Tasty Shades: Mint Candy Apple & Cream Puff

You may remember my saying a little while back how I haven't painted my nails with anything other than clear polish in a long, long time. I might go as far as to say it may even have been... 8+ years..? Well, a few days ago, I broke that mold. I got a manicure during my mommy spa day and I chose to have my nails painted in color! Woo-hoo! Don't get too excited yet. It was a nude. :) I tested the water and I liked what I saw. So now, I am jumping on the nail polish bandwagon and here are the first additions to my up and coming nail polish stash (is it sickening that these are the only colors of nail polish I own...???):

ESSIE Mint Candy Apple

Vinylux Top Coat, Cream Puff, & Powder My Nose

The Vinylux nail polish boasts a 7+ day wear and an under 9 minute drying time. The "Powder My Nose" color is the one I had put on at the spa and obviously I was pleased since I couldn't help but buy a tube of my own. I used the "Cream Puff" to give myself french tips on my toes and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be applying a thin line with a large brush. I actually think it is harder to control those tiny nail art brushes. I can't wait to see if these white tips last an entire week. That would be amazing!

The Essie "Mint Candy Apple" is such an awesome shade. I think I have an addiction to this color - it was our wedding color back when we tied the knot. Maybe it holds some nostalgia to me. Whatever the case, I love it to pieces.

I hope I'm not crazy to have gone with such a pop of color on my nails with Asher's 6 month/our family portrait session tomorrow. We rescheduled the session from a few weeks ago due to a severely sunburned daddy who may or may not have worn his sunglasses and no sunscreen and ended up looking like a critter of the night. ;) The polish ties into our color scheme so fingers crossed (pun intended!) that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb (another pun intended! Haha).

Hopefully I'll have some fun stories and exciting pics to share after this long weekend. I need to get the dust off my camera and get a snappin'! Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Pin It Now!

Conquering Spit-Up Fashionably PART 1

We deal with a lot of spit-up. A lot. A lot, a lot. We've tried to find a rhyme or reason, some kind of method to this madness... but there really isn't much of a pattern other than a lot of spit-up, all the time. There are days when I can lay Asher down after a feeding and he is fine. Actually this happens quite often. He spits-up whether he is held upright or is in a sitting or laying position. Off and on, he spits-up immediately after eating and in-between them. He'll spit-up when he's overwhelmed - but sometimes he's totally fine. The only difference is the spit-up itself with different formulas. We've been through so many and it's pretty consistent in quantity and frequency. At least with his new formula, his spit-up isn't all acidic, curdled milk; that's a plus. 

So, when dealing with a baby who spits up a lot, you NEED to use bibs or you will find yourself changing their outfit umpteen million times a day. Ugh. Bibs.

I used to hate baby bibs. I even wondered to myself in those early days with this sweet, new baby eating from his bottle so delicately in my arms, "Why do these baby outfits all come with ugly bibs? Who would ruin the cuteness of the outfit with a BIB??" Now I know.

We only had 5 or so bibs until a few weeks ago. Don't even ask me how I did it. I don't know. 

"This bib? THIS BIB?? Mommy, you CRAZY!"

In an effort to save a little, I bought 2 packs of 10 bibs that were $10/each at Target. They aren't the cutest bibs in the world, but I needed something and fast. They work well during feedings, but they aren't nearly thick enough for our in-between spit-up occurrences. Asher laughs in the face of those bibs between his feedings. "HAHAHA!" Squashes them like bugs. Or maybe floods them like bugs, rather. I may just double up on them until he grows out of this problem. 

Lucky for us, I have come up with some other options that better fit our "bib criteria" and also are more fashionable! 

My Bib Criteria:

• CUTE
• THICK/ABSORBANT
• DURABLE TO WITHSTAND MANY WASHES

{Of course, with any bib you don't want to let your child sleep or nap with it on.} 

ZULILY SALE / Electrik Kidz - Bandana Style Bibs with Pacifier Loop

I got these super cute bibs from a Zulily sale featuring the brand Electrik Kidz. They're so adorable and also reversible, so they will work with many of different outfits. They seemed to be more targeted towards drool rather than spit-up, but Asher tested out the nautical anchor one just moments after snapping the last picture of him wearing it. It did the job!

LE PETITE BIRDIE - Stylish Boutique Bibs

I purchased these baby bibs from an Etsy seller, Le Petite Birdie. So far so good. They are lined with fleece to wick away the moisture. I'm honestly not sure how that works since it's on the back of the bib and I thought that moisture still would soak through while the fleece still feels dry... but I must be wrong, because these have been protecting Asher's outfits beneath them quite well. I don't understand the concept of a "stay-dry" fleece liner in a cloth diaper now.... Some serious 'Google-ing' is about to take place! Regardless, every time he wears one of these bibs, he gets compliments. In particular, the sock monkey patterned one has been a real hit!

I have some more bibs on their way, a few SCARF STYLE ones from another Etsy seller. Until those arrive and I've had a chance to try them out, this post is officially...

 To be continued...

Pin It Now!

Asher Goes to the Zoo

We were really looking forward to Memorial Day weekend's three full days off - no work, no chores (well, less than usual) and lots of time together as a family. 

We planned on taking Asher to the zoo for the first time. Brevard Zoo has an AWESOME giraffe exhibit that neither John or I had been to yet, so that added to the excitement. We knew the zoo would most likely be packed due to the holiday weekend, so we went first thing in the morning on Sunday. We couldn't have planned it better. The weather was perfect and the crowd had not yet started to accumulate. We went right in and headed straight for the giraffes!

I have SO MANY great pictures, so I won't waste any more time. Here we go!

This picture is my favorite!!!

 

Asher was sporting his Gymboree hat!

We used this baby carrier I picked up for the first time (only $12.99! What?!?) and for the money, it definitely did the job. I've never used one of the big name brand ones, but I think the difference is probably in ease of getting baby in and out and the overall sturdiness of the carrier. Although this carrier is decent, I'm on the lookout for a nicer one.

Asher had a great time at the zoo! Now he loves his plush "sophie" even more since he has seen giraffes in person.

We did cheat and use disposable diapers for our outing. I was worried Asher would get too hot in the Florida sun with a cloth diaper on, plus his outfit wouldn't have fit him since the cloth diapers tend to add a lot of pouf to the bum area. Regrettably, we do have a lot of sore looking redness that has popped up again. I am on the lookout for a brand of disposables we can use for travel and outings like this. The gDiapers with disposable inserts probably would have hit all the marks, BUT we always end up with a leak. He might just need to grow into those ones. I will keep you updated on my progress finding the perfect travel and outing diaper!


Pin It Now!

14 Weeks + Phone Favorites

iPhone Photo Favorites!

{Forgive my writing today. I'm not really in the mood for full sentences!}

Asher's New Developments - 14 weeks

• Phasing out the nighttime swaddle. Prefers to fall asleep swaddle-free, but then wakes himself up! Falls into a deeper sleep with it on, then "houdini"s his way out of it to suck on his hands. Gotta love it!
• 95% there with the roll from back to tummy. Gets stuck on his arm! So close!
• Erupts in the cutest laughter over the silliest things!!! 1. me singing the 'Diaper Dance' song 2. peek-a-boo with Mommy - VIDEO BELOW - SO CUTE!!! :)

• Wants to look at my face while eating.
• Can drink from his Tommee Tippee bottles now. Getting use out of our bottle stash - finally!
• Awake for longer periods during the day and constantly wants to be entertained or carried... Mommy getting less done around the house. ;) HOWEVER, I tried a new position with our K'tan carrier today and this may be the solution... I got some much needed work done on the computer and Asher played piano on the iPad while in the K'tan. That required some interesting positioning, but worked out pretty well!

• Introduced iPad baby piano app with farm animal sounds. LOVES IT! After only 2 days developing skills to touch the keys, he is now using his hands more than ever to grab and touch his toys, pacifier, self, my face, Suki, Sumo…
• Asher is absolutely in LOVE with his Baby Signing Time Vol. 1 DVD. I need to get volumes 2, 3 and 4!
• Learning various signs - milk, more, mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, diaper, dog, frog... He gets dog and frog mixed up, i.e. looks around for Suki I say "froggy". We're not expecting him to sign back until 7 months or so, but he's watching and taking it all in!
• Reading him at least 1 book a day, sometimes 4-5 (baby cardboard books). Current Favorites: Little Monkeys Jump in the Bath, Goodnight Moon, Are You My Mother, Doggies by Sandra Boynton, & Llama Llama Red Pajama

MOMMY UPDATE - 14 Weeks Post-Partum

• 3-5 lbs left 'til pre-pregnancy weight! Feels like 15 due to redistribution of weight and needing to tone up. :( I want to start running again but my body is still saying, "Yeah, right!" Thinking about the P90X DVDs collecting dust in our closet... but with a 3.5 month old?? Really??? Who has the time for that?????
• Just when you feel like you're returning to some sense of normalcy, 3 mo. pp hits and you really do start losing your hair! My thick, pregnancy locks are everywhere except attached to my head. I swear there is hair all over the house. I'm shedding like one of our pugs! Ha!
• The hair issue reminds me to be more easy on myself. My body is still going through a lot and my hormones are obviously still far from normal. 
• The songs from the Signing Time DVD are always stuck in my head. "It's time to eat, eat, what a treat! Eat, eat, eat!" LOL

I have LOTS of pictures to share from John's birthday yesterday (age 29 and holding?????), so be on the lookout for that post within the next few days when I finish uploading and processing the photos! Here's a teaser - First attempt at a baby-free day at the beach and there may or may not have been a thunderstorm that lasted all day. You just have to laugh on days like that! ;)

Pin It Now!

The Trouble With Tummy Time

Well, I came down with an awful sinus infection - again! Hopefully it's not the flu and the antibiotics that I have knock it out quickly. Sadly, I am avoiding too much contact with baby Asher because I really don't want to get him sick! It's incredibly hard not to snuggle with your little baby when he's looking up at you with the sweetest eyes! This has left me with more time than usual to edit pictures, so I have lots of them today! In my feverish state, I think I made some really good edits (unless I'm so out of it that they just look great right now...) - hopefully I can replicate these effects in the future! Haha. Anyways, on to today's topic...

Tummy time is so important. It helps with physical, cognitive and visual development, and helps prevent problems such as flat head syndrome. It strengthens the upper body and aids in sitting up, crawling and walking... But it can also be a challenge! When using our activity gym/play mat to have "tummy time" with Asher, I was left frustrated and felt like something was missing. While on his tummy, Asher obviously was not looking up at the hanging toys, and the arches made it difficult for me to interact with him. He got fussy after just a few minutes and I could understand why. That did not look fun at all! We weren't nearly getting in enough tummy time and were starting to notice a slight flat head starting to form! :( So, I started the search for a better way.

Asher in his Rock & Play with a flat head preventing cushion beneath him. Just say no to flat head!

I found a great play mat from Tiny Love, the Super Mat, that was large enough for me and John to both sit and play with Asher. Like I've mentioned before, we have 2 pugs, and they shed SO MUCH so I have not wanted to put Asher down on our bare rug and blankets just don't seem to provide enough cushioning. Then, I read great reviews on the Tummy Time Triangle from Infantino. I bought both and was ecstatic when the play mat and tummy triangle arrived a few days ago. I had no idea what a success both of these purchases would turn out to be!

The play mat has been such a wonderful addition to playtime. We now can much more easily play with Asher, and that makes it worth every penny alone. He practices rolling over, I lay with him and hold up high contrast flash cards, he laughs and smiles like crazy...! It's great!

Striped onesie from Gymboree - a gift from my mom! He looks so cute in it. He's such a big boy!

Asher instantly was entranced while on the tummy triangle. He stared at himself in the mirror for what seemed like 10 minutes! Now he stares at the little plush bee, as well. We were both shocked at how long he could hold this position with his head and chest so far off the ground. He was so steady, too! We get in a good hour per day of tummy time, at least, and even more play time now that we have these items. He is even sleeping more now since he is getting more interactive play while awake. Our morning routine is starting to become more regular - wake between 7-9am, eat, play, then nap begins about 2 hours later. Before, his naps were still pretty sporadic and there wasn't much rhythm going on. I really think this has made a difference so far. Another perk - the colorful mat makes for some great pics, too!

This striped sleeper is from a Carter's set.

Asher is wearing L'ovedbaby pants and a striped onesie from BabyGap. I see a theme in how I dress him...

I think we're gonna be able to roll over very soon!

Warning - overstimulation may occur! Nap time may be necessary. :)

Suki knows just how to comfort Asher.

Pin It Now!