Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours, 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Frosted Frenzy cupcakes

Sweets are my ultimate weakness, particularly cupcakes....they're almost like a universal symbol for celebration & happiness.

cupcakes. they are my thing.

Frosted Frenzy is a home based company started by two friends who simply enjoyed baking, using only the highest quality ingredients the cupcakes quickly became a frenzy! After sampling some last week, I'm not the least bit surprised! These were to die for.

They have quite a range of flavors to make your sweet tooth happy. From Rocky Road to Almond Joy, there is something for just about anything you may be in the mood for.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the frosting to cake ratio, thats the big make it or break it deal for me, I mean... I love frosting with my cupcake not a cupcake with my frosting. These had the perfect amount!

Chocolate caramel toffee crunch - this had to be my favorite one! 

The frosting was the perfect combination rich & creamy and ahh best part was the caramel filling inside which took me by surprise, a very yummy surprise indeed :)

and who wouldn't love a pumpkin cupcake in the Fall?

This was another favorite, it was simple & delicious! Fluffy pumpkin cake with the perfect amount of sweet cream cheese frosting....you bet I ate every last crumb! You will too once you get a taste of these, I promise!

Frosted Frenzy also does custom cakes for parties, events, weddings and will match any theme you wish. I know where I'll be going when planning Sienna's next party!

Family photo fail

Last weekend we decided to be brave and attempt Family photos on our own with the help of a tripod & a remote. 

Lets just say that we'll be needing a redo....

Oh life with a toddler, this was so much easier last year when she wasn't mobile yet and gave us her best smile without much effort...but atleast I got some entertainment out of how ridiculous these came out :)

This had the potential of being a cute photo and though its not Christmas card worthy, I'm kinda glad to have her personality captured.

Sienna's lip tie

Since the day Sienna was born, our breastfeeding journey was nothing like I envisioned. It was torture. With every feeding attempt we were both crying with frustration. Why wouldn't she stay latched on for more than a minute?? She was obviously hungry. I was so confused as to why she just would not do it. Isn't this suppose to be second nature to us both? I saw every Lactation consultant before leaving the hospital, seeked advice from every mom friend and sobbed to the pediatrician looking for answers.

Nobody could figure out what the issue was, nobodys advice was effective. So I pumped exclusively for almost a full year. Looking back now I still can't fathom how on earth I did that - it was some serious devotion I tell ya. I hope to never ever have to do that again.

Fast forward to about a month ago.

I randomly decided to look in Siennas mouth to see if there are any new teeth spouting and took note of the gap between her 2 front teeth...hmmm I wondered why she had it thinking that such things are genetic and since no one in the family has it why should she? I noticed that there was a significant amount of tissue between the two teeth and of course jumped onto Google right away trying to figure this out.

Sure enough everything pointed to lip tie, 

I compared every Google image photo of random kids cases & they looked very similar to hers. As soon as Danny got home, we took her to the 'best' Pediatric dentist in the valley with an opening that same day.  Thanks Google.

The dentist did in fact confirm that it was lip tie. Apparently its hereditatry, I know that all of my siblings and I had tongue tie which its a similar issue...perhaps thats where the genetics stepped in. We were given the option of doing the procedure right there on the spot, its quick and almost completely painless...the only issue was, you don't get put out for it. How do you make an 18 month old sit through that without holding them down? Something I wasn't going to bare doing unless it was an issue effecting her majorly. Of course the dentist pushed for it. Yet there is a very good chance the gap will close when her adult teeth come in, and the only thing it was majorly affecting was breast feeding and since we are past that...whats really the point of putting her through a traumatic experience like that?

I'm not a big interventionist, and I don't hold much trust in the medical establishment. I don't usually rush to the doctor for every little thing, but I was pretty angry, I needed confirmation after everything I read that day....I couldn't believe that her pediatrician never thought to check for that knowing of our breast feeding struggle. All i know is that when our next baby comes along...its the first thing I'm checking for.

Here is a little info incase you're wondering what lip tie is.

What is an upper lip-tie?

An upper lip-tie is where a piece of skin under the baby’s upper lip (the labial frenulum) is very short or thick and is pinned too tightly to the upper gum. This can restrict movement of the upper lip preventing it from being able to flange or ‘pull out’. This can make it difficult for babies to attach to the breast correctly as it is harder for them to maintain a good seal. In older children and adolescents, an upper lip-tie can be associated with a gap between the front teeth. Generally this is only a cosmetic issue. However, it can make it difficult for a baby to breastfeed.

What problems are connected to lip & tongue ties?
One of the first and foremost problems connected to tongue ties is breastfeeding issues. Many babies with tongue ties can't get a proper latch and hurt the mother, and may not stimulate the milk to come in properly. Many mothers whose babies have tongue ties give up breastfeeding right from the start, or stop after a little bit when their milk dries up because milk production works by supply and demand, and a bad latch can cause milk production to drop once its no longer regulated by the post birth hormone rush.
My siblings all had tongue ties, and we all, every one of us, had problems with nursing. My mother's milk dried up between 3 months and a year for all of us, and that was with pumping to keep up her supply.
Being able to nurse your children long term for a decent length of time (at least until a year old, ideally until 2 years old) is very beneficial for your children's long term health, not to mention pocket book, as breastmilk is much, much cheaper than formula (even once you factor in the cost of a pump and bottles if necessary, tongue tie snipping, and a lactation consultant).

She's our world

In just four short months, our little lady will be turning TWO. Its terribly exciting and terrifying at the same time. Although tiny, standing thigh height at best she is full of more wisdom and kindness than some adults I've met in my life. Her most admirable quality: her politeness. She utters "thank you" in the sweetest little voice in instances you'd least expect.

This little girl is our world, 

shining with potential in so many areas.

lets have coffee, shall we?

If we were to have coffee together this morning....

I'd tell you that I don't like Halloween, I didn't grow up with it but I would never deprive Sienna as shes growing up in a different culture than me

I'd tell you that I never drank coffee until I had Sienna, seems like I need caffeine to function these days

I'd tell you that the weather in AZ has been phenomenal lately and its here to stay till next May...Sienna spends most of her days playing outside

Id tell you that my Grandmother passed away last Saturday. She died in her sleep of old age...I haven't seen her since 2011 when Dan & I were last in Poland, part of me wishes I could have been there to say goodbye but another part of me is glad that I don't have to remember her the way she was when she died...instead I'll always remember her meeting Danny, when she was still mobile and alert.

I'd tell you that I'm a little disappointed with the iphone 5s  its been giving me trouble...besides the camera, nothing about it is worthwhile

I'd tell you that we are hoping to give Sienna a sibling next year

I'd tell you that my fairly new desktop computer is about to crash so I've been going mad trying to back up my photos before it does. I think its time for a MAC this way I never see the "blue screen of death" again and worry about losing my photos.

I'd tell you that I'm baffled by the lengths some people take to try and insult someone for no reason, an IG mama I follow was bashed anonymously for picking her childs costume for next year because "they should pick it out themselves" seriously? 

I'd tell you that I'm really excited for Christmas this year!