IcyHot Spray

I absolutely LOVE IcyHot Spray. It really comes in handy because I'm lifting 20 pounds of baby all day, and it kills my back and neck. It takes forever to run out, so it is definitely worth the extra money, and I use the spray because Shaun refuses to rub the lotion on my back because he cannot stand the smell.

So for those ladies constantly picking up your babies, get IcyHot spray. I would not recommend spraying it around your baby because it is VERY strong smelling. I spray it in the bathroom with the door closed and vent on.

Childproof me please!

Today, I am getting my house childproofed FOR FREE! If I were to pay to have it done, it could cost anywhere from 500-1200 dollars! I'm part of a 3 year injury-related study (formally named the CHIPS study). I get 85 dollars spread out over the 3 years and I get to keep all the child proofing stuff they install. All I have to do is participate in short phone/home interviews every few months (that I also get paid for).

I love doing studies. If you live in the Greater Cincinnati Area, the P&G Discovery Center has studies plenty frequently. They focus more on baby stuff, but they also have studies that don't require you to have a baby. Their studies pay anywhere from 25-200 dollars, I have been to two 100 dollar diaper studies. I had to come early in the morning, (if you don't get there early enough, and the panels filled up, then you are excused to go and you get a "bump" fee for

substantially less than if you were to complete the study) and I stayed until 2 or 3 o clock in a room with about 10-15 other moms and their babies.

I cannot disclose exactly what was done during the study because I had to sign a confidentiality agreement beforehand, but I can tell you that they provided a personalized, delicious lunch both times (one from La Rosa's and the second time from Subway), and they also provided pop/bottled water the whole time. The staff was very nice and great with the babies, and it was nice to sit around and chat with the other moms. The only downfall I didn't like was the babies didn't get to nap very long since we were up and down a lot. If you would like to join the panel, I've provided the link below. They will send you emails each time there is a study, and you will have to fill out a survey to see if you qualify. When you click on the link, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the registration forms.
http://www.pampers.com/en_US/pg-baby-discovery-center

Mmmmm Feet!

Jacoby finally figured out how to eat his feet! Lol, my silly baby.

Today he had squash, at first he screwed his face up at it, but as we continued, he begin to like it better.

Money saving update! A lady I am purchasing 100 jars of baby food meats from for 20 dollars just offered me the rest of the food for 30 more dollars. She has several hundred jars of baby food and just wants to get rid of them. I wish I had the 30 extra dollars right now but I don't. I might tomorrow so I told her I would let her know. Shaun doesn't think it is necessary but I just can't pass up that great of deal. And plus whatever we have leftover after Jacoby grows out of it, we can sell, or even better, donate. But men only think in the now, not the future. Well my man anyway. Even if I don't get to buy the other jars, 100 jars for 20 bucks is still one hell of a deal. Plus I got the 120 jars + 4 boxes of baby cereal the other day for 25 bucks. I think that is 55 dollars well spent if I do say so myself. I also found some free formula on freecycle! I'm just going crazy right now with saving money. I think I can call myself a pro.

My baby is a goofball

Scene: Comforter is laid out all nice and neat on the floor, toys are strategically placed around, and it is now playtime. I turn around to pick up a few things off the floor, and when I turn back around, this is what he decides to play with. My silly baby lol.

Jacoby turned 5 months old today. It seems like the time literally flies, you don't even have time to blink and poof! he isn't a newborn anymore. He's playing with your keys, trying to eat your phone, babbling dadadada, trying to crawl, eating baby food, ugh! I just want him to slow down a little bit. Before I know it, he's going to be going to college. As I type, he just knocked my phone to the floor (he's sitting on my lap). Thanks bub.

My very first post

Hello! First I would like to give a shout out to my big sister for inspiring me to start a blog. Hopefully I keep up with it, the life of a working mom is a busy one. Let me tell you a bit about myself:

I'm 20 years old and I am a mother to my 5 month old son, Jacoby Joseph Mienko. We live with his daddy in a little, ugly blue house on a semi-busy street in a working class neighborhood. It's not much but it's home for now.

I found out I was pregnant on July 4th, 2010. I was going through some bad things, so Shaun (boyfriend/Jacoby's daddy) and I took a break and I moved in with my parents in Texas for the first 3 months of my pregnancy.

Let me tell you, being pregnant sucked at first. Every morning I couldn't do anything else until I got sick in the bathroom. Then throughout the day, everything made me feel queasy, especially eggs, milk, and anything mayonnaise-based. Finally after 4 months, the sickness just went away. POOF! Just like that. Gone. Of course I didn't complain, nope not one bit. It was just in time for me to move back up to Ohio with my soul mate. We had worked out our problems over the phone over the course of the 4 months, and were ready to move back in together. The 21 hour drive was not too bad, it went by pretty quickly, and I got some much needed alone time in the hotel that night. Living with your parents, grandparents, and two brothers does not leave much room for privacy or rest.

Long story short, my pregnancy went by problem-free, and I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy at 2:30pm on March 2nd, 2011 after 18 hours of labor. He was 8 lbs 10 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long. The first night in the hospital was just fine. I started out breastfeeding, and we couldn't have done better our first time. Once they wheeled me and Jacoby into our room, everyone visited for a while and then went home to get some rest. Shaun had to go home to feed our dog and get some things for the stay at the hospital, and before I knew it, I was alone with Jacoby for the very first time. I have never felt more scared and helpless in my life. We ended up both falling asleep while I was breastfeeding. I had been up for over 24 hours by then. The first night, he slept all night and I kept having to wake him up to feed him. The second night, he was up until 4 in the morning. The nurse finally took him from me so I could catnap for a couple hours before having to breastfeed. The next day we were sent home, and boy I was so glad to finally be going home to my bed.