Our Newest Addition

Hello to all my subscribers and all the newcomers to my blog. It has been such a long time since I've last written a post. And I apologize for that. But if you know anything about being a mom, a free moment to yourself doesn't come often. Especially after adding a new baby to the mix. That's right, you read right! My family welcomed our new baby boy two months ago! 

It has been an adjustment going from one child to two. My daughter is now 2 1/2 and she is very demanding wants all the attention. So when my son was first born, it was rough. For the first couple of weeks, she wanted nothing to do with him. But now, she's warmed up to him and she does nothing but smother him with her love and kisses. It's quite adorable to watch. She still has her moments when she wants my attention but talking to her and reassuring her seems to help those tough situations. 

It's amazing to see the differences between my two babies. My daughter was hard to please as a baby. She refused the pacifier, hated to be in a baby carrier and in her swing. My son, however, loves all of these things so it definitely helps during those moments where he doesn't want to be put down. 

My delivery this time around was also VERY different from my daughter. I was in labor over 24 hours! The contractions started on a Sunday morning at 4:30 am and my son was born Tuesday at 1:54 am. For the first day, I had pain but was not dilating at all until 6 am Monday morning. This laboring process was slow and progressive. The complete opposite of my daughter. Which in a way was good but also bad at the same time. Due to the long, slow and progressive laboring process I was succumbed to, I had opted to get the epidural this time around. I just could not go on anymore. Exhaustion does not even describe how I felt Monday evening when I finally arrived back into the hospital and started in active labor. Needless to say, the epidural was an answered prayer, a breath of fresh air! I was on cloud nine after it was given. 

I am so in love with this little guy ❤️

He truly does make our family MORE complete. We are now a family of 4. 

Did you have a new baby? How did your older kids react to the new addition? 

My Hands Free Journey

Earlier this year, I read a book titled, "Hands Free Mama," written by Rachel Macy Stafford. This book has truly opened my eyes and inspired me to become a hands free mama as well. Its a self help book that teaches women that it's ok to accept the fact that we as women cant do it all and to make sure we put our families first above everything in our lives. (Except for God). The main purpose of this book is to call out the main thing that distracts us all on a day to day basis- technology. This is to include, our phones, computers, social media, etc. The author tries to show us the outcomes of our actions and how much putting the techy stuff down and paying attention to our loved ones can improve on the relationships we have. Being hands free means  dropping everything, keeping your hands free from distraction, paying attention, making memories, and showing your loved ones they mean more to you then a post, tweet, text message, or email. What a powerful message!


I realized while reading this book, that I am guilty of putting my phone (checking my emails, newsfeed on Facebook, posting constantly, etc.) to be more important than my little 2 year girl who wants my undivided attention at all times. I found myself engulfed in whatever I was doing and would look up at my daughter staring at me or at most times, whining because I was ignoring her. This was completely heartbreaking to me. I couldn't believe how deep my focus was into things that really don't matter. I decided to work on this but of course after a few weeks, the "matrix" pulled me back in and I soon forgot about being "Hands Free." Recently, I listened to a podcast by "Contending for Truth" by Scott Johnson discussing EMF's (electromagnetic fields) in our every day use of wireless electronics and how dangerous it is to be consumed by this radiation non stop each and every day. This was definitely a wake up call for me as it brought back my lost inspiration of being hands free. It is this podcast, coupled with this awesome book, that something clicked, and I knew that my life had to change. Making memories with my child, living in the moment, and giving my loved ones my undivided attention, was the number one priority. It is my goal to be hands free!

It's soon you realize the countless hours you waste when you're so attached to

technology. There is a sense of freedom when you're out with your family and you see other people so engulfed in their phones that they are ignoring the people they are with. I laugh to myself because that was me not that long ago. Seeing parents engulfed in their own little world neglecting their children who just sit there with sad faces yearning for attention brings a tear to my eye. How many times was this me to my own little girl? To my husband? Or to my parents? It makes me wonder of how many missed moments I had. But no more! I am hands free now. And I know from now on, things will get so much better.

To help me remember about my hands free journey, I made my phones wallpaper a collage of my favorite moments with my family with a quote that says "the time you invest in the people you love will always add up to something that matters." This helps to remind me that I need to put my phone down if it's not important, and go make memories. And when I feel an urge to want to post on social media, I ask myself a few questions: Why is this important for everyone to know? What is the purpose behind letting them know? Can it wait? The answers alone make me chuckle and thank God that I'm free from thinking that I have to post every little thing about my day for people to know. Let's face it, who really cares what you ate, or did, or watched. It gets to a point where we become so self absorbed. And things just become a competition. So remembering all this, makes things that much easier and I remember how much I really don't miss it.

I've noticed so far, how much closer my daughter and I are and how her behavior has gotten a lot better. She use to throw a lot more tantrums, be more whinier, and just start acting out due to boredom. Now she's a happy little girl who loves to play and snuggle with mama.  Its amazing how one thing as small as this, can make such an impact on the relationships you have with your loved ones.

I'm sharing my journey with you to hopefully spread the word out there and get people to wake up and stop wasting so much time and missing out on all the memories you could be making. I'm not saying to detach yourself completely, but make the most of life outside electronics and social media. Set a certain "tech" time when your loved ones Or little ones aren't around. That's what I have done!Life is so precious. And our little ones won't stay little for long. So we have to soak up every second we have with them! Make the most of your day with your hands free.

Oh Baby!

A few short months ago, my husband and I decided it was time to start trying for another baby. And to my amazement, after one month of trying, I got a surprise positive on the next months pregnancy test! You read right, we're having another baby!

I am now well into my 2nd trimester and am noticing how much different this pregnancy is from my first. The biggest difference is that in this pregnancy, I still feel tired all the time where as in my first pregnancy, I felt like I had a burst of energy when I entered my 2nd trimester. This time around, however, since I am chasing around a toddler, there doesn't seem to be much bursting. My little girl is now 2 and is experiencing her moments of testing the waters and being an adventurous little sponge. She soaks up and responds to everything she sees. Shes not quite old enough to understand the concept of a new baby joining the family but soon enough, she will get it. 

 Also, in this pregnancy, I've had difficulty with obtaining many bacterial infections in which I'd have no symptoms for. I got a culture done and then got the call a few days later that it came back positive for infection. So pretty much my whole 1st trimester, I've battled with this and tried getting it out my system without having to continue to take antibiotics over and over. This was like a super bug that just wouldn't die. After the recommendations of my midwife, I finally knocked it out! I switched my soap to ivory, changed laundry detergents, started taking a probiotic daily, drink water, and started doing apple cider vinegar splashes. I've noticed that this vinegar is a remedy for a lot of different things! Amazing! 

The baby and I are on target and I'm growing like never before. I was nervous that Id have the same issues with growth restriction like I had with my little girl but all seems to be going in another direction. Which is good! I was cleared by a high risk physician to be able to deliver at the birthing center. I am praying this time around, I actually get to deliver there and not have to be sent to the hospital. 

At 24 weeks, I have gained 13 pounds and am experiencing the occasional back ache, fatigue, and the dreaded heartburn. This last symptom hit home a little early this time around but that could be due to all the tomato based foods I've been craving and eating! And since I work 3 nights a week, I found myself sipping on a little caffeine to try to keep myself awake. A big no no, especially since I started reacting to it. Caffeine and tomato based products are out the window. 

My midwife stated that Papaya actually helps with heartburn. And it could help better than milk does for me. So I'm definitely going to try that and write a review to let you know how it works. 

In the next month, I'll be taking the glucose test. It's a bit nerve racking because with my first, My results came back borderline. With so many differences between the two, I definitely pray I don't end up failing. 

Gender reveal:

That's right, my daughter will be a big sister to a little boy! We are super excited and can't wait for the arrival of little baby Logan!