baby #2 wishlist addendum...

if you read my first baby #2 wish list and you know me well... you probably already knew this post was coming! babies are just so much fun and this stage of life is so short, that I just want to embrace it completely and not regret spending a few dollars if it's gonna make my day-to-day life easier!

so, with that said... here's a few updates on my wish list and a few add-ons! i mean, as the title states… this is just a wish list! haha

first, I ended up ordered this bag from pottery barn a couple weeks ago and it's exactly perfect from what I can tell! it's big enough, but not too big. it's a great material that seems easy to clean and it has an excess of pockets! and all the mamas said 'amen!'! can't wait to use it!!

I also have pretty much decided on a stroller and neither of them are the ones I originally posted about!! after doing a lot more research, scrolling through craigslist and reading a million reviews, I decided on the baby jogger city select double. I found a great deal on craigslist and am hoping to pick it up thursday (in indianapolis). i found it for $200 off retail price and it's new in box. ptl!!!

in my original post, a new infant carseat was not even on my radar. i noticed that target was having a huge baby sale and most of their carseats were majorly discounted (20% off + add'l 20% on cartwheel). so, this got my wheels turning to just check our carseat expiration date and make sure we were good (we bought it off of craigslist before holden was born). sure enough… expired. in december! so, i set out to find a good deal and be done with it. i knew i was definitely getting another chicco, so i picked this one out at target.

what i expected to be an easy breezy process has been quite the opposite… but i will get my 40% off, so it's worth the extra hassle. basically, target was out of the chicco carseat i wanted and the cartwheel was expiring that day. my dear target said they would honor the sale price AND the expired cartwheel deal for the carseat as soon as they got more in stock. so… after me calling literally everyday for a week and being told they still didn't have any in, i just decided to ask if i could order it online and if they'd adjust the price. to my serious surprise, they agreed! what?!?!?!?! so, i'm still waiting for the carseat to arrive, but it's a) being shipped to my door (hello, no lugging it out of the store… with a toddler… trying to cram it in my car) and b) i am getting the discounts long after the sales are over. praise the lord!! i am so excited!!

i've been familiar with aden & anais swaddle blankets for awhile now, but couldn't ever bring myself to shell out the money when there was so much other stuff that i couldn't bring myself to spend the money on "fancy" blankets. well, since we'll be having a summer baby this go-round, i think some thinner blankies will be really nice and i'm hoping these will be everything i'm looking for! plus, they're super cute, aren't they?? 

lastly (for now)… we have a video monitor with holden that i love! since he's always had a pretty little cry… as in, i can't hear him across our little house unless i had bedroom doors open and such. so, as we plan for a new baby, i am definitely going to be picking up an additional camera for the nursery. this is something i plan to wait to get until well after the baby gets here since i plan to keep the babe in with me for awhile, but it's definitely on my checklist. as holden gets older, i know it won't be as essential to have, but it's still great to be able to see what he's doing and all that good stuff! side note: a few weeks ago, he coughed and i heard him on the camera and could see something was weird and i went in his room and he had thrown up everywhere. sure, i would have found that out eventually, but i had an idea something was wrong before i even got to him.

ok, so here's to hoping i don't need another addendum (is an addendum's addendum called something different?!)!! if you think of something that has helped your life immensely with 2 kiddos, please please please chime in!!!!

baby #2 wish list!

as we slowly prepare & get our ducks in a row for the arrival of our new babe in july, i can't help but think about several things that i didn't have or need with holden that i would really, really like and appreciate having as we move to a fam of 4! we moved from florida to indiana when holden was 6 wks old, so i didn't get the enjoyment of putting together a nursery for him prior to his arrival. well, as the cards have played out, we will most likely be moving either when i am a super pregnant this time or with a newborn yet again. imagine my excitement... regardless of the chaos that i'm sure the next 6 months will hold, i am choosing to focus on a) the amazing gift of life that trumps the chaos, and b) all the new things i totally would love to splurge on for this baby! hey, if i'm gonna be homeless (not really... slight exaggeration), i might as well look cute, right? :)

with holden, we had this chicco travel system and i loved it 100%! we plan to use the same carseat this go-round, but will probably get rid of the stroller. a double stroller is something that just makes sense for us since it isn't super uncommon that holden would rather ride in the stroller than walk (thank god! makes things so much easier usually!). the main stroller i have my eye on (based on a handful of good friends' recommendations) is the city mini double.

isn't she purrty?? the functions of this stroller far outweigh the brand name aspect, at least i think so. the stroller can collapse so easily & folds virtually flat (not taking up a lot of room in the trunk), is lightweight, has a huge sunshade, is a side-by-side but can still fit through all doorways & the list goes on!

another option is the contours option lt double. i haven't read as much about this stroller, but the seats can switch around to all different varieties making it a stroller that would undoubtedly grow with us as a family. i chose the pic that shows it with a chicco carseat since that's what we have, but where the infant seat is, there's typically an identical seat as the front one that can go forwards, backwards, etc. i love how big that basket is (which is my main hesitation w the city mini).

ok, moving on! something that i didn't really realize existed until long after i had holden is the ever-so-wonderful rock & play! i think the main purpose is to kind of act like a basinet in mom & dad's room until it's time to move the babe to their own room. not by choice, but holden slept in my arms for the first 8 weeks (he hated his pack n play that we intended to use as his crib in florida... then we moved in with my in-laws and there was a bunch of family home visiting for christmas, so there wasn't an extra room for holden... then we went to minnesota for christmas and there wasn't an extra room there either). long story short, i didn't know of a good option, was running on little sleep anyways and he only slept while held, so i didn't put much thought into it. well... when we got home from minnesota, h was 8 weeks old and we set up a spare room at my in-laws and he was moved to his own bed. and it was glorious!!!! with this next baby, i don't have a set plan of where i want he/she to sleep and for how long, but a rock & play is a no brainer at least for the first few weeks while they're in our room!

as many families do, when the second baby comes along, they make the move from a small suv or car to a mini van. although i fought this process for awhile (really pushing for a tahoe or explorer), a mini van really has become something i'm pretty excited about! the sliding doors, extra room, lift tailgate... ah, it makes me just so happy thinking about it! and that's not even to mention the convenience if it's pouring rain and just throwing the kids in the van and climbing in with them! we haven't gone and test driven any vans yet, but based on exterior esthetics, i'm leaning towards a honda odyssey or a toyota sienna in maybe black, navy or gray. we will 100% do something used (my FIL has a used car dealership afterall!), so it'll just depend on what is available when we want to buy (probably this spring-no later than may, hopefully)!

the last thing on my "must have" list for baby 2.0 is a new diaper bag. with holden, i had this timi & leslie bag (above) that i liked for the most part, but it was literally falling apart by the time i stopped using it (h was around 9 mos-a year). it certainly wasn't the most expensive bag i've ever bought (it was right around $150), but it definitely didn't hold up like i hoped a $150 diaper bag would. so, this time, i feel i'm a little less 'my diaper bag has to be chic and not look like a diaper bag whatsoever' and more 'i'd like a bag that doesn't scream diaper bag, but is sturdy, functional and not gonna break the bank'. so, here's a few options that i've found without searching too hard.

this sausalito bag is from pottery barn! who knew they made fabulous diaper bags?? it's definitely bigger than it appears (almost 22 inches in length) and the bottom leather portion zips open to store the changing pad, diapers, etc. at $130 on sale, it's not a farfetched option, but my hesitation is that i haven't seen it in person and would have to drive to indianapolis to return it if i hated it.

this skip hop chelsea bag reminds me of the type of bag i was looking for when i was pregnant with holden, but is less expensive and looks waaaay more functional. it's right at $100 on amazon, which i think is a great price point! with all those exterior pockets, it kind of reminds me of the super popular 31 bag, but is way more fashionable AND has a top zipper so things won't constantly fall out.

so, i think that about sums up my must-haves for baby t 2.0! please, please, please leave suggestions or advice of things i need/ don't need, if you've tried/ have any of these things and any other things i should check out!!!

this one's for the girls!

being that i'm a lover of girly things, a mama & a jewelry fanatic, it only makes sense that i share with you the new stella & dot line specifically for the little ladies in our lives! i have high hopes that i'll have a daughter eventually, so this line makes my heart flutter for the future!!!! if you have a little girl in your life that needs a little sparkle, check out the new jewels and cross off a thing or two on your christmas list while you're at it!

PLUS, i'm doing something special right now that everyone who spends $100 between now and august 31st will receive a free pouf in the design of their choice (and there are some seriously cute ones!)!! i mean, how great is that??

some of my favs from the new little girl's line:

color crush statement set-

mariposa trio set-

olive pearl set-

mini mariposa necklace-

aren't they SO cute??? the only thing i'm hoping for is that they'll maybe mix in some purple next time since not all little girls are pink-obsessed!

hope you love the idea of having cute jewels for your little ladies as much as i do!!! hurry over to my website before the 31st to take advantage of the free pouf & to see the rest of this new line!!

things i'm loving: toddler edition!

i did this once before and thought it was a fun take on my typical 'things i'm lovin' posts! if there's one thing i know, it's that when a mom recommends something to me, i listen real close. not because i can't come up with my own fav things, but because if someone has already done the trial & error of things, why would i waste my time?? or if there is a better solution to something i'm currently doing, it'd be silly to not change my ways! anyways... here's my recent favs for my almost-2 year old!!

first things first, my absolute favorite thing is labels by inchbug! my dear friend, jen, is the one who opened my eyes to the wonderfulness that these labels are! they are plastic, dishwasher safe labels that you can put your child's name on. so, like all the times holden goes to mops, the church nursery or is with his cousin, there isn't any confusion which cup is his! brilliant, in my opinion. especially since mops and church used to use avery sticky labels and it always left nasty residue and was a pain to get off! no more, my friends!! check them out! definitely worth the money, in my opinion!

another staple right now in our home is dora. i was really torn when holden first started getting into it because i wasn't sure if the show was more geared towards girls or what not since the main character is a girl. however, i've since realized that a) that doesn't matter and b) it really isn't since there are several boys in the show, too! holden loves the music and has honestly learned a lot from it (different words and colors!)! fab in my book!

i hear lots of mixed reviews of video monitors. we have always had one (got it before holden was born, thanks to my wonderful parents), so we don't know any different, but we love love love ours! it has given peace of mind in the early months where i just needed to see what he was doing and gave insight in the later months if i really need to go in his room or if he was fine. i'm a big fan of our summer video monitor and fully plan on buying an add'l camera when baby t 2.0 comes along! it's caused lots of laughs, too, being able to see what he's doing in there when he's making all sorts of ruckus!

the last thing i love is aquaphor. someone recommended this when holden was really little and we honestly haven't used anything else. this is my go-to for diaper rashes! i also use it on holden's eczema if he has a flair up and it totally helps w that, too. honestly, it's cheaper than all the diaper rash creams and is all purpose! def a good thing to have on hand!

hope you find a few of these helpful!!! loving toddlerhood over here!!

things i'm lovin: toddler edition

there are lots of things that make me, as a mom, a happier person. whether that be cute jammies that make snuggling a toddler in the middle of the night slightly more enjoyable or just a great invention that makes being a mom a little more convenient. let's face it... life as a mom is the best thing ever and the thing that can make you lose your mind... all in the same 5 minutes!!!

so, i thought I'd take today to share my favs for being a mama to an almost-two year old! 

first, i have to give an ode to my favorite jammies for h! old navy has the BEST two piece jams in my opinion! they are around $11-12 full price, but i can almost always get them 1/2 price on clearance or with my old navy card!

since grant & i keep our house colder than most all year round, these jammies are what i like to call "daytime jammies". we will throw these on after he gets up in the morning instead of his footie pajamas if we aren't planning to go anywhere til after his nap. this way, he's comfy all morning & during his nap!

next is our favorite tv network for holden's age... sprout by pbs!

i was so out of touch before being a mom that i really just thought there was disney & nickelodeon, but i was so wrong. sprout is the perfect network for a toddler! definitely check it out if you haven't!!

the third thing that i am loving lately are bath tub letters! these are some of holden's fav bath toys!!

these are great for h since they stick to the bath walls when wet. we go over our letters, numbers and just stick em all over the tub. bath time has always been a breeze with holden, so that's a blessing! these are just an easy to clean up toy!

the last thing that literally keeps. me. sane. as a mom is MOPS! 

if you aren't familiar w this great organization, you definitely need to look one up in your area. i have been so blessed by my local group of ladies! MOPS is for moms with kids of ages birth-kindergarten (which i totally used to think it was for preschooler and up!) and our group meets twice a month. there's a program for the littles, so that means mama gets a break w breakfast, a speaker talking about mom-related stuff & time to chat w moms of all kinds! love love love!

hope you find some of these suggestions helpful!! and please share your go-to things if you have a toddler!!