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.

Continue Reading: My Baby Sleeps Too Much

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):

Continue Reading: The cost of a hospital delivery

Continue Reading: Baby Bee’s First Bee-Day Party

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

Continue Reading: Letter Project

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.

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

N O E L L E  -  2 Y E A R S , 4 M O N T H S
J A R E N —  3  M O N T H S

I mainly plan our dinners because our breakfasts and lunches are more or less the same and very simple. I pack DH’s lunch at the same time I pack DD’s lunch each morning.

Breakfasts – I usually make a spinach/kale quiche twice a week, which makes for very quick, reheatable breakfasts.

Lunches – I’ll make tuna, chicken, or egg salads on Sunday nights so I can use them for packed work lunches (as sandwiches or scooped on top of salads) throughout the week. Toss in a couple pieces of fruit and we’re golden.

This is our dinner meal plan for this week (I start from Sunday to Saturday since Saturdays are our grocery shopping days) -

Sunday – Dakgalbi (marinated Korean chicken dish)
Monday – Date night (eat out)
Tuesday – Roasted chicken
Wednesday – Chicken soft tacos
Thursday – Asian-style sloppy joes
Friday – Chicken curry
Saturday – Leftovers

Continue Reading: Swarm: Weekly Meal Plan

Continue Reading: Beach Baby: My must-haves

Lil Miss Wagon

The biggest change of all this month is that LMW started getting into a sitting position… by herself!! She has also started pulling up to stand on her own, and she’s crawling on hands and knees with her belly off the floor, but both are not very consistent. But all the new gross motor skills are very exciting for all. It is so cute to watch her on the video monitor in her crib and see just the top of her head as she’s just sitting up in her crib, looking around. She also gets up on her knees into a kneeling position and grabs the crib bars like a little prisoner trying to get free.

Continue Reading: 10 Month / 3 Year 5 Month Update

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The majority of infertility success stories that are shared in the media today are those that involve ART, or assisted reproductive technologies. These interventions are wonderful; I love that we have the ability to bring babies into the world for those who may not otherwise have that chance. But for my husband and myself, we knew that ART would not be an option, for a variety of reasons. And unfortunately, for a nurse-practitioner in a rural town, a couple refusing to pursue IUI or IVF was an anomaly. I was told, point-blank, that if I didn’t go to the fertility clinic, I didn’t have any other options. We were slapped with the label of “primary infertility,” and got the feeling that she truly didn’t know what to do with us.

The basal body temperature charts, the ovulation predictor kits, and the symptoms I had so painstakingly tracked were thrown out the window, dismissed by a nurse practitioner who (despite best intentions) had no use for such things. And I followed her advice; we did go to a fertility clinic and have testing done. But I was largely disillusioned with the push towards IUI and injectibles, and I began searching for another method to expand our family. After too many Google searches, we stumbled across naturopathy.

To those who don’t know, naturopathy is a system of alternative medicine that avoids conventional medications and interventions, and instead focuses on the organic causes for an illness. This sounds a little “out there” for most; I understand this. I have been called every name under the sun (and lovingly referred to as a hippy) for pursuing naturopathic medicine, but since it worked for me, I am an advocate.

Continue Reading: Infertility and Alternative Medicine

One ingredient I’m particularly obsessed about is Greek yogurt.  I’ve substituted Greek yogurt in many different recipes with great success, and quiche is no different!  Every time a recipe calls for some sort of cream base, I will try substituting with Greek yogurt instead.  I love the tangy bite that Greek yogurt imparts to a dish, not to mention how much healthier it is for you.

Continue Reading: Crustless Quiche with Greek Yogurt