Let’s start this off with the obvious: Mom’s have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Period.

If that wasn’t obvious to you, then I’m sorry but you need to go watch your sister’s kids for like 3 hours and a day and then come back to read this post. But candidly, before becoming a mom myself, I knew motherhood would be challenging but I just didn’t quite understand how or what about it would be so hard.

The truth is, everyone’s journey through motherhood is different. After 2 years of riding this mama wave, I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly (and I know, it’s only getting started!). My daughter’s birth was traumatic and I’m only now ready to start entertaining the idea of baby number 2. But being a mom is TOUGH. It’s tough on your body, on your mind and on your soul. When you enter motherhood, your whole life changes as does your perception of the world.

Looking back on my postpartum days, I remember how scared I was at times and I now understand that it’s OK to be afraid of the unknown, have feelings of uncertainty and of plain vulnerability. I’ve been reflecting back on the early days of motherhood and have put together a list of 5 things all new moms need to hear. Hopefully these words will offer some comfort and encouragement to other new moms as they start their journey through parenthood.

5 Things All New Moms Need to Hear

You are doing a great job

Plain and simple and above all, true. Yes, mama, you are doing a great job and don’t let yourself think otherwise even if for a minute. Some days you’ll be filled with self-doubt questioning your every decision and this is okay. It’s normal. You are learning and growing with every new day and experience just like your baby. It’s normal to question yourself, but remember to remind yourself of the great job you are doing too.

You are strong and beautiful

You’re more beautiful and stronger than you’ve ever been. Your body may feel or look different, but just know it is the most beautiful version of yourself you’ve ever seen. This body did WORK and gave birth to a tiny human being and that’s an amazing accomplishment to be proud of.

Your health and well-being is important too (new moms, accepting help is not a sign of failure!)

Grandma and Grandpa reaching out to help? Take them up on it! Lean on your support system when you need to. Self-care is critical during the weeks of postpartum. If a helping hand comes knocking, accept it and use the free time to catch up on taking care of you.

Take a nap, run an errand, enjoy a hot shower or get a pedicure. Accepting or asking for help is not a sign of failure any mom. Everyone needs a break for sanity’s sake, especially new, sleep deprived and hormonal moms.

Do what works for you and your family

Babies come in all different shapes and sizes. What may work for one parent might not work for another. New moms tend to hear it from everyone: the best products to buy, the best way to get your baby to sleep at night, how to feed your baby, ways to wear your baby, what stroller to use, why co-sleeping is bad, why co-sleeping is okay, etc. The list of advice (solicited or not) just goes on and on and on. These are really just “words of wisdom” if you will of some ways to care for your baby. They are not the WAY it has to be done.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love advice and hearing about other parents experiences. These stories helped me through some tough times. I also love to offer my experience in hopes it may help another mom out. Having a community of mothers to lean on is crucial and SO important. The point I am really trying to make though is that this advice is not the end all be all. Listen and absorb the words of wisdom that come your way as you see fit and at the end of the day, remember to do whatever works best for you and your family.

This baby is already so lucky to have you for a mommy

This may be the most important thing for all new moms to hear. I hope this goes without saying but in case it doesn’t, know that your baby is already so lucky to have you for a mom! There is no mother more perfect than you for this sweet little baby.

What words of encouragement or advice would you give to new moms?

New to the blog? Welcome! Here’s a few posts you might like:

10 Random Facts About Me

8 Lessons Pregnancy Taught Me

The post 5 Things All New Moms Need to Hear appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

A few weeks ago we celebrated Sloane’s first birthday party! Immediately following her first birthday, my laptop decided it was finally time to call it quits (thank yo, MacBook Pro for eleven wonderful years). After two weeks of waiting, I’m finally writing this post – and it’s from my brand new iMac!

This post contains affiliate links for if you make a purchase from one, I may receive a small commission. Any commissions received go back into this blog. Thank you for your support!

First Birthday Party Decor

We had so much fun celebrating Sloane’s first birthday party with friends and family. The theme for her party was “One is Sweet” with Valentine’s Day flair! The entire house was decorated with shades of pink, red and gold and hearts. I love hosting parties in our home and tend to go all out, Sloane’s first birthday party was no exception.

I found this adorable monthly photo banner on Etsy from PomChickShop (linked) to share Sloane’s milestones from year one (feels like just yesterday we were celebrating months one, two and three!). It came with a string, glitter gold wording for each month, tiny wooden clothespins and two pompoms for the ends. We kept this banner up for a week after the party, it reminded me of how far we’ve come and how much she’s grown over the year!

One of my best friends made these beautiful cupcakes and Sloane’s smash cake for the party. She is so talented! I purchased the cupcake toppers from Etsy (linked) and the rest of the sweets table decor was from Michaels and Party City. Planning this party was literally SO. MUCH. FUN.

I’ve linked all of the party decor I could find to this post too. Many of these decorations could also be used for a baby shower, bridal shower or Valentine’s/ Galentine’s Day party.

We are so proud of our baby girl. She brightens up every day with her smile and laughter. Year one of parenthood down and a lifetime of love to go!

If you loved our party theme, please share on Pinterest for others to find!

The post Sloane’s First Birthday Party appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

Sloane at Ten Months Old

This post contains affiliate links for if you make a purchase from one, I may receive a small commission. Any commissions received go back into this blog. Thank you for your support!

Age: Ten months old

Weight: 16 lbs 12 oz.

Eat

Sloane loves eating table foods! She is a big fan of ego waffles, pancakes, PB & J’s, bananas, yogurt and more. Her daycare gives her the school lunch and because of that she has tried an abundance of foods! Chicken patties, fish sticks, sausage, english muffin pizzas and veggies.

I don’t know if I’ve ever stated on the blog how happy I am that we made the decision to send her to daycare. Sloane goes 4 times a week and it has been the best thing for her. I give her teachers so much credit for her progression!

Sleep

For the most part, Sloane is sleeping about 10-11 hours every night. She’s had many “firsts” over the past two months in terms of illnesses that has caused her (and us) lack of sleep. Ear infections, conjunctivitis, hand foot and mouth AND most recently, RSV.

For naps, she still prefers to sleep on mom or dad. Occasionally we get a nice 2 hour-long crib nap out of her but I’d be lying if I said this isn’t still a work in progress. P.S. I have been living in this fleece pullover from L.L. Bean and I’ve included a link to it in this post because it is one of the most comfy sweaters I have ever worn! I seriously need to buy it in more colors so that I stop wearing the same one every day (the color I have is currently backordered online. You can get it in a bunch of other colors including this pretty pewter color).

Special Moments

Celebrating the holidays with Sloane this year have been incredibly special for us. We’ve enjoyed spending time with family and friends and even took her on our annual Christmas tree hunt to chop down her first tree (click on the link to see the cutest photos of Sloane at the tree farm)!

Mama’s Experience

I’m a big fan of Christmas so this past month’s experience has been a treat for me. I loved watching Sloane light up as she opened gifts on Christmas (I was surprised she knew which toys were for her!). As we close out 2018, I am looking forward to what the New Year will bring!

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Months | Three Months

Four Months | Five Months | Six Months | Seven Months

The post Baby Update: Sloane at Ten Months appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

Sloane at Seven Months

Age: Seven months old

Weight: Guessing ~14 lbs

Eat

Sloane loves rice cereal and oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas and has tried apples, peaches and prunes.

Sleep

Sloane has been sleeping much better at night in her crib. She is using the sleep sack at night and is going to bed around 7pm and waking up anywhere between 4:45am and 6am. She used to sleep a lot in the DockATot (link to the one we have) and is now starting to sleep better without it. We still use it if she falls asleep on us while we’re hanging out downstairs and will lay her in it next to us on the couch.

Favorite Things

Some of her favorite things are the same as her favorite at five months and six months old! She still loves touch and feel books and loves to pull toys out of her toy basket. She loves to babble and enjoys telling mama and dada stories about her day.

Special Moments

In the beginning of September we took Sloane apple picking for her first time! Mike and I have been going to the same tree farm to pick apples since we started dating. We had so much fun bringing Sloane!

Mama’s Experience

Being a mom continues to be the hardest job I’ve ever accepted. Over the past seven months I’ve woken up with intention and purpose to try my best for her. She depends on me and in many ways,  I depend on her too. We make each other better and for her I will forever be grateful. So, mama’s experience you ask? Continuing to learn with an overwhelming amount of love.

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Months | Three Months

Four Months | Five Months | Six Months

The post Baby Update: Sloane at Seven Months appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

Sloane at Six Months

Age: Six Months old

Weight: 13 lbs 7 oz

Eat

At six months old, Sloane is loving rice cereal and has tried sweet potatoes, peas and apples (although not a huge fan!). She has dropped the dream feed bottle and is now taking 5-6 bottles a day and solids 1-2 times a day.  It’s exciting now that she is starting to eat solids and being able to finally use the high chair!

Sleep

Sloane sleeps pretty well. She goes to bed anywhere between 6:30pm to 7:30pm and wakes up anywhere from 4am to 6am (it’s rough). She’s also been waking up around midnight which we sort of expected this since we’re weening her off the dream feed bottle. She is also using a sleep sack now to sleep in which she uses at daycare. We haven’t had a lot of luck with it at home, but we’re determined to make it work.

Favorite Things

One of Sloane’s favorite toys at six months old is her If I Were a Bunny touch and feel book. She is such a curious little girl and loves exploring all of the different textures in this book (we also have If I Were a Unicorn – I’ve linked where you can buy each of these books in their titles). At six months old, she is also enjoying sitting up on her own and playing with her toys. We’ve been using the Boppy pillow as a support ring when she sits up on the ground – so save your Boppy for this age too!

Special Moments & Mama’s Experience

Taking Sloane to the beach at six months old was one of the most special moments of the summer. I love having mommy-daughter dates with her. Watching her face as she examined the water and her feet felt the sand was too funny. Holding her while she slept in my arms on the beach was priceless. I’m sad to see summer go, but looking forward yet again to what the next stage of this journey will bring.

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Months | Three Months

Four Months | Five Months

The post Baby Update: Sloane at Six Months appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

I am so excited to finally share a few of my favorite mommy and me photos! Throughout my pregnancy, I often daydreamed about the day I would finally meet the tiny human I was carrying inside me. I wondered what her birth would be like from going into labor to seeing her for the first time. I envisioned myself going full term and waiting anxiously as my due date would come and go like most first time moms. I imagined labor would be hell and wondered how I would manage.

After the baby was born, I assumed we would take newborn photos and have visitors at the hospital, both family and close friends, and together we’d all surround the new babe. Everyone would have their moment to hold her and tell us how beautiful she was.

Mommy and Me Mini Session

Well, like most big moments in life, her birth was nothing like my daydreams (aside from the hell of labor – that part was pretty spot on).

Since we didn’t get the chance to do newborn photos, I decided to treat Sloane and myself to a special “mommy and me” Mother’s Day mini photography session by Amanda Trahan Photography. Sloane was 2 in a half months old during these photos and a little over 8 lbs.

Amanda is a natural light photographer located in Chelmsford, MA. She captured the most beautiful photographs of us together in her gorgeous studio. I am so happy with the way they came out and that I did this session with Sloane when we did.

Enjoy!

Photos: Amanda Trahan Photography.

Read about Sloane at 2 months here.

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Sloane at Five Months

Age: 5 months old

Weight & height: ~12.5 lbs (we’ll find out at 6 months!)

Eat

4.5-5 oz every 3 hours during the day and one dream feed at night. We’re still waking up to feed her around 11pm to help get her through the night. I’m pretty sure we can stop doing this soon, but we’ll have to ween her off of the dream feed slowly.

Sleep

Yes, we’re now experiencing the dreaded 4 month sleep regression (4 weeks later, at five months old, as expected)! It’s been a fairly smooth transition since we’ve moved Sloane from our bedroom to her own room. It’s been an adjustment not having her next to me, but it makes bedtime stories and rocking her that much more precious.

Favorite Things

One of Sloane’s favorite things to do at five months old is take naps in her DockATot. The DockATot has also been a life saver when it comes to Sloane sleeping in places other than her crib. We took the DockATot with us to the White Mountains and to the Jersey shore and had no issues with Sloane falling asleep.

It’s an expensive baby item, but it’s worked wonders for us so I’d highly recommend adding it to your baby registry (or ask a friend or family member if they have one you could borrow – my sister in law gave us this one!). I’ve linked the one we have again here if you’d like to read more about it or purchase one.

Special Moments

Every summer since Mike and I have been dating, we’ve visited his family in New Jersey at the beach.  Our favorite time to go down to the shore is during the fourth of July. Last year on our trip we had just found out we were expecting when we were heading down. It was so much fun to surprise his family with the good news!

We brought Sloane with us this year for her first trip to New Jersey AND her first trip to the beach! We had a blast celebrating the holiday and relaxing with family.  Sloane has also started to laugh – which is the BEST sound! Her little giggle gets me laughing every time.

Mama’s Experience

Sloane at five months old has been one of the best months of this journey so far.  I feel so much happiness when I am with her, it is amazing how such a small human can impact a life in such a BIG way. Her personality has really started to show (I think I say this every month, but every month it shows even more!). I am looking forward to what her next stage will bring!

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Months | Three Months

Four Months

DISCLOSURE: Please know that some of the links provided in this post are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using those links.  This does not cost you any extra when you make a purchase and in doing so goes toward supporting this blog for which is greatly appreciated!

The post Baby Update: Sloane at Five Months appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

Sloane at Four Months

Age: Four months old

Weight & Height: 11 lbs 2 oz and 22.5 in long! Plus, she is finally fitting in her headbands.

Eat

4 to 4.5 oz every 3-4 hours during the day and one feeding at night!

Sleep

Sloane is starting to go to bed consistently by 7pm. She feeds again between 11 pm and midnight and then will sleep until 4:30am to 6:30 am (the 6:30am wake up calls have been a treat!).  At four months old, Sloane’s reflux had finally passed and we felt comfortable enough moving her from our bedroom to the crib in her room.

Favorite Things

One of Sloane’s favorite things to do at four months was blow raspberries with her mouth and stick out her tongue! Each month we see her personality come out a little more than the month before. It is so fun to experience. Another one of her favorite things at four months was to play in this Sit-Me-Up chair by Fisher Price.

This chair is the best! You can easily move it around your house so your little one can be right there with you. It folds up quite nicely for easy storage. I personally like to refer to it as her “command center” because she bangs on all of the toys as if she is playing a video game or in a control tower.

Special Moments

A month before we found out we were pregnant with Sloane, Mike and I stayed at an airbnb in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  It was so beautiful and peaceful there that we decided to bring Sloane this year so she could experience it with us.

We only live about 2-3 hours from the mountains, which is the perfect amount of drive time away with a baby. We’ve always loved to travel and get away even if just for the weekend, so it felt nice to be able to take a trip like we used to (you can read about some of our past trips here).

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Months | Three Months

DISCLOSURE: Please know that some of the links provided in this post are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using those links.  This does not cost you any extra when you make a purchase and in doing so goes toward supporting this blog for which is greatly appreciated!

The post Baby Update: Sloane at Four Months appeared first on Kristen Fitzpatrick Realtor.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by PinkBlush. Opinions and reviews expressed here are my own.

It’s officially June, hello sweet summertime and hello travel season! We just returned from an amazing weekend away at the white mountains and we’re already packing our bags (and car) again for our next road trip. Our annual summer vacation at the Jersey Shore.

Mike and I have been taking trips down to the shore since we started dating in 2012 (I once wrote a post about the “real jersey shore” here).  It’s become a regular family tradition of ours and we’re excited to bring Sloane and introduce her to the beach, the sand, and of course, the Crab’s Claw.

On vacation, I’m all about wearing that cute, comfortable clothing. On occasion, when we go out to dinner I do like to dress up and look nice. I typically will pack a few maxi dresses to wear out to eat, like the below floral maxi dress from PinkBlush.

PinkBlush Floral Maxi Dress

I received this pretty maxi dress from PinkBlush a few months ago and unfortunately hadn’t had a chance to share it with you yet. I am in love with the colors and floral patterns on this dress. This maternity maxi dress is perfect for the nursing mama and is extremely flattering with a tie at the waist.

Even though I am no longer nursing, I love wearing this maternity dress! It can be dressed up with jewelry and a low heel or dressed down completely with flip flops and a sun hat. I have purchased several maternity dresses from PinkBlush and have been impressed with the quality and comfort of their clothing.

Have you purchased from them? If yes, are there any maxi dresses you would recommend?

Kristen xo

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Sloane at Three Months

Age: Three months old

Weight & Height: 9-10 lbs (this is just a guess…no doctor’s visit until month four!). Sloane has outgrown most of her newborn clothing and is now wearing shirts and pants for three months old! Yay!

Eat

At three months old, Sloane was eating 3.5 oz to 4 oz of breast milk every 3 hours. We also introduced formula to supplement in her bottles. Our plan was to transition her from breast milk to formula by the time she was 4 months.   At the same time, I was making the transition back to work and continued to pump until it didn’t make sense to anymore.

Sleep

Starting to sleep a little better, still feeding at 11pm and in the middle of the night. At three months Sloane was still sleeping in our bedroom.

Favorite Things

Some of our favorite things to do at three months old was to take walks in our stroller, going out to dinner and chat it up in the swing.  The weather started to warm up around this time so it felt great to get out of the house. It also made going back to work a little easier (I’ll write about making the transition back another time).

Special Moments

As my maternity leave started to come to an end, it grew more and more important for me to soak up every moment with Sloane. Especially moments like the one above. There is truly no better feeling of comfort and joy than that of your baby sleeping soundly on you. Looking back now, almost four months later, I can’t help but get a little emotional writing about this photo. It is incredible how fast time is flying!

Read previous baby month updates below:

One Month | Two Month

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