10 Outfits/Costumes I Must Have For My Daughter

One of the fun things about having a kid is dressing them up. They can't say no, they have to wear whatever you put on them. With that in mind, here are ten outfits and/or costumes I must have for Dahlia.

Number 10 - The Cheshire Cat

I believe this costume is homemade, so I can't buy it, unfortunately. But, oh my god, this is adorable. The baby's expression makes it so much cuter, too. Also, maybe it's just me, but does that look like a giraffe neck in the background?













Number 9 - Chewbacca

This one is probably more suited for a boy, but it is adorable. Bonus points if you can teach your baby to do the wookie call!









Number 8 - Meowth

As a child of the 90's, I loved Poke'mon. I had Poke'mon everything; sheets, clothes, the cards, the games, everything. So, what better than a Poke'baby? Unfortunately, I think this one is homemade, as well.













Number 7 - Alice

Obviously, I love Alice In Wonderland. While Dahlia isn't a blonde, she would still make the perfect Alice, especially in this dress. Now, to find a White Rabbit costume for the cat...





Number 6 - Rosie the Riveter

This one would be a pretty easy DIY and super cute. I've always loved Rosie and I hope to pass that love on to my daughter.









Number 5 - Little Red Riding Hood

Always a classic. And the little wolf is adorable.











Number 4 - Princess Leia

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, so this is right up my alley. So cute, and not as racy as when she's chained to Jabba!









Number 3 - Jackie O

I love Jackie O's style, and this is just adorable. A perfect outfit for a future president or first lady!















Number 2 - Vintage-style Bathing Suit

I love vintage looking clothes, so being able to dress my baby like that is awesome.












Number 1 - Sailor Outfit

Every kid needs a sailor outfit, boy or girl. They're absolutely the cutest. Then, you have an excuse to make them swab the deck!















Have you seen any cuter outfits or costumes? Let me know in the comments below!

Vaccines - Necessary or Dangerous?

Getting your child's shots can be a stressful event for both of you. Dahlia is a great baby, so I had never heard her scream like she screamed when she got her shots. We were both in tears. I've been thinking about vaccines lately, we have to go get her next round on Friday. When Dahlia was first born, her vaccinations were a point of contention between her father and me. He believed she shouldn't get them because, "Who knows what the government is injecting us with." I believe that all of them should be received except flu shots and maybe the HPV vaccine. I think vaccines are truly a case of jumping off a bridge just because your friends are doing it. According to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 85% of the world's children are vaccinated. That's just the children. But that also means that 15% are not vaccinated. So, let's say little Johnny down the street isn't vaccinated and neither is your little Susie. One day, Johnny and Susie hold hands. Unbeknownst to anyone, Johnny is carrying measles, but hasn't shown any symptoms, yet. Next thing you know, both little Johnny and little Susie are deathly ill.
It's all well and good for parents to think they don't need to vaccinate their children, but dollars to doughnuts, if you had the idea not to vaccinate, so did someone else. Like my mom says, it only takes two to tango. Another common reason parents cite for avoiding vaccinations is all the controversy concerning autism. Let me be one to say: VACCINATIONS DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. There are tons of studies that show, not only do vaccinations NOT cause autism, but they can prevent the spread of infectious disease.

Although, I personally believe that some vaccines are unnecessary. For instance, the yearly flu vaccine. Do you ever wonder why it's a yearly vaccine? It's because the influenza virus has constantly shifting antigens, meaning it's essentially a different virus every year. So, while you're running to get vaccinated for what you think is this year's flu, the actual influenza virus has already changed, making your vaccine worthless.

There are also a few vaccinations that America has stopped giving out, like smallpox and polio. I don't believe this is a good thing. If you read the news, you might know that smallpox is actually making a comeback and polio still hasn't been eradicated in other countries. Maybe we should think about bringing these vaccines back.

What are your thoughts and opinions? Please leave them in the comments below, and don't hesitate to share this with your friends and family!

First Post Ever: 10 Things I Learned as a New Mom

To start my blog off, I thought I would make a top ten list. My daughter, Dahlia, is 5 months old and I'm a first time mom. I've learned many things about myself and life in general since I donned my first pair of mom jeans; some sappy, some funny, and of course, some scary. Here's just a few:

Number 10 - Immunity to nasty things

Having a child raises your gross tolerance exponentially. I can change a diaper, get poop on my finger, wipe it off, and move on. Before, I would have immediately went to wash my hands. I've become so desensitized, I actually caught cat vomit in my hand once (he was going to puke on the bed). Having baby puke in your hair will change your outlook on life.







Number 9 -  Girls have adorable clothes 

Truth time. I wanted a boy. So, it was hard for me to get into girl mode when it came to clothes. The first couple of outfits I bought for Dahlia could've been considered unisex. When I went to the store, I would automatically gravitate towards the boy section and have to remind myself that the baby was a girl. I thought I would never like anything that she could wear, but surprisingly, that changed, too. While my tastes have a more retro vibe, I've came to terms with Dahlia's gender and the clothes that go with it.




Number 8 - No sleep? No big deal.
 I LOVE sleep. In Life Before Dahlia (henceforth known as LBD), I could sleep for 14 hours and still want to sleep longer. The first night after she was born, in the hospital, I realized just how little sleep humans need. After the 20 hours of labor, silly me didn't want the nurses to keep Dahlia in the nursery. I had to have my new baby with me. I think I got two hours of sleep that night. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned thus far? Sleep when the baby sleeps. I heard people tell me that in LBD and I just shrugged it off. But, it is the best piece of advice I have received.

Number 7 - Paranoia is a real thing

I think this is one of the worst things about being a new mom. You'll be lying there in bed, the baby in the crib, but you can't sleep because you are absolutely certain that the baby quit breathing. So, you get up, check, and of course, baby is still breathing. Whenever someone picks her up, I think they're going to drop her. Everyone is sick and contagious. There are kidnappers everywhere. Moms are paranoid about everything. I think this is one of those things that eases off with time, but never completely goes away.



Number 6 - The ability to tune anything out

You've seen this before. You're in a restaurant trying to enjoy your meal, when some set of asshole parents are just letting their little spawn scream. You think, " Don't they hear that?" The answer? No. They don't. As a stay at home mom, if I didn't learn to tune out screaming every once in a while, I would never shower or eat. Sometimes, babies cry for pretty much no reason. If there's nothing that can be done (i.e, feeding, diaper changing), you learn to tune them out to keep your sanity.

Number 5 - How much fun you have

If you would have told me a year ago that I could have fun with a baby, I might have laughed at you. But, sure enough, babies are fun as hell! Watching them discover all the new things around them is pretty entertaining. Making them taste things like lemons is also equally hilarious. I could spend hours making funny faces at her and watching her laugh. That's another thing, babies have THE cutest laughs.

Number 4 - Becoming Betty Crocker

In LBD, I wasn't exactly considered domesticated. Sure, I could cook and clean, but I wasn't in the running for Housewife of the Year. I had a job and worked 5 days a week. When I got home, I didn't feel like cooking dinner. But, becoming a stay at home mom changed all of that. Now, I want to look for new recipes and color swatches for new drapes. I could see myself being on the PTA and making Halloween costumes, ones that are more complicated than cutting two holes in a sheet. Becoming a mother makes you look forward to all of those little things like tying shoe laces and throwing birthday parties that don't feature liquor as the main course.


Number 3 - Paying attention to current events

I was never one for the news. I've always felt that I shouldn't become upset about something that I have no control over and the news is almost always upsetting. But now, I find myself reading articles about kidnappers and the recent string of hot-car deaths. Having a child made me more aware of the terrible things that happen to children in the world. Of course, watching the news also lends to the paranoia!




Number 2 - Patience

I almost made this number one because if there is anything I have learned, it's patience. In LBD, I wouldn't have tolerated someone screaming at me, puking on me, and then making me clean up their poop. But, patience is a virtue that I have finally gotten a little of.







Number 1 - Love

I never knew that I could love someone as much as I love Dahlia. Of course, I love my family and Dahlia's father, but that's a different kind of love, somehow. To love someone as fiercely and almost insanely as I love Dahlia is an entirely new experience. To be willing to give your life for another, that's some intense love.





Well, this concludes my very first post! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it enough to share it (hint, hint)! If anyone has anything to add to the list, feel free to comment below, and please stick around for more posts!