July 4th Sales of 2023
Happy July! Sales are flowing for the 4th of July, and let me tell you, there are some really good ones this year! I’ve linked up a few of my favorite retailers in this post with their current sales to make it super easy for you to shop! Check back in the coming days as I will be adding to this post!
Click the links below to shop!
Happy 4th of July, friends!
Brumate: 30% off new markdowns
Buddy Love: 30% off select items
Caden Lane: 20% off site wide with code: FIREWORKS
Colleen Rothschild: 20% off with code: FIREWORKS (ending July 4th).
Hanna Andersson: up to 60% off.
Pink Lily Boutique: up to 50% off select styles + 20% off with code: July20
Pottery Barn: Up to 70% off furniture, bedding, and more.
Red Dress Boutique: 30% off site wide.
Sassy Queen Boutique: 20% off with code: GBA20
Shop the Mint: up to 75% off.
Smocked Auctions: 30% off site wide. No code needed.
Stella & Dot: 20% off site wide
Tubby Todd: shop 3 for $45 or 10% off site wide
Happy Shopping!
xoxo, Watson
Favorite Baby Seats from 0-6 months
Mamaroo: This swing is perfect for baby as early as bringing him/her home from the hospital up until he/she doesn’t care for it anymore or outgrows it. We used this for many naps in the living room in those early baby days. It has different musical sounds and different movements to help settle your baby or put him/her right to sleep. You can also remove the whole cover and wash it which is a must for those blow outs or spit up messes!
Baby B’Jorn Bouncer: This was probably used more for us all around the house and even when we were traveling. It is easy to fold up and bring anywhere. It is lightweight, and the cover can be removed to throw in the wash. It has a few reclining height adjustments and has always been a handy place for us to stick our babes when we are doing tasks around the house. You can add a toy bar if you want as well like this one or this one.
Snuggle Me Organic Lounger: This lounger is amazing for those newborn days. It is perfect for keeping your baby feel secured and snuggled when you’re not holding him/her. We did a lot of afternoon cat naps in this lounger, and Knox loved it. It is also easy to carry around the house and is also totally washable. You can choose your cover color too.
Ingenuity 2-n-1 Booster Seat: This is what we have always used instead of a high chair. We used this with Ansley from age 4 months when she could sit up, all the way until she sat in a big girl chair. Now we have also used it with Knox from age 4 months and it is what we currently still use at 9 months for a feeding chair. We haven’t had to spend extra money on a highchair because we love this seat and it is under $50. You can put in on a counter, the floor, or strap it into a regular chair. You can also remove the top back to make it more of a booster seat. The tray is washable and can be stored under the seat. Plus, it’s great to throw in your car when traveling. Highly recommend!
Piano Mat: This is a fun little play mat for the first year of your baby’s life. The rainbow arch has 2 placement options and is removable. The piano is perfect for babies to kick with their feet or play with their hands to make noise and songs and is also removable. We love this playmat and would make a fun baby shower gift too!
Sit Me Up Chair: This is another fun chair option for babies as they are learning to sit up. The seat sits a little lower providing a higher back support as your baby learns to sit up and builds neck and back strength. It also has a fun toy bar and tray that are removable. You can also use this tray for feeding and of course, the whole cloth seat is machine washable too!
Knowing what is best for your child as a new mom can be overwhelming. It can definitely be trial and error and each kid is different. Now with 2 kids, these have been a few of our favorite seat options for our babies for the first 6 months and beyond.
I hope this helps if you are trying to narrow down the best options for your little ones!
xoxo, Watson
Traveling with a Toddler and a Baby
Ever since we got married, Austin and I have always loved to travel together. Now that we have two little ones, traveling is a bit different, that’s for sure. However, we have tried not to let 2 kids stop us from continuing our adventures. In fact, it just makes these adventures even more…adventurous ! 😉
At this point, we have traveled with Ansley a handful of times on both road trips and plane rides. So, we have figured out a pretty good system for one kid.
In December 2022, when Knox was about 4.5 months old, he went on his first plane ride. This time it was just mom, dad and Knox, for a wedding. We were able to ease into traveling with a baby again before traveling with both kids at the same time.
A little over a month later, we all 4 hopped on a plane to go visit my sister and her family in Boston! This was the first time we had traveled with both kids on a plane.
Packing for 2 Kids
When it comes to packing, I typically try to pack for the kids before packing for myself. I highly recommend using packing cubes for babies and toddlers to keep all of their tiny items contained. We also usually have a carry on size suitcase for each kid, so they have enough space for clothes (especially winter clothes, since they tend to take up more space), sound machines, monitors and also to keep their items separated.
Before putting items in their suitcase, I lay out outfits, pajamas, socks, jackets, panties/diapers, etc to make sure we have enough for each day, plus an extra outfit or two. *Tip: if you will be somewhere with a washing machine, take advantage of that, so you don’t have to overpack extra items*.
I personally like to bring our own monitors and sound machines when we travel, so we can keep the kids’ routines as similar as possible when we are away. We use this dual monitor at home, which also works great for traveling. I also love our Lollipop monitor too, which can be accessed from your phone if you’re away from the baby. When it comes to sleep for the baby, we typically borrow a crib or pack n play depending on where we are staying (most hotels have cribs you can request). However, in some cases, we may bring our own pack n play.
click below to shop
Traveling with a baby involves bringing a few extra things like bottles, potentially a pump, pacis, toys, etc. I typically pack a separate tote with those items to keep them separated and then put them in the suitcase to check. I will, however; leave a few of those items in the diaper bag for the plane.
When it comes to packing the diaper bag, I make sure to have plenty of diapers and wipes, a ziplock bag with an extra outfit for each kid, an additional ziplock bag for any potential blow outs, a couple toys or books for each kid, snacks, a small baby blanket, burp cloth, and as a breastfeeding mom, I bring my Haaka and a bottle just in case baby needs it on the plane. Most cases, I try to nurse the baby during take off and landing to avoid his ears popping, but the bottle or paci also help with that.
At the Airport
Depending on where you are going and what you will be doing, you may or may not need carseats & strollers. Some places allow you to rent them or you could potentially borrow from friends/family, but typically we like to bring ours. We have the Uppa Baby Vista Stroller and Mesa Baby Carseat, as well as the Maxi Cosi Toddler Carseat. This trip, we just brought the Uppa Baby Vista Stroller and Mesa Carseat for Knox and borrowed my sister’s toddler carseat for Ansley when needed. The Uppa Baby Vista is great for multiple kids and actually allows you to strap on an extra seat for 2-3 kids. However, we decided to leave the extra parts at home this time, and Ansley fit perfectly in the bottom basket for when her little legs needed a break.
If you are bringing a toddler carseat, we find it easiest to check it when you’re checking your luggage. After we have checked our bags (and toddler carseat, when we have it), we are able to just focus on pushing the stroller with our kids and a couple carry on bags. *Tip– TSA Precheck is a game change (with or without kids) and the stroller line in precheck is even better, at least in the super busy ATL airport. For children under 2, you don’t need to buy a plane ticket and for infants, typically, you just need to add “infant in arms” beforehand. You also typically don’t need to bring any identification for toddlers or babies, but I would always double check with your airline (usually we fly Delta). If anything, we tend to bring a copy of birth certificate, just in case.
After checking our bags, we push our stroller all the way until we are getting onto the plane and will just take the carseat off and fold up the stroller at the end of the walk way to be checked before getting on the plane. We have a carseat cover and stroller cover to prevent them from getting super wet, dirty, or damaged (unfortunately, most airlines don’t care about your expensive strollers and just throw them around, so it’s a risk we take when checking them). In some cases, if you know you will have an extra seat, you could bring your carseat on the plane to keep your baby secured, contained and to allow them to sleep easier. We did that a few times with Ansley during the pandemic when Delta was providing an extra seat in each row. This time, we had 3 seats for all 4 of us. We were either holding Knox while Ansley was in the seat or Knox was laying down in the seat sleeping, and Ansley was on our lap or propped up sitting on the diaper bag on the floor
click below to shop
On the Plane
On the plane, Ansley usually will watch a video (these toddler headphones are great for the plane) or we will bring things like crayons, coloring books, her Amazon Fire Tablet, etc to keep her entertained. For Knox, we bring a baby blanket, a large burp cloth, and our carseat cover to help with nursing and sleeping. *Tip: lay out a blanket or big burp cloth on the seat for your baby to sleep and use the carseat cover for nursing.
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When it comes time to get off the plane, we have our carseat and stroller waiting for us, since we checked it at the gate, which makes things a whole lot easier for us as a family!
From there, we are off to enjoy our vacation!
Take the Trip!
Flying with kids isn’t necessarily the easiest thing, but we’ve learned to take the stress out of it as much as possible and just enjoy the memories we are making.
We are so glad we made the trip to Boston to visit our family and these are memories we will never forget as a family!
xoxo,
Watson
Black Friday Sales
It’s that time of year again! Black Friday and Cyber Sales are here (most of them at least)! I’ve linked up some of my favorite places to shop below with the current sales and discount codes! Some are active now and some will be active this week. I will update sales over the week too so be sure to check back! I hope this is helpful for you as you’re shopping this holiday season!:)
Happy Shopping!
Aerie– 40% off leggings and sweatshirts
Bundled Baby-20% off sitewide with code: BFCM20 | spend $150 & get 25% off with code: BFCM25
Brumate– 25% off sitewide with code: BFCM25
Caden Lane– 20% off with code: WATSONH20
Colleen Rothschild– 30% off sitewide with code: BF22
Cure– Get 20% off with code: SUPERCHARGE20, 25% off 2+ with code: SUPERCHARGE25, 30% off 3+ items with code: SUPERCHARGE30, plus get an extra 20% off next 3 fulfillments of subscriptions with code: SUPERCHARGEME (11/22-11/29)
Hanna Andersson– 50% off PJs + 40% off everything else
Inspiration Co– 30% off with code: 30WATSON
Kinderlein– 40% off sitewide with code: HAPPYHOLIDAYS
Little Sleepies– 30% off sitewide
Lollipop Baby Monitor– 25% off select items with code: FRIDAY25
Oventure– 25% off sitewide with code: JOY25 + 50% off select styles
Pink Lily Boutique– 35% off sitewide with code: SHOP35
Pura– Buy one set, Get one set free or 15% off sitewide
Sassy Queen Boutique– 25% off sitewide
Shop the Mint– 40% off sweaters
Smocked Auctions– sales as low as $9.99
Sperry– up to 70% off
Stella & Dot– Buy More, Save More sale
Tarte– 30% off sitewide
The Styled Collection– 40% off with code: Holiday40
Tubby Todd– 15% off site wide or 20% off an order $75+
Tula– 30% off sitewide
xoxo, Watson
Baby Knox’s Birth Story
Well, it sure has been quite the journey to get to this point, but it has been so worth the pain, heartache, and the wait!
Looking Back
If you’ve followed our story at all, you may know that we started trying for baby #2 the end of last June 2021. This was right after I stopped breastfeeding Ansley and had just gotten my IUD out. Ansley was 21 months and to be honest, I wasn’t mentally ready to even try yet, so we said let’s just take these steps and casually see how things go..
Well, if you know me at all, you know I am less of a “casual, go with the flow, see how things go” type person. I’m actually super type A, extreme planner, OCD girl! Therefore, I started tracking everything right off the bat.
Fast forward, we sadly ended up having 2 early pregnancy losses the first 2 months of trying. The third month, we took a mental and physical break, and then ended up pregnant again in month 4.
Pregnant Again
My anxiety was, of course, very high the first trimester, as I was constantly worried something would happen. I put my full trust in the Lord, that whatever happened was His plan even when I didn’t understand.
We found out that this baby’s due date was July 9th. After extra bloodwork and 4 first trimester ultrasounds, I started to feel a bit more at ease.
Based on my pregnancy with Ansley, I kinda assumed this baby would be late, since I was induced at 41 weeks with her. However, towards that second half of my pregnancy, I started to feel like he may just come early. I felt his movements way sooner and way stronger that I ever did with Ansley, and he felt so low too!
I reached the end of the third trimester and felt everything…except for contractions! At my 37 week appointment, I was already 1cm and 50% effaced, which was way more than I ever was with Ansley at that point. I packed my bags shortly after that and then it was just a waiting game.
The Waiting Game
At 38 weeks 5 days, I went in and the doctor was able to do a membrane sweep, in hopes this would speed things up a bit. I started cramping for about 4 days after but still no major progression. I went back 2 more times over the next week and a half for 2 more sweeps…still nothing major happened. I actually had an induction scheduled at 39wks and 4 days, since my doctor would be on call, and we were an hour away. However, my hope was that I would go into labor on my own and not have to be induced again. So, I ended up cancelling that early induction. However, as we got closer to the 41 week mark, I knew he just wasn’t going to come without a little help (just like sister). So, we went ahead and scheduled another induction at 40wks 5 days. A few days before, we went into the doctor’s office to do another ultrasound and non-stress test to check on baby and see if I was having any contractions. At that point, they were very minor contractions (barely any), and baby looked great!
Getting Induced Again
On July 14th, we went in at 7am to Labor and Delivery to start my induction. I believe I was having some sort of contractions, but it mostly just felt like cramping to me. They hooked me up to the monitor and said I was having some, but I wasn’t feeling any pain at all.
That morning I was about 2cm dilated. The nurse was ready to start my Pitocin, but she also needed to draw blood too. She attempted to draw blood from the same spot she was using to hook up my Pitocin and ended up having issues. After 4 attempts and swelling veins, I finally had my IV ready to start Pitocin, but got very lightheaded and the room started closing in. (Of course, Austin wasn’t in the room at that moment, but thankfully 2 nurses were there to help get me back to normal).
Once I was hooked up to Pitocin around 8:30am, I wasn’t really allowed to eat and could only have water. The plan was to increase my Pitocin every 30 minutes until 9:30am. The doctor stopped in at that point and mentioned she may end up having to break my water in the next few hours if it didn’t break on its own. From there, the nurses decided to go up every 15 minutes on the Pitocin until about 11am. At that point, the nurses checked me, and I was still only about 3cm dilated. I wasn’t feeling much of anything still. The nurse was awesome and let me walk around, bounce on the ball, and helped me try many different positions to try to help speeds things up and open up my cervix more.
At 2:00pm, I reached level 24 of Pitocin, the highest you can go. My body seemed to not be responding much to the Pitocin, so the nurses decided to stop my Pitocin for 30 minutes and then restart it to give my body a break. The same thing actually happened when I was induced with Ansley, so I was worried it could now be a while before this baby was born. The plan was to start it back around 2:30pm and then have the doctor come break my water. At this point, I was having contractions about 2-4 minutes apart according to the monitor, but I still didn’t feel much pain.
At about 4:15pm, the nurse decided to change out my Pitocin bag, just in case it may have been a “bad bag”. Not sure if that was the case or not, but since I still wasn’t progressing much even after hours of Pitocin, she figured it wouldn’t hurt.
I had been hoping and waiting that my water would break on its own, but it still hadn’t. The doctor had also gotten caught up and pulled in a million different directions, and although she was hoping to come back earlier that day to break my water, she didn’t end up coming back until right before 6pm.
Of course, Austin had no idea she would be coming at that time and had just left to go get food. I told her to just go ahead and break my water because I was getting pretty frustrated at the lack of progress. Not long after, the contractions picked up and really picked up fast! At one point, I swear I had 4 contractions that seemed to be 60 seconds long and only 30 seconds apart. It seemed like I wasn’t getting any break from the pain.
I knew I wanted to get an epidural, but I also didn’t want to get it too soon. With Ansley, I got it a little too soon and didn’t have her for 13 hours later and was stuck in the bed. So, I tried to move around as much as possible while having contractions. Around 8pm, the nurses thought it was probably best to start prepping for the epidural, since I was in a lot of pain and shaking with most contractions. The epidural was successfully placed and from there I was bed bound. Once the epidural settled, the nurses were still able to help move me into different positions to keep labor progressing.
At 9:20pm, the nurses check me, and I was finally 8.5cm! The previous check, I was still only 3cm, so this made my day! Just 40 minutes later, at 10pm, they checked me again, and I was already 9.5cm! The nurses said the doctor would be in shortly, and we were close to pushing. This whole time, and even before getting my epidural, I was feeling intense butt pressure (that pushing feeling). I wasn’t sure if it was just normal contraction pressure or if it was the feeling of needing to push. Since it was 10pm, and I was already 9.5cm, I thought, we can probably get this baby out before midnight. To be honest, I had gotten a little caught up on the birthday 7/14, since we had been there all day. I was determined to get him out before midnight. Well, the doctor was caught up with another delivery and didn’t come back in the room until about 11:45pm. At this point, I knew he wasn’t going to be born before midnight, which was totally fine. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little frustrated after a whole day of slow progression and lots of waiting, but it was all, of course, out of my control.
Time to Push
The 2 nurses got me ready to push, and the doctor came in shortly after. It helped having done this before, so I felt fairly familiar with the process. I also asked for them to bring in a stand up mirror again for pushing. I know, it sounds so weird, but I had it with Ansley, and I swear it helped with the entire pushing process both times. Being able to see your progress is encouraging and helpful. I pushed for about 40 minutes (with Ansley, I pushed for 1.5hrs), and in no time, baby boy was here!
He weighed a woppin’ 8lb13lb and was 22in long, which totally explains why I was pretty dang uncomfortable towards the end of my pregnancy, lol! Thankfully this time around I didn’t tear, which was surprising considering his size. Because of this, my recovery was a lot better than it was after tearing when I had Ansley.
This experience was similar to Ansley’s birth in the sense that we were induced. However, this second time around, we were in and out of the hospital a lot faster, we knew a bit more of what to expect, and recovery has seemed a lot easier.
Early Post Partum Days
Adjusting to a family of 4 has been amazing! Ansley has been such a sweet big sister (she is a toddler though, so she has her moments, lol!) and baby Knox fits in just perfectly into our wild world.
My post partum emotions have been a little different this time. With Ansley, of course, everything was all brand new to me. All the unknowns of newborn life caused me a lot of anxiety. This time around, coming home from the hospital, I was less worried about the newborn life and more emotional at the fact that my one on one time with Ansley was never going to be exactly like it had been for the past *almost* 3 years of her life. The mom guilt crept in, and I was feeling really sad. She wasn’t my little baby anymore. She all the sudden looked SO big. Only 2.5 days away, and I swear she grew a foot and 10lbs. No one really prepares you for that feeling. I felt this strange heartache that I almost couldn’t explain. Those good ole days with just me and my girl were never going to be the same.
Fast forward to 6 weeks in, and things are settling in. I feel a lot better about the adjustment, although some days are definitely harder than others. I’ve allowed myself to feel whatever feelings I feel, as I slowly adapt. I do my best to make special time for my Ansley girl, so that we can always have that special bond, and I allow her to help with baby Knox in any way possible.
I share all of this for any other mamas out there that may be in a similar season. If you’re a first time mom, you can also check out my blog post on Ansley’s Birth Story. Everyone’s birth and post partum journeys are a bit different, but sometimes hearing other’s stories provide solidarity and comfort during these delicate days.
xoxo, Watson
What’s In My Hospital Delivery Bag: Baby Boy
Well, it is officially almost baby time again over in the Harris household. I truly can’t believe we are about to welcome a baby boy into this world. I feel like I was just writing this post for Ansley’s delivery and now here we are almost 3 years later!
One year ago was also the start of a journey we never expected. The beginning of not one but two pregnancies and two losses. We are so thankful for another chance, and that God blessed us with a 3rd pregnancy in a row last year. Hard to believe it will have been about a full year of being pregnant by the time this double rainbow baby arrives!
If you are also going through a tough season, hold firm to God’s promises and know you are prayed for and loved and not alone!
Where to Begin Packing
I decided to round up what I packed in my hospital bag again for any other expecting mamas out there that are looking for a little guidance. I will admit, I tend to overpack, but I would personally prefer to have options and enough stuff rather than not have enough. In this instance, the hospital will literally have everything you need, so don’t stress if you forget something or go into fast labor and don’t have much with you. It is nice though to have a handful of your own personal items to feel more comfortable during and after delivery.
Below I’m sharing most of what I have packed with links to each item. (I’ve linked similar options for items I wasn’t able to link up).
Just click the images or links below to shop.
For Mom
Soma Nursing Friendly PJs: I definitely recommend bringing button down pjs for the hospital. They are very helpful when it comes to nursing. I actually already had leopard pj shorts from Soma (similar pair linked here) and then saw this matching top, so grabbed it for nursing. Soma pjs are buttery soft and just SO comfy!
Target Nursing Friendly PJs: If you’re looking for a great nursing friendly PJ set that is super affordable, snag these from Target. I had these in gray with Ansley, and they’re super soft too. These come in handy at the hospital and at home after you deliver!
Robe: I’m not always a huge robe person, but it is nice to have this as an option in the hospital as well. This one from Pink Blush is super soft and comfortable. It also makes nursing easy while you’re in the hospital bed.
Soma Embliss Nursing Bra: I snagged this super soft t-shirt nursing bra from Soma mostly to have after we get back home, but it is a great option for the hospital as well. I have this same bra in the non-nursing style and love it so much, so knew it would be a great comfortable option for nursing!
Auden Nursing Bra: These are the bras I lived in while nursing Ansley. They are great for day or night. They work super well with t-shirts and also comfortable enough to sleep in. I definitely recommend getting a few of these for the hospital and nursing afterwards.
Aerie Nursing Friendly Long Sleeve Henley: I love love love these tops! They are great for nursing or not. I wear them to lounge around the house or to go out and about. They are oversized (I go down to a small), nursing friendly, have thumb holes and just very comfy. I packed one for the hospital for comfort and nursing just to have as an extra shirt.
Nursing Friendly Night Gown: This gown is a similar option to one that I have since mine is no longer available. I love having a comfy night gown while pregnant and post partum that works for nursing. Makes things easier in the hospital too, especially with frequent checks by the nurses.
Grippy Socks: I remember the hospital provided grip socks when we arrived, since I would be getting in and out of the bed. So this time, I decided to just purchase my own for comfort. This 4 pack is as soft as a barefoot dreams blanket and super comfy. Easy to walk without slipping!
Black Maxi Dress: I packed this dress as an option for when we leave to hospital. It would totally work for an extra outfit while you’re in the hospital as well, if needed. It’s non maternity but super stretchy and comfy! I wore this with both pregnancies to full term, and I loved having this comfy black option to go home post baby!
Grippy Slippers: Slippers are also a must in my opinion, especially in the recovery room. These are a great, comfortable option and also have the grips on the bottom to prevent slipping!
Nursing Tanks: These tanks were my to go nursing tanks. They are buttery soft and work well to wear alone or under a robe. Great for the hospital and afterwards as well!
Towel: One of my top recommendations for the hospital is to bring your own towel (and a dark one if you have one). Not only does it make you feel even more clean to have your own towel, but it gives you a sense of comfort from home too. Plus, a dark one is nice to have with the mess that comes along with having a baby;).
Shower Shoes: Also, something I had to have while showering in a hospital. Not everyone cares about this, but I personally am too much of a germaphobe to not have shower shoes in a hospital.
Extra Essentials
Pillow: I highly recommend bringing your own pillow for comfort and to give yourself a little bit of “home” feeling. These are some of my favorite pillows!
Blanket: A blanket is also one of those items that you don’t need but makes you feel more at home. I highly recommend bringing your own! Barefoot Dreams is always a good option.
Speaker: I actually didn’t bring a speaker for Ansley’s delivery, but I’ve heard a lot of people say they enjoyed having one for a labor & delivery playlist. So I decided to throw in our Kove speaker which can be separated into 2 to place in different parts of the room or kept together as one.
Sleep Mask: Yes, yes, yes! I sleep with this every single night at home and highly recommend for the hospital. Nurses are coming in and out of your room, and you’ll be sleeping on and off during the day and night, so this makes it a lot easier to get some shut eye at any time of day! This mask also comes with ear buds too if you or hubs wants those.
Nursing Pads: You probably won’t necessarily need these in the hospital, but they are a must in my opinion for when your milk comes in. I threw in a few for the hospital just in case. These are my favorite because they stick to your bra and you can throw them away instead of having to wash them like some other nursing pads.
Fan: I grabbed an extra fan that can be used for the hospital bed and then also as a stroller fan later! This isn’t 100% necessary, but we sleep with a fan every night at home, so I know this will allow me to sleep better in the hospital. It’s also great for delivery and post partum sweats!
Extra Long Phone Chargers: You never know how far away the outlets will be in your room, so I always bring a long 10ft phone charger and extension cords, so I can have my phone in the bed without having to get up a bunch!
Haaka: This is another item that you may not necessarily need until you get home or until your milk comes in, but once it does, this is a must in my opinion! I used this all the time with Ansley. It allows you to save so much extra milk while nursing (and even not while nursing). Just stick it on the opposite breast of nursing, and you’ll be able to save more milk and relieve some pressure when needed too!
Make Up Mirror: I didn’t bring this with Ansley and honestly didn’t do my make up other than one time, but I figured this would be nice to have just in case. You can use this mirror in the bed, it stands up on its own, and has 3 light settings making it easy to get ready anywhere. This is a great option if you plan to get ready before going home, so you don’t have to stand up to do your make up in the hospital.
Honey Pot Cooling Wipes: I have used these a lot, and I know they will be great post delivery as well. They are very cooling and all clean ingredients.
Charging Base: I mentioned we will bring extension cords, but I figured this would also be nice to have for any extra chargers I need plugged in that don’t have their own wall base.
Earth Mama Spray and Balm: I used this spray post partum with Ansley, and it is so cooling and helps treat your painful area down low after vaginal delivery. I haven’t tried the balm, but I also heard it’s nice and cooling and allows you to heal well.
Earth Mama Nipple Butter: I used this a lot after having Ansley in the beginning stages of nursing. It keeps your nipples from cracking and bleeding, so I recommend using it after nursing (not before) early on to help prevent pain.
Frida Mom Wipes: I haven’t actually tried these but have heard great things, so I threw these in my bag as well to have as another post delivery recovery option.
Frida Mom Foam: I also have not tried this foam but threw it in as another option for post delivery recovery. The hospital will have everything you need, but it’s nice to have your own options as well! This is also a good option for keeping at home for after birth.
Peri Bottle: Another post birth recovery must have item. The hospital will actually give you one of theirs, but I’ve heard this one is way better and easier to use, since it is angled.
For Baby
Boppy Pillow: You don’t necessarily need this at the hospital, but it definitely makes nursing and holding your baby a lot easier in the early days. You can add any cover you want too. I got mine when I had Ansley, so here is a similar option. Both are easy to machine wash.
Baby Socks: I threw in a few pairs of socks to keep those new baby toes warm, but footie pjs are great too!
Burp Cloths: These are my favorite burp cloths! I used this brand with Ansley too, and they are so soft and not overly big. They come in a pack of 6 and a handful of patterns. I definitely recommend bringing a few of your own burp clothes to have on a hand at the hospital.
Baby Gown: This is a similar option to one I had with Ansley. It is a gown that also snaps into pants, which we enjoyed using with her to go from night to day. These make diaper changes super easy, so I threw in a few gowns for the hospital to make things easy and comfortable.
Velcro Swaddles: These are the same ones we used with Ansley, and I highly recommend. We found these way easier to use than the blanket swaddles, so I made sure to throw these in my bag this time around to make things as easy as possible. They also unzip at the bottom making diaper changes super easy!
Onesies: The hospital will have a few outfits and swaddles for your baby, but it’s nice to have your own options. I threw in one of these onesies to have as an option in newborn size.
Name Announcement Sign: I didn’t have one of these with Ansley, so it’s definitely an “extra” item for fun announcement pictures. This is a similar option for the name sign I ordered from Caden Lane.
Maam Pacis: You may not need these early on and the hospital actually provided us with a paci for Ansley, but it’s nice to bring your own too. Ansley wasn’t into the pacis much, but the only ones she really took were these MAAMs, so I threw in a few for baby boy too.
Caden Lane Gown and Hat: These are the sweetest and most comfortable bamboo knotted gowns. Again, super easy for diaper changes. I am bringing a couple of these not only for night time but mostly for pictures.
Monogram Footie Pjs: Since I threw in a lot of gowns, I figured it would be nice to have some footie pjs too. These are darling, and I love the monogram diaper cover on the back. It’s always nice to have a few extra baby outfits for any messes too!
Hatch Sound Machine: Ansley uses this in her room, and we plan to use one for baby boy too. I figured this would be perfect to bring to the hospital not only for sleeping but also the night light for nursing in the dark.
Ollie Swaddle: I wanted this swaddle with Ansley but never got it until now. I threw this in for baby at the hospital too. Velcro swaddles are way easier in my opinion to use than a lot of the wrap swaddles, especially if you’re a first time parent, so this is a great option.
Beaufort Bonnet Gown: This is also one of those “extra” items, but I saw this and couldn’t pass it up. We had a similar one for Ansley and I wanted to have a more neutral option for pictures and another back up outfit. Plus, the newborn hat is precious too!
I hope you have found this helpful if you are also having a baby soon. Feel free to reference back to this post as needed. Drop a comment below if you have a favorite item you brought to the hospital.
Happy delivery!
xoxo, Watson
Shop Memorial Day Weekend Sales
Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Friends!
I hope you are enjoying some sunshine with your friends and family! I’ve rounded up a few sales from some of our favorite retailers that are happening this weekend only! There are tons of big sales happening, so don’t miss out.
You can click any image to shop!
I hope this has been helpful for you if you’re shopping this weekend!
Check back in the next day or two for more updates!
xoxo, Watson
A Day in the Life: Running my Business at Home with a Toddler
How It All Started
When I found out I was pregnant, I really hoped and prayed that I would be able to stay home with my baby, which has always been a dream for me. I know, it’s not for everyone, but I really just wanted to be a full time mama!
However, this meant quitting my full time job in order to pursue my new dream. I actually studied Health Promotion, and my full time job was working in Corporate Wellness and even coaching Crossfit over the years. Since fitness pretty much consumed my life, I decided a few years into my job, that I wanted to take on a little side gig in a totally different “field”. My sister had started as a Stella & Dot Stylist a few years before, and I was always buying the products from her. She finally convinced me to sign up to be a stylist for myself (back in August of 2016 right after Austin and I got married). I loved it and still love it! I had truly no idea how many doors this little venture would open up for me in the years to come.
July 2017 at my first Stella & Dot conference with my sister
The Next Few Years
For a few years, I ran this side gig on the weekends and in any free time I could find. I threw parties, had friends host parties and shared my love for Stella & Dot through word of mouth and wearing and sharing.
Social media was starting to get more popular, so I took a plunge and switched over my personal Instagram account to primarily a style account. I created Instagram stories to share Stella & Dot products and would share my link through my bio or through direct messages.
After doing this awhile, I started getting questions on other details of my wardrobe. I thought, if there was a way I could not only share S&D but also my wardrobe and other items I wore and loved, this would be even more ideal. Shortly after, I applied and was accepted to LTK (liketoknow.it) where I was able to link multiple different brands and share links for my followers.
Throwback to some fun little outfit shoots back in the day.
Fast Forward
Starting a blog was always on my radar, but if I’m being honest, it wasn’t one of those things I thought I would ever do. First, I didn’t have ANY clue how to start that, I didn’t know what I would share, didn’t even think I had anything anyone would care about reading, and every other thought or excuse under the sun.
Well, I got pregnant with Ansley and decided, heck, if I want to do this, now is the time!
I knew I would have a little bit of time before she was born (sorta lol) and if nothing else, I would use the blog to journal about my own experiences like what to pack in my hospital bag, share maternity fashion, my birth experience, mom life and more.
So end of 2018, I started this blog, WatsonAnsley.
(Sidenote: WatsonAnsley was my originaly IG name, and I never changed it. Ansley was my middle name that I dropped when I got married and wanted to keep it in someway. Didn’t know at the time that it would also be my daughter’s name)
When It All Really Began
Our sweet little Ansley Mae was born at towards the end of 2019, and everything changed for the better! I ended up having a bit more free time than I had before after leaving my job. Who knew..newborns sleep a lot in the beginning, lol. Don’t get me wrong newborn life was tough and emotional and just all so new. But, any time Ansley was sleeping, I was working (whenever I wasn’t also sleeping, ha!). I became so determined to learn new things on my terms. For the first time, I felt like I could learn and work for what I wanted instead of doing something someone else told me to do for them. What a freeing experience!
This is when even more of a shift happened. I was still sharing fashion and accessories, but I wanted to authentically share my new life with anyone who was following. I wanted to share mom world, my breastfeeding journey, our favorite mom hacks, baby products, and more! I truly felt like I had a purpose now. I felt like I was really helping other moms feel less alone. Sharing my experiences as a new mom, brought in so many new friends and new conversations. I didn’t know it all, of course not, I just became a mom. But I figured, why not share my journey along the way. I can do my best to help others and others can also help me as I learn!
Not All Rainbows & Butterflies
I felt like I was getting into more of a groove with my work and also being a mom. But as most moms know, the second you feel like you get one thing down with your children, they like to change things up on you.
If I’m being honest, balancing it all took a big toll on me. I had started taking on more collaborations, aka more work, which I LOVE (and still love). However, Ansley was changing and growing too, which meant more of my time needed to be spent focusing on her.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get frustrated. I was finally feeling like I could have the best of both worlds, working for myself on my own terms and also being a full time stay at home mom. But that was just it, both were becoming full time, and there was only one of me.
Ansley turned 15 months, and I decided to start her in a Mom’s Day Out program just a couple hours a week *cue major mom guilt*. I had quit my job to stay home with her and now I was sending her off, so I could work and have a minute to myself. By the way, it’s been the best thing for us. I quickly learned that not only did she love being around other kids and it was great for her development, but it was also super important for my sanity and mental health as well. Everyone needs breaks and being a full time mom can drain you at times.
Making a Shift
For a while, I was still trying to balance working on the days and hours she was home too, since Mom’s Day Out was not long at all. It worked for a little while, but I found myself getting so frustrated when I was getting interrupted or not able to finish something I started. I quickly realized this wasn’t fair to her at all. I didn’t want my child to think I was never paying attention to her or that I was on my phone every time I was with her.
Well, two months after we started Ansley in Mom’s Day Out, we actually moved to a completely new town, a really small town compared to where we were before. They didn’t have Mom’s Day Out here, at least not one like we were going to previously. It was the end of March, and every school or day care I called was on a school year calendar (even for 1 year olds), so I waited for 2 weeks and kept calling places. By the grace of God, my top choice school had one child drop out right when we needed to get in, and she was able to start shortly after with just 5 weeks left in the school year.
I decided shortly after that in order to be the best mom I could be and also get my work done that I was going to work only during school time or nap time as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, at times this just isn’t possible with deadlines and partnerships, especially ones that I involve Ansley in, but I noticed a huge shift in both of our happiness levels when I made this change. I could now focus solely on Ansley when I was/am with her and work when she isn’t with me, as much as humanly possible.
Since she was out of school in the Summer, I lined up babysitters to help a few days a week at the house and I would go in another room to work. This was also great for her because she was able to learn to have me in the house or same room and not be a total clinger like she had been her entire life, LOL!
Having a Plan
Whether it be during the school year or Summer time, it has required me to have a plan ahead of time. If I want to be as productive as possible while I have help with Ansley, I need to have a plan of what I am going to get done BEFORE I send her to school or the babysitter arrives. Otherwise, I find myself wasting time and becoming more frustrated.
Sundays are a great day to plan for the week, since Hubby is also home. It’s not always possible for me to plan out every single day with the work that I do, but I at least try to draft an idea of what needs to be done before the end of the week or on certain days of the week. Having a planner is KEY for me! It always has been and makes such a difference in my productivity level.
As you know, if you’re a mom, nap times can be unpredictable too, so I’ve had to learn to prioritize what is most important that needs to get done first and what can wait. I can’t tell you how many times Ansley will wake up, and I won’t be finished with what I am right in the middle of doing. Like, just about every day. But, that is life. If need be, I move that task to the next day or plan to pick up where I left off at another time.
You Get to Decide
Becoming a mom is life changing. No one can really prepare you for what you’re going to experience, because everyone’s experiences look different. But I can tell you, you can do it all, just not all at the same time. You can be a stay at home mom and work for yourself. You can create dreams and goals for yourself and accomplish them with a determined mindset and attitude, even when it feels like no one is cheering you on. Just be sure to give yourself grace, because you’re not meant to carry it all alone at one time. Life is filled with seasons. You get to choose what is most important to you in that moment. You get to choose your attitude and how you will respond to not only the good & celebratory seasons, but also how you will respond when things get really hard and everything feels impossible.
This “new life” we’ve created is beautiful, also hard, challenging, frustrating, you name it..But every day I have to remind myself that my baby is only a baby for a short amount of time. I’ve chosen to cherish each moment to the best of my ability. I’ve also chosen to keep working, because it brings me great joy to help and connect with others and also have an outlet for myself outside momming 24/7. I’ve chosen to make this season meaningful and impactful on both my baby (soon babies) and this amazing community.
If you’re in a season of feeling drained, or pulled in too many directions, I hope this brings you some encouragement. Take some time for yourself to reevaluate your priorities and what is most important in this season on your life. It’s never too late to make a shift.
We’re in this together!
xoxo, Watson
Beach Gender Reveal for Baby Harris #2
Baby #2 is on the way!
After 2 early losses prior to getting pregnant with sweet baby, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a nervous wreck in the beginning of this pregnancy. We chose to do genetic testing at 10 weeks with this pregnancy which also allowed us to find out the gender at that early point too, if we wanted.
Well, we got to that point, and I decided I still wasn’t ready to know the gender quite yet. To be honest, I had a hard time even accepting that I was pregnant in the first trimester and even after, so I wanted to have more time to process the pregnancy itself before processing a gender as well.
When we were pregnant with Ansley, we had a full on gender reveal party around 20 weeks (we didn’t do genetic testing with her, so we waited til 20 weeks to find out). It was THE BEST thing! We had so much fun, and the whole day was filled with so much excitement!
So, this time around, I knew I wanted to do at least something, some sort of reveal, to celebrate this new baby! We looked at the calendar and realized I would be 19 going on 20 weeks during our family trip to St. Thomas in February. I told my sisters, if we can pull this off, I think this would be the best time for a reveal. I wanted to have a small intimate family celebration, and the timing was just too perfect.
Well, if you followed along on my instagram stories, you already know the craziness that went into prepping this reveal from so far away, LOL!
Since we were staying at a Private Resort, we figured we needed to get permission to do something like this on property. I knew I wanted it to be on the beach, but after confirming with the concierge and just using our own knowledge, we knew that any sort of confetti poppers were not going to work. Who wants to pick up hundreds of confetti pieces in the sand? They did, however, say any powder canons would be totally fine, since it disappears into the air.
So, my sister ordered powder canons on Amazon over a month before the reveal, and they came right away! I immediately wrapped them back up, went to the post office and mailed them. They gave me a 3 day or 12 day option for shipping to St. Thomas. The 12 day would have still put the package there a full week before we arrived, so I figured that would be totally fine. Well about a week and a half before we were set to leave, the package said it was going to arrive the next day. A few days later, it said it was delayed. It came time to pack and leave for our trip and still, we had no updates after calling USPS many times. Needless to say, I was slightly on edge, feeling super disappointed, and starting to think we needed a back up plan.
We originally had planned on doing the reveal early on in the trip to have the whole trip to enjoy and celebrate, but the packages still weren’t there. I wanted to wait until the last day to see if they would show up, but in the meantime, we had been working with the concierge team to have a back up plan. Although things weren’t going the way I had hoped, I was reminded in that moment what this was really about and that we can still make this super special. Going with the flow is not my strong suit, but I knew this was out of my control and we could still make the best of the situation.
We were set to leave Friday, so we decided that Thursday night would be the reveal. We finally handed over the results envelop to the staff (no one had opened them yet, so my family would all be surprised with us). The whole staff was INCREDIBLE and decorated a beautiful gender reveal box for us with the correct color balloons inside, so we could open the box on the beach to find out! They also were able to order a balloon filled with the correct color powder, so we could also pop that on the beach.
We all dressed in our pink and blue before dinner and headed down to the beach to get ready for the surprise! Austin and Ansley were set to open the box, and I decided I would pop the balloon (in the intense wind, HA!). The whole family counted down…3, 2, 1…
IT'S A BOY!!
I actually waited a split second to make sure Austin and Ansley could get the box open, and I saw the balloons before I could even see the powder in the air. As you can see, the wind blew the powder so fast! Haha! The only powder I saw was on my hand afterwards! Thank goodness for family taking lots of photos and videos!
I screamed, of course, and then cried, lol. Ansley wasn’t too thrilled at first either, Haha! But she came around!
The whole time leading up to this reveal, even with our 2 losses before this pregnancy, I just had a feeling, I was having a boy next. Ya know, that mama gut feeling? So, I wasn’t totally surprised, but I will say I was in a bit of a shock for a while after. All I know is girl world, so this will be a whole new world for Austin and me! Send all the boy tips! LOL
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We are so excited and thrilled to bring this precious baby boy and gift from God into the world in a few short months. Our biggest prayer is that he will know Jesus, and that he will be healthy!
After experiencing loss, I have a whole new perspective on this whole journey. If you are also in the midst of experiencing loss, longing for a baby, or in a tough season of parenting, I see you and am praying for you! You are not alone, my friend! God is for you and has a great plan for your life!
Thank you for walking through this journey with us! It means more than you know.
xoxo, Watson
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