When Luca was 5 months old, I decided it was time to go back to work full-time and so we hired a nanny (more on how we found her and our thoughts on the whole thing, here and our 3-month nanny update, here.) Our nanny has become a part of our family, and I couldn't imagine life without her! She's amazing with Luca, reliable, trustworthy, dependable, understanding, and has honestly helped me through many stages of infancy and toddlerhood with her expertise (not only having 3 children herself - including twins!, but having nanny-ed for several other families, she has a lot of experience.)
Finding the balance between working full-time at home and having a nanny at home definitely has its challenges,...
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When Luca was born, there was a bit of a September heat wave and it was really warm. I remember planning his delivery month thinking, "New Jersey weather is unpredictable, it could be in the 50s!" Well, it was warm, but I still prepared with winter gear on my baby registry and got all the necessities for bundling him up over the wintertime (and just in case it was chilly when he was born.)
For most of his infancy, he was in the cold weather. By the time we got out of the thick of winter, he was about 6-7 months old and by then, I knew how to bundle up my little bundle of joy! And now, as we head...
Continue reading It's so hard not to buy clothes for your baby. Everything is so cute! And the time when you can decide what your baby will way is limited, because then they grow up and they have their own opinions! I've loved buying Luca's clothes, from his first outfit home from the hospital to now, with his big puffy vests he's been wearing now that the temps are dropping.
Babies grow so quickly, so you feel silly buying clothes they'll grow out of in a month. For me, I say what the heck, babies are only babies once, and his cute little outfits make me so happy and we need a bit more happiness in the world! Sometimes, it's the little things,...
Continue reading Around the time that Luca turned 1, a lot started happening. He really shifted into a schedule, he started walking, he started drinking less breastmilk, eating lots of solids, and to my delight, started sleeping on his own! Every stage is so much fun and this stage just seems to be full of so many milestones! So, let's give an update and chat about his schedule, weaning, and just how we're doing!
Sleep
We never sleep trained Luca, primarily because we're not "schedule" people (we don't like to be on a schedule, so we didn't want to put the baby on a schedule that we'd have to follow.) The downside? He can't really sleep well on his own - he needed coaxing,...
Continue reading The Sunday before Luca turned one year old, we threw him a birthday party! The theme was "wild party animals," which meant lots of safari and jungle animal decor and themed food. We celebrated with our closest friends and family, and felt extremely proud, blessed, and loved that day.
The first birthday party is a funny thing, because, of course, the baby won't ever remember it, BUT the parents, family and friends certainly will. I mean, one year with a baby is an accomplishment! There are sleepless nights, non stop crying (at times!), early mornings, and just an overall total lifestyle shift. It takes about a year to get used to it! And it's the BEST.
I have to say, I've loved...
Continue reading Dear Luca,
Happy Birthday, honey! You're one year old today. I knew that day and I know now that I was put on this Earth to be your Mommy. Nothing in my life makes me prouder or happier than you. Waking up to your adorable little face and fluffy hair starts each day off with love and light.
Before you arrived, we were never nervous. We were ready for you to arrive and change our lives forever - and boy, did you! When you first were put on Mommy's chest the moment you were born, I felt like I was born too - my purpose in life became clear. My purpose is you! I don't remember life before you, and what I...
Continue reading I distinctly remember going over to friends' houses who had little children and thinking, "This looks like a daycare center!" The place was overflowing with multi-colored toys, big clunky soft furniture, playmats, plastic bins and stuffed animals. I also remember thinking, "Our place will never look like this! We're going to get all wooden toys and neutral colored baby gear."
Welp, that lasted about 1 day. You soon realize that babies love colorful things, especially once their eyesight develops and they see more clearly. From books to mobiles to newborn activity centers, we were (and still are) in total color mode.
However, we've still maintained our space so that all of Luca's toys are in a dedicated spot, there are some neutral...
Continue reading first off, before I say anything, let me say this: DO YOU. whatever works for you, mama. please don't let any book, online article, other mother, parent, mother-in-law, or Instagrammer influence you. do what works best for YOU and your family, always. we're all mamas just trying to survive through this motherhood journey. I'm simply sharing my thoughts and my experiences with my baby. that's it. take it for what it's worth. hopefully, some can relate.
when I became a mother, I became a mother at a time when I was ready to accept that my life would never be the same. in fact, I didn't want it to be this same. I wanted to start a family, I wanted a baby to...
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you can read about my breastfeeding journey and my first breastfeeding update here. and of course, you should consult your doctor if you have any medically related questions about breastfeeding, as I am not a doctor and this is just my personal experience.
world breastfeeding week is august 1-7, so in celebration of that, let's give a breastfeeding update!
as we approach one year of nursing, I'm having all the feels. mostly, "I can't believe it!" when I first started nursing and it was tough, I remember thinking, "just stick it out for 6 months!" and then at 4 months, we finally hit our groove and nursing became, for the most part, easy. my confidence nursing in public grew, Luca's latch was strong,...
Continue reading If you follow me on Instagram, you may notice that when I take a photo of my food, there's a lot of baby "stuff" in the background. You can see our baby playmat and lots of toys scattered around. That's because the area I take my food photos for the blog in is also the area Luca plays in, in our living room. It's where all of his toys are stored and the area that we've designated "the baby's space."
For us, we were always concerned that our apartment home would explode into one big baby's room. We're happy that we have a little nook in our living room that we could build into a safe space for Luca. Of course,...
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