FBP: Breastfeeding a Prince

Photo found here.

With the birth of the Royal Baby the whole world has come down with baby fever! Every one is cooing and oooing over His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge (aka George Alexander Louis) and you know what... I am really excited that we are focused on something happy! How wonderful is it that we are tuning into the news and reading about babies being born rather than looting and murders! 

Read the full post here over on my blog at FredericksburgParent.net! 

Free Nursing Pillow Anyone?

Little Nolan

When I nurse Nolan (and when I nursed Everett) I typically used a nursing pillow which helps tremendously.  The pillow brings the baby up higher off your lap and helps you to not have to hold him up the entire time.  

Nursing Pillow is offering their product for free (you pay S&H) for a limited time! Check out the instructions (below) to get yours today! 

1. Go to www.nursingpillow.com.
2. Click on "Shop Now" and select the Nursing Pillow of your choice in any of the nine prints!
3. Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "BREASTFEED" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of your selected Nursing Pillow - all you pay are the SP&S fees!

** I was not perked or paid for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Breastfeeding Week

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1st- 7th) all of my posts this week are going to be about breastfeeding, yay boobies! :) I was able to breastfeed Everett for almost 20 months (19 months and 25 days to be exact) and although there were ups and downs, it was a beautiful relationship.   I am passionate about breastfeeding because I believe that it is one of the most beautiful gifts that God gave to women.  This week is not about being "anti-formula" rather, it is about sharing something that I am passionate about.  I hope that what I post this week will be beneficial to women who may be interested in breastfeeding and will at the very least be informational for every one else! This first post is a collection of photographs taken by Story Teller Photography (like her facebook page here).  The photographer, Candice is putting together a coffee table book to help normalize breastfeeding and the stigma of nursing in public.  Check out the photos of Nolan and I as well as some of my friends and their cute little ones!  Enjoy! 

Tiphany and Micah with Nolan and I

Julie and Emmalyn

Laurie and Issac

Helen and Will

Tiphany and Micah

Wednesday I will be posting some of the tips I have picked up over the last two years breastfeeding and will be "sharing" them with the Duchess of Cambridge.  I am not sure if she is or not but I am hoping that she plans to breastfeed that little Prince!  These tips will of course be for any mother who is or plans to breastfeed as well! :) 

Weekend Links

Hope you are staying cool this weekend! Check out some funny and interesting things I came across this week!

Check out Nicolas Cage as your favorite Disney princesses! This is pretty hilarious!

Nic as my favorite princess, Belle

Rebecca from Girls Gone Child wrote this post: We Need to Talk About Race as well as a follow up, here. I think that these posts are very well written and provide a good starting point for discussion.  

The video below is a great follow up to the posts that Rebecca wrote (also, the girl with the brown sort of curly hair looks like a young Jennifer Garner.) 

Grandma's got skills! Check her out! 

Puzzled about what to name your baby?  Be sure to check out the GQ Guide to Naming Your Baby! 

Hope you have a great weekend! Looking forward to another fun week ahead! 

Mommy Thoughts (Part 1)

I need to vent a little....  I have been so frustrated because lately I feel like all I have been doing with Everett is policing his actions.  Either with Nolan (please don't lean on him, please don't hit him, please be gentle) or with our dog Jedi (please stop pulling on him, please don't hit him) or around the house (please don't stand up on the chair/couch, please put that down) or with his toys (it's time to clean up, please don't throw that, please don't hit with that).  I have been trying to turn the "no" into "yes" by showing him something that he can do, for example: "If you want to yell and scream that is perfectly fine if you are outside.  Would you like to go outside and we can scream and yell?" This works out okay some of the time, but there aren't always alternatives to things that he is not allowed to do.   When I ask him to stop it's pretty much a useless gesture. I try to explain to Everett why he shouldn't be doing whatever it is that he is doing (usually because he can get hurt) but I am not really sure that he understands.  Sometimes when I ask him to do/not do something he just breaks down into crying and/or screaming and I just feel like I am playing "mean mommy" all the time. To be honest, he really does not have that many "boundaries" and can pretty much do whatever his little toddler heart desires (as long as he is not hurting himself/others or destroying property.)  Since I have some serious OCD going on I have to consciously remind myself several times a day that Everett is a toddler who likes to have fun and explore the world around him and that everything can be cleaned up later.   Another reason that I have been frustrated is that Everett is ridiculously cranky all of the time.  I think that this boils down to him not getting enough sleep and also probably a little of having to share mommy with his brother.  Since Tyler gets up for work so early, we all go to bed together anywhere from 9- 10 pm and Everett usually wakes up by 7 am at the latest.  He used to sleep until almost 9 am every morning but not any more.  On average I'd say he gets around 9 hours of sleep a night sometimes more, sometimes less.  This would be a fine amount of sleep if he were to be taking a nap during the day but he has given that up. Yes, you read that right- my two year old refuses to nap.  I had him napping really well before Nolan arrived but once he got here that went right out the window.  I know that I need to work with him again on taking naps but I am still adjusting to life with two babies and haven't gotten around to it.   Since we figured out that Everett wasn't getting enough sleep, Tyler and I have started getting into bed with around 8 pm (or earlier if possible) and "pretending" to go to sleep so that he will fall asleep by 8:30 pm.  If we have things that we still need to get done we can do them after he has fallen asleep (for example: blogging, unloading the dishwasher, picking up the house, etc.)  So far this seems to work out well and his mood is actually starting to improve.  We are working on napping again as well.  I am so desperately hoping that this funk that he and I have been in for the past six months or so goes away soon because I want to enjoy this time and not rush through it.  I want to be able to look back and smile not shudder at the memories.  Have you ever felt like this?  I would love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions that you might have.  :)

FBP: Life Lessons from the Lorax

Photo found here.

If you have a toddler, then you probably have seen the movie, The Lorax.  The movie is (loosely) based on the children’s book written by Dr. Seuss and is a much loved hit at our house. The movie is always in the first slot of our “Recently Watched” section on Netflix and the DVD doesn’t come out of the DVD player in our bedroom.  I know every line and can sing each and every song, a talent I am sure will come in handy later in life. 

So, since my two year old has such a huge obsession with this movie, I have had the pleasure of watching and hearing it over and over and over again.  Due to my repeated viewing pleasure I have picked up on five life lessons that we can all learn from the movie.... 

To read the full article, be sure to click here or stroll on over to my Fredericksburg Parent blog site! 

Letters to Everett: 7/22/13

Everett,

You are 26 months old today!  Stop growing already! :)  You have learned how to open the doors in our house and that was driving daddy and I bananas so we had to childproof the doors! At first you weren't too keen on the idea of them but you've gotten used to it and have now moved on to shutting all the doors.  You can identify all of the colors of the rainbow and love shouting out what color things are.  I just asked you what your favorite color was and you responded with "cookie." Haha, silly boy! 

You are talking so much these days and I am constantly amazed by the words that you say, know, and understand.  You are talking in two, three, and sometimes four word sentences and are adding more words to your vocabulary daily.  You say "thank you much" when someone does something for you or gives you something and it is so cute! When you want us to go with you or you want to go with us somewhere you say "too." So sweet.

You have had a couple firsts this month both of which had to do with delicious sweet treats! We let you branch out from your usual strawberry milkshake and ordered you a chocolate ice cream cone! You also got to try out your first push pop this month! To say you loved both would be a huge understatement! It was fun to see you eat the push pop- they were one of my favorite things when I was a kid and it is nice to pass that down to you! 

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

---------------------------------------

For Letters to Everett, click here! 

For Letters to Nolan, click here! 

Letters to Nolan: 7/18/13

Nolan,

You are two months old already and you are growing like crazy! It is amazing how much you have changed since last month.  You are doing so much more and are staying awake a lot longer.  You are very alert and like to take in your surroundings.  

When you are awake you coo and goo and you love when people talk to you.  You love to smile and even smile in your sleep a lot! :)  This month you rolled over from your stomach to your back and your doctor was so proud of you!  (I am a little sad because it means you're growing up!!) 

I let you set your own schedule and that is really working out great for us. Right now, you are taking three to four naps during the day that range from one to two hours.  At night you are sleeping for a five to six hour stretch and Momma really likes that! You start out in the rock-and-play at night but when you wake up you come into the bed with momma, daddy, and Everett! 

Oh boy do you love to be naked! I think that if I let you be naked all the time you would be one happy boy!  You got in the little pool with Everett, PigPaw, and Aunt Marley yesterday and you loved it! It was so fun to see your reaction to the water and how you tried to kick off the bottom.  I think that next summer you are going to be swimming like a little fish! 

You are such a laid back and happy baby, I love you so much and I am so happy that you are part of our family! 

Here's what you've been up to this month: 

06/19/13:  One month well check- 10lbs 12oz (75th percentile), first time to Lake Anna

06/22/13: Started cooing

06/23/13: Started wearing size 2 diapers

06/24/13: Found your thumb and started trying to suck on it, first shower (with mommy)

06/28/13: First five hour stretch of sleep

07/04/13- 07/06/13: First out of town trip (Greensboro, NC), first trip to GaGa's house

07/09/13: First time to see a play (Pinkalicious)

07/14/13: First six hour stretch of sleep

07/15/13: First time you rolled from your stomach to your back

07/17/13: First time in the pool

07/18/13: Two month well check- 12lbs 15.5oz (75th percentile), 23.5" long (75th percentile)

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

---------------------------------------

For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here! 

Instacram: June 2013

I love being able to share my photos so easily with Instagram! Check out what I've been up to this month! 

Are you following me yet? 

Find me: NotSoAverageMomma

Top Row:  1.) Nighty night Nolan,  2.) My first Instagram video,  3.) Hanging out with Aunt Stacey,  4.) Family date in downtown FredVegas,  5.)  So sweet

Middle Row:  1- 3.) "Throw back Thursday" photos,  4- 5.)  Everett and his friend Emmalyn

Bottom Row:  1.) The boys sleeping in their car seats,  2.) Wearing daddy's boots,  3- 4.) Cloth diapers out on the line,  5.) E and Nolan at the same age in the same outfit

Top Row:  1.) Nolan sucking on his thumb,  2.) Sleeping boys,  3.) A birds nest at my parents house,  4.) Mr. Nolan,  5.)  He loves to be naked

Middle Row:  1.) Taking a paci and flipping the bird,  2.)  Sibling jealousy already?,  3- 5.) Love this little dude 

Bottom Row:  1.) Calllliiiifforrnia!,  2.)  So sleepy,  3- 5.) Playing at Lake Anna

Top Row:  1.) Tyler and Nolan napping,  2.) Holding the littlest Thompson at Lake Anna,  3.) Checking out the world,  4- 5.) Twinsies

Middle Row:  1.) Undies,  2.)  Looking out the window,  3.)  He loves his hat,  4.) This is how they sleep!,   5.)  Not ready to be in the swing yet but he loves to push it

Bottom Row:  1.) Sleeping prince,  2.) E riding in the car with Garfield,  3- 5.) Playing with my new photo editing app

Top Row:  1.) My little Long Horn,  2.) Nolan in the ring sling,  3.) Apparently E did not want to be on the potty,  4.) A comparison of E as a baby and Nolan at the same age,  5.)  Everett loves to "hold baby"

Middle Row:  1.) Everett and Tyler in Uncle Scott's pool,  2.)  Getting a bath,  3.)  My boys and I,  4.) Colt and Everett in the tub,   5.)  Sleepy boy 

Bottom Row:  1.) Daddy and E jammin' on the couch,  2- 5.) May Instacram pics

----

For more Instacram posts click here! 

Thanks to Jess for the original inspiration for this post! 

Weekend Links

Do you know how dine with proper etiquette?  You may think you do, but do you really? 

Photo found here

I made these chile lime chicken wings the other day and they were fabulous! I think they'd go great with this lime cilantro rice.

Did you hear the news?  I have joined FredericksburgParent.net and am going to be blogging over there about once a week!  Be sure to check out my blog there and give me some comment love!

How awesome is this?! One second per day for this kid's whole first year made into a video! Wish I would have thought to do something like this for my kiddos! 

A Second a Day from Birth. from Sam Christopher Cornwell on Vimeo.

A friend recently told me about AhaParenting.com and I have really enjoyed delving into the ideas and methods the founder, Dr. Laura Markahm discusses on the website.  

Check out some of the blogs I follow: 

• A Cup of Jo
• Casa Campbell
• Little Pink Monster
• Tiny Blue Lines
• Young House Love

Hope y'all have a great weekend! Looking forward to the week ahead! 

A New Adventure

I am excited to announce that I will be blogging over at FredericksburgParent.net about once a week!  I am hoping to grow this "blog thing" that I've got going and part of making that happen is networking with different sites in order to get my name/brand more well known.  

I will continue to post here one to two times a week and will keep up with a lot of the series that I have going (examples: Letters to Everett/Letters to Nolan, Nap Time Craft Time, Instacram, etc.) I will also share my thoughts, trials that I am going through, and what not here on my blog.  Over at my blog on FredericksburgParent.net I will be posting about our "Not So Average Momma" lifestyle and parenting choices as well as different activities to do around Fredericksburg. 

Here's a link to my first post! Please be sure to check it out and leave a comment!  Thanks for hanging with me through this transition! I hope that you guys will keep up with me here and there! :) 

Happy Independence Day

I hope that everyone had a fun and enjoyable time celebrating our nations independence this 4th of July!  Tyler, Everett, Nolan, and I headed down to Greensboro, North Carolina to visit his mom and her family.  It was an interesting car ride to say the least (more on that later) but we made it down to her house in one piece and enjoyed some quality time with our family.  

We headed to downtown Greensboro for the Fun Fourth Festival! There were amusement rides, concerts, and street exhibits to check out.  Everett and Riley (Tyler's sister) even got to ride on a "choo choo!"  Check out some of the photos from the day! 

A view of the rides.

The crew hanging out in the shade!

Aunt Riley and Everett on the choo choo! 

Daddy racing the choo choo!

It's not a Fun Fourth Festival until the guy in the star spangled top hat plays the accordion!

LOVE the tie dye! 

The fire truck was a BIG hit!

Riley, Everett, and Tyler in the fire truck!

Checking out one of the bands! 

Everett got to meet a real police officer!

We stopped in at The Green Bean to grab some delicious iced coffee! 

While we were there, Everett decided to do some light reading with a new friend!

Even this little (soon to be huge) guy was celebrating! 

When we got back to the house we had a little fireworks show of our own! We had a "blast" hanging out but after one particularly loud firework (see the video below) Everett was over it. 

Our awesome little guy!

Ka-boom!

I think Tony had fun setting off the fireworks!

What were you up to this Independence Day?  Did you celebrate with family and friends?  

E and his "MoMo"

For Everett's second birthday Aunt Becca bought him his very own motorcycle, or as he calls it his "MoMo!" Everett has been a lover all things with wheels since he could push a toy car, so this was a BIG hit for the birthday boy.  He loves it!  

Adjusting the mirrors! 

Check out Everett cruising on his bike! 

Wild hog!

Everett taking our neighbor Emmalyn on a ride!