Cloth Diapering: My Journey to become a CD Momma

I had always loved seeing all the cute fluffy bums and prints but never really made the dive into becoming a cloth diapering mom. I had bought some pocket diapers to try it out but just could never get into it. I didn't like how it looked on Adylee or the constant laundry (I only had 5) so I decided to quit and go back to regular pampers until she was potty trained.

Well, recently I hit a financial snag and really needed a way to stop spending $50 on diapers every week. Between home, going places and daycare I was going through boxes of diapers much faster than I liked. I had a talk with one of my parents at my daycare who cloth diapers and I asked her how much she saved. When she told me, my jaw hit the floor. I never realized how much I had spent on diapers in a year and 6 months. So I decided to go with a different route of diapers than the pockets. I looked and looked and had remembered that my parent told me that her Flip diapers were her absolute favorite. So I decided to buy some covers and inserts. I was hooked!

We now have 15 inserts and 9 covers with one on the way and I plan on buying more in a few days. I love the prints on them, clean up is easy, washing them is a breeze and they fit Adylee very well. I am super pleased with the Flip brand of cloth diapers. 

I know inserts and covers aren't very every cloth diapering momma but for me they have worked the best. I find them to be so much more easier than pockets and I really can't wait to make the plunge into doing them all the time. Right now we only use the cloth diapers at home because it's a bit hard for her teacher at daycare to do two cloth diapered kids and especially cause they are using the same brand and colors. Just easier so nothing gets mixed up. But soon I plan on getting rid of Pampers unless we are going out to the store or when she is sleeping. 

I highly suggest that if you are a new mom wanting to cloth diaper, a mom who stopped and wants to get back in it or a mom who just wants to try them that you try out the Flip diaper system. You may fall in love like I did!!

Planning Adylee's First Birthday!!

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what I should write next because I want to keep up with this blog more than I have been. So I decided to write a little one about some of the plans I have for miss Adylee's first birthday party that is coming up in just a few weeks.

Her theme was probably the hardest to pick! I had originally wanted to go with cheetah and pink but with the way I wanted to cheetah to look being nearly impossible to find I settled for something a little more Adylee. 

So I picked the one above!! It says "Diva's First Birthday." Which is 100% Adylee and it has both zebra and cheetah. Not to mention that black and pink are my favorite color combination. :)

I am not going to get every single thing in this picture because I do wanna try and save some money on the decorations so I have decided to buy and make some things myself as well as add in a few things. I will be getting everything pink and black to match the theme as well as throwing in the zebra

I plan on making my own happy birthday banner out of card stock, my own collage using mod podge in case I am not able to order the newborn to 1 year photo banner that I want, and my own chalkboard print that will have facts about Adylee on it. As well as making tissue paper pom poms!

One thing I am really excited about doing that I have not seen done before at any of the parties I have gone to is taking a soup can and decorating it to house your silverware for the party. It's so innovative and cheap!

As you may have seen in my other post, I made her tutu for her birthday outfit. 

In addition to this, she will have a black onesie that will have a zebra 1 and have her name underneath in a hot pink/neon. Once I get the picture from the lady making it off etsy I will post :)

I also had a birthday candle made for her that will go on her smash cake. It was hand painted to match her theme but the cheetah side to it since most of the decorations will be zebra print or just pink.

Now onto her cake! I have decided that I won't be doing the traditional cake and smash cake combo. Instead I am having one of my co-workers make her smash cake out of fondant which will be zebra print. Then I will be baking cupcakes and putting hot pink and black frosting on them. Because not everyone eats cake but they do eat cupcakes!

Food wise we're just going to be doing finger foods for the kids like popcorn chicken and for the adults I'm going to have cuban sandwiches. Sides are going to be pasta salad and some fruits and veggies. In addition to that, I'm gonna make graham crackers dipped in chocolate and pink sprinkles for the kids to snack on. I will also be making the zebra & pink cookies that go around on Pintrest alot. Both will be something like what I have pictured below that I got from Pintrest.

Goody bags I am just going to have a candy bar station set up that'll have baby and kid friendly stuff along with a few things for the adults. I'm not going to go all out on goody bags because most of the time you just end up throwing half of the stuff out. The candy will also be like what is pictured above. Something that will go with her theme.

As you can see, everything is going to be pink, black & zebra! Some of our favorite things! I am so excited to start getting everything in order since we only have 3 weeks until her birthday party! I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun decorating and making these things because what I make can last her for a while and can also go into her nursery if I don't decide to change it haha.

DIY Tutorial: How to Make A Tutu

Recently, I made my first tutu ever and boy was it fun, pretty easy and quite cheap. All of my favorites!! So I figured I'd do a little tutorial on it for my readers. There are tons out there I am sure but it never hurts to write your own :)

So first off you're gonna need the basics:

-Tulle (if you're doing one color I recommend 2-3 rolls depending on your model. if bigger than a toddler i would say 4. and if you are doing two or more colors i would say anywhere between 4-5. don't open them all because if you end up not using that many you can always take them back! i used 5 rolls on mine.)

-Elastic (1/2 in works best)

-Scissors (fabric or rotary)

-Needle and thread or sewing machine

The tulle, elastic and scissors I got at Wal-Mart for cheap! The tulle cost me 2.97 per roll, the elastic was like a 1.98 or so and the scissors were 3.00. The sewing part my mom did for me because she had a sewing machine.

The first thing you are gonna do is measure your model's waist. Then cut off 2-3 inches from that. So say the waist size is 20" you're going to cut it down to 17" or 18". I know this seems drastic but the elastic will stretch. 

Then you will cut your tulle which if you use the rolls from Wal-Mart just measure out 20" and cut. You can do longer if you are working with an older model. I used 20" on mine for Adylee and it is perfect. I may end up cutting them a little shorter just cause some end up in her face when she sits down.

After all that, you will sew the elastic together. It'll look like the bottom picture.

From there you will need to find a cylinder or a hanger to hold your elastic while you add your tulle. Don't go for anything too large or it will stretch it even more. I did this with my first one and ended up having to cut it at the end to fit my daughter. 

Once you get it all situated on a cylinder you're going to take your tulle and fold it in half like so:

After that you are going to take it and put it underneath the elastic.

You will then take the bottom part of the tulle and bunch it together in order to bring it through the top, like so:

Once you pull it through you will then pull it tight. Not TOO tight but tight enough so that it is secure. Once you do a couple you will understand what I mean. It's kinda hard to explain in words lol.

Continue doing this until you reach the end. If you want a real fluffy tutu like I made then you're gonna have to push them all together real tight which will reveal some more elastic so just keep adding tulle. Once you reach where you sewed it you will want to 

Once you have finished up using all your tulle you can add a flower or bow to where you sewed it together because it's going to be pretty hard to add tulle to that piece since it sticks out so funky. I have not done that with mine yet since it if for Adylee's first birthday so I have some time. But here is the finished product:

I ended up having to go get more tulle because I ran out and they didn't have the same pink anymore so I had to go through and add in a darker pink but it ended up coming out pretty good for my first tutu.

11 Month Update

I literally can't believe that my princess is now 11 months old! Only one more month and she'll be a year old. YIKES! This year has flown by so fast. I don't know where the time went. I feel like one minute I'm counting down the hours until I went into labor and now I have an almost one year old child. 

Adylee is weighing 22 lbs and 9 oz these days. BIG GIRL! I seriously don't know where she gets the weight from because she only drinks three 6 oz bottles and then one 8 oz bottle and she has weeks where she just munches. So I was shocked when the doctor told me that at her last visit. Height wise I'm not sure because her doctor only does those on her monthly visits and she doesn't have another one of those till next month. 

Her main thing these days are balls. She is addicted to them. Anytime she sees one she grabs it and won't let go. The minute I try to take it, oh good lord, all hell is breaking loose. 

Her other favorite toy is her baby doll. She loves it and it has to be in her crib with her when she sleeps. She doesn't always cuddle with it but I think knowing its there makes her happy.

Aside from that, she has a huge attachment to me. I expect that since she's only ever been with me. I get a lot of crap for it from everyone but I love it. I'm glad that she knows that with her Mama she is safe from harm. We do a lot of co-sleeping these days so I know that adds to the attachment issues even more. Recently, I began co-bathing and I love it! Such a relaxing time with your baby.

As you can tell from the above picture she is such a little diva and anyone who knows her would vouch for that. Sad part is that she knows it too haha. She can throw a temper tantrum with the best of them these days. But, no matter how mad she gets at me she still comes running up to me just to give me a big hug and a kiss. Those are the moments that make all the temper tantrums worth it.

She's a full blown walker now and it is nearly impossible for me to get a picture of her standing still. As soon as I start to walk back she's walking towards me haha. She's a little ham sometimes. She's also learned a few new words lately: no, mo (more), and yeah. I'm working on "up" right now but shes being stubborn. And still...no teeth. GRRRR!

I am so excited to see what this next month is going to bring us. I feel like every month is different. She either says something or does something new. I am always so proud in those moments. They make me feel like I am doing something right when it comes to her. Like I am actually teaching her and helping her learn. I always blame myself for when something goes wrong with her development because I was so sick and because I had to take so many medications. I know I shouldn't but I do. And when she learns something I wash away that doubt for a few minutes. 

She's my world. And not a minute goes by that I don't tell her that or tell her how much I love her. I always will. 

Sleep little angel...

These are the moments I love the most. When Adylee needs me. This doesn't happen very often so when it does I treasure every single second of it. She has become so independent within the last few months and I always feel like I'm not needed as much as I used to be. It's always the same routine...I lay down with her while she holds her bottle and drinks it. Then she rolls over, sticks her paci in her mouth and off to sleep she goes. But tonight....tonight she needed me. I got to hold her and hold her bottle for her while she drifted off to sleep. I can't even remember the last time I was able to do that. It makes me feel so wanted when she does things like this. Or when she wakes up in the middle of the night and cries out "mama". Even though I complain about having to wake up in the middle of the night and how I get no sleep, it's still something that makes me feel needed. Because with her, I don't get that very often. Especially now that she is off and running. Pretty soon she's not gonna want me to cuddle her so when the oppurtunity arises, I take it. 

I had always said I would never co-bathe or co-sleep. But since her dad and I split, I have done those. Not because I wanna be defiant against him but because those little moments make memories. So what if she wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes and wants to sleep with me? Ill let her! She's a mamas girl and all that it entails. She looks for me when I walk out of the room. When my mom picks her up from my job because I have to close that night, she comes running to me as soon as I get home. I've been the only constant thing in her life since the beginning. And that will never change. I love my daughter more than life itself. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that each day she wakes up and knows that her mama loves her with every inch of my body. 

Because one day, she's gonna be a mom herself and I want her to look back on these moments and think "wow, my mom did everything she could for me and that's the way a mom is supposed to be." 

She's my world and then some. I can't wait for all the fun that is to come tomorrow. She makes my days. 

Just remember that you'll always be my baby....

There I was ten years old

Waiting in my room for him to come home

I just knew he'd be so mad

Though I begged my mother not to, she told my dad.

There was no denying I let him down

But instead of being angry

He put his arms around me and said

In the sunlight or the rain, brightest nights or darkest days

I'll always feel the same way

Whatever road you may be on

Know you're never too far gone my love is there wherever you may be

Just remember that you will always be my baby.

There I was twenty one

Oh I was so ashamed of what I'd done

On a country road

Parked one night

What started out so innocent

Crossed the line

There was no denying

I let God down

But instead of being angry

He let his love surround me and I heard

In the sunlight or the rain, brightest nights or darkest days

I'll always feel the same way

Whatever road you may be on

Know you're never too far gone

My love is there wherever you may be

Just remember that you will always be my baby yeah yeah.

There he is my little man

I'm sure he'll get in trouble every now and then

And I pray to god that when he does

I'll be just as understanding as my father was

'cause the last thing that I want to do is let him down

So instead of being angry

I'm gonna throw my arms around him and I'll say

In the sunlight or the rain, brightest nights or darkest days

I'll always feel the same way whatever road you may be on

No you're never too far gone

My love is there wherever you may be

Just remember that you will always be my baby be my baby

10 Month Update

Adylee turned 10 months on the first and boy has new things started arising already! She always seems to have milestone moments on the first. When she was 4 months she sat up assisted, 6 months she sat up unassisted, 7 months she started crawling. Now at 10 months she is walking. She still crawls a lot and has to pull herself up holding onto something but once she does she's off and running.

I am so proud of my princess. I literally started crying at work when she just kept walking and walking all day long. 

Adulee has such an amazing personality now. She is always laughing, smiling and makes the cutest faces. She is such the litter daredevil too. She has absolutely no fear at all. She's recently learned how to climb and she will climb up the stairs like it's nothing. Her new thing is to climb into her little rocker bouncy seat and stand up in it. The first time I caught her I about had a heart attack. Adylee is such a girly girl but will be someone who I will have to worry about taking those risks all the time. I can definitely see her giving me a run for my money. Lord help me now! 

Some facts about miss Adylee Marie:

-She weighs 21 lbs and 10 oz. My little chunky monkey

-She's 28 inches long

-Wears a size 4/4.5 in shoes

-Clothes wise she is wearing anything from 6-9 months all the way up to 12 months. 

-Is eating table food completely. Hardly eating any baby food anymore unless it's those little Gerber Graduate pouches

-She loves to watch Disney Junior in the morning when she's eating breakfast

-Favorite shows are Sofia and Mickey Mouse

-Takes a pacifier to go to sleep (just started this at 9 months)

-Has to have her princess blanket to hold onto when going to sleep and then has to be covered with one of her leopard blankets

 I am so excited to start getting everything ready for her first birthday party! It's gonna be such an amazing party :)

I was given the best gift possible the day she was born. I literally could not ask for a better daughter. She's everything I dreamed she would be and then some. She's my whole world. I am so lucky to be able to call myself her momma. My little punkin is growing up way too fast for me but I am excited for all the things to come for us in the future.

Clothing Haul!

Recently, I went out and bought some things for Adylee and ordered some things online for her as well. I thought I'd put together a little bit of a clothing haul to show off some of her new stuff :) 


First collage!

 1. Stride Rite shoes. We finally got her some walking shoes!! They are meant to help her walk and strengthen her ankles and get her to stop standing tip toe all the time.

2. I got this shirt from the Children's Place for like $5 on sale this past weekend and I am in love with it!!! She is little and she is sweet so it fit Adylee perfectly.

3. A cute little leopard tutu that I got at Khol's a few weeks ago.

4. I got this makeup bag when I bought a nail polish from Walmart last weekend and I decided it would be a perfect paci holder so it holds every single one of her MAM pacis.

5. And lastly, her new Vans. I am sooo in love with these shoes. They are such an adorable bright pink and she looks so stinkin' adorable in them. Especially when she wears her skinny jeans. Best buy!!

Now onto the next collage!

 1. I got this cute Zara outfit online and I can't wait for her to wear it in the fall! She's going to look like such a little diva.

2. Zara leggings. Can I just say I am in love with these? They stretch and are just perfect.

3. I got her these two onesies at Walmart a couple weeks ago. The birthday one I paid $2 for and thought it would be perfect for her to wear when she turns 1! And the camo one was just too cute to pass up. I'm anxiously waiting for her to fit into it.

4. & 5. I got two sleepers at the Children's Place this past weekend for $8 and these are them. The first one is a cute bright neon stripe one and then of course I had to get the leopard!

 And lastly....

 I just bought these two things at our local consignment store. They only sell things that are brand new or gently worn. I love it. I get a lot of stuff from there all the time. I saw the sleeper and immediately had to get them. It's our favorite print!!! And the diaper genie was just a bonus because I had been wanting to get one for some time. This was only $10 so I couldn't pass it up!


That's everything we bought so far!!! Lots of cute stuff and some steals. 

I have loved you for a thousand years...

I was in my living room writing my review on the formula when Adylee started crying in her sleep. I instantly walked into the room, scooped her up, and reassured her that it was okay. I laid her down in my bed and snuggled up real close to her and she fell back asleep. I didn't have the heart to put her back in her crib because she looked so peaceful. But in those few seconds that I got to cuddle with her she laid her tiny hand on mine and I could just feel that unconditional love that we have for each other. 

She's my rock. She keeps me grounded and happy. I just don't know what I would do without her right now. My life is a constant roller coaster and I can't seem to find that balance just yet but when she looks at me and smiles...all my issues disappear. Everything I do is for her. All the constant struggle? For her. The staying up 3-4 hours in the middle of the night just to put her back to sleep? For her. 

I feel like I don't even know who I was before Adylee came along. I can't remember what it was like to be a young adult going out constantly. I feel weird even doing it now that I'm a mom. One of my co-workers just turned 21 and she's asked me go out to the bars with her a few times and I've always said no. I would just rather be home snuggling up to my daughter than going out and getting hit on by random drunks. I've been there. I've done that. I don't feel 22. 

I know that God has a plan for us but sometimes through all the constant struggle and issues with Bill...it's hard to see what that is. But I trust in Him. I just hope and pray that soon everything will get better. It's been a hard year but it's been worth it. 

She's what makes it all worth it. 

Similac: Total Comfort Review

So I was supposed to do this review on my vlog but as time goes on I am finding it harder and harder to keep up with that and easier to keep up with this blog so I think I'm gonna stick to this instead! With that said, let me get to the review :)

Just wanna say this before I get the whole breast is best debate going on...yes, I agree that breast is best and I fully plan on breast feeding my next baby but that wasn't the case with Adylee. She just wasn't able to so we went down the formula route.

Anyways! Adylee has had so many feeding issues since birth really. We went through pretty much every single formula out there before finding out that she has acid reflex. Even though we found out pretty late I'm happy that we finally have a label (sort of) on what is going on with her, that we're able to start correcting it and that the formula is helping.

I kinda found this formula on a whim during one of my thousands of trips to Target. We had already started giving her the zantac (she was on that first) and it just didn't seem to be making a difference. She was still throwing up everything and not wanting to eat. So then we switched to the Prevacid and it seemed to have helped a tad but she still didn't wanna eat much and was constantly puking formula. I was pretty frustrated. Upon seeing this formula and that it was meant for babies with persistent feeding issues I thought I would give it a try. Didn't hurt that I just gotten a $5 off coupon from Similac in the mail. Within the first day of trying it I could already see the difference it was making. She was eating more solids/table foods and she was drinking her whole bottle instead of an ounce or two and then screaming at me.

So we decided to stick with it and I am so glad that I did! It may be expensive (about $30 for the big tub) but it's worth it for my child to be able to get the nutrients she has needed. I would definitely recommend this to any mom who has a newborn that may be having feeding issues or even a mom who is kinda at her wits end with acid reflex or GERD. 

I also recommend either the Tommee Tippee bottles or the Dr. Brown's bottles for babies who have gas issues. We use the wide mouth Dr. Brown's and Adylee seems to like those better but either one is good :)

Pregnancy & Birth Story

My pregnancy and birthing story isn't your typical one. Adylee is literally a miracle baby and if I had listened to the doctors from the beginning she would not be here today. 

 I found out I was pregnant at just 6 weeks after having missed my period. I was only with her father, Bill, for a month at the time. We had just moved into a one bedroom house. After having told everyone in our families, friends and co-workers I was pretty excited to become a mom. Even though I was only 20 I knew that I was ready for it at that time in my life. About 3 weeks after finding out that I was pregnant, I went to the mall with my parents and sister for a little family outing. I thought I had some massive heartburn/nausea and I was in some serious stomach pain. So we left the mall and my parents took me home to lay down while they continued their little outing with my sister. After trying to sleep it off, I woke up at 5 to eat dinner but I couldn't even stand the sight or smell of food. Bill came to my parents house to see how I was and immediately told me I needed to call my OB. I did and they told me to go to the hospital. On the way there, I had Bill stop about twenty times so I could throw up. What should've taken us 15 minutes to get to a hospital took me about 30.

I was admitted and the baby was instantly monitored. Turned out I was having a gallbladder attack and I needed to have my gallstones removed. The dr at the hospital I was in came to see me and told me that my baby was still in the developing stages and if I had them removed I could risk radiation exposure and went down the list of possible side effects. Then she proceeded to tell me that I needed to terminate my pregnancy. I started crying my eyes out. My precious little baby was not going to be terminated if I could help it. My mom had me transferred to a different hospital and they were able to take out my gallstones. I was supposed to be okay to go home after a couple days but I ended up having issues with my pancreas and had to stay longer. I was put on a special wing of the hospital. After being in the hospital for what seemed like forever, I was finally released. I went home and a week later I ended up in the hospital again for having more pains. The diagnosis was that my gallbladder needed to come out. They couldn't operate until I was 20 weeks however and wanted me to stay till then. I refused. I had been in the hospital long enough and I just wanted to go home. After three days, I was released and in a week or so I would be back to get my gallbladder removed.

The day finally came and I went into have my gallbladder removed. I woke up afterwards to my mother, father and Bill in my room. Everyone hugged me. I was in so much pain that I felt like I was dying. Finally the doctor came in and told me that my gallbladder was very bad. Gang green actually and I had to have special infectious disease medicine because it could affect other parts of my body including my baby. There were some risks but the benefits of taking them outweighed it. After a week or two in the hospital I was able to come home. I later found out that I had died on the table while they were operating on me. God was looking out for me for sure. I thank him every day for giving me a second chance at life. By the time all was said and done, I had lost a total of 20 pounds in 5 months. Normal pregnant women would be putting on the weight, I was losing it due to all my gallbladder issues and barely being able to eat.

I was finally free of all issues and was able to enjoy being pregnant. A few days after being out of the hospital I found out I was having a little girl. I was so excited that I went out right away and got two little outfits for her. 

After all of that I had a pretty normal pregnancy and at 38 and a half weeks Bill and I moved into our first house. Then the day finally came... I was 39 and 7 days and we had just finished getting Adylee's room all set up. Bill got up to go to work and kissed my belly and told Adylee that he loved her and couldn't wait to meet her like he always did. I got up about an hour later and got in my car and drove up the road to my parents house for breakfast. At about 8:30, I went to go pee. I didn't even make it to the toilet when I felt something gush out. My water had broken. I immediately called my mom and we went straight to the hospital. I let my OB office know and they said that the on call midwife was already there doing her rounds. I then called Bill who dropped everything he was doing and left work. He called his family who met me at the hospital. At first they told me that it was just discharge but I assured them that it was not. After an hour of waiting for results they came in and told me that they would be admitting me because my water had broken and was breaking in spurts. I was then put on the pill to jump start contractions because I wasn't having any. After one pill they stuck me on pitocin. I was in labor for 20 hours before it was finally time to push. I pushed and pushed for 2 and a half hours before they came in and told me that she was face up, I had a fever and her heart rate was up way too high. They said I would have to have a c-section. I started crying. I felt like I had failed. The doctor then came in and said that I could push her out with the help of a vacuum if I wished. I said yes. After 4 pushes and some pulls with the vacuum, Adylee was born at 7:20 in the morning on the day before I was due. Weighing 7 lbs and 20 oz and 20 inches long she was perfect from head to toe.

So, to the stupid doctor I say screw you. My daughter is perfectly healthy and is right on track with her development. 

It wasn't an easy pregnancy or labor but in the end, I got a miracle. She saved me in every single way a person could be saved. She is the reason for me to get up in the morning and provide for her in every way possible. She's my angel. I was given a second chance at life so that I could be her mom. And boy am I glad that God gave me that chance.