Speedy Firsts {#SwaddlersFirsts campaign}

They always say that any subsequent children after the first one sort of get the short end of the stick when it comes to capturing their “firsts”.

Of course, when I was pregnant with Aleesia I was SURE that wasn’t going to be the case.

And I was of course wrong.

I only remember to update her “first year” calendar once every 6 weeks or so and by then I’m basically making up when things actually happened. First tooth on October 6th, ish. Said “hi” for the first time somewhere in the month of November.  Very precise record keeping.

One thing that I did remember from first baby to second is my love of Pampers diapers (which, you clearly understand by now if you have visited the blog before) but especially Swaddlers.  They are so soft and we never see any skin issues, it’s great.  And Swaddlers come in sizes 4 and 5 now – which is fabulous!

Pampers has come up with some seriously great opportunities to engage mom’s, new and old, including through their “firsts” campaign. 

Being a working mom, I usually miss the ACTUAL first, so I tend to count the first time I see something as “the first”.  (does anyone else do that?) But, Aleesia has been quite accommodating to my schedule and I have been lucky enough to be home for a few pretty big firsts.  The first time she crawled, the first time she pulled up to stand and the first time she took a step.

Wait, what was that? STEPS you say? Check her out:

It’s still hard for me to believe this is happening, and I promise to remember to write this in her calendar soon.  I’m sure it won’t be too much longer before she is walking around the house unassisted with that awesome monster like toddle that I find so adorable.  I remember the day Gianna took her first steps like it was yesterday, these things just come and go so fast it’s unbelievable!

Swaddlers can be there for all the firsts in your baby’s life and to celebrate Swaddlers sizes 4 & 5, Pampers has 30 days of incredible giveaways and a grand price of FREE Swaddlers diapers & wipes for a year. (FREE! A YEAR! yay!) Join the celebration and enter the Pampers’ 30 days of sweeps on the Pampers Facebook page where you can win daily prize bundles, plus the grand prize of free Swaddlers diapers & wipes for one year.

Plusandalso there is a great Pampers #SwaddlersFirsts Twitter Party on December 5th at 9PM EST.  If you joined the last one, you know how great they are. Here are the details:

You should RSVP here: http://twtvite.com/SwaddlersFirsts

Because you don’t want to miss out on any of these amazing prizes, including:

3 celebrating Firsts Gift Packs, ARV ($250), which include:

• Baby’s First Friend Doudou Bear Plush Doll
• Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box
• Baby’s First Words Book
• Baby’s First Steps Plush Toy
• $50 Shutterfly Gift Card to celebrate all “firsts” moments
• Baby’s First Bath Robe
• Pampers Swaddlers

Grand Prize: Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera worth $450! <woot! how awesome?!>

To participate, follow your hosts @DoubleDutyDivas, @BridgetteLA, @CeceliaMecca @AngieKcom @WhatMommiesNeed @RamblingChick, and our sponsor @Pampers.

And because it’s December and everyone is busy to the max, I don’t want you to feel left out of the Twitter party prize greatness if you are busy capturing some holiday firsts. I am hosting a giveaway for everyone!

You can win an awesome Celebrating Firsts gift pack too - the gift pack will include:

· Baby’s First Friend Doudou Bear Plush Doll

· Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box

· Baby’s First Words Book

· Baby’s First Steps Plush Toy

· Pampers Swaddlers

Entry is super easy (and there are 2 bonus entry options!) leave a comment letting me know

1. Tell me your favorite “first” memory – if could be something you remember from your kids or even a “first” in your life!
2. Bonus entry #1: Share this post by tweeting it out on twitter  or sharing the link on facebook
3. Bonus entry #2: Tell me your favorite part about the Twitter party on December 9th

Giveaway is open until Friday December 6th at 11:59 PM EST. Make sure your comment includes a way to reach you when you win!

I can’t wait to hear about your favorite “firsts” memories! I think the first steps are pretty close to the top of my list – nothing like watching that sense of independence on their little faces!

This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Pampers. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Thanks+Giving

This year has been simultaneously hard and not-so-hard, complicated and simple, long and the shortest one yet. 

That’s what happens though, huh? It all just goes by in a blur, when you reflect back even when there were days/weeks/months that may have felt like they could not have gone slower.

I will tell you that there were many times this past year when I wasn’t sure where things were going next, how anything good could possibly happen amongst all of the hard things we were dealing with.  But there were more times when I just gave it over to faith and felt assured that yes, things were going to be okay.  We have received so very many blessings this year, small ones that meant the world to us at the time they occurred, big ones that came at the perfect time and of course the biggest blue-eyed-smiley little blessing that we couldn’t imagine life without.

I hope that overall, your 2013 has been amazing, even if there were a lot of hard days throughout.

For each of you who stops over to visit my little corner of the internet Thank you!

And for every blogger friend who I have been awful at keeping up with lately, remind me to come visit!

Longer out than in

Holy COW!

I blinked and this little bitty baby

is now this little bitty grown up baby

She is NINE MONTHS and TWENTY DAYS OLD. It blows my mind.

Aleesia took her sweet time coming into her own, but she has decided that food is yummy, all the toys must be played with and smiling is her favorite.

Just in the past month or so she started to say dada, hi (with waves!), and just this week mama (finally! yay!), and bye.  She’s not always consistent, but she says them each with a purpose.

She started crawling weeks ago but is quickly picking up speed (there are barbie shoes to hung for, afterall).  A few weeks ago she pulled upon the couch, using her mouth for leverage, and hasn’t looked back since – she stands up on anything that could potentially be sturdy.

And last night? she actually played peek a boo with me and stood with no hands. And laughed hysterically!

And this morning? She cruised the length of the couch.

SLOW IT DOWN, my little friend.  No need to beat big sister in the insanely early walking category, I promise!

Speaking of her mouth, she has an unsymmetrical three bottom teeth to her four top ones. Teething is NOT her favorite. Or anyone else’s for that matter. But she’s cruising through those teeth so hopefully it will be over soonish (G had all her teeth by her 1st birthday!).

She naps fabulously for her Aunt Krissy in the afternoons and is doing better going to (& staying) sleep at night. Food really is her favorite – she loves the actual activity of eating and so far has liked everything we have given her except for green beans and broccoli.

Cheerios are her favorite snack. She’s still pretty small for her age (just over 15 pounds, 6 month clothes, lots of awesome hair), but I personally really like her portability!

And her thighs are getting some chunk on them – it’s pretty fabulous!

She generally tolerates Gianna’s regular attempts to carry (drag?) her around the house and loves nothing more than to be wherever her big sister is.

Nine months you were inside, which seemed like a relatively long time.  Nine months you have been outside which seems like an insanely quick blur.  But one thing is for sure, you are one special amazing girl whose smile makes me one happy mama!

#Pamperssleepchat Winner

We have a winner!

I don’t know how she did it – but my sister even got random.org on her side so she would win!

Thank you all for entering, and for stopping by the blog once in a while.

Wordless Wednesday

big punkin

little punkin

silly punkin

my punkins!

 

((shameless plug – visit my #pamperssleepchat post and enter to win diapers and pjs for your punkin!)

Possibilities not problems

Life has a way of just sneaking up on us, you know? 

One minute things are heading in the right direction and then BAM you need new brakes on your car AND get an unexpected medical bill that puts you two steps behind where you were.

Or your whole house ends up on a constant cycle of sickness throwing your normal “routine” totally off in the midst of job changes and schedule readjustments.  Or maybe, things just stink – it’s one seemingly minor issue/problem/frustration after another with no “good problems” sprinkled in there anywhere.

It’s just all part of the ride, we all know that.  Adulthood can really stink (except that you can eat Oreos for dinner if you want too, there is nothing bad about that) and it can just be plain hard to deal with. This week I was reminded (at church) that everything that comes at us, even when we are SURE there is no good at.all that can come out of it, is a possibility.  Not a problem.

I have had my share of unplanned, unwanted possibilities in life – particularly in recent years – and especially in the past 7 months.  When I had Aleesia and was on maternity leave, the careful financial planning we had done to prepare for my leave was totally thrown out the window by something that we did not see coming – the effects of which are just now being alleviated.  Financial stress is one of the worst kind to have (health issues, notwithstanding) because obviously it affects every other facet of life.

It was a situation that was a little scary and a LOT frustrating, but I had a sense of peace about it all. I prayed about it, for that peace that I felt, and that everything would just work out.  I didn’t know HOW it was going to work out or what was going to happen – but it did.  A client unexpectedly paid in full three months early at just the time a payment was scheduled to go out.  A credit was issued at just the right time. All of these things that we had no control over just kept happening paired with a lot of hard work and things were okay.  I knew we were doing everything that we could and the rest would come and all would be well.  And it was.  The possibilities kept presenting themselves just when we needed to see them. 

Mike started a new, just okay, job in September.  And then he was almost immediately offered a different, much much better, opportunity. He was open to anything and the possibilities with his new position are unknown, in a good way.  We need some of these possibilities in our lives to be good ones – and this one is for sure.

The possibilities are everywhere in life – good, bad, scary, exciting, life changing or not – we are presented with so many things each day.  I have always been a glass-half-full type of person, it takes a LOT to get me down and I don’t ever stay there long but I still can be negative and mad and upset about situations in my life.  But when I started approaching each decision with a  “what if” attitude and looking at each challenge or problem as a possibility my whole world started to change.

What if that new position teaches me something I didn’t even know I wanted to learn?  What if eating that three musketeers bar motivates me to run 4 miles to burn it off? What if our financial situation teaches us to live more simply today to provide us with so much more than we could imagine in the future? What if talking quietly when Gianna is having a meltdown helps her calm down quicker?

I just  feel such a peace, that there is no problem that can’t be resolved, no situation that can’t be brought under control and things have just been GOOD! I feel good, I don’t stay upset about things for long, I have more patience most of the time. Of COURSE I still feel stressed and angry at times, life is such an evolving adventure right now it would be pretty hard to stay in my little peaceful bubble all the time no matter how hard I try.  (I do try to take at least one thing/situation a day and make SURE I see the positive/possibility it holds – even (and especially) on days that just plain suck)

Somehow, I have found a way to give up a little control (to Him, truly) and it has made  world of difference – I know He will lead me through whatever is at hand, even if I have no clue how we are going to make it to the other side.  And for that, I am so thankful – I am more present in my life and fully feel the blessings (big and teeny tiny) that come my way. 

I don’t mean to get all peace and love for everyone here but I just felt like it was something I needed to get off my chest.