Hey yall!  We have enjoyed our beach trip so much this past week!  The weather and water were perfect every single day.  We went with my husband’s family, and stayed in the most adorable hippie beach house.  Pax went to the beach several times last year, but he was just an infant.  This is the first time he has been as a toddler, and could actually be in the sun, and play in the sand.  He loved everything about it.  He played for hours with his bucket of water and beach toys.  We enjoyed watching him try to figure out the sandcastles his daddy and uncle built, and then he would slowly knock them down.  He loved having my husband take him out into the ocean and he would say, “oohhhhh!” I’m so thankful we had beach wear to keep him safe in the sun.  I wanted to share a few of his beach-wear outfit details from i play., Inc.

I love iplaybaby’s new Breathable Swim and Sun Flap Hat!  It is UPF 50+, and protects head, neck, and eyes while playing.  The water friendly foam brim is perfect for Pax, since it stays out of his eyes when wet.  Pax kept his hat on the entire time, but there is a tie strap to keep the hat in place if need be.  His Long Sleeve Rashguard is also UPF 50+ and made of stretchy quick dry material.  It is so soft with flat seams for comfort while he plays.  The rashguard matched his adorable turtle print Pocket Trunks With Built-In Reusable Absorbent Swim Diaper.  There is no need to wear an additional swim diaper with these trunks, which is a mom win with less to pack!

As much as we have enjoyed vacation, we are happy to be home now.  This week will be full of unpacking, and vacation laundry.  We have our Sayla back, and I plan on enjoying lots of snuggles with both my babies! Being able to stay at home with them makes me so happy, and I am very grateful for this job of mine.

Thank you to i play., Inc. for partnering on this post.  All thoughts and opinions on products are my own.

I have taken a short break from blogging the past 2 weeks.  Some of my faithful followers may have noticed (my mother and mother-in-law), and some of you may be saying, “You have a blog?” Either way, I’m back boo, and the last 2 weeks have been filled with lots of ups and downs.  In most cases, I tend to laugh to avoid crying (obnoxious laugh as seen in photo above), but some of the life events that have occurred only brought tears.  I wanted to share with you four things I have learned during my blogging hiatus.  Most of you have already experienced some of these lessons, but there may be a an experience you will never encounter.  So, here goes:

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It is the 8th annual worldwide Feeding Tube Awareness Week!

 

In order to raise some positive awareness, I thought I would share with you our feeding tube journey with Sayla.  We get a lot of questions regarding her tube, especially from children.  We hear questions like, “What is that?” “Does it hurt?” “Can she have chocolate milk in it?” “Why can’t she eat with her mouth?”  We love answering questions and want to educate others as much as we can.

 

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“Girl you my Hunny, cause you’re busy as a bee.” – P Diddy (the hubs)

January has been packed full of both exciting and scary stuff. This mama has been running nonstop.  We finished off this month strong though with a day full of procedures for Sayla at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).

Sayla had three procedures done under anesthesia.  We are so thankful the physicians worked together and that the scheduling department was able to organize it all on one day!  Below is a lost of her procedures and outcomes:

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UPDATE March 2021: Affiliate Links added at end of post.

I kept it together on my son’s first birthday, but on the day of his party, I got a Facebook memory notification (dang you Facebook and your nostalgia) and I became an emotional wreck.  Seeing the picture was a reminder of our long 2-year journey. This journey included an ectopic pregnancy/miscarriage, loss of a Fallopian tube, 4 rounds of failed IUI fertility treatments, and this miracle baby that God gave us naturally when we least expected it. Awesome reminder that His timing is perfect. Patrick “Pax” Stout Parker was born on January 19, 2017.  “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31-1

We are so excited to celebrate our gift from God, and wanted to make his first birthday special.  We were introduced to Little Baby Bum by my sister-in-law, and Pax has been obsessed with this show ever since.  It started out as a YouTube channel that originated in the United Kingdom, and specializes in 3D animation of both traditional nursery rhymes and their own original songs.  It is now available on Netflix and we watch it on the daily (no worries…we limit screen time, for you judgers).  I only thought Little Baby Bum (LBB) appropriate for Pax’s first birthday theme.  Big Mistake!  No one has heard of this epic show, and there are VERY limited party supplies/decor online.  Which means this momma had to DIY errrrthing.  During the whole planning process, I kept repeating “I should have gone with dinosaurs.” But in the end, it all worked out!  The theme was fun, and Pax seemed to really enjoy his party with family and close friends that we refer to as our “Kentucky Family.” Hope you enjoy the photos and short party prep VIDEO!

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