You may remember that I wrote a post about five months ago called What I Learned Through Sleep Training. In that post, I talk about how sleep training didn't work for us. At the time, that was true. I worked hard at it for weeks and weeks, and eventually I gave up because it was causing way too much stress for me. I found myself becoming depressed, so we stopped sleep training. But about three months later, Raylee was still waking several times a night, and although I wasn't depressed, I was definitely sleep deprived. We just couldn't take it anymore. We knew something had to change. That's Continue Reading
What I Learned Through Sleep Training
When I was pregnant, people joked by saying things like, "Get sleep while you can!" At least I thought they were joking. They laughed when they said it. But it turns out, it wasn't much of a joke at all. I didn't think I could sleep well with a giant belly and bladder that needed emptied every two hours. But little did I know what was to come! You really don't get any sleep when you have a baby. The sleep deprivation is very, very real. Sadly. As far as I can tell, Raylee is just a really bad sleeper. At least I hope so. If this is normal, I might not want any more kids! Joking ... kind Continue Reading
Encouragement for the Hard Mom Days
It's been so long since I've posted. Too long. I have wanted to blog, but I just haven't found the time. Motherhood has been a huge adjustment for me -- there are so many more hard mom days than I had expected. I used to be able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I would spend hours a day on the computer working on this blog and my social media pages. Now, I spend hours trying to get Raylee to nap! It feels like she has complete control over my day. Everything is wrapped around when she eats and naps. And honestly, it has been hard. Hard for me to let go of what used to be and embrace Continue Reading
Tips for Unwanted Pregnancy Symptoms
Pregnancy is fantastic, at least in my opinion. After experiencing loss and quite some time TTC, everything that comes with pregnancy feels worth it to me. But the fact is, there are pregnancy symptoms that are just no fun. Symptoms that we could happily do without. That's why I thought I'd share some tips for the unwanted pregnancy symptoms so that maybe we can make these nine months a little easier. These tips come from my midwife, my own personal experience, and the advice from other mamas out there. Pregnancy Symptoms That Just Aren't Fun Morning Sickness I was lucky that I didn't Continue Reading
Ways to Sleep Better + A Bedtime Prayer
When my husband was gone for a month of training, I spent a lot of time with family in other states. But the days I did spend at home alone, I had the hardest time sleeping. It wasn't just that I missed my husband laying next to me, it was also the fear of having no one to protect me. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever felt so much fear before -- which was silly because I was safe in my locked house. I honestly believe Satan was throwing his flaming arrows toward me (Ephesians 6:16) to prevent me from receiving God's peace and getting a good night's sleep. Fortunately, I had many ways to help me Continue Reading