Archives for May 2016

May 29, 2016 by Drafts & Crafts

Prepping overnight bags for your maternity stay in the hospital or birth center is a big task to check off the never ending parents-to-be list! Luckily, I have done my research and have talked to several mama’s who helped me put together a checklist on what to pack. I used Lo & Sons Catalina Weekender, the is the ultimate weekender bag to make packing simple, organized, and stylish! 

THE CATALINA WEEKENDER BAG BY LO & SONS c/o

There is SO MUCH to do when preparing for your bundle of joy! Between getting the nursery in order and making sure you have all of the appropriate supplies for baby’s arrival home, packing your hospital bag could be overwhelming if you are unsure what to bring. I am very fortunate to have many wonderful mama friends who gave me some pointers. My recommendation is to have your hospital bag “roughly packed” by 36 weeks. You never know if baby may come early, like my 37 week surprise!! It is understandable that you will likely have to throw some last minute items in the bag that you use on a daily basis. It is beneficial to have the items that you do not use daily already packed. For instance, if you plan on breast feeding, go ahead and order some nursing bras by 30 weeks that way you can have them ready to go!

Choosing what to pack in your bag is just as important as choosing a bag! Whether you are headed to the hospital for delivery or going away for the weekend, convenience is KEY! I hate digging through a huge duffle bag or putting my shoes in the same space as my clean clothes. I was thrilled to receive this Lo & Son’s Catalina Weekender because it makes packing easy and practical. I just love the story behind Lo & Sons as well. Helen Lo was making frequent trips to the doctors when her two sons kept noticing that she often had a different bag because she could not find one bag that she liked. Helen’s sons convinced her to create a functional bag to pack her belongings in and eventually developed their family company, Lo & Sons!! The Catalina Weekender is such a versatile bag. The canvas material is light weight, strong, and can be folded up for easy storage. There are several pockets for all of your small belongings, like chargers and chap stick. Here is my hospital bag checklist:

Mommy’s Bag

• pajamas
• robe
• slippers
• comfortable underwear for post delivery
• absorbent pads
• loose clothes to go home in
• toiletries
• camera
• camera charger
• cell phone charger
• photo ID
• insurance card
• head band & hair ties
• socks (a pair with grips)
• chap stick

Baby’s Bag

• two change of clothes (one of these being the going home outfit)
• blanket
• pacifier
• socks
• nail grooming kit for baby
• diapers
• wipes

If you plan to breastfeed..

• nursing pads
• nipple cream
• nursing cover
• nursing pillow
• nursing bra
• your preferred bottles
• your preferred breast pumping equipment (the hospital will have this as well)

Daddy’s bag

• 2 change of clothes
• pajamas
• toiletries
• snacks
• money for vending machines
• I pad or computer
• cell phone charger

I found it extremely helpful to print out this checklist so that I could cross items off as I packed my bag. Creating a checklist ahead of time will ensure that you do not forget anything and hopefully put your mind at ease. Any other items that you found essential during your maternity stay? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear!! A HUGE thank you to Lo & Sons for making this post possible, I can not wait to use my weekender again!

Keep in touch,
Dani

May 28, 2016 by Drafts & Crafts

It goes without saying, baby’s are ready to come when they are ready to come! Our son decided to surprise my husband and I by arriving a few weeks early. I am excited to share with you the birth story of our first child, Tanner Chase Colding.

On Tuesday, May 10th I was 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Since I was past 36 weeks, I had my weekly OB appointment every Tuesday. If you know me or have been following along, then you may know that I had been extremely swollen since about 28 weeks. As soon as 36 weeks hit, I was counting down the days until baby was due since I was uncomfortable from swelling. With that being said, I was anxious to hear from my doctor if my body was starting to prepare for delivery (i.e uterus softening and any dilation). The nurse checked my vitals that Tuesday morning, all was good except my blood pressure was a slightly high, but “not high enough to be concerned though.” Then the doctor told me that I was not showing any signs of labor, so he would just see me back the following Tuesday.

I left the doctor, went home, had some lunch and decided to go grocery shopping. After finishing up at the grocery store, I spotted the blood pressure machine in the corner of the store by the pharmacy. I thought to myself, I may be a little crazy but I want to take my blood pressure because I thought it was high at my doctors that morning. I was not nervous to take my blood pressure and in fact I was thinking, oh it probably has gone down since this morning. I was shocked to see that I had gone up way higher, 184/99!! So I waddled over to the pharmacist and asked him if the BP machine was accurate. The pharmacist assured me that it was accurate and that someone comes to calibrate the machine monthly. The pharmacist encouraged me to sit down for 15 minutes take some deep breathes and take my blood pressure over to get a second reading. The reading the second time was 180/106 so I called my OB’s office right away and they told me if I felt safe to drive the come back in so they could check my BP. Sure enough it was around 180/100. My OB sent me straight to the hospital to have further testing for preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is simply high blood pressure during pregnancy. Usually the only way to get a mother’s blood pressure down is by delivering the baby. If the mother is considered full-term (around 36 weeks) it’s extremely important to get the baby out because high blood pressure puts you at high risk for having a seizure or stroke. The 3 signs of preeclampsia are high blood pressure, protein in your urine, and swelling.

Jason left work and met me at labor and delivery. The nurses took blood work, urine samples, and checked the baby’s vitals. My blood work looked good, yet there was protein in my urine. The nurse told me that they wanted to hold me for 24 hours and collect a 24 hour urine sample.  Jason and I slept overnight in the hospital. After collecting my urine for 12 hours (I know, doesn’t sound pretty) the high-risk OB for the hospital came in to check me. She took one look at my chart and said that she would have delivered my baby today if it was up to her. She said that she was going to call my OB immediately and tell him that I needed to have the baby ASAP. The nurses were great at keeping me informed. They let me know that my OB was on his way to talk to my about my plan for delivery. After spending 24 hours in the hospital, my doctor came into the room and told me he was scheduling me for 7:30 AM C-section the next morning, May 12th. It was a wild feeling knowing that it would be just the next morning that we would be holding our son for the first time!!

I was pretty upset because I wanted to try to have a vaginal birth, but since I had no signs of labor the doctor did not feel like it was safe to induce me with high blood pressure. At 6am on May 12, I was woken up to prep for surgery. I was pretty nervous because I had never had any kind of surgery, but I kept reminding myself that c sections are extremely common and that this was in God’s hands. I was wheeled into the operating room at 7:45 and Tanner Chase was born at 8:16 a.m. I never felt so relieved to hear a baby cry. Jason carried him behind the curtain so that I could see him for a second before they had to clean him and get his vitals. Tanner weighed 6 lbs 8 ounces and was 19.5 inches! Seeing Tanner for the first time completed our lives!

The total C-section was about 40 minutes. Then I was wheeled  back in my room to recover and hold our sweet angel. After holding Tanner for a few minutes, he was making a low, shallow whimpering noises and would not cry loudly. The nurses had to take him and try to get him to cry. Since he was not reacting to anything they were doing, the nurses decided to take Tanner to the NICU. The doctor determined that Tanner swallowed some amniotic fluid during the C-section. Babies that are born vaginally come through the birth canal and all the fluid that they swallow gets pushed out. Our little dude was having trouble breathing because he had fluid in his lungs.

To make a long story short, Tanner was in the NICU for a week. It was by far the hardest and longest week of our lives, but each day he was doing better and we were getting good reports so we were remaining hopeful that our baby boy would make a quick recovery. After one week, Tanner was able to come home with his mama and dada!!! My parents were here from South Florida for two weeks and they drove me back-and-forth to the hospital each day to see Tanner since I was not able to drive from the C-section and the high BP. They also made sure Jason and I ate well while they were in town. I think it is safe to say that our hearts have never this full and we are so happy to be Tanner’s parents and grandparents. I think Jason and I are doing a pretty good job and adjusting to our new schedule and life. We are definitely tired at times but we wouldn’t trade it for the world. So, if you are still reading this, thank you for making it through my long birth story and THANK YOU to everyone that showed us continuous support and prayers for our new family!!!

Keep in touch,
Dani, Jason, & Tanner!

May 4, 2016 by Drafts & Crafts

After months of gathering decor and sweet touches, I am thrilled to finally reveal our baby boy’s neutral, whimsical nursery!

Bible Verse Print: Drafts & Crafts
Animal Prints: James River Studios c/o
Floor Lamp: Capitol Lighting c/o
Mountain Pillows: Cabin Studio c/o
Cloud Quilt: Little Colley Design c/o
Pacifier Clip: Madeline’s Box c/o
Elephant Table: Zara Home
Crib Mobile: Anthropologie
Zinc Letter: Anthropologie
Ottoman: Anthropologie (old)
Glider: Target
Bookcase: Pottery Barn Kids
Dresser & Topper: Pottery Barn Kids
Crib: Pottery Barn Kids
Bear Rocker: Pottery Barn Kids
Animal Rug: One Kings Lane

I wanted to create a neutral nursery that would feel soft, clean, and whimsical. Pops of blue were included to add a slightly masculine tone to the room. My goal was to make the room feel sophisticated, while keeping in mind all of the small, playful touches of a baby’s nursery. If I were to put a name to the style, I would say that I was going for a modern meets traditional look. I got much of my inspiration from animals and wanted to use some fun patterns, textures, and metals to set a whimsical mood. My husband and I hope that the room radiates adventure and dreaming big!

We chose items with clouds, stars, mountains, and animals to create a playful oasis for our first child. I just don’t think there is anything sweeter than handmade items. Baby C’s cloud quilt is handcrafted with high-quality, all natural cotton. I am pleased to be able to share a 20% off code to Little Colley Designs. You can shop for adorable quilts with the discount code “LCDDC15” at checkout. Next, I wanted to add some modern pillows to the nursery. Cabin Studio made that possible with their chic mountain pillows. The pillows are beautifully crafted and have inspirational words sewn on the back side, like “explore” and “adventure,” you can even request a custom word! Lastly, an important feature in any room is lighting. I was able to work with some talented people over at Capitol Lighting to find a fixture that would complete the baby’s nursery. With thousands of lamps and styles to choose from, picking the right fixture can be tricky. I wanted a floor lamp that would pier over the rocking chair and reading nook. The polished steel lamp is modern and timeless, but most importantly, it gives off great light for reading. I can’t wait to read to our bebe each evening in this cozy alcove!

Thank you to all the businesses who gifted items for Baby Colding’s nursery. I get so much pleasure from working and collaborating with other small businesses. Please take some time to check out what each shop has to offer. If you know anyone with a little one on the way, I encourage you to shop for unique baby gifts and support small businesses!! If you have any questions about items or products in our little man’s nursery, please feel free to leave a comment!

Keep in touch,
Dani