In this wonderful life...

Incoming Advice

2012-05-24T08:35:00.001-05:00

This is another post in the expecting and parenthood series :)

When you're pregnant you may intentionally seek advice about caring for your upcoming bundle of joy, or you may be given advice without requesting. Regardless, you will know what's right for you.

I posted this post when the twins were home. Brent and I had new-parent anxiety. We didn't know if we were doing it right, and we wanted to. The truth is, there is no right that fits perfectly for everyone! We were doing things right, but we needed confirmation. As long as you make a decision that you feel confident is best for you and your family, it will be the right one.

{They were about 2.5 months here.}

Since I was expecting twins, when I was pregnant I immediately reached out to moms of multiples. I'm forever thankful to them. I'm glad I reached out to real people who had experienced things I knew would be in my future. However, some of them did things differently than I chose to. There is nothing wrong with having a difference in opinions or wondering if you will do things right. It's human nature. It will come to you--your choice, that is.

I bought books. I didn't finish one of them. I read bits and pieces of most, but there were so many parts I felt like I already knew. For several years before having my first baby, I felt my 'job' was to be a mom. I thought I needed job training, but I didn't. There is no training manual for a baby, although there are some very helpful guides.

I did seek out advice from Moms on Call, and I know, without a doubt, it gave me all the confidence I was lacking. I knew what I was doing, but I needed someone to tell me to do it. I wanted someone to tell me to give my twins a routine before they gave me one. They have thrived on it, and as a family, it's been so pleasurable.

When someone gives you advice, remember it. Don't plan to use it all. You won't. At times, you will worry that you should, but you will know. You will know which advice to revert back to. I think as moms we want to help. We want to help our kids and other moms. Therefore, giving advice can come easy. I want to give advice if it will help someone. I want to give advice if someone asks for it. It doesn't hurt my feelings if people don't take my advice, because I know what worked for me will simply not work for everyone. I'm fine with that. Thankfully, I knew this as people were giving me advice.

When you want advice, ask! I cannot tell you how THANKFUL I am for other moms and social media. I know who I am as a parent and I know my babies like no one else. However, I haven't the slightest clue about baby eczema or other random things that pop up. Some other moms? They do! Why? They've been there! I don't hesitate for a second to send a tweet to ask for advice or help. I've learned a lot and it's helped us lots.

Just remember, advice may always be incoming. You don't have to take it, but remember it. Ask when you need it! It doesn't change who you are as a parent. It helps you grow as a parent, whether it's advice you use or not.

Check out the Huggies Mommy Answers Facebook app and find more posts from bloggers sharing their experiences of motherhood on the Huggies page on BlogHer.com.

A good one...

2012-05-23T09:06:00.000-05:00

This is a video I saw on Facebook around Mother's Day weekend. Proctor & Gamble did it I'm guessing for Mother's day and the Olympic Games. Just thought it was a good one and wanted to share!
Hope you are having a good morning :)

Baby Goods! What we like :)

2012-05-22T10:23:00.001-05:00

I've had a few emails and requests lately to do an updated post on what we've been using! This is kind of a follow up to one I did when the babies were much younger. Our For MOMs by MOMs series this week is focusing on baby gear! So, I tried to think of most of the things we use. I didn't include toys because I wasn't sure if they would be another post. I bet it will be! If you have done a post like this, feel free to link up on Amanda's blog! Heather and Jennifer have their posts up, too!

I'm linking most things to Amazon! They pretty much have everything, great prices and if you have Prime, then free and FAST shipping! Therefore, I love to affiliate with them!

Boppy Lounger - If you have been following long, you definitely saw Knox & Sloane in these. They were like an extra set of hands. We used these for probably four or five months. Once they started sitting up, rolling, etc. We stopped using them, but they DEFINITELY came in very hand!

Nursing Pillow - EZ 2 nurse pillow - This was great for me for nursing tandem. I also have Boppy Pillows. I would occasionally use these if I was just nursing one and I'm using one again now that I'm just nursing Sloane.

Bottles - Until this week, they've only gotten bottles at bedtime. We used Gerber First Essentials when they were very young and then switched to Dr.Brown's. Both have been good fits for us. We switched Knox to bottles only and Dr.Browns are still hanging strong.

Sterilizer - I use this First Years one. I don't use it every time I wash, but every times.

Sippy cups - We are still working on them. We have Nuk ones and Nuby ones.

Food -
For purees, I used Earth's Best Organics.They are pretty over purees now.
HappyBaby Organic Puffs. They do some Gerber ones, too. I've kind of been weeding puffs out, mostly for Knox, trying to determine skin triggers.
They LOVE Mum Mums

Gerber Organic Oatmeal

Gerber Organic Brown Rice

As for other foods, we are growing our list everyday. Thank you all for the input the other day on Knox's skin. Unfortunately, so many people have so many different triggers. We went to a follow up appointment yesterday with the dermatologist and he is going refer us to an Allergen Immunologist to help us figure out triggers. As for the tomato sauce and spaghetti o's, he's only has those a few times and it didn't cause him to flare those times, as far as we could tell.

Formula - Knox was on Similac Organic for a while and last week, we switched him to Alimentum.

Paci - Sloane takes a paci, but typically only in her crib. She has always used and loved the Gerber First Essentials. It seems a bit bigger and rounder than most, so I think she learned to keep it in better at an early age. It doesn't fall out often, but thankfully, when it does, she doesn't really care.

Cleaning gear - I love the Earth's Best nursery wipes. I use these on high chairs, toys, public places, etc. I found the travel packs and a bigger container at Babies R Us.

Breathable bumpers. We used these for Sloane for a few months and then she stopped sticking her legs through the post so much.

Diapers - we use Honest & Pampers

Wipes - Seventh generation wipes. We started using these when the kids were pretty young and they've worked great for us. They are the most natural pre-packaged ones I have found.

Sound Machine -We have this Homedics one and it's been great. It also takes batteries so we can use it on the road if need be.

Humidifier -We had the froggy Crane one for a while, but we determine it was a bit hard to clean. There was a little area underneath it that we couldn't seem to keep from collecting junk. We now have this Shaper Image one and it's been great.

Air Purifier - We have the Oreck Instinct 200. I blogged about it here and it's awesome.

Fan - We have a standing fan and I'm not even sure of the brand. It's collecting dust and I'm thinking about getting a Dyson one.

Angelcare Monitor - We have this one and this one. I will say that the second one has more false alarms. Overall, they have given me a sense of security. I rather have 100 false alarms than no alarm at all. We only turn them on at night time now.

Bath seat - When they babies were little, we just held and submerged their body in the water up to their chest. They LOVED it. We then switched to this Summer bath seat and we also have a tub like one and I'm not sure the brand. I think soon we will put them both in the little ducky together :)

Stroller - Baby Jogger City Select. Love it. We got ours at Buy Buy Baby

Car seats - Still in infant ones. We will probably do these until a year, depending on their growth between now and then. We have the Graco Snugride 30's, I believe.

High Chair - Joovy Nook. I may do a post on these soon. THEY ARE GREAT.

Carrier - I still haven't carried the babies in a carrier that I wear. Brent wears the Bjorn and really likes it.

We used this Fisher Price swing. Sloane was never a big swing fan, but she would nap in the Fisher Price Rock n' Play sleeper. We did have a Mamaroo, but I think it was a bit slow for them both. They don't use either of these anymore

We don't swaddle anymore, but the Moms On Call blankets worked best for us when they were little and then the Miracle Blankets.

We have Bumbos and trays, but honestly have only used them a handful of trays. I found they worked great as 'high chairs' while we were in a hotel room.

If I forgot anything, just ask!

I foresee a baby proofing post in the future ;)

*Be sure to check out the free printable and giveaway I posted here yesterday! :)

Free Printable & Giveaway!

2012-05-21T09:02:00.003-05:00

Morning :) Happy Monday!

One of my sponsors, Paper Clouds, has a few special treats for you all this week! :)

Paper Clouds has made me several things, all really cute! I posted some note cards here.

This week she is giving away TWO sets of notecards and offering a free printable to my readers!

You can see in her shop that she has LOTS of pretty colors to choose from so you can pick your favorite :)

TWO winners will be picked!!!  

Enter using Rafflecopter! Please email me with any questions! Giveaway ends Sunday! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Paper Clouds is also offering a FREE PRINTABLE!!! It is SUPER CUTE! You get a thank you note card and one with just the flowers! You can click and print right below!

For Moms by Moms coming later today!

*There are several fundraisers going for Cohen's iPods HERE :)
*Be sure to check out my latest post in the Huggies series on expecting & parenthood HERE.
*Enter to win a $100 Target gift card HERE.
*Enter to win some fabulous skin care products by Darphin HERE.

Three Months Shy

2012-05-19T09:25:00.000-05:00

Knox & Sloane are NINE months old today. NINE. That seems to close to a year to me. It is. It's beyond me how in just a few short months we will be celebrating their first year of life.

I'm that mommy who celebrates everyday of their life because I can't help myself. I've said goodbye to a baby and everyday with the ones I have here is truly a celebration. Don't get me wrong, these last two weeks have been rough. Knox has been miserable. It's been stressful and hectic. I've been stressed that I can't fix his little skin. But we've gotten through it and I know all these tougher moments are all part of the package and make the sweet ones even sweeter

Luckily, he woke up this morning with his skin looking much better. We've been working on his food intake. I also stopped nursing him this week. I'm still nursing Sloane and she has no issues.

I still owe you all a breastfeeding post, but I decided to see if my milk has having any affect on his skin. It's hard to say if for certain it was, but he switched to Alimentum with no issues. A few other reasons I decided the end was near on breastfeeding....... they are getting big! I've been nursing both at the same time and it was getting tricky. Not to mention, they wanted to swat at each other and push and they were just distracting one another and not eating. My hormones also started flowing, if you will, and I think it's adjusted my production some.

I'm going o try to take some nine month pictures tomorrow.

They are crawling like crazy. Also, getting very fast.

They are pulling up in their crib and on the couch as well.

They are eating pretty good, but I'm feeling a little stump on what to give them. They don't want to be feed much anymore and with Knox's skin, we feel like some foods are triggering flares. He had an allergy to bananas on the blood test, but they can't test for everything. They've had bananas, avocados, toast, annie's spaghetti o's, watermelon, puffs, mum mums and we are about to do potatoes. I'm really close to just setting anything down and letting them try it, but still a bit paranoid, too. As for fruits and veggies (as well as all the purees we've done), I'm sticking to organic.

We are between Honest & Pampers as for diapers. I had a stockpile of Pampers so we are using them, mostly at night. Knox tinkles more being on steroids. I still go back and forth on cloth diapering. I want to do it but I've been putting it off and they've been keeping me busy enough with other things.

They both do patty cake and Sloane is waving hi and bye. Knox is starting to wave. It's super cute :)

Knox has FIVE teeth. Sloane still has two but is working on a few more.

Mostly in 6-9 month clothing.

Starting to transition into the bigger stroller seats. We will probably wait on the bigger car seats until closer to a year.

Still napping twice a day, but Knox has had a harder time these past two weeks, poor little buddy. It's just hard for him to stay comfortable for long, especially if he gets warm.

Knox is weighing a little over 17lbs and our Guess is Sloane is a little over 18. We always feel like she is more, but the past few times they've gone in together, she has always been pretty close. They go back in for a WCC in June.

They are so fun! Sloane is SO laid back and Knox is notsomuch. I take that back, he can be, but lately, with his steroids and such, he's been pretty irritable and wants to be held.

This video melts my heart. I took it a nights ago. I was folding laundry on the bed and they were playing with Brent. It was close to their bedtime. It's really their first time they interacted for this long with each other, just giggling away! It's a bit dark, so hard to see Knox's hilarious smile with all his little teefies.

Have a good Saturday!

Blake's Journey

2012-05-18T14:00:00.001-05:00

You may remember me posting about my friend, Katheryn, here.

She recently lost her son to SMA. He was just 30 days old. He was a beautiful baby boy.

Coming from someone who has had to say goodbye to their baby, I know that the feelings never go away. You want them back everyday. You think about having to say goodbye as you held them. You know they are healthy and in no pain and you look forward to seeing them again. However, it is a constant battle of mixed emotions. God's plan isn't one we always understand, but we just have to have faith.

Like any illness that takes a child, it's a hard hard thing. It teaches the world we need to team together to find cures for these types of things.

Katheryn has set up an organization to help spread the word about SMA and I wanted to share it all with you. You can read more about SMA HERE.

You can find Blake's Journey on Facebook HERE.

Please help Katheryn and others, more than you would even think, spread the word to help find a cure.

She can also send you stickers or bracelets if you contact her.

May!

2012-05-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

Somehow May has zipped on by. It's almost the end of the month!

I have really enjoyed having blog sponsors! I love sharing my reader's businesses and they are so generous with discounts, fundraisers and giveaways.

I usually do a sponsor post at the beginning of each month. I do this so that if they are running any specials for the month, you will have access to that for an entire month. This way, I can periodically remind you to check them out, too ;)

This month I just got too busy! My little nuggets got a bit off schedule with our trip and with Knox's skin, they've been all consuming...which I wouldn't have any other way :)

So, this month, I'm doing a "mini sponsor post" :) Basically, the shop link and any specials they want to mention! The normal sponsor post takes quite a bit of time to put together and I didn't want post it without giving it the time it deserves. SO, with that being said, it will be back the first week in June :)

If you are interested in sponsoring, just shoot me an email or leave a comment and your email address!

All of these shops can be found on my right sidebar as well.

juliethefish designs - Use coupon code "COHEN" during May to receive free shipping on your order. PLUS, 20% of the proceeds from your order will go toward Cohen's iPods!

Rosie Posie - On May 16 & 17th, enter "Cohen" in the comments box and all proceeds go towards iPods!

Scentsy -25% of your order will go towards Cohen's iPods until May 28th.

Buncolator -ALL proceeds from Buncolator sales on iTunes will go towards Cohen's iPods.

Thirty-One -All of Jamie's commission will go towards Cohen's iPods - If you go to "Place an Order" you will see Cohen's party.

Willow House -Willow House is donating 20% of sales to Cohen's iPods - today is the last day. Select "Megan Marshall" as hostess

Pink Papaya - Pink Papaya is donating 35% to Cohen's iPods. Go to "My Events" & select "iPods from Cohen"

Wild Tree - Wild Tree is donating 25% sales from THIS party to Cohen's iPods.

Monogram Chick - Enter "BRIDE2012" for 10% off

Stella & Dot - Lots of wonderful things on sale HERE!

Ashley Brooke Designs

Peas & Carrots

Mar-L's

embellish*ology

Velata - Samantha said shoot her an email for specials! Samantha.fryer27@gmail.com

Paper Clouds - Stay tuned for a giveaway and free printable from Paper Clouds starting Monday!

Jamberry Nails - Buy 3, get 1 free! On the charity shields, $2 goes back to the charity.

2 Little Lovelies - They have a fundraiser coming up, next week, for Cohen's iPods!

Brad's Deals

Zulily - Enter "COUPCAB546" to get 10% off your order of $50+

Embellish Boutique

Sylvia Rose Design -Email Allison at sylviarosedesign@gmail.com to inquire about specials.

Totsy - Enter "COUPONCABIN" for 10% off

The Canvas People -Free 8x10 canvas, with your own picture, HERE.

Diamond Doll Design

The Land of Nod

Apothica

via

Happy shopping and I hope you are enjoying your May :)

Recalled

2012-05-17T11:48:00.002-05:00

Real quick- Today is the last day - Check out this post! Rosie Posie is donating all her proceeds to Cohen's iPods! SUCH CUTE stuff!

I posted about this stool once or twice and recently got an email that is has been recalled!

I actually own two of these and they have been great for me. Apparently, they weren't great for more than one person. I just felt a bit obligated to share the recall with you all since I shared the stool. If I posted about a stroller that collapsed when you put your baby in it, and it was recalled, I'd be sure to let you know.

I don't want you falling on your booty....or breaking your ankle....so just be cautious. My guess is that it's weight limit wasn't accurate, but who knows!

Rosie Posie!

2012-05-16T13:08:00.001-05:00

I'm sure many of you know about my wonderful sponsor, Rosie Posie Designs!

SUCH cute stuff.

Ashley, the owner, actually went to school with Brent! It's been so fun working with her :)

She decided she wanted to do something to help Cohen's iPod project! SO NICE. SO....

Today & tomorrow ONLY.....

ALL HER PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS THE iPODS!!!!! 

*****Be sure to put "COHEN" in the comment box on your order*******

She has cell phone covers, kindle & ipad cases, cosmetic bags, luggage tags, koozies, platters, plates, key chains...and the list goes on!! These make great gifts, too!!

HAPPY SHOPPING! :)

Midweek Randoms

2012-05-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Midweek, everyone!

I'm glad you all liked the theme for the shower I posted yesterday! Isn't it fun??

-My dress is Ella Moss. I got it several years ago off Shopbop.
-My yellow necklace was off a Facebook flash sale. No clue the brand, but I do know that Bridier Baubles also had it at one point!
-I feel like there were other questions, but I can't remember what they were at the moment : /
-I'll work to get the recipes for the punches!

Oh, a lot of people have emailed asking about Sloane's bows. I'll do a post on those soon because I've gotten them tons of places.

Speaking of, how cute is she in this one from Peas & Carrots? It's the Suri one that Peas & Carrots was picked for to gift Suri Cruise :)

Knox's skin has still been pretty iffy this week. He's on steroids, so the poor baby has been pretty emotional, too. We should hear back on his biopsy report today.

It's not been an easy few days on the parenting front. Lots of deep breaths and prayers.

Last night I decided on cake for dinner. Healthy huh? Easy cake. Chocolate cake mix, caramel, eagle brand milk & cream cheese & cool whip as the icing. yum. Don't worry, we had left over chicken from the night before, too. No, not with the cake.

Some of my flowers have been alive for two plus weeks. Is it sad I like them so much I keep up with how long I can make them last? haha

Speaking of lasting, my herbs are doing pretty good so far. I typically have trouble with cilantro, but so far so good.

Since our past few days ~~week~~ have been pretty rough, my mom came over yesterday so I could run to the store and pick up a few things. Target kills me with the cuteness. Seriously, how could I resist this?

I think I'm going to order some gates to set up a little play area for the kiddos. They are crawling SO fast. I get worried I can't chase and contain them both at the same time. Our little living area by the kitchen can be closed off, but we still have some baby proofing to do and a TV to get hung, so I figure the gates we can use for now and maybe even in there if needed. I think my friend, Heather, said Wal-Mart has a good price and she likes theirs. Anyone else have different ones?

I'm getting excited for Cohen's iPod donation! We are going to do it on or right around his birthday. Still working on some details with Children's. A few friends at Thirty-One, Scentsy, Willow House, Pink Papaya, Buncalator, juliethefish designs & Wild Tree have fundraisers going here, and there will be a few more going up soon :)

I think I've mentioned this, but we recently had our fridge replaced (first one was plugged in while power wasn't on yet and caused it to surge), and I cannot get the water to taste right! They say to run so much through and it will start tasting normal, not like plastic. No luck. I don't remember it taking so long last time.

I'm obsessed with twine. The ones I blogged about, here, arrived and I LOVE them. I ordered them from GroopDealz.

GroopDealz also doesn't help my saving money with all their cute sales. Can we talk about the chevron bags? You can get them here.

In all seriousness, since I don't get out too often to go shopping, alone, I really have done good not spending much money lately. I'm proud of myself. I now know I much prefer to see it go into savings. I'm only allotting so much a month on internet purchases. Baby steps ;) Of course, my mom taking me shopping every now and then, is a nice treat. She spoiled me on Mother's Day.

Speaking of Mother's Day, I need to do a little post recap of it soon. And one from our trip last week...and one from Easter...oh, and the giveaway for this week. It will start Monday instead!

Do you all watch America's Got Talent? It can be entertaining, but I just get so embarrassed for people. I've not watched the Housewives, Bethanney or any daytime shows in forever, but I'm itching to. I really only watch shows Brent and I both watch in the evening. Sometimes the Today Show in the morning while the babies nap.

I should have mention this, but if there are any topics you want to see in the "For MOMs by MOMs" posts, please let me know!

Oh, I also wanted to post a several pictures from a few weekends back. Brent and I went to a Black Keys concert. His brother and his girlfriend went as well. It was lots of fun and we went to dinner before :)

Yes, we posed by a tree, haha.

My hair looks silly up, but I got hot : /

I'm itching to join a blog vlog link up! Maybe next week.

Have a good day :)

You Are My Sunshine {Baby Shower}

2012-05-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in this post, I helped host a baby shower for Lindsey and baby Jack a few weekends ago! It was so much fun :) We had the shower at my house and I really enjoyed helping!

I loved pulling out some of my vases, table runners, beverage and serving pieces, etc. And of course, I volunteered for flowers ;) I searched high and low for yellow gladiolas, for the fireplace, but no where in town had them.

As for the house, though we have a ways to go, I think it is coming together and I enjoyed having friends over and meeting new people! For those who have been emailing and asking, you can see most of the kitchen now ;) I'll do more pics once I got the shade picked and up.

The theme was "You Are My Sunshine" :) Lindsey posted the invite, here, and Jessica did a fabulous job making it!

Me with the mama-to-be :)

Have I mentioned lately that I met Lindsey through blogging? Yep! I think it's been about four years now, since we met, and I've enjoyed being friends with her!

The party favors! So cute! Jane did these :)

We had people sign in baby books for Jack :)

(Terrible editing job on the chalkboard, I know : / )

Lindsey had the canvas made and we borrowed it :) Most of the banners were made by Lindsey's sister-in-law and the name one was made by Katie!

I thought it would be cute to put some gifts in our cradle, though I knew it wouldn't hold too many ;)

I believe all the prints were ones Lindsey had ordered. Her sister got them together with the frames....

The cake was from a local bakery and it was delicious...

punch bar :) Lindsey's SIL made the punches and they were so good! I'll see about getting the recipes from her to share.

Food Table....we had fruit cups, breakfast casserole, mini muffins and pastries.

not sure what's going on with the flowers, but they didn't look so weird in person.

opening gifts :)

The hostesses with Lindsey

Knox & Sloane joined us for the second half of the shower, after their nap. Brent was going to hang with them in another room, but they wanted to visit and people seemed to want to visit with them :)

Knox & myself. He was obsessed with my necklace.

Katie & I with Knox & Sloane ;) a little blurry, but cute. I think she was reaching for him...

Have a good day!

For MOMs by MOMs: Pregnant with twins!

2012-05-14T10:47:00.002-05:00

Today, our topic is pregnancy and birth story!

Or you can split these up even :) As a reminder, this is a series for MOMs (moms of multiples) or ANY mom! We just thought it would be fun to share our stories and experiences :) Heather, Jennifer, Amanda and myself teamed up to start this and we hope you will join! To add a link to your post on pregnancy and/or birth story, Jennifer is hosting the linky on her blog today, which is HERE!

I know a lot of this I have already posted, but it's fun to recap some of it again. I'm at a different stage now and of course, I love thinking back on it all. I'll do some linking to other posts as well.

I became pregnant with Knox & Sloane six months after I gave birth. I had a c-section with Cohen and it was quite a lengthy recovery. In fact, at six months, you aren't really fully recovered. I wasn't, anyhow.

We found out very early that we were having twins. Within two weeks after doing IUI we knew I was carrying two babies :) Our doctor even had a feeling, based on heartbeats, it was a boy & a girl ;) He delivers lots of babies and is typically pretty accurate early on. I thought it was a boy and a girl or two girls. I never had a feeling for two boys.

Brent and I decided two keep our exciting news to ourselves for a little while. I think we lasted about a week, haha. Not for any particular reason, but we were letting it soak in. It was fun and basically we just really couldn't believe it.

My pregnancy immediately started out pretty tough. I was in pain. I felt pressure when I walked and when I was on my feet for long. My doctor assured me it was because of a few reasons; I did follicle stimulating meds; I was just pregnant; I was pregnant with two babies. So I trusted him. He was right. Things were fine. I had nervousness before each appointment, but he was always quick to say the babies looked great! Thankfully, he knew I needed to see my babies often so we went in every two-three weeks.

The pain got better for a few weeks, I think between 15-20 weeks. At 20 weeks, I started feeling pain a bit again. It wasn't awful, but I just couldn't be up for long periods of time. My doctor pretty consistently told us that 35 weeks was a good gaol to have. He said with twins, and me having a c-section six months prior, we probably wouldn't have the babies stay in any longer than 37 weeks. At that point, the risks outweighed the benefits in our situation.

Carrying two babies, for me, was much different! I popped quick! This, my doctor said, was mostly due to the fact that I had just been pregnant and...my ovaries were huge.

Here is a comparison of my pregnancies at 19 weeks...

About 24 weeks I started cramping. I went to L&D to find that I had irritable uterus. It was extremely nerve-racking because my doctor wasn't on call and the nurse basically said I had "activity going on". My immediate thought was, I can't lose these babies and I don't need to go into labor yet if I can avoid it. The doctor that saw me said that irritable uterus can be very painful and could cause labor so I had to take it easy.. She told me to stay in bed until I saw my doctor.

Once I saw my dcotor, he felt great hat things still looked so good. He told me to continue to take it easy. He said if it hurt to stand, don't do it. If it hurt to walk, don't do it. So, from that point on, I continued to listen to my body very closely. I didn't do much of anything and I was really good about drinking lots and lots of water and laying on my side as often as possible.

I feel confidant keeping off my feet and water helped me keep Knox & Sloane in as long as I did. Also, it was summer. It was one of the hottest summers we had had in a while. I stayed out of the heat. I went outside maybe a few times a week and it was usually in the evening or early morning for appointments.

Here I am at 27 weeks....

Thankfully, my boss was very, very kind to let me work from home as much as possible. Therefore, I didn't have to leave for work.

When I did go somewhere, I had no shame in using a wheelchair or scooter and taking walking breaks. I had to. I couldn't walk more than a few minutes without feeling pain...

At 36 1/2 weeks, Knox showed signs of IUGR. This basically meant, he was out of room and not growing anymore. The doctor contemplated taking them then, but decided to give it a few days. He also thought Knox was going to be much smaller than he was, so we were glad that wasn't the case!

Here I am the day before they were born......

At thirty-seven weeks, Knox & Sloane blessed us with their presence and it was a wonderful delivery. I felt at east going into the OR, but of course I was very nervous as well. I knew no matter what, we would get through it. It was such a special day. We got to meet the babies we had been praying for for so long. They were perfect.

As I sit here watching Knox & Sloane, nine months later, playing with each other, my heart is full. In five seconds, Sloane will be screaming because she is teething. And poor Knox, he has an itchy skin issue going on that we are trying to figure out, but I'm thankful they are here and healthy. He will get us through it all. He got us to it all and through it all. So, no matter how occasionally painful my pregnancy was, it was worth every single second. I loved being pregnant both times and I love all three of my babies dearly.

I may post more of the birth story in another post. You can check out the slideshow here and my weekly pregnancy updates and pictures here :)

I'd love to hear your pregnancy story. If you've posted it already or want to today and you want to link up with us, head to Jennifer's blog!

Stay tuned for a giveaway later! :)

Also..
*There are several fundraisers going for Cohen's iPods HERE :)
*Be sure to check out my latest post in the Huggies series on expecting & parenthood HERE.
*Enter to win a $100 Target gift card HERE.
*Enter to win some fabulous skin care products by Darphin HERE.
*Enter to win a $50 Visa gift card HERE.

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

I hope you all are having a Happy Mother's Day!

I'm so very, very grateful to be a mother. I never knew what I wanted to 'be' besides a mother and I'm forever thankful that God has given me three of his angels. Though one of them isn't here with us anymore, Cohen truly made me a mom. His brother and sister make me more of one everyday.

I'm also forever thankful to my mom for bringing me into this world and showing me an amazing example of what a mother is. She has jumped leaps and bounds to do everything she can for me, and her grandkids, and I'm very lucky to have her as my mom!

These moments, when I held my babies for the first time, are ones that I will never ever forget. I can't explain the feelings they gave me. I still can't believe three babies; three precious faces.. I still can't believe I had to say goodbye to one either :(

Cohen....

Knox & Sloane...

Grammy with her grandkids.

Thank you, God, for trusting me with these blessings.

I pray for each of you wanting to hold your children for the first time. You will.

I'll do a recap of our weekend soon :) It's been a good one!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:13-16

brain dump

2012-05-11T17:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday :) Twin Treats for this week is a bit delayed. My munchkins are being ever so cute and they are ALL over the place. We had a four hour trip this morning. It went well. I was nervous because we did it on Tuesday at bedtime. They did great both ways in the car!

Well, Knox got his first stitch today :( The dermatologist and pediatrician, thank God they are talking on the phone to each other in regards to Knox, decided he needed a biopsy. As per our appointments on Tuesday, the dermatologist believes he has eczema and heat rash. The fact that they are itchy causes his to rub and itch them, which causes them to flare. It's kind of like a double edged sword because with eczema few baths are good, but with heat rash, cool baths, often, are good. We are supposed to keep him cool and we are trying out some creams.

His food allergy test came back pretty clear. It was a little high on bananas, so we are going to hold off on those for a bit.

There is something else that wanted to test for, so that's where the biopsy comes in. It's rare, but does have some relation to ptosis (his lazy lid), so they wanted to be certain. It has a long name and I wrote it down on a notepad in my car. Anyways, the issue is treatable and they didn't lead me to believe it's a big deal, but something we need to figure out.

Here is my dumpling with his little boo boo on his shoulder.

I've really refrained from posting and tweeting any rough pictures of his skin. He is looking much better today, though under his chin is bad and his skin in general feels like snake skin because of continuous tiny bumps. It's been bad and raw and bloody and heart breaking. It is currently on the mend...for this time...again. We've got to get remedies so that's what we are working on. I've had to pin this boy down more times than I care to remember in the past week and I pray to God he doesn't remember. It took four times to get his blood drawn for the allergy test and he had to have two injections before the biopsy today. I mean seriously, breaks my heart for him. Oh, did I mention he cut a new tooth this week. Bless his heart.

Prayers for him are much appreciated.

On a more positive note, Knox & Sloane got to meet one of their 'aunts' and see another for the second time last night. Lots of love : ) Two of my bestest friends. I'll post pictures when they send them to me ;)

One of the 'autnies'...Allison, gifted me with these goodies. LOVE

Here is Sloaney girl today. She's doing lots of new things. One being, putting her hands up on her head, while tilting and smiling. She is a hoot.

Brent's mom came over and played with Sloane while I took Knox to the doctor today. Then, once we got home, a few hours later, my parents came over to play with them. This is giving me a nice little break and time to regroup. So thankful to have help when I need or want it. I'm not always good at asking, but sometimes I gladly accept.

Did I mention we took our first road trip and hotel stay? haha. They did great in general, but with Knox being itchy and cutting a tooth, he had a few rough moments ~~hours~~. Brent worked during the day so we hung in the hotel and went on walks. I think they were also feeling confined in the hotel and, well, the floors were much harder :( They did great sleeping in their pack n plays all night, right by our bed, so that's a great plus.

Have you all tried this? I couldn't wait to get home and poor a glass. I've not been doing much milk or coffee, but Heather introduced me to this and I LOVE IT.

I hear my parents and babies just giggling away in the other room and it's so sweet <3

We are going to a birthday dinner tonight, after the babies go to bed. Honestly, I'm ready to get in bed, but I know it will be a nice time.

Oh, my mom just told me that one of her friends has a grandbaby in the hospital, also named Knox, with whooping cough :( If you are adding to your prayer list, include him.

There are a few fundraisers going on, here, for Cohen's iPods :) If you need Scentsy or other fun things, check it out!

Thank you for the nice comments on the funny froggies post :) I love narrating because I really feel like that's what they are thinking! ha

Hope you all had a good day!

The Post & Funny Froggies

2012-05-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for the nice words on yesterday's post. Definitely crazy. I didn't realize Brent had taken a picture of the post that the truck hit. It drove for a block with this stuck to the front of it before slamming it's breaks and reversing in front of us. ugh.

On to cuter things. One of my sponsors, Kasey's Kreation's, sent Knox & Sloane these adorable little hats. I mean, seriously, how cute are they? Both the hats and the babies ;) They loved seeing each other in them. I actually took these pictures about two weeks ago and time got away from me for posting them. Love my funny froggies :)

I couldn't help myself with the captions. I'm a dork, I know.

Knox, what is that on your head?

Sloane, you have something funny on your head, too.

No, I don't hush your mouth...

Sloane, lighten up. It's funny, but super cute.... Knox says while laughing.

Let me get a good look at yours...

Can, I touch it, Knox?

Let me taste it first, Sloane.

No, Knox, it's not to eat. I already tried! ...as she pushes him...

Okay, well let me try yours...

No, Knox. I decided I like my hat.

I think it looks pretty cute on me :)

Oh, Sloane, come on...let me have yours, too....

Okay, stay here Sloane and I will read you a book....

That's the book I want to read you!

Okay, Knox you really do look funny in your frog hat...

Knox reading story...

Oh, Knox, you make me laugh!

Before my eyes...

2012-05-09T10:31:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to post my favorite new picture of me with my babies and this morning feels perfect because I'm so very thankful we are all still here. I'm thankful every morning, but last night a drunk driver almost got us :(

This week we decided to take a little road trip with the babies. We got in late last night and were checking into our hotel about midnight. Brent went inside to check us in and get the luggage cart. Our car was off the road but right next to it. He put the cart behind the car and walked over to the driver's side door to turn car off. About that time, we heard a car speeding up fast behind us. He ran to the other side of the car and the next thing we knew, there was a truck right next to us about ten feet in front of us. It slammed it's breaks on and started in reverse full speed. We could see sparks flying and it was heading towards our car. I jumped out of my seat and started towards the back seat. The truck then geared back to drive and sped off. It left behind a post that it ran into and ripped out of concrete. It was stuck to the front of the truck! He went in reverse in attempts to pull it off. It ran into it and drove off right before he came up by us. The post still had about a foot of concrete all the way around the post. Thank God that wasn't a person. Thank God that fifteen seconds later a cop came flying by us chasing that truck. I'm praying that person is in jail and getting help.

I couldn't breathe and I really saw all our lives possible ending from a truck running over or smashing into us us. Brent and I looked at each other and just couldn't believe it happened. We went to bed talking about it and woke up talking about it.

You never think it will happen to you, but it can. We aren't promised tomorrow and no one in our family is either. If I've learned one thing in the past several years, that would be it.

Knox had a hard time falling back to sleep in the hotel because he was itchy, but I didn't mind holding him one bit. I can't imagine my life without these smiles, even in the stressful moments.

Expecting Energy

2012-05-08T10:29:00.002-05:00

Another post in the Huggies series on expecting & parenthood :)

Actually, the first part of pregnancy, you probably shouldn't expect energy. However, throughout the majority of your pregnancy there are a few things you can do to have some energy and stay sane! As part of this series, I'm going to share with you some things I did.

I was pregnant twice within fourteen months. My first delivery was at 39 weeks with Cohen, and my second pregnancy, with Knox & Sloane, went to 37 weeks. So I was pregnant for a while. I only had about six months in between the two pregnancies. I wouldn't have changed a thing, but I will say that the second time around was significantly harder.

When you first become pregnant, your hormones are surging. Your body isn't used to what's taking place, and though it's very capable of adjusting, it sometimes takes some time. Rest. Rest early because towards the end, it might be hard. When baby (or babies) arrive(s), it certainly won't be easy anymore. When you are newly pregnant, you are exhausted and you can probably fall asleep the second you close your eyes!

Keep your feet up. If you are just sitting around, elevate your legs. This helps your blood flow, and the bigger your belly gets, the more pressure your legs and feet feel. Luckily, I avoided swelling, maybe thanks to this tip, but I know a lot of people get it!

Water. I can't tell you enough how important water is. My OB told me if I could do one thing, and do it right, while pregnant with Knox & Sloane, it was to drink water. Water can actually help stop premature labor. Your body just needs water. It's like a lifeline for pregnancy. It also helps with energy and keeping you hydrated. I can't remember what daytime show I was watching, but a doctor said that lack of water is the number one cause of daytime fatigue. You will just feel better if you keep up your fluid intake.

Along with water, of course you need food. I always found that eating all throughout the day was good for me while pregnant. I felt most sick or nauseous when I was hungry. So, as long as I had at least a little something in my belly at all times, I felt okay, and it probably gave me some energy. I'm not here to tell you what or how much to eat, obviously. That is totally your call! Your body will take what it needs for baby. I gained 40 pounds with a singleton and 40 pounds with twins, so that is apparently my body's number.

If you can go for walks, do! Don't overdo it, but get your heart going. Exercising releases endorphins, and this also helps contribute to your energy flow.

As for sanity, try to relax. I know there are pregnantzillas...just like there are bridezillas, haha. I think it just depends on your personality. I don't think I was one, but everything was "all baby" when I was pregnant. It can definitely consume you, and when we hit the halfway mark of the first pregnancy and found out about Cohen's heart, the term "parent" really went to a whole new level for us.

Consume yourself with optimistic thoughts. It truly is out of your control. You can do your part, but everything will happen as it's meant to be. Try to be as healthy mentally as you want to be physically for your babe.

Enjoy being pregnant. I know some people hate it, but I loved it both times. Both pregnancies were very different, but it's just such a miraculous thing what our bodies do. And the feeling. I think my most very favorite thing about pregnancy is feeling the baby/babies move. I LOVED it. It's time that we won't ever get back, ya know. Embrace it

Check out the Huggies Mommy Answers Facebook app!

Find more posts from bloggers sharing their experiences of motherhood on the†Huggies page†on BlogHer.com!

Winners :)

2012-05-07T22:15:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway last week :) I had fun picking out the goodies and hope to do it again soon!

There are two winners.....

Courtney from For the Record....

you won these goodies.......

Laura from LPC Interiors.....

you won this gem....

Congrats, ladies! :) Email me!

For MOMs by MOMs: My story!

2012-05-07T10:14:00.001-05:00

Hi! I know a lot of you may know this already, but I'm going to do a little introduction to how I became a MOM :)

MOM stands for "mom of multiples" :)

Last week, I blogged about a new fun link up I'm doing with a few other MOMs. It's called For MOMs by MOMs. There will be a different topic every week and we encourage ANY mom to join in! Heather Jennifer, Amanda and myself decided this would be a fun series.

I feel like my journey to parenthood has been quite in depth. It's definitely been a rollercoaster and I never imagined that I would have twins. It's just one of those things that you don't feel like will ever happen to you, you know?

I also never imagine I would have a baby with Congenital Heart Defects who would go to Heaven less than two weeks after he was born. Until now, that was also something I never thought would happen to me.

In 2008, I got off birth control in February. My cycle was all kinds of crazy. By late September, the doctor found a septum in my uterus and diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I had surgery in November 2008 to repair the septum. While in surgery, the doctor found that I had endometriosis. I more than likely had this due to the septum and backflow of blood. He 'cleaned' that up. I then went on Lupron Depot shots for six months. This basically put me into menopause so that I would have no activity and my body could heal. It was a crazy six months, but it wasn't too bad. I learned to do things that would help with PCOS once it tried to gain control. I ate low carbs and sugar. I came off those shots in early June 2009. I took birth control in June, July & August. We than began to try for a baby. On October 3rd, 2009, we found out we were expecting our first baby :)

At 23 weeks, February 11, 2010, we found out our son, Cohen, had Congenital Heart Defects. He was born on June 7, 2010 and went to Heaven on June 18, 2010. In this moment, I can't find many words to summarize this. I've blogged lots and lots about Cohen and there are many posts than can be found here. I thank God for Cohen everyday and I miss him deeply. I also thank God for sending me his brother and sister.

Six months after Cohen went to Heaven, I became pregnant with Knox & Sloane. Around August 2010, Brent and I decided we wanted to continue to grow our family after saying goodbye to Cohen. We quickly found out that my PCOS has returned pretty badly. I wasn't able to nurse Cohen while he was in the hospital so I pumped. I probably should have started birth control as soon as I stopped. Birth control keeps PCOS and other things dormant. So, when I went to the doctor, I was pretty covered in cysts. I also hadn't had a cycle. I took some medicine to help me start and once it worked and once it didn't. We were debating surgery to drill the cysts. My doctor then decided I should do a few rounds of birth control. That helped clear most the cysts, but things still weren't going as they should. He said it could take a year or more for my body to figure things out and we already knew I had PCOS and my chances of conceiving were actually better sooner. We decided to add follicle stimulating medications. Once we found out those were working, my doctor said we could try timed intercourse or we could do IUI. He said basically it increased our chances of conceiving. I can't say enough good things about my doctor. He is awesome. He was sensitive to where we were and he knew where we wanted to be. We did IUI. He did tell us chances were increased for multiples, but very slightly. Well, I got that in my head and I decided I would be perfect happy with twins. I joked with Brent about it. I prayed for them.

We did IUI on December 17th, 2010 and on January 6th, we found out that we did have two sacs. A few days later, our babies had heartbeats :)

They were born on August 19, 2011 :) We feel so VERY blessed. Sometimes it still feels like a dream. God had a plan and though it's been extremely hard at times, it's been so very amazing, too.

It's still crazy to think in a MOM. I have multiples! It's still crazy to think I had three babies in fourteen months.

I still get, Are these your first? Are these your only kids? I always tell people they have an older brother in Heaven. I always include that he had Congenital Heart Defects. People need to know those are real. They exist.

Having two kids, at the exact same stage doing everything, is so fun! It's challenging at times, but I've loved it so much. Sure, I have moments where I want to pull my hair out, but those are far outnumbered by ones were I sit and think how extremely thankful I am for these miracles and moments that make everything we've been through so worth it!

I look forward to sharing our stories and reading about yours!

My pregnancy with the twins and some of their archived posts are here. I need to update that a bit!

To link up your introduction post, head over to Heather's blog HERE! :) To link your posts each week, the link up will rotate between our blogs, but I'll be sure to let you know where to go!

Cohen on his birthday....

Knox & Sloane on their birthday...

**Be sure to check out another expecting & parenthood series post HERE.

A other few things.....
*There are several fundraisers going for Cohen's iPods HERE :)
*I'll post the winner to last week's giveaway later today :)
*Enter to win a $100 Target gift card HERE.
*Enter to win some fabulous skin care products by Darphin HERE.
*Enter to win a $50 Visa gift card HERE.

Sweet Shower Saturday

2012-05-05T20:50:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a good Saturday :)

I helped host another baby shower this week and this one was at my house. It was for Lindsey :) I loved welcoming people into our home and hanging out with dear friends..and meeting new people, too! Our house is no where near 'done' but it may be years before that happens, so we went with what we had going :)

My camera lens wasn't ideal for most of the picture taking so Lindsey's SIL said she would share hers with me. I need to get one of my lenses to the shop and another one ordered. Anyways, I'll post lots more pics when I have/upload them.

The theme of the shower was "You Are My Sunshine" :) LOVE yellow. We did yellow and navy. I was in charge of the flowers and I must say, I love having them all over my house now. They are my favorite.

I'm so excited for Lindsey & Ty and I can't wait for baby Jack to arrive. His friends, Knox & Sloane, are very excited, too!

The cake was delicious!

This afternoon, Brent said to me, "we should make those fruit cups all the time.....then, I can take a shot of fruit whenever I would like." haha. I got the little baking cups off Zulily and Whitney filled them with delicious fruit!

I'm not sure if you can tell by this picture...well, maybe by their eyes, but this is Knox & Sloane this afternoon. They were SO tired. They joined us at the shower towards the end. They loved seeing friends and meeting new people, too :) However, once everyone left, they really wanted to play and skip their afternoon nap. So, needless to say, they were quite tired by dinner time.

We fed them and decided we wanted to get out and get some dinner, so we headed to one of our favorite restaurants. They really do so good when we go to dinner, although I still always get a bit nervous. Tonight, Sloane played with her toys and talked and Knox watched every move Brent's fork made. Yes, we still sometimes feel like a circus act. People look and ask questions, but we don't mind. We love to share their smiles :) Seriously though, are they twins? haha. We still get that one. They are. They are in, indeed.

Thank you, all for the comments on yesterday's post as for tips on Knox's skin! I'm definitely going to be giving a few of them a try. I'm so ready to pinpoint the trigger so we can hopefully help/prevent the flares.

I'm ready to hit the hay! My legs are tired, haha. I suppose my entire body is. We are watching the end of the Thunder game and debating a movie to watch after we crawl in bed.

Tomorrow, I plan to address moving announcements. Better late than never, right? Seriously, Megan. I know. I got busy. They are too cute, in fact SO SO SO cute, not to send :)

You have a little while longer to enter my current giveaway....from me :) It's here!

Twin Treats :) 37 weeks

2012-05-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

Knox & Sloane are 37 weeks this week!

Big week as far as sitting up goes! They are both doing it! Knox started at the beginning of the week and Sloane started yesterday! I'll let the picture captions explain our week ;)

Lots of Knox's naps were spent like this when he figured he could sit up....

Then, Sloane started learning to sit up in her crib. She would get stuck, but start giggling.

Then, she sat up everywhere....

My babies are growing up :(

Being sweet dumplings...

but fighting over toys...

and bows ;)

Sloane, where is your headband? Do you actually have enough hair for a bow now?

Yes, Knox, look. Isn't it pretty?

It is, can I have it?

No Knox, hands off!

I'm doing everything in my power to keep this bow on. Even though it seems I may have a widow's peak forever...

razorbacks for life...

Knox had a bad skin flare up this weekend...it was all over face, back, chest, tummy, legs...almost everywhere...

The doctors now think it's eczema. We are now trying to determine triggers. The gals on Twitter gave me lots of wonderful advice. As soon as he started Elidel & Millipred, it cleared by the next day. Thankfully, eczema or not, he's all smiles :)

He is off Millipred now and just on Elidel. So far, so good.

Sloane kept putting this heart shaped thing on her noise all week. It's a shape learner. So funny.

love :)

Sloane was teething pretty bad this week. Still just bottom, middle two.

On Sunday, Brent was upstairs rocking Knox so he wouldn't itch after he got back from the doctor. These are kinda blurry because the curtains were drawn and it was the front camera..but I busted out laughing..

Again, front camera, but cute. Sloane and I were snuggling..

The might as well be starting college at this rate. I love love love this stage, though!

Happy Friday :)

Shop!.... for iPods From Cohen :)

2012-05-03T16:28:00.003-05:00

I had several people, some being my sponsors, reach out letting me know they wanted to help with our donation project in memory of Cohen. If you are just tuning in, you can read about it HERE :)

It is SO nice that people offered to help. We really believe this project will be a blessing for many, many families. I've included a little blurb from each shop owner/consultant that shares why they wanted to help be apart of iPods From Cohen :) It still gives me chills that Cohen touched their lives along with many others.

If any others join, I will be sure to add them to this post and update. So, maybe check back periodcally for other shops! Most will run for the month of May.

juliethefish designs makes one of a king hand stamped jewelry, accessories and trinkets! I have several pieces, which if you have been reading long, I'm sure you've seen! I really love each piece! This make great gifts!

In Julie's own words...When I met Megan in the spring of 2010 I was drawn to her family because of their love and faith. Like so many others, my life and heart were touched by Megan and her sweet Cohen. I am grateful that Megan and Brent share so much of their lives with us. I am so excited to donate proceeds from juliethefish designs to Cohens iPods! What an amazing cause! During the month of May please use coupon code COHEN at checkout. You will receive free shipping and 20% of the proceeds from your purchase will go towards Cohen's iPods!

For iPods: Enter "COHEN" at checkout and 20% goes towards the iPods :) You also get free shipping!

To Order: Go HERE.

Dates: Entire month of May!

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Buncolator is an app that keeps score for the game of Bunco! It's a fun game and I'm hoping to start a group soon!

In Catherine's own words...We are both also very impressed with your strength, your story has really touched us like I'm sure it has touched so many others. I know you must hear this all the time, but you are such an inspiration to those who have suffered a great tragedy in their lives. We would like to donate all buncolator sales earned during the month of May to your wonderful cause - iPods from Cohen. It's such a great idea and we would like to lend a hand!

During the month of May, Lindsay and Catherine, the makers of Buncolator - the one and only app to keep score for the game of Bunco - will donate 100% of their profits to iPods for Cohen. Buncolator, only 99 cents, is for sale in Apple's app store and is available for your iPod, iPhone and iTouch. Click here for a direct link to make your purchase and support this wonderful cause!

For iPods: 100% of the profits that the makers would earn :)

To Order: Get the app HERE.

Dates: Entire month of May!

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Willow House has some of the prettiest home decor, serving pieces and household goodies I've seen!

In Lauren's own words..."I've been very moved by your story. I've followed the story all along and I've seen what a BIG impact Cohen's little life made on so many people. I'm SO inspired by your spirit in the wake of such a tragedy. And I've been very inspired by your need to give back to others who are facing similar situations!"

For iPods: 20% of Willow House sales through the below link will go towards the iPods :)

For every $5 spent, Lauren will enter the names into a drawing for a giveaway!

To Order: You must order through THIS Willow House link and enter "Megan Marshall" as hostess.

Dates: Now - May 18th

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Thirty-One has a variety of bags, totes, purses and home things! Many of them you can also have personalized. I think it's a great way to stay organized and stylish! Also, the NEW SUMMER CATALOG just came out :)

In Jamie's own words... "I have never met Megan or Brent. I am a stay at home mom of a 20 month old little boy and 3.5 year old little girl. I was pregnant with my little boy while Megan was pregnant with Cohen. I came across her blog and felt a deep sorrow for them but also knew that God gives very special people trials like this...I knew they were special people. I don't have much to give but I started selling Thirty One Gifts in September '11 and have been able to donate money to families that need it. I give my commissions! I just want to be able to help someone in need finanically and hope that I can help them emotionally as well. Ipods from Cohen will help families get through a tough time and if I can be any part of helping...I'm here!!!"

For iPods: All of Jamie's Thirty-One commission, for this party, will go towards Cohen's iPods :)

To Order: Shop Jamie's site HERE and go to "Place Order" you will see Cohen's Party!

Dates: Now - May 15th

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Pink Papaya is a beauty product line that strives to have the highest quality and most natural ingredients. I blogged here about some things I received and I am still loving them! I also heard that Megan Hilty, who is on Smash, wears Pink Papaya make up, so that is pretty neat.

In Clarissa's own words.... I am so honored to participate in this project! To give these families access to the outside world, whether it be music, games or the internet is something I know they will appreciate. I can't think of a better gift to give them!

For iPods: 100% of Clarissa's sales, which is 35% in commissions will go towards Cohen's iPods!

To Order: You must shop the Pink Papaya shop with THIS link and then go to "My Events"then select "iPods from Cohen"

Dates: Now - the end of May

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Scentsy I've been talking about for a while now. Y'all it smells SO good. I LOVE candles, and I think this is a pretty great alternative to a flame :) I think Scentsy covers a great amount of area as well!

In Donieda's words... other than your beautiful baby boy, and equally gorgeous little Knox and Sloane... I have loved many, many people with broken hearts as well. None as early as your Cohen though.

In my 27 years of life, I have only heard stories of both grandfathers, unfortunately never met them though because both are angels who were taken due to heart attacks. My moms, father, was just over 30 years old and left my grandma with 6 children, and one on the way. My dads, dad passed away a little later in life, but was never able to teach his little boy to drive, or able to see his daughter get her high school diploma. My dad was only 13 when he became the man of the house.

In 2001 I was a Jr. in high school, my sister was only 12 and my mom was taken to the hospital after having 3 minor heart attacks. After some time in the hospital and stints being placed in her heart, she was able to leave the hospital within hours of seeing my little sister play in a State Basketball Tournament..with VERY strict cheering orders. :) My mom now goes to yearly appointments to have things checked out and make sure that all is well. With the exception of a small bump in the road this past March, things have been well.

I have had 2 uncles experience some severe heart problems as well. Sadly, we lost my Uncle Steve after a quadruple bypass surgery and a very lengthy stay in the hospital due to his heart being not quite strong enough to recover.

In addition to my family, I have an incredible friend and past co-worker that was born with a broken heart, and had a pacemaker all of her life, until last January. At that point, she got the call and received a heart transplant and is doing much better.

And finally, I have a very close friend with congestive heart failure, Justin. He is 26 years old and has had many, many heart surgeries in the past 5 years. He has been at University of Chicago Hospital since April 11th after LVAD surgery. And has a long road ahead of him.

All that being said, I guess I have just been very affected my Cohen's story because I can relate similarly to dealing with heart complications, although, not nearly to the extent that you have. I have been a member of Benefits and things like that to assist the families of people with health issues. But I admire you for doing such a great thing to benefit all those affected.

For iPods: 25% of the sales for Cohen's Party go towards the iPods :)

To Order: Shop HERE.

Dates: Now - May 28th

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Wildtree is an company with natural products! They have quick and easy recipes, seasonings, breads, mixes and much more that are healthy with no additives!

In Leslie's words.....I have read your blog for a couple years now and have wanted to help you in raising funds for iPods from Cohen but until recently have not been able to. A few months I became a sales rep for a direct sales company called Wildtree. It's all natural food products with no preservatives, MSG, food dyes, additives or high fructose corn syrup. I have noticed that you've written several posts about being interested in healthy/clean eating so I thought my company might be a good match to do a fundraiser and giveaway on your blog.

For iPods: 25% of the sales for this fundraiser will go towards Cohen's iPods :)

To Order: Shop HERE.

Dates: Now - the end of May

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It means so much to us that this ladies have wanted to help our project in memory of Cohen. We are forever grateful!

We also have a few more coming up in the next few weeks, including something super fun from my friends at Two Little Lovelies!! Next week, we have a flash fundraiser from Rosie Posie Designs!

Thank you all SO much for shopping to help support Cohen's donation project!!! :)

A few people asked me about putting this post on their blog and that is perfectly fine! 

A few also asked about a donation link. That is HERE.

THE dress!

2012-05-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for the nice comments on the sprinkle post! I was blown away by how many people asked about my dress! I'm glad you all agree it was as cute as I thought it was :) I'm not sure it looks as good on me as the model, but still, I liked it!

I probably got a dozen emails and the majority of commenters. I figured posting would be the easiest way to reply to all. The dress is from Sosie! They have some super cute things. I ordered the black & white zig zag dress when I was pregnant and never wore it and now I think I really should have gotten a different size, so perhaps I'll put it for sale soon.

Anyways, happy shopping :)

I was aiming to get the iPod fundraisers post up today, but still waiting on a few things, so next goal is tomorrow morning!

Sprinkle!

2012-05-02T09:53:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I helped host a sprinkle for my friend, Ashley! It was so much fun and everything was beautiful and delicious! For those that asked, a sprinkle is basically a baby shower :) This is ashley's second baby to have and it's a little girl. She has a little boy already. We wanted to sprinkle her with some little girl goodies :)

I cannot take any credit for the fabulous decor as I can't sneak away from my nuggets long enough to help with that. Some of the other girls did such a beautiful job! I loved everything pink and such pretty flowers!

I did the party favors, zucchini cakes and tomato, mozzarella & basil mini kabobs. Embellish*ology made the printables for the favors and they turned out so cute and matched the invitation wonderfully!

Sloane and myself with Ashley :)

Sloane was very excited she got to come along :) She had a few little friends there as well. It was during nap time, so she was a pretty sleepy girl, but did really well and gave cuddles. She can't wait to play with baby Britton, arriving soon!

happy sprinkles :)

Don't forget about a little giveaway from me this week, here :)

giveaway from me :)

2012-05-01T15:20:00.001-05:00

I actually meant to do this in March, but my giveaway calendar got full!

I think it's so nice my sponsors are always wanting to give away something so I thought I'd do one...although, it's kind of two!

There will be TWO WINNERS!!!!

These are just random things I've picked up PLUS a credit to a fun boutique!

Winner one will receive.....

This prize includes a summer scarf, rosette necklace, Essie "Meet Me at Sunset" & cute chevron Duck tape!

I own all of these as well and love them. Turquoise platter not included. I love it too much :)

Winner two will receive.....

This prize includes a $25 store credit to Bridier Baubles! She has SUCH cute stuff!!

I love everything and I thought you guys would, too!

To enter: Leave a comment telling me ....hmm, what is something fun?? Tell me your favorite movie!

Additional entries: Since I'm using Rafflecopter, it has you enter your email address, which it makes it easy for me to contact you!
- Pin this giveaway & include post URL - http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2012/05/giveaway-from-me.html
- Tweet about this giveaway & include post URL - http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2012/05/giveaway-from-me.html
- Blog about this giveaway & include post URL - http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2012/05/giveaway-from-me.html
- Facebook about this giveaway and include post URL - http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2012/05/giveaway-from-me.html

Winner will be picked randomly and announced on Sunday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Did you see the giveaway I posted earlier, here, for the chance to win a $100 Target gift card!?! It's the day of giveaways :)