Finally a Dress for Nursing Mom's: A Look at Harper and Bay

I found out about this fabulous Kickstarter campaign, Harper & Bay, offering stylish and convenient breastfeeding dresses. The idea is to eliminate stretched collars, wrinkled blouses or undressing to nurse your baby. Finally someone who designs nursing dresses for "stylish moms", although this feels like an oxymoron as I look at my sunflower butter, yogurt and spit up stained sleeves. Harper & Bay, clearly I need your help!

I heard about this campaign first via Instagram and a few bloggers who posted about it here and there but it was quite hush-hush. I am so grateful someone with fashion where-with-all is taking this on. There are other brands who make nursing wear but honestly nothing is this functionally designed or fashionable. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to my closet and looked for something to wear to a non-workout attire event, only realizing I'll need to easily nurse or pump in the outfit or bring a change of clothes, coordinate a place to change etc. What a pain this can be and I know I'm not alone.

Here is a short video from Taisja Maxfield discussing the line and inspiration behind it. She discusses hating to spend all kinds of money on clothes she would only wear for such a short time - girlfriend, you hit the nail on the head, those are my thoughts exactly. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of lines with nursing friendly attire but none quite as stylish, functional, classic, on trend, or reasonably priced. 

PS isn't she adorable? There are a few spots left in the campaign and dresses are currently priced anywhere from $70-$90 depending on which option you choose. Dresses are set to retail for approximately $98 a piece.

Below are the options...

(Photo: Kickstarter/Harper & Bay)

I ordered the raglan sleeve floral print pictured below. (Photo: Kickstarter/Harper & Bay)

I am considering ordering the mid-point exclusive color release which is the black-white stripe sleeve raglan dress. So on point right?

So thank you to the Harper and Bay creator Taisja Maxfield who is going to make this season of life a little easier and more fashionable for all of us. I can't wait to receive my dress in December!

Dear C - 4+ Months With You

Dear C,

We have been getting to know you for about 4.5 months now and about two weeks ago you really started to share more of your personality with us. 

Mostly you are easy going and smiley, you don't choose to have a lot to complain about. When you are upset it's usually a gas bubble that's quickly resolved with a couple of your swift kicks or some solid toot filled tummy-time.  Even if you are over tired and waiting for a nap you have the ability to be calm and patient while Daddy and LB give you 37 one last kiss. 

Naps and nights have been uncharacteristic of you but very standard of a four month old. About a week before 4 months things started getting out of whack and you would play for 40min of your nap.  Oddly you always wake up after 2hours and 58min in your crib. On the dot. Although in the past 2 or 3 days your morning nap has turned in to about 20min of wind down/fussing and exactly 40min of sleep. 

You are as smiley as ever. You love the song my girl and like touching daddy's beard. You cannot help but watch your brother, his every move is interesting to you. I've set you down on a blanket with a few toys scattered and you forget playing with toys you watch your brother run about. Building with blocks, knocking them down, shooting hoops and playing with his animals. It doesn't really matter what he's doing you're in to it.

About a week shy of the 5 month mark you've become ticklish! It's not a constant but most of the time I can get you really giggling. You also love to grab my face, my cheeks and nose are a favorite.

You still seem sensitive to dairy but I can have milk almost daily in coffee, just not any cheese. That seems to skip the scale giving you gas and runny poops.

We love you so much little girl and can't wait to see what the next months bring. Soon I will go back to work during the day and you'll be in day care with the fabulous Mimi. Know my heart is with you though, by your side is the place your dad and I will always most want to be. 

Love you always,

Mama

Real Talk: A Taste of Life Mothering a Newborn and a Toddler

Written 7/2/15...

Ok real talk. I am getting a taste of what life is going to be like for now as I get used to having a newborn and a toddler. This morning I ate LB's chewed on toast crusts and pineapple soaked eggs for breakfast.  

I begin the one handed breakfast clean-up then sort and start a load of laundry while entertaining LB and holding C. The morning flies by with a series of toddler games, close calls of baby squishes and finally it's 12:30, M's nap time.

I organize the never shrinking laundry pile, I don't think I have any clean clothes left because they're either covered in milk, mashed food, or baby vomit. My bra size is currently a G and still doesn't fit right, I contemplate as a see the double boob in my reflection and give up because I don't even know where to get something that might fit properly.

Then I have a shower at 2pm because there is a golden 5 minutes where both kids are asleep. I eat lunch at 4:30 which consists of nearly a full box of TJs cookies. I actually manage a reasonable dinner because I miraculously planned before this weeks grocery trip and LB skips a bath because today I'm doing bedtime on my own. While putting C to bed I ate the rest of the TJs cookies :/ .

I am a list maker, an organizer and generally keep myself well presented but that is no longer in season. Bring on the sporadic bathing routines, living in stretchy clothes, milk soaked bras, and stuff upon stuff all over the house.

Who cares when this is your view, it's all about perspective.

Bair-isms: 25-26 Months

While C is crying, LB is pretending to hammer and saw around her...

Me: What are you doing?

LB: Fixing her, I'm her big brother <3 <3 <3

As he carries and lines up pieces of Styrofoam from the box his bed was packed in...

Me: What are you doing?

LB: Building my bed

Once the bed is "built" as he's rolling around on the Styrofoam planks... 

LB: Oh Mama this bed is so comfortable, I love my new bed!

LB: Mama, I'm going to my wedding...you can come

Me: Who are you marrying?

LB: Umm, I don't know but Michael, John, Wendy, Peter, and Tink are coming

It felt as though my heart fell out of my chest when I hard this, I can't imagine what it will feel like when he says this for real!

Our Little Bair: Week 9

Today the Bair had his two month well baby check up. Poor guy had a couple shots and ended up with a little bit of a fever. I pretty much refuse to use the tush thermometer so I appreciated the pediatrician telling me we could use a normal thermometer under his arm and add two degrees. Of course if you are close or over the 101.3 cut off for calling the doctor you have to brace yourself (and baby) for the real deal or just take them in. Our ped also told me you can tell how intense the fever is if you're nursing, when it starts to get in the 100s you can feel baby's mouth get hot.  What a wealth of knowledge this lady is :)

He slept a good 5 hours post shots, almost straight through with only a little fussing in between after which he fell back to sleep on his own.  This is a ton for our baby that does.not.nap during the day.

Side-note, if someone told me this was a possibility I would have planned to be super productive.  We'll see what happens at the 4 month check-up. He's slightly a daytime insomniac and only sleeps in small 20-30min spurts, just doesn't want to miss a thing I guess? My mom always says he reminds her of someone ;) .  He sleeps like a champ at night so I am okay with however he wants to get the sleeping in. 

Our Bair is really starting to "wake-up" and notice other people and especially babys.  I can see him processing and wanting to interact but I know it's nothing like what we'll see him doing in another few months. 

When he sees other babies he will look at them and stare for a moment but doesn't reach out to play yet. Still just taking it all in.

That's it for this week!

A Letter to My Son...Written 5.15.15

Written 5.15.15...

Dear Mason,

As I sit here on the eve of your sisters birth I want to write you a letter so you always know just how much you mean to me. I am afraid this new adjustment will rock your world but I know as with everything else, your strong soul can handle it. Having a sibling will be more than worth it for you, a constant playmate, confidant, and friend. While we never wanted you to be our only child, I want you to always know how much I love you you, not because you were our first but because of the incredible person you are and the pure joy, many lessons, and constant comedic relief you bring to our lives.

You are only 2 but you are already the most incredible person...I admire your thirst for knowledge, always asking about "that sound?" or "what's that?", "how come", and "some?" when it comes to food. You are always up to try something new and like to digest new situations before diving in. You are so observant! Watching how others do things for a few minutes and then off you go to give it a try. I hope you always keep this adventurous, no-shame attitude where you don't worry about what others think and aren't too shy to give something new a go.

You are so fun-loving, always saying "that's funny!", "I'm funny!", or "this is/was fun!".  You soak up knowledge like a sponge with your seemingly photographic memory and it amazes people how quickly you pick up words, phrases, even short sentences. You love to read, run and eat. 

For as much as your as sweet and fun you are also persistent and stubborn, when you want something it's pretty much Mason's way or an epic tantrum but you can be reasoned and bartered with and somehow even at a year old you could be reasoned with. We always give it to you straight, since day one. We vowed not to lie to you or sugar coat things.  When people have, the expression on your face tells me you see right through it and you tend not to spend time with that person.  When we explain things to you in adult words you somehow understand that you can't eat 39 strawberries in a sitting because you have to save room for other foods too. You even comprehend that too many of a particular fruit will give you diaper rash ("owies on your tushy") and are quick to remind us of that.

You and I have always had a special bond, even before you were born we were a team. You knew me right away and we had the sweetest relationship, you rarely cried if mama was around and it was easy to console you with milk.  I swear up until you were 4-5 months old I could will you back to sleep with my mind when sitting in a separate room. You would wake and knowing you weren't hungry or needing me I would put my hand on my stomach to connect with you and talk or sing you back to sleep. I swear I was connected with you. As that constant and unexplainable piece of our connection faded we developed an even stronger worldly one. I put you to sleep for nearly every nap for 10 months of your life and nearly every bed time for 15 months. We spent so much time together and I really know you, your needs are intuitive to me and I met them so easily mostly without even thinking about it. I love these days we are having right NOW.

You love your Daddy and watching your relationship develop is my favorite thing to see. He is an incredible man and an even better father which I want you to always remember.

You also love your Grandpa, Grandma, Christian, Papa, and Gimi. You have your own special bonds and inside jokes with each of them and it is so sweet for us to see. You make them glow when you are around and they agree on how special and incredible you are.

You've started to spontaneously say " I love you Mama" or ask for hugs and kisses which turns me to mush every.single.time. Even though I know love is not a concept you can fully understand at this point, there is nothing better than hearing this from you and I know you see how happy it makes me.

Someday when God blesses you with children of your own you will understand just how intense and deep my love goes. It is literally a do anything, say anything, lay down your life kind of love that cannot be fully articulated.  Know I will always be here for you no matter what you do or what you say, you will NEVER be able to make me stop loving you. Sometimes you might do things that make me angry or disappoint me but that's only because I see your incredible potential and the amazing man you have the opportunity to be. When you encounter pain, I will too, when your heart breaks mine will too. When there are hardships I will want to fix everything for you but I know it's better for me to be coaching from the wings so you build the confidence to do these things yourself. Eventually I will need to let go completely and you won't need my constant guidance. I don't know when that will be but the day is coming and when it does I will be there wholeheartedly cheering on my beautiful boy. 

Being "here" for you sometimes might look different than what you want it to but know that my actions towards you and for you are always done with only the very best of intentions. I will make mistakes and at times misjudge what you need from me but my actions or always based on love and the best of intentions. I hope that even when I do things to make you angry or disappoint you can always remember I am trying my very best to be who and what you need.  

Although you have only been a part of me for 2 years + 9 months I will continue to feel this way in every single moment I spend with or without you. I can only imagine the emotions i will experience as you leave our home to start your own adult life. I'll miss the constant time we get to share together and my heart will ache not seeing you each morning but I know this is the way of life and that raising you up in the way you should go and watching you go on your own is exactly what I need to do for you. Parenting is extremely tough in that way, just when i want to hold you closer and keep you with me is when I need to let you go and be your own person with your own life.

Love you always, 

Mama

Dear Charlee: 12 Weeks With You...Written 8.24.15

Written 8.24.15...

 

Dear Charlee,

I got you laughing this week! I'll have to get it on video so you can see your adorable self. I was nuzzling little kisses on your cheek and neck switching from side to side and you thought it was hilarious. 

Last night you slept 12 hours from about 6:30 to 6:30.  I accidentally woke you up as I carried you up to bed and thought here goes nothing as I set you down wide awake on the bed. I scarfed my dinner and ran upstairs to check on you and there you were, sleeping peacefully in your standard touchdown pose. I tried to wake you for a dream feed but you were fast asleep and I was sure you would wake up around 4 or 5. I kept waking up thinking you would be ready to eat at any minute but there you were my little angel, still sleeping. 

This week we are up in Tahoe celebrating Aunt Ashley's wedding so your schedule is a little off but you are holding it together like a champ and the sweet angel that you are. 

Love,
Mama