Happy FIRST Birthday, my BEAUTIFUL baby!

That is my big, beautiful, 12-month-old girl right there.  She has proved herself to be so tough all while having such a sweet heart.  Presley is so independent and wants to prove she can do things on her these days.  But there are those moments, usually just before bedtime, where she will snuggle into my shoulder as I sing to her and she will let me hold her like the little baby that she still is to me.  I never understood how vulnerable being a parent could make you, but it really is exactly like they say... having a child is like letting your heart walk around outside of your body.  It's terrifying and completely satisfying at the same time.  From the day that we have our babies, we are constantly learning to "let go" a little more by the day (just like my mama friend, Sharon said in one of her blogs months ago, yet is still fresh in my mind) and while each milestone feels like such a momentous experience... it really is just a drop in the bucket (like my mama friend, Sean said in one of her blogs that has really stuck with me)!

I tried to convince myself that this would be nothing but "another day" or "just another experience" but to be honest, Presley celebrating her first birthday has really affected me.  I've been going through tons of pictures from my pregnancy to the day I gave birth to Presley and beyond.  It's all so life altering; I don't think I'll ever view what's happened to us within these last two years as anything short of amazing.

So here we are.  How did we get from here to this point?  All three of us somehow SURVIVED this first year as a family of three!  Not only that, but I feel like we hit our stride and we are in such a great, loving, and comfortable place together with some unbreakable bonds.  I love my little family so much more than I ever imagined possible.  It's the kind of absolute love that you just have to experience and feel first hand to understand and appreciate it's magnitude.  For those of you mamas and dadas out there who know what I mean, bless your heart.  And bless your little family!

Now, let me tell you what Presley has been up to lately...

• We went to the doctor today for her twelve month check-up and shots - and let me just say that this was definitely an emotional experience!  Instead of getting the vaccinations in her legs, they were in her arms this time and boy that must  have really hurt because there was a lot of tears... poor girl.  Presley's height was 28.25 inches (25% for height) and she weighed in at 18 pounds 9 ounces which put her in the 10% for weight... I was a whole POUND off when I weighed her at home last week!  Oh, and her head is staying strong within the 75%!  So far, she's lean like her daddy, about average height like her mama, and a huge ole head like her Uncle Sean.

• Presley is still a great eater and will try anything at least once!  She makes the funniest face while she chews lately... even if it's one of her favorites she will make a face as if you're feeding her lemons!  Carrots and bananas are still her favorites.
• She's standing up on her own and will shuffle-step around her musical activity table, but she's not really doing any walking on her own yet.  Though, she is a super fast crawler... especially if you do the whole "I'm gonna get you!" thing (which she thinks is so hilarious).
• Night-time routine is still the solid "Night Night Little Pookie" followed by tunes from her Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout then she snuggles up with mama and listens to me butcher songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Edelweiss" from the Sound of Music (her favorite!).  There is no other place I'd rather be at night than tucking Presley in.  Literally, no where.  It makes me wonder what bedtime in our house would be like if we ever had more than one!
• Last month, I talked about Presley not yet having her first "big" injury.  Well, sad to say, she has had it.  While it shook up the entire house, we all survived and I don't specifically want to talk about it because it still upsets me!  What is truly comforting is reading blogs written by other mommies with kids around Presley's age who are going through the same stuff right now - the first big bumps/bruises/burns/injuries - and knowing we aren't alone!  I'm also very fortunate to have a strong husband and some of the best friends in the world who are always there for me - so thank you guys for helping me see that the things that feel like "BIG" things are actually just small things that are being magnified under a microscope.
• Still making baby wipes at home and that is going very well!  Highly recommend trying it out to see how you like it because it is so simple.
• No imminent end in sight just yet when it comes to breastfeeding.  The plan is to wait for cues from Presley that she is ready to end the breastfeeding relationship.  Until then, we are both content with our extra special bonding time.  What was once something that I once resented is something I will be sad to see go.
• She's saying words all the time - some of which we don't yet understand.  Others are clear as day such as "hi" "dada" and "mama" are the words she says regularly.  Her favorite phrase is "Hi dada" and she says it to Tony all the time.  Melts.  My.  Heart.  She is so sweet to him.
• She responds so well to our cues now... such as "Can I have a kiss?" to which she responds with a kiss; "Can you say YAY?" to which she starts clapping; "Presley, say HI." to which she starts waving and saying "Hiiiii".  There are a few other "tricks" of hers that are so cute, but those are my absolute favorites.  She also kisses her stuffed animals, babies, and even her blankies now.  (I die!!!!)

Here she is giving her puppy a kiss!

•  She's gotten so good about holding her sippy cup herself lately to take a drink.
•  Still has a bit of cradle cap (which isn't noticeable) which we got a great tip from my older sister to try a little of dandruff shampoo when showering her and it has really worked wonders!  Thanks for that tip, Amanda!
• Absolutely refuses bows on her head these days... so we got silly and when she ripped her bow off, Tony put it on Teddy Mosby, to which Presley responded unkindly to Teddy!

Pulling off her bow...

Daddy puts it on Teddy...

So Presley takes back her bow & slams Teddy's face to the ground!  So hilarious.

As you may recall, on Presley's birthday we asked our friends and family to send birthday videos for Presley - we got some really fun videos and I strung them together, check it out (shout out to Sean from A Mad Girl's Lovesong! Loved the video of you & Nat!)



In other news, I'm wanting to get into some sort of regular mommy playgroup so if any of you Quad City moms know of anything or would like to start something up - let me know and we will happily get something going!  (As you could guess we are certainly missing our weekly playdates with Molly, Alli, and Megan!!!!)

And this entry wouldn't be complete without telling you guys how much I love you all... thanks for being a part of our journey.  This year started out to be so tough for me as I battled what I assume was post-partum depression and your support and love and encouragement helped me to move mountains in my life.  I hope that all the struggling new parents who find themselves in a similar boat that I was in are lucky enough to have some real help in the form of family, friends, and even complete strangers!  You guys absolutely rock and I am forever in awe of humanity because of you guys.  Thank you for the jokes, listening ears, and empathy when I needed it most.

Homemade Baby Wipes Tutorial (Easy & Inexpensive!)

As a thrifty stay-at-home mom, I am always looking for creative ways to stretch our dollars.  If you are a mom who has ever purchased baby wipes, you know that without coupons or store deals, they can get pretty pricey!  Not to mention, your child may have a bad reaction to certain brand, so you can't always just grab whatever is least expensive on any given week.  In addition to that, I have heard all kinds of rumors about the additives in commercial baby wipes which makes me very leery to use them on my little one.

I am not an extreme couponer (or really an extreme anything for that matter) and I don't buy newspapers for coupons mostly because I am too cheap and lazy.  But what I do love is online coupons and I use them often!  I currently stumbled upon the Healthy Essentials website which is simple to use and while they offer just a few coupons, they're for great products.  Healthy Essentials is currently offering $1/Johnson's Baby Oil and $1/Johnson's Baby Wash which will cut down the cost of these homemade baby wipes considerably!

With that being said, I stepped out on a branch and decided to make some baby wipes for Miss Presley right here in our house!

Here are the 5 things you will need:

• 1 Paper Towel Roll (You will need an unused roll.  For the purpose of this "recipe" of baby wipes, however, you will only be using half of the roll.)
• 1 Tablespoon of Baby Oil (1 Tablespoon = .5 Ounce)
• 2 Tablespoons of Baby Wash (2 Tablespoons = 1 Ounce)
• 2 cups of Boiled Water (maybe a little bit less water?)
  
• 1 Container (One that is big enough to contain half a roll of your favorite paper towel brand; I used a tupperware-type container from the Dollar Tree which will cost you a whopping $1!  Though, I imagine a large Ziploc bag would work as well.)

I started by boiling the two cups of water in order to sterilize the water.  (You could also use distilled water from the store.)  While the water was heating up, gather your supplies! 

*Side note:  If you use boiled water, you want to wait for it to COOL DOWN all the way before pouring it on the paper towel roll!*

I got one of the largest knives in my knife block and started cutting the paper towel roll in half.  At first I used a bread knife but that made a complete mess - so I started using our santoku/chef knife and that worked much better.

This is the result of cutting the paper towel roll in half - not anything too difficult!

Next, you are going to carefully pull the cardboard roll away and out of the roll of paper towels.  Again, this is easy-peasy.  Afterwards, set the roll down into your container (I faced the side I just cut downward) and begin mixing your ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

And let me just tell you, this smells MAGICAL!
It is honestly that sweet baby smell that is incredibly infectious.

Finally, pour the solution all over the roll of paper towels - don't be shy! - make sure you pour the solution over the entire roll. 

Once the solution was added, I put the lid on my container and let it sit for about 10-20 minutes.  Then I flipped the container upside down and let it sit for another 10-20 minutes so the solution could settle in all over the roll.  And voila, you've got some fantastic smelling, homemade baby wipes!


Here is the price breakdown:

• 2 cups of water: FREE!  (If you use your at home tap water & boil it beforehand.)
• Bounty Paper Towel 3 Pack of 103 - 2 ply sheets: paid $4.99
  =$.83/half roll, which is what I used for this "recipe"
• 20 oz. Equate Baby Oil: paid $2.47
  =$.06/tablespoon, which is the amount I used for this "recipe"
• 28 oz. Johnson's Baby Wash: paid $3.97 (orig. $4.97 before $1 coupon found here)
  =$.14/ounce, which is the amount I used for this "recipe"

Total Spent: $1.05 for 103 baby wipes!
*compare to $2.37 for a 64 ct. of commercial wipes online
 

My purpose for sharing this is to simply encourage all parents out there that if you have been considering making your own wipes, that it is very doable!  It's very cost-effective (especially considering that most parents have these few items on hand) and doesn't take any time at all to put together.  So don't be intimidated because if I can do it, so can you!  As we start putting these wipes to good use, I will make sure to update on how the review of how we like the wipes as well as our favorite paper towel brands to use!

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