"But she's black..."

My daughter is really excited about the new American Girl doll, Melody. We have watched a few unboxings on YouTube and she hasn't stopped talking about her!  This melts my heart because she is almost old enough for the investment of this doll, and I was a huge American girl doll fan as a girl.  I never got a doll but had many other things like: paper dolls, craft books, cd rom games, and trading cards. 

This brings me back to when I was a young girl and the newest and coolest doll(to me anyway!) was called Kenya doll.  She had amazing braided hair and a bright dress. She even came with beads so you could do her hair and maybe put some in your own.   I asked for this doll for Christmas, I was told I might not get it.  Not because I was a bad girl or anything like that.  I might not get her because she was black.  I remember thinking "so what?!"   And I still asked Santa for her anyway. 

Turns out Santa thought she was pretty cool too! Kenya was waiting for me under the Christmas tree!  

I was so happy to have this cool new doll! I was still so confused why people said I might not get her.  Later, family came over and someone scoffed at my doll and asked "why did you get your daughter a black doll?!" I remember getting so annoyed that I don't even know how my mom responded.   I was 7 years old I didn't know what was so bad about this "black doll"   To me she was perfect! 

This brings me to why I think all girls should have the melody doll.  She's from the 60's a time of the equal right movement. A time in history that we all should be teaching our kids about.  She brings so much positivity and inspiration.  Something. Every girl needs to have amazing self confidence!  Molly is a mixed child and I know will come across negativity in her life.  I want her to be strong enough in her self to know how to deal with situations and never have a comment someone makes about her, hurt her self worth.  Please expose your kids to different cultures, races, religions because the more we know the more we can love.  I also don't  want Molly to ever discriminate against someone for any reason.  I don't want Molly to feel bad for wanting a doll just because it doesn't look like her.  The story of Melody makes me confident that this is a doll I want my daughter to have.  A doll I am proud of my daughter for choosing.  Kids don't know hate or racism, it's taught!  With everything we have going on today, right here in our own country, this doll is so important and the perfect lesson for us all! 

Check out their Website or YouTube to see reviews and to learn more about this amazing company and its dolls! 

"Girls will be inspired to lift their voices and be heard, as they share their hopes and dreams with optimistic Melody Ellison."-American Girl website. 

*this is not paid for or sponsored by American girl all thoughts and opinions are my own

August is world breastfeeding month!  I've already shared my breastfeeding story about Molly, so now I will share what it's been like for me the second time around!

Caleb was born on January 6th and changed our worlds once again!  His labor and delivery was much easier, and his breastfeeding journey has been 100 times easier.  Caleb latched on minutes after being born, and at every feeding.  I was mind blown.  

As soon as we found out we were having a boy, everyone told us "boys are easier".  I don't know how true that is for everyone, but it has been for us.   From eating to sleeping he has been such a good baby.  Now, we could say it's because he's my second and I already know what I am doing but, I have been thrown for a loop because of all the differences.  I expected they would be the same.  Again a reminder not to compare babies! Every pregnancy and baby is different.

I was very pleased when Caleb would take a pacifier and a bottle (Molly never did) it made it much easier to go out or leave him for very short time periods (food shopping or a nap).  Then one day he decided "I'm over it!" And refused a bottle and only used a pacifier for a chew toy or something to hold on to.  This made me worried because I thought I could never do anything.  No events that said "no kids", no leaving him with anyone etc.  again, I was wrong.  He nurses very fast (about 10-15 mins) and pulls off when he's done.  He doesn't comfort nurse often and can go 2-4 hours with out needing any "booboo"

Caleb is currently 7 months old and still nursing.  Most nights he sleeps through the night but he will occasionally  wake for some "booboo time"    Molly nursed all day if she could.   His current schedule is:

-a morning feeding (I always hope he'll go back to sleep hehe)
-Breakfast (solids)
-nap
-after nap feeding
-snack
-nap
-feeding
-dinner (loves sweet potatoes!)
-bath time
-feeding
-sleep

What are some of your breastfeeding experiences? Feel free to share in the comments! Maybe you could help someone going through something similar!

Reflux again?

See I told ya I was trying to be more consistent with posting! 😜

Today's post is about reflux.  If you remember I touched on it a bit with Molly (3 years ago!)  one of my worried with baby #2 and breastfeeding was if he would suffer reflux like Molly did.  Was it because of breast feeding? Was it because I wasn't burping? All different things going through my mind, but the only way to find out was waiting for him to be born

Caleb was born on January 6th at 12:52am. He was so sweet and snuggly and quiet. Already a big difference from Molly. He never cried except for hunger.  Then at 2 months old I noticed he started crying a lot more.  If he was laying on his back he would scream and he started projectile vomiting all the time.  If I gave him his vitamin D he would through up just at the touch of his lip.  So at his two month check up our amazing pediatrician said "oh boy! Looks like he's got some reflux!"   Because he was in so much pain and the throw up was a huge concern, he suggested we start him on medication called Zantac.  I was freaking out inside because Molly never needed medication. Hers cleared up as soon as we introduced solids.

We started him right away on the Zantac and it took about 2-3 days before we noticed any difference. Then it started to kick in and he was a new baby!  He was sleeping through the night, no more crying in pain, but the puking was still there.  He was puking from the medicin (I tasted it it was nasty!)  once he started getting used to the taste of the meds, the throw up stopped completely!  Zantac saved us!  Every appointment since then he had to change his dosage. Finally at his 6 month appointment our dr suggested we skip a dose here and there to see how he does and if he's fine then think about weaning him off of it.

Once we started skipping dosages, he was fine and no fussiness.   The only time he fusses it's due to his teething pain.  He's eating solids like a champ and still breastfeeding throughout the day. I am so glad that we had it easy with the reflux(although it was harder than Molly!). I know some parents who have a terrible time, and I'll I can do is let them know there's a light at the end of the tunnel! If meds arent working push for a new one!

TIP: if the meds are gross ask your pharmacy to add flavor drops! (Thanks to my friend Julie for that tip!)

If you have a child with reflux please leave your story in the comments. It just may help some one else!



I am throwing around the idea of a weekly or monthly guest blogger -- you don't have to be a blogger just a mom or parent who can shed light on a topic for that month.  Contact me if interested!

Teething... The second time around!

It's been a while since I've posted an update!  My baby boy Caleb is now 6.5 months old and a full blown teething baby!!  I thought I would post about teething and the differences between my two kids.

Any other moms of boys get the advice "boys are much easier!"? Well I can attest that it is true EXCEPT for teething!  Caleb is having a rough time with it and only has two teeth so far.   Molly on the other hand, had 5 teeth by 5 months and it never bothered her.  He does bite me less than she did but he is much more cranky!

Other differences I have noticed so far are:
Drool- Caleb has massive amounts of drool, he could probably help fight the drought in California!  It just pours out of his mouth and causes terrible rash under his chin and neck.   Having the hardest time combating the darn rash!   The best thing that's helpd so far is, keeping it as dry as possible and aquaphor eczema therapy ointment.  It's been a life saver!  It's clear and doesn't really have a heavy scent (which I love compared to a&d ointment!)

Fingers in his mouth-  he always needs his fingers or something in his mouth.  He is a huge fan of teething rings and chew toys- he especially loves the munchkin brand chewy foot.  I pop it in the fridge because he loves it best when it's chilled.  I'm sure that helps relieve some of what he's feeling.
Molly never used a pacifier or teething rings so it is an entirely new parenting experience for us!

I have had to give him Tylenol a few times when it's gotten so bad (again Molly never needed that)  and we go through a lot of oragel. I like the oragel naturals. Elmo is on the box and tube, who can pass up Elmo? Haha!   It really seems to help him so I reccomended anyone to just try it and see if it works for you!  Hubby accidentally picked up the night time formula, which we have never tried before so I am excited to give it a try tonight and report back will a full review in a few days!

What are some of your recommendations for teething? Did you notice a difference between your children?   I take this as another reminder not to compare kids.  Every kid grows and does things at their own pace. We should embrace it and take all these comparisons just as a learning lesson.  Add it to memory banks for the next babie to help us with the constant trial and error that comes with being a parent!


I've been busy with my two babies but I am excited to get back into blogging and YouTube!  We have two videos ready to go up soon. I am so excited for where are channel is going so stay tuned!!



**this is not a paid post all opinions are my own and all products discussed were purchased with my own money***

Top 5 Tips for Doing Disney PREGNANT

Tips for surviving Disney pregnant

Ok ladies lets face it, on your feet for hours walking and the heat, those aren't always your idea of fun when you're pregnant.  It's more like feet up and blast that air conditioning!  I thought I would share my tips on how I survived a Disney trip while 6 months pregnant.  It's possible and here's how:

1. Stay Hydrated!  The most important tip I can offer is to have water at all times. Bring a reusable bottle that you can fill at water fountains or what I did was bring a case of water bottles.  We went to the local Walmart the night before and bought 2 cases of water.  We froze half and refrigerated the rest. I filled a bag with the bottles (24) and stored it under Molly's stroller.  It was super easy and freezing half helped keep the other half cold and ensured I always had ice cold water at an arms reach.  Kudos to Disney for allowing guests to bring in water and food (no glass!) into the parks!  An optional tip is to also freeze a face cloth and put it in a ziplock.  It will melt but stay cold and you can wipe your face and neck down on the extremely hot days. Or bring a spray bottle to spritz yourself.  Just basically keep water flowing and handy at all times!

2. Shoes! Yes every girl loves a good pair of shoes and every pregnant lady loved a comfy pair!   Thanks to Diana and some of the other awesome moms from Moms With Mouse Ears for recommending the Sketchers GOWalks.  These shoes saved my feet and my back! They are a memory foam type of shoe made with a yoga mat material.  My back and feet were thanking me for these!  Now my feet still were a little sore by the end of the trip but nothing compared to previous trips.  My back felt fine too! I was in love so I wore them the rest of the pregnancy. I will for sure be purchasing more from this line of sketchers! They are available almost everywhere from what I noticed.  They run $50-$70.  I found them cheapest at Macy's for $50

3. Eat! Keep small snacks with you at all times.  I had small bags of popcorn, grapes, Apple, banana and pretezles that I smacked on to keep me going. It's a cheaper way to keep your belly happy then buying a snack every time baby hunger sets in. Don't get me wrong I absolutely indulged in Mickey ice cream and pretzel with cheese but you need more then that to keep your belly happy and your energy up.

4. Rest! If you need a break take one! Simple. There's benches and places to sit everywhere.  Find one in the shade and take a preggo time out haha!  Your body will thank you later! Oh and people watching is always fun, especially at Disney! I love spotting those of you whom Disney bound!

5. Enjoy! Enjoy yourself and take in all the magic! There are tons of rides you can enjoy at Disney. I went in many of them and was so happy I did.  Who wants to pay $105 to sit an watch?   As long as it's not a roller coaster you should be good to go!  Most rides will have a sign that will tell you if it's not suitable for pregnant ladies. You can also ask the cast member.  I was still able to go on all the rides with Molly and that was very important to me. I wanted to be able to see the joy on her face and hear her squeals of excitement.  There's also the meet and greets with characters and parades and fireworks.  There is so much magic to enjoy you won't be missing out on anything!!

I hope these 5 tips helped! Have a magical trip to Disney and don't forget the sunblock!!

See ya real soon!  ;)

Here are some pics from our trip and me wearing the GOwalks!


(This post is not sponsored by Disney or sketchers all thoughts and opinions are my own)

Life Update: I had a baby!

Wow! That was a long break! About 9+ months?  In those 9 months I became a mom of two! It's no longer just Molly's world. It is now Molly and Caleb's world! On January 6th we welcomed our 7lbs 7oz baby boy into the world.   He is so amazing and Molly just adores him.  She's taken to the big sister roll quite well. We were worried she would be jealous of him after all, it's been all about Molly's world for the past (almost) 3 years! Wow she's going to be 3? I can't even believe it!

 What else have we been up to aside from pregnancy and birth? TONS! I am sorry I didn't keep up with the blog I just had no energy and I wanted to live for the moment. I put YouTube I hold as well.  I didn't want to be stuck behind a camera and computer I wanted to enjoy Molly as much as I could with out distraction. Soon she wouldn't be my only baby to look after, I just wanted to enjoy her and experience everything with her.

I will post an update on Molly in a separate post and a post about Caleb and how life is with two kids.

I haven't fully decided on all of my goals for this blog or my YouTube channel but I will be posting!   I don't know if it will be weekly or more frequently.   I am still getting the hang of having a toddler and a newborn.  So I don't want to make promises I can't keep or set goals I can not reach.  I am taking everything day by day one step at a time.  I also don't know if I should change my name.  So I make a new blog as MommysWorld since now I have two babies? I am not sure so for now I am testing it out on Instagram.  I changed my username to MommysWorld1316 to see how I like it. So, if you haven't already  started following me that's how you can find me on Instagram!  Everything else is still Mollysworld525 for now.

Check back in soon!  Thanks for reading! Sending big hugs and support to all you other sleep deprived mommy's out there!   Boy am I tired!!!

Happy Saint Patrick's day!

You got to see Chinese New Year, now you get to see something that my side of the family celebrates every year. St Patrick's day is an Irish holiday that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. All around the globe you can find people of Irish decent celebrating.  Celebrations consist of feast, parades and for some drinking, lots of drinking! The day is originally a religious feast day, but over the years has evolved into something bigger.  You don't have to be Irish to celebrate in fact, you will often find people saying they're "Irish for the day"  

  Celebrations can vary but our celebration consist of food, family, and fun.   My mom always hosts the family at her home for the traditional boiled dinner. What is a boiled dinner you may ask? It's corned beef (brisket) and cabbage.  The corned beef is boiled in a pot with lots of veggies including: cabbage (of course!), carrots, turnips, and lots of potatoes!  You can find two kinds of beef; grey or red. The red happens to be my favorite and the way my mother prepares it is just absolutely delicious!  After boiling it she takes one of the Reds (yes she makes 4-6 corned beefs!) and adds a mixture of brown sugar and maple syrup and then bakes it or you could even just throw it under a broiler for a few minutes.  The end result is this amazing crust ontop that just melts so well with the flavor of the beef and melts in your mouth. Not to say the grey or the plain ol boiled red ones aren't good but this one is just my personal fav!  We don't reserve this meal just for this holiday as most do. My mom will make this a few times a year. Especially when my grandmother was still with us it was a meal she often requested.  

  We also have other traditional items such as Irish soda bread, and pastries and then we have a family staple called pickle dip. There is not a family party that doesn't have a bowl of this on the table. I will include the recipe at the end of this post.

 It is a big deal here in Boston. Particularly south Boston or "southie".  That is a densely populated Irish area and that is where the annual Saint Patrick's day parade is held. You will be sure to find a sea of drunk people dressed in green lining the streets.  This is the perfect day to "eat, drink, and be merry!"

I personally do not drink and get into all those festivities of being drunk but it's fun to watch!  We typically just spend the day as a family eating and laughing. Sometimes my grandmother would bust out into an Irish jig or sing her favorite song "when Irish eyes are smiling" those are the memories that will stick with me always.  It's sad to say the celebration is not the same without her but that's why we continue celebrating, in her honor.

 

Do you celebrate? What are some things you and your family do to celebrate? 

 Pickle dip Recipe is as follows:

1package of softened(room temp) cream cheese

3 or 4 pickle spears chopped up

1/4-1/2 cup of pickle juice 

Optional : a pinch of onion powder or celery salt  

Take your softened cream cheese and add the pickles mix together until combined

Add a little juice at a time to get it to the consistency you would like 

Serve with chips and enjoy! 

Note: cut the picks as fine as you like there is no right or wrong way.  I like them a little bigger in the dip and my mom likes them finely chopped.  Everything is to taste. Add more pickles or less pickles. I even garnish the top with some :)

Thanks to my brother john for sharing some of his photos of his dinner too!