Hazel and Holly- Review & Giveaway

Shortly before our little girl was born, we received some adorable little items for review from Hazel and Holly. As soon as I opened the package, I was in love. They were the most adorable pieces ever. I couldn't wait for our Sophia to arrive just so I could dress her up!

Hazel and Holly specializes in creating unique and comfy clothes and accessories for the modern trendy baby. All of their proceeds go towards adoption fundraisers as well!

I absolutely love the leggings that we received! Our little girl is super tiny and short. These leggings fit her perfectly and were great in length! I also loved the matching headband!

 

I absolutely love these headbands and how gentle and comfy they are on her head.

 

She also sent us these absolutely adorable Harem Pants. How stinkin' cute are these?!

 

 I love that Hazel and Holly has SO many adorable & fun patterns to choose from!

 

The final item we received was this super cute baby maxi skirt and headband.

Yes, you read that right.....a maxi skirt for an infant. 

I'm officially in love with this!

 

 

Like I mentioned before, Hazel and Holly has SO many super cute patterns and products.

Here are some of my other favorites!

 

Snatch up your favorites & follow Hazel and Holly on social media!

Etsy 

Facebook 

@hazelandholly on Instagram 

Love everything you see? Hazel and Holly is generously giving away a $25 credit to their Etsy shop to one lucky reader! Its easy to enter, just enter below!

**Be sure you have liked The Married Life Blog and Hazel and Holly on Facebook**

Diary of a New Mommy- Week 2

 

Being a Mommy Is Hard Work.

I knew from the beginning it would be no piece of cake. Its exhausting and never ends....

but I love it, and wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. 

The other day on facebook I came across an article that was shared by a friend. While reading the article, a particular quote stood out to me:

 "Whatever Your Going Through, You Only Need To Make It Through 10 Seconds At A Time"

Night time is the hardest. Our sweet baby girl wakes up about 3 or 4 times. It never fails that she wakes me up right in the middle of a really good, deep sleep. Most of the time after feeding her a bottle, she goes right back to sleep, but occasionally she'll be wide awake. 

Then there are times when she's having tummy issues. Its so hard when she cries and nothing you do helps. You don't know what it is that's wrong and all you want to do is fix it.

Those nights when she does nothing but cries, those are are the nights where I have to remember that I only need to make it through 10 seconds at a time. 

Since we came home from the hospital, our little bit has struggled with gaining weight. 

When she was born, she weighted 6 lb 5.4 oz. The following week at her appointment, her weight was the same. The pediatrician had her come back a week later to check her weight again....still not enough gained to put her where she needs to be. The DR finally put her on a 22 calorie diet to help increase her weight. That Friday we went back and she had finally went up to 6 lb. 11 oz. 

We were so glad to finally see her growing!

Its so hard to believe that our baby girl is a little over 2 weeks old. She is growing so quickly. 

Its also sad to think that there's only 4 weeks left of my maternity leave. Its going to be so hard to leave her and go back to work but I know she'll be in good hands with family. 

Children are a gift from the Lord: They are a reward from him.

Psalms 127:3 

Posh, Please Easter Headband Review & Giveaway

 

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I'm so excited to share this adorable review. 

This is our sweet baby girl's review at just a week old! Its hard to believe she's finally here! 

Posh, Please sent us one of their absolutely adorable bunny headbands to review, just in time for Easter! There are so many things that I LOVE about this headband.

 

First off, I love the band. Its super soft and gentle on her little head and isn't tight at all. I love that you don't have to worry about an indention around her head when you take it off. I also love the adorable details and the way the bunny is made. The body of the bunny is a beautiful purple flower with a pearl and rhinestone center.

 

This adorable headband will make the perfect addition to your little girl's Easter apparel this holiday. 

They also have some really cute other bunny headbands as well.

 

I absolutely love this adorable crown headband, perfect for your newborn!

 

If your looking for custom onesies and shirts, they have have lots of adorable options!

 

Posh, Please is graciously giving away one of their adorable bunny headbands to one lucky winner! 

Enter below for a chance to win! Good Luck

Welcome to the World Sophia Rose

Our Birth Story....

     During the last week, I was so ready for Sophia to make her appearance. I was feeling miserable and felt like I could barely move. Thursday in particular, I felt even more sore. I felt so much pressure and it hurt to bend or squat. I knew it had to be close. On the way home I told me husband that we were going walking that evening. Thankfully it was the one day we had that week with nice weather. It was in the upper 60's and sunny. We walked about a mile that evening. That evening right after dinner I began to feel contractions, only these weren't like those pesky Braxton Hicks contractions I'd been having the past few weeks. These were different. Using an app I downloaded, I began to try and time them. By around 12:00 that night they grew stronger, however my app times were not consistent. I knew this had to be the real thing. I finally decided to wake my husband up. I had him time my contractions and he got around 2-3 minutes apart. It was finally time. We grabbed a few things around the house that we hadn't packed yet and then made our way to the hospital. 

    When we arrived they hooked me up to some monitors to read the contractions. When I arrived I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced and the contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I was told that I was in early labor but if I had not progressed more by the time the doctor came down to see me that they'd send me back home to wait. I was praying that something would happen quick. My nurse encouraged me to talk around the labor and delivery floor to help speed things up and to get the baby moving down. My husband and I walked several laps around the floor until the doctor came. Within that hour, I had progressed to 4cm and 90% effaced. He decided to admit me. I have to say that was one of the longest nights of my life. The DR broke my water that morning to help try and speed things up since I was still at a 4 around 5:00 that morning. 

      After they broke my water, I was in the most pain I think I've ever been in, in my entire life. My objective was not to get an epidural but for it to be available if I decided I wanted it. First I tried using an IV medication. That was a horrible experience! It made me SO sick on top of everything else. After that, I decided to give in and get the epidural. All along I was SO nervous about the needles and that whole procedure but I was in so much pain that I didn't even notice any of that. The rest of my labor went by much smoother now that I was "pain free." Later that afternoon, my nurse decided to check me on a whim. It was a good thing she did! At that point, I was at a 10! We started to push and by 3:04 our precious baby girl was here! She weighed 6lbs and 5.4oz and was 18 & 1/2 in long.

      As they placed her straight on my chest, I was so wrapped up in her that I didn't even notice anything else going on. Within a few moments I started to hear the words "lot of blood" and "stitches." 

Moments later the doctor told me that I had 2nd degree tearing and has lost a lot of blood. With quite a few stitches, I was taken care of. Within the next hour, we enjoyed swooning over our sweet girl. I was starting to feel a little better and decided to set my bed up so I could see her better. Immediately I began to feel like I was going to pass out. Jeffrey ran out and got the nurse who ran straight in along with the doctor. They laid me back down and I felt much better. My temperature was high and my heart rate was off. The next thing they worried about was possible clotting. The rest of the night I was being constantly monitored. I had bloodwork done and finally it came back good. That was definitely a scary experience! 

      Today makes our 4th day at home with our sweet girl. It has definitely been an experience. Everyone keeps saying it'll get easier. So far I have found that to be true with each passing day. There have been plenty of obstacles but with each day they manage to be easier. I am so glad to have my amazing husband by my side to help. He is such a good dad and I am so glad to have him to go through this journey with me. 

Young Living Essential Oils- Product Review

If your facebook is anything like mine than your news feed may be full of posts and ads about Young Living Essential Oils. I've always been curious about oils and how they work. When I found out I was pregnant, it wasn't long after that when the morning sickness started to kick in. My first appointment hadn't arrived yet but the nausea was horrible at times. After googling about ways to help get rid of it, I saw a few people mention peppermint oil. I remember a few years ago having received a roll on peppermint oil for headaches. I dug in my bathroom until I found it. I rubbed a bit on my forehead as instructed and almost instantly the nausea was gone! Since then, I knew I wanted to try more of the oils. 

Just a few weeks ago, Jennifer Ault with Young Living contacted me about doing a review. She sent me a few samples and some information about Young Living and their Essential Oils. 

I was really impressed reading about all the different things that oils were used to help with. 

I also mentioned that my husband and I are expecting our first baby mid March. She also included some information about using Essential Oils during Pregnancy and on babies once they are born.

I was really interested to read about using the oils with babies because when it comes to medication, there is so little you are able to give them!

The most commonly used Essential Oils used on babies are lavender, peppermint, Roman Chamomile, geranium, tangerine, grapefruit, jasmine, Melaleuca alternafolia, sandalwood, thyme, ginger, cypress & fennel. These oils can be used to treat things such as colds, colic, congestion, constipation, coughs, cradle cap, diaper rash, diarrhea, ear infections, fever, fussiness and teething in children under one year old. 

During pregnancy & with new moms, oils are often used to help with fatigue, morning sickness, lactation, mastitis, muscle aches, premature labor and umbilical cord care.

 

Essential Oils can be used 3 different ways:

 1. Aromatically- Inhale directly from the bottle, diffuse 2-4 drops, or by by rubbing one drop into your hands, cupping your nose & inhaling 

2. Topically- Apply 1-3 drops directly to affected area, or to your VitaFlex points. Some oils may need dilution with a carrier oil.

3. Internally- Oils that are "Dietary Supplements" can be taken internally via a vegetable capsule, or by being placed in a drink.

Getting Started with Young Living

Getting started with Young Living Essential Oils is easy. Jennifer Ault would love to help you out! Their best deal right now is their Premium Starter Kit for $150

 

You can sign up for your kit by visiting this link:

https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?isoCountryCode=US&sponsorid=2285364&enrollerid=2285364

Jennifer has a great sign up deal going on right now for the blog followers!

Be the first two to sign up as a member with any of the 3 premium kits and get a FREE Young Living Lip Balm!

The FIRST retail purchase will receive also receive a FREE Young Living Lip Balm.

The SECOND retail purchase will receive 2 Ningxia 2oz packets.

To claim your prize, you'll need to message her at the link below to let her know and be sure to mention that The Married Life Blog referred you!

https://www.facebook.com/jenstreasureddrops

SlickFox Handmade Goods: Bandana Bib Review & Coupon Code

When it comes to products for our precious baby girl (who will be here any day now), you can't beat handmade. I love knowing that each stitch is made with love AND you can't beat the quality! I also love to follow "Baby Girl Style" on Pinterest. Nothing beats their adorable ideas such as baby infinity scarves and now, the new popular bandana bibs. 

I was lucky enough to be able to review two of these adorable bandana bibs from SlickFox. 

When I first stumbled across the SlickFox Etsy Shop, I was immediately in LOVE with everything. When I was asked to review two of their bibs, I was ecstatic! They are the cutest things ever and I can't wait for our little princess to arrive so she can wear them! 

I chose to review the adorable coral and gold bandana and the gold and white bandana. 

I am crazy about anything with a shimmery gold accent so I was in love when I received both of these in the mail! I immediately checked them out and was so impressed. These adorable bibs are made of Organic Cotton & Bamboo Fleece. 

You can see how soft these look on the back side.

There are also two snaps that make these bibs adjustable to fit your little one! 

For our review, I had my adorable little niece Savannah, who's 10 months old, to model one of the bibs during her latest photo shoot. It is the cutest thing ever!

It looked absolutely adorable with her adorable denim jumper and her gold sparkly bow!

I am looking forwards to adding more of these adorable bibs to my baby girl's collection! Here are a few of my favorite patterns that she offers:

So excited to share that SlickFox is offering our readers a discount of 15% off their order, good through March 31st! Just enter the code MARRIEDLIFE15 at checkout.

Don't forget to follow SlickFox on:

Etsy

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram: Slickfoxhandmade

Infanteenie Beenie: Review & Coupon Code

I am so excited to share this review with you all! From the moment I stumbled across their facebook page to the moment I pulled those hats out of the package, I was in love. These hats are the most adorable things ever.

Infanteenie Beenie sent me 3 of their adorable newborn hats to review.

Forget the boring little hospital hats! With Infanteenie Beenie hats, your little one is sure to be cutest in the labor and delivery! They have so many adorable hats to choose from on their Etsy shop for both boys and girls. 

My favorite that they sent is the one with the large bow.

Is this not the cutest little hat you've ever seen? 

Did you know that Infanteenie Beenie hats are the only hat guaranteed to fit & stay snug on all newborns? No more generic blue and pink striped hospital hats for your little bundle of joy!

Their hats have also been featured in Glamour Magazine, Allure Magazine, Baby Maternity Magazine & Northwest Evans Living Magazine. 

They are also hospital approved! They are latex FREE and Sterile so they are super safe for your newborn right after birth!

I can promise you that these adorable little hats will be going along with us to the hospital! Our sweet little girl will be in style!

Infanteenie Beenie has SO many hats to choose from! Here are just a few of my favorites:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184349441/baby-girl-hat-baby-girl-newborn-girl-hat?ref=shop_home_active_2

https://www.etsy.com/listing/176579143/baby-girl-newborn-hat-girl-newborn-baby?ref=shop_home_active_22

https://www.etsy.com/listing/191685446/newborn-hat-newborn-hospital-hat-with?ref=shop_home_active_24

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187925063/newborn-girl-take-home-outfit-newborn?ref=shop_home_active_22

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126565245/newborn-boy-hat-newborn-hospital-hat?ref=shop_home_active_4

I also love that they have these adorable little socks and mittens to match!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/183145009/newborn-girl-take-home-outfit-newborn?ref=shop_home_active_3

Infanteenie Beenie™~ the only hat guaranteed to fit and stay snug on all newborns

Right now over at their Etsy Shop they are offering 20% off your entire order when you enter the code: XOXOX