The holidays were an amazing whirlwind and here we are already in 2018..crazy town. We had a great week and were able to spend time with both of our families as well as ring in the New Year with our dear friends and their kids in a beautiful home with lots of SNOW! Kennedy took her first ski lessons and Cecilia took her first stab at walking. Both are still working on perfecting their skills.

The girls scored some great gifts over the holidays that have made these cold days at home much easier! Here are some of our favorites:

Jumping Jacks - this game is perfect for Kennedy and her friends. They each pick a carrot (your supposed to spin but I think that’s for a little older kids) and when somebody picks their carrot, the bunny jumps and you’re supposed to catch it. I highly recommend!

Sequence (for kids)- this game is Kennedy’s obsession that she has been playing with her Dad all break and now, every evening. This game is all about getting 4 in a row and does take a little bit of coaching but it’s proven to be quite entertaining. Granted there are 42 cards to keep track of and my kids a hoarder so there’s that… (I currently can only find 41.. sigh)

Strider Balance Bike- this bike is great for kids to learn to balance on and helps them ride two wheel bikes when they’re a little older. Kennedy loves it because it’s yellow (ha!) and hasn’t yet taken it on the street but loves to ride it in the house…

Micro Mini 2-Go Deluxe Scooter- Kennedy has the older kid version so this one is for Ceci. It has a toy box and is insanely adorable. At this age, she rides it and later on we will be able to adjust it for her to scoot on it!

Wooden Dollhouse- This is the perfect mix of adorableness and fun. The girls love playing with it and I love that it is a cute addition to their play corner.

Doctor Kit- Kennedy likes to dress up and play so a doctor kit was a great addition. This one is simple, there aren’t too many pieces and there is a bag to keep it all in (winner, winner, chicken dinner).

Bath tubes and gears- Anything to make bath time fun for both the kids. They love pouring the water and playing with the gears.

Brio trains- a friend suggested these and Kennedy loves them. It’s a great gift to be able to add to!

Anything your kids are loving these days? 

It's a funny thing, isn't it? Having kids less than two years apart and being #blessed with terrible sleepers has me thinking that a full night's sleep won't ever happen. Never would I have imagined that sleeping in 3 hour increments would allow me to function as a human being but that's what parenting does to us, right? It keeps us on our toes and stretches us in ways we never knew were possible. I'm always in the mindset that if my kids are going to be crappy sleepers at home, I might as well travel with them since either way we aren't getting sleep ;) BUT, if you're one of the lucky ones that have one of those kiddos that sleep great at home, the consultants at Let Mommy Sleep have some tips on how you can prepare your young children for traveling.

1. Practice at home! Many times babies are not used to sleeping in a travel bed or pack-n-play. Put baby in travel bed or pack-n-play for naptime at home in weeks leading up to the trip.
2. Keep sleep routine as close to home as possible to help baby feel safe and secure.  If weather permits, dress baby in pajamas/sleepsack/swaddle blanket that he/she is accustomed to.  If renting a full-sized travel crib from a hotel, bring bed sheets and breathable bumper from baby’s crib at home to recreate familiar sleepenvironment. Sing the same bedtime songs you sing at home and read favorite books.
3. Try to stay on baby’s time. If possible, try to keep naptimes and bedtimes as close to the same schedule as at home.  When traveling across time zones, gradually adjust baby’s bedtime. Some parents like to travel at night so baby can sleep and wake up in destination refreshed. This can lead to an exhausting first day of the trip. If you can “tag-team” with your partner by alternating napping and caring for baby during the first day, then traveling at night could be a possibility.
4. Once at the destination, do not rely on carseats for safe sleep. While it is tempting to let a sleeping baby spend the night in a carseat or stroller, carseats can sometimes cause breathing problems in babies. Follow the recommendations of the American Association of Pediatrics and the “Back to Sleep” campaign by creating a safe sleep environment and putting baby on back for sleeping.
5. Slow it down – You’re on Baby’s Time! Don’t expect to have a jam-packed site seeing schedule. All the new sights, sounds, and experiences are very stimulating and exciting for baby. Baby could get fussy if over stimulated and too exhausted.  Remember that sleep begets sleep. Keeping baby awake longer than his/her bodies need may work for one night or one nap, but fighting against baby’s natural rhythms leads to meltdown. While it is nice to have alone time with your partner, caring for a baby can be even more exhausting than usual when traveling. We like to remind parents to not stay up too late too!

Let Mommy Sleep is the country's leading Baby Nurse and Postpartum Care service based in Washington DC. Because of the company’s unparalleled dedication to customer service and the overwhelming need for qualified postpartum care, LMS continues to grow with franchise locations now in Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, South Florida and Las Vegas with more on the way. Let Mommy Sleep is a simple service; licensed nurses and caregivers are paired with brand new parents to provide nurturing overnight care to newborns, and evidence based education to families.  This postpartum care is crucial to parents' health and well-being especially in these days where families are spread out and there is little to no social support. For more information, visit their website, letmommysleep.com.

Cecilia Grace turned one yesterday and what a year it has been. It has truly been a year of the highest highs as well as the lowest lows but I can't imagine this year without her. She has been such a blessing to our family and I have so enjoyed watching her grow as well as watching her and Kennedy become the best of friends. Each year I write the girls a birthday note to their own email addresses as well as encourage our family and friends to do the same. My hope is that one day when the girls read these letters it gives them a small snippet into what our lives were like when they were that age and that they appreciate all of the love and sentiment that we have for them.

In light of Cecilia turning one, I thought I would share my letter to her.

Dear Cecilia,
Happy first birthday to the beautiful little girl who has been the perfect addition to our family. Your big blue eyes and huge smile light up a room while your spunk and perseverance are unmatched.  My wish for you is to stay strong, wild and full of life. May all the stars in the sky be only a small sampling of the dreams in your heart.  You are loved beyond belief.  I’m so very lucky to be your mama. 
In one short year you have traveled across the country and across the world taking each trip in stride and being the perfect travel companion. You have been to four weddings and sadly, your grandfather’s funeral. You have learned to stand, to dance, to clap, to crawl and to fight back to your big sister :) You are strong, you are beautiful and you make me so proud. 
I love you. 
Mom

 

If you like us on Facebook, you already know that my husband and I took our two kids on a month long trip to New Zealand. People thought we were crazy, and maybe we were, but it was amazing and I would do it again in a heart beat. The question I get asked the most is; how did we do it?

We sandwiched the time in between trips to San Francisco. That way we were able to visit friends, attend our cousin's wedding and just take an overnight flight direct to New Zealand. New Zealand is 17 hours ahead so we didn't get too bad of jet lag with such a drastic time difference!

We got the bassinet for Ceci and Kennedy had her own seat on the plane both ways. On the way there, we had the three seats with the window which was nice but on the way back we had four seats and the bassinet... which was NICER. Kennedy watched the iPad until she fell asleep (judge all you want it's called survival mode) and was able to lay down over two seats pretty comfortably while Ceci spent the majority of the time sleeping in the bassinet. Hello free wine on Air New Zealand!

We packed lightly ( my husband will still say I over packed)  as in two suitcases including all of our hiking gear. We each also brought a backpack (mine was my Diaper Bag which I am obsessed with... I definitely regret not going the diaper back pack route the first time around!) For carrying the kids (Kennedy was just over 2 and Ceci was 4 months old), we took our Maclaren Triumph Stroller, our Ergobaby 360 and our Kelty Journey 2.0 Child Carrier. All of which were saving graces. The stroller was more for our time in San Francisco but it did come in handy in Queenstown and Christchurch.

We "camped" at holiday parks every 3 days or so to do laundry, dump waste and fill back up on water. The other days we either freedom camped or camped at DOC sites (which had the best views, hello waking up on the Marlborough Sounds).





We rented an RV in lieu of moving every few days and it was worth it's weight in gold. Not only was it so nice to always have everything with us, we were also able to alter our route once we were there due to weather or because of recommendations.

We did big hikes every few days and did little hikes the other days. The unbelievable views and beautiful weather made it easy to want to be outside and explore.



We grocery shopped and cooked 99% of our meals. We tried to buy what was local and would make an easy meal. I think we went out to eat twice and weren't super impressed either time. Plus, going out to eat with two kids is really not that much fun.

We potty trained our oldest. Diapers are heavy, especially for two kids, so we potty trained a couple of months before our trip. Did we have accidents? Yes (and we still do),  but doing some extra laundry was worth not having to carry around a second set of diapers everywhere we went.

We brought along our sound machine  in order to have the older kiddo sleep above the driver and passenger seats while our youngest slept (with us) in the back of the RV. Of course, it didn't drown out all the noise but it definitely helped in putting them to bed!

We bought special sticker books, books and small toys for Kennedy. Anything that didn't fit in her backpack, didn't come. We did wish we brought more books but that's only because Kennedy is straight up book worm!

We spent our entire time in the South Island in order to really do it. We heard the North Island was a lot of beaches and honestly, there's nothing less relaxing than vacationing on a beach with a two year old (without grandparents). We'll just have to go back again to do the North Island :)

It was definitely the trip of a lifetime and came up to all of the hype. I think the RV made for the perfect trip with kids and we're already dreaming of the next trip!

And, just for fun, Ryan made a video of the highlights of our travels, check it out!

And I tried not to laugh TOO much.
 
Sorry for my silence but being home with two kids under two is downright crazy town. Trying to find time to actually go the bathroom myself, or eat is enough of a struggle so throwing blogging in to the mix seems impossible at times. Did I mention we also just potty trained Kennedy? Which, in all fairness, is going pretty great but about thirty minutes ago I was sitting on the floor of our tiny bathroom, breastfeeding Ceci and reading a book to Kennedy who was on the toilet. Since when do toddlers take after men on the toilet? I mean who needs thirty minutes to take a poop?! Did I mention that she didn’t even poop? So, I basically just spent thirty minutes of my day on the bathroom floor for nothing and sadly, it probably won’t be the last time today. But I digress…. so, Kennedy falling in to the toilet, that was hysterical. We were sitting in there for a good twenty minutes with her on the big toilet with the Baby Bjorn toilet seat in it and her feet resting on the stool. All of a sudden she gets up and takes the little potty off the big potty and sits down straight into the toilet. I’m like oh sh*t, I drop Ceci (poor thing always being put down for her sister) and pull Kennedy out but not before her entire butt and backside is soaked in pee water.

​Remind me again why we potty train?!  

If you're wondering, we did the three day method which was HELL the first day but by the third day she pretty much had it. We still have our accidents, and nights aren't go as great, but the majority of the time, she tells us when she has to go potty and when she gets a "sticker and a treat". 

And already 8 weeks old but, hey, life gets busy with two (especially around the holidays). She's sweet and easy going and the absolute perfect addition to our little family. Labor and delivery were much easier the second time around and I felt so much more prepared with all my nursing essentials! Being already stocked with nursing tank tops, bras and pads took one more thing off my plate once we got home and were trying to settle in as a family of four. I've pretty much been wearing my Cake Pajamas non stop and I think my husband is jealous that they don't make pajamas that soft for men ;) 

When we got home, Kennedy was a little taken back that Cecilia wasn't the name of my belly button and that this little person would be taking a lot of attention away from her. There were even a few times when Ceci would cry and Kennedy would say "MINE", referring to me, but she's since gotten over that and has become more or less welcoming to the new babe. I've tried to keep Kennedy's routine as consistent as possible (although we did move up bed time to save our own sanity) and luckily, Ceci is easy going enough to roll with the punches. 

So, I apologize for my absence but I'll have lots more to say as we figure out how to juggle life with two under two!

One of my great Mamma friends, Brittney Cooch, is a professional organizer for TLC Home, LLC and she agreed to share some great tips on ways to stay organized with a new babe. I'll certainly be using these tips over the next few weeks.

Welcoming a new baby to the family is certainly an exciting and joyful time.  Ideally, It’s a time to slow down and soak up all those sweet baby moments.  But between maintaining the home and juggling the family’s schedule, there are plenty of overwhelming challenges that may not feel you are “slowing down” at all.  Here are some tips for making the most of your time throughout your family’s transition…
 
Prep Before Arrival

• Try to nail down your family’s routines and schedules.  When baby arrives, the routines such as waking up, leaving the house, meal times, bath time, etc. will be smoother if they are already in place.  If one routine is too chaotic, take the time to consider what’s working and what’s not.  Then make changes. You may find that even a small change makes a big improvement. 
• Stock the house with food and household items in advance to lighten the amount of errands after baby arrives. 
• Save time cooking by making meals that can be frozen and served after baby arrives.
• Assign friends or family who are offering to help with certain tasks after the arrival. This could be cooking a meal, running an errand, taking an older child somewhere, etc. 

 
Meal Plan

• Plan for the upcoming week’s meals and shop accordingly. 
• Use some time during naptime to prep dinner or even fully cook the meal and then reheat at dinnertime. 
• Crockpot meals and casseroles can be cooked well in advance, placed in the freezer and then pulled out when needed. 
• Have snacks that are easy for older kids to access and eat on their own.
• You can consider having groceries and household items delivered to eliminate an errand. 

 
Keep up with Laundry

• Laundry can build up quickly and before you know it, you’re overwhelmed by the amount and you don’t even want to touch it. Try to throw a load in before the basket is totally full and overflowing.  Then you may find it less stressful and therefore, more willing to fold it and continue the process.

 
Chunk Cleaning

• Instead of cleaning the house and completing household tasks all in one day, break it up.  Allow yourself to accomplish a task one day and then another for as long as you need.  For example, on Monday clean the bathrooms, on Tuesday vacuum the downstairs, Wednesday wash the sheets, etc.  It may help to stick to a cleaning schedule each week.  Remember cleaning the sheets and certain tasks don’t need to be completed each week.  Phew!
• Consider hiring outside help to clean the house. 

 
Pick Up Clutter Daily

• Choose one time each day, maybe 10 minutes before bed or after school to clean up toys and items around the house and place them where they belong.  If it helps, involve the family in this routine.  Discuss the plan with the kids and stick to it everyday to develop a routine. 

 
Prepare In Advance

• Take some time each evening to review tomorrow’s schedule and prepare the family.  Pack snacks, lunches, outfits, etc. to save the scramble in the morning.  Or take the time to prep well before you actually plan to leave the house.  You want to avoid as many hiccups when leaving the house as possible.    

 
Delegate Help

• Be open to help. This could be help from your child, spouse, family, neighbor, or friend.  You may be surprised with tasks that your child can accomplish such as putting on their own shoes, grabbing their jacket, helping with trash, reading to the baby, etc.   Spouses can help with tasks around the home or with the children’s routines such as bath time.  Families, neighbors, and friends can take your older children places or grab you some milk from the store.  Lighten your load with help to allow yourself to accomplish something else.  That could just be to rest!

 
Keep Up With Your Planner

• Use your calendar regularly to write down the family’s events and keep your family on track.  You can make it accessible for all family members to see. 
• Try not to bombard your schedule with too many events; only fill your schedule with what you can handle. Some days that may only involve getting dressed and other days that may be an outing to the park or grocery store. Don't be afraid to skip certain events if you know it will be a time struggle.  Lighten your load!

 
Have Activities for Older Kids:

• Enroll your older children in enjoyable activities that will occupy their time and give you a break. 
• You can have activities for them at home that can be played independently.  You could break out new toys/activities overtime to spark their interest.   

 
Use Time Wisely

• When the kids are awake there is a high chance you won’t get much else done but care for them.  If you try to sit down at that computer and get some work done, you better believe that baby will be up on your lap in no time. They sense it and attack. Rather than struggling to get it done and causing both of you stress, complete it during naptime, nighttime, during a play date, with a mother’s helper, or during your child’s outing.

 
Be Gentle on Yourself

• Take time to yourself.  Before hopping into a task while the kids are napping, take a moment to unwind and put your feet up. 
• Sometimes you just need to break the family rules to have a moment to yourself -- allow them another donut hole or another half hour of TV. If it'll help you accomplish something and they're happy, then all is well!  Just go with it. 

 
It’s important to remember that your days will never be perfect.  You will have better days and moments than others.  That’s how motherhood goes – embrace it!   But with whatever areas you may struggle, I’m sure some of these tips can help you feel more comfortable as you manage your family and home during such an exciting time. 
 
I was so excited to meet Brittney and learn these awesome tips. For more tips on managing the home and family, follow along on her Instagram at britt_cooch or visit her website mytlchome.com.

A post written by one of my lovely Mamma friends.

Mastitis is the worst, right? My daughter is almost 17 months and we’re still breastfeeding. I enjoy it, she enjoys it, but we are finally in the process of weaning due to some upcoming travel and my tendency to get breast infections. We had a bear of a time breastfeeding at the beginning, so it’s a miracle and a blessing we’ve been able to last this long.

I wholeheartedly believe in modern medicine, but I’m also a big believer in natural remedies as a first line of defense. Since I get breast infections at the drop of a hat, I thought I’d share my (almost) fail-safe tips to stave off mastitis. I’ve had breast infections upwards of a dozen times, but I’ve only had full-blown mastitis requiring antibiotics once, and I have these natural remedies to thank for staving off more serious infections.

4 Steps to Stave Off Mastitis:

1.) Stop eating sugar immediately and continue avoiding sugar until your symptoms subside. This includes avoiding alcohol.

2.) Place thin slices of potato on the affected area. The easiest way to do this is to place the thin disks of potato (Russet works best) on a folded paper towel, place them potato-side down inside your bra, and then have the paper towel between the potatoes and your bra. Change these every few hours as they dry out (and get gross).

3.) Rub lavender oil (in a carrier oil) on the affected area. Mix a few drops of lavender oil in a carrier oil such a coconut or olive oil, and rub it on the affected area. I use the Doterra lavender oil, and I’ve also used other brands, but I prefer the Doterra. Try to do this while you’re taking a quick break from the potatoes because I’ve found that the potato and the lavender oil don’t feel great together.

4.) Apply Heat! I use a heated rice bag. This one is available through Amazon Prime. Rice microwaved in a sock does the trick just as well. (I'd also recommend the Boobease Therapy Pillows) 
​
Sometimes you’ll be able to beat it, other times you won’t, but if you start using these tricks as soon as you feel an infection coming on, you’ll have a good chance. If you have any other tips or tricks to help with breast infections, please share!

Last week, Ryan, Kennedy and I were so lucky to have the opportunity to be photographed by Lee Pettigrew Photography in our final weeks as a family of three. Despite Kennedy not wanting to let go of her grapes cup, be picked up (the least characteristic trait of hers) and the typical toddler troubles, Lee was able to capture some beautiful moments. Lee is a mother herself so she understands all of the crazy that goes along with getting a toddler to cooperate, phew! I definitely recommend checking her out if you're looking for photos! Her website is: http://www.leepettigrew.com/

Here are some of my favorites: