Newborn Favorites

4:40 PM Amanda Greathouse 1 Comments

We are just over a month into having 2 kids & let me say - it is a fun little ride! Every day is a new adventure & I can honestly say these 2 are keeping us on our toes.

I thought I would put together a little list of the things that have helped us, well mostly me, keep the sanity!

Moccasins - I bought a newborn bundle from Freshly Picked that came with all sorts of goodies, including adorable little moccasins. No surprise that I love these. I've been obsessed for awhile. But these are so easy to get on & off of a little baby.

Nursing Scarf - I got one of these from a friend & it's been used so much already. Perfect to add to an outfit & is useful. We are frequently on the go & this is a more discrete way to cover up while nursing in public.

Milkie Milk Saver - this little gem has been one of the best things I've used thus far! I bought it with Greyson & luckily thought to pull it out early. I leak a ton while nursing & this catches it all. Not only does that help so I'm not covered in milk constantly, but I've been able to save a ton of milk to freeze for when Olivia heads to daycare!

Moby Wrap - with a very energetic toddler running about, I definitely knew I needed a way to have my hands free. The wrap helps keep her close & snug while letting me chase & help Greyson so much easier

Mamaroo - I cannot say enough great things about this! It came recommended by several people & I am glad I listened. The shape cradles her nicely so she feels so secure. The motions are so much like the way we move so it helps keep her comfortable & asleep. Plus I love the white noise feature on it because we found out quickly how much babies love white noise!

Rock n Play Sleeper - this thing is so great for bedtime. Greyson slept in this for 4 months & now Olivia will do the same. It's small so it fits next to our bed perfectly & it lightweight so it's easy to move around.

I am always on the lookout for more things to help make life with kids easier. It's such a learning process. It seems to slowly be getting better. They are so much alike & yet very different in many ways. It's always fun to watch your babies grow & become a little person!

1 comments :

1 Month of Olivia

3:19 PM Amanda Greathouse 1 Comments

Weight: 8.1 lbs
Length: 21ish inches

This adorable beauty is one month old today! It seriously feels like yesterday that she arrived in this world like a girl on a mission!

Olivia has been both similar & different than Greyson already in her first month. She likes to be held & is most comfortable hanging out in our arms. She liked the Moby wrap & how it keeps her snuggled up with me. At the same time, she sleeps so well in her Rock n Play & her Mamaroo!

She easily sleeps 4-5 hour stretches which just baffles me! She will wake up once or twice to eat throughout the night & go right back to sleep.

The benefit to being experienced this time around is breastfeeding is going much better! We've had her tongue triple checked by various doctors to make sure she isn't tongue tied - luckily she isn't! She is such a rockstar!

She is quickly outgrowing her clothes & it is making me sad! She can still [barely] fit into her newborn size stuff, but it's getting tighter each day. She is wearing 3 month clothes a lot of the time. I am so excited for a wave of warmer weather because she has a bunch of 3 month clothes I am anxious for her to wear.

Olivia does not like having her diaper changed. Like, at all! And the only thing we've found she likes even less is getting a bath! She has had a few & just screams her poor little head off!

She makes the cutest little duckface & has the sweetest baby smiles. She loves whenever anyone talks to her, especially when Greyson is reading his books. She is always fascinated by him when he's around. She gives me the best smiles when I tell her how I am going to do her hair when she is bigger & actually has hair!

It's hard to accept how quickly time is already going & how much she has already changed in the first month. I know she is only going to keep growing. I'm excited for what's to come!

1 comments :

Hospital & Newborn Photos

11:05 PM Amanda Greathouse 0 Comments

So excited to share the hospital & newborn photos that were taken of Olivia & her arrival!

We didn't get photos of either with Greyson, aside from taking our own pictures of each other. Something that I regret still, so these pictures mean that much more to me as I know have them to cherish & remember the time.

I love the black & white photos so much! They are perfectly timeless & just freeze the moment in time. The pictures of our new family of four & Greyson meeting Olivia for the first time just make my heart smile. I wish I had enough wall space to hang them all up!

And of course who can resist squishy newborn pictures?! She was so tiny I can hardly believe it! Too many I love! The baby smiles are just too adorable & the squishy cheeks in the woodland picture are so squeezable! One of my most favorite pictures is the one of me holding Olivia while sucking her thumb - it was not a planned picture, just completely real & perfect.

I am just in love with these pictures! My great friend Brooke is just an amazing photographer! I will cherish these pictures & the memories behind them forever!

0 comments :

Greyson// 3 Years Old

6:35 PM Amanda Greathouse 0 Comments

Greyson is three!

I am about a month late on writing this, but better late than never, right?

This sweet little guy with just the best smile is growing like crazy & changing in oh so many ways every day! We just had to get him a bunch of new clothes because he is quickly outgrowing his 3T stuff already! He loves to eat blueberries, yogurt & bagels. Plus toast, toast & more toast! He can swipe a cup faster than the speed of light.

He is a lover of cars & anything that drives or flies! He is always watching Greg play sports video games so he is super into all things sports. We signed him up to start soccer this spring & I am oh so excited to see how much he loves it!

Books are still a huge thing around here! He has dozens of books completely memorized & frequently reads them to us! It is my favorite! He loves the Pete the Cat series, Little Blue Truck, and Llama Llama Red Pajama these days. He can count to 30 [at least!] and it starting to learn how to write letters & numbers.

He is a sweet big brother who loves to show off his little sister to everyone. He always asks for one more hug & kiss at bedtime or when he goes to school. He has the sweetest little manners these days & is so passionate about everything he loves!

Three is such a fun, yet challenging age. Seeing him grow & learn is one of the best things about being a parent. It's hard to think about the things he'll accomplish over the next year & even more!

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Olivia's Nursery

1:30 PM Amanda Greathouse 1 Comments

I am in love with Olivia's nursery! I wasn't as inspired or a huge fan of Greyson's room in Germany & it showed in his nursery.

I spent a ton of time browsing on Pinterest, gathering ideas of what I liked & didn't. We aren't big fans of pink so I wanted to keep that minimal. My goal was classy, yet still girly. The black, white & gold trend has been a favorite of mine for awhile now so it seemed like a perfect fit for nursery colors!

Most of the decorations are either repurposed from old decor, DIY, or from Target!

Of course she has tons of headbands, hair clips & cute hats! A collection of mason jars & DIY headband holder house them & display their prettiness!

The only bit of pink in her room is her name above her closet. A co-worker painted it as a gift for my baby shower!

Her room is just one of my favorites. I find little reasons to hang out in it just so I can enjoy it! I love how it's decorated to grow with her as she gets older & will be easy to transition to a big girl room down the road!

Now to spend the rest of this night relaxing & enjoying this beauty who is 2 weeks old already!

1 comments :

She's Here: Olivia Kay

12:25 PM Amanda Greathouse 1 Comments

Last week we welcomed our beautiful baby girl - Olivia Kay Greathouse!

Here's her birth story:

I started having some contractions that I noticed were worth timing on February 24. They became fairly regular & rhythmic, but never got closer together than 7 min apart. I had thought we would be heading to the hospital that night, but no such luck. After about 2 hours or so, they slowly spaced out & eventually stopped.

I continued about my day as planned come the 25th. I headed to the recitation section for my graduate assistantship training, having no contraction action until I got onto campus around 9 am. As I sat listening to student speeches, I started timing them & like the night before, they were averaging every 7.5 minutes or so.

By the time noon rolled around, I'd noticed they were getting quite a bit stronger & seemed more frequent - I was right! At this point they were coming every 5 minutes or so. I made my way to my car (which took me 15 min having to stop to let the contractions pass) & headed home to get Greg.

I kept timing during my drive home & even called Greg about halfway home (we live about 30 minutes from the campus) wondering if I should just turn around & have him meet me. Since I wanted to change & eat, knowing I wouldn't get food once admitted, I finished my drive home.

When I got home, I checked the contraction timer app I really wasn't paying attention to while driving & contractions had been coming every 3.5 minutes. We hopped in the car as soon as I got home to go straight to the hospital. I called to let them know we were on our way, as well as called our parents & my sister to give them a heads up.

We managed to get inside to Labor & Delivery, who was expecting us, & signed in at 1:43pm. We got set up in triage and they checked me - already dilated to 8cm! The contractions kept coming! I mentioned I was now considering an epidural, even though I really had planned to not get one, so the triage nurse got me hooked up to fluids so I'd be ready to go when they moved me to a Labor & Delivery room. Well, baby girl had different plans...

About 20 minutes after getting into the triage room & getting fluids started, my contractions kicked it up a notch! They went from painful to unbearable with lots of pressure. Nurses rushed in & checked me - 10 cm & water ready to burst! They unhooked everything faster than I could imagine, told Greg to grab our bags & lets go! They rushed me out into the hall still in the triage bed, all while having nonstop contractions. The doctor was waiting for us down the hall. When we got in, she told me "we're going to mode you to the laboring bed, break your water & push!!"

My head was spinning. Greg was confused when he walked in behind us & was immediately told to help. Not even 10 minutes later, just 43 minutes from the time we walked in, Olivia Kay was born!

2:26 pm on February 25 in an unmedicated, fast & furious fashion! She was 6lb 6.5oz and 18.5 inches long. She came out screaming & with a head full of dark brown hair, because that's what our kids like to do!

My great friend Brooke picked up Greyson from school that day & brought him to the hospital to see us. He was unsure at first, but quickly warmed up to her & wanted to "hold it." He walked around telling everyone that she is baby sister "Olibia" & likes to pet her head.

We were only in the hospital just over a day & were ready to come home. It was surreal bringing our second baby home from the hospital & starting our adjustment to our new normal.

She's a great sleeper & good eater already. And of course adorable as can be! Already excited to continue sharing more about all of the fun coming our way.

Until then, I shall try to finish my last project for my graduate school class while resisting the cuteness sleeping next to me!

Happy Monday!