Life Lately

A lot has been going on around here since I posted 2 weeks ago....let's catch up!

EB had a very special Valentine's Day!

She looked absolutely precious for her big day at school.

Her preschool hosted a Daddy/Daughter lunch and of course I had to sneak by to take a few pics.  She was not cool with mom cramping her style so this is the best I could get.  EB is a bonafide Daddy's Girl and this made me think back to when K came to her Little Gym class and she was so thrilled and happy...here's that link.

I hosted a little V day playdate the following Saturday.  These girls are too cute: 

That Sunday we swung by SEWE after church:

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This past week EB and I went to Charlestowne Landing.  It was the perfect weather and we saw a good many of the animals, often they are sleeping like this black bear which was sprawled out, legs propped up on the fence.  I feel ya, bud.

  

We also had a smoothie date at the new Tropical Cafe around the corner. 

 

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This past weekend we went down to Edisto to spend the night with friends.  It was grey and misty on the beach, but the kids didn't care:

 I feel like EB is looking really grown in this picture:

 On our way out, we swung through the campground park to look for shells.  We used shells from a previous trip as favors at our wedding.  Now that we have my grandparents' coffee table, we'll collect special shells to display there!

And that's a wrap!

It's supposed to be a beautiful week here in Charleston, I hope you have a great one.

xLaura

Happy Valentine's Day!

We are thrilled (EB especially!) to announce that LITTLE SISTER will be arriving in June!!!!!

 

Let the matching outfits begin!

In all seriousness, we are so happy to give EB a sister and can't wait to see the bond they share.

 I have no doubt she will be the best big sister from Day 1.

She was not feeling our photoshoot, but she is definitely excited for a real baby to hold and love.

What a blessing!

xLaura

Our Weekend

This past Friday we took advantage of the 80 degree temps and hit the beach for some shell hunting.

Afterwards, we popped by my parents' to take some photos of their new AirBNB listing.  If you're looking to visit Charleston, I'll send you the link!

That night we attended our church's Oyster Roast with EB in tow.  She did great staying up way past her bedtime.  She did not, however, do great with trying oysters:

 On Saturday we scooted downtown to take a few family pics, and then grabbed our favorite appetizer at Amen Street.

 Sunday we had a bonfire and burgers on the grill.

Hope you had a good one!

xLaura

Friday Highfive

Happy Friday!

Here is a highfive for making it through the week!

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What a gorgeous week here in Charleston!

Our camellias are blooming and our doors and windows have been open all week.  

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Last weekend I swung by Carolina Girls for their Sidewalk Sale.  They had so much of their stationary for $2 a pack.  I picked up this toile print and had it personalized for an additional $5.00.  I think it turned out so sweet!

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Another fun family date at our favorite family spot:  Hometeam!

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I am starting my first project for the new baby's nursery!  

I am going to cross-stitch the name on a banner.  I am currently just practicing as we haven't 100% decided yet. 

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My precious, darling, beautiful girl.

Ignore me in the background, but this is my new favorite photo of her!

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I hope you have a great weekend!

xLaura

5 Things I *plan* to do different with #2

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans...but I figure I'll still post some of my thoughts on the things I think I'll do differently second time around!

Now that we've reached the halfway mark, I'm feeling the urge to get organized and prepared.

Here is a 20 week bump shot:

1.

Prioritize Self Care  

I am listing this as #1 because I truly think it is SO important.  Newborn days are H A R D.  If I'm not taking care of myself, there is absolutely no way I can take care of a baby (and a toddler).  Self care means to me: Making sure I'm eating enough and eating things that make me feel good AND make me happy.  Resting/Sleeping as much as possible.  Making sure I get fresh air and spend time in the sun.  Making sure I maintain a certain level of cleanliness and order in my home.  Beyond that, it's indulging in nice shampoos and body washes in the shower-because those first few weeks, it's going to be my ONLY alone time.  It's taking 15 minutes to get myself ready for the day so I feel GOOD about myself.  It is very easy, and honestly inevitable, to be run down those first couple of months... I am determined to prioritize self care, so I can be a better mom to my two kids.

2. 

Keep it Convenient

I'm stocking up on Paper plates, cups, cutlery.  Anything and everything I can do to simplify.  I also foresee EB spending a lot of time in her birthday suit in the backyard on late summer afternoons-  less clothes to wash.  I'm not one of those *dishes can wait* people...Mess=Stress to me.  SO I am going to make things as easy as possible.  Do you have any tips??

I once read a blogger describe how, in the newborn days, she kept a mini fridge and bottle warmer bedside, to make things easier for night time feedings.  I remember, pre-baby, thinking that sounded crazy/lazy.  Now?  YOU GO GIRL!  While I won't be doing that exactly, it's the sort of thing I'm looking at... ways to make things as easy as possible...WITHOUT compromising anything for my kids (if that needs to be noted).

3.

Supplement

I didn't supplement formula with EB until she was 4 months old.  I was, and still am, happy to have given her breast milk for as long as I did, BUT...

Breastfeeding did not come easily to me and, even with pumping, I never had a surplus.  Now, this go around may be completely different and I will take it as it comes, BUT...

I *plan* to immediately supplement with formula, like on night one at home.  I KNOW that those first few days I'll need to build my supply, etc. etc. etc but I'm simply not going to put that pressure on myself to be the only source of survival for my child.  I will have a toddler to contend with and I'm not going to stress more than I have to.  I really do hope to breastfeed baby number 2 until at least 3 months.  But the all or nothing approach just ain't gonna happen as I will have to divide my attention this go around.  Note: We plan to supplement with Gerber Soothe, which we used with EB at 4 months.  It has the probiotics in the formula, which I love.  With breastmilk, we would add Gerber probiotic drops, so this eliminates that step. Once the baby begins to eat solids we will probably switch to the Kirkland brand formula, which is identical ingredient-wise to Similac...only HALF the price.
Oh! and one tip that I found extremely helpful once we switched to formula:  Pre-make all of your bottles for the day and store in the fridge.  I think so many people read the instructions on formula packaging that "baby must drink bottle within an hour of preparing."  If you read the label in it's entirety, you'll see that you CAN store prepared formula for up to 24 hours in the fridge.  This was a sanity saver for me!

4.

Sleeping Arrangements

Last go around we had the bassinet next to our bed for 6 weeks.  K slept in the guest room often during this time, as he had no paternity leave.  This go around, the guest room will be EB's new big girl room.  So we are going to get a loveseat sleeper for K's office, to be a makeshift place for him to sleep on hairy nights.  We are also planning to move the baby into their crib sooner than 6 weeks.  I don't really have a time frame in mind but I'll just say that as soon as EB was in her own room, everything seemed to go smoother.  I'd like to start that sooner this time.

5.

Things I'll do again...

Have a professional cleaning done on the house before baby arrives

Frozen Meal Prep

Mani/Pedi the week before due date

AND

Hang on for the ride!

xLaura

Friday Highfive

Hello February and Happy Friday,

Here is a high five for making it through the week!

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Fieldtrip Fun...

We have had a few fun "field trips" this week.  We checked out Citadel Mall's new "Outslide In" on Monday.  We went around 10:30 and it was not crowded at all.  EB had a blast and I loved it as well.  We will definitely be back...on a weekday morning.  I've walked by when it's busy and it honestly looks chaotic.  

Yesterday we checked out the Children's Museum Pop-Up location, also at Citadel Mall.  It was better than we expected but I really had ZERO expectations so take that as you will. 

 Also worth mentioning, The St. Andrews Library (the closest to us) offers a kids craft on Tuesday afternoons at 4.  Not only is it great because it's free, it's in that "crunch time" in the life of a stay at home mom.  

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I pack school lunches 3X a week and I've started snapping pics.  I enjoy seeing what other moms pack so here you have it:

Crackers with turkey and cheese, raisins, a mandarin orange, and applesauce (errrday)

Chicken and waffles (Leftover chic fil a strip and frozen waf) with blueberries, banana, and...applesauce.

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I spent a glorious child-free hour in the new Ulta a couples weeks ago.  I had a giftcard from Christmas and purchased Tarte's "Timeless Primer" and NYX purple mascara.  I sampled so many primers that felt oily and slick on my face, I really needed something thick and matte to help with some acne scarring on my forehead.  I've really liked the way this one works!
As for the mascara, I read somewhere that blue mascara helps make you look more awake so I've been using that for years, but I thought I'd give purple a try.  

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I've listened to the first two episodes of The Dropout podcast and I find it fascinating.  It's about the healthcare start-up 'Theranos' and it's founder, Elizabeth Holmes.  The rumors of Elizabeth changing her voice to sound more authoritative...it's just so interesting to me. 

New episodes are released on Thursdays.

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Pregnancy Post coming next week!

The belly has officially popped: 

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Have a great weekend!

xLaura