy camera or camcorder.

This evening, I was able to capture this photo...

Look at those eyes! We just finished up bath time and she looked so cute and snugly in her towel, I couldn't resist snapping a photo! However, I knew there was more to this photo than what was originally captured.

So then I turned it into this...

Yes! Pure perfection! In my opinion anyways. I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but this one will definitely be hanging on a wall in my home! And to think, I did this all with my phone! 

I used the standard camera to take the picture, because I needed to get to it quick. Then I used Camera+ to edit it. I used the "Night" setting, then added the Retro Ansel effect (which is my favorite effect of all time.)

Technology is amazing. I'm so thankful I can easily capture life's little moments, and cherish them forever!

The Day That Changed My Life Forever...

My husband and I walked out of the doctors office on November 29th beaming with joy. Our baby was healthy, with a strong heartbeat, and was head down, ready to make her debut anytime in the following 4 weeks or so. We had spent the last month preparing for a c-section due to her being breech, so finding out she had turned around was such a relief for us! We could finally relax and let nature take its course. As soon as we got in the car to drive home, the braxton hicks contractions began, and they continued on and off, sometimes regular, sometimes not, for the next five days. Those five days were spent like any other day. I worked, hung out with family, spent time with my husband, all the while feeling like my baby was going to take her sweet time, and would probably show up fashionably late (like mother, like daughter.)

I went to sleep on Tuesday, December 4th, thinking about the work I had to do the next day and the last minute Christmas shopping I still needed to finish. Little did I know it was the last night of my life as I knew it. 

I woke up at 1:45am on December 5th with what felt like very strong menstrual cramps. I kept telling myself that this wasn't happening. This isn't a contraction. It's normal pain. This can't happen yet. Ten minutes later it started again. No. Not yet. I'm not ready! Another ten minutes, and then another...I will admit, I panicked a bit. I decided to take a hot shower because I read somewhere that if it was false labor, a hot shower or bath would usually stop the contractions. Thirty minutes in the shower, and these contractions weren't going anywhere. This was it. I began to walk aimlessly around the house as I tried to wrap my head around the thought of becoming a mother (because nine months wasn't long enough for that to happen!) I held my doctors business card in one hand, my phone in the other, still slightly in denial and hesitant to call. It was about 3 am at this point, and the contractions were getting closer together. I finally got the courage to call, and the on call nurse told me the doctor would call back in thirty minutes and if he didn't, I should call again. At this point, I figured I should probably wake Eric (my husband) up and let him know what was going on. I shook his shoulder and quietly said "Babe, I'm going into labor." I may as well have screamed it at the top of my lungs because he jolted out of bed with a "What?! Seriously?!" I told him we still had time, and we didn't need to leave right away, but he got up and started getting everything ready to go anyways. I still hadn't heard from the doctor and it had been over thirty minutes, so I called back and the nurse said she would try again. It was 4 am now, contractions were five minutes apart, and I couldn't talk, walk, or even think through them. There was no way I was waiting for the doctor to call back. We needed to leave NOW! Good thing my husband was so proactive! I felt like things went from zero to sixty extremely fast! I called my mom to tell her we were headed to the hospital, took care of some stuff for our pets, then went out to the car. 

My husband gets in the car and turns the key, and they key breaks off in the ignition!! Great...just what we need! Thankfully, I was calm enough to figure out how to get the key out, and we had a spare key so it worked out! We get to the hospital around 5 am, and I find out I'm at 4 cm. It had been my plan to do a natural unmedicated childbirth but at this point, I couldn't stand the pain! Epidural, please!!! That pain was no joke! You never really understand just how painful it's going to be until you're actually going through it. Now I know why everyone laughed at me when I said I wasn't going to use pain medication! For those out there who have done it, you are some strong mamas!!! As soon as I got the epidural, my heart rate dropped and I got extremely dizzy. They gave me some other medicine to bring my heart rate back up and all I could think of was "Great, this is exactly what I didn't want...a bunch of medical interventions." I was really nervous about what was happening, but as soon as my heart rate came back up, I felt amazing and was so thankful that I couldn't feel the contractions that were coming at least every two minutes at that point!

I felt like time was flying. I had the chance to visit with family and relax a little bit. It was actually very nice! I never thought I would say that about labor. When 11 am rolled around, it was time to push. All of a sudden everything got very real, and I'm pretty sure from that point forward I was just a ball of tears! Due to the baby being posterior, or "sunny side up," it took about three hours for her to arrive, and even when she did, it was by a vacuum assisted birth. I remember hearing the doctor mention c-section a few times while pushing and I'm thankful he did,  because it just made me work that much harder to avoid the surgery and get my daughter out as fast as possible!

Finally at 2:11pm, Aria was born. They placed her on my chest and all I can remember is crying, and feeling the most amazing love I've ever felt in my whole entire life. It was the most beautiful moment. I didn't know what else was going on in the room. There were about ten people in there at that point and I didn't see a single one of them. It was just me, Eric, and my beautiful baby girl.

This was the day that changed our lives forever. I feel like I wasn't even living until this moment. I thank God every day for this precious gift of life that He has entrusted to me. I love my daughter Aria more than words can describe, and I can't wait to see what life has in store for us!