26 Weeks : California Vacation Style

We're in California! One of our favorite places in the United States. Dan and I have taken 2 road trip style vagabond vacations to Los Angeles. Once for our 1 year wedding anniversary. We beach bummed, walked all day and slept in the back of an SUV most nights. We went again on our five year and stayed in the (AWESOME) home of a friend-of-a-friend, rented a convertible and got wicked tans. We just love LA.

This time we're here, without Liam, to photograph the wedding of one of my oldest friends. We tacked on an extra day and a half as a babymoon of sorts. We've got to travel while we can! 

Being parents to a non-foster child will be very different. Liam wasn't breastfed and had the opportunity to stay in other foster homes any time Dan and I took a trip. Which we did: a mission trip to the French Alps and our 10 year anniversary cruise. Leaving him was, emotionally, very hard but with Baby Brother it won't even be possible for a while. Travel is important to us but we realize that travel will look a little different with two kids and we'll put some of our ambitions on hold for a while. All for a worthy cause, of course!

We're so excited to meet Baby Brother, to be a family of four. He's the size of a head of lettuce and kicking all day. We have 3 names now and we think we'll pick it when we meet him. Have any of you done the?  How do you know?! What if you and your spouse disagree?

This outfit is perfect for Cali: Easy, bright. Dress: H&M, Shawl: Target, Shoes: Dr. Scholls, Necklace + Glasses: F21.

25 Weeks

T H I S  W E E K :

Baby Brother is the size of a cauliflower and weighs about 2 pounds. He pretty much kicks me constantly. I think he's flipped head down - for the most part - and I think he has hiccups but I'm still trying to figure out what's going on in there.

He also has a much shorter list of  possible names. We keep finding new ones to add but they quickly get rejected so we're getting very close to naming him. However, I dont think we'll announce his name until he's born because I dont think we'll actually settle on a name until then anyhow!

I switched from my wedding ring to my slightly larger anniversary band. So, yeah, I'm swollen. 

Big Brother had a random fever and fell asleep with Baby Brother at the pool. Liam never settles down enough to sleep with me so it was a sweet and welcomed break. When he woke up he said he felt brother moving during his nap. So sweet!

Dan got home from a short tour and we celebrated Father's Day. We dont normally buy gifts but I knew exactly what he wanted. He works so hard for us and he's deserving of so much more. 

National Safety Month

I am partnering with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance for National Safety Month! With a three year old in the house and a baby on the way, their checklist is so important for us. And, since we live in an old farmhouse that was built wayyy before 1980, the lead-based paint warnings caught my eye. I decided to do some more research. I was surprised - and kind of horrified - at what I found. Most of the walls have been re-done in the house but the windows are all original, with layers and layers of paint. This is cause for concern but there are preventative measures you can take to keep you and your family safe. 

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. Children six years old and younger are most susceptible to the effects of lead. Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in:

• Behavior and learning problems 
• Lower IQ and Hyperactivity 
• Slowed growth 
• Hearing Problems 
• Anemia

Lead can also cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus the lead. This can result in serious effects to the mother and her developing fetus, including:

• Reduced growth of the fetus 
• Premature birth

Many are sadly unaware of the potential environmental toxins/issues in our living spaces. Again, along with lead-based paint, asbestos poses a great danger as it's invisible to the eye and can lead to lung diseases and a rare cancer called mesothelioma which the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance works so hard to share awareness for as avoiding exposure is the only prevention. It's not only still found in many older homes, but still has yet to be banned and actually used to this day in the US.

Simple steps like keeping your home clean and well-maintained will go a long way in preventing lead exposure. You can lower the chances of exposure to lead in your home, both now and in the future, by taking these steps:

• Inspect and maintain all painted surfaces to prevent paint deterioration
• Address water damage quickly and completely
• Keep your home clean and dust-free
• Clean around painted areas where friction can generate dust, such as doors, windows, and drawers. Wipe these areas with a wet sponge or rag to remove paint chips or dust
• Use only cold water to prepare food and drinks
• Flush water outlets used for drinking or food preparation
• Clean debris out of outlet screens or faucet aerators on a regular basis
• Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers and toys often
• Teach children to wipe and remove their shoes and wash hands after playing outdoors
• Ensure that your family members eat well-balanced meals. Children with healthy diets absorb less lead. See Lead and a Healthy Diet, What You Can Do to Protect Your Child (PDF)
• If you are having home renovation, repairs, or painting done, make sure your contractor is Lead-Safe Certified, and make sure they follow lead safe work practices (PDF)

Here's a complete summer safety checklist for your home! Be safe, friends.

David Kind Eyewear

I've been wearing glasses since the 5th grade. Back then, glasses were not exactly cool.  I had gold wire rimmed with thick lenses - even though my prescription was not and is not to this day very bad. I switched to contacts in the 7th grade and stuck with that until college. Glasses were finally cool again. Plastic frames made a comeback and glasses were no longer reserved for "Nerds". Since then, I've loved wearing glasses as an accessory and to give my eyes a break from the contact-wearing.

My friend, Blair, and I got a chance to try a David Kind home try-on box. Unlike other at home try-on kit glasses companies, what I appreciate about David Kind is their stylists.  When you make a (free) account to sign up for a try-on box, you upload pictures or connect to your Facebook profile.  A stylist then picks glasses for you based on your coloring, face shape, etc. You also have the opportunity to request specific glasses or give your stylist some ideas of what you are looking for.  Since I have tortoise shell and black glasses that I already love, I wanted to play around with colors! My sister wears light blue glasses every day and gets mega compliments so if she can, I can...right?

Getting a home try-on is free and comes with no obligation so Blair and I thought it would be fun to have a try-on party at her house. This included our collective 3 kids running, screaming, laughing and photo bombing our pictures - but don't we look so serene sipping on our coffee and trying on glasses? You can check out Blair's post by clicking here.

We both found a pair we are super excited about. All we had to do was let our stylist know which pair we liked and return the box with our prescription.  Return shipping of our boxes was free and we can expect our prescription glasses in as fast as 5-10 business days!  I can't wait! Check back in a couple weeks to see which pairs we each picked.

You can check out and learn more about David Kind on their website.  You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.  (They've also been featured in InStyle, What Wall Street Journal, & Bloomberg!)

23 Weeks

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and Baby Brother is the size of a grapefruit. I feel pretty good although I've been needing more sleep that usual. For a few weeks, I felt almost normal. My eating habits were back to pre-pregnancy standards, I was running, I had energy. But now.... I feel pregnant. A little tired and swollen, especially on the hot days.

My lifelong best friend is due any day now with her first: a girl named Bailey. The anticipation has me so excited and, naturally, thinking about my own birth just 4 months from now. I do not have a birth plan and we haven't signed up for birthing classes. I'm in the thick of wedding season so my mind and schedule have little room for such things. Dan has been home so much more this year than last and he's been to both of our ultrasounds and 3 of my OB appointments so he's getting familiar with everything. But, still, I think a class will do us both some good! What I do have is an almost complete collection of cloth diapers, a few disposables for the early weeks, and,  the most fun: his coming home from the hospital outfit. 

Sun glasses: Forever 21, Tank: J Crew, skirt: thrifted, shoes: Converse.

I got my hair done this week and I feel like a million bucks! I haven't had my usual scalp bleach since before I got pregnant. I wasn't comfortable doing it in the early weeks, something about it just didn't feel right. Now that Baby Brother is big and strong, paired with the fact that Gwen Stefani did it throughout her pregnancies (and Gwen can do no wrong), I felt that it was time to get it done. (My doctor gave me permission 10 weeks ago, by the way.)

These photos were taken after we'd just left a doctor's appointment. Liam was at Parent's Day Out so Dan and I had half-a-day to ourselves. We ended up at the Pinewood Social pool, gulping down water and steak tacos. It was exactly what we needed. This outfit was so last minute but so comfy. That's a $4 skirt from the Goodwill paired with a fancy "silk" tank top from J. Crew -- and sneakers. But, I think it works. And, it fits. And, I felt good. So that's a winning pregnancy outfit in my book!

Baby Names

I love names. I love the meaning of names. I love learning about someone's name. I love the history of names. Dan and I believe that your namesake has a huge impact on who you are as a person. So, we're taking the naming of Baby Brother very seriously. Like, I'm rolling my eyes serious. Because I just want to think about his life and pray for his future and his name will be a big part of that. It's his identity.

I feel like we got an unfair advantage with naming Liam. Liam's name was easy. His birth parents gave him a name that they fabricated all on their own; we have no idea where it came from. Strangers would ask his name and after our reply would ask "What does that mean?" or "How did you come up with that" so we'd then have to explain that he was  foster child and it was TMI. We shortened it to "Liam" early on and as we got closer to adopting him everyone was calling him Liam. My maiden name is Williamson and before we even had kids we'd talked about using "William" as a middle name someday. Then along came Liam and we had our strong-willed warrior, paying homage to my family and to his birth family. 'Twas meant to be. With such an intense first name, I wanted his middle name to mean something a bit softer than strong-willed warrior. Something like "Felix", which means happy,  or "Axel", which means peace. Then Dan found "Moses", which means born of God. Pretty perfect for an adopted child. Liam Moses. Done.

Liam had a personality. He had a few years of life and a huge story. Baby Brother is just a dream. God has plans for him, a life, a future, a destiny. All I know is that he likes spicy food and does not like it when I raise my voice.

So, his name - whatever we decide on - will be our hope for him.

How did you decide on your kids' names?