New Mama Must Haves

i was recently asked to put together a list of some must-have items for new mamas. here is a list of some of my very favorite items... 

but, first...no post is a post unless it has a picture:) here is days old abbe lee, captured by our beloved lisa woods of lisa woods photography.

my number one must have is square one at watermark community church. if I could only have one thing as a new mom, this is it! you don't need to be a church member to participate. i made wonderful friends and received amazing new mom advice. i'm now best friends with the girls who were in my group. 

http://www.watermark.org/ministries/square-one--ministry-for-new-moms/

(the rest of the list is compiled in random order. love ALL of these items!)

1. chatbooks via instagram 

allows you to capture so many great life moments with so little effort at a really affordable price

2. the zoli cup

my babes can drink out of this when they are tiny! you can replace the straws as they break. it was the only cup we used with our son for ages.

3. beaba baby food maker

i make all of my baby food at home. i just purchased this baby food maker and it is a total game changer. love it.

4. planet wise wet bags

these bags contain any smell and any mess. they also go into the wash. i keep one in the car for those moments you hope you never have. they also work great for containing soiled cloth diapers until time to wash at the end of the day. i like the large and medium sizes.

5. halo sleep sack

man, i love these. velcro is key and a zipper at the bottom is amazing. allows me to change baby's diaper in the night without undoing the swaddle and disturbing the baby. the velcro is also really hard to break through for hudini babies. 

6. the snap and go

my big boy loves to push this stroller where the car seat snaps in to the base, keeping him in view and safe in a parking lot. the baby snaps into the stroller in their carseat with ease, allowing me to transition baby from car to stroller, easily(and without waking a sleeping baby). there is a cup holder...need i say more? it's also light weight and inexpensive, as far as strollers go. i bought the graco brand since i have a graco car seat.

7. honest company healing balm

this product does away with any odd bump or rash on my baby, including diaper rash.

8. mustela newborn shampoo

cradle cap will disappear in days with this product! the bottle of shampoo also lasts a surprisingly long time.

9. mustela body wash

i love this for days when baby doesn't take a real bath. i just wipe baby down with some of the wash, then apply lotion and snuggle baby in for the night.

10. pampers overnight diapers

these really do work so well for night time. the overnight diapers keep my baby comfortable for at lest 12 hours.

11. contigo water bottle

sounds crazy, but water drinking is a must for nursing moms. love this specific one because I can open it with one hand while i nurse.

12. microwave sterilizing bag

these are amazing. so fast and easy. great for pump parts, bottles and pacifiers. 

13. ergo

love this...especially now that we have two babes. i can safely and comfortably carry my baby anywhere in the ergo.

14. city mini

this stroller is amazing. i love the single and the side by side double for the both kids. really easy to navigate and folds up easily(the single folds with one hand). great for walking and exercise. both strollers push easily and smoothly on rough surfaces. love the city mini single and side by side double.

single stroller link

double stroller link

15. go pod

i keep this in my car. i use it at the pool and the lake. at friends houses, Bible study. anywhere and everywhere. my babies start using it when they are 4 months old.

hope you enjoy!

the nursery...

by far, the question i was asked most in pregnancy was, "what are you going to do in YOUR nursery?!?!" 

i loved dreaming about this space. 

i knew i wanted something gender neutral. we knew we wouldn't find out the sex of our baby before birth, and also love the thought of our children sharing a room regardless of gender...at least while they are little:)

i wasn't sure if i would get the ceiling complete while pregnant, but i am so glad i did. it is my favorite part of the space.

this rocker belonged to meme. we had it recovered for our little. 

meme is pretty special in these parts.

the dresser is a vintage find that i hand painted.

i hand painted the crib, given to us by GiGi. LouLou gifted us pretty much everything else. 

there are some fun touches in the space, like the ABC print my aunt made for my sister 32 years ago for her nursery.

i've since added the BOY touches. dinosaur roman shades and bedskirt, as well as the name painted on the wall. i'll be sure to share one of these days!

We had our baby...

it's true. time flew by and i went from (very!)pregnant to mama...in what felt like a flash.

we welcomed our beautiful baby BOY into the world on October 25.

he looks just like his papa.

which is just about perfect if you ask me.

maternity leave has come and gone. it was so so nice to have a break, but i am also so excited to begin creating again.

 nursery pictures to come!

Quick update...more to come

 bebe g is a growin. thought an update might be in order.

have some fun house and client projects to share later in the week.

 enjoy your sunday!

Baby G

that's right. we are pretty pumped to add a little to our house.

19 weeks plus junk in the hotel room floor

if you give a mouse a cookie(or a house)...

little hanky mouse a while back

she will want bebes to fill all the rooms in her house.

12 weeks

14 weeks

16 weeks

18 weeks

 jeff is real devastated...he feels like his bump is growing with mine:)

can't wait for october!!

Hand Painted Union Jack Dresser

this project was a fun one. let me tell ya, the mama of this bebe is one FASHIONABLE mama. as in looks so stinking cute when in the last month of pregnancy...impressive:) ashley, had the vision for a hand painted union jack dresser. i had the privilege of figuring out how to translate the design to this vintage dresser. it was a ton of fun. here is the final product:

here is a shot of the dresser in the nursery. this is a great visual for how to use a dresser as a changing table...works like a charm!!

A little house update

i can't believe it's been so long since i posted...where did march go? 

anyway, here is a little update in our, now, dining room. we enclosed our back patio and added this indoor space. i originally thought i'd use it as a little sitting area in my kitchen. then i realized no one was sitting there. then i put the dining table in there and put out munchies when people came over...and they sat there.

i wanted a subtle stripe pattern. the lighter gray is actually a champagne metallic color.

 the stripe colors are metallic champagne, darker gray(like in the herringbone room) and then the wall color, white.

 i also hung my floating shelves on the stripe wall. i really like the dimension they add. i made the mistake of hanging them way too close together in our old place. i decided to just hang two, and to give them lots of space to breathe between one another.

 i am glad i did...it will be much easier to style them this way.

i'll update you again, once i buy everything to style the shelves with. i have plans for large format photos in this space!