This post is sponsored by NUBY USA. I received this product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. In addition, this post contains affiliate links.

I noticed recently that Lennox did not seem to be satisfied with the amount of milk that she was receiving. I increased her serving size and it still did not seem to suffice. I decided that it was time to take the slow leap into incorporating solid foods into her diet. Her pediatrician gave us the green light to feed her rice cereal at her 4-month appointment. He recommended that we feed her with a baby spoon opposed to putting the cereal in the bottle. He informed us that eating off a spoon is a developmental accomplishment for a baby. It helps them learn to control their oral motor muscles. I tried to feed her rice cereal several times however; it was an epic fail and Lennox was not a fan at all. I decided to take a different approach and introduce her to fruit first and she loved it!!!

Feeding Lennox with a spoon for the first time was very fun, easy, and down right adorable with the Nuby Weaning Spoon. These spoons are a must-have item for feeding your little one. The long handle prevents food from making a mess and the bright, fun colors help with stimulating your baby’s senses. I’m cautious about introducing Lennox to different plastics but I didn’t have to worry about that since these are BPA free. The Nuby Weaning Spoons come in a set of 6 fun colors that I am sure your baby will enjoy as much as Lennox did.

I am always looking for fun and functional items to assist me with my everyday task for Lennox and these spoons were a hit for us. I would definitely recommend you give them a try. I can’t believe that our baby is already transitioning to solid foods. Before you know it she’s going to be able to feed herself. Can the time please slow down?!

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Yesterday I had a little moment… I thought about all of the things that I planned for the day that did not get completed and I felt so unproductive. Some days I am on top of it, and I get so much done. Other days things don’t go as planned, and my to-do list is a complete flop.

I have to admit at times I am guilty of getting a little overly ambitious with my to-do list goals for the day. I end up putting myself in “in a perfect world scenarios”. There is only one problem with these “in a perfect world” scenarios… #Momlife is NOT perfect in any way, shape, or form (insert sigh). There are going to be days where I can’t get stuff done because I’m needed for comfort and love and I am okay with that.

I am learning not to only measure my day by tasks completed because there is no measurement for motherly duties, they are a labor of love. I saw a picture of Lennox smiling yesterday and it put everything into perspective. I don’t want to miss these small moments because I am too caught up in scratching items off of my to-do list. At the end of the day I will not remember the dishes that didn’t get done or that load of laundry that I didn’t fold. I will however remember her first smile, her first belly laugh, and how she looks at her fingers and toes now that she’s discovered them. I will remember the way I look at her while she is sleeping, and the way she looks at me while she is awake. These are the things that are most important right now and something as small as a picture reminded me of that. So now when I think about it I have actually been overly productive with enjoying my perfectly imperfect life.

This post is sponsored by NUBY USA. These products were given in exchange for my honest review.

All opinions are my own. In addition, this post contains affiliate links.

This past weekend was a world wind in the wonderful world of Lennox. It started on Friday, when her pediatrician confirmed what my husband and I suspected; our baby is teething! Her behavior over the past week makes so much sense now that we have confirmed that she is in fact teething. A few signs we noticed were her drooling more than normal, chewing on her fingers, and rubbing her eyes. Her mood has been a little shifty as well so I knew she wasn’t feeling like herself. Over the weekend I commenced teething duty. My good friends over at NUBY graciously sent us some teething products and they have been lifesavers!

I have always heard that a cold teething ring could be very soothing to the gums of a teething baby so I decided to whip out my NUBY Ice Gel Baby Teether Keys. I really like the easy grip design, which is ideal for little hands and helps with coordination. It took only a few minutes for Lennox to get the hang of holding her own teether and chewing on it at her leisure. The cool (pun intended) thing about this teether is the size and the shape. I like that it is small enough to fit in Lennox’s hand so there wasn’t much of a struggle for her to hold it. She actually prefers to wear it on her wrist like a bracelet lol.  It’s also nice that the entire teether is not the freeze pack material, so she has something to hold onto that wont be too cold on her hands.

We also tried out the NUBY Reversible Teething Bib with Dribble Catcher and Teething Corner. This bib is by far my favorite because it is a two-for-one deal for babies that are both drooling and teething. This soft absorbent cotton bib kept Lennox’s onsie dry. I especially loved how the triangle shape of the bib allowed her arms to move about freely. The secure and easy Velcro tabs were also super soft and didn’t snag her hair (she hates when that happens).  This bib features a teething corner, with multiple textured surfaces, to chew on as new teeth break through. This worked well for us, as Lennox liked to bring the teething corner to her mouth to lick and chew. These bibs are completely BPA Free and did I mention it reversible!!!.

Lennox has recently learned how to hold items in her hands for a short period of time. This allows her to play with some of her favorite little soft toys like the NUBY Blankie Pal. This extra soft plush teething toy mixes fun and function. The Blankie Pal comes in several different characters and features a variety of textures that kept Lennox entertained. She loved squeezing the blankie pal and hearing the crunch sound that the crinkle fabric made. This toy will definitely go in her diaper bag as her entertainment on the go!

I am so happy that we had our NUBY teething products to assist us. We will continue to use them during this teething journey. NUBY has a variety of great products for all of your baby’s needs.

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During my pregnancy I decided that my baby was going to be exclusively breastfed for one full year. I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to be washing bottles and buying formula. I read about all the health benefits of breast milk and I was pumped (no pun intended) and ready to start this journey, or so I thought.

Let’s just say that things haven’t gone as planned…

The journey began in the hospital with my daughter not latching on. I also struggled with my colostrum not really coming out. We tried several tactics to get her to latch on to get out the colostrum but it was a painful struggle. I called in a Lactation Consultant and she showed me how to hand express the colostrum and gave me a nipple shield which was a lifesaver for that moment. The nipple shield assisted with the latching issue and it also made me feel somewhat better because I could look in the shield to see if anything was coming out.

I continued using the nipple shield for roughly three weeks until I began to notice that my baby was beginning to use the shield as a pacifier and not its intended purpose. I tried again to have her latch on without the shield and that was a disaster. I decided that now was the time to put my spanking new breast pump and fancy bottles to use. My first couple of pumping sessions were uncomfortable but I got through it. Once I got used to it I was able to pump enough to satisfy her need. With her now receiving the milk through the bottle she seemed way more content because the milk was coming out faster.

I celebrated the small victory of finally being able to track how much milk she was receiving as well as how much I milk I was producing. As her milk requirement increased my milk supply stayed the same and that’s when the stress set in. I started taking fenugreek pills and increasing my water intake to help boost my milk supply. I began to pump on an every 3-4 hour schedule. I was pumping around the clock and beginning to feel like a cow. Some days I could pump enough milk to freeze and other days I could barely pump enough milk to get through her daily feedings. It was a vicious cycle of inconsistencies. At her two month appointment I was encouraged by her doctor to supplement with formula because her weight was in the lower percentile for her age. I was devastated because I really wanted her to only have breast milk but I couldn’t depend on my supply alone to give her what she needed. I beat myself up about it in my head and then I got over it. The day that I started supplementing with formula was the day that I felt like a burden was lifted off of my shoulders. I no longer had the stress of worrying about whether or not she was getting enough milk and it didn’t matter to me how much I pumped in each session because I knew that she would have enough regardless. I still continue to pump and to this day my supply is still inconsistent. I have my good pumping days and my bad pumping days but I don’t have my stressful pumping days. I stopped taking the Fenugreek as I believe it decreased my supply. I now eat a couple of lactation cookies per day and that has been helpful however I think that getting out of my own head was the key.

I have talked to so many moms about breastfeeding and all of them have had different experiences. Although I would rather not be so dependent on my pump I am thankful that I am able to pump at all and still give my baby mostly breast milk. I’m still fighting the good fight but I am determined.

I wanted to share this experience because every woman’s breastfeeding journey is not the same and I want to let anyone else out there that may be struggling with breastfeeding know that they are not alone. You would think that something so natural would come easy but I’m here to tell you think things aren’t always what they seem. There are plenty of women who have very successful breastfeeding experiences from the start. Unfortunately I was not one of them lol. I have gottten used to pumping now and it seems to be working for me. So ladies if you’re having a hard time with breastfeeding and/or pumping just know that it’s okay to do what works best for you and your baby. Don’t feel like less of a woman if your baby won’t latch on and feed directly from you. I was so devastated when my breast feeding plan didn’t work out like I envisioned and I had to supplement. However, my Husband, family, and friends are so amazing and supportive and reminded me constantly that it’s not the end of the world to give your baby formula and now it’s all good!