Traveling with a baby

In three weeks we will be taking our first road trip with Aiden to see my two sisters in Birmingham! I'm a little nervous about traveling with him and worry about how he is going to do in the car for 6 hours but at least I'll have grandma and great grandma there to help!! I'm hoping to get some much needed sleep on this trip since he will have so many people to play with (and spoil him!) I miss my sisters so much and hate that they don't get to see Aiden on a regular basis. However we do Skype each other at least two times a week!! Thank goodness for the Internet!!

I've also already started making a list of things to pack. I know I will take so much stuff but really don't want to forget anything! Everything we have I use on a daily basis! I have consulted a friend on advise since she has traveled so much with her little ones. Here is my list and if I'm leaving anything out please let me know! This is a whole new experience for me. I'm looking at it as a "trial run" because we are going to the beach in April for our wedding!!

Diapers, wipes, desitin, gas drops, gripe water, bath lotion and soap, bath towels and wash cloths, blankets, burp cloths

A friend gave me a travel tub

Outfit (or 4) for everyday we are gone plus PJ's

Bouncy seat (because this is his bed!)
Possibly co-sleeper or pack and play of he is actually sleeping there by then!!

Travel swing (also given to me by a friend) it folds up and is great!!

Bottles, bottle brush, drying rack (I have a small one and don't want them touching the sink at the hotel), dish soap

Breast pump and formula, paci

Wow babies need a lot!! I know I'll be adding to this daily but at least I'm starting to think about it now!

Feed me!!

This pretty much sums up our day!!

My boy is getting so big that we are officially out of 0-3 month clothes. Hopefully this will slow down before we hit 18 month clothes at 6 months old!!! But how cute is that face!!!

Blogger App

I'm coming to you from my bed this morning! I just realized blogger had an app!! I may be behind the times but I had no clue and feel this may allow me to post more often!!

After two terrible nights (literally up all night with a congested baby) we have had two really good nights! Both nights Aiden has only gotten up one time to eat and then goes right back to sleep!! Now mommy is still getting up more often just because I'm not used to him sleeping that long and I check to make sure he's still breathing but I think we may have this sleeping thing down!!

We tried Friday night to get Aiden to sleep in his crib but had no luck after at least 10 times of going back and forth. We decided this just isn't the right time and will keep him in our room for now! If he gets too big for the bouncy seat maybe we will just buy a bigger one! Ha!

We have also been smiling more especially when mommy sings (probably because it's so bad 😃)! I just love this face!!

1 month

You are one month today which is also your Aunt Angie’s birthday! 

At your check up today you weighed 11.2 lbs and are 24 inches long. You are in the 95^th percentile for weight and 50-75 percentile for length.

You have already outgrown newborn diapers and are in size 1. You are wearing 0-3 month clothes and some 3-6 month outfits (which makes me very sad)! You are a growing boy!!You are wiggling like crazy these days. You can now focus more and able to follow some objects. You are starting to recognize mommy’s voice. When you are mad you stiffen your whole body and shake your head back and forth.

You are more alert and staying awake longer periods of time during the day. I make sure you don’t sleep more then 2-2 1/2 hours at a time during the day. You make lots of noises and your face will turn bright red and you grunt all the time. You are starting to smile (although it may just be gas). My favorite thing is when you hold my finger while you eat!  You love tummy time but mommy is really bad about doing this during the day. Usually daddy reminds me when he comes home!

You are a big eater and will sometimes eat every hour to hour and a half. We do have times where we can go 2-2 1/2 hours though. I breastfeed but have started you  on one formula bottle at night because I just couldn't keep up.

Your personality changes daily! Most days you are very happy! You love to swing and sit in the bouncy seat. Really you like anything that moves! You hate the hiccups and have them frequently. You have tons of gas which makes you upset during the middle of the night. You hate changing your diaper but also hate having a wet or dirty diapers. You love to be naked and you love the bath. 

 You are starting to sleep better. You are now are waking every 3-3 ½ hours. We have gone 4 and 5 but this is rare! When you wake up you eat and go right back to sleep which makes mommy really happy!

We are going to start more of a routine with you this week and try and get you to sleep in your crib.  Right now you will only sleep in the bouncy seat at night. This is okay because mommy and daddy have to sleep also!

One Happy Mommy!

I am one happy mommy today!!!

Last night was a wonderful night for both mommy and daddy! Are you ready for this one.......Aiden slept for 5 straight hours. Yes my friends this is a milestone of us! He went to sleep around 11:00 pm and didn't wake up until 4:00 am ate and went back to sleep until 7:00 am. I was so excited I woke Ryan up just to tell him about it! HA! I know there are probably many babies that do this on a normal basis but not this boy. We are usually up every 2-3 hours so as you can see we are very excited! I know this may be a one time thing but hopefully we can keep this up!

I was at a friends house last night for dinner and we were just discussing sleeping patterns in our babies. My childhood best friend has a daughter that is 6 months older then Aiden so I am constantly picking her brain for parenting tips and advice! I had just said that I get so discouraged when I read other blogs and they say things like "my newborn sleeps through the night" or "my baby started sleeping in his bed at 2 weeks and never woke up" or "I never had to get up once when my child was born" or "we go 5-6 hours a night without getting up to feed". You get my drift rigtht? Well I was starting to think I was doing something wrong and wondering "why isn't my child doing that?" Like I said before I know this won't happen every night but the fact that it happened once made me very excited and rested today!

Starting this weekend we are going to start introducing Aiden to his crib. I will keep you posted on how this goes!

I just love bath time!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am loving these knit hats from baby gap! I have to go get one ASAP for Aiden!

I'm loving that I can fit into regular clothes now! I have been looking for things to take to the beach in April!

I'm loving Pinterest and all the fun finds. I just wish I had time to make all the things I pin!

I'm loving that I finally picked a menu for the wedding! Now I just have 5,469 things to do! HA! Only 12 weeks away!

I am also loving being a mommy to this sweet baby! How cute is that face!!??!!

(BTW this is a 6 month outfit....can you say BIG BOY!!)

Aiden Pearce

Aiden Pearce Carriss

8 lb 14 oz

This is way past due but my days seem to run together! I thought after I had Aiden I would have all this time to blog, clean, cook etc but so far I haven't done any of the above. I can't figure where the time goes. My days are spent feeding, changing diapers, feeding, sleeping, visiting with family and friends, feeding again! This boy eats every hour to hour and half right now. He is such a growing boy!

Aiden was born on December 30, 2011. I had to have a c-section due to him being breached and was so nervous about having surgery. However it wasn't as bad as I thought even though it is a long recovery. The worst is having to stay in the hospital for 4 days. I also lost my grandmother the day before Aiden was born. This has been such a hard time for me. I wasn't able to get the closure I needed due to the funeral being in Alabama. There are days where I just cry and feel so alone but then I hold Aiden and everything seems so much better.

Being a new parent has come with ups and downs. It is such a different life style then what I'm used to. Don't get me wrong I LOVE every minute of it but everyday is a new learning experience. People try to give you advise but every baby (just like every pregnancy) is very different. I have learned to just do things the way I want and learn as we go. I have also realized that I am doing everything I said "I would never do". Breastfeeding has been another challenge for me but I know that it is best for Aiden and again everyday gets better.

I am anxious about getting back to my pre-baby weight mostly due to the fact that I have to fit into a wedding dress in approx 12 weeks. I have lost over 20 lbs so far and the dress is able to fit over my hips (but not zip just yet). Lets just pray that I am able to loose at least 15 more lbs before we leave!

I have SO much left to do for the big day and don't seem to have the time or energy to accomplish all the tasks. I have even put off calling my wedding planner for two weeks due to not having the answers she is looking for. So from this day forward I am going to try and accomplish at least one thing each day (or week)!

Here are some beautiful pictures from Aiden's newborn session! I just love this face!

Aiden will be 1 month on Monday. Where does the time go??!! Hopefully it won't be another month before I can post again!