Friday Five.....or Something Like That {March 2016}

We had a pretty chill and low-key week. I'm not complaining about that at all.  Boring is good!!!  But boring just doesn't leave me much to report lol None the less, I wanted to pop in and share some random nothings with y'all.

 Photo cred: Grace Hill Photography

*Pondering* Do you SEE that picture?!!? This is totally a #firstworldproblem but I'm going to say it anyway.  I am having the. hardest. time. picking Ellis' birth announcements.  I have looked through every website and I just cannot find exactly what I want.  Not to mention, how in the world am I going to pick just a few pictures to put on there? If I were rich I would send everyone a photo album of her. Yep, I just said that.  I am officially THAT mom who is so biased about my kid's beauty that I want to send people a photo album of her. What?!?!?! So I really just need to stop thinking about it and pick one.

*Eating* My bestie turned me onto RealPlan.com and it really is awesome.  It's a meal planning website that uses only natural and "real" ingredients.  I just signed up for it this week but have already made 2 of the recipes and they are so delicious.  You put into your settings what type of diet you want, how many meals, what ingredients to exclude, how many meals you want per week, etc.  Then you can add more meals or recipes from other websites....and the service makes your grocery list for you and everything.  Goodness this is going to save me so much time!  I've hesitated to jump on the meal planning website wagon, but I really like that it is only natural ingredients so I purchased a year subscription to give it a shot. 

*Binging* Wow am I ever doing some show binging lately?!  It's embarrassing! If there is a show on Bravo or Lifetime.....yep I've got it scheduled on my DVR.  Right now I'm pretty much obsessed with old Greys Anatomy episodes. When Dutch is napping and Ellis and I get snuggle time, we are binge watching some Grey's together.

*Ordering* Y'all damage. was. done. this week.  I am an online shopper.  I very rarely go to a store to purchase things (besides HEB & Costco of course), so everything else is done online.  This is not a kid thing; I've been this way long before kids entered the scene.  But y'all, wow this week I ordered so much online, and I just know it is all going to come in and I'm going to have a heap of packages on my front door one day next week.  I ordered new kitchen brushes, a sink cady, 2 new wooden spoons, a candle, my essential oil order for the month, my Easter dress, some new t-shirts, a new tank, a couple sweaters, a necklace, some new bible books for the babies......next week should be good, like Christmas lol

*Listening*  Dutch and I listen to music and dance while I cook dinner every night.  This week we were really loving the Adele station on Pandora.  We just have so much fun together and I love to watch him dance.  He always makes me smile.


It's Friday! This is our only empty  weekend this month, so I'm thinking if I get brave I'll get my hair cut? And when I say hair cut, I really mean trim lol Yeah that's a big maybe haha What are y'all up to this weekend?  Don't forget to spring forward this Sunday!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 39

I know, I know, our Teeny Peep has been here for a month now and I’m just posting her 39 week bumpdate.  Well, in all honesty, this was mostly written before she arrived and I just needed a picture.  What interrupted me posting this was her actual debut; our sweet Ellis came a week early!  I still want this week posted though, so it’s a little late, but here it is anyways.  And just to catch up, here is my 38 week Teeny Peep Bumpdate.

The bump moved to the outside! 

Bumpdate with Dutch at 39 weeks

Date: 1/16/16
How far along: 39 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: A watermelon! 

Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep is building a nice layer of fat to keep her warm on the outside.  The longer she is in the womb the better her brain development will be; I’m all for her getting that extra development. 

Maternity clothes: Oh yes! hahahahahaha

Weight gain: 21 lbs! I’ve done much better than Dutch.  With him I gained a total of 31, so this is a full 10 lbs better!

Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.

Sleep: I’m pretty tired but no where near as tired as I’m going to be really soon!  I’d say that I’m pretty exhausted and having trouble sleeping just because I can’t find a good sleeping position.  But I’ve also got a sick baby that I’m trying to get better, got some serious leg cramping and going to the bathroom a million times a night.

Best moment of the week: I met with my care provider again this week and baby girl had a heart rate of 127, my BP was 110/60, & a fundal height of 39 cm.  Right on track :-) I am 50% effaced (cervical thinning), –3 station, and 1.5 cm dilated. I loved hearing that my cervix has been responding to my contractions and is making progress.  My membranes were stripped to help move things along.

Movement: I can tell that she is running out of room and her movements are very squished and muted.  She’s still active, just lacks room.

Cravings: Nothing that I can think of here.
Gender: Baby girl!!

Belly button: I love my new outtie :-)

Wedding Ring: On

Anything making you queasy/sick: I can’t eat a lot because it makes me sick to my stomach.

What I miss: Sushi

What I’m looking forward to: Baby girls birthday!!!!!

Labor signs: Woah contractions are officially here!  They are becoming more and more uncomfortable and predictable.  I’m starting to have to stop talking through some as they’re becoming more intense.  Sometimes they will just stop me in my tracks.  With Dutch I was in early labor for 3 weeks before his arrival, I’m hoping that early labor doesn’t last as long with Teeny Peep.  I’m nauseous again and throwing up my food; I can tell that my body is trying to stay empty for labor.  I have also lost my mucous plug and I’ve got lots of descending pains so I know we’re getting close!!!

Symptoms: I am getting more and more uncomfortable and I know this baby is getting closer to her birthday.  I’ve got a lot of potty breaks, charlie horse cramps in my legs at night, I'm more and more irritable.

Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.

Emotions: I’m still sad that this pregnancy is almost over, but I am officially ready to meet this girl!

Her Dressing Room

Who needs a bedroom when you can have a giant closet?! That is every girl’s dream, right??????

Many of y’all have asked me for a peak into Lady Ellis’ (that's what Aunt Nana calls her :-) nursery.  Well here is a shocker for you.  As much as I like to decorate a room, we didn’t do a nursery for her.  When we were pregnant with Dutch we purposefully made the nursery gender neutral because it was always our intention for our children to share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into the nursery until he was 8 months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so Ellis will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.

When we were preparing for Ellis’ arrival, the nursery remained the same (see here).  I did hang a hair bow holder in the room and selected her own scripture verse that we will pray over her (see here), but for the most part it remains the same.


In the nursery there are 2 large closets; however, we decided not to put Ellis’ clothes in the nursery just yet.  Since she is currently sleeping with us, if she ever needs a change of clothes or diaper change we don’t want to interrupt Dutch who may be sleeping.  So we set up a dressing room of sorts in the guest room for her until she starts sleeping in the nursery.  In the guest room there are 2 large walk-in closets and a full bath, so we just moved the rocker into the room and gave one closet to Ellis for clothes, blankets, shoes, etc.  Here are some photos of Ellis“dressing room” for now. 

Sorry I was too lazy to edit these pictures, so they’re a little dark.  But in reality the walls are gray and all of the accents are white & ivory.

That’s our little girl’s dressing room.  When she moves into the nursery with her brother her clothes will go with her.  So far this system is working great for us and it was awesome not to have to create another nursery while I was pregnant. 

Does anyone else have children that have shared a room? we’ve got at least a year before Ellis moves in, but what transitional tips do you have for me?

Tips for Boosting Your Supply

Let me first say, before I go anywhere with this post, I’m NO expert.  I am NOT a Lactation Consultant.  I DO have a doctorate, but not in boobie functions (did I really just write “boobie functions”?!?!)  With that said, I’m a research junkie, and when it comes to my kids you can bet that I’m pretty extensive.  And when I say research, I’m not talking reading forums and comment reels; instead I’m referring to real statistical research.  Of course I consult for anecdotal evidence, but that is not what I base my decisions on.  When it came to nursing, I was thorough before Dutch was born and even more exhaustive on research after he arrived. 

I’ve never really shared my nursing experience here (maybe I should?), but it has been extremely positive.  As I was trying to prepare myself before Dutch was born, I got a lot of negative feedback about nursing (it’s painful, it’s hard, most women stop nursing by 2 months postpartum, etc).  I can honestly say, that nursing has been one of the most natural and, dare I say, easiest and enjoyable experiences of motherhood.  Considering how challenging conception was for us, I gladly take something natural.  My breastfeeding journey in a nutshell: I have provided Dutch with breast milk for the first 19 months of his life (he’s only 19 months old right now…so hopefully that number will increase).  I exclusively breastfed (EBF- no rice cereal, no formula, no solids) him for the first 8 months before he demonstrated interest in solids, and then continued to nurse him until he was 15 months old.  When I got pregnant with Ellis, Dutch was 10 months old and I continued to nurse him while I was pregnant.  Around the time he was 15 months old, and I was 5 months pregnant with Ellis, my milk started to dry up and I started to produce colostrum for Baby #2 (this is very normal & common).  I continued to dry nurse him until Ellis was born.  So far nursing with Ellis has been even easier than it was with Dutch and my supply is much greater.  With Dutch, I only had about one week of milk stored up for him and I was always worried about having enough in case something happened.  This time around my supply is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and I’m storing like crazy. As of 9/24/18, I am coming back to amend this post and add on to the story.  I tandem nursed my kids until Dutch's 3rd birthday when he chose to stop nursing.  Ellis nursed exclusively until she was a little over a year old when she demonstrated interest in solids.  She nursed until she was about 28 months old when she weaned herself.  Overall a very positive experience nursing.  After Ellis, my supply was so great, mostly because of what I had learned with Dutch and lifestyle changes, that while I was tandem nursing I was also able to donate several thousand ounces of milk to the Milk Bank.  Again, I'm not an expert on nursing, but I have learned a lot about it, and if you have any questions please email me, I would love to help you in any way that I can.

Today I’m going to share the tips & tricks that I researched and practiced with Dutch to maintain my supply.  If I need to try them again this time around I definitely will.  So this post is as much for LWTH readers as it is for me lol  There are two really important things to keep in mind before you even begin to gauge your nursing supply:

1. Silly Pump, Tricks Are For Kids- Before you get anxious about your supply, keep in mind that what you’re expressing through a breast pump is not an accurate measure of what you’re actually producing. While pumps are great, they are nowhere near as effective at emptying the breast as a baby. So you are probably producing a little more than what you’re pumping; don’t let that number torture you.  (Sidebar- I’m pumping right now as I write this post and I’m going to ignore the number on the bottle because it doesn’t matter!)
2. Supply & Demand- Now you might not want to hear this, but boosting your supply here and there is easy with supplements, but if you really want to boost your supply AND maintain it, it will take a lot of effort, work, discipline, and dedication. Supplements will do very little for long-term effect. If you’re looking for a quick-fix or a pill to pop, there isn’t one. If there was, women wouldn’t have struggled with this for years. At the most realistic and natural level- your supply is just like the economy; a supply and demand economy. If your breast and brain are not registering that there is a demand then you will not produce. Pure and simple.

If your supply has dipped with stress or any change (e.g. returning to work), here are some things that you can do to not just boost your supply, but maintain it (and the key here is consistency. You cannot do it here and there and expect lasting effects, you have to be committed, but if you really want it, you CAN do it).

1. Power Pump- Pump for 20 minutes on both sides simultaneously every 2 hours no matter what (day and night, for 3 days straight), even if baby is getting ready to nurse again, the body will adapt and think baby is going through a growth spurt and produce more. Do not pump one side and then the other; make sure to do it simultaneously for at least 15 minutes (20 minutes is best).  Pump even at night, *even* if baby is sleeping. I know that sucks but it's only for a few days. The key is to keep the breast empty so the body makes more. Never, ever, go more than 4 hrs without emptying the breast. Even try compression pumping and hand expression when you're done pumping to get every last drop out.  If you don’t empty the breast, the brain thinks you have made too much milk and so you will decrease production. (remember…supply & demand).
2. Oatmeal- Eat oatmeal every morning, and not the instant kind but real oatmeal.  Forget all that sugary stuff, just real boring oatmeal.
3. Calories- Eat eat eat! Did you know that it takes more calories to make milk than it does to grow a baby?! When you’re pregnant you should eat 1200 calories/day, but with nursing you should be eating at least 1500! Of course this should be good and healthy foods, but you have to eat!  “When your body is feeding a baby it is not the time to go on a diet” <~~~~ My caregiver told me this! And get this, research suggests that carbs are the best…..so bring on the calories!
4. Water- Drink a ton! You should be drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day (not sparkling water, or drinks that contain water, but real water). Again this can’t be just here and there; you’ve got to be consistent.
5. Peppermint- Anything with peppermint should be avoided as it can decreases production- this includes essential oils.
6. Fennel- I used Young Living’s fennel essential oil topically on my breast applied after nursing. You want to be careful with this though because the baby should not ingest this and you should not be exposed to this for more than 6 days straight. (Essential oils sidebar- My family is obviously big users, but you want to be really careful and aware of what you’re using. Oils are very powerful and can effect more than maybe what you intended. You want to stay away from reading blogs and pop culture commentary on EO’s. To really be informed, look at the scientific empirical studies and literature.) What you can do on daily basis and that is safer for baby is the Fenugreek oral supplement. This was initially designed to be a digestive supplement so obviously that means one side effect may be diarrhea. The fenugreek oral supplement you can take up to 12 a day. Take two every few hours with an entire glass of water. You're taking enough when your sweat smells like syrup. I know that's weird but it's true.
7. Tea- Drink 1-2 cups of Mother's Milk tea a day, in addition to your water.  With Dutch I packed this in my hospital bag but I totally forgot about it.  I didn’t start drinking the tea until I got home and by day 5 without my milk arriving he was one hungry baby.  I started drinking this tea and 45 minutes later my milk arrived.  So with Ellis, I started drinking this just hours after she was born and my milk arrived before I even left the hospital.  Happier baby and happier mama! I don’t mind the taste but some women do, so add a dash of my favorite raw organic & unfiltered honey.
8. Beer- One dark hoppy beer every night. The hops increases lactation.  Hops are very similar to oats (see #2). An IPA is a super hoppy beer.
9. No Distractions- When you’re pumping or nursing, don’t do work or email or anything stressful during pump time.  For me, my mind can only do one thing at time and anything stressful decreases my output. The smallest distraction decreases my supply. I have to be completely calm and relaxed to really express all of my milk.  This is a good time to get on a TV show binge or read. 
10. Baby While Pumping- I know this sounds so primal but my doula & midwife both recommended it and it works: watch videos on your phone of your baby while you pump.  These good feelings (and production of oxytocin) will promote lactation.  When I was working I would also smell the jammies Dutch wore to bed the previous night while I pumped.  Again, I know, it’s super primal but I swear it works!
11. No Schedules- If baby is hungry, do not wait until a scheduled “lunch time”; babies don’t have that. They are hungry when they are hungry. Do not hold out milk (not good for baby and not good for your ta-tas). When baby shows signs of being hungry, even if it isn’t on his typical schedule, allow baby access to the breast. Nurse on demand. Schedules can be rigid sometimes and even stress out parents. Mama’s need to be as stress free as possible.
12. Sleep- I know this is a bit humorous, but sleep as much as you can. If you’re taking care of your body by eating healthy, drinking water, and sleeping appropriately you will be more effective at producing. I know that is a lot, but if you do it all consistently for like 2-3 weeks, your supply will improve.

Okay so there you have it: these are the things I have done to maintain my breast milk supply.  For some women, when their cycle returns they will see a big dip in their supply, so hop back onto this schedule a week before you start and maintain this throughout your cycle and the week after. Ditto that if baby hits a growth spurt.  I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions that I can help with.  Also if you have tips for ME, please send them my way!!!!

Hawley Peeps Monthly: Month One

Because clearly I am so on top of things (lies alllllll lies!!!!!! ughhhhhh so far from the truth), I am sharing both of my kiddos one month posts.  In reality, I’ve been keeping track of each month for Dutch so far, I just have the posts sitting in my drafts.  I figure since baby number 2 is about to lap me…..it’s time to finish these posts. So I’ve decided to post the first month of both Little Peep (Dutch) and Teeny Peep (Ellis) together.  Now I am completely aware that comparing your children is like the ultimate sin, so to be clear, this is not a comparison post of Baby #1 to Baby #2.  I am simply keeping track of each milestone in the first month of life for each of my kiddos.

Dutch & Ellis, this is your mother speaking, if you’re reading this years later, please know this is not a comparison or some form of torture that you two use to see who is “the favorite”.  If you’re looking for a favorite, I can assure you that you’re wrong already; there is no favorite!

 Month One- Dutch

• You were born on a Monday, 6/2/14
• You like your hands by your face and you’ve got long nails
• Wrinkles brow when thinking
• Weight at birth was 7.11 lbs, next day was 7.7 lbs, and 7.2 lbs when left the hospital.  At 2 weeks you were up to 8.10 lbs
• Not a fan of baths
• Hates to have clothes or diaper changed
• Loves to snuggle
• first restaurant out when you were 5 days old was to Longhorn Steakhouse with the Nanny & Papa
• Sleeps on mommy
• Holding your head up by yourself before we left the hospital; incredibly impressive.
• Loves playing with daddy
• Met Nanny & Papa, Grammy, & Aunt Nana
• Does great in public so far
• First trip out with just Mama was to Target.  You were two weeks old and slept the entire time :-)
• Has been to Babies R Us, both Houston airports, grocery shopping 4 times, lunch with his friends Thomas and Sawyer, Sam Moon, Tiny Boxwood
• Loves walks around the neighborhood
• Loves a car ride
• Sleeps 1.5 to 2 hour intervals
• Eats every 2-2.5 hours
• 100 % breast fed
• Starting to get indentations where rolls will be
• Been to 2 dr appts for you and one for mommy
• Disposable diapers for now until grows into cloth. In newborn size for 2 weeks and moved to size 1 at 3 weeks old
• Visitors have slowed down help has left and no more meals. ...it's time we figure it out. Sad and scary and exciting all at the same time
• At your 1 month appt: 22.5 inches long and 10 lbs 3.5oz, good eater, no shots because a day too early, bowed legs are normal. The results from test last time were normal. Not congested. Dr. said your neck muscles are impressive.  Projected to be 6’1 when you grow up.
• I asked her about the gas and she asked me about chocolate. ..which I had a lot of last week so that's out of my diet now and she said it would take about a week to leave my milk
• Loves the pacifier

Month One- Ellis

• You were born 1/17/16 at 6:20pm on a Sunday.  You weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and were 21 inches long
• Had to do several bilirubin tests but ended up passing before we left the hospital
• On day 2 you dropped to 7 lbs 11 oz, and then to 7 lbs 4 oz. but totally normal.  Now we're working on getting weight back on you
• You HATE to be cold or to have your diaper changed
• You still have hiccups all the time like you did in my stomach…usually once in the morning and every afternoon around 4:30.
• Your first restaurant out to eat (at 8 days old) was to Starr Pizza...we sat outside on the porch for lunch, next restaurant was a sushi happy hour ...you did great and slept through both
• You have been to the park (7 days old)
• You’re a pretty good sleeper so far....sleep most of the morning and then wake up in the afternoon for a little bit and ready for bed between 9 and 10.  You give mama a 3-4 hour stretches of sleep at the beginning of the night and then 2.5 hour stretches of sleep between feedings until the late morning.
• You have overeaten 2x & made yourself sick
• 100 % breast fed
• Chocolate is mama’s postpartum craving again, but just like with brother, you do not tolerate well.
• You like to eat, snuggle, and be swaddled.
• At your 2 week appt: 8 lbs 1 oz (45%), height 20.5 in (62%), head 14.13 (71%)
• You have the cutest dimple on your right cheek. 
• Met your Nanny and Papa
• You love to sleep with mama every night.
• You seem to be a deep thinker, you will furrow your brows like you're thinking about something and you're very quiet
• 2/11 starting to lose your baby hair
• You’re becoming more alert and starting to track mama and daddy 
• Starting to hold head up by yourself
• You really enjoy mama carrying you around in the baby wrap
• You’re too small for the cloth diapers, so you’re wearing disposable
• We’ve had several play dates so far, and you’ve slept through all of them.  You really like your sleep hehe
• First trip out with just Mama and Dutch was to Target.  You were two weeks old and slept the entire time :-)
• At 3 weeks old mama ventured to Costco & HEB & the post office for the first time with just you and brother.  We did great!
• Your cry is short but loud, and random....like a pterodactyl
• At your 1 month appt: 9 lbs 3 oz (50th percentile) and 22 inches long (87th percentile), projected to be 5'9 when grow up, 1 shot, a little congestion and using oils to treat, some baby acne on face and around neck, watery left eye (probably a clogged tear duct that has been this way since birth), holding your head up very well, tracking mama and daddy with your eyes, starting to smile
• Took your first road trip to Austin with Aunt Grace
• Mama loves to dress you up and we’re starting to get to know you better everyday
• You’re very quiet and thoughtful
• Unless you’re cold, need to pass gas or have a BM, or are hungry you don't cry much at all
• You look around and take a lot in
• Eating every 2 hours around the clock  You eat well and then go right to sleep
• Took your first nature hike with mama, daddy, and brother
• At 4 weeks old you smiled a real smile for mama
• Still in newborn clothes & newborn size diapers

Professor Peep

On Monday I checked in with y’all to share how life with two babies under the age of 2 has been.  While it is tough and different, we are learning to juggle better and better every day. 

I’ve only been a mama with 2 under 2 for a month now, so I know that I have A LOT left to learn.  Honestly, I’m totally okay with that; I welcome a lifetime of learning with them.  But so far, here is what I have learned from my two sweet Hawley Peeps:

• Get out of the house everyday!  This is a must and something I learned with Dutch.  From the first day I was home alone with him we went out.  We just need to do it.  Yes it’s harder with two, but something that they need as much as I do.  With both babies I have been petrified about this task, but I just had to rip the band-aid off and do it.  I have done it both times on my first day alone with the babies, and I've been grateful both times to have crossed off that milestone quickly.
• Mamas need more leggings than they think they do.  I will never have enough leggings and I don’t care what anyone says, but I’m wearing them as pants…..in, get this, public!  Gasp all you want haters lol  Costco had some amazing leggings on sale this month in multiple colors, 2 pairs for $11.99……and I bought 6.  So yeah, I wear leggings like it’s my uniform!
• Strap the baby in!  When Dutch was a newborn I never strapped him in to the baby gear.  No one was going to knock him out of the swing, bouncer, or rocker.  It was just me.  But now, oh goodness, Ellis must be strapped in.  While Dutch has never even expressed interest in pulling the baby out of the baby gear, we aren’t taking any chances.
• Go outside.  It doesn’t matter how hot or cold it is, go on a walk everyday.  The sun and fresh air will do you some good. 
• Give your 1 year old some credit.  One year old children are very smart and they learn quickly.  This can be a good thing or a bad thing (i.e. watch your mouth).  Dutch has caught on to this big brother thing really quickly and he adores “Baby Ellis” :-)
• Healing takes time. I’m steal healing from birth which has been extremely hard both physically & psychologically.  All mamas know that labor and delivery is tough and those battle wounds are intensely life altering.  I know that with time complete healing will happen and that will make mommying even better.  Honestly, this has been the hardest part of being a mama to my two young babies.  I thought the hardest part would be the kids, but instead it has been me; the exact opposite of what I anticipated.  I’m a work in progress and I’m learning to give myself some grace.
• Dry shampoo is ah-maz-ing.  I’ve  said this before and I’ll say it again: I don’t know how women have lived without this stuff.  Here is the shampoo that I use on the reg.
• Forgo pride.  Ask for help when you need it.  Accept that God gave you a village to help you; you don’t have to do this mama thing alone!  (I’m still learning this one and I probably will be for the rest of my life).  It’s just me around here, since the Mr works such long hours.  I can’t do it by myself especially since I’m still healing from a pretty rough labor and delivery.  I need help and I have to humble myself and ask for it.

I know that these are just a few minor lessons that I’ve been learning lately, and that there are a bazillion left to learn.  Soooooooo mamas with 2 under 2, please share with me some tips and tricks that will help save me some learning time :-)

Coming Up For Air- Life with 2 under 2

Now that Ellis is almost a month old, I feel like it’s safe to say that I am officially a mom of two kiddos and it’s time that I report back on what life with two kiddos is like.  When Ellis was conceived, and Dutch was only 10 months old, my very first feelings were elation….but that very very quickly began to change. I started to worry about what life would be like with two babies under the age of 2.  Quite honestly I started to freak out.  I was so scared!

-How was I going to juggle the needs of two babies?

-How could I give them both the attention they need?

-How would I be able tell one child to wait while I attended to the more urgent needs of the other?

-Would my body be able to care for two children while under extreme sleep deprivation?
-How would I go to the grocery store? What gets unloaded into the car first: kids or groceries?!

-Would both of my children feel loved? Would one feel neglected? favored?

-How was I going to be able to juggle two babies without any help from family?

-How could I be a mom to two kiddos and still have enough energy at the end of the day to be a wife to the Mr?

-Could my heart even expand enough to love them all?!

I was very aware that I was not the first mama to go through this so I started reading blogs, books, and talking with other mamas with two children under the age of two.  I wanted to mentally prepare myself for the extreme challenge I was about to embark on.  And I can completely and honestly say:

I WAS WRONG!

-Maybe I’m still in the “honeymoon phase” and it’s too early to say?

-Maybe I just expected the absolute worst possible experience?  I am usually an optimist but this sounds really pessimistic?

-Maybe I just really prepared myself?

-Maybe I was blessed with a good batched of kiddos?

Yes I am familiar with the very natural worries of growing a family, but that’s all they were for me.  I had a lot of apprehension and it was all for nothing.  Life with two under two is WONDERFUL!  I absolutely love it!  Having two children is ah-maz-ing…..and having them so close together is a greater blessing than I could have ever imagined.

-Yes, everything is different.
-Yes, I’m sleep deprived.
-Yes, everything requires more planning than before.
-Yes, I’m jugging too many things and my mommy brain has reached an all-time stupid level, and I can’t even remember what time I got up to nurse last night…even though it was less than 3 hours ago (I think).
-Yes, I’m hooked up to a machine pumping more than I would like.
-Yes, life is so cyclical it’s hilarious: nurse baby, burp baby, nap baby, play with 1 year old, feed 1 year old, nap 1 year old, cook, laundry, clean house, feed dogs, shower (maybe)……REPEAT (fit sleep in when possible).

You know, ALL of my worries actually came TRUE, but it isn’t nearly as terrifying as I thought it would be.  In fact, it’s heavenly. Of course my 1 year acts like a 1 year old, and of course my newborn acts like a newborn……they aren’t exempt from natural behaviors.  But seriously, life is so good with my 2 young babies at home.  Even though things are very different, life is sweet these days.   I am in full-blown heaven on earth and I absolutely love my job as a mama to Dutch and Ellis.  Every worry turned out to be completely true and tough, but not impossible.  I think I lacked faith in my ability to mother and I forgot how resilient and quickly children learn.  Nothing has been impossible, it has simply take more time and effort.  For example, I was most nervous about juggling……well God, again, had a funny way of teaching that lesson to us quickly.  Less than 12 hours after Ellis was born we got a text with a picture of nasty boogers coming out of Dutch’s ears (yes, “ears”, NOT, “nose”).  Well that isn’t normal :-/  So from my hospital bed I was calling Dutch’s surgeon from last summer and coordinating with the pharmacist to get him his meds and then figuring out how to get the meds to him since we were in the hospital.  Then as soon as we got home, Dutch sprained his ankle, got a black eye, and started getting 3 new teeth.  So yea, life is tougher, and we’re juggling more, but the watercolor of our home is much more colorful, fun, and covered in love.

God has answered our prayers for children, and He has gifted us with more patience, strength, and energy than we ever could have imagined possible.  We consistently pray that He will continue with these provisions, otherwise we would be failing so much more in our roles as parents.  We are SOOOO grateful for the prayers from others and those that have brought us meals and watched Dutch while we were in the hospital.  We could NEVER have transitioned so smoothly to a family of 6 (of course, I can't forget our 2 four-legged family members) without my amazing bestie……she is an angel!

Friends, it has taken me a week to write this post and as I write it, I’m not sure when my last shower was, there is a baby napping in his crib and one on my lap, laundry is all over the dining room table, and I should be getting dinner prepped for tonight (oops!).  I have a bazillion drafts to finish writing for you, but I am still behind and lack routine. I dare not rush this phase of life as it goes too quickly, so I will sit still and embrace this chaotic and magical chapter in our lives, because it is spectacular!

For more pictures of our life lately, you can follow us on Instagram!

Coq au Vin

I’ve told y’all before that the way to my heart is through french food.  It just is. I love it!  Coq au Vin is no exception.  I love to order this when I’m out at a restaurant, but it is so easy to make at home!  Give it a try, and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 whole Fryer Chicken
½ whole onion, diced
½ cups carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs butter
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 cups burgundy wine
1 lb fettuccini
2 tbs butter
parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Saute bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium low heat until fat is rendered. Remove bacon from the skillet and set aside. Increase heat to medium.
2. Salt fat site of chicken pieces, then place chicken, fat side down, in skillet and cook in bacon grease until both sides are nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside in a 2-quart baking dish, skin side up.
3. Saute onions, carrots and garlic in bacon grease until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from grease with slotted spoon and set aside.
4. In a separate skillet, saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
5. Layer half of the bacon pieces, carrot/onion mixture, and mushrooms in pan with chicken.
6. Drain grease from the large skillet, then place over medium heat. Pour in 2 cups Burgundy wine, using a wire whisk to scrape loose all the burned/brown bits. Lightly salt liquid and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with 2 tablespoons butter.
8. Serve chicken in a pasta bowl with noodles, sprinkling minced parsley over the top. Spoon juice from baking dish over the top of everything.
9. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday: Hooks & Hangers

Remember how a couple weeks ago, I told y'all about how I was embarrassed about my laundry Nazi tendencies? Oh I didn't say it like that? Well I should have, because it's completely true.

Well maybe this is another confession, or further proof, that I have a laundry obsession problem.  So here's the deal: I don't like to put any clothes in a chest of drawers; I like everything hung in the closet.  You see, if things are not hung up I forget that they exist (obviously this means I have too much, which is a totally different problem that I'll save for another day).  Of course if everything needs to be hung, this means when the Mr. and I are home shopping, large closets are a must.  But the problem doesn't end there.  If everything is hung up, I have to be very choosey about the hangers I use.  You know if you put a sweater on a hanger you get those bumps in the shoulders.....first-world problems I tell ya!

Okay so anyways, I quickly noticed that when I was organizing Teeny Peep's closet that little girl clothes come in sets: a pair of pants or bloomers goes with a specific shirt or dress.  With little boys there is a lot more mixing and matching of clothes.  For Dutch I hang all of his shirts and onsies and have all of his pants and shorts folded and placed in baskets in rows so that I can see them all at the same time on top of his dresser (see his closet here).  I felt like I wouldn't be able to do this system as well for Teeny Peep because there are specific sets, so I had to figure out something else.  

Initially I was trying to save all of the store hangers so that everything could be hung together.  But those hangers are a real bear to deal with, and honestly I didn't have enough either.
And honestly, they don't look great (.....I'm hearing violins play right now and I'm hanging my spoiled & picky head in shame)

Then I tried just hanging them together on regular hangers.
This system also did not work.
The pants kept sliding and I knew I would just end up with piles of mismatched pants on the floor of the closet.

Finding hangers for pants for children is not as easy as it is for adults.  I started researching hangers (clearly this is a major issue lol) and I came across these clips.  They attach to the hangers that you already have and can be adjusted to any length that they hanger allows.  I read great reviews, so I ordered 3 packs of 12 to see how what I thought.

Wow folks, I'm a believer!  These clips are super easy to transform my baby hangers to hold pants and bloomers.  Now all of my sets for both of my baby peeps are easily organized and hung in the closet!

I'm lovin' the ease of these hanger clips and I highly recommend them for all laundry Nazi's parents of little ones.  So really go get some of these, and please no one comment on the fact that laundry has been a blog topic twice within a month lol

I was not paid for this post, but if Mainstays wants to start paying me I'd gladly accept the extra cash ;-)

The Peeps Meet

When I first found out I was pregnant with Teeny Peep, Ellis, I was first ecstatic....then I was immediately terrified.  How would my precious first born Little Peep, Dutch, react?  Would he feel overlooked? Left-behind? The moment I was dreading was when they first met, and he realized our family had changed and grown.  It would never be the three of us again. We were forever different. Silly Darby! The Lord knew what He was doing when He gave us Ellis.  It was the perfect time in our family's journey and Dutch has been over the moon for his new sister.  He calls her "my baby" and he is right.  This is the sister that we are thrilled to give to him. Thank you a million times to Grace Hill Photography for capturing the moment when these sweet babies met and our family grew.  Those moments in the hospital are so swift and hard to hold onto, and I'm so thankful that they were captured in this amazing video!  Thank you Grace Hill Photography!!!!

Ellis' Fresh 48 Session from Grace Hill on Vimeo.

While I was out….

Last week when I delivered Teeny Peep, I had 3 posts for y’all but I didn’t get a chance to send them out to you :-(

womp womp

I didn’t want you to miss anything that went on around LWTH last week so until our regular scheduled programming (haha I feel so weird writing that, but I can’t not write it either because it makes me feel like I’m a television producer or something cool like that) returns, I wanted to share last week with you.  Check it out:

Maternity Pictures with Teeny Peep

My Unhealthy and Embarrassing Obsession with Laundry

Teeny Peep’s 38 Week Bumpdate

I hope y’all are having a great week so far!

Teeny Peep is Here!

We have officially welcomed our sweet Teeny Peep into the world!  On Sunday, January 17 our precious bundle of beautiful, Ellis Lambert, joined our family outside of the womb.  We are all in complete awe of God’s goodness for such an amazing miracle. Things might be slow around here for a bit as our family adjusts, but you can follow us on Instagram until we’re up and running around here again. Thank you all for the wonderful words of encouragment and the prayers you have lifted for us.  We have truly been depending on those.

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 38

Ummmmmm…hello chipmunk cheeks. 

How much bigger are you going to get?!

Bumpdate with Dutch at 38 weeks

Date: 1/9/16
How far along: 38 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: A pumpkin….let me tell ya, I feel like I'm carrying a pumpkin!

Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep has a firm grasp with her fingers and all of her organs are matured.  She is ready for “departure” to the outside world!   She is beginning to shed her vernix caseosa because she will no longer need it when we get to meet her.  She is somewhere between 6 lbs and 9 lbs but I would guess based on her last measurement she is around 7 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Can I wear maternity clothes forever?  I know that some women hate them, but I’m not looking forward to packing them away.

Weight gain: 23 lbs......apparently baby girl and I did a lot of growing, which explains the 3am hunger pains several nights last week.  My caregiver said I had leftover "holiday cheer" last week hahaha she's so right!

Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.

Sleep: I need a lot of it to help me get through each day. Lists running through my brain and contractions have kept me awake some though.

Best moment of the week: 1- I can honestly say that I am so close to “ready”. The majority of my lists are completed, baby laundry is done, I’ve commenced stocking the freezer with meals, pump parts are sterilized, her gear is out washed and has new batteries, bags are packed, and the car seat is clean and by the door. We are feeling closer to her birthday. 2- I met with my care provider again this week and baby girl had a heart rate of 134, my BP was 110/60, & she is measuring a week ahead with her fundal height. 3- This might sound weird but I am so excited that my contractions are becoming more frequent and more intense. I'm praying that my body is responding to them and we're getting closer to meeting our baby girl. 4- The Mr. and I had our “babymoon” this weekend and it was amazing!!  With Dutch we went on a week-long cruise, but this time all we could manage with schedules and a 1 year old was dinner and a movie without our favorite 3rd wheel.  But let me tell ya, it was ah-maz-ing!  We went to to see the new Starwars in 3d at an imax theater and then to my favorite french restaurant for dinner.  When we came home we watched the Steelers play and slept late the next moring before an amazingly trendy and delicious brunch.  This was only our 6th date since Dutch came along; it’s really tough when you live far from family who can help so when we get these moments we really try to embrace them.  We are so grateful for my bestie offering to help out; she’s an angel. 

Movement: I can tell that she is running out of room and her movements are very squished and muted.  She’s still active, just lacks room.

Cravings: Nothing that I can think of here.
Gender: Baby girl!!

Belly button: I love my new outtie :-)

Wedding Ring: On

Anything making you queasy/sick: I can’t eat a lot because it makes me sick to my stomach.

What I miss: Sushi

What I’m looking forward to: I am looking forward to Teeny Peep’s birthday and bringing her home.  I can’t wait to see her face, to learn her sweet scent, to see my hubby become a daddy to a girl (by the way I'm crying as I write this!), to seeing Dutch as a big brother and to learning more about his sister.....basically to see how life will become even more joyful with her presence.

Labor signs: Woah contractions are officially here!  They are becoming more and more uncomfortable and predictable.  I’m still walking, talking, & rocking through them.  I’m just praying intensely that those contractions are doing what they are supposed to be doing.  With Dutch I was in early labor for 3 weeks before his arrival, I’m hoping that early labor doesn’t last as long with Teeny Peep.

Symptoms: I really cannot complain: I am so BLESSED to have had another easy pregnancy.  I only have a few weeks left so my minor symptoms would be fatigue, hunger pains, jumbo swelling face….you know the drill with the last couple of weeks lol

Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.

Emotions: I’m teetering between excitement and embracing the now.  I’m one of those women that absolutely love being pregnant.  I love having my babies so close to me, and embracing this special chapter of growing a human.  So I’m sad that that phase will be over soon, as well as moving on from the family of 3 chapter, but I’m trying to embrace and celebrate all of these moments while they’re still here.  However, I would be completely lying if I didn’t admit that I’m very much looking forward to meeting and holding my baby girl.