Kate Spade Party

Thursday evening Allie and I attended another Kate Spade party.  Food, drinks, and an extra 20% off everything in the store- how could we say no?  I will have to admit, the party wasn't quite as good as the one we attended back in December.  You can read all about that party here.  The store wasn't as decked out with extravagant decor and the food and drinks were minimal. It was still fun though.  Since we don't really get out much at night these days, this was a real treat for me.  Thanks to my sweet husband for staying home with Anniston.  (Although she was ready for bed by the we left so all he really had to do was put her in her crib.)

I had not planned on buying anything but when I saw this bag it was love at first site.  How cool looking is this? I love that it's a crossbody (hands free people!!!), I love that it has a chain strap to dress it up a little, and I love the "cork" look to dress it down a little.  I mean, this bag will go with anything and everything!  At least that's what I told Brandon when he asked what I bought.  He did not agree- I got an eye roll instead.

I don't even think this collection is out yet.  The sales lady told us this had just arrived and they were only putting it out for the party.  Score!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

This week has started off great!  I'm finally getting some things checked off my to-do list, I'm spending time with Anniston, and I've made some decisions and come to peace about a few things.

(one)  I'm loving that I got started on shopping for Anniston's birthday party yesterday.  Please don't tell my husband I'm starting this early (her birthday isn't until October!) because I'm pretty sure he will send me off to a crazy house. I don't think of it as crazy- I see myself as SO.ON.TOP.OF.THINGS.  If you follow me on Pinterest you can probably get a clue on what the theme is.  I've been pinning away then saving everything that I find (websites, pictures) in an Evernote folder with notes to myself.  I've categorized everything into subfolders labeled food, decor, where to buy stuff, etc.  I had a few ideas of things that I really wanted to find but I knew actually finding it was going to be hit or miss.  I was in luck yesterday!  Check out these great finds (all found for very cheap):

(two)  I'm loving that I am getting some projects done this week- but at the same time realizing that I just can't do everything that I want to do or that I find is cute.  I really wanted to do a day in the life photo book that I saw on Pinterest.  This just is not going to happen.  I tried on Monday, but Anniston is at a stage now where she gets bored very easily so I was constantly having to do different things to entertain her.  I ended up getting frustrated that I couldn't take all the pictures that I wanted and then realized "who cares!"  Yes, it would've been fun to do but not to the point that I get stressed and end up taking time away from her and her needs.  I feel much better now that I have come to that realization and have that taken off my plate!  I am, however, working on a photo book (a much easier project) of her first 6 months.  I wanted a collection of photos in a book so that I have them to look at instead of on my blog or computer.  Maybe I will do a day in the life on my blog instead of the book- that will be an easier task with the same concept.

(three)  I'm loving some J Crew- surprise, surprise!  I have been debating about getting some colored ballet flats and I finally broke down and purchased some. They should be arriving this week sometime!

(four)  I'm loving that I'm getting organized this week.  I ordered some memo/menu boards off Etsy last week and I hope to get them in this week.  I'm planning a chore list (sometimes you just have to write it down for the husband to know he has to do it) and a menu planner.  I'm really going to try to stick to the menu planner.  I find if I don't plan ahead then we end up getting take out because I'm just too dang tired at night.  Hopefully, I can prepare stuff on Sunday and take care of that problem!

(five)  I'm loving Anniston's new chair I bought from Pottery Barn!  Look how darn cute she looks sitting up in it like a big girl!

(six)  And finally, I'm loving that I made a decision about the St. Jude Marathon in December- and have come to peace with it.  I originally wanted to try to run the half marathon (my first ever).  I have decided that it's just not going to happen for me this year.  It would require quite a bit of training for me, since I'm only running about 3 miles here and there right now.  That's about all I have time for anyway.  I could see myself having a training schedule, getting sidetracked with Anniston, work, and just life in general and then getting upset and stressed because I was behind. At that point it would not have been fun anymore.  Right now I'm having fun running- I go when I can and when it's convenient.  I clear my head and work up a little sweat- but I don't get upset when it doesn't happen.  I also didn't want training for this to take away from other things in my life.  I work full time and have a 6 month old- "my time" is pretty limited.  If I were to really focus on St. Jude, other things (like blogging, doing projects, and, heck, sometimes just being lazy) were going to fall by the wayside.  I'd rather do a little of everything!  There is always next year- maybe by then the situation will be different and I will have better learned how to fit in all the things I love to do.  Right now I'm still learning how to give a little to everything- my husband, my job, myself, and most importantly, Anniston.  Don't get me wrong- I'm still going to run as much as I can.  Hopefully, I can go with Allie on her training runs some days.  I just have to learn that I cannot do it all!

Weekend Rewind!

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up today with Tami from Little Moments Like This for Weekend Rewind.  I really am happy it's Monday today because this is my VACATION week!  My vacation officially started on Saturday and it was so nice to be able to spend the day at home with Brandon and Anniston.  Brandon and I really haven't spent much time together with Anniston since he's been home- I had to work all last weekend and I also worked the late shift 3 nights this past week in order to pay back my co-workers for closing for me while Brandon was in Tulsa.

Saturday was Brandon's day to "sleep in" so I got up with Anniston that morning.  I really didn't mind- she's been doing much better at sleeping and I kind of enjoy getting up early (when I've gotten a substantial amount of sleep during the night) so I can get a few chores out of the way before our day begins.  Anniston and I played, I did the dishes, cleaned her bottles, put in a load of laundry- and all before Brandon woke up at 7:30!  Brandon and I had a date night planned for Saturday night.  Bebe and Papa (Brandon's dad and stepmom) kept Anniston for us.  We had dinner and went to see "The Lucky One."  The movie was great (the book better) and my husband was a trooper for making it through a chick flick without complaining!  It was nice to get dressed up in normal clothes that aren't either scrubs or workout attire.  Here is my "outfit of the night."

top: J Crew; white denim jeans: J Crew; ballet flats: J Crew; bracelets: J Crew, Target, Accessory Auctions----can you tell I LOVE J Crew?


Sunday morning was my morning to sleep in so I was feeling good when I got up.  I squeezed in a quick 2 mile run before we headed out to Target and Costco.  We rarely shop as a family so this was a real treat for us.  Anniston was able to sit up in the cart for the first time and she had so much fun people watching.  My mom and dad came in town that afternoon and while they were playing with Anniston, Allie and I went biking.  It's been a long time since I've been able to bike (being pregnant and all!) so it was nice to get out on our magnificent greenline and soak in the sun!  Mom and Dad brought Anniston a little outdoor swing and slide set and I think she liked it!

That evening we went to eat at Swanky's- one of our favorite taco shops here in town.  When we arrived, Anniston had worked up a good little surprise in her diaper for me.  I don't know what it is about going out to restaurants, but if she's ever constipated I know what to do!  Seriously- it was everywhere- on her bloomers and on the carseat!  Thank goodness my mom was there to help me in the bathroom to clean her and the carseat up!  We still had a fun time and Anniston was in a great mood after that!  What a great weekend to kick off what is sure to be a fun week!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

1.  I'm my loving that my husband is back in town.  It's so nice having some help with Anniston again so I can have a little break.  I think I see a date night in our very near future- yay!

2.  I'm loving this "Week in the Life" photo book idea.  I found this on Pinterest and I think I'm going to try and do this next week.  I love how this captures your day to day activities and moments rather than the big and special events that always get documented.

Source: tellyourstoryeveryday.com via Kelly on Pinterest

3.  I'm loving my sis's awesome photography skills!  She just keeps getting better and better.  And I do love that she "practices" on Anniston.  Here are some from the other day:

4.  I'm loving that my vacation starts on Saturday!  I have an entire week off!  I'm going to work on some projects, start organizing my ideas for A's birthday party, spend some quality time playing with Anniston, have a date night with the hubby, and probably take a little bit of time out for me as well.  I might get a pedicure, a massage, a spray tan- who knows?  I can't wait!

5.  I'm loving my jogging stroller!  I've taken A out in it to actually jog several times now.  It was harder than I expected.  Yesterday though I ran 2 miles without stopping- and that included going up a hill!  She loves it as well.  She likes to people watch while just sitting back and relaxing.  I'm so glad I got one of these strollers.  It gives me no excuse not to get out there and run since I can take Anniston with me.

6. And lastly, I'm loving this pin from Pinterest.  So true.

Source: memebase.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Play Dates

I had yesterday and today off work and Anniston and I have been two busy girls!  We had a checkup yesterday morning for her ears (everything checked out great!), made a little trip to Target (with a very large bill), and then headed out to see my friend Emily and her two daughters for our first play date!

Emily and I graduated pharmacy school together and I am so glad we have kept in touch through the years.  She has a 2 year old (Olivia) and a 4 week old (Ava).  We had so much fun catching up!  Miss Olivia is so cute and at such a fun age.  She showed me her room and her toys and told me that she is a big help with Ava.  Little Ava is a such a doll- and so tiny!  I didn't know how well the "play date" was going to go with a 4 week old, a 6 month old, and a 2 year old but we did really well!  Anniston was in a good mood and Ava slept most of the time!  Here are a couple of pics I snapped:

This morning we had another play date with my friend Amanda and her 10 week old, Bridger.  And I forgot to take pictures!  We had fun hanging out at our house and playing.  Every time Bridger would cry Anniston would stare at him and raise her eyebrows as if to say, "Whatcha crying for?  Be happy!"  This afternoon we had Anniston's 6 month check up and shots.  Allie went with me since Brandon is still out of town.  Anniston did great with the shots- she only cried for a few minutes. She weighed 19.7 lbs and was 26 in long.  Our doctor was very pleased with her stats and development!  Yay!

A at the doctor- she loves the paper sheets they lay out on the examining table!

On another note- Anniston is now mobile!  She's not crawling just yet but she has figured out how to "scoot" backwards and turn herself a complete 180!  I cannot leave her alone for a second!  We have a pretty big playmat that covers the entire center area of our living room.  I can put her at one side and within a matter of seconds she can be on the other side about to roll or scoot off of it!  She can even get herself up on all fours and a rock back and forth.  Then she gets frustrated that she can't go anywhere!  This all happened practically overnight!  I can't wait for Brandon to get home (he comes back tomorrow!) so he can see her do this.  I sent him a video the other day showing him what all she can now do and he was amazed that this all has happened since he's been gone.  She also reached for me when I held out my hands to her tonight for the VERY FIRST TIME!  I cannot express how excited this makes me.  I've been trying to get her to do it for weeks and Brandon always laughs at me when she doesn't do it.   I can't wait to show him when he gets home!  She did it several times tonight while Aunt Allie was holding her and once when she was in her exersaucer.

We sent Daddy a little message yesterday and he LOVED it.  He told me later he showed it to all his coworkers!

I am SO glad Brandon will be home tomorrow night.  While I missed him so much, I am also glad Anniston and I got some one-on-one time with each other.  I have had so much fun with her these past two weeks and have enjoyed getting her all to myself.  I've also missed her more than usual when I'm away from her at work.  I think we have bonded on another level since Brandon has been gone.  Nevertheless, I will be SO READY to see my honey tomorrow night!

Baby Essentials- Anniston's Favorite Things (0-6 months)

I've seen a few other people do this and I love reading what they find to be must haves for their baby.  Everyone is different and I found that I agreed with some things and disagreed with others.  It's interesting to see such diverse lists out there.  I thought I would do my own because, hey, it might be nice to look back on and reference for baby #2!  I'm grouping the first 6 months together for the first post.

Bright Starts Infant Activity Mat

We loved our tummy time during the first 5 months or so.  After that this wasn't enough space for her to play on.  We are about to put this up and I've ordered one of the bigger playmats with the interlocking pieces.  I can't wait to put it down so that Anniston will have plenty of room to roll around and play with her toys.

Tommee Tippee Bottles

When breastfeeding didn't work out so well we went in search of a bottle that was good for acid reflux and gas, since she seemed to have problems with these the first couple of months.  I know Dr. Brown's is a very popular choice, but we decided to go with these and I think they worked pretty well.  They have a vent in the nipple to help with air flow which, in turn, is supposed to help with gas and colic.  We are still using them now.  They are a little on the expensive side but we use our coupons at Babies R Us and watch for when they run a 20 % off discount on Tommee Tippee items.

Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump

I exclusively pumped for the first 6 weeks and I am so glad I had this pump.  It was amazing!  My sister gave it to me as a baby gift at one of my showers.  I loved this pump- actually pumping though was a different story!  Ha!

Pacifiers

Anniston would take the soothie pacifiers for the first month or two.  After that, she lost interest in them.  She seemed to need something to suck on in order to satisfy that urge but she didn't like any of the ones we tried.  I FINALLY found one she would take.  Actually, her babysitter is the one who found it (gotta love her!)  Of course, it is so hard to find the Playtex Binky pacifiers in stores.  I have to order most of them.  I think she likes this one because of it's straight nipple.


Graco Pack n Play

We decided against buying a changing table for her nursery because I wanted to go ahead and buy furniture that could grow with her instead of buying something that we would only get a little use out of.  I bought a pack n play that had a changing station attached to it.  I LOVED this.  First of all, I set this up in a corner in our living room and it was very convenient to change her diaper there instead of having to go back to her nursery every time.  We still use it now.  I love that it has a place for her diapers and two compartments to keep diaper changing essentials close by.  Now we use the pack n play as a play yard and she loves getting in there and rolling around with her toys.  Also- this isn't the exact one I have, but I do have a black and white damask print to match the decor in my living room:)

Fisher Price Snugabunny Swing (aka the Magic Swing)

I cannot express my love for this product enough.  It is truly a MIRACLE worker.  Anniston absolutely loved this starting from about 3-4 weeks on.  This is the only way I could get her to sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time during the first couple of months.  She still uses it.  The wiring got messed up in ours about a month or two ago and I about had a panic attack.  I couldn't get it to turn on!  Thankfully, my mom had also bought one to keep at her house, so she gave us theirs.  Whew!  It's going to be a sad day when she outgrows it!

Pampers Baby Dry Diapers

A friend told me about these super absorbent diapers when Anniston was about a month old.  I had no idea they even made these!  I love these for night time use.  They absorb more so she doesn't get as uncomfortable when she wets in the middle of the night!

Zip Up Sleepers

Anniston wears these to sleep in at night.  I only buy the ones that zip up- not the button down kind.  I cannot imagine trying to line up the snaps in the middle of the night while you change a diaper.  Surprisingly, these are hard to find.  It baffles me.  When I do find some, I stock up in several different sizes!

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumparoo

A LOVES this.  She loves to bounce so this is perfect for her!  I love the sounds and the activities that come with this.  Great product!

Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons

I found out real quick that A is picky with her spoons.  These are her favorite because of the soft tip.

Baby Genius Favorite Nursery Rhymes

Brandon and I can sing every song that is on here.  That is how much we listen to this.  The songs are great.  The graphics- kind of cheesy.  It alternates between a cartoon and live filming.  It's weird and at first I couldn't see Anniston liking it.  She LOVES it.  She smiles when we turn it on and she hears the music.  She giggles when mommy and daddy sing along with the DVD.

Snap n Go Stroller

This stroller has been awesome for us.  It's lightweight and small- perfect for strolling around the mall and in stores.  I have hardly used the stroller that matches our carseat.  It's just so bulky and hard to get down aisles in stores.  I wish I had just bought this and my jogging stroller.

So there you have it!  These are just a few of the things that we could not have lived without!

Happy 6 Months Anniston

Baby girl,

You are half a year old!  I cannot believe it- time really does fly by.  You have learned so many new things this past month and are starting to be able to express your wants, needs, and emotions.  I think you become more beautiful with each passing month and I love you more and more each day- if that's even possible!

You reach for everything in sight- and it goes straight to your mouth.  You even try to put things that are way to big for your mouth in there!  You drool constantly and it gets all over everything- your toys, your clothes, and even me!  I think you started teething a bit during the last week before your 6 month birthday.  You really started to gnaw on everything you put in your mouth and love your teething rings- especially when they are cold!  You are rolling over like a lightening bolt!  You have been rolling over before now but sometimes you would get your arm stuck underneath you and it would make you mad.  Now you have got it down and you do it so quickly! You can sit up better too- you topple over after a few minutes if you don't have any help or support.  You lose your balance if you try to reach for a toy or look up at something.  You sit up so well in mine or Daddy's lap though!

Your favorite toy is your keyboard that Kay Kay bought you.  You love to hear us play music and you always try to put it in your mouth- but it's way too big!  I try to give you smaller toys made for going in your mouth but sometimes you don't want anything but your keyboard!

You still love your jumparoo and your Baby Genius DVDs.  Your favorite songs are "I'm A Little Teapot", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and (crazy enough) "We Are Young" by Fun.  I don't know why you like that song so much, but every time I put it on and sing you laugh and smile and kick your legs.

You had a rough week during this past month.  You got sick with your first stomach bug and also had tubes put in your ears.  More on that here. You were brave though!  You are in a few 3-6 month clothes still but mostly have moved up to 6-9 months.  You are still in size 2 diapers but we have moved up to a size 4 in your overnight diapers.  I think you weighed about 17.5 lbs when you had your tubes put in.

Mommy and Daddy had their first night away from you (and it was overnight) since I started back to work.  Kay Kay and Poppy kept you at our house while we went on a little trip to Tunica.  We had a lot of fun, but you had just started getting sick that morning and I was sad to be away from you when you didn't feel well.

You were eating 6 bottles of 4 oz each with a morning and evening meal for the first couple of weeks. We had cut out the overnight bottle and you were doing so well.  Then you got sick, had tubes put in, and we took a couple of steps backwards.  That's ok though- I wanted you to be comfortable when you didn't feel so well. The last week and a half or so of the month you decided that you wanted to wake up (for good) at 4 am most mornings.  One morning you woke up at 3:30 am and didn't want to go back to sleep!  We've had a hard time getting you to sleep past 5 am the past couple of weeks. This means Mommy and Daddy have been going to bed earlier!

You eat your baby food so well!  You like everything I have fed you except green beans.  We have tried them several times and you make faces and it mostly just comes right back out of your mouth.  Bananas are your favorite fruit and carrots are your favorite vegetable.  We started giving you a little bit  of apple juice (watered down, of course) to help with your bowel movements every now and then.  You love it!  We have tried a sippy cup several times too- sometimes you do really well and other times not so much.

I can't wait to see what next month brings us.  You are so much fun and I feel so lucky to be your Mommy.  I love you Anniston!