Wednesday, September 6, 2017

18 Month Update | Little Love

It's hard to believe my little girl is a year and a half old. This sweet girl has been in our life for 18 months and she is going to be a big sister. It's crazy to think of how much has happened in less then two years. Even more so it is crazy to see how much she has grown in the past six months from her last update at a year old. Sophia has learned so much and has developed the cutest personality ever. She also has quite the sense of humor that she inherited from her daddy (she inherits her geniusness from me, haha).

There are so many things to brag on of what all she has learned since becoming a one year old. Sophia learned to walk between 13 and 14 months old. We recognized that she could complete a 7 piece puzzle around 15 months old. We aren't sure how long she was already doing it because by time we noticed she was a pro. She now can also complete her name puzzle, a number puzzle (0-9), and 8 piece shape puzzle and an alphabet puzzle (A-Z). Pretty sure we have a baby Einstein on our hands. She also learned to put her dirty clothes away and her diaper in the trash can around this same time all by herself. I really believe she has a photogenic memory and is very observant to all that we are doing. She started brushing her own teeth (she now has 11 teeth in total with a fourth molar waiting to break through) around 16 months old just by mimicking what mommy does as well.

We also started transitioning Sophia into her own room and crib around 15 months for naptime and 16 months for bedtime which I plan on sharing in greater detail in another post. She currently takes about a two hour nap and will sleep for around 11-12 hours at night and wakes up in the happiest and silliest of moods.

Sophia also weaned herself from breastmilk a little before turning 16 months old. It was bittersweet realizing she was more okay having bottled dairy milk then mommy's milk. Although, I am curious how she will handle seeing baby brother being breastfed and if she will want to start breastfeeding again.

Sophia can also identify her head, belly button, hands, toes, mouth and teeth although she does get shy if she is put on the spot and it is the cutest thing ever. She also does her own version of patty cake. Basically everything she does is the cutest ever and we go crazy over her and every new thing she learns.

Firsts
bloody nose

First molar (top first left) at 15 months

Two lower front teeth (incisor) at 15 months

Can climb up her slide and slide down unassisted

Can step up on things like a small box or her small chair

Swimming

Words
Brew
Duck
Mama
Dada
Milk
More
Teeth
Ball
Bloo (Balloon)
No
Dog
Trash
Yum Yum

Loves

Eating
Puzzles
Balloons
Mega Blocks
Lovey
Water
Milk
Boxes
Bathtime
Five Little Ducks YouTube Video
Slide
Balls
Shoes

What I Want to Remember
Her big ol duck lips when asked for a kiss
Her sweet hugs
How she loves to be a helper and put our stools in the living room
How she pulls us to show us what she wants
Her accomplished smile and the excitement to show us after she has completed a puzzle
Her rocking and patting stuffed animals
How she holds our fingers
Her surprising secret face
Naptime/Bedtime cuddles

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stormieariel

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Monday, September 4, 2017

Pregnancy

Bump Date | 32 Weeks with Baby No. Two

Posted by stormieariel

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.

More Bump Dates from this Pregnancy:

First Trimester

Second Trimester
28 Weeks
29 Weeks
30 Weeks
31 Weeks

Bump Dates from Sophia:
32 Weeks

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stormieariel

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Friday, September 1, 2017

Newborn Essentials from a Second Time Mom

Posted by stormieariel

This post was created in partnership with DockATot, LILLEbaby, Ollie World and Binxy Baby but all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

When creating my list of must-haves for baby number two I was quite surprised by how small my list was which is a good thing. When I was pregnant with Sophia, I made sure to register for and purchase all ~~expensive~~ major baby products in gender neutral colors and patterns so we could pass on those things to our next little babe whether it would be another girl or a baby boy. And man, is it saving us so much money (or giving us more bang for our buck) that we do not need much this time around. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a million and one things I want but that’s for another day, haha.

DockATot Deluxe – The DockATot is a multi-functional lounger, co-sleeper and playtime lounger. The DockATot comes in two sizes, the Deluxe (0-8 Months) and the Grand (9-36 Months). We first heard about DockATot when Sophia was around a month old and we got the opportunity to try the DockATot Grand when she was 9 months old (read here). It was a game changer and helped her sleep so much better through the night so I knew with a second baby, we would need the DockATot Deluxe from the very beginning. We typically use the DockATot as a co-sleeper since we bed-share and the thick borders make it safe to do so. (If you use my referral link, you will receive $10 off all Docks)

LILLEbaby Baby Carrier – I absolutely love babywearing! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to start babywearing Sophia until she was around 9 months old since the carrier we had didn’t properly support her head and neck or hips. When I finally bought a woven wrap for our New York trip, I fell in love with babywearing that I started looking into more baby carriers because I wanted to have the versatility to wear my babies in different ways for different reasons so I was excited when I heard about LILLEbaby and to be given the opportunity to try out two of their carriers, the soft structured carrier and the ring sling. I chose the LILLEbaby Complete since it will allow us to wear Sophia or the new baby in 6 different carrying positions. I also like the idea of having a soft structured carrier because it is easier for Anthony to wear either kid as well without having to worry how to wrap or adjust a woven wrap or a ring sling properly. I also chose a ring sling wrap from LILLEbaby because I love the lighter material it provides and it isn’t as intricate as a woven wrap so again I just love being able to have versatility in wearing my babies through all their stages and the seasons. And it’s becomes part of your outfit so it is nice to have options in accessories, haha.

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!!

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stormieariel