Mommy's Must Haves 2.0

Another mommy must have... coffee!

Now that Gwendolyn has hit the three month mark, she has decided to keep the party going all. night. long. Instead of sleeping her 5-6 hour stretch, she's been up every 3 hours for the past 3 nights! What is going on here?!

I've read this is all normal and part of a baby's natural development but coffees are a must these days. I totally spoiled myself today with a Mary Lou's coffee. They are THE BEST and because there are not many of these coffee chains around us, a real treat!

Mary Lou's has so many yummy flavors of coffee and I do not get them often. Today I had a "Caramel Lou" and it was wonderful! I wish there were more of these coffee shops around us but when we do make it to one of them, it's a real treat!

I already have my eye on the next flavor I'll get when we're near one again... Turtle!

Can You Spot the Difference?

What a difference a month makes?! We took these pictures exactly a month apart - when Gwen turned 2 months and then again at 3 months. (Thanks to Pic Stitch we can compare them side by side!) Can you tell the difference?

Chris was the one to spot that Gwendolyn appears a bit taller this month. Other than that, we didn't notice much change. We plan to take a picture in this chair each month to compare!

Taking the Plunge

Since I've been on maternity leave I've been contemplating how I can earn some extra money from home. I really like to create unique items to decorate our home and this week, took the plunge and opened my own "shop" on Etsy!

Etsy is a website similar to Ebay where you can sell and buy handmade and vintage items. I've been on the site for a little over a year now and have purchased some really cute items. I've pondered what I could make and sell until a series of events led me to take the plunge this week!

I named my shop "LittleGShop" (can you guess after who?!) and you can check it out by following this link: etsy.com/shop/LittleGshop. While I only have a few items available right now, if they sell (fingers crossed) I will add more! It's all still a work in progress, and I use my limited nap times to get going with it.

I will also be selling these items at a fendor fair in my home town this weekend. My plan is to bring what I have made thus far, see if people are interested and go from there with my shop on Etsy. I want to make personalized items, so I plan on handing out information for people who are interested to visit my "shop" on Etsy.

Here's a peek at some of the decorative mirrors I have listed so far:

Wish me luck!

Mommy's Must Haves

Now that I'm a mom, there's quite a few things I've found I cannot live life without. Close to the top of my long list would be the app Pic Stitch. I love taking pictures, capturing moments and memories and using them to decorate. This app is amazing for editing pictures and putting multiple pictures together in a digital scrapbook kind of way!

I love putting together "collages" (as the app calls them) of various pictures from a single event. We did this for her birth day, Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day and, well... you get the idea.

What's most amazing about this app is you can send these collages to print at Walgreens from within the app! You can select different sized pictures and where you want them sent to. (I even found a 25% off coupon code!!!)

I tried this out the other day because I was skeptical the pictures would print out looking like they did on my phone. I was so excited to pick them up (I know, I'm easy to please) and very happy with the results! The pictures were ready in 30 minutes and are so cute!

I used Pic Stitch to compare my 12th week
pregnancy photo to Gwendolyn's 12th week of life! 

I like how you could use this layout like a timeline of events. 

I plan to use these prints in Gwendolyn's baby book. One print cost $.50 and if you consider that's really for 2+ photo images in one, that's pretty awesome! I cannot say enough good things about this app! I know this time is going to fly by and there's no better way to preserve these precious memories! Since my iPhone takes great pictures, it's really easy and convenient to take pictures on the fly throughout the day. Now that I discovered I can print from Pic Stitch to Walgreens (which is not even a mile from our house) I have a feeling I will be their most frequent customer!

12 Weeks: Then & Now

It's here already?! Gwendolyn turned 12 weeks old today. It's hard to believe our little baby girl is already 3 months old... no longer a newborn and now, officially an infant.

Seems like just yesterday we were excitedly telling friends and family we were expecting, taking our first pregnant belly photo and having our 12 week ultrasound. Remember our 12 weeks pregnant post? 

Each day with Gwen is better than the one before. We both love waking up to her smiling face every morning (ok, most mornings). When we "free" her from her Woombie she loves to stretch and makes the cutest grunting sounds!

Even her little cry is adorable most of the time! Who could resist that face?! Which brings me to the challenge of trying to get her onto a routine! Up until now I have been feeding "on demand" which is very demanding! I am not complaining but I am a sucker for a good routine and am looking forward to a bit more normalcy. I do not want to rush this time at all, but a consistent nap, play and eating time will make life easier in the long run (I think). We'll be tackling that one over the next few weeks or so.

So much fun dressing her up each day! Thanks to all our friends and family, she has plenty of outfits to choose from. The little bow in her hair is just adorable! And now that the weather is warming up, the bare toes just make my heart melt.

She certainly is a snuggle-r! She loves to sleep... in anything OTHER than devices made for babies to sleep in! Mommy won't be able to let Gwen sleep on the sofa like that for much longer, once she is rolling! I am breaking so many rules here...

And while she loves playing with her toys, we can't say that she really loves her "brother" Winston just yet. Gwen hasn't paid much attention to Winston although he is difficult to avoid when in her face sniffing and licking! I'm sure in time he'll be her BFF because Winston is already crazy about her!

Cannot wait to see what the next three months will bring for all 4 of us. And of course, for sleeping through the night to arrive! :)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Can you believe Gwendolyn will turn three months tomorrow?! Time has flown by. Each day has been a blessing and it's really fun to see how she is growing and changing. But truthfully, If we could go back to the day she was born I would do it in a heartbeat!

Now that she can see further, recognize our faces, smile, suck on her fingers, coo and touch her toys, she is certainly busy! It's fun to show Gwen new toys and objects and watch her inquisitively discover them! Family and friends have showered her with many things to choose from and we know it's just a matter of time before they all end up in her mouth!

Take a look at some of our favorite toys and accessories for baby play!

See her touching the zebra?!

This Skip Hop Zoo Activity Gym was given to her by her aunt, uncle and cousin! It is absolutely adorable and we can easily switch out the hanging toys to keep her interest! It seems like her favorite of the animals is the zebra. I'm guessing it's the contrasting black and white stripes, but I love zebras too, so maybe it's genetic (just kidding). 

We often use Gwendolyn's Snugabunny Newborn Sleeper chair which seems really comfortable! She likes to snuggle with us and this chair allows her to feel like she is being held. It's been very convenient to sit her in while I am getting ready, too. I've heard a lot of parents have their babies sleep in it, when their babies do not like their bassinets. We've had to get creative to get some toys in there; i.e. my ribbon tied around the thing to hang her birds on! 

Ok so this may not have been Gwen's choice for favorite toy, but it certainly is Mommy's favorite! Check out our amazing stroller, given to us by Gwen's aunt and uncle. When looking for strollers (there seemed to be about 1,000 different ones to choose from) I told the salesman I wanted something that was light and folded easily. He pulled out this little miracle Baby Jogger City Mini GT and we were sold!

This little Bestever Baby Bear Pink Mat is so adorable and provided this picture of our little lady which may be the best ever! Gwen loves having tummy time on this mat (check out that head lift)! It's also a great for providing some padding while lying on hard surfaces. This precious little picture should be an advertisement for the product, don't you think?!

Two Years Already

We'd like to wish Winston a very happy second birthday! We can't believe he's already two years old today. He is such a little, loving, gentle and sweet dog! We celebrated by playing outside and giving him a "birthday cake" made of steak, peanut butter and cheese - some of his favorite things!

Lover of the Light

Gwendolyn seems to really enjoy music, just like Mom and Dad! We're always listening to something and have read about the importance of playing her different types of music. She has a few "favorite" songs right now and it's cute to see her smile when a song comes on! Some songs actually stop her from crying!

She may really enjoy music, but her most loved activity continues to be staring at lights!  We  affectionately call her "lover of the light" after the Mumford and Sons song we hear a lot on the radio. We play this video for her on YouTube often!

Our little lover of the light!

All Smiles

Gwendolyn's two month check up was last week. She got her vaccinations and we were definitely more nervous than she was! Chris got off early from work to come to the appointment with us. I was relieved, because someone needed to hold her hand and watch while she got the shots and it didn't have to be me!

The first shot she was still all smiles, but the second and third had her screaming. Luckily it was over quickly! She really enjoyed the forth vaccination which was given in liquid form, which the nurse says is very sweet. Looks like our little baby already has her sweet tooth!

Gwen now weighs 11 pounds (she was 10 lbs. 15 oz. at the appointment) and grew an inch in a month! It was also "test day" to see how she's doing with her head lifts... we've been doing lots of tummy time to prepare and she "passed" with flying colors!

We feel so fortunate that Gwendolyn is healthy and developing appropriately! It was a great check up and we spent the afternoon together as a family. We dropped by her great grandparents' house and went to Legacy Place to walk around, get lunch and of course... ice cream!

This has to be one of my all-time favorite pictures of my little boo!

Seeing Things for the First Time

Now that Gwendolyn is beginning to see things further away from her, it has been really fun to introduce some toys. This morning she watched her mobile for the first time!

  

Since she is not sleeping in her crib just yet, she has spent very little time in it. I will occasionally put her in it if I am cleaning the bedrooms or need to use the bathroom but I am trying to get in the habit of putting her in there more. 

The smile that came across her face when I wound it up, the animals started moving and music playing, was priceless! She was entertained for a few minutes and it was really fun to see. (By the way, that's not a straight jacket she's in, it's her Woombie and I promise she likes it!) 

Thank you to "Auntie" Jess who gave Gwen this adorable Skip Hop Alphabet Zoo Mobile. She has been enjoying the countless rattles and stuffies her grandparents, aunts and uncles gave her and has just been introduced to these cute black and white Wee Gallery Art Cards which Auntie Kelly and Uncle Ryan gave her for Easter. 

She has such beautiful eyes, it's nice to "see" her beginning to be entertained by what she is looking at. And of course, nothing beats the smile that comes across her face when she looks at either one of us! 

Red Sox Nation's Newest Member!

Happy April and Happy Opening Day for the Red Sox!

The baseball team's newest fan showed her spirit today with this adorable outfit that I had to share. Here's to a great season! 

Our Easter Bunny

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

We had fun celebrating with Gwendolyn yesterday! Since the Easter bunny isn't visiting this Hurley household just yet, we had to dress her up to play the part! What a cute bunny she made.

The weather was beautiful and we started the day with a long walk outside with Winston. We came home to a bubble bath (her favorite) and got all dressed up to attend our family parties. 

Gwendolyn met many of my aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time and was certainly given lots of attention. She spent time with lots of family members, got many presents and was spoiled rotten! She was definitely sleepy when we got home and is still catching up with a longer nap than usual this morning! 

A Special Celebration

Gwendolyn was fortunate enough to enjoy her great grandmother's 80th birthday recently! This was the first time she had met Chris' grandmother, her great grandmother.

We all went out to dinner to celebrate. This was Gwendolyn's first night time outing at a restaurant and she did pretty good! Happy birthday to "Dee Dee!"