Category: Parenting

Healing Hazel Teething Necklace

 
Little Miss Elliot has started teething this past week and it has been suuuuuuper fun. (ha) I was hesitant to give her teething tablets due to recent studies coming out about them causing seizures. I used them with both of my boys, they helped a ton and they had no symptoms like that, but I didn’t want to risk it.

My normally easy going and happy baby was SO grouchy, and Tylenol and Motrin were not helping her much. She wasn’t sleeping and she cried most of the day. So I was at my wit’s end of what to do or how to help her.

I was in a store one day and happened to see these amber teething necklaces by Healing Hazel at the check out, and bought one out of desperation.

I put it on her when she woke up from her first nap and by the end of the day I could tell a slight difference. In the next few days she was back to her bubbly self! It was incredible.

She is still drooling like a crazy animal and gnawing on everything she can get her hands on, but she seems to be less irritable. It brought relief to her and to her momma! Knowing she’s not in constant pain makes me SO happy.

Healing Hazel Teething Necklace
Healing Hazel Teething Necklace

Since I myself have witnesses how well these necklaces work, I cannot recommend Healing Hazel teething necklaces enough. I’ve been super impressed with how well they work. I purchased the Raw Honey necklace.

With that being said, I know several people who are hesitant to try them because they are afraid their baby will strangle itself with the necklace, so here are a few guidelines for you if you are wanting to purchase an amber necklace.

  • Make sure there is a two finger space between the baby’s neck and the necklace.
  • The necklace should never reach past the chin.
  • Take it off during naps and bedtime

Elliot cannot even reach her necklace with her hands, and most of the time it is covered up by her double chin. (ha) I had to pull it forward for the pictures so you could see it, but normally its tucked away in her chunky baby deliciousness.

She wears her necklace all of the time, and I choose to let her sleep in it. I know she cannot reach it to choke herself and it’s not tight on her neck at all. It is always your call as the parent though. Only do what you feel at peace with.

Healing Hazel Teething Necklace
Healing Hazel Teething Necklace

I am super excited to have found this great company and this product that works. And I am excited to partner with them today and offer 15% off of your purchase! Just use the code COURTNEY for 15% off!

That’s:

coupon code: COURTNEY

for 15% off your purchase.

I’d love to hear your feedback on any of you who use/will use these necklaces! Leave them in the comments.

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Home Sweet Temporary Home

 
It’s been almost a week since we moved to Columbus! At the rate this week has crept by it feels more like a month. (ha) It has been quite the adjustment for our little family, but I think we are starting to find our rhythm as much as we can during this transitional time.

Chris has been really enjoying his new job and loves the people he will be working with. It’s just overwhelming for him at times trying to soak in all of the new information. Like drinking from a fire hose… (ha) I have no doubt he will catch on quickly, lil smarty pants.

I definitely underestimated the difficulty of having three small children in a hotel room. Before we got here I was like “Oh it’ll be a fun adventure! Think of the memories we will make!”

WRONG. More like, let’s hang on and try to survive the next few weeks and hope we all forget them soon. (ha)

There is just NO SPACE.

We are all over each other, all day long. I’m used to trying to get things done with at least one child attached to my leg, but now the space is so small I drag the other two along with me, whether they want to come or not. (you think I’m kidding…)

And with most of them being on different sleep schedules and nap times, its a miracle that any of them get sleep.

I’m thankful there is a small kitchen in here though, it would be SO hard to have to get take-out or haul all of us to a restaurant every night.

I have remind myself of that when our rooms smell continually of hamburger patties and essential oils. (ha)

One of the BEST perks of being here though is having my family 3 minutes down the road. I think we’ve all seen each other every day since we moved here. We had dinner with my cousin and mom last night and the day before my sister came and hung out with us after work.

It’s such a blessing to just do life together. I’ve missed that.

It’s funny how when I was growing up, I so looked forward to being independent and having “my own life.” You know, doing adult things. And now that I’m an adult, all I want is my family back in my life. (ha)

Only 11 days until our apartment is ready…which will have THREE BEDROOMS. (*cue angelic voices singing*) And then we’ll have two months in that until (Lord willing) we find and move into a house.

I am soooo ready to be settled in our new place…I miss decorating and “nesting.” (no I’m not pregnant again, calm down.) But I am trying my hardest to enjoy this time and let the Lord teach me the lessons He wants me to learn.

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I Miss The Person I Was Before I Had Kids

 
When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was a go-getter. I was organized and driven. I worked out every day and helped out in our church’s youth group twice a week. I cultivated the relationships in my life and made time for coffee dates and phone calls.

I cared about my physical appearance and wore stylish clothes. My nails were always painted and I would rarely go out in public without making sure I looked “presentable.”

My relationship with the Lord was great and I spent an hour in the Word in the mornings. I would spend time in my closet praying at night (I know it’s weird but I had to be somewhere dark and quiet so I wouldn’t be distracted ha) before I went to sleep.

I was fun, semi-adventurous, and spontaneous. I felt this zeal for life and when a challenge presented itself I enjoyed working through it.

Now when I roll out of bed in the mornings, the person I see in the mirror isn’t that person at all.

She looks tired. Her eyes are puffy from a lack of sleep and her face is round from extra pounds gained from having kids. Her hair is in a two day old bun on top of her head to keep her kids from pulling it out with their tiny little fingers.

My time with the Lord most days is spent whispering prayers in times of need or reading a chapter or two on my phone while scarfing down lunch.

I don’t feel strong like I used to. I no longer meet the challenges in life head on…honestly most times I feel afraid that this will be the one that breaks me.

Motherhood has created a vulnerability in me that I have never experienced before. The question “Am I totally blowing this whole thing?!” is something I find myself wondering daily. Am I going to mess up my kids? Am I doing this right? Why did God entrust three little souls to someone like me???

I love my kids. They are one of the Lord’s greatest gifts to me outside of salvation and Chris. I treasure my days with them. I love their cuddles, their laughter, and their different personalities. They make life so sweet!

But through their little lives the Lord has brought me to a place of brokenness. A place where my sin is ever before me and I am raw and undone. The imperfections in my life are now running around on the outside in the form of three cute little kids. They are the aroma of what is inside my heart…if mommy is having a bad day, that manifests itself in the behavior of my children. If I am short and grumpy, my kids mimic my behavior. And even if I am having a great day and my kids are whiny and mean, I am still judged by others based on their behavior.

What was hidden inside of me is now visible to the world and totally out of my control.

And the Lord is using it to mold me into His image. He is not wasting my brokenness. Even though at times it may not feel like it, I AM becoming more like Jesus every day. And that is beautiful.

And while sometimes I struggle to remember the Courtney I used to be and miss her like a long lost friend I used to know so well, I would not trade this daily death I am dying to myself for anything. Being a mother is the most rewarding work I have ever had the privilege to take part in, but anything worth doing requires sacrifice.

And if I’m being honest, sometimes I miss the things I gave up.

I want to fit into my old jeans again, I don’t want to feel like a barge when I walk past a mirror, but working out is a real struggle in this season of my life. I am trying though!

I want to WANT to have fun again and not just fall into my bed at night and pray no one wakes me up before the sun rises. I want to belly laugh and be adventurous and travel with my man.

And I believe those things will happen again soon. Seasons are always changing.

But I also want to be faithful in this season given to me. This season of planting. I know the harvest will come and I pray by the grace of God that these kids I am pouring into daily will grow up to be warriors for Him. I pray that my harvest will be immeasurable for His kingdom. But I have to plant the seeds, water them, tend to them daily, if the harvest is ever going to come.

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So if any of you momma’s out there are feeling like you’ve “lost yourself,” I understand. Some days I feel that way too.

But oh to lose yourself to find Christ. It is a loss that is not a loss at all.

All of the worthless things that stole my attention before are now being dimmed because of this refining fire in my life. The important things, the things that have eternal value are now my priority, whether intentional or not. My kids HAVE to have my attention in this season, but I’m thankful for that. Because I am forced to do eternal work, even on the days where I am tired and lose focus.

Jesus is teaching me to look ahead, like a horse that has blinders on each side.

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21)

So let’s walk that way.

I miss the person I was before I had kids.
I miss the person I was before I had kids.

thecarolinafarmhouse6 Comments

Elijah Lewis at 17 Months

So I know 17 months is kind of a random age for an update, but these days when I have a thought, I have to go with it immediately or it’s gone forever. (ha) I have a lot of people ask for updates on how he is doing, so I thought doing a post with more details would be a good idea.
For those of you who don’t know his story, Elijah has been through quite the journey in his short little life. When I was 20 weeks pregnant it was recommended that I abort him, due to the fact that he wouldn’t survive and would be severely chromosomally “messed up.” Continuing my pregnancy was also a great risk to my health. You can read more about that here and here, if you’re interested.

But this post is about how our lil stinker is doing today! Yay!

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Likes:

Eli loves music. He has a very short attention span, so when I read to him or try to show him things, he usually crawls off before I am done. But if I sing or put music on, boy he’s all in! He sways back and forth and has some hilarious dance moves. (he gets it from his daddy ha)

image
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He is by far my pickiest eater, but PB&J sandwiches have yet to be refused by him. He also loves avocados, and I try and feed him one a day to help him gain weight. Raisins are also a new favorite of his.

Clapping. No matter the occasion, this boy is ALWAYS ready to celebrate with clapping. It’s adorable and now he yells “YAAAAAY!” while doing it. *heart melts*

He loves any kind of car or truck, and will roll them all around the house all the time. He wants so badly to be as tall as Rhett, so he is continually trying to roll the cars on our window sill. He stands on his tippy toes and it’s just the cutest thing.

Dislikes:

Eli is very easy going, so there are not a lot of things that he hates. But he has his one year molars coming through, so those have definitely made him more grumpy! And when Eli ain’t happy…ain’t nobody happy!

He does not like it when his big brother steals the toy he is playing with and he lets him know quickly!

He does not like having to wait for his bottle (yes he is still drinking a bottle…but I think we may have FINALLY found a sippy cup he likes). It never fails, as soon as he is done with lunch, he starts wailing for his bottle. When he sees me heating it up he starts whimpering like a puppy begging or something…it’s kind of hilarious.

He does not like sitting still (and thus the reason most of my pictures of him are when he is contained in his high chair. ha). I can tell he is going to be an active learner already, and he’s going to keep me on my toes! Sitting still for long periods of time will not work. If I am trying to teach him something, I usually sit on the floor and sing it to him. That way he can sway back and forth and the music keeps his attention. There have been a few times where he wasn’t feeling well and he snuggled with me for awhile. I cherish moments like that!

Milestones:

Eli is about two-ish months behind on his milestones but is right on target for his adjusted age.

He has been crawling for months now, and is pulling up and “walking” with the help of the coffee table and furniture. He will stand on his own, and then try to clap for himself and fall over. (ha) I bet he’ll be walking on his own in a few weeks!

He is not talking well yet, but will say a few words here and there. One things I’ve noticed about preemie babies (from Eli and other friends who have had preemies), they are SO stubborn! If Eli knows I want him to say something, he looks at me with that little dimpled smile and won’t say a word. So I know when HE decides to start talking, he will. He can say “Ma-Ma,” “Night night,” “So good!” and “Da-da.”

He is still very small for his age…as in the 2nd percentile. He wears mostly 12 month clothing, but since he has started to enjoy solid foods, he’s putting on a little bit of chunk! He has a little roll on each thigh and they make me SO happy, especially when I remember his tiny 2 pound frame only a few short months ago.

He has a mouth full of teeth and I call him my little snaggled-toothed boy because he will move his jaw back and forth and growl at you with all of those teeth! (ha)

He sleeps like a champ and would probably sleep more if his brother wouldn’t wake him up singing in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes I go in there to get them up and Eli has this look on his face like, “Mom. I want a new roommate.” (ha)

Medical Concerns:

Eli has seen a retinal specialist several times since leaving the NICU and all of his tests and exams have come back great! We are so thankful his eyes seem to be in perfect shape!

He also had an appointment with a geneticist who went through all of his lab work with me and he was honestly baffled by Eli being chromosomally “normal.” He said he had never seen anyone with this kind of pregnancy (placental mesenchymal dysplasia) before and had only read about one other case in Canada. So that was interesting! I left that appointment just in awe of what the Lord can do…even genetics don’t stand a chance to His power!

Other than those appointments, it has not been recommended that we see any more specialists! It still blows my mind.

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And that’s all I can think of for now. I am SO thankful that the Lord healed my Eli and mercifully let us be a witness to his precious life day in and day out. He brings us so much joy!

“The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.” (Psalm 126:3)

thecarolinafarmhouse1 Comment

First Friday Parade at Clemson

A few weeks ago Chris took the kids and me to the First Friday Parade at Clemson. It was our first time to go, and Chris was excited for us to experience something he enjoyed back in his college days (a looooong time ago. Just kidding honey…).

I’ll be honest…I was a little nervous to pack up our three little ones and try to keep them all contained in a crowd (hello nightmares about losing my child in a sea of people) but with two locked up, I mean strapped, in a stroller it really wasn’t that bad!

This was the pose Eli kept the whole time…belly poked out and unimpressed look on his face. Apparently he is above boring old parades. (ha) I was able to get him almost up to the front of the line of people, so he had a good view of everything! (and I had another picture of just him, but he was closing his eyes…oopsie!)

Rhett LOVED the parade. I was surprised that the loud noises didn’t freak him out (thanks Aunt Carley for that trait, by the way) but he clapped and waved and pointed to it all. His favorite was the firetruck and the large soccer balls they rolled down the street.

Elliot looked like a lil orphan Annie in her headband and every time I looked down at her I laughed. She’s just so cute and has such a serious little face! She was so good the whole time.

I am an Alabama fan, but I’m also not stupid (contrary to popular belief that those two things run hand in hand). I know that my children will most likely grow up to be Tiger fans because of their daddy. I know the power of a father. So I am trying to support and let it be. It could be muuuuch worse, and at least it is the least offensive of the Tigers out there (BITE ME AUBURN).

I sure do love my little munchkins. I have to admit they all look pretty cute in that orange and purple. Elliot has on a Clemson onesie, her bib is just covering it up (Planned? You’ll never know…)

Be still my heart. So thankful my kids have such an incredible man to look up to and imitate. And if Rhett someday decides to attend Clemson, this picture will be going in his dorm room. He has no choice. (ha)

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