With two weeks or less to go, I'm in full-blown nesting mode as we wait for baby boy to make his much-anticipated arrival. Something that I didn't have when Bentley was born was a newborn cart, and honestly, looking back, it would have been so helpful to have. Instead, we piled everything up on our dresser, and it ended up being a mess.

This time around, we know the products we love to use on a daily basis and will need for middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes. We also don't have a nursery for baby boy yet--it's still set up for Bentley with the crib-turned-toddler bed until we're ready to transition baby boy from our room in the bassinet to the crib, so we needed to make sure we have everything we need at our fingertips in our room so we don't have to make noise getting into the spare room for random essentials.

I feel so much better going into this newborn stage, and it's truly because I'm more prepared than ever.

Here's how I organized my newborn essentials cart:

Top Shelf //



On the top shelf, I have diapers, wipes in a wipe warmer (a must-have for boy moms IMO!), Pacis in the closed container, baby's skincare, a boogie sucker, nail clippers, and a baby brush. My newborn essentials cart will be stationed right by an outlet, so it will be perfect for the wipe warmer and I added a changing pad just in case we need one!

Middle Shelf //



On the middle shelf, I used bins to organize zippered footies, onesies, and burp cloths in one, and extra bassinet sheets and Nanit wraps in the other. Extras of all of those essentials are crucial and they'll be replenished and washed daily--especially in those first few weeks.

Bottom Shelf //



On the bottom shelf, I have all things feeding and pumping essentials. I wanted to have a spot for my breast pump, nursing essentials, and self-care nursing must-haves. I'm not exactly sure how this journey will go this time around, but it's definitely something that I want to try again.

If you missed this post a few years ago, read about my journey when Bentley was first born. Breastfeeding for many reasons was not meant to be part of our journey. Mainly due to the lack of help and assistance during a global pandemic and dealing with PPD & PPA, I made the choice that formula made me a better mother for my son. I'm not putting pressure on myself this time for mental health reasons, but I'm encouraging myself to give it another shot now that my prenatal care has been a completely different journey this time, and I'm expecting my birthing and postpartum experience to be completely different as well. Always remember, fed is best, and you do what you need to do for your sweet baby.

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Having a dedicated cart for your newborn essentials will be sure to help keep you a little more organized in those early days. You will thank yourself later for prepping this cart!

Cheers to newborn life!

 When it comes to packing your hospital bag, the task is always daunting. There are so many unknowns when it comes to what to actually pack, that in my opinion, I'd rather be slightly overprepared than underprepared. I know that the hospital has many things that are needed for postpartum care and for the baby, but trust me, going into this as a second-time mom, there are things I wish I had for my own comfort, things I never even touched in my hospital bag the first time, and new products I'm choosing to bring the second time around.

First up, let's dive into how hospital bags should be packed! I firmly believe you should have everything you need immediately in the delivery room packed in a separate bag. For me, it's my Marc Jacobs The Tote Bag with a ToteSavvy Original in Cotton Canvas to help me stay organized. I didn't have time to get my suitcase or all of my comfort items out before Bentley was born. I barely had enough time to grab my handbag and get into a room before he was born let alone be able to grab a suitcase or anything else.

The key is to have this bag be the bag you bring in with all of your immediate necessities for delivery, and your partner can worry about grabbing anything else from the car once you're in your room settled later on.

In my tote, I'm packing my Stanley (at this point, it's a part of me haha!), a portable neck fan, a Clipfolio that has my birth plan and will hold any papers, footprints, etc. we receive during discharge, a pacifier & paci holder, I'll have a few diapers & pack of wipes for the drive home, phone cord, and minimal makeup/beauty items in my FACE bag that will most likely end up inside my tote. These are the items that I know I'll want immediately and will help me throughout delivery.

In my suitcase, I'm trying to make things as organized as possible as well. I have a MAMA bag that has all of my comfort postpartum essentials. I'll be bringing my own peri bottle and healing foam this time. I'm not a huge fan of what was provided at my hospital, so I'd rather pack these two items for additional comfort. I'm also packing nipple butter and nipple shields because I would like to give nursing and/or pumping another try! I purposely grabbed a MAMA bag from Amazon, because this way, my husband can find exactly what I need, and there's no wasted time explaining to him where it is. I also added one pair of Frida Mom's disposable undies out of the pack, too! I don't know why, but these just feel so much fancier than the ones the hospital gives you, so I plan on using this one with a pad to go home.

My biggest mistake the first time around was bringing everything from each pack. There is no need to bring it all--bring what you'll need for 1-2 days, and that's it. I plan on a 24-hour discharge again like I had with my first, so I'm planning on leaving after 24 hours, but also mentally preparing and bringing a second comfortable loungewear outfit just in case I am required to stay 2 days.

I'm also using packing cubes in my suitcase. I have a packing cube that will be dedicated to my comfortable clothes--my pair of Cozy Earth pajamas, a loungewear set, and comfortable nursing/sleep bras.

I have another packing cube that will have my going-home outfit/family photoshoot outfit in it along with Bentley's for when he comes to meet his baby brother! I want to make sure he has something on for photos that matches our outfits, so this was the easiest way for me to do that. 

The last packing cube for myself is for shower shoes. I'll be honest, I never got the chance to shower when I was in the hospital with Bentley. Those 24 hours flew by, and after delivery, I had a mini shower with two nurses' help, so I just showered when I got home. But, better to have shower shoes and toiletries than to not have them at all.

In a packing cube for baby boy, I will have his photoshoot/announcement outfit and swaddle, going home outfit, and spare zippered footie. I wanted to get Bentley into his own clothes versus what they provided at the hospital, and I plan to do the same with baby boy as well.

In the back portion of my suitcase, I plan to put my toiletries bag, Instax Camera, and shower shoes, too. The Instax Camera was one of my favorite items I brought when Bentley was born, and the photos we took are just the cutest! I have them all in his baby book, and it was a fun way to document his first 24 hours. Of course, we also took countless photos on our phones, but there's just something about an Instax photo.

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Phew! I can finally check off packing my hospital bag from my never-ending list...with less than 3 weeks to go, it's almost baby time!

Is there anything else you'd bring/wish you brought with you?!

 It's finally almost complete! It's taken us over a year to get our playroom to look and function how we want it to for our family. There have been countless hours of DIY projects, and yes, blood (like actual blood), sweat, and tears. We originally started our DIY projects in the Playroom with our Custom Hand-Painted Sign. Before that sign, can you believe the space looked like this?! It's crazy how much a space can change in a matter of four years, but here we are, with our newest version of The Jonesy.

Here's a sneak peek at my custom bench! I still have some styling to do and would love some new pillows, picture frames, and decor for this space, but with baby #2 on the way, I've been so focused on getting things for him and I just wanted this space to be finished and usable--not necessarily perfect yet!



So, I'm going to take you back now to about eight months ago. We had just gotten our flooring delivery around Thanksgiving, and this was our flooring for the Jonesy Playroom, our staircase landings, and our entire third floor. I knew that hardwood flooring was going to be a huge progress, but gosh, I love my house so much more! The builder-grade carpet was already falling apart after a few short years, and I knew that our home needed a major facelift for us to love it while it's home.

If you need a reminder of what this space looked like with carpet, here are both angles of the space...



The carpet wasn't terrible. I mean, the space was still functional, but we hated the color. The carpet ended up being more purple than gray and like I said before, the quality of builder-grade carpet is on the lowest scale--even with the "upgraded" carpet we selected when we built our home.

Now, onto the fun part! Ripping up the carpet!! I'm not going to lie, this part was disgusting. You don't realize how much dust and dirt will settle into your carpet--no matter how many times you vacuum, it will never be enough.

Along the edge of the room, where the carpet tack strips were shot into the concrete, we were left with some unavoidable damage. I was able to patch that quickly with a concrete patch, but unfortunately, along the outer wall that's shown in the picture below, the concrete wasn't poured correctly.



Since the contractors were just covering it up with carpet, they didn't care that it wasn't level...so that means, I had to level it in order to install hardwood flooring. I used a self-leveling concrete and poured that all along the outer wall, smoothed it out, and let it work its magic. Once the concrete was dry and perfectly level, I was ready to move on!



My favorite little memory before I sealed up the underlayment was tracing our handprints on the concrete. Chris and I have always put something behind every DIY project--including writing scriptures during construction. This was so special because we were able to include Bentley--after all, it is his playroom, well, and baby bro's, too!



I started laying down the first few rows using flooring glue and then would tape the boards together. The remainder of the floor is a floating floor, but I wanted to make sure that the flooring wouldn't shift too much since I wasn't able to nail it into the subfloor like I was able to do everywhere else in the house. A floating floor is extremely easy to install, but keep in mind, with real hardwood, you might need to shift a few random boards about 6 months later due to settling and the wood expanding/contracting due to temperature changes. We have very few gaps in the flooring 8 months later, and honestly, no one notices them except for me because I know what to look for. We will eventually be getting a tool to help adjust those boards--basically like a fancy flooring suction cup, but I'm waiting for a full year to go through the season changes and allow the flooring to settle into its permanent placement before making those adjustments.



Once the hardwood flooring was installed, here is what it looked like! So much better! It started to feel like an actual space vs a glorified storage unit that it felt like before. Once we got through the holidays, we gave ourselves a few weeks off, and then it was time to tackle the built-ins. We desperately need storage in our home (townhome problems), and built-ins in the playroom allowed for us to create toy storage, entertainment storage, and book storage. It also gave Chris a place to display some of his favorite LEGO sets that have now become decor in my home...but only in the playroom. Haha!



Here's how the shelves looked for about a month. I found out I was pregnant right after we put them up, and then I wasn't feeling up for any DIY projects for a little while. But, once I had a burst of energy, you bet I started working the custom bench and actually making these shelves look built-in. These are the same bookshelves we used upstairs to make our custom built-ins as well, so we decided to keep things budget-friendly and use them again!

The bump outs that the built-ins are in between have water line access, so the dimensions are so wacky, so no matter what, the bench would have to be custom-made. I had never built a bench before, but I had never installed hardwood floors before, and I did that, so how hard could a bench be?! haha!



I started by building the frame. I used a Kreg pocket hole jig to make pocket holes and allow the base boxes to fit together really tight. I added four sets of supports to make sure that it would be really sturdy. The supports are spaced a little weirdly in the center, but that's only because we have an outlet that we were working around as well. I also made the decision to have the seat brace of the bench be above the outlet. It's always a 50-50 shot of whether people prefer it to be higher or lower. Even though I'm petite, I prefer it to be a little higher than a normal bench rather than way lower.



Before securing the side base frames to the wall, we attached shiplap boards to them so that the shiplap wraps all the way to the side and to where you will be able to see. Next, we nailed the shiplap to the front face. We repurposed the wide shiplap boards that were originally blue on the wall--I just trimmed an inch off the sides (length-wise) so that they were slightly thinner but still dramatically larger than the bench shiplap.



We added the floor trim and quarter round all along the bottom and then square trim on the top due to the distance of the shelf to the wall--we didn't have enough space for crown molding unfortunately. Once the nail holes were patched, it was time to paint! We used Sherwin-Williams Pure White in the Semi-Gloss finish, which is an exact match to IKEA Billy Bookcases in case you needed to know!



The only thing that was left to do was make the bench seat. We had originally planned to have an exposed wood board as the seat with a cushion on top, but we ultimately decided to use the wood with 3-inch foam, batting, and duck cloth to create a really comfy, durable all-in-one cushion. Making it myself was also way cheaper than buying a custom-made cushion anywhere online.

I found a really great selection of duck cloth (think durable canvas-like material) at Hobby Lobby in case you have a bench seat project!



All major projects in the Jonesy playroom are finished, and we just have a little decorating left to do...next year! First up, the entertainment side with the built-ins and custom bench. We got rid of the love seat with this new layout, and plan to purchase a new queen sofa bed next year since our boys will be in the bedrooms leaving us with no guest bedroom. I also can't wait to get rid of the sofa and side table and get the new couch, because it will be on the lighter side (with durable, stain-resistant fabric) and will help balance the room out a little more. All of the shades of brown with our new hardwood flooring stresses me out. haha!







Up next, is the playroom side of the room. There weren't a ton of huge changes on this side other than the new flooring and a few new toys, but gosh, I love it and so does Bentley. All day long he's asking to "play down!", so down we go to the playroom for hours of play, and it makes me so thankful that we have a space that we can call his (and eventually baby bro's) playroom. I've joked on Instagram about not having a sad beige playroom, and I love the pops of color throughout the room!









What a relief to finally get this space to where it is today. Now, only a few more projects and tons of organizing to do before baby boy is here in two months...ah!

What's your favorite part of the playroom?

P.S. Be sure to follow along on Instagram for DIY behind-the-scenes!

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone, but thankfully, there are still a few good weekends left of summertime! I wanted to share what I brought with me to the beach this past week in hopes to inspire and help you as you prepare and are packing for your last beach vacay of the season.



First things first, you need a darling beach tote organized with the ToteSavvy Mini Canvas Bag Organizer. Inside my ToteSavvy, I packed a wet bag for any soiled clothing or Bentley's swimsuit in case we changed him at the beach! I also packed my sunglasses and case, sunscreen, hair scrunchies, hand sanitizer spray, and a small tissue pack.



Something that we ended up not needing, but I'm so glad I brought it anyways, was a mini first aid kit. It's better to have one and not need it than be without--especially with little ones. If you're planning on taking any beach photos, make sure you pack a lip balm or lipstick!



Inside my beach tote, I tossed in my Stanley cup with the cutest straw cover and silicone base. I brought along a good book even though sadly, I never got to read it. Toddler mom problems...haha! But two things I was so thankful I brought were my sunhat and a neck fan! It was so hot at the beach, and these were essential. I loved this fan so much, it will be packed in my hospital bag, too. It's a game-changer.



In addition to my beach tote, I had a cooler filled with snacks and extra drinks for my boys, and Bentley rode in a covered wagon where we had our beach towels and the umbrella. Next summer, my beach bag will look different with a toddler and an infant, but this year, I got to enjoy slightly less craziness at the beach.

If you're interested in any of these products, click the photos below, and for any ToteSavvy products, be sure to use my code: ACLASSYFASHIONISTA for an additional 20% off!

I hope you enjoy the last bit of summer!

If you're searching for the softest, coziest pajamas, Cozy Earth is a must-have for you! During this pregnancy, I've been so thankful to be able to work from home, and you just know I'm in cozy loungewear 99% of the time. I went on a hunt to find the softest pajamas, and Cozy Earth kept coming up in my searches--especially for pajamas that mamas pack in their hospital bags. A few days later, Cozy Earth actually reached out to me to try their loungewear, and I knew I had to try the Bamboo Pajama Set!

Can I just tell you, my first words after pulling them out of the packaging were, "Oh my gosh! They are so soft!!" No lie. They don't compare to anything I've ever had before. Over the past couple of weeks that I've had them, they have been my go-to, and I can't wait to add more to my collection.

Here are a few more reasons why I love them besides the fact that they're the softest ever:

They're made from 95% viscose from bamboo and 5% spandex making them soft and stretchy! Being 26 weeks pregnant now, I need something that's going to be stretchy and not make me feel like I'm suffocating while sleeping. The material combo also makes them breathable and temperature-regulating--a must-have on hot summer nights.

They also have pockets! Yes, pockets!! Call me crazy, but I rate pajamas based on if they have pockets or not because I hate having to carry my phone around at night. haha!

I'll be packing these in my hospital bag, which is why I got the new gorgeous Powder Blue color, so you'll be seeing these in a hospital packing post and best of all, in newborn photos at the hospital!

If you want to try out Cozy Earth for yourself, be sure to use my code: ACLASSYFASHIONISTA40 for 40% off your order!

Have you ever tried Cozy Earth before?!