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!
Stay at Home Mamas Need Appreciation
Five months. A little over five months I have been a stay at home mama. I spend my days working to keep the house clean, and taking care of my little baby.
Why do I feel under appreciated?
I know I am working so hard all day long and never napping, resting or taking time for myself. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt I am doing everything I can to both keep the house running smoothly and raise my child to the best of my ability.
Sometimes though, I wish I felt appreciated.
Being married to someone who works all day to earn a living so I can stay at home and raise my child is such a difficult experience.
I went to college to earn a degree, worked to make a salary I was proud of and handed that all over when I had my child. For the first time I’ve started to feel inferior.
I couldn’t tell you if it’s because I feel like everything I do is expected since I just “stay at home” all day. Maybe it’s because I budget for hours to save, pay off debt and buy necessities for as little money as possible-knowing full well I didn’t earn any of it. Maybe it’s because I feel guilty spending money I myself didn’t earn.
I don’t for a second regret staying home with baby, I just wish there was a handbook for the emotional rollercoaster that staying home has taken me for a ride on! I knew it would not be easy, leaving a job I loved and was really good at, I just thought with time everything would feel like it was a new “normal”.
There will never be a moment I will regret seeing my baby roll over for the first time, giving him his first solids, hearing his sweet laughter. However, I think if those who come in contact with a stay at home mama remember the things below-you might just make someone’s day by appreciating the small things they do to keep everything running smoothly at home.
Here are the top ten reasons why Stay at Home Mamas need to be appreciated:
- We stay awake at night, checking on the baby, going over finances, making plans, paying bills and overthinking every decision of the day.
- We listen to other people’s work problems and stories, wishing we had more adult conversation in the day.
- We wash, fold and put away more laundry than one could ever imagine would get dirty in a day.
- Meal prepping, planning and execution takes a lot of effort to accomplish while baby is present or even napping.
- We give baby variety of options in the day for play; tummy time, jumper, bouncy seat, our laps, the floor-all in an attempt to ensure they have diverse choices and surroundings to give them the best possible daily experience.
- We take baby EVERYWHERE. Up the stairs, down the stairs, to the kitchen, to the laundry room.
- There is a constant dialogue between us and baby. We are always talking and explaining our world, what they see, what toy they have, what the weather is, where we are going. We want to give them such a rich vocabulary.
- We are tired. Our body housed a little one for 9+ months, (sometimes more, sometimes less) even if she is an adoptive mama, she carried around the weight of bringing a little one home, we sleep less than we knew was possible, we are constantly rushing to get this or that done as quickly as possible before baby wakes up.
- We lose a giant chunk of independence once our baby comes. We are now 2 instead of 1, everything we do takes an extra step or extra bath or buckle, or car seat.
- We give so much love all day, we need a little recognition to fill us back up.
Making Homemade Baby Food; When Everyone Has an Opinion
As a mom I’m sure you’ve been listening to people’s opinions of you and your parenting now for awhile. One of the the BIGGEST things I have heard is about feeding my child.
I’ve gotten comments from the get go, and let me tell you people judging my ability to feed my little one, or to know when he is hungry has been a challenge.
I’ve been trying to ignore all the comments, yet sometimes it has become too much! I just want to shout it out that, I know when my baby needs to eat, and also he will let me know!
Since my little one has grown so fast he has hit all milestones a little earlier than some other babies his age, and he got to start solids a little while ago.
He loves solids. He loves eating and the idea that he is sitting in his high chair, it’s like being a proud little baby. Of course he can’t tell me that, but hey-we all imagine what they might be thinking when they get that huge gummy grin on their faces, right?
I decided after spending $1.00 per jar and even more on some others that I would make my own baby food. My first choice was peas. I would come to regret that! I bought frozen peas and after properly thawing them and putting them in blender I realized no amount of blending would make them smooth enough for me to feel comfortable feeding them to my brand new eater just yet.
Then I decided to try carrots. That was a breeze! Using my Instant Pot I was able to steam the carrots and purée them in the blender in a short chunk of time.
The carrots were a breeze to make, easy to freeze and super simple to heat up and get ready for baby quickly.
Next, I’ll be trying sweet potatoes and squash and who knows how that will go! I love taking a chance on something new and just going for it.
Bringing the story full circle, some people still comment that I’m breastfeeding AND giving solids. The judging and comments never stop, but as a mama you need to know that there is support for you! Find those people who you can ask anything to, those who wait to give you input until you ask.
I might not be a baby food expert yet, but I’m doing everything I can to make this venture into Mamahood fun, exciting and worth it!
Kettlebell Workout for you, Tummy Time for Baby!
One of the easiest times to get in a quick and effective workout is while baby is doing tummy time. It is important to interact with baby while they are doing tummy time, yet kids love watching the world around them. How great is it if you can both entertain your little one and they get in a workout simultaneously?
Follow this quick workout, that combines both movements with and without a kettlebell:
- 20 Russian Twists
- 20 Kettlebell Swings
- 15 Kettlebell Goblet Squats (To do these hold kettlebell right below chin and keep there for duration of squats)
- 15 crunches
- 10 sit-ups
- 5 push-ups
Repeat circuit 3 times; choose weight of kettlebell depending on your comfort level.
Sheet Pan Fajitas
Sheet pan dinners are a great way to prep and cook everything using a minimal amount of dishes. This recipe is both delicious and satisfying.
I happen to like my steak medium well, so you can adjust the cook time for your steak to your liking!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb flank steak
- 3 boneless, skinless filets (chicken)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 orange bell peppers
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 3 onions
- 5 limes
- 10 corn tortillas
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- First thinly slice chicken into long strips.
- Slice steak into thin strips.
- Slice onion; roughly 1/2 inch in size.
- In a small mixing bowl add all spices together.
- Drizzle meat with olive oil.
- Rub spice mixture on meat.
- Place all veggies on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
- Add all meat to baking sheet, bake for 7-15 minutes until meat is done and veggies are crispy.
- Warm tortillas.
- Slice limes and serve with fajitas.
- Enjoy!
Bruschetta; Simple, Easy, Tasty
Eating a simple yet delicious snack or meal is both nice and time saving! I love prepping bruschetta and eating for multiple meals.
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf French bread or baguette
- 7 Roma tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup chopped basil (fresh)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil, or butter
- 1/4 cup diced onion (optional)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- Check out the link for my favorite mixing/prep bowls below!!!
Directions:
- preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Slice baguette bread to desired thickness, I prefer about 1/2’’ slices
- brush olive oil or melted butter on both sides of bread
- dice tomatoes, garlic and onions
- sauté onions in 1/2 tbsp of olive oil (to bring out flavor) if using minced garlic (dried spice) skip this step
- add dry spices to tomato mixture (tomato, garlic, onion) and add balsamic vinegar, stir and leave to sit while bread is baking
- place bread on baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes, then flip and return to oven for 5 more minutes (**depending on how crunchy you prefer your bread, adjust time in oven)
- remove bread from oven and top with tomato mixture
- top bread with mozzarella and place in oven on broil for one minute, to melt the cheese (skip cheese step if you’re vegan!)
- enjoy!
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!
Nap When the Baby Does!
I don’t know about anyone else but in the past year I cannot count the number of people who have told me to nap when the baby does. Even before I gave birth, everyone I met told me to nap as much as I could before the baby came.
I’ve never been a nap taker, as a child I would skip naps because I was definitely sure I would miss out on some amazing part of life while I was sleeping. That mindset has transformed into habit, and I can count on one hand the number of naps I took before the baby came.
Now, my baby is just over 5 months and I still never nap. There is some drive in me to get as much accomplished as I can while he sleeps. It might be rushing to throw laundry in the washer, to fold the next load or quietly stacking dishes in cupboards so that doesn’t wake him up. I am constantly trying to make myself feel better about not going back to work and prove that I am still doing SOMETHING of value.
Yet, every time the thought crosses my mind that I need to prove I’m doing something all day, it makes me incredibly frustrated.
I always said I was going back to work after baby. There was no doubt in my mind, until I started thinking of daycares, my long commute, missing his milestones. Those are the reasons I chose this. I CHOSE to raise my child. To wake up every morning to look into that smiling face, to change diaper after diaper, to snuggle him close and work in his development. I don’t need to prove anything.
I may never get my naps, but what I get is worth that. I get to see my child change rapidly before my eyes. I’m finally experiencing that “amazing” thing I thought I’d miss out on by napping. I’m experiencing life with my baby.
None of this means I don’t wish sometimes I could sleep for hours on end and relax, doesn’t everyone? It just means I’m grateful for his naps to give me a recharge and the ability to get things done around the house.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup-Made in the Instant Pot
Easy meals that are delicious and can be frozen or last a few days have become part of how I choose meals these days.
Last night I made homemade chicken noodle soup in the Instant Pot that was delicious!! Between prep and the soup in the bowl it took less than an hour!
Ingredients:
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tbsp salt (add more to liking)
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 cups sliced celery
- 2.5 cups sliced carrot
- 2 cups diced onion
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups wide egg noodles
Directions:
- Cut all carrots and celery, dice onion and place in a bowl.
- Turn on instant pot to sauté, when it is heated place butter and veggies in and heat until onions become clear in color.
- Add the oregano, salt, pepper, basil and bay leaves to the pot.
- Add the chicken stock, and chicken breasts to pot and stir to combine ingredients.
- Place and lock lid on pot, push manual cook to high pressure and set timer for 9 minutes.
- Once timer goes off, carefully release pressure from instant pot and open lid away from you as to avoid burn from any lingering steam.
- Pull the chicken out of pot and shred.
- Put chicken back into the pot and add 4 cups of wide egg noodles.
- Stir everything together, place lid back on pot and push the steam valve to close. Leave everything to sit for fifteen minutes.
- Remove lid and check pasta, to ensure it is el dente.
- Dish up soup and enjoy!
