LONDON ROSE // SEVEN MONTHS
Man oh man, how is London SEVEN MONTHS old. She's creeping up on her ONE year birthday and it makes me want to crrrry. I was looking at little toddler shoes last night and seriously wanted to cry thinking about her walking around, I just can't imagine it...please stay little a little bit longer my love.
Man oh man, how is London SEVEN MONTHS old. She's creeping up on her ONE year birthday and it makes me want to crrrry. I was looking at little toddler shoes last night and seriously wanted to cry thinking about her walking around, I just can't imagine it...please stay little a little bit longer my love.
LONDON AT SEVEN MONTHS
WEIGHT: I haven't weighed her since her 6 month doctor's appt at and she won't be weighed until the next one at 9 months so I have noo idea, ha. I'm guessing she's around 18/19lbs! She eats a TON of solids and has the sweetest thigh/arm/wrist rolls!
HEIGHT: Same as weight, I guess I could measure her but it takes too much effort, ha.
WEARS: She's in size 6-12 month clothing! I seriously can't get enough of her in rompers, dresses, bloomers and little tanks! How adorable is this gingham romper!?
SLEEPS: She usually sleeps 11 hours straight from 7-6am, I then feed her and try to get her back to sleep for another hour but lately that has been hard, ha! I like it when she wakes me up at 6 because then I get some quiet time to myself BUT I don't want the whole gang waking up at 6am. Soooo I'm really hoping she'll just start sleeping that extra hour!
Here's her sleep schedule:
7am wake up nurse play eat breakfast
9am nap 1 (1-1.15 hours)
10:15am wake up nurse play go out eat lunch
1:00pm nap 2 (2 hours)
3:00pm wake up nurse play go out
5:00pm nurse dinner play
6:30pm bottle then bedtime routine
7pm bed
She's still napping like a champ! I shorten her morning nap so I can get some double nap action in the afternoon. Those two hours to myself are GLORIOUS!
HIGHS: Taking her to NYC was so memorable. It was seriously so special to have that one on one time with her. We experienced so much of the city together and it was so nice to spend some time with my brother and sister in law!!!
I also love her sweet personality. She's starting to babble more (still won't say dada, poor James!) And she's not afraid to tell you when she's happy or mad (just like her mama!)
Her and Luca's relationship is developing more and more and it is just the sweetest. He makes her laugh more than anyone else. Can't wait to see it grow even more.
LOWS: Her sleep wasn't the greatest in NYC. We did not follow her normal schedule and she was napping on the go a lot so she woke up a couple times in the night. It made for one tired mama but other than that she's been a dream.
PARENTING: Like I said before, going to NYC with just London was such a treat. Obviously we missed Luca but we so appreciated the one on one time...especially James. It was so sweet to see them bonding so much. When you have older kids, it's pretty much impossible to give the babe 100% of your attention (because I need to be making sure Luca isn't falling into the ditches on our property or trying to escape through our hedges!!)
POSTPARTUM: Still haven't gotten back on BBG :( But I'm hoping to start this week. I have it all scheduled in so please keep me accountable! I'm a couple pounds lighter but I think it's from all the stress from our perimeter drains being redone and Luca catching HFM :/
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Our family shoot booked in June! We've hired our fave photog in Victoria, Rachael Alexandra and we're going to get some special photos of London and I. She's at the same age when I had these photos done with Luca so it will be so nice to have some of London and I!
XOXO,
Laura
MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE
Anyone else out there feel the need to remind their significant other about upcoming special occasions?? I think I've told my husband at least 4 times that Mother's Day is coming up verrrrry soon!
Well if you're in the same boat as me, I made it really easy for your hubby...just pass this gift guide along! I rounded up some amazing gifts and hoping my hubby will see this *WINK WINK*
This post contains affiliate links.
Anyone else out there feel the need to remind their significant other about upcoming special occasions?? I think I've told my husband at least 4 times that Mother's Day is coming up verrrrry soon!
Well if you're in the same boat as me, I made it really easy for your hubby...just pass this gift guide along! I rounded up some amazing gifts and hoping my hubby will see this *WINK WINK*
DYING over everything!
1. White Robe
2. Beautycounter Cream Blush- This is the one Jillian Harris swears by!!!
3. Rose Gold Fit Bit
4. Beautycounter Body Polish + Cream Set
5. Magnolia Cookbook- Cannot wait to get my hands on this one!!!
6. Mama + Baby Duck Necklace- How cute is this!!
7. Wychbury Ave Soap- Smells amazing!!
Hope all you mamas get spoiled because you all deserve it!!!
XO,
laura
LONDON ROSE // SIX MONTHS
Baby girl is officially half a year old!!! I really, truly cannot believe it. The past six months have been a complete whirlwind and I'm really hoping time will slow down so I can enjoy some time with my baby before she turns ONE!
Baby girl is officially half a year old!!! I really, truly cannot believe it. The past six months have been a complete whirlwind and I'm really hoping time will slow down so I can enjoy some time with my baby before she turns ONE!
LONDON AT SIX MONTHS
WEIGHT: 17lbs 8oz....baby girl gained almost 3lbs since her last weigh in at 4 months! Her thigh rolls are seriously amazing!
We started her on solids at 5 months and she has fallen in love with food!
I looked back on Luca's 6 month chart and he weighed 17.7..almost exactly the same!
HEIGHT: 26.5 inches...grew about two inches over the past two months. She's in the 85th % for height, so she's on the taller side but she has tiny feet!
WEARS: She's just started to grow out of her 3-6 month clothing...so sad :( But I have a lot of fun 6-12 numbers! I cannot wait for warmer weather to dress her in all her cute little dresses and rompers. How darling is the little romper she's wearing above? And how gorgeous is this little white dress? Shopping for a baby girl is seriously addicting!!
SLEEPS: Okay so from month 4-6 she was still waking up 1x a night somewhere between 4-6am...and some nights she would wake up twice (when dada forgot to put her in a night time diaper...) BUT last night she slept 6:45pm-6:45am STRAIGHT!!! So I'm realllly hoping she will continue that 12 hour straight thang and we won't have to night wean her.
She is still fully sleep trained (goes down wide awake and puts herself to sleep) and we started to do a bottle before bed so she wouldn't be dependant on mama to put her to sleep. She finally started taking the bottle like a champ last month! She obvs prefers mama but she will drink some expressed milk/formula (between 2-4oz)...which makes me so happy because I can go out and not worry!
She loves THIS bottle best but still uses this one too.
She is a champion napper. In the past two months the only nap she has refused has been the last cat nap so we dropped that one. She sleeps for at least an hour for her morning and 1.5 hours for her afternoon nap. Honestly, I am soooo thankful she's been such a great napper. I've managed to overlap her and Luca's nap so I usually get about 1.5 hours to myself in the afternoon...which is GLORIOUS!!!!!!!
Here's her new sleep schedule:
7am wake up nurse play eat breakfast
8:45am nap 1 (1-1.5 hours)
10:15am wake up nurse play go out eat lunch
12:45pm nap 2 (1.5-2.15 hours)
3:00pm wake up nurse play go out
5:00pm nurse dinner play
6:20pm bottle then bedtime routine
6:45/7pm bed
She's actually doing pretty well with the four hour wake time before bed! My goal is to stretch her a bit more during lunch to a 3 hour wake time.
HIGHS: Oh man, so many! Feeding her food for the first time was so awesome. She devoured it, just like her big bro did when he first had it! I guess we make good eaters, ha. She still lights up whenever Luca glances at her. He is her absolute favourite person (despite him trying to push her :(
LOWS: The only low for me has been getting up to night feed her but honestly it's not that bad! She is such a happy baby. I was just telling my bestie tonight how full of joy she is. She rarely cries. She screams when we don't feed her fast enough and when she wakes up but it's more like HEY MA COME GET ME!
PARENTING: She's such an easy baby if I stick with her schedule! She needs food, sleep and cuddles which sounds like the good life!! She's now sitting up and when she's on her tummy, she's starting to push her bum up...I'm not ready for her to start crawling!!! Our house is 100% baby proof but now I gotta watch for tiny things Luca leaves around!
Speaking of Luca, he's reallllllly testing my patience these days. All of a sudden he started pushing London :( He was so good with her, and I know it could be a phase but please send me your toddler tips!!! It just breaks my heart because she just ADORES him.
POSTPARTUM: Well I started BBG strong but then had a number of days where James was either working alot or working on church album or both which meant by the end of the night I was just tooo tired to function! I've cut sweets out until NYC and that has made a difference (down 3lbs) BUT I still want to get back on BBG next week when things aren't as hectic!
LOOKING FORWARD TO: NYC IN MAY!!!!! I honestly get giddy just thinking about the adventures we'll have....and only taking care of one child for 5 days, lols. Obviously we will miss Luca soooo much but we're very excited to create special memories with London, where she will have our full attention. This trip is going to be such a blessing!! And obvs can't wait to see my bro and sis in law!! Send us your NYC recommendations please!
I just adore you my London girl.
XOXO,
Laura
TIPS ON KIDS CONSIGNMENT
Can I tell you a secret?
Well, it's not really a secret and if you really know me, you probably know this. I am the WORST thrifter. I just can't do thrift stores. You know those people who find the most amazing things every time they go thrifting? Well, I did not get that anointing.
Can I tell you a secret?
Well, it's not really a secret and if you really know me, you probably know this. I am the WORST thrifter. I just can't do thrift stores. You know those people who find the most amazing things every time they go thrifting? Well, I did not get that anointing.
Seriously, I get waaaay too overwhelmed in thrift stores and the smell drives me crazy. I love the idea of recycling clothes, I just never can find stuff that fits me or looks good!
But consignment I can do....especially kid's consignment! Do you know how many clothes these tiny people go through? A LOT! I was just talking to James how unfair it is that babies grow up sooo quickly (we were chatting how London will be standing up and then walking later this year!!!) Why didn't God make the baby stage two years?!! But regardless of my opinion, they go through clothes very quickly. So one of my favourite places to find clothing for my babies is at my local consignment store. I have found such amazing numbers for my babes and I highly recommend consigning if you haven't done it before!
Consignment tips:
Stick to the same consignment store. I know what you're probably thinking...why would I do that when my chances of finding gems is higher if I go to different places!? But the thing is....you're a mom...your time is precious and you don't have all the time in the world to hunt through a bajillion consignment stores! Also, when you start bringing in your own stuff, you'll build credit at that store, and it has more value in the store than cashing out!
If you're in Victoria, I highly reccomend Thistle & Wren in Fernwood. The owner Candace, is sooo lovely and they only take good brands so you'll always find something great!Make a list of what you need before you arrive. Yes, it's fun to go nuts on kids clothing but it can add up! So before I go, I make note of what I need. The last time I went I made sure to look for a windbreaker for Luca and cozy pants for London. (In the top photo, you can see that I found what I needed...Columbia windbreaker and Zara leggings!)
Establish a colour palette. If you want to set your hubby up for success when dressing your babe, this is a MUST, ha. Honestly, if you only have certain colour clothes, you will find that you will get a lot more wear out of the clothes because everything goes together! For London, I usually try to only buy- black, white, cream, denim, rose, light pinks and grey.
Buy a size larger than you need. Ok, this may be a given but definitely buy pants one size up for babies because you'll get way longer wear out of them. Once they're toddlers, you kinda need to shop in their size but you can getaway with larger t-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets! Remember, these tiny humans grow QUICKLY!
Do you love consigning or are you more of a thrifter?
XO,
Laura
POSTPARTUM FITNESS JOURNEY: STARTING BBG
Okay, guys, if we're friends on instagram, you will have seen that I started the first week of BBG (aka Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines) A lot of you had some questions, so I thought it would be easier if I did a post about it!
Okay, guys, if we're friends on instagram, you will have seen that I started the first week of BBG (aka Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines) A lot of you had some questions, so I thought it would be easier if I did a post about it!
But before that here's a little back story on my fitness journey....for the past 10 years, running has been my main form of fitness (you can read more about it here) Back in 2014, I ran a half marathon and I'm hoping to do another one in a couple years but back in 2015 when we were trying to get pregnant, I wasn't as diligent with my running..I still worked out, I just was about 5lbs from my goal weight (135lbs...and I know I shouldn't get caught up in just weight but for me, I know that is a healthy weight with muscle, so I use it as a guide!) We then got pregnant with Luca and I continued to workout/run/walk up until I delivered him! In that pregnancy I gained 45lbs and got up to 185lbs.
I didn't lose a whole lot breastfeeding so at about 5 months pp I got a bit more serious and joined a gym and made a few diet changes...I got down to 150lbs with 10lbs to go until my pre-Luca weight but then we got pregnant again! With London, I was not as diligent with exercise but I guess I ate a bit better because I only gained 35lbs instead of 45! In the fall and winter, I was superrrr lazy with working out but I managed to lose most of my pre-London weight so I'm now currently hovering around 160...so that being said, 20lbs to lose and a whole lot of muscle to gain!
So this time around I wanted to try something a bit more programmed. I had done a bunch of Bikini Body Mommy videos on youtube but I wanted something more challenging so I decided to do BBG! There is an app that looks amazing but it costs about $25cad/month soooo I'd rather save that money and just figure it out with the PDF!
Here's what a week of the program looks like:
- Day 1: Legs + Cardio. 2 circuits that you do twice. Each circuit is 7 minutes long so the workout will take roughly 35 mins with warm up + cool down.
- Day 2 + 4: Cardio. 35-45 minutes. She suggests power walking
- Day 3: Same jam as day 1.
- Day 5: Full Body Workout. Same jam as day 1.
- Day 6: Sprints (15 minutes of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off) + Stretching.
- Day 7: Rest
Here's how my first week went:
- Day 1: did it! sooo challenging but so good!
- Day 2: I ran/walked the golf course near my house. It's super hilly but felt good to do!
- Day 3: So many ab exercises...which killed me because I haven't touched my abs since pre-Luca lols
- Day 4: Didn't have time to run/walk :(
- Day 5: It was an optional one so I didn't do it because I was super sore from previous days
- Day 6: Did the sprints and almost puked, ha!! I only did 10 too but man, they killlled me. I didn't do the stretching, whoops.
Okay, so it was a pretty good week 1. I ate waaaayyyy too much Easter chocolate which probably made me almost puke during the sprints, ha. It sure feels great to have my muscles sore again!! I feel like my body was saying THANK YOU for working out again, ha.
If you do the PDF, I'd suggest getting an interval timer app to walk you through the workouts. Here is what I set up:
So all in all, I am sooo happy I started it. I planned this week out and don't know how I'm going to fit in the cardio (I have some night commitments this week, and James is out the two nights I don't have commitments, ha....I wish we had a treadmill!!) but I'll try!
Have you done BBG? I'd love to hear how it worked out for you!!
XO,
Laura