Loving this nail color for spring!
Nora slept an extra 30 minutes two days ago so I had time to paint my nails. It was very cathartic.
This is a really beautiful shoe:
This is a really beautiful t shirt:
This is a really beautiful idea to put in your rose/chardonnay/pinot grigio to make it cold without diluting it:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Breastfeeding is hard, y’all.
And it’s with a huge pang of guilt that I’m telling you people of internet that I’ve given my baby formula. I don’t know why I feel SO guilty. Maybe because there is just a lot of pressure on women with children to breast feed ONLY, cloth diaper all the dang time, provide only wooden toys that stimulate THIS VERY SPECIFIC SKILL, use organic cleaners in your home, whip up a home cooked meal every night, oh and look super hot while doing it all, too. Whew. Or maybe that’s just pressure I put on myself… who knows.
Anyways, let me backtrack here and start by saying I am proud to say that I fed Nora EXCLUSIVELY with breast milk until she was 6 weeks old. That in an of itself is a huge feat in my eyes. There were (and still are) major struggles when it comes to breastfeeding. But, the fact is that Nora has always had a bottle since she was two days old (when her IV was removed). And she likes it.
I’m actually really thankful that she goes easily from boob to bottle because I have heard of babies that just will not take a bottle. at all.
When Nora was in the NICU, our schedule looked like this:
At night, Nora would be bottle fed all the milk that I had pumped during the day and the night before (I was still pumping every three hours at night so I could take it to the hospital the next day). If I had not pumped enough of my own milk, she was supplemented with donor breast milk.
When we got Nora home, she was slow to gain weight so I would pump and bottle feed her during the night (again, every three hours around the clock) so that I would know exactly how many ounces she had consumed and that she was eating enough. She was a little jaundiced and jaundiced babies tend to be sleepy and not necessarily alert enough to eat as much or as often as they should.
All this to say that homegirl has always had and likes a bottle.
About 2 weeks ago, Nora and I both had a breakdown. She was screaming her head off. She’d latch on to me, suck for like 5-7 seconds and then pull off and scream some more. Put this scene on repeat for 2 hours straight and you have our morning. This was a new thing for her and incredibly frustrating for both of us. Anyways, I gave up. I mixed up two ounces of formula that we had received as part of a free sample. She guzzled it down and went to sleep. Bless!
Since then, I’ve been giving her 2 ounces of formula 3-4 times a week. Not every day, but just days that I can tell she is really frustrated because my milk is not coming out fast enough for her. It’s usually in the evenings when my supply is lower anyways. Every time I feed her the formula, I’m repeating in my head: Formula is not poison. Formula is not poison. Formula is not poison.
Because it’s not.
Do I wish that I was exclusively breastfeeding my baby? Yes. But am I glad that formula provides us both an option to be happier versions of ourselves? Yes.
I guess I just wanted to put this out there to let other moms who give their babies formula with a heavy heart that it doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom.
It’s ok.
Your baby is ok.
You are ok.
The eyes are open but the mouth is not, so I’m just gonna go ahead and finish this ginormous cup of coffee you can’t see. #pleasedontscream
How old is too old to shop at Forever 21? Just curious.
These serape shorts just scream summer fun to me. I see them with a loose, lacy ivory top and some braided leather sandals.
(I’m not telling if this picture was taken at 8 am or 3 pm)
Happy Mother’s Day!
Until I had Nora, I didn’t fully grasp or appreciate what it meant to be a mother. I don’t think most women do. It is quite literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. Nora is just shy of being 8 weeks old and she is dependent 100% on me for her entire survival. No pressure.
She’s also the best thing I have ever done. She just started holding her head up on her own a couple weeks ago and I thought my heart was going to burst with pride. She recognizes me and her dad. She smiles! OMG, the smiles. Those might be the best thing she has ever done (so far). She is awesome and the light of our lives, even though our lives now revolve around a schedule of feedings and diaper changes.
Now that I’m a mom, I look differently at almost every person I see. It is mind boggling to think that we were all once babies and there was a person that knew every wrinkle and fold in our skin… someone who knew exactly what to do to make us laugh… someone that wiped our butts at 2 am… someone who went days without showering because we wanted to be in their arms all the freaking time… someone whose entire world revolved around making sure we were happy and content.
Anyway, I don’t really have a point to this post except to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all the moms everywhere. You rock! You are awesome! You got this!
At night: Nurse, sleep, nurse, sleep, nurse, sleep
During the day: Nurse, SCREAM, sleep, nurse, SCREAM, sleep, nurse, SCREAM, sleep
Seriously, what gives?
I am seriously challenged when it comes to putting my hair in an up do. If it’s up, it’s usually because it’s too dirty to wear down. With summer fetes right around the corner, I am eager to try this elegant up do. It looks unstructured enough to suit my style but way more polished that a loop de loop pulled through a rubber band.
I’ve got about a million things on my self imposed to do list, but I go back to work in 4 weeks so I’m trying to push the to-do’s aside and soak in all the sweet baby moments I can. As a chronic list maker that’s a little easier said than done. But I know that the laundry, workouts, dishes, and emails can wait. And that’s okay. #RepeatToSelf
I’m hoping to do these stuff-I’m-loving posts once a week, but I gotta keep in short and sweet since I try to squeeze blog posting in between Nora’s erratic nap schedule. I mean, one day homegirl is a total champ and snoozes through a thunderstorm and the next, a floor board creaks and she starts wailing. Anywho, here we go:
I picked up this kool-aid colored polish up on a bit of whim. I don’t have much time for manicures (professional or DIY) these days, so I wanted something that makes it look like I take care of my nails and requires minimal effort. This stuff does the trick. In two coats, I’ve got a nice pink sheen that just gives a little extra oomph. And it’s so sheer that when it starts to chip, no one can tell. It appears to sell out online pretty fast. I found mine in-store at my local Sephora.
PINK Cotton Lace Trim Bralette
I’m still loving the target sleep nursing bras I posted a while ago, but these are a nice alternative when I feel like looking cute. They aren’t designed with the convenience of a true nursing bra, but they are easy enough to adjust up or down for night time feedings without stretching out. And the price is really great, too.
Kenneth Jay Lane for JC Penney
I’ve long been a fan of Kenneth Jay Lane’s bold costume jewelry but recently discovered he did a whole line for JC Penney at a lower price point that his regular stuff. My favorite piece is the octopus ring pictured above, but there are also some great earrings.
