Spring Mantle and Dreams of Sunshine

Yesterday Laila and I came home to find over a foot of snow in Bellingham, with trees and branches down all over our neighborhood from the weight of the snow and ice-crazy. So since Laila is still fighting her cold, and our driveway and street are a sheet of ice...we have been staying inside and warm all day. I'm starting to get a little stir crazy this winter, and am so ready for sunshine, flip flops, and warm weather. My cabin fever and wishes for Spring got the best of me and I went off the deep-end and decorated our mantle for Spring/Easter. I know what you're thinking...its still February...you are nuts?! At least that's what the look on Chris's face said when he came home to find me elbow deep in banners, Easter eggs, and gardening rocks. SO, without further adieu...I give you our Spring (even though its still Winter) mantle!

 I got everything for the mantle at the new drain on my bank account Hobby Lobby! Love Love Love that store! I could go on and on, but you just need to check it out for yourself...it has EVERYTHING. I am the worlds un-craftiest (is that a word?) girl ever, so I felt pretty cool making my candle holders. It's just a standard mason jar with garden rocks, and a candle. I know...you're blown away right? ;)

I'm going to add in more Easter stuff as the holiday gets closer, but for now it's making all this cold weather more tolerable.

Chris made it home safe and sound from Mexico! Laila and I were beyond happy to see him, and he brought Laila back the cutest wooden puzzles! I just had to share...they are so stinking adorable. They stay together as long as you hold them from the top, so they are going up as decoration in her room until she's big enough to play with them.

That's all for now from this cabin fevered, stir crazy, can't wait for my kiddo to feel back to normal, mommy. I'll leave you with this gem of a pic...Laila is clearly on the mend ;)

Sick Babe and Snow Days

Laila and I have been at my parent's house in Anacortes since Tuesday, as Chris is soaking up the sun in Mexico with his family (jealous!). Our time here has been filled with all kinds of fun activities.

 I caught up with my good friend Annie, who is rocking her second pregnancy and looks gorgeous as usual. Her baby boy is due in June- I can't wait! (She can't either ;)

I also went to my friend Elise's son Maddox's 2nd birthday party (whew! does that make sense?) Poor Laila couldn't go because she caught her first cold and has a nasty little cough! Yes, I was that classic first time mom who frantically called my doctor the second the clock struck 8am, panicking and rattling off every symptom, to be told that it's just a cold, there's nothing to be done, she'll be fine and CALM DOWN mommy. So we set up shop on the couch, and put together our sicky station with all the essentials.

Laila starting feeling better Sunday morning. I think it was all the snuggles from Nanny and Grampa!

It has been snowing like crazy since Saturday night which is such a treat because we never get snow like this in the Pacific NW. I bundled up the babe who was feeling better and we headed outside for approximately 5 minutes. Just long enough to get some quick pics and then I ran my over-protective, worried butt into the warm house. 

We totally didn't make this snow man....But I fully appreciated the beer in the bucket!

Our time here is coming to an end. It's been so nice to catch up with friends and family. I can't wait for Chris to get home...it's going to be quite the rude awakening to come from 80 degree sunshine to 8 inches of snow! I don't feel too bad for him though ;)

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! 

Top 10 Baby Products for the First 6 Months & Some Words of Wisdom :)

When I was pregnant I researched everything to death. I would scour blogs, Pinterest, and online baby/pregnancy sites to read the "must-have" lists, and advice for new moms. SO, in the spirit of paying it forward, and having another full circle moment...

Here's my Top 10 List of Must-Have Baby Stuff for the First 6 Months.
Besides the obvious things like a crib, bottles,  yada yada yada

1. The Dohm Sound Machine
Laila was a pretty good sleeper from the start, but I swear this added a good two hours to her bedtime. The white noise sound is so soothing and sounds almost identical to what riding in the car sounds like...I think that's why babies love them so much. It just simply blocks out all other noise. We used to have the Dohm sound machine in our room with Laila, and now that she sleeps in her own room with it...we miss it so much!

2. Swing with detachable baby chair
As much as you're going to want to hold that precious baby 24/7, you have to be able to set her down sometimes. We had a swing/chair combo very similar to this and we absolutely loved it. We now just have the bouncy chair (that we call Laila's recliner) that is used every. single. day. It's super lightweight so I am able to take it room to room with me, and is very spacious so there's room for toys around her. Plus with all the baby gear piling up in your living room, it's nice to have a two for one combo like this.

Laila a few weeks old in her swing, swaddled in an Aden & Anais Blanket (#3)

3. Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets
Super soft...light weight, and perfect for Spring and Summer babies.

4. Diaper Caddy
We kept a diaper caddy with diapers, wipes, diaper cream, baby powder, etc in our living room so we weren't always making the trip downstairs to the nursery to change every single diaper. It was so nice to have everything organized and in one place. I still use this every day.

5. Pack n' Play
These just rock. Super easy to fold down for travel, and very lightweight. Laila slept in this in our room until she was 5 months old.

6. Sophie the Giraffe
I don't know what it is about this teether...but babies go bonkers for them. We never leave home without Sophie.

7. Video Baby Monitor
I know they're expensive, but I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to see Laila in the middle of the day or night. The night vision is incredible, and I swear I can even see her breathing. I love, love, love our video monitor.

8. Boppy
I think the Boppy was on about 99.9% of must-have lists that I read, and they weren't kidding! It's a back saver with breast or bottle feeding. We still use our Boppy for snuggling and feeding! Plus it can be used for tummy time, or propping baby up when she's learning to sit up alone.

9. Taggies
I received the Taggies Elephant as a shower gift and it's in Laila's top 3 toys for sure. She loves to snuggle her elephant and plays ever so gently with the tags, running them through her little fingers. I don't know what it is about babies and tags...but this toy is a huge hit.

10. Sleep Sacks
A totally genius invention, since you should never put loose blankets in with an infant. These sleep sacks are so lightweight, and warm.

Laila in her sleep sack, napping in her pack n' play on our Ocean Shores girls weekend

Thinking of my top 10 baby must-haves got me thinking of all the advice I got while expecting, and I'd like to share my Top 3 Words of Wisdom for New Moms that I received.

1. Babies cry in their sleep...it's true. I was like, "whaaaa?" when a friend of mine told me this. When babies are changing sleep cycles, they will often fuss. My friend said, "If Laila is fussing during sleep, and her eyes are closed...LET. HER. BE!" Which is so hard, because your first reaction is to scoop up your little baby. Alas, I tried it, and I swear...not even two minutes of fussing later and she was peacefully sleeping again. I had no idea. Try it, I swear it's true ;) I was waking up the baby and didn't even know it.

2. Try to get out of the house every single day. It's so easy to feel incredibly cooped up, trapped, and like life outside the confines of your home no longer exists when you have a newborn baby. Get out of the house! Even if it's just a walk down the street. I promise, it'll make a world of difference.

3. Enjoy every moment, because it goes way too fast. As a new mom, you'll hear this over, and over, and over again. But it's true. It goes too fast. Enjoy every single, little, teeny, tiny moment. Take too many pictures and videos. Snuggle just a few minutes longer before you lay her down. Turn off the TV and hide your computer and just take it all in. Motherhood is HARD. But it's the single most amazing thing you'll ever do. 

So that's it! I am by no means an expert, this is simply what worked for us :)

Big girl stuff

After much research and shopping we finally bought Laila a new car seat yesterday. It was definitely time to upgrade from her Graco Snugride 35 because she is so tall, and too heavy to tote her around in her standard infant car seat. We decided on the Britax Marathon convertible car seat.

We found it for a steal at Target, plus I love the grey. The fact that it fits babies and kiddos up to 70 lbs is great!!! So this will last us a long time! Laila wasn't sure what to think at first but she likes it now :) This will be a comfy ride for her on long car rides for sure!

Making the trip down south to purchase the car seat of course meant we got to do some other shopping ;) Laila now sits in the big kid seat in her BOB stroller and she is so entertained being able to see everything and everyone!

I know socks over leggings is so 1980 something, but it's the only way to keep her from pulling them off!

We of course made our way to Nordstrom, and I will definitely be buying Laila a pair of Hunter boots to match Mommy this fall!

All the stores are starting to get in their Spring and Summer clothes! I am so over the rain and wind...mama needs some sunshine!

Chris is going to Mexico this week to visit family, so Laila and I will be staying with my parents in Anacortes for a couple of days, which will be a nice change of pace! You better believe I will be packing up pretty much our whole house again, including all my workout gear so I can stay on track!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

I used to hate Valentine's Day, thinking it was a "Hallmark Holiday" and made the majority of people feel lonely, depressed, and just plain sad. Over the past couple of years, I have to say...it's kind of growing on me. Miss Laila is decked out today in all things heart, red, and pink :)

This face kills me

My big girl is getting so close at sitting up by herself, but still doesn't have much interest in crawling. She's a  cautious little stinker, which is fine with me! My house and I aren't quite ready for a mobile baby! We do have big news at the Raymor house....LAILA GOT HER FIRST TOOTH TODAY! I think she hurried it along thinking she could dive into Daddy's box of chocolates ;) 

My sweet husband brought home a cake for two and a sweet card :) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!!! Lots of love from the Raymors and especially from our Little Miss Amour :)

Ocean Shores Girls (and munchkin) Weekend!

This weekend one of my longest and closest friends Elise hosted a group of us for a girls (and kids) for a weekend at Ocean Shores! I had been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. There were four girls, and three kids (Emylia age 3, Maddox age 2, and Laila 6 months). In other words...total kiddo chaos, but in the best way :) Its so hard packing for a little one, especially on her first big trip away so I pretty much packed up the entire house!

We weren't even going to be gone for two full days! I promise to pack lighter next time :)

The trip got off to a rocky start when I woke up to over an inch of snow and ice! A total surprise and panic moment because I hate driving in the snow...especially with precious cargo. So I woke up my poor husband who was sweet enough to drive me down part way to meet up with Elise.

We loaded in the kiddos, Elise's wiener dog Harley, my weeks worth of luggage, and hit the road. Not even 20 minutes into the drive (looking for a closest Starbucks because we were half asleep and in desperate need of STRONG coffee) Laila decided to have a giant melt down. Elise's son Maddox, who had a case of the tired jollys and was in need of a good nap started laughing and yelling, "FUSSY FUSSY FUSSY!" over and over again over Laila's screaming. Harley the dog got excited and didn't know what to do with himself, and Elise and I were sure we were in for it...big time...on this 4 hour drive. Fast forward 30 minutes to a warm bottle and nap for Laila, a sleeping Maddox, and two tired mamas drinking their coffees, and we made the rest of the trip in peace with lots of good catch up time :)

Maddox and Harley

My other two friends, Lindsay and Annie (with her 3 year old daughter Emy and baby boy on board) weren't far behind us. Once they arrived we unpacked, settled in, ate some lunch, played a bit, then headed out for a pizza dinner with the kids.

The Kiddos

Elise, Maddox, and Laila

On Saturday, even though it was approximately 35 degrees outside, we decided we couldn't go to Ocean Shores without at least making an attempt to go to the beach. So after about an hour of bundling up the kids, getting everyone in the car, and mixing some mimosas in a "to go" cup to keep us big girls warm, we headed out....and returned within a half hour! Laila lasted about 15 seconds outside the car, Maddox about 5 minutes, and Emy was the true beach bum and lasted about 15 minutes chasing seagulls. Frozen and a little discouraged, we returned home to play inside, and watch the snow start to fall from inside the warm house.

Harley was the smartest of all and stayed under a blanket all afternoon...hiding I think ;)

The rest of evening was filled with playing, snuggling, dinner and bedtime. Then it was time for us girls to play some Catch Phrase and drink wine...lots of wine ;) By the end of the night we were outside playing in the freshly fallen snow, and having a lot of good conversations and laughs.
Sunday came way too fast. I had so much fun with these girls! The car ride home went smoothly and Laila is worn out and in bed at an all time record of 8:30 pm. Which is perfect since we are working on earlier bedtimes. As for my diet...it was pretty much ruined this weekend but you know what??? I don't even care. There was a lot of good food and wine calling my name and I answered. Back to the diet and exercise program tomorrow. (sigh)
As far as souvenirs go, Annie sent me home with a big box of clothes that Emy has grown out of and an awesome play car that is a huge hit already with the babe!

New Hat!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Back to reality, as they say. And I've gotta say, my reality is pretty sweet these days :)

Laila 6 months

Today is Laila's 6 month Birthday! I can't believe she's 6 months old already. Everyone says, "It goes so fast!" and I really can't believe how true that statement is. This silly girl is growing up so fast, and looking more like her daddy every day :) Which I love!

She had her 6 month check up today!

Laila these days:

Height.....28 inches
Weight....18.06 lbs
Clothing size.....12 month
Favorite food....Apples and Pears
Milestones.......Trying really hard to sit up on her own, and escape from her bouncy seat!

Favorite Toy.........The remote control, my phone, and her FEET. Yes, we have a toe sucker! 

Favorite activity.........JUMPING! This girl can jump and bounce all day long.

I'm also going to include Laila's least favorite activity these days which seems to be napping. Last night she had a full blown meltdown when I tried to put her down for a nap. The tears wouldn't stop rolling, so I got her out of her crib...but the tears kept coming!

It was one of the first times I literally couldn't get her to stop crying. We tried walking, cuddling, her pacifier, a bottle...she wasn't taking the bait. Until I noticed her eyeing my phone so we turned on the "selfie" mode of the camera and what do ya know...my little drama queen started posing for the camera and thought she was just too cute :) 

The nuclear baby meltdown was over in two seconds flat. You can bet your bucks that this mama is filing that cure away for future meltdowns!

Losing the baby weight - Week #1 results

I completed my first week of The Brazilian Butt workout program and I am so thrilled with my results. I did the "Lean" schedule of DVDs and it was really really hard, but more importantly, really fun. My favorite DVD is the Cardio Axe which is a dance cardio workout. Laila thinks it's hilarious to watch me awkwardly shake my booty and try my best to follow along. I haven't been counting calories, or using the fitness app I mentioned in an earlier post. I've just been trying to eat healthier, and of course eat less. No more fast food, soda, etc.
So here are my Week #1 Stats :)

Week #1

Weight lost this week.....5 lbs
Total weight loss.............5 lbs

Inches lost this week

Waist..........................3.5 inches (holy moly!)
Hips............................2 inches
Thighs.........................2 inches (each leg)
Arms..........................1/2 inch (each arm)

Total inches lost: 10 inches!!!!!!! In one week!

Needless to say, I am super pumped and motivated with the results. It'll be interesting to see if next week brings such drastic changes! I sure hope so!

Switching gears...THE SEAHAWKS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!! Woo Hoo! We had a blast watching the game and I was able to stay away from eating my 5 lbs back in mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers. We were showing our 12th man pride with Seahawks cupcakes (made my by brother's girlfriend Stefani, who happens to be a chef! YUM)  and of course Skittles!

Next to the TV for good luck ;)

The littlest 12th man was overcome with excitement as the game started

In writing news: As mentioned in an earlier blog, I was asked to submit our IVF success story to the clinic we used in Seattle. I wrote that this week, and submitted it along with some pictures. They are going to include my blog address as well, so anyone with questions or anyone wanting any kind of support or words of encouragement can contact me that way :) Such a full circle moment. We are so blessed to have this little munchkin :) 

Have a wonderful Monday!