sanity intact!

i made it..i survived! i just wanted to let everyone know!

with a little ok a TON of prayer, some encouraging words from friends and family, and a huuuuge adjustment to Leighton's schedule i came out on the other side with all of my hair, and still perfect vision :)

ill admit that at times my OCD complete control freak, scheduled out, nap nazi side takes over and i forget the best place to look for answers and comfort isn't through a website, blog, or friends ( although these are all places the Lord has blessed me immensely ) its on my knees in prayer.

He hears us. i need to always remember that...always.

SO little girl was wanting a four hour eating schedule instead of 3, and MUCH longer wake times. She was normally awake for 45mins -1hour. Now its an hour and half! pretty big jump! but she seems happy with it..she still wakes a little bit into her nap, but goes back to sleep pretty quick after! and since she started eating every 4 hours instead of 3, that means she dropped one feeding, she stopped spitting up all over me :) woohoo! i can wear normal clothes again! so all and all were both pretty happy.

its crazy to think how much this will all change again 2 months from now. and how in one month she will be half a year...even with the hair pulling days mixed into my angel baby days..this is all going by so fast! it literally flies by without me noticing.

one more confession. i love winter ( thats not the confession ) everything about it..the cold, the rain, the snow, the clothes..oooo the clothes! the anticipation of Christmas as soon as October hits..all the holidays, the music, the food, the decorations...like i said, all of it! { BUT }

i am soooooo excited about spring and summer this year. i cannot wait for it to warm up so we can go on walks outside, I'm dying to buy Leighton her first swimsuit and sit in a plastic pool in the yard during her wake time! ( if you drive by ACU and see us wake HI ) i can't wait for maxi skirts, tank tops with cute necklaces, BIG sunglasses, and MOST of all..planning the biggest and most AWESOME birthday ever for Leighton..who will be ONE in August. shut up right?! is it bad i already lay in bed and think of themes? hmmm...dont judge. if you know me at-all you should expect nothing less! haha!

well...since all is well in our world again, i have to go WAKE UP this girl from her nap...time for dinner and daddy will be home soon for the weekend! we just love weekends and taylor time :)

thanks for putting up with my spastic moment.

a little venting never hurt anybody

every now and again i have "one of those days"
one of those days where you feel like there will be no hair left in your head
and you just might scratch your eyeballs out.

yea...those days.

i think its only natural. and its just as natural to VENT about it. get it off your chest, just let-it-go.

up until the past 2 weeks i have known my baby like the back of my hand. i knew EXACTLEY when to put her down for nap, and she would sleep the entire 2 hours without a PEEP.

i knew exactly when she was hungry ( because it obviously followed the two hour nap)

there wasn't a day that didn't go by that surprised me.

until now.

now I'm completely lost. first came a growth spurt, then teeth, and rolling, and now a longer wake time, but i still have NO clue what to do with my child.

this girl used to take 3 2hour naps a day and sleep through the night 7-7 without a sound. and NOW we've got her waking every 45 minutes into her nap..talking to herself and playing with her hands..then crying for like 10 minutes..then going back to sleep...SOMETIMES. and waking around 4ish every night.

i blame the night wakings on rolling, those I'm not worried about they will smooth themselves back out when she's comfortable getting back and forth.

its the naps. i know i know that not everyone agrees with the schedule that i follow, but a lot of you do. and i also know that most moms will agree that 3 45 minute naps is not enough for a 5 month old.

our schedule USED to look like this...

7:00 wake and eat bottle and rice
7:45 nap
10:00 wake and eat bottle
11:00 nap
1:00 wake and eat bottle
2:10 nap
4:00 wake and eat bottle and avocado
6:00 night time bath and routine
7:00 bottle and straight to bed.
10:00 dreamfeed...straight to bed.

and this week it has looked somewhat like this

6:45 wake and eat bottle and rice
8:00 nap
10:30-11:00 wake and eat bottle and bananas
11:30-12:00 nap
2:00 wake and eat bottle
3:15 nap
4:30 wake and eat bottle and avocados
7:00 bath, bottle bed
10:00 dreamfeed ...straight to bed.

only all those naps she woke 45 minutes into them and played for like 15 minutes, then cried for 15, then went back to sleep.

she's starting to want to stay awake longer, and i THINK that may be the problem..im also thinking maybe an increase in calories for the night time issue, and she's obviously making it 3.5 to 4 hours in between eating in the morning. so maybe a 4 hour schedule soon?

oh these babies...always changing things on you right when your comfortable.

if any of my baby wise friends have any suggestions for our 45 minute intruder problem let me know! or a sample of what yalls schedules looked like a 5 months.

can you believe that? next week she will be 5 months old. thats just insane.

anyways just needed to type that out i think...its nice having a place to dump my problems other than my husband...he thanks you all hahaha!

4 The Merrier

four months.

for four months i have loved like i've never loved. worked like I've never worked. smiled like I've never smiled. and prayed like I've never prayed.

for four months i have been a mother...or i should say have become a mother. its a growing process, i become a little more confident, a little more comfortable every day in my new role. i would have never dreamed life could be so different, so sweet. taylor and i sit on the couch at night in just awe of how amazing she is. mostly we talk about how cute she is..but were here parents..she could have 3 legs and we would think she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I've never loved anyone the way i love her. its a different kind of love. i love my husband with my entire soul, ill love him until the end of our time here, and then some. but the love i have for leighton is different, its powerful, i could do anything, i would do anything, to keep her safe...the protect her...to guard her heart. it must be something to do with being a mother, i think its a little sneak peek at what Jesus's love for us is like. we can kill...steal...lie...turn away from him..embarass him...and he will STILL...he will ALWAYS love us. thats what its like to be a mother. its endless.

ok enough with the mush...lets get to this girl!

Weight/Height: We haven't been to the doctor since her 3 month vaccinations, our appointment for her next round is January 5th, so ill update this after we go! Im guessing somewhere around 14 lbs. We will see though! Still wearing 6month clothes. Were on our last package of size 2 diapers, then we will be moving to size three! AH!

Motor Development: She's getting much better at grabbing things. She has become stronger and more agile it seems just in the last week. She loves to lay on her back and play with her "ball". She seems to be getting bored with her gym/playmat...i think its the toys, so taylor and i bought her new ones to switch out for Christmas. She grabs for the bowl and spoon when i feed her, and bear hugs my arms when i change her diaper. She has discovered she has feet, still hasn't grabbed them yet, so far she's only made to it pulling back on her knees, can't wait for her stick those toes in her mouth :)


Sleep/Independence: What a great sleeper we have! Leighton is still following the eat, wake, sleep plan Babywise teaches, she's pretty much a pro! The end of the 3 month period was rough on us, i blame it on the move, growth spurt, and teething. But the week before she turned 4 months she was back on track! Ive heard 4 months is either a dream month, or the toughest month for mom and baby, so far were living the dream! Her schedule looks a little like this..on the good days :)

7:00 wake eat
7:45 Nap # 1
10:00 (ish ) wake eat (rice)
11:00 Nap # 2
1:00 wake eat
2:10 ( sometimes its 2:00 ) Nap # 3
4:00 wake eat (avocado)
6:30 bath, bed routine, bottle
7:00 in bed
10:00-10:30ish wake and feed, straight back to bed

Im always amazed at how well Leighton plays on her own. I lay her down give her a ball, or put her under the playmate, or put her in the johnny jumper, and she will do any of them happily for up to 30 minutes. Then we usually do something like work on tummy time, rolling over, read a book together etc.

Basically she's just awesome, as Taylor would say!

Blah Blah Blah

You know those days where you just have 900 different thoughts in your head, and none of it really goes together to form one singular thought...its just a bunch of STUFF. Sometimes being a stay at home mom has its disadvantages. Theres no one to unload on. I mean Leighton is a fabulous listener, but its just not the same :)

Last night I actually said to Taylor "Lets have another baby, this one is getting to old" and then I woke up this morning and reminded myself that sometimes I should keep my thoughts in my head haha. Funny part, his only problem with the idea was that he didn't want me to have to be pregnant for 9 months again..hmm. I won't think to much into that haha.

I lost my camera card, somewhere between printing pictures at the store, and making it through the front door. Its gone. Thank goodness I had just uploaded all the pictures on it onto my computer, but still...now I have to buy another. Blah.

On Sunday my husband will be 27. What an oldie. I still love him though :) The day after that Leighton turns 4 months old, I swear we just got back from the hospital. 5 days later is Christmas. LOVE it. January 13th Taylor and I will have been together for 11 years! Shut the front door I know...thats insane! Thats longer than most people stay married these day..which is sad. February 6th will be our 3 year wedding anniversary. So much celebrating, so little time :)

I really want a lot of things for Christmas, normally I have NO clue what I want...but this year, and I blame it on sitting at home looking online, there are several goodies on my wish list :) I want the Michael Kors iPhone wristlet, a cute maxi skirt, some boot socks, the Nook E-reader, a cute cover for it :), a shark steam mop, a keurig coffee maker, a new vacuum, to be forever tan without having to actually tan (HA), a brown watch, a new wedding band, some lenses for my camera, some jeans for this post-baby body. See, i told you, lots of things. We will see what santa leaves me under the tree :)

I really should work out. I used to have a pretty good body, but 9 weeks of bed rest will take its tole on you! I need to whip this business into shape! Mabye ill do P-90X.....maybe.

My child is awesome. I have a feeling 4 months is going to be a dream month. Sleeping through the night again, taking all her naps, being a good girl while running errands, laughing, eating food, rolling over, she's just awesome all around.

My husband loves the word awesome. He uses it all the time, usually in reference to himself, you would have to know him to understand. He's just sooooo special.

Ill stop rambling now, I do feel better getting that all out. Oh theres lots more, but I don't want to give you megan-junk-overload haha! Thanks for stopping by and listening reading! :)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

ALOT has changed since my last blog. Its been about a month! I promise I will TRY to be better :)


1. we've MOVED! woohoo! We are finally in our home. Our little two bedroom, slice of heaven and we couldn't be happier!

2. Leighton will be 4 months old in 6 days! I feel like its a little silly to do her 3 month post when we totally missed it...so heres a little summary of her month if I can think back that far! ha!

Is starting to drool...alot!
Loves talking to her Daddy...a little jealous..but thats ok :)
Is getting better at sitting up..with help of course
I think she weighed like 13 LBS or something close to that.
Went through a serious growth spurt I though would drive me mad.
Exclusively wearing 6 months clothes. She's healthy :)

Im sure there was more but these months fly by I tell you!

3. Our daily routine has changed a little. She takes 3, 2 hour naps a day, and now stays awake from 4-7. Sometimes she needs a little cat nap in there...were working on it.

4. We've made two trips our of town...one to Austin for Thanksgiving and one to Dallas for her great-grandads 80th birthday party. She did great during both trips. Slept the ENTIRE way in the car. She's awesome.

5. My photography website is up!! http://www.wix.com/megandianew/mdgphotography
Check it out! It still needs a little work..the "about me" section isn't done..its always seems a little weird to me to write about myself...

6. We got our Moby back! ( Our maltese ) we actually just got him yesterday. I was worried about Leighton showing an allergy to him..not so far so good! She can't keep her eyes off him..she frowned a little when he licked her face...and then she cracked up haha.

7. Were eating food! Just one for now...avacados. She LOVED it. Yesterday was her first taste and she wanted to eat it ALL! Were going to take food slowly though..so avocados this week, and I'm thinking butternut squash next week! I don't want to give her to many "sweet" foods and her only want to eat those, so were saving the fun things like bananas and sweet potato for last...such a mean mommy. Im pretty sure I'm getting the nook for Christmas, so Im waiting to buy some baby food books until I get it..that and the baby bullet! :) :)


Im sure there is SO much I'm forgetting. Life has just been so sweet lately. Our home is so full of love, and it can only get better! I look forward to every day with this little girl and my sweet husband. OH and our dog..i feel like I'm going to forget him all the time! haha! poor Moby.

Christmas is upon us! I have 4 people left on my list! If you know me AT ALL you know i LIVE for this time of year. Our Christmas tree is up..most of the gifts are wrapped underneath it, stockings are hung, burlap garland is made ( thank you pintrest ) burlap tree skirt is on the books to be finished this week. Morning coffee is had in snowmen coffee mugs. The rotation of Christmas pajamas has begun for Leighton and myself. And her week of Christmas outfits will begin soon also! I just love it all :)

Be on the look out for:

Blog on the house...pictures of our new little place :)
Blog on 4 months...pictures of the little lady at 4 months old..you can be sure it will be Christmas themed haha!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

So as promised this is the blog I'm dedicating to all the healthy things I've learned since becoming a mom! Now don't be thinking " oh geeze, Megan has turned into a tree hugging hippie who doesn't give her baby anything that she can't grow herself" I'm FAR from that! Ive just been doing a lot of research on whats natural, whats healthy, what actually helps our children other that temporarily pausing the problems they are having.

First is this little beauty.

I seriously don't know how more people don't know about this stuff. They should hand it out at the doctors office, tell you about it in the nursery after your delivery, sell it at baby clothing stores...ok thats a little extreme...but thats how much I love it! Its 100% all natural, and FDA approved. Its technically a type of gripe water, but 110% better! I first learned about it from Amber ( that will become a reoccurring statement in this blog. ha! ) I read it in one of her blogs, and when Leighton was having some gas issues I did some research on it, watched a few videos of babies taking it, and ran straight to CVS to get some. Its made with vegetable charcoal, which knocks down the acid in the babies stomach, or esophagus, if your little one is struggling with reflux. Leighton was having some silent reflux ( swallowing her spit up and burps instead of letting them out ) and had CONSTANT hiccups. I know they say hiccups don't hurt your baby, but tell that to a one month old's mother who's baby screams every time she gets them! The recommended does is 1/4 of a teaspoon, and you can repeat it as many times as needed! Once she would get the hiccups, or just seemed to be gassy in general, i would give her the 1/4 dose, and by the time she finished swallowing, the hiccups were gone, and the gas was gone within 5 minutes, and she was smiling! It really is amazing to see. I hear it works WONDERS on colicky babies as well! So if you don't have it, GO GET IT!

warning: it is jet black, and WILL stain yours and your babies clothes! so make sure you have a rag ready! the good news, it tastes good! ( yes, i tried it ) Leighton actually LOVES when i give it to her, she keeps opening her mouth for more.


Next on the list....

Once again, first read about this on Ambers blog haha! Now I know first hand about the problems of having an out of whack digestive system, as well as reflux. When I was one I had half my large intestine removed, and in high school I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus and GERD. ( Gastro Intestinal Reflux Disease ) Barrett's esophagus is where the cells lining your esophagus become pre-cancerous due to years and years of acid reflux, hints the GERD. Now, I no longer suffer from these issues ( even though neither one has a cure, thank the Lord HE can cure ALL things ) So yea...this is an important issue for me. Your body literally cannot function properly if your digestive tract isn't working at a top notch rate. We should ALL take pro-biotics. Like I said before, I just never really thought about how important it was until I became a mom! Well let me tell you something, Leighton thrives on this stuff, I put one pack in her bottle ( if you bottle feed do NOT warm up the bottle, and if your doing milk free for you baby make sure you buy a milk free pro-biotic also! ) She goes to the bathroom every day. I think since she's been on it ( about 3 weeks ) she's maybe skipped one day. Which in baby land is pretty awesome! No constipation in this house!! Empty bowels make for a happy baby :)

Vitamin D. This one should be pretty self explanatory. Its especially important for infants, since they aren't getting out into the sun daily, and even more important if your breastfeeding! The recommendation on the bottle is 400IU's, thats one drop. But the recommended dosage for a infant up to 6 months is 1000IU's a day. I personally put the drops in one of Leighton's bottles, but you can also just put it right in their mouth! Going into the flu and cold season the Vitamin D is really important! Im going to do my best to not forget this one everyday! :)

If cuteness alone is not a good enough reason to buy this, I don't know what is! Were all going to be turning on our heaters soon, so this is deffinantley going to be an essential! I turn this on when Leighton is congested, but it also helps to keep the air in her room moist when the heater is running, there is nothing worse than a dry throat!!! And of COURSE I would buy the elephant...between my obsession with elephants, and Taylors thing for penguins, she's not going to really have any choice of what her favorite animal will be! ha!

Last but not least...

So this is another beauty from Amber! -Dont worry I've been doing some research and WILL have some ideas of my own soon..i promise! haha-
This stuff is next to impossible to find, if your in abilene, don't even bother...just order it! Leighton got pretty congested the day before yesterday...I was kind of expecting it, I was pretty sick with a cold and had a fever...I tried my best not to pass it on, but I failed. She seems to handle sickness a lot better than me....but then again she gets to sleep a lot more! ha! I put 5 drops of this in her bottle in the morning. It has some alcohol in it, so 5 drops is really the max amount they should receive, BUT adults can take up to 50 drops a day! It already seems to be drying her nose up, and the gunk in her chest is sounding loose...so I'm hoping within the next day or two she will be snot free!! Now we just started taking this...shes only had it twice, but i plan on giving it to her twice a week for preventative reasons! If we can prevent the colds instead of treat them I'm all for it!


So I'm sure theres plenty of you out there who think I've lost my mind...go ahead...talk about it. haha. I'm okay with it, things change sometimes! Just don't take me wrong, YES I still love Leightons doctor and think that there are times when you just need some professional help. Were just trying to use alternative options instead of antibiotics. Im sure ill come across many more fun things, were only in month 2 of her life...so I will be sure to share! And feel free to send me anything you've learned as well! :)

Halloween, House, and Health

SO...its been awhile! Life has been a little "busy" Lots of work, taking care of a 2 1/2 month old, trying to spend some time with an always working husband..but I made it back! ...today anyway! :)

It was this little girls first Halloween. This was actually her "day before halloween" outfit. We didn't do anything on actual halloween. Reasons?
1. Daddy hates halloween, he was always sick as a kid on halloween so he has a personal grudge ha.
2. She's too little, I mean really, she isn't going to remember it.
3. I didn't want to get stuck with all the candy! I deff don't need all that sugar !

She did wear a little ladybug onesie with a hat that had antennas to her babysitters house, but I forgot to take a picture...yes i know, I'm on top of things! :)


GOOD news! Our house is alllllmost done. SO excited! Were hoping to be moving next week sometime...fingers crossed! I can't wait to set up Leighton's room! Her bedding, curtains, dresser, lamp, all of it has just been sitting in storage since her shower, its going to be like getting gifts all over again when I open it up! ha! Im hoping she adjusts to our new digs quickly...her sleeping and staying with her sitter Tiffany went seamlessly, so heres to hoping its the same with this new place! Taylor gave me a little "re-decorating" budget. Most of our decorations from our old house were reds, oranges, very much fall colors. This time I want to do a cleaner look, more whites, creams, apple green...we will see how it turns out! Pretty soon after we move in it will be time to bust out the Christmas decor! (ill blog later about my burlap Christmas! Ah! ) Wahoo! I can't wait!! :)

So thanks to a fellow blooger/facebook friend/babywise mommy I've come across lots of healthy things for my little girl. You know before I had Leighton, I wasn't an all-natural health type person at all. And i ALWAYS said "just because you become a mom doesn't mean you have to change, or the way you think has to change" BOY was I wrong. Theres something about becoming a mother that just makes you look at everything differently...everrrryythingggg.

I have always been sick. My entire life, its always something. Asthma as a child, tonsils removed in middle school, in and out of the hospital for SO many things its hard to even remember them all, being diagnosed with Barretts Esopohagous in high school, then Chrones disease ( which praise God I have been healed of ) its been a roller coaster of sickness. I desperately want something different for Leighton. Its been nice to follow Ambers blog , and be able to reach out to her for suggestions, as well as doing some research of my own. So on my next blog Im going to share what I've learned, for all the new moms I know, who never thought they would "think" that way!! Im excited about a healthier lifestyle, for myself and my little girl :)