What A Difference...

So last night during the normal Brown house dinner time shenanigans where Liv sits on my lap, I try to eat over her, when she is digging her hands in our plates, taking her bits of food, trying to feed me, and yelling OFF CoCo (In my liv voice). I could help but think...What a difference a few months make in a toddlers life.  Over the last few months Liv has become her own little person and 20 months has definitely been where it’s at with my tiny tot.

Not only has she found her voice and a ton of words, I can totally carry on a conversation with her. Of course, there are the times that she babbles endlessly and get super hyped about the story she’s telling and NO ONE understands her but, guess what those times are rare. I no longer have to be afraid that if Dom and I leave her with others they won’t understand her because everyone who encounter Liv these days...Speak Liv lol. Oh and let me tell you she also eats much better than before. Y’all remember my Battle ofWheels post I wrote a few months back well the battle is over. She ask for the foods she wants, and has the nerve to grab your hand and walk you too them sometimes.

I just love it and had to come share how amazed by my little toddler I am with you all. 

Fellow HeartBEATS

Do you ever sit back in amazement f your children?

Looking Forward To Mondays

Over the last two weeks I’ve seen some really great mom post so I wanted to share them here with you all...

Running On Empty

Ok now let’s dissect these two mom voices.

When you watched the video or read the article what’s your first reaction as a mom? 

When in mommy mode do you take time for yourself? Would you put your own oxygen mask on first?

I can tell you now my first thought is my child so in my mind I always figured that I’d disregard the flight attendants advice and put my baby mask on first. Right, wrong, or indifferent I’d rather sacrifice myself first, and when I said this to myself I thought...if you are not whole how will you  take care of her Sheena. This thought then lead into many other thoughts and internal back and forth with me lol.  However, seeing/reading these mom perspectives let me know its ok to take care of me sometimes and made me think about the ways I choose to take of me. 

The biggest thought that came to mind for me was I take care of me by looking forward to Monday’s lol.  You can judge if you want to. However, believe me when I say this, there is no greater love for me than the one I have for my daughter, she gives me so much joy, she is the light of my life, and I just love her life. She’s by far my greatest accomplishment but after a weekend of busy little Liv, Monday’s are just what the doctor ordered. I get to recuperate and recharge my batteries for another week of toddler goodness with my External Heartbeat. 

On Sale Now!!!

Hey Luvs!

I am beyond EXCITED to announce that the “I’m That Mom” shirts are finally ready to be sold. Since, I know you all have been waiting for this day, and I honestly can’t wait to see pics on how you ROCK yours. I’m offering special pricing of just $19.95 plus tax and shipping... So go ahead, check out the information below and place your order J

Here’s how they look like on the shirts...

Available Colors & Sizes

I know there are a ton of colors listed below however; the shirts will only be available in the following colors; and are offered in both women and men sizes.

• White
• Black
• Charcoal
• Sport Grey

To place your orders send me an email with your size and shirt color to externalheartbeat@gmail.com and I’ll send you an invoice via paypal. 

Goodbye Sleepy Time Shoes

Hey luvs!

I know it’s been awhile and I don’t have time to explain my absence, but I wanted to stop and share some good news with you all. Last Friday I took Liv to her four month checkup for her Bowed Leg Problems. And after waiting in the doctor’s office for over an hour to be seen received the BEST news. Liv is officially done with Sleepy Time shoes and no longer has “internal tibial torsion” YAY.

This is awesome because about a month ago she stopped wearing the sleepy time shoes. Dom and I noticed that although we’d put them on each night, they would be removed by morning. She was so over them so I’m grateful that they are no longer a concern in our house hold.

However, the doctor did let me know that her legs are still slightly bowed but informed me there is no further corrective action. She will outgrow some of it but the rest is apart if who she is :-).

We Survived!!!

The first week of Montessori school and I couldn’t be happier. I know my previous post mentioned my tearful goodbyes and uncertainty about leaving my baby with new providers but, she is thriving in her new environment. I must admit that after note seeing her teacher when I picked her up on the first day I was still very nervous so the next day I emailed her and received the following message.

Then she took the time to call me twice to give me an update on my lovebug. Our phone conversation made my heart smile and let me know that my little Liv was right where she needed to be. Now I can relax and look forward to a wonderful school year with lots of independent learning and growth😊.

But before I end this post I have to share this with you all...

Do you see that?

That’s right my baby sat on the potty at school yesterday. At SCHOOL Y’all.

I know she didn’t actually use it but after all I’ve shared on our potty adventures I’m celebrating the fact they even tried and her willingness to sit...1 point for team potty training.

Fellow HeartBEATS

How did the first week of school of for your kiddies?

Breastfeeding Done Right (Michelle's Journey) Part II

With my second kid, things have been completely different.  My breastfeeding goal is one year this time around.  I feel a lot more confident too.  Since I had my oldest, I have a lot more support since we have so many more friends that have kids now.  (We were some of the first with kids in our group of friends).  I have been much calmer this time around too.  I knew that if it didn’t click right away that it would eventually.  

I had a similar hospital experience with my second.  He came out and breastfed right away.  It went ok in the hospital.  From the get-go this baby ate a lot faster than my oldest.  He would eat a lot for like 10 minutes as opposed to his brother’s 40 minutes.  It was awesome! 

When we got home from the hospital things were totally different.  I couldn’t disappear every time the baby needed to eat since I had a toddler running around that I also needed to watch.  I just fed the baby on the couch in the family room.  Depending on who was at the house at the time, I either used a cover or I didn’t.  I got the baby used to the cover immediately.  It was much easier the second time around as I was a lot more comfortable with breastfeeding as a whole. 

After a few weeks I started to get the feeling that there was something a little different with how my son was eating compared to my oldest.  He was gaining weight, but he was making this weird clicking noise when he ate.  I also noticed that he didn’t stick his tongue out very far.  It’s not something that a “first-time mom” would have picked up on as even being an issue.  I started googling things and eventually I self-diagnosed that he had a slight tongue-tie.  A tongue-tie means that the lingual frenum is short (I suggest googling a picture as there are various degrees of this) and it was making it hard for him to keep his latch when eating.  I figured it was a minor case, but I was concerned that it was making him take in a lot of air when he ate.  I wasn’t sure what to do so after some advice from some family members I called a lactation consultant.  My sister tried to get me to call one with my oldest before I gave up breastfeeding, but I refused.   I’m not one to ask for help, but I really didn’t want to stop breastfeeding at only 5 weeks postpartum, so I called my insurance company to see if it was covered.  My insurance told me 5 visits were covered at 100%, but I could pay $100 out of pocket to have the consultant come to my house.  I decided to call and they were able to come to my house two days later.  This was by far the BEST $100 I have ever spent.  I now regret not calling with my oldest.  The woman who came to the door turned out to be the same woman who taught my breastfeeding class a few years earlier.  It made me a little more comfortable knowing that it wasn’t a complete stranger that I was about to whip my boob out in front of.  She stayed for 2 hours and we went around the house and I fed the baby in front of her in all the rooms/chairs I typically fed him in.  She did this to see if she could assist with things I was complaining about, my back hurting, my milk coming out too fast and the baby being unable to handle it, etc.  She gave me great tips that no book or website had told me about.  She explained how things like the breastfeeding pillows I had been using were a big cause of my back aches, something I never would have thought since I had the best items on the market and everyone I know used them.  The whole experience was seriously life-changing in regards to my breastfeeding journey.  She weighed him before and after he ate to make sure he was getting milk.  At the end of the appointment she did confirm a slight tongue-tie, but didn’t think it was a big deal as he was getting a lot of milk, but to check with the pediatrician at his next appointment.   (Dr. also confirmed slight tongue-tie, but didn’t think a small surgical procedure was necessary and sure enough within a few weeks the baby stopped making the noise).

My baby is now 8 ½ months old and up until this week was still not sleeping through the night.  This is where I drastically changed the way I did things from my oldest.  With my oldest I sort of sleep trained him and had him sleeping 12 hours a night by 4 months.  With my youngest I didn’t sleep train him, because I could tell he was still hungry during the night.  Through seven months he would wake up numerous times a night to eat.  I would continue to feed him and not let him cry-it-out until he had 2-3 nights in a row when he would wake at a specific time and only snack for a minute and then pass out again.  Once he did that I would drop whatever feeding that was.  It’s been tough and I’ve been exhausted for almost 9 months, but it’s been worth it. 

All-in-all Breastfeeding is going well.  I’m pumping a few times a day at work and sometimes I add an extra session at home if I need to trigger my body to make more.  I’ve been much more relaxed this time around.  I don’t feel as anxious and stressed.  I don’t rush the baby to hurry up and eat so I can go do something around the house.  I try to sit calmly and figure that whatever needs to be done can wait until he’s done eating.  My house isn’t always clean and sometimes dinner is bought instead of cooked, but I’m okay with that.  I’ve had to miss some weekends away for things like bachelorette parties and my husband and I have put off a vacation without the kids, because I’ve decided that I’m breastfeeding for a year and I don’t have enough milk in storage to leave the baby overnight.  I’ve noticed many people don’t understand this.   It’s typically female friends and relatives that don’t have kids that say anything at all to me about still breastfeeding at almost 9 months postpartum.  Their logic is that formula is always there and so much easier, but I don’t want to supplement since breastfeeding is going so well. 

This brings me to my little rant about support for breastfeeding…It’s weird how in the news it is almost always another woman who makes a breastfeeding mother move when in a store or somewhere else in public feeding her baby.  It’s really sad.  Woman should be supportive, but many aren’t.  I actually don’t get it.  I mean I can see how someone nursing without a cover could be a little uncomfortable, but think how the mom feels.  Nobody wants to whip out their boobs in public, but some kids refuse to eat under a cover.  The world Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for 2 years.    What are you supposed to do, never leave your house the whole time you are breastfeeding?  Luckily, I’ve never been made to feel bad when feeding my child in public, which by the way with my second child I’ve done a lot (with a cover due to my own modesty).  I’ve done it at friends’ houses, birthday parties, baseball games, the pool and many other places. My mentality nowadays is if anyone has a problem with my breastfeeding my child in public, well that’s just it, their problem. 

Breastfeeding Done Right (Michelle's Journey)

Hey luvs!

I know National Breastfeeding Awareness Month is over but it ended before I wanted it too lol. No in all seriousness I’ve received several emails and texts, about the struggle to breastfeed from other first time moms in my circle.  That I felt inclined to reach out to some of my co-peeps that have success to see if they could share their journey with us. My boo Michelle’s responded with her triumphant journey which I’ll be sharing over the next two days :-).

Michelle’s Journey...

Sheena asked me to write something since I breastfed my oldest and am currently breastfeeding my youngest.  We have two boys; a VERY energetic 3 year old and an adorable 8 ½ month old. 

My breastfeeding Journey began a little over three years ago.  We took a parenting class before we had our oldest and I got a free two hour breastfeeding class with that.  I debated not going to the class and almost canceled.  My husband was busy that day with school (he was working on finishing his Master’s before the baby came) so I made my mom come with me.  The class was interesting and pretty uncomfortable.  I mean you’re sitting there watching a video and looking at pictures of boobs with a bunch of strangers.  I did learn a lot though.  It was pretty amazing to learn that babies instinctively move towards your boobs.  Like, if you put a newborn on your chest they naturally make their way down to your boobs from day one.  It’s pretty amazing.  My mom got all into it and kept raising her hand and asking questions.  It was embarrassing, but in the long run it was really helpful, because my mom was really supportive of my choice to breastfeed.  Support is key to being successful at this.  Breastfeeding is really hard and won’t work if you don’t have support from your family, especially your husband. 

Fast forward a month and after 16 hours of not-so-fun labor I had my son.  After you have a baby they want you to breastfeed right away if you are planning on doing it.  It’s weird and uncomfortable when you first try breastfeeding.   The nurse was great and guided me through it.  The hospital we chose had a daily group breastfeeding class.  I was in too much pain to attend the class (since I ended up with a spinal headache from the epidural) and I had the hospital lactation consultant come to my room for a one-on-one lesson.  I don’t know if they always do this, but I pretty much demanded that she come to me.   I refused to leave the hospital until I felt comfortable breastfeeding.  I heard from so many of my friends “I never got the hang of breastfeeding in the hospital, so I just quit.”  I didn’t want that to be my story.  I learned enough from the breastfeeding class that I knew it took more than two days to “get” the whole breastfeeding thing. 

When we finally left the hospital, the whole world wanted to come and meet the baby.  I was very uncomfortable breastfeeding in front of people so I would always go up to my room and feed him.  In the beginning you are supposed to feed your baby every two hours.  It’s not every two hours from when the baby finishes eating; it’s two hours from when the baby starts eating.  My oldest was a SLOW eater.  He would take 40 minutes to eat.  So basically, I was feeding him for almost an hour and then an hour after that I had to do it again.  I was spending a lot of time by myself in my room, because I didn’t want to have my boobs out in front of anyone.  I wasn’t really comfortable with a cover either.  It’s really hard to get the hang of it in the beginning and if you’ve never breastfed before, the cover almost gets in the way at first.  It was frustrating, as well as, physically and emotionally draining.  Friends and family would come over and I’d see them for like 20 minutes and then have to go feed the baby. 

Eventually the baby ate less frequently and I was able to go out.  I tried to plan it so that I wouldn’t have to feed the baby while I was out, but babies wanna eat when they want to eat.  I knew before I had kids that I probably wasn’t going to be someone that could just feed the baby whenever and wherever.  I’ve always had a large chest, but add breastfeeding into the equation, and well, nobody wants to see that.  If I was out and the baby got fussy I would either go to my car, turn on the A/C, put on a cover and feed him in the parking lot or I would go into a dressing room and take a few minutes to feed him.   I am not someone that can just sit out in the open and feed the baby with my boobs hanging out.  I can see how someone with a much smaller chest can do it discreetly, but there were times when my boobs were literally bigger than my baby’s  head and you could see way more than I was comfortable showing.  I know there has been a lot in the news about public places not letting women breastfeed, but I’ve never had an issue with it.  I’ve never been told to leave a fitting room; then again I never told the store that was what I was doing in the dressing room either. 

Anyways, long story short, I went back to work, pumped/breastfed in total for about 4 ½ months.  My original goal for breastfeeding was 6 months, but it just wasn’t in the cards.  Once I went back to work I wasn’t pumping as much milk as he needed each day.  I didn’t really understand the whole process with pumping.  I didn’t realize that I could do things like add a pumping session in for a few days in a row to trigger my body to make more milk.  The idea of supplementing with formula didn’t really even occur to me.  For some reason I had it in my head that it was an all or nothing kind of thing.  So before he hit 5 months, I stopped breastfeeding completely.  In a way I was happy to have my life back.  I was able to go out for a few hours without my boobs hurting and I could get some alone time.  My son was also able to learn the new skill of self-soothing.  He wasn’t just given a boob whenever he cried.  I did miss the bond, but to be honest I just never really got comfortable with breastfeeding back then.  My back constantly hurt and I became resentful at times of my husband.  He could make plans like going golfing and do other fun things whenever he felt like it and I couldn’t do anything without planning around the babies eating schedule.  I just don’t think I was mentally prepared for how much time and effort it took to breastfeed.

Welcome to Montessori...

Today was my little heartbeat first day of Montessori school and I was a ball a nerves.

My love on the other hand had no clue what was going on and was just EXCITED that mommy was home when she woke up this morning.

So excited that it threw dada’ s morning routine OFF and had him rolling his eyes at me even after we dropped her off lol.

Who knew mama being there to see her off would result in no Spanish lesson, no morning pictures, and lots of tears?  Whelp! Maybe I should have expected that but I just couldn’t miss her first day in her new environment.  I just couldn’t so, I was there snapping iphone pics, fixing hair, holding, hugging, and kissing my baby.

And after sneaking a few photos in at the house, we headed off to school where I watched these two walk in the school like they owned the place.

Everything was going great until she realized I was there.  Then she LOST it. It was HORRIBLE. Like the teacher had to pry her out of my arms horrible. Y’all already know I cried like a baby when I got back to the car and can’t stop thinking about how she’s doing :-(

My Breatfeeding Journey

Good Morning Luvs!

Yesterday I posted a picture that had the internet on buzz a few months back and requested your honest feedback on the story (thank you to those that commented). My reason behind posting the yesterday was I wanted to share my honest opinion today.

And my first reaction to this photo was... GOOD for her.

Here’s why, I never thought I’d cry over spilled milk until I tried to become a breastfeeding mom. 

Yup! That happened to me and for real for real I cried lol.

Breastfeeding was hard as hell and the struggle to produce enough milk was REAL for me. I totally felt inadequate trying to breastfeed my child. Partly because I hadn’t considered the fact that I wouldn’t be able to do it prior to having Liv, and partly because society screams that breast milk is the best milk for your baby. And with it being free why would I consider anything else for my child, whom I want the best for?   So, I gave it 200% but those 3 months of living my life on an every 2 hours schedule, to barely get half the milk my baby needed each day, and sore nipples were no joke.

Those 3 months also gave me a great deal of appreciating and respect for moms who not only have success with breastfeeding, but choose to do so for long periods of time. Don’t get me wrong I still can’t find the appreciation for moms who have GROWN kids on their boob lol. However, I get it and think that if a child is hungry the mom should have the right to feed them immediately. Of course when in public cover ups, pumping, and going in a private corner would all be appreciated, but as a parent I now know and will never forget that in times like this you HAVE to do what’s best for your child. If a kid isn’t used to the methods above they won’t be comfortable and eat like they should, thus resulting is a miserable time for everyone around. After all there’s nothing worse than a hungry baby cry lol.

Wordless Wednesdays:What were your thoughts on this story? (comment below please)

Vacation Nerves

Happy Friday Luvs!

I’ve hinted that I’m going on vacation but the fact of the matter is the hubby and I are headed on vacation...just the two of us without our sweet Liv. Like headed to an adult only resort where she isn't even invited if I wanted her to come :-(

We're heading out of the country for the first time since we found out we were expecting and my nervous are shot.  Although, I’m leaving my external heartbeat in the care of my trusted cousin Meka and huge local and extended support system it hasn’t stopped my mom-xiety (sure did just make up my own wordJ). Since my Motther’s guilt post we haven’t spent more than a night away from one another and that night she was still with her dad. So, leaving her for the first time has had made me nervous about so many things like...

• How are we going to cope without each other (I’m sure she’ll do much better than me?)
• Will Meka be able to handle all of Liv’s energy for the two days she doesn’t have daycare?
• Did I brief Meka on everything she needs to know about caring for my external heartbeat?
• Did I leave enough cash for incidentals?
• Does daycare have enough milk and diaper to get through the week?
• How will I communicate with my baby each day?

I know these things seem small and she’s in good hands, but the short of it is I’m going to miss my baby like crazy.

I’ve been planning for this much needed vacation for some time now (so I thought anyway). Then this week came storming in and there wasn’t quite enough hours in the day to get everything done at work, for my house, for my Liv, and lastly for myself.  And to top it all off my veteran mom Mrs. Tabby hit me with the unthinkable by letting me know now that I’m a parent there’s are few documents may want to have in place in the event of an emergency.  To which my response was...

• Emergency?
• Huh?
• What’s that because in my world those just don’t happen?
• I can’t see it. Don’t want to hear it. And you better believe I am not thinking about it. But, go ahead and send me a copy of the documents and I’ll take a look at them.

Just the thought of a hypothetical emergency left me on the other end of the phone hyperventilating but, the truth is she’s exactly right. And you better believe that I’ll be at my bank getting everything notorized this afternoon. However, it’s another friendly reminder that the day my external heartbeat came into my world it changed forever.  The care free do whatever, whenever mentality I used to have no longer exist, and my world revolves around her...I wouldn’t have it any other way though.

On another note these little unthinkable documents Tabby mentioned are the last item on my to do list so I hope that once it’s complete I can relinquish myself from my mom-xiety and enjoy a little fun in the sun. See you all in about a week J

Baby Hair – Olivia’s Journey

Hey Luvs!

Last week I started a segment called “Baby Hair” and shared a little bit about Liv’s hair and my struggles with learning to care for it, so today I wanted to follow up with a closer look into her hair journey thus far.  

Liv was born with a head full of gorgeous black, long, and silky straight hair. That Tabs and I affectionately refer to as her pixie cut lol. Seriously, it framed her little infant face perfectly but you can see for yourself below...

However over time and a few shampoos her silky straight locks became cute little curls. Giving her this look...

Both were super adorable and I just loved accessorizing them with any and every cute headband I could find. Now I can’t pay her to keep a headband on but that a story for a different day...smh. 

Anyway things with her hair were going exceptionally well until about the 3^rd or 4th month. Although, I had defeated cradle cap (get my tips here) my little diva loved her sleep. And, Being the first time that I am I followed doctors and the internet orders so I’d always lay her down on her back. This resulted in the back of her hair falling out and her having the smiley face look below.

I was devastated. Knowing this happens to a lot of babies I thought I had done the right things to ensure my lovebug hair would fall out. Clearly I hadn’t so, once again I found myself reaching out to my mom community of friends to see what I could do to fix this. The few answers I received were simply...

1. Give it time
2. Stop laying her on her back since by this point she was strong enough to rollover
3. Try to find some satin sheets for her crib

Since number 3 was virtually impossible to find, I focused my efforts on 1 and 2, and the back of her hair has slowly been growing backJ. See progress pics below and come back next week to read our current regimen.

Finding A New School

No wordless Wednesday for me today.  Instead I want to take a moment to properly address the thought provoking comment/question I received in response to yesterday’s post which you can read here.

The short of it is I was venting about my potty training frustrations as it pertains to Liv’s current school, and someone anonymously commented with the following...

“If you are so unhappy why don't you just leave now. No hate here, but it seems like you have been unhappy for awhile...”

This made me realize that I haven’t done what I set out to do with this blog. Which is to be 100% open and honest about matters of my external heartbeat. As anonymous stated I’ve been very open about my discontent with Liv’s existing school for some time. And, though I’ve insinuated that a change in schools is coming I haven’t quite shared the details. The crazy part about it is I feel like I did since all our family and friends have the inside scoop, and are looking forward to September 2^nd when she starts her new school.

Now! Before I proceed I’d like to apologize for taking you all for granted. By not sharing the details of the new school search. Anonymous made me realize that as much as I complain about Liv’s existing school, sharing the details of her new school is a post that’s long overdue.  So anonymous whoever you are thanks so much for the comment.

Now, without further ado here’s the long answer to the comment above.

It was sometime around April when I truly came to my breaking point with Liv’s current school. I can’t remember the exact straw that broke the camel’s back (it honestly may have been the whole potty or fundraiser thing) but, I knew it was time to leave. And if both my husband and I didn’t work full time or had family in our area willing to care for her, I would have snatched her out immediately. No ifs, ands, or butts about it, as mad as I was I would have made what I’d now consider to be a selfish decision and left the school without notice. Yes! I said selfish because in my opinion acting solely on my discontent (which in the moment I would have been), and not thinking about the best quality of care for her would have been selfish. In any case, I didn’t take her out immediately because our family dynamics didn’t support such a decision.

Instead after a year of her being in her current school, and receiving what I’d consider to be excellent care as an infant. I found myself back at the drawing board and in search of a new school once she became a toddler. Honestly, although I was starting to have my share of issues with the administration, my husband and I were also noticing how she had simply out grown their level of care. What worked for her as an infant just wasn’t going to work for her as a toddler. So, in early April I begin diligently looking for new schools in my area. By now you all know enough of my personality to know I don’t make decisions like this lightly, and I’m not about uprooting my child to leave her in the care of just anyone. I attended multiple open houses, randomly popped up at several schools, spent countless hours reading reviews, talking to administrators, and other parents of my top choice schools. Before we decided that this time around we’d give Montessori a try. Outside of the very docile environment that I’m hoping my little rambunctious diva will fit into we just loved the school philosophy. I loved the responsiveness and communication with the director and teachers. I also lved how even their so called “play” activities have a purpose behind them.

However, our decision to try Montessori came with a pretty steep contractual obligation. That further delayed us moving her out of the current school. The Montessori school we choose only accepts 10 or 12 month contracts which can only start in June or September and on top of that they are only accredited to take students as young as 18 months old. This is why our start date is September and wasn’t sooner. Through my search I found that even if I moved her somewhere else temporarily the quality of care would be equal or less than the care she is receiving today. So the hubs and I decided we’ll let her finish out the summer around her tiny friends and continue to deal with the environment that we know until her first day at the new school. Exactly, two weeks ago I gave her current school a little over 30 days’ notice that she will not be returning in the fall. And, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the last few months of dealing with their shenanigans have been a serious struggle but, I’ve learned to keep calm and look forward to brighter days.

I’m pretty sure the new school won’t solve all my problems but, this mom is totally looking forward to a new set of experiences J

Fit Friday: Mission Accomplished

Happy Fit Friday Luvs!

It’s been a couple of months since my last Fit Friday post so, I wanted to come share the progress I’ve made. 

If you remember my goals were;

1. Workout at least 5 days a week
2. Eat clean at least 6 days a week
3. Focus on Inches and not Weight 

• Waist – 26 I’m currently a 26 and started at 31 
• Hips – 40 I’m currently a 38 and started at 36

With my much needed vacation being a week away. Over the last 3 weeks I actually managed to stick to all goals (even with a heavy travel schedule over the last month) so I’m proud of myself. Especially, since this is what I’m looking like...

When I tell you that after having Baby O, and realizing what my C-section did to my body. I never thought in a million years I’d see abs again, I mean it. So pardon me as a gloat lol. My waist is now a 26 which was my goal J.

However, my hips are still the same which I’m totally fine with. I knew going into this that building muscles are something that takes time and this is a lifestyle change so I’m in no rush.

That’s all for me but I truly hope you are sticking to your plans.

Wordless Wednesdays: Blurry Usies

Sleepytime Shoes

Hey Luvs!

Hope you all are having an amazing time this summer like we are.  Dom and I have spent a lot of time focusing on our dreams, planning our future, and simply enjoying the person that Baby O is becoming.  She’s officially 18 months and has changed so much so I thought I’d spend this week updating you all on her progress with a few things I discussed in previous post. 

To start I want to share a quick update on...Bowed LegProblems

Last time I checked her sleepy time shoes had arrived and I was pleased to announce that she was doing well sleeping in them and doing just about everything the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to while wearing them.  Which really hasn’t changed she still enjoys putting them on at night and most mornings she wakes up in them. However, there has been one or two times her dad has walked in her room and the shoes were completely off her feet while she was straight chilling lol.

But that’s neither here nor there. The real reason I’m here sharing with you all today is because I actually believe here wearing the shoes have helped her “internal tibial torsion” out tremendously.  Dom and I noticed the correction after the first two weeks but I wanted to wait a bit before showing you all. This weekend I was finally able to get my busy little tiny tot to stay still so I snagged a few pics for you all.

Not bad at all for two months of wearing the shoes right?  She still has to wear them until September but there’s no doubt in my mind that upon return to the no eye contact, using big medical words, straight to business orthopedic specialist she will be just as pleased with her progress as we are.

Wordless Wednesdays: Morning Sunshine

Somebody Can't Count

As I sit here completing the paperwork for Baby O to transfers schools in September I thought it would only be fitting to share another THAT MOM post. Reagrding her current school so, here’s a another one for ya...

Back in March Baby O’s school announced that they were doing an optional fundraiser which I totally decided I’d ignore. Because, in my mind there was no way they expected my tiny tot to go out and raise money for the school. I honestly assumed that although the email went out to everyone it was only applicable to the older kids at the school.  Whelp, I wrong, I arrived at the school and found a crisp white folder, with Baby O’s full name on it, and all the fundraiser information inside.

Being the parent I am I politely went to the front desk to determine exactly what they were raising funds for since that little detail was missing. The director informed me the funds raised would go towards having technology in the classrooms.  I thought it over for a few days and decided it was a good enough cause to support even though I didn’t agree with how the school was enticing parents to compete (I say parents because we all know the kids weren’t actually doing the solicitations).

However, I’m very competitive and when I decided to support I knew I had to give it 100% so, I begin my solicitation efforts. Thankfully the items were very easy to sale so Baby O sold a ton of stuff; I turned the packet in, and just knew my baby was the schools winner. 

Wrong Again! After all the submissions were handed in the school sent the following email (Names have been changed to protect the innocent)...

The results are in for our Claire's fundraiser from last month. We are thrilled to report that our participating families sold $5,379.40 worth of items, which resulted in ...... $2,156.75 in funds raised to improve technology for our classrooms! We also have some private donations that have not yet been accounted for in that total.

As promised, our 2 top-selling families will receive a $100 credit on their tuition. Congratulations to the Wrong and Doe families on raising a combined total of $1438.75 between them! Also, every family who participated received 1 entry for every 10 items ordered into a lottery drawing for $100 cash. Congratulations to the Right and Doe families- you can pick up your winnings today!

Again, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who participated. We are blessed to have such wonderful families invested in their children's education!

Upon receiving this email my first thought was...Hmmm that’s very interesting but, I totally wish they would have broken the totals out so I’d know exactly how much we lost by. But, that’s awesome the school raised so much.

Then pick up day came and things got interesting.

When I arrived at the school to pick up the items everything was sorted nice and neat. My lovely order form was printed for me so I could confirm my order. So I did and it was accurate however, the total amount raised was off. They had totally miscalculated Baby O’s web orders.

I Informed the front desk because, at this point I wasn’t sure if they school had even got the credit for those orders. I was instructed that the person I needed to speak with was gone for the day so I’d have to send a follow up email. The next morning I sent the following;

Good Morning Ashley,

As promised I logged into my Claire's account to get the names of everyone who purchased in support of Olivia and the school.  I've provided the details below for your review.  Once again I would like to make note that everyone did receive their order either direct shipment to their homes or via my school pick up yesterday. However, I'm not sure the school received credit for all of Olivia's orders because based on the totals I received in my packet yesterday Olivia didn't receive credit for all of them. Please let me know if there is anything I else I can provide to assist in your research in this matter.

Basically... Based on my calculations your fundraising total is incorrect and we actually raised the most funds lol.

To which I received a follow-up phone call saying... Hi Sheena! We totally received credit for your web orders and it looks like we owe you $100 credit on your tuition so, we will be putting that on your account today.

Ummmm thanks I guess. I’m grateful for the credit that I worked hard for but, totally don’t appreciate the way they handled the situation. Like...

• Sure we can go ahead and disregard the fact that you can’t count. So you got the credit but didn’t think enough to give it to the correct family...shady boots
• No you don’t owe us an apology or at least a thank you.                              
• No the school community doesn’t need to know that my infant raised the MOST money for the school.
• After all, our family and friends only helped raised a little under $1,000.00 for your school. The least you can do is pretend you care.

Celebrating Dads

In lieu of Father’s Day this Sunday I want to take today and tomorrow to honor the dads of the world. 

This morning I woke up to the perfect article posted by my friend Jewelle on Facebook. Below are the highlights of the article that things dads do that we seem to take for granted because; we’re so wrapped up doing our mom thing. To see the full article click here

1.     Change diapers.

2.     Chauffeur their kids around.

3.     Cook.

4.     Dress their kids.

5.     Shower their kids with affection.

6.     Get out of bed in the middle of the night.

7.     Do their daughter’s hair.

8.     Their daughter’s nails too.

9.     Clean.

10.   Handle the kid’s baths.

11.   Do the family laundry.

12.   Volunteer at school.

13.   Be stay-at-home dads by choice.

14.   Do just fine when parenting solo.

15.   Care about their kid’s emotional well-being.

16.   Appreciate their kid’s mother.

17.   Worry about whether they’re doing a good job.

18.   Put family first.

19.   Get emotional.

I for one know my hubs do or have done a lot of these things. 

Trust me I know being a mom is a thankless job in which we often feel unappreciated by our children and spouse. However, that’s no reason not to thank the men in our lives for their efforts. So with that I’d like to thank my love...

Dear. Dominique (that’s the hubs),

Thank you so much for loving and caring for our daughter unconditionally. Thank you for being a present force in her life from day one and, establishing an unbreakable bond with her. Thank you for showing Olivia what it means to be and have a good man in her life.

You are teaching her indirect lessons that she will carry throughout her life lifetime and I’m forever grateful for all that you do for her.  And, although I may not say it on a daily basis I want to know that your hard work and love is noticed and appreciated.

Love,

Olivia and Sheena 

Wordless Wednesdays: Best Friends