Golden Poppy Press

Ollie at Four Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 02:36:00 +0000

Better late than never! Here is a recap of girlfriend at four months.

She can:

Roll over front to back and back to front. She doesn't choose to do it all of the time, but she's done it so many times we know she can when it suits her fancy.

Sleep through the night. She gives us a good solid eight hours each night. Good girl. :)

Laugh, all of the time! As of right now, she seems to have her Mama's random, goofy sense of humor. She loves when I "eat" her cheeks, being thrown up in the air, and when her daddy sticks out his tongue to the tune of Eye of the Tiger. We've also been able to get some good belly laughs during tickle time.

She has:

Some hair growing back! Hooray! Girl lost most of it last month, and it's slowly making its return. Her eyes are still grey, with some flecks of brown. She's also got the cutest thigh rolls imaginable.

She eats:

Sooo much more than last month! She can now guzzle up to eight ounces in a sitting, although she tends to stick more to somewhere between 4-6 most of the time. We've noticed her eating a lot more ... growth spurt maybe?

Still no solid food. The doc said to wait one more month until her head control is a tiny bit better.

She sleeps:

Through the night. She goes down around 9:00, wakes around 5:00, sometimes later if she fell asleep later, eats, then goes back to sleep for another couple of hours. Her naps are still cat naps, but we are starting to see a pattern. She tends to take a nap around 11:00, 2:00, and 6:00. They're short, around 30 minutes, but we'll take it!

She wears:

Size six month or size 6-9 month. Some nine month things work ok, others don't.

She likes:

Her big brother's hair.
Her binky.
Daily walks with Mama.
The dog. She is obsessed.
Falling asleep in her bassinet next to her daddy's desk, listening to folk music.
Putting anything and everything in her mouth.

She dislikes:

Waking up in the carseat. Huge tears.
When she's tired and has to be in the car, and we hit a ton of red lights.
Shots.
Being overtired.

Happenings this month:

Girlfriend got babysat for the whole day by Grandma and Poppa while Mama and Daddy went to Napa for the day. She did great! We also took Ollie to a Powerlifting meet to cheer on some of our gym friends. We had to drive 45 minutes to get there, and then were there for two hours with her happy as a clam, sitting on my lap and grabbing at our friend Michelle. Then, she must have realized how tired she was and how overstimulating the meet was, and she had a complete meltdown that lasted almost the whole way home. Not fun! She forgave us, luckily. :) Her four-month doctor's appointment went well. Her height is in the 98th percentile, and her weight is in the 60th percentile. Tall and slim, just like her daddy! <3

Ollie at Three Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 05:51:00 +0000

During Ethan's first year, I would write a blog post every month to chronicle all of the new and exciting things that were going on with him.

Now that Ollie girl is three months, it's time to start her posts!

She can:

Roll over from belly to back. She doesn't do it every single time she's doing tummy time, but she's done it enough times I'm counting it!

Hold her head up really well, both during tummy time, when she's sitting on our laps, and while we're walking around with her.

Smile on demand, and giggle when it strikes her fancy.

She has:

Grey eyes. We're not sure what they're going to end up being, but right now we're loving the unique color.

She eats:

Mama confession - I really have no idea how much she eats per day. We just feed on demand. She is starting to eat closer to six ounces in a feeding more regularly, although we still tend to make four ounce bottles and then just top her off with an extra two ounces if she wants it.

She sleeps:

Really well at night. She'll give us a good solid six hours or more almost every night. It really varies what time she settles for the night - sometimes it's as early as 9:45, other times 11:30 and everywhere in between. She'll then wake up sometime around 4:00, have a bottle, then go back to bed. She then tends to wake up around 7:30, eat, and then stay up for a couple of hours before settling back down.

My view on our daily walks <3

Naps are more sporadic. She'll mostly just take cat naps during the day, unless I take her for a walk. If I walk her in her stroller, she'll sleep for a good two hours at a stretch. In order for her to get a good nap and for me to get in some fresh air and exercise, we tend to take a nice three mile walk every day.

She wears:

Size three month is a tad small and size six month is a tad big. Some stores carry a size 3-6 month, and that fits the best right now.

She loves:

Her binky

Playing with Daddy's fingers

Sitting on laps, looking out at the world

Being sung to

Her big brother

Her play mat

On her beloved play mat

Happenings this month:

Visiting with Ms. Sue!

She got in some good quality time with her grandparents who were visiting from Maryland. She also went to a party at our gym - she was such a trooper! Mama took her along for a quick visit with the office staff at work, too.

{Life on a Budget} San Francisco City Hall Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 06:08:00 +0000

We did it!

When Neal and I got engaged in November, we immediately knew we wanted something small and personal for our wedding. For one, we were on a tight budget. More importantly, we have been really trying to keep our focus on what is most important to us - our relationship, our little Ethan, and family. All of the frills that come with typical weddings do not match either our budget or our values, so why bother with them?

At first we were thinking a small affair in a family member's backyard would be perfect. We would buy the food ourselves, keep it to around 50 people, have friends help out where we could, etc. As I started adding everything up, even doing our simple little backyard barbecue wedding was getting close to $8,000. We're in a stage of our life where we're trying to pay off debt, not add to it! And we just kept thinking, "Is this worth it? What is most important to us about this wedding?"

What we decided meant the most to us was being together and making our family official. With that, we decided to do a City Hall wedding in San Francisco with just the three of us - Neal, Ethan, and me (and our photographer, of course!). Once everything was planned and sorted out, the wedding total came to $4,775. That is including my engagement ring!

Our lovely little family.

Below I've listed out every single expense associated with our wedding, just in case anyone was curious. I've also included lots of pics, just for fun! Our wedding could not have turned out more perfectly than it did. I am so, so grateful for this life I'm living, and getting to share it with my two favorite boys.

Dancing while E enjoys his wedding cupcake.

Wedding Budget

Marriage License - $80
City Hall fee - $130
Neal's pants & vest - $125 (Nordstrom on sale)
Neal's tie - $150 (Nordstrom not on sale, lol)
Sara's dress - $199 (J. Crew on ebay! New with tags!)
Sara's sweater - $300 (BHLDN - hardly wore, hopefully I can wear it again at some point!)
Sara's tailoring - $120
Bracelet and earrings - $180 (Kate Spade from Nordstrom)
Hair - $40 (Rage Hair Salon, for a wash, dry, and curl)
Make Up - $85 (Benefit Cosmetics shop)
Cupcakes - $14 (Icing on the Cake, Los Gatos)
Ethan's vest, shirt, and socks - $45 (Gap Kids for the shirt and socks, Gymboree for the vest)
Photographer - $1,500 (Renee Marie Photography)
Engagement Ring - $1,100 (AntiqueEngagementRings.com)
Sara's Wedding Band - $100 (Kay's)
Neal's Wedding Band - $600 (Stone's and Gold Etsy shop)
Necklace for Ethan's stuffed cat - $7 (Target)

We added fun little touches to our wedding such as "cutting the cake" (sharing a cupcake) and having our first dance (to You Got It by Roy Orbison, played on Neal's phone!) in a hallway at City Hall. Anything not listed above, such as my shoes, Neal's shirt, etc., were things we already owned. The shoes I wore were special to me, as I wore them as a bridesmaid for my dear friend Dawn's wedding only a couple years earlier. I did my nails myself at home, and we skipped flowers to save money.

This was E's favorite part of the wedding, natch.

Our first dance.

Could we have cut back and done the wedding even more cheaply? Of course! But part of the fun was having many of the elements of a big wedding (fancy dress! cake!) without going overboard. My favorite part of the whole wedding was that our little family was all together, and Ethan was involved in every aspect of the ceremony and celebration afterwards. He is so important to us, and we wanted him to have as big a part in our marriage as we had ourselves.

E held Meow Meow's paw while we held hands during the ceremony.

Giving his soon-to-be baby sister some love!

A walk wouldn't be complete without an Ethan swing.

Family kisses.

Can you believe this gorgeous building?!

We clean up pretty nicely, if I do say so myself. ;)

Can you tell I'm a little excited to be his wife?

My favorite pic of Neal and me from the wedding.

Our rings.

Helping me down a grand staircase in City Hall.

Leaving City Hall after the ceremony.

All photos above are credited to Renee Marie Photography, who captured this special day in our lives for us, and acted as our witness at the wedding. We are so grateful!

{Life on a Budget} Day Trippin' - Point Lobos

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 07:01:00 +0000

Life can get pretty busy sometimes. Since this past week I've been on vacation, I decided to tackle a list of to-dos that have been lingering for forever. I cleaned out more of the house, organized the garage, we dropped off about fifteen bags worth of items at Goodwill, I cleaned out and organized the two hall closets, and I re-caulked the bathtub. While it felt amazing to get so much accomplished, I definitely wasn't feeling very relaxed. Neal was feeling similarly drained - he hadn't been on vacation, and was feeling just kinda "blah" and in need of a little break. Since he always magically knows just what to do, he surprised me on Wednesday by telling me he had taken that coming Friday off of work, and that we were going on an adventure!

On Friday we dropped off E at school together, and then headed south to Santa Cruz. We stopped at a little cafe for a delish breakfast ($30 total, including tip) that included homemade croissants, avocado, eggs, and bacon. So insanely good! We then continued to head south some more until we reached Point Lobos. We spent the next few hours hiking the entire outer rim of the park, taking in the incredible weather, clear skies, and the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. It was such a wonderful time, and we got to just enjoy the nature surrounding us and each other's company, which obviously cost us nothing.

While the cost of living in the Bay Area is nothing short of absurdly astronomical, I will say that we at least have a ton of great things to do nearby that cost little or nothing. For a mere $35 (I added $5 in for gas), we got to spend a sweet day together and got our hike on, one of Neal and my's favorite things to do.

View from our hike.

God bless Neal for putting up with my endless selfie requests!

{Year of Change} February Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 06:35:00 +0000

Last month I began my "Year of Change," where I decided to tackle some of those big life "wants" that I never actually did anything about. In January, I started by cleaning out and decluttering my home. It went so super well, and I feel really good about all that I did. To date, I've donated about 500 items to Goodwill, and thrown away about 25 items that are not able to be donated (no one wants a nasty old stained pillow, you know?).

For February, I aimed to give up drinking diet soda. So far, not so good. I started out the month very focused, aiming to cut back little by little. I stuck to it for about five days, and then it just all went to hell. At this point, February 20th, I'm no better off than the beginning of the month. That being said, I am no quitter! I just read an article about Whole30 (which, spoiler alert, is my March goal) and in the article it said something that really struck me. To paraphrase, the author wrote about how lots of things in life are hard, and giving up bad-for-you-food is NOT one of them. Living a life in poverty is hard. Having a chronic illness is hard. Giving up diet soda is NOT! So, even though I only have nine days left in the month, I am still committed to giving up diet soda by the 29th.

In case you are curious about whether or not I've stuck to my previous month's goals, here is a quick update.

For decluttering, I mentioned above I have continued to do really well. It felt so incredibly good to clear out so many useless items from my home. I'm still working on not buying so many clothes, but other than that I think I did really well on not bringing too much stuff back in to the house. Neal and I had a really wonderful, cozy Valentine's Day without buying each other gifts, except Neal did get me a great card. I decorated the house in post-its that each had a reason I loved him on them. We then went out for a super not-fancy but none-the-less perfect dinner for Chinese food down the street from our house.

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up was an inspiring and refreshing read to help me this month. I love Marie Kondo's first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and this is a follow up. It helped me prioritize and evaluate literally hundreds of items that I had not had the discipline or courage to discard previously.

I have continued to be better with sugar, too. I did have ~~one~~ two donuts this past month, but that's okay! I rarely eat donuts and I love them, so I didn't feel too bad indulging. Other than that I haven't eaten any sweets that I can remember around the house, and Neal and I don't ever order dessert when we go out.

Outside the neighborhood donut shop with my little love. :)

March is going to be a really big month for the Year of Change, so stay tuned for lots more updates!

{Year of Change} January Edition - Decluttering & De-sugaring

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 01:31:00 +0000

For so many years, I have repeated "wants" for my life.

I want to be thinner.

I want to be in shape.

I want to be healthier.

I want to eat better.

I want to live more simply.

I want to get rid of excess.

I want, I want, I want. And from all of those "wants," I accomplished nothing. Year after year, I just "wanted" things, without taking any actual steps to becoming the person I wanted to be.

The past year has been enormous for me in regards to helping me realize that I can do so much more than I previously thought. I met Neal in April of 2015, and he has been the most inspiring and supportive partner imaginable. Without pressuring or expecting, he has motivated me to do things I couldn't have dreamed of doing before. His motivation simply comes in the form of believing in me, and wanting me to accomplish the things I say I want to do. In our nine months together, I have hiked an almost 6,000 foot mountain, driven hundreds of miles across the country, and started lifting weights heavier than my entire body weight. I am so different than I was nine months ago, but have never felt more myself. Instead of just wanting things, I've been really going after them - and actually getting them.

Neal and me on top of Angel's Landing, elevation 5,790 feet.

With all that being said, I felt this year was the perfect time to tackle some of the other persistent wants that have plagued my thoughts for decades. Each month this year, I'll be working on accomplishing my goals in a series of challenges. These challenges won't necessarily end at the end of the month, but will help me get motivated and make serious lifestyle changes.

For January, I had two goals. One was to get rid of excess, and the other was to cut out eating so many sweets.

My parents always laugh at me because to them, I seem like a minimalist. I'm definitely not, but I do love to clean things out and get rid of things I'm not using. I despise clutter and try to keep my home in order. Since having Ethan I've relaxed a bit, since honestly with a toddler things aren't always going to stay the cleanest. I still work hard to clean every day and do a big clean of the entire house every week. With all of that in mind, I still feel that I could get rid of more. I hate the idea of having things just lying around, not being used, taking up space. Last year, I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, and it was a huge inspiration. The idea of only being surrounded by things you truly love and that spark joy in your heart spoke to me. Since then, I've been trying to get rid of more and more, so that all that is left are the basic items that make me smile. My wardrobe has been downsized to about 1/3 of what it previously was. Over 50 garbage bags worth of "stuff" was donated to Goodwill. (You read that right, FIFTY). And yet, I still feel I could do better. So I decided to try the 2016 in 2016 challenge, where I aim to get rid of 2016 things this year. In all honesty, I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. Not because of a lack of trying, but because I'm just not sure I have that much stuff to get rid of, especially in light of my big clean out last year. This month alone, I have gotten rid of about 150 items, so we'll see. I'll keep you updated!

A sampling of the crap I got rid of so far. That diaper box is full of stuff, and since taking this pic, I've added about 30 or so items to the pile.

On to the next challenge. Neal and I both have our vices - his is beer and mine is sugar. The second challenge we embarked on was to cut both out in January. I don't really drink (it's a very rare occurrence, like maybe once or twice a year), and Neal could care less about sweets. We're in it together, though, so Neal gave up sweets and I gave up drinking, too. I have to say this one went better than expected! I didn't miss candy and desserts nearly as much as I thought I would. The idea of giving up sweets seemed so overwhelming to me, but guess what - now I don't even crave them one bit. I will always have a wicked sweet tooth, but from now on I think I'll leave desserts to special occasions only. That way my body will look and feel better, and those desserts will taste that much better when I do indulge. I have no plans to eat any sweets the next few months, either. This is one habit I'm keeping! (Oh, and Neal has loved giving up beer. He said he's been sleeping better and feeling better than he has in a long time. He's keeping this lifestyle change, too!)

Cake, it was good while it lasted. I will not miss you, or the fat you added to my body!

I'm very hopeful that this year will bring about a new version of myself, the truest version yet. I can't wait to look back on this post a year from now and see the changes!

{Life on a Budget} Our Budget Nitty-Gritty

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 20:44:00 +0000

Last week I mentioned that Neal and I had decided to really dig into our budget and cut whatever we could. We've got ambitious savings goals and are dedicated to reaching them. I know that whenever I read a blog about living on a budget, I hate it when they don't share the actual details. I get why - your finances are very personal and sharing them makes you vulnerable to a lot of questioning and judgment. That being said, I feel proud of the budget that we developed, and hopefully it can answer questions about how we're making things work and serve as potential inspiration for people who think they can't do it on what they make.

Before I share the actual numbers, please know that this is what works for our family. I would never judge anyone for keeping things in their budget or taking other things away - we are all unique in our needs and wants and we differ in what we feel is necessary for quality living. There are definitely line items in our budget that I know people will deem as "frivolous," and I'm okay with that. We can achieve our goals with this plan, so we kept some things in. We are also fully aware that once we get into the full swing of living on this budget, we may need to make adjustments. Sometimes ideas seem so feasible on paper, but turn into disasters when they are applied to the messy, fabulous ride of "real life."

So, with all of that in mind, here is our actual budget.

Rent: $2600

Groceries: $500 - cash

Insurance: $250

Auto loans: $500

Internet: $75

Cell phones: $125

Gas: $150

Utilities: $250

Clothes: $50 – receipt jar

Entertainment/going out: $100 - cash

Animals: $100*

Miscellaneous: $325* (Haircut, Car Registration)

Gym: $300

Gifts: $40*

Medical: $50

Student Loans: $545

Ethan: $50*

Netflix/Prime: $15

Total: $6,025

Our total net income: $9, 400

Monthly savings: $3,375

Our budget is based on a monthly schedule. Bolded items are things we really can't do much about, and starred items we have set up savings accounts for.

I thought I would touch on a few items I know would likely cause raised eyebrows, too. Sometimes we'll look at others' budgets and gasp, but really, for where they live, it's totally normal. Let's take the mystery out of a few of our line items:

Rent - For where we live, this is a pretty good deal. We have a two-bedroom duplex with a backyard and a garage. I know some people in our area who have cheaper rent, but just to give you an idea, the average cost of a two-bedroom apartment in a complex is $2700 - $3000 a month. We are just not willing to commute 45 minutes a day to get something cheaper. It takes away too much from our quality of life.

Gym - This one, I freely admit, is a luxury. Neal and I love our gym and are just not willing to cut it out of our budget. We go three - four times a week every single week. It is a specific type of gym for the workouts we do (Powerlifting), and other, cheaper gyms just do not have the equipment we need. Plus, the culture at our gym is amazing and we get a lot of coaching. When you lift weights as heavy as Neal does (he's up to 455 pounds on his deadlift), you want to make sure you have the right equipment and can ask for help or guidance if you need it. We're keeping this one, expensive or not.

Miscellaneous - This category is pretty big, but it encompasses a lot. I get my hair cut about four times a year, and as we ladies know, that costs a bit. We put aside for our yearly car registration renewals, and other things like that. As a teacher, I also have things that come up, like needing to bring in treats for the staff on my assigned day, or paying social committee dues. This section is really the catch-all for random things like that.

Netflix/Prime - Another luxury, I know. We gave up cable months ago and haven't missed it one bit, but we love our Netflix. We watch it all the time - who else was hooked on Making a Murderer?! Anyway, for only $15 for the two of them, these were luxuries we use so often we felt they were worth keeping.

Animals - Juneau doesn't cost this much a month, but we thought we'd put in some extra just in case anything came up with her. Vets can be expensive!

That's most of everything so far. I can't wait to share more posts on ways we're having fun within our budget and how we're growing as a family learning to love living on less!

{Life on a Budget} Saving for Our Dream Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 01:36:00 +0000

Neal and I had a goal of buying a house in five years. Then we bumped it up to ten years since we also want to have more kids. Even though we had expanded our timeline, we still liked to drive around neighborhoods and look at open houses, seeing what we could get for what price in what area.

Last weekend we were driving around and stopped by an open house on a whim. It turned out to be our dream house, right there in front of us. Every single aspect was perfect. The layout, the style, the fact that is was a fixer upper and we could make it into what we wanted. Rooms for future babies and space for visiting parents. A backyard to have barbecues in and watch the kids and Juneau run around. A family room that was perfect for holidays and future sleepovers. We were smitten.

The price, for our area, was actually really good. It was $788,000. I know for most areas of the country that is insane for a three bedroom fixer upper, but for the Bay Area, that is amazing. The problem is, Neal and I don't have anything. We're starting at zero, or actually less than zero, since we're still paying off debt Neal got in his divorce.

We felt the sting of disappointment, and it hurt like a mother. We both regret financial decisions we've made in the past, and are working hard to fix them. Seeing this dream house that would have been within reach but wasn't was the exact kick in the pants we needed to refocus on our goals and get serious.

Months ago, we had hashed out a budget for when we finally move in together in April and eventually get married. We had tightened things up, but were definitely letting ourselves be pretty comfortable. That budget was to accomplish getting a house and having another baby in five - ten years. That is hardly getting real and trying to accomplish our dreams.

One thing I love about Neal, among many, is that he's a dreamer, like me. And he's also a planner, like me. When you put those two things together, you can really be unstoppable. Neal and I decided that we are going to commit to saving $100,000 in twenty-six months, and we're going to get a house at the end of that time frame. It means sacrifice, but we're dedicated. It means no more clothes shopping, going out to dinner, and getting each other gifts. It means stretching that grocery budget past what we'd probably like (hello, Kraft mac and cheese!). Those things aren't hard to give up, though, if doing those things will get us to where we want so quickly.

I'll be posting our actual budget and expenses soon, and lots of updates on our progress. This will be an adventure, for sure, but there's no one I'd rather do this with than Neal. I'm excited and a little nervous!

Mostly excited. :)

Where all of the budget magic happens.

{Color Crush} Pale Pink & Peach

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 18:28:00 +0000

It all started around Valentine's Day, when I was looking for a little something pink to wear. So many shops had the sweetest pale pink items. Since I am a typical girl, and was jonesing on the Vday vibe, I of course loved them all. Now, with Spring in the air, there are lots of new items in pretty pastel hues. While the colors are pretty, I'm not much of a pastel person in general. I do, however, love pale orange and peach colors, and happily for me, they seem to be pretty popular this season.

In keeping with current love of all things pale pink and peach, here is the color crush collection for February.

Long Time No See!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 18:27:00 +0000

So, it's definitely been awhile! To say things have changed in the past year and half would be a complete understatement. Since my last post, I've gotten divorced, moved out on my own, gone back to work full time, and met the guy of my dreams. Yeah - a little different than before! It has been one crazy, amazing, insane, fabulous ride.

I wanted to start updating the blog again for a few reasons, and hopefully these new themes will speak to some folks out there who might enjoy reading along with our family's new adventures.

It's great to be back guys!

{The World of e!} Twelve to Fourteen Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 07:05:00 +0000

I kinda miss doing E's monthly updates, so I thought I would start a new series and update every few months or so. I won't write about his sleeping habits and things like that, and I'll focus more on all of his new developments and fun experiences. Hope you enjoy!

Knows where his head, ears, toes, and belly button are.

Can correctly identify cats, dogs, peas, cupcakes, bananas, and babies in books and magazines.

Walks across the room by himself when the mood strikes him.

Eats pasta with peas, loves ranch dressing, and is a cookie monster.

Goes up and down stairs, gets onto and off of couches and the bed, and thinks it is the coolest thing ever to get into his rocking chair on his own and rock while he reads books.

Oh, he is obsessed with books. His favorite is We're Going on a Bear Hunt, by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen. He'll have us read it to him literally ten times in a row.

This boy can rock it out like nobody's business. He has got some moves, people. The dancing is pretty out of control, in the most fabulous way possible.

His favorite word to say is, "woah!" He'll say it in lots of situations, but when something startles him or he finds something especially exciting, he'll say, "woah! woah! woah!" with really big eyes. Love it.

He gives kisses, both spontaneously and on demand. They are open mouth, because that's how he rolls. He gives the dog more kisses than anyone, of course. Mike and I are kinda jealous.

He also got big boy shoes, as opposed to his Robeez. He kinda hated them at first, but he's getting used to them. We're working on it. ;)

Love you E!

{Child Style} Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 02:02:00 +0000

Oh man do they have the cutest garb for littles this Valentine's Day! I got E his threads already, and I'm so glad I don't have a little girl, because I think I would be going into debt on this holiday alone. ;)

Here are some of my favorite looks for this February 14th.

Boys: sweater/top/pants/shoes
Girls: dress/leggings/hair clip/shoes

I have a few cute things planned for this February 14th, and can't wait to share them in a post soon. :)

{31 Before 32} Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Since it is New Year's Eve, it seems the perfect time to talk about a little tradition I have every year. I'm not much one for resolutions, per se, but I do love setting goals for myself each year and challenging myself in little ways. I like to focus not on the calendar year, but on the year between my birthdays. Each year, I create a list of the things I want to do before my next birthday. Since my next birthday I'll be 32, the list is "The 31 things to do before I turn 32" list. Last year it was "The 30 things to do before 31" list, and so on. I thought it would be fun to chronicle my experiences this year as I try to complete my goals, and to talk a little about each goal, why I chose it, and how I completed it. For this first entry, I'll share my list and a little about how I came up with my list.

As you can see from the list, none of the things I want to do are in any way earth shattering. They each have a purpose in their simplicity, however, that adds to my life. I want to make sure I take the time to appreciate the people in my life, like my baby E, my husband, my family, and my friends. Doing things like a supper club (#24), hosting a party (#18), and being a bridesmaid (#13) are ways to celebrate my friends and spend more time with them. Taking a break from social media (#20), making time for date nights (#23), and going on trips (#25) are ways to spend more quality time with my family. It is also important to me that I never get stagnant in my life, and so I like to do things like learn new skills (#9), visit new places (#3 & #4), and read lots of books (#6). While each goal is, in itself, easy to accomplish, all together they will hopefully create a memorable year and lots of great memories.

Look for updates on my progress throughout the year!

Here's to a great year, everyone! May you accomplish all you wish to in 2014. :)

{Mommy Style} Everything's Coming Up Poppies

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 06:29:00 +0000

For this edition of Mommy Style, I thought I would focus on all things poppies. The bright-hued flower is kinda my "thing," as you might have been able to tell from the name of the blog. I love poppies for their color and whimsy, and am starting to own my fair share of poppy themed items. Here are a few which I've been wanting to add to my collection.

1. J. Crew has my very favorite knit tees, and their new line of Artist tees comes in this vibrant shade of poppy red.

2. Who wouldn't want a soft, dewy, just-pinched look on their cheeks every day? With Benefit's Posie Tint, you can have just that. It makes me look nice and fresh, even if I've just come from an early morning wake up with E. Just a few dabs of the poppy pink serum and my cheeks are glowing and I actually look awake. Win!

3. I'm not much of a phone person, and usually never put a case on mine. Since Ethan loves to hold my phone, however, a case is necessary since it gets dropped more often than I'd like to admit. This poppy wildflower case from Rifle Paper Co. is just my style, and is a case I'd shell out a little more for since it is so pretty.

4. For all of the perfume wearers out there, Coach's Poppy fragrance is a light floral perfect for every day wear. The fact that it comes in a super cute bottle and is pink doesn't hurt, either.

5. A couple of years ago Essie came out with a gorgeous and fun "Poppy-razzi" line of colors, and I love them all. The pinks, reds, and oranges are so bright and fun, especially for toes. Nothing perks up the winter blues like some colorful polish.

6. When I get my bake on, this Marimekko apron will do the trick to keep my clothes clean in the kitchen. Bring on the flour!

7. Rainy season is upon us (although we haven't gotten too much here), and these poppy rain boots are a fun way to sweep the clouds away.

8. Mike and I are in the middle of redecorating our powder room (pics and details coming soon!), and this white poppy vase from Anthropologie is a must for the new decor.

9. I'm still toting a diaper bag, but when it's time to switch back to a purse, this glossy red bag from Coach's Poppy collection will do the trick nicely. It even has little flowers on it - perfect!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Here's to a wonderful 2014!

{Color Crush} Shades of Red

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 05:32:00 +0000

A few days ago my girlfriends and I were getting manicures for a holiday party, and we started talking about our favorite shades of polish. For me, it is always classic red. I'll occasionally get another color to match a certain outfit, but no matter which other color I choose, it never compares to red. There is something so classic and beautiful about the color, and, as my friend said, it is so ladylike. In honor of the classic color, which is also perfectly suited to the holiday season, here is my December color crush page on all of my favorite things red.

1. I have always been a sucker for a bright red coat, and this one from Original Penguin certainly fits the bill. The peplum bottom is so flattering and feminine, and the color is perfect and classic. Although you can't see it in the picture, the lining on this coat is amazing as well. I love this coat so much I even wear it on days that aren't super chilly, just because.

2. Essie Nail Polish in Lollipop is my all-time favorite shade of nail polish. It is the only bottle of nail polish I've actually used all of the way up and had to buy a new bottle. Love, love, love it!

3. For a little bit of a dressier or more dramatic shade of red polish, or to match things that aren't classic red, I love Revlon in the shade of Saucy. It has subtle streaks of a gold sheen in it, and looks great with pinks, dark reds, and even shades of plum and purple.

4. If this dress had been available a few weeks earlier, it would have totally been my pick for my hubby's holiday party. I love the vintage shape and the gorgeous sheer floral pattern at the top. If it goes on sale I might have to get it for another event - I don't know which one yet, but I'm sure I could find something to wear this to, even if I have to host a party myself to do so!

5. My favorite tee of the winter is my Seamed Scoopneck Tee from Anthropologie. It is so comfy, and makes jeans and boots look a little more put together than if I were to wear any old t-shirt.

6. Winter is rainy season in Northern California (where I live), and although this year hasn't been particularly rainy yet, I'm sure we'll have more rainy days to come before the weather settles into its normal sunny days. These red rain boots from Hunter are beautiful and practical, too!

7. This LRD (little red dress) from Anthro is another item I've been coveting. The shape is so pretty, especially with the little ruffles on the sleeve. I feel like I could even wear this when I go back to work, either by adding a little cardigan or a long sleeve tee underneath.

"Beauty, to me, is being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." - Gwyneth Paltrow

{Child Style} Holiday Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 08:11:00 +0000

A couple of days ago I posted on my Mommy Style for the holidays, and now it's time to share all of E's adorable getups for the Christmas holiday!

For the night before Christmas and the next morning, these fleece footed jamjams from Target will do the trick. On Christmas Eve they are perfect for cuddling up by the fire and reading Ethan's Night Before Christmas, munching on freshly baked cookies, and then heading off to bed so Santa can visit. The next morning they will keep Ethan toasty and cozy as he gleefully rips apart wrapping paper and plays with his new toys. And eats more cookies. ;)

For Christmas day, I just want my little boy to be comfy and cozy as we relax around the house. A red thermal from Gap Outlet (I couldn't find a picture, but the one above, from Old Navy, is pretty much the same minus that cute little bear Gap puts on their kids' clothes) and a pair of skinny jeans will do the trick. Add in some homemade red glitter knit booties (thanks Gigi!), and we will be set for a day of playing and movie watching.

For our special Chinese food Christmas dinner, I thought E should look just a little more put together than a thermal and jeans, so we went with this knit sweater from Target (currently sold out online) and flannel lined khakis from Gap. I'm pretty sure my husband wishes he could get away with wearing a shirt with a built in tie ... that is, if he ever wore shirts with ties!

As usual, Ethan totally outshines us all in the cuteness department! May all the kiddos out there have a cozy and festive holiday!

{Mommy Style} Holiday Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 07:22:00 +0000

I LOVE the holidays, and one small part of that is getting to plan outfits for all of the festivities. We have a few fun things coming up this month, and since I haven't done a Mommy Style post in awhile, I thought now would be the perfect time to do so.

The first event on our horizon is Mike's annual company holiday party. This is an event where we get to dress up and have a night out on the town. While the party is never black tie, it is something that men tend to where suits and ladies put on something fancy.

Piperlime was having an excellent sale, and I managed to nab this Pink Martini dress for only $50, which was half off the usual price. I already own the rsvp brand pumps, and I already have the gold pearl earrings. In person, the dress has a really nice vintage shape to it and I am totally loving the black and gold trend I've been seeing lately.

The holiday party is on the twenty-first of December, so the next festive event we have is Christmas itself. On xmas we usually just hang around the house all day, eating monkey bread, baking cookies, and watching holiday movies. For all of those low-key activities, there is no reason to wear anything but comfy jeans and a tee.

My favorite jeans are my Old Navy Rockstar jeans, purchased months ago on sale for $19. A plain white tee (not the band, ha!) and a red scarf are perfect for curling up with E and Mike and watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Elf, and all of our other holiday faves. If I ever am to venture out of the house, I'll put on my green ballet flats to complete the holiday look.

Since Mike and I live across the country from our families, we don't typically do anything special in terms of a Christmas dinner or anything like that. Since we have lots of friends in the area who also live far from their families, we thought it would be fun to go out for a big dinner at a local Chinese food place to celebrate the holiday. The restaurant we have in mind decorates and is really pretty, and, if the dinner turns out to be a success, we can make it a tradition with our friends and any family who is visiting.

The restaurant we are going to isn't super fancy, but I felt like since it is Christmas, it would be fun to dress up a little for dinner. It doesn't get super cold out our way in Northern California, so short sleeves are fine. This little red Old Navy dress does the trick, especially with green ballet flats.

With only ten days until Christmas, the excitement is building! Our house is decorated, the Christmas music is playing, and we are definitely in the spirit. Keep an eye out for a Child Style post on E's holiday looks, and a little post on our holiday traditions coming up soon. :)

{Memory Lane} Ethan's First Year Book

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 06:45:00 +0000

The past year with Ethan was the best year of our lives, and we wanted to make sure to document all of the moments in it, whether they were big or small. Since my hubby is quite the talented photog, and since I took hundreds of photos on my phone, we had tons and tons of pictures of E from the past year. I was looking for a way to showcase them all, and decided to make a Shutterfly book. It was such a fun trip down memory lane sorting all of the pictures and picking our favorites! Although, to be perfectly honest I'm not sure that we weeded too many pictures out - the book totals 77 pages! Here is a little peek at the book of Ethan's first year.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo Book Tip: Create an adventurous travel photo album at Shutterfly.com.

Super Hero Birthday Bash!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 08:44:00 +0000

For E's first birthday, I really wanted to go all out and make things super special. I want all of his birthdays to be special, of course, but turning one year old is a big deal! Since Ethan is too little to really have preferences yet (or at least, preferences in terms of party themes), we went with a superhero theme since he loves his Superman, to the Rescue! book, getting flown around the house by Daddy while the Superman theme song is playing, and he totally rocks his Superman t-shirt.

With no further ado, here are pics from Ethan's first birthday Superhero Birthday Bash!

We found some great superhero wrapping paper at Target and wrapped the front door to welcome guests. The Spiderman mask topped it off, with a speech bubble made from construction paper telling guests to come on in.

This is a photo of our dining room, where the food and cakes were. The table had a two-tone tablecloth with Superman accents made from cardstock. The centerpiece is from Oriental Trading.

Our living room. It took awhile to make those paper chains hanging from the ceiling, but I love how they look. I also made construction paper circle fans for the mirror, and we draped Ethan's Superman quilt over the back of the couch.

This is a close up of the buffet in the dining room. We made the backdrop by covering the wall art that is usually hanging up there with bulletin board paper (the blue), and then adding black buildings (also made from bulletin board paper), yellow stars and windows (construction paper), and a giant E (construction paper). The inspiration for this backdrop is from Pinterest (found here).

The snack tower was purchased from Oriental Trading. It came with the little cones and everything. We filled them with birthday cake flavored Oreos and birthday cake flavored Goldfish.

The plates, utensils, and the polka dot napkins are from Party City. The Spiderman cups are from Target, and the Superman napkins are from Amazon.

My stepmom made this E out of cardstock. It looks amazing and was the perfect decoration for E's highchair!

The amazingly delicious cake from Icing on the Cake bakery. E got his own little smash cake, so we picked a flavor we thought everyone would like. Banana cake is the top seller at the bakery, so we got that. Aren't the decorations cute? They did such a nice job.

Another view of the buffet.

The food table. We went with Chik-fil-a catering for ease and for tastiness. Plus, Ethan loves chicken nuggets, and we thought they would be pretty kid friendly. We also had a mini sandwich platter and a salad platter. To round things off, there are graham crackers with cinnamon dip, and a fruit plate.

This is a table with items for a time capsule. Each card had different questions on it about the future, both E's future and the future in general. Guests were asked to fill out the cards and place them in the box. We'll open the box when Ethan turns 18 years old. Super fun!

A shot of the favors. The Spiderman cups are from Target. I filled them with superhero gummies, superhero rubber duckies (from Oriental Trading), a Batman pencil (from Party City), and a glitter star bouncy ball (from Amazon).

A close up of our fireplace mantel. The figures are Fisher-Price Lil' People E got from his MomMom Cindy. The garland I made using strips of fabric tied around a piece of bias tape.

A bigger view of the mantel. The collage over the fireplace was made by covering the existing painting with bulletin board paper. Next, I took the covers off of fifteen vintage comic books (purchased at the local comic book store for $1 a piece!), and then cutting out bigger pictures of Superman from unused covers. The letters at the top were cut out of construction paper.

A little decoration for the side wall - pics of E with circle fans made from extra pages of the above mentioned comic books.

Superman! He was hanging from the middle of our ceiling fan.

We put pics of E everywhere, even clipped to this decorative piece above the tv!

More paper chains decorating the banister.

Photos of E decorating the stairway.

Guests were asked to bring a donation to Toys for Tots in lieu of a present for Ethan (who would rather play with a tube of Chapstick than anything else). This pic was taken early on, but by the end of the party this whole bench was covered with toys for donation. We are so grateful to our friends for that!

Ethan's smash cake! It was vanilla with vanilla frosting.

Ethan covered in graham cracker crumbs rocking his Superman shirt!

A bit suspicious before the cake smash ...

... and he was most definitely not a fan!

And that was E's first birthday bash! Our little super baby had a blast playing with his friends and family, and we had a blast getting to be this little boy's mom and dad. Off to more adventures!

A huge thanks to my dad, stepmom, and hubby for all of their help prepping for this party. My stepmom made pretty much the whole backdrop behind the buffet and stapled literally dozens and dozens of paper chains together, in addition to making the super E for the highchair and Ethan's "1" cape. Dad picked up the cake, glued on all of the windows on the backdrop, and helped to hang all of those paper chains. My amazing hubby made the picture wall going up the stairs, and helped with all of the hanging. Love you guys tons. xoxo

Ethan at Twelve Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 05:13:00 +0000

Ethan is officially ONE! He had a busy month leading up to his first birthday, with travel, holidays, and one super birthday bash. Here are the highlights. Oh, and by the way ... the past 365 days with E have been pure. joy.

He can

Stand on his own, without holding onto anything. I am so proud of him. He will even push himself into a standing position from kneeling and sitting down. And did I mention he'll stand on his own and dance? Adorable.

Wave "hi" and "bye" appropriately, like when Mike or I enter a room or are heading out of a room. He still doesn't always wave back if other people initiate the waving, but I love, love, love seeing his little hand wave to me when I come downstairs. Who could ask for a better welcome?

Use a spoon to eat his own yogurt. Not that he's always in the mood to eat his yogurt, mind you, but when he is, he spoons the yogurt out of the cup on his own and puts it in his mouth. He also likes to dip things, like his graham crackers into cinnamon dip or his chicken nuggets into sauce.

He knows

Where his head is. We'll say, "Ethan, where's your head?" and he'll put his hands on either side of his head. We'll clap, and then he'll clap, too. After all, knowing where your head is is pretty exciting stuff.

He eats

All his usual faves, but we've added veggie sausage into the mix and he gobbles it up. He's actually chewing food and swallowing it now, too. I don't know that he's actually swallowing all that much, but food is being chewed and swallowed, so I'm one happy Mama.

He went

On a little trip this past month, for his Uncle Kevin's wedding. We flew into Philadelphia and drove around Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware for the wedding and then visits with friends and family. Ethan did so incredibly well on the plane. He had his own seat and he napped, ate his snacks, and watched Sesame Street like a good boy the entire way there and back. It was great for him to visit with family, and we had a blast showing him all around Philly where Mike grew up.

Trick o' Treating! Mama picked a shark costume for E's first Halloween outing. I didn't think he would want to wear the hat part, but he was actually fine with that but hated the body part with a passion. We ended up taking the body part off and just walking him around with the shark head - still pretty cute, if I do say so myself. He didn't really get the idea of Halloween at all, but we did go to about ten houses just for the fun and experience of it.

On a road trip with Mama and Daddy to southern California to pick up our new puppy. He was a total trooper for the four hour drive and entertained himself by pulling tissues out of a box and taking in the views.

He says

Lots and lots of gibberish. He is working so hard on his sounds, and putting sounds together. I feel like we're going to get some more consistent words really soon.

I am 80% sure he is trying to say "Elmo." Whenever Elmo comes on the screen during the opening sequence of Sesame Street, he makes the exact same sound, unique from other sounds he makes. It's kind of an "Eeeehhhhhllllll" noise, but hey, "Elmo" isn't the easiest thing to say.

He celebrated

Halloween! The only candy he wanted was a Tootsie Roll, which he preferred to chew on through the wrapper.

This is E showing us where his head is in between bites of Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving! He ate sweet potatoes, turkey, green beans, and asparagus. He loves veggies and I'm pretty sure he actually swallowed a decent amount.

His birthday! We had a party for him the weekend before, and on his actual birthday we opened presents and went to his fave restaurants.

He sleeps

Totally through the night, as per usual. He still sleeps on his belly, often with his booty scrunched up in the air.

He plays

With his Fisher Price CD player, a new fave.

His Peter Rabbit stacking blocks.

A lot of non-toys, like kitchen things and random items he finds around the house.

He loves

His chapstick.

Veggie sausage.

Getting flown around the house by Mike while the Superman theme song is being sung.

Dancing and music.

Sesame Street.

Going on walks.

Riding in shopping carts and his stroller.

He hates

Getting his face or nose wiped off.

When Mama or Daddy leaves the room.

Apparently birthday cake. ;)

In honor of E's first birthday, I'll be doing a series of posts celebrating my little boy. There will be posts on his birthday party, a "day in the life of E" post, and some others. Thanks for reading about our first year with Ethan and all of his milestones!

Birthday presents!

What could they be?

An Elmo lunchbox

Handmade Dr. Seuss quilt from Gigi

Chomping on a Little People lion

Little People Noah's Ark and Elmo lunchbox

On the move!

Ethan at Eleven Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 06:28:00 +0000

My baby boy is 11 months old today. That means there is only one more month, or four weeks and three days, until his very first birthday. I am totally not ready for all of this 'growing up' nonsense! I need to think of a way to keep him a baby forever ... but in the meantime, here is an update of our last month.

His expression in this pic - I die!

He can

Say 'Dada' and 'Ball'. I didn't think he would ever talk! We've finally got some words, said appropriately. Good job, E!

Stand on his own for about 15 seconds or so, even though he doesn't do it too often. I think it's more of a confidence thing than anything, because seeing him standing, barely touching something, his legs are just so sturdy. I try to practice with him every day, but I think, as with most things, it will happen when he is ready for it to happen. He likes to do things on his own and be independent, and whenever we try to force something he just laughs at us. ;) I will say that for the last week, we've gotten an independent standing moment every day.

I think I'll also mention that he is waving appropriately more and more, too. It's definitely not all of the time, but he's getting better and better at waving at people when it is time to say "hello."

He eats

He'll try most everything, but his favorites are tofu, apple slices, carrot sticks, and pretzels.

Not too much sweet (where did this kid come from?!), but he will chew on cookies occasionally.

He loves

Opening and closing doors.

His (sealed) tube of Chapstick - his favorite toy. Ha.

Peter Rabbit stacking blocks from PopPop and Gigi.

Dancing.

Clapping his hands.

Music (which, if it floats his boat, he'll dance to).

Sesame Street.

Walks in the stroller and sitting in shopping carts.

Playing in water.

Pushing the crosswalk buttons, the garage door opener, and the Tivo button.

Target and Safeway. He flirts with everyone there and always makes friends.

He hates

Getting his faced wiped off after meals.

When Daddy leaves for work.

He got

A fourth tooth! His top right tooth finally popped through. He now has his fronts (top and bottom).

His first haircut! He hated the process, because Mike and I had to hold his head still, and he so desperately wanted to look at our hairdresser, Sonya. He thought she was just so super cool, and didn't like that he couldn't turn to keep looking at her. Can I say, he looks like such a big boy now? Every morning I put a little bit of Mike's hair product in his hair. I say, "Okay Ethan, time for Mama to do your hair like Daddy's hair!" and he patiently waits for me to "style" his hair. Adorable!

He had

A stomach bug for over a week. Poor baby! His demeanor never actually changed, but the stomach bug caused lots of extra diaper changes, which in turn caused a horrible bout of diaper rash. This caused him to really hate diaper changes, and caused lots of extra tears. It also caused him to wake up in the middle of the night often, because he was so uncomfortable. After talking with both the nurse on call and then also taking him into the doctor's, we're finally, finally seeing some major progress. Less diaper changes, the diaper rash is almost gone, and we've got him transitioning to a new formula to give his tummy a break. Phew. He was a trooper!

He went

To the pumpkin patch! For his first pumpkin patch adventure we went all the way, out to the country to a full on pumpkin extravaganza. There were train rides, pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, and lots of fun to be had. We didn't actually get a pumpkin this year since we'll be out of town for Halloween, but we did get some really cute pictures and some great memories.

To the Discovery Kids Museum in San Francisco. We've been to the one in Las Vegas before, and this one was pretty great, too. At both, his favorite has been playing in the water rooms. He loves splashing and feeling the water rush over his hands. He really could stay at that one part all day, but we did explore some other areas. He got to crawl through a waterfall! I'm sure he'll find places like this even more exciting as he gets older, but for right now, a good time was still had.

Big Events this Month

A visit from PopPop and Gigi! The stayed for a little over a week and we got some really great quality time in with them. They came with us to the pumpkin patch, to the Discovery Museum, and on lots of walks. We can't wait to see them again when we visit the east coast and for E's first birthday!

We got family portraits taken, which was such an amazing experience. I am forever grateful to our photographer, Ivan Makarov, for capturing these moments for us.

Thank you little boy, for making our family complete.

Ethan at Ten Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Every day, as I look at my baby boy, I see traces of the little boy he is becoming more and more evident. It might be his gorgeous hair, dark blonde with a hint of red, that gets brushed to the side of his forehead, that makes him look so grown up. It could be the way he sits and plays with his fire truck and his legos while he gibbers away to himself, occasionally raising his eyebrows in surprise, that make him look like a big boy. Most likely, it is that I see how much he is growing and learning, becoming more and more skilled and aware of the world each day, that makes me realize his baby days are passing us by. Any way I look at it, I have such an amazing little man on my hands, and there isn't a moment - a slobbery kiss, infectious giggle, chubby-armed hug moment - that I would take for granted. Here are some of the moments we've shared this past month.

Ethan can

Cruise like a champ, around the house, all day long. He is on the move people!

Walk with his push walker independently, for longer distances than last month (from one room in the house to another, for example).

Drink from a straw cup all by himself!

Clap his hands. Adorable.

Feed himself crackers, bread, veggies, fruit slices, and various other random bits of food that he takes an interest in.

He eats

Yogurt like it's going out of style.

Pretzel sticks.

Apple and orange slices.

Graham crackers, saltines, animal crackers, and butter crackers.

Bread, as long as the crust isn't too hard.

Chicken strips (grilled and crispy).

Tomato slices.

Carrot sticks.

Tortilla chips.

Guacamole, hummus, and some other "spread" type items.

Pouches, favorites being the apple, raison, quinoa and the pumpkin, date, and chia pouches from Plum Organics.

Apple sauce.

He sleeps

Through the night, with his early morning wake up/feed totally weened. He cut them out himself within the first few days of the month, and they've never returned.

From 8:00 pm - 7:30 am, on average, with a morning nap and an afternoon nap throughout the day.

In his crib without bumpers. He has great control of his body at this point, and has no trouble getting his legs or feet untangled from the crib rungs if he gets stuck, so there was really no point to the bumpers any more.

With his booty in the air, and twilight turtle shining his stars onto the ceiling.

He plays

With the most random things, like a tube of chapstick or a box of tissues. He seems to love the "non-toys" (as Gigi dubbed them) better than actual toys. Keeping on with his love of non-toys, he gets the biggest kick out of pushing buttons on our land line phone and hearing a dial tone, and pressing the play button on the built in answering machine so he can hear the voice say, "No messages!" He also likes my iPhone, and will press the button so Siri will talk to him. Hilarious. A tub of wipes will keep him occupied for at least 20 minutes, and opening doors and drawers is a fave.

With a few actual toys, like his fire truck. He likes spinning the little wheels, over and over.

We read

His fave book, Superman to the Rescue, at least a few times a day.

Moo, Baa, La La La

Touch and Feel books

Eric Carle books

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

Where is Baby's Belly Button?

He is allowed to

Push the buttons to open and close the garage door, for crosswalks, and in elevators.

Turn the handle to open the door for Mama.

He wears

Size 12 month tops, or size 12 - 18 month everything else.

Long sleeves since it is getting cooler out, which he seems perplexed by since he's worn short sleeves for so long. He bites at the sleeves when I first put them on and tries to pull them off, but is okay once I roll them for him.

He went

To Las Vegas at the beginning of the month. He was a total doll on the plane, although he could not sit still for a single moment. No crying though, so we were happy! He slept in the hotel crib for his naps and at night, although he did get to sleep with Mama and Daddy the first night since he was a little freaked out by the new surroundings. He went on the Strip, to the Las Vegas Discovery Museum, and got to meet lots of Daddy's friends (we went for a photography conference that Mike likes to go to each year).

He talks

All the time. It's mostly gibberish, but we do get some good Mamas and Daddies every once in a while.

He has

Three teeth - his front two bottom chompers and his left front tooth.

Less stranger anxiety than last month, thank goodness. He still won't let most people hold him, but he doesn't freak out hardly at all around new people anymore, thank goodness.

He loves

Mama's keys.

Mama's chapstick.

Daddy - he is super obsessed with Mike and won't leave his side each night once Mike gets home from work. Heart melted.

Riding in shopping carts and sitting in high chairs.

Pretzel sticks.

Drinking water from a straw.

Sesame Street.

Superman to the Rescue! book

Phones, like Mama's iPhone and the house phone.

Pushing buttons (literally, not figuratively).

Climbing on people.

Pulling wipes out of wipe tubs and tissues out of tissue boxes.

He hates

Getting his face wiped off after meals.

When Daddy leaves for work.

He is

The love of our lives and our little ray of sunshine.

Modeling his new bike helmet so he can go on rides with Daddy.

Ethan at Nine Months

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 05:06:00 +0000

Little boy is a whopping nine months! I cannot believe we are three quarters of the way through his first year. Here's the monthly update on our little super baby.

He can:

Stand up. Which he does all the time. On every single possible thing imaginable. Even the toilet, which Mama explained is not a toy. Super, super gross. ;)

Cruise. E will move along the couches, his crib, his pack and play, the tv stand, and most other objects that he can hold with his hands and move along. I have to admit, it is pretty cute to watch him on the baby monitor cruising along the rim of his crib, and to see his little hands reaching out to grab onto that next object.

Walk, with his push walker, independently. He will pull up on his walker to standing, and then push it around the living room. He doesn't go all over the place yet, and isn't super fast, but he can definitely do it. So far we've gotten about 15 steps or so at a time, and this is all by himself with me across the room. He'll also push his other walker (the one he is supposed to sit in) around the kitchen, totally not using it how he's supposed to, but that's okay. He even still beeps the little horn, ha.

Wave. Although it's not directly to people and not at the right times, he can do it. He mostly chooses to wave at ceiling fans and lights, go figure. He is getting better at waving back when we wave to him, although at this point he still doesn't wave to people when we're out and about.

Blow raspberries and bubbles like a champ. If it were an Olympic sport, he would win gold medal, for sure. It cracks us up to hear him in his carseat (and everywhere else!) just blowing raspberries to himself for minutes on end.

Climb stairs. This isn't new, he could do this last month, but he's gotten good at it to the point where it is easy for him and one of his favorite things to do.

Dance. Hilarious! He'll bounce up and down while listening to music or if I tap out a beat. We were rocking out to "Blurred Lines" just today! Lol.

Use his sippy cup by himself. Love it!

He has:

Two teeth! The bottom left tooth sprouted at the beginning of the month, and just last week the bottom right tooth popped through. So cute! He handled teething like a champ, too, with only a day of minimal fussing before each tooth.

Some stranger anxiety, which bums us out. He doesn't like it when new people try to hold him (some people go better than others), and if someone he doesn't know sits in the back seat of the car with him he freaks out. He definitely likes knowing Mike and I are nearby.

A bit of a cold, poor boy. Full on congestion in his nose, alternating between stuffy and super runny, and a bit of a cough.

He eats:

About 12 - 20 ounces of solid food a day, supplemented with bottles. He likes any flavor puree pouch we give him, and loves key lime flavored Greek yogurt (although he'll eat any flavor except the orange creamsicle and blueberry). Our typical feeding schedule is bottle in the morning, a Greek yogurt for a mid-morning snack, bottle for lunch, a pouch for an afternoon snack, a bottle and 1 - 2 pouches for dinner, and then a small bottle before bed. I can't even say what his favorite flavors are because he'll eat all of them with no problem and doesn't really show a preference.

He still does not like anything chunky in texture, although we are making progress in this area. He will chew on orange wedges, pickles, asparagus, chicken, and cucumbers. I'm not sure how much he's actually swallowing, although he is getting some. He gets the most of the orange wedges, for sure - he can chew off and swallow most of the flesh. I'm just super happy he's willing to put those things in his mouth and actually seems interested in "eating" them. He also eats guacamole, refried beans, and some chicken and stars soup. We're getting there, slowly but surely!

He sleeps:

Through the night, as per usual. He goes to bed between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm (closer to 9:30 is the norm) and then sleeps until anywhere from 5:30 am to 6:30 am, wakes for a bottle, and then goes back to bed until around 8:00 am. Last month I thought he was weaning himself from that early morning feeding since he would skip it every other night or so, but we're back on them now. Growth spurt maybe? We only skipped one or two of them the whole month this time.

On his belly mostly, with his butt up in the air. He now will sometimes sleep on his side, too.

With a bib clutched in his hand and twilight turtle on.

He wears:

Size 12 month mostly, although he can still fit some size 9 month t-shirts. He's all stocked up for the fall and winter with size 12 - 18 month clothes, which should last awhile.

He went:

To Los Angeles for a weekend! The flight out did not go well, he was so tired and couldn't get comfortable, so he cried for about 20 minutes. The flight home went great, he fell asleep on Mike and slept the entire way home. He had fun crawling around and exploring the hotel room, and went all over the city. He did great being off of his normal schedule, although really he goes with us everywhere so this wasn't too different. Our little jet setter has already been on two flights, and we have another one coming up before his first birthday!

He plays:

With his activity table, he loves, loves, loves it.

With his push walker and his sit-in walker. I have to mention, when he is in his sit-in walker, he actually turns the steering wheel, beeps the horn, and when he backs up, he looks behind him and puts his arm over the back, just like he is going in reverse in a real car. I kid you not, it is hysterical to watch.

With his wooden puzzle toys.

With his play tunnel, although his favorite thing to do is go under it.

At Gymboree every Friday. We switched to the music class. Of course we love it, we get to dance and sing!

Peek-a-boo with Mama and Daddy, although he is the one who lifts the blanket over his face and lowers it down, over and over. So.stinking.cute!

With any door that will open, such as cabinet doors, buffet doors, built in doors, the doors on our media table, dresser drawers, etc. He'll sometimes even pull things out, if anything strikes his fancy.

He loves:

Mama's keys.

The inside of the refrigerator.

Standing, cruising, climbing, and being active.

Yogurt.

Twilight turtle.

Sitting in highchairs.

Sitting in shopping cart seats.

Roughhousing with Daddy.

When Mama makes funny faces or animal noises.

Exploring.

He hates:

Getting his nose cleaned or getting his face wiped off after meals. Nothing even compares to this, it is like pure torture for him.

Staying still.

The ice machine on our fridge, the one where you get ice from the door. If he is in his walker he'll actually zoom away from the noise. It totally freaks him out.

He is:

The best, sweetest, most adorable, loving, and wonderful baby a Mama and Daddy could ask for!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 04:36:00 +0000

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{Baby Talk} Diaper Bag Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Diaper bags, and what is considered "essential" to put in them, is a topic with lots of debate. Each parent will tell you their own opinion, and all are valid - because as anyone with children or who have even just been in the presence of children will tell you, each little one is uniquely different.

With that said, when I was prepping for little E's arrival, I scoured the internet for suggestions on what to put in my diaper bag, and I could never really find a good list. Some were very vague, saying you only really needed diapers, wipes, and food. Others were overly detailed, listing things like a camera to take pictures and a change of outfit for mom. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have the time, space, or desire to carry around an outfit change with me at all times.

I thought I would make a little post on what I find essential in my diaper bag, focusing on items for E. I also carry lip gloss, my phone, and my wallet in my bag at all times, but I didn't include them on my list for the simple reason that if you always carry chapstick with you, you don't need me to tell you to pack it into your diaper bag.

With no further ado, here is my list of diaper bag essentials.

1. Choosing a diaper bag is a very important task, and not just because it is an accessory that will travel with you for the next 12 + months. When things get crazy with your little one, you want to be able to grab whatever it is that you need quickly and without fuss. Choose a diaper bag that can hold what you want it to hold, is comfortable to carry, and allows you to organize your essentials in a way that makes sense to you. Does it have enough pockets? Is it waterproof inside and out? Will it show stains? Think about these things when choosing your bag. I like my Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag, pictured above. It is easy to wipe off inside and out. The straps are comfy and long enough that I can put them over my shoulders to carry it "purse style." I like that it is colorful and playful, too. It has enough pockets inside for me to organize items, and it has optional straps to turn it into a backpack.

2. Bibs, bibs, bibs! We never leave home without them. We use them for the obvious task of keeping E's clothes clean during feedings, but we also use them to wipe off drool from chubby cheeks, as a play thing, and to clean up little spills of milk or whatnot in the carseat. I always pack at least two, if not more, depending on how much is on our agenda that day.

3. Kids are messy. I myself have been known to spill a thing or two (or three). Tide to Go pens help a lot. Enough said.

4. Waterproof bibs weren't always an essential for us, but now that E is eating solid foods they are really helpful. Sometimes we just stick with the soft bibs, but having a waterproof bib in our bag is a nice "just in case" item.

5. Bottles! We like the Nuk bottles pictured above, but whichever bottle your baby uses, always have one in your bag. When going out, I like to pack two: one that is filled with water, and another that is empty. I keep the water filled one in the side pocket of my bag for easy access, and in a pinch, I can fill it with formula and have it ready to go in about two minutes. The empty bottle in my bag is a back up, and can be filled easily while we are out an about. (Hint: I don't fill the second bottle that I keep inside my bag with water because it can potentially leak. Even though my bag is waterproof, everything inside gets wet and yucky and it causes a mess until I can dry everything off.)

6. While I definitely don't consider myself a germ-a-phobe, little ones stick everything, and I mean everything, in their mouths. Soap and water is always best to wash things off if possible, but other items, like shopping cart seats and restaurant high chairs, can't really be taken to the bathroom to be washed. Clorox wipes are easy to use for quick wipe downs of items that are big and bulky and that can potentially carry a lot of germs.

7. Now that we are into solid foods, I carry two or three pouches with me at all times. E eats them right from the pouch, and they can be tossed in the trash when done. Although, Ethan tends to like to hold them once he is done eating, so in our house they can double as a toy. Sigh. ;)

8. Diapers. I don't think I need to explain this one! I'll just say I usually carry at least five. Those blowouts come without warning, people. Just sayin'.

9. Diaper wipes are so incredibly helpful, and not just for diaper changes. They can be used to clean off grubby faces and hands. They can clean off tables, toys, and clothes. They can clean up spills that have nothing to do with babies but everything to do with over fizzy sodas being enjoyed by Mama and Daddy. I think I'll keep diaper wipes in the car for forever, even after E goes to college. They are that useful.

10. We have had blowouts that have stained outfits, and not just stained a little, I mean stained-all-over-the-back stained. We have had massive, Exorcist-style throw ups. We have had food messes you cannot imagine. Keeping a little change of outfit in your bag for your little one is helpful, to say the least. I keep a one piece outfit in our bag just to save on space and keep it simple.

11. A formula dispenser is a great, cheap, easy item that will keep you prepared and organized. Most containers hold at least three portions of formula and dispense easily. We have the one pictured above, that came with our Avent bottle kit. As an added bonus, you can use them to hold snacks once your little one has moved past bottles.

12. I know a travel grooming kit seems like a non-essential, and perhaps to some it is. However, I cannot tell you how many times I have used those nail clippers while out and about, or just given E's hair a little brush after it gets all mushed about after a nap in his carseat. I can't lie, I like having the emery boards and clippers for myself, too.

And two other items I forgot to picture ... Aquaphor to Go and Ziploc baggies. For chapped cheeks, scratches, diaper rash, and more, Aquaphor can't be beat. Ziploc baggies are great for holding dirty bibs, used spoons, or dirty diapers and wipes when there isn't a trash can in easy reach.

Just for an idea, all of the items pictured above are the actual items I pack in my bag, same brand and all. Everything fits in my bag easily with some room to spare for a toy or two, my phone, wallet, and lip gloss.

Hopefully this list will be helpful for some, and at least give a jumping off point when you are thinking about what to put in your diaper bag. Now, with our bag packed, E and I are off for some adventures! See you around!