Happy Wednesday everyone! This last week has been full of lots of snuggles and resting. I had the not so fun experience of having a blocked milk duct this past weekend. It started late last week and I think I was actually on the verge of getting mastitis, which really frightened me. I somehow magically beat it though! I'm feeling so much better and and the clog is gone. It was kind of a wake up call for me though to start taking it easier and that I just need to rest more. Thanks to finally slowing down though I was able to get rid of the clog and my tailbone is finally better now, too. My house may look like a tornado ran through it and I might be super behind on laundry but at least I'm getting healthy. Kai's needed all the snuggles, too, because he seems to be going through his first mental leap. He wants to be nonstop held and has been waking up early from his naps HANGRY. However, I'm going to be positive and grateful for that last bit because thanks to him wanting to be constantly nursing it really helped unclog that milk duct. So thank you baby boy for healing me!

Today I wanted to share my lash extensions experience with all of you! Ever since I got them done back at the end of December I've received so many compliments on them as well as had lots of questions about them. So here are my thoughts on the process and why I decided to get them done!

Taking care of yourself as a mom is really hard. Your baby always comes first and as a mom I am 100% on board with that. However, you have a lot going on with hormones, lack of sleep, not feeling tip top, and struggling with the image of yourself after awhile when you're a new mom. I knew all of this full well before giving birth. I started thinking of ways I knew would give me a little bit of confidence and possibly help cure some of those baby blues once Kai came in to this world. I truly love beauty products and doing my makeup, but being on maternity leave and not having any time to put on a face every morning really puts a hinder on that love. So I had the idea of getting lash extensions. This way I could look in the mirror every day and personally feel like I still looked nice. I loved the idea of not having to put mascara on EVER, too. A lot of times if I keep mascara on too long it starts to burn my eyes, but I love long lashes. I feel like I look so tired when I don't put mascara on and let me tell you as a mom to a 1 month old...I'm SO TIRED. All these little factors kept creeping in to my head, so I decided to make an appointment with a lash studio for a free consultation to see if getting extensions would work for me.

I went to my free consultation and after asking a bunch of questions like if I stop getting them will my natural lashes still be healthy? (yes), how often do you need to get them re-done? (every 2-4 weeks), and what kind of day to day maintenance do they require? (brush them out with a little clean mascara wand), I decided to get them. I made an appointment for a couple days later and was so excited about it. The first appointment to get the full set done was about 2 hours long. I was really late in to my pregnancy and was worried about having to lay flat on my back to get them put on but my consultant was so nice and understanding. She propped my hips and belly up with some pillows and I was good to relax for the next 2 hours. I absolutely loved how they turned out but was interested to see how they would hold up over time. I made an appointment for my first fill 2 weeks later and went off with my new lashes. Well even with wearing makeup and putting eye shadow on my eyes, my lashes held up so well! They still looked really good even after 2 weeks so I knew I could probably push that 3 week mark when the baby came if I needed to. I went to my first fill appointment at that 2 week mark though and my consultant was able to make them even fuller, which made me love them even more. I was hooked and have gone back three more times for fills. Each fill lasts only 1 hour if you go every 2 to 3 weeks. If you push it to 4, then you can get an hour and a half session to make up that extra week.

Like I said at the start of this post, I've gotten so many compliments on my lashes, which definitely makes me feel really good about myself. Most importantly though, I feel beautiful with them. I look at myself in the mirror every time I go to the bathroom and smile. Even though I don't have the time to put any makeup on right now or do a bunch of self care, I still feel like I look great. They have given me so much confidence and I don't mind snapping pictures all day long even though I'm not wearing makeup. Before I use to feel really self conscious if I wasn't at least wearing mascara, but now it's like selfie central with my cutie little baby! I am truly so happy I got them and it's my little treat that I do for myself every few weeks. I've gone twice since becoming a mom and it's a nice little break away, too. It's nice to only have to be gone for an hour so I never miss a feeding or start feeling like I've been gone from Kai for too long, but I get an hour to myself just relaxing!

They are seriously so easy to care for! All I do for them all day is brush them out with a little clean mascara wand in the morning and before I go to bed. I also make sure not to rub my eyes, and I never put mascara on them or use an eyelash curler. The other rule I strictly follow is I don’t put any kind of oily products on my face. I know facial oil is a big trend right now but this can really ruin your lash extensions and it will all turn in to a big waste of money. I also never use eye makeup remover anymore. To get any eye shadow off, I take a makeup wipe and gently rub the lid and avoid the lash line as much as possible. I’ve personally never been one to wear eyeliner on my top lid (I only apply it to my water line if I do chose to put some on) so when I’m taking off any eye makeup now I can avoid that upper lash line. The last thing I make sure to do is I never wipe my eyes with water. When I’m in the shower, I let water run on my face but not too harshly. That’s honestly it though! They are really low maintenance for something that really helps make me feel beautiful all the time!

The only downside to getting lash extensions though is how much they cost. I believe for me, it's worth it, but I'm not going to deny that it's not expensive. For reference if you're interested in getting your lashes done and want to know what a good price is, at my studio a full set of natural lashes is $260. However, my studio always offers promotions on full sets and it usually comes out to being around $200. Each fill is $75 if you go every 2 to 3 weeks and if you decide to go every 4 weeks and need a longer session then it costs $90. If you're interested in going to my studio and live in the north shore area of Chicago, I go toL Studio Lash & Skincare Boutique in Libertyville.

If you have any more questions about getting your lashes done please leave me a comment below! What is your self care thing you love to do for yourself? Leave me a comment below and share!

Hey everybody, I hope you all had a great weekend! Caleb and I went on our first date night since early December on Saturday! It was so nice to get out of the house for a couple of hours, but we sure did miss our little one. We went to an incredible restaurant in the downtown area of Libertyville though, and we're already dreaming of going back. It's called Milwalky Trace and the menu is out of this world amazing. It's all shared plates, and Caleb and I wanted to try everything. Our favorite thing we got though was the sweet potato gnocchi. Caleb has also been working hard to re-do our upstairs hallway. We installed all new doors for the rooms upstairs and now he is putting up wainscoting in the hallway. It already looks so beautiful and can't wait for it to be all finished!

Remember when I use to do my Bump Date posts when I was pregnant? Well I really enjoyed writing them back then and I especially love going back and looking through them now to remember the sweet memories of my pregnancy. I decided I wanted to do something similar to document things about Kai now! Obviously Kai is almost two months old now, but oh well, I'll just back track a little! I'm going to be calling these posts "Little Kai Bear Dates" since that is my nickname for him and they are updates on him! So let's take it back a couple weeks and reminisce about the first month of his life...

Weight: 10 lbs
Height: 21 in

Our first month together was a wonderful challenge. We were all tired and trying to get to know each other better. You struggled to latch with breastfeeding at first and lost a little bit too much weight for comfort, so we supplemented with formula to help you grow the first week of your life. You quickly turned things around and within a week and a half you had gained over a pound and got the hang of breastfeeding. You easily took to your feeding and nap schedule after that. You LOVED to be held and I certainly enjoyed all the snuggles.

You got to meet your Mimi and Papa Joe this month, too. They came all the way from Las Vegas and Salt Lake City to see you. They each spent a week here cuddling you and helping mama and daddy. Your Grandma and Grandpa also came over to visit you a bunch and we're even there when you were first born.

You didn't really notice him but your puppy Wrigley adored you. He loved you from the moment he met you. He very cautiously sniffed your car seat when Daddy first brought you inside. He knew it was you though. From that point on he always wanted to give you kisses and would be so concerned when you were crying. He always seemed to have this look on his face of "help my baby brother!" whenever you we're making any noise and would come get one of us to tell us you needed us.

Towards the end of your first month Mama started struggling with a clogged milk duct. I wasn't feeling very well and started to get worried about getting an infection. I wasn't sure how this had happened and was concerned your latch was incorrect, so I decided I would try to pump you some milk to help get it unclogged. I tried to offer you formula when I first started this plan but you all of a sudden didn't want it. You we're hungry and wouldn't stop crying but 100% refused the bottle. I decided I would just try to nurse you then and you instantly took my breast and we're so calm and happy. It made my heart burst. You wanted me and nothing else. That moment meant the world to me and I just knew you had to be the one to fix me. So we nursed for every feeding that day and by the next day the clog was gone. That was truly one of our turning points, little one.

You've just started to smile and it makes me so excited for all the smiles and laughs to come. We're starting to get use to each other and figure things out. You make my heart sing, my Little Kai Bear. I love you more than I can ever explain in words.

Hey there, friends! I hope you've been having a wonderful week. We've just been cuddled up at home, as usual! We had a nice quiet week though, just the 4 of us for the most part. We've gotten in lots of snuggles and are slowly catching up on sleep. Tuesday was extra nice because Kai and I took the "day off" and just snuggled all day long. We made what we call a couch fort where we push our couches together in our living room and we had a Harry Potter marathon. We munched on cookies and took a bunch of naps while we listened to the rain fall outside. It was the coziest most perfect day!

Caleb and I have started dreaming about our next trip to Walt Disney World and we've started thinking we are going to make it happen next spring for my birthday so we can go to the Flower and Garden Festival! Just the thought though inspired me to think up a fun Disney post for all of you! One of the things that many Disney goers have on their Disney bucket list is eating and drinking around the World Showcase at Epcot. If you've never done it before it might sound confusing and overwhelming or if you're not aware of this awesome Disney tradition let me fill you in! Epcot's World Showcase has 11 different pavilions that represent different countries all around the world. Each pavilion has different food and drinks that you can try. So a lot of Disney goers will make it a goal to go all the way around to each of the pavilions and try a food and drink item from each country! You will roughly spend around $150 per person if each person decides to get food and drinks at every pavilion. Personally, Caleb and I like to share because it's so much food! Here is our guide for helping you choose the best eats and drinks while you're there during a non-festival time. We personally like to go counterclockwise around the lake. (During Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, and Food and Wine there are special menus with additional countries you can visit...which I will go over in different posts in the future).

Le Cellier
Food - Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Signature Poutine
Drink - Labatt Blue

Rose & Crown Pub
Food - Fish and chips
​Drinks - Pimm's Cup, Guinness

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie
Food - Macarons, Pain au chocolat
Drink - Champagne

Crepes de Chefs de France
Food - Chocolate crêpe
Drink - Café espresso

Spice Road Table
Food - Hummus fries, Three lamb sliders
​Drinks - Pomegranate mimosa, Sangria, Andalusian Nights

Tokyo Dining
Food - Spicy crunchy roll, Spicy calamari tempura
​Drink - Sake

Fife & Drum Tavern
Food - The American Dream, Jumbo turkey leg
​Drink - Not Your Father's Root Beer

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Food - Calamari Fritti, Margherita pizza, Cannolo Siciliano
Drinks - Via Napoli Sangria, Via Vesuvio

Gelati
Food - Gelato cup
Drink - Prosecco

Biergarten Restaurant
Food - Traditional Sausages
Drink - ​Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen

Joy of Tea
Food - Pork egg roll
​Drink - Tipsy Ducks in Love

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Food - Viking Chocolate Mousse
Drink - Viking coffee

La Hacienda de San Angel
Food - Pork empanadas, Tacos de Camarones
Drink - Lime raspberry margarita, Rosita margarita

Caleb and I have "been around the world" the last two years and these are our favorite picks from both years! Good luck...and don't forget to drink water! ;) Cheers! Prost! Salute!

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Happy Hump Day, everyone! I hope you're having a great week! We're just trudging along with your typical newborn stuff. As soon as you think you've got things figured out...something changes! Kai went through his first growth spurt a couple days ago and wow, it was a tough long day and night. The next day was pretty wonderful though because he slept sooo well! However, today is Caleb's first day back at work, and I'm a little nervous for it. Thankfully my mother in law is still visiting and isn't leaving until this afternoon, so I still have one last day of help. Tomorrow though, Kai and I are on our own and it's going to be an interesting day, but we'll get through it just fine!

So last month I was only able to get through one book since the end of the month was pretty crazy with giving birth to Kai. But the one book that I did finish was a really good one and here are my thoughts...

I really enjoy reading autobiographies and motivational books, and Capital Gaines was basically a hybrid of these two kinds of non-fiction books. Chip told lots of stories about his past and how his experiences helped mold him in to being the successful business man, boss, and father that he is today. He was honest about everything that goes on with Fixer Upper and Magnolia and how it's not all bows and rainbows yet he still keeps the tone of the book upbeat and motivating.

This book wasn't what I expected it to be but I really loved it. I looked forward to reading it every day and every time I would sit down to read it, it motivated me to be the best version of myself in all areas of life. I laughed a lot while reading it, which is to be expected because I think Chip is hilarious on Fixer Upper. I also really loved the way he spoke about Joanna throughout the book. The love he has for his wife makes my heart swell. I love their partnership and it's so motivating for my own marriage. I am definitely going to miss Fixer Upper when it ends after this season, but hopefully Chip and Joanna will continue to put out great things in this world like Capital Gaines. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you are in a funk and need a good read to kick start some motivation in your life!

You can buy Capital Gaines on Amazon.

I am currently reading Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman and I'm almost done with it! I will definitely share my thoughts on it next month in my book review for February with all of you. What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment below!

Hello friends, it's been awhile! I've been on a short hiatus from writing on here because we finally had our baby! Kai joined us on January 24th, which was his due date! He was 8 lbs and 20 inches at birth and just absolutely perfect.  Today I'm going to share with you Kai's birth story...and here's how it goes.

I woke up just before 7 am on the 24th to Caleb getting ready for work and had a strange feeling. I decided to just get out of bed and start my morning a little early and went to the bathroom. As soon as I got in there, my water broke! It was the strangest thing and would not stop gushing. Caleb was just about to put his shoes on to leave when I told him to stop and that it was go time. I finally was able to gather myself, call my doctor who told me it was time to go to the hospital, and called my parents to tell my mom not to go to work either. I made myself a small cup of coffee and let Caleb gather our stuff up to go to the hospital. We said goodbye to Wrigley and were off!

Thankfully our hospital is only 10 minutes away. We decided to stop at Panera to grab bagels since I wouldn't be able to eat once I was admitted in to the hospital. I waited in the car but within minutes Caleb was back and told me he forgot his wallet! After using my card to buy the bagels we had to drive back to our house to get his wallet because he obviously needed his ID. This ended up being a good thing though because I was able to eat my bagel during the drive.

We finally made it to the hospital and they were going to start me out in triage, but once the nurse saw how much water I had leaked she said we could skip it and go straight to a labor and delivery room. I was already 4 cm dilated when they first checked me! The contractions were manageable but building. My parents arrived soon after to keep us company and then the wait began.

After about an hour the contractions started getting more and more painful. My doctors were at the hospital already for other births and the one came to check on me. I was 5 cm dilated, and she told me if I wanted an epidural, now would be the time, I decided to get it. I wanted to be able to rest and save strength for pushing. It really wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I could still wiggle my toes and I could still feel some of the contractions but they weren't painful. I progressed at about 1 cm per hour.

Once I got to 9+cm I stalled slightly. There was a slight piece of my cervix left around the outside that just wouldn't open up, so my doctor had me do some practice pushes to help push it out of the way. That worked and I was finally at 10 cm! I started doing regular pushes every 2 minutes with my contractions. I felt a little frustrated that I couldn't tell if I was doing it right since I was numb but the nurse told me I was doing fine. They kept checking my progress and it just wasn't much. My doctor came to see my progress and noticed my tailbone was very prominent and curves up inside of me. Well, that caused Kai to get stuck, His poor little head wouldn't budge past it even after 2 hours of pushing. I decided to take a small break to regain some energy and get some fluids in me. I started pushing again after about a 45 minute break but it didn't feel like much was happening. At that point my doctor told me I could keep trying because he is doing fine and not under stress, however, I started getting a fever from being dehydrated and that could be passed on to Kai, which really worried me. My choices were to either keep pushing or have a c-section. I was completely exhausted and was at the point of needing oxygen to help me breath because I was so out of breath. I told my doctor I would try for another 45 minutes until 10pm and if there was no progress then I would have a c-section. She said okay and went off to help another women deliver her baby. I tried my absolute hardest for those 45 minutes, but I was losing hope of birthing him vaginally. It was close to 10 pm, and I'm not going to lie I was ready to give up. I was going to tell her to do the c-section if there was no progress, and I'm not going to lie...it shattered my heart. My doctor came back to check on me and she told me that I was almost past the point where he needed to be for it to be much easier for me but not quite there. I asked her if there was anything we could try and do to get him out vaginally before calling it and having a c-section. She told me we could try a vacuum or forceps. I told her "okay, let's do that then." She ultimately decided forceps was the better choice for the situation but that I could only do two contractions with them and if nothing was happening then I'd definitely have to have a c-section. I agreed and they started to prep the forceps. Two other women who were patients of my doctor were also delivering at the same time so she went to help them during the preparations so I got another hour break. I actually fell asleep during that break and when I woke up my doctor wanted to check me one more time to make sure the forceps were possible. When she checked me I lost some more fluid and she said with determination, it's go time, we can do it! So she inserted the forceps and they hurt so much, but I was willing to do anything to birth Kai vaginally. I pushed as hard as I could with the first contraction, but it didn't seem like much was happening. We waited for the next contraction to come I knew it was now or never and I pushed harder than I ever thought possible. The forceps slipped and everyone in the room was cheering me on saying "he's coming!!! push!!!" and I just kept pushing and all of a sudden this huge relief happened and Kai was born at 11:46pm. I just started crying and thanking everyone in the room for helping me, especially my doctor, nurse, and Caleb. They placed Kai on my chest and it was the most amazing moment of my entire life. I'm crying just thinking about it now.

After a few minutes they took him to check his weight and length and my doctor kept working on me. She easily got my placenta out but I tore internally and externally and had to get stitches. I could actually hear it on my last couple pushes popping but I didn't even care. Kai was healthy and safe and that's all that mattered to me.

I can honestly say, too, I truly believe God answered our prayers that Caleb and I said together during the pushing breaks is what made Kai's birth possible vaginally. I want to thank all of you though for your well wishes and prayers during my entire pregnancy and these first couple weeks of Kai's life. We love you all so very much and can't wait to share this next phase of life with you all!