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A Letter to My Son ❤️

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To the little boy who stole my heart, It's been only 2 years since you entered this world, but I have a hard time remembering what life was like before you. I always knew I wanted you. The moment we met in person for the very first time, was the best day of my life, but I was not prepared for how much of my heart you would hold in your tiny little hands.  I love spending all of my days with you. I love waking up to your little voice, even if sometimes that voice is a little louder than I'd like to hear it in the morning. I love cuddling on the couch with you. I love playing cars with you. I love your infectious and silly little laugh. I love seeing your creativity shine through your artwork. I love going on our little adventures. I love being able to see the world through your eyes. I love every moment we spend together. I know you wont remember these days, but I hope one day we can look at the millions of pictures I take, and reflect on how special it has been, for m...
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Stop the Stigma

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As I sit here in the middle of what seems like a forever episode of anxiety and depression, I feel compelled to write about it. I'm having a moment of clarity that may only last a few moments,  so I'll take advantage of it.  I battle with anxiety and panic disorder as well as depression on an almost daily basis. For as long as I can remember, I have fought with my brain. If you suffer from a mental health illness, you may understand that statement all too well. If you don't suffer from a mental health illness, (I envy you) but let me explain it for you. Every feeling I feel, every decision I have to make big or small, every conversation I have, every relationship I've had or try to create, every single thing I do, is critiqued. Not by my peers, not by my husband, or my family or my son, but by me. Some days are better than others. But when those days are not good, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells with myself. My mother always tells me ‘you are your own wors...
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Calling all Mom's of Picky Eaters!

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I'm convinced that my son is one of the pickiest eaters in the world. Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but he is for sure VERY picky. When he was a baby, he ate everything. Veggies, fruits, meats, pasta..his diet was better than mine was! Then once he turned a year old, that's the moment everything changed for him. He started cutting out veggies, then meats. Now he's at the point where we have just a couple of staples and he basically eats the same thing every day with very little variation. I try hiding foods, I offer him everything I make for dinner, I demonstrate that what I make is delicious, I've included him in preparing meals, I've made fun shapes out of his foods, all of that and he STILL won't open up to trying anything new. He's what I like to call a Peanut-butter-and-Jelly-Fruit-itarian. Of course he’s the typical toddler who loves all things crunchy too. We have lots of veggie made snacks (veggie chips, straws etc.) and your typical fishy ...
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Guilt

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I've found that feeling guilty has been a very common theme throughout this early stage of motherhood. I have this daily struggle with myself about whether or not I spent enough time with my son. Did I show him attention when he needed it most? Did he feel like I was ignoring him at all today? But the big one for me that always seems to kick me down is: did I spend enough quality time with him?  I'm a stay at home mom, so all my days (and nights) are spent with my son. It's very rare that I am not with him. You would think that being a stay at home mom would allow me to spend every waking hour planning and doing fun activities with my little one, every single day of the week, but unfortunately that's just not reality. I still have laundry to get done, meals to cook, cleaning to do, errands to run...the list is endless. Don't get me wrong, I am not doing all of these things on a daily basis. I still find time during the day to let my son dictate what's happe...
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Fed is Best

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Breastfeeding-The dreaded topic for most mom's to be. The topic that causes so much controversy among moms. The topic that gets so much publicity for the wrong reasons.  "Breast is best"--There is no saying that I hate more, and I breastfed my son until he was just under 15 months old. When you're pregnant, you have all of these things that you worry about on a daily basis; "Did I drink enough water today?"; "When was the last time I felt the baby move?"; "How many pints of ice cream is too much in one day?" (very logical concern!). When you're a new mom, you have a lot of adjusting to do, and many difficult decisions to make. The last thing a mom wants to talk about with anyone, other than their OB and significant other, is whether or not they plan to breastfeed. They also have no interest in hearing your unsolicited thoughts. Mom's have enough going through their mind, and they don't need to deal with the stress of what ot...
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Life with a Toddler

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Toddler: A tiny, strong-willed, loving human who specializes in destroying toy rooms, fighting, refusing everything, and crying about anything you can think of. This is the exact definition of my son. I love him with everything I have, but most days I find myself wanting to hide in a closet more than once throughout the day! If you have one of these tiny humans, I guarantee The following scenarios are going to be very relative to your life. Scenario One:   You hear your precious little love wake up in the other room. You think "what a beautiful day!", as you look out the window and see the sun shining as you walk to your child's bedroom. You open the door, say "Good morning my sweet baby!" and see him return a little sleepy smile. You walk over to the windows, draw open the curtains to let some light in, then go over to greet your little one again. He seems like he's in a great mood--score!! He proceeds to tell you all about the loveys in his crib...
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Our Furbaby

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My husband and I debated for years if we should adopt a pup or not. I grew up with dogs pretty much my entire life, and have always loved them, but it took me a while to be ready  to open my heart again to another pup. My childhood pup Dakota was one of the best dogs I've ever met! My parent's got him as a puppy when was I was 8 years old, and I remember being over the moon that day we brought him home! We had a special connection, and when we lost him, it was one of the worst days of my life. Because of it, I went through a little phase where I was adamant on never owning a dog. I didn't want to feel that heartache ever again.  After months of begging from my husband, (who was actually still my fiance at the time!), I finally caved. We knew we wanted to adopt, so I immediately began researching different organizations and shelters. Friend's of ours told us about this wonderful organization called Last Hope K9 Rescue  where they had recently rescued their own p...
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