Cute Babies in Animal Hats.
You’re welcome ;)
Love,
M
We have a little treat planned for our eyes, ears, hearts and spirits this weekend. In preparation, I’m washing insane amounts of laundry (it’s all backed up thanks to the countless blankets, bedsheets and towels I’ve had to wash when the tummy bug ran rampant through our house).
In lieu of a post today, I thought I’d leave you with a few little treats of your own:
For your eyes: This clever and funny online children’s book was written by a friend of a friend. A lawyer by day who has dreams of perhaps being the next Shel Silverstein one day. Those are big shoes to fill, but I think he’s really got the potential.
For your ears: Anna Vogelzang on SoundCloud. Oh, what a lovely voice and sweet, lilty lyrics!
For your heart: The sweetest way ever to announce a new baby is on the way.
For your spirit: A favorite Bible verse.
Love,
M
Enter the Francesca’s Collections Style Off & WIN a $150 Gift Card to Shop!
I am really excited about this fun little contest I’m running with my friends at Francesca’s Collections. Recently, I styled up one of my recent Francesca’s finds, the Lovely in Lace top. Its soft peachy hue and delicate lace pattern make it a classic piece that can be worn so many different ways. I paired mine with a favorite pair of skinny jeans, a stretchy metal waist belt, and some fun sparkly oxfords.
But now I want to see how YOU would style this blouse to reflect your personal style! Starting today, Francesca’s Collections is offering this blouse to Dear Baby readers for 35% off with the promo code: STYLEOFF (good thru 2/11). Submit your photo (or a link to your own blog post) and Dear Baby readers can vote for 1 week on their favorite look. The winner will receive a $150 Francesca’s Collections gift card and be featured on both Dear Baby and the Francesca’s Collections Behind the Seams Blog.
A few things to note:
I’m really excited to see how you would wear this top - to work, to play, and everything in between! Ready, set, STYLE OFF!
Love,
M
Four Little Stories.
Stomach Bugs Are No Bueno.
Both my kids came down with a gnarly stomach bug this weekend (perhaps the norovirus that is all over the Raleigh area right now?). My poor babies. They’ve puked on everything including both parents, our bed, Everly’s bed, the hardwoods all the way from the living room to the bathroom, the new rug in the living room and I’m pretty sure the cat.
Avocados.
When Everly was a baby, she would eat anything… EXCEPT Avocado. It was the only food I ever gave her that made her lurch and gag. You would have thought I fed her a live slug by the way she reacted. I love avocados and they’re so good for you, so I kept trying to offer them - but they were always a no go. Around a year old, she decided that she like them in guacamole, but still refused them on their own. Well, guess who LOVES Avocados. Arlo boy inhales them. He can not get the little green cubes off his high chair tray fast enough. He’s eating half an avocado a day right now. The other day Everly asked what Arlo was eating. I told her it was an avocado. “I wanna taste” she said. I gave her a chunk, she took two bites, gagged and spit it out. Somethings never change.
Chuck Norris Style.
I heard the door slam to our bedroom yesterday morning. Arlo was asleep in our bed, so I got up to get Everly before she woke him up and discovered the door was locked! The previous owners had a keyed lock on the door and we were never given the key. I kept shaking the knob and saying “Everly, unlock the door baby. Turn that little button on the handle.” She just kept turning the handle but wasn’t unable to unlock it. I ran for Brent, worried that not only would Everly get freaked out when she realized we couldn’t get to her, but if Arlo awoke, he could crawl off our bed and hurt himself. Brent tried to get her to unlock it too but saw from under the door that she had run over to the side of the room where we couldn’t see her - so he said “Stand back” and kicked the door open! The door was completely unharmed except for the lock connection at the door frame. We rushed inside to find Everly completely unfazed and Arlo still asleep! I turned to Brent and said “That was really hot.” He grinned back and said “You gotta know exactly where to kick it to open it like that.”
The Money(s) Store.
Everly is really into playing pretend right now. Pretend doctor. Pretend mommy cooking dinner. Pretend store clerk. And very often “pretend shopping”. In this game, she puts her purse on one hand, gets a paper gift bag in the other and says “bye bye. I go shopping” Whenever I ask her what she is going to buy while out shopping she always says “Moneys”. “I go buy moneys” I don’t know where she got that from, but it makes me giggle every time.
Love,
M
I distinctly remember the days of running over and pouncing on one of my parents to initiate a game of play wrestling when I was a kid. I remember how much fun it was to be lifted high above my mother, the balls of her feet balancing my small body. Or my dad, carrying me under one arm, my brother under the other as he growled and stomped through the house with both of us twisting and laughing in his arms.
There is a warm and familiar juxtaposition in layering those memories on top of the ones we are making as a family. Such deja vu to be on hands and knees, hair across my face, with a chorus of children’s laughter accompanying our play. Two little people flopped across my body, screeching with joy as I bounce one, then the other in the space above me.
Becoming a parent has made me realize how much thought and effort my parents put into ensuring my childhood was full of happy moments. It is the span of each those experiences that has built who I am.
What a gift that Brent and I get to build the foundations of our children as people- that we get to put shiney, gold penny moments in their memory banks. That we have the power to create the kind of moments they will recall one day as adults with great fondness.
One of my favorite things about parenting is that, in so many ways, we get our childhood back. We are handed the opportunity to relive and experience it all over again with a heightened awareness for what makes it precious. I’m absolutely certain that these moments with my children are the closest thing I’ll ever have to a fountain of youth.
Love,
M
Hello from the land of big girl achievements.
We recently transitioned Everly from a crib to a big girl bed, which she did with unexpected ease. We decided to cold turkey move her from her crib to a double bed and with a month of baby stepping from a mattress on the floor all the way up to the bed on the frame with safety rails in place , she is now going down awake in her own bed by herself.
The potty training thing, as I mentioned in my last monthly update on the kids hasn’t been as smooth. It really hasn’t been anything. We try very hard to keep everything about going to the bathroom and using the potty as very positive. It is the weirdest thing (and really comical) to watch your toddler pee on the floor in front of you and then say “Oh! You pee pee’d. Next time, let’s try to get it in the potty.” The first time it happened, I had to resist the urge to scoop her up and rush to the bathroom while yelling “AHHHHH!! PEE EVERYWHERE!”
We’ve tried all the usual tricks - promising a reward, promising she can wear big girl undies, reading the books, playing up the “big girls go on the potty” angle and she has taken interest in all of these things - but the minute you suggested she pee IN the potty - she wasn’t having it. I swear she actually sarcastically laughed at me when I suggested it. We have to remind ourselves all the time, she just turned two - she’s got time to figure this out.
So we haven’t been pushing it - just offering it as an option regularly and waiting for her to take interest. Two nights ago, she took off her diaper and was running around half naked. While I cooked dinner, Brent suggested they read the potty book while she sat on her teddy bear potty. She agreed and half way through she looked up at him and says “I did it!” She stood up and sure enough she peed in the potty!
He called me in and we all started celebrating and dancing and high fiving. Two chocolate covered pretzels were procured as a prize and we let her pick out a pair of big girl undies to put on. She immediately ran to the big mirror in our room to admire herself. She kept shaking her hips and singing “I did it! I did it! I pee peed!”
Of course, shortly thereafter, I found her with wet undies and discovered a puddle of pee in the corner of her room - but WHATEVER - she did it once and that was good enough for us. So this is a step in the right direction - the first flame of interest in starting potty training. We’re really curious to see if it was a fluke or the beginning of her journey towards official big girl status.
It’s so cool to see my girl growing more and more independent and self aware. It’s fascinating to watch her mind and body begin to work in sync and develop an understanding for these sorts of things. Our next (and most feared) task - getting rid of her pacifier for good. That one has me shaking in my mama boots.
Love,
M
This is officially my favorite way to highlight fashion on my blog because there are no rules. There is no set deadline for getting them up and no must-dos about what to feature. As long as I remember to snap a shot of what I wore, it’s fair game (including a few outfits I’m not even crazy about). Without further adieu, here’s some stuff I threw on in the past month:
Play Clothes. Comfortable and easy - and I’ve said it before, but these little booties from BC Footwear feel like wearing bedroom slippers. Here’s a story unrelated to this outfit - I was on the BC Footwear website the other day admiring their pretty collection when, oh….who is that I see on their Hey Girl Hey section but my KATE! Pretty sure she’s on track to be the most famous farmer since Old McDonald.
Jacket: Forever21
Striped top: Target
Jeans: Big Star Denim
Booties: BC Footwear
Work Clothes. It was a hair in a ponytail day because the cold & rainy weather we’ve had lately was making it do something weird. I purposefully cropped my shoes out of this outfit shot because I decided about 5 minutes after leaving the house that I absolutely hated them. They were just regular black mary janes but I convinced myself I looked like a witch. A pink skirted witch. The only thing I love about this outfit is the dozen or more times that Dovie told me “Pretty pink tutu mommy!” Her compliments make me feel like a million bucks.
Top (It’s actually a dress I tucked in): H&M
Skirt: Asos
Tights: Target
Play clothes. Or should I say… work from home clothes! This outfit is the epitome of my style through and through. Comfy with a feminine vibe (the pretty lace top) and a teensy bit of sparkle (those fun oxfords!) Also, a little story about my sunglasses. I bought the first pair of these retro style raybans in the Castro right before I found out I was pregnant with Everly. I wore them EVERYWHERE - and then I lost them earlier this year. Brent bought me another pair for mother’s day (after some serious online searching- we found one little sunglass shop in the UK that sold them) and when we moved, we found the originals! Now I have two pairs, although some days I can’t locate either of them. This story is random and I’m not sure where it’s going but… yay! Two pairs of my favorite sunglasses ever.
Top: c/o Francesca’s Collections, Lovely in Lace
Metal stretch Belt: Vintage
Jeans: UO skinny
Sparkle Oxfords: c/o Francesca’s Collections, Glitz Oxfords
Work Clothes. Can I be honest - I hate this outfit. It’s equal parts matronly and safari tour guide plus 4 inch heels - so yeah, basically, it’s all over the place. But these shoes are great, aren’t they? They were my one splurge off Gilt a while back.
Blouse: c/o Francesca’s Collections
Crochet Vest: Forever21
Belt: Vintage
Jeans: Levi’s Skinny
Clog heels: Jeffrey Campbell
Work Clothes. OHHH! That chevron dress! A fun little package arrived from Francesca’s and inside was this dress and this cardigan. I had plans of pairing the dress with a different wrap, but when I saw them together I thought… hmmm.. I kind of like this. Chevron stripes and horizontal stripes is A LOT going on, but somehow, I think it works. It felt really fun and playful to wear. Also, I’ll let you borrow my second pair of sunglasses to shade your eyes from my pale legs.
Cardigan: c/o Francesca’s Collections Uptown Cardi
Dress: c/o Francesca’s Collections High Points Dress
Belt: Vintage
Clog heels: Jeffrey Campbell
One last thing - Today’s the last day to take advantage of the 30% off plus free shipping on any one, regularly priced item promo that Francesca’s Collections is offering to Dear Baby Readers - just use the promo code: JORDAN at checkout.
Love,
M
Here’s what I’m talking about on Baby’s First Year this week:
1. How important is a father’s role in childbirth? Did your own partner help or hinder your labor? Mom’s weighed in with their personal experiences here.
2. I’ve shared before my struggle with losing too much weight since Arlo was born. I went to the doctor this week and learned I weigh 116 pounds (well below my normal weight). At 5’ 7” that is really concerning as I haven’t been that small since my sophomore year of highschool. They took blood samples to ensure it’s not a thyroid issue (common in women who have recently given birth) but most likely, I’m just not eating enough calories to sustain both my weight and Arlo’s breastmilk needs. I’ve started to try to eat a lot of healthy fats & proteins like avocados and eggs to up my calorie intake. I sharedmy concerns and hear from others who have experienced a similar occurance in this post.
3. One formula bottle a day, that’s all I need to stay on top of Arlo’s milk consumption. Even with the endless pumping, I’m just barely keeping up… the problem, Arlo refuses to drink formula! I asked for help and heard from lots of moms on what worked to introduce formula to their little ones.
4. Have you heard about this amazing IVF success story? A couple was able to have a healthy baby girl after only one viable sperm was found in the father’s biopsy sample. Talk about a miracle baby!
5. The low down on teething - the average age for baby’s first teeth, when to expect molars, and more.
6. Yesterday we were taken aback by some unexpected news from Arlo’s cardiologist. He is going to require a heart procedure to fix his heart much sooner than we anticipated. Details on what’s going on are here. We would really appreciate if you would lift our little boy (and his surgeon) up in prayer.
Love,
Melissa
Songs to be Alive To.
Morningbird by Forest Sun.
And this… this is Arlo’s song. I put it on my birth playlist along with a couple dozen other beautiful songs, but when I met him, this one resonated most with me. It feels like it was written from my heart to his. We dance to this together around our living room. And I have every intention of taking that spin with him as often as I possibly can before he decides one day he’s too cool to do so. A song for Arlo. My darling boy. My Morningbird.
Love,
M
Songs to be Alive to.
Sweetness by Pearl and The Beard.
I thought tonight I’d share the two songs that represent my children best. One of the raddest girls out there, Kirby, sent us this record for Everly in the early spring of last year. Her darling little Georgiah liked rocking out to it, and she thought Everly might too. She was on to something because this song IS Everly. We put this album on and her little hips start to sway and she stops whatever she is doing to dance along. She knows all of the key changes and when the music stops or changes melody. It’s inside her, this song… and it may officially be called Sweetness, but in this house, this is the Everly song through and through. Sweetness, indeed.
Love,
M
Letters to Everly
Letters to Arlo
Everly Veda's Birth Story
Arlo Redding's Birth Story
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