Days With Mama-The Beginning

Days With Mama-The Beginning, Delicious and Simple Eats / November 30, 2020

Breakfast Burrito Recipe

When you start out with a little one; it is easy to often forget that you need to eat as well! Here is the simplest recipe that I used the first few months to make sure that my husband was fed and it was not a lot of clean up as neither of us wanted to spend much time in the kitchen.

There are so many ways you can mix up this recipe to meet your needs! Below you will see just a few ways we created our burrito flavors!

Days With Mama-The Beginning / June 9, 2020

How it Feels to Not Contribute Financially

It has been nearly nine months since I made the life changing decision to stay home with my baby instead of heading back to work. Sometimes I think it would be easy to fill novels with all the thoughts and ideas I have had while raising my son.

My husband and I had been toying the idea of me not returning to work back and forth when we first found out I was pregnant but I had a firm decision made up that I was 100% returning to work.

After the birth of our son, and a few changes at home I ended up leaving my career to raise my son myself.

Since we had planned on my return to work once my maternity leave had ended we did not have much savings in the bank.

I love budgeting and have become quite good at planning our spending and savings out through the upcoming two or three months.

It always feels like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for a huge bill to come or a month where maybe we don’t get as much money from my husbands work.

It took nearly three months of intense budgeting for me to finally feel like we have a little bit saved so that going forward we will be able to pay for things like a new car seat or any upcoming bills we may have.

I have come to this realization that regardless of how much I do at home I’ll always feel like I’m less because I don’t contribute financially. I’m trying as best as I can to find ways to sell old clothes or shoes to help out a little bit here and there, but for those people who aren’t contributing financially, just know you should be appreciated for what you can bring to the relationship.

Days With Mama-The Beginning / April 22, 2020

Tasty, Healthy, Vegan 🌱

Have you ever just craved something fresh, something you can feel great about eating? I refused to eat meat for about 5 or 6 years when I was growing up. I went out to eat and either ordered fries or nachos. Every. Single. Time.

I spent 3 summers working at a camp in college and I ate apples, dried cereal and the occasional cup of ice cream. It was my second summer when I started dating my future husband and he made me a burger. My world changed. It was so juicy and delicious. I will never forget it. He encouraged me to branch out and try all different types of meat, and gave me the chance to experience more flavors and food than I would have without him.

Even though those summers of plain eating, no meat and a small rotation of food are in the distant past I still enjoy a meal sans meat on occasion.

Here are five delicious vegan recipes that you can feel good about eating!

Days With Mama-The Beginning / February 24, 2020

Adding a Shaping Helmet into the mix of Mamahood

We found out about a month ago that our little man might need a shaping helmet. There was no way that we could have ever imagined we would be the parents who needed a helmet for our child.

After trying repositioning for months, and tummy time as much as we could, the doctor told us that getting him a helmet was the best choice.

We knew the facts:

He didn’t need the helmet for developmental reasons
He didn’t need the helmet because we were not good parents
He needed the helmet because he has been such a fantastic sleeper since he was a month old
He would have a lovely little shaped head after wearing the helmet
It wouldn’t bother him as much as it would bother us

Even after knowing the facts, it was difficult to mentally prepare ourselves for something that so many people stare at. We knew we were making the best decision for our little man, even the doctor reassured us that we wouldn’t regret getting him this helmet.

We are currently in the first week of him wearing the helmet. He has been a little rockstar, not caring really at all. I think it’s been the most difficult when it comes to nursing him. Usually the moments he snuggles are during feedings and instead of his warm little head, I have this plastic helmet digging into my arm. I know without a doubt that we made the right decision and that in a few months when he gets the helmet off for good we will be so happy we went through this.

This weekend we on our first few outings-to Sams Club and to church. I can’t tell you the amount of people who STARED. We had many people question why he might need a helmet, asking “what’s wrong?”…nothing! I wanted to print a T-shirt that says “our baby has been a fantastic sleeper since birth, we did nothing wrong and this helmet is only to give him a great shaped head!”.

My one suggestion for everyone out there who comes across a mama or daddy and baby with a helmet is to just smile, or say the baby looks sweet. As I am now in the shoes of the parent with a helmet on their child I have realized that what people say doesn’t matter on one and on the other it matters so much. Hearing people talk about your child negatively impacts you as a parent, impacts your day and your mood, yet hearing positive comments and encouragement-well that just makes a world of difference.

To all the people raising a little one with a helmet I encourage you to let your network of people know that you need support through this time. If I’ve learned anything it’s that the baby doesn’t care what they look like at all, but the parents well they notice the stares and comments under breath that are passed around.

I am thankful in all this to have a support system. Go find yours!

Days With Mama-The Beginning / February 11, 2020

A Basket a Day, gives more time for Play!

Baskets, baskets, baskets!

The “nesting” phase of life doesn’t end when the baby comes home from the hospital. I have changed and rearranged everything in our house multiple times, trying to find that “perfect” set-up for us.

As it turns out there is no such thing as perfect! Here is a quick little piece of advice using baskets to help out with daily diaper changes!

I have three baskets I use daily. One in the family room consists of diapers, wipes, pajamas for bed and diaper cream. I have one basket in the living room with diapers and wipes and a last basket in the baby’s room.
The last basket is my favorite because it has a light on it for late night diaper changes, and compartments for both diapers, wipes and an extra set of jammies.

I restock the baskets at the beginning of each week and do mini refills throughout the week if need be. Here is a sample of what goes in the basket pictured!

10 day diapers
10 nighttime diapers
5 pairs of jammies and onesies to go underneath
diaper cream
3 packs wipes

I generally don’t need to restock much other than diapers or maybe jammies that often, but seriously a life saver!

Days With Mama-The Beginning / February 4, 2020

It’s time for me to bring the baby home already?

There are not enough books to read or stories to listen to that would have prepared me for what would take place at the hospital.

Everyone’s birth story is different, mine is no exception. When I finally delivered my sweet little babe, the amount of exhaustion, love and excitement that washed over me is indescribable. It was so surreal to be holding my little miracle in my arms. I thought the birth was so difficult, I could not wait to get home.

Why didn’t anyone tell me what a rollercoaster of emotions I was going to be?

Our sweet little love was born around 4 p.m. leaving plenty of time for visitors to come and meet him. I truly couldn’t wait for everyone to cuddle my baby. When they came into the room though, I just wanted him back. After months and months of our little love spending 24/7 growing inside me I suddenly had to hand him over to everyone else. I felt so torn, I was exhausted and in pain and in love, yet I didn’t even have time to process my emotions before I was surrounded with everyone. There was so much love for my sweet baby in that room, I felt so happy. No one can explain to you how much part of you wants a minute to breathe and the other minute you want nothing more than to have others taking care of you.

That first night in the hospital with our little love was almost more exhausting than the day had been. After being awake for over 24 hours I held our babe, passed him off to his daddy and we tried to share sleeping for a few minutes here and there. Everyone told me to sleep, but how could I when there was the most amazing little man laying a foot away in his bassinet?!

When sunlight finally started peeking through the blinds I could not wait to get the okay to head home with our little man. After several hours of waiting, when the okay came I wanted to leap for joy! Instead I was wheeled to the front doors of the hospital, where I declined them wheeling me to the car (bad mistake!). I thought I would cry from the pain of that walk, but I held it in and just asked my husband to walk snail pace with me.

Finally coming home was a mix of emotions all over again. It was excitement at being in a familiar place, and pure fear of having to take care of this brand new little person on our own.

It was decided that everyone in my family and his would come to our house that night for pizza. In those first few hours alone with our baby at home we realized two things, one that no matter what we had prepared, we still needed help, and two that we needed sleep more than ever before.

I spent that first night trying to nurse my little love, catch moments of sleep and rest my aching body. I’ve never been so thankful for my family as I was that night. They cared for me so much, and helped me survive the first night at home.

My family took care of our sleeping babe so I could rest, bringing him to me every few hours for feedings that first night and I’m sure without that support I would have had such a hard time adjusting.

Looking back now, my panic over him sleeping, and eating and our exhaustion seems silly. I am ever so grateful we made it through that first night and weeks with our baby at home on our own. So many tears were shed and coffee was drank, trying to survive each day. Every moment I spent worrying brought me closer to where I am today. I am filled with love and delight from our little man and love where our story started and how far it has come since that first night months ago.