A Letter to the Dog

Dear Midas:

I picked you from a picture and got damn LUCKY! I almost picked your brother, he looked more like the traditional Boston Terrier, but your picture was the first to come though on my phone and there was just something about you, and I had to act fast or risk losing you. So I sent a email back to the breeder saying I would take the first puppy and then called your dad and sent him your picture -- your dad thought I was crazy. I remember being nervous and wondering what had I just done, after all I was not a dog person, but like I said we got lucky. That does not mean you are not a messy, time consuming money pit but you are a money pit I'm really grateful for.

You were my first baby, and you helped to prepare me for Isadora, which is something I am more grateful for then I can express. Over the last two years you and I have spent a lot of time together, you have sat by my side as I have written countess grad papers; we have walked so many miles together; and you were the only one there when I found out I was going to have a baby -  you sat with me as I cried happy and scared tears over that realization and I thank you for that. But mostly I'm so grateful that you have been with me day in and day out as I have tried my best to figure this whole motherhood thing out!

I realize you would much rather spend the day with dad, and I love how you get so incredibly excited when he comes home. I know that your days with me and Izzy are often boring and that you wish everyday was Saturday but Thank You for being there for me. Thank You for being so sweet to my baby girl, your patience and gentelness with her is amazing, and I promise that one day soon she will be able to play with you too.

Midas you're something special - you manage to be an old soul and a puppy at heart all at once.

Thank you for loving your humans!

with love,
your mom

Baby Product Favorites from a New Mom

Product Reviews seem to be a new favorite of mine, when I make a purchase I love to do my research, look at all the reviews and see what others have to say about a product. I also found baby product reviews and blogger lists of favorites so helpful when it came to preparing for Isadora's arrival. For me the baby stores were overwhelming, there is so much to choose from, and who knew you could spend so much money so quickly (and I can shop folks). Plus, as a first time mom it so easy to over buy in some areas and miss other necessities. So I thought I would put together a list of a few baby products that we have loved and are still loving at our house after nearly 6 months of use. 

 

1. ERGObaby Carrier: So I did not do any research on the Ergo before I bought it. I saw it on sale for an amazing price and purchased it on impulse and I am so glad I did as I use it constantly now. I feel like it is very well made and worth the money, plus Izzy loves it now (not so much at first). My only issue with is if you are on the small side (which I am) it can take some adjusting to get a good fit and it can be difficult to get on by your self; however, after using it for a while you get use to it.

2. Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer: My husband claims this was the best $30 we have spent since Izzy was born and even though I breastfeed it has been very useful. It warms a full bottle up super fast, it will work with glass or plastic bottles, it has a great chart on the back to tell you how much time to set it for, and you do not have to put water in it every time you need to use it. Now do you really need a bottle warmer? No, hot water out of the tap with work, but it takes a lot of time and when you leave baby home with dad and baby is screaming for food dad will be glad you bought it. 

3. Dohm Sound Machine: I.Love.This.Thing!!!! I read somewhere that this was the best white noise machine and that one must have a white noise machine for a newborn so I stuck it on my registry and was so happy to receive it as a gift. Fast forward to bringing Izzy home from the hospital, I pulled it out of the box and plugged it in in my bedroom, well I fell in love with sleeping with white noise and had to buy a second machine when we transitioned Izzy to her own room. That's right folks I own 2 of these and in my opinion they are worth every penny! But, don't they have an app for that? Yes, buy the sound machine anyway or your baby will be sleeping with your phone.

4. Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets: These are a must have, likley someone will gift you a set. Seriously though they are the best, we tried all different types of swaddles, convinced that Izzy hated to be swaddled - WRONG! we were just doing it incorrectly. Once we went back to using these blankets and swaddling her correctly (thank you Chira) she slept like a champ (well until recently)!

5. Aden & Anais Burp Cloths/Bib: If my house was on fire and I had the time after getting Izzy, Midas, and Eric out I just might go back in for these burp cloths! My child has spit up constantly since she came out, we have tried medication, and every trick in the book but the kid vomits upwards of 20 times a day. So we have been though our share of burp cloths and these are the best!!! I have washed them more times then I can count and they just get softer, they soak up a ton of vomit, and they are substantial in size. Flannel burp cloths, while cute, do not soak up spit-up but rather allow it to run straight off and on to your clothes!

6. 4moms mamaRoo: Oh how I wish we had had this when we first brought our baby girl home. When we first saw this gadget at the baby store, we mocked it, saying something to the effect of "look you don't even have to parent anymore". Oh how stupid and naive we were, but we did already have a swing at home and we figured our little bundle of joy would love said swing. However, that was not the case and my father decided that Izzy must have the mamaRoo and was kind enough to purchase it for us (despite my protests). Izzy does like the mamaRoo and we still use it today, it did not lull her to sleep as I was hoping but she did not get it till she was 3 months old. Bottom line, this thing is cool, your phone connects to it, it has a much smaller foot print then a traditional baby swing, the seat is machine washable, and if you save the box its quite easy to store. Tip: the mamaRoo is cheepest at BuyBuy Baby as you can use a 20% off coupon on it!!!

There you have it, 6 of my favorite baby products! 

*I was NOT compensated for the review of the above items, I purchased all of the items myself with the exception of the mamaRoo, which was purchased by my parents as a gift.  

A Gold and Coral Nursery for Isadora

Months ago, right before Izzy was born I finished her Nursery and then never posted pictures. My husband thought I was crazy for the amount of time, work, and money I put into the room but agreed that it turned out rather well. This was the first time I decorated a room from scratch , hell this was the first time I have had the money and drive to do so. So after spending more hours on Pinterest looking for ideas then I care to admit and after bargain shopping my way all over the internet and the greater DC area here is Miss Isadora's nursery:

There is a story behind the coral dressers: in the planning of the nursery I desperately wanted to paint a dresser a bright color for Izzy's room. My husband, knowing how much of a project it would be, said if I wanted to, go ahead, but it was my project and he would have non of it. In the end, after countless trips to Home Depot, he ended up doing the whole project which included two coats of primer and 4 coats of paint; but hey I put on the hardware/knobs. These dressers are also an Ikea Hack, they stared life like this!

I love how Izzy's nursery turned out, it was so much fun to put together and I think I have caught the decorating bug!

Crib: DaVinci Jenny Lind Crib
Rocker: Custom Order from Buy Buy Baby
Art Work: Etsy/Family
Gold Dots: Walls Need Love
Bed Skirt: Made by my mother
Gold Letters: JoAnn (I painted them gold)
Dressers: Ikea Hemnes

Best Baby Sunhat

Loving this Baby Sunhat! After looking everywhere for a sunhat for Izzy (and buying two useless ones) I came across the Iplay Solid Brim Sun/Beach Hat and decided to give it a try. The hat has a draw sting around the brim, so its adjustable to fit your baby's head which also makes it stay put. The hat is also UPF 50, machine washable, and has a breathable lining. It comes in a bunch of great colors so at only $11.25 I think it's a steal!!

Baby Girl: Isadora Alice Maughan

 Our little Izzy was born on January 3rd at 11:30 am.

Weighing 6 pounds 6 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long.

We settled on the name Isadora early on in my pregnancy but kept it a secret until after her birth. Isadora's middle name, Alice, is a family name; she is named after Eric's grandmother, Shirley Alice Maughan, and my great-grandmother, Alice Seamons. The accompanying pictures were taken by the talented Abbie Rufener when Isadora was exactly 3 weeks old.

We are so in love with our little Izzy, it is hard to believe this amazing little being is ours!

Finding Maternity Clothes for Petite Women

Finding petite maternity clothing was not an easy venture and I wanted to share what brands worked for me as there does not seem to be a single company out there that makes maternity clothing in petite sizes - and I mean truly petite sizes not just 0 or XS. 

So here are the brands of maternity clothing that worked best for me. As a frame of reference I am 5'3", at the beginning of my pregnancy I weighed 102lbs, and usually wore a size 0P or PXS.

Maternity Clothing for Petite Women Reviews:
 
Pants
Paige Denim - I got lucky and scored a pair on Zulily that claimed to be a petite/short length, but they were still to long and I was lazy and never got the hemmed (something I am going to do so I can wear then after the baby is born). These jeans worked great during my 1st and most of my 2nd trimester but then due to the fact that they have and underbelly design with stretchy side panels I could not continue to wear them.

Maternal America - I bought a pair of cropped pants by Maternal America (online) and found them to run very small which in my option is a good thing. I had to return them to a larger size and they worked great for the summer and fall. However, they were not the best quality.

Old Navy - I have a pair of their Full-Panel Rockstar Jeggings that I have been able to wear them all the way to the end of my pregnancy. The best part is these pants are very inexpensive and almost always on sale - I think I got mine for $13.

**Lilac Clothing - The best pair of pants I bought throughout my whole pregnancy would have to be the Straight Leg Denim Jean by Lilac Clothing, and I very nearly sent them back. I purchased them on GILT thinking I was buying a pair of shorts for our summer vacation however, what arrived was a pair of pants that my husband told me to keep as they were cute. I have worn these jeans constantly since about 20 weeks on and they still fit great. Plus they are great quality, hold their shape, are crazy comfortable, and wash up amazingly. My only regret is I did not buy a pair of their skinny jeans!

Tops
I think maternity tops and blouses are the hardest to find when you are petite and I found a lot of brands made their shirts much to long for my frame and my belly, though there were a few that worked.

Target - The Liz Lange cotton t-shirts worked well for me after I washed them in hot water and dried them on high. I have pretty much lived in these shirts, both the long and short sleeve versions, they are decent quality but nothing outstanding.

*I was also able to find several other maternity tops at Target but different styles were hit and miss and I found that I really had to go in a try stuff on there.

GAP - I had the most luck with gap maternity shirts, blouses, and sweaters; I found that their tops ran a little on the smaller and shorter side and were better quality at a decent price point then most other maternity stores. The only draw back is for most of us you can only shop their maternity department online, though keep in mind if you spend $50 or more shipping is free and return shipping is always FREE; plus, I swear they are always having a sale. Here are a two of my favorite GAP maternity staples:

• Pure Body Tank : I have this in white, I wish I had it in every color they make.
• Essential V-neck Pocket T

Dresses
If you love dresses or attend any sort of function that requires you to dress up regularly (church, work, etc.) I suggest investing in a few dresses that make you feel pretty and that you can wear throughout your pregnancy.


Isabella Oliver - I managed to score three dresses from Isabella Oliver on sale that have been in constant rotation nearly my whole pregnancy. Now I realize that they are on the more expensive side especially when you realize that you may only be able to wear the dress for 6 months, but to me it was worth it to feel put together and stylish while constantly expanding in size.

•  My favorite dress I bought during pregnancy was the Emily Dress from IO (which is on sale right now). The dress is designed to allow you wear and nurse after delivery. I Love This Dress!

The other best places I found for maternity dresses were GILT and Zulily. Other brands that worked well for me with regard to dresses were NOM, Jessica Simpson Maternity, and Imanimo.

When I became pregnant I told myself I was not going to buy maternity clothing until I was in my 2nd trimester and I was not going to spend a lot of money. Well neither of those two things held as I realized by 8 weeks that due to my small frame I was going to show much sooner then I had expected. It seemed like pants no longer fit, I was crazy uncomfortable in my regular clothes and my very little baby was making my tummy go straight out! Oh I tried the belly band thing and the button extender trick but maternity pants were just so much more comfortable and I am so glad I did not listen to all the advice to wait a buy maternity clothes until the 2nd trimester.

So I hope you find this list helpful, especially if your a petite woman looking for maternity wear.
Good Luck!!

Going Curly: Tips, Tricks, and Products

 This picture is about a year after I went back to curly, it was one of this first times I looked in the mirror and thought 

"hey, I like my curls"

You would not know it from my profile picture which was taken several years ago (to the right) that I have naturally curly hair. In high school I fought with my curly hair for years and by college I gave up an began straitening my hair, convinced that be attractive I needed sleek straight hair. Now this worked okay for a while as I lived in Utah which enjoys next to no humidity so straight hair was a possibility, after moving to DC I continued to straiten my hair for three years until June 29, 2012 when the region was hit by a derecho (aka - a very bad storm) and we lost power, leaving me without the ability to use my flat iron. Truth be told I was considering going back to curly before the storm but needed the push and low and behold with the right products and stylist I found that I could actually love my curly hair and I have not straighten it since the storm.

Going curly again was very scary for me, we all have that one thing about our physical appearance that we are very self-conscious about (if you claim you don't, your lying) and well for me that would be my hair! To say I hated my curly hair in high school would be a huge understatement and now I'm convinced that had I known what I know now and had good curly hair products existed back then my self-confidence with regard to my appearance would have been greatly improved in high school!

So with that said I wanted to share with you which curly hair products and tips/tricks have worked for me, ultimately allowing me to love my curly hair (well most days that is)! I do this because had someone else not shared there tips and tricks with me I would still be fighting with my hair to this day.

First, It is important to remember that all curly hair is different and if you have curly or wavy hair it is important to understand your curl pattern, amongst other factors and the Curly Girl Handbook and this website are a great place to start.

Curly Hair Tips that Work for Me:
1. Do not dry your hair with a towel - use an old t-shirt, pillow case, etc. Towels are to harsh on curly hair and case damage, breakage, and frizz - making this change alone made a huge improvement in my hair.
2. Find a stylist that knows how to cut curly hair, if they also have curly hair the better - if you walk in to an appointment and the person cutting your hair has natural stick straight hair I would be worried! I have found that with stylists you pay for what you get, and at this point I now have no problem shelling out $100 plus for a hair cut (yes I must save and budget for this) but I love my stylist, and you guessed it she has curly hair.
3. How do you find a stylist that is great with curly hair? You ask strangers with curly hair that you think have a great hair cut/style who their stylist is! I assure you this is not weird for curly girls I have been asked many times who cuts my hair, this is also how I found my current stylist.
4. Give it time! If you have been straightening your hair for years it may take some time for your hair to cooperate, I'm talking months! I also think it is important to not straighten your hair during this transition time, it gets confused.
5. You will still have bad hair days. There are days when I LOVE my hair, the curls all lay correctly there is no frizz, the hair stars have aligned! AND then there are days when my hair is out of control, it looks crazy and the best I can do it put it in a ponytail and get over it.
6. Find and use good products designed for curly hair, and yes they are worth the money. Furthermore, if a product does not work for you keep trying others, there are amazing products now for curly hair.
7. Do not brush or comb your hair, ever! Doing so causes damage and frizz 

Products I Use:
1. Deva Curl No-Poo This is a cream shampoo that does not lather at all, it takes some getting use to. After wetting down my hair in the shower I use a generous amount of the No-Poo focusing on my scalp and then using my fingers to comb through my hair and then I rise it out.
2. Deva Curl One Condition This is a creamy conditioner which is on the thicker side. I use about a palm full and work it into my hair while in the shower and then use my fingers to part my hair and scrunch to remind my curls what to do. I do not wash the conditioner out! This is because I have very dry hair so if your hair is on the oilier side you may want to rise out the conditioner and then apply a small amount when you get out of the shower.

**From there I get out of the shower and use a pillow case/t-shirt to remove water from my hair. I do this my flipping my head over and scrunching my hair with the pillow case for a few minutes. 
3. Deva Curl Angel Light Hold Defining Gel This is great gel but it is a light hold, Deva Curl makes several different gels so depending on your hair you might what something stronger. I scrunch the gel into my hair after I use the pillow case to scrunch out the water, using a large palm full.

**From here I either let my hair air dry (if its summer and my hair is on the shorter side) or I blow it dry using a diffuser.
4. Deva Curl Set it Free This is the best stuff ever!! After your hair is dry this great cream gets rid of that crunchy gel feel leaving your curls soft and hydrated. I spray it into my hand and then scrunch it into my hair.
5. L'Oreal Elnett Extra Strong Hold - Unscented  I use a little bit of this hair spray to set things at the end or when I put my hair up in a ponytail.

If you want to get Deva Curl products a try this set is a great place to start:  Deva Curl Trial Set
There is also a curly hair product line called Miss Jessie's that you can pick up at Target or Amazon - I have never tried these products so I can't speak to their quality or effectiveness.