NEWBORN ESSENTIALS
Our little Luca is almost 6 weeks old and I guess that means that he's almost out of the newborn stage....wowza! During pregnancy, looking through baby stuff was so overwhelming. There are so many things and everyone has a different opinion on what you need. I'm no expert but this is what we've found so helpful for our little lion.
1. Milk Snob Cover- I use my milk snob every time we leave the house! It serves as a cover for the carseat, feeding cover and shopping cart cover for when your little one can sit in a shopping cart. Luca sleeps way longer in the carseat with this on. It blocks out sun, wind and creepers from touching your baby, ha. I seriously am in love with mine.
2. WubbaNub- This was gifted to me by my sweet friend Lauren. It's a soother that doesn't fall out right away. For now we stuff it under a blanket and Luca is able to suck away and if he stops, it doesn't fall out. When he gets a little older, he will be able to hold onto the elephant's legs which will help the soother stay in his mouth. And it's soo adorable too. I got the lamb one for my little niece. If you're local to Victoria, you can buy this at Momease.
3. Sleep Sheep On the Go- This is a white noise machine in disguise of a super cute sheep. We were gifted the travel size and I was so happy. I find the original to be a bit on the big size. This one comes with a velcro strap, so we often strap it to the stroller or car seat or wherever he's asleep! We use this every night and I personally get a better sleep with it too. Luca is a great sleeper, so I'm thinking this has something to do with it!
4. Summer Infant Sleeper- Luca sleeps in this little bassinet beside our bed every night. We only have a double bed, so we don't do this but it folds down so you can put your baby right beside you on the bed. It also folds up so you can take it on the go. I'm planning on having Luca sleep in this on our trip to Parksville.
5. Aden & Anais Dream Blanket- We received this as a gift and I love it so much. It's not entirely an essential but I swear Luca sleeps better when he's swaddled in it. It's incredibly soft and they also make them for adults too!
6. Little Unicorn Muslin Swaddles- Muslin swaddles are such an essential for your newborn! We swaddle Luca up for every nap and bed time and often it's with these guys. They also provide a nice, lightweight blanket for the super hot days. I linked up to Little Unicorn because I love their patterns but there are many other (cheaper) brands that make muslin swaddles!
7. Summer Infant Swaddle Pod- I know I've mentioned swaddle like 10 times but these are amazing!! We were gifted two of these at our shower and he's almost grown out of them. We put him in this at night instead of pajamas and it keeps him all tightly swaddled. He's way less likely to wake himself up in the middle of the night when his reflexes throw his arm up. And oh my goodness, he looks so cute in it too...so sad that he's growing out of it :(
Oh and I forgot the Diaper Genie! I absolutely love it and could not live with stinky diapers in the trash!
So there you have it, my newborn essentials. I'd love to know what newborn essentials you couldn't live without!
XO,
laura
SUMMER FEELS
This summer looks different than any other summer I've had. No longer can I quickly pack a bag and simply head to the beach to soak up some rays. We still have some fun things planned (hello Parksville with James' family!, seeing daddy play at Rock the Shores, bbqs, my 30th birthday...) and now that our baby is five weeks (AHHHH!) we're way more comfortable with bringing him out. BUT part of me is living vicariously through these lazy days of summer pics...I mean, lounging in a flamingo floatie...will I ever be able to do that before I'm 40 and the kids have grown out of infancy? lols
HELLO WEEKEND
Three posts in one week...who am I?!!!! Now that I've started to put Luca on a bit of a schedule, I can surprisingly get some stuff done around the house and blog! Last night he slept for almost 5.5 hours in a row (and then two 2.5 hour stints)!! I cannot wait for the day when it's 6 ahhhhhhh.
TGIF! This week James finished a job early so we had a bit of an early jump to the weekend. We went for a nice little stroll in Beacon Hill Park (ps. thank the good Lord, the sun is back!!!!) and I was so surprised to see so many people catching pokemon! I think it's a great game to get people outside and active haha but seriously, a friend told me someone walked off an 80ft cliff playing and apparently ppl have had car accidents playing it. That's just so extreme...it seems fun and all, but be safe guys!!! Have you started playing it yet?
I'm on the hunt for a cute one piece for this postpartum body...how cute is this one from Jcrew? or this one from anthro? I'll probably do a round up post of some cute ones next week because I've found so many cute ones!!
It's date night tonight!! YEEESSS. I know in yesterday's post it said it was date night but man, my brain is pretty mush these days so I really have no idea of what day it is, ha. But anyways, can't wait to spend some quality time with my man. Hope you guys have a delightful weekend!
XO,
laura
PS. LET'S BE FRIENDS!
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LUCA THE LION // ONE MONTH OLD
Our baby boy turned one month old on July 11th. Seriously...where has the month gone! I still can't believe I birthed this sweet boy. And how have we been parents for over a month?? Time, you are insane. Now to update you on our one month old lion...
LUCA AT ONE MONTH
WEIGHT: 9lbs 14oz
He gained 30oz in 19 days! Our doctor told us most babies gain 1oz a day...let's just say the little man likes to EAT...A LOT
HEIGHT: 21.5 inches
Grew an inch in a month!
WEARS: He can still fit in newborn clothing but it is tight so I've been putting him in the 0-3 months....so sad how they grow so fast!!!!
SLEEPS: Thankfully the little man sleeps very well. At first it was really hard to put him down for naps...now I've learned some tricks...soothe him, darken the room, white noise, and he's out like a pro! At night he usually gives me two 3 hours stretches..sometimes a 4 hour one and then if we're really tired we sleep for a couple more hours in the morning. So far I haven't needed naps in the day.
HIGHS: He gave me his first set of smiles and man oh man, that melted my heart.
LIKE SERIOUSLY!!!!! Other highs include, snuggling him on my chest, going for walks in the stroller and seeing him and his daddy snuggle.
LOWS: Poor little man has reflux. Basically it's like baby heartburn and gas...no fun :( He was super fussy for a couple weeks (like sometimes wouldn't want to put down and cried non-stop every evening) but since then we got him a prescription and I've cut out dairy, chocolate, caffeine (I know my favourite foods!!!) and a bunch of other stuff. The last couple days have been night and day difference. He still has gas sometimes but he seems to be not in as much pain...praise the Lord!!!
PARENTING: Oh man, becoming a mom has been the hardest thing I've ever done. Instantly, my life changed dramatically. The first few weeks were very hard. My emotions were high and I literally had no idea what I was doing and I was scared outta my mind. Thankfully, I have support from an incredible village. Honestly, I cannot tell you how thankful I am. So many people dropped off meals and gifts and were praying for us. Friends came and helped with laundry (I'm talking about you Auntie Coco!!). And I received crazy support, love, and advice from momma friends....one great woman in my life, reminded me that God chose James and I to be Luca's parents...we are the best fit for him and God, who knows what it is to parent, will give us the wisdom we need. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit who is helping us parent this little guy!!! After the first few weeks, I finally feel like I'm in a groove. I can actually get a few things done around the house and blog...wowza!!
James and I had our first date without Luca last week and we're doing another one tonight! SO thankful to have amazing friends and family who can take great care of our little boy for a couple hours. It's easy to lose sight of our marriage and focus only on Luca but I know that is not healthy at all so I'm so thankful that we have this time to spend just the two of us.
POSTPARTUM: My body has been healing very well after pushing that watermelon out of me! I've been starting to go on longer walks and I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans...yaaaay! It's insane how much breastfeeding takes off of you. I gained 45lbs with Luca and already I've lost 29! Only 16 to go...woohooo! I'm longing to exercise and hit the gym so badly. My doc said I'll be good to go at 6 weeks, so we'll see how I feel then.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: I can't wait to see him interact more with James and I. Those smiles killed me and I can't wait for more. I'm so excited to see what his personality will be like. Oh and when he sleeps a 6 hour stretch...that will feel like HEAVEN.
I take a billion photos of my little lion and if you're on snapchat and want to see more, I'm one of those obsessive mommas who snaps their kids all day long (username: lauraliira)
Oh Luca, it's been an incredible one month. I'm so thankful God picked me to be your mommy.
XO,
laura
OUR HOME // BATHROOM REVEAL
Can I first just say how much I love my husband? He built me (and I guess him and anyone else who uses our bathroom) a bathroom and it's the best thing ever. Our bathroom reno is complete and it was worth not having a shower for the last eight weeks of pregnancy and 5 days postpartum..lols
The difference in what it was and what it is now is INSANE...imagine the craziest makeover on that show What Not to Wear and times it by 100.
Incase you forgot, here is what the bathroom looked like when we viewed the house...
YIIIKEES. My biggest pet peeve was not the green counter tops or the random mirrors but the hutch above the bathtub. The shower was so dark and so much moisture got trapped on the ceiling. I couldn't wait to see that come down.
It's night and day different. I told you I have the greatest husband in the world! Oh, and if you're local to Victoria, BC and want to hire him to reno or paint your space, check out his facebook page! James planned it all out and did the work himself. We had some help with plumbing and electrical (huge thanks to Isaiah and Mike!!) and our friend Tim helped tile the tub (thanks Tim!!!)
One of my favourite features is the bathtub with the rain shower. The bathtub is extra deep and extra amazing. And that shower head was worth waiting 6 weeks for..ha!
Another cool feature is the built in closet James added in. Our hallway linen closet is extra deep, which means a ton of wasted space...so James cut in and added that unit which gives us more storage.
The sink unit is from Ikea. I looove how the drawers pull out. So much storage for makeup and hair supplies!
My other favourite feature is the heated floor! Nothing beats stepping on to warm tiles and Luca loves laying on the warm bathmat so it's a win win.
So there you have it, our fully completed bathroom. Comment below if you have any questions!
XO,
laura