Mother's Day Reflections

My first Mother's Day was an AMAZING and BLESSED Day!

My Husband followed with the tradition by the Husband's in my family and cooked a lovely breakfast and dinner. I also received lovely flowers and cards from him and Sloane.

Decaf Vanilla Latte

Look at my Baby Sloane's Signature =)

Fresh croissants and fruit...Yummy!

However, the BEST gift was a beautiful photo album that he designed for me with candid pictures of myself and my beautiful baby girl. Needless to say I was overwhelmed with emotions, normal for me when it comes to the two Loves of my life, so the tears were flowing. I will treasure this album forever.

Front of my album

Back of my album

I was also blessed to spend my first Mother's Day with my own Mother. This really allowed me to reflect on the relationship I have with my Mother and the relationship I am building with Sloane.

Flowers & Cards for Mama, Meme, Ms. Faye

I NEVER want my daughter to question if I put my own wants and desires before what is best for her. In other words, be selfish. I knew when my Husband and I decided we wanted to have a child that my needs would come third. Yes, third. I take care of my Husband, my Child and then Me. Some may not agree with this order, but guess what, it isn't your family or life so you don't have to. It is mine. It works for Me. As my Mom so eloquently stated, "My Family" consists of Myself, My Husband and Sloane. "The Family" consist of EVERYONE else. I like that!

It was just last night that I told my Husband I have truly come to peace with realizing that people (grandmothers, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.) will not agree with us on some of the decisions we are making, and will make in how we want to raise our daughter. I'm over what others think. This is OUR Family and this is what WE want.

Team Sharp = Ashley + Nickole + Sloane.

So this reflection is really a "thank you" to my Maternal Grandmother Margaret and my Mom. I thank my Grandmother for raising my Mom to be an open book and to have real, open, and honest conversations with her teenage and adult daughter, and  most importantly, not care what others may think of this relationship. My Mom NEVER tried to be my friend. She has and will ALWAYS be my Mother. Just because I can talk to my Mom about everything, and always have been able to, the mutual respect was always there. My Mom earned my respect and I earned her respect. That is VERY important for parents and children, and I think it is often taken for granted and assumed.

Mom, thank you for being open and honest with me about being my Mother. Thank you for admitting that you made mistakes in how you raised me, and allowing me to question and ask questions about those decisions. Though tough, I respect you even more each time you allow this growth to take place between us. In doing this, you have provided me with examples of what I want to do as a Mother, and what I do not want to do as a Mother. You called it "Balance", and said it is very important, I agree, and I Love and Thank You for it!

Happy Mother's Day to ALL the brave women who are Mother's!
Happy! Happy! Mother's Day to all the Mother's who realize that when you are honest with your children they will love and respect you just the same...may be even a little more...

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

Candid 5 Month Shots

Hokies!!!!

My fave block and Meme

This paper is Cool!

I can reach my mobiles now! Yay!

Enjoying classical music with Mommy & Daddy

Hello Ergobaby!

Like most Mom's you want to be able to do things around the house and outside the house with your baby safe and secure with you. I thought I would do this by using the most common carrier, a Bjorn.

My husband has one and it works GREAT for him. Not so much for Mommy.

The Bjorn did not allow me to feel comfortable with having Sloane "hanging" from my shoulders, and it hurt my back as well. I am not a large woman, and I am really small up top as well. I know there are different Bjorn carriers, but I wanted a carrier that would not only be comfortable, but would really make me feel as though I was carrying Sloane the way she was most comfortable being carried. Close to my chest. My heart =)

Hello Ergobaby! I Love it! It doesn't feel like I am carrying Sloane at all! Plus I feel VERY secure with having her in this carrier as well. It does not put strain on my back, and most importantly it does not put strain on Sloane's joints either. It is ergonomic, because the baby is carried in a natural sitting position. You can carry your baby in front, on your hip, or on your back. Brilliant! I would definitely recommend the Ergobaby carrier for smaller women like myself, and ALL Mommies for that matter because it is the BEST carrier for your little one.

They also have these handy teething pads as well, and Sloane loves them! I would recommend getting the infant insert if your baby is under 15 pounds or 6 months of age. It really helps sitting them up higher so they can see the world around them, which is a MUST for my little girl!

I am so happy that I found this carrier, especially as we prepare for our trip home to the U.S. in June/July and Singapore/China in September. YAY! Ergobaby! You Rock!

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

Who is 5 Months? Not Sloane!

Giving you her profile pose

Tear...Yes, tears...the time is going by so FAST! Our little girl is already 5 months old! Before you know it she will be a year old! WOW! Slow down Sloane! Slow down time!

So, Sloane is now 5 months old, and started it with a bang! That bang of course being her two bottom teeth that came in towards the end of her 4 months. They are a challenge for our beautiful girl. She continues to rely on her Sophie Giraffe and cold towels to soothe her gums. Yes, cold towels. Not the teething fruit that I did research on to find the BEST one, but a simple cold wash cloth from the refrigerator. Love it!

Look at those CUTE little teeth!

Sloane is also dealing with Eczema =( Yuck! It is mainly on her back, tummy, as well as her forehead and scalp. This has been a challenge, though we have done well thus far with the products found on this great website Eczema Store, as well as getting advice from two of my Sorors, and the doctor did give us some cortisone cream when it really flares up. Though they say it is hereditary, and can be caused by certain foods, (I'm breastfeeding so I have eliminated it being due to certain foods; not even in my milk due to what I eat. She can thank her Mom for giving her the sensitive skin gene) the terrible harsh dry weather here and the water really make it worse! We are working on getting a water softener system installed in our home and we know that will help out tremendously, for Sloane and Mommy! Her eczema isn't as bad as some I've seen, but it is still a pain for my cutie. I continue to be very cautious about what comes in contact with her skin and...We press on.

She continues to warm our hearts with her infectious smiles, giggles, laughs and especially the way she snuggles in my neck when she is ready to go to sleep. Sloane is definitely her parents Love Child =)

Our first trip to the grocery store

We are preparing to take a trip home in the next month, and though I am EXTREMELY excited to be back home in L.A. and LA (I LOVE that my current home is L.A. and my birth home is LA, Ha!), as well as attending the 100th Celebration for my Beloved Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, in Washington D.C., I must admit that this neurotic Mom is definitely anxious and a bit on edge about Sloane's first travels on a plane as well as staying in "strange" places. Though we are staying with family for parts of our travels, it will ALL be strange for Sloane, including relatives, because Australia is her home and what she knows. I'm sure she will do just GREAT! I'm more concerned about ME! Grrrr....Mama Bear mode will be in FULL effect! Lol!

At any rate, Happy Birthday to our beautiful little girl!

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy