Motherhood

When we were looking for trailers to buy to be our new home my biggest concern was, where will my babies sleep? We ended up purchasing a trailer with a “bunkroom,” which meant that they had bunk beds on each side of the room. We were able to remove the bunk on Storm’s side of the room for his crib but Sky’s bunk is build in and couldn’t easily be removed. We knew that we would have to transition her out of her crib and into this bunk. I was worried that she wouldn’t adjust well and that she would either be scared or that she wouldn’t sleep through the night anymore. The first thing we did was build a railing to go along the side so she couldn’t roll out but that still didn’t convince me that she would sleep well.

I was so excited when Dockatot gifted us a Dockatot Grand dock! The Grand docks are perfect for transitioning out of the crib because the sides give toddler that snug safe feeling while also allowing them to move around and easily get in and out of it. Since we decided to keep Sky’s toddler mattress the Dock sits on top perfectly. Sky loves using the sides of her Dock as a pillow and she always looks so cozy sleeping in it. And like the Dockatot Deluxe that Storm still uses, the Grand is also made in the EU with OEKO-TEX certified fabrics that do not harbor heat, making it a safe comfortable space for sleeping for babies and toddlers.

The Dockatot Grand is not just used for sleeping! Sky also loves laying down in it to read or have quiet time while she plays in her room. I have also pulled it out into the living room to give her and Storm a place to lounge and hang out, and since Storm isn’t the most stable sitter yet I love that he’s in a nice cushioned space, just incase he were to tip over.

After having the Dockatot Deluxe and now the Grand I can honesty say that Dockatot is the number one baby product that I would most recommend. They are made with the highest quality and with your baby and toddlers safety in mind. The Dockatots have allowed me to get a full nights sleep but they also give me peace of mind knowing that both of my babies are not only sleeping soundly but also safely.

When Sky was born I remember taking her to the grocery store for the first time and not really knowing what to do with her. I knew I didn’t want to take her out of the car sear because she was still so little, so I would put her car seat in the cart. But then I had no space to put the groceries. One time I thought, oh I’ll just put her car seat on the stroller and push her and a basket….what was I thinking?? A couple of times I would wear her in a wrap but I would have to wake her up to do that, which is never ideal.

Fast forward to having Storm, and the Binxy Baby shopping cart hammock has saved my grocery store trips. When Storm was first born I would leave him in his car seat and the car seat easily sits on top of the hammock. Now that he is older and has better control of his neck I lay him right in there and he loves it! No matter if he is in the car seat or sitting directly in it, the hammock keeps him lifted in the basket leaving room for groceries underneath.

The Binxy fits on most standard grocery store carts, I’ve yet to find one it doesn’t fit in. The hammock can hold up to 50lbs and is safety tested. It clips so easily onto the sides on the basket and has velcro strips for added support. It also has straps to hold the car seat as well as straps to keep your baby safe and snug. When I’m not using it, it rolls right up and I keep it in the trunk of my car, so easy!

This product is not only functional but it’s just plain old fun to use. Storm looks so adorable laying it in! I’ve never had him in it and not have at least a few people stop us and comment on what a cool product it is, so many sweet older ladies wishing they bad it back when their kids were little. I’d highly recommend this product to any expecting mom and it is definitely on my newborns must have list.

Head on over to their website to check them out and give them a follow on instagram. You can also use my link to get 10% off your Binxy shopping cart hammock! http://binxybaby.refr.cc/featherssky

When I pregnant with Storm I started looking into different swaddles. With Sky I just wrapped her in a muslin blanket but she always seemed to wiggle her way out of it, which left her in her crib with a loose blanket, which made me nervous. I knew I wanted something easy to put on and take off for late night feedings and diaper changes. When I heard about the Ollie swaddle I thought it looked like the perfect thing! I was so excited when they sent me one to try out.

This swaddle is such a game changer when it comes to swaddles! The best part about this swaddle is that it grows with baby. Storm was born at 4lbs 12oz so he was super tiny and I was worried that the swaddle wasn’t going to be able to fit him nice and snug but it totally does. This swaddle is perfect for premies! The Ollie swaddle has velcro all along the side and a tie at the bottom which allows your baby to have a custom fit every time they wear it. The tie and opening at the bottom also allows for easy diaper changes in the middle of the night.

I don’t know about you mamas but I’m always worried about if my baby is at the right temperature or not. My babies always seem to feel so warm to me. We live in SoCal and it’s always pretty warm here so I usually just put Storm to sleep in a short sleeve onesie. The material of this swaddle is incredibly soft and is made from a custom moisture-wicking material that reduces the risk of your baby overheating, can you say added peace of mind? I also love that this swaddle doesn’t have sleeves so it allows you to tuck baby’s arms in or leave then out, depending on what your baby prefers.

It’s safe to say that Storm loves this swaddle and it puts him right to sleep at night! He usually sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at 4 weeks old. If you are looking for a swaddle for your little one look no further.

Click here and you can get 10% off yours!

When you get pregnant with your first born you obviously get super excited and if you’re anything like me you start thinking about all the fun things your going to buy for your baby. So you search the internet, read all the blogs, seek advise from your mama friends and you start compiling a list. This list then turns into your registry, some items you get, some you don’t and then before you know it baby is born. I was lucky enough to get nearly everything I registered for for Sky plus a ton of clothes but there were a few things I really wish I would of registered for or gotten for myself. This week I am going to be sharing the three baby items I wish I would of gotten with my first baby that I got with my second.

The first thing is a Dockatot Deluxe. A Dockatot is a multi-functional lounger. It can be used as a co-sleeper or also just as a safe place for baby to play and lounge throughout the day. The deluxe is for babies 0-8 month and they also have a larger size called the Grand that is meant for ages 9-36 months. The most amazing part about this product is that it is tested for breathability so you never have to worry about your baby not being able to breath if his or her face pushes up on the sides. The material is also all natural and 100% cotton, perfect for your baby’s sensitive skin.

If you read Storm’s birth story then you know that he was born 4lbs 12oz and spent his first few nights in the NICU, and in the NICU he was always swaddled and surrounded by rolled up blankets, similar to the shape of a Dockatot. I knew that I wanted to do co sleeping this time around for the first couple of months until Storm was on a more regular sleeping schedule so a Dockatot seemed like the perfect product.

Storm has been using his dockatot for almost a month now and he has been loving it and so have I. While the Dockatot is a great spot for him to lounge in around the house, we mostly use ours in our bed for co sleeping. Since he started using the Dockatot Storm has been sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches most nights. Him being able to sleep those long stretches has been amazing but what I love the most his having him right next to me. Of course it’s been great for late night feedings but knowing that he’s right next to me gives me peace of mind. I love that I can just turn my head and know that he’s ok.

I would recommend the Dockatot to any mom! And incase your thinking, ah man I totally missed out on this amazing product when my baby was born, you can totally still get a Dockatot Grand for your toddler. I have heard of so many mamas that use the Grand when transitioning their toddlers out of the crib!

So if you’re sold on the Dockatot I have a link for you to receive $10 off! Just click here!

Hey Guys! So I’m finally sitting down to write Storms birth story as I nurse him so let’s hope Sky stays asleep and he stays happy. In order for you to understand Storms birth story I have to go back and briefly talk about my pregnancy. It started out normal, I got a positive pregnancy test, I scheduled my first doctors appointment, and based off my last period they gave me the due date of April 19th. When my family and I moved, I found a midwife since I was planning to have a home birth. When I saw my midwife for my first time she thought I was measuring small and since I was planning on getting an ultrasound to find out the gender we decided to wait and see what the ultrasound measured him at. The ultrasound measured him about a week and a half behind and it also showed that my placenta was low lying, which meant that the home birth wasn’t going to be a good idea. I started seeing a local OB and she set my due date at April 30th based off my last two ultrasounds, she also ordered an additional ultrasound to check my placenta again. The ultrasound showed that my placenta had moved but that baby was still measuring small. At 35 weeks I was scheduled for another ultrasound to check babies size. They didn’t have an available appointment until I was 38 weeks so that made me a little nervous thinking I could have him before then. Finally my appointment came along and he was still measuring small, as if I was only 35 weeks, they estimated his weight at 5 lbs. I could tell they were starting to get worried which made me start to freak out. They wanted me to come back the next morning to see the ultrasound specialist and then after I had an appointment with my OB to see whether or not they would need to induce me.

Later that day, a little after my husband got home from work I got a phone call from my OB, she said she had looked over the ultrasound and thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and induce me since he wasn’t growing well inside of me anymore. She said we will induce you when you reach 38 weeks, I reminded her that I was already 38 weeks (she was looking at my chart from the previous week) she said hold on let me call you right back… Oh man I started freaking out! So many questions started running through my head, was I going to be induced today, is my baby ok, what’s going to happen. Moments later I get a call back from my OB and she says, “Ok Feather so we are going to induce you, can you be at the hospital in the next 5 minutes?” My heart dropped. She quickly explained that the hospital had an opening and she didn’t want them to give that spot to anyone else. Luckily we only live 3 minutes away from the hospital and I had my bags packed, so we grabbed them and a couple of other things and headed over.

When we got to the hospital they got me check in and I got settled in my room. My husband Ryne took Sky back to our house where my mom was waiting to watch her while we were in the hospital. They gave me Cytotec every few hours to get my cervix ready for the induction. The next morning I was finally able to get the pitocin, I want to say I was 2-3 centimeters at that point. Everything after that was a bit of the blur, I had been up all night the night before, Storm kept moving around off his monitor so they were constantly adjusting it and having me keep changing positions. This continued into the next day so I was never left alone to “get into the zone” for labor. I had a natural delivery with Sky and I wanted the same with Storm. But the pain was so intense this time and the last time I was checked I was still only 4 centimeters, so I asked for an epidural. I was waiting and waiting for probably close to an hour and a half when the anesthesiologist finally showed up. He talked to us about what he was going to do but at this point I was just like yah yah yah can you just do it already?? He left to get what he needed to get started and my nurse was helping me sit up and get to the edge of the bed. The second I sat up I felt so much pressure and I knew in that moment that Storm was going to be born very soon. I told the nurse that I couldn’t sit up and that I needed to push. I sat back and she told me to keep breathing and not to push so that they could call my doctor to get in the room. I tried my best not to push but after my next contraction I felt him come out. The nurse lifted up the sheet and his head was out. Not only was his head out but also his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice with one of his hands in between. There were about ten nurses gathered around me in my room and in the next contraction he was all the way out. They got the umbilical cord unwrapped from around him and delayed cutting the cord for a few minutes. My husband finally cut the cord and they took him over to the incubator to check him out. After they were done looking at him they finally gave him to me to hold.

He was so tiny, he was born 4lbs 12oz 18.5 inches, and he was so perfect. My husband and I sat their looking at him and processing everything that had just happened. After a little while my husband went to go pick up Sky so she could come meet him. While he was gone they moved us out of the laboring room. Shortly after changing rooms Ryne and Sky came back. Sky meeting Storm was the sweetest thing. She sat on the bed with us and kissed his head and kept saying baby, baby.

After a little bit a nurse came in to do some tests on Storm, they were worried about his blood sugar levels. They tested him and they came back a little low so they transferred him to the NICU to monitor him. This moment was pretty much my worst nightmare ever since I realized how small he was going to be when I delivered him. I stayed in the room with Sky while Ryne went with Storm to get him checked into the NICU. Meanwhile some of my family came by to bring me food, once they left and took Sky home I was able to go to the NICU and be with Storm. They told me that they were also a little bit concerned about his jaundice so they put a light blanket under him. His feedings were every three hours, so for his first night that is when I went to see him and feed him. The next morning his jaundice hadn’t improved so they put lights above him also.

Storm ended up staying in the NICU for four days so they could monitor his blood sugar levels, his jaundice and to make sure he was feeding ok and gaining weight. My husband and I continued to go and see him for each of his feedings. They felt he was doing really well by his third day being there but because of his size he had to pass a car seat test of 90 minutes. He failed his first test so he had to stay an additional 24 hours before they could test him again. The next day I went in to watch him do his second test. I wanted to make sure he was put in the car seat properly and that he passed this one. Luckily he did pass the test and once the doctor saw him the next morning he was finally able to come home.

I was so excited and relieved to finally bring him home.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog all about how Storm is doing now and his one month update!

The time has come, I am 38 weeks (39w4d if you go by my original due date, which I personally have not let go of haha) so I packed my bags! A bag for my husband and I and also the diaper bag that has everything for baby. I have to start this post by saying that I went pretty minimal this time, firstly, because this is my second baby and I have a better idea of what to pack and secondly, because we live 3 minutes away (we clocked it) from the hospital I’m giving birth at. So, if you’re one of those mamas that has to drive 30 minutes or more to your hospital you may want to add more “just in case” items.

What’s in my and my husbands bag:

For Me –

• Robe and matching pj shorts: I’ll be wearing a hospital gown during labor so I’m bring the robe to throw over that and the shorts for after when I’m able to change.
• Comfortable bra/Nursing bra: I’m bring two bras, one that I call a “sleep” bra, that’s comfortable to sleep in as well as nursing friendly. I’m also bringing an actual nursing bra that I can put on when we have visitors or when we leave the hospital, it offers more support than the other bra.
• Two lounge tops: Both tops are nursing friendly, one is a tank top and one is a long sleeve that way I’m prepared if it’s hot or cold.
• Maternity Leggings: If it’s cold at the hospital I could throw these on to be warmer than the shorts or I also might wear these home if it’s cold or if we leave at night.
• Shower Flip Flops: I got these ones super cheap at Old Navy before I had Sky and they worked perfect.
• Underwear: Ugly, big ones that you don’t care about because you’ll have lots going on “down there” and all you’ll want is comfort. They give you mesh ones at the hospital which is what I used but it’s nice to go home in fresh ones that are your own.
• Going home outfit: Undercover Mama nursing tank that connects to any nursing bra, tee shirt, and maternity shorts.

For My Husband –

• Lounge Clothes: I’m bringing him shorts, sweats, a tee shirt and sweatshirt.
• Pictures/Going Home outfit: A nicer outfit that he can wear when we take pictures and that he can also wear when we go home.

For Both –

•  Toiletries: All the usual things you would use at home, makes it easy if they are in travel size form!
• Photo Chargers and Ipad
• Snacks and change for vending machine
• Water Bottle
• Essential Oils and Diffuser

What’s in my Diaper Bag:

• Diapers and Wipes: Obviously they give you these at the hospital but I just had put some in the diaper bag in case we need any on the way home or if I want to take pictures of him in these Honest ones, they’re so cute!
• Burp Clothes: I love these Aden & Anais ones, they’re just so great to always have around to catch any spit up or whatever else might come your way!
• Ollie Swaddle: I’m sure you’ve heard of all the amazing benefits of swaddling, so I’m so excited about this Ollie swaddle and can’t wait for him to use it. Sky was very fussy her first night so I wanted to be better prepared this time and make sure to bring this so Storm can have a nice tight swaddle for his first night.
• Hat & Gloves: It can be cold in the hospitals sometimes so these are to keep baby warm, they give you a hat at the hospital but just in case you want a specific one for pictures you could totally take your own.
• Muslin Blanket: I’m taking this mostly for picture purposes but also in case it’s a little chilly when we leave the hospital.
• Going home outfit: I’m packing a few different options since you never know how the weather will be or the time of the day that you’ll be checking out.
• Car Seat & Cover: I love our Covered Goods car seat cover, it’s also sentimental since we used it when we took Sky home for the first time.

I think that pretty much wraps it up! Like I said in the beginning, I kept things really simple and minimal. It’s hard to plan for every possible scenario of how things will go but with these items you will at least have the essentials! I also totally recommend having a “last minute” bag ready to throw all of your last minute items in on your way out the door (mostly things that you couldn’t pack because you use them everyday). Let me know in the comments what you couldn’t live without or what you wish you would of brought, I may still have time to add it in my bag before we go 🙂

I’m 33 weeks pregnant today and feeling like I should be about 38 😂 It’s funny because it took me a long time to look and feel pregnant and then all of a sudden this last trimester has just kicked my butt. I had my 32 week doctors appointment last week and I was asking my doctor how I was measuring, I’ve been feeling like I’ve gotten really big in the last month and I was curious if I was measuring big…. She said I was measuring right on track and that it’s totally normal with your second pregnancy to feel like your 9 months at around 30 weeks….😑….. Awesome! 😄👍🏻

This little boy of mine is just like his sister in that he is very active in my belly. He’s constantly rolling around and stretching to get into just the right position for his snoozes. He gets very excited whenever I eat, especially sweets 😊 I can’t wait to meet him!

Last weekend I had a little baby sprinkle that my mother in law, mom and best friend put together. We decided on a mountain theme and we had brunch foods. We tie dyed onesies and played a couple of games. It was so fun to be able to spend time with friends and family and to celebrate our baby boy to be 💙 I got so many cute outfits for him and things for his nursery. After the sprinkle I really started to getting excited about everything I got and so that helped to jump start me getting the nursery cleaned up and organized. We decided to move all Sky’s furniture into Storm’s nursery and we got Sky a new crib and a new dresser and we’re giving her room and little make over. I’m going to be doing nursery revel posts for both rooms once they’re done so I won’t give to much away now 😉

**The beautiful kimono in the top photos is my favorite new clothing item! It’s so nicely made and makes me feel so stylish, even if I’m just throwing it over a maxi dress or a tank and shorts. It’s from Pink Blush, they have so many cute maternity clothes and women’s clothing. Give them a follow over at @shoppinkblush !

Hey guys, just wanted to hop on here and do a little pregnancy update. I have finally reached the third trimester!! I am currently 29 weeks 3 days, which might sound off from my past posts and that’s because my due date was pushed back 10 days when I was 28 weeks. So basically I feel like I’ve been 28 weeks for like 3 weeks now haha.

We had originally had been planning to have a home birth. This time around I really wanted to have a more relaxed, natural birth at home. It wasn’t that I had a terrible experience with Sky’s birth (I was still able to have a natural birth) but I just felt more comfortable this time and wanted to be home. At my anatomy scan ultrasound they saw that I had a low lying placenta, so that, along with insurance issues, we are no longer having a home birth.

Once we changed to having a hospital birth, I got my new doctor and she decided after measuring small in two different ultrasounds that she wanted to change my due date to April 30th. She also ordered another ultrasound to check on my placenta. I went to that ultrasound at 28 weeks and the placenta had moved away from the cervix, so much so that the ultrasound tech didn’t even know that that was one of the things she was looking out for. I was so relieved, I was really getting worried about the possibility of having to have a c-section. So with that scare out of the way, I’ve been happy and I’ve really been able to start enjoying this last trimester of my pregnancy.

One thing that I’ve really been enjoying this pregnancy are all the beautiful clothes I’ve been getting from Pink Blush, like this kimono. I like how easy it is to throw over a tank and shorts and instantly feel more put together and fashionable.

It’s a boy!! I’m so happy and excited to finally share with all of you that we are having a baby boy this April. From the start of this pregnancy things were totally different. My first pregnancy with my daughter Sky I had morning sickness from about 7 weeks all the way until 16 and this time it wasn’t anything like that. I felt a little nauseous in the evenings sometimes before bed but nothing in the morning or during the day. I had a similar amount of fatigue but that was expected, especially with a toddler. Overall I just felt different, it’s hard to explain but it was a feeling that I felt from the start. So with all of that I kept thinking it could be a boy and I also wanted it to be a boy so bad since we only plan on having two kids, I wanted one of each.

We went to an ultrasound office at 14 weeks to find out the sex but the baby was too small and wasn’t in a good position (which is what I figured but we went in anyways since if they didn’t find the sex our next appointment would be free) so we made another appointment to go back two weeks later. The next time we went I was 16 weeks, so we went in and the tech started looking around and baby boy was being very stubborn sitting with his legs crossed and hands behind his head like he was relaxing at the beach or something!

The tech kept trying different angles and having me lay in different positions and we still couldn’t get a good look so she had me get up and walk around and told me to do some exercise moves to hopefully get the baby in a better position. She left the room for a little and so I started jogging in place and dancing around with Sky who was looking at me like “what is going on here?” Luckily the office is super kid friendly and didn’t mind her walking around and they had toys there for her to play with. After about ten minutes the tech came back in and started looking again and as she kept taking a bunch of photos I felt like I kept seeing something…if you know what I mean, I started getting excited but I didn’t want to get to excited in case what I kept seeing wasn’t what I thought. But moments later she confirmed what I felt like I knew all along which was that we were having a boy!

Once we found out we were having a boy we immediately started talking about names. We had a list of boys names we liked from before we found out Sky was a girl so we went over those but we weren’t drawn to any of them like we were before…or at least I wasn’t. I through out a couple of new names that I liked but my husband basically shot all of them down. The one name we went back and forth on was Lux, which I fell in love with as soon as I saw it but my husband wasn’t a fan, I tried to convince him but we ended up dropping that name. After not being able to come up with anything else we liked we went back to our original list and decided to go with a name from there. It was actually the name we were most likely going to use if Sky was a boy. The name we decided on is

S T O R M   E M M A N U E L

We love how different the name Storm is and how well it goes with Sky’s name. We chose Emmanuel as the middle name because it’s my husbands middle name as well as his dads, so it’s been passed down for another time.

We can’t wait to have our son as a new addition to our family, he’s already so loved and I can’t wait to see him and Sky together, it’s going to melt my heart I’m sure.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and reading about our gender and name reveal, I’d love to hear down in the comments below when you found out the gender of your baby and how you came up with the name 🙂