World of Dennifer

Project 365 - letters, lessons & laughter for my daughter - week 3

2012-01-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

Hi! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! So much for my hopes of being able to blog more from class - yeah, my class def doesn't have any computer or internet...my phone doesn't even get a 3G signal! It's gonna be a looong 2 weeks, ugh!! Anywho, I'm exhausted so I'm going to stop talking now & just give you what you've been waiting on {at least I'd like to think so}...

More soon. 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 01.18.12

2012-01-18T21:46:00.001-05:00

Hi! This week has been crazy with work & what not as usual. I have soo many posts that I have planned & I just can never find the time in my day to get them up. Starting next week though, I am going to be in class for work for two weeks, so I'll {hopefully have more free time to blog}. :) Annnywho, here's this week's installment of WIWBW:

1. Tiny Toms

{Photo Credit}

I got a couple pairs of Toms courtesy of the hubbs & ever since I've been lusting over a pair for my mini me! Aren't they just freakin' adorbs?! I think I'm going to wait until she grows into the next size, then I'm definitely going to buy a pair for my little cutie!

2. Birth Stats Print:

{Photo Credit}

I'm in love all the cute birth stat prints I've seen lately. I was recently introduced to the birth stat prints from The Bear's Wares, which is actually a new company started by a mommy friend of mine (go check out her stuff whenever you get a chance). I'm totally gonna buy one of these cuties soon! I have no clue where I'll put it yet, but it's so cute...who could pass it up?!

3. A gym water bottle

{Photo Credit}

I go to the gym for Zumba all the time & could really use something like this since I'm always running late or just on time for class to start. If I had a water bottle like this that held my gym ID, car keys, etc. it would be so convenient & I'd never have to worry about leaving anything behind.

4. New bedding:

{Photo Credit}

I love this bedding from West Elm & am gonna try to convince the hubbs that he should let me buy some new bedding for our master bedroom! I love the ruffly circles - I just have a thing about ruffles & can't get over how cute this set is! And it's on sale too. :)

5. Art frame for munchkin's masterpieces:

{Photo Credit}

Now that my big girl is in the young toddler room at school, she's always making pretty pictures & I think these would be great to have around to display her art!

And that's all I got for this week's installment of WIWBW. 'Till next time!

Project 365 - letters, lessons & laughter for my daughter - week 2

2012-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Hi there! Welcome to week 2 of my Project 365! I am so thrilled that {so far} I seem to be keeping up with this & I must say, I'm starting to really love it. I think it'll be so much fun at the end of the year looking back at the photos throughout the year! Here are the photos from this week...

{sneak peek from my BFF's baby shower this past weekend...more deets + a couple tutorials coming soon}

So that's this week! Hopefully I'll continue to keep up with this for the entire year. :) I will be back soon with our house goals/projects for the year, a few party planning tutorials & I'm bringing back my WIWBW series...soon! 'Till next time!

Project 365 - lessons, letters & laughter for my daughter

2012-01-08T01:53:00.001-05:00

So ever since seeing Jen over @ the Baby Making Machine's 365 Love Letters to her daughter, I wanted to try my hand at doing them for my sweet girl. I even started the project last year...didn't get far, only had what? ONE photo actually done & edited:

Annnnd yeah, so that was the only one! I had taken other pics, but I never got around to editing them & then I just stopped taking photos altogether! Gah. It became overwhelming. But this year is different - me & a group of some close {mommy} friends of mine made a promise to keep each other on the ball with the photos & posts, so I'm trying my hand at it again! Instead of doing all letters to my daughter, I'm doing "lessons, letters & laughter for my daughter" to sort of recap the photos. And this year has already gotten off to a better start, I've finished the first week!! IDK, I guess there's just something about starting with the new year?! Anywho, the plan is to post them weekly on Saturday nights, but it may be on Sundays or maybe even Mondays here & there based on what I got going on, the photos will be taken on whatever camera I have handy - my Nikon, Cannon P&S or my iPhone & I'll be adding the text via Picknik (instead of Photoshop) so you may have to click on the photo to read the text. Oh & there will obvs be 366 pics this year since it's a leap year, but I wanted to keep the title of the project the same. Hopefully y'all will enjoy & maybe even start a Project 365 of your own this year (if you do or have already going, please comment with a link, I'd love to swing by & see yours). :)

And now...I bring you the first installment of my Project 365:

That's all for tonight. 'Till next time!

2011...a pictorial year in review!

2012-01-01T22:44:00.001-05:00

Hai! Happy New Year everyone!!! How was your night last night...what'd you do?! We went out for dinner & drinks at a local piano bar with a couple friends of ours, then stayed at a hotel while my sister watched the babe {I still call her a baby b/c regardless of how old she is, she'll allllways be my baby}. We had a great time, but I'm happy the holidays are over & a new year is here once again!

As promised, I'm here to deliver my annual photo recap of the past year - forgive me in advance, lots of my pics from last year will be of the munchkin...my life sorta revolved around her last year {and for the rest of my life, ha!}. I can't believe I'm starting my third year of blogging this year! The Dennifers have a lot planned this year, so I can't wait to see what the year brings & I am so honored all of you have decided to join me {or stay with me} for the ride! Anywho, without further adieu, my recap of 2011:

January:

We did absolutely nothing for NYE last year because we had a 2.5 month old, so my favorite & kind of unnerving moment in January was getting Amaya's ears pierced. You can kinda see the pierced ears in this photo of her playing under her activity mat/gym thingy. :)

February:

Amaya trying out her Exersaucer for the first time...

And celebrating the hubbs big 3-0 birthday with friends & family!!

March:

Celebrating our second wedding anniversary {went out for dinner/drinks & a movie}...

Amaya's first St. Patty's Day!

And cheering on our Alma Mater {G-M-U Know!} during the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament!

April:

Amaya's first Easter... :)

May:

My 28th Birthday Brunch...the food was ahhh-mazing!

And Amaya's first trip to the pool Memorial Day weekend 2011...

June:

Dennis' first Father's Day with his Baby AJ!!

{please excuse the photo quality, the lighting was bad in the place we went}

And my first girls trip since Amaya's birth to Montego Bay Jamaica, woot!

July:

Amaya's first modeling "job" ;)

August:

Braving Hurricane Irene & the first earthquake I ever remember in VA all within a week of each other! This pic (shown as originally posted/unedited) was taken the weekend of the "hurricane", which amounted to little more than heavy wind & rain.

September:

FINALLY finishing my very first furniture makeover, yaay!

And the wedding of some close friend's of ours...

And reconnecting with some old friends @ my TEN year high school reunion - eeek!

October:

Celebrating my beautiful Munchkin's first birthday - I can't believe how quickly that year flew by!

November:

Our first family vaca to Disney World!!

Thanksgiving 2011...

December:

Amaya's 2nd Christmas! We have a tradition of letting her open one gift (jammies to wear that night) on Christmas Eve - it's something my mom used to do with us as kiddos & I decided to carry it on with my child{ren}...

{NOTE: this is just a Christmas Eve pic from my phone, I've yet to upload the Christmas morning pics from my cam}

So that wraps up last year for me, hope you enjoyed my stroll back thru my most memorable moments/times in 2011! I am hoping for 2012 to be a very productive year for me & that we can accomplish everything we have planned in the house. Praying that God continues to Bless me & my family...and wishing the same to all of you - my wonderful readers! Can't wait to see what this year holds for us! 'Till next time!

Happy {almost} New Year!!

2011-12-31T22:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry guys! I totally forgot to post my annual recap of the past year today...I'll def do it tomorrow morning/afternoon. But for now, happy new year from The Dennifers!!

'TIll next time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fleet St,Oxon Hill,United States

Professional pics from Munchkin's 1st birthday party!

2011-12-29T22:54:00.002-05:00

Ummm, yah. I'm totally super late delivering these. Life has been so crazy lately, if it's not one thing, it's another & work has got me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, so I never have time to update during the day. But, one of my 2012 resolutions is to really get back to blogging. We have a bunch of house projects planned for next year, so I should hopefully have a good amount of content to blog about & hopefully some stuff you'll find helpful or that you'll ohhh & ahhh over!

Anywho, I just realized that I never shared some of the professional pics from the munch's birthday party...there were A LOT, I mean like over 200 to choose from, so I'm just going to share a few with y'all so as not to bore you with 5 million pics of my beautiful ~~baby~~ big girl {yes, she's officially a big girl now...more on that later}. I didn't edit them since they are property of the photographer & not mine...

Source/vendors list: photography - a friend I went to college with, Devin Burnette Photography; paper (banner, cupcake toppers, favor tags, stickers) - Ciao Bambino on Etsy; Amaya's bow & bloomers/diaper cover - To Be Stitched on Etsy; Amaya's custom personalized onesie & tutu - Made Cute Just 4 U on Etsy; Amaya's bow leggings - Amy's Buttons & Bows on Etsy; cake - a family friend did it for us :); cupcakes - Cupcakes Actually; decorative balloons & polka dot fruit cups - Shop Sweet LuLu; paper lanterns (in living room) - Luna Bazaar & Party City {pumpkin lanterns}; everything else was either DIY or I'm not thinking of it right now, but if there's something you see or saw in the original post about the big par-tay that I didn't mention in either post, please contact me at worldofdennifer{at}gmail{dot}com & I'll get the info for you stat! Also, don't forget to check out the Pinterest pin board I made for the party - it has lots of inspiration & recipe links. A tutorial for the ribbon topiary is coming up early next year...ya know, since next year is in a mere couple of days. ;)

I'll be back tomorrow with my annual recap of my favorite moments over the year! 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - my Christmas wish list edition

2011-12-07T21:42:00.001-05:00

Hiii! I can't believe how quickly time is flying until Christmas - two weeks from Sunday...eek! I still need to buy the hubb's gifts! But today I'm posting a special edition of WIWBW - my holiday gift wish list! So without further adieu, here goes...

1. A Cricut Expression:

{Photo Credit}

This is the crafty woman inside my body's dream gift! Can you imagine all the DIY wall art, banners, cards, etc., etc. I can make with this baby?! It's on my list & has been something I've wanted for a while now, so we'll see if Santa thinks I was a good girl this year!

2. Victoria's Secret PINK lounge pants:

{Photo Credit}

I bought a pair of these pants from VS last time they were on sale & they are one of my favorite pairs of lounge pants! They are seriously some of the comfiest pants I've ever worn & I looove them! If you don't have a pair, buy them & try 'em out...they are a bit pricey for lounge pants, but you won't regret it!

3. A nice GMU degree frame:

{Photo Credit}

This is super embarrassing mainly because I finished undergrad in 2005 & grad school in 2007 & yep, neither degree has ever been framed! Horrible, I know. I have been holding out for really nice frames, but every time I have the money, I buy something else, lol. Soooo, I still need two or one double frame.

4. A bookshelf for my office/craft space:

{Photo Credit}

I need this last piece of furniture to finish up my office/craft space makeover that I started a few months ago. I still have a little decorating of the area to do, but this would be the final piece of major furniture.

5. Create your own New Balance shoes:

{Photo Credit}

There's a kiosk at our local mall to create your own version of New Balances & when I saw it, I thought it was SUPER cool! Such a great way to create a custom pair of shoes that likely no one else will have! I may even give the hubbs a gift certificate so that he can create his own pair for Christmas - something I definitely know he'll enjoy!

That's all I got tonight, I'm exhausted already & it's only Wednesday! 'Till next time!

Hellooooo out there!

2011-11-29T11:32:00.000-05:00

::nervously peeks in::

My word. I think this has got to be my longest break in blogging besides right after the baby was born. The worst part is, I really have no excuse other than the fact that I have been super busy with our trip, then catching up at work, planning one of my best friend's baby shower, Christmas shopping, Thanksgiving planning, office Holiday party planning, sending thank you notes for Amaya's birthday gifts, ordering holiday cards, etc. Basically just life! And now T-Day has passed us up - time flies so quickly!

I honestly haven't been DIY'ing much or doing much besides ~~hardly working~~ working hard, dealing with a recent doozy of sleep issues with the munchkin (& as a result the hubbs & I) & getting ready for the holidays! I looove the holidays - my favorite time of year, woo! I *may* have a couple of DIY projects coming up for the holiday season & of course, I'll be sharing the deets for my best friend's upcoming baby shower, which is in mid-January - alarmingly soon! I plan to do a special WIWBW each week leading up to Christmas for each member of my family, starting with yours truly tomorrow! Oh & I know I owe y'all the professional pics from munchkin's party & a Disney recap + pics, so I'll be getting that together soon.

But for now, I just wanted to check in to say hiii & Happy {belated} Thanksgiving!! How was your holiday weekend?! Oh oh ohhhh & to share our family pic taken by my awesome neighbor & friend & what I'll be using on this year's holiday cards:

Stay tuned for more... Till next time!

Gone to get HAPPY!

2011-11-01T22:47:00.001-04:00

{Photo Credit}

At the happiest place on earth that is! :) I'll be back Saturday & I'll try to check in on Sunday or maybe during our trip from my phone?! I can't wait for 3 nights, 4 days of R&R (or as much as you can get with a babe in tow)...have a great rest of the week everyone! 'Till next time!

The big par-tay...Part I

2011-10-25T23:01:00.001-04:00

OMG, I am embarrassed b/c I am THE worst blogger ever in all of blogland. Okay, maybe not all of blogland...but I have been sorta MIA. No real reason, just life got in the way - first the mad dash to get all my DIY crafting & cooking done for her party, the party, the other birthday weekend activities, oh & did I mention I'm now on our HOA's board of directors :oO (?!), catching up at work, a sick beh be, etc. etc. And I am STILL exhausted from all that...but I do apologize! And now, I give you...

~*The Birthday Girl*~

The party was an awesome success & my little mama had a great time! I got a professional photog to take all the pics & I haven't gotten the photos back from him yet, but I did get a chance to snap a few myself...

Obvs I took these after the party because you don't get the full affect of how cay-ute they are in the sunlight. Made these lil guys based on Emily's tutorial over at Not So Idle Hands. I had this bookmarked for quite some time now & I'm happy I finally tried them out! They are super cute, cheap & easy to make. They take some time, but I made a BUNCH & for this year at least, we aren't carving pumpkins so these cuties are it!

Here are some pics during the party...

{favor table}

{paper lanterns used to decorate in the living room}

{the eats spread + dessert}

The Decor

As I mentioned in a previous post, Ciao Bambino made most of the paper for the party (the banner, the confetti minis, the favor tags, the cupcake toppers & stickers that I used on the plastic ware rolls - not pictured). I think I mentioned before that I basically bought the paper stuff sight unseen, but I rightly placed my faith in CB because the stuff turned out super duper cuteee! I was so excited when I got my box with all the stuff, it was like Christmas! I got the black & orange polka dot balloons from Shop Sweet LuLu's Halloweenery shop for $3! The black & white paper lanterns are from Luna Bazaar and the totally adorable pumpkin lanterns are from Party City, but they are only available online. If you're feeling crafty, here's a link to a DIY version of them - equally cute & I actually bought all the supplies to make them, but then I gave myself a reality check & returned the stuff, then bought these...I was already overloaded with projects, so I was happy to find these! The paper table cloths were also from Party City.

I DIY'ed the place cards on Power Point & the cake pop stand using a cardboard box & piece of styrofoam wrapped with polka dot wrapping paper & pretty orange ribbon. Speaking of ribbon, I got a lot of the ribbon you see in the photos from the Ribbon Retreat - great prices & they ship fast! All the other ribbon I got from Michaels & Jo-Ann's.

The Food

Instead of getting the party catered, I opted to make everything myself...which was SO much work & thankfully one of my close friends came over the day before the party to help me get a head start on some of the baking/decorating & then another friend came the morning of to help us finish up the cooking. It was ex.hausting, gah. But it was worth it because I think everything looked fab & it all tasted great too! The menu included: a veggie tray, cut up fruit in these adorbs polka dot candy cups from Shop Sweet Lulu, "mummy" dogs AKA pigs in a blanket, scarecrow crunch, Chick-Fil-A nuggets, cheese dip made by my awesome bestie Britt, sandwich roll-ups & pumpkin dip.

The sweets were the stars though! My girl Britt & I made pumpkin brownie pops, which weren't super pretty, but tasted awesome! The cake was made by my BFF Becky's MIL, who also made my bridal shower & wedding cake...she did such an awesome job! And finally, the cupcakes were from Cupcakes Actually - I had a Groupon for these that I had purchased a while back, so I just sent the hubbs to pick out a dozen the day of the party! I was hesitant to try a new cupcake place because we are pretty hardcore cupcake snobs in the Dennifer household, but these were actually very yummy. The munchkin had one of their pumpkin harvest cupcakes as her "smash cake" & she loved it too. :) Hopefully the photog got good pics of her eating/smashing/making a huge mess of her cupcake because I was in full clean-up mode when she was eating it & had no chance to get a pic, bahahahaha.

And pics in the basement/present opening area (excuse the horrible lighting in our basement)...

{yeah, I totally forgot to cut the extra ribbon on the right end of the month banner}

{And my cutie living it up amongst all her presents}

I wrapped the picture frames the hubbs had up over the mantle with orange tissue paper & polka dot wrapping paper. On the mantle - I framed her invite using a frame I got via Freecycle that I spray painted black...side note: I really wanted to spray paint the frame a pumpkiny orange, but couldn't find one at any of the stores I checked. :o/ I placed a large professional shot of her in the middle of the mantle, then my DIY #1 ribbon topiary {tutorial with photos coming up soon}. Finally, I hung my DIY monthiversary banner from the mantle to show how my munchkin has changed throughout her 1st year. Love her! I got the inspiration for the banner from Ciao Bambino, but figured I could just make a really cute one rather than buying it & I'm so happy I did because I loooove how it turned out! To make one yourself, just take a long piece of ribbon, get a 2 inch scallop punch & colored card stock, design some {less than 2"} circles with free clip art online & printed on white card stock. Use mini glue dots to attach them to the scallop circles, hot glue a paper clip behind the scallop circle & attach them to the ribbon using hot glue. Make sure to space them evenly apart & then slide your photos into the clips & wha-la! I was planning to take photos & do a photo tutorial, but I was pressed for time & rushing to get this done. If I do this again, I'll be sure to take step-by-step pics.

For her birthday, she received so many generous gifts from our family & friends that attended the party. Everything from casual to dressy clothes, music toys, books, a portable DVD player + DVDs, her PBK Anywhere Chair {that was our gift}, balls for her ball pit, and I could go on & on.

Oh & to complete mama's birthday weekend, we headed to the local pumpkin patch! She loved the animals, the slides & especially they hayride! She loved it & we had a great time too, so we decided to make it an annual birthday tradition until she says she's too old to go with good 'ol mom & dad, lol.

So those are pmb (pretty-much-basically) the good pics I got. Once I get & select the professional pics I want, I'll share them with y'all of course! And, now that Miss Amaya has had an awesome party, got tons of cool stuff & turned the big O-N-E, what's she gonna do next?! DISNEY...next week, eeek! Wish me us luck, it'll be the first time we take the bambino on a plane. I still have lots & lots to to do...with not a lot of time to do it in. I'm sure I'll be talking more about it here before we head out. Welp, that's all I got for now. 'Till next time!

In 3 short days...

2011-10-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

My little baby will be O-N-E. I can't believe it & I don't know how to feel. On the one hand, I'm so happy & feel so blessed that she's growing up healthy & doing well. On the other hand she's growing up & I just want her to stay teeny forever. Sigh. I have a special birthday post lined up for Friday that'll recap the first year mostly with pics, but just thought I'd show y'all the professional pics we got done at Picture People this past weekend as well. And at some point, I'll see if my good friend who updated my posts & sidebar title fonts can update the pics in my header too. Anywho, here is my little baby all grown up & almost 1:

:oD <-- That is me cheesing over how flipping cute she is, gah! I love that child. I'll be back lata tonight or early tomorrow with some more DIY par-tay deets. 4 days left till the party!! 'Till next time!

Munchkin's 1st birthday: the full outfit & a DIY Halloween'y wreath + tutorial

2011-10-03T23:50:00.000-04:00

If any of you follow me on Pinterest, you'd know that I've been collecting so many ideas to make my munchkin's 1st birthday party memorable. And now with a little less than two weeks till her party, there's SO much left to do!

First, I'm still trying hard to finish up my office/craft space makeover & it's coming along, but I need to buy a few things to do some organizing & right now, all our money is tied up in the munch's birthday party. I also ordered one item from Pottery Barn in July & it was back-ordered to last month, then last month I get an email from them saying it's back-ordered until DECEMBER - seriously PB?! Ugh. So, sadly, I doubt it'll be completed prior to her party, but it has come a long long way & looks great so far! I'll continue posting updates on the space until it's completely done!

Maybe a little over a week ago I got an exciting package in the mail {don'tcha just love packages, wooo} - the other part of her outfit!! Here it is in all it's pumpkin & polka dot glory:

I mentioned it in my previous post about her party, but this adorbs outfit was done up by Amber of Made Cute Just 4 U on Etsy. I can't wait to see it all on her! I think I'll wash it this weekend & try it on her. :)

I have also been making progress on some of my DIY crafting/decor for the party. Project #1: a cute wrath for the door that would go with her party theme, but also be something I can leave up through Thanksgiving...then I saw this on Pinterest & I just knew I had to try it! Well mine is no where near the one on Etsy, but I still like the way it turned out & am so happy I went with the DIY, Also, it was waaay cheaper than the Etsy version!

Here's how my DIY version turned out:

Of course I had to get a pic with my bey-beh in it ::wink::! So what do you think? I really love the way it turned out. Not quite the Etsy version, but that's okay..I still love it all the same! And it's much much cheaper. I think all the supplies I purchased cost less than $20, so I saved like $40, woot!

Okay so to make this bad boy it's simple, but slightly time consuming & messy. Messy because the burlap fibers get literally every.where when you're working with them - on you, on the floor, on your working surface, the dog, etc. And that brings me to the tutorial step numero uno...

Gather up your supplies:

1 square yard of orange burlap
wire wreath form (I used a 12" wire form for my wreath)
a ruler of some sort
scissors
glue gun
extra glue sticks

Cut out approximately 1.5" wide x approximately 5" long strips of burlap:

You'll need a bunch of these. I found that cutting them out beforehand saved me a lot of time as opposed to cutting out a few, gluing, repeating. **WOD Tip: after cutting out the first strip, use it as a template for all the rest, that way you won't have to continually measure & mark the burlap {like I did, until I caught on...duh Jen!}.

Fold strips in half over a ring of the wreath form & get to gluing:

As you can see, I originally started out with Unique Stitch, but I quickly discovered that: a) it's not strong enough to hold burlap together, and b) even if it was, it takes much too long to dry...ie, if you used this & held each strip together while it dried, then it would take you sooo long to finish your wreath. I found out by a little trial & error...

See how it pulled right apart as soon as I tried attaching it to the wreath form? No bueno. FAIL. So I moved on to my ~~brother from another mother~~ favorite adhesive go-to, my trusty glue gun. And he didn't let me down:

So I just started gluing working the wreath form by section & from the outside in. I forgot to take a photo of the final wreath once I glued all of the burlap strips, sorry! But the final pics basically show what it looked like when I finished. I just added a pretty {polka dot} bow to tie in Munchkin's theme & make it more Halloween'y, fluffed as necessary (do this over a trash can or outside, other wise the burlap fibers will get all over your work space) & hung it up on our front door. I really really love how it turned out & it serves several purposes - party & seasonal decor. Can't beat that!

Want all deets on Munchkin's "Little Pumpkin" themed 1st birthday party? Check out the invites, decor & the initial sneak peek of her outfit here...more coming very very soon! 'Till next time!

Munchkin 10-11 months

2011-09-30T20:33:00.000-04:00

Side note: I DID, in fact, finish my wreath & I promise, promise to post it this weekend...I went to take the final pics, then my camera battery died, so I had to charge it. Then I had to wait for daylight to take it, then I had to go do something for my sorority sisters & so here we are today! Today is the final final day of the FY, so my life should go completely back to normal after today...and I am going to be hard at work DIY'ing & blogging about all of my Halloween/fall/Munchkin birthday party crafting!

And now, back to the regularly scheduled blog post...

Cue tears... I simply cannot believe my daughter is 11 months! She's actually 11.5 months, so she'll be a whole year old in a couple weeks. I can't believe it. It's bittersweet of course - I'm so happy my little munchkin is doing well & healthy & thriving, but I want to push the pause button. In just 2 weeks (exactly 2 weeks from today), my baby will be a {gulp} toddler. Sigh. Where has the time gone? I think about it sometimes & get a little choked up. Makes me want another little squishy babe, but def no time soon...I need a raise & a bigger house & for our c/c debt to be paid off before that happens - looking at 2013 - and that's if I can get the hubbs fully on-board. I think he'll agree after Amaya is a little older & a little more independent.

And now, what you've all been waiting on..hehehe...Amaya's 10-11 month pics:

And the 0-9 month pics for comparison:

{10 month outtakes}

{11 month outtakes}

{with her "dog dog" <3}

Look at my little lady! She's growing so big & she's so much fun now! A couple weeks ago, my husband took her to the Dr because she had a persistent cold & she was - in his words - "17 something pounds"...hahaha, thanks babe for the accurate number! I'm guessing she's close to 18 lbs now, but that's unofficial. She will go to her 12 month well baby appointment in a few weeks & I'll know the "official" number. So, she's still on the small side of normal for her age, but she's looong. She is still in 6-12 months (or 12 months) for most clothing, but she has moved on to 12-18 months in a lot of the brands that run smaller (Old Navy, Circo {Target}, Osh Kosh) because of her length. The bag of clothes she can no longer fit or are out of season is quickly getting filled up. I'm getting slightly worried because we are going on our first family vaca to Disney World in early November & I'm hoping that all of her 12 month summer stuff still fits because I am not planning on buying any new summer clothes. Or I'm hoping that it'll be slightly cool there, so I can just use some of her lightweight fall clothing. We shall see I guess!

She's been doing excellent at night - sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours straight, less when she's about to get sick or teething. And she does 1-2 naps a day, normally anywhere from 1-4 hours per day. The 1 hour nap thing only happens when she's at daycare. Needless to say, she goes to sleep super early on those nights! We stick pretty closely to the bedtime routine every night & actually tomorrow we are going to something for our Alma Mater's alumni weekend, which will mean a bit of a later bedtime for the munchkin, so I'm a little anxious to see how it'll go. She's a pretty go with the flow little girl though, so I have a feeling everything will be just fine. I just always get nervous anytime something goes off schedule for her.

As for food, she eats EVERYTHING. She loves food. She makes a horrible mess, but she does eat a good bit! I normally give her a little bit of anything we happen to be eating. And she's pretty much off of purees. I do have a few frozen cubes in the freezer that I feed her from time to time for dinner, but for the most part she's having steamed veggies - very soft & cut up small & bananas + regular applesauce for fruit mainly. I am going to also start giving her the cut up fruit you can get at the grocery store in the cups - the kind without any sugary syrup added. She also has cut up fruit at daycare & they say she does well with it.

Speaking of daycare...I think being around all the kiddos has been really great for her. Seems like she's doing & learning new things every day! The one thing I really dislike is that she's literally sick like every 2-3 weeks - I think some of her stuffiness can be attributed to teething, but I think a lot of it has to do with germs at daycare...ugh. I have read though that kids that go to daycare at an early age are less likely to get sick as often as kids that did not go to daycare early on when they get older. Here's hoping I guess! Her favorite word by far is "dog dog", but she also loves "duck" & "da da". Unfortunately, she doesn't say "ma ma" much unless she's sleepy, hurt or mad at me, lol. She still scoots around - not much crawling, but she can do it, I think she just discovered that scooting is a much more efficient way of getting around! She likes pulling herself up on our ottoman in the living room & she'll stand without us right there for several minutes at a time. She loves anything that plays music - she likes to "dance", which generally consists of her bopping her head back & forth, lol. It's so cute. Oh & she now has 5 teeth - 3 on the bottom, 2 up top! I hate teething because I can tell it hurts/irritates her so much, poor baby.

I think that's it! I can't believe that in just 2 weeks I'll be able to say I have a 1 year old, a toddler. I am happy & sad at the same time, but either way can't wait to celebrate her birthday with friends & family...and speaking of, I have lots of DIY crafting to get to, so I'll sign off here tonight & be back in the next day or so with the deets on our party/fall/Halloween wreath! 'Till next time!

Sneak peak of my DIY fall wreath!

2011-09-23T16:54:00.001-04:00

Hallelujah the fiscal year is over (at least for my office's part - our actual FY ends September 30th) & I survived another year! Im actually on the train headed home now as I type this. Now hopefully my life can return to normal! I'm excited too because fall is upon us - my fave season, not to mention my munchkin's birthday party, which I'm super excited about!!

And in celebration of the fall, tonight/tomorrow I'm gonna finish up my DIY fall wreath! I'm so excited, I think it's going to turn out pretty cute! Here's a little sneak peak:

Get excited. ;) Pics & tutorial coming this weekend, woot! 'Till next time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 09.21.11

2011-09-21T21:44:00.001-04:00

Hi there everyone! I am deep in the trenches of the end of the Government fiscal year, sigh. I.am.so.ex.hausted. I hate this time of year, I end up working sooo much & I totally need a break in a big way. I'm thinking about taking all day on Monday off, taking A to daycare & going back to sleep until I catch up on all the sleep I've missed lately. I am soo happy that Friday is almost here (the true end of the FY is next Friday, but we have to finish all of our contract awards this year so that finance can obligate everything by next Friday)! But as soon as this cray cray is over, I'll be hard at work trying to get everything together for the munchkin's 1st birthday party!

Anywho, just thought I'd check in this week with another installment of WIWBW, woo! Online browsing & some buying is all that kept me slighlty sane this week. Is it sad that shopping makes me happy?! Not in a crazy, blow all my money sort of way, but in a fun way, hahaha. Anywho, here's what I want this Wednesday:

1. A personalized Halloween tub:

{photo credit}

I've been eyeing these tubs on Etsy for a while now - even had them pinned on my Fall Holidays pinboard on my Pinterest. Our previous Halloween candy bowl is a cheapo dollar store plastic bowl & it's fine, but I think it's time for an upgrade! So I finally bought one today on Etsy & I plan to use it for the big birthday par-tay & for Halloween! I can't wait to get it & see how it turns out!!

2. C&B Vine Pumpkins & Gourds:

{photo credit}

Gah I love the fall & decorating & everything fall! These are another thing I've been eying for a while & so this week, I decided to go ahead & buy a couple to decorate this fall! They'll be a perfect accent during the munchkin's little pumpkin themed birthday party! And on top of that, Crate & Barrel has them for an incredibly affordable price!

3. A Baby AJ puppy costume:

{photo credit}

Amaya loves her some "dog dog" as she so eloquently puts it. Seriously, it's the first thing she says in the morning when she wakes up! So I always call our dog up the stairs or in from the other room so she can see her dog dog first thing...then she lights up & giggles. Amazing how great of a mood he can put her in, lol. And sometimes, when she's playing on the floor, he'll come up & give her a little kiss & she just laughs & laughs! Anywho, so dog dog & duck are two of her favorite words - she knows what they are at first sight, so I decided to let her be a dog for Halloween this year. I didn't want to spend a fortune on her costume though & this one is super affordable! I love the little paws. :) And of course, since she's a girl dog dog, I'll be tying a cute bow around one {or both} of her floppy ears!

4. These beautiful PB news text pillar candles:

{photo credit}

I peeped these cuties in Pottery Barn's fall catalog & I fell in love! They are just awesome. I think I might attempt to DIY them at some point soon & it that is a fail, well...I may just be spending {gulp} $30 on a candle. You think the hubbs will approve that purchase?!

5. Cheetah print flats:

{photo credit}

I hear animal print is all the rage this fall & it's one trend I'm happy to follow! I feel like these flats are so versatile - you could dress them up or down & they'd look fab! These are another item that have been on my Pinterest for awhile now - once I find a pair at a great price, I'll grab 'em. I generally have a rule for myself against buying full price anything. ::wink::

So that's what I wanna buy this Wednesday, how about you?! I'll be back soon with munchkin's 10-11 month updates, more deets on her party & of course, more to come on my office space makeover soon. 'Till next time!

Project Office/Craft Space Makeover: my {kinda} new desk!

2011-09-14T22:13:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! Oh my gah...I know I've been MIA, but as I mentioned this is the busiest time of year at my job, so I'm always swamped at work, working overtime, coming home to take care of the munchkin & then exhausted, so I tend to pass out on the couch pretty early. I'm tired right now - ugh, but I need to get this post up since I've been telling myself I would do it over the last few days. I CANNOT wait till this fiscal year comes to a close & I can breathe a little. Anyways, I want to say sorry again for leaving y'all hanging..hang in there with me, would ya? After September 30th, I'm back in full effect - promise! And & I'll have TONS of Fall DIY projects to share since the munchkin's birthday is pumpkin themed & I'm doing most of the decor! Plus I have munchkin's 10-11 month updates & more WIWBW!!

So today I want to share my first B-I-G project for my office/craft space makeover...my desk! Here she is today in all her painted, distressed, new hardware mixed with old hardware glory:

Sorry for the crappy lighting - it was in the evening in the basement, so umm, yeah - the lighting sucked! But what do you think? I lurve the way it turned out....remember what it looked like before?

It was actually in decent condition overall, just needed a face lift - now it looks fab!

And here's how I did it... I started out by removing all the drawer pulls, filling the top three drawer pull holes in with wood filler, then sanding her up real good by hand. I sanded just enough that the finish was scuffed up & ready to take on the paint:

I wiped the sanding dust off with a damp cloth to prep it for painting. And speaking of paint, I used Antique White Glidden paint from Walmart, which is sort of a creamy white with a slight antique'y {I know, not a word} tint to it. I used the interior, semi gloss 2-in-1 paint + primer so that I didn't have to do a separate primer coat. I also used a small foam roller & a brush to get in all the cracks & crevices. I think I did about 2-3 coats & the whole painting project - from setup to cleanup - took me about 3 hours. But I'm a little neurotic when I paint, I have to make sure every inch of the piece, wall, whatever looks uniform, so it might take a ~~non-neurotic~~ normal person a little bit less time to paint.

Then, I let the paint dry about 2 days - 24 hours probably would have been sufficient, but I didn't get to it in exactly 24 hours, so my desk had 48 hours to dry completely. ::wink:: After that, I started distressing with both fine and rough sanding blocks. I found that the fine one took for.ever to get the parts distressed to my liking, so I started with the rough & softened/finished with the fine block. I basically just distressed in the normal places you'd expect on worn in pieces - corners, near the bottoms, along the edges, on the drawer corners. Then I put the old antique brass hardware on the bottom six drawers & put my awesome birdie knobs on the top three. Love the knobs?! I bought 'em from Etsy seller RiRi Creations - Rita's super nice, the knobs are totally cute & affordable & they shipped fast!

Oh & I finished up the project by adding contact paper that I had left over from covering the bottom of the master bath vanity cabinets. It's nice & neutral, so it works perfectly in the drawers - sorry forgot to snap a pic. So that's it! Definitely wasn't as hard, expensive or time consuming as I thought it would be...I probably spent about maybe $50 total on this project, including the cost of the desk & knobs! Awesome. And I love how it turned out - exactly what I was looking for, woo!

Wanna see my office/craft space progress from the beginning?! Check out the sad before - more to come soon :) Hope you enjoyed this installment of Project Makeover. 'Till next time!

Party Planning: Munchkin's 1st birthday deets!

2011-09-03T23:34:00.005-04:00

Oh hai everyone ::waves::! I survived this week - passed my class (woo!) & got a Master's Certificate in Government Contracting! Sounds official right, lol?! I actually have an actual Master's Degree in Public Administration, but got this as well since I had already taken the courses I needed to get one (had to for work) & it's another thing to add to my resume! I also got some real work done too, but boy was it an exhausting week. Amaya started getting sick (congested, snotty, etc.) too, so that added to the exhaustion - not to mention she finally managed to get me sick too. :( Yesterday I felt like I got run over by a truck, but today I'm feeling a little better...not 100%, but better.

Side Note - notice the slightly different (& larger) post title & sidebar fonts? I had to change them because of some change to my previous designer's font hosting abilities. I'm actually saving now for a re-design...not that I don't love seeing my awesome family up there in the header, but I want one that I don't have to update {read: pay someone or beg one of my web-savvy friends to update} & I'd also like sub-page links up top for stuff like a house tour, baby stuff, popular posts/projects, etc. One day...but for now, this is the "new" look. I'm hoping my good friend who re-installed my fonts will also change my header photos for me too! Shout out to our in-the-know IT friend who handled the situation for me...thanks O!!! :oD

Anywho, today I want to share some of the deets on the plans for munchkin's 1st birthday party! I recently ~~got addicted to~~ started using Pinterest to "pin" (kinda like bookmarking, only WAAAY cooler) my ideas for all sorts of stuff {check out the "Follow Me on Pinterest" button on the right hand sidebar, if you have an account - follow me! --->} & I lurve it. I think I've been on it for just about or a little over a month & I have well over 400 pins & 21 pin boards! Well of course I had to do a pin board for my Baby AJ's 1st birthday & I've been {& am still} gathering up all my ideas to make her birthday perfect! Hey, I know she won't remember it, but I will & so will our family & I just want to make it so much fun for everyone, hehe. Anyway, after much going back & forth, I decided on a little pumpkin/jack-o-lantern theme for her party since her birthday is only 2 weeks before Halloween & I think it's going to turn out totally adorable!

I'm trying to save as much money as possible by shopping around for the stuff I plan to buy/have bought, getting as many things as possible handmade by Etsy sellers (besides the fact that most Etsy sellers stuff is FANTASTIC quality because each item is made just for you), DIY'ing a lot of the decor, making all the food ourselves (minus the cake) & using deal sites (ie, Groupon). Most of the stuff I ordered on Etsy was customized in some way, which brings me to yet another reason I L-O-V-E Etsy, the sellers are so nice, professional & easy to work with! And I have already gotten several things taken care of & ordered, like the invites:

{designed by Lily Pad Boutique on Etsy}

Didn't they turn out absolutely adorable?! LOVE them - they are on order for printing now & I should receive them sometime next week. I plan to mail them out a little more than 4 weeks prior. I actually got kind of emotional ordering my baby's 1st birthday invite. :(

And I got some totally adorable favor tags, stickers, cupcake & a banner. Here's a sneak peak at what the favor tags will look like:

{designed by Ciao Bambino on Etsy}

I'll receive everything a week before the party, so short of the favor tags, I haven't seen everything, but I know it will all be adorable! Can't wait to get the package!!

I've also ordered her entire to-die-for outfit & I already received part of it:

{sorry for the photo quality - took this on my iPhone}

::dies:: I seriously just love everything! The diaper cover & matching bow headband {it has black fedora feathers on it!!} are by To Be Stitched and the leg warmers are by Amy's Buttons & Bows - both on Etsy. I got the rest of her outfit {just got an email tonight that it shipped, woooo!} - a tutu & personalized onesie - custom made by Made Cute Just 4 U on Etsy...here's something similar to what munchkin will be wearing (only hers will be pumpkin themed):

{photo credit}

Gah, have I mentioned I heart heart heaaaaaaaaaaaaaart Etsy?! So that's it, get excited - I'll be posting tutorials & lots of pics for all the projects I (& my good friend Haliya - heeey - who ~~I tricked into~~ volunteered} will be tackling! I'm super duper excited to see it all come together!

And last side note: I'm only slightly excited for fall {sarcasm...I love fall & I'm totally excited, squeeee!!!}, so I picked up a few things for the munchkin's fall wardrobe during Children's Place, Gap & Old Navy's recent sales...just a few things:

{again, sorry for the quality - took this on my phone too...I'm being lazy, lol}

There are multiple layers under the folded stuff that you can't see. What? What is that you say? That's not a few things...argh, guilty! I can't help it! Girl's stuff is just too freakin' adorable. Add in fall girly stuff & I'm done for. In fact, Gap is having a Labor Day sale right now, so I may have to grab a few more things...honey hide the Gap card! Okay okay, I'll get it together...promise, kinda. Okay, I'm lying. I love buying her stuff - more than I like shopping for me now, never thought it would happen, but it did & so she always looks super cute & I look meh. :o/ Gotta get that together too. Anywho, I digress - stay tuned for another edition of my Project Office/Craft Space Makeover series, Baby AJ's TEN month photos + update & lots more! 'Till next time!

Crazy week ahead!

2011-08-29T20:57:00.001-04:00

Omg, I am already going insane with how crazy this week is & it's only MONDAY. As you can see, I'm blogging from my phone...that's how hectic my week has been/will be. Let's see, I am in class for work all week, I have to get munchkin's stuff ready for school every night, I have to work overtime every night (doing that now, ugh) & not to mention, I'm trying to work on my office/craft space makeover & plan Amaya's 1st birthday party (deets coming soon)! Can you say utter exhaustion?!

I also didn't get much sleep this weekend because the hubbs was out of town on a boys weekend in Vegas, so me & the munchkin braved Hurricane Irene alone:

We did fine - it was mainly just heavy rain & wind, everyone made a big fuss about it though. I totally get it, you can never be too careful, right? But in this case, it was no biggie.

BTW, the east coast earthquake last week scared the crap out of me. I work in a major federal building right next to major military installation in DC, so I had all kinds of things running thru my mind when that happened. Thank God it was nothing more...

Anywho, just wanted to check in with y'all to let you know I'm here, but I may be slightly MIA this week because of all the craziness I have going on...otherwise known as my life! 'Till next time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My top mommy must haves: 3-9 months

2011-08-22T23:27:00.003-04:00

The original plan was to post this at 6 months, but as usual, time started flying by & now here we are! Guess that's what happens when you throw a baby into the mix...your "plans" somehow seem to slip, ha!

Anywho (can you tell that's my word?! I use it in regular conversation too ;), I hope this list will be useful to some of you! When I was pregnant with the munchkin, I always found similar product recc posts from some of my mommy blogger friends helpful...and I still find them helpful - geared towards older babies of course since this one:

{last weekend @ our lunch date to Chipotle...yes we go on lunch dates...minus the hubbs ::wink::}

...well, she's becoming such a big girl! <3 her!

So, without further adieu (sp?), here's a list of the top products I couldn't live without over the last 6 months:

1. The Summer Infant Video Monitor:

{photo credit}

We moved Amaya to her crib early, a little before 3 months actually, and I'm so happy we did! Since she was so young, the transition really wasn't tough at all. The one thing she had to get used to was her limbs - she used to startle herself awake with them several times a night. Sometimes she'd be up until we put her back to sleep, but eventually she got used to them!

Anyway, one of the things that always gave me comfort was this monitor. I was skeptical about getting one b/c of the cost & b/c Baby Bargains recommended against it, but the hubbs insisted (I think he was thinking about how cool it was rather than the actual usefulness of it, lol), so I relented & added it to our registry. We used gift cards we received at our baby showers to purchase one & it's seriously one of the best baby purchases I've ever made!

2. Boogie Wipes:

{photo credit}

I cannot say enough good things about this product! We were in the throws of our first cold when I stumbled across these at BRU one day & I picked a pack up wanting to try 'em out. Now I can't live without them! Anytime AJ becomes a little snot box, I break out a pack of these babies & her nose gets cleaned without getting all sore & raw. They are also perfect for getting dried on boogs or food off her face...awesome product!

3. Clean Shopper:

{photo credit}

I had another shopping cart/high chair cover, but it didn't cover the sides of the carts, which didn't work for {germ-o-phobe} me...I hated seeing AJ touching the exposed parts of the cart then putting her hands in her mouth! Ugh, can you say germ fest?! I knew I needed another shopping cart/high chair cover & one day they just popped up on Zulily! Awesome. I cannot say enough good things about the Babe Ease brand of Clean Shoppers & Diners. They are GREAT - huge, soft & easy to clean...all the things busy mamas need & everything I was looking for!

4. Summer Infant Tiny Diner

{photo credit}

This is another can't live without product for anyone who likes going out to eat at restaurants. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mat. It suctions to most tables & contains A's messes like no other (see photo of munchkin above). It's also super easy to carry around & clean up - it rolls right up & fits in your diaper bag or purse, then when you get home, just shake the mess into the trash & either toss in the dishwasher or rinse off with soap & water. Easy peasy & such a great value - if you buy one, you definitely won't regret it!

5. Sophie the Giraffe teether:

{photo credit}

Yes, I admit it - I bought into the Sophie hype & bought one for A for Christmas, or did Santa bring that?! he he he. Nonetheless, she has her, she chews her, she loves her. She used to spend 10+ minutes at a time chewing on Sophie's nose & legs! It is quite the expensive teething toy, but she has held up remarkably well so far & she's easily washable in the sink with warm, soapy water.

6. Evenflo Exersaucer:

{photo credit}

Amaya LOVES her exersaucer - she loves to "bouncy bouncy" & starts jumping up & down as soon as we say those words, lol. This is another example of Santa's infinite wisdom. :) I like that it keeps her entertained {& contained} while I get stuff done or when I'm getting ready for the day. She has the 123 Tea For Me version of the Exersaucer & especially loves the stacking cake, the mail/mailbox & the spinning wheels. It even has a small tray & a place for her cup!

7. Tomee Tipee starter cups:

{photo credit}

We received these cups as a gift during one of our baby showers & when the time came for Baby AJ to start practicing with cups, I decided to try 'em out. She took to these surprisingly easy & it now a little pro at drinking out of her cup! Her teacher at daycare even commented on how good & advanced she is with the cup! I like the soft spout, small amount of parts + no spill feature, the handles & the top that closes over the spout...you know, for when your little one is over drinking out of the cup & instead wants to bang it on stuff & throw it around?!

8. Graco Blossom 4-in-1 high chair:

{photo credit}

I love this high chair! One of my fave things about it is that it's not too baby'ish looking & it has so many features that keep growing with your child, like it's THREE {yes, 3!!} trays, the multiple seat levels & it even comes with a booster seat! I'm sure we will keep this for years & years to come! In fact, we won't ever need another one since it goes all the way thru the toddler age range. Amaya likes playing with toys or smearing food all over the large main tray. But don't worry, the tray is machine {dishwasher} washable & the straps & cover come off easily to wash if you need to.

9. Aquaphor:

{photo credit}

This stuff is ahhh-mazing. We mainly use this to treat & prevent diaper rash - it's the only thing that has ever worked for AJ - we tried Triple Paste, Desitin, Butt Paste & none worked quite as well as good 'ol Aquaphor. And you don't need the baby kind (same as the adult version btw), nor do you need the brand name. I have used the CVS, Target & K-Mart store brands & they are all pretty awesome. When AJ is getting a little red or a rash down there, we slather it on thick (& have her daycare do the same with the Aquaphor we provided) & normally it's gone the next morning, or at the very least, markedly better! Love it. Want some more of it. :)

10. LOTs of storage baskets:

{photo credit}

I recently bought a couple C&B baskets for our living room for toy storage & I'm so happy I did! Their baskets are stylish, affordable & large enough to hold a lot of munchkin's toys! I hate clutter, so at the end of the day, I just toss all her toys in the baskets & my living room instantly looks less like a playroom, lol. We also have a Pier One basket in our room where I put any toys that find their way into our room so that they are handy if we need them, but not laying around our room. Baskets are essential for those of you who crave a clutter-free, organized home.

11. Formula Dispenser:

{photo credit}

If you use powdered formula, these are essential for trips out of the house. I bought one dispenser & each compartment holds up to 8 oz each time. I just fill this baby up before we plan to head out, fill a couple bottles up with water & head out. It makes it super easy to prepare the bottles when you're out of the house as well, just pop open the top, pour into the bottle, shake & you're all done. and for the price, you can't beat how useful this product is!

That's all I got for now, I'm SO tired so I'm gonna turn in for the night. Try some or all of these products, you won't be sorry you did! 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 08.17.11

2011-08-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

Hi there friends!! Hope everyone's week is going awesome - mine is pretty good, just trying to get thru the next 1.5 months at work, then I'll {hopefully} have a lot more free time, which = more time to blog...he he. :) I am still hard at work trying to get one of my biggest projects more the office/craft space makeover done & am waiting on an order I placed on Etsy to reeeally finish it. Once it gets here, hopefully I'll be able to finish the project up & share it with y'all...in the mean time, I'm going to share some of my inspiration pics for the office/craft space makeover. Also, I will be posting Baby AJ's 10 month update, my top mommy must haves for 3-9 months, and finally, I wanna tell you guys about the big birthday bash we're planning for our little munchkin!!

Anywho, today I'm checking in with my latest installment of WIWBW! Here are the top 5 things I ~~need~~ wanna buy this week:

1. Fall clothes {for me}:

{photo credit}

I've always loved the fall & everything about it - it's my favorite season!! One of the things I look forward to every year is seeing the new fall clothing trends! I love the comfy, stylish cardigans & sweaters, the dark wash denim & the muted colors fall brings! I can't wait to do some fall shopping - I need to clean out my closet first, lose about 5-10 lbs, then I'll be stocking up on some of the new fall items to supplement my {already pretty large} wardrobe. :)

P.S. - anyone who wants to get a deal on some great new fall looks, Gap is offering 25% off your entire purchase - TODAY ONLY - code: GAPGEM!

2. A new iPhone cover:

{photo credit}

I mentioned these cute iPhone covers sold by one of my favorite Etsy Shops, Pretty Smitten, in my chevron love post. Sigh. I really, REALLY want one, but I just can't bring myself to pay $55 for one...I mean, the phone itself was over $200! I follow the Pretty Smitten blog & last week, Elizabeth (the shop owner) hinted at the fact that there will be something coming up this week for those wanting an iPhone case (me, me, me!) - I hope it's a discount because I'll definitely jump all over that!

3. A couple long, white IKEA wall shelves:

{photo credit}

I'd seen these shelves in IKEA before, but fell in love with them once I saw them in John & Sherry's living/dining room on Young House Love. When I was re-doing our living room though, I went for three small, dark brown wall shelves. After living with those for a couple of years, I'm ready to make a switch again to the IKEA shelves & I'm trying to talk the hubbs into the idea - I think it'll brighten up the space & provide a nice spot for family photos/decorating pieces that I own & have no other place to display. I'd LOVE to have these installed before the munchkin's first birthday party on October 15th (more deets on the big day later), so we'll see if the hubby will relent. :)

And speaking of IKEA...

4. IKEA's Tullsta Armchair:

{photo credit}

I love the look of this chair & it would fit perfectly with the hubb's new furniture set in his mancave (pics coming soon). And have you seen the price?! $100 for a nice armchair & only $50 for extra covers if you'd like to change up the look - gotta love IKEA! We need to make a trip to our local one soon!

5. Fall clothes {for munchkin}:

{photo credits: sweater & outfit}

Y'all know I can't get enough of baby clothes! Sadly, my baby is about to be a toddler ::sniff, sniff::, but there is still an abundance of cute clothes for 12+ months! And her birthday is in the fall too, so maybe she'll get some cute outfits for her birthday?! Woo. The hubbs & I went to the outlets the weekend before last to grab a few things & I picked up some stuff for the munchkin, but there's definitely still more shopping to do!

So there you have it - my top 5 things I wanna buy this week. How about you?! What do you wanna buy today? 'Till next time!

What I'm loving right now: chevron pattern!!

2011-08-12T22:45:00.001-04:00

PS - I totally started a WIWBW post on Wednesday, then Blogger went down for like an hour or so & then I fell asleep! I guess that's what happens when you have a kid - you go to sleep earlier because you're FORCED to wake up earlier!

Anywho, today I want to discuss my new{est} obsession - chevron patterns! It's something I've been seeing more & more on blog, online design sites & etsy! I absolutely L-O-V-E the look...I feel like it works in any room or item. Makes everything a little more modern, but not too contemporary (hard lines, etc.). I'm sure you'll be seeing some more of this 'round the Dennifer household sometime soon. :)

Here are some of my fave inspiration pics:

{DIY chevron framed print (free printable!!) via The Crafty Scientist}

{DIY chevron magazine holders via The Mustard Ceiling - found this awesome project on the DIY Show Off!}

{super cute chevron throw pillow by Etsy seller Pillow Throw Decor}

{pretty iPhone case & personalized serving platter by Etsy seller Pretty Smitten}

{DIY chevron fabric covered patio table & ottoman cover via Tatertots and Jello}

{chevron shoulder bag by Etsy seller Deyitta}

I should stop here, otherwise I'll keep Googling & keep finding more cute stuff & this blog post will literally go.on.for.ever. ::wink:: Now I need to figure out how to incorporate this awesomely cute pattern in my newest Project Makeover Series - my office/craft space! I have a few ideas on that, but you'll have to wait until I get there to see what I come up with! Are you equally as obsessed with a particular pattern as I am?! If so, which one? And stay tuned...I'm currently working on one of the major projects for my office space makeover & will hopefully finish it up soon & hopefully be sharing it with all of y'all soon! 'Till next time!

Amaya's Nursery featured on the DIY Show Off today!!

2011-08-10T09:16:00.001-04:00

Hai! Just wanted to give a shout out to my good bloggy friend Roeshel over at the DIY Show Off.

Today she's featuring Amaya's nursery on her awesome blog, check out munchkin's nursery post here. And if you've never stopped by Roeshel's blog before - go check it out, it's one of my go to stops when I'm looking for DIY and D&R inspiration! Thanks Roeshel for featuring Amaya's nursery - as always, I'm so honored to be featured on your amazing blog! 'Till next time :)

Amaya: 8-9 months!

2011-08-09T22:50:00.001-04:00

OMG my daughter is nearly TEN months! {begin slight panic attack} How did time fly so fast? What happened to my little squishy baby? I kinda want another one NOW...but, uh, don't tell my hubby that - he may leave me, hahaha. Kidding, kidding.

Anyways, as I mentioned, since she's almost 10 whole months, I thought it was about time I checked in here with her ~~monthly~~ bi-monthly post. I really do always have plans to post these updates every month & then, well...life happens & I don't get around to it in a timely manner. She'll be 10 months at the end of this week, so I may just do a really brief post for 10 months & then do the monthly posts for 11 & 12. That's the plan...but you know what happens when I make plans when it comes to Baby AJ! And of course, I'm hard at work planning her birthday party, woo - can't wait to tell you guys about it, but I'm gonna do a separate post for that b/c it'll be looong, lol.

And now, here are Amaya's 8 & 9 month photos:

{sloberrrrr box}

And her 0-7 for comparison...

{8 month outtakes}

{9 month outtakes}

She's always after the camera, ha! She is like a little lady now & I can't believe it! She literally changes or does something new everyday! It's so much fun & kinda bittersweet seeing my baby get SO big so quickly. :o/

She got 1 Hep B shot & they took all her official stats at her 9 month well baby appointment...she weighed 16 lbs. 14.5 oz. (20th %tile), was measured at 28.5 inches long (80th %tile) & her head circumference was 17 inches (25th percentile). So she fell in terms of where she falls on the charts for weight, but she is a tall little thang! As you can imagine, that makes it a little difficult to shop for clothes - difficult, but not impossible & it surely doesn't stop this mama! :) She's still in 6-9 or 6-12 months depending on the brand, but a lot of the 6-9 month stuff is getting kinda short, so she'll have to stop wearing those soon. Speaking of clothes, I just packed up a HUGE box of her cutest clothes that I couldn't bear getting rid of & put it into our storage unit. I'm hoping to break 'em out again one day. The hubbs still isn't completely sold on a sibling in the next couple of years for munchkin, but I think he'll come around! In the mean time, my older sister just found out that she's preggo & we are hoping for a girl this time!! Those clothes will get some additional use one way or another, ha!

Her night time sleep is still pretty good, but lately she's been waking once each night for a bottle. This was all over the last week or so - not sure if it's a growth spurt or if it's because she's getting congested/runny nose or what, but I hope she goes back to her old 10-12 hours a night. Tonight I tried adding just a wee bit of oatmeal cereal to this evening's bottle...just to make her just that much more full, so we'll see if it works. She's still going down for bed anywhere from 7pm-8:30pm...normally closer to 7:30, but it varies depending on how she naps at daycare. This past weekend, I noticed she has started staying up for longer stretches between naps, so I'm thinking right around 12 months she'll be doing just one nap a day. I don't think I'm ready for it! But, if it's one good, quality nap then I'll take it - I act as if I have a choice, lol.

As for naps, they are hit or miss unfortunately. For a little bit, right before starting daycare, she was taking two 1.5-2 hour naps a day. I was jumping for joy & signing oh happy day! But that was short lived b/c a week or two later she started daycare & obviously it jacked up her napping. She does nap there, but it's all over the place - sometimes 30 min, sometimes an hour or more. You never know what you're getting when you go pick her up in the evening. I'm hoping my poor pumpkin adjusts soon because she definitely needs sleep. She's never really crabby when she's sleepy, but she just looks so pitiful, ugh.

Speaking of daycare, {besides the erratic napping} she's really doing quite well! She L-O-V-E-S her two main teachers & also loves all the kids & toys. I think she gets bored here at the house on weekends because she's so used to all the activity at "school"! I am so happy she adjusted so quickly, it makes me feel like we really made a great decision to a) send her to daycare & b) start her when we did. She's just such an awesome, happy baby - everyone always says that & I agree {of course, I'm slightly biased ::wink::}!

She's also doing really well trying new foods! I try to make sure has at least one type of table food everyday & try to introduce new foods every couple of days. So far she's had (either puree or small bits of table food): apples, peaches, pears, bananas, avocado, green beans, peas, mango, strawberries, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, all types of bread, several types of Gerber infant cereal, all types of puffs, Yo Baby yogurt, carrots, pasta (she's freakin' lurves mac & cheese), rice crispies, mum mums, black beans, rice, plums, egg yolk (scrambled & seasoned with a teeny bit of salt free Mrs. Dash), pancakes, mashed potatoes & I'm sure other stuff I'm not mentioning. She LOVES food, which is very exciting for me! I am also happy to say that I actually stuck with making her baby food homemade. My hubby didn't even think I'd hang in there, but I did & hopefully saved us a bit of money in the long run. I cannot wait until she kicks formula to the curb right around her first birthday, it'll be awesome...not only for the money savings, but because I hate washing/making bottles - it's so time consuming! Right now she's doing between 22-25 ounces of formula per day, but most times she doesn't want it at all. I think it's because she's had so many new foods that formula seems boring to her! She also water in her dippy cup at every meal & she's doing awesome with it - even holds it & tips it up to her mouth all by her self!

As for milestones, she's doing well. She's talking up a storm! So far she can say baba (1st word), dada, mama (yay!), lala, yay, hi & dog. When she says "yay," she smiles so big & claps her hands in excitement! And she waves when she's says hi! She also knows that our family dog is a dog - she only says that word when he's around, but she doesn't say it anytime we see other dogs! She rolls all over the place & gets up on her knees to rock, but hasn't quite started crawling. Her main way of getting around, though, is sitting on her butt & scooting to whatever she's trying to get to, it's SO cute! She can also bear weight on her legs & stands up against stuff with one of us standing right there supporting her. Her hair is growing too, I can't wait till it's long enough for pigtails...I used to hate when my mom put them in my hair, but now I understand why she did - they are super cute! I think that's all for now...'till next time!

Project Office/Craft Space Makeover: a sad "before"

2011-08-02T11:38:00.000-04:00

Hi there friends! I'm finally ready to announce my newest DIY/D&R makeover project series...as I'm sure you can surmise from the title of this post, it's my office/craft space! It's a space in my house that has long been neglected & this revamp is WAAAAAY overdue. I originally planned to work on this space before the munchkin was ~~born~~ conceived, but clearly that didn't happen, so I'm starting now! Better late than never right?!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with crafting & decorating as much as I used to - I think I took a break because I was adjusting to my new life as a mama, but my daughter's starting to get older & get into more of a predictable routine, so I'm slowly {but surely} returning to my crafting roots ::fist pump::, lol. So, my office/crafting area is just a tiny area of the basement (aka my husband's mancave, which I'm sure he's thrilled to share with his amazing wife) in my very small house. Before the munchkin was born, I had my office & craft stuff in her room (the former office/guest/craft room), but once I got pregnant we had to clean it out & get it set up as a nursery. When we do buy a bigger house, I'm definitely making sure I have a suitable crafting room. Sigh. I *wish* that I had an entire room like some of you luckies out there, but alas, I do not & so I'm working with what I got....

Here are a few before shots of my very sad craft space (please excuse the photo quality, took them on my iPhone right before I started the desk cleanup):

I'm totally embarrassed to post photos of the sad, sad state of my office area, but the time has come! This is a view of the desk/printer area & a closeup of my cluttered desktop. Remember this post from oh, about a year ago, regarding my CL find. Got this desk for $25 last February & then I got preggo. The hubbs kept saying he would re-do my desk, but he never did (figures!) & now, over a year later, I'm finally gonna give some new life to this little beauty!

I'd also like to re-finish the side table we have the printer sitting on to match all the espresso/dark wood colors the hubbs has in the basement already.

And ideally, I'd also like to see some wall storage hung over my desk & I'd lurve to have those frames cluttering my desk come off & go somewhere else, which brings me to my next & final (told y'all it was a small space) before photo...

The misc. junk corner, which I have claimed as a part of my office/crafty space. In this area, I'd like to loose the chair; although, my original thought was to re-do that too, add a cute chair cushion & have a little coordinating chair for my desk. But, I have an awesome, comfy computer chair with wheels & I love it, so I'm gonna stick with that for now. And since I hate clutter {& we are running out of storage space}, this little guy's gotta go. I'll be Freecycling him sometime soon. After I get rid of the chair, I'm going clean up the space & add some storage, likely a book shelf, in that area.

I'd love to see the entire basement painted & am working on the hubbs to make it happen, but he hates painting, so it may take a little while! Or it may never happen because we wanna sell our casa...I'd love it if we just sold & never painted downstairs, but we all know how the market is! Anyway, I'm not letting that slow me down - I will finish this project & I will do it before munchkin's birthday party on October 15th. That means I only have a small amount of time to finish...follow along on my newest D&R/DIY project, won't cha?! And wish me luck, I'll need it!! 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 07.27.11

2011-07-27T18:24:00.000-04:00

Hiii everybody! How's your week been?! Mine's been okay. My little munchkin has recently decided that she wants to, once again, wake up multiple times a night randomly. Ugh. So, needless to say, I'm sleep deprived + it's busy season at my job, booo. But, this weekend I'm getting in a DIY state of mind because I am getting started on my next Project Makeover series, which I plan to announce sometime tomorrow (sorry for the delay!).

Anywho, checking in today with another installment of WIWBW, woot {it rhymes, tee hee ::wink::}. So, here are the top 5 things I'm lusting over this week:

1. RuffleButts Mania:

{photo credit}

ATTENTION moms of little girls: Zulily {full disclosure - that link is my referral link, if you sign up thru that link & when/if you ever buy something, I get a Zulily store credit...just wanted to put that out there ;) is having a huge sale on RuffleButts aka some the most adorable things I've ever seen for little girls! I bought Baby AJ the grape bloomers & matching swing top for her 12 month photo shoot - can't wait to get them, they are so stinkin' cute!!

2. A cute blue dress for Baby AJ:

{photo credit}

My little sister {19} is about to move on to greener pastures, lol. Well, she's moving to Savannah, Georgia actually & so my older sister {30} wants the whole family to get together for a group family picture - she's the sentimental type. The color they picked for everyone to coordinate with were lighter shades of blue. I went online to Baby Gap, one of my fave places for AJ's clothes & found this little number on sale for $18! So uhhhm yeah, totally getting it. Hopefully. If the hubbs "releases" the funds, hahaha. He's a crazed budget/spreadsheet person. :oP

3. A baby travel bed:

{photo credit}

One day while looking thru my latest One Step Ahead catalog, I came across this adorbs baby travel bed! I'm not a huge fan on pack & plays for sleeping, so I think this is an awesome solution. It has a cushy, inflatable mattress & travels easily because it can fold up into a carrying case that comes with it! The best thing is, after your little one grows out of it for sleeping, it can be used as a play tent later! Awesome. The Dennifers are heading on our first family vacation to Disney World in November, so I'd really love to get this before then!

4. A PBK Halloween Costume:

{photo credit}

FML. I love Pottery Barn & all their affiliates waaay too much for my pocketbook. These costumes are soooo cute & I totally want one for the little muchkin's 2nd, but really her 1st real Halloween. She was like 2 weeks old last Halloween, so I didn't dress her up, this year she's definitely getting a costume of some sort. Not sure I can persuade the hubbs to let me buy a $50 something PBK one, but maybe I'll find a cute knock off version?!

5. A sexy dress:

{photo credit}

We have some friends getting married in September & this will be our second time away from Baby AJ together, so I'm going to live it up! Part of my vow to live it up is dressing the part. I wanna look hot for my man (but still appropriate for the wedding), who's in the wedding. There will be lots of dancing & drinking that night, lol. Victoria's Secret has lots of really sexy dress right now, so I'll probably buy one from there next time I get a free shipping coupon. ;)

So that's my list for this week, what do you have on yours? 'Till next time!

Sorry to leave y'all hanging...

2011-07-22T08:53:00.000-04:00

I have been swamped with work {what else is new, eh?} & then in class for work the first part of this week. And this past weekend, I was focusing on spending time with the munchkin since she'd be in daycare all week. I'm happy, however, to report that AJ did just fine in daycare during her first week! She was crying on & off all day the first day, crying a little less the second & by the end of the week, only whining here & there when we dropped her off. She L-O-V-E-S all the other children & really likes both of the teachers in her room, which makes me feel so good! We made a good decision in the place we chose, woot!

Anyways, just wanted to give a quick update. I'll be back in the next day or two to announce my *newest* project makeover series!! I'm so excited :) Also, I need to do Baby AJ's 8-9 month post, my top mommy must haves for 3+ months. 'Till next time!

AJ's starting daycare tomorrow (& a shameless plug for my baby)...

2011-07-07T11:11:00.001-04:00

Really quick before I discuss the whole daycare thing. :o) I (like 100K+ other parents) entered my little munchkin into the Gerber Generation photo contest on Facebook, so if you have a spare minute, please head over to FB & vote for her: http://apps.facebook.com/gerberphotosearch/entry/4651/amaya.aspx

It only takes a second & you can vote every day!! Thanks friends!

No, back to daycare, she's starting tomorrow...&& I am SO nervous. ::deep breaths::

Here are my top 5 things I'm worried about (in no particular order):

Separation Anxiety - she has slowly , but surely started crying anytime she's with someone she doesn't know...even if she's seen them several times. If she doesn't see you consistently, she don't know you. At least in her book, which scares me b/c obviously she's never seen her "teachers" for any sort of extended period of time & hearing her cry just breaks my heart.
An utter disaster of a nap schedule - she's JUST recently started napping a little better - 2 naps, 1 decent nap in the AM & a longer nap in the afternoon. But, she is used to sleeping in her crib, in her room for the most part, which is quiet & dark - neither of which daycare is. She does sleep in the car every once in a while, but she sleeps best in her crib & I'm just so scared that it'll be too bright & loud in her classroom & that she'll be unable to settle down. I'm taking her mini Sleep Sheep to hopefully provide some white noise & help her sleep better there. I also got her a lightweight Halo Sleep Sack b/c they aren't allowed to use receiving blankets in the cribs.
Waking her up & getting to work on time in the morning - I already spoke to my boss & updated him on what's going on, so he's expecting that I'll be late over the next few weeks & I'll just make up the time. I'm hoping that I won't have to switch my schedule because I'll have to then stay later if I come in later, which I DON'T want to do since I get such limited time in the evenings with the babe as is. Regarding waking her up....she's used to being able to sleep in as long as she needs to, which obviously can't happen if I need to get to work. She never sleeps in really late, but later sometimes than would work for me getting to work at a reasonable hour. The good news is, the only days I'll have to worry about this is on our non-telework days, which happen only 1-2 times a week (the hubbs & I have opposite telework schedules), so there's that I suppose.
Her getting sick constantly - I have lots of friends with little ones in daycare & they tell me all these horror stories about the stuff their kids have caught in daycare. I'm not looking forward to it to say the least. I hate it when she's sick - it's so sad & I feel miserable that she feels miserable. It's a whole lot of miserableness in the Dennifer household.
The length of time she'll be in daycare on the days we both go into the office - it'll end up being nearly 10 or more hours on those days & it makes me feel terribly guilty. We both work kinda far from our house (an hour +) & her school is near the house, so I have my mom on standby for any emergencies & my older sister is going to still pick her up once a week early so she can spend time with her, but I still feel bad. :(

That's my top list, but other things I'm also worried about - losing her clothes, bottles, pacis, bibs, etc.; her awesome bedtime schedule being effed up due to not getting good naps in at daycare; the teachers being caring & nurturing to her (I have no reason to think they wouldn't be & have heard good stuff about the teachers from a friend with an older daughter that goes to the same center, but I still worry); the kids being mean to or hurting her (not necessarily at this age, but once she gets a bit older); AJ not getting to spend as much time outside; her not getting to spend as much time with my sister or me as she does now + lots of other stuff.

Not to sound so depressing though, I am slightly excited about this transition for a few reasons too. First, she loves kids & I think she'll love being around the other kids & playing with them. Second, being able to really voice any concerns I have about her care. I feel like with my sister sometimes I sugarcoat stuff or don't say stuff about little things that bother me in the same way I would to someone not related to me. My sister is awesome with her, but of course, she's not me & the hubbs & she does some stuff differently than us & sometimes I just don't say anything to her because I don't want her to think I'm being crazy or too critical. Third, no one being in my house during the day, lol. It'll stay sooo much cleaner, the dog will not be so upset (he doesn't like a lot of loud noises & my nephew, being a 3 year old, is loud & runs around a lot, which stresses out my poor Dizz; Amaya gets on his nerves sometimes too, but he at least comes up from the basement when it's just her in the house). Fourth, my sister not having to wake up her son & get up so early to come to my house. This one is mainly for her, I know it must be tough driving 30+ min so early with a (sometimes) cranky toddler from being woken up. All in all though, I know my sister takes great care of my little munchkin & we'll miss her watching Amaya (yes she has an actual name, haha). We owe her lots & lots of gratitude for taking such great care of our punkin for all these important months in her life!

I know change is necessary, but I am still nervous, so wish us luck tomorrow! I probably won't be able to sleep tonight, hahaha. I'm so lame...guess that's what happens when you become a mama! ::wink:: 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 07.06.11

2011-07-06T22:52:00.003-04:00

Hola friends! So now that I finally got my workload partially reduced, it's our busy time at work. But, I am committed to blogging more regularly. I miss it & miss interacting with all my blog friends. So, I'm back in full effect. I even have a new project makeover series (kinda like I did with munchkin's nursery) coming up later this week or early next, so excited to tell y'all about it!! But, for now, I'm checking in with another installment of WIWBW, woot!

So here's what I wanna buy this week:

1. A cute, colorful, modern & funky lamp:

{photo credit}

I dunno if it's because it's summer or if it's just my love of aqua, turquoise, teal & all other colors close to those that family of colors, but I am lurving all the funky, colorful table lamps I've been seeing lately. Love! And today I just happened to wander into good 'ol HomeGoods & found a little beaut that I couldn't resist - more on that lata because it's going to make an appearance in my new project makeover series!

2. PBK rolling luggage:

{photo credit}

In November the Dennifers are heading on our first *family* vaca & I want to get the munchkin her own little rolling suitcase. I'm sure she doesn't actually need it, but how freakin' cute, right?! We shall see if the hubbs will let me buy it, ha!

Uhhhmmm, side note -

Dear PBK, please make luggage in your newest to-die-for pattern, "Chocolate Bird":

I REALLY L-O-V-E it & would like to get my little AJ some rolling luggage in that pattern please!

3. A lacy, vintage looking headband for Baby AJ:

{photo credit}

I plan waaay too far ahead, but I already have munchkin's outfit for her 12 month photo shoot. It's one of those cute lace rompers - it's cream, got it on Baby Steals a little while back for a great price! Anyways, while perusing one of my favorite Etsy shops for headbands, I saw this little lovely, it'll go perfectly with her outfit! Hopefully it'll still be available once I get around to purchasing it. ;op

4. LON Low Rider Bookcase:

{photo credit}

I've been drooling over this bookcase ever since I saw it. It's such a perfect bookcase for a certain little wee one's nursery! She has this one from Target, but I'm kinda over it. The bottom cubby shelf that extends out has never stayed put despite what my hubby does to make it stay there. so hers only has the one cubby section. And besides that, this one from Land Of Nod is super duper cute with lots of storage space...something I predict we'll be needing more of in the near future!

5. A cute, whimsy throw pillow for my new project:

{photo credit}

Bahahaha, IDK why I'm being so tight lipped about my new project, I guess I just don't want to take away from my first post in the project makeover series...I want it to be good for you guys, lol. But anyways, this little darling would sure be a cute accent piece for my newest project! I may be making my way to Pier One this weekend.

And that's my list for this week. Stay tuned for the intro on my newest project makeover series coming up soon + I promise to post some pics from my Jamaica trip too! My laptop charger died, so I had to get a new one before I could upload the pics, which we just got yesterday, so I promise...they're coming soon! 'Till next time!

DIY summer wreath + my little model :)

2011-06-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

So my errr ~~spring~~ summer wreath for our front door has been done for a little while now, but I just have been SUPER busy & unable to post about it, so ::drum roll:: here it is in all it's burlap & fabric flower glory:

{another view}

In retrospect, I should have taken more close-u p pics of it...FAIL. But, WDYT?! I love the way it turned out. I would have liked to do more fabric flowers, but they take so long to make & I thought the amount on I have on it look good too. Anywho, to make my wreath, I used this tutorial for the base & this one for the flowers - both have great step-by-step directions that are super easy to follow. This is my very first DIY project since Baby AJ got here! It gave me back the DIY itch, but unfortunately, my job has cruelly STOLEN my itch away. I am literally ex.haus.ted everyday after work, but the good news is - stuff is about to slow down because my workload is being reduced, ha! Thank freakin' goodness.

Soooo, that means I should be back in full blogging effect soon!

PS - I recently registered my little pumpkin with Adora Models, so now she's an official model! It's a pretty cool service, vendors/shop/boutique owners send your kid their products to model, they model it & you take a bunch of pics (or have them taken by a professional photog). Then, send them the pics for their website/shop & your little one gets to keep the gear/items. If you're interested in signing up your little one, just contact the girl's from Adora Models & tell them I sent you! Oh & if you're a shop owner & you'd like a {really, reeeeeeeeeeeeeally} cute baby to model you're stuff, please contact Adora Models & request "Amaya J." in the girls 0-12 months category - it's free to shop owners!! Here's a little look at her model card:

She hams it up for the camera, lol. Love her! 'Till next time!

Headed to Jamaica!

2011-06-21T23:28:00.000-04:00

And boooy do I need it! Work is still crazy & I'm hoping it calms down soon. But in the mean time, I'll be lounging here for the next four days:

{Photo Credit}

It's a {all-inclusive, woo} girls trip with some of my friends & it's the longest I have ever been away from the munchkin. Here's hoping I make it without her. I love her soooo much & hate to miss that many days with her, but she'll be in good hands with my sister & the hubbs. Hope everyone has a great week...'till next time!

Amaya 6-7 months!

2011-06-12T22:51:00.001-04:00

Wowza. Did I type that right, 7 months already?! She's actually almost 8 months & I tell ya what, every passing day she's doing something new & getting big sooo quickly. It makes me sad my little baaay-be is growing up so quickly, but of course, I'm happy that she is doing well & healthy. I can't believe that in a little over 4 months, my munchkin will be ONE YEAR OLD! Ugh. I can't believe it.

Side note - sorry I missed WIWB Wednesday yesterday (yeah umm, I def started writing this on Thursday :o/), I was SO busy at work this week because we have this crazy re-organization happening next week & we JUST found out on Tuesday, so we are scrambling to get lose ends tied up. It is pretty drastic & I don't want to get into all the details because I'm still absorbing the news myself, but basically that rotational I am/was doing for that possible promotion, well let's just say I'm still doing the work but I'm preeety positive that the promotion is not gonna happen for me or anyone else that was in the running. It sucks because I busted my arse working hard on the rotational, but hey, I'm trying to be positive & just see it as a good learning experience & something awesome for my resume. Note the word trying, it's a process. ;) But back to WIWB, I actually bought a couple things for the munchkin yesterday from my fave spot - PBK!

I got her this really teeny personalized preschool backpack for her birthday {yes I realize it's over 4 months away, but they have a great sale right now!}:

{photo credit}

Isn't it adorbs? And at $19.99 (without personalization), I couldn't resist! I got it personalized for $7 more. More on her birthday party plans & other possible gifts later, but I just wanted to share this cutie & the deets on the sale.

You may just think I'm a little crazy for the next thing {lawd knows my husband does}, but I couldn't pass up the deal & I'd been wanting this next thing. Spring/summer crib bedding. Yep, seasonal bedding, for my 7.5 month old lol. Well, this is how it happened - so I was buying the little backpack & decided to check out PBK's sales & saw their super cute "Spring Bouquet" set {bumper, sheet, crib skirt} set that will coordinate well with the colors in her room for $59.99. Yes, you read that right, under $60 for a PBK bedding set. And, of course, I couldn't pass it up:

{photo credit}

Under $60! ::dies:: Annnywho, I digress. Back to the original purpose of this post...

So last time I did one of these updates, I mentioned that we had begun searching for daycares to enroll munchkin in when she turns 1, but we (along with my sister) decided to actually get her started at just about 9 months now, so that's NEXT MONTH. I am so nervous, but I am just hoping she takes to it well. We finally did find a place that we both really love & feel comfortable taking her, and it is not gonna break the bank so that's good. We get one free day before she starts full time, but I haven't decided when to use it...likely closer to her first day, which is...drum roll please ::cue drums::...July 11th. I'm excited, but scared. I just hope she does okay & doesn't completely lose it when I leave her for the first time. Sigh. Talk about major anxiety provoking event!

Here are her 6 & 7 month pics - she's getting so big:

And her 0-5 months for comparison's sake...

{6 month outtakes}

{And 7 month outtakes}

In the last pic, it looks like she's saying, what mama?! I love that baby! But seriously, can you believe how big she is now?! She looks like a little lady now, haha. I feel like she's starting to look more & more like her daddy, booo. I mean, he's cute & all, but I want her to look more like her mama! Ha!

So since I never updated after her 6 month appointment, her official 6 month weight was 14 lbs. 4.5 oz. (50th %tile) & she was 24.5 inches (15th %tile)!! She is catching up on the charts, woo! My little chunker as I like to call her. I'm guessing she's about 16 lbs. or so now. She shortly wore 3-6 month clothes & is now fully in 6-9 months or 6-12 months in certain brands, like Gymboree & Gap. She wears a size 2 shoe now & we are starting to stock up on cute little shoes between my sister, my friends who gave us hand me down shoes & her daddy & I. She also got her second pair of earrings recently! Little "diamond" butterflies courtesy of her daddy. :) Speaking of "that guy" as I say to AJ, they are SO cute together, it seriously makes me melt when I see him talking & playing with her....love them!

Her night time sleep is still pretty good on most nights, but her napping hasn't gotten much better unfortunately. Ideally, she'd take a decent nap (1 hour or so) in the morning & a long (about 2 hours) nap in the afternoon, but it rarely happens that way, sigh. Sometimes she'll do something close to that, but more often than not, she takes about 3 40 min. or so naps. It sucks b/c it's hard to plan stuff or get anything done while she's napping when her naps are so.freakin.short. Eh. Oh & my hypothesis about darkening the room - not correct, they didn't help much to lengthen her naps. too bad we found that out after dropping over $400 on custom shades + installation! So, I hope once she starts daycare that her naps will be better since I'm sure she'll be exhausted. I know it won't happen at first, but I'm hoping they get better after she adjusts. Annnd speaking of daycare, she starts July 11th. :( My sister is getting burnt out driving all the way to our house every morning & quite frankly, I kinda want her to start, for lots of reasons, one of which being because I'm nervous that the older she gets, the worse her {or my!}separation anxiety will be. We really like the center we chose for her though & I plan to visit often at least at the beginning. I just hope she adjusts quickly & likes it there.

As for her nighttime sleep, she is now going down between 7:30pm & 8:30pm - sometimes earlier or later, but I try to keep it in between that window of time. She normally (unless she's not feeling well or if she's having an off night) sleeps between 9-11 hours at a time, then sometimes we'll give her a bottle & she'll fall back asleep for another hour or so. I'm nervous to see how/if her night sleep will be effected when she starts daycare. I really really want to avoid having to wake her up in the mornings (especially since nighttime is her only really good sleep), so I may end up changing my hours so I can go in to the office a bit later. We have a flex time option, so I may look into it. One thing I really don't want to give up is my every other Friday off since the hubbs has the same day off & we normally get to spend time together as a family on those days.

Another big "first" over the last couple months is that she started solids! She started right around 6 months & her first food was apples, homemade by her mama. I make all her food, except cereal & snacks. I don't think I have the patience to make baby biscuits or rice/oatmeal cereal, so I just buy it. Everything else, I make! Maybe I'll do a post about that one day soon, but it saves us LOTS of money & I actually really enjoy being able to know exactly what's going in my kids mouth. I make mostly organic, unless I read it's unnecessary to buy organic. So far the munchkin has had (in no particular order): apples, avocado, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pears, plums, peaches, green beans, peas, bananas, plus oatmeal & rice baby cereal, mum mums & puffs. And she's doing solids 3 times per day + 24-26 ounces of formula per day. I give her little bites of my food here & there as well, stuff like bread, waffles, etc. She is teething hardcore, so she loves chomping on frozen fruit in those mesh feeders - loves it! And she got her first set of teeth - the middle 2 on the bottom!! Right around 7 months, I felt inside her mouth & felt the sharp tips of teeth! They both popped out about the same time! She's getting so big. Sigh.

As far as milestones, she sits pretty well unassisted, still hates tummy time. She still doesn't quite roll from back to tummy when laying on a flat surface. If she's slightly elevated, then she can do it, but not from laying flat. And she lifts herself off her tummy, but definitely doesn't even try to crawl. We still don't do much tummy time because of her reflux, which is getting better, but still not completely resolved. She still "talks" a lot & even raises her voice when she gets sleepy, ha! It's so cute when she yells! I'm sure it won't be for long, but it is now! And I think that's it for this go round - more next time & hopefully I can get back to doing these monthly. Only a little more than 4 months left till her first birthday, guess I should get planning. Sigh. 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 06.01.11

2011-06-01T10:21:00.000-04:00

Oh hai there blog friends! Once again, I must apologize for being sooo absent. work is so crazy right now, because {as I mentioned a little bit ago} I am doing a rotational assignment in addition to my normal workload in order to possibly get a promotion at the end of this year. This promotion would mean A LOT to the Dennifers. What with all our {ahem} added expenses (read: Baby AJ).

Annnywho, the summer is upon us here in Northern VA & IDK why, but it's kicked me back into a DIY'ing mood! I finally finished up my ~~spring~~ summer DIY wreath & I can't wait to show it off to all of you - likely later this week, I'll need to upload the pics first. Also, my munchkin is now 7 - YES SEVEN months old. Ugh, I can't believe it. Time flies way way too fast. More on her cuteness also coming up soon in her 6-7 month recap. I really need to get on the ball & start doing these monthly again, but the only time I have to blog is either at work, which right now, is not an option &/or at night when the munchkin falls asleep. But I am determined...I love blogging & I will get my mojo back! I know, I know, I keep saying it, but I really do try to get back on the ball & then time just escapes me.

Okay, so now back to the purpose of this post - my favorite weekly feature: "What I wanna buy Wednesday," woot. I have gotten a lot of good feedback on this feature, so I'm thinking of making it a weekly linky party. I'd love to see what all of my blog friends come up with & have you all link back here! WDYT? Would you do it? Who doesn't love fantasizing about the things we'd love to buy? In any event, here's my top 5 things I'd love to buy this week:

1. A large ottoman with storage space:

{photo credit}

A certain someone will be getting mobile here soon, as such, the Dennifers are in the process of assessing our baby proofing our casa de Dennifer so that our little munchkin doesn't hurt herself once she starts crawling 7 ~~walking~~ running all up & thru here. Our current coffee table from Target is nice, but is not exactly baby friendly. It has sharp edges & I'm not really into the look of those table edge thingys (although, we'll likely have to use these in a few other places regardless), so I suggested to the hubbs that we buy a nice {soft}, stylish yet functional ottoman to replace our coffee table. And, he actually agreed with me! We just missed the memorial day furniture sales, but maybe we'll be able to catch a 4th of July sale somewhere so we can pick up one of these babies!

2. A couple large storage baskets:

{photo credit}

Again, a certain someone has made it necessary that I purchase large baskets for toy & misc. storage so that my living room can avoid looking like a playroom! I have been searching online for nice looking & most of all, affordable baskets for our main level - LR/DR area & found these darlings at Crate & Barrel. I think I'll most likely put them under the entryway table that I have between the living & dining rooms. I might even get a smaller one to put under one of our side tables! I heart basket storage & you can't beat the price!

3. PBK Beach Wrap:

{photo credit}

Can you see a theme?! Most of the stuff I wanna buy has something to do with my little munchkin! PBK actually just had a sale on these wraps that I missed out on, but I think their beach wraps are totally cute. I think I'll wait to see if they have an end of season sale on these & maybe grab one up then. We are going on our first family vacation to Orlando in November, so this would be perfect for that. Also, someone is a big time water baby & loves the pool:

Buuuut, if they don't go on sale again, I doubt I'll buy one. I can't bring myself to spend over $30 (after S&H) on a towel! Very cute though. :)

4. Waterproof Labels for Baby AJ Stuff:

{photo credit}

Sigh. My little munchkin will be entering the world of daycare here soon (more on that later), so I'm trying to stock up on everything we'll need to send along with her everyday. Could I buy a label maker & make plain labels? Sure, but what's the fun in that?! I LOVE Cherry Hill Designs cute labels & they have such a huge assortment to choose from & best of all, they are very affordable! Oh & one more great thing about these labels - they are waterproof, so you can easily wash whatever you stick these on without worrying the label will come off in the dish or clothes washing machine!

5. Victoria's Secret PINK lounge pants:

{photo credit}

I always make sure to stock up during the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale, which is going on NOW - go check it out!! Well, in my most recent VS shopping splurge, I decided to try out a pair of these lounge pants & I am totally in lurve with them. They are comfy & lightweight, but still stylish enough to wear out of the house if I need to, woo. The perfect lounge pants. These babies get 2 thumbs up from me & I'd love to grab another pair!

So that's WIWB this week, how about you?! (Don't forget to let me know if you'd be interested in a weekly link party to this feature, I'd love to hear your feedback!) 'Till next time!

::knock, knock:: Is this thing on?

2011-05-15T10:26:00.001-04:00

SORRY guys! I have totally been the worst blogger ever in the last month or so. Work is still crazy, but my rotational assignment is winding down, so hopefully life will be calming down within about a month. I promise, promise, promise to pick back up with What I Wanna Buy Wednesdays, my monthly munchkin updates, etc. I also must post about my DIY spring/summer wreath tutorial & a sort of recap of the last month {since, you know, I was MIA for the last month}. I'm gonna get started back up very very soon, like in the next day or so!

Also, in my defense, one super cute little munchkin has been taking up all my free time...see exhibit #1:

{whatchu talkin' bout mama?}

<------- Oh yeah & PS - notice my brand spankin' **new** "featured on" badge over there?! I was totally honored to have little munchkin's nursery featured on the Baby Lifestyles, which is a really awesome all things baby website/blog! Check me out here & while you're at it, browse around the site - there are all kinds of nursery, gift & party ideas & more!!

{Ahhhhhhh, still my fave room in the house!}

Okay, that's all for now, I'll be back soon - {girl} scout's honor! 'Till next time. :)

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 04.13.2011

2011-04-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA - life has been SO busy lately. Mainly work. I'm in the running to get a promotion at the end of the year, so I'm taking on new work/responsibilities & what not to "prove" myself. Man, it would be nice to get this promotion - please send positive thoughts & prayers for me to get this job. I have already decided to myself that I will really be okay if I don't get it, but it would be great for us...& it would speed up the upgrading to a bigger home process for us. Munchkin has also been keeping me busy as always, but I have started on my spring crafts & I plan to about my spring/summer wreath with a tutorial very soon. :)

And now...time for WIWBW. I haven't had much time to think about this list since I've been soooo busy, but here are my top 5 off the top of my head:

1. Granite Countertops:

{photo credit}

We had plans to re-do our kitchen this spring & get or re-paint the whole house (minus the bedrooms) this year, but with the baby, I don't think we are going to get around to really re-doing the kitchen. I'm hoping though that we can swing the new counters (& a new sink) this year & do the rest maybe next year.

2. PBK Silver Bird Set:

{photo credit}

I saw these two cuties while browsing my latest PBK catalog. Sigh. Why oh why does PB & PBK do this to me? What, you ask. Make me want every.thing in their catalog!! As you may remember, I have a *teeny* birdie decor obsession & the price for both is awesome! Once I finally go get my bookcase for my office/craft area, you'll probably see these two cuties make an appearance on it. :)

3. PBK Cottage House Bookshelf:

{photo credit}

Again, ::dies:: I love PBK soooo much! If this would fit in AJ's room, it would have been purchased long ago. It is literally, the CUTEST bookshelf I have ever seen & not only that...for a kids room, it's so functional too! Look at all that storage space on the bottom! I can't wait until we get a bigger house, with a playroom for Amaya because I am going to make sure it is totally cute with functional, but still attractive storage solutions. Love you PB & PBK, haha.

4. A few cute summer dresses:

{photo credit}

Did I tell yall? I'm going on a girls trip to Jamaica in June, woooo! 2 months baby!! I am SO excited to lounge on the beach, drink & eat all day & get pampered at the spa. We are going for 3 nights, 4 days & I cannot wait! I know I'm gonna miss my little mama so much, but she'll be in good hands with her auntie & daddy & mama will get some much need R&R. In any event, I want to buy some cute summery dresses to wear for my trip. I have seen a bunch {like the one pictured above} on Victoria's Secret, but $50 is the average price for their dresses, which is a little expensive to me. So, leave it to good 'ol trusty Target {or Tar-ghe for the sophisticated bunch)...they have a bunch of cute dresses too for about $20 each.

5. A few power suits:

As I mentioned above, I'm trying to get a pretty big promotion at the end of this year, so I'm trying to start wearing more suits to work. I really had no suits up until last weekend. I had a standard black blazer that I could wear if I were going to an interview or important meeting, but no full suits. But, I'm slowly trying to change that. Last weekend, i found & bought a FULL SUIT for $50 @ JCP!! Can you believe that deal? I was amazed, but I quickly bought it. Victoria's secret also has cute suits for great prices, but the only problem there is I'd have to buy it offline & I'd really prefer trying stuff like that on before buying it. Anyways, I'm going to slowly be adding to my suit collection.

And that's all I got this week. I'll be back soon to post some new {cute} Baby AJ pics/updates & my spring wreath. :) 'Till next time!

The only thing I want this Wednesday?!

2011-03-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

Is for everyone out there to participate in this awesome community service project Osh Kosh B'Gosh {who's clothes I may or may not be addicted to for Baby AJ ::wink::} is holding for the children of Japan affected by the horrible earthquake & subsequent tsunami:

http://www.carters.com/Cranes-For-Kids/cranes-for-kids,default,pg.html

They are willing to donate up to 50,000 articles of clothing! The hubbs & I are going to be making several to send in this weekend hopefully. What an amazing gift to those children who's lives have been turned upside down. And that's all I want this Wednesday - even if you just make one, please try to help! 'Till next time.

My Baby AJ: 4-5 months!

2011-03-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

My little munchkin is already 5.5 months! And clearly I'm extremely late with my monthly updates. I take the photos on time, but then I never get around to writing anything out. I'm going to try harder with the next few month posts.

Our little girl is growing up so quickly! My older sister babysits for us & the original agreement is that she'd watch her at our house until Amaya turns 1 & then we'd put her in daycare, but as that time gets closer & closer, I am getting more & more anxious about her going into daycare. Despite my anxiety, the hubbs & I have been on a search over the last month or so for a center to put her in in a very short 6.5 months. We found one that I absolutely L-O-V-E & would put her in right now, no question - if only it didn't cost $2,000 a month! Yep, you read that right - TWO FREAKIN' THOUSAND! I mean I know you can't put a price on the worth of someone caring for your most treasured little munchkin thang & I also realize that we live in a pretty high cost of living area, but that's outrageous - even for our area. The center offers a lot of cool programs for the kids - programs that I doubt my daughter will get much out of until she's a little older than 1, so the hubbs & I decided to continue our search & reconsider putting her in that center when she's a little older. We have at least two other centers that we've seen that we really like, but we have a decent amount of time until we have to make a decision, so we are still looking. Sigh.

Anyways, here's what you've been actually reading this post for - pictures!!! Here is my baby girl at 4 & 5 months:

~*and her 0-3 months for comparison*~

{4 month outtakes}

{And 5 month outtakes}

{my personal favorite & my current desktop background}

Ack, so freakin' cute & look how BIG she's getting. :( I cannot believe my little baby - my 4 lb. 13 oz BAY-BE is almost 6 months old! At her 4 month appointment, she was 11 lbs. 14 oz. (15th %tile) & we don't get another "official" weigh in until her 6 month appointment next month, but I'm guessing she's about 12.5 lbs. now! Finally starting to fit her 3-6 month clothes, but still fits some of her 0-3 month clothes.

We are still doing pretty good with crib sleeping - she takes all naps & sleeps at night in her crib. However, her naps have been majorly crappy - I'm talking 30-50 minutes tops on average. It sucks because she is SO tired - you can see it in her face, but she just will.not.nap. Ugh! It drives us {& my sister} crazy! I *think* that it may have to do with the fact that her room is so bright during the day, despite our {ultra classy} bedsheets hung over the windows. We put the sheets up temporarily until we decide if we'll go with blackout shades or curtains. I think we are leaning towards shades...they are expensive, but if they help her nap better, then I don't care how much they cost! I think she will sleep better during the day if, when she stirs/kinda half wakes up, the room is dark. I hypothesize that she'll put herself back to sleep - like she does at night, but I guess we'll see. Ideally, she'd take two naps - one from around 9am-11am & then another from 2pm-4pm or 3pm-5pm. Wish us luck!

At night, our very strict bedtime routine is still in effect & has definitely paid off. She caught on pretty quickly & knows after her last bottle, it's bedtime. She's usually out like a light by the time she takes her last sip. I still hold/rock her upright after the bottle for 15 minutes because of her reflux, but as soon as she gets past that, then I plan to just put her down after her bottle. Again, if it's dark & she has her paci, then I think she'll put herself to sleep. Speaking of our bedtime routine, I'm not sure if I ever posted it here, but we basically try & start it anywhere from 6pm-7pm (I try to make it as close to 6:30pm/6:45pm as possible) & it goes a little something like this:

I take her up to her room, pick out her jammies, get a fresh bib, burp cloth, blanket, pamper, towel, wash cloth & grab her bath supplies.
Daddy brings up her Zantac & we give it to her in her rocker chair.
We take her into the bathroom & I lay her on a fluffy towel in the middle of our two sinks - of course she is always supervised & either I or the hubbs is always standing there with a hand on her - & I take off her clothes/pamper.
I stand "naked baby" {as she's been dubbed} up to look @ her reflection in the mirror & I sing her the naked baby song {yes, yes...I'm a dorky mama} & she dances & gigles at herself for a couple minutes while daddy prepares her bath.
We give her a bath - about 15 minutes.
Dry her off on the fluffy towel in between our bathroom sinks & lotin her up, then put Aquaphor & powder in her diaper area, then put her pamper on.
I make sure her hair is all dry & then take her into our bedroom, which is connected to the bathroom, to put on her jammies.
IF she's not too tired, we take her to her rocker in her room & read her a story. Otherwise, we just give her a final bottle & then I rock/hold her upright for 15 minutes due to her reflux.
After the 15 min. has elapsed, I put her down on her back in her crib.

She is so good with this routine! I highly, HIGHLY suggest that all parents adopt a good bedtime routine that you can stick to. It has done wonders on our daughter!

Developmentally, she seems to be on track. She "talks" more & more everyday - we have deep conversation, lol. She can lift her head without help & can sit up assisted. In fact, she hates laying back inclined, so she's always trying to pull herself up to a sitting position in her car seat or in her bathtub! Which reminds me - I need to look into a convertible seat at some point soon...I want a Britax, so I'm going to keep an eye out for a good sale. She started rolling from tummy to back when she was 3 months, but has not quite mastered back to tummy rolling yet, although she tries & gets REALLY close, but can't quite get her head over! She has also become much more independent - she sometimes just wants to lay on her back with toys & does not want to be held. She also doesn't like to cuddle or be rocked to sleep for naps like she used to. Sometimes, you can just put her down in her crib (for a nap) & she'll suck her paci or stare at her Seahorse & fall asleep on her own! I'm also pretty sure she'll be cutting her first tooth here soon because she chews on things soooo much & slobbers like it's going out of style. We literally go through about 7-10 bibs a day, sometimes more!

And I think that's it for her 4-5 month update. I can't believe how big my little baby is getting. I need to get on planning her first birthday party because that will be here before I know it I'm sure. :( Don't get me wrong - I am SO happy she's happy & healthy & growing strong, but where has my little squishy, cuddly baby gone?! They grow up WAY too fast, sigh. 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 03.23.2011

2011-03-23T21:56:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! Good news, I figured out how to get the photos off my camera! I'll re-start my 12 weeks to better photography beginning this weekend. I also got my craft supplies this past weekend for my spring DIY projects. I plan to get started on them tonight/this weekend & hope to post at least 1 project early next week, but {fingers crossed} I'll post both if I can! Tomorrow, I'm going to be finally getting up Amaya's 4-5 month photos & updates.I've been thinking A LOT about the house projects I need to & want to get done this year & I hope to do a whole post on the things I'd like to do.

Anywho, time for WIWBW - I love scoping out stuff I wanna score & looking for good deals & share it with all of you! So, without further adieu, I bring you today's installment of WIWBW:

1. A maid/cleaning service:

{Photo Credit}

I've wanted a cleaning service for a while now, but I never felt I could justify it because I have such a small townhouse. But, now that my little AJ is here, it's getting much harder to keep my house looking presentable. I am still very apprehensive to spend money on this, but we are definitely considering it & it would be niiiiiiice!

2. IKEA Billy Bookcase:

{Photo Credit}

I had this on my baby to do list & never got it since AJ decided to make her appearance a little early! I need it to keep my books & craft supplies all in one place in my little office corner of the basement. I want to buy some decorative paper & line the backs shelves & make it pretty - I'm sure the hubbs will love that since the basement is his mancave.

3. A cute camera bag for my new {Digital SLR} camera:

{Photo Credit}

I have seen lots of really great, stylish camera bags for Digital SLRs lately & I really really want one! I found a bunch of cute & affordable ones on Etsy from Janine King Designs & a great tutorial on how to DIY one! I would love to do the DIY one, but I'm not a sewer...arrgh, add that to my list of reasons why I need to learn how to sew!

4. A nice quality blender:

{Photo Credit}

My little munchkin is gonna be starting solids in the next few weeks here & I am committing to making her baby food. It's gonna save us a TON of $$...not to mention, I'll know exactly what's going in her body, which I love. One item I need in my arsenal to facilitate this goal is a blender. Yes, I already have a blender - as the hubbs pointed out - but I don't have a nice blender. He says I have to give it a try with her food before he considers letting me get a new one. Hmph. Look at him being all practical & logical, boooo. Okay, so even if our ~~crappy~~ current blender is good enough to completely puree her food, I still want a new one! {in my best Snooki voice} Waaaaaah!

5. PB Sofa Slipcovers:

{Photo Credit}

How is it that Pottery Barn always makes everything look so sophisticated & beautiful?! Too bad my little beh beh will soon be a toddler & if I were to purchase these, they would sadly be ruined I'm sure. So, I likely won't be buying these, but doesn't stop me from wanting to! If you'd like them, they are on sale for 20% off right now..check 'em out, they are all beautiful!

And that's all I got for this week! Hope you enjoyed today's installment of WIWBW. 'Till next time!

Two years ago today...

2011-03-21T22:10:00.002-04:00

I married my best friend, my one & only, the best man, husband & father to my child that I could have ever prayed for. Love you babe!

Go Mason Go!!

2011-03-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

The hubbs & my alma mater is in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, playing Villanova now!! Ugh, such a nail biter. But in honor of our school, I bring you Mason's good luck charm:

{::wink:: Couldn't resist!}

'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 03.16.11

2011-03-16T22:15:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for my lack of non-WIWBW posts, I hate the winter it makes me so unmotivated (is that even a word?! lol), but the official end of winter is right around the corner - THIS Sunday, squeeeeeeee! And to celebrate, I plan on getting crafty this weekend - first up, a new spring/summer wreath for our front door. What I have in mind is soooo cute, hopefully mine will turn out good. Either way, I will definitely be sharing it with all of you next week sometime. I also need to get back on my 12 weeks to Better Photography project. Ugh. I have been such a slacker {again, blaming it on winter}...I still haven't sat down to try & figure out why I couldn't get the pics off my camera. Last but not least, I need to get Amaya's 4 & 5 month posts up - I was going to do the 4 month post this week, but she actually turned 5 months on Monday, so I figured I might as well wait, right? I told you I am totally being a slacker. :o(

But spring is in the air {it's going to be 75 degrees here on Friday, wooo} & my springtime resolution ::wink:: is to get back to crafting, organizing, D&R'ing & DIY'ing - and blogging about all of it. Thanks for sticking in there with me thru my slooow time. :)

Time for WIWBW - I love scoping out stuff I wanna score & looking for good deals & share it with all of you! So, without further adieu, I bring you today's installment of WIWBW:

1. Movie tickets for The Lincoln Lawyer:

{Photo Credit}

I just got a NOOK Color for Christmas courtesy of the hubbs & this was the first book I downloaded & read. The book is by Michael Connelly & is AWESOME - I loooved it, so when I saw trailers for the movie, I was pumped! The hubbs & I haven't been out to a movie in ages - since before Baby AJ was born! And, as I mentioned, she just turned 5 months - pitiful, right? We used to love going to the movies, so since our 2nd wedding anniversary is right around the corner (Monday), we decided now is the time for a date night! So on Friday, my girlfriend from work is coming over to hang out with the babe {who will hopefully be asleep the whole time we are gone} & the hubbs & I are stepping out for dinner, followed by this movie! We are SO excited - anytime we can get some QT without the munchkin is a welcomed thing & definitely good for our relationship. And she'll be in good hands, so we are gonna have fun!

**DEAL ALERT: If you'd like to see this for much less than the box office charges, head over to Groupon for $6 movie tickets {full disclosure: the link posted is a referral link, so if you aren't a Groupon member & sign up using that link, I get $10 in Groupon Bucks...and when I signed up as a new member, I got $5 in Groupon Bucks, so I am guessing all new members get that?!}!!! I bought two & used my $5 new member Groupon Bucks & ended up paying only $7 for TWO movie tickets for a brand new movie, wooo! You know I lurve a deal! {PS - set your location to Santa Cruz, CA or Washington DC - Northern VA to find the Groupon.}

2. RuffleButts:

{Photo Credit}

::dies:: These things are so.freakin'.cute! I have been eying them ever since finding out we were having a little girl, but never got around to buying a pair because I never really had a need for them. But since Baby AJ is about to turn 6 months, I decided that I'd get some more professional photos done & these will most definitely be making a debut! I am sooo excited to see her in these - ahh the fun of having a girl!

3. The PBK Anywhere Chair:

{Photo Credit}

I had planned to purchase one of these for Baby AJ for her 1st birthday, but then I got an email from PBK this week that said they are $20 off + free personalization! They look sooo comfy & she's starting to try & sit up on her own, so I think she'll actually be able to use this very soon. The special ends on March 21st, so I have 5 days to make up my mind. Part of me says to do it now because all of us PB/PBK-aholics know that you have to jump on sales & another part of me says, we have waaaaaaaay too much baby stuff sitting around the house, so it's a better idea to just wait until some of this stuff (exersaucer, swing, bouncer, etc.) are in storage before buying the chair. Sigh. We shall see.

4. A new {sex-ay} swim suit:

{Photo Credit}

I wish my body was swim suit ready! I still have my last 10'ish few pounds of baby weight to lose before I'm ready for this summer. And I need to get it movin' because my child LOVES the water, so I have a feeling that I'll be at the pool a lot this summer!

5. A nice, looong massage:

{Photo Credit}

Oh how I need this in my life. Badly. I love getting massages - it just feels like all my stress & worries melt away during that hour. I also have fibromyalgia & massage therapy is very beneficial to people afflicted with this painful condition. I used to get massages regularly, then I stopped when I got pregnant because I was paranoid early on, then I ran out of time to do it once I felt comfortable getting one! Side note - oddly enough, when I was pregnant, I felt a lot of relief from FM...I think pregnancy is the cure, perhaps I should be pregnant all the time?! LOL. Anywho, I plan on going back to my once monthly massage very very soon -
I need it in my life. :)

And that's all I got this week for WIWBW! Now tell me, what do you wanna buy this week?! 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 03.09.11

2011-03-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! For some reason, I can't transfer the images from my camera to my computer, so I have been meaning to do a couple of posts, but I can't get the pics to transfer - more like I forgot?! IDK. In any event, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging as soon as I get that figured out.

Welcome to my 2nd installment of What I Wanna Buy Wednesday (WIWBW), woo! I had so much fun scouring the internet this week for stuff I want {some of it I bought}, but most likely don't need, ha!

1. Cute spring & summer Gymboree clothes for Baby AJ:

{photo credit}

Is it me or does Gymboree have the absolute cutest clothes for little ones?! Well normally I stay away from Gymboree's stuff because it's waaay to expensive for clothes that Amaya will just grow out of in a couple of months. But last week I got a coupon in the mail for 20% off my entire purchase & then today one of my online friends said something about their entire site having a 30% off sale, so you know me...I had to check it out. Can't pass up a good sale, lol & OMG! The cutest stuff & everything really is 30% off - you have to check it out! So I loaded up my shopping bag {online stores are so dangerous} & used my 20% off coupon & came out with everything you see above (minus the shoes with the swim outfit) plus two super cute tops AND I got $25 in Gymbucks, woot! Gotta love major deals like that!

2. PBK Easter Baskets:

{photo credit}

I have been in love with these since I first laid eyes on them! Ack, just so freakin' adorable & {as most of you know} I'm a PB/PBK-aholic, so when I was in the mall last weekend & walked by PBK, I decided to head it. And, well...I couldn't resist! I broke down & bought a small white basket with the purple mini dot & tulle liner. It's adorable all on it's own, but then I took it down to a hat store in the mall to get AJ's name on it & picked it up today - it's perfect! I took a picture of it on my cell phone this evening {please excuse the wrinkles, I haven't had a chance to iron it yet}:

3. A cute camera strap for my new Nikon D3100 Digital SLR:

{photo credit}

I love my camera & have started learning how to take better photos (still planning on posting the photos from the lessons I've completed, just need to figure out what's up with downloading the pics on to my computer), but my camera needs some swagger, lol. So I have been eying these cute camera straps all over Etsy & am hoping to get one soon!

4. Some nice outdoor/patio furniture:

{photo credit}

Ever since we bought this house, I have been saying next year we'll buy nice outdoor furniture & now, 4 years later - I'm still saying it. Seems like something more important always comes up, but this is my wish list so I'm including it here. In all honesty, our deck is sorta small for the type of furniture I want, so this may have to wait until we get a bigger house, but hey - a girl can dream, can't she?!

5. The Verizon iPhone4:

I have been waiting for {what feels like} forever for Verizon to get the iPhone & I'm so happy they finally worked it out with Apple, woo! My contract expires in May & I fully plan on gifting this to myself for my birthday, which also happens to be in May.

And that's all I got this week for WIWBW! Now tell me, what do you wanna buy this week?! Hopefully I'll figure out what's going on with my camera/computer & get my pictures downloaded & post everything I have been thinking up. 'Till next time!

What I wanna buy Wednesday - 03.02.11!

2011-03-02T22:17:00.002-05:00

So since I'm always scouring the internet & clicking ads that conveniently get delivered to my email inbox daily, I decided to start a weekly feature on some of my favorite items that I'm drooling over each week!

1. The Vera tote by Vera Bradley:

{photo credit}

I lurve this tote bag & have been lusting after it for a while now. Vera Bradley has always been a wee bit steep for my blood though, so I waited patiently & waited & waited. Then, last week (after I got paid), I decided, what the hey? Might as well check out the website & see if they have any on sale, right? No harm in that. Well, they did & I'm happy to report that I am the proud owner of my very own Vera Bradley Vera tote! And I heart heart heart it. It's perfect for my commute to work & spacious enough to hold everything I lug back & forth from work, including my laptop, wallet, iPod, contract files, etc. etc.

2. A Shady Baby Stroller Parasol for Baby AJ:

{photo credit}

Well, to be honest, I'd never heard of Shady Baby until I checked out one of my favorite bargain websites - Baby Steals - the other day & saw the lil beauty you see above. I had been looking for something to block out the sun & wind on our walks {my little munchkin HATES both} & the visor on her Graco SnugRide car seat 'aint cutting it, so when I saw this on Baby Steals the other day, I was thrilled! So I scooped it up for 50% off, woot! Gotta love deals!

3. The {most.adorable.hat.I've.ever.seen} Little Blue Bird Crochet Beanie with Pink Bow from Mimi's Babies on Etsy:

{photo credit}

::swoon:: I had had Mimi's Babies bookmarked for a while on my laptop. I bookmarked LOTS of cute baby-related Etsy shops when I was pregnant, but never bought anything from them. So when I checked out the Mimi's Babies link & saw this cutie, I made sure to save this link for future buying. ;op I am actually thinking about buying this hat for Baby AJ to wear in her 6 month photos that I plan to get, but then again it'll be close to the end of spring by then, so I may just buy it earlier & take some pics of my own of her in it! Either way, I MUST have it.

4. Eclipse Sueded Thermaback Window Panel in Chocolate:

{sorry, can't C&P pics from Target or Walmart websites - boooooooooo}

I need these for my baby's room. You see, I quickly learned, after my little AJ started sleeping exclusively in her crib, that our current setup wasn't working. It's WAY too light in there during the day & she can only sleep in a darkened room. See exhibit A:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, pretty, huh? Well it is, but pretty is not cutting it in this case - my child needs naps - seriously. So right now, we have some very lovely {heavy sarcasm} dark bed sheets covering her windows until we get new drapes. I would prefer something pretty & pink - like these or these, but they are too expensive & I'm scared that they wouldn't completely block out the light & then I'd be p!ssed I spent so much money, only to have to continue covering the windows with our {very classy} sheets. :)

So, I picked out some chocolate drapes that I like & while, they wouldn't be my first choice style-wise, they are my first choice for my baby's sake. And all you mamas out there know - baby's sleep trumps most other things, lol.

5. Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum Cleaner:

{photo credit}

Not very exciting right? But the Dennifers desperately need a new vacuum cleaner 'round here. I kinda knocked over our current one while trying to walk past it with my a huge basket full of clothes I needed to fold. I bumped it & saw it falling, so I tried to stop it & heard a loud "Crack". Not good. I totally broke OFF the bottom part that rolls on the floor. Hahaha. I am so annoyed with myself, but I guess accidents happen - what can you do?! So I started looking for new vacuums the next day & we need it stat because we have a ~~bad~~ mischievous fat dog named Dizzle with lots of hair that likes to get all.over the house - in each & every place you could think of. It's gross - so yeah, this will likely be a purchase that will be made sooner rather than later. I wanted something with a Hepa filter, with no bags & with attachment tools to get in all the cracks & crevices.

And there you have it - my top 5 things I wanna buy this Wednesday! That was oodles of fun! I think I may even make this a linky party eventually if some of y'all are interested?! I've been trying to come up with a really fun weekly linky party & I think this may be it. Who can't think of 5 things they want to buy each week!? Clearly some of the things on my list this week have already been bought, but hey, I got good deals! 'Till next time!

The hubbs BIG 3-0!

2011-02-27T21:06:00.001-05:00

Well, it's all over...and I must say, the hubbs had an awesome last two birthday weekends! Yep, I said TWO. We celebrated both weekends with friends & family. Last weekend, I took him out for dinner & threw him the surprise party & this weekend, I threw something small for friends that couldn't make it last weekend & for family. It was so much fun. And he was actually surprised, woot!

So last weekend, we started our evening out at the Westin, which was sooo nice! I loved it & so did the hubbs! He was so surprised & excited when I told him that we were leaving the baby with my sister & checking into a hotel for the night.

@ the hotel

After we got settled in, we headed over to Rosa Mexicana & had some yummy Mexican & shared a whole pitcher of sangria - yum!

I gave him a $100 gift card for a deep tissue massage at dinner, which he loved. I'm actually kinda jealous even though I bought it for him, lol. I need a massage so bad. I kept saying that I get a pre-natal massage when I was pregnant, then the babe came, so yeah that never happened. I NEED one very soon though - I know my muscles are all tense! I digress. So anywho, after dinner, I told him that I wanted to take him to this bar I really liked, so we walked over - little did he know, a bunch of our friends (including his cousin/best man who came up from 3.5 hours away!) were waiting for us. We walked into the bar & the lady asked if we had reservations or if we were walk-ins. The hubbs started to say walk-in, but I quickly said reservation (I told him I made reservations b/c the bar gets packed). The hostess almost gave it away, but I settled my tab with them, then we walked in & most of our friends were there waiting!! It was awesome, he was sooo surprised. Too bad I didn't get a picture of his face when he walked in! Here are a couple from the bar though:

Confetti!

Since ~~this was our first baby-free night since AJ was born~~ the night was still young, we decided to head over to another bar/restaurant with some friends after several hours at bar #1. :) This bar had a mechanical bull & everything. After a few hours there though, I was exhausted. I'm talking 'bout to fall asleep in my food sleepy, so I said goodbye to everyone & D walked me back to our hotel room around 1am. I then passed out, but told him that he should go back out & hang out some more - so, they all went to yet another bar! I didn't even hear him come in, but he said he came in at like 3am or something like that! Then we slept in without waking up in the middle of the night. It was glorious, but I missed my baby badly by the time morning came around, so after we checked out, we made a quick pit stop for some hot Krispy Kreme Donuts.

::cue hallelujah music::

There's only one Krispy Kreme in the area & my sister lives by it, so we just had to stop. :) It was delish! Then we picked up my boo, who was sooo happy to see here mama & daddy. And I survived for a whole night without her. I missed her like crazy, but we enjoyed our night out together!

Then, just this afternoon, we had some friends & family over that couldn't make it out last weekend to round out the big 3-0 celebration!

Baskin Robbins ice cream cake = ahhh-mazing

My dad came to today's get together & brought AJ's high chair that we have been waiting on - I can't wait for the hubbs to out it together, although my munchkin isn't on solids yet. As soon as my dad came in, he said hi to everyone & made a beeline for "his baby". She loves how silly her grandpa is!

She's such a ham for the camera now, hahaha. Isn't she getting big!? And keeping her mama busy, which is my usual excuse for my lack of regular blogging, but I really am gonna get back on the wagon. And now that spring is in the air, I'll be doing more DIY projects, including a desk refinish/makeover, a spring/summer wreath (my DIY initial wreath from last year kinda fell apart because of last summer's heat wave) & a few small projects around the house. We also have a couple major projects that we plan to tackle - our goal is to get all of our projects in this house done ASAP so we can buy a bigger, "forever" home in the next few years. Our little family is quickly growing too big for our 2 bedroom townhouse. Oh & I have gotten started on my 12 weeks to better photography project, I just need to write up a post for the first lesson. And of course, I'll continue to update on all things little munchkin' - I love that baby sooooo much, she's our whole world. :) PS - my baby buying obsession has NOT ended, I think I'm going to start weekly or monthly what I'd like to buy for my AJ this week/month series. Anyways, stay tuned & thanks for sticking around thru my blog slacking period. 'Till next time!

Checking in...

2011-02-13T19:07:00.001-05:00

Sorry guys! I have clearly been slacking on my 12 weeks to better photography project, but I am promising myself to start it this week & take some pics to prove what I learned! It's just life is sooo hectic with the little one. I barely get a moment to myself at home because she doesn't take very long naps & by the time she goes down at night, I am utterly EXHAUSTED! And work has also been crazy - ever since getting my promotion, I have taken on a lot more contracts to administer and award. But, I think things at work are going to finally start slowing down - I got a bunch of stuff done at work that I needed to finish up over the last week or so.

The hubbs & I discussed our plans for the house this year & I think the two major things we are going to focus on this year are: 1) getting the interior {re}painted & 2) getting new {energy efficient} windows installed for the whole house. We are not sure how much #2 will cost us, so we'll see about that, but those are the 2 major things. We also planned to re-do our kitchen {get granite, change light fixtures, get new drapes, paint cabinets), but with the baby here, I'm not sure we'll have time to do that this year. Maybe we'll do it in small steps, but not all at once like we had originally planned. I also want to get new furniture for the living room, but I think that'll probably have to wait too. I love modern decor, so I'm always looking through design magazines & websites for inspiration. I'd love to re-furnish my entire house, but I don't think the hubbs is gonna go for that this year, lol.

Anywho, I just wanted to check in with you guys & let y'all know that I'm still alive, lol. I promise that once the spring is here, I'll be doing more projects, which means I'll be updating {with non-baby stuff} more often. 'Till next time!

Our baby girl is 3 months old!!

2011-02-06T21:43:00.004-05:00

She's actually 3 & a half months, 4 months on the 14th of this month, but you know - I'm late as usual. I never knew how much having a child could cause you to be late with literally E-V-E-R-Y-THING! Who knew such a teeny human being would consume so much of my & the hubbs' time?! Now that I'm back at work & not around her all the time, it makes me want to spend all my extra time with my boo. :) I love that baby! I'm sitting here blogging, watching the Superbowl, getting our 2010 tax docs together & watching her sleep on the monitor - ps: I lurve our video monitor...well well weeeeeeeeeell worth the money. Speaking of the Super Bowl...as evidence of how much our lives have changed, normally I'd be at a SB party at a friend's house {or throwing one myself}, but this year I'm hanging out in my PJ's & watching on my couch alone. I let the hubbs out tonight to go watch the game - it's more important to him than to me, so I said I'd stay home. And I'm going to HH with co-workers after work on Thursday anyways, woo.

Anywho, my baby is growing right up. :( I can't believe how much she's changed over the last month & a half. Here's my little lady @ 3 months - WARNING: lots 'o pics (she was just hamming it up for the camera, so her mama kept snapping):

Here are 0-2 months for comparison:

{3 month outtakes :o)}

{end cuteness overload, lol}

Agggh, isn't she getting SO big?! OMG, looking at the earlier pics makes me a little sad - she cannot be growing up this fast! And 4 months is right around the corner. At her 2 month well baby appointment, she was 8 lbs. 2 oz. & this month, I stepped on the scale with her & she was right around 10 lbs. (at a little past 3 months). She's drinking about 4 oz. of formula at each feeding, which is normally every 3 hours or so, sometimes longer. I guess milk does do a body good, huh?! Hahaha, okay -enough corny jokes, now on to my updates.

In the early part of Amaya's 3rd month, I think I finally accepted the fact that she had colic. She would cry & cry & cryyyyyyyyyyy for 2-3 hours (on & off) starting between 4:30pm - 5:30pm & she wouldn't calm down for almost anything. I was close to a breaking point. I didn't know what to do - there's not much you can do, but I read up about it & tried basically anything I could do. The thing is with colic - you really just kinda have to let it run it's course. I kept reading that around 3 or 4 months it just subsides & goes away completely eventually. I was desperate though, especially having to go back to work - I had NO clue how I would survive the 2+ hours of crying & waking up at 5am on the days I go into the office. Then, when I tell you something miraculous happened right around 3 months exactly - I am not lying! She still cried around bedtime, but it quickly got to shorter intervals & now there's normally never any crying unless she's just overtired & cranky. This month I read Tracy Hogg's Secret's of the Baby Whisperer & tried implementing EASY {Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time}, which I also think helped with her late afternoon./early evening crying episodes. Also, the whole waking up 30 minutes after falling asleep thing has pretty much gotten better, sometimes she'll start stirring & we just go in, pat her & give her her paci & she falls back asleep. I try to put her to sleep without her paci, but sometimes she just wants to suck! I figure I'll try weaning her off of it later, but for now it calms her down, so it's staying put, lol. So now she generally goes down between 6:30pm - 7:30pm, wakes up anywhere between 1am - 3am for a bottle/diaper change {& sometimes a poop, lol}, then goes back down until between 7am - 8am. We are pretty used to it & love the long stretch right up front. Of course, I can't wait till she consistently sleeps through the night (she's actually done it TWICE so far), but for now, I am happy with her progress & I actually kinda enjoy our middle of night snuggles. And, in the biggest sleep news, she's fully been moved to her crib!!!! Squeeeeeee. No more Rock & Play in our room, woot! She sleeps in her crib now for all naps (unless she's out while napping) & for bedtime. I'm so proud of my little girl! :)

She actually got her first cold this past month, which was so sad & pitiful, but she was sleeping sooo much & I took that opportunity to move her to her crib because she wanted to sleep so much & didn't really care where she slept. The first 2 nights, I slept on the floor in her room right next to her, but I got uncomfortable & moved to my bed on night 3. Our video monitor is always on though & plugged up to the charger at night right on my bedside table . I turn up the volume pretty high so I can hear everything & it's worked out pretty well. The sad thing about babies with colds - you can't really do anything for them except do the snot sucker thingy & give them saline drops. Poor thing was so congested & miserable, but it passed completely after about a week. Luckily, she got her first cold the week before I went back to work, so she was pretty much over it by the Monday when I went back.

Being a working mama has been good for me, I like getting my adult time in the office & enjoy what I do for the most part. I also have a great schedule that allows me to see her more than I would if I worked a traditional 5-day work week. I telework 2 times a week & have a regular day off every other Friday, so my schedule allows me to spend more time with her on those days. And I cherish my evening/weekend/holiday time soo much more now. She loves being out & about, so I try to take her somewhere - even if it's just to run errands - every day on the weekends. I think she likes the change of scenery. This past weekend we went to the mall by ourselves & she did so good hanging out with her mama. We went to Express because I had a gift card to spend & she came in the dressing room with me while I tried on clothes (she loved looking in the mirror), then we had some QT in the sitting area where she had a bottle, then we were back on our way - stopping by different stores. We picked up a little gift & Valentines cards for daddy at Hallmark, then I grabbed a smoothie & by then, she was passed out! And speaking of V-Day, one of my good friends/co-worker has agreed to come by & watch the babe while the hubbs & I go out to dinner {& possibly a movie, but probably not}. I plan to have the baby asleep before I leave & hopefully she'll stay that way until we get back home. :)

Developmentally, she's made lots of strides this month. She talks to us & coos & giggles ALL the time & has pretty much mastered her head control. She even rolled over from tummy to back for the first time about 2 weeks ago during tummy time!! She still doesn't do it every time she does tummy time, but she has done it several times now. She also recognizes people she sees a lot & our voices. Like every time I talk if someone has her, she'll turn her had toward her mama. :) She loves to grab & put toys to her mouth now too. It's so fun seeing her explore with her hands & mouth. Speaking of her hands - she loves to suck those things - all the time! So, at most times, her little fists are slobbery & I have to wipe them hundreds of times throughout the day. Slobber - ah slobber, she does it a lot - loves to blow bubbles & let it drip down to her bib, which she always has on nowadays, lol. She also loves kicking her feet, especially during bath time, so she can splash her mama & daddy! Favorite toy is still her play may, but this little lion chew/crinkle/rattle toy is quickly coming in at second. She loves crinkling his tummy & making the noise. I think we are going to take out her Exersaucer Santa brought her at some point soon.

She's still in 0-3 months clothing & some of it is even still a bit big on her, so I'm thinking she has a good 'nother month in them, which is fine by me since I don't really want to buy anymore winter clothes & she has plenty in 0-3 sizes. Oh & speaking of clothes, I need to do a whole seperate post on all the cute spring stuff I bought for my little lady...LOVE baby clothes!

And last, but not least, we got her ears pierced this past month. She screamed for about 30 seconds, but quickly got over it & they don't seem to bother her one bit. We have 3 more weeks of cleaning them 2-3x a day & then we can change 'em out.

With that, I think that's it for this month, I hope I didn't miss anything! I need to make her 4 month well baby appointment for a few weeks from now. I can't believe how quickly time is flying, but I'm looking forward to the spring/summer so we can get outdoors more. 'Till next time!

Learning to take better photos (cute baby pics inside)

2011-01-29T15:47:00.000-05:00

I think I briefly mentioned this before, but my wonderful hubby got me an awesome digital SLR camera for Christmas. Check out this baby:

(cue hallelujah music)

I LOVE it! But I realized - it's been SO long since I used a complex camera like this (we used to use similar, non-digital versions of these for yearbook & newspaper in high school...yep, I was in both - big dork, huh?!) that I have no clue about the in's & out's of this thing. And I'd hate to have my husband spend sooooo much money on this & let it go to waste by shooting in auto mode all the time. Although don't get me wrong, this thing takes AWESOME pics even in the auto modes. See exhibits A-C:

I guess you can see who my favorite subject is? Hehehe. She's so cute. Okay, okay..back on track. :)

So what I'm getting at is, one of my goals for this year is to learn how to really take great photos with my new ~~lover~~ camera. So I asked some of my online mama friends what they did to learn how to really get the best use out of their SLR cameras & a several of them said they signed up for classes, which I'd love to do at some point, but is not an option right now because of time/schedule constraints. A couple of them sent me links to online courses & photographers blogs that have tips for moms, which is more up my alley right now. After looking over everything, I decided to go with this 12 weeks to better photography course offered by two peas in a bucket. And the best part about this course - it's free! My favorite price. :) And I'm starting now. The plan is to post an update every weekend with my progress each week & recap what I learned/post some photos that I'll take using my newly acquired photo skills!

So follow along & maybe even take the course with me if you want to learn how to take better photos too. I'm excited...learning new stuff is always fun for me. I like a challenge. 'Till next time!

Shhhhh...it's a surpise!

2011-01-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

The {hubbs} big 3-0 birthday party that is! I must, once again, apologize for my lack of posting - I have been swamped at work (still playing catch up from my time on maternity leave) & I have also been super busy planning this big 'ol party for my hubby. **fingers crossed** He'll actually be surprised. Before I get into all the deets, let me tell you about my husband & surprises. They don't mix. He's the kind of person that guesses what is gonna happen in movies/shows & blurts it out (so ANNOYING!), he's also the kind of person that looks at the shapes & anatomy (literally) of wrapped gifts & tries to figure out what they are {&& he's normally right, urrg}, & finally he's the kind of person that notices ev.ery.thing - seriously & I have lots of examples.

Like the time I tried throwing him a surprise birthday party at my house when we were in college. I got all his friends to come out...all of them & he noticed one of their cars & figured out what was up. Or how about every Christmas, he'll look at how a present is wrapped & say "That's something electronic," or "That's a DVD/game" & this happens pretty much every Christmas. And one more example - what about our first wedding anniversary. I was sooooooooooo excited to give him his gift during our trip to NY. I bought him some awesome tickets the the VA Tech vs. Boise State football game/season opener (this man lurves FB). Well I got the tix on Stub Hub & I bought them waay in advance, so I wasn't going to receive them by the time our anniversary rolled around. So my plan was to make tickets to give to him {like in photoshop or something along those lines} & a VA Tech tee shirt, then explain that we were going to the game (if he didn't get that already, lol). Welp, he walked in the house while I was making the tickets & he glanced at my computer screen, then proceeded to ask 21 questions about what I was doing. I told him nothing, he should have left it at that, but he didn't - he's all, "I saw VA Tech & Boise State football helmets, what are you doing?" So you know what I did? What any self respecting {7 week pregnant mind you} woman would do...I balled my eyes out, then flipped out on him about how he always ruins my surprises. Oh yeah, then I demanded he give me my anniversary gift RIGHT now. Ha! Yeah, not one of my best moments, but hey I was pregnant, so that was my excuse {& don't worry - I apologized}. Anyways, all this is to say, he's pretty difficult to surprise. So, IDK why I'm doing this to myself again, but I figure this is a BIG birthday, so why not try once more?!

So here is the plan:

Since he just got a new car, he said we don't have to do much for his birthday, but I told him that I'd still like to at least take him out to dinner & get him at least a small gift. I suggested going to the National Harbor, which is a new'ish shopping/dining/hotel/harbor district in the DC Area & I told him he could select any restaurant he wanted. It's niiiice. So, he picked Rosa Mexicana, which has YUMMY sangrias & great Mexican food.

After dinner, I am gonna suggest that we go grab a couple drinks at Bobby McKey's Piano Bar. He'll think it's just for a couple drinks & to hang out before going to pick up the baby (my sister is watching her for us), but when we get there, all of our closest friends will be there to surprise him!!! His best friend/cousin/best man at our wedding is even coming up from southern VA (4'ish hours away) to celebrate with us & I just know Dennis is gonna be super duper excited to see everyone! But, that's not it...my sister has also agreed to keep the baby overnight, so I'm planning on this being our first ever baby-free night & booking a hotel at the National Harbor too! I am SO excited to have a night alone with my hubby - it'll be awesome. I'm sure I'll miss my Baby AJ, but I know her auntie will take good care of her. :) Ahhhhhhhhhhh. So excited. I feel like it's my birthday!

Now, let's just hope no one ruins this surprise! Oh & PS - I haven't been doing much DIY'ing or D&R'ing because of this awful weather - I hate winter, but spring is right around the corner & I'll be doing much more then. In the mean time, I'll share deets on the babe & our home plans for this year. 'Till next time!

First week back...

2011-01-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

It went better than expected. I didn't cry. Not once the whole week! I am proud of myself, lol. I felt like I would cry on Monday, but I didn't. I got up a little before 5am - Amaya was still asleep, so I quickly got dressed, brushed my teeth, etc. & waited for my sister to arrive at our house. She got here a little before 6am & then Amaya started waking up. I told my sister to try patting her back & sometimes she'd fall back asleep. Then I headed out to catch my train to work. She texted me a bit later to tell me that she woke up shortly after I left. That early wake up was followed by a string of very short naps for the day, so by the time I got home, my little beh-be was sooo sleepy. She was definitely fussy, but fell asleep within about 45 min. (it normally takes FOREVER to get her to sleep when she's overtired) & slept for...wait for it...NINE hours straight. Yes, you read that right NINE!!! She woke up at 3:30am, had a bottle & went back down until I think 8am the next morning! Wowza. That was the longest stretch of sleep she has ever had.

The hubbs & I alternated watching her while we teleworked on Tuesday & Wednesday, which will not be a regular occurrence - just happened this week since I ended up going back to work a week early (long story) & my sister was not available the full week. She had pretty long morning naps both days, followed by short to semi-short naps (no longer than an hour) throughout the rest of each day & both days she was EXTREMELY fussy by 4:30pm/5pm. I'm talking full on straightening her legs, crying for 3 hours on & off until she finally went down-type fussy. Poor baby. :(

But today..ahh today...was such a wonderful marvelous great day! It was my sister's second day with her (she has a 3 year old as well). First, she slept until 7am, which is waaay better than the 6am wake up on Monday. An hour doesn't seem like much of a difference, but it is. My sister said she woke up happy, she fed her & got her dressed, then sent me these adorable pics of Baby AJ in her outfit for the day (she promises to send me daily pics of my cutie - awesome :):

{apologize for the quality - they are cell phone pics}

Then, she took about an hour long nap in the morning, my sister took my nephew to his Gymboree class & wore Baby AJ in this carrier. She said that Amaya LOVED it at Gymboree & had a blast looking around at everything & all the kids! Then, she took another short nap on the way home from Gymboree, got home & had a bottle, then went down at 3pm & slept until 7pm!! I know, I know...her naps shouldn't be more than 3 hours, but believe me...my child needs at least 1 pretty long nap. I wasn't gonna let it go past 7pm anyways, but she woke up on her own. So, since she was not overtired after that nap (but she was hungry), I got to spend some non-fussy quality time with my baby after she had a pretty big bottle {& after her daddy stole some quality time with his angel}, then we gave her a bath & went back downstairs in the living room to hang out until she started acting sleepy again, which was shortly after we sat down! So I took her up to her room, rocked her in her rocking chair & fed her another small bottle {trying the before bedtime cluster feed thing out to see if it helps her sleep longer}, sang her a lullaby & she was out after about 10 more minutes of rocking. I try to put her down in her crib before she falls asleep, but she was out so quickly tonight, that it didn't quite happen, but she was still sucking her paci when I put her down, so she wasn't completely asleep. They say it teaches them to self-soothe to get to sleep the rest of the way. And now, my baby girl is fast asleep {and hopefully staying that way for at least the next 6+ hours until her middle of the night feed} & it was without the usual 2-3 hour screamfest. Holler. My sister works miracles & it's great because I know she loves Amaya & takes excellent care of her. All of that = amazing peace of mind for mama! And I'm back at work, doing a job that I like & some me time away from the house & baby...just enough to preserve my sanity. It is definitely going to be exhausting, but I'll get used to it. I think we are gonna be alright if we keep having more days like today! 'Till next time!

PS - post baby weight loss, info on the hubbs 30th birthday & more on our planned 2011 home projects coming soon!

Annnd now...

2011-01-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to feel sick to my stomach with anxiety over leaving her while I go in to the office. Luckily, I'm only in the office 3 days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. I telework or I am off the other days (every other Friday I'm off because I work 9 hour days), but this week, I think I'll have to work Monday-Wednesday in the office due to a mandatory meeting that I have to be present for on Wednesday. And when I'm in the office, I'm gone for nearly the whole day - about 12 hours - because my job is sorta far away from my house. Eeek. Three straight days without my little munchkin. Will she miss me? Probably not. It'll probably be more me missing her. As long as her basic needs are met, which I'm sure will be with my sister, then she will be fine. I hear the first week is the toughest & at least I'm off this Friday. It's just that I'm scared & nervous & anxious & feeling guilty & everythingelsebadyoucanthinkof. I know there are thousands of working moms out there, but right now I feel like I'm the only one. Why do I feel like this when earlier in the week {as recent as yesterday}, I was excited to be back around adults for at least some of the week? I guess it's because the eve is upon me. I'll check in & let you guys know how it goes tomorrow. Please pray, send good wishes, etc. that I get through this week without becoming a total basket case. I'll probably call my sister about 15,678 times. ::winks:: 'Till next time.

Is it horrible...

2011-01-08T11:07:00.001-05:00

That on Monday I go back to work & I'm actually really excited to not be around the baby 24/7? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love her to death & love spending time with her, but motherhood has been much rougher on me than I ever expected. I wrote once right before she was born that I was not scared of giving birth, but I was a little scared of raising a child, being completely responsible for another human being's well being, happiness, learning, everything. I wrote that although I have experience with babies & children, that I thought it would be much different with my own child - kinda like I think I know, but I have no idea. Well, I was absolutely right. And it's been rough on me. I guess I need to really come to terms with the fact that my life has forever been changed. I can't pick up & do what I want, when I want to. If I need to run an errand, go to the doctor, have lunch or a drink with a friend, etc. I have to pre-arrange it with my husband, or if he's not home, then I have to just pray that the time my appointments are fit into her sleeping/eating schedule. I feel like I knew all of this before I had a baby, but the reality doesn't hit you until the baby is here & you face these things.

And my hubby & I rarely have a spare moment alone to just re-group & re-connect with each other. I love seeing him with our daughter, but I miss how much alone time we used to have with each other. I feel like our relationship has lost some of it's intimacy & it makes me sad. I think I took so much for granted & I am just now starting to realize how carefree our lives were. I know we will get back on track once she's a little older, but I just hate that I have to wait for that. Again, don't take this to say that I am upset we had a baby - we both love her so much, but I am just expressing how having her has been such a huge, life-changing experience for me. I always feel like I am second-guessing the decisions I make as a mom - from creating a schedule for her, to sleep training, etc. I have come to realize though, that I need to stop dwelling on what worked for my friends & family members' kids & focus on what will work for my child & our lifestyle. And stick to it. And don't cave in when the going gets tough...because it does & will.

She got her first cold this past Monday & I think that added to my stress level. When infants are sick, they are so pitiful & fussy. And she could hardly breath because of all the mucous in her nose & throat/cough, so it made it tough for her to sleep. Thankfully, she's getting better...wooo! And I am SO happy because I hate seeing her uncomfortable. Fortunately, my older sister will be nanny'ing {I realize that is not a word, lol} for us, so my anxiety about leaving Baby AJ while I go to work is much less than it would be if I were leaving her at a center or home-based daycare. Thank God that my sister is able to do this for us - she is such a blessing & Amaya is so lucky because her auntie LOVES her! She has a toddler, so I am a little nervous about whether she'll be able to keep Amaya on the EASY {Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time} schedule that I have tried to get her on. More on that lata.

Anyways, sorry for such a long, serious post, but I just thought I'd be real for a second. I feel like no one really talks much about the hard part of parenting. Yes, there is a lot of joy & happiness, but it's also a HUGE period of adjustment to your new life & reality. I know & have faith that it'll get easier, or at least I'll become more accustomed to it, & I will adjust to my new "normal". Now that I will be back at work, I'll be able to blog more often & bring you guys more updates about our 2011 home projects & of course, little Amaya! 'Till next time...

2010...a pictorial year in review!

2010-12-30T19:49:00.001-05:00

Time certainly flies these days. I can hardly believe tomorrow is the final day of 2010! It was such an awesome & blessed year for the Dennifers...I can't believe it's almost over, but I'm ready for 2011. I loved doing this year in review last year, I think it's a great way to wrap things up. So without further adieu, here are my most favorite moments from 2010:

January:

Ringing in New Years 2010! This was our EIGHTH time ringing in the new year as a couple - looking forward to many many more!

Our fraternity brother & sorority sister's wedding!

And my BFF's baby shower. :)

February:

Getting my BFP!!! Wooo :)

And the hubbs 29th birthday dinner at Medieval Times - it's also the same night I got my first BFP. :)

March:

Our first wedding anniversary & NY trip!

{cutting the top tier of our wedding cake, which btw was still YUMMY}

{in times square in NY}

April:

Announcing our big news to everyone!

May:

My 27th birthday party!

And finding out we were on team pink. :)

And my little {sorority} sister's college graduation party!

June:

My baby sister's high school graduation!

And my good friend's wedding...

July:

My BFF's bridal shower

August:

My dad finally finishing up & getting his high school diploma - my parents were VERY young when they had my older sister & so neither of them actually finished high school on time. So proud of my dad!

And my BFF's wedding!!

September:

The VA Tech/Boise State Game!

Baby AJ's first baby shower!!

October:

Finishing one of my fave rooms in our house - the nursery!

My 2nd baby shower!!

My 3rd & final baby shower @ my office!!

And of course - *top moment of the year*...the day our little miracle was born!! :)

November:

My baby's first Thanksgiving. :)

December:

And her first Christmas!

Ahh 2010, ~~great~~ awesome year. Filled with lots of ups & downs, but mostly joy. I'm ready for a new year, with my family, friends & loved ones! The hubb's 30th birthday is this coming February & I am planning a BIG surprise shin-dig at a local piano bar. I hope I can pull it off - it's so difficult to surprise him. And of course, our 2nd anniversary - which I always look forward to! We are also planning a big home renovation project (more on that coming soon), our first family vacation & of course my little sweetie's 1st birthday! Thanks to all of you for reading & providing support over the year - I love my blog friends!! Here's wishing you & your families a very happy & safe new year! 'Till next time!

I have a 2 month old!

2010-12-29T11:05:00.002-05:00

How was everyone's Christmas/Holiday?! Ours was awesome - the hubbs got me a Nikon D3100 Digital SLR camera {sqeeeee} & a Barnes & Noble Nook Color, woo! I LOVE both of them so much, but I am really excited to start figuring out how to take better photos with my new camera & posting my new & improved pics here! :) We have a tradition every year where we have my family (& his mom if she comes up) over for breakfast & exchange gifts among the family. After this year, the hubbs & I definitely decided that we need a new {read: bigger} house ASAP, so we are working on paying off our credit cards & a couple other loans so we will be at a better place to afford a nice size "forever home" in the next few years! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday & that you got everything you wished for like an awesome electronic or even something for the house, like TV stands for flat screens!

Anywho...this post is really about my very quickly growing little one! Wow, I can't believe how fast time flies once you have a baby. It seems like only yesterday my water broke & I was delivering her. Now, our lives have completely been changed for the better, but it's definitely an adjustment.

Here's our little cutie at 2 months:

She's getting better at these monthly pics. :) Here are her previous pics for comparison's sake...

My little baby is getting so big, right?! She was 8 lbs. 2 oz. at her 2 month well baby appointment.

This month Baby AJ started sleeping less during the day - taking shorter naps. I dunno, it seems like she can't get comfortable or settle down. We tried out her crib for naps for a bit & it was working okay for a couple days & then she just started waking up every time we'd put her down. I have been reading my copy of Baby 411 & her sleeping issues may be related to her acid reflux. She is doing better at night {thank goodness :)}, not the greatest but better than during the day. Right now we are trying to set up a routine, but I think it's too early to really "sleep train" + I want to talk to her pediatrician about her reflux & how that may affect how we transition her to her crib. So, we normally start her routine around 7pm & it basically consists of a small bottle (depends on if she's acting hungry), bath {loves them}, lotion/massage, book & another small bottle or full one if she doesn't have one prior to the bath, then I rock her for a little bit. The rocking is sorta a default because she has to be elevated after eating for about 15-20 minutes due to her reflux. She'll normally be asleep between 7:45pm-8pm & then she'll sleep for 30-45 minutes, then wake up - we are trying to work on this wake up, not sure why she's doing this!! Then, she'll be up again until 10pm or 10:30pm & we try everything to get her to go back to sleep - changing, pacifier, white noise, rocking, etc. but she just won't fall back asleep until around that time unfortunately. Once she does go back to sleep though, shell normally sleep until between 3am-5am & then again until around 8am, which I think is pretty good! When I go back to work, we plan on switching back and forth on the night shift. I figure as long as I get at least 6 hours of sleep on work nights, then I'll be fine. The hubbs & I both telework twice a week, so on the nights prior to our telework days (which are opposite of each other), then the person who will be teleworking will take the middle of night feeding/changing/wake up. Hopefully soon she'll completely sleep through the night & we'll eliminate that middle of the night session.

Speaking of me going back to work - I go back full time on January 10th, which is a short week & a half from now! I cannot believe 12 weeks have already almost flown by. It was nice being home with my baby, but I'm semi-excited to get back to work so that I have some adult time during the day. I love {most of} my co-workers, so it'll be good to hang out with the girls again. I also like what I do for the most part. I am also looking forward to getting my promotion situation ironed out too because we definitely need the money - babies are expensive, lol. And also, it'll help us with saving, paying off the credit cards & possibly us going on vacation sometime next year. My older sister will be watching her until she turns 1 & then we will put her in center-based daycare so that she can be around more kids her age (my sister has a 2.5 year old). I have already started looking into daycare centers because a lot of them in our area fill up like a year in advance! We go to work so early though that I am having a tough time finding a center that will work with our schedules. We could change them, but we both have every other Friday off, which we'd like to keep because we can do some fun family stuff those days. But, we'll see how it goes.

Her gas issues have gotten much better on her new formula - Enfamil Nutramigen. It's expensive, but totally worth it if it helps her. She's able to [TMI alert] poop much easier - she still has blow outs for most diapers. We also give her Mylicon drops before each feeding to help alleviate some of the gas. And it seems to help somewhat. She still has times when she's doubled over pushing to try & poop or get gas out, but it is much less than before, which makes me SO happy. I hated seeing her uncomfortable & in pain.

Developmentally, I think she's on track - there are so many milestones to keep up with, lol...but based on what I read she's a pretty normal 2 {& a half} month old. She is pretty good with her head/neck control - no wobbling really & I don't really support her head when I hold her or when she's sitting on my lap anymore. She's been grabbing onto & holding stuff in her little hands & is following objects from side to side with her eyes. She loves toys that play music, make sounds & have lights - especially her Fisher Price Rainforest play mat/gym:

Photo Credit

She'll sit under that thing for like 30-45 minutes at a time! She loves the lights most. She can't quite hit any of the hanging toys yet, so we hit them for her & she loves it & I'm sure she'll soon be hitting them too. Speaking of doing things with her hands - she loves those things - she's always moving them around (unfortunately when she's sleeping too) & sucking them. She also kicks her feet a lot, laughs & smiles all the time. She coos, grunts & yells at us sometimes too when we aren't doing something she wants or doing it quick enough! We have one impatient little baby - my hubby says she gets it from me, hahaha.

I think that's all I got on the little munchkin for this month. Babies are so much wonderful, hard work - I have developed a GREAT respect for single parents. I can't imagine not having my wonderful hubby to help me out with her... she is such a lucky little girl to have such a wonderful daddy! And I am so blessed to have them both in my life! 'Till next time!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

From the Dennifer family, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all! Thanks so much for all your support this year, it has made blogging this year so much fun! Look out for posts on our exciting home projects for next year & my annual recap of this year's big moments!

Holiday Gift Idea: chocolate covered strawberries tutorial

2010-12-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

I made these for my baby shower hosts & they got rave reviews from my girls & I even snuck a couple - yum, yum! But I forgot to post the tutorial right after the shower & then Baby AJ arrived, so it kind of fell by the wayside, so now that it's gift giving time, I thought now might be a good time to post it! These would make an awesome gift for co-workers, friends or neighbors. And the best part is, they are fun & easy to make.

First, gather up your supplies:

strawberries
Hershey's Kisses
gift boxes/tins (got mine from a party supply store)
wax paper
a bowl (to warm the chocolate in)
a plastic spoon (to stir the melted chocolate)
a couple cookie sheets

Second - wash off & thoroughly dry the strawberries (I used paper towels to dry the strawberries).

Third, put several pieces of chocolate into your microwave safe bowl & pop it in the microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute; stir chocolate (it should easily stir/blend). Be careful not to burn the chocolate..it'll ruin it & you will have to make a new batch!

Fourth, take a strawberry & swirl it in the chocolate until it is covered to your liking.

Fifth, place strawberry on wax lined pan or cookie sheet & put in the fridge to set - about 1 hour (I left mine in over night though).

Sixth, line your gift boxes with wax paper, then place your strawberries in the box.

Finally, wrap your gift boxes up with some pretty ribbon, personalize the box as you'd like & present them to your very thankful recipients!

{mine had Halloween colored ribbon since my shower was in October & I also included a Starbucks gift card}

{my friend Mildred enjoying her gift :)}

And that's it! So quick & easy & almost everyone loves chocolate covered strawberries...in fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone who didn't like them! I got so many compliments on these from my friends, so I bet you will too! You can even decorate these a little more using white chocolate swirls, coconut, mini chocolate chips, etc. Have fun & enjoy! 'Till next time.

Baby Amaya NB - 1 month

2010-12-12T19:22:00.001-05:00

I am so horrible for just now getting around to posting about my little angel's first month or so. She's just a couple of days away from her two month birthday now, so I figured I better catch up ASAP! I am actually dreading her 2 month well baby appointment - she's gonna be getting like 3-4 shots. :o( It is SO sad when little babies get shots - they look so surprised by the needle going into their thigh & then they scream & scream. I just hope I can calm her down quickly & I am also praying that she doesn't feel all crappy afterward.

Now for the fun stuff that I never shared...her newborn & 1 month pics! We went to the Picture People to get her newborn photos done because we got a nice gift card from a friend as a baby gift. I ended up LOVING the pics & spending waaay more $$ on them than I went in there intending to, lol. Here are some of my favorite shots (she was 12 days old!):

{chewing on her finger}

{yawning <3}

{kisses for our sweet baby girl}

{outfit change, lol..I heart her face in this pic}

I also decided to do monthly photos with her Picky Sticky onesie stickers showing her age. They are so cute & much cheaper than buying onesies for each month. here she is in her NB & 1 month pics:

{laying down - 0 months}

Then I tried to prop her up on her boppy to get a sitting up pic...yeah at first, that equaled major FAIL:

So we tried once more...

It was the best it was getting, so I decided to leave her alone, lol.

Now for the 1 month pics, which went way better:

Amaya's first couple of weeks were filled with lots of visitors, doctor's appointments, sleepless nights & trips to the hospital for blood draws (to keep an eye on her bilirubin/jaundice levels). She slept the large majority of the day, so we didn't get much awake time with her. Due to her jaundice, she actually slept A LOT & very soundly. She would have slept through the night if we let her, but her pediatrician advised that we feed her a minimum of every 2-3 hours because it helps with jaundice, so we did. And boy, was it difficult to get her to wake up! Now, of course, we have the opposite problem, lol.

Right around 3'ish weeks, she started having MAJOR gas issues. She also started spitting up more than what I consider normal, so we told her doctor, who said that she probably had mild acid reflux. We are still slowly, but surely trying to get her gas & acid reflux issues under control & working on establishing a bedtime routine. At birth, she was 4 lbs. 13 oz. & by her 1 month appointment, she was up to 6 lbs. 4.5 oz.! During the month, she started to smile & practiced strengthening her neck muscles during tummy time.

I'll be better about doing these updates once I get caught up & they'll eventually be more detailed & better outline her milestones, but for now I just want to get a quick update posted. And now I must run because it's almost bedtime for Baby AJ & mama still needs to shower! 'Till next time!