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My baby is 2!!

February 12, 2018 by Katie Haller

Our first time meeting.

Our first night home from the hospital. I could not stop staring at him.

It’s hard to believe that my little guy is already 2. It seems like just yesterday we were all anxiously awaiting his arrival. My pregnancy with Jack was very healthy and pretty easy for the most part. After I got past the never-ending morning sickness in the first trimester, I felt pretty good. Jack was an extremely active baby though. There was never a time that I couldn’t feel his little feet kicking into my sides. He was always on the go, even before he was out of the whom.

He surprised us all by arriving 10 days early. I had no problem with that because I wanted him out by that time. I remember going to the doctor’s on a Monday and he talked to me about inducing on my due date. I came home that day and discussed it with Kevin and we decided that it would be best to try to get him out by his due date. I had planned to talk to my doctor the following Monday at my next appointment. Little did I know, Jack had different plans. By Wednesday night, my water broke. We headed to the hospital early in the morning on Thursday and by late afternoon on Thursday, February 11th, we had our little boy in our arms. My delivery didn’t go as expected for me. Jack would not come out, so after 3 hours of pushing we decided it was safest for a C-section. At the time I was so upset over this, but now looking back I completely understand why Jack was born cesarean. He probably didn’t think that coming out the natural way was efficient enough, so he was too stubborn and made the doctors come and get him.

Fast forward 2 years later, I have a healthy, active, smart, funny and loving little boy. I’ve said it before, but I’m amazed at how smart my little guy is. He soaks in everything. Right now he is completely obsessed with letters. He has a letter puzzle that my mom bought him when she visited and he plays with it non-stop. He sings the alphabet song all the time and the best part is when he sings “Now I know my ABC’s, Next time won’t you sing with me.” It sounds more like “Now I ABC, Next time won’t you me!” He also knows his numbers 1-10 and loves to count, especially when he jumps off of furniture.

At school, Jack is officially in the toddler classroom. He was such a big boy in the baby room, so it’s fun to see him with the older kids. I can already tell that he is learning a lot from the other children. I’m happy to report that I no longer have to worry about packing a lunch for Jack to bring to school now that he eats with the big kids. This saves me a lot of time and dishes to wash every night. I actually only have to run the dishwasher every other night now!!

Jack has already been showing a lot of the terrible 2’s signs. Tantrums are daily. Some days are worst than others, but I’m hopeful that the more he learns more words he will have less tantrums. Speaking of words, he’s been talking a lot more lately. His vocabulary is growing all the time, now he just needs to put them into sentences so I don’t have to play the guessing game.

Jack is a total mommy’s boy. He always wants me over daddy, unless it’s bath time or time to get his shoes on for school, then he runs to daddy and hides from me. (it’s their new game that I don’t really enjoy, but they are pretty cute when they play it.) Sometimes his mommy obsession can get a little much, especially while I’m trying to get ready for work or make dinner, but to be honest, I don’t mind it at all. I love how he takes my hand and drags me around the house. It’s precious and I know that this stage won’t last forever, so I just enjoy our time together.

It’s so hard to get a picture with this little guy. That’s why our balloon is backwards.

I remember holding Jack in my arms as a newborn and wondering what he would be like when he got older. I wondered what kind of personality he would have and what his voice would sound like. It’s just so fun getting to know your child as they grow. I love learning about Jack each day. I love watching him grow. It’s such a blessing to be his mom.

Gift’s for Second Time Around Mom

January 20, 2018 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Gifts for a Second Time Mom

I feel like there are so many baby’s due in 2018. It just another year of babies. Everyone that I know who is having a baby in 2018 is having their second, third or even fourth or fifth baby. Expecting baby number one is so exciting. Making your registry can be such fun. Usually, you want to stock up on all the basics that you will need for your first baby. But what do you buy for an experienced mom?

Personally, as someone shopping for others, I think baby number 2 is a little more fun to shop for. You don’t have to worry about the basics as much and you can get creative with your gifts. It’s the perfect opportunity to look into some fun baby/mommy gifts that your second-time mom may not already have.

I’ve put together a list of great baby products that I think would be appropriate for most second-time moms.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that by clicking and/or making a purchase through a link will result in a small commission for this blog. I am being compensated for this post. As always my opinions are 100% my own.

One || BirdRock Baby Moccasins
I always think that baby’s look so adorable in little leather moccasins. At only $25 a pair, BirdRock Baby Moccasins are the perfect mix of quality and price for leather moccasins. They also have cute cozy fleece booties that are perfect for keeping your little one’s tootsies nice and warm in the winter. If you know someone expecting a little girl, they also have the cutest selection of leather hair bows.

Two|| DockATot
I think that DockATot is a great gift for a second-time mom. It’s perfect if you plan to co-sleep with your baby. It’s also a great safe place to put your baby down to lounge around the house away from the big kids.

Three || Newlie Tote Diaper Bag
Who wouldn’t want a new diaper bag? I know that I stuck with a more traditional diaper bag with Jack. To be honest, I rarely used it. I think that a second-time mom would definitely appreciate a new stylish diaper bag. Something nice and big, because you will need the room once you have 2 or more little ones to pack for. I love the diaper bags at Newlie co. They are so stylish and perfect for a second time mom.

Four || CoCo + Kiwi Clutch + Changing Kit

I think any mom would appreciate a cute changing kit clutch like this one from CoCo + Kiwi (HERE). I like how convenient it is to just throw a little changing kit in my purse or diaper bag.

Five || Cardimom from Multiwear
I’ve heard that nursing the second time around is not as easy as you would think it would be as an experienced mom. The Cardimom can help make nursing a little easier on you. You can wear it as part of your outfit and when it’s time to feed your baby you just use it as your cover-up. It’s perfect for nursing in public or if you don’t want to expose yourself to all your family members.

Six || Clothes
Yes, who doesn’t love to pick out cute baby clothes? It’s so fun shopping for babies. Clothes are always a good gift for any new parents. My advice if you’re baby clothes shopping for someone else is to keep in mind the seasons and climate of where they live. I had a lot of winter clothes for Jack in newborn and 3-month size, but he never got to wear some of them, because it was 80 degrees when he came home from the hospital. Also, buy clothes in all sizes. It’s always nice to have a variety of clothes because you will need them.

Seven || Honest Company – Baby Arrival Gift Set
If all else fails, you can always help the second time mom restock on all the baby essentials. My friend sent me a care package from the Honest Company right after Jack was born and it was so nice to have. The baby arrival gift set is perfect, because it comes with diapers, wipes, diaper creams and other useful baby products. Without a shower, a second time mom might be lacking in some of the basics, so this is a great gift!

Hopefully this is helpful guide for everyone needing to buy for a second time mom. And if your expecting this year, congratulation!

Starting a Fresh New Year

January 3, 2018 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Starting a fresh year with PinkBlush

*This post is part of a collaboration with PinkBlush. All opinions are 100% my own.
I love starting a new year. It’s so fun to make new goals and have a fresh slate. I feel motivated and excited about all the possibilities for the year ahead.

This Christmas break was just what I needed. A long break off from work at home. Ever since I moved to Las Vegas, I have spent almost every one of my long breaks off work traveling to see family. This year we decided that we didn’t want to deal with the stress of traveling. I’m so glad that we stayed home because it was the perfect way to refuel myself.

To be honest, by the end of the break, I was ready to head back to work. I’m often overwhelmed and stressed by all my responsibilities, but to be honest, I like it. I like staying busy and always having some kind of project to work on. I’m very comforted by my daily routine. By staying home, it made me appreciate my job and my weekly routine.

I also realized that it’s not that easy staying home with a toddler all day. It always makes me sad that I didn’t get to be home with Jack those first 12 months because I feel like things would have been different. But now that he’s older, it takes a lot to keep him entertained. He definitely keeps me on my toes. And don’t even get me started on trying to get him down for a nap. I had to put him in the car every day and drive him around the block. It makes me happy to know that when I’m not with him during the week, he’s socializing and learning while he’s at school. That is his weekly routine and it’s comforting for him. With Jack being our first, it really is important to me that he has that time around other children. He’s so attached to me, so it makes me happy to know that he loves seeing all his teachers at his school too.

I’m not going to lie, I did enjoy lounging around the house in my pajamas all morning. I wore these PinkBlush pajamas (here) at every chance I had. Nothing against your traditional Christmas pajamas, but these pajama pants are perfect to wear year-round. I love having something to get ready for every morning, but sometimes it’s just nice to stay in my cozy jammies, drink an extra cup of coffee and watch some morning TV.

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- PinkBlush pajama pants

Now that I’m nice and refreshed, I’m hoping to start off my year on a clean slate. I went back to work this week, but luckily we don’t have kids until next week. I’m going to take this time to clean my classroom and prepare it for the rest of the school year. I have high hopes for 2018!

I hope all of you can start off your 2018 feeling refreshed and ready to tackle all your goals for the new year!

Confessions of a First Time Mom- Appreciating the Moment

November 6, 2017 by Katie Haller

Sometimes I feel like it’s hard to appreciate the present. I’m always thinking and planning for the future or reminiscing on the past. Sometimes I forget to take in the moments and appreciate where I currently am in life. I often look back on certain times in my life and wonder why I didn’t just appreciate that time. Time goes by so fast, especially when you have little ones. I feel like I had a newborn just yesterday.

My current life is so busy. I work full time, then when I’m home, I’m trying to catch up on all my responsibilities at home. My weekends are spent doing laundry, grocery shopping, meal prepping and cleaning. I’m really trying hard to set aside my busy life and just soak in my time with Jack. My husband has been busy this fall training on a new airplane, so I’ve had a lot of one on one time with my little guy. I’ve been trying to just enjoy my time with him as much as possible. I know that he’s only going to be little and sweet for a short time. I don’t want my busy life to take me away from those little moments. That’s why I take him to the park as often as I can. I push him on the swing and I go down the slide with him. I read him books. I tickle him and give him as many kisses as I can. At bedtime, I lay next to him until he falls asleep. I have been the only one who has put Jack to bed every night since he was born, and I’ve never spent a night away from him. That’s important to me because one day he won’t need me to put him asleep.

I’ve taken a little step back from blogging, just to get that extra time in with Jack. I love writing and working on new blog posts, but I’m not going to stress if I can’t get all my posts out that I’d like to. I usually do most of my blogging on the weekends and at night after Jack goes to bed, but lately, he’s been staying up later. I put him to sleep around 8:30 and after he falls asleep, I’m ready for bed too. If I don’t get around to working on a post, then that’s okay.

One thing I’m learning as a parent is that you just need to slow down and look at what’s in front of you. I once was told that when you have kids, the days are long, but the years are short. It’s so true. Not to mention, one day I hope to have 2 kids and that means life will get even crazier. I need to soak in this one on one time that I’m getting with my little guy while I can.

Baby Update- 20 Months

October 11, 2017 by Katie Haller

I’ve been really bad at keeping up with Jack’s baby updates. I meant to do a post for 15 months, then I didn’t get to it so I thought I’d do it at 18 months, but that didn’t happen, so now I’m trying for 20 months. I really love sharing updates on Jack, because he’s the light of my life. Plus, I like to use my blog as a way to look back on memories. I don’t scrapbook anymore, so this is my way of making a scrapbook.

Jack is 20 months and I would like to know where the time went?? I can’t believe that he will be 2 before I know it. Jack is really developing into his own little person lately. He has a great personality. He’s very smart, very serious at times and he just soaks in everything around him. He also loves to laugh, he’s funny, playful and he can be super sweet.

Currently, Jack’s favorite toys are his puzzles, cars, foam letters, books, train and oh yeah… the iPad. I know a lot of people have different opinions on children under 2 having screen time, but I don’t mind it at all. Jack has learned so much from the YouTube shows that he watches. He knows almost all the upper case letters, his colors, shapes and numbers 1-10. I am so impressed with his learning abilities. He catches on so quickly.

Jack has been in child care full time for almost a year now and he loves it. We have had such a great experience with his school. He loves his teacher, his friends and I’m pretty sure that he likes the toys there more than his toys at home. I feel like it’s been so good for him to spend time around other children his age. Although, I am learning that he is really bad at sharing. Apparently he doesn’t like it when the younger baby’s in his class play with the toys incorrectly.

As for sleep, Jack has been sleeping through the night for about 6 months now. Halleluiah!! It was a long first year of getting up almost every 2 hours, but as soon as we got rid of bottles, Jack stopped waking up. Now mommy and daddy can finally sleep soundly, besides the few occasional nights when he’s not feeling good or teething.

Over all Jack is a good eater, but it definitely depends on his mood. If he’s in a bad mood, he throws his food at me, if he’s happy he eats it. He really loves cheese, macaroni and cheese, pears, oranges and milk. He loves his “ma” as he calls it.

Jack is talking up a storm lately. I swear he adds 3 new words to his vocabulary everyday. He says “dada” all the time. He says “mama” when he wants something or is crying. My favorite word that he says is flower “fow fer”. He loves listening to music and dancing. He’s even starting to sing, which I think is hilarious. He sounds like a dying whale or something, but it’s just too cute.

I can tell that 2 is right around the corner, because my little baby boy is turning into a toddler monster at times. He has started these dramatic tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants. He screams, throws himself on the floor, kicks his legs and throws things. It’s all a show to see how far he can go. I’ve even caught him watching himself in the mirror during one of his fits. It’s pretty entertaining, but also a little frustrating when you can’t reason with your little human.

Over all it’s been an amazing 20 months! I love everyday of being Jack’s mom. With each age, I feel like somethings get a little easier and other things get harder. I only wish I could slow him down a little bit.

Working Out as a Busy Mom

October 2, 2017 by Katie Haller

One thing that I have been really bad at since becoming a mom is making time to workout.

I have a love/hate relationship with working out. I love staying active and I love the feeling I get after a good workout, but I hate getting motivated. My biggest roadblock to working out is time. I work full time and when I get home at night, working out is the last thing on my mind. By the time I make dinner and get Jack in the tub, I’m ready for bed myself. On the weekends, I like to go for morning walks with Jack, but it’s really hard to walk in the summer when it’s 100 degrees by 8:00 am.

This fall, with the weather changing, it’s making me feel like it’s time to make a change. I am really trying to make an effort to fit in some kind of quick workout as much as I can, that’s why I was so excited when Aaptiv asked me to do a free 2 week trial of their workout programs. I thought that this would be the perfect way to get me started on a good path of getting active and strengthening my body again.

Aaptiv is an app that has any kind of workout program you can think of. It is an audio workout with a personal trainer who will help guide and motivate you through your workout. The app has classes ranging from Outdoor running, elliptical, strength training to even yoga and meditation.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link I will earn a commission for this blog. Thank you for your support!

The thing that I really love about Aaptiv is that they now have launched a new maternity program that is perfect for expecting moms who are looking to stay fit and healthy throughout their pregnancy. The new program has recruited top-tier talent to lead the design and development of the maternity program, including Kira Kohrherr of FitBump, yoga guru and author, Kristin McGee, and expert Aaptiv trainers who are trained and certified in pre and postnatal exercise. I wish I would of had this when I was pregnant with Jack, but I’ll have to save it for the second time around. They also have some great stroller workouts that I really enjoyed doing on my morning walks.

The thing that I really like about Aaptiv, is that you can workout anywhere and you don’t have to commit yourself to a long stretch of time. For me, the weekends are the best time for me to get a nice long workout in. That’s when I go for my walks and do the stroller workouts, but during the week, I’m crunched for time. I found that it was easy to pick out a quick 8-minute workout right after Jack’s bath time while he was playing. I liked how all the workouts that I tried were all quick and effective. I could feel a nice burn after only an 8-10 minute routine.

Whether you are an expecting mom looking to stay fit through your pregnancy, a working mom with no time for a workout schedule or maybe you are just someone trying to get a healthy routine started, I would highly recommend looking into what Aaptiv has to offer. You can download the app at the App Store or Google Play and start making changes today!

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