9 WEEK UPDATE + WHAT WE'RE LOVIN' | mom life

Picture // Crib // Striped Sheet // DockATot

Here we are.. Week 9. Holy crap. I can't even tell you where the time has gone. Merrick is smiling, laughing, hiccuping like crazy and pretty much the puzzle piece none of us even knew we were missing. It's crazy how you heart can just grow and expand like that... We're still adjusting and Penelope has still been a total dream through all of it. My heart explodes for her because I know going from being the only-child to sharing your parents can't be easy but she has totally gone above and beyond my hopes and dreams for how this transition could go!
 Oh, and before I forget.. because my mind always races these days:
Just a little side-note to the new moms out there... I just want you to know that the first two months are the hardest. Your hormones are still adjusting, you're getting used to your new normal and you're establishing new routines, all while running on zero sleep. It can be exhausting and full of crying - from you and the babe but just know; it gets better. So much better! And time really does fly by. I've always been told that the days are long but the years are short, and I've never heard a statement more true than that.

Merrick is finally sleeping through the night (at least it feels like that to us, haha)
When he was a newborn, like brand-spankin new, he would wake up every two hours on. the. dot.
We got one night of 5 hours and I think that gave me enough energy to get through the next few weeks because Devon and I both handled it like champs.
He finally started sleeping from about 9PM-5AM within the last week and has had more "full" nights of sleep than nights where he still needs to be fed every 3hrs or so, so we're finally starting to feel a little less zombie-like and a little more like our pre-newborn selves.

I have also been loving the Wonder Weeks App (again) because it is SO spot-on. I almost can't believe the accuracy of it and how helpful it is. If you aren't familiar with it, it just basically fills you in on growth-spurts your little one will go through during the first year and a half of their life. We just went through leap 2 and it was pretty much consistent; although he slept through the night, he wouldn't nap if my life depended on it. So for almost two weeks, I had two babies to tend to, one adamently more fussy than the other, BUT WE MADE IT. He's now back to his sleepy, snoozy-self and I'm back to folding laundry and checking the baby monitor every 5 seconds lol

Other than taking a million pictures of my TWO kids (I can't believe I'm even saying that - it still isn't real to me yet) I've loved seeing the relationship between P and Merrick form and grow. Although we will be going through some changes in the coming months when P starts school in August, I can't want to spend the summer with the two of them - every single minute.

ANYWAY.. I totally meant to get this post out when Merrick turned a month old but life is a blur and I'm finally getting around to what we're loving at a month+! It's amazing how many new things there are to try in just three short years since I had P! There are soooo many new gadgets - some worth it, some not. I'll be sharing my thoughts on it alllllll, so here it goes....

| SLEEP |

The Crib: 

which we purchased HERE. It's a TOTAL dupe for the Bratt Decor cribs but half of the price. I fell in love with the rod iron look but I didn't want to pay the price for a BD one so I searched and found the one we ended up getting and to be honest, I couldn't be happier. It's SO solid, sturdy and was so easy to put together - I was able to do it alone (carrying it and all) at 8 months pregnant, if that tells you anything. It's probably my favorite feature of the nursery!

DockATot:

I totally thought this would be a gimmick, I won't lie. I thought it was all hype and would end up on the floor, or at the end of our bed just hanging out until I finally put it away for good but I was SO wrong. This little thing is a MUST-HAVE. Merrick has slept in this since the day he came home from the hospital! I even bought bought Penelope the Grand dock because the poor girl fell out of her bed the other night and I've been afraid of it happening again ever since. I also got Merrick the grand for when he gets a little bigger because I love it SO much!
Plus, the Deluxe now comes with a little toy bar that Merrick loves to stare and grab at! We were able to skip out on the playmat completely this time because the dockatot doubles as both - woohoo.

Halo Bassinet:

To be honest, we haven't used it. It's a solid, sturdy piece that Penelope uses to hang off of and swing with. The good news? It hasn't fallen over soooo that's good, right? Maybe we'll get some use out of it when M is a little older... we'll see. But for right now, it's a catch-all in our room.... ha

| FEEDING |

Well, if you followed my story with Penelope, you'd know my background with breastfeeding. I had truly hoped it would work out this time but hey, it didn't. It's either me or a genetic factor with me or between them but both of my kids lose weight drastically when I breastfeed - to a point that it's dangerous and it got pretty severe with Merrick this time. Unfortunately, I just can't pump. Trust me, I've tried everything. Cookies, tea, lactation consultants - everything to pumping all. day. long. I just don't get a let-down while pumping and that just happens to some women and well, I'm one of em'. I have a great supply but I can't use a pump and hand-expressing just takes entirely too much time with a toddler around and when you start to supplement and you can't pump, unfortunately your supply takes a hit. I'm sad that I don't get that one-on-one but I'm extremely lucky that we live in a world where I can get my hands on the VERY best formula. I hate to think if I lived in the stone-ages and the lack of options I would have... I may not have two beautiful babies and that thought is SCARY. So I remain thankful! Anyway, even if I'm not currently pumping or breastfeeding, I have a really great suggestions for those of you mamas that do!

Breastfeeding Bottles:

THESE are AMAZING. The flow is super slow and truly mimics the flow of breastmilk. For the first two weeks that Merrick was breastfeeding, these didn't cause any nipple confusion whatsoever. They really made sure he was feeding and not becoming lazy at the boob PLUS they come in a glass bottle, which was an awesome plus.

Other favorite bottles:

I have truly enjoyed THESE for our day-to-day feedings. These bottles are made of silicone and have a squishy texture to them. I use these when we're on-the-go because they're lightweight and I'm not afraid of them getting smashed in the diaper bag or shattered if I dropped one when we're out at a restaurant or something.

| SWINGS |

Nuna Leaf:

This one stays stationary to our bathroom because I like to use it when I'm in the shower or doing my makeup because I just lightly sway it with my foot while I'm gettin' done up!
 I didn't want to invest in electric seat-swayer because we have a Rock-n-Play that Merrick LOVES and well, my foot works just as good. Also, it can hold up to 130lbs so i don't worry about Penelope plopping herself in it when it isn't occupied.

Rock-n-Play:

This seat is utter-amazingness. THIS ONE has wifi-connectability and allows you to change the settings on your phone. Now granted, I haven't really had to use that feature just yet because he's always within eyesight and an arms-length from me but it's something that I can definitely tell I'll use as he gets older! Besides that feature, it has the option to rock by itself! This is amazing and has really helped me out these last few weeks while I'm doing other things around the house because I don't have to be hands-on rocking all of the time! It also vibrates, plays music, has soundscapes, and a little light-show that projects on the visor, which also doubles for well-lit areas of our house, like the living room, where Merrick often sleeps and it allows some shade from the bright light coming from the windows. THIS is a definite must-have, mamas - Plus, it's amazing for babies with acid reflux because of the natural incline!

RockARoo by 4Moms:

I use this as a stationary option in our living room because the typical swing just wasn't working out. Merrick REALLY loves back and forth motion rather than side-to-side so we bought this over the MamaRoo and so far, he loves it! You can get it HERE for pretty inexpensive and the shipping is super fast!

| BABY WEARING |

 For me, baby-wearing is a MUST. Penelope absolutely HATED being swaddled or worn so it wasn't an option with her but Merrick loves it and it allows me to grocery shop, do laundry - you know, everyday things that require two hands.

I think all wraps and slings are made the same and provide the same function - you just get to find a shop that carries a print and price that suits you and THIS one is really similar to the one I bought and it's a lot cheaper!




xx,
tbp

BABY WISH LIST ROUND-UP | mom life

I feel like searching for the best, functional baby gear has become my part-time job these days. When I got pregnant with Penelope, I. needed. EVERYTHING. and honestly, most of the things we didn't really use or Penelope didn't even love them (insert MamaRoo here). 

After spending a ton of money on wasted items, I was determined NOT to have a round-two of the same scenario, besides, we have a lot of the stuff already so we just needed to freshen up on a few things, especially since we're having a boy, we got the chance to reload on a lot of different colors this time and of course, clothes!

I wanted to share my list of baby essentials that I'm pretty excited to try and talk about a few things that we received this go-'round!

If you use or have any of these items, especially the big ticket ones, let me know! I'd love to hear what the mamas are loving!

∙DockATot c/o

I received this DockATot Deluxe+ for out little guy last week and was totally sitting like a kid waiting on Christmas for the UPS man to drop it off. The first thing I noticed (because it'd be impossible not to) was how well it was packaged - total luxury! 

Once it was opened and taken out of the packaging, I quickly realized that this is something we would be able to use for our future kids... and it's even something that I could pass down to another baby once we're done using it. It's soft, sturdy and easy to transport, which is a huge deal for us since we travel a ton in the summer.

∙Copper Pearl Swaddles

These swaddles are amazing. They're sooo soft and have the most amazing amount of stretch! They'll be perfect for swaddling and naps since they're so soft and such a large size.

∙Covered Goods c/o

This cover is good for the car seat, shopping cart and breastfeeding - so versatile and I love the ivory/grey stripes. Perfect for my neutral taste but they also have so many great colors.

∙Nuna Leaf

I think I was more infatuated with The Mamaroo when Penelope was born because it was new and a "total must-have" because you couldn't turn a corner without seeing one. I was such an advocate for it - until Penelope sorta ended up hating the thing. I was bummed more for the face that we only got about 3 months of use out of it before we ended up shoving it in a corner where it sat unused.

I think that the range of motion was almost too smooth for her liking because she was definitely a swing baby instead. This totally got me thinking that this time, I was going to skip out on the MamaRoo all together and just get something that mimics a swing, without the space required by one. Not that we don't have room but I wanted something we could travel with and that was a huge selling point when we decided to get the Leaf. 

∙Halo Bassinet

Needless to say, we have a pretty high bed. I've but a regular bassinet beside our bed and it was uncomfortably low so that's why we went ahead with this because the base can be raised or lowered, depending on your specific needs. Plus, the base is HUGE, which means that it's super sturdy, even with two crazy dogs and a toddler running around our room. 

∙Finn+Emma Clothing c/o

 I'm always on the hunt for shops that carry both boy and girl clothing, especially shops that have cute pjs because I'll admit, I'm sort of over-the-top when it comes to my kids pajama collection. All of the cute ones out there really make it easy for me to go overboard with the sleep gear and Finn + Emma are truly one of the best places to shop to get luxury sleepwear and comfy bodysuits for the little babes. Plus, all of their clothing is organic! 

∙Binxy Baby Carseat Holder c/o

Since putting an infant carrier on top of a  grocery cart is a definite no-go, these little cart hammocks come in such great use during shopping trips, especially with two kids! The hammock sits in the back of the cart and allows your little babe to relax, just like in the infant carrier while allowing you to fill the cart full - especially on target trips where you end up buying aisle 9.  

∙Como Tomo Bottles

These bottles might be a hit or miss (let's hope little dude likes em') But I fell in love with them when I held one at Nordstrom a while ago because of how flexible and lightweight they are. They also have a double handle (which you can get HERE) for when it's time for your babe to start holding their own bottle - a feature that will be suuuch a lifesaver.