Babies and Blogging

My husband is out for the night seeing one of his favorite bands, so I figured I would whip up a little post tonight.

One I my favorite times of the day is getting to chill with this little guy on my bed. I remember the times so fondly when Little Ox #1 was little and I would do that. I guess it is kind of a wonderful thing as the first and only child. Sometimes I feel guilty about not having that same kind of time with Little Ox #2. That's why, for at least a little while, while #1 is napping or has already gone to bed, I will sit on my bed with #2 and talk to him and play with him, just the two of us. 

It helps me to feel better knowing that he is able to get a little bit of one-on-one attention with mama! I remember with our first, peaceful nursing sessions - we could just stare at one another and "talk" the whole time. He had my full attention. Now, with #2, I am lucky if I can get through each nursing session without having to unlatch him to stop older brother from doing something crazy. So the alone time I get with him every now then is nice!

It is hard when my toddler wants my full attention when my baby needs it - and it is so hard when baby wants my full attention (or needs to be held, or fed, or rocked) when my toddler needs me! I love being needed by my boys, and I can feel guilty at times, but I know I am giving them both my best and loving them with all the I have.

I can't be the only one who feels like that when they have a second baby, right?!

At least this makes me feel a bit better. 

A Little Bit of Life

I meant to have a fun post up today but I spent most of the precious "both kids are napping" time working on updating my About Page. Check it out if you get a moment! :)

Just a little bit about my week:

Something that has been extra fun lately is the progression of Little Ox #2's personality! This is one of my favorite stages! They are moving out of the newborn phase a little bit and becoming more aware of their surroundings. I say this a lot but I can't stress the fact enough that Nolan loves watching his older brother! One of my favorite things since having #2 is watching #1 morph into an amazing older brother. He is so gentle, loving, and protective of his little brother. He loves showing him off to other people and loves having someone to make laugh. Josiah was SO excited this week when I dressed them up in the same outfit.

Little Ox #2 loves his baths! It took Josiah a few months before we were able to do his baths without any screaming along the way. Since Nolan's second bath ever, he has been like this. It is one of his favorite things ever!

Little Ox #1 has been fascinated with everything associated with breastfeeding. Here is a sweet little shot of him "feeding" his baby that we got him before #2 was born. He tries to nurse his baby and pump any time he can. It is so sweet and funny how aware of his surroundings he is!

Another great thing that happened this week was somewhat of a sleep milestone for Nolan! He has slept mostly through the night for a month or so now, but the other day while I was working out, I laid him in his crib with his pacifier while he sleepy, thinking I could get a few minutes of the workout in before he started crying, needing to be held. However, I went to check on him 10 minutes later and he had fallen asleep, on his own, unswaddled, in his CRIB! This is amazing because usually the ONLY way we can get him to sleep is swaddled, in his swing, usually with white noise. I was so surprised! We decided that night to see if he would sleep in his crib all night like he does in his swing. So that night, we swaddled him, sleepy, and laid him in his crib with white noise and he was out in 10 minutes, no crying, and he slept until almost 4:30am! Woohoo! 

This week Josiah and I made superhero masks too! If you didn't know already, he LOVES superheroes and tries to use anything as his superhero props. So I found an amazing DIY on Pinterest and I sewed some up for him. Look out for a new post soon on how I made them!

Another woohoo moment is that I finished every one of my workouts this week! Once you get on a roll it is hard to stop. You start actually WANTING to work out 

Lastly, I am so excited to be starting some research on putting together a marriage workshop. Marriage is so important and I am so passionate about making my marriage the absolute best it can possibly be. Being a CFLE is so exciting because I am able to help others and share with them my passion about making a marriage thrive and helping it enrich your life!

Impending Spring

I will admit that ever since having Little Ox #2, I have had a hard time adjusting to how I schedule my time with #1 during the day. Some days it seems like nothing gets done and all my toddler has done was play by himself or watch TV, but hey - moms aren't perfect right?!

Luckily, now that #2 is closing in on being 3 months old, things are starting to look a little bit more normal around here. As a Stay-At-Home mama, I like to have a (flexible) schedule for every day to ensure that we all don't end up sitting on the couch all day. It creates a lot of structure for me and puts Little Ox #1 in a much better mood for the day!

My toddler has SO much energy, so when he has creative outlets for that energy, the tantrums are less and he is a much happier two-year old! Since it has been so cold and rainy here lately, it is difficult to give him time to play outside (and on top of that, we practically live in a forest, so there is no flat ground to play outside anyway.) **another reason I am SO excited to be moving soon**

So we have to find lots of fun inside activities to do while it's still a little cold and rainy. Luckily, Spring is almost here and we are slowly having a few warm, sunny days.

Something that #1 has been into lately has been SUPERHEROES. Like every superhero - but mostly all the Avengers (+Spiderman). And because of the amazing world of Pinterest, I was able to find this awesome site that shows you how to make felt Superhero Masks of all his favorite guys.

http://cutesycrafts.com/2012/07/superhero-party-masks.html

We will definitely be making these soon!!

Aren't toddler boys amazing!?! I think he is in such a fun stage right now and I love spending my days with him. Other activities that are fun for us right now are:

• Finger Painting: Last time it got sooo messy I have been contemplating doing it in the bathtub. He loves being in the tub - so maybe doing it in an empty tub will be fun and have an easy cleanup! 

• Magnet boards: HERE you can find when we use his magnet board and how we made it. We bought alphabet magnets and we turn his play into a fun school lesson - practicing words, letters, and colors.

• Cooking: This has been so fun to do with him! Real cooking and pretending in his play kitchen! I will be having a small series about Cooking With Toddlers with recipes and tips for cooking and baking with your little ones.

On another note -

Little Ox #2 just turned 12 WEEKS OLD and he will be 3 months on Friday.

He is starting to have more control of his head and body. He loves looking at his big brother and laying on his tummy. He doesn't have any teeth yet but he is definitely teething! He is still exclusively breastfed and I am pretty sure he is going through a growth spurt. He now consistently is sleeping 6(ish) hours every night and sleeps really well during the day (even while big brother is napping!)

I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with my boys and watch them grow! Geeze - life is pretty amazing, huh? You know what else is amazing!?

These fashion/drool bibs for babies up to 2 years old!! Here is Little Ox #1 modeling some!

www.etsy.com/shop/mimasnurseryshoppe

I will be getting some soon for #2! They will be perfect for drool and spit up, especially during this teething phase! You can find those here! 

Happy Monday!

How to Nurse Your Newborn When You Have a Toddler

While I was pregnant with Little Ox #2, I wondered how I was supposed to do things now that I would have TWO children instead of just one. (I still don't know how I manage it some days!)

The thought of how I would nurse our newborn with a strong-willed two-year old running around (usually getting into things he shouldn't be) stressed me out! Luckily, we were able to find something that worked for us - and something that might work for you too!

• Corner off a section of your house only for nursing/play time
• For us, we use my two-year old's room (which is the best choice, if possible), but if they do not have their own room, a sectioned off area of the living room or play room will work well too.
• You can use a playard (something like this will work very well) or any room where your toddler can play unassisted without getting hurt
• Using the toddler's room is best because it will allow them to feel and be more involved in the activity because you (and the new sibling) are in their turf.
• Put a nursing chair or rocker in the designated area
• Make sure it is comfortable enough to nurse baby in
• It can also be helpful if the chair is big enough to fit you, nursing baby, and toddler all at once. Our toddler likes to sit on my lap while I am nursing our newborn so a bigger chair can be useful at times.
• Here are some examples of great nursing chairs:
• This is the one we have from Target
• This one also looks great
• Have a table or bin next to the rocker with nursing essentials
• A list of essentials for us include:
• Water
• Boppy or other nursing pillow
• Spit up rags - This Shop has adorable handmade ones
• Pacifier
• Have a Toy Bin designated for your toddler
• This bin of toys is only allowed to be played with while in the "Nursing Room/Corner"
• Put toys in here that your toddler can play with unassisted so that he/she does not get hurt and does not need your help
• Make a Magnetic Play Board to keep Toddler busy
• This board has been a wonderful activity for Little Ox #1 while I am nursing our new little one.
• You can use any oil drip pan or a magnetic board like This One from IKEA
• We also bought adorable magnets like THESE for him to use with it
• This has been one of my favorite purchases for our son - it keeps him busy the whole time I am nursing Little Ox #2

These things have allowed me to easily handle both boys at the same time, without needing to jump up in the middle of nursing to stop my toddler from drinking the dog water or trying to climb on the kitchen table. 

A Little Hobby

One of the things that I love to do every now and then is sewing! Whether I get the chance to do it very often is another story...

However, I like to pick up a few projects every now and then. Mostly because -

1. It reminds me of my grandma that I lost two weeks before I became pregnant with Little Ox #1 (She was a wonderful seamstress!)
2. It gives me a chance to do something with my mom - (who is also amazing at sewing)
3. It allows me to do something "for myself" every now and then - which can be relieving! 

When I got pregnant with LO #2 I wanted to sew some things for him and I decided on sewing him clothes! Nothing too crazy but I thought it would be cute to sew him some adorable baby boy leggings! 

They always have such cute clothes and leggings for girls, but you can hardly find things like that out there for boys - so I decided to make them myself!

Here are two of the ones I made for him:

I LOVE the mustache and anchor prints and thought they would make great leggings.

It's so fun being able to see your baby use something that you made for them.

Here's this one, just because. :)

Getting Ready for Baby + My mom is Amazing!

With (hopefuly) less than a month to go - I am almost finished with everything I wanted to have done before this new baby gets here!

Things have been so busy and this pregnancy has been a lot harder than my first! LOTS and LOTS of decreased energy - although that may have something to do with chasing around a very active two year old all day long.

Here is my most recent BABY BUMP pic - at 34.5 weeks:

This post is mostly to show you the AMAZING things my mom has made for our Little Ox #2. I like to rave about how amazing my mom is because she - well she's just that - AMAZING!

She is so selfless and so loving toward other people - it amazes me. AND on top of all that she is so talented. When I was pregnant with my first son - she went all out and sewed him over 40 adorable spit up rags, his own crib set, sheets, and a quilt. Since then, my husband and I convinced her to open her own Etsy shop - which is something she has wanted to do for a while. And she did!

CLICK HERE to visit her shop.

Well, since I got pregnant with #2, she wanted to do the same kind of thing for this baby. I LOVE it all SO much I just had to share it with the world. We are doing #2's nursery in nautical theme - full of whales, anchors, and lighthouses galore! Here is just a start of what she has done for us so far:

Boppy Cover:

Car Seat Canopy:

with WARM minky underside

A Spit up Rag/ Receiving Blanket Set:

AND the one that blows me away the most-

A Car Seat Cover with matching hood:

She did the last one with NO pattern and the hood is absolutely perfect. 

She is also making #2 his own crib set as well that will include - a crib skirt, a quilt, two sets of sheets, and a diaper stacker.

Everyone should really check out her website and share it with your friends!

www.etsy.com/shop/mimasnurseryshoppe 

Gender Announcement!

I forgot to post this but this is what we did when we announced the gender of Little Ox #2!

WE ARE SO EXCITED to be having another little boy and a little BROTHER for Josiah.

Refreshed at 16 Weeks

I think it is crazy how fast this pregnancy is flying by compared to the last!

16 WEEKS.

Some of the best parts right now:

• more energy
• less nausea
• Showing - instead of just looking like I gained weight out of nowhere!
• BABY WIGGLES
• Name planning

Some of the not so great parts:

• nausea (even though it has lessened)
• back aches
• headaches
• ligament stretching - UGH.

On top of that - I have been having issues with my tailbone - which has been painful at times.

However, all of this brings me to today and 

PiYo.

I only just got this program today and I am going to tell you why I already LOVE it.

The last few weeks my body has been aching. Even though I have been working out, I felt like my body needed something different. I started pondering over a few ideas and programs - and ultimately landed on PiYo. I knew I wanted to get it eventually, but I wasn't thinking in the middle of my pregnancy. However, I knew I needed yoga or something to get my body feeling refreshed AND worked out all at the same time. BOY am I glad I chose PiYo over everything else I considered. 

And like I said - I have only done the first day. Since I was pretty familiar with yoga and pilates, I skipped the foundations video and started with lower body - and here is why I fell in love immediately.

• MY tailbone and lower back have IMMEDIATELY improved. 
• My mind AND body feel so refreshed.
• It was exactly what my body was telling me it NEEDED.

And just a little bonus to throw in there:

• One move made me have to stop a second because I could feel our little baby flippy-flopping all over the place. MAGICAL :)

So get PiYo. End of story. 

Little Ox #2 - Week 10

10.5 WEEKS!

Our little baby is one-quarter of the way done! :)

It is exciting that our baby has moved from an embryo into a fetus this week! Yay!
This pregnancy seems to already be moving a lot faster than the time before - no doubt, because I have another little one keeping me busy :)

It is weird to think that I am already 25% done with this pregnancy!

Luckily the nausea is starting to subside, because the last two weeks it got much worse and it was very difficult to eat.

Plus, last week we were able to see our little one for the first and and hear its little (but LOUD) heartbeat. That is always SO exciting, just watching the baby grow and change every time you go in for a new ultrasound.

We probably wont be as lucky as before - with Josiah we had around 18 ultrasounds throughout the course of the pregnancy - which was AMAZING, even though some of them were for scary reasons at the time.

I am figuring we wont have that many this time, so every chance we have to see our baby on that ultrasound is exciting! :)

Not showing much yet, but my lower abdomen is definitely already starting to harden up. Love the progress!

This week or next week I will be starting my first trimester blood work and have to do the 2 hour sugar test. BLEH! Wish me luck! :)

Little Ox #2 - Week 8

A little behind on my week 8 post. (I will actually be 9 weeks on Thursday).

Only 2 more days until we can see our little one's heartbeat and get our first picture of him/her!

Here is what I hate right now:

• nausea!!!!
• fatigue

Yeah, that's about it. But don't think it is all "easy-peasy" since I only hate those two things right now. If you have ever been pregnant you know how much these TWO simple things can debilitate you. 

It's also interesting how different these two things are compared to my last pregnancy. 

With Josiah, nausea KILLED me. I could hardly eat. In fact, I believe I lost 10-15 pounds the first trimester because of how little I could actually eat. And it wasn't cute little morning sickness that went away after noon hit. It was ALL DAY LONG - literally from the second I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. 

With this baby, I knew how miserable I was last time, so I have to force myself to eat, nausea and all. Same with fatigue. Last time, it was easy to take a long nap in the middle of the day, then get up and get things done. But things change when you have a toddler.

I now do not have the luxury of laying down for a mid day nap and moseying through chores when I wake up. I don't have the ability to lay in bed all day complaining about being hungry but not being able to eat.

Welcome to motherhood. Suck it up, Kimberly. I do not have time to let myself feel sick or tired because I have another human life (besides the one growing inside of me) that needs love and constant attention. Luckily, this has actually benefitted me! Forcing myself to eat - even though nothing sounds good - makes the nausea go away! And not doing chores because I am too exhausted means more play time and attention to my little one year old who needs me. :)

Week 8 Stats:

• Symptoms:
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Movements:
• None yet!
• Cravings:
• Mexican Food
• Fruit Popsicles

A Late Christmas Present is to be Expected.

I am not sure if you have ever experienced this, but the joy, excitement, and rush of love you get when you see the "Second Line" - is so amazing!

The Oxford Fam is expecting another little one coming early January!!

Our little family is beyond excited for this new adventure in our life. It still seems so unreal, but we are praying that this little miracle of life will continue to grow and bless us with its presence at the beginning of next year.

I will officially be 6 weeks along this week and I am excited to share with you my journey through my second pregnancy. I will be committing to one post a week that is focused on my pregnancy, our excitement, and how we are preparing for this new life to join our family.

Although Josiah is still young and doesn't really understand what having a sibling means - we know he is excited too ;-) 

I love seeing him and hearing him point to my belly and say "baby". It is one of the sweetest things ever.

See, doesn't he look like a proud big brother?!

Ergobaby Babyyyy!!

We are LOVING the Ergobaby carrier today! When J was younger we loved our Moby Wrap and used it to death! And we still love our Moby. But it doesn't seem to work as well now that he is a lot bigger and heavier - so he usually prefers to walk himself. 

BUT...

since we haven't been using the Moby Wrap and since we are going on vacation soon (doing LOTS of walking) we decided to finally get one after seeing and hearing SO many good things about them! (Plus Target was having an amazing sale at the time.)

Also, Josiah loved #babywearing as much as I did - and I think we were both missing it. The only thing I worried about was that he would not want to be carried anymore. (you know, since once a toddler gets the taste of freedom and independence - there is no turning back.)

However - HE LOVES IT. 

YAY!

1 point for mom 

1 point for baby

10 points for Ergobaby!

Everyone wins.

I was testing the three carrier ways out and every time I took him out - he would cry and want back up! 

I think we will use it a few times a day until our trip so we can wear it in and get him used to it.

Pros:

• love the comfort
• for mama and baby
• light feeling
• not too hot
• puts pressure lower in hips rather than back
• front, back, and side carrying
• safe for baby's hips
• sleeping/weather "hood"
• cute colors
• easy to put on/off by self

Cons:

• Not outward facing (although I didn't care for that much anyway)
• although they now have Ergobaby 360 for that.

Any other baby wearing mamas love their Ergo?

In the Blink of an eye

My baby boy is 15 months and 3 days old today. It is hard to believe sometimes that I have a TODDLER. I remember when he could hardly hold his head up, the first time he said da-da, and the rush of joy and love I felt when HE wanted to kiss ME for the first time.

I found this old picture that was taken a year ago. J was barely 3 months old.

and here he is yesterday at 15 months old:

That same amazing smile that lights up his (and everyone else's) face. That same soft face and beautiful brown hair.

The same blue-gray eyes, just like his mommies. The same silly attitude and olive skin like his daddies. 

I love seeing the little boy that he is growing up to be (even if it is a little naughty every now and then!) ;) I wouldn't trade him for the world and I am SO blessed to be able to stay home with him and enjoy every second taking in his AWESOME-ness.

Just needed to get that out. I am a little emotional right now. Why do they have to grow up so quickly?! 

Barnyard-Themed First Birthday!

Josiah's birthday was in January but since it happened before the website launch, I thought I would make a post about the party! It was very much "Pinterest inspired" and it turned out exactly how I pictured it. He enjoyed himself and LOVED all of the decorations!

I will start with the food since I LOVED the clever names for all of the food.
It was an afternoon party, so we mostly had appetizers and cake.
Here is some of the food:

Included is:

"Farm Fresh Eggs"

Deviled Eggs

"Barnyard Chicken Sandwiches"

"Chicken Feed"

Chex Mix

"Pigs in a Blanket"

"Hay Stacks"

Rice Crispy Treats

"Garden Veggies"

Along with that. Here are a few more shots of the table, as well as the decorations. We even had a friend of our bring in hay bales for the gift table (which also allowed Josiah to feel like a "big boy" sitting on them while opening his gifts.

And more decorations...

Last but not least, THE CAKE.

We bought a small and large cake for the guest but I also made J his own "healthy cake" - and he didn't even know the difference ;)

Found it here: 

http://whisperedinspirations.com/2011/05/30/babys-first-organic-birthday-cake-recipe/

Pure joy.

For party favors, we wanted to keep it simple. We stuck with the rustic/farm theme and tied up brown paper sacks with burlap ribbon and gave everyone homemade caramel corn and chocolate chip cookies.

What were your little one's first birthday themes?