Family, Motherhood

The Incredible Bond Between Siblings

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Yesterday was one of those tough parenting days. Mondays are always hard for me to begin with, but yesterday was particularly so. I was up to my eyeballs in deadlines (many of which I missed from last week) and Harlan woke up not feeling well. I was late getting Avery to school and of course as soon as we get there Macks decides to have a diaper explosion that managed to get over every single piece of clothing he had on.

After dropping Avery off at school, I always come home to put Macks down for his morning nap. It’s one of the only times during the day that the house is completely silent and I can have some uninterupted time to myself. But yesterday morning he decided to fall asleep in the car on the way home. Normally, I’d just quietly take the car seat out of the car and bring it in for him to sleep in, but as soon as I opened the door his eyes popped open. I tried to quietly get him out and bring him to his room to go back to sleep. Surprisingly that didn’t happen.

This rough start only set the mood for the rest of the day. Macks was so cranky (probably from lack of sleep and teething) and did not want to be put down at all. I tried to get all of his toys out to play with him on the floor, but he just wasn’t having it. So I spent my morning walking around the house trying to keep him entertained and not fussing.

Harlan’s cough only got worse and unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do but give her lots of love (and tell her to stay away from Macks and A.)

Of course as soon as we get in the car to go pick up Avery from school Macks falls asleep, which means that his afternoon nap at home was no longer happening.

We spent the afternoon much like the morning. While Harlan and Avery napped, I tried to entertain Macks in every way I knew possible. All of my old tricks weren’t working and he’d fight me every time I’d try something new. By 3:00, I was ready to throw in the towel. It was then that I heard tiny little footsteps coming from upstairs. Our little A had woken up from her nap and was rushing downstairs like she does every afternoon.

As soon as Avery came down the stairs, Macks’ face lit up. He squirmed out of my hands begging to get on the floor so that he could be with her. She sat on the floor with him and he crawled over to her laughing and playing. All was right in his world again.

When Macks started crawling it was as if the doors to a new world opened for him. He saw his sisters in a new light. While he loved the attention that they gave him nearly all the time, it was very much one-sided. But now he can give them that love in return.

Macks and Avery sat on the floor giggling for over an hour. Avery spoke to him in her “itty bitty baby voice” like she always does and Macks proceeded to treat her like a jungle gym and crawl all over her.

I was able to knock a couple of things off of my to-do list as my heart filled with love watching those two play together. That’s when it hit me – sometimes, no matter how hard we try, all they really need is one another.

And suddenly, all was right in my world again.

 

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Family, Life, Motherhood, Suburban Life

Trick-or-Treat: 5 Reasons I Can’t Wait for Halloween in the Suburbs

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This Halloween is a big one for our family. It’s the first time that we are doing the traditional suburban trick-or-treating. The girls have been talking about it for weeks. They see all of the scary decorations in our neighborhood, have talked about it with their friends at school, and even picked out their Halloween costumes months in advanced.

Pottery Barn Kids sent the kids their costumes and they could not have been more excited to try them on. After looking through the catalog dozens of times, they decided on what they were going to be this year – The Princess and the Frog and a fairy. Can you tell Harlan had something to do with Macks’ costume? Anything she can do to have him involved and she jumps at the chance.

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We’ve had these Trick-or-Treat Bags since the kids first Halloween, but this is the very first year that they will be able to fill them up by going door-to-door. In previous years, we’ve gone to a street in our neighborhood in Manhattan, that was lined with townhouses, but it was was filled to the brim with people. While it was fun for the kids, it was an absolute madhouse. You had to push and shove to get through the crowd and get to each door. The girls accomplished their goal of getting candy, but it felt like we ran a marathon just to do it.

This year, things are going to be quite different. Here’s why I can’t wait to do Halloween the suburban way:

1. The Decorations – We’ve never been able to decorate for Halloween because the outside of our apartment went into a hallway. Even in our neighborhood in the city, there was very little Halloween decorations. This year we’ve already scouted out our favorite houses with the best decorations. We’ve seen scary pirate ships, ghosts, huge spiders, witches, and more!  The girls can’t wait to stop by on Halloween night for trick-or-treating.

2. The Calmness –  Halloween in the city is crazy. It’s a big deal to a lot of people and they go all out. Unfortunately that makes it a busy scene for all of our littles. While I expect to see a lot of people this year, it will be a lot more family oriented and we won’t have to push and shove just to get to the front door.

3. A Start of New Traditions – A couple of days ago we came home to find a treat by our front door telling us that we had been “Boo’d.” One of our neighbors had left a bag of treats for the girls and then we had to pass it on to two other neighbors. I don’t think I could wipe the smile off of my face for at least an hour. We already have plans to go to a friends house for dinner before hitting the streets this year. I hope we continue things like this year after year. This is what suburban life is all about.

4. The Costumes – I’ve never dressed up for Halloween with the kids because it was always too stressful trying to fight through the crowds while still keeping an eye on the kids. This year, the girls wanted us to dress up with them, and for the first time I thought…why not? They’ve picked out what they want us to be and we are all set to join the fun with them!

5. Trick-or-Treating – What is Halloween without the tradition of trick-or-treating? This year we are looking forward to going to actual doors of houses and not having the doorman at apartment buildings hand us the candy. Growing up, I have some of the fondest memories trick-or-treating from door to door with my family and friends and I hope the same for my children.

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We hope you have a Happy Halloween!

{Disclosure: We did receive these costumes as a gift from Pottery Barn Kids. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!} 

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Family, Motherhood

6 Ways to Help Relieve Your Baby’s Stuffy Nose

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Macks woke up shortly after I put him down for bed last night. This happens often and I usually just go into his room, nurse him and rock him as he falls back asleep. But last night, as I sat in his rocker and tried to feed him, he refused. I quickly switched him over to the other side and it was the same thing. In eight months, this was the first time that he flat out refused to nurse.

I kept trying to get him to nurse and as that was happening he was getting more and more frustrated that he couldn’t. He quickly started crying and deep down I wanted to as well. A part of me started getting worried, in fear that something was wrong.

As soon as I turned on the lights I saw that he had snot running all down his nose. He was so frustrated before that it was hard for me to notice that he was breathing compeltely out of his mouth. His nose was stuffed up and it was the onset of Macks’ first cold of the season. MacKay was sick last week, so I guess it was only a mattter of time before one of the kids got it.

Of course this isn’t the first time a cold has taken over our household, so I immediately went into sick baby mode. Unfortunately there really isn’t anything I can do to make the cold go away, so my first priority was to make Macks as comfortable as possible so that he could soon be sleeping soundly and free of congestion.

Here are six things I always do to help releive my kids’ stuffy nose:

Saline Drops: Don’t underestimate the power of saline drops. The first thing I did was run to our medicine cabinet and grabbed the Little Remedies For Noses Saline Drops. I’ve used this since Harlan was born and it’s always my go-to. It’s a non-medicated formula that help loosen the mucus so that I can help get it out. It also moistens the nasal passages so that I can prevent dry irritation and the dreaded red nose that usually comes with a cold.

Cool Mist Humidifier: This is a staple in every bedroom during the fall and winter seasons. I fill it up every night before the kids go to bed and let it run all the time. The air can get very dry during this time of year, so this helps with adding moisture. The added moisture also helps for congestion, runny noses, and helps soothe a cough.

Raise the Mattress: For proper drainage, I always make sure that the kids are in an elevated position. There is nothing worse than trying to sleep at night, but you can’t because you are having a hard time breathing from your nose. To help them sleep better at night, I’ll grab some pillows or blankets and put them under the mattress on one end. This helps raise it slightly enough for him to sleep better at night.

Nasal Aspirator: Since baby’s don’t know how to blow their nose, we have to help aid them in getting the mucus out. A nasal aspirator is a safe and gentle way of helping relieve their stuffy noses. Shortly after putting in the saline (which helps loosen the mucus,) I grab the nasal aspirator and suction out the mucus. I love that the Little Remedies Stuffy Nose Kit comes with everything you need to help relieve their stuffy nose. The bulb aspirator has a soft angled tip to help you suction the mucus out, but my favorite part is that it comes off so that you can wash and disinfect the bulb after each use.

Use Steam: To really help moisten their nasal passages, I’ll turn on the shower and let the bathroom fill with steam. I’ll then sit in there with them so that they can breathe in the moist air. This has been very helpful in quickly relieving congestion.

Keep them Hydrated: Last night Macks didn’t want to nurse because he was having a hard time breathing out of his nose. By nursing, he was unable to breathe at all. When your little one is sick, it’s always important to keep them hyrated, especially if they want to refuse. I woke Macks up a couple of times last night for some late night nursing sessions to help make sure that he had enough nutrients and help fight off the cold.

What are your go-tos to help fight a stuffy nose?

{This post is sponsored by Little Remedies. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!} 

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