Best Toddler Purchases

It was difficult to narrow down, but here are my holy grail toddler items...

Native Jefferson Shoes - Evie's on her 6th pair👌
HM hoodies - we get a new one every 6 months, Evie loves hoods and pockets
Cat & Jack tees - the best cotton tees, we shop the boys and girls sections
Patagonia hat - this is the only way to keep her hair off her face (she hates ponies)
Moon and Back pajamas - thick, soft cotton that lasts forever
Thule stroller - we sold our UppaBaby stroller b/c we prefer this one so much more
Hiccapop travel bed - she sleeps great in this bed, we can use her regular sheets and it fits in the suitcase
LeapFrog phone - one of the few toys that she's played with for more than a month
Crayola Mess Free coloring - we're having a real Peppa moment and she loves to color with these markers
Playfoam - she's a crafty girl and this is great on flights

Window stickers - another flight essential - seriously, hours of entertainment!
Madeline book - Evie is constantly requesting this book, she obsessed with ambulances, hospitals, owies
Brown Bear book - she reads this book to us now!

Munchkin Trainer Cups - the only sippy cups we've ever use, started when she was 7 months old and still use today

Sound Machine - the only baby items we've used every single day for the past 2.5 years

Mother Load

Today I'm sharing our typical evening routine. It's changed quite a bit since having Evie and returning to work. Fortunately, I've switched to part-time. This has really helped improve my work-life balance, especially when Brady is traveling. Our routine is pretty consistent each day. It's a bit more streamlined when Brady is home and he can help with Evie. 

4:00-4:30

Get off work and pick-up Evie from daycare. 

4:30-5:00 

Prep bottles - wash bottles and pump parts then fill and label bottles for tomorrow. I have to do this first because it's my least favorite task and I just want to get it over with.

5:00-5:30 

Take Evie for a walk or go to the gym. I wish this happened every day, but it tends to be three days a week.  

5:30-5:45 

Feed Evie baby food. Brady and I like doing this together. Evie is the cutest (and happiest) when she's eating so we both like to take part.

5:45-6:15 

Bath Evie then give her a baby massage and vitamin D drop. Get her dressed in jammies and a sleep sack and read her a book. Brady always does this part when he's home. I shower while he's getting Evie ready for bed.

6:15-7:00 

Nurse then put Evie to bed.

7:00-9:00 

Eat dinner then I have two hours to get things done (write blog posts, load the dishwasher, plan tomorrows outfit) and relax (drink tea, watch Netflix, read my book and listen to music).

9:00 

Stretch then bedtime.

Everyday Makeup Routine

My makeup routine has become pretty minimal. I have less time in the morning to get myself ready. I usually take 30 minutes for myself then 30 minutes to get Evie ready for the day. These are my favorite products that I always go back to. I can do this makeup look in less than 5 minutes👌

1 | bareMinerals Bareskin Concealer

2 | Hourglass Ambient Bronzer (Radiant Bronze Light)

3 | Bobby Brown Pot Rouge (Pale Pink)

4 | Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

5 | Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara

Mother Load

I finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight. It feels great, but I still have a lot of toning to do. 

My goal was to fit in my regular pants by the time I returned to work. I went back at 14-weeks postpartum and (thankfully) I did not have to buy new pants🙌 I've been tracking my weight loss and postpartum milestones in my journal because I knew I would be curious about this in the future. It's also been a good source of motivation. There's nothing worse than writing down the same weight two weeks in a row. 

I gained 37 lbs. during my pregnancy. I lost 17 lbs. within the first week. I was feeling pretty good, but then the weight loss halted. It didn't just melt away with nursing like I was hoping. Diet and exercise were crucial to my weight loss. 

I did my first workout at 17-days postpartum. It was just an arm circuit, but it felt great. The next day I felt ready for cardio - 2 miles on the elliptical. I worked out 3 times a week (walking, elliptical, circuits) until week 5.

We went to California week 4-5. I felt disgusting. I was wearing shorts and swimsuits and that was all the motivation I needed. I did my first postpartum run in San Diego. I ran 2 miles and it felt incredible! I was very sore afterwards, but the best kind of sore. I worked out every day from that point until my hip surgery (week 10). I used the Kayla Itsine's Bikini Body Guide for circuits 3 days a week and I ran the other 4 days of the week. 

In addition to my exercise regimen, I was very strict with my diet. I kept a food journal, tracked my water intake, and started cooking. I focused on incorporating whole-grain carbs, lean protein and healthy fats... it's been a lot of oatmeal, avocado toast, salmon, chicken, eggs, quinoa, salads, sweet potatoes, berries, and protein shakes. 

Since having hip surgery at 10-weeks postpartum the only workouts I've been able to do are walking, arms, and abs. I feel like I've lost a lot of muscle, but I've been warned (numerous times) by my ortho to take it slow. I'm desperate to go for a run again😩 For now, I continue to focus on my diet -"eat lean and clean" is my new mantra.  

Here's how the weight came off...

Here are some of favorite things to eat...

Overnight oats - 1/2 C oats, 1/2 C coconut milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, maple syrup and fruit on top

Avocado, egg, sriracha on whole-grain toast

Protein shake - ice, coconut milk, one scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1tbsp chia seeds, 1 banana

Roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers 

Favorite on-the-go snacks are kombucha, snapea crisps, Larabars, almonds, tuna packets

Mother Load

I told myself I wasn't going to be that mom with baby crap all over the house. 

I remember thinking "who would ever need more than one stroller for one baby?" Well, I bought our second stroller at eight-weeks😳 It's difficult to know what you actually need and what will work for your baby. I ended up reading tons of reviews and crossing my fingers Evie would like the things I bought. Here are our hits and misses...

Hits:

1 | DockATot Deluxe is my #1 recommendation to any new mom. Sleep is everything and Evie sleeps so much better in her DockATot. She had a 2-night trial without the DockATot and it was horrendous! 

2 | Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs are necessary for any mom with a spitter. Evie spits up around the clock and we go through 5 burp clothes a day (on average). These burp clothes are thick and absorbent (and cute)!

3 | UppaBaby Mesa Carseat & Cruz Stroller system are so easy to use. Maneuvering a carseat and stroller is very awkward at first. It's a process to unfold the stroller, get the carseat from the car, and attach the carseat to the stroller. It feels like everyone is watching you. This system makes it much easier. Everything just clicks together. 

4 | Thule Urban Glide Jogging Stroller is such a smooth ride! Jogging with a baby really does require it's own stroller. I like the option to lock the front wheel, adjust the handlebar, and attach the carseat (with a separate adapter). Plus, it's durable. 

5 | UppaBaby Mesa Cabana seems like it wouldn't be necessary, but it is! Anytime Evie is in her stroller she has the cabana on. It protects her from sun, wind, rain, bugs, and strangers😊

6 | 4moms mamaRoo is a purchase I didn't want to make. I really wanted to avoid a swing. They take up so much space and they're such an eyesore. However, being hands-free is no longer something I take for granted. It's nice to put Evie down for awhile and have her occupied (she loves the mobile) or sleeping (she loves the motion and sounds). 

7 | Angelcare Baby Bath Support makes bath time a breeze. We bathe Evie every night as apart of her nighttime routine. We keep this seat in our utility sink in the laundry room so bath time is always ready to go and only takes a few minutes. 

8 | Dr Brown's Natural Flow Bottles are what we've use with Evie since week 1 and she's done great! It's annoying how many parts there are to clean, but Evie likes them and they don't leak!

Misses:

1 | Boppy Pillow was not necessary for me. I don't like using any support pillows while nursing. It was always in the way. I'm going to keep the pillow for now and see if Evie likes it for sitting or tummy time. 

2 | Moby Wrap was too much work. I felt claustrophobic when I wore this wrap and I was always a sweaty mess when I took it off. I borrowed it from my sister so I'm glad it wasn't a waste of money!

3 | Halo Sleep Sacks were a surprising miss for Evie. She loved to be swaddled, but she wiggled so much the sleep sack would end up near her mouth. We just stopped swaddling a couple weeks ago. She did much better with old school swaddle blankets.

Mother Load

Motherhood is the best, but this postpartum journey is a different story. It's uncharted territory for me, but it seems like once I overcome an obstacle there's a new one in its place. 

It took three weeks just to physically recover and be able to sit comfortably in a chair again. It took another three weeks for breastfeeding to be pain-free (we struggled with our latch on the left side). Now, I'm 10 weeks postpartum and still have to lose 11 lbs to return to pre-pregnancy weight😩 Unfortunately, I'm not one of those women who loses all the weight by breastfeeding. This is definitely more of a process than I expected.

It's difficult to focus on anything other than Evie. I'm preoccupied with baby thoughts - number of hours slept, amount of spit-up, last bowel movement, etc. However, I have realized the importance of taking care of myself. I'm trying to return to being a normal human. I'm very motivated to get back in shape. I'm exercising six days a week and eating a clean diet. I've started painting my nails again (which feels so good) and I actually finished a book for the first time in months😱

I'm definitely a work in progress, but this little babe really does make it all worth it...

Smiles for Daddy

Furrowed brow

Pensive 

Curious

Cheeky