What’s in my bag: Diaper Bag Edition

A few expecting moms have asked me what I think are my “must haves.” You can see my list of favorites for her first two months here. Now that our little Sparrow is a bit older, we take her out of the house more and more which means being ready at all times for a diaper mishap. Here’s what’s currently floating around in my diaper bag!

Keep in mind I dumped out the contents after a weekend trip, so there are probably a few things that aren’t normally in here. That being said, away we go!

1. Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream- I wrote about this in my previous post. It’s a bit greasy, but it works so well that we’ve continued to use it.

2. Nuk Pacifier- I had previously mentioned that V enjoys the Soothie Pacifiers, but she has since decided that Nuk is more her style. We also use Nuk bottles (these) so that’s probably why she likes them so much.

3. Burt's Bees Baby Bee Diaper Ointment- Little Bird had some redness. This stuff usually clears it right up. And it smells much better than most other diaper creams!

4. Carter's Mittens- Eczema = scratching.

5. Garanimals Wrist Rattles keep her entertained for a chunk of time. They come in a gift set but you can also buy them separately in stores.

6. Little Noses Saline helps loosen up the sinus gunk that’s going around

7. Walgreen's Gas Drops work like a charm almost instantly when she’s gassy (which is most of the time)

1. Carter's Pajamas they have all kinds but we tend to like the cotton ones for nighttime sleeping since we swaddle her and don’t want her getting too clammy (clamminess and eczema don’t mix)

2. Burp cloths- you can never have too many of these. We mostly use cloth diaper inserts as burp rags, but these are my favorite. They were handmade by Sarah Found Sarah Made from vintage fabric! I seriously love them.

3. Wet wipes case- this case was made by a friend. It’s really cute and so handy!

4. Let’s talk aspirators- if the hospital gives you one, take it home with you and DON’T lose it. They gave us this one when Vess was born and we have yet to find another one that actually works.

5. Medela bottle with extra formula for emergency feedings. (we use Parent’s Choice Gentle formula. It’s the WalMart brand and yes, I was super nervous about switching her from the expensive stuff- especially because she has reflux! But she didn’t even skip a beat. It’s about five dollars cheaper per container and she loves it!)

1. We also use Parent’s Choice Diapers. We’ve only had one blow-out in the month that we’ve been using them and they’re much cheaper. We’re sold!

2. This Aden + Anais swaddle blanket also made an appearance in the last post. We’re still using them, but less and less as she gets bigger.

3. Up & Up Hand Sanitizer Wipes are invaluable. I can’t find a link for them, but any hand sanitizer wipes will do. I use them ALL the time on grocery carts, toys, and of course, other people’s hands before they hold Vess.

The Bag itself is a Petunia Picklebottom bag. Sometimes I use my Jo Totes Camera bag too. They’re both so chic that they hardly look like a diaper bag!

This was fun! I hope you new moms got some good ideas for stocking your diaper bags too!

xo,

Chels

Crazy Dreams

I'm not much of a 9-5 gal. I'm grateful for my job and all (I supervise administrative support at a claims management company here in OKC) but it doesn't exactly fit me to a T. Most days I feel like Christina Applegate a la "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead." You know what I mean? Like I'm playing dress-up in my mom's closet, throwing a scarf over my blazer, and traipsing around an office building in my high heels like I'm a grown up. Kind of funny. Even though I'm happy with my job, I have plenty of daydreams about what I want to do "when I grow up." Here are just a few!

Singer in a Folk Band/ Wedding Singer
I've been singing on stage since I was four and I feel more comfortable there than I do pretty much anywhere. I would never want to do anything silly like audition for American Idol or be a pop star or a Grammy winner. I just want to sing good music. If I could make a living (and take my family with me!) touring the country in a van with a bunch of really talented musicians, or singing beautiful jazz classics at weddings I would totally do it!

singing at my brother's wedding in 2007

Vintage/ Coffee shop owner
I used to run my etsy shop regularly but since having the baby it's become impractical. It's very time consuming and I just don't have the energy to work a full-time job, raise a baby, love my husband, keep my house clean AND run the shop. Maybe when she's older and a little more independent, but for now, I'll just have to dream about owning a brick-and-mortar shop with a coffee shop attached. What fun it would be to own a shop as pretty as Elsie and Emma's!

 

Travel Journalist
This would be a dream. I mean, who wouldn't want to just pack up in a vintage RV (like Elizabeth's!)and roam the country writing and musing about people and places. I would just... die.

 

Maybe someday I'll test the waters on one of these ... but til then, they'll just remain daydreams!

xo, Chels



Well what do we have here, ladies and gents? Could it be yours truly in satin boot flaps, fringe, and a cowboy hat? Yessiree. I don't really have much to say about this except that I was lamenting over my favorite pair of cowboy boots no longer fitting (pregnancy left my fit about a half size bigger) and I remembered this picture. And it's pretty badass is all. Just sayin.

Many thanks to my mom for making those boot flaps, kids. FROM MILK JUGS. The woman is a genius, i tell you.

I also like that my pose says, "I mean business, but I like to do business with a little sass...country style!"

Hope your week is wonderful so far!
xo,
Chels

Let It Burn

When my husband and I were dating, he would drive all the way from Upstate New York to Indiana, then to Oklahoma. After his very first road trip to the bustling metropolis of Oklahoma City he made plenty of jokes about how backwards Oklahoma is- you know, the usual “So do you guys wear shoes down there?” one-liners. But one thing that struck him as particularly funny was a road sign he had seen on I-44 onthe stretch between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. It read “Do Not Drive Into Smoke”.
“Why on earth would someone need to be told not to drive into the smoke? And why would there be smoke on the highway in the first place?!” He joked.  I explained that we live in a state that has a high danger of fire during certain times of the year. I went on to explain that occasionally, landowners purposely light fires. He looked at me like I was crazy.

It had never occurred tome that maybe other states didn’t have yearly bouts with wild and grass fires.  And surely everyone set their land on fire annually, right? Maybe not. I explained to him that many landowners would set fire to their own land and let it burn very slowly in what’s called a “controlled burn”.  This process kills off all the dead grass and allows nutrients to reach the soul. This makes for lush, thick grass and fertile farming soil for the next planting season.  It makes perfect sense. Sometimes you have to set fire to something and let it burn before new things can grow… So it is with our souls.

Often we begin to neglec tour proverbial gardens. Vines grow here and there. Thorns spring up. We ignore them until these pesky, unwanted weeds begin to choke the rest of the garden. They begin to take over our lives until there is nothing left but a dry, dead, pile of twisted briars and thorns.  It’s too much to handle with clippers. You can’t simply prune it back as you once could before. These weeds threaten the future survival of any living things that could potentially grow and drastic measures are required.  So finally you take a match- one small match, and drop it into the tangled mess that your life has become.  Slowly-  or maybe not so slowly- the treacherous weeds begin to burn away.  The heat is intense- stinging your eyes and nose, singeing your clothes- but you allow it to burn on and on until there is nothing left but dust… For a fleeting moment you begin to think you’ve made a mistake…how could anything possibly hope to grow here in this barren, scorched wasteland? But God is once again atwork… He makes all things new… and thisis the moment you begin again.

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us…

When is the last time youlet God set your heart on fire?

xo,
Chels

Vintage Baby: The Shoe Department

Somebunny got her momma’s shoe addiction… Check out the fantastic array of vintage shoes that this girl has!

Pink vintage sandals, alphabet tennis shoes, moccasins, T-straps, hand-knit booties, and even a pair of tap shoes! I’m telling you, all she needs is a pair of gold sparkly TOMS to match my favorite pair, and she’s set for life!

xo,

Chels

Vintage Baby: Play time!

Last time I showed you a few pretty frocks from Vesper’s Grandma- dresses that she definitely won’t be having playtime in! But these fun outfits are going to get worn to death!

The watermelon romper was mine when I was a baby. It was a favorite of my mom’s, and I am SO excited to see Vesper rolling around in it! The light blue romper and Turquoise Zebra overalls were both thrift store finds. The vintage stuff is just WAY more fun! (p.s. see that beautiful quilt? It belonged to Ryan’s grandfather when he was a baby! Can you believe what great shape it’s in?!)

Another thrift store find- cute blue dress! It will probably be worn as a tunic over jeans or leggings, but it certainly is adorable!

Next week I’ll give you a peek at Vesper’s shoe collection. That girl has it made in the shoe department already!

xo,

Chels

Love Letters

Have I mentioned that my mother is an amazing artist? Because she is. She whipped up these letters for my nephew, Shepherd, last year.

And this year, Vesper was presented with her letters! I’m in love with the colors and characters in these letters.

My favorite is the little panda <3

I am still trying to find the perfect place for them in her nursery. I want them somewhere where everyone can see them!

xo,

Chels

Love to Keep You Warm

As you might have guessed, our Little Bird spends a lot of time sleeping. She loves to keep warm with this blanket, made by her Grandma A (Ryan’s mom).

It’s so soft, and the colors compliment her nursery so perfectly. It’s so special to have pieces like this. Maybe some day she will keep it and give it to her daughter! <3

xo,

Chels

Two. Months. Old.

Little Sparrow,

How in the world did I let TWO whole months go by so quickly? You’re growing like crazy and I love every minute of it! Well, maybe not the minutes when you’re pooping on me, but even those have a special charm. We learn each other more and more each and every day. It’s a dance, my love. We have to learn it slowly, and stumble a few times before we get it right. And as soon as we get the steps, the rhythm changes. But my goodness, what a beautiful melody.

I love being your momma. You are so beautiful inside and out.  You started smiling about two weeks ago- just in time for Momma to return to work. Bummer. But you still save plenty of smiles just for me. Those are my favorite moments, Little Bird- when we’re all alone in the dark, quiet house eating that dreadfully early morning feeding and you stop, look me straight in the eye, and grin a big, gummy smile! And then all the milk runs out of your mouth and all over me and we both smell like spoiled yogurt for the rest of the day, but that’s okay, because I love you. You still hate getting your clothes changed, and you’re not a fan of your carseat, but we’re working on it. Here’s to another month of growing, playing, laughing, learning, and dancing the dance.

All my love,

Momma

Vintage Baby: Frilly Frocks

Vesper is quite a lucky young lady. She has a closet and dresser full of brand new adorable outfits that were given to her before she was even born! But it’s probably no surprise that some of my favorites are her vintage pieces! Her Grandma A gave her a few lovely dresses that belonged to her as a child.

Aren’t they wonderful?! My favorite is the little pink one with hearts all over it. So sweet! I can’t wait until she can fit into them!

xo,

Chels