Shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Target
Socks that look like shoes: Trumpette
by Gaelyn on August 9, 2013
Categories: Fashion, What Ollie Wore 1 7
Archives for August 2013
What Ollie Wore
Shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Target
Socks that look like shoes: Trumpette
by Gaelyn on August 9, 2013
Categories: Fashion, What Ollie Wore 1 7
What Ollie Wore
This outfit kind of kills me.
Look at that handsome face!
Hat and Leggings: Little Hip Squeaks
Henley shirt: Baby Gap
Socks that look like shoes: Trumpette (Johnny Socks)
by Gaelyn on August 8, 2013
Categories: Fashion, Kids, What Ollie Wore 1 3
What Ollie Wore
This outfit kind of kills me.
Look at that handsome face!
Hat and Leggings: Little Hip Squeaks
Henley shirt: Baby Gap
Socks that look like shoes: Trumpette (Johnny Socks)
by Gaelyn on August 8, 2013
Categories: Fashion, Kids, What Ollie Wore 1 3
Oliver’s One Month
Last week we celebrated Oliver’s first month. I can’t believe that a month has already flown by. I feel like I blinked and a month had passed. It makes me realize how fast my maternity leave will be up and before I know it he will be 12 years old and taller than me. Okay, I might be getting carried away haha. To celebrate the most awesome of months we went to the Long Beach Aquarium with Emily, Adam and Chico (our godson). In all honesty Oliver couldn’t have cared less haha, duh, but we are eager for our boys to have fun adventures together so we went for it.
Emily is a big fan of baby carriers (that might be an understatement) and I was eager and interested in trying the Sakura Bloom ring sling. The biggest lure for me was the idea that I could nurse in the sling. Nursing can be a challenge when you are out and about. For example, yesterday I found myself at Target. I was waiting for a family fitting room (which were all occupied by non families- ugh) but before I could get to trying anything on the baby lost it and needed to nurse. I immediately latched him but then had to navigate my stroller with one hand, hold him with the other and try to find a bench- minor chaos. So to be able to do some hands free nursing sounded amazing. Several baby carriers say that you can nurse in them, but I haven’t found it to be true for newborns. So before buying yet another baby carrier, I asked Emily if I could try one of hers out (since she owns several).
I really enjoyed the sling experience for several reasons. I was able to successfully nurse in it and not only that but I was able to go about my hands free business. No finding a bench and doing nothing for 20 mins!
Another thing I really love about the Sakura sling is how easy it is to adjust and put on, especially between wearers. We currently own the Solly Baby Wrap and the Ergo Carrier. We like both of them but they do have their issues. The Solly take a while to get on, you have to wrap it up and around and then load the baby in. It’s not hard, but it does take a moment and if you have a fussy baby, it can feel like “too long”. The Ergo will likely be great as Oliver gets bigger but currently it has its downsides. One being that you have to adjust all the straps to change it between wearers. Two- to use as a newborn, you have to use this padded infant insert that makes it really hot for the little guy and three- you can’t nurse a newborn in it (same with the Solly).
The dads love that they can easily wear the baby as well. Honestly, these two dreamboats always want to wear their babies! “Can I wear him now?” Needless to say, we were pretty impressed so we have decided to add one to our arsenal!
I also snapped a few pics of Ollie’s cute outfit, since he was hiding in the sling all day haha. He was grumpy about it.
Then we had a little nursing session and he felt much better about it!
Photobombed by peanut!
(Oliver’s outfit is from baby Gap)
by Gaelyn on August 7, 2013
Categories: Fashion, Kids, LIfe, Motherhood, Products, What Ollie Wore 4 1
Oliver’s One Month
Last week we celebrated Oliver’s first month. I can’t believe that a month has already flown by. I feel like I blinked and a month had passed. It makes me realize how fast my maternity leave will be up and before I know it he will be 12 years old and taller than me. Okay, I might be getting carried away haha. To celebrate the most awesome of months we went to the Long Beach Aquarium with Emily, Adam and Chico (our godson). In all honesty Oliver couldn’t have cared less haha, duh, but we are eager for our boys to have fun adventures together so we went for it.
Emily is a big fan of baby carriers (that might be an understatement) and I was eager and interested in trying the Sakura Bloom ring sling. The biggest lure for me was the idea that I could nurse in the sling. Nursing can be a challenge when you are out and about. For example, yesterday I found myself at Target. I was waiting for a family fitting room (which were all occupied by non families- ugh) but before I could get to trying anything on the baby lost it and needed to nurse. I immediately latched him but then had to navigate my stroller with one hand, hold him with the other and try to find a bench- minor chaos. So to be able to do some hands free nursing sounded amazing. Several baby carriers say that you can nurse in them, but I haven’t found it to be true for newborns. So before buying yet another baby carrier, I asked Emily if I could try one of hers out (since she owns several).
I really enjoyed the sling experience for several reasons. I was able to successfully nurse in it and not only that but I was able to go about my hands free business. No finding a bench and doing nothing for 20 mins!
Another thing I really love about the Sakura sling is how easy it is to adjust and put on, especially between wearers. We currently own the Solly Baby Wrap and the Ergo Carrier. We like both of them but they do have their issues. The Solly take a while to get on, you have to wrap it up and around and then load the baby in. It’s not hard, but it does take a moment and if you have a fussy baby, it can feel like “too long”. The Ergo will likely be great as Oliver gets bigger but currently it has its downsides. One being that you have to adjust all the straps to change it between wearers. Two- to use as a newborn, you have to use this padded infant insert that makes it really hot for the little guy and three- you can’t nurse a newborn in it (same with the Solly).
The dads love that they can easily wear the baby as well. Honestly, these two dreamboats always want to wear their babies! “Can I wear him now?” Needless to say, we were pretty impressed so we have decided to add one to our arsenal!
I also snapped a few pics of Ollie’s cute outfit, since he was hiding in the sling all day haha. He was grumpy about it.
Then we had a little nursing session and he felt much better about it!
Photobombed by peanut!
(Oliver’s outfit is from baby Gap)
by Gaelyn on August 7, 2013
Categories: Fashion, Kids, LIfe, Motherhood, Products, What Ollie Wore 4 1
Small Space Baby Essentials
It’s my opinion that most people buy way too much stuff for baby. When we told people we intended to stay in our tiny 500 and something square foot cottage after Oliver arrived, many of them thought we were kind of crazy. We knew it might be a little challenging, but definitely do-able. I thought I would share a few of the products that made it possible for us.
1. The Bloom Alma Mini Crib $340
comes in brown/orange/green/ gray/ white
This thing is perfect and has really been ideal in our small space. For one thing, the baby’s room is very narrow. This crib is actually on wheels and narrow enough to easily pass through doorways from room to room. This has been great because in the early months as I am night nursing Oliver, we can have his crib right next to our bed and not take up too much more room than your standard co-sleeper. Then in the morning when we go out into the living room we simply roll the crib out with us. Who needs a pack n’ play? (Downside: typically this crib only works for about a year+ or so depending on the size of your baby. It does not convert to a toddler bed and there for has a shorter life span. But for us, it works. Also, because it is a unique mattress size you are limited to buying very specific pricey sheets. Or you could make your own with this pattern I found on Pinterest)
2. Boon Naked Collapsible Bathtub $60comes in orange/teal/green
Forget the Puj tub, this Boon tub is where its at! It’s sturdy, its simple and IT COLLAPSES TO FOLD FLAT! It has a hook so you can hang it in the shower to dry or store it behind a door or in a closet. We simply tuck it underneath our clawfoot tub!
This one is a bit pricey for what it is. And for the price, you could argue that you could get a bouncer that does a lot more. But what we love about this one is that 1. it folds flat and comes with a nice travel bag that you can store it in. 2. its not covered in obnoxious ugly “baby” patterns. One of my biggest pet peeves about baby stuff is how ugly it always is. Why does it have to be covered in cartoon characters? No thank you. I think the clean simplicity is key, especially in a small space. When living in a small space, so many of your things and babies things blend together and have to work in any room in the house. Also, did I mention it folds flat? In case you haven’t noticed, that’s a pretty big theme in our small space!
UPDATE: A friend gifted us the Baby Bjorn seat and I actually like it much better. It’s one piece instead of two and still folds up flat. Even smaller than the Bloom.
Having a small space, my husband and I discussed quiet a bit what we needed and didn’t need. He argued that we didn’t need a boppy because “don’t we have enough pillows?! Where is that thing gonna go? It’s just going to stay out on the couch all the time?!”. Yes, yes it is going to stay out on the couch all the time. I think the boppy is definitely a necessary item if you are breastfeeding. Nursing can wreak havoc on your back and anything that can make it easier is great! But to his point, do I really want it sitting out on the couch all the time covered in some dumb cartoon character print? No, no I don’t. Enter the boppy slip cover. You can find a bunch of fabric options on etsy that will blend a lot better with your decor. This makes living with baby things in a small space much more bearable.
What I liked about this changing station was that it was SLIGHTLY smaller than most and fit on our smaller dresser top (just barely). I also found one of the more typical fabric covered foam cushion tops that would have barely fit but what I love about this one is that it wipes down clean! I cant tell you how many times a newborn will poop or pee right after you take their diaper off (sometimes more than once or twice)! So rather than have to strip off the cover and wash off the poop you can simple wipe this bad boy down and move on with your life. Or go back to sleep. Making things so much simpler!
Some of these items may be on the pricier side but for us, making our small space work means staying in an expensive neighborhood. So the pay off was worth it to us! Any other small space moms have items they recommend or cant live without?
by Gaelyn on August 5, 2013
Categories: Home, Kids, LIfe, Motherhood, Products 4 3
Small Space Baby Essentials
It’s my opinion that most people buy way too much stuff for baby. When we told people we intended to stay in our tiny 500 and something square foot cottage after Oliver arrived, many of them thought we were kind of crazy. We knew it might be a little challenging, but definitely do-able. I thought I would share a few of the products that made it possible for us.
1. The Bloom Alma Mini Crib $340
comes in brown/orange/green/ gray/ white
This thing is perfect and has really been ideal in our small space. For one thing, the baby’s room is very narrow. This crib is actually on wheels and narrow enough to easily pass through doorways from room to room. This has been great because in the early months as I am night nursing Oliver, we can have his crib right next to our bed and not take up too much more room than your standard co-sleeper. Then in the morning when we go out into the living room we simply roll the crib out with us. Who needs a pack n’ play? (Downside: typically this crib only works for about a year+ or so depending on the size of your baby. It does not convert to a toddler bed and there for has a shorter life span. But for us, it works. Also, because it is a unique mattress size you are limited to buying very specific pricey sheets. Or you could make your own with this pattern I found on Pinterest)
2. Boon Naked Collapsible Bathtub $60comes in orange/teal/green
Forget the Puj tub, this Boon tub is where its at! It’s sturdy, its simple and IT COLLAPSES TO FOLD FLAT! It has a hook so you can hang it in the shower to dry or store it behind a door or in a closet. We simply tuck it underneath our clawfoot tub!
This one is a bit pricey for what it is. And for the price, you could argue that you could get a bouncer that does a lot more. But what we love about this one is that 1. it folds flat and comes with a nice travel bag that you can store it in. 2. its not covered in obnoxious ugly “baby” patterns. One of my biggest pet peeves about baby stuff is how ugly it always is. Why does it have to be covered in cartoon characters? No thank you. I think the clean simplicity is key, especially in a small space. When living in a small space, so many of your things and babies things blend together and have to work in any room in the house. Also, did I mention it folds flat? In case you haven’t noticed, that’s a pretty big theme in our small space!
UPDATE: A friend gifted us the Baby Bjorn seat and I actually like it much better. It’s one piece instead of two and still folds up flat. Even smaller than the Bloom.
Having a small space, my husband and I discussed quiet a bit what we needed and didn’t need. He argued that we didn’t need a boppy because “don’t we have enough pillows?! Where is that thing gonna go? It’s just going to stay out on the couch all the time?!”. Yes, yes it is going to stay out on the couch all the time. I think the boppy is definitely a necessary item if you are breastfeeding. Nursing can wreak havoc on your back and anything that can make it easier is great! But to his point, do I really want it sitting out on the couch all the time covered in some dumb cartoon character print? No, no I don’t. Enter the boppy slip cover. You can find a bunch of fabric options on etsy that will blend a lot better with your decor. This makes living with baby things in a small space much more bearable.
What I liked about this changing station was that it was SLIGHTLY smaller than most and fit on our smaller dresser top (just barely). I also found one of the more typical fabric covered foam cushion tops that would have barely fit but what I love about this one is that it wipes down clean! I cant tell you how many times a newborn will poop or pee right after you take their diaper off (sometimes more than once or twice)! So rather than have to strip off the cover and wash off the poop you can simple wipe this bad boy down and move on with your life. Or go back to sleep. Making things so much simpler!
Some of these items may be on the pricier side but for us, making our small space work means staying in an expensive neighborhood. So the pay off was worth it to us! Any other small space moms have items they recommend or cant live without?
by Gaelyn on August 5, 2013
Categories: Home, Kids, LIfe, Motherhood, Products 4 3