Girls Holiday Dresses

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks dressing a little girl is way more fun than dressing yourself. I become so obsessed with finding the sweetest little outfits for Violet to wear, and have so much fun choosing what she wears before she forms her own opinion! Here are a few adorable little dresses that could work for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday parties. I've already bought the swan one for Vi to wear on Thanksgiving!

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My Favorite Parenting Reads

I never wanted to be that mom that lived by a parenting book, "the book says to do this, the book says to do that..." I really believe that majority of parenting decisions should come from instinct, and of course advice from doctors, and I'm sure there are amazing parents out there that have never touched a parenting book. But I'm too crazy for that. Sometimes going with the flow is less of my thing than I'd like. When I first found out I was pregnant, I read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" cover to cover. I downloaded apps and read magazines. I wanted to know every single bit of information possible. But since actually becoming a parent, I've learned that trusting my own instinct is the way to go. There have been multiple times I've questioned my own decisions because a book or friend suggested something different, but there are so many different types of parents out there, there is no one right way to raise a child. In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of different ways. So I know choose to get as much information as possible, then decide what's best for my daughter and family.

That being said, there are a few books I'm reading/have read that I really value and consider when it comes to parenting. Everything always comes down to what Joe and I think is the best decision, and if it comes down to it, asking our pediatrician, but for everyday questions I have, these books have really come in handy for me. 

What to Expect the Second Year. This is one of three What to Expect books I own. I read the pregnancy one, the first year one, and just picked up this one to start. The main reason I really love these books is because it's more just straight information, rather than trying to get you to parent a certain way. I kind of see it as more of a textbook. It's basically just facts from actual doctors that you can take then decide what to do with. They revise it every few years, so the information is always up to date. These books have been around forever and are trusted by tons of people, so I feel really good reading them.

Bringing Up Bebe. This book is written by an American raising her daughter in France. She notices that French children behave very differently than they do here; they eat adult meals, play by themselves quietly, and don't throw temper tantrums. She decided to start taking notes on the differences in parenting styles and talks about her discoveries. I picked this book up more out of curiosity than really a parenting guide, but it makes a lot of great points. Kids can be curious, imaginative and have fun while being well-behaved. I also think some of the things she notes French parents doing are a little out-there for my personal style, it did give me some ideas of different ways to approach certain situations. 

The Honest Life. I'm a huge, huge fan of The Honest Company. We use their diapers, wipes, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen even their house cleaners! Basically, if Honest makes it, we use it. Not only are the products completely safe and clean, they actually work! I saw that Jessica Alba had written a book a couple years ago and decided to pick it up since I love her company so much. This book is all about living a natural and chemical free lifestyle. It's not necessarily a parenting book since it covers way more than kids and babies, but it's all about a way of life that could definitely affect kids for the better. It covers eating, clothing, beauty, home life, and of course children. Like the last book, some of it seems a bit out there and even a little unrealistic, but it gives a great idea of how to steer toward the direction of an "honest" life. I learned a lot from this book about different chemicals and how to look for certain things on labels. A great read even for people without kids.

Although I'm all about following your own parenting style that works for you and your family, I also think it's a great idea to educate yourself as much as possible. You can make the best decisions when you know a lot about all the options. Do you have any parenting (or life) books or guides you love and recommend?

My Must-Haves for the First Six Months

I survived the first 6 months of motherhood! Even though it went by crazy fast, it was completely packed with learning experiences, tears (from me and Vi), being scared, and the kind of love you don't think could be any stronger, until the next day when it always is. One thing I've learned is that majority of being a parent relies on instinct, but it definitely doesn't hurt to have a few handy items to help you out along the way. So far, these are mine. 

Covered Goods Nursing Cover. I already talked about this a bit in my Favorites post from February, but it really belongs in this list. This cover has made the first six months of nursing in public such a breeze. It's so much more subtle and less bulky than the apron-style ones, and it's so breathable and soft for baby to be under. It also can be used as a stroller cover, shopping cart cover, blanket, and scarf! Such a great buy, I'm so happy I have this!

Simple toys like this colorful links are Vi's favorites. She loves to just sit and look at these, shake them, feel the different textures, chew on them, and pull them apart. I've really noticed that the simple, versatile toys like this are the best. As she gets older she's really discovering different ways to play with them and they encourage her to use her imagination instead of the toy doing it all for her. She also loves the ring stacker and rattles.

These baby feeders are so cool! Before she was eating actual food, we would put chunks of frozen breastmilk in these and she loved chewing on it, probably felt great on her sore gums. Now we do the same thing but with frozen fruit and vegetables, and she loves it. It turns eating into a little treat that she can feed herself.

This Baby K'tan Carrier has been so handy, literally! I've been wearing Vi in it since she was weeks old, and will be able to until she's 30 pounds! I've worn her in it on walks, while grocery shopping, while cleaning the house, and even out at dinner. It's so comfortable and has been amazing to be able to hold her while still having two hands. She really enjoys facing out and being able to look around while I do things.

These Indestructible Baby Books are the coolest! They literally cannot be ripped, chewed, or ruined by wetness. Vi loves being able to hold books on her own, and it's nice to be able to let her hold and play with these without her ruining or eating them. These are the ultimate entertainment for her and we always have one in the diaper bag!

The Honest Company has been a huge necessity for us. We use their diapers, wipes, soap, diaper rash cream, baby powder, sunblock, lotion, even cleaning products for the house! If Honest has it, we buy it! I love how safe it all is, and has always been gentle enough for Vi's very sensitive skin. I feel really confident that they're safe to use around Vi and the dogs, and feel so good about only using natural, clean products.

I've raved about this Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag before, but I feel like I just can't say enough good things about it. It's so amazing. It's cute, can be a bag or backpack, has so much room for everything you could ever need, is spill-proof, it's really everything you could want in a diaper bag. I love it so much and recommend it to everyone in need of a diaper bag.

Finally, this Joovy walker has been really great to have. She doesn't even use it as a walker yet, her little legs don't reach even the floor, but it's still been awesome. We keep it in the kitchen with some measuring spoons on the tray and just stick her in it while cooking. She loves sitting in it and playing or just watching me cook. It's also really light and easy to roll from room to room, it's the perfect little entertainer that she can safely sit in on her own.

There have been so, so many amazing products that I've loved using the first six months of motherhood, these are just a few of the things that I've discovered and now feel like I couldn't live without! Have you ever tried any of these things, what did you think?

My Must-Haves for Baby's First Month

These are the things that have really made the first month of parenthood much easier for us:

A SwaddleMe. Violet has loved being swaddled since day one. We swaddle her to sleep every night and she just loves it. We started out using receiving blankets to swaddle her in, but when she was about two weeks old she was able to kick out of them, and I didn't like her having a loose blanket in her crib. So we bought a couple of these to try and love them! They're made with velcro, so she's sure to stay put when she sleeps, plus they're so much easier and quicker then using a blanket.

Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops. We started noticing sometimes after eating Violet would get really fussy and we would have the hardest time burping her. These gas drops were recommended to us and they're amazing. I mostly use them before each nighttime feeding since we lay her right down after, and they make her burp super easily then she's right back to sleep. I keep a bottle next to the bed and one in the diaper bag just in case she gets a bad case of gas, they're a lifesaver.

A Sleep Sheep Sound Soother. We received this as a shower gift and love it. It's attached to the outside of the pack n play that Violet sleeps in, and we turn on one of the nature sounds when we lay her down to sleep. The sounds are really soft and soothing, and they really seem to calm her. She's pretty good at sleeping during the day with normal noises going on around her, but at night when it's super quiet the background sounds help her fall asleep.

Gerber Flatfold Cloth Diapers. We don't use these as diapers, but they work great for everything else! I mostly use them as burp clothes, and always have one within reach. They're just simple, soft cloths that really come in handy.

A Diaper Genie. I didn't think one of these would be necessary at first, but I'm so glad we got one. When you change about a dozen diapers a day, it's nice to just toss them in this instead of taking each one to the outside garbage or having them stink up the house. It really covers up any smells and it's so easy to use.

A Swing. Violet loves to always be moving, which can get tiring while holding her, so it's nice to have a swing that she enjoys to lay in. She doesn't really like her bouncer, she prefers swinging, so I'm so glad we got one of these. This is where she usually is while we're eating or I'm cleaning the house!

Violet's Birth Story

I haven't blogged here in a little while, you could say I've been a bit busy! Our daughter Violet was born on November 11, 2015 at 8:47 in the morning. The past almost month of motherhood has been nothing short of amazing. It's so incredible to actually understand the meaning of love at first sight.

I thought about if I wanted to share her birth story here or not. Wondering if it was too private. But I decided that it's something I'm very proud of and there's no reason to not share, so here it is.

My original due date was November 14, but about a week before that my doctor informed us that I had made no progress so far, and would probably end up going past the due date. He said it would probably be a good idea to induce, since it seemed like the baby might be getting too big (which is funny because she was born only 6 and a half pounds) Joe and I spent the rest of the day talking and trying to decide if we wanted to go through with the induction. In the end we decided it would be a good idea to take the doctor's advice. He knows what he's talking about and we trust his opinion.

On November 10 at 10pm, we arrived at the birthing center to begin the induction. As one of the nurses placed my IV, she told us that sometimes these things can take a long time, especially since I wasn't dilated yet, so to get comfortable. Then she explained the process to us; I would be given three doses of medication throughout the night to get things started, then in the morning I would be given the actual medicine to get things really going. I was told to expect some light cramping in a while, but nothing more. So we got comfy and went to sleep at about 11:30.

At about 1 I woke up with the cramping I was warned about. Nothing too bad but a bit worse than "light cramping." Within the hour the cramping got much worse. Noticeably stronger every few minutes. I called in a nurse at about 2 and she checked my cervix. I was already 3 centimeters dilated.  She told me that had happened much faster than expected, but it will probably slow down and stay there for a while, so to try to sleep. We fell back asleep and at about 4 I woke up to excruciating pain. Each contraction would make me yell out in pain. We called the nurse back in and she informed us that I was already 8 centimeters dilated. While she was still checking me I started to feel an insane amount of pressure and my body wanting to push. She told me I couldn't start pushing yet and had to breathe through it. That was probably the hardest part of it all. The urge to push was so strong and I had to go against it.

I told the nurse I wanted my epidural, something I had been planning on having before I was in this much pain. She said the anesthesiologist was in a c-section and could give me one in about 30 minutes. I didn't know how I could do one more minute of this let alone 30. I leaned into Joe while he reminded me to breathe through the urge to push. A little after 5, the nurse came back to check me. She told me I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. I had gotten all the way there with only the first dose of medication. I asked where my epidural was and I knew by the look on her face I wouldn't be getting one. She said it was too late, baby was coming. I initially wanted to panic. I had ignored all the advice given to me to not have a plan and prepare for the unexpected, I would get an epidural right away and feel no pain. But that obviously wasn't the case, I didn't have a choice but to be brave and push that baby out.

Joe had called my mom at this point and her and my sister showed up. I spent the next few hours pushing with all my strength. When the doctor told me to look down and I saw a gorgeous head of dark hair, it's almost as if the pain went away and I felt calm. One more push and our beautiful baby girl was here. They immediately placed her on my chest and Joe and I spent the next few minutes just staring at her, then at each other, in complete awe. It was the most amazing, rewarding moment of my entire life.

Violet was perfect and healthy. 6 pounds 8 ounces, 19 and a half inches long. It was complete bliss.

Throughout the day our families came to visit, I learned how to feed my baby, and Joe, Violet and I enjoyed our first day together as a family. We love you so much Violet Marie, the day you were born will always be one of the best days our lives.

Playing Dress Up

Ever since finding out we were having a girl, I've been so obsessed with shopping for irresistible, cute-as-can-be, little girl clothes. And it's been so fun! I did the first bit of shopping with my sisters at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, and since then I've been looking online trying to discover which stores I'd want to shop at for Violet. It's so much fun and so cool seeing these adorable little outfits and picturing our baby in them. I'm trying to be realistic and remember that babies are most comfortable in simple onesies and pajamas, and I'm sure that's what she'll be in most days, but there's no way I can resist a few of the things I've found. I'm going to have so much fun playing dress up with my baby girl.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

♥

Baby Ezra

 In January, my sister and her family made the trip to Ohio to adopt their third child, Ezra. We all learned a few months ago that they were matched for an adoption, and we were all so thrilled. They have an almost six year old boy and a three year old girl that they also adopted at birth, and it's the absolute coolest thing ever.

The day after those four arrived in Ohio, my other sister and I flew over there to help out with the kids while they were busy at the hospital. I always love hanging out with them, they're so much fun! Plus there was a ton of snow there to play in, something we Arizonians aren't used to! Unfortunately, we had to leave before the kids met their new brother, but we received tons of photos and videos, the sweetest thing in the world!

Ezra is finally home now, and he is the most precious thing ever. I'm so excited for my sister and her adorable little family.

Zaiden's drawing of a "doggy with babies in her tummy"

♥

Baby Amelia is Here!

This morning at 3:21 am, my big sister gave birth to her first child and my beautiful new niece Amelia. It was so beyond amazing be there and apart of this truly amazing process. Sheila did such a great job throughout the entire thing, and Amelia is the most precious thing I have ever seen. I loved so much being able to watch my sister's tummy grow over the last nine months, and now seeing the result is really wonderful. I'm a third-degree auntie, yay!

*Fun fact: did anyone know that the neutral term for niece and nephew is "nibling?" I didn't either until just now, ha!