Hospital Bag Must Haves.

Hey! So I have been shopping on a budget and gathering things that I think are important for my hospital bag, and some items that I found for him that I adore.

First off, I want to talk about how my first hospital experience went. I went to the hospital with one night's worth of things. I thought I was going in, gonna have my baby that day, and then leave within a day. I packed for that scenario exactly. Only one nursing bra, one nursing tank top, and like no clothes really. I had a nightgown and slippers also.

Boy was I wrong!! I ended up having Opal the next morning via emergency C-Section. I lost A LOT of blood. I got an infection in my uterus.... I had more problems with my blood.... I nearly had to have blood transfusions... My stay was 5 nights long, nearly a week spent in the hospital counting the day I was discharged. It was a nightmare. I was so unprepared for that experience.

Xhileration nightgown and robe. Both from Target.

So, this time around I decided that I will pack smarter. I don't care if it looks like I am over packed! If I end up in a repeat C-Section I will be totally prepared this go around. I will have multiple bras, tanks, and changes of clothes.

 This time around I bought a prettier robe and nightgown. I want to feel good and look good. I hate how I look in the photos from Opal's birth so much! I just felt swollen and frumpy.. with blemishes everywhere and messy hair.

I found this really cute (and affordable!) robe and nightgown set from Target.

I really love the nightgown because it has a built in bra. I want to be able to wear this and easily nurse Oliver while at the hospital and at home. It has a low cut front which is great and easier for me to nurse, also.

Another reason why I LOVE this set is because purple has been one of my happy colors. I usually draw to dark colors.. but lately I'm all about purple and bright blues. I want to live in this set already, but I haven't! I just ripped the tags off and washed it and it is going straight to my hospital bag to be my home away from home while staying at the hospital.

Gilligan & O'Malley nursing sleep bras.

I also am packing a lot more bras. With my last pregnancy, I bought a variety of styles which I still have and plan to take one of each style. But I hadn't invested in this type of sleep bra, so I plan to go to the hospital in this. I am hoping they will allow me to wear this while I give birth. I was not a fan of being so bare and exposed. I'd much rather have at least this sleep bra on to be comfortable and willing to take photos. I got this set of bras from Target.

OKAY! So another thing I didn't pack enough of..... or think about in case I had a C-section was UNDIES!

I was not a fan of the mesh undies, but I was bed ridden for 5 days and has no option but to wear them. I was not even allowed to get out of bed to use the restroom. I was also swollen from both attempting to have my baby naturally, and from having the surgery. This time, I hope to be able to just have him naturally and be walking within hours. I bought boxer briefs in a larger size to keep myself feeling human.

I'm also taking both washable and disposable nursing pads. I prefer washables at night, and disposables since I can't wash them for day time use.

KNEE HIGH socks are another must have for me. My legs were SO SWOLLEN from not walking, continuously being on an IV, etc. The hospital's compression socks were too small for me, so I'm taking my own socks and will use them immediately.

Slippers are a given, because I will be walking a lot after the birth to avoid painful swelling.

I am taking a refillable water bottle, because while breastfeeding is the thirstiest I've ever been in my entire life.

A loafa because I hope to shower as soon as possible. Not 5 days after giving birth and having surgery.

From Target.

Chapstick/ moisturizer- because hospitals are pretty dry and you find yourself with chapped lips and skin pretty easily.

And of course,  my glasses because contacts can also get dry and uncomfortable easily. (Especially if you go in later in the evening and have a long labor! You don't realize that you end up wearing them for 24 hours+)

I'm obviously taking more clothing, but I haven't really decided what I'm taking. It's going to be pretty hot and humid here in VA so I am sure It'll probably include yoga shorts (many pairs of yoga shorts) and some loose flowing tops that I can nurse in.

I am also taking stuff for Oliver.

I chose this backpack from Target as my new diaper bag.

I am over the shoulder strap heavy bags! I have two children now. DOUBLE OF EVERYTHING!  I love this bag so much because of the look, pockets and how much baby stuff I can fit in here. It keeps everything together, and is easy to carry around.

I also love that Dillon likes it and feels comfortable carrying it around too. He wasn't a fan of the diaper bag situation beforehand, so this works best for us.

I will also be taking some linens for my sweet boy. 

I found these PLUM swaddlers at Marshalls for $7! I love them so much. They're huge (110 x 110 cm) and made out of Muslin, which is nice and cool enough for our summer baby.

I found this Munchkin Swaddle Angel at Marshalls also! It was $10 and I love it so much too. It is so beautiful and convenient for me. I am not as great at swaddling as my husband is, so I love these styles.

I also found this 4 pack of Carter's receiving blankets at Burlington's for $10. I normally don't buy receiving blankets, because my mom sews all my baby linens for me.. but I couldn't pass up the adorable foxes on these.

And last but not least- diapers. A lot of people say not to take any, just use what the hospital gives you. I agree with that, mostly because you also don't know what size your baby may be. Some people buy and open newborn diapers... all to have a big baby and those NB diapers were too small and wasted.

Wipes are good to have on hand, I love the Huggie's "Clutch 'n' Clean" sooooo much. It is reusable and straps onto your bag or stroller all while keeping the wipes inside fresh and moist. Love it and recommend it!

Some other things I will be packing that are not pictured are:

• Camera & Battery charger (or spare batteries if you need those)
• Makeup, remover wipes, and face wash. (If you plan to wear makeup for photos.)
• Spare towel(s), body wash, shampoo/ conditioner. You just never know how long you'll be there. Best to be prepared.
• Hair brush, ties, and bobby pins to fix your hair for photos. Straightener if you're going all out!
• Snacks- I didn't need them because the hospital was bringing me food and snacks, but my husband DEFINITELY needed them and ate all of them.
• Phone charger, music, etc. Anything to keep you distracted or busy to pass the time if that's what you need. 
• A going home outfit for yourself and your baby.
• Pads- yep. The bleeding begins immediately, and I am really picky about what I wear for period use. I will be taking my personal favorite pads and use those. I don't really like the ones the hospital gives out, but I'll use them as long as I don't have a bad reaction to them. (I'm allergic to most of these products.)
• Nipple Butter- I'm going to use Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter. (I just haven't gone to pick one up yet from Babies R Us.)

I'll continue to add to this list if I think of anything else.

Printable Teacher Appreciation Day Cards!

Hey everyone, so Teacher Appreciation Day is May 5th this year! I don't have a little one in school right now, but I do have a lot of friends and family who are educators. I think what they do is so very important. I don't think you have to go all out to show a little appreciation, and want to provide an easy thoughtful solution to help your little ones say "thanks!" to someone who spends so much of their day with them.

You can put a hole punch through these simple little cards and tie them to a gift bag.. You can stick them to the front of a gift card for their favorite coffee joint.. or even just give them to your kids to pass along however they please! Whether they're given by themselves or with a little something special (like baked goods that your little ones bake especially for them!) I am sure they will bring a smile to their teacher's face and they'll know they are appreciated.

They will print off as a set of four. I couldn't decide on one card, so I made options for everyone with a little water colored apple that I painted the other day. This works well for those of you with multiple kids (or teachers to thank)! These are for personal use only.

Download and print off from my Dropbox. CLICK HERE TO OPEN.

 Enjoy! xoxo- Chels.

April showers brings May flowers!

Hello, helllllo, hello!  This past weekend has been the warmest and brightest weekend the DMV area has seen this far. It was so pleasant and beautiful. We woke up on Saturday morning and just had to get out and enjoy the day. We had no exact plans- just a craving for the sun. So we decided to head to my favorite place in DC- Eastern Market- for my favorite lemonade and pretzel. We totally forgot about the Cherry Blossom festivals and what not- so we were in traffic fir a while.. But it was totally worth it, honestly. I love Eastern Market. It is a little farmers market on Capitol Hill near Barracks Row. It is super cute, full of awesome stands, fresh fruits and vegis, and best of all- tons of local food vendors! A pregnant gals dream! Afterwards, we walked around our favorite little neighborhood on Capitol Hill all the way down to the Capitol. It was refreshing and just so nostalgic for us. We grew up together in this city. We explored this city together. This city has been the only common ground and home for the both of us. It is really strange thinking about leaving here for good.

My favorite stand at Eastern! I also love Big Poppa's Popcorn, but we didn't get a bag this trip.

My main pregnancy craving! I got a strawberry lemonade and pretzel- yum!!

I promise it didn't last long.

Thank goodness for selfie sticks! We would have never got the Capitol in the shot... let alone all 3 of us!

After the Capitol we headed back to the car and let Opal stretch her little legs at our favorite park.I love seeing her explore here. It was at this very park that the yearning for a family started to grow within Dillon. He would talk about our future kids- and beg me to ditch my plan to wait many years. So to see him now playing alongside her has been a treat. I feel so blessed every time we go. I sit on the park bench and let the two of them go nuts.

At our favorite park.

Her daddy picked her this flower- she was loving it so much.

They seem to be a little crazier these days while we are out of the house because of how cooped up we have been lately due to the weather. Anyone else experiencing a lot of rainy weather lately? We sure are here in Virginia/ DC! It has been really gloomy... but I don't want y'all to be down in the dumps! So, as a little ray of sunshine for your life I have a free printable rainbow for you.

Excuse the signature being so off. This was my practice print. It is adjusted and fixed in the downloadable version.

 Download HERE- via dropbox.

THIS PRINT IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. FOR YOUR HOME OR AS A GIFT. DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK. DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN.

I hope this is something you can tape up or frame somewhere in your home to remind you that after each storm is a rainbow and some sunshine!

This is super relevant to my life right now because today is the day Dillon and I have been WAITING FOR. We should be hearing ANY day now in the next week to month about our future. I know it seems crazy, we're excited to still be waiting.. but that is how the military is sometimes. You wait... just for another waiting period to begin. But this should be the last waiting period for major news... until the next waiting of where we will be going next begins (hahha!).

I hope you have a blessed Wednesday!

xoxo, Chelsea.

P.S. YAY FOR ALSO BEING 32 WEEKS DONE WITH MY PREGNANCY!

My pregnancy at 31 weeks.

Hey guys! I'm another couple of weeks done with this pregnancy, and that much closer to meeting our little man! I am getting so excited with every week that passes. I am truly an inpatient woman and waiting 40 weeks for something so incredible is a true test of my patience. This pregnancy seems to be going by pretty fast, which is good and bad. Like I said in my previous pregancy post, we are waiting (still) to hear about our future with the Marine Corps. 

I thought for sure that I would have some good news to finally share with my friends, family, and blog followers about the whole thing, but we've been told that news wont come for ANOTHER 3 weeks. We've been waiting on this news for months now, and it just keeps getting pushed back. It has been hard dealing with the stress of not knowing where we will be working or living come the middle of July. But- that's life, I suppose.

Back to a more positive topic- THIS PREGNANCY! I saw my OB last week, and happened to see the one that delivered Opal in December 2013. (I have a whole team of OB's that I see through the span of my pregnancy. On the day of my delivery it will be whoever is on call that delivers my baby. I don't really get to choose just one.) So anyways, I shared an update on my personal IG, but not on my blog instagram.

I had a pretty great visit. She answered a lot of my questions about my upcoming VBAC.

I was told that if we don't have child care Opal can be with us in the room unless for some crazy reason I have to have a c-section again, I'd be in the operating room alone. I can go for a while without an epidural, but I do have to have one placed at some point (but it can be set to the setting JUST above a walking epi).

I only gained 2 lbs during that last month which is perfect. My gestational diabetes test came back great. My fundal height was measuring ahead, so she will order an ultrasound at my next appointment if it still is. I also came back as anemic so I'm on iron pills now. Basically, everything went great. I loved hearing from her especially that she thinks I am a good candidate for VBAC, because she remembers everything about my last delivery.

Hopefully when I give my 33rd week update I will have some more great news to share, both about the baby and our future with the USMC. :-) 

xoxo- Chelsea.

Happy Easter! -toddler crafts-

Hoppy Easter everyone!! 

 We did a little Easter egg hunt and surprise for Opal to celebrate today!

I wanted to share the crafts I did from pinterest with Opal yesterday in case any of my followers are stumped on what else to do with the kiddos today. They're super simple and only require paper, markers, scissors, glue, and any paint. 

The chicks and carrots are from painted little toes! :)

The bunnies, small carrots, and eggs are all just drawn by my husband and I. We colored them and cut them out to decorate her playroom for the Easter Bunnie's visit.

I used finger paint that I found at the dollar tree- easy to clean up.

Don't mind our messy house! We were in the middle of cleaning while doing this stuff! :-)

Orange toes for our carrots!!

This is all she let us get. She got bored really fast.

Once you've got these dried, add the details and cut out!

Some of the finished projects taped to the wall.

 We did paper eggs because Opal is too young to do dyed eggs. Next year for sure!

We also made this banner together, but I think that is more on the grown up level. :-)

Here is her decorated wall in the play room. She helped me do it, and I think it added to the excitement before going to bed. :-)

Here's a little bit of the stuff we did for her once she is asleep.

Found them at the dollar tree.

We put the bunny feet down to lead her to her playroom. She LOVED it.

She was soooooo excited just about the feet. it took her a moment 

to even notice that she had a basket waiting for her.

This was her little basket. It was filled with a lot of little goodies, new converse, and sunglasses!

Her stuffed animals were there to cheer her on during her egg hunt!

Some of her goodies.

I hope you all enjoyed your day like we did! 

Have a blessed Easter!

xoxo- Chelsea.