Labor Day weekend in Key West!

We are back from a long Labor Day weekend in Key West with my whole family. My dad recently got a vacation home there so it was our first of many trips! The house is beautiful and I know it will hold so many memories for our family in the future. I am heading back in 3 weeks so I will do a home tour if anyone is interested!

Thursday night we made the 2 hour drive west and stayed in a hotel right beside the airport. Our flight was at 7am so I refused to wake Vivi up at 3:30am to leave for the airport. It worked out perfectly and I'm so glad we did that! It definitely made our travel much more do-able.

Friday we were up bright and early to catch our flight. The rest of my family got there Thursday so they greeted us when we arrived at lunch time. My niece and nephew were so excited to see Vivian even though they see her every single day. It was so cute! We set up the pack-n-play, put Vivi down for a nap, grabbed a drink and headed straight to the pool.

Friday night we grilled out at the house because we were exhausted from traveling and waking up so early. It was so nice hanging out in our bathing suits until late in the evening and not having to rush to go anywhere.

Saturday morning we were all up bright and early so we rode our bikes to Blue Heaven for breakfast. This restaurant is a Key West landmark and an absolute must next time you're there!

The rest of the day we spent hanging out in the pool and riding around on the new golf cart which is SO much fun. I put Vivi in the baby bjorn and she absolutely loved riding in the golf cart and exploring the island! Key West is tiny so having a golf cart and bikes is so convenient. Plus, you can't park a car anywhere so bikes are the way to go.

Saturday night we went to Mallory Square for sunset which is also a must in Key West. There are all sorts of shows and people playing music and singing. You can get a drink and watch the sun set from the best spot on the island.

After sunset we put the kids to bed and a babysitter stayed with them while the adults went to Duval Street for a few hours. We went to a drag show which is absolutely hilarious and so entertaining. Had a few drinks, got some late night pizza, and headed home way past my bedtime.

Sunday morning it was overcast and raining off and on so we rode bikes to Island Dogs bar for mimosas and bloody marys. We rode around and did some exploring until the sun came out then it was pool time for the afternoon.

Vivi absolutely loves the pool so it made it enjoyable and so fun to watch her splash around. She is a water baby for sure!

Sunday night we had dinner at Conch Republic which is perfect for kids because it's outdoors and right on the water so it doesn't matter if they're noisy. And you can take them on the pier and feed the fish for entertainment. Tip: when in Key West, you have to try a piece of key lime pie at every restaurant you go to!

Our vacations aren't what they used to be... there is a lot less reading, sleeping and relaxing but making memories as a new family of 3 is priceless.

Flying With A Baby

We officially survived our first time flying with a baby. I was honestly scared to death to fly with her but she surprised me and did much better than I expected. We traveled to Key West (recap coming tomorrow) and it was 2 flights there and 2 flights back. When we booked our trip I began scouring blogland for tips on flying with a baby and I rounded up all the things we packed in her carry on. Yep, all this just for the plane. As is life with a baby. I would much rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

1. Diapers and wipes. Duh.

2. Bottles. Bring more than you think you need because when all else fails, milk makes them happy. Also, security may drop one of them and the nipple will touch all over the floor and no one has time to wash a bottle in an airport (true story).

3. Water in a S'well bottle. These bottles are perfect because you can throw them in your bag and it won't leak or spill. Vivi drinks her bottles room temperate but if your babe likes them warm, S'well bottles keep liquids warm or hot for a long time! I did a lot of research and called the airport beforehand and they told me you can take liquids through security as long as you let them know it's for bottles.

3. Formula (unless you breastfeed, obviously). I packed this formula dispenser as well as a ziplock bag of formula for backup.

4. Pacis. I packed hers in this small clutch inside the carry on bag because I wanted to have them all together and know exactly where they were when needed. Having them in a separate smaller bag also kept them clean.

5. Baby Bjorn. This was SO helpful getting through security and the airports. I threw her in this so that I could be hands free which was so much easier than holding her. Plus she is a stage 5 clinger right now so she was super content.

6. Happy Baby organic greek yogurt melts. These were our "big guns". Aka when nothing else was making her happy, break out the food. Definitely try these (and any other snacks) a few times before doing it on the plane to make sure your little one isn't allergic.

7. Jennifer Ann personalized blanket. Not only is it super cute, but it folds up easily and doesn't take up a lot of space. We laid this on the airport floor between flights so she could play and get down for a while since I'm sure she was tired of being held.

8. Toys. I purchased a few new toys that I didn't let her play with until the flights so that they would be new and "interesting" to her. I brought take-along tunes, ocean glow sensory shaker, neptune musical tunes, Sophie the giraffe and whimzle grasping toy.

9. Little Unicorn burp cloth and bibs because drool and spit up. Multiple of each!

10. Clean outfit. Thankfully no blowouts were had so we didn't end up needing this but always be prepared!

11. Happy Baby organic puffs. Again, these were our "big guns" and worked perfectly. She loved them and they kept her quiet. I'm not against bribery.

12. Hand and face wipes. Perfect after eating yogurt melts and puffs.

13. Bunny lovey. She likes to hold onto this when she sleeps.

I'm definitely no pro at flying with children but we successfully survived our first trip! Major mom win! Please let me know if you have any questions.

FoF

Happy Friday! We are currently en route to Key West for a long weekend! First flight for baby girl... let's hope we all survive ;) Follow along via Insta stories @mrsordavis

[O N E]

At the beginning of the summer I was on the hunt for reasonably priced, cute one piece swimsuits because #mombod. Someone mentioned Cupshe to me and at first I was super hesitant because I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and a bathing suit for $26 just did not seem possible. However, I purchased my first one and was so surprised by the quality. Since then I have purchased 3 more and have loved all of them. My favorite are the high-waisted tankinis because it covers my belly but is still super cute and when no one is around I can still get sun on my mom belly ;)

[T W O]

I made blueberry banana chia bars from Ashley's blog this week and they are so good! You can definitely tell they are healthy but they are the perfect snack. I have to have healthy snacks prepped and ready to go because when I get hangry I'm reaching for the first thing I can find. Having snacks like these on hand prevents me from eating an entire bag of chips.

[T H R E E]

Target is killing it lately! I absolutely love small cosmetic bags for organization of makeup, toiletries, pacis, you name it. Target has the cutest makeup bags right now. I had to hold myself back from getting all of them! Here are two of my favorites:

Cosmetic bag

Cosmetic bag

[F O U R]

If you follow me on Instagram then you know it was our first baby's 6th birthday this week. She has had a rough year to say the least... 2 ACL surgeries and welcoming a new baby into the family. Things have definitely changed for her since Vivi came into the picture but she is the sweetest dog, the best companion and such great company. Hopefully year 6 is much better for her!

[F I V E]

I just got these jeans that Stephanie posted about on her blog and they are perfect. So soft, comfy and the step-hem is apparently the fall trend this year? Jeans are 50% off online right now so you can scoop these jeans up for just $18! You cannot beat that!

Day in the Life: a working day

Some of my very favorite posts to read are "day in the life" posts. I work three days a week as an orthopedic physician assistant so my work days and days at home look drastically different. I recently did a "day in the life" post showing what a typical day at home looks like and today I will show you what a typical work day looks like.

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Date: Wednesday August 23, 2017

5:05am- I hear Vivi crying through the monitor. She has slept 7:30p-5:05a so I know she's probably hungry and not going back to sleep without a bottle. Garrett is at the gym so I get up and head into the nursery to feed her then get back in bed.

6:00am- My alarm goes off. Let Bella outside and feed her then straight to the coffee maker.

6:10am- Wash my face, quick make-up, get dressed and make the bed. Bella is mad the bed is made because she wants to get under the covers. Diva dog.

6:30am- Vivi is awake and talking in her crib. Garrett and I head in there together (our morning ritual) and she is SO smiley and happy to see us. Change her into her clothes for the day.

6:45am- Garrett leaves for work. Vivi plays on her play mat while I cook breakfast and pack my lunch. Today it's oatmeal with frozen blueberries and honey. After I eat I spend a little time playing with her before I have to leave.

7:20am- My MIL gets to my house to keep Vivian for the day. Smother my baby with kisses then it's out the door.

7:55am- Get to work. The 30 minute commute allows me alone time to drink my coffee, blast Lauren Daigle pandora, and mentally prepare myself for the day. Once I'm settled into my desk I review my patients for the day, look over paperwork that my nurse has prepared for me, sign off notes, etc.

8:45am-12pm- See patients. I see everything from 4-year-olds with a broken arm to 85-year-olds with severe arthritis in the knees. Do lots of cortisone injections in joints, put casts on, look at so many x-rays, post-op appointments, you name it.

12:15pm- Eat lunch in our break room with my coworkers. I always bring my lunch and today it's a turkey sandwich with strawberries.

12:45pm- Head across the street to the hospital to make rounds on our inpatients. These patients are admitted to the hospital post-joint replacement, hip fractures, etc. After hospital patients are seen it's back to the office to see afternoon patients.

4:45pm- Done seeing patients. Finish up my notes for the day and head home.

5:15pm- Garrett got home before me today and they are waiting for me on the porch. So happy to see them both! Change out of my work clothes then we go on a walk. I'm not sure who likes walks more... Vivi or Bella.

6:00pm- I tackle baby duty while Garrett tackles dinner. Tonight she gets carrots and apples and after she eats it's bath time.

6:30pm- Garrett and I sit down to eat while Vivi plays in her exersaucer. Tonight we have grilled pork chops, squash and zucchini.

7:00pm- Play time in Vivi's room to buy time before bed. She starts to get fussy around this time but we try to entertain her until at least 7:30.

7:40pm- I feed Vivi a bottle then we rock. My absolute favorite part of the day. She is soo snuggly and I have to force myself to get up and put her in her crib.

8:10pm- Finish up the dishes and pick up the house. I cannot go to bed until the living room and kitchen are clean.

8:35pm- Finally take a shower, get my lunch for work tomorrow prepped, then get in bed. I usually either read or we watch something on our DVR like a Dateline or 20/20. Tonight it's "Sick Girl" by Amy Silverstein.

10pm- Lights out!

Vivian Kate | 6 months

Vivian,

I am in denial that you are halfway to one. In some ways it feels like you were born yesterday and in some ways I feel like I have know you my entire life. One thing is for certain, we cannot imagine life without you!

Weight
17lb 15oz (81st percentile) and 26" long (54th percentile)

Sleep

We suffered through a major sleep regression this month. It was brutal! I thought it was teething but now I'm thinking it was just a good, old fashioned sleep regression. She went from sleeping 8p-6a to waking up every single hour. I let her cry it out one night and since then she has starting sleeping 7:30p-5:30a, getting a bottle then going back to sleep until 6:30a. It was SO hard hearing her cry for 40 minutes straight and I felt like the worst.mom.ever. but she had already proven she could do it, she wasn't sick, and there was no reason for her to need me. One night of crying it out did the trick!  Hopefully we are completely over that no-sleeping phase.

She also hasn't been napping as good as she used to. She sleeps on her tummy for naps but right when you put her down she thinks it's hilarious to roll on her back. Then she gets mad and cries because she can't get back over onto her belly. She usually wakes up at 6:30a, naps from 8:30a-9:30a, 12-1:30p, 3:30-5p and goes to bed around 7:30p. I think we may try to transition to two long naps here soon, one morning and one afternoon.

Eat

She drinks 5oz every 3ish hours. We started oatmeal cereal a few weeks ago and she LOVED it. We just gave it to her once a day at "dinner" time and then gradually transitioned to vegetables. We are still only doing solids once a day around dinner time but I will likely start doing it twice a day soon. I have loved making her baby food so far and hope I can stick with it.

Clothes

She is in 6m or 6-12m for the most part. She still has hardly any fall/winter clothes so I need to get on that ASAP!

Likes

Being outside is her absolute favorite thing. Bike rides, sitting on the porch, going on walks, you name it. She likes her jumper and exersaucer. Loves rubbing her furry sister (who doesn't exactly love it in return). So far she has tried sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots and has loved them all. She loves her cousin Ella James and lights up when she's in the room. She still loves bath time and is totally a water baby. She lovesss the pool and splashing around.

Dislikes
You haaate getting dressed. It's like fighting a bull to put your clothes over your head. You hate having your mouth wiped off after you eat solids. You hate being bored and you get bored very easily #highmaintenance. You don't mind being in the car for short periods of time but long car rides aren't your jam (I think it's because you get bored).

Milestones

This month you did SO many new things! So far this has been the month with the most new milestones! You rolled over for the first time from belly to back on 7/26/17. You still can't figure out how to go from back to belly but I think you're just being lazy. You tried oatmeal cereal for the first time on 7/30/17 and loved it. You sat for the first time by yourself on 8/8/17. You hold your bottle by yourself now. You changed so much this month and no longer feel like a tiny baby but I love watching you grow!

More Vivi posts:

Birth story
1 month update
Nursery reveal
2 month update
3 month update
4 month update
5 month update