BABY BOY ESSENTIALS

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I'm thankful that I have been able to experience being a mom to both a boy and a girl. When we found out the news that we were having  a boy we were so excited, but I quickly realized that I didn't have any clothes for a boy and many of the toys and books we had collected over the years for Elle were fairly feminine. I am of the mindset that there isn't a color or a toy or a book that is for just one gender by any means, but I also didn't want Levi to only have hand-me-downs that are pink and purple. The little guy definitely deserved to have some shiny, new gifts just for him in an array of colors.

Today, I'm sharing with you a list of things that I have been given or have purchased since having baby number two that I have really loved and would recommend to any other mom. 

1. Freshly Picked moccasins - There's no real need for babies to wear shoes when they are first born, but having these mocs starting around 5 months has been wonderful. Levi loves to plant his feet on the ground and jump in his jumper. These shoes are stretchy and easy to get on and off, which is nice when they have those pudgy baby feet. One mistake I made with Elle was never getting her used to having shoes on, so when it came time for her to wear them all she did was sit on the floor and cry. Haha! The poor kid didn't understand why she had to wear shoes.

2. Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada - This is the funniest and cutest baby book out there right now. Jimmy Fallon really did a wonderful job creating it, and I think it's a great gift for any mom.

3. Special Nursery Decor - There are toys that are meant to be played with and then there are toys that are so cute you want to display them. Every mom and dad wants these as gifts too. The Land of Nod has a ton of these toys, and I especially love this gray hippo. I'm going to save it for Levi forever and one day give it to his kids.

4. A cool hat - If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a couple posts about Levi getting the worst case of cradle cap. We are STILL dealing with it, and having a cool, cute hat for him to wear through this process has been critical. I adore this winter hat by 7AM Enfant. It's probably cutest, and coolest winter accessory there is for babies.

5. Zipadee-Zip - This MIRACLE product isn't pictured in the photo, but every single mom needs this flying squirrel-ish swaddle. After 3 months you are supposed to stop swaddling your baby, but Levi would still wake himself up if we didn't keep his hands away from his face. Enter in our saving grace the Zipadee-Zip. It was featured on Shark Tank, and it has blown up since then because moms across the U.S. know what I know...This thing works! Levi loves sleeping in it, and it keeps him warm without having to put on heavy jammies.

6. Bandana Drool Bibs - Forget the cheesy, "My First Christmas," bibs for eating and drooling. Go get these incredibly cool bandana drool bibs by Copper Pearl. They come in all sorts of designs for girls and boys.

7. Cute boy clothes - This is a whole topic for another blog post, but all I have to say is that I have searched high and low for cute boy clothes, and the line of affordable clothes I like for Levi that is by Burt's Bees. Yes, the chapstick company makes flippin' adorable baby clothes, and you need to check them out. I didn't want to constantly have to buy things on Etsy and wait for them to ship or spend a fortune at Baby Gap. You can grab these cute clothes at Buy Buy Baby.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

REAL TALK WITH REAL MOMS ON TRAVEL

Traveling has always sounded luxurious to me. I’ve met some people who haven’t seen snow or the ocean, so I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to travel quite a bit as a child and young adult. However, traveling with kids is a whole different ball game, and I would associate the words, ‘chaos, anxiety and tiresome,” with travel when kids are involved. The anxiety that I have felt in the past when traveling with Elle has almost made me not want to travel with kids at all, but then you realize it’s worth it when your kids can’t stop talking about how cool the trip was.

We have traveled from the west coast to the east coast twice with Elle. I would say that traveling with a nine month old that wants to crawl everywhere and can’t understand that she can’t is much harder than traveling with a two year old. I wrote a couple of months ago about how I prepared for our cross country flight with Elle (click here for tips on surviving a long flight), and I am really happy to report she was amazing. Did she sleep on the flight? No, but she was very well behaved for six hours.

Traveling with her at nine months was; however, not the best. I HIGHLY recommend direct flights if you can make it. I also would consider flying before they can crawl and avoiding flying during the crawling phase. Some other things I recommend are below are:

1. Pack a carryon completely full of snacks and brand new toys from the dollar store. The novelty of new toys is your best friend when you’re stuck in a seat for hours. Though eating when bored isn’t something to do often, sometimes food can be just as entertaining as toys. Animal crackers, teddy grahams, gold fish…Yes, it’s junk food, but it works for a tough situation.
2. Download some kid apps to your ipad or iphone. We really like everything by Toca Boca. Elle never played with an iPad until she was two because I really didn’t want her to become obsessed with it. We only use it for travel or really tough situations, and so it has become a special treat and something for her to look forward to when she has to sit still for a long time.
3. Pack comfort objects that make your hotel feel like home. We packed a blanket, a stuffed animal, her sound machine and her pacifier and she slept like a champ. I was particularly nervous about sleeping in the same room with her in a hotel, but when we turned out the lights and went to sleep at the same time as her she felt very comfortable sleeping in her own full size bed.
4. Bring the carseat with you to the gate. Even if you didn’t pay for an extra seat for your infant and you plan on holding them on your lap there’s a chance that there may be an empty seat on your flight. If that’s the case then your little one can sit in his/her carseat and you can have a breather. If there isn’t an empty seat you can simply check your car seat at the gate.
5. Try to keep your schedule as much as possible. Elle has always been a really great sleeper, but just like any kid, change can disrupt her sleep routine. We just kept her on the Arizona time zone while we were in New Hampshire, so she stayed up late east coast time. It worked out because we could go out to dinner with her and didn’t have to worry about hiring a sitter or staying home.

Next week I am traveling to San Francisco with our one month old little one. This should be interesting, but I’m actually thinking this could be the easiest travel experience with kids since he just eats and poops right now. I plan on wearing him all of the time because of germs, etc. Any advice on traveling with infants is welcome!

Check out more stories and advice from 10 other moms, and don’t forget to enter our Instagram contest where you could win a $750 gift card.

Sacramento Street: http://www.sacramentostreet.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
The Effortless Chic: http://theeffortlesschic.com/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
Our Style Stories: http://ourstylestories.com/2015/10/08/real-talk-with%E2%80%A6moms-on-travel/
A Daily Something: http://www.adailysomething.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-on-travel.html
Could I Have That http://www.couldihavethat.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-on-travel.html ‎
Smitten Studio Online http://sarahshermansamuel.com/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
Parker, Etc. http://www.parkeretc.com/blog/real-talk-real-moms-travel

Traveling with a Three Year Old

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We just got back from our nine day trip to Boston and New Hampshire. It was wonderful to spend some time in the city, on a lake and by the ocean. Ryan and I were pretty nervous though because the last time we traveled across the country Elle was nine months, old and it wasn't very relaxing. This time I decided to make sure to pack EVERYTHING I would need to entertain her on a 5 and half hour flight.

I am happy to report my preparation paid off and she was completely content on both flights to and from the east coast. Here's what I packed (not everything is shown in the photo):

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PACKING LIST:

- Coloring book - Washable crayons - Re-stickable sticker book - Headphones for kids - iPad loaded with all of the Toca Boca apps (They're the best) and a couple of movies - Circus animal crackers - Pretzel - Gold fish - Granola bars - M&M's (it's our potty reward too) - Dollar store prizes for being good on the plane. (Every time the captain talked on the speaker she would get a prize. This put the control in a person she couldn't see and she patiently waited for him to talk again). - Water bottle

I was a walking convenience store, but it sure worked. I put all of this stuff in my new Casey Sibley canvas travel bag. It has all of the pockets I need. Plus, I highly recommend using a bag with a cross body strap for those hands free moments.

As long as you can keep your three year old busy with games and activities you should be set for your trek across America!

Photos by Gina Meola

Moms Are Superheroes

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Heroes aren't imaginary. They're real. Contrary to popular belief, they don't wear masks every day, but instead love to wear jewelry, jeans, and sometimes even dresses. They rescue kids from danger every day, stay up all hours of the night, and can turn tears in to laughter within seconds.

Moms are heroes. They can make pain go away with a kiss and give birth to new life. Those are incredible super powers, and I am so thankful for them because none of us would be here without moms.

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I am so thankful that I get to be Elle's mom, and a mom to this little one growing in my belly. I wouldn't usually describe myself as a super hero, but when 31 Bits picked me as one of their Super-hero Moms, it made me think about the role that moms play in the world. It sure is a big one, and it's an honor to be a hero for Elle.

I must say, however, that I have one super hero kid. As much as I might have an impact on her, she sure has an impact on me. She has superpowers to make me feel happiness, purpose and humbleness like nothing else. I think it's safe to say that everyone in this world possesses qualities of a superhero, but I'm sure glad that I can know what it means to embody "superhero mom" powers for Elle and Baby E.

If you have a superhero mom in your life make sure to visit 31Bits.com to look for a gift for her. When you purchase a piece of jewelry from their site you are also providing income for superhero moms and kids in Africa. Cool, right? Check it out!

Photos by Gina Meola

Fashion for Babies & Kids

I am friends with SEVEN young ladies that are pregnant. Starting in July it's going to be baby shower overload. haha.

I'm not sure when I'll be a mom, but when/if that day comes I'm going to have so much fun shopping for my mini me or mini Ryan. haha. In the meantime, I get to have fun shopping for other people's little ones.

Here are some things that I came across and really caught my attention. They aren't all baby clothes, but I enjoy the style of the outfits.