#on top of having a newborn and figuring out how to adjust to 3 kids in the house

[harmonizewithechoes]

.

[kaimelia]

can you write a fic about amelink having multiples, like twins or triplets?

overjoyed

a/n: hi! thank you for the prompt! i hope you enjoy it <3

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"Maggie! Let me in, please!" Amelia knocked on the door again, banging her knuckles against the surface. "Maggie, come on!" The door opened to reveal Winston standing inside, his eyebrows raised. "You're not Maggie."

"Nope. She's in the shower. You okay?" Amelia let out a breath, shrugging her shoulders.

"I need Maggie."

"You can wait for her." He held the door open further for her, and Amelia quickly walked inside, tossing her coat on the floor and dropping onto the couch. Winston picked up her coat and hung it up before walking towards the bathroom. "Amelia's here," he shouted, and the shower turned off. Maggie walked out a minute later with a towel wrapped around her body; concern spread across her face.

"Are you okay? I didn't know you were coming over," Maggie muttered, adjusting the towel on her head.

"I told Link I was coming here, and I can't lie to him, so I came here." Amelia looked down at her nails, picking at a hangnail.

"Let me go change, and then I'll be back, okay?" Maggie hurried into the bedroom, leaving Amelia alone with her brother-in-law.

"Can I get you something? Water, maybe?" The neurosurgeon looked up, nodding her head.

"Yeah, water would be great. Thank you." He handed her a glass after a moment passed, Amelia taking a large sip before settling the glass down on the coffee table.

"Okay, what's going on?" Maggie ran back out, dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. "Are we mad at Link?" Amelia shook her head, slumping down further into the couch cushions.

"No, I just think I'm pregnant." Maggie raised her eyebrows, glancing back at Winston, who raised his hands up in defense before leaving the room.

"Are we not happy about this? I thought you two were starting to try for another kid?"

"I just didn't think it would happen so soon, you know? And I know that Link is gonna be over the moon about this, and I kinda need a minute to freak out before I tell him," she rolled her head to the side, making eye contact with her sister. "He's super understanding about everything, but I want it to be a happy moment when I tell him, so I came here to get all of my anxiety out." Maggie placed her hand on Amelia's shoulder.

"Have you taken a test yet?" The brunette shook her head, letting out a heavy breath.

"Nope. A little scared to do that."

"Well, why don't we go to the store and get some, and then we can come back here so you can take them. And whatever it says, you can freak out or cry, and I'll go with it." Amelia's lip turned up into a small smile.

"Thank you."

--------------------------

"I mean, Scout's only a year old. So he and the baby would be what, 20 months apart?"

"Depends on how pregnant you are. The timer's got a minute left." Amelia sighed, continuing her pacing around the couch. "Hey, you and Link are incredible parents. You parented a newborn, Zola, Bailey, and Ellis, for months last year. So, if you're pregnant, I know that you two will be able to figure it out," Maggie consoled, watching her sister purse her lips tightly, clasping her hands together gently.

"I know. I just really wasn't expecting this." She froze as the timer on Maggie's phone sounded, the ringing loud in the living room. "Okay, here we go," she muttered, picking up the two plastic sticks from the table. She flipped them over one by one, her mouth dropping at the sight. "I'm pregnant," fell from her mouth as a whisper, a hand subconsciously moving to her stomach. She felt Maggie's arms around her, pulling her into a side hug. "Oh my god."

"Is this a happy oh my god, or a 'my life is falling apart' oh my god?"

"Happy, happy," Amelia muttered, tears rolling down her face. "I was super anxious before, but right now? I feel like everything is right. Like everything in my life is the way it's supposed to be." Maggie grinned, wiping her sister's eyes.

"I see the hormones are already kicking in." Amelia nudged her, standing up from the couch.

"Okay, I need to go tell Link. I can't keep this from him any longer," she spoke through tears, grabbing her coat from the rack. "Thank you for staying with me, Maggie."

"Of course. Let me know when I can get an ultrasound photo of my niece or nephew."

--------------------------

Amelia pushed the front door of her and Link's house open, a small three-bedroom place they'd purchased after Meredith's recovery. A smile spread across her face at the thought of the third bedroom being filled. Link grinned at her from inside, sitting on the floor with Scout. "Hey, everything with Maggie go okay? You seemed a little stressed when you left." Amelia nodded, walking over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around him as he stood.

"I love you so much," she whispered, feeling Link's arm around her.

"Are you okay?" Amelia pulled back, his arm remaining around her waist as she beamed.

"I'm pregnant," she raised her eyebrows, watching as his face froze as he processed what she said. "And, I was a little freaked out at first, but now, I'm super happy."

"Are you serious? We're having another baby?" She nodded, laughing as he pressed his lips against hers, her hands resting on the sides of his face.

"Totally serious," Amelia felt his lips turning into a grin. She pulled away, her hands falling down to his chest, opening her eyes to see his watering. "Don't cry; I'm supposed to be the hormonal one here."

"I love you." A tear rolled down his cheek, and Amelia brought her hand up to wipe it away. "There are happy tears, I promise."

"I know. I had my own share of them earlier," she laughed, kissing him again.

--------------------------

"Now, we know who the father is this time, right?" Carina joked, pulling the ultrasound machine towards the table. Amelia groaned.

"No question now. Unless there's something you need to tell me," Link joked, receiving a slap on his chest in response.

"Just Link." She rolled up her scrub top to reveal her stomach, the slightest curve of a bump forming over the past weeks.

"Alright. It'll be a little cold," Amelia winced as the gel was placed on her stomach, and Link watched Carina shift the wand around. "Okay, Amelia, it looks like you're about seven weeks along," she smiled, pausing her movements of the ultrasound, her face freezing.

"What's that face?" Amelia's voice was laced with concern as she watched her fellow doctor's eyes scan the screen. "Carina, if something's wrong, I need to know." Link squeezed his girlfriend's hand reassuringly.

"Nothing's wrong, Amelia. I just need to make sure that what I'm seeing is right." The mother shifted uncomfortably, her grip on Link's hand tightening. The OB turned the screen to face the couple, her finger pointing towards something Link couldn't quite make out. "You're pregnant with twins. You can see baby one right here," she pointed towards a gray blob on the screen, "and baby two hiding here, behind their sibling." Amelia's mouth dropped open, her hand slapping Link's chest again.

"You asshole!"

"What did I do?" He asked defensively, pulling her fingers away from his chest.

"You impregnated me with twins! How are we supposed to handle three kids under the age of two?" Carina laughed at them, hitting some buttons on the machine, wiping Amelia's stomach clean.

"I'm going to leave you two to figure some things out," she handed them a few printed photos, "but the nurse will help you schedule your next appointment. I want to see you in two weeks since this is considered a more high-risk pregnancy now. I'll email you some prenatal suggestions and websites with good information about multiples." Her hand squeezed Amelia's shoulder before she excused herself, congratulating the couple.

"How are we going to do this?"

"I honestly don't know," he breathed out a laugh, "but I know that we can figure it out. I mean, we dealt with four kids during a global pandemic for months. Whatever happens, we got it." Her eyes locked with his, her breaths steadying. He reached out to roll her shirt back down. "This explains why you have a bump already, though." Amelia's mouth dropped again.

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No! You know I love the little baby bump," he placed his hand on her shirt. "You didn't start showing with Scout until your second trimester. You're like, halfway through your first, and I can already see the bump." He grinned toothily.

"You look so overjoyed," Amelia muttered, using Link's hand to balance herself as she stood. "Because you're not the one who has to push two babies out of your vagina, now." She brought the ultrasound photo up to her face. "This is going to be insane," her voice was quiet, and Link's arm wrapped around her waist.

"It is. But, you're a superhero, both as a mom and a person. So, we've got this."

[girl-iguess]

Oh, Gemma

“Hi, baby.”

Tension evaporated off Harry’s body, causing it to instantly relax at the sound of his girlfriend’s voice. He smiled into the phone while pulling the duvet on his bed closer to his body.

“Can’t sleep?” Kennedy asked.

“It’s because you’re not here with me,” Harry spoke, voice deep and muffled.

For the past year, falling asleep became more and more difficult for Harry. Going to sleep alone has never been appealing to him, but being in a committed long distance relationship heightened the feeling. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning. But after 3 years and consistent talks about marriage and living together, all Harry wanted to do was hold her in his arms.

Desperate, Harry decided to call Kennedy. The sound of her voice was enough for sleep to catch up and invade his body. It doesn’t compare to the feeling of her body pressed against his, the touch of her soft skin on his chest and arm, the scent of mango butter she loved to lather her body with after her night shower. But it was enough to soothe his cravings.

Kennedy giggled and Harry swore his heart leaped out of his chest. He was so in love with her.

“You can’t wait until I fly out there next week?” She teased.

The smoothness of her voice wrapped around his body like a snuggled newborn. He felt the warmth through his bones. Harry closed his eyes to intensify his sense of hearing.

“Always want you with me, love. You make me so happy.”

Kennedy couldn’t stop the smile on her face from forming as she bit her lower lip. Harry never shy away from displays of affection, whether it was physically or verbally. It created a field of butterflies in her stomach every time.

“And sleepy, apparently.” She joked.

Harry laughed, “In a good way, baby.”

Kennedy tilted her head to the side as she shyly smiled again. Those damn butterflies. “Well, I have a surprise for you. Come outside.”

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Harry registered what she said in his head. “Huh?”

She chuckled, “Come outside!”

He shot up in his bed. Switching his phone from one ear to the other, he ran his hand through his hair. “Baby, are you serious?”

“Yes, honey! Hurry, it’s dark out here.”

Almost tripping on the bed sheets, Harry rushed downstairs to the front door. He opened the door and found Kennedy standing there, arms wide accompanying a smile that was even wider.

He engulfed her into a hug so tight she thought her spine snapped in half, but she didn’t mind at all. His arms were where she felt the most comfortable and protected. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck as she laughed, feeling overjoyed.

Harry released her and took a step back. She was really standing in front of him. “Surprise!” She exclaimed.

She giggled when he almost leaped to hug her again. Swaying side to side, Harry kissed her cheek before kissing her lips.

“I missed you so much.”

Kennedy kissed his lips, allowing it to linger a little longer. “I missed you too, baby.”

He kissed her lips again before letting her go. Bending over to pick up her duffle bag, he carried her bag and small suitcase into the house. Once he closed the door, Kennedy took a good look at her loving boyfriend. Messy curls framing his face, Harry wore a goofy smile as he stood there sporting nothing but gray sweatpants.

“This is the best surprise ever.”

Kennedy’s cheek began to hurt from the smile that seemed permanent on her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Slightly thin, but plump, the feel of Harry’s lips sent her mind into a state of intoxication. Sweet and soft like cotton candy, she stabilized the connection of their lips for a few seconds longer.

Harry moaned as Kennedy lightly massaged his scalp with her fingertips.

“I haven’t seen you in so long. I was so anxious to spend time with you for the next couple of weeks. I figured I’ll start a little early,” she pecked his lips once more.

“Plus,” she whispered. She slowly dragged her hand down his chest to the inside of his sweatpants. “our FaceTime sessions weren’t cutting it anymore.”

Harry gasped, trying to surpass a groan as she rubbed her palm from the base to the head. If he was being honest, he intensely missed the feeling of her as well. Phone sex was nice, but nothing compared to the real thing. And his hands didn’t feel the same as hers.

Without warning, he flung her over his shoulder. A squeal escaped her mouth as he carried her to his bedroom.

—

First he felt the weight of her body on his chest. Letting his eyes adjust to the sunlight blaring through his half-closed curtains, Harry blinked a couple of times before he looked down. He smiled once he saw the familiar head of hair attached to the woman he loved the most. He sighed contently as he tightened his arm around her, pulling their naked bodies closer.

Using his free arm, he reached over to the side table to grab his phone. 0830. The movement caused Kennedy to stir. She looked up at him and kissed under his chin.

“Good morning.”

Harry rubbed his hand across her shoulder. “Good morning, baby. Did you sleep okay?”

She nodded. “More than okay.”

He kissed her forehead before he reached her lips.

“Are you busy today?” She asked.

“I am, actually. I have meetings pretty much all day today and tomorrow. But after that, I’m all yours, I promise.” He slid his arm from her shoulder to her hip, giving it a small squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

The couple doesn’t see each other often, due to Harry’s hectic schedule and living in different countries. For that reason, Harry made sure he was completely work-free whenever Kennedy was around. But Kennedy understood that her arrival was unexpected, which prevented Harry from rearranging his schedule.

“No, no, that’s okay. Honestly, I’m probably gonna sleep all day. Maybe hit up Gemma for lunch or something.”

His heart warmed at the thought of her hanging out with his sister. “That’s a good idea. Maybe we should drive to Holmes Chapel and spend a few days with my mum. She would love to see you. I swear she loves you more than she loves me.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Kennedy yelped, followed by laughter when a slap contacted her bare butt.

“Heyyyyy, not funny.” Harry wanted to appear upset with his furrowed eyebrows and flared nostrils, but the corner of his lip curving upward blew his cover.

She attacked his neck with soft kisses. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” She continued her attack while gradually increasing the force of her kisses. Harry moaned when she reached his ear, his soft spot. His hands traveled down her body, stopping at her butt, giving it a tight squeeze. She knew he was getting turned on.

Her thoughts were confirmed when he turned their bodies so he was completely on top of her. Positioning the duvet, he made sure they were still covered. He kissed her lips before gently rubbing their noses together.

“I love you.”

“I love you more.” Kennedy lightly grazed her pointer finger across his bottom lip.

Harry shook his head. “Impossible.”

—

Placing the key into the corresponding keyhole, Gemma unlocked the front door, gaining entrance into Harry’s home. Harry gave her a copy of his house key for the sole purpose of checking on it while he was away on tour. Out of respect for his privacy, she usually rang his doorbell just like any other guest when he was home. But she knew he liked to go running during mornings so she wasn’t sure if he was home at that moment.

She came to drop off his cellphone that he used strictly for work and his music. He ate dinner with her and her fiancé, Michal, at their house the previous night and accidentally forgot it. She promised to return it before he left to meet with his manager, Jeff.

She figured the best room to place his phone was the bedroom so she starting hiking up the stairs. Hearing a noise, Gemma paused. Shrugging, she walked closer to Harry’s bedroom. She stopped again. Multiple smacking noises echoed through the quiet hallway like two people were kissing. Turning the corner, Harry’s bed was in plain view.

The duvet only covered half of Harry’s body, leaving the back of his head and back exposed. Leaning on his elbows and forearms for support, he thrust with force, producing sounds of skin slapping together.

“fuck … fuck baby,” Harry grunted in complete ecstasy. Quick, hushed feminine moans followed his, indicating equal sensations of high pleasure.

Absolutely terrified, Gemma struggled between backing away slowly in order to prevent making a disturbance and running away as fast as she could. Placing the phone on the kitchen table, Gemma rushed out of the house.

—

“I think Harry is cheating on Kennedy.”

Surprised, Michal choked on his water. After coughing to clear his airway, he responded, “I’m sorry?”

“I think Harry is cheating on Kennedy,” Gemma repeated. Michal called her during his lunch break, a routine he followed for years. What she saw that morning invaded her mind so she confided in her fiancé.

“Gemma, have you gone mad?”

“No! I wish! I saw him! I … I heard him!”

Michal pushed his lunch aside, no longer having the desire to eat. “This is so unlike him.” He thought aloud.

“Michal, I know what I saw. When I stopped by his house this morning to drop off his phone. He was having sex and I know it wasn’t with Kennedy because she’s not coming here until next week.”

“No, I believe you. I’m just shocked,” he reassured. “It seemed like he basically worshipped the ground she walked on, you know?”

“She has gone so much just by being seen with him. All of those nasty comments, the hate pages, the blog posts. Some immature girls were calling her job trying to get her fired.” Her emotions spiraled out of control as she ranted.

“But she never complained. She never lashed out. She told me she believed he was worth the hassle. That’s why she never left. And this is how my dickhead of a brother repays her?”

Gemma’s lips trembled as her eyes began to water. “She’s one of my bridesmaids in our wedding, Michal. How could he do this to her?”

“Love …” Michal started but was interrupted.

“She called me earlier, but I couldn’t talk to her knowing my brother is cheating on her.”

Michal heard shuffling through the phone. “I’m going to go talk to him. He needs to tell her before she flys here from America next week.”

“Woah, woah,” he said. “I don’t think you should talk to him right now. Not while you’re upset. Use the rest of today to calm down. Then we’ll talk about it some more when I get home.”

“Okay,” Gemma snuffled as she wiped her eyes. “You’re right.”

“I gotta go. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

—

The sound of the doorbell prompted Harry to leave his comfortable spot on the couch and tread to the front door. Who he saw on the other side of the door caused the wide grin planted on his face.

“Gem!” Followed by a quick hug and a peck on her cheek. “What are you doing here? Not that you need a reason to see me, I just wasn’t expecting you.”

Gemma overlooked his appearance. He was practically glowing. Looked well-rested and refreshed. Unlike when she saw him last where the bags under his eyes were prominent. Disgusting. It’s been two days since she caught him cheating. Not an ounce of regret radiated in his body language even though he knew he was hurting Kennedy. This wasn’t the man their mom raised him to be.

“I came because I need to talk to you.”

Noticing the stern tone in her voice, Harry grew slightly uneasy. Different scenarios invaded his mind. Was Michal okay? Was their mom okay?

He followed her lead into the living room, sitting on the arm of the couch opposite of her. She was nervous and he didn’t understand why. She played with her jeans for a bit before looking at him in his eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she heard “Gemma?”

Turning her head towards the source, she almost gasped at who she saw. Kennedy walked towards her with her arms open. She was engulfed in a tight hug, too shocked to hug back but Kennedy didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey girl!” Kennedy exclaimed.

Gemma managed to find her voice. “Hey! I didn’t realize you were here.”

“Yeah, I’ve been here for a few days now,” she explained. She allowed Harry to pull her closer to him. A small giggle escaped when he kissed her on the cheek. “I decided to surprise Harry and fly out a little early.”

Harry wasn’t having sex with a random girl, Gemma realized. He was with Kennedy the entire time. Fighting back tears of happiness, joy, and relief, she smiled at her little brother’s girlfriend. “How lovely.”

“I called you like two days ago to invite you to lunch. But I figured you were busy with your sunglasses line.”

No, Gemma avoided the call because she thought Harry was a dirty cheater. Now she realized how wrong she was. Harry looked at his partner with great admiration like she handmade the sun that shone above him every time he’s with her. He really loved her and would never do anything to purposely hurt her.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I completely forgot to call you back,” Gemma lied. “But we can go now if you guys don’t have anything planned. There’s a new restaurant I’ve been dying to try.”

“Oh, let’s do that,” Kennedy beamed. “Lemme finish my hair and then I’ll be ready.” Harry lightly squeezed her hip before dropping the arm that previously wrapped around her waist. He turned to his sister once Kennedy was out of the room.

“What do you need to talk to me about?”

“I …” Gemma hesitated. To be honest, guilt from accusing him of infidelity turned her stomach. She couldn’t believe she thought so lowly of her brother. She couldn’t let him know that. “You looked so tired the last time I saw you. And you leaving your work phone … you’ve never been a forgetful person, so I was worried about you, I guess.”

Harry’s body visibly eased at the same time his expression softened. He pinched her cheek and cooed like he was speaking to a baby. “You love your little brother.” He fought back laughter when his sister glared at him. “I do find it a bit difficult to fall asleep when Kennedy’s not with me if I’m being honest. Is that weird? Am I too attached to her?”

Gemma smiled warmly. “No, I sometimes have the same problem when I’m away from Michal. It means you’re madly in love.”

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Yippin’ and Yappin’

Yippin’ and Yappin’ - Halloween KidgeFest 2018 Day 2 Prompt Fill Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Kidge; mentions of Allurance and Hunay Summary: It’s the first year the Kogane’s will be cerebrating Halloween with a baby in the house, which is an exciting occasion. The problem, however, becomes coming to an agreement on what type of costume their little girl should wear to go trick-or-treating. Costume for baby can be found [here] assuming the link still works. Also, Days 1 and 3 are significantly lengthier than this one and will take a little more time. Goal will be for Day 1 to be out tonight and - hopefully - still get Day 3 out on time! :3 Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.

“No,”

“This is literally the fourth suggestion I’ve made that you’ve turned down! Come on, Pidge, she’d be so cute!” Exasperated, he swiveled around and held the laptop screen up so his wife could see it better. The deadpanned look she gave him would have weakened the resolve of a weaker man. “Look at the puffy little hat! And the trim of the face glows in the dark!”

“I told you before you started looking that there was no way we are dressing Amber up as a pumpkin for Halloween!” She huffed back, adjusting the little tot in her arms just as a tiny hand made a mad grab for the edge of her glasses. She looked down at her grinning daughter with a small grin. “You’re a sneaky little thing, aren’t you? Trying to take Mommy’s glasses and slobber all over them! Think I don’t see you, huh?”

Amber’s response was to let out a loud excited squeal.

“What do you even have against pumpkin costumes, anyway?” Keith asked with a small sigh as he set his laptop aside.

“Everyone dresses their baby up as a pumpkin for their first Halloween,” She said, glancing away from Amber briefly to look back at him. She then tipped her head back and laughed in delight as the baby made another swipe for her mother’s glasses.

“You’re exaggerating,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes at her.

“Oh, is that what you think? Allow me to prove you wrong,” She said, her tone slipping into that maliciously arrogant area that it did when she was about to completely ruin someone’s day. He opened his mouth to say something in response when suddenly a small set of baby feet were swaying right next to the left side of his face. “Here, take this so that I can get on that.” She said, indicating the laptop with Amber’s wiggling feet.

He laughed but reached up to take Amber. He careful spun her around so that she was facing him, laughing at how her eyebrows shot up in shock at seeing him up close. “Changing places on you, huh?” He laughed before moving to place his feet on the edge of the coffee table and prop her up in a pseudo-sitting position with her back against his thighs. Pidge stepped over him to take the spot beside him on the couch. While she loaded up whatever it was she planned to use to disprove his claims, Keith leaned down and pretended to nibble on their daughter’s chubby little legs, delighting in the enthused shrieks his actions earned.

After a moment, Pidge had opened up her Spacebook feed and started scrolling through. Within seconds, Keith started to see what she was talking about.

Of the 33 other first-time mother’s in the local breastfeeding group that Pidge had joined after having Amber, a startling 21 of them were dressing their newborns up as pumpkins for the upcoming festivities. She then checked what was trending with intergalactic parents as well, since some planets had decided to partake in the Earthly tradition, and tons of the parents there were doing pumpkin babies as well. Her point was already made, but he knew she wasn’t satisfied until she’d drive the point straight to the core of the Earth. She then shifted over to their immediate circle of friends and he was further stunned to see that both Alfor, Allura and Lance’s son, and Richter, Hunk and Shay’s son, were also being dressed up as pumpkins. Lance and Allura, though, were planning on it being a family costume, with Alfor as a little pumpkin and his parents going as farmers.

They agreed what the McClain’s were doing was cute, but Pidge’s point had been made; pumpkin costumes were a cliché.

“Well, what should we do instead?” Keith asked with a small sigh, picking Amber up and holding her above his head. She grinned at him, toothless and delighted, and he couldn’t help but smile back. “You said no pumpkins, but you also turned down the ghost and the mummy costumes I suggested.” He glanced at his wife from the corner of his eye as he spoke before focusing on making funny faces to make their baby laugh.

“And I actually really loved that butterfly costume, but they didn’t have that one in her size,” She lamented, setting the laptop on the coffee table. “Additionally, did we want to do a family costume this year?”

He shrugged then looked over at her. “I’m open to it if you want to,” He said.

“I think that’d be really cute, since it’s our first real Halloween as a family. I mean, last year I was still recovering from her actually being born, so doing anything festive was out of the question,” She said, looking over just as Amber turned her head to look at her Mommy. She waggled her finger at their little girl, letting out short snorts at the loud shriek she received, then perked up in surprise when a fluffy head suddenly flopped into her lap. “Oh, that’s why she got so excited. Hello there, Mr. Cosmo. It’s probably almost dinner time for you, huh?” She mused, reaching down to scratch behind one fluffy ear.

The cobalt wolf lifted his head to let out a quiet little half-howl in response.

“Okay, buddy,” Pidge said, gently nudging him off so she could stand, “I’m getting up. I guess we should probably figure out what we’re gonna have for dinner too, huh?”

“Hmm,” Keith agreed, carefully setting Amber back down to sit in his lap, the same way she’d been sitting before. Cosmo walked over, leaning his snout closer to lightly sniff at Amber. Her golden eyes shined bright as the little tot squirmed and shifted to try and make a grab for the wolf, nearly rolling right out of her father’s lap and only being saved by him catching her. “You’re a squirmy wormy today, aren’t you?” He laughed before carefully picking her up and holding her up with one arm. He then patted the spot beside him on the couch and Cosmo hopped up eagerly, carefully shifting so that he was in the reach of the excitedly babbling infant. “Remember, baby girl, we pet our fluffy friends gently.” He cooed softly.

He chuckled a bit as the wolf closed his eyes, allowing the small tot to smack her hand on the top of his head. It wasn’t exactly petting, but it was the closest she could get and she also wasn’t being violent. He always appreciated that Cosmo seemed to understand that she was a bit too small to really understand how to properly pet and appreciate the best she could do.

Watching them, a thought suddenly occurred to him. When Pidge stepped out to let Cosmo know there was a fresh can of wet food in his bowl, she was startled by her daughter being held up towards her, tiny feet resting on her Daddy’s head. “Here, take this. I just had a brilliant idea,” He said.

She laughed but took Amber anyway, settling the little girl on her hip, out of the reach of her face. “I’m playing the smart way this time, lil’ miss,” She teased happily. She turned her attention back to Cosmo and let out a small whistle. “Come on, big boy. Chow time.”

Cosmo perked up before teleporting right beside her and allowing her to lead him to where his food and water dishes were. Pidge gave him another quick pat – and let Amber give him one as well – before heading back to the living room. When she walked over, Keith had turned the laptop screen to face her, a smug grin of his own on his lips. “How about this one?”

Her eyes widened before she glanced back over at him. “They have it in her size?”

“Only five left, but I can set it up for pickup right now,” He said. He then indicated the both of them. “Plus, I have an idea for a family costume we could do pretty easily.”

“Oh ho? And what, may I ask, inspired this?” She teased.

“Honestly, it was Cosmo. He seems to be a pretty good source of inspiration. How do you feel about fairy tales?”

“I’m open to the idea. First, though, get that costume ordered so we don’t miss out. Then we can figure out dinner, and discuss out plans from there,” She mused lightly.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The sun was just barely beginning to disappear as the cars started rolling up to the park. Some older kids were running here and there, decked out in their full costumes and eagerly play-fighting in accordance to their respective outfits. There was a small area of picnic tables under a little ramada nearby, where some of the younger children were congregated with their parents.

“Aw, Richter looks so cute!” Allura cooed happily at the little boy bouncing in his father’s arms.

“Thanks! Though, I will admit, it was a bit hard to adjust the seam of the costume to account for his tail,” Hunk laughed. He then looked over at the infant Shay was gently bouncing, who was happily babbling around a mouthful of said tail.

Lance chuckled, carefully adjusting the straw hat on his head to look around, the other settled on the back of his son, dozing off from his position strapped to his chest in a baby sling. “Are we just waiting on the Mullet Clan?”

“We’ve been here a while. You just couldn’t see around the brim of your big, doofy hat,” Pidge chimed, a smug grin on her lips as she approached. Then, seeming to think better of it, she indicated his hat with one hand. “Nice hat, by the way.”

Lance harrumped at her, adjusting his hat again and raising an eyebrow at her. “So… What, exactly, are you supposed to be?” He asked.

Pidge preened at him. “Oh, I’m the Huntress of the forest,” She beamed, indicating the leather belt and fake axe on her hip.

Keith slid up beside her, pushing a stroller. He was wearing a bright red hooded sweater and had a plastic pumpkin-shaped goody basket hanging from one arm. “And I’m Red Riding Hoodie,” He said, waving one hand.

Pidge then leaned down to the stroller, fiddling with the straps to carefully pull out and present their daughter, decked out in a fluffy, grey costume of her own. “And this is our Petite Sweet Wolf!” She beamed.

Amber looked around at the other adults and infants, kicking her little feet in the open air. This revealed little pink paw pad marking on the bottoms of the fabric covering her toes. Immediately, the other parents cooed over her as Pidge stepped closer, eagerly engaging with the others and their babies as well.

Keith grinned as he walked over at well, reaching to take Amber from Pidge, the little girl peeking over her mother’s shoulder to make faces at him. The little costume was ridiculously soft, with the head of the piece having so much fur that the little tips of the ears were near-invisible. The little bottom of the costume completely covered her little feet, but her hands were left exposed, allowing her to eagerly reach out towards Alfor as Lance approached him. “Wasn’t expecting a fairy tale theme from you guys,” He remarked as he reached them.

Alfor had perked back up a little, blinking blue eyes blearily at the world around him. “Well, once we picked out her costume, we just kind of figured our out pretty easily from there,” He mused, adjusting his hold on his daughter so that she was closer to one of her little friends while he chatted amicably with the other man.

Seeing as he was in her reach, Amber reached out, took a handful of his pumpkin hat, and yanked it right off. Alfor stared at her, completely stunned, as she looked from him, back to the hat, and then moved to put it in her mouth. This resulted in him releasing a piercing wail of displeasure. All he adults jumped and looked over, Keith narrowly managing to yank the hat free of Amber’s little hands before it could make contact with her mouth.

Lance scowled at him while he sheepishly offered it back. “Uh, sorry. She’s at that age where everything has to be examined by her mouth,” Keith explained.

The other huffed a bit, taking the hat and fitting it back over his son’s head and trying to soothe him. Allura offered an understanding smile to Keith. “Since the children are getting restless, I believe we should start doing this tricking and treating, correct?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed, turning to look at Pidge as walked over to join him. The others started to corral their little group towards the other end of the ramada area while he tilted his head to whisper to Pidge. “Okay, I just need to say; I’m glad I listened to you about the costume.”

“Oh yeah?” She asked as she carefully folded up their stroller and tossed the carrying strap over one shoulder.

“Yeah. That hat barely fits on Alfor’s head with how easily Amber yanked it off. The wolf cub hood fits on her perfectly, though,” He said, holding Amber up to press a kiss to her nose.

She squealed and pinched at his cheeks eagerly, earning another laugh from Pidge as they made their way to join the others.

[parentingtheoryandpractice]

One week of Maya

Maya has been outside my body for an entire week! I know these early days go so fast, and I really want to remember how it all is, so I’m going to attempt to write weekly summaries with my old categories. I don’t know how consistent I’ll be, but it seems worth trying anyway.

Sleeping

Mats is still very much a sleepy newborn. The first few days, before my milk was in, she wasn’t sleeping very long stretches, presumably because she needed to fill up her tiny stomach with colostrum very frequently.

Now, she is often sleeping for hours at a time! And often she’ll get up to potty, nurse some mostly while sleeping and then settle right back in for another long sleep. It feels pretty special when she’s awake for a while, and I try to either let the kids play with her or FaceTime family members.

Oh, and sometimes she’ll stay asleep for a while even without someone touching her if she’s in the right phase of sleep, but she’s been doing almost all her sleeping snuggled up to me or in the wrap. She’s much more stable that way.

Nights haven’t been bad. I assume she has barely any circadian rhythm at this age, but so far she hasn’t had any long stretches of wakefulness at night that I can remember, which is very convenient!

All of my nighttime impressions are a little vague, since my policy is to mostly avoid looking at the clock much.

She nurses lots at night, which barely feels like an imposition at all, since I don’t have to move much to it, and I can usually sleep while she nurses it I’m tired enough. She still pees a bunch at night, which is a little trickier. If I’m feeling awake or she seems to be grunting insistently, I’ll take her to potty in the sink. That happens maybe twice a night? But she’s been peeing in her diaper at least a few times a night too, and then I just reach over and change it. I do have to move for that, but I don’t have to get out of bed, so it’s not so bad.

Maybe the first night or two I’ve asked Will for help at night—I already forgot—but since then I’ve been fine managing her in my own, which is good for the family system, since Will is the one who has been staying up later with the other kids.

Probably the big thing here is that I’m pretty well-rested :-). I’ve napped with Maya at least a little most days, but I think I’m sleeping a little better with a newborn than I did for a lot of pregnancy. Once things get back to normal and I can’t lie around with Maya all day, it will probably get harder to stay rested, but so far so good.

Oh, and Maya and I are still in the bed in the other room. I do want us to move back in with everyone else before too long, but I’m not sure when we should do that. One issue is that the kids move around and end up taking up all the bed space. Another issue is that I don’t want to wake them up when I get up in the middle of the night. Something to figure out...

Eating

Maya is a great nurser! She even nursed a little before I delivered the placenta. I assume this is notable because I remember a nurse being skeptical about me trying to get her to latch at that point.

Her weight gain has been good, her early poops were more transitional than fully meconium, my milk came in pretty fast, and she kept up with it enough that I basically didn’t get engorged. There was briefly some tenderness around two ducts on the left side for a day or so, but I tried to angle her to drain them and it seems to have resolved.

She nurses a lot, as I would expect, and it wouldn’t make much sense to me to talk about it happening any particular number of times a day because it happens so much—sometimes briefly and sometimes for a very long stretch.

Early on, I found myself pulling her lower lip down a little to adjust her latch, but now she’s mostly getting there on her own.

Oh, and we had side-lying nursing down from the very first night, which has been sooooo good. I remember taking a little while to figure that one out with Lydia.

Oh, and she spits up a little sometimes. But pretty tiny amounts. Typically maybe about a teaspoon or so?

EC

EC is going pretty well! Everything was pretty hit or miss (mostly miss) the first couple of days, and I lost track of my top hat potty somehow, which was one of my plans for the early part, which didn’t help. Also, things are just changing so fast before the milk is in.

But then the past few days we’ve had a ton of success with poops and a little success with pee. With poop, Maya seems to get it! The current situation is that she will grunt a bunch before she has to poop in a way that’s really obvious. And we have some lead time before we get her to the sink. And then once she is there and in position she grunts a bunch in ways that make it obvious that she is purposefully trying to poop. Sometimes it comes out all at once, and sometimes it comes out in stages.

Having a handle on poop is very nice because it means I barely have to do any of the thing where I clean her off when she is truly messy—no one’s favorite activity.

Currently Maya seems more clueless about pee. Part of the issue is that she is still peeing a bunch while she is asleep. She will squirm around first in a way that I can often recognize, but there isn’t a ton of lead time, and she doesn’t usually fully wake up before it happens. Sometimes when I see her signaling in her sleep I’ll take her, and sometimes I just wait until she has peed and change her right away. And sometimes when I take her she doesn’t pee. It hasn’t yet clicked with her to pee on purpose when I potty her. So I have to time it just right. Or sometimes she pees when she is pooping. When she is having a wakeful stretch I’ve had better luck noticing her signals and getting her there in time.

I do sometimes take her after a miss, but not usually if she pees in her sleep and then goes back to sleep. And when I do take her after a miss, there isn’t usually more, so it’s not very motivating.

I tend to assume that if I keep doing exactly the same thing I’m doing, the pee thing will click for her pretty soon. I just reread an early Lydia EC update and I report the same thing, where poop clicked very early and pee followed sometime after in the first month.

Babywearing

This was one of my categories with the other kids, so I’m sticking with it for now, but it feels almost silly to have it as a separate thing. Babywearing is so central to my parenting and has been so very useful!

I got out the Wrapsody hybrid for the newborn days, and that’s been great—Will and I have both used it a lot. Will asked if we had any ring slings around, since he likes then when the babies are stilllight, so I got one of those out too. Neither of has used it yet, but I expect to.

So far I’ve liked my Didymos purple facette wrap because it is thin, and a size 3 Pavo I have for kangaroo carry. I’m pleasantly surprised that I’m better and faster at kangaroo than I had remembered!

I haven’t done any back carries yet. I think it would feel safe, but I haven’t felt like I needed them. Plus, I don’t love it when my babies fall asleep on my back, since then it’s harder for me to sit down while still wearing them, and Maya goes to sleep fairly often at this point.

I expect to do a ton more babywearing as I transition more to taking care of all the kids at once.

Motor Skills

As I said above, Maya is excellent at side-lying nursing, which is her most useful motor skill for now.

I’ve been giving her some tummy time when she’s in a good mood for the past few days, and she seems to like that well enough. She does the thing I think of as “practicing crawling”, and is quite good at it! She gets her bottom up in the air by pushing her feet, but doesn’t lift up her arms much at all. She moves much better without her diaper and on a harder surface (bath mat or towel on the ground instead of on a mattress).

Head control is definitely progressing.

She doesn’t seem super inclined to stand when I put her on her feet, and mostly just bends her knees instead. Sometimes she will push up though.

Personality

Maya seems like a pretty chill baby! She squawks when something is wrong—not a slow ramp up—but so far she doesn’t really work herself up in a way that then requires much effort to soothe.

She furrows her brow a fair amount, though not as much as I remember Lydia doing!

She also doesn’t strike me as super active. Sometimes when I put her on the bath mat to have tummy time she just lies there for a while before trying to move.

Siblings

Maya is pretty tolerant of Lydia and Zeke touching and trying to hold her <3. Lydia definitely wishes there were more hours in the day for her to interact with Maya, and soon there will be! This week I’ve been mostly holed up with just the baby, but now that I’ve substantially physically recovered I’ll be spending more time with the older kids too.

Dogs

The dogs are very interested in Maya, Argos more than Krypto. In addition to sniffing her a lot, he seems to want to lick her and clean her off, as dogs do with their puppies. Argos has also expressed a lot of interest in my (comparatively) empty belly. I assume he’s trying to figure out what happened to it!

Me

The first few days were hard because of afterpains, pain from stitches, overall soreness, and probably some latent exhaustion.

But physically I feel pretty great now! And emotionally I’ve felt pretty great ever since I pushed Maya out. Definitely tender and extra emotional sometimes, but not in a way that I have minded.

I really love having a newborn, I feel like I know how to take good care of her, and it’s much more visceral now that I’m on my third just how short the newborn stage really is. I like older babies too! But I’m currently in no rush to get to any future stages.

It felt quite luxurious to lie around in bed for a week, but I was also definitely starting to get antsy, so it feels right to be doing more now.

[believingispowerfulmagic]

“Reunited at Last” Chapter 3: Suspicions

           Diana dragged her feet as she walked through Town Hall to get to the Mayor’s office. People greeted her but she kept her head down, continuing her long, slow walk as if goring to her death. It was only the second day of her indefinite punishment and while Lacey was pretty cool as far as babysitters went, Diana missed having the house to herself. She dressed as she wanted, played music while she did her homework or danced around, read her books, played with her toys--whatever she wanted without anyone being in the way. She loved it.

           “Hello, Diana. Did you have a good day at school?” a kind voice broke through her sulking.

           Looking up, Diana’s heart sank when she saw she was standing outside her mother’s office and next to her assistant’s desk. Johanna was a kindly older woman who had served as the assistant for several mayors, including Diana’s grandfather and great-grandfather. She sat right outside the mayor’s office in a little cubicle decorated with a desk and a few filing cabinets as well as some personal knick-knacks Johanna had collected over the years. Diana always liked Johanna and returned the smile the older woman gave her.

           “It was okay,” Diana replied in answer to her question, not wanting to be rude to Johanna. She was not part of the battle between the supposed mother and daughter. “Still a lot of reviewing to make sure we remember everything we learned last year.”

           “That does sound boring but I’m sure it’ll get interesting again.” Johanna motioned to the door. “Go on in. Your mother is waiting for you.”

           Biting back the urge to snap that the mayor was not her mother, Diana thanked Johanna. She opened the door, ready to face Mom. Her teacher had told her earlier that Mom had spoken to her about her supposed homework assignment the day before so Diana knew she was busted. It had been her mother’s late day yesterday so she had gotten home after Diana had gone to bed. Diana hoped she could get away without a big lecture today but she doubted it.

           They mayor’s office was decorated in earth tones, as Diana knew from her art classes at school. She also had memories of when her mother decorated the office, though she doubted now that they were even real. Still, she could rattle off the name of each color--the rug was canyon brown and the walls mocha cream with harvest gold accents. It made the mahogany colored fireplace stand out more. Chocolate brown couches faced the fireplace with a mahogany coffee table between them. Mom had a book full of pictures of Storybrooke for visitors to peruse on it.

           All of that was to Diana’s left. On her right was a long, cherry wood dining table with several matching chairs. Mom had meetings with other government officials and her staff members there, usually providing them with food and beverages from the snack bar against the wall. It was stocked with several types of snacks and drinks, as well as a good variety of fruit--except for apples. Even the basket of wax fruit Mom kept on the table contained no apples, something Diana only recently noticed. It intrigued her, just like her mother’s fascination with birds. She had several paintings of them hanging on the walls both here and at their house. Diana gave one the side-eye as she stood in the doorway.

           “Why don’t you grab a snack and then have a seat on the couch? I just need to finish up one thing and then we can talk,” Mom said, head bent as she filled out some paperwork on her desk. It was located in the middle of the back wall, right in front of the large windows that overlooked the town. The only other place to offer a better view was the clock tower above Storybrooke’s abandoned library. No one went up there, though, as the clock was broken--unable to move forward because the curse had stopped time for the citizens of Storybrooke. It made Diana question so much and she wished she could find the answers, not have to tap dance around her “mother.”

           For now, she did as her mother suggested and grabbed a granola bar as well as a juice box from the fridge. She then sat on the couch, her book bag at her feet, and waited for Mom to finish her paperwork as she munched on her snack.

           It didn’t take long for Mom to sit down next to her, tucking her black skirt under her as she did so. She placed a picture frame upside down on her lap before adjusting the pink sweater over her white shirt. Mom leaned closer as she smiled at Diana. “How was your day, princess?”

           “Okay,” Diana replied, shrugging. She then repeated what she told Johanna.

           Mom nodded. “Revision is very important. You need to make sure you have that foundation in order to build up your knowledge.”

           When Diana shrugged again, Mom pressed her lips together. She then said: “I spoke to your teacher yesterday.”

           Diana’s heart sunk. “I know. Sister Trina told me.”

           “So I know that there was no survey assignment. I also went to talk to Ms. Mills yesterday as well,” Mom continued.

           “You did?” Diana asked, her stomach twisting up in knots. “Did she tell you why I was really there?”

           Mom nodded. “I wasn’t pleased that you lied to me but you were only following Ms. Mills’ lead and she was trying to spare my feelings, so I’ll let it slide--for now. But we need to talk about your sudden belief that I’m not your mom and Ms. Mills is.”

           “Because it’s true,” Diana protested.

           Mom’s brow furrowed. “Why? Because some book told you?”

           Diana knew that when she put it that way, it did sound silly. Yet she also knew in her heart that it was true. She doubted Mom would accept that and would keep pushing until Diana doubted her own heart. Villains were very good at that thing.

           “I don’t look like you or Dad,” she said instead. “I don’t feel part of this family.”

           Mom’s eyes filled with tears and she wrapped her arm around Diana. She lifted the picture frame to reveal the photograph of herself lying in a hospital bed holding a newborn baby wrapped in a white blanket and wearing a pink hat. “Your father took this the day you were born--the happiest day of our life. You are our daughter--my daughter.”

           She let Diana hold the picture as she moved in closer. “I know things have been different since your father’s accident. I know it’s been hard not having him around. It’s been hard for me too, trying to be the mayor as well as both mom and dad to you. And I’m willing to admit that maybe I haven’t been so great a mom these past few months.

           “I have a proposal for you,” she continued. “I promise to make more time for you. Starting this week, I’m going to block out a special chunk of time that’s only for the two of us. We can do whatever you want--go to the movies, go shopping, have lunch, practice archery. How does that sound?”

           It sounded tempting. Diana loved all of those things, especially archery. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to spend time with the enemy. Perhaps she could get some answers while lulling Mom into a false sense of security. This appeared to be a win-win situation.

           “That sounds great, Mom,” she replied with a smile.

           Mom smiled but her tone sounded serious as she continued: “Now you need to do something for me. You need to stop all this nonsense about Ms. Mills being your real mother. I spoke with her and she’s agreed to have no contact with you.”

           “What?” Diana exclaimed. She would’ve jumped up but Mom had tightened her grip. “That’s not fair!”

           “It may not seem fair but it’s for the best,” Mom insisted. “I don’t want you talking with Ms. Mills either. Instead, I want you to talk with Dr. Hopper.”

           Dr. Hopper was the town’s psychiatric and Diana’s stomach twisted at the implications. “I’m not crazy!”

           Mom caressed Diana’s face as she softened her tone. “Of course you’re not. I just think a lot has happened and you need someone to talk to, someone who can help you work through everything. Dr. Hopper can do that. And you won’t be alone. We’ll also have sessions together to become stronger as a family, okay?”

           Though it sounded like she had a choice, Diana knew she was going to see Dr. Hopper whether she wanted to or not. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she said: “Okay.”

           “Thank you, princess. Things are going to get better, I promise.” Mom hugged her. “And the first step is for you to give me the storybook. I think it’s best if we got rid of it.”

           Diana had been expecting that and she was glad she had already left it somewhere safe. It allowed her to truthfully say: “I don’t have it. I gave it to a friend. The book was meant to be shared.”

           Mom’s eyebrow went up but she relaxed, seemingly accepting that answer. “Good. I think we’re off to a very good start then.”

           There was a sharp rap on the door before it opened. Johanna stood there, facing the two. “Lacey is here for Diana,” she said.

           “Thank you. Tell Lacey she’ll be right out,” Mom replied.

           Johanna nodded before closing the door. Mom stood. “I’ll be home in time for dinner. Be good for Lacey.”

           “I will,” Diana replied, putting her book bag on. Mom opened her arms and Diana hugged her, playing along for now.

           Mom let her go and Diana headed out of her office. Lacey stood there, tapping one of her blue pumps impatiently. She leaned against the wall, her black skirt ending far above her knees. Her bright blue sequined halter top sparkled in the fluorescent lighting and when she caught sight of Diana, her necklaces clanged together as she straightened up. “Hey, kid. Ready to go?”

           “Yeah,” she said. “What are we doing today?”

           Lacey shrugged, glancing at the door. “How will your mom react if I gave you a makeover?”

           Diana looked over Lacey’s messy ponytail and expertly applied makeup, admiring them. Though she thought a makeover sounded like fun, she shook her head. “I’m already on thin ice with her and I’d rather keep you as my babysitter.”

           Lacey laughed. “I’m sure. Or else you’d have to deal with Mrs. Figg again.”

           “Ugh,” Diana replied, scrunching up her nose. “She was the worst.”

           Mrs. Figg had been her babysitter when she was a little girl. She had been strict with a lot of rules Diana had to follow and only had prunes for snacks for her, which had prompted Mom to start sending snacks with Diana. Mrs. Figg did not own a TV and usually preferred Diana to read quietly, though she did let her play with toys as long as she didn’t get too loud and didn’t make a mess. As she got older, it was harder and harder to please Mrs. Figg no matter how much Diana tried to obey her rules.

           It had been a relief when her parents had decided to trust Diana with more responsibility now that she was older and got Lacey to start watching her at home before only having her come on nights when they had to work late. Lacey wasn’t the typical babysitter, though she made sure Diana ate healthy meals and did her homework. She didn’t hover over Diana and gave her her space. While it would’ve been easier to sneak off to see Regina without Lacey around, it still didn’t keep Diana from plotting her next move to break the curse and get her real family back.

Continue reading on FFnet, AO3 or Wattpad

[mary4738tay]

Tricycles

Tricycles are extraordinary for assisting kids with creating basic physical and psychological abilities. They likewise furnish kids with a feeling of freedom and help fabricate certainty. What recognizes a tricycle from a bicycle (other than the conspicuous wheel tally!) is that they will in general be lower to the ground and have bigger wheels, improving them appropriate for little youngsters who have not yet dominated adjusting — numerous tricycles have age evaluations that start at or before 2 years of age. Likewise around this time, there can be incredible ride-on toys that can be reasonable, as well.

1.Deluxe EZ Fold 4-in-1 Stroll 'N Trike

Guardians will cherish that this trike develops with a youngster as youthful as 9 months through five years of age. Newborn children can begin to investigate with guardians pushing, at that point figure out how to guide, progress to figuring out how to ride, and afterward into exemplary trike mode. There are a large group of removable included frill like a movable UV covering, plate, and tallness movable parent push bar.Ages: 9 months-5 years of age Max Weight: 49 pounds.

2.Harley-Davidson Tough Trike

Another low-riding choice, the Fisher-Price Harley Davidson Tough Trike is a fun, moderate ride for little ones. It includes a "mystery" compartment under the seat for capacity. This pedal-fueled ride is strong for little riders to acquire equilibrium and coordination abilities. Since it can't change, you may need to trust that your kid will fit appropriately on the seat and arrive at the pedals, and they may grow out of sooner than other customizable trikes.

3.Deluxe Steer and Stroll Trike

The Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll can work either as a parent push or kid pedal trike. The seat is movable forward or in reverse, so it can develop with your youngster. Child analyzers love the included ringing ringer and covered stockpiling receptacle for burying most loved treats.

4.Roadster Kids Tricycle

The Schwinn Roadster is a retro low-rider accessible in loads of fun tones like hot pink, blue-green and orange. Furthermore, the chrome subtleties and adorned handlebars top off the Insta-commendable photograph scenery! Great Housekeeping engineers love that it's all around developed with a strong steel outline, taking into account higher weight uphold.

5.Tricycoo 4.1 Kid's Tricycle

Infants can begin on the Joovy trike as youthful as 10 months, encouraging them acquire a feeling of certainty and better coordination. For those early days, you can have them in the tackled, removable seat nook for added backing and security. As they genuinely and intellectually create, they can extend from a drive trike into them being in charge. It even has a movable seat highlight to oblige their developing legs!

6.Liki Trike S3

The smooth Liki trike comes completely collected in box, so your little one can get right to cruising when it shows up. It's made of solid materials and can be explored by both parent and youngster. We love that it overlap down minimally so it can find a way into plane's overhead receptacles. We're likewise devotees of the S5 model, which is a grand form that incorporates a more exceptional stockpiling pack, better quality completions and a satchel.

[heathergoffrier]

7 Newborn Baby Schedule Mistakes [+ Printable Top 6 Infant Sleep Tips]

Are you making these 7 newborn baby schedule mistakes? Make these changes to help baby sleep longer! Includes free printable of my Top 6 Infant Sleep Tips! This is the third post in my "Newborn Sleep" Series. Be sure to check out the other posts in the series and stay tuned for new additions!

We hope you enjoy the products we recommend!  This post may contain affiliate links. That means we get a portion of the commission if you click through and make a purchase, but you don't pay a cent more. Thank you for supporting our small business as we strive to help you rock mom life! My husband met our youngest daughter for the first time when she was five months old, due to a deployment with the US Navy. He also had left on deployment two weeks after the birth of our oldest. Thus, I wanted to maximize the amount of sleep I would get while solo-parenting a newborn. So I chose to use a newborn baby routine to help guide our little ones, pretty much as soon as they were home from the hospital (it started with the hospital's instructions to feed baby 8-12 times in 24 hours for the first several days... a great place to build from). I was so glad I used a gentle routine, too, because all three of my daughters slept through the night between 10-16 weeks. Then I could get a good nights sleep as well.

Early Baby Schedule Mistakes

As a new mom, I certainly had a bit of trial and error as we figured out what worked. And each child was a bit different, so I tried to pay attention to each baby's signals (I LOVE the book, "Secrets of Baby Whisperer"... it teaches you how to read baby's cues!) I learned what worked and what didn't, and through every disruption of her infant sleep schedule and every success, I gained confidence. And, the better she slept, the more well-rested I felt and the better I was able to do my job as Mom. I put my best infant sleep tips into a free printable– you can grab it here: SEND ME THE SLEEP TIPS

Here's Daddy meeting his littlest girl for the first time!

7 Newborn Baby Schedule Mistakes To Avoid

From the beginning, I started her early on a gentle sleep routine to help her settle into a predictable schedule. I'd learned a few things-- good and bad-- from using a routine with my first two kids. The following mistakes come from personal experience, talking with friends and other research I've done. I was able to avoid these pitfalls and help baby sleep through the night at an early age. The routine resulted in a baby who happily and easily adjusts to most changes we throw at her. #1- Not Letting Baby Eat When Hungry When baby is hungry, for heaven's sakes, feed the child! This is why infant scheduling gets such a bad name. People try to stick to an exact time at which they're "supposed" to feed the baby, so they don't feed them even though baby is wailing for a meal. At no time should you ever deny food to a baby who is hungry. One reason for trying to keep to a schedule is to prevent baby from "snacking." Snacking is when baby just nurses for a minute or two and doesn't take in a full feed. Then he or she gets hungry in 45 minutes (or sooner!) and cries for another snack. Now you're feeding every hour or more. Yikes! The goal is to encourage newborns to fill their tummies. Their stomachs are super small so they aren't taking in a large amount of ounces, but the more they eat the longer they'll stay full. Two to three hours is the average between meals for a newborn in the first week (that equals 8-12 feeds in a 24 hour period). Nursing or bottle feeding more often than that could push you to the brink of going nuts (wink). So creating a predictable pattern of activity and events that baby experiences will help you avoid constant feeding sessions. #2- Nursing to Sleep Nursing to sleep is somewhat inevitable in the first few weeks of baby's life. My third was born at 37 weeks, and though she wasn't a preemie, she was WAY more sleepy those first few weeks than my other two. I didn't mind all the extra snuggles! And they certainly didn't derail her ability to fall into a routine after she was a few weeks old. The problem with nursing to sleep comes as the weeks go on (4th, 5th, 6th week), because the baby can become dependent on nursing to fall asleep. Instead, start laying down awake during a nap to get them used to going down without sucking on you. Pacifiers help greatly with this! The earlier you start laying them down awake, the easier it can be for them to learn to fall asleep on their own. This paves the way for easy bedtimes in the future. I talk more about pacifier use in my “Top 6 Newborn Sleep Tips" printable. It’s in my free resource library and you can get the password here: SEND ME THE SLEEP TIPS

Feed me, then let's PLAY! #3- Regularly Holding For Naps Holding a sleeping baby is a wonder. So sweet. So snuggly. But pacing the halls in the middle of the night as your baby's screams pierce your eardrums... is less glamorous. When baby can only fall asleep touching you, you're chained to their every whim. It's important they learn to lay down awake (drowsy) and fall asleep on their own. That way, nap time = you time. #4- Inconsistency With The Newborn Baby Schedule It's important to be consistent. If you hold them or wear them for all their daytime naps, then expect them to go down on their own at night, you will likely be disappointed. If you sometimes feed them to go to sleep, then other times you feed them when they wake up, baby won't be getting into any sort of rhythm. This erratic activity doesn't promote the lengthened nighttime sleep that you are hoping for! #5-  Not Giving A Routine Enough Time To See Results If you start early with a 2- 3 week old baby sleep routine, or anytime in the first few months, your baby will start to fall into a predictable pattern. But if you stop after a few days, you'll miss out on the results. You'd think it wouldn't be hard to notice your child's patterns. But when you're a sleep-deprived mom, you can only remember so much. LOL. That's why I recommend charting your baby's sleep and eating times so you can start to see patterns. You can use an app such as MammaBaby (the app I used) or use a notepad tracking book like this one. For example, you may notice they're sleepy around 10am, they eat every 90 minutes between 4pm and 7pm, and they sleep 4 plus hours from 10pm-2am. It can take a couple of weeks for you to discover your infant's extra-hungry times or where their sleep is lengthening out. #6- Caregivers Not Being On The Same Page If one parent is doing a routine and the other is feeding bottles at random, you can see how that would be a problem. Be sure to discuss your routine plans with everyone caring for baby. I know that it can be complicated if you're going back to work and someone else is watching baby, or your trading off with your partner. But do your best to communicate with everyone involved. That way you'll have the best chance for more predictable sleep patterns. #7- Letting Baby Sleep Too Long During The Day The biggest mistake I see is when parents let their newborn sleep too long during the day. If you let daytime naps go too long, your baby will be more wakeful at night. Which is exactly what you don't want. (I'll tell you how long is "too long" in my Top 6 Sleep Tips freebie below- plus, you'll get my fav swaddle trick and nursing strategy!) Keeping the daytime eating and sleeping schedule on track will help prevent those painful nights pacing the halls.

"Who Dat?" Getting to know Daddy at a restaurant in Hawaii.

Benefits Of A Newborn Baby Schedule When Traveling

When hubby first met our youngest, I had flown her to Hawaii to meet his aircraft carrier as it returned from deployment. Our newborn baby schedule was key in helping her stay on track when we got to Hawaii. When you have a baby on a gentle routine but you have to deviate from it, the baby can bounce back and adapt to changes more easily. We tried to keep her on west coast time, though we did keep her up a bit later than her normal bedtime.  Even with the disruption to her sleep schedule, she happily went with the flow. For example: She slept in the car when we crossed the island to go to a famous breakfast place.When we got there, she woke up and I fed her.Then she sat in the car seat awake and happy while we ate breakfast.After we finished, it was about time for her nap and she nodded off again. Her infant sleep routine made our special reunion so pleasant not only for us but for those around us! GET MY "TOP 6 NEWBORN SLEEP TIPS THAT YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW TO ESTABLISH AN INFANT SLEEP ROUTINE"

SEND ME THE SLEEP TIPS

The "Newborn Sleep" Series

This is the third post in my "Newborn Sleep" Series. Be sure to check out the other posts in the series and stay tuned for new additions! When Is The Best Time To Start An Infant Sleep Schedule? How To Start A 3-Week-Old Baby Sleep Routine7 Newborn Baby Schedule Mistakes To Avoid (this post) Read the full article

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The 8 Best Baby Strollers Of 2019 Tips

Stroller Reviews - Best Baby Strollers Read

It is also latch-equipped for simple setup in your cars and truck. Child Trend Expedition Jogger Travel System Secret Features: Includes rear-facing infant safety seat Accommodates kids approximately 50 pounds Latch-equipped safety seat All-terrain bicycle tires Budget choose Baby Pattern Snap N Go EX Universal Baby Safety Seat Carrier Fulfill the Baby Trend Snap N Go EX Universal Baby Safety Seat Provider, a budget friendly universal stroller for your existing safety seat Currently have a baby automobile seat? The Baby Trend Snap N Go EX Universal Infant Vehicle Seat Provider is your best bet.

It costs less than $50, so it is a really budget friendly way to buy the safe stroller you require to survive those early first months. It has a big storage basket and 2 cup holders on a moms and dad tray on the top. Its lightweight and simple to transport or fold down.

The Best Strollers Of 2019 Read This

Infant Pattern Snap N Go EX Universal Baby Safety Seat Provider Secret Features: Accommodates kids approximately 45 pounds Universal automobile seat travel system Consists of covered storage compartment 2 cup holders and a moms and dad tray Travel system Evenflo Pivot Modular Travel System For a popular and fully included travel system, choose the Evenflo Pivot Modular Travel System The Evenflo Pivot Modular Travel System is a full-size luxury safety seat and stroller combination that will grow with your child from birth to primary school.

Cybex Thailand Store

Address: Gateway Ekamai Shopping Mall 982, 22 Sukhumvit Rd, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110 Phone: $1098 875 6308 Email: info@cybexthailand.com Cybex Thailand Store

The included infant safety seat is an extremely safe alternative that has been rollover tested. It features a car seat base that remains in the cars and truck so you'll be able to rapidly install it when you need to. The safety seat is safe for use for children from 4 to 35 pounds, while the stroller can be used until your child is 50 pounds.

How To Pick The Right Stroller Read This

It has a large bassinet location where your infant can conveniently sleep while you circumnavigate. It has a 3-fold zippered canopy that supplies additional coverage from the sun. Its big below storage basket is large enough to hold your diaper bag or shopping bags. It folds easily so you can bring it with you anywhere you go.

Best Baby Strollers Read

Costzon Baby Stroller 2 in 1 Collapsible Infant Buggy Pushchair Secret Includes: Available foot cover for extra warmth Big storage basket http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/baby strollers Adjustable backrest and manage Zippered 3-fold canopy A baby stroller is one of the very first choices brand-new moms and dads make about their baby computer registries. It's a big product that nearly every parent needs.

If you're purchasing a gift for a liked one's baby shower, a baby stroller produces an extremely good present that the new parents will use every day for many months. With lots of price points offered, you can find the ideal infant stroller for your budget. Typically, grandparents or aunts love to buy a baby stroller for somebody's infant shower.

Here's what to consider when selecting an infant stroller. Trays and cup holders. A tray and cup holders can be helpful to hold a water bottle or your mobile phone when you go out on long walks. Storage. A storage basket below the stroller or a pocket on the side of it are fantastic storage alternatives that can make traveling a lot easier.

The Best Baby Strollers Of 2019 Read

Brakes. Brakes assist you protect the stroller so that it won't roll away. If it gets away from you, your child might get hurt. Brakes make it simple to guarantee that the stroller remains in one spot. 5 point harness. A harness with five connection points supplies a lot of security.

Recline. The majority of kids sleep often and are more likely to sleep when riding in a stroller. The stroller reclines or leans back so that your child can securely sleep without tipping over and getting hurt. Safety seat combination. Some safety seat have strollers that are created to connect to the vehicle seat.

Expandable. Som stroller designs are expandable by letting you connect new elements to address your requirements. In most cases, growth elements are included to accommodate another child coming into the family without needing to buy a 2nd, different stroller. Weight. The weight of a stroller figures out how hard it is to move and lift.

Wheel type. There are different kinds of wheels available including tough plastic and pneumatic tires. The size, materials, and solidity of each wheel make a distinction in how it drives. What is a baby stroller and how does it work? There are several types of strollers readily available, from joggers to umbrella strollers.

Moms' Picks: Best Strollers Info

However, newborns can not sit upright and being required to do so might compromise their airways. As a result, they need a baby stroller where they can recline while inside the stroller. When can a child sit up in a stroller? Children can stay up in a stroller when they can stay up on their own without assistance and can hold their head upright.

Nevertheless, each child is different and may reach specific milestones at a different schedule. Make certain to carefully examine readiness for any stroller based upon your child. When can you run with an infant in a stroller? Simply like with sitting up, you should wait up until your baby can hold their head up and stay up to run with a child in a stroller.

It is best to wait up until children are 6 months of age or older before trying to keep up your child in his stroller. Can any vehicle seat fit in a stroller? No. Unless the stroller is a universal vehicle seat stroller, just the automobile seat created for the stroller will fit.

Top choice Summertime Baby 3D Lite Convenience Stroller - Black See the Summer Baby 3D Lite, an extremely popular and lightweight baby stroller We took a look at 20 other baby strollers. Despite the fact that they didn't make our five finest infant strollers list, they're the finest of the rest, and each is still a fantastic alternative for your kids.

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Best Baby Strollers And Reviews

Best Baby Strollers And Reviews

You may as well purchase strollers, such as the Baby Jogger City Select that are appropriate for one baby, but then you should buy a Second Seat Kit for it later must you want it. If you are currently having your first child and think there is an efficient likelihood of a shorter age gap between your kids then this can be an important choice. There are additionally double jogging strollers which could be an excellent choice in the event you need a stroller for a couple of baby and also you also need a jogging stroller. 4. How portable does the stroller must be? Are you out and about lots? Another vital factor when choosing a stroller is how portable you want it to be, ie how big and how heavy. Some strollers sound nice and have numerous great extras, but they are often heavy and bulky and there is no point having a stroller that won’t fit within the trunk of your automobile.

PriceRating for Disney WorldReviewRentable in Orlando? 360Average for Disney World attributable to storage limitations and poor ergonomics for pushers. 448Average for Disney World. Storage, maneuverability and versatility are what makes strollers most useful at Disney World. Large sun canopy, impartial seats so one baby may be reclined and one upright, only one configuration.Medium sized basket, but low total storage for stroller size, troublesome to entry however does have two massive mesh pockets. 579Average - This stroller could also be nice for navigating the streets of Manhattan on a quick jaunt, however extra versatility and storage are needed to make it a high choose for a trip to Disney World. 1 for versatility. Accommodates singles or multiples in many configurations both facing outward or towards handle. Is not going to do aspect-by-aspect configuration. Large canopy. Incredible overall versatility. Does have snack tray accessory that may be bought.Unbeatable. Huge basket beneath the seat that may fit a diaper bag, giant purse, refreshments and outerwear that will get stripped off throughout the day.

An umbrella stroller is useful for parents who voyage usually, as the strollers don’t add bulkiness to travel gear and fold effortlessly for checking at an airport or on a station. These strollers will be kept in a automobile trunk with no much room. The perfect umbrella stroller designs can even fold up small adequately to be saved within the upper bin on an airplane. How is an umbrella stroller differentiating from a daily stroller? When considering yourself about which stroller to purchase in your child, be certain to assume in regards to the handiness and safety of an umbrella stroller. https://bigkidsstroller.com/ between these two sorts is that the umbrella stroller is comparatively extra small, convenient, and finally extra versatile to make use of. Many dad and mom personal both kinds of strollers and like to use the umbrella stroller when they're wandering or just normally have to take the stroller someplace. So, prior to you go shopping to buy, it would assist to first figure out what you will require.

Attention parents of multiple children! Not are the times of exhausting trips out of the home, having to force either your accomplice, a buddy, or a household member into going out with you and your children to have the ability to get something finished. Loading more than one stroller into your vehicle is a trouble and maneuvering a number of strollers out on the city is almost impossible by yourself. Whether you are a mum or dad of twins, siblings close in age, or one newborn and one toddler, a double stroller is a wonderful investment for parents of multiple younger children. Any experienced dad or mum will inform you, however, that you simply can’t just buy any previous double stroller. The quality of the stroller you buy will decide how clean of a ride it gives, how easily transferring your youngsters in and out of the stroller shall be, the simplicity of storage, and so far more. Before you begin to panic, wondering how you’ll ever decide on the fitting double stroller to purchase, examine ten of the best tandem double strollers for newborns and toddlers available on the market. The Chicco Cortina Together Double Stroller is great for infants or toddlers.

Though this mannequin is designed for jogging it can be used for daily needs and operating as well. This specific mannequin could be present in gray, blue and crimson coloration and in one measurement which is designed to assist youngsters regardless of the age. Although that is the case you may discover that it is not the best for youths which are previous wherever from 1-3 years of age. This is due to some youngsters complaining concerning the not most snug seat. This is due to massive angle of seat which causes ache in their legs. However, if this is the case (it happens in some cases), there may be a solution to this downside. It may well simply be solved by simply utilizing a pillow to boost a toddler a little bit within the higher place. Alternatively for younger babies and greater kids it is perfect. The Schwinn Double Baby Jogging Stroller has large top cover so the solar does not bother them, even when they're in laying place. Wheels are 16 inches vast and this causes smoother trip without bumps on holes. These strollers are secure as a lot as they are often. They have adjustable 5 level harness for every seat, a hand brake and a parking brake in addition to wrist tether. As a dad or mum you will for sure like it for its comfort. Loads of attention was put into safety and driver's satisfaction. The only downside is that seat is just a little uncomfortable, but it can be solved with the extra pillow. But aside from that, the Schwinn Double Baby Jogger Stroller is very straightforward to maneuver and offers a smooth ride.

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Observing Women In Photography

This International Women's Day, is commending ladies in wedding photography. We are so amped up for this extraordinary day for ladies. So we might want to grandstand the top ladies picture takers recorded with us-their fruitful adventure and impact on society.

From specialist to enthusiastic and proficient picture takers, every one of these ladies' voyage was with high energy. What's more, their adventure was of defeating the obstructions they had on their way. Being said that, we feel that every one of their work demonstrates feelings inside and out. They talk about unmistakable life minutes astoundingly.

1) Congratulations on being one of the top Women Photographers recorded with. Would you be able to reveal to us a little about yourself and how you began doing photography?

I have dependably been an energetic picture taker since I was a young person. I used to adore road representations, scenes, design photography and so on. Be that as it may, my genuine expert photography venture began after my girl was conceived. I was filling in as a UI creator at that point yet I was drawn more towards photography. It developed rapidly at a similar speed as my little girl was growing up. Catching her youth days influenced me to understand that I need to take this up expertly. I needed to report the delight of parenthood which I was getting a charge out of through my viewpoint, and through my innovative point of view, for different guardians.

I was 13 when I was given my first camera, at first, the enjoyment was tied in with getting it before my sibling. Be that as it may, soon I adored taking pictures and staying them up on my dividers ( which likewise implied setting aside a great deal of pocket cash). With time, life took me to various ways however along every one of these ways I had a camera convenient asked, obtained or stolen (not by any stretch of the imagination).

All I recall about a camera is that it was enrapturing. The inclination hasn't changed. Despite everything I cherish investigating, learning and catching and being the person who has "that photo" which brings back an entire sea of recollections.

Genuinely, photography was an energy that I found amid my structure considers. It turned out to be such a critical device of each articulation and experience of my reality. That life would possibly be a full circle just in the event that I pursued my enthusiasm at life and work. That devotion and love directed me towards a Masters in Art Photography and Video graphy at the University of London. With reliable work and backing, I was then ready to show my Company-Photo Alchemy Photo Video Productions.

Much obliged to You. I began my innovative voyage with photography with a dream of recording the affection and miracle of the human experience. In the wake of graduating in Media Studies, I considered photography expertly and not long after I began The Looking Glass, which later fan out to incorporate The Looking Glass – Maternity, Newborn and Kids Photography. A year ago, I chose to enjoy a reprieve from the city for some time. So now, I'm as of now voyaging everywhere throughout the world, to wherever my adventure takes me to learn.

2) What were the significant difficulties you looked toward the beginning of your vocation as the photography business has customarily supported men?

I for one never felt the weight of the business that being supportive of men picture takers around me. Or maybe being a 'children and family picture taker' I discovered mothers are progressively OK with me similar to a female and a mother photographic artist. All things considered, I generally had that individual association with my customers as I could identify with their lives.

It isn't consistent with trust that an imaginative field of photography does not carry with it the customary difficulties that ladies face in different circles of work. By conventional difficulties I mean,

a) my wellbeing: thinking about the odd timings and travel.

b) candid wedding photography opened up a universe of individuals that I was communicating with face to face. Managing them as a Team Lead and being self-assured accompanied involvement.

c) I am a mother-photography is anything but an 'arranged' employment and adjusting being a picture taker and mother is something that I am as yet finding out about.

Having said that, as a lady, I feel that there is so much I convey to the playing field that makes me need to endeavor forward and handle these issues each one in turn.

Ten years back, I entered the wedding business that to a great extent and maybe just charged men to do photograph video creations. That was a genuine test, to get myself customers being a lady. Individuals had not seen ladies holding up cameras at weddings and taking on such vigorous and physically requesting callings. It took a great deal of work to persuade customers that I can do this!

The greatest test I confronted was figuring out how to function by tenets that didn't impact me. Being the manner in which the business in Mumbai is, I thought that it was' pointless aggressive nature just as the glorification of an exhausted and vigorously come up short on condition extremely debilitating. To me, the nature of substance being delivered did not legitimize the methods being utilized to make it.

Additionally, nonexclusive specializations like Fashion and Product Photography were exaggerated and guides for whatever else was near unimportant. I would not ascribe every last bit of it to the way that it was a male-ruled industry. In any case, being a male-overwhelmed industry, it was trying to cut out space for myself where I could focus on photography dependent on my vision of it. This is what The Looking like Glass – Maternity, Newborn and Kids came to fruition.

I needed to work with genuine individuals and catch the affection and miracle of life that I couldn't generally appear to discover a great deal of in the conventional business space. I should include however, things are entirely different today and keeping in mind that I do trust there's far to go, photography as an artistic expression – a method for articulation has picked up a ton of significant worth in a city like Mumbai today. It's reviving to see a considerably more shifted accumulation of work being created.

3) What might be the best counsel you would provide for hopeful ladies picture takers?

I was constantly focussed on the fantasy I saw to turn into a picture taker who gives guardians photos as well as the most great recollections of their life which they can appreciate for eternity. I think whatever class of photography you are doing, your adoration for it is increasingly critical. Instead of getting under the weight of rivalry around you simply center around your own style of photography. Also, I am certain you will accomplish unquestionably more than what you wanted.

Picture Credits: A Click In Time

Learn constantly, continue investigating and make a style and character in your photos which shouts "YOU".

Unquestionably, it's the most superb time to enter the universe of photography. Innovation has progressed such a great amount inside ten years. From massive substantial enormous cameras, we have a lot lighter and very strong cameras which are a large portion of the size and weight. Making it such a great amount of simpler for us ladies to go with all our hardware and shoot easily!

Promoting your image is additionally such a great amount of simpler than previously and the internet based life devices are strong past creative ability! There is a probability for every last one of us to develop dynamically during circumstances such as the present!

Initially, center around acing your specialized information. The most essential thing is to be excellent at your expertise. It's at exactly that point you can explore different avenues regarding how you might want to inventively convey what needs be utilizing that expertise. Furthermore, the voyage should be a harmony between your inward and outer world. Set aside the effort to organize getting yourself – your vision, your encounters, your feelings. Eventually, your craft is a physical appearance of your inward experience. Understanding that experience can enable you to show it in an increasingly natural and fair way.

4) Photography insightful, where might you want to see yourself in 5-10 years?

Hahaaa. That is a dubious inquiry. I think 5-10yrs is too long to even think about thinking about, considering the innovation is developing quickly. Nowadays, cell phones are truly catching the market. In any case, I am secure with one thing that I will at present be accomplishing something that I cherish and appreciate doing photography and still, after all that.

I see myself instructing and coaching youthful kids. I passed up having a ladies coach, I might want to fill that hole. Likewise, I might want to instruct on the grounds that I comprehend that a camera can bring out from inside you what words can't.

The following couple of years, I envision an entire group of ladies working over the globe from Photo Alchemy shooting weddings all things considered!

Always learning and exploring different avenues regarding new structures and procedures to more readily express my cognizant experience.

5) How has Canvera added to your adventure as a picture taker?

I learned photography on a film camera alongside creating rolls and prints. So I have dependably been an enthusiast of physical prints, photo books and so forth. In the present advanced camera world, we neglect to have physical duplicates yet  made it simpler for me and my customers. Additionally, items are something which I profoundly prescribe to every one of my customers. The primary explanation for that is I for one adore their item quality and their first rate bundling.  has picture takers' index and I got leads through them a few times. It assumed a major job in my adventure.

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Observing Women In Photography

This International Women's Day, is commending ladies in photography. We are so amped up for this extraordinary day for ladies. So we might want to grandstand the top ladies picture takers recorded with us-their fruitful adventure and impact on society.

From specialist to enthusiastic and wedding photography, every one of these ladies' voyage was with high energy. What's more, their adventure was of defeating the obstructions they had on their way. Being said that, we feel that every one of their work demonstrates feelings inside and out. They talk about unmistakable life minutes astoundingly.

I have dependably been an energetic picture taker since I was a young person. I used to adore road representations, scenes, design photography and so on. Be that as it may, my genuine expert photography venture began after my girl was conceived. I was filling in as a UI creator at that point yet I was drawn more towards photography. It developed rapidly at a similar speed as my little girl was growing up. Catching her youth days influenced me to understand that I need to take this up expertly. I needed to report the delight of parenthood which I was getting a charge out of through my viewpoint, and through my innovative point of view, for different guardians.

I was 13 when I was given my first camera, at first, the enjoyment was tied in with getting it before my sibling. Be that as it may, soon I adored taking pictures and staying them up on my dividers ( which likewise implied setting aside a great deal of pocket cash). With time, life took me to various ways however along every one of these ways I had a camera convenient asked, obtained or stolen (not by any stretch of the imagination).

All I recall about a camera is that it was enrapturing. The inclination hasn't changed. Despite everything I cherish investigating, learning and catching and being the person who has "that photo" which brings back an entire sea of recollections.

Genuinely, photography was an energy that I found amid my structure considers. It turned out to be such a critical device of each articulation and experience of my reality. That life would possibly be a full circle just in the event that I pursued my enthusiasm at life and work. That devotion and love directed me towards a Masters in Art Photography and Video graphy at the University of London. With reliable work and backing, I was then ready to show my Company-PhotoAlchemy Photo Video Productions.

Much obliged to You. I began my innovative voyage with photography with a dream of recording the affection and miracle of the human experience. In the wake of graduating in Media Studies, I considered photography expertly and not long after I began The Looking Glass, which later fan out to incorporate The Looking Glass – Maternity, Newborn and Kids Photography. A year ago, I chose to enjoy a reprieve from the city for some time. So now, I'm as of now voyaging everywhere throughout the world, to wherever my adventure takes me to learn.

2) What were the significant difficulties you looked toward the beginning of your vocation as the photography business has customarily supported men?

I for one never felt the weight of the business that being supportive of men picture takers around me. Or maybe being a 'children and family picture taker' I discovered mothers are progressively OK with me similar to a female and a mother photographic artist. All things considered, I generally had that individual association with my customers as I could identify with their lives.

It isn't consistent with trust that an imaginative field of photography does not carry with it the customary difficulties that ladies face in different circles of work. By conventional difficulties I mean,

a) my well being: thinking about the odd timings and travel.

b) wedding photography opened up a universe of individuals that I was communicating with face to face. Managing them as a Team Lead and being self-assured accompanied involvement.

c) I am a mother-photography is anything but an 'arranged' employment and adjusting being a picture taker and mother is something that I am as yet finding out about.

Having said that, as a lady, I feel that there is so much I convey to the playing field that makes me need to endeavor forward and handle these issues each one in turn.

Ten years back, I entered the candid  wedding  photography that to a great extent and maybe just charged men to do photograph video creations. That was a genuine test, to get myself customers being a lady. Individuals had not seen ladies holding up cameras at weddings and taking on such vigorous and physically requesting callings. It took a great deal of work to persuade customers that I can do this!

The greatest test I confronted was figuring out how to function by tenets that didn't impact me. Being the manner in which the business in Mumbai is, I thought that it was' pointless aggressive nature just as the glorification of an exhausted and vigorously come up short on condition extremely debilitating. To me, the nature of substance being delivered did not legitimize the methods being utilized to make it.

Additionally, nonexclusive specializations like Fashion and Product Photography were exaggerated and guides for whatever else was near unimportant. I would not ascribe every last bit of it to the way that it was a male-ruled industry. In any case, being a male-overwhelmed industry, it was trying to cut out space for myself where I could focus on photography dependent on my vision of it. This is what The Looking like Glass – Maternity, Newborn and Kids came to fruition.

I needed to work with genuine individuals and catch the affection and miracle of life that I couldn't generally appear to discover a great deal of in the conventional business space. I should include however, things are entirely different today and keeping in mind that I do trust there's far to go, photography as an artistic expression – a method for articulation has picked up a ton of significant worth in a city like Mumbai today. It's reviving to see a considerably more shifted accumulation of work being created.

3) What might be the best counsel you would provide for hopeful ladies picture takers?

I was constantly focussed on the fantasy I saw to turn into a picture taker who gives guardians photos as well as the most great recollections of their life which they can appreciate for eternity. I think whatever class of photography you are doing, your adoration for it is increasingly critical. Instead of getting under the weight of rivalry around you simply center around your own style of photography. Also, I am certain you will accomplish unquestionably more than what you wanted.

Unquestionably, it's the most superb time to enter the universe of photography. Innovation has progressed such a great amount inside ten years. From massive substantial enormous cameras, we have a lot lighter and very strong cameras which are a large portion of the size and weight. Making it such a great amount of simpler for us ladies to go with all our hardware and shoot easily!

Promoting your image is additionally such a great amount of simpler than previously and the internet based life devices are strong past creative ability! There is a probability for every last one of us to develop dynamically during circumstances such as the present!

Initially, center around acing your specialized information. The most essential thing is to be excellent at your expertise. It's at exactly that point you can explore different avenues regarding how you might want to inventively convey what needs be utilizing that expertise. Furthermore, the voyage should be a harmony between your inward and outer world. Set aside the effort to organize getting yourself – your vision, your encounters, your feelings. Eventually, your craft is a physical appearance of your inward experience. Understanding that experience can enable you to show it in an increasingly natural and fair way.

4) Photography insightful, where might you want to see yourself in 5-10 years?

Hahaaa. That is a dubious inquiry. I think 5-10yrs is too long to even think about thinking about, considering the innovation is developing quickly. Nowadays, cell phones are truly catching the market. In any case, I am secure with one thing that I will at present be accomplishing something that I cherish and appreciate doing photography and still, after all that.

I see myself instructing and coaching youthful kids. I passed up having a ladies coach, I might want to fill that hole. Likewise, I might want to instruct on the grounds that I comprehend that a camera can bring out from inside you what words can't.

The following couple of years, I envision an entire group of ladies working over the globe from Photo Alchemy shooting weddings all things considered!Always learning and exploring different avenues regarding new structures and procedures to more readily express my cognizant experience.

5) How has  added to your adventure as a picture taker?

I learned photography on a film camera alongside creating rolls and prints. So I have dependably been an enthusiast of physical prints, photo books and so forth. In the present advanced camera world, we neglect to have physical duplicates yet made it simpler for me and my customers. Additionally, items are something which I profoundly prescribe to every one of my customers. The primary explanation for that is I for one adore their item quality and their first rate bundling.picture takers' index and I got leads through them a few times. It assumed a major job in my adventure.

[rhellsuckssticks]

Long Nights

Something super self-indulgent that would’ve died in my notebook if I didn’t have trash friends who encouraged this. (Thanks Kay) But yes, enjoy a super self-indulgent AU that isn’t canon but I still like. Also introduction to Leigh.

Three nights of no sleep, and Stix could feel an exhausted pain start to emanate from his chest. Three days, it was only three days but it felt like eons as he rested his head against his crossed arms, stooped over the edge of the bassinet like if he watched for long enough something would get better. Everyone kept saying it was only a fever, but the comforting words of others weren't usually enough to sway the ex-Stormtrooper; especially when such words were coming from people like Caez, or even Vinn. It wasn't that he didn't trust them - well, he didn't trust Caez, and wasn't planning on it anytime soon - but Vinn was a hybrid and that changed his experiences. And Caez... Well, needless to say Stix wouldn't trust them with an ice-cream cone, let alone with knowing what was best for his kid.

Tired gaze still lingering on the small bundle secured safely in her bassinet, Stix exhaled deeply and brought a hand down into the nest, calloused fingers tenderly nudging the baby's delicate little hand until she instinctively gripped his pointer finger, her eyes fluttering for a moment before she drifted back to sleep. Even when sleeping, even when sick and running a fever his kid never failed to disappoint him with the small, sweet things she did. Maybe she could sense her parent's anxiousness, maybe she was just a sweet little child - he never knew, and Rhell wasn't sure if Leigh was force sensitive yet - but either way Stix was acutely aware that children, babies especially, weren't as busy as Leigh seemed to be all the time.

When not sick and sleeping she was constantly touching, constantly patting things with her little hands and marvelling at everything with big, dark chocolate eyes. They were his eyes that always gazed up at him, and while he sort of wished that she had taken after Rhell - her eyes always seeming more expressive, more like a shock of sweet honey brown as opposed to his dark, almost pitch gaze - he couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch when he overheard the Inquisitor crooning at the infant, praising how beautiful and perfect their kid was, her even going so far as to hum sweet praises about how 'Leigh, sugar, you have such lovely dark eyes like Papa.' when Rhell thought Stix was too busy to listen in on her.

Rhell was... He knew she was too prideful to admit anything out loud just casually, but the fact that all barriers - all the armour she wore around her heart like a shield, like she needed to protect herself from being hurt all over again, like she was afraid that her hiding behind her walls would be the safer bet in the long run - seemed to melt away to nothing while she hummed and fawned over their kid had Stix at least relieved. Relieved that she wanted to be more open than her parents ever were, even if it was a challenge to get there. But he wasn't about to let her slip into the feeling that she needed to be her parents. Not when-

"... Do you want to move the bassinet into our room for the night?" A familiar and calm voice asked, Stix blinking and jolting as he realized he was starting to doze off, turning around on his stool and looking over at his partner as Rhell leaned in the doorway, her looking just as tired as Stix while repeating herself, "Well? We can move it and not wake her up if both of us take an end and be careful. If it makes you feel better we can even put it on your side of the-" Only to go silent as Stix bolted from his seat, his stool clattering loudly and making him spin and fumble for it so it didn't fall to the ground and make even more noise as Rhell covered her mouth to stifle laughter.

Snorting and rolling her eyes, the Inquisitor tiptoed into the nursery as Stix's face went bright red, her leaning up and kissing his nose gently before stepping back and making her way to the other end of the bassinet, her gripping the edges and waiting for Stix as he padded towards the other end, him picking up the head of the small crib and them both nodding at each other before very carefully lifting the nest. Rhell backing up out of the nursery with ease, they both kept silent as they made their way down the hall, Rhell proving the mundane usefulness of her own Froce Sensitivity as she made a shadow of herself put in the code for their own room.

Door opening with a familiar metallic pshhhhh, The Inquisitor continued to back up into the room until they got to Stix's side of the bed, both of them setting down the bassinet and peeking down at its contents - Leigh still being asleep, her little hands flexing and grasping at nothing while she dreamed - before quietly climbing into their bed, Stix huffing and taking off his shirt before laying down on his back, him glancing over at the crib before resting his wrist against the edge, hand dipped into the infant nest to ease his own worried mind as Rhell crawled up on his other side and laid down against his chest, Stix looking down at his partner as she whispered, "... Things will be fine, Trooperman. Kids get sick, you can't control everything that happens." Before leaning up slightly and pressing her mouth against his.

Despite everything, Rhell was still Rhell. She tasted like Rhell, she felt like Rhell. Her hair was shorter and she at times looked more tired than she ever used to, but she still... She still looked like Rhell. And the way she laid back against him, the way her body fit the shape of his side - how her leg always hooked over his thigh and hand rested against his chest so she could feel his heart beating beneath her fingertips - was just as familiar as anything else. It felt assuring, almost comforting by this point how Rhell just fit with Stix like it was habit, both acting codependent at times without realizing it and the both of them only getting worse as Leigh came along.

Exhaling deeply and closing his eyes as he relaxed, Stix felt too-tight muscles unwind throughout his body as he let his brain drift away while he remembered how unsure and - dare he admit - fearful he felt when being informed he was going to be a parent. Things being static - the same every time, a routine he could follow and expect the same from day to day - was what felt most natural, and now that was out the window as a .3% accident occurred. They both didn't skirt around it, Leigh was an absolute accident, but once it was said and done and Stix was asked if he wanted to hold his baby for the first time, he just nodded dumbly and opened his arms to the small bundle. Right then and there, while looking down at the squalling newborn who had barely been in the world for ten minutes, it dawned that things changing could be okay. Not everything was a life or death struggle, and not everything changed. Rhell? Unchanging. At least, in all the aspects that Stix liked best, she was unchanging.

Dozing off while thinking to himself, the gentle tug of something against his fingers had Stix grunting and wrinkling his nose unhappily as he was woken up a few hours later, the ex-Stormtrooper exhaling tiredly and blinking away sleep for a moment before realizing what was tugging at his fingers, Stix sitting up and Rhell whining as her source of heat moved away, him kicking his legs over the edge of the bed and looking down into the bassinet as eyes dark like coffee - his eyes - gazed up at him while small hands pulled on his digits in a demand for attention.

Leaning over and lifting the small baby out of her nest, Stix let relief wash over him as Leigh's fever seemed gone, her eyes bright and interested as she made grabby hands towards his face before looking over at Rhell and making grabby hands towards her instead. Huffing and rolling his eyes while Rhell sat up tiredly, the ex-Trooper muttered sardonically, "Yeah, you're definitely mine. Always choosing to go to where the food is before anything else." Before handing the infant off to Rhell as she unbuttoned the top of her nightdress and laughed at her husband.

Adjusting the infant in her arms and letting Leigh latch comfortably, Rhell snorted and gave Stix her usual shit-eating grin as she teased, "Yeah, sure, I bet you're real jealous of me. Sooooo jealous that I have to drop everything because someone created a perpetually hungry kid. Fuck, I'd like to see how happy you would be if you were the favourite just because you were the food source." She remarked with a laugh, Stix rolling his eyes and flopping back on the mattress as he pushed his hair from his face, Rhell still laughing until he turned over to face her and gave her a crooked look.

"... So you're admitting that you wouldn't be the favourite if you weren't the food maker? I'm shocked, considering you defended otherwise yesterday." He taunted back, Rhell sticking her tongue out at him in a juvenile way before turning her nose up and scooting away from her partner, Stix scowling at her before sitting up again and flopping his head against her open lap, demanding attention wordlessly while drawling out, "Oh don't be like that. You looooooooooooove me, remember? And now you're double-stuck with me for all eternity." He commented, snorting and lifting his hand to point at the thin silver band on his finger as Rhell chuffed and rolled her eyes derisively, fighting back a smile while muttering.

"Figures. I choose someone who thinks he's funny now that he's a dad."

[meapistrash]

Beautiful Nightmare - SS Fanfiction

[john2983miller-blog]

Newborn Photography - Tips for Obtaining Great Newborn Pictures

Newborn Photography - Tips for Obtaining Great Newborn Pictures

 Your kid is a brand new infant for an unbelievably short time, as well as what better way to aid you remember it than via magnificently crafted photographs. There are a few points you can do to assist your photographer capture invaluable photos of your baby.

You can record the best pictures of your new kid on the block throughout the very first two weeks of life. Some newborn photographers Wasilla have an "available" system. You let the photographer recognize when your due day is and also they anticipate a telephone call from you at some time within a week of your due day. Establishing a session within the initial two weeks is just one of the very best means you can assist your photographer obtain amazing pictures of your little baby.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Susan+Wetlesen+Photography/@61.5703467,-149.3308314,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xd545bb1239788742!8m2!3d61.5703467!4d-149.3308314

 Numerous newborn photographers like to take pictures of infant in his/her birthday suit or a straightforward diaper. This will certainly bring all the interest to your stunning youngster's face as well as tiny details, like baby toes, little fingers, as well as wrinkly back. These are all points you are going to want to bear in mind which will certainly be gone all too rapid.

susanwetlesenphotography.com

 Newborn pictures really can't be complete without getting at least a couple of with mother and father. You'll want to keep in mind just how little your kid was when he or she was first birthed. Seeing infant in your arms places the size of your child in perspective. Many professional photographers would recommend you wear black long sleeve tops or crisp white shirts (or tees) as well as dark bottoms. It is additionally commonly advised that you bring an adjustment of clothes in case infant spits up or has a mishap.

Make certain to feed your little dear before involving your session also. Child will be much more material with a full belly as well as more probable to snooze and also snuggle through your session. All newborn photographers Wasilla expect at the very least a pair feeding breaks during the newborn session - so you ought to as well. Several sessions last between 3 and five hrs to make sure child is presented just so which he or she remains out cold.

Finally if you have anything unique to your child, like a hand-made patchwork from grandma or a soft pillow or covering, do not hesitate to bring it to the session. Many professional photographers are more than delighted to operate in these little touches that will make your new baby's pictures all the more one-of-a-kind and special.

By keeping these simple things in mind, you make certain to go into your newborn session totally planned for what to anticipate. Just bear in mind to maintain points easy with your clothes as well as infant's and that a full stomach equates to a happy child. And also with a satisfied infant you make sure to obtain pictures that will remind you of this unique time in your kid's life for years ahead.

 A new member enters your family with the feeling of parties as well as smiles on every face. Then you realise that it is very important to record these unique memories which are not going to last for many days as the kid will ultimately mature someday. The tiny soft hands, the mini legs, the innocent yawning and untimely smiles are simply below for couple of months. After that it becomes a severe wish to capture them in a structure for life. Here comes the genuine job of the newborn photographer that is committed to make your weddings remarkable by clicking them.

Newborn photography is a work which needs the photographer to be one of the most patient in nature. It is well comprehended that a photographer can not make the newborn give smiles and also poses as per the need. Rather here the newborn is the leader as well as maker of guidelines and also the newborn simply needs to follow. The newborn are one of the most moody without appropriate timings of their activities. The prime trouble which is encountered by the newborn photographer is that there are no fixed timings of when the child will sleep or awake, cry or smile included with the precision with which the infant is to be taken care of.

With the soft hands, the newborn photographer requires to handle the infant under the assistance of the mom. You will marvel as well as happy to see when the newborn photographer Eagle River will take the utmost treatment while clicking the pictures as they are professionally educated for doing all this things. Newborn photography does not imply clicking the child just. It includes a lot a lot more things under its umbrella varying from the wardrobe of the infant to the cot and also other adorable product. If you have an unique different room for the newborn or any other unique setups to invite the child in the house, that also can be recorded.

Newborn photographers also take care of the special requirements of the child like they never disturb the natural routine of the infants. Long working hours and odd timings of work are no worry for the newborn professional photographers. So with no hesitation you can make the strategies with the digital photographers based on the comfortable timings. Infants do not have many props so the aspect of selection requires to be included through their expressions, amusing postures and also different moods of the infants. The vibrant bed sheets, nappies, danglings, rattles, feeders as well as baby bags requires to be there for excellent party of newborn photography.

 There are minutes you actually can't manage to lose out on as a family. The pictures serve as very good memories for such minutes and if you are looking for the best high quality of photos for your family picture album, after that you additionally require to buy a good family photographer Eagle River. A few of the priceless family moments you can catch in photos include pregnancy, interaction, school and also baby related photos. You will certainly just like it when you sought to have a chronological presentation of an event like that of your youngster given that maternity days all the way to the senior institution college graduation ceremony.

There are a lot of seasoned digital photographers, but when taking family images, you wish to count on a specialist that has what it takes to provide you the best. There are points that you should analyze when making your selection if in any way you are to end up in the arms of an excellent and also dependable family photographer. Here are a few inquiries that can assist you pick a great photographer to manage your family image demands?

Are they good with children? Remember that kids can be quite a handful, particularly when you desire them to be in a particular setting. A good family photographer requires to be patient with children and should recognize just how to ideal address them so they are able to record the best images despite kids who can rarely stand or being in one placement. Think about the experience they have in the family kind of setup, after that welcome them over to see just how they relate to your kids.

Just how versatile is the photographer? One of the most priceless photos are those taken on area as well as not always at the workshop. As an example, if you are going for maternal photography, you will intend to have a photographer that can pertain to your residence to record the pictures in the most ideal scenarios. The very same goes for elderly institution pictures that are best positioned right at the institution or vacation pictures at the beach and others. Select a family photographer who is flexible enough to come to where you want the photos taken or one who can easily follow your occasions to get the most effective photos as per your requirements.

What photography style does your photographer use? When it involves photography, there are many designs and also you ought to choose in regard to the results you desire to have. It is likewise important to remember that photographer specialized can matter. To obtain the best family photos, choose a photographer who has some specialized in family photos and also one who can combine the best styles so you have special beautiful images at the end of the shoot. Talk about any kind of unique requests you might have as well as figure out whether the photographer will certainly remain in a placement to bring you the desired results. If you need to be entirely sure, after that ask to see a portfolio featuring various styles of photography they have done prior to.

 A family photographer has exerted initiatives to take beautiful and ageless photos. Professional digital photographers take photography as their profession and suggests of living while an amateur photographer take pictures for enjoyable and as a leisure activity. Either way, recording minutes through your video camera is a really meeting task and also pastime.

What a specialist photographer can do for your family is priceless, as well as being a profound gesture to aid you keep memories to life in the coming years. Their commitment as well as expertise is the outcome of years of experience and also absolutely reveals their love for this career.

The majority of households hire a photographer to take their family pictures at certain areas or on details occasions. This is usually done when every member of the family is present such as at get-togethers, weddings, wedding anniversaries, Xmas and also various other unique occasions. An unusual get together is worth a thousand photos and also something to keep these experiences alive is to have the memory of them tape-recorded with photos.

How can a family photographer help you keep memories?

Memories printed - Each and every single image taken of you as well as your family can be published. Publishing your photos will allow you to produce a family album. These family cds will certainly remain your remembrance of that attractive day when every person existed to share the enjoyable and also exhilaration of the event.

Testimony of family history - A specialist photographer will usually specialise in family pictures. They can integrate each member of the family at numerous ages and also include these pictures to a single picture that catches an ageless as well as present experience. These photographers understand exactly how to set up a good picture for infants, toddlers, teenagers as well as grownups. With their skill, you can have the very best experience in family picture sessions.

The bond in between you and the photographer - An expert photographer carries the air of informality and casualty. They usually interact with member of the family to obtain their confidence and also trust fund as well as attempt to make photos as informal, yet specialist, as feasible. A kicked back bonding can generate excellent family photos.

They aid you create memories - The minute of happiness in every picture taken is not the only point that matters, but exactly how the photographer provided the image. The angles and also expressions that were recorded will certainly be valuable to you in the years to find as you look back over them and relive the fond memories.

When hiring a photographer, pick the one that makes you feel the most comfy. If you are not comfy, it will certainly show in the top quality of the picture that is taken. If you do not want to take the session inside a workshop, and would favor a much more natural and also loosened up setup, ask the photographer if they are flexible concerning the place. There are numerous fantastic family shots that are taken outdoors where families remain in natural postures, chuckling and also engaging with each other. These really make several of the very best images and will certainly be the ones that you cherish the most.

[lotsofdogs]

7 Month Postpartum Update: Life with Two Kids

Life with a 7-month-old and a 3-and-a-half year old is wild! I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about my experience adjusting to life with one baby versus baby #2 because I don’t think I anticipated life to feel quite this chaotic and full. I figured that as a second-time mom, I’d have this whole motherhood thing down, but it still kicks my butt regularly and I’m slowly learning to let go of certain things like pretty much any downtime, a completely clean house, the ability to crank out a ton of work every day, etc.

While I’m learning to let go of a lot of things, I feel like I’m gaining a heck of a lot more. Day in and day out, nothing makes me happier than being with my boys and I truly do love this phase of life even if it feels totally insane. Being a mother to Chase and Ryder is my absolute favorite thing in the whole world and my boys make my heart ache with love. It’s a consuming, vulnerable, pure, overwhelming and intense kind of love and I think I’d use those exact same words to explain how I feel about motherhood in general. It’s intense, vulnerable, pure, overwhelming and completely consuming.

So how are things with two kids in the mix? Great. And also crazy. Some days I feel like I’m killin’ the whole motherhood game and other days I look down at my sweatshirt covered in smears of who knows what (likely baby food, breast milk and boogers) and find myself coaching my three-year-old on the tone he’s allowed to use when he says the word “Mom” because if he whines the word “Moooooom” one more time, so help me…

But let’s back up a bit.

In the beginning, if I’m addressing caring for a newborn only, I’d say things felt much easier the second time around. Mothering a newborn didn’t feel nearly as stressful or as challenging. There’s so much to figure out when you’re a first-time mom and there’s also a TON of information coming your way so it can feel really overwhelming. Thankfully this time I didn’t read much about life with a newborn and I trusted myself to be the best mom I could be to Ryder. I also had first-hand knowledge to lean on that helped me remember that the really, really hard phases with a baby are fleeting (even if they don’t feel that way in the moment) and that has undoubtedly made it easier to deal with exhaustion, sleepless nights, figuring out routines, etc.

This time around, Ryan and I also knew to expect the first six months to be a blur. I read a lot about the first six weeks feeling challenging after I had Chase and remember wondering why I was still trying to wrap my head around everything and struggling to do much six months after we had our first child. Knowing that it took me a solid six months to find my groove after Chase was born helped make my expectations more realistic this time around. Now that I’m just over seven months postpartum, I can say that, once again, it took me at least six months to find my groove but, on many days, I feel like I’m still looking for it.

As I write the above, I don’t want anyone to think that less struggles with a newborn means that the transition to two kids has been easy. In fact, for me, I’d say it’s been a harder adjustment than life with one child simply because it’s impossible to accomplish pretty much anything and there’s just no break… ever. To be perfectly honest, it can be really, really draining. With one child, when a baby sleeps, there are breathers in the day even if they feel short and even if you jam-pack them with household to-dos, but with two kids in the mix, it feels like one kid always needs something and “breaks” (even if a “break” means time to do laundry) feel non-existent. From the time my boys are up until the time they’re asleep, it can feel like I’m in overdrive.

I am sure this feeling is exacerbated by the fact that I’m also trying to juggle working from home while mothering two boys. I know I am so incredibly lucky to be able to call my blog my job and there isn’t one day that goes by that I don’t feel grateful for this space and your readership and the fact that it gives me incredible flexibility. I value this blog and love sitting down at my computer and writing and sharing with all of you. The challenge in this phase of my life is finding the time. The only way I’m guaranteed to get any work done is by setting my alarm and waking up at 5 a.m. to crank out work before the boys are up and then I cross my fingers for a good morning nap for Ryder so I can get another hour (two if I’m lucky) of work done while Chase is at preschool before I pick Chase up again around lunchtime. And if the boys’ afternoon naps happen to overlap, it’s incredible and I try to get as much done while they sleep as possible.

After writing all of this, I have a feeling a bunch of you are wondering why I don’t look into childcare to help open up more windows for work and while it’s something I’ve thought about extensively, my heart doesn’t want to go that route right now. It wants to be with my kids and it wants to be in the middle of the chaos, even if that means some things need to fall to the wayside and I have to cut back on the time I can pour into this space and say no to certain opportunities. Right now I’m okay with that. If things ever change and I find myself feeling differently, we’ll absolutely go that route. I also think that perhaps when I’m done nursing, I’ll feel more ready to explore childcare options. I have the same lipase issue I had last time with my breast milk which makes it hard for me to pump and freeze milk ahead of time and Ryder isn’t great with a bottle so I just feel stressed about leaving him for too long which admittedly also contributes to my lack of desire to seek childcare help. Right now I’m actually more interested in outsourcing help for the blog since it seems like every full-time blogger out there has a team of people supporting them and I am a one-woman show. I could definitely use help with social media (Pinterest scheduling, sharing old posts on Facebook, etc.) and photography since neither are my passion and all of the social media stuff is incredibly time consuming. All I really want is more time to write and share with you guys in this space so if I can find help to take away some of the tasks that pull me away from writing, I’d love to do so in the future. If this is where any of you shine, please let me know! I’d love to chat!

Letting Go of Perfection and Comparison Trap Struggles

I know this is a bizarre thing to comment on, but becoming a mother of two has made me less tolerant of social media and the curated image of perfection. Of course people are going to share beautiful photos of their kids and family time together (I totally do, too!), but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’ve found myself unfollowing more and more accounts that seem to curate “mom life” with photos of houses that are squeaky-clean, dogs that somehow don’t shed or drool, children who have their hair brushed and never make a mess, families that somehow go on vacation after vacation together, etc. It’s not realistic and not how my real-life friends and I are and yet I was finding myself comparing my life to this non-reality time and time again. Why isn’t my kitchen always glistening and spotless? Should I be taking the time to put on a full face of makeup and curl my hair every day? How are these women seemingly at home with their kids all day but also flawlessly running their own businesses?

Once I realized what was happening in my mind, I began unfollowing “perfect” accounts and started spending less and less time on Instagram and social media in general. It’s been really good for me and the dreaded comparison trap and I’m almost a little annoyed at myself that I let it get into my brain as much as I did! Also, I should say I don’t fault these accounts for what they’re sharing on social media at all! Many of them have hundreds of thousands of followers and clearly inspire many and run incredible and admirable businesses but, for me, following certain accounts was beginning to cause me to fall into the comparison trap too many times and I needed to make a change.

Cleaning + Household Upkeep

While we’re on the topic of living not-so-perfect lives, one thing that surprises me is how much the cleanliness of our house can overwhelm me on a day-to-day basis now that we have two children. How do you guys keep your houses clean with kids in the mix? No, really, HOW!? I want specifics!

Something about adding another child into the mix has made it a lot harder to keep on top of cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, etc. For me, nap time is work time so any cleaning we do is usually little bits of tidying throughout the day when the boys are with me (sooo you can guess how efficient that is…) and then a quick end-of-the-day clean.

Committing to a 10-minute clean every night after the boys are in bed helps me wake up in the morning to a clean kitchen and a house that looks at least somewhat organized before the chaos begins again, however, throughout the day, I cannot help but look around and see all the housework that still needs to be done. If any of you out there have established some kind of a cleaning system/schedule that works for you and your family, please let me know because we need to figure something out!

Physical Changes and Post Baby Body

On the physical side of things, I haven’t really been focusing too much on “getting my body back” because, honestly, my mind has just been so wrapped up in motherhood and figuring out life on a day-to-day basis. I remember feeling the same way after Chase was born and don’t remember focusing on my body until I was 6 months postpartum. I’m just now beginning to want to put a little more time and energy into focusing on eating better and while I don’t plan to go on any kind of a diet, increasing my protein intake (rather than just eating fats and carbs all day) and focusing on meal prep helped me fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes last time, so that’s my plan this time around, too. (This blog post talks more specifically about my postpartum weight loss journey after I had Chase in case you are interested.) It’s so easy for me to totally neglect protein and vegetables in my diet since fats and carbs are the easy foods to grab and snack on all day so taking time to prep food for myself on Sundays is important for me. It took me 9 months to return to my pre-pregnancy weight after Chase was born and I have a feeling things may take a little longer this time around.

If you want the total truth, I had a moment last week when I was at the gym and looked in the full-length mirror and just felt down. I am currently about 7-10 pounds up from my pre-baby weight and still very soft all over. My middle feels much thicker after Ryder, my love handles spill out over the sides of any pants that aren’t high-waisted, cellulite is BFFs with the back of my legs and booty and sometimes it feels like a struggle to find clothes that fit well other than athleisure and cozy sweaters. This is not something I think about daily and while I truly am content with my body as it is, I would like to see some tone return and some weight loss occur. Right now it seems like the internet is insisting that you must love every part of yourself to be “body positive” and oh my gosh do I love my body for what it helped me bring into this world, but I also think it’s okay for me to want to feel more comfortable in my skin, especially if the way I hope to achieve my goals allows for plenty of time and grace.

While I have zero plans to follow a specific diet, eliminate certain food groups or track my food intake every day, my current plan is to try to pay better attention to the food I am eating and focus on balanced meals and snacks that include lots of vegetables, quality sources of protein, healthy carbs and fat. I’m also really hoping this will help with my energy levels as well since I’m no stranger to the afternoon crash at the moment! Sugar is still my BFF around here so taming my sweet tooth is another goal. If you are also a sugar monster and have any tips on getting that under control, I’m all ears because right now I’ve been eating my fair share of sweet treats every single day.

Fitness

On the fitness front, I have been working out regularly for a few months now (usually 4-5 times a week) and love the way my workouts make me feel strong and centered. I feel strength slowly returning and it feels great! The 30-45 minutes I spend at the gym or Burn Boot Camp are often the only 30-45 minutes I have in a day where I’m doing something 100 percent for myself, so it’s something I feel committed to and something that makes me feel like a better mom throughout the day as well. I swear regular exercise does more for me mentally than it does physically!

I feel like this time around I was a lot smarter about my postpartum recovery in terms of when I chose to incorporate certain exercises back into my routine than I was after Chase was born. (Looking back, I think I resumed jumping and plyometric exercises WAY too soon after I had Chase and that was definitely not good for my pelvic floor.) Once I began working out again, I pretty much avoided traditional core exercises and plyometric exercises for months to give my body and my pelvic floor time to heal. Now things are beginning to feel a lot more normal and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in the gym. I don’t have to modify nearly as many exercises these days which feels great!

As far as fitness-related goals, in the coming weeks and months, I’d like to focus on building back some of the strength I’ve lost and be able to do more push ups and pull ups at the gym. Reaching for heavier weights and challenging my muscles is oddly fun to me, so I’m looking forward to slowly beginning to push my body again.

Aaand that’s my ridiculously long-winded postpartum update! I warned you guys it was going to be a long one and hope I addressed the areas of interest to all of you but, if not, please let me know! I talked more in depth about all things related to sleep and nursing in Ryder’s 7 month update, so if you’re looking for how things are going on that end, definitely check out that post. As always, thanks so much for following along and for all of your support during such a transitional time in my life. I appreciate it so much!

Past Postpartum/Baby #2 Posts

The Great Big Postpartum Post

Postpartum Q&A: Part One & Part Two

Newborn Baby Must Haves: Favorites for Baby #2

Sleep Training After the 4 Month Sleep Regression

Beginning Solids with Baby

Ryder: 7 Months Old

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