BABY LIIRA #2...IT'S A......!

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James and I are so happy to announce that we are having a BABY GIRL!!!!!! It feels so surreal! We both guessed correctly but still it was so nice to have it confirmed. James is over the moon and so excited to be a daddy to a little girl. I love being a boy mom but man, I am sooo excited to raise a fierce, world changing, little girl! 

Huge thanks to Rachael for taking these photos! And also to our good friend, Tyson who took more that I will post soon :)

Can't believe we're having a GIRL! Bring on all the cute clothes and accessories!!!

I'll be back soon with even more pictures!

My gorgeous maternity dress from Shop Pink Blush

XO!

laura

LUCA THE LION // 10 + 11 MONTH UPDATE

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LUCA AT 10-11 MONTHS

So this update is a two in one...blame it on pregnancy + going away + going back to work + house renos! And you guys...this is the last update before Luca is a ONE YEAR OLD! I'm going to have a one year old...good thing another baby is on the way haha.
 

Here's the Lion's 10/11 month update.

WEIGHT: 24lbs?
I actually have no idea lols. He's been gaining weight but also seems to grow a couple inches every few days, so I'm looking forward to finding out where he's at at his one year appointment next month!

HEIGHT: Haven't measured him lately but I'm guessing he's gained at least an inch in the past two months!

WEARS: Mostly in 12-18 month clothing but I've been squeezing him into a few things that are 9-12, but they're tiiiiight ha! I love the summer look, he looks just so cute in a t-shirt with his belly hanging out ha.

SLEEPS: Like an angel. In the past few months he's only woken up (when we had to go in and soothe him) once...and that was when he was sick a couple nights ago! He's still on two naps a day. I'm finding if those exceed a total of 3 hours, it's harder to get him to sleep at 7pm. But man, we are so blessed with this little guy.

EATS: Still loving food! He now has four teeth so he's getting so good at chewing! He pretty much eats whatever we're eating for dinner, so it's pretty easy to feed him. He's now fully on formula as he weaned himself a couple months ago. I had cut back to nursing him in the morning and at night because I just felt so drained being pregnant and nursing but he ended up not really wanting to nurse anymore at all, so now it's bottle feeding. At first I was sad but now I'm totally ok to let the girls have a break for a few months before baby #2 comes lols lols.

PLAYS: Oh man, this little guy keeps me so busy! He is constantly on the move. Always wanting to climb the stairs...which results in me carrying him back down because he just can't figure out how to go down safely, lols. He still love chasing Coco around the house but she had scratched him a few tims :( It's mostly when she's sleeping and he sneaks up and grabs her tail. He hasn't cried but I still get nervous so I usually put her behind the baby gate.

HIGHS: All the cuddles. My little guy is becoming such a cuddle monster and I LOVE IT. I love when I'm not in a rush and can just cuddle him while he drinks his post sleeping bottle. It's my favourite. He's such an affectionate little guy.

LOWS: Luca got sick over the weekend with a high fever and vomiting. It was so so so sad and scary too. Thankfully tylenol and rest worked and he was back to his normal self within 48 hours. 

PARENTING: Going back to work has been good yet hard in ways too. I love working. I don't think I'm cut out to be a stay at home mom but the struggle is real! This is a whole post in itself but man, I am feeling the strain of wanting to further your career but also wanting to birth more babies and raise a family. Being a mama is so sacrificial. I'm trying to remind myself that this is a season and it the scheme of things, it will seem soooo short so I need to just embrace the season that God has given me. Work will always be there but my sweet baby won't always be a baby.

POSTPARTUM: I guess I'm technically prenatal now lols! Speaking of which... I will give you another pregnancy update soon! 

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Luca's first birthday! We're doing a lumberjack theme and I'm sooo excited!!

Can't believe the next update will be about my ONE YEAR OLD SON!!! Oh sweet Luca, it's such a joy and privilege to be your mama.

XO,
Laura

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

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It's time to show your mama some love! I'm especially excited for mother's day this year and I may have been sending some not so subtle hints to my hubby for the past few weeks, ha!

Here are a few products that I think any mama would enjoy...

1. Soap (made on Vancouver Island!)  //  2. Mama Bear Bracelet  //  3. Mom Life Tee  //  4. Mama Bear Mug (just ordered this one for myself lols)  //  5. Dream bag  //  6. Floral Notebook  //  7. Tassel Keychain  //  8. Perfume (this one is on my gift list lols)

Happy Monday everybody!

XO,
laura

MAMA BEAR BOX APRIL REVIEW

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In April I received my first Mama Bear Box and you guys, it was so sweet. I subscribed for three months, so I'm already eagerly checking the mailbox daily in hopes that the May box will arrive lols.

You select the gender and age range so it's customized to your babe and the best thing is- there are treats for you as well! Another amazing thing about these boxes is that for every box sold, $2 goes to the Joy Smith Foundation, which is a Canadian foundation that is fighting human trafficking!

Here's what came in my April box:

1. Dinosaur Rattle by Petitloulou- I love the design of this rattle and Luca loves it too! I'm all about those cute, trendy toys that aren't bright and made of plastic, ha.

2. Tee by Everly After Creations- Ok, this is my new favourite shirt of Luca's. How stinking cute is that leather pocket! It's a bit tight on the arms for him but maybe that's cuz my boy is a chunky monkey lols. It looks so cute on him and I want to dress him in it errrrday.

3. Baby Body Butter by Duckish- I just opened this one yesterday and applied it to Luca, post bath. His skin definitely felt soft and smooth. It didn't really have a scent to it, which probably most ppl would love but you know me, I'm all about that scent, ha.

4. Dirty Girl Face Mask- I actually haven't used this one but I'm gonna tonight. I love masks so I'm definitely excited to see how it leaves my skin feeling!

I would definitely say this box is worth it and would make a beautiful gift for a mama or mama to be! And ps. use the code mbb10 to save 10%!

XO,
laura

LIVING ROOM RENO // UPDATE

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So it's happening! If you've seen my insta stories, you would have seen that James has started our reno. Living in renos with a 10 month old has been interesting, but not as bad as I thought! We're probably a week away from it being complete and I'M SO EXCITED. This is what our living room looks like now...

It's been a good set up but I'm going kinda bonkers because I just want our nice living room back, ha. BUT I know it will be well worth it. It's been one heck of a week with keeping Luca out of the site, away from the usual open front door and napping during construction BUT we survived!!! 

Here is our original sketch up of the plan:

So nice hey? A few things have changed from the original plan. Firstly, because of the wood burning fireplace insert we ordered, we needed to add tile around the fireplace. So we added tile and by "we", I always mean James (owner of LIIRA DEVELOPMENTS, he's amazing, hire him!) We chose a hexagon marble and then a solid marble for the hearth. IT'S STUNNING! Check out my insta stories to see it! Secondly, we're decided to go with led track lighting above the shelves because go big, or go home. It's going to be sweeeeeeet. 

Here is the start of the fireplace/mantle...

James basically knocked out the entire old fireplace then started framing the new one. My brother in law (who is an amazing electrician, THANK YOU MIKE!) set us up for all the electrical. We were debating about not putting the tv above but it just makes the most sense for viewing from where we're placing the couch.

We're hopefully going to get a new couch and chairs but that may happen a bit further down the road when we've saved up some more $$$.

Can't wait to show you more soon!

XO,
laura