Saturday, August 30, 2014

Happy THIRD Birthday, Gianna!!

Wow. I cannot believe my baby is THREE YEARS OLD now!! THREE!! Where has time gone? 

From my teeny tiny 5 pound 7 ounce, 18.5 inch long, badly jaundiced newborn:


To my chunky 21 pound 4 ounce, 27 inch long one year old


To my independent 27 pound, 33.5 inches tall two year old:



And now my (unofficially) 31 pound 8 ounce, 35 inches tall three year old:


She has come a longggggg way. She can count to 10 (and sometimes higher) with assistance. She knows her ABC's and loves to sing them with her BFF Anna. She loves the Frozen movie, and we spent quite some time watching it 5 times a day! We are currently down to once every week, if that. She loves to color with crayons and markers. She is fully potty trained during the day (has been since 18 months old), and we are currently night training her. She will be starting her first year at Head Start this September! We are very excited!! Oh, she also has mastered the scissors quite effectively. See??

I woke up to ^^that^^ right next to me in my bed. And the following on the floor:


This is our end result. Those little ringlets you see on floor in the previous pic came from each side, and those long locks I woke up next to are from the front. She has a baby mullet. 

I seriously spent 20 minutes crying over it Thursday morning. I was sick to my stomach over it. I put the scissors away, and even covered them, just in case. Gianna is more determined than my other 2 combined. She knew I was unhappy and didn't make a sound while I bathed her after discovering her new hairstyle. She didn't whine when it was time to come out. She didn't cry, but she didn't smile either. I genuinely think she understood I was upset. We did get it fixed today, so it looks better. Of course, there is nothing we can do about the mullet in the front, because it's so incredibly short, but at least the rest of her hair is even with the sides. 

Gianna definitely gives us a run for our money, and keeps us on our toes, but we wouldn't change it for a bit. She is healthy, happy, and brings us great joy. She is finally sleeping through the night (in her own bed even!) and she has weaned a little over a month ago. Roughly the same time she started sleeping through the night! Oh, and she is still rear facing in the car with no plans to turn around any time soon. Yay ERF! It has been an awesome 36 months thus far. I can't wait to see what the next hold for us! Though, I could do without the scissors. I don't think her clothes appreciate it much, either.


Happy Birthday, Captain Destructo! We love you so much!!

Monday, August 18, 2014

Munchables Chewable Jewelry **REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!!**

I received this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are 100% my own.

As a mother to a kiddo with Sensory Processing Disorder, I know how important it is to have things on hand that my child can chew on. Preferably, something other than his fingers and clothing. AJ will chew on his fingers until they bleed, and he puts holes in his clothes. Neither of those are things I want him to do. Clothing isn't cheap, and as for his fingers? It hurts! Enter Munchables.

Munchables is a WAHM company, located in Canada. This mom set out to provide affordable teething jewelry for moms, that is aesthetically pleasing. But, she not only offers necklaces for mom. She also offers pacifier clips, bracelets, and even children's jewelry. We received a necklace for my son for review purposes.

I messaged Munchables, and soon Laura and I were in discussion for the perfect necklace for AJ. I told her what colors he liked, and she came up with this beauty.


These beads are food-based silicone, dishwasher safe, BPA free, and exceed safety standards. The clasp is designed to snap open in an instant so as to avoid choking risks. The beads can certainly take a lot of chewing, and hold up fabulously. As soon as it came in the mail, it was in AJ's mouth. And there it stayed for the majority of the day. While was chewing, he said it was a weird, but pleasant feeling. It didn't hurt his teeth, like chewing on his shirts sometimes did. He wasn't harming himself, like he did while chewing his fingers. I didn't have to worry about germs getting into his mouth, like I do when he gnaws on other items. Because this necklace doesn't touch the floor, it stays relatively clean. Since I don't own a dishwasher, I hand wash it every so often. Just a quick wipe down with a soapy hand gets the job done.


There are a TON of different beads to chose from, styles, lengths, designs, etc! The possibilities are ENDLESS!! The best part of this company, in my opinion, is the excellent customer service. Laura is so kind and easy going! I am VERY indecisive, and couldn't decide on how I wanted his necklace to look. As I said above, all I did was tell her the colors he liked, and she put together his necklace. It may be simple, but it's perfect for my boy. A big bonus is that they replace the clasp for FREE for the first year of ownership! AJ has a habit of chewing the clasp, and I have to remind him often that it's not made for chewing, but so far we have no issues with it opening and closing.

Added these pics 8.18 as I failed to do so earlier. As you can see, only the clasp has any signs of wear and tear after being heavily chewed on for over a month.



If you have a teething baby, or a child with SPD, please consider Munchables!! You won't be disappointed! One lucky reader will win a Munchables item of THEIR choice! All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter form below! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Pout Pout Fish book FLASH GIVEAWAY!!

This review and giveaway is hosted by A Fulfilled Mommy. All opinions are her own. However, I don't promote what I don't agree with. Please check it out and enter to win!


Disclaimer: I received these books for free for review purposes only.







Our family has had the chance to read a lot of great books this last month. Here are the titles that made the top of our list.





The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School



The Pout-Pout Fish is a cute little character who helps children ease into going back to school. Written by Deborah Diesen, children can follow Mr. Fish through anxieties most children face when starting school. Writing their name, learning their shapes, and learning how to count...however will they learn it all?! 

At the bottom of this post, you'll find a Giveaway Tools form for a chance to win a copy of The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School


Sunne's Gift


Sunne's Gift follows a young girl who becomes a victim of bullying because of her difference in appearance. Although this book features an ethnic theme, children from all walks of life can relate to this book as bullying is unfortunately so common these days. Children can learn about loving themselves in this wonderful story. Learn more about Sunne's Gift.


Baby's First Block Books


If you have an infant, these books are really cool! These books are shaped like blocks and feature contrasting colors that are great for an baby's developing eyesight. It also helps them learn to focus. I wish I would've had these when all of my kids were super tiny! I think Baby's First Blocks would make a great shower gift.


Enter to win a copy of The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School!


Sunday, August 10, 2014

I sold my son to the Circus

No, not really. Although sometimes, I wish I could! Unfortunately, the circus isn't taking any new people, though.

AJ has been acting even worse than ever. Once school ended, he just wasn't happy. He's been miserable, mean, and actually physically hurting people on purpose. Specifically, he was targeting Gianna because she's smaller than him. He would pinch her when he didn't think anyone was looking, smack her, etc. Just the other day, I caught him pushing her off the chair. It's gotten out of hand. I brought in the big guns for his most recent appointment with his therapist. I scheduled it so that my husband could join me. I needed the support.

While our concerns weren't ENTIRELY addressed to our expectations, it did go better than if I had gone alone. AJ's medication was increased, so we are giving that a whirl. He is now on 40mg Ritalin LA and 2mg Risperidone in the AM, and 20mg Ritalin LA, 2mg Risperidone, and .25mg Clonidine between 1 and 3:30 PM.

It took a week before we could try this combination out. Only because our son is the only one in his area on Ritalin, apparently, and NO pharmacy had them in stock. They had to order them. So, we went a full week with NO medication at all. That was fun ... not. He was mean, hurtful, rude, impatient, violent, and so on. His words were hurtful, and he made me really wish I could sell him to a circus. Or even just give him away!

We have since tried the new dosage, and I'm still not seeing a huge difference. He's still argumentative, mean, violent, and just can't. sit. still.

However, we may have found something to help him. We've noticed that he's the only one in the house without an electronic device of his own, and he seems to have a hard time with that. He's constantly stealing Gianna's Kindle, or just snatching it out of her hands. Anthony and I have talked about this briefly before, and the agreement was that AJ had to prove to us that he could treat a tablet properly- no throwing toys, slamming them into the wall, floor, etc. Personally, I don't think his behavior warranted a tablet. He did not show that he could be responsible, as he has broken a few more toys this past week. But at this point, I'm desperate for some peace and quiet from him, some sense of normalcy, even though our life is anything BUT normal!

This poor little guy was seen Friday afternoon because of his eye. Turns out, he has a sty.


Fortunately for him, my laptop quit working. What that meant was, I needed a new laptop ASAP. I headed to our local rent-to-own store, and rented a computer. Long story short, I found a better deal with a laptop + tablet combo, so I took the original rental back. Since everyone else has their own electronic device, AJ will be using the tablet. He spent a whole half hour wrapped up on it. He put it down when I asked him to, and was actually polite when speaking to me and his sisters. He's like a different child. I'm not sure if his acting out was because of jealousy, or if the tablet is just a brain-suck and this is just a zombie of a child, too wrapped up in the tablet to notice his surroundings. This is only the first day he's actually had it, so I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Being without a computer was hard- I am VERY behind in some reviews that I needed to get. I find myself being committed to many reviews, when that is not the original purpose of this blog. I will be taking a massive step back to get this blog back on the track I originally had for it. I intend to post more about my children, namely my son, and how our lives are constantly on the go. And who knows? Maybe I'll stop seeking out a zoo to sell my kid to.