My Nightstand and Reading List

This is what my nightstand looks like right now

This stack of books have been calling my name to be picked up and read. Instead reality tv has been sucking my life away!

My Reading List Includes
- What to expect the first year
- The Mom's on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care
- Sleepless Nights by Sarah Bilston(Fiction)
- The Hot Mom's Handbook by Jessica Denay
- My So Called Life as A Proverb's Wife by Sara Horn
- Happy Chaos by Soleil Moon Frye aka Punky Brewster
- Babycenter's essential guide to the First Year
- Baby 411
- The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
- Going to the Motherland by fellow blogger and mil spouse Sarah Blight
- Operating Instructions by Anne Lamont
- The Fussy Baby Book by Dr James Sears
- The Naked Mom by Brooke Burke
- The Lying Game by Sara Shepard(Fiction)
- Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella(Fiction)
- BabyWise
- The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight by Kim West

I had better get started on these. My goal is to read them and post review's on what I found to be helpful read's and which one's were not. Sort of as a guide to mommy's to be and new mommy's who like me want to read everything out there on being a new mom. Anything else I should add to my list?

That's all for today. I'm off to do some major grocery shopping. This should be very entertaining watching me fill a cart full of groceries that has lovebug's carseat in it. But before I go here is the latest pic of lovebug doing some tummy time last night

Mommy Advice- Breastfeeding Question

Hello all you mommies out there!

I am only breastfeeding with lovebug and so far it is going great.
I caught some sort of bug this week and she seems to be affected by it. I'm going to call the dr tomm to get her an appt since she's been throwing up right after eating poor thing

So for the last few days I haven't been able to keep much food down and it got me concerned about the lack of nutrients she may or may not be getting. That also led me to think about healthy eating in general when breastfeeding.

With the hubs gone I'm not eating the most balanced meals although I try. I know I could do better. Are there any books or resources out there that provide info on what to eat while breastfeeding

And another question. I haven't started pumping yet due to my pump breaking and having to exchange it. Anyway did you allow yourself any type of alcoholic beverage while breastfeeding? Some friends have said one glass of beer or wine will help milk production. I'm not sure if that's true and have stayed away from any alcoholic beverage but a glass of wine sounds so good lately. Is it better to pump and dump directly after? How long does the alcohol stay in your system? There's so much I don't know!

Thanks for all your help

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What I'm Loving

Gianna's Thanksgiving outfit! I bought a brown Mommy's Little Turkey onesie at Kohl;s today to match this.

I also started christmas shopping. The husband needs to come home now or else our savings account will be depleted!

Happy Saturday everyone

End of the Week Random's

1. The hubs got home Tuesday night after being gone a week and left today for another week. Then he will come home for a day and be gone another week. Gotta love the army. Hurricane Irene was predicted to hit Florida as of last week but since then it is now on a path east. They still warned us to watch out for bad storms this weekend. One thing I hate is storms so I'm dreading dealing with them alone. Hopefully they won't be too bad

2. I am getting over food poisoning. Having a 6 week old who is in the middle of a growth spurt and wants to be attached to me all the time makes being sick difficult. At least it hit when the hubby was home. Today I'm feeling a little better thank god. But sprite and cracker's will be the most I'm consuming today

3. I watch way too much tv. Since becoming a stay at home mom I feel that that is all I do. And worse it's the reality tv shows I'm addicted to. I have a huge stash of books I want to read but yet don't pick them up! So one of my goals is to cut back on tv and read more. Yet as I'm typing this I am also watching tv

4. I caved and bought myself one of those Erin Condren life planner's. I had seen a deal on plum district selling them for 25.oo. At the time I skipped the deal so I had to pay full price but I hear they are totally worth it. And as someone who is list and planner obsessed I felt the money would be well spent.

5. My SIL deleted the hubs and me off facebook. I have no idea what for but we have come to the conclusion that this is for the best. she is constantly causing drama with us and pulling stuff like this. And we are just done. We are tired of getting the blame that we don't put our family first when we are the ones that live 17 hours away. WE make the effort to come home every year whenever the hubby has leave and does anyone come visit us? Nope yet we are the ones blamed for not making an effort. I don't think so. So we are done with the drama

6. My hair is driving me crazy. I'm growing both the length and the color out but I am so tempted to dye my hair. I just want my natural color which is a medium brown. I tried dying it last month to a dark brown but when I dye it darker it always fades to this rusty red. It looks awful. I wish there was some way to actually get to my natural color without having to wait for it to grow out

7.I love my little girl and being a mommy. It truly is the best thing in the world
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8. I am ready for fall. I can't wait to decorate the house for halloween and take my little girl trick or treating. Well I guess I can't really take a 3 month old trick or treating but I will be dressing her up and at least pushing her around in her stroller

9. How heartbreaking is that picture of the Navy Seal's coffin with his dog laying by it. I cry every time I see it. So sad

I guess that's all for the week. I'm linking up with the MilSpouse round up over at Between the Lines. GO HERE to link up

One Hot Mama

Now that I am cleared to resume working out I def am ready to start. I always have had an issue with body image. I'm short, curvy and athletically shaped. No matter how much I try I can never achieve the long thin legs I in-vision in my head. It took me awhile to get comfortable with the fact that I have hips and a bigger butt. I'm not fat by any means, just cury. Of course my weight fluctuates within a 10 pound range when the hubs is gone or home. Before getting pregnant I was 10 pounds heaver than I would have liked to be.

One thing I had a major issue with though was buying clothes that fit. I'm usually a healthy size 8 but due to my bad body image and my feeling about my bigger hips and butt I would buy bottoms in a size 12. The hubs was always telling me my clothes were falling off but I didn't listen. When I looked in the mirror I felt fat.

Needless to say I was able to wear most of my bottom's all throughout my pregnancy. Conceding with the fact that the hubby was correct about my clothing sizes and gaining a new appreciation with my pre pregnancy body. I look back at pictures and although i was a little heavier than what I wanted to be, I no longer see a fat girl. I see someone who is athletic and healthy and I would give anything to have that body back. So since I was able to fit into most of my clothes during my pregnancy I was convinced I would quickly fit right into them.

WRONG! Those bottom's that fit so great up until my 9th month. No longer fit. And of the 27 pounds I gained during this pregnancy I only have 8 more to lose. What the heck. My thighs and butt are huge! I can barely squeeze on my shorts. I thought my stomach would be the problem but besides a tiny amount of flab that just needs toning it is my bottom half that seems bigger. Everyone tells me this is normal, that my body is adjusting and my weight is redistributing.So there is nothing I can do about it besides getting my butt in gear.

So once I got my clearance to work out I decided that I needed to start doing something to help my clothes fit again. The only problem is I don't belong to a gym. I have a Y membership for 2 states that doesn't carry over to the Y here in town. None of the gym's here allow children under 6 months and the gym on post is 30 minutes away. Some of you might tell me to go to the gym when the husband comes home from work. But when he's gone for the next month or coming home after 9pm that's just not possible. I also planned on taking lovebug for a walk every evening in her stroller but with the temps in the high 90's and the crazy heat index of about 115 I stay put in my nice and cold house! So today I pulled out my workout video's purchased shortly before getting pregnant when I was trying to lost those pesky ten pounds and I am going to slowly ease into the workout routine

Any other workout's that you recommend? And although this is a post about my weight and body image, and I come off as complaining about my body shape after baby, I no longer look in the mirror and think I'm fat. Sure it bother's me that clothes aren't fitting like they should but what matter's is my beautiful baby girl and knowing that I gave birth to her. These last 8 pounds and bigger thigh's are more than worth it.

Our FurBabies

Gianna is not our first child. Before she was born we were the proud parent's of two labs. Kenzie and April. Kenzie is a 4 year old black lab which I rescued when she was a puppy before the hubs and I got married.April is a 2 year old yellow lab which we bought as our first anniversary present
Our first family photo taken in April of 2009

Let's just say the dogs ruled the roost for the last few years. They had free reign over the house, a comfortable spot on our beds at night and our undivided attention. Unless it was a random weekend getaway the dogs went with us on all our vacations.

However now that has changed since Lovebug was born. Obviously the baby gets all my attention and with the hubby being gone so much they are feeling very left out. I had envisioned us all going on walks every night but the heat has been unbearable. Even they hate to be outside. So needless to say they are cooped up in the house all day being ignored although unintentionally
Here are some pics of us introducing Gianna to the dogs


Although it has been an adjustment they have handled the baby well. When she cries they run to lick her almost as if trying to make her feel better and they immediately come find us. They also have to lay right by her and April even prefers to lay on her toys. I don't know if she is trying to exert dominance or just trying to be close to the baby.

And while at first that is cute it gets annoying. The dogs are now trying anything to get attention. They beg by the door to go outside, the minute they are let outside they are begging by the door to come inside. And I mean begging by biting and running into the outside door. Now I have a door that needs to be replaced. When Gianna and I are sitting on the couch they are literally sitting on top of my feet and refuse to move when I try and get up. I don't know how many times I have almost fallen while holding Gianna since the dogs are constantly in my way and under my feet. When I finally am able to eat something the dogs are sitting directly in front of me drooling all over me. Yes ladies, I am one hot mom covered in baby spit up and doggy drool.
Cleaning the house has become even more of a chore. I try to clean whenever Gianna is sleeping but the dogs contribute to the mess. They get their water all over the floor, drag in sand and mud from outside and fragments of their bones are everywhere. I am now cleaning the floors multiple times a day. It's exhausting when you are going on 4 hours of sleep and barely have time to shower or take a break yourself
I sent the hubs a sos text message today saying Mommy needed a break. It's sad when it's the dogs I need a break from. They are driving me crazy

That being said I know this is a huge change for them. I am looking forward to the weather cooling down so we can get the dogs outside and either walk them or play in the back yard with them. I think that will help big time. I'm sure they feel like they are being replaced and I know we need to do something to change that. But all in all they have been very good with her. I can't wait until she is crawling after them and trying to play with them. I just need to remain patient with them!

Babies Won't Keep

I found these quotes on pinterest and my heart just melted.

I think this first one is so true. I always feel like I need to be doing more during the day around the house since I don't work. But when I put Gianna in her swing so I can quickly clean or do laundry I then feel guilty for not spending time with her! So I'm going to live by this quote. It'll be my excuse for having a slightly messy house some days

Home Alone

Thanks ladies for all your comments regarding yesterday's post. At her next appt I will be bringing up my concerns with the dr. The hubs thinks I'm paranoid but I'd rather be safe than sorry

Speaking of the hubs, after his ten day paternity leave ended he started training for some class he had to take. Not only was he working long hours but for the next month he will be gone pretty much every night except one doing training in a nearby area. So basically lovebug and I will see him one day a week. Gotta love the army huh!

You would think after numerous deployments I'd be ok with sleeping alone. Nope. I still sleep with the tv on along with all the lights. I can't help it. I freak myself out. And this time is my first time alone in our new house. The area we live in while developed has no streetlights at all and there's a vacant lot behind our house. So at night it's kind of creepy

The first night M was gone I woke up at 4am for lovebugs feeding. I was in our bedroom and had left the kitchen light on. I was looking out into the kitchen when I saw what looked like light from a flashlight being flashed in through our back patio door. I immediately freaked out but then calmed myself down by saying if someone was there the dogs would be going crazy. 5 mins later the dogs are running to the back door and barking. Perfect! A few minutes later they quieted down and came back into my room. I told myself it was nothing and somehow went back to bed

The next night the same thing happened minus the light. Freaky
Last night I kept the porch and patio light on all night along with more lights on in the house and all was quiet. Thank the lord

So I'm chalking it all up to my over active imagination. It doesn't help that Fx keeps showing those creepy previews for that new show an American Horror story. That is not what I need to be watching when home alone! I can't wait till this class is over and the hubs is home


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A Paranoid Mama

I debated about whether or not to post this in fear of coming across as a crazy mom but I sucked it up and am doing so anyway

Gianna was 5 weeks yesterday and we are still in that stage of sleeping a lot during the day and being more awake at night. So today I'm pulling out all the stops. I have every toy scattered around, I'm trying to engage with her as much as you can engage a 5 week old and we are spending a ton of quality time together

Not that this is much different from any other day. She is either always attached to me, swinging in her swing or doing tummy time or floor time on her little play mat

But today my fears and concerns are running away with me. I've noticed that Gianna doesn't seem to focus on anything. Even me. Sure she will glance at me for a second when I'm holding her but she always turns her head away. Even when I get down on the floor with her and stick my head directly in front of hers, no eye contact. She is always looking away. I tried shaking rattles in front of her face, moving objects and even put my finger right up to her eye. Nothing. No interest, no focus no following the object with her eyes .
Am I being paranoid. Could there be something wrong with her eye sight. Is she still too little to be doing what I am expecting she can do. I don't know! And I'm freaking out. I've been on goggle searching blindness in infants and that is def not reassuring. So someone help me out. Should I be worried? Is she just acting like a normal 5 week old. Mommies I need your help!


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True Life:I'm a Mama Blogger

I"m linking up with Mrs Monologues today for her True Life: I'm a ___________blogger. Today's edition is I'm a Mama blogger.

Although my little one is only 5 weeks old. I have officially become a Mama Blogger!I can't stop posting pics and updates about my little one.She's just so stinking cute

But for those of you that don't know me, here is a little introduction
I am 27 years old
I have the greatest husband ever!
He is in the military
We have been married 3 years
We recently got stationed in Florida and purchased our first home
I was a behavioral therapist but am now officially a Stay at home mom and loving every second of it
Our Little one was born July 15th 2011
Motherhood is the most amazing thing ever
And to end I will leave you with some pics

1 Month Old

On Monday Gianna turned one month old. I know everyone says this but time has flown by so fast. It's amazing to see how much she has changed already. Life is truly more complete with her in it. I don't know what I would do without my little love bug.

Baby Stats
You are still wearing newborn diapers.
You are in newborn size clothes which are still a little big on you
I am still breastfeeding. You are fed on demand as the Dr instructed and you are quite the little eater. We have many messy diapers to prove it
You still have your days and nights mixed up.
You love to fall asleep on Mommy's chest and the minute I lay you down you scream and scream. (We are working on this)
You have finally started to take a pacifer which has provided Mommy with much relief
During the day you prefer to be held and get quite fussy when you are placed in your swing or vibrating chair. This is another thing we are working on
You hate your car seat so when Mommy has to go anywhere I have to make sure you are asleep first before placing you in it.
You have become more alert. You def recognize Mommy's face and many times I can coax a smile out of you
You hate tummy time
You haven't shown much interest in any rattles or toys Mommy has placed in front of you although I hear that's normal
You are Mommy and Daddy's pride and joy and we love you so much

And what would a one month post be without pictures

Mmm my hand tastes good!

Mom this bow is bigger than my head

Fine hurry up and take this picture so I can go back to eating my hands

Seriously another picture Mom

The Bachelor Pad

I had to dedicate my whole post today to my favorite obsession The Bachelor Pad. I'm not sure it's even possible but I feel since having Gianna I've become even more addicted to reality tv. In my defense I need something to watch at night when I'm up every two hours!

So let's get started

First- Kasey, you are a tool! When he was on Ali's season I thought he was overbearingly sweet, borderline obsessive but in his own way cute. Not someone I would ever date but to each their own. But after seeing him on the show, my god what a dick. He's so full of himself. And when he made his stupid tattoo "beat" over protecting Vienna. Gag me. I would be pissed If a guy I was dating had gotten a tattoo for some other girl he knew for five seconds and then kept showing off the tattoo but saying it symbolized me. And his voice. Drives me insane

Vienna- you are so fake. And ugly but that's being really mean. I can't stand people like her who do everything for attention. I love when she's hyperventilating in a corner but looking around and making sure people are watching her. And is anyone else so sick of her constantly thanking Kasey for protecting her. What exactly is he protecting her from? Come on. And I absolutely loved when Chris Harrison flat out told her to leave when she tried starting drama. I can't stand her or Kasey. They deserve each other. Two fake, self absorbed people.

Gia- I do like Gia. Though I'm not sure why she was let on for another season of the Bachelor Pad. Last season she played both sides and this season she tried too as well. Which makes it funny that she left because people were playing her. Interesting

Mike- I love him. He seems so sweet and when he was crying over Holly my heart broke for him. He truly loves her

Holly- the jury is still out. I can't figure out if she still loves Mike or not. I do hope however she doesn't hook up with Blake,
And could I please have her hair? And the tutu type outfit she wore at the rose ceremony. I want it. Finding a place to wear it however may be difficult

Kirk- love love love him. He was my favorite on Ali's season. I wish they showed more of him. He seems so honest and genuine. Plus I find him very attractive

Ames- who didn't start tearing up when he ran after the car with Jackie in it. He looked so devastated when it started pulling away. I'm glad he ran after her. She is a lucky girl

Jake- I liked him at first on Jillians season but thought it was a little over the top when he came back and warned her about Wes. Then on the bachelor he started to annoy me. He seemed too nice and perfect. But I hated Vienna from his season and couldn't believe he picked her. I feel so bad for him. He is trying to make things cordial with Vienna and Kasey an they are so mean to him. If Vienna didn't care about him still she wouldn't be acting the way she is in my opinion. If you are truly happy in your relationship with Kasey then she should just leave Jake alone and ignore him. Happiness is the best revenge after all. So again I never though I'd be team Jake but that poor guy. I feel bad for him

One thing I didn't like on this season is the egg game they played. Having people toss eggs at the person they thought was the most unattractive was horrible and demeaning. I think they took that game a little too far

With that being said, I can't wait till next weeks episode




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My Week on Pinterest

One of my favorite blogger's and good friends Mrs G.I.Joe started a fun new blog party. Since pinterest is the new big thing she created My Week on Pinterest. Everyone can link up and share some of the favorite things they found on pinterest this week.

And I just had to join in. I've been spending a lot of time on there lately and am obsessed.Visit Mrs G.I.Joe and join in on the fun







Even though Gianna is only 4 weeks old it's never too late to start planning her first birthday party.Isn't this a cute idea




And we are def doing a smash cake photo session for when she turns 1


I love this tattoo!


I so want my hallway and living room to look like this


Cute Halloween decorating idea


I love her hair. I love the dark roots and lighter hair on the bottom. I'm trying to grow my hair out and copy this look but I'm getting impatient and just want to dye my hair


I love pining!

What I've Learned Thus Far

I am a little over three weeks into this wonderful journey called Motherhood and already I've learned a lot. I thought I would share with you all what I have learned so far...

1. Nap when the Baby is sleeping-That is not an option for me. I don't know how everyone does it. Now that I am officially a stay at home mom, I feel obligated to at least clean and get chores done so the hubby doesn't come home to a messy house. Plus it takes me quite awhile to fall asleep so it never fails, the minute I do fall asleep lovebug is up crying to be fed!

2. I am a human pacifer-I was told not to give lovebug a pacifer until she is 6 weeks old so as not to promote nipple confusion. Since I am breastfeeding I did not want that to happen. However lovebug likes to play games. She will eat than fall asleep when eating. I wait awhile and snuggle with her, then change her diaper and lay her down. The minute she lays down she is up and screaming. Sometimes this is because she is still hungry. Other times she just wants to latch on and promptly fall asleep. Again the minute I lay her down she is up and screaming. So about a week ago I introduced a pacifer. I bought the soothie which I heard is a good choice for breastfeeding moms. Yea, she hates it. Another friend suggested the playtex binky. I went out this morning and bought it. Again she hates it. I don't know what to do about this!

3. Don't knock it until you try it-There were so many things I said I would never do when I became a mom. Co-sleeping was one of these things. I had seen a movie where the couple shared a bed with their multiple children! I couldn't believe it. That seemed so weird to me. Yet after becoming pregnant I found out a lot of my friends co-slept with their babies and heard all the positives about it. Still I wasn't convinced. We have two 80lb dogs that sleep on our bed. That's 4 years of learned behavior. How could we stop that? But the first two nights after coming home from the hospital and not sleeping at all since we both stood over the bassinet and watched her making sure she was breathing we decided to get one of those co-sleeper baskets. WE love it. It also makes it convenient for breastfeeding and provided relief from my c-section. Having a huge incision in your lower abdomen and having to get up constantly out of a high bed hurt horribly. So now all I have to do is reach over and pick her up. We will prolly only have her sleep with us for another month before putting her in her bassinet which is also in our room. But lesson learned, don't knock anything before you try it

4. Overwhelming Emotions-WE've all been told that the minute you hold your baby you feel an overwhelming rush of emotion for them. That is so true. Although I was surprised with how much emotion you feel. I felt like i was hit by a huge wave of emotion and I'm still reeling from it. I love her so much. I cry thinking about anything happening to her, I worry all the time and I can't imagine my life without her. I will start crying just looking at her. She is so amazing. So yes, needless to say I am an emotional wreck right now. And I mean that in the best way possible

5. Love- I never thought I could love my husband more but I was wrong again. Seeing him rocking our daughter to sleep, talking and playing with her and making up silly dupa songs makes me smile. He is such a great dad and is amazing with her. Although I do admit I am tempted to smack him over the head with my pillow during the middle of the night when he is blissfully unaware of lovebug screaming right next to him

6. Attention-You can never give your baby too much love and attention. I feel guilty when I put her down to sleep although I know I have to. If I could hold her all day I would!

7. Motherhood is amazing-I love it. Best job in the world

My New Necklace-and a shout out

From the minute I found out I was pregnant I was itching to order a necklace from Julie the Fish. I love anything meaningful and sentimental and knew once Gianna arrived I wanted a keepsake, besides her of course. SO the minute I arrived home from the hospital I ordered a necklace with Gianna's name, birthdate and her birthstone. It arrived last week and I love it! I don't think I will ever take it off



And my mom is the same way with meaningful gifts so I know I will be purchasing her one of these since Gianna is her first grandchild.

Thanks Julie for such a beautiful gift! And I wanted to mention to all my reader's that Julie is having a sale starting today. Today and tomorrow shopper's can use the coupon code TWODAY20 to receive 20% off their entire order. It's a good time to order yourself something special or get a head start on christmas shopping

Happy Shopping!

3 weeks old

Gianna is 3 weeks old today. I can't believe how the time has flown by. We have been so busy all week spending time with our family. She has gotten to meet her cousins, great grandparents, grandparents and aunts an uncles. It has been a crazy week. I will be back next week but until then here are some pics of lovebug






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