Happily Ever Mock

Elise Claire- 9 months

We are getting dangerously close to the 1 year mark and this momma’s heart just can’t bear it!

  • Age- 9 months
  • Weight-  13 lb .5 oz (1 lb smaller than Hallie at the same age)
  • Length- 26.5 inches (.5 inches smaller than sister)
  • Size- Size 2 Diapers though they are still very roomy. Onesies and shirts-3 month with some 6 month mixed in.  Pants- We are sort of in Limbo- She is starting to outgrow size 3 in length but anything else is WAY too big   PJs-mostly 6 month or 3-6 month
  • Eyes- Grey
  • Hair- She is our little blonde girl!
  • Sleeping- Really well! 10-11 hours at night and during the day she naps a lot.  With Sister I had such a set schedule but this kid just naps on and off all day.  I usually get one solid nap out of her.
  • Eating- 22 oz a day, though we are really uninterested in formula. However, girlfriend LOVES solids. She eats and loves everything! Eggs, Peanut butter, yogurt, veggies, meat, fruit, cheese! We did finally find a food she dislikes…beans. Of all things! She eats more than sister!
  • Milestones- She loves giving hugs, pat pats and HUGE open mouthed kisses.  She loves Playing peek-a-boo which is the most adorable thing ever! She hides under a blanket or puts her head into the bed until you say “where’s Elise” and she pops up. I remember Hallie doing this too! It’s such a fun age! She is trying to stand on her own and will probably master that this month.  She still adds new words almost ever day!
  •  Memorable outings- Grandpa’s 98th birthday party! First trick or treat.
  • Favorite toys/activities- Dolls and stuffed animals. Enjoys stacking cups and bath toys. She wants remotes phones and all of sisters toys much to her dismay.  She likes her toy phone and laptop and LOVES being read to.  Especially Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Baby Giggles.   She loves music and dancing with Momma. She is starting to dance on her own too! She loves storytime and the songs we do there, especially “This is Big”. Loves the baby shark song, pat-a-cake, head and shoulders and I’m a little teapot.    Sister is her favorite person ever and she makes her crack up! She loves Stella and other animals but calls them all “A-Dog!”  Mommy plays Rolly Polly with her which makes her laugh. Absolutely loves to cuddle and be kissed and hugged.
  • Words/sounds- Momma, Dada, Haha-Hallie, Hi, Hey, Bye Bye, A Dog, more, all done, up. She also pretends to sing!
  • Nicknames-Peanut or Peanut Butter, Chicky, E or E-Claire
  • Funny moments- She yells “BYE” when someone leaves the room.  She also pretends remotes are phones to call dada on!
  • Looking forward to- savoring each and every moment! They are going too too fast! First Thanksgiving and Chrsitmas.

Peanut Butter you are the happiest baby and always so sweet natured! You have the biggest smile and most precious giggle! I am going to miss these days that you love being held and snuggled! I love you so and can’t believe that time can pass so quickly!

Elise Claire- 8 Months

Didn’t I JUST write Elise’s 7 month update? Somehow another month has passed.  Elise Claire you are now 8 months and time is just flying by!

  • Age- 8 months
  • Weight-  12 lb 9.5 oz
  • Length- not checked
  • Size- Size 2 Diapers though they are still very roomy. Onesies and shirts-3 month with some 6 month mixed in.  Pants- We are sort of in Limbo- She is starting to outgrow size 3 in length but anything else is WAY too big   PJs-mostly 6 month or 3-6 month
  • Eyes- Grey
  • Hair- Coming in Blonde or maybe strawberry blonde
  • Sleeping- Really well! 10-11 hours at night and during the day she naps a lot.  With Sister I had such a set schedule but this kid just naps on and off all day.  I usually get one solid nap out of her.
  • Eating- 24 oz a day, though we are really uninterested in formula. However, girlfriend LOVES solids. She eats and loves everything! Eggs, Peanut butter, yogurt, veggies, meat, fruit, cheese! We did finally find a food she dislikes…beans. Of all things! She eats more than sister!
  • Milestones- Cruising around, she’s waving and saying Hi and Bye Bye.  She adds new words almost ever day!
  •  Memorable outings- First Pumpkin Patch trip and First time traveling out of state! She went with me and my aunt Jane to visit my cousin Karley in Missouri!
  • Favorite toys/activities- Dolly and stuffed animals. Enjoys stacking cups and bath toys. She wants remotes phones and all of sisters toys much to her dismay.  She likes her toy phone and laptop and LOVES being read to.  Especially Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Baby Giggles.   She loves music and dancing with Momma. She loves storytime and the songs we do there, especially “This is Big”.  Sister is her favorite person ever and she makes her crack up! She loves Stella and other animals but calls them all “A-Dog!”  Mommy plays Rolly Polly with her which makes her laugh. Absolutely loves to cuddle and be kissed and hugged.
  • Words/sounds- Momma, Dada, Haha-Hallie, Hi, Hey, Bye Bye, A Dog.
  • Nicknames-Peanut or Peanut Butter, E or E-Claire
  • Funny moments- Loves when Mommy sniffs her and pretends she is stinky! She also covers us in the sweetest open mouth kisses. She is scared of balls!
  • Looking forward to- savoring each and every moment! They are going too too fast! Also can’t wait to celebrate her first Halloween!!

Peanut Butter you are the happiest baby and always so sweet natured! You have the biggest smile and most precious giggle! I am going to miss these days that you love being held and snuggled! I love you so and can’t believe that time can pass so quickly!

Fall Style {Mom, Big Sis and Little Sis}

Fall is finally coming to North Texas! Pumpkins are everywhere and the weather is just now starting to cool! It’s time to pull out joggers, jeans and sweaters! I couldn’t be more thrilled. To be honest with it being so hot, I haven’t bought a ton for Fall yet.  But, here are some of my picks for this season! I tried to make sure to add some coordinating pieces for the girls and I, because I love matching my girls!  Also you are going to love me.  A TON of these pieces are currently on sale! Hallelujah! 

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For me, the key for Fall in Texas is light layers.  I recently wrote a post for Dallas Moms about Texas Fall Wardrobe staples which you can read here.  There are a ton of great styling ideas and specific pieces I shared, but I figured I would still share a few of my favorites here!

Like I said, a TON of these pieces are currently on sale! Those adorable flats, UNDER $10! Also they have them in a ton of colors! The jeans, currently $15 and my favorite cardigans that I stock up on each year are right now $18.50! The denim jacket is also on sale, along with so many other pieces!!

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Hallie is currently really into matching Momma and sister which I think is precious! That’s why I was sure to find several coordinating pieces! We all have a jean jacket that I love! This one is currently on sale, so be sure to check that out! Also when I bought my flats, I picked Hallie up from school wearing them, and my animal loving girl demanded leopard print shoes of her own! I love the adorable sparkle leggings paired with the cute Thankful top, and of course I was sure to pick a ton of dresses because my girl loves a good dress! Top the list off with a plenty of Ashlilium clips because they are so darn precious and your girl’s Fall wardrobe is set!

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Well if we are all going to have leopard shoes, baby girl is going to need some too, amiright? She also has this darling jacket, and I can’t wait to snag her those coordinating dresses and sparkle jeggings to match Hal! I love a good one piece! They make school drop off super convenient because I can let her sleep in them the night before but then wake her up, add a cute hat, and she’s ready to go!

What pieces am I missing?

Elise Claire- 7 Months

Sweet Elise, time flies so quickly! Even more so than with big sister.  You are 7 months old and I am trying so hard to soak up all the sweet baby moments because they are fleeting little girl.

  • Age- 7 months….somehow
  • Weight-  11 lb 14 oz
  • Length- No length check this month
  • Size- Size 1 diapers though I just stocked up on size 2s.  We are still using the Hello Bello and I didn’t want to be stuck with unusable diapers if she grows in the next month. Onesies and shirts-3 month with some 6 month mixed in.  Pants- We are sort of in Limbo- She is starting to outgrow size 3 in length but anything else is WAY too big   PJs-mostly 6 month or 3-6 month
  • Eyes- Grey
  • Hair- Really light…almost blonde maybe?
  • Sleeping- Really well! 10-11 hours at night and during the day she naps a lot.  With Sister I had such a set schedule but this kid just naps on and off all day.  I usually get one solid nap out of her.
  • Eating- 24 oz a day, though we are really uninterested in formula. However, girlfriend LOVES solids. She eats and loves everything! Eggs, Peanut butter, veggies, meat, fruit, cheese! Last night she ate more than Hallie! Smoked BBQ turkey, avocado, cheese, peanut butter and even one of mommy’s brussel sprouts!
  • Milestones- Crawling EVERYWHERE! Adding more foods, sitting up, Pulling up to standing.
  •  Memorable outings- We took family photos this month which was really fun! She also went to her first Fall Festival at our Church.
  • Favorite toys/activities- The Exersaucer!! Dolly and stuffed animals.  She wants remotes phones and all of sisters toys much to her dismay.  She likes her toy phone and laptop and LOVES being read to.  Especially Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Baby Giggles.   She loves music and dancing with Momma.  Sister is her favorite person ever and she makes her crack up! She loves Stella and other animals.  Mommy plays Rolly Polly with her which makes her laugh. Absolutely loves to cuddle and be kissed and hugged.
  • Words/sounds- Momma, Dada, Haha-Hallie.
  • Nicknames-Peanut or Peanut Butter, E or E-Claire
  • Funny moments- Loves when Mommy sniffs her and pretends she is stinky! She also covers us in the sweetest open mouth kisses.
  • Looking forward to- savoring each and every moment! They are going too too fast! Also can’t wait to celebrate her first Halloween

Elise Claire you are such a joy! You have the sweetest happiest demeanor, but you can stop growing up so quickly Mkay?

Baby Must Haves 0-6 months

**This post contains affiliate links and was in part sponsored by Hello Bello

6 months have somehow passed since Elise was born. I am not sure how time can fly so quickly, but alas I have a 6 month old.  In the past 6 months one thing I have noticed is that baby stuff has just gotten better and more convenient in the short 5 years since having Hallie.  Today I am sharing our must have products that have been the most helpful these passed 6 months.

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Feeding

The Dr Browns Pitcher and Sterilizer both saved so much time for us! If you have been following you know that I exclusively pumped and bottle fed both of my girls.  You also know our journey of getting more calories for Elise, and how I had to fortify my breast milk with formula.  The pitcher was great for mixing the breast milk and the formula each day and just pouring each feeding into bottles.  We are still using it now that we have switched to formula.

The Sterilizer was such a God send! With all the bottle and pump pieces it was used daily to keep everything clean and sanitary.  Once everything came out of the sterilizer I let everything dry out on the Boon Lawn.  We also cleaned everything with the Dapple Soap before putting it in and it made such a difference keeping the bottles looking like new!  My sweet Sister In Law told me about it, and I am so thankful! As far as Breast Storage Bags go.  These have been the best I have found.  They are thick, cheap and I didn’t lose 1 to spilled milk in the 6 months I pumped.  They have a hole for hanging but I used them to slip my finger through when filling them and it made it so easy!

Sleeping

We still love this Pack N Play.  It has been perfect for each stage with a bassinet and diaper changing insert and a higher sleep setting for those earlier days.   Speaking of sleep. These sleepers are awesome! They zip from the bottom so late night diaper changes are so much easier!

Play and Diapering

I can’t stand normal bath toys and how quickly they mold! These Clean Squeeze toys totally rock! They open in the middle so you can dry them completely and they stay mold free!

If you are an avid reader you know my obsession with Freshly Picked! Their Diaper Bag is AMAZING! It has so many pockets including in insulated one which I use to keep bottles cold! I also love that I can carry it as a backpack leaving my hands free for everything else us Mom’s have to lug around!

Lastly but most importantly, Hello Bello you guys! Literally EVERYTHING from Hello Bello.  The price for the diapers has been unbeatable yet the quality doesn’t lack. They are softer from every other diaper we have tried but hold up well, even over night!  We do the bundle and get 7 packs of diapers and 4 packs of wipes every month! I love that they come right to our door! Recently we were gifted a few of their bath products and they smell so good and are made of quality ingredients leaving our girl so fresh! Check them out y’all! You’ll be glad you did!

Elise Claire- 6 Months

Elise Claire, how the heck are you 1/2 a year old? It has been the quickest 6 months I have ever experienced!

We had a little half birthday celebration for her with confetti and party blowers and she was so happy! She is the most smiley happy baby ever! I just couldn’t love her more! Here is all about our sweet girl.

  • Age- 6 months
  • Weight- 11lb 2.5 oz. She is smaller than Hallie at the same age.  For a comparison at 6 months Hallie was 11 lb 13 oz. The doctor really wants us to push more calories on her.
  • Length- 24 3/4 in long.  Just our little string bean!
  • Size- She is mostly in 3 month clothes with a few 6 month items mixed in.  Though we do wear 6 month pajamas for length.  She is wearing size 1 diapers.  We started using Hello Bello diapers, wipes and bath products and we are in LOVE! They fit great and are so soft!
  • Eyes- The jury is still out! They appear a gray blue, though I am not holding my breath for a blue eyed girl. Hallie’s stayed blue for so long and they eventually turned dark. Though her Memi thinks they might be green, which I would love!
  • Hair- Light brown, and getting lighter.  Especially her eyebrows.  Much lighter than sisters at this age.  It’s actually almost becoming strawberry blonde maybe?  She also has much less of it than Hallie.  Her bald spot is starting to fill in!
  • Sleeping- She is still sleeping great this month. Usually 8:30- 6:15 when I wake the kids to get Hallie ready for school.  She would sleep later if she could of course and takes at least 2 long naps a day.
  • Eating- We are still fortifying my breast milk with formula to get her some more calories each feeding and it’s working!  She usually takes about 4-5 oz every 3 hours. I use the Dr Brown’s pitcher to mix breast milk and formula in each morning and it works great! I just started weaning so pretty soon she will be on strictly formula which hopefully will help her pack on the pounds! She has tried several foods and loved everything she has tried! She is such an eater and could care less about milk!
  • Milestones- Eating a ton of foods.  Sitting up by herself.  Pretty close to crawling.  She does a downward dog motion and falls forward.  She also rocks back and forth on all 4s.  Also she has a few words down: Mama, Dada, Baba. She calls Hallie Haha! Which is precious!
  • Memorable outings- Taking sister to Kindergarten.
  • Looking Forward to- Honestly I wish time would just stand still! She is so much fun! Of course looking forward to Each and every day!
  • Favorites- Girlfriend loves toys! Has a favorite dolly and blanket.  We recently gave her a pop up toy which she enjoys.  She puts everything in her mouth and loves food! Loves danccing with Mommy, laughing at Hallie, and signing with Daddy. We also play a game called “Rolly Polly” which makes her burst out in giggles.  She is just a little dolly.  

Back to School Style

Someone please tell me how my child is about to start Kindergarten!? Summer is almost over and Hallie is pumped to go to school. She even made a little paper chain and pulls off one each night exclaiming how many days until school starts!

I am a little more reluctant to send her off into the big world all by herself. But alas here we are in the last days of summer. So now it’s time to buy school supplies and new shoes and clothes.  Honestly that was my favorite part of going to school! Hallie and I looked at a lot of dresses and backpacks and here are some of our Back to School Favorites.

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Hallie really loves animals, and I can definitely see where her inspiration for back to school shopping came from! She also loves anything rainbow or unicorn, and picked out that sweet rainbow dress.  She isn’t really big on wearing shorts or T-shirts, but on karate days I try to convince her to wear them.  I love these Old Navy shorts, because they are elastic waist. The Navy striped skirt has a matching baby one so sister can match!

 

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Hallie insisted on this exact backpack and lunchbox as a birthday present from her grandparents.  I tried suggesting unicorns, hearts and mermaids, but she declared them “too babyish”. My baby is really growing up. Good news though, they are both on sale! The ice packs are Cat and Jack.  They are sold out online but our local store still had plenty! I just picked up 2 more. We got a Bentgo box to try out this year and so far I love it! I have been making Hallie school lunches to try out over the last couple weeks to see what she will eat. I’ve found if I make the meal fun she’ll pretty much eat anything.  Be sure to keep an eye out for my lunchbox post for Dallas Moms soon!

We have 2 very favorite brands for hair clips and bows! Ashlilium and Modern Piggy.  If you purchase from Modern Piggy, be sure to use the code HAPPILYEVERMOCK for 10% off your order. As far as shoes go, I feel like Keds hold up the best! Also playground shorts are a must for a girl who doesn’t stop moving and pretty much only wears dresses!

What’s on your Back to School shopping list?

Elise Claire- 5 months

Sweet Elise Claire! You are 5 months old today and I literally can’t believe how fast time has flown! You are the sweetest babe! Always trying to keep up with sister and always up for a cuddle or kiss!

  • Age- 5 months
  • Weight- 10 lb 9 oz, Almost a whole pound in a month and we are so proud! She still isn’t on the official weight curve, but she is back on her own which is great news. For a comparison at 5 months Hallie was 11 lb 2 oz.
  • Length- 23 1/2 in long.  Same as sister at this age
  • Size- We are doing a mix of newborns and 3 mo clothes still. Most 3 month are still big other than pajamas. Basically anything 3 month with a waistband is huge! She is wearing size 1 diapers and we are currently using up all the ones we got from showers so that we can try Hello Bello very soon.
  • Eyes- The jury is still out! They appear a gray blue, though I am not holding my breath for a blue eyed girl. Hallie’s stayed blue for so long and they eventually turned dark. Though her Memi thinks they might be green, which I would love!
  • Hair- Light brown, and getting lighter.  Especially her eyebrows.  Much lighter than sisters at this age.  It’s actually almost becoming strawberry blonde maybe?  She also has much less of it than Hallie.  She still has a huge bald spot though! Thank goodness for bows!
  • Sleeping- She is still sleeping great this month. Usually 9pm-7:30-8 am. She isn’t much of a napper though. I think it’s early FOMO.  She always wants to watch sister. She usually takes a lot of little cat naps throughout the day.
  • Eating- We started fortifying my breast milk with formula to get her some more calories each feeding and it’s working!  She usually takes about 4-5 oz every 3 hours. I use the Dr Brown’s pitcher to mix breast milk and formula in each morning and it works great! She also started eating oatmeal and she LOVES it! The first day she was pretty unsure, but by the 2nd day I couldn’t shovel it in fast enough.  She grabs my hand and shoves the spoon in her mouth! I joke that she is just waiting to gain all of her weight in Mexican food because she loves to try and eat our food and tacos seem to intrigue her the most!
  • Milestones- She loves sitting in the bumbo chair and puts EVERYTHING in her mouth! She also wore shoes for the first time this month.
  • Memorable outings- Celebrated her first 4th of July and went to her first wedding.
  • Looking Forward to-  Getting to spend some one-on-one time with her as Hallie starts Kindergarten!

Enjoying every minute of sweet Elise Claire

Life Lately- July

I have so many posts I need to write.  Mainly a little catch up on Hallie’s 5th- yes 5th birthday! She had a Christmas party and it was adorable.  Girl after my own heart for sure.  But that’s for another day.

Life has been busy lately.  We’re preparing for Kindergarten, Elise is bigger and busier.  Christopher has been keeping very busy at the store.  Not to mention that he just built and launched a crowdfunding for a Medical App…more on that later.

This Summer is just flying by, but I feel like that is life as an adult.  Time goes by so quickly and you are left in awe of what just happened? Hallie is 5 and Elise is almost 5 months yet somehow I feel like I just brought them both home from the hospital.  So more posts to come about Hallie’s birthday, a Kindergarten update including our picks for back-to-school.  But for now here’s a small update on life.

What we’re reading:

As if I have time to pick up a book for myself! Hallie got this National Geographic from her Grandpa for her birthday and we are loving it! She just loves to learn, especially about Nature and animals.  She is going to thrive in Kindergarten!  Speaking of Hallie’s interests I just wrote an article for Dallas Moms all about Hallie’s interests and how I parent a child so different from myself.  You can read that here.

What we’re eating:

I am loving this BBQ chicken casserole right now! Actually the whole family is addicted.  We have even used cauliflower tots for a lower carb option and it is so good! I just cook the cauliflower tots to a crisp and then add the chicken and BBQ sauce and top with cheese and green onion.

Hallie’s summer activities:

Hallie has been rocking it at Karate.  She is officially a green belt in her black belt training program and got a weapons badge in weapons training as well. I also signed her up for a Summer ballet workshop which she loves!

She also went to visit my mother-in-law and she took her to the beach.  She told me she built a habitat for a hermit crab. I know she had a blast.  It happened to be right after her birthday which worked out great! I was able to do a toy purge and reorganization while she was gone without her stopping me from throwing away old chick-fil-a toys.

Another fun thing we’ve done is take Hallie to visit A&M school of Veterinary Medicine. She has said since about 18 months that she wants to be a vet. She has recently been really interested in large animals studies so this was a total treat for her!

What I’m working on:

As I stated before Christopher just launched a Medical App which is really exciting! We are in the crowdfunding stage right now so I have been helping him spread the word on that! You can watch our video which explains the app in full here.  Basically it connects patients with the lowest cost options for healthcare in their area.  Often using your insurance is more expensive than paying out of pocket, and Me 1st Medical will help you book medical services while being completely transparent with how much you will pay for them in advance.  Please consider sharing the campaign! It could really revolutionize healthcare in our country.

Looking Forward to:

Besides sharing updates with you on the App, here’s what else you can expect on the blog soon:

  • 5th birthday update (Hallie)
  • 5 month update (Elise)
  • Back-To-School buys
  • Kindergarten Update
  • Newborn-4 month favorites
  • My Magic Stain Removal Solution

What else do you want to hear about?

Loving for Mommy:

You guys, invisibobbles are amazing! They don’t give me a headache and they come out easy without leaving a crease! #obsessed

Loving for Hallie:

This little Pretzel dress is absolutely precious! The fit is great and you can’t beat the price! My MIL gave it to Hallie for her birthday and it will for sure be in our School Clothes rotation!

Loving for Elise:

We just started fortifying my breast milk with formula (More On that in her 5 month update) and this Dr. Browns Pitcher has been a life savor! Thanks to my amazing friend Sindi for telling us about it!

So there you have it folks! A little update on life at the Mock house!

Elise Claire- 4 Months

Elise, either I am getting better at this Mom of 2 thing or it’s just a fluke, but I am officially less than a week late on your 4 month update, so I am calling that a win!

  • Age- 4 months
  • Weight- 9 lb 13.5 oz, still itty bitty and pretty, but you fell off the weight curve. Hal was 10lb 2 oz.
  • Length- 23 in long.  Same as sister at this age
  • Size- We are doing a mix of newborns and 3 mo clothes. Most 3 month is still big other than pajamas.  We are moving to size 1 diapers out of convenience because we had some from the baby shower, though you still fit well in the Newborn diapers.  Our plan is to start diaper delivery once we run out of the ones we have.  Anyone try Hello Bello diapers? That’s what our plan is.
  • Eyes- The jury is still out! They appear a gray blue, though I am not holding my breath for a blue eyed girl. Hallie’s stayed blue for so long and they eventually turned dark. Though her Memi thinks they might be green, which I would love!
  • Hair- Light brown, and getting lighter.  Especially her eyebrows.  Much lighter than sisters at this age.  She also has much less of it.  She still has a huge bald spot. Enter bows!
  • Sleeping- She is still sleeping great this month. Usually 9pm-7-7:30 am.
  • Eating- We started supplementing with formula this week per the doctors request.  We are hoping to bulk her up some.  She usually takes about 4-5 oz every 3 hours.
  • Milestones- Rolls both directions this month and is a supported sitter.  She loves playing with and chewing on toys.
  • Memorable outings- Sister’s 5th birthday celebrations! Karley’s engagement party.  Father’s day.
  • Favorite toys/activities- She enjoys tummy time, ceiling fans, mirrors, playing with sister, her turtle toy and pulling hair, people’s clothes and mommy’s necklace. She is also going to be a blankie kid.  She loves snuggling her blankets.  I have to be so careful to remove them when she falls asleep! She also loves being snuggled, hugged and kissed! She loves reading and when anyone sings to her too!

Elise you are so cuddly and sweet! Your love for your family and close friends makes your momma swoon! You have the best giggles and give the best snuggles.  We are so thankful for you!