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2016 Gift Guide for Baby’s First Christmas

I remember when Isla celebrated her first Christmas (around 6.5 months old), family and friends mentioned that it was difficult to come up with fun things to buy her. But let’s get real – at that age, she really only cared about the wrapping paper. I did a gift guide for a one year old (here), but think that gifting a little one for their first Christmas can be about memorabilia, like this gorgeous Paloma’s Nest ornament or this customizable Christmas storybook. And then there’s the numerous Santa items; for example, these PJs, this bib, or these socks

Our Favorite Pajama Traditions with Carter’s

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This post is sponsored by Carter’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I’m taking a break from my typical Monday Week in Review post (which I’ll publish tomorrow!) to share some of our favorite family traditions, which of course take place in none other than our PJs (sometimes considered my unofficial ‘uniform’).

Life has been pretty crazy recently with family photos taking place almost every day, which has made our ‘normal’ routine a little less rigid. However, some activities remain the same day in and day out, like taking Belle (our pup) on a family walk in the morning and evening. In the mornings, it’s just me and Isla, as Sasha goes to work at the crack of dawn so he can come home early. After eating our breakfast, Isla and I take Belle outside to the front yard and throw the ball around, take a spin in Isla’s car and walk down the street to let Belle go to the bathroom. This always takes place in our pajamas (our neighbors probably think we’re crazy, but we don’t care!). More often than not, Isla is barefoot, but more recently, she’s been wearing her new Carter’s footed pajamas with non-skid soles, which you can buy here. The best part is that you can get 20% off your purchase of $40+ now through Nov. 30 with the code CARTPJ25 (in-store coupon below!). If you follow me on Snapchat (@aileepetrovic), you’ve likely seen us take our morning walks in our PJs! No shame in our game.

When we get back inside, Isla will watch one episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, snuggled up with her blankie on the couch, while I clean the dishes and make the bed. She is never, ever happy about getting dressed afterward, and I don’t blame her.

We were really excited when the new holiday collection came out… so much so that we bought four pairs (see stack of pajamas in the photo above!). My favorite thing about Carter’s PJs is how affordable they are, which is why I feel comfortable buying so many sets. I bought both cotton and microfleece pairs – the latter has zipper tabs, which are great – who wants a cold zipper rubbing on their chin?!

There are some pajama traditions that come but once a year, like opening our Santa stockings all cozied up in our new PJs. I shared a post about this tradition last year here – more Carter’s pajamas photos (can we talk about how little Isla looks in those photos?? Sob). 

So now it’s your turn: Does your family have special traditions that involve PJ time? Have you pulled out your one-piece fleece pajamas yet? I want some in my size, seriously!


Buy Carter’s PJs here (remember to use CARTPJ25!) | Find a Carter’s store near you by clicking here | Check out the #LoveCarters Instagram hashtag for cuteness overload!

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Baby’s Hospital Bag Guide (Giveaway)

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I am a very Type A prepared person, so you’d better believe I had my hospital bag packed and ready to go a month before my due date. I seriously laugh at what I packed now, as I had way too much stuff – for both me and Isla. If you’ve picked a good hospital, you’ll get most of your essential items while you’re there (diapers, wipes, sanitary napkins, etc.). Most hospitals offer tours during which they’ll explain what you really need to bring for you and the baby. I would say the most important thing to remember is the car seat, as they won’t let you go home without it!

Although I am by no means an expert mom already, I do know what I’ll be bringing to the hospital for baby #2 – just the essentials (i.e. not 6 different outfit options like last time!). My friend, Julie, raved that her large L.L.Bean Boat and Tote Bag is perfect for a baby’s hospital bag. L.L.Bean kindly sent me one to try, and I agree with Julie – I love it. It is really sturdy, has a top zipper, and fits everything you need to bring (even the Dr. Brown’s Gia Nursing Pillow!).

When it comes to baby’s clothing/accessories, Carter’s has the best selection of every single baby essential item, which includes swaddle blankets, mittens, hats, socks, sleeper gowns, long-sleeved onesies, footed pajamas and pacifier clips. Even if you’re ‘against’ pacifiers like my husband once was (he’s definitely changed his opinion now!), I recommend bringing a few MAM pacifiers just in case. Trust me: This is all you need. I’ve listed a few optional items below as well, but if you stick with the ‘necessities’ list, you’re golden.

Necessities

Optional Items

  • Monogrammed slippers or blankets – we love Seaside Stitchery!
  • Personalized baby book for guests to sign (and to photograph!) – we love Emily Ley’s!
  • Diapers, wipes, rash cream (or use those provided by the hospital!) – we love Honest Co.!

LLBeanAnd the best part of all is that L.L.Bean, Carter’s, Dr. Brown’s and MAM have all partnered with Snapshots & My Thoughts to offer one lucky reader an entire baby hospital bag set, which includes every single ‘necessity’ item. The winner will get to choose between the boy or girl options (or gender neutral) and pick the color and monogram of their L.L.Bean Boat and Tote Bag. I’m so jealous! I would have loved this for Isla! The giveaway ends on Friday, April 24 at 11:59pm. Good luck!

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Week in Review

The last two weeks have been a complete blur. I am obsessed with the holiday season (Thanksgiving through New Years Eve), but it’s definitely exhausting. I think we averaged three guests per day to the house during the last seven days (not exaggerating), and I loved it. Most visitors were family and friends who were in town for the holidays, and I am so thankful that I got to catch up with them. Sasha’s sister lives in San Francisco (works for Google and has the coolest job ever), and she has been in Texas (between Houston and Austin) for the past month and I’m pretty depressed that she left for California yesterday. It was so nice to have her in the same city as us again!

A few highlights from the previous week include:

  • Going to the Texas vs. Arkansas bowl game, although we definitely got our butts kicked…
  • Watching Isla pull herself up on the couches, chairs, crib, people, etc. – she’s on the move! This also means naptime is a nightmare, and she stands up all the time then cries for you to help her sit back down… so there have been a ton of naps in our arms recently
  • Meeting one of my sweet friends, Sydney, for lunch at Bistro Menil (it’s delicious – updated my Best of Houston: Restaurants & Coffee post!) and then strolling through the Menil Collection afterwards
  • Eating lunch at Tiny Boxwoods with Sasha and Isla – their beet burger is the best ever (as is their white wine mojito!)
  • Ordering invitations and envelopes for a couple shower that I’m co-hosting at our house in a few weeks (and doing lots and lots of planning!)
  • ‘Baking’ even more delicious treats from the raw, vegan cookbook Mara bought me (there goes any weight-loss resolutions!)
  • Cooking dinner for my little sister, Jill, who is at med school in Houston – we haven’t had her over by herself yet, and she’s been in the same city as us for over a year and a half!
  • Buying a new bed and nightstands! More details about that here
  • Catching up with my friend, Andrew – one of my favorite people in the world – and hearing about his amazing new business venture (which I will definitely be sharing details of when it launches!)

In other news: Isla turned 7 months old on Sunday. Cue repetitive (but true) time flies comment! You can see Isla’s month-by-month photos here: one, two, three, four, and six. I skipped the five month update due to the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series (but did snap photos!). I love this age so much. She is definitely a momma’s girl right now – if she starts to cry when someone else holds her, she reaches out to me and looks at me desperately, which melts my heart. Her favorite things include bath time with Tata, playing with Belle’s tail and collar (see photo below), sweet potatoes and avocado, standing up, crawling at a scary rapid speed, sitting up, going on runs with me in the morning, playing with the other kids at the Lifetime Fitness daycare (she squeals when older kids come up to her!), reading Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little ToesOne Ted Falls Out of Bed: A Counting Story and Goodnight, I Love You, playing with her new Hape bike and walker, when we do stupid dances, and chewing on absolutely everything. She is now sleeping from 6:30pm-5:30am, then feeds and goes back to sleep for another hour or so. I was up past midnight every night for the last week, so I haven’t really gotten to enjoy the whole ‘sleeping through the night’ experience, but plan on changing that soon! Isla is not keen on eating purees, keeping her shoes on, when I try to pick her boogers or wash her face, being awake past 6:30pm, sitting still, and missing out on fun (serious case of nap-time FOMO). She is very high-energy, and I love her.

What were the highlights of your week? Happy Monday!

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Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s: Santa Stockings

I still remember the excitement of waking up on Christmas Eve and crawling frantically to the foot of my bed to look for my stocking. Had Santa arrived? Oh yes, he had! I would run to my sisters’ rooms to wake them up (always the first riser at around 6am, ouch!). We would grab our stockings and head to my parent’s bedroom, where we all sat on their bed together and opened our gifts excitedly. This tradition continued up until last year (seven grown adults on my parent’s bed seemed a little odd!) and now, Sasha, Isla and I will get to create our own stocking tradition as a little family. As Isla is too young to get excited about Santa, it won’t be quite as thrilling this year as it will be next, when we’ll be able to do cute things like putting out cookies for his arrival. On Christmas morning, Isla will wake us up at the crack of dawn, and we’ll open our three stockings in her room by her cute little tree. I ordered these furry stockings from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child, and I’m so happy with them! We hung them on her crib, as we don’t have a mantle – and we spend most time in her nursery.

We traditionally only do little presents in stockings, like candy, magazines, ornaments, socks, and gift cards. The bigger items come later. It’s hard to buy a 5 month old stocking gifts, so we went for this Carter’s bear security blanket, the ‘My First Christmas’ Santa hat, these adorable Santa slippers, and this sweet Isla teether from Etsy.

The best part about opening the stockings is, of course, wearing fun Christmas pajamas! Thankfully, Carter’s Holiday Collection has a lot of adorable (repeat: adorable) PJs, so Isla won’t miss out on this tradition. We chose this adorable Christmas Cotton Snap-Up Sleep and Play with penguins on it and, naturally, had to include a Santa’s helper hat! The entire holiday sleep collection is fantastic – we are slightly limited because Isla sleeps best right now in a one-piece. If it weren’t for this fact, she would certainly have been wearing these Santa PJs! Aren’t those perfect?

Do you have Christmas morning stocking traditions? If so, please tell me about them in the comments below!

Click here to read yesterday’s post about the Christmas Eve candlelit church service and here to read about our annual family photo tradition. Make sure you enter to win the $100 Carter’s gift card and free outfit of your choice from the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series!

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