Here, Chew on This.

One of the unforeseen glories of motherhood is, of course, all of the sweet hugs and kisses, but also those sharp infant nails, teething bites and the swift slaps to the face that you get while nursing. Before I had my son I figured that this was simply something that we had to endure and overcome and thank goodness we were introduced to the world of teething jewelry!

I made a lovely little collection of my Little Lemon Treasures jewelry after Carter was born and over the months it continues to grow and grow! I have accepted the fact that with my crazy kiddos, nice jewelry isn't an option until we decide we are done popping them out. To most this might seem like a bummer, however it certainly doesn't have to be. Never in a million years would I have guessed that teething jewelry could look so fashionable with just about anything a momma could wear. I have received more compliments on my teething jewelry than jewelry that I shamefully spent way too much on.


But wait, theres more! (*best oxiclean commercial voice imitation*)

It looks stunning, but it serves an immediate and important purpose. No more hair pulling. No more chomping on your shoulders. No more batting your face while nursing. These necklaces act like one big beautiful baby magnet keeping you scratch free though the tough seasons of teething, they love chewing and messing around with the silicone!

This photo was taken post nursing session with Carter when he was only 5 months old. I put the necklace on and then without hesitation he was in a daze and unfocused on making my face, breasts, T-shirt and bra a toy. It was after this moment that we realized that we are hooked.

I am so excited to have started our stockpile for baby number two and plan to obtain enough to go with any outfit that we decide to wear with any day of the week. The glory and simplicity of these necklaces is something that I won't be able to accurately describe for you over the internet. They are a "use it and see for yourself" type of good, but I do promise that you will find yourself head over heals, and waist deep in Little Lemon Treasures glory!

You can find more teething jewelry selections by clicking HERE and you can also visit them on instagram @littlelemontreasures

- T

I Just Want a Baby

"Better give that little boy a sister!"

"Time to add a little pink to the family"

"What would you do if you never had a daughter?"

Simple. I would love my children regardless of their genitalia. In todays world we have quite the way of evaluating the 'worth' of a family unit. If a family has one boy and one girl they are considered the million dollar family and you are correct, they are blessed beyond measure. But the undo pressure of obtaining that life can be debilitating to an expecting family. 

Our first child was born and after nine long months of awaiting to find out his gender our friends and family were filled with joy to hear that he was a little boy! Our absolute dream come true! Every day since that moment has been spent in boy mom bliss - filled with lots of boo-boo's, playing cars and sweet baby boy snuggles. There truly is nothing I love more than being his mother. It was hard for me to come to the realization that we did in fact want another child since I couldn't ever imagine loving another little as much as I loved my son, and once we did we found ourselves on the road to baby number two quickly. Little did I know that it comes along with quite the pink colored burden. 

I spent the first few months chatting with people about the new addition that we were so excited about and it wasn't long before my husband and I were given the go around. It was clear that many of those around us were hoping that we brought a little baby girl into the family, so much so that we were told how disappointed they would be if our blessing had a penis. 

This is my child you are talking about, do you realize this? 

My husband and I sat and talked for a long time on how to handle the issue we were presented with. Along with it came many tears and unnecessary stress but we created the perfect response for when people ask us what we are "hoping for".

"We just want a baby"

There was nothing more true than that simple statement. We decided to add onto our family because we wanted another precious member. I don't want a girl, and I don't want a boy. I want a baby. You know.. that little thing you work and pray so hard for? I want to become a family of four, experience life with two children and give my son the blessing of a sibling to share in his adventures. Whether I remain a boy mom or get the million dollar family that society has told me is "correct" I will go to sleep each night happier than I was the day before. 

I promise you that my heart will feel no void.

And get this.. in 3 short months or less, if we give birth to a sweet baby girl our family is not finished, GASP! We will be having more children in the future and throwing off the even numbers of our family unit. Does this make us a ten million dollar family? 

Before stopping and telling a mother what you desire for her, take a minute and reflect on your words. Whatever you are about to tell her is about something that is most precious to her, the growing child inside of her is nothing short of her miracle and in a pregnant and emotional state it is so easy to ruin a special time for her. 

I don't want a girl. I don't want a boy.

I just want a baby.

- T

Gestational Diabetes

While pregnant with Carter I tested for Gestational Diabetes, and I failed my test. They called and had me come in once more for a three hour test in which I was told I had passed. Days went by and we grew.. and grew.. and grew.. and gained 60 pounds. Every day was a struggle, we were tired, swollen, seeing stars without any strenuous movement and had blood pressure and swelling issues.

It was not gracious.

Once we were in the hospital and geared up for delivery I was told that I should've been treated for GD and hours later I popped out a 9 pounder via csection. So somewhere deep inside me I was worried about the possibilities of testing positive for GD again.

But it hit me like a brick wall.

When they told me I was diagnosed with this fairly common pregnancy glitch my husband and I took it much harder than either of us had expected. We had made so many serious changes to our diet and lifestyle, minus the morning sickness I felt better than I ever have in my life, I have only gained 3 pounds and our baby wasn't measuring weeks ahead like Carter had. I was so determined to live a healthy happy pregnancy and end it with a bang by getting the VBAC that I so desire. I worked long and hard to be where we are at now.. I felt defeated.

Being allowed to go overdue, not feeling pressure to deliver early, not having any growth ultrasounds for anyone to tell my my baby is too large to deliver.. all of it seemed to be slowly slipping away from me.

My husband and I both realized that these were just the cards that we were dealt and that we should just do the best that we can to make sure that none of this has the opportunity to happen to us. If I poke myself and take my blood sugar as much as they ask of me, maintain the diet that they told me to go by and attend all the educational classes and ultrasounds they need than there shouldn't be any reason why we can't achieve what we set out for. And that my health amongst all the other things was what was most important.

Poking myself has gotten easier... I will admit that the very fist time it took me over an hour and immense amounts of bribing to get me to do it (maybe a few tears.. yes I promise you I am in fact an adult). My blood sugar stays stable as long as I do as I was told and hopefully in a few short months we can share that although we hit a minor bump in the road that the rest of our pregnancy and delivery were just as beautiful as we had ever imagined.

What ever goes as planned anyway? Without spontaneity and our ability to adapt we wouldn't have any of what we are blessed with now. I'll hold on tight to that.

Cheers GD, I will kick you in the butt.

- T

Why your Husbands Dig your Mom Bod

Pregnancy and postpartum can be a dark time for mothers in regards to body image, I for one am not the tiny little teenager that I used to be and that was difficult for me to swallow. I am no pregnancy unicorn, I won't ever look as fabulous as my peers. I swell, I get stretch marks, my butt becomes a planet and I'm not lucky enough to shrink back to size within a week after birth. In fact I don't shrink 2.. or 3.. or even 4 weeks later.

I remember crying and my husband walking in and asking me what was wrong. I responded with "I just wish that I was still the woman that you married" and this cut him deeply. I am the woman he married, but he loves me even more than the woman he loved on that day. Truth is ladies, our husbands dig our mom bods. They may not actively walk past you and say "Dayyyyyyummmm, look at those stretch marks!" or wake up each morning and say "I can't imagine you without your beautiful belly flab darling", but if you married a great man with any heart and soul I can promise you that he loves the new you.

Here are seven reasons why your husband digs your mom bod!

1. He loves your Kids
Easy as that. He loves the children that you made together, and he gets that you made them within your body, there for he loves you and that baby making body more than he is able to describe. He may not be able to find the words to use but he is forever grateful for for the sacrifices you made in order to bring them into the world.

2. Men love Boobs
No way? Yes way! Face it, they are into them. During pregnancy and after birth they are playboy sized squeezable cushions that they didn't have to pay for! It's a free token into the world of big bosoms at least for a moment and I can promise you.. they are into it.

3. Womanhood
Before pregnancy some of us may have bodies that resemble our 12 year old female self (cough cough, right here!) and in nine short months I graduated from prepubescent Taylor to Taylor with a rockin' woman body. I grew curves! Curves come in all shapes and sizes, thin or thick, but you can't evade pregnancy without them and that's okay because men dig curves.

4. Mom Jeans
... okay this one is a joke. I don't think anyone truly loves mom jeans.

5. Confidence
Whether you have had children or not men are always attracted to a confident woman. If you can hold composure and show a certain level of confidence over 100 other women in a bar chances are you were talked to, because it is super attractive. And let's face it, there is nothing more confident than a mother! I am myself when I am with my children and no one in their right mind would dare step between us. The "momma bear" is real and it is really admirable.

6. Strength 
Those babies didn't come out on their own! There is no man on earth who is willing to say that the act of childbirth is not super hero status. It is something they cannot (and never want to) relate to and they know that without that body of yours doing what it does best that they would be left next in line to preform the task. They are ever thankful that their bodies aren't designed to preform such a task, and forever grateful for your body being able to do so!

7. Unachievable
Every man knows someone who has struggled with fertility issues. Maybe a friend of his can't start a family, other friends or family of his were blessed with children through adoption, and others have spent time and money on procedures in order to bring their children into the world. Like I said earlier, there is no better vision of pride in a man than his children and there isn't a respectable man on earth who wouldn't see your mom bod and realize that he is blessed.

Our husbands dig our mom bods more than we know, but because they are men they sometimes lack the words that you desire to hear to make you feel better about yourself. Pregnancy/Postpartum unicorn or not, you are beautiful and you are loved. So rest easy knowing that somewhere in that man you married lies a pride for your new found curves and marks and stop beating up on yourself. Ever doubt in your ability? Look into your kiddos eye's, I bet all those insecurities wash away.

-T

Why I Won't Yell at my Children

You heard me correctly. I won't yell at my children. The beauty of parenthood is being able to decide to go your own way, even if it is against the "norm".

I am a gentle parent. This makes me proud. 

What is a gentle parent? Amongst many parenting techniques, a gentle parent is one that found that peace, love and calm words works best for their family. My husband and I did not set out on our journey into parenthood with the goal in mind of becoming gentle parents, we figured we would go about things like "normal" and do as we do. If there came a day when Carter needed to cry it out than we would do so, if there came a day where he needed a swift pat on the bum than sure, if there came a day where he wouldn't listen then we could raise our voices. None of the above made us nervous. Until our son joined us. 

It was evident that we weren't into it. We were blessed with a baby so calm and understanding that he never truly presented us with an opportunity to do any of those things. Six months passed by and we were being told it was "that time" in which he was ready to cry it out at night.. but he had no issues going to sleep at night? I explained that I would nurse to sleep and people would GASP in shock and be quick to tell me what a horrible path that I was leading ourselves down, we had to break this habit quickly. But why? It was working. One night my husband and I sat down and talked long and hard about the kind of parents we wanted to be for our children, and that was that. 

I nursed him to sleep. Why? Because it was normal for me, it was normal for him and it is what we knew best. 

I came to his every cry at night, many many times a night for over a year. Why? Because I never want him to think that I am not there for him. 

I didn't wean him when he turned one. Why? Because there was no good reason to. He was healthy, so was I and we were thriving. 

And I don't yell at my son. Why? Because as his parents we have found that he responds better without it. 

GASP!

It's okay if you are shocked or even worried for me, I'm alright with that. I rest easy in my confidence in the son that I am raising. I want to guide him along his life journey rather than guide him down the life journey that I have in my mind. He will always receive an answer. When I share with him that touching the outlet is not a good idea and he gets upset with me, all it has ever took is a moment of explanation for him to calm down and understand. I will never shut my child in his room to sort out his own emotions or over come his own fear, because I want him to never lose his faith in me as his mother.. his protector. 

Gentle parenting to many seems lazy, when in fact it requires more out of me than I ever thought possible. I have learned to be patient when I don't want to be and have learned to have confidence in our families decisions when others may not. This evening I laid in bed with my son for 45 minutes as we talked about all the things he had on his mind, we sang songs and he slowly dozed off holding my hand and my patience was rewarded with his sweet sleepy smiles. 

Everyone chooses correctly for their own family, and in the end everyone raises different, equally beautiful little humans. What works for us may not work for you. But I promise you this, my lack of a heavy voice and disciplinary moves won't doom me to an unruly toddler or set me up for a misbehaved teen.

So yes, I will not yell at my children.

-T