Monday, September 20, 2010

Free Udder Covers!

Free Udder Covers @ UdderCovers! Use the code "Family2010" and you only have to pay shipping! The covers are usually $32.00! This is a steal! :) I listed these in my "must-have baby items" post below! Go get one! They make great gifts as well!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

23 Week Picture!

The first picture is 22 weeks with Caroline. The second picture is 23 weeks with Amelia! My 23 week picture with Caroline was just of my belly, which I added, but it's hard to compare...and I'm not taking belly pictures this time. I think I'm a *little* bigger this time around but not by too much!


(23 weeks with Caroline!)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

My Must Have Baby Items!

So, I've been thinking about a few first time pregnant friends. I thought I'd make a post on the things that I found "must-haves" but obviously I'm by no means an expert! If you think of something I'm forgetting or something you think should be added, comment so they can see it!

*Disclaimer: Obviously, my list will depend on my own personal experiences!

1. A sling of some sort. I used a Slingling and an Ergo. This was a lifesaver! Even though you hope your baby will sleep perfectly wherever you put them, they don't always fit that mold. Caroline was not a fan of being put down and sitting on the couch all day was becoming quite difficult to do when my house looked like a tornado swept through. Those are the slings I used, but there are tons of different ones out there. For this pregnancy, I'm really contemplating a Moby Wrap. :)

2. A swing. I know, I know. Tons of you will comment saying your baby hated the swing. Oh my...Caroline loved it. I got showers, sleep, meals, and my ears got a break when she was in her swing. If you want to play it safe, borrow a friend's swing for a couple weeks or get one from Craigslist. We LOVED our swing. I can't even explain! We took our swing with us on weekend trips. Not the travel swing (she hated that one) but the actual full size swing. HA! We have the Fisher Price Little Lamb Cradle Swing. I do suggest getting something with some sort of mobile thing at the top because they do eventually start looking up there and they might get bored without anything. They have some now that PLUG IN to the wall. I really wish ours did that because as much as she loved her swing, we went through batteries faster than Judd with a pack of Double Stuf Oreos...that's really fast. The size D rechargeables didn't last very long at all and really weren't worth the hassle. Anyway - you get the idea...we loved our swing.

3. A breastpump. Obviously, if you aren't planning on breastfeeding then this won't apply to you and you can skip to number 4. I have the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. It's pricey but it's worth every penny. The suction was great and it was extremely easy to use. If you are going to breastfeed, get a pump. You will want one - and at some point, you'll probably need one. Definitely read up on pumps and when/how to use them! Always remember though, no matter how great the pump is, it can never get as much out as your baby can! So don't look at your output from the pump and assume that's all your baby is getting! :)

4. Pampers Swaddlers. Oh, I can't say enough about swaddlers. They're wonderful. We had very few leaks and they are SO soft. I wish they made them in toddler size for Caroline now! You'll hear lots of diaper opinions, but my vote goes to Pampers Swaddlers. We tried several different kinds and brands but they were definitely our favorites!

5. A highchair. We have the Fisher Price Space Saver. When we had Caroline we lived in a small house and weren't planning on moving so we got a space saver high chair. We didn't have room for a full size chair so we got one that strapped to a regular chair. I'm really glad we went with that option. We really like this highchair! No, you won't use it in the beginning but you'll be using it before you know it!

6. A noisemaker. We use a cheapo fan from Walgreens. Some people buy the noise machines but we found that a fan works just as well and circulating air decreases the risk of SIDS. You may think you're being cruel by subjecting your kid to "white noise" because they may need it "forever" but I promise, you're not being cruel. With people in smallish houses, it's so hard to keep little noises from waking up the baby. Caroline could have heard my phone ring from any room in the house. Should you keep your house super duper quiet? Well no. But when you've been up for hours on end and they FINALLY fall asleep - you want to murder whoever or whatever wakes them up. So just do yourself and the baby a favor...and get something to at least drown out the mundane day to day noises. They'll sleep better...and when that happens...so do you!

7. A Boppy. I can't say enough about my Boppy Pillow. There are other brands, but I'm not sure what they are. They have the Boppy at Target with different slipcovers. I do recommend getting one with a removable slipcover because it does make it easier to clean and you can change it out with different gender babies if you plan on more than one. :) These are GREAT for nursing but even if you don't plan on breastfeeding - they are wonderful for bottle feeding. I've gone both ways and I used the Boppy for both!

8. A nursing cover. I have an Udder Cover. Yes, it's funny. It's also functional! This is another breastfeeding only item, so skip it if you're not planning on breastfeeding. One of my least favorite things about nursing is the feeling that you need to leave the room to feed your child. Should we feel that we need to do that? No. But let's be honest - whipping your breast out to feed your child makes other people squirm. So do you HAVE to cover yourself? No. Is it respectful of others? If they're uncomfortable. With a cover, you feel like you can stay in the room with your friends and family while everyone is sitting around chit chatting or watching a movie. If you try to leave the room every time you need to feed the baby you're going to spend a lot of time by yourself. I loved my cover!

9. A good nursing bra. Yeah, another nursing-only item. My favorite bra was from Motherhood Maternity and it was SO comfortable. It had built in nursing pads but I used the disposable pads instead. I think this is the bra I have. In the beginning (until your supply is well established) you'll want a bra with no underwire because they have been attributed to mastitis. I had two of these bras plus some other nursing tanks and bras. This was just my favorite one. :)

10. Zip-Up Sleepers. My favorite ones were from Kohls. Not that specific one, but just so you get the idea. :) The gowns are nice too, but Caroline's legs always came out of them and it bugged me. I know lots of people that swear by the gowns, though. The zip up sleepers were my favorite. Notice I'm not saying the BUTTON up sleepers. Those are so annoying in the middle of the night (or anytime of day, for that matter) because the baby is upset and you're trying to snap 500 snaps all the way up his/her crotch. Annoying. Go for zip ups or gowns.

11. An activity mat. We have the Fisher Price Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym. I cannot say enough about this activity mat!! The flashing lights at the top make all the difference in the world. She LOVED the lights. It had fairly interesting toys and you could easily add your own if you wanted. My only complaint was that the mobile didn't move. It would be a lot cooler if the mobile moved, but even as it was, Caroline loved it. My nephew Drew also had this activity mat and loved it! HUGE hit! :)

Well, those are my top 11 that come straight to mind. PLEASE leave a comment if you think of something I don't have that you REALLY appreciated!



Living Room Before & Afters!

Living room Before. Where the wall is sitting is where the couch will be sitting in a minute! ;)



Above is the other side of the wall. (The brick is the wall knocked down!)

Above is where the TV will be sitting in a minute. ;)

Wall knocked down. I'm standing at the front door looking towards the living room. :)

AFTERS:


Look in the middle of the wall. See the "fold" in the wall? That's where the wall was knocked down. It was a brick wall on one side and paneling on the other. It opened up the room tremendously by knocking it down!

Where the couch is sitting is where the wall used to be!

This dresser was in our master bedroom in our other house. We had painted it a bluish/black color and I repainted it red and got the mirrors and lamps from Kirkland's!

That's my Papaw's Bible. :)

So happy with it!


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Kitchen Remodel Pictures!

BEFORE of kitchen. Destruction had started that morning!



AFTER!

These are the same cabinets! We painted them SW Black Magic and added a trim to the doors and drawers. The paint and cabinet trim made a HUGE difference in the room.


It's hard to tell in the before picture, but the dual-height bar was not there either. We added that to add some countertop space and two extra large cabinets!






I LOVE undercabinet lighting!

Pendant lights over the bar!

Bullnose edge on the granite tile is one of my favorite things!

So - there's the kitchen! I'll put up living room renovation pictures later! Hope you enjoy!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Over Halfway Finished!

It's so true when they say that the 2nd pregnancy goes by faster. I bet the 3rd+ FLY by! I'm 22 weeks this week. I'm not ready for her to be here at all yet. HA! That's another difference between pregnancies! With Caroline, I was constantly wishing she was already here, but this time around I'm thinking of all the things I need to get done and how difficult it's going to be with two under two. We'll get through it and I'm glad they'll be so close! If you want to see what she's up to this week, head to my 22 week post from my 1st pregnancy!

I can't remember if I announced her name on my blog...so...drumroll please!

Amelia Harper! We think the name Amelia goes great with Caroline since they both sound a bit "vintage" and maybe even a little southern. Caroline is going to make such a great big sister! I got Amelia's bedding from Target and I absolutely LOVE it. It's pink damask with a little green thrown in in random places. I'm also attempting to make her the puff quilt in coordinating colors from the tutorial at HoneyBearLane...but we'll see how that part turns out!



Ya know something really funny? We spent a ton of money on our super nice camera, and yet I always seem to take my pictures with my phone. Sorry it's bad quality. It's the bumper, crib skirt, window panel, and two sheets. I'm so happy with it! I haven't posted much about this pregnancy but it's basically because we've had so much other things going on since we got pregnant.

I really want to post some before and after pictures of our house! Would y'all care to see? If not, I won't go through the work of doing it. HA! :) Let me know!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Galatians 6: 9-10

Does anyone else ever tire of trying to do the right thing? I know I do. There are days when I just want to stay in bed and not face the day in front of me. Sometimes doing the "right" thing can feel quite inconvenient, and I've been feeling that way lately. Fortunately, I have a Father who cares about me and He cares when I'm hurting.

And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. That’s why whenever we can, we should always be kind to everyone, and especially to our Christian brothers. Galatians 6: 9-10