Just seven weeks ago, I became a mom of two. That still blows my mind every single day.
The same goes for Jay. He was just telling me a story the other day about a conversation he was having with another guy who was telling him how he’s just not sure he’s ready for kids yet. We always laugh together when we hear people say this because Jay used to say this all the time. And to this day, his response is (now) “Well, I have two kids and I still don’t know if I’m really “ready!” Truth be told, who ever really is 100% ready? There’s always going to be something you wish/want to be more solid, more secure, more…who knows? But in the end, you just find a way to make it work.
Adjusting to two kids has been hard, but we’re still making it work. We’ve lost a lot of the independence we had rebuilt as Lucas has gotten a bit older, and there have been a few times when we’ve been “down in the trenches,” so to speak, where we’ve asked ourselves what we’ve gotten ourselves into?!
Well before anyone goes thinking that we think we made a mistake or anything, I’ll stop you right there. Yes, two kids has been hard for us. We’re learning a new normal, and slowly but surely, we’re getting there. But the fact of the matter is, we were blessed enough to be able to bring this precious little man into the world and are lucky enough to be able to call both of these beautiful boys our sons.
Alex’s face cracks me up in this picture!
So of course, we wanted to shout it from the rooftops to share with some of our closest friends and family. And with the help of Minted, who so kindly provided us with the birth announcements for Alex, we did just that.
You guys have heard of Minted before, right? Minted is an online marketplace that connects you with independent designers from all over the world. They source it’s products from design competitions, too, which I thought was super cool.
I’ve fallen in love with them over the past year or so, and not only do I think their birth announcements are beautiful, but they’ve also got a TON of gorgeous art (some of which I’m excited to show you guys really soon!).
To help spread the word on Alex’s arrival, we decided to go with the Little Man Birth Announcements.
We went back and forth on deciding for a while (we also really liked the Delicate Frames birth announcement and the Measures of Love birth announcement, too!), but that won ultimately won our hearts.
I also liked how this announcement allowed you to personalize the back as well, so we decided to add one of my favorite photos from when Lucas met Alex at the hospital. Did I ever even share this photo on the blog? I can’t remember.
Another option I really loved and totally chose to do with these announcements was to have the envelopes addressed and ready to go. I knew that if I ordered them and would have to sit and write everyone’s addresses out, it’d probably be weeks before they actually got sent out in the mail. #newmomstruggles
And to make it even easier to get them sent out quickly, you can even order the postage(!!!). I chose to do this add-on, and thought it was SO cool that I could make the postage stamps using a photo of ours.
aka, Alex’s feet. <3
It’s also worth mentioning (and I have not been asked to do so, either) that the entire process for ordering was super easy and fast, too. Within hours of placing the order, I received an email with a final proof of the announcement (because they have a team that edits/proofs them). From there, since everything looked great, I was able to approve the order and get it delivered two days quicker!
So if any of you are in the market for ordering any sort of birth announcements, invitations, stationary, labels, planners…you name it!…I’d absolutely recommend checking out Minted.
And FYI: They’re currently running a Back to School Event: 15% OFF Kids’ Essentials (Name Labels, Stationary, Notebooks). Just use code SCHOOL2016 (exp 8/1)!
Disclosure: Minted provided the birth announcements free of charge, but I was not provided additional compensation for this post.
Allie says
I’m currently pregnant and thinking about birth announcements so this post is perfect timing! Although I have to say tha I used Minted for my wedding invitations and it was a disaster! I was sent invites that were not the same colors as my rsvps. I spent hours on the phone with customer service and after 4 shipments, they finally got it right. Granted, they refunded my entire cost – but it was such a headache to be dealing with a few months before my wedding. Just my opinion.
Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona says
The birth announcements are adorable! The first photo of Alex with the ears is so cute!
Emily @ Relishments says
I love Minted and plan to use them for my birth announcements this fall. We opted to have them address our Christmas cards for us last year and it made life SO MUCH EASIER! Your post makes me want to start working on my birth announcements now…
Furonda says
Absolutely adorable! Is his official name Alex or Alexander?
Bethany @LuluRuns says
I’m 36 (holy cow!) weeks pregnant and trying to decide what way/how to announce baby T’s arrival! These look super nice :)
Thanks for the information!
Kristin says
Thank you for being honest about life being hard with two kids. Don’t feel bad about feeling that way or admitting it! Of course you don’t actually regret having a second, but it’s a tough adjustment, especially when you just figured out life with one! Having a toddler and a baby is HARD. There’s just no way around that, and anyone who says otherwise has to be lying. I’m right there in the trenches with you (mine are 2.5 years and 3 months).
I’m super impressed you have your birth announcements out already! Ours arrived in the mail when my baby was about 2 months old…and they still haven’t been shipped yet…and she’s 16 weeks old! Maybe this month it’ll happen. I should have done the pre-addressed envelopes! Love your birth announcements! :)
Sarah @ Sweet Miles says
Love Minted. We sent ours through them as well and to this day I love them so much. I’ve ordered a lot of products from Minted over the years and am always impressed!
Love your honesty about it being tough – I can’t imagine what it will be like, but I know it’s going to be tough no matter what age difference there is!
Roxanne says
Having your son, Alex, as well as the beautiful announcements were beautiful! I am glad for this beautiful milestone in life!