preparing for baby with evenflo

time if flying. 

I feel like it was just weeks ago that I was taking pregnancy test after pregnancy test (albeit, sometimes twice a day during that first trimester) in complete disbelief that I was pregnant.

and now here we are with all these baby boy things filling our front room, coming together as an almost finished nursery in preparation for his arrival in just a handful of short weeks. with every doctor's visit and repeat sonogram I'm reminded with how quickly he's growing and what little time is left before I actually get to hold a newborn.

the best snuggles and squeaks and baby smells of his head.

early in my pregnancy, after finding our we were indeed being blessed with a baby boy, we talked about how we should probably invest in some baby gear that is generally directed to being more masculine.. a car seat with a pink canopy, floral crib sheets, and the bright purple seats of a stroller weren't going to fly for this Massey babe.  so many things have changed since welcoming the girls 4 years ago- the styles and plethora of trendy baby items available are amazing and nearly overwhelming. thankfully there are brands that remain constant and familiar to this 4th time mom over here.  I was so excited for the opportunity to fill our newborn stroller needs with the Pivot Travel System from Evenflo.

my absolute favorite feature?  well, that full coverage canopy option basically sold me at first sight.

other strollers I have used with my newborns go from the common car seat option to toddler seat, which leaves me with that weird middle space when they are too big for the infant cars seat but not big enough for the toddler feature just yet.  having the ability to be able to take my baby on a walk and allow him to snooze on his back while doing so seems like a nice option to have! 

my plans for post-baby include getting back into the swing of bootcamp again and they happened to get a new group started in my neighborhood!  I can just walk him right up the street in his new stroller and let him sleep while I get in a good 60 minutes.

..well.  that's the plan, anyway.

Brady might be laughing his way out of the womb.

another amazing benefit is the giant storage basket in the undercarriage of the stroller.  not only to fit the diaper bag, but also to fit the millions of other toddler trinkets and toys and purses- AND snacks and sippy cups that the twins and Baker cannot live without while we run errands.  I swear my back end looks like toys r us exploded for all the things they load into the car and fail to get them out when we return home. 

another amazing detail about the Pivot Modular Stroller Travel System by Evenflo is that it includes the Evenflo SafeMax™ Infant Car Seat.  checked that baby "to-do" off my list, too!  we have plans to borrow a carseat from Jordan's sister that she recently used with my nephew, but we also have two cars + grandparents that might take him, so having the opportunity to be able to use more than one carseat is beneficial!  I plan to use this seat in my car and the other for Jordan and his mom.

while I don't have previous experience with these car seats I was pleased after doing some research about the brand and overall safety of them.  Evenflo has designed and tested their seats for structural integrity at energy levels 2x the federal crash test standard and tested to simulate a side impact event and rollover event. the SafeMax™ Infant Car Seat also features an Anti-Rebound Bar that limits the amount of rebound movement experienced in the event of a frontal-impact.

the car seat snap in is also a feature of this stroller, which I'll appreciate trying to get in and out of Target with a sleeping babe.

..hey belly.

alright Mr. Brady. we've got you covered in the cruise department:)

as always, thank you to Brittany for her photo snapping talent, and to Evenflo for sponsoring this post.

you can find my mama bear tee HERE // my yoga pants HERE // sneakers HERE

diaper bag HERE + car seat cover HERE

swaddle blanket HERE + personalized leather paci clip HERE

33 weeks + big sister girls

photography by b faith photography 

 beanie c/o // v-neck tee // cardigan // leggings c/o // sneakers

I've got almost five and a half pounds of baby in this serious belly I'm carrying around. 

after my OB and sonogram appointment earlier this week, Brady has gained 8 ounces in like 5 days.

this boy is going to be a chunk and I can wait to smooch those cheekies.

 I wrote my big girls a letter on the eve I went into labor with Baker..  I had no idea after and posting it I would soon be on my way to becoming a mama to three girls just hours later.  it kind of gives me anxiety to write about it now because Brady is NOT allowed to come yet.  

NOT YET. 

although we are over the moon in love with him and are literally counting down the days!

6 more weeks!!

in writing that letter I wish for them to be able to look back and hopefully feel the emotions their mama had for them as they stepped into big sisterhood.  

reading our letters to Parker and Jolie over again as I prepared this post got me all teary eyed and emotional- they were SO little and so much change has happened since then!

(you can read a letter to the big sisters, HERE) 

they have done an AMAZING job and my/our pride for them is overwhelming to say the least.
so many sweet characteristics have come about between the two of them since their baby sister was born- part of that, of course, has come with their age (they were SO tiny!!) but I also think a large part has to do with their role as big sisters to their Baker Bree.  

Parks.

 this girl embodies more grace than any one I know.  I, as the adult I feel like I am, could learn a thing or two from her.  

she also has SO MUCH  love. first thing out of her mouth in the morning is "where's Baker" followed by "..get me my chocolate milk.."  the moment Baker wakes she wants to be near her, hold her, cuddle her, squeeze her face so tightly (maybe a little too tightly..?).  Parker finds such joy in the little things with Baker and includes her in everything she does.

if I'm being honest, to see her develop and grow with such a nurturing characteristic surprised me.  my tomboy that cares nothing for baby dolls and would rather be playing with sticks and bugs or following her daddy around with the water hose is the biggest mother hen in this house.

its carried over into her other interactions (with kiddos at school) and I definitely attribute this development to her baby sister at home.

JoJo.

even though she showed a big interest in her new baby sister, she continued life as usual pretty quickly after Baker was born. she didn’t seem to mind that Baker needed a lot of attention.. and just carried on with her laid back self as she's always been. but as Baker has gotten older and more interactive Jolie finds the fun. 

Jolie IS THE fun! 

the most carefree and life loving little girl, she is. and Baker knows it.

playing chase around and around the kitchen island.

pushing her in circles on the big trike because Baker cant reach the pedals..

singing, counting, yelling and dancing in the car.  their seats are right next to each other, so they tend to play a game of "pass the puppy" to which the backseat explodes with laughter and giggles.

like Parker, Jolie also has the sweetest grace with Baker.. not just anyone gets their hands on Jolie's Puppy and she hands it over to Baker (for the most part) pretty freely.

I know the future may hold sister girl fights over clothes and makeup and who's turn is it in the bathroom all three of them will share (Lord help us..), but they are both are so gracious with their time and space and definitely have more patience with their little sister than I have on most days for all three of them.  I know in the stage of life we are in right now they screech and scream over Baker taking their toys or demolishing their block towers, making those days the ones that they just aren’t very good friends. but they still love her so.

Baker just smiles from ear to ear when she sees her sisters, and always looks for them when she hears their voice.  play time is outrageous and loud and the joy that all three of them have when they are together is unreal.

even though I’m her mommy and Jordan is her daddy, I have a feeling that those big girls are Baker's favorite people.

..which brings me to this baby boy that is due for his arrival soon..

they talk about baby brother all the time.

they get so tickled when they get to feel him roll around in my belly.

they ask to sit/play in his room at least twice every day.

they just cannot wait to meet him.

after watching them transition so well when a new infant invaded their space, I know that they will have the same love, enjoyment, and grace towards Brady as they do with Baker. 

to think that I get to do this transition of new life with my big girls over again as we did with Baker makes me so excited. this time with a little brother.

so unreal. so unfathomable.

straight from my dreams.

the countdown is on.

a little bit of Brady | 31 weeks

31 weeks.

first things first- this belly is LEGIT.  I'm carrying him SO much different than I did the twins and Baker.  I carried Baker lower than I carried the twins because I wasn't really working out prior to that pregnancy and whatever abdominal muscles I did have weren't much use after a twin belly + bed rest to hold her up as high as I could have.  I thought for sure this pregnancy would be different since I had been doing bootcamp both before and after getting pregnant with Brady but those hopes were a complete waste of thought.  tops and tees I wore my entire pregnancy with Baker cannot even be forced over half of my belly now at 31 weeks.  

c'est la vie

that being said, I have discovered that I am most comfortable in midi dresses and sneakers.. the weather has been so random and hitting upwards of 70 degrees here in Dallas, so I've been able to get away with this kind of comfort wear in.. January.

and if I am at home its rare you'll catch me in anything else far from my pink blush pajama pants and a pure body tee from Gap.  

hoodie jacket c/o // terry dress c/o

we went for my 31 week check up with my OB yesterday.  Baker tagged along while the twins were at preschool and she was just the cutest little thing while we watched baby brother dance on the sonogram screen.  her little surprised face when Brady's heartbeat came loud of over monitor at 170bpm.  she has no idea the changes that are about to happen in the short weeks to come, but she sure was proud to tote around that sonogram picture of her little brother for the rest of the day.

Brady update 

our little man is growing perfectly- and for the first time he's literally right on track for gestational age.  he's been measuring at least a week or two ahead from the very get go, and yesterday I was 32 weeks and 2 days and he's measuring 32 weeks and 3 days.

four whole pounds of baby boy in this belly- with perfect little lips and button nose, and HOLY cheeks!!  he also wouldn't keep his hands out of his mouth.

I just cannot WAIT to meet him!!  

after swooning over his little face long enough (but its never long enough, am I right??) the sonographer got down to business in checking out all the important things.. good news is that the fluid around Brady's right kidney has completely resolved itself, but the not so great news is that the fluid around his left kidney has significantly increased since the last time we checked him out.  he's laying on his left side and she kept having trouble getting a good look at the kidney because of the shadows of his ribs kept showing up on the sono.. but from the measurements she got it jumped up in size a lot.  SO- that means we are going back to our perinatologist next week to hopefully get a better look and idea of how that kidney is actually doing and if the measurements were just off because of how he's positioned.  if that kidney truly is compromised, which we hope and pray it isn't, he might be making his debut a couple weeks early. 

again, with all the unknown about this, its all a little overwhelming to think about.  we have had our fair share of high risk "complications" and taken the proper precautions with pregnancies before and our girls have all been born perfectly fine and healthy, but the waiting game kills me on all this. 

 striped midi-dress (non maternity) similar // cardigan (similar)

mama update 

well.  apparently I'm really sick. I've been battling cough and congestion for about a week now and chalked it up to allergies and after being scolded by my OB and repeated "I told you so" from Jordan.. I was diagnosed with bronchitis.  Walsh could hear me two rooms down hacking up a lung while waiting my turn to be seen and the first thing she did when she walked in the room was listen to my chest and lungs and made me promise to stay in bed for the next two days.

"you look like death on a platter, girl. go to bed."

other things.. the polyhydramnios has remained stable!  my fluid levels haven't changed much, yet again, which is a relief.  I could tell by the way I've been feeling the last week or so that I was less tight and more comfortable while sitting, standing, laying..  a couple weeks ago I didn't even feel like I could bend over or eat much more than toast or cereal at meal times.. and when sitting or laying I felt like I was suffocating because of the weight.  BUT thankfully that has resolved, more or less.  I'm still measuring about a month ahead, but no where near like I was.  

since taking those steroids at 29 weeks to encourage Brady's lung development in case he does happen to come earlier than planned, the braxton hicks have been NONSTOP.  she did say that this would be a side effect of the steroids, and so she prescribed me procardia to take twice a day. I took procardia in my pregnancy with the twins when I went into preterm labor and was placed on bed rest, so I know the drill. 

no bed rest at this point because all looks well with that, but just to be safe and keep those contractions at bay for these remaining weeks this is the plan.

so.  this is basically my life right now.

ridiculous.  but feeling better and sleeping better AND keeping Brady put for at least 8 more weeks is on the immediate agenda.

for now, I'm soaking up these moments with my girls before this baby boy comes.  Baker has all the sudden become SO BIG and I can't hardly stand it. 

Parker and Jolie ask every single day when its time for baby brother to come out.  

thinking about Brady being my last baby is by far the most emotional part about all of this. I love being a mom.  I love carrying a baby.  I love the newborn stage, even when I'm running on coffee and 2 hours of sleep.  I love to watch my older kids grow and bond and accept the new addition.  thinking that this will be my last time to do all that over again is hard.  

hard.hard.hard.

but Brady boy, you are already SO loved and we are over the moon to add you into this mix of crazy.

pajama pants c/o (similar) // maternity basic tee 

maternity long sleeve henley // polka dot pajama pants c/o (similar)

pregnancy essentials | second trimester

its hard to believe that my second trimester has come and gone in a flash!  is it going by as fast for everyone else as it is for me?  as I was making a short list of things that I simply "cannot live without" I went back and looked at my pregnancy favs from my pregnancy with Baker, which wasn't too long ago, and I coincidentally several of the exact same things on my list!
thankfully I haven't been completely consumed with discomfort aside from little random bouts of heartburn and definitely taking time to enjoy these last couple months growing baby boy!
here is my list of a few things that have made life easier over the last several weeks.
in the meantime, I always love to hear what works for fellow preggos and mamas that have experience with all this before me!  share away!

I included the exact links of these products below:)

1 // tarteist contour palette 

randomly, I included a similar tart palette on my second trimester favorites two years ago.. and honestly I still have NO idea how to contour.  none.  okay, so after taking Jenna's private makeup class (which was SUCH a fun girls night out and so helpful, btw) I have somewhat of a better idea of what I'm doing, but lets just say my first couple times of trying the palette out have been a disaster.  BUT I'm learning as I go!  Kate's blog for tips are always helpful and found couple of youtube videos that seemed legit enough and worth my time to watch.. and liked this article the best, but still I am at a loss with what exactly contouring is. what I do know is that the highlighter(s) of this palette brightens the darkness around my eye area and cheekbones, as well as hide the 'pregnancy mask' that has seem to show up once again this time in pregnancy.. its not as raging as it was before and I can promise its because I'm not out in the summer sun every day like I was with Baker.  

2 // all about the comfy tee

sounding like a broken record for the third pregnancy in a row.. because h o w many times have I mentioned my love of the comfy tee- but now more than ever I am really appreciating it.  the entire gap pure body line is my favorite and has continued to do its part in fitting the growing bump well throughout this entire pregnancy.  I will say, I am carrying hm 100% different than I carried my girls- he's really low and all out in front.. and my normal pre pregnancy size still fits me like a glove, and is basically the only thing that I am comfortable in right now.  all of my favorite unisex tees I wore throughout my pregnancy with Baker have failed to cover the bump as I've gotten into my third trimester with this boy!

3 // the wireless + seamless

since becoming pregnant with the twins, and then breastfeeding them for 13 months (see also demolishing my boobs) it is rare, and I mean RARE that I go without a bra.  I definitely have been wearing the Cake nursing bras I swooned over last go round with pregnancy and breastfeeding, but this time I have also just stuck to the basic t-shirt bras and pullover seamless options, too.. also from gap.

4 // full coverage

confession: I am not a huge fan of underwear.  I hate thongs and the cheekie versions of said thongs.. and full on granny panties are SO annoying.  so I go without.  all the time.  but when I'm pregnant I need underwear, so I'm forced into wearing it and I've found awesome comfort in full coverage bikinis.

5 // maternity support wear

I discovered blanqi maternity late in the game with Baker, so this time around I was very interested in investing in some great support and comfortable wear for this pregnancy.  and OMG, talk about support.  these are the best leggings I have ever worn and I definitely wear them OUT.  I have a couple of their tank tops as well and when wearing them together it gives sort of a compression support which can be so helpful with back and neck discomfort.  I also have a pair of their nursing support leggings in my hospital bag "pile" of things waiting to be stuffed in a bag before heading to the hospital for delivery. 

6 // heavy cream

I have had a serious case of itchy belly from all the stretching its had to do over the last couple months.  I am one of the lucky ones and don't get stretch marks- even after housing a set of twins. honestly its one of those things that you either get or you don't. its 100% genetic and no stretch cream or coconut oil can help in preventing it.  my mama didn't get them, so neither have I!  BUT, those stretch creams and oils can totally help in keeping your belly smooth and itch-free.  heavy creams with shea butter have been my BFF.

7 // tums

hello, heartburn.  you have, once again, completely cramped my style these last couple months.  I have been popping Tums a couple times a day and they do the trick to hold back the burn.   I carry them in my purse and diaper bag these days in fear of being miserable while out and about. nothing wrong with that!

8 // a little extra boost

I totally spaced on my dietitian brain and have been taking my prenatal and my additional calcium supplement at the same time.. a SUPER common food-drug interaction as a result of this is anemia because calcium 100% blocks the absorption of iron in the blood.  I have been doing this since the beginning of my pregnancy without even thinking twice about it and its finally caught up with me.  I've been feeling lightheaded and dizzy when going from sitting to standing too quickly and after a routine blood panel workup at my 26 week check up it showed I was anemic.  the moment they told me that it was like **forehead slap**.  just a little nutrition biochemistry for anyone, not just if you are pregnant.. take your multivitamin and calcium supplement at least 2 hours apart from each other.  so, now, I am taking an iron supplement in addition to my prenatal before I go to bed and my calcium first thing in the morning:)

a little bit of brady | maternity shoot

this past weekend Jordan and I met Brittany at the Clear Creek Heritage Park for some intimate photos to celebrate our baby boy!  maternity photos weren't something I was sure about this time around.. it being my third pregnancy and fourth baby. but that said, he's my last baby.  the perfect caboose to our girl train. 

I know I keep saying it, but I literally cannot contain how excited I am to meet this baby boy.

what color is his hair?

what does his nose and precious profile look like?

does he favor his daddy or does he favor his mama? 

..and basically kiss his little cheeks off.

I'm walking into 30 weeks and we are in the single digit countdown if this boy follows suit of his sisters before him.

I'm so glad to have these photos to cherish.  they turned out perfect.

and Jordan is wearing a cardigan, so.. theres that (heart eyes!)

it was 34 degrees and SO cold, but there was no wind at all and the sun was shining.. oh who am I kidding, it was so freaking cold.  we were drinking coffee in attempts to stay warm, but by mid-shoot the hot coffee was definitely iced:)  Brady was dancing in my belly and right as my belly touched Jordan's he kicked as hard as his little legs could kick- we busted out laughing so hard about it!

it "snowed" here in Dallas the day before and the flurries were still sprinkled throughout the woods.

goodness.  if Brady is half as cute as his daddy we are going to be in such big trouble.

also, lets all tell Jordan how good he looks in a cardigan, shall we?

after coming up with a variety of ideas for this photoshoot, we ultimately decided that the smoke effect we had seen on Pinterest and social media would be SO cool.  Britt researched what we needed to buy in hopes to get that amazing plume effect and we were all set!

okay, not quite the look we had ultimately hoped for.  

as the smoke surrounded me I was dying laughing and then choking and then laugh-choking.  all I could think about was "stop, drop, and roll", but you know, rolling isn't exactly what I am capable of doing right now.. I have a rather large mass protruding from my mid-section.  and there was no fire, folks just to make that clear!  just a lot of smoke.

Jordan tripped and fell at some point while trying to move the smoke around but.. yea I never saw that.

as the smoke began to clear it kind of hung in the cool air making it look like the most amazing fog in the break of the early morning.

a way cooler effect than plumes of smoke, right?

oh, and had to represent the slippers and thermal socks I wore under my skirt.  

hey!  my toes were the only thing NOT frozen, thats for sure.

for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

Psalm 139:13-14

photography by: b faith photography

hair // the dry bar

sweater // forever 21 

skirt  //  tara lynn's boutique

smoke  effect // amazon