I almost forgot about this, I racked up last year this time and after Christmas. Walmart marks them down almost 90% off. Such a a great time to grab them for gifts, to expand your childs seasonal library or even to donate!

Here’s a glimpse of what I grabbed, your store may have more in stock and these may be sold out online by the time you see this post. I hope you’re able to get a few titles!

Snagged this for $1.24

Got this one for $2,92

$1.49

$1.18

$1.57

$1.79

$1.99

$1.49

$1.79

$1.42

$2.24

$1.79

$1.59

$1.57

$2.02

$2.02 Also saw this one for the same price on Amazon!

$1.79

$1.79

$1.18 This is another one that I saw for the same price on Amazon!

Every post partum mama is different but what they all need is help. And chances are they’ll never ask for it. Nothing blessed me more than when a friend or family member took something off my plate. Healing yourself and caring for another human is hard- show up for her- it’s the best thing you can do.

6 months.
How is this even possible? We’ve reached your very first half birthday. You’re the addition to our family that we never knew we needed. You have the sweetest disposition, everyone who knows you loves you and adores you. You make everyone around you smile. Those blue eyes melt me and daddy’s hearts- we know you’ll use them to your full advantage as you get older. You love to talk- you’re always babbling. And the “trick” we love most is your singing. You will coo along to whatever we sing and it’s seriously the sweetest thing. These days you mimic every sound we make and seem to repeat us unless we say mama- still trying to get that one out of you. You say, “dada, Juuuu, Jay, and ooh, and love you” and we swore you said Saturday. We can’t leave you anywhere these days because within seconds you’re rolling over and over until you’ve found an edge. You’re obsessed with your feet and love to jump any chance you’re in the position to do so. We find out next week and what your latest stats are. You’ve been in the 97th percentile for height the last few months and in the 25th for weight so we will see if you’re still on that trend. Our tall skinny guy- like your daddy (lucky!). You love your brothers and light up when you hear your dads voice but I’m your favorite. I know that won’t last so I revel in it every chance I get. Still waiting on some teeth to pop through but we know they’re coming bc you’ve been drooling for months. You’ve been a dream baby- seriously so good. I love you so stinking much Bubba- you’re my biggest blessing from 2021 and I thank God for you every single day.

This has to be the easiest dinner I’ve ever made. Thanks to my sister in law for introducing it to me and it’s been in my rotation ever since. This is such a great meal when it’s chilly outside, see what I did there? With only 5 ingredients, you can’t mess this up!

My boys. The reason my heart beats, our greatest adventure and legacy.

Somehow God knew I needed a little more dirt under my fingernails and pockets full of rocks in my dryer.

He knew I needed a nightstand constantly covered in picked wildflowers and a roar of constant noise to fill our house.

He knew I needed a team of protectors and a constant reminder of what true bravery looks like.

None of them are alike, but they all shine and teach me how to be a better version of myself.

I wouldn’t trade being their girl for anything.

Happy National Sons Day to the 3 best boys a mama could ask for.

My hope is that they’ll remember mommy tried.
Even when she was tired. Even when she was stressed. I hope they know that I did it all for them.
That I had every intention of being great, good, and grand, but that some days all I could be was okay.

Reminding myself of this a lot in this season. It’s so easy as mamas to get lost in the shuffle taking care of everyone else. But we must fill our cups as well. That can look like, a nap, a girls night, a trip to Target alone (#goals), or a nice warm bubble bath. Tell me how you fill your cup, always looking for new ways!
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One month of Jett.

With most of his first month being spent in the NICU, we’re just glad to have him home. He’s still not even officially due yet. He still had one more week to go.

But in true Jett fashion, he did it his way and made sure an audience was there to witness it. I say true Jett fashion bc our entire pregnancy was an adventure bc this guy loved to hide during an ultrasound or an NST. He also had me in the Triage a few times. So much so that the hospital and OB staff all knew me and HIM by name and had inside jokes about his stubborn ways.

So hows our first month been?

milkies.sleep.doctors.pee fountains.repeat.

Also lots of prayers, worship and extreme gratefulness. No doubt that we don’t understand the blessing this little guy is. And I personally can’t wait to see what God has in store for his life because with an entrance like that, I can only assume that’s only the beginning.

Seriously thankful for the mind shift this journey has brought us. We are in no hurry for him to grow up, and I truly jump out of bed for every feeding time just thankful I GET TO hold him and feed him myself.

We love life with you, Jett Mack.

“Well at least the baby is healthy” “There are plenty of women out there that would beg to be in my position” “I prayed for this baby, not a perfect labor”
These are just some of the guilty thoughts that run through our heads when we try to mourn our birth experience. We experience trauma and try to guilt our way out of feeling it, such a mom thing to do. I found this quote from @thedouladarcy and it resonated with me right away. I’m grateful, I am obsessed with my son but I’m also deeply traumatized by my birth experience and even his NICU stay. Neither having to do with nursing staff or location, just ways our bodies failed us and ways that our plans were shattered before our eyes and we just had to roll with it. I’ll share my whole story one day but I’ll say this much, my Labor Day started as a regular check up appointment and ended with me being transported by ambulance an hour across town for an emergency csection where I lost a lot of blood and had almost 7 lbs of fluid drained from my body. It was scary, it was traumatic and I didn’t really get to process any of it until recently. And as I process it, it’s blowing my mind. So I give you permission mama, talk through that traumatic birth story, process it thoroughly, mourn that loss of experience and don’t for one second feel guilty about it.