Top 5 Must Haves for Babies and Tots

I'm no expert or veteran mom, but I've come across some pretty awesome products that have helped me survive or cope along this wonderful parenting journey. These items in particular have been extremely helpful in guiding us from infancy to toddlerhood....

1. Fisher-Price Apps There are loads of activity apps out there for little ones, but Brooks really likes these. He loves music and most of the activities in these apps involve a song or two. So whether he's learning about different animals or counting, he can always dance along. I especially love these because they hold his attention and keep him from having boredom outbursts for a surprisingly long time!

2. Skip Hop Moby Safety Bath Spout Cover I never realized how much B would bump his head on the spout when I transitioned him from a baby bathtub to our regular tub. It was a lot. Like, every time.. and not because I wasn't watching him. I could literally just blink and in that minuscule amount of time, he would bump his head on the spout. So, this is a lifesaver... or at least a concussion saver!

3. Intelex Plush Elephant Microwaveable Warmer Now, this comes in several kinds of animals, but I just really liked the elephant one. These stuffed animal warmers are great for bedtime! Not only are they cuddly and warm, but they contain dried lavender flowers so when you heat them up, the soothing scent of lavender lulls your little one to sleep. Zzzzzzzzz....

4. Munchkin Latch Trainer Sippy Cup Since Brooks was born, we've always used Latch bottles and he took to them perfectly. They didn't interfere at all with breastfeeding either! So, naturally, we picked up this sippy cup when he started drinking other fluids. Honestly, it's the best one we've tried so far. I've bought at least 5 or 6 other brands of sippy cups and somehow they ALL manage to leak. This one doesn't. It's a miracle cup! 

5. Baltic Amber Teething Necklace WHAT. IS. THIS. VOODOO. MAGIC. Seriously. I had heard about it from people at work. I was definitely skeptical when a girl told me that she noticed a difference in her child's behavior within 2 days of wearing one (or taking it off). So when a friend bought one for us, I put it on B... because what the heck. We had tried teething tablets and various teething toys to little or no avail. 

Alas, we put the necklace on Brooks (leaving it on 24/7 and making sure it kept in contact with his skin under his shirt) and within a couple days, he was significantly less fussy throughout the day and slept longer at night! You better believe I've been keeping that thing on him. Whether it is just giving some kind of placebo effect or the oil from the amber is actually absorbing into his skin, it seems to work! 

What are some life-saving products for babies/toddlers that you've come across? I'd love to check them out!

The Day My Computer Crashed and Burned...

...Well, it didn't burn, but it did crash... my hard drive, that is. The precious photo above is one of SIX full-size images that I have of Brooks after I lost everything. 

A little over a week ago, I was working on a graphic in Photoshop for my next blog post. I had it halfway done when I realized that it was getting pretty late. So, I closed my MacBook and went to bed. Little did I know, that that would be the last time I'd see my little graphic... along with everything else on my computer. 

My hard drive crashed. Dead. Gone forever...most likely. We're going to see if we can find someone who can try to recover some files from it, but as far as I know right now, I lost everything: Important files, tons of blog stuff and future posts, and most importantly - hundreds of photos from Brooks' first year of life. I have a lot of those pictures on this blog, but they're all significantly sized down and are too small to print. 

I can't put all of the blame on the shoddy hard drive, though. This whole mess is partially my fault. First of all, I could kick myself for not regularly backing everything up to an external HD. I know, I know. How stupid?! Secondly, I had been procrastinating on ordering prints of Brooks throughout the past year. The last time I ordered some was when he was a month old! Whhhyyyy??!! Ughh. So yeah, I definitely could've prevented a lot of this mess, but there you have it. Lesson Learned.

Nature Walk on the Natchez

Our little guy is fast asleep now after a long day full of warm sunshine and loads of play time. Since Brooks can walk now, we decided to take him hiking on the Natchez Trace. Despite a few falls and a scraped knee, he had so much fun waddling through the field and exploring in the woods. He discovered that pinecones hurt, riding on Daddy's shoulders is sometimes more fun than walking, and flowers don't taste very good! 

I love spending time with my little family, especially on beautiful days like today. I'm so glad spring has sprung once again! 

My "Coloring Book" Dress

I put this Zara dress on the other day and Cody told me that I look like I'm wearing a coloring book. Thaaanks, Husband. I mean, he's kind of right, but that's part of the reason why I love this dress so much. Aside from the flowy chiffon fabric and keyhole neckline, I love that it's covered in a beautiful floral pattern but not completely full of bright colors. 

Lately, I've been in such a neutral colored mood when it comes to clothing, that I would've totally passed up this dress had it been super colorful. Seriously, I've basically been wearing black, white, and grey all fall and winter. At first it was fun, but now it's getting kind of depressing. So this is me branching out and getting ready for spring with a few splashes of color! I know, I know.. my hair is bright blue. Maybe that's another reason why I've been downplaying my wardrobe colors.

Dress and Hat - Zara // Boots - TJ Maxx

Colourpop Cosmetics Review

I've heard of Colourpop in the past but I just recently decided to give the product line a try. I purchased a shadow and a matte lip gloss and I'm IN LOVE. So, naturally, I have to share my thoughts and opinions about each. 

Colorpop Ultra Matte Lip 

Color - "Beeper", a warm mid-tone taupe.

Price - $6

Finish - matte

Longevity - 6-8 hours

This lipgloss lasted a surprisingly long time on my lips. I'm the kind of person who bites, licks, and rubs my lips together a lot! It's a nervous habit, I guess. Even with all of that, though, once the color sets, it doesn't budge! My lips have also been extremely dry this winter, and there's no flaking with this gloss. I just put a layer of chapstick on and blot the excess off before applying this lip color. It's PERFECTION. Needless to say, I'm super impressed with this product!

Colourpop Shadow

Color - "Nillionaire", warm bronze with multi-colored glitter.

Price - $5

Finish - Metallic

Longevity - 3-5 hours

This creamy shadow is packed with pigment, but only if you apply it a certain way. For the best color payoff, they suggest that you use your finger to tap it onto your lid, then blend it out with a brush if you want. They weren't lying! I first tried it with just a brush and barely anything happened. Then I used my finger to dab it on and bam! Bronzy, glittery goodness.

While I love the look and feel of this shadow, I'm less than impressed with its longevity. However, I found that if I spritz a setting spray over it, it lasts much longer. Overall, it's still a great product for the price!

Brooks Wilder: One Year

Today, my little Boop turns one and I can hardly believe it. We survived our first year with a tiny human! Yay!! But seriously, where did the time go? How did he get so big so fast?! I'm supposed to still be able to lay him in the crack of the couch so he can't roll and fall off, and swaddle him in his little blanket. He's supposed to stay tiny and warm and squishy! But I digress, though he has outgrown all of those things, I love my one year old, booger-nosed, toothy-smiled, gibberish-talking, little man. He is the most perfect and precious gift from God that I have ever received. I am beyond blessed.

We celebrated Brooks' birthday this past Saturday with a camping themed party. All of his friends and family were invited, and we had a blast! Brooks was beside himself with excitement. He was so tired and in such desperate need for a nap, but that didn't stop him at all from being the life of the party! 

Currently //

Height 29.5 inches

Weight 23 pounds

Says "No" by shaking his head.

Loves playing with friends, going to the park, and drinking apple juice.

Hates being confined to places like highchairs, shopping carts, and carseats.

Learning to blow kisses, bounce a ball, and give hugs.

B had a healthy alternative to the traditional smash cake. It was made with applesauce, bananas, blueberries, and cream cheese frosting. He went through several different emotions while eating his cake... from disgust to confusion, and indifference to joy. It was pretty hilarious to watch. 

The party was a complete success! We set up a table with M&M's, various nuts, fruits, and teddy grahams for guests to create their own bags of trail mix. I made delicious s'mores-on-a-stick and my mom baked some cute, little cupcakes. We even pitched a tent for the little ones to play in and it was a big hit! 

Back to Blogging

Lately, I haven't been blogging as much as I used to. Honestly, it's mostly because of my precious baby boy. I love him to death but he. wears. me. out! After working, feeding, playing, cleaning, chasing, bedtime, and everything in between, I just don't have the energy to complete a coherent thought. Let alone, capture and edit photos and come up with intriguing content. So I end up putting it off for days at a time until I finally think to myself, "Okay, if I want people to actually visit my blog and take an interest in what I'm sharing, I HAVE TO POST SOMETHING." And yeah, posting Brooks' monthly update is easy because I have the format laid out and I basically fill in the blanks with cute little details, but as far as other posts and creative content, I've been falling a little short.

So, I'm going to do my best to get back into the blogging world and post fresh content more frequently. I miss my blogging friends. I miss collaborating with brands and genuinely just sharing my interests, knowledge, and creativity.

No, this isn't a late new year's resolution... because who ever keeps those? This is just me going back to doing something that I love.

Jacket - Forever 21 // Dress - ASOS // Shoes - Franco Sarto - Nordstrom // Necklace - BellebyNell