Wednesday, July 27, 2016

WIWW: New Hair + Link Up









top // shorts // shoes
Hello there! I am back a feeling much lighter :)

Yesterday I cut about six inches off my hair and dyed it for the first time since college. I was so bored with my long hair, and I never did anything with it. I am in love with the cut and color! If you've been around here awhile, you might remember when I cut off 10 inches and donated it. I loved it and have been itching for short hair again. I am ready to rock my new 'do in Napa!

I picked up this top and these shoes just in time for my trip. We are doing a San Francisco bus tour before we catch our return flight on Sunday and I'm planning on wearing this exact outfit except with gray jeans.

I leave tomorrow morning and Chris and Graham are all ready for some daddy/son time. Chris promised me a picture every hour and lots of Snapchats (the.tuckers21). Please pray they have a fun weekend together and that my momma anxiety is held to a minimum. I am feeling fine right now, but I know Thursday morning might be a different story.

Lastly, don't forget about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! Here are my favorite booties for under $100 and the cutest baby boy items!

Happy Wednesday!

- All I ask is you link back to my blog and link to a specific post.

- Write about something fashion related!

- Instagram @SarahTuckerUp  and Snapchat (the.tuckers21) for more outfits and randoms!

Thanks for linking up and to see other WIWW posts, click here. 


Monday, July 25, 2016

Weekend Rewind






This weekend was a good one. My sister-in-law was in town from Kansas City and it was her second time seeing Graham since he was 4 weeks old. And, next Monday he will be 4 MONTHS old. Where has time gone?!

We also got to spend time with friends that we won't be seeing for awhile. Graham's birthday twin, Sam, will be heading back to India with his parents next month and a few others in the group are headed to other states for school/work. I also have to mention that we weighed both the babies and G had four pounds on Sam (insert wide-eyed emoji). He weighed in at 18 pounds and now I know why my back always hurts!

Other than spending time with family and friends, Chris and I managed to workout, eat a lot of delicious food, shop for my trip to Napa, and I was able to sleep in!

Today, G and I are relaxing and running a few errands. I want to go get a book for my Napa trip, so we are going to head to Half Price Books later. I'm also lining up my outfits for Napa! I've got my favorite cross body bag ready, my aviators, and all my bags organized!

Tomorrow I am chopping off my hair and Wednesday I am getting a spray tan, so it is safe to say that by the time I leave for Napa, I won't be recognizable, hah!

Friday, July 22, 2016

Five On Friday

1. Dinners...I am terrible at them. I am terrible at meal planning and prepping and I'd just rather eat out all the time. But, alas, now with a baby things are a little more difficult. I've been writing down all the recipes I can think of on cards in an attempt to make life easier when planning meals and grocery lists. My thought is: each week Chris and I will pick out four meals and I'll just have to look on the card at the ingredients that I need and make my grocery list that way. Is that a good thought? How do y'all meal plan? Do you have any really easy recipes you'd like to share with me? Help!

2. I ordered some new Ray-Ban Aviators and I cannot wait for them to get here. My old ones are scratched and I was due for a new pair.

3. Chris and I have been doing Cross Fit for 12 days now and it sucks, but feels great, all at the same time. I love how the workouts are so short! I had FOUR blisters (on one hand) after Wednesday's workout and thought about crying, but I pushed through.

4. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is open to the public today! Since I'm not a cardholder (that would be dangerous!) I can now go purchase all the baby boy stuff and booties in my shopping cart!



5. This baby boy of ours and his giggles are killing me! Chris coughed while putting him in his car seat last night and Graham let out the biggest giggles. Then, we kept doing it over and over and he kept giggling. It was the cutest! And, he is 16 weeks old today and I can't believe it! He gets sweeter each and everyday, so as much as I miss him being a teeny tiny baby, we are loving watching our boy grow.

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

WIWW: Baby Boy Edition + Link Up

Shopping for a baby boy is proving to be more fun than shopping for myself. I think because it is harder to find cute boy stuff, I love when I actually find adorable boy clothes and shoes. 

Nordstrom has some great sales on baby items and I can't wait to scoop up these favorites of mine!

- Nikes: I think from the moment I found out we were having a boy, I couldn't wait to order him his first Nike tennis shoes. These little Air Max tennies are the cutest!

- Ju-Ju-Be Backpack: We have a Ju-Ju-Be backpack and I'm obsessed with it. My mom couldn't believe that I had registered for such an expensive diaper bag, but now she sees how amazing it is to have a backpack, and how study and functional it is. This would be one of my top items to tell people to register for when they're having a baby!

- Bear Hooded Outfit: I mean, do I really have to explain why this is perfection?

- Personalized Blankets are the best!

- Tucker + Tate Hooded Jacket: Every baby needs a jacket and this one is too cute to pass up!

- Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets: We use these ALL THE TIME for blankets, burp cloths, drop blankets, cuddle blankets...you name it, I've got one of these on me at all times!

- Hoodie and Pants Set: Can you just picture Graham's chubby body in that outfit? I'm dying already!

- Boon Lawn: This, along with the swaddle blanket and backpack, is used daily...dare I even say hourly? Minutely? We love our Boon Lawn!

- Freshly Picked Mocs: Every baby needs a pair of FP Mocs, and at this price, you can't beat it!

Happy Wednesday!

- All I ask is you link back to my blog and link to a specific post.

- Write about something fashion related!

- Instagram @SarahTuckerUp  and Snapchat (the.tuckers21) for more outfits and randoms!

Thanks for linking up and to see other WIWW posts, click here. 


Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Easy (Really Easy!) Chick Pot Pie

via
Now that the evenings are consumed with a chubby baby, my dinners need to be quick and easy. I came across this recipe and, in Chris's words, "I'm not a pot pie guy, but this is GOOD!" Even the leftovers were delicious!

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 40 min

1 - 2 count box of refrigerated pie crust
1 rotisserie chicken
1 bag of frozen veggies
1 large can of cream of chicken soup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap one pie crust and press it into the bottom of your pie dish.

2. Pull all meat off rotisserie chicken and place in large bowl. Add in frozen veggies and soup.

3. Pour pot pie filling into pie dish. Cover with second pie crust and pinch edges.

4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes then cover the edges with foil for the last 20 minutes.

Eat and enjoy!

Monday, July 18, 2016

The best weekend.


This weekend was so good. Nothing special happened, but there was a lot of quality family time, friend time, and now my heart is so full and ready to start the week.

Friday night started with a pizza and game night at our house. We haven't had our 'supper club' get together in a long time because us and another couple both had babies! Sweet Evelyn was born just a week after Graham, so life has been busy. We finally found a free Friday to get together. Although the night didn't last as long as it used to, the friend time was much needed.


Moving on to Saturday...we went and visited our sweet friends and their precious three week old baby. She is so tiny! They also have a 2.5 year old who is basically my bestie. We brought them lunch and loved on babies the whole time. It was perfect.

Saturday evening we went to church and invited Chris's best friend and his girlfriend. We put G in the nursery for the first time and he did perfect! After church we grilled out tons of food, drank lots of wine, and ate lots of dessert.


Graham decided to sleep in until 9:00am on Sunday, but of course I couldn't sleep in that late. My best friend came over and brought us donuts and loved on G baby for awhile until we got ready to go to Miss Baker's first birthday party!

After the party I was able to convince Chris to go and buy a new computer! We've been using Chris's old HP for yearssss now and it won't ever turn on and always sounds like it is going to blow up. I've been secretly stashing money away here and there, which made my case easier to go and buy a Mac Book Pro! I'm still learning the ropes, but we are both in love with it already.


Now it is Monday morning and Graham and I are off to have a playdate with this pretty momma and her precious boys!

Happy Monday!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Napa Valley Wardrobe Planning

dress // earrings // watch // purse // sunglasses // wedges
Once of my favorite things to do before a trip is to plan out my outfits. I don't dress up much here at home because I always opt for my comfy clothes, but if I only pack cute outfits for a trip, I'm forced to look cute wherever we go!

When Chris and I went to Napa a few years ago (here, here), I was in love with the weather. Here in Texas it is hot and humid, which makes you miserable. Napa was warm, but much less humid making it so easy to dress nice without worrying about looking like a sweaty mess.

There are six of us girls going to Napa in a couple weeks and I'm already starting to plan out what I'll wear for our four day trip. I am thinking lots of dresses that can go from day to night, a cross-body to ensure I have both hands free to drink wine, and some comfy. but cute, shoes!

Have you been to Napa? What are your outfit picks?

Friday, July 15, 2016

Friday Favorites || Booties Under $100


The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is all the rage right now, and for good reason. You can get some of the best fall clothes, shoes, and accessories for great discounts.

I'm a huge fan of booties because they give you the fall look without being as hot as knee high boots. Texas doesn't get really cold (ever, jk) until November, so sometimes boots are just too darn hot. 

Starting at the top left and moving clockwise:







Which are your favorites? I'm loving the Bashina ones!

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Life Lately|| Tasty Meals, Working Out, and Baby Talk

Hey, y'all! I'd really love to say I'm trying to be more consistent with this blogging thing, but, honestly, I'm not. I tried to post yesterday for my normal WIWW post, but our computer is terrible and wouldn't turn on, so I just gave up. There are other things I needed to be doing during nap time! I'm hoping to convince Chris to buy me a new computer this weekend, so you can follow me on snapchat (the.tuckers21) to see if that happens!

Since deciding that I am going back to teach for one more year, I've really been diligent about soaking in this last month with my G man. Life is so great lately and I don't want to even stop for a second to blog about it (monkey covering eyes emoji!).

Here is what has been going on lately!

- We are finally back on track with baby boy's sleep and it is proving to be such a happy thing for everyone! He slept for 11 hours the other night(!!!), but is more consistent with going down around 8:00pm and waking once between 2-4am. After that feeding, he is out until 7-7:30am.

- Graham finally rolled from tummy to back for the first time yesterday! His large head and gut have really been a barrier to his rolling ability, but he was finally able to overcome that obstacle and make the roll. He did it four times in a row, but hasn't done it since.

- Chris and I started Cross Fit on Monday and we are so sore, but loving it. Our neighbors have a whole Cross Fit setup in their garage and have been asking us to come workout with them and we finally made the plunge. Both being former college athletes, we thrive off competition and that is all Cross Fit is. I would never pay to go to an actual CF gym because it is SO expensive, so we are thankful our neighbors let us workout with them...and they even watch G while Chris and I do the workout! I'm hoping to tone up before I go to Napa with my girls! I also need to shed a couple extra pounds to fit back into my jeans and pants for school. I really don't want to buy all new pants!

- Our living room is featured here on Shutterfly. Pretty cool!

- I finally bought these sandals and can't wait to wear them. They are so comfy and something a little out of the box for me, with the ankle tie, but I am trying to be more daring :) #livingontheedge

- Meal prep has never been my strong area. We are guilty of eating out a lot. Food is our love language and we love just getting out of the house and having someone else do all the work for us. But, as a sort of stay at home mom/wife (at the moment) I feel like we should be eating at home most nights during the week. So, I've been making meals from those Tasty videos that are all over Facebook...have y'all seen them? We have made this Alfredo Chicken Bake, Stuffed Steak Rolls, Chicken Parmesan Casserole, and a few others and they've all been so good! I love it because I can pull up the video for Chris and he can do it, instead of me having to always cook.








Monday, July 11, 2016

Graham || 3 Months







I'm only 11 days late posting this, so that's considered a win in my book. Graham has really changed a lot this month and as sad as it is to see him grow, it is so fun at the same time! 

Nicknames: G, G-unit, G-baby, G-man, Buddy boy, buddy, bub, bubba, bubs, Spam, Spammer, Grammarrrr

Weight: I got on the scale with him the other day and we are estimating he is around 18+ pounds. We've got a big boy on our hands!

Clothes Size: 3-6 months. Most of his 0-3 month and 3 month clothes do not fit.

Diaper Size: still in 2's, but any day now we will be transitioning to 3's.

Likes: He loves his swing and his car seat. He seriously is a giant cheese-ball when we load him up to go somewhere. He loves being in the stroller, but it has been SO hot here lately, that we've been having to stay inside. He loves watching tv (parents of the year), blowing spit bubbles, standing up with a little assistance from mom and dad, getting his diaper changed, and baths. He loves doing patty cake and playing airplane with daddy. 

Dislikes: He still doesn't like being held in a horizontal position unless he is really tired. He likes to be up and in the middle of whatever is going on! 

New stuff: He finally sleeps unswaddled! Once I decided that I would go back to school in August I started to worry about G having to sleep being swaddled. By law, day cares cannot swaddle babies (in Texas at least), so I've been working on transitioning him out. His Moro reflex was still very predominant up until last week or so. About three weeks ago he kept busting out of his Miracle Blanket, so I went and got a couple Woombies. Those held us over until he kept sleeping with them over his face! My momma anxiety was on high alert every time I'd wake up to his face being covered, so I knew we had to do something. Saturday he fell asleep while I was holding him and I laid him on the couch so I could get up and I noticed that he didn't even flinch, so I left him there. He ended up napping for an hour on the couch, unswaddled. So, Saturday night we tried putting him in his Zipadee Zip and he slept from 8:15pm to 4:30am!!!! We are able to put him down wide awake and he squirms for about five minutes and then settles down. He woke up a couple times Saturday night, but was able to suck on his hands and fall back asleep. 

Schedule: We are always up between 7-7:30am. I feed G and then we play and he naps around 9:00am. Once he is up he eats, we play, and he is usually down again around noon. We follow that pattern all day. He usually can't stay awake for more than 1.5-2 hours without needing some sort of nap. Around 7:15pm we give him a big (6-8oz) bottle and then he either gets a bath, or we play with him. At 8:30pm he either nurses or gets a small bottle (2oz) to top him off before bed. We did a dream feed for a couple nights, but we aren't consistent with it. I think (I'm definitely jinxing us!) we are back on track with the sleep...at least for now, haha. Thank God! 

Milestones: Everything on the Wonder Weeks app hit him at once, except rolling over. Homeboy just loves being on his belly and sucking on his hands, so he doesn't have much interest in rolling over. He moves his legs almost like he is ready to crawl. There have been times when he was swaddled that I was sure he was going to flip from back to belly, but no rolling in either direction has happened yet. I mean, if I had a cute belly that big I don't think I'd be rolling either!

Other milestones: Lots of smiling and talking. Lots of tongue sticking out and spit bubbles. He loves standing up and can whip his head around like he is on high alert!

Looking forward to: Dressing him for the winter! In the wee hours of the mornings I've made some instagram purchases that I don't remember until they send me the invoice the next day (oops!), so I'm excited to dress him in something other than a diaper! It is just so darn hot that I really can't put much on him other than a onesie. 

Graham,

This last month with you has proven to be the best, yet one of the most difficult. Leap 3 really did us all in, but man it is cute watching you learn new things! You swam for the first time, celebrated your first Fourth of July, went down to the Hill Country for the second time, and have just made everyone's life so much brighter.

You are starting to really get into a routine. You only fuss when you're tired and my favorite thing is to get you when you wake up. 

You are the happiest baby and we are so blessed to call you ours!

Love, 
Your Momma

Friday, July 8, 2016

Are you following? || And other random things


Hey! We made it to Friday! And my G baby is 14 weeks old today! His new trick is constantly having his tongue out and it is the most precious thing ever.

First off, I want to thank all you mommas out there who encouraged me when I vented about how dang tiring this mommy gig is. I truly appreciate it! And, I have good news to report! The moment that darn Wonder Weeks app said Graham was out of his 'leap', things improved. For the last few nights I have given him a big (6oz-7oz) bottle at 10pm and he has slept until 3:30am. At that time, Chris gets up and gives him a bottle while I pump. That has eliminated so. much. time. Once G goes back down, he sleeps another 3-4 hours. It has been a life saver!

I also went to the doctor and got a muscle relaxer. I grind my teeth at night and am a habitual jaw clencher and they think that is the cause of my terrible headaches.

In other news...if you're a SnapChat person, you can follow me @the.tuckers21. It is mostly snaps of G, so if looking at an adorable baby is your thing, I suggest you follow :)

I have talked about these shorts so many times and everyone seems to be following the trend. How could you not? They are so cheap and perfect for everyone. There are so many styles to choose from, but sizes are limited, so go fast!

Yesterday I followed the yearly recommendation and went to the dermatologist to get a full body check. I was worried about a couple spots, but she ended up taking a biopsy of a spot I had never even suspected! Your body and skin changes a lot once you have a baby, so go get checked, ladies!!

And I think that's all I've got for today. Tonight we are going to our friend's house for a catered dinner (what are we, the Real Housewives!? Ha!) and then we have a low key weekend planned. I'm hoping to knock out some organizing and relax with my little family.

Happy Friday!



Wednesday, July 6, 2016

WIWW: The 4th + Link Up







Hey y'all! How was your long weekend? Ours was great! We went down to my parent's and went to a 4th of July party that my family has been going to for 30 years. G swam for the first time and we ate our weight in food. It was the perfect weekend!

As you might have read, I'm quite sleep deprived, so I'm sorry for the lack of fashion posts, but until G man decides to sleep longer than 2 hours, I'll be able to brush my teeth before 6pm and get out of my three day old pajamas!

Now for the link up!

- All I ask is you link back to my blog and link to a specific post.

- Write about something fashion related!

- Instagram @SarahTuckerUp for more outfits and randoms!

Thanks for linking up and to see other WIWW posts, click here. 



Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Mommy Help, Please!


Let me preface this by saying that Graham is the biggest blessing Chris and I have ever received. He is a joy and truly the happiest baby! Just the happiest baby who loves life so much he doesn't want to sleep!

I'm about to get really honest. I've cried almost everyday for a week because of sleep deprivation. The kind of sleep deprivation where your head hurts so bad you can't even function...and I am not one to get headaches. Graham was sleeping 6-8 hour stretches for a few weeks and for the last week he has been waking up every 2-3 hours. He goes down between 8:45-9:30 and has been waking at 12, 2:30, 4-5, 6, and then we get up at 7. We have a nightly routine of bath (sometimes), bottle (5-6oz), rock, put down awake, and he falls asleep without a fuss. He is sleeping in a Woombie because he started to bust out of his swaddle. The room is cool and we have the sound machine blaring the ocean :)

During the day we try to follow Baby Wise, loosely. He eats, we play, and he goes down for a nap 30-45 minutes after he finishes eating. We also make sure that he is not up for more than 1.5-2 hours at a time. Once again, he goes down really easy, but has been waking up at 30 minutes on the dot. I let him roll around until he starts crying, then I let him cry for about 5 minutes. I try to go in and put in his paci, but the moment he sees me he has the biggest cheesy smile on his face and I just try to ignore it. Sometimes I rock him a minute then put him back down and other days I put the paci in and repeat that 5 minutes process a couple times, but almost every time he never goes back to sleep...even if I transfer him to his swing. He doesn't cry or whine when I get him up either! He is always so darn happy. Today he napped on me for 2.5 hours which was a blessing because I literally couldn't function. I've tried to not make that a habit, but sometimes desperation calls.

I'm not sure what to do. This morning I fed him from 2:40-3:15am and he woke up at 4:45am. I knew he wasn't hungry, so I just got him and brought him to bed with us and he slept (on and off) until 7am.

We try the let him cry for 5 minutes, then go in, paci, shush, repeat in 5 minutes if needed, but he becomes so whiny that I end up having to feed him and, honestly, when you're so tired, it is hard to wait 5 minutes and then repeat that process.

We have tried to dream feed between 10-11 and he still got up at 1-2am. Saturday night and Sunday night at my parent's house we didn't get home until around midnight and each night G woke up so I fed him at midnight and he slept until 4:30ish, then went back down until 7ish. Now that we are back home and he is going to bed earlier, he is waking a million times a night.

Is this a growth spurt? Is he getting used to being fed? We always put him down awake, so I know it isn't that he needs to be rocked because that doesn't always do the trick. Is he really hungry? He doesn't take a paci very well, but sucks his hands through his Woombie. I know that we know our baby boy best, but I'd love to hear of others who struggled with the same thing around the 3 month mark. I know he can't really soothe himself yet, but is feeding him always the option I have to go with?

All I hear from friends is how their baby is "sleeping perfectly through the night!" and I can't help but cry my eyes out because I'm working with 4 hours of broken sleep for over a week now.

Also, on my Wonder Weeks app is says he is in a "leap" which could be causing the sleepless nights. All I know is I am dying. Literally, I feel like this is worse than the newborn stage and I don't even want to think about the four month sleep regression.

Even with this broken sleep he is such a happy baby. Everyone who has met him always asks if he ever cries. Truly, he is just as happy as can be, but momma needs some sleep!

So, do any of you mommies out there have any advice? I'm all ears!!