do these kids make me look old?

How To Date: Nursing Mama's Edition

2012-05-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

If you ever read my first blog then you'd know how Adam and I feel about comic book movies. If you didn't then I'll give you the short version: we're huge nerds and we're seeing every one of them. In fact, when we found out my due date, one of the first things referenced was how we'd manage to see The Avengers, as it came out mere weeks after our daughter would be born.

And now, many many months later, I give to you the 'how to see a movie in theaters while breastfeeding an infant' unofficial guide:

The obvious answer is to take your baby with you to see the movie. Newborns, if you're lucky, can pretty much sleep through anything and have no idea if you're watching something kid appropriate or not. However, the infant movie date is generally more successful for a matinee and possibly at a movie that's been out for a few weeks. I used to take Reed with me to the movies all the time and he'd nurse for the first half and sleep for the second but I was never brave enough for a crowded new release movie.

And, if you know Adam, we weren't waiting for a movie like The Avengers to die down. It's been out for two weeks now and it's still huge. So we had no choice but to enlist the grandparents and come up with a plan.

Side note: I'm lucky this was Amelia, who is a solid 2 and a half hour eater at three weeks old. Reed nursed way more often so if your baby is a frequent eater, you may have to wait until they can go the length of the movie.

Adam decided he wanted to experience Joss Whedon's take on Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Marvel gang through the magic of 3D so we went to a 6pm showing at the Paradiso. My in-laws graciously met us there at 5:40 where I promptly nursed Amelia in the backseat of my car until just after the Coke commercials were over (Adam grabbed snacks and seats well before I started to nurse her). Then my in-laws took Reed and a sleeping Amelia to dinner at the McAlister's right next to the movie theater.

Adam and I saw the whole movie (including the 2 extra scenes before and after the credits) and I made it back to Amelia before she even woke up hungry.

Granted, a huge portion of this hinges on the involvement of someone else that you trust to take care of your baby. If you're lucky enough to have someone like that in your life, take advantage of it, at least every once in a while.

Leaving your baby, especially if it's your first, can be heartbreaking but your relationship/marriage/whatever needs some attention too. And your sleeping baby won't even know you left but your boyfriend/husband/partner will certainly know that you were with them, and only them, for a short period of time.

Amelia's First Few Weeks

2012-04-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

I put Amelia in the title because I keep reminding myself to call her that. When you spend 25 weeks referring to someone as baby girl, sometimes it's easy to forget the now have a name. Miss Amelia is now 9 days old and has her big brother wrapped around her chubby little fingers.

April will be over in a few minutes so happy May everyone :)

Introducing Little Miss Hinson...

2012-04-29T15:05:00.000-05:00

We are officially a family of four and my sweet baby Reed is a big brother. I think that part is more shocking than saying I have two kids (nope, still real hard to believe).

Amelia Bryce Elspeth Hinson was born on Saturday, April 21st at 5:45am. She's perfect and all three of us are in love with her.

thanks everyone on facebook, instagram and every other social media site that I've recently utilized for all the well wishes and love. we really appreciate it :)

the Adventures of Reed & Raquel

2012-04-16T09:38:00.000-05:00

Reed's time as an only child is rapidly coming to a close and while these last few weeks are hardly the last time he and I will spend alone, it will be a long time before we can leave his baby sister behind. And so I thought it best to chronicle said time together so I can show him that he once had his mommy all to himself in case he gets jealous of baby girl.

Wearing Blue for Austim Awareness {4/2/12}

Pajama Date at Starbucks {4/10/12}

Memphis Redbirds Game {4/15/12}

I can't speak for Adam or Reed but I'm definitely going to miss Reed being an only child. I'm very ready and excited for our new little girl but Reed is my buddy, my little man and I will miss our time alone while it's gone.

Late Night Take Out and Other Things I'll Miss About Being Pregnant

2012-04-12T00:23:00.000-05:00

If we happen to be friends on facebook, you'll know how impatient I am for this nameless little girl to be born. However, I really do love being pregnant and have been blessed with two easy pregnancies so there are a few things I'll miss.

The Food

While I don't think a pregnancy is license to eat anything and everything (Jessica Simpson, take note) it's definitely a pretty good excuse to give into cravings you normally wouldn't (like ordering take-out curry noodles late on a Tuesday night).

Baby Kicks

Yes, your baby will kick and turn over and smile and do way more stuff once it's out in the world but then it will be for everyone to see. The baby kicks during pregnancy are just for the mama (especially in my case since it freaks out my husband) and i love them.

Time Alone

I have a three year old and a husband so my time alone is fairly limited but I do have some. Adam goes to work, Reed goes to school and every now and again I sneak off for a pedicure and a chick flick all alone. With little girl arriving fairly soon, I won't have any time alone for a good long while. Of course, once she's actually old enough for me to leave and partake of said pedicure and matinee, I'll probably be so emotional that I won't enjoy it (the first time anyways. Emotions fade and my toes need some love).

My Big Ole Belly
In a few weeks or so I'll only be down a few pounds but it won't be nearly as adorable. As hard as it is to dress a pregnant belly, it's even harder to dress a postpartum body, particularly if you're breastfeeding.

I'm sure in the weeks and months after this little girl makes her arrival, I'll be nostalgic for other things about my pregnancy but for now, I can't wait to meet her.

March in Photos

2012-04-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

I had regular feature-type posts back on the old blog and I like the consistency of the concept but new blog = new features.
For the first one {which I thought of when I saw today's date} is an end-of-the-month wrap up in photos.

So here's March 2012:

Adam putting together baby girl's nursery furniture

I was working late in the studio so Adam brought me treats

My in-laws placed an excessive amount of orange into his wardrobe

Reading a book on Adam's new nook {you're welcome, Adam}

Reed's attempt at flirting by reading with the older girls. I already like his style.

Beginning of my 9th month: 36 weeks, 2 days

Happy April, everybody!

New Mama Must-Haves

2012-03-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

When a woman is expecting a baby, she's flooded with information about her impending mommyhood. Some of it highly pertinent (think infant CPR) while others are completely obnoxious. The biggest falacy pushed on women during pregnancy is the stuff {I would say crap but then I wouldn't be a lady} that we're told we need.
With my first pregnancy, I avoided this in two ways: being borderline broke so that we could only afford the necessities and having my friend Heather, who had a baby 10 months prior to reed's birth, help me with my baby registry.

This go-around I knew what I needed. Sure, baby 2 is a whole new gender but really until you have to make that all-important decision between Dora and Diego, there isn't much that's different about baby boys and girls.

According to the registry builders at Target and Babies R Us, my new child is severely lacking in nearly every area of baby gear. Target's website goes so far as to give me 'warnings' about the lack of items on my registry whenever I log in.

New moms, before you get overwhelmed over what will happen if all 1358 items on your registry aren't bought before you deliver, here's my simple list of things you actually need.

A pack-n-play

Listen, I know how sweet the teeny tiny cradles for newborns are, trust me. But if you want the most bang for your buck, you'll go with me on this one. The two biggest things your pack-n-play should have are a changing table feature and the bassinet feature. Your little one can sleep in it while she's an infant, play as an older baby and pile toys in it until you finally put it in the closet when she's a toddler.

A swing/bouncy chair/vibrating chair

This one is tricky because not all babies are created equal. Reed loved his swing nearly as much as he loved my boobs for the first 8 months of his life. We also had one of the vibrating infant chairs that he was fairly fond of, though he would rather be held. You don't always know what your baby will like {and sometimes they hate the swing as newborns but love it once they hit 3-6 months} so my advice here is to buy on consignment, or better, borrow one.

A Car Seat & A Stroller (but not necessarily a travel system)

I'm all for holding/wearing your baby {it's not essential but especially for nursing mamas, I recommend a sling} but there are times where you need to be able to push your baby around in a stroller. I say not necessarily a travel system because sometimes the strollers in the prepackaged duos are bulky, hard to maneuver and don't necessarily add any storage space. Test them out pre-baby; if you can't collapse it one-handed and get it into your car, it's not worth your time.

A boppy pillow (or similar nursing pillow)

Even if you're not going to breastfeed, this is worth the investment. You never know how long it will take your baby to eat and whether they're six or sixteen pounds, your arms can get tired. Plus they're great for a resting baby or for tummy time.

A bumbo seat

This may not be essential for some moms but for me, with reed, I loved this thing. When he was awake for more hours in the day and had the neck support thing down, it was a great way for me to get a few things done hands free, while still chitterchattering about his toes with him.

Things like a $70 contraption specifically for dirty diapers and a wipe warmer {never get these, i was thankful to know from babysitting years that they dry out the wipes and run up your electricity bill} are things that you'll likely be told to by but trust me, save your money.

Any must-have baby gear that I left off, mamas?

7 Things Not to Say to a Mom Under 25

2012-03-25T21:56:00.001-05:00

I came across a Babble.com blog post on 7 things you should never say to a first time mom over 40. Even though that's not my mommy age bracket, I can safely say it's an accurate list. But it got me thinking of all the thing people {strangers} have said to me as a young mom and hence here's my list.

1. Was he planned?

You can't plan perfection.

Um, does it matter? I got this one tons during my first pregnancy and when Reed was an infant. Now that I'm pregnant with number 2, I've gotten "well, was this one planned?" and the ever classy "Don't you know what causes that?" At this point, I just smile and tell them I'm trying to catch up with The Duggars.

2. Are you married?

Amazingly, even though I'm married now, this question still seems just as rude. And when I wasn't, and said 'No, I'm not' the looks of pity were maddening. The implication that since I'm a mother all I wanted was for a man to come marry me was ridiculous.

side note: the white trash version of this question {which I've also gotten} is 'did your baby daddy stick around?'

3. I could never have been a mom at your age.
This is usually followed by a list of reasons like 'I really needed those years' or 'My 20's were my happiest time' and 'I'm a better mom because I waited'
I can never tell if they're defending their own life choices or if they're extra stupid. Sadly, when I was a newbie mama and had all those postpartum hormones, I used to get my feelings hurt and cry to Adam about the mean old ladies at the grocery store.

4. How old are you?

with Jana and Ellie on my 22nd birthday

How old are YOU, lady? Young mamas, take my advice and lie. It's extra funny if you go younger (I'll get my GED any day now, ma'am!)

5. How do you afford a kid at your age?
Can I see a copy of your W-2 also, nosy stranger?

6. Are you the nanny?
You JUST heard him call me mommy. Or aren't your hearing aids turned up? This is usually a backdoor beginning to a conversation about how old I am or to share pearls of wisdom on child-rearing to which, as a young mom, I'm most likely ignorant.

this last one isn't exclusive to young moms but it's something someone said to me once that I've ALWAYS wanted to include in a blog post:

7. You're really breastfeeding because you're lazy & selfish.

She said it's 'easier' to nurse than to get out of bed to make a bottle and by nursing, I was depriving Adam of bonding time with reed since he was always attached to me.
I don't even have to explain or defend that one, right?

Anyone have any more? Mamas of all ages welcome!

mommy blogging, take two

2012-03-23T04:12:00.003-05:00

In pregnancy, there's a concept called nesting where expectant mothers take time to prepare for the arrival of their upcoming child. Typically, there's lots of arranging of the nursery and tenderly folding tiny clothes but as I await the arrival of kiddo number two, albeit daughter number one, my nesting has turned to a social media project. I had a blog for almost two years, which I abandoned once my husband {Adam} and I decided to try and have another baby. In a fickle attempt at a new year's resolution, I claimed to begin blogging again but every time I went to update, I found myself frustrated with the lack of a digital brand in my blog. Was I a mom blogger? And if so, did I really need to tell people what television shows I was watching in the new spring lineup?

Alas, I decided to start from scratch, this time definitively as a mommy blogger {who also has a marriage and a career in progress}. Childless friends, I understand if you stop reading now.

And if we're not friends and the magic of search engines & social networking has lead you to this budding blog, here's a little about me and the people you'll frequently find me writing about:

This is me:

and like I mentioned, I'm 36 weeks (9 months!) pregnant with our first daughter:

Okay, so this was at 35 weeks and 2 days. Close enough.

Adam & Reed, the loves of my life.

Ellie, my best friend. And yes, I'm smashed in this picture. I get a pass, it was my 21st birthday.

Right now, i work in radio {Rocky on Q107.5 & 96.1} and have an awesome internship with the I Love Memphis blog. In my wildest dreams, this blog will chronicle the journey from radio DJ & intern to the social media goddess and author I think I should be, but then I've been told I suffer from delusions of grandeur on occasion.

If not, I hope to at least be vaguely entertaining while I muse on motherhood, career aspirations and being a 23 year old housewife.