Bennett Caught the Big ONE!

(Bennett's onesie from this etsy shop)

We had the best time on Sunday celebrating Bennett's first birthday with our family! The weather was perfect (sunny and 70's), the food was good and the boys gave us some great entertainment with the smash cake! Bennett was very happy to dig into his smash cake and of course, big brother had to get in on the fun! I got some great photos and a video of the whole fiasco!

I had a great time scheming and crafting for this fun little 'fishing' theme for his party. Most everything was DIY. I found most of the ideas from Pinterest of course! I ordered the smash cake from our local grocery store and I made the topper. The cupcakes were made by my mother in law (which were delicious!) and I made the chocolate dipped pretzel rods (fishing poles). Also on the menu were a variety of subs (submarines), mac & cheese (homemade by my mother in law), broccoli salad, fruit salad and fish and chips (individual chip and goldfish bags). We also had pails of worms and minnows (gummy worms and Swedish fish).

It's fitting that I am posting this on Bennett's official birthday! I am still in denial that my baby is one and that it has been a whole YEAR since this moment...

A part of me is excited and happy that the boys are slowly starting to be on the same schedule and play together. But, mostly I'm sad because I absolutely love this baby age and do not want it to end. Bennett is just the sweetest little (ok, not so little) ball of squishy cuteness and I want him to stay little forever!

I'm also a bit sad because this could possibly be our last baby and we might be done with this baby stage. But, never say never... However, I am definitely not ready to be pregnant again any time soon!

We have been through so much as a family this past year with moving and settling into our new home. Bennett has been such a great baby through it all! He just brightens my day every morning when he smiles at me to pick him up out of his crib. We give thanks to God everyday for blessing us with 2 healthy and happy boys! I can not wait to see what the next year brings!

We love you Bennett! Happy 1st Birthday my love!

Advice for 2nd Time Moms

The title of this post may make it seem like I am an expert in the subject of being a second time mom. The truth is, I'm still learning! However, I've got just about a year of being a second time mom under my belt and I feel as though I have learned a lot. 

I have 3 friends that are about to have their 2nd babies and one that is about to have her 3rd! It just seems to be that phase of life we are all in right now. While at a play date with one of said friends recently, she looked up at me and asked 'do you have any advice for this second time mom?'

The question kind of stumped me. To be honest, it's not like giving advice to a first time mom where you want to unload allll the gory details of your first experience of having a baby and what it was like that first year. They get it. They've been there. And the fact that they came back for more means they have the confidence in themselves that they can do it again.

The truth is, there is no good advice because everyones' experience is different. It may depend on the first child's age, where you live and the climate, if you have help readily available, how much time you have off of work, how you heal from the labor and birth... the list goes on. But, there are a few things you can do to help prepare your first born and yourself before baby #2 arrives.

To help prepare older sibling:

#1. Tell your first child that they are going to have a baby sister/brother.  They are smarter than we give them credit. Camden was 19 months when Bennett was born which means his age range when I was pregnant was 10 months - 19 months. This was a tough age to communicate what was going on. I would let him touch my belly and tell him that his baby brother was in there and that he would meet him soon. Every now and then Camden would point to my belly and say 'baby' which was adorable. Of course, I may never know if he actually got the concept, but repetition and reassurance helped him understand why mommy's belly was growing!

#2. Expose your first born to babies and how they act. This was one thing I didn't really do enough with Camden. By the time we moved to Illinois, about 6 months before Bennett was born, Camden was in daycare 3-4 days a week. So, he had plenty of exposure to other children his age, but minimal contact with babies younger than him. I didn't have any close friends at the time with babies and the family that would visit us had older cousins. I definitely wish I would have brought him around babies to experience how they cry, breastfeed/eat, sleep a lot, etc. He was expecting for Bennett to get up and play with him from the womb! 

#3. Read Big Brother/Big Sister books. Camden actually loves this Big Brother book (Big Sister version here) and it's so cute to see him say 'that's me! And that's Bennett!" when we read it together. 

#4. Get a baby doll and teach them how to help. This was one I wish I would have done with Camden. He just never seemed interested in baby dolls, so I never got one or pretended like any of his animals were babies. Just the simple act of showing them how to hold a baby or be gentle, feed, diaper, etc. Then, when baby #2 does arrive, they have their own baby to take care of and keep them busy. 

#5. Make sure other people in your family are able to do bedtime/nap routines and are aware of their daily schedules. This is obvious because you will be busy with baby #2 for a while and will need help with #1 during the day and at night. 

#6. Make sure to set aside one on one time with 1st born before and after baby #2 is born. I made sure to have a lot of mommy/Camden days before Bennett arrived. It was tough to get one on one time shortly after Bennett was born, but even just playing while the baby is napping helps. 

#7. Prepare some 'quiet' or 'busy' boxes or have new toys on hand to keep them busy while you are feeding. There are some great ideas for these on Pinterest! This was something I wish I would have done before Bennett arrived. 

#8. Get them a special shirt to wear to the hospital and maybe a gift from the baby. This will just make the older sibling feel more special when baby #2 arrives. 

How to prepare yourself:

To be completely honest, the hardest part for you will be the emotional roller coaster. Yes, you will be healing and physically exhausted from labor and delivery. Yes, you will have a newborn keeping you up all night. You will be exhausted. BUT, the worst part for me was the heartbreak of not being able to be there for my first born as much after the baby was born. There were times when I was breastfeeding or just resting and recovering and Camden would call out for me. It literally broke my heart that I was not able to go to him and comfort him right away. Luckily, we had a lot of great help with first few weeks, so I know he was spoiled with love from his dad and grandparents. However, the mom guilt hurt my heart everyday for a while. 

Just know that this is a phase and a transition for everyone in the family. There will be jealousy from your first born. Depending on the age, they may communicate/show it differently. But, this behavior is actually normal. It took a while for Camden to realize that Bennett was here to stay! 

(taken the week after Bennett was born)

Lastly, give yourself some grace. Take a deep breath and let it go (Daniel Tiger anyone?). You will get through this. And in the end, you will have given your first born the greatest gift... a sibling and a life long friend! The struggle is always worth it in the end!

Also... don't blink because in a minute they will go from this...

To this... 

Seriously, I feel like I just blinked and they grew! 

I'm so excited to see how their little friendship evolves over the next year!

A Typical 'Day In The Life' With 2 Under 3

If you're anything like me, you love these day in the life posts. I get it. I'm nosey. But, I also like to see how other mothers, in particular, spend their days with their kids. How they actually attempt to accomplish anything outside of taking care of them (house chores? what are those?). I can't believe it's been over a year since I published this 'day in the life' post! Oh, those were the days with just one little guy to worry about! I will say that our days run a lot smoother now than they did about 6 months ago. Having a newborn and a very active toddler at the same time is no joke! But, as with everything in life, it was just a phase and now I find myself with an almost mobile baby and a very active toddler... I can only imagine how hectic these days will be when I have 2 toddlers!

I wanted to document this time in my life at home with the boys for me to look back on. I find myself scrolling back in my blog to find the posts about the early days with Camden and I know I will love to come back and read these types of posts when the boys are older as well. And for those of you with 2 little ones yourself (or if you're thinking about having your second) this is for you as well!

I pride myself at getting both boys on a fairly good schedule by the age of 6 months. I'm all about regulating when they sleep and eat because it helps me map out and plan our days together as well. And I think it helps both boys know what to expect in our days which can lead to less meltdowns (perhaps).

Instead of picking a specific day, I'm going to give you a general run down on our schedule when I'm at home with the boys. There are somethings that change day to day like, when Bennett will take his first nap (because that sets off our schedule for the rest of the day) or what the weather is like for the day (will we be playing inside or outside). But, for the most part, this is our typical day....

May 2017
Bennett - 10 months
Camden - 2.5 years
Me - part time work from home (online marketing), part time SAHM
Bill - Medical Sales Rep (travels part time)

5:30 am - my alarm on my phone goes off. I've been trying my best to set my alarm and get up before the boys wake up so I can have some time to get ready (aka throw on some make up, brush my hair and put normal clothes on). Maybe even take my first few sips of coffee before the hectic morning starts. I've been about 50/50 with actually getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. I'm hoping to be 100% in the near future!

5:45 am - I drag myself out of bed with the only motivation being that first sip of warm coffee (with lots of creamer...mmm). I brew our coffee for the day (we like to make an old school pot of coffee every morning). I start to put on my make up and brush my hair. I most likely throw on these shorts and one of these tee shirts (which are currently 3 for $20!).

6/6:15 am - This is about when I start to hear Bennett stir and talk in his crib. The little booger has only slept past 6:30 a handful of times in his life. But, I like that he gets us up and out of bed for the day! I get him up, change his diaper and we head downstairs for his first bottle of the day. He usually finishes this one pretty quick. Then it's play time on the floor. He is a loud baby and usually wakes up his brother and Dada with his squeals.

6:30/7 am - Camden will typically sleep until about 7 if his brother doesn't wake him up. If Bill is home, he will usually get Camden up and dressed for the day. Bill brings him downstairs and I give him a hug and kiss 'good morning'. I sit him up on his booster seat and give him the ipad to watch a few videos while I prepare the boys' breakfast. Cheerios and fruit for Bennett (sometimes a pouch if he seems hungry). Yogurt, cheerios, maybe some fruit and milk for Camden. We are like clockwork with our morning routine, so Camden has gotten pretty used to eating the same thing every morning. On the weekends I might make something more exciting like pancakes or waffles. Bennett's pretty good at eating his finger foods so, I take this opportunity while they are eating to empty the dishwasher.

(the best silicone bibs)

7:30/8 am - Bennett starts to get restless in his highchair, so I put him in his little car walker (similar here) and he walks around the first floor going from out front foyer, to the kitchen, to the living room. He's gotten pretty good at maneuvering in that thing!

8 am - We finish up breakfast and head upstairs to the playroom while Bill starts work for the day. I put Bennett down for his morning nap between 8 - 8:30 (usually about 2 hours after he wakes up).

8:30 - 9:30 am - Camden and I play in the playroom while Bennett naps. I like to try to incorporate some quiet activities like play-doh, coloring, etc. I may turn on an episode of Daniel Tiger or Sesame Street if we are having a lazy morning.

9:30 - 10 am - Bennett usually wakes around this time and I feed him his second bottle of the day. I'll get the boys dressed for if I haven't yet. Camden will get a snack and some milk while I'm feeding Bennett.

10 am - 12 pm - This is when we will go on an outing for the day. Depending on the weather we will go to the park, zoo, or another outdoor place if it's nice out. If it's a rainy or cold day we may go to an indoor play cafe (like this one) or I'll take them on a grocery/Target run (which is starting to get tricky). I'd like to try out a few local libraries for story time too in the near future.

(taken at the Tree of Life Play + Cafe in Hilliard on a cold/rainy Tuesday!)

12 pm - 12:30 pm - We are home and I fix the boys lunch. Camden's appetite varies, but Bennett is usually hungry at this time and will eat anything I put on his tray! I'll give him a handful of cheerios to keep him busy while I make the boys' lunches. I try my best to make sure Camden gets some sort of protein and fruit/veggie. The veggies are tough and most of the time I have to resort to giving him one of these so I feel better. Bennett gets some sort of fruit and/or veggie as well and maybe a little bit of whatever Camden is eating. I might give Bennett a sippy cup with a little bit of water so he gets used to using the sippy.

12:30 - 1 pm - We all head upstairs to start the nap time process. I put Bennett down for his nap first. He will typically roll around a bit and talk to himself before falling asleep. I'll bring Camden to his room, change his diaper and read him a story or 2 before coaxing him to go in his crib.

1 - 2:30 pm - On a good day (and this is happening more often recently), the boys will nap simultaneously at this time! During nap time I'll work on the blog, answer emails, read blogs do house chores or prep for dinner. Or sometimes I just sit and catch up some TV shows if I'm lazy! I also usually eat my lunch at this time since I am never really able to when the boys eat!

2:30 - 3 pm - Bennett wakes up from his nap around this time and I feed him a bottle. Then, we get some one on one play time together in the playroom before Camden wakes up. I love this time because I can just focus all my attention on him!

3 - 3:30 pm - Camden will wake up from his nap around this time. He's been so grumpy after nap time recently! It will take him a good half an hour to feel better. I usually get him a snack and some milk and we may watch an episode of Daniel Tiger or something to get him out of his funk.

(or sometimes he refuses to put pants on... Oh, to be a toddler!)

3:30 - 5 pm - At this time I try to get the boys out of the house again. We may go across the street to the park (yes, there is a park right across the street from our house which is so convenient!) or just hang out in our backyard with some toys if it's nice out. If it's a crummy day, I may just take them with me on an errand or I'll try to get creative with a craft for Camden, more play-doh, build a fort, etc.

5 pm - Bennett starts to get a little whiny around this time and I know it's because he's ready for dinner! So, I'll bring the boys in the kitchen to start dinner for us. I'll put Bennett in his high chair with some finger foods to keep him happy. Recently, I've been giving him peas, carrots, corn, raspberries (these are so easy to just pull apart in pieces), bananas, etc. I'll start making dinner and try to keep Camden occupied by either having me help with dinner or giving him some type of craft to do at the table or he'll play an app on the ipad.

5:30 - 6 pm - I'll serve dinner to Camden and give Bennett little pieces of whatever we are eating. If Bill is home we may all eat at this time. I've been loving one pan/sheet pan recipes lately! Makes clean up so much easier!

6 pm - 6:45 - This is when the boys get a little crazy and I'm so glad when Bill is home to help during this time of night! We will either play downstairs or head up to the play room. Bill may watch the boys at this time while I clean up from dinner. A few nights a week, I'll try to go for a run outside at this time.

6:45 pm - I'll feed Bennett his 'bedtime' bottle and get him ready for bed. I change him into pjs and an overnight diaper, turn on his sound machine, close the curtains and I usually sing him a lullaby before putting him in his crib. I've been putting him in lighter, short sleeve pjs for summer, but I still love using the sleep sack so he feels comfy.

7 pm - Bennett is usually sleeping by this time and Bill will hang out with Camden while I jump in the shower.

7:30 / 7:45 pm - We start the bedtime process for Camden which includes changing into PJs, brushing his teeth, bath if needed, stories, etc. He is really starting to try to avoid the bedtime process! He's always asking for one more story or to go back in the playroom. We try to make sure he's at least in his crib by 8pm.

8 / 8:30 pm - Camden is finally asleep and Bill and I relax for a bit. Maybe watch a TV show, eat our dinner if we haven't yet! I'll try to clean up the kitchen as much as possible before we go to bed. I hate waking up to a messy kitchen.

9 - 9:30 pm - I may work on a blog post or just catch up on a TV show.

9:30 - 10 pm - I'll brush my teeth, wash my face and set out clothes for the next day. I've been so tired at night that I'm typically in bed by this time! I make sure my alarm is set for 5:30 am.

And that is my day as a SAHM in a nutshell! Props to you if you've read this entire post, ha! Seems like such a long day all written out. But, they definitely fly by because we are so busy!

10 Months with Bennett!

So, I meant to post an update on Bennett around the 9 month mark and the past month completely flew by! So funny how time just escapes you when you have babies. To be honest, I am in disbelief that our little Bennett is 10 months already! That means we are less than 2 months away from his 1st birthday... This can't be true? Didn't I just have him?!

I absolutely LOVE this stage... He's just starting to crawl, but mostly just army crawls and scoots his way everywhere! He can not sit still. I try to sit him up with some toys and he immediately goes to the ground so he can wiggle his way around. Trying to bottle feed him is getting a bit tricky too because he is constantly squirming and just doesn't seem to have the patience to finish a whole bottle at once. I'm not too worried because boy can he EAT! Bennett is pretty much eating everything we eat now. I've just been breaking up little pieces of our meals or whatever Camden might be eating and he just grabs it and shoves it in his mouth! It is so refreshing to have a baby that likes to eat this way. I hate comparing the 2, but Camden would always gag on any little bits of food when he was a baby so we were always feeding him pureed food and relied heavily on pouches and baby food. Bennett still gets a pouch now and then (and will suck them down on his own!), but he much rather prefers solid foods he can grab with his hands. One easy veggie I've been feeding him is canned peas. They are the perfect size and mushy, so he will just take big handfuls at a time! 

The sleeping part has also gotten a lot better. I'm not going to use the term 'sleeps through the night' because he will still wake up randomly in the middle of the night and just kind of roll around talking to himself. Usually he will put himself back to sleep, but sometimes I have to go to his room to give him his paci or just soothe him a bit before he falls back asleep. But, if he doesn't wake up he will sleep from 7pm to about 6am and I am loving when he does! 

He is usually only fussy when he's sleepy or hungry and is such a LOUD talker! I don't know if it's because Camden is always talking and he feels like it's the only way we will hear him or what?! He's been such a loud baby from the start! He's starting to 'say' a lot of words too. He's been saying the 'dada' sound for a while and just last month started saying 'mama'! And it's so cute when I ask him, 'where is dada?' he will turn to Bill and smile! He does the same with Camden and our dog Charlie! It's so cute when they start to realize everyone's name! 

Bennett is still our chunky monkey, weighing 23.4 pounds at his most recent check up (75th percentile!). His head is in the 97th percentile making it difficult to find hats for him to wear this summer (any suggestions from other mothers with big headed babies welcome!). He's currently wearing 18mo - 24mo clothing and size 5 diapers which is the same size as his older brother! I will say it makes it a whole lot easier trying to buy diapers for them now that they're the same size!

Below is our current schedule for Bennett. It's so nice that the boys are slowly morphing into the same routine!

6 - 6:30am wake, change and bottle (6 oz)
7 - 7:30am breakfast with brother (usually feed him cheerios, some type of cut up fruit and maybe a pouch if he still seems hungry)
8 - 8:30am down for morning nap
9 - 9:30am awake, change and will try to feed him a bottle close to 10am or earlier if we are trying to leave the house.
(This is usually when we will go on an outing of some type if I'm home with the boys. The Park, groceries, etc.)
11:30 - 12pm Lunch time for the boys (I will feed Bennett some fruit, cheerios, maybe some of whatever Camden is eating, a pouch, etc)
12 - 12:30pm down for afternoon nap (I've done a pretty good job of trying to sync their naps and it usually works for at least an hour or so!)
2 - 2:30pm awake, change and bottle (6 oz)
4:30 - 5pm dinner with finger foods, veggies, whatever we are having for dinner
6:30 bath if he needs one, then bedtime bottle (6 oz)
7pm change into pjs, sound machine on, black out curtains shut, into his sleep sack he goes and he is usually asleep by 7:15-7:30.

I am SO excited for this summer with the boys! So many fun things to look forward to! Bennett's first birthday (June 28th!), 4th of July, a family vacation to the outer banks in mid July, taking them to the community pool and so many parks to visit! I'm hoping to do a better job at taking photos of the boys together. They are both so squirmy it's hard to get a good one! But, I also want to try to document this stage of life as much as possible because I know I will look back one day and miss it!

We love you Bennett!!

Shop some of our favorite baby products at the moment below:

'Sprinkled With Love' Baby Sprinkle

I had such a wonderful day yesterday 'sprinkling' 3 of my close friends with love (and diapers... and donuts)! All 3 friends are due with their second babies this summer! As an excuse to get together and have some girl talk, we decided to throw them a little baby sprinkle! As requested from the guests of honor, there were no gifts, but everyone brought either a pack of wipes or diapers for each mama to be. Of course, we couldn't leave them empty handed, so we all pitched in and gave them each a gift certificate to their favorite nail salon for some baby-mama pampering. Which from their reactions, was just what the doctor ordered! 

We decided on a brunch time shower and went with the 'sprinkle' theme for decorations. I can not take credit for these awesome decorations!! I simply contributed my home, the photos you see above and the deviled eggs... mmmmm...

The Sprinkled with Love' banner was found on etsy as well as the framed sign. The sprinkle donuts were ordered from a local donut shop called Amy's Donuts (I am still dreaming about them... they were so good!). Also on the menu were bagels with cream cheese, bacon, cheesy potatoes and individual fruit and yogurt parfaits in mini ball jars. And of course the coffee and mimosas were flowing (non-alcoholic for the pregnant ladies)!

I truly love the fact that my close friends are going through this same stage of life. I think as a mother, or really at any stage of life, it is so important to have close friendships with other like minded women. Im so glad we were able to celebrate these beautiful mamas for the day!