The Vintage Modern Wife -

Binxy Baby: A Target Mom’s BFF

May 3, 2018

Yesterday Lawson and I ventured out for his first real shopping trip. I say his first real one because the first time we attempted a Target run we had to leave almost immediately because he was hungry and I wasn’t wearing nursing-friendly clothes. Definitely a rookie mistake. I had a couple of gift cards and haven’t bought new clothes for myself in forever, so I grabbed Lawson, his diaper bag, and our Binxy Baby. Binxy Baby is a Target mom’s bff- and you’re about to find out why!

I haven’t ventured out with Lawson by myself to go shopping, but we have gone out and done other things around town. Usually I babywear because he loves being close to me and I love that I don’t need to lug a big car seat or stroller. However, since I needed new clothes I knew babywearing wouldn’t be an option. I could’ve done the car seat, but it’s unsafe to put on top of a shopping cart and I am pretty short so if I put him in the basket, I would’ve had a hard time reaching him. I also thought, “Where would I put him while I tried on clothes?” The Binxy Baby shopping cart hammock just made the most sense.

Since I’d never used it before, I parked next to the shopping cart corral in the Target parking lot and grabbed a basket. Putting the Binxy Baby shopping cart hammock on the cart was incredibly easy. I opened it up, put the plastic clips on the cart, strapped it on with the velcro straps, grabbed Lawson out of his car seat, and clipped him into the harness. Literally took me seconds!

We had a blast going all over Target, but being the Wacoans we are, we couldn’t help but enjoy ourselves in the Magnolia: Hearth & Hand section before heading to find some clothes. While all around the store I had several people comment on how cool the Binxy Baby shopping cart hammock was and everyone asked where I got it because it was so handy. It rolls up and fits easily in a diaper bag, which makes the Binxy Baby all the more awesome.

I think next time we take Lawson out and Mathew comes, we’ll try the Binxy Baby with Lawson’s car seat because you can totally do that too! Mathew is a bit taller than me so it’ll be the perfect height for him. For now, Binxy Baby is definitely this Target mom’s bff.

Get 10% off your Binxy Baby! There are so many cute patterns!

Filed Under: Lawson, product review ·

Our Winter Maternity Photoshoot in Texas

March 17, 2018

I’m so excited to share photos from our maternity photoshoot! I never had the opportunity to have maternity pictures taken when I was pregnant with Addie due to delivering her the weekend that I was supposed to get my pictures done, so I really wanted to make sure we got them this time. If you’ve never had maternity pictures, I’ll tell you- it’s something you should definitely do. I absolutely regretted not having them done with Addie and this photoshoot was just so wonderful for our family. Having a winter maternity photoshoot in Texas isn’t easy. Some days it was super cold, others it was rainy. Some days were nice and we couldn’t coordinate our schedules, and some days were down right yucky. Thanks to our amazing photographer Rhonda Williams and her husband Tim, from Photography by Legacy Imaging, we were able to find the most perfect day anyone could ask for and got some amazing pictures.

I found this gorgeous red maternity dress off of Amazon and knew I needed it. It was perfect for a winter maternity photoshoot in Texas because I could stand it if it was warm or cold outside, it was inexpensive (less than $30! Whoa!), and we could coordinate outfits together well. I love that it came in a BUNCH of colors too! The pink dress in my photoshoot was actually Rhonda’s and I’m so glad I tried it on. I found a dupe of the pink dress here on Etsy. Not exact, but pretty close! We got some amazing pictures with that dress and I am so insanely pleased at how they came out.

If you notice the pictures with Addie, you may have been able to tell that she’s missing a lot of cords! Girlfriend ROCKED this photoshoot with eyes open, smiles, NO CIRCUIT, NO VENTILATOR, and just a little oxygen. I’m so proud of her and how far she’s come. Photoshoots are draining for kids in general, and Addie gets overstimulated so easily. Because the weather was so nice, Rhonda and Tim were extremely patient, and Tim shook a little pom pom for Addie, we got some beautiful maternity photos that I can’t wait to blow up and put in our home.

Of course, when you live in Waco and have a photoshoot, you have to stop by the iconic Suspension Bridge. If you’re a fan of the show, Fixer Upper, I’m sure you’ve noticed it in the show intro. I love how the light hits so perfectly for these! The last time we got professional pictures done at the Suspension Bridge were for our engagement photos, so I love that I was able to get some great photos there as an update.

The pink dress shots are my absolute FAVORITE. I borrowed the dress from Rhonda’s collection (here’s the closest pink dress I can find to it online). The train on it was massive and it made for some incredible shots. I definitely would like to add some of these to our gallery wall in our living room. We took these pictures in Brazos Park East in Waco and it was the perfect spot to end for the night. Talk about a perfect dress for a winter maternity photoshoot, right!?

Another fun location we stopped at was this random wooded area on the side of the road. Sometimes you find great spots for pictures in the most unlikely places! I would have driven right past this area had it not been for Rhonda and Tim! The trees, the sun- it was all perfect. I wish we could’ve gotten Mathew and Addie in these shots but we literally were climbing over branches, my dress was getting stuck, and it would’ve been crazy with all her equipment. Still, I had so much fun!

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better winter maternity photoshoot. There are so many things we missed due to my rough pregnancy with Addie like maternity pictures, newborn photos, even taking her home after a few days. She spent 10 months in the hospital and it just seems like this pregnancy with Lawson has been entirely different. I’ve had energy, I’ve had 1 health issue (which was expected) unlike a bunch last pregnancy, and I’ve been really able to enjoy myself. I will miss being pregnant for sure, but boy, am I excited for Wednesday so we can meet our sweet boy. I can’t even begin to imagine the joy and redemption this rainbow baby will bring to our family.

If you’re looking for a maternity photographer in Waco, Texas, definitely hit up Rhonda and Tim with Photography by Legacy Imaging. They always do an amazing job and I’m never disappointed by their incredible work.

Filed Under: family, fashion, Lawson, Mathew, photoshoot ·

22 Week Bumpdate and Pregnancy Letter Board

December 5, 2017

We are officially over the hump, people! 22 weeks means we have 18 weeks (or less) to go! I can’t even believe how fast this pregnancy is moving. Maybe because it’s not been as stressful as Addie’s? Who knows!

If you haven’t kept up with us online lately, at 20 weeks we had our ultrasound and amniocentesis with our Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor and had the cutest fall gender reveal ever to celebrate sweet baby Lawson. It was a complete surprise to us (as you can see in the video!) The 20 week ultrasound was so good and Addie got to meet the doctor that delivered her and checked up on her the entire time I was pregnant with her. We were overjoyed to hear that they couldn’t detect any physical abnormalities, and that it was completely up to us to do the amniocentesis or not. We opted to do it for genetic purposes to make sure our sweet boy didn’t have any complications like Addie, and the day before Thanksgiving we got a call that there were absolutely zero markers for any genetic abnormalities. Praise Jesus! It took such a load off our backs and now we can completely focus on the fact that our sweet boy is going to be healthy. We would have loved him regardless, just as we do Addie, but it’s nice to know that we won’t have the challenges that we had with her.

How far along: 22 weeks

Name: Lawson Avery

Size: Lawson is measuring about a week ahead so he’s the size of a grapefruit at 22 weeks! That’s 11.3 inches and 1.10 pounds.

How I’m feeling: Great! Starting to find that it’s getting a little harder to breathe (especially when I carry Addie) and I definitely can’t eat as much because there’s less room!

Sickness: None! I had 1 day where I couldn’t keep a meal down, but I think it was a fluke.

Cravings: I really haven’t had many cravings this pregnancy, although I will say I have been wanting more red meat the past couple weeks. So I guess I must be craving that!

Aversions: Chicken. It doesn’t gross me out or anything, I just haven’t been in the mood for it.

Weight gain: I think I’ve gained 7 pounds total. Not too bad but it’s definitely getting to where I’m actually starting to gain. Since I was so sick in the beginning I hadn’t gained anything, but 7 pounds isn’t bad!

Physical changes: Rounder tummy! I see a little chubbier face than at 16 weeks, but it happens.

Pregnancy purchases so far: I’ve made a few purchases so far that I wanted to share that have been helpful—

Floral Sweater (it’s not maternity)- When we went down to visit my family for my dad’s birthday the other week, we hit up Target for some Black Friday shopping. I fell in love with this sweater and had to have it. I’ll tell ya, it runs big. So if you like that oversized look, grab your normal size. If you like a more fitted look (or you’re short like me), size down. I’m wearing a medium and it fits perfectly. The large was like a dress on me!
Ningxia Red (and lots of it)- If you’ve been dragging lately, struggling to make healthy food choices, could use some help supporting your blood sugar, immune system or any other system of the body, then you need to learn about Ningxia Red. This powerful fruit puree is what we swear by for our family’s health! Young Living has exclusive distribution rights for the NingXia wolfberry, and just one ounce of NingXia Red is equivalent to each of the following in terms of antioxidant nutritional value: 4 pounds of carrots, 2 quarts of carrot juice, 8 oranges, 1 pint of orange juice, 2 pounds of beets, 2 cups of beet juice, 3 cups of raspberries, or 2 cups of blueberries! Wow! I drink 2-4 oz a day for antioxidant benefits to keep me staying healthy (which can be really hard this time of year with sugary snacks, unhealthy foods, and people spreading their germs like crazy.) I love that it keeps me energized because my blood sugar levels stay nice and balanced, and it’s just nice to drink with some LaCroix instead of a soda!
Tomorrow Sleep mattress– I’ll be blogging about this super soon, but this new mattress has been amazing for pregnancy. Our old mattress was like 13 years old (ew!) and I was waking up with aches and pains every morning. During pregnancy it’s advised to sleep on your side and I’m typically a tummy sleeper. So my hips, ribs, and knees would always be so painful and I’d toss and turn from the pain. Happy to report I’m no longer worrying about that! I can’t wait to tell y’all more soon.

As far as more purchases for Lawson, I haven’t done any. My mom and sister have bought Lawson a couple outfits, but that’s about it. We really only need a few things since he’s our second (like a crib, mattress, bedding, DockaTot, Milk Snob car seat cover- that kind of thing) but I started making a registry in case we have a shower later on in the new year. I’ve been focusing more on family birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and January birthdays and so baby stuff hasn’t been on the priority list. I figure once we get to January, I’ll start buying more stuff.

Thanks for joining me for another bumpdate! Make sure you’re following me on Instagram and Facebook for daily life updates and more on Addie and Lawson!

Filed Under: Lawson ·