Dress: Beehive | Maxi’s Bow: Our Local Hallmark Store, Smocked Auctions Outfit | Bracelet: Julie Vos [c/o]
This past month flew by so quickly that when it came time to do this post I thought, “It can’t be time to write this! I just wrote the last one!” People say the days are long and the years are short, but I’ve said before it’s all just short! There hasn’t been a *ton* of changes this past month so I thought I’d share 10 top things from the past few weeks.
1.This past month we took Maxi swimming quite a bit. It’s always difficult until they are 6 months because they can’t use sunscreen, so you’re putting rashguard on them like it is your job and hiding them under every single umbrella and hat you can find. Thankfully, my parents’ pool has an umbrella in the baby pool section so she can easily splash in that. In Colorado the baby pool was completely covered by a patio so she got to swim there as well. She loves the water and smiles when we put her little toes in. We are actually taking her to Palm Beach in August when she can wear sunscreen and I’m excited to see what she thinks of the ocean and sand! I got a few e-mails about what sunscreen we will put on her and my pediatrician told us to use this brand.
2. We started solids yesterday! I made her sweet potatoes in this little contraption. Our pediatrician told us to start her between 4 and 6 months, so I just waited until she seemed really interested in our food. I learned day 1 that this girl is just going to eat all her meals in the nude. SO messy and SO fun!
3. I was so nervous about her first flight, but because she is still so young she was fantastic. Our family wants to go to Maui next year when she will be 13 months. That’s an entirely different story and something I’m already nervous about! haha! If we go, we will break that flight up and stop in California for a day or two. I asked for tips on Instagram and so many moms gave me amazing tips! I was so so thankful, and I’ll be compiling a blog post with all those tips for other mamas to read as well.
4. Her hair is growing so much! She has some pieces that are really long when I brush it back! I really think she will have curly hair as Paul has curly hair and I have textured, wavy hair. We shall see! 😉
5. Maxi is OBSESSED with her daddy. I joke with him that when he comes home from work I am nonexistent. She just can’t get enough of grabbing his face and babbling to him. When he gets home from work I let them have their time together of playing in her room and I’ll typically go work out or work on the blog. When I come check on them, she’s giggling up a storm. I walk in the room and she doesn’t even look at me! haha. I know I sound like every woman to ever have a baby, but Paul is seriously the best dad and I love watching her love her daddy.
6. We finally started to break in the ERGObaby this month. She was just a little too small up until this month to use it [or like it] and she loves it. It’s so much more supportive than a Solly wrap, so I love carrying her in this while I clean or grocery shop. It’s a little tricky to first use with all the straps, but once you do it it’s a breeze!
7. Maxi is still loving her music lessons and we listen to the CD/App from her class all day long. I decided to throw in some more music for her and just started to play songs from YouTube while we play in her room. What song does she LOVE? Oh, it’s the Elmo theme song. I guess it is his voice? I’m not sure but Paul is thrilled as you can imagine. 😉
8. We are still breastfeeding as well as supplementing. I was on an antibiotic early in the summer and had to pump & dump for 3 weeks so we had to supplement with that. If you exclusively pump my hat is off to you. That was extremely hard! I was really nervous about it [like I cried in the Target parking lot for 20 minutes talking to my mom] but she ended up eating like a champ. As if my child ever turns down a meal of anything- the girl is in 9-month jammies! Anyways, I’m over here crying in the parking lot blaming myself for getting sick and worried she wouldn’t take a bottle of formula. I had only supplemented once before when I had a stomach virus, so the 3-week mark was really nerve-racking. Meanwhile, a minivan filled with kids is just staring at me as they eat their Chick-Fil-A nuggets dunked in ranch. I was their lunchtime entertainment and I don’t blame them. Our pediatrician was extremely kind and really explained that if I didn’t take my antibiotic to get better and got worse, how could I care for Maxi? Who takes care of her if I’m sick in bed?! When she worded it like that, I felt confident it would all go well. I do get a lot of e-mails about breastfeeding and I don’t want to give any poor advice, because I’m definitely not a good breastfeeding resource. Blush, bronzer and jeans on sale? I can tell you about that all day long. The only tip I feel confident enough to share was that power pumping worked wonders during the pump & dump process and when in doubt, Gatorade it out. I would chug a bottle of water, then some Gatorade, then more water. The combination of the two made a world of difference! Having a support system is also the best thing. Paul always is cleaning my pump parts and setting it up for me when he is home. I’ll also have a post up soon with an amazing nursing bra that helps you breastfeed AND pump. More on that later! But I’d hate to give advice for something that works for us and it not work for you. I would feel awful about it! It’s weird to say this, but it was kind of a God thing to test out the supplementing for those weeks. I will eventually have to get back on my Discoid Lupus medication, just not sure when. When that time comes I won’t be able to nurse so I can at least feel confident knowing that when the time comes Maxi and mama will be ready. [Also, I know some mamas don’t believe in pumping & dumping and save the milk for milk baths, etc. Just wanted to note that! Do whatever you are comfortable with if you find yourself in that situation.]
9. She loves, loves, loves when we roll our r’s to her. I think we do that all day long and she just giggles 24/7. She tries to imitate it back, but she just blows spit everywhere! haha!
10. Also, the past month was when the ugly postpartum hair loss monster came out from under the bed. I literally stopped running for 2 weeks because I was nervous that washing my hair daily would contribute. My mom told me to try Sugar Bear Hair Vitamins. At first I rolled my eyes. Then I laughed. Had my mom seriously purchased a product all the ex Bachelorette contestants promote? Not that I’m making fun of them promoting items. But let’s be real, they ALL had amazing hair prior to Sugar Bear Hair. That’s how they got cast to go on the show. She told me it was the only thing that helped her with her hair and RA. Now, I’m a huge skeptic of vitamins for the hair. I have had Discoid Lupus and my hair fell out in CLUMPS when I was first diagnosed. Since then, I have taken every biotin/hair/skin/nails vitamin on the market and not a one does anything for me. I just assumed this would be the same. I asked my doctor if they were fine and she cleared them. I ordered and thought, “Worst case scenario, they taste great.” Y’all….a month in and the shedding has dramatically slowed down. Mom was right as always. I’m now eating my words and my gummies. #NotSponsored
Also, I am SEARCHING the internet for the sweetest little image I saw on Facebook last week and I wanted to share it with you. But of course, it has become lost in the sea of Facebook. Basically it was a picture of a mom holding a baby. It showed the mom’s thought process.
She was thinking, “Is my baby bored? Do I read enough to her? Am I pumping enough? Is my baby happy? Does she feel loved? Should I take her to this class? Wait, what if I overstimulate her? Is she napping well? Am I doing enough activities for her? Should I be reading more parenting books?”
The baby was thinking, “I love my mom. She is my entire world.”
It really reiterated to me that this generation [and especially me] can really over think parenting. We have so much information at our fingertips [and ways to compare ourselves #hellosocialmedia] that it’s easy to second-guess every little move as a mom. But at the end of the day, if our baby is happy, healthy and fed…what on earth matters?! I think it’s wonderful that we are always evolving and educating, but at the point it interferes with our confidence as moms it must stop. So if you are a mama, remind yourself that you are a great mama. If you’re at work and worried that you aren’t home with your little one, remind yourself that you are showing your child first-hand how to balance their many different worlds. If you’re a SAHM worried that you aren’t doing enough for your babies, remind yourself that you are showing your child first-hand how to be so incredibly selfless. And if you are a work from home mom like me and half the time you don’t know where you fit in/who to relate to/how to balance it all, just remember your child thinks you hung the moon. Or if you don’t even have kids, but you’re just a sweet person that read this entire post thank you for listening to me babble! 
I’m actually reading this post from Spain with my just turned 14 month old.. and I was terrified to fly this far with him this year and it was really no big deal! Depending on what time of day your flight is, having an extra seat so you can put her in the car seat is great.. but either way! I think when imagining traveling with a child you imagine someone else’s child who you don’t know how to soothe or whatever.. but then in reality it’s your sweet baby who you know and love and it’s wonderful! XO
Okay, momma of the year!!! You’re amazing! And thank you so much because that makes me feel a LOT more confident that we could do that trip! It’s so true. We really do think of another baby we don’t know and don’t know how to console. haha. It also doesn’t help that people have such a negative connotation of babies flying. Which is funny, because people were SO rude to me as they saw me get on a plane with a baby. Like made comments to my face rude. One man said, “Parents that fly with young children ruin it for the rest of us.” And yet my baby never said a word or made a sound, she slept the entire time. I’m like, “You realize you are worse behaved than my baby, right?!” lol! Thank you girl!!
Katey!! Someone said that to you??? Oh my gosh girl you have so much restraint for not just punching someone in the face!! People can just suck sometimes. The woman in front of me and my two toddlers (who were amazing on the plane, btw) on our flight last week kept shooting us death glares the whole time and then ended up making a nasty comment to a DIFFERENT mom on the flight flying alone with her three kids. I had to go find that mom after and tell her to shake it off and not let it get to her because I know how much we moms can take those things to heart even if we know we shouldn’t! Maybe it’s rude jerks who ruin it for the rest of us, not our kids!
Try not to ever hesitate about getting on a plane because you’re worried how your little one will behave. Try and remember it’s just a few hours and you’re likely doing it to give your kiddo a really fun experience somewhere away from home. Don’t let other people being stinkheads keep you from giving your kiddo or yourself that experience. We all deserve to travel–even if we have small children.
Just love, love, love this! Such a sweet post — Your blog is a daily must read for me!
Thank you, Debbie! So thankful to have you as a reader! xo
Happy five months to Maxie! It’s so adorable how she loves her Daddy!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you so so much!! xo
I love these sweet posts! You are an awesome Mama and Maxi is lucky to have you! Did she (and you and Paul!) make it out of the four month sleep regression ok? I need some hope that my good sleeper will come back Haha
Hi Clara! She was doing really well before Colorado! Only getting up once at night or so! We’d put her down at 8 and her paci might fall out at 11, I’d go put it back in. She would nurse at 3 am and then get up at 8! But then Colorado reallllly messed her up! I found out altitude messes with babies sleep [it’s their form of altitude sickness], so that was hard. The past two nights being home with her she’s been really off her sleep schedule at night, so I can’t tell if it is travel or still the regression. From what I think, it is travel. I did a lot of research on the regression and while not impossible, it would be very odd for it to last 2 months. With all of that being said, I think the regression lasted a month for us! Hopefully, I can know more and let you know once she is back on her schedule by the end of the week. But isn’t it so hard?! Maxi was the best little sleeper and then 3 months hit and I was like, “WOAH!” Haha! If there is any consolation to you, in her music class ALL the moms told me by 6-months their babies slept like a dream [breastfed and formula-fed babies]. So fingers crossed our babies do the same! xo
Precious read! Your blog is part of my morning routine! I love it! ????
Thank you so much, Anna! xo
Wow 5 months have gone by so fast! You are such a great mom and I’m so glad her first flight went well.
http://www.cashmereandjeans.com
Thank you, girl!! xoxo
I have a 10.5 week old baby girl and this post is everything to me today! No one talks about the difficult or stressful times with a newborn I just always see the pictures of happy smiling babies on social media so I was SHOCKED at how hard it has been. Thanks for keeping it real 🙂
Hi Kristen! Oh yes, girl! There are lots of tears and lots of hard times. We are sleep deprived, second-guessing all our choices and then comparing ourselves. But just remember you’re the BEST mom for your little girl and that’s why you were chosen to be her mama. You got this!! xoxo
When I first had to suppliment formula I cried for days. Eventually that was what she switched to full time and she is still crawling all over the place. It was one of my first hard mom moments but you’ve made it 5 months giving her milk. You should be so proud of yourself!
Are you going to be doing a post of all the tips and tricks of flying with a little ?
Thank you for sharing that part in the end. As a work from home/stay at home mom. There are a lot of moments wondering if what I am doing is enough and that reminded me I am enough !
Hi Tinicia!
Thank you girl!! That is so encouraging and sweet of you to say! It’s so funny, because my sister was a formula-fed baby, so I never saw breastfeeding and I didn’t even know how I felt about breastfeeding when I was pregnant. Fast forward a year later, I’m crying in the Target parking lot as if it’s my fault I have an upper respiratory infection. lol. WHY are we so hard on ourselves as moms?! It’s ridiculous! Oh well, we love our babies fiercly and just want to do the best we can. Yes ma’am! I have it set for in about two weeks! Just still compiling all the e-mails in a post!
100% girl. I kinda sorta wish there were more support systems/encouragement/tips for work from home mamas. I feel like we talk about SAHM and working moms a LOT as a society. So when I had Maxi and was balancing doing both things, I felt really lost and like I didn’t know how to do it all. Because we believe we have the best of both worlds, sometimes I think we feel like we can’t think or say it is difficult- when this is seriously the most difficult balancing act I’ve ever done in my life. I legitimately just don’t have time to sleep. When she is awake, I’m SAHM. When she is asleep, I’m working mom. And then somehow when Paul is home I gotta cram in all the mama jobs like laundry, etc. So then I’m always feeling like a bad business woman or a bad wife, or a bad something or the other! But just know you are enough, and we are all enough no matter what kind of mom or woman we are! Sorry I’m rambling, but I could seriously talk for DAYS about the work from home mom balancing act! haha.
Thanks so much for always being so supportive! You are the best!! xoxo
Booking tickets right now for me and Alyson to get to Texas to meet you lol I agree I wish there were more tips/groups for women in our position . While I absolutely love that I get to be home with her, I don’t think many people understand exactly what our days look like. It’s not all dressed up and having a 5 star steak dinner ready for our husbands as they walk in the door, or getting to just sit and play with our babies all day. Once you find someone who is in the same spot , you have to stick together !
Looking forward to that post !
I love reading your blog Katey! You have a heart for Jesus and He really shines through! I don’t have kids yet but I hope to be a cute mommy like you some day! Thanks for sharing your life with us! 🙂 loads of love! ????
You are so sweet, Ashley!! Thank you so much for reading!! xoxo
Happy Five Months to sweet Maxi girl! Okay, you sold me on the Sugar Bear Hair! I have trichotillomania and can I tell ya, I’ve tried everything to try and thicken my hair up. I, like you, was like, “YEAH right Kardashians, you have millions of dollars and hair extensions at your disposal…” BUT after reading your review, I’m going to give it a go! Pray to the hair gods for me! LOL
Yay! I love baby posts but also bc I’m a new mommy 🙂 my baby boy will be 3 weeks old this week! I love following your blog and all your posts and you’re such a sweet person and a great mom to Maxi! 🙂
Loved this post! My son was born April 11th exactly two months behind Maxi! I had to exclusively pump and supplement from birth because of latch and production issues and then started exclusively formula feeding at one month because I got mastitis on both sides!!! ???? I cried a lot and it was so hard feeling like my body was failing him but he actually seemed happier on formula and has the cutest double chin so I know he’s healthy 😉
We moved to England when our daughter turned 1. So, we travel back and forth between Manchester & Arkansas often. She will be 2 in September & has now been on 25 flights. We bring new sticker books for every flight & we both usually end up covered in stickers. 🙂 the iPad is also our best friend on the 10 hour flight from London to Dallas. We also keep her routine the same on overnight flights – pjs, brush her teeth, get her blanket and her soothing music. The last overnight flight she slept for 7 hours.
The key is to be relaxed and don’t stress about it!
I love reading your blog, I had a baby boy about a week after you had Maxi and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. (Hello post partum hair loss). Thank you again for sharing your stories.
Hi Katey! I loved this post. So sweet and Maxi and your little family is just adorable.
I have been debating about buying the vitamins for a while after seeing everyone on Instagram use them lol but do you feel like it helps your hair be healthier and grow or do you feel like it just stops it from falling out?
Katey – I can’t tell you how much I love your Maxi updates. I’m 24 weeks pregnant, and your experiences & advice have been a total God-sent for me! Thank you, thank you!!
Loooove these posts, please keep doing them!!!
Love your posts! You are so relatable and fun and it’s so clear that you’re an awesome mom to sweet Maxi! I wish we could be friends IRL 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Ok, now I am bawling in the Target parking lot after reading this! After three months of being off (& enjoying every single moment) with my baby boy, I have to go back to work tomorrow. It is the second day of daycare for him and I am out shopping for work clothes (since I can’t quite fit into mine just yet; I’m breastfeeding so I haven’t put myself on a diet yet). I have had a TON of guilt and of course I am so incredibly sad I have to leave him everyday but I know I have to go. You are absolutely right- we do what we have to for our babies whether that means taking meds we have to to keep us well for them or going back to work to help provide for them. I always pray for all mommas out there because we are all struggling in our own way to be the best we can possibly be for our little ones!! You are a great example to us newer mommas and I love how you keep it real with your mom guilt and struggles!! Thank you for making me feel somewhat “normal” (with both the mom guilt and crying in my car in a parking lot, lol!).
Oh, Amy!! I wish I could hug you right now! I know it will be so hard for you to go back, but you’re going to do so great! You’re providing for him and showing your sweet boy how to work hard! I have plenty of things that still don’t fit me either! I’m convinced my hips are permanently wider. haha. The guilt is so hard but I hope this makes you feel better about work tomorrow!
When I was little my mom worked for a wedding photographer. She would also have to work weekends sometimes for bridal fairs. I had intense mom guilt the other day over leaving Maxi for a few work meetings. She asked me if I remembered her working bridal fairs when I was younger. I told her yes and that I loved them. I got to have fun weekends with my dad where he let me eat too much ice cream, etc. Then we would go help her pack up from the fair on Sunday and I thought it was the COOLEST thing that my mom got to work with brides. I would brag to all my friends. When I told her that she said, “See. And I cried every single weekend leaving you thinking you would hate me for it, and yet it’s one of your favorite memories.” It was the best story of perception to me and I hope it gives you encouragement!!
xoxo
Can’t believe she’s 5 months already! I love seeing the pics and snaps of her! When she smiles and laughs, it is the cutest thing ever! Also, she may be the best dressed baby ever! xoxo
Love these posts! You’re such a good mama!!
Katey,
I am not a mom yet, but my sis just had a baby last year, and I will definitely tell her about the gummies! So good to know because she was terrified with the hair loss (even though that is completely normal!). I swear your hair (and you!) look amazing. I love these updates. Something you’ll always cherish with your family for years to come!
xxoo
Mary
http://www.BelleOnTrend.com
You’re doing an awesome job, Mama! And Maxi is adorable!
I’m seriously obsessed with you and your family. Not to give any annoying advice because I’m not a mama yet but check out studies on Sugar Bear hair vitamins. Buzzfeed (I know eye roll) did a study (and a few other journalists did as well) and the vitamins aren’t good for you. I don’t want to misquote anything but if you accidentally overdo them they COULD cause some issues. I have an autoimmune disease and my docotor told me to not to go near them. My friend who is regrowing her hair (2 years cancer free) was told by multiple doctors to not touch those but to use biotin instead.
Hi girl! Not annoying at all, that’s helpful! I read those studies too, which is why I was like, “SERIOUSLY, mother.” I know all doctors are different, ours said it was fine. I hope they are, because straight biotin doesn’t do a single thing for either of us. 🙁 Thank you for reading!
Hi, Katey! I have been a lurker on your blog for years (before you were even married!), but I have never commented. I’ve always liked it because I went to TCU and lived in Tanglewood so I feel like we have things in common. 🙂 But I just wanted to let you know that your blog has become a must read for me in the past few months. I have a little boy who is about to turn one and I LOVE all of your posts lately. I think becoming a mother has made you even more creative, interesting and relatable than you already were (and I loved your blog before!). I find myself reading every last word you post! Anyways, I thought I would finally leave a comment and let you know that motherhood looks really good on you and I can’t wait for more posts!
Hi Jessica! This is the sweetest comment ever!! Thank you so much for your kind words and for following along- even when you are a busy mama! I truly appreciate it more than you know. xo
Love reading your blog! Always so refreshing to hear honesty from a blogger, about all areas of life and not just fashion bc I mean hey we’re all in this together, right?! 🙂
You’re the cutest mama and Maxi is too stinkin’ adorable <3
Hi Katey!
You should definitely do a post on nursing. I’m a new mom and my little one is just over two weeks old and nursing is a STRUGGLE! I honestly had no idea. I enjoy hearing what my mom friends have to say and sharing what they went through cuz some how it makes it easier.
On a side note, I’m a former Fort Worthian who moved to Colorado a few months back. Hope you enjoyed your vacation!
Katey – what lotions and supplements did you use to minimize stretch marks during pregnancy? I find myself searching your pregnancy posts often – I really trust your honest and well-considered advice. Thanks for running a wonderful blog!
Hi Jessica!
Here you go! 🙂
https://www.chroniclesoffrivolity.com/2016/08/first-trimester-beauty-must-haves/
I hope this helps and thank you so much for reading!
xo
Katey- I cannot get enough of your work on COF. I feel like you are a fun, wise friend and I always look forward to your posts.
Question for you: What, if any, products did you use on your growing belly while you were pregnant with Maxie to minimize stretch marks?
Would you ever consider writing about your journey with discoid lupus? I have been suffering for a few years now and would enjoy insight from someone else. Your hair and complexion still looks amazing.
Thank you!!
Hi Jenna! I am SO sorry to hear about your diagnosis and what you’ve been going through the past few years. I truly do hope to share my experience one day with photos and everything I went through. I just haven’t ever felt fully confident in doing so. It’s still extremely hard and emotional for me to look at photos of myself from middle school. I actually haven’t ever shown Paul the photos because it just is a time I kind of like to forget about. But honestly, I want to share because I know there are people like you and we can all uplift one another give each other hope. Thanks for giving me that bit of encouragement on a Monday morning! xo