Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
Top knots over crop tops 😜 Top knots over crop tops 😜
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Baby, Family, Kids, Motherhood, travel · September 2, 2017

My Favorite Bottle for Picky, Breastfed Babies and How to Bring Breast Milk on a Plane!

Some babies will take whatever you put in their mouths, some babies are picky. This is our story of how our breastfed baby rejected every bottle we gave her until we tried this one…

Hey mamas!

Some babies will take whatever you put in their mouths, some babies are picky. This is our story of how our breastfed baby rejected every bottle we gave her until we tried this one…

Our story begins:

You may or may not know that 2017 has been a crazy (exciting) year for us! First off, we had our baby girl, Evy in the Spring. A couple months later, we finally (after 7 years) said that we were moving to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to my husband’s family. That’s something we ALWAYS said we would do, but the timing was never right until now. So leading up to our planned departure date of August 7th, we were selling our stuff, dropping our stuff off at Goodwill, or just giving it away to friends. We packed everything we owned into a Honda Pilot with 275,000 miles on it and a little box trailer. This one, to be exact.

Anyway, we were NOT about to go on a 40+ hour drive with a 2-year-old and 4 month old. So, back at the beginning of the summer, our wonderful families volunteered to help pack us up and then fly to WA with the kids so Josh and I could make it to WA with our sanity still intact.

I love road trips, so I was so excited to be able to spend time alone with the hubs, if only for the reason that we could have an entire conversation without being asked if we had snacks. There was just one problem.

Evy, being only 4 months, was still exclusively breastfeeding. I exclusively breastfed David and really wanted to do the same for Ev girl. Luckily (ha!) I was super engorged when she was a newborn and I pumped SO MUCH MILK in order to try to get some relief which gave me more than enough of a supply to keep her fed for the 4-5 days we planned to be away from the kiddos. Talk about a blessing in disguise.

“So what was the problem?” you’re asking? Evy never took a bottle. I had tried. And failed miserably. I used the bottles that her brother had loved when he was an infant (I went back to work full time when he was just 8 weeks) but she would just spit them out and cry. Even when she was super hungry.

So I figured I’d just grab some bottled that were advertised for newborns.

Waste of money, she hated them.

Then I bought a variety pack of various nipples for young babies.

Tried every single one. She hated them. And probably hated me a little at this point.

I was starting to freak out a little, wondering if I should just buy myself a plane ticket to fly out with the rest of my family so Ev could be fed. Our moms were starting to get nervous about it as well as the date was getting closer and closer.

The thing is, when I looked at the bottle nipples I had been using, I knew exactly what the problem was. The nipples I had been trying to use were not at all shaped like the ones Evy was used to (ahem, mine). I could tell that my own breast would flatten out in her mouth as she ate, but the rubber used on the bottle nipples I had been trying was too… strong? And it wouldn’t flatten out in her mouth. Hence why she would gag and spit the bottles out of her mouth.

I started a new search. There HAD to be a bottle out there that was more “breast-like.” And I mean, really breast-like. Not just with those words printed on the outside of a box. So I searched harder and longer until I somehow came to a review on Amazon. The reviewer mentioned several types of baby bottles but said that only one worked for her very picky baby. I clicked the link and lo and behold, there it was.

This bottle was exactly what I was imagining in my head a bottle nipple should look like. Triangular and would flatten some in a baby’s mouth without collapsing.

I give you: The Lansinoh mOmma Breastmilk Feeding Bottle with NaturalWave Nipple

Check out that nipple:

It was perfect. Just the right size for a single feeding as to not waste thawed milk. From what I could tell just by looking at the picture online, it looked like Ev wouldn’t gag on it because of the way the base of the nipple flared out (so breast- like. CRAZY).

Anyway. I bought a box. When they came, I pumped some milk and put it in the bottle. Ev drank it no problem. Like there was never any struggle or pickiness to begin with. She ate the entire bottle and fell asleep.

O.M.G.

I texted our moms and they were overjoyed and relieved. The rest is history. The plane ride went great and Ev didn’t starve while we enjoyed our road trip.

If you’re wondering how our moms handled the breast milk/bottle feeding on the plane, here’s the rundown on that:

We had your basic, small to medium-sized Coleman cooler. We packed all the milk (it was 3 gallon-size bags filled with smaller breast milk bags) and several ice packs. They took out a few of the breast milk bags for the flight itself and kept them frozen in an insulated lunch bag like this adorable one and checked the cooler at the gate. Once on the plane, they asked a flight attendant to heat up the milk for them one bag at a time as they needed it. (Side note, don’t microwave breastmilk. Still not 100% sure why it’s bad but that’s what everyone says so I’m repeating it). The best way to heat the milk evenly is in hot water, so the flight attendant put hot water in a *clean* barf bag and they dipped the frozen milk in that until it was thawed. There might have been a better way to do that but that’s the story I got after they landed and what worked for them. The rest of the milk stayed frozen solid in the cooler until they arrived home from the airport (6 hour flight, waited 1 hour on the tarmac, 2 hour layover, 1 hour drive home from the airport- give or take). #ftw!

Seriously, though, The Lansinoh mOmma Breastmilk Feeding Bottle with NaturalWave Nipple was worth every penny (FYI, a 3-pack is only $16). We still use them when I need to run out of the house and my MIL watches the baby. I would recommend these to every mom ever.

So mamas, what are your favorite bottles for breastfed babies? Have you ever had to go the distance (literally) with breastmilk? Share your story below and help a mama who might need it someday!

So, to prepare for our long road trip, I’ve been doing some research and compiling a list of things and tips that will help us actually enjoy the drive and not go insane. Here’s that list:

Some babies will take whatever you put in their mouths, some babies are picky. This is our story of how our breastfed baby rejected every bottle we gave her until we tried this one…

This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you purchase through my link, I get a cut of the sale, but prices are exactly the same for you. Thanks in advance for the support! Of course, I only post products that I truly believe in and/or use myself.

In: Baby, Family, Kids, Motherhood, travel · Tagged: airport, baby, best, bottle, bottle nipple, breasfeed, breast, breastfed, cooler, eat, favorite, frozen, infant, lansinoh, milk, newborn, picky, plane, pump, travel

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?

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Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
Top knots over crop tops 😜 Top knots over crop tops 😜
Josh and I have been doing a lot of reading on par Josh and I have been doing a lot of reading on parenting recently and I love so many of the lessons we've been learning on creating structure while also being empathetic to your child's needs. 

One of the concepts that's stuck with me is how we should "sandwich" our criticism or corrections with positive things. Kids can get discouraged pretty easily but we can help make sure they feel reassured and loved by complimenting them and noticing & verbalizing their growth as well. 

So for example, saying, "I'm very proud of you for putting away your toys. I want you to work on not bossing around your sister - I'll be the parent in charge. Ok? But the way you put your clothes in your drawers was great!"

Idk about you but I would love if other adults sandwiched their criticism too 😂

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