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Newborn Essentials

  Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something through that link. This is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 


Somehow I blinked and I now have a 10 week old!! The past few weeks have been the fastest, hardest, sweetest and most rewarding weeks of my life. 


It seems like just yesterday that I was pregnant with Brooks and was putting together our baby registry. I remember being a little overwhelmed when selecting baby items because there are just so many products out there and I had no idea what we *actually* needed.


Now that we have a little over 2 months of parenting under our belts, I thought it would be nice to share some of the items that Joe and I used almost every single day during the newborn stage. I hope this post can help first time parents who are struggling with where to begin when it comes to shopping for their little ones.


Let me know if you would like to see these kind of posts as our baby boy gets older and our essentials change!


  • Pacifiers- these are lightweight and stay in Brooks' mouth easily. Make sure to have multiple on hand because they get lost around the house!
  • Dr Brown Bottles- these bottles are a little tedious to clean, but Brooks is a fan and he took to them without any issues.
  • Philips Avent Sterilizer- I did not even realize how much I would use this thing! It saves SO much time when it comes to sterilizing pump parts and bottles. Skip boiling water on the stove and just pop this into the microwave!
  • Sleep Sack- I love putting sleep sacks on Brooks to lounge around the house in. They make diaper changes a breeze.
  • Muslin Burp Cloths- a must!!! Get multiple packs!!
  • Boon Lawn Drying Rack- this really helps keep our counters more organized after washing bottles and pump parts. We have it in white and I like how discrete it looks on our marble counter tops.
  • Sound Machine- Brooks loves white noise while he sleeps! We love that this one is portable and can easily pop into our diaper bag or stroller if needed.
  • Baby Bath Tub- this is a major part of our bath/bedtime routine!
  • Nose Frida- this is an odd contraption for sure, but it really works at getting snot out of your babies nose! It is so much better than the bulbs that the hospital uses.
  • Bassinet- we love this bassinet!! It has wheels so you can easily move it from room to room and you will always have a safe place to put your baby down. 
  • Zip-up Footed Pajamas- Brooks lived in these for the first 8 weeks of his life! I would recommend having at least 10-14 on hand so you don't run out during the week. 
  • Halo Swaddle- truly the only swaddle that keeps Brooks snug during the night! 
  • Gripe Water- so helpful for hiccups! * just make sure to give the dosage slowly to avoid choking
  • Mockingbird Stroller- we love our stroller! It collapses easily and is a smooth ride. We also bought the car seat adapter which is a game changer!!
  • Touch Night Light- this is randomly one of my favorite baby products! I have it on my nightstand and in the middle of the night when I want to check on Brooks I just tap the top of this and it provides a soft glow that doesn't wake him up! You can also adjust the brightness by just pressing down on the top! I would highly recommend this!
  • Car Seat- we like how easy it is to get Brooks in and out of the car with this car seat and base combo. It is a little on the heavy side, but I feel like Brooks is very safe while we are driving.


*Disclaimer: these are my opinions. Always consult your pediatrician for any questions you may have in regards to safety and baby products.

Baby Hall Arriving March 2023!


I am so excited to be typing these words- I AM PREGNANT!!! Wow. It still doesn't feel real saying that. It's been such a wonderful 16 weeks so far and I am truly blessed and SO thankful to be carrying this little babe. 

I wanted to share a little bit about how the first trimester was for me so let's get right into it!



We found out we were pregnant July 17th and let's just say Baby Hall was a complete surprise! My husband Joe and I had been talking about possibly trying to start a family come the new year but obviously God had other plans! We always knew we wanted kids but the logistics scared us. We would ask ourselves things like -how much do babies cost? Should I keep working full time? How will this change our relationship? Will we ever be ready? There were just so many uncertainties and honestly the thought of having kids was overwhelming. It's pretty amazing how God works though, because a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant I had this overwhelming peace that whenever the time was right for us to start a family God would provide for us and that everything would be ok. Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." I realized that I was trusting in myself to make plans and figure things out when I should have been fully trusting God all along! He is SO good and has never failed me. I knew in that moment that everything would work out in His timing. 



Fast forward a few weeks and I started to notice something was off with my body (this may be TMI but I was constipated and bloated, which is not something normal for me.) Sure enough my period was a few days late, I took a test and a very clear plus sign popped up *cue alllll the emotions*


We decided to tell family literally the next day because honestly I thought I was going to burst with excitement and I am really bad at keeping secrets! My parents were beyond excited because this will be the first grandchild on my side of the family!!



Overall my first trimester was really good! I always pictured being pregnant like in the movies where you throw up all day but thankfully that was not the case for me. I would say I experienced what I would call hunger nausea around weeks 7 and 8, where I pretty much had to eat every hour of the day or I felt sick but it wasn't bad at all. I will note that Jolly Ranchers were my best friend when I felt a little sick to my stomach and didn't want to eat anything huge. Some foods did gross me out like chicken and another odd thing was that I had just painted our bedroom and looking at the color made me feel sick, it was so strange! A few cravings I had during the first trimester were definitely Uncrustables and Five Guys burgers, ha! My biggest complaint overall was just being super tired. I just tried to listen to my body and rest when needed. Now that I am in the second trimester I definitely feel like I am getting my energy back which is a such a blessing.


By week 10 I had my first ultrasound and everything looked perfect! It was such an amazing moment to get to see our little baby and hear their heart beat. We will be finding out the gender in November and I literally am counting down the days until then. Any guesses on what Baby Hall is?! 


I think that is all I wanted to share for now! All in all, I am just so thankful and so excited for this little babe. We can't wait for this next chapter in our lives. I give God all the glory for this blessing.


Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." 


Monogrammed Baby Sweater

 



Tennis Attire.

 Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something through that link. This is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 


I have been loving tennis inspired looks for summertime! Pair a sleeveless polo with a pleated skort for a day at the country club or slip into an athletic dress for running errands around town. You don't have to be a tennis pro to ace these sporty looks!


Shop my favorite items here.



Riding Boot Season.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something through that link. This is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 




My husband and I started to rewatch our favorite show, Mad Men, and in season 2, Betty Draper sports the most incredible equestrian outfits. Her looks consisted of tailored blazers, bow blouses, riding boots, and a red lip- so perfectly classic! If you are looking to add some new pieces to your wardrobe this season, I would start with any of the items I have shown above as they can all mix and match together for countless Autumn ensembles. Don't forget to top off your look with a red lip!


You can find the links to all of these items on my Like to Know It page here



Summer Soirée

 


On Sunday my family got together for a Summer Soirée to celebrate my 25th birthday a week early. We set up a blue and white taplescape at the park and indulged in chilled strawberry soup, berry-mandarin salad, smoked salmon and an array of tea sandwiches. Following our lunch, we played a game of croquet and bocce ball. It was such a wonderful day celebrating with family!


You can watch a short video about the party here!













My dress is old from J Crew Factory.

Marthas Vineyard- lodging, dining, outfits and more!

  Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something through that link. This is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 



A few weeks ago Joe and I headed to our happy place- Martha's Vineyard! This was our third time visiting the island but it was our first time actually staying there. We had the absolute best time and I am so excited to share our trip details with you! 



How we got there: We use the Steamship Authority ferry to get to the Vineyard and have always had seamless experiences with them. We decided to take our car over to the island so we could travel around easier (I definitely recommend this if you are staying overnight!) and we reserved a spot on the ferry for our car online a few weeks before departure. It only is about a 45 minute ride to the island from Woods Hole. 





Where we stayed: Edgartown is my favorite town on the Vineyard so that's where we decided to spend our 3 nights. We stayed at the Edgar Hotel which was reasonably priced (we went the second to last week of May and most hotels are significantly cheaper then!) and it was only a half mile walk from downtown. There are plenty of restaurants nearby and even a place to rent bikes right across the street!







Where we ate: The Atlantic- ask to sit outside on the patio and get the lobster truffle mac & cheese or the lobster croissant and thank me later.

Bettini- located in the Harbor View Hotel, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had to date! We got the calamari and tuna tartare to start, followed by the rigatoni with vodka sauce and prime ribeye and then we finished with the citrus almond tart with blood orange sorbet! We sat by the front window which overlooked the Edgartown Lighthouse- it was such an incredible night.

Seafood Shanty- a tourist favorite! It's located right on the water in Edgartown and they have plenty of outdoor seating!

Menemsha Fish Market- we loved this place so much that we went there for lunch two days in a row! We got the lobster roll, crabcake sandwich, lobster bisque, clam chowder and oysters! Everything was so fresh and we loved the scenery on the dock. 

Mocha Motts- our favorite coffee on the island. There is one located in Vineyard Haven and in Oaks Bluff! They have delicious coffee cake too!







Sightseeing/Activities:  On our first full day we grabbed iced coffee from Mocha Motts and strolled around Oaks Bluff while admiring all the little gingerbread cottages. Then we decided to drive across the island to check out the Aquinnah cliffs- they were breathtaking! Later in the afternoon we went to Menemsha and took our lunch to go and had a little picnic on the beach. After that we headed back to Oaks Bluff for a little souvenir shopping.

On our second full day we woke up early, grabbed coffee and walked to the Edgartown lighthouse. After walking around Edgartown for quite some time, we drove to see another lighthouse (East Chop) and then we spent most of the afternoon at Lucy Vincent beach, which was open to the public during our stay. 






My Outfits: Pink Vineyard Crewneck Sweatshirt (gift shop in Oaks Bluff) | White Jeans | Red/White Stripe Tee | Pink Sweater Tank (old J Crew Factory) | Anchor Skirt (old J Crew Factory) | Blue/White Stripe Maxi Dress c/o | Strapless Seashell Dress (old Vineyard Vines) | Gold Jack Rogers | Blue/White Stripe Tunic Dress (sold out Sail to Sable) c/o | Bow Shorts | White Sleeveless Shirt | Navy Cardigan | Sunglasses | Longchamp Purse | White Jack Rogers | Cable Knit Sweater (old Ralph Lauren) | Sailboat Dress (old St Tropez) 

Joe's Outfits:  Blue MV Sweatshirt (gift shop in Oaks Bluff) | Seersucker Pants (old, similar here) | Blue Polo (similar here) | White Shorts | Navy Cable Knit Sweater (old J Crew Factory) | Sunglasses | Navy Sportcoat | Red Polo | White Pants | Loafers c/o | White/Navy Sweater | Birkenstocks | Red Linen Shirt | Blue Shorts | Seersucker Shirt 


We miss the Vineyard already and are counting down the days until we return!


Spring Favorites from J Crew Factory.

  Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something through that link. This is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 



Happy Spring, friends! At the start of each season I always like to pick up a few new pieces to freshen up my wardrobe. J Crew Factory has so many cute (and affordable) goodies right now! Check out my favorites above and by shopping through the links below!


Blue/White Stripe Tank | Hat | Eyelet Skirt | Espadrilles | Red/White Stripe Tee | High Rise White Denim | White Collar Tank | Palm Tree Shorts | Crab Sweatshirt | Bow Shorts