É A S T É R

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great day and staying healthy + safe! <3

I’m so excited to share these Easter Basket ideas for littles with you all! I hope this post puts a smile on your face and gets you and your littles looking forward to something while we’re all stuck in our homes! <3

The magic is back in holidays with a little one at home! Chase and I have had so much fun preparing for each and every one knowing it’s Chloés first! Easter was one of my favorite holidays growing up and still is to this day! We will be celebrating Easter in the Allen household quarantined or not, and I hope you all will too!

For Chloés Easter basket we decided to go with an actual storage basket! She can’t walk/egg hunt on her own, and we are lacking toy + blanket storage so getting a storage basket was a no brainer + saved us some dough! (I’ve linked some baskets we love above from target!) We’ll be filling her basket up with these beautiful Ballerina dolls, a rattle, a crown, baby luggage, and pom blanket from Alimrose! Alimrose is one of the cutest & classiest shops for littles I’ve found since having Chloé! They have a darling selection of dolls + bunnies right now too! I highly recommend checking them out if a “Kate Middleton” Easter is what you’re going for! Your Prince/Princess will love their shop too!

The Bunny will also be leaving books, an Easter outfit, stuffies, little toys, eggs, and some baby friendly treats! These two books above are some of our favorites! The “Mommy Mommy” book is Chloés absolute favorite and I’m not mad about it! (; She squeals when she sees it! YOU NEED IT! <3 Some of the toys, stuffies, and outfit picks we’ve made for the basket I’ve linked below! Simply click on a picture to shop an item! One of our favorite items for an Easter basket that isn’t photographed is a bubble machine/bubble gun! We got ours for $4 and it’s a big hit in our house! (The biggest!) Another big hit in our house right now are these eggs! We got a pack of 47 for $3 and Chloé loves playing with them! 10/10 would recommend letting your littles play with the eggs early! Affordable entertainer right here! <3

Growing up the Easter bunny used to hide our Easter baskets and we’d have to search from them around the house with the help of a few clues! I loved this growing up and can’t wait to do this for Chloé! What are Easter traditions OR Easter basket must haves for you?! Leave a comment below, I would love to know! And thank you for stopping by! Love you all! xx Stay safe out there during this crazy time!

B A B Y S F I R S T X-M A S w/ P B K

HAPPY (nearly) HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! <3 I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday filled with good food, family time, and of course, FOOTBALL!

Todays blog post goes out to all of you first time parents/mommas and papas with little ones! I’m breaking down THEE perfect gift giving guide for your baby’s first Christmas with Pottery Barn Kids! Before I get into it, know that everything from Pottery Barn Kids is 25% off and ships free today-Monday with code UNWRAP at checkout! (also note these presents work for Children older than Miss Chloé!)

Growing up at my house, Santa always left our presents unwrapped and I loved that! I could sneak downstairs in the middle of the night, get a good glimpse of the magic that was here, then sleep soundly the rest of the night! It also helped my brothers and I understand what was from Santa and what was from our parents. We will definitely be doing this with Chloé!

Santa’s guide to giving was always one BIG toy, some stocking stuffers, a new outfit or dress, and some treats! My parents always made sure we had a stocking ready to go, and new PJs to wear on Christmas Eve! (It was the one present we could open before Christmas!)

We were able to find everything on our wish list for Chloés first Christmas from Pottery Barn Kids! They had lots of big present options, cute stockings, stocking stuffers, even the PJs folks! We’re going to break down what each gift is and why we picked it out for our little one!

For Chloés BIG gift we decided to get her a rocker! This is something she’ll be using in the coming months and enjoy it the rest of her childhood! Pottery Barn Kids has 18 different animal rocker options and they’re all SO CUTE! I think it’s obvious at this point I have an obsession with fawn as of late, so I went with the fawn! Same with her stocking, had to have that cute little deer face on it! Chase and I opted for a Santa + a Snowman stocking for ourselves! We also adore the fur stockings. Pottery Barn can’t be beat when it comes to stockings! The stockings are generously sized too, so we can fit some good stocking stuffers inside! We opted for a cozy polar bear blanket, a precious modern teddy, some bath squirtles, Disney blocks, and a white noise machine stuffed lamb! These are all things she can enjoy now, and some even more later on down the road! (For instance, learning how to build up the blocks, or squirting water out of her bath toys!) Obviously we had Chloé “test out” all of these items, and I can truly say she loves them!

I feel like we really hit the jackpot when it came to our Christmas pajamas this year! Pottery Barn Kids carries multiple designs and every size of the cutest, softest, classiest Christmas pajamas! <3 It doesn’t get cuter than this!

If you want to shop Pottery Barn Kids selection for boys, or an older age, click HERE for toys, HERE for stockings, HERE for stocking stuffers, and HERE for PJs! REMEMBER, use code UNWRAP for 25% off your entire order at Pottery Barn Kids + free shipping from now until Monday!

Below you can shop the things we’re shopping for this Christmas for Chloé, our families, and ourselves! <3 Simply click on a picture to shop an item! Thanks for stopping by loves! And again, Happy (almost) Holidays everyone!

L É G R A N D

If you find yourself in Salt Lake City, The Grand America is the only way to go! This hotel is by far the best the salty city has to offer!

Chase and I have always loved staying at The Grand! You can find us here after a Jazz game, sleeping in, getting Sunday Brunch, enjoying the spa and maybe a couples massage, and then hitting the pool! (They have indoor & outdoor so they’ve got you covered no matter the season!) We also love to people watch in the grand lobby. There’s often weddings, corporate events, cute ladies out for tea, and nba teams staying at the hotel which makes for an enjoyable time while waiting for your car! The lobby often has live music being played ranging from bands to harp, and there’s always an enormous bouquets of flowers who’s aroma fills the room!

The Grand life with Chloé was a little different but just as magical and luxurious as ever before! We made a stop to the in house toy store and just about died! Everything from the store, to the toys, to the window displays were to die for! The Grand America’s toy store is New York status if you know what I mean! We definitely got a few new toys for Chloé!

All three of us Allens enjoyed our vibrant, spacious room, the delicious room service menu, and a cheerful staff helping us with whatever we needed!

It truly was a staycation to remember! <3

If you’re wanting to go on a couples getaway, family trip, or treat yourself to a little me time, then The Grand is for you! Hoping to see you there ASAP! xx

C H L O É I N T H E C I T Y

First trip as a family of three officially in the books! We took Chloé James to the city, it’s one of our very favorite places! Nothing really compares to New York City!

When booking this trip, Chase and I thought carefully about what we’d be doing and where we’d be staying in the city with a 2 month old baby girl! (We didn’t want her getting sick or too hot!) We found the PERFECT hotel to stay at though, the Intercontinental Barclay! It’s right on the line of being in mid town & the upper east side, so CLEAN! Our room was spacious and big! Much bigger than any room we’ve ever stayed in while in the city! (It was really clean and smelled amazing too!) The Intercontinental Barclay had a beautiful, spacious lobby with food right off to the side, a continental breakfast with all the options, and an enormous crystal chandelier that Chloé James loved to gaze at! (It was so cute!) The staff was incredibly helpful and so so kind! They always said hello to Chloé, helped us with our bags & stroller, and even got the elevator for us! (Talk about going the extra mile!) This hotel is also dog friendly! We thought about bringing PG with us but ultimately opted out considering it was our first time flying and traveling with a baby!

I’m not even going to lie to you guys.. I miss their bathroom! It was so beautiful! It had the prettiest sink, marble countertops, the cutest subway tile, and a mirror perfectly lit to get glammed up! #TakeMeBack! If you’re wanting to visit the city, Chase & I both highly recommend this hotel! Between the incredible staff, perfect location, and spacious suite, it was a 10/10 for us Happily Ever Allens!

Seeing Chloé in the city was honestly the cutest thing ever! You don’t see many babies in New York, so everyone who saw her lit up and smiled! She brought joy to so many New Yorkers! Chloé enjoyed Central Park, soho, the Brooklyn bridge, cab rides, lots of naps, and of course her stay at the Intercontinental Barclay! She also brought some zzz’s to the city that never sleeps! Poor baby girl was so tired! She’s little enough that she can snooze anywhere right now so Chase & I lucked out!

Where should we go next?! Drop a comment below!

Thanks for looking in our first trip as a family of 3! <3 If you want our full NYC HACKS & TRAVEL GUIDE, click HERE! We have previous blog post that we still swear by! xx

C H L O É J A M E S

The newest member to our “Happily Ever Allen” is finally making her debut! World, meet Chloé James Allen <3 born on 6/6/19, weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces. Chase, PG, & I are so in love with her. Our hearts have grown so much since our little angel decided to join us! <3

I have so much to say and don’t think any of it will come out right. The lack of sleep + mom brain I now have has done me in hahaa! So bare with me on this post and all future posts for the rest of my life! (;

Everyday since Chloé James has been born has been different! Some days are wonderful, others you just want to cry. Being a new baby in this world is so so hard. And being a new parent and figuring out daily life is hard too. It’s like putting together a puzzle that changes everyday and you don’t know what the picture is. Good news though, everyday you at least get one piece of the puzzle solved. <3 It might be different than the previous day, but whatever works today is what we go for!

Chloé was beyond fussy from week 2-6! She’d cry all day, and so would I. The last little while it’s gotten better! Much better! (Thank the dear heavens!) She’s starting to coo and smile, she recognized her daddy, her puppy, and I. She LOVES eating. She would nurse all day if I let her! (And somedays, that’s exactly what we do!) She loves watching Puppy Dog Pals on Disney Jr, loves trees and the outside world, loves getting out of the house, loves her swing, loves her nursery (she stares at everything!) and loves to stare at the TV which we call “the big black square!” She learned how to fake cry at 2 weeks old which is honestly the funniest thing in the world! She’s a great sleeper and only wakes up to eat! (Right now it’s about 3-6 times a night.) Her absolute favorite thing though is being held. She LOVES to be held! (You can’t put her down for anything!) I love that she loves to be held.. I get to stare and cuddle her all day long! <3 She’s been out a little bit, most recently to the swimming pool with her cousin Cruz who is just 3 weeks apart from her! She also has her very first trip coming up in 2 weeks and she’s very excited for that!

Chlo has her own look! She has her daddy’s eyes (spitting image) and my lips!.. Other than that she definitely looks like her own little person! (She kind of looks like my little brother, I need to get a good picture of them together so you guys can see!)

Having Chloé was incredible guys.. I was so worried I wouldn’t know what to do, or that I wouldn’t bond with her right away, and that I wouldn’t be a good mom.. but the second I held her, all my doubts, worries, and fears completely washed away. There’s nothing like holding your child for the first time and looking into their eyes. I don’t know what heaven is like, but to me, being able to hold and see Chloé was it. <3 Pure bliss.

3 weeks leading up to Chloé’s due date, our doctors advised me to be induced. And ASAP! You see, her head was extremely low.. hanging out in the birthing canal! I hadn’t had a single contraction (or even experienced Braxton Hicks,) and I was barely dialated, so I really didn’t want to be induced! I kept hoping my body would go into labor naturally, and didn’t schedule the induction. 1 week before Chloé’s due date it was the same story. Low head, no contractions or braxton hicks, and barely dilated to a 2. My doctor again advised me to schedule the induction, so I listened to the professional and got in on the calendar!

The night before my induction date, guess what happened? That’s right. CONTRACTIONS HAPPENED! And man they are a BEAST! (Women who give birth unmedicated, I salute you!) I won’t lie, I was a little upset I was having contractions! I felt like I finally had made a plan, and things were NOT going to plan! (It drove me crazy!)

I called the nurses about 100 times that night trying to come in. BUT, you don’t get to stay at the hospital unless you’re dilated to a 5. And I was only at a 2 24 hours ago…. there was no possible way I’d be staying.. I just knew I’d get sent home! So I waited it out.. as long as I possibly could.. I took a shower, I bugged Chase all night, a FaceTimed my sister in law, I googled how to stop contractions, I took PG on a walk, I finished packing, I jumped around to help with pain, I crawled around on the floor…. and then a nurse called from the hospital saying my doctor was there and that I could come in! YAAYY!

We got to the hospital, and I kid you not my contractions stopped. HOW EVEN?! A nurse checked to see how far I was dilated and I had gone 1 more centimeter since my last doctors appointment, which means PROGRESS! <3 They took us to our delivery room and I got my epidural (which was absolutely wonderful) and pitocin to help speed things along! For the first little while I was laying on my back which I never do because it’s soo uncomfortable to me! After a few hours of being on my back with hardly any progress, I asked chase to come help me onto my side! I immediately felt better and within an hour was dilated to a 10 + 5! (The nurse was a little wigged out to how I made so much progress in so little time!)

Our nurse told us it was time to push, and after pushing maybe 3 times, she told me to stop and ran to get the doctor! (The nurse thought she was going to slip right out! Don’t worry, she didn’t!) After about 10 more minutes of pushing, our little angel was here. Alive and well and overall perfect. <3 We honestly hadn’t decided on a name for her yet.. we had a handful of names we liked! (Lennon, Millie, Navy, etc.) Chloé was in the bunch as well! The second I looked at her, I thought she looked like a Chloé. Chases favorite name was Navy, so I didn’t tell him because I honestly didn’t want to sway him! She’s both of ours, and I wanted us both to be involved equally with naming her! An hour after she was born our doctor said we probably needed to pick a name, so I asked Chase what he thought. He said she looks like a Chloé and I was SO RELIEVED because I thought the exact same thing!

We stayed at the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights! (All 3 of us!) We wanted to leave the very next day but Chloé needed one more doctors check up, and her pediatrician is closed on the weekends so we stayed! Chloé was a CHAMP! She passed all of her tests, latched the second she touched my skin, and didn’t lose any weight which was amazing! She slept 24/7 in the hospital and had lots of family and friends around her 24/7! It was the best. I love having our loved ones close!

Coming home was the best thing ever. I hate hospitals.. and I’m such a home body! Those first few days at home with her and Chase were some of the happiest days I’ve ever experienced.

Life with Miss Chloé James has been a dream come true for Chase & I. Every day is a new adventure and we can’t wait to experience everything thats in store for us Happily Ever Allens! <3

Thanks for stopping by guys! <3 Y’all are the best!

P.s. below is some of our favorite baby items/must haves! Just click on a pic to shop an item! <3