Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Baby Update- 9 Months!

by Katie Haller

In my belly for 38 weeks, now in my arms for 38 weeks.  He is just as active on the outside as he was on the inside
It’s hard to believe that I already have a 9-month-old.  For the longest time, I was just thinking about him turning 6 months and how big of a milestone that would be, and now he’s already 9 months. 12 months is right around the corner.  Where did the time go?

The words to describe Jack these days are cute, loving, smart, crazy, busy, funny, cuddly, exhausting, wild, playful, determined…. those are just to name a few.  At about 6 months Jack started crawling, 7 months he started to pull himself up and by 8 months he was everywhere.  Our house is a complete mess on most days.  I find baby toys everywhere, but I love it.  We have baby proofed the living room as best we can, yet he still finds ways to get into the places he shouldn’t. 
I just recently started feeding Jack finger food and he seems to do really well with it.  Since he’s still so young, I still feed him his baby food, but I give him bits and pieces of our dinner.  He just got his first tooth the week of Halloween and a week later he had another one pop through.  I feel like he’s been teething forever, so it’s exciting to see his little teeth finally coming through.
Some of the cutest things about this age are how playful Jack is these days.  He loves it when we chase him.  He says “Uh Oh” now and “dadada”.  He also likes to wave and shake his head.  I’m trying to work on some sign language with him, but I think that will come with time.  His favorite song is the opening song to the show Dexter.  It’s funny because Kevin and I have been watching the show on Netflix now for a few months and every time we start a new episode, Jack hears the song and starts dancing and laughing.  It’s too cute, I just hope he doesn’t realize what the show is all about.
I’m still struggling to get him to sleep through the night.  That has been the most exhausting part of parenting for me.  I really don’t know what to do at this point.  I just hope and pray that one day he will stay asleep every night and I will finally get some sleep.

With each month it brings new joys and new challenges, but one thing is for sure, this little guy is very loved!  

Family Weekend Trip to LA

by Katie Haller

Last weekend we went on a weekend trip to California to visit family.  It was Jack’s first road trip and he did great!  I always feel a little overwhelmed traveling with a baby, but I think I’m slowly getting used to it.  You can’t let having children stop you from doing all the fun things that you would like to do. 
 On Friday morning we left our house extra early because we wanted to make a quick stop at Seven Magic Mountains.  It’s a piece of artwork that is in the middle of the desert.  It’s defiantly a great photo stop if you’re ever in Las Vegas.  We got there right after sunrise so the sun was hitting the colorful rocks perfectly, making for some awesome pictures.  On Saturday we spent the morning at the beach in Santa Monica.  I love the ocean and I was so excited to take Jack to the beach for the first time.  He loved watching and listening to the waves, but he didn’t love getting his feet wet.  Here are just a few pictures from our trip.

I just love those tall skinny palm trees.

Family picture at the beach.

Sleeping on the drive home.
I look forward to many more family trips like this.

Baby Update- 6 Months

by Katie Haller

It’s hard to believe that my little Jack is 6 months old.  I had hoped to have this post up closer to his actual half birthday, but of course, it’s taken me a few weeks.  He’s now 6 months and 2 weeks old.  I can’t believe how fast time has gone.  It seems like I was just pregnant yesterday.  It just goes to show that you need to cherish every day during the first year because they change daily.

Currently, my little guy is trying very hard to crawl.  He’s very busy rolling everywhere.  He loves to play with his toys and I love watching him discover how to use them and play independently.  He is very curious about the world around him.  I love that about him!
6 months is such a fun age, but I’m also finding it to be challenging at times.  Right now, Jack is cutting his first teeth.  I’m not sure when they are going to show up, but I can tell that they must be getting closer by his discomfort.  Along with the teething, our nights are long.  Lately, he’s been up 3-4 times a night.  He has never actually slept through the night since he was born.  The doctor suggested that I sleep train him, but it’s not as easy as he made it sound.  I tried it but failed.  I might try again soon, but part of me is hoping that he will just magically surprise me and sleep a full 6 hours in a row one night.
I have also slowed up on breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding was such a challenge for me in the beginning and I hated it and couldn’t wait until I could be done.  But then after a while, I grew to love it.  Now I wish that I could breastfeed longer, but it’s hard when you’re working and pumping.  I knew that I wanted to start weening him around 6 months, but I wasn’t expecting him to ween himself.  I was really sad at first when I started to lose my milk supply, but now I’m just trying to slowly be done with nursing.  We are down to just comfort nursing at night, but it’s sometimes more for my comfort than his.  I just need a little more time before we are 100% strickly bottles.
There have been lots of changes in the last 6 months, but I’m trying to enjoy every minute that I can.  I’m loving being a mom and having this little addition to our lives.  

Tips for New Working Moms

by Katie Haller

One of the hardest things that I had to do after having my baby, was going back to work after my maternity leave was over.  After spending almost 8 weeks non stop with my baby, not to mention the 9 months I had him growing inside my belly, the thought of leaving him for 8 hours a day made me feel so sad.  However, I’ve made it work and I’ve slowly gotten used to being apart from my little guy during the week.  I’ve been very fortunate because my husband has a job that allows him to have a flexible schedule and be home most of the week.  He’s home with Jack 2-4 days a week and the other days we have a daycare center that we use as our back up.

When my maternity leave was coming close to the end, I started to have a lot of anxiety about going back to work.  I had no idea what to expect.  That’s why I wanted to share what has been working for me and my baby, to hopefully help other new working moms out there. 

  • Set a Routine- This is so important, whether you’re a working mom or a stay at home mom, babies need a routine.  I have a morning routine that Jack expects each day.  He wakes up super early at 4:30 am!  He gets a diaper change, then I almost fall back to sleep before my alarm goes off at 5:00, I shower, put him in his bouncy chair as I eat breakfast, do my hair and make up then get dressed.  After that, I nurse him around 6:30, get my stuff ready for work and then it’s already time to go at 7:15.  He gets confused on the weekends when I try to sleep in.  The evenings are similar to a comfortable, predictable routine for him and me.  Our routine doesn’t only benefit Jack, it helps me stay organized. 
  • Plan your outfits out ahead of time- This has always helped me when it comes to getting ready in the morning.  On Sunday night, I like to go through my clothes and try to figure out what I’m going to wear that week.  I look at the weather forecast and think about my schedule for the week, then plan around that.  It helps me feel good about what I’m wearing at work, plus I save myself a bit of time in the morning as well. 
  • Eat breakfast- When they say breakfast is the most important part of the day, it’s the truth.  I feel much better and ready to function when I eat a little something in the morning.  Usually, I have cereal, lately, it’s bran flakes topped with lots of fruit and of course my morning cup of coffee.  After breakfast, I feel energized enough to start my day. 
  • Do what works for you and your baby- I know that there are a lot of books and articles out there all about the correct way to parent.  What I’m finding out is that you have to do what works best for you and your family.  Working with children for many years, I use to judge parents for the things they did.  Now that I have a baby of my own, I am not so judgment because I find myself doing things that I thought I would never do.  
  • Leave work at work- Ever since I went back to work, my goal has been to not take home any work.  I get 2 hours of planning time after the kids go home and I force myself to be as productive as possible so that I can be on my way home as soon as possible.  I like to write myself a To-Do list every Monday.  As I complete my task I cross it off my list.  This helps me stay organized and on top of my work.
  • Do something for yourself- Life can get pretty hectic when you’re a working mom, that’s why it’s always good to still set aside time for yourself.  Some moms might like to do something physical like running or a yoga class, while others might like to read.  For me, I still like to set a little bit of time aside to blog.  I’ve always enjoyed sharing my ideas, so I’m not ready to give that up yet.
  • Wear your baby- When you’re at home, it’s nice to be with your baby, but there are always things that need to be done around the house.  I find that it’s nice to wear Jack while I finish up my daily chores at home.  That way we can still be together, but I can also be productive around the house. 
  •  Don’t feel guilty- Every Sunday evening, I sit holding my little guy in my arms and I wonder if I spent enough time with him over the weekend.  I question myself…. did I hold him enough? Did I kiss him enough?  I worry that I miss out on so much because I’m at work, but the truth is, Jack knows how much I love him.  He knows I’m his mom and he gets this big smile on his face everyday when he sees me walk through the door and that is all I need.  Supporting a family used to be completely on the man’s shoulders, but I feel like that’s changed in this day and age.  I feel like my husband and I are a team and we are working together to provide for our family and sharing in the responsibility of parenting.  I’m proud of the life we are building together.
Those are my tips.  Let me know what you think.  Do you have any tips to make life a little easier for new working moms?
 

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