Oh Boy! Baby Shower with a ombre theme! Continue reading
Category Archives: Babies & Pregnancy
Welcome to the World Baby Shower for a Boy: Map Decor Details, Globes & More
A few Little Rock ladies and I recently hosted a baby shower for my dear friend, Kami. She’s having a little boy in early March. Name to be determined. 🙂 Her best friend, Chrissy thought of a precious little theme: Welcome … Continue reading
I’m Back!
Darlings, I know it has been some time since I have written on here-and a lot has happened. Starting off slow and brief today…..5 things:
1) I am officially in my 30’s! and pretty excited about it. As I am the oldest madam in our group of friends- I will admit-I don’t feel any different than when I turned the young age of 25. I’ve always believed age is relative when it comes to one’s self, and if you believe you are old, than you’ll notice your bones creaking and your skin sagging. Some in society today say age = limitations, but I like to think more positively and strongly believe we set our own countdown. So check it at the door, you negative Nancy’s!
2 ) Seriously, this has been the year of le bebe’s. First our own Mrs. Irvin, then our good friend Steph, a close cousin of mine, and then excitedly I will announce that I am a new auntie 2 x’s over. My sister and law gave life to a sweet little gal, and my little sister created an adorable little dude. Both babes are happy and healthy and the lovely mothers are also doing well.
3) New job-still in the design industry but completely different category. I now design ophthalmic and sunglasses for women, men, youth, and children AND I LOVE IT! The people I work with are freaking awesome and I’m challenged everyday (a good thing). Like I always say, “better to be extremely busy learning than stagnant and bored”!
4) I finally made it to Vegas AND its not my scene . I was there on business, and while the food is very tasty, and the gambling ever so addictive- I believe I will only ever go back specifically for business. Sidenote: While there, my team and I took a cab to Old Vegas- one evening after a day of meetings and it was exactly what I had imagined it to be. Lights, people of all oddities, dollar roulette, cheap diners- and I loved it WAY more than all the glitz and “created” glamour of the main strip.
5) Lastly, I will mention a state of mind I have been experiencing lately, and it is thankfulness. God has placed me where I’m at in my life for a reason, and I can only be grateful for all He has provided. Some days I wonder why specific prayers have gone unanswered for years, but I have to be mindful there is perfect timing in His plan and only He sees the full picture, while I see only the present.
Until next time…
Breast Milk Popsicles: Cooking Up a Teething Cure
So many good ideas are exchanged at the hair salon. Case and point: At my latest beauty appointment, the hairstylist inquired about my baby and, of course, the stories flowed. One of the things I shared is how Grace is teething pretty bad, and in an effort to avoid baby medicines as much as possible, I was thinking about ordering a bunch of different teething toys from Amazon (like this one, and this one here).
That’s when she told me about an idea she’d seen on Pinterest – breast milk popsicles!
Sounded like something that might work, so I immediately went home to try it. I figured it’d be pretty easy to do too. Well… I was right! Here’s all I did:
1. Pour breast milk into a few ice cube tray holes. I just filled them a tad more than halfway because I wanted to make sure she could fit them in her mouth later (but not too small that she could choke on them). Or you can try one of the many versions of this from Pinterest. The pacifier idea seems neat.
2. Cover really good with ice tray cover or press and seal wrap … Something you trust to protect it from freezer burn. Let the freezer do it’s magic.
3. Pop out and put into a teether toy like this one.
4. Pass it off to baby for them to teeth and suck on and enjoy.
5. Store the extras cubes for later.
I guess the breast milk is just a good lure to keep the cold on their gums and in their mouth. I know Grace likes teething rings but they lose their cool sooooo fast and other items like those aren’t fun for very long and she just drops them in exchange for her hand. So these popsicles are great for her cause she loves her milk! I love that she actually keeps it in her mouth and gnaws on it long enough for real lasting relief… Or so it seemed. Haha
She clearly loooovvvvveeeees this idea, and so do I! 🙂 Here she is enjoying them!
Gotta love this reaction! She was IN. TO. IT! 🙂
Happy mommy and baby selfie because of our successful little breast milk popsicle experiment!
I only made three cubes this go-round, so I only had to stow away two cubes for later, but I’ll be making a tray of extras ASAP so she’s never without one when she’s having a bad teething sesh.
I’m gonna try this flavor combo next because Grace loves, loves, loves the bananas I made her! (I’ll have to post next time about my adventures in baby food making! 😎)
A Nursery Filled With Love (Because of You)
Photo by Lyndsey Sullivan Photography
The sweetest part of my day is the time I spend with Grace at bedtime.
Sitting there, rocking her in the nursery, feeding her and whispering softly to her, or maybe not even making a sound, it’s just soothes me so.
I never expected to come to need that time for myself too. Those quiet, serene, love-drenched moments truly recharge me after a full day of work and baby rearing.
Often times, once Grace has dozed off after her bedtime bottle, I remain. Holding her. Staring at her little face. Thinking about how much I love her. And as she falls deeper asleep, I find myself looking around the dimly lit nursery.
What I see, beyond the reddish starry-sky night light, is the generosity of others – of the people who care about us and filled the room with its contents.
I see my 3rd grade school teacher in the humidifier she gave us. The one that helps keep Grace’s sniffles at bay each night.
I see all of Grace’s grands when my eyes land on the gorgeous crib and dresser. Pieces that will stay in our growing family’s home for years–probably decades. A constant reminder of the love they had for Grace, long before she was born.
I see my sweet friend Kami in the two little fox jars keeping the changing station organized and tidy. She found them and just had to get them for Grace’s fox accessorized nursery, even after she’d already gotten me a gift and helped throw me a shower. Those jars now also remind me of how eagerly she watches Grace for me sometimes. How she knows I have no family in town and lovingly wants to help (and cuddle a cute baby).
And my eyes always wander to Grace’s closet. The rocking chair is right next to it, so it’s hard to miss. Usually ajar, I’m able to see the fullness of all the racks. I bring a picture into my mind of the monogrammed sleep sack my neighbor had made for Grace after she was born. And I picture–cause it’s dark and I can’t see it–the clothes with little whales that my Grandy so excitedly picked out. The effort put in by Susanna who made baby clothes by hand. Her excitement to give gifts always makes me smile.
Each night, my thoughts hop about to various items in the room and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude fills my heart. I just can’t believe how many people cared enough about us to give us the things we rely on to care for our baby.
I mean, really. When you stop to think about a shower gift you are giving … You’re gifting new parents with the things they will use to pour out love on their new baby in the form of feeding, swaddling, changing, bathing … Parents use those things with love. They help create a bond between parent and child. Each item adds to the collective, and that collective powers us parents along. It gives us the tools to lovingly care of our babies.
So it’s not just a gift. It’s a beautiful, generous, amazing thing.
And that’s why, sitting there, with my innocent little baby asleep in my arms, I can’t help but take a deep breath and send up a prayer of thanks to God for it all. A prayer of thanks for you and your giving hearts.
Thank you for helping me raise my baby.
Photo by Lyndsey Sullivan Photography
Three Months Later… We Have a Baby, Whole New Life
All the Mrs. have been MIA for a while … big stuff happening. Two of us had babies, in fact. Three months since my last post, and since the birth of my daughter, I’m finally returning to share this part … Continue reading
The Nest Revealed: Peach & Gray Fox Nursery for Our Baby Girl
THE NURSERY It’s finally time to reveal the nursery we’ve created for our baby girl. Yesterday marked my 38th week being pregnant, which means I have a maximum of three weeks left (that’s a week extra if she’s late). Your … Continue reading
A Fox-Themed Baby Shower for My Girl
After a foxy baby shower here in Little Rock in January, and a sweet office shower the week after that, it came time for me to return home to Dallas to reunite with some of my closest hometown family and … Continue reading
Third Trimester Update: Maternity Photos, Showers & More
35 WEEKS It’s been an eventful past two months. I’m sitting here one day shy of 35 weeks pregnant with about 5 weeks left… figured I should check in now and show you how things are going. THIRD TRIMESTER 28 weeks … Continue reading
DIY Old Window Decor: Baby Bow Hanging Display
It’s always nice when you’re able to give something a second life and keep it out of the landfill.
In the case of this DIY project for Baby Irvin’s nursery, I was able to give a certain little window a third life!
This rustic white window was salvaged from a house somewhere and sent to our local Habitat for Humanity Restore. When we decided we needed a window as a prop in our most recent bridal fashion shoot, our art director Erin headed to the Restore and snatched it up, and painted it a fun neon melon color to complement the set.
Here are a few behind-the-scenes fashion shoot pics and final tears from our new issue – all showing off the second life of this little window.
<<Isn’t our model Taylor the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?!>>
After the shoot, I decided I’d take it home and see how I might be able to use it for the baby nursery. Erin suggested hanging photos from it, and I was thinking a place for hanging bows. But first, it needed a fresh coat of paint to complement the peach nursery.
Sugared Peach – Behr Premium (Home Depot)
If I hadn’t already had the paint, I’d have just bought the sample size of the paint to save money and resources (since I only needed a little to cover the front of the window in two coats).
Here’s a look at my latest DIY …
After two coats of Sugared Peach by Behr – the same paint color as the stripes in the nursery.
And while it turns out the color is still too close to the wall color … doesn’t stand out enough for me … so I’ll need to repaint, ultimately, I’ll finish it by rigging it with wires and cute mini clothespins to be able to hang bows from it. It will have the look of this one, except I plan to keep the glass in (cause later I might reuse the window again and make it a photo frame thingy like this.)
This one by Green Acres Hobby Farm
Stay tuned to the blog for a final reveal and update to this project later.
mrs. and the misc. 