Our Weekend + Recent Buys + 14-Day Plank Challenge

Today was a really fun day. I woke up feeling a little anxious because I wasn't sure if Harper would be in pain or really bruised, but her upper lip area actually looked way better than the day before and though the swelling was still present on the inside of her upper lip, but the outside looked good, considering how hard the fall was.

We ended up going through with our plans to go to the Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival at the Nature Discovery Center. My in-laws joined us and we had a great time walking the grounds and playing at the park.

Can you believe Harper actually kept her sunglasses on for some of the time we were there? I think it's the longest she's ever worn them. I'm trying to get her to wear her babiators more often so she's used to them when we go to the Bahamas. By the way, babiators have a warranty--- if you break or lose them within a year of having them, they replace them for free (you just pay $5.95 shipping). Harper's broke a couple of months ago (we would have tried to fix them but the second lens was MIA) and they sent us a new pair right away.

Harper's favorite thing lately is the slide. Since the weather has cooled down a little (in the 70's or 80's instead of the 90's, ha) we have taken evening walks most nights and she loves going to the park. She can slide down all by herself now and keeps saying "more more" because she wants to go again and again.  So it was no surprise when she beelined for the slide at the nature center today.

Anytime she sees pumpkins, she wants to carry them or sit on them...

She loved that smiling scarecrow�we had to jump around just to get her to look at the camera for this shot...

 The perfect size to carry around...

After visiting the Nature Discovery Center, we took my in-laws to Local Foods. We eat there all the time but they had never been. I always get the crunchy chicken sandwich and postole soup. I've tried a lot of the sides and some salads too. It's all delicious food made with ingredients that are locally sourced. 

When we got home, I used my Zoku popsickle molds to make blueberry/raspberry yogurt popsicles for Harper. I used plain, 2% fage yogurt and blended it with blueberries and raspberries. I really love this kit--- it's really easy to use and the popsicles are a good size. I can already tell Harper will love them because I gave her the leftover mix from the blender and she licked the bowl clean.

If you follow me on instagram, you probably already saw my new Daniel Wellington watch. I'm obsessed! From the rose gold, to the simple and elegant watch face, to the navy and pink band, it's just gorgeous. I can't wait to show it to you with some outfits. Daniel Wellington is offering all of my readers a 15% off discount using the code "veronikasblushing" at checkout, if you're in the market for a new watch!

Last weekend, I purchased some new beauty items at Ulta, and I forgot to share them!

IT cosmetics powder brush  |  urban decay primer potion  |  essie "wicked"  |  seche vite topcoat |  anastasia of beverly hills perfect brow pencil  |  living proof "perfect hair day"  | 

frederick fekkai "glossing creme" | 

I also have to share these adorable bows Mary from Ryan & Wren sent to me last week:

They're perfect for fall and very well made. Ryan & Wren is one of the first Etsy shops I ever ordered bows from and I just love the styles she offers.

Before I wrap-up, I want to invite you all to join me for a 14-day plank challenge with Marion from Marionberry Style. I will be doing check-ins on Instagram and you can join the group's Facebook page here. If you're already fit, no worries, because Marion will be posting an advanced schedule + moves each day to follow. You have 20 seconds on Monday, right? Join me!

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday! Thank you for all of your comments on yesterday's post here on on IG. It was a very scary moment as a first time parent and I'm grateful for everyone who sent good wishes to Harper.

FTC Disclaimer: I was sent the Daniel Wellington watch and the two hair bows from Ryan & Wren as gifts. These are my honest opinions about the products and no additional monetary compensation was provided. All other items mentioned were purchased with my own money.

Why You Should Take Your Baby or Toddler to a Pediatric Dentist

Today was one of those days that every parent fears. We had just gotten home from playing at the park and it was right before lunch time.

I was walking up our wood stairs carrying Harper (with her back to me) and I tripped and fell forward. I tried my hardest to protect her as we lunged forward, but it all happened so fast and her face hit the step. 

I panicked. I felt the force of the fall and I knew it wasn't good. I picked her up and immediately knew she had hit her mouth because the area between her nose and mouth was already red and then she started to bleed/cry and I was absolutely terrified. 

We were able to stop the bleeding and I frantically placed a call to our dentist's emergency line. I talked her through what happened and she instructed me on how to examine Harper's mouth and teeth and what to look for (bleeding at the gums, loose teeth, etc). Harper was crying, screaming (rightfully so) and exhausted from playing at the park. We were able to look inside her mouth just long enough to check that no teeth were loose and that her gums weren't injured or bleeding. Our dentist told us to give her some Tylenol and watch her closely.

It appeared that her teeth had cut the inside of her lip when she fell. She was so tired that we laid her on a blanket on the couch and I sat with her and watched her sleep. Her lip began to swell more and more and the area between her nose and lips was already starting the beginnings of what is sure to turn into a black and blue mess. My poor baby :(

To my total surprise, when she woke up about an hour later, she was smiling and acting totally normally, as if nothing had happened. Her lip was so swollen and her upper lip looked so battered, I couldn't believe it. I gave her some yogurt and fruit to see if she would eat and she did.

She continued to act normally for the rest of the day/evening and we noticed that the swelling on the outside of her lip began to subside. The inside of her top lip is still pretty red and swollen (I will spare you the photos I texted to the dentist). The dentist told me that the bruises and swelling will likely take a couple of weeks to completely subside. She called me later in the day and texted with me which was so reassuring. Above and beyond for sure.

(my poor sweet baby�)

I'm so glad Harper is okay, but I have just been beating myself up about what happened. I know it was an accident, but I feel so terrible that a) it happened and b) how much worse it could have been. I just feel so awful that I caused her so much pain and discomfort.

I'm so glad that we saw a pediatric dentist about a month ago for Harper's first check-up. I got a card in the mail from our insurance company right after Harper's first birthday saying that I should make her a dental appointment. It seemed really early to do that, (because she only has like 8 teeth), but I asked around and was recommended a local practice. 

We had such a fantastic experience there. Our first appointment was more about discussion and education- what is our current brushing routine?  does she drink juice or eat candy, etc? It was more of a conversation about how to prevent cavities and how to brush correctly to encourage your child to develop a good oral hygiene routine.

After the initial talk with the dental hygienist, we went to meet the dentist and she actually looked at Harper's teeth, did a very quick cleaning (as Harper screamed) and reiterated the importance of twice-daily brushing.

At the time, she also reminded me that she is on call 24/7 for dental emergencies. I remember her saying that and the moment I turned Harper around after we fell today and saw the blood coming out of her mouth, I knew who to call.

Anyway, I guess my point is that even if it seems silly to take a 1 or 2 year old to the dentist, it's  a good idea to have conversations about oral health early (and get tips on how to encourage kids to enjoy brushing---we're still working on it). It's also wonderful to have a pediatric dentist to call in the case of a dental emergency. Ours even offered to come into her office to see Harper tomorrow if things started to look worse. It saddens me to realize things could have been much worse--- but it would have been incredible to have immediate access to a pediatric dentist to perform and exam and do x-rays, etc.

(bruised and swollen, but happy as can be)

I'm still very shaken up by what happened and with time, I'll have to forgive myself. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend�here's to a better tommorow�

If you are local, I cannot more highly recommend Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry. This isn't a sponsored post, just a PSA that this can happen to anyone, no matter how careful you are and having access to a dentist for your child is very comforting when something like this happens.

Watching My Baby Grow and Learning to Let Go

I�ve said it a thousand times, but each and every month of Harper�s life, I find myself saying �this is the best age ever!� I think it�s natural to enjoy watching your baby go from a tiny, chunky infant who does tummy time on a mat to a growing, running-all-over-the-place toddler who can communicate with you.

Becoming a mother is like the wildest roller coaster ride---there are ups and downs, surprises at every turn, joys and worry, and happiness and love like you�ve never experienced. It�s a tangled jumble of every emotion you�ve ever felt.

One of the questions that I�m often asked is "what surprised you most about motherhood?" I could give a hundred different answers, but the one I�ll focus on today is how motherhood helped me let go a little. And if you know me, you know that�s not something that comes easily or naturally for me.

I�m a huge worrier and worst-case-scenario thinker and I�ve been that way since I was a child. I think it�s my way of �protecting myself� in case the unimaginable were to happen to a family member or friend. So �letting go� of those worries comes in baby steps for me.

While pregnant, I pictured myself as "that mom" with an endless arsenal of germ-killing products, hand-sanitizer in every room of the house and keeping my floors �so clean you could eat off of them.� For the first few months of Harper�s life, I was very cautious about taking her places and exposing her to germs before she was vaccinated. Then, when my maternity leave was over and I went back to work, Harper was in daycare and she was sick quite a bit (as was I).

I also remember proclaiming how my house would still look "fantastic" after having children and believe me, I'm laughing so much harder at myself than any of you are. 

I realized that my vision of being �that mom� with the disinfecting spray bottle at arm�s reach and a perfectly organized home was not only unrealistic, but detrimental. I wanted to enjoy my time with my daughter, not worry about her putting a toy in her mouth after it fell on the floor or keeping my house spotless. I didn't have the time or energy to be the way I imagined.

My perspective changed so much as she grew. She was getting into more things and learning to crawl and walk. I loved watching her explore, learn new things and discover the world around her. I stopped freaking out if she ate a piece of food she dropped on the floor, licked a rock at the park or used a restaurant highchair without a cover. (Okay, maybe I did freak out just a little about the rock licking incident at the park).

(rocks and babies, not a good combo)

Though I've learned to let go a little, we of course still practice good hand hygiene and keep our house decent (we also have a cleaning service come about once a month) --- but I�ve become much more relaxed about it and it makes life so much easier. I would rather spend time making memories than making my floors sparkle.

There's no denying though that life with a toddler is messy. I can't tell you how many times I've watched in slow-motion as Harper threw hundreds of grains of quinoa on the hardwoods or threw pasta sauce on the floor.

There are noses to wipe, hands to wash, highchairs to clean� and it's truly never-ending. I never cared much about cleaning products before I had Harper --- but as soon as I became pregnant I started to look for options that didn't contain harmful or strong chemicals.

That's when I was first introduced to the Babyganics line. I started to use some of their cleaning products in my first trimester of pregnancy when I saw them at Babies R Us, and continued to use them when Harper was born. 

My husband and I are huge fans of their Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer (we keep one in each diaper bag and in our diaper-changing basket---and it comes in either unscented or mandarin---we have both) as well as their Foaming Dish & Bottle Soap, which we used to clean bottles, pumping parts---and now, sippy cups. We also used their all-purpose cleaning spray.

(thank goodness the bottle-cleaning days are over!)

(we need hand sanitizer for moments like when my daughter pets a goat, haha)

Recently, I got to test out Babyganics Toy & Highchair Cleaner Spray, Face Hand & Baby Wipes and Moisturizing Daily Lotion. 

These were new products to me and I have to say that hands down, my favorite of the new ones I tried are the Face Hand & Baby Wipes because I use them constantly. For runny noses, messy faces, sticky hands, and diaper changes. They're large and really get the job done---and the best part is that they're unscented which is great for sensitive skin.

I keep a package of them on the white tray on my kitchen island at all times!

The Toy & Highchair Cleaner Spray is also unscented and you don't have to rinse it after you've wiped down whatever you're cleaning. I mostly use it for highchair cleaning but I've also used it on my countertops.

baby + eating = messy

The Moisturizing Daily Lotion isn't a product we use daily, but it has a nice, light scent and is non-allergenic. It also doesn't contain any parabens, artificial dyes or fragrances and other ingredients that can irritate skin. Harper has sensitive skin (hello, redhead) as do I, so this is perfect for us both.

Have you ever tried Babyganics? Which products are your favorites?

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