Change, 38 weeks Pregnant & Saturday Spotlight

38 weeks Pregnant….Change….& Saturday Spotlight

Change. The only thing that is constant in life.

I just dropped the boys off at the airport and I was literally dying inside. All thats been on my mind the last few days is how different everything is going to be when they get back. I’ve been trying to soak in my mornings with Seb while Max is at school, family dinners and breakfasts…ahhhh. Not going to lie, pretty much in tears when I went to the car. Knowing the changes ahead of us, that nothing will be the same, how did this all go so fast??! I know they’re going to have a blast (my oldest was up at 5:20 am ready to go LOL) but its never easy in these moments knowing tons of changes are coming your way. I’m so excited; yet scared, anxious, sad, so many emotions. Here’s to our new normal of a family of 5!

That’s not to say a small part of me is basking in the fact that In the next few days I don’t need to bend over with my huge bump 83939 times a day to change diapers…or pick up toys, put toys together lol, put shoes, coats, gloves, on/take off my toddler, etc. haha.

Or the fact that I’m on no timeline. WHAT? I don’t have to be home at a certain time for the kids or bring them everywhere. So foreign to me.

But still….miss them so much already.

6 am bright and early ready for sunshine and Mickey Mouse with their grandparents!!!!

So…for now I’m going to distract myself with a fun post about my 10 faves of the week!

Saturday Spotlight

things I’m loving right now….

1. DYSON BLOWDRYER. Um yes. Yall. This is life changing. I have super thick hair and I swear I put off my whole hair washing process till the last possible moment cause it takes forrrrever. And also #momlife and I’m slightly lazy abt it haha. I got the dyson blowdryer for Christmas (just the basic one) and honestly I can’t say enough about it. I know its a huge investment…but if you have thick hair and are super busy (who isn’t??!!) you need this. Also, if you have to wash your hair a lot (like every day), it is a must have. This blowdryer has made my hair way softer than my old dryer, my blowout lasts longer and honestly it is SO quiet and dries my hair in like 5 minutes (and I have sooo much hair).

2. I love this Gleaming Heart Roadtrip sweater for Valentines Day and its almost 50% on the rack!

3. This Topshop Belted dress has been on my wishlist for like…weeks now and its under $50

4. This Abercrombie Long Turtleneck sweater is 50% and comes in a ton of colors…

5. This purple pom beanie from Abercombie is so stinking cute and unique and the price is SO good.

6. I’m a sucker for stripes and need to snag a few of these AERIE striped tees for postpartum and layering.

7. Isle of Paradise Self Tanner: I have super fair skin and love to have color. I was never good at finding a good self tanner. Over the last year I’ve liked the Josie Maran Argan Gold but it does get on your clothes/sheets after application if you go to bed after and I wish it lasted longer. Enter Isle of Paradise tanning water (or the drops I heard are really good). I AM OBSESSED. It doesn’t leave any residue on my sheets after application, its SUPER Dark, lasts for 3-5 days, doesn’t come off on my clothes and it has a slight smell but honestly the next day I can’t even smell it. It took me one application to figure out how to use it and make sure it was even. All of my posts lately I’ve had it on. Its a MUST. FYI I use Dark.

8. The double up Ardell lashes are my new fave- add soooo much volume!

9. This Jcrew factory pom hat is GOALS. Can you tell I love my winter hats? Also comes in black/pink!!

10. I’m on the hunt for nursing friendly clothes and this ruffle trim wrap top from Jcrew factory is perfect…and feminine. I also love their tissue turtlenecks. Save 50% off on 2 or more items, 60% off on 3 or more items, and 70% off 4 or more items from clearance!! YAS.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend.

XO

Alex

Tips for Surviving pregnancy with littles

Perspective: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

It’s amazing how as you walk along the journey of life, perspective changes as you are faced with different circumstances, grow older ((and wiser LOL)).

My pregnancy is finally coming to a close, and its amazing how my viewpoint of pregnancy has changed with each child. Some of thats due to experience, some of it maturity and age. And some of it is just down to rolling with the punches and taking things in stride even if you have no idea how you’re going to cope.

First pregnancies

I definitely didn’t think pregnancy was hard with my first from a physical standpoint-I felt good, slept pretty well, etc. , but looking back there are so many things I would have changed about my mindset.

There’s something so special (and EASY LOL) about your first and I was so devastated about missing a year in my professional soccer career that it consumed me. I can’t blame myself, but its always a thought on my mind how I never soaked up the pregnancy. I find with the second and consecutive pregnancies you have no TIME to enjoy it because you’re so frickin busy!

Pregnancies with multiple kids

Anyway, fast forward to my second and having a toddler to run around after while being pregnant made pregnancy sooo much harder. From getting more sleep/rest, having time to get things done, to fitting workouts in it was for sure a challenge. But I thjnk with everything we are faced with, you somehow get it done.

When we found out we were having a third, I knew it was going to be extremely challenging with a toddler and preschooler. But, as I close in on 38 weeks, somehow I made it through in one piece!!

I wanted to share my thoughts and some tips for those of you embarking on the pregnancy journey with 2 ((really really)) young kids and some things that helped me get through the pregnancy. Now the postpartum period? haha. We’ll see how I survive that…wish me luck. haha :P

Tips for survival!

1. Take advantage of bursts of energy/days you feel good! This one is huge! When I’ feeling physically good, I tackle bigger projects/chores etc. so on the days I’m more tired or feeling super heavy I can do some lower key things.

2. At night wait to sit down: This one was huge for me. I always felt like a hot mess in the morning if after the kids went to bed that I just sat on the couch. Taking 15-20 mins, no matter how tired I was, at organizing things made mornings SO much smoother. Especially since I wasn’t really being productive on the couch anyway! Straightening up, and setting things up for the next morning really made my life SO so much easier in the long run. It also allowed me the option of sleeping a little later in the morning knowing things were set up downstairs. Once I sit down at night I feel like I can’t get up and then the morning is chaotic. because I’m playing catch up!

3. Have your older sibling help as much as possible: my oldest is 4 1/2, so I try to get him to help me as much as possible. I think this is probably even easier with a girl, but my little man has done a decent job. Helping his brother take shoes, coat, etc off, hanging things up, grabbing something for me upstairs, filling up sippy cups for him and his brother full of water, fixing a toy for his little brother has been really important because it limits putting me in awkward positions with the bump. Also, when baby comes my youngest will be used to his brother helping so it won’t be a big deal if I’m busy with baby.

4. Making them independent: Piggy backing off the above- I have tried super hard to make them as independent as possible over the last few months. Not only for me physically right now, but trying to set the stage for arrival of baby 3. Max is a really early riser (like 6 am) SO…we’ve trained him when he wakes up, he dresses himself and comes downstairs on his own and plays (even though 90% of the time I am already up right now…I might not be in a couple weeks haha). He can obviously dress himself with coats, hats, shoes, jackets, and Getting his own school bag ready, buckling his own car seat are all examples, I’ve tried to work hard with getting Seb to get undressed on his own with shoes, coat, etc. but that process is a little slower because he has just turned 2.

5. Enlist help: This one is obviously a given. I have someone come to the house for when I’m at work but its pretty much for when I’m at the office. If you have friends or family offering to take your kids or even ONE (because one is one and two is twenty amirite??!!) just take them up on it. I definitely need to be better asking for help at times but this pregnancy I asked some family and friends every now and again to help, especially when the kids were sick.

   I am lucky because both boys nap at the same time, so if I wanted to nap when I’m home and not at work I can ( probably have taken 3 naps this whole pregnancy LOL, I’m not really a napper) but if your oldest doesn’t nap anymore, and you need a rest, get yo self some HELP!!! YOU DONT GET A MEDAL FOR DOING IT ALL ON YOUR OWN. end of story.

6. Get amazon prime: LOL. This is kind of a joke, but not really. Especially because I work, I do a lot of shopping online. It allows me more time with either my kids, resting, or doing things I want to be doing and not stressing with traffic, lines in the store, and maybe moving around when I’m not feeling great. Also see: LUGGING TWO KIDS to the store.

7. Pick and choose your errand time: This is piggybacking off the above- I try to avoid bringing them to any store with me especially if I’m not feeling great. Some days I have no choice (grocery day) but if I have to run to target, I might wait a few days until I know when they’re both in school or my husband will be home. I’m more focused and efficient when I’m on my own for sure. With that being said, I’ve made my fair share of trips with both boys (way too many!!!) and sometimes you just get it done!!

8. Lower your expectations: Your kids are kids. they don’t care if they have an activity every day, Ignore pinterest and anything that makes you feel like you’re not doing enough!! Kids actually love routine. Embrace that and don’t try and reinvent the wheel and kill yourself with activities and trips making your day super busy!! Both of my boys are pretty content outside or playing with their toys in all honesty so don’t kill yourself trying to cram things in. THEY DON’T CARE!! As long as they are with YOU thats all they care about. That being said, know when to get out of the house- sometimes its necessary…like when all they are doing is fighting lol.

9. Find me time: I know self-care is a HUGE hype word right now but for me, setting aside 15 mins for a bath, or putting my makeup on in the morning is what I NEED to feel good about myself and happy. Carve out a few minutes here and there for things that you want to do whether its work out, pamper yourself, read, whatever…

10. Lastly, just remember that as long as they are healthy and loved, you’re doing a great job. That means its ok if they have PBJ two days in a row, or watch too much TV one day because you’re tired. You’re growing a human. Thats hard AF.

Have a great day loves xo

Alex

Running while Pregnant: My journey & tips for the Pregnant Runner

six hundred and sixty one miles.

1,057,600 meters. 3,490,080 feet.

three pregnancies.

and just like that, its over.

My pregnancy running journey is complete.

It’s been 10 days since I last ran and at the end of it, I think I knew inside that I was done. But I sat on it a few days before I made up my mind because there have been times (many times) during pregnancy where I’ve not felt great and then the next day woke and felt a 1000 times better and it was like the previous day never happened.

So, I waited out those days…and nahhh. I’m pretty sure my body is done and dusted with lugging this guy around!!!

I feel gratitude, for my body allowing me to continue something that is so important to me (fitness). I feel relief in a way, that its all over. I feel a little bit of disappointment in myself for not being able to make it all the way until 39 weeks when I deliver ((I guess thats the type A in me ).

But, most of all I feel PROUD, because its not easy to be consistent during pregnancy with workouts or running and I was able to accomplish that.

My first two pregnancies:

With my first pregnancy, I ran up until my due date. My son came 6 days late. With my second, I ran until 2 days before my planned C-Section (39 + 2). My last run with my current and final pregnancy was at 35 +4 weeks.

I’m sure some of you who don’t know me probably think this is crazy. Especially if I told you my first two babies were 8 lb 10 oz or bigger…LOL!! ( we will see how big this guy gets!!).

As y’all know, in pregnancy, everything is based around the baby. and how I’m feeling. which is such a catch 22 because we as women literally have no control over how we feel…!!!

Pregnancy was HARD AF for me with all babies, especially baby 1. I was so USED to just pushing through everything! I coulden’t get past how my body just woulden’t do/I coulden’t do what I wanted to! After all, I had pushed my body to the limit for so many years playing professional soccer. So many hormonal, mental and physical changes, wrapping my head around bringing a baby into the world…it was overwhelming!!

Third pregnancy running

As my pregnancy progressed along this time around, I was completely aware at how much bigger I got so much earlier. I was completely aware that it would be the middle of winter my last month…which might affect my ability to get outside. Cold, snow, darkness, ice were all things on my mind.

I know this is silly, but I set an internal goal of reaching December (knowing all these factors) and once I reached that date, I would take it day for day. ((Obviously, if I ever didn’t feel good or there was an issue with the baby I would never put anything at risk and would stop)).

I say its silly because…if any of you have been pregnant, you know there are so many factors out of your control when it comes to pregnancy! Setting this goal wasn’t just mind over matter and “how bad do you want it? or “no excuses, get it done” like I spoke about above!

And then one day, (after my goal, LOL!!) It just stopped feeling natural. Stopped feeling good. And when that happened, I always vowed to call it a day. So I did.

My WHY

Why run you ask?

1. I like being active and healthy, pregnant or not. Enough said. You can google any study anywhere and read about pregnancy and working out. Good for mom, good for baby. Good, good, good.

2. It made me feel like myself…even if I was slower and bigger. This was probably my number one reason for continuing. This was especially important to me during pregnancy 1 when I struggled big time with my growing body and embracing the new use for my body. So many changes physically & emotionally…

   Before, everything I did with my body was results oriented. How can I get faster? Stronger? Better on the ball? How many times can I train in one day? What can I eat to make me a better athlete?

   This all quickly shifted to becoming a home for a little baby for 9 months. So….. that 30-40 minutes when my feet hit the pavement, I grinded out a sweat, and sometimes (especially early on) forgot I was pregnant. It was just me, and the roads doing our thing. It made me HAPPY and kept me grounded for those 9 months.

3. Running is something i’ve done my whole life and it felt natural. It’s not like I woke up one day and had a huge bump. The progression was so slow that it was very gradual and gentle as I got bigger. It probably would have been weirder for my body to just stop!!!

4. It kept my swelling at bay. Sure, I definitely got swollen but nowhere near what i have seen other pregnant mama’s and I know its due to my consistent activity level!

5. Weight Control: I’ve gained a healthy 33-35 lbs, with my first, 40 with my second and I’m on track for around 35-37 with my current pregnancy. Being active and running has definitely helped keep my weight in a healthy target area and made recovery A LOT easier.

   It’s no walk in the park though…
   

   I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed every run. I’d be lying if I said I wanted to be out there every single time. I’d be lying if I said it was easy, or didn’t take any discipline. It sure as hell did. But I look back on my journey with great pride, and so fondly as memories with my babies before they came into this world.

   Advice for Pregnant Runners/ Beginner Runners:

   If I could pass along any advice to fellow runners who have just become pregnant and want to continue their regiment, I would offer the following as advice. Some of this advice can be applied to people who aren’t pregnant who are looking to take up running!

   1. SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST. Everyone’s pregnancy is different, and what i did may not be right for you!!!

   2. Change your mindset: Whether you are a recreational runner or a competitive runner, changing your mindset is CRUCIAL. Knowing that you’re out there for the movement, the sweat, the endorphins, etc. rather than actually hitting mileage, splits, times….if you don’t change this mindset, you won’t last long and it certainly won’t be enjoyable!

   3. Invest in good workout gear: Without comfortable running clothes/proper gear running while pregnant can become virtually impossible. I’ve shared my favorites over the course of my 600+ miles (see below)

   4. Find your time: For me, I always felt better early in the morning. My bladder and stomach were fairly empty which led to less bathroom breaks, pressure and any digestion issues. Try out different times of day to see when you feel best.

   5. One day at a time: Don’t get too high off a great run, or too low on a bad run. 9 months is a long time and there will be days where you’re running pre-pregnancy times and feeling like a 100 bucks…and other days where you can’t finish your run, never go, or just feel tired and lethargic. Don’t jump to any conclusions and just roll with it! The part that counts is YOU SHOWED UP.

   6. Intervals: So many of my runs were intervals, whether it was “sprint” for 100 yards, then jog…and repeat for time or a number of sets… or repeat 400s with 3 minutes of rest in between! I always felt like this made the runs more enjoyable knowing I was able to keep a faster pace than a longer run, and knowing I was torching some fat as well!

   7. Take breaks: there’s no shame in stopping to walk, or stretch for a minute or two!

   8. Know when to call it a day: I felt great with my first two pregnancies and tried to not put too much pressure on myself to make it to “running full term with all three babies”. I’m super goal oriented and tbh I would have loved to do that ((sighhhh)). In saying that, Know when to call it a day…when it doesn’t feel good, or feel natural. Any running while pregnant is something to be proud of whether its 3 weeks, 3 months or 9 months!!

Now…on to share my pregnancy running/workout must haves!

1. Gabrialla waist support: I ran with this with all three babies and was a life saver!! This is a must!

2. Body Glide-With my first two pregnancies I had a litrle bit of chafe going on because it was so hot. This was a life saver where my sports bra was, and on my thighs! Things start rubbin when you get bigger! You can get this on amazon!

3. Good running shoes- your feet will naturally swell so having a good pair is important. The brooks ghost is my favorite!

4. A good sports Bra- my fave is the Brooks Juno. The girls don’t move AT ALL and the straps allow for nursing when the baby comes (cause once that milk comes in…sister watch out! LOL) I do have to say its not super easy to get on but its worth it to keep them strapped in! Perf for running or any high impact!!!

5. My zella leggings- great to run in especially in cooler months. I wear these also 24-7. These are the ULTIMATE leggings for pregnancy. You can work out in them, dress them up, wear them casually. They are just bomb. If they come back in stock, SNAG them ASAP!!! Great quality.

6. These Gap tank tops are my favorite.

7. these Old Navy fleeces are super comfy, great for layering and working out in.

8. I love this long sleeve mock neck top from Gap to run in

9. Basic Gap tees- long sleeve (for winter), tanks (for summer), and tees (layerin and for summer) were super easy to throw on also and run in!

   Unfortunately the patterned Isabel Maternity for Target leggings are all sold out…but those were big on my workout rotation! Check out target for some of their maternity leggings to work out in!

I hope this post helps any of you mamas to be with questions about running while pregnant!

xo

Alex

Peanut Butter Blondie's Maternity Favorites!

34 weeks with baby 3! Happy Saturday everyone!

This post has been on the back of my mind for weeks now and I wanted to get it out this week! I had another post planned as well (holiday dress wear) for those of you still looking for your Christmas outfits but I’ll try to get that one up by early next week.

Things have been crazy with my boys being sick, especially my youngest with an ear infection. I’m a little behind on here, and I’ve got boat loads of wrapping to do! Yikes! I think we are on the mend finally, once we got some meds he has been feeling sooo much better thank god! There is nothing worse than sick little babies :(

Anyway, obviously I have been pregnant three times so I have had a lot of time for trial and error on maternity fashion and what feels and looks good. I also love to look good, but also be comfortable! Especially because with my last 2 pregnancies I have been running after other kids , and even my first I was doing a ton of coaching through the whole pregnancy!

There have been so many things that I have either ordered and hated, or wore a couple times, and realized after wear that it didn’t work (ie. fell down, too much pressure on stomach, stretched out, etc.) and I don’t want you all to make the same mistake!!

SO. I have made a huge list of all my maternity faves. I have tried to mix winter and summer stuff in here but that is hard because its the dead of winter! LOL. Also…a lot of this stuff is neutrals…so sorry if it is boring colors lol…I build around it with accessories, oversized sweaters, tunics, cardigans, etc because you’re only pregnant for so long so you don’t want to completely buy a ton! ALSO…these can be GREAT gifts if you have a loved one who is newly pregnant!! Trust me, giving the Zella Leggings is like the GOLDEN ticket for a pregnant mama!!

I also plan on doing a blog post on some of my favorite transitional pieces which are great for first trimester (and even second if you are carrying small or a first time mom). These pieces generally are also perfect for that transitional postpartum period when you’re not back to your normal size but want to feel good and wear regular (not maternity) clothing!! These are all clothes I would wear even if I wasn’t pregnant and most were already in my closet anyway!

I plan on doing a post potentially next week or over Christmas on my favorite workout gear while pregnant so I will have a few more options on different items then! I hope this helps you pregnant mamas….!!xo

……Talking My Favorites…..

1. My number 1 on the list has to be the Maternity Zella Leggings. I wear these basically every day. Amazing quality, can be dressed up or down, they are the BEST. Hands down, the number one item I can’t live without. These fit TTS, select your pre-pregnancy size.

2. Second thing I wear the most is the Pure Body Tees/Long sleeve tees. I wear these under sweaters, coats, to run in, perfect for layering. They are cotton, super comfy and cheap when you get them on sale. Must have. (Gap always has 30-50% off sales!)

3. Same as above but long sleeve option!

4. Finding jeans can be tough. I’ve found that I like the old navy rockstar ones the best. I’ve honestly tried every designer brand and I like these the best! Like Gap, they have good sales so get them on sale (I believe right now these are on sale too!) These don’t fall down too much, are comfy and look good. Note that the dark wash of these run a little smaller. I got the second smallest size for reference.

5. Spanx faux leather leggings maternity! f-these are great to head out to dinner or dress up your every day outfit. I did find they slipped a little but I think I needed to size down to the XS. They look amazing though and are definitely comfortable and you can move in them.

6. I love these fleeces They are great to and from the gym or even just at home. I used them also to run in. Run TTS.

7. Love me some overalls! TTS and super cute…as seen in my photo!!

8. Distressed overalls…comfy and so cute! Can transition from winter to spring, can be worn in summer or fall and a warmer winter day!!

9. I didn’t love the blue wash of the madewell maternity jeans, but I loved the black ones. I lived in them in Paris. Great color, super comfy. TTS to madewell brand (which usually runs a little big)

10. This is a great non maternity dress that you can wear through all stages of pregnancy and AFTER. Its a flattering fit. Not pregnant I usually size up to a S, and when pregnant M. Its on sale right now as well and comes in tons of colors! Here is the tank version!

11. My favorite maternity workout tank

12. Cutest suit

13. This vest is great for layering during fall/winter/spring! I have this in black.

14. Cozy sweater and great fit and price ! Comes in tons of colors.

15. Cutest tee!

16. Joggers are my Go-to. These always sell out!

17. This is for sure my favorite sports bra to wear when I’m pregnant for high impact activities- running, etc. It keeps your girls in place and it also has straps for nursing so when you have the baby you can wear this as well. It is definitely harder to get on but for me its totally worth it because my chest size increases like 3 times when pregnant and nursing so I need the tight support!

18. My winter jacket-

Congrats and let me know if you have any questions about anything!

xo

Alex

Family friendly Breakfast & 16 Weeks Bumpdate

Happy Friday! I'm rocking in today at 4 months pregnant...I can't believe it! Hope you all have some fun plans for this summer weekend :) 

Guilt free Family friendly Breakfast:

I wanted to share with all of you an awesome breakfast that is great for the whole family! I know that sometimes it is such a struggle to make only ONE meal for the whole family..especially when you are trying to eat healthy ((hello fellow moms of picky eaters!)).

Introducing...Kodiak Cake Buttermilk Pancakes. The macros (Protein, fat, carbs) on these bad boys are AWESOME, and they taste great. Our boys love them and we usually top them with syrup or honey for the kids. Right now ((because I'm a little bit of IDGAF about nutrition sometimes ha)) I usually top mine with syrup too haha #pregnancyprobs. A healthier more clean option would be to top with either Walden farms sugar free syrup ( I haven't tried, I've seen a lot of people use though) or a nut butter- Peanut butter, almond butter, etc. 

These are literally IDIOT proof to cook (I am a decent cook but for some reason pancakes aren't on the top of my list of great meals I can cook), and you can play up the protein content with adding milk and egg. YES- that means the mixture needs NOTHING else. So, those days that you have nothing left in the house (read: no eggs), you can still make these suckers. 

I get mine at Wegmans but I'm sure you can snag them online. 

BumpDate: 

16 weeks pregnant! Boom! Another month and we will be halfway there. I've had a killer week of workouts and can't wait to have a day off tomorrow and rest my body! Weight gain is staying steady at 9 pounds. I have my anatomy scan scheduled in a few weeks before we go out of town, so fingers crossed everything is okay. I've started to stock up on maternity basics (short sleeve and long sleeve tees, leggings, etc.) for the upcoming months. By mid September I think I'll be hard pressed to find too much of my closet that fits properly! Ha! I'll be doing a post on my maternity must haves and brands I love for fit, comfort, and quality so keep an eye out for that! 

Hope you all have a great weekend! xo

Alex

3 things I love about being a Mom & Gift Ideas for your Mom

I love the month of May- more sunshine, longer days, outside time, and the smell of the spring air. Its also a fun holiday month with Memorial Day at the end of the month kicking off summer and of course, Mothers Day! 

Today I'm sharing 3 things I love about being a mom and some gift ideas for your amazing mom! I'm pretty sure we are all highly indebted to our mother's before we are even out of the womb because lets be real: pregnancy isn't for the birds and labor? Yeah, there's no gift or money in the world that can pay someone back for that ish lol. #speakingfromexperience #stillhavePTSD

Then you have the sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, the 80358 messes a day, late night homework sessions, cheauffering to soccer practice...I could go on for hours. Mom's are the real MVP. Bottom line. 

When they say being a mom changes everything, you never fully understand what they mean until you actually hold your little one. And even though your life seems to be turned upside down almost instantly in every way possible being a mom is one of the most amazing experiences ever. There are moments that you laugh until your cheeks hurt, and moments where you cry ugly Kim Kardashian tears and think you can't go on another minute. But growing little humans from the lows of the low, to the highs of the highs is the most rewarding job you'll ever do. Here are 3 things that come to mind when I think of what I love about being a mom: 

1. Appreciation: I felt like I was pregnant for 40 years, not 40 weeks. Labor was horrible, and my first baby was colic. Within the first 2 weeks of having my first, I was legitimately convinced my mom was some sort of SUPERHERO for having 3 tiny humans. Of course I've always appreciated what my mom has done, but I think until you go through it yourself you never really fully understand. Becoming a mom has completely put a new perspective and appreciation on what my mom has sacrificed for me, and honestly makes me love her even more! 

2. Fulfillment: Its funny how before winning soccer games was the "be-all end all" for me, or my workouts would make or break my day. Being a mom has given me such a greater purpose beyond who I am as an individual. Seeing the boys face light up at the smallest things, or teaching them something new is more fulfilling than anything else could ever be! Knowing that I get to help shape their character and impact on the world makes me not sweat the small stuff at work and gives me true purpose. 

3. Home: I've heard the saying “Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.” This coulden't be more true, and honestly scares me thinking of when the boys gets older and they're on their own.

But at the end of the day, what gives me peace is you'll always be HOME to your children. Where they go for all the basic necessities of life when they're babies: milk, warmth, touch. Where they go when they're toddlers and are shy, are hurt, or want cuddles. And where they'll go for advice, comfort, money(lol), and a home cooked meal when they are off in college. Nothing fills my heart more knowing I'm HOME for my boys. 

Alright, back to Mother's Day. Below I've rounded up some great gifts that I think any mom would love at all different price points. And remember, the best gift you can give your mom is your time! Get her a great gift, and spend some time together, and love on her! She deserves it! 

1. Ugg slippers: Worth the hype and these are on sale for $65! 

2. Barefoot Dreams Cardigan: This cardi is my favorite to wear around the house. So soft but not too bulky or thick. The material is literally dreamy, and its has pockets. 

3. I love this Bezel and Bytes Chunky Chain for your Apple Watch. A great alternative to dress up mom's apple watch!

4. Birkenstocks: You guys know how I feel about these! Anyone can pull them off, even if they are just a "casual" sandal, they're so comfortable, mold to your feet and last forever. 

5. If your mom is active, the Apple Watch is an awesome gift! That has some amazing features if its in your budget. 

6. Lush Bath Bombs are a nice treat for any mom at the end of a long day.

7. The Sprocket is a really unique gift which allows you to print smaller photos from your phone! I love that you can throw these in your wallet, on your fridge or in your office. 

8. These Venus Roses are AMAZING. Yes, they are pricy ((super pricy)) but they really do last a year, and the smell is incredible!! Someone has actually bought these for me before, and I loved them! They have every color you can imagine and are a great gift. 

9. I know that getting a vacuum isn't a luxurious gift, but for me a gift that makes me more efficient with my time is a WIN. This Dyson is cordless, light, and sucks everything up in sight- Perfect for mom and pet moms! No more lugging around a huge vacuum or a broom. Also, you can use a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond to get it discounted! 

10. Yankee candle has super cute personalized candles for Mothers Day. You can pick your scent and add a photo. I think this is a great inexpensive, thoughtful gift for Mother's Day. 

11. The Clarisonic Mia is a must have for any woman! 

12. This may seem ridiculous, but I've heard these Sonicare Diamond Clean are literally the best toothbrushes ever created. Your teeth are something people see everyday, so this might be worth the splurge for your mom if she's been wanting one. (Again, use the 20% off coupon at BB and beyond)

Hope some of these ideas help! Have a great day everyone! 

xo 

Alex

Documenting the lasts....Weaning

Hi friends..

I've been trying to write this post for a few days now and wasn't even really sure where to begin because this is something so dear and important to my heart. But I knew I had to share this because I know there are other mamas struggling with this decision every day and I hope that at the very least I can help them with the process, or at the very least, give them comfort that what they are feeling is normal. So, here I go. 

We always document the firsts. First smile, first tooth, first step, first word, first day of school. 

But the lasts? We rarely know when those have passed us by. 

I’m not sure if it’s worse to know it’s your last time- or have that fleeting moment pass you by quickly. 

My heart feels like it’s in pieces because our nursing relationship is over. A part of me has been waiting for this moment for months. Waiting for this independence. Waiting to actually sleep. Waiting to have my body back. But on the other hand, the snuggles. the closeness. The moments I cherish would be over. For those of you who did breastfeed (and enjoyed it), you know that your nursing defines your relationship with your child for so long, and without it, you feel lost. It's like home. 

My oldest weaned himself at 13 months and almost without warning which was hard- never “knowing” it was my last time with him. I always wished I knew and could have savored that last time. This time around, I was the one to slowly start the process and it sure wasn’t easy. In any way- mentally, physically, emotionally. I loved those moments where it was just him and I. Even though I was exhausted, I already miss those middle of the night snuggles; where the world stopped and it was just him and I, in our chair. 

It’s so crazy how there is so much information and help “how to” breastfeed.. but when it comes to weaning?  I felt so lost- and I know other women are in this boat. My hope is that there are breastfeeding mamas out there, even just one, that reads this and gains something out of it- even if its just a moment of relief that your feelings are completely normal. 

Motherhood is this crazy balancing act of trying to hold on to each and every moment, but also celebrating any milestone in which you gain an ounce of independence back into your life. And its hard. Really. Really. Hard. 

Why

I'm sure you're all wondering why I would wean if I was so attached to it, and am so torn up inside about it.

Seb is slowly approaching 18 months and I first and foremost am exhausted. I loved my nighttime snuggles and miss them but 18 months is a long time to go without real solid sleep.

Secondly...actually do I really need a second reason? lol #sleeptrumpseverything 

In all seriousness, Reason 2 is Seb and I have a pretty deep bond ...for obvious reasons. I think its been hard for my hubby to get time with Seb because he's always wanting me at night, before naps, bedtime..and a lot of the time it was spilling over into the day which wasn't fair to anyone in our family, including Max.

Additionally, I’ve been chomping at the bit to really get my body back 100%.  I’m glad I was patient with the nursing and took my time because I would have regretted weaning him a few months earlier. I know in big scheme of things, a few months is just a blip on the radar. But...its time. 

Lastly, the older he gets the more difficult it’s going to get to wean because everything is a routine in life including breastfeeding, and  I didn't want to be in a situation where it’s really really difficult emotionally for him to wean.

How

I had a trip planned with just Max down to Florida with my parents and my niece who is 9 months older than Max. It took me awhile to commit to the trip because I was so torn leaving Seb behind for 5-6 days. But in the back of my mind I knew this would be the perfect opportunity for him to bond with my husband, wean him (if I could), and also have me some one on one time with Max. As I'm sure some of you know, you spend SO much time with your new baby the first year or so that your time with your oldest gets to be so limited. I knew I HAD to take this trip. 

2.5 weeks before I left, I started dropping feeds. This really didn’t go very well. I started with the morning feed and every morning for almost 10 days straight he asked for “night night”. I tried to distract, distract, distract as much as I could with juice, vitamin gummies, etc! I think it was hard for him because he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t feed him in the morning but I would before nap, and at night. This is when I realized this trip would be perfect and drawing it out (weaning slowly over a 3-4 months period time) would almost be harder on both of us. I don’t want to say to go “cold turkey” as advice  because I didn’t exactly do that-but like I said -I feel like he was confused and started wanting it more when I started dropping feeds. Going quicker (over a 3-4 week period) worked better for my baby and I. 

I left the house the 2 days prior to leaving for my trip during his nap time and had someone else put him down so that eliminated the naptime feed. Cue to me leaving the house, and bursting into tears in the car because well, #allofthefeels. 

My last time nursing Seb I tried to take in every second and bottle up the memory. I stayed with him a little longer than I would normally and just savored my time with him. I left for my trip on the Friday night and the first night he cried quite a bit, which was to be expected. I honestly had probably missed 15 nap/ bedtimes in 18 months! My husband comforted him as best as possible but as you know a change in routine is hard for anyone, especially a toddler. Each night it got better and by night 3 he wasn’t waking anymore. 

I pumped twice a day at the start of the trip and then dropped down to once. When I got back home from the trip, before I put him down for a nap he asked for it and cried out a little for me when I left the room but he went to sleep which was a relief. 

The hardest moment was that night- the first night I was back and put him down to bed without our nursing session for the first time. I felt so empty inside. Its so hard to explain but my heart literally hurt. But I knew it was the right time.  He called my name for 3-5 mins.( tbh he does this sometimes after nursing anyway) He eventually fell asleep after a few minutes and slept through the night. 

The Aftermath

Once I got home, after my first night back, he asked for "night-night" 3 more times and hasn't looked back since. I still miss it, but its been great to have anyone put Seb down to bed/naptime and I definitely think Seb was able to bond with his father in ways that he woulden't have been able to otherwise. Also, we all sleep much better and everyone is more healthy when we are rested, including Seb :) We've settled into a routine and I think we are all adjusting pretty well.  

From a physical standpoint, I was looking forward to weaning and getting the "surge" of energy I got after Max weaned. I think because I did more of a "mother led weaning" approach this time, the hormones really hit me hard. I felt like I was pregnant again (I'm not..lol!)..I felt so tired..like the debilitating 1st trimester tiredness. I finally am starting to feel much better now thankfully! 

All in all, I feel so blessed to have had so many amazing moments with my boy breastfeeding and while this chapter has closed, I'm excited to see what the next one will bring....

love to you all and Happy Easter

xo

Alex

Easter Basket Ideas

Hey friends. Hope you are all doing well and ready for Easter! YES y'all. Easter is under 2 weeks away. I know nobody has even THOUGHT about easter because...snow...but its going to be here before we know it. I am down in Florida with Max for a few days and this warm weather has got me feeling ALLL of the Easter things. 

Ok. So. Real talk...How many of us are running around the day or two before the "easter bunny" hops to our house scrambling to get little items to fill it? This is so me...so I thought I would make a little guide for those of you who are going to get 90% of your gifts from amazon Prime (like me lol)..This also helps me get my act together and be more organized :) 

Here are some of my favorites that I picked out with everything on amazon, most of it prime. I mean how did our moms exist without prime?!! #itsamystery #theyarerockstars

These 3 Easter books: Mickey, Llama Llama, and Elmo! 

Play-doh is always a fan favorite

My husband goes crazy with the crayola bath markers but this I think makes the bath fun without as much cleanup as the markers! Crayola Bath Dropz

Calling all boy moms! These eggs filled with small construction vehicles are sure to be a hit! 

I love these sidewalk chalks veause they have a holder and nobodys hands will get super chalky! 

I love anything from Melissa and Doug- they are so great working children's creativity. Here they have bracelets to make (girls) and this decorate your own airplane (boys). In addition, they have Water reveal pads for Bible stories. I love this because it reinforces the bible during craft time!

My oldest boy is obsessed with Paw Patrol, so I'll be getting him these Paw Patrol Bath Toys. This one is rubble! 

For a more practical gift, you could throw in these Playtex Sippy Cups. They are the best and never ever leak! 

Every kid growing up has had an etch a sketch! Here's a fun one from Amazon with great reviews

Crayola is a lifesaver when it comes to their "mess free" products. These are two of my favorites:

Mess Free Markers & paper

Mess Free Paint

Here are a few more ideas: 
-Sunglasses
-A new summer hat
-Water toys
-DVDs
-Stuffed animal bunny
-Hair ties or headbands for girls
-new flipflops or sandals
-Movie passes
-Gift card to local ice cream or fro-yo place
-a new ball of the sport they love
-Puzzles
-Jump Rope

I also recommend hitting up your local dollar store for things like Coloring books, stickers, fun kleenex (like frozen or paw patrol), and wall klings! 

Hope this helps you brainstorm for your little bunnies :) 

xo

Alex

2018: Don't wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect

Hi Friends! 

Happy New Year! I hope you guys had an awesome time with family and are enjoying a relaxing day today! 

I know it might sound cliche, but I always love the New Years celebrations. I love what it stands for; starting new and fresh. That doesn't necessarily mean I set the stereotypical resolutions, but I think goal setting and self evaluation are crucial in life. Looking back at the year: what went well, what didn't, and what you want to work on as an individual whether thats in your personal or professional life. 

I've always been a Type A, goal setting, and "in-control" type of person. This is probably one of my greatest strengths, but also a weakness. A weakness because I wait. Waiting to have total focus and "the time I need to finish." Waiting to deliver perfect, look perfect, professionally or personally. This applies to anything: cleaning my closet upstairs at home, organizing my stacks and stacks of photos, mapping out new ideas within our businesses, attacking projects, or scheduling a photo shoot/writing more blog posts, my quest for perfection and control, lol, holds me back. 

Not being able to start and complete something all in one shot (which as all of us moms know, is virtually impossible) is something I really need to LET GO of. Plugging away at things piece by piece, minute by minute, and in little segments is OKAY. As they say, "Don't wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect." 

Of course I have other goals in the back of my mind (including some fitness based ones of course), but I know that this is something I really want to work on. Do you have anything that you want to improve upon for 2018?!

Happy New Year all!

xo

Alex

Doing Disney with Toddlers

Hey guys! Happy November! Hope you guys all had a great halloween!  The dust has finally settled after our trip and I thought I'd write a little post on hitting up Disney with two little ones. 

Staying at Disney hotels vs off site: 

Whenever we travel now with the boys it is a must to find a hotel with a kitchen and ideally separate bedroom from ours. Seb still wakes up most nights so we don't want him disturbing his older brother so we usually put Max in with us and Seb in a room on his own. I think by next year the boys can be in their own room on their own. We like to have some space to ourselves and not feel forced to go to bed at 8 pm :) 

Last year we stayed at Disney's Old Key West which had two bedroom and a kitchen when my mother in law came with us. I loved it. We ended up getting it around $350 per night which is actually a great deal for the hotel. I've stayed on disney properties before so I wasn't surprised by how nice it was and this time was no different. There are several positives to staying at Disney: Transportation to/from the parks, luggage transportation from the airport, ability to buy tickets and book park events at concierge, and the all around "ambience" of Mickey mouse :)

So naturally, when we first booked the trip to Florida, Disney hotels was my first stop to look for hotel prices.. but it was OUTRAGEOUS. It was over $600 a night. So, I started looking around and found a really nice Marriott 2 bedroom/full kitchen about 15 mins from Disney for $175/night. Yes, $175 a night. 1/3 of the price of the Disney Old Key West or any other of their villa hotels. so, needless to say we booked! 

All in all, we had a great experience at Marriott Harbour Lake. They had numerous pools (with tons of slides, kiddie pool, and numerous spas), a craft room for the kids,  a playground, a soccer field, basketball courts, and a very good gym. Rooms were really spacious and service was awesome. We were a short 12-15 mins from Disney parks. It was also 1 mile from Sea World. 

Would I stay at Disney again? After this experience I'm not sure I would until the boys are older. Yes, the atmosphere is second to none and service is fantastic. I think if you have older kids and don't mind sleeping all in one room and eat out (we prefer to cook a majority of the time for the kids with how old they are-eating out is a mission at the moment.) it could work. Also, with older kids 8 or 9 years and up, the buses make more sense (and you don't have a bunch of stuff (stroller, etc.) that you're lugging on the bus with 439820 other people). Keep in mind IMO the transportation from the Disney park took about the SAME amount of time as it did from our off site hotel just due to waiting for the buses and all of the stops the shuttle/bus had to make. So jury is out how beneficial the transport from disney hotels to parks really is...

Disney has decent priced 1 room hotel rooms to stay in but if you're going the route where you want a kitchen, etc. and you have babies/pre schoolers finding off site is the way to go! 

Stay all day or go back to your hotel for a siesta? 

We've done both. We've powered through the day and skipped naps, and we've also gone home for a nap and come back. I would 100% recommend getting up early, hitting the park for a few hours and then coming back for a nap. Disney allows you to leave and come back so that is a non issue, and your parking rate is for the day.

 I think the kids are always super fresh in the morning making it easy for everyone to enjoy themselves. Also, the heat of the day is between 1-4 pm which you miss if you head back for a nap. The nap allows everyone time to recharge, regroup (including mom and dad) and gives you another 3-4 hours (or more) at the park at night. It is completely worth the 45 min treck (by the time you leave the park, take the ferry, etc. get to the parking lot and get home) to get back both ways. 

Disclaimer: If you have angel children that sleep in their strollers with no issues...I say power through!!

                    Awesome aquarium when you get off of the "Nemo" ride at Epcot

Park Hopper vs Single Park? 

I feel like I come from the days where there wasn't as much of a difference between the single park and the park hopper pass in terms of price so I actually love this feature and remember hopping on the monorail from MK to Epcot when I was a kid..

While its super nice to be able to hop from park to park, I woulden't recommend spending the extra $50 pp unless you are going with adults or older kids who can really utilize both parks. 

Other Tips on surviving Disney with Toddlers: 

1. Lower Your standards. Did you lower them? Now lower them again. lol. Have one thing on your list, and accomplish it. Anything above and beyond that is #winning. Examples: meeting mickey/any other character, or another big ride that they enjoy. The smaller your kids are, the less ground you're going to be able to cover. Thats just the reality of it! 

2.. Download the App: The My Disney Experience App allows you to view information about the parks, see wait times for rides, make reservations for meals, or order food ahead of time. You can also update and select your fast passes on the app (see #3 for fast pass.).
 

3. Fast pass that shit: Log on and fast pass the important things you want to do. Fast pass means you basically don't have to wait in line, and now that Disney seems to be busy all year long (read: 45 min waits *everywhere* ) it is the way to go.

Some popular ones for Pre-K would be Meeting Mickey, Its small world, the old fashioned cars, Dumbo, Nemo (at epcot), to name a few. I'm sure girls love the princess meet and greet so if you have girls I would fast pass that also. You can only do three for each person so choose wisely. Once you use them up you can select different ones (this is another reason why coming back at night is better, a lot of times the fast pass windows will be between 5-8 pm which I am not sure you would make unless you have a nap).

If you know what day you're hitting each park, try and fast pass it in advance. Also: sometimes it will say one of the rides is "no longer available for fast pass". KEEP REFRESHING!!!! This happened to me twice now with Meet Mickey and I refreshed about 8 times and then it popped up. 

4. Snacks, Snacks, and more snacks: Snacks are like the holy grail of surviving Disney. Pack enough snacks for a 3 day trip. Trust me. Bars, crackers, fruit, raisins, PB & J, and tons of water. Disney lets you bring in everything so use that to your advantage! 

5. Get there early: Beat the heat and the crowds by getting there when the park opens or shortly after, It'll be worth it. Everyone is fresh in the morning and do your "prep" work the night before (packing snacks, laying clothes out, etc.) to make your morning less chaotic. 

Enjoy! 

 xo
Alex
 

Sebby's 1st Birthday Party/1 year update

Hey everyone! Happy friday! Hope you had an awesome week. 

Last week was super hectic preparing for Seb's 1st bday party and then heading out 3 days later for vaca! I knew the timing wasn't going to be ideal but with our work schedules is was really the only weekend that worked. 

I decided to do a Peter Rabbit theme after seeing some supplies on zulily and thought they were super cute. He has a Peter Rabbit themed nursery so I thought it would kind of come full circle.

The weather has actually been really amazing lately so we had it outside at our house. Menu included your party favorites: veggie tray, snacks, pizza, subs, cake, and ice cream. I feel like its hard enough to prepare for a party but to cook too for it is really stretching it with 2 little ones so we just ordered out. 

                                                                                                             Fun with our cousins!

I got some really awesome Etsy decorations: center pieces, high chair "I'm one" decoration, a Peter Rabbit crown, Peter Rabbit water bottle stickers, Peter Rabbit, garland, paper plates, napkins, cups, a Peter Rabbit onesie, and my mom made some super cute descriptive food labels with Peter Rabbit on them. Etsy is literally the shit. They have everything you could want. Oh. and the cake. was. seriously. amazing. 

We had a decent day but the wind was blowing at 20 + mph in the morning which made setup really tough. The table cloths were blowing everywhere and it made setup slightly stressful haha. The party was super fun all in all and the kids all had a great time. 

Remember...when planning kids birthday parties:
1. ETSY and PInterest all the way for theme ideas, invites, and for specialized party supplies.
2. Dollar store for basic supplies, balloons, etc. 
3. Plan and order early, early, early. For instance, I ordered Seb's onesie and they sent a green one...so thankfully I had enough time to send it back and have them send a new one in baby blue! 
 

                                                                                      This cake though....Had to post an up close photo. 

My one year old:

As for Seb, he is a full blown toddler now! He is super mobile, walking everywhere (and trying to run), eating everything in sight and exploring and getting into everything. Unlike his brother, he could care less where I am and just takes off running! I'm gonna be that mom that has their kid on a leash at Disney next time haha.  He's also started to be super crazy with screaming. Max never really did that so this is new...he screams to get attention, when he doesn't get what he wants. I don't even understand it and it drives me crazy. His brother will then start screaming at the same time to be funny so...our house is super loud ! Also he is starting to stomp his feet. Soooo like I said, a toddler ((yikes)). The good thing is he's still pretty goofy and happy most of the time so hopefully this is just a phase he's going through until he learns how to talk.

SLEEP He's still up once a night but every now and again he will sleep through the night( he's done it twice while we have been on vacation...score!)Part of me wants to just completely night wean him but I think I'm holding on a little because I'm not sure we will have another. So for now its okay, I think he will wean himself on his own time. 

Nursing Still nursing before naps (so morning and afternoon), when he wakes for the day and before bed. If he wakes in the night he will nurse then and sometimes that takes the place of his morning nurse. So 4 times a day usually. I haven't tried to give him milk yet and I haven't really decided if I'm going to. Max hated it so we just give him yogurt and lots of cheese. So we will see I guess. 

Brother It amazes me how much he learns from his brother and how he feeds off energy from his brother! The next year will be tough but I think when Seb is around 2 yo they will be able to play more together :) 

Likes:

-trucks, cars
-balls
-food! 
-screaming

Dislikes: 
-face being cleaned
-nose being wiped
-being confined anywhere
-the word NO. lol
-sitting still

Hope you guys have a great weekend :) 

Alex

Birthday weekend & Helicopter Tour in NYC

Hey everyone! Happy friday. Hope you had an awesome week!! And hello October and fall :) Its going to be a busy couple of weeks with Seb's 1st birthday party and a family vacation but I'm totally looking forward to it! This weekend is going to be chaotic grabbing last minute items for the party but it will be worth it. 

About 2 weeks ago we headed to New York for 36 hours without the kids to celebrate my birthday (a few days in advance). We have honestly left the kids only once before and it was similar- I think for even less time (24 hours) so this was long overdue! It is always hard to leave them behind but I think its super important to get away and spend some mommy/daddy and "me" time. Self care and time for your relationship is super important and 36 hours in the big scheme of things isn't a lot of time especially if you don't do it often...(thats what I keep telling myself anyway)

               A little birthday love 

Travel

Because we have had the worst luck with flying and I have legit anxiety when we are both gone and the kids are with someone else, we decided to fly there and drive home. This way we would definitely get home on time..or at ALL.I seriously have had to drive back all night long twice already due to flights being cancelled..so..i just can't even deal with the stress. It totally isn't worth it especially with both of us being gone. At least if I'm on my own I don't worry as much, hubs is holding down the fort with the boys. 

 I go to NYC a lot so my go-to is definitely Jet Blue. Its a quick flight and the service and price is pretty good. Also, getting to the JFK air train and the subway is fairly easy from terminal 5. I've taken a few other airlines before and it definitely wasn't as easy.  Whether you take a cab (at least 45 mins depending on traffic, could be up to 2 hours ) or the subway (90 mins) just getting in/out of Manhattan is tough. And of course security, etc at the airport it is such an ordeal! And then tack on any delays or cancellations and its an all day affair.

So anyway, we drove home. The drive home was pretty smooth (6 hours) with no real worries. Best part of driving back had to be no limits on baggage back. Ha Ha!! 

Hotel: The Peninsula

We actually booked the trip pretty far in advance and I had been looking for good hotel deals for awhile but nothing really caught my eye. I consider a good deal to be a hotel room for $200 or less near the (central) park. My favorite spot to stay is around columbus circle to 5th along central park south. I normally stay at the Manhattan Club (they have fridges in the rooms for my milk haha ) or the Park central (both at 57th and 7th). Looking at their prices it was about $275 or so...which made me hold off.

One night I was looking up hotels and Hotwire popped up. I'd never used it before but thought I would play around with it. I selected 5 star hotels and it gave me several options but they were "mystery hotels" until I purchased. It gave me some information like location and what hotel line it COULD be but not much more info than that. I tried to put the search in a couple times to see if I could get any clues. I got one hint saying "Hurry, the last person that booked this got Hotel Peninsula". I quickly looked up the Peninsula and was like..DANG. I need to snag this deal ASAP.

For those of you who don't know, the Peninsula is a 5 star on 5th and 55th- it is gorgeous. Beautiful rooms, great location and the price was literally 70 % off on hotwire. It was a little risky (because there was no guarantee) but we went for it and got it! I was so stoked, I'm such a sucker for a deal. I'm that girl who you tell "i like your shirt" and I immediately respond with "thanks...got it at ____ for ____" haha.

So we ended up getting the room for $315 vs $800/900! Amazing! The hotel was great and I would definitely recommend it. Service was top notch, rooms were great and like I said location, location, location!! 

Helicopter Ride

The highlight of our trip for sure had to be the helicopter ride we took over manhattan (although actually going to the bathroom on my own for a whole day came in a second close haha #momproblems).

We barely made the ride on time just because our flight was delayed getting down to NYC (of course). We had a beautiful day for the ride and we were with 4 other people. Everything we had heard people said to go mid afternoon which is what we chose. We had these parachute things we had to put on and also had to watch a safety video prior to. I've never been on a helicopter ride so I was super excited. The most amazing areas of the city to see where no doubt Central Park, lower Manhattan, and midtown. 

                                                  Flying directly over the Brooklyn Bridge! 

We went with the NYC Helicopter Tours (very original name, lol) and we got on in lower manhattan. I know there are tons of options and some you can get on from Jersey. I didn't really want the hassle of getting over there so thats why we went with the one downtown. There is also one that looks pretty amazing where your feet are hanging out of the helicopter..I was definitely not ready for that but maybe someday haha. We selected the "VIP Manhattan tour" and it was 30 minutes. I think depending on your budget going for longer is definitely worth it if you can. 

It was definitely crazy how windy it was with the chopper going as we were getting in but it was super FUN. The views were amazing and it just gives you a great perspective on the city itself. There were one or two nervy moments ..like when the pilot flew DIRECTLY at the brooklyn bridge and steered away at the last section (on purpose of course)!! Anyway, heli ride over NYC is a must see and should be on your bucket list if you haven't already done it! 

The one thing I would def change if I had to do it again was force hubby to get on the heli first. Because I went on second and "was the smallest" I ended up sitting bitch for the ride. Total buzz kill. I was leaning over both sides to get photos which was super annoying. 

Other than that we did some shopping, went out to eat, and enjoyed a run in central park. It was a quick trip, but totally worth it and much needed! 

Have a great weekend everyone xo

Alex

10/11 Month Sebby

Hope you guys all had an awesome weekend! We had a great weekend with some fall festivities and definitely enjoyed the warm weather! I missed sending out Seb's 10 month update so I'm going to combine it with his 11 month and call it a day :) 

So the big news would have to be we have a walker! Little man officially took his first steps just after he turned 10 months and he's fluently walking now.  It's definitely a bitter sweet moment! Hard to believe that I'm planning for his first birthday...

I definitely feel like this stage is where you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can actually read to him and he's interested, he can play independently, I somewhat sleep, he's starting to walk, and he's still nursing but he's eating real foods so not as much is on me! Bingo! 

SLEEP

Is so much better. He is up usually once a night to nurse and then goes right back to sleep. He sleeps about 7:15/7:30- 6:15/6:30 am. Some days (rarely, but it happened last night) I am lucky and he sleeps through the night. Its funny because no matter how much sleep I get I still feel exhausted when I wake up! Which is totally crazy because I am getting so much more rest than I was like 4 months ago. Anyway I think its probably because the 4 am wake up is a total buzz kill and its hard to fall back asleep after being woke up that early. 

BREASTFEEDING/FOOD

Nursing wise he is still feeding about 4-5 times a day. His nursing is becoming more and more ninja like. I swear his legs are kicking everywhere and he grabs my mouth and face lol, We dropped his late afternoon feed and replaced it with some yogurt and moved his dinner up now that he is eating real dinner with us. Last week I had the worst week. I was totally sick from nursing-I had a clogged duct and it was so painful. I was achy, had the chills. Brutal. I feel like I've had a milk blister now too after the clogged duct. I know its from Seb eating less and less milk :( ughhhhh. Its so hard to get rid of the blisters and ducts when they are only nursing a few times a day. I know the end is near and I'm curious to see when he naturally drops his feeds. If I remember correctly it was just after Max's 1st birthday that he dropped his before nap feeds. 

His chewing has gotten so much better but I swear mealtime is like the longest. thing. ever. He clocks in at about 55 minutes to finish his dinner! He's pretty good with most foods except he doesn't really like eggs? Everything else we have given him he likes but of course his favorites are the standard kid foods like mac and cheese, grilled cheese, fajita, PB & J, pizza...He does eat what we eat though and has been doing pretty good with salmon, chicken and veggies. 

 

BROTHER

I still can't leave the boys in a room together but they do play side by side a bit better now! I'm trying to teach Max that if Seb takes one of his toys, to give him a different one rather than grabbing it back which almost always results in tears from his little brother. He's always trying to show his little brother things which is super cute and I'm excited for when Seb can walk and run to play with Max.

PLAY

Seb pretty much loves any toy that is in our playroom thats Max's. He loves anything that he can push (mower, walkers, etc.).I would have to say his most favorite thing for sure though would have to be balls. He throws them and chases after them. Its so funny.. now when I tell him to kick he kicks the ball :) 

Likes
-Balls-chases them all over the house! 
-grilled cheese, fruit, yogurt, O's
-the walker
-sleeping with his lovey
-swimming
-bath time
-any toy that he can’t have
-talking
-reading

Dislikes
-being changed-he moves everywhere
-face being wiped
-being confined
-eggs

Until next month...when my baby is 1 (((omg)))

xo 

Alex

My review on: Ollie Gray Breastfeeding/Pumping Bra

In honor of World Breastfeeding week, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite, favorite bras that just came out a few months ago! Breastfeeding has been an incredible {and hard} but rewarding experience for my two boys and I! Please note that I am just trying to HELP other mama's who breastfeed and this is nothing against mother's that don't! Everyone is different and you have to do what is right for  you and your families! :) This bra has made my life a TON easier as a working mom and I just want to share my experience! 

Entering the world of breastfeeding and pumping can be overwhelming to say the least. You honestly never knew you could need so many accessories for something that everyone claims is "natural." 

I realized VERY quickly that it is tough to find good breastfeeding accessories- especially bras that have good support and aren't ones that your granny would wear!! Its amazing to me that up until this point, nobody had come up with a supportive bra that you could wear for pumping AND nursing. I swear that I must've ordered 5-8 bras {some serious trial and error} but none of them were ever supportive enough for my nursing chest! I ended up finding the bravado nursing bra on diapers.com. It was the most comfortable, supportive and un granny like bra that I could find. But I definitely didn't LOVE how it looked. I'm always coaching and being active and it just didn't feel super natural to wear a “regular bra" while running around. Also, whenever I needed to pump I would have to put a hands free bra on over it {I've always used the Lansinoh pink strapless one-the others were never tight enough and fell down}. It was just an unnecessary step and made pumping when you didn't have a lot of time (or privacy) difficult. I’ve never been the type to just wear a normal bra while breastfeeding and lift it up so my baby can eat- I just don't think its functional especially when you’re nursing 8-10 times a day for up to 6 months {and still up to 5 times a day still at 10 months old!} so I always liked to have nursing bras. 

As I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy I had accepted that I would be using the bras that I had used with Max's nursing. One day I saw on instagram a bra that was about to be released and it was created by a woman who used to design for lululemon {this got my attention right away}. I'm always game for some LULU! The bra could be used for pumping and nursing, AND was cute. I pre- ordered right away and honestly prayed that it would have enough support. When Seb was 7 months old, I finally got my bras! And omg, guys. I don't wear anything else! 

                                                               How cute is this packaging??

Functionality: 

I can 100 % nurse AND pump with this bra. All I have to do is easily slide the flasks in the bra and power on! YAS. Pumping in the car now becomes so. much. easier. If I’m traveling and wearing a looser/flowy top or dress, I can pump wherever. Nobody can even tell what I’m doing. It comes with a white cover which is also really great for those semi-public pumping sessions or car rides. It could also be used as a nursing cover in public. I haven’t generally nursed a lot in public, and when I do I don’t use a cover. I usually wear clothing that doesn’t reveal a lot and I want my baby to be comfortable, not stifled under some wrap. But if you did use a cover, this would be a great one to use. Thin, breathable and easy to get on and off. 

My only criticism of the functionality of the bra would be that there aren't two straps so when you go to nurse, sometimes the strap falls down and you're searching for them on your back as they've fallen down.  Especially when babies get more mobile as they're older, finding the strap when you're juggling the baby is kind of annoying! They did say that they were working on that for their next model though!

Support

The support I would rate is very good. I definitely would not go for a run or do anything super active in this bra, but it gives me (32dd) enough support if I'm going for a walk, coaching, or chasing the littles around.

Style/Comfort

So comfortable. The material is really breathable and I find that if I forget to wear nursing pads {{the bra obviously still gets wet }} it holds the moisture so much better than a regular bra. Same thing goes for sweat! Really easy to wash and dry and of course there's no wires which is ideal for breastfeeding. Style wise it comes in your basic neutral colors (black, white, nude) and a couple of fun patterns so they cover all of your bases! 

All in all, this is the bra to get if you are starting your nursing journey or you are still searching for a great nursing bra and you pump as well. Their price point is pretty competitive (around $60) to what you would pay for any other decent nursing bra. Trust me, it is worth the $. Love this bra and company!  Thank you Ollie grays! #lifesaver.

To purchase: www.olliegraybras.com

Nurse on mamas! xo

Alex

9 Month Sebby

9 month Sebby

Wait…what.. Baby boy has been outside of my belly as long as he’s been in. Those first few weeks seem so hard, so long…but it really does go by fast! 9 months has brought us even more glimmers of his personality and lots of movement. Seb can walk with help and its honestly just a struggle to go anywhere. He hates being constricted to anything..whether its the car seat, pack and play, and even protests unless the stroller is moving! The toughest part to manage is when his brother wants to play outside and he is just crawling around and eating grass and getting into everything! 

He has developed quite the goofy personality and is always laughing. The antics that he already does at 9 months is making me nervous for when he is a full blown toddler boy! He rocks himself in the high chair to the point I think he’s going to be concussed, grabs my face while nursing, laughs at my sunglasses and grabs them off my head, and climbs on me and pulls my hair! He is a handful. He has started to protest with a clench of the fist and a moan/growl when he doesn't want to do something..its hilarious. 

Sleep

Ugh. The never ending topic. Sleep. At 9 months I basically sleep trained my first, so in the back of mind this was slightly haunting me. I hate, hate, hate sleep training. I honestly laugh when people talk about potty training. Sleep training is far worse. Listening to my baby scream for extended periods of time is seriously torture. I realized that whenever Seb puts himself completely asleep, he sleeps so much better- ie. only wakes up once. So last week I started to put him down while awake (rather than the “fall asleep at the boob and transfer him into the crib after he’s pretty much asleep!), and let him figure it out. We had 60 minutes of full crying (obviously with checkins periodically). I swear it took every ounce of me to not pick him up. I honestly was coaching myself “you can do this. you are an adult. he is a baby. he is just resisting change.” Sure enough, after the 60 minutes of crying, I didn’t hear from him until 3 am, and then I nursed him, and he went back to sleep until 6:45 am. Success! Each night the crying decreased and he now can (most nights) put himself to sleep. He is still inconsistent with his wakings but at least we are getting the once a night wakings more often. For example, this week he woke once a night wednesday and thursday, and last night was up twice. I'm hopeful that he will slowly drop feedings like his brother by the time he is 1 so I don't have to actively pursue night weaning! Any tips/suggestions welcome :) 

Breastfeeding/Food

It’s funny because even though not much time has passed since I had Max in these exact stages, I feel like I don’t remember some of it! Take for instance..starting real food. I don’t remember this being a “thing”. In my mind, Max just somehow already knew how to eat and chew. Of course, that can’t be possible but I seriously don’t even remember it. {this could also be because M had about 8-10 teeth at 9 months where S only has 6} Anyway, the last couple of weeks we have been trying to get Seb to eat some different “first foods” where he has to actually chew. First attempt was cheerios, which I used with Max. This was a no go. Clearly had NO IDEA what to do and it made me way too nervous having the cheerio sit in his mouth. Next tried mashed bananas…they became too mushy and he wasn’t able to pick them up. I had a few people suggest Puffs. I generally try to stay away from stuff like this, but honestly its been a god send with Seb! It crunches so he knows to bite, but it basically disintegrates in their mouth if they don’t necessarily chew the whole thing. He is doing so much better now and soon I think he’ll be ready for cheerios and maybe some soft bread. Phew! 

My love/hate relationship continues with breastfeeding. I love nursing, I really do. But I can’t WAIT to have my own body back. I try and pause a second and just take it all in every time when I’m nursing because I am never going to know when will be the last time. I hope that he weans himself similar to what my oldest did because I don’t want to have to make the decision for him! Pretty soon he’ll only be nursing 2-3 times a day so holding on to the moments because I know they’re going to fly by! 

Brother

I’ve heard from everyone that having two so close in age is hard but totally worth it for so many different reasons. I’m still waiting for the “worth it” phase to come! Between the “hugs” (which sometimes resemble tackling), toy taking, and bandwagon screaming…I think I might go craxy. Like I said…still waiting. Current occupation is referee and hoping it ends soon! 

Play

Seb loves free play (where he can just roam) and toys where he can completely stand up. He is really loving his jumper-roo or his walker at the moment. Its crazy how they go in phases! He starts jumping before I even put him in the jumper-roo where 2 months ago he would cry!! 

Likes

-Balls-chases them all over the house! 
-Bouncing
-eating
-swimming
-bath time
-standing
-any toy that he can’t have
-talking
-being outside 

Dislikes
-pack and play
-face being wiped

Until next month...

xo 

Alex

8 Month sebby

You know that awesome phase that babies go through where they can sit up, but they can't really move? Yeah, I am totally out of that phase already. It lasted about 2 weeks. Sigh.

Summer is officially here and every day my baby takes one step closer to becoming a toddler. Sunday morning he was babblng "ma-ma" and later on that day he put his arms through his shirt on his own. I swear I died a little inside. Don't get me wrong, I love when they can become more independent..its just a catch 22. You want them to be babies..but you don't at the same time! ha! 

Things are starting to get crazier and crazier at our house now that Seb is moving and grooving! Between him and his brother I feel like its complete chaos...all day.

Sleep

Well. Sleep has definitely improved but I guess it really coulden't have gotten much worse than it was? For about a two week period my main man was sleeping until about 2 or 3 am, nursing, and then back to bed until 6:30. #heaven ....Then came along 4 TEETH ALL AT ONCE #help. So now we are back to waking 2 times a night. Hopefully once the eye teeth cash in we'll get back to the once a night waking...

Breastfeeding

Not much to report here other than a few fun clogged ducts and milk blisters over the last 6 weeks. With Max I was lucky enough to only have 1 clogged duct but with Seb I've had two so far and one milk blister. NO BUENO. I'm not sure if it's due to just adjusting to less feedings but luckily they have seemed to stop! I have about 400 ounces of frozen milk and I've started to use that for his cereal and on the days I bring home 1-3 oz less than what he drinks. I don't want to add an extra pump in while at work because that would give me a major oversupply. I'm Ok tapping into that frozen stash a couple of times a week especially as we start to introduce more solid food. Hey, thats what its there for, right? 

Brother

Not much new to report here. Sebby continues to impress me with his toughness around his brother! Max is still like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with his baby brother and I'm not sure its going to change anytime soon! They are already entertaining each other and egging each other on. Shocking enough Max has actually fed more off of what Seb is doing...whether he's rocking violently in his high chair (see: my instagram stories. Max thinks its hilarious which only makes Max laugh harder and do it too), or crying (Max will start screaming to make the situation louder and clearly more obnoxious)...I know I am going to need a lot of wine and caffeine in my near future! 

Play

Seb loves to roam. He's crawling everywhere and getting into everything! I've tried the pack and play but honestly the screams sounds like I am seriously torturing him when I dare place him in there. He hates to be constricted. Which is super AWESOME. I Psych. I swear he thinks he owns me. I need eyes in the back of my head!!!

He can pull himself to a standing position and takes steps holding our hands. I have a feeling this guy will be walking by the end of July which is a good and a bad thing I guess! 

Favorite toys include the fisher price car, fisher price house, and anything that he can press and it makes noise!

Likes: 
-Being held
-Walks
-his brother
-balls (he will chase them all over the house)
-making funny noises with his mouth
-swimming and bath time

Dislikes:

-the pack and play
-face being wiped
-when his brother takes his toy
-any sort of hygiene check: teeth, fingernails, toenails, ears...typical BOY! LOL
 

Have a great weekend everyone! xo

Alex

Max's 3rd Birthday Party...and 6 tips for your first kiddo party

Happy Birthday to my big boy Max who is now three...where has the time gone?! 

I know a lot of people go really overboard with parties and invite tons of people including kids from their child's preschool class but I just can't get my head around that right now. For Max's first birthday I felt so CRAZED and last minute with everything and it was just a family party with 25 people. Last year I felt the same. So this year I vowed to be ORGANIZED. There is nothing worse than being super stressed trying to get ready for a party. I honestly tried to keep it really simple this year by repeating last years theme! I had some leftover supplies from last year ...and With the baby, work, and Max loving the farm theme last year I thought..hey, why not. Let's take the load off! 

                                                       Family photo on the hay ride :)

                                                                      Farm Tour!

 We went to Kelkenberg Farm last year for his second birthday and he loved it. So many activities (all included in the price): Hay ride for everyone, pony rides for the kids, a farm tour where you see all of the animals, and the chance to milk the goats. Its a great, laid back atmosphere and we just grill out, have some cake and hang out! 

                                                              Looking after the ponies!

Like I said, I had some supplies from last year (plates, cups, silverware) and I had little die cut labels that my mom made for different foods that we offered. I used a farm theme to rename foods such as "pigs in a blanket" (hot dogs), "cow dung" (brownies), silverware were "pitchforks" (forks), "butcher knives" (knives), and "shovels" (spoons), "greens" (salad), and "farm fresh fruit" (assorted fruits ie watermelon, etc.), and "pig tail pasta salad" (tuna salad). 

I picked up a majority of my supplies from Birthdayexpress.com online as well as Party city and the dollar store. All in all it was an awesome time! I honestly wish I would have had someone helping me along with Max's first birthday, so here are a few tips I have for anyone embarking on their first "bash" for their child!

1. Pinterest that ish!!!
Start Pinteresting a couple of months before the birthday and get an idea of your theme. There are soo many ideas on there and let your child lead the way! If they're older, you can let them pick or at least help you narrow your ideas down. For 1st birthdays, its a little more fun because mom gets to lead the way because they can't talk yet ;) 

2. ETSY THAT ISH!! 
Ok guys, once you get your ideas down, check out etsy. Order your child's birthday outfit {yes, birthday outfit. its a "thing" now. just do it. } early incase it doesn't fit, you don't like it, it gets lost in the mail...whatever. Order it, and check it off the list. I also found some awesome things on etsy like Invites. Last year I just got the pdf and went and printed them out. I would totally not do that again and save money elsewhere. It was freaking awesome having them delivered to my house and not having to deal with either lugging my kids to kinkos to print them, or spending probably the same amount of money with hiring a babysitter just to get them printed out! Its just one less thing to do. I guess if you have a great printer you could do it at home but clearly that is not me. You can also find random things on etsy to enhance your party- for example I got farm theme water bottle stickers (see below) for really reasonable prices as well on etsy. 

3. Order supplies early: 
Like I said, I used birthdayexpress.com. They were great and the prices were decent with free shipping. They have everything you can imagine. I do a lot of online ordering..with the two kids and working I don't get much time to get out on my own and when I'm with the boys I'd rather spend the time outside at the park.

4. DOLLAR STORE GUYS. 
yes, yes and yes. You can get kids wrapping paper, bags, treat bags (if you're doing the kid thing), bowls,big utensils, etc. ALSO BALLOONS. Ok so funny story...last year I spent the $40 on the helium tank...pumped a bunch of ballons (which took forever when I didn't have the time #thestress #omg) and they ALL BLEW AWAY IN THE WIND. I literally almost died in that moment.

That was my cue to never blow them up myself again. So anyway I found out the dollar store sells balloons and blows them up for you for a dollar. Oh. and you can call ahead and get them done in advance? sign me up. This year I bought 20 balloons, for 20 dollars. 20 dollars LESS than the stupid helium tank and I spent {zero} minutes on them. I also brought a few farm theme balloons with me I hadn't used from last year and they pumped those up for me for....yup, you guessed it. a buck! So, moral of the story is save your time and money and hit up a dollar tree. 

5. get help.

Seriously, get help. Especially if you have a baby. Babies are literally like put on earth to make you unproductive!!!!  Have someone come over the day of the party to watch said baby so you can prep. Have others make a simple side dish so you don't need to deal. Remember, It takes a village, mammas. Let's embrace that. Nobody gets a medal for doing it all on their own!! 

6. Take it all in ...and remember it is worth the work! 
After all..they're only ____ years old once #tear. 

xo

Alex

Seven Month Sebby

Seven Month Sebby

Another month has passed and we officially have a mover! Sebby is rolling, scooting, and trying to stand up on his own. This has also on several occasions given me a heart attack with Max's small toys laying all over the place. I've set up the pack and play and luckily he tolerates it from time to time! Sebby remains a pretty happy, good natured baby.... most of the time.

Sleep

The positives: we have MASTERED THE NAP SLEEPING IN THE CRIB. The negative: he's still up 3 times a night. Ugh. the struggle. Sebby KNOWS how to self soothe and put himself to sleep, but a lot of the time he just wants to nurse. Usually he is up around 10 or 11 pm, 2 am and 5-6 am. On a good night he wakes at 2 am and again at 5/6 am after falling asleep around 7 pm. At some point I'll put the foot down (with his brother it was 9 months)..so until then I'm trying to embrace the late night snuggles. 

Breastfeeding

Baby boy is still loving his milk..2-3 times /night and another 5-6 times a day. I have a feeling he will not be self-weaning like his brother..Pumping has become a lot less frequent during the day which is fantastic. My ollie grays bra is seriously a life saver. I feel like I'm running from meetings, to workouts, to training sessions so pumping on the go is pretty frequent for me! I find myself pumping in the car (hands free of course with my ollie grays) so much more than I did with Max!. The ollie gray's bra is an all in one-breastfeeding & pumping- no need for an additional bra to hold your pump flasks in place. Its crazy to me that the little guy will slowly be eliminating his nursing sessions..it seems like you nurse for forever and then one day its all over. I'm trying to really enjoy it knowing how much I missed it when Max weaned just randomly one day...lol. Talk about emotional...I swear it took me a few weeks to get over it. I was so hormonal and legit cried for a few days. It is such a big part of your relationship I got to the point where I was like "How am I going to move forward without nursing Max? How will I put him to sleep." Crazy how I had those thoughts as we moved on without a beat. Regardless there is something special about nursing and I'm trying to enjoy it for as long as I can (even with the crazy pumping in the car, nursing bra, leaking {{yes this is still happening 7 months PP omg}}, huge boobs and being restricted with what I can/can't do for weight loss). 

Brother

Max so loves his younger brother. He talks about him all the time and constantly says "Sebby come?" wherever we're going in no matter where it is! Despite this brotherly love, I still can't leave them in the room together alone and every now and again Max spends a few minutes in time out for a quick pinch or swat of his brother. We're working on it! As I write this Max tried to throw a shoe at Seb..HELP PLEASE. lol. Let me know if any of you have tips for the #BIGBROTHERSYNDROME! 

Play

Sebby has moved on from the mat to enjoying ANY sort of walker. He loves to be upright. He still spends a little time in the jumper but he will be growing out of that very very soon!!

Likes: 

-People
-Chewing on everything and anything
-Nursing
-pureed foods
-Standing
-Going for walks
-Bath time as a big boy in the tub
-Swimming lessons

Dislikes:

-Waiting for any type of food #impatient
-Being left alone
-Having his face wiped

 

Six month sebby

The time has been flying and I am SO excited for the summer. We have been loving taking the boys for longer walks now that the weather is starting to get warmer. Our little Sebby hit his half year old birthday last week! 

The days go by and Sebby is more alert than ever. He is so different from his brother, yet so alike in some ways. He is such a happy little boy and content most of the time (complete opposite of his brother at this age) but is so in tune with EVERYTHING around him. I swear both boys from Day 1 have eyes in the back of their heads! 

Sleep

Remember when I said that Sebby is more alert than ever? No more "sleeping like a baby." The 4 month sleep regression hit our household hard. REAL hard. Sebby was up basically every 90 minutes all. night. long. After 3-4 weeks of this boot camp, I decided enough was enough. {{If you're a co-sleeper or attachment parent you may want to stop reading here!!}} Once he was fed and I knew there were no other issues, if he cried, I would let him cry and check on him periodically. There was no way I could function running a business, being a mom to him (and his brother), and trying to live my life with me sleeping in a rocking chair with him attached to my boob the entire night or being a human swing every 90 min. I've gotten him to the point where he can actually put himself to sleep when I put him to bed fully awake. This is really an incredible feat in my opinion after having Max, who would scream before I even laid him down until he was 9 months old. On a good night, Sebby is still up once between 10 pm and 5 or 6 am. Normally most nights he is up 2-3 times during the 12 hours he is down and I am still nursing him. I think I'll start to really crack down on it in a month or so if he doesn't drop any of those wakings. I do feel positive though because, well, we've improved from him getting up about 5 times a night during the sleep regression and basically sleeping in the swing most of the night! 

Breastfeeding

To tell you the truth, I LOVE this stage of breastfeeding. No more engorgement, hurting nipples, or feedings on the hour. Both you and baby are in a groove! They can control their heads better and latch on completely without any assistance (yes, this matters, especially at 3 am when theres's no lights on! I swear they just know where it is!) Sebby's still nursing (or if I'm not there) gets a bottle every 2-3 hours. He gets supperrrr distracted especially with his brother around, so I have to get creative when I'm on my own with the two of them. I cherish the moments when its just him and I though. I think this could be why I resist trying to completely night wean him. That, combined with the boost it gives my supply I think I'll hang on for another month or two. There's nothing like the smell of my little boy snuggled up next to me all milk drunk :) I've managed to freeze almost 400 oz of milk- an awesome feeling to have that little bit of backup just incase something happens to me or my supply! 

Solids

This little man does NOT miss a meal. Clocking in at over 21 lbs, we decided to start with some rice cereal just after he turned 5 months. The struggle to keep the food off his chin was SO real. The improvement he made with the spoon after about 10-14 days was so good and I feel like now he is really doing well with solids. I feed him twice a day, usually cereal and fruits in the morning, and in the evening he has cereal and veggies. I do like to keep the cereal in the mix the first couple of months because its something their stomach is used to (the breastmilk). The only food he hasn't liked has been green beans, spinach, and peas. Can you blame him? I don't think I would either! Everything else goes down without a hitch: peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, apple, prunes, carrots...now that he has hit 6 months I'm going to start working on more of the combination fruit and veggie mixes. We will see how those go!! 

Brother

I think one of the most common questions I get is ...How is Max with his brother? My answer is...he loves him. BUT I can't leave them in the same room together for obvious reasons. Max may have the best intentions at heart, but his "hug" may accidentally crush his little brother! In all seriousness, Max is a great big brother about 80% of the time. Every now and again though, he has a moment where he'll swat, poke, pinch his brother and has to do a few minutes in time out. I guess thats normal though (hopefully). Its been neat to see them interacting now that Sebby is growing into himself and smiling at his brother or laughing at him! 

Play

Sebbys favorites include the Fischer price Gym- he spends so much time reaching for things and tummy time on this (see above with his brother :): 

He loves the jolly jumper:

He's such a boy already..loves his fisher price car!

Likes: 

-PEOPLE. This little man is full of smiles whether you're family or a stranger!
-Putting anything in his mouth
-Pulling my hair
-His brother
-Bath time
-Trying to sit up. I swear he does about 698 situps a day! 
-Going for walks
-Mortimor the Moose
-His swing. Yeah, we're still napping in that. #DONTJUDGE #imworkingonit
 

Dislikes: 

-Having his nose wiped. 
-The end of the day #grumpy
 

Stay tuned for MY 6 month postpartum update....xo

Alex

Our New Normal: 4 Months

Family of four. 4.5 Months. 19 weeks. 

Our New Normal.

Now that we've become a family of four, its almost like its always been this way. Those initial first {{really}} tough days are in the past and we've settled into somewhat of a routine. And yeah. Its gotten easier. Definitely not EASY. But easier. Some days I totally feel like I've got it all together. And then I have days like today where I'm trying to nurse the baby to sleep upstairs and my toddler is screaming {{literally hyperventilating}} in his playroom downstairs to let him out. 

I swear that I don't even blink an eye now thinking about packing both kids up to go somewhere, and I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that there is no down time with 2. When one is napping, the other one is ready to party! But I woulden't change it for anything. 

                                                                                                At Sebastian's Christening last month

Now that I'm a real veteran with multiple kids (haha JOKE) here's 7 things I've learned {fast} as a mommy of 2: 

1. Multi tasking: As women, we are conditioned to multi task. We do it at work, at home, and I swear even in our sleep! I always considered myself pretty good in that department. Then, baby 2 came along. I learned pretty quickly that I had to step up my game or I literally would not survive! Things like Breastfeeding while cutting up my toddlers lunch and doing squats while the baby is in the carrier have become the new normal. 

2. Divide and Conquer: I can't stress this enough. I think back to having just one baby and how if one of us had Max, the other was free. To do ...whatever. the. hell. they. wanted! Wow..those were the days. Now we're man to man. And having one seems SO EASY you guys. Life is so much easier when you're only dealing with one little persons needs. Your statistics for a meltdown are cut in half so your outing is already going to be more successful! Even at home, knowing that my husband is playing with Max while I'm putting the baby down for a nap makes so much of a difference. So. Divide and conquer my friends (when you can). 

3. Lower your expectations: This honestly goes for everything in your life. I know for a FACT I have become less productive due to the sheer fact that I never sleep. On top of that I have two little peoples needs that I am constantly juggling. Lower your expectations. Shit like dishes, laundry etc. can wait. I know its hard, but when you're on your own sometimes it just needs to wait until one of them is down for the count catching some ZZ's. Life will get easier ....soon. 

4. Get out: I know how much energy it is to plan to get out with multiple kids. You're juggling eating and napping schedules and spit up and poop and potty training and everything else that kids do and are. Without either one having a complete meltdown or the older one seriously injuring the other when  my back is turned..but just GET OUT. I always find when I make the trip out its just better. Yeah, the baby is a handful sometimes and do I love nursing in public? NO. BUT THE KIDS GOTTA EAT, people. Max is so much happier when stimulated so if I can even take them for a run around the {{smaller}} mall, or even Barnes and Noble for an hour I do. A happy toddler = a happy mom. And lets be honest as long as there's milk and my arms, the baby is pretty happy. 

5. Just say NO: I know this may sound like a contradiction (see #4), but sometimes you just have to say NO. I went through a period {{a very dark period lol}} where both of my kids were sick {{read: no one was sleeping, least of all me between the two of them}} and I had to bail on two social events with BFFs within a 3 day time period. Yeah, that was a drag. I was working on about 3-4 hours of broken sleep, a full working schedule, 2 sick kids, and being sick myself. The guilt train was in full effect. I miss my friends. And sometimes IT ISNT FAIR but thats life with kids and it won't always be this way. Sometimes, you have to say no and look after yourself. A majority of the time they will totally get it. They've been there. And if they don't get it, why are you friends?!!! Cut yourself a break and just go to bed. There will be time to catch up with friends. Just not when you're sick. And your kids are sick. 4 months after giving birth. 

6. Bribery: Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. When I'm on my own 2-3 times a week for bedtime and I don't want to hear my toddler screaming for me in our playroom when I'm nursing/putting the baby to bed, he gets to use my computer. Or gets to use the washable bath crayons in the tub IF HE's GOOD and waits patiently. Yeah, it sucks when I have to clean the washable crayon when he's in bed and in essence its making more work for me, but I get 10 mins of {{sweet, sweet }} silence putting my baby to sleep and we are all happier for it. 

7. Crying is ok sometimes: At the end of the day, I'm only one person and I can only do so much multi-tasking. And I'm doing my best. As long as they are both healthy, safe, warm, and fed, its ok that I can't get to them right. this. second. They'll survive. And not only will they survive, they'll also slowly over time learn the important lesson that the world doesn't revolve around them. 

4 months down,  a lifetime of learning to go. 

xo

Alex