raspberries, flower crowns, and baby bumps

Today, I am 35 weeks pregnant. The fact that a living, wiggling, pooping, snuggling newborn will be in my arms soon is really sinking in. There is soooooo much left to do to get the house ready for her arrival, but since I'm not allowed to lift anything Jaina and I spend the days HAVING FUN. Which I think is a great use of the time before baby comes.

My grandma brought me the flowers that were in church last week for the anniversary of my grandpa's death two years ago. She was going to be out of town for a few days and brought them for us to enjoy while she was away.

They've been pretty, but reached their peak a few days ago. So during Jaina's nap today I thought I'd try my hand at a flower crown. These are all the rage on Pinterest, and it seemed easy enough. I didn't have any floral wire or tape, so I used regular wire and electrical tape to attach the flowers to a plastic headband.

What a fun project! I want to get a few more plastic headbands to have on hand so I can make crowns for all the Hallead girls whenever we have leftover flowers. Too bad it only lasts a day, though. I guess that's what makes it feel so special. 

 There's the neighbor's stalker cat being a creeper.

Also, the angle of this picture is deceptive. My belly is HUGE.

 This little girl was in RARE FORM today.

She's very into making "funny faces" right now, and was going through her whole repertoire.

It felt like a nice tribute to Pappap, somehow, to use his flowers to MAKE something and to HAVE FUN. He was all about having fun. ;)

The little thicket behind our house is full of raspberries every summer. There were finally a few ready today! 

None of them made it into the house. ;)

Once Daddy came home we had our very own photographer. 

"Baby" made it into a few shots. Can't wait till Jaina learns the art of actually naming her playpals. ;)

Life's about to change a lot, my love! Can't wait to go on this adventure with you.

life with a toddler

This is my reality at the moment.

No stone unturned, no cabinet unemptied.

 "What is Mom doing on the counter?"

About a month ago she decided that wake up time is 6:30 and meals must be served on the hour. Six meal/snacks a day is my max, though, so every 40 minutes or so she stands at the pantry cabinet and screams "Nya nya nya nya!" (a made up word that means I-am-not-content-with-the-current-situation).

We're not in Babyland anymore. I just bought What to Expect the Second Year, and I am cramming every second I get. Usually I just get to sit down, find my page, and- "NYA NYA NYA!"

anything that makes nursing easier is a good thing

I've been assembling my Most-Used Baby Items. Breastfeeding needed it's own category.

Most of my memories of this past year revolve around nursing in some way, so these items were crucial. And, apparently, August 1st-7th is World Breastfeeding Week - perfect timing!

1. Of course you must get a Boppy. 8-12 times a day you'll be assuming the same position for roughly half an hour. Invest in a nursing pillow. Your arms and your back will thank you. Have fun with all of the cool covers they have, and get something that will make you smile every time you see it. The Boppy is for you, so who cares if it matches your baby's room.

2. If you're pumping regularly not having a pumping bustier is NOT an option. I thought my month-long horrible back pain was birth related, but as soon as I switched to hands-free pumping it melted away. And it turned a chore into "Mommy's 15 minutes of alone magazine time." Awesome.

3. These are my nursing pad pick. They're nearly the least expensive, and they don't leave weird crinkle marks through your shirt.

4. Yoga pants are more of a post-partum item than a nursing necessity, but they're very important, so here they are. You will wear these every day, especially if you had a c-section. Kohls are my favorite; they don't stretch out at the knees.

5. I switched a hairband back and forth on my wrists to remember which boob started last. It was simple, and it worked for me.

6. I didn't invest in a lot of actual nursing wear, but I might do so next time. This shirt (in black) from Motherhood was great for days when I would need to nurse in public. I felt great in it, and with the two layers it provided so much coverage I almost didn't need a nursing cover. I would recommend this drape neck style nursing top much more than the cross-over. The cross-overs tend to pull awkwardly across your belly which is NOT a look that any postpartum woman is after.

7. The Nursing Mother's Companion was very helpful, and I consulted it many, many times. I really liked that it just got right down to business and didn't spend a lot of time talking about all of the reasons one should breastfeed. I always knew I would, so I just needed a clear, concise manual. This was it. (If you're planning on pumping long term check out their section on pumps first. She reviews nearly every pump available which would be really helpful before making such a big purchase.)

8. Finally, go out right now and buy 10 of these nursing bra tanks. This link is for Motherhood's version, but nearly any department store carries them.


You might notice that I have no recommendations for nursing bras or nursing covers. That's cause I wasn't 100% satisfied with the ones I had. I made my nursing cover from this tutorial by Little Birdie Secrets, and it turned out really cute. But I'm just not sure how I feel about the covers with the neck strap. It just feels like you're wearing a giant bib. Next time I might try to make one of these from Coterie.

I'm still on the look out for a comfortable nursing bra. Maybe they just don't exist. : /

Stay tuned for my favorite baby Pinterest projects! And my rules for postpartum wear were pretty cool too. ; )

advice from the vast experience of a one-year mom

Baby girl is thiiiiis close to walking on her own. The baby stage is nearly over! We've had so much fun getting to know this feisty little toddler. Here's a look back at some of my most-used baby items. Hope this helps all you future mamas and papas out there!

1. We are HUGE fans of the Gerber Graduates Rest Easy Spoons. They're shaped more like spatulas, and they have a nice, flat edge, perfect for wiping food off your baby's face. Zach calls it "shaving". ; ) Plus, they have a built in spoon rest so the mouth end doesn't sit on the counter if you have to lay it down for a sec.

2. Our very, very best purchase (well, registry choice) was the Munchkin Nursery Projector & Sound System. She never took a pacifier and never got attached to a blankie or stuffed animal, so this is her comfort item. Anywhere the sound machine is can be home to her. It's crazy, even now, when I'm putting her to bed we'll close the door, turn off the lights, and as soon as I turn on her sound machine she immediately relaxes and lays her head on my shoulder. It's Pavlov's dog at this point, and I am totally okay with that. I am starting to turn the volume down so we can eventually wean her off of it. I don't want her to be the wierdo who shows up to college with her sound machine. ; )

3. She loved to be swaddled, and these little SwaddleMe pods were great. Next time I'll get a few more since she pooped through these on a nightly basis at the beginning. I was not very happy with this kind which were supposed to be for newborns. You couldn't make it any tighter, and she would always wiggle her hands out the top.

4. Bourdreaux's Butt Paste. The hype is real. This stuff is magic.

5. Saline nose drops. She only got two little half-colds all year, but each time these drops worked really well for her. It's scary putting your little one to bed in their own room when their nose is all stuffy. A combination of saline drops, a good humidifier, and a bulb syringe helped clear her out and keep her breathing comfortably all night.

6. I highly recommend having some sort of jumper. We borrowed this Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo, and Jaina loved it. I liked that it functioned as both a jumper and an exersaucer, so we didn't need both. Baby toys are such an assault on the eyes, so I vowed to only ever have one out at a time. Remember this video of Jaina jumping her heart out? She was a big fan.

7. One of my biggest pieces of advice is to put down that frilly dress (or that little man vest) and buy a bunch of sleepers instead. Babies don't go to work or school. Chances are, if you're a stay-at-home-mom, you're not going much of anywhere. There is no need to dress your baby in real clothes every day. I ended up just changing her into a different sleeper every 24 hours. They're cute and cuddly, and you don't have to worry about keeping socks on in the winter. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of fun dressing her up when it's time to go out. I'm just saying you'll get a lot more use out of your sleepers.

8. Ikea's Antilop Highchair = the cheapest highchair in the world! At just $25 with the tray it's a no-brainer. It's not an assault on the eyes, and it's easy to wipe down a bajillion times a day. Also, the legs click off pretty easily so it's not bad to take on vacation and such.

9. The play gym. I was so positive that this was a superfluous item that I refused to register for it. I was gonna set out my grandma's quilt, give her some toys, and she was gonna be just fine. Well, within a few months I was wishing for something, anything, to dangle toys right in her reach so I could wash a dish or put some clothes in the dryer. Zach even set a chair over top of our daughter with some toys hooked to the crossbars for a while (do NOT try this in a home full of other kiddos!). We finally gave in and got one very similar to this Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym. It folds up small to take to grandma's, and if you throw a towel over it it's great for shade outside.

10. Bumbos are cute cause you can make your three-month-old sit up in them, but it actually saved us a lot of money cause we were able to use it as her feeding chair for quite a while (instead of an expensive highchair). Again, it wipes down easily and transports well.

11. Finally, SAVE THE BULB SYRINGE FROM THE HOSPITAL. They're the best.

I have a whole separate list of my favorite nursing gear AND a list of my most-used baby Pinterest projects. Tune in next week for those.

None of these companies are sponsoring me in in any way. This is just me dishin' to my girls.

you make me feel like a natural woman

Spending the afternoon with some lovely ladies today.

My grandma and my mom

My mom and me

 Me and my baby girl

So glad we live close by to these amazing woman. We're all oldest daughters, and, man, can we get stuff done. Just wait till Jaina's old enough to really join the gang. We're gonna be a force to be reckoned with!

I love you, Jaina Carol, and I'm so happy to be your Mama. You're pretty cool. 

dressing this new body

"Wow, you are ALL BELLY!"

Awesome to hear when you're 8 months pregnant. Not an awesome reality when you're 8 months postpartum.

While I'm only 1-2 pounds away from my pre-baby weight, there's a lot more of me in front than there used to be. (I like to blame three months of bed rest, the c-section, and a husband's schedule that makes it near impossible to work out.)

So, after the better part of a year of fighting with myself, here's what this clothes-loving girl has come up with.


Rules for Postpartum Dressing: Fall Edition

1. NO KNITS
This means no tees, no sweaters, and NO knit dresses. You can be bummed out about it or you can pack them up and put them deep under the guest room bed like I did. You look at tshirts on clearance at Target, you think, maybe I'll just get some in a larger size. They look so comfy. But then you try one on, and instead of looking like this:

Target

You look like this:

 Target

Wear them to wrangle your baby, wear them to work out, wear them to sleep, but just don't in the outside world.

2. Say hello to blouses
Barf, I hate that word. It either sounds old-fashioned or skeezy. But they're the best! Button-downs are your new best friend, and, thankfully, they're in right now. I'm not talking ugly striped office shirts here. There's chambray, chiffon, flannel, and you can't go wrong with a fitted denim shirt (a modern one - no embroidered Winnie the Pooh, please). Personally, I think patterns camouflage the best. If you've been wearing all knits since high school now's a great time to grow up and check out all the sweet button-downs out there (I just can NOT call them blouses).

 Gap

 Target

Urban Outfitters - though I would suggest black jeans, NOT neon hot pants ; )

 Kohls - I wore this in teal to Jaina's dedication, and felt really good in it.  

This pic makes it look pretty lame.

Urban Outfitters

Insider's tip: You can also raid your husband's closet for some fun flannels. Roll up the sleeves a little, and pair these with skinnies or leggings.

Insider's tip #2: Button-downs are the BEST for nursing.

3. Get yourself a killer haircut
If you're still taking prenatal vitamins for nursing, chances are your hair is still pretty gorgeous. Take advantage, girl, and rock some locks. Invest in a cut that does the work for you so you don't waste precious child rearing hours primping. It's a lot easier to be "just okay" with you're clothes when you're "yeah, baby!" about your hair.

Now's also a great time for new glasses, maybe a nose piercing, or mastering a new makeup technique.

4. If you're not thrilled, add a scarf
Scarves cover a multitude of evils, and, again, they're super in. They both bring attention to your face and camouflage the belly. Recently, I've been into head scarves. My husband just shakes his head, but I like it, so whatevs. (He's shaking his head at "whatevs" as well.)

5. Embrace the funky pant
They're everywhere right now, and they're my surprising new staple. Expect to buy all new pants after your first kid cause your actual bones have moved. There's no working that off. And since you're buying new ones anyway, why not make them fun? You can go for some bright, funky colors:

H&M

Target

Or, if you're really daring, florals or polka dots.

Gap

Gap

Target

Anything to bring attention to the ends of you (and not the middle) is a good thing. Which brings me to...

6. You will wear a lot of flats, make them nice to look at
During my pregnancy, I couldn't wait to wear heals again. Then I realized, once the baby's out, you're still carrying eight or more pounds around, close to 20 if you add the car seat and diaper bag! So my heels still wait patiently for me. (I might rock some wedges come spring, we'll see.)

I've gotten a lot of wear out of my Toms and Chucks this fall. I took a quick cruise though DSW's flat selection. Here are some beauties:

7. Just buy the Spanx
This is one of the only items I bought for myself since she was born. Everything else I found in my closet or I asked for for Christmas and my birthday. It was not cheap, but it is so worth it. I tried on a few cheaper brands, and there was a very noticeable difference in quality. I got what's called a High Waisted Brief (such a sexy name, right?), and I think it's way better than the bike short style. The Spanx version has contoured elastic to keep your butt the right shape (I think some flatten you out completely. We're looking for stomach flattening, not butt). Get it in black, not that creepy "flesh tone". Then you can pretend you're a vintage pin-up or something.

Insider's tip: go to the bathroom first cause it is not easy to get on and off.

Here's just the link to the one I got cause no one wants to see that.


Some final thoughts:

The boxy crop top is not a good trend to participate in right now. Just don't do it.

The one style of dress I've found that comes the closest to minimizing that pesky belly is the peplum dress. I got one of these for my birthday dinner, and after layering control-top tights and my squeezer (that's what we call Spanx), I looked pretty good.

Most books and websites will tell you that your maternity wardrobe will get you through postpartum, but that just isn't true.Yes, your maternity clothes will fit, but they highlight everything that you don't want to be seen. All of those cute tops and dresses that showed off your bump will just look really awkward. You'll get a lot of strangers looking confusedly from your belly, to the baby in your arms, then back at your belly, then awkwardly looking away once they realize they're staring.

Just remember, you don't have an annoying body right now for no reason. It's for this very cute squishy reason!

Lord willing, in a year from now I'll have a very inspirational post about exercises to get rid of post-baby belly! We'll see.