My 5 Must Haves

Charlotte is almost 3 months now, and some days I feel like I've finally got a hang of this whole mom thing until 2.5 seconds later the unexpected happens. Well at least there was a split second when it seemed like the stars aligned just for me. It's really not that bad. I would say I have more star aligning moments than not, but I would be lying if I told you I didn't have any help. Below are my top 5 baby items that I couldn't live without. These are my lifesavers that help me through those rough days.

1. The Boppy - She LOVES her Boppy. It's so nice to be able to put her next to me on the couch and interact with her. It keeps her slightly elevated which helps for spitting up and her reflux but is also comfortable enough for her to take a quick nap in. I like that these grow with your baby as well.
2. Crib wedge - This is my newest purchase and it works wonders! We had Charlotte in our room for the first few months mainly for our convenience. She slept through the night in her Rock-n-Play and I wasn't about to change that routine. I knew she was going to outgrow the Rock-n-Play soon so it was time to face the crib. Just as I feared she kept waking up in the middle of the night. I tried rolling towels under her mattress to elevate it but she would roll off them and wake up with her face pressed against the crib rails (yeah, she wasn't a fan of that as you can imagine). After talking to a few people, I decided to try the crib wedge because it props her up  like the Boppy and Rock-n-Play and is more stable than the towels. Sure enough it worked!
3. Wubbanub - We love these! She has had them since she was born and they are great because they stay in their mouths a lot better than just a regular pacifier. Because there is a little stuffed animal on the end, it's easy for her to grab and keep it in her mouth. And can we talk about how stinkin' cute they look?!
4. Formula stacker - When getting ready to go out for the day, it's so much easier to portion out 3 or 4 feedings than to bring the entire tub of formula. You can bring just one or screw on more containers for more feedings depending on how long you plan to be out. It has an easy pour spout so you won't make a mess trying to dump the formula in the bottle.
5. One piece outfits - I always thought I would want my baby dressed to the nines at all times. That lasted for about a minute. I quickly learned that one piece outfits are your friend. I don't like the idea of leaving Charlotte in her jammies all day but I like the ease of the sleepers. So I went out on a mission to get as many one piece outfits that didn't look like pajamas to wear during the day. Sure, when we go out to see people I will dress her up more, but for errands and lounging around the house it's just not necessary. 

Linking up with Molly and Carly for Funday Monday!

High Five for Friday

1. This little girl is growing up too fast! She got in her Bumbo for the first time this week! I think she liked it!
2. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, but being back at work is so refreshing. It's good to know that some things will never change. I love my work family!
3. Etsy orders are keeping me busy. This week I worked on this dress for a little girl's trip to Disney in the summer. I love how it turned out. I think Charlotte needs a few of these.
4. I just couldn't resist these sweet shabby chic bows from Eola Ella! I didn't realize until just now that I ordered these in my high school colors!
5. Love taking pictures with my little girl (even if she hasn't mastered the selfie yet). I couldn't resist our first matching outfit....white t-shirts.

Thank goodness spring will finally arrive this week. I can't take anymore of this cold! We just have to get through a chilly, wet weekend and we will be done!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Weekly Weigh In: Week 4

Seriously, how am I already 4 weeks into this?! I feel like I haven't made much progress, but I also haven't been trying as hard as I know I can. This week really got away from me and I only exercised twice. The first was just walking 2 miles on an incline because my body just wasn't running that day. I've learned over the last few years that listening to your body is the most important. If you're having a bad day and can't seem to run, don't. It's so much better to listen to that warning than risk injury.

I had a great run yesterday that helped boost my confidence. I am getting faster every run and walking less. I will be running 9 min miles in no time!

As far as my actual weight loss goes, it's not as big as I was hoping for but it's better than a gain. I really can't complain considering I didn't run like I should have. I weighed in at 169.6 lbs which is a loss of .6 lbs from last week and .2 from my lowest so far. Slow and steady and in no time I'll be back to where I was, maybe even less!

Black and Brown

For as long as I can remember I never wore black and brown together. In fact I would go as far as chant "Black and brown you wear a frown!". Over the past few years, mixing black and brown has become a trend. I stayed away from it for a while and then I caved. If a dress is made with both black and brown in it, then I can accessorize with both, right?!

So there you have it, a little black, brown and animal print for my edition of What I Wore Wednesday! I hope you are inspired to mix it up a little and step out of your color comfort zone.

 

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

High Five for Friday!

I think going into the office a few days a week really made this week fly by! It feels like it should only be Wednesday, but hey, I'm not complaining!

1. For St. Patrick's Day, we stayed in but that doesn't mean we didn't celebrate! I got our favorite beer, Cripsin (yes, it's supposed to be served over ice) and used some food coloring to make them festive. It was the perfect way to celebrate with a 2 month old.
2. My mom was in Disney World last week and brought home this awesome iPhone case. I love that it matches my purse!
3. Charlotte looked like a little Leprechaun in her outfit. My father-in-law made her shirt, the pants are from Carter's and her bow is from Eola Ella.
4. I woke up the other morning to find this in my hallway. I love that he thinks the laundry basket is his bed.
5. My sister's Au Pair, Juli, has been a big part of our family for this last year. Yesterday was her last day with us so we all went to lunch to say goodbye. I wouldn't call this a high five moment, but I just had to share the canvas she made for my sister's family. So sweet! We will miss you, Juli!

I'm very excited for a spring like weekend even if there is snow in the forecast next week. This will be the first weekend in 4 weeks that we will be home the whole weekend. To say I'm looking forward to that is an understatement! Happy Friday, y'all!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Weekly Weigh In: Week 3

I'm a little bummed this week. I made a few changes that I thought for sure would make me successful, but somehow I managed to gain weight. Not much, but no gain is a good gain. Instead of getting down about it, (because let's face it these things happen) I'm going to focus on the good that came out of it.

The first major change I made to my everyday life was packing up my maternity clothes. This may not sound like a big deal, but I truly think I was using them as a crutch. As long as I had clothes that fit me, it didn't matter what size I was. Now that they are all packed up, it was just the kick in the rear I needed because now I'm being forced to wear my pre-pregnancy clothes!

Another change I made was officially tracking my food using the Lose It! app. It's really simple, you enter in your current weight, your goal weight and how many pounds a week you want to lose. Based off that information it will calculate how many calories a day you can have to achieve your goal. You also get to add calories based off your daily exercise. This program works best for me because I'm not a health food nut so I can eat what I want, just in moderation. This combined with exercise has proven to be successful for me.

Lastly, as I mentioned before, I finally started running! I ran 3 days this week and plan to run 4-5 times next week! I am not stressing over miles, just 30 minutes a day. Every run is faster than the one before which helps me to keep coming back the next day. I'm not going to lie, this week has left me nearly crippled from muscle soreness, but I know that will only get better as I slowly get back into shape.

What I Wore Wednesday - Back to Work

Yesterday was a big day for me. It was my first time back in the office since I had Charlotte. I'm not going to lie, it felt like the first day of school. I was excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time!

One of the biggest challenges I've had over the past 9 weeks, is figuring out how to dress this new body. I have learned that pants and jeans are my biggest struggle and if I want to wear my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, dresses and tights are my friend. 

For my first day back I decided to wear something a bit more fitted than what I've been sporting lately. It felt good to be able to wear a pre-pregnancy dress!

I apologize in advance for these pictures, I decided to do mirror selfies instead a full on photo shoot. 

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW!