March 2020 | Where your heart is now

Easton's 4 month favorite things

March 26, 2020



I love doing updates on Easton and thought it would be fun to share some of his current favorite things! He is 4 months and 23 days to be exact. What are your babies loving right now? Send me a DM and let's chat here on my Instagram!

EASTON'S FAVORITE THINGS 

1).  Sit up seat: Easton loves this so much. We got it for him when he was 3 months and I really believe it has helped his head and neck strength. The print we have is not currently available but when it is I'll link it for you guys! 

2). Crinkle book: He is obsessed. There's a little red bird on the second page and he loves looking at her lol. He is super into touching everything and loves to crinkle this! He also loves this book! He smiles so big every time we read it to him! 

3). Playmat: This has been amazing! We do tummy time on it, we loves laying on it. It's perfect for any type of play on the ground. Our print is sold out but they are restocking soon! Linked their other most popular one! Thank you so much again YAY! mats (this was gifted to us). 

4). Jumper: This is hilarious. Watch my video here of Easton really getting it! This is fun for him and also a great way to extend his wake time. It also gets him more tired! We got the one with a stand because we didn't really have a good doorway to hang one in! 

5). Ball: This ball is legit! They also make a rattle. He loves it because he can grab it and he shakes it. It has really helped with his hand eye coordination. He's been playing with it for over a month. 



6). Blanket: This is Easton's favorite blankie as we call it! It feels like my Barefoot Dreams blanket. So soft! Check out their Instagram here! 

7). Swing: He loves watching the mobile spin around. We love this one because it has different sounds and there's a little mirror so he can look at himself! 

8). Play gym: We were gifted this adorable play gym from Poppyseed Play and it not only is the cutest but Easton loves it! You can hang other toys on it as well. 

9).  Boppy: I cannot even explain how much we use this. I use it to feed him (I'm breastfeeding), he lays on it under his play gym, he'll lay on it on the couch when we read him books, he loves it! Number one thing from his favorite things! 



10). Light up activity bar: This is amazing for tummy time! It keeps his attention and he likes patting it! 

Thanks for reading! Hope you babes have a good day! Xo 



Easton's 3 month update

March 8, 2020



My baby is getting so big! Ah! Seriously, I just want time to slow down. I can't lie to you, this past month has been my favorite. Easton smiles all the time, he started laughing, he makes amazing eye contact, he is just so happy! The other day he BELLY laughed and I seriously melted. He loves the mobile on his swing and we just recently got him this sit up seat and he is obsessed. I think he feels like a real big boy in it. I feel like he is really developing his personality and it's amazing to watch. We also took our first overnight trip and Easton did great (I'll write another post on this too). 



My confidence is growing as a mom because since we've been on a routine, his schedule has been very consistent and life is just easier and more enjoyable. He started sleeping through the night when he was 10 weeks old and that was also when I felt like a new human. I feel like the first month or two are kind of like a blur. I really don't know how I survived on such little sleep, I think we were on a "baby high" from just being so happy we had him. 

I want to make sure I add, every baby is different. I know some moms who had their babies sleeping through the night at 8 weeks and some moms who's kids still wake up and they are two years old. You have to give yourself grace and be patient. Also- a schedule isn't for everyone! If it doesn't work for you, that's ok too! 



He is now 18 weeks today and anytime I post anything on my stories about him sleeping or eating I get tons of questions. So I figured I would share with you guys!

A big helpful tip I can give you (that has worked for us) is to develop a routine early on with your baby. Babies are so smart and they catch on quick. Justin and I are opposites and he didn't think we should have a routine but after he saw how good and amazing Easton was doing once we started it, he agreed I was right. I mean, duh. 

I am exclusively breastfeeding but Justin does doing the "dream feed" which gives me a break and has allowed me to build up a milk stash for times when someone else needs to feed Easton. Easton is a hungry growing boy! He used to be this skinny little thing and now he has these delicious chunky thighs and weighs about 15lbs. I feed him every 2-3 hours. I make sure he gets in his calories during the day which has helped him sleep longer at nighttime. Taking Cara Babies goes into more details on this if you're interested. Her recommended schedule is the one we follow. Between talking to our doctor and listening to Cara (who both said the same thing) we do not wake him to eat at night. Most babies still need to eat one time a night which is why we do the dream feed.

Here is Easton's 3 month schedule, since we are currently at 4 months our schedule is a little different now (I'll update below):

His ideal "wake" time for 3 months is anywhere from 1 hr. & 15 minutes - 1 hr. & 40 minutes. 

8:00 AM - wake & feed (he wakes up anywhere from 7:45 AM-8:30 AM, I let him wake me up but I don't let him sleep past 8:45 AM)

9:30 AM - Nap 1 (this is his longest, he normally does 2 hrs.)

11:30 AM - wake & feed

1:00 PM- Nap 2 (normally 1-1.5 hr)

2:30 PM- wake & feed 

4:00 PM- Nap 3 

5:00 PM- wake & feed

6:45 PM- start our nighttime routine (bath time or wipe him down with a warm washcloth, turn on sound machine on low, change diaper, put on jammies, lotion/massage, put on Owlet sock, brush hair, say our prayers, feed, swaddle, bed)

7:30 PM- in bed no later than 8 PM

10:30-11 PM - dream feed

Now that he is four months old our "awake time" has increased to 1 hr. 30 min-2 hours. We still follow the same schedule (wake, feed, play, sleep) but we just have extended his wake time a little. As far as sleeping at night goes, he is amazing and I feel blessed. BUT let me add he did not sleep good the first month. Since we started Taking Cara Babies, he kept sleeping longer and longer stretches. After one month of implementing the strategies taught by Taking Cara Babies, he was sleeping through the night. We have only had a couple hiccups where he wakes up once and that's only because we are transitioning out of the swaddle. 

A few tips we have learned are:

- The swaddle is KEY. This is the one we are currently using. Babies are used to being in a small tight space in your belly. They like to feel confined so we swaddle him for every nap and at bedtime. The only time he's not swaddled is if we are out getting lunch or something. 
- White noise is also huge. We have this sound machine and it is life changing. There are tons of different sounds and colors and settings. When we start his nighttime routine I turn on the red color (clinical studies have shown red light helps you sleep better) to about 50%. The sound is like a stormy rainfall. As I keep feeding him I increase the sound (you can do this on their app your phone), and by the time I lay him in his crib I have the sound on 87%. 
- Like I said earlier, routine is everything. My mom watches Easton once or twice a week for a couple hours to help me and she told me the other day, "Nicole it's crazy how much he knows his routine. He literally yawns when it's nap time." 
- Easton loves when I sing to him. So every nap I sing you are my sunshine and he knows it's nap time. 
- Darkness is also key for sleep. Whether it's a nap or bedtime, the room needs to be black. We have blackout blinds, blackout curtains, a blackout shade we stick to the window then I also throw a blanket over the curtains (I know I'm a freak). But guess what, he sleeps awesome and it works! 

I can't wait to continue to see this babe grow and learn. He is truly my entire world! If you have any questions, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram. I'll probably do another update in a couple months! 

I linked a few products below that have really helped us too. XOXO




Update on my Daith Piercing

March 1, 2020



Today's post is a little different than normal. If you have followed me for awhile you know I suffer from migraines. I have ever since I was a little girl. They have got worse as I've gotten older. Luckily, I did not have them as frequent during my pregnancy but right after I delivered Easton they were back to normal. 

On average I get 3-4 migraines a week. Yes, you heard that right. I have learned to live with it. Trust me I have tried everything to make them better and for me the ONLY thing that will ever take one away is my presciption medicine (imitrex, I actually take the generic version), a dark room, sleep, no noise and tons of water.

About a year ago someone had mentioned the "daith" piercing to me. I kind of forgot about it but a month ago I posted about having a migraine and one of my friends messaged me and said. "girl go get your daith pierced!" I was in so much pain and said screw it, let's see if this works. 

I went to Body Jewel in Westerville and it was super clean, nice and they were quick. I'm not going to lie to you it freaking hurt like hell. It was more like I felt a ton of pressure but the needle was huge. It was crazy though because when I went in I had a migraine and as soon as she pierced my daith, it didn't take it away but I felt 100x better. 

As soon as I came home and told you guys I did it, I got a ton of questions and messages asking about details. I wanted to give it a month before I reported back to you guys. It has officially been a month and I'm so excited to report back GOOD NEWS! 

I went from having 3-4 a week to 1-2! AND one week in February I only had 1! This piercing has truly been the biggest blessing. Having migraines is so debilitating and I am so grateful they have decreased. 

Q & A

Q- What is a daith piercing?

A- It goes through the second cartilage shelf at the top inside of your ear. 

Q- How long does it take to heal?  

A- I am a month out and it is still sore but they told me I can sleep on it after 2 weeks. You can also use a travel pillow if you need to sleep on that side! I heard it takes 6-9 months to fully heal. 

Q- How do you take care of it?

A- I have a sterile saline spray I spray on it about 2-3x a day! Get the spray if you can it's super convenient. 

Q- Why is this known as the "migraine" piercing?

A- The daith is a pressure point associated with digestive organs on that part of your ear. The belief is that wearing an earring constantly in your daith will give constant compression to that pressure point and can relieve pain. While there are not any medical studies I could find, many people have had success with it, like me! 

While I don't think I will ever be able to get rid of my migraines completely, this piercing has done wonders for me! If you get it, make sure to tag me on Instagram stories so I can see.  I hope this helps! xo


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