What I'm Loving Lately: Mega Edition

Hi Everyone,
   It's a special super sized edition of What I'm Loving Lately with a bonus Baby Item section! Woohoo! There's a lot to love these days.

1. 2018 Books---I'm not sure how much reading I'll be able to do this year (hello newborn mommy life), but I have lots of books on my must read list. I'm almost done with my second book of the year and am thinking of doing monthly book posts instead of random ones here and there. Thoughts?

The first book I read this year and I LOVED it. I read it in 2 days, I couldn't put it down! 

2. Riverdale---I was in need of a new show for late night feedings and started Riverdale. I'm loving it! It's basically like Pretty Little Liars but with Archie comics characters. It's cheesy, involves a crime/mystery, it's a teen show, and it's right up my alley.

3. Hazelnut Lattes---I have been on a hazelnut latte kick lately. I needed a detox from the sugary overly sweet holiday drinks and a tall nonfat hazelnut latte is the perfect warm, creamy pick me up.

Lovin' lattes.....Hank's mini serta bed in the background (I write about it below!)

4. Simple Sugars---I first heard about this exfoliating moisturizer on Shark Tank and decided to order some this winter. I absolutely adore it. It's an all natural product that basically turns your shower into a fantastic smelling spa. My favorite scent? Cranberry. This stuff helps keep the winter dryness off my skin.

5. New Tunes: This weekend I went to see The Greatest Showman with my family (daddy and Hank had some guy time) and I loved it! I bought the soundtrack and it's great! I also like Eminem's new album, Revival. Now, Eminem might not be the best role model but his duets are my fave....Beyonce, Alicia Keyes, Pink, and Ed Sheeran on this one. So good!

Without further ado...Here are my fave baby products (so far!)....

Dr. Brown's Bottles: Ok, ok, so I was resisting these bottles. They seemed complicated and like they had too many parts. I want to feed my baby, not put a puzzle together, mmmkay? BUT....when Hank was about 2 weeks old we noticed he was making a huge mess when he'd drink and half the bottle ended up on his shirt (and when you're pumping, you do not want to see that hard earned milk dried up on the neck of a pair of footie jammies). We went to the baby store and the helpful employee asked, "Well, what type of nipple flow are you using?" Ummm, come again? Turns out they make bottle nipples for different stages of development. Who knew? Not me!  We picked up two kinds and Hank loved the preemie sized ones. We are thinking he's about graduated from that size but these bottles are working out well for us. And all the parts? Not a huge deal.

Baby gowns: Hank loves curling himself up in a little ball. I don't know if it's because he arrived early or what, but he often still lays like he did in the womb---legs together and pulled in, hands on head and all curled up. In fact, he hates wearing pants and having his legs stretched out. The gowns are the perfect solution. It's super easy to change him, no snaps involved, and when he was getting daily heel pricks at the lab the first week, the gowns allowed easy access. Plus he looks like a cute little glowworm when he wears them. Bonus.

Bath Body Scrubbers: We have lots of cute washcloths, but these little silicone scrubbies are perfect to bathe his soft skin and scalp. I got these at the baby store marketed as Baby Scrubbers but I've seen them recently in the cosmetics aisle labeled as facial scrubbers, too (that version is cheaper).

Diaper Genie: This was another baby item that I heard wasn't necessary but you know what? We love it. I'll admit I don't quite get how it works and emptying it and seeing all your precious one's waste is the stuff of nightmares, but it's pretty awesome sticking in a messy diaper right next to the changing table at 2 am and having no stink in the nursery.

Serta Infant Sleeper: This is, hands down, the best baby item we've bought and it's something AJ went and picked up for us a few days after we got home from the hospital. This thing has been a life saver. Hank loves to cuddle up to the edges wherever he sleeps and this bed has mesh sides so it's breathable. We call it his "toboggan" and the best part is it's super portable so we bring it downstairs for naps and he's contained (he's already started rolling over, so leaving him on the couch for a minute is not an option!). When we visit family, it'll be the perfect thing to fold up and take along so he can sleep in comfort on the go. It features vibration, a small light, music and ocean sounds. I cannot recommend this thing enough. Also, bassinet sheets fit in it perfectly. I think we'll use it inside the crib when he transitions there as well. This is the one we bought.

Boon Grass Drying Rack: I love this thing for bottles and pump parts! We bought the mini grass pad and "tree" and within 2 days being home, we got the whole yard and an additional flower. This thing is the best! AJ was skeptical of this thing when I was pregnant but now he agrees, the grass is essential for keeping bottles clean and dry!

Downstairs Changing Basket: We have a changing pad upstairs in Hank's nursery and that's great when we're upstairs but most days our living room downstairs is where we chill. Who's too lazy to walk upstairs to change a pee diaper? This girl! I filled a small basket with diapers, wipes, a spare onesie, and bibs and keep it downstairs. This mini "diaper station" is a must have for us.

Burp Cloth: We received some cute handmade ones as gifts and we adore them! We have at least a few in every room and our little guy is a messy eater (he gets it honestly, mama is too), so these guys are so necessary for us, especially when I don't want to put a bib on our little guy every time he eats.

Stuff I thought was necessary but we haven't found a huge need for:

-Fancy Baby washes and shampoos (we use Johnson's baby and it's perfect)
-Bottle Warmer (we turn the sink to hot water, fill a cup, stick the bottle in for 5 mins, and it's warmed!)
-Car seat Head support (I bought a super cute handmade one on Etsy. When we got our car seat installed at the police station, he told us anything you add to the car seat beyond what it came with can become a safety hazard. I explained to the officer it matched Hank's theme, was handmade, and didn't he think it was cute? The policeman did not agree).
-Crib mattress pad (I may or may not have had an attitude/cried trying to get this thing on the crib at 35 weeks pregnant. Then I realized the crib mattress was able to be wiped clean and was soft enough for our little man. That was $20 I didn't need to spend).

Hanging with Grandma

Lots of people told me not to bother with newborn clothes and diapers because babies grow so fast. We've gone to the store at least 3 times for more newborn diapers and thankfully a friend's donation of her kiddos' newborn clothes have been outfitting Hank for the past few weeks. Hank was born early, but he was over 6 lbs and he will be in newborn things for at least a few more weeks if not longer.

All products aside, these guys are my absolute most favorite:

Have a great week!

Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie

Life Lately/2017 Recap

Hi There,
     End of 2017 here we come! I have loved this year. While we still were processing our grief from last year (a lifelong task, honestly), we also had a lot of fun, learned a lot, had wonderful experiences, and welcomed Hank into our lives, the cherry on top of this great year.

Here are some highlights from 2017---

January: Decided to read 30 books in 2017, Continued Boot Camp workouts

February: Went to Phoenix for a Sisters Weekend, went to the Harlem Globetrotters

March: Turned 30! Surprise trip to Vegas to see Britney Spears

April: Accepted a new teaching job, surprised AJ's parents and made an Oregon road trip, flew to Seattle for a friend's wedding and to visit family

May: Planted a garden, found out we were expecting a baby on Cinco de Mayo!

June: Moved out of my classroom, hosted the Baby Bow Bash , delivered bows to hospitals to celebrate Hadley's first birthday, hit 100 Boot Camp Workouts

July: Visited the Oregon Coast and stayed in a beach house with family, met with college friends in Portland, announced our pregnancy, reached book reading goal

August: Started new teaching job, found out we were having a boy

September: Began work on baby's nursery

October: Pete the Cat for Halloween, 2nd Annual Pumpkin Painting for Hadley

November: Bought a new car, spent Thanksgiving with both sides of family

December: HANK WAS BORN!

2017 was a perfect mix of busy, rest, reflection, change, growth, lots of quality couple time, and bringing our sweet baby boy into the world.

Life with a newborn is both what I expected and also completely different. I guess that's just parenthood, right? Hank is such a sweet baby and even at 2 weeks old, I can see glimpses of his personality. He's a little cuddler and he really only cries big when he's hungry (and I totally get that). He's been a champ with lots of lab work/blood pricks and time under "Bili Lights" for Jaundice. There were only three days in his first 2 weeks home where we didn't have to go to the lab or pediatrician's office.  He got a clean bill of health on Friday and jaundice has cleared so home health is coming to pick up the light bed. Woohoo! I was most worried about sleep deprivation before he was born. I'll say this: I probably get the same amount of sleep (in hours) but it's just all broken up. He eats every 3 hours or so and I usually get up with him but I am a super heavy sleeper and often AJ takes the middle of the night feed and lets me sleep. Since we're on Christmas break and then I'll be on maternity leave, I can also get in some naps. Ask me again when I go back to work. Haha.

We've discovered some baby items we could not live without and others that are a waste. I'll compile some of our thoughts for a future post if you're interested.

We are so thankful for all the love and well wishes we received after Hank's arrival. We think he's pretty awesome, too. We enjoyed our Christmas with family and for the first time, we spent Christmas at our house (we aren't ready to take Hank out yet). It was a great relaxing day with our traditional French Toast Bake for breakfast, wonderful gifts, and lots of baby snuggles. My mom made lasagna and brought that over for our dinner. It was the best Christmas yet.

Twice last week I left the house without Hank. I missed him! But also, I needed to get out for a bit! My sister and I went and got mani/pedis (I was scheduled to get a mani the day I had Hank, so my nails were looking worse for wear), and Friday night AJ and I went on a date night. My parents offered to babysit so we went to dinner out at The Bohemian (one of my faves and I was super excited to get a beer but then the thought of pumping and dumping was not appealing so my first post-baby alcoholic beverage is still waiting!), we went to the baby store to look for some new bottles, and then ended our night at The Chocolate for dessert. It felt awesome to get some one on one time with AJ and to put on real pants, do my hair, makeup, and wear some jewelry.

That's our life lately! I'm savoring these days. Hank is looking bigger already and babies truly don't keep. Have a very happy new year. Cheers to 2018! I have a feeling this one will be one for the books. Thanks for following along here on this little blog space for another year!

A Very HANK Holiday & Birth Story

Oh my goodness, there is so much I want to write about! I wanted to get Hank's birth story written before I forgot a single detail! I'm running on little sleep so please excuse any grammatical errors in this post. Introducing Hank Grayson Steele, born December 17, 2017!

Ok, before I get the birth story, I just have to share the most special moment in this past week. It happened in the car. AJ and I got Hank into his carseat, the nurse brought me out in a wheelchair and the trunk was loaded down with samples from the hospital, folders of paperwork, bags of dirty clothes in plastic "personal belonging" hospital bags, and our duffels and totes from our 4 day stay. We were parked in the roundabout in front of the women's center and AJ and I just held hands (me from the backseat, I wanted to ride by baby, obvi!) and cried and cried and cried. We cried tears of joy, of sorrow, of reflection, of peace, of overwhelming gratitude. Having a baby, we'd done that before. Holding our baby? check. Recovering after a C section? Check. Knowing what to expect staying at the hospital? Double check. But taking our baby home, driving away and beginning our lives together as a family of 3? This was new. And it took our breaths away. FINALLY after a two year experience of pregnancy, loss, waiting, journeying through the thick fog of grief and hope, we are headed, all three of us, HOME, and that was, easily,  the best moment of my life. Welcome to our crazy little family, Hank Grayson Steele. We have been waiting for you and we love having you home.

Ok.....let's talk about deets of his birth! Warning: This will be a LONG post. Last Friday, December 15th, before leaving school, I just had this weird feeling that I might not be back. One of my teammates (hi, Lindsay!) remarked that she just had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't see me come in on Monday. I spent the afternoon getting papers in order, neatening up my plan book (that thing seems to only make sense to me....I needed to make it understandable for my sub!), and as an afterthought, on my way out the door, I laid out Monday's work and put my maternity leave notebook front and center on my desk. Just in case.

The weekend proceeded as usual, we slept in on Saturday morning, I made a berry coffee cake, and headed out for a hair appointment in the afternoon. I came home and AJ and I decided to go out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse since we might not have another dinner out before baby came (See?! I feel like we must have known!). We ate an early dinner, ran some errands, grocery shopped, and were home around 7. I'll spare you specific details here but I had some signs that labor might be starting so we dropped our groceries at home and headed to Labor and Delivery. There, they examined me and assured us while baby might be arriving soon, I was definitely not in labor that night and to go home and come back if I was experiencing more labor signs. We went home, me feeling slightly silly that I was one of "those" people who obviously had no clue what real labor felt like. We came home and went to bed after watching Saturday Night Live.

   Sunday morning we did our usual routine of drinking coffee and having breakfast together. We've gotten into something slightly embarrassing on Sunday mornings but I am dedicated to telling the whole story.....watching "In The Kitchen with David" on QVC. I know, I know, we're so lame. But I adore David's bubbly personality and we usually have it on while we do work for school, meal prep etc. About 20 minutes into Sunday's show, I felt a trickle down my legs that I was sure wasn't urine. I thought uh-oh and before I could tell AJ, it happened again. When my water broke with Hadley, it was a huge gush that soaked the bed. This was definitely not a huge gush but it was something unusual. I felt sort of uncomfortable but that's pretty much life past 34 weeks pregnant (I was 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant at this point). We left everything right where it was and hopped in the car. My hospital bag was packed and we quickly debated bringing it, but decided not to because I wasn't certain this was  actually my water breaking because it was so different than before.

He folds his hands like this all the time! #praying 

We got to the hospital and they gave me a gown, checked my vitals, and I gradually become more uncomfortable. Not sharp pains, just "hurty" if that makes sense. They tested the liquid and it tested negative for amniotic fluid. At this point I'm feeling really dumb, two false labor scares in a row? The nurses told me there were two more tests they could do to determine if my water really did break. The doctor examined me and said I was making no progress, in other words, labor had not begun. But I just did not feel "right." I vomited a few times and within minutes the pains increased and the nurse came in and said it looked like I was having pretty strong contractions. I knew it!

Representing ASU: Fear the Fork! 

 Now, to give you a time frame, we arrived to the hospital around 10 am, and it was now about noon. We asked the doctor on call to contact my doctor. My pain was getting strong. I asked how long they would keep me feeling like this since I was having a C section anyway. The doctors and nurses reminded me that less than an hour before I was dialated to a zero, so just to be patient before we rushed to the operating room. At this point, things got blurry for me. The pain was intolerable. I started asking for pain meds and then begging for pain meds. I told the doctor I knew that an hour ago I was at a zero but I really felt like something was happening. She checked me again and I was AT A TEN. Unmedicated. In about 50 minutes from the first check.  It was awful. I honestly feel like I turned into some sort of psycho, I started yelling, "Make it stop! Give me medicine now!" Our doctor was apparently on her way but they weren't sure she would make it on time, baby was in a serious hurry.

In a situation that felt eerily similar to Hadley's birth, they rushed me to the O.R, and threw AJ his surgical scrubs on the way there. I was crying and begging for "The medicine guy" (my term for the anesthesiologist). One of the nurses (or doctors, I honestly don't know, there were about a dozen people in the room), told me "He's basically right there, just push." I panicked. I was supposed to have a C section. A lot of Hadley's distress occurred during the pushing/birth process. Nevertheless I felt the urge to push so I started. AJ shouted out, "That's not the plan! It's supposed to be a C section!" I did not think I had the strength or energy to keep pushing unmedicated when I wasn't expecting it. At that exact moment, our doctor walked in all scrubbed up and AJ and I breathed a sigh of relief. I have never been so happy to see someone in my life. Once she arrived, everyone got in their places and within seconds my new boyfriend who I lovingly termed "Medicine Guy" came to my rescue, and I got hot, tingly, heavy and all the pain lifted away.

I don't remember much from the actual procedure but I do remember hearing some grunts, a coo, and then.....a cry. A loud cry. Music to my ears. Hank was born at 1:35 in the afternoon. Since Hank was still not full term he was passed through the window to the NICU. AJ went to be with him while they sewed me up. It was super calm after that and as the doctor's chatted about their Christmas plans, I was blissfully pain-free watching my husband and son meet for the first time through the window to the NICU. The nurses were shouting out to us the weight (6 lb. 7 oz), measurements, and Apgar score. The doctor looked at me over the sheet and said, "He's doing great, honey." And for the first time in a very long time I felt a great sense of peace.

They took me to the recovery room where my family was waiting. It was so good to see them. I told them all about the birth and then AJ came in and we hugged and cried. He showed me pictures of Hank on his phone and said he needed to be monitored for some breathing issues but they didn't think he'd need to stay overnight in the NICU. After an hour or so, they brought my bed to the NICU and it felt like that end scene in Titanic where the doors open and Rose sees all these familiar faces. We walked (well, I rode) the familiar halls of the NICU, right into the wing where Hadley stayed and I saw nurses and techs who I had not seen in 18 months. Most of them remembered us, and smiled or gave my hand a squeeze. It was surreal. Once in Hank's room, they handed Hank to me. Now, since I didn't get to hold Hadley for 4 days after birth, getting to hold Hank so soon was SO special for me. AJ recorded the moment I met him and I will always treasure that video (maybe we'll show it at his wedding, ha!).

Hank "graduated" from the NICU at around 8:00 that evening and got to stay in our room with us! It was perfect. A few hours later, AJ's parents flew in from Oregon. Hank got a warm welcome into this world.

A bit about his name. We knew we wanted another "H" name and Hank was easily our top pick. We agreed on it and decided on it right after I found out I was pregnant. We tossed around a few middle name ideas but decided it'd be special if both our babies had the initials HGS. Since Hadley's middle name is Grace, we decided Grayson was a nice spin on that. Plus we liked the way Grayson sounded with Hank. And now that we know him, he is such a "Hank," it fits him perfectly.

We got home a few days ago and are excited to celebrate our first Christmas all together. Overall?  I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm paranoid about germs and his health. I'm over the moon. I still look sort of pregnant. I'm loving watching my husband be a daddy. I'm always doing a load of laundry or washing bottles or pump parts. I have a to do list I haven't touched. I don't know what I'm doing but it feels like I was born to be Hank's mommy.  I'm just so thankful and my heart is so full. Welcome home, Hank.

At the hospital 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....

It's beginning to look a lot like:
Christmas!
Baby!
End of 2017!
Nesting!

So I haven't blogged in two weeks but I'm 35 weeks pregnant, the holidays are coming, and I'm doing what I want! But really, every time I've settled in to write a blog post I realized I didn't have much to say. Life feels simultaneously like it's going at warp speed and also going slowly. I have NINE teaching days left for the year and until maternity leave. It's 9 days filled with all sorts of festive fun and enjoying my time with "my kids" before my own kiddo enters the scene.

Last week, 34 weeks 

We went on a date night this week for Chinese food 

Our days have been filled with getting ready for the holidays (we are skipping gifts for each other and family and not putting up a tree.....huge stress relief right there), but there are always last minute holiday things to pick up and get ready for. I've been nesting a ton and enjoying this phase of pregnancy because I've never experienced this part! I've washed all the sweet wittle newborn clothes and socks and we have little man's bassinet in our room all ready to go. We got our carseats installed last week (I found out the police department will install for you to make sure they are put in correctly. The kind officer gave us all kinds of great car/baby safety tips and saved us countless swear words that would have come up had we done it ourselves), and this week's baby goal is getting a basic hospital bag prepared. I treated myself to a prenatal massage this weekend and it. was. delightful.  It's all exciting and while I am giddy with joy---- I am so scared. I can't wrap my head around the fact that there will be a third person living here. My previous pregnancy journey ended in sorrow so it's hard to imagine a different ending. I found this quote this week that I've really connected with for this final stretch of pregnancy:

I have been reading a lot lately and am on book 60 of the year! I know I say this all the time but I cannot emphasize enough how much dedicating myself to reading has meant to me this year. I have laughed, cried, discovered great authors, read suggestions from friends, passed good books along, and have really just enjoyed my time in 2017 between the pages. I don't know what 2018 will hold but I know I want to continue my journey as a reader.

This was a cute modern twist of a Christmas Carol story. Perfect light seasonal read. 

Lots of people recommended this one and I really liked it! Super suspenseful. 

In other news, huge shout out to my sister Libby who graduates from Arizona State tomorrow! We are so proud of you!

Here's to enjoying these last two weeks before Christmas! May your days be merry and bright. And if you can't enjoy a seasonal cocktail, then at least enjoy a festive seasonal mani.