About themielkeway

I'm Andrea~ teacher, foster momma to 17 little angels, wife to Ian (otherwise known as Dizzle) and Mommy to the three loves of our lives...Grae, RJ and Gigi. Am I a lucky girl, or what? ;)

11 weeks old

Posted on February 2, 2012 by themielkeway

This week Grae is making lots of noises! He coos, laughs, smiles, and blows bubbles. He loves watching our mouths move and tries imitating everything he sees. He even wrinkles up his nose when he laughs! 🙂

He is beginning to enjoy spending time on his activity mat, cooing at the baby in the mirror. He also is batting at his toys.

He is doing much better sleeping now. He either sleeps through the night, or wakes up once between 3:30 and 4:00 am to eat, then usually falls back asleep. He wakes up again around 7:00 am for another diaper change and some more “num-nums”. Sometimes he even sleeps in until 9 or 10!

He is about to outgrow his 3-6 month clothes (OH MY GOODNESS, HE IS HUGE), and is now wearing size 3 diapers! It was highly disturbing buying them, because as I was putting the giant Sam’s Club box of size 3 in my cart, a CHILD was putting his OWN giant box of size 4 diapers in his mom’s shopping cart. Woah.. I couldn’t believe that he was wearing only ONE SIZE BIGGER THAN MY TWO MONTH OLD INFANT. EEeks.

Grae’s biggest milestone this week is getting to meet all of his aunts, uncles, cousins and his Great Grandma Odie for the first time!! We can’t hardly wait to introduce him to Daddy’s side of the family. 🙂

Bring on the Fluff

Posted on February 1, 2012 by themielkeway

Fluff- for those of you who don’t know- is what the cool kids call cloth diapers and anything cloth diaper related- liners, covers, prefolds, etc.

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Before I became pregnant, I never imagined that I would even CONSIDER using cloth diapers on my children. I thought they were first and foremost- GROSS…I couldn’t imagine washing dirty diapers in my washing machine, the same place I wash my clothes and bath towels! And, second- so much work! Pinning diapers, learning how to fold diapers, baby accidently getting stuck with a pin, tons of laundry… NO THANK YOU.

But then it happened. Half way through my pregnancy, I stumbled upon a cloth diapering website… and I couldn’t believe how DARN CUTE the diapers were! I was intrigued. They looked nothing like the old lumpy white diapers with pins in the sides that I had pictured.

Clothmopolitan diapers are ADORABLE

So I dug a little deeper, talked to friends who CD (cloth diaper) and spent the remainder of my pregnancy perusing cloth diapering websites, learning all of the jargon, abbreviations, and different diaper styles. I quickly learned that cloth diapering is not what it used to be AND there are some MEGA benefits:

Cloth diapered babies have fewer diaper rashes and blowouts and are often potty trained up to a year sooner than disposable wearing babies. Cloth diapering is a much more eco-friendly option and- the best part – cloth diapering can save thousands of dollars over the course of a child’s diaper wearing years.

OKAY- WHERE DO I SIGN UP?! That’s all I had to hear and I was hooked.

We’ve been using disposables on Grae up until now because we’ve been changing him probably 15 times a day. However, we have been having quite a few explosions lately (he even got his Grandma real good before she left for vacation) and he seems to be getting a little more “predictable,” so I decided today was as good of a day as any to give our cloth diapers a little try. And, the result-

SO FAR, SO GOOD!

I’ll provide updates soon 🙂 Wish us luck!

We need DAILY VOTES on both of the following links… just sayin. 😉 Thanks y’all!! 🙂

Our little Joey

Posted on January 30, 2012 by themielkeway

Just hangin' out

Grae decided he LOVES to JUMP! We received a Johnny Jump Up as a baby shower gift and decided that we would get it out this weekend. I thought he would still be way too young for it, but attempted to try it regardless. I was sorely mistaken. He loves it! He has spent the majority of the morning figuring it out, and he’s getting pretty good at kicking, jumping and even spinning around in it, all the while cooing and giggling. 🙂

A Perfect Love

Posted on January 29, 2012 by themielkeway

A grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.

~Author Unknown

Lessons on Life #2

Posted on January 26, 2012 by themielkeway

Being Smart does NOT make you a nerd.

Your friends might tell you that school sucks, that it is boring, a waste of time. Some kids might be jealous and tease you about your good grades and devotion to learning. Don’t be swayed or pressured by anyone- FRIEND OR FOE. I would love nothing more for you to have the self-confidence to look any of those fools straight in the eye and say something like “Let me know how being an illiterate dumb ass works for you. Good luck with that.” (Although that may not go over so well in elementary school- we might need to modify it).

Education is a luxury, Son. Sometimes we forget that in this country. There are kids all over the world who would give their right arm to go to school, to learn to read. Your only job as my child is to learn and do your best in school- that will be a requirement in our home. Your challenge is to find joy and happiness in learning. Fall in love with books. Be inspired by science. Relive history.

Trust me when I say that STUPID is NEVER sexy. For some reason, our country has promoted “cool, bad boys” as skipping school and smoking cigarettes and dumb, ditzy girls as a symbol of beauty. Life doesn’t work out like that, Little Man. That look may work for people temporarily- but it doesn’t work out in the end. Take my word for it until you are old enough to see for yourself. And when it is time for you to start dating and getting married, it is just as important to remember this when picking a partner. Choose wisely- choose someone that will challenge your mind with intellectual conversations, ideas and debates. Your life will be enriched and you will always have plenty to talk about.

I love you, my little scholar. 😉

Review on NapiNol Topical Ointment

Posted on January 25, 2012 by themielkeway

A few weeks ago, I was asked to try and review a new, all natural topical ointment called NapiNol. This product promised to heal cracked, dry skin on nursing mothers and babies, so I couldn’t wait to try it.

I’m not getting paid for the following review, I was only sent a 3 ounce container of the product. So, what I’m trying to say is I MEAN every word that I write about this stuff.

With that being said- it is FABULOUS. Seriously. I would buy this even if I didn’t have a baby. First of all, the smell is INTOXICATING. You open the lid and you are surrounded by the most delicious vanilla aroma that I wanted to eat it… Okay- so in a way- I did eat it- I used it as chap stick on my lips. It didn’t taste as good as it smells, however, it is a DIAPER RASH ointment after all, so I’m not really sure what I expected. 😉 It did make my lips, well, soft as a baby’s bottom though! haha

Graeson has never had a diaper rash (knock on wood), so I have yet to try it for that purpose, but he had a pretty nasty cradle cap going on all over his forehead and scalp. I applied NapiNol to it twice a day for a week, and POOF- it is ALL GONE.

Also, it isn’t greasy. It is easy to wipe off of your fingers after applying it. Before this product arrived, I had been using the Medela Brand Lansinoh for cracked, chapped skin. It was so greasy, I ended up with grease spots all over my shirt and Grae’s outfits after each use- some of which wouldn’t even come out in the wash.

The last thing I love- NapiNol is 100% organic and uses an five ingredients- all natural healers including beeswax and Coptis chinensis Franch- a fundamental Chinese herb used to treat skin problems, instead of a bunch of chemicals that I can’t pronounce. I feel good about using this on my sensitive skinned, ginger baby. 🙂

NapiNol helps reduce inflammation, fight bacteria, and provide pain relief.

One container costs $21.95, but if you order now, you can save $5.00 off your order.

During checkout, simply enter the coupon code NAPINOL5 in the box. The total will confirm the discounted price.

If you couldn’t tell- I highly recommend it.

Check it out: http://napinol.com/

Lessons on Life #1

Posted on January 25, 2012 by themielkeway

Hi Baby,

You are only ten weeks old right now, but I’ve already started my obligatory mommy badgering. We have deep talks on a regular basis… well, usually I do the talking while you listen intently. I know you probably wont always want to listen to my words of wisdom, so over the course of your life, I will be hounding you not only in conversations, but also in written words so you can reference them whenever necessary. 😉

Here is your first of many lessons to help you through life:

I am your parent, I am not here to be your friend. I will push you, discipline you, and teach you right from wrong. There will be times when I will make you angry and you will resent me. Someday, when you are grown up- you will understand. That’s actually how I’ll know when you have become a man. When you understand that everything your Daddy and I do is out of love for you. Despite this, I promise to ALWAYS RESPECT you and LOVE you UNCONDITIONALLY. And even though I will PUSH you… I will ALWAYS HAVE YOUR BACK.

When I was growing up, every now and again my mother was called to my school because I was in trouble or being accused of something. Maybe once? Twice? She always listened to whoever was making the accusation, then asked me for my side. She ALWAYS believed ME. And I never abused that trust. I told her what I did wrong, and I told her when I was completely innocent.

Yes, I was running in the hallway, but no, I was not unsupervised in the orchestra room in fourth grade. She also informed the principal that she wished he had been so good at keeping her notified of the time I’d ACTUALLY been pushed off the monkey bars on the playground rather than how I COULD have hurt myself or others today.

And then there was the time in high school that I had been accused of printing off COUNTERFEIT parking passes for the high school parking lot. I was sixteen, overall a good kid, great student and loved school. I was called down to the school police officer’s office and I happily skipped in thinking I had maybe lost my car keys or something. I was bombarded by 3 men- the police, the assistant principal of my school, and the athletic director. They sat me down in a chair while they hovered over me and told me that I was going to be suspended for making parking passes. I thought I was being pranked. I had absolutely NO idea what they were talking about. Finally, after I was in tears, my mom was called. I thought she was going to kill me. She was up to that high school in a flash. She had FIRE in her eyes. She marched that assistant principal into his office, berated him for intimidating me and not listening to me, then SLAPPED his leg. Yes- SHE ASSAULTED my principal. (Your Grandma is kind of a bad ass). She never even asked me my side- she knew by the look in my eyes that I hadn’t been involved. Dang. Now that is some motherly instinct. I have never been so proud (or shocked). That day I learned the REAL meaning of being a Mama Bear and swore that I would have my kids’ backs someday, the same way she had mine.

I want you to know that this is the kind of family that you come from.

Always be honest with me and I will ALWAYS believe you over ANYONE.

Until next time,

Mama

XOXO

10 weeks

Posted on January 24, 2012 by themielkeway

Dearest Grae,

It has already been ten weeks! The most precious ten weeks of my life, I might add. I have wanted to be a Mommy for as long as I can remember-but Motherhood has proven to be even better than I ever imagined. I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that you are really mine. You are a part of me, and a part of Daddy. You grew inside of my belly. I am still replaying your birth in my mind at least once a day. It is such a natural part of life, yet when I look at you- its hard to comprehend, and even harder to put into words.

You are growing. Fast. And I couldn’t be happier…Even if there is a part of me that already misses the tininess that you were. It still wants you to fit into your newborn clothes that you outgrew so quickly. It wants you to fit comfortably into the nook of my arm with your body curled up fitting the length of my forearm… thankfully, however; the rest of me delights in watching you grow and learn new things.

Today, you giggled in your sleep. I am sure these giggles are soon to follow the smiles that you are generously blessing us with already. They’ve been coming for a while, but it’s only recently that I am beginning to feel that they are more recognition and less instinct. When Daddy and I laugh, you grin from ear to ear.

You might be growing out of your clothes everyday, but you will always be my baby. You already have a personality that does not ask for much but is very clear about your needs. The headmaster of my school tells you that you are already a great self-advocate. ;). I absolutely love it.

I don’t know how you could be anymore perfect, but you find a way every single day. I cannot wait to grow with you, my darling. You have already taught me more about myself, about life, about family, about love than I learned in my whole 27 years before you were born.

Happy 10 weeks, my angel!

I love you more than life.

Your Momma

Guess who!

Posted on January 23, 2012 by themielkeway

Ian and I are constantly competing over which one of us Grae looks more like. When we go out in public and someone tells us he is a redhead just like his momma- point for me. When someone tells us how he looks JUST LIKE DADDY… point for Ian. I’ve only been told he looks like me a handful of times- but I’m still holding out. 🙂 hehe. (Honestly, I think he looks more like our brothers than either of us!) Either way– what do you think?

BABY IAN

Baby Andrea

Baby Grae and Baby Andrea

(Disclaimer- this is just for fun- Ian and I wouldn’t care if he was purple- we would still think he was the most beautiful baby in the world… just an FYI ;))

And, YES, the bottom picture of him next to my baby picture IS THERE TO SWAY YOUR OPINIONS! 😉

We’d love your vote! It will only take 2 seconds of your time- just click below 🙂 THANKS!