Hospital Bag Checklist

Hi friends! It has been a hot minute because ya know life, and last week was rather busy around our house wrapping up our kitchen renovation, which I can't wait to share soon! 

So, recently a few girlfriends who are expecting have asked what are some must haves for their hospital bag, that maybe they have forgotten. I remember when I was trying to pack my own bag, I felt like I was preparing for a trip and trying to figure out what I needed, but I really wasn't sure where I was headed, or what the weather would be like when I arrived. So below are three lists to hopefully help your packing go smoothly, and make sure you have everything you need when the time comes. 

A few things are my personal preference such as nursing gowns, which I like better for the hospital, and bringing a couple cozy towels because hospital ones are tiny and scratchy. Also, be sure to choose ones you are comfortable with leaving there, because who wants to bring them home? Include whatever your favorite snack is because depending on your labor, you may deliver after hours and food options will be very limited. I brought trail mix and it was a life savor post labor. 

Having a few of your favorites close by, whether it be your shampoo, moisturizer, or own pillow will make you feel much more at home. Also, the trick is to not overpack, because so many items will be provided for you and your baby, and when it's time to come home, you want to keep it simple and not feel like you are moving, because you will never travel this lightly again. 

Mama: 

2 Nursing gowns (or pajamas) 

Robe 

Flip flops 

Cozy socks

Pillow

Towels

Shampoo

Conditioner

Hair ties

Snacks

Chap stick

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Hair dryer 

Going home outfit 

Daddy: 

Comfortable clothes 

Toiletries

All charging devices 

All important documents 

Baby: 

Swaddle blankets 

Boppy pillow

Going home outfit 

Gift for medical team 

Baby book

Car seat 

Mom Tribe

Over the weekend, while celebrating my first Mother's day, I began thinking about how grateful I am for the mom tribe in my life. Motherhood is a pretty exclusive club, doesn't matter how you become one, but once you do...you're in, and motherhood does not come with a manual, but it should come with a mom tribe. 

My mom tribe began long before the baby arrived and the chaos set in. Lots of check in's from those girlfriends asking how you are feeling, what you need and what to expect. Passing on their cute maternity clothes and tips. Chats about decorating the nursery, what you need to register for, and the excitement of labor. 

Then once the baby arrives, the real talk begins. The conversations you save until she is officially ready and questions pop up like, "when am I going to sleep again?" and "what if my baby wants to cluster feed again all night tonight?"

The on going text conversations of "is this normal?" and responses of "try this!" and "you are doing a great job" Mom tribe members that just leave coffee on your door step and text you to let you know, or pack you lots of snacks to keep in your fridge for lunch time. The ones who just come sit on your couch and tell you how great you look just because you are in real clothes, or tell you how to use your breast pump. 

The best Mom tribes are made up of brand new moms, seasoned moms and everyone in between. Those veteran moms give all kinds of perspective, and encourage you that this too shall pass and to just try to take it one day at a time, and they know all the tricks! The moms who are just a couple stages ahead of you, give you a glimpse of what fun and exciting mile stones are headed your way, and those fresh moms who are right there in the middle of it with you, know exactly how you feel and you are figuring it out together. 

I read an interview one time with Kate Middleton, who spoke openly about the day to day challenges of being a new mom, and how it can sometimes feel isolating. This coming from a woman who arguably has more help than any other mom in the world, and because she is a human and a mom, she gets it! 

The beauty of the mom tribe is that it's instant support from friends near and far who are right where you are, or have been, or will be again soon. If you are a soon to be mama, or a new mom and maybe you are the first of your friends to have a baby, I will be the first to be in your tribe. It turns out that one of the best parts about motherhood is all the other Mamas. The ones who have already walked through whatever season you are in, and show you how, and the ones in the exact same season as you, helping cheer each other on. 

Kitchen Progress

Well we are right smack in the middle of our kitchen renovation, and have made good progress. Last Monday our painters arrived and removed all of our cabinet doors, panels and hardware. Everything was sent off to be sprayed, they began painting our cabinet frames and island and something happened for the first time in all our home projects, I decided to go darker. 

I almost always end up cutting paint colors by 50 % and it is no secret that white is my favorite color, but as the island was being painted I could tell that my original plan was not going to pan out they way I had hoped. There just was not enough of a variation between the island and the cabinets, so instead of using Gray Owl to 50% for the island, we went ahead and used the full strength. I wanted there to be a difference, but not enough that your eyes are immediately drawn to it when you first walk in the room. 

The painters wrapped up on Thursday and we were scheduled to take the weekend off, and then pick up again today, with plumbing disconnections to prepare for our counter top removal, and install on Wednesday, and then paint touch ups again on Friday...but would it really be a renovation or home project without a hiccup? No ma'am. 

Yesterday morning I received a phone call letting me know that the counter top crew was running a week behind, so now we will have plumbing disconnections next Tuesday and see those counter tops next Wednesday. Our cabinet doors and panels should be delivered next Thursday, along with all the new hardware and sink and faucet installation. 

In the mean time, our kitchen looks very bare without any doors but it has given me the opportunity to clean out and reorganize all those pesky drawers, especially because they are right in my eye line. Stay tuned for the finished products, fingers crossed next week! 

First Mother's Day

Remember when you first got engaged and you would giggle every time you said the word fiance' ? Or right after you got married and it was so funny, and odd to refer to someone as your husband? That's honestly how it kind of feels to me to think of myself on this first Mother's Day.

Sure, I have been a Mommy for 8 months now, but it's still very fresh. In fact, I was going through my checklist of gifts and cards for my mother, mother in law, and our grandmothers, and it dawned on me that now I am also included in this little club. It almost feels like it's going to be my birthday on Sunday, but I get to share it with so many people I love, especially all those other sweet friends of mine who became a Mama this year alongside of me, either for the first time, second or third.

Before Everette was born everyone loved to warn me how much my life was getting ready to change, but no one warned me about how much my heart would change. Motherhood is miraculous, and magical and challenging and wonderfully exhausting. 

"The moment a child is born, so is a mother. She never existed before, the woman existed, but the mother never." This quote feels so true to me. I am absolutely a different person since becoming a mother. Without a doubt my life has changed, but mostly I have changed. A new creation, much like the little baby that grew in my belly. 

When I first became pregnant I remember kind of wishing that men were the ones, to experience almost 10 months of pregnancy, labor pains, giving birth, nursing and the list goes on. However, the longer I was expecting, the more grateful I became to be a woman. What an absolute blessing and honor it is to bring life into the world, something I will never take for granted or wish to give up. 

So here's to all of you sweet Mamas on your day. I am so thankful to be the newest member of your precious club! May you be celebrated and feel as cherished and loved as you are. If I could give you a gift it would be a spotless house, a yummy mimosa and a full nights sleep. However, I know you would trade all of that in for more snuggle time with your babies, because well you are a Mama, and that's just what Mamas do. 

Growing Into A Home

Nothing has made our house feel more like a home than bringing our sweet baby to live here. No paint color, furniture or fabric could ever come close. In fact, when we were considering purchasing our home, we hoped to raise our future children here, but some of our now favorite features weren't exactly on our radar.

Since buying and bringing home baby, I have come to adore how close we are to so many of our frequent stops. We are within strolling distance to our dentist, pediatrician, and neighborhood coffee spot. This past Spring and Summer we enjoyed the convenience of being 5 minutes from my doctor and the hospital, and in those first few weeks of motherhood I loved being able to run up to Chick-fil-a, Harris Teeter or Starbucks to fill my need of getting out of the house, without ever having to get baby out of the car. Almost everyday I discover more reasons to love where we live. 

The beauty of our home is that we are still growing into it. We have quite a few "unfinished" rooms but piece by piece it's coming together. I am a firm believer in not touching a room until you need to. I'm also a firm believer in waiting for just the right piece of decoration instead of buying random items just to fill the space. I would much rather stare at a power outlet over the fireplace for 6 months (and I have!) than just buy something to cover it. We have plenty of dreams for our home in the years to come, here are a few listed below: 

Family Theater Room

Currently our room above the garage is more of Josh's man cave, but one day we would like to give it a fresh coat of paint, a theatre type couch, and build a snack bar. We have already invested in the electronics up there and think it would be the perfect location for future "family fun nights" 

Everette's big girl room 

When we designed our nursery, it was always my intention to make it pretty neutral and keep it as our family nursery once we have another child, which would mean Everette moving to a big girl room. I of course already have a pinterest board dedicated for her room one day. 

Jack and Jill bath

Due to the floor plan of our home, there is a great jack and jill bathroom between the nursery and what will one day be Everette's big girl room. Currently we just use Everette's side for bath time, and have yet to ever paint it, but I am already looking forward to decorating it one day once we know better what our family dynamic is going to look like.

Playroom 

Upstairs in our home we have a great space that will one day be designated as "the playroom" It sits at the top of the stairs and is totally empty. Eventually we would love to give it a fresh paint color, have a window seat built and some shelving for all those toys and books to come. I know we will spend countless hours in there.

Upper and lower porch
Our home exterior has double porches, and because we don't spend time up there right now our top porch is clear. Ultimately we would like to add some outdoor furniture up top, and have a bed swing made for our open porch on the back of our house.

The great thing about growing into your home is the expectation that these projects will happen over long periods of time. There is no rush to get everything "just right" because as your family evolves, so can your home. A house is made of bricks and beams, a home is made of hopes and dreams. What home projects are currently on your radar? 

Newborn Pic Tips

The newborn stage speeds by quicker than you can even comprehend in those early days. I am so incredibly grateful that we have these photos to treasure for the rest of our lives, but I will be the first to say that sometimes getting those precious photos is easier said than done. I was hesitant about even having them taken, because I didn't want to stress myself out as a brand new mom, but now I wouldn't trade them for the world. Below are my top 5 tips to take the pressure off : 

1. Hire a photographer you really trust. Much like photos from your wedding day, newborn photos can't be replaced or taken again down the road if they don't turn out like you hoped. It's kind of a one shot deal. Do your research and select someone whose style you love, who has plenty of experience in this genre and who you feel very comfortable around. The beauty of newborn shoots is that your new little family is captured right there in your home, so there is a lot of down time for diaper changes, nursing sessions and snuggles, so you want to feel at ease with your photographer. 

2. Give yourself and your baby a second to get to know each other. Typical "newborn" shoots happen within the first 2 weeks of baby's little life. However, we opted to wait until almost the 4 week mark and I am so glad we did! That time allowed us to learn baby's cues and schedule, so that we could be more relaxed and our session could be more predictable. It also gave me more of a chance to recover and feel more energized myself. 

3. Fill that baby up. A fed baby, is a happy baby. Newborn shoots last a couple of hours, intentionally so that you can allow yourself time to stop and feed. Don't push your luck and try to squeeze it in before the next feeding. Take your time, feed, snuggle and everyone will be happier. 

4. Use those tricks of the trade! Using a sound machine can be a lifesaver. For the majority of our photos in the nursery, my husband had our portable sound machine on in his back pocket. It immediately calms most babies and obviously you would never know by looking at the photos. Also, per our photographer, it's really tough to tell if a newborn is crying or smiling from a distance in photos, so you go with the flow! 

5. Keep it simple. Yes, you need to pick up your home, but you don't need to clean it top to bottom. You did just have a baby. Dress yourself and your family members in comfortable clothing, and be sure to consider how your outfit will photograph with your baby. You want your style to be the backdrop, not the main attraction. Simplicity photographs really beautifully. Embrace and enjoy these fleeting moments with your new little family that you are so fortunate to capture. 

*Photo credits to Michelle Leonard photography, if you are searching for a fabulous family photographer in Wilmington, she's your gal! 

Kitchen Cosmetics

Happy May! This month is going to be exciting around our home as we move into some kitchen cosmetic changes. When we purchased our house we loved the layout, amazing appliances and general bones of our kitchen. However, the color scheme and counter tops were not exactly what we would have chosen, had we built. 

Over the last year and half we have made some minor changes, such as, the wall color and adding a back splash, which have made a huge difference, but we are getting ready to crank it up. I mean is it really even The Barbour's home if we aren't doing some project? 

Thankfully, last year when selecting a new back splash we went with a very clean white subway tile which should work well with our newest selections, and eliminate an extra step.
We are keeping things pretty simple and giving our kitchen a face lift, by painting our existing cabinets and island, and swapping out our counter tops. 

The painting begins next week and will hopefully only take about 10 days to complete and then come the counter tops. While I am not looking forward to the in and out of workers, with an 8 month old, and very little use of our kitchen, I can't wait to see the finished product! Stay tuned for updates of our progress!