Frequently Asked Questions! January, 2020

I guess I’ll just come out and tell you guys… I am launching a Podcast this year! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years now, I just have found every excuse in the world not to do it.

Last year, I was close…but my pregnancy was hard on me and I didn’t want to start something I couldn’t be consistent with.

The topics we will cover will be everything I chat about here and on my social media channels, particularly Instagram. I’m so excited to dive into the trenches of parenting with you in on a more intimate level. We are HOPING for a Mother’s Day launch, but we still have a long way to go before we hit the air.

In the meantime, I want to take a moment this week to address some of your most Frequently Asked Questions. I thought it might be easier to tackle these questions here so they live in one spot. Hopefully, some of these answers are helpful. Some of my FAQ are too long to answer here and I promise to take the time to answer them in long-form through my upcoming Podcast, which will conveniently be titled: She’s Becoming Domestic.

Stay tuned for that!

Let’s chat now about some FAQ’s:

Where did you get your necklace? If you follow me on Instagram, you likely watch my stories. For Christmas this year I received a beautiful + dainty gold necklace from Jeff and the kids with the kids first initial on the chain. Jeff custom ordered it on Etsy with a 16 inch gold necklace. I haven’t removed it from my neck since I received it on Christmas morning! Here’s the link
Do you really like the SNOO? Short answer: YES! One of my friends told me when I first started renting it to just stick with it. To be completely honest, I almost returned it at the 3 month mark because Jude was having some sleep regression and wasn’t sleeping as soundly as he was when he was first born. I gave the SNOO a little break for a couple weeks and let him co-sleep with me.
*Disclaimer: I am not promoting co-sleeping. How a child sleeps is completely up to a parent’s discretion. Co-sleeping when I am sleep deprived is the natural thing I have done with all my babies.
However, I learned my lesson with how difficult co-sleeping is to break with Adam and I really want Jude to sleep in a crib. The SNOO is such a wonderful investment because you can control the bassinet from your phone and it keeps a sleep cycle log for you so you know how well it’s working for your baby. He is now 4 months old and will grow out of it in the next couple months, but to answer these frequently asked question: YES! We have loved having it these newborn / infant days.
What is the swaddle I always see Jude wearing? The greatest swaddle in the world (in my very modest opinion) is the Halo brand Sleep Sack. Be sure to get the fleece one! Jude wears it every single day when he’s in his swing or we are out and about running errands. The fleece one is extra soft and super warm. He’s now 4 months old and still likes to be swaddled with his arms in.
How do you make time for your spouse with so many children? This is a great topic I will go more in-depth with on my podcast and here on my blog in a longer post, but to answer it quickly we do a LOT of date nights. We usually do one date night away from the home a week and one in the home as well. So that’s 2 date nights a week! Some weeks are irregular with work and travel and events, but our goal is 2 a week. Now, what does that look like? When we go out sometimes we do a really early dinner and are home by 7. It’s just a nice thing to get away from the chaos of the home for a couple hours even if we’re just grabbing a coffee. Other times, we send the kids off to my parents house for a sleepover, that’s usually, twice a month. If we can’t get away from the home (babysitters can be expensive!) we do a date night in. We plan a meal to cook together and then try to watch a movie or Netflix series while the kids are either playing in another room or after they got to bed. The latter is difficult because they are night owls. The success is in the planning process and talking it up with one another. Tell your spouse how excited you are for your date night, even if it’s at home… get dressed up… plan it all out. Date nights and communication have been really successful keys in our marriage.
What was the transition like from 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 kids? This is another topic I would love to spend more time on for another day. After 4 children, I can honestly say my toughest transition was 1-2 kids. My entire life was wrapped up in one child and I didn’t even comprehend how my heart could possibly have room for another, and then along came Eden. While my heart grew exponentially, juggling two under two was a huge challenge. I remember it would take me 2 hours to prepare to leave the house. I remember neither child was sleeping through the night. I also remember both of them being so needy it was hard to split my time. I was also still working full time in the news business at the time.
When I quit working full-time, it got much easier. I’m not saying it can’t be done working full-time, I however, didn’t want to hire help or send them off to daycare. It takes a village for sure!

2-3 kids was a lot easier for a lot of reasons. I was working from home so I had more time to spend with the kids. But also Luke and Eden were older. Luke was fully potty trained and in preschool. Eden was talking and walking and able to communicate her needs. Adding Adam was an easy transition.
By far… the easiest transition has been 3-4 kids! I think mostly because the older 3 are almost completely self-sufficient. And what Adam can’t do, Luke and Eden can help him do. Adding Jude has been such a breeze, minus the sleepless nights!