It's The Little Things

Hello!! Today I am linking up with Ashley from Words About Waverly for an "It's the Little Things" post. I have been following this series from week one and thought it would be fun to participate this week. Following the approach that she did this time, I thought it would be interesting to also share some random facts about myself.

I met my husband, Kyle, when I was in just seventh grade. We dated all throughout high school and got married on November 21, 2011. Marrying him is the best decision I have ever made. He's the best daddy to our children and works so hard for our family. I really love him!

I currently work as a personal banker and really love my job. Although I would love to be home with Lach and Ridley everyday, I love what I do and feeling like I truly contribute to my family. I have a lot of responsibility in my position and always feel like that pushes me to do my best. I am also extremely lucky to have wonderful co-workers AND my own office! Although it's so sad that I have only one more month left home on maternity leave with my little nuggets, I am so lucky to be going back to a job that I actually enjoy doing.

I am extremely close with my mom. I love that we live within about three minutes of each other and I talk to her every single day. She's so amazing and does so much for me. Plus I know she reads my blog, which I love!

My husband and I love watching tv. Once Lachlan goes to bed for the night, we almost always have a show to watch. It's our way to unwind after a difficult day. We currently love The Following, Chopped and House. We just finished watching all the seasons of The 4400 on Netflix which was really good too!

We currently reside in central Illinois but ultimately want to end up in Tampa, Florida! It's been our dream for years to live close to the beach and to live in a bigger city. Plus it would be nice to get away from Illinois winters. We love vacationing in/near Tampa too and I cannot wait to go back!

Last but not least, I love my babies! I am so obsessed with Lachlan and Ridley. Lachlan is a charmer and a ball of energy! I get worn out just watching him because he is constantly running but he's also very loving and sweet. Ridley is the sweetest cuddler and I love seeing her personality come through more and more each day. Lachlan holding or feeding his baby sister just melts my heart and I really hope they have a good relationship growing up!

Thank you to Ashley for starting this link up! So much fun to read and participate in! I'll definitely be back for week fifteen.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, everyone! This weekend flew by so quickly! It's funny because while I am working I dread Mondays because it's the start of a long work week but now even being on maternity leave I still dread Mondays because it means Kyle has to head back to work after having him home for two days in a row. It's such a bummer!

This weekend started on Saturday with my sister-in-law's baby shower. My mom came over to watch the kids which was amazing because they were much happier being home with her. Anyway, it was such a nice shower and I was so happy to be able to attend and celebrate my future niece and her momma! After the shower, we went to dinner with Kyle's brothers and both of their wives. We had such a good time! We don't live close to either of them but we always have so much fun when we get together. I just wish it could be more often! Here is a picture of the six of us.

After being up with a fussy baby most of Saturday night, the hubs took care of the kids in the morning so I could get a few hours of much needed sleep. Sunday afternoon we headed over to my grandparent's house to visit. My mom and brother came with too so we had a really good time! We ordered pizza for dinner and played a few rounds of Scrabble while Lachlan ran around like a wild man and everyone got to snuggle with Ridley including her great-grandad that has never held her before. I'm so glad we got a picture!

This entire weekend was so much fun and spent entirely with family which made it better. I just wished it could have lasted longer!

Newborn Favorites

There are so many things you need for taking care of a newborn baby. From the crib, to the car seat, to all the clothes - it seems like SO much. I have complied a list of my most favorite products for newborn use...things I could not live without. Also, these are all Ridley approved so you can be sure your baby will love these too. 

First, Dr. Brown bottles. The first time around we used Avent bottles. These worked out great for Lachlan and we never bought another brand. Ridley was more difficult to feed and we had to try a few different kinds to find the ones she would eat best from. We ended up getting a pack of Dr. Brown bottles from Target (which happened to come in pink) and Ridley really took to them. I was hesitant about these bottles because they have extra parts which is essential for keeping extra air from going into baby's tummy. I think this helps keep Ridley happy...which keeps us all happy! I would say these bottles are definitely essential because to this day, Ridley still won't eat from another brand of bottles. You can purchase these bottles here.

Related to feeding, I love our Aden + Anais bibs. We have ones that can over your shoulder as a burp cloth but also have a snap in the back to put on like a bib. We only put these on Ridley while she eats to keep her outfits nice because she doesn't drool yet an has no need to wear a bib at other times. I think that these are nice because they are so absorbent and keep formula from getting on her and the material is so soft. These actually get softer as you wash them and it is important to me because I know it's not uncomfortable for her to wear. These are awesome in place of standard burp cloths that are just a rectangle of fabric. You can purchase these bibs here.

Next on my list are swaddlers. We got a pack of Swaddle Me swaddlers as a gift when I was expecting. We use these daily and I don't think Ridley would ever want to go without. These can be bought in different fabrics but we have the cotton ones which are nice since it's getting warmer in Illinois this time of year so it ensures that she does not get too hot. A microfleece option is also available if that is something you would want for extra warmth. These work by always giving the perfect tight swaddle. My husband is gifted with being able to create the perfect swaddle with any blanket but I am not as gifted so these are an essential for me. These can be bought anywhere that sells baby items including Wal-Mart, Target and Babies 'R' Us. You can also purchase online here.

Along with using swaddlers to ensure that Ridley sleeps well, we also use a Fisher Price Rock 'N' Play for her to sleep in at night. We use this in place of a traditional bassinet. I love this because it folds up and doesn't take up much space at all. It also vibrates which many babies like. For Lachlan we did have the traditional bassinet but I just find that the Rock 'N' Play is an improved and modern version of a bassinet and Ridley sleep great in hers! You can purchase a Rock 'N' play online here.

There are so many varying opinions on the next product. For Ridley we use Pampers Swaddlers. We have always been faithful to Pampers and never had any leaking or blow outs. These diapers are extremely soft and absorbent. We do change Ridley every three hours as she doesn't sleep through the night so we haven't tried them for a longer period of time yet. I think it's important to find the diaper that works best with your baby. For both our babies we have always had luck with Pampers so for me the Pampers Swaddlers are definitely a necessary item for sweet newborns. Diapers can be purchased almost anywhere but I love ordering from diapers.com because they always have amazing coupons and offer free 2-day shipping on all orders $49+. You can purchase these diapers online here.

Although there are so many products that we love for our sweet new baby, I would say that these products are definitely my top five favorites. I consider all to be essentials and believe that these are Ridley's favorites too. I do really enjoy dressing her up in little outfits with matching headbands but figured her outfits could be for it's own post. Hopefully you found this helpful! I will now leave you with a picture of my sweet girl from earlier today...

Lachlan Winston - Three Years Old

Although this post is a little late, as Lachlan turned three on April 3rd, I still want to remember exactly how he was at age three. Lachlan is truly the most amazing toddler! We definitely see a lot more tantrums now and he is very stubborn but his good qualities outweigh the bad and I am loving this age. He is so intelligent, loving and charismatic. He lights up a room and can make anyone smile!

Clothes: Lachlan has been becoming increasingly picky in what kind of clothes he will wear. He likes to have a say in what he puts on. He is wearing 3T bottoms and a mix of 3T and 4T tops. He loves wearing shirts with Avengers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He hates pants with buttons and always complains that jeans hurt his belly. He is wearing size 9-10 shoes and likes to wear slip on shoes mostly because he doesn't have to sit down for long to get them on. I love seeing him get his own sense of style and having an opinion on what he likes to wear!

Foods: He has become more selective in the foods he will eat over the last few months as well. He loves to eat at Panera and always get mac 'n' cheese when we go. He also loves Chinese food - his favorite being chicken and broccoli. He loves yogurt, strawberries, gummy fruit snacks and drinking milk. He has acquired quite the collection of water bottles and likes to have a water bottle available at all times during the day. Although he would always rather play than eat, he does love helping in the kitchen and always wants to "cook" his own food.

Words: Lachlan's vocabulary is nothing short of amazing. He has always been advanced with the number of words he can say. He will talk and talk all day long. He asks a lot of questions throughout the day which shows that he has an interest in learning. He loves to sing and knows every song from Daniel Tiger. He is potty trained and whenever he has to go to the bathroom he sings, "When you have to go potty, stop and go right away. Flush and wash and be on your way." It is literally one of the cutest things he does. Lachlan always surprises me with the way he talks because he sounds so much older than three years old.

Activities: Lachlan loves to be outside. He likes to play bubbles and draw with chalk. He never wants to leave when we go to the park. He got an iPad from his Gigi for his birthday his year and loves playing on it. He likes to watch shows on Netflix and his favorites include: Daniel Tiger, Curious George, Dora, Caillou and Justin Time. He doesn't like to sit still for very long so I would also say running is one of his favorite activities. He loves going to the mall to ride the carousel and wants to ride at least five times. He pretends to be the Hulk almost everyday. He evens growls and talks in this deep hulk voice - it's hilarious!

Favorite Things: Lachlan's two most favorite comfort items are his blanket that he has had since he was born and his stuffed monster. He calls his blanket "favorite" and the monster is a blue monster from Where The Wild Things Are that he refers to as "daddy monster" since he also has the same monster but in a smaller version. He loves taking baths also and it's difficult to actually get him out. One of his current favorites is also his sister, Ridley. He calls her by her middle name, Eloise. He loves to hold her and kiss her on her forehead. It frustrates him when she spits out her pacifier but he always gives it back to her. As I mentioned before, he loves watching shows on Netflix and I think his iPad is probably one of his most favorite things.

I love this sweet boy more than anything in life! I love watching him grow up and love the little boy he is today. He makes me so proud to be his momma!

Ridley Eloise - six weeks

Ridley is six weeks old today! It's so amazing to see how much she has changed since we first brought her home from the hospital. She is now staying awake more between each feeding - which is great for getting cute pictures of her! She is taking close to three ounces at each feeding which is awesome and means that she will continue gaining weight at a good rate. She is still pretty tiny and doesn't quite fit into all her newborn clothes just yet. Sleepers fit pretty well but a lot of outfits are still too big. She seems to know the difference between night and day as she normally sleeps for four hours straight in the middle of the night which is pretty long. We still don't want her to go five hours without eating though. 

Some of her favorite things right now include her pacifier and boppy pillow. She hates getting her diaper changed and not being held. She just started smiling more this week which melts my heart! It's so fun being home with her during the day. I will be on maternity leave until June 2nd so I am soaking up every minute being home with my babies. Lachlan is such a good big brother and loves holding Ridley and giving her kisses on her forehead. He always gives her back her pacifier when she spits it out. 

I am so a amazed each and every single day by this sweet baby girl! I love to see all the changes she makes and look forward to watching her continue to grow. 

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I'm Emily - wife to Kyle and momma to Lachlan and Ridley. I started this blog to share stories about my family. My son Lachlan just turned three years old this month and I know how fast times flies so I want to be able to remember all the little things. My daughter Ridley was born in March of this year so I hope to properly document all the first year milestones. I am really looking forward to sharing all the amazing little things these two amazing little people do each day! 

Make sure to say hello if you happen to stop by! I hope you enjoy what you read here.