Transitioning from swaddle to no swaddle.

Perfectly sleeping baby....what happens when you remove the swaddle?!

You know that happy feeling you get when you look at the clock and realize its almost bedtime! Well, if your a mom, then you know that moment. However, when I looked over to the baby monitor and saw she was on her stomach while still being swaddled, I knew it was time to cut the swaddle... but how do I do that?!

I wish I could say that I waved my magic wand and she slept like an angel every night since... but my wand is broken and I'm a bit rusty on my spells so lets explain the hard way. 

It makes my blood pressure rise when I think about the endless nights I had during this time in her life. I thought she'd be happy being out of her baby straight jacket.. but that was definitely not the case. 

For me, I had no choice, she rolled over and that was it. I had to go in there in the middle of the night, unswaddle her and walk away... haha yeah right!! She cried like I had just murdered ottie in front of her (her favorite stuffed otter). What the hell do I do now?! I figured she could come lay with me and maybe I'd be comforting but then the fear of me rolling over or her falling off the bed kicked in so that idea was out. I first decided to half swaddle her or swaddle her with her arms out. Ok, her arms are out, I walked out and stared at the baby monitor to see what she would do. Bang, she slammed her head against the crib, and then she got her stuck through the slats of the crib... ahhhh omg, I ran in there like they were handin out free pumpkin spice latte's at starbucks. Shit kid, are you trying to escape me?! I had no bumpers on her crib because I read horror stories on those things... but after you see your child stuck through the spaces of her bed the bumpers didn't sound so bad. The next day I headed out and bought those bumpers. I installed them, stuck her in her crib while being swaddled with her arms out, walked out and watched on the baby monitor again. Now.... let me remind you this baby is 6 months old. She grabs on to those bumpers and pulls them off!!!!! I had them bastards tied tight! Ok Baby 1 Mom 0 .... So I go in for the second time, double knot them, told my daughter goodnight, I love you and good luck escaping moms love. Started watching her again, she pulled on them but they wouldn't budge so eventually she gave up. Now... I was soooo happy I won that battle but then a knew fear set in... she laid flat on her belly with her face in the mattress?! the fuchhhh.... come on baby, make mommy happy. I instantly panicked went in there, flipped her around and of course... she woke up! Baby 2 Mom 1... she is good at games. So I'm a first time mom, wanna know what I did?! I called the emergency line at her pediatrics... yepp I sure did. Ummm hello?! Yes, I mean no this isn't an emergency but I have a question that could be very important.... is my child suppose to sleep face down?! I got silence for a moment and I instantly regretted my decision to call. Mrs Ashton your baby can sleep face down, if she was strong enough to roll over she can move her head if she needs to. Just like you do when you sleep, if you can't breathe, then you find a different position where you can breathe....  ok makes sense, thanks doc! It was still very uneasy for me to see her face pressed against the bumper or the mattress. So I barely slept for days until I got use to the idea of her rolling around her whole crib and being destructive with her bumper haha. 

She is now 8 months old. I have purchased the halo sleepsack!! that thing is heaven sent... let me tell ya! 

I wish there were somewhere out there that would of prepared me for this moment because it really did freak me out and made it very uneasy for me to go to sleep. But she does know what shes doing and she has proved that to me with all those crazy positions she gets herself into. Follow your instincts and have some trust in your baby :)

Getting my baby to sleep and staying asleep

Sleep ... some moms don't even know what that word means anymore. We have become adapted to the world of insomnia and have relied on coffee to keep us going! Well, at least I have :). I was so tired, being a new mom, working full time, going to school full time, and running a house hold while my husband is out at work. It does so much wear and tear on your body that it is so important to get a good nights sleep so you can take care of your baby as well as yourself the next day. When I first brought my daughter home she slept all through the night and I thought wow this is easy!! Well I am now eating  those words because she is now 5 months old and teething has begun and not only is it rough on her but it's rough on me. All I want to do is help her pain and make it all go away but unfortunately there's no magical wand to wave to end the curse of teething. So, I made some changes that have really helped me and my daughter get some sleep through the night. If your baby is teething or not I think that some of these things could help you and your little one get some rest :).

Routine, Routine, Routine!!! 

I cannot shout that loud enough!  My daughter was never on a routine when I first brought her home, mainly because all she did was eat, poop and sleep. So it didn't seem necessary to put her on a routine if she was already doing all the right things. Now, the tables have turned and I knew I was going to pull my hair out if I didn't figure something out. 

Let me just say that she goes to her babysitters during the day so this is my nighttime routine, but it does help if the babysitter gets her to nap during the day so that bedtime goes alot smoother. So if your able to stay home with your little one you are very lucky :) just make sure he/she is getting some rest during the day so he/she isn't overly tired at night, because they will fight it to the death!!

So here is what my nighttime routine looks like to help my baby and myself get a good nights sleep!

After work: I get off of work at 4pm, I go pick her up and we get home around 5ish. When we get home I either lay her down with her comfort blanket and she watches her baby shows or I put her in her walker and she watches her shows, I like to switch it up so that she isn't always on her back. She will usually watch her shows for about a half an hour and that gives us time to relax, settle down at home and let things calm down before we begun the process of getting ready for bed.

Feeding: I have began introducing some baby food to my daughter and she loves it! Not only that but it helps keep her fuller at night and doesn't wake up every few hours to eat. I have found that the beechnut brand is the best fit for me and her. *Apple and Pumpkin is her absolute favorite* The ingredients are what exactly what they say they are with no added crap to it and that makes me feel alot better because with my busy schedule I don't always have the time to make her food, which I would love to eventually do!. So I feed her around 5:30-6 and we take our time, I don't try and rush her when she's eating and she is still watching her shows while she is eating so that its more fun instead of feeling forced. She eats about half a jar and then she satisfied.

Bath Time:  After my baby girl has eaten which is usually around 6:30 I clean up her bowl and spoon and I get the bath ready for her. I am using the bath tub from 4 Moms. http://www.4moms.com/infant_tub. It's amazing because I never have to worry about the water being to hot or to cold. Once I have the temperature just right I undress her and stick her in. This is by far her favorite, she loves the bath and I usually get a million pictures of her smiling :) I only use the shea moisture bath soap for her because not only is it gentle for her and her skin it absolutely smells amazing, and I can't use anything else because that smell always reminds me of my baby! Bath time is usually about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much fun she is having and it helps calm her down for the night.

After Bathing: Once she is done bathing I pull her out and wrap her up so she stays warm and I bring her back to her comfort spot, which for her its in our living room in front of the TV where her show is still on. That way when I'm drying her off she can concentrate on that and not getting cranky right before bed. After she is all dried I lotion her up with the shea moisture lotion that smells just like her bath wash. I massage it over her legs, arms, belly and a bit on her face. With the rest of parts that didn't get lotion this is where I place the essential oil. This has become a staple in our nighttime routine and I couldn't imagine living without it!! I use the lavendar oil and the serenity oil from doTerra. I am sure there are other brands you could use  however I know someone who sells them so I just stick these ones. I have a jar that I have added olive oil to and used a few drops of lavendar and few drops of serenity. I pull out the jar and rub the oil on the bottoms of her feet, down her back and along her jawline. Now I do that because she is teething and the lavendar helps calm down how swollen her gums are. After she's all oiled up I always put her in feety pajamas because it helps lock in that oil. Once she's all dressed her show is just about over and I wait til I see her yawn and thats my sign that she's ready :). 

Going to bed:  It is now about 7-7:15. This is a good time for her to go to bed because we have to get up at 5:30 in order for me to get us ready for work and her for the babysitter. I swaddle her with the swaddle that has the the snaps that go over her shoulders and the zipper at the bottom so I don't have to unswaddle her if she needs a diaper change in the middle of the night. Not sure of the name but I believe its from the brand summer. I spray her sheets with lavendar, place her in bed with her comfort blanket gently over her. I turn on her humidifer and her diffuser with the lavendar oil mixed with the serenity oil in it. I use the now diffuser but you could use any that you would like. This fills the air with a light scent of the oil mixture and helps promote peaceful sleep for her. I give her a warm bottle to help put her to sleep and she usually eats about 2-3 ounces and she is completely out!! I kiss her goodnight, say I love you and walk away.

Middle of the night:  Now for the most part she won't always stay completely asleep because she does get hungry and she does not like to be in a wet diaper. Now if she wakes up its usually around midnight-1AM. I usually don't unswaddle her unless she needs it. I warm up her bottle, and she eats the whole 7 ounces and she is out until the time we need to get up.


This is the routine me and my baby use and I am sure there are so many different ways to help get your baby to sleep but I enjoy reading other people's ways so I thought I would share ours :)

Being A Part Time Single Mommy/Wife

First off, it amazes me that I even have time to get on here and write this, but I won't complain because that means I am enjoying some alone time and peace for once! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my baby, more than anything but sometimes the darkest spot in the house seems so wonderful at times. Reading from the title I am a part time single mommy and wife, yep you heard that right!! 6 months out of the year I am completely alone to do everything all by myself and the other 6 months I have my amazing husband home to somewhat help out lol. I feel like I need therapy sessions where they've replaced the water dispenser with wine and the are you depressed posters with channing tatums hot body. Why does this place not exist!! Mommy rehab is all I need, once or twice, maybe 3 times a week will do just fine. I don't think I'm asking for to much here. If my husband can go away 2 weeks at at time to work I think I earned some couch time with a humerous therapist who tells me I'm pretty and that my sweat pants are totally complimenting my post partum body. Anywho.... I am a full time mom and I do love it. There is nothing better than waking up in a panic because it's been 3 hours without the baby waking up and your wondering what the hell is wrong when in doubt she is peacefully sleeping. Sometimes my mommy senses are completely off lol.
With being as busy as I am with getting up, rushing me and my daughter to get ready so I can take her to daycare, then hurry to work so I don't get yelled at for being late for the bajillionth time this month, picking her back up from daycare, going home to cook, clean, and do any schoolwork that I can squeeze in along with trying to at least shower once this week and then dragging my measly tired body into bed why have I not budged on losing this baby weight? It is sooo damn frustrating that I can be so busy, eat right, and it just wants to hang out because it got to comfortable to go anywhere. Or maybe its because I eat my weight in cookies under the sheets once the lights go out... that's right, no shame here. My life is so chaotic, I would of never imagined it being this way. For instance, I am renting an apartment so my mom has to watch my dog, whom is a pitbull and is banned from any renting places in the state. So I get the pleasure of hearing my mom bitch 24 hours a day while I have a screaming baby on my hip, a scorching headache and pondering thoughts of running away. 2 Seconds ago I just hit my damn funny bone on the edge of the desk... ughhh. Have you ever seen the movie click? You know, the one adam sandler that never gets a break so he gets a magic remote that controls his life. I always think of that movie, Like man I wish I had a remote so I could just pause something so I could sleep for days and wake up like it never happened and continue where I left off. Then I remember the end of that movie and I think hmmmm probably not a good idea. Welp, that went a bit in the other direction but thats what happens when you run on 10 hours of sleep in a week and you've cut out caffeine because you think it's going to help you lose weight when in reality it's just going to make you extremely cranky and you realize coffee is golden liquid and you need it to survive. I'm on my tenth bottle of water and I swear it's doing nothing but making my weak bladder worse and forcing me to pick up smoking... sike!! Somehow this blog of me being this strong woman who can stay home and take care of the house and baby while the husband is away turned into me complaining and breaking down a bit. Anybody up for a backrub? I could use one right about now, maybe I should do something other than complain, like pour me a cup of joe and get back to my routine. No!! I have to stick to this. :)

Until next time....

We chose this life... from an oilfield wife

We chose this life, which means we chose to only see each other half of the year, never knowing which holiday he will miss next or if he will be home for her first steps. I am an oilfield wife, who supports her husband when he is away as much as I do when he is home. I never brag or flaunt what my husband does because its not always golden in my eyes.. I give so much respect to the ladies who are single mothers, because only doing it by myself half the time is hard enough. I was up late last night thinking about how much I wish he was just there to give our daughter a kiss goodnight, hoping the next time he is home that she will know exactly who he is. Its true when they say you take the little things for granted. I miss just looking over to his side of the bed and having him there to look back at me, I miss having someone to eat dinner with, shower with, and just running errands with. Doing things all by yourself gets lonely and it almost feels like you can't get down about it because once again, we chose this life. I know he is out there working hard for his family, to make sure we have a roof over our heads and food in our mouths. I pray for my husband constantly, I know how dangerous it is and sometimes I wonder if his job is worth risking his life over. As an HR assistant the worst thing that could happen to me is a deep paper cut!! I couldn't imagine going to work everyday never knowing if  you'll get to go back to bed that night. Wether your husband is a roughneck, military man, truck driver or a 9 to 5 man it is always hard to say goodbye. I've supported him through thick and thin, better or worse and in sickness and in health so I will be here every two weeks and live my life being proud of who he is.
I never thought I would find myself writing about this certain topic because its just normal to me, he is here and he is gone and that's our life. But last night we got into an argument and when you argue with someone you love who is to far away to kiss and say sorry to it really makes you stop and think. Yes, its hard for me. I'm a full time mom, employee, student and wife. But I'm  never away from it for 2 weeks, I never miss a day in our daughters life and I have a nice comfortable bed to lay down in every night. Should I really be bitching? I mean what am I really sacrificing other than missing my husband every other two weeks. I should be grateful to have a hard working man willing to provide for his family! I guess we all have a moment of weakness and this happens to be mine. Please tell me I'm not the only one.  I'm just selfish when it comes to his love, I want it all, all  the time. However, I've come to appreciate him more when I have to watch him walk away for two weeks and I never take the time he is home for granted.

Introducing Dog & Baby

**Introducing My Dog to My Newborn Baby**

For the longest time my dog was my baby! She followed me everywhere and we did everything together. Once I got pregnant I was extremely worried how my dog would handle the change. With each passing month and my belly getting bigger and bigger I could tell that my dog knew what was going on. Zayla would put her head on my belly and could feel my daughter kick and it always looked like she was excited when she felt a movement. Zayla got more protective of me and was constantly by my side, like she was defending what hadn't even come into this world yet. In this sense I knew that zayla would be an amazing dog to my newborn but I still had my worries. For one, zayla is a pitbull... dun dun dun!!! I know this topic is very controversial and can be extremely touchy. Even as a pitbull owner I was still nervous, even if I owned a cute small fluffy dog I would take precaution. I researched and researched on the best way to introduce your dog to your new baby and how to take the right steps. Well, zayla is lets say complicated lol. Have you ever seen Marley & Me? Thats my dog all the way!! I got a Marley dog and I wouldn't have it any other way :). 

At nights I would hold onto Zayla really tight and kiss you as many times as I could because I knew once my daughter got here that these moments wouldn't come as often. Then the big day came, I was in full labor and about to bring my other baby into this world. Zayla went to stay with my mom for the days I was in the hospital and my husband gave my mom some of things that my daughter was either wearing or wrapped in. Needless to say when my mom had Zayla smell the items she could of gave two shits about the smell and went on about her day. My mom tied the blanket (loosely) around Zayla's neck like she was wearing a cape and had all her beanies laying around her and still Zayla didn't pay no mind to it. So instantly I was worried, if she wasn't caring to get use to the smell how will she react when the smell is now in her home and what she knows as her territory? The day came when I finally brought my daughter home, I had her laying in her crib when my husband brought Zayla through the door... and my fear kicked in. Zayla ran around the place like she normally does and came into the babies room, walked in and walked right back out. I was so relieved that she didn't mind until my daughter started crying. Then I noticed that Zayla didn't even know there was a baby in the room until she heard the sound and my dog went nutso!!! She was jumping up on the crib and freaking out, and I didn't know what to do! My husband picked up the baby and this made my dog timid and she didn't like that at all! So we put the baby back down and just let Zayla listen to her crying for a minute. The first night was rough, I put Zayla in her kennel and she stayed there until I was ready to let her out. The next day she acted like her and my daughter were best friends. It's like she knew that this was her new life and she had to get use to it. She started laying down next to wherever my daughter was sleeping and always seemed protective when she cried. As the weeks went by it was nothing but face licks and instant love between the two. I couldn't be even more happy with the outcome. So if you are introducing your dog to your new born I would suggest doing it how you know your dog will respond to it. My dog could of cared less about smelling her items so maybe it will work for you! However, we never scolded her for going in the nursery and we always talk nice when the two are together so my dog feels comfortable. I can't wait til my daughter is old enough to play and roll around with my dog, with me still supervising of course :)

2 months postpartum (without breastfeeding)

2 Months Postpartum

It's been 2 months since I have given birth to my beautiful baby girl and I am really happy with the way my body has turned out after pregnancy. To give you an idea I was 140 pound's pre pregnancy at 5'7". In the end I totaled a whole 185 pounds!! I gained 45 pounds throughout my entire pregnancy and to be honest it didn't look like I had gained that much due to having a longer torso. :) After she was here I'm not quite sure what my weight dropped down to, however, I got a uterus infection one week postpartum and when I went to my doctor and she weighed me I was 170. I had lost 15 pounds within the first week. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to breastfeed (which I will explain why in another post) so I didn't get the help of burning those extra calories. I am now 160 lbs, losing 25 pounds all together. I still have another 15-20 pounds to lose which will come with time. I haven't been working out but I have been making home made meals and not eating out. My husband works on the oil rigs so I am home alone running the baby around, working full time and doing what all needs to be done by myself. So it helps that I am very busy and productive. I did go back to work after 6 weeks because I was so stir crazy sitting at home, but getting to come home to my baby after a long day is the most rewarding feeling! 

 I have ordered a waist training corset that should be here soon so I will be starting to waist train to get my body back to where it use to be. I am thinking about to doing a follow my journey type thing with the waist training to see if it really makes a difference.. eeeeeeeekkkkkk I am sooo excited!! Other than my weight my body healed wonderfully after delivery. Although, It did help that I was extremely busy from day 1 after being discharged from the hospital. My mom was getting married 4 days after my daughter was born and I was the maid of honor!! I was running around and doing alot more than I should of. But in the end It made my recovery alot faster. I stopped bleeding after 8 days and my lady parts stopped being sore 1 week postpartum. I am really grateful for having such a fast recovery, I hear horror stories about girls who are down in bed for extreme backpain, headaches and overall just being drained and sore. It takes a toll on our mind and bodies having a baby and I give mad props to every woman who has had a baby. It's alot of work and they call it labor for a reason! Just keep your head up and think postive. You just had a baby, it took you 9 months to gain all that weight and it will take time to get that weight off. Either way you are beautiful for being able to create that wonderful baby! Give yourself some credit and eat that bowl of ice cream if you want to, you deserve it :) 

Thanks Halls... Just What I Needed

I never thought I would get advice from a cough drop... but here we are!

Lot's of shit has happened over the course of the past few weeks and today has topped the cake. From having a sick baby, bills due, husband leaving out of town and having a pain in the ass boss... well I've just about had enough. Then BAM! I woke up today with a sore throat and a nasty cough. Went and grabbed some halls cough drops and I wasn't disappointed. Honestly, I never really look at the cough drop while I'm unwrapping it but for some reason I felt compelled to look at this one. "Keep your chin up" is what I read, and I thought, is this a sign? Signs come in all forms and mine just so happened to be wrapped up in my pocket. When the hell did halls start becoming therapists? I somehow feel like I should write halls and tell them thank you for lifting my spirits after such a crappy few weeks. 4 little words had brighten my day and now I'm kind of happy that I don't feel good. Who would of thought... thanks for the cold!

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