Hellobee

I just wanted to share a few more tips on how I like to style my kids’ clothing to last a bit longer or how to re-purpose an old item. I know everyone is a fan of getting the biggest bang for their buck, especially when it comes to those cute little kids’ clothes that can last just a few wears during a growth spurt.

Beanies are more of a winter/fall item, but this something to keep in mind when you start buying items to keep that noggin warm and stylish. Try buying beanies that are large enough to fit an adult head as well. Since they stretch so well, you can buy many and have a good sharing rotation going.

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This is a guest post by Mrs. Green Grass written when she was struggling with infertility in May 2012. She has since conceived via ivf and given birth to a son. You can follow her journey on her blog Baby-Making Merry-go-Round.

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I starred infertile because I don’t like the word. I think the word infertile is part of the reason that infertility still holds the stigma it does. How can I really call myself infertile when I’m spending so much time trying to have a baby? If I’m infertile, I might as well give up now. Fertility-challenged yes. Infertile…no.

Every group needs a nice simple term. And I guess this is the one we’re stuck with.

As many of you know all too well, one of the hardest parts of this process is that we’re not going through it in a bubble. A bubble would be nice. In my bubble, I wouldn’t compare myself and my life to other people. But I don’t live in a bubble and people are getting pregnant and having babies everywhere I turn.

All of this stress is multiplied during IVF. And it just so happens that I have learned of at least 6 blogger and internet friends and 2 real-life friends that are pregnant in the last week or two. Odds are, not everyone of us can get a BFP in the same month and that scares me.

But while I was struggling with infertility, I found a lot of support both in my real life and on the internet. I truly believe that most people want to offer support, but often don’t know how. Hopefully this post will help tell your infertile friend (me for example), that you are pregnant.

The following is a Facebook message I received from one of my good friends from college. The last time I saw her was a few months ago, and I told her about what was going on with me fertility-wise and the fact that I was about to try IVF.

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I’ve been asking around, and the general consensus is that a baby cannot sleep too much. So when I say he sleeps too much, I mean for me.

Since becoming a mom, I’ve hesitated when I begin to tell another mom about my sibling that died in 1992. I hesitate because now I think about how terrifying the story must be for other mothers.

What I can tell you that will hopefully relieve some of the worry in this story is that the condition my sister was born with has been studied much more since she died, and is now included in many mandatory newborn screens. I was very relieved to see it listed in the pamphlet the hospital gave us that outlined everything they were testing for.

I’m not a doctor, but the best I can explain is that my sister received her four month vaccinations and had a reaction to them because of her metabolic condition. I cannot explain the medical details because I don’t clearly understand them. Because of the nature of her death, it was considered SIDS.

The grief of a five year old is something that is difficult for me to explain, and I know it is difficult for others to understand. The main emotion that a child (in my personal experience) feels is confusion. I remember vividly that I felt like I needed to act more sad because everyone around me was sad. I remember not crying, but feeling like I should. I remember having fun playing in the funeral home lounge.

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When the Trikester was born last Thanksgiving, we weren’t thinking about how much his delivery cost – I was too focused on the back labor to consider ANYTHING other than survival. Now, six months later, I’ve had time to look at the hospital bills and our insurance reimbursement.

Getting to know each other in the hospital

I’ve already blogged about our hospital experience – it wasn’t plush or luxurious, but it was plenty adequate. We delivered at the only hospital north of NYC with a level 3 NICU, so there was plenty of great care available, should we need it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that struggles to figure out medical billing – stuff is crazy complicated! There were multiple bills – a “facilities” bill from the hospital, and then separate bills from each doctor we saw during our stay. I had a vaginal delivery, with an epidural and no complications. We spent 1 night in the hospital following the Trikester’s birth. After some research, here’s the breakdown of our costs (the best I can figure):

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Little M turned 17 months old last week, which means that waaaaay back in December we celebrated his first birthday. We called him our baby bee when I was pregnant and for his first year, so it was only fitting that we throw him a bee themed party.

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This past December we moved into a new home.  It was a big change going from a 2 bedroom condo to a 4 bedroom home, and many of the rooms are empty still as we don’t have enough furniture to fill the place. But the nice thing is Drake now has his own room and won’t have to share with Chocolate Baby when they arrive.

Since Drake was a surprise baby, we decorated his nursery in the condo in a light yellow color with some white trim and filled the room with giraffes, as I adore them.  It was very simple as we knew we would be moving eventually, and wanted the room to be neutral and not scream nursery when we tried to sell. Now that we are in what will most likely be our forever home though, I am excited about  the prospect of decorating Drake’s (and Chocolate Baby’s ) rooms and not have to worry about resale factor.  I have a lot of ideas I have been working on for both Drake’s toddler room and Chocolate Baby’s nursery, which I hope to be sharing soon, but this post is dedicated to a feature wall idea I had after seeing this image on Pinterest.

Photo via Project Nursery

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We have a fantastic giveaway for you today from Freshly Picked! We’re giving away a pair of their gorgeous hand-made moccasins to 3 lucky winners!

These shoes can be dressed up or dressed down and go with everything. It’s no wonder that everyone from your favorite style bloggers to celebrities are obsessed with them. They’re made of leather or suede, and come in a wide variety of beautiful colors that make it hard to choose just one. Olive has a pair of the platinum ones, but the pink ones are calling her name!

To enter to win, go here to sign up for our newsletter. After you subscribe to our newsletter, you will get emailed a link that you can post on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Your blog, etc. Every time someone enters off that referral link, you get 10 more entries — that greatly increases your chances of winning! If you are already subscribed to our newsletter, you can still enter your email to receive a referral link.

For extra entries:

1) comment on this post and let us know which color you’d choose!
2) follow Freshly Picked on Facebook and Twitter and let us know in the comments section by leaving 2 additional comments.
3) follow Hellobee on Facebook and Twitter and let us know in the comments section by leaving 2 additional comments.

This contest ends midnight EST May 29th when we’ll select one winner. Good luck!