Summer is Here!

We kicked off summer with an uber warm memorial day weekend. We traveled to Yardley for the memorial day parade, which is becoming a tradition. Sienna loves waving her flag and clapping and cheering as the troops and fire engines go by. It's a small town warm family event and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  We also got a semi last minute scheduled impromtu visit with Sarah. A fantastic way to start summer! 

Up on the summer agenda?

Family visits.

A double birthday pool party. 

Father's day! 

Hopefully a CT visit.

A long weekend (sans toddler) in Rehoboth.

Three weddings.

Parents' hit the 40 year annivesary milestone!

Soccer games.

Bridal showers.

Baby showers. 

Oh.... and Baby Walls 2.0 due August 23 to cap off the summer days! 

Baby Girl 2.0 Wish List & Favs

We have been lucky enough to be slowly gifted a few things over the past months. And I have an amazon wish list that helps me to just keep track of what we need. I came up with this: We do need some new things (and pregnancy brings out the biggest shopping bug in me), and we don't need a LOT of things we already have.

 

Favorite items so far for the new little chick:

 

 

1. Prince Lion Heart Wipes Warmer : The first time around, we didn't get one. But I remember the screaming diaper changes all too well. We are going to give this a go. And at $20 it certainly is not a huge splurge to comfort our girl.

 

2. Plush Changing Cover: Picked this up at Target on a whim. Sienna still has a few we can use, but since we aren't going all out on the nursery a nice white changing pad (I think we will get a bright pink one too..) seemed like a good choice.

 

3. Ergo Infant Insert: Sienna lived in the bjorn and people are always saying its not best for their legs/hips. We got the ergo after a few months with her and loved it. So here's hoping the infant insert makes our next little lady all cuddly & comfy. I highly recommend a baby carrier and Ergo is by far our favorite of our slew we bought with S.

 

4. Tommee Tippee Newborn Bottles: Because Sienna's bottles were used and abused and we need new ones. These bottles were our go to no fail. Sienna was breastfed from day one until she was over 13 months but when I was at work, or when I needed to be away, these were our go to. If you're nursing, these are great bottles to try.

 

5. Carter's Crib Sheet: Again, we are not doing a whole nursery. Just revamping the guest room a bit, so wanted a splash of bright pink in the room. I also got a pink and white polka dotted sheet.

 

6. Zen Weighted Swaddle: My friend Kelly gifted this one to us. We were big fans of swaddles for Sienna, and this one has the best reviews. It's lightly weighted in the places mom holds baby so when you put them down they still have the same pressure. One mom who reviewed this was a self-proclaimed "swaddle hoarder" and said this did the best for her kiddo's sleep. Bring it on!

 

7. Koala Baby Romper: She's due the end of August. Sienna was born in Feb. We needed some really light clothes in case it is really hot. Also Koala baby has always been an affordable but super soft brand.

 

8. Circo Crib Skirt with Navy Trim: Pink sheets but a white and navy skirt will perfectly compliment the guest room. I'll have to do another post on the full transformation of guest to nursery and guest room, but this fits great and was a great on sale target find (I think I paid $9.99 instead of $19.99).

 

9. Carter's Newborn Sleeper: We have quite a few sleepers from Sienna, but this one is right up my alley of the unisex colors I love for little ones. So cute, calm, and giraffe.

 

Wish list for the new little chickadee:

 

 

1. Child Craft Crib: Last time we I insisted that we need a Restoration Hardware crib. This time? No. Just no. Sienna loves her crib and we could transition her to the toddler bed but I am not ready to force her out. So we are going for a more affordable, yet verrrry similar to PB Kids crib.

 

2. Etsy Pillow Cover; I just love this and it ties together the bright pink and navy color scheme.

 

3. Large Rustic Wooden Letter: Though we cannot decide on her name, once we do I want a big huge wooden letter with her first initial to hang over her crib. I feel like it will make the space hers.

 

4. Anthropologie Drawer Pulls: I want to spruce up Sienna's old changing table to match the new room. I love these but they would sort of be an unneeded splurge, hence staying on the "wish list" for now.

 

5. Teething Necklace: This is for mama to wear while nursing/holding the little one. Sienna broke a solid amount of my necklaces last time I had an infant. I hope this helps that process (and it looks cute too!)

 

6. Wall hanging: I sort off love the mix of bright colors and the message. But, I think if we do the large letter we may skip out on this since the other wall hangings in that room are oil paintings from Italy and Greece and pretty simple.

 

7. Waterproof Crib Cover: I mean just for obvious reasons. S doesn't sleep with one anymore and I think I threw hers out. I actually think that the best these things ever did was prevent vomit from getting on the mattress, so they have many uses!

 

8. Baby Jogger City Select Double Stroller: This is a BIG wish list item. I have a few friends with this double stroller who swear by it. And Sienna is obsessed with strollers right now for some reason so the option of kicking her out of hers and/or using the board won't work yet. But we may get the board that attaches as she gets older and wants to jump on and off more.

 

9. Newborn Boppy Lounger: I have a fear Sienna is going to accidentally step on or trip over the baby when she is running around like a crazy person. But I want the little one to have some floor time. I feel like this is a really good option- and also for putting her (in the middle of) my bed in the mornings when I'm getting dressed and S is watching some cartoons.

 

There you have it, what I think we need for Baby Girl 2.0. If anyone has any other brilliant suggestions, we are always open to new ideas! XO

 

Disney World: Part Two. Wilderness Lodge, Chef Mickey's, and the wonder of Disney.

I left off with part one of our amazing Disney experience. I mentioned briefly we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. We opted for the Villas and had a two-room suite shared with my brother & his family. We figured the girls could play in the common room, we'd have a good fridge and dishwasher for the toddler necessities (milk, juice, a billion snacks a day) and we'd each have our own room. I'm kicking myself for not taking photos because the bedrooms were HUGE. Our girls' cribs both fit in the closet (door open but still own space) and gave us some space. The bathrooms- also huge. It was a really great set up for two toddler families. Also, unlike some of the other villa-type set ups I've seen, this was super close to the rest of the hotel complex and a quick path down from the main lobby.  The ferry from our hotel went to Magic Kingdom and also the Contemporary resort. A big help when going to Chef Mickey's. Also- the kiddie pool is 1ft at the deepest so we felt comfy letting the girls play as long as we were watching without being on top of them.

 

My mom suggested we make reservations at Whispering Canyon Café right in the hotel our first night. So we booked for 5:15 thinking the girls would need to eat and get to bed somewhat early. The best part? Halfway through the meal our over excited, overtired toddlers were given a chance to get up and run around. They had pony races through the entire restaurant. And if you ask for ketchup, the wait staff yells, "KETCHUP!" until the previous table with ketchup brings it to you... all 50 bottles.

 

 

Day two we purposely planned to skip the parks and concentrate on getting our girls adjusted. A VERY good idea because Sienna had some major night terrors night #1 in the hotel. She was totally fine the rest of the time, so just a work in progress type issue. Anyway.... Day #2 we decided we would spend the morning just going on walks around the property (we found some rabbits and there is a water geiser that's awesome!), have brunch at Chef Mickey's, let the girls take a regular nap (uber important in Disney, don't let anyone tell you otherwise) and then spend the afternoon and evening at the pool. I have to say, this may have been Sienna's fav day. She was tired in the morning from a bad night of sleep so she was cuddly and wanted to be held a lot but brunch was great and so up close and personal with the characters!

 

 

We arrived at the Contemporary resort early, so we decided we'd just take the monorail through Disney property- the girls loved that! Chef Mickey's food was great and had tons to offer. I highly recommend it for toddlers and young kids. Sienna was shy at first with characters but then she slowly got used to them.  After nap time, we hit the pool. But first, during nap time, the grandparents (who were the heart and soul of this trip and honestly kept us sane even with crazy toddler moments), decided to go on an adventure. Could my parents be any cuter or happier?

 

 

 

I drank a virgin pina colada while Sienna swam around. It was heavenly. That night, we didn't want to force the girls inside so we just stripped off their bathing suits and grabbed food from Roaring Fork. We sat outside and ate dinner, and then the hotel had a dance and smores party! Our little ladies were more interested in hanging out playing in the sand and eating some raw marshmallows.

 

 

We ended the day just hanging out letting the girls meander on the beach playground. It was such a good, but relaxing day. I was thrilled that we planned one down-day before the adventure began. So was Sienna- she slept so much better the second night and loved being able to take the lead on what to do. Disney really does make it possible for even the most tired child to turn around and have a great day. Pool dance parties, easy ferries, smores... The girls were in heaven. And so were the parents!

 

Stay tuned for how we did Magic Kingdom with our tots!

 

Disney World with (2) two year olds! Part One of the Journey.

We went to Disney last month. We had a BLAST. A tiring crazy blast, but still a blast. Traveling with two little ones is always interesting- but Sienna and Stella really did well for how young they are. My overall conclusion is this: Disney with a toddler is so much fun because their eyes light up with joy so frequently you can't even capture it, but it's exhausting and you need a super good plan to prepare yourself. Worth it? Yes. Tiring? Heck yeah. 

Prep: Just stay at a Disney hotel. Make it easy on yourself. If you want to do Magic Kingdom (the only park necessary for toddlers in my opinion) stay at a Monorail hotel or a ferry hotel for quick transport. Get magic bands and fast pass plus. All worth it.  We had a meal plan and it was easy and made things go fast but still unsure if it was worth it money-wise.

Airport/Flight: We booked an 8 am flight which seemed uber early, meaning we'd need to be out our door and in the car on the road by 6am or earlier. Shockingly, it worked totally fine with some milk and a half asleep babe in the car. Also we always have J drop Sienna and I off at the terminal and THEN go park. We check bags curbside and meet up inside. In the airport, we had each girl wheel their own small backpack bag. GENIUS I tell you. I only carried sienna's onto the plane, she was obsessed with it otherwise. 

Stella + Sienna in their pink airport outfits with wheelie Minnie backpacks

 We packed a TON in her little backpack (tablet with movies, new small toys, coloring books, etc) and let her pull out things as she got bored. We went with these headphones and S was finicky with them. She did learn eventually she could only hear her movies with them on, but still was variable on if she wanted them. In my bag? Jelly beans, m&ms and other "bribery" devices. When you're on a plane, you just need your kid to buckle the darn buckle at take off and not to slither on the floor. 

She probably just had a jelly bean and was told to sit and watch Mickey for awhile. 

The jellybeans were a lifesaver. Oh and stickers. We let her just put them everywhere and then cleaned them up at the end of the flight. 

Overall

1. My sister in law taught us this trick: One parent boards the plane, the other waits with the toddler until the last possible second and THEN boards. Avoids chaos and sitting time.

2. Bring your kid treats they don't usually have, it really does help to entice them to exhibit nice lovely behavior on the flight. 

3. Headphones are hard- practice a lot before you actually go on the plane. 

4. Get them their own bag they can carry/wheel. Saves a ton of energy. 

5. Pray that you don't have delays- this flight was pretty easy and we were thankful.

Disney Express Transportation: So I have some major mixed feelings on Disney Express. They do take your luggage to the resort for you which is awesome, but it takes awhile. I'd say between landing and checking into our room, it took a total of 2 hours. We may have saved major time by a taxi, but the girls actually did amazing on the Disney Express bus and sat still. I think they were just impressed they weren't tethered by car seats. So pros: everything taken care of for you, no worrying about luggage. Cons: takes awhile and could be hard if you had super overtired kids. Also your luggage gets there about 2-3 hours after you. So pack things you need (like your kid's sound machine for nap time).

Checking in/Setting up: We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Villas and we were impressed from the moment we arrived at the hotel. Super fast check in (with our magic bands!) I strongly suggest if you have toddlers in diapers who still drink milk ordering your supplies from a local company who delivers right to the hotel instead of lugging all of that with you on the plane. Garden Grocer had our food there before we arrived, and anything cold stayed with the bell service in a fridge. Genius on both Disney and the grocer's account. When we arrived, the food was brought directly to our room! We also rented strollers ( from Kingdom Strollers)  and the bell hop brought them RIGHT to us! So nice for our tired toddlers. This check in was seamless, our room was ready early, and they pointed us right to the in hotel cafe for lunch (we were starving).  And the girls were already so excited they could barely contain themselves. I think just day one was enough for them to want to come back!

So part one is, with two (sometimes headstrong) toddlers, we had a pretty smooth travel day. We prepped appropriately and were so glad. . Next up is the details on our great hotel and the pools (amazing) and what to do on a non-park day in Disney (probably Sienna's favorite day of all!)

26. Some people call this third tri...

Well, we rounded the corner of the 26th week on Friday.  This weekend was full of fun and I am still feeling pretty good. I am sort of dreading the really hot summer days of late pregnancy and taking in all the glorious breezy spring moments of this that I can. Saturday we had a BBQ with my fam and on Sunday I trekked to Brooklyn on the most gorgeous sunny spring day to see Sarah for the day. A wonderful weekend and now back to reality.

Weeks: 26.5ish. This photo was on Friday during torrential downpour rain, hence the Hunter boots and leggings. S and I also wore rain coats and hoods and our day included stomping in puddles.
Feeling: Pretty good and like this is the height of the glory days. I am having major major insomnia right now which means I feel sleepy when I wake up in the morning. I've added an iced tea or half caf coffee to my routine which helps pep me up. But sometimes on days I'm home with Sienna nap time sounds ever so inticing.
Belly:  Well it's there. No one would question me being pregnant. And sometimes it moves with the little lady now.
Movement: It is so crazy but I never remember Sienna moving like this. It feels almost constant with this kid, and she lets me know if I'm in a position she doesn't like by squirming around until I move. Her favorite time of the day to move around is late morning and late night. Sienna can feel the kicks now and every time she feels baby says "Baby is coming out!!!"
Craving: Sweets still, darn it. Trying to curb the craving but a soft cookie is my best friend. But also savory. I could live on mozz cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and some delish balsamic vinegar (and maybe some bread).
Gender: Girly girlfriend. We are reading the sisters book nightly to Sienna.
Other symptoms: Braxton hicks still holding on strong. Two days ago during nap time I had about 4 in two hours, the most yet. But they never get worse and they are super sporadic so not too concerned. Some annoying ligament pain and leg pain, which is par for the course at this point. Also noticing weight gain in places other than the belly- guess the hips are prepping to do their thing. UGH. Still hot all the time.
Random thoughts: Glucose test this Friday. Last time I did the orange and almost barfed. This time I'm thinking I'll try the fruit punch- my OB said it's less syrupy. Any suggestions? 

25 weeks.

Soooo... how did we get this far? No one would mistake me for not pregnant at this point. Not even me, which was happening a lot before! But this tummy is growing and it's getting more real every day.

Weeks: 25
Feeling: Pretty good physically. Tired as usual ha! But not bad.  Guilty that I can't carry Sienna as much, but it hurts my back and I feel ligament pain if I pick her up too quickly. Oh and super emotional. Crying at everything.
Belly:  Feels huge and heavy, but I am no fool- I know I have a loooong way to go.
Movement: Tons. Jabs and kicks and punches.
Craving: Uh oh, sweets. I never had sweets craving with Sienna that I remember. But, on the plus side, salad is the other craving with home made Italian dressing. So that's good. Also, a good strong cocktail would be welcomed.
Gender: Still a girl haha! We really need to talk names soon. What goes well with Sienna?
Other symptoms: Braxton Hicks like crazy. Every few hours, sometimes a few an hour. I am hoping that it is like last pregnancy when they meant I was slowly prepping and can walk into delivery for a quick 4 hour turn around. And I'm hot ALL THE TIME. At night I find myself checking the thermostat. I am in such big trouble for summer.
Random thoughts: Baby #2 needs to get some of her own things, so this morning Sienna and I went shopping. Maternity shorts are not as bad as I thought.

My mom.

Do I write a sappy mother's day post yearly? Maybe. I can't even recall.

But here's the thing. I know everyone says they have the best mom. And I know that families are all different. I guess, what I have come to realize as I get older, is that my mom is the best mom for me. Throughout my life, she's known what to do and when I need things. Sure, we've had our mother-daughter spats about things like if I need chargers for my wedding (I did not, the parents should have won that battle) or occasionally how we parent differently, but she's got this sense of knowing what I need sometimes before I know it myself.

Disney was amazing (more on that later), but we had one rough day when Sienna wouldn't nap. Jamie was sick. I was exhausted. I was having little contractions and dehydrated. I needed a break. My mom said "I'm outside the door, open it" and took S. Sienna napped on her bed peacefully after some major coaxing and walking by my mom. She knew I needed that hour of reprieve.

Before I was a mom, I didn't understand. I didn't understand that heartache and pain happens times two. I didn't understand that when your kiddo is happy you're happy and when your child is sad, you are devastated. As I start to really get it, my appreciation only grows. I have this deep respect for a woman who somehow handled all of my drama, my brother too, and was still an A+ teacher and wife in addition to a mom. As we prep for baby #2, I become more thankful for her each day. She says things like "Well I will be there to help" when I start to fret, before I ever even approach the subject. Without my mom, I'd be a shell of myself. That's not to say that I expect her to hold me up daily, but I don't need to expect it. She just does it. I really don't care if other people judge me for talking to my mom sometimes up to five times a day when I am in my 30s. It works for us. I send her silly texts with random thoughts about how Sienna needs new rain boots and she responds by saying she just bought her some because she thought so too! I call her when J is working late and Sienna is whining and I feel spent. She tells me Sienna is just fine, and talks to me about something else to take my mind off of it. She helps with laundry if it is piled high when she comes over, without ever asking if I need a hand. She makes Sienna not laugh- but cackle hysterically. She gives me a sense of calm when I really need it. 

I have a mom who makes life easier. A mom who made (still makes) every kid in Yardley feel comfortable sitting at her table and talking about life. Someone who sees my reality, most of the time, how I see it. I don't need to explain. She is the best grandmother and Sienna is truly better for having grammy in her life.

So on this mother's day week, celebrate the ways your mom makes you a better person. Celebrate her uniqueness and the lovely things she does. And if you're a mom, remind yourself that your own mom did all of it for you, and it is so worthwhile.

Love you mama!