Essential Oils :: Gentle Baby

I was so pumped to get the mail today. I ordered me some Gentle Baby and it finally came! *praise-hands emoji!!!*

You might have heard that Leighton is terrible at going to bed at night and since we've started on our little essential oil journey, I've been reading and trying to find a concoction that will help her. 

Enter Gentle Baby.

It smells heavenly and I quickly whipped up a little homemade baby lotion so I could slather some of this goodness all over L's little body after her bath this evening. She didn't seem to mind the full-body massage and she's been asleep in her own crib since 9 PM *praise-hands emoji again!!!!*

And I probably just jinxed myself by even typing out the fact that she appears to be sleeping soundly but still. I'll take it.

The baby lotion was super easy to make - I modified a few Pinterest recipes for this first batch...

1/2 cup organic coconut oil

8 drops Gentle Baby

mix together in a small bowl and store in a 4 oz glass jar

that's it!

I did a test spot on my wrist and on Leighton's leg just to make sure we didn't have any type of weird reaction. We were all good so I took a little in my hands and rubbed her down before getting into her jammies. So far so good! Is there a "finger's crossed" emoji? There should be...

I'm hopeful that we're nearing the end of this phase of her life - she's such a sweet babe and I know it could be worse so I'm trying to stay positive but our evenings are pretty stressful around here. If we can find a little something extra to help us out, I'm all for it!

If you want to get oily with me, click here to get your hands on the premium starter kit. Sign up as a wholesale member (don't worry, you don't have to sell anything or have a party or anything like that) so you get the sweet discount.

And yes, I'll probably be back tomorrow to update you on how many times I was - or was NOT! - up with the baby over the course of the next 8 hours.

*Please note the information contained on this site is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements have not been evaluated b the FDA. If you are pregnant or nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult your doctor before using these products.

Leighton :: Four Months Old

Oh, what a month it has been.

I've mentioned before how hard it is to get Leighton to bed at night. She's been sleeping in her crib at night since 6 weeks old. Around 8 weeks, we were hit hard with some colicky slash PURPLE crying behavior in the evenings. 

Since then, we've never been able to do our bedtime routine and put her to bed where she'll sleep for 3 or 4 hours before waking to eat again. Instead, we do our bedtime routine at 7pm as we're getting Gracyn ready for bed and spend the next 3 or 4 hours listening to L cry, whine, fuss, fall asleep in our arms only to wake up the second she's lowered into her crib, nurse, refuse to nurse, take a bottle, refuse the bottle and repeat. Once she finally falls asleep (or passes out from sheer exhaustion), she'd usually sleep for 2 or 3 hours and wake up a few times throughout the time to eat. 

We've tried everything to keep her calm at night but nothing seems to work which tells me we're just going to have to wait it out until she gets a little older.

This week, though, has been one for the books. In addition to her throwing a fit and fighting sleep every night, she all of a sudden decided that she will be waking up every 60-90 minutes throughout the entire. night. She also likes to party between the hours of 3 and 5 AM. She's ended up in our bed (which I hate because I sleep even worse making sure I don't roll over and smother her) more than a few times when we've been desperate to get some Zzz's. 

Not cool.

I took her to the doctor on Monday to rule out an ear infection or something else but she checked out perfectly healthy, which I'm happy about - obviously - but I do wish something would explain the horrid nights we've been having. Again, this tells me it's most likely the dreaded 4-month sleep regression and we'll have to tough it out and walk around like zombies until it's over. And I hope it's over soon.

Other than that, we have no complaints! She really is the best baby during the day. Taking 3-4 naps and eating every 3-4 hours. I'm convinced she weighs 37 pounds (ok, more like 16 1/2 but still...) and is getting bigger every day. I love that she loves her big sister. She'll be sitting up in no time and has really taken an interest in grabbing toys and bringing them to her mouth to give them a taste. She still hates the pacifier but will suck on her fist/thumb every once in a while.

Sweet Leighton, we love you more than words. Even when you like to party 'til the break of dawn...

4 Years

Happy Anniversary to my lovie. F O U R whole years of wedded bliss. I'm so glad I get to do life with you by my side.

I've already spent the morning looking through our wedding album and reliving that day. We were surrounded by our families and best friends and had the greatest time celebrating with everyone. It should be a thing were people throw wedding receptions for anniversaries or something like that. Sounds like a great reason to get together and party if you ask me!

Some of my fave wedding photos are below! (Pics taken by Morgan at Cornerstone Photography)

Be Royal

Can we talk about Leighton's resting bitch face for a second? She does. not. care. So funny. Not that I'm calling my baby a bitch, but you get the idea. ;)

Anyway, we took the girls to our first Royals game of the season yesterday! Justin's birthday always falls during Opening Week at the K so we thought it'd be fun to take the day off work and head out to the stadium for some baseball.

The girls got dressed in their finest Royals gear and did pretty well overall seeing as how the game was at 1 PM - smack dab in the middle of nap time. It started out sunny and warm but by the time the 7th inning rolled around, it was cloudy and super windy. We had good seats but with the wind, it was like a vortex and pretty chilly. By the 8th inning, Gracyn was chanting "no more Royals..." so we headed home.

It was a fun day. We (Justin and I - not the babies) had some beers, ate some hotdogs and I pumped breast milk in the back of my minivan. And, the Royals won! Can't wait to hit up a few more games this season!

Happy Birthday!

Happy, happy birthday to my better half! We hope you have the best day and cannot wait to celebrate with you tonight {and tomorrow - Go Royals!}. The girls and I love you so much!!!

Gracyn is particularly excited for your birthday. We've been practicing for days... enjoy :)


Happy Birthday, Dad! from Mackenzie Oakley on Vimeo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

hottie.

Easter 2015

We had a quiet little Easter at home with our two little bunnies. Egg hunts, jelly beans, meltdowns. We had it all. We're bad people and didn't make it to church but I did play some of my fave Easter hymns for Gracyn. She pretended to sing along so that was fun.

The girls' Easter baskets were filled with matching swimsuits and sandals and I'm far too excited to get these water-babies in the pool this summer in their matching gear. Gracyn was eating candy by 10:01 AM and kept sneaking jellybeans after we told her no mas. By mid-afternoon, Gracyn was crashing from too much sugar, took a .343 second nap and woke up a grump. She chilled out once I promised to turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (I'm so not above bribing...) and one more jellybean.

We hopped over (hopped - get it?) to see Justin's dad and came home to have a nice ham dinner. By 7:41 PM 8:02 PM 8:17 PM 8:56 PM 9:14 PM both kids were up in bed. An Easter miracle for sure.  Just a typical night around these parts. We'll see how long it lasts...

Happy Easter!

Oh, and we dressed Leighton into the same outfit Gracyn wore on her first Easter. Everything fit except for the tights. There was no way we were getting thunder thighs into those bad boys. Still can't believe I have two baby girls. Also, how long do you think it'll be before Leighton starts growing hair!?!

flying solo

Dude. Single parents get all the praise-hand emojis from me. Justin's been out of town for 3 days and while everyone is still alive, it hasn't been pretty. Don't get me wrong, it could be worse (PLEASE don't get worse), but it still ain't easy.

Not sure how all of the single parents out there do it day in and day out. 

We've been trying to get Leighton to bed earlier than normal to see if that helps her go down easier. My goal tonight was to have her asleep in bed by 7:30. At 9:45, she was still fighting me so I def missed the window on that one. Gracyn is crying out as I type - probably because she refuses to sleep in her bed and just hit her head on the metal gate at her door - and I just chugged a beer and slathered some Stress Away essential oil all over my wrists to gear up for what is looking like a long night ahead of me.

leighton be like, "you want me to do whaaaa?!" #gtfts

We've been saved by the gorgeous weather, though. Eating lunch outside and as soon as the clock strikes 5pm, busting out of the house to spend the next hour or so soaking in the fresh air.

Daddy gets home Friday. We can't wait.