Nana

My mom came to Salt Lake City last week for a visit, and I was spoiled!  We all were spoiled!  She's always the perfect house guest and treats us well, but this time she completely outdid herself and it was amazing.  I literally didn't lift a finger during her stay.  She planned out all our dinners, cooked them, & cleaned up.  She took over bath time & pre bedtime routine.  Never since having kids, have I had so much leisure time in the evenings to just relax.  And relaxing is exactly what this pregnant mama needed!  I would come downstairs after putting Liam to bed each night to a completely clean house.

She's pretty much the best mom, and she completely rocks her role as Nana too!  Liam just loves & adores her!  She brought Valentine's treats & presents (not just for the little one, but for us all), always under the guise of a "house warming gift".  As if that is even necessary!  Oh how I wish she lived just down the street instead of a few states away.

We simply enjoyed every minute we had with her!  Liam & I took her to all our favorite spots, and she finally had the chance to meet many of our new friends.  I have such a special bond with her, so I love any opportunity to immerse her more into our life here in Utah.  

We miss her fiercely already, but she will be back for Finn's birth in just two short months!!!   

Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Feature

When Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine asked if they could feature Liam's birth story, I jumped on the opportunity!  Too often I think women love to share "horror" stories with one another, instead of discussing birth in a beautiful, positive light.  One of my favorite natural childbirth books is  Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, because it is full of stories that encourage!  So all this to say, that I love any opportunity to share Liam's birth story!  And since there are plenty of new readers as of lately, I was due to repost about it.  If you want the full version you can read my own post here, or you can go to the Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine blog and read a slightly condensed version there.

Happy Birthing! :-)

30 Weeks (Bump #2)

Total Weight Gain: 27 lbs.

Symptoms: I have been feeling warm or hot on a pretty regular basis.  The bun is officially warming up the oven!  I don't remember noticing this when pregnant with Liam, but that makes sense since he was a summer baby!

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Fruit, french toast, granola, & chocolate!

Staying Active? Three runs this week, two of which were outside!  Feeling so strong as I continue to run!

Maternity Clothes: I decided to do schedule another Stitch Fix while I'm still pregnant!  I'm really hoping for a new maxi dress that I can wear for my Baby Sprinkle as well as maternity photos!  This one floating around Pinterest has caught my eye!

Purchases:  Liam's cloth diapers have held up well, but I need to change out the elastic before we put them on a small baby again.  I ordered some refresher kits and as soon as they arrive, the sewing will begin!  I'm oddly excited about this!

Cries: Zero.  My mom was here, and I was as happy as can be!

Nursery Progress:  We started looking at paint chips for the accent wall.  Depending on the time of day & the weather, I favor between my favorite.  Blues are hard to decide on.  However, I think I'm leaning towards Benjamin Moore Kensington Blue.

Looking Forward To:  Watching the nursery start to come together!

30 week bumpdate with baby #1

Five on Friday

I'm actually sad that Friday is here, since it means my mom has to fly home today!  This blow is only softened by the fact that it's book club friday!  Those few toddler free hours are going to be so sweet!   Here's my (sometimes) weekly five...  As always, thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha!

 

-ONE-
I keep hearing amazing things about The Nesting Place book, especially from Courtney & Tawnya, so I think I finally need to give it a read.  We have ever so slowly been decorating our house, and since I'm currently actually "nesting", I want to finish everything!

-TWO-

Our book club book for this month was Yellow Crocus, and I absolutely loved it!  A short read about a wet nurse, pre civil war.  I'm a bit of a sucker for historical fiction, so I'm always drawn to this genre.

-THREE-
Since I'm not planning on using a typical diaper bag with baby #2 and instead opting for the ginormous purse option, I need some portable changing pads.  I didn't know Aden + Anais made any, but they do and I love them!  I've put together a tiny registry for baby Finn and
these are topping my "need" list!

-FOUR-
My best friend got married last weekend, and it was so special to celebrate her big day together!  I love weddings!  Today I thought I'd opt for a little Flashback Friday and share a pic of our crazy night together the night before my wedding!  She is my "person", and I loved spending my last free night getting crazy with her!  Lucky for us, our friend Haley hung around for the shenanigans and a little late night photo shoot on the hotel roof.  Champagne was tossed back, bubbles baths overflowed, & a few injuries might have ensued...

-FIVE-
Liam and his best friend Malin just melt my heart when they are together.  Two of just the best friends!  They have very similar personalities & light up the moment they see one another.  I love watching the two of them together; their sweet nature & innocence is beautiful!  This is just one of the many pictures of these two being the cuties that they are!

TGIF friends!

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That Time We Ran Out of Wipes

Usually vacation recaps are quite boring, but this wasn't your typical vacation.  In fact, I'm not even sure you can fully classify it as a vacation.  Fun times were had of course, but there was a lot of behind the scenes action/work that Instagram just won't show...
Last week we flew to Montana for my best friends wedding!  Conor's dad is in the legislature and happens to be in session right now, so we went a few days early and drove to the capital to spend some time with Conor's family first.  Our trip started out perfectly with our TSA precheck status and quick easy flight, but upon arrival in Montana, things quickly went downhill.  In the rental car office Liam decided to just unload in his diaper!  We are talking to the edges full.  This was an official half-pack-of-wipes situation! (Note: there will be plenty of toddler poop talk to come, so if you can't stomach it, click away now. My apologies to grown up Liam for sharing... this was just too real life parenting not to capture).  So quickly & skillfully I took care of the situation and thanked my lucky stars that this didn't happen on the airplane.  We then piled into the car and were off to Helena!
While driving through the mountains, with no exit in sight, Liam starts yelling & asking for a clean diaper.  His urgent cries let us know we were in an emergency situation.  Conor found the best place to pull over on the shoulder of the highway, and then we slowly pried Liam out of his seat, not knowing the true disaster we were in for!  More poop.  More than we want to talk about.  Just hours into our vacation, Liam officially had a bad case of the "mud butt".  This time, it was a full-change-of-clothes situation.  So in the freezing cold and standing in the snow on the side of the road, we laid him down on the only flat spot we could find, the floor of the rental car, and got to work.  We quickly realized that after our earlier fiasco, we were down to 2 wipes.  TWO.  Surely I put a full pack of wipes in our checked luggage...surely?!  Wrong; I forgot!  So 2 wipes & a burp cloth were all we had for the biggest mess you've ever seen.  It was traumatic for all involved, but we survived and made it to Helena as quickly as we could.
This continued for the rest of the day.  And for many more days.  Every single day of our trip... mud butt.  About 7 out of 10 times it involved a full change of clothes.  Luckily, Conor's dad was renting a house, so we had access to laundry.  Those 3 pairs of jeans I packed, that initially seemed like an overkill, saved us!  While this whole situation was stressful for Conor & I, Liam was actually in great spirits!  He barely seemed phased by his upset stomach, so we tried to continue on with all our plans as normal.  We spent lots of time at the capital building watching "Senator Grandpa" at work.  Liam was in awe of the building.  He loved all the stairways, corridors, microphones, & gavels!

I was nervous to leave Conor's family (and laundry services) behind once it was time to drive to the hot springs resort for the wedding.  But we were armed with all clean clothes & clean diapers (oh yes, Liam was in cloth diapers for this trip).  We had to survive Friday-Sunday without laundry, and then we would be home.  I was determined to fully enjoy our vacation, so I tried not to stress and just hoped it would all work out!

The wedding was held at Fairmont Hot Springs which was just one big playground for Liam!  He loved the "hot pools" & ginormous water slide!  You may be wondering why on earth we let our child in the pool, but he always told us when he had to go, so I wasn't concerned about any pool incidents.  Plus, we never would have been able to keep him out of it!  A nice hot soak was relaxing for all of us!

After a perfect day at the pools, disaster struck again.  While having drinks with all the wedding guests in the lobby, Liam lost his balance and accidentally touched a hot glass panel on the lobby fireplace.  He was more upset and in pain that we had seen in him yet.  It was just heart wrenching for us to see!  He was immediately in pain, and you could see that a couple pads of his palm were red and beginning to blister while we scrambled for ice water to quench the pain.  I snuggled Liam & tried to distract him from all the pain while Conor drove into "town" for some pain reliever & burn cream.  Conor had a 15 minute drive ahead of him, and the closest pharmacy was closing in... 14 minutes! I was a stressed out mama-bear and just wanted to make all the pain go away.  I felt helpless, which was just the most awful feeling!

Luckily, he picked up a couple minutes of time on his drive and into the pharmacy he strolls, just as they are starting to turn off the lights.  Conor quickly finds what he needs and turns back towards the entrance to check out. Only then does he realize that the lights are now all dimmed, the security system is beeping to get out, and he is being locked in the store!  He had to bang on the first set of, now locked, sliding doors for a few minutes trying to get the worker's attention who was just about to turn the key and head for the parking lot!  We're in the middle of what feels like a medical emergency, and my husband is about to be stuck in a middle-of-Montana pharmacy all night!  I can't even make this stuff up!  Crazy night!  But alas, he eventually got the clerk's attention and made it back to us with all the necessities to make Liam as comfortable as possible!

Liam's hand actually healed very quickly and was looking better than we expected by morning.  We tried to keep him in good spirits with more time at the pool and some outdoor adventures with the llamas, geese, & miniature horses that were all on the hot springs property!  Fun was had and memories were made, but there was still plenty of mud butt!  Never-ending mud butt.

That evening I dressed Liam in the cutest outfit for the wedding!  We snapped a few quick pictures and then minutes later, just as we were heading out the door, another explosion!  Ruined pants, socks, & shoes in one quick second!  I had to leave Conor to handle the situation solo, since I wanted to spend time with my best friend before her big moment! Plus, I was a part of the wedding and absolutely could not be late!  My boys finally surfaced just minutes before the wedding started; Liam rocking some jeans, the one clean pair of pants we had left! His near Canadian tuxedo was a fashion disaster, but he pulled it off with a bow tie and obviously didn't care one bit!  I was a bit nervous to let him bust some moves on the dance floor, because you just never knew when another episode would hit, but he made it through the wedding & reception without any messes, phew!  At this point, we were celebrating any & all small victories!

While packing up to leave on Sunday, I realized we were down to one clean pair of pants (which Liam was wearing), some pajamas, & only 4 diapers.  We were really rolling the dice.  I was extremely nervous for our flight!  His situation was difficult enough to deal with in an ample amount of space...an airplane bathroom would just not cut it!  Yet somehow we managed a second flight with no issues, and again I felt like the luckiest girl in the world!
While this trip was filled with many disastrous moments in-between the great memories and times with friends, I am happy to be able to find the bit of humor in it all.  But I'm still a mom, a very concerned mom, and I hate seeing my baby hurting.  Liam is currently on Day 7 of this poor stomach virus which just hasn't let up despite two trips to the doctor.  Keep us in your thoughts and hopefully his cute little bottom will be on the mend soon!!!

29 Weeks (Bump #2)

Dress: H&M

Symptoms: Feeling great; no complaints!

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Fruit as always, and I've had baked goods on my mind...especially cinnamon rolls.  I only indulged once, but I'm sure there is more to come.  I've taken my liking for french toast at a particular breakfast joint to a full blown obsession!  I plan on another visit soon!

Staying Active? Only fit in 2 runs this week, but I'm still keeping up my distance & speed.  One run I did outside since it has been so nice, and I actually ran a bit too fast.  The treadmill is good for pacing me at this point.  Otherwise, I spent most of my vacation relaxing, and it felt good!

Cries: Yep!  My best friend got married; of course there were tears!

Nursery Progress:  I finally made some decisions on the nursery & actually made a few purchases as well.  It's starting to come together like I have imagined, but still I've shed many a tear over this room.  Both rooms upstairs (the kids rooms) are small and somewhat awkward.  Finn's room literally doesn't have one blank wall, which makes arranging furniture difficult.  Anywhoo, I purchased some crib bedding & a changing pad cover from this etsy shop.  We went with the deer antlers & deer heads (the two bottom left), & I am loving that particular shade of blue.  I'm considering painting one wall a similar blue, while doing the rest white (or white with just a hint of blue tone to it).  I also purchased these arrow decals that we will use on the wall with the crib.  I purchased them in graphite (dark gray), but they almost look black. I may reconsider and go with silver or stone (light gray) instead.  I like how they are arranged this in this photo...I may copy it exactly!  So I guess next up is looking at paint swatches!

Looking Forward To:  Having my mom here all week!!!

29 week bumpdate with baby #1

Valentine Gifts (for her)

Of course I had to include a list for the girls as well!  Valentine's Day can be the perfect opportunity to splurge on yourself, or surprise a good friend or your mom with a little something!  I received the bow bracelet as a gift, & it has quickly become one of my favorite pieces of jewelry!  And I would gladly accept those stud earrings & a rollerball perfume to throw in my new fancy diaper bag!

1. Kate Spade Bow Bracelet 

2. Lifefactory Wine Glasses 

3. M.A.C. Blush 

4. Bubbly Gummi Bears 

5. Kate Spade Heart Studs

 

6. Tory Burch Rollerball Perfume 

(you can view my ideas for last year here) 

Who else is eyeing a few things for themselves...?!

28 Weeks (Bump #2)

Total Weight Gain: 23 lbs.

Symptoms: Another week of feeling pretty wonderful.  Finn seems to have worked his way into my right rib, just like Liam did.  It's a tad uncomfortable, but nothing terrible.

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Fruits (mostly grapefruit & raspberries) & sweets!

Staying Active? Liam & I had a fairly active week and logged quite a few miles (at least according to my Fitbit); however, I only officially made it to the gym twice.  One of my runs was a tad uncomfortable, but I'm hoping that was just a one time thing.  I'm going to be on vacation this upcoming week, so it will be hard to get my runs in but I will try my best!

Cries: A couple.  I was a bit on the emotional side this week.

Maternity Clothes:  I made some small purchases this week...  I took advantage of Old Navy's maternity sale and bought this cardi & this tank (in mini blue stripe).  Just a few simple pieces that I will hopefully wear a lot!

Liam's Thoughts: He met one of his friend's baby sister for this week time this week and was smitten!  He wanted to pick up the baby, hold the baby, hold her hand, give her kisses, etc.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  He cannot wait to be able to hold baby Finn!

Looking Forward To:  Hopefully passing my glucose test & checking in on Finn.  Plus a trip to Montana for my best friend's wedding!!!

28 week bumpdate with baby #1

Not a Girl

So often I am asked how I feel about adding another boy to the family.  Ask and you shall receive... I was thrilled when we found out that baby #2 was a boy, simply thrilled!  I love finding out the gender early, because you get to know just a bit more about that baby growing inside of you.  That baby whose kicks you are already feeling, whom you are already bonding with.  Learning that Liam would have a baby brother was a special moment!  Brothers!!!  I can't wait to see that special bond develop!  I think I surprised many of my friends & family when I didn't seem the least bit disappointed or upset about having another boy.  Interestingly, when I was planning dreaming out my life at the young age of 18, I had always wanted three kids.  Two boys, and then a girl.  So as of right now, I guess I'm right on track for that!
Now having said all this, you should all know that I NEED a girl!  I ache for a girl.  Swoon after a girl.  I often wonder what a little girl of mine would look like...  Would she have blond curls & blue eyes like Liam? Would she look just like me?  My mom & I are as close as mother/daughter could possibly be, so I want to have that relationship again, except in the new role as mother!
I want everything that comes with having a girl!  I want the tea parties & the dress up days.  I want shopping trips & lunch dates.  I want to brush her hair out after a long day and help her relax.  I want to paint our nails together.  I want to wipe away her tears after she loses her first boyfriend, her first love.  I want to help her pick out a prom dress.  I want to help her plan her wedding.  I also want Liam & Finn to have a sister.  I want them to grow up with someone to protect.  I want them to learn from her.  I want the opportunity to raise both boys & girls.
Conor & I are unsure of when our family may be complete.  We're taking it one new baby at a time.  Two kids may be the perfect fit for us.  Or perhaps once Finn is toddling around, we'll want to add another little one.  I really want our decision about whether or not have baby #3 not be influenced by just wanting to try for a girl.  I love my little Liam and feel like I have this whole "boy mom" thing down pretty well.  I know all my construction equipment & various types of trains.  I am a mother of boys, and I'm going to own it!
However, every so often those girl emotions hit me..the reality that I may never have a girl, and it overwhelms me.  But it's not something to worry about today.  Today I have thee most adorable 2 year old boy who loves me fiercely.  He's inquisitive, busy, & the perfect amount of gentle & sensitive.  I am enjoying every last day that it is just the two of us.  The last days that he will be my only boy.  Although this other baby boy growing in my tummy already has my heart too, and I am just dying to meet him!

Life is sweet, my family is perfect, & I am happy. Today I celebrate all the good! And hopefully...eventually... there will come a tomorrow when I'm welcoming a baby girl into the world!

Baby Boom

There is one ginormous baby boom happening in blogland right now!  Pregnant bloggers everywhere; I am loving it!  It's fun to be on this journey right alongside others, going through the same experiences together.  I also happen to love getting mail, so...  I put together a little gift exchange with some of my favorite pregnant mamas!  We are all due within about a month of one another with three of us (Jessi, Jess, & I) sharing the exact same due date!  
I told everyone to be creative with their gifts; they could send something for the mom-to-be or for baby or both!  Sweet sweet Elise sent me a package with all sorts of goodies!  Everything was packaged beautifully with a tag on each gift marked "for mama", "for Liam", & "for Finn".  She told me she sent some of her favorite things, so I couldn't wait to dive into it all.  But of course I snapped some pictures first!  Here is where I mention my moment of "pregnancy brain"...  There was no memory card in my camera.  No memory card, so no pictures.  AND I didn't realize this until yesterday!  I was devastated!  So womp womp; however, I did scramble up a few pics for your viewing pleasure.
So while I can't share the fun little box that was waiting for me, here are the goods!  For Finn, Elise sent the softest whale onesie from Hanna Anderson.  We are huge HA fans in this house, so I was happy to add some new things to baby boy's wardrobe!  My heart just swells seeing teeny tiny clothing on teeny tiny hangers!

For Liam, Elise made an adorable print that says "Every brother is a superhero".  I just love how she sent something homemade.  I can't decide if I'll hang this in Liam's room (the frame matches the letters in there perfectly) or if it will go in the playroom.  Decisions...

And for me, Elise picked out a scarf in her favorite print!  I don't actually own anything in leopard print, so I was excited about this pop of animal print in my life.  Plus, I have a scarf obsession, so it will get plenty of use!  Also, my selfies could really use some work...

Elise was so thoughtful with all her gifts!  Her package was so special and brought a huge smile to my face!  And that was exactly my hope in organizing this exchange.  If you want to see what I sent Ashley's way, pop on over to her blog!
Here is a list of all the beautiful pregnant moms-to-be that joined me in this exchange:

Jessi: Jessi's Design

Courtney: A+ Life

Elise: Cheers Y'all

Amanda: Tickled Pink

Jessica: The Newly

Jess: Scott Family of Maine

Ashley : Words About Waverly

Brittany: Perpetually Daydreaming

Valentine Gifts (for him)

While Conor & I don't go crazy for Valentine's Day, we do love the opportunity to make the day a bit more special.  Usually our gifts are small & thoughtful, just a little something sweet!  I love a good gift guide.  Especially when they include Etsy shops I have never before discovered as well as Nordstrom & Amazon links (hello free shipping).  So here are some gift ideas for the sweetheart in your life.  Conor has actually been gifted almost all of these items, so they are "man approved"!

(for the business traveler) 

1. Leather Toiletry Case 

 (for the outdoorsman) 

2. Utlity Flame Fire Starter 

 (for the beer lover) 

3. Bottle Opener 

 (for the cook) 

4. iGrill Mini 

 (for the gym rat) 

5. Fitbit Charge 

(for the well dressed man) 

6. Tie Clip 

Happy Shopping!