Raisinglittlegrays

The rules are simple... 1. Sign up using the below form. Click on the link below to be taken to the form! Open to everyone. International folks included.  2. Sign ups close September 10th and you will receive your partner by the 12th at the very latest. if  numbers are un-even I will open for a couple more days!  3. Spend 1-2 weeks chatting with your buddy, getting to know them.  4. Send out a mug to them BY September 30th. The MAX you should spend on the mug is $15. If your buddy is international, then reduce that to $10 MAX to for shipping purposes.  5. I'd love to see your mugs when you get them. Use the hashtag #mamagraymugswap2014 (because apparently mug swapping is a thing and its already got a handful of taken hashtags!)  6. Share it! Make sure to tell your friends about the swap on twitter and IG. I don't twitter, but have at it! Bear with me. This is my FIRST EVER swap I'm hosting. BUT, I will continue it yearly.    I'm hosting this swa

Half a year. 6 months to go until 1. Holy crap. In 6 more months I will have a 1 year old, and a 3 year old. Mind blown . Annestyne's Stats:  16.8 pounds  25 inches (give or take). It's hard to measure a wiggly baby haha  Annestyne's personality continuously grows. And so does her teeth. Boy oh boy have we hit the teething stage, spot on. Teething with Annestyne has been harder on me than it was with Hasting. Some days aren't a bad as others, and vice versa.  Remedies WE use to help with teething (all are natural): Camilia  Teething tablets Clove bud essential oil Roman chamomile essential oil Lavender essential oil   Between a combination of all those things we are getting by the hard times with teething. We occasionally use vanilla extract, to help with the numbing of the gums.  Annestyne is occasionally rolling over. She maneuvers herself around when placed in one spot. You turn your back, then come back and it's "hey, that's not where I left you!".

    There has been some interest from family and friends about my DoTERRA oils and why I chose them, as well as how I use them. So I have decided to write out a pretty detailed blog post for everyone to have as a reference :)   About 2 years ago is when I decided to venture out and start using  a more homeopathic approach to medicine and healing. Basically, after Hasting was about 5 months old. I wanted a solution to all of the coughs, runny noses, poop problems, stomach issues, etc etc, and I DIDN'T want it to be a doctor prescribing my small little baby a prescription. Not just that either. I was tired of taking my child in to get diagnosed for something (which indeed typically led to a pharmaceutical drug), and him being even more susceptible to catching something even WORSE in the doctors office (not including compromising my immune system at the same time). I've never really battled with health issues, BUT I will say that I suffer from EXTREME allergies year-r

Another month. Every time I post these monthly updates that's what I think of.. Another month. You don't reLly think of how fast life filed until you have children.  Annestyne is really growing.  Annestyne is now 15lbs 8oz!  She is still exclusively breastfed, which is so so so amazing! No real interest in solids yet (yup, we're skipping the purées!). BLW (baby led weaning) is what we have chosen to do with Annestyne. Solid foods, nor purée are needed for a breastfed baby until a year. Annestyne will be introduced to solids when she starts to show signs of interest in solids :) AT FIVE MONTHS OLD ANNESTYNE.... ❤️ giggles out loud!  ❤️ blows raspberries ❤️ imitates sounds  ❤️ grasps toys (when she wants) ❤️ loves eating her fingers ❤️ is a slobber bucket ❤️ is TEETHING  ❤️ STILL loves being swaddled ❤️ loves to eat her Taggie  ❤️loves boobies ❤️ scoots on her butt while laying down ❤️ rolls up on her sides!  ❤️hates napping, she's a cat napper. ❤️ loves her brother ❤️ we

I forget just how fast time flies when you have littles. In the blink of an eye, we now have a 4 month old!   Just within a months time Annestyne has fully gotten rid of her colic, as well as her reflux. I pulled her off of her medication for reflux over a month ago, and it disappeared all in its own time! She is growing quite the personality, and has incredible head control!  Annestyne's stats for this month are as follows: Height: 24" upper 25th%tile Weight: 14lbs 45th %tile She is growing wonderfully, and is still only exclusively breastfed. Her 4 month check up wasn't necessarily needed, but we like to take our children in for wellness checkups so no crazy person can say "they don't vaccinate OR EVER take their kids to the doctor!" WRONG. Our pediatrician is completely RAD and respects our views as our children's parents!  Just this past weekend, we took our first beach trip of the year. It was Annestyne's first beach trip, as well as her first LO

Another month has passed us, and per usual has flown by.  This month has been a month of a couple of changes for us! Annestyne is slowly saying goodbye to her colic. Hallelujah, praise Jesus. I felt like some days we would never see the light at the end Iof the tunnel when it comes to Colic, but it's here.. Or at least we're close. She is crying less and less everyday, and when she is crying it's more so to be held (which by the way is normal), or she wants the nahnahs.  We have recently encountered the big 3 month growth spurt. She is nursing like a champ still, and is growing at a perfect pace.  Annestyne now weighs 12.4lbs! The first 3 months of breastfeeding are the hardest, and it has come and gone for us! I'm excited to continue my journey of breastfeeding with her! I believe Annestyne will be like Hasting, and start popping teeth early. She's beginning to drool a ton, and her bottom gums are starting to swell a bit!  AT 3 MONTHS OLD ANNESTYNE: ❤️nurses to fal

Time has seriously flown by (and I knew it would). The newborn stage doesn't last long enough.  Miss A had her two month checkup yesterday with her ped. Her stats are awesome thus far!  Weight: 10 pounds 11 ounces Height: 22 inches  Head circumference: 15 inches  She is growing at a good pace, and I am proud to say every bit of it is because of me. At 2 months old Annestyne is still exclusively breastfed! I'm extremely proud of this. Hasting and I had a very shaky breast feeding experience, and by either 3 or 4 weeks I gave up.  Breast feeding isn't easy the first couple if months, so when you hit a milestone like 2 months you should be proud of yourself!!  A week and a half ago Annestyne had to have a lower tongue tie revision. Her ferenulum (the piece of skin under your tongue) was tight, and causing some restrictions to her breast feeding. She was gaining the correct amount of weight, so at first I had no worries. But then, a food friend of mine shared an incredible arti