Our First At-Home Sibling Photos

Hi friends! Today I'm sharing a few sibling photos that I couldn't wait to capture when I was pregnant. You know those sweet shots of Big Siblings laying side by side their baby brother or sister. Baby gazing adorably over at their big and vice versa. Nothing but sweet expressions and smiles. That's what I imagined anyway. Well our sibling photos didn't quite turn out as I imagined but I couldn't be more in love with how they came out. I couldn't get the "perfect" shot but what I did get was a genuine and real capture  of our first week home with our baby boy. I'm so proud of Kenzie and her enthusiasm and patience when it comes to her baby brother. When he begins to cry, she goes right into mommy-mode and I couldn't be more happy to have our healthy baby home adjusting wonderfully to his bright new world. I hope you enjoy these little dandy shots that are full of fun and frazzle that we will definitely cherishby for many years to come. :)

This is Kenzie's new photography pose- her "funny face". Every time the camera comes out, so does that little tongue. I'm picking and choosing my battles at this point. 

Big Sister & Baby Brother Tee: Designs By Manon on Etsy; Brother's Shorts: Tiny ExplorersCC on Etsy.

A Big-Sister Hospital Party - Celebrating Big Sister Status

Hello Friends! As you may know by now we are thrilled to be a new family of four as we recently welcomed our baby boy Haines into the world on September 11th.  While preparing for his arrival, I got so caught up with all the details regarding newborn necessities and tricks to help our transition run smooth I almost forgot about another important transition that was taking place. Our first baby, Mckenzie's new role as big sister. I had so much anxiety when we first found out we were pregnant about how she was going to handle this new person that she will be sharing our time and attention with, I immediately included her in on our announcement (it can be seen here).  However, after the announcemnt I moved full steam ahead getting all the things in place so that the change in our routine would not blind side us like the first time around. After the "nesting" smoke cleared, I thought about McKenzie and what we could do to make this special delivery just as exciting for her as it was for us.

After searching around for toddler approved ideas, I stumbled upon this adorable mini "hospital" party from blogger Mendez Manor. It was a simple, yet perfect way to not only celebrate the new baby in the family, but also celebrate Big Sister status in a small intimate way.  Just a few little party essentials that can easily be packed in mommy's hospital bag and a little celebratory breakfast that any Big Sibling would love!  McKenzie meeting Haines was such a sweet and emotional moment for me and I didn't want her to ever feel like she was being replaced or not as special anymore. So to have a special celebratory set-up for her put my worries to rest and it actually made for a wonderful, memorable and stress-free rest of the day.

For her Big Sis set-up, I simply packed a small bag of pink napkins and paper plates in my hospital bag. I had her gift already wrapped. I then made the banner out of napkins and left over wrapping paper (as in the inspiration post over at Mendez Manor). I found the adorable "I'M A BIG SIS" printables for free over on Tatertots and Jello Blog. On the way back to the hospital from picking McKenzie and her Mimi up from the house, daddy stopped by the donut shop and picked up a half dozen of their sprinkled glazed, and few bottles of choc. milk. That's all, our mini celebration set-up was complete.

Sources Credits:

Party Bunting: Made out of Pink Napkins and Striped Gift Wrap from Michaels Clearance Aisle

"I'M A BIG SIS" Label: Free Printable from Tatortots & Jello Blog

Sprinkles Donuts: Daylight Donuts Shop

Paper Plates & Napkins: Michaels

Kenzie's Big Sister Outfit: Personalized Big Sister Tee - Designs By Manon, Arrow Navy Leggings - Granimals, Navy Sandals - Saltwater Sandals

Welcome Home Baby Haines

For the past 9 months, my little family of three have been anxiously awaiting our new family member to arrive. From the excitement of learning we were pregnant to the excitement of finding out the gender, to the picking out of names and the excitement adventure of dressing up the nursery - nothing means more than to hold our new baby for the first time. We feel like we've know him long before he entered this world, yet at the same time look forward to getting to know all of his little personality traits through these special moments that we will forever cherish. Welcome Home Baby Haines, We Can't Wait To Start Making Memories with Our New Family of Four!

Haines's Going Home Outfit: 

Personalized Antler Onesie & Beanie: LineLiam Etsy Shop
Newborn Trousers: Target
Newborn Booties: June & January (discontinued)