A French Influence?

A friend of mine had told me about this book and that she loved reading it. It is really interesting! Pamela Druckerman is an American journalist who had a baby while living in Paris. She never wanted to become a "French parent" but wanted to know what was the "trick" behind why French children are so well behaved, eat so well and are good sleepers.

Can't wait to finish it and see what the hype is all about... maybe the French have it right after all?

My Best Friend

My beautiful best friend and her precious baby girl

When I found out I was pregnant last March all my hopes and dreams were coming true but I didn't realize how even more perfect life would be when my best friend told me she was pregnant as well! Not only had Gina and I shared growing up in the same neighborhood, cheered together in high school, both pledging the same sorority Tri Delta, planned our weddings together but now we were going to be having babies at the same time!

At our Double GIRL baby shower



I will never forget the day that she told me the good news. Gina and her husband Brian were in Europe at the time taking an amazing vacation before he graduated from medical school and they would be moving somewhere across the country for his residency. She had called me a few times through skype phone to briefly tell me how amazing it was over there and some of the things that they had experienced. It was late that evening and a random number was calling me (I knew this was her since it was a skype phone through computer that she was using). I answered it sooo anxious to talk to her. I had literally found out I was pregnant the day before they left for Europe so every chance I could get I was ecstatic to tell her all about what I was going through. And then she told me something that BLEW my mind... "Becca, you're not going to believe this! But I took a pregnancy test in France and I think I'm pregnant too! And that means that I'm only a few weeks behind you!"

WOW! What a crazy, miraculous, amazing and exciting news! I couldn't wait until they returned home so she could go to her doctor to confirm. Long story short... she was pregnant and due only 5 weeks behind me. Not only were we besties but our future babies HAD to be besties too!

And then I found out I was expecting a girl... sweet Charlotte. And sure enough a few weeks later, Gina found out she was also expecting a girl... sweet little Annabel. You can't even imagine how excited we were to now be talking about bows, dresses, tea parties, and dolls.

I was so fortunate to be able to go visit Gina while we were both pregnant in July. Brian, her husband, was sent to Charlottesville, Virginia for his residency and I was so excited to travel to that part of the US for a few days to talk ALL ABOUT BABIES with my BFF.

November came and sadly Gina couldn't be with me when Charlotte was born. We did FaceTime constantly so it felt like she got to meet Charlotte right away. And then December came and Annabel was born. Sadly, I couldn't be there either to meet her either so again we FaceTimed as much as possible so it felt like I had met Annabel. Since then we literally FaceTime or at least talk on the phone or text multiple times a day so it's as if we aren't thousands of miles away. Gina plans on coming to Texas for a few weeks at the end of May and I could not be happier... I cannot wait to meet my sweet God Daughter, Annabel, and I cannot wait to give my best friend the biggest hug. I miss her so much but so thankful for technology that helps us ease the distance. And most importantly, I cannot WAIT for our baby girls to finally meet!



I love you Gina and I cannot wait for you to get here! Only a month and half away!!!

Top 10 Baby Things I Love

Since becoming a Mom, I've found the top 10 items that I could do not do without! Many of my friends that recently have become pregnant ask me all the time, what are the top things that you love? What would you register for? I've composed my favorites here...

 

1. Bumbo seat & tray: When Charlotte turned 3 1/2 months old she was ready to sit by herself with assistance of course. The bumbo seat has been wonderful to put her in so she can get some play time without always being on her back. The tray also came in handy when we didn't have our high chair yet and we were ready to start solids.

 

2. Sophie & Sophie Teether: Every baby needs a Sophie Giraffe and Sophie teether. It's become really handy lately now that she's teething and chewing on everything. The Sophie Giraffe squeaks and gives comfort to her gums and the teether is a great little toy to throw in the diaper bag. They are easy to clean and of course super cute!

 

3. MAM Pacifiers: When we brought home Charlotte from the hospital she was using the soothies that the hospital had given us but they would never stay in her mouth. We tried Tommy Tippee, Avent, and Nuk but she hated all of them. My mom happened to see these cute MAM ones in HEB and decided to try these. They have been her favorite and she has now progressed from the 0 size to the 0-3 month size. They are really cute and come with lots of different designs on the round part. They also can be put in the baby's mouth any way, meaning that there isn't a right or upside down side. Makes it easy when you're managing at a stop light to put the paci back in your baby's mouth :)

 

4. Hava CHIC Sling: I couldn't wait to use a baby sling when Charlotte arrived. I had tried several others but she hated them all and then we discovered the Hava. I found it at a local organic baby boutique in Cy-Fair area and I love that you can adjust it to your comfort. It has a shoulder pad for comfort and you can wear your baby many different ways: tummy to tummy (her favorite), facing out, or cradle (easy to breastfeed with). I use this sling EVERY time we go to the grocery store or running errands when I don't want to bring in the stroller. It also has a cute pocket on the "tail" to put your keys, wallet or phone in. It comes in many different patterns too! This is my pattern: autumn.

 

5. Medela Bottles: Although I exclusively breastfeed Charlotte... she does occasionally take a bottle when we are out and about or lately trying fruit juice. I basically love everything Medela but these bottles seem to be her favorite.

 

6. Sleep Sheep: I don't know what I would do without the sleep sheep. We have the regular sized sheep attached to her crib and then we have a travel sleep sheep to take with us in the car or when we travel. They are soft and do four different sounds. Charlotte's favorite is the "ocean"... she goes "surfing" every night in her dreams :)

 

7. Summer Infant Monitor: I love this monitor! I have a lot of friends that have the Motorola monitor but this one seems to work perfectly for us. The hand held device is small and in color. And the part that is in her room captures sound and works in a pitch dark room. I also forgot to mention that it has a cool feature that allows you to "talk" back to your baby when you are on your way to their room.

 

8. City Mini Stroller: I LOVE my stroller. It is very lightweight, easy to fold, and very convienent to take basically any where you go. I don't think I'll ever need an umbrella stroller for quick trips because this stroller does it all. I currently have the car seat adapter hooked onto it but I know we will love the "lay back" feature once she is ready to use it without the adapter.

 

9. Snug-a-Bunny Swing: I don't know what we would have done without this swing. It has been Charlotte's favorite thing in the whole world (besides her mommy and daddy of course!) She consistantly napped in it until recently but she still loves to swing in it while I'm cooking dinner or just hanging out. We will be very sad the day that she outgrows it but I recommend ANY swing to a new parent... especially this one :)

 

10. Boon Flair High Chair: This has been our most recent baby purchase but I LOVE LOVE this high chair. After doing lots of research and talking to other mama's this was "the one" to buy. It's the easiest to clean, very sleek and modern and the coolest part is that it is adjustable. We can adjust it later on when she isn't using the tray to sit up at our kitchen table. What a great high chair!



He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

I've been anticipating Charlotte's First Easter! I ordered her adorable Easter basket & liner from PBKids and have been collecting items to put in it. Drew thinks it's so silly to have an Easter basket for her this year because she won't remember but I tell him.. I WILL remember :)

We had so much fun yesterday lounging in the yard and having a little photoshoot in her basket. This morning Charlotte received her goodies and we got ready for church. She looked like a little doll and did so well! She didn't start to fuss until the sermon. After church, we had a little photoshoot in the front yard and now we are about to enjoy a yummy lunch that I've prepared for us: Ham, cheesy potato casserole, green beens, deviled eggs and fruit salad and rolls.

Remember the reason we celebrate Easter today. It's not about the bunnies, goodies, baskets & delicious food... it's about Christ. Who died for us and rose from the dead. Let us remember that and hold in our hearts our precious Savior's sacrifice for us.



My little bunny

Straight Chillen :)

Oh my! The Easter bunny came!

I love my new bunny

bunny rattle and bunny lovey

New books!

Our Family

Easter basket and Easter dress

Hoppy Easter!

Table set for lunch using our pretty china and crystal... I take ANY chance I can to use it!

Place setting :)



Rice Cereal

We got the "go-ahead" to start solids at Charlotte's 4 month dr appt so we decided to begin with rice cereal about two weeks ago. She didn't know what to think of it at first but I think she's starting to get the hang of it. I can't wait to get in her new high chair soon so we don't have to keep using the bumbo.
We are going to introduce a veggie and a fruit in the next week or so... I can't wait to see how she will like it!

Hey Mom.. What is this??

Getting the hang of this

 



Charlotte's Sip & See

A very southern tradition for a Grandmother is to host a Sip & See to show off her grand baby (especially the first born!) Drew's Mom had wanted to host one for Charlotte along with my Mom and the perfect time to do it was last weekend.

We had it in Corpus Christi at Drew's parent's house and it was such a lovely party! We had a nice little turn out and enjoyed some delicious food and dessert catered by one of my favorite local deli's Small Planet. We had gorgeous fresh flower arrangements everywhere and of course I dressed Charlotte up like a little doll. Enjoy the pictures!

Me and my girl :)

Look at that face!

More smiles for the camera :)



Entry table

Large main table in living room

Coffee table.. Loving all these photos of Charlotte & flowers everywhere

Drink table

Food table

Grammy & Charlotte

She hung out in her swing most of the time because that's where she was the happiest

pretty girl!

Aunt Cece (Drew's sister Codi)

Besties :) Charlotte & Genevieve

Natalie, Lizzie, Genevieve, Heather, Charlotte and Me

Just hanging out

So happy to show off my beautiful little girl



4 Month Sleep Regression

I never knew that this even existed! But it does... and the books don't lie... the internet doesn't lie... blogs about sleep don't lie... It STINKS!

Charlotte has never slept through the night. She had progressed however to doing about 4-5 hour stretch right from when we put her down, waking up to nurse and then going back down for another 3-4 hours. I was handling this perfectly. I actually loved it. I was still getting snuggle/nursing time with my baby at night but only waking up one or two times. And then Charlotte turned 4 months...

I think my baby is a textbook baby because every growth spurt she has been BAM right on! So when she turned 4 months her sleeping patterns drastically changed all of a sudden I was wondering.. WHY is she waking up so often. Okay maybe this is a growth spurt? Check! It was! She was waking up so frequently to eat. She's done this before, in a day or two she'll be back to normal. WRONG! It last TWO weeks... and I'm talking waking up every 45 minutes to every hour. I was one exhausted mama. So I started reading books, googling sleep, and that's when I discovered that this was not just a 4 month growth spurt. It was actually the infamous "4 month sleep regression" and my baby had it bad!

Basically what this 4 month sleep regression is, is their sleeping patterns are changing. They are growing rapidly and their little brains are changing the way they sleep. This totally explained what was going on. But, that didn't leave me satisfied because I was still exhausted. I started researching sleep training methods because I truly believed that this was the only solution to helping her sleep better at night and to get herself back to sleep if she wakes up (self soothing).

I bought the No-Cry Sleep Solution, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and The Ferber Method. I read them both and decided the best decision for our family was to do The Ferber Method. It is definitely not "Cry-it-Out" but it does lend itself to allowing them to cry but in time intervals of you checking and soothing them.

SOOO we did it! And literally within one night, Charlotte was sleeping longer!! I layed her down after nursing her for the night and she immediately started crying (normally I would rock and rock and rock until she was out cold and then to only have her wake up like one hour later, crazy!) So I went in after 5 minutes of her crying, gave her the paci, rubbed her head, told her I love you and left the room. She continued to fuss and cry for another 10 minutes and then something crazy happened... while watching her on the monitor she stopped crying, started sucking her fingers and then soothed herself to sleep! WOWZA! We did it! She slept 4 hours straight that night and I was in heaven!

Since then she's been doing 5 hours and then another 4 and then another 2-3 hours. We are loving this and we are both finally getting some much needed rest. I think it's safe to say now that we've kicked this "4 month sleep regression" out the window :)

And by the way, Charlotte is still sleeping in her crib wonderfully and we've stopped swaddling. We decided to stop swaddling the first night we sleep trained and we've had bliss ever since.

Sporting my new sleep sack, sans swaddle!

Out for the night!

Sleeping like a baby should :)