Silas' 1st Birthday!

My last baby is officially one! I really cannot believe how fast this past year has gone by and, honestly, it's so bittersweet. I don't know how many times over the year Jose and I have said to each other, "Once Silas can do this, things will be so much easier," or "Once Holden does that, it will be easier." While things may start to get a bit easier, it makes me so sad that any time Silas reaches a milestone, it's my last time watching one of my babies do something for the first time. I came across a quote the other day and it really hit home with me.

"Someday when the kids are grown, we'll have the clean house, open schedule, and five minutes of peace we long for in this season. And I think it just might break our hearts."

I've been trying so hard lately to just slow down and enjoy these moments, the crazy ones. Because I know the day will come when I long for them.

So. Now that I got all that off my chest. Here's some pictures from Silas' Mr. ONEderful birthday party from the weekend. I will say, one of my favorite things to do for the kiddos is their birthday parties. In the past we've always gone all out, which is fun, but with Silas' birthday being in February, it's a little harder to do. This table was actually pretty quick, easy and inexpensive. Aurora had a concert through school in the afternoon so I prepped all food and decorations the night before, set all the trays and cake stands out where I wanted them and then put everything out once we got home. The table backdrop even doubled as the perfect background for a quick family photo shoot!

That's all for now, Friends!

Aurora | Nine Years

Oh, Aurora.

Where to even begin with you. I’m sitting here outside with Silas, listening to you and Holden inside, as you’re helping him with his physical therapy games. You truly are the very best big sister. No. That is a total understatement. There really are no words to describe what you are to our family. You made your dad and me parents long before we ever thought we were ready and we have learned everything from you. Even though you were so easy. Easiest pregnancy and delivery. Not quite as chill as Silas 😜, you little drama queen, you. But so easy. Every year, when I walk into the classroom for your parent/teacher conference, I consistently hear, “Okay, well this is the easiest conference I have” and the teachers tell me how well you’re doing in—everything. You’ve been such a smarty pants from Day 1. Aside from that, you are loving and kind, yet fun and sassy. You are such a leader and I am absolutely in love with the little lady you’re becoming. I know your dad and I can be hard on you at times, but I guess it’s because you’ve proven to us time and again how capable you are. Honestly, I guess we’ve learned to count on you to help us with the boys because you do it so well. We need to calm down on that a little. Sometimes, I have to stop myself in my tracks and remember that you’re still a kid. Even though you already seem so grown to me. That is something I definitely am not trying to rush. In fact, daily, I hope and pray that you continue to be this person that you are forever and don’t give in to the evil this world has to offer. I pray so hard for you, sweet girl. That you always turn to God when times are rough. That when you are grown you will look back and know that even when I was a mean ol’ yelling mommy monster, I was always trying so freaking hard to be the best mom. Because you and your brothers (and your incredible daddy, of course) are my whole world. I am so thankful for you, Aurora Marie. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve to be your mommy, but I thank God every day for it.

Love you, sweet child of mine. ❤️

Silas | Five Months

Well, clearly, three is a handful. Hence missing the two, three, and four month posts for our littlest guy. But I must say, Silas has hands-down been our easiest baby! He is so chill and is just there for it, no matter what we're doing. You even glance at this little dude for a second and he gets the biggest grin on his sweet, little face. He is such a good eater and has been sleeping through the night since about two months old (which was amazing while we were at Disney). He's not crawling just yet, but has been rolling all over the place and finds a way to get from Point A to Point B in a matter of seconds. He wakes us up each morning with an ear-to-ear grin and he'll just lay in his bed chatting up a storm and it's basically the cutest thing ever.

Silas, we are all so in love with you baby boy. We never knew how much we needed you in our lives, but are so glad you're here!

What I'm Packing for Disney!

I’m typically one of those who waits until the very last minute to pack and then gets so flustered about what I should take that I end up throwing half my closet in the suitcase. I surprised myself this time around, though, and am already - almost - all packed up a week early. (After all, we’ve only been anticipating this trip for a year and a half!) Today I’m sharing a few outfits and other things I’m taking along with me to Disney next week.

Obviously I packed mostly t-shirts and shorts, because it’s looking like it's 90's (and thunderstorms 😬) all week, so... there's that. But I'm also always freezing, so I packed two long sleeve shirts and I may throw in a pair of jeans, just to be safe. I've linked all items at the bottom and they are affiliate links. I so appreciate all who've supported me through these links! Seriously, you have no clue how much it means to me.

I just love this outfit so much! The top is a little cropped, but the shorts come up high enough that you don't show skin. Both pieces can obviously be worn separately too!

Another combo I love! This shirt is also cropped, but doesn't show skin when paired with high-waisted bottoms. And these shorts. I tried several different "mom short" styles, but these were definitely my fav and they're a classic blue so they go great with everything!

I was not able to link these shorts at the bottom, but they are from Vici and can be found here. I love them because they have the distressed look that I love, but also enough booty coverage!

Shorts can be found here.

These chambray shorts are a-mazing! They're super soft and light, which makes them perfect for wearing at the park all day!

This distressed t-shirt is so freaking soft. They have several in the style and, being the t-shirt lover that I am, I may just have to invest in more of these. Paired with the shorts I described above, this is honestly the most comfortable outfit!

This sweatshirt is also extremely soft and will be perfect for cooler evenings. I may wear it with the printed shorts in the first pic, but I love it with these shorts, too.

You guys, this bathing suit is so amazing! I saw it on another blogger who just had a baby recently. It seriously sucks in everything and is honestly the only reason I'm wearing a bathing suit right now at all. Sizing can be tricky since it's UK sizing. I'm 5'7 and typically a size 4 and this is an 8 Long. I could not link this below, but you can find it here!

These shorts are old and no longer available, but I love this bathing suit even as a top!

Packing this ol' thang because it's just too comfy not to. I mean, it's basically just a t-shirt, but since it's longer, it's all I have to wear!

I love the simplicity of this dress. Super comfy, but dressy enough incase we go somewhere that requires a little more than t-shirts and shorts.

The shorts below did not make the cut. Jose liked them a lot, but I just wasn't a fan. But I wanted to show you what they looked like on. They can be found here (affiliate link). They fit a little more snug, but do have some stretch in them. I honestly think they're just too tight right now and that's why I didn't like them as much.

No links for the outfit below, but you know I'm definitely packing all the comfies for pajamas, too!

I love doing try-on sessions, because online shopping is pretty much the only way I can shop right now and you get a better idea of how things fit by seeing them on different body types. Let me know what you think of this idea and what stores/occasions you'd like to see!

Silas | One Month

Silas Jude finally made his way to the blog! And it only took me a month to get him here. He made his grand entrance on February 23rd at 7:11 pm, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs., 5 oz. and 21 in. long! 

While he's definitely been our easiest baby so far, somehow going from two to three has been the hardest adjustment yet. Between school schedules, nap/sleep schedules, feeding schedules, appointments, and of course, Jose’s work schedule, it can seem like there is zero time for much else. (Thank God for family and a few neighbors that have pretty much been helping us around the clock so far!) 

So, on that note, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Silas is the piece to our puzzle that we never knew we were missing and, while life has been crazy hectic these past few weeks, we're loving every minute of him and watching Aurora and Holden interact with him. He's worth every bit of sleep we've missed out on!

Baby #3 | 37 Weeks

How far along? 37 years weeks

Maternity clothes: I'm officially down to one pair of pants I can wear to work and it's nothing but Jose's clothes when I'm home (which honestly isn't too far off from what I normally wear when I'm home, lol).

Stretch marks? Nope. I'm sort of alternating between aloe vera, Keri lotion, and, full disclosure, I've started using my tried and true cocoa butter lotion again. Baby's heartbeat has been back to normal at every appointment since my 29 week appointment (when it was first irregular) and, although the doctors initially questioned my caffeine intake and said it could be the source of the problem, they did later say that there was a good chance it had nothing to do with caffeine and that an irregular heartbeat during pregnancy is actually not an uncommon thing and that it often corrects itself by birth or shortly after. I definitely freaked out initially, and cut out any and all caffeine right away, but since things have been great since, I've indulged a little here and there. I think the key is to just be aware and not go overboard. But anytime I talk about how much I love a product and how great it is, I definitely want to be 100% transparent about it, which is why I felt it was totally necessary to mention. 

Sleep: Sleep has been super crappy. Tbh, I'm kinda of at the point where I can't sit, stand, or even lay for very long before I'm uncomfortable. I'm definitely the most ready I've ever been to have a baby.

Best moment this week: Getting away for a little date night with Jose last Friday! We didn't even do dinner (mostly because I get super full after, like, three bites), but we went and saw Upside and it was sooo good! 

Miss anything? Ugh, honestly, just having the energy to do anything. I feel like I say that to people when they ask how I'm feeling and the response is always, "Oh, but you're carrying a baby!" and I totally get it and appreciate it. But when Holden pats the floor for me to come sit by him and I have to say no because it literally hurts to get down that low, or when he reaches for me to pick him up and I can't because even that hurts sometimes, it sucks. Aurora has been my go-to for "Hey, can you run upstairs and get me this or that?" and she's totally been a champ about it, but the guilt definitely starts to set in. And then there's Jose, of course, who always just gets shit done anyway. I seriously don't know how the man does it. He works all day, then comes home and gets started working on stuff around the house. Because we always have some sort of project we're trying to get done. He's not just doing it now because he's picking up my slack, he's that way all the time. And, obviously, I love it but, at the same time, I feel like I'm always comparing myself and what I contribute and it never even comes close. Especially now, when getting up to go do something in the next room takes everything I have. 😭😭😭

Movement: Tons and tons and tons. And it's seriously getting so exciting to think that he's almost here. Partly because that means I won't be pregnant anymore, but mostly because I can't wait to hold him!

Food cravings? Snow. Lol, not even kidding. Whenever I drink water, it always has to be with a ton of ice and then once the ice melts a little, I love to just chew on it. When we were snowed in the week before last, I took a big Tupperware container outside and filled it with FRESH snow and it was seriously the best thing ever! Aurora even helped me go to town with it. So I was maybe a little bit happy when we got fresh snow again last night. Hoping there's still some clean snow for tonight!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope

Gender prediction: BOY! Crazy how I was a legit girl mom for 6 & a half years and now I'll be outnumbered by boys! Well, unless you count the dog, which Jose says that doesn't count. 🤔

Labor signs: Definitely feeling those contractions more and more.

Symptoms: I think it's safe to say that I've experienced it all this pregnancy and that this has been the toughest one by far. I feel like there's a new symptom I'm experiencing each day and, to say I've been miserable, is quite the understatement. However, one random symptom that I don't really mind (well, most of the time) is the smells. The other day, Jose got the van washed and I happened to walk past it shortly after he was home and, seriously, all I could smell was car wash and it was so freaking strong and it was the yummiest thing ever, lol. I think I'll miss car wash smell when the baby comes. 

Belly button in or out? Outtie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Definitely not pleasant these days. I'm whinier then I'd like to be (and I'm sure others would agree), but I honestly just don't even care at this point. 

Looking forward to: Meeting baby + getting the labor over with! Honestly, my labor with Aurora (& really everything about Aurora, for that matter) was easy peasy. So I never really thought twice about it with Holden. But with him, everything was the opposite. So now, my mind is constantly worrying about: one, the labor + delivery, two, will this baby have any issues like Holden did, three, htf will I deal with two babies so close in age, and the list goes on... Regardless, we will roll with everything just like we did before, but I'd be lying if I said my mind wasn't constantly on those things.

Total weight gain: ~39 lbs. (mostly because I'm just not ready to type "~40" yet)

Baby #3 | 32 Weeks

First and foremost, baby's heartbeat was perfectly normal at my appointment last week! So thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers on that one. I was definitely freaked out about it.

How far along? 32 weeks - Holy cow, how did we even get here!??

Maternity clothes: See pictures above. This is what we're down to folks - same outfit with a different cardigan. Unless I'm at home, of course, and then it's just tee shirt + comfy pants.

Stretch marks? None. Also, I did have someone reach out concerned about the Palmer's cocoa butter lotion and oil that I'd suggested before. Here's the deal. What I read about it was that it only has a small trace of caffeine in it. I stopped using it because I stopped any and all forms of caffeine from the moment I found out it could even be an issue. I'm now using the body lotion that I used before I was pregnant and love it, so I'll just continue using that. If I were pregnant again, I might still try the Palmers, I don't know. But I didn't mean to freak anyone out that it was a horrible product or anything. I really don't believe that. Just, under my circumstances, I didn't want to take any chances. That's all. 

Sleep: Sleep has definitely gone down hill. I've been waking up in the middle of the night to take a bath, move to the recliner downstairs, or just to toss and turn. If I remember correctly with Holden, once the sleep goes, she gone! Lord help me!

Best moment this week: Technically this was last week, but definitely hearing the baby's heartbeat was back to normal!!!

Miss anything? Lol, sleep!!

Movement: Tons! The Braxton-Hicks contractions have been real, my friends. I read that baby moving a lot can cause them and I definitely believe it. 

Food cravings? Not really. 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Just the flu that we had last week, but all else is good.

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor signs: Definitely Braxton-Hicks contractions!

Symptoms: (Read above)

Belly button in or out? Outtie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Mood has been decent-ish.

Looking forward to: Meeting this lil fella!

Total weight gain: 30 lbs.