03Oct 2014

Mini Fashionista – Halloween Edition

by Nicole ⋅ 1 Comment

Candy corn season has arrived! Usually, I eat more candy corn after Halloween then before. I love to buy the candy once it’s gone on sale … they have to make room for all the Christmas decorations starting November 1st so it makes sense to capitalize on that, right?! While the husband and I are yet to make a decision on what Jellybean will dress up as for her first Halloween; I’ve been in full blown holiday purchasing mode for the past couple of weeks.

And honestly, this surprises me. As an adult, I have never been a huge lover of Halloween. I always dressed up for parties and what not, but never really put much effort behind it. My favorite costume was by far Rainbow Brite — hello, clearly a child born in the 80’s. :)

For whatever reason having a child of my own has renewed the love I had for Halloween as a little girl … though I think it is manifesting itself in a different way. I want to style both my home and my child for the upcoming ‘kick off’ to the holiday season! {Don’t you think Halloween is the start to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years???}

For the condo I am currently crushing on this Tick or Treat banner and these Bat Candles, though I will admit I’m thinking of buying them only if they go on sale. Jellybean’s wardrobe has certainly grown over the past few weeks with a couple of my favorite ‘Mini Fashionista’ Halloween finds … AND I was able to buy all but one item on sale … online shopping for the win!

Wickedly Cute Shirt / Pink Skeleton PJ Set / Cat Onsie and Pant Set
Cat Hat / Black Skeleton PJ Set / Halloween Witch Tee / Halloween Stretch Leggings
Halloween Bat Tee / Socks / Mommy’s Little Monster / Fleece Skeleton Hoodie
After I finished the blog I found this adorable candy corn headband on Etsy. I might just have to buy it … it would look so cute on Jellybean! “Hi, my name is Nicole and I am a borderline shopaholic” LOL.

Now that Jellybean is appropriately Halloween theme styled for the daytime, I really do need to get on making a decision about her costume for the big day. The husband wants to dress her up as a vampire due to the two little fangs she is currently sporting — this mom isn’t 100% sold, yet. My sister and brother in-law will be in-town visiting so JB better get her game face on for multiple cameras going off all at the same time!!!! I CAN.NOT.WAIT! :)

Oh and ummmm who else is super excited for Hocus Pocus to be shown on TV?! Seriously, I still really like … okay love that movie!

What are your favorite fashion finds for Halloween? What did you dress your kiddo up as for their first Halloween?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

31Jul 2014

Postpartum Essentials for Mama

by Nicole ⋅ 3 Comments

Don’t know about you, but I spent a tremendous amount of time planning for the baby. In fact, I received the best compliment from my husband a couple weeks after Jellybean was born. He said, “Great job planning, Babe. We haven’t had to go to the store once. You made sure we have everything we need for the baby.” While we have clearly had to buy more stuff for our little girl since then, we did make it a good amount of time without purchasing anything. But I digress.

I spent SO much time planning for baby I completely neglected myself! Baby might come first, however I should have made postpartum planning for myself a higher priority. Very little {okay, really zero} time and research went into what I might need. I didn’t even bother surveying my friends to determine what the essentials were.

Please, PLEASE don’t be like me. Do your research and ensure you have purchased stuff for YOU and of course for baby too! =) As a new mama my mind was strictly on my newborn and if I had planned ahead for myself it would have made the first day or two at home a little easier. Not to mention it would have saved my parents from running back and forth from Target to buy me stuff. Hehehehe.

My postpartum must haves and survival items for post delivery include the following …

GENERAL

Always Pads With Wings – Pretty standard item most women purchase pre-delivery. The only addition I have to this is get multiple sizes and bring a few of your own pads to the hospital in case, like me, you don’t really like the ones the hospital provides.

Canon PowerShot – I am all about my DSLR, however the ability to quickly capture moments remains key. It’s lightweight and doesn’t take the ‘effort’ of shooting in manual with my Nikon D90. Also easier to use for the non-shutterbugs, as well as increasing the odds you are present in future family photos. Added bonus for this camera is it shoots well in low light … super helpful when trying to limit or completely eliminate using a flash on a newborn.

Belly Bandit – Although I didn’t purchase this or use it, because I didn’t learn about it until it was too late (boo hoo!) I would totally would have purchased it. I heard good things from a coworker who had her baby shortly after me. Just wanted to make sure it was on your radar. :)

Netflix – Hello to the never-ending TV series! Just hearing the theme song to Mad Men immediately takes me and the hubby back to the first few days and weeks home with Jellybean. Having something to watch while nursing or while baby girl slept on me was so nice. No commercials and I could start watching in the living room, pause it, and finish watching an episode on the iPad in the nursery.

NURSING

Soothie Gel Pads – These literally saved me from giving up on nursing. The whole nipple cream as a necessity was 100% lost on me. These soothie gels on the other hand … go buy them (or order them online) NOW! Not trying to tell you what to do or how, but, yeah, buy them … =)

Nursing Bras – I had purchased some nighttime nursing bras and they were a complete fail. They provided no support and just didn’t cut it for me. My mother was kind enough to buy like 10 different kids for me to try on and these were absolutely, hands down, my favorite. Comfortable, supportive, reasonably priced and easy to unhook even when it was 2am and I was exhausted!

Nursing Tops – Love these tank tops. They were amazing for sleeping in and looked fine under just about anything I wore in the early days. I love sweatshirts and since I had a winter baby knowing about this sweatshirt would have come in SUPER handy.

Water Bottle – There was something about nursing that immediately made me THIRSTY! Baby would latch and I would be all “Hun where is my water?”. My poor husband was constantly fetching water. :) Not to mention nursing mom’s are suppose to drink plenty of water to keep their supply up.

CESAREAN

High Wasted Underwear – We are talking granny panties to the extreme! Just telling it to you straight. I am doing you a favor saying this out loud … I promise … no one told me. Regular underwear and my cesarean incision were NOT … let me repeat … NOT going to happen. The incision was just way too tender.

Gas-X & Stool Softener – It’s somewhat embarrassing to say, but both these items are a must. Sorry ladies … just keepin’ it real. My doctor suggested the gas-x, which was honestly a life saver. So yeah. ENOUGH. Said. On to the next item…

Ibuprofen – 100% helps take the edge off the pain. My doctor prescribed me with some high dose ibuprofen, but while we waited to have the prescription filled it was nice to have some in the house as back up.

Leggings and/or sweatpants – I seriously lived in sweatpants and leggings for the first few weeks (okay months) of Jellybean’s life. For the first few weeks it was SO important to wear comfortable pants that were NOT low rise. The incision was tender and limiting clothing rubbing on it, I think, really helped it feel better faster.

So moms, what postpartum must have items for Mama am I missing?

24Jun 2014

Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

by Nicole ⋅ 6 Comments

Being part of a ‘New Mamas’ group on Facebook has been such a blessing. It has allowed me to get answers to questions I didn’t even know I had, share some of my own experiences as well as hear a variety of opinions on caring for a baby. I only actually know (like talk to in person or hang out with) a couple of the women and yet I value everyone’s take on being a mom.

One of the topics discussed when I was anxiously awaiting JB’s arrival was when to introduce solids. I followed along with the conversation. Some were introducing food at 4 months while others waited until 6 months. At the time I made a mental note and thought to myself we would wait until 6 months.

Ha. So AMATEUR of me to make ‘decisions’ such as these when I had NO idea what caring for a baby would be like. At Jellybean’s 4 month checkup we got the go ahead from our pediatrician to being solids. She recommended starting with oatmeal cereal (skipping rice cereal).

Jellybean has always been a good eater and it seemed as though she was always hungry! I often said to my husband “Should couldn’t possibly be hungry again” and then baby girl would demolish her bottle in record time. We really couldn’t make it very long during the day between feedings. As a result the husband and I decided we would go ahead and start solids at 4 months old since the doctor gave the A-OK.

I was so excited as we strapped JB into the highchair and mixed some formula with the oatmeal cereal. She looked kind of confused as we moved the spoon to her mouth. The oatmeal dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin. Throughout the entire first solid food feeding Jellybean was breaking out some seriously hilarious facial expressions. They were absolutely priceless!

Fortunately the husband and I were pretty well prepared and broke out the camera prior to giving her the food. She went from looking pissed off to completely clam {see pictures below} in the amount of time it took to snap two photos!

Guess she was adjusting to the spoon, new tastes, and the expressions on her parent’s faces. See Sophi in the lower left hand corner of the picture? She wasn’t going to miss out on all the attention Jellybean was getting. :)

It took about two weeks for Jellybean to get the whole eating thing down. I was a little concerned after a week that we introduced solids for the first time too early. So we took a little break. When we re-introduced the oatmeal with applesauce, per a friend’s recommendation, a few days later we were in business!

We made such a big deal of saying “yum yum” and praising her that she developed an amusing association to being placed in the high chair. As soon as we put her in the high chair the legs start going a million miles an hour, a huge smile emerges on her face, which is followed by shrieks and babbling. I get the biggest kick of out it!

For the most part I am homemaking the food – I mean – purees. Jellybean is a fan of apples, pears, sweet potatoes and prunes. I decided to purchase pre-made prunes, because I just wasn’t interested in figuring out how to make them into baby food. :)

We attempted to introduce peas – it was a total fail. Jellybean gagged in disgust and then acted like she was chocking … which she wasn’t (thank goodness!), but it got my adrenaline going nonetheless. We thought it was a texture issue so we offered her the pre-made kind and she still refused to swallow it. Kid already has sweet tooth … not shocking considering how many sweets I ate during my pregnancy.

Next up on the list is cauliflower, butternut squash and maybe carrots. Though, I’m kind of afraid of carrots. Our friends told us the WORST diaper they ever changed was after introducing carrots. Oh my, the joys of parenthood. =)

Once baby girl is a little bit older I plan to have her try broccoli, zucchini and mango. I’m really excited for her to acquire a taste for a variety of foods!! How to keep up with the cooking and storage of all this baby puree is a little bit daunting. Recommendations??

My favorite and must have items for baby girl eating ‘solids’ … I really think we should call it introducing purees. The kiddo won’t be having a ‘real’ solids for a few more months, but I digress. Favorite items for eating solids (so far) includes …

OXO Tot Feeding Spoon / OXO Tot Roll Up Bib / Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair / OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers / Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System / Earth’s Best Oatmeal Cereal

And all of these, with the exception of the oatmeal, would be perfect items to put on the baby registry!

What was giving your baby solids for the first time like? Any suggestions for keeping up with homemade baby food?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

20Jun 2014

High Five Friday {Vol. 4}

by Nicole ⋅ 1 Comment

HAPPY FRIDAY! This week went by so fast and yet slow at the same time – a contradiction I know. Who else is excited that the USA beat Ghana in their first World Cup game?? I’m looking forward to hanging out with friends this weekend and going to our first Nationals game of the season. Unfortunately I didn’t plan ahead so Jellybean doesn’t have any Nationals gear to wear to the game – I think we will just dress her in red and white!

Let’s get to it … high 5 moments from this week!

1. Last weekend we SUCCESSFULLY travel to Seattle for my friend’s wedding and then back to DC. While I would be lying if I said travelling cross country with a 5 month old was a walk in the park, it was far less stressful and not a complete disaster as I had feared it would be. Despite keeping Jellybean up until all hours of the night (thank you time change) and completely deviating from her schedule she was in a great mood (most of the time). I was a proud mama and smiled from ear to ear when wedding guests commented on how beautiful, good natured and social she was! =)

2. Jellybean started holding her own bottle! About a week ago she did it for the first time, however it was only for a minute or two. This week she held it for an entire feeding without us having to hold the bottle for her (she even tipped it up more when the milk flow slowed down – smarty pants that she is!). She seems to still prefers for us to hold her bottle … I mean it’s so much more relaxing to be fed, right?!?! hehehehe.

3. Professionally it was a great week as well. Best week since returning from maternity leave!

4. No more traveling for almost 5 whole weeks. We have been on the move the past few weeks with weddings and other commitments. I’m excited to be able to be in my own house for the next few weeks.

5. After going back and forth on what type of storage to buy for Jellybean’s room (we are talking the past 3 months I couldn’t decide!) I finally made a decision. She needed places to put all the toys she has been acquiring as well as place for blankets. I found some cute canvas storage containers at Pottery Barn Kids. I hope they look as cute in the room as I envision!

What’s your high 5 moment(s) from this week?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

09Jun 2014

5 Months Old {Jellybean}

by Nicole ⋅ 13 Comments

Month 5 was one of HUGE changes. Jellybean’s personality is really quite adorable. She is a happy little soul who spends the majority of her day smiling and babbling. I would give just about anything to know what my little one is ‘saying’. She seems to giggle more each day, which means I spend a lot of time doing the most ridiculous things in hopes of hearing that adorable belly laugh she has.

JB loves to go outside. As we stroll down the street her eyes are wide as she takes in her surrounding. She listens intently to people as they speak. She makes this little furrow brow at people when she first meets them. Within a few minutes of them talking to her she turns on the charm and starts smiling. Although she likes the attention of new people she completely flips out if someone she isn’t use to tries to hold her. We really need to work on that, because it hurts people’s feelings when she bursts into tears!

Jellybean has become quite the busy body wanting to listen and observe new people around her. We took her to lunch a couple weeks ago and she couldn’t focus on eating because her head was caulked to the left trying to see and listen to some folks a couple tables down from us.

Everything and I really mean EVERYTHING she can get her hands on goes directly into her mouth. I wonder how long it will be until we see a tooth! This kid even tries to put my cheeks and nose into her mouth. I am just going to believe that she’s giving me kisses. =)

We have quite the mover and shaker on our hands. Baby girl tummy surfs, rolls back to front and front to back as well as caterpillars all over and OFF her play mat. We have to watch her much closer now and true baby proofing is in our immediate future. When she isn’t trying to make it from one place to another her little arms and legs are constantly moving. It’s no wonder she’s hungry all the time … I mean she is just constantly moving and burning up those calories!!

Sleeping

Jellybean is napping about 3 times per day. The two morning naps are about 30-45 minutes and occur around 9 and 11:30am. I would love to get this down to one consolidated nap lasting about an hour or so, however I’ve had no luck. All the books I’ve read explain how to get a baby down for a nap, not how to lengthen it (suggestions?!). The afternoon nap is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. In order to keep to the bedtime routine the nanny and I implemented a ~2pm start time for afternoon nap. It has been working out really well and Jellybean seems to adapt well to the scheduled nap.

Nighttime sleeping is improving now that the dreaded 4 month sleep regression is over! Bedtime is anywhere from 6:30 to 7pm. We’ve stuck to the same bedtime routine since Jellybean was 12 weeks … if it aint broke don’t fit it. Jellybean still wakes once a night to eat. We’ve toyed with the idea of a scheduled waking to eat, however I prefer for her to tell us when she’s hungry. There are nights we are up at 1am, but others where she won’t wake until 5am to eat. This leads me to believe she is almost ready to drop the night feeding. I have a feeling at the 6 month doctor’s appointment the doctor will to tell us to stop the nighttime feedings, but we shall see.

Eating

Jellybean is a good little eater. She rarely, if ever, turns down a bottle. As soon as the doctor gave the OK to start the introduction of solids I was all over it! We began with oatmeal and slowly graduated to apples, pears and sweet potatoes. I have been hesitant to introduce too many new foods too fast. I’m more nervous than I thought I would be about food allergies. Next up I want JB to try cauliflower, prunes, peas and avocado. It’s so much fun to watch her expression as she tries new foods. Seems like she is surprised by the taste of food at the beginning of each feeding even when she’s had the food before.

Wearing

JB wears size 2 Pampers Swaddles diapers. For clothing she’s wearing a wide range of sizes. The wardrobe consists of 3 month, 3-6 months and 6 month clothing. It’s kind of crazy how many different sizes she fits into. I guess similar to adult brands each one runs a little bit differently therefore size varies by brand.

Milestones

Smiles ALL the time
Shrieks/Talks – testing out the vocal box
Found her feet {and attempts to get them into her mouth!}
Giggles
Rolls front to back and back to front
Tummy surfs (not sure if that’s a real thing)
Caterpillars

Any favorite moments from your little one’s 5th month?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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Tag Archives: Baby

Mini Fashionista – Halloween Edition

Postpartum Essentials for Mama

GENERAL

NURSING

CESAREAN

Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

High Five Friday {Vol. 4}

5 Months Old {Jellybean}

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