Luke's Newborn Photos

So I am finally able to sit down and download Luke's newborn photos between moving, unpacking and planning a baby shower for a family friend (those posts will be coming later!). I currently am sitting at my computer with one screen on Netflix (playing a baby program...I better get used to these) with Luke in his baby wrap facing forward instead of backward because he is just such a big boy and wasn't having that whole not seeing what is going on thing.

Well before this guy fills his diaper again or gets tired of watching these videos, here are our favorite newborn photos courtesy of Jules Photo & Design!

Snoozing on Daddy's Kings Jerseys

Wearing Daddy's bowtie that Mommy gave him on their wedding day and Mommy and Daddy's Aggie Rings :)

Well that didn't take long...

Colorado Vacation

A few weeks ago, we took a break from the Texas heat and went to our family cabin in Colorado! Luke was an angel baby on the long drives and I am so thankful for that!

happy boy in his carseat

taking a break in New Mexico

Standing in front of the big ice cream cone at the DQ in Raton, New Mexico

It was basically a cabin full of girls: My grandma, my mom, two (of the three) sisters, me and then our one little man. I have been going out to Colorado and staying in this cabin since I was just a few months old and it is just so much fun to be able to do this with my baby. The weather was rainy and cold for the most part so Luke was our entertainment for a good part of the time.

We walked up the road that goes up the mountain behind our cabin a few times. It is just a beautiful walk and I just love being able to get out and enjoy God's creation!

Another tradition we have while in Colorado is driving around in the evenings to look for deer. In years past we have seen up to 70+ deer in one night! I was able to test out my new camera (my birthday gift from David) and got some pretty good close ups...

we also saw a moose!

We had a lot of fun just playing with the newest addition of our family and dressing him in cute outfits! :)

My mom and sisters and I went on a hike on the Continental Divide and it was just a beautiful day to be outside!

me and my momma

Tare bear

Loved family time!

4 Generations

New Mommy Must-haves!

I have been thinking about the items that have made my life easier since Luke graced us with his presence almost three months ago and came up with the following list. I have a lot of friends and family that are also in this baby boom with me and I figured I could share what I consider are must-haves for new mommies! I am by no means an expert and would love to hear what other people consider must-haves. :)

Beauty:

BeautyBlender: I have used other types of makeup sponges in the past, but there is something about the BeautyBlender that sets it apart! Oh my goodness. I feel like it just makes your foundation go on so smoothly and helps cover everything and then also helps blend in concealer. I have been using the Philosophy Hope in a Jar foundation lately and I just put a pump of that on the back of my hand, take the beauty blender and run it under cold water and squeeze it out into a towel and then dab it into the foundation then "stipple" it onto my face. It is fast and simple and I can get good coverage in a very short amount of time!

 

Dry Shampoo: I have oily hair and needed to wash my hair every day until I discovered dry shampoo.  I have gone through trial and error with a ton of different dry shampoos but I finally found two that I think A) really work and B) don't smell completely horrendous.  Detox by drybar is a little pricey but it is worth it if you can't wash your hair for two days. It has a pretty strong smell that I think gave me a slight headache the first time I used it, but after that I think I got used to it.  Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo is also one that I use and it is less than $5.00 at Target!

Makeup Remover Wipes: I love these wipes because they take off all of my makeup (except for some stubborn mascara) and it is quick when you are dead tired...which is basically all the time when you have a newborn! I have these in my travel bag as well.

Concealer: From the lack of sleep, dark circles under your eyes are a constant battle. I have found a few concealers that seem to hide that darkness and help you look bright and awake. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is affordable and I feel like it has a great formula for coverage and blending and not looking cakey. I dot it on underneath my eyes and use the beauty blender to blend -- it also helps pick up any excess product -- then I pat a little powder on to help set the concealer in place. I have also heard many great things about the Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer by Urban Decay that I have been wanting to try for a while.

Highlighter: So I have been following YouTube make up guru Jaclyn Hill ever since she first started and she recently did a collaboration with Becca Cosmetics for a highlighter called Champagne Pop. I purchased it the day it came out and I have been using it constantly. It is gorgeous and just adds a little shimmer to give you a glowy look. I just lightly dust it along the tops of my cheek bones but I have seen others put it on the bridge of their nose and collarbone.

Baby Stuff: 

Auto Rocker: This rocker is what Luke sleeps in every night and it is AMAZING. It plugs into the wall so you don't have to worry about batteries and it has an option to run for 6 hours before shutting off. I heard about this from another mom at Babies R Us when I was registering for stuff and and she said it is a life saver...I totally agree!

Swaddlers: One of my momma friends told me about these SwaddleMe Swaddles by Summer Infant and they quickly became a necessity for us. We noticed Luke slept longer when he was swaddled for about the first 6 weeks after we brought him home. It has little velcro tabs which are great to keep him wrapped up and when you're half asleep trying to get him in there it helps a lot! The one downside: the velcro is loud and can sometimes startle a sleepy baby if you need to change them!

Baby Wrap: Luke loves to be held and I have found this Boba Wrap gives you the ability to simulate baby being held close to you and you also have free hands to get some things done around the house. There are plenty other brands out there that are basically a strip of stretchy fabric that you wrap around your body and stick your little one in there. It takes a little practice but YouTube tutorials helped me get the hang of wrapping it!

Feed Baby App: This app is awesome. It allows you to set alarms to keep you on top of feedings, changings, pumpings, etc. There are other categories that we don't really use like sleeping, baths, and medicines but they are available if you want them! We paid for the premium app so it would sync between mine and David's phones to keep us up to date at all times. SO worth it.

There you have it! These are the things I think have really helped me and Luke and I'm sure there are things I have over looked. If any of you other mommies have other things I should check out, let me know! :)