10.28.2018

NEW BABY & BREASTFEEDING MAMA MUST HAVES

I partnered with the brands featured below for this post and received product in exchange for my honest and open opinion.

When it comes to bringing home a new baby, there are so many new products out there that sometimes it's not easy making choices on what to buy. Of course you want the best for your new little bundle of joy, so I'm sharing some of my top favorite must have items we've chosen for baby! Of course, since I'll be breastfeeding, I had to share some of my top picks for breastfeeding mamas too! Breastfeeding isn't easy, but it's oh so rewarding and I'm so excited to be able to do it again, though I'm definitely feeling more prepared this time and feel like I know a little bit of what to expect. Read all about our favorites below, if you're expecting, you'll probably just want to go ahead and add them all to your registry now. :)


PUJ BATH TIME HOODED TOWEL + WASHCLOTHS
We've loved Puj brand for years after owning multiple puj phill-up hangable cups, hug hooded towels, non-slip bath treads and now some more fun products! Bella absolutely loves her fill-up cups and plays with them every single day during bath time, and her hooded "big hug" towel she had a couple years back was the best. It was her absolute favorite towel to wrap herself up in after a bath, so of course we wanted to let baby boy in on the fun! He's going to love being wrapped up in this luxuriously soft, cozy and absorbent hooded puj hug towel after his baths, and during baths, I have a feeling he's going to love the softness of these sweet little puj fresh washcloths!




MILK BLISS ALL NATURAL GOURMET LACTATION TREATS
It's no secret at all just how much I love chocolate, and peanut butter and chocolate together? Even better! But what I love most about these treats from Milk Bliss (well besides their adorable packaging), is the fact that they'll help me along with me breastfeeding journey! I've mentioned previously, that while breastfeeding Bella, I had a lot of milk supply issues, and while I breastfed her for 9 months, only the first 6 weeks of that was exclusive breastfeeding. I tried pumping more between feedings, but even that didn't help, and I had no clue where to buy lactation products to try and up my supply. So I'm hoping that doing my research this time, being prepared with all of the right products and being equipped with new knowledge, that this time around I'll be able to exclusively breastfeed for a longer amount of time, and my goal this time is to breastfeed for a year or more. I'm super excited to try out these chocolate chip lactation cookies and also these peanut butter chip lactation cookies after baby is born to help boost my milk supply! I also really excited for these 5 pack chocolate peanut butter overnight lactation oats! Yum!



PARASOL CO. DIAPERS + WIPES + FEMININE CARE ITEMS
I've heard so many amazing things about the Parasol brand over the past couple of years and of course had to try them out for this baby (they unfortunately weren't around when Bella was a baby and I only found out about them right around the time Bella was potty training). I just love these diapers because not only are they timeless and modern in design (aka yay for no sesame street prints on the diapers), they're also very safe compared to a lot of brands! They're chemical free, free of heavy metals and free of other harmful materials (which not only makes them irritation free and safer for your baby's sensitive skin, but also makes the workplace for their employees safer)! Oh! They sell more than diapers too! They have baby wipes, diaper pants (for older babies/toddlers who are potty training), and also carry a line of amazing feminine care products such as feminine wipes and pads!



BLABLA KIDS HAND KNIT DOLLS
We simply love the adorable knit dolls from over at Blabla Kids. They're just so huggable, soft, sweet and their simple designs are always so eye catching. Each doll is handmade from high quality hand picked cotton, and knitted by skilled artisans one stitch at a time in Peru. I also love that these dolls are safe and that Blabla Kids are not only committed to the environment and your child's safety by using only 100% natural fibers, but they also have been tested and meet the both United States and European safety requirements. Oh! And they are fair trade and sustainable! Blabla Kids has been working with the same artisans for over 17 years to create their dolls! We recently added TouTou the dog to our collection for baby boy, and of course we didn't want big sister Bella to feel left out, so Jasper the deer was her choice! She falls asleep every single night hugging her little deer and it's just the cutest thing!



MILK SNOB CARSEAT COVERS, NURSING COVERS + SWADDLES
With a baby on the way during the cold months, a car seat cover is pretty much a necessity to keep those tiny little cheeks toasty warm. Even better, is when you find one that doubles as a multi functional cover that can not only be used as a cover on your baby's car seat to keep the cold or sun out of their face, but also as a nursing cover, a shopping cart cover and so much more! Though at home I don't usually use nursing covers, when I'm out and about, it's always nice to have one on hand in case I want to be more discreet (especially at church lol). Milk Snob has so many colors and prints to choose from and every single one is soft as butter. They also carry a ton more items (like this super sweet buffalo check swaddle blanket), changing pad covers, crib sheets, adorable knotted hats and gowns for the tiny ones, wrap baby carriers... pretty much just all the cutest things.



CAKE MATERNITY NURSING BRAS
With Bella I didn't bother to get any nursing bras and ended up just using my regular bras during my 9 months breastfeeding her. Though thankfully I never had any issues from it (mastitis, etc), I know it definitely would have made breastfeeding so much easier to have a nursing bra or two and I wish I would have gotten myself at least one nursing bra during that time, so this time around I made sure to grab a few. These 3 from Cake Maternity are perfect for all stages of pregnancy as well as postpartum and breastfeeding. I've actually already started wearing them because they're so comfortable as well as being super supportive and are also super cute! I love this one for when I want to feel super put together, this one for when I just want to be nothing but comfortable, and this one for sleep and those first couple of weeks postpartum (it's amazing and buttery soft ya'll). I definitely recommend these nursing bras to all the mamas who plan on breastfeeding or pumping!



We never used a pacifier clip with Bella, and it was one of those things that I was always needing, she only used a pacifier for around 6 months or less, but while she did, it was constantly falling on the floor, so a pacifier clip would have been a big help. So this time around I'm prepared with some adorable, gender neutral, and super minimal clips from Ryan & Rose! I chose the plain leather cutie clips in tan, black, and cream (the ryan real leather cutie clips) and I feel like they'll go with everything, not to mention they're super cute! I also had had my eye on these natursutten natural rubber pacifiers for awhile so I scooped up a couple of those, and I'm also loving this matching teether! Ryan & Rose has so many adorable pacifier clip options that no matter what your style, you'll find something you love.



I breastfed Bella for 9 months (I wish I could have longer) and I'm fulling planning on breastfeeding this baby, so I wanted to make sure I had some things to help out with that this time. I always felt that a ton of milk was being wasted on whatever side I wasn't feeding Bella on at the time since when I'd go to switch her to my other breast or she was done nursing, my breastpad on the opposite side would always be full. I mean, you can't expect your body to only "let-down" on one side I guess, but it still always felt so wasteful since every single drop of breastmilk is so hard to come by and so precious. So earlier this year, a friend and fellow blogger who had just had a baby, shared about this Silicone Breast Pump with Silicone Stopper from Naturebond, and I immediately knew it was a must have item for when baby #2 came along. Just suction it to whichever breast you're not currently using, and let it catch all the milk that flows when you're nursing and let down. I can't wait to use this and I'm hoping it will help me get my freezer stash going in no time. Naturebond also recently released these pretty lace reusable breastpads made from the softest bamboo cotton that are perfect for eco-conscious mamas or those who don't want to be making constant trips to the store for disposable breastpads.



Would you just look at how cute these sweet little hairbrushes and comb set from Natemia Baby are? You all know I'm not the biggest fan of plastic, so when I found out that wooden baby hairbrushes existed, it was high up on my to-get list. I just love the minimal, natural look of this wooden hair brushes and comb set and the regular brush is so silky soft, perfect for delicate newborn hair. Not only are they functional, but they also look really pretty sitting out on the dresser. I also grabbed some of these bamboo baby washcloths, and they are buttery soft, I can't wait to use them for baby's baths!



I've heard so many good things about FridaBaby over the years, but somehow never got around to getting any of their products. Well with a new baby on the way, I felt it was the perfect time to change that! Cue the NoseFrida! No clue why we haven't got this sooner, especially since our poor little Bella ended up getting a cold at 2 months old (this would have been so much more useful than the hospital bulb syringe). Hopefully I won't have to use it for a long while, but just in case, we're prepared now. The Fridet momwasher was a product that has been highly recommended to me by so many fellow mamas, everyone says it's so much better than the regular peri-bottle you are given at postpartum, so I'm actually thrilled to add this in my hospital bag and hopefully make that first week postpartum a little easier.



This was one of those must have items we had with Bella, and I honestly don't think I could have survived breastfeeding those first months without it. It was such a lifesaver. Out of all of the nursing pillows I've looked at, this one will always be my favorite just because we used the living daylights out of it when Bella was an infant. We actually ended up keeping it for a couple of years because she ended up taking such a liking to it and would use it as a cozy pillow while watching shows or cuddling with her Lambie. I had a pink one with Bella, and this time I wanted something simple, so I chose the Bare Naked Boppy pillow and I just love it. I love how simple and clean looking it is, and if I get tired of the white and want to switch things up a bit, I can just throw a cover on it (a friend actually custom made one for me, but Boppy offers so many cute options). I have a feeling this is going to be a huge favorite again this time around.
This blooming lotus baby bath is one of the things I grabbed for baby this past week. It's just so darling and I love that it can be used in a kitchen sink (where I plan on bathing baby most of the time once he/she is here) or anywhere you want as they get older. It's so soft and though it comes in a ton of pretty colors, this pretty neutral gray especially caught my eye and I knew we had to have it. When Bella was a baby, we had a hard plastic tub and she hated baths, so I eventually had her shower with me, because bathing her in her tub made her so miserable, so I'm excited to try this sweet bath out in the future. The contoured shaped petals of this blooming bath are perfectly designed to cradle your baby while bathing and it creates a safe and comfortable environment for them. It's machine washable and dry-able AND the polyurethane foam inside dries fast so there's no chance of mildew or mold. Another reason I love this adorable bath, is because it's not been treated with any harmful chemicals or any flame retardants, which is super important to me as a mama.
We LOVE the Bumbo floor seat in our home. It was another one of our most used and loved baby items when Bella was a baby, and we recommend these seats to literally everyone who is having a baby now (we've even purchased several as gifts for family members)! It's just perfect for allowing baby to sit up and look around when you may not be able to hold him/her (because all babies love to see what's going on), and we also loved it as a feeding seat for Bella until we finally purchased her a highchair at around 7 months old. It's soft and not made from hard plastic which I love, and comes in a variety of colors, we had blue with Bella, and chose "cool grey" for this baby so it would fit right into our home without clashing with anything (grey is one of the best neutrals, isn't it?). I can't wait to see our baby boy sitting in this cute seat once he's big enough!


10.25.2018

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE

Since being diagnosed with gestational diabetes almost a month ago I've been on the hunt for meals that are low carb, low to no sugar, high in protein, and of course delicious so I won't miss all of my favorite foods so much.

Breakfast has been one of the hardest meals of the day so far. I've really never been a big breakfast eater, and after eating over easy eggs and sweet potatoes almost every single day for 2 weeks, I was really sick of eggs and just needed a break from them. So I had no idea what to eat, granola with unsweetened almond milk is okay in small amounts (Love Crunch Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola is THE BEST) but it never seems to  really fill me up unless I eat a double serving (which then makes my glucose levels higher than what they should be), and then I found a great yogurt that is high in protein and while it isn't terrible, it kind of tastes too sweet for me on its own (even though it doesn't have much sugar in it) and also doesn't really fill me up either so basically I'm hungry again 5 seconds later (any other mamas in their third trimester relate? lol). So what should I eat?


Well, one morning this past week I was looking through our fridge and pantry and had the bright idea to make a smoothie! So I set to work gathering some ingredients I thought would go well together, threw them in the blender together and voila! I whipped up an amazing smoothie that has reese's cup vibes and is not only good for me and keeps me full for quite awhile, but also tastes amazing! I mean, I may have eaten it for like 4 days in a row now haha.

It's so easy to make and while I wish the greek yogurt was organic, all of the organic ones our local stores carry had wayyyyy too much sugar for me to currently eat (like 35+ grams of sugar for one serving), a container of the yogurt listed in the recipe below has only 7 or 8 grams of sugar I believe and about 12 grams of protein which is great!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 CUP ORGANIC CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER
1 1/2 CUPS UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK
2 CUPS ICE CUBES
1 5 OZ CONTAINER OF DANNON LIGHT & FIT ORIGINAL VANILLA GREEK YOGURT
1 to 2 TABLESPOONS CHIA SEEDS
3 TABLESPOONS UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER

DIRECTIONS:
Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. You may have to add a little more of this or that to make it exactly how you like consistency-wise, I typically just dump ingredients into our blender but this is about what I use every morning to create my breakfast smoothie. Enjoy!

10.12.2018

LIFE WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. [Isaiah 41:10]


These past few days have been hard ones. Getting used to a new normal, or at least a new normal until baby boy is born.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 30 weeks, and a few days ago started the 4 times daily finger pricks. I wait with bated breath every time I squeeze a drop of blood from my finger onto the test strip, waiting to see if it's a good or bad number. I feel sorry for myself and cry when I open the fridge and pantry looking at my food choices when all I really want is just a piece of toast (instead of another egg or anything else super healthy lol), but I also know it's not good for me or baby so another egg it is. Every time my glucose levels are higher than what they should be, I feel as if somehow I've failed, even though I know it's not my fault. And even though I know gestational diabetes is different than type 1 or type 2 diabetes and is only temporary compared to a lifelong diagnosis, I still get upset and scared when I hear the word diabetes, because my Dad had (type 1) diabetes and it eventually led to his kidneys failing, and heart failure as well.

I also know that this is just a stumbling block set in my path by the enemy to try and steal my peace and joy, and that I can do all things through our comforter and healer Christ, who strengthens me, but I also know that I'm also not perfect, I'm human and some days, like yesterday and today are just going to be hard. 

I've just got to take it a day at a time, a meal at a time, a finger prick at a time, and a perspective and one decision at a time to not let it get to me when others are going through things much worse and to trust in HIM. To remember that to everything there is a season, and this is just a short season in my story and before I know it, we'll be holding a baby boy in our arms. 

I'll make it through this and I'll declare victory.

10.05.2018

HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS

I partnered with the brands featured below for this post and received product in exchange for my honest and open opinion.

I can't believe how close it's getting to baby time! It feels like this pregnancy has just flown by and I'm kind of in shock that I'm already working on packing my hospital bag. 31 weeks currently and I have a feeling he's going to come early just like his big sister (Bella was due on December 17th, and was born on December 8th), so I'm trying to get everything prepared that I possibly can to be ready for his arrival whenever that may be. I've rounded up some of my favorite items, must haves, and essentials for both new babies and for pampering new mamas, I'm so excited to include all of these items in my hospital bag this time around and I know they'll make life that much easier and more comfortable after giving birth. Find out what items I'm including in my hospital bag below!


SOLLY BABY WRAP BABY CARRIERS
Keeping my babies close to me is something I have loved since Bella was a teeny babe. Whenever I would wear her, or pick her up every time she cried, people would say "you're spoiling her"... I like to think of it as not being spoiled, but as showing them how much they are loved! After all, they were inside you for 9 months, and love being near you, so being outside of your body is a big adjustment for them. I purchased a wrap style carrier when Bella was 3 months old and have never looked back from babywearing. I just love it: keeping my babies close enough to kiss. Another reason I love babywearing so much is because I can do so many more things while wearing my baby than I can while holding them. During those days when they're fussy and just need mama, I can prep dinner with wrapped up on my chest, do laundry, clean our home, make beds, and anything else that needs done. It truly makes life so much easier for me as a mama. Of course I fell in love with the sweet designs over at Solly Baby! This gray and natural stripe wrap is the perfect neutral wrap, and my most favorite, is this AJJ X SOLLY wrap, it's just perfection. It is just so pretty, neutral and beautiful. I can't wait to start wearing our tiny sir in these soft as butter wraps.


VOULEZ DESIGNS "MAMA" FLORAL NECKLACE
Of course with a new baby on the way, every mama needs a pretty new necklace, right? I have one with Bella's birth date on it that I wear constantly, so since my babies with most likely not share the same birthday, I wanted to get something that was similar in shape, but just simple said "mama" so I could wear it for both of my babies. So when I seen this beautiful necklace while browsing Etsy one day, I fell in love hard. I've never seen a necklace quite like this one from Voulez Designs, I just love how unique it is, the pretty floral hand stamped designs are really what drew me in and I love the satellite style necklace chain too since I've never had a chain in that style. I may have already started wearing it the moment it arrived and I'm definitely going to be including it in my hospital bag, because why not look pretty even if you are tired from giving birth?


BAREFOOT DREAMS COZYCHIC LITE RIBBED THROW BLANKET
This blanket is everything. Seriously. I've been on the search for a cozy throw blanket to bring to the hospital for myself to cuddle up under during labor and during postpartum, because let's face it, hospitals are cold, especially in winter (when I gave birth to Bella in December 5 years ago, I froze the entire time I was in the hospital). We already owned a blanket from Barefoot Dreams, so I knew they were heavenly soft and great quality, the only difficult part was deciding from all of their amazing blankets which one was "the one". The cozychic lite ribbed throw blanket was the winner and it's even better than I imagined. I'm pretty sure it's the softest thing I've ever felt in my life, and even through it's not a super thick throw blanket, it keeps me super warm and when you wrap yourself up in this, you'll feel like you're wrapped in the warmest, softest hug ever.


EARTH MAMA ORGANICS PRODUCTS
I've come across so many great brands since Bella was born, and I'm super excited to try some of these brands that caught my eye over the past few years. Earth Mama Organics is one of the ones I'm super excited about. The Herbal Perineal Spray has been recommended to me nearly a million times (it's made with cooling cucumber, organic witch hazel and organic herbs traditionally used for postpartum relief) and I feel like it's going to be the perfect soothing postpartum product, paired along with the organic perineal balm. Since I'm planning on breastfeeding, I chose this organic nipple butter to help soothe any soreness that may arise, and to help with milk production, this organic milkmaid tea is going to be perfect! Of course I can't forget baby! This organic diaper balm is perfect for tiny bums, and this calming lavender baby lotion smells so heavenly (not to mention being made with NO petroleum, mineral oil, parabens, or artificial fragrance, as well as being rated 1 on the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, the lowest hazard rating a product can achieve) and is the most calming natural scent, I've even been using it on big sister at bedtime!


KOKO'S NEST ORGANIC COTTON "KITE" MODERN HEIRLOOM BLANKET IN CREAM
Okay, so obviously I have a thing for blankets... they're one of my weaknesses. Some days my husband even begs me to not buy any more blankets and to get rid of some of the ones we have... but can you truly ever have too many of a good thing? Especially when they're not only comfy, but beautiful AND functional? I think not. Lately my obsession has been teeny tiny baby blankets. I just simply cannot with how cute they are and I'm pretty sure everything is cuter in mini size. I've been eyeing all the pretty organic knit blankets over at Koko's Nest for awhile, and when we found out we were expecting earlier this year, I knew we had to get one for this little bundle of joy. I chose the organic cotton kite blanket in cream and it is such a timeless look. Something so simple, yet so sophisticated and sweet. So soft and perfect for wrapping our baby boy up in.


Comfy clothing is an absolute MUST HAVE when you have a baby. Give me all the pajamas and cozy clothing, especially ones as butter soft and as pretty as these Everly Grey brand pajamas from Figure 8 Maternity. They're super cozy, so fashionable and also functional! Perfect for maternity and also for breastfeeding in since the top is nursing friendly, and I love that they are a nice neutral color, the charcoal gray and white stripes are lovely and of course neutrals and stripes are almost always the way to my heart. They also come with a little matching gown for baby so you and your tiny one can be twinning as soon as he/she is born! Figure 8 Maternity offers a a huge selection of beautiful maternity, nursing, postpartum clothes and baby items all for amazing and affordable prices too! Perfect for treating yourself to, or even gifting!


Swaddles are an essential for newborns. After being so tightly hugged in the womb, the world feels so big and scary for most babies, so that extra security of being tightly swaddled is a big comfort for tiny ones. And who wouldn't want to be swaddled in hand dyed swaddles as pretty as these from Wildflower and Oak? I am obsessed with how beautiful these are, such rich colors, and all the simplicity. Since sage is one of my forever favorite colors, the sage linen swaddle was a need, it's made from 100% pure linen. We also chose the midnight sky organic muslin swaddle (made from GOTS certified organic cotton muslin) and is is the most beautiful shade of blue, reminding me of a deep ocean. I just love that each swaddle is hand dyed and ethically produced in Melbourne (yep Australia), and what I love most is that with each purchase made, Wildflower and Oak donates a clean birth kit to their charity partner, Midwives in Haiti. Every mama deserves to have safe and clean birth, so I just love this!


Breastfeeding didn't come easy with Bella, so this time around, I'm coming prepared. I'm bring the fight and all the lactation support I need to make this work. Not only do these Oat Mama bars support healthy milk production, but they also taste delicious! Like I can't stop eating them delicious, and baby boy isn't even here yet haha. Each Oat Mama lactation granola bar is filled with nutritious ingredients designed to make milk making as easy as possible: rolled oats, flax seed, brewer's yeast... basically all the good stuff. Oat Mama also offers lactation tea that's blended with the very best organic ingredients and milk boosting herbs. I chose the Blueberry Pomegranate lactation tea and I seriously can't wait to try it! I also love that a portion of all Oat Mama sales is donated to the Mother's Milk Bank, helping deliver life saving breast milk to NICU babies! You can use code APRIL15 when purchasing for a sweet little discount too!


When I came across Promptly Journals earlier this year, I immediately fell in love with their sophisticated look and heirloom feel. And also added them to my wish-list of things to get. While we have a baby book for Bella, I never really filled much of it out because there was just SO much to fill out (also it's obnoxiously printed with huge pink flowers haha), mostly her birth stats got put into the book, and her little feet were printed in it, and that's about it. So I thought how nice it would be to redo Bella's book, with something a little more simple, and also something that would match her sibling's book! One thing I love about these journals, is that they only take 1 hour per year to fill out, so much better time-wise for a busy mama. The Childhood History Journal also takes a child from in-utero (so a mother can document little things about her pregnancy) all the way until a child is 18 years old! We chose the blush pink for Bella, because she loves pink and this one is such a pretty pale pink, and for Baby #2, we chose grey, since that is a color I'm always drawn to. I can't wait to fill out all his info in it and also to share these with my little ones someday when they're not quite so little anymore. The perfect keepsake and these make the best, most thoughtful gift as well!


Let's face it, labor and birth aren't easy... so mamas deserve a little pampering after going through all that hard work. When I had my daughter, that first shower afterwards a little later that day felt pretty amazing... though I definitely won't be using the hospital shampoo and soaps this time around. While I used to go for my hair and body products based on how they smelled and what fragrance they were (terrible I know) and also used to be one of these people who had a scented plug-in in every room of our home, I've learned a lot about toxins in the past 5 years since becoming a mama. I only want the best health for my family, so we've switched almost all of our products in the past few years to natural options. That's why I was so excited when I was introduced to the EVOQ Beauty brand by one of my best friends! Each item is small batch made, carefully curated to include only the best and highest quality natural and organic ingredients, so you can look good on the outside, as well as feeling good on the inside! The perfect addition to your everyday hair care regimen, or your hospital bag and I just love the Volumizing Hair Wash and Volumizing Hair Rinse (perfect for giving your hair a little love and a boost so you can look and feel your best)! You can use code JOYFULTRIBE10 for 10% off your purchase too!


When I came across Polished Prints on Instagram not too long ago, I was very quickly drawn to their simple and beautiful designs, and I love them even more now that we've got a few! Talk about buttery soft, there's nothing like the softness of these tees. I chose the "mama" tee for myself and LOVE it. It's going to be the perfect addition to my hospital bag, and super comfy paired with leggings and a cardigan after giving birth. This "babe" onesie will be perfect for baby boy and I can't wait to see him in it, and so big sister Bella wouldn't feel left out, this adorable little pink rose floral design tee will be perfect to give her! So many pretty designs over at Polished Prints, I'm pretty sure I may need to snag a couple more tees (like this pretty "raise them kind" tee) before too long.

10.04.2018

FALL FAVORITES

Autumn is upon us, my most favorite time of year; and the best time of year if you ask me. We always spend a ton of time outdoors as the weather cools off, wrapping ourselves up in all of the coziest cardigans and making multiple trips to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. Of course we have our fair share of leaf pile jumping (or rather Bella does), pumpkin and apple goodie baking, and we always try and take a trip up to Lake Erie to see the waves and colorful leaves (beach days in the autumn might be the best of all). What are some of your favorite fall activities?


I've been eyeing some pretty pieces from over at LEGOE. Heritage clothing for quite a long time, even before I got pregnant with baby boy. So with autumn pretty much here and my belly outgrowing all my clothes, I felt it was the perfect time to scoop up one of their pieces. I love that not only do all of their clothes work for pregnancy, but they're all also nursing friendly (yay for hidden side zippers for easy breastfeeding access), and are stylish enough to even be worn while not pregnant or nursing! I chose one of their amazing and super comfortable dresses (pictured above and below), and might have my eye on this cute jumpsuit as well!


I've wanted a pair of wooden Swedish clogs for the longest time, and these tan low wood clogs (pictured above) from Lotta from Stockholm are absolute perfection. Not only are they super comfortable, but they're also so pretty and can transition for all seasons. Bare feet with these for spring and summer, and paired with tights for autumn and winter. The quality is amazing and I'm excited to be able to wear these for years to come.

OLD NAVY "GIRLS CLUB" SWEATSHIRT
I recently picked up this adorable sweatshirt (pictured below) for Bella at Old Navy and it is just the cutest. It has such girl scout and fall camping vibes, not to mention being buttery soft.

As most of you know, Wunderkin Co. is our absolute favorite hairbow shop, and their fall collections are always my favorite of the year. This year has been no exception, allllll the good bows and the best autumn colors. The Maple oversized schoolgirl is my favorite, and Wintermint oversized pinwheel (pictured below) is such a good one too! Now I can't wait for their velvets to launch for the holidays.


HEARTH & HAND AMBER GLASS STORAGE JARS
I recently picked these up for our bathroom and I am obsessed. The jars look so pretty and vintage, definitely not something brand new, and the affordable price makes them even better. I I bought the medium size (which is perfect for cotton balls) and the small size (where we keep all of our q-tips) and I only paid $10 for the two of them altogether and they are just the cutest sitting on our bathroom countertop.


WAX BUFFALO CANDLES
When we think of autumn, we automatically start thinking of crunchy leaves, pumpkin patches, baked goodies, cozy sweaters and of course autumn scented candles. I recently found the cutest shop, Wax Buffalo, and they make the best autumn scented candles I have ever smelled. No, I'm serious. These candles are fall in a jar. The "autumn" scented one smells amazing, and the "classic pumpkin" is nothing short of heavenly. I just love that each candle is small batch made and hand poured in the USA, is made from pure soy wax with unbleached cotton wicks, and scented with high quality essential oils and fragrance oils. Oh! And since I have a thing for amber colored jars, that might also help, the simple minimal design is perfect and fits right into our home. Scoop up all the fall candles over at Wax Buffalo!