THE FIRST DAY

Tracen has on every shade of green imaginable but this is the cutest picture right?!

After a long year of the boys at opposite schools last year they are together again and no one loves this more than mom and dad! Two drop offs and pick ups are exhausting, so much in an out of the damn car it's real annoying.

How to raise your second child better

People always say you shouldn't compare one kid to another. They will always be different. Tracen and Skylor are almost exactly 2.5 years apart and I'd like to think I parent them exactly the same. The truth is I don't.

Since Tracen was our first and with about .01% of our friends having kids I basically winged the hell out of everything. I walked into Target and legit just scanned stuff that looked like we would need to take care of a baby. I didn't look at reviews, didn't ask any other moms and barely took the stroller for a spin around the store before registering it. This is an absolute result as to why I hated almost all of the baby stuff I had with Tracen. When I found out I was pregnant with Skylor, I researched and read every single review there was. People would have thought I was a first time mom.

The differences between Sky and Trace begun the day I gave birth to Skylor.  Their births could not be more different and the days after were 100% opposite as well. {Here are Tracen and Skylor's birth stories if you haven't read them.}

Tracen never latched on so I made the decision to strictly pump. And pump my brains until I couldn't any longer I did. That shit is EXHAUSTING. With Sky I tried much harder with nursing and was able to stick with it longer but it was still a struggle and I still ended up pumping all the time. With Tracen he slept in his crib from day one and we WOKE him up to eat every three hours (dumb dumb dumb!) With Sky we bed shared and co-slept and we fed him only when HE woke up (hello 5 hour stretches of sleep from about week 2!)

With Tracen we made him a different meal other than ours every time he ate, with Sky he eats what we eat and eats EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. With Trace I wore him a hand full of times with Sky he's constantly strapped to me. I was the one that put Tracen to bed from the beginning and 99% of the time I still do or he has a complete, over the top meltdown. With Sky, we take turns but most nights Jerek puts him to bed. On the nights that I do theres no fight from him, just hugs and him BEGGING me to put him in his bead.

If you talk to parents that have more than one child most would probably tell you this is normal. You learn tips and tricks from the first one and swear you're going to do things differently the next time around. The problem I have is when people say that they are going to raise them "better."

The difference between the two shouldn't be measured and 

compared in a way that they are the same, because they are not. 

You should do things deferentially to make things work cohesively with your growing family, not because you think you eff'ed it up with the first one but because you are constantly learning. No one can quite say they know what they are doing their first time around, even if you are Jamie Grayson or Michelle Duggar.

I have no regrets with the way I've raised Tracen, we get complimented DAILY on how polite and respectful he is. Although meals and bedtime are a struggle we're working on it! I knew with Skylor that I wanted to change these two areas and for good reasons. Not because I wanted Sky to be the 'better eater' or the 'better sleeper' but because I've learned things from the first time around. I cringe when I hear people talk like this, as if you made a mistake with your first and are trying to redeem yourself or something?

Parenting is like being in school 24/7. You learn things in your freshmen year and apply them to your sophomore year {or hopefully you do.} You are constantly studying for the next test they are going to pull on you, cramming late night for an exam and you always have to be on your toes in case they ask you things like 'why don't you have a wiener like me mommy?' or 'how did I get in your belly?' Cause that shit happens, a lot!

Just remember that if you don't know what the hell you're doing the first time around, you might not the next time around either! Do know that you have the option to start over the next day and work on things. If all else fails, grab a glass of wine and watch these, because I have no idea what I'm ever doing either!

Skylor Turns 2

On Wednesday's I usually talk wedding but today, two years ago, I had a baby and we all know I love talking about my babies more than my wedding! I recently wrote about my struggle with a miscarriage before Skylor here but also about his amazing birth story here so I'll wait if you need to catch up.

Ok.

Are you ready now?

This past weekend we had a small party to celebrate my little Bubble Guppies obsessed, chubby cheeked, nose scruncher baby toddler! It was almost just me, Jerek and the boys because I almost forgot to invite everyone over, my brain is fried lately people. Skylor is OBSESSED with Bubble Guppies, like last night he screamed for an hour while Jer tried putting him to bed saying "guppies, guppies, guppies" and pointing downstairs. 

For the party I kept it simple and affordable (under $100). I was going to attempt making Bubble Guppie character cupcakes but scratched that idea and printed up the cupcake toppers here for free. I also printed some little cut out's of the Bubble Guppies characters for the under the water mural I made with streamers and balloons. It was a semi Pinterest fail because mine didn't look like the ones I saw online, whatever!

As for a gifts, we really don't need toys so I had this idea for a trampoline! I knew I didn't want a little personal jumping one nor did I want one of those 12 foot ones. I found this one and ordered right away. I sent out a text and there was about 6 households, including us, that decided to all go in on it together for a birthday gift for Skylor. I loved the idea of everyone throwing a little money in and getting something bigger instead of a bunch of toys that we defiantly don't need. While the gift obviously isn't just for Skylor it's hard when you have more than one at this young age to really differentiate with your other kids (Skylor got a wagon last year for his birthday from my mom, obviously it's for both kids, not like we could tell Tracen, SORRY YOU CAN'T SIT IN IT! Ya feel!)

I was slightly bummed because when I ordered it, it said it would deliver by 8 pm on Friday which was going to be great since the party was Saturday. I'm not sure what happen but unfortunately it didn't arrive till Monday the 27th. However this worked out much better because it took Jerek and I about 3 hours to put together. Don't be fooled, I only helped the last 30 minutes. BUT! The boys haven't stopped jumping on it since it was put together Monday night. I HIGHLY suggest you buy one, just have some wine handy when you are putting it together.

Last year for Tracen's 4th birthday I pretty much cried the entire time making his video and that was basically the same story while making Sky's 2nd birthday this week. Take a watch and make sure you kiss those babies, cousins, nieces and nephews extra hard tonight because they grow up so damn fast.

Losing

I've tried writing this post many times. I always end up selecting all and pushing the delete button. Skylor is my dream baby, one that I never had dreams about. I remember having dreams about Tracen, dreams about my first baby, about how fun it would be, how hard it would be, how I would be as a mother and how he would look.

Skylor was a dream I was scared to have. It wasn't that usual how could I love another child the way I love Tracen scared, it was something internally that scared me, something that I wasn't sure if I could go through again.

June 19th 2012 is a day I will always remember. Today I'm choosing to remember it as not a bad day, just a hard day.

A month before all of this I was getting ready for work and just knew, knew something was different. As I drove to work I stopped and grabbed a few pregnancy tests. Unsure if I could wait till I got home that day I took one at work and then one when I got home. Both were positive within seconds. Tracen was 15 months old at the time. I wrapped them up with a note and had Tracen hand them to Jerek when he got home. As I watched him unwrap them I had a pit in my stomach, the size of a bowling ball it felt like. How were we going to afford another in daycare, another in diapers. His eyes got big and he stared at me and then a smile peeked through. I was happy but scared, I could tell he was too, I'm sure we were both thinking the same thing.

I did the math and knew I was 6 weeks pregnant, I'd be due almost exactly on Tracen's birthday. Over the next few weeks I felt strange and uncomfortable but continued to go to work and live our lives. I knew I couldn't get an ultrasound until 8 weeks so I just waited to make the appointment. A few more weeks had passed and I started spotting. I googled what seemed like for hours on end and there were two outcomes, bleeding from implantation or loss. For some reason I didn't worry too much. I'm not sure why but I never called the doctor. Perhaps I was scared she would confirm the thoughts swirling around in my head.

A week later I was with Jerek's mom and sister at their family business and it started, I felt everything happening and my emotions came pouring out. In a split second I was forced to tell them our exciting news with tears of sadness and sorrow streaming down my face. Jerek and I went to the ER where they left me in limbo. I was 10 weeks at the time but only measuring at 6. I was confused then at how that could be. Unsure of what was going on they never said if they heard a heartbeat or not. They wanted me to come back in a week to see if a heartbeat developed. I'm not sure why but I didn't question anything, I just did what they said. I went home and cried unsure of what to do, to not do, to think, to not think. I remember going to church the Sunday before our appointment on Monday and praying, if this is meant to be, please make it happen...but if it isn't I will be okay, we will be okay..and thank you, thank you for Tracen. That was it. That's all that I could really do.

The next day it was confirmed that the baby had stopped developing at 6 weeks but for some reason my body was still holding onto the pregnancy. Why was I putting myself through all this for the last month?! That was something I couldn't understand, it was like my mind, body and soul were trying to hold onto something that wasn't there any longer. The DNC was scheduled for the next day since my body wasn't letting go on it's own. I remember sitting in the pre-op room alone since Jerek wasn't allowed back there. The nurses were talking and laughing about their weekends, about their summer plans while I'm laying behind a curtain crying and alone. I remember thinking how rude and insensitive they were. I know now that I was just being critical of it all and they meant nothing.

I woke up and felt just like I thought I would, empty. The days after got better. We celebrated Father's day, then my birthday, then labor day weekend. The months moved by and Halloween came followed by Thanksgiving and then Tracen's birthday. That day was hard. While excited to celebrate Tracen turning two I couldn't help but think about what could have been. At the same time I didn't want myself getting caught up in the sadness because I was actually pregnant again! I was only a few weeks so I didn't want to share the excitement with people yet.

Scared for our first ultrasound we went in together, hand in hand. We saw and heard a healthy heartbeat at 9 weeks with a due date of August 19 2013. Skylor was born on July 29, 2013, 3 weeks early at a whopping 8 lbs 6 ounces and was healthy as could be.

My heart continually grows and aches and grows some more and while June 19th 2012 is a distant memory without this bad hard experience, I wouldn't be the person I am today, the mother to dream baby Skylor.

I share this story not for sympathy but as a way to cope. Not so much anymore for myself because I'm in a really good place with it now but because when I was going through this I read countless blog posts, articles, and Googled things for days, trying to find answers that really didn't exist. What I found was this happens more than people talk about, sometimes there is genetically something wrong and other times there are no answers to be found. Most of my family and friends are reading this right now and never knew anything about it, it wasn't something I was ready to share. You may be reading this because you too are going through the same heartache and are Googling keywords, fighting back the tears and that's okay too.

18 Month Update

Lately I've been stepping back and realizing that I no longer have a baby in the house. He's more so a toddler if anything. Sometimes I cringe at the word toddler because 99.9% of that word is always associated with the 'terrible two's'. {For Tracen two wasn't so bad as three was for us.}

With a wedding on our brains it's hard to think about more kids. Actually I take that back, I think about having more kids EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. But I know that I don't really want to be pregnant at our wedding so preventive measures are in check.

I think back to when I first had Skylor. How I would stress thinking how the hell am I suppose to go to the park with two kids. How am I suppose to play with Tracen and run around with him while holding, nursing or caring for a newborn. My anxiety was at an all time high when I was home on maternity leave and Jerek was at work. I use to wait to go to the grocery store, to Target or even shower until he got home. As the days went by and I learned how to deal things go easier, as cliche as that sounds.

Sure there were days when Tracen lost his shit, Skylor blew his pants out and I tried to pump & nurse at the same time, but those days passed and were rewarded with a glass of wine, or two, later on. Now I know that the hard part wasn't getting through those days, it's looking back on how fast it's all gone. As soon as I knew it we were buying our first house and celebrating milestones like potty training Tracen and Skylor walking.

The other day I left work to go be by my sister in law's side as she gave birth to my nephew. It brought me back to Sky's birth and while mine was a little easier than her's the end result was all the same. A healthy baby.

With a big brother around for Skylor he's growing exponentially! He's learning things faster as he is mirroring what Tracen does. Talking more than because he visually see's what Tracen gets when he uses his words. We're hoping he pretty much potty trains himself, ya know!

As crazy as my house can get with all these boys I LOVE IT. I love everything about it. I enjoy my peace and quite so much more because it's so rare but miss their loud crazy antics when they aren't around. I don't mind our bed being full of people at night, the more the merrier, because I know it won't last forever.

It's only been a few months since the last update so after this I will be doing every six months unless the boys do something really amazing that deserves a whole post dedicated to them. Ashley over at Words about Waverly celebrates half birthdays with half birthday cakes, how amazing is that! I'm 99.9% sure I'll be stealing this idea, what better reason to throw a party every 6 months!?

WEIGHT: 22 lbs 

HEIGHT: 33" 

SLEEPING: If you asked me last week I'd say great! However since Sunday night he has basically screamed bloody murder the entire night. I took him to urgert care yesterday thinking maybe its an ear infection and nothing. Basically just a virus and to keep sucking his nose, etc, etc. UGHHHH!

EATING: Standard answer; everything the eye can see!

FAVORITE MOMENTS: When we come home from work Tracen and Skylor both run to us with such big smiles on their face it makes us both SO happy to be home. Okay I'll tell you the truth, Tracen runs up to me while Sky mean mugs me until Jer gets home and they both run up to him. They love being at home with Jerek's aunt and are starting to like daycare/preschool now but when we come home it's like we've been gone for ages the way they great us. I can only hope at 16 this will still be the same. Hopeful people, I'm hopeful!

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: Night time lately with him being sick and screaming all night it makes my heart hurt and my eyes, my eyes are reallllllyyyyy tired!

FIRSTS: No first's really but he's getting good at crawling up stairs but when we are at the top and I ask him if he wants to go down he starts crying and reaches for me to hold him. He's using a spoon and fork much better although he prefers to share all meals with the dog. I SWEAR he was a homeless dog in his past life! He's always in the dog food/water, in the trash or giving Ducati food!

LIFE CURRENTLY : Since Tracen's birthday and the holidays are over you would think it's calmed down a bit but it really hasn't. As I already mentioned our nephew was born a week ago and we also celebrated 5 other birthdays; two of our aunts, Jerek's dad and my mom and cousins birthday was yesterday! So many Aquarius's so little time! Unfortunately Jerek's grandpa passed away yesterday but is in a much better place now. January flew by and 2015 has been great otherwise, hopefully I'll have some wedding updates for you in the next month *hint hint*

16 Month Update

WEIGHT: 22 lbs {50%}

HEIGHT: 32.5" {85%}

HEAD CIRC: 19 {90%} I added this because I thought it was funny, like holy dome yo?!

SLEEPING: better! MUCH better! I fully believe he was waking up every few hours the last few months because he had about 8 molars coming in! It was INSANE! He had 2 sets of back molars coming in but not his 'fangs' so it basically looked like he's an old man with missing teeth.

EATING: Sky still follows Tracen around the house eating any crumbs the kid drops! He has to have something in BOTH hands 90% of the time. If you watch any of my vlogs you will see he is always eating. The other day Jerek stopped and got a whole bushel {is that the right word?} of bananas and a quart of strawberries, costing close to $10 might I add, and the boys ate all of it in 48 hours. It's sickening how much they eat! On Mondays and Fridays when they are at daycare it makes me almost happy because they eat two meals and have 2 snacks there, meaning something we don't have to provide! How sad is it that that makes me happy?!

FAVORITE MOMENTS: How easy things are getting! Yes, don't get me wrong, Sky is into EVERYTHING but since he's walking now he can follow Tracen around and interact with him in ways that he couldn't before! This is the stuff I dreamed about, the reason I have always wanted more than one child {and still want more ha!}

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: The mobility. It's a catch 22 really. He can run and play with Tracen but he can also get into everything faster than he could when crawling.

{Jer took the pic when he was at the store and had to pee! How Great is this!}

FIRSTS: He's saying a lot more 'words' than he was 2 months ago. The usual {mama, dada, baba, no, yes, more} He's waving when people say 'hi' and 'bye' and even smiling when I'm filming or taking pictures.

{school picture of the boys! I. DIE!!!}

LIFE CURRENTLY : With the holidays coming up I'm so excited to see Sky open gifts this year and just participate in everything since last year he was only 5/6 months old and was still in blob format. I've also gotten an 'Elf' which I've dubbed 'Tiny'. Since I work in the auto industry we have a mandatory shut down from Dec 24-Jan 2 this December and because I had far too many vacation days to use I also took off Dec 22 & 23. So in a nutshell my last day of work this year is Dec 19th and I don't go back until January 5th. BOOM SAUCE. I'm so excited to be at home with the boys because Jerek has most of those days off as well! We need to get this Christmas shopping done because between that and trying to find a wedding venue I still don't sleep. That's a lie. I sleep but not that much since Tracen always crawls in and takes up ALL the room! With Tracen's birthday coming up and Christmas all in the next month it's going to be cray cray!

Skylor 14 month Update

{No more monthly onesies, now what do we do?!}

WEIGHT: 21 lbs

SLEEPING: Sky is either sleeping 12+ hours or he's been waking up and crying 3-5 times a night and we end up rocking him back to sleep and doing it every few hours. It's either amazing or exhausting!

EATING: Everything.  Literally, EVERYTHING! Sky will follow Trey around eating his scraps!

FAVORITE MOMENTS: His laugh! His laugh is deep in his belly and is constantly smiling and laughing at everything we do or say! Capturing it on video is my favorite!

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: Crawling does a number on babies knees and Sky's are so sore., you can see it in his eyes. He will stop and sit there to cry and reach for us to pick him up because he just can't get to where he wants to be fast enough

FIRSTS: Sky is walking but prefers to crawl since he can get places faster. He finally started doing the hand motion for 'more' in sign language! Tracen did it {I think at a younger age?} and we've been working with Sky on it! He always shakes his head 'no' when he has had enough to eat or is done with his bubba so this was great to see he's starting to pic up some signs! He's also waving hi/bye and if I catch him on a really good day and ask for a kiss, I get a big, wet, open mouth one, the only kind I like!

LIFE CURRENTLY : Is fun but busy! It's getting more stressful in the sense that he's so mobil he doesn't want us to hold him, but then his knees hurt and wants to be held, but put down, but held, it's a vicious cycle really! He's also getting into EVERYTHING!!! If he is on his way to the dog dish and you say "Sky no no" he will look at you, smile and crawl as FAST AS HE CAN THERE and laugh hysterically because he knows he shouldn't be in it! This goes along with the toilet bowl and trash can as well. We've been baby proofing more areas but he is unstoppable it seems! Sky still follows Trey around like a shadow and some days he doesn't even notice, but there are times where you catch him with no nap and a sassy attitude and he will push Sky over. This causes all hell to break loose from both of them and I don't know who to console or scold first. Fall is here and in full swing! We got our family pictures taken and they are ABSOLUTELY amazing! My girlfriend Jenny, who is the photographer, is having an exclusive promo for the first 10 people who book with her and mention East Willow Grove. Take a look here for more details! I'm looking forward to my girl friend from California coming into town soon and our mini vacation we have planned to go to the DC/Virginia area in two weeks to visit family! I honestly can't WAIT to leave and be in a car with kids for 8+ hours. I sound crazy right? I am, I really am. But that is how bad I need a vacation!

If you need me, I'll be running for the next 21 days straight. The marathon is only a short 3 weeks away and I'll let you guess as to HOW not prepared prepared I am....

Beach Day with Orbit

Michigan summers are worth writing about. Michigan winters blow. majorly.  The only time they are talked about are when no one wants to go to school/work and wishes for snow days. Sadly I'm no longer in school so all I have to talk about is how glorious summer is. I realize that this summer hasn't been that great to be honest. There's only been a handful of nice, hot days unfortunately. 

Sundays are usually spent doing laundry, cleaning and Jerek complaining he's bored. Well instead of doing boring things, i.e: see above, Jerek suggested the beach. I then started singing the infamous 'lets go to the beach beach lets go get away' song and it was decided. WE WERE OFF! 

Last time we went to Port Huron the beach was small, packed and pretty rocky. This time Jer suggested that we go to Lake St. Clair Metropark, it was about half the distance than Port Huron was and let me tell you, it was 100 times better in terms of, EVERYTHING.  The beach was smooth, the land was clean, there was TONS of parking, places to lay, sit and space to play. There was an Olympic size swimming pool with water slides and a big splash pad which both boys loved. There were tons of bikers, roller bladders and walkers. You can rent paddle boards {which I'm dying to do next time!} and there is also a boat launch. We will totally be going back a few more times before the weather leaves us! 

Going to the beach with two small children is never an easy task as there is so much crap you need to lug with you! With Skylor growing out of his infant carrier and into a big boy carseat, I've been obsessed with my Orbit G3 stroller. We decided to bring both the G3 and our light weight Summer Infant 3Dlite. We've had our 3Dlite for a while now and it's a nice little fold up stroller but it has almost zero storage and did not do well pushing across the sand or grass. We basically brought it so Trace had somewhere to sit his buns down when he needed to. 

The G3 on the other hand was a BREEZE to push through sand and grass. It acted as a high chair for Sky when we were eating with it's 360 degree turn capability it fit right up to the picnic table.  It was a cot for when he was tired and needed some quite time out of the sun. It also fits any size Starbucks cup, just in case that is ever a question {Yes, it ran through my head!}

To see the stroller or us in action you can check out the vlog from Sunday up on my Youtube page. I wish we could spend every weekend at the beach but the summer is short and we are a busy family!

 Side note: I do not promote frying like a tomato as skin cancer runs in my family. I simply freaking forgot and now have lame tan lines and a sunburn, nice one Chelsea.

I'm a brand ambassador for Orbit Baby and all opinions are my own

One.

365 days ago I smiled and laughed as I pushed you into this world just as July 29th had begun. You've been making me gush with the same amount of joy ever since. I can't get over how much you've grown and changed over these past 12 months, it seems so surreal. The love and admiration you have in your eyes when you stare at Tracen is truly amazing. You look up {literally} to him with such a gaze in your eyes it makes us smile for you. Tracen also adores you to pieces, alternatively we have to pry his grimy little hands off your face before he squeezes you to bits. {Sorry about that for future reference}

Here is Skylor's birth story. A story that was so easy to write, an experience I would relive forever because of the calmness I felt that night. The first thing people noticed were your cheeks. Those things were huge! I still smoosh my face into them as soon as I get home from work, when you wake up in the morning or your beaming with a toothy grin on your face! You like to watch people very intensely, and want to do everything Tracen does. These past 12 months have been some of the best times shared together as a family of four. Everyone always says it but, I don't know what life would be like without you in it. This weeks video is dedicated to you sweet baby boy, happy birthday and may the next year be just as fun, exciting and joyful as this last year was.

WEIGHT: {check up soon}

HEIGHT/LENGTH: {check up soon}

{Look how big he is in this thing!!!}

SLEEPING: I jinxed myself last month because teething started up again and you are sleeping like a colic-y baby. We. Are. Exhausted. and so are you :(

EATING: Everything and anything! You're refusing bottles and only want sippy, just like your brother :)

FAVORITE MOMENTS: There are too many to list so watching the video is a must!

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: The sadness in your face when you don't feel well. It hurts me more than it probably hurts you.

FIRSTS: You started to walk with a baby walker and he smiles whenever he does! Walking from couch to table and back. Crawling up the stairs {oh lord!} You recently started humming and it's like you hear us singing or the music being played and are just joining in on the party!

LIFE CURRENTLY : Is wonderful. Stressful, but wonderful. I now have a 3.5 and 1 year old #crazy. We are working away on projects for the house and at work. Trying to enjoy summer and long nights together. I still wear you around the house and while running errands, I enjoy that closeness between you and me and know it won't always be like that. You're back to sleeping in our bed most nights {and so is Tracen} so its a bed full of blonde cuties once again. This summer passed by extremely fast and we love being outside together. My favorite thing about this year are the vlogs though. I've watched them over and over even though I'm the one that puts them together! I cherish these moments because they go so fast, we are so busy and I never ever want to forget them.

I'm writing this for me as, I do most of these posts, but I do hope one day you read this and can feel the emotions and love pouring out of me for you. Happy First Birthday Skylor!

Eleven Month Update

WEIGHT: heavy {scale-less this month}

HEIGHT/LENGTH: tall {didn't measure this month}

SLEEPING: Dare I say it without ruining this glorious thing! Sky is sleeping 12 hours about 90% of the time! I mean seriously where did this come from?! I'm not even mad because it took Tracen until he was 15 months old to sleep through the night! I'm thinking it's because he's eating MASSIVE amounts of food and crawling like he's on a mission. All these activities must be wearing him out!

{Twins? How cute would they be if this was for real!!!}

EATING: E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! And I mean it too! We are doing it totally different with him and just giving him what we are eating {in smaller portions and pieces obvi}. With Tracen we made him a different meal than us. {Do not ask me WHY because to this day I have absolutely NO idea but it's kicked us in the ass now.} He loves meat, ground turkey, pork loin, steak, chicken {again, something Tracen won't touch}.Sky eats any flavor of yogurt, all fruits and veggies, rice, noodles and his favorite, veggie fries. Bottles are getting less and less and making me think I'm forgetting something when really he just don't want them anymore.

FAVORITE MOMENTS: You are so much happier now that you are mobil! Crawling to the toy box, to the kitchen or to the couch and being able to interact with us has brought such job in your smile and laughter it makes me so excited for you. You're playing with Tracen even more because you can get to where ever he is now. This also has me stressing because I need to baby proof the kitchen cabinets {if we ever get them restrained & put back on!}

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: Although I'm happy he's crawling, I'm sad because he wants to be held so much less. Also, his poor little knees are getting so red from the carpet.

FIRSTS: This month SOOOOO much has changed! I think this has been the month that he's changed the most in fact! He's crawling and fast at it! Pulling himself up to the couch and toy box{the crib was just lowered as well}. He's eaten a ton of new food and started drinking a few ounces a day of water, which he loves {Tracen hated}. I already mentioned the sleeping through the night almost all the time now! The sadest thing is that he's loosing his baby chuck, his rolls & the baby smell. {tears}

LIFE CURRENTLY : 
As I already said it, this month he's grown the most! From crawling, pulling himself up and standing to sheer belly laughter and smiles he's been so happy to be around! The teeth this month hasn't been nearly as bad & I think he's finally feeling full after meals! Tracen has become potty trained over night and Skylor started crazy crawling in the same week! I designed Skylors first birthday invites all on my own this year and will be sending those out this week {GAH! That is so soon!} We've bought and put together a new swing set and a new pool. Our backyard is officially ready for summer! I currently am on a mini-summer vacation from work and am of until July 7th {jealous?} so this next week will be filled with friends, family & hopefully a few BBQ's! Stay tuned for the 12 month update, I'm sure it will be a real tear jerker!

Freshly Picked Moccasins Review + GIVEAWAY!!!

Every mom has something that they lust for, something that they want for their little one but are on the fence about spending their hard earned cash on. I've been following Freshly Picked for a while now & these moccasins make my heart happy. Ever since I saw Kourtney Kardashian's son wearing them I've had some serious talks with myself on what color I should get.  I've also debated on how I could explain to Jerek that they are worth the $60 or, if I should just order them and hide them in Skylors closet and do the old "these old things? We've had these foreeeevverrr!!!" {sometimes it works, most times it doesn't!}

Lucky for me I was reading my girlfriend Chelsea's {nice name huh} blog and saw she was hosting a giveaway for a pair! I never win anything but figured #YOLO {yup, said it} and entered and kept on reading. I was sitting at work a few weeks ago and got an email and tweet saying "Congrats, you won!" GET THE EFF OUT!!!!! I was SO excited! Not only do I never win things, I never win GOOD things! As much as I wanted to go balls to the wall crazy and get the neon green ones, I had the practical Chelsea on my shoulder {I don't really like her} and decided to get the butterscotch ones instead. They arrived in three days time which is fast in my book!

Skylor has been able to rip socks off his feet since day 1. I have a huge bin full of shoes from Tracen that I've loved and saved for Skylor to wear but nothing like FP mocs. Shoes have been out of the question because I can't keep them on his feet! He's starting to crawl and pull himself up so I know I need to start putting some soft sole shoes on his feet sooner than later. When I ordered my FP mocs, I used the sizing chart that is provided on the website {GENIUS!} Sky is almost in a size 2 according to the chart but I wanted these to be a little big and have him grow into them. I went ahead and ordered a 3 and hoped that I could at least snag some cute pictures of him wearing them before he ripped them off! I was amazed at how great they stayed on his feet even being a size bigger than what he is currently in! They are snug without being tight on his little chunky legs! I'm excited for his feet to grow a little bit more so they fit perfectly.

There are a few things I enjoy coming home to after a long day of work. That being the three blondes that are my boys and the other is shiny boxes from the postman. Last week I got home before all of the boys and found a box waiting there for me. Lonely, sad and just longing to be opened. I was waiting on a few different items but this was the most exciting! Another pair of mocs!

This time I had told that annoying practical Chelsea to buzz off and ordered the color aruba. The color is more vibrant and gorgeous in person than on the website and the website was what lured me in at first! This color can be for girls or boys {regardless of what anyone tells you!}

There are plenty of other moccasins out there that are less expensive but the quality shows right through the price. Susan at Freshly Picked has an amazing story, a phenomenal work ethic and a sensational outlook. So here is where the fun opportunity I was given or rather YOU all were given! Freshly Picked has given me a pair of mocs to giveaway to one of you lucky mama's, aunts, grandma's or brothers sisters girlfriend that has a little mini that would love to rock these puppies! Any color, any size!

The rules are simple and you have more than one opportunity to win! Happy Giveaway Monday!


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Ten Month Update

WEIGHT: 20 lbs

HEIGHT/LENGTH: 29.5 inches

SLEEPING: There have been a few more nights here and there that he's slept through the night but that is really a hit or miss. Usually I still have the big one climbing in bed with us on nights he sleeps through!

EATING: Some things he's eaten or at least tried this past month
{noodles, small pieces of grilled cheese, toast w/jelly, quinoa, rice, plain shredded chicken & green beans.} All of these are pretty new to him as I was sticking to mostly fruit and veggies in the purees. He hasn't been liking the noodles and drops them right after he picks them up. I'm not sure if it's the texture or what?

FAVORITE MOMENTS: I honestly just love when I'm wearing him and he just stares at me or when I walk into a room and he hears my voice and turns towards me. He's playing with Tracen and his toys more & more. Tracen always thinks Sky is trying to hug him, but really he's trying to snatch a toy from his little paws. Tracen is on real good behavior lately and is being THE sweetest with Sky! For the past few weeks he's had me read big brother books at bedtime and always comments how he is the best big brother to Sky! I hope Sky knows how much he truly is loved by Tracen!

LEAST FAVORITE MOMENTS: He's been extremely fussy lately and nothing is soothing him but sticking his entire hand in his mouth and chomping on it.We've been giving him teething tablets, Tylonol, teether rings, my hand and nothing seems to work! Poor kid, I honestly can't say I've ever had a tooth ache so I can't even imagine what it must feel like! Look at those thaaangggsss!!!

FIRSTS: Last month he had the bottom two and the middle right and the one next to it {I have no clue what they are really called!} Anyways, he got the middle left and the one next to that. So that means 4 up top and two on the bottom. I think the other two on the bottom are getting ready to break through due to his crabbiness. He is getting really mad that he can't crawl so he rolls..everywhere! Jer went up north for 2 nights a few weekends ago so it was my first time being alone with just the boys and we all missed daddy so much! I'm leaving for two nights today with my mom to a bed and breakfast and I won't lie, I'm scared the boys are going to be a handful for Jer! Thankfully his sister and basically second mom will be here having a slumber party and hopefully keeping Tracens mind off the fact that I'm not around!

LIFE CURRENTLY : 
I say this every month but it's been crazy and this month has been no exception! We finished the half bath makeover, remodeled the dining room, and started the remodel on the kitchen cabinets. We spent hours on the back patio with pillows, blankets, toys and new lighting. We had a great Mother's Day spent with the boys, my mom and Jerek's mom & sister. We've had loads of ice cream, stayed up late nights and had a really great Memorial Day Weekend. I started a new 12 week workout program which is making me real crabby and pleasant to be around but I can feel the burn so I know it's working {more to come on that at a later time.} It's crazy to think that I need to start thinking about preparing for another first birthday but I probably should soon! I love these boys so hard sometimes I just stare and smile!