Sleep. A word I am becoming more and more unfamiliar with. You know you are lacking sleep when you can’t respond to a question someone is asking you because you literally can’t remember the answer. You know you are lacking in sleep when you catch yourself sitting in the parking lot of your kid’s school unable to drive off because you are literally scared of falling asleep at the wheel. I’ve been there. Still am there, actually. My oldest (who is only three) has never slept. We have had sleep issues with him since birth. People told me it would get better with age. He just had his days and nights mixed up as a newborn. He is just afraid of the dark. He is going through “a phase.” No. He just really doesn’t sleep. I have never seen anything like it. It is so hard to explain to anyone who isn’t here and witnessing it night after night.

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Hello, friends! As you may know, this is my favorite month and favorite season of the year! I absolutely love it because it reminds me of so many fun childhood memories. One of my favorite days of the year is when we go to the pumpkin patch as a family. My kids are just as pumpkin obsessed as I am, which makes it really fun! I like to save money where I can so that we can fill our schedule with fall family activities, and that’s why we shop at Costco. We buy in bulk and get more bang for our buck with their great savings!

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Each baby is so different. Even my three- having all come from the same mother and father are completely different in their make-up, strengths, weaknesses, preferences, etc. One thing that I think every mother has in common is that they want to keep their baby healthy and happy. Isn’t that why we try to sneak vegetables into mac and cheese and give in on that toy on the checkout aisle? We all want the same thing: a happy and healthy baby.

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Hampton’s baby book is full of every first, every monthly photo, every little fact about him. Sophie’s has very little in hers, and I had not even started on Weston’s…that is, until I received the Artifact Uprising baby book! This baby book has made it so easy to put together photos and all the special moments I want to remember forever. To all my busy moms out there, this one is for you! I have had no time since becoming a mom to three (under 4) to do anything “extra” and that includes putting together a baby book. It is the phase of life we are in, and I am content with that, but I do want to have all of these memories gathered in one place to look back on.

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Our mornings are about to get a little bit busier when school starts next week. Hamp will start 3K and Sophie will start 2K. That means getting back on a schedule and not as much time in the mornings to get things done around the house. One of the first things I tend to cut out when we are in a hurry and on the go is my breakfast. I make sure the kids are dressed and fed and backpacks and lunch boxes are full, but I normally throw on something easy and skip breakfast. I have already started stocking up on on-the-go breakfasts for the next couple of weeks because I am determined to take a little better care of myself this year.

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I am happy and proud (and blessed) to have breastfed all three of my babies. I breastfed Hampton for just under 6 months, Sophie for almost 8 months and Weston is still going strong at 7 months. It has not always been easy – I have definitely wanted to give up numerous times – and I have questioned myself with all three of them, so to say it has been easy is a boldfaced lie. It has been anything BUT easy. Breastfeeding is giving up your own body and sharing it far beyond pregnancy. It is not convenient. I can’t wait to share this great resource for infant feeding advice and breastfeeding tips and support!

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When I was trying to think of a Motherhood war story to share with y’all, the first one that popped in my mind was our most recent experience with my beautiful two-year-old daughter. The first words I thought of to describe this experience was “the terrible awful” – a phrase straight from the book and movie, The Help. Since reading the book several years ago, I have used this term many times to describe certain situations that end in a less than desirable way. So, without further ado, let me tell you about our day that ended with a family pizza night.

Our First Trip to the Dentist.

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Weston is 5 months old, guys. FIVE. I can’t believe it. Lately, his favorite things include eating, tummy time, eating, his Lamaze Mix and Match Caterpillar, and eating some more. He is starting to tuck his knees up under him during tummy time and pushes all the way up on his arms. I am definitely not ready for another baby on the loose around here, but it is coming, and soon, I have a feeling. Lamaze Toys sent him some new toys last week and he has really become fond of them. Like most new toys, they have made playtime so much fun and have been great for his development!

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Lately, our older two kids have been so picky when it comes to food. They used to eat their vegetables so easily and now it’s like pulling teeth to get them to take one bite. Recently, I pulled one over on them. I have gotten away with feeding them vegetables without them ever knowing! Here is how I sneak vegetables into our kid’s diets: Feed them Garden Lites muffins!

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I love my babies. Every single one of them are so special and unique in their own way. They all have adorable personalities and I could eat them all up. BUT. You knew it was coming. I’ve talked about it before here and here, but Hampton had colic between 2 and four months. It was seriously the most challenging time of my life. I can honestly say that he screamed from 5pm to 2am every single night for 2 months. I was sleep deprived, cranky, postpartum, and moody. Add a screaming fussy baby in that and it was downright miserable.

Sophie came along and slept through the night as a newborn, so we were very blessed with her. We did decide to be better prepared for her and bought everything we would need for a long night of screaming – just in case she was colic, too. Even though she was not a colic baby, she would get fussy from time to time.

Weston is a great baby. He doesn’t sleep through the night yet, but he is a genuinely happy and content baby. I am so thankful for that and am still crossing my fingers it stays this way. Whenever my babies get fussy, I go through my process of elimination. Are they hungry? Need a diaper change? Sleepy? If they are none of those things, normally they just want to be held. Regardless, with three kids three and under, I can’t have an extremely fussy baby. I just can’t. So, here are the things that help make my babies (and me) smile when they are fussing.

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