It's no secret that I LOVE a sweet bonnet on a baby. My go-to brand is usually Beaufort Bonnet company, but I recently branched out and found a sweet etsy seller selling exactly what I wanted. Y'all, it's perfect! Her prices were wonderful and the quality is top-notch!

She puts gorgeous ties on the bonnets which allow you to tie a big beautiful bow, and even embroiders charming monograms on the back. I cannot say enough good about this little shop.

The shipping was much faster than I would have expected. I had the bonnet within days of ordering! She was communicative and more than willing to fix anything with the bonnet I needed. I'm completely hooked!

Check out Boo Bunny Bonnets on Etsy! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Kate- 2 Months!

This was as good as it was going to get with little Miss Sass this month. Kate turned 2 months on March 27. I totally forgot to post this! 

• She smiles all the time (unless I get the camera out!) 

• She has the sweetest little voice when she "talks" to us. 

• She sleeps through the night! (Momma's favorite thing this month!)

• She still looooooves kisses. 

• She's very easy going and loves to be worn in a carrier or held.We love this sweet girl so much. 

She is the perfect addition to our family. 

Our Pregnancy Announcements

When we found out we were pregnant for the first time, I knew I wanted to have an original announcement photo. Only one problem... I'm not that creative. Also, I'm lazy. So creativity wasn't going to be happening any time soon. One night it hit me: A movie poster announcement! It was SO easy and now it has become our "theme" when announcing as we were able to do it with baby number 2 as well! We just snap a quick picture, and then add text with any photo editing site or the app "Over."

We followed these up by posting our videos of family's reactions. Admittedly the second baby had a lot less exciting of a video. Ha! I love that we have these memories for the kids on video. I encourage everyone to record the reactions of those closest to them. It's so special to look back on!

Liam's Nursery

Chair- Target

Dresser- Ikea Hemnes

Rug- Target

Peter Pan Doll- Disney Store

I had great intentions with Liam's nursery after finding out I was pregnant. Nevertheless, I never got around to decorating. Ha! We bought our house when I was nearly 9 months pregnant with him. Nursery decor was apparently not our first priority. ;) We hadn't intended on room sharing or co-sleeping for long, but that's what happened for the entire first year of his life. I wouldn't take back a second of it! The room-sharing put his room on hold even longer, and before we knew it, we were pregnant with our second baby. Sadly, I think this is the best picture we have of his nursery. Currently we are putting our original plans to action in his new big boy room and turning this room into Kate's nursery. I'm so excited to see how his room comes together! Stay tuned for updates! I'm can't wait to have the finished product ready for him. It's going to be a magical space for that sweet boy!

What Every New Momma Needs

Finding out you're pregnant is one of the most thrilling experiences in life. I remember that feeling of first stepping into the magical baby palace of Buy Buy Baby. Holy overwhelming. I had zero ideas of what I needed or wanted. Everything in that place looks like something you HAVE to have. Props to their advertising teams. They are good at what they do! I was the first of my friends to have a baby. Now that many are having their firsts, I have heard them ask what on earth they need for this little bundle. Crazy enough, the thing you need most can't be scanned with a registry gun in aisle 4. You need a Melody.

My Melody happens to be my cousin. She is the Momma to help guide you when you are about to cry your eyes out from exhaustion. The Momma that won't judge you for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, vaccinating, not vaccinating...not having any idea on how you feel about vaccinating. She's the person who has been there and can give you a squeeze or encouragement when your toddler is having the biggest meltdown ever. You need the Momma that sees the tired in your eyes and loves you big enough to chase after your toddler even though she has three of her own.

When you text your Melody at 3pm telling her that you've literally let your toddler watch Mickey Mouse on repeat since he woke because you are too sleepy to do anything else, she will just laugh and tell you how she's been there a million times. This person is the one that you can count on for advice out of love. You can turn to her with zero judgement and know you'll leave encouraged and ready to take on anything.

She's the one that gets you through this Mommy business. Motherhood is no cake walk. In fact it's basically a walk where the cake gets shoved in your couch cushions while a little nudist toddler walks around breaking everything in your house. ;) Find a mommy friend that loves you and encourages you. She is more valuable than diamonds.

My Hospital Bag Favorites

Having a baby is exhausting. Actually, the whole process of GROWING a human being is a pretty tiring thing. I'm still amazed that my body can do that! I look at these kiddos now and am in awe that I made them. Those crazy kids grew in my belly! 

This time around, I knew some of the luxuries that I wanted in my bag, and what to leave home. You should have seen the amount of stuff I brought when having Liam! I looked like I was planning on staying for a month. 

1. The Bellefit: Guys. I can't even tell you how great this thing is. It squeezes you back in and helps to pull your hips and abs back to where they need to go. I so wish I would have bought it the first time around. It was definitely tough to get on that first day, but now it zips on easily. I still have a LOT of work to do in the tummy area, but this thing helped to give me a big head start. 

2. New Mama Bottom Spray: Again, another thing I should have bought the first time. I had a pretty painful second degree tear and this stuff helped incredibly. The hospital spray is good, but this stuff worked better. It was so soothing after having a baby! 

3. The Boppy: I debated bringing this (another thing to carry!) but I am so glad I did. Newborns are floppy. When you are exhausted from labor, it's hard to support those littles and nurse at the same time. I don't use it much now, but in the hospital it was invaluable! PS Isn't that cover super cute?  

4. Cute pajamas: Button down pjs are your friend if you are nursing or planning on skin to skin! :) I threw a target nursing tank (the best!) on under these and was good to go. Tip: Buy DARK colors in pjs. Birth is messy. 

5. Earth Mama Nipple Butter: I was blessed to have two babies with good latches, so I don't use it often, but this stuff is great. You don't even have to wash it off before feeding! 

6. Aden and Anais Bamboo Swaddles: Check your TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores! I found these for a crazy good deal! They are the softest ever, and we still use these every single day. They make a great nursing cover if people are coming by your room! 

7. Water Bottle: I am so glad we brought our own water bottles! We had them filled before we checked in, and I was even sneaky and sipped on some during labor. ;) 

8. iPad/iPhone: It was nice to have these with me to texts friends/family about our arrival and to keep me busy during labor! 

9. Camera: Bring an actual camera. My phone takes OK photos, but not like an actual camera. It was great to take shots during our stay to capture those moments. If you are looking for a nice hobby camera, I definitely recommend the Canon 70D. I'm far from a professional, but love how my pictures turn out! 

10. Bamboobies: Chances are your milk will not come in during your hospital stay, but these things are fantastic. They are so comfortable and absorb a TON of milk. Investing in these saves a lot of money on disposables in the long run! 

11. Always Infinity Pads: Hospital diaper pads are great that first day, but were so annoying! These pads absorbed everything and were crazy thin and way more comfortable. 

12. Your own pillow: Bring your pillow with a brightly colored pillowcase (so it doesn't get left behind.) It was great having my own pillow and helped me to be more comfortable. 

13. Snacks: Bring lots of snacks! This was especially great for my husband. We brought lots of yummy goodies to eat while we were there. Our hospital food was pretty terrible and they only provided a small meal for the mom. Daddy was out of luck! I was pretty hungry after labor and it was nice to have lots to choose from in my bag. 

And if you have a girl... 600 bows to counteract your minimalistic packing like myself. ;) 

Kate is 1 Month!

I snapped this picture of Kate right after she turned 1 month old on February 27th, and totally forgot to post it! :) We are continuing the tradition of taking our monthly photos in this rocking chair.

Want an easy way to take monthly baby photos? Plop those babes in your chair and add some text with the app Baby Pics! Seriously the simplest way to capture their growth!

Kate has been such a blessing to our family. We love her to pieces already and I cannot believe she's only been with us 1 month!

Here's what she's up to:

• She is a party all night sleep all day kind of girl. (Ah, the joys!) 
• Kate LOVES to be held. All. The. Time. Don't even try to trick her and put her down while asleep. She knows. 
• Baby wearing is our BFF right now. Praise the LORD for my wraps!
• She started smiling! Her first big grin was while being worn in the wrap walking around Target. She looked up at me and gave me the sweetest smile! 
• She's going to be my first chunky baby! Girlfriend gained almost 3 pounds since leaving the hospital! 
• She loves kisses and gives me a smile almost every time I give her one. 
• She is already growing out of a few of her newborn items. (Slow down, baby girl!) 
• She is SO loved by her big brother. He is constantly trying to hold her, kiss her, and attend to her every need. 

We love you, sweet Kate! Thanks for joining our family!

Happy 2nd Birthday Liam!

It was a whirlwind week! Having a baby only a month ago, I wasn't wanting to have a big party quite yet. We decided to have a super small family party to celebrate Liam's 2nd birthday, and it worked perfectly! Liam had a blast and was totally spoiled.

One of my best friends, Brittany, had a Mickey themed baby shower for me when I was pregnant with Liam. She happened to save ALL the decor so let me use it for his party. She put in SO much work with these decorations! She made almost everything on her Cricut machine! It was sweet to use it again at this party, more than two years later. :)

We kept the food simple with subs, hot dogs, and cupcakes. It was sweet to watch Liam blow out his candle for the first time!

For his big gift from Mommy and Daddy, we found this truck on clearance at Target a few months back. He absolutely LOVED it. As soon as he wakes up he runs as fast as he can to find that thing. He's had all of his meals in it, too! This version is so much fancier than the normal Cozy Coupes I've seen! It is a lot roomier, and has a working horn. It even has a seat in the trunk for a sibling! He's going to get a lot of use out of that thing.

Moral of the story? Simple parties make the best parties. We had a blast, and it was a great no stress party for me!

Bringing Home Baby: Preparing a Big Sibling

After being an only child for nearly 2 years, bringing a sibling into the mix is a LOT to take in! It definitely shocks a little tot's routine. Liam will be two next week, so at 23 months he didn't grasp that there was really a baby in my belly. Once in a while he would lift up my shirt to see my belly, and even give it a little kiss, but the whole baby idea was definitely not clicking with him. That being said, there were a few things that helped a ton to make the transition as easy as possible for our sweet boy!

1. Have Daddy hold the new baby at the hospital when the toddler arrives. Momma's arms will be free for hugging her first baby. For Liam, it was super important that he could see his Mommy first without the jealousy of having another baby in her arms. I tried my best to talk directly to him as an individual first before showing him the baby. When it came time to met his new sister he sat on Daddy's lap with the baby. We asked him to show us little things "do you see your baby's little toes?" and he would happily point. He lost interest in her quickly, but it was definitely an easy going meeting. We tried not to pressure him when it came to the baby, and he was definitely more interested in unplugging all the important plugs at the hospital. Ha!

2. Have gifts ready from the baby to the new sibling. When we arrived back home after having the baby, we brought a brand new Buzz Lightyear talking doll and Mickey Mouse figurines for Liam from his new sister. He was super excited, and it helped distract him from all the crazy. The toys don't have to be expensive! Just get something that would be an exciting little treat.

3. Have someone (if possible!) at the house to spend time with the new sibling or holding the baby so they have one-on-one time. For us, this was my mom. Liam LOVES his grandparents so having my momma there to spend time on him (or hold the baby so Joe or I could) was invaluable. It helped the adjustment immensely.

4. Read lots of books prior to the new little one's arrival. We found a couple Big Brother books on amazon that were great for our little guy. We read them for months before her arrival and always made it a point to call him the BIG brother. One of our favorite was I Am a Big Brother. This was the one Liam always came back to and loved to read again. When she arrived, I saw him doing the things he remembered from the book. He brought me diapers, he helped say "shhhhh" while she slept. It was a great book for young toddlers to grasp.

5. Go at your child's own pace. We didn't force Liam to do anything he wasn't ready to do. We didn't make him hold the baby for pictures (even though I totally wanted to!) and we didn't force him to interact with her. After a couple days he was begging to hold her and would even give her kisses! He LOVES his baby now.

6. It's an extremely easy time to lose your temper, so keep a close eye on your own attitude during this time. I know my toddler became SUPER sensitive during these first few weeks, so I had to be super aware of my tone of voice and reactions to misbehavior.

7. Most importantly, give grace. Give grace to your toddler, and give grace to yourself. Emily Ley has an incredible quote that I absolutely love: I will hold myself to a standard of GRACE not perfection. These first few weeks can be tough. It's an adjustment for everyone in the house. Toddlers wear their emotions on their sleeves. They may show this in acting out or becoming incredibly emotional. Give grace in these times. Don't beat yourself up in your less-than-pretty moments. You'll have lots of them, and lots of crazy postpartum hormones are not going to help. Do your best, and forgive yourself when things don't go so well.

As a parent, don't let it bring you down if your child isn't as excited as you would have hoped! They will adjust, and time is the best fix. Just keep an encouraging attitude and try to be positive with them. It's a huge change to bring a new baby in your home. Give yourself some slack, and enjoy these moments. Chances are you are doing a lot better job than you give yourself credit for.

Kate's Birth Story

Basketball season is a terrible time to be pregnant as a coaches wife. Every time he left on the bus for an away game (some over 2-3 hours away!) I had a sinking feeling I was going to go into labor. I remember Joe telling me about one game he HAD to go to, so I was not allowed to go into labor that day. Ha! Sure enough, while he was nearly two hours away from home, I felt contractions starting. They weren't regular, and they weren't super intense. They were just enough to make me wonder. Taking care of a toddler during labor, btw... no easy feat!

Joe was supposed to be on his way home from the game, but naturally it was the ONE time they decided to stop and eat. I called him asking where he was at and asked him to come home as soon as he could. I still wasn't convinced I was in labor, so decided to wait it out. I texted my mom asking her to keep her phone on that night. She lives an hour and a half away and we needed her to watch our almost 2 year old. The contractions started getting more intense, so around 1AM I did what any sane, in labor woman would do... my hair and make up. What? I'm pretty sure I did the same while in labor with my son. Pain makes me do really weird things.

At 2am I called my momma and asked her to come. "I don't know if this is for sure labor, but can you come just in case?" She hopped in the car and drove through freezing rain to get to us. I love that woman! Once she arrived she helped me pack and helped push on my back to relieve the pain. I was so thankful to have her there. It was the first time Liam has EVER been left overnight with anyone, and probably the 3rd time in his life we've even left him with anyone more than an hour. Having her there was so comforting. I had a harder time with the idea of leaving him than I did with labor!

Joe and I drove to the hospital around 4AM. Labor compared to Liam's was already seeming like a cake walk. The pain was there, but not the insane back labor I had with my son. I walked into the hospital with my husband from the parking garage and even helped carry stuff in. I kept thinking that they were going to send me home! We got up to labor and delivery and they put us in a great triage room. They checked me and sure enough I was having regular contractions and dilated to nearly a 6. Then came probably the worst part of the whole thing. I had gestational diabetes this pregnancy (more on that in a future post!) and had to get blood taken during labor. That finger prick... man! She took an insane amount of blood for a finger prick. Then she went to insert my hand IV. Holy macaroni. I felt like I was going to pass out. (If you get woozy you may want to skip this!) She somehow hit a weird vein and blood was going everywhere! Literally the floor was soaked in blood. They had to change the sheets, and my poor husband was as white as a ghost. My hand was in pain the entire labor. Even after, I kept begging to get that thing out. Ouch! They put me in a wheelchair to head to my new room. When I arrived I had yet ANOTHER blood draw. By that point I was ready to get this thing over with. Get the needles away. It was time for the shift change and my nurse came in. This woman was an absolute angel. She was like a friend by the end of labor! She made it such an incredible experience and was so attentive to me! I have never had a doula, but I honestly think that's what this woman would compare to. She kept me calm, brought me an endless supply of popsicles, and even rubbed my shoulders. She cheered me on during the hard parts and was so encouraging. Best. Nurse. Ever.

I decided to try for an epidural even though I wasn't going to before. With Liam's labor, I tried, but it didn't take due to my scoliosis. I had to labor with the epidural inserted but not doing anything. It was the worst experience. I was throwing up and shaking. It was all back labor and the pain was absolutely off the charts. At the end of the labor I was so in shock that I didn't even want to keep the baby to myself. I let everyone in the room hold him until I could regain my composure. This labor... it was like a healing experience. I got an epidural, and it worked! It worked perfectly! They even gave me a magic little button to add more medicine if I started to feel too much pain. I'm usually all for doing things as natural as possible, but I have to admit... getting that epidural was the BEST decision for me.

The labor was actually fun! I was laughing and joking with my husband and the nurses, and was able to enjoy the entire experience. I remember getting teary eyed that I actually was able to sit back and take the whole thing in. My doctor and her resident both checked in on me many times. They were the BEST. I had a different doctor for this labor than I did with my son. I can't say enough good about this woman. She was so bubbly and sweet! She was on my side for every decision and never pressured me to do anything I didn't want to do. My doctor came in to check me and noticed that Kate's head was "right there!" She ran out to change into scrubs and the staff started to flood the room. This part happened so quickly! I still wasn't feeling any pain, and was so shocked it was already time! I pushed for probably under 5 or 6 minutes. After the first push my doctor excitedly told me she saw a full head of hair! On the third contraction I went to push and looked up at my husband and started cracking up laughing. I realized my pushing face looked totally constipated and got hit with a mad case of the giggles. Well, apparently laughter works better than pushing, because baby girl FLEW out. The doctors and nurses were cracking up! I literally laughed a baby out. Now that is something that doesn't happen every day! ;)

They put my perfect little girl on my chest and let me hold her before having to test her blood sugar levels. Her levels were a dangerously low 18, so we had to work fast to bring those up. I breastfed her for a couple hours and they just weren't stabilizing. They wanted to try formula but she would't take the bottle. They let me breastfeed again and we finally got her levels to raise a bit. She also started throwing up amniotic fluid and blood. It was terrifying. Thankfully the nurses reassured me that it was normal. They told me that was probably the reason she was refusing to eat. She wouldn't nurse until 9am the next morning! Nearly 20 hours without feeding...they almost had to give her an IV. Girlfriend definitely gave us a scare. It didn't last long though; after that she was pretty much eating nonstop and regained her birth weight by her one week appointment. They discharged us the day after she was born. It was so quick!

She has been the sweetest baby. She LOVES to be worn in my solly wrap or held. She eats like a little piggy and is very loved by her big brother. I am so thankful for our little Kate Elizabeth!

In the words of her Daddy:
"I considered the name Isaac, because she was literally born in a moment of laughter... But...Kate Elizabeth Williams was laughed into this world at 11:56 am on 1-27-16, weighing 6 lbs 15 oz and 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great, and eager for Liam to meet his new sister. Looking forward to a house filled with even more joy and laughter- praise God!"

Party Prep: A Look back at Liam's first

With less than two weeks to go until my biggest baby's birthday, I found myself looking back at his first birthday party. Two things: 1. How on EARTH has it been an entire year? And 2. The whole theme of the party was Never Grow Up. Clearly he decided not to follow through on that. Stinker.

I knew that this party had to involve Disney. More specifically, I knew this party was going to be based around his nursery theme: Peter Pan. So. Much. FUN. This party was an absolute blast to put together.

I worked with a wonderful etsy designer for my invitations-saralukecreations. I'm incredibly impressed with her work and quick responses to my questions. I first saw this invitation design on a post of a gorgeous party by Jenny Keller. Seriously. This party was absolutely amazing. Look at the details!

I ordered the Peter Pan movie on eBay (stinking movie vault!) to play during the party. Random fact This movie was playing while I was in labor! Like... as I was pushing. Between pushes the doctor would turn around and watch. So, it's pretty fitting that it was playing at the party as well.

I loved these hats by etsy designer princessbooksbyjmh. I was going to attempt to make them myself, but then realized, "Who am I kidding... I'm never going to pull that off." So ordering it was. They are super cute. The adults ended up wanting them more than the kids! 

Instead of party bags full of candy, I decided to go a different route. I gave each child a Disney's Peter Pan Golden Book! They were cheap on amazon, and I really love the idea of giving out sweet little books.

We found cute straws and plates to match our "nautical" look. I also stumbled upon the Peter Pan poster I was looking for printed on wood for $14.99 at Meijer! SO cool! 

Last but certainly not least- We had this onesie made (with Liam's name of course!) by the incredibly talented LivieQ! 

My favorite part of the party was our makeshift smores bar. They were a HUGE hit with the guests, and we will definitely do it at all future parties! The hot dog boats turned out a lot better than I expected, and added a fun touch. 

Now to plan this years party. I have a sneaking suspicion that this one won't be so well thought out. Perhaps I'm just in denial that he's turning two and am putting off planning as much as possible. ;)