July 27, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

Now that I am feeling like my normal self again, I thought I would share an update on my second pregnancy. 

Update: As of tomorrow, I am 19 weeks. We are getting closer and closer to meeting our baby girl! This pregnancy is going by much faster than my pregnancy with Tanner. I’m sure I could chalk that up to chasing after a toddler all day, and two toddlers 3 days each week since I watch a friend’s child.  All of our our testing has gone pretty smooth and baby girl seems to be healthy and cooking well in mama’s belly. I am considered a high-risk pregnancy due to having preeclampsia with Tanner. The doctor does not seem concerned at this time about anything, but I will have several additional appointments for blood work, liver functioning tests, and EKG’s on my heart.

It seems like Jason and I are non-stop busy these days and I can’t complain about it. I like to stay moving forward with projects and meetings. We have had 4 different people stay in our guest house in the last 6 weeks. I have also been working on some wedding lettering for friends who are getting married. Jason and I started to work on the nursery and can’t wait to do another nursery reveal! Our third bedroom is currently in shambles, but we did get rid of so much junk, donate, and move things around so that we could work on what will eventually be our girl’s room.

Cravings: The only thing that I can really say that I have been craving out of my ordinary is PB & J’s!

Feelings: It feels surreal that I am almost 20 weeks. As I have talked about before, this pregnancy has been totally different than my first. I was convinced that we had to be having a girl because I felt SO SICK from week 5 to about week 11, when I was totally fine with Tanner the entire first trimester. As soon as the second trimester hit, I felt a thousand times better and now am back to normal routine. Thank you to everyone who checked in on me! I truly appreciate it and have a whole new understanding of a rough pregnancy.

Everyone is asking, we do not have a name for the baby girl yet. I have given my husband a list of about 10 names that I really like, he doesn’t like any of them. I am out of ideas and stressed. I just want to choose something at this point. I am starting to feel our girl move and I just want to be able to connect with her and call her by a sweet little name.

Hopes: I hope that Tanner is ready to share his toys and be a big brother. I know that he will do great, I’m just not sure how it will be at first since he will only be 19 months when baby girl is born. I hope that I can adjust back to getting no sleep without being too cranky… wishful thinking, I know!!

Worries: I am worried that we are not giving Tanner enough time to be our baby. Even though he is now a “toddler” it is hard to imagine him as independent since he is still so young. I know our hearts will grow to love two babies the exact same, but I do feel bad that Tanner will have to share our attention and I am sure it will rock his little world in the beginning. I am putting it in God’s hands and I know it will all be OK.

Products: I use some Nine Naturals products that I had left over from my pregnancy with Tanner. I love the shampoo and conditioner. I use Burt Bee’s Belly Butter on my tummy each night before bed. I would love to hear about your favorite products to use while pregnant!!

Keep in touch,
Dani

June 6, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

I believe after each child, most mama’s think about the items that she could have lived without AND the items that she wished she would have tried. 

There are so many cutting edge baby items on the market right now. As a first time mom, (when I was pregnant with Tanner) it was hard to know exactly what items to buy/register for! I previously made a post about the items that I did not use and now I am creating this post to talk about the item that I want for baby #2. These are some of the products that I wish I would have gotten for Tanner or items that I did not know about until after I already had Tanner. I am excited to try these baby goods with #2! Finally, I included a few things that I am dreaming about for our newest nursery. I am hoping for my husband and I to begin working on the nursery this summer.

1. The DockATot Deluxe and Grand
2. Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock
3. The Ollie World Swaddle
4. My Wild Bird Ring Sling
5. Lorena Canals Rug for Nursery
6. Babyletto Hudson Crib for Nursery
7. Bumbo Changing Pad

I would love to hear from you about what your favorite baby items have been!

Keep in touch,
Dani

 

May 30, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

It was hard to wait until 10 weeks to announce our big news! We are expecting Baby #2 this December! Here are a few more details…

SURPRISE, Tanner is going to be a big brother in December!! We are THRILLED to grow our family to 4! I found out that I was pregnant around Easter. Before I even peed on that stick, I was feeling queasy and had headaches so when the test was positive I can’t say I was surprised! Well, I was surprised, but you know what I mean. I think the realization of being pregnant is always shocking, even when you are trying! It is just THAT exciting! I know many are probably wondering if this was planned so I will just go ahead and answer that question: It was planned! After having Tanner, we thought long and hard about how long we wanted to wait or not wait. While we were still in baby mode, we decided let’s have a second, everything is fresh in our minds. Plus, it will be beyond fun for Tanner to have a playmate close in age. Tanner and his brother or sister will be 19 months apart.

This pregnancy has been the complete opposite than Tanner’s so far. Like I said, I have felt nauseous since day 1. At first it was in the morning and totally manageable. Around week 7, the morning sickness changed to afternoon/evening sickness and became much stronger. I have not thrown up, but I feels like I am going to everyday. It almost feels like throwing up would make me feel better than just feeling like I have to throw up. The doctor gave me some samples of nausea medicine and that is how I have been surviving. Running after a toddler and feeling crappy is no joke!

Thank God my husband has been extremely helpful with taking care of Tanner from the moment he gets home from work until Tanner goes to bed. We are praying life will be much simpler during the second trimester which is only about 10 days away. I have been to the doctor twice and have been fortunate to have to have ultrasounds both times. Our little peanut has a good strong heart beat and is growing fast already! We are looking forward to this new adventure and we will continue to keep you updated along the way. Thank you to everyone who congratulated us and to everyone who has messaged me wonderful advice about the nausea.

Keep in touch,
Dani

May 3, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

A quick Mother’s Day Gift Guide for all those last minute people, like myself. And it’s not too late to order some custom gifts online!

1. Artifact Uprising Custom Photo Book
2. Mina Kay Diaper Backpack
3. Gathre- Leather Bonded Mat 
4. Pink & Blue Co.  Necklace for mom with baby’s info
5. Promptly- A Childhood History Journal for Mom
6. Gift Card to Minted Home
7. Gift Card to Beauty Counter

I wanted to share a little gift guide with some of my favorite items that I think any mama would appreciate this Mother’s Day. I have most items on this list and they are all high-quality, one-of-a-kind type of items. Spoil the mothers in your life on May 14, they sure do deserve it!! Please share what you have already gotten that lucky mom in your life if you already went shopping! God Bless all the mamas!

Keep in touch,
Dani 

April 19, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

It is extremely hard to believe next month we will have a toddler on our hands, or as I would like to call him, a tod-fant. I am sharing 10 fun activities to check off your spring/summer bucketlist with your children.

photo by Verance Photography

1. Take a trip to the beach to splash in the water and build sandcastles.
2. Have a picnic and pack a snack, a frisbee, and some bubbles.
3. Plant some flowers or herbs in the backyard.
4. Build a water table out of 2 x 4’s and a large plastic bins.
5. Play in the sprinklers or hose or fill up water balloons.
6. Take a family bike ride! We recently bought the child cargo trailer off craiglist. They are expensive new so local Facebook mom groups, second hand stores, and craigslist are great places to check for used trailers.
7. Plan a craft day with other moms and children, set out picnic blankets and snacks! I want to have friends over to make bird feeders.
8. Make and popsicles eat them!
9. Take a day trip to a zoo or aquarium.
10. Make homemade play dough on a rainy spring day, or summer if you live in Florida like we do!

What are your big plans to stay busy with your kiddos this spring and summer? I can’t wait to check these fun activities off of our bucketlist!!

Keep in touch,
Dani

March 31, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

Sharing five baby items that we never used to help others moms with registries and save them some money and time!

I can not believe our baby was this tiny! Tanner was 3 weeks here! 

1. Diaper Warmer- Tanner’s changing table is not the biggest so we never put out the diaper warmer. Also, living in Florida, we do not experience really cold winters.
2. Decorative Car Seat Straps– I registered for little bear straps for Tanner’s carseat, they are cute, but I never switched out the straps and pads that came with his car seat. I think it is safer to keep what comes with the car seat.
3. Bottle Warmer– I bought this after using a friends and I never opened it. Tanner drank his bottles at room temperature. If the breastmilk came out of the refrigerator, we ran it under hot water for 2 minutes. Also, something you can do if you are at a friends house or at a restaurant.
4. Cup to trap pee– I thought this would come in handy for a baby boy. While, I did get peed on once or twice, I did not use this product and chances are you will not either each time you change a diaper. Save your money 🙂
5. Manual Breast Pump– I never found myself in a situation where I needed a manual pump. I always used my Medela pump that plugged into the wall. I even had an outlet for the car which was extremely convenient when on the road or running errands!

With Tanner’s first birthday approaching, I wanted to share the 5 items that I still have never used/are unopened in Tanner’s closet. These items are just products that we have managed to live without. I do have some friends who enjoy these items, but for Tanner we did not find them necessary. As moms, I feel like it is great to talk about the items that we did not use so hopefully we can save a trip to the store or spending the money on pointless things. I do still plan on trying to take a few items back in exchange for diapers. What are some items that you never opened??

Keep in touch,
Dani