Springtime 2013

So many changes in spring 2013. We moved back to Hillsboro after 6 years. I got a dream job in public health with the newborn screening program and we have moved into a beautiful home that we are renting for now. The kids will now be at Orenco Elementary and I got to attend a conference in Atlanta for my first Real business trip. Life is good.

Birthdays all around

Madilynn now 10, Mitchell 7, and baby Sawyer turned 1!!!!! Where does the time go?

Christmas 2012

Late, very late post but we had a fun Christmas!

Halloween 2012

Little miss muffet, baby dragon, and a fierce ninja

Fall is here

Fall is here and I can not believe how fast the summer flew by. Sawyer is now almost 7 months old and almost crawling. His little personality continues to grow and he is so funny and amazing we all just cant get enough of him. Our new favorite thing is his "sniffing" he does and curls up his nose in response to us sniffing at him. The kids started school and so far so good with new teachers and 4th and 1st grades.
We finally used our groupon we got for last Christmas for family photos. Pics to follow soon!
My husband is getting his wisdom teeth out this week before OSU starts again. The kids are full swing in soccer mode and I am just trying to balance work, commuting, home, and trying to be as healthy as possible. I can tell in my personal health that not workout out as often and not eating as clean as I should be has made a difference in my weight and overall function in managing daily stress. I am keeping things simple at home with homemade laundry and household cleaning products. Saving money and keeping the house chemical free is a bonus. I just chopped my hair and actually love the new short do that is very easy to maintain so far. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I am pretty excited for cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and holiday season! And not to mention things are always a little funner with a baby in the house for all of this again@

Whole 30 completed!

I completed my Whole30 for July and I am down 14 pounds! Awesome. And I feel great. Going to stick with it. Although I did have some small cheats like some half and half in my coffee every now and then. Overall I did not have sugar or sweets, alcohol, or grain products.
My new found favorite thing is Mauna Loa macadamia nuts from Costco. Yummy!
I am happy to be able to have a glass of wine occasionally and dark chocolate again.

Baby Advice and my favorites

I wanted to make a list of things I love and things I feel like you don't need with a baby, along with a little advice that I think I have picked up over the years.

Do not need:

• Diaper pail or diaper genie-waste of money. Just take the trash out every day.
• Large amounts of clothing especially in Newborn size and 3M size. They grow so darn fast all you need are a few essentials. Better to keep up with the laundry.
• Baby detergent. There are still chemicals in this. Use an eco-friendly brand for your whole family like Seventh Generation or my personal favorite: Honest Co. Or if you really want to get back to the basics you can make your own!
• Stroller/car seat travel system. Get them separate for your own desires/needs. You can see below what I used.
• An expensive bedding set. They pee and puke on the sheets and rumor has it that bumpers are no longer safe. Get several cute sheets and at least 2 mattress pad covers. The cute comforter is useless to me.

My favorites!

• Bob Stroller. I have ambitions of running endless miles with this but at five months old the most Sawyer and I have gone is about two miles at a time. Never the less its the best stroller I have used! Smooth and comfy for him and goes on sand and gravel, hiking, etc. Worth it! And spending the extra $50 to get the car seat attachment was worth it too. I started walking right away.
• Chicco Keyfit30 car seat-I actually do not have this car seat, I went with a Graco and I wished I had got the Chicco instead. The base for your car is much slimmer and if you ever have multiple car seats or three people trying to squeeze in the back seat: this one is the best. Plus its comfier looking for the babies. My friend that had a baby the same time as me got this one and I was jealous.
• Snap-In Frame for a car seat stroller. I have the graco one since I have a graco car seat. So lightweight and much smaller for your trunk. So much easier to just take baby's carseat out of the car and snap into the frame. Since I have the Bob as my big stroller this little frame has been worth the money for easy use
• Dr Browns Bottles Just like breastfeeding. 
• Organic Mattress-doesn't matter what brand. Just organic. You don't want it smelling like chemicals or made out of those standard cheap materials and chemicals. Invest the money. I personally think fumes and chemicals play a part in SIDS so I am strongly against these $49 mattresses from Walmart. I got mine from Costco online. Not the brand sponsored by HealthyChild HealthyWorld but a great mattress I am happy with that I could afford.
• As mentioned above: HealthyChild HealthyWorld, great book. Read it!
• Honest Company Diapers and all products!
• Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag. This is the one I personally have. (Yes its expensive for a bag but I got a good discount through a connection.) And my opinion is that for at least 2 years (if not more if you have more babies planned) you will be carrying something that needs to be able to hold the essentials and why not be in love with it?! Plus this one has backpack straps which I love since I have 3 kiddos to chase after. Even comes with the changing pad and lots of pockets.
• The little bottle washing basket that goes in your dishwasher and the drying rack for your counter top
• Graco Pack N Play. Used as a bassinet the first month or so and then used for playtime, traveling, and somewhere to lay baby in the living room thats safe from dogs and other children running around. Get a basic one. The fancy ones with nursery and changing table attachments are are a waste of my money in my opinion. We got ours at Costco for $49. It has a bassinet level and the toys that arch overhead. 
• Wellnessmama.com   My husband likes to joke I have become a hippie.
• Ergo baby carrier. Worth the money! So much better than a babybjorn and better for baby's posture. I got mine with my REI member 20% off coupon and got a good deal.

Advice:

• Don't buy a whole bunch of bottles and binkies until after baby is born. Try one and see if they like it. If not, then try another. Don't stock up on every different kind but if you do don't wash them. Keep in boxes with receipts so you can return if baby likes one kind: stick with it. 
• Keep receipts for all gifts and don't open them! I know its temping to nest and wash and fold all the cute things but do that with a few items you know you will be keeping and are your favorites. You may find yourself returning a lot because you simply have too much and wont need it.
• The best burp cloths or rags are the Gerber (or other brand) white cloth diapers in packs of 10 or 16 that are near other expensive burp cloths and bibs. Have a friend decorate them with some cute flannel fabrics and they stick to your shoulder better.
• I know people like this Moby wrap thing but it was complicated for me and takes too long to wrap the baby to you. And it was hot! I love my Ergo.
• Introduce the Bottle right away! We started Sawyer the first week as well as nursing and he never knew the difference. I know "experts" say to wait several weeks before introducing bottles to establish good breastfeeding. Well I consider myself an expert after 3 kids and I say start right away! Even if you pump milk and bottle feed it. Get baby used to taking a bottle so you can have some free time. Don't be like me with my first: Madilynn would not take anything but my breast for over a year. Not fun. I love my children but being attached all the time is not good for you or the baby. Especially since I knew I would be returning to work and he would have to take a bottle. I even think it helped with sleeping. Many babies need to nurse to fall asleep: bad habit, trust me I know.
• Formula-same advice as above. I planned to nurse for as long as possible but I also knew realistically I would be going back to work full time after 8-10 weeks and with pumping at work I knew I may not make it over a full year of nursing like I did with the other two kids when I got to stay home. I mixed half breast milk and half formula often to give myself a break from breastfeeding when I needed it but to also make him used to the taste. Now at five months old my supply is going away and I think we are done nursing. But I feel like I did the best I could and that's all that matters. Don't let other moms criticize you for not nursing longer or not nursing at all. At least you are feeding your baby!
• Borrow as much stuff as possible. However if you know you are planning on multiple kids then by all means register your heart out for the good stuff since you will be getting a lot of use out of it. But don't be afraid of garage sales, craigslist, and baby sales like Pass It On