aden and anais

3 MONTH UPDATE + MY MUST- HAVES

I know everyone says this, but I seriously cannot believe my baby boy is 3 months old (except for when I hold his 15 lb self). It feels like we just brought him home. The first quarter of his life has been such a blur, especially that first month and a half because I was so sleep deprived. I truly experienced exhaustion on a different level. But now…. here we are! No more family of 3 talk. We are a full on operating family of 4, and I love it. 


Sleeping / tummy or side sleeper. Hasn’t been a fan of sleeping on his back from day one. He naps like a champ, and sleeps at night from about 10:30 – 3:30, then he wakes up for a feeding, but goes right back to sleep! 🙂 He is still in our room. He sleeps in his little co-sleeper ( when we don’t fall asleep together in our bed…. bad habit.)
Eating / Exclusively breast milk. It was still hard the first month, but we pushed through. It just hurts!! gah! I try to avoid the bottle as much as possible and give him that intimate nursing experience. I have been taking these supplements because my production slowed down once Remy’s feedings became more scheduled. They have worked great for me! Also, we were introduced to Gerber Soothe drops ( a probiotic) to help Remy’s tummy calm down and regulate itself. He didn’t have reflux, but definitely had gas issues. Amazon is definitely the cheapest if you have Prime. Any moment out of my day to STOP and feed him and just take a breath has been good for the both of us! Forced relaxation if you will. 
Favorites / He loves “standing” and facing out. Music is a huge part of our family life, and he loves a good serenade ( even from me… yikes!) He can go from whining to pure joy and excitement if you will just talk to him. Looks like I have another social butterfly on my hands. He also loves mommy’s nail colors on her nails, jewelry and grabbing big sis’ curls.
My favorites / His entire little man body! He is squishy in all of the right places. He was born long and lean, and we really had to work on getting him into tip top squishy baby shape. We call him our “chunky little man”. Hearing Amara say it is just the best ever!
I miss him so much when I am away from him. Having a little boy is so different already than a little girl. There is just a different connection there. He isn’t getting married until he is like 50. 😉
Ok… my MUST. HAVES!!! The second time around is so different. You are over all of the stuff that just clutters your house. These are all things I would consider a need, as they really helped get us through the toughest 3 months we have experienced as parents so far.
Aden + Anais burpy bib & swaddles | There is just nothing softer!! I own and love the Aden + Anais for Target swaddles and bibs, but even those are not as soft as the originals. I fell in love with the burpy bibs when we had Amara. So convenient and genius!
Solly wrap | It took me seeeeveral tries to get this thing right. Once you dial it in, it is so helpful. I have used this so that I could be hands free while cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping. I never wrapped Amara and after using this, I don’t know how I went without.
Nursing bras | these are the most comfortable nursing bras for sleeping!! I love this one in particular. These are the ones I use for daily wear.
Baby Sleepers | My MIL gave me one of these at my shower, and I went to purchase several more. They are the. softest. ever. They wash well also. The snaps are definitely annoying in the middle of the night, but I will choose softness over convenience for my baby any day.
Baby Shusher | I bought this a little later in the game. Remy was hating his car seat, having trouble falling asleep without being held, and he had his days and nights mixed up ( worst ever). I don’t know that this is a game changer, BUT we do take it in the car sometimes for long travel days and he uses it to fall asleep in our room during naps and at night. It just helps cut out the noise that the rest of the family makes just outside where he sleeps. I would buy it again for sure!
Avent Pacis | There is just no other pacifier that works.
Baby swing | We have a much older version of this one that we were given when Amara came along. We love this thing. For the longest time, it was the only way he would fall asleep at 3 am while one of us laid on the couch to be close to him.  We use it everyday… pretty much before and after each naptime.
Diaper Bag | I loooooove this diaper bag. I love how it looks like a handbag in front, but has all of the hidden compartments and space that a diaper bag does. I don’t need to take my own separate bag or pouch for my stuff. It has a mommy pouch! 🙂
Sanitizer & Paci wipes | any of these can be bought at any drugstore/Target. With a grabby toddler, we use lots and lots of sanitizer. I am a freak about washing hands, but when we can’t, we go through this stuff so quickly. It is absolutely necessary!
Carseat/stroller spiral toy & Playmat | Remy has just started grabbing at his spiral toy in the carseat. It provides endless entertainment for him, and it has truly saved me on some car trips. We just broke out the play mat last week. These are lifesavers when they are over the swings. 
Bassinet | We use this stroller and absolutely LOVE it. People stop me all of the time to tell me how “cool” it is. It is quite heavy to get in and out of the car, but that is a small price to pay for how convenient it is, how many different configurations it has, and how easy it glides. I can literally steer it with one hand even with both seats on. The bassinet was purchased about a month after I had Remy because he completely freaked out on our first Nordstrom trip since being born. He didn’t want the carseat, wrap or anything. I think that trip would have looked different had I had a “bed” for him to lay in. It was a nightmare because he stopped falling asleep in the carseat for the most part. The bassinet has been a game changer. It allows Remy to just stretch out and sleep while mommy shops.
Baby Bjorn | I have been using this lately because Remy is an angel baby when he is facing out. He doesn’t make a peep. The solly only works when he is sleepy. We just ordered this carrier, as we are about to embark on a week long Disney vacay and it is a sweatbox in FL when we go. We wanted something breathable, although, it doesn’t allow your baby to face out.  We will see how it goes. Also, the baby bjorn just has added waist support which is a huge must that the Ergo carrier already had. 
Tub | Remy has officially grown out of this, but man I love this thing. It makes it so easy to bathe your toddler in the bath (if they are somewhat independent) while bathing your baby in the sink. Such a lifesaver since I do most night routines alone. We just ordered this for the bathtub to accommodate his growing man body that I love so much. 😉
And last, but certainly NOT least…. boob care! ha. 
Breast pads & Boob Ease balm | I made sure that this go around I really was consistent with taking care of the “ladies”. It can be so annoying to continuously apply a balm, but it makes all the difference in the world. I had a jar for home and a jar that I kept in my diaper bag. Also, these disposable breast pads are just the best. They are thin, but super absorbent. I even tried swapping to the Target brand, but they are just not the same in my opinion. 
Hope this was helpful to you second time or even NEW mamas. We would love to hear feedback on this post!! What product(s) are you surviving on right now?
-J

NURSERY REVEAL: WILDLIFE UNDER THE STARS

Is that really a theme? Wildlife under the stars?? Haha! I am not a super fan of nursery “themes”. I prefer to just create a room that is full of pieces I can’t live without… hoping that in the end, it all comes together and looks cohesive. To be honest, life was chaotic during my entire pregnancy. We were doing so much to our house because we thought we would be putting it on the market (and moving) before Remy got here. YEAH. FREAKING. RIGHT!! So glad that didn’t happen! Although it nearly killed me, I am glad we made so much headway ( painting the inside of our entire house) because there were things that should have been done to our home a long time ago just for US to live in and enjoy.
After working on our home so much and gratefully enduring the busiest season yet for Love & Lion’s Etsy shop, I looked up and realized about 4 weeks out that we had a tiny bit of paint on the wall and that was it! I immediately just started online shopping madness, and just hoped that everything would come together and look like what I was envisioning. I truly work best under “pressure”. We kept the walls neutral with Behr’s Chocolate Froth, which is also the color we have chosen for our entire house. I. LOVE. IT! I wanted a bold navy color somewhere in the room! We chose Behr’s Rush Hour
for the ceiling to create a “night sky” for the room. I truly love how it all came together! I think I even had more fun doing Remy’s nursery over Amara’s ( our first) simply because I didn’t think about it too much. My husband picked up a Petit Collage print on one of his work trips, and brought it home. I loved that he was already thinking of this baby before we even knew the gender! It meant so much to me that I immediately decided to build the nursery around the colors in that print!
So here are all the deets…

I really focused on keeping the room simple and clean! It isn’t a super large room, so filling it with clutter is senseless to me. I didn’t want things hanging on the wall or sitting on shelves just because! It is so much easier for baby no. 2, in my opinion, because you know what you actually put to use and what you don’t. 
I thoroughly enjoy walking down my hallway and peeking into this little gem in the corner of our home. Making a space for this little guy in a room that literally served as a storage room just solidifies his presence in our home and our family. It makes me happy to see my home lived in! When we bought our home 6 years ago, we thought 5 bedrooms sounded ridiculous for just the two of us. However, we envisioned filling these rooms with babies and having room to host friends and family. I could have never imagined that two of these rooms would be filled with two of the most perfect little humans on the planet! 😉
Sources:
Rocker / local baby store (purchased and used for Amara’s nursery)
Throw pillow / Dwell Studio
Accent table / Target (clearance)
Lamp / Land of Nod
Rug / Land of Nod
Ottoman / Land of Nod
Curtain Rod & Finials / Land of Nod)
Curtains / DIY ( don’t look too closely at my sewing skills) Fabric was a Nate Berkus print!
White Honeycomb shelf / Land of Nod
Crib Skirt / Land of Nod
White Dresser / Babyletto at Target
Changing Pad cover / Aden + Anais (also got this print)
Crib Sheet / Aiden + Anais (also got this print)
Triangle garland / DIY
Giraffe head / White Faux Taxidermy
Wonder Print / Petit Collage
Mobile / Petit Collage 
Gold Bear Print / Sycamore Street Press
Star decals (ceiling) / Fairy Dust Decals
Pendant / DIY 
Elephant blanket / Orla Kiely (Target)
Crib / Babies R Us
Book shelf / Ikea – can’t find online.
Collage wall / DIY – I used old frames and some new ones from Target. All prints (except ones sourced above) were free printable prints offline. Gold mirror was a thrift find. 
Hanging Letters / Michael’s find
Have a great week!!
XO!!

NEWBORN / SECOND CHILD ESSENTIALS

If you’re a preggie, a new mom, or a mom of two like me, you’re going to need some of these essentials! I could not function without the following… and I neglected to add an extra large cup of coffee, but that’s an obvious one, right? 
(click on the numbers below for the links)
HANDS-FREE
1. This is the perfect place to plop your baby down wherever you are. It has a little handle on top so it’s easy to carry in one hand while you carry your baby in the other. The best part- you can throw the whole thing in the washing machine! Jenni actually lent me hers that she used with Amara. Life saver! That’s what friends are for!
2. I LOVE the Ergo baby. How else do you get stuff done when your baby needs to be held? You have to get the infant insert as well so the baby is comfy. When they’re a little bigger, you can just use the seat pad so the baby is the right height. This carrier is so comfy that I wore this with Ari from birth (acid reflux baby… omg) up until he was 2.5 years old. 
3. We have a play mat at our house, but Max isn’t a huge fan. My parents keep this play mat at their house, and he is just mesmerized by the black and white shapes! He would stay on the mat kicking and smiling for an hour. You can even reverse the mat for different stimulation during tummy time. 
BABY COMFORTS
1. This is the easiest swaddle. Ever. Mom, dad, grandparents, and babysitters can all keep the baby swaddled the exact same way. This just zips up from the bottom (so easy for diaper changes) and has velcro to put baby’s arms in. Once Max gets in the swaddle, he’s asleep in seconds. Really. 
2. These pacifiers are the same ones you get at the hospital. They’re super soft and most like a nipple. Another thing I love about these is the hole in the middle. Ari loves to “help” and hold the pacifier in Max’s mouth with his finger. So sweet. 
3. Aden and Anais make the best burp cloths! They’re super absorbent, shaped perfectly to fit over your shoulder, they can snap around baby’s neck like a bib, and of course I love the stylish patterns. 
FOR MAMA
1. What in the world did I do before I had a backpack diaper bag?? When I’m getting the kids into the car, closing the stroller, schleping the grocery bags, etc., the last thing I need is my diaper bag falling off my shoulder or swinging around to hit me in the face. This backpack has pockets upon pockets and comes with a changing pad, wet sack, clutch for all of my stuff, a bottle cooler, stroller straps, and a strap to convert this to a shoulder bag. It really makes me feel stylish and organized. Also a bit like Felicity which obviously is amazing.  
2. Jenni gave me this lip gloss when I was in the hospital after having Max. It is the perfect shade of pink-nude and makes me feel a little glam even when I haven’t showered for three days. Isn’t she the best??
3. I adore this teething jewelry from Mama & Little. Made by a mom who wanted to look cute and give her baby the best- what a smarty! All totally safe, super stylish, and incredibly affordable!! They have necklaces you can layer in different lengths and colors all with a satin cord on your neck so it doesn’t pull out your hair! Max just started teething, so I know these will come in handy but also make me feel a little bit more put together. 
BIG BRO / SIS
1. I like to have special projects for Ari to do while I’ve got baby stuff going on. Love this mosaic kit for your older child. We did this over Thanksgiving, and it kept all 5 cousins busy, ages 3-10! 
2. A stool will make your older child feel part of the action at the changing table or crib. Ari feels very important standing on it, squishing Max’s cheeks while I do a diaper change. Anyone else’s kid enthralled with baby poop as much as mine? 
3. When I’m exhausted all the time sometimes I just need to sit, so a big floor puzzle is perfect for tired mamas and active toddlers. Much better than the Sleeping Beauty game I made up where I sleep until my prince kisses me to wake me up. So great when the prince gets distracted and let’s me sleep a little longer 🙂
I have to say the best thing we did for Ari to make him feel extra special was to have a “Big Brother Party”. It was as simple as hanging a few streamers and balloons and getting cupcakes from Kroger- you would have thought it was his birthday with how excited he was. We gave him a big brother gift and a present from Max. I highly recommend this for you mamas out there!!
Mr. Max at 3 months old
What are your favorite baby necessities I’m missing? I’d love to hear from you!
-L