Clean out the ducts!

Today has been a very interesting day for me.  I woke up and things were pretty normal...everything was going along just fine and feeding Nataleigh was going well.  I don't know if I sleep in a wrong position last night but I have some clogged milk ducts that just won't let down!  I have tried taking a hot shower..so hot I broke out in hives!!!  I tried massaging it...didn't work...I tried nursing with Nataleigh in different holds but that hasn't helped.  Warm compresses...tried it....didn't work!  I've pumped and that doesn't have nearly the suction power as my little hoover Nataleigh!  I'm not sure what else I can do.  I am praying that it unclogs before we go away for the weekend!  I am going to be nursing through the night to try and get it unclogged....so long sleep...(it's overrated anyway RIGHT?!)  If it's not cleared up by tomorrow I am going to have to call my doctor and get some kind of relief...it is VERY painful.  I am keeping an eye on it because I definitely don't want it to turn into mastitis!  Please pray that it would unclog!  Thank you!

Baby Safe Feeders

Yesterday as I was eating breakfast with Nataleigh she was getting mad because I wasn't feeding her any of my oatmeal.  I decided I was going to use my Baby Safe Feeders.  You put in a piece of food into the mesh liner and close it up and then give it your baby and then watch them go to town on it!  I gave Nataleigh a piece of banana and she just loved it! 

This is one version of the baby safe feeders.  This version looks a little easier to open than mine.  I have to push two little teeth together to open the latch to put the food in.  This one you unscrew to open it which is way easier!  Baby Safe Feeders from Babies R' Us sell for $10.99.  Images courtesy of Babies R' Us.  

You can get this  Sassy version from Walmart for $10.50.  Image courtesy of Walmart.

 This was when she first got it...she is getting so big and is able to hold onto it all by herself!

I just love this picture of her!  She really loves her banana!

Just thought I would show you these awesome feeders...I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone!
Well that is all for now...till next time!

My sweet husband!

Yesterday when I went shopping to get all of the supplies for Nataleigh's bow holder he called me and asked what we were doing for supper, I told him I hadn't thought about it yet but I would figure something out when I got home.  He called me back 15 minutes later and asked where a pot to boil water was kept.  He told me that he was going to make some dinner for us!  I was so excited...I didn't have to cook and he was making ME dinner!!!  When I got home he told me he was making macaroni and cheese with smoked sausage and mandarin oranges!  YUMMY!!!  The Mac N' Cheese was perfect...the meat on the other hand wasn't!  Let me explain a little...Nate bit into it and then took another bite and then looked at it and said, "Emma, what is this green thing in my sausage?"  I walked over and looked and I had no clue what it was...so we didn't eat the sausage...He was disappointed and sickened at the same time...he really wanted to eat the sausage but wasn't going to chance getting sick from doing so!  It was still sweet of him to cook for me! 

Today, Nate & I cleaned out the bookcase that holds all of Nate's books and papers for college.  He threw out so much stuff that he can now fit ALL of his books in the bookcase!  We are both looking forward to moving into a bigger apartment...we are kind of outgrowing our 1 bedroom!  It has been a great apartment though.

I just wanted to Praise my husband for doing some really sweet things for me!  I love him so much!

Till next time!

P.S. Don't buy Meijer brand smoked sausage (keilbasa) 

Nataleigh's bow holder!!!

I am so excited I finally finished Nataleigh's bow holder! It only took me two days! I could have got it done in one but I was preoccupied with cleaning and of course Nataleigh!

This is how I made it:

Supplies:
2 circular wood cut-outs
2 laser etched dragonflys
brown paint
green paint
paint brushes
hot glue gun & glue
white ribbon
scissors
sanding paper

1. I painted the dragonflys green and let them dry before applying another coat of paint.

2. While I was waiting for the first layer of paint to dry, I sanded the circular wood cut-outs because the edges were a little rough and I wanted them to be smooth. Once I got them to where they were smooth I wiped them off with a towel to grab the dust (I didn't want my paint to get all messed up once I started to paint!)

3. I painted the circular wood cut-out brown to match Nataleigh's crib bedding.

4. While the brown paint was drying, I applied another coat of paint to the dragonflys and switched between the two until they both had 3-4 coats of paint on them and the wood was not showing through the paint.

5. I cut a piece of ribbon and used my hot glue gun to apply it to the back of the circular wood cut-out (once it was dry) I placed one strip of glue and pressed my ribbon to the wood quickly so I didn't burn my finger. I measured about 3 inches away from the first ribbon and did the same thing to the other side of the ribbon.

6. I cut two more longer pieces of ribbon about 12" long for the bows to cling onto. I glued one end to the bottom of the same circular cut-out that had the first piece of ribbon on it. I measured so that the ribbon was align with the ribbon up top and glued my ribbon in place. I took the second piece of ribbon and aligned it with the other side of ribbon up top and glued it into place.

7. I glued both pieces of ribbon to the back side of the other circular wood cut-out and aligned it up with the other end so that the ribbon was even.

Here is the what it looks like! I am pretty happy with how it turned out...I might even make a couple to hang by her crib!

7 Things Sunday

Hello everyone! I'm continuing my posts on 7 Things Sunday....just random thoughts of mine/dreams/goals in life...so here they are!

1. Sorry to repeat from last week but boy am I glad MSU won and now are in the Final 4! Back-to-back years! Yeah Baby!!!

2. Nate & I love The Amazing Race on CBS at 8pm, our favorite group right now is the Cowboy Brothers...they are just sooo funny! Well they came so close to being out...thank goodness that it was a non-elimination round! YAY for them and for us to watch them get back into the game!

3. Nataleigh is now able to go from sitting to her belly...sometimes she gets frustrated trying to do it but when she does do it...all is well! <3 my little girl!

4. Nate's last day of work was on Friday...woo hoo! So thankful we can spend some more quality time together! He graduates in about a month from now....getting so excited!

5. We have decided that we are going to Nate's parents for Easter...should be a fun time!

6. I love getting ***FREE*** underwear from Victoria's Secret! I haven't had to buy a pair of underwear in almost 3 years! Sorry if that is TMI!!! I just love that shop though!

7. I am going to make a craft tomorrow to hold all of Nataleigh's bows....looking forward to what I create...I will post pictures when I am done creating! YAY for Crafts!!!!

Well that's all for now...talk to you all later!

Nataleigh's newest accessory!

This afternoon, Nataleigh & I went for a walk around the apartment complex. I was cleaning the other day in our bedroom and found a pair of sunglasses my mom got for Nataleigh for this summer. So before I took her outside, I tried them on her and they fit! She looked so cute! It was a nice afternoon to go for a walk...probably around 55-60 degrees...bright and sunny....we both loved it! Nataleigh was just talking away as we strolled along. I even jogged for a few minutes (man am I out of shape!) I wanted to jog the whole thing but I decided or at least my lungs decided it was better for me to walk briskly! I had a great time being in God's creation and soaking up the sun instead of being inside all day! I am happy that spring is here...more walks as a family outside! I am hoping to take Nataleigh to a playground sometime soon so that she can go for a swing...I am curious to see how she will like it...if my guess is right she will love it like everything else in her life! She is such a content baby and just happy with whatever she is doing/playing with. One of her favorite toys now is the mirror...I haven't let her play in front of it very much so I decided today I would try it out...boy does she just start a jabbering away!! I got such a kick out of and then she would look away and then look back into the mirror and get excited all over again! I love this little girl so much! God has blessed our family! Here a few pictures! Till next time!

Meeting with my MOPS group

Yesterday, Nataleigh & I met up with my MOPS group at the South Bend Chocolate Cafe in downtown South Bend. They have really good sandwiches, wraps, soups and deserts! We try and meet up once a month somewhere outside our using meeting place at church to just have fun, let our kiddos play and to have adult conversations. Most of us are stay-at-home moms so we all agree it's nice to get out of the house and wear other clothes besides sweatpants and t-shirts! 4 of us met up with our kids and we had a really good time! Nataleigh played with Evolette (Halee's daughter) and Cosette (Natalie's daughter). The three of them were having so much fun. Nataleigh just loves being around other babies, she is so fascinated by them. Hopefully they will inspire/teach her to crawl...she is getting close!

Here are a few pictures of our meeting!