DIML with 6 Month Old – Exclusively Pumping & Baby Led Schedule

Hey guys!

“Let them be little because they are only that way for awhile. Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle. Just let them be little.”

I’m excited to upload this blog/vlog! My baby is now 7 months old. I can’t believe it! (I’ve been meaning to post this when he was 6 months old but life happens. )

What I thought life would be like and what it is, is almost completely different. I thought Milo would be crawling – he’s getting there. 😉 I thought he would be sitting perfectly on his own like the other kids. (I think my kid is lazy or just has a big head!)

I thought I would be breast feeding from the breast. I thought he’d be a perfect sleeper! (ha!).

But my life does not match the Pinterest schedules of what a 6 month old should be doing or what milestones he should have accomplished….

And

That’s

Okay.

Yes – one thing I am learning to embrace. I’m even feeling a slight tug on my heart typing that wondering if the words really are true. Is….

It’s

Okay.

Now what I DO HAVE is

A heathy 6 month old boy, who loves to roll over and over. A boy who knows his name, his mommy, and daddy. Who smiles ear to ear when his daddy gets home. A boy who likes to scream and holler.

A boy who likes to drink mommy’s breast milk from a bottle, a boy who likes to snuggle next to his mommy at night.

I’m trying to embrace the quote above. “Let them be little.” They don’t have to be Pinterest perfect – just be my baby. Hug them and love them.

So here is what my day looks like at 6 months. If you want to watch the video/ vlog – JUST CLICK HERE!

I’ve been going strong for 4 months as an exclusive pumper ( started at 1 month). I start my morning at 5 am pumping. Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve even made it this long.
Sweet baby Milo wakes up around 7 – 8 am.
During the morning – He takes a bottle and eats some cereal. Then I’m usually trying to entertain him while doing some house work. Entertaining him is taking more and more of my time. He’s a tough crowd. 😉

During the video – I share with you some of his current favorite toys, adorable monsters eating pizza PJS, AND a jumbo ball pit Grams got him for Christmas. CLICK HERE TO SEE!

10/ 11 am -PUMPING TIME! I always try to have toys around to keep Milo entertained! Oh and drink you some water! 😉 Anyone else able to hear their pumping machine noise? 😉
Next is lunch time for him and momma! Oh and he’s got two teeth!
2-4 pm- Nap time AND pump time. Over Christmas I was able to get some Avent storage bottles. They hold up to 6 ounces and you can write the date on them.

* Side note *

I thought I was going to love those bottles. WRONG – I have tried tightening those bottles as tight as I can. No matter how tight I make them, they STILL manage to spill when I shake the bottle to mix the milk. So now I’m just sticking with my Lansinoh storage bottles. JUST FYI

5 PM – COFFEE TIME – Hallelujah! Its my celebration drink for making it this far in the day! 😉
6 -8 pm – Supper, play time with Daddy, possibly another nap, bath time!
9 pm – LAST PUMP (yay! I made it another day! You can too I promise!). During this time, daddy will entertain Milo. In the vlog, we ended the night by watching the Disney movie “Tangled” while I pumped. After my pump, we all go to bed. Zzz

I hope my vlog, or daily schedule can be an encouragement to another momma or daddy. You don’t have to follow another babies schedule. Just do what works best for you and your baby.  And let them be little because they are only that way for awhile. 😉

~ Gracefully Fashionable Britt

April 26, 2019April 26, 2019

Baby Shower Haul – Sweet, Unique Gift Ideas!

Happy Friyay!

Are you looking for ideas for your registry or looking for gift ideas for you pregnant friends? I wanted to share with you some of my favorite gifts from my most recent baby shower!

Two of these things were actually on my registry and two I actually picked out. (Thanks mom and Nana! 😉 )

If you want to watch my YouTube video – CLICK HERE!

1 – Cutie Pie Socks – These are soooo cute! I had never even heard of this company before. I tried googling the brand to see if I could find them for y’all. There are some options on Amazon but that is really all I found!

I think these are the perfect gift idea for little baby boys! Also they are very stretchy! The doc has told me it looks like Milo, my son, is going to have a big foot. So fingers crossed these fit. 😉

2 – Precious Moments Jesus Loves Me Musical Water Globe. I believe this was purchased from Lifeway Christian Bookstore. This was such a thoughtful gift! Hopefully it helps soothe Milo to sleep.

3 – Old Navy Clothes! I love Old Navy! They are just starting to get some of their summer baby outfits out! Here are some of my favorite things, purchased by Milo’s future grandma and great grandma. 😉

4- Fox Hooded Towel – this was on my registry. It can be found at Target.

5- Milk Barn Organics burp cloths – I love to try to keep things as natural as possible, and the hedgehogs just went with my woodland animal theme.

6- Monogrammed Onesie – A onesie with his name on it is absolutely adorable. I imagine lots of Instagrams to come soon with this outfit! One of my favorite places to shop for this type of gift is Etsy, the app.

7 – Get BIGGER sizes!! A friend asked my mom if it was okay to buy 18-24 months outfits. OF COURSE! Milo is going to grow like a little weed and having some outfits in a few sizes up is a great idea to help the momma save money in the future!

8- Sports Team Logos – My family bleeds blue for the University of Kentucky. Old Navy was having some of their sports team shirts on clearance. Score! 😉

9- Onesies from Target – Woodland Animals – this was on my registry. I just thought it was too cute not to share! All of these onesie colors will be adorable when it’s fall!

So I hope these 9 favorites can help inspire you to think outside the box and put some thought into your gift. I am so thankful for all my friends and family who took time to come, spend time, and share their love with me.

I hope to make another video or blog post from my next shower! Follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my Youtube for updates!

Have a wonderful Friyay!

-Gracefully Fashionable Britt

July 20, 2018July 20, 2018

DIY ANNIVERSARY GIFT – BOOKMARK!

Are you looking for a cheap, simple, creative gift idea?

That was me about two weeks ago. My husband and I celebrated our 3^rd wedding anniversary on July 12^th. We have been blessed with 3 wonderful years of marriage. I have always heard the first few years are hard. But ours has been completely opposite. Maybe because were best friends or dealt with a 5 years long distance relationship. But I can count on one hand the number of know-down-drag-out fights we’ve had in our 1, 095 days of marriage.

Check out my blog post on how I survived a 5 year long, long distance relationship!

My husband and I are Dave Ramsey fans and with our current situation and the fact were trying to save for a house, buying luxury anniversary gifts was not possible. I’m a simple girl and told my husband just get me some pretty flowers and buy me supper and that’s perfect to me. My husband didn’t ask for anything, he rarely ever does.

I felt bad though for me to be treated like a princess and the prince gets nothing in return.

So I put my creative mind to work. Here lately, my husband has developed a love of reading. If you had told me 5 years ago my husband would love reading, I would have laughed at you. 😉 But now he does, he enjoys financial, motivational, and leadership books. I can see how much his mind has grown over the past few months from reading those books.

This led me to the perfect inexpensive gift for him…. A BOOKMARK!

I contemplated trying to make a bookmark using Microsoft word. Then I thought, nah that’s too complicated. Then I used good ol’ google. I found a layout using a Canva print for a bookmark.

If you have never used the Canva website before its totally free! It has all kinds of layouts you can use for different projects. Pinterest graphic, post card, invitation, business card, the list goes on and on.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

So here are the steps I used:

– First, google Canva bookmark – click on the very first link. It says free online bookmark maker, or something similar. 😉

–Next, click the green button, start designing your bookmark. Now you might have to create an account here. I didn’t because I already had one. But remember, IT’S FREE!

-It then takes you to a fancy page where you can design it however you like!

I was very impressed, they already had some layouts you can use, and they are cute! I wanted to make the bookmark more personal. My husband and I both love to travel. We hope by saving our money and following a budget that one day we will be able to travel more.

I picked 3 pictures of some of our favorite spots we’ve traveled since we’ve been married.

-Grand Canyon – so much fun, we drove there! Check out my blog posts for more info on our Grand Canyon adventure. We even vlogged it!

CLICK HERE FOR THE VLOG!

-Noah’s Ark – Williamstown, KY. Highly recommend! We went with our church. It was unbelievable to see what Noah built by hand!

-Windmill Island – Holland Michigan! Beautiful! Gorgeous flowers! Amazing windmill you can tour. Delicious chocolate! Oh, and some wooden Dutch shoes!

I wanted to add a saying to the pictures, so I chose, “I can’t wait to travel the world with you.” I still felt like it needed a little extra, so I added a small heart image and an airplane image.

For those images, you just search for them in the search category. Make sure you pick the free options. Not everything on the website is free… just like life. 😉

I printed the image off on my printer at home. It actually impressed me how well it printed. I cut it out to make it smaller. I then used poor man’s lamination (as my husband says 😉 ) aka duct tape.

Once I neatly covered it in duct tape, I went around the edges to cut off the extra tape.

I had meant to write a sweet message on the back. However, in my excitement, I forgot. I then wrote “happy 3 yrs!” on a small piece of paper and duct taped it on the back.

The more it looks handmade the better, right? 😉

My husband loved it!

He genuinely thought it was so sweet. Best of all, it didn’t really cost me a dime. I had all the ingredients already at home.

I really enjoyed making this bookmark. I enjoyed how creative I could be using the Canva program. I think this would make a perfect gift for anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, bridesmaid gifts, classrooms. Or just to make a cute one for yourself. 😉

If you have any other ideas or designs for bookmarks, please leave a comment below!

Happy Reading!

April 4, 2018July 17, 2018

What Candy Says Chocolates – Love! Will Repurchase Again!

Hey guys! I know this isn’t technically the post I was suppose to post today. And I feel bad for not getting out what I had sent in the email. By they way, if you haven’t signed up for my email newsletter, sign up now! I try to send out updates about my blog any other things that I believe is good to share. Like this post here, I actually already told my email group about this, but it was so good I had to share on my blog.

My husband and I recently had our 8 year anniversary, March 28^th. We have been together for 5 years before marriage and married for 3 this coming July. This year I wanted to do something unique for our anniversary.

I honestly don’t even remember how I found this company on Etsy, but I am so thankful I did. It is the company called, “What Candy Says.” They make small square chocolates that you can put letters on and pretty much spell anything.

I ordered one that said “Happy Eight Years.” It even had jelly beans inside the chocolate. I actually didn’t know that until I bit into one. Silly me apparently didn’t read all the details. But that doesn’t matter, because the chocolate was DELICIOUS!

Here is a quick list of my Pros and Cons:

Pros– delicious! Absolutely yummy chocolate

– Packaging was great

– 3 free small samples with my order

– 3 cute post cards with stamps!

– Shipped in a timely manner

– They work with you to get what ever you want the candy to say

– Will repurchase from this company again

Cons – I really did not have any complaints, highly impressed. However, it is a little on the pricey side. My order was $36 including shipping.

Y’all I know, this doesn’t have really anything to do with Fashion, but what fashion lover doesn’t also love chocolate? Also since I was so pleased with this purchase/ company, I had to share it with my blog.

So if you are looking for a unique gift, definitely go check out this store on Etsy. I plan on ordering a graduation gift and future birthday gifts from here.

Keep an eye out on my blog Sunday! Hope to upload my post on my 3 favorite Spring outfits! Check out my Instagram for more pics!

Hey guys!

“Let them be little because they are only that way for awhile. Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle. Just let them be little.”

And

That’s

Okay.

It’s

Okay.

Now what I DO HAVE is

So here is what my day looks like at 6 months. If you want to watch the video/ vlog – JUST CLICK HERE!

I’ve been going strong for 4 months as an exclusive pumper ( started at 1 month). I start my morning at 5 am pumping. Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve even made it this long.

Sweet baby Milo wakes up around 7 – 8 am.

During the morning – He takes a bottle and eats some cereal. Then I’m usually trying to entertain him while doing some house work. Entertaining him is taking more and more of my time. He’s a tough crowd. 😉

During the video – I share with you some of his current favorite toys, adorable monsters eating pizza PJS, AND a jumbo ball pit Grams got him for Christmas. CLICK HERE TO SEE!

10/ 11 am -PUMPING TIME! I always try to have toys around to keep Milo entertained! Oh and drink you some water! 😉 Anyone else able to hear their pumping machine noise? 😉

Next is lunch time for him and momma! Oh and he’s got two teeth!

2-4 pm- Nap time AND pump time. Over Christmas I was able to get some Avent storage bottles. They hold up to 6 ounces and you can write the date on them.

*** Side note ***

I thought I was going to love those bottles. WRONG – I have tried tightening those bottles as tight as I can. No matter how tight I make them, they STILL manage to spill when I shake the bottle to mix the milk. So now I’m just sticking with my Lansinoh storage bottles. JUST FYI

5 PM – COFFEE TIME – Hallelujah! Its my celebration drink for making it this far in the day! 😉

6 -8 pm – Supper, play time with Daddy, possibly another nap, bath time!

9 pm – LAST PUMP (yay! I made it another day! You can too I promise!). During this time, daddy will entertain Milo. In the vlog, we ended the night by watching the Disney movie “Tangled” while I pumped. After my pump, we all go to bed. Zzz

I hope my vlog, or daily schedule can be an encouragement to another momma or daddy. You don’t have to follow another babies schedule. Just do what works best for you and your baby. And let them be little because they are only that way for awhile. 😉

Happy Friyay!

Are you looking for ideas for your registry or looking for gift ideas for you pregnant friends? I wanted to share with you some of my favorite gifts from my most recent baby shower!

Two of these things were actually on my registry and two I actually picked out. (Thanks mom and Nana! 😉 )

If you want to watch my YouTube video – CLICK HERE!

1 – Cutie Pie Socks – These are soooo cute! I had never even heard of this company before. I tried googling the brand to see if I could find them for y’all. There are some options on Amazon but that is really all I found!

I think these are the perfect gift idea for little baby boys! Also they are very stretchy! The doc has told me it looks like Milo, my son, is going to have a big foot. So fingers crossed these fit. 😉

2 – Precious Moments Jesus Loves Me Musical Water Globe. I believe this was purchased from Lifeway Christian Bookstore. This was such a thoughtful gift! Hopefully it helps soothe Milo to sleep.

3 – Old Navy Clothes! I love Old Navy! They are just starting to get some of their summer baby outfits out! Here are some of my favorite things, purchased by Milo’s future grandma and great grandma. 😉

4- Fox Hooded Towel – this was on my registry. It can be found at Target.

5- Milk Barn Organics burp cloths – I love to try to keep things as natural as possible, and the hedgehogs just went with my woodland animal theme.

6- Monogrammed Onesie – A onesie with his name on it is absolutely adorable. I imagine lots of Instagrams to come soon with this outfit! One of my favorite places to shop for this type of gift is Etsy, the app.

7 – Get BIGGER sizes!! A friend asked my mom if it was okay to buy 18-24 months outfits. OF COURSE! Milo is going to grow like a little weed and having some outfits in a few sizes up is a great idea to help the momma save money in the future!

8- Sports Team Logos – My family bleeds blue for the University of Kentucky. Old Navy was having some of their sports team shirts on clearance. Score! 😉

9- Onesies from Target – Woodland Animals – this was on my registry. I just thought it was too cute not to share! All of these onesie colors will be adorable when it’s fall!

So I hope these 9 favorites can help inspire you to think outside the box and put some thought into your gift. I am so thankful for all my friends and family who took time to come, spend time, and share their love with me.

I hope to make another video or blog post from my next shower! Follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my Youtube for updates!

Have a wonderful Friyay!

Are you looking for a cheap, simple, creative gift idea?

I felt bad though for me to be treated like a princess and the prince gets nothing in return.

So here are the steps I used:

I picked 3 pictures of some of our favorite spots we’ve traveled since we’ve been married.

I wanted to add a saying to the pictures, so I chose, “I can’t wait to travel the world with you.” I still felt like it needed a little extra, so I added a small heart image and an airplane image.

My husband loved it!

* Side note *

I hope my vlog, or daily schedule can be an encouragement to another momma or daddy. You don’t have to follow another babies schedule. Just do what works best for you and your baby.  And let them be little because they are only that way for awhile. 😉