The Friday FIVE: Newborn Hats, Sales and Sparkly Gems.

Y'all ready for a whole lotta random?

Five super cool things I'm into this week.

{one} 
Nordstrom's Sandal Sale

They're having a sandal sale and I feel like you should know about it.

{two}
Homemade Jewelry Cleaner

I love my engagement ring but it will be sparkly-clean one second and than "is-that-poop-or-applesauce?" the next. Here's how you can bring back the bling for free - and it WORKS.

Get ready:

One cup warm water.

Two teaspoons baking soda.

Let sit for a few minutes.

Rinse.

{three}
Newborn Hat

In the hospital, and afterwards for that matter, we love the hats that they give you. They fit Coop's head so well and were perfect for a new snuggly baby. But they were pink and blue and let's be honest, not the cutest.

I saw this Esty shop on Christina's blog over at Carolina Charm and immediately went on the search for a hat for Number Two. And they have SO many cute boy options for boys, here's a few of my faves:

I'll share the hat I ordered once Number Two makes his debut in approximately 43 days.

{four}

Grumpy Pants

Y'all thanks for feedback on this week's Wednesday post. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who gets a little grumpy from time to time!

You can check it out here: Wisdom Wednesday: Grumpy Pants.

Thank God for grace!

{five}

50-Cent on Good Morning America

Not much makes me happier than rappers that I loved during my high school years. And when they come back 10 years later and rap for me on national television? It brings back a happiness that I just can't put into words.

I see the irony between my last two points here, kinda the story of my life...
Have a wonderful weekend!

Wisdom Wednesday: Grumpy Pants.

I've been wearing my grumpy pants way too often these days.

It's ironic and a little sad, if I'm honest with myself, that during one of the happiest times of my life (pregnancy...new baby!) I have these grumpy, grumpy moments. Days even.

Do you have them?
New dream job? Your tired from the long hours.
Planning a wedding? You're stressed.
All first world problems surrounding really special situations. I feel like I should be so high on gratitude and excitement 24/7 that nothing could ever get me down.

Can I blame the hormones still?

But I miss things.

I miss seeing my toes. 

I miss laying on my back and stomach. 

I miss martinis and cocktails.
I miss leaning over and not feeling like I'm breaking my back one vertebrae at a time.

I miss feeling pulled together and pretty.

Does this offend you? Don't be offended. It's funny.

But if there's one thing so wonderful that becoming a mom has taught me, (thanks to amazing women and one resilient kiddo), it is to give myself grace. 

Thoughts are only thoughts until I give them life...I'm not an ungrateful person, I know that. We can have bad days from time to time and not be filled with shame. 

We're allowed to give in to some moments when when we feel off or down. Laugh at ourselves and wait for the moment to pass, and very soon all the blessings in life slowly come back in focus.

Many blessings to all my fellow grumpies out there!

It's the Little Things: Morning Snuggles.

I don't know about you but we had a very long Memorial Day.

Full of friends, food and fun - gorgeous weather - and a special day remembering not only those who have served and lost their lives on behalf of this country, but also the morals and ethics our country is built upon and stands for.

All of this led to one tired toddler, and yesterday I got more toddler snuggles than ever. Still my baby, not too proud to cuddle up with his mom, but I know that day will come. My days are numbered.

Until then, I plan to document for blackmail later in his life.

He continues to steal my heart. One brown eye at a time.

Sat-(brag)-urday

Yesterday I lost my belly button.

Like, I looked down and just couldn't see it anymore. 

It's not sticking out per say but it's not...normal. Just flat. And smooth.

In other news, can I brag about the short kid for a little bit?

Life rocks!

He finished up his first year of pre-school this week. 

I know for sure this has made a difference in his little life, he got to be loved on by teachers, meet new friends, learn to eat and take naps outside of his mom or family's house, and it has especially given his personality a place to shine. 

September 2013

When I dropped him off last fall he ran into the room and immediately started playing. That's how the rest of the year has been, and that's so reflective of his personality. 

He is independent and self-sufficient. He honestly has very little moments when he wants me or his daddy. There is at least one time a day he goes into his room, shuts the door, and plays by himself for half an hour. He likes his alone time. He is a good listener, good at following directions (we have our moments don't you worry), and he is a very non-aggressive little boy. You will never see him hit or push...yet.

 

And I'll just say it - since Cooper has started pre-school my quality of life is soooo much better. You forget how much you miss time to yourself (even driving in the car alone is a luxury). You forget how much you just need...quiet every now and then. The first time I dropped him off at school I went to get a bagel and coffee and just ate it in my kitchen in silence. It was such glorious freedom! 

We have a two week break until "Summer Camp" (aka school in June and July) starts up and I'm excited to soak in some time with Coop alone before Number Two comes along. Cooper has no idea how much his life is about to change. 

 I'm excited to see how much Cooper grows and changes over the next school year. His new class will teach the kids more routine, rules and responsibilities. Less coddling. This year he will also take on the role as "Big Brother" and I can't wait to see who that allows him become. He always makes me proud.

Happy Saturday!

Our Update.

When I started this ole blog I had just stopped working at a job I loved to become a stay-at-home mom. I didn't know what to do with all my down-time and considering I documented every half minute of my newborn's life I thought it would be a fun place to share photos and stories. 

I came across one of my first blog entries the other day about Coop. As you can tell I very early on found parenting hilarious. Here's my first post about Coop, which makes me get excited about another newborn about to enter our lives. I mean, family of FOUR. When did that happen?

Excuse my missing pics, sadly when the blog transferred over to a new name my pics went missing!

Fast forward two years and now I can't seem to find down-time.

Even when I have a little break while Coop's at school, time is spent running errands, working out, doing laundry, prepping meals, well you get it. Hats off to all you working mamas, I have no clue how you balance it all.

So, if you still follow along, bless you.
I promise to get better, especially on my Wednesday posts. Here's our update:

Coop's still really cute.

Lady. Killer.

He's been riding horses at his Uncle Bubba's house:

I mean, pure joy. Thanks Aunt Sarah!

He's been eating ice cream more often (his brother MUST have it once a week):

Yup that there is ice cream on the hat. It gets serious.

He also started requesting and singing the song from Frozen over, and over, and over again. 
I thought we had avoided the Frozen phenomenon after we watched the movie on Mother's Day and he HATED it. He was however very concerned about the horse. "Where hose go mommy? Hose? Hose mommy!"

Anyways, after his first Rockie's game this past weekend...

Cheeeeessseee!

Ice cream. Again.

...he heard the "Let It Go" song again (yes at a baseball game of all places) and he is AH-bsessed. What is it about that one line? Toddler gold mine.

And I'm 33-weeks pregnant.
* 7-weeks to go and I feel like a beeched whale; however when I see pictures of myself I am much, much, MUCH smaller than I was with the Coop-man.
* I am hungry all the time. Even after dinner.
* I get sick if I eat too much, not enough, too greasy, too heavy, or go to long between meals.
* I'm back on the La Croix lime, due to third trimester nausea. See above.
* I started working part-time. Funny right? Who does that severely pregnant and about to have a newborn? But it's been so manageable and fun to plug in again.
*The nursery is almost done. I'll share soon!

See you soon!

My Maternity Must-Haves.

Somehow, someway, I have just over two months until I get to meet this sweet little boy.

Sometimes I don't spend enough time wondering about who this little person is. What will he look like? What will he be like? Everyone keeps telling me to expect the opposite of Cooper, which I'm sure will be true. But my family tend to have men that are sensitive, laid-back, and non-aggressive, which describes Jeff and now Coop to a tee. 

So, when I think of this peanut, that's what I picture (Lord help me if we ever have a girl). Oh, and this:

Because that is what I feel in my side all day. Feet. Toes. Kicks.

It's the best feeling in the world.

I haven't been able to rely on my last pregnancy wardrobe this go-around, because I have the good fortune of being pregnant both seasons this year, and during my last pregnancy I worked full time and all of my clothes were professional-wear. I had very few stay-at-home-mom casual pieces. Thus, I've been on the hunt for cute, casual clothes.

Maternity Must-Haves by laurenkauffman

1. Secret Fit Belly(r) Ponte Maternity Leggings | A Pea in the Pod. My all time favorite thing I own. I would wear this every day if I could. It's my go-to gift for newly pregnant moms and everyone I've loaned these to has loved them.

2. Jessica Simpson Long Secret Fit Belly(r) 5 Pocket Skinny Leg Maternity. I got these on sale at Macy's and roll them up and wear them Boyfriend style. They are very comfortable, stylish, and it has the tan belly band (versus navy) which is so helpful when you are wearing lighter tops. I own several pairs of maternity jeans, from Joe's to Seven's, and these are the most comfortable.

3. Maternity Old Navy Active Compression Pants. I searched high and low for these workout pants and highly recommend them. They have the full fit belly band and are the most comfortable pants I've ever worn. My fit ends at the calf (haven't been able to find that shorter fit since) and they are the best. 

4. Old Navy Maternity Slub Knit V Neck Tees. I own this shirt in like, three colors. It's so boring, but it works, and it fits my body perfectly. 

5. Basq bath body product. Annoyingly, I didn't get stretch marks until week 41 with Cooper. Literally, WEEK FORTY-ONE. I've tried a lot of creams, and this pregnancy I've been diligent about applying it daily. It's the best one I've tried. I usually purchase on Amazon.

I have many other things that I love when it comes to maternity-gear, but these are my faves! Most dressier items I wear tend to be a larger size of non-maternity clothes. Bless it! I'd like to thank designers for actually making clothes that are fun to wear during pregnancy.

And there ya have it.