Warm Tones

Lightweight Material

Shoes

Wearing the right shoes can determine the look of your outfit and although I am wearing sandals which is traditionally a summer/spring staple, it works with this outfit since they are cognac. At least in my opinion they work; besides I am pregnant and they are what fits so whateves, haha. You could easily pair this outfit with open toe booties to make it more fall "appropriate."


What are you fall fashion tips if you live in a warmer area?

This post was created in partnership with PinkBlush Maternity but all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

I decided to document our pregnancy as a way to get all my feelings and emotions out and to later look and remember this beautiful time in our lives while noticing the differences and similarities with our first pregnancy. I hope you enjoy if you decide to follow along on this life changing journey.

I am so happy to finally share our maternity pictures with you all. Hurricane Harvey first put a damper on the first date we were supposed to photograph these and then the next weekend, we were hit with rain again. Even the day we shot these, we were rained out of our shoot but we still managed enough time to get a few amazing photos in.




As always, I can never think our friend and photographer Nick from LaPalomento Photography enough for always capturing these special moments in our lives.

With a new baby coming, it was extremely important for me to still have a dedicated place for Sophia to have one on one cuddle time with mommy or daddy. Therefore, we wanted to be sure to have a cozy corner in Sophia's room for story time, nap time and bedtime cuddles and whenever else she may need or want extra cuddles.

There were a few elements we needed to make this little corner in Sophia's room more cozier which included:

Seating 

Having a comfortable seating area is probably the most important aspect of creating a cozy corner whether it be floor seating or an actual chair. This particular rocking chair is the one we bought when Sophia was a newborn. We have debated on reusing it for the new baby but again I felt it was just as important for Sophia to have a comfy chair to curl into mommy's lap so it will remain in her room.

Blankets

Of course adding layers can make any space more cozier and I am a sucker for throw blankets plus we were fortunate enough to get a ton of handmade knit blankets for Sophia and this corner is the perfect place to display them and use them to warm up with.

Pillows

Again, the more layers you add, the cozier. We originally bought this pillow for our master bedroom but Sophia loved the black and white print as a newborn so I thought it was the perfect addition to her cozy corner.

Side Table

Because a lot of story times happen in this area, a table is a must have to place our books on that we are currently reading as well as to hold our cups or bottles.

Rug

A rug really helps ground this little area and not to mention this particular rug is extremely soft on our feet. I just love rubbing and digging my feet into this rug. Would you believe that it is machine washable? I also love the fact that it is made with all natural dyes, handmade, eco and contain no VOCs like most carpeting and rugs making it the perfect addition to any toddler room as it is truly family friendly. This design is my favorite for a child's room or play area because when we are playing on the floor, Sophia will point to the letters which gives us the opportunity to encourage her to learn the alphabet. Who knew a rug could be so much more than a rug? I highly recommend you check out Lorena Canals Rugs as they have rugs not just for children spaces but for sophisticated adult spaces as well.




This corner is one of my favorite spaces throughout our entire house especially as it allows that extra cuddle time with my sweet girl who is normally running all over the place exploring everything within sight and reach.



How do you create special one on one moments with your oldest?

Sophie the Giraffe – I am pretty sure everyone has heard all the rage about the Sophie the Giraffe teether but I also know once you see the price for it, there is hesitation. There was for us. But we still bought it and gave it a try and I am so glad we did. It is the only teether Sophia has ever had and used. It is that good. So think of how much money you spend buying those $2-$3 teethers and you probably bought about 10-15 to find the right one with no luck. Well you just spent the same amount of money on various others teethers when you can spend that same amount or less for just one teether. Also, if you follow the proper cleaning and care instructions that come with your Sophie you won’t have any mold issues. That whole situation really is a user error and not a product error.

The Ollie World Swaddle – I am super excited to try this swaddle out. Newborn babies have a moro reflex, or a startle reflex, that can wake them if they are sleeping so swaddling a newborn baby helps the baby feel secure and to not wake up. Sophia always broke at least one hand out of her swaddles (we used standard cotton swaddles and muslin swaddles) and would wake up every time she had a startle reflex. The Ollie Swaddle has velcro closure on the sides that help keep the Ollie secure and it has easy access to change diapers through the opening at the bottom which allows for diaper changes without having to unswaddle and reswaddle.  (If you use my referral link, you will receive 10% off all products at Ollie World - offer expires 09/07/2017)

Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock – Having a newborn and a toddler doesn’t leave much room in a shopping cart when you have to get out to the store so I am excited to be able to try out the Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock. You strap the hammock onto the cart and you can place either your carseat (no waking the baby, yay!) onto the Binxy hammock or you can put your infant in the hammock as there is a buckle for either way you decide to use it. This is definitely a product I wish I had with just one kid but so glad I found it now that I will be having two! (If you use my referral link, you will receive 10% off all products at Binxy Baby)

Since some of these products are new to me, I will be doing a more in depth review of each one once we get to try them out with baby boy. Crazy to think we only have about 8 weeks left, give or take!!

Thank you PinkBlush for collaborating with me on this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

When I was pregnant with Sophia, I was lucky enough to not have to endure a full summer of pregnancy and I actually joked that Anthony and I would have to work on our timing for any future pregnancies so that I wouldn't have to go through summer being pregnant. Of course, I was halfway kidding as we know all too well that the Lord is in control no matter how much planning or cycle/fertility tracking you may do. 

This post was created in partnership with Milestone World but all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Hey guys! It's been a while since we last chatted. Let me explain my absence a bit. If you remember from this post I gave extra income ideas as I was playing with ways to make money since our family was downsizing to one income. Obviously when Sophia was born that happened. 

At the beginning of this year, I started babysitting at home and it has been a challenge as I'm use to Sophia's independence and when I finally have a breather I just want to curl up on the couch with a good book which is what I have been doing (many book reviews to come). However this has gotten me behind on my monthly updates of Sophia.

This post is sponsored by HelloFresh but all thoughts, opinions, and adorable baby are of my own.

Imagine me loading up a 91 year old woman and a 9 month old baby to take a trip to the grocery store because that is what literally happens every other week. Sometimes I make a list, sometimes I don't, it is what it is. One of two things happen, I either forget an ingredient and I absolutely will not reload everyone back up for just one or two items, or I overbuy because why don't they sell fresh cilantro in sticks?? Like I do not need the whole thing, I need maybe a handful of leaves but that is it and I am done. I have even tried growing my own cilantro (remember my garden box? Yeah nothing survived).

This post was created in partnership with DockATot but all thoughts, opinions and night sleeping are of my own.

Once upon a time, there was a baby who did not like her mother to sleep. She needed to be near her mother and felt the need to wake up every one to two hours to ensure her mother was near. This little baby was my daughter, Sophia.

There was a time when she did sleep and only woke up twice to nurse in the middle of the night but after our vacation, time change, sickness and a new tooth, Sophia decided to act like a newborn again. When she was a new born I coveted the DockATot but I honestly didn't feel comfortable spending the money not knowing if it really worked or not.

However, this momma was desperate for sleep when Sophia's sleep regression stepped in. DockATot did provide me with my DockATot Grand but I am really kicking myself for not using all those Visa gift cards in the beginning to start off with the DockATot Deluxe. I think it would have saved me many nights of sleep lost.


For the past month, we have been doing the same nighttime routine almost every night and Sophia sleeps approximately five hours before waking for her first nighttime feeding.

Side Note: I have always purposely not followed our routine at least once a week because I do not want Sophia to become too dependent on routine to the point that she cannot fall asleep otherwise so we shake up the routine at least once a week.


After dinner, Anthony usually has one on one playtime with Sophia in her room and once we notice she is getting sleepy (rubbing eyes, overly whining, etc), we know it is time to start our bedtime routine. We do not have specific times or an amount of time we do any one thing, we follow Sophia's cues to know when to start or stop something within our routine. This is something we have found that works best for us and our daughter.

Bathtime 

Anthony and I take turns on who will bathe her. Whoever is not doing bathtime, is preparing the rooms for bedtime such as turning lights off, turning on lullaby music, setting up humidifier, undoing bed, getting out pjs, etc.

The one who is bathing her allows her to play in the tub after washing (we only wash her hair once a week due to cradle cap and this has helped tremendously).

We try to always take her out on a good note as we had a bathtime regression for a few weeks where she hated baths and mommy had to bathe with her so now we sing and play and watch her carefully to be sure to take her out before she is fussy.

Pajamas

The same person who bathes her also dries her off, puts on a fresh diaper and her pajamas. If the house still isn't ready, she is distracted for a bit.

Devotional

Anthony and I take turns reading a daily devotional to her from my childhood devotional book. Sometimes I nurse Sophia during our devotional and sometimes I do not, it just depends on how tired or fussy she is. For the most part, we can do this without nursing.

Nursing and Lullabies

Anthony turns off the light in the nursery while I rock Sophia in our rocking chair and I nurse her to sleep. FYI, I know there is controversy over nursing to sleep but this is what works for my family at the moment and we are perfectly okay with that.

I use to check my social media, catch up on blog stuff, etc. while I nursed her but I noticed the light would distract her from falling asleep no matter how dim I have it so now I put my headphones on and tune in to a podcast (I am currently listening to Read-Aloud Revival and A Delectable Education).

DockATot

Sophia is typically asleep by time I finish a podcast episode so I will text Anthony to come help me move from the nursery to our room. I take the headphones off and leave my phone on the end table in the nursery and Anthony grabs the iPad that is playing the lullaby music and follows behind me to our room.

The DockATot is in the middle of our bed and I lay Sophia down in it as Anthony puts the iPad on our nightstand. Every once in awhile, she will wake up during the transition so one of us will try to get her back to sleep.


We started this whole routine in November (and we actually use to follow this routine before our vacation expect Sophia would put herself to sleep) and received our DockATot in December. It wasn't until we started using the DockATot that we saw real progress for how she use to sleep before the regression. The first night in it, Sophia slept six, S-I-X, hours and the next day she napped for a whole hour and a half in it (nap regression is a whole other story).


Now I seriously cannot imagine life without our DockATot and I am really wishing we would have gotten it sooner. Thank you DockATot for giving this momma and daddy more sleep!

Have you tried the DockATot? What does your bedtime routine look like?

I have been a customer and window shopper/lover of Freshly Picked since I became pregnant with Sophia last year. I was so excited when we purchased her first pair earlier this year (we chose the newborn ivory pair) as they were super easy to put on and stay on.

This post was created in partnership with PinkBlush Maternity but all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

I don't know about ya'll but I love Cinco de Mayo, when I was in school we actually celebrated the day by putting on a dance performance.  I also enjoy having an excuse to eat all the tacos and margaritas I want although this year I'll just enjoy tacos and an excuse to dress up!

So when I got the opportunity to collaborate with Pink Blush, I knew I wanted to choose something that would help me feel festive in a chic and fashionable way while being nursing friendly. Pink Blush offers clothing for all stages in a women's life from maternity to nursing to regular and plus sizes. This Ivory Embroidered Accent Tie Front Blouse isn't from their nursing line but that's what I love about Pink Blush, majority of their pieces are so versatile and can cross over into whatever stage of life you are in.



I love that this blouse has a button front closure, certainly makes nursing easier while out enjoying tacos but those tassels details are darling! Who else is loving the tassel trend?



So now onto the GIVEAWAY! Pink Blush was so nice to extend a $50 gift card to one of you lucky ladies! Enter to win using the widget below.  

Disclaimer: Please allow us 24 hours to verify all entries and choose a fair winner. If you have won a PinkBlush giveaway within the last 3 months, you will not be eligible to win, winners must wait 3 months before they are eligible to enter to win again. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond to the congratulatory email before a new winner is chosen. May the odds ever be in your favor.

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