Ways To Show Love

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! It's the day of love and all things pink and red. This holiday never really meant much to me, and honestly, I really cared less about it. My mom always made things fun for us as kids and I remember being really excited about it, what kid wouldn't enjoy getting some treats? Even being married neither Eric or I really make a big deal out of it. It's not for any real particular reason, it just isn't our thing.

Now that I have kids holidays have taken on a whole new meaning and they are some of the most special and exciting times. It's amazing how those little ones can do that. If you've been following me for awhile you know that I enjoy doing a special breakfast for them (I'm sure I'll be sharing some of that in my stories today). We like to get a heart pizza for dinner and keep it low-key at home watching movies. I'm pretty sure we'll be indulging in more treats than needed #holidayproblems. 

At first I thought about putting together a cute little setup to take pictures of the boys but my creativity just wasn't there and exhaustion was setting in. Then I felt kind of bad because it is baby C's first Valentine's Day (third child problems). I went down into my craft bin and found a bag of dollar store hearts and let the boys stick them to the wall. They were in such a silly mood, and being extra cute at the same time. so our pictures turned out like this.

On another note, have you ever taken that 5 love languages quiz? I took it about two years ago and recently took it again to see if it was consistent. I am definitely driven by acts of service. When Eric does things around the house or takes part of the load off of my plate, I am one happy girl. 

I saw that they also have a quiz you can take to learn your child's love language, so I will definitely be finding time to take that at some point. We're always looking for teachable moments to trying and instill in the boys to love one another. It got me thinking, regardless of being romantically involved with someone, focusing on a lost love, or searching for love, we can all show ways to love others. 

Here are some simple reminders that we can all reflect on to show love...

1. Do Someone A Favor: 

I know most of us like to try and keep it together and take on these supermom or super woman roles, but sometimes having a favor done for us can make such a difference. Maybe a friend needs some extra help with drop off or pickup, some soup when they aren't feeling well, or an extra loaf of bread when you forgot it for the second time at the grocery store (I might be talking from experience there).  Whatever it is, either big or small, doing someone a favor can go a long way. We usually feel better about ourselves after we do it, too. 

2. Be Positive: 

I shared last week 5 simple ways to be positive and I loved hearing from so many of you that you feel you are a positive person or it's something you could work towards. I do know one things for sure, when you surround yourself with positive people it can start to make a difference in you. 

3. Give a Genuine Compliment:

I used to be the type of person that when someone would compliment me I would somehow downplay it. I didn't even realize I did it until I was watching something on tv (I can't even really remember what it was) but I realized that was me. Someone would say, what a nice shirt. I would reply saying, oh this old thing? It's so old, blah blah. Or someone would say, your hair looks great. I would come back saying, oh really, I haven't washed it in days, it's getting so greasy, etc. If that's you, do yourself a favor and just say thank you. It has changed my perspective so much. When you learn to appreciate compliments you are also more inclined to give them. And when you give them, you end up feeling much better. 

4. Celebrate Others: 

This isn't always an easy one for some people, but we all know it's the right thing to do. Others will feel your love when you celebrate them and you'll feel better after doing it. It ends up being a win, win. 

5. Give Hugs: 

It's a proven fact that hugs can help reduce stress and have a positive impact. I'm not saying you have to be that odd person who goes around just hugging strangers (but hey, if that's you're thing more power to you). When you can tell a hug is appropriate, especially to a friend in need, it's an easy way to show love. 

6. Smile Often: 

Let's put aside that smiling can cause those nice little lines around your eyes. Let's focus on the positive affects of letting the sides of your mouth curl upwards. I think we underestimate the power of flashing a smile to others. I'm not saying we have to be walking around with a big grin on our face all the time, but sometimes a smile can really brighten someones day and we don't even have to say anything to them.

{above all, love each other deeply} 1 Peter 4:8

What are some ways you like to show love to others? 

Off He Goes-First Steps

It happened. My little man is on the go! It's been about three weeks now that he picked up, took his first few steps, and pretty much hasn't sat down. I am excited. I am proud. I am also a little nervous. These little legs and feet have so much exploring and learning to do. But, I also have a big job of trying to protect him as much as possible. I know there are going to be falls, and bumps, and bruises...it's inevitable. In fact, we've already encountered a few. I guess it's never to early for that, right? Yesterday he made his way over to a dirt pile that the dog decided to dig, stomped in the dirt, stumbled over and then began to eat the dirt off of the bottom of his shoes. Lord help me.

If you caught our Friday Favorites posts you might have seen I've already had a mommy fail moment when it comes to remembering his shoes. If worrying about diapers, food, and everything else isn't enough, I now have to remember his shoes. My little guy has never been big on wearing shoes. We had a few cute slip on pairs that we would put him in that lasted all of about five minutes. He would rub his feet together until they fell off and that would be the end of that. No big deal we'll just put socks on him. Well, that lasts maybe two minutes until he pulls them off and tries to hide them. He loves bare feet. I don't blame him. But, where we live the change of seasons is just not going to cut it. Thankfully his first pair of walking shoes have been a hit and he hasn't figured out how to undo the velcro...just yet.

For now we are going to embrace the falls and stumbles, understand that he is going to get into things, ok more like everything. We are going to enjoy his new milestone and continue to be in awe of our little guy. 

Monday is mommy moments...here's where we are linking. 

Mommy Moments, I Must Confess

 

It's been a while since my sister and I have done a post that wasn't recipe, diy, or reflecting on our summer moments related. I'm jumping on here to open up about some recent mommy moments. It's hard to believe that little man is 11 months! In a few short weeks I'll have a one year old. How did that happen? I truly love every moment with him, even the tantrums. Yes, the tantrums have started and while some I have a hard time keeping a straight face because it's so obvious they're fake (that probably sounds really bad) others I'm looking at my husband puzzled and we both try to find the best way to diffuse the situation. They are always resolved and usually sooner than later, but my word, if we try and take the remote away from him, he will definitely let us know that it has become his favorite toy. Here are some mommy moments, funny experiences and new journey's we are venturing on. 

I secretly wish he enjoyed the pack n play. It would make things so much easier but he just isn't having it. This little guy is too curious and wants to be on the move.

If I could start potty training him now I would. Changing his diaper has become a huge struggle. All he wants to do is roll around. 

I'm starting to wean him. While I am looking forward to having a little more freedom for myself, I know I am going to miss that special time with him.

Teething hasn't been as bad as we thought, but, he does put everything in his mouth! The other day we caught him with the insole to my husband's shoe in his mouth! Uhhh, yuck!

Speaking of teeth, he has six and counting that we forgot need to be brushed until someone brought this to our attention. We are now working that into our routine. 

I'm looking forward to packing a normal school lunch. Getting all of his bottles, food, snacks and everything in between ready for daycare each night is so time consuming.

This little guy just has way too much hair and there was no way we could hold out until his first birthday to cut his luscious locks.

I'm convinced that he has more rhythm than a saxophone player at a blues concert. When ever he hears a beat he drops it like it's hot.

I love that he lights up now when he sees my husband and I pick him up at the end of the day. While I hate to see him upset sometimes when I drop him off in the morning, I love the extra big hug he gives me and to feel him hold on to me for a few more minutes.

Watching him learn and grow is the most rewarding thing. He is doing something new almost every day. 

I absolutely love shopping for clothes for him and so happy little boys clothes have improved and they aren't so gag gag baby anymore.

I am excited to see him grow and gain more independence, but at the same time I wish I could freeze this time and keep him small forever. 

I am a little nervous about making the transition over to regular milk. I've heard it's not the easiest and to try mixing it with breast milk, warm it up, and be prepared for him not to like it. Any suggestions you can provide?

I'm linking with some great mommy link-ups...

The First 9 Months

 

9 months...where has the time gone? I was always told that time goes by so quickly when you have a child and they grow up so fast. I thought to myself, of course time goes by quickly, it's a fact of life, people grow up and get older. These statements are so true and something I would have never fully grasped until my little guy was here. I want to share my experiences, emotions, and fun facts from the first 9 months of being a mom. I have to admit, I almost feel bad writing this and was hesitant at first. I know there are so many mom's out there who have it really difficult and face a lot of trying times with their babies. My experiences haven't been all roses and lullabies, but it has been nothing like I imagined and so much easier than I could have dreamed it would be. One of the reasons my sister and I started this blog was to share our experiences with our readers, so here it goes.

I feel incredibly blessed to be going through this experience as a first time mom with such an amazing baby who has eased a lot of my fears and given me the confidence I needed to know that I can do this. I was never one of those women who would look at another pregnant woman and think, oh how beautiful. I would actually think, that sucks, she must be uncomfortable, I can only pray I'm not a walking house. Thankfully, and by the grace of God, I had an amazing pregnancy and wonderful birthing experience (maybe I will share that some day). 

These first 9 months have been some of the best experiences of my life and have allowed me to experience a love that is indescribable. Before my little man got here, I would hear all of the horror stories, the sleepless nights (which we've actually never experienced), how people haven't been on vacation in years, and how your life pretty much stops after you have a child. Yikes! What fun is that and what are we getting ourselves into? I always wanted children but I was still selfish in a way. I didn't want to have to put everything or my life on hold. That's the thing, it doesn't have to be that way. What it comes down to is the experience you want to have as a parent. I'm at a point in my life where majority of my friends are having babies. Yes, some babies can be more difficult than others and are harder to handle, but it's also how you react to the situation.

Unsure of what my husband and I were fully getting into we knew from the start we needed to be on the same page and a support to each other. Leaving the hospital with our little guy we both looked at each other with this puzzled gaze, wondering, what do we do now? This tiny bundle of joy, with a great head of hair, was now our responsibility. Not having our family close by we knew we were going to be doing a lot of this on our own. The first few months were a lot of diaper changing (getting peed on), nursing, and feeling so connected to our little man that loved to nap in our arms. I on the other hand, was still recovering from a vaginal delivery, which no one really tells you about the aftermath (maybe I'll share that one day too). Our little man was always such a great sleeper and we took full advantage of that. 

Maybe we are a little over ambitious, but within his first two weeks we visited a local outdoor farmers market, attempted our own newborn photo shoot, and had our first date night. We traveled with him on an airplane at 7 months and have gone on two family weekend getaways. 

In no way am I trying to make it seem like we have it all figured out, believe me we don't. But, what I can say is, it's not all crazy pull your hair out moments and massive sleep deprivation. I think that a lot of those stories actually held me back from taking the leap and allowing myself to get really excited about the thought of having a child. I want to shed a little light for those who may be on the fence or have only heard the crazy stories. Can they happen, absolutely! Is every baby a menace, highly doubtful. Don't get me wrong, I've had my moments and I'm sure there are many more to come. The first week of breastfeeding was a big challenge and I almost gave up. Looking back now I am so happy I stuck it out, 9 months later we are still going strong. I have a lot of guilt about being back at work and him being in daycare. That has been the biggest challenge for me and has also taught me more about time management than any of my college classes ever offered. Some days I feel like super mom and others I feel like no matter what I do it just isn't enough. We are learning from each other every day and are so thankful for the gift God has given us.

Now on to some mommyhood facts...

1-3 months: Getting to know our little man. Massive amounts of diaper changing, outfit changes, napping and feeding. Smiles, tummy time, and exploration with shapes, sounds, and colors. 

3-6 months: Little personality! Smiling, giggling, gripping things, sitting up, and blowing raspberries. He noticed the dog (his brother) who has become a source of entertainment for him. Everything is da da. Introduction to solids (I've been making all of his baby food).

6-9 months: Oh so curious! On the move, crawling all around, dancing, and pulling himself up. First two teeth make an appearance (teething was not all that bad, but he did get a fever right before they broke through). Introduction to teething wafers and more solid/finger food.

I've never had my hair pulled so much by tiny little fingers. It is now exciting to wear my hair up.

Wearing jewelry has taken a back seat, unless it's unbreakable bracelets.

Breastfeeding and making your own baby food is a labor of love.

Getting a little one to keep socks or shoes on is close to impossible.

Baby Einstein movies have been a life savor and I don't feel as guilty because he's learning.

I've heard old macdonald more times than I ever could have imagined. We're starting to run out of animals for the farm!

They don't need a ton of toys. He usually wants the most random things that you would never think of. A bag of croutons, who knew! 

They put everything in their mouths (at least my little guy does), there's no leaving my flip flops out anymore. 

They may be little but they are fast! 

Tantrums happen, that's just the way it is, but if you usually do something bizarre they forget why they are crying. 

I've never sang so much in my life and usually catch myself singing the most absurd things...the words that come out just so they rhyme!

I've now become a permanent jungle gym. 

A mesh teething bag with frozen fruit has been the only teether he will use, and he is in love with it. 

Thankfully we found this out a few weeks in...the onesies with the lap shoulders can be used to slide down the body instead of pulling over the head when accidents happen! It won't prevent them from happening but it sure helps with clean up. 

Summer Date Nights

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, love is in the air...or is it? Whether you are married and looking for some fun date night ideas to reconnect with your loved one, or single and ready to mingle, the best part is, you are getting ideas from both sides of the spectrum. We hope that you can use some of these suggestions and create memories with the one you cherish. 

Picnic in the park

Drive in movie

Strawberry or blueberry picking

Summer concerts

Nature walk or sunset hike

Make your own ice cream

Bike riding around your town or beach
Visit a local fair, take a ride on the ferris wheel
Visit a museum
Go to an open mic night
Make dessert for dinner
A day at the beach and boardwalk
Go to a jazz bar
Take a dance class together
Take a road trip
Go on a coffee date
Go to a dive bar, play pool
Indoor/outdoor rock climbing
Horseback riding
Go on a ghoust tour
Rent jet skis
Wack some balls at the batting cages
Take a scuba diving lesson
Dolpin/whale watching

Take an art or pottery class together

Fire pit, wine, and smores

Visit the zoo or aquarium

Baseball or sports game

Mini golf

2 person game night

Fishing and canoeing

Visit a local farmers market to buy ingredients for an at home cook off

His and hers personal pizzas (make them for each other, share if you'd like)

Wine or beer tasting

Wine trivia (each buy a few small bottles of wine and snacks to pair them with. Hide the labels or get creative and blind fold each other to test your flavor knowledge)

Camping (not near a campsite, pitch a tent in your backyard)

Teaching Your Child to Share When You Have a Hard Time Sharing

Lately we've been posting fun recipes, celebrations, and getting to know a little bit more about the ladies behind the blogging. But there's something I've been wanting to get off my chest, so I'm diving into a mommy confession. Being the oldest of five kids (ok, if you haven't figured out that I'm the oldest the secrets out :) sharing was a natural thing and came with the territory. I have no problem sharing clothes, shoes, jewelry, makeup, folding chairs, baby gadgets, you know material things. My problem lies with sharing events and experiences, and only when it comes to my son. I don't mean sharing these special times with him, but sharing him during these special times. Don't get me wrong, I truly want him to have great memories with his grandparents, great grandpop's, aunts, uncles, and our close friends, but it's been hard for me to share him and willing give him up.

I'm not referring to just a casual visit with my sister or one of my friends wanting to pick him up and hold him. My struggle seems to be with all of these first experiences with him. You know, first Christmas, Easter, first visit to the zoo, first time at the beach. I can't even imagine how I am going to be on his first birthday. I like to think that I don't make it too obvious that it's bothering me. I do let people hold him and pass him around, but internally I'm sad to hand him over. I know everyone wants to share in the joy but I guess I just wish that people would realize these are also our first experiences with him too. Ok, this probably sounds pretty bad right?

I'm really not trying to be selfish nor do I want to be, but this has been a little bit of a struggle for me. I never thought I would be this way since sharing was never an issue. I think because this is a new feeling for me it's also making the situation harder. I want to be able to teach my son to share, not only materialistic things, but love, experiences and emotions with others. I know I can't keep him all to myself but for some reason these first experiences really hit me hard. I find myself wanting to give him an extra hug or wanting to take just one more picture with him during these special times. 

I also think that when people would say, oh they grow up so fast or it goes by so quickly, it was something I could never imagine until he was here. It is such a true statement! He just turned 8 months yesterday and while they have been the most amazing 8 months of my life, they have also gone by faster than I ever thought. I recently read a pin on Pinterest that said, there are only 940 Saturday's between your child's birth and when they leave for college. That's not a lot! I want to cherish all the special moments with him as much as possible, but I also want to be the best loving, caring, and sharing mom that I can be. I keep going back to two scripture verses that are helping me to ease up on my sharing problem. I would love to hear from Mom's who may have gone through something similar or words of encouragement to help me get over my selfish hump. 

 "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God" Hebrews 13:6. 

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" Philippians 2:3-4.

First Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's Day! We hope that your day was nothing short of special and shared with those that you love. So it came and went, the first Mother's day. Well, let's just say the first official Mother's Day. I have been a pet parent for almost the past 5 years and that counts for something, but yes, this Mother's Day had a different feeling. It was the day that friends and family had been hyping up following up to the big day. The questions, all the questions, what are you going to do? What do you think you are going to get? Are you excited? I wasn't quite sure how to answer. I know they were just general questions and no motive behind them being asked, but I hadn't really thought about it. Yes I'm a Mom, and I have been for the past 7 months. My daily responsibilities are endless, the love for my little guy continues to grow stronger each day, and this is a title (the best title ever by the way) that will never go away. I am a Mom :) 

Celebrating or recognizing mom's for only one day now seems kind of hard to comprehend. It got me thinking a lot about our own Mom. She is in Florida now, and being states away we just don't get the chance to share as many special moments with her as we would like. This was actually our first Mother's Day away from our Mom. While I was loving the time I got to spend with my little man and creating our memories, I was missing my own Mom. It got me thinking, how would I feel if I didn't have my little man there to share the day with me. There was a lot of mixed emotions.

I think mom's should be celebrated all the time and not just on one special day. After more thinking, I reflected on what's really important. Yes the gifts and everyone gushing over you can be nice but it's not necessary and not what matters. I am so blessed that I have the best gift I could have ever asked for, my son. I am so thankful that God choose me to be his Mother. So now that "Mother's Day" has come and gone, I am going to try and make an effort to celebrate my Mom and all the other wonderful female influences in my life more often. It's so true that a mother's work is never done. Check out this video from American Greetings detailing the world's toughest job.

First Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day-2013 ( I was pregnant :)

First Trip Away

You may have noticed that it's been almost a week since we've posted anything. If you are a frequent visitor, we thank you for that! Both of us have had a lot going on the past week. For anyone who is a blogger, I'm sure you can relate that blogging takes a lot of work! It's not that we aren't making this a priority, but I guess you could say that life just got in the way. On that note, as the sister who is a first time mom, I wanted to share my first time being away from our little guy and my travel experience with you.

Luckily I was away celebrating an event for one of my best friends so this made it a little bit easier, but still hard none of the less. After I left work last week I stopped by my sons daycare to feed him and say my last goodbye. It was one of the hardest moments I have encountered since being a mom. I knew this day would come eventually but it just felt so soon. When I got in my car I ended up crying halfway through my drive. It was tears of sadness, feeling like my little boy was getting too big too fast, tears that I won't be able to kiss him good night for a few days or see his bright big smile every morning, and tears of knowing I need to be able to let go a little. Once I got that out of my system I tried to give myself a pep talk and reassure myself that it's ok to take time for myself.

Since I am still breastfeeding this was one of my main concerns about being away. I heard stories from friends who had issues when they returned from trips. They saw a decrease in their milk supply and their children having to readjust to feeding again. I was just hoping and praying I wouldn't have any issues. I made a promise to myself that no matter what was going on, or where we were at on this trip, I would do my best to make sure I pumped when I needed to. I have to say, I think I did a very good job at making that a priority without interfering with anyone else's time.

If you've every felt out of place pumping at work, pumping on an airplane is a whole new experience. Our flight there was later at night so it was dark and majority of passengers were sleeping. This made it a little easier to do what needed to be done (5 and a half hour flight, there was no way of getting around it) but it was still awkward. Don't worry I was covered up! The flight home was even more of a challenge. It was first thing in the morning, the plane was bright, and I felt like all eyes were on me. I know they weren't and it was all in my head, but it still felt odd. Regardless, my own personal insecurities needed to take a back seat to the success of me continuing to breastfeed.

While it was nice to be away for a few days and celebrate with great friends, my longing to give my little guy a big hug and a kiss never went away. Although, I did surprise myself at how I handled things and really did enjoy myself. At first, I thought I would be the one to spend half of the time crying in the bathroom and being upset, but it was just the opposite. Modern technology made it a little easier to be able to video call and still see my little guy. I also had this peace about me. I knew that he was in great hands and that my husband was taking the best care of him. Some people couldn't believe that he didn't have "help" there with him. I trust my husband a 100% with him and never had a thought or worry that he wouldn't know what to do in a situation with him. My husband has always been a very hands on dad, and for that I am truly blessed.

After returning home and sitting in over 2 hours of traffic to make it back to our house, my reuniting with my little family was amazing. My husband was waiting at the front door with our little guy and our dog. As I got out of my car I was greeted with the biggest smiles, hugs and kisses, and yes even doggy kisses. It was a great feeling to be with them again and it gives a whole new meaning to the saying...there's no place like home :)

Happy Feet

Good morning and Happy Presidents Day! Hopefully some of you are lucky enough to have off today and enjoy an extended weekend, or may be you are like us and have to be at work or class today (stomp our feet, why can't we be lucky? Ugh this stinks!). Regardless, we hope that the start of your week is off to a good one.

As I woke up this morning my little man greeted me with his bright smiling face, melts my heart every time! I fed him and began to get myself ready for the day. My husband woke up and played with him while I finished getting ready. Three outfit choices later, my decision ended with my gray dress, argyle stockings and Enzo Angiolini heels. I made my way over to the mirror and began to apply my makeup. I caught myself looking in the mirror at my son and husband interacting on our bed, and I could have fallen in love all over again. A few raspberry noises later accompanied with some drool, I see my son stick his little foot in his mouth. He picks his head up and has the biggest grin on his face as if this was a thought out task he wanted to accomplish for quite sometime. I'm so happy I got to share this little milestone moment with him. It made leaving for work even more difficult but the replay of the memory continues to bring a smile to my face. Of course Auntie was the first one to hear about it and share in the joy.

xo, Proud Mommy & Auntie