Life Lately: Via My Camera Roll

Life Lately: Via My Camera Roll

 

^^^A Shake Shack day date with our babies^^^

Hey all! I havent posted in a while..which should tell you ladies that life lately has been a little busy! Life with two just gets busier by the day! Im back at work, but my girly decided on my first day back to not take the bottle any longer after taking it 1-2 times a week from 4 weeks until 14 weeks she decided to boycott it.  Any tips on that would be great!! Anyhow im working two nights a week after shes in bed, thankfully girlfriend set her own bed time for 6-6:20 and is usually almost asleep by the time i leave.  Its kind of a blessing in disguise because im not ready to leave her just yet so now i get to spend the day with both of my kiddos and leave right around their bedtime.   

I've been adjusting to her naps and wake time changing as well.  I have become a planner when it comes to leaving the house, i have to plan around when she'll need to nap (usually after 50 mins of wake time shes ready to go down) so i have to stay wherever i am once shes fallen asleep in the wrap for a least an hour so she gets a solid nap in. I know there are moms that just bring their baby wherever whenever and let them crash on their own once theyre to the point that they cant keep their eyes open any longer, and there are moms whos babys nap short naps here and there while driving and wake up when they arrive at their destination. But im not that mama. I just feel guilty keeping her awake when shes tired or making her wake up from a nap when she isnt ready to. I know sometimes i dont have a choice if we have to be somewhere or leave somewhere, but if i can ill always do whats in the best interest for my kiddos, even when thats inconvenience. Im seeing more and more that im probably not the mama whos cut out to have 4 kids, i think i would always  feel bad inside that my 4th was being neglected and getting the short end of the stick, lol.  But anyhow we are all different, there isnt a right way to do it.  I struggle with mom guilt on the daily so i know im probably not cut out for a huge tribe.  God created all of us moms with unique personalities and we parent differently based on that. Im someone who likes a schedule and having my kids be really great sleepers who can fall asleep in their cribs and take naps and have early bed times. I love knowing theyre well rested, that theyll sleep when someone else is babysitting them (because i work), and that their little bodies and brains are getting the sleep they need. I also enjoy the break!  Im all about giving them the love that they need and try my best daily to spend quality time with each of them together as a family of 4 as well as one on one.  Its hard work but to me its worth it. I life for my family, they are the reason i get up and do everything i do each day.  There was once a time when i did a lot for myself and put my needs first but the moment i became a wife and a mama is the moment God really taught be about unconditional love and selflessness.  The "me" time i once had is very minimal. I know its important but theres also a time and a place for it. Right now my babies are little and i soak up as much of these short years as i can.  Im all for going out on dates with my husband and girls nights etc, but its nice that i dont miss out on much with my kids because theyre asleep when we leave.   Now that my son is older he has a ton of fun hanging out at daycare at MOPS, going on play dates with his grandparents etc.  He truly is so loved by our families and we are so blessed that he has such a special close relationship with each of them.  I am thankful for a little break here and there during the day when hes off playing with them for a couple hours.  My little lady is only just about 4 months and as i mentioned doesnt take a bottle so she doesnt quite leave mamas side quite yet and im perfectly ok with that and prefer it when theyre so tiny and dependent on you.

Lately, we have been playing a ton with family since my sisters have tiny babies a month apart from layla and kids similar in age to my toddler Cash.  Its such a blessing and i dont take it for granted for a second that they live close and theyre my best friends.  A lot of my girlfriends have little kiddos similar in age as well so thats always fun when we get together.  

Im looking forward to coming out of the newborn phase and all the foggy sleepless nights here very soon! At least thats my hope. haha.  Layla usually does a 5-7 hour stretch at night frm 6/630pm to around 12ish.  After that its every 2-3 hours sometimes another 4 if im lucky that she'll wake to eat.  Then shes up for the day around 7/730 and takes 4 naps a day usually around an hour sometimes less sometimes more.  She eats every 2 hours on average (1.5-2.5) and is a good nurser.  She is the happiest smiliest little baby and we are so thankful we were gifted with her.  I look forward to the day that Cash and Layla can play and be best buddies, but for now ill snuggle her up close while shes little and immobile. lol.  

What else is new.... i guess we are just enjoying being a family of 4 and adjusting the past few months.  If you guys have any questions please let me know in the comments below.  Love you all and cant wait to share more of our new family member. (;

On another note, im grieving that its the end of Summer and Fall is on its way here (even though the hot weather is telling us otherwise).  

 

^^^This summer we had plenty of swim days at Nana and Papas house (my parents)^^^

 

 

 

^^^this guy doesnt really like veggies so we sneak them into daily juicing or smoothies. I usually add in Bolthouse Farms "green goddess" and carrot juice plus a handful of spinach, almond milk, ice, and strawberry/bananas.  He loves it! .... also those snuggles she gets from him are unreal.. he is suuuuuch a good brother!^^^

 

^^^we had our fair share of beach days! this guy loves when there are no waves. ^^^

 

^^^I could snuggle this angel all day every day for the rest of my life ^^^

 

^^^for you mamas with new babies and toddlers, finding ways to entertain them is Crucial for a lot more time indoors with a newborn when its 90-100 degrees outside.. so we made some fun ocean scenes with paper markers and his little animal creatures, and also spend time at the mall playing in all the cars/stores^^^

^^^We just celebrated our 3 year anniversary! I love my hubs so much, 3 years and 2 babies... we have been busy!^^^

 

 

^^^These cousins are too cute! Their second beach day together. My parents just bought a vacation/second home in Newport a couple houses from the beach, needless to say, you'll be seeing us there plenty in the months to come!^^^

 

^^^this guy is addicted to water, its his favorite thing to play with... so we created some make shift "Cuzzis" as he calls them this summer.  And a sweet date night at Sundried Tomato, highly recommended this restaurant!^^^

  

^^^This guys pretty much potty trained after 3 days! Look how cute those boxer briefs are!, im such a proud mama. He picked it up so quickly and it was pretty much all self directed. He was showing he was ready and just went on the toilet one day. So now we reinforce with treats (skittles, licorice) threw some underwear on and got rid of the diapers and that seemed to do the trick.

 

                          ......and lastly this sweet face to end this post (16 weeks here)!

Life With Two Babies

Life With Two Babies

I'm glad I waited a few months to share on the topic of having two babies two years apart (22.5 months to be exact). My thoughts and feelings change weekly so now I have a little more gathered together to put down on paper. 

In the months leading up to having Layla I was anxious to share my heart with another child other than my first.  The idea of giving all of myself to each of them seemed impossible. I have talked in the past about my mama guilt and how I struggle with that fuuuuur reals. I am always asking myself if I'm meeting my kids needs, so I knew taking on two would be hard.  I assumed it was going to be extremely challenging initially getting the hanging of everything. 

The moment I met Layla I fell in love. My heart grew a billion times bigger and made room for this sweet angel of ours. Seeing my son with her makes me love them both even more. The first week was a lot of my hubs taking my son to play outside of the house while I hung back at home with our new babe. I felt guilty and disconnected from my toddler and missed him dearly but I knew I needed to rest and that he would soon be mamas boy again. The following week dad went back to work and it was game on! I was ready to take on the challenge of doing two but my sister who had a month head start with her newborn and toddler insisted she would help out and show me the ropes. Guys, this was huuuge. She was so helpful, when I needed to nurse and we were at a park she would take over and watch the toddlers and push them on the swing, etc. She helped me gracefully figure out how to do two outside and in stores by myself. Having a friend/sister there with me gave me a safety net just incase I needed someone to help out for a sec.  I highly recommend gathering together with another mama you're close with and asking for help that first month. We learned to venture off on our own but we still plan a lot of play dates with my sisters who both have newborns and are germ conscious and need to find  shaded areas for their kids to play so the new babies have protection from the hot summer sun.  Play dates with other mamas are always welcome but these first few months you have to be that annoying guarded mom who asks "has anyone been sick within the last two weeks?".  Usually i have found my mama friends to be very understanding and always wanting to protect the baby too.

The first couple months made me feel like super mom. My son was adjusting well, loving on his sissy every chance he had. And I felt like I was managing two pretty well without too much additional stress. Things were going smoothly and the transition was easy and natural. Life wasn't back to normal completely aka grocery shopping solo or leaving whenever I want to, and sleeping all night without waking up. Lol. But things were going better than I had expected adjusting to two would be. 

This third month took a little turn because we went on vacation, I'm heading back to work twice a week now, we began a healthy sleep routine/starting some sleep training, and little lady is currently going through a 'wonder week'. When all that goes on all at once it can cause some unwanted stress and change a moms tune about having more than two kiddos ha! So moral of the story, parenting kids is going to change from week to week, especially the first year of an infants life because they are going through so many changes nothing ever stays the same. Their schedule changes so often I can barely keep up, they're learning new milestones, staying awake longer periods and needing to sleep at different times. Just when you think you've figured it out and have a routine down you have to adapt to their needs and change it all up again. The best pointer I can offer is just to roll with the punches as hard as that is. Try not to think too far into the future and worry yourself overall the unknowns. Try your best each day to do what you feel is right in the moment and not to beat yourself up later if you get it all wrong. Make sure to have a lot of 'check ins' with your partner on how you're both coping and handling all the change and crazy foggy days of lack of sleep, handling multiples, etc. And most importantly get on the same page with your spouse. I can't tell you how important having spousal support and having them back you is! I would've have been able to sleep train or have a bed time routine without my husband backing it 100%. He helps out, he keeps us on track too, and he supported me when I felt like giving up or had a hard day of Cash napping all whacky.  Now our 2 year old still takes a 2-3 hour nap and falls asleep all on his own, anyone can put him down for bed because he does the work himself, he hasn't woke up at night since he was 9 months old, and he sleeps 11.5 hours at night with the same bed time every evening. We are working on Layla's sleep routine, she's currently going to bed between 6/645pm depending on her last nap. And wakes up throughout the night usually 1-3 times to eat, then goes back down. Sometimes we are lucky and she only wakes once. Other times she's going through a growth spurt and wakes a bunch. But that's what I mean by rolling with the punches. She sleeps in until anywhere from 730-10am. The first couple months it was always 9-10am that she would wake for the day, but since around 13 weeks she's had a few days of waking earlier around 730-830 so I think she's finally getting into a normal groove. You can't be too scheduled with newborns, they change literally almost weekly. She has great sleep cues to let you know she's tired but she's also very consistent with her optimal wake time being 40-50 mins. So I put her down usually around 40/45 mins of wake time so she's asleep within 15 mins of then. I've tried to gently implement healthy sleep habits like we did with Cash early on. So around 8 or so weeks we started doing the majority of naps upstairs in a white dark room with the sound machine going. Not long after we began this routine for naps and bed we also started rocking just until her eyes barely closed and then putting her down so she could fall asleep on her own (i had to do this early on because my toddler would get upset every time i left to put her down so i needed the time i spent upstairs without him to be a shorter period due to his new adopted struggle of me walking away with the baby). Some days I would have to help her out and pat her back and other days within a few mins she would drift off all on her own after laying there for a bit. She is a tummy sleeper.. Feel free to judge me. I probably would've sat here and told you all the safety issues with this but we only let her snooze on her tummy for naps (since we can watch her closely)and then flip her on her back for bedtime. About a week ago she wasn't into the bed time on her back anymore so we started letting her sleep on her tummy the last few nights and she wakes far less and easily goes back to sleep now. Some babies just prefer their tummy and really struggle on their backs. Cash wasn't a tummy sleeper until he was way older and could slip himself on to his tummy. Every baby is different and you have to adjust your parenting to what they each individually need.  I pray over her every day and feel that shes strong enough now since shes been flipping over onto her back since 4 weeks old.

A couple tips for moms going from one to two babies:

Invest in a double stroller.

Invest in a wrap so you can wear them for a couple naps out because your toddler will NEED to have social interaction and play time outside the house. And newborns sleep a ridiculous amount of naps the first few months so the wrap is my best purchase yet! I wear it daily for 1-2 naps. She takes 4-5 naps a day that are around 1 hour sometimes her afternoon naps are 2 hours. 

Introduce the bottle early on around week 4, keep trying if they don't take it. It's important to have just for an emergency or if you're interested in ever having a date night without worrying in the back of your mind if your baby wakes up that they won't have a way to eat.  Also if you're a working mom this is obviously necessary

Invest in a good cover and get comfortable nursing in public quickly. With your second baby running to the car to nurse or trying to plan out when they need to eat before you go somewhere isn't always doable. 

If you're going to nap your new baby in the wrap be sure to try and time how long you'll be at the destination for.. Because around 3 months a lot of babies don't do well with transferring from the wrap asleep into their car seat .. And you know the rule, "never wake a sleeping baby".  So make sure you are at your destination long enough for an hour nap (or however long your baby usually needs) 

If you have a hard day or hard week know that the next week will probably be different and keep your hopes up. 

Don't make decisions on whether you want another child in the future when you're still in the sleep deprivation mode and when your baby is still extremely dependent on you. Just don't do it. lol

Make sure to eat and drink enough water if you're nursing. Trust me sometimes I forget if I even ate breakfast.  Toddler life I tell ya. And I'm clearly in a sleep hAze. 

Take help if people offer it. 

Know that this phase is temporary. Soak in the good days of newborn yumminess and know that the hard days of feeling tired and low energy and irritable will pass. I tell my husband this frequently.. because right now having two little ones demands alot of a mother, hes so supportive and that comforts me.

If you guys have specific questions I would love to hear them and answer below in the comment section. 

Happy Halloween 2014'

Happy Halloween 2014'

Oh my goodness, i've never seen a cuter stinker in my entire life, have you!?? I had to share these halloween skunk pics I took of him before Halloween because I know tomorrow is going to be a crazy busy day and I couldn't pass up sharing this cuteness overload with you all.  I mean.... honestly, he makes a pretty ridiculously adorable skunk. We'll most likely be wearing some black leggings and long sleeve shirt for trick or treating but I thought those white chunky baby stems were too yummy not to show for these costume pics.  I loved this outfit the moment I saw it.  I cant wait to see all of your little ones dress up on instagram (follow me at @tessaarmstrong8) or the link to the right.  We'll be heading out in our new neighborhood with some family and friends and then going to a neighborhood chili party afterwards. I cant wait?! What are your plans, id love to hear?

XO

What We Wear: Boho Baby Boutique Romper

What We Wear: Boho Baby Boutique Romper

Hi lovelies, happy Monday!! This week is going to be a long but wonderful week because we will be closing escrow Thursday and officially be home owners! We are so beyond excited, feel overwhelmed with thankfulness and just consumed by Gods love and the blessings Hes bestowed on our little family. I can't begin to explain how undeserving I feel throughout this whole process of finding this home that is perfect for our sweet family, my heart just swells up with joy and grattitude and I don't really know what to do with all of this emotion except try to receive this gift from God and not question Him. 

Its been on our hearts this past year or so to serve Him in a greater way, we've been exploring and praying on what that looks like for quite some time and it seems like God has been shifting things around and moving in us to show us where He wants us and what exactly that looks like. Hes given us bits and pieces here and there but it seems the whole picture is coming together more and more and we are seeing what He's leading us into. I'm so excited and so glad my husband and I have been faithful in just trusting God during this season of the "unknown", we're still in that season but i feel like the fog is lifting slowly and we are gaining more clarity, which is nice for me because i'm a planner and i like to know where Hes taking us, even if God finds it humorous to continously teach me that im not in control and i need to just trust. Im thankful for this season, if anything I have learned Gods plan is always best for me and He continues to show that I can relax and know that Hes got us. 

Now on to some cuteness, this adorable little romper is by Boho Baby Boutique. I am crazy about her stuff because she creates orginal custom handmade pieces from recycled clothing! So you can take a sentimental shirt of grandpas or your husbands or your very own cardigan and create a sweet treasured timeless piece for your little one. You can pick different patterns and colors and buttons and zippers or even cute little patches to place on the romper. We went with this jean striped look with lots of blues because thats my favorite color on my sweet boy.  I paired it with our Starry Knight Design red moccs because those red buttons and moccs just make me so happy together.  The straps are adjustable so baby can grow with the romper, you can also unfold the legs or roll them up for a shorter look.

Theyre in the middle of revamping their website so check out their instagram @bohobabyboutique in the mean time! You can email them at bohobabyboutique@gmail.com for custom orders and be sure to use coupon code: BohoTABlog for 10% off ! When the website is up next month you'll be able to use this code there as well!

*photos taken a month or so ago. Little man has had his first hair "Trim" since then (;

Instagram @bohobabyboutique

Email: bohobabyboutique@gmail.com

Website: www.bohobabyboutique.com (launching October 2014)

Coupon Code 10% OFF: BohoTABlog  (type into email)

Moccasins c/o Starry Knight Design

Romper c/o Boho Baby Boutique