Five on Friday: Etsy Baby Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! I'm so looking forward to the weekend with my boys, seeing some family & friends, and enjoying this gorgeous fall weather!

The last few weeks I've felt a little consumed by all things BABY (in a good way!). I finally went through all of A's old clothes to see what we're keeping for the twins, and made a little running list of things we still need to get. Etsy, of course, is one of my go-to places for baby clothing, so today I'm sharing my five favorite finds from the week!

Linking up again with the fabulous ladies from A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness and The Good Life Blog for another 5 on Friday!

{ONE}

How adorable are these teeny hats?! My sweet friend reminded me the other day that we're having winter babies, and that I should stock up on some cute hats.  Kailee, the owner, is as sweet as can be, and let me know that she's launching her new fall collection on Wednesday, October 2nd! Can't wait to see her new patterns & snatch up some adorable hats for the boys!

{TWO}

More hats, sorry. But seriously, is this not the most perfect hat for two winter babies being born in the northeast?! My only hesitation is that if I buy two of them, the twins may be subjected to wearing them from January through April :)

 

 

 

{THREE}

Monogrammed footed sleepers. I'm thinking these will be the boys' coming home outfits... and will also provide some necessary documentation as to who-is-who if they're hard to tell apart in the beginning!

 

{FOUR}

Little A had one of these bibs from The Lab when he was a babe, and we loved it. I think it's only fitting that our two new additions also have a some Otto-loving apparel, too. He is, after-all, their oldest brother!

{FIVE}

And last but not least, birthday plates. Even though he's already two, I don't think its too late to start this tradition with A. And this way all of our boys will have their own birthday plate, that we use each year, and maybe, maybe, I'll let them take it with them when they get married. I love little traditions like this!

 Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Little Pregnancy Update {19 weeks}

Last week was a doozy.

Is doozy a real word? Did I even spell it correctly?

It was little A's first full week of nursery school, a full week of work for me, and C was away for 2 nights. Thankfully my parents are always willing to help me out while I'm home alone, especially given that I haven't been feeling so wonderful the last few days.

Just wanted to give a little update on my pregnancy... a "bumpdate" if you will ;)

If you need to catch up, you can read here about our big, big news.... and here about our gender reveal.

Today I'm 19 weeks with our twin boys, and to say I feel huge would be an understatement. My last bump picture is from 17.5 weeks, and I had great intentions of taking one tonight, but crashing on the couch seemed like a much better idea.

And I apologize for the awesome quality of my bathroom belly shots. Real life here, folks.

8 weeks (twins)

11 weeks (twins)

14 weeks (twins)

17.5 weeks (twins)

And just as a comparison, here's my bump at 30 weeks with A.


Yes, THIRTY weeks.

30 weeks with A

Overall I'm feeling OK. Everything feels much more amplified this time around - its harder walking around, picking things up (including my 30 pound toddler), shaving my legs... you know, everyday stuff. I think the biggest challenge is how I'm feeling mentally... I remember feeling this way with A (physically), but in my head, I knew I only had 10 weeks left. But now I know I'm just halfway through, and then I kind of feel sorry for myself, because I cannot imagine how I'm going to feel in another 2 weeks, let alone another 19.

Please please please don't think that last sentence means that I am in ANY way, shape or form ungrateful for this immense blessing that we've been given. That is not the case, at all. But if I'm being honest, this pregnancy is hard. I'm a very active person: extremely independent and self sufficient. And so... sometimes its hard for me to keeping asking other people to help. And knowing that this is just the beginning of how hard this is going to get ... well, that mental challenge is just that - a challenge.

BUT...
There are many many positives about this pregnancy. Too many to name here.

I cannot put into words how enormously blessed I feel to be carrying these two little angels. C and I joked for many many years about how many kids we would have. He was always set on two, and I, was set on three. He used to tell me I'd have to find another husband to have baby #3!

....and now we say that God decided for us - he chose us to be parents of twins, and of three boys, and we feel so honored to have been given this gift. I don't want to wish time away, especially with A growing up before my eyes, but I cannot wait to meet these two little boys in January.


Linking up with Kelly's Korner for SUYL Moms of Multiples

Five on Friday: Make-up Must Haves

Linking up with the ladies from A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness and The Good Life Blog for another 5 on Friday! I don't consider myself a make-up guru by any means, but I do think I know what works for me & my skin. I also think it's really fun to hear what other bloggers use for make-up, so today I'm sharing my top 5 make-up must haves!

 

{ONE}

Tarte BB Tinted 12-Hour Primer

I've always been skeptical of primer, but during this humid summer, I needed something to help with keeping my makeup on for the entire work day. Since I am pregnant, I wanted to look for a natural product, and since Tarte's products are made without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs and triclosan, this seemed like a safe bet. It really does help keep my makeup in place.

{TWO}

 

 

 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Foundation

LOVE this. After many years as a loyal Bobbi Brown foundation customer, I knew it would take a special foundation to make me switch. The amazing reviews on Sephora didn't hurt, and I loved that this claimed to last 12 hours and has SPF in it.

{THREE}

 

 

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara

 

Are you noticing a trend with Tarte makeup? This mascara is perfect for day-time: light, doesn't clump and goes on smoothly.

{FOUR}

 

 

Bare Minerals Touch Up Veil Pressed Powder

 

I've been using this powder for over a year now, and love how it creates the perfect layer over foundation. Somehow it just makes my makeup feel "complete" before starting with bronzer & blush.

{FIVE}

Laura Mercier Lip Glace

Confession: My dear friend gave this to me last month, and overnight, it became my favorite lip product, E.V.E.R. And now I can't find it, anywhere. Not as in they don't sell it, but I can't find mine. I plan on tearing apart every purse I own this weekend until I find it! Goes on smooth and doesn't actually feel like lip gloss, hands down one of the best products I've used!

 

Boys Nursery Inspiration

Just a quick post to share what we're planning for the twins nursery...

... a place where I'll be spending many late nights, and early mornings. I know it sounds crazy, especially considering A only started sleeping through the night in February... but I'm so looking forward to snuggling my boys in their chair in the quiet of the night.

I was looking to create  something slightly different than A's nursery: a bit more rustic & whimsical. The twins room is tiny: 10' by 9.5' tiny, to be exact. Maximizing our space was a top priority, and if the plans work out like I have them in my head, the room will be all I imagined that it could be.

I'll be back to share progress & our purchases!

Five on Friday

Linking up with the ladies from A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness and The Good Life Blog for another 5 on Friday! Today I'm sharing a whole lot of randomness - it's a peek inside my real life ;)

{ONE}

First and foremost, we received the most wonderful news this week that we're expecting twin BOYS. I can't put into words how full my heart feels, and how excited I am to be a mom of 3 little boys.

{TWO}

I am in full-blown nesting mode. I found this on Pinterest and laughed so hard. This is exactly how I feel lately. I'll be sharing next week everything that was subject to my wrath. Operation Make Room for Twins is happening. Now.

{THREE}

After a little mishap on vacation, my beloved Kindle was gone for good. My parents were so sweet to surprise me with a Kindle fire for my birthday, and I've been so happy to be reading again.  Oh, and my cute new orange case doesn't hurt either!

{FOUR}

I may be the last person on earth to read it, but I just finished The Hunger Games trilogy, and LOVED IT. It's not really my type of book, but I'm having complete Hunger Games withdrawal now that it's over. I think I've convinced C that we need to watch the movie next weekend ;)

{FIVE}

Last but not least, it's been true fall weather the last few nights. Cool enough that we need our sweatshirts to hang around the house, and a blanket over our legs while watching TV. I love every single second of it. The fall decorations are out, the fall candles are burning, and my favorite TV shows come back on in a few weeks.  LOVE this time of year!

Twins Gender Reveal

We had our big ultrasound on Friday, and are thrilled to share that we're having....

TWO BOYS!!

I've had a feeling for a few weeks now that they were both boys, and my dream the night before our ultrasound was so real, I felt like it was a sign of what was to come. C would have bet money that it was a boy and girl, but turns out momma is about to be VERY outnumbered.

I'm so thrilled, ecstatic really, at the thought of my house full of loud, funny, sweet, silly boys. A is the greatest blessing, and the funniest kid I know. How could I not be excited about two more boys?!

We'll be keeping their names a secret until they are born (yes, even from our families!), so this is the last "big news" until they make their entrance. We didn't know if A was a boy or a girl until he was born, and I love the idea of a little surprise on the big day.

I will be sharing their nursery inspiration soon (since I've been working on it for oh, probably 3 months now, he he!).

We cannot wait to meet these two little boys, and know they will bring so much joy and love into our family.