Mother's Day: 10 Great Gift Ideas

This year marks my very first Mother's Day. I remember back to this time last year, wondering if that would be last year of not being a mother, and here we are. I have a 2 month old and feel like I have fallen head first into this thing called "motherhood." There's no looking back and I am good with that. I am Marin's mom and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been compiling a list of some Mother's Day Gift ideas for the mom in your life. They deserve to be pampered and taken care of, not just one day a year, but this is a time where you can tell them and show them how awesome they are! I know I would love any of these items...maybe you don't, maybe you do! Some of these are inexpensive, some of these are a bit of a splurge. I love them all! 

1. Blueprint Juice Cleanse: I've talked about this for a while now and still haven't tried one. I will wait until after I'm done breastfeeding, but I would love to try the Renovation Cleanse. I think it is a good reset button when it comes to seasons of eating too much junk and let's face it, those seasons can happen far too often. 
2. Hello Apparel's Hello Pullover. You can buy a matching one for your little kiddo as well. The perfectly comfy pullover that you can dress up or dress down. 
3. A photo book from Pin Hole Press. My plan is make this series a coffee table book once we hit one year of weekly posts. I take a ton of pictures in life but most of them remain digital. I would like to have some photo albums to actually look through in the future. I barely even have any of our wedding photos printed. That should change. 
4. "I Already Want To Take A Nap Tomorrow" Shirt. As a new mom, I feel this. 
5. DoTerra Mother's Day Gift Set. This now comes with a free lotion as well. These things are selling fast though, so get one while you can. It features Balance, Whisper, and Serenity Oil Blends. 
6. Some mom's might not like this idea, but I would love a good jogging stroller. Let's face it, my body is not like it was before having a kid and anytime I can be working out with her involved is a good thing. 
7. Stitch Fix. This a company where you create a personal style file based on your likes and dislikes and they send you box of items to try on. You then decide which items you would like to keep, pay for those items, and send back the rest free of charge. I have my first shipment coming June 28th. It is a way to find new clothes and maybe step out of your comfort zone when it comes to shopping. I love stuff like this. June 28th will be a good mail day. 
8. Many moms need coffee. I am one of those moms. We have had a Keurig for a while now. We were just talking about how nice it would be to have some reusable Keurig cups that you can place you own coffee in. Case and point. 
9. A Package of Bliss at this fine establishment. I would probably go for the Unfrazzled Momma. 
10. One last pullover from Hello Apparel. "I'm So Tired" Sweatshirt. I would wear this everyday. 

There you have it. What you getting your mom for Mother's Day? 

Baby Marin: Week Eight

Week Eight. On Friday, our child will be 2 months old. This has probably been the most challenging two months of our entire lives but I don't doubt for a second that we were meant to live in this season of being new parents. Parenthood is changing me. I feel a reshaping of so many things, deep inside my tired bones. I will never be the same. This little girl has already taught us so much and this is only the beginning. 

I am a little nervous for our 2 month appointment with her on friday due to the vaccinations, but I am looking forward to finding out how much she weighs now and all of the other ways she is growing up far too quickly. 

Everyday brings new things. More fussy afternoons. More diaper blowouts. More smiles and giggles. More time spent awake then asleep. Marin is growing bit by bit by bit. 

Marin at 2 Months (Week 8) 

1. Smiles at us a lot with her big, gummy grin.
2. Calms herself by bringing her hands to her mouth and sucking on hands. 
3. Turns her head towards sounds
4. Pays attention to faces and can pick Ryan and I out of a group of people fairly quickly. 
5. Gets fussy if she is bored. Or hungry. Or wet. 
6. Holds head up and is beginning to push upward during tummy time. 
7. Smoother movement of legs and arms
8. Sleeps through the night every couple of nights or wakes up only once to nurse. (Hallelujah!) 

Mama at 2 Months

1. I've slowly started exercising again. It feels good to do something other than sitting and nursing a baby all of the time. (I'm still doing that though.) There is a long road ahead of me, destination: losing the baby weight and then some. It's a big process.
2. I've slept through the night a few times and always wake up surprised when Marin is waking up around 6 or 7 am, not 3 or 4 am. 
3.  I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that maternity leave is ending soon. But, there is hope on the horizon: I am proposing that I go to part time at my place of work. I think it is a great step for my little family.  
4.  I finally am wearing normal pants again. Not the size I would like, but there's no maternity band and I am fine with that. 

Dad at 2 Months 

1. He still is the best diaper changer and baby-burper on the block. He gets up with me for one of the feedings at night if Marin is up at that point. 
2. This man can swaddle our baby better than I can any day. 
3.  He will spend his first day flying solo with the baby next week when I go back to work for a few days.  
4. I am amazed by his calmness and clarity towards our child (especially when mom is frazzled) and how he loves her. He's swell. He's a great dad and I am so glad I get to do all of this with him. 

Bath Time. A little blurry, but I don't care.