It's getting boring!

     I never thought that being a stay at home mom could be boring. Don't get me wrong not everyday is boring, but it seems to venture down boredom lane often. It's only so many times you can sing the ABC's, count, play peek-a-boo, and sing songs in a day. I feel like I spend my days singing, counting, feeding, and changing diapers. We live in Atlanta, but it doesn't seem as though their is much I can do with him. I wanna take him places and let him see new things, but I don't know what to do. It's currently freezing across the US so outside activities are not optional. I only have a few mommy friends and they work so play dates are like once a month. Am I tripping? Am I expecting too much? Can I really have loads of fun with my 7 1/2 month old outside of the same daily activities? Is anyone else feeling this way? I would love some suggestions for fun things to do with him. Please share your ideas! Have a great rest of the day ladies!

                         Xoxo,

                              Lauren

Oh the joy of teething.....not!

         Teething, teething, teething! Ashton started teething when he was about 3 1/2 months old, but he didn't get his first tooth until November 19th when he was 6 1/2 months old. By Thanksgiving Ashton had his first tooth and his second one was coming in as well. Being a new mom I assumed that within his first month of teething he would have gotten his first tooth, but boy oh boy was I wrong! For three months my child drooled like a Saint Bernard.....LoL. Slob was everywhere and he chewed on everything including our brand new couch. Oh yes, let us not forget about those fevers. It seemed as though Ashton had a fever everyday and several times a day at that. We had to find a way to help our little boy out and here are some of the things we used to sooth those itchy hot gums.....teething rings that we could freeze, teething rings with ridges, and when his first tooth came in we made Popsicles with his baby juice. We were very lucky because we heard other parents say their babies actually had diarrhea. Ashton still only has two teeth, but the excessive drooling has stopped and is now being replaced with licking....LoL. We have a long way to go before he has a full set of teeth, but hopefully it's smooth sailing.....fingers crossed.

                    Xoxo,

                      Lauren

Bringing baby home

Hey ladies,

       How many moms out there can share in the fact that bringing a new baby home with no nurses or doctors is a very surreal and almost scary thing. Well, I'll raise both of my hands because I definitely felt that way. Thank God I was blessed enough to have my mother come stay with us for the first month, she was a real life saver. My husband could literally sleep through a tornado so it was great having help through those long nights, which lasted for 2 1/2 right at 3 months. Being a first time mom is sometimes a little confusing and overwhelming for some women and I was definitely one of those women. Unfortunately for me I ended up suffering from postpartum depression. I didn't realize it at first and my husband had to tell me what was going on with me. I was in disbelief, I thought I was just having a hard time adjusting to becoming a new mom, but boy was I wrong. Thoughts of death and suicide are definitely not normal ladies so if you are feeling as though you might have postpartum it is very important that you seek help. I won't bore you with the months that's I suffered, but it got better once I acknowledged my issue and got the help that I needed. Well, it's now 7 1/2 months later and of course I am feeling much better. I actually started feeling better when my son was about 5 1/2 months old (Thank God). My son is now 7 1/2 months old and of course he's doing amazing and I'm not doing to bad myself. I'm getting ready to start back school in a couple of months so I can finally get my Associates in Education and then figure out what to do from there. Oh, I guess I never told you guys what we named our baby....well meet Ashton Chase Embry.

Xoxo Lauren 

Special Delivery........

Hey ladies,

      So this one will be a short one loves. So I previously discussed some of the truths that no one told me about pregnancy, but oh how I wished they would have. Anyway on to bigger and better things......the birth of your precious little angle(s). I know all of you pregnant divas have already or are about to put a birth plan in place right? Well, I just wanted to remind/and encourage you on your up incoming delivery. I to shared in the birthing plan preparation and on the big day it didn't happen the way I planned! I wanted to hold out on having the epidural as long as I could and I wanted to have a vaginal birth. I started out really good for a first time mom, but somewhere along the way things went astray and I had to have and emergency c-section :-( Bummer I know, but just like I had to be reminded; every time you have to change something in your birthing plan it's for the health and safety of your little one, but make sure you always voice your opinions, thoughts and feelings because it's all about you and the type of experience you want to have. I'm sure all of the marvelous mommies out here can share in the fact that at least one of their deliveries did not happen like it was planned. Nevertheless I delivered a very healthy 9lbs 10oz baby boy and it was honestly the greatest day of my life (no bs). :-) I endured a lot, but that's why it's called labor, but if you stay positive and keep a piece of excitement for your new little one in that ball of emotion you may become, I promise it will all be over before you know it and you'll be holding your sweet angel in your arms.

Xoxo

  Lauren

the REAL truths about pregnancy!

Hey ladies,

        So when I became pregnant (unexpectedly) I had all of the "congratulations" a girl could ask for and all of the unsolicited advice I never asked for. With all of the hype of a new baby in the family there was one thing lacking......the truths about pregnancy. I figured I would give all of you newly pregnant divas a heads up on the things "No one ever tells you". I knew that some women experienced heartburn and I was cool with that, but no one ever told me I could have heartburn so bad it would radiate into my ears....ouch! By the way if you suffer from really bad heartburn, milk and Tums only cure it for maybe an hour or so. :-( Well has anyone told you that along with all of the other changes your body goes through its possible to have some chemical changes as well?!?! That's right I had to change all of my laundry detergents, soaps, and deodorant. Not only did my skin break out, but all of the scents I had literally made me vomit! :-( I knew that a lot of women experienced  having gas a lot, but little did I know it was possible to have it all day for several days and of course it strikes in the most inopportune times like in an elevator full of people...LoL! Oh and how I wish people would have told me that if you are on the fluffy side while you're pregnant some people can be extremely rude. (It's never nice to tell a woman you can tell she's having twins because her belly is so big, she could just have a big baby) i.e. I did! :-/ Most importantly, I spent my last trimester sleeping on my couch because I was too big to hop up in my bed. On the days when my husband pushed me up into our bed I could never get comfortable so the couch and I became true friends; it was easier and more comfortable to sleep sitting up. Luckily every pregnancy isn't the same, but it's definitely  not always easy either. Take time for yourself and enjoy all the positive attention because although it seems as if your pregnancy is never going to end, that 9 months will be over before you know it!

Xoxo

Lauren