A Few of My Favorite Things



J.R. Watkins lemon scented hand and body lotion

I love anything that smells like lemon and this lotion is my absolute favorite. It's light and fresh, crisp and a sweet. Think of warm lemon cookies baking in the oven. Lovely.



Boyfriend Cardigans

Comfortable and classic. Perfect with jeans and a tee on the weekend or as an extra layer when it gets chilly at work. I love the button detail on the sleeves of this one from Forever 21.

Barefoot Moscato

Perfect to sip on after a long day. It's sweet, fruity and crisp. But most importantly it's fairly inexpensive and I can buy it at Target.



ear flap hats for babies

I would totally buy one of these for Hannah except its been around 60 degrees here lately and I doubt she will every get a chance to wear it.

NOOKcolor by Barnes & Noble

I collect hoard books by the case full and lavish in vividly colored paperback covers, rich leather bounds, and the feathery feel of pages between my fingers. I love the smell, the weight, the experience of books. So part of me fears what e-readers may do to the world. However, I will admit that I am intrigued by the convenience, portability, and instant access that they provide. I think I want one.

XOXO

wordless{ish} wednesday: in the car

XOXO

[linking to the paper mama]

Moving and Blah

My goodness it has been crazy these last few days. So crazy that my body has revolted and sent me shivering in my bed with a stomach virus these last few days. But let's start from the beginning.

Friday I took the day off work so that Wytmer and I could start moving into our new apartment. We were hoping to be able to buy a house but decided to save for another year and found a cute little place that is only five minutes away from Hannah's sitter. We spent Friday painting Hannah's room, picking up a glider that I found on craigslist, and shopping for a TV stand. In between all that we ate lunch at Olive Garden and locked the keys in the truck, which we had borrowed from a friend who didn't have a spare. Luckily the locksmith man came quickly and only charged 40 dollars.

Saturday morning Superman (a.k.a. my daddy) arrived bright and early to help us move. While Wytmer and my dad loaded the truck I took Hannah over to see her mimi (my step mom) and picked up some donuts on the way home. Later on my friend Betsy came by to help. We worked all day without stopping. I started to feel really tired and dizzy but I figured I just wasn't drinking enough water. That night when we were home with Hannah and all of our unpacked boxes I started feeling terrible and had to go to bed early.

And now it is Tuesday morning and I still feel like crap. I haven't been to work since Thursday and I can only imagine the shenanigans that have been going on in my absence. I haven't been able to keep anything down except saltines and Gatorade. Oh, and last night I slept from 5:30PM to 5:30AM, and I'm still tired. But luckily the AT&T guy came yesterday so I'm back on the Internet and I've got my lovely food network to keep me company in between naps.

XOXO

Flashback Friday {My 22nd Birthday}

This was Wytmer and I at The Aquarium in downtown Houston a couple years ago. My two best friends and I all have our birthdays within five days of each other (10th, 13th, 15th) and we've been celebrating together every year since we were fifteen. This was Wytmer's second birthday with us and one of my favorites. I just loved this little blue dress and the fact that it was a size 4. I had just lost a ton of weight and I felt like a million bucks that night.

I picked this picture to give me a little boost of motivation to get back to the way I looked (and felt) that night. And because I wanted to show off my sexy mister. :)

XOXO



A Letter to Hannah {2}

My Baby,

This morning around 4AM I woke up to the sound of your cries. Normally you will fuss a little before going back to bed but I could tell you were up. So I made you a bottle and brought you to bed with me. You didn't go back to sleep right away, but instead spent some time with your head resting on my pillow and your eyes set on mine. I rubbed your back and kissed your cheeks while your tiny hands played with my hair. And I was back to our first months of co-sleeping together and those long sleepless nights when your little mouth would turn into a smile as soon as you saw my face and I would laugh, despite my deep exhaustion. I missed it dearly. I missed the way you would curl up next to me and press your face onto my chest. I missed your milky breath in my face. I even missed not being able to roll over and being pushed to the very edge of the mattress.

Somewhere around 4 months old you decided that you'd rather have your own bed. Believe me, I was reluctant to let it happen, but you were growing and you didn't seem as comfortable in between Mama and Daddy anymore. You wanted to roll around and stretch out. So I settled with the ten or so minutes I had of rocking you to sleep before I laid you in your crib. Just like I had with co-sleeping, I cherished those moments in your dark room when you laid your head in the crook of my arm and drank your bottle with eyes closed and a tight fist clutching my pinkie finger. And it is with the same reluctance I felt five months ago that I now admit to myself that you no longer need me to rock you to sleep. Instead of falling quickly to sleep you now want to finish your milk and play. You fuss until I put you down awake and leave the room. You are ready. But I am not.

I am so very unprepared for this, so very very unprepared. And that is why this morning when I held you in my arms and felt your body relax and melt into sleep in my arms, I didn't go back to sleep. Instead, I held you just a bit closer and prayed that time would slow down just a bit, and that God would give me more mornings like this.

Forever love,

Mama

XOXO

Steppin Out Saturday

Mama

Sweater: Target

Tee: Forever 21

Jeans: Target

Hannah

Tee: Carter's

Cords: The Children's Place

(Shoes were from Target, but they fell off)

Saturday afternoon we went out for lunch at Cheddar's because I was craving some of their amazing chicken pot pie and honey butter croissants (I just made myself hungry again). After that we went to Target and then Daddy went to work, boo.

Also, I'm going to need to go shopping before my next Steppin Out post, my wardrobe needs help.

That's all.

XOXO

Saturday Mornings in Our Home

I love Saturday mornings. There is nothing better than scooping a warm baby out of her crib in a sun soaked room and snuggling together on the couch. I usually give her a bottle while I make my own breakfast and we watch morning cartoons together while Daddy sleeps in.

Cherry jam on toast...mmm...

 

Yo Gabba Gabba, Hannah's favorite show 



Have I mentioned how much I love footie pajamas?

After breakfast Hannah played with some toys on the floor and practiced her dance moves with her Leap Frog music table. As soon as I stepped away to get a cup of coffee she swooped in on the opportunity to try to get the laptop.

 

Sneaky girl. She definitely knows what "no" means because as soon as I said it she backed away and looked like she was in trouble.

After the laptop was put away Daddy woke up and we spent the rest of the morning relaxing together as a family.

Perfection :)

XOXO

Weekday Recap in Camera Phone Pics

Monday was the first day of semester exams at school, which translates into a whole lot of grading and super boring days.

Tuesday evening Wytmer was at work so Hannah and I ate dinner together and she spent some time destroying the living room and pulling books off the shelf. In this picture Hannah is inspecting one of my yoga dvds.

Wednesday I was heavy into grading as you can see by my growing stack here. I barely looked up all day.

Ahh, Thursday. The kiddos had a half day so I got to finish my work and enjoy a quiet room for a few hours.

Friday was another half day. I had all my grading done so I went out for a long lunch at a chinese restaurant with some coworkers, then snuck out a little early.

And now I am so ready to just relax at home this weekend with this sweet baby and her daddy.

XOXO



Flashback Friday

This picture was taken when my little booger was brand spanking new. Like only 5 hours old. I love how she's looking at her daddy (he took this picture), like she's trying to figure him out. This is another one of those lovely camera phone pictures that I look at nightly.

XOXO

I Finally Did It

Hannah is almost nine months, but somehow, I've never been able to really write out her birth story. Partly because I haven't had time, and partly because I haven't known how. I didn't know where to start because the days leading up to her birth were a big part of it all. And, I really didn't want to take anything away from the experience because it was so perfect. I do have a sorry attempt scribbled away in a journal I keep for her, but it's more facts than anything else. I really wanted to write out everything, how it started, what was in my mind...everything. And I did. It's long. Probably too long. But it's filled with love and I'm oh so proud of it.

Hannah's birth was everything I had wanted it to be. I feel insanely lucky to have had her birth go as planned, because I know a lot of mommies aren't as fortunate. Thinking of that day always brings tears to my eyes and I'm thrilled to have the story finally out in words.

You can read Hannah's birth story here or just click the link at the top of the page.

XOXO

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

Hannah swinging at the park last week when it wasn't so flippin cold.

 XOXO

Lazy Weekend Bliss

Hitching a ride on the Laundry Basket Express

This weekend we were total bums. The weather was cold and rainy here in H-Town, so we put on our cozy sweats and fuzzy socks and spent the days reading books on the living room floor and eating junk food. After a long week of work it was exactly what I needed.

I snapped the above picture this afternoon when I realized that I hadn't done a darn thing all day and decided to fold a load of laundry. Hannah loves helping with laundry because I let her sit in the basket while I drag it out of the laundry room and I usually dump the warm clothes on her when we get to the living room. 

Hope your weekend was relaxing and wonderful!

XOXO

An Old Favorite

So, I have this weird, slightly obsessive habit of looking at old pictures of Hannah from my camera phone before I fall asleep. I usually put the slideshow on and fall asleep after a minute or so. This photo makes me smile every time I see it...

Hannah was just about a month old. She used to love sleeping like this, with one hand holding her paci, and the other playing with her hair. 

She's changed so much since then. Her hair is lighter and she's about twice as big. She doesn't like her paci any more, and when she sleeps she always has her legs sprawled out and her hands tucked in around her.

It's been awhile, and so much has changed, but when I look at this photo I can still remember her new baby sounds, and the way her cheeks always smelled like milk.

And I know that she will always be my baby.

XOXO

For more super cute camera phone pics be sure to check out the weekly recap on A Good Life and link up your camera phone pics of the week below!

I Learned

I recently discovered a truly fantastic photography blog called Click It Up a Notch and oh-my-gosh...I feel like I'm having an epiphany every time I read a post. My photography skills are pretty much non-existent, but since I have this pretty little baby to take pictures of I feel like I need to learn a few things.

And so one of the things I learned that made a huge different in my shots is that a higher ISO setting can help you take pictures in low light that aren't blurry-without using the flash.

 I tested it out, and while this shot is a little pixel-y (maybe the ISO setting was too high?), I actually got a photo of Hannah that isn't just a big blur...something that is truly difficult to do with an 8 month old.

I obviously have a lot more to learn, but I'm so excited to have found such a great resource.





XOXO

Back to Life...

...back to reality. Yeah, you are singing it too.


Do you see this amazingly fake smile?


Yesterday I was still in denial about being back at school and away from Hannah. But today I woke up fully aware that my two week Christmas break was over, and I almost took the day off. I miss her. Having time off of work always spoils me and make me feel sorry for myself that I can't be a stay at home mom. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job and am extremely grateful for it, but it's tough to leave her every morning. And it's tough to know that someone else is taking care of her and teaching her how to do things like play peek-a-boo and wave instead of me.

But luckily, we have a fantastic sitter who loves Hannah like she is her own child. Knowing that truly helps me get through the week. And since Wytmer takes Hannah over to her house in the morning after I leave, I usually get a picture from Daddy sent to my phone of what my baby girl is wearing that day. Trust me, I spend quite a bit of time looking at those pictures throughout the day.

How many days left until summer vacation?

XOXO

Diaper Bag Love



This diaper bag from ikabags literally makes my heart beat faster. It's just so beautifully made (as in handmade in Paris...Paris) and the yellow is so cheery.

I wish I had put it on my Christmas list because I'm afraid the next gifting occassion is not until Mother's Day. Well, there is always Valentine's...but I'm not sure Wytmer will be willing to get me a new diaper bag for V-Day.

Maybe a little income tax gift to myself? I'm thinking yes.

XOXO

Resolutions for 2011

I know this is a few days late, but I still feel like I need to sit down and write out my resolutions for 2011. 2010 was a great year for my family. I finished my first year of teaching, had a pretty little baby, saw my mama for the first time in 8 years, and learned how to juggle work, relationships, a baby, and myself. Well, I'm still working on that last one.

And that is where this list comes in. In looking back on this past year I realized that I've spent a whole lot of time loving my family, but not very much time loving myself. Part of being a mama is learning how to balance your love for your child, and your love for yourself. I haven't given myself the time and the focus that I need to live a balanced life. So my resolutions for this year are going to be all about myself.

1. To focus more on my health and well-being. Before I had Hannah I lost over 30 pounds and was living a very healthy life. When I got pregnant I totally gave in to the crazy food cravings and gained a lot of weight. And then when she was born I honestly didn't care enough to do anything after the initial birth/water retention weight came off. So I'm recommitting myself to the healthy eating plan I used before my pregnancy. And I'm going to use yoga to get my body back where it was (I l-o-v-e yoga, but finding the time to do it is a challenge).

2. To wear make-up and do my hair during the week. I am so bad about waking up early for work. I mean, I have to leave the house by 6:15...which, in my opinion, is insane. But when I take that extra time in the morning I always seem to have a better attitude throughout the day.

3. To buy one new clothing item (shirt, pants, dress, accessory, etc.) every month. We don't have a ton of extra money, but looking in the closet and finding nothing that fits except pajamas pants is a bit of a problem. I'm going to lose this weight soon, but I refuse to look like a slob in the meantime.

4. To go on more dates with Wytmer. This one isn't just for me, but still something that needs more focus.

5. To drink more water and eat more homemade meals. This goes along with my first resolution.

And there you have it, my resolutions for the new year. Hope your 2011 is filled with happiness and love!

XOXO