Monday, June 25, 2012

9 months....



My goal for the rest of Amara's first year is to actually get her monthly photos up ON her monthly birthday! It just hasn't seemed to happen for me lately...sorry! I literally had to get these pics of her before church yesterday.

Lots to write about this month. It has been my most exhausting month physically ( yes even more so than the month I had her), but the absolute most fun month thus far! Amara is a little person ya'll!!!!! She feels less and less like my little baby as she gets more and more independent and curious. She is so full of spunk and joy, and I love every minute of it. I feel like 9 months is a milestone month because you have a 9 month check up and there are so many things that she could quite possibly be doing now at 9 months.

I took her to her check up, and her exam proved her to be a perfectly happy, healthy baby. However, going by her file, she was 1/2 lb underweight, which concerns our doctor. We ran through her diet, and he encouraged me to breast feed 1-2 more times a day....WHOA.....WAIT.....WHAT!?!?!?! Tears literally welled up in my eyes. I don't want to feel like I am taking a step back here. She isn't drinking enough water, she needs to be eating meats ( which is have not omitted purposefully, just end up going for the veggies for some reason), we need to put flouride in her water, she needs more calcium ( start baby yogurt), start giving her table foods, etc. I felt so overwhelmed when I left, and I felt like a terrible mommy for not being on the up and up, but I am learning too! 

We went straight to the store and loaded up on yogurt, snacks, meaty foods, and started table foods that day for her. Truth be told, I knew this was all coming, but I was terrified of changing our schedule, and I am even more terrified of giving her table foods. I had even been hesitant when it came to puffs until now. All this to say, I have spent the week introducing Amara to different foods, and it has been very successful. She is a MUCH happier baby! Who would have thought!?!

Amara's first table food venture was avacado. She LOVED it. Then, we tried some mac n cheese, which she also loved! A lot of my fears of change and her trying new things have been put to rest this week once I saw how it all really happens so naturally. She was ready!

Some of the things Amara is loving right now......

Sitting in her new high chair
Waving
Her first babblings..." ya ya", "ba ba" and my favorite "da da" - no association with Gabe yet, but I am working on it :)
Pointing/ touching everything with her index finger
books
standing on her feet
splash mat
bath toys
getting her picture taken
throwing everything on the ground
grabbing anything in front of her :)
Riding in her "big girl" car seat
Squeezie food pouches
Falling more and more in love with Sadie Marie Dog!!







Other goodies....









Thursday, June 21, 2012

Instagram wrap

I had some fun with chevron duct tape and mini instagram photos of "boots" ,aka Amara! I just wanted something a little different than the average wrap and bow for "daddy of the year!" Gabe was traveling home on his first Father's Day from a show. So, Amara and I picked him up from the airport around 7 that evening and we brought the party to him. We went to grab some yummy burgers and a milkshake at a place in downtown called The Pharmacy. Amara was definitely grumpy and not up for the wait, but we made it work somehow! Just wanted to show one gift of his that I had a lot of fun wrapping as it was a little trip down memory lane.





 I made a quick little banner during nap time to complete the "party in a car". Sorry, it was dark by the time I decided to take a pic!


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Father's Day Shoot

My family really values photos. My dad especially would rather photos of his kids over a gift I think. I thought this would be part of a great Father's Day gift for both my dad and Gabe! These are some of my favorites from a shoot my friend Shara did to give to the special men in my life for Father's Day! I am so blessed to have such sweet moments captured. Shara, you are super talented and you always make me feel super comfortable in front of a camera! I can't thank you enough!








Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What I am wearing.....

I am not writing a post about what I am wearing on a daily basis because I think I am some profiling fashionista...no, I am just showing how I am hanging on to my "trying to look cute and put together" days by a thread. I generally shower at night, hardly style my hair, shaving my legs....well.... I fight the daily fight of pretty vs. practical and should actually write on my bathroom mirror " Don't forget to brush!"

I don't want to be that typical new mom that blames her kid, but I am going to be that mom. It is all Amara's fault. :) That being said, I thought that I would just share the staples in my wardrobe right now. I try and find a happy medium between something super stylish and something super comfortable that I won't lose my sanity over if it gets a stain, which is more than likely going to happen...and not necessarily because of Amara. If you have seen me eat then you get my drift. Yikes!

Target and Gap are my hot spots people! My mom gets a discount at the Gap, so kill me. I can't turn down a good deal, not to mention she treats Amara and I a lot to little shopping trips. For that, I am truly grateful! I am guilty of not really venturing out to other places anymore. The days of searching for the perfect dress at a million different stores seem to be a faint memory.





If you see me out, I am usually wearing at least one of the items above on a daily basis. It is what it is, okay? Remember when I was talking about shaving? Well, that is where that black maxi skirt comes in handy :) I just feel like you can't go wrong with boyfriend shorts, bright colored Ts, a pair of fun - colored skinny jeans ( the MOST comfortable pair of pants I have owned post baby), trusty sandals, slouchy summer sweater and of course a go to summer dress.



What I am stacking these days...... Love these new bangles from SweetAuburn Studio with Amara's initials for Mother's Day!


What generally hangs around my neck...... My friend, Leah, wore this beautiful aqua colored necklace one day, and I fell in love with it. It is from Chewbeads for teething babies. Although Amara doesn't quite know what to do with it, but I still wear it because it is cute! Also, my everyday wear is my Helen Ficalora necklace. I trade out the monograms sometimes or wear them all together. I have a charm for each member of the family! I love my little A charm with a tiny diamond in it. It was my "push present".


Amara definitely comes first in my life, and it is easy to let little things that you do for yourself slip away. As tired as I am sometimes, I will fight to stay awake at night to give myself a great pedicure/manicure, which is one of the most important things I do for myself. It just makes me feel good. You know, if I look like a homeless person on any given day, at least I am a homeless looking person with nice nails right!?!

Do something for yourself today!! In a round about way, it makes you a better mommy :)



Thursday, June 7, 2012

Looking UP!

In our attempt to make over our laundry room ( that no one EVER sees), Gabe made a pendant light for me following this tutorial by Young House Love, which is one of my favorite blogs. I thought it was so neat, and it couldn't be more appropriate for a laundry room since it is made of clothespins ya know?

The whole project ended up costing US about $60 simply because we didn't have any of the stuff. I am still not mad at the cost though. A pendant light that you love under $100 is a steal to me! We got everything at Home Depot, even the clothespins, and we got to work. The YHL tutorial is much easier to follow. I have not mastered tutorials on this blog, which is why you really only ever see the before and after, but mainly just the after :)

Anyway, our laundry room is the very back room on the upstairs level. You would really have to go out of your way to see it. However, I am in there ALL day EVERY day it feels like. I am a "washaholic" if you will. So, the pendant light inspired me to actually dress my little hidden room up to my liking. I honestly feel like putting the work into these "unseen rooms"helps make for a happier home. I want to feel good about every space that I use in my home, and the laundry room is no exception. I am having fun with it also by using colors and fixtures that I may not use throughout the rest of my house.

The laundry room has a window, which brightens it up a lot. I knew I wanted a soft "studio white"with a really cool ceiling. We went with Parchment Paper by Behr, and it is my new favorite white. I want the room to feel clean and fresh with just a pop of color.

We opted for black and white stripes on the ceiling, as I thought it would look good with the natural color of the clothespins. I DID NOT want to pain clothespins :) Also, I think black and white is ultra modern and simple.

I am still working on art, and organization, but here are a few shots of our lamp/ceiling!

I am thinking Kelly Green pic frames with some cool artwork....who knows!?