My goodness have the last 2 & 1/2 weeks been a blur. Part of me can’t believe Riley is already 2 & 1/2 weeks old, but the other half of me feels like this past 2 & 1/2 weeks have been the longest of my life. There have been moments when it’s felt like the happiest time of my life, and certainly many where it’s felt like the hardest part of my life. I guess both are accurate. And I think I’m gonna feel this way for the next year or two.
And little Riley has done a lot in his short life. He’s already powered through two photo shoots. One shoot was his newborn photos and some family photos and the second shoot was family photos while we shot our home tour. By the way I’ll start doing posts of our home tour starting soon! I’m pretty excited to share with all you guys what we’ve been working on for six months now!
1. MY TOP | 2. RILEY’S ONESIE | 3. WHITE BLANKET | 4. PATTERN PILLOW | 5. NAVY PILLOW
6. FAUX OLIVE BRANCHES | 7. FARMHOUSE TIN | 8. LARGE WHITE LAMPS
The photos in this post were at the end of our home tour shoot the other day. Obviously I’m not in full make up every day right now. But after a long day of shooting all I wanted to do was snuggle up on the couch with a comfy blanket and my little boys – Riley and Owen. My friend Ashley snapped these pics right before she left for the day.
By the way I got a hundred questions about this blanket and my pillows when I posted them to Insta stories the other day.
I got the blanket from a small Etsy shop called Becozi. The owner, Larissa, makes all the blankets and they are absolutely gorgeous! I got this throw blanket in the color Snow White and a larger blanket for our king sized bed in the color Cloud. If you’re looking to get a blanket like this, I highly recommend Becozi. Larissa is the nicest person and I’m proud to support her shop! Like the name says, it’s so COZY and on top of that it’s soooo pretty for pictures! Which you know I love!
And the pillow shams also came from Etsy (I love Etsy) from a shop called PillowTimeGirls. I wanted oversized pillows for my couch and I love that they make all their pillows in multiple sizes. I emailed the shop owner, Linda, because I had some questions about sizing and she couldn’t have been more helpful. And responded to my question super fast which is always nice. I ended up choosing this pretty blue and white print and a couple navy velvet pillows for our couch. We got them at 24” x 24” and they are just stunning! I was honestly blown away by the quality of the shams when they arrived in the mail. I love them so much that I’m actually looking for more pillows for our master bedroom and I’m going to get them from this shop as well. You’ll see more photos of both the pillows and the blanket when I share our home tour photos later this month!
1. MY TOP | 2. RILEY’S ONESIE | 3. WHITE BLANKET | 4. PATTERN PILLOW | 5. NAVY PILLOW
6. FAUX OLIVE BRANCHES | 7. FARMHOUSE TIN | 8. LARGE WHITE LAMPS
My top is of course breastfeeding friendly! I found myself nursing a lot throughout the shoot. And I wore this in between other outfits I put on for the shoot. I think the bright colors of the top make it feel cheerful and summery! I also linked our large table lamps, my farmhouse tin/vase and the faux olive tree branches inside of it below the pictures in this post. It’s just a little sneak peek of some of the items in our home!
Anyway, today I’m doing what I do most days. Trying to entertain an almost 2-year-old (I can’t believe Molly’s gonna be two in just one month!) and nursing/burping/changing diapers of a newborn around the clock! I definitely want to rest up today as much as I can because I have a fun Facebook Live event that I’m doing tomorrow! I did a couple Insta stories about it but if you guys haven’t signed up for it yet, please do! I’m sure you all have noticed that I haven’t been blogging on here as much recently and as I’m sure you can all understand it’s because I’m just a bit swamped right now. Ha! And when I do have free time I’m usually just too exhausted to write anything. So since I haven’t been able to blog and respond to all of your comments as much as I normally do, I thought doing a Facebook Live would be a great way to connect with all of you so we don’t lose touch! So if you click this link it will take you to the Facebook event page for the Facebook Live. That way when I go live tomorrow at 11 AM Pacific Time/2 PM Eastern time you’ll get a notification to join the Facebook Live in case you forget. I basically plan on sharing some of the stories from the last 2 1/2 weeks with Riley and reading all of your comments and responding to all of you. Think of it as one big Facebook chat between you guys and me! I just miss you all and I want to reconnect! So make sure you join! Love you guys!
My gosh, the photos are precious! I can’t wait for the home tour, Ali! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks Charmaine! I am soooo excited for it!I think I am going to share one room at a time because there is SO much to share that it would be WAYYYY too long for one blog post!
Congratulations! What a beautiful baby! I am impressed that you are even blogging this soon. When I had my 2nd, I couldn’t imagine doing anything for weeks…or months! I am sure you will go through many ups and downs in these early weeks. The adjustment to a second child is really overwhelming. Enjoy every moment and keep these darling photos coming! Looking forward to the house tour as well. I love your taste so I know it will be beautiful!
Cheers!
Shelley
I love my blog so it’s something I can’t walk away from completely. I just have to be realistic about how much I can write these days 🙂
Oh my gosh, Riley AND Owen are so adorable and you look terrific, Ali! I look forward to your FB Live tomorrow!❤️
Awesome! Thanks for joining Liz!!! I have LOTS to share! The good, the bad, and the ugly. Along with all the GREAT!!!!!
Your 2 boys are adorable, as are You.
Thanks for sharing, Ali.
Ps I need an olive branch
xo
Love, Love those pillows!!! So cute Ali! You are doing SUCH a great job at mommy hood and keeping up with this great blog! I know you are super busy, but I was looking to start a blog myself as a first time mommy (I have a 14 month old daughter) and I am a full time teacher. Any chance of a quick blog about “starting your own blog”? What site you use, etc, etc? Or just quick tips? Keep up the great work! I cannot wait to see your house tour!!!
XOXO
Sarah ( I am from Massachusetts to)
Aren’t the pillow GORG?!?! I love them!
And that’s a great idea. It might be a couple months or so until I get to something like this but I love the idea!
Would love a blog about tips on starting a blog as I have been thinking about this myself. What better way to start then hearing from my favourite blogger!
You look amazing! You have such a beautiful family and I love how honest you are about your experiences! You are doing amazing momma!!!
Love, Love those pillows!!! So cute Ali! You are doing SUCH a great job at mommy hood and keeping up with this great blog! I know you are super busy, but I was looking to start a blog myself as a first time mommy (I have a 14 month old daughter) and I am a full time teacher. Any chance of a quick blog about “starting your own blog”? What site you use, etc, etc? Or just quick tips? Keep up the great work! I cannot wait to see your house tour!!!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Ali— I have a 5 month old boy so I feel your pain with the sleep deprivation! Our dock-a-tot really helped the little dude sleep longer at night. I was wondering what size blanket you got in the Snow White color in the picture? Thank you!
Congratulations Ali on your baby boy.. I had little baby girl Leyla Rose on 23/05/2018 and last 2 and 1/2 weeks has been crazy.. and having wild 4 year old boy makes things crazier.. 😊 my life goes around clock nursing baby but I absolutely love it.. and I actually understand every bit you are saying.. but as my 4 year old said to me today: Hang in there mummy, you can do this, you are wonder woman.. 😊 so that’s what i gonna do.. we mums can do this.. 😊❤
Where is the clock from? I absolutely love it!
Hey Ali, quick breastfeeding question.
I’m due with baby #2 in November. I nursed my first for 15 months and stopped completely this past April. How was it jumping back into breastfeeding for you with Riley? As painful as your first go-round? Wondering if the 7 month break will affect things sensitivity wise. Thanks in advance!!!
Ali, I love reading about all your baby posts! You’re always so real and relatable. I have 2 little ones, very similar in age. May 2016 and February 2018. With my 2nd for breastfeeding I bought the haakaa silicone pump which attaches to your other side when breastfeeding. It works wonders and catches all that milk that just goes into a breatpad. I never pumped before going back to work at 12 weeks and just used this on the opposite side and got 100 -150 oz saved up and was giving my oldest some in a cup everyday as well- since he just turned 2. I had a major oversupply as well, so it was nice to just use this and never get the pump out until I had to go back to work. We were able to try out a bottle too and not create more of an issue with too much milk.
Either way- do what works for you and feels right for you and your family! Breastfeeding is hard work, and you’re doing a great job.
Congratulations on baby Riley! 💙 My oldest son is named Riley! My boys are 19 months apart, and I love that they are so close in age! Your house is gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see more pictures!
I love that you are SO real, and down to earth! I can always relate to at least something in either your blog or Instagram posts! You rock mama!!
What a beautiful family!! I have a 14 month old and we are trying for #2 now so seeing your little of family of 4 makes me so excited/nervous for when we expand our family! Thanks for sharing what life with a newborn and a toddler is like! 🙂
Love that blanket!! You look fabulous and Riley is just precious. Also, I have wanted to comment for a while and I always forget…I watch your Insta stories and I just love Molly’s little voice and listening to her speech development. It is so so adorable. She speaks SO well for her age. It’s so clear!! (I have a 7 year old daughter and she was like Molly—stringing words together pretty young and it was may favorite thing about her development.)
Ahhhh I want those large white lamps so bad!! Wish they made a knock off for less because I can’t afford $700 for 2 lamps 😭
So I don’t usually leave comments but I wanted to tell you that I appreciate that you said the past 2 1/2 weeks have both flown by and also been the longest and hardest of your life. I feel like I always hear people talk about how that time in the very beginning goes by so quickly and I felt the opposite when my daughter was born- that first week and even month was definitely the longest and hardest ones of my life! So thank you for saying that! 🙂
I enjoy reading all that you share- Right now I am struggling with naps for my now 6 month old and I remember you sharing your ‘sleep journey’ with Molly when she was that age. I found myself reading through your old blog posts the other day to find out what you did during that time and it was helpful to just be able to relate.
So thank you for sharing all that you do with us and congrats to you and your beautiful fam!
Can you share where the large clock is from?
I have a two year old and a two week old too, and I completely agree with you when you said it’s been the faster but also longest and hardest 2 weeks. There’s no tired like this mom of two tired 😴. Thanks for sharing your life with us. It’s so refreshing reading your blogs and seeing your family grow and experiencing the same stage of life.
Love you, your family and your decorating taste!! I’m so happy to see such a loyal, happy family unit in this crazy world we live in today! You guys are a wonderful example of family while keeping it real…everything still looks beautiful even when you’re tired or busy! Much love to you and your family! 💜
Hi! I saw on insta that your sweet baby is sleeping all day but not at night! I wanted to recommend reading the book BabyWise. I did the schedule the author suggests with both of my babies and it was a total game changer! My first started sleeping 6-8 hours at 5 weeks old and then transitioned to 12 hours every night plus took great naps throughout the day. It was so nice having a schedule so I knew exactly when she was ready for nap or ready to eat. I did the same schedule with my son it was the same! Two awesome sleepers! This is totally just a suggestion, obviously you do what’s best for you guys. I always recommend BabyWise to every mom I know! I hope you are able to get some much needed rest soon. -Lori
Beautiful! Hoping you let us know about re-sleep training Molly like you mentioned on your Insta stories! I have a 22 month old and a 4 month old and I swear there is some regression before hitting age 2!
Are you doing a blog on Rileys birth story?! They inspire me that I can get through this second birth after a traumatic first!! Love you!! You are amazing and doing great!!
Hey Ali – are you using your Snoo with Riley? I’d love to know if its worth the investment before our little on arrives in July. Thanks for all the tips!
Hey Ali,
First of all you look great and so thankful of your life and your gifts that you’ve received.
We all understand on how you are feeling and not being able to blog as much, but one day you will be able to sit down once again while both kids are napping to be able to share all your exciting stories.
Keep Ali safe,
😘🤗 to🙃 Jolly Molly, 🙂Smiley Riley, Devin Kevin & Fuzzy Owen. 🐕
💕💙 😘 di
Just an observation, you are spreading yourself too thin. Take a social media break & enjoy your babies. You can’t get this time back. That’s it.
I LOVE how completely open and real you are! It’s something that is become so much less common these days so it’s so refreshing! Riley is beautiful, Molly is getting so grown up and is also beautiful! And as always, we all think your style/decorative choices are top notch! Thanks for all the glimpses into your sweet, crazy, down to earth life!
Thank you SO much for posting all of your Etsy finds! I love Etsy and I love that a lot of your home stuff is not over-the-top expensive. Thanks again for sharing. I’m definitely going to order some pillows 🙂 Love your blog!
He is so cute, and you look great! We will all be here while you adjust to this new life and schedule- I’m not going anywhere. I love your blog!