{Personal} Living Life a Little More Slowly

Diaper bag by Seaport Stitches

Doing this the second time around, I'd like to think that I've learned a thing or two about motherhood. Although, I'm definitely re-learning and remembering things forgotten (i.e. diaper blowouts, creating a new sleeping schedule and cooking/cleaning/doing the laundry with one hand), one task that is teaching me a whole lot is leaving the house. With a newborn and a toddler in tow, time is usually not on my side. So, I've reminded myself of a couple things and figured I should write them down for refreshment and/or let some new mommies in on a few things.

1) Don't plan on being everywhere on time. I tend to stress out if I'm late to events and outings. Having a new baby though, I've re-learned to be patient and more lenient in this area. Usually, others will understand too and life isn't about rushing through it. You will get to your destination eventually. If though, I must absolutely be somewhere at a certain time, I tend to get everything ready(this includes myself and the kids) about 3 hours ahead of time.

2) Make sure everything is absolutely ready to walk out the door about an hour before you have to leave to give you time to relax and feed your baby. Since I'm breast feeding, I have to make sure our little girl is full and happy before I put her in the car seat. Otherwise, we will be making a stop or two on our destination to feed her which is definitely not uncommon.

A few places we've stopped so far? An Autozone parking lot, a gas station, a dirt lot next to a gas station, a dirt lot next to a stop sign where we imagined giving tickets to several cars making california rolling stops (I must laugh at this one), a grocery store parking lot and off a random dirt road as I counted 110 cars on a train going by...just to name a few "detours". My husband and our three year old son are complete troopers because they have sat patiently at just about every stop!

I remember just how quickly Levi went from being an itty bitty baby to being a rambunctious, independent toddler. I know our little girl won't be so little real soon so I'm enjoying Lyla's time as a wee one. The snuggles, the little giggles, the feedings, the random stops, the diaper changes, the tiniest outfits, the innocence, the coos, the cries, the soft skin, the spit up and all. I'm remembering to live life a little more slowly and enjoy it a day at a time.

Life Lately

A little compilation of Life Lately. I'm a momma keeping up with two kiddos now. Trading sleep for coffee and baby snuggles, clean shirts for spit up stains, skinny jeans for yoga pants and quiet time for chore time. I've been taking a break from the shop to spend time with my family and I am so thankful that I've been able to do so.

Follow along on my personal IG page @kayla.lsp for more.

Morning coffee...seeing how I'm currently sleeping in 3 hour increments when it comes to bedtime

Family trips to the Farmer's Market

Morning Kisses and Baby Smiles

Afternoon chases, bug hunts and flower picking in the sunshine

 Afternoon snooze fests...because it takes a lot of energy to keep up with the babes

Morning, noon and night feedings.

 Movie dates on the couch

Bike races

We recently got some chickens and and they are finally laying eggs! Mornings have now included egg hunts.

Follow along @kayla.lsp for more of life.

{Personal} We are now a Family of FOUR!

Hello World!

I've been pretty absent with the blog and social media since having our little love at home with us! Lyla Rose was born March 25 at 7:57pm and weighed in at 7 lb 6 oz and 18 inches long. We've been enjoying our family time together so I will get to updates and emails soon but in the mean time, thank you so much for your patience as we have now become a family of 4!

We are so incredibly blessed and thankful that our little girl is finally here! Her big brother is so in love with her too! It's amazing to see him with her.

I will also be sharing her birth story soon when I can squeeze in some writing time and reminiscing.

Until then, you can see updates on my personal Instagram profile over at @kayla.lsp.

{Personal-Baby Time} What to Pack for the Hospital

I am 38 weeks pregnant as of yesterday and these past few days, I have been nesting like CRAZY!! I've had a surge of energy to get things done and I can now say that I am ready whenever little Lyla is! 

One of the tasks that has been completed was packing the bag for the hospital. I made a little list of items that I needed which I will share here.

First, I decided to pack my new diaper bag from Seaport Stitches as my hospital tote since it's big enough to hold everything. Plus, it has 6 pockets total which helps with organizing the essentials! 

For toiletry essentials, I packed a zippered pouch with items that will help me feel refreshed after the child-bearing tasks that leaves a momma feeling and looking tired. I remember after having my son how much of a wreck I felt like and when I looked at photos with everyone who came to visit, I definitely saw it as well. This time, I wanted to be a little more prepared so some of the toiletries I packed are:

*Burt's Bees Facial Wipes

*Burt's Bees Moisturizing Lip Balm

*Cetaphil Face Wash & Face Lotion

*Mascara & Eyeliner

*Face Powder (not pictured-in bag)

*Comb & Hair tie

*Contacts & Solution

*Deodorant

*Eye Glasses (not pictured)

For baby, I know the hospital provides just about everything but I wanted to bring an outfit for our Lyla Rose to come home in as well as a floral crown I made her the other day. P.S. I may be adding more of these baby floral headbands to the shop upon reopening! 

For me, I am definitely coming home comfortably! Sweats, a tank, socks, slippers (not pictured), a soft nursing bra, clean undies (obviously not pictured) and nursing pads it is! Since I will still be sore and look 5 months pregnant, there's no need to be fancy here. 

Don't forget daddy too! He should bring at least one comfy change of clothes as well!

More essentials to add to your hospital bag:

*DEFINITELY a copy of your medical records (you will get them from your OB or Midwife)

*Insurance Card

*Photo I.D.

*Birth Plan (if you have one)

*Camera, Video Camera (I packed both)

*Phone & Charger

*Essential oils for relaxing (Lavender is a good stress reliever)

*A nursing pillow (the hospital provides pillows but if you feel more comfortable using your own for relaxing or a nursing pillow for breast feeding then go ahead and bring it)

*A towel (one that you don't care too much about) to lay down on the seat on your way to the hospital. That way, if your water breaks or you leak fluid, you're covered.

*Something to read since you will be at the hospital for a couple days after having baby

*Some money for vending machines if you wish

*A gift for older sibling(s). Since we are having our second baby, we want to bring a small gift for our Levi to help him feel included and remind him that he is just as special as the new baby. It will be a big day for him as well since he will become a big brother!

*A notepad or journal to document thoughts that are still fresh from a life changing experience

*A receiving blanket for baby to go home with (the hospital provides blankets but you may want to bring your own as you bring your new baby home)

*A car seat that's strapped in correctly. You don't have to bring it the first day you arrive if a family member can bring it to you later but you will need one correctly installed in your car before you are allowed to take your new baby home.

For the most part, the hospital provides everything you may need but it's always nice to be prepared with your own things. Just remember, you aren't moving into the hospital! You don't want to bring suitcases with you because not only will your space be limited but you also don't want the hassle of lugging everything in and trying to find something like your chapstick amongst several other items.

What are some essentials you recommend for the hospital?

Diaper bag by Seaport Stitches

We only have 2 weeks left until our due date!! So excited to meet our little girl SOON!

{Personal} My Secret Garden Themed Baby Shower

About a week ago, I had my baby shower for miss Lyla Rose. It was such a wonderful day and couldn't ask for a better shower! We were so incredibly blessed by our friends and family who came and celebrated the anticipated arrival of our second little love due next month.

Since I can be quite a control freak when it comes to events, I wanted to do the decor for the shower. My mother and mother in law took care of the rest as well as my dear friend Crystal, step mother in law and aunt in law which I am SO thankful for! Since I adore flowers (anyone who knows me or has even seen my shop knows that) I went with a little secret garden theme. I bought a bunch of fresh flowers at the farmers market, lots of antique style keys (thank you Michael's) and borrowed some vintage books from a friend of mine to create the majority of the decor.

The day went by so quickly but I enjoyed every moment of it! It was so good to see so many of those that I love under one roof, play some hilarious games and eat some YUMMY food (deli sandwiches, homemade taco salad, lots of fruits and veggies, bean dip, strawberry lemonade and let's not forget that AMAZING strawberry naked cake!!! I wish I snapped photos of the food-SERIOUSLY!).

Here are some photos of the shower (I wish I had more photos with friends and family but I will share some of the phone pics that were sent to me at the bottom).

Enjoy.

Ok, so earlier in the post I mentioned that we played some hilarious games. One of them included a "memory game" where I walked around with a tray of baby items for everyone to see and left the room but instead of being asked questions about what was on the tray, it was questions about mommy (me) such as what color shoes I was wearing, color of nail polish, how many rings, etc. Needless to say, I was snickering in hallway as everyone was confused and making funny comments-Gotcha!

Another game (which was my fav.) involved making a baby in 2 minutes-with play dough. Seeing everyone's babies made me laugh and although there were SO many cute and funny babies, I had to go with a super creative one made by my aunt...the sperm fertilizing the egg. I couldn't resist!!! I laughed so hard...yes, I may be a tad immature then. ;)

More photos from cell phones.

Thank you again to all who came! It truly meant so much!! I love you all. <3
Now, let's try and wait patiently to meet this little lady.