Hi mamas!

Even though summer has come and gone and the cooler weather is upon is, our family is ironically gearing up for a beach vacation to Mexico! As such, I wanted to recap some of my summer favorites and introduce some of the things we will be bringing on our beach vacation. A huge shoutout to Gugu Guru for helping me identify and find quality products through their personalized quiz. As a busy mama, this is exactly what I needed!

While at the beach, it is often hard to find a shoes/sandal that is comfortable, safe to get wet, and will allow you to chase after children on multi-terrain surfaces. The Bzees Water Shoes are amazing for this reason. I have this style here (in white - as shown above). 
As a mama, it can be difficult to find functional, yet stylish "mom shoes" - if you will. The great thing about these shoes is that you can easily slip them on, they look cute (yet sporty) with most everything, they are easy to walk in, can get wet and are a reasonable price point. Right now, you can purchase the shoes for just under $40. No brainer!

Because I am not quite in "bathing suit" shape, the vyve Splash Pants are especially amazing! Functional and stylish, you can throw on these splash pants for any and all water-involved outings. Basically like a swimsuit, I wear the pants over my one-piece. Be sure to get them tight so that there is no "bloat" if you are to swim in them.

Sunscreen is always essential, duh. While we all understand that sunscreen is necessary in the summer months, choosing WHICH sunscreen to purchase can be difficult. This summer I tested out a new brand called Baby Mud Sunscreen. What is great about this mineral-based sunscreen is that it is easy and smooth to apply - without all of those nasty chemicals. If you're in the market to try a new sunscreen, this is a great option!

The Learning Resources Water + Sand Toys are - no joke - my favorite. Between my 7.5 month old, V, and my 2.5 year old, Lincoln, they cannot get enough of these water toys. We play with them in the bath, in the sun, in the house, and even bring them with us in the car. They will surely be joining us on our beach vacation to Cabo! Not only are they fun, but they are also educational. The sailboats and turtles, alike, teach my toddler about shapes, signs, numbers and colors. What could be more fun than pairing learning with fun toys? Highly recommend!

Happy (almost) Halloween, friends!
​
I wanted to share a fun neighborhood game called "Ghosting" that we have started around the neighborhood. (And for any of my neighborhood friends reading this, sorry to have spoiled the "anonymous ghosting" thing!). This past week, my mother-in-law was in town and shared the tradition with us. Her five kids (including my hub) did it while growing up in Kansas City. It is simple as can be and can be a fun way to spread the Halloween spirit around a neighborhood.

Ghosting can be done anytime in October; really any time neighbors begin to put out Halloween decor. I'd say one to two weeks prior to Halloween is the best time!

Pick two neighbors to "Ghost." After dark (or before dark if you have little ones), walk up to their house and post the ghost on the door with tape. Leave the letter and goodie bag at their doorstep. Ring the doorbell, then run! Your neighbors will then be instructed by the letter to "Ghost" two more families in the niehgborhood, and so on. 

My mother-in-law was here when she made this for us, and once again, it was a family favorite. Lincoln LOVED the gnocchi and taste of everything, not to mention Ryan and I were wanting seconds. A meal isn't a meal unless everyone in the family can enjoy it! This recipe is bold in flavor, filling and is on the healthier side.  If you are trying to lean down, opt for a larger salad and a smaller portion of gnocchi. 

Got this recipe from the Nordstrom cookbook, so all credit goes to them! Everyone in my family loved this gourmet version of Mac'N'Cheese, even Lincoln. I also blended up a small portion for V the next morning and he ate it right up. Last thing, this recipe isn't the "healthiest" per se, but life is about balance, right?

Ok, ya'll. Let us tell you... This is no ordinary gummy! Your first thought may be, why bother with a gummy vitamin- they are full of sugar and aren't good for you. WRONG! Smarty Pants vitamins is the exception- plus they are for kids AND adults! ​

Hey y'all!

Fall has finally arrived here in Nashville and as new residents, we are absolutely loving the seasonality and changing weather. Having moved here last December, this is our first fall in the city. When we arrived in December, the weather was a bit chilly and the trees a bit barren. I honestly didn't know what to make of Nashville. I guess I didn't think the city was that "pretty" per se, even though I loved the overall vibe and charm. But now, having lived here through winter, spring and summer, I realize how lush and green Nashville actually is!
Growing up in Southern California, I wasn't used to the change in the seasons being that it is always 75 degrees and sunny most of the year. After living in Georgetown/DC for the last three years, I got my first taste of seasonal weather. While I had my doubts in the beginning, - especially being a "fair-weather" runner - after I got used to the changes in temperature, I love and look forward to seasonal changes and everything that goes along with it. Nashville is no exception. I can't wait to see what our first fall in music city has in store for us.

With the changing weather comes an entirely different vibe that the city has to offer. Summer is hot and humid, a fun time for water activities and outdoorsy things such as going to the Nashville Zoo or to the YMCA pool. Winter is cold and barren, a fun time to cozy up inside, bundle up for a trip to the Christmas Tree Farm or to Frothy Monkey for hot chocolate. Now that fall is here, we get to start bundling up once again for a new kind of season and experience, one that we haven't had in Nashville thus far.
Along with fun activities and dressing for the changing seasons is the opportunity to experience different seasons of your kids' lives. I love putting a timestamp on fun times in their lives based on the season we are currently experiencing. I am looking forward to having a 7+ month old baby and a 2.5 year old toddler going into the holidays. 

While it isn't freezing yet, the warmer more humid weather is starting to calm down. As such, I am starting to wear cozier clothes and am layering more. And thank goodness for that, you guys, because I am still holding onto 15 pounds from pregnancy. Ugh. I know I complain a lot about this, and I'm sure the minute I stop complaining is when I'll lose all the weight (ha!), but for now I'll vent my frustration  about these lingering pounds.
So, why am I holding onto pregnancy weight? This is the same question I've been asking myself since I peaked at a 15 pound weight loss around 8 weeks postpartum. I've racked my mind with plausible causes of my weight loss plateau. At first, I thought it was my caffeine intake and possibly my adrenals, then I thought I had a thyroid problem. But no. I also contemplated the fact that I wasn't exercising much, but negated that since I've lost weight before without exercising. I then blamed it on the fact that I eat sweets on occasion and also eat carbs - but no, I've also eaten sweets in moderation and carbohydrates regularly and have lost and maintained my pre-pregnancy weight. I also thought more and more about things that I should be doing to lose weight. Maybe I should cut carbs? Maybe I need to workout more? Maybe I need to stop drinking coffee? And I did. But still nothing. The only plausible cause for my postpartum weight loss plateau was breastfeeding and hormones. Something I thought would never happen to me; was I really the girl who didn't lose weight while breastfeeding? Noooooo. Please, no.

When I got pregnant with my first, Lincoln, I had 100% committed to breastfeeding. Not only had I heard about the wonders it works for baby, but I also heard about the wonders it works for mama - namely helping with postpartum weight loss. During my pregnancy, I ended up gaining 55+ pounds and was super excited to get my baby into a breastfeeding rhythm stat for one of the many perks: to hopefully start seeing those pounds melt away.
Looking back on my weight loss journey from my first, I'm not sure if breastfeeding was the catalyst, or cause. I did lose all 55+ pounds in about 16 months without a huge, huge effort on my part but who knows if it was because I was breastfeeding. My theory is that I would have lost it at the same rate if I weren't breastfeeding.
To lose the weight with the first baby, I ate healthy (I am already a very healthy eater so I continued doing what I do), but I was enjoying sweets in moderation. I can actually pinpoint drinking wine and eating dessert on the regular, and still managing to lose weight. I will add that I REALLY started losing a lot of weight and fast when I tightened up my diet even more so - around twelve months postpartum - and also started running regularly again. I was running at least 3 to 4 times a week - 3 miles a day.
Because I gained so much weight with my first baby, when I found out I was pregnant with our second, I vowed to watch my diet this time around and also to continue my exercise routine, if I could healthily do so. And I did. I continued exercising and eating healthy all through my pregnancy. I tracked my weight gain and adjusted my diet as such. Ultimately, I still managed to gain 33 pounds (I have no idea how women gain less than this!).
When I delivered V, I dropped 15 pounds as soon as I returned home from the hospital. I was so excited and even posted on our Instagram that I had a goal of dropping ALL of the baby weight by 4 to 5 months postpartum. And guys, I actually thought I could. I maintained my healthy diet and continued to fit in exercise when I could. All in all, I wasn't able to exercise much, but my diet was so healthy that I knew I would drop the weight like I did with my first - at a consistent rate, especially seeing that I only had 15 pounds to go.
Seven months postpartum, here I am and I still have the same FIFTEEN pounds left to lose! Not five, not ten... fifteen. Venting my frustration and trying to find answers, I have talked to a lot of postpartum mamas about this situation. To my chagrin, the majority of women I talk to communicate that they are in the same boat. They too had a hard time losing weight and attribute it to breastfeeding. Praise Jesus. I'm not alone! Also, many of those same women say that this has happened with multiple kids. More proof. On the other hand, there are some women who dropped weight super fast with the first but then had a harder time with the second and third and so on.
Alternative to these women, there are those freakish women who we love to hate that drop the weight super fast, no matter if it's baby number one, two, three or four. Dang, it's good to be you. Take Cate, for instance, and I will let her comment on this, but I believe she has already dropped all of the baby weight. She even encouraged me to do CrossFit to lose the rest of the weight. I love you Cate, but I've tried it, and it doesn't work. Alternatively, it has made me gain weight.
Anyways, these freakish unicorn women who drop weight fast postpartum leave women like me in utter disbelief. I mean, sure, I am happy (kind of) that some of my friends are able to lose the weight quickly without doing much (except breastfeed), but there is also a part of me that is pissed. Why do they lose weight so effortlessly and why do I retain 15 pounds - all things considered (roughly) equal?

A few months ago, I thought I'd up my efforts in the weight loss department and I started reducing my carbs. Bad idea, y'all. Maybe reducing carbs wasn't the entire cause of my reaction, but I ended up with severe tension headaches and intense, intense nausea that ultimately landed me in the ER. The conclusion the doctors made was that it could have been a combination of mental and physical stress, maybe even a bout of postpartum anxiety/depression. More on this another time, but you get the point.
After my stint in the ER, I realized that I needed needed needed to nourish my body - for my sake (first) and for baby's sake (second). It felt like God's way of saying, this is not the time to diet; this is happening for a reason. While the headaches and nausea lingered, I had a difficult time working up any sort of appetite, which is ironic that I wasn't dropping any weight during this time. I digress, anyways, after the ER, I realized that my mental and physical health were far more important than losing weight, and I started prioritizing eating healthy fat and protein in order to nurse myself back to health all while nursing a little baby who needed me.
Little by little, and with the help of several doctors, I started to feel better. At this point, I needed to shift and re-focus my priorities big time. My trip to the ER was a wakeup call that what I was doing was not working and I needed to figure out a life balance rather than always prioritizing my children. With the support of my family, I was able to get back on track and find that better "life balance", if there is such a thing. 
To do this, first, I hired a nanny two times a week. This allowed me to run errands and to have some personal time away from the children. Second, I joined Orange Theory Fitness and started attending two classes a week, while also working in my 3 mile runs another two to three times a week. I knew I needed to find some sort of mental release through exercise. I made this a priority, namely for my mental health.
After a few weeks of the nanny coming and starting OTF (Orange Theory Fitness), mentally I started coming back to health and began to feel like myself again. While I was mainly working out for the mental stamina and to help me physically feel better, I thought maybe losing weight would be a side perk from all of the working out I had been doing. A few weeks in, I stepped on the scale and to my horror I had actually gained FOUR pounds, making me heavier than when I left the hospital.
I wish I could tell you that I wasn't disappointed because I was. I felt like I had made huge strides in finding a balance with my life but there was also a big question mark as to what was going on with my postpartum weight loss. Once again, I felt defeated.
I know you may be thinking " I know why she isn't losing weight..." I've gone through all of these questions in my mind. I am probably older than I was when I had my first. Yes, but only 22 months older. Or maybe I am eating sweets and such. I know, but I have always been able to afford to eat sweets in moderation and to lose weight; and when I cut them out I still don't lose weight. Or, you're not exercising enough. Okay, sure, I wasn't exercising in the beginning, but now that I have upped my exercise routine I have gained 4 pounds. TRUST ME, I have gone through all of this in my head and have concluded that my personal body is not ready to lose the baby weight for whatever reason... and the only thing that I can readily point to is the breastfeeding and hormones or that it is not my "time" to lose the weight this time around.

If you are a mama reading this and are struggling with the same, I want you to know that I feel you! If you had heard that breastfeeding helps you lose weight and you are left scratching your head wondering why YOU aren't losing weight, I feel you. In fact, a lot of us women feel you and frankly, I wished the issue of breastfeeding and lack of weight loss was talked about more. 
If you talk to your friends and other women who have had kids and multiple kids or start to scour the internet for information, you will find many anecdotal stories of women who have struggled with weight loss while breastfeeding.
I have many theories why this is the case. My biggest theory is the fact that our bodies are smarter and more powerful than we are. Our bodies know that we need to feed a tiny, growing human being and that requires calories, fat and sustenance. Therefore, our bodies produce hormones such as relaxin and oxytocin - that actually make us eat more and slow our metabolic rate. This then creates a fat storage that our body can tap into to produce more and healthier milk. So then why do some of us lose weight and others do not? I have no freaking clue. To hell with this theory! Which brings me to my next theory...
One of my other theories is that this postpartum weight is meant to teach us something. I am a spiritual person and believe that all things that hurt us are meant to ultimately heal us from something bigger. If I am being honest, the weight that I hold onto from having a baby hurts me emotionally. I don't feel quite like myself, I don't have my self-confidence in tact, I can't fit into any of my clothes, I feel self-conscious walking around naked (even in front of myself!), I don't feel 100% while working out because I'm heavier, my ligaments feel sore after a long run - maybe because of the weight retention - maybe from something else - anyways, the list goes on.
And these problems are all first world problems that make me feel vein for having, but they are truthful feelings. I am trying to recognize these feelings, identify them as valid and work through how I can become better because of them - whether that is through patience and grace or something else. And when I find the hindsight to figure out what lesson I am meant to learn, I'll let you know but until then I'll blame it on the hormones!
All in all, I try and remind myself that this is only for a short time and will be moments that I look back on with love and adoration - whether I am a breastfeeding mother or otherwise. As a mama who is pro-breastfeeding, I have had moments in this journey and especially when I went to the ER, when I thought that I wasn't cut out to be breastfeeding my baby at this time. And that is okay, or is something that maybe I need to be okay with. Even more, it has forced me to have grace for women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, and maybe that is my lesson.
Another thing I have been learning is that I need to prioritize myself. Easier said than done. This is something that I have known for awhile, but haven't been prioritizing. I always put my kids needs ahead of my own, whether that is representative in my choice to breastfeed or otherwise. Now that I was put into a position in which I was forced to prioritize myself, I realize how much I need to pay attention to my own needs in order to be a good mom. I also realize that in order to fulfill myself, I must grow and thrive in a way outside of my children.
As we move into fall and as one mama to other mamas, I encourage you to cherish your babies, but also to cherish your Self. You cannot pour from an empty glass, so fill yourself up as much as you can this season. After you are full, come back to your babies and give them your all... (until they drain you again - and then you need to go fill up your cup again - or maybe your wine glass) just kidding! :) but in all seriousness, make this season about balance. Or at least that is something I am personally working on.
Thank you all for following and I can't wait to post some more fun fall activities, decor, outfits, and everything :) and when I find the secret sauce for how to lose weight postpartum while breastfeeding, I'll be sure to share it with you all!
xx, 
​ILA

Here are some outfit details, as well. I love love love Sunflower print paired with suede or denim, and because sunflowers bloom through summer and a portion of fall, why not? I had a hard time tracking down this sunflower dress because it is no longer available, but found a close comparison on Revolve. 

Hey mamas,
Hope your settling into either the end (or beginning) of your pregnancy and/or your new life with your sweet baby. Today I wanted to give some advice on sleep tips. Newborn life is filled with many demands and getting your baby to sleep (and sleep well!) is one of them. If you know some tricks of the trade and have some advice from a two-time mama up your sleeve, I believe this can help remove some of the pain and anxiety that a parent (and child) may experience during the first few months of life. In no way am I a sleep expert or sleep trainer, but I have gone through two newborn cycles with my two boys and believe I know a thing or two about getting a baby to sleep. Thus, I wanted to take some time to share my findings.
Like I say every time, please check with your doctor before you implement anything new. I also want to add that sleeping through the night may very much be developmental. Some doctors and specialists consider it a "milestone", which means that every baby is different and will reach sleeping through the night on their own time, as they do with crawling, walking and talking. Therefore, I urge you to be at peace with where your little one is at. 
Last point: my sleep tips and tricks are simply what work for me and my boys. I've talked to a plethora of women who say that other systems worked better for their children. What I encourage you to do is to follow your instinct. I was an amazing mom through the newborn stage to my children because that's just it, I was their mom. No one else knows their needs and demands like I do. Therefore, I encourage you to be cautious when you get advice that doesn't sit right with you. Anyways, here we go!

Before I get into talking schedules, I want to preface this post by discussing which "sleep solution" book worked best for me. This turned into the basis for helping both of my boys to become great sleepers. I know, there are a lot of well-known baby books and blogs out there that discuss sleep solutions. How do you figure out which one works the best? Trial and error, of course!
​One of the most well-known books that was recommended to be by fellow mamas was "Baby Wise." Essentially, Baby Wise follows an Eat, Wake, Sleep rhythm, in which your baby is prescribed to a specific schedule based on set times throughout the day. While this schedule works for many mothers, it did not work for me. What was difficult about following a specific schedule with set times is that it required my baby to fall asleep at exact times during the day. If Baby Wise said that my baby needed to fall asleep at 10am every morning, I would stress about putting my baby down at 10am. If for some reason Lincoln missed this window of time, it threw off the rest of the entire schedule. Talk about frustrating. Not only that, I also felt like I was forcing him to go down to sleep when otherwise he wouldn't want to. When I started to implement Baby Wise, I would often rock Lincoln for up to an hour to get him to sleep and even sometimes set him in his crib wide awake. I felt that I was not only wasting my time, but that I was also wasting his time. The precious moments that I could be spending with him while he was awake, I was instead spending trying to get him to fall asleep.
After I realized that Baby Wise wasn't for my little guy and I was desperate to find something that would help get us into a good routine, I had remembered a certain mama who had told me about another sleep solution book. I texted her to inquire about it and she reminded me that it was called The 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program. She quickly called me and summed it up within minutes. Essentially, she said, you only keep your baby awake for 90 minutes at a time. After 90 minutes of wake time, soothe your baby to sleep and your baby will fall asleep on the dot. Let your baby sleep for as long as needed, i.e. never wake a sleeping baby. Then, when baby wakes up, set the timer for 90 minutes again until you put them down once again. You'll follow this all the way until bed time.
Yep. The 90 Minute Sleep Program is as easy as that! Of course the schedule changes as your baby grows, but I have started this with V since birth after remembering that I wished I had started it sooner with Lincoln (my first). Both boys follow this literally to a tee. What I love about the 90 Minute Sleep Program is that it follows your baby's natural sleep rhythms and REM cycles. You aren't forcing any prescribed schedules, you are simply following their internal clock. You don't have to stress about waking your baby up if you feel they might be sleeping too long. You don't have to worry about missing a specific time that may throw your schedule all out of whack. Instead, you just need to set a timer for 90 minutes upon your baby waking. For me, it was a lot simpler and less stressful to follow.

In addition to following the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program. Here are some other pointers to implement to promote good sleep:

• Nurse on demand
• Keep baby awake for only 90 minutes at a time
• Set a timer when baby wakes up
• Swaddle your baby
• Always play white noise

Let me touch upon a few of these that I haven't already. In order to promote good sleep, I always nursed on demand. If my baby was fussy, I knew that it usually was because #1. he/she was tired or #2 he/she was hungry. By nursing on demand and frequently throughout the day, you remove the unknown that your baby may or may not be hungry. It is no surprise that a full baby will likely sleep better. In addition to nursing on demand, swaddling your baby is very important to promote good sleep. Babies feel comforted and relaxed when they are swaddled. In the newborn stage, it was easy for me to use swaddle blankets (aden/anais and little unicorn blankets) to swaddle both V and Lincoln, but as they got older they were able to houdini themselves out of the swaddle blanket. After a few weeks, I switched over to swaddle sacks, such as the Merlin or Magic Swaddle - or another favorite is the Summer Infant Swaddle (loved this one!). Swaddle sacks ensure that your little one won't undo the blanket and stir themselves awake at night. During the night, I also try to use a swaddle that is easy to get on and off for diaper changes. For naps during the day this doesn't matter as much. Another important thing aside from swaddle blankets is playing white noise. I have always played white noise during my boy's naps and also at night. Not only does it drown out any noises that have the potential to wake a sleeping baby, but it also works as a nice queue to let them know that it is sleep time. My favorite App for white noise is called "Sound Sleeper." There are many things that I love about this App, but the best thing about it is that it tracks the time that it has been running, which communicates how long your baby has napped. If your baby has only been down for 20 minutes and awakens, you'll know, and can soothe them back down to sleep. My two-year old still uses this App to sleep and I always check the time to see how long he napped for. Anyways, there are a number of tips and tricks to implement to help your baby sleep. Swaddling, playing white noise and soothing your baby will not only help them sleep but will also help them to associate these things with sleep time.

Even though I follow the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program, there are plenty of times that I forget to set the timer. Also, with V, there are many times during the day that we are out and about and I have interrupted his sleep routine and totally forget where I'm at in our 90 minute timetable (ah I hate hate hate doing this - and more on this later). As such, when I forget where I am at in the 90 minute cycle, there are many other ways to tell if my baby is tired. Here are a few pointers that baby will likely exhibit if he/she is sleepy and ready for a nap (also pointed out in the book):

• Rubbing eyes either with their hands
• Rubbing eyes against your body if you are holding them
• Pulling on their ears
• Yawning (duh)
• Crying
• Whining (especially when not being held)
• Hyper behavior
• Suddenly becoming impatient/frustrated
• Appearing spacey, unresponsive or withdrawn
• Suddenly losing interest in the activity at hand
• Hitting their head against your body roughly - almost like aggressive rooting (which can be confused for hunger)!!

During the newborn stage, your baby likely will be able to fall asleep on his or her own; at this time, sleeping comes naturally. However, as baby's brain develops, he/she will have a harder time falling asleep on his or her own. I'd say around 4 weeks of age, you'll need to begin soothing your baby to sleep. I break a big-time rule here and I generally nurse my babies to sleep. It literally worked wonders for me with Lincoln and I have followed the same pattern with V. Doctors and sleep experts likely shun this for many reasons. They worry your baby will become dependent on food to fall asleep (not sure why this is a bad thing). They also worry that nursing your baby to sleep will create unhealthy sleep queues. For instance, if you nurse your baby in the middle of the night when he/she wouldn't be hungry otherwise, you may create a sleep queue in which they wake up every night at the same time to nurse. Despite all of the naysayers who look down upon nursing your baby to sleep, it has worked wonders for me. It allows both me and my baby to relax together. I don't have to stand up for twenty minutes trying to rock my baby to sleep - this can be cumbersome and will annoy a new mama very quickly (or at least it did for me) -- not to mention it hurt my back having to stand up and rock my little one.
In conclusion, yes, I do nurse my babies to help get them to sleep. I nurse them before naps and I nurse them before bedtime. This has been the quickest way to get both of my boys to sleep fast. I will say that if for some reason nursing isn't working, I will stand up and rock my little one to sleep. I always make sure, of course, that this is on the 90 minute mark so that I know my little guy will fall asleep in no time.
There are many other ways to soothe your baby to sleep if nursing isn't your thing OR if baby is bored of nursing and prefers to be soothed another way... 

• ​Rocking baby back and forth
• Swinging baby in your arms
• Walking with baby in your arms or in a sling
• Saying gently back and forth
• Swaddling baby
• Singing or making hushing sound

Make sure to pick a method that is easy for you! For me, it was the easiest to nurse my boys to sleep. Yes, I get it, people think it's a bad idea for whatever reason, but for me, it was a Godsend. I If you add up all of the naps in the day - usually about three to five in the beginning - you'll want to pick a method that is easy on you. Standing up and rocking my baby would have been an annoyance and cumbersome. On the other hand, nursing was very relaxing for both me and baby - and also helped put them to sleep.

Around 5 weeks or so, your baby will likely wake up from naps intermittently - say, even after he/she was only asleep for a short period of time. You may notice that you soundly get your baby to sleep, then ten minutes later, you hear stirring. You'll often want to drop a "wtf?" lol sorry. If this happens, I always let my boys stir for a little bit before I go in and start soothing them again. If they haven't cried out for me, I give them a moment to self soothe themselves back to sleep. If for some reason they start crying out and do so a couple of times, I then go in a nurse them down again. This generally will put baby back to sleep. In the beginning (before 3 months of age), you may have to do this often. This is because your baby is learning how to put themselves back to sleep and will likely need your help a lot in the beginning. I never had trouble during the nighttime, I will say, it was generally during nap times that I had to go back in and help sooth baby back to sleep.
Be sure to be patient when putting your little one back to sleep. It is VERY important that they get good sleep both during the day and during the night. This is important for neurological development - which encouraged me to take sleeping very seriously. I honestly think that is why Lincoln and Vance are so happy (and smart!!). Thus, make sure that your baby is napping for a good amount of time during the day. A 30 minute nap is fine, but anything less than that is shunned. I always try to go in a help soothe baby back down if he/she has somehow awoken.
Always keep in mind that the more sleep during the day, the better they are at night!  Dr. Moore's theory is that sleep begets sleep! Thus, always try to soothe your baby back down to get more rest. If you know that he/she is up and feeling refreshed to start a 90 minute wake time cycle, then keep him or her up.
Last point and to help ensure baby gets enough naps during the day, be sure to be knowledgable about how much sleep a baby needs during certain periods of life. As baby matures, the required sleep during the day will lessen. Below is a chart that provides general sleep requirements depending on age (don't pay attention to the number of naps baby should be taking - especially at 1 month of age; baby can take as many naps during this time as he/she needs! Although, the other number of naps are probably pretty accurate!)...

Okay, so I added this section last minute because I believe this needs to be addressed, as well. Let me preface this too - waking your baby up from a 3 hour nap should only be done (if at all) during the initial phases of sleep training. After your baby has established good sleeping patterns and is sleeping consistently through the night, I recommend (generally) not waking your baby (or toddler) from a nap, even if the nap is over 3 hours.
A 3 hour nap, in my mind, is kind of the golden rule for naps (well that or an hour and a half nap). This is because naps generally take shape in 90 minute increments, as well. However, sometimes your baby will take longer than a 3 hour nap. Based on Dr. Moore's book, if your baby naps past this limit, she would likely tell you to let your baby sleep in most all circumstances. Again, she believes (and knows through her doctoral background) that the more they sleep during the day, the more they sleep at night. That said, I happen to believe this is generally the case, but also think there are exceptions.
As a general rule, once your baby reaches about 5 to 6 weeks of age, or whenever you start "sleep training"  - you could consider waking your baby up after he/she naps for 3 hours straight in order to promote a solid nighttime sleep. Who knows for sure, but napping for more than 3 hours during the day may habituate your little one to sleep shorter stretches at night. I say this with caution though. I am a firm believer that babies need all of the sleep they can get and if their body is naturally telling you that they need more sleep and thus if they are napping longer than 3 hours, there is a part of me that thinks you should allow them to; don't mess with their natural sleep rhythms. However, there is also a part of me that believes that if baby slept great the night before and you are working with them on sleep training, that maybe waking them up at the 3 hour mark could be okay and even advised if you want longer and solid nighttime sleep. Ah. Again, I say this with caution.
Honestly, I think there really isn't a right answer here. There are two camps on the matter: a) those who think you should let your baby sleep and nap as long as they want during the day; and b) those who feel they need to wake baby up after a three hour nap in order to promote longer stretches of sleep at night. I personally think you need to follow your mama intuition on this one.
With V, I practice different policies depending on the circumstances. For instance, the other day he went to the doctor and got shots -thereafter he was exhausted and slept well past the three hour napping point (TWICE). I let him. I felt that his body was tired and needed the sleep, even during the day. He did wake up in the middle of the night, but I prepared myself for that. And I'll add that he woke up, but only to eat and then he went right back to sleep until his usual time - 6am. There have also been times in which I've woken V up from naps when I feel that he has gotten adequate sleep at night and during the day because I felt that I needed to train him.
While I have all of the to say, I want to point out that I never woke my first son up from his naps after he reached 3 months. Again, I want to reiterate, when you are in the early stages of sleep training your little ones, I think it is okay, but once they get the hang of it - around 3 months plus, just let their bodies do their thing! I never had a night in which I was up with a hyper baby because I let them nap longer or later in the evening. Hope this helps and didn't make things more confusing!!

While the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program works for older babies - generally 3 months plus (you may even start to recognize a pattern sooner) babies that are fresh out of the womb (birth to 4 weeks or so), I recommend letting them sleep whenever and wherever they want to. Babies out of the womb need to sleep pretty much 24/7. With both of my boys, the first couple of weeks I didn't follow any sort of schedule; they slept anywhere and everywhere - all of the time. It wouldn't take much to help soothe them back to sleep either because sleeping came so naturally.
The only thing you have to be weary of in the beginning is making sure your little one eats every two or so hours. However, at night, I never woke my baby up to feed. I let both boys sleep as long as they could in the night hours until they naturally awoke themselves. If your baby is underweight or you need to increase your milk supply, the doctor may suggest that you wake your baby during the night for feedings. Overall, in the first month of baby's life, I recommend letting them sleep as much as possible, feeding them every two hours or more! That said, it may be wise to start paying attention to your little one's preferred schedule in order to have clues for the next phase of sleep development.

Generally, around 4 to 5 weeks is when your baby will start revealing a little bit of their preferred schedule, although nap times and lengths may vary. Be sure you continue to follow the 90 minutes of wake time, put your baby down at these markers and continue to work with your baby on lengthening his/her naps. Like I said previously, it may be annoying to help soothe your baby four different times before he/she falls into a deep nap time sleep, but it will pay dividends by the time baby reaches 3 months of age. I also want to point out that because your baby is still young, do not force him/her to stay up the full 90 minutes if he/she is tired beforehand. I often notice (especially after V wakes up first thing in the morning) that he is ready for a nap only 45 minutes after he wakes up (instead of 90). Be sure the allow them to sleep rather than keeping them up the full 90 minutes, if need be. 
At 4 to 10 weeks of age, your baby will likely take a few short naps during the day, but this is not always the case. Baby may also take a few short naps and some longer naps, or maybe all short naps, or possibly even three to four longer naps (go you)! You will also have to work with baby to stay asleep during these naps. The more consistent your baby sleeps during the day, the more he/she will sleep at night. This is generally the opposite of what people  believe to be true and Dr. Moore touches upon this in her book. If you are working with your baby to sleep well during the day, your child should be sleeping six to eight hour stretches at night by 6 to 7 weeks of age and he/she should (hopefully) be sleeping through the night around 8 weeks or so. 
Like I said, baby will also start to exhibit a little bit of a schedule - try and take note of what baby's natural sleep rhythms are. V and I got into somewhat of a rhythm during this period, I found that his body naturally went down to sleep at night around 7 pm at 4 weeks to 8 weeks then at 8pm once he hit 8.5 weeks. This would be initially a 6 to 8 hour stretch of sleeping, then once he hit 8.5 weeks it switched to 9 hours of sleeping from 8pm to 5am. Between 4 to 7 weeks, he would wake to feed between 1am or 3am (and maybe once more before he was up for the morning - although he usually only woke up once to feed at night after 6 weeks of age). Again, at 8.5 weeks, he was sleeping 9 hour stretches at night. I did notice that V's natural sleep cadence was pretty in sync with the sun coming up and going down. He grew tired when the sun went down and generally woke up around the time the sun came up. Dr. Moore points out that it is important to let babies naturally find their circadian rhythm and that the dark of night and light of day can help them do this. She discourages parents from trying to blackout the nursery in order to fool baby into sleeping longer in the morning. She says that it is actually very healthy for baby to wake up with the sun! So grab a pot of coffee and try to hang in there, mama.
Back to our schedules - so as soon as V was up - generally between 5:30am and 6:30am, I feed him upon waking. Sometimes he will dose back to sleep; other times he will be awake. During this morning "awake period", he would most always be ready to go back to sleep at the 45 minute mark or so. I attribute this to him being young and I'm sure that it will lengthen to 90 minutes of awake time once he hits 4 months or so. Anyways, this first morning nap would usually be around an hour and a half. He'd be up for another 90 minutes then back down for another hour and a half nap. This would happen two more times until the later afternoon. In the later afternoon he would maybe take a three hour nap and then was up for 90 minutes then would be back down for the night around 7pm and 8pm, depending on where he was at in the 90 minute schedule.
The thing I love about the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program is that you aren't married to a timetable. If your baby wakes up in the morning at an unusual time that you aren't used to, you won't have to worry about it screwing up your timetable schedule because there is no timetable. You simply set your timer for 90 minutes and then when the 90 minutes passes, you put your baby down to sleep.

By this time your baby's schedule should be getting into a well-known rhythm. If you have been practicing and working on the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program, this schedule should be easier to follow at this point and your baby is likely sleeping nicely through the night. Baby's naps have probably lengthened out to roughly an hour and a half each and he/she is likely taking about three naps during the day.
​The only thing at the 3 month mark that may be different than before is the time you put your baby down to sleep at night. Generally, babies will begin to go to bed earlier - around 7pm at night. In my case, V already had an early bedtime, so I hope that he maintains this preferred bedtime which naturally was already around 8pm.
At this time, baby may also be taking shorter and more frequent naps. I believe V was taking several naps a day only 45 minutes in duration, and was still going down every 90 minutes. So again, baby probably cannot stay awake longer than 1.5 hours to 2 hours max. This can be quite annoying for a new mama or second-time mama with older children, feeling like she is tied to the house. I totally feel you, but only realize that this period of life is temporary and baby's naps will lengthen soon enough.
​

By the time your baby reaches 6 months of age, the 90 minutes of wake time may double into 180 minutes (or 3 hours) of wake time. This may happen during a certain point of the day (maybe morning / maybe evening) in which you perceive that baby isn't as tired as normal or doesn't seem interested in napping. Follow your baby's natural queues in order to determine if they are ready to double a wake time period from 90 minutes to 180 minutes. You will know when he/she is ready if you pay attention to their signals. Baby may not fall asleep in the crib upon soothing or baby will wake up soon after being put down. If this is the case, gradually try and keep them up if they are desiring it. Every day may be a new day as your baby transitions into a longer wake time period. 
At this point in time, baby needs roughly 2 to 3 hours of napping during the day (whether they are shorter more frequent naps or longer and fewer naps - but likely in the form of two to three naps per day), and also needs 11 to 12 hours at night. You may notice that the third nap, whether in the morning or at night is a short burst, generally about 45 minutes or so. 

By the time your baby is 9 months, he or she will likely be taking two naps a day, one morning and one afternoon nap. The duration of these naps will likely be 1.5 hours each, totaling 3 hours of napping per day. Again, baby should be maintaining 11 to 12 hours of sleep at night.

By the time baby reaches one year of age, he or she may be ready to transition to one nap a day. With Lincoln, I didn't transition to one nap a day until he was about 18 months +. I really tried to follow the natural rhythms his body desired (plus I loved that he took 2 naps and was trying to milk it for all it was worth)! During the time we were working on the transition, it took us awhile to figure it out. He would often only take one hour and a half nap around 11am (ah!) when he was switching to one nap. However, soon enough we got him to nap hard at around 12pm for a two and half hour nap.
My advice, try and be patient with your little one; their little bodies are trying to adjust too! I know that mama can be impatient, but all transitional periods of your kids' lives is awesome and will provide you with some sort of "mental break" (i.e. nap or school) if you take each phase with grace.

Your baby's brain needs as much sleep as possible! Even if this routine and/or my advice is useless to you, I encourage you to work hard at developing good sleep habits early on and recognizing your baby's natural preferences for good sleep. In the aforementioned section I mentioned that sometimes I have to wake V up to leave the house because of my two-year old. We often have activities to attend outside of the house so I often found myself waking him up from a nap or not letting him sleep long enough. Ugh, I hate this and am trying (vowing) to be better at this.
I understand that we all have lives outside of wanting our little ones to sleep, I am guilty of this too. However, when I fail to prioritize my newborn's sleep schedule, I am messing up much needed rest that is crucial for neurological development and growth. Dr. Moore points out that while adults can "make up" missed sleep with naps, newborns cannot do this. She touches upon several other reasons that sleep is critical for newborns and children alike.
In conclusion, make sure your newborn is getting great rest. This will pay dividends in the future. I believe a well rested baby will not only learn faster through both healthy neurological development and the ability to better absorb the world around him/her, but will also be a happier kiddo! A well-rested baby fusses less and helps a new mama acclimate to the newness of motherhood in a smoother way. Taking sleep seriously is a necessity for your little one (and also for you), so I encourage you to prioritize it! :)

I've gotten a few of the same questions from our followers, so I thought I'd take some time to answer those here. This also includes sleep "myths" that may or may not be true.

When did your kids start sleeping through the night? Around 8.5 weeks. Both boys slept through the night 8 to 9 hour stretches exactly two months after birth.

Did you have big babies? Does a baby have to reach a certain weight before they can sleep through the night? Both of my boys were big at birth. Lincoln weighed 8lbs 11oz and V weighed 9lbs 3oz. I am not sure if this contributed to them being able to sleep through the night earlier. I've heard the case for both sides. I'm sure it doesn't hurt!

​Do you have to formula feed your baby in order for them to sleep through the night? No. I never formula fed my baby. I always strictly breastfeed. (Disclaimer: I have formula fed both of my boys when I had to be away from them but never to get them to sleep through the night).

When your baby starts sleeping through the night did you have to pump in the middle of the night? Never. The first couple of nights your baby sleeps through the night you will absolutely wake up with fuller breasts. As they continue to sleep through the night, your supply will regulate. Pumping during the night is not necessary if your baby is within a healthy weight range and/or your milk supply is healthy. If you wake up to pump, I believe it will do two things: 1) continue to encourage your body to produce milk at night (which you don't want!) 2) continue to make you tired during the day due to the fact that you're not sleeping! My supply always regulated and my boys were always on the higher end of the weight range.

If you are interested in purchasing The 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program, click HERE.


That's it mamas! Happy snoozing :)

xx,
ILA

Now that I have kids, the holidays are not only becoming fun, but are also becoming much more meaningful. Because of that, I am constantly on the lookout for fall activities such as adventuring out to a pumpkin patch or even putting together my own pumpkin decorating party. To say the least, anything that has to do with "fall" or pumpkins is on my radar. Most recently, our family ventured out to a nearby pumpkin patch. Of course, I dressed the kids up in fall-appropriate outfits and brought the camera along to document the experience. These are the moments I have longed for and I want to maximize them as much as possible!

Lincoln (our first) loves any sort of adventure, especially pumpkin patches. In fact, one of my favorite memories from last year was one in which we ventured out to a pumpkin patch in Virginia. There is something about the warm, orange color of pumpkins mixed with the cooler, cozy fall weather that gets to my heart. You pair that with two cute little boys and a handsome husband and it is the perfect recipe for a fun outing (and to collect some adorable family photos)!

This year Lincoln picked out two pumpkins. This is the first year that he was able to communicate with his words which pumpkin he wanted. Another wonderful milestone about the holidays. Each year your kids experience the holidays in a unique way depending on what stage of life they are in. For instance, with V, since he is a little baby, I will be able to dress him in fall clothes and will be able to explain to him the changing leaves ... and might possibly even feed him some fun fall favorites like pumpkin pie.. for the very first time. On the other hand, Lincoln will have an entirely new experience of fall and Halloween as compared to last year. Like I said, this year, he can actually talk and put sentences together. He was able to tell us which pumpkin he wanted and will likely tell us what he wants to be for Halloween. He will also be able to cherish and enjoy the holidays a bit more since he knows what is going on, whereas the last two years I'm sure it didn't make much sense.

As a mama and with the holidays approaching, I've gotten to thinking about how special this time of year truly is. Each year brings special and unique memories that you only get to experience once dependent on where your child is in life. Every moment is sweet. As such, I want to maximize all of my kids' experiences and my memories of them. The truth is, I won't get these moments or years back.  Our time at the pumpkin patch solidified that for me and also encouraged me to make the most of this year's holidays.

Cate and I hope you create countless memories this year with your family. We recommend you plan a fun and unique family outing every other weekend. Nashville mamas, check out Nashville Parent as on online resource to schedule your family adventures. And for you mamas outside of the city, I'm sure there are plenty of online resources to help you plan your fall outings.

Happy Holidays!

xx,
ILA

Our home is full of books and I'm constantly incorporating reading into our daily routine -- whether it is first thing in the morning, before a nap, as a sporadic activity, or before bedtime. As of late, we have started incorporating a new type of "reading" into our daily routine by including read along e-books. The read along books are great, because they introduce the love of reading to kids who can’t read by themselves yet. They are soothing, engaging and inspiring and quite a departure from the heavily digitally produced videos that do capture my kid’s attentions, but seem to numb their brains as they keep them occupied.

Be sure to periodically check back to see which new read-along books Baby's Brilliant is featuring, as they continue to partner with authors from around the world. In addition to their growing collection of read along books, the Baby's Brilliant app includes several other fun, entertaining and educational activities for children. This includes things such as classical music and lullabies for baby, educational videos helping teach English, Spanish, French German and Chinese, educational songs for children and the list goes on. We highly recommend downloading the app or visiting the website to check it out!

Happy Reading Mamas!

xx, ILA