So excited for this launch! I am so honored to be a part of this collection that is “inspired” by us bloggers along some of the best in the industry! All of these items are on Nordstrom website which they provide free shipping and free returns! Unfortunetly they won’t be doing any restocks so whats gone is gone!
This one would be so cute for fall family photos coming up! Think pumpkin patch, matching with the family, & can be styled different ways! It also comes in a pretty maroon color that is below! Below is a size XS and I believe is more flattering! All of us girls came together and mutually agreed this sweater dress and the lace bodysuit should be sized down!
This was a fun and creative idea we had one year! We went to the party store and grabbed some supplies. You can find the full blog post here!
” I snagged my self a fine bag of money this year “
… & the kid stole my heart but I mean I’m not calling the cops about that one 🙂 This was a super easy costume we made a couple years back for a Halloween party we threw and we actually one the best dressed costume at the bar! It basically just ordered a glove, beanie, and mask and had the rest in my closet. For the hubs I just bought felt and cut out a money sign and hot glued it to some big fabric. I got some rope and tied it around his neck for the money bag look. Most of these looks were stolen from Julien Art and can be found here (she did them way better).
” Love Struck by Lightening”
Eek this was so much fun to make. I bought a white simple button down and got to burn wholes in the tee using a lighter ( note to cut holes first then torch the sides). I also just ripped apart an umbrella and there was my look. For Ted, similar as above, I just hot glued a lightning bolt that I cut from a yellow poster board. These are all SUPER easy costumes that I made the day of our halloween parties.
” This tooth fairy found her tooth”
One year I was on a tutu kick and all my costumes consisted of tutus (see below too). I basically just needed a white outfit with a tutu, a crown, some wings, and wand with a tooth. I just cut out a tooth on paper and glued it the wand. Of course Teds costume was low maintenance again with just ordering the tooth online here. I think I want to recreate this look with now my blogger touch since we still have our beloved tooth stuffed into our crafts closet.
” The Elmo to my Big Bird”
This one was super super easy since we both just ordered our pieces. This was a college costume and I can’t believe I persuaded Ted to dress up as big bird. So darn funny now that I look back at it. At least I was modest in a onesie and SUPER comfy. Just remember ladies whatever costume you choose will haunt you for the years to come and I get very uncomfortable thinking about some of the inapropro costumes I chose during hs and college days.
” Tutu clown vs pig diy”
For those of you that dont have a partner, I wanted to share the pig and clown look me and my cousin did in Austin one year. You basically just need the right color tutu and a nose, maybe ears, to go along with your character. These were also super easy to make!
As you can see, I am a big believer in doing your costume yourself and getting super creative (none of that buy the same costume someone else is going to wear nonsense). There are tons of ideas and inspiration all over the internet. I hope I helped a tad bit with figuring out what you are going to be for Halloween this year! I plan on sharing 3 more halloween looks because dressing up is my abolsute FAVORITE. If I end up inspiring you with a costume I would love for you to hashtag #dressupbuttercup so I can see!
Today I am going to chat about all the baby tools that we have ended up using and loving! I did find that our top 5 favorites all can be found at Walmart! Also, had to get her first plaid top for the pumpkin patch(from the boys section in Walmart lol) so cute! September at Walmart is Best of Baby Month so you can find amazing savings on baby brands!
Owlet: This thing gives us such piece of mind while she is sleeping! The sock on her foot monitors her heart rate and oxygen levels and send an alert to your phone if anything doesn’t look right. The app is also very easy to use and has the camera so we can watch her sleeping as well. Plus, if you purchase this at Walmart you save $50!
4Moms Pack & Play: I feel like she loves this the most! It’s where she sleeps and also where we change her. Fits so easy in our room right now since were tight on space!
Kiinde: This bottle system is genius! We had so many dirty dishes before and felt like it all stacked up so fast. These are quick and easy especially for on the go and storage!
Halo sleep sack: Rosie loves her sleep sacks and so do we! They are super easy and she stays wrapped up great in these!
Honest Diapers: These were highly recommended by you guys! They are hypoallergenic and made without latex, fragrances/lotions, and chlorine processing. So basically they are great for their sensitive skin. They have been great for Rosie so far and plus the roses are so cute!
I am going to start by saying that every birth story is different and in no way shape or form do I want to scare you or have you compare your story with mine. I remember the week I found out I was pregnant with Rosie, I read a friends birth story and immediately started to get nauseous lol. After that, I decided I wanted to be ignorant about labor during my entire pregnancy (aka not google or take a birthing class) since I just wanted to trust the doctor and not psyche myself out.
ANYWHO after all that, Monday the 19th we went to our usual morning appointment at 39 weeks and 4 days. Once we sat down and the nurse took my blood pressure, Ted started to freak. I looked over, and saw it read 150/100. The doctor came in, said I was 2 cm dilated and because I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure was so high, I was showing signs of Preeclampsia, and she was going to induce me. I had little of no knowledge of what being induced looked like and went in with no expectations!
Thankfully, we already had our bags packed (that blog post is here) and we went on our way to the hospital. I called my sister and mother, cried a lot, then checked in lol! The biggest mistake I made before checking into the hospital was not eating. I was too busy freaking out about being induced, that I forgot to grab something to eat on the way to the hospital room. I knew better! I ended up being SO incredibly hungry! So on your way to the hospital, EAT something!
Anywho, we checked in Monday at around 10:30am and we didn’t have Rosie until 7:38 PM the next day (30+ hours of labor). It was a LONG process, but of course so incredibly worth it. Jesus was in the room, every step of the way. Since I was induced, the entire first day was kinda a wash. At 4am, my water broke (on its own) and I started to get small contractions. Around 6am is when I called for the epidural because I was for ALL the meds I can get. I really should have listened to my body because once I was injected with the epidural, I only felt it on the left side of my lower half. The doctor said that gravity had something to do with it and to lay on my right hand side and it will “kick in”. WELP he was wrong. I could feel pretty much every contraction. I had him come back 4 times and they would just give me extra meds each time. Looking back I should have just re-did the entire epidural. At one point I was 8cm dilated and in TEARS because I could feel it all. Honestly any mamas out there that did this 10000% naturally, I kinda want to cry for you because I got a taste of the pain and you are a super mom!!
Eventually I was stuck at 8cm dilated for about 4 hours and I was told that if I don’t dilate anymore, they would have to do a C section. You should have seen the look on my face. Basically I was like “HELL NO I have been in labor how long already?!” I will give it a couple more hours.
I was determined to get fully dilated so I used the peanut ball and did lots of exercises to get to 10cm. I also ended up begging my angel nurse to stay 1 more hour with me so she can help with delivery since she was the one walking me through everything the entire day (Looking back, I can’t believe I asked, and I can’t believe she stayed!!). I also basically asked her to deliver Rosie because by the time I was ready to push, our doctor hadn’t made it back to the hospital from picking up her kids up from karate lol!! Luckily she stalled and the doctor made it just in time to help deliver Rosie. Once I started to push, I mentally was so exhausted that I didn’t think I could have gone through with it. Luckily 30ish minutes lady, baby girl was ready to make her debut at 7lbs 8oz and 21 inches long!
Our hearts and our lives will never be the same and I thank Jesus for a safe delivery! Thankful that our prayers have been answered and for such a sweet happy, healthy baby. Also a little tip, a worship playlist also helped!
As far as preeclampsia, I have gotten quite a few messages and what I can say is just check with your doctor if you are worried you might have it. I was at risk for it the entire time with how swollen I was! They monitored my blood pressure pretty closely and luckily I did not have a serious case!
As far as post pregnancy – yall helped me a LOT! I had no idea stitches would be a thing, and recovery would be so tough. I tore pretty bad and when I asked my doctor how many stitches I ended up having to get, she said “A LOT”. It took an additional 45 minutes to push out the placenta and stitch it all up. I used lots of adult diapers, tuck tuck, hemorrhoid cream, and ice packs. It took about 2 weeks to fully fully recover and feel like I can stand for long and walk normal again!
Welp this ended up being the longest post to date lol! We really can’t thank y’all enough for your constant love, sweet words, encouragement, and just being there for our little family. Rosie is so blessed to have all the sweetest internet Aunties out there cheering her on!!
Oh & 10/10 would recoomend a birthing photographer! If you have any additional questions, ask away below and I will be sure to answer!
