The Parker Project: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

Breastfeeding Essentials

This is me keeping it real for all the new moms out there. After many many hours of breastfeeding, these are the items I can't live without.

1. A smart phone. The first couple of months you will feel like you are constantly BF. That's because you are. You will get bored, you will need something mind numbing to do because you are too tired to concentrate on anything but you have to stay awake (Candy Crush was a great way to kill time). I always have my phone with me so I can text friends, read the news, play games, etc.

2. Water. BF makes you exceptionally thirsty. I have a small mountain of empty water bottles by my rocking chair. Funny that the photo shows a whole pallet of water because that's how much water I feel I drink every week.

3. Breast pads. Whatever boob your baby is not drinking from will leak. Make sure you have a breast pad in place to soak up the mess. You really don't want to get milk stains all over your nursing bras and have to do eatra laundry.

4. A sleeping nursing bra. I lived in these for the first couple of months. The ones at Target are really comfy and come in a pack of two. Target is now my favorite place to shop.

5. A nursing cover. I always make sure to have one in my diaper bag whenever we are out in public because you never know when baby will want to eat. I've nursed Parker in church, at resturants, at the park, etc. It also doubles as a good light blanket in a pinch. Gotta keep the girls covered up.

6. Baby wipes. Keep these handy for when baby decides to unlatch while you are gushing and gets sprayed in the face. Baby wipes are also good for wiping down your boobs, your bursing pillow and just about anything else you can think of.

7. Nipple cream. It's important to keep the milk machine well oiled so your nipples don't crack. One tube will last forever. Six months later, I'm still using the same tube I received at my babyshower. You can also use coconut oil.

8. My BrestFriend Pillow. Dumb name, great item. Our pediatrician recommended this to me after I told her about how much pain I was in trying to support Parker while BF. I had terrible carpal tunnel during my pregnancy and it didn't go away after I gave birth. This pillow saved my life.

9. A nursing bra. Invest in a 3-4 comfortable nursing bras. I like the Target (yay!) ones because they are affordable and wireless. Before giving birth, I also bought some You! lingerie bras and those are nice too when you want to spice things up. I also like the nursing bras available from Elle McPherson.

Breastfeeding Essentials by marychu featuring a Gilligan & O'Malley maternity

Etsy Find - MarineParents

Check out these toddler backpacks from MarineParents! They are all cute but I'm especialyl digging the dancing bear one.

MarineParents by marychu on Polyvore

ruffled toddler backpack chambray by MarineParents on Etsy / toddler backpack bears in line by MarineParents on Etsy / toddler backpack rock 'n roll guitars by MarineParents on Etsy / toddler backpack superhero by MarineParents on Etsy

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Parker's Official 6 Month Photo

There's not going to be much of a difference between P's 6 month photo and his 7 month photo because we are slackers this month. Still cute nonetheless!

[He has a giant booger and we didn't notice until after the photos were taken so a lot of the photos are unusable. Winning parents!]

[Can you spot the giant booger?]

Milk Friendly Outfits for Fall

BF is so good for your baby but so restricting for your closet. My closet is now full of button downs, seperates and comfy clothes that don't need to be dry cleaned. Whenever I consider buying something, my first thought is always, "How easy would it be to whip my boob out in this?" I even embarassed my sister during a shopping trip by constantly checking the stretch on some shirts at Forever21 :) What? It's important!

Here are some fall outfit ideas that are breastfeeding friendly. For the most part they are budget friendly too. I will be investing in some new black tights and tops so I can look as cool as my stylish little man.

Milk Friendly Outfits for Fall by marychu on polyvore.com

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Manly Party Signs - Freebie

My sister Tania made these awesome signs for Tuan's party. I thought I wouls share them in case you want to throw your own man party. Enjoy!

Parker's Picks - Modern Bassinets

If I had to do it all again, I would NOT have purchased a baby hammock. I would have gotten one of these beautiful modern bassinets instead.

Modern Bassinets by marychu on polyvore.com

Congrats Tuyen & Andy!

All I have are photos of the church ceremony because we had so much fun during the reception we didn't have time to take photos! Congrats Tuyen and Andy! The next major family event is Quyen and Phil's wedding next April.

[Tuan, Parker and I]

[Tania looks super tan and super tall in this photo]

[I'll go ahead and add this to my collection of photos of Brandon and Tania]

[Making ladies swoon since age 6 months]

[Congrats to my cousin Tuyen and her new husband Andy!]

[Flower girls behaving badly]

[Two families combined]

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Gap Kids Halloween 2013 Collection

Here are Parker's picks from the 2013 Gap Kids Halloween Collection. I'm especially loving the little ghost and skeleton pajamas! It's never too early to start planning for halloween in my book!

Gap Kids Halloween 2013 Collection by marychu on polyvore.com

Etsy Find - Kelli Murray Art

If you are looking for invitations for your kid's birthday or baby shower, check our Kelli Murray Arts. I just stumbled across her shop on etsy and I'm totally in love with the adorable prints. My favorite has to be the pow wow bird invitation. Love! Plus she is a local artist from Encinitas.

Kelli Murray Art
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KelliMurrayArt

Kelly Murray Art by marychu on polyvore.com

Monday, August 26, 2013

Footed Pajamas for the Whole Family

Whoever took the promo shots for this sale just made my morning. Most awkward thing ever! Everything from the dancing baby, to the pumped up teen, to the mom trying to be sexy is amazing. Happy Monday everyone!!

Footed Pajamas for the Whole Family by marychu on Polyvore

Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids / Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids / Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids / Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids / Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids / Footed Pajamas | Daily deals for moms, babies and kids

Sunday, August 25, 2013

A Manly 30th Birthday Party

My husband turned 30 this past Saturday and we celebrated with a "manly 'stache bash" with friends and family at our house. What is a manly party you ask? Well let me tell you. My little sister Tania and I picked a masculine color scheme which consisted of black, red and cream/craft brown and used that in all of the decor. I decorated with handmade paper garlands, mustache balloons, butcher paper table covers and giant mustache balloons. Activities included beer tasting (I bought a large variety of local micro brews at BevMo), beer pong, grilling and taking photos for the mustache gallery. We had so much fun that the birthday boy had to take a nap in the middle of his party :) I had originally planned to do more but then I started working and didn't have enough time to finish all my projects. It came together nicely nonetheless and I think everyone had a good time. I'm told that almost everyone had a headache the next day because of the random mix of beer that they drank during beer tasting. Win!

[Our MACHO bar]

[I picked up a selection of local micro brews at BevMo.]

[I ordered a plain frosted cake from It's a Piece of Cake and decorated it with mini fondant mustaches and a mini tassel garland. The "30" is sparklers!]