Snow Days 2015

We have had a few snow days the last two weeks that brought enough snow to close schools, 

cancel events, and keep Mark home from work. 

Which, here in the south east part of VA, means we got about 4-6 inches. ; )

Snow days for us mean warm fires, yummy breakfasts, practicing baby skills, baking "blondies", playing in the snow, and lots of cuddles.

12 Must Haves for Pumping at Work

It's been a couple months since I've been back to work, and it took me a while, but I think I Finally have this pumping at work thing down. At first I was completely unsure about what to bring (other than the pump itself). Everything seems pretty obvious, but I kept wondering if I had the right type of cooler or ice pack to keep the milk cold, was I being sanitary enough, and did I really need to purchase the $70 Medela bag to carry all of my gear???

Maybe I was just way overthinking it. I do that sometimes. But I finally have a collection of gear that works for me... some obvious and some not so obvious... so I thought I'd share :)

#1 - Large Bag
I finally realized I did not need to spend money on the Medela bag to carry my stuff in when I had a perfectly sized bag in my closet. I think I was feeling a bit of peer pressure as there are 2 other moms at work that are also pumping, that bring all of their stuff in the name brand bag. My wallet is glad I squashed that "keeping up with the Joneses" urge. My bag is a 31 Weekender Tote and it works great. It's sturdy and the perfect size.

#2 - Cooler

I use my 31 lunch bag (seriously, not a consultant for 31, but I do love their stuff!) I was worried about its ability to keep the milk cold enough at first, but so far so good! 

#3- Ice Pack
Duh. Again this was one of those things I over thought. Would it be cold enough, would it be too cold? (That's not a thing, by the way.) I just use an ice brick that we had from summer time, cleaned it off really well, and it keeps my milk cold for more than 4 hours. Which is all I need. 

#4 - Hands Free Bra 

Ok , this one I went with the name brand on. Don't laugh, but the first couple months I was pumping at home and the first few weeks of pumping at work, I just held the pump on with my hands. It worked perfectly fine, but it was super inconvenient! When I finally splurged on the bra it was a huge game changer at work. I could get charts done while pumping! I've seen that people cut holes in sports bras to serve the same purpose but that would require me to, like, fully undress/dress my upper half while at work. So the Medela bra with the zipper on the front is way more preferable. :)

#5 - Ziploc Bag
I assemble my parts before going into work to save time and then place them in a gallon size bag. This helps keep them clean until I use them and then I just throw it all back in without having to worry about milk getting on anything else. Maybe it's not super environmentally friendly - but it works for me. And I recycle. :) **A tip from my Sister-in-law who is also currently pumping at work: if you have to pump multiple times at work (I only work 4 hours so I only pump once!) and have access to a fridge, you can put your used parts into the ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. That way you don't have to wash the parts in between each pumping session! Huge Time Saver!**

#6 - Antibacterial Wipes

I always clear the surface that I put the pump on and then give it a quick wipe down with an antibacterial wipe before setting any of my stuff on it. I've never been one to be a germophobe, but when it comes to my baby's milk, I'm extra careful. 

#7 - Hand Sanitizer

 I always use the bathroom and wash my hands before going to pump, but once I'm in the room I'll also use a bit of hand sanitizer before pulling my stuff out. This is helpful because I have to move objects out of the way to clear a space and I touch the door handle to close and lock it... So again, just going the extra mile to keep germs away from my milk. (Winter Candy Apple was my favorite scent from Bath & Body works this year! I had candles and wall flowers all over my house in this scent! Loved it!)

#8 - Medela Wipes

These make it super easy to clean your pump pieces in between pumping sessions if you don't have access to a fridge (see #5) and its much faster than cleaning with soap and water. I don't always use these, because I only pump once at work, but I like to have them for just incase moments. For instance, one time I dropped a piece of the bottle attachment on the floor! Yikes! The Medela wipes are great for a quick clean and sanitation. You do have to let it air dry for 5 minutes after wiping it, but it's better than using a dirty piece or having to pack everything up to find a sink to wash it in. (These can be used the wipe countertops down as well if you don't want to carry around 2 different wipes!)

#9 - Storage Bags 

I use the Target brand or whatever I have a coupon for and keep the whole box in my big bag. When I'm done pumping I portion it out into the bags and then when I get home I put them right into the fridge/freezer. Seems more convenient than just putting the cap on the pumping bottles, plus it stores better in my cooler when in the bags versus the bottles.

#10 - A Sharpie

Or whatever marker/pen works for you! To document date and amount of the milk you've pumped on the bag

#11 - Water Bottle 

This one is important! I keep a water bottle at work and we have a water cooler in our gym so I'm easily able to fill my water up. I try to drink as much as I can while sitting and pumping. (Another perk of the hands free bra!)

#12 - A Snack

To go along with the water! It's a good time to get some nutrients in, especially since I'm at work and might not have the time to eat otherwise. I usually have a protien bar because it's small and quick, but packing fruits or veggies is great too! 

I think that's pretty much it. I have it pretty easy because I'm only at work for 4 hours so I only have to pump once while I'm there. I also get to pump at the same time every time, and it's a specific 45 minutes of time blocked off of my schedule. (A time slot where I'd normally be treating a patient). Its relatively stress free for me as far as expectations at work go and I'm really thankful for that.

If you pump, and you're reading this, what are some essentials you bring? What is your work situation like? I'm curious if others have a harder time being allowed a consistent time to pump or if you feel rushed to get it done? Please share! 

See Reaghan Grow! {5 Months}

Usually January and February are my least favorite months out of the year, they just always seem to drag on forever and there is so little too look forward to. This year has been moving along quite nicely though, and while I am mostly happy about it, I'm also like "Whoa! What? My baby is already 5 months?" So February, you have my permission to slow down just a tad this year, mmk? Thanks.

What has Reaghan done this last month???

• No doctors appointment at 5 months, but we know she is getting bigger! She's wearing 3-6 month outfits and even fitting into a lot of 6 month sizes as well. 
• Night time can still be a challenge at times. Some nights she goes down without a fuss and sleeps all night (about 10pm-8am) but if I try and put her down any earlier than 10, she usually spends a couple of hours fussing with Mark and I taking turns going in to soothe her, before she really falls asleep. I'll confess to being frustrated by this. We'll try this month to slowly back up bedtime with a goal of getting her to sleep by 8:30. (It doesn't help that 2 nights out of the week I don't get home from work until 7:30. Usually I'll feed her right when I get home and then she's not ready to eat again and go to bed until 10. I'm not sure how I'm going to figure this one out!)
• The upside of her late night tendencies is that if we are visiting with family on the weekends and out late, she is generally a happy, easy going girl and doesn't get fussy if she's not in bed by a certain time. I'll admit that I like this flexibility.
• We have officially cut out her middle of the night feeding though, so if she does wake up in the middle of the night, I just go and put her paci back in her mouth, pat her on the back for a few minutes and she (99% of the time) falls easily back to sleep. 
• I love getting her up from her crib in the morning! She usually wakes up happy and "talking" and gives me the brightest smile when Piper and I go to get her up. 
• She has been taking a 1.5-2 hour nap in the morning and the afternoon in her crib when we are home, which is great! She can also maintain a happy disposition if she is napping in her carseat for shorter amounts of time if we are running errands. Again - I love that she is able to follow a schedule when we are home but flexible enough that I don't HAVE to be home for nap times to keep her happy.
• She rolled over from belly to back for the first time! She is a pro at it now! Still hasn't figured out back to belly yet.
• We are practicing sitting up independently. She has held herself up for about 7-8 seconds a few times but she still needs lots of practice before we can officially say she can sit up on her own.
• She loves to play with her toys, loves to look at herself in the mirror and loves to put anything she can grab right into her mouth. 
• She had her first little cold. Babies with stuffy/runny noses are so sad. She had trouble eating and sleeping and was just overall pitiful. Poor baby. 
• She is mesmerized by polka dot patterns! Anything I show her with polka dots instantly captures her attention and she gets the cutest concentrated look on her face!
• She has quite the sassy personality, she'll let out shrieks if she is not happy with her current situation. It is definitely different than her cries; she likes to make sure we know that she would rather be doing something else. 
• We've noticed that she has started to really watch us when we eat. Our plan was to wait until 6 months to start introducing solids, but not sure if we'll make it another month!  

We thought the snow flake sweater was appropriate for her photo shoot today since she also got to enjoy her first big snow day on her 5th month birthday!

She's the cutest little stinker bug.

She's admiring my creativity ; )

Yummy toys!

Oh Sweet Valentines

I don't know about you, but I kind of like celebrating Valentines day.

Sure, it might be made up just to get people to spend money on cards and chocolate, but personally I like an opportunity to focus on being romantic and a little lovey-dovey. :)

I like it so much that I make sure we celebrate it, even though we never celebrate it ON the actual day. My brothers birthday is on V-day so we always put him first and spend time with him on the 14th; but either the day before or the day after, Mark and I will do something special. (As also explained from our 2013 Valentines Day) This year since the 14th fell on a Saturday, we did our thing on Friday. (It was actually Mark's RDO* so it worked out well for us!)

My first present from Mark? A chance to spend an hour at the nail salon getting my toes done while he stayed home with Reaghan. I love pedicures. I wish I could get one done every month. It felt so nice to have a chance to sit and soak my feet, get a little foot massage and come out with pretty toe nails.

After I got back home, Mark left to go pick up something for dinner. This is our 3rd married Valentines and every year so far we have spent the evening at home together. Maybe this is too much information, but because we chose to live out our relationship in a way that honored God, all of the Valentines celebrations while we were dating ended with a kiss goodbye at my parents doorstep. We really looked forward to our first married Valentines Day and spent that night at home ; ) Since then, we've just followed that same tradition and enjoy a romantic evening in. In fact, our 2013 dinner looked an awful lot like our 2015 dinner! I didn't even realize it until I looked back at my blog post!

While Mark was setting up dinner in the dining room, Reaghan and I got ready for our special dinner.

We got dressed up just a little to make it fun. :)

Mark brought home TASTE Unlimited - my request - and had some flowers and candles 

to dress up the table. 

My two loves. Reaghan loves her daddy and received her very first Valentines gift from him...

Mark brought her home a bouquet of carnations and a fuzzy teddy bear that is "life size" for Reaghan right now ; ) I think he's going to be pretty good at this daddy thing - not that I ever had any doubts!

She was pretty thrilled with her gift!

 Reaghan and I made this card for Mark. I love her little feet and handprints!

After dinner we set up the projector screen in our living room, put our futon mattress on the floor with some pillows and watched a movie until it was time to put Reaghan to bed. 

We might decide to go out for a nice dinner next year, but then again we might just stay home. :) 

The next day, we headed over to my parents to celebrate my brother Adam and enjoyed a full afternoon and evening with the family.

Reaghan, of course, had to get dressed up for that event as well. :)

(*RDO - rotating day off. Mark gets every other Friday off.)

Jogging Stroller - BoB Revolution

I finally got my hands on a BoB jogging stroller! back in November I wrote about how I was getting back into a running routine and how I was wanting to get a jogging stroller so I could take Reaghan with me. Specifically, I was coveting a BoB jogging stroller, but buying one brand new was just way too expensive! I couldn't justify $500 on a stroller.

Since then I've been keeping an eye out on the facebook yardsale sites and on Craigslist. I found a few but they go fast! I would contact the seller as soon as I saw it, but by then they already had 2-3 people lined up to come look at it and usually it sold to the first person.

I pretty much decided to just stop looking for one until spring time when a friend of mine texted me saying she was going to sell her BoB because she just got a new one and she'd give it to me for a little less than what she was going to try and sell it for online if I wanted it. Holla!

I said yes in .5 seconds. :)

She dropped it off this morning and I'm already excited about it.

It will be a couple of months before Reaghan will be able to use it but thats okay because it's a little too cold for her to go out with me right now anyways. By spring time though, it will be perfect!

I need to clean it up just a bit, but it is in great condition! 

It even came with the cup holder caddy attachment, which doesn't come with the stroller.

I paid $150 for it.

So much better than $500!

I can't wait for Spring!