excuse me while i have a mom moment

have you ever had one of those days where you literally think your heart might burst from happiness? 

today was one of those. 

seriously, sometimes i look at sam and want to cry because i can't believe that he's mine. 

i have felt so sick yesterday and today. it started out yesterday with a migraine and then i felt extremely weak sick to my stomach. 

last night i went to bed early and thoughts that i could sleep it off and then feel better today. 

but i woke up with the same migraine and still felt sick. 

not to be dramatic, but i seriously felt so weak that i didn't know how i was going to keep up with sammy boy today. 

anyways, it's as if sam understands that i don't feel well because he has been a complete dream today. 

my usually very active little man has been so cuddly and soft with me today. 

after i got him up in the morning he cuddled with me in bed for a couple hours and placed his tiny little hand on my cheek and stroked my hair. all while my heart melted into a thousand little pieces. i usually can't get him to stop yanking on my hair. he then took a three hour morning nap which allowed me to rest some more. 

i know i sound crazy. he's only seven months old and his change of demeanor today is probably just all one big coincidence. and it probably is. 

but still, i am so over the moon with this little man. 

i never thought i could love someone so much (besides ben, of course). and am amazed as my love for him grows with each day. 

i truly feel like i hit the jackpot with this boy. 

i feel so blessed to be his mom. i feel like he and i gel reallly well. i get him. i get his little personality and understand his needs and what each of his cries means. 

don't get me wrong, i'm still pretty much winging this whole mom thing and hoping for the best. 

but i couldn't ask for a better little sidekick to accompany me while i learn how to be a mom. 

that is all. 

unplugged

i love reading small fry blog. 

it's the cutest little children's lifestyle blog created by three moms of all boys living in utah. 

they started something called "unplugged week". 

taking on the challenge of going "unplugged" for a week by turning off the tv and video games for one week. 

i loved this idea. 

even though sam is only 6 months and we aren't into video games at all, i still thought it would be a good idea to work watching tv less often. 

i don't watch too much tv during the day to begin with but i have noticed that when i am watching the news in the morning sam is fixated on the screen. i'll somtimes say his name and he wont even take his eyes off the tv to look at me. 

as he grows, i want to practice the habit of getting outside or doing hands-on activities much more often than turning on the tv as a way to entertain him. i want him to grow up playing outside with his friends, playing sports, and participating in activities that will challenge him and help him grow, instead of indoors playing video games. ben and i have already agreed we won't be having any sort of gaming system in our home.

so for the past couple of days we have been enjoying the warm(-er) weather by taking lots of walks together, reading books, and playing with his toys. he is starting to grasp the concept of object permanence and loves to find one of his toys when i hide it under a blanket. the look on his face when he finds his toy is priceless. 

i have noticed that i have also been able to get a lot more done while he naps by not having the tv on. 

i have been able to finally start this book for my book club, finish sam's birth-three months photo book, and actually got all of sam's clothes that don't fit him anymore folded and stored away. 

anyways, 

hopefully this can be a good kick-start to a more tv-free zone. 

baby must-haves

when i was pregnant i read every one of these lists i could possibly find. i loved researching the best products for our little guy. 

obviously, i still don't have much experience but i thought i would put together a list of things we couldn't live without.

hopefully it will come in handy to someone else expecting their first little one. 

             

         

1. carters onesies: seriously the BEST. they don't lose their shape, they don't shrink and they're thick. don't waste your time with the gerber ones. 

2. butt paste: this stuff is magic. sam doesn't get diaper rashes a lot, but when he does this stuff does the trick. 

3. solly baby wrap: i love this wrap! it was one of the first baby purchases we made. not sure why. but i love it. it helps me to get stuff done around the house without taking my eye off sam. he loves it, too. 

4. lamb dream swing: we love this swing! online it has mixed reviews but sam seems to love it. we started out with this swing but sam didn't like it at all so we switched and have never looked back. he usually naps in this during the day. 

5. pampers swaddlers: the best diapers. we tried huggies for a while but they didn't mask the odor at all. 

6. chicco cortina travel system: we decided to go with a travel system because it was easy and we love this travel system! i like that it is gender neutral and it glides so smoothly. ben loves that it fold in one motion and is easy to get into the back of the car. we love the car seat as well!

7. aden + anais swaddle blankets: soft, breathable and stretchy. sam sleeps with one every night. can't have too many. 

8. gerber cloth diapers: we use these for burp clothes and they are great! super thick and absorbent. yeah they're kind of boring but my mom sewed a cute fabric panel down each one to make them a little more colorful. 

9. little tummys gas relief drops: takes care of a belly ache in minutes. plus sam seems to like how they taste. 

10. nose frida: ok, this totally freaked me out at first! but it had great reviews and when your baby can't breath because of a stuffy nose you will do ANYTHING. it works wonders. 

11. petunia pickle bottom diaper bag: i love this bag. it has lots of compartments to keep your diaper bag organized and the outside is wipeable and stain resistant. 

12. huggies natural care wipes: the thickest wipes i have found. 

13. medela pump in style advanced: this thing has saved my life. i'll admit, i originally received one that kept having problems so medela sent me a new one and i haven't had problems since. i hate nursing while i am out so this is such a lifesaver because i can pump before we leave and take a bottle with me. 

14. avent bottles: we have tried a couple other brands that constantly leaked but we haven't had any problems with avent and love them!

15. boon grass drying rack: i LOVE this. i'm a bit ocd and hand wash all of sams bottles so this is nice to dry them on. plus it's not an eye sore sitting on our counter. 

16. blue dawn soap: i bought this after a friend suggested it and love it. use it with hot water and a scrubber to get out any clothing stain (there are lots). 

17. hand sanitizer: absolutely could not live without hand sanitizer. when we brought sam home and was running around sanitizing everything in sight and had one at the front door for people coming to visit sam. we have one around every corner, in both our cars and in the diaper bag. 

18. aveeno baby shampoo and wash: we originally started out using johnsons lavender shampoo and wash and, while i loved the smell, it made sam's skin so dry and caused him to break out. so we switched to aveeno after our ped recommended it and it got rid of his dry skin right away. we use this shampoo, this wash, and this lotion for his face. 

19. baby aquaphor: this stuff was great for when we brought sam home and couln't really use any lotions or washes on him quite yet. this helped with his dry skin. we also apply some over his diaper cream to help it stick to his little bum. 

20. soothies: sam loves him. it's the only pacifier he will take. 

21. johnsons face wipes: carry these in my diaper bag if his hands or face get dirty. clean well and smell so good. 

22. california baby calming lotion: again, sam has really sensitive skin so this works as a good body lotion. plus a TINY bit goes a long way so the bottle will last you a loooong time. 

motherhood

i read this quote the other day about motherhood and wanted to share. 

“I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it.” - rose kennedy

(quote via this post)

becoming a mother to sam has been such a humbling experience for me. i know i have only been at it for a short three months but i have learned invaluable lessons that have taught me how to love unconditionally and the importance of being selfless. i know that motherhood is of divine nature and is a sacred calling and there is nothing else that i would rather be doing than watching sam grow, teaching him daily, and, more importantly, learning from him. i still have a lot to learn. but knowing that the Lord trusted me enough to place this beautiful, perfect little baby in my care to look after and to raise into an honorable young man is such a blessing (although sometimes a little daunting). 

i love my sam and can't wait to continue to grow together.