Eli - 6 Month Update!

I'm 6 Months Old!

 

Here is Eli's update from 5-6 months.

Stats:

Eli was 16 pounds 6 ounces at his 6 month well baby visit.

Height: 26.5 inches

He wears 6-9 month clothing and Size 3 diapers.

Eating/Sleeping:

Eli is still breastfeeding.  He also eats about 2 ounces of pureed food a day.  At this point he has had squash, rice cereal, zucchini, green peas, avocado, sweet potato, banana, and apples.

I love how excited he gets when it is time to eat.  He waves his arms in the air and pants. It's so fun to watch.

  

Eli has gone back to sleeping through the night.  I guess he just needed to get his weight back up.  I'm so glad he is feeling better and sleeping well.

Since we don't have bumpers in his crib, he gets his feet and arms stuck through the bars all the time.  Sometimes I think he just does it on purpose, so I will come in and fix them.  Haha.  Here's some pictures of Eli caught in the act!

Special Memories:

Eli's beautiful personality is showing more and more everyday.  He is generally very happy, but also knows how to throw a little fit here or there.  He loves to eat, play with toys, and listen to music.  We are still working on sitting up.

His favorite game to play is Peek-A-Boo.  He pulls his burp cloth over his face and pulls it down real quick waiting for the Peek-A-Boo to come.  He's smart and oh-so-lovable!

Eli celebrated his first 4th of July with friends and family in Jacksonville.

  He is also sat in his high chair for the first time.

Here's a few more pictures from the month!

Green Eyed Mommy, Blue Eyed Baby

Having fun in our jumperoo

Petting my sister while she sits on me

I love to eat my toes!

Shopping with momma in my Ergo

Handsome, Happy Boy!

Until next time!  :)

Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango Body Wash Review & Giveaway

Dial has been a huge brand in the skin care industry since the 1940s (65 years!).  Growing up, we used Dial bar soap in our home.  I always thought it smelled great, cleaned well, and left my skin hydrated.

Dial has evolved over the years by coming out with different products, but their core values are the same.  Their motto is, "Healthier Skin. Healthier You".

Dial has created a line of products that contain Coconut Water.  Their newest addition to the Dial Coconut Water family is Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango body wash.  I was sent a full size body wash to review.  I was so excited to rip open the box and see what was inside when I found the package on my doorstep.  This has nothing to do with the actual product, but I loved the way the packaging displayed the body wash and held the other contents.

I was not disappointed by the product either.  There are three main factors I look for when choosing a body wash.  What it smells like, if it lathers well, and how well it cleans.  This body wash rates high in all three categories.

The tropical mango scent is clean and refreshing, without being overpowering.  I found that the body wash had a rich lather when applied to my pouf bath sponge or loofah.  Not much was needed to create a lot of suds.  Finally, I felt that this hydrating body wash cleaned well and left my body feeling moisturized and nourished.

The best part is that I was sent free coupons, so three lucky readers can try out the Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango body wash too!  All you have to do is enter below using the Rafflecopter widget!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

"The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango body wash in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own."

Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection Review & Giveaway

The new Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection by Richard Garay is the perfect way to celebrate any special occasion with your friends and family!  The collection includes coordinated papers, inks, stamps, dies, and embellishments.  You can make birthday cards, party invitations, gift bag tags, scrapbook pages, and more.

As I get older, birthdays seem to be less important.  Or maybe not less important, but you don't usually have a big party with lots of gifts.  I don't expect much on my birthday, so it always feels good to receive a little something to let me know I am loved...like a homemade birthday card!  When someone takes the time to make a card and write a heartfelt message it really means a lot to me.  This is why the Spellbinders Celebra'tion Collection of paper craft supplies is so awesome.  I'm not always the most creative person, but I can make something I'm proud of (and someone else will enjoy) if I have the right supplies and inspiration.  There are many ideas online showing how you can use this collection to make all sorts of neat crafts.

I was sent a Spellbinders Celebra'tion Collection sample kit to review.  It came with the supplies and instructions to make two beautiful projects-- a card and gift bag.

Halfway through card making

The final product

I made the card first and I love how it turned out!  The colors are bright and fun.  I also love how the embellishments are 3-D, adding layers and depth.  There are so many stamps, papers, and die cuts in the collection that you can make a wide variety of paper crafts for every occasion.  To further personalize this card, I'm going to add a picture of my friend and I on the left inside of the card then use the right inside to write her a message.

Personalized Bag Tag

  
The paper, dies, and stamps can be used to make awesome bag tags!  Again, all of the colors are cheerful and perfect for any celebration.  These would make great treat bags for birthday parties or gatherings.  I've filled mine with photo magnets for my friend to go along with her birthday card.

I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who loves to create lovely projects for any special occasion.

Now on to the GIVEAWAY!-----You can win a mini stamp set from the Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection.  Just Enter Below!

 
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

"The Spellbinders brand provided me with a sample of Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own."

Cottonelle Clean Crew

I was so excited to receive our free Cottonelle Clean & Fresh sampling from Crowdtap!  One thing you may not know about my husband is that he is a toilet paper snob.  Yes, I'm calling him out.  Cottonelle is his #1 toilet paper choice.  If I bring anything else home...there is always a comment about it.  Bring Cottonelle home and there is a smile.  So you can imagine how excited we were to get the opportunity to try out the Cottonelle Care Routine.  :)

Starting them out early on Cottonelle wipes

I like the upright wipes dispenser.  It's sleek, stylish, and easily accessible.  The wipes paired with Cottonelle toilet paper are the perfect get clean duo for nights out on the town, after the gym, or just everyday living.  Our Fresh Care Flushable Cleansing Cloths dispenser is currently in the downstairs half bathroom for all our guests to enjoy.

      

Free Sample Recipients

Check out Crowdtap.com to review products and have your opinions heard!

Eli - 5 Month Update!

I'm 5 Months Old!

Here is Eli's update from 4-5 months.

Stats:
Eli was 15 pounds 4 ounces.  He had gained weight, but then lost it right around when he turned 5 months old because I was dealing with mastitis and clogged milk ducts which effected my milk supply.  I'm happy to report that issue has been resolved for now (Praise God!) and he is gaining back weight.

He wears 6 month clothing and Size 3 diapers.

Eating/Sleeping:
Eli is still breastfeeding, but has also started solids!  Right before he turned five months he had his first solid food - pureed squash.  It did not take him long to learn how to eat it...he gets so excited and loves it.

As you can see from his stats, his weight went down a little from last month.  I started working out, and think it is one of the reasons (repetitive upper body movements) I got mastitis (red, sore, tender spot on breast & flu-like symptoms---got prescribed an antibiotic to clear it up) and clogged milk ducts.  I went to the pediatrician and lactation consultant during this time because I was worried sick that Eli not getting enough food and losing weight.  They did not seem very concerned.  I continued to breastfeed him as often as possible to get the milk flowing again.  After about a week and a half, all the lumps were gone and things are back to normal.  I am so thankful we are over it now.

Something we need to work on is re-teaching Eli to use a bottle (or just go to a sippy cup).  I guess I never got the memo to keep introducing the bottle because now he won't take one (which means I can't leave him very long with anyone).  I really need to get on this, but hate to pump.  We will see how it goes.

 

 
We are going through a bout of sleep regression at this time.  It also started when my milk supply went down (right before he turned 5 months).  He now wakes up in the middle of night and early morning.  Ah!!  Hopefully, it won't last long.

Special Memories:
Besides Eli starting to eat solids (which was very exciting to us...and entertaining), he went on his first trip to Disney World this month.  Eli and I traveled to Orlando (while daddy was working) to stay with my family for a couple days.  We went to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom while we were there. 

At Animal Kingdom he rode the Kilimanjaro Safari ride and watched the Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to Be a Bug, Flights of Wonder, and Finding Nemo.  He enjoyed all of them except for the Bug's Life show because he was not too pleased that it squirted water in his face.

At Magic Kingdom he rode the Jungle Cruise, Pirate's of the Caribbean, Journey of the Little Mermaid, and watched Mickey's PhilharMagic show.  It's also good to note that they have a nice baby center with rooms for nursing, feeding, and changing diapers.  Great way to get out of the hot sun and into the air conditioning.

Just arrived in Orlando

In line for our first ride

E's First Disney Ride - Kilimanjaro Safari

Hanging with Uncle Steven

The Paparazzi found us at Disney!

Finding Nemo show

Exhausted after a day in the park

Jungle Cruise Time!

Wondering why everyone is smiling so big

Mickey's PhilharMagic Show

We celebrated Eric's first Father's Day with breakfast in bed and presents from Eli.

Until next time!

Purex® & One Step Ahead® Giveaway

Give your baby a fresh start with Purex^® & One Step Ahead^®!

Purex® has a great giveaway going on right now.   
One grand prize winner will receive a gift certificate valued at $1,000 from One Step Ahead®, a year’s supply of Purex® Baby Detergent, and a year’s supply of Purex® Crystals™ for Baby.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER 

US Only.  Sweepstakes ends 3pm PT on July 31st, 2014.

Kleenex Tissues On-The-Go Pack

I received a Kleenex Brand Tissues On-The-Go Pack from Crowdtap free for review.  Kleenex is the brand I think of when tissues are involved (Can I have a Kleenex?).  I love the colors and design.  So bright and fun; perfect for summer.  The wallet pack is compact (great for traveling), holding 10 tissues.  I love it because it is stylish, fits in my diaper bag easily, and prepares me for runny noses and messes.

I was trying to think of new ways I could use my tissues.  I needed to paint my nails for another review, so I ended up using the tissue to protect the table while I gave myself a mani.  Another idea that I saw on pinterest and thought was adorable was to use the tissue to make a get well card.  They made a card with a pocket on it and placed some folded up tissue in the pocket on the front of the card.  Would work well for a sympathy card as well. 

For now, my Kleenex Tissue Wallet Pack will be traveling in my diaper bag.  I'm glad I'll be prepared for tears and sniffles without have to drag around a whole box of tissues.