He's Here-Life Lately

Well hello my friends! It feels like it's been forever yet time hasn't passed at all. Isn't it funny how that happens? If you follow me on Instagram (@beautifully_candid) then you've probably heard the news that our sweet baby boy has made his arrival. I'll back up for a minute and pick up where I left off.

His due date was 11/23 but I've never really been one to get too hung up on due dates. Babies come when they want to and with both A and little nugget they wanted to sit snug and came after. This time around, since we knew baby boy has a cleft lip and palate it was suggested that if he didn't come that weekend before, then I did have the option to be induced on 11/20 so that all doctors could be prepared for us. I also think it was a convenient way for most of them to enjoy their Thanksgiving without chancing him arriving then. I can't blame them though. Because realistically, we wanted that, too.

That whole weekend before I was having contractions. In fact, I thought there was a possibility he was coming on that Friday night. I was having contractions for three hours and they got as close as two minutes apart. Then out of no where they just kind of fizzled out. I was so confused because that never happened before. Both A and little nugget came super quick so I wasn't sure what to think. I had contractions here and there throughout the weekend but nothing really substantial.

Fast forward to Monday and I went in for my regular Dr's appointment and to discuss our options. He told me there was definitely something going on and that if he didn't come that night he would see me in the more to be induced. Well that night the contractions started up again. They were more consistent but not as close together as before. We were supposed to be at the hospital at 6am but didn't make it there until around 7:30am because I had to keep stopping to breathe and get my act together since I was still having contractions. When I got to the hospital I was already 4cm dilated and they let me contract on my own. They did give me pitocin to help regulate things but I wasn't officially induced (I guess) because I was already in labor. I didn't plan on turning this into a birth story, but here we are. I eventually got the epidural and got a little rest.

As time went on, I started getting a little nervous just thinking about all the what ifs with him and if I could be the best mom that I could be for him. I started to tear up and ended up breaking down to Eric and my sister (who were both there for his birth) and reassured me that he was going to be perfect. I knew deep down that he would be fine and that God was carrying us through this. Spirit Break Out by Kim Walker-Smith was playing on my Pandora in the background and in that moment, I knew all would be ok. Shortly after, my doctor came in the room at 3:20pm and said, ok we're going to have a baby between 3:25pm and 3:27pm. We were all like, wait what? It's go time??? I started pushing and sure enough he was born on 11/20 at 3:27pm. When they placed him in my arms the only thing I could do was smile at him with tear filled eyes and say, hello handsome.

And that he was. Just tiny and perfect in every way. My heart filled with so much love and every doubt or idea of what I though things would be like seemed to melt away. It almost seems silly now looking back that I even had so much worry. I guess that's the fear of the unknown though. The doctors did take a quick look at him and let him stay with us for an hour or so before they needed to take him up to the NICU. That was hard for me, because here you just have a baby, but he can't stay with you. The only reason he was there was so that he could learn to feed. Which he took to like a champ. I started pumping for him and was running milk (well I wasn't, Eric was) back and forth to him. The next day I was up walking around and going up to visit and learn how to feed him. We had to scrub in every time and only the two of us were allowed in to see him. It was so eye opening seeing these teeny tiny babies in there fighting for their life. And let me tell you, almost every room and incubator was full. We felt incredibly blessed yet heartbroken at the same time for these other families going through so much.

We were so incredibly thankful that by the next night he was able to come down into our room with us, and that all of us could be discharged on Thanksgiving. We were so happy to be able to go home to introduce him to the boys and enjoy a turkey dinner. 

The boys were so amazing with him from the start and could not wait to meet him. When they first saw him all they could say was, he's so cute! A told us that he was a little nervous because he thought he was going to look scary, but what he told us was, he's not scary at all, he's the cutest thing he's ever seen. They've had a special relationship from the start and he's always asking to hold him, hug him, help and feed him. I truly could not be more proud of how both of them have been with him. They've also been very protective and will be sure to tell anyone not to cough near him or dare to come close to his soft spot.

Our days have been all over the place and before we know it we're looking at the clock realizing we have to go pick up A and little nugget from school. I seriously don't know where the time goes. You would think that being home you could do a lot more, but no way, not over here. I'm pumping every few hours, then feeding him a certain way with a special squeeze bottle, and if he want's to snuggle, well everything else stops. 

Our dinners lately have been eaten in the living room with baby gadgets all around us, and coaty has snuck one too many treats off of our plates. We've been back and forth to different doctors visits and meeting with his craniofacial team. This week he will have further hearing screenings and will be getting fitted for his NAM. This is all a learning process for Eric and I, but from what we understand, it's a device that will help shape and prepare his nose area for surgery. On top of all of this, we have some exciting news to share soon, and let's just say, it's never a dull moment around here. 

I can't believe that he's already going to be two weeks old. It's been two weeks of so much love, snuggles, joy, and just being in awe of our little man. He's such a little sweetheart and has captured all of our hearts in more ways than we ever imaged. We are so blessed and thankful to have him here. 

Adding Even More Love

If you caught my announcement on instagram (@beautifully_candid) then you might have seen we are so happy to be adding even more hugs and love to our little family come November! I am so overwhelmed by all of the love and support we received with our little announcement that just continues to show me how amazing this community is.

We are so excited to love on this babe, especially A. He wants the baby to be here like now. He's already started making welcome home banners and getting toys and things ready for them. It seems like he's matured over night and I really think he's going to be my big helper. Little nugget has been adorable too and keeps asking if the baby can hear him when he talks and loves giving my belly kisses. 

This hasn't been the easiest first trimester for me (but then again is it ever really easy) and I can see the toll it's taking on my body. But regardless, I'm extremely thankful and so grateful for this experience. I think there are a lot of things that happen during pregnancy that not everyone talks about, and that's ok. I'm not sure I want to dive into that right now, but sometimes when you don't hear about the things that happen outside of the norm, you can start to feel like you're the only one it happens to.

The crazy part is, it feels like not long ago I was announcing I was pregnant with little nugget. Time seriously flies. I'm trying my best, more so now than ever, to relax and really enjoy this time. Eric and I keep joking that we are going to be outnumbered and that things seem manageable now with two. You know, one for me, one for him—it's easier when we go out to keep an eye on them. Now, oh boy, I'm not sure we have enough hands to keep up with them. But one thing's for sure, I do know we have more than enough love to go around for each of them.

It's funny because before I had little nugget I was so worried about having enough love in my heart for both him and A. That seems so silly now looking back on it. Something amazing happens when that next little one comes into the world and a space in your heart opens up that you never even knew existed or thought you had room for. This time around I am more than confident the same thing will happen.

Throughout all of this, we have been continually reminded that God's timing is perfect and His plans are always higher than ours. We are so thankful for this beautiful blessing that we have prayed for and look forward to meeting our sweet little love.

Mother's Day, A Nice Little Reminder

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a nice Mother's Day! It's nice to be recognized on one specific day but those unexpected thank you's or those words of encouragement all throughout the year are the best surprises to me.

I am happy to say my day did not consist of cooking and overall was pretty relaxing and filled with lots of hugs and kisses. My husband had to leave in the afternoon to catch a flight to Germany for work this week, but we were still able to squeeze brunch in and plenty of fun. The morning started off dreary and rainy so my husband snapped a few picks of the boys and I snuggling and laying around. Then thank the Lord the sun finally came out after about two weeks of gloominess.

The night before was a little rough for me. My youngest guy is teething and for a period of time was up every 45 mins. By the third time he woke up I felt myself start to get a little annoyed. Those were my hours before I was going to bed, I wanted to paint my nails, watch lifetime, and relax, but I quickly put myself in check when his tiny hands were grabbing onto the back of my arms and his head rested on my shoulder. In that moment nothing else mattered, he needed me, and I needed him. I know it's extremely cheesy but those snuggles were the best mother's day gift I could have gotten. 

I'm so thankful for these little loves who gave me the greatest gift in the world, to be their momma. We're a crazy bunch but I wouldn't have it any other way. We might not have it all together but together we have it all.

Baby Dedication Recap

My precious little nugget. Sunday was such a special day for our family. Daddy and I dedicated you to the Lord and commit to raising you with Him as our foundation. We continue to pray that God will bless your life abundantly, that you will be an example to others, and that He will guide us and give us wisdom as parents.

We are so excited to see what God has in store for you.

I loved getting you ready on Sunday morning. We shared so many sweet moments and the best was watching you smile. It seemed to light up the room brighter than the gorgeous sunshine we were graced with throughout the day.

You looked so handsome in your little white outfit. It's a good thing we tried it on you a few weeks beforehand, because your big brother's outfit just wasn't fitting you. You are such a healthy stocky little boy and we love every inch of your mush! Thankfully we were able to get the same outfit but in a different size. Now you both have one if you'd ever like to use it for your future boys.

You fell asleep on our way to church and seriously looked angelic sleeping in your seat. We let you sleep until right before we were going on stage. That nap sure did you good because the day was just getting started.

Tips In Preparing For Maternity Photos

If you haven't guessed it by now we love taking pictures! We are definitely no professional photographers. But, we do enjoy learning different techniques and get excited about being behind and in front of the camera. We have a DSLR that the whole purpose of our investment was to take advantage of using it and capturing some great moments. With that, you kind of need to know a little bit about how to work your camera. We're still amateurs and it's a work in progress. Photographers please go easy on us. Pointers are always welcome. 

I (Sierra) just had maternity pictures done by my lovely sister.  We love the way the pictures came out and have some tips to share in preparing for your maternity session. 

1. PHOTOGRAPHER: Who ever you decide to get your pictures taken by make sure you feel comfortable with them. Whether it's a professional photographer, a photographer just starting out, or a family friend, you need to feel comfortable being yourself around them. If you go with a professional make sure you look at their previous work. Do you like the editing techniques they use, will you have the rights to your photos? All of those fun questions that come into play. If you go with someone less experienced know that your pictures might not look like all those other fancy photos you see that people could have paid hundreds of dollars for.

2. COMMUNICATION: If it's not relationships or work, everything seems to come down to communication. The same goes for your photo shoot. Be sure to communicate to your photographer what it is you're hoping to achieve. Do you want the photographer to focus on you, incorporate the whole family, or a little bit of both. Just like photographers give you direction to help achieve better pictures you should also let them know what you're looking for.

3. GET IDEAS BEFOREHAND: Most photographers are going to come to the table with some ideas in mind but don't expect them to know you were really hoping to try and recreate that awesome pin you saw with the cutest maternity photo ever. Get some inspiration beforehand. We're all no strangers to Pinterest. So do some searching and get a few ideas to show to your photographer. 

4. LOCATION:  After you have some ideas about how you want your photos to look you should narrow down your location. Is there a spot that's special to you, are you looking for something with a lot of scenery, or do you want to capture pictures in your home?

5. TIMING:  We kind of broke the rule with this one but for good reason and we're happy we did. You've probably heard tons of times before that the best time to capture pictures with the best lighting is either early in the morning or around sunset. Agreed. But, when you want to incorporate a toddler into your shoot this mindset might not work. We decided to take our pictures after his nap and we are so glad we did. He was in the best mood and this shoot went way different that our Christmas photo shoot. 

6. WARDROBE: It's best to avoid busy patterns and styles that might date your pictures in 10 years. To each their own, but sticking with solid colors and simple patterns in general will photograph better. 

7. PROPS: Decide if you want to incorporate props into your pictures. For our first son's maternity shoot we had little shoes and baby blocks, and it turned out cute. We used this picture as our gender reveal announcement. This time around we wanted to be captured more as a family and in our natural element. 

8. SHOOTING WITH CHILDREN & PETS: Anytime you add multiple people into a picture it's tough to get everyone looking, smiling, and all that fun stuff. Add a dog and a toddler into the mix and oh boy, be patient. Thankfully we had some experience with this from What We Learned From Taking Pictures With a Little One. This time around it was as success.

9. HAVE FUN WITH IT:  This is a special time in your life and whether your pictures turn out exactly how you envisioned or go in a completely different direction try to relax and enjoy the experience.

Packing For The Beach With a Toddler

With Memorial Day right around the corner, yippy! We wanted to share our beach packing essentials for hitting the sandy shores with a toddler. Last year you might remember we did a post about beach days-packing for a baby and what you get with us {read more here}. 

Now that he's a toddler our packing is a little different. We are still one of those families that takes a less is more approach and just works with what we do bring. We aren't trying to wheel wagons across the sand and pack the car to where we can barely see out of the windows. The beach is supposed to be relaxing and fun, right? However, we understand everyone's packing techniques can be different and we respect that. This is what's worked for us so far...

SUNSCREEN: It's a must. We go for a higher SPF and one that is resistant to water, and not to mention safe and with less chemicals for our little guy. 

WATER: Lots of it! Keep those little ones hydrated.

SNACKS: Kids love to snack. Try to pack things that aren't going to melt in 2 minutes and they can actually enjoy and will keep them full.

SHADE: However you can swing it, bring it. We usually just go with a standard umbrella because he never wants to stay inside a tent or any of those other fancy contraptions they have out there. 

SUN HAT: Hopefully they will keep it on but this one is a hit or miss with us. 

SWIM DIAPERS: They make such a big difference. 

SUNGLASSES: Same with a hat, this is a hit or miss if he will keep them on or not. 

BUG REPELLENT: There might not be bugs every time you go but a small travel size of bug repellent to throw in your beach bag can come in extra handy.

TOWELS: We usually pack a beach towel and then an extra towel that we keep dry for when we change him out of his wet clothes. 

EXTRA CLOTHES: Speaking of extra clothes, in addition to that car ride home outfit, it can't hurt to throw an extra swimsuit in there. Kids are unpredictable. 

SAND TOYS: Your child might want nothing to do with them and stay occupied for hours with that random shell they find, but it's always fun to have a bucket and a few toys to play with. 

WIPES: Sand is tricky and somehow kids get sticky (unintentional rhyme). Pack a lot of them, you will need them. 

SANDALS/WATER SHOES: We all know we've darted across the sand because it can get extremely hot. Just think about those little toes and how much hotter it must feel for them. 

PLASTIC BAGS: You'll need somewhere to put those wet swimsuits or toys that you just can't get all of the sand off. 

FIRST AID: We're not saying bring the whole medicine cabinet but a small travel size first aid kit or at least band aids can come in handy. 

Overall try to have fun and enjoy your day. We see some friends get so stressed out over a day at the beach that it's already chaotic before it even starts. If you forget something, go with the flow. Let this be a time of fun memories for you and your family.

Why The Lilly Pulitzer Sale at Target Got Me Emotional

This might not be what you think. Yes, I was a little bummed out that I wasn't able to score anything online or in stores, but this post doesn't have much to do with the actual Lilly items. Let me start from the beginning. My husband and I (Sierra) happened to be up on Saturday night watching a movie and before we knew it it was almost 12am. That's major late night for us lately. Since I was up already I happened to go online to see if they released any of the Lilly items yet. Nope, nothing. Ok, no biggie it was past my bed time at this point so off to sleep I went. I woke up around 3:10am to go to the bathroom (your bladder is a lovely thing when you're pregnant) so I decided to check the site again. It crashed and I couldn't get on so I figured they released the items and my chances online were over.

As if my sleep wasn't already thrown off, we woke up around 6:45am because our poor dog was getting sick (that's another story). This was way too early for me but since I was up already I decided to get myself ready for church. I guess at this point I was kind of getting sucked into this whole Lilly launch. Yeah her line was nice but it wasn't anything I ever planned on getting up early for to scout out. Next thing I knew I found myself driving to Target to get there before 8am. 

When I got to the parking lot it was right before the doors opened and I saw women running to be the first in the store. At this point I already had it in my head that I probably wasn't going to get anything. I had to return something anyway so I was going to chalk it up to a trip not wasted. Then again, is a trip to Target ever wasted? I really only had my eye on the items pictured above because I knew that's all my pregnant body would be pulling off at the moment. 

Walking into the store it was pretty much like Black Friday. Women loaded their carts with things they didn't even necessarily need and then quickly scurried to the frozen food aisles to get away from the crowd and go through their goods. Geez, can a pregnant girl get a headband? Looking back it was kind of comical yet sad to see how people reacted, but what happened to me next I was so not ready for. 

As I looked around the empty shelves and all of the women admiring their finds, I saw so many mother's and daughters together laughing and sharing in their excitement. I felt this rush of emotion come over me (another thing I'm blaming on pregnancy). For the first time ever it really hit me that if my husband and I don't ever have a little girl I won't have anyone to experience these things with.

Let me back track for a minute. I am beyond excited to be having another boy but a little shocked at the way other people reacted. We even had some people ask us if we were disappointed it's another boy. Disappointed? Are people serious? We aren't disappointed at all! In fact, from the very start I always thought it was going to be another boy. Envisioning or thinking about a little girl never really crossed my mind. At least not until this moment at Target. 

People have also asked us how many kids we are planning on having. That's just something we can't answer right now. We know that having two is going to add a whole different dynamic to our family and a decision we will have to think, and pray, long and hard about before we decide if there is a future baby #3. Even at that point there is a good chance we could continue the family tradition and end up having three boys. 

After the thought of never having a girl crossed my mind I almost burst into tears in Target. I quickly took my empty cart and walked away from the situation. I made my way to the boys section and cheered myself up a bit when I came across a sale rack of $3.99 shirts for little man.

Driving home I thought about it again and of course some sappy song comes on the radio that I had to turn off and quickly put on something upbeat so that I could snap myself out of this funk. Getting back to our house my husband must have saw that I was teary eyed and thought I was upset about not getting anything from the Lilly line. Would that really be something people would cry over? Who knows. Anyway, he was there for me and gave me a big hug. Then, he had my son come over and say the cutest thing to me, "I'll go back fwiday shopping with tu momma". Knowing my boys are going to be the best part of my life put the biggest smile on my face. I ended up laughing and giving him the biggest hug and my hormonal emotions melted away. 

Have you ever had a random emotional moment? Did anyone else get caught up in the Lilly madness?

Tips For Traveling With a Toddler

If you caught our Friday Favorites-Vacation Recap, you would have seen that we recently spent some much needed relaxation on the beaches of Aruba. Vacationing was something neither my husband or I were ready to give up on once the kiddos came along.  We plan to pack everyone up at least once a year for some sort of family getaway. But, with the fun of a vacation also comes the travel. This is not exactly my favorite part of the experience. 

We've traveled with our little guy before, both on a plane and road trips. He was younger at the time and it was honestly much easier. We thought, well this is great! Why do people get so worked up and make such a big deal about traveling with kids. Well, now that he is a walking, talking, and an ever so curious little guy, sitting in a seat and keep himself occupied, Ha! That's something that's just not going to happen. So here are some traveling tips that worked for us, what I prepared for before our trip, and then what actually happened...

SEATS: the morning before our flight I logged online to view the available seats again and quickly changed ours to a row that was open and no one else was sitting in. That's an ideal case that won't always happen but you never know. Also, if you have a little one that you think will want to look out the window go for a window seat. Think you'll be up and down a lot? Then go for an aisle seat. 

STROLLERS: if you're traveling with a stroller, what's worked best for us, is having it with us in the airport instead of checking it. You never know when there might be a delay or when you might want to walk them around. We had no problem bringing it right to the gate and tagging it there. 

WAITING TO BOARD: this made a big difference for us. Instead of getting on the flight right away when it was our section to board we waited it out in the airport. It just made more sense to us instead of having him wait and stay seated for an extra half an hour longer than he needed to on the flight.

IT'S OK TO GET UP AND WALK: adults in general have a hard time sitting still for awhile so expecting a toddler to do the same is just silly. Once they took the seat belt sign off we did go and let him walk up and down the aisle. My husband and I just took turns doing laps with him and he ended up making a few friends along the way. 

SNACKS: snacks, and more snacks. Kids love to munch on things and while that might not be your philosophy at home, throw all of that out the window. Not only does snacking keep them somewhat occupied but the chewing, sucking, or drinking helps with their ears on the plane. 

ELECTRONICS: we aren't big into sticking a tablet or phone in our little guys hand, but for situations like this we'll make an exception. Our flight didn't have wifi included and we didn't find it necessary to pay extra for it. We downloaded a few free Fisher Price apps before hand that didn't require access to wifi. We also had a few videos saved to our phone that kept his interest for a little while. 

TOYS: we kept a small toy that he had never seen before and took it out on the flight for the first time. Since it was new and interesting he was amused for a little while. 

DIAPERS AND WIPES: keep them accessible! The bag you are going to place under your seat, leave them in there. Don't put them in the bag you are going to put in the overhead and then find yourself searching around for them when you need them. 

GO WITH THE FLOW: this kind of seems like a no brainer but I'll say it anyway. At first we had this grand idea that he was going to nap on the flight, sit in his seat, look out the window, snack and play. Instead he seemed to be more interested in pulling the shade up and down and saying, no light! As for the napping part, yeah, that never really happened. We didn't expect that half of our flight we'd be walking up and down the aisle with him or that he'd never really settle in for a nap. I would have never guessed he would've kept himself occupied by sticking crayons down his shirt and then taking them out. Over and over again. By the time he was done his onsie was so stretched out that I hope people didn't think we were grabbing him by his shirt. Oh well, he was happy and got a big kick out of it. Getting yourself worked up won't solve anything and after all once the travel part is over you want to be able to enjoy your trip.

Toddler Easter Basket

Easter baskets. Oh what to put in an Easter basket. This year little man's Easter basket kept growing and growing and before I knew it we were at this size. In my defense, I won this over sized basket at a tricky tray that was filled with other goodies that I got to enjoy. It just so happens that I am recycling it into little man's basket for this year. We are also getting ready to go away on an early anniversary/baby moon trip so a lot of the things in his basket are things he can use on the trip. 

I know everyone interprets what they want to put in their child's Easter basket differently and each year I will be making a conscious effort not to go overboard. There is so much more to the meaning of Easter than a rabbit, and some candy, and gifts. The true meaning of Easter will always be our main focus and what we want our children to take away from the day.  Here's a look at what little man's First Easter Basket looked like and now some of the goodies he will be enjoying this year.

This section includes affiliates links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continued support and happy shopping. 

Toddler Swimwear

Toddler Fedora

Toddler Aviator Sunglasses

Bunny Grahams

Flip Flops

Bubble Machine

Crayons

Easter Story Books

Easter Basket Snacks

Toddler Puzzles

(not pictured, the puzzle won't fit in the basket)
Toddler Easter Coloring Books
Easter Story Activity Book

What are some of your favorite things to include in your kids Easter basket? 

Baby N. #2's Gender Reveal

I'm so excited to share some highlights from our gender reveal with you! At first we weren't sure if we wanted to do another reveal since we just had one not to long ago for little man. The more we thought about it the more we realized that we want baby #2 to look back and also see that they were celebrated. 

We decided to do something small and only invited family. We also indicated on the invitation that their presence to celebrate with us was present enough. Even though at this point my husband and I didn't even know what we were having. But, our celebration wasn't to get gifts it was to share in this special time in our lives. We had such a great day with everyone and were so happy with the way it turned out. Well, aside from getting a snow storm the day before even though we are already in the end of March. Thankfully it pretty much melted that morning.

It's a boy!!! We are so excited to be having another boy and for little man to have a brother!

We did all of the food based off of story books and nursery rhymes.

It was a great time of celebrating and we are almost sure little man thought the party was for him. He loved playing with the balloons and entertained everyone by singing Old MacDonald and graced us with his ever present charm. He even started singing Happy Birthday when we gave him a cupcake because he associates cupcakes with the song. I am definitely going to have my hands fulls with two little boys but can't wait for what is to come!