Ingenue Mom

This is part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Melissa of Confessions of a Dr. Mom . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow Confessions of a Dr. Mom on Twitter . Becoming a Mother and welcoming your first child into the world is such an amazing life altering event. You've probably read countless books, heard an inordinate amount of advice, and may even wonder...am I ready? Well...don't worry, the moment you see, hear, and touch your precious baby for the first time all your doubt will melt away.  I'm here today to share with you a few key tips that I learned through my (mis)adventures during the newborn days in the hopes that this type of (un)solicited advice comes in handy...hence, my first tip: You will get tons of advice, some will be unsolicited...take it all with a grain of salt .  It can actually be a good thing...

This is a part of a series of guest posts for first time moms that I have put together from a variety of moms with a variety of perspectives. This one is written by Alexes of One Cluttered Brain . Please stop by her blog to read more of her posts. You can also follow One Cluttered Brain on Facebook and Twitter . I remember being pregnant with my first baby like it was yesterday. She is turning 11 years old next week and I still remember holding her in my arms as a wee baby. I didn't know anything as a new mom. All I knew, is that this baby girl that I held in my arms was mine and that I loved her. I think that is enough to get you through the HARD days. I have put together a few tips for all you "new" moms that will be experiencing the miracle of life in a few months. Sleep when the baby sleeps. (No doubt about this one. Don't try and run around and clean or do dishes or anything like that. Just sleep at first. You will get the hang of this eating/sleeping/diaper...

"I'm feeling better!" Ah ladies, yes I am still here!! It's been a crazy week with the start of student teaching, Isis' first sickness & then I'm in a wedding next weekend, so there were lots of bachelorette festivities this weekend! But I am definitely getting things worked out & Isis is feeling better! No more fever, but still some congestion. The doctor said that could stick around for a week or so, but it's getting a little better each day! Thank you SO much for all your advice about dealing with congestion! I've definitely implemented several of your tips & it has really helped!! Speaking of advice, I've been excited about this coming week because I've got 5 beautiful bloggers who are going to be sharing some guest posts with all of you! This will give me another week to get used to my new crazy schedule! I also think they've got such great perspectives & stories to share! I really hope you enjoy their tips! Below are ...

(Me & Kristen on the far right) My friend Kristen graduated from the College of Education with me in May! Although she's actually completed her student teaching & I'm just starting mine! Either way, she shared some of her recent thoughts with me on motherhood & the future & I thought it was interesting to hear her perspective! I decided to share some of her writing as a guest post on my blog! She's also writing for a local website ! Check out some more of her stuff & maybe share your thoughts on her perspective below! Now that I have graduated from college and been hurled into the real world, all of the social pressures I have successfully avoided for four years are looking me right in the eye. It seems like every other day I hear about someone becoming engaged or pregnant. At this rate, in a matter of weeks I will be the only single girl left. The mere thought of getting married and starting a family is terrifying. That probably has a lot to do with ...

We made it almost 8 months with no sickness at all! I was starting to think my breastmilk was magical! But alas, it is not. Of course my first day of student teaching would be the day she finally gets sick. Lewis noticed she seemed different this morning. She woke up in the middle of the night last night & he also knew then that she wasn't feeling well. This morning he said she was quiet & had a runny nose & her eyes were all red. We both thought it was allergies, but when I picked her up from the babysitter's house today after school got out, I thought she had a fever.  We ended up going to the doctor & she had a fever of 101.3!! She has an upper respiratory viral infection, so no antibiotics. Just Tylenol. Poor little thing is finally wanting to cuddle & be held & I can't cuddle her all day! So funny that just a week or so ago I was reading Livy's blog as she talked about her little one being sick & finally wanting to be cuddled again! No...

I just realized I'm the featured blogger at Market Mommies this week! I knew it was coming up soon, but didn't know it was this week!! Go check it out!!

This is the face I had to leave this morning! Today was my orientation day at school. All the student teachers came in to get our syllabus & all our instructions for what is expected this semester. It's definitely a lot!! I was a little overwhelmed, but I immediately started color-coding my calendar to prepare for due dates & seminars I have to attend! I think I'll do pretty well with this!  Isis did great with her babysitter, Hannah today! I was already gone when Hannah got there, but Lewis said that Isis immediately recognized her from all the times she's babysat already & she had a big smile on her face as soon as Hannah walked in! Then Hannah left the room & Isis got upset, so that's all a good sign! She napped well & ate well & overall things were just great! So now here I am, still with a list of about 4 things I need to get done before I can go to bed. My hair is in a towel from taking a shower, I still need to pick out my clothes for t...

I totally dropped the ball this week on my Weekend Reading . I've been busy trying to get ready for starting my student teaching next week & I've just really lost some momentum with my blog reading & commenting. That makes it hard to craft a post based on great things I've read lately when I haven't read much!! So I'm catching up on my reading & commenting tonight & in the meantime I decided to let you all into a little of my Google Reader action. I currently am subscribed to 188 blogs or websites on my reader. They are organized into 22 folders. Here are a few of the blogs in a new folder I recently created called "Blog Buddies!" These are bloggers that I really consider friends. They comment regularly on my blog & many of them have emailed back & forth with me! This list doesn't include everyone in the folder, but I didn't want to give away all my secrets!! Plus it gives me a few more I can share if I get too overwhelmed ...

Age 14 or 9th Grade Ah high school. What a hormone-charged, drama-filled bunch of craziness!!! What do I remember of freshman year? Drama, boys & tears. I heard a quote by George Bernard Shaw one time that says: "Youth is wasted on the young." How true. Young people don't know how to handle youth. It should be such a wonderful time of freedom, to a certain extent & joy & great friendships & no real responsibility in terms of bills & money. But man, we sure can make it a big mess with how much emphasis we place on things that don't matter & how upset we get over little things. I remember so many things feeling like such hard moments & looking back on them, they still felt hard at the time, but now the situations seem so meaningless. I've come so far since then. I had a major crush on a boy who had a girlfriend this year. He still used to call me all the time & it was so confusing how he could say he liked both of us. (I wonder if h...

Exactly one year ago I was reveling in the fact that I had a baby girl growing in my belly! I had known for 2 days that she was a "she." I was filled with visions of baby girl dresses & cute headbands! Maybe she'd be a ballerina, maybe she'd want to sing, maybe she'd be a tomboy, maybe she'd play sports! I had no expectations, just hope & possibility! Now here she is & I am overjoyed with the fact that I had a baby girl! Of course I would've been overjoyed with a boy as well, but it has been so fun with Isis! She is definitely a daddy's girl & lights up whenever he is in the room! Although I think she's pretty partial to me as well. She has definitely worn headbands and super cute dresses. She is just an absolute joy & the most perfect addition to our family! Yay for little girls!! Where were you one year ago??

Blogging pet peeves are obviously going to be different depending on the blogger or blog reader. I am not an expert, but I have been blogging for more than 3 years between this blog & my other one. So I've seen a lot of blogs & read a lot of tips. Here are 5 things from my perspective that will really help you as a blogger &  me as a reader. 1. Offer a full RSS feed Oh my goodness this gets on my nerves!! I don't know if people think that offering a partial feed will get people to click on their page more or something? But really all it does it gets most people from what I've seen to NOT subscribe or visit your blog at all. There are maybe 2 bloggers that I subscribe to their feed even if they don't offer a full feed & that's only because they email & converse with me regularly & in some way make up for the fact that I can't see their feed in my reader. So just offer a full feed.  There is some debate about the issue, but in every debate...

I walked in graduation in May & now just have my student teaching to complete! I'm in the middle of my last full week at home with Isis before I start student teaching next Wednesday. I am both excited & scared. I'm also a little sad. I have such mixed emotions about this. For one, I have always been the woman who knew that she wasn't cut out to be a stay at home mom. As much as I adore spending time with Isis, I also have a passion for teaching & I can't wait until the day that I have my own classroom & my own group of students. I also know that we are not at a point where we can prepare for the future & have me stay at home. We get by fine in the day to day, but we want to save for college & we would love to go on vacations & mission trips & we would love to give to organizations in need beyond our normal tithe & have more babies!! Not to mention the fact that a teacher's health insurance would far exceed what we have right now...

I don't take breastfeeding pictures, so here's a pic of me & Isis! I'm only 7 1/2 months into breastfeeding my first child, but it's gone pretty well, so I have a few tips to offer. I was going to share 10 tips , but after sorting through my thoughts, I found I only have 5! Also, I am not a doctor & I am not an expert. Definitely talk to your doctor or other experts about breastfeeding. I can just offer what has worked or been true for me . 1. Work for full feedings from the start I believe there is great benefit to making sure your baby gets a full feeding each time they eat. This helps to make sure they get the nutrient-dense hindmilk that is released at the end of the feeding and it also makes sure that they are emptying your breast, thus promoting more milk production! Also - it can help them be able to go longer between feedings because they were full. Definitely a benefit later when they can go longer. In the beginning, though, you'll be feeding ever...

My 26th birthday is coming up on the 29th!! I am super pumped!! I love getting another year older! I know this enthusiasm will probably die down once I hit 30, but as for right now, I'm enjoying it! Although I don't need gifts, I do have a wish list & since it just happens to be my birthday soon, I thought I'd share! Canon Rebel XSi I would obviously want one from Amazon or eBay because oh my gosh! But seriously. I have a goal for the next year or so to somehow become the owner of a DSLR camera & I think this is a great starter one! I'm currently saving up for it! Nude Pumps I love the Olympic & Trinitie nude pumps from Steve Madden!! But $80 & $100 is a lot for me. Target has a great pair right now for $30, but not at MY Target store. Should I order them offline? Can you return them to a store if they don't fit? Forever 21 & Charlotte Russe have some suede ones, but I want something I can wear in summer or winter & that's not sued...

I don't post about other blogger's giveaways very often, but my very first blog friend , Jessica , who I've shared about before, is having a $500 JustMySize giveaway on her blog! She asked me to share this with my readers! Go check out her review & enter to win !!!

This week I wanted to share on two different topics. First, there have been a lot of wonderful breastfeeding posts recently. I think it's possibly due to August being National Breastfeeding Month. I wanted to share some of the great breastfeeding posts I've read lately!! Also, check out my breastfeeding update ! Melissa at Confessions of a Dr Mom wrote a beautiful post called Breastfeeding Broke My Heart . It is an absolute must-read for any mother. Amy at Somebody's Parent & Lori at Mommyfriend both weighed in on the recent breastfeeding comments made by a certain celebrity supermodel. Nikki at Mommy Oblongata shared her breastfeeding story . Becoming Sarah also shared her story as well as linking to this great post called The Dirty F-Word . Asashia at A Practical Mom asked you - to breastfeed or not to breastfeed ? Unexpectant shared some Secrets to Breastfeeding Success . Adriel at The Mommyhood Memos shared Tips for Breastfeeding in Public . Celebrity Bab...