**I am not sharing medical advice, just my breastfeeding journey. Please consult a professional for breastfeeding support.** There are many hidden mysteries about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting that you have to discover for yourselves. Honestly I do know why we don’t talk about them with others who don’t have kids, unless they ask: It can be a little scary and overwhelming. Having said that, I still don’t remember my friends having conversations about tearing, sitz baths

On hot days, shirts and shorts are optional especially with my cute Charlie Banana cloth diaper. | Object Permanence Box | I love having a space in our home where I know Ollie can play safely and independently. Obviously even in his Montessori style nursery, there are things that we need to move and tweak as we realize he can get to or hurt himself with. I decided to write some of the pros and cons down so far, especially now that he is crawling and the floor mattress is a bl

I know I haven’t been doing this for a long time at all, but I did want to write down some encouragement to those of you who are thinking about incorporating cloth but haven’t dived in quite yet. Some of my Charlie Banana Pocket Diapers ready to go. Check out their website www.charliebanana.com Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. My plan was to be a cloth mom almost right from the start but all that pressure wasn’t helpful, it just created guilt. I had three newborn clot

Ready to leave Charlotte on our 24 hour trip to South Africa. Oliver looks a little concerned but he had nothing to be worried about. The stroller was so helpful to have in the airports but we hardly used it once we were in SA. Ps – I can’t find that teething necklace anywhere! Going to visit family in South Africa was a great idea for so many reasons. We were able to disconnect from social media for a little while to fill our days with swimming, board games, drinking tea, go

5 month old Oliver wearing my brother’s old cap. Check out Oliver’s previous updates: Birth story, Month 1 & 2 (oh gosh – this was a hectic time), Month 3, Month 4 Since I was young I’ve been athletic and active. I’ve never had to watch what I eat or really work at keeping slim and trim. During my pregnancy I gained 20-ish lbs, and I stayed fit and active through yoga teacher training. Two weeks after giving birth, my arms were still slim and my belly was disappearing. Oliver

Check out my previous mama update in Diary of an Overwhelmed First Time Mom. Everyone kept saying that life with a newborn would get easier around the three-month mark, but after one month that seemed so. far. away. (See post above.) I was so overwhelmed with my recovery and Oliver’s non-stop crying that I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just had to take it one a day at a time and keep telling myself it would get easier for us both. Thank goodness it did! S

Have you ever stepped foot into a “baby store” like BuyBuyBaby for example? It’s like you have to be part of some sort of a club to know what in the world everything is and how to use it. Before venturing there with my hubby, I decided to check online and see what the consensus was about what I needed and didn’t. I couldn’t believe that a tiny little human could use so much stuff. I also chatted to my friends that have children and I can honestly say that I am going to love t

In a calculated and over-organized world, we plan a lot. We have “To Do” lists, grocery lists (which are essential to me otherwise I don’t buy the item I needed in the first place) and meal plans on top of keeping up with appointments, meetings and chores you need to do around the house. As a teacher, I possess many organizational and management skills (no, I’m not applying for a job right now), including thinking ahead 20 steps in order to avoid potential disasters. These sk