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Working Out with a Baby - Arms & Chest
Fitness Emily Fitness Emily

Working Out with a Baby - Arms & Chest

Being a Mom, you may notice a lot of changes in your body. Many women, myself included, complain of upper back and neck pain. Three weeks after my son was born while I was sitting at the kitchen table my husband commented on how hunched my shoulders had become.

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Benefits of Playing On Vertical Surfaces

Benefits of Playing On Vertical Surfaces

Most kids (and adults!) these days are stuck in a pattern of constantly looking down. They play with their toys on the floor, work on school work on their desks, color at the table, or watch videos on an iPad or other device. Encouraging your child to play on vertical surfaces in an easy and quick adjustment to make and offers many benefits:

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Baby Balance - Improving Your Little One's Balance Through Play

Baby Balance - Improving Your Little One's Balance Through Play

So your baby is walking, now what?! As Eli got closer and closer to his first birthday and began to progress from crawling to standing independently I heard so many times “everyone wants their baby to walk, until they start to walk.” As a first-time Mom I would roll my eyes and shake my head. Of course, I knew it would be an added challenge and a change to our daily routine, but I couldn’t wait for this next big step in E’s journey.

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Pound a Ball - Toy Review
Toys and Reviews Emily Toys and Reviews Emily

Pound a Ball - Toy Review

How many toys are kiddos given where they have free rein to pound on with a hammer?! The Pound a Ball toys are great for developing hand strength and fine motor skills by grasping and manipulating the hammer and helps kids develop hand-eye coordination as they have to manage hitting one ball at a time with the hammer.

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Diaper Pails - Diaper Genie vs Ubbi Diaper Pail Comparison

Diaper Pails - Diaper Genie vs Ubbi Diaper Pail Comparison

I wanted our nursery to be a warm and inviting space and did not want to get hit in the face with the smell of dirty diapers every time I walked in. After doing some research we narrowed our diaper pail choices down to the Ubbi or the Diaper Genie. Here are the things that we considered and why the UBBI DIAPER PAIL was the winner for us

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Everything's Coming Up Roses - Floral Nursery Inspiration
Room Inspiration Emily Room Inspiration Emily

Everything's Coming Up Roses - Floral Nursery Inspiration

The entire journey from finding out you are carrying a child, to the delivery of that child is something I can’t quite put into words. The emotions of seeing that positive test, to hearing their heartbeat, to seeing their little profile, to finding out gender, decorating the nursery, and then to finally meeting that precious baby 9 months later have truly been the most amazing times of my life so far. Yes, about 1 Million decisions have to be made during that time, which can be stressful, but at the end of that 9-month marathon it’s all worth it!

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Not Throwin’ Away My Shot - Hamilton Musical Nursery Inspiration
Room Inspiration Emily Room Inspiration Emily

Not Throwin’ Away My Shot - Hamilton Musical Nursery Inspiration

When we finally bought our house and moved in, I wanted to do something big for a nursery and I knew I wanted it to be different. My favorite thing ever is going to the theater and seeing a show. I started to think of ways I could incorporate my love for theater into a nursery, because between my job and my hobby this kid would be spending a lot of time in the theater.

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In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle - Jungle Theme Nursery Inspiration
Room Inspiration Emily Room Inspiration Emily

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle - Jungle Theme Nursery Inspiration

When we decided to start trying for our first baby my husband and I decided that we wanted to be surprised by the gender. We both love a good surprise! This decision ended up being much more difficult than we assumed, we were content with purchasing gender neutral clothing and trying to decide on one name for each gender, but what about a nursery theme! We each had our own wish list when it came to the nursery.

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On Top of Mountains - Mountain Themed Nursery Room Design
Room Inspiration Emily Room Inspiration Emily

On Top of Mountains - Mountain Themed Nursery Room Design

It seemed like a no brainer to us that the nursery should have an outdoors theme. We both love being outside in nature. Some of our favorite trips have been 5 day backpacking adventures in Northern Michigan and Utah, we fell in love with our first home because of the woods and hiking trails out back, and we are always, ALWAYS down to go for a hike. We truly hope that our son grows up with as much of a love of the outdoors as we do.

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Working Out with a Baby - Stroller Stretch
Fitness Emily Fitness Emily

Working Out with a Baby - Stroller Stretch

As the weather gets warmer I know I have had the itch to get outside as much as possible. I am very fortunate that Kalamazoo has an abundance of safe, clean, paved walking trails that I take full advantage of. My son loves being in his stroller! For the time being, he is still rear facing and I love soaking up our special time together as I watch him take in his surroundings

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Working Out with a Baby - Quick Core Strength Workout
Fitness Emily Fitness Emily

Working Out with a Baby - Quick Core Strength Workout

Working in the pediatric clinic I interact with new moms daily. Even though I am working with their child I often get questions about the best exercise to help these new moms get back to pre-baby strength. I think any new Mom would agree that the hardest area to rebuild after having a baby is their core.

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Working Out with a Baby - Squats
Fitness Emily Fitness Emily

Working Out with a Baby - Squats

I have been physically active my entire life; I was a competitive gymnast from the time I was 6 until my freshman year in college when a knee and back injury ended my career. These injuries and my love of staying active are what drove me to a career in physical therapy.

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