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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Top Ten Recent Amazon Purchases

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Before having Charlie, I occasionally used Amazon to shop for things that weren't easy to find in store or that happened to be cheaper online (I've always been a big fan of purchasing books on Amazon!) But after becoming a Mama, I find myself turning to Amazon for all sorts of purchases!
As you can tell from just these ten items, my purchases are a random assortment of a little bit of everything. The convenience factor is just huge for me and I know it is for so many of y'all as well.
These are ten of my purchases from the past six months that I wanted to share. . .
This book was a favorite of mine growing up (that probably had to do with the page that shows an illustration and words of "strawberry ponies") and I just knew I needed to snag it for Charlie too!
This is a sturdy board book which should hold up well for years to come. I love the sing-songy tone of this book and the beautiful pictures!
If you've been reading my monthly updates about Charlie, you'll know that between 3-4 months, I decided I needed help getting his sleep on track and a lot of people recommend Mom's On Call.
I found a sample schedule and dove in...it's made a world of difference! So much so, that I finally bought the book for the other schedules.
It's helped get him (and myself) in a good routine and I'm thankful for it.
It also includes tons of other advice that is helpful for a first time mom like myself.
These are my favorite go-to pair of sunglasses. The oversized aviator style fit my face really well and I love the mirrored finish. They aren't any cheaper on Amazon, but if you have Prime you can use that (but it's free shipping already, anyways!) 
I guess I'm cheating because I didn't purchase this myself, but this letter board was a gift purchased from Amazon and I use it allllll the time.
I change it up for holidays and even use it to take Charlie's monthly update pictures.
It currently lives in our kitchen with an Irish proverb from St. Patrick's Day ;)
I recently upgraded my iPhone to the iPhone XS and the Verizon store tried to sell me a wireless charger for like $50. I knew that I didn't necessarily have to have one, so I skipped it in store.
The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea-so I grabbed one off of Amazon (for less than $15!) and it's worked great. It comes in different colors as well and makes charging my phone even easier.
This top was my first foray into shopping for clothing off of Amazon.
I always thought the things that were too pricey could be found cheaper in store and the things that were inexpensive were probably terrible quality.
This top is under $20 and now I have four in my closet because they are that good.
There are different retailers (I purchased a similar top from a different retailer and the quality wasn't near as good) but this is the best one I have found.
The price is right and these tops are so cute!
*Note: I also tried the long sleeve version of this top by the same retailer and didn't like the look so it was returned, just noting that for y'all.
I fell into the black hole of watching cleaning YouTube videos one day and Jen from How Jen Does It was using this mop and I fell in love.
I have to have different pads and cleaners for our wood and tile floors anyway, so this mop was perfect. It came with the mop, three washable pads, and two interchangeable bottles. I use the Method wood cleaner for the hardwood in our home and the Method tile cleaner for our tile and the bottles just pop in and out easily. The pads have washed really well too!
I have tried a few different brands of collagen since I started taking it (while I was pregnant with Charlie), but when I discovered this powder (it's also available at Target) I settled on it.
There is no flavor, it dissolves completely into my morning coffee, and most importantly-it works.
My hair has been falling out (thanks postpartum hair loss) but it's growing back quickly and my nails look great too.
When I was shopping for my baby registry, I couldn't find a decent neutral Boppy cover anywhere!
So, I registered for the plain Boppy and picked this one up on Amazon for less than $20.
It's grey minky fabric and so soft. Bonus? It also double as a great napping pillow for me ;)
Chris and I get asked about these pacifiers almost every single time we go out with Charlie.
Charlie only likes the Soothie pacifiers and so unless he is in his crib, if he wants a paci then he's got a Wubbanub. He has the horse, a cow, and a chicken and they are all SO cute.

Well, that's the latest from my Amazon hauls & don't forget-you can always keep up with what I'm purchasing from Amazon by looking through my Amazon shop here!
What have you purchased from Amazon lately?!

Until next time. . .
xoxo, 

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Charlie: Six Months

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Weight: 14 lbs 11.5 oz 
Height: 26.25 in
(as of 3-25-19)
Clothes:
Charlie boy is finally starting to really fill out his six month clothes-the length is going to cause us to size up to 6-9 before things fit in the waist...guess he's going to be a tall and slim guy like his Daddy!
 Sweet boy is so good about taking naps on the go-even at the National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet...right next to the auctioneer!
 He even napped like a little champ on the charter bus during our farm tours.
Charlie's cow wubbanub
Sleep:
If you don't follow Mom's-on-Call & your little one isn't sleeping...pick the book up!
Since getting Charlie on a schedule, he has been sleeping so, so much better. He has had a little trouble going down for naps since the time change, but he does still take three naps per day (between 30 minutes to over an hour, depending) and he's been going down at night with little fuss...and y'all-we're down to only one wake up if he wakes up at all!
We've slept through the night several times now and he's becoming more regular each week. I'm so proud of our little guy!
 We have had some beautiful Spring weather lately, so playing outside on a blanket has been a fun pastime.
Schedule:
His schedule hasn't changed much since I wrote his five month update;
Now, on a normal day, Charlie's schedule looks something like this.
7 AM-Wake up & nurse
8 AM-Eat some type of solids (some days it's avocado, some days it's sweet potatoes-whatever I have made for him)
8:30 AM-Down for a nap, about 1-1 1/2 hours usually
10:30 AM-Nurse again
11:30 AM-Solids (I try to vary what he eats, I try to have at least two different options in the fridge on any given day)
12:30/1:30 PM- Somewhere between here, whenever he starts showing cues, we go down for another nap usually 1 1/2 or 2 hours.
3 PM-Nursing again
4 PM-Solids again
5 PM-Possibly take another nap here, if he's feeling tired
6:30 PM-Bath time! We take a bath every single night now, but we only wash his hair every other night.
6:45 PM-Jammies and bedtime story
7 PM-Nurse one last time
Between 7-7:30 PM-Down for bed
 Some body found big brother Forrest's foot!
Charlie's shamrock pajamas (currently on sale!)
Health:
Nothing new to report here-he had a little sniffly, snotty nose for a few days but it cleared up really quickly!
 Charlie's fleece sleep sack 
Sweet boy at his first Young Farmer's Conference!
Crying:
Hardly any crying from our little man-the most tears come from being overtired. He's just the best!
Likes:
Being outside
Playing in his exersaucer
Trying real foods
Sitting up like a big boy! 
He loved Bow & Arrow as much as Mama & Daddy did-in all seriousness this is where we realized he can (& wants to!) eat real food. We ordered a half chicken and some macaroni and cheese and he had teeny tiny bites of both and gobbled them up!
Dislikes:
He gets frustrated when he realizes that he can't crawl and sit up for long periods of time by himself...he's just ready to be grown up!
When the solid foods run out-he's going to eat us out of house & home as he gets bigger!
Our big guy sitting up all by himself!
Milestones:
Sleeping through the night almost every single night
Eating lots of purees and real foods (has eaten chicken, cheese, noodles, french fries)
Sitting up without support for short periods of time
 Charlie's first time to Mt. Cheaha!
 Charlie approves of Blue Ribbon Dairy chocolate milk!
Charlie's first Cattlemen's Convention!
Places You've Gone:
The Alabama Cattlemen's Convention
Bow & Arrow in Auburn
Mt. Cheaha
Alabama Young Farmer's Convention
-Blue Ribbon Dairy
-Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Girls Ranch
-Whippoorwill Vineyards
Avondale
-Big Spoon Creamery
-Post Office Pies
Mama & Charlie's Favorites:
We've tried a lot of different baby wipes, but some of our favorites are honestly just the Wal-Mart brand wipes, especially for the price! (If price is no factor, we like the Pure wipes too ;)
If you ever see them sell the Sweet Orange Burst scent, better pick those up-they smell amazing and so fresh!
I bought this set of four bibs at TJ Maxx and they have been the best!
Before these I only had fabric bibs and they were staining and looked horrible with baby food all over them. These just wash right off in the sink and they're really durable plastic. Plus the patterns are really cute, too.
We've had this for Charlie since we got back from New Orleans and put him in his room full time.
I had a sound-only monitor which worked fine, but I really felt better being able to see him.
This has awesome night vision and can rotate all around the entire room, it also can link with additional cameras so if we ever had other children then I can have cameras in each of their rooms.
The only issue I have with it is that the monitor pretty much has to be plugged in at all times or you can't use the video feature, but it's a small thing.
We have a couple of different sleep sack options for Charlie, I find he just sleeps better in his pajamas and a sleep sack. The one pictured is a thinner cotton material and the one he's wearing in one of the pictures above is a thicker fleece-they're all great and have laundered really well. Highly recommend these!
I first learned about these before Charlie was even born-a friend had them for her little girl and I asked what was different about them rather than just plain baby wipes.
Basically, they're made with saline and are much more gentle on baby's nose. They really do make a difference when Charlie has a runny nose, they're really good at getting dried snot off (sorry for all you not-mom's out there reading this!) and anything that makes that process go faster is a win for me!
If you're looking for a good book to give as a baby shower gift or just to pick up for your little one (maybe for an Easter basket?!) this book is a winner!
It's a really well made book, a tough almost board book with a padded front cover. The pages are beautiful illustrations that almost have a watercolor look to them. I love that the words are to be read in a sing-song, rhyming manner (my favorite). And the message behind it is oh-so-sweet.
My favorite line to read to Charlie is, "Your giggle always melts my heart. You changed my world right from the start. And when your little hand holds mine, I know I'll love you for all time." Talk about all the feels!
I picked up this sweet little rattle toy for Charlie's Christmas stocking and it's recently become a big favorite. There are so many different textures and noises on this horsey that it keeps him entertained for a good little while. The rattle is on a ring, so sometimes I'll clip it to his play mat or exersaucer.
It's pretty incredible how much you care about snot when you become a mom. 😂
In all seriousness, the same friend that told me about Boogie Wipes told me about the Nose Frida and it's one of those things that you say, "Oh, I'll never use/need that" until you do.
I swear by it when Charlie's got a stuffy nose, it works so much better than the bulb thing they give you in the hospital.
Charlie's grandparent's got him some of these plastic chain links and they have become a favorite for hanging toys from his play mat or exersaucer.
He also really just loves to throw these around, they're a pretty basic toy but give him a lot of entertainment!

Until next time. . .
xoxo, 

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Ten on Tuesday [No.56]

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ONE
 The first Tuesday of each month brings my Inter Se meeting, a ladies philanthropic group that I belong to.
This month we met at a local flower/gift shop that always does beautiful florals (Jody did the florals for my wedding!) and everything was beautiful, as always.
All the pretty flowers and bright colors made me so excited for Spring & warmer weather!
TWO
This first year with Charlie has been so much fun already because we adore getting to experience all these firsts with him...like his first Alabama Young Farmers Conference!
Chris & I have been going to this conference since before we were even married, it's one we always enjoy because we get to spend time with friends we don't see often & we always get to meet new friends, too.
We were unsure of how Charlie would do being completely off of his schedule, but he honestly did really well. We went on farm tours and he soaked up every single minute-he is definitely an outside guy!
 Checking out the cows at the Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Girls Ranch
 He loved Blue Ribbon Dairy! We taste-tested some chocolate milk & played with the bottle calves
(You can find his cow wubbanub here)
We loved these sweet little calves!
THREE
Y'all-I am SO excited for Charlie to wear this shirt for Easter/Spring that I couldn't wait to show you-I had to show you now!
If you want one of these, I had a sweet girl in my hometown do this for Charlie (it's personalized to be a black lab, just like Forrest) but you can order them on her Etsy shop too. She's so reasonably priced & the work she does is impeccable!
FOUR
 I've been so looking forward to taking Charlie to Mt. Cheaha since before he was born! This is the highest elevation in the state of Alabama and is just fifteen-twenty minutes away from where we live. I grew up coming here, Chris and I have been here so many times, and we look forward to bringing Charlie!
My oldest sister was in town with her two littles, so a bunch of our fam loaded up and went to Cheaha. The weather was so nice and Charlie & Forrest were both so glad to get out and explore for a little while.
FIVE
Charlie has been sporting his shamrock pajamas lately-I love how the green brings out his pretty blue eyes! You can pick them up here (still plenty of time to get them before St. Patrick's Day!)
They are so affordable right now...less than $7!
SIX
So, since we went to New Orleans back in January-I've become a big King Cake fan and it's next to impossible to find in Alabama (at least in the part I live in!)...but our local bakery made King Cake cupcakes for Mardi Gras and they were SO yummy!
SEVEN
Influenster recently sent me the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick to test out and y'all, I have never liked a foundation stick in my life.
I usually find them to dry and feel like they pull at my skin and like the product never spreads out...but I really like this one!
Since having Charlie (combined with the winter temps) my skin has been really dry lately. This foundation actually feels like water/skincare going on to your skin.
I'm inserting a couple of pics from the first day I ever tested it out (and realizing that I need some botox or something for those forehead wrinkles...yikes!)
The top photo is right after application in my bathroom's lighting. . .
 And this picture is after about five hours of wear in natural daylight. I love how it melted into my skin as the day went on. It has a very natural, buildable coverage and it leaves my skin feeling dewy and looking glowy but not greasy.
It has SPF 25, so along with that and the hydrating benefits I feel like it will be the perfect foundation as we come into Spring & Summer.
A little goes a long way, is at a good price point, and comes in 20 shades.
And if you didn't know-you can join Influenster, too! You don't have to be a blogger, just as long as you have a Facebook or Instagram account, you can join and get sent free stuff too-just click here to join for free! ;)
EIGHT
Just needed to give a little love to my first baby, Forrest!
We took him to the pasture the other day and I had to grab a couple of shots because he's just so handsome-this picture actually got shared on our local news...guess he's a pretty handsome guy!
NINE
My middle sister went with me to a doctor's appointment in Birmingham last week & while we were there we went to our first kids consignment sale in Irondale and found SO many good deals.
I'm going to show everything I got...for just over $100!
 A similar activity cube at Target retails for $60, I got this one for $20!
Charlie already loves to play with the steering wheel when we're just sitting in the car, so I got him this driving toy to play with to encourage him to sit up more often & of course, I picked up a Cowboy book for him!
 I loved that little vintage Carter's bubble, my sister found this sweet pirate ship bubble (with a C on the sail!), of course we picked up the Auburn outfit, and those little pjs have whales all over them!
 These two outfits are sets; a vintage Carter's polo and khaki shorts and a little tractor tee with green seersucker shorts!
And of course, some sweet western cowboy jammies, a cowboy smocked bubble, a seersucker tractor bubble, and a smocked gingham tractor bubble.
I didn't pay over $10 for any of those outfits either-which is a steal, because even on resale pages I pay between $15-20 for similar smocked or appliquéd outfits.
If you have a consignment sale like this near you, I encourage you to go!
TEN
Another first for Charlie-his first trip to Bow & Arrow (in Auburn)...it was our first trip too 😂
If you've read here before then you know my love for Auburn's restaurant, Acre and this restaurant is owned by the same chef, David Bancroft. Bow & Arrow is a little more "fast casual" but the food is still all homemade and delicious! Chris & I shared a half chicken and an order of brisket, mac & cheese and tater tot casserole as sides, and Chris had fresh tortillas and I had homemade beer bread...y'all-it was SO good. Definitely want to go back again, asap!

Well, that's what has been going on in our neck of the woods...let me know below what each of y'all has been up to!

Until next time. . .
xoxo,
09 10