{The Honest Company Diaper Review}

While I was pregnant, I did a ton of research on diapers. And while I cloth diaper a lot, there are times when you just need a good disposable. So, while building my diaper stash I discovered The Honest Company. They manufacture a ton of products, and most are organic or have environmentally friendly ingredients. 

Their diapers are my favorite out of all the diapers we've tried. They are super absorbent and durable. Nolan has only "blown out" of 1 of their diapers, and trust me he's great at testing them. We started out in their newborn diapers, and have since progressed to Size 1's. Both sizes have fit him so well, and his little bum looks adorable in them. One of the fun things about Honest diapers, is all the patterns them come in! Holy cuteness overload, batman! So far, we've had giraffes, plaid, camo, and jungle animal diapers. It's true that nobody really sees his diapers, so a pattern isn't really "necessary," but I'm always looking for a way to add a little pizazz to my everyday life. What could be better?!

Recently, we decided to try their bundle package. For a monthly fee they send you a month's worth of diapers and wipes. You can log in, and choose which patterns and sizes you want, and then they ship it all to you easy peasy. Yes, they are a tad more expensive than normal diapers, but for me the comfort of knowing Nolan isn't sitting in a diaper with tons of chemicals makes me feel better about him wearing a disposable. 

So if you are looking for a quality, plant based, toxin free diaper, I can't recommend Honest diapers enough. Here in Kentucky, you can find them at Buy Buy Baby, or Target. Or you can order them online at https://www.honest.com. 

Oh, and this post wasn't sponsored. It's just my thoughts and opinions I thought some of you might find helpful. :) 

Nolan says, "Two thumbs up!" 

Happy changing! 

{Thankful Friday}

I've been a bad blogger this week. What can I say, the parenthood roller coaster  still exhausts me. Some days it takes all my effort to survive, and possibly make it an hour without getting baby spit up, or baby crap on me, plus trying to avoid  being sprayed with urine. (Nothing makes me jump higher than the surprise of warm baby pee on my leg.) But without further ado.....

Today I'm thankful for.....

- Red leaves littering my yard and driveway from our sugar maples.

- My hydroflask, and cold h2o.

- Matilda (or Tillie for short) - AKA my Medela pump

- Surprise letters from a friend via snail mail. (Getting mail is seriously a thrill!)

- New glasses! 

- Sweet baby feet

- FaceTime, so my son and nephew can finally meet, and I can chat with my brother. 

- The crisp fall air. Mornings are simply delish! 

- Apples and peanut butter

Happy Friday, loved ones! What are you thankful for today?

{Thankful Friday}

Today I'm thankful for...

- Temps in the 70's, and lots of sunshine

- My Boba Wrap, and snuggling my little.

- Excitement about seeing friends this weekend. 

- Campfires!

- My new Chacos waiting to be picked up.

- A box full of cute diapers on my porch. (Review coming soon).

- Inside jokes with Mr. Mosley 

- My rocking chair

- And a cup of warm tea, with a smidgen of local honey. 

Happy Friday, sweet friends! What are you thankful for? 

Daily Letter - September 16, 2014

Dear Jake, Looking forward to introducing our son to the wonderful world of reenacting this weekend with you. Pictures will be taken. Prepare yourself. Dear Pumpkin, I love kissing your cheeks. And hearing your velociraptor noises when I have you on my shoulder when your hungry. Dear Endless Dishes, Someday I will look back on the above picture and laugh. (Or at least I hope so.) This is my everyday life for as long as I breastfeed. Totally worth it. Dear Fall Like Weather, I love you. I've waited all summer for your cooler temps, and the way you make everything feel more cozy. 

Happy Tuesday, peeps. 

Thankful Friday

I'm thankful for...

-  The rain

-  Fall like weather 

-  Creative ideas floating around in my noggin'

-  My favorite coffee/tea cup (Lapis Fiestaware)

-  Cozy sweaters

-  Pumpkins

-  Freshly made homemade grape jelly

-  Sweet baby snuggles

-  Candles

-  Holding hands with Mr. Mosley

I would like to start a new tradition called "Thankful Friday." I always find myself being thankful for so many things, and I think this would be a fun way to remember them. :) Please leave things you're thankful for in the comments! I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! #thankfulfriday

Daily Letter - September 11, 2014

Dear Beefcake, We pulled the late shift last night, and both paid the price today at work. But coming home to Chinese take away, and Monday night football made it better. Dear Offspring, My heart bursts with pride, love, and a million other emotions when I watch you sleep in your bassinet. I didn't know I could have so many emotions at once, but it's the most awesome thing ever. Dear United States, Remembering 9/11 brings back memories of my college days at Morehead State. I will forever be grateful for all the emergency responders, and heros who sacrificed so much to save others. I'm so thankful for the protection, and safety I take for granted everyday. Dear Rainfall, Watching you fall from the 4th floor window during work, made pumping more interesting. Oh how I love a good rain. 

It's Friday! Yippee!!

Daily Letter - September 10, 2014

Dear Husband, Thank you for being my emotional support today. Going to Lexington solo with the little was terrifying. He was a champ, but I almost cried driving away from London. Motherhood has made me a weakling! Dear Sweet Babe, You charmed every lady that saw you today! So many people commented on how cute you were. And you slept like an angel while Mama had a little fun in Target. Dear Mimi and Gigi, I love watching you snuggle Nolan. It definitely made me breath easier knowing you both were around for our first big trip to Lexington. Dear Dad, I could faintly smell your cologe on Nolan's hair when we got home. So glad he got to snuggle his Pappy during the entire dinner. Dear Ryan, Happy Birthday (in a few days).  I'm so glad Nolan and I got to come celebrate with you tonight. Mmm, Rafferty's. 

Looking forward to the weekend! Only two more days! :)

Baby growth spurts are no joke!

To sum up the last 24 hours, it's 1:00 pm and I was just standing in front of the refrigerator door, still in my jammers, drinking apple juice from the container. Yes. I'm certain you can picture it in your mind.

Nolan is going through a growth spurt, which equates to my normally mind-tempered baby converting to the behavior of a ravenous shark in fish infested water. He wants to feast what seems like 7 billion times a day. Nothing keeps his bottomless pit of a stomach full. So far today he's eaten 30 ounces of breastmilk, a steak, baked potato with butter and sour cream, green beans, a piece of chocolate cake, a little more breastmilk to wash all that down, and a few Sour Patch Kids. Needless to say, my kitchen is trashed from all the cooking he's been doing.

Crap. Now he wants waffles.

Yesterday was my "official" due date. All afternoon I thought about the post I wanted to write about becoming a Mama early. Nolan and I went for a walk, hung  pictures in the living room, did laundry, and took an evening drive through the park. It was such a productive day, and I had actually showered and didn't have baby puke on my shirt. SUCCESS!

But then someone decided he was at an AYCE (All You Can Eat) buffet, and the chaos began. If he wasn't eating, he was filling a diaper, and if he wasn't doing that, he was whining to be held, or sleeping (For only an hour or so at a time). Then he would scream for food like I haven't fed him since his birth. As soon as he started eating, he would calm down to my "normal" baby, then go to sleep for an hour or so only for the process to begin again later.

Eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep...You get the picture.

At 4 am, while I was pumping, and feeding him a bottle (more on that later), I came up with two universal truths about being a new parent....

1. At the newborn stage, that baby is your BOSS. He or she decides when you sleep, when you eat, and how many loads of laundry you do that day. It's not like you can reason with a 7 week old. We are on a very consistent schedule, but growth spurts = insanity.

2. Breastfeeding is HARD WORK. I really thought it would come naturally to me, but because Nolan got used to a bottle while in the NICU, he just doesn't nurse very well. So, I pump...and I pump...and I pump some more. I'm hoping as he get's older, he'll improve his nursing skills. But in the meantime, my Medella pump, and a sink full of unwashed pumping parts is my reality. I'm fully aware that the decision to breastfeed is mine, and mine alone. Jake would be totally supportive if I waved the white flag of surrender. But I'm not ready to give up. Even though it's a challenge, for me it's worth it. But I wanted to document how hard it is. Mama's who breastfeed for any length of time should be given an award. Preferably one covered in chocolate.

Being a Mama is such a fun adventure. Today is just one of those days! :D

My baby is currently asleep, so I'm going to go eat a spoonful of Nutella, and take a power nap!

Daily Letter - September 7, 2014

I skipped the daily letter yesterday, because a certain baby decided he was going to be needy last night. :) 

Dear Mr Mcstudmuffins, Thank you for pulling the late shift with me last night to take care of our offspring who needed to eat 7 billion times. Dear Bottomless Pit, I'm going to start feeding you cheeseburgers instead of breast milk. Hope you enjoy it. Dear football, I'm so thankful your season has begun. Praying I can keep up with my 3 fantasy teams. Dear Pittsburgh Steelers, Thank you for winning. My little is your newest fan, and he really wanted you to win. 

Enjoy your Sunday everyone. 

Daily Letter - September 5, 2014

Dear Husband, I'm so happy we got to go on a date tonight. Thank you for taking me shopping for "granola shoes." Dear Nolie Cannoli, You are so much more alert, and checking out this new world. I love watching you take it all in. Dear Directv, After 2 years without tv, I'm beyond excited to watch football, HGTV, and the Duggers. Dear Weekend, I'm so happy you're here! Love spending weekend days with my little family. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

Daily Letter #1

Dear Mr Mosley, Thank you for changing the cat liter last night. It was gross, and you knocked it out. #sograteful. Dear Sweet Baby Cakes, Your ability to feast astounds me. Your little belly is a bottomless pit. Dear Crookshanks, Your cat antics crack me up. Today you went back and forth between the porch, and the house 6 zillion times. #makeupyourmind. Dear Nolan's binkies, Finding you "hidden" around the house is like a perpetual Easter egg hunt. The downside is you don't taste like chocolate. But my baby still loves you. 

Daily letters is a new thing on the blog. A fun way to remember tid bits of everyday life. 

Nolan's Birth Story - Part 2

Before I get into the details of Nolan's birth, I thought a little prelude would be helpful to set the scene. 

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to have a natural childbirth. It was one of those life experiences that I really wanted to check off my bucket list. I am in awe at the beautiful, and powerful way the human body knows exactly what to do when it comes to labor and delivery. In my opinion, modern medicine doesn't give the body enough credit. We are truly designed by God. I realized early on that things don't always work out the way you planned it, so during my pregnancy I prayed my heart out that I could have the birth experience I wanted. 

I thought it was important to prepare myself for natural delivery. I knew it would be the most physically demanding thing my body has ever done, and I didn't want to leave anything to chance. We had intended to take Bradley classes, but the classes were weekly in Lexington for 12 weeks, and that just wasn't practical with Jake's work schedule. So, I read everything I could get my hands on. My favorite was the book "Ina Mae's Guide to Childbirth." If you are expecting, I highly recommend it. It's chalk full of inspirational stories, and very informative in describing the way labor progresses. I digress, I had plenty of people tell me that I would change my mind, or that I would beg for medicine after I felt the first hard contraction, but I made up my mind that given the opportunity I would have him naturally. (By the way, don't be one of those negative people!)

So, back to our story...

After my water broke, my room went from dark and quiet, to bright and busy. Jake set to calling our parents, while I talked to the nurse, and waited for the resident physician to come in and "officially" check to make sure my water had broken. Jake and I kept repeating how excited we were to meet our son! 

My contractions started off around 6 or 7 minutes apart, and were moderate in pain level. In Ina Mae's book, she talks about how powerful visualization can be. So, as crazy and "granola" as it sounds, during each contraction I would visualize myself carrying the baby to the top of my favorite mountain. (Mt. Leconte in GSMNP). I thought about not sharing this part because it's so cheesy, but the truth is thinking about the journey to the top of the mountain really helped me get through the pain of contractions. As labor progressed, the journey became more difficult, and my focus shifted to the breathtaking peak and the vast, open landscape.  Another important aspect of this visualization, was focusing my breathing. I'm by no means an expert at meditation, but I had used deep breathing techniques for years to help control my stress levels. I'm really showing my "crunchy" side, but there is something to be said for meditation. It's a powerful tool.

The day progressed like it should for a woman in labor. Our families showed up before the sun rose, and settled in for a long day of waiting. Around 11 am, our favorite nurse, Mollee came into work, and Jake and I were thrilled that she would be our nurse on this important day. We had learned earlier in the week that Mollee had actually trained as a midwife while she lived in England. And she was super knowledgeable about natural childbirth. Talk about a huge blessing! It was a comfort to know that someone on the medical side of things understood my desire for a drug free delivery, and wouldn't pressure me into something I didn't want. It was her idea to not mention the "M" word (medicine) unless I brought it up. (It was really helpful to not focus or even think about medicine at all.)

My parents, and Jake's Dad stayed in the room for the majority of the morning. Offering words of encouragement, or a hand to squeeze during a painful contraction. The support of our families was indescribable.  I could literally feel all the prayer, and the love supporting me. In retrospect, for me childbirth was an extremely emotional, and spiritual experience. At one point, I swear I could even feel the love coming from my Gram and Pap Porter, and told my parents that I could feel them near.

One of the funniest things happened right before my labor changed from active to transitional. I was definitely not my normal self, and in between contractions, I would be aware of what was going on around me, but mostly stayed in my own little 'zoned out' world. I kept telling Jake that I was nauseated, but it hadn't progressed to anything but a feeling, until my friend Megan came in. I remember Mom telling me that she was there, and I wanted to see her, so I asked Mom to show her into the room. Megan was only a week and half behind me in our pregnancies, and we had gotten to experience everything at basically the same time. The second she walked over to my bedside, I looked up and said, "I have to throw up!" And without hesitation she grabbed a bucket, and held it while I took care of business. That was the only thing I was able to say to Megan that day, but talk about a good friend! We laughed about it later, but I was thankful she wasn't too grossed out by my greeting.

After I threw up, my contractions became almost unbearable, and with only a minute or two break in between. At this point, I did become a little unglued. I needed oxygen for a short while, but the mask on my face made me feel incredibly claustrophobic. The pain of the contractions, along with the intense claustrophobic feeling made me feel like I wasn't in control. It was at this point that I kicked everyone out of the room, except Jake. I actually don't remember kicking everyone out, but things were getting serious, and I needed to focus.

The doctor came into check my progress, and I was almost dilated to a 9. But before I could regain control of my breathing, I said the dreaded words...."pain medicine." Jake and Mollee talked me through each contraction, allowing me to squeeze hands, and Mollee showed Jake a place on my back to push that helped immensely. During the few contractions I had while waiting for an anesthesiologist, I was able to regain control of myself, and focus more on my breathing. So, when they tried explaining the epidural procedure, I said, "No thank you!" And we proceeded with the original plan. Once the transitional stage began things progressed so quickly. Before I knew it, I was feeling pressure and wanted to push.

The rest of the time went by so quickly for me. At this point, I was basically in my own world. Solely focused on the task ahead of me. My comfort was Jake and Mollee's persistence when I needed them the most. One of each side, talking me through each second of pain.  I asked Jake later, and he said that I pushed 4 or 5 times before he was born. Before the last push, he had already crowned, and the NICU staff, and the attending physician wasn't in the room yet. So, I had to pause for a few minutes until everyone was present. Then one push or so later, David Nolan Mosley made his grand entrance into the world. Completely perfect, screaming his head off, and by far the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. I remember opening my eyes, and seeing him for the first time in the physician's hands. I quickly snapped back into reality, and my first thought was "That's my son!" Jake was able to cut the umbilical cord before they took him to a side room to be examined by the NICU staff. Jake went with the baby, and they kept me posted for the few minutes they examined him. He had APGAR scores of 9 and 9. (APGAR is test to quickly assess the health of newborn children immediately after birth. Scores are taken at 1 and 5 minutes, with 10 being an unattainable perfect.) Talk about a huge relief! Our prayers had been answered, he had arrived early, but he was perfectly healthy! He was 4 pounds 9 ounces, and 17.5 inches long.

They brought him out to me all swaddled and beautiful. I got to hold him for a minute before they wisked him away to the NICU. It was a huge relief that he didn't need any interventions like oxygen, etc. 

David Nolan Mosley

I learned later that both of my parents decided to hang out behind the curtain in the room for the delivery. And my Dad was able to record Nolan's first cries. It brings tears to my eyes to hear his little cry, and to see all the staff in the room prepared for anything. 

First time holding my baby!

The great thing about natural childbirth, is in no time I was on my feet, dressed and ready to go visit my son in the NICU. Jake insisted that I ride up to the NICU in a wheelchair (much to my dismay), and we had a hilarious experience with the tire coming off the rim. Standing in the hall way trying to fix it, totally exhausted, and slap happy!  It was just one of those side stories that I will always remember. That night I got to finally hold my Nolan skin to skin. The pure joy of feeling my sweet baby laying on my chest was so immense, it's hard to put into words. It made everything worth it. It sounds cliche, but the pain didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was the baby laying in my arms.

I was fortunate that the recovery process was incredibly easy. I didn't have all the pain some women talk about. I moved a little more slowly, but it felt great to be up and moving around. I can't say enough amazing things about the staff at UKMC. They took such excellent care of me. In a lot of ways, the birth process wasn't at all what I expected, but then again nobody plans on having a baby 8 weeks early. In other ways, it was better than I could have imagined. 

Having a natural childbirth was an incredible experience. But becoming a parent is one of the greatest blessings. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank Heavenly Father for this sweet little blessing. It's hard to believe my little baby is almost 7 weeks old! If you need me, I'll be snuggling my little peanut, and soaking up every second of baby bliss! Thanks for reading! 

Up next, the NICU experience...