Two Month Favorites!

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It's hard to believe how quickly time is passing by. The other day I was going through my iPhone camera roll just marveling at how tiny Harper was when she was born and today I look over to see my beautiful, growing girl.  Below is a list of items I've been loving for Harper lately...

Aiden & Anais Bibs
I don't think a better bib exists!  Things I love about them---super soft material, gorgeous colors and designs, they're are super large and they have snap closures instead of velcro. These bibs are the perfect size and can deal with a lot of spit up. The softness makes them easy to use to wipe your baby's face/mouth during feedings. I also love that they come in both the muslin and bamboo fabrics.

Dr. Brown's 4 oz Bottles
Thank you Dr. Brown! Harper has been having major gas issues and these bottles seem to help a bit. She also seems to like the nipple on them. The bottles are designed to eliminate air bubbles in milk and formula and avoid nipple collapse so that the milk flows more like it would from the breast.

Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing
Now that Harper has better head control, we've been using her swing and she loves it. She is happy in it whether she's awake or sleeping (sometimes it lulls her to sleep).  I also like that it plays music. We only use it on the lowest speed so far. I love that I can put her in there and get things done around the house while she naps.

Pottery Barn Kids Hooded Towels
Not only are these towels absolutely adorable, but they are great for when baby gets out of the bath because you just wrap them like a little burrito and cuddle them as they look like an adorable little baby animal. Precious.

Seventh Generation Bottle & Dish Soap
I was looking for a soap I could wash baby bottles and pumping parts with and I've always trusted the Seventh Generation brand because they're known for having more natural products. This dish/bottle soap is awesome, rinses clean and feels gentle/doesn't have a heavy scent.

Skip Hop Activity Gym/Mat
Harper is getting better with her tummy time and we use this play mat s few times a day. I love that it comes with a mini half-moon pillow to help prop baby and the colors are fun and vibrant. I think this mat will be great as she's older too as there are so many textures and "touch and feel" items.

Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads
Sometimes I have a random letdown before I'm due to pump again so these nursing pads have been a savior for my clothing. I mean really, I'm just wearing v-neck tees around the house all day, but it's one less thing to worry about and it helps keep the nipple area dry which is important. I also plan to use these when I return to work.

Little Tummy's Gas Relief Drops
Poor Harper has been having some gas issues. It's the only thing that really makes her scream and it breaks.my.heart. I started to use these gas drops and they seem to help clam her tummy a bit.

Changing Pad Liners
Absolutely essential so you don't have to constantly wash you changing pad cover. I go through so many of these, baby diapers are...complex. Haha.

Lamaze's Jacques the Peacock
This was recommended by Jessica in her monthly favorites and Harper loves it. The back side has black and white patterns and she likes to look at it. She also recently started swatting at it.

What were some of your essentials for months 3 and 4? I'd love to hear your feedback so I can get the items I may not have already for the next couple of months!

Family Brunch

On Saturday, we took Harper out for her first "official" outing. Kevin and I ate lunch at Hungry's in Rice Village and then we walked around for a bit with Harper in her stroller. Unfortunately, it had just rained and it was so humid, sticky and hot outside that we couldn't really stay out for very long because it was uncomfortable.  Harper slept most of the time but she was definitely looking around a lot while we were at lunch since she's not used to seeing so many people in one place!

Today, we went out for brunch with Kevin's parents and his sister who is visiting from Oklahoma.  It was so fun to be with family and enjoy eggs Benedict again since I couldn't eat it while pregnant (the hollandaise sauce contains raw eggs).

After brunch we took some family photos. I love the way they turned out and the shoot took less than 10 minutes. I'm so happy to have these photos as memories.

I hope your weekend was as lovely as ours was!

Harper's Newborn Photo Album

I used TinyPrints.com to create Harper's birth announcements, so when Shutterfly (owned by TinyPrints) was offering a special on their photo books I jumped at the chance to create one.

I selected the "Baby Black & White" style album which has a chalkboard theme like our birth announcements. I love the little embellishments you can add with these books! Such a fun way to style your photos.

Here is how our book turned out:

I am really pleased with the quality and overall look of the final product!  Next, I'm going on the hunt for frames I love so we can create a gallery wall between our master bedroom and the nursery. I want to find the frames first so I know what size to print the photos.

Do you make albums like the one I created above or do you have photos printed and then insert them into an album? Personally I prefer albums that you can create digitally because they look so polished and you can add personal touches, change the layout, add text, basically anything!

What's in My Diaper Bag: 0-3 Months

I thought it would be fun to share what's in my diaper bag for Harper for the first few months. I think what's in your diaper bag will evolve a bit as your baby grows, so this will be from 0-3 months.

My diaper bag is the Marc by Marc Jacobs Pretty Nylon Eliza diaper bag. I absolutely love it and I'm thrilled that it can be used later as a gym bag or travel bag because it's so simple in its design.

I keep my Kate Spade cross body/clutch bag inside of my diaper bag that contains my wallet and car keys plus some lip gloss. That way, when I go somewhere and don't need my diaper bag, I can just grab it out of the diaper bag and go versus having to transfer those things into a bag just to leave the house. 

I purchased this diaper changing pad from the store ModMomME on etsy.com.  I love how large it is and that you can pick from so many fabrics. I thought this one was kind of fun and whimsical without being too baby-ish.

I keep a change of clothes---a Baby GAP sleeper and a Juicy Couture onesie that I received as a gift at my baby shower as well as an extra Aiden & Anais bib (they are my fave!) Harper tends to have a lot of leaking diaper episodes, so these are essential. I also keep an Aiden & Anais swaddling blanket in my bag but I forgot to include it!

We use Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive size 1 diapers and Pampers Sensitive Wipes. I keep them in a Hefty brand zip bag.

I keep this Kate Spade zip pouch in my diaper bag to contain Mustela Facial Wipes, Munchkin Paci Wipes, Wabbanub (which she doesn't actually use so I need to change out the soothie paci on it with one of her MAM ones) and a foaming hand sanitizer by BabyGanics. The pouch helps to contain everything and separate smaller items from the rest of the items in the bag.

I keep these soft cloths in one of the diaper bag's side pockets so that if she spits up suddenly or I need them for any other reason, I have them.

I keep a clean and empty bottle and some bottles of Similac Advance formula in her diaper bag "just in case." I always bring expressed breast milk in a bottle with us wherever we go as well and have the formula as backup.

I keep a couple of granola bars in my diaper bag in case I get hungry. It's important for moms who nurse and/or pump to get adequate calories.

I keep about five Hefty brand zip bags rolled up in the front pocket of my diaper bag to contain dirty diapers or clothing.  Many places ask you not to throw away poopy diapers in their bathrooms (which is completely understandable, they stink!) so I keep these on hand to contain dirty diapers and wipes until we get home where I dispose of them.

Finally, I keep my prescription sunglasses and their case in my diaper bag because I never leave the house without them.

Is there anything I'm missing that y'all think I should add?  Let me know in the comments below!

Your Yearly Skin Check: Why You Should Book Your Appointment Today

Each year, I write a post reminding everyone to get their skin checked. Why? Because skin cancer rates are higher than ever before and younger and younger women and men are being affected. Research suggests that people who start using tanning beds under the age of 35 increase their risk of malignant melanoma (skin cancer) by 75 percent.

75 percent isn't a number you can ignore. Many of you may remember that I worked at a tanning salon at the end of high school and during college. I used to tan...a lot. I'm not proud of it---in fact, I'm ashamed of it. Not only ashamed that I used tanning beds, but ashamed that I told patrons it was good for them because of my training (back then, there weren't such rigorous studies and we were told how great it was to get vitamin D---and how adequate vitamin D levels actually prevented some cancers).

The reality is that most young Americans don't think about skin cancer. It's not even something on most people's to-do list to have their skin checked each year at the dermatologist. If you've never had skin problems, you've probably never even seen a dermatologist.

But I'm here to ask you---to beg you---to consider having your skin checked once a year.  I go twice a year because I've been classified as a high-risk patient due to my skin history and tanning bed use, but most people only need to go once a year.

While my mom was in town visiting, I went and had my skin checked at my dermatologist and had two moles biopsied. One was on my back, the other on my inner left ankle.  I got a call about a week later that my results came back abnormal on both moles and that the one on my back would need to be surgically removed.

(this is the scar from the mole removed from my back. Excuse the medical tape residue.)

My dermatologist told me that when skin biopsy results come back as "abnormal" it means that the biopsy contained abnormal cells classified as either mild, moderate or severe. It doesn't mean that the moles are cancerous (they're benign)---it means that they are at a higher risk of developing into melanoma over time---however, they also may never develop into melanoma, but that's not a risk anyone should take.

The mole on my back was classified as "moderate" and the one on my ankle as "mild." I had both removed for peace of mind (I was only scheduled to have the one on my back removed).  I was shocked when I took off my dressing 24 hours later to see just how large of an area was removed. I had gotten punch biopsies before and you can barely tell once they've healed, but this is going to be an actual scar.  But I'd ather have scars all over my body than the alternative.

I thought I'd share below some commonly asked questions about getting skin checks so some of you who have never been will know what to expect:

What can I expect during a skin check?
You will be asked to undress completely and wear one of those paper gowns. Then, the doctor will examine you from head-to-toe, and mark down any moles that are of concern and some that he or she wants to "watch" or monitor for growth/change. If there are some moles that the doctor feels should be biopsied, you will be given a local anesthetic with a needle to the area and will receive either a shave or punch biopsy.  Your samples will then be sent to a lab for analysis. Most of the time, results come back benign.

How much does it cost?
If you have health insurance, a dermatologist is considered a specialist, so you would pay the co-pay listed on your insurance card under "specialist."

What was the surgery like?
If you need to have moles removed, like I did, you get a local anesthetic via a needle to the affected area(s) and then the dermatologist will perform a brief surgery that involves removing the mole to the margins recommended by the pathologists who examined the mole for abnormalities.

Does the surgery hurt?
It does not hurt. You may feel slight discomfort in the area 12-24 hours later. 

Why is it important to have your skin checked once per year?
Because moles can change and mutate over time and because melanoma, when caught early is very treatable. Late-stage melanoma can be difficult to treat, though there are some promising studies emerging about a drug being used to treat late-stage melanoma patients with good success rates.

How can I know if I have moles that may be cancerous/of concern?
The best thing you can do is to monitor your skin and become aware of any changes or irregularities in your moles. Here are some charts of the "ABCD's" of moles:

Again, just because you have a mole that looks like the ones above, it doesn't mean they are cancerous---but you should have them checked and/or biopsied, if your doctor recommends it for peace of mind and so you can take immediate action if there is a positive biopsy result. The skin is the body's largest organ so it's important to take care of it and to be proactive about your health.

I'm happy that tanning beds seemed to have decreased drastically in popularity as better self-tanning products became available, but a lot of us still spend quite a bit of time in the sun. Even your morning commute can expose you to a lot of rays.

So, if you haven't had your skin checked before or haven't gone in a few years, please consider booking an appointment with a dermatologist today. I promise that the visit and any biopsies/surgeries are MUCH less scary than waiting until it's too late.

Wishing you a great week and thank you, as always, for reading.

Sponsored: A Pretty Weekend Look

Today I'm excited to have been asked by BlogHer to share with you a second video in the Almay sponsored series called  �Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.�

The video below shows a casual weekend look using minimal makeup to achieve a polished face that's quick and easy.  You may remember I shared my five minute makeup routine recently, so this video was right up my alley.

Speaking of Almay, I cannot wait to share a review with you all of Almay's latest Color+Care glosses that I have coming up soon.  They are amazing and I can't wait to show you photos and swatches of the shades I got to test out---they're pretty much my most favorite products I've had the chance to test out lately!


 
Watch the video above to learn how Kate Bryan from The Small Things Blog uses Almay's CC cream, bronzer, mascara and gloss to create a laid-back and pretty weekend look.

Thank you for reading and wishing you all a wonderful week!   

Sunday Brunch...

Today I attended a special brunch hosted by Angeli from Six Twenty, a new website that's the ultimate destination for designer quality essentials without the middleman mark-up. Six Twenty offers a carefully crafted selection of women�s basics, featuring high quality, chic essentials, available year-round. 

It was the first time I had seen a lot of the girls from our brunch group in quite some time so it was fun to get together and catch up over delicious food.

I ended up wearing my GAP skinnies with a top I discovered on Andee's blog, the The HONEYBEE. Andee has such a great eye for finds at Forever 21 so when she posted a photo of this top I knew I had to order it!

I layered it over a tank and paired it with some necklaces and wedges. Being at home with Harper and wearing flip-flops or just having bare feet all day has seriously affected my ability to maneuver around in heels. I almost tripped/fell/toppled over several times today. Oh boy. I think I need to practice. Maybe it was just the wedges though, I tend to do better with pumps.

Top- Forever 21, nla, similar, similar |  Jeans- GAP always skinny | Necklace- J.Crew Sunflower Necklace | Necklace- Tiffany & Co. | Tank- Gilly Hicks, similar | 
Bag- LV Neverfull GM

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Before I go, if you're local, check out the White Hot event my friend Magen is producing on August 3rd!

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