MEDELA CALMA

Medla Calma

    As I've stated in previous blogs Molly refuses to take a bottle.  We've tried everything and she just prefers the boob!   It's very nice to have the bond with her that no one else can, but it's very tiring and I can not go anywhere without her or leave her with anyone.  I don't mind having her with me all the time but other people can't seem to understand why, or even why I chose to breast feed.  It would be easier on me if she would even just take a bottle from her daddy.  So after seeing tons of ads for it we purchased the calma.   It's not cheap! $17 for a nipple? My husband looked at me like I was CRAZY!   But we got it anyways! We did buy ours at babies r us. So the price may vary a little depending on where you go, or if you can find a coupon.

I love the concept of this nipple and I figured it was our answer.   It's pretty bulky for a nipple and after washing it and everything was a little confusing on how to get it back together and on the bottle correctly.  It does fit on all my MEDELA bottles, that came with both my pumps so that was a plus.  The calma is suppose to go with the child's flow of sucking and it does!  I tried it myself (yes I've tasted my own breast milk! Haha) and I also tipped it up side down and left it laying on its side to see if there would be any leakage.  There wasn't.  Another plus!

Over all i would recommend this to other moms, because it is true to what they advertise. I  consider MEDELA to be the best of the best in breast feeding products.  So I wanted this no matter the cost.  Unfortunately Molly didn't care that it was $17 she was not using it! She just chewing on it and still getting the milk out but she wasn't taking a full feeding.  After a few minutes she was over it.    Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean its a bad product.  Every baby is different as well as every product.  So I hope you found this a little helpful but always do your own research to ensure your doing what is best for you and your baby.

For more info on MEDELA and MEDELA calma.  Check out their website :)

http://www.medela.com/IW/en/breastfeeding.html


http://www.medela.com/IW/en/breastfeeding/products/breastmilk-feeding/calma-feeding-device.html

Finally back up and running!

Finally I'm logged back in!  Updating my iPad kicked me off of everything and I couldn't get back in! Also Preparing for Molly's christening has been consuming all of my time!  I have some amazingly DYI  ideas that I will post after the christening!

Molly has been hitting her milestones and just had her 4 month check up? FOUR MONTHS!!! Where has the time gone?   She's now sitting up unassisted and eating more solids!  She loves bananas!  I am still breast feeding so I passed my 3 month goal.  I like to make month goals for breast feeding but since she still isn't taking a bottle I'm just going to say my new goal is 6months.

We took Molly for her first apple picking adventure! It was fun and she enjoyed tasting the apples.  Sucking on a nice juicy crisp apple while you're teething much be heaven for a baby! Apple picking in New England is a tradition for everyone, we go every year, sometimes twice!  I love tradition and I'm glad we have Molly now to share in all of it!  My husbands favorite part is the apple cider donuts haha.  So next year Molly can try them with daddy!   We always get a pumpkin too.  This year we got 3!  A big one for daddy, medium for mommy, and a small one for mollydolly!

Do you have traditions to welcome fall or any season ? I'd love to learn about them

We are thinking of our next trip with Molly.  Where should we go?   Chicago is at the top of our list but we still don't know!

That's about all for my update!  I am currently working on a review for the baby Einstein Disney jumper, anyone have it?  We've been playing with it for about a week.  Review should  be up soon!

Molly's first plane ride!

Molly's first plane ride was better then expected!  She didn't even cry and enjoyed taking off! We only went from Boston to Philly so it was only about an hour flight. After taking off she fell right to sleep.  Because my husband works for an airline we fly standby so we don't always get seats together.   Luckily we got an ENTIRE row and they allowed us to bring the car seat on so Molly had her own seat!  And the same on the way home!  We just checked her stroller and were good to go! 

We landed in Philly and Molly stayed fast asleep all the way from the airport to the train ride to the 5 block walk to the liberty bell! Lol.  We decided to stop in the visitors center and check out what we could do that would be "Molly friendly".  We decided to purchase tickets for the "big bus tour" it was a double decker tour bus that took us to all the best sights in Philly.  There was about 20 stops and you could hop on and off as much as you wanted throu out the day.  We stopped at the Betsy Ross house, love park, and reading terminal market to name a few.   We got on and took the entire 90 minute tour to get all the info and then decided where we wanted to stop.  Molly did great she was looking out the windows and even slept a bit.  I think it was great to take her somewhere and we will always look back and say "when you were 3 months old you went on your first trip".  I saved her plane tickets and pamphlets and maps of the things we did to add to her s rap book along with all the pictures we took of her.   I have those monthly stickers for her with a cute little ladybug on them. So we kept her"3month" sticker on her for a good part of the day so it's in all the pictures! :) 

What was in my carry on?  Well we only went for the day so all we brought was her diaper bag! I layered the bottom with wipes and diapers. Next I put extra outfits (poop explosions can happen anywhere!)  then a light blanket followed by another layer of diapers and then a changing pad. On the inside pockets I left her a&d ointment and daily moisturizer,  hat and some socks (have to be prepared for any change in weather!) our diaper bag also has a side "wipe" pocket on the outside so I had extra wipe case in there (again you never know!) on the other side I had my wristlet. I kept everything as handy as possible because I didn't know what the bathrooms would be like or if anything would be baby friendly.  Luckily almost every bathroom was!  Airport security even complimented me on how I packed they bag, they felt bad for having to go through it! 

I'm sure not every trip will go as well and I feel very lucky to not be the passenger with the screaming baby on a 6am flight! Haha.   Next trip? Washington, D.C.!   We plan to take short trips and eventually go into longer flights with her.   I want her to be comfortable flying (unlike I was my first long flight!) and maybe never be the screaming kid on the plane! Haha.  

We did post our first giveaway on our Facebook page.  I decided to leave it open until our goal is achieved.  Even if it takes 10 years! ;) 

Updates and recommendations

We're back!  My husband had 3 days off in a row, which is very rare for him.  So Molly and I took advantage and packed in as much "daddy time" as we could! So I have a lot to update !

First off I want to do an updated review for the BUMBO.  Molly still sits in it a good 15 mins before wanting to get out.  We removed the buckles though.  They just are too bulky and they hurt her.  You can remove them very easily. They just pop right off from underneath  To be honest she doesn't need them.  She doesn't squirm or have any room to move in there so she can't get out. She is also never left unattended so I am not worried about her not being in buckles.  So all in all the BUMBO is great and I think it's a good investment that helps babies learn to sit up and it seems to help with posture. 

I'm still having such a hard time getting Molly to take a bottle or a pacifier   I'm starting to think it is just too late in the game and she just doesn't want it.  I've tried all kinds of bottles and nipples   We have had minimal success and the nipple that's worked the best has been the MEDELA bottle and nipple that game with the MEDELA hand pump we purchased at target ($50)  it's smaller and softer then most.  I am finding more and more that I love the MEDELA brand.  When I was in the hospital they gave me a sample size of their nipple cream which I loved!!  I already bought the lansinoh brand ($12 at babies r us) when I was preparing my hospital bags and I really don't like it but I'm just using it to not waste it haha.   It's very thick and you have to rub it between your fingers first then apply it. The MEDELA brand was much smoother and went on nicely.  I was so sad when the sample tube ran out!  It is yellow in color but it didn't stain any of my bras or anything.  And because it wasn't as thick as the other brand you can't even feel it once its on. I didn't feel slimy or gooey or even oily like you might with other brands.  I will be purchasing more of this once I run out of the tube I already have.  I will also be trying more of their nipples to see if Molly will like it!  So ill keep you posted on our progress! 

Next, I want to talk about CRAVINGS!!  I feel like I have been craving more now that I'm not pregnant then when I was!  I'm still also craving some of the things I craved when I was pregnant.  Like hot fudge sundaes! I can't get enough I want one every day.  I mean I don't eat one every day but I probably could! Haha.  Before I got pregnant I was not a chocolate person at all.  I'm very plain Jane when it comes to a lot of things but during pregnancy and now I love it!   I also craved a lot of fruit, mostly watermelon. Again, I'm still craving it and I just can't get enough!  I think this has been one of the best watermelon season in a long time!  I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience? Let me know!  

Lastly, Molly is outgrowing her clothes like crazy.  She's not even 3 months yet and she is already in 3-6 months!  She's very long and pants are so hard!  All her pjs fit her but the feet are so tight.  Her toes look like their going to pop right out.  We have decided to cut the feeties off so she can be comfortable.  The pjs aren't small or tight on her. It's frustrating haha.  But she is going to be tall like her daddy :).  I suggest if you try cutting the feet off that you sew a hem so they don't fray from being cut :). We have purchased some new pjs that have no feet on them so we won't have this problem in the future!  Speaking of clothes, Carter's is having a great sale everything is 40-50% off and if you spend $50 or more you get a $10 off coupon  and believe me it is very easy to spend $50 on cute baby clothes!  They also gave us some great coupons for September! :)  check them out, you're probably buying their clothes from other stores (babies r us, Kholes, Jc Penney) anyways!  

That's all for now! 

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Bumbo floor seat review

BUMBO floor seat seems like a great little invention and so far Molly seems to like it.  She loves to sit up, so this seems perfect for her.  It's soft rubber material that seems pretty flexible and it's got straps to keep her in.   It's a very snug area which I understand, because its trying to keep the baby sitting up.  In my opinion it's a little too snug because its hard to buckle and unbuckle the straps   The middle piece where you snap the straps into is very bulky and seems like it could dig into a baby. Luckily Molly's diaper seems to be giving her extra cushion and she doesn't seem uncomfortable with a buckle right in her crotch.  I will assume that she will grow out of this fast because there's no room to grow in the seat. 

We have been using the BUMBO for about a week and she seems to like it.  She does start to cry and look uncomfortable after 15-20 minutes sitting there.  It has been great to put her in while we eat breakfast or while we do little chores around the house she enjoys watching us move around   I've ever sat her in it at the back door so she can watch the birdies and look at the trees a favorite hobby of hers.  Haha 

You can buys tray to attach on when the baby's ready to eat snacks.  But I don't see the difference in a high chair? I will keep using it and do an updated review eventually.  

Now back to training Molly to take a bottle.  No success yet! Stay tuned! 

To pierce!!!!!

Well we did it! We stuck to our plan and we got Molly's ears pierced.  She did such a good job. Of course she cried but it only lasted about 5 or 10 mins and she fell right to sleep.  I called the pediatrician before hand to ask if we should give her anything before or after the piercing.  They said she won't need it but if there's a chance she does give her infant Tylenol ONCE and not continuously   Well she didn't even need it!  After she woke up she was smiling and playing and her ears don't seem to bother her at all! I've cleaned them and twisted them already and she doesn't cry   Maybe we just got lucky? I don't know but I'd say it was a good experience.  

We went to Claire's at the square one mall in Saugus, Ma.  They were amazing! A very nice girl named Hong pierced Molly's ears.  She was so gentle and really knew what she was doing.  It was very comforting to me because I was so nervous.  And yes I cried!  My husband sat in the chair with Molly while hong marked her ears and then pierced them with the cutest 14k gold balls. She gave us very specific instruction on how to care for her ears the next 6-8 weeks and gave us a big bottle of solution to clean them with.  She told us in an hour or two to tighten the earrings just a bit.  Yeah I was freaking out lol! 

We walked around the mall a little and then went back into Claire's and we didn't even have to ask Hong already knew "you want me to tighten them for you?"  She was really great. So if you live in that area I highly recommend going to the Claire's at square one mall and ask for Hong or Reena    They take their time and understand a baby is very delicate!  

How old were you when you got your ears pierced? What about your daughters? 

I was 7 and I remember it as the most horrible experience   I only let them do one ear and I bolted so fast out the door.  I had to be held down to get the second one.   So I am happy with my decision to get Molly's ears pierced as a baby.  She already forgot about it, and she is perfectly fine.   As for people who say "it's their body, their choice" well ..... Until Molly is 18 she's our daughter we make her decisions for her, and as long as we're confident in the decisions were making for her then that's all that matters.  

If you do decide to get them done at a young age I suggest dressing the baby in her pjs   I was nervous Molly would be tender or a little sore some didn't want to have to pull anything over her head and ears.  Pjs just button down the front and some are so cute they look like a little outfit anyways!  

Molly just received the bumbo seat as a gift.  I will have a review up soon! 

Don't forget to follow and like me on Facebook and twitter

@mollysworld525(twitter) 

Molly's world--mommy blog (Facebook)

Sunday fun day!

Happy Sunday! 

I've always loved Sundays. In our family Sunday was always family day. For as long as could remember family would come over for sunday dinner  and Sunday was always the day my nana (grandmother) came over.  Now that I have Molly I try to keep up with that tradition by bringing her to her nana (my mom) on the weekends.  

Any plans for Sunday? Do you have a tradition or routine? 

Sunday seems to be a relaxing day before the dreaded Monday approaches yet again!  All mamas need some relaxation and "ME time" so get out there and treat your self!  Get a massage, mani/pedi, whatever it is that you enjoy get out there and teat yourself!  There's nothing wrong with doing something for  YOU every once in a while! 

To all my local mamas MA

Check out passion nails in Lynn ! One of the most amazing and relaxing pedicures I've ever had!  I'm not just saying that because its my sister-in-laws salon either!  These girls know what they're doing, and I tell ya, I hate my feet being touched!  It's so relaxing, and the hot towels on you feet and legs at the end? AMAZING!   The manicures are amazing too. I usually get the shellac gel manicure, but they do it all.  They have some of the most talented  nail techs and they do the best nail art and they have a great selection. Of colors and bling! Check them out on instagram under PASSIONNAILS781 

Looking for a family day? A very good friend of mine is looking to book some photography sessions.  She's an amazing mom herself and is great with getting the perfect shots.   Check her out if your looking for some great family photos. She's on Facebook and Instagram vanessa_photogrphy13  I also have all her contact  info on my Facebook page Molly's world-mommy blog 

Please like and follow me on Facebook and twitter @mollysworld525

Instagram coming soon! 

To pierce or not to pierce?

I am having a huge problem deciding on piercing Molly's ears. I know that I want to, but when, where, and how is what's on my mind! I've read so many different things and heard so many opinions its really getting to me.  Am I doing the right thing? Should I wait until she can decide for her self? I just don't know!

Our pediatrician said it was ok to get her ears pierced now that's she's had her two month shots. He recommended a place that would do both ears at once, but now I've heard that can make a baby go into shock!  Yikes! 

I think I'm just going to do what I think is best, because I am her mother!  :) 

We plan on getting them done on Monday.  I think we will stick to that plan. I will update Monday :) 

I'm curious to know how and when other moms have pierced their children's ears? Comment below! 

My Friday finds!

There's no greater feeling (except for being a mom!) then finding a great deal!  Here are some of the deals I've found this week and some websites that have cute baby items for great prices! 

Zulilly.com is a great website.  This weeks deals are up to 85% off LEGO play sets ($9.99) and Diva Daze princess apparel ($7.99)

Sign up for free and they will email you tons of great deals based on your interests! 

I've started following a great girls etsy site calledONCE UPON A TIME CREATIONS  She has great prices compared to other sites I've gone on for head bands and tutus.  And she's always having deals! Follow ONCE UPON A TIME CREATIONS on Facebook if you haven't already!

To my breastfeeding mamas!  I've gotten a lot of advice from following BREAST IS BEST on Facebook.  They not only answer your questions but their always posting deals and contests for great breastfeeding supplies.  And we know something's can be pricey!

Another site I like it lactationconnection.com   I also follow them on Facebook. Again their always posting deals and contest/giveaways.  

Medela is my brand of choice for my breast pump. They are always posting some great tips on their Facebook page. Like recipes for lactation cookies, and "momsicles" frozen breast milk Popsicles for the hot months and especially for teething! How awesome is that? I know I will be using that for Molly at the first sign of teeth! 

Looking for a great kids vacation? My tip is to follow or like your local theme parks on Facebook and twitter. I've been seeing a lot of great deals. I live in New England and a great park for the kids is in New Hampshire   It's called story land. I absolutely love it there and even went as a kid.  They have a great promotion if you buy a ticket after a certain time you will get a free admission for another day! Not many places will do that and I think that's great! 

Love Sesame Street? Sesame place in PA has been posting deals all week on their Facebook page! I've been doing a lot of research on this park because I plan to take Molly next summer    What's really great is all the hotels in the area have deals and are all kid friendly.  Breakfast with the characters, and free shuttles back and forth from the hotel to the park.  How convenient? Especially if you're from out of town with no car and a bunch of little ones!   

Museums aquariums and zoos! 

They can be pricey so check with your local library for free tickets.  They're usually first come first serve and go quick so call ahead! 

I will update you with all the great deals I find as I find them! Comment below or email me any deals you would like to share! 

Product reviews for GRACO

Today I will be giving my thoughts on our GRACO products.  First I have to say I am not sponsored or affiliated with any products or websites, these are just my honest opinions on products we use for Molly!

The first GRACO system I am reviewing is the travel system. I absolutely love it!  We chose the pattern called "faith" it's a cute floral pattern, and super easy to put together.  The travel system comes with a car seat, car seat base, and the stroller.  The car seat is so easy to load in and out of the car and it snaps right into the stroller.  There's also these little straps on the stroller to ensure the car seat stays put.  Trust me you will always want to put these straps on, the car seat will tilt, and we dont want bay falling out!   There is a pretty decent sized storage compartment or basket under the stroller I can fit two large diaper bags and a few extras under there. I think it's great. It's very light weight and easy to push as well.  Once your baby grows out of the car seat you can still use the stroller, which is great! It grows with baby! My on,y negative on this and will be the same on all the GRACO stuff we got is, I wish we chose a different pattern.  I love it, don't get me wrong but it would have been more practical to pick gender friendly patterns on these big items.  Unless baby #2 is a girl we will be purchasing all new items when these will still be in perfect condition!  But hey! A good reason to donate to someone in need right? :)

Next we have the GRACO swing (also in faith) again it's cute and Molly LOVES it.  It is just a typical baby swing with a cute mobile on it and a great selection of baby music to play for the little ones.   I like that you can control the music volume and it has a mute button.  There's 6 speeds which you also can control but I have never tried to go past the 3rd speed so far.  It keeps Molly very entertained and is great for when she falls asleep.  If we let her sleep in there she will sleep through the night or a nap could last 3+ hours.  I usually have to wake her for a feeding.  Otherwise she's wakes every 1.5-2hrs in the night.  The only negative is sometimes it get loud while swinging, you can here the clinking, but I guess that's to be expected for a swing! Haha.  Over all I would recommend it to anyone!

The third and final GRACO product we have is the pack n play (also in faith) we chose this instead of a bassinet, because its the same thing!    I think it's great it comes with a changer and a newborn napper.  This also comes with a little panel with music, nature sounds, and nigh light, and vibration in two speeds.  Molly loved the nature sounds and the lower vibration speed best.  She grew out of the napper fast, and she doesn't like being in the "big girl" part.   I find it to be too hard, I wish there was a little more cushion   I usually add extra blanket under her for comfort. The mattress pad it comes with can be moved up and down depending on the baby's age. Right now we have it up because she's not at the age of trying t climb out of things yet.  What I really love about this is there is a storage compartment on the bottom. It's perfect for putting diapers, extra blankets or anything!  One side I keep diapers wipes and ointments. The other side I put extra blankets  and onesies.  I figure these are things I use the most and it makes it easier to have them right there.  Especially in the middle of the night!

Over all I like all of these products for different reasons. We were lucky enough to receive all of these as baby shower gifts.  We registered at babies r us and you can find all 3 of these gracomproducts at babiesrus.com.


I hope you liked my reviews.  I will try to have a new review every Thursday!

A peek into my first two months! Dun dun dun...

The first few weeks must be the scariest thing I have ever death with!  This little girl that had been living in my belly for 39weeks was finally here! NOW WHAT??!! No matter how prepared I felt, how many books or blogs I read, I still was completely overwhelmed with this new life I was now responsible for. 

Bringing Molly home was exciting but stressful! We learned quickly our girl is a diva! She hates being on her back and she hated being held like a baby! My top fears where:  what if I don't hear her? What if she's not breathing? What if she doesn't like my milk?  I quickly had to get some confidence and some SLEEP.  I literally drove myself crazy!  My advice to any new mom is take all the help you can get.  You will learn fast to sleep when baby sleeps!   Make sure you eat and drink plenty of fluids.  You need to take care of you in order to take care of your precious little one!! You will also learn that not everything you planned on doing will work out.  And that's okay! A lot of my plans went out the window once we brought her home! I learnt to just go with the flow after a few days! 

  Molly's first drs call was for her belly button!  After her stub fell off we had just assumed it was swollen for a few days.  The swelling never went down! I started to freak out thinking it was my fault, of course!   Why do we do that anyways?Blame ourselves for everything under the sun!   Any who-- I knew something was wrong and called her pedi.  Sure enough, she had an umbilical hernia! Never heard of it? Me either!  Hello google? Please help! Haha. All I could think was hernia=operation!!!! Ahhhh!  luckily hers is very small and completely normal. It's the kind of hernia that goes away on it's own and doesn't need to be operated on. Whheewww! 

After her umbilical scare everything had been going normal. Key word HAD lol.  Then came the projectile vomit! Molly has reflux. We found this out at her 2 month check up. One of the vaccines given is a small drink.  After it was given to her BAM! projectile vomit all over the office and me! I can laugh at it now but my poor baby is defiantly not feeling it!  Again, i blamed myself "my milk is bad!". Our pedis suggestion was to give her a small amount of rice cereal in a bottle after I breast feed her.  So now we are on the early road to solids.  


When did you start solids? Comment below and let me know if you have had similar situations and how you death with it! 

Some of my go to guides while pregnant and postpartum were: itsjudyslife (YouTube) and babycenter.com I also used the "what to expect" app on my iPhone. I highly suggest YouTube for any new mom. A lot of moms are vlogging their pregnancy week to week, and its always nice to have reassurance that YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! Lol 

I hope you enjoy my updates! I've probably left tons out but I will now be able to update more often. Keep an eye out for my next blog. Product reviews! My thoughts on the products we got for Molly. Everything from her crib to her swing. 

  

My first mommy blog!

  Welcome to my first blog as a new mommy! My beautiful baby girl was born may 25th and she sure has changed our world!   My husband and I both say "it's Molly's world now and were just living in it!"   It's true! She takes up every  ounce of our time, and I guess that's why I waited to start this blog.  Now that I'm getting in to the swing of things and she's on a schedule I have lots of first time mommy knowledge!  

  This is my journey as a first time mom.  I hope to share my tips, tricks, and yes even my struggles! Being a first time mommy is not easy especially with all the criticism and unwanted advice you get from just about everyone. So please no negative comments! Like I said this is MY journey and MY choices. I'm here to share and maybe help just a little a long the way!  I'm not shy to talk about any topi! I will cover everything and anything from breast feeding to sex after baby! Email me your questions and suggestions! 

  Let the blogging begin!....