One inspiration that has been in my head for a few years now is painting furniture but I have yet to bite the bullet. Maybe I'm late on this trend but I always see a ton of pieces painted white and now other colors although I am more attracted to the white painted furniture than anything. About a year or so ago I started debating about painting the buffet cabinet I received from my grandmother.


I was having a major debate because I love the white furniture in so many other people's houses but this piece I have is an antique. And yeah I know the distress trend is hot right now as well and I love that trend too but what I also love is a good piece of dark wood furniture. While I may jump on the trend to paint other antique furniture in my house (like maybe the dining table), I am leaving the heirloom pieces alone and honestly they look better as is. 

All this to say I am taking longer to decorate my house for two reasons; the biggest reason: budget. And the second is I want to be sure I decorate our house to my mix-match style that fits our home. What looks good in your home may not look good in mine and vice versa so I wanna take it slow but manly because I don't have the money. Just keeping it real.

What is your home decor style? Do you lean to one style or are you a hot mess like me and love a mixture of this and that?

This post is sponsored by ModCloth 
but all opinions and ideas are my own. 

Treat her to a relaxed spa day. Watch the kids and allow her to enjoy a manicure and pedicure and a haircut without the worry of the baby crying or little Jimmy and Jill fighting over a chair. It'll be so nice and refreshing for her to truly focus on herself.

Spoil your mama with some jewelry. A small pair of studs are so simple yet timeless (and she doesn't have to worry about baby Charlie pulling them out her ears).

For Gild Measure Earrings

Gift her with the latest trendy clutch to keep her in style because let's get real we would love to carry something else besides a diaper bag all the time!

Bestie Unto You Clutch in Rainbow (also available in black)

Heck do all three and than send her to lunch with her best gal friends while you hubbies watch the kiddos so they can have actual girl time without having to direct a circus.

And most importantly, make the mama in your life feel appreciated and loved (even more so than you already do) for all she has sacrificed for your family.

What do you plan on getting for the special mama in your life?

I decided to continue remixing my current wardrobe and making it work for me with my new role as a nursing momma. I talked about buying nursing camis and button ups to make nursing easier and they certainly do BUT you can still wear regular clothes and nurse your baby just fine! 

I wanted something that was simple yet pulled together and this shirt makes it so easy to do just that and by pairing it with a nursing cami underneath I was able to nurse Little Love without showing any belly. 

I am still wearing my maternity jeans because this momma still has extra fluff. #noshameinmygame #reallifemom

I hope you were able to gain inspiration and realizing you don't have to purchase a whole new wardrobe after baby even if you are a nursing momma. I would recommend only investing in a few nursing camis and nursing bras (I have two camis, one bra and two night time bras) but other than that use what is in your closet and make it work for you! And don't feel you have to fit into your regular jeans or shirts right away. It's not realistic and it will take time to get your pre-pregnancy body back (don't forget it took 10 months to put it on). 

Another tip: If you are really tight on budget like we are, use some of those gift cards from your babyshower to purchase nursing bras or camis. I felt guilty at first but realized it benefits the baby as well so go head girl!

Side Note: Ignore my horrible posing, I might get it one day but for right now forgive me and give me pointers if you have any! It's no secret I am in need of it. And to think I use to want to be America's Next Top Model as a teenager. Psh.

A few months ago, I shared some ways to bring in a little extra money. One of those ways was selling items on eBay and since that is where I bring in most of our extra income I decided to expand on what type of items I sell and what my monthly profit has been looking like to give y'all a general idea.

1. Clothes - this is the biggest category of items I try to sell. They range from brand new never worn items with or without tags and used clothing that is name brand and in good condition. The reason why I only sell name brand on eBay is because buyers are looking for a good deal on brands they love and typically you can't get much for clothing items that are not of a popular brand. For example, I have sold an H&M shirt, Under Armour clothing items, Nike, Kenneth Cole, etc.

2. Shoes - the shipping cost on shoes is high because they weigh so much and most times require you to do Priority shipping. I charge the buyers for shipping but you must know the exact weight of the item to determine what you should charge for shipping. I don't have a postage scale so it's kind of a hassle but I do plan on getting one so I can get better at charging the correct amount. I have cut into my profit numerous times by undercharging for shipping. This is one of the highest profit items though so it's worth trying to sell shoes as long as they are in good or better condition.

3. Hats - I really thought this item would be the fastest selling item yet I only sold 2 hat out of the 7 I had listed for the past two months. Hoping they sell soon though as I made some adjustments to their listing!

4. Watches/Activity Trackers - these items are the quickest and highest bidding items I have sold. People go into bidding wars for these items, I guess because of the fitness trend right now. 

Before listing an item, if I do not know their worth I try to find the exact item on the stores website. If the item is new with a tag, I try to get the actual value amount. If the item is new without a tag, I try to get at least half the value or more (this is where setting the item as an auction item comes in handy). If the item is used than I typically go with eBay's suggested starting bid price and hope I get numerous bids. Sometimes I do research the eBay site for similar items that others have sold to get an idea of what buyers are willing to pay.

If an item doesn't sell I relist it, sometimes at a reduced price depending on how desperate I am to get rid of the item. For example, I have a pair a KSwiss shoes I'm trying to sell and I have the bid starting at $30; I noticed I get watchers and a lot of views but no one has placed a bid so after relisting it numerous times I now dropped the starting bid to $20. We will see what happens. Sometimes you just have to be patient for the right buyer to come along.

So how much profit have I made these last few months? Well I have had good months and I have had really slow months. I can't make a living off eBay but it helps having extra cash here and there. 

November - $43.54

December - $80.25

January - $284.69

February - $159.45

March - $8.01
April - $56.40 and counting

I determine my profit by subtracting shipping cost, shipping materials (I buy these in a bundle as needed), eBay fees and PayPal fees from my sell price. I have created a spreadsheet in Excel to help keep me organized and calculate my profit for me.

I hope these tips and tricks helped you out and you were able to get a realistic view into how much profit a regular person makes selling stuff around the house.

What do you do to make extra cash? Do you keep account of your profit? If so, do you have an excel spreadsheet or do you do it by hand?

We really started imagining what this little person would be like, what parenthood would entail. But I never realized how hard it would be in these first few months. I knew about the frequent feeding, the loss of sleep, the endless diaper changes but I wasn't warned about the endless crying, at least it seems like it's endless. 

However, that crying means she's here. This child we dreamed of, we talked about, we planned and tried to have for years is here. Yes, she is needy and I am having to sacrifice more of myself then I ever realized but before I know it, she won't need me. 

There will be a time when she no longer needs to hear my heartbeat to calm her.

There will be a time when she no longer needs to feel me (and smell me) laying next to her.

There will be a time when she no longer needs me to hold her.

There will come a time when she is so interested in exploring the world around her that I can't keep her still long enough to hold and hug her.

There will come a time when she leaves the nest to start her own family.

So in this tough season of being a new mom to a newborn, I want to savor every little moment including the hard ones because there will come a time when she will no longer need me.

I love you sweet girl.

After finding out we were pregnant and we chose our doctor and decided on a hospital, we knew we wanted to go on a tour of the hospital so I began making a list of questions I wanted to ask while on our tour of the maternity ward and I also created a list of requests (crazy new mom much?). All jokes aside I do believe it is important to be prepared and to ask questions to know what to expect during your stay especially if your a new momma or your going to a new hospital than your previous births and to make a list of requests so your birthing experience is catered to you and your family, as it should be.

Side Note: These requests will be apart of your birth plan but I wanted to bring some up during the tour to make sure the hospital I chose would be accommodating.


So what were the questions I asked?

Side Note: I also make a list of questions in my phone for our doctors before appointments and it sometimes helps to remember what to bring up to your doctor. As a new parent, we freak out about every little thing but we are also sleep deprived and may be too busy calming our little baby during an appointment, these questions or concerns may slip our mind but if they are written down, you are more likely to remember to ask.

What is the estimated cost of  a natural vaginal birth?

It's good to know in advance how much you are going to have to fork out especially if you need more time to save up to make the payment. Also, ask about a payment plan!

Coral Button Up Blouse

The detailing on this shirt called me, I love the sheerness near the collar bone area, it makes a typically button up look different. I picked out a medium in this shirt but as I still have extra fluff from the pregnancy, it is a little tight when I button it but it has nice stretch to it so I plan to keep the medium until it fits better.

Yellow Button Front Cutout Accent Sleeveless Blouse

This shirt is not my usual style but I decided to give it a try since it has buttons (shirts with buttons provide that easy access to nurse) however the buttons are just for details, the shirt doesn't actually button up. I was willing to let that slide since the shirt is very flowy and see-through therefore I could easily wear a nursing cami underneath. I picked a medium and even though the shirt is meant to be big and flowly, it was also big in the arm pit area so I am exchanging it for a small as well.

The next two items were purchases I actually made because I wanted something more casual to wear at home. I made both of these purchases from H&M and pre-pregnancy I always had to size up because their clothing seemed to run small and/or they would shrink after being washed and dried.

Nursing Camis

These shirts are a God-send! I love them and wear them pretty much every day, no joke. I need to purchase more. I bought these in a large and they fit perfectly in the chest region and a little loose around my tummy area but not too much just enough for comfort.

Nursing Tops

I was really excited about these but was a little disappointed. I purchased a large because like I said the items I have purchased from H&M run small and/or shrink when washed. When I tried them on they did fit loose and especially loose in the chest region but I thought they would shrink when washed (as that has been my previous experience) and they did not. Since they are washed I can no longer return or exchange them so I'm stuck with these very loose nursing shirts. If I would have gotten them in a medium, I think they would be amazing though so just a heads up to get your actual size in these!

Well that's it for today's fashion finds and stay tuned for an awesome collaboration coming in the next few weeks!!

So what have I learned now that I have one month of motherhood under my belt? Um, selflessness. If I am being honest I am (was?) a selfish person, it is (was?) one of my biggest faults. At times when Sophia is just crying and screaming and I am exhausted beyond measure and can't figure out why this little person cries, I want to give up and just let her cry (and sometimes I do but I only last for maybe a minute) and I look at her in her eyes and take a deep breath and I just hug her and love on her. I may not be able to always know why she cries (I don't think she even knows) but I do what I would want my mom to do if I was crying; I hug on her and I love on her and I nurse her even if I just nursed her ten minutes ago and I'm sore but I know that it is a soothing mechanism for her. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't and we just circle around until I can get my sweet little baby to calm down. So saying all that, I learn selflessness. I put my exhaustion, my soreness, my laziness aside for this sweet little girl of mine.

One Month Stats

Weight: 9 pounds 3 ounces

Height: 21 inches

Head Circumference: 14.02 inches

Firsts
Smile

Loves

Nursing

Daddy singing Rock-a-bye Baby

Being held

Co-sleeping

Going on walks

Hates

Bathtime

Diaper changes (most of the time)

Waiting to eat

Being cold

Once the nurse called my name, we did the usual urine test, weight, blood pressure, etc. My blood pressure was high apparently; I'm not sure how high exactly but high enough that my doctor said she was sending me to the hospital to run more test and for me to get emotionally prepared that I may be induced. 

Hearing that I was possibly gonna have to be induced brought on emotions and I was not prepared. Being induced, forcing my little girl to make an appearance before she was ready was not in my birth plan and was far from what I wanted. Apparently, my urine test and blood pressure showed signs of Pre-eclampsia, something I heard of but never knew what it was exactly. We were still able to do the ultrasound and saw Little Love sucking on her wrist, it was the cutest thing and our doctor estimated that she was about 6-7 lbs in weight. Once we finished our appointment, I was sent to the hospital to run more test and I was told that even if my test were cleared that day, to come to my next appointment with my bags packed because Pre-eclampsia is something that worsens over time.

I cried on the way to the hospital and in the parking lot of the hospital. My day was spiraling down. What I thought would be a great appointment seeing my baby and than enjoying a lunch with my husband at our favorite place didn't happen. I was distraught not because my lunch plans were ruined but because there was a possibility that I would be induced and I read enough research to know what happens once the first intervention happens. Once I semi got myself together, we walked into the hospital and I finished signing off on my documents and went straight up to the delivery room for them to run test on me. I had hope way back in me that the test would come back fine and we would continue on our day, go to lunch and talk about our sweet little girl covering her face and sucking on her chunky looking wrist.

However, all my test came back and they were borderline so my doctor decided it was best that I be induced that day. I was a mess but I tried to keep it together and asked if I could eat before we got started as I hadn't ate since breakfast (8:30 am) and here we were in the late afternoon (3:30 pm) but I was told no. Anthony still needed to finish our hospital bag and pick up his work laptop so he headed out and I asked to take a shower before they started hooking up the IVs (another intervention I did not want but because I was being induced it was now needed). As I showered, I cried and cried and hoped and prayed that Little Love would be okay and these interventions won't cause more stress on her than my body was already doing.

Around 5pm that afternoon, I was induced vaginally. I do not remember the medication they gave me but I do not recommend it whatsoever. Before being induced, I was told that I was already having minor contractions which I was unaware of (and now I wonder why did they not allow me to have natural contractions and see where those went before continuing with the induction). The medicine didn't increase the pain but it overstimulated my uterus to the point I was having contractions about every 45 seconds so they decided to no longer use the initial induction medication and switched to Pitocin. Which honestly this part didn't make sense to me. If my uterus was overstimulated why keep inducing me? Wouldn't that mean my uterus needs a break, I don't see how continuing to induce me solved anything because it did not. I continued to have contractions every 45 seconds for 15 hours straight and at this point I did not have an epidural so I felt everything. I could handle the contractions fine and would have been able to do better had I had more down time between contractions as normal labor is but because they overstimulated my uterus, I wasn't having any real down time. So there I am 18 hours into my medically induced labor with an empty stomach and no sleep. Dilation was still only at 2cm (they checked in the middle of the night and I was a 2) and effaced 80%.

The nurse mentioned that my doctor may decide to come in to break my water, another intervention I did not want but often follows when you are induced due to lack of progress. Anthony was asleep and I was contemplating whether I should allow my doctor to do yet another intervention. My doctor came in checked my cervix (3cm and 80%) and broke my water. I didn't have time to react or ask questions or even object, it happened so quickly and Anthony was asleep so he wasn't even aware what happened. Breaking the bag of waters did intensify the contractions greatly and at this point I really started considering getting some type of pain medication but I wanted to hold off for as long as I could.

Side Note: Once I was told I was gonna be induced, I knew the possibility of me getting an epidural was now gonna be in play but I wanted to wait until I was at least 5 cm and re-evaluate to see if I could get through this without medicating my baby.

The contractions were so horrible and were still 45 seconds apart so my down time wasn't much of anything. As soon as the contractions were decreasing, the next one was increasing. I started crying and almost had a panic attack. I threw up and cried more. Anthony wanted me to get something for the pain but he understood my reasonings so he did everything he could to comfort me and help relax me as we learned in our Bradley Method classes. We eventually decided to call the nurse in to discuss pain medication options (after my doctor broke my water, she did highly recommend I get an epidural due to my blood pressure being elevated and once contractions got worse my blood pressure would rise, etc. etc.) and the nurse mentioned the doctors recommendation and said from her experiences as a nurse and my situation, she would recommend an epidural as well but she understands my position and didn't want to push it on me. After she left the room, Anthony and I decided I would go ahead with the epidural.

Compared to the pain I was feeling with my contractions, the epidural didn't feel like anything I expected. I am very terrified of needles, I do not do well with my blood being drawn or getting IVs or even checking my sugar levels; I start sweating just thinking about needles and hearing how big and long an epidural needle was, I was always scared to get an epidural way before we were even pregnant. I heard horror stories of having to be completely still, etc. so I was nervous. BUT compared to the contractions I was having (remember they were about every 45 seconds for over 18+ hours), I didn't even feel the needle and felt instant relief.

Since I had the epidural, I was now restricted to the bed laboring on my back which is not ideal and can put the baby in the wrong position. Luckily my nurse was very knowledgeable about being in different positions to move the baby for proper positioning so after awhile she would help me lay on my sides. We also decided to allow my sisters and mom (my godmother who raised me), to visit before pushing was gonna get started. Initially, we were not gonna allow visitors until after delivery because I wanted peace and quiet during my labor so I can focus on my relaxation techniques but that was when I was planning on an all natural labor & delivery.


It was a whirlwind adventure and the first 48 hours flew by faster than we realized and it continues to fly therefore I will start sharing monthly updates on my little girl's growth and everything else in between. I hope you enjoy following us along as we figure out this parenting thing.