mom – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Fashion March 11, 2015

New Mom-Approved Swimsuits

It’s hard to believe that Texans are currently celebrating spring break, as we’ve had terrible weather weeks three in a row, and this holiday is normally one filled with sunshine and a whole lot of pool time! Those who know me well are aware that I am not a huge fan of wearing a bikini outside of our own backyard, as I’ve always thought it felt like you were wearing a bra and underwear in front of people whom you wouldn’t normally. I do, however, enjoy a stylish one-piece, which Sasha may or may not make fun of me for. Wearing a one-piece does not have to be ultra conservative, as there are a number of fun shapes, colors, necklines that can add a little sass to your swimwear.

Even if you’re doing your stroller fitness (wink, wink), your stomach may not look as toned as it did prior to having a baby, so a well-cut one-piece or high waisted bottoms can be perfect to hide any of those last pounds your body is still hanging onto. Perhaps you’ve lost all of the baby weight but feel you’d rather not put on your itty-bitty bikini now that you’ve got a new title of ‘mom’ (I think I’ve been years ahead of myself in this category!), well that’s fine, as there are a number of gorgeous one-pieces you can choose from. I’ve rounded up 18 of my favorite and am sharing them with you today! If you’re reading this on a mobile device, go to the home page and click ‘Shop This Post’ for links to each piece.

Baby August 22, 2014

Isla Loves: BABYBJÖRN Carrier We (Giveaway)

Living in Durango for the past month has definitely been a change of lifestyle for our family. Instead of being confined to the indoor air-conditioning of Houston, we are constantly out and about, whether it be walking to the grocery store or our favorite restaurants, or going on a hike, we are always on the go. In Houston, I had relied heavily on our City Mini stroller when I was running errands, but we wanted to be more agile once we arrived in Colorado. My mom’s friend lent us a ton of baby items, which saved us from hauling them across the country. One of the items was the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Original. We quickly learned that this was Isla’s favorite item in the world. She could be crying inconsolably, and we would plop her in the carrier and silence (they aren’t kidding, it’s golden). She loved it, which obviously meant that Sasha and I adored it even more. Bye, bye stroller.

BABYBJÖRN recently released their newest baby carrier – the Baby Carrier We – and they were kind enough to send me one to try. It’s amazing. Seriously. One of the biggest benefits we have seen over the original carrier is the added support for our backs. When you are walking around for awhile, this is important! The Carrier We comes with a pressure-relieving waist belt and padded shoulder straps, which evenly distribute Isla’s weight. In addition, the carrier is designed perfectly to provide ample support for her head, back and hips. Also, it is easy for me to put Isla in the carrier without assistance from anyone else. And she loves it too. She finds it so soothing, and so we take her absolutely everywhere in it (see hiking photos below!). The best part? The Baby Carrier We is ergonomically designed for children up to three years old, so Isla will have many years ahead in this carrier!

I’m excited to be teaming up with BABYBJÖRN to give away a brand new Baby Carrier We to one lucky individual! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

Reply to this post, including your name and who you’d be carrying around in your Baby Carrier We (or perhaps who you’d like to win the carrier for!)
You will get an extra entry by being or becoming a follower of Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)
You will get an extra entry by posting the giveaway’s URL to your Twitter or Facebook account (please tag @ailee_petrovic on Twitter or mention Ailee Semple Petrovic on Facebook)

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday, August 27. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to reading your responses. Good luck!

Follow BABYBJÖRN on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

The carrier passed the 6 mi. hike test! We absolutely love it. Sasha kindly carrier her up, and I took the trek down.

I was given the BABYBJÖRN Carrier We by BabySwede for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Baby August 15, 2014

Isla Loves: The Honest Co. Diapers

I will admit it – I was one of those new moms who brought diapers to the hospital because I wanted her in the cute patterned ones right away. I never, ever thought I would be a diaper snob, but The Honest Co. has proved me wrong. I am indeed very picky about the diapers Isla wears – and these are the best. Not only do I love picking out Isla’s outfits every morning, I also love deciding which pattern of diaper she’ll wear. We subscribe to the monthly delivery, and you get to pick six prints from the wide assortment offered (see a selection below). My absolute favorite pattern is the strawberry one, while Sasha loves the giraffes. I happily let her do tummy time in just her diaper because they are so cute. I highly recommend that you get premium diapers and wipes for less than $20 a week from Honest.com – you and your little loved ones won’t regret it. Just this week, we got our monthly shipment, and I mistakenly ordered another package of size 1 diapers. While they still fit her now, I doubt they will in another four weeks. We gave The Honest Co. a call on the day they arrived, and they immediately sent a return label and waived the shipping and restocking fees. I love them!

We also use and love the Honest Shampoo & Body Wash. It contains only natural and organic ingredients and doesn’t hurt when it gets in baby’s eyes (trust me, Isla would let me know if it did!). I cannot wait to try some of their other bath products!

I’m excited to announce that I am a new Honest Company Ambassador! I am really passionate about this wholesome company and proud to help promote their products. I’ll be sharing other reviews of their many items – I hope you give them a try as well.

P.S. Dearest Isla, sorry for sharing so many pictures of that tiny little butt and cute chunky thighs with the world! 🙂

I was given Honest Co. diapers for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Baby August 6, 2014

Isla Loves: MAM Pacifiers (Giveaway)

In the months leading up to Isla’s arrival, Sasha and I had many parenting discussions – some of the them were tough due to varying opinions, like the use of pacifiers. After reading about the various benefits (watch this informative video), I was completely pro-paci. Sasha, on the other hand, was against them. Without any research whatsoever, he deemed them as enabling a bad habit. However, come week one when Isla is crying inconsolably, Sasha immediately scrambles to Isla’s closet, looking for the pacifier drawer. I had stocked up on three brands, given advice from other first-time moms who said that some babies take to different types of teats. The MAM pacifier was the only one Isla liked, as others seemed more difficult to keep in her mouth. If you watch the video below, you can see it come slightly out of her mouth, yet she is able to keep on sucking due to the textured teat.

Quite contrary to Sasha’s declaration that pacifiers mess up teeth, the MAM Perfect Pacifier‘s innovative design incorporates an extra thin, super-soft and flexible nipple specially engineered to reduce the risk of misaligned teeth. The unique Dento-FlexTM nipple neck is 60% thinner and 3 times softer than those of comparable pacifiers; the thinner, softer nipple provides less pressure on baby’s jaw and teeth to help reduce the risk of jaw deformations and malocclusions. Extra small and lightweight, MAM Perfect is available for babies age 0-6 months and age 6 + months. Click here to watch a Perfect Pacifier YouTube video.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUEQln1ojQ]

I’m excited to be teaming up with MAM to give away two packs of pacifiers to one lucky follower! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

Reply to this post, including your name, email and who you want to win the pacifier for (a friend’s baby, your child, your grandchild, etc.)
Follow MAM on their Instagram
You will get an extra entry by becoming a follower of Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, August 8. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to your responses!

Follow MAM

Facebook: facebook.com/MAMbabyUSA

Twitter: @MAMBABY

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/MAMUSA

YouTube: Subscribe to MAMbabyUSA

Instagram: instagram.com/mambaby_com

Baby August 1, 2014

Isla’s Newborn Photos by Taylor Lord

When the doorbell rang yesterday, and Sasha came into the living room with a package, I freaked out. Isla’s newborn photos had arrived from Taylor Lord. We opened them, read Taylor’s sweet letter and immediately started looking at each photo, one by one. I love them so much. Taylor captured our happiness and Isla’s sweetness perfectly. I am absolutely terrible at editing down photos, so pardon the large number of pictures in this post, but I had to share my favorites. I love this little girl so much, and I am so happy that the Lord blessed Taylor with such an incredible talent. View Taylor’s website here and her blog here. View details about Isla’s nursery here.

PS We took these over a month ago – Isla is so much bigger by now! It’s crazy how fast they grow.

Oh, and the Trumpette giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Enter here to win a free set of adorable socks!