Suggestions, please!

I need some motherly advice on the 4 topics below. Any suggestions, whether you tried it yourself or knew someone who did or even just read about it some where. I will try them all to see if they work and let you know, in case anyone else is seeking the same advice. Thank you x a million, mommy bloggers!

 1. How to keep baby from falling asleep while breastfeeding? she never fully finishes one breast and so she is not getting the important hind milk that she needs. It ends up making her have an upset stomach and cranky, among other things.I have tried tickling her feet, stroking her face, lifting her arms, undressing her. nothing works more than just for a few seconds.

2. How to help relieve gas pains? We use the mylecon drops, but those don't always seem to help. We burp her over the shoulder, lying over the legs, and having her sit in a scrunched position, however, she still seems to be hurting from the gas and sometimes it takes her 30 minutes to get it out. We definitely want to find some faster relief for her.

3. How to integrate formula into her diet? I would much rather exclusively give her breast milk, however, sometimes I am just not producing enough for her and she cries and cries until we can unfreeze some of my reserve milk. the problem is, that happens so often that we don't have much of a reserve left and I will be starting back at work in no time. I am afraid that when push comes to shove, /I will be forced to supplement with formula. So we tried a formula bottle last night, just to see if she would take it. She was definitely not having it. She had the most disgusted look on her face and would spit the bottle out of her mouth. She has bottle fed (my breast milk) many times before and has no problem with the bottle, so it must have been the formula. I don't necessarily plan on definitely using formula, but I want to leave my options open just in case.  I am just nervous that when I head back to work, she will have nothing to eat. :(

4. How to make tummy time fun/interesting? I know it is important for her to get tummy time, but all she does is cry or fall asleep every time I put her on her tummy. I have tried playing with her to keep her awake, but she just does not like it. I want her to be able to stay awake and calm down enough to start trying to lift her head up higher.

like I said, ANY  logical suggestions would be helpful and greatly appreciated!


♥ Michelle

Pretty Art

I have been drooling over these artists and can't wait to get my hands on some of their prints to surround myself with all the time!

Angelique Houtkamp - She happens to be one of  my absolute favorite artist. She is a tattoo artist in Amsterdam. She creates watercolor paintings using traditional tattoo design with a modern girlie flair. I happen to have some of her art inked on me already and plan to get more. :) I own two of her books that are always displayed on our coffee table.

The Black Apple - such a whimsical artist. Her paintings remind me of the old school nursery books. She is another one of my absolute faves! All of her work would fit in with our home decor, if we could just decide on which one. She just came out with a book "The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer" that I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on. I follow her blog here. 

 Volume 25 - Another graphic designer with some of the most adorable prints. She also happens to create Photoshop overlays that really help give photos that extra "something special". I am a follower of her blog as well and it makes me super happy every time I read it. 

Green Nest Design - These are graphic design prints that are cute as a button! They are mainly woodland creatures consisting of squirrels, deers, and OWLS - swoon. These prints are too cute and I can't wait to cover Chloe's room with them.

*Please note that all of these images are for the purpose of enticing you to go checkout their work and possibly fall in love and purchase a print. Please do not copy and use for your own purpose.*

♥ Michelle