Whoa, Baby!

My baby girl is almost 6 months old. I can't believe how quickly this all really does go by! She's getting so big and learning so much. She is such a joy to be around and care for!

I feel so lucky that my husband and I are able to have our life the way we want it to be - with me at home taking care of our baby. I know not many couples are able to do this, and we are definitely making sacrifices to be able to. But we decided it was worth it to raise our family the way we want.




I heard - and still hear - about people who struggle with daycares, nannies, and babysitters to have their children cared for the way they want. It is wonderful to be confident that my daughter is going to live and learn the way we want her to - at least for this stage of her life!

About those sacrifices: I don't really see these obstacles as too much of a "sacrifice," rather than a challenge. The major obstacle in this whole situation is of course money. To help ease the strain on our bank accounts, I've researched SO many books, blogs, Instagram accounts, and the like for advice. We've come up with what I think is a pretty good solution that works for us. We take help when it is offered and needed and we spend as little as possible on the things we buy. We cook at home as much as possible. I've invested in cloth diapering (which I'm still building on), and we still breastfeed (though this is something I'm not decided on about how much longer we will go).

Above all else, though, is our happiness as a family. We will not sacrifice the happiness or well-being of any member of our family to save time or money. To us, it is just not worth it. Time goes by too quickly as it is, and there will always be more money to make! So no, I do not buy the absolute cheapest disposable diapers I can (like I said, I'm still building on those cloth diapers!) because the cheapest diapers irritate my daughter's skin more easily. I buy the kind that work best with her sensitive skin, and if they're on sale - great! If I have coupons on top of that sale - even better! But I won't go through the aggrivation of diapers leaking more or using more rash cream just to save a few extra dollars.

Our system is still in the works, but it works for us for now. We are taking our adventure together one day, night, hour, and minute at a time, and we are making some great memories along the way!

xo
Christi