Brunch with the Brother Bears | Brown Bear Themed First Birthday Party

We’ve called Hayes and Shep our “brother bears” from the very beginning and since Brown Bear, Brown Bear is one of our favorite books to read, I knew from the time they were tiny I wanted a bear-themed first birthday party with the Eric Carle bear. A big brunch for our sweet twin boys, with friends and family who came from all over to celebrate with us made for a pretty unbeatable morning!

Here’s a roundup of what we served for our Brown Bear Brunch - scroll for details and recipes below.

FOOD
Waffle + pancake bar with toppings
Chicken + waffles with Chick Fil A nuggets
Fruit salad
Sausage balls
Teddy trail mix
Custom cookies
Birthday cake + smash cakes

DRINKS
Beary Sweet Lemonade in honey bear cups for the kids
Mama Bear Mimosas + juice bar
Bear’s Bubbly - apple cinnamon champagne cocktail
Honey Bear - bourbon citrus sage cocktail

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Brown Bear Birthday Party Ideas

I wanted a fun drink for the kids served in honey bear cups and found a few recipes for honey-sweetened strawberry lemonade that I combined into this one. I’d never made simple syrup before but it really was simple! You can make it a few hours ahead of time or the day before and let it chill in the fridge.

Beary Sweet Lemonade - makes 16 honey bear cups
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4-5 sliced strawberries
Simply Lemonade

Bring the water, honey, sugar and strawberries to a boil, turn down and let simmer for a few minutes until berries soften, then strain the berries and let the syrup cool in a mason jar. The morning of the party I poured the syrup into all the honey bears (just eyeballed it), filled up the rest of the cups with Simply Lemonade and popped in a kraft paper straw. So yummy and they were a big hit with the kids!

Having a book for guests to sign is a cute way to incorporate a keepsake at baby showers or birthday parties. It’s so fun to read back with your kiddos later and remember who came to celebrate!

I wanted a welcome poster to carry the theme through the main table area. Office Depot will print posters (1-2 day turnaround if you pick up in store) for about $15, depending on size. I had all of our food labels, banner letters and signage printed on cardstock at Office Depot too and picked them up with the poster. So handy!

Morgan of Cowtown Cookie Co. in Fort Worth made the cookies for Steele’s first birthday and I knew I wanted her cookies for the boys’ first birthday, too. I told her the theme and the font I’d used on the invites and she went to work. She is just so talented!

Teddy Trail Mix Recipe

-Pretzel snaps
-Honeycomb cereal
-Teddy Grahams
-Mini marshmallows
-Butterscotch chips
Combine in amounts to your liking and mix well.

The waffle + pancake bar was such a fun way to serve brunch to a house full of people. We had about 35 guests, and I was worried about getting enough waffles toasted in time/keeping them warm, but we borrowed a second toaster from a friend, toasted 4 at a time that morning and kept them warm in the oven until right before serving time. For the pancakes, we just did oven-bake mini pancakes. We had 2 boxes of 24 buttermilk waffles + 1 big box of mini pancakes and had more than enough to go around. It all turned out great!

Waffle Bar Topping Ideas

• chopped fruit (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)

• cinnamon

• peanut butter

• chocolate syrup

• caramel syrup

• regular syrup + butter

• Nutella

• Reddi Whip

• ricotta or whipped cream cheese

• mini chocolate chips

• butterscotch chips

• mini marshmallows

• sprinkles

• bacon crumbles

We also had a big fruit salad and sausage balls, along with “chicken and waffles” - mini waffles and Chick Fil A nuggets on a toothpick - these were gone in about 5 minutes! I probably should’ve gotten the medium size nugget tray instead of small (120 vs 64), and you could really do 1 mini waffle per nugget instead of 2. Lots of guests put nuggets on their big waffles too, so you could even forego the mini waffles and just have the nuggets as a topping option for your waffle bar.

When I was searching for bear-themed beverages, I came across this bourbon drink called the Honey Bear - it’s sweetened with oranges and a honey/sage leaf simple syrup. I tweaked/simplified a few different recipes to come up with our own version and it was DIVINE.

Honey Bear Citrus Sage Simple Syrup

makes enough for 16-20 servings
-1 cup water
-1 cup honey
-1 tablespoon brown sugar
-half an orange, squeezed
-10-12 sage leaves

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, turn down and let simmer for a few minutes until honey and sugar are dissolved. Strain and store liquid in a mason jar to cool.

These you can’t really make ahead of time, so I put the syrup in a honey bear cup, wrote the recipe out on a card and let people make their own.

Honey Bear Bourbon Cocktail Recipe

2 oz bourbon over ice
1 oz simple syrup
Stir well, add orange peel and sage leaf for garnish.

Bear’s Bubbly has been a favorite of ours since we had it at our friends’ wedding - it was their signature cocktail named after their dog, Bear, and lemme tell you, you’re gonna want to be drinking this all fall and winter long. The amounts/ratios of the recipe are really up to you (we made a big batch in a pitcher for the party), but it’s pretty hard to mess up - any way you do it, it’s freaking delicious.

Bear’s Bubbly recipe | Champagne-Fireball-Cider Cocktail for fall

-large bottle of Fireball
-bottle of champagne
-jug of apple cider
Mix all in equal parts - add more cider if it’s too strong. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

I wanted plenty of drink options, so we also had a “Mama Bear Mimosa” bar with Simply Strawberry, Simply Blueberry, Simply Peach, champagne and mint leaves for everyone to make their own mimosas or to just grab some juice!

My sweet Hayes and Shep digging into their smash cakes - they were obsessed! I went the easy route for these and bought ready-made cake slices for $2.98 from the cold section of the store bakery. Cut into a circle shape, cover with more white icing and voila!

The banner and the high chair garlands were both DIYs using this TISSUE PAPER TASSEL TUTORIAL which could not have been easier. You only need one sheet of tissue paper to make each tassel, so 3-4 colors, 1 pack each, was more than enough for this banner and the 2 high chair garlands.

We feasted and cheers’d and celebrated a huge milestone with our baby boys and my heart was so happy all day long. Happy first birthday, sweet brother bears!

Living with Less and Prioritizing Simplicity in Our Home

It’s been a big year around here! As we’re approaching the boys’ first birthday, I’ve been thinking about how we’ve adapted to life with 3 under 3 - shifts we’ve had to make in our routines, our perspectives and our home.

One recurrent theme from this year has been SIMPLIFYING - born out of necessity but then very much an intentional shift. Three littles comes with a LOT of stimulation all day long and requires so incredibly much of my energy, both mental and physical. I could not afford, time-wise or mental health-wise, to also be stressed out by clutter and disorganization in our home, and I’ve really done an overhaul on not just the things we own, but the way I view them.

The goal has never been minimalism. I don’t desire to live with as little as possible. I do desire to only have things in our home that I love and that serve a purpose though, and I’m keenly aware now that every single thing that makes its way into our home 1) is the product of a decision and 2) requires ongoing mental energy. Maintaining it, cleaning it, storing it, inventory - the more you have, the more that effort multiplies.

Mental Prep Work Before Starting to Simplify

Probably important to mention that by nature, I don’t have sentimental attachment to very many things - maybe to a fault. I’ve always been pretty minimal too when it comes to products (makeup/skin/hair etc.) - I know what I like and I stick to it. I don’t have workwear for an office job. And I’ve never been into holiday decorating - outside of our Christmas tree and stockings, our home decor doesn’t change from season to season. These factors alone helped give me a head start on downsizing.

So let me preface all of this with the classic - “you do you.” Let your home reflect your life and the things you love. This is what has worked for us and the methods I’ve personally used to bring more peace, calm, and TIME back to my life in the midst of a very chaotic season. A lot of it probably sounds harsh or extreme, and it is! I had to do some major perspective shifts to get the ball rolling and let go of certain things, literally and figuratively. These were the big ones:

• Certain things serve a purpose for a season. We get to decide when that season is over.

• Not seeing things as what you paid for them. It can be hard to look at something and not see dollar signs, but sometimes you just have to chalk it up to paying for a lesson learned.

• Is it a likely what if? Or an unlikely what if. If keeping something hinges on a what-if, assess the probability. Is the risk really worth the keep?

• Letting go of guilt and feelings of obligation. Once an item enters your home and your possession - you and you alone are in charge of what happens to it.

• Self respect. Say it with me: “I owe myself the respect of not settling.” Things you wear, use, give your energy to… if you look at something and feel hesitation, there’s a reason. And you don’t have to justify that reason to anyone else.

Live Simply by Annie has really insightful, helpful tips (and tough love/hard truths) for working through these things, getting over the hump and letting go of the fear, obligation, and guilt we associate with certain belongings. It’s an ongoing process for me and she’s been a great resource!

Focus Areas for Simplifying Our Home

EXPIRED. Anything expired = gone immediately. Food, medicine, beauty products, cleaning products. The easiest places to start! 

EXTRAS. What are all these extras actually for? What purpose are they serving? 

-Extra towels (not designated guest towels, but extra towels in general). Why? I have one set of favorite towels and a few other sets that sat in the cabinet for 7 years. I held onto them because I thought, “We registered for these. They’re nice. We might use them someday.” Except we really haven’t. I’d always just rather have my favorite set out. If you wash/dry your towels and hang them right back up, what are the extras for? Goes for sheets too.

Everyday use. Fancy. Guest. Fancy Guest. Uhhh - eleven?!

-Dish towels. Hand towels. Beach towels. Kids’ towels. Washcloths. All. the. towels. Keep the ones you really love. Save a few old ones for big spills and messes. Let go of the rest.

-Tote bags. Travel bags. All the bags. Pare it down. 

-Kitchen stuff. Duplicates, damaged, dingy… get rid of or replace.

-Extra cups. Water bottles. Yetis. Mugs. Koozies. Sippy cups. Kid plates. Toddler utensils. Bibs. Oven mitts. It was out of control, and we reach for the same ones over and over anyway. I edited these things ruthlessly. 

-Extras in the junk drawer. You know.

-Manuals. If you’ve ever had an issue with something, do you really go find the manual? Or do you consult Google or YouTube?

VISUAL CLUTTER

We’re working with about 1600 square feet for 5 people and a big dog, and as a mostly-stay-at-home mom, I spend a LOT of time in this house. In order for it not to feel cramped or for me not to go stir crazy, I’ve learned to appreciate decorating with WAYYY less and reducing the visual clutter on walls, shelves, tabletops, etc. We don’t have a lot of trinkets out or little things displayed - less to look at means less to think about + less to keep clean and right now, that’s where I want to be.

One thing I’ve reminded myself over the years as we’ve lived in and decorated a few homes is that not every wall or surface needs something. Don’t settle and buy something just to fill the space. Wait for something you truly love, or decide that it’s fine without anything at all.

TIP — I think a big contributing factor when there’s a cluttered feeling with decor is the scale. It’s hard to go too big. It’s easy to go too small, and then feel like you need more to visually fill the space - whether that’s on a wall, shelf, or table. Art and framed photos, especially. I’ve trained my brain to think “less, but bigger.”

TOY ROTATION

We started a toy rotation system last fall to keep the living room toy situation manageable since we don’t have a playroom. Three baskets total downstairs - Steele’s toys and books on the stair landing (behind the baby gate so brothers stay out of her stuff) and the boys’ toys by the sofa. The rest of their toys stay out of sight, out of mind in clear storage drawers in their closet upstairs, and I rotate things every couple of weeks. It’s a win all the way around! More focused play, less decision overload, easy clean up. Plus when I rotate different toys and books in, they get excited about them all over again. I try to limit things with lots of pieces to a few at a time downstairs, and we pick up once before nap time, once before bed. It’s worth it to me to spend a few minutes a few times a day to have a more peaceful space, and it makes the end of the day pickup more manageable.

WARDROBE

We’ve all done the closet clean out that feels productive for a while, but then you’re still finding shirts you bought in college and jeans you wore 2 pregnancies ago you just can’t seem to part with. I was determined this time to not just make a dent, but pare things down to the point of almost starting over — focusing on quality over quantity and rebuilding a wardrobe that really feels like ME. 32-year-old me, not 25-year-old me.

If I wasn’t sure about something, I physically tried it on and asked myself Does this make me feel confident? If I was shopping right now, today, would I buy this? If the answer to either was no, it was gone. No exceptions. That didn’t leave me with a whole lot - truly, anything I felt meh about, I got rid of. But what’s in there now are all things I truly love wearing. I can see what pieces I could really use now and take my time finding/investing in those things, and put together new outfits with versatile pieces in the meantime. I’ve also learned to be ok with being a repeater and I’ve embraced the idea of having a “signature style.” I know what I feel best in and what looks best on me — colors and styles — and I don’t feel the need to stray too far from that.

The extent of my hanging clothes on a 5 foot raCk. Jeans below and A 24-pair shoe organizer With room to spare, a 4-drawer Bin for swimsuits, hats, shorts, and workout clothes — socks, underwear, pajamas and t-shirts are in our shared dresser.

The extent of my jewelry, aside from my wedding rings, Aggie ring and the dainty gold jewelry I Wear every day.

As for jewelry - again, a ruthless edit. If it’s not something I’d pass down to my daughter or something truly timeless and classic that I reach for on a regular basis, time to go. Even if it was expensive. I got rid of probably 90% of my jewelry, packed certain things away to save for Steele, and invested in a couple things I’d had my eye on for a long time that I now wear day in and day out. 

For anything in my closet or dresser, I asked myself - do I feel any hesitation here? Why? Not in style, not MY style, uncomfortable, doesn’t fit quite right, worn out, tarnished, dingy… if any of those are true, I need to have the self respect to not wear something I don’t feel good in anymore. 

The other side of simplifying

Throughout this process, I’ve gotten more and more honest with myself. If I made a mistake and shouldn’t have bought something when I did - live and learn. Move on from it. Doesn’t mean I need to keep it. Loved it then but don’t love it as much now? It served me for a season and it’s ok for that season to be over. Never really loved it? Not worth your mental energy to hang onto, and now you know better. Over time, the simplifying process started to snowball into other areas - digital spaces (culling/deleting emails and iPhone photos daily, digital photo organization + regular backups, social media follow purge, etc.), our paper filing system, our pantry, our drop zone by the door - less, less, less.

For me, the greatest tradeoff is the headspace and mental capacity I have now to focus on more important things. To buy things with intention and patience and to be EXCITED about what’s in our home. To spend way less time picking up and organizing. To be able to breathe deeply and feel happy when I open my closet or walk into the living room every morning.

The size of our house used to stress me out - when we first found out we were expecting twins, I was overwhelmed thinking about the STUFF that would come with 2 more kids and worrying how we were all going to fit. How would our home not feel cramped 24/7? But after a year of taking intentional steps to simplify, I don’t feel like that any more. We have less in this house now than we did before our boys came along. Our home brings me joy. It’s a place I enjoy spending our days and I really don’t want to leave it anytime soon.

One year into some big changes and it feels GOOD. If you’re feeling stuck when it comes to living with less, decorating with less, or simplifying - message me! This is something I’m really passionate about and I’m always happy to chat.

Three Babies Later... Baby Items We've Loved + Ones We Wouldn't Miss

With lots of friends and clients expecting their first babies or soon to enter that season, I wanted to share some of my very favorite baby items we’ve used over the last few years.

Despite what the internet might tell you, you really don’t need a whole lot for babies, and I was grateful for insight from seasoned mama friends who approached their own registries and purchases with a super practical, minimalist mindset. We joined the three under two club for a while after the arrival of our twin boys and after living and learning a little more this go-round, we actually ended up using even fewer baby items with them than we did with our first. Less truly is more!

That said, these are the items I’d absolutely want on my baby registry if I had to do it all over again with the least amount of stuff possible. If it’s on this list, I’ve loved it times three!

LINKS UPDATED JANUARY 2025!

Favorite Baby Items by Category

SLEEP

Taking Cara Babies sleep class | We bought her sleep course after hearing glowing reviews from several friends and watched the videos before Steele was born, and again before the boys arrived as a refresher. Her classes go beyond sleep training and taught us so much about caring for a newborn in general - schedules, cues, and more. Andrew and I agree it was some of the best money we spent. Moms on Call is another popular course!
MOM TIP: Sleep training is of course a personal decision every family needs to make for themselves, but we’re continually thankful we did it – and surprisingly, it really wasn’t much harder with two than with one! There’s crying involved, yes, but not crying it out - the whole point is to avoid that. Six to eight weeks of implementing her strategies was completely worth the results. They’ve all slept 12 hours in their cribs every night since they were 3-4 months old and fall asleep on their own within minutes, and for our family, it’s been the absolute best scenario all the way around.

Hatch Rest sound machine | Lots of families choose not to use white noise, but we keep the volume pretty low and just helps us not feel like we have to tiptoe around the house when they’re asleep.
MOM TIP: The Better Sleep white noise phone app works great when we’re out and about. I’ll play it through the car speakers if I need them to nap on the go!

Overnight diaper pads | Total game changer. As our babies grew and were taking bigger bottles, they started soaking through their diapers onto their pajamas and sheets overnight. These really do absorb a LOT and they’ve helped all three go 12 hours at night while staying dry.

FEEDING

Nuk Simply Natural bottles | Very affordable compared to other brands, super easy to clean (minimal parts), and they haven’t given us any issues with gas. We bought the standard 9oz size from the get-go and they’ve worked for the entire first year for all 3 babies – no need to buy multiple sizes.
MOM TIP: I stick the lids + nipples in these dishwasher baskets and wash everything on the sanitize cycle overnight, and that’s the extent of our bottle-washing routine! We keep it simple – no need for endless scrubbing or a bulky bottle sanitizer – but we do use these sanitizing bags (also great for breast pump parts) when we know we’ll be somewhere without a dishwasher.

Oxo Tot bottle drying rack | I read reviews about the grass style racks growing mold - no thanks. This one’s been great! Holds a lot and is easy to wash clean.

Oxo Tot forks and spoons | Easy for little hands to hold and the spoon actually holds a good amount - my babies take big bites! Ha.

Silicone bibs | Our only bibs. The fold to catch spills is a must and they’re SO easy to clean. Each kid has 2 and that’s been plenty.

Muslin burp cloths | Thick, large, super absorbent, hold up well in the wash, and inexpensive. I have a kitchen drawer stocked full of these.

Space-saving high chair - our kitchen/dining area isn’t huge, so I wanted a chair that took up the least amount of space possible - bought this kind for Steele and got a matching one before the boys arrived. Love that it’s so compact, easy to clean (I didn’t want anything with fabric padding - it inevitably gets stained and gross over time), the tray is slim so it doesn’t take up a ton of room in the dishwasher, and it has a footrest to encourage correct eating posture - makes a huge difference for babies learning to eat. Can’t beat the price, either. This space-saving option is beautiful, too!

Ingenuity floor seat with built-in tray - we had a Bumbo for Steele but I bought two of these for the boys because I liked the price, color, and built-in tray storage much better. When the boys were sitting up but still little, we took these instead of high chairs when we traveled. Also love that it buckles onto a chair as a booster seat later on!

TRAVEL

Chicco Bravo carrier/car seat base/stroller combo | Had these infant seats for all 3! Great safety ratings, awesome reviews and the entire combo system costs less than a lot of car seats and strollers cost separately these days. We’ve been really happy with it all!

Graco Slim Fit convertible car seat | The winner after lots of research on seats that fit 3-across on a bench seat. This one converts up to a booster and is a fraction of the price of the “luxe” brands. Moms - real talk - no one cares what brand your kid’s car seat is. Price doesn’t always equal safety or comfort, so don’t think you necessarily need to spend more!
MOM TIP: @safeintheseat is a certified car seat expert and a great account to follow for safety tips. As she says - the safest car seat is one that’s installed correctly. Steele is still rear-facing at 3 years old and will be for as long as possible thanks to her advice!

Infantino Flip convertible carrier | This was a hand-me-down that’s quickly become a favorite. To me, it feels a lot more secure than wraps or slings. I tried a few of those but was worried the whole time baby was going to fall out the bottom. This one is very affordable, super easy to put on and feels very secure but not bulky. We bought a second one before the twins arrived!

BATHING + HEALTH

Bath flower | A must for preemies! The regular baby bathtubs (love this simple design) didn’t work for our teeny babies until they hit about 8-9 pounds.

Stelatopia Cleansing Oil | Steele never had any reaction to soaps or shampoos, but for our sensitive skin boys, we’ve tried LOTS of brands and Mustela Stelatopia has been our favorite!
MOM TIP: with Steele, I used to think a bath was a necessary part of her nighttime routine even though I knew she wasn’t really dirty. With the boys, giving both of them a bath every night is just too overwhelming, so we don’t. We bathed them twice a week until they were 8 months old, and now we do just every other night for all 3 unless they’re filthy. Don’t stress yourself out over bath time - fewer baths is better for their skin anyway.

Triple Paste | The only diaper rash cream I bought the second time around. Nothing compares. A little goes a long way - the big container lasted us a year!

Butt spatula | No sticky hands – just spread the cream, wipe the excess off on the clean diaper and you’re done!

Vicks Speed Read Thermometer | The hospital recommended an underarm thermometer (better accuracy) for the boys after their NICU stay. We’ve liked this quick read one!

MISCELLANEOUS

SnuggleMe Organic | Used this alllll the time for the first 4 months. I prefer the SnuggleMe over the Dock-a-Tot because it really does snuggle them in close and tight – the middle piece of fabric is suspended and taut, so when you lay baby on it, it pulls the sides in close. Big fan of the generic off-brand covers vs. the brand name, but definitely get some sort of cover because washing the lounger itself is a pain.

Piano play mat | Bought a second one for the boys so they could each have their own – not sure what exactly it is about this thing that’s so magical but it kept all 3 of mine entertained for many, many hours throughout their first year.

Fat Brain toys | Again, not sure what’s so magical here but a favorite for all 3 babies.

Foam tile floor mat | Wish I would’ve found this sooner! Love the neutral colors, it’s big for the price and so nice for the learning to sit/crawl phase.

Name Bubbles labels | The Daycare Pack of name labels comes with a good variety of sizes. We’ve had these on cups, nap mats and extra pairs of clothes for 2 years now and never had an issue with any coming off in the dishwasher or washing machine. Love these!

I can think of a few other items we used quite a bit (pack n plays, diaper bags, bassinets, baby gates, stand-up activity center, bouncy chairs) but I just didn’t love ours enough to put them on this list.

Baby Items We Didn’t Use

Here’s what I purged or didn’t end up using like I thought I would:

Socks and mittens - they just do not stay on those tiny hands and feet! Ha. Most of our onesies had the fold-over built-in mittens and we kept blankets over their legs and feet, so they weren’t necessary anyway.

A million pacifiers and clips - for some reason, pre-babies, I thought we’d need a TON of pacifiers. Not the case. Three or four (a couple for the house, a couple for the car/diaper bag) was plenty.

Diaper pail - we ended up getting rid of ours after the boys were born. With 2x the diapers, it filled up so quickly and changing the bags became more of a hassle than it was worth. And the refills are expensive! We got a separate trash can with a good lid for stinky diapers and keep it in the garage.

Wipe warmer - some swear by it. My kids never minded a cold wipe, and the wipes only stay warm for a few seconds anyway, so this was one less thing I wanted on the changing table.

Fancy pajamas - I got a few pairs of really nice, stretchy bamboo pajamas for Steele, and don’t get me wrong, they were great. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend $40 a pair on pajamas for two growing, messy baby boys, so we skipped those this time around. Whichever PJs you get, ZIPPER is key.

Baby detergents and baby dish soap - truly, a marketing ploy.

Sleep sacks - I feel like we might be the only family in America that doesn’t use sleep sacks. We did use Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suits with all 3 to help them transition out of the swaddle once they could roll over, but after that, just PJs. Tons of people love sleep sacks, but definitely not a necessity.

Baby swing/Mamaroo - nothing against them, we just didn’t have the space. A bouncy chair always worked fine and is a lot easier to move around the house.

Baby Brezza - loved by many, but for us it didn’t save enough time or effort to be worth the cost or counterspace. If you’re breastfeeding/pumping and needing to warm stored milk, a bottle warmer is probably worth having, but for our formula babies, we followed the advice of a friend to feed them room temp bottles from the start, so we don’t own a warmer, either. We’ve always kept a big water dispenser in our pantry filled with distilled or purified water for bottles.

Hook-on travel high chair - way more trouble than it’s worth, IMO. Used it maybe once, ever.

Owlet Smart Sock - everyone is different, but for me personally, the Owlet was stressful. I didn’t use one with Steele and never thought twice about it, but one of the twins had some apnea/oxygen issues in the NICU, so I borrowed an Owlet sock from a friend when we brought him home for peace of mind. It helped calm my nerves for about a week, but after that, it ended up making me more hyperaware, anxious, stressed, etc., and wasn’t the easiest to put on correctly anyway (I got a lot of error readings), so I put it back in the box and decided it wasn’t for us.

Boppy pillow - I didn’t find it comfortable or helpful for feeding (I may be in the minority on that) so we didn’t keep it. We did get the Twin Z pillow for the boys though, and that’s been a life saver for simultaneous bottle feeds and support while they were learning to sit!

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That’s a wrap on my very favorite items for newborns - ones I’ve used threefold and would buy again if I had to! Did I miss anything? Share your faves in the comments! Hopefully this list can help you in some small way!

To the Mom of a Toddler and Twins on the Way

Mama, I keep thinking about you! Eight months into life with twins and a toddler, I keep thinking about the things I wish someone would’ve told me, and the things I’ve taken away from this journey so far. I know your heart is racing with worry and exhaustion those last few weeks of carrying those babies, and I hope you’re feeling so loved and cared for as you get ready to meet them. I hope you feel some peace amidst the unrest.

You’ll soon find out - your situation is not something anyone else can really understand unless they’re living it. For better or for worse. You’ll be annoyed when people say “Mine are close in age, so I get it.” Nope. It’s not the same. You have two tiny humans needing you in the exact same ways, at the exact same time, all day every day — oh and a toddler, too. You’ll feel alone in your struggles pretty often. Or maybe that you’re so entrenched in motherhood these days that you begin to lose sight of the you that exists beyond these precious babies.

I’ve had some of my hardest, darkest days in this season. The sensory overload is real and beyond overwhelming. Touched out, cried out, trying to function in a constant state of chaos, give a damn busted, guilt over said give a damn being busted… but also days where I’ve never felt stronger or more capable in my entire life. Taking two or even three somewhere by myself sounds so simple, but man, you’ll feel like a badass when you get the hang of going places with them, without help. Or when they’re all fed, occupied and happy at home and maybe you can enjoy a cup of coffee with only one reheat instead of three. You’ll feel on top of the world!

This year has refined me so much - iron in the fire. Coming home from the hospital leaving two babies in the NICU an hour away. Powering through tasks that I didn’t give a second thought to with one baby but feel straight up daunting with two (or three). On the days I’ve felt like I had nothing else to give. Not an ounce. When I’ve taken deep breaths and given myself pep talks as I dig in a little deeper, mentally and physically, just to be able to just make it to the next nap. When I take a step back, I know it’s all refining me. As a mom, a wife, a human.

All I can tell you is to let yourself release every expectation that flashes through your mind. Let go of all the “shoulds.” That’s been the hardest part for me. Especially when I compare the twins to my oldest and think things like “I should be doing more with them. I did so much with her.” Outings. Activities. Baby led weaning. Reading. Snuggling. All of it. Let it go and embrace the bare minimum sometimes. You’ll all be better for it. What worked for one might not make sense for two. These babies’ first year just won’t look like your oldest’s did - there’s no way it could! Different but still wonderful. No one is giving out Mom awards. Everyone just gets a participation trophy here, so take advantage. Do what you need to do to make it through each day and let that be good enough. All three of your babies are still so loved. That’s truly all that matters.

Remember the oxygen mask rule. Always put yours on first. Set a crying baby down and go pee. Brush your hair. Brush your teeth, please. Eat lunch. Take a sip of water. Take a breath. Let the laundry pile stay unfolded and sit down for five whole minutes. Our culture has gone a little far with the whole over-glorification of motherhood as martyrdom and the self care obsession, but at the same time - don’t neglect your basic needs, mama. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

This isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll wish every single day that you had an extra set of hands. Or that you could sneak in a nap while your babies all nap, just one time, but the to-do list will win out and you’ll try to be productive. You’ll lie awake for hours at night even though you’re exhausted because that’s when your brain and your shoulders can finally decompress. Every new phase of your twins’ babyhood will present its own challenges, as will trying to parent and disciple a toddler while your attention and patience are both spread thin. You’ll all make it through. Lean on your support system. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or just to vent. Ditch the comparison game. Embrace the chaos and the mess. Get a Twin Z pillow. Do whatever you need to do to make life easier for yourself. Spend one on one time with your oldest. Say the words “oh well” more often.

You can do hard things!

Love,
A mom in the thick of it.

P.S.
Not sure if this was so much a letter to you as it was another pep talk to myself. Either way - cheers to us, mama.

Bullard Boys | Newborn Photos

The Bullard boys are HOME! Hayes McCall and Harrison Shepler (Shep) joined us September 3, 2021, at 9:25 and 9:26 in the morning, weighing 5lbs 9oz and 4lbs 11oz. Both boys needed a little help maintaining their body temps, taking full feeds without wearing themselves out, and making sure they were breathing steady without any apnea episodes. Our two-week NICU stay wasn’t fun (especially with a one-hour commute to the hospital) but they’re home at last and we’re living in a state of exhausted bliss, still not quite believing these three kiddos are ours. Big sister has had a little bit of a tough time adjusting and doesn’t love when mom and dad are holding the boys and don’t have any free hands left for her, but when either of her brothers cry she’s sure to let us know. I think she’ll warm up to them before long.

I was trying to remember if I ever even blogged Steele’s newborn photos and discovered I blogged a few of them here, along with our picks for must-have baby items. So far, this list still holds true with twins, too!

Without further ado, here are our boys and their sweet big sister. How lucky are we to call them ours.