Mommy Must Haves: Citrus Lane

I'm a huge fan of subscription boxes. I don't know why they draw me in except for the fact that I love getting mail and I love the element of surprise. With subscription boxes you aren't guaranteed certain products - just some samples. Pre-pregnancy I was constantly going back and forth between Birchbox and ipsy, two amazing make up subscription boxes (if you're interested!) but after I got pregnant, I didn't really see my financial focus being on makeup. Cue Citrus Lane - a baby box! 

Citrus Lane popped up on my Facebook feed as a sponsored post and generally I ignore them but mid-cluster feeding I decided to click it and see what it was about. When it comes to my baby, like most mommies, I want the best stuff for my kid. So I figured I'd go with the one month subscription as a trial to see what to expect. Plus I had a nice little 50% off coupon that I received via email.

First, you put in your child's name, age and gender. That helps Citrus Lane determine what kind of goodies to put in. My box came about a week after purchasing it and when I opened it, I was pretty surprised! Unlike my makeup boxes, these are actual products. It makes sense since the cost per month is a bit more than a make up box! 

 A Look Inside:

Whoa, baby! What are these things!?!

20% Off Coupon to use in the Citrus Lane Box, Vine Market offer (25% Off), & a card from Citrus Lane about what all the products are.

A snack for mama! Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers are the healthy version of Cheeze-Its (which I love). Back to Nature products don't have any artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, flavors or colors. Um! Where do I buy these? I gobbled these down the second I took a picture and they taste exactly like the "bad version" - so good. Apparently they have honey graham crackers, too. Nom!

Fresh feet wipes from Jasmine Seven. I'm not 100% sure if these are supposed to be for mama or baby but they are for sweaty summer tootsies. If you ask this non-sock wearing mommy, I'm pretty sure my feet will be enjoying these, too. And they smell like peppermint?! Maddy's daddy will be grateful for me using these!

Klick Klack by Haba is a wooden alternative to a rattle. It moves really easily so whenever Maddy grabs at it's well, click and clacking. It's definitely a stimulant for her and with her starting to explore more, I can't complain!

A starfish puppet with a baby -- okay, that's not what it's really called. It's a Ocean Pals Puppet by Skip Hop. This is ridiculously cute & I love getting her attention with it. 

I'm still trying to get the hang of juggling um EVERYTHING when I go out in public. I swear I must have "first time mom" plastered across my forehead. I haven't tried this yet but I'm pretty sure just having it will make me look less clumsy. 

All that said if you're a mommy looking for some new products or you want to surprise a mommy friend, check out Citrus Lane! Feel free to share your thoughts on these products or on other subscription boxes for mommies and babies :)

My Labor Story

Five weeks ago I had a baby. I'm sure, if you're my friend on Instagram or Facebook you've seen the floodgates of photos I've posted. I literally have zero shame. My daughter is adorable and the cutest child I've ever seen in my life (obligatory parent-made comment. Again, no shame)

Madilynn Rose made her appearance on April 10th, 2014. She was 2 weeks and 1 day early. Here's the story. Monday, March 31st, my coworkers tricked me and made think we were having a work happy hour - well, it kind of was... except it was my baby shower! I was so shocked and happy! Seriously, nicest thing ever. I got home a few hours later than normal and the whole train ride I was completely itchy. Like rolling down a hill of fresh-cut grass naked itchy. I showered, still itchy. Everything I did I was itchy. I googled "Can I take Benadryl while pregnant." You can. I took one. I covered myself in baby powder and lotion before finally being able to sleep. My weekly appointment was scheduled for Thursday but then I googled some more. Cholestasis. It's where your liver doesn't break down bile causing you to itch. It's rare. So rare that when I rescheduled my appointment for that next morning and told my OB that I thought I had it, she kind of laughed and basically insinuated I was a hypochondriac. Most times I would agree with her, but this wasn't one.

She wrote me a script for what they treat cholestasis with and sent me on my way. The itching stopped 4 days later. 3 days after that I was back in the office with my test results. Positive. My other doctor (I had 7 OBs at my office) left and came back in. Based off how far along I was + the positive test results for cholestasis and everything else he told me they were going to induce me, call labor & delivery the following afternoon and get ready to have my baby. And guess what I did? Just that.

We went in around 3pm. By 6pm I had started pitocin and by 11pm I was getting my epidural. My epidural finally allowed me to sleep but when I woke up at 6:30am and could feel everything again, I started freaking. By 9:30am, I was getting another epidural as mine had come out of place after my water broke. This one went much smoother. Two hours and some odd minutes later I was feeling like it was time to take a dump. Push time. I pushed for 33 minutes. At 12:32 pm, we welcomed Madilynn Rose into the world. Cue the tears and instant exhaustion. 

As scared as I was for the whole thing, the prize, seeing and holding my daughter for the first time, completely gets forgotten. As frustrating as parenthood has been - the adjustment phase, the baby blues, the sleepless nights, the blow out diapers, the constant feedings - it is the most rewarding thing in the world. Single mommy or not, this is my biggest accomplishment to date and I cannot wait to have you follow the journey of motherhood and Maddy with me.