A Backseat Post

Best part about breastfeeding? You don't have to bring baby food with you! Worst part about breastfeeding? The girls are out all of the time and some people are highly offended by it. 

I was recently given the opportunity to review a nursing infinity scarf aka a breastfeeding cover aka a great mini blanket to cover yourself in the car when your husband keeps the AC on 60 and high all of the time. 

This entire post was written from the car, hence the sunnies and the backseat pics. This is what happens when you are on maternity leave and have nothing else to do and you see an epic looking coffee on Instagram that is made with coffee ice cubes and called "the cubsta" and the closest place to get this "Cubsta" is an hour away. BUT this place also has amazing sammwiches and it totally worth the drive. It's called Brooklyn Water Bagel.

We were in the car for a good 3 hours yesterday and my little peanut slept for most of it. She woke up for a quick snack and that's when I fell in love with this nursing cover!

See? People can look in your windows and you have full privacy!

These are made by Carolyn. You have heard me talk about her before on my blog. She made our nursery crib sheets and changing pad cover. She is a stay at home mom and her husband is a two time veteran and I love working with her.  

All of her fabrics are from independent designers and they are super soft! Custom orders are a specialty of hers so sometimes the fabric she has will be exclusively for you! She also makes organic wood teethers that we will be using once we get to that stage. I can't say enough good things about the quality of her stuff! Most nursing covers are just nursing covers and that's exactly what they look like. This one looks like an accessory. It is by far one of my favorite baby/momma items lately and I highly recommend all breast feeding fashionista's have one. 

Carolyn is offering 10% off of any nursing scarf with the code JESS upon checkout. This offer is good until August 6th. If your a new mom head on over and grab one or if you know someone that is having a baby, this is a great shower gift!

Dear 4 Week Old Charlotte Elise

Dear Sweet Charlotte, today you are 4 weeks old! My has the time flown by BUT I have enjoyed every moment watching you grow and change. Your dynamite persononality is starting to shine bright! 

You hate tub time but love a sponge bath. 

You hate pacifiers but love the boob. 

You love to be snuggled when it's time for a nap and you are doing a great job sleeping at night! 

You can rock a knot headband like nobody's business. 

You hate the hiccups but love the gripe water that gets rid of them.

You toot like and old man.

You are a pleasure to bring anywhere with us due to the fact that you sleep through everything and are extremely portable. 

You are the most happy right when you wake up! I get the most smiles out of you then and they melt my heart. 

I am looking forward to so many more exciting "firsts" and watching you grow.

I love you my little peanut. 

The Long Awaited And Disappointing Marg!

Yesterday is was beee-autifil out! It's been so muggy that we haven't really been going outside! I know, lamesauce right? We decided to head down to the Cape Cos Canal. There is always a breeze there so it makes the humidity more bearable.

This is our first family photo....pathetic lol! 

Charlee slept through the entire thing!

My mail day yesterday was pretty ah-mazing too! So many of you seem to be loving the donut onesie!! I fell in love with it too! I'll be sharing a discount code with you soon! Also I can't wait to share how great the nursing scarf is!!! Nobody wants to see your nips, and this cover does that job of covering everything up! All new moms should have one of these! 

On our way home from the canal, my mom had texted me that she was in the area. I know she  loves watching Charlee and since it was "National Gorgeous Grandma" day yesterday, I thought she should see her grand baby! She came by for 2 hours to babysit while Josh and I went to a local restaraunt that is on the water. For the last 9 months, I had been patiently awaiting this day. Margarita day had finally arrived. I was just as excited as Billy on Nudie Magazine day or when Ralphie got his Little Orphan Annie Decoder Pin. I had even saved my kimono for this day...

Not really, but you see how important this was.

Well it went like this.........

It was just OK. I don't know if it was all the hype that I put on it, or that it didn't come in an standard margarita glass. At this point I faced the facts and accepted that they don't use those type of glasses here. But then look closely.......

My gosh damn cocktail shrimp came in my margarita glass!!!!!! Talk about ruining my whole celebration! 

So, I had a margarita and a half, some fried pickle chips, shrimps and headed home! It was the perfect amount of time to just get out of the house for a few with just my hubby!

To wrap up my Wednesday, I got the best snap chat ever from Jen over at That's what she read. Unfortunately her son broke both of his arms falling off the playground this week. I can't even imagine. But at least she is making the best of it!!!!

TGIT!! I can't wait for this weekend!!!! 

My own personal stuff

This is an email that I sent to a friend last night. Mom friends are the best. I have 4 mom friends that I go to for moral support and advice. Two of them are blog friends, one of them is a friend that we met while on vacation in the Dominican and the other one is a true best friend that I've had for years. 

This one that I emailed, recently had her first baby a few months before me. I have emailed her about numerous things from bladder control and anxiety to relationship troubles and oral sex. She has been brutally honest with me and has made me feel "normal" through out my entire pregnancy and postpartum. She is a "to the point" Masshole like myself. She is a blog friend.

I emailed her a few weeks ago asking her how long the postpartum hormones last and how much longer will I not be able to control my urine. Honestly, some days I could cry at a French fry and I pee when I just look at the toilet. Her response wasn't what I wanted to hear but it was honest......she said "it gets easier and just when you think your in a routine and your super mom....a new shit storm will happen all over again"

This was my email.

"Like you said, Just when things get easier.....she forgets how to latch on my boob and my milk supply drops. She has such bad gas that she screams through it, turns purple and I cry. I had a meltdown this morning because I may not be able to breast feed anymore (dramatic). I went out and spent $108 on healthy groceries because I'm sick of eating everything out of a box. I put my own breast milk on my face to help with my postpartum acne (because google said it works) and my husband told me my breath smelled. He also checked my pants last night because he thought I peed the bed when it was just night sweats. Charlee shat herself 3 times today leading to 3 costume changes."

-Jess

And here is an excerpt of her response and why I love her.

"Seriously, motherhood makes you feel like a bag of smashed assholes. Your hair falls out,  you sweat, your body is a mess, you're exhausted, nothing fits or looks right, your hormones are still insane. We definitely get the short end of this stick.

But... you're rocking this. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you are. She's healthy,  she's thriving, and if everything was going perfect I'd have to hit you out of jealousy (and love) So see? You're really just struggling for me and I really appreciate it! ;) haha"

This is a real example of mothers supporting mothers and when your at your wits end, these little emails make everything ok! 

Thank you to the 4 of you that answer my text messages, correspond to my emails and answer my frantic phone calls. You know who you are :) 

Also, I'm sharing just few pics from yesterday!

First #ootd

Second #ootd

Third #ootd And she peed on this one. 

Happy Hump Day!

*side note- I am no longer in the emotional French fry phase. 

3 Week Updates.

It's Friday...heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

I honestly don't even know what day of the week it is anymore. 

This week has actually been really good other than the mini breakdown that I had on Wednesday when I broke into my freezer stash of breast milk due to a gassy baby so that I could enjoy 30 minutes of a tub and some wine.  

But all is good in the hood now.

Because I have a shit ton of time on my hands  (newborns sleep between 16-18 hours a day) I find myself shopping on Etsy,  J. Crew, Baby Gap etc. Clearly you don't have to leave the house to spend money.

Lately, I'm in love with all of the knot headbands and baby leggings but not the prices. Seriously, $30 for BABY leggings? No way jose!

So I did some homework last night and found a pattern for leggings and another one for the head bands. They were free. I also ordered some adorable cotton jersey knit prints from CharleeGirl.com.

The prints were only $6.50 for a yard. That's two pairs of leggings and two/three headbands! 

I'm in love with these prints. If I'm any good, I'll host  a giveaway :)

Charlee has been doing great with tummy time. Our friend recommended to start this asap. She hated it at the beginning but we are up to 10-15 minutes a day and she's doing great.

She changes every day right now.  Her eyes are open wider, she smiles more, and her little personality is starting to form.   

 She has Josh wrapped around her finger.

 And he sings all kinds of songs to her. It's honesty the cutest thing!

It's hard right now because if you don't have boobs filled with milk, she's not really interested in you. So lately after I feed her, Josh will take her and get his quality (quiet) time in. 

This video went viral this week and received all types of negative remarks. I think that it's adorable and it's soo something that I can see happening in our house!

I've been trying catch as many memories as possible of Josh and Charlotte. I have a ton of pictures of me and my dad that I cherish and I definitely want to capture these adorable moments. Josh on the other hand, sucks at taking photos of her and I. (hint, hint). 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! It's live until the 21st!

 Rules are HERE

That's all, Happy Weekend Lovers! 

Charlee's BIG Instagram Giveaway

 

Birth Announcements from Tiny Prints and photography by me ;)

In celebration of Charlotte's birth. I am hosting a big giveaway with a few of our FAVORITE THINGS!!! These are items that Miss Charlee either wears or has in her nursery!

 

 We will be giving away a pair of Freshly Picked Moccasins, Your choice in size and color

A $20 Credit to LOT801 This is where I get Charlee's adorable knot headbands

A Gold Bow headband from Sara Ellie

2 Natural Maple Teethers from Carolyn Nealen Cloth

2 Printables of your choice from ColourMoon 

&

1 DIY Vinyl Growth Ruler from Little Acorns By Ro

We now own 3 pairs of FP Picked Moccasins and I can't wait to get her little feet into them!!!

I love how Charlee looks in Lot801's knot headbands, and we always get compliments on them. AND they are totally trendy right now and who doesn't love a trendy baby?

You can't go wrong with the gold bow headband, gold is the perfect accessory!

Carolyn made our crib bedding and the quality of her products are amazing, and these teethers are topnotch! 

The printables from ColourMoon were a perfect finishing touch to Charlotte's nursery.

And the DIY growth ruler will make the best memories for our sweet girl (and us as she gets older) and is a great conversation piece in our nursery.

Here are the official rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only and the winner cannot have won any other giveaway including Freshly Picked moccs within the last 60 days.

1. Follow me on Instagram.

2. Follow All Stores on Instagram

Freshly Picked 

Lot801 

SaraEllieBows 

Nealen Cloth 

Colour Moon Love  

and Like Little Acorns By Ro on Etsy

3. Repost the giveaway post in my feed and tag #CharleesGiveaway

4. Tag 2 friends in my original post.

**IF YOU PROFILE IS PRIVATE, MAKE IT PUBLIC ON 7/22/14 SO I CAN SEE YOUR ENTRY!**

The giveaway runs from 9:00am 7/14/14 to 12:00am 7/21/14, and the winner will be chosen on 7/22/14 and announced via Instagram.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and GOOD LUCK!

Five on Friday House Edition

ONE

I posted this drink on Instagram and a starbs barista commented on my pic and told me how to make these at home! This is the iced blackberry mint tea mojito and if you haven't tried it, your missing out. You can buy the bottle of blackberry flavoring at Starbucks for $10.02 and the Tazo Green Tea at Target for $10.00 too. Make sure you ask for a pump for the blackberry. 

One k-cup of tea to 2 shots of blackberry flavoring. Fill the glass with ice and BOOM. Same drink 1/4 of the price. 

TWO

The carport is finally finished! Of course it's for the Dad mobile but I plan on cramming the Kia underneath in the winter when it snows.

 THREE

After 4 years of living here, our landscaping beds are finally done and have filled in nicely. I should have added some mulch this year but with the timing of Charlee, it just didn't happen.

 

FOUR 

The second floor is finally finished. From the nursery, the office, the bathroom and the guest bedroom. I finally took some pictures the other day to share.

 This is the upstairs hallway. The crates are from Ocean Spray cranberry. And the barn door "X" with the pully was actually an attic entrance. I thought that it was ugly so of course we brainstormed and came up with this. It's one of my favorite projects in the house.

 Spare bedroom. The bedding is from West Elm and the headboard is custom from the Hubs.

 The bureau was my late brothers. It is a full maple bureau. I painted it, distresed it, stained it and added new knobs.

The chest, Josh found on Ebay and got it for $50 bucks. It's old and smells old too. You know the moth ball smell, only when you open it though. I keep that shit closed.

And of course a wedding picture in a rustic frame is hanging on the wall.

FIVE

  Charlee is 2 weeks old today!!! Last night she slept form 10-2:30 and then 3:00-5:30. This is amazing for us.!!!

"It's gonna be a pretty little nice Friday, we're going to Babies R Us. Yeah, buy some diapers, maybe get some wipes, stuff like that. Maybe Kohls, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."

TGIF!!!!

A graveyard confession and a post on Boobs.

 Just a quick photo dump to start off with.

Tuesday we napped.

 

We napped some more while we sunbathed.

Wednesday we represented "Thug Life"

We were also hanging out with Grammy

 

And Grammy will no longer be dressing her due to these "high wasted" pants. As you can tell, she doesn't like it at all. 

I know that I've only been a mom for less than two weeks and I am by no means a professional at breast feeding but I promise you that if you breast feed and your nipples get chaffed and sore you will search back for this post. 

Once your milk comes in, you will know. You wake up with porn star boobs. Literally. It's like Christmas, but you didn't have to buy any presents! 

First off, my kid feeds ALL.OF.THE.TIME. I wouldn't change it for the world. It is exhausting and painful but knowing that I'm giving her the best makes it all worth it. 

Second of all, every newborn will at one point in their feeding, snap their head back with that MORO reflex. That's the reflex that makes their arms flail, legs jump etc. Except now they will have your nipple in their mouth and stretch that shit like a clam neck and release. You WILL want to flick your child at this point. But you won't.  

Thirdly, when your child is hungry and screaming to the point that she is purple, you will breast feed anywhere. Example, I breastfed at the cemetery today. Twice. We were on country roads about 10 minutes from  home and there was literally NO WHERE to just pull over.

That being said.... 

Here are my go to's that have made this entire experience EASIER.

1. Earth Mama Natural Nipple Butter- This stuff is great because you don't need to wipe it off before you breast feed. It also feels amazing. 

2. Lansinoh Nursing Pads-aka leak pads. I had been washing bra's everyday before I got these. If you've ever breast fed, you know that once you start feeding the other boob starts leaking milk. So no matter what, boobs in or our, your bra is getting milk in it.

3. Motherhood Nursing Tanks- These tanks have little clips up by the straps that allow you to drop down just one side of the tank to feed. They are having a sale right now, buy one get one 50% off. These are super helpful at night when you have to wake up for a quickie.

4. Epsom salt- I've used this for a ton of different things but more recently I put a cup of it in the bathtub and fill it with hot water. Because I've only been breast feeding for 12 days my nips are super sore. I get in the tub and lay belly down for about 20 minutes. This takes the pain away instantly.

5. Lanisoh Soothies-They are exactly that "soothies". These reusable cool gel pads pop right into your bra for instant relief.

Oh and these

These allowed me to enjoy 2 coronas on Monday and reassured me that I was not getting any alcohol in my breast milk later on when I fed Charlee.

Happy Humpday

Our First Fourth of July as A Family of 3

Naturally this is going to be a photo dump because as a new mom I'm even more addicted to my iphone than before.  Now that we have settled into some type of routine, things are getting easier. Or maybe not easier, but just more manageable. I've accepted the fact that this baby girl is a cluster feeder which means she eats 24/7. Which means minimal sleep for mama. 

This weekends highlights consisted of me pumping 3oz of breast milk (fyi that's a big freaking deal when you've only had breast milk for 5 days), Charlee pooping with no diaper on (I didn't take a pic of this, your welcome!) and some tummy time.

 

 

My sister had a small get together on the 5th to celebrate the 4th. We had such shitty weather on Friday with the tropical storm, roads were closed due to flooding and we had high wind advisories. 

On Saturday we packed up and headed over to her house. My contribution was 2 boxes of prepared Suddenly Salad. Seriously a life save if you are headed somewhere and need something to bring. Cut up some fresh veggies and it looks like you made it from scratch! 

I had already bought Charlee's 4th of July out fit a month ago at Target! I couldn't resist. She's miss wiggles during photos, hence the blurry hands.

Headband From Maxwell Hair

We also got our new corn hole boards just in time for the fourth. These bad boys are straight legal corn hole boards. They are freaking huge!!!! Josh got them on Etsy. I contacted the owner to see if I could get you readers 10% off but no bueno.

 BatzBoardsandBags

I also have a new found love called The Solly Baby Wrap. This wrap is seriously amazing for new moms with newborns who need skin to skin contact all of the time. I can do laundry, sweep, do my makeup etc with this thing on. It's a life saver.

 

Lot 801 Headband (giveaway soon) 

 

As you can clearly tell, I wore this thing all weekend!!!

And our Sunday consisted of cuddle girl time and naps. Josh went out with one of his friends for the day so Charlee and I had some quality mommy and me time. 

I hope you all had a great fourth of July and long weekend!!!! Happy Monday!