Birth Announcement for TBT

Sweet and easy baby announcement. This time last year we were trying to figure out how to announce our baby news!

Top Five Favorite Baby Products

I am a self professed product lover... I love anything that is cool and unique but I also can not justify ridiculousness of $500.00 highchairs and $90 jeans for an infant either. With that being said my favorite baby products that I have found to be totally worth the money and very useful are listed below!

1. Stroller and Infant Car Seat Combo.
The car seat I love is the Mico AP by MaxiCosi. It is the lightest premium car seat on the market, the seat comes off to wash, and it looks really nice. I have the infant and the toddler version and they are both great! They recently began selling a combo pack of the Quinny Stroller (which is amazing) for $499.00 That sounds like a lot but when you figure the car seat alone is at least $200 its actually a great deal. I bought my car seat for $200 and then a $400.00 stroller that isn't as nice as the Quinny. And seriously these colors are amazing. If you have to carry around all this gear I think it should be fashionable!

2. Anything Aden and Anais

Seriously...anything. I fell in love with the swaddling blankets and now an obsessed with everything from bibs, wearable blankets, towels ect. I love the super soft, light and natural feel of these products. Light enough for summer, big enough to nurse under, beautiful prints and warm enough for fall what more can a girl baby ask for. Love Love Love. 

3. Halo Bassinet
This is my serious lust item. My baby is already too big but when I saw this I wanted to kiss the inventor! What a genius. When my baby was in the bassinet and I was nearly dead from exhaustion getting him out to feed him every two hours, I nearly tipped the bassinet over trying to pull him out. This has a drop side that makes all of that so easy! Major must have for baby number 2! ps I have heard great things about the co-sleepers too but because  my bed has a big wooden frame it just couldn't work in our house.

4. Bamboobies!

I know I wrote a whole blog on breast pads and said that the washables basically sucked... welllll that was before I found Bamboobies!!! OMG so soft, so absorbent, so cute and wash up beautifully! $35 seems like a lot to spend on 6 pairs of breastpads but I would have spent that every two months with the disposables and been not even half as happy as I am with Bamboobies. I bought two packs and considering I do laundry every other day I never run out. These are by far the best option I have found!

5. Clothes
The best time is when they have a 40% off of all sale items. I love their cute little clothes and I trust the quality. I have bought a lot of things at Babies R Us and they haven't lasted or washed well. I love the look of a little baby in mini adult clothes so to speak but I seriously feel guilty when he doesn't seem comfy and I know that there will be plenty of time for baby H to wear jeans and stuff so I try to buy soft comfy outfits for him and gap is my go to spot! I also love Freshly Picked Moccasins and the trendy brands like Little Hip Squeaks but I can't make myself pay $31 for a pair of baby leggings.... Their hats and headbands are worth it though!

What baby products can you not live without? I am still in search of the perfect nursing bra and diapers that don't let my kid have regular blow outs. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Long Luscious Lashes

Nothing is better than long, thick....eyelashes! I see some girls that look so gorg with no mascara or eyelash extensions and I am so jel because that will never be me. Dont get me wrong I rock the no makeup look all the time, but because Im fair skinned and blonde my eyelashes are invisible. I have tried getting them dyed, castor oil treatments, extensions and other diy recipes for making them long, stronger, thicker and darker and nothing worked. I have had the extensions which are great but I simply don't have the time to get them done every 2-3 weeks. I finally found a miracle that has made them so long and strong! Its called lylash and I bought it on overstock for $99 but it has lasted for over a year already! It doesn't help with making them any darker but it does make a huge difference in the length especially after taking extensions off and they need some TLC. I actually have to be careful to only put on a light coat of mascara now or they seriously look fake! Maybe no ones else cares as much about eyelashes but to me they make all the difference in the world! The below picture is after using lylash everyday for a few weeks and then scaling down to about once a week or every two weeks and just a VERY light coat of mascara for color!

Gelish Manicure at Home

I am a relentless nail biter/picker. Its a horrible habit but in 25 years nothing has really cured me. Wearing acrylic nails helped but as soon as there was any lifting I would just pick and rip them off leaving the wake of destruction on my nail beds behind. When gel nail polish came out I was excited to have a tougher than nail polish but softer than acrylic covering on my nails. I still have tendency to pick but so far the gel has been great...the only problem was the time commitment and the cost. Being a stay at home mom is the greatest job ever but it doesn't exactly pay well. Often times I look at something and think I can make it or do it myself and it is a total disaster but when I saw an LED mini light on amazon for $30 (the cost of one gel application at the salon) I had to try it! I ordered the supplies which include the light, base, top cleaner and remover and set out for my DIY gel mani. After some trial and error I have to say it is actually pretty easy. If you are a type A perfectionist like me you will easily master it in no time. I have gotten the value out of my supplies ten time over in just 6 months. The best part is not having to go sit in the chemical filled salon for an hour! Here are my top 5 tips for gel mani's at home:

1. Follow the directions for prep. File, push back cuticles and buff your nails. Then wash your hands, use the cleaner and then the bonder to dry out any oils. If you skip any of these steps the gel wont stick as well.

2. When the bottle says apply a thin coat it means it! The gel has to cure to become hard and if the coats are too thick it can't do this properly and won't come out right. Its ok if you need 3 coats of color to have it look right as long as they are thin coats.

3. Refresh your mani without starting over. I can do a full set of gel nails in about 40 minutes, with a baby, a dog, a house and a husband to take care of, 40 minutes of alone time isn't something easy to come by. To stretch out my time in between full sets I lightly buff my nails apply one coat of base, one coat of color and a top coat. This take about 15 minutes and makes my nails last an extra 5 or so days.

4. Do one full hand at a time. If you are like me and doing this in between baby naps and loads of laundry, do one entire hand to completion, check your kid or whatever you are working on and then go do the other hand. Often times I have been halfway done with both hands and been interrupted and it ruins the whole thing. The gel is sticky until the top coat and cleaner and if any lint gets stuck to it before then it will bubble and be a wreck!

5. Don't rush. My best tip for you is to be patient and careful to get the gel to the edges of your nails without getting it on your cuticles. With a tiny bit of practice your nails will be fabulous with out the cost or the commitment!

Seven Things No One Told Me About Breastfeeding

1. Leakage...I vastly underestimated the amount of leakage there would be. Seriously it squirts out like a fountain and can soak through a bra and shirt in a matter of seconds...way faster than you can run to the bathroom to stuff your bra like an eighth grader.

2. You will sweat. and sweat and sweat some more. Blame it on the hormones the hot little baby on you or the vegas summer heat but I have never sweat so much in my life. It slowed down after the first 5 or 6 weeks but still very extra hot and sweaty.

3. Your baby's shit wont stink... We all love our babies more than life and figuratively think their shit don't stink but seriously if you breast feed it wont smell bad at all! Its a delightful side effect for all your hard work!

4. Roll your nipples between your fingers. I know it sounds horrifying but my doctor told me to do this while I was pregnant and I really believe it helped. It prepares them for all the attention they will be getting when the baby comes.

5. Breastfeeding is so much easier than pumping. Pumping for me has been very difficult, stressful and annoying! I barely get anything when I pump and if I didn't know for a fact that by baby is getting enough food (he is so fat and very happy) I would be so concerned that I don't have enough milk.

6. Breastfeeding is also way easier than lugging around an ice chest of milk or formula, bottles and special baby water.

7. It is not always easy but it really is the most miraculous thing to provide nutrition and comfort to your child with your own body. Watching him grow and eat is the most amazing experience. Holden is almost 4 months old and although I have pumped and put some in the freezer for emergencies he has never had a bottle. My original goal was one month without any bottles or formula and by that point all of the hard part was over and we were pros. There is so much negativity out there about how hard breastfeeding is that the great emotional experience seems to be overlooked. Bottom line is you can do it and you may even love it!

You may accidentally squirt your baby in the face but hey, worse things have happened!

3 Months Postpartum

Now that we have had the last three months to get used to being parents and enjoy our little one, I can honestly say I have never been more overjoyed at life on a daily basis. My little Holden is the sweetest best baby I have ever seen. He wakes up and goes to sleep with a big smile everyday. He loves to sing songs and for his parents to act like absolute fools for his entertainment. He has never had a bottle and is a boobie monster! He is over 16 pounds and has long legs like his daddy. He can roll over and loves to stand up. He will never understand how much I

love his little soul.

Fav products

I love all things beauty and makeup products! These are my top five must haves!

1. Klorane Dry Shampoo (the non-aerosal kind)
I have tried 20 different dry shampoos and this one blows them all out of the water! There is no chalky feeling or weird smell and it and makes your dirty hair look and feel amazing!

2. Lilash lash serum, ok this is a weird one but after a few rounds of lash extensions my lashes were very wimpy and abused and this has brought them back to life on more than one occasion!

3. Toofaced Better than Sex Mascara. One word: Amazeballs. I have been a fan of the Diorshow for years but my sister recently showed me this one and I love it!

4. Bumble and Bubmle Dryspun Hairspray and Volumizing cream. If you havent noticed I love all things voluminous, hair, lashes, lips ect. This stuff takes my air dried straight flat boring hair and somehow makes it beachy beautiful and happy!

5. Khiels Ultra Facial Moisturizer If you have dryskin you need this! Its delightful and Im really into it. That is all.

6 weeks postpartum

Don't hate me if your postpartum was horrible but the last 6 weeks have been really great. I read so many pins and crazy articles about how horrible birth and postpartum was going to be. It actually inspired me to share my story because although its not this easy for everyone I wanted to share with all the new mommas out there that it really isn't as horrible as people make it sound. I already wrote a post about the birth of my son so this one will focus on the last 6 weeks since his arrival. Overall the last month and a half has been the absolute best time in my life. I am lucky enough to be staying home with my baby and soaking up every little snuggle, sound, face and cute moment. That being said there is of course the not so fun stuff that comes with birth. The bleeding, the peeing, the soreness, the late night feedings and the gamut of issues that breastfeeding can bring. My approach to recovery was basically just laughing off the issues. At the end of the day I was just so happy to be done being pregnant and finally have my babe that nothing phased me. I have always known that breastfeeding was going to be the way I wanted to go. I tried not to stress about it and just let nature guide us. There is so many negative articles about how hard it is but just know that although it may be hard for some people that doesn't mean it will be hard for you. My baby and my body knew what they were doing even if I didn't. There is the whole leakage thing but I already have you covered there with my breast pad review post. The strangest thing that happened to me after giving birth was the bladder numbness... I really don't know what else to call it because I literally couldn't feel myself pee (I did however feel the burn.. holy shit  I mean pee).  Therefore I peed my pants...Mommy diapers here I come. Luckily the feeling started to return about two weeks after birth although I still feel like my bladder is a lot weaker. Kegels are my new bff. The bleeding is annoying but pads have come a LONG way since I was in 8th grade, so thats exciting. The Always Infinitec are actually very thin and very absorbent. The best part of postpartum was watching the scale slowly go back down to reasonable territory. I gained 40 pounds...I gave birth to a 7 pound 8 Ounce baby, a whole lot of fluid, and a 4 pound placenta.... I came home 8 pounds lighter then I went in...do the math...it doesn't work out. So if that happens to you don't cry! Within the first week I began to lose all the fluid and extra stuff they pumped in me at the hospital and by 4 weeks I had lost a full 30 pounds. The last 10 I think I am going to have to work a little harder for.  My body is not anywhere close to something I recognize but I can complain about ditching 30 pounds and finally being able to sleep on my stomach. Mt stretch marks have begun to fade but at least for this summer a one piece and I have gotten reacquainted. I will keep you posted on my journey back to my skinny jeans. Overall my hope for all the miserable excited new mommas awaiting their bundle of joy is to not stress because you may be like me and it won't be nearly as bad as the scary things you read online!

The Best Breast Pad Review

Leaky boobs.... actually leaky doesn't even describe it...more like a fountain, or a geyser, or old faithful, except less faithful and more just whenever they damn well please, usually at the most inconvenient times. I love breastfeeding and watching my little nugget get chubby and be nourished right from his dear old momma's milk jugs. That being said it can be slightly challenging at times. The main culprit is leakage, lots and lots of leakage. I am only 6 weeks in and I have gone through 4 boxes of breast pads and a failed attempt and the washables. I figured I would just try a different brand every time to see what I liked the most. The first ones I tried were the Lanisoh brand, at the time I really felt like there should have been something better out there. The main thing I didn't like was the visibility through my nursing bras and shirts.  Other than that the absorption and the sticky pads were pretty good. The next brand I tried was Nuk brand. They were a lot larger and they only had one sticky pad. They were very absorbent but basically just a large round disk with no shape which made them even more of a problem with moving around and showing through clothes. Next up was Avent by Phillips, these were my least favorite and the least absorbent. If this pad was moved a little off to one side the one side would fill up and then leak instead of just equally absorbing all over the pad. No Bueno. The last brand was Babys R Us. I feel like these are just knockoffs of the Lanisoh but not as good. So maybe the moral of this story is the grass aint always greener. The next box I buy will be the Lanisoh or if they are out, like they were last week then the Nuk would be my second choice. Oh and the washables are seriously useless which makes me so sad because the amount of paper products we go through is not ok! p.s. it took me two hours to write this post #mommyprobs

Beautiful Birth

At five weeks postpartum we have been enjoying every minute of our precious little baby. So far it has been such a wonderful experience. From conception to birth there was so much scary information and horror stories floating around from friends, family and the wonderful internet. I was so nervous about giving birth. Pregnancy was really not all it was cracked up to be (mostly by my mother who claimed she loved every minute of pregnancy....ugh were you high?) So by nine months  ten months (seriously its 10 months people, quit playing head games with us poor preg girls) I was extremely worried about giving birth and everything afterward. My birth story was pretty straight forward, at 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant I was having some contractions my water broke at around Midnight. We went to the hospital and the pain was very mild and overall I was very excited to finally be having this baby. Everything was going really great and walking around and showering really helped the pain. When they told me I had to stay in bed about 12 hours into my labor the pain became a lot worse. I was deathly afraid of stalling my labor by taking the epidural too soon so I was trying to wait as long as possible. 16 hours in I was more than ready for the juice. I wanted to see how far I could go without it but at the end of the day it was the best $4,000.00 I ever spent. The pain was making me so tense and I really felt like I was just fighting my own body by the time the pain got really bad. Luckily the epidural gave me a chance to relax and sleep before baby came. A full 23 hours after my labor started I was ready to push (like really really ready considering I was almost crowning when they finally called the doctor and she took 45 minutes to get there) 4 big pushes later my little love was out and taking his first sweet breaths. The moral of this story is try not to worry or stress out over birth. I know that not everyone's birth can go as smooth as mine but all the anxiety over birth was a waste because it was so much easier than expected. Postpartum didn't even live up to all the horror that was promised on blogs and mommy message boards across the web. Maybe I will write a TMI post on that soon.....Stay tuned if you like stories about people peeing their pants.