9 months.......

Baby girl turned 9 months yesterday! I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about the fact that she is only a few months away from turning 1.

I love watching her grow and learn new abilities. Her personality develops more and more each day and it is such a joy to watch. At the same time I miss that squishy little babe that was born only 9 short months ago.

(day of birth skin on skin with daddy) 

(the perfect little face)

(where did time go.....)

The struggles of being a parent, you can not wait for them to grow and become their own little person but at the same time you don't want it to happen too fast.


Confessions of this mom heart,
~Adrien

It's OK to need and take a break.........

I've been wanting to post on this for awhile, baby girl is finally napping so to get this done before she wakes.

Something I am learning is that it is perfectly alright and normal to need a break from your child. For longest time I always felt guilty for not wanting to be around my daughter all the time. I felt guilty for not thinking that being a mother is all rainbows and unicorns, amazing all the time. I felt guilty and angry at my self for not being "better".

We as parents need breaks from our kids, its healthy, its important, it gives us a chance to breathe, I am starting to learn this and accept it. I love my daughter with all I am and then some but I need breaks and that is OK.

I took the first break from my daughter in almost 7 months just a couple weeks ago. I did not go far just a 10 minute drive to a Christmas Craft fair with my mom and my grandma's. When she needed me, because this was last minute and we were out of town with no pumped milk, I was there to nurse and put her down for naps.

It felt great to get away and just be "me" with out my daughter constantly needing me. She hung out with her dad all day and they both survived.

I came back a better mom because of the break. I had more patience and I was less stressed. My daughter deserves a mom at her best and breaks let me be my best.

Funny to think that time away from your child can make you better but it does. So find a way to take a break. If it is a walk around the block while your child stays home with their other parent, a massage, a pedicure, a run, some time out with friends, whatever a break looks like to you take one.

Its OK to need a break.
~Adrien

Oat Mama Bar - Update

Update: So these Oat Mama bars are amazing! I have been able to add 7 ounces of milk to my backup supply after only pumping 5 times over the past 3 days. To keep pumping from interrupting my day I chose to pump after feeds when little miss went down for her naps during the day and directly after her last feed for the day when she went to sleep for the night.

I kind of forgot how much I dislike pumping but at least it has been worth it. I noticed the most increase in my supply when I waited one hour after little miss last fed before bed to pump, I was able to get 2.5 ounces. That may not seem like a lot to you but before I was eating these bars I was lucky to get 1 ounce. I also noticed a difference this morning. I can not remember the last time I woke up so full to the point that I leaked, but this morning I did. I almost did a happy dance. Who knew leaking would be a thing to celebrate, breastfeeding moms I know you understand.

I also really enjoyed the flavor of these bars and how dense they are, as mentioned in my previous post. They are super filling, making them a great snack. If you would like to try out these bars for yourself here is the link to their page http://www.oatmama.com/.

Have you tried these bars? What did you think of them?

~Adrien

*Disclaimer: I am not a brand rep or sponsored by Oat Mama. I bought these bars with my own money with hopes of improving my breastfeeding experience.*

FOOTBALL!!!!

We are a Seahawk's family. I have always loved watching football, my brother being a big Eagles fan (and seven years older) trained me young in the art of appreciating the game.

 To be honest as long as the Eagles are not playing against the Seahawk's I still root for the Eagles, they are my roots after all ;). I may not know all the technical terms but dang it I love a good game. I prefer games close in points, with a lot of back forth. I am not a big fan of shut outs. I am a very competitive person so I love the games to be competitive as well. There is just no fun in shut outs, even if my team is winning, but that is just me.

My husband does not care as long as the Seahawk's win :). He has been a Seahawk's fan since he was in high school, I've been a fan since we got married, no bandwagon fans here.

Now we are making sure to pass on the love of the game to our daughter. We do not care who she ends up rooting for when she gets older, we just want her to appreciate the game.

Plus, she is the cutest little football fan ever!

Here is to a great season,
Adrien

What team do you and your family root for?

I miss being organized.......

Once upon a time I had an office job, way before my daughter was even on my radar. I had this awesome little office. My desk and drawers were always highly organized and clean. My inbox, desk and email, would always be empty by the time I left at the end of work day. My desktop would also be put back to its impeccable status. Nothing out of place, ever.

Heck my office was in such organized order I knew if someone was there looking for a pen to use. Not kidding and I loved how organized it was.

But for some reason I can not carry over that discipline to my house now. For the life of me, I can get it organized and beautiful, but then a few days go by and its like a bomb has gone off. No its not organized chaos either, it is just chaos!

Really it is not my whole house I have this problem with, it is mainly in our kitchen. Maybe it is because this space handles many things. Our kitchen is my office for making signs, storage for paint and all supplies (printer, vinyl cutter, shipping supplies, etc.), workout space, laundry room, and well a kitchen.

Or maybe its like this because our house we rent is 100+ years old and has extremely limited storage. I mean there are only 3 closets, 2 of which are single size closets. Either way, I see another purging and organizing session coming tomorrow. I just hope that baby girl will let me finish.

How do you stay organized? What are your tips and tricks I should use to stay on top of this multitasking space?

~Adrien

I'm just a Milk Machine........

Buahaha, my personal rendition of "Love Machine". But seriously if you breastfeed, you pretty much are a walking "milk machine." All nursing mother's that I know try to make sure their supply is on point and dense in nutrition. You all know that I have struggled with low supply issues, that is not why I am now choosing to try Oat Mama bars.

My supply is on point for baby girl's daily needs. My goal now is to make a backup supply for emergencies and for mixing with solid foods. Yes, little miss is already at that point that solid foods are being introduced.

My first impression of Oat Mama bars is they smell really good. Nothing like a bar that smells gross to turn you off from eating it.

Aside from smelling amazing these bars are super dense, in a moist way. Not dry at all making it easy to eat and great for a snack. We have all had those bars out there that literally suck the moisture out of your taste buds, not these.

I also loved the personal touch from the Oat Mama's themselves, a hand written "thank you" letter.

What is in these bars that helps with supply? Each bar has rolled oats, ground flax seed, and brewers yeast in every serving. All these ingredients are known to help with lactation.

Now this is just my first day trying them. So far I can say I have noticed a change. I am feeling a bit fuller than normal ;). I will update this post on Friday after a few days of snacking on these bars with a better feel of how much fuller I actually am and hopefully adding milk to my backup supply.

~Adrien

Have you ever tried these bars? What did you think of them?

Thrift Shop find for August: Pale Yellow and Delicate Details

Found this beautiful top at a Thrift Shop just down from our house this week for only $1.25! It is perfect with a empire waist ribbon accent, just the right amount of lace, little tiny flower print all over, and the perfect shade of yellow. I also love the open back. Who doesn't love vintage baby clothing <3 ?!

~ Adrien

Dont Blink!

I have realized something recently as I have watched Lilly learn new skills and as she has also cut her first teeth, these days are numbered. Soon enough her toothless smile I have grown to love more than I could imagine and will do the silliest of things to make appear, will be filled with adorable little teeth.

Soon enough she will no longer be exclusively breastfeed. Eventually she will not breastfeed at all but will eat solid foods like a big girl with us at the table.

Eventually tummy time will turn in to crawling, walking, and running. Before I like to think it, she will be too big to put in her carrier and someday she will not want to be carried. Instead she will want to hold my hand when we go on walks and hikes, then that to will end.

So for now each day I am doing my best to not blink. To not miss a single moment and cherish every single one. Every breastfeeding session, even in the middle of the night when I'm in zombie mode, I will be thankful for it. I'll take as many photos as I can of her smile every day. Lastly, I will hold her close to my heart as long as I can and go on longer walks, because these days are fleeting and I do not want to miss a single second.

She is only this small once,
~Adrien

Being vulnerable & Pushing Through

I just finished taking photos for a fitness feature for my friend's blog, The Daring Dandelion. To be honest I was uncomfortable in my own skin.

Silly, I just posted pictures of my daughters birth. It's not like I could get any more vulnerable and exposed than that.

But for some reason I was feeling vulnerable. I felt exposed. I'm not sure what it is that made me so uncomfortable. I tried on all my workout clothes before I felt "good enough" in the outfit you see pictured.

Before heading out I took one last look in the mirror, stood up straight, smiled, and reminded myself that this body carried and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. So of course it's going to look different and there is nothing wrong with that.

I need to celebrate not condemn this body. I need to honor and rejoice what this body has done.

Adrien