May favorites

It's almost the end of the month so it's time to share some of my mommy and baby favorites for May, I decided to do them together this month.

Mommy & baby favorites for May!

Honest Co. products – I signed up for free Honest Co. samples a while ago (I only had to pay for shipping), I picked the diapers/wipes bundle and the essentials bundle (lotion, soap, shampoo, body wash, etc). I got them pretty quick but I put them away and forgot until a few weeks ago. I really love these samples! All of their products are eco friendly and all natural. I’m not a crunchy mom but I’m never opposed to all natural products, I think it’s great. The shampoo and lotion smell amazing and the diapers are awesome (no leaks) I almost didn’t want to put them on her because they are so adorable, I picked all the girly patterns. I’m pretty bummed that we used up most of our samples already. I plan on buying more when I can but right now I’m trying to save some money. I wonder if Jessica Alba answers the phone at Honest Co? I swear it sounded exactly like her when I called to cancel, I wanted to ask but whoever it was would probably think I was crazy (unless it really was her!) Anyways, I will be buying more of this sometime in the future, hopefully soon! You can check out the Honest Co. website to see everything that is included in their bundles. They recently announced on their Facebook page that the products will be available at Target soon, I am definitely going to check that out.

I Heart My Little A-Holes book - This book seriously had me cracking up so much that I had to stop reading it in bed. I thought I was going to wake up Paul with my laughing. The first few chapters were just hysterical; there was also some serious stuff. If you’re a mom (or even thinking about becoming a mom) and you need a good laugh (which we all do), I highly recommend this book. I finished it in a few days, I couldn’t put it down.

PINK body mist: Total Flirt – My mom had this and I loved it so she got me one. I don’t really like wearing perfume in the summer because it’s so strong. I feel like body mist is a lot lighter (if that makes sense) and this has a clean and summery smell to it. I’ve already used it a lot; I don’t think it will last the whole summer.

Mommy Loves book - This was an add on from our Citrus Lane box. Olivia changes with the wind. One day she loves something, the next she does not. Right now this is her favorite book. It’s really cute, every page has a different animal and it says “Mommy cat loves her kittens” so it teaches kids what all the baby animals are called. At the end it says “Most of all, my mommy loves me!” Olivia gets a huge smile on her face when I read that part, it’s pretty stinkin adorable.

Heart update!

I didn't sleep much last night because I was worried about Liv's cardiology appointment today. She hasn't been to the cardiologist since November. Everything looked good back then but every time we go, I cross my fingers hoping for good news. It's really scary not knowing if things will be better or worse. Paul came with us today, I was glad because I really hate going alone. First she had her EKG, she cried a little bit but she was pretty good for most of it. The nurse was trying to play with her and distract her. She gave her some Dora stickers and Liv was happy, for about a minute. Then she had her echo, that took longer but luckily they had a Dora DVD so she watched that while they checked her. It only worked for about half the time, she would cry for a few minutes and then watch Dora for a few minutes and then cry again. So it went okay but she got pretty mad about halfway through and tried jumping off my lap. When we saw the cardiologist he said he was really happy with her weight gain. She jumped from 5% last visit to 10% this visit, he said that's really great. I asked a bunch of questions (of course) and he put my mind at ease a bit. Her coarc repair still looks good, it's growing with her and it's wide open like it should be. Her asd and vsd (holes in her heart) closed a little more but not completely. They are going to keep monitoring them and if she ends up needing surgery it won't be until she's around four or five. I'm really hoping that she doesn't need another surgery, the doctor seemed optimistic that she wouldn't. He also said that sometimes they can do a cath procedure instead of open heart surgery. I rather do that, well.. I rather it not be an issue at all but I'm really hoping we are done with heart surgery, I don't know if I can get through it again. I'm glad the doctors are happy with her progress and I hope she continues to do well. We don't have to go back for another six months, her next appointment is the first week in December so I'm going to try to put all my worries aside until then!

 

These pictures pretty much describe the whole visit. Distracted, crying, distracted.

Memorial Day weekend

It was a pretty relaxing weekend, we just hung around for most of it. It was nice to have Paul home for an extra day, he let me sleep in a little longer than I usually do. We went to a cookout at my aunts house on Sunday, that was fun. Olivia loved running around in the big backyard they have and I loved the food. One of my favorite things about summer is going to cookouts. I'm obsessed with the food! I absolutely love to eat cheeseburgers, barbeque chicken, potato salad and watermelon (fatty!) ..seriously, it's my favorite. I was so full when we left but it was so worth it. Liv surprised me and ate more than usual, she actually had half a hot dog, a little chicken, potato salad and lots of watermelon. We were thinking about bringing Olivia to the parade on Monday but decided next year would be better. She probably wouldn't care too much this year and she gets antsy when I make her sit still for a long time. Anyway.. like I said, the rest of the weekend we didn't do much but I'm not complaining about that, if you read my last post you will understand why I was so beat yesterday.

 I love these two! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Rough night

Last night was just awful. Olivia woke up crying every 10-15 minutes. I don't know why, around 3am I gave her some Tylenol thinking maybe it was due to teething but it didn't help at all. She wasn't sick, she didn't have a fever, she wasn't hungry so I have no idea why she woke up so much. I didn't get any sleep, looking over at Paul snoring made me want to strangle him (I didn't) but I did nudge him and make him go deal with her one time. One time out of fifty! It was so completely exhausting and I've been in a bad mood all day thanks to lack of sleep. I wasn't expecting her to still have sleep issues at 15 months old but I guess it will be like this for a while. I was hoping she would take two naps today but she still only took one. She was pretty cranky along with me so it wasn't a very fun day. Ugh. Luckily I got her to bed a little early tonight and now I'm ready to go pass out too. On a lighter note, it was a pretty good weekend but I'll post about that tomorrow.

The sniffles

Olivia got me sick.. again! I feel like I just had a cold, how did I get another one so quick? Hm okay maybe it was a few months ago, I have no concept of time lately. I used to get a cold maybe once a year, now it seems like every time Olivia catches a cold (all the time), I get one too. We didn't go to play group today, kinda bummed but I figured it would be a good idea to keep our germs at home. It was a pretty boring day, we just hung out around the house. We were both pretty tired so we cuddled on the couch for a while and I took a nap when she did, it was very necessary. Last night I didn't sleep at all, I got maybe 3-4 hours of broken up sleep, not fun. I used to be able to get over colds pretty quick, I would just sleep the day away and drink a ton of orange juice. I would be back to normal in two days. It takes so much longer to recover now because I'm not able to sleep enough, which is probably why I keep catching her colds. My immune system is shot. I just wanted to give a quick update, I may be MIA for the next few days.

Livy's 15 month checkup

Olivia had her 15 month checkup today! She is still little miss tiny, she weighs 18lbs 3oz and is 28.5" tall (which is pretty dang short). So the pediatrician said she's 10% for weight and 5% for height but she's gone up on her curve so that's good. I told him about her picky eating habits and he said it's normal for her age, he suggested a vitamin and I think it's a good idea. I'm always worried about her not getting enough vegetables or meat so that should help a little. I had to wake her up from her nap to bring her to the appointment so she was extra cranky. He was mentioning how around this age kids start getting scared of strangers. She seemed fine but when he started checking her ears and eyes, she freaked out and started crying. I kept thinking "just wait for the needles". She screamed at the top of her lungs during and after her shots. I felt bad for her but jeez she has a high pitched scream, I can still hear a ringing in my ears. Luckily she took another nap when we got home. After that we played outside for a while, it was so nice out! I didn't get any sleep last night so I felt kinda blah all day, glad it's over and I'm hoping I can get some sleep tonight.

 

Another busy weekend

I meant to post this yesterday but I forgot. I wasn't home much this weekend. Friday night I stayed in so I could spend time with Olivia since I had so much to do the rest of the weekend. Saturday afternoon I went job hunting so my mom watched Olivia, I went pretty much everywhere so hopefully I find something soon. Then I met up with one of my friends to get our nails done and have dinner. After that I went out bowling with my other friend for her birthday. It was a lot of fun but I pretty much suck at bowling now (I swear I used to be really good, we used to go every week). On Sunday I went to my cousins bridal shower, it was fun and nice to spend time with my mom. I discovered a new obsession while I was there too.. Moscato, it was my first time trying it. I've never had wine that sweet, I usually stick to Pinot Grigio but it was so good! It might be my new favorite. I was happy to finally relax when I got home. Paul watched Olivia most of the weekend but I'm glad they got to spend some time together since he doesn't see her much during the week, she loves her daddy. It was a great weekend but I really missed Livy. She caught a cold too so she's been a little cranky tonight, hoping she feels better soon!

 With my BFF on the left and my awesome mom on the right.

Citrus Lane review - May 2014

We had a very busy weekend (I will post about that tomorrow) but I finally have a minute to do this review. I got Olivia's Citrus Lane box yesterday. Citrus Lane is a monthly subscription box for babies/toddlers. You pay a certain price per month depending on how long you want to subscribe (it’s cheaper for the longer subscriptions). Every month you receive four to five items for your child and sometimes something for you as well. The boxes are age and gender appropriate (or you can pick neutral). This box is for a 15 month old girl (I think). I’m not sure when their cutoff date is, she turned 15 months on the 16^th so I don't know if this is a 14 or 15 month box.

Everything Olivia got in her May Citrus Lane box.

Crocidile Creek 5" jungle orange playball:
We finally got to pick an item! I kept reading comments about other people getting to pick something in their box and this is the first time we were able to pick, I was overly excited. We had the choice of different patterns for this rubber ball and I liked this one the best. I actually picked it because it's gender neutral. I figured that I should stop buying so many girly things in case the next one is a boy (if we even have another kid). Olivia loves this! She has been carrying it around, rolling it, throwing it and kicking it. It's small but it's perfect for her little hands, she's been playing with it a lot. Retails for: $8.99

Goodbyn snack container:
I know this will get used but I think we are all set on plates/bowls/tupperware. Olivia has gotten one or the other in pretty much every subscription box (not just Citrus Lane). I have yet to buy her one at the store, hopefully we don't get too many more because the cabinets are filling up quick, there's not much room left. Anyways, I like this and it's good for on the go so it will come in handy and dishwasher safe is always a plus. Retails for: $5.50

Green Toys stacking cups:
At first I wasn't too excited about getting this, we already have a few stackers but this one is a bit different. It's thick sturdy plastic, the cups are star shaped and I like the colors. I think this will double as a bath toy and apparently they are volume accurate. When she is older, they can be used to teach her some math skills, which I am terrible at but I'll try. I actually saw these at the store the other day and debated buying them, glad that I decided not to. She has been playing with these a lot, her favorite thing to do is bang them together but she was stacking them too. Retails for: $10.99

Back to Nature - Honey graham sticks:
I have yet to give Olivia anything with honey in it (paranoid irrational mom) because I know it's one of the high allergen foods but I'm sure it will be fine. I saw some spoilers and was hoping we would get the chocolate chip cookies, these look good too though. I like having snacks that I can just grab and throw in the diaper bag on the way out the door. Retails for: $1.60

Jasmine Seven - Fresh feet wipes :
Okay Citrus Lane, what are you trying to say hm? My feet don't smell! Well.. I hope they don't. These are.. interesting. I guess I will try them. Possibly after wearing flip flops at the park or beach, they could come in handy. I'm not loving the scent though, peppermint is not my favorite. Nothing exciting but still useful ..I guess. Retails for: $3 (they only had a 3 pack on the website so that's just an estimate).

 

I really loved the box this month and so did Olivia! The total value of this box is about $30. I got a six month subscription and with coupons, I paid about $15 per month. It's definitely worth it to me. However, if I paid the full price of $29 per month, I would be a bit disappointed with the value this month. With that being said, Citrus Lane always has coupon codes and awesome deals so keep an eye out. If you're interested in getting a Citrus Lane subscription for your child, you can use the code TAKETEN for $10 off your first box or you can use my referral link to get 50% off your first box - Melissa's CL referral. It's a subscription so make sure you cancel after your receive your boxes or you will be charged again.

 

It's so hard to take pictures when she just wants to play but I tried. (Happy customer!)