Pay It Forward

Moms, I know we all love to think we have it all together. But, we've all been there... the moment we realize we DON'T have it all figured out. Maybe you realize you left the house with spit up down the front of your shirt, maybe you forgot to pack a bottle for your hungry baby, maybe you left home without re-stocking your diaper bag with it's key item, diapers! Or maybe, you are in the check-out at Target and you discover you have no idea where your wallet is. YES! Yes, to all of those things. They ALL happened to me in the past week. #amateur (Also, #ihatemyselfforusinghashtags, but when it fits, it fits). 

Anyways, as you might have gathered from the title of this post, there was another momma out there who had been there. She saw the panic in my eyes and swooped in from her Bat Mobile Town & Country mini van to save the day. A complete stranger paid for my entire Target purchase. I looked like a total fool repeating "I can't believe this, you don't have to do this, thank you so much." And like it was no big deal, she said "I know I don't have to do this, but I've been there." 

Coffee & Jesus Print by Creative Type Designs on Etsy

The experience in itself was amazing, however, there's more. Two days prior at church, a guest pastor was discussing generosity. A verse I had written down to study later was Luke 16:9 "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" (NIV). God has blessed us richly. He doesn't bless us so we can stash it all up and make ourselves feel good. He entrusts us with our blessings so we can INVEST them in His people. I don't believe that I received that message and received that woman's gift as a part of some big coincidence. God is alive, my friends, and He is good. Someone invested their blessings in me, now I'm investing in you.

Enjoy a cup of coffee on me! All you have to do is show this barcode to the barista at Starbucks. If YOU want to pay it forward too, all you have to do is tell the barista you would like to add $ amount to the card. Either way, you're coffee is free today (or until the balance on the card is gone!) Bonus points if you post a picture of yourself enjoying your sweet treat to Instagram or Facebook & use #payitforward! Happy Friday!

Also, please be kind to others... don't use this good deed to stock your pantry up with coffee beans & a new french press. Thank you :)

Favorites : Month 3

I might be caught saying this several more times in the future, but this is my favorite baby stage yet! I have loved every single moment with Samson, but it keeps getting better and better. It was a lot more fun to compile this months favorites list because these things are not only things that I think are cute, they are things he really loves! Samson is the ultimate product tester!

Security Blanket - Samson doesn't have this exact blanket, his is a fuzzy little lamb we received as a gift from his Great-Grandma West at one of my baby showers, but he loves having a soft toy to cuddle with. He's a snuggler and loves to hold his lamb and pet it. It instantly soothes him when we put him in his car seat and he's even fallen asleep holding on to it during nap time (don't worry I keep an eye on him).
Oball Rattle - This is a great toy for tiny hands. Samson can easily grab a hold of it. The bright color and beads make it fun for him to play with. Bonus points because Cash loves to watch this roll across the floor.
mamaRoo - We've happily used the mamaRoo since the day we came from the hospital, but this month it rose to the top of our favorite products because our finicky napper started to use this to nap outside of my arms. Woohoo! Samson loves the motion and the colorful mobile. Momma loves the modern style and being able to plug my iPhone to the music port.
Mortimer the Moose - I've collected moose things for a looooong time. My mom bought this years ago for my future child (I don't even think I was married to Aaron yet) and held on to it for me. It's cute and Samson loves all the different textures and noises it makes.
Sandra Boynton Books - I was introduced to this author when I babysat for a sweet little girl when I was in high school and college. The rhymes and illustrations are so creative (some of the books feature a moose). We read these almost every day.
Mam Pacifiers - No more Soothies for us! Samson started spitting out the Soothies and all the other pacifiers with similar shapes. Thankfully we had a few of these at home, but we've started collecting more. I swear pacifiers disappear like bobbi pins! Where do they all go?
Bumbo - Samson has started to love sitting up. He looks SO old when we sits in his Bumbo, which makes me so proud and a little teary-eyed. I plop him down in front of the mirror when I get ready in the morning (just kidding, it's usually like noon). He splits his time between staring at the cute baby in the mirror and trying to figure out why there are TWO mommas! Easy to move around the house and easy to keep baby entertained, we love it.

Favorites : Month 2

The right baby products can definitely make your life easier. While Samson is starting develop opinions on what he likes/dislikes (nobody wants to be woken up in the middle of the night when the swaddle isn't right, believe me), I want to make sure we have quality items that appeal to our tastes and don't break the bank. Thankfully, at two months old, life with Samson is still pretty easy and these products make life even easier.

Boppy - While breastfeeding wasn't something that worked out for me this time, we use the Boppy as a place for Samson to hang out in bed with us, or on the couch, when we have movie marathons. It actually looks like a pretty comfortable place to hang out... I wish I had one.
Aveeno Body Wash/Lotion - I'd love to try out more natural/organic baby skincare, this is what we're using now. It smells heavenly and doesn't irritate Samson's sensitive skin. We didn't use the lotion until he was about 6 weeks, but when we started using it, it made his skin ultra soft and kissble.
Blooming Bath - Samson initially hated bath time, because we did sponge baths on the counter for a few weeks after his umbilical stump fell off. However, when we started bath time in this, he LOVED it. It's antimicrobial and easy to take care of. Besides being cute, it's incredibly soft and fits perfectly in the kitchen sink.
Charlie Banana One Size Cloth Diapers - We waited until Samson was about 8 weeks old to start our cloth diapers, but we were very happy with our decision when we got started. Easy to use, easy to clean. Great color and design selection and a great mid-range price option for pocket diapers. A full post on these diapers is coming soon.
SwaddleMe - Once our baby ninja started busting out of the baby-burrito blanket swaddles, we started using these. Sure, our little Houdini still manages to pull his fingers up to his mouth to suck on them after he loses his paci, but he stays secure enough to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Infantino Play Mat - This makes tummy-time so much fun! I think the butterfly mobile was the motivation for Samson starting to roll over at 5 weeks. It's easy to wipe-clean when spit-up accidents happen and doesn't scream "BABY" when left out in your living room.
Carter's Bodysuits - These are our favorite onesies. They hold their shape, stand up to messes and washes, stay super soft, are true to size and come in SO many cute designs.
Infantino Toy - We started hooking these to the mobile on Samson's mamaRoo so he'd have something a little closer to his face. He loves grabbing on to these and pulling these towards his face/mouth. They also keep him occupied in the carseat. I love the cute shapes and prints and that they are easy to find at Target!

Favorites : Month 1

I had this series in mind for quite some time, but as you can imagine it can be difficult to pull myself away from our cute little boy. I have a three months to catch up on, but hopefully I'll be able to keep up with our favorites as time goes on. These are a few of the things that made life with a newborn a little bit easier, albeit, none of them are ground breaking products, but babies don't require too much in the beginning. 

Starbucks Gift Card - If you gave us a gift card for coffee, God bless you! We acquired quite a stash from some of the people who know us best. We love a good Starbucks date and it was so nice to have a little something special to do outside of the house when we were sleep deprived and couldn't bring ourselves to do too much. Know a new mom? Buy her coffee.
Happy Baby Wrap - There are so many baby carriers to choose from, but the soft, silky, breathable organic bamboo blend fabric makes the Happy Baby Wrap my favorite wrap. Samson is super snuggly and I often got trapped on the couch with him laying on my chest. Once our wrap arrived in the mail, I regained some freedom while being able to keep him warm, content and close.
Avent Soothie Pacifier - Samson had one of these in the hospital when he had his circumcision performed and he preferred it to all the other brands when we got home. Even though they appeared similar, he could always tell the difference. Giving him a pacifier as soon as we got home made all the difference in the world for us. He had no problems telling us when he was actually hungry. Every baby is different, so you might have to try a few until you find the right one, but it is totally worth it!
Pampers Swaddlers - Every parent has their preferences for diapers, these are ours. However, Samson was and is long and lean, so I can't speak for those babies with rolls for days. Our wonderful nurse stuffed my bag with several packages of newborn and size 1's for me before we left the hospital and thankfully we had a few boxes on hand. We tried other brands and they just didn't compare with the softness or absorbency (aka leak protection) for our brand new baby. Save the other brands (or your cloth diapers) for when your baby is a bit bigger.
Sleep & Play Outfits - Samson lived in these day & night during the first month. Outfits with multiple pieces are kind of overrated until your baby is a little more "sturdy." Just ask my husband. I recommend you have like twenty in each size. I'm only sort of joking. The cotton, terry and fleece are all equally soft and cozy. Bonus points if they have cute feet and butts! know a lot of people prefer the zippered ones to prevent some annoying late night snap fiascos, however, I almost always had better luck with Samson staying warm and sleepy when I left the top snapped through midnight diaper changes and only opened his jammies where the action was.
Fisher-Price Rock & Play - Buy this, right now. Of our three infant hangouts (Rock & Play, Bouncer & mamaRoo) this is the most used. It's light-weight and easy to move around the main living spaces of our home. We'd pull it into the kitchen so Samson could watch us while we cook & eat dinner, it's the perfect height to keep an eye on baby while you lay on the couch, and it fits easily through the bathroom doorway, ahem. We use it every day.
Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - Super soft and super stretchy, we used these to swaddle Samson at night until he turned into a baby Houdini and required more serious muscle to keep him tucked in. They are lightweight enough to use when your baby is layered in his fleece jammies, but cozy enough to keep your baby warm in his car seat. They also work as a nice extra large burp cloth if your baby can make Old Faithful look like a tiny little water spiget. We almost always have one tucked in the diaper bag.
BabyGanics Hand Sanitizer - Stock up on this stuff! We have both the unscented variety and the Mandarin orange scent. It's not drying like other hand sanitizer (I'm looking at you GermX) and is gentle on the skin. We have them upstairs and downstairs with Samson's diaper changing stations and in the diaper bag. I was a little nuts about germs in the beginning (still am!) and even used it to sanitize Samson's hands after a weird stranger insisted upon touching his fingers.

I know these are pretty basic items, but it really helps to be prepared with the proper goodies. Hope this list helps you if you are a momma-to-be planning a registry or if you know a momma-to-be and you need some gift ideas. 

Samson : 3 months

My brown eyed boy is three months old! The past month has been full of new experiences and new adventures. Samson gets more and more handsome every day! He's getting so much stronger and I'm always amazed at what he can do. He loves hanging out on his tummy and rolling over to his back. Last week week he started rolling from his back to his sides, which is pretty impressive to watch, but he can't quite get himself all the way over yet. When he hangs out in his Bumbo or in his high-chair he looks like such a big boy. 

His favorite thing to do is stand up on his own feet. He is so proud of himself every time he pops up! I adore his smile and his laugh, he must like it too, because I'm always catching him making eyes at himself in the mirror. Sweet little narcissist. When he's not smiling, he's putting things in his mouth. Usually he's gumming on his own hands and toys... however, today I watched him kick off his sock, grab it with his hand and in his mouth it went... quite the feat.

Age : 3 months

Height : 24" ? - No doctor's appointment this month.. so no idea!

Weight : A little less than 14 lbs (very precise, I know)

Clothes : 0-3 months.

Diapers : Size 2 disposable diapers, approximately same size settings on the cloth diapers.

Eating : Formula. 7 oz/5x a day. He looooooves to eat. Since he has such big bottles though, he is constantly decorating all our clothes with spit up, I like to think of it as mommy perfume... yum.

Sleeping : 9p-7a. That's right. 10 hours. It's heavenly. He wakes up in the morning, hangs out for a while and snuggles/sleeps a little longer. He usually takes a 2 1/2 hour nap late in the morning, then cat naps in the afternoon while momma catches up on reading or re-watching Game of Thrones before the new season starts, or while we're out doing some shopping.

Pacifiers : MAM pacis have risen to the top as the favorites. We had to stock up to replace all the other pacifiers he refuses now.

Likes : Big bottles, the kitchen sprayer at bath time, big brother Cash, his little lamb lovie blanket, snuggling, reading, napping in the mamaRoo, checking himself out in the mirror and watching March Madness with daddy.

Dislikes : The suction bulb... we had the pleasure of catching some pretty yucky germs recently and he's turned into a snot machine, coughing that wakes him up in the middle of the night, milk coming out of his nose, and sitting in the carseat without

his lamb blanket.

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks