My Sweet Girl :)

Does anyone remember that blog post from August where I said, "My life is finally calming down?" HA! Apparently my life was truly just beginning and I will let my pictures speak for themselves...

I got engaged and married! (Married 12/20/2014)

Announced our beautiful surprise <3

IT'S A BABY GIRL!! Due 6/21/15.

I began to grow! This picture was around 20 weeks! :)

Fast forward to NOW! 30 weeks pregnant! I am almost there!!

It has been a whirlwind seven months and I just can't believe that I am going to be a Mommy! As I am writing this post my sweet baby is doing back flips in my belly. It is such a funny yet comforting feeling. I have had so many different feelings and mixed emotions about this journey my husband and I are about to embark on. When I found out I was pregnant I was in a state of utter shock. I finally was with the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and do everything "by the book" so to speak and BAM! Bombshell isn't even the term to describe it. I know there is no such thing as a timeline or even as a rule book but I just couldn't believe what was happening to me and, to us. Change was on the horizon for sure. Two new puppies and a baby on the way!? Both of our families were nothing but supportive and beyond thrilled for us! They supported us every step of the way. Let me tell you, it is such a beautiful thing when everyone who is important to you is on board with all of your decisions. Not only as individuals but as a couple as well. The beginning of my pregnancy was extremely hard on me. Everyone has questions for you and will give you their opinion whether you want it or not. You learn who your true friends are and who you just need to take a step back from. Sometimes there was just too much negativity for me to handle. I know other people's opinions and words should not matter. However, when it comes from people that you have invested a lot of yourself in and have seen those individuals through all of their happy moments you automatically expect the same in return. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. There was never any doubt in our minds as a couple the road we wanted to travel. Mommy and Daddy have become our new titles and we are nothing but excited (and nervous) for the road that lies ahead of us. There is no sugar coating these past seven months but when looking back on all of our events both my husband and I feel just as lucky and as blessed as we felt since day one. I must have done something so right in life to end up with an amazing man like him. I thank God every day for the path he has chosen for me. Without God nothing is possible. I am so thankful for this healthy glowing life inside of me. 

I have missed blogging so, SO much! Keri and I used to be able to write a new blog post every day of the week. Impending Mommy life has given me a swift kick in the butt! Although Keri and I won't be posting every single day I can't wait to put up weekly or weekend updates on here for everyone to see! Keri has so many beautiful things going on in her life as well! But I will let her catch you up on that in her own time! For everyone who has been following our blog since the beginning you were able to see just the Nanny in me. Now I can't wait to introduce the Mommy in me. I want to incorporate baby updates, more favorite baby and toddler gadgets, nursery updates (as I am currently designing our daughter's room) and of course once I give birth we can let the real fun begin!

I look forward to what the future has to hold! I have all of this excitement within me and can't wait for her special arrival! Thank you to everyone for your patience and to those who enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy writing it! 

XOXO,

Danielle 

Friday Favorite - Mayden Inspired

Happy Friday to all! Today I am bringing you an amazing product review for my Friday Favorite. When Danielle and I were approached by Mayden Inspired, to try out some of their awesome baby/toddler booties, we jumped at the chance. As a mom and nannies, we are always in search of shoes that babies and toddlers will actually keep on their feet! Makenna is one of those children that NEVER keeps anything on her feet. As soon as she is at home or gets in the car, off come her shoes and socks. We are forever losing them.

The owner and sole maker of booties, Danielle Murphy, is a local New Jersey mom. She started making booties for her own children and the word of her cute booties quickly spread. Mayden Inspired booties run from sizes newborn to 18/24 months, which I will say is about a size toddler's size 6. You can order them in a variety of designs and patterns. We were sent four pairs, two 18/24 months and two newborn sizes. 

As you can see, Makenna was very excited to receive her booties! 

Lucky for her, she has small feet. The size 18/24 months just fit her. That's why I am guessing they even out to a size 6. I thought she would tell me they were too tight but she just said over and over, "I love my new slippers!" She wore them the entire day and I had to force her to take them off for bed that night. That has never happened before! Two months later, her foot grew and the booties are very tight on her now :( But she loves them so much she still wants to wear them! 

The booties have held up extremely well. She wore them for the last week of school (she has to wear slippers at school) and all around the house. They show no signs of wear and are sewn very well. Considering Makenna's foot is about to bust out of them, and they are still holding up, I would give them an A+ for quality! :) I can't wait to put the newborn pair on baby #2 when she is born in September! I have them packed in my hospital bag waiting to go! 

The other newborn pair we received ended up being to small for the baby we wanted to test them. Our mistake since baby Celia was almost 3 months old. Danielle M. quickly switched out the booties for us. Celia and her Mom were huge fans of them! She kept them on and didn't pull them off at all. They are tight enough to stay on snug, but are not so tight that they leave marks or cut off circulation. And have I added that they are ridiculously cute?! 

We loved her booties so much, that we decided to gift them to a certain NJ based celebrity mom. We will keep you all updated if we spot them out and about when her baby is born! :)

The above picture shows the two different styles Mayden Inspired makes. A Maryjane type booties and a classic Moccasin style. 

Be sure to check out Mayden Inspired's Etsy shop. You can see all the different patterns and styles that they offer. If you don't see exactly what you are looking for, email Danielle M. through Etsy. She is always getting new fabrics in stock. 

We know you will all love these booties just as much as we did!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

xoxo- K

Disclaimer: We were not paid to do this review. We received the booties free, but if they sucked we would NOT have written a good review about them! :) 

Tackling the Terrible Two's!

Being a nanny I face a lot of hurdles with children. I really want to talk about one that I am currently facing. We are officially approaching the "terrible two's!" I know a lot of parents have gone through this stage with their child. It is a very trying time for everyone. I wanted to give a few different tips and tricks to attempt to help get you and your child through this difficult stage.

I am a BIG believer in using words. Real words. I never speak to a baby or young toddler in baby talk. It will never do them any good. Let's face it, they scream at the top of their lungs because they want to communicate. Some kids talk sooner than others and no worries if your child isn't speaking at the rate you want them to. I promise they will talk and then they will never stop :) In a case where I have a child who will just scream at me I will always say to them, "use your words." I will go through their mini vocabulary with them until I can figure out what they are trying to say. You may need to go through a total of 50 words but I look at it as great review.

If you have a child who points to everything and grunts (which, for a bit every child does) never walk them over to everything. They won't learn to talk that way. You can tell them the object they are pointing to and then either take them to it OR you can say, "That is the pantry. You may open it . But first I will put you down and we will walk  over there together." Because well, let's face it, they are a big kid. It really helps to promote their independence.

As a nanny I have been lucky to be with my little guy since he was just a little bit :) I believe he was going on four months when I started with my awesome family! Very shortly after I started with him I began teaching him baby sign. By the time he was seven/eight months he began to sign back to me. Baby signing has really helped him through this difficult stage. Even if he can't fully express the word he is looking for, he can surely sign a great deal of words. It has truly helped to lessen his levels of frustration. For some great references for baby sign there's a wonderful program called, "baby signing time" which can be a bit pricey but it's just fabulous! Also, if you check out YouTube you may be able to find some free signing videos!

When your child has a tantrum, there are two ways you can go about dealing with this stage. Everyone has different beliefs so please do what fits your family and your lifestyle. The first thing you can do when your child throws themselves on the ground and begins ther tantrum you can literally just walk away into the other room. Most likely they will follow you however, if you do not feed into them then they tend to give up the charade in a timely fashion. The second approach you may use is to hug it out with them. I used this technique on another child I nannied for. Everytime she went into tantrum mode I would grab her and hug her, hold her and help her to work through it. You can tell your child to take deep breaths. Show them how to breathe properly and do it with them. This approach may work for some and for others it may anger them more. I would try both approaches to see what works best for your child. Last week, Keri had blogged about making "hush bottles." It is a craft that is used when your child begins to get flustered. It grabs their attention and literally calms them down and snaps them out of their funk. Check it out!

Another great approach Ito help extend their vocabulary is to READ, READ, READ!! There is a great starter book called, the "Alpha Block." It's by, Christopher Franceschelli. It's one of the best alphabet books I have seen in awhile. The words are basic and simple, and the illustrations are great! I go through that book with my little guy at least three times a day and he loves it! He has already began to say new words from using that book! Plus it aids to a growing imagination!

I really hope that some of these approaches will work well for you and your family. I am always looking for new approaches to help coach my little ones through their hard times. As a parent what approaches have worked well for you? Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! It's always wonderful to hear from you all!

Xoxo
-D