Lifestyle

Toddler Easter Basket Ideas + What’s in Kensie’s Basket

~ lifemadelovelyblog

Hi friends! If you’ve been around for awhile, you probably know Easter is my favorite holiday! I’ve always loved the happy colors and decor, the weather, the treats, and everything about it! Since having a baby, my love for it has gotten stronger 🙂 It’s so much fun being the Easter Bunny.

I wanted to share what’s in Kensie’s basket this year, + some extra ideas incase you’re in need of some inspo. All of these things are under $20, and useful things you can enjoy throughout the season.

Since she is only 2, I try to stay away from candy and instead find fun things she’ll enjoy a lot longer or things she actually needs (ex. swimsuit, pajamas)

  1. Jelly basket purse: I decided to go with this cute jelly basket this year, since next year I want to order matching baskets for her and baby sis. I thought this was cute and something she could carry throughout the spring and summer, collect rocks in, play dress up with, etc. It comes in tons of colors too.
  2. Green Toys Car: I actually got this for Kensie when she was under 1, so it isn’t in her basket this year, but such a cute idea I had to share! Green Toys are made from recycled milk jugs and one of our favorite affordable toy brands. Quick shipping on Amazon too!
  3. Cupcake Set: Another one of our Green Toys favorites! My Mom got this for Kensie for Valentine’s Day this year. We leave it sitting out on her little table in our family room and she reaches for it a ton. The colors are perfect for a spring holiday gift!
  4. Bunny Toy: Kensie loves little things. The smaller the better when it comes to little animals and figurines. When I found these on the Target website I knew I had to grab the bunny one for Easter. I love that it comes with the bunny food and she’ll have tons of fun feeding her little bunny on Easter. These are under $10 as well! She is starting to get into dolls more, and these make the perfect pets for dolls.
  5. Easter Egg Chalk: Chalk is pretty much a daily activity at our house in the spring and summer, so when I found this Easter Egg Chalk for under $3 at Target I had to add it to her basket!
  6. Plush Kitty: Another favorite toy brand in our house is B Toys. Kensie has a few of their plush toys and this kitty is so cute and springy! They have other animals like a mouse, and dog depending on what you prefer!
  7. Cuddle Bug Book: This is in my top 3 favorite books of all time! So fun to read! Under $5, and you’ll love adding this to your bedtime routine.
  8. Bird + Cage Toy: Ok this was just too cute. From the same collection as the bunny toy. She’ll love putting the bird in and out of the cage and it fit so perfectly with the spring theme.
  9. Pajama Set: I love adding in practical things that your child needed anyway, so a pair of pajamas or a swimsuit is always a great idea. These are things you likely needed to update for the season already, so find a fun pattern and toss it in their basket! I love the ruffle edge on this set and it has quick shipping on Amazon. We have a handful of jammies from this brand and the quality is great.
  10. Wooden Tea Set: My Mom actually got this tea set for Kensie for Easter last year, and she has played with it every week since! The quality of this is amazing, it is so precious and you’d never know it was under $20 on Amazon. This is my go-to gift when we attend little girls birthday parties.
  11. Popsicle Chalk: If you want a chalk option that’s available on Amazon, this popsicle set it so cute! Love the fun packaging!

If I was shopping for a little boy, I love this pair of Target swim trunks, and this B. Toys Truck!

Hope you have a Happy Easter!!

My Birth Story- Scheduled C-Section

~ lifemadelovelyblog ~ Leave a comment

Kenny girl's birth.jpg

Today I’m sharing a recap of the best day of my life, the day my baby girl Kensington was born!

Around 30 weeks, I found out my baby was breech and if she didn’t flip, I would have to have a c-section. For those of you who don’t know, most doctors will not allow you to attempt a breech delivery. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to, she just seemed really comfy the way she was. I could feel her head up in my ribs, so every day I was able to tell that she hadn’t flipped.

Around 37 weeks we went ahead and scheduled the surgery. I had to really start mentally preparing for this. I am the type of person who freaks out just at the talk of any kind of surgery. The thought of laying there in the operating room, basically paralyzed being cut open while awake terrified me. I was also SO scared for the spinal block.

Throughout the end of my pregnancy, I had gestational thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Every week, I would go get a blood test to check my platelets. They continued to drop during my pregnancy, and if they got much lower I would not have been allowed to get an epidural/spinal block. Most hospitals require your platelets to be above 100,000 in order to receive an epidural. If your platelets aren’t high enough the day of delivery, and you can’t get a spinal block, c-section patients have to be put under general anesthesia, so you’re completely asleep for your baby’s birth.

This was super upsetting to me and I just continued to pray that they would be high enough for me to receive the spinal block. If she hadn’t been breech, there would have also been the option to have an all natural drug free birth.

So, let’s talk about her birthday!! My surgery was scheduled for 7:00 AM, and I had to arrive at 5:00 AM to check in and get prepped.

I didn’t sleep at all the night before. I tried so hard to get a couple hours of rest but it didn’t happen. I was way too excited and nervous. It’s so hard to sleep knowing you’re meeting your baby in the morning!

4:00 rolls around and it was time to get up and get ready. I already had all of our bags packed and ready, so I just had to get dressed, and do my hair and makeup. To me, being able to get ready was a huge perk of having a c-section and I wanted to look good for pictures. It’s such an odd thing to get ready to go have your baby. I always pictured my water breaking somewhere out in public and having to rush off to the hospital, so having a scheduled birth was so odd!

I was almost 40 weeks and never thought I would actually make it to her scheduled delivery date. My surgery was only 3 days before her due date and I was convinced she would come sooner. I had been having really strong consistent contractions for days prior.

Driving to the hospital I wasn’t overly nervous, just SO excited. One of my favorite songs How Sweet The Sound (Amazing Grace) by Citizen Way was on the radio, and I felt so peaceful and ready to meet my Kensie Grace!

When we got to the hospital, we took the elevator up to the delivery floor. When it reached the floor, the doors wouldn’t open all the way. They just kept opening about a foot and then closing and opening and closing. One of my absolute biggest fears in life is being trapped in an elevator. We just stood there watching the door partially open and close and my heart started to race. Then the door opened and I jumped out as fast as I could. Not a good start to my hospital experience haha.

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[In the waiting room at 5:00 AM waiting to be called back!]

After checking in, I was called back and immediately changed into a gown. I wasn’t able to wear my own gown that I brought because you aren’t allowed to bring your own things into the operating room. Then I got my IV placed and my blood drawn. I had never had an IV before so I wasn’t sure how badly it would hurt but it honestly wasn’t too bad at all. The nurse did a great job. She was super nice and really calmed my nerves. Then I had an ultrasound to confirm baby girl was still breech, which I already knew like I mentioned because I could literally feel and touch her head up in my ribcage.

I wish I had more time to vlog beforehand but it was just one thing after the other. I was constantly with a nurse being prepped in some way. Before I knew it, it was time for surgery! Time to meet my baby!!

Walking myself into the operating room was such a weird experience. I always pictured being wheeled in on the hospital bed but nope! They just walked me down the hall into the OR! Then they told me to get up on the operating table and cross my legs. It was time for the spinal block! My husband wasn’t allowed back with me until after the spinal block, so it was just me and the nurses and surgical staff at this point.

I was so so SO scared for this part!! I’m not going to lie, it hurts, but it really isn’t terrible. You feel a pinch and pressure. Almost immediately after the shot, my body started getting warm and numb. They laid me back and I started shaking. Shaking is a super common reaction to the medicine and unfortunately it made me shake uncontrollably the entire procedure.

The doctor walked in and it was time to get started! I was extremely anxious and scared during the procedure and having a major panic attack. I hated the feeling of being numb from my boobs down. I got a random shooting pain in my neck which they said was normal. Then I started to feel like I was going to throw up. The anesthesiologist gave me a bag and I laid there numb on my back dry heaving into a bag. I had been fasting so nothing actually came up but it was horrible.

I feel like it was about 15-20 minutes and then they said “Are you ready to meet your baby!” I was so happy and emotional.

I heard her crying and looked up above the curtain and there she was! My perfect baby girl! I said “She’s so tiny!!” because for some reason she looked so small to me. She was actually over 7 lbs. so not super tiny. I was instantly in love with her! I wanted to hold her so badly. She was just perfect.

They cleaned her up a little and took her weight and measurements. Then they let my husband hold her next to me while they finished the procedure. It was such a bummer not being able to hold her right away but I’m happy he was able to. I reached over and just kept touching her with my left arm anxiously awaiting the procedure to be over with so I could cuddle my sweet baby!

I seriously can’t get over how precious and perfect she looked. Meeting her was the best moment ever!

I am going to do a whole post on c-sections and recovery tips soon.

I am so in love with my little best friend and feel so blessed to be her Mom!

First Trimester Pregnancy Recap

~ lifemadelovelyblog

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Hi everyone! A couple weeks ago I announced that I am pregnant with our first baby, and now that I am in the second trimester, I wanted to recap the first before I forget!

I made an entire video about weeks 3-8 on my channel and you can watch it here.

I know some of you prefer to read and I want to have this post as a pregnancy journal so here we go!

Weeks 3-4: I found out I was pregnant during week 3. There is a clip of our reactions in my gender reveal video which you can watch here. I wasn’t planning on sharing the video originally, and I wasn’t even sure it was going to be positive, which is why I’m wearing pajamas and it’s late at night and very casual, but it is now one of my favorite videos ever and I’m so glad I filmed it. I had no standout symptoms during week 3-4, and I honestly think it’s too early for symptoms so don’t drive yourself crazy looking for them.

Weeks 5-6: I started feeling nauseas during week 5. It wasn’t anything crazy but I could definitely feel it coming on. My Mom didn’t throw up one time during her whole pregnancy, and my Grandma claims she threw up every single day until she delivered (sounds slightly dramatic-lol) so I was anxious to find out how my body would react. Well, on day 1 of week 6 I threw up for the very first time in over 10 years!! I was sooo scared to throw up for the first time because I totally forgot what it was like! I had been dreading this moment for years. Everyone thinks it’s so crazy that I hadn’t thrown up in so long but its true! Not from sickness, drinking, the flu, anything. It was definitely unpleasant but kind of a relief to get it over with since it was something I was so scared of for so long. I didn’t know it yet but this was just the beginning. I craved spicy things, hot sauce, and mashed potatoes.

Week 7: This week my stomach started burning and feeling really acidic. I had been taking the Smarty Pants prenatals for months, but starting during week 7, I couldn’t stand them anymore. I actually took them for a few months before I was even pregnant and loved them. All of a sudden the texture grossed me out so much and they would make me throw up every time. For one thing, you have to take 6 of them, which is a lot when you’re feeling nauseous. I would force myself to take them because I wanted baby to have their vitamins, but when I started throwing up every time I decided it was pointless and counterproductive and went out and got a different brand. Now I only have to take 2 which is so much better. This week I was craving ice cream, fresh fruit, and really cold water. I’ve always liked my water cold, but when you’re sick to your stomach, room temperature water is so gross!! I loved using my Yeti cups and filling them up with ice water and lemon.

Week 8: I was VERY sick during week 8. I was still throwing up almost every day since day 1 of week 6. I had very low energy and was feeling super fatigued. I was sick ALL DAY LONG! Not just in the morning. I would often be really sick around lunch time. We were in line at McAlister’s, waiting to order food, and I felt myself getting super sick and had to run out the door and I threw up outside in the parking lot. I always took a bucket in the car with me, and used it many times. Car rides were the worst during weeks 6-8! I was either throwing up or about to every time I rode in the car. I had an ultrasound during week 8 and was throwing up right before I had to run out the door to the appointment. But as always, when I got there and saw baby on the screen it was all worth it.

Week 9-10: I thought I was feeling better for a couple of days but it was short lived and I was back to throwing up in no time. I actually got worried when I felt decent for a day because I was worried something had happened to the baby. I was so used to feeling horrible all day long, that when I felt ok for a little bit I didn’t know what to think. I would occasionally get these sharp pains near my ovaries which I explained to my doctor and she said was totally normal and ’round ligament pain’. Basically if I was in bed and I went to sit up, or I twisted my body, I would get a super sharp shooting pain. I looked it up and apparently it’s very common and all part of your body growing and stretching. My boobs started getting very sore and I wanted to cry every time Daisy walked across my chest (which is often!) She always wants to be cuddled up right under my chin and when her paws would dig into my boobs it was horrible haha. I had a doctors appointment during week 10, and took the stairs instead of the elevator (long time viewers know why!) and when I reached the floor I needed I almost passed out. This was shocking to me as I consider myself to be in decent shape, and it had never happened before. I knew this was something new and pregnancy related. I could not catch my breath for a solid 10 minutes and started panicking because I was sure I was going to faint. I think I need to start doing some cardio to get in better shape for labor 🙂 At my 10 week appointment I got NIPT blood work done, to rule out genetic disorders and also find out the gender of our sweet baby! They took 7 viles of blood which seriously grossed me out. After this appointment I was giddy and counting down the days until we could find out the gender!

Weeks 11-12: During week 11 I was anxiously awaiting the results from my bloodwork. Originally, my husband and I planned on finding out the gender just the two of us. We planned on having my doctor leave it on my voicemail, and listening to it right away. Then we were going to have a party to share the gender with our family and pop a balloon for them. So my results were supposed to be in on a Tuesday, and we were going to announce to our families on Saturday. Well the lab ended up being really behind, and the results didn’t come in until Friday afternoon, so we decided to wait and find out with our family! I knew if the results were available on a Tuesday there was no way I could wait until the weekend, but since they didn’t come in until the day before we thought we would go ahead and be surprised with them, and WOW I’m so glad we did!! Talk about a special day! We had two of our closest friends fill the balloon with the appropriate confetti, and were beyond thrilled and excited to find out our baby is a GIRL!!! It was seriously the best surprise ever. If you haven’t seen the video yet, definitely check it out. I will never forget all of that pink confetti raining down everywhere. I’m so excited for my tiny bestie to arrive!

So that pretty much sums up the first trimester. I threw up about 4-8 times per week and rested a lot. It was really hard being nauseous all day long, and throwing up in public and in the car, but sooo worth it! I have a healthy baby girl growing inside of me and I feel so blessed. I’m still very sick but I’m hopeful that it will keep getting better and better as I get further into the second trimester. Baby girl already has so many clothes and cute things and I can’t wait to share it all soon! She is SO loved!!