Through the Eyes of Astro

Utah Mom

2012-02-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's official. I've been turned into a 1990's Utah mom by a bad hair cut. Nooooooo! (nevermind that I am actually a Utah mom)

I'm sure you remember how I was complaining about extensive hair shedding post-partum. Well, I finally went in to get a cut. And I wanted a cut, not a trim, but I did not want a chop.

I don't really mind the front,

but the back kills me. Kabam! (No offense to people out there with a-line bobs - hopefully yours is not as choppy).

Lesson learned: pay attention when you're getting your hair cut and speak out if you think something weird is going on in the back

At least it was a good opportunity for Mikes and me to clarify that I appreciate his honest opinion regarding things I am wearing, but not when it has to do with my face or body parts.

Happy V-Day!

2012-02-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

After talking to my other friends with kids, I'm glad to hear that we are not the only ones who will be celebrating it on another night. Why you ask? Because not only is it harder to get a babysitter, but who wants to deal with the hassle of long waits and overcrowded restaurants? So instead, Mikes is making dinner and we'll have a romantical evening at home (once S has gone to bed). We'll have our night out on the town some other day this week (hopefully).

Of course v-day would not be complete without a picture of these rascals:

well, maybe a few pictures

it is surprisingly difficult to get a good shot of these two together

focus people

ok, one more try

good enough.

More teething woes

2012-02-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

We had a few rough days when her vampire teeth started breaking through, but S has been pretty happy the past couples days. Last night, Mike started giving her high-fives and she'd laugh like crazy with each one. It was super cute.

Unfortunately, she's turned back into grumpy pants and it looks like her front two teeth are the culprit. Boo on teething.

She's still doing fairly well with her napping. Sometimes she falls asleep on my lap. She looks so cute and peaceful, I don't want to move her to her crib!

Swimming success!

2012-02-09T17:39:00.001-07:00

Distractions

2012-02-09T11:55:00.001-07:00

Whenever I need to get through my lectures, I plop S down on the floor with all her toys. Sometimes this gets me as long as an hour.
Combined with her nap times, I just may pass my classes this term. My goal is to start writing my 20pg paper a week before it is due. I get really stressed when I wait until the day before for final assignments.
Can't wait to be done with school! I promised Mike I have no interest in med school or ph.d programs.

I love baby clothes

2012-02-07T22:54:00.001-07:00

One of the main reasons I need to start working again is my addiction to buying cute baby clothes. Tonight, Mikes and I headed over to Gateway to pick up a swimsuit for S and some work clothes for Mikes. I ended up getting two suits for S at baby Gap (one was on sale - you know me, I can't resist sale items).

And then I ended up grabbing this cute little outfit (also on sale) because the red reminded me of upcoming Valentine's day. Look at those little shorts with built in tights. too cute.

I wanted to buy a ton more, but restrained myself. It was very hard to do because they have a cute western line going on right now. There's even a onesie with a feather/horseshoe and another with a teepee. S needs more clothes reflecting her heritage...

Anyway, excited to take her to the pool this week. We have a great county pool nearby with a super warm kiddie pool. Last time I took S swimming was at my sister Emma's baby swim class while in Maryland. All the babies were shivering, the water was so cold. Hopefully the second time goes a little better and is more like bath time, which she loves.

Date Night

2012-02-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's easier for us to find a weekday babysitter, so Mikes and I usually end up going out sometime during the week for our date nights. But this past weekend, we couldn't pass up a chance see the World Cup mogul competition. Fortunately our wonderful neighbors were available to watch S, so we headed up to Park City!

The competition was everything we expected and more, filled with high flying tricks and stupendous crashes. We are definitely going back next year. I believe it will be aired on NBC on Feb 11th - try and find us in the crowd!

7 months!

2012-01-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how months seem to fly by, but individual days can be excruciatingly slow. My baby girl is 7 months old!

Love the hard look of concentration on her face. She's such a hoot. We call her nutso jr. (astro is obviously nutso sr.)

At 7 months, she is gibbering away, loves to eat at the table, has learned how to scream when she wants something, still puts everything in her mouth, has three teeth, randomly laughs at astro, sleeps 12 hours straight (8pm-8am), naps twice a day, and a lot more

Almost mobile

2012-01-26T20:59:00.001-07:00

Any day now S is going to bust out and start crawling, or at least move around on her own somehow.

Whenever she's sitting on the floor playing

she ultimately ends up

in this position

She's become a really good sitter, but still topples over on occasion when she tries to reach for something. At least she's stopped freaking out when she ends up on her tummy.

Vampire Tooth

2012-01-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

S has been slobbering like crazy lately. Last time that happened, two teeth popped up. So, sure enough, I felt her gums and she has a third tooth coming through. Normally, your front teeth come in first. But S has a lateral incisor coming in (at not quite 7 months, by the way).

Check out this nice picture from the ADA:

My dad said this happened with me too, and they called me a vampire baby.

On another note, after multiple attempts to feed S peas, I've decided she just doesn't like them. So far she is crazy for bananas and pears, likes sweet potatoes, and will tolerate squash.

Motherhood

2012-01-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

My mom had 8 kids. When the youngest was born, I was in 7th grade. So I remember changing many diapers and having to babysit. But, I don't remember my younger siblings crying all the time. I also don't remember my mom ever seeming flustered or wanting a break from all of us crazies.

Now that I have my own baby, I've realized that motherhood is not as easy as my own mom made it seem. Sure, some women have angel babies who never cry and apologize for soiling their diapers. And, hooray to the moms who never went through my breastfeeding woes. But honestly? Parenting is tough!

That's why I love reading articles, like THIS ONE, where women acknowledge that it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Being a parent is awesome and I do want more babies (Mike protests whenever I say that, but it's no big secret. He should consider himself lucky - my roommates can attest that as a freshman in college, I wanted 6 kids!!)...

... but I love when people are honest. Is being a parent awesome ALL the time? nope! Like Mikes' planned 2012 Denali trip - he may be miserable on the way up, but as soon as he comes down, he'll want to do it again. When do you think the "down" part correlates to kids? When S is 3 years old?

Daddos Time

2012-01-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

As S gets older, she spends more and more quality time with the daddos. Today they spent some time in the sunroom, watching people pass by on the street.

Every so often she becomes interested in the A-man (or his toys). But so far, I wouldn't call them best buds. I hear this may change once she starts handing him food... On another note, the skiers are happy - it finally snowed in Utah!

Growing Up

2012-01-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

my baby girl is getting bigger.

this dress...

...is now a shirt.

We're Back!

2012-01-18T21:09:00.001-07:00

The past week just flew by! S and I had a great time in Maryland. I really enjoyed my coursework and S got to spend some quality time with family.

S was super happy to see Mikes again. I really should've recorded it - it was so cute. We were both super tired getting off the plane because we had to wake up so early and S didn't sleep much during the flight. But as soon as she saw Mike, she lit up and laughed like crazy.

On other news, I finally have to give back my work computer (boo). So now I need to decide which to go with for my personal laptop - stay with mac or go back to lenovo? We're waiting until I start working again to actually buy it, but hopefully that will be soon. I have a couple interviews - keep your fingers crossed that one pulls through! In the meantime, I continue to enjoy spending my days with the nutso (astro) and nutso jr. (S). While great on the return flight, she's had a harder time adjusting to the time change and is more cranky pants than usual...

on a side note, new years cards are finally printed! keep an eye out for it in your mailbox!

Maryland

2012-01-14T08:17:00.002-07:00

S was great on the plane ride out. She only slept an hour of the flight, but spent the rest of the time playing with toys, my magazine, and her seat. Hopefully the flight home is just as great!

Aside from talking on the phone everyday, I've been sure to send Mikes a daily photo of S while we are gone. Here are a couple:

I finished my class at Hopkins and am looking forward to a nice weekend with the fam before returning to Utah!

MIA

2012-01-09T18:27:00.005-07:00

If we're a little out of touch it's because S and I are chillin' in Maryland for the week! It will be my last in person coursework at Hopkins before graduation! The end is in sight, people!!

Big thanks to my mom for watching S while I'm in class!

Homemade baby food

2012-01-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to make my own baby food. Mikes mom fed him her own baby gunk formula, and look how well he turned out!

So I picked up the baeba babycook to make things a little easier - one device to steam and puree the goods. Our first attempt was with yams. yum! turned out great. My only complaint is that yams stain - who knew? While cutting them up I got orange yam juice on my hands which I then transferred to the baeba top and cannot wash off. So if you are ever working with yams, be careful.

I added a little expressed breast milk to help with the consistency and viola!

If you want to feed your baby organic foods (which I suggest given the heavy use of pesticides and hormones), it ends up being way cheaper to make it yourself. And its neat that you get to control exactly what goes in it.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

2012-01-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Mike's 30th birthday. Hip hip hooray!

In order to get Mikes prepared for having a baby, I kept telling him that he was getting old and needed to get a move on it. So, turning 30 is no big deal since he thought he was turning 30 for the past two years.

Nonetheless, we love birthdays around the Tanana house and are excited to celebrate his big day! We started the morning off with his homemade present - a book full of favorite mike memories and well wishes from friends and family. I got the idea from creative friend Liv who did a similar thing for her hubs on his 30th.

And of course my favorite birthday tradition is going around and saying why you love that person, so here we go:

I love Mike for many reasons:

he is the master of statistics
he reminds me to put on socks when my feet turn blue in the winter
he created a beautiful baby girl with me (even though he would've rather waited a year or two)
he can handle my Smith-inherited craziness (last minute planning, melodramatic behavior, and passive aggressive crankiness)
he is always kind to people and goes out of his way to start up a conversation

Astro loves Mike because he feeds him and lets him snuggle up with him during naptime.

Soryn loves Mike because:

he bounces her on his knee when she's sad
he takes her on hikes when the weather is nice
he passed along his great blue-eyes

Tripp Trapp

2011-12-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Now that S is starting to behave more like a human being and less like a wild animal, we've decided to give her a place to sit at the dining room table.

We knew we wanted a wood highchair and ultimately settled on the stokke tripp trapp. And I LOVE it. Eventually S did too.

Short Hair

2011-12-30T17:47:00.003-07:00

Remember how I'm shedding like crazy?? Well, I'm thinking of cutting my hair. First, let me clarify that I LOVE long hair. As soon as I cut my hair, I miss it being long. And growing out hair is the worst because it takes FOREVER!

But for reals, the shedding is getting a little ridiculous. And even though I've reached my 6 month nursing goal, it'll still take me a while to stop completely and therefore I will continue to lose hair.

So, to cut or not to cut?

I really like this picture of I-forget-some-reality-star:

Do you think it would look good on me? Try to envision it brown instead of blonde...

Mike says I should keep my hair past shoulder length. Maybe I should take off 3-4 inches and then if I'm still unhappy go for the chin-length?

6 months

2011-12-30T17:07:00.006-07:00

My baby girl is 6 months old! Man, time really flies! She continues to fall into the 50th percentile for everything (weight, height, head circumference). She also got 4 shots and was NOT a happy camper yesterday.

Normally a pretty happy baby...

... she threw up three times in the morning, but fortunately took long naps to sleep it off. Today she is back to her normal, albiet serious, self.

At 6 months, S is getting pretty good at sitting up solo. She still hates tummy time and therefore is not the best roller over-er, but the Dr. said that doesn't matter if she's sitting up since she can work her core that way instead. She loves her jumperoo and is better at entertaining herself for longer periods of time. She is also getting in more and more daddy quality time.

Since Mike's parents won't be around for his actual b-day, we went out early for a nice dinner with the fam. We sure will miss them when they return to CT tomorrow!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-29T22:00:00.003-07:00

We've loved having the Tananas in town for Christmas. Grandma D has helped out with feedings and we even got to go out on a date sans baby! (Don't mind my crazy hair sticking up in the back)

Christmas was very joyous around our house. We had TWO santas!

Unfortunately our tree did not survive very long. It was so dry, we were worried about a house fire! It barely made it through Christmas day before being chopped up and stashed in the compost bin.

Hope everyone had a great week! Don't worry if you haven't received our holiday card yet... it has yet to even be ordered... mwer mwer

Shopping!

2011-12-27T18:04:00.002-07:00

S clearly takes after her mom. She was super exciting to hit the stores today for some post christmas shopping. LOVE LOVE LOVE this little girl.

All I Want for Christmas...

2011-12-23T11:42:00.002-07:00

is my two front teeth.

Ok, S may not have her two FRONT teeth yet, but she has two BOTTOM teeth!

Merry Christmas!

Astro kisses

2011-12-21T12:33:00.001-07:00

Before Kiss:

After Kiss:

My little buddy

2011-12-20T18:55:00.002-07:00

I pretty much spend 24-7 with this little bubs. For the most part, I love it.

I love her serious faces.

I love giving her kisses.

I can't believe that she is all mine (ok, a little bit of Mike's too).

That said, I'm hoping to go back to work full-time in January. If a job pulls through, I sure will miss spending all day with her (ok, maybe not when she's cranky pants and refusing to nap).

Having a baby has been tough for me. Sometimes I don't feel like the most nurturing person, or that I'm a "natural" mother. But I learned a lot from my own mom and awesome mother in law. So I think S will turn out ok. And, despite my bad start with my nursing woes, I totally want to have another baby (in a couple years). Do wet nurses still exist?

Found

2011-12-18T11:09:00.003-07:00

This time of year always has me going down memory lane. Normally I like to read through old journals, which always leaves me both cringing and laughing at young Smithy. However, a few days ago, I was looking for something in the basement and found this:

Hahahha! I'm glad Mikes has kept this all these years. It's from freshman year of college (2000!) when Lisa and I played a prank on him (we were kinda crazy back then). We got Mike to think he had a stalker. Thankfully he didn't mind that it ended up being us!

Birthdays!

2011-12-15T21:14:00.001-07:00

I love birthdays! Since we had a big party the weekend before, my actual birthday was pretty mellow. We stayed in and had a nice early dinner at home (while S was napping). This week I also met the LBGs for a birthday/LGB Christmas dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Love those girls!

I can't believe that I'm 29! Sometimes I still feel like a teenager... that is until I actually see what a teenager looks like these days (or have to deal with a crying baby).

I also got a visit from some of the family:

(can you believe Farina is preggers again? with a boy?! she crazy.)

On another note - my mom's birthday is also in December!

Happy Birthday mom! We sure love you!

First Laugh

2011-12-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

This weekend Lisa and Tin flew into town for Tin's residency interview at the U of U. We had a fun party Saturday night to celebrate my upcoming birthday and Utah!

But the real highlight of the weekend was this:

S has given a couple short giggles before, but nothing like this! Lisa had her going for about 10 minutes straight. In Navajo culture, the first laugh is a big deal, signaling the baby's desire to join her family on earth (at birth, the baby is believed to be a part of two worlds). It's also believed that the baby assumes the qualities of the person who coaxes the first laugh. I couldn't be more happy that it was Lisa - what a great person to take after!

Lately

2011-12-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

i LOVE plants. But am horrible at taking care of them. After awhile, they turn into mutant plants - tall spindly things with few leaves. I am trying to revive these guys:

So long astro's love toy. it was falling apart and inconveniencing guests when astro would try to hump it on their lap. for serious.

getting a family photo is turning out to be harder than i thought it would be. aside from crazy hair, cranky S, and crazy astro, Mikes is the hardest to actually get in the shot. doesn't he realize it's my birthday month and he's supposed to do everything i ask??

Date Night

2011-12-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

Back in the summer, I got a livingsocial deal to a local restaurant (The Wild Grape). Mikes and I finally used it last night. Yum! Mike had some really delicious gnocchi and I had a tasty burger. A tiny bit on the pricy side, but I have never had a bad dish there!

S had a great time with grandpa D!

Hangin Out

2011-12-06T17:21:00.001-07:00

Practice a little solo sitting, hang out with the daddos, this little kiddo has it goood.

On another note, we've enjoyed having grandpa Don around these past few days. He is even going to watch S tonight so Mikes and I can get out on a date! Hooray for family!

Found

2011-12-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

One lambie hat and One bottom tooth

Guess it wasn't just the baby cold waking her up at night!

First "solid" Food

2011-12-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

We decided to test out a little rice cereal last night. I think I ended up mixing 1 part cereal to 5 parts breastmilk, so it really wasn't much of a "solid."

Overall, I think she liked it! About half dribbled out of her mouth and she kept trying to grab the spoon, so next time, I'm going to pick up one of those plastic scoop bibs first.

Her baby cold is starting to wear off. She slept from 8pm to 7am last night - so she's starting to return to her old schedule. Aside from the baby cold, we thought teething might be waking her up at night. She still chews on her fingers a lot, but she's been doing that for about 3 weeks now and no teeth popping through.

Grandpa Don is in town to hit the slopes and managed to capture her first eating experience on film. Here's the link:

Soryn's 1st Solid Food

Miscellaneous:

Man oh man, I really miss the days when she would take her binks... she stopped about two months ago and will have nothing to do with it anymore. Doesn't astro look like a toy dog in the corner there?

Dad spends more time with S the older she gets.

Buddies

2011-12-02T15:50:00.001-07:00

He loves to give her kisses, she likes to grab his throat, ears and feet... already best buds.

Happy December!

2011-12-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

December is one of my favorite months... because it's my birthday month! Woot woot! As anyone born in the month of December knows, I always get jipped on presents. The birthday/Christmas combo used to bother me when I was young, but I've gotten use to it now. However, I have not ceased to do the two week countdown to my birthday. So here we go... Two Weeks to my 29th Birthday!

I feel lucky to have such a cute, healthy baby. S gets more and more interactive every day. She actually laughed at astro yesterday!

A couple days a week, a neighbor and friend from church watches S during the morning so I can get some work done for the professor. She is sooo great! Unfortunately, they can't have children of their own and their adoption recently fell through. So if you know anyone looking, send them to their profile: https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25589422/ourMessage.jsf

I'm sure Mikes thinks that his contribution to creating little S is my birthday/christmas gift this year. We often have conversations like this:

Me: S has such pretty blue eyes!

Mikes: You're welcome.

Nonetheless, there are a couple things I wouldn't mind receiving this year:

1. Pendelton Wool Messenger Bag - I think it'd be a great laptop bag (of course I will also be needing a new laptop since I must return my work one soon...)

2. Shoes - size 9

Not exactly sure what pair... maybe another cute Toms? or Uggs? or black dress shoes for work (flats or heel, just not open toed)?

3. Diploma frame - either from U of U for my J.D. or Hopkins for my upcoming MPH (although I guess I really should wait on that one until the deed is done)!

4. Miscellaneous: MP3 mixes to add to my collection - especially good work out mixes! Ebook gift certificates for my nook. Can't have enough of those plastic cups with the straw.

5. Surprise! The surprise gift can be tricky. It often gets re-gifted to other people, but if you happen to actually get something you like, the surprise gift can be the best!

No clothes on this years list! Not only am I back into my old jeans (admittedly, they're still a little snugger...), but I had a great time hitting up the shops in CT over thanksgiving with momma D.

Hair Loss

2011-11-29T10:06:00.001-07:00

Man oh man. I am shedding like crazy. Why you ask? Let me tell you...

Apparently, during pregnancy, the increased estrogen levels froze my hair in the growing/resting phase. So, hair that normally would fall out stayed put. Now that my estrogen levels are declining post partum, all that resting hair is falling out.

This is incredibly sad because after many years of hard work, my hair is finally long again and I really want to keep it long. Cross your fingers that the shedding stops soon, otherwise I may have to go for a short do in the new year...

On another note, poor S has a baby cold and has been waking up a couple times a night. It's back to the newborn days. Ok, maybe not that bad, but I hope she recovers soon!

baby toys

2011-11-28T12:37:00.001-07:00

It's been fun to see S develop. She tries to grab everything and loves playing with toys, including these bouncers.

Home again

2011-11-27T11:08:00.001-07:00

We had a great time back east! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for the trip, so I need to track down photos from other people.

This time around, it was harder for S to adjust to the time change back home. I think that's mainly due to the fact that we had to wake up at 4am yesterday and she hardly slept on the plane. I was struggling to keep her up till 7pm yesterday. I was also pooped and went to bed at 9:30p. Glad I did because she woke up twice last night.

I'm starting to get down the baby travelling. First time I flew with S, I used her baby carrier. Second time, we brought the stroller. The stroller is useful if you're going clothing shopping. Otherwise, next time I'll probably just use the carrier. S only likes being in her stroller if its moving. So half the time she wants out of it, leaving me holding her and pushing the stroller too. Even though they gate check strollers free of charge, they are still bulky and take up space in the car. Plus, I found out you can walk straight through the x-ray with your baby in the carrier - no need to take it off - the tsa just does the extra hand swipe on you.

S is pretty good on the plane. Although this last trip, she hardly slept. I bring a couple toys for her to play with and basically use my breast as a pacifier. It works, but she's literally attached to my boob at least half the flight. On the way home, I also had to change her diaper 4 times! Thank goodness planes have changing tables (Amtrak does NOT).

We are staying in SLC for Christmas, but good luck to all those moms out there travelling with babies for the holidays.

Leaving on an airplane

2011-11-15T09:15:00.001-07:00

We are headed back east for turkey day! I am super excited because we get to see both families on our trip. First, we fly into D.C. where my parents are and Mike is presenting at a criminal justice conference. My mom is even going to watch S a night so I can hang out with Mike downtown and have a slumber party (looking forward to that).

Next, we catch the train up to Connecticut to spend time with the Tananas. Mike will get to see his niece for the first time and S will meet some other family members too.

It is really hard trying to pack with a kid. This time I am bringing her stroller to get around the airport. Mike and I are on separate flights out. I'm crossing my fingers that S sleeps most the flight like last time... we'll see!

Family photo

2011-11-12T13:00:00.001-07:00

We don't have many pictures of our little family together, but I am intent on getting a good one for this year's Christmas card (which usually ends up being a New Year's card). I'm on the lookout for a cute outfit for this little girl:

Winter has arrived (it's snowing outside), so I also need to stock up on a few sweaters for S.

I have given up on shopping for Mike, he is so picky. If I'm lucky, his christmas/bday will include specific clothing items with links on where to purchase and in what size (hint hint).

Making out like a bandit...

2011-11-10T16:32:00.001-07:00

I'm basically unemployed right now. Sure, I still work with the professor one day a week, but my funding just ran out, so I'm "volunteering" now. I have one lead on a job, but until it (hopefully) pans out, our family income has dropped significantly. As a result, I have tried to be really good about limiting my shopping. It's been very hard to do.

There are still so many things I want to buy little S.... like a her jumperoo, a bumbo seat, and a cute new winter hat (since I can't find lambie right now). In order to afford these purchases I have started selling my maternity clothes on ebay. And let me tell you, I am making the big bucks. Well, enough to buy all said things above. I was pretty thrifty when I bought my maternity clothes, so I've been able to sell some things for more than I paid!

An entertained, warm baby is a happy baby. And a happy baby makes a happy momma.

Baby Screams

2011-11-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

S has started making some really weird noises lately, including her version of the baby scream.

She is quite the baby... generally she is pretty serious. I keep telling her that we are not a serious house, but that hasn't persuaded her yet to be more generous with her smiles. She is still fighting naptime, which only contributes to her daytime grumpiness, but at least she is a great nighttime sleeper!

Daylight Savings

2011-11-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

S goes to bed at 8pm. But with daylight savings, I am struggling to keep her up. So we went down to visit dad's office.

Helped him crunch some numbers

Chilled out on his lap

Said hello to astro

We just might make it to 7:30p...

Yum Yum fingers

2011-11-05T21:25:00.001-06:00

I swear she must be teething... She slobbers like crazy and loves to chew on everything, including fingers

Halloween

2011-11-05T21:10:00.001-06:00

We had a really mellow halloween this year. A few friends dropped by to see S in costume and we handed out some candy.

Felt kinda lame that we didn't hit up any parties, but sometimes it's nice to just hang out at home with the family.

S started out as a candy corn in orange and yellow, then tried on Astro's costume from last year, then ended the night in her flower outfit. Astro was a woodland critter.

More weekend fun

2011-11-01T21:53:00.004-06:00

We had such a great weekend with Emma in town. Aside from the half marathon, we got together with the other Smiths in the area...

yummy dinner with boo boo

walking around temple square

hanging out at the house

general good times.

LOVE family! We're really looking forward to heading back east in a couple weeks for turkey day! Mike and I are on separate flights out... hopefully S will sleep like she did last time!

Post-baby Half Marathon

2011-10-29T20:44:00.004-06:00

Did you think I could do it?! Honestly, I knew I'd finish, but I didn't think I'd be able to run the entire time, let alone beat my time from the Moab Other Half. Ok ok, so the race was downhill, but I'm still proud that I was able to do it. I had so much fun with Emma, and she really helped me push through the last two miles.

Of course we dressed up for the race (we did a cop/robber get up)! There were so many great costumes. Check out some of the photos:

This is my favorite...

beautiful Emma

crazy-eyed robber Emma

hahahhahahah. love it.

4 Months!

2011-10-27T19:08:00.000-06:00

My baby girl is 4 months old today.

Nutso.

She's starting to like tummy time a little more. Loves being held. Will hang on my boob for hours if I let her. Smiles at Mike. Stares at Astro. Makes lots of noises. Loves to eat her toes. Can flip from her tummy to back, but not vice versa without help. Is getting better at taking her daily naps. Loves to stand on her little legs.

I'm not quite sure what her personality will be like yet. Right now it just seems a little schizo - crazy how fast she goes from happy to baby tears. But I'm excited to see what happens next!

Hiking

2011-10-25T21:28:00.000-06:00

Baby Cold

2011-10-24T15:46:00.001-06:00

We had a great weekend. Kicked it off by sending grandma D some birthday love.

Then spent time with Auntie Lisa (pictures to come once I get them from her...). Unfortunately, by the end of the weekend, S caught a little cold. She's got a runny nose and a little bit of a cough. Fortunately she's not too grumpy. Just a little bit of this going on:

We blame Mike's coworker for catching a cold from his baby, going into the office and spreading it to Mikes, who then brought it back to the homefront.

Night of the Running Dead

2011-10-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

This weekend I talked some family into doing a little 5k. Last year, I ran as a "survivor." This year, I decided to be a zombie. I got our inspiration from Plants vs. Zombies:

This is what we pulled together (I ran out of time to track down floaties and a snorkel mask)

Aaron, Brian, and I ran while pregnant Farina stayed on the sidelines with little William. It was nice running with Aaron since he took turns pushing the jogger! They moved the venue this year, messed up the course, and were overall disorganized, but all in all, it was a lot of fun! Look forward to doing it again next year!

Smiley

2011-10-13T09:53:00.001-06:00

S smiles ALL the time now. She's also on the verge of laughing... any day now, I know she's going to bust out with a true laugh. Right now she squeals and does the big smile, silent laugh.

Unfortunately, it is hard to catch those adorable smiles on camera. It's easy to get the baby tears....

(so sad. but so cute.)

or the slightly grumpy look...

(already wearing her college apparel. awesome.)

She also likes looking in mirrors, I think our Christmas/New Years card photo may have to be taken this way.

(don't mind my scary smile here.)

On another note, it is tough to lose that post-baby weight! The first few weeks (ok, like 6 weeks), I hardly got off the couch! At first the weight drops on its own, but then I got stuck around 133lbs (I was about 123lbs pre-pregnancy). Once I started to really train for my upcoming half, I finally managed to get to my 130lbs October goal. But, I really need to fit in ab work outs to pull in the weird tummy bulge that won't seem to go away.

I'm super excited that my sister Emma is coming out for the half marathon. I've also talked my little brother Aaron into doing the Night of the Running Dead 5k with me on Saturday. It is not too late for you to join me on either of those! Sign up today!

Lately

2011-10-09T17:55:00.001-06:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love wearing layers, sipping a cup of tea, and sitting in the hot tub on cooler nights. Unfortunately, this past week was freezing! We had to turn on the heat and S and I spent most of out week indoors, out of the freezing cold rain/snow.

Despite the poor weather, I have been pretty good about keeping up with my runs. I don't think Mike thought I would use the treadmill when I bought it, but I have definitely gotten a ton of use out of it! Emma has a ticket to fly out for the race, so there is no backing out now!! This weekend S and I managed to get in a nice 7 mile run. My body is a little achy, but i'm feeling good and confident I can finish the race, especially with Emma by my side. She is such a great athlete! If you have any good costume ideas, let us know...

Here are some recent photos. Great visit from the parents. Really love that baby of mine.

Confession

2011-10-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

It's true... I have been known to say that sometimes I feel like a single parent. But that statement needs to be put into context. The first few weeks after S' arrival, Mikes and I were both in survival mode. I took care of all the feedings and Mikes took care of all the diaper changes. After I started to recover, I began to take over diaper changing, but still did most the feedings while juggling school and real work. Sometimes (frequently), I felt overwhelmed.

I don't get many breaks from S. Most the time I love spending the day with her. I love when she smiles at me, when she grabs my finger, when she talks (coos) back and forth with me. I don't love when she can't get herself to nap but is really tired and therefore cranky pants, or when I go to bed too late and am really tired when she wakes up at 4:30 am instead of 6am.

I wish Mikes could do more, but he can't breastfeed and until I return to work, he's got to get his afternoon naps in to get his work done and make the monies.

So really, my life is nothing like a single parent...parenthood is just more work than I thought it would be. Everyday gets a little better, but there is no way I could raise little S without Mikes and there is no one else I would want to have a baby with than Mike!

Baby Blessing

2011-10-03T17:52:00.000-06:00

We took advantage of having my dad in town to give S a baby blessing this past weekend. It was full of delicious food, friends and family, and general good times. S sure is one loved little girl!

3 months

2011-09-30T14:02:00.003-06:00

Holy moly. My baby is 3 months old.

She is much more interactive,

stuffs everything in her mouth,

and loves jelly cat.

overnight...

2011-09-30T14:00:00.000-06:00

... without the baby!! woo-hoo! My parents are in town and watched S for us so Mike and I could use our free night stay at the Cliff Lodge. It was pretty awesome.

We turned off our cell phones and spent some quality time together. Of course I missed our little S and still had to pump, but overall it was a great night away. Be sure to get your Snowbird ski pass early and you too could enjoy a little mountain getaway for free.

Weekend!

2011-09-23T21:10:00.001-06:00

excited for some weekend fun! I finally am caught up on everything. Big thanks to my sister farina for watching s while I worked on a school midterm.
Hoping to get a long run in tomorrow to train for the half marathon that is rapidly approaching! Still time to sign up if you want to join me and Emma!

Lately

2011-09-17T11:54:00.001-06:00

The daddos watched S while I attended a CLE on Family law. My fellowship at the University of Utah ended. I still work with a law professor one day a week, but there has been talk about moving towards opening a family law practice with a friend. Last time, Mikes watched S while I went swimming and it was a disaster. This time, things went a little better.

After not being in the hot tub for almost a year, I've rejoined Mikes a couple times a week. Sometimes we bring S out to enjoy the different scene. The other day, it was a little chilly, so I put on her lambie hat.

With S' new and improved attention span, we've been doing more storytime reading. This is the spot. This chair has been awesome. I think I would've given up breastfeeding in the middle of the night long ago without it.

PS. for those curious, of course we used one of the stencils from wallovers.com for S' room (Maya's reverse). I love those stencils.

We've also been working on our communication skills.

Sleepy time

2011-09-16T15:07:00.002-06:00

This is my little scooter. We always place her in the middle of the bed, but by morning she has somehow managed to rotate 90 degrees and scoot to the end.

The past two nights, she's gone to bed between 8-8:30p and stayed asleep until 6:30/7am. Awesome. Keep your fingers crossed that this is a new trend.

2 Month Checkup

2011-09-14T17:20:00.001-06:00

Today we had S' two month check up. We were supposed to have it two weeks ago, but had to reschedule due to our trip out east.

According to the Dr., we have a perfect baby girl. She is looking great and hits the 50th percentile on all the scales. She also received four vaccinations. Oh, her poor little thighs!

Fortunately, she is still amused by the soft books. Big thanks to Gramma D for sending the latest edition to help her forget her sore thighs.

Side note: Flu vaccinations are out! I had mine today and I hope you will get yours too, as well as your tetanus shot (especially if you come into contact with my baby) --> this is mainly intended for my family, who I always get sick from whenever I visit in the winter.

Good times

2011-09-13T20:53:00.001-06:00

The Carter house front door is always open to friends and family. So, S and I packed up, picked up my little brother, and joined the Carters for dinner last Sunday.

Sydney LOVES S and always asks to hold her. Man oh man. I totally remember when Syd was born! Time flies.

On another note, the boo boo is single and currently looking for a sugar momma to feed him today and put him through med school tomorrow. Let me know if you know anyone who fits that description.

Why so sad?

2011-09-11T16:53:00.002-06:00

She loved looking at her new soft book earlier in the day

But the thought of the weekend ending so quickly clearly made her upset in her sleep during naptime.

Avenues Street Fair

2011-09-10T16:07:00.002-06:00

I look forward to the Avenues Street Fair every year.

I love stopping by my friend Elizabeth's booth and buying a few things (she sends the proceeds back to her native Kenya). I also pick up the usual stock of gourds for my dad. Then, we get something yummy to eat (this year it was a Navajo taco, since I'm so bad at making them myself, and a snow cone). Usually I love looking at the jewelry, but when Mikes is with me, I can't linger too long. I only picked up one bracelet.

Really wanted one of these, but Mikes says we've reached maximum capacity in S' room.... Lisa, please let me help with your baby shower so I can decorate with fabric garlands.

Now we are home relaxing with the family. We made it before the big downpour. Hooray!

Lovin' the weekend so far.

Morning Routine

2011-09-09T21:26:00.001-06:00

S usually wakes up between 3:30-4:30am. If her second wake up is after 7am, I feed her and change her out of her pjs (if not, we go back to bed for a couple hours). She is super cute in the morning and full of energy.

Then I get myself a little breakfast and check my email.

Usually S chills in her chair, but lately she's taken to reading. No joke. She LOVES that book. I'm on the hunt for more like it tomorrow.

On another note, I am having more breastfeeding woes. This time it's diminished supply! Nooo! I'm not sure if it's the IUD, the fact that I've had my period almost non-stop since said IUD, stress, or what, but I'm barely producing enough and a few days have had to supplement with a few ounces of formula. I'm going to try a few things to get my production up. Hopefully I won't have to get the IUD out (my doctor said decreased milk supply could be a side effect). And really, if that ends up being the culprit, I'm not sure that I would want to take it out... Every time we've used formula I'm amazed at how much easier it is compared to breastfeeding. But if I can, I'd like to continue breastfeeding (who would've ever thought I'd say that??). Guess we'll see!

Reading Time

2011-09-07T21:05:00.003-06:00

Grandma D got S some super cute toys/books while we were in CT. Included in the loot is a farm animal soft book.

S loves it. So much, she started crying when we moved it out of her sight.

Astro also loves it, too bad he can't read.

Of course S loves her momma so much, I was still able to get her attention, briefly.

Who me?

2011-09-05T13:23:00.012-06:00

That's right. This little bugga-boo has taken over my life! I can't get anything productive done... well, almost anything. It just takes me about 4x longer than it normally would.

Ex. The Nursery.

This took f-o-r-e-v-e-r! But now that S is 2 months old, it is finally finito.

When we moved in:

When we renovated:

Now:

I am desperately searching for someone to watch S for the next few weeks so I can finish up some work projects and look for a new job. If you know anyone in the avenues/sugarhouse/downtown SLC area, let me know.

As awesome as the pups is, he's not quite old enough to babysit.

Glad to be home again

2011-09-04T14:41:00.001-06:00

Missing the hubby/daddos

2011-08-31T19:41:00.002-06:00

2000

2011

11 years + 1 dog + 1 baby = the tananas

life is pretty, pretty good

MIA

2011-08-30T11:18:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts... I got on a train at 5am Saturday, hunkered down with the Tananas during the hurricane, and became stranded in CT since Amtrak has yet to get it together. If there's any place I could choose to get stuck, it would definitely be CT. S and I have been having a great little vacation. We even got to meet the latest Tanana edition: Charley!

Unfortunately, we need to make it back to Salt Lake eventually. So, if the trains aren't back by tomorrow, Momma J may need to do a rescue mission!

During our time out east, S turned 2 months old! Holy moly. My baby girl is growing up. She now sleeps 6-7 hours regularly (thank goodness). And, she suddenly started smiling up a storm and seems to be awake all day long (although maybe that's why she's been a little more cranky pants these past few days...). Travelling solo is hard, but she's been a super trooper!

Union station

2011-08-26T16:40:00.001-06:00

My mom had a train tix that needs to be used before the end of august so we zipped over to union station to see if I could catch a train to ct. Unfortunately we were not fast enough to catch the last train..but we did get to enjoy tummy station food!

And there's a chance I can get out tomorrow am before the hurricane hits. Keep your fingers crossed!

Auntie love

2011-08-25T18:13:00.001-06:00

S sure loves all the attention she's getting in md! I'm loving my new smartphone. I have a baby app to help me keep track of feedings and such. It is crazy how much of my day is taken up by this little person...

First Plane Ride

2011-08-25T08:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday S and I caught a last minute flight to Maryland - big thanks to my big brother Ben for donating his miles so that S could meet the rest of her family.

I was a little anxious of travelling solo, but S was a trooper! She slept most of the flight and got many comments on her cuteness. Travelling with an infant is awesome because everyone is so nice to you, including security! We got to cut in line at security and board the plane first.

I hope the return flight is just as great!

Smiley Face... Cranky Pants

2011-08-19T14:25:00.005-06:00

I had my IUD-placement appointment Thursday. Super excited that I don't have to remember to take a pill every single day and 50% chance that I won't even have a period...although that is kinda freaky. As annoying as periods are, having them regularly made me feel like everything was good and normal.

Anyway... at my appointment, the Dr. asked if S was smiling a lot yet. At the time, I replied that we usually get one smile a day, but a lot of scrunched eyebrow serious faces.

Well Friday was smiley face crazy day. Unfortunately, I misplaced my camera and didn't get a replacement phone until the smiles were all gone.

Today is cranky pants day. Nothing seems to make S happy. A lot of boo-hooing going on. And let me tell you, nothing is sadder than baby tears.

Blue Eyes

2011-08-16T18:43:00.006-06:00

Yes, yes... eye color can change. But right now, S has some pretty serious blue eyes. If you can recall your high school biology, I'm a Bb and Mikes is a bb. Therefore, our kids have a 50% chance of getting the blue eyes (courtesy of my mom and the Tananas). Looks like S' are here to stay and if not, it'll be a crazy transition to brown.

7 Weeks

2011-08-15T09:51:00.004-06:00

Time keeps flying by! I can't believe it's already the middle of August. Nutso.

Last night was awesome. S slept until 4:30a and then woke up again around 8:30a. There was a crazy windstorm going on last night, so I think it helped soothe her to sleep. Who knows. But whatever it was, I hope it happens again.

I picked up my gym pass and am ready to start Operation Get Back in Shape. Tried to go running, but had to stop after 10 min because S woke up from her nap. Even though I didn't feel like my insides were going to fall out, I did find out I need to wear at least two sports bras (or a sports bra and then a support tank). I think I could use some cute new work out clothes for motivation. Momma D recommends LuluLemon and after checking them out online (still need to make my way to the SLC store), I have to agree! These are some of my favorites:

Baby Shoe Socks

2011-08-15T09:25:00.004-06:00

I need to get me some of these...

how cute are those? A few friends' babies have got them. S needs to get in on this trend.

Attack of the Bees

2011-08-14T10:53:00.002-06:00

I hate bees. I haven't been stung since I was 7 years old, but whenever I see one, I worry that it'll attack me. After all these years, my fears were validated when Mikes was attacked while climbing. A long lost Dartmouth friend was driving cross country with his sister and stopped through Salt Lake. Mikes decided to take them climbing in Big Cottonwood. Our friend and his sister safely made it up and down the route. However, when Mike started to ascend, all of a sudden a swarm of bees came out of nowhere and started to sting him. I think he was stung 5 times before making it back to the ground. One sting happened to be on his eyebrow, which then caused his eye to swell up. Despite icing it and taking benadryl, Mikes woke up with his eye swollen shut!

Of course that did not prevent us from going out to eat later with some friends.

Today, his eye is still a little swollen, but looking much better.

Growing Up

2011-08-14T10:40:00.002-06:00

Almost 7 weeks old, S has outgrown her newborn size clothes. She has her grouchy mornings every now and then (like her dad), but continues to be such a great baby. She goes to bed between 8-9pm and wakes up for feeding no. 1 between 1-2 am, then again for feeding no 2 between 6-7am. Usually neither of us are ready to get up then, so she goes back down for another 2 hours or so.

We also get out of the house a couple days a week to meet up with friends. Last week we hit the pool with the Parsons and Carters. S is a little too young to be in the water, so she stayed in the shade (sleeping) while I got to lay out in the sun (reading). Hopefully we'll get to go back soon!

Supposedly around this age, you can start to tell what she wants by the different cries she makes. So far, I can only differentiate "I want some attention" cry from "I'm really angry" cry. She's also started to make little cooing noises, which are super cute, but hard to catch on camera.

Siblings

2011-08-09T16:02:00.004-06:00

Mikes and I have had many talks about how many children we want. One of my main reasons for wanting another one (can you believe I still want another one after the horrible recovery??) is to give S a sibling. I love having so many siblings. I have a different relationship with each one. With boo-boo coming home from Argentina next week, I'm reminded of how those relationships evolve over the years. When Mikes and I first met, boo-boo was only 10 years old. I would come home from college every once in awhile to babysit him (and Farina, Emma & Hanna) for my parents over the weekend. Now, he's 21! As we've all gotten older, a lot of my siblings have turned into really good friends.

I know not everyone gets along with their siblings... in fact, I have had my fair share of being mean to a sister/brother, as well as being hurt in return, but overall, I'm really glad to have them! Everyone in my family calls my mom at least once a week to chat. My new goal is to call my siblings (and dad) more often to chat. So if you're related to me and reading this, heads up!

6 weeks...and doin' good

2011-08-08T22:32:00.002-06:00

met this fun lady and another friend for lunch

good times

i had my postpartum check-up and things are looking good. i'm cleared to start exercising again. looking forward to hitting up the pool and finally using our hot tub again!! need motivation to get in shape? join me in training for the provo canyon halloween half marathon! it's going to be great.

Weekend fun

2011-08-07T10:59:00.003-06:00

S and I got out of the house this weekend. First, we had lunch with some of my lawyer lady friends on friday. Saturday, we attempted to go to the Arts Festival up in Park City, but it was a mad house so we abandoned ship. Instead, we went out to dinner with friends in Salt Lake. Overall, she was a super trooper.

Mike has been thinking about getting away on a camping trip, but I told him he would have to take one of our children with him: S or Astro. We'll see whether he still ends up going. In the meantime, he usually makes sure to spend some Daddy time with S.

I just ran out of maternity leave which means I am working from home the rest of the month (until my fellowship ends). Who knows what will happen after that - I'm keeping an eye out for interesting jobs as well as good day cares/nannies. But, I have to admit.... I kinda like being home with S and watching her grow. The amount of love I have for this little girl has finally overcome the exhaustion and horribleness of the first few weeks.

2011-08-03T20:09:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I don't want to do tummy time

Sucking on my fist makes me feel a little better

But I love my binks most

Little of this Little of that

2011-08-01T18:26:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we take walks down to the library. Sometimes we watch a little bachelorette.

Practice a little head lifting

And make funny faces

First Tanana Cousin!

2011-08-01T18:08:00.004-06:00

Hooray to Chris and Cat! Their little girl arrived this morning: Charley Grace Tanana. We are super excited for S to have a cousin her age to play with at the family events.

Lately

2011-07-27T18:38:00.004-06:00

Just doin' a little tummy time

Adios blonde hair, I'll miss you.

Hello dark brown.

Hard to remember exactly what my natural hair color is anymore...

1 month

2011-07-26T19:59:00.002-06:00

My little S is a month old! I can't believe it. Right after the delivery, I seriously thought I would never recover. But I find that 4 is the magic number. I'm feeling really good and love spending time with my girl. I still need to get better at managing my time and getting naps in, but overall, things are pretty great.

And for those curious, breastfeeding is going much much better. I'm still pumping on the side so that Mike can feed her one bottle a day and get in some good daddy quality time.

Hoping to get the nursery finished up this week. S is such a noisy sleeper, we moved her to her nursery as soon as the baby monitor arrived and we got a rocker (big thanks to the grandmas!). But I still need to finish a tiny corner of stenciling and get stuff up on the walls...

Who done it?

2011-07-25T11:33:00.003-06:00

This past week, poor little S came down with some type of rash on her chin. We had our neighbor/doctor friend Keith take a look and while it's nothing to worry about, I've been trying to track down the culprit. At first I thought it might be a blanket that hadn't been washed... nope. So now, I'm thinking maybe it's related to my dairy or soy intake. So for the next little while I am going to cut out the soy and limit the dairy and refined sugars.

This is a sad day for me. I am a huge milk drinker and love my chocolate soy milk. But with my mom gone, my dessert intake should decrease from 3/day to 1/week. I'm sorry, mom. I love you, but I always gain weight when you're here.

Muuuchas Gracias!

2011-07-24T15:21:00.003-06:00

Big thanks to both my mom and D&D for coming out to visit. It was really great to not only see family, but to have the extra help with S as well! For some reason, I never have any pictures to post of D&D's visit - probably because we were out and about having fun.

Mike and his dad went hiking a few times and of course Donna and I managed to drop by the local shopping scene. It was incredibly depressing trying on clothes for myself, so my purchases primarily consisted of nursing tops. But I did score a cute anthro skirt and top for my date night with Mike. We found a great babysitter and were able to go to the (free) Decemberist concert downtown.

Can't believe that my baby girl is almost 1 month old. Time really flies by! Looking forward to August when S' cousin on the Tanana side will arrive and she'll also get to meet Uncle Boo-Boo back from his mission in Argentina, as well as my dad. Hopefully she'll get to meet everyone else at Thanksgiving when we head back east.

Pool Party

2011-07-23T16:46:00.003-06:00

Got out of the house yesterday to celebrate my nephew Williams' 1st birthday at the pool! S and I stayed in the shade and had a good time chatting with friends and family.

Will is a little young, but I couldn't resist getting him this for his birthday:

What the what?! A navajo code talker G.I. Joe?! That's right. I'm a pretty awesome auntie.

All the house guests have returned to the east. I told Mike I'm going to try out a new schedule next week. At almost 4 weeks, I'm feeling pretty good, but need to find a way to eat and get dressed before 1pm.

Nordstroms Anniversary Sale

2011-07-23T16:43:00.002-06:00

Going on now - check it out!

We did and scored new shoes for everyone in the family, including these:

3 weeks old

2011-07-18T12:56:00.004-06:00

Where does the time go? Despite feeling like I was never going to survive past week 1, I now find that it has been 3 weeks since S' arrival and I am feeling MUCH better! Still sleepy all the time and can't wait to shed the last 10-15lbs, but I think I'm going to make it.

Enjoying the Weekend

2011-07-17T15:59:00.001-06:00

Switcheroo of the Grandmas

2011-07-14T20:54:00.003-06:00

S is super lucky to have awesome grandparents on both sides. My mom has been such a huge help to me these past few weeks. With 8 kids in the family, I feel really spoiled to have had her pretty much to myself. I seriously would never eat if it weren't for my mom being around and cooking for me. So a big thanks to Mammy J!

Tomorrow, Mammy J will be replaced by Momma D! Not sure what I'll do when all the extra help leaves and we're on our own...

Photo shoot

2011-07-14T20:42:00.004-06:00

Liv sent me a couple preview shots...

really love that baby of mine.

Lunch Date

2011-07-13T20:53:00.003-06:00

I sure like these ladies. S was a tropper today and ventured out to have lunch with some friends and to visit family down south.

It still takes us awhile to get ready and out of the house, but at least we're feeling good enough to get out!

S' first photo shoot

2011-07-13T10:03:00.002-06:00

Sunday afternoon I got together with my girls for a little hanging out time and to take pictures of S. Unfortunately, I totally forgot the super cute hair accessories I had bought just for said picture taking. boo. Nonetheless, it still turned out to be a fun time, and we can always take more pictures later!

Surprised that I got out of the house for 4 hours with the kiddo? me too! But I'm glad I did because it was really nice to see some friendly faces and the conversation is always great.

Big thanks to Linds for opening her house to us and Liv for her photography skills.

Pictures to come.

2 weeks old

2011-07-11T13:20:00.002-06:00

Hooray!

Etsy Finds

2011-07-11T10:55:00.005-06:00

I love browsing etsy whenever I get a spare moment...

how cute are these?

Lou and Lee's newborn

bows
and

flowers

I always say I'm going to make stuff like this, but lets get real. I just don't have the time. So hooray for etsy where you can buy cute homemade items from other people instead!