Bathtime Made A Little Easier with Bamboobino

Bath-time has always been a special time for me and my babies.
I've always forgone the fancy baby baths and seats, and opted instead to bathe with my littles, especially at the beginning. I love that it gives us a special time to just be with each other, and to relax and enjoy each others company.  Its also a great way to squeeze some extra skin to skin time in.
Its a tradition I have continues with Z-man, we both love having the long warm snuggles in the tub and then wrapping ourselves up in one of our super big bath towels and snuggling and nursing until Zack falls asleep.

Preventing Infant "Flat Head" with Tortle

****CONTEST NOW CLOSED****

Congratulations to our winner Shanda Enriquez

He's here!

My rainbow is here at last. 

Little Z made a dramatic entry into this world last week. I'll post a full birth story soon but it was over 120 hours of drug free labor and a few "labor rules" were broken. He weighed almost nine pounds and is absolutely perfect!

It was worth every contraction though to hold this little man in my arms. His big sisters are so excited he's here too, baby is the most spoken word in our house these days and I'm loving watching them get to know each other. 

So far life as a family of five has been pretty blissful, but I have a feeling it's going to get a little crazy, and I'm looking forward to it.

Me VS. The Pin - Handprint Snowflake Edition

I love hand prints and foot prints.  I put them on everything from plates, to pictures, to wall art, and I even have a set tattooed on my wrist. Any time I come across anything to do with prints, I pin them, and I've been waiting all year to recreate this one.  It was super simple and turned out great even with a wriggly eighteen month old.

The Pin

Mine

It was ridiculously simple as well, I filled clear plastic ornaments ( I got mine at Michaels) about a third of the way with white glitter "snow". Then painted each girls hand and stamped the print onto an ornament. Once it dried I painted no the faces. Super simple and adorable.

My Awesome New Wall Art

How insanely gorgeous is this decal from A Baby Wall on Etsy?

I just ordered it for the girls room and I'm so excited to see it up!

If you're in the market for some wall art yourself you should check them out.  They have great prices, squee-inducing designs, and each of the different pieces is totally customizable.

It was a tough decision for me between the birch trees and this,

and how gorgeous would this be in a little boys room or  a playroom?

You can check them out on Etsy, A Baby Wall

A Manly Pacifier

I need to know where to find these!

OMG

Look at these, squeeee!

I am LITERALLY dying of the cuteness.
Leggings by C.C Lovely and Lace

There really are no words

Hi all, I'm sorry Ive been MIA, but things haven't been so great around the Modern Housewife home.  I recently had the joy to announce to the world that we were expecting baby #3.  For a few short weeks I was blissfully happy, unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be.
Our baby is not well, and unfortunately he will not be joining us as we had hoped.  I am currently 17 weeks pregnant and our baby boy will be coming this week.
We have named him Joshua Anthony.
I feel thoroughly broken, and have not even come close to wrapping my head around this.  Ive cried until I though there could not possibly be any more tears, and then Ive cried some more. Ive begged, pleaded and railed at fate, and the cruelty of all of this.
I'm hoping in time acceptance will come, and maybe even peace, but for now there is only sadness, and a whole in my heart that feels like it will never heal.
I came across a poem this morning that really resonated with me today, and I want to share it with you all, because as much as I can wish that this would never happen to anyone, I know I am not alone.  I hope that if there is any mother out there who is grieving right now, this can bring you a small amount of comfort.

I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today.
I asked what makes a Mother
And I know I heard Him say...

A mother has a baby
This we know is true.
But, God, can you be a mother
... when your baby is not with you?

Yes, you can He replied,
With confidence in His voice.
I give many women babies
When they leave is not their choice.

Some I send for a lifetime,
And others just for a day.
And some I send to feel your womb,
But there's no need to stay.

I just don't understand this God,
I want my baby here.
He took a breath and cleared His throat
And then I saw a tear.

I wish I could show you
What your child is doing today.
If you could see your child smile
With other children and say:

"We go to earth to learn our lessons
Of love and life and fear.
My mommy loved me Oh so much
I got to come straight here.

I feel so lucky to have a mom
Who has so much love for me.
I learned my lessons very quickly,
My mommy set me free.

I miss my mommy Oh so much,
But I visit every day.
When she goes to sleep
On her pillow is where I lay.

I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek
And I whisper in her ear.
Mommy don't be sad today,
I'm your baby and I'm here."

So, you see my dear sweet one,
Your children are not blue.
Your babies are here in MY home,
They'll be at Heaven's gate waiting for you.

So now you see what makes a mother,
It's the feeling in your heart.
It's the love you had so much of,
Right from the very start.

Though some on earth may not realize you are a mother,
Until their time is done.
They'll be up here with Me one day,
And they'll know you were the best one.

I have a secret

and I can finally share it with everyone!
Surprise, surprise we are expecting again! Sophia and Vanessa are both going to be big sisters this October.
To say that Im shocked was an understatement. After using assisted reproduction to conceive both of our girls, I really didnt think a "whoops" could happen to us and so we did absolutely nothing in the way of birth control after Vanessa was born. Then out of nowhere I started feeling nauseous, i stopped losing weight no matter how hard i tried at the gym, and I was beyond tired. I even said to dh that I felt ... pregnant.
Neither of us believed it though, I didnt even bother to test until I had been feeling steadily worse for over a week. I cannot even tell you how shocked I was when that second line came up on the pregnancy test. There really are no words.
The very next day an ultrasound confirmed that we were 8! weeks along.
I am now 13 weeks and so happy to be able to share it with the world.

Milestone: This week Im officially out of the first trimester. I cannot say that Im going to miss it at all. Morning sickness, extreme fatigue, cramping, fear at every twinge, I am not leaving it behind fast enough.

Feeling: Sick, tired, but it seems to be easing up a little bit, Ive ventured out of the house during the day a few times in the last week and that definite progress.

Cravings: hot sauce actually anything spicy, but the second it touches my lips I get killer heartburn so i havnt been indulging. I have however been eating freezies like they're going out of style.

Wishing for: a doppler

Looking Forward To:My very first midwife appt tomorrow, I wasnt able to get the entire team that delivered Vanessa because unfortunately they were very full by the time I called. But I am fortunate enough to be seeing two of the three woman who helped me through my last pregnancy

Reading: Hunger Games trilogy

Favourite clothes right now: My maternity clothes... Yup - I'm officially in my mat clothes!!!

Baby Fever - Its contagious.

Its official. I have baby fever.
Ugh. I think I must be insane. Vanessa is only 7 months old and yet Ive found myself staring longingly at bellies and newborns every time I see them. Ive worked hard at getting my body back, and yet i found myslef hesitating to put my maternity clothes away in storage.
I must be sick.
Its not helping that my SIL is about seven months pregnant. Every time i see her beautiful belly, im reminded of how much I loved mine. How much I loved feeling my babies move and kick, and how great i felt when I was pregnant.
One of my biggest fears is that dealing with infertility will leave permanent marks on me. I'm worried that I will never find a place where I feel done. Will I always want another baby? omg, am I going to end up a Duggar?
One thing I know for sure is that I dont want another baby right now. Three under three may be fun for some but i just don't think I could do it. Sophia and Vanessa fill up my days completely, how would i find the time to give them everything they need and take care of another one?
Logically I know this, unfortunately Ive have never been known for my logic.
For now I am going to try to live vicariously through my preggo friends and family, and if the fever gets too bad, Ill just try to remember what four straight months of sleepless nights felt like.
Hopefully it works.

Amazing Deal Alert - My Little Legs and My Little Noggins

If you are a fan of baby leggings you need to head straight over to My Little Leggings

They are having a sale right now that saves you more the more you buy. In addition to that you can use the coupon code Summer2011 to save an additional 10%, and they're offering free shipping to Canada and the United States.I just scored 15 pairs of leggings for under $40.









This is an amazing deal when you consider that some brands (cough cough baby legs cough cough) are charging close to $20/pair!

I love these leggings i used them on sophia all the time!
In the winter underneath looser fitting track pants so her legs stayed warm on walks.
In the summer with little skirts or just onesies they look adorable and make diaper changes a breeze.
They are lifesavers for the crawling stage and the learning to walk stage, i cant count the number of times they've saved her little knees from scrapes
Im also going to use them when were potty training, so much easier than pants.

So head on over to My Little Legs and score some for yourselves. While you're there check out their great selection of hats, headbands and skirts as well.
Happy Shopping.

Drool

How absolutely insanely gorgeous are these baby boots by ZuZii?

Drool

Have you seen these two new prints from Petunia PickleBottoms Organic Collection?
Deco Dandelion

and Moonlit Moments

Available at Layla Grace

It's A . . . .

Modern Housewife is so incredibly pleased to share that our upcoming bundle of joy is.....

! ! ! A GIRL ! ! !

We are so thrilled to be expecting our second little princess Vanessa in June.

Gorgeous grey nursery

I came across this grey, white and yellow nursery on Project Nursery this morning. I love this combination. Grey can be a tricky colour in the nursery but I think this mama did it just right.

Pom Poms

I never would have thought to put paper pom poms in a nursery, but they look so great!

Mommy Wars

I recently came across this article on the Bump and I wanted to share it with you.

As moms, we've all heard our parenting skills being questioned or even criticized at one point or another. (Hey, it's practically a rite of passage.) But while some comments might be easy to brush off, others sting a little bit. Maybe it was your mother-in-law's "sage" advice at the family barbecue, warning that you’re swaddling too tight; or what's-her-face from Mommy and Me class preaching the wonders of Cry It Out and how you've been spoiling baby with too much attention. No matter what kind of unsolicited advice, snarky comment, or off-the-cuff remark has been hurled your way, chances are it’s left you thinking the same thing: Maybe you’re not really that good of a mother after all. Find out why we all fall victim to the mommy wars and how to win the next battle.

Read the entire article here.

Calm and serene nurseries

I love the sense of peace that these nurseries invoke.

Polka Dot Nurseries