Kobe's One Month Old

It's not so much that I can't believe that Kobe is a month old already as much as it's amazing how much he has grown in just one month!! Newborn size clothes were big. Now they are fitting snug. Newborn size diapers had to be turned down to protect his umbilical cord and now they don't come up high enough to stop the leaks. He's been moved into size one diapers to fix that problem. And he's almost exactly 3 pounds heavier (9 lbs 10.5 oz.) than his birth weight (6 lbs. 12 oz.).

I love doing monthly photo shoots! What else changes more than a baby in their first year of life? Courtesy of http://livelifeinwonder.blogspot.com

Submit your Picky Sticky facebook page for a chance to win 100$ and have your baby featured on our site!

For a chance to win the $100 grand prize submit your photo to our facebook page. We'll review the entries and select a winner next month. Good luck! Picky Sticky Photo Contest

Colson in all his glory yet again!

Colson turned 7 months February 13th. Congrats to the Rowe family from Picky Sticky. Follow Katies blog to and watch little Colson grow! Courtesy of http://therowefam.blogspot.com

Colson in all his glory!

Colson turned 3 months October 13th. Congrats to the Rowe family from Picky Sticky. Courtesy of http://therowefam.blogspot.com

Colson in all his glory!

Yesterday Vivian turned 11 months old- so that meant it was time for me to take her monthly "how much has she grown picture". I've been taking these every month since she was born. For a while it was easy to keep track of which photo went with what month, but lately it's been hard to remember. Whenever I get ready to sort through the pile of photos and put things in albums, I always have to go back to my computer and look at when I took which picture, and then count on my fingers to figure out which month we were celebrating! Courtesy of Growing a Baby Reviews

Day 83: Wowzers!

So a couple days ago I hit 200 followers on this blog. I was in utter shock. I mean I remember the days when I first started blogging and thought getting to 50 followers would be killer...and then I hit 100 and was amazed. This whole blogging thing started out as just kind of a hobby, but now has turned into so much more. So I thought today I would post about how this all came to be. (Oh and thanks to LemonadeMommy for being #200!)

For the first two months of Abby's life, I just read other mommy blogs. And then I saw that a bunch of my friends from the bump started blogging too. So I thought, why not start another one...I've had 2 blogs in the past since I moved clear cross country from my family, but I never kept up with them, which is what I thought would happen to this one.

Then I started getting some followers and I started publicly following other blogs and commenting on them. Then I realized that other bloggers had badges and I wanted one too. I had someone make kind of a stock one for me, all whilst I started emailing other mommy bloggers for tips on how to make my blog 3 columns and how to go about advertising and such. I really didn't like the stock badge I had, so I went looking for someone to do another one for me and thanks to a recommendation, I found Bailey. And I couldn't resist going beyond just getting a new badge and decided to splurge on a whole blog design. (I really do think that having a nicely designed blog has helped to attract more readers...and her portfolio page where I'm featured doesn't hurt either.)

Then I listed myself on topmommy blogs and topbaby blogs, which got me some more followers.

I would also have to say that the biggest challenge for me was figuring out what my mommy blogging voice would be. I mean, if you look at some of my earlier posts, I was kind of all over the place. But things just started to click and I think I've definitely set a distinct tone and mood and theme to my blog. (I can't help it...I do teach writing for a living.)

Then I bit the bullet and decided to try my hand at giveaways. For my very first giveaway I decided to contact Picky Sticky for two reasons: (1) I purchased her product and loved it (2) She was local and a mommy and I thought it would be great to support her. And with how popular her stuff is with new mommies, I didn't think in a million years she would say yes, but she totally did. This, along with several other giveaways I have done, helped me to get more followers and more publicity for my blog. (And I know there are some of you out there who are not fans of giveaways, but seriously, who doesn't heart free stuff? And if it will help me to get more followers and will lead me to making new mommy blogging friends, than I will always be down....and make sure you enter the CafePress giveaway! :P)

And at first, yes, I did giveaways to attract more followers and get more votes b/c I knew once my numbers went up, I would even get more followers reading my blog, and perhaps they would vote for me, which would thus lead to people contacting me to do reviews and giveaways. (It's really a circular thing.) Because overall, living clear cross country from my family and close friends can be a lonely place and having more people interested in my blog and commenting with their thoughts and opinions on being a mommy is really what I love about blogging.

Something else that has helped me to get more followers for this blog is making mommy blogging friends who are willing to support me and spread the word about my blog. (And I would have to say that there are several of these mommy bloggers who I email with and consider to be real friends and I kinda wish we all lived near each other.) Here are some who I really have to thank for all that they have done for me...whether it be mentioning me on their blogs or guest blogging for me or tweeting about my blog and giveaways (not b/c they just want to win, but b/c they heart supporting me) or simply taking the time to respond to my emails (and these are not all, but just a slice of the ones who have impacted me the most):

And now I have other blogging mommies emailing me for advice and I have companies emailing me to see if I would review their products and in return they are willing to sponsor giveaways. And there are a couple mommy blogging friendships that have really evolved and am so grateful for them. I can't wait to see what other adventures this mommy blog will lead me to...perhaps there's a BlogHer Conference in my future...who knows.

But what Abby really wants to say to all of you who read my blog and offer help or tell me how cute Abby is or enter my giveaways or tweet with me or blog about me or email with me or vote for me...

PICKY STICKY

Picky Sticky’s are stickers you simply stick to your clothing and take a picture. It’s a cute and creative way to commemorate milestones, whether it’s a birthday, holiday, special event or simply watching your little one grow! We will help you save time money and the Earth by replacing your custom made one time use T-shirt with a Picky Sticky. Courtesy of http://mommadethat.com

Picky Sticky Milestone Stickers

Aren't mompreneurs the best? Picky Sticky is a brilliant set of stickers that adhere right to your little one's shirt, looking just like expensive custom clothing, or an iron-on transfer.

Her slogan - just stick, then click is music to the ears of a busy mom wanting to get those monthly shots of her little babe. I love monthly photoshoots, and these would make them so easy, and so much more professional looking. Best of all, the stickers retain some stickiness so you can paste them into your scrapbook later!

Available in a variety of colours and designs for a very reasonable price, these stickers make a fab gift for a baby shower. If you are like me and like to take pictures of your pregnant self at regular intervals, she has a set of belly stickers too!

This clever Mompreneur is also generous! Tisha, the creator of Picky Sticky is offering a set of stickers to a lucky reader.

To enter the giveaway, please visit the Picky Sticky website and leave a comment with your favourite set of stickers. Don't forget to include your email if it is not linked to your blogger profile or google account.

If you want additional entries you can.....

- Vote for me on Top Baby blogs and leave a seperate comment

- become a follower or subscriber of my blog and leave a seperate comment

- tweet about the giveaway and leave a seperate comment

- blog about the giveaway and leave a seperate comment with the link

Good luck! I will draw using random.org for the winner on Friday, August 28th!

Watch the blog for another amazing giveaway Monday morning also involving babies and photography ;)

Monday Giveaways

I realize that Christmas is over 6 months away, but I have already discovered the PERFECT gift for the grandparents this year with the help of Etsy shop, Picky Sticky.Picky Sticky sells colorful, fun decals that stick on to a shirt, look like an applique and peel right off. Just for photo ops.

As your baby grows, instead of ruining a onesie for each month with the number they will wear for one photo shoot, attach the sticker, take the picture, and remove it! I am so sad that I didn't discover Picky Sticky when my kids were younger. What a wonderful way to watch the growth!!

The same can be done with her calendar decals. I'm going to split up the months so that each kid gets to be in six pictures and create a photo calendar for the grandparents. Personalized, cheap and easy!!

Sticker Shot

Parents now have a multitude of high tech gadgets at their disposal --from bottle warmers to iphone apps --to help with the heavy lifting of childrearing (how did our parents ever manage?), but sometimes the best ideas are decidedly low tech.

Take Tisha Linn's 'milestone stickers'. The concept is simple: Linn offers an affordably priced collection of four-inch stickers (0-12 months, ages 1-12) that you place on your baby's onesie or t-shirt indicating their age. You then snap a photo to effortlessly document how quickly they grow.

Cheaper than individual t-shirts and less geeky than an annoying time/date stamp, the Picky Sticky stickers will allow you to stylishly record your pregnancy, your baby's first year or your child's journey to adolescence. No batteries required.

Happy Belated Birthday!

This is a chance to show off my cute little girl (who turned two months this past Sunday), but it's also a review of a very cool product I found on Etsy.

For those who have never visited Etsy, you MUST and right NOW! You will thank me and also hate me for such an addiction!

Etsy is a site where people can sell their handmade wares. As for what types of handmade things... omigoodness you can find ANYTHING. Jewelry, clothing, food, art, I get my laundry detergent from there, I have found some diapering products on there and I got these adorable stickers to track Emerson's birthdays.

These are temporary stickers that can be placed on one of her tee shirts or onesies just to take the birthday picture. These are created by the Etsy shop called PickySticky.

PickySticky offers these cute stickers in colors for girls, for boys, for surprise gender.

Also offered are stickers for years (older kids), for expecting women (what week that baby bump is - wish I knew about these when I was pregnant), and my favorite idea - monthly stickers! Get the kids together and put stickers of the month on them and use these photos for one of those custom calendars from places like Snapfish! What a perfect gift for grandparents or to show off your brood at the office!

I keep being asked about where I got these birthday tee shirts. So many times, I figured I should write about it here. And then when I tell people about Etsy, most people have not heard about it. Well gosh, these are two pretty awesome things so I just HAD to share!!!

Picky Sticky creates a new website.

Picky Sticky now has its own home on the web – Picky Sticky. The product was initially launched on Etsy with a great response. The new site has been created with all of our new products, a community page, the product history, and a shopping cart with integrated payments. Hope you enjoy it!