Eloise's Nursery

Our sweet little Eloise is already one week old, time flies when you're so in love! ;) I'm excited to finally share her nursery, even though it's not quite finished. I still have to find & hang curtains, hang a small gallery wall above her dresser & finish the letters for her name that will go behind the glider. The rest is complete for the most part & I am so happy with the way it came together!! 

The whole room was based around a painting that I made when I decided that I wanted to use purples & golds for her nursery. I love that she has a little unique piece of art in her room, I will never forget painting it on the entryway floor this winter while she was still in my belly, excited for the day that she would finally be here & lay in her crib looking at it.

The sweet people at Urban Walls generously offered to send us a gold heart wall decal, I had been in love with them forever & was so excited to put one in the nursery. I'm going to blame it on user error, but sadly we couldn't seem to get it on the wall quite right, but it was so beautiful that I decided to paint one in it's place. I used Martha Stewart Gold Metallic paint & just sketched the heart with a pencil on the wall. It's far from perfect but I am still so happy with it! ;)

I collaborated with my sweet friend Erin at Candy Kirby Designs to turn my painting into a fabric, which we then used as a changing pad cover! The Evie Collection (named after big sister Harper's middle name Eve) turned out beautifully & I am in love with the swaddles & hats that she created.

The crib, glider & changing table were all from Harper's nursery. The dresser was another craigslist find for under $100, we fixed a few of the drawers & updated the knobs. It is the perfect addition to the nursery to give it a little character & tie in some of the natural wood that I wanted. We bought the same white faux sheepskin rug that we used in Harper's Room, as a 5x8 it is a great price (it is almost always on sale for 30% off with free shipping) & it makes the perfect backdrop for photos!

This room has been so much fun to decorate, I am so excited to put some finishing touches in it & hope that Eloise loves her new little home! :) 

Sources
Jenny Lind Crib \\ Dresser & Changing Table from Craigslist
Rocker from Babies R Us (no longer available) \\ Wooden Stool \\ Bamboo Blinds
White Fur Rug 5x8 \\ Purple & Gold Heart Pillow \\ Gold Polka Dot Crib Sheet \\ Tassel Garland
Basket from Home Goods \\ Ballerina Doll \\ Grey Owl Plush \\ Bambi Deer Plush
Fawn Pillow \\ Purple Pom Blanket (found at local boutique but similar on One Kings Lane)
 Dresser Knobs Purple Floral & Pink Glass \\ Gold Tray
White Lamp \\ Deer Teether \\ Changing Pad Cover/Blanket \\ Tissue Box Cover
Painting made by me (Acrylic on Canvas)
Photography by Ashley Scobey

Home from the Hospital

First things first, I just want to say thank you all again for the comments & well wishes on the birth of baby Eloise. We are so incredibly thankful for all of the love, support & encouragement. I feel so blessed to have this precious baby girl in my arms & love her more than I ever could have imagined.
 

The same goes for Harper, she went from just being the baby to being the sweetest, most caring big sister ever & it totally melts my heart. Wherever Eloise is, Harper is close behind, always watching over her, making sure she has her paci if she needs it & of course, always reminding me when she is "pying" (crying). Sometimes she even starts crying too, but usually just says "uh-oh, mama, hold it!"

Since coming home from the hospital this weekend, things have been a little rough. As I mentioned in my last post, my recovery has been harder this time, even though I usually hear the opposite. I didn't really feel ready to come home from the hospital but I desperately wanted to be home with Harper. I am really sore & still have a lot of pain where my incision was, which makes it so hard to do a lot of things, mostly picking the baby up a million times in the middle of the night (either getting out of bed to do it or having to lean over into the playard). 

I have had an allergic reaction to some of my medication, so on top of everything, my skin is itchy & my eyes have been swollen & red. Again, I don't like to complain & definitely don't want to scare anyone, I know c-section recoveries can be totally different for each person.  On the plus side, breastfeeding is still going well for us, which is a total shock after my experience with Harper. There has been pain & bleeding (I will spare you the details) but we are making good progress. When Harper saw me nursing Eloise for the first time, she said "baby sissy eating mamas belly!" And I died laughing, and then I felt like I was actually going to die because it hurt to laugh. We also let Harper feed Eloise some pumped milk from a bottle, Harper loved every second of it & was so excited. It was the cutest thing ever, she whispered to her "is it good?" 

Eloise loves to sleep, mostly during the day, waking up usually every two hours to eat. The first night home she had a really rough night, she was really gassy & couldn't sleep or get comfortable. All was good though after a few blowouts. ;) Last night was much better, a solid three hour stretch of sleep felt pretty good for all of us. Harper didn't start sleeping through the night until close to five weeks, but I know every baby is different so I have really no expectations for the sleep situation. I'll take whatever sleep I can get & will snuggle the heck out of this cute girl while we are awake.

Welcome to the World, Eloise Ruby!

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our baby girl, Eloise Ruby, born April 23rd at 8:01 am. She weighed 7lbs. 4oz., 19 inches long & had a full head of beautiful dark hair. She is so incredibly sweet, she loves to sleep & be held, which is just perfect because I never want to put her down! ;) It is an amazing feeling to bring another baby girl into this world, you always wonder how you will be able to love another child like the one you already have, but then it just happens. And it is incredible! My heart is bursting with love & happiness.

My c-section went really well, I went into it feeling like I knew a little bit of what to expect so I think that helped to calm my nerves a little. Recovery has been quite a bit harder this time around so far. I'm not much of a complainer, and certainly don't want to scare anyone who is having a c-section, but yesterday was really rough. It was like a rollercoaster of pain, highs & lows depending on when I took medication. I felt like it wasn't as bad the first time around but maybe that was just my memory doing me a favor? :) The nurses assured me that it would be the worst day though, and they were right. I am feeling so much better today & have been able to finally move around. Having a sweet, snuggly newborn in your arms does wonders for the pain though, it is totally worth it & I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Despite our unsuccessful breastfeeding experience with Harper, things are going surprisingly well this time. Eloise has been doing great latching & has been nursing so well! I totally did not see that coming, I brought my dreaded pump expecting the worst. Holding her in the early hours of the morning while she nurses has been amazing, I am feeling really optimistic this time & hoping things continue to go well once my milk comes in.

Harper has been to the hospital twice now, she is in love with her sister & always asks if she can "give her a pet?" (pet her) and rubs her hair. She gets really upset when Eloise is crying, I'm sure she will get used to it eventually though. We think they look alike in a lot of ways, but not identical. My mom swears that Eloise looks just like me when I was born, which is funny because we thought Harper looked just like Brandon as a baby.

Harper is such a great big sister so far, I love seeing them together & can't wait to see how they interact once we bring her home!

Thank you all so much for all of the well wishes! I can't tell you all how much we appreciate it, we have really felt so overwhelmed with love from everyone!! You all are the sweetest & I am excited to continue sharing our journey with you as we take sweet Eloise home & adjust to life as a family of four. 

XO

Easter 2014

Hope you all had an amazing Easter weekend with the ones you love! We had all of our family in town from Iowa this week, so of course it was a bit of a zoo over here, just the way we like it. Easter was a blast, Harper was so excited to hear that the Easter bunny came, even though she made it clear that she would have preferred the "Easter horsey!"

She was most excited for her crayons & bunny tail, so much fun! The best part was her taking off her pajamas shortly after digging through her basket & covering her belly & legs with stickers.

 After breakfast & church, we headed outside for a little Easter Egg hunt, which was totally the highlight of Harper's day. She had so much fun exploring in the back yard finding her eggs, stopping to open each one & then asking for more. Every time she found one, she would proudly scream "ooh! I found it!!" We were so tempted to re-stuff & hide all the eggs just to do it all over again after her nap. I can't get over how grown up she is looking in all of these pictures, she is such a little lady these days.

White Maxi c/o Zappos \\ Harper's Dress from Gap (sold out)

We refueled for the afternoon with a festive iced coffee bar before Easter dinner, then spent the rest of the day enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was the best kind of holiday! :) Looking forward to our next one being the first as a family of four!

Beverage Dispenser \\ Acrylic Hobnail Glasses from PB Outlet (similar here)

38 Weeks

Ahhh, 38 weeks! After multiple doctors appointments & ultrasounds over the last week, things are looking back on track so we will continue to wait to see if baby girl will come on her own or if we will make it to my actual scheduled c-section later this week!!! I can't believe it's almost time!

How far along: 38 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Ready to say goodbye to Maternity clothes, it's been real! ;) 

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: Out

Sleep: Sleep is still great, rolling over is another story.

Best moment this week: Celebrating my birthday & Easter with our family, and drawing my LAST chalkboard!!!

Miss anything: Keeping up with Harper (and really keeping up with anything). I have lots of energy this week which is great, but my body gives out before I want it to. So lucky to have my mom here to lend an extremely helpful hand!!

Movement: It's pretty cramped quarters in there, I am sure she is ready to pack it up & make her grand entrance!

Cravings: Sweets of course & crazy cravings for Chinese food which we ate on my birthday. If you can't have birthday cocktails, may there at least be lettuce wraps!

Looking forward to: Meeting our baby girl THIS WEEK!

Thank you all again so much for the well wishes over the last few weeks, your encouragement & prayers have been so much appreciated!! You can follow along on Instagram @jlgarvin & hopefully we will be sharing the good news sooner than later! :) 

Happy Easter!

Colorful & Quirky Spring Styles

Inspired by Harper's fun spring outfit from yesterday's post, I put together some of the colorful & quirky kids pieces that have caught my eye lately. As the weather is getting warmer, we are looking forward to packing away all of her sweatshirts from winter & finally getting her back in cute sun dresses or tees with leggings. I love all of the neon colors & fun prints, plus you know I can't pass up a cute screenprinted tee! ;) 

These are some of my favorites (for both boys & girls), all under $30!

Hot Dog Tee \\ Solid Color Onesie \\ Boys Sunglasses \\ Yellow Denim \\ 82 Cap

Heart Sunglasses \\ Friday I'm In Love Tee \\ Floral Romper \\ Neon Corsage Tee

Heart sunnies aren't just for Valentine's Day, aren't those the cutest ever?!

J.Crew kids is also having a 30% off sale (plus free shipping) on tons of cute basic pieces for kids (like these capri leggings that come in tons of colors!), so I picked up a few things for Harper's Spring/Summer wardrobe. I can't wait to pick out some coordinating outfits for the girls, although I know better this time around not to buy newborn jeans or really anything other than snuggly sleepers for the first few weeks. So very excited for baby spitup & blowouts all over again! ;)

Happy Hump Day!

We scream for Ice Cream. And a baby.

Thank you all for the well wishes on my last post, Harper is feeling better & we are still all just anxiously awaiting baby sister's arrival. We may not have a baby yet, but we do have ice cream!

Yesterday afternoon, we hit up one of our favorite fro-yo places, where Harper's signature move is picking out her own ice cream & toppings, then deciding once we sit down that she wants mine instead. Always followed by a bunch of "tank-you's" so you really know how much she appreciates it & of course, to make sure you don't think twice about giving it up. No, thank you Harp, your birthday cake flavor with coconut & strawberries was much better than the chocolate cone I was craving. ;)

Purple Tropical Dress \\ Moccasins c/o Freshly Picked

Things all of a sudden feel like they are in slow motion over here, the final week of this pregnancy is just taking it's sweet time. We are so ready! Part of me hopes that I will go into labor on my own so we can meet her sooner, but I also know how important it is for her to stay put until my scheduled c-section. Our family will all get here later this week, so we will have lots to keep us busy in the mean time. Everyone says sleep, sleep, sleep until baby arrives, but I know that it won't matter once she gets here & of course I have this crazy burst of energy all of a sudden. Good thing it's my birthday week! A margarita-less night out at our favorite rooftop Mexican restaurant is in order & maybe a pre-baby pedicure?! ;)

Ok, back to endlessly nesting & snacking over here, hope you all are having a great week so far!

37 Weeks

Week 37 has been pretty eventful for us! I went in for my routine OB appointment late last week & they told us that the baby was measuring small for the second week in a row, so I would need to have an ultrasound. Without going into too much detail, there are just some minor complications from my previous c-section, but baby girl looked good & the tech estimated that she already weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz. So exciting to think about!! They told us we may have her sooner than my initially scheduled c-section date, which totally has me on pins & needles, very impatiently waiting. But, we kept busy of course, Harper woke up sick Saturday morning with a cough & high fever. Poor girl was miserable, we spent most of the weekend snuggling on the couch while tackling some house projects since the weather was nice. Happy to report that she is finally feeling like herself again this morning & today's ultrasound looked good, so now we just play the waiting game. Soooo excited for her arrival!!

Blue Maxi c/o Ingrid & Isabel

How far along: 37 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 30 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Maxi dress season is upon us & it is glorious.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: Out (and made an appearance in this week's picture apparently)

Sleep: Sleeping great, surprisingly.

Best moment this week: Seeing the babe at our ultrasound, watching her move around & feeling her kick at the same time just make me so excited. Harper was hoping we would be watching Nemo when we went into the room with the big screen, but was not let down when she got to see "baby sissy's heart!"

Miss anything: This week I am getting a taste of what it will be like to not lift Harper or overdo it, which is really hard & I am not looking forward to that post c-section. Ready to feel like myself again for sure, but I know I will miss feeling the baby when she is here too. Also, I can't help but miss an icy cold beer on the patio in this beautiful Spring weather.

Movement: Lots of shifting around, baby girl has definitely dropped but never fails to kick me right in the lungs every so often.  

Cravings: All things sweet or sour! Apples, lemon, orange juice with pineapple, etc. I will be sad when food doesn't taste as good once the baby is here, snacks are always a little highlight of my day! ;)

Looking forward to: Baby day!! Can not wait to have her in my arms!

Friday Favorites + Baby Update!

Ahh, so happy it's Friday! We had a long, eventful week over here & are so looking forward to the weekend. Exciting news, baby girl may be here sooner than later! Hoping of course that she can stay put & keep growing for a few more days, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about hopefully having her in my arms any day now!! :) For now, we are taking it easy, no more lifting Harper or crawling around in playground tunnels for me.

 Peacock Romper \\ Blue Maxi c/o Ingrid & Isabel

In the meantime, some fun Friday Favorites for your weekend enjoyment, including Harper's sassy facial expressions & dance moves above! :) 

My favorite bowls ever, perfect for seasonal entertaining because you can mix & match them, are on sale this week! They're the perfect size, dishwasher safe & the colors are all gorgeous.

I'm obsessed with this yarn banner tutorial & keep thinking of how or where I could incorporate one into our house. What do you think?! 

Harper took this selfie the other day on my phone & I can not get over it. Her curious face just cracks me up.

I'm in the market for a cute one piece for the summer, not feeling all that motivated to get back into my two piece quite yet. So far I am loving these neon ones, especially in the neon pink or papaya, or this charcoal halter one. Looking forward to spending lots of time at the pool when the weekends get warmer! And in the spirit of warmer weather, this blueberry mojito recipe has my mouth watering. Someone please make them this weekend & drink one for me! ;)

Cheers, friends!! Wishing you all the best weekend ever!

Harper 26 Months

Age: 2 Years (actually almost 26 months now)

Stats: 27 lbs. & 32 inches
Clothes: Still wearing some 18-24 Month stuff, but mostly 2T. She wears size 5 shoes & loves putting them on herself, usually on the wrong feet. Is there anything cuter? She likes to dress herself now too, which requires a whole new level of patience that I didn't even know that I had. Her screaming in frustration because she can't get things on, but when I try to help? "No, I do it!!!" She's pretty darn proud of herself once she is fully dressed though, and of course, so am I. She likes to pick out her own headbands & usually always has a head full of bobby pins, or stickers.
 

Favorite Foods: Pasta, Fruit of all kinds (strawberries, blueberries & bananas are her favorite), Cucumbers, Cereal, Pickles (which gross me out so much), Chicken & Cheese. Guacamole is her absolute favorite & she asks for "more salsa" on everything. She always wants to try our spicy food, I make a lot of Mexican dishes & we tell her some stuff is too spicy, which she says "ooh, ficey!" and calls Brandon's hot sauce collection "ficey sauce." We still drink tons of smoothies, she loves helping put everything in the blender, pineapple flavors are her favorite. She would also drink just milk rather than eating all day if we would let her.

Here is a look at some of the meals she eats most often, I know we all love seeing what other moms feed their toddlers, so hopefully this will give you a few ideas.

Shredded chicken quesadilla with avocado slices \\ Spinach & four cheese tortellini with breaded chicken on top \\ Sliced deli turkey with cheese, sesame pretzels & cucumbers \\ Egg whites on a bagel with sliced apples. 

Words: Her vocabulary right now totally cracks us up, she picks up & remembers just about everything she hears. She still calls kisses "missies" which is so cute, at bedtime she calls us back in her room for "one more miss?" & needs a "missy da boo-boo?" if she gets a bruise or scratch on her knees. She is full of commentary, always telling us what we are doing, "mama singing!" "mama dancing!" "daddy fro da football!" which never gets old. During bath time when we tell her it's time to get out, she always asks for "one more swim?" She loves to list things she loves, "I love kitty, I love Minnie, I love football. I looove salsa!" I could go on all day about the funny things she says, I just love this age.

Activities: Helping me cook in the kitchen is her favorite, she loves sitting up on the counter to stir things or I pre-measure out ingredients & she pours them in the big bowls. She loves playing with the football or basketball outside, exploring the backyard, blowing bubbles, doing sidewalk chalk & swinging in the hammock. It's going to be such a fun Spring/Summer with her! She also loves animals so much, my brother has a giant black lab that he brings over & she goes bonkers playing with him. The first picture in this post is actually a day we saw a bunch of deer across the street & then they ran away after she yelled "me-heer!" (come here) to them, she was so sad they couldn't play with her like the dog does.

Favorite Things: Dolls & stuffed animals are her favorite, she especially loves putting them in the baby's crib or swing. Coloring, painting, stickers, drawing on the chalkboard, really just arts & crafts of all kinds. She loves her Teapot, her Magna Doodle & bubbles. Her favorite books are The Cat at Night & The Alphabet Parade, we love going to the bookstore when the weather isn't so nice, she loves to look through all of the books & play at the train table. But above all, she loves playing with the cat, following her around, watching her "eating kitty cheerios?" & especially lives for the moments that Izzy lets her snuggle with her.

Signature Moves: Dancing & singing, all day long. She sings twinkle, twinkle little star & it is so so cute!! She also knows random parts of Eric Church songs since we listen to so much country, she always says "ooh, dadas music!" when it comes on in the car. Still doing her funny fake laugh, which we hope she does forever (it's also the sound a horse makes if you ask her, neigh-he-he-he-h-ehe-h). Yelling "look at that!" anytime she does something she is proud of.

 

Mom's Proudest Moment: I rolled the window down, so I guess this one is on me.

Dad's Proudest Moment: He's taking the blame for her somersaulting off her bed the other day right into her book basket. It scared the daylights out of her & I haven't seen her attempt it again yet. Brandon also tossed me a diaper from upstairs, over the stair well, which landed on the fan blade. Harper happened to see it & now thinks that she should try to throw everything up in the air and onto the fan. Always keeping it interesting! ;)

It goes without saying that this is, yet again, our favorite age. It's so fun to have her communicating so well with us, we love her little stories & all of the funny things she has to say. This is also undoubtedly the hardest age yet, trying to discipline her the right away is always a challenge. There are days where I just want to throw in the towel, after chasing her around, cleaning up messes & her not listening to a word I say. She can be very independent, likes to push limits, & tries to make us laugh at her while she is in time out. But, that's the little all-inclusive package that is parenting. We have our good days & our bad, but she really is the sweetest girl.
We love her to pieces & can't wait to see how her little personality changes as she becomes a big sister over the next few weeks!