baby Archives - Sunshine and Holly

Surprise! Baby Davis – Take 3!

By sunshineandholly on September 1, 2022

If you don’t follow me on social media – this will be a huge surprise. I’m pregnant! We decided to try for one more baby – our bonus baby. I’m due late January/early February (17 weeks as I type this!) and we’re having another girl. I’ve been taking notes on my phone each week about how I’ve been feeling but wanted to get everything down here on the blog. I documented everything so well with Graham but really dropped the ball with Maddie’s pregnancy. Poor second child! Hoping to do better this time around since the other two are older and so much more self-sufficient.

Surprise! Baby Davis - Take 3!

We started trying for this baby in February of 2022 and actually got pregnant right away. Unfortunately, I had an early miscarriage the day after I got a positive test. We tried again each month and I was so happy to finally see another two lines on a pregnancy test on May 26th! I woke up early to pee at 5:30 and took the test. (My period was due the next day.) It showed up positive right away! My heart started pounding and of course, when I tried to go back to sleep I couldn’t. I was way too wired! So I went ahead and got up, made some coffee, and watched some tv.

When the kids woke up I made us all some eggs. Josh said he saw the test wrapper in the trash but not the test, so he was suspicious. Then I texted him when he was in the shower to ask if he wanted eggs. He knew that something was up since I was awake early and making eggs for everyone. I’m not a morning person. So when I gave him the test when he walked into the kitchen, he was already smiling and knew what was up!

We’re so excited to add another awesome kid to our family! But this definitely wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve been waffling for years about whether or not to try for a third. It’s such a scary decision. My body doesn’t do pregnancy well and I’m so much older than I was with my first two babies. Trying for a third was all I talked about with my therapist for months! But I knew I’d regret not trying. I never felt “done” in my heart and despite all the awful parts of pregnancy and the tough newborn and toddler years, I knew I wanted one more. One more chance to experience all the firsts. One more amazing kid to raise. I mean my other two are so awesome so I can’t wait to see what this one is like!

Practical Tips for Handling Your Aggressive Child in Public

By sunshineandholly on November 8, 2019

My son was a difficult toddler. He was super strong-willed, and very aggressive and physical when he didn’t get his way. He really gave me a crash course in motherhood! When he was little, I felt like I was doing everything wrong. I didn’t think any of the discipline techniques I was using were working for him. (But now he seems to be a well-adjusted 7-year-old, so I must have not screwed up too much! Lol! Seriously though, I’m SO proud of him these days.)

When he was going through that stage, I did so much research on discipline, behavior, and how to handle strong-willed, aggressive kids. I read books, talked to other moms, got advice from our pediatrician, and scoured Pinterest for tips. But there were a few things I picked up along the way that really helped me as far as how I handled my son’s aggression in public. Because it’s one thing to deal with an aggressive child all day at home, but it’s a whole different story when you’re out in public under other people’s judging eyes! It took me a loooong time to be able to ignore the dirty looks and the rude comments about my child’s behavior. The people with the strongest opinions about how I should have been handling him really thought they knew what was best. But I was his mama. I was with him all day. And I choose to follow my mother’s intuition and instinct. I eventually figured out what worked and what didn’t.

A Letter to Me Before You

By sunshineandholly on March 21, 2019

Motherhood changes you. The person I was before I had children doesn’t exist anymore. I’ve been molded by my experiences, shaped into something new. Each day of pregnancy, each milestone of infancy, each moment of motherhood has carved and chiseled and scraped and sculpted me into who I am today.

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The Number One Thing I Wish I Had Done When My Baby Was Born

By sunshineandholly on January 23, 2019

The Number One Thing I Wish I Had Done When My Baby Was Born

This post was sponsored by Eli Supplemental Newborn Screening, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Becoming a mom was one of the biggest, most life-changing events of my life so far. All of a sudden, I was 100% responsible for another person. There were so many things to think about and plan, and all the decisions and choices regarding this new tiny life were up to me. It was, and still is, incredibly overwhelming! After all, all moms want to make the right choices for their babies. You do all the research you can – you read the books, talk to other moms, and listen to your pediatrician. But ultimately, each decision is up to you.

When I had my first baby, I relied heavily on the advice of those around me, but honestly didn’t do much outside research of my own. When I was pregnant with my second child, I knew better and decided to really look into my options on lots of topics like birth, breastfeeding, and sleep training. But one thing I didn’t even think to look at was the type of screening available for newborns for treatable diseases.

Thankfully, both of my children were healthy. But thinking back, I really wish I had done my research. I didn’t realize that pediatricians don’t test for all of the possible conditions that may affect newborns. Conditions that are treatable if they’re caught early on. Most states screen for the conditions on the federal government’s “Recommended Uniform Screening Panel.” But there are up to 32 other possible conditions that can be treated if they’re caught early enough. Even if you had extensive prenatal screening.

Luckily, there’s Eli.

Eli is a newborn screening service that screens for an additional 32 treatable conditions and risks. Eli is at the forefront of newborn screening technology to provide accurate and reliable screening results for additional treatable conditions. The process is simple – just order your kit before your due date, bring the kit to your newborn’s first pediatric visit (where your doctor or nurse will collect the required samples), ship the samples back, and receive the results in a week. You’ll have all the information you need to make informed decisions about the health of your newborn. You can worry less, and focus more on the joy that comes with having a sweet new little baby. Eli also offers genetic counselors to answer questions and help guide care so your baby will have the happiest, healthiest start!

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