Postpartum Update Week One
Please note this post may contain affiliate links.
Below are all of the products I mention in the video. Click the photo!
PS don’t miss the birth vlog/blog HERE!
What were your top products for postpartum life?
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
When I sat down to write this birth story I decided that talking through it might be a little easier. I have so much to say and convey and I feel like text just wouldn’t do the story justice. Plus, during this pregnancy I did pregnancy updates via my YouTube Channel… so why not continue the journey that way? Below you will find video and some bonus labor and delivery photos! I really loved getting to put my story into words and while it might not be minute by minute accurate I think since it is still fresh it was easier to remember how everything happened!
PS If you missed my birth story with my oldest baby Tripp check it out here.
Checking to see if she is indeed a girl. Ha!
I seriously just couldn’t believe how fast and calm everything was! Also, can we just take a second to give props to how great pregnancy hair is? I will embrace this since in a few short months it will all fall out!
If you wonder where baby A gets her double chin from… that would be me lol! And while this isn’t the most flattering picture of me I think it is my favorite because it shows how truly excited I was in that moment to meet baby A!
I was so thrilled to have her to hold finally! Our family is so lucky for her to be apart of it. Big brother is adjusting well and she already has daddy wrapped around her finger! She has been the sweetest baby and seriously was worth the wait!
Did you have a fast or a slow birth? I don’t know about you but I am addicted to watching and reading birth stories. Every story is so unique and special and I love hearing how everyone’s unfolds.
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
We are so excited for Tripp to become a big brother. I have been researching ways to help kiddos with the transition of a new baby. One thing that resonated with me was having a “baby” for the big sibling to “help” do things with when you need to tend to the baby. Tripp is ALL about helping and having responsibilities these days so I thought a baby of his own would be perfect.
He has been playing with the baby and practicing with him. He has loved his baby and when baby came home he definitely had a better understanding of being gentle and how to help mom with baby.
What I love about the Manhattan Toy Company is that they recognize that we are profoundly influenced by the toys we play with.
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That having a sense of humor means the difference between enduring life, and enjoying it. If it doesn’t contain a wink and smile, it isn’t worth making.
We remember every day that every invention on this earth was dreamed into existence.
We remember that the most powerful thing any of us play with in this life is our imagination.
Now you create your custom wee baby Stella doll.
I think as adults we forget how important it is to use our imaginations. I have loved watch Tripp playing “pretend” with his baby. It amazes me how much he knows to do without me teaching him. Kids really do watch us more closely than we realize.
These dolls are adorable, durable and a great size. They make great gifts and the fact they can be customized just takes it to the next level. It is seriously a great first baby doll – that can look just like your child! Check out how you can customize one for a special kiddo in your life today!
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
Baby showers and sprinkles are so much fun! I am lucky to have a friend who LOVES to party plan and has a business that helps plan events, design interiors and even does gift giving. Needless to say when she plans something it becomes something perfect and wonderful.
Taylor has helped me put together home decor around my house and has helped me plan baby girls cactus nursery (reveal coming soon). She knew how much I loved the nursery theme so she transitioned that into a theme for the baby sprinkle.
I will link everything possible below. Taylor and one of her long time friends run Southern Reflections, LLC.
You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram. So if you are in the DFW area (or even further) they can help you with interior design, event planning and even gift giving!
I really do feel that every baby should be celebrated and it was so fun that my sprinkle was small and intimate compared to my baby shower with Tripp (which by the way Taylor planned too)! I loved getting to chat and of course opening all of the girly gifts was a plus too!
The shower theme was cactus and we enjoyed brunch and these super yummy cupcakes and cookies from GC Cakes. She did such an amazing job they not only looked fantastic but tasted amazing too!
Seriously, pictures don’t do the balloon/floral centerpiece justice. It was so beautiful and fun! The flowers are from Trader Joe’s and the Balloon Centerpiece is from Party Warehouse.
Everything was seriously so stunning and perfect for a cactus baby sprinkle! I loved the pinks, greens and creams. It was perfect in every way!
My hostesses all did such a fabulous job so I wanted to give them something useful, cute and of course pink! My friend Meg over at Gingy Love made the vinyl monograms for me, I purchased these cups and made this printable (you can download it for free here: Sprinkle Thank You.)! I just cut and glued to plain white gift bags and added a pop of pink tissue paper.
For the thank you gifts for attendees we did small succulent plants from Lowe’s and I printed the same graphic a bit smaller. I I got small wood sticks and glued mini clothes pins and stuff them in! Super easy and affordable!
I seriously had the most perfect sprinkled loved getting to spend time with my friends and family! Baby girl is sure lucky to have so many wonderful women in her life! I want to thank everyone who was a part of it and especially my friend Taylor who made it truly magical!
Thanks to these beautiful hostesses!
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
Fitness is one of my favorite ways to implement self care into my life especially during pregnancy. I also have a little obsession with workout clothes. When I saw this tank from Fit & Flirty I knew I needed it in my life. Thanks to Fit & Flirty for gifting me such a fun product!
I really love this shirt because while I know I can’t enjoy rosé right now but yoga and wine on Sundays are some of my favorite way to unwind and get ready for the week. Also, check out this awesome article of 8 reasons to include champagne into your life because it explains how a little bit of bubbles can benefit your health! I really am looking forward to being able to enjoy a glass of wine and some yoga… I know it is still a bit a way but it is something that I really do enjoy and can’t wait to start getting back into getting my body into shape and enjoying a little treat every once in awhile!
Fit&Flirty has so many great merchandise options! They were so kind to give me a code for 15% off it is SWEATPINK6. Seriously SO many cute tops with fun sayings!
For those of you who have been following my pregnancy I wanted to let you know some of my favorite you tubers for at home pregnancy workouts! Perfect for some namaste on your Sunday or any day of the week! Seriously, these workouts are perfect for busy moms because they are short and sweet but keep you moving!
I love that they have so many options from yoga, to cardio to kickboxing! It helps keep things interesting which I for sure need during my workouts! Check out my two favorites below:
@bodyfitbyamy
Body Fit by Amy Pregnancy Playlist
@moretonic
What are some of your favorite fitness clothes and what are your favorite online workout programs?
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
Hello everyone!
If you didn’t know we announced our sweet baby girls name; Annabelle Jeanne. Check out the video when we revealed the name!
I have gotten some questions on how we chose her name. For starters for those of you that don’t know our son is named after his dad and grandad but his nickname is Tripp (because he is a third). When we found out we were pregnant I actually went through my ancestry.com page and looked at all of the names in my family that were “A” names. I wanted to have at least one of the names be something from my family. Also, just an FYI I love names that can have nicknames!
Through my research and once we knew we were having a girl I had found that my great grandmothers name was “Anabel” and immediately loved it! I mentioned the name to my husband and he loved it too. However, we kind of felt like hey that was too easy… so we went through a ton of other names seeing if they fit…. but in the end we came back to the name Anabel. We both however, wanted to spell it differently. After some talking we decided on Annabelle and I loved all the nickname possibilities!
For a middle name we knew we would some how incorporate my mom’s name; she passed away about 6 years ago. We went back and forth on using Jeanne or Marie but in the end thought it would be fun to use the name “Jeanne” pronounced “Jean” [FYI my mom pronounced her name “Jean-ie”]. Jean is actually my husbands mom’s middle name and was her mom’s middle name too. So it worked out that it actually is a family name from both sides!
So there it is… how we chose the baby name. I won’t lie it was really hard and it took us awhile before we finally had a name and we went back and forth for awhile.
PS Did you have a hard time with baby names? Also, would y’all like to see a “top ten” names list video?
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
A couple weeks ago Mark, Tripp, my in-laws and myself went to have a 3D Ultrasound of baby Annabelle (name reveal video here). This was my first time ever experiencing a 3D ultrasound and I want to thank Hello Baby for hosting my family to this wonderful experience.
My first pregnancy I didn’t think I “needed” a 3D ultrasound. This pregnancy I wanted to do a few special things because so many things are different the second time around (like I totally forget to do weekly belly shots). That’s where the 3D ultrasound came in. After this experience though I would recommend anyone to do this during pregnancy. You get SO much more time to see your little one then in the typical doctors office ultrasound. All in all we were there for almost an hour and the majority of the time we were getting to see baby!
I loved that if the baby wasn’t cooperating that they build in time for you to walk around and drink some juice. If that still doesn’t work you can reschedule once for free! Another thing I absolutely loved is how family friendly they were. They engaged with the whole gamily and let Tripp get up close and personal!
Everyone was welcome and they were SO accommodating to my two year old. They had a play basket, let him sit with me and even let him press buttons on the ultrasound machine (I mean that is every two year olds dream, right?!).
Some odds and ends if you are local to Fort Worth Area and want to visit Hello Baby.
Pricing:
Add on’s:
I absolutely loved visiting Hello Baby and they were so sweet during the whole experience. It is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life and would tell anyone it is a must do during pregnancy!
Did you have a 3D ultrasound during pregnancy?
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
Please note this post may contain affiliate links.
Y’all know I love a good diaper bag backpack and as a working mom I always want one with dual functions. One of the features I have been looking for is a bag that has a separate laptop pocket. I am always on the go with my laptop since I “work from home”. This diaper bag is the perfect combo because it has the perfect amount of space for my work and personal items with plenty of room to spare for items for my toddler (and soon to be newborn baby). Thanks to Petunia Pickle Bottom for gifting me this awesome Pathway Pack.
Another bonus of this bag is that it is coated canvas. I love the canvas look but it isn’t duper durable however, this coating is stain resistant and helps keep the fabric from snagging. This bag also has several color options to fit every personality. I really loved this classic black and white because I felt it would go so well with my wardrobe.
Some of the other features I am loving are the roomy interior with 2 open pockets and 1 snap-close laptop pocket and the exterior pockets, detachable cross body strap… give me ALL the pockets so we can stay organized!
Here are some of the other wonderful features that Petunia Pickle Bottom highlights:
I seriously have gotten compliments every time I have used this bag so far! It makes a great pool bag too since it can keep you organized but keeps things dry!
Outfit details:
Seriously, this diaper bag is the working moms dream because you can easily separate all of your kids items from your personal work items with plenty of extra space. The pocket system keeps you organized and makes for easy transfer if you need to just grab your items out so you can drop the kiddo off! This diaper bag can work so perfectly for both the working mom and the SAHM!
XOXO Gabbing Ginger
Please note this post may contain affiliate links.
During my first pregnancy/ and into new motherhood I never really found a “perfect” diaper bag. I think I am just one of those ladies that needs bags for different occasions (amiright?!). I got a fawn dupe and reviewed when I had my first son. That bag was great for on the go to hold diapers, wipes, snacks and a few of my things but I found that over time as he got older it was hard to fit everything he needed for Parent’s Day Out.
I began looking for a little more accommodating bag for when have two kids (thank goodness T’s “needs” take up less space these days). I asked around an a lot of moms recommend the Eloise bag. Check out a quick video of all of the fun features of this bag!
I love how many color options this bag comes in and the price point is so great!
I am really excited to be able to store so many things for baby and still be able to fit a few diapers and snacks for Tripp. I have found have THESE zipper bags to keep things organized has really helped with one kiddo and I plan to do the same for two. Plus, it makes it easier when you only are traveling with one or need to switch bag types.
I am looking forward to trying out a few diapers bags for both one kiddo and two and letting you all know what I am loving!
What is your favorite diaper bag?
XOXO Gabbing Ginger