Guys. This is it.
The last day of November, which means that Christmas is officially upon us. I am lucky enough to have finished 96% of my shopping and can sit pretty, but I know a lot of you are still on the hunt, trying to find the best gifts for family and friends. If some of those on your list are of the geeky variety, then I’ve got a fun round up for you!
Goldblum Christmas Ornament | Game of Thrones Hand Towels
Bad Wolf Bottle Opener| Sherlock Wood Sign
One of the scariest things when you are a mom is that something could happen to your baby. I remember not being able to sleep anywhere but right next to Luna in her Rock ‘n Play – and half of the time, I didn’t sleep – I just watched her to make sure she was breathing. I’d like to say a lot has changed since then, but I often find myself staring at the baby monitor like a crazy person to make sure her chest is rising and falling. Yes, I am an anxious mom, but I am so happy we have moved on to the phase in Luna’s life where she can sleep on a pillow and I do not fear for her life.
This cued for me that I had to begin the “cry it out” method. I know this isn’t for everyone, and I thought it wouldn’t be for me either (despite recommending it at my day job constantly to parents). One day, I was so sleep deprived and aggro, that I decided it was time. Luna cried for 23 minutes before she laid down and fell asleep. The following night, it was 11 minutes. The next, 8. The one after? ZERO. And what’s the best part? She has slept the entire night ever since. My husband and I feel refreshed and are starting to feel even normal at times.
What has helped little Luna feel even more comfy in her crib are her Little Sleepy Head pillows. They are made in the USA by a small family company and are hypoallergenic, which is great news for all those with sensitive skin (basically all babies)! I also love that the company donates to The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer with a percentage of each sale, and provides pillow donations as well for each child they help.
I have noticed that she loves to snuggle it and falls asleep quicker. She also really digs the dinosaur design we chose for her – you can see her pointing them out in the photo above! So if you are having some difficulties getting your little babes to sleep at night, or are going to introduce a sleep-related transition (whether it be cry it out or the move to a toddler bed), give one of these a try! Little Lu and I will be cheering all you mama’s + dada’s on with the help of a promo code – MYDEAL15. This will allow you to get 15% off of the whole collection. That includes both sized pillows and all of the pillowcases!
And in case no one has told you recently, you are doing a GREAT job! 😉
Disclosure; Little Sleep Head gave me products in exchange for this blog post and review. However, all opinions are my own.
I know we didn’t hop on a plane, but at 8 months, we decided to take our first vacation with the little one. It was a short 2 hour drive up north to the West Coast of Florida where we basked in the sun’s rays for a weekend in Marco Island. We met up with family and had a really good time. I was dreading a possible disaster, since you tend to hear a lot of horror stories about traveling with a baby, but things were relatively uneventful.
We had to change some of our usual beach habits: getting used to the fact that we will not be able to complete a nice cold adult beverage in one sitting (mine would become warm and need multiple ice refills due to it just sitting there for sometimes hours untouched), one of us having to head back to the hotel room to put her to sleep if she was resistant on falling asleep on the beach (aka; every time), and sand eating. So much sand eating.
Remember when I featured Cuddle + Kind way back before little Luna was born?
Well they have been able to donate over 200,000 meals to children in need since their launch, which is amazing. They are now growing their family by releasing smaller dolls, The Little Collection. These little dolls do a lot of good! All nine of the original, ethically produced, hand-knit dolls will be available in a new 13” size. Each doll is handmade by their team in Peru using premium natural cotton. The best part is, each “little” provides 10 meals to children in need- the same as a regular doll!
I think these are the perfect size for your pint-sized kiddos, much like Luna! They will make great cuddle buddies for your tiny ones, and are absolutely adorable to boot! Get your own here!
A half birthday. What?
How on earth did my tiny IUGR baby get half way to one year so quickly? A little after her 5 month mark, she started attempting to sit up and now she loves to sit unassisted and look at her world from a different angle. She’s giggly and fun, and adores to watch YouTube (she smiles every time the logo comes up on our TV). She is just starting to show some interest in cartoons (I’ve been watching My Little Pony with her), and shrieks when she is excited about something (the signs of a budding fangirl, for sure). She’s also eating solids and hasn’t rejected one yet (although some icky reactions have caused us to discontinue). I can’t believe all the milestones my little one has reached and find myself getting really nostalgic for those early days. I’ve been looking at pictures of her birth, and wanting the hubs to finish editing the birth video so I can relive that day. It’s not baby fever, because I still have a baby and do not want to get pregnant again anytime soon, so I really don’t know what to call it aside from nostalgia.
Time is moving really fast – the weeks fly by, I barely have time to take the moments in, but I try as hard as I can. I find myself getting really emotional about the passing of time and want to hold on desperately before everything just slips through the cracks. Did this just get overly dramatic?
I guess the feelings I’m trying to describe here are to not take any moments for granted and to really enjoy what you are given when you are given it. I do not know what I did to deserve this amazing little person that has made us a family, but I plan on being thankful for it every day of my life.
Happy half, Luna.
In just 6 months, you have made me an infinitely better person.