Category Archives: Mommy corner

Countdown to the Big 1

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Omg! 1 year already. 

I seriously don’t know where the time has gone but it has not felt like a year! My baby will be ONE in 7 days. Oh the emotions I feel. I’m so proud of her, and glad to be settled into the new normal and I’m sad to be quickly leaving that baby stage. 

  
She is growing so fast and at times I get baby fever, for real I could have a little village but my hubby is looking at me like I’m crazy. Anyways the last 2 weeks have been full of prep for Saturday’s birthday celebration.

  
 I’m loving this outfit. She is sure to be all smiles when she gets this on. This isn’t the party outfit though. Stay tuned for more of my projects. 
XOXO

Risa

  

Play Dates are Happy and Healthy 

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Most moms are busy!

Which explains why I haven’t posted in weeks, I’m still finding my balance!

I mean life mainly revolves around your child and you fit everything else around them,right? However, I have not met a working mom or for that matter a stay a home mom that isn’t busy and doesn’t have to put in that extra effort to meet up with other moms for play dates.

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If you’ve read any other post of mine you may already know that I work full time. So for that reason, time in the evenings and weekends with my growing baby are especially  precious. This is true for me and my hubby. During the dreaded time that I returned to work I secretly promised myself that I would take time off whenever possible and at least once per month  for play dates and meet-ups with other moms and kiddos even if it meant during my work week. So in addition to our weekends, I intentionally take off during the workweek for playtime of some sort with my little. I like my career but I love my family, so for that, play dates  are a happy place for me as much as they are for my baby.

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If you work how do you make time for play dates? If you are a SAHM, your life is still busy, what ways do you manage to schedule this socialization time for you and your little one?

How to handle “mini-fits” in the early stages

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^ I have no clue

Seriously!! You could not have told me that a 11 month old can have a mini-tantrum and I believe you. We started noticing her personality flourishing for some time now but the side of MJ that she doesn’t always show is when she doesn’t like something. I don’t know what the road ahead of me will be like and the challenge I have is knowing what discipline looks like at this age. So I choose to redirect and repeat.

What seems to work right now is redirecting her attention, and repeating that as often as necessary. I talk to her in between and use a tone that’s serious but not “mean”. I am so torn…my little baby is growing up and I think this is all too soon. My fear is that if I don’t pick up a style of how to parent her during her times of mini-fits that I will wake up 1 day to a full blown tantrum. Is this inevitable?

Help me out mama’s, what do you recall doing to help teach right and wrong and combat the fall outs? I wish I could catch her on video but she will even break her back as if she is going to fall out of your hands or if she is on the floor she turns around in circles, while fussing because she is upset that you took something out of her hand. Lord help me. I wasn’t ready!!

 

XOXO- Risa

Small things change-what they don’t tell you when you become a parent

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Life changes!

Of course it does and it’s small things in our everyday lives that change, that no one really prepares you for. This is the beauty of our journey as parents. Here is a list that both my husband and I encounter but never thought about before and no one really explained the phrase” From here on out life changes”.

No complaints just a list.

  1. Running an errand. Going into a corner store, or just to pick up the prescription at walgreens (if the drive thru is closed) are no longer a simple, quick trip. Trips to the store require planning and a bit of a field trip because I need the stroller, baby carrier, basket or chair cover, or just the right mindset that we are unstrapping the baby, going in the store, and doing what used to be 5 minutes, now is 20 minutes…
  2. Eating dinner in peace. Lol I love dinner time for us but either I have a greedy baby who can smell your food and the fact that it is different from what is on her plate 3 rooms away or all babies love to explore with food and get all in your face when eating dinner. We came up with how to make her think she is eating what we eat and even in a high chair she knows the difference. It is not as simple as it used to be but this is temporary.
  3. Intimacy, Sex, Getting it in…whatever you want to call it. We have to get creative, be flexible, and be spontaneous because your time pre-baby is no longer your time post-baby. Your time is the babies time and you must consciously make time. Early mornings are your friend 😉
  4. Grooming your self. This goes back to your time is now the babies time. I have natural hair. While the misconception is that it is easier to style I seriously beg to differ and I know many will agree. It takes time to style my hair so when I am doing a flexi-rod set she is tossing the rods out of the container. If I am braiding my hair for a braid out, she is climbing on my arms, pulling and exploring in my tresses. It’s not a simple task. No complaints, just my reality. Life Changes.
  5. Dates with your spouse. We are daters. We firmly believe in dating each other and keeping that interest. But the truth is, movie release nights are usually no longer the nights we get to see the movie. Why? you ask. Well simply put, we have less than a handful of baby sitters. I trust my mom, in laws, and my sister. My mom and mom in-laws care for our baby during the week. So the weekends I feel a little guilty about asking, though we do get some away time it isn’t for long periods of time. Additionally the baby can be moody with her aunt (my sis) so who I planned to be my weekend babysitter, MJ isn’t having it, just yet 🙂

I thoroghly enjoy motherhood though, and I know that this is just a season.

What has changed for you?

Until Next Time- Dear Breast Pump

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Breastfeeding has been a rewarding experience

but being away from my baby has been met with many stressful moments, especially with my breast pump.

This week I gradually stopped pumping at work and I am completely content (as I touch one boob to feel if it is engorged). It has been  stressful to say the least. I am still nursing but supplementing during the day unless I pump at night or on the weekends.

Dear breast pump, 

Thank you for being a resource to me as I continue providing my baby with my milk while away from her. She is now 10 months and if she could talk I am sure she would say thank you. It has not been easy getting enough milk for her bottles and some days you were just uncooperative. But overall I wish you well. so until next time….

Sincerely,

Risa -xoxo

My co-workers helped me remove my paper from my office window.

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The sign I put on my door!!

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Until the next baby 😉

 

 

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie (Lactation recipe)

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Express yourself!!

For you mama’s and soon to be mama’s you know it gets real when producing breast milk for your baby! It’s a process and not always easy.

I ate lactation cookies, made smoothies, ordered feenugreek bars, and more importantly relaxed, nursed her as often as possible and pumped like a crazy lady. I made it to 7 months before I started supplementing. I’m still nursing her but she no longer exclusively receives breast milk. That shit is hard!!

So I nurse her in the mornings (which is why I’m late to work sometimes),  in the evenings,  and she drinks formula and breast-milk during the day for the days that I don’t pump enough milk.

Here is a recipe that is not only delicious but gives a boost to your milk.

Ingredients:

  • about 1 cup of frozen strawberries(or more if you desire)
  • 1 cup Almond Milk – or soy
  • 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
  • 2 tablespoons-Brewers yeast- this is the magic. It’s rich in B- vitamins and it works!
  • 1/2 teaspoon -Vanilla extract
  • Honey-optional as an additional sweetner

Brewers yeast can taste bitter (like beer) if you put a lot so masking it with other flavors works for me.

Directions: In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. The oats can leave a texture so be prepared. Pour and serve.

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5 tips to breastfeeding

  1. Work with a lactation consultant or a nurse during the early days in the hospital to help with your technique. It may take some work or it may come natural.
  2. Be open minded. I set myself a 1 month goal, saw the price of formula and then set a 3 month goal, 6 months etc. lol. Just kidding but I was open to formula feeding if necessary.
  3. Be healthy:mind, body, and soul. Take prenatal vitamins,be mindful of what you eat, and remain positive. Do what works for you.
  4. Feed your baby when your baby is hungry even if you are in public. Period. You don’t want to cover, you feel more comfortable with a cover whatever your preference do you. No explanation necessary.
  5. Practice pumping at least 2 weeks before returning to work. You can build a stash and you’ll also see that it’s different from nursing.

First Family Vacation

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Our first weekend get-away on a flight with baby MJ!!

And everything went better than I could have planned. We decided at the last minute that we would take a trip to Miami, Florida and instead of asking my mom to care for our baby we made it a family trip.  Literally my husband called me with the idea, looked up flights and hotels, we flipped a coin. Head or tails? Heads we are going, tails we are staying.

Heads it is!

As a mom I immediately went into thinking about everything I needed to pack  and wanting to have a fun trip but most of all I didn’t want my baby to have a bad flying experience and not having control over that gave me a little anxiety. We had an amazing time and it was the perfect weekend to visit Miami during their Art Deco Festival on Ocean. Talk about food, entertainment, and just good times with the family.

 

After boarding the flight with car seat and stroller in tow our 9 month old was full of smiles. We elected to fly her free so she was a lap passenger and we didn’t purchase a ticket for her.

We made it in one piece and we made it back better than we left.

Most of the must have food was near or on 8th and Ocean. Think Rodeo Houston cook out food. Okay not quite but seriously the grilled food was bomb!

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The weather was beautiful and warm so we totally went to the beach with the little one.

Mommy wasn't exactly ready to bring the beach wear out.

Mommy wasn’t exactly ready to bring the beach wear out.

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Enjoying the food is an under-statement. We had gelato twice. How can you resist? MJ loved the frozen ice.

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We watched the sunset on the beach on Sunday and back on our flight Monday. It was truly a relaxed long weekend. What better way to spend the weekend than with your family.

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Tips For Traveling With an Infant

  1. Plan to pack the stroller and car seat. Even if you will be baby-wearing, mostly walking to your destination the baby will need to be in a car seat during the taxi drives. Most airlines gate check this for free. Also the stroller is a luxury for you and the baby because you will not want to carry the baby all the time. You can decide if an umbrella stroller (small stroller) is best for you. I didn’t want to  carry a diaper bag/back pack so I placed it under our travel system stroller.
  2. During take off and landing  feed your baby. This can be nursing, bottle feeding, or eating some snacks but just like our ears pop so does the baby ears. Eating or sucking will help with that. MJ was not concerned and actually slept when we landed in Miami and up talking when we returned in Houston.
  3.  Pack your babies favorite toy, book, or teether to keep him/her occupied and not restless. A two hour flight goes so quickly that we didn’t have to worry about her getting restless.
  4. Pack ziplock bags to keep your luggage organized. Small socks can disappear quickly, zip-lock worn clothes, hair bows, just about anything.
  5. And lastly don’t be concerned if he/she cries or whines that you are distracting the passengers. Babies will cry at times so don’t stress. We had people snoring on the flight, talking loud, or coughing. I was the least bit concerned if she cried but she didn’t.

Oh yeah and have patience with TSA. They have a job to do and if you are polite then they reciprocate. They will “test” the milk to try to detect drugs I guess. I am assuming some people have smuggled illegal things into the country through a child’s diaper or milk bag…smh. now we all have to be looked at.

Have you traveled with a child? How was your experience?

XOXO-Risa

9 months in – 9 months out

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OMG where did time go?

These last 9 months have been exhilarating and packed with passion, excitement, love, peace, and growth. I am a different woman after MJ was born. She is my world. God trusted in me and my husband to produce this beautiful child and raise her.  I take my responsibility seriously, and I am loving every minute of it.

The first two months were like boot camp and it went at a speed that I didn’t know existed. By 5 months we made it to the “too cute stage” and it just gets better. At 9 months, it is so fun because we are trying new recipes, she is exploring, and I feel back to normal.

9 Things I love about Motherhood

  1. I wake up to the happiest baby alive. Seriously this little baby wakes up smiling, laughing and saying “Hi”. She has always been content, even since birth. In the delivery room she barely cried. She is a content baby, but beyond content she is full of joy.  Having her happy makes me happy.
  2. I get to create my own traditions for our family. Before her it was just R and I. We’ve been together so long that yes we had some common themes about the way we do things but having a child has even changed that a bit so it seems like a fresh start.
  3. I love with such passion, it is genuine and that love is reciprocated from such a tiny, innocent soul. There is no gray area.
  4. Motherhood gave me purpose. I have read purpose driven life at least 3 times, and never once did it occur to me that being a mother, a role model, a caregiver would be one of my purposes. But it comes so natural. My life has been given purpose and it puts pieces of the puzzle in other areas of my life together. I am whole.
  5. I’ve been challenged to think about my health and make better decisions. What I prepare for my baby is given a great amount of  thought. It started with pregnancy and being aware of what I dined on. Now that I prepare her meals and even when I buy a snack from the stores I read labels, research ingredients, prepare and prefer fresh, and beyond just her meals I think and modify what I feed myself and my husband. But I still love junk..All in moderation is what they say!!… Whataburger #1 no unions please!!
  6.  I’m okay with saying no to others and putting my family first. We can’t be all things to all people and until having MJ I felt guilt about missing social outings, not visiting family every week… Now I’m at peace. A working mom’s time is limited, she must spend it wisely and make family decisions.
  7. Appreciating the small luxuries of life (breath, freedom, love, etc.) If my baby can wake up with a smile in the morning, and after every nap, well damn it so can we! I tease her and say “God is good.” all the time, God is good.”  Because if she could talk I promise she looks like she would say that every time she gets up, its contagious and hilarious. Appreciate life and the small things.
  8. Being a conqueror. Motherhood has built strength and character. Honestly from the start of my 36 hours of labor,  while I was birthing a baby, God was birthing a strong woman out of me. Seriously, every week is a new learning curve for me, a new challenge, and with me as the Victor! Being a mother stretches you to new lengths. Life is limitless.
  9. Having a front row seat in my family memories everyday is something I would not trade for anything. I understand the people who post first day of school pictures, who talk endlessly about their children…I get it. Children are a gift from God and we are proud of them, as we should be.

Psalm 127:3 Children are a gift from the Lord;they are a reward from him. (NLT)

Honestly my list is longer and I am sure it will evolve as my journey through motherhood evolves but in the spirit of celebrating 9 months I will pause here.

What do you love about motherhood?