Thursday, July 17, 2014

Duh // Rags To Raches

Um, duhhh! I seriously can't stand it. I bought tanks for both of my boys (matching everything, DUH). Fits both of their personalities perfect, and in one word = sassy. These are perfect for warm weather, so we rocked them at the beach the other day. 

I bought these on Instagram from "rags_to_raches". Not sure if she has a website now. But she offers so many colors, it's so awesome. I bought the orange, blue, and maroon. The moment I saw these colors, it screamed summer, so I had to have them. 

Carter's hat - Gap
Carter's shirt - Rags to Raches
Carter's swim shorts - Quiksilver
Cruz's crown - Monday Goodies
Cruz's shirt - Rags to Raches
Cruz's bummies - Little edge apparel







Coolest Socks // Pride Socks

Socks are always a fun accessory... Especially these!! Who knew that knee high socks would be so darn cute on my little man. So colorful and hard to miss. We had fun time finding clothes to match these socks with. We'll definitely be using these a lot through the summer and into the winter. 

Shirt - h&m
Socks - Pride Socks
Shoes - Converse






Friday, July 11, 2014

BFFs // Indie Nook

Okay, this might make you cry because it is so darn cute. But how adorable are these tees from Indie Nook?! "Best Friends" is normally something you'd see girls in, but who said boys couldn't rock this too?! And let's face it, these two are connected by the hip. 

These are printed on American apparel shirts, so they are on the smaller side but so soft and comfy. 

The Indie Nook brand has very cute, unique tees for kids and adults. I wanna say they're most known for the bff tees. But if you check out their website, they have super cool, fun graphic tees for the littles. 

The shipping took about 4 weeks. But as for many of these smaller shops, you have to understand that most of these ig shops are a one-man show. Working mom-preneurs!! 

Here is how I styled my littles:
 
ALL CAMO EVERYTHING!

BFF Shirts - Indie Nook
Carter's camo shorts - Old navy
Cruz's camo bummies - My Little Adi
Carter's snapback - Tiny Whales
Cruz's moccs - Freshly Picked



New Blog Ideas // 4th Of July

Oh boy, it's been a while....

I really want to make the effort of blogging more about kids fashion and my thoughts of certain brands, small shops, and how I would style my littles in them. Hopefully I make the time to follow through. I have a busy, busy world with two babies! (You feel me, working mamas!) 

I want to start off with our 4th of July. I dressed my babies in matching clothes for our trip to the zoo. You should've seen my hubby's eyes roll so far back when he saw them in their outfits. Haha! 


Both shirts are from old navy/gap. So comfy and cool.. And most importantly, so patriotic! Hello, how cute right?! You don't know how long I waited to put them in these. Carter's hat is from Tiny Whales. 


Take 2! We needed Popsicles to cool us down from the heat. And why not stick with the red, white, and blue! 

Cruz's shirt - old navy
Carter's shirt - old navy
Sunnies - FJs Popshop
Carter's hat - Jamz Streetwear





Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Cruz

Today, I want to talk a little about my younger son, Cruz. This little drama king makes me feel like I'm a whole new mom all over again. Let's just remember, Carter was a very unique baby to begin with. His growth and milestones were at a different pace from other babies his age. So! With Cruz, everything is brand new to me! Which is so exciting. It's like he pulls out new tricks every day, and I am beyond amazed! At this rate, he might be outrunning Carter soon, haha. 

He's now about 6 months old, rolling over from one side of the room to the other, almost sitting up, and talks away like a true pocho. He has a strong personality where he knows what he wants and when he wants it. And oh heavens, if he doesn't get it, he'll definitely let you know that he's upset. Scary! He definitely keeps us all on our toes, even Carter! Carter looooves to hold him and rub his face onto his (his way of kissing, lol), and Cruz hates it! Haha. Typical brothers, I guess. 

Can't wait to see what the future holds for us with these two monkeys!






Monday, April 7, 2014

Ride A Tricycle... Check!

Okay, bragging mommy moment about to happen! After years of trying to teach Mr Carter how to ride a tricycle using the pedals has finally paid off. He's doing it, and with a bit of sass. He's so good, he's not watching the road, going down hills, and even worked his muscles out on the grass. Talk about giving mom a heart attack! Here comes the cuts and bruises! Hehe, boys! 

And yes, it's time for a bigger bike. One step at a time, Carter boy. 




Monday, March 31, 2014

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Oh So Fancy

Hi all! So I've gone a wee bit crazy over fashion for my littles. We went way overboard on shopping this month and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Don't judge me. 

At the moment, I'm in love with leggings, sassy shirts that tell it like it is, and moccs. Who knew how easy it is to put these three things together to make a fashion statement? I love love love it. 

Here are some pics of my dude in his new threads. 





Wednesday, February 12, 2014

7 Things You Don't Know

I came across this article that a friend shared on Facebook and fell in love. Well, not really. But it was so relatable and on key! This mother just explains what the rest of us are only thinking. 

READ IT! 


7 Things You Don't Know About A Special Needs Parent


Raising a child with any disorder, condition or special need, is both a blessing and a challenge. A challenge for the obvious reasons, and a blessing because you don't know the depths of victory and joy until you see your child overcoming some of those challenges (sometimes while smiling like a goofy bear).

Chances are that you know a special needs parent, or you may be one yourself. As a special needs parent, I often don't share my feelings on this aspect of my life, even with my closest friends, so I decided to compile a list here with the goal of building understanding (I was largely inspired by this beautiful post, authored by another parent to a child with a chromosomal disorder). I don't claim to speak for every special needs parent out there, but from the ones I know, some of these are pretty universal. If I've missed any, please leave a comment below.

1. I am tired. Parenting is already an exhausting endeavor. But parenting a special needs child takes things to another level of fatigue. Even if I've gotten a good night's sleep, or have had some time off, there is a level of emotional and physical tiredness that is always there, that simply comes from the weight of tending to those needs. Hospital and doctors' visits are not just a few times a year, they may be a few times a month. Therapies may be daily. Paperwork and bills stack up, spare time is spent researching new treatments, positioning him to sit a certain way, advocating for him in the medical and educational system. This is not to mention the emotional toll of raising a special needs child, since the peaks and valleys seem so much more extreme for us. I am always appreciative of any amount of grace or help from friends to make my life easier, no matter how small, from arranging plans around my schedule and location, to watching my son while I am eating.

2. I am jealous. It's a hard one for me to come out and say, but it's true. When I see a 1-year-old baby do what my son can't at 4 years-old (like walk), I feel a pang of jealousy. It hurts when I see my son struggling so hard to learn to do something that comes naturally to a typical kid, like chewing or pointing. It can be hard to hear about the accomplishments of my friend's kids. Sometimes, I just mourn inside for Jacob, "It's not fair." Weirdly enough, I can even feel jealous of other special needs kids who seem to have an easier time than Jacob, or who have certain disorders like Downs, or autism, which are more mainstream and understood by the public, and seem to offer more support and resources than Jacob's rare condition. It sounds petty, and it doesn't diminish all my joy and pride in my son's accomplishments. But often it's very hard for me to be around typical kids with him. Which leads me to the next point...

3. I feel alone. It's lonely parenting a special needs child. I can feel like an outsider around moms of typical kids. While I want to be happy for them, I feel terrible hearing them brag about how their 2-year-old has 100 words, or already knows their ABCs (or hey, even poops in the potty). Good for them, but it's so not what my world looks like (check out Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid). It's been a sanity saver to connect with other special needs moms, with whom it's not uncomfortable or shocking to swap stories about medications, feeding tubes, communication devices and therapies. Even within this community, though, there is such variation in how every child is affected. Only I understand Jacob's unique makeup and challenges. With this honor of caring for him comes the solitude of the role. I often feel really lonely in raising him.

4. I am scared. I worry that I'm not doing enough. What if I missed a treatment or a diagnosis and that window of optimal time to treat it has passed? I worry about Jacob's future, whether he will ever drive a car, or get married, or live independently. I am scared thinking of the hurts he will experience being "different" in what's often a harsh world (not to mention that I fear for the physical safety of the person who inflicts any hurt upon my son). I am scared about finances. Finally, I fear what will happen to Jacob if anything were to happen to me. In spite of this, my fears have subsided greatly over the years because of my faith, and because of exposure to other kids, teenagers, and adults affected with Jacob's disorder. When I met some of these amazing people at a conference last year, the sadness and despair that I was projecting onto Jacob's future life (because it was so unknown) melted away when I saw the love and thriving that was a reality in their lives. The fear of emotional pain (for both me and Jacob) is probably the one that remains the most.

5. I wish you would stop saying, "retarded," "short bus," "as long as it's healthy... " I know people usually don't mean to be rude by these comments, and I probably made them myself before Jacob. But now whenever I hear them, I feel a pang of hurt. Please stop saying these things. It's disrespectful and hurtful to those who love and raise the kids you're mocking (not to mention the kids themselves). As for the last comment, "as long as it's healthy," I hear a lot of pregnant women say this. Don't get me wrong, I understand and share their wishes for healthy babies in every birth, but it's become such a thoughtless mantra during pregnancy that it can feel like a wish against what my son is. "And what if it's not healthy?" I want to ask. (My response: you will be OK. You and your child will still have a great, great life.)

6. I am human. I have been challenged and pushed beyond my limits in raising my son. I've grown tremendously as a person, and developed a soft heart and empathy for others in a way I never would have without him. But I'm just like the next mom in some ways. Sometimes I get cranky, my son irritates me, and sometimes I just want to flee to the spa or go shopping (and, um, I often do). I still have dreams and aspirations of my own. I travel, dance, am working on a novel, love good food, talk about dating. I watch Mad Men, and like a good cashmere sweater. Sometimes it's nice to escape and talk about all these other things. And if it seems that the rest of my life is all I talk about sometimes, it's because it can be hard to talk about my son. Which leads me to the final point...

7. I want to talk about my son/It's hard to talk about my son. My son is the most awe-inspiring thing to happen to my life. Some days I want to shout from the top of the Empire State Building how funny and cute he is, or how he accomplished something in school (he was recently voted class president!). Sometimes, when I'm having a rough day, or have been made aware of yet another health or developmental issue, I might not say much. I don't often share with others, even close friends and family, the depths of what I go through when it comes to Jacob. But it doesn't mean that I don't want to learn how to share our life with others. One thing I always appreciate is whenever people ask me a more specific question about my son, like "How did Jacob like the zoo?" or "How's Jacob's sign language coming along?" rather than a more generalized "How's Jacob?" which can make me feel so overwhelmed that I usually just respond, "Good." Starting with the small things gives me a chance to start sharing. And if I'm not sharing, don't think that there isn't a lot going on underneath, or that I don't want to.

Raising a special needs child has changed my life. I was raised in a family that valued performance and perfection above all else, and unconsciously I'd come to judge myself and others through this lens. Nothing breaks this lens more than having a sweet, innocent child who is born with impairments that make ordinary living and ordinary "performance" difficult or even impossible.

It has helped me understand that true love is meeting someone (child or adult, special needs or not) exactly where he or she is -- no matter how they stack up against what "should be." Raising a special needs child shatters all the "should bes" that we idolize and build our lives around, and puts something else at the core: love and understanding. So maybe that leads me to the last thing you don't know about a special needs parent... I may have it tough, but in many ways I feel really blessed.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1314348

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from our family to yours!





Most Improved Award

Soooo proud of my little man! He won the "Most Improved Student" award from school. His teacher said he's been using more signs to communicate. So glad he's thriving!


These are just pics of Carter working their school lemonade stand :)