The Party That Changed My Life!

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This past weekend was finally the moment we had been waiting for! AJ and I  found out the genders of our twins and BOY were we in for a surprise. 😉

Leading up to the day of my party I wasn’t exactly nervous. I was excited but when the day finally came and I had so many butterflies in my stomach. More than anything I just wanted my babies to be healthy, but of course I was looking forward to knowing what these little bundles of joy would be.

I was so lucky to have such an amazing team of people help me put together my gender reveal party. The weather was perfect, as most days in California are but since it was an outdoor party the cool weather and sunshine made the day that much more pleasant. PRIV did my hair and makeup the morning of, which definitely helped me out as I was trying to relax and let every moment of the day sink in.

Our close friends and family were there to celebrate with us. Thank goodness I had some fellow moms-to-be there so we could exchange stories and sip on delicious “mocktails” made by Health-Ade Kombucha. 

The real adults got to drink Babe Rosé by Swish Beverages that matched out decor perfectly!

One of my favorite decorations of the party was the dessert table, lined with the cutest baby cake pops and beautiful balloon decorations from Brag Designs.

Also, we had The Lobos Food Truck come and serve up mini chicken sliders and fries for everyone. It turned out to be a hit!

Once everyone was well feed and mingled for a bit it was time for the big reveal.

Willow and AJ did the honors of opening the first box while everyone gathered around. We took a bet from the crowd before we opened the box, and most people thought we were having two girls.

The first box slowly opened and blue balloons came flying up! As you can see from my reaction I was definitely surprised but mostly so excited! I wish more people were there to have seen AJ’s reaction…priceless! Willow, and most of the kids at the party, got a little startled by all of the commotion. So we held her when opening the second box.

Then it was time to open the second box and guess what?! It was blue balloons AGAIN!

That’s right, we are having TWIN BOYS!

We could not be happier to bring the Buckley boys into this world very soon!

Willow was really banking on a girl and a boy but we’re sure once they come she’ll be excited and jump right into her role as a big sister.

Now that we know it will be boys, it’s time I start shopping for my little men and relaxing for just a little bit longer until they make their big debut.

Again, I couldn’t have done all of this without the support of you guys, my friends and family and all of the people that made this party possible!

 

Special Thanks To:

PRIV

Shop Pink Blush

Brag Designs balloons

Health-Ade Kombucha

Mi Florita flower arrangements

The Lobos Truck

DrinkswithMJ

Swish Beverages

#AskAbby: What’s been your experience with pregnancy cravings so far?

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For those of you who have been pregnant, you know the struggle is real when it comes to managing food cravings while pregnant! My experience with the twins so far has been a bit different than my pregnancy with Willow. Funny enough though, by this point in my pregnancy with Willow, I had gained DOUBLE the weight than what I’ve gained with the twins so far! I thought it would be the opposite and I’m honestly not sure if it’s attributed to it just being my second pregnancy or that there are two babies to feed.

I have noticed that my appetite is definitely much more constant than when I was pregnant with Willow. If I don’t eat every two hours, I’m STARVING and begin to feel a bit light headed. One of the ways I’ve been combating my constant hunger without completely overeating is by starting off my morning with a very healthy breakfast and by keeping snacks on hand at all times.

In the mornings my go-to breakfast has been a smoothie! I’ve kept the specific ingredients pretty flexible and have been throwing in whatever fruits & veggies are in the fridge with my homemade almond milk and occasionally a scoop of an organic nut butter as well. Pretty easy and stressless! Though a smoothie sounds light, my secret has been making two servings. I’ll have my first serving around 6AM and then my second about an hour to an hour in a half later while I’m in the car driving to work. A well fed mama and a well fed nurse is key! For snacks, my favorite is to keep granola bars on hand but if I feel like I’m eating too much sugar, I’ll switch to almonds and other nuts.

Lastly, I’ve been super aware of my water intake! 4 liters a day! SO many times we confuse dehydration with hunger so keeping a water bottle on me at all times has helped me minimize over indulging with some unmentioned non-healthy snacks 😉 

#AskAbby: How do you teach Willow the spirit of Thanksgiving?

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There’s so much more to Thanksgiving than a fun opportunity to sit around a delicious dinner with friends and family. Now that Willow is older, we’ve begun to teach her to the greater meaning behind the holiday: gratitude and generosity. We recently sat down to go through her toys to pick out a few that we would donate to other children who aren’t fortunate enough to have them. It was quite comical explaining to Willow that there are kids who don’t have toys… she couldn’t believe it! I’m really happy that she is beginning to understand these concepts and how important it is to share her abundance with others. We’re hoping to continue these lessons with more charitable work and donations as she gets older.

 

Another aspect of Thanksgiving we’re hoping to instill in her is how to appreciate doing activities with the entire family. Dinner is a VERY collaborative effort in our family! It’s always a joy watching Willow participate and contribute in making the big dinner!

 

After dinner is prepared and we’re all sitting at the table, everyone in the family takes a turn of sharing with the group what they are especially thankful for that year. Willow is still getting a hang of her public speaking skills but it’s a great habit for her to practice!

 

Our Thanksgivings are always concluded with a big family game of Pictionary! It’s usually boys versus girls and then losers have to do the dishes. Never too early to start teaching her a good sense of family competition and fun!

How To Throw An Easy Friendsgiving

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This year I planned a Friendsgiving for some of my close girlfriends, and after sending out the invites I was having second thoughts. Preparing a whole meal for 6 people while pregnant was starting to feel quite stressful, and let’s just say I am not the greatest cook! I was definitely looking for some cooking hacks that would help me out in preparation for the big feast.

I found a Farmer John Gold Wrapped Whole Ham that comes pre-cooked and is easy to heat in the oven. I added a brown sugar-agave glaze to it just before it was done cooking and it was perfection (I was pretty proud of myself that I didn’t burn it or myself!). See the simple recipe here:

 

FARMER JOHN® Whole Ham  (instructions also come printed on the wrapper…so easy!):

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 325°F (my ham was about 20 pounds so I increased my temperature to 350 degrees).
  2. Remove ham from package and discard the bone guard.
  3. Place ham cut side down in baking pan and cover ham with foil.
  4. Place ham in oven and heat for approximately 15 minutes per pound until warm. Do not overcook. (I cooked mine for a little over 5 hours until a food thermometer inserted into the ham read temperature of 140°F).
  5. With 30 minutes left pour glaze over ham (simple recipe below) and continue cooking 30 minutes more, basting at least twice with the drippings to ensure the ham does not burn.  
  6. Allow for the ham to stand covered for 5-10 minutes before carving.

 

Brown Sugar Agave Glaze:

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups packed, light brown sugar
  • 1 cup agave

 

Directions:

  1. Combine the brown sugar and agave in a saucepan.
  2. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and the brown sugar has dissolved.
  3. Pour the brown sugar glaze over the ham and continue cooking 30 minutes more, basting at least twice with the drippings to ensure the ham does not burn.  

 

The ham came out beautifully and was a favorite among my guests! Now, I am definitely a sides kind of girl, but recently I’m really into the desserts (it could have something to do with these twins!). I went for a non-traditional pie this year, and did a dark chocolate brownie cake topped with FARMER JOHN® All-Natural Bacon bits. Pro Tip: You can totally cheat and use a boxed brownie mix like I did for this!!

Dark Chocolate Brownie Cake

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

  1. Follow instructions on boxed brownie mix and cook as directed.
  2. While brownie cake is cooking, cook about 5 slices FARMER JOHN® All-Natural Bacon until well done. I like them crunchy.
  3. Let brownie cake cool, then, ice with dark chocolate icing.
  4. Chop bacon, sprinkle chopped bacon bits onto icing.
  5. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

*This post is sponsored by Farmer John, but the opinions and excitement are all my own!

Tips For Transitioning A Toddler To A Big Kid Bed

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Willow is turning 4 in January and we finally just transitioned her to a “big girl” bed. It was always shocking to other parents, when they found out she was still in her crib at well past the age of 3. The truth is she loved her crib, sleeps 10-12 hours a night still and never tried to climb out! She was finally starting to outgrow the crib, and I knew it was time to find her a bigger, more comfortable bed. Since this is always a hot topic for parents, I thought I would share some ways we helped her prepare for this transition.

  1. Make It Sound Amazing! We talked about her new bed for about a month before it even came! I let her look at pictures and involved her in the process of picking out her new bed. We chose this amazing twin bed frame from Sweet Home From Wood and a nontoxic mattress from Tomorrow Sleep.
  2. Let Them Decorate…Willow picked out all of her sheets and quilts for her bed. I think letting her in on the process also kept her excited about sleeping in a new space. She went with mermaid sheets with a fun double sided quilt (all from Target).
  3. Go Over Ground Rules… Kids thrive off of routine and structure. Getting Willow into her new bed, came with some rules that we went over quite a few times with her. I has some anxiety about her having the freedom to get up and roam around at night now. So we discussed that she may only get out of bed to use the bathroom, or come directly to our room. Thus far she has followed the rules and is loving her new bed!

Shop The Room Below:

 

#AskAbby: How do I relieve stress as a busy mom?

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It seems stress can be the norm in my life sometimes! Thank goodness I’m familiar with the non-stop nature of my life thanks to being a nurse at a hospital for many years… however, my emergencies lately are generally less life threatening and more to do with running late to drop off Willow at school or forgetting to pack myself a snack to ward off my pregnancy fueled hangeryness.

 

Since spa days and vacations have been far and few between, I’ve found some other methods every mama on the go needs to help destress and wind down. Happy mamas are the best mamas and it’s uber important for us to remember that sometimes the best way to take care of our families is to be mindful of ourselves.

 

My “Favorite Five” go-tos to relieve stress:

 

#1: Acupuncture

I turn to my favorite chinese medicine often and I’ve even started making weekly appointments. I initially sought out acupuncture to jump start my fertility when I was having trouble getting pregnant (see next blog post for the full story) but I’ve maintained my commitment to the practice since. Acupuncture can be a little scary for first-timers and those who don’t like needles but I really encourage giving it a try. It might take a session or two to really get comfortable with someone sticking needles into your body but I feel the relief for long after my session is over. Besides relieving stress, it has helped me a lot with my headaches as well.

 

#2: Essential Oils

I love lavender and peppermint oils! My acupuncturist was the first to recommend these oils to me but they are VERY handy when it comes to relieving stress on the go.  Lavender is known for its calming effects but it also, more specifically, can relieve anxiety. I’ll put the oil on my hands throughout the day for this purpose. Peppermint is another powerhouse oil that can help relieve pain alongside a bunch of other benefits like reducing nausea and helping with digestion. I put peppermint on my temples when I have headaches and prefer it over popping a pain reliever medication.

 

#3: Working out

Working out has been a much different experience since being pregnant with the twins, I used to run on the treadmill to clear my head followed by toning arms and legs but I may begin trying out gentler methods of exercise for the duration of my pregnancy. I try to view exercise as less of a chore and more of a luxury and break from other hectic things that may be going on.

 

#4: Alone Time

The holy grail of relieving stress! I know whenever I’m getting in a funk, what I really need is some alone time. It doesn’t matter so much what I’m doing but just having no one around for a bit is very important in maintaining my sanity. I’ll often go get my nails done or go shopping by myself – not errands but a good activity while venturing alone.

 

#5: Manifesting

I’m not great at meditating though I’ve tried a bunch of methods… it just never works for me. One thing I do really enjoy though is actively thinking about gratitude. Being mindful of the things that mean a lot to us can be very calming and grounding – especially on a tough day. I try to make this a daily practice and it breeds a lot more positivity in my mind that reflects in my life.

 

Spaghetti Squash Recipe

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This recipe is a MUST HAVE for Mom’s looking to feed the whole family a super healthy meal but don’t have a lot of time for labor intensive meals. It’s also a crowd pleasing dinner that sneaks in veggies where heavy carbs usually are. A win-win for parents and the kids!

Wash the outside of an organic spaghetti squash. Pierce the skin with a knife several times.

Put 1/2-1 cup water in the bottom of a crockpot.

Place squash in crock pot and set on high for 2 hours.

Prior to squash being done sautée turkey meat in skillet. Heat marinara sauce in sauce pain until hot. Mix sauce with turkey meat.

Remove squash from crockpot, let cool. Cut into 4’s. Scrape out seeds from center.

Add salt and pepper to taste, along with butter.

Use a fork to remove squash from skin and into plate. Cover with marinara sauce and turkey. Sprinkle with cheese.

 

Photo credit: Kate Hauschka Photography

What to Expect When You’re NOT Expecting: Twins Edition

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Our road to getting pregnant for the second time was not an easy one. After getting pregnant with Willow so easily, I genuinely thought I would be pregnant with another baby in no time. After we decided as a couple that I would stop taking birth control, it was an exciting time and we couldn’t wait to see the positive sign on the pregnancy test! Little did we know and frustratingly, it wouldn’t be coming for quite some time.

 

Each month I would track my cycle with serious OCD, romantically text my husband that we had to get busy, and then subconsciously think I was pregnant and psych myself to tell the world I was with child… EVERY… SINGLE… TIME for 7 months straight. I was on an emotional roller coaster of anticipation and disappointment and eventually hit an all time low after my birthday.

 

I finally decided it was time to head to my OB in April. I figured that there was something wrong with me, and it turns out I was right – as most moms usually are. I had the labs of a premenopausal woman so my body was just not looking to get pregnant. Per my MD, my Estradiol was undetectable, my FSH was high and something was suppressing my ovaries. So to sum it up, at the ripe age of 33, I had California Raisins for ovaries and nobody knew why. I was devastated and all my doctor could attribute it to was the rise of environmental pollution which was an answer with little solace.  They told me to come back in another month for a redraw but again, like a bad record, each month my labs would look the same and getting my period was a constant reminder I had failed. This was not the scenario I wanted to be in and the emotional roller coaster continued.

 

To make matters worse, I wasn’t the only one eager to announce a new baby would be joining the family… I was constantly pained by complete strangers asking me when  baby #2 would be arriving. “I don’t know lady, when are you buying your 8th cat” was how I felt like responding.  These conversations continued to rehash my open wounds from the internal pain I felt over my empty womb. I started telling myself I had one amazing, beautiful daughter and that’s all we needed. Though this was the truth, I would hold back tears when Willow would ask me for a little brother or sister and I felt like I was letting her down. I was frustrated, embarrassed, and just plain sad.

 

My infertility consumed me, and I couldn’t see the way off the emotional roller coaster. With my labs heading in the same direction, I was open to trying anything. I even started acupuncture with an amazing woman, named Natalie who happened to specialize in infertility. I would go to weekly sessions with her, discuss my labs, and she started me on a serious regimen of natural supplements and vitamins. Natalie gave me a safe place to speak about my issue, and one day we decided together that I would go see a Reproductive Endocrinologist in which their sole purpose is to get people pregnant.

 

I met with the doctor and to my surprise she was enthusiastically upbeat. She looked at me, my medical history and my shitty labs, she then looked right back at me and said, “We are going to get you pregnant”. It was like a weight shifted off my shoulders, the heavens parted and I had just heard the voice of an angel. I couldn’t be any happier! The doctor explained that during my next period, I would start injecting fertility drugs that would help control my ovulation in preparation for an IUI. I finally had a plan, and was beyond ecstatic.

 

So naturally, I went back to stalking my cycle and patiently awaited Aunt Flo. Except, Aunt Flo never made it. I was one day late, and thought well isn’t that just odd. Just to amuse myself, I decided to take a pregnancy test, completely expecting it to be negative – no pun intended. However, I was greeted with a positive sign instead. I was in shock and didn’t believe it. Surely, this was an ironic mishap of a pregnancy test. I took 6 pregnancy tests that day and I’m not sure any of them would have made me believe it.

We were beyond excited to confirm with a blood test that indeed we were pregnant. How crazy was it that on the heels of deciding to turn to a last ditch effort but before actually starting the treatment I was with child?!

 

The pregnancy itself was such a surprise but we didn’t realize how much of a surprise we were in for until my first ultrasound, this was when we found out just how “pregnant” we were.

 

The visit went something like this:

 

Doctor: “Um, did you take any of the drugs?”.  

 

Me: No!

 

Doctor: Well, this is a surprise, there are two heartbeats.

 

Aj: Yeah, like the baby’s and Abby’s?

 

Doctor: No, as in there are two babies!

 

Me: Shut the F**k up!

 

Aj: What…

 

And then there were two…

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka Photography

Obviously we are elated to be welcoming two new additions to our family this year. If you asked me how we did it without fertility drugs, I don’t have a clue. I do know that once I felt comfortable with a plan from my acupuncturist and doctor that I felt less stressed and happy to be making some kind of progress. I think I stopped over thinking my own body’s downfalls thus far, and actually gave myself a break for once. I spent more time on myself, and focused on other important things in my life that made me happy. As we always said in nursing, your body follows your mind, so get your mind right.

 

A note on infertility: I know our personal struggle with infertility for over a year may not be relevant to your own journey. I share this with you so that you know you are not alone. I also share this with everyone else who doesn’t understand infertility because they never had to go through it. Stop asking when someone may be having a baby or second child. Sometimes what you think are words of encouragement aren’t, and just listening can be helpful. It’s better to give support than advice or suggestions.

Skincare Tips for Seasonal Change

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This time of year is fun for so many reasons! Pumpkin flavored everything, sweater weather (not so much in Los Angeles yet), and gearing up for the holidays BUT cooler temps tend to wreak havoc on our skin. I’m here to bring you some skincare tips that I’ve learned throughout my years as a dermatology nurse that will save your skin from dry cool weather and indoor heaters without having to completely change your usual routine.

 

Tips

 

Tip #1: Apply moisturizer, retinols, and benzoyl peroxides to a moist face. This helps the products lock in extra moisture to your skin. The key during these cool months is keeping skin hydrated so try and keep all the hydration you can! This may want you to slather on extra creams but also be mindful that too much can cause breakouts or make existing breakouts worse.

 

Tip #2: Decrease frequency of retinol creams and other drying products. If these are usually part of your daily routine, maybe start applying every other day to give your skin some extra time to recover and retain moisture.

 

Avène Eau Thermale & Avène XeraCalm

Tip #3: Don’t forget to apply moisturizer to your body! We’re all guilty of rushing out of the shower into our work clothes because hit the snooze button one too many times but we cannot skimp on taking care of our bodies! This will prevent itchy dry patches and dermatitis. (Pro tip: I really like Avene’s thermal spring water spray to stay hydrated and XeraCalm on dry skin)

 

Tip #4: Keep wearing sunscreen! Just because we don’t get the sunshine does not mean we are protected from skin damaging rays. Cloudy weather can even intensify the worst rays for our skin so it’s even more important to not leave out SPF from our morning skin rituals.

 

Tip #5: We’ve all heard it before… stay hydrated! It’s easy during colder months to forget our 8 glasses of water (and maybe replace them with an extra cup of coffee) but keeping our water bottle count is just as important now than it was during the summer. (Pro tip: herbal teas are a great way to stay warm & hydrated!) When it’s warm, we may sweat more but that also causes our bodies to produce more oil which keeps skin hydrated. Since we produce less oil during the winter, we should be extra mindful of water intake.

 

Tip #6: During the winter skin peels produce faster results. Since the air and our skin is drier, skin reacts faster to peels. One whole day could be knocked off the peeling time frame so it’s good to keep this mind when scheduling these appointments. 

 

Tip #7: Eat pumpkin. Seriously! Our October porch decor is actually super rich in antioxidants that are incredible for our skin. Carotenoids are abundant in those jack-o-lanterns and this antioxidant is a powerhouse in protecting our skin from UV damage and other skin related disorders. Pumpkin is also filled with Vitamin C, B, Magnesium, and Beta-Carotenes.