Tuesday, March 12, 2019

tatum ross | 5 months

this boy is sweet as pie.
our most talkative baby, and yet he is also so content.
we love his sweetness and his happy, contagious personality!
five months is turning out to be so much fun as toys and objects are everything to him. his curiosity is exploding. any happy, friendly face who smiles at him, he gives those big open mouth smiles and giggles/squeals right on back.
you are sweet, my boy! and as lovable as they come!!
trucker hat // george hats
thermal romper // little bipsy
tatum name sign // quincyjeanart
month banner // hooray everyday
crib // franklin & ben - from sugar babies
E A T
still exclusively breastfeeding. with all of our babies, i've chosen to wait for any solids until they reach six months. though this boy has become extremely aware of when we're eating and he's so curious of it. so much so that brandon was soooo tempted to give tatum some of his cookie crumbs the other day (and i'm sure if i wasn't around he would have caved into tatum's adorable hungry baby face). he was grabbing hold of brandon's hand like he know just where he wanted that cookie to go :) we have let him suck on a few pieces of fruit (apple + kiwi) when we've been eating. and he sure has loved the taste that he's gotten. feeding him will be so much fun, i just know it!

more on his curiosity, he is always so so interested in our cups/mugs. he knows just what they're for and that they go up to the mouth. which is what he does if i'm holding him and a drink at the same time. he'll grab ahold and bring it right to his mouth to suck on the straw or cup. he did this the other day and was able to suck my water right up out of the straw! i think he surprised himself just as much as he did me! our quickest babe yet to figure out drinking from a straw! and thankful it was just water rather than diet coke or iced coffee ;)
S L E E P
we moved tatum into his own room (from ours) this month. for some reason i was so nervous for it, and it was tough for me to let him spend the night all the way down the hall. but he has done soooo good and his nighttime sleep even improved.
i started the transition to this, by placing him in his crib in his room for bedtime around 7:30/8, and then grabbing him and bringing him into our room for the rest of the night when we went to bed around 11. it worked and honestly, helped transition me more than i think him ;) 

there's no exactness to nighttime. but our usual is:: bedtime at 7:30/8, i go in to dreamfeed around 10:30/11, then he usually will wake around 2 or 3 to nurse. back to sleep, and might wake around 5 or 6 to nurse again. and then awake for the day around 7:30/8am. 

he's been quick to get to this, but he is definitely a two nap a day baby. three naps a day did not last very long. i reason it up with the fact that he takes a 1-1.5 hour nap in the late morning and then a bigger 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. he's most always up from his big nap around 4pm and then stays awake until bedtime. which shocks me that he can hang that long! he most definitely starts getting sleepy around 6:30/7, but it's too close to bedtime for a nap and he always hangs on without becoming too fussy or overtired. which is not like our others babies before!
P L A Y
at this point every month is just getting more and more fun with him here. his playfulness and interaction is becoming so so fun, and harper + tanner are just in love with their little brother!
he's working on all his little (BIG) developmental skills. 
grabbing + reaching + pulling + rolling. and he's so close to sitting up!
everything is fascinating. especially those tiny hands and tiny toes. and mom's face :) grabbing hold of my face and giving me a big 'ol wet kiss is about the best thing on earth right now.

5 MONTH
:: P H O T O   D U M P ::
some of these gems made it onto the gram, and others did not ;)
Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Friday, March 1, 2019

friday favorites | 8 favorite hair products

it's been a HOT MINUTE since i've done a friday favorites post. 
and yet, it's actually one of my favorite types posts to do being that it's fun + light + quick!

i find myself getting questions along the lines of "how do you get your hair to grow so long?" "is your hair real? you must have extensions" "what hair products do you use?"

so to answer... 1. genetics. 2. pregnancy/breastfeeding hormones. and 3. products listed below! ;)

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight


1. pravana purple toning masque // my hair stylist recommended this when i started putting more blonde in my hair. and it WORKS so well! if my hair needs a 'refresh' i can put this in, leave it in for about 5-7 minutes, and after i wash it out my hair color feels fresh again!
1. living proof dry shampoo // hands down my all time favorite dry shampoo. it makes all the difference to help me get though between washes (about every three or so days).
3. pureology hydrate shampoo + conditioner // i LOVE this shampoo + conditioner! the smell is amazing- a good smelling product always bumps it up in my books! ;) for the longest time i had a hard time justifying the cost, but it works SO well and is super concentrated. even for me (having A LOT of hair) i really don't have to use much product during washes.
4. kenra volume spray // this is a semi recent new favorite hair spray. in the past i've used big sexy hair spray, but this one seems to work better for me. i like a hair spray that gives enough hold, but that is also flexible and doesn't make my hair feel 'stiff' and this one does just that!
5. living proof dry volume blast // this i love to add at the end of doing my hair, or to 'revive' it if i'm going out and want more volume added. i've never been one to tease my hair much, and this product helps give me some body without the need to tease.
6. it's a 10 leave-in // i've always used a daily leave in conditioner. even way back to my middle school days. if i don't, i feel like my hair gets dry and tangly. rather than spraying this in, i usually poor a little in my palm and work it though my wet hair after the shower. it's really light so it doesn't make my hair feel heavy or greasy in any way.
7. pureology air dry cream // another one that i LOVE! i very, very rarely blow dry my hair. it just is so time consuming and requires more effort than i'm willing to make at this point in my life ;) after combing my leave-in through my hair, i'll work some of this in. i find that it helps my hair air dry smoother and quicker. which is nice since i generally shower at night. 
8. joico purple shampoo + conditioner // in the past i would wonder why in the world someone would use a purple shampoo... well now i get it ;) i use this for the same reason as the pravana masque- to freshen up my color. i'll rotate this in about every 2-3 washes between my pureology shampoo. this is just a quicker (and still effective) option compared to the pravana masque. though i do feel like the toning masque, when left on long enough makes a bigger difference in my hair.

happy friday, friends!! 
share with me any hair products that you can't live without, as i am always eager to find what works (and smells) great!


Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

tatum birth photos | 9.29.18. | part IV

the first moments of just us three. mom, dad, and our new baby, Tatum Ross Hjelseth.
then our family began to trickle in to meet our newest baby. we had our first time all being together as a family of five!
nothing could've felt more right in the world.

(clickable links to previous updates)
maternity pictures
welcome baby tatum
newborn pics
birth story part I
birth story part II
birth photos part III

Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth