The Co-Sleeper - A Review

I always knew that typically babies slept in their parents' bedrooms for a little while as newborns, but I never gave much thought to how that would play out practically until we were expecting our own child.

The world of bassinets, moses baskets, pack 'n' plays, bed sharing, and co-sleepers is a confusing and frustrating one to dive into with no prior experience! You don't get to have a time of trial-and-error before the baby comes.

I had finally decided on an Arm's Length Co-Sleeper (as pictured below) when I was browsing Craigslist and happened upon a "gently used" one for $30! I was thrilled!

This is identical to our co-sleeper. Needless to say, we love it, and will be saving it to use for any and all future babies. It was wonderful for those middle-of-the-night feedings. I loved not having to get out of bed, or being able to reach over and sooth her from the comfort of my pillow. Loved it so much, in fact, that I am totally sad that we had to move her out of it a few weeks ago (homegirl was climbing out of it onto our bed...um, no, not safe!).

When she was a newborn newborn, she would only sleep cuddled up in her boppy pillow, inside the co-sleeper. High maintenance, right?

It's easy to strap to your bed, lightweight to move, and has mesh sides - so no worries about baby rolling into the bumpers!

Here's how it looks/works:

Of course, Molly doesn't always like to sleep in what I would classify as "the most comfortable" positions - here's one that I woke up to the sight of one morning:

Yes, she's asleep like that! And yes, that's a blanket in her co-sleeper. Hush your face, I'm the mom (and I'll be doing a review of that blanket soon, too).

I cannot say enough good things about the co-sleeper. Fabulous. Five mom-stars.

A Beach Day

Today we took a trip to the beach - Molly's first daytime trip to the beach, in fact! I say daytime because she has been to Assateague one time, but it was in the evening for a bonfire with friends - so not really your typical "beach" experience. :-)

I know, I know...Summer is almost over, and I live 25 minutes from the beach - so why is this her first trip? 

I hate tourist season. I loathe it. I hate the traffic, I hate the jacked-up prices of everything, I hate the stupid people who don't know where they are going and what they are doing. I hate the barely-dressed masses, and the less-than-sparkling water. And the trash in the sand. <--- That is why this was our first trip. And we didn't even go to Ocean City!

We went to a "secret" local beach. It's tiny and wonderful, and I'm not telling anyone where it is. Ever.

Molly LOVED it. We're talking - best mood ever, wanted to stay in the water forever, fell asleep on Amanda kind of loving it. It was blissful, minus the pretty awful sunburn that I came away with (my own fault).

Here are a few pictures from our beach day, courtesy of Molly's aunt Amanda.

The "Mom" Hair

I have never liked ponytails on myself. Sure, they look cute on other women...but not me. Nope, I just end up looking like a boy...or someone with no hair. 

 Even with bangs, I just can't rock the ponytail! Whenever I do just give in to the ease of a ponytail, I always end up seeing someone with fabulous hair, or getting my picture taken. Murphy's Law at its finest.

After having Molly, I fell into a pattern of "mom" hair - not that it looked bad, it just wasn't my normal way of doing my hair. I didn't have "time" to blow dry/straighten every day. 

But guess what? Your baby will be just fine if you spend 15-20 minutes doing your hair and makeup every day. She will not die from being strapped in the carseat with some toys while you shave your legs and use a little hair product.

Don't get me wrong - Molly doesn't like it when I divide my attention, but she has also (after a few weeks) gotten used to it. Now, my routine looks something like this:

Feed baby, put baby in the carseat with some favorite toys. Turn on Disney kid songs in the bathroom. Take a shower. Baby cries for a few minutes (she's thinking hey! mom! share some of the bathtime fun with me!). Baby (usually) falls asleep, lulled by the shower/music/toys combo. 

Once I get out of the shower, I get a few extra "getting ready" minutes by leaving the shower running! She stays asleep and I get to choose an activity: painting my toenails...plucking my eyebrows...the fun stuff. ;-)

After I turn the shower off, she usually wakes up in just a few minutes. I leave her in the carseat, though, while I blow dry and straighten my hair. Makeup can usually wait until her next naptime, unless I have somewhere to go.

As a new mom, it can be really hard to let your baby cry, even if it's just for a few minutes. But I'm realizing that this is how they learn! If they have been fed and changed, and given plenty of attention beforehand, I know that she is fine, and is just learning to self-soothe and self-entertain. This will be such a valuable trait when she is a little bit older...then maybe Mommy can pluck her eyebrows AND paint her toenails! ;-)

Dijon Syrup Chicken

I'm not the greatest at consistently making dinner. Often times, I get distracted or I don't feel like being creative, so I make an old stand-by (pizza, grilled cheese, chicken salad etc.). HOWEVER, I am trying to turn over a new leaf and find recipes online (mostly Pinterest) that I want to try so that I can at least branch out a little bit.

So, I tried out this recipe called Dijon Syrup Chicken. It was super easy, and SUPER delicious. I wasn't sure about it at first because it's maple syrup...and dijon mustard...on chicken. The combination was foreign to my tastebuds, but Patrick and I both really ended up enjoying it and it's definitely one that I will make again in the future!

Here is a link to the recipe for you to try it out for yourself - it's also on the "recipe" section of my blog for easy access. :-)

Dijon Syrup Chicken 

Let the Awkwardness Begin!

So, first posts are always awkward because you never quite know exactly the best way to begin a blog. In fact, beginnings of things are always kind of awkward and full of mistakes - that's pretty much what this blog is about.

It's about my journey to becoming an accomplished housewife - about my life as a Christian, a homemaker, a wife, a mom, and a creative, fun-loving person. Or at least, learning how to let all of those parts of my life mesh peacefully together. Sometimes they won't mesh perfectly - but don't worry - I'll write about that part, too.