Welcome Everleigh Ann + Dockatot Review

In case you missed it, we welcomed our second child into the world on Monday, July 31st, 2017 at 8:45am. Weighing in at 8lb 4oz and 20.5in long, little miss Everleigh Ann has been the perfect addition to our family.

As we prepared for our baby girl's arrival, our main focus was on how to best do life with two under two. Especially knowing I would be having a repeat c-section, products that provided convenience, ease, and of course safety were at the top of my list. Enter, 

Dockatot Deluxe

. I had been eyeing this multi-functional lounger for some time and I was ecstatic to try it out when it arrived on my doorstep.

products: Dockatot | bonnet- Sweet As April | pacifier clip- Ryan and Rose | onesie- Tate and Tess | moccs- Sweet n Swag

products: customized name sign- The Trendy Timber | crib sheets + changing pad- Kadydid Designs

I have to say, we are obsessed. Everleigh loves it and sleeps great in it. I love the portability and convenience of taking it into whichever room my toddler just ran into. Ronan loves that he can interact with his little sister on his level. Overall, we have zero complaints and would highly recommend this product to any mama or mama-to-be!

Click here to receive: 

$10 off your own Dockatot

If you have any further questions about the Dockatot or our experience with it, feel free to find me on Instagram (here: 

@withlovekellie

) and send me a message!

Post may contain affiliate links.

with love,

kellie ann

♥

Dollar Store Sensory + Activity Bin Ideas for Toddlers

I made a trip to the dollar store today to gather some materials to make activities + sensory bins for Ronan (who is 14 months and needs to be occupied at.all.times.). With baby girl on the way (post coming soon about that too!), I am definitely going to need to have quick + easy ways to keep Ro entertained on the fly. As I present the activities to Ro, I'll update this post and share them here too! I hope you find them helpful, and as always, be sure to share if you do!

Why Sensory Bins? 

As an occupational therapist, I work on a daily basis with children who are delayed in development. Whether for typically developing children or those with disabilities, the benefits of sensory bins are endless. They promote and encourage: fine motor skills (i.e. bilateral hand coordination, grip strength, finger dexterity), eye hand coordination, language development, independent play skills, sensory awareness,  cause and effect, and SO many more skills. There really isn't a reason NOT to use them ;)

**all items in this post were either purchased at the dollar store OR I already had at home. Total cost for EVERYTHING was approximately $50.

Prehistoric Sensory Bin

Ronan is currently OBSESSED with dinosaurs, so it was a no-brainer to pull this bin out first for him. He was "roaring" the whole time. He loved opening and closing the eggs, making the dinosaurs stomp around in the rocks, and staring me dead in the eye as he brought the rocks to his mouth waiting for me to yell NO at him (insert eye roll here). Ohhhhh boys.

Obviously, you can use your imagination and switch out the dinosaurs for other toys that your child is currently interested in (dolls, cars, animals, etc...). I like the size of the rocks + gemstones for this activity, though, because they are the perfect size for little hands and encourage exploring an element that is found in nature.

Materials:

2 bags of medium-sized assorted rocks (in the floral section)

1 bag of gemstones (also in the floral section)

plastic dinosaur toys

plastic easter eggs

Beans Sensory Bin

This one is pretty simple and straight forward. Simply fill a bin with dry beans, add any type of "accessories" you want, and let them go at it! Ronan liked pouring the beans in and out of the container I put in there, mixing them around with the utensils, andddd we ended our play time when he started deliberately pouring them all over the floor haha.

Materials:

2 bags of dry beans

any additional "accessories" (I used plastic easter eggs, play utensils, and an empty container)

Rice Sensory Bin

This one is also pretty simple and straight forward. It is the same concept as the dry beans, but with rice! Ronan was also a fan of this one, and again, it ended when he started spilling them all over the floor on purpose. And for those of you asking if he puts anything in his mouth while he plays.... the answer is yes. Haha I just have to monitor him to make sure he doesn't choke or do anything dangerous!

Materials:

2 bags of rice

any additional "accessories" (I used plastic easter eggs, play utensils, and an empty container)

with love,

kellie ann

♥

Ronan's First Birthday 1-31-2017

Dear Ronan,

You are the one who made me a mother. You are the one who I wake up to and for every morning. You are my first born, my baby boy, my heart + my soul. Your first year of life literally flashed by in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms at the hospital, thanking God for entrusting me with the most perfect little human. You light up our lives every single day. Your sweet + funny personality, your inquisitive nature, and your stubborn streak make us proud to be your parents. You make us laugh, you make us smile, and even when you make us tired, we could not imagine a single moment of life without you in it. Thank you for being you. We cannot wait to see what else you have in store for us over the next several years. We love you, our little man Ronan.

Love,

Mama + Dada

THE STATS

THE PHOTOSHOOT

THE PARTY

THE VIDEO

with love,

kellie

♥