Introducing Iris Ann Owens!

Dave and I are so excited to introduce Iris Ann Owens! This post (and many more) are long overdue, but I've been too busy soaking up ALL the newborn snuggles. Our little love arrived exactly two weeks past her due date at 6:38 am on September 3rd, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 21 inches long. 

She has been so strong and smart since day one, we're two very proud parents. 1 Samuel 1:27 could not be any truer..."For this child I prayed..."

We had her name picked out for years, right after my Grandma passed away. One of the hardest things for me to wrap my head around was the fact that she would never get to meet my children. I had the idea to name our first daughter Iris, after Grandma's favorite flower, and luckily Dave loved it as much as I did. Ann was my Grandma's middle name, along with mine and Dave's Grandma, so that was a natural fit as well.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant and I calculated my due date, I had a feeling she would be a girl. Her due date was the same week as my Grandma's birthday, and since Iris was the only name we'd agreed on, I knew it must be a wink from my Grandma in heaven. Sure enough, I was right! 

I have roughly one billion pictures to post, so I'm going to start with photo overload on this one. And when your Dad's a musician, a Pink Floyd onesie during newborn photos is a must...

Iris Ann Owens, you are loved beyond measure...

♡ MALLORIE

6 of the Best Wooden Toys for a Natural Baby Registry.

I've spent a lot more time than I care to own up to building my baby girl's registry. Some of the searching started before we even started trying and then I started a private registry to remember things as I came across them in the few years we spent waiting and praying for our miracle. But, this made piecing together my public registry pretty easy since I already knew the type of items I wanted to stock our home with for the future Owens'.

My top priority when building my registry is finding safe, all-natural products that our babies can put in their mouth (since that's the first place everything goes) and not have to worry about the toxins they might be ingesting. Some pieces are more important than others (to me) to be organic, etc. But, when it comes to toys, that is non-negotiable for me because that's one thing I know for sure will end up in their mouths constantly.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite wooden toys to help anyone else searching for items to add to their natural baby registry...

1. Heart Baby Wooden Puzzle from Bella Luna Toys ≫≫ This toy is not only a great brain game for baby, but it's pretty to look at and has multiple uses (doesn't have to be used as a puzzle). I love that it is complicated enough to grow with baby for awhile, but the pieces are all large enough for the tiniest of babes to play with.

2. Personalized Name Block Wooden Toy by Little Sappling Toys ≫≫ I know I'm still being a tease with baby girl's name, but I love it so much I want to put it on everything! These personalized blocks are so cute and still safe for baby to use for their buildings.

3. Wooden Cakes and Biscuits from BeeSmart ≫≫ I'm obsessed with the vintage look of these toys. If anyone knows where to find more vintage looking toys (wooden or not) that are safe for children (aka- not actually vintage and use lead based paint, etc)...please let me know!

4. Wooden and Crochet Hedgehog Teether and Rattle ≫≫ Baby can shake and teeth on this natural wooden rattle and teether all day and night. I like having a few neutral items in babies toy bin amidst all the pink and bright colors. We have several rings like this to tie onto her "paci" clips (that were never used for paci's) so she can chew and play without losing them.

5. Colorful Wooden Toy ≫≫ I'm not sure what to call this thing, but Iris loves it. It moves around in infinite directions and it's fun for her to try and figure out. I saw it at Barnes and Noble when I was pregnant and knew I had to have it, added it to my Amazon registry and Iris received it for her first Christmas. I love modern momming.

6. Melissa and Doug Wooden Sorting Cube ≫≫ Another brain game for baby that will grow with them for awhile as they learn it's ins and outs. Iris loves her sorting cube and it keeps her engaged for longer than a lot of toys.

If you know another great place to find wooden (or other natural and affordable) toys, let me know in the comments! What was/is your baby's favorite toy?

♡ MALLORIE