Our Battle with Sleep

I suppose this post is a super long time coming but recently I've been asked a lot of questions about what's going on with the peanuts sleep over the past two years. So I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to do a little review and recap of everything we've gone through with our battle with sleep.

 For starters I should mention that when C was a baby she battled really harsh silent reflux. I believe this and starting solids a little too early had a huge effect on her sleep. For those of you who don't know silent reflux is when infants or children do not show the outward symptoms of reflux, thus making it harder to diagnose. So once we finally understood what the problem was we thought for sure we would be able to handle it turns out her sleep only got worse.

 My peanut as you want to come to know her, has always been tiny and in the lower percentile for weight so when I came to nursing I offered it whenever she wanted. She used comfort nursing as a way to get through the pain of the silent reflux so I was constantly nursing her from the time she was about four months until she was about 11 months.  Because of this we were up all night with constant wakings, and constant mommy cuddles. I was doing anything I could to ease her pain and she was on medicine but unfortunately it wasn't working as much as we would've hoped. When I say we were up all night I'm not exaggerating at the worst of it we were up every 20 to 90 minutes it was horrible. I was groggy, in complete brain fog, I had no idea what day it was, I was constantly forgetting stuff, I was moody and unable to loose weight, It was miserable.

 All I wanted was for our little girl to get a good nights rest and I didn't know what I was doing wrong. For whatever reason my husband and I resisted hiring Heather Irvine from Good Nite Baby probably due to the cost but in the long run the cost is worth our sanity way more than anything else. Once we hired Heather she had me do logs for over 48 hours of everything from when Charlotte went down, when she woke up, anything she was eating literally a daily log of minute by minute life. After that I chatted with Heather and we developed a sleep plan. The first thing we needed to do was wean her from the nursing she was well over the required weight and definitely well over the required age to start sleep coaching. So after about a week and a half of weaning her off nursing and we had to try and get to go into her own room. Unfortunately this ended up happening right on her first birthday and we had a ton of company coming into town. So we just decided to wait till after the company left and we got home from a small trip.  Once we transitioned her into a room which ended up falling on Valentine's Day, it was a really hard few nights of getting her to stay in her crib and resisting bring her into our room but after that it was smooth sailing. The whole process itself took almost a month of working with Heather but keep in mind we traveled during that time and we had a lot of things to wean C from. Like putting her own paci in her mouth, night feeds and not needing to be onto of mommy to sleep.

Unfortunately we  recently went though another mostly regression right before her second birthday but without hesitation after four nights of no sleep we called Heather yet again! She gave us another wonderful set of fabulous tips and helped us through.
Heather is been a pure joy to work with she really knows her stuff and has a very gentle and mild approach to helping these babies get a good nights rest. I honestly can't recommend her enough and I'm so grateful I found her. We have every intention of using her if baby girl chooses not to sleep like her big sister although I will say I will not wait as long this time.
XOXO

Bumpdate Week 16

How far along: I plan to do these as a recap of the pervious week so this is my 16 week update, currently I'm 17 weeks! 
Gender: GIRL 
Baby Size: Avocado 
Maternity clothes: Absolutely! I received those shorts I ordered, they are fantastic! I am retuning these the cut on the legs was super funny, but these worked great so I ordered another pair. I am now on the hunt for some cute tops, just a few nothing crazy but I apparently need short sleeve since its so hot here! 
Sleep: Not bad actually, still waking up to pee what else is new, but at least I'm not suffering from insomnia like I was with C. Which is a very happy improvement, I don't know if I mentioned or not the pregnancy pillow I ordered, It shipped and I am so exited to try it! 
What I am looking forward too: Feeling her kick and move around in there. I am a naturally paranoid person. I can't wait to feel her kick me right in the gut its like constant reassurance she's ok. 
What I miss: No round ligament pain when I walk too much! I had this with C, but it seems to have started much earlier with baby sister, so I've been doing my best to take it easy and not exhaust myself too much but I still get it some nights. 
Movement: Nothing yet a few flutters here and there but still nothing consistent. 
Cravings: Still burgers! Which is so strange considering I don't eat red meat. I'll admit I have indulged a few times and it was glorious but my tummy paid the price for sure. Sometimes it's worth it. 
Queasy or sick:Chalking this up as a win only one pukeing episode this week. Thank goodness! Now maybe just maybe this the the sign things will start to get better and better. 
Best Moment of the week: C talking about her baby sister and kissing my belly. We were talking with one of my friends about baby sister and she goes "Baby Sister is in mommy tummy" She knew right where she was and it made my heart melt. 

We are heading out soon on a family trip to Disney World and I am beyond excited! Be sure to check out my instagram (@bumpsbabesandbellinis) if you don't already to follow along on our trip! 

Happy Weekend! 

Orange Picking

Happy Monday Everyone! So as I mentioned in my last post we thought it would be fun to take C orange picking this weekend, and oh boy were we right. I got all the info from OC Mom Blog which you can find here. It was a blast, we have taken her apple, pear and pumpkin picking since she was a baby and she LOVES it. So when I read about orange picking we were all in. We went to the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. It's located pretty much in the Irvine Regional Park, which isn't too far from us. The groves were so beautiful and the weather was perfect. To my surprise we were able to do lemons too! Plus they had meyer lemons my favorite! C walked around like she owned the place and loved every second. If you're local I highly encourage you to check this place out. 

Here are some of the details. They plan to do this though out the month of march, so we want to head back for sure. It was so much fun not to mention the fruit was so delicious and fresh, you can't beat off-the-tree oranges and lemons here in Orange County! They are currently doing it every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. They plan to do it into March, but may continue into April crop permitting. The cost for the a bag was $15 and $4 it you wanted any specialty citrus, like mandarins. Which I highly recommend they are delicious. The large $15 bag you can fill with both oranges and lemons as much will fit! 

Happy Picking! 

Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, 2 Irvine Park Rd, Orange, CA 92869

XOXO

Valentines Day with Kiddos

One of my favorite holidays is right around the corner and I can't wait! Yes folks you heard that right I love Valentines day. I have loved this holiday for forever, maybe its the chocolate, candy or love in the air that does it to me but I am an fan.

Our tiny Valentine | Newborn Photos 2014

Things change after you have kiddos and its no longer about all the champagne you can drink and finding the hottest restaurant it eat at. Honestly I would be happy with a good burger and a movie date with my husband. Which is exactly what we are doing tonight! Yay me!  I wanted to do some fun things to get the peanut excited about Valentines day. So here are some fun kid friendly activities and outings to do.

Valentines 2015

1) Send Valentines, super fun even though we didn't get around to it this year. There are so many fun DIY valentines. I linked a video to my favorite ideas here. We also made this super cute Valentine day hug for Daddy.

2) Heart shaped snacks
We are all about anything food related over here, it gets her so excited and is pretty simple to do!

3) Go out on a "date" with your kiddos either together or just with mom or dad to make it special.
We are planing on taking the peanut to u-pick some oranges this weekend (on Valentines day) She loved picking the pears so much we thought it would be a great Valentines family activity. I read all about it here.

Valentines 2016

Whatever you decide to do or however you spend your Valentines Day I hope it's filled with lots of love!

XOXO

Bumpdate Week 15

How far along: I plan to do these as a recap of the pervious week so this is my 15 week update, currently I'm 16 weeks! 

Gender: GIRL 

Baby Size: Navel Orange 

Maternity clothes: Oh yeah! We have a trip to Florida coming up and since it's also been 85 degrees here in California I ordered some maternity shorts. I guess we are skipping spring this year geeze. haha 

Sleep: Not bad actually, watch now that I've said that I'll never sleep again. I had horrible insomnia with C and was kind of expecting the same the second time around but I guess it's just anther one of those moments that proves every pregnancy is so different. 

What I am looking forward too: Feeling baby girl move! Yup still the same from last week although I am convinced I felt some flutters. I can't wait to really feel her squirm. 

What I miss: This is a tough one this week, but I would say sushi is pretty high on the list still. Why is it we always want what we can't have? 

Movement: Nothing yet, besides a few flutters here and there just nothing consistent. 

Cravings: I'm sure some of you saw on Instagram but I had a huge craving for raspberry sorbet the other night. It's so funny how a craving can just hit you all of a sudden and then boom that's the only thing you can think of until it's satisfied. Lucky for me I have a pretty super amazing husband who ran out and got me exactly what I wanted. Thanks again babe! 

Queasy or sick: This week wasn't so bad actually, I think I only got sick once which is a HUGE improvement for me. A few boughs of nausea but nothing compared to weeks prior, maybe I am finally moving past the super sick stage only time will tell. 

Best Moment of the week: Taking C to the dentist. Ha! So we were slacker parents and didn't take her to the dentist yet. We finally got our act together and she went for her first appointment yesterday, and can I brag about my kid for a minute she did AMAZING!!! She made it through the entire cleaning with no tears and got her whole mouth done while watching frozen of course. The best part was how proud she was of herself, she talked about it all last night. "Mommy the doctor cleaned my teeth and I  got strawberry toothpaste" It was the cutest thing EVER! A huge part of that was the office we went too, fantastic staff and so great with kiddos. 

XOXO

Bumpdate the first trimester

As adorable as my chalkboard photos with C were I decided to keep it super simple this time around while still using the Chalkboard. 

Banner | Stickers 

First tremester, well this was quite a doozy. I felt like complete crap the majority of the time and to be honest I still do most days. I was great when we first found out then from there on out it was puke city. We found out after a trip to Texas for my beautiful best friends wedding. While we were there I felt extra nauseous the whole time, Steve made mention that he hadn't been feeling well either travel sometimes does that to us. In an effort to prove him wrong when we got home from the airport I told him I had to pee and ran upstairs to the bathroom and took a test. I waited in anticipation for a few minutes and kept thinking he was going to run up the stairs any minute. When the test flashed pregnant I was in a little bit of shock, I ran downstairs and grabbed C. Steve was still unpacking the car form our trip, so I wispered to C to tell daddy she's a big sister! It came out more like "I'sss ister Daddy", Steve looked at me in total confusion and I had C repeat herself, finally he said "babe what's she saying?" I laughed and said "She's trying to tell you she's going to be a Big Sister" He looked at me in total shock and wanted to know how I took a test so fast and when I did it! Ha! We couldn't stop smiling, C didn't really get it but now she knows baby sister is in mommies tummy. It's so cute how she keeps trying to see her sister and talk to her. I believe my heart will officially melt watching the two of them together, I can't wait for July! 

Second Trimester

How far along: I plan to do these as a recap of the pervious week so this is my 14 week update, currently I'm  15 weeks! 

Gender: GIRL 

Baby Size: Nectarine

Maternity clothes: Yup, and super comfortable. I resisted this a bunch with C. When I found out we were expecting again one of the first things I got excited about was my maternity jeans. Bring em on! I bought a few pairs of Paige Denim, best decision ever! I had some cheaper pairs with C and threw those out, which I am so glad I did. I recently went though my wardrobe with my bestie, which I plan on doing a post on soon. In doing that I eliminated most of those crappy pieces and decided to focus on more quality pieces, which I plan to do with this bump this time around. 

Sleep: So far not so bad, baby wise. The peanut had another bought of bad sleep but we seem to be on a better track with that thank goodness. Other then that I just get up 3-5 times a night to pee, eh what else is new. 

What I am looking forward too: Showing more and not looking like I ate 700 doughnuts. Right now  I have that weird belly, where I know I'm pregnant but joe on the street doesn't. 

What I miss: Ugh, so much right now cravings are going wild. I have complied a list of things I will be getting when we are in the hospital. Sushi, Italian cold cuts, and of course wine. But I will survive. 

Movement: Nothing yet, can't wait now that I know what to look for I feel like I may feel it sooner then I did last time around or that can be wishful thinking. 

Cravings: Burgers, which I don't eat red meant so thats been interesting. Any salty foods too usually. 

Queasy or sick: Ugh so so so so sick. I was never this sick with C its been really rough as I mentioned before. I hope now that I'm moving into the second trimester it finally goes away. 

Best Moment of the week: Sharing our news has been the highlight. 

XOXO