Since sharing Sophia's capsule wardrobe last week for the fall, it gave me time to think about all the fall things I would love to do with her this year. Some of these we did last year and we want to keep doing them each year as a family tradition and other's we want to try to see how she will enjoy them and possibly adding those as a tradition as well.

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.


We had our 34 week appointment on Thursday and everything is still going good, praise the Lord. My blood pressure is normal, baby boy's heart rate was 142 and our doctor said she has a feeling he is going to be a big boy which honestly I wouldn't doubt with how heavy he is and because this belly just keeps growing and growing limiting what actually fits so you will find me rotating through the same things quite frequently until baby boy arrives.

The past few days, I have made a lot of progress on the hospital bag front but still have a lot more to go. What can I say, I am very particular about certain things and I definitely do over pack because I would rather be prepared. The baby's things are completely packed and fit into a sandwich ziploc bag, haha. Anthony's items are mainly packed besides his toiletries. I packed as much as I could for Sophia but most of her stuff will have to be a last minute packing thing so I jotted them down on a post-it for Anthony to be able to grab quickly. I still need to pack my entire list but I am honestly waiting on a few things in the mail so I am hoping they get here soon.

As for the baby, he is still moving quite a bit, not as much as before but still enough. A few times it felt as if he was doing summer-salts so I guess he is getting just as uncomfortable as I am at this point. I also started noticing I am leaking small amounts of colostrum already so my body is definitely getting ready for this baby and to be honest I am ready to be done with this pregnancy but I know how important these last few weeks of development are for the baby so I will not rush him out and God willing he will come naturally on his own.

We have gotten some nice fall like weather here in Houston lately which has inspired me to get Sophia's fall wardrobe ready. If you remember from last year, I put together a mini fall capsule wardrobe for her as a baby girl and you may notice a few of those pieces will reappear here in her toddler fall capsule wardrobe. Again, most of the pieces were found at second hand stores with an exception of a few that were given as gifts at her birthday (I made sure to request the next size up from our guests). I did try to find as many exact or similar options for you all in case you want to create a similar look for your toddler girl.






If you are wanting to hear more about how I thrift shop for baby and toddler clothing, let me know and I can prepare a tips and tricks posts later on (UPDATE: see Tips for Thrifting Children's Clothes here). I am also in the works of creating a new baby capsule wardrobe (UPDATE: see Infant Wardrobe here) so be sure to stay tuned for that!

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?

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.


Well, I didn't get nearly as much accomplished this week as I planned. I still need to register for the hospital and pack our hospital bag although I do have my packing checklist ready. We were able to score an awesome deal on a second hand rocking chair so I can have one in my room for once the baby arrives as I did not want to take Sophia's out of her room. It's not the prettiest or even my first choice but when you are on an extremely tight budget like we currently are, you make do with what you can and hopefully we can upgrade later on. So I spent the last few days deep cleaning the cushions and wiping down the actual chair.

On a pregnancy related note, sleep has been very scarce this week. I have a hard time falling asleep as I cannot get comfortable at all and end up tossing and turning so much that baby boy pushes against my bladder that I then get up a million and one times to use the restroom. Very much the same thing that happened around this exact timing with my pregnancy with Sophia. When it is bad enough, I end up getting out of bed and work on blog stuff late until early morning when my eyes are so heavy that I can no longer concentrate. That seems to be the only thing that works to get me to sleep otherwise I would stay up tossing and turning and never falling asleep.

Baby boys movements are still fairly active, not as much as he use to be but still enough that I feel him move throughout the day. If for whatever reason, I can't remember the last time I felt him move I will give him a few nudges to wake him up just to be certain. He definitely loves the left size just as Sophia did as he loves to curl right into my rib and then stretch out to the point of feeling pressure in all directions. I tell Anthony I really think he is trying to break out already but little guy still has a lot more growing and development to get done.

Although it has been a challenging week, I know it will all be worth once baby boy is safely in my arms and I know I will long for the days of this growing bump feeling all the kicks and movements.

Since we have been discussing breastfeeding and newborn essentials the last few posts and September is Baby Safety Month, I figured I would share my favorite baby proofing products that we use in our home as they are also an essential for keeping your baby and children safe.

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.

This week has been a little busy especially dealing with the after affects of Tropical Storm Harvey. We were extremely fortunate enough to not have any damage or flooding in our home but the anxiety alone of the possibility made it a tough week as well as helping family members who did get flooding in their homes. However, we are finally back to normal around our household so we can focus on getting last minute things done before baby boy's arrival. I finally got majority of his clothes hung up however we do not have a dresser for him so all his pjs, socks, bibs, etc are in a pampers box for the meantime. I have also created a hospital bag checklist that I still need to actually pack and I plan to share that with you all in the next few weeks but for the meantime you can see what we took to the hospital when we were expecting Sophia. I also still need to register for the hospital but we have been waiting due to some insurance stuff going on but that is also on the checklist for this week. It already sounds like another busy week but I do enjoy it as all these things are a reminder of the gift we are about to welcome into our lives.

We did have our 32 week appointment on Friday and baby boy is still doing great. Strong heartbeat and lots of moving around despite being cramped inside my tummy. My blood pressure is also still doing great, praise the Lord, and continuing to pray that it stays normal. With Sophia I had late onset preeclampsia which is a worry of mine during this pregnancy. 

Overall, I am still having a hard time sleeping comfortably but at this point it is just preparing me for the sleepless nights to come with a new little baby in my arms and that will definitely make all this discomfort and exhaustion worth it.

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!!

When Sophia was first born, I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked when it came to breastfeeding. I was induced three weeks early due to preeclampsia (read her birth story here) and I thought I had more time to get what I needed but birth doesn't always go as planned so you just roll with it. 
1. Nursing Pillow - Nursing pillows are great support for your arms when holding that little babe up to nurse at the breast but it can also support your arms if you bottle feed as well. I also heard that a nursing pillow is great if you have a C-Section as it can help relieve the pressure on your incision site when you are holding your baby. The one I have is discontinued but the Boppy Nursing Pillows are the most popular on the market. Plus, you can find tons of small shops that make custom slip covers that can fit your taste and nursery decor.

2. Milkies Milk-Saver - I have just heard about this product and I can not believe I didn't know about this sooner. I was a leaky mess with Sophia. So bad that I had to stuff my bra with cloth diapers and I still leaked through those. Imagine how much milk I could have saved if I would have had this!? It is definitely a must have now that I know about it.

3. Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - If you have been around my blog, you know my love for this book. I even did a book review here. It is a must have for any momma considering breastfeeding as it is super informative and helps debunk a lot of the misconceptions there is out there on breastfeeding.

4. Washable Nursing Pads - As I mentioned, I leaked a lot when I breastfed Sophia however not everyone leaks a crazy amount like I did, in fact some women don't leak at all but in case you do leak, having washable nursing pads available are helpful to prevent having wet spots on your shirt. I have the Medela ones and they are extremely soft and they come with a laundry bag which helps reduce the chances of losing one. I also use the laundry bag to contain them in the diaper bag.

5. Nipple Cream - I used the samples my hospital provided and those lasted me so I never had to invest in nipple cream but also I didn't need to use the nipple cream as much as other breastfeeding moms did. I guess constantly leaking helped prevent me from get dried out nipples. However, I am planning to use Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil if I do need a cream for my nipples this time around since I already have it on hand and it is natural compared to lanolin. I also use coconut oil to moisturize my growing tummy - I did this for my pregnancy with Sophia and now with baby boy. Plus one container has lasted me an entire pregnancy and some so more bang for your buck going this route.

6. Nursing Bra/Tank - I have used nursing tanks, nursing sleep bras, nursing sports bra, and everyday nursing bras however I still haven't found the perfect everyday nursing bra yet so I am on the hunt for one and actually plan to write a post going into more depth of why you need different types of nursing bras. For the mean time, any nursing bra will work and help make breastfeeding easier. I have heard great things about the Bravado brand (I plan to try them out next) so maybe start there.