Soaking Up the Moments...

The last moments of being a family of 3 that is...

My parents came in town Thursday night and Camden has been in Grandma and Grandpa spoiling heaven ever since. I also felt so spoiled by my parents and husband over the weekend. My mom basically took care of Camden and Bill was busy with all the house chores and even cleaned out my car for me (which was so needed!). I even was able to sneak out of the house for a bit to get a pedicure and gel manicure (I forgot how wonderful these gel manicures are!). My mom also cooked a few nights and Bill grilled some hamburgers and veggies one night. My Dad, unfortunately, pulled a muscle in his neck so he wasn't able to play with Camden as much as he would have liked to, but hopefully he is on the mend and will start to feel better in the next day or so. 

It was so hot this weekend, that we spent most of the time indoors playing. My parents did play with Cam outside here and there, but for a short time. They took him on a trip to the grocery store and on a few walks as well. My mom brought a big bag of fun toys and activities to keep Camden busy over the next week. Did I mention she's the best?!

I also just got a new 50mm lens for my Nikon D5100. Why did I wait so long to purchase one of these?! I'm so glad I got it before baby 2 is here! I got mine second hand from a friend but you can also purchase the same one on Amazon if you have a Nikon dslr camera.

I'm still learning the ins and outs of shooting in manual, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Here are a few images I was able to capture this weekend...

Can I tell you how difficult it is to take photos of a toddler? Half of the pictures I took were blurry because this boy does not stay still for a second!

So, tomorrow is the big day! My c section is scheduled pretty early in the morning which I'm thankful for since I can't eat or drink anything starting at midnight tonight. And the simple fact that I will be so extremely anxious, nervous and excited all at the same time until we get into the OR. I'm just praying everything goes smoothly and that we end up with a healthy baby boy! Please say a little prayer for us if you think of it tomorrow morning!

Today we are just finishing up all the packing and planning for the week. Both sets of our parents are staying at our house and will be in charge of the home, Charlie our dog and Camden while we are in the hospital for the next 3 days. We are so lucky we both have parents that are so eager and willing to help out! Bill and I also plan to go out to dinner tonight as our 'last super' before baby arrives!

Like I mentioned in Friday's post, I may not be able to blog too much over the next week or so. You can follow me on Snapchat (LindsayRumple) and instagram (@lindsaykr11) for updates and the announcement of baby 2's arrival!! One more sleep until he's here!!! 

Newborn Essentials | Feeding

Oh, hey guys!

I'm still here and pregnant! This week I decided to take it easy, relax and sleep as much as possible since I know that will all be very scarce in my near future (like as of this TUESDAY!). So, even though blogging was on my to do list, I didn't get to post as often as I would have liked this week. However, I did want to at least finish out the week with another installment of my 'Newborn Essentials' series. This week it's all about feeding baby. This is geared towards newborns (0-3 months), so mostly items that help with breastfeeding and bottle feeding. 

Also, thank you all for your comments on Monday's post about becoming a SAHM. I got a ton of great advice!!

So, here are my top newborn breastfeeding/pumping/bottle feeding products:

1. Burp cloths (cloth diapers): These I used all the time with Camden, not only as burp cloths, but to lay under his head while changing him in public places, while on his play mat and bouncy seats. They definitely came in handy and I'd say we have about 20 of them since they were constantly being used! One of my friends gave me a bunch with cute patterned fabric sewn down the middle of them (here's a DIY tutorial on how to make them), which are my favorite!

2. Medela pump in style electric pump: I was lucky enough to get one of these before I had Camden for free through my insurance. It is still in great condition and I plan on using it again with baby 2. It is pretty compact and comes with a small cooler and attachments. Of course, I'm hoping to breastfeed in the beginning, but eventually pumping and storing breastmilk will come in handy when I'm ready to venture out of the house without baby or to have someone else feed him.

3. Medela pump and save bags: These were definitely used a ton since I was pumping full time with Camden for the first 5 months of his life. They are the perfect size and actually fit right on the Medela pump attachments. I would pump right into these bags, write on them the oz amount and date and store them horizontally in our freezer. I actually have a few boxes of these left over from Camden which I'm really happy about because they are not cheap!

4. Covered Goods nursing/car seat cover: This was one product that I knew I wanted to purchase for baby 2 and wished I had with Camden. I've heard great things about this product and I love that you can use it not only as a nursing cover, but also as a car seat cover, shopping cart cover and infinity scarf! I found this similar version for about $10 less on Amazon as well.

5. Medela steam sterilizing bags: We used these bags a lot for sterilizing pump parts, bottles and pacifiers. They are so easy to use and you can use each bag multiple times. I actually just bought this Dr. Brown's Microwave Steam Sterilizer which seems like it will save some time and we won't have to keep buying the bags.

6. Boon grass drying rack: We still use this for drying Camden's sippy cups and I ended up buying this bottle drying rack so we could just use it for baby 2's bottles.

7. My Brest Friend nursing pillow: With Camden, I only had the boppy pillow that was gifted to me at one of my showers. The boppy came in handy later when we used it for tummy time and for support when he started sitting up. However, it did not work for me as a nursing pillow. I am short waisted and the boppy was a bit too bulky for me. I bought this nursing pillow in hopes that it will work a bit better for breastfeeding this time around.

8. Dr. Brown's bottle warmer: This thing was used a TON with Camden since we were constantly warming breastmilk bottle from the fridge and freezer. I actually continued to warm his bottles when we transitioned to formula because I would make several bottles in the beginning of the day and just keep them in the fridge for easy access.

9. Dr. Brown's bottles: We ended up using Dr. Brown's bottles early on with Camden to help with his gas and reflux issues and just continued to use them through out the first year of his life. They have extra parts, but I do believe they helped to reduce gas and discomfort with him while bottle feeding. We will be using the same ones for baby 2!

Of course, there are so many products out there to help with nursing and bottle feeding, but these were the products (and a few new ones) that I believe I will use the most this time around after my experience with Camden. 

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My parents arrived yesterday (Thursday) and will be staying for 2 weeks to help with Camden and baby 2! Bill's parents will also be here next week for baby 2's arrival! I can't believe we are going to meet him (finally) on Tuesday morning!!

I'm going to try to have a blog post up on Monday, but after that it may go a bit dark here on the blog for a week or so while we all adjust to the new addition to the family. 

Make sure to follow me on Snapchat (LindsayRumple) and instagram (@lindsaykr11) to for updates on baby 2's arrival! I can't wait to meet him and finally reveal his name! 

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Thoughts on Becoming a SAHM + Why I Blog

*First, I just wanted to give you all a quick update since my post on Friday. I had my follow up appointment Friday and my BP was normal (whoo hoo!). They still want me to try to minimize activity as much as possible, but I'm not on any restricting bed rest at this point. I have my next appointment Wednesday. Fingers crossed we are still on schedule for the c section on the 28th! Thank you all who commented with concerns and well wishes!

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Meet my new boss... He keeps me very busy, has a tight schedule with lots of over time... But, he's cute as can be! :)

My last official day of (part time) work was almost 2 weeks ago. We decided to continue taking Camden to daycare for the few weeks before baby #2 arrives just to give me a break and so that I can prepare his arrival on the 28th! Both sets of our parents will be coming in town to help with Camden and the new baby for 3 weeks (alternating weeks) which is wonderful! I remember wanting to be so independent with Camden and didn't ask for much help when he was a newborn. This time around I am taking any help I can get, especially since we will also have a toddler to take care of! Bill will also get a few weeks off of work which helps a lot. Every company should offer paternity leave!

With that said, I am nervous about when the help leaves. Most likely August will be tough since I will officially be on my own with 2 babes under 2 while Bill works during the week. As of right now, I can't imagine having the energy to do it, but of course I'm in my last few weeks of pregnancy and my energy level is so low at this point. I'm nervous about not getting any sleep (which I'm not really getting much now as it is) and then having to take care of a baby and toddler all day. I'm hoping that I have the patience of a saint!

However, I am excited to be with my babies all day everyday. I get to be a part of their learning process and we will make the best memories together. I also want to be a part of nurturing their sibling relationship. I can't wait until the boys are at the age when they can play together and like the same activities and toys. I know there will be fights and jealousy, that comes with the territory. But, it will be fun to see their relationship grow and evolve. 

I'm nervous that I will lose a sense of myself that I had even working part time. I guess it wasn't necessarily a 'career', but it was a piece of my life when I could connect with other adults (even though it was mostly via email working remotely). I was using a different part of my brain other than shapes, colors, letters, etc. It also gave me confidence and made me feel like I was contributing to our family financially. We have made a new budget going forward and of course, the first thing to go will be my miscellaneous, impulse purchases from Target and spending too much money on eating out. 

I am lucky in that I don't have to work. Bill has a great position and career that is able to support our family. Sure he has to make the occasional work trip and leave us for a night or 2, but other than that his job has been a blessing. We see his income as our family income and I am grateful that he is supportive in my decision to stay home with the kids. 

With that being said, I know I will need this little blogging space more than ever! It is my place to come and be creative, to connect with other like minded bloggers and mamas and to have a little piece of time to myself. I know that my 'me' time will be very scarce once I am home full time with 2 little ones. I am going to work out a schedule so that I can at least try to carve out an hour or so a few times a week to focus on this creative space of mine. It is still so important to me! I probably will only be able to post 2-3 times a week, but hopefully once things die down a bit and I get into more of a routine with them I can start posting 5 times per week again.

Anyways, without this post becoming too lengthy... I want to thank all my readers for sticking with me through this transitional period of life! Also, if there are any SAHM moms out there that have any advice for carving out 'me' time (especially those with 2 or more kiddos), please feel free to comment below!

Oh, and GO CAVS! (Even though I fell asleep before the game ended...oops!)