Big Brother & Big Sister Gift Ideas

It feels all too real that I am in the final month before this baby joins our family! I've been washing all the tiny newborn clothes, folding swaddle blankets, prepping the car seat, closing out my baby registry, etc. and with each thing I check off the list, I feel more and more ready for this baby to come. One special thing on that list has been putting together gifts from the baby to Liam and Lyla. I did this for Liam when Lyla was born and it really eased that transition the day we brought her home from the hospital. My hope is that it helps them know their new baby sibling loves them and that we do too, know matter how much time is required to devote to this new baby, they are still so special to us.    

From the moment I saw this "sissy" sweatshirt I knew Lyla would love it! It's one of her favorite colors and will be perfect to wear as she tells everyone she knows that she is a big sister now! I've had a much harder time finding a "big bro" sweatshirt so I found a plain blue one and with the help of a friend, plan to try ironing on some vinyl lettering so he has one too! I'm going to leave them behind with some treats while we are away at the hospital so they can wear them when they meet their new sibling. 

  

Lyla's gift from the baby is a matching baby doll carrier to the one I have (can't wait to twin!) and a new soft dolly to carry around in it. I chose the pink one to hopefully lighten the disappointment she may feel for a moment if she finds out she had a little brother instead of a sister that she is hoping for. haha 

Liam's gift is everything he loves too ... a camo fanny pack to carry around his treasures (or stuffed animals) in, and the cutest snow dragon!

I'm excited to see their faces when they open them and even more excited to write the name on the gift tag of who they are from. ;)

Other big brother and big sister gift ideas I've done in the past are these adorable books that teach them all about being a big helper. This camera to take their own videos and pictures of the new baby is a huge hit at our house too and comes in both pink and blue. You can also never go wrong with activities to entertain them while you spend 24/7 nursing like these Melissa and Doug reusable sticker books which are a favorite at our house.

Baby #3 Must Haves

 Now that I'm caught up again on our happenings from the last couple months, I can share some fun pregnancy things. Starting with some baby #3 must haves! Considering we've had two babies now, a boy and a girl, we already have almost everything we need this time around. We bought a car seat from a friend over the weekend and I couldn't believe how tiny the little insert is for a newborn baby! 

4th of July weekend I pulled down all of my baby bins with Lyla and she had a hay day going through all of the tiny things I've saved. After taking inventory, these are just a few things that are on our list before baby comes that I thought I would share for anyone who might be expecting a baby too! We registered at babylist.com and I've loved that you can link items from several different websites all in one place! 

Binkies | Most of the ones I had melted a bit in our storage bins in the garage (oops!) and while we have yet to have a baby that loves them, they are handy soothers during the fussy awake times in the first couple months.

Swaddle Sack | I got the larger sized swaddle sack when Lyla was a baby and used it with her every day. Since we plan to have baby sleep in the crib from day one, we'll need the smaller size in the beginning. 

Crib Sheet | Our crib sheets have been well loved, Lyla's even has holes. This one looks so soft and gender neutral!

Electric Nail Trimmer | This product is new to me but I've heard such great things. There is nothing I cringe at more than the thought of trimming a baby's tiny tiny nails. An electric nail filer seems like no brainer. 

Nose & Ear Cleaner | Also a new product to me but may be a little less weird than the Nosefrida we have where you have to suck the snot out of their nose. haha

Diaper Cream Applicator | I'm loving the thought of cleaning off an applicator instead of my hand post diaper change. haha

Nursing Cover | Similar to our crib sheets, the nursing cover I used for my babies is covered in holes (probably from getting snagged on our carseat because it can be used as a cover for that too). Luckily, our new carseat comes with a built in one so I can use it just as a nursing cover this time. 

Nipple Balm | Because nursing in the beginning takes a toll!!

Boppy Cover | Our boppy pillow is one of my most used baby products with my other two. I love the  color "earth stripe" in this cover!

Hatch Sound Machine | We have one of these in each of our kids' rooms and love them! Baby needs their own too. 

Ergo 360 Baby Carrier | I love using the Solly Baby wrap the first few months after the baby is born but then the Ergo offers so much more back support for a heavier baby. The one we have doesn't allow forward facing like this one does ... it will make for one happy baby when they are old enough to want to look around at everything and not be stuck facing your shirt!

Still can't believe we'll have a baby in our arms using all of these things in just a couple months!

Lyla's First Pedicure

During Liam's last week of school, I realized my one-on-one time with Lyla would be far less during the summer so we went on one last special mommy/daughter date to get her first pedicure! I thought for sure she would pick her favorite color (pink) but the moment she walked over to the many rows of nail polish choices, she picked the first one she saw ... a sparkly red one!

Despite being offered her own chair, most of the time she sat with me on my lap. I'll admit, it wasn't my most comfortable and relaxing pedicure I've ever gotten in my life with a big baby belly and a toddler in my lap but I loved snuggling her as she asked question after question while watching me get my toes done. She took a bit to warm up and was nervous by some of the tools they used on my feet that it would hurt but then I showed her the chair had massage buttons and it was game over. She moved on to her own chair and had a grand old time changing all the settings and squealing away as it massaged her back. haha

We had the sweetest nail technician who was incredible with kids! Lyla wanted to be closer to me than her chair would allow while she got her nails painted so the lady gave up her swivel stool for Lyla to sit on and let her hold my hand while the lady sat on the floor with Lyla's foot propped up on her knee. It was so kind. Of course there was a moment of rubbing her first two toes together too where they got smudged and needed to be redone and a few rough spots on the big toes by the time we made it home but ... the cutest sparkly red toes!

I feel so blessed to have a daughter to do these special things with and love her so much!!

December & Christmas Break

The month of December is truly one of my very favorite months! It's always packed with family and filled with so many fun holiday traditions and memories. I love it. 

Lyla's hair is past her shoulders now and we are able to do matching braids! Ah I love having a daughter!!

How darling is she?!

On December 21st, the night we went to World of Color, a rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn occurred called the Christmas star. It shown bright and beautiful in the night sky and made us feel a little closer to Jesus this Christmas season. We went outside to see it first but it was freezing so Lyla tried spotting it through the living room window with those ginormous binoculars. haha She could barely hold them up. 

Christmas break was the best this year, being all together. Nic took the whole thing off ... 2 weeks with us!! One day we took the kids to the Children's Museum before our year long pass expired. Unfortunately we didn't get to use it much of the year because of Covid but this was a fun last hoorah and there was hardly anyone there. 

Arg, pirates!

I have the best video of this moment with Dentist Liam asking patient Lyla to open her mouth so that he could pull out her tooth. haha

These cute astronauts who launched us to every single planet ...

We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday in December! We took him some giant balloons, ya know so he wouldn't forget his age. ;) Happy Birthday old man!! 

These two have their moments but they played so well together over Christmas break. I have no idea what they were playing haha, but one day I found them in our front room like this ...

I think Liam's asking himself, "How many more toys do you think I can fit on this table??" 

This was such an incredible Christmas experience, a drive through live nativity! You pulled into the parking lot of one of our church buildings and they had you tune in to some recordings to hear the story of the birth of Jesus. It brought the spirit of the season for our family. The camel was so amazing to see in person too!

We also participated in a really special experience where our family was asked to write down a gift we would like to give the Savior for Christmas on a sign. The signs were collected and placed in the ground surrounding a manager and lit up by a star as all of us gave our hearts to Him this season. Ours said "Show kindness and love everyone". 

Then there was Lyla's preschool Christmas party! Look at her outfit!! I'm so sad it won't fit her next year after she has worn it two years in a row. It's a favorite. She got to take a special treat to share with her friends so we made these Santa sleighs ...

Look what she brought home!!! The cutest snow globe I've ever seen!!! I'll keep it forever. 

Another fun date night downtown! We went to P.F. Changs for dinner and walked around to look at all of the Christmas lights.

We ended the night at the Village looking for a cozy new throw for our living room to snuggle up and watch movies with during the winter. It still is always strange wearing a mask everywhere you go but it sets this season of life apart from the rest so I had to document it.

My mom gave me cute entry hooks for Christmas for backpacks and coats in the winter time! I need to adjust the print now to be more centered but I love how functional it made this space. The basket has also been great for shoe storage. 

It snowed a few days after Christmas!! Our kids freaked out as it was only the second one of the season but they still went out there until it melted by noon. Liam made this tiny adorable snow bunny.  

This little lady didn't last long out there in the cold but man she makes the cutest giggling faces as I tried to snatch her through the window. ;)

Not pictured from December and Christmas break ... lots of dinners with family (it was so fun having my brother home after not seeing him for a full year), endless hours playing with new toys and games from Christmas, and walks outside where Lyla learned how to ride her new bike!

Lyla's Dollhouse

I can't tell you how old I was or what daycare exactly but I have this vivid moment as a child when I saw my very first Victorian style dollhouse. It was something that had been passed down in that family and I could tell, was very special to them. At this daycare, we weren't allowed in the bedrooms of the children who lived there. All the toys we played with were in the living room or outside but one day she made an exception long enough for her daughters to show me their dollhouse. I remember it sitting on top of a small night stand, the outside painted pink with white shutters. It had intricate staircases of the swirling nature leading to different bedrooms on different floors. The beds were adored with the perfect amount of floral and while I didn't touch a thing, it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen.  

When I had Lyla I dreamed of making her one for Christmas someday and this was the year! My creative side reveled in every moment I spent on this special keepsake for her. I bought a kit from Hobby Lobby at the beginning of November and finished it on December 21st, just days before giving it to her. It came in a thousands pieces of raw wood that needed to be labeled, organized in phases for assembly, sanded, painted, and wood glued together. I learned the true art of how long it takes for wood glue to cure and dry, it took the most amount of patience I'd say. But it all resulted in this and it was exactly as I had dreamed ...

The original had a second tiered porch which explains the side door from the master bedroom but an open balcony just fit what I imagined so much better. 

And what says Christmas time more than tiny little wreaths on every window and a "baby it's cold outside" front door mat! 

I covered the chimney and front porch steps with tiny bricks I made out of a painted egg carton. 

A view of the inside from the back ...

The cutest mommy and daddy mice ...

I made all the rugs out of velvet paper and sewed the bedding so it would have sheets the mice could slip underneath when they go to sleep ...

While I wanted her dollhouse to be unique, I also wanted it to be special and reflect the things she not only loves but that are in her own childhood home a little bit. The living room had to have a mini version of our family picture on the wall and a tiny blanket ladder!

I also designed the fireplace for the perfect tv stand and sewed curtains for the window in this room.

I love the two toned staircase so much!

This is the master bedroom ... I made the canopy bed and found the sweetest print of an angel bunny to remind her of Rue in heaven that I turned into wallpaper from this room. The fluffy white pillows were sewn from the same fabric I made our living room pillows in our real house and painted the nightstand pink just like her pink dresser in her own bedroom. 

The wallpaper is my favorite!

That tiny picture of her and Liam ...

This is the kitchen with the most adorable floating shelves filled with everything the mice need to have a dinner party. ;)

One side has the cutest hatch to play in the back of the bathroom or dining room ...

Everything is cuter tiny!! Like that little wooden stool for a piano bench, a tiny mirror, and the light fixtures. 

This is the hodgepodge room. haha It has a spot for the piano, a washer and dryer, and the bathroom in the back. The herringbone floor is my favorite part!! All of the floors were incredibly time consuming but so worth it in the end ... I made them all out of stained or painted popsicle sticks to create wood floors. 

The sweetest scalloped wallpaper in the bathroom ...

The attic is the most played with and loved part of the whole house ... I made it with the baby mice in mind ...

I can't get over how darling they are!!

There is another bed up there and a tiny little dollhouse that opens and can fit things inside. 

I also adore the attic wallpaper. The tiny little snowflakes in the winter floral pattern will always remind me of this special Christmas, when I gave Lyla her dollhouse. 

There were a few dollhouse pieces that survived our house flood back in the day that I was able to use and it made it extra special having some pieces to include from my childhood. The piano for example which I painted black and the forest green bed in the attic. The rocking chair was also mine and was broken but I glued it back together and it doesn't look too shabby after I covered it in a coat of white paint.

Next to having my children (haha), it was my favorite labor of love. I hope she cherishes it for years to come and that one day I can pass it on to my grandkids.