Wordless Wednesday!

at 1:17 AM 0 comments

Sugan Snappers, a must see.

Everyone must go and check out Sugar Snappers Floored! line.  This is SUCH a great idea and you don't even have to buy and lug around expensive/heavy floors.  I love this idea and can't wait to own a set or even all three.

You can go from one style hardwood floor to another, ALL in Photoshop.

at 8:17 PM 0 comments

Christmas Cards Through The Years

I just love getting Christmas cards in the mail.  I love decorating a large mirror in my living room with all the cards we get.  I especially love the photo cards.  I love seeing all those gorgeous families and smiling faces.  Every year I have had kids I have always sent out a photo card and I have always used Shutterfly.  I just love all their wonderful choices and their prices are always good too.  They always ship out my cards relatively quickly as well.

In 2007, our first year as a family with a child we used this picture on our card...

Look at my little peanut, man, she is so big now.

In 2008 we used this picture on our Shutterfly Photo Cards...

Gorgeous little family.

In 2009, our last year with just ONE kid we used this photo...

Well, I guess you can say there are two kiddos here, for I am 6 months pregnant in this picture.

In 2010, I am super excited, for I now have TWO beautiful girls.  I would show you what this year's card is going to look like but I don't want to ruin the surprise, so you are all just going to have to wait.

I think this year I am going to go with one of these...A flat stationary card by Shutterfly.  I really like the idea of the card being a bit thicker.  I just can't wait.

So family and friends stay tuned for this year's gorgeous card by Shutterfly.

at 12:31 AM 0 comments

Christmas Cards

I can't wait to order my Christmas cards this year and send them out, I love sending out and receiving cards.  Last year I used Shutterfly and I was really impressed.  I hope to use them again this year.  I loved how fast they were and the quality was great.

Check them out for they always have great deals.

at 10:11 AM 0 comments

The winner is...

The winner of the Baby Bond Nursing Sash is...

Congrats Kristen!!!

The winner has been notified via email and has 48 hours to claim their prize.

at 11:21 AM 0 comments

Brooklyn On The Move

6 Months old.

at 11:41 AM 0 comments

Wordless Wednesday!

Brooklyn 5 1/2 months old.

at 5:20 PM 2 comments

Baby Bond Review and Giveaway.

Is it just my baby that absolutely hates being covered up with a nursing cover while she eats...  Not to mention it gets so incredibly hot under those things and you can't see what you are doing.  Nursing in public was getting harder and harder as my little one got older, for she would just grab and pull at the cover and would fuss and whine because she was either bored or hot under there. 

I came across BabyBond nursing sashes and instantly fell in love with their unique idea. Why cover the baby up?  I was so excited when Baby Bond agreed to let me review one of their nursing "covers".  I couldn't wait to get mine in the mail to try it out.  Their mission statement says it all...

BabyBond™ nursing accessories cover mom, not her baby. Mom is able to maintain her modesty. Baby remains uncovered benefiting from the infinite opportunity to make eye contact, interact, and communicate. After all, dining is social. 

Let me give you a little peek at what a BabyBond looks like and then I will go over my favorite features!

 

BabyBond comes in a few varieties, but they all work the same way. The only things that changes are burp cloth,  fabric options and one is adjustable and can be used two ways. I love that the BabyBond works like a nursing top, one piece of fabric goes up and one goes down. This action creates an opening for your baby to eat through. Your shirt you have on keeps your sides covered and the BabyBond keeps the rest of you covered. Baby can eat and not have a blanket over his/her head!

I decided to go ahead and get the BabyBond Couture.  I like the versatility this one had to offer.  It was both a nursing cover and a belly band, it could be used to nurse from the top or the bottom of your shirt.  Plus its adjustable; great for right after you have the baby and have all that extra baby weight and when you loose the weight after a few months. The Couture comes in Espresso(dark brown), Hudson(black), Riviera(turquoise), Classic(navy) and Barcelona(charcoal).

All three of these sell for $35.00! I think it is great that you have so many choices and all for the same price. 

It is very easy to put on and also really easy to use.  I was worried that they wouldn't work well on my larger chest but there was no issue at all.  I also love how it looks like a peice of your own clothing.  It really looks like you are just cradling your child and nursing at all.

Here I am using the Baby Bond nursing my 4 1/2 month old.

 This is seriously one of the best inventions for nursing Moms. You don't have to have your modesty compromised, but you don't have to stash your baby under a blanket anymore! I also love that they come with a little pouch to store them in and the fabric they are made out of is SO soft.  They are 100% cotton and machine washable.

Want one...You can get your own BabyBond here. 

FOR MY READERS - Use coupon code  "ALEKSIA" for 25% off valid until 9/30.  What a great deal!

Or you can WIN IT!  One lucky Our Life reader will get the chance to win a BabyBond Original Turquoise size 2.

To enter you must do TWO things for the mandatory entry. You MUST tell me which one you would want if you win AND you MUST follow BabyBond on Facebook. You have to do both of these things for your first entry to count! Please leave me your email address as well!

Extra Entries!!

Leave a separate comment for each entry please!

1. Follow my blog

2. Follow Baby Bond on Twitter 

3. Follow me on Twitter 

4.  Tweet this giveaway daily for one extra entry per day. Make sure you come back here every day and leave a comment and your tweet link! Use this tweet:

WIN a Baby Bond @khmom2007 #giveaway @babybond ends 10/15 - http://tinyurl.com/26xkp63

5. Post as your Facebook status (one per day).  Make sure you come back here every day and leave a comment and your status link! Use this status:

Win a Baby Bond over on Our Life Blog! Ends 10/15 -  http://tinyurl.com/26xkp63

6. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link (3 entries)

BONUS

7. Like my Photography site on Facebook (2 entries)


This giveaway will end October 15th at midnight. Open to bloggers worldwide.  The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified by email and a posting on this blog! As always, they will have 48 hours to respond before I pick a new winner! Thanks guys and good luck!

A HUGE thank you to Baby Bond for this fabulous review and giveaway opportunity!!

Disclaimer: I received a free product to review. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

at 10:08 AM 84 comments

Tummy Bug and 5 Months.

My sweet baby girl, Brooklyn, just got over her first tummy bug.  It's so sad when they are so sick.  This is all new to me too, Aleksia's first time ever getting sick she was 3 years old.  I am glad she is doing better today, cause the last 2 days she was not a happy camper.

Also, tonight is the first night Brooklyn is sleeping in her crib (in her room).  Up until now she has been in the bassinet in our room.  This is such a bittersweet moment, but I know she is ready.  She was getting harder to put down at night in the cradle cause of it being so small.  She has been napping in her crib for awhile now, so she is used to it and sleep really well in there actually.  I guess mommy has just been putting it off.  Wah, my baby is getting too big, too fast.  She is 5 months old today.  Aleksia was 4 months when we moved her out of the bassinet and into her own room in a crib.  I don't know why I waited longer with Brooklyn, I guess I just want to baby her as long as I can.

Even though she has been sick she loves her sister to pieces and will always laugh at her.

at 10:18 PM 0 comments

Breastfeeding...Why I love it.

I have been breastfeeding my 2nd daughter for 4 months, 3 weeks and 1 day.  I absolutely love it.  Now this was not the case in the beginning.  I wanted so badly to quit many times for many different reasons.  I am so glad that I endured and stuck with it.  The look on my daughters face while she is nursing, just makes my day.  The way she smiles while drinking and the cute little sounds she makes are the best.

The tough times only lasted a a few weeks and now that they are over with, they don't seem so bad anymore.  The first week I was new to breastfeeding (didn't get to BF my 1st daughter) so the learning curve and demand was a bit hard, not to mention all the postpartum hormones.  She did however latch on quite easily, whereas Aleksia did not.  It was just really tough, so I thought. 

Week two my nipples were VERY sore, one of them was really bad, cracked and bleeding.  It was the most excruciating pain when she latched on.  I tried many creams, ointments, treatments and even pumped that one side to get it to heal.  Nothing seemed to work.  But, I kept going.  

Week three I developed thrush (common breastfeeding yeast infection in the nipple).  Now I thought my nipples hurt before with them being so raw, add thrush to the mix and...OUCH!  Thrush makes latching feel like tiny glass shards.  It was awful.  My Dr. told me to use an over the counter yeast cream and on I continued.

Week four.  Due to the bad nipple on my right side my milk was not emptying properly and I developed a clogged milk duct.  This sorta feel like a bruise on your breast.  It felt rock hard and due to the engorgement it was very painful.  I tried to unclog it myself but apparently I was not sucessful.  Over night, it seemed, I developed Mastitis (common infection caused by a clogged milk duct).  I woke up with a 103 degree fever, chills, fatigue, headache and completely dizzy.  Called the Dr. and, over the phone, he called in a prescription for antibiotics.  All felt well after a few days on them.

Week five, still recovering from Mastitis (10 day antibiotic course), I developed thrush again.  Antibiotics like to do that to you.  This time I did not go the cream/prescription route and instead researched some homeopathic remedies.  I found a solution called Gentain Violet (can be found at Walgreens) that was known to work wonders on thrush.  I decided to finish up the antibiotics and then start the 3 day GV application.  It was a bit weird at first painting my nipple bright purple (hence the violet in the name) but in the end it WORKED.  My daughter looked a bit funny too with her purple mouth.

But oh so cute!

Not only did the GV get rid of the thrush, like magic, it cleared up the one cracked nipple.  I truly mean 'like magic' the day after I went to feed her and NO PAIN whatsoever. I was ecstatic. I finally was able to enjoy feeding my sweet little girl.  The purple went away after a few days and all was like new again.

I am writing this to hopefully help those struggling through the same problems and contemplating giving up as I did.  It truly DOES get better.  I was told this as well but did not believe them at all, it seemed like it just kept getting worse.  I am a believer now.  I just absolutely LOVE breastfeeding now and am a huge advocate.  So please, if you are wanting to give up for one reason or another, just keep telling yourself, "It does get better", because it really does.

Feeding my daughter brings me such joy now.  Not to mention it helped me loose all my baby weight plus some.  The snuggles and bonding are great too.  Plus in the middle of the night feeds I just lay down and nurse her and I can fall back asleep.  I <3 breastfeeding!

For the breastfeeding mamas out there, check this out.  

Also go HERE to win a  Medela Breast Care Gift Set and a $20 Baby Store Plus Gift Card!

at 2:42 PM 6 comments

Brooklyn Laughing

This little girl just make me smile. I love her so much. She was laughing at nothing. Aleksia and Richard were playing a high five game and she was just totally cracking up. Hilarious.

at 11:28 PM 0 comments

Win a Medela PISA!

The Baby Store Plus has a great giveaway for a medela breastpump going on right now.

at 11:05 PM 0 comments

Super slacker.

I have been a huge slacker lately.  I have just been in an awful funk that has taken me forever to come out of.  I believe things are starting to look up though.  I am starting to see the sunshine.  I am hoping I can get back into the swing of things on here.  I have a bunch of stuff planned.  I have two reviews that I am currently working on and another fun giveaway.

Yay, for better moods.  Now if only this stupid fly would stop bugging me.

at 9:18 PM 0 comments

3 Months Old

My little princess, Brooklyn, is 3 months old today.  She is such a good baby.  She is so smiley and talkative.  She is a great sleeper and great nurser.  She is getting so big.  We are still exclusively breastfeeding and cloth diapering 99% of the time now.  She is doing great with both.  She went swimming for the first time today.  She just chilled in her little floaty thing. She cried for maybe a second and then was all good.  Will post pictures soon.

By the end of month two a baby typically:

• Smiles - check
• Tracks objects with his eyes - check
• Makes noises other than crying - check
• May repeat vowel noises, such as "ah" or "ooh" - check

By the end of month three a baby typically:

• Raises head and chest when put on tummy - check
• Lifts head up 45 degrees - check
• Kicks and straightens legs when on back - check
• Open and shuts hands - check
• Pushes down with legs when placed on a hard surface - check
• Reaches for dangling objects - check
• Grasps and shakes hand toys - not quite but she still has time, hehe
• Tracks moving objects - check
• Begins to imitate sounds - not quite
• Recognizes familiar objects and people, even at a distance - check
• Begins to develop a social smile - check
• Begins to develop hand-eye coordination - check
• Brings both hands together - check
• Interested in circular and spiral patterns - check
• Kicks legs energetically - check
• Holds head up with control - check

Looks like she is right on track.  She has also trying to roll and has laughed a few times.

Her eat/sleep schedule:

Eats - 6/7am then goes right back to sleep.
Up for the day - 10am
Naps - 12pm - 1pm
Eats - 1pm
Naps - 2pm - 4:30pm
Eats - 4:30pm
Naps - 6pm - 7pm
Bed time - 10pm

Aleksia just loves her little sister and is already asking for a brother.  Oh my!

at 10:18 PM 0 comments

Babies, babies and more babies.

I have been shooting babies like crazy.  Five in the past two weeks.  I also did two one year olds and a family.  Of course I got some of my two cutie pies as well.  Been so busy, but busy is good cause the money is always a plus.

If you are interested in booking a photo shoot, please feel free to email me at karriehansen@gmail.com.

Here are some of my recent shoots.

at 12:37 AM 1 comments

WINNER!

The winner of the Rockin' Green Soap Giveaway is...

Congrats The Baby Store Plus - Anna Drey!

I have contacted the above winner and they have 48 hours to respond! If I don't hear back, I will choose new winner!

at 1:06 PM 2 comments

Winner coming soon.

I will be drawing the winner soon.  I am just trying to figure out how to number my comments so I don't have to sit and count them all.

at 11:45 AM 2 comments

My Girls

Took some pictures of the girls that I wanted to share.

at 11:49 AM 0 comments

Miss T

Been getting back into photography.  I had two newborns on Tuesday and just got finished editing this sweet little girl.  She is 6 days younger than my sweet little Brookie.

This one has a Lillyblue action done to it.

at 1:09 AM 0 comments

2 Months Old

My sweet little Brooklyn is two months old today. Man time sure is flying by. She weighs in at 9 lbs 6.8 oz and is 22 3/4 inches tall. The doctor said she is 68th percentile for height and 17th percentile for weight. She sure is a little peanut. He is not concerned about her weight since she is consistently growing. She still is exclusively breastfed and all is going well in that department. She smiles more and more each day and recently started cooing. I just love all the little noises she is making. She is a cuddly little girl and is just a dream.

at 10:17 PM 1 comments

29 Diapers Giveaway

29 diapers is having a fun giveaway for Lulu’s Glamour Wash Diaper Detergent.

CHECK IT OUT

at 10:51 PM 0 comments

Rockin' Green Soap review and GIVEAWAY

I recently was given the opportunity to work with Rockin' Green Soap and review one of their products.  I was wanting to try out their cloth diaper detergent, for I was new to cloth diapering and was in need of a good product to wash my stash and one that was going to be gentle on my daughter's skin.

Rockin’ Green Soap is;

• Phosphate free
• Animal by-product free and never tested on animals
• Biodegradable
• Enzyme and optical brightener free
• Easy rinsing
• Designed for sensitive skin
• ONLY .13 cents a load!
• HE compatible, but can also be used in older machines
• Can be used on diapers OR clothes
• Comes in 3 different formulas and many different scents

They sent me a sample pack of their Classic Rock detergent in Lavender Mint Revival.  When I first opened it I noticed the lovely smell.  It was very refreshing and not overpowering at all.  My diapers weren’t particular dingy, so I decided just to wash them with Rockin’ Green. After a quick cold rinse and a hot wash/cold rinse, the slightly stinky diapers came out smelling great, no smell to them at all (which is what we all are going for here). I love that because it means the detergent rinsed out completely clean.  If you have really stinky diapers or they are a bit dingy, Rockin’ Green suggests you “Rock a Soak” overnight.

Rockin’ Green now comes in three formulas: Hard Rock (for hard water), Soft Rock (for soft water/super sensitive skin), and Classic Rock. There are now some amazing new scents:

• Orangevana
• Smashing Watermelons
• Rage Against the Raspberries
• Motley Clean
• The Plain Green Tea’s
• Lavender Mint Revival
• Bare Naked Babies (unscented)

You can also purchase a sample of any of the scents for just .75 cents.

Like any detergent, be careful to watch that your little one doesn’t have a bad reaction.  I have already done two loads and so far no reaction from my 8 week old.


You can buy a 45/90 load bag for just $13.95. Also, be sure to check out their pail fresheners, laundry scoops, and other accessories.

Now for the giveaway, Rockin’ Green Soap has generously offered a 45/90 load bag of their Rockin’ Green Detergent in the scent of your choice!

This contest is open to US residents and ends on June 27, 2010 at 11:59 pm PST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email as well as announced on my blog Our Life. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate winner will be chosen. Here is how to enter:

Mandatory: Visit Rockin’ Green Soap and tell me something you learned about the company and what scent you would choose.


Additional Entries:
1) Follow my blog publicly and comment that you do (1 entry)
2) Fan Rockin’ Green Soap on Facebook. (1 entry)
3) Follow ME or Rockin’ Green Soap on Twitter. (1 entry each)
4) Post or Tweet about this Review/Giveaway on any public forum such as Facebook (1 entry per tweet/post)
5) Blog about this giveaway (3 entries)

Please comment once for each entry.  All entries will be checked and non valid entries will be deleted!

Good Luck! 

I would like to send a special Thank You to Kim at Rockin' Green Soap for providing the review and giveaway item(s). I was not compensated in any other way and the statements within this post are of my own and honest opinions.

at 11:10 PM 106 comments

Rockin Green Soap review coming soon.

My soap is in the mail, I can't wait to try this stuff out.  I have heard so many good things. Review soon to follow.


Side note - got my cloth wipe warmer today and some cloth wipes.  They are washing as I post this.  I can't wait to be doing this full time.  No more disposables soon.

at 8:55 PM 0 comments

Miss Brooklyn is 7 weeks

Man, time is sure flying by.  I can't believe my baby is already 7 weeks old.  She is smiling a lot more and is just as cute as can be.  Breastfeeding is going great as well.  Aleksia is such a great big sister, she just loves Brooke to pieces.  She is so very helpful and can't wait for Brooke to be big enough to 'play' with her.

I started cloth diapering 3 days ago part time.  It's been going well.  Need to get some more stuff though.  I cloth diaper her during the day but at night and if we go out for long trips during the day she wears a disposable one.  Just did my first wash yesterday and surprisingly it was really easy.  I can't wait for some of the goodies I have coming in the mail to come.

at 11:47 AM 1 comments

Brooklyn's Birth Story

Thought I would post her long overdue birth story and slide show...(please forgive the poor grammar and typos, this was copy and pasted from another board and was written on NO sleep).



4/16 @ 3ish pm
I was visiting with my mom at my house and I was walking to the kitchen to get some batteries when i felt a little gush.  Thought that was strange and when to the bathroom.  After I peed I felt another small gush and figured it was an increased amount of CM.  When i was walking back into the kitchen i felt another gush and just knew my water was now leaking.  I called L&D and asked if i could just go to the clinic in town to get it checked instead of going all the way to the hospital and up to L&D.  They said no point and to just come here.  So my mom, Aleksia and I all drove to the hospital to get it checked out.  At this point I figured it was my water but I was in denial so i told my mom that i would most likely be sent home.

4:00pm
Got checked into observation and hooked up to the monitors.  Everything looked great.

4:30pm
Midwife confirmed my water was leaking.  I was there to stay.  Called my mom out in the waiting room and then Richard to tell them the news.  My mom took off to meet Richard at our house, so he could them bring her to his cousins house in town and then the both of them came back to the hospital.

5:30pm
My mom returned to the hospital and by this time i was all hooked up in the labor and delivery room waiting for Richard to show up and for them to start my IV, so i could get my antibiotics, for i was GBS+.

7:15pm
IV has been hooked up and my first round of antibiotics went it.  I wasn't having any contractions and since they wanted TWO doses of antibiotic in, that had to be given 8 hours apart.  I was not put on Pitocin right away.  So there we all sat waiting for the time to pass or something to happen.

8:45pm
Since i was having NO uterine activity they decided to start the Pit. at a low dose.  They checked me then and i was still 3cm dilated, about 50% effaced and baby was pretty high @ -4.  This is what i was on Wednesday at my appt. (except baby was a bit lower then).

10:30pm
Contractions started to regulate but they were not painful at all and they were not lasting very long.  So there we sat, waiting.  We walked the halls and i bounced on my ball to get her to engage a bit more.

4/17 @ 2:15am
Pit. was upped. Contractions really started to pick up and get painful quickly.

3:45am
2nd dose of antibiotics went in and i was checked again, STILL 3cm but about 60% effaced and baby was -1.

4:00am
Contractions were pretty painful and they suggested giving me a shot of Phentenol to hold me over until i could get the epi.  That worked for about 45 minutes, but was pretty nice.

5:20am
Got my epidural.

6:15am
Epi worked WAY differently than with Aleksia.  I wasn't feeling any contractions but i was still feeling a lot of pressure.  With Aleksia i felt NOTHING and i mean NOTHING.  I didn't even know when and how to push with Aleksia.  I was checked again and i was only 3.5cm but 80% effaced and baby was -2.

7:10am
I was feeling a lot of pressure still.  Like i said WAY different than with Aleksia.  At that point i was not liking it at all and was so sad i wasn't progressing very fast and feeling very discouraged.  I asked them to check again cause i was just feeling so much pressure.  I was 6cm, 100% effaced and baby was fully engaged.  I was then really happy with the progress in an hour.  I remember the nurse saying she would come back at 8am to check me again and that is when the new midwife was starting.  I was like ok, whatever you say.

7:42am
The pressure was so intense i just could not stop pushing at every contraction. i swear i felt her coming out.  I was yelling for someone to go and get a nurse and then i remember trying to find the call button on the bed.  A nurse came in and i said,  "She is coming out, get the Dr. now"  sure enough i was complete and she could see her head.  In came all the nurses and my original midwife from the night.

7:52am
10 minutes later and about 4 pushes little Miss Brooklyn was out.  It was so weird being able to feel the pressure and know how and where to push.  With Aleksia i had no idea her head was even out and or if i was even close or if i was having a contraction.  With Brooke i just knew exactly where she was and i knew exactly when her head came out.  It was a great experience cause it was so fast and being able to feel all that pressure helped get her out quicker I'm sure.  Actual labor was about 6 hours and i only pushed for 8 minutes.

I am just so in love.  She latched on and was nursing like a champ at an hour old.

Brooklyn Michelle Hansen
7 lbs 5 oz
19.5 in
Apgars 8&9


In the hospital


1 day old


1 week old


My little beauty

at 12:13 PM 1 comments

Lining up giveaways.

So I already have 3 giveaways lined up. Just waiting for the products so I can test them out. I am SO excited.

at 11:22 AM 2 comments

It's been awhile...family update.

Well it sure has been awhile.  We are all doing great.  As you may have already known we welcomed a 2nd beautiful daughter into our family on April 17th at 7:52am.  She is just adorable and one of the loves of my life.  She is an awesome baby.  Breastfeeding like a champ and sleeps great.  She is now 7 weeks old.  She was 7 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long at birth and now she is 9 lbs, 21 inches long.  She is growing like a weed.  She fits in so perfect and everyone just loves her to pieces.


Aleksia is 3 and is as smart as can be.  She is growing way to fast too.  She loves playing with the neighbor girl who is 6 and they sure do get along so great.  She really does love playing with older kids.  We go to play dates 2-3 times a week and she has a blast.  She is also in ballet and goes to her classes every Thursday.  She has her very first recital on the 12th, I can't wait to see her all dresses up like a little princess.  I hope she does well and dances and not just stand there like some 3 year olds would do.


Richard and I are doing great, we are coming up on 6 years of marriage.  He is still working for his dad @ NC Routing Services and I am still a stay at home mom.  I just love staying at home and being with my babies.  This May it's been ONE YEAR since we bought this house, slowly but surely we are getting it the way we want it.  Right now Richard is working on the back and front yard.  I can't wait until the backyard is done cause Aleksia wants to play out there so bad.  Soon...



That's is all I can think of right now.  Many more updates to come.

at 12:12 PM 0 comments

Get Ready

Going to start blogging again. Also going to start doing some reviews and giveaways so stay tuned. First things first a blog overhaul. Then the fun begins.

at 12:55 PM 1 comments