11 Months!

Our baby is almost one year old.  Crazy.  She had a super fun and busy month.  Enjoy the highlights!

Two vacations! 

{Carlsbad to hang out with auntie, uncle and the cousins and Napa with mommy & daddy}  

Can say "hi" and sign "cookie"

Ate sand for the first time

Loves playing with anything disgusting {shoes, trash cans, kitty food}

Gets so sad when daddy leaves for work in the morning

Loves playing in the fridge, opening / closing doors, "shopping" with mommy's credit cards

Mothers Day/Birthday

As you all know, May 8th was Mothers Day.  A slightly lesser known fact is that it was also my birthday.  Some in my family will know that historically when Mothers Day and my birthday collide, I tend to have pretty bad days.  Suffice it to say, I've spent more than one MD/BDay in the emergency room.

So leading up to May 8th this year there was the obligatory banter from my family wondering if I was nervous/ planning to spend the day indoors/ going to wrap myself in bubble wrap/ etc. (Not to mention a a small amount of actual anxiety)  However as the day drew to a close, it appeared that I would avoid the curse this year...then we had dinner.

Admittedly, what happened at dinner could have just been a coincidence, and as I'm not an authority on curses, hexes, or witchcraft generally, I admit that I don't know if it's possible for such a plague to express itself in another person.  If it is, it appears that this year I ported my BDay misfortune to my poor mother-in-law.

We just sat down to a nice MD/BDay dinner when Marilyn took her first bite of steak (which I prepared no less) and began having a strange hiccup-type sound in her throat.  She took a drink of water to try and stop the noise which apparently only lodged the obstruction deeper at which point she began choking in earnest.

All I could think of as I quickly stood up and walked around the table was that while I had learned the Heimlich in Boy Scouts many years ago, I had never actually had to administer the maneuver.  I was pretty sure the most likely outcome was that I was going to break Marilyn's ribs and still not solve the problem.  I executed the technique to the best of my recollection, gave my mother-in-law a couple of good jerks, and viola', out popped the culprit and breathing returned to normal.  It was a scary couple of moments, but I'm happy to report that Marilyn is OK. 

So as I said, I'm not sure if this little episode can be blamed on the aforementioned curse, but it does seem like an eerie coincidence. 

On another note, I gave my mother-in-law the gift of life for Mothers Day.  What did you get yours?

Ten Months Old!

Our darling baby is now ten months old.  What a fun age!  She's been a busy girl the past month.  Her biggest accomplishment ... crawling!  She started crawling Easter weekend and hasn't looked back.  That kitty food was just too tempting.  Since then, we've all had to be on our toes {Bella hasn't moved so fast in years!}.

Some other exciting highlights include ...

Playing hostess to all kinds of guests {mommy's college roommate, Cherice, Auntie Melissa, Uncle Adam, and The Nanny}.  Beach, restaurants, road trip to San Diego.  Pulling to standing {complete with the most darling little bite marks in all the furniture}.  Gym class with Mommy.  Finger foods!  Signing "bird" and "more".  Celebrating Mommy and Daddy's birthdays.  Swaying back and forth when playing "Tick Tock".  Mischief!  Pointing at everyone and everything.  Tap dancing {sitting on the floor and shaking her feet like there's gum stuck to them}.  Cries "bee, bee, wee, wee" when she's upset or frustrated.  When asked, pointing to Mommy or Daddy's nose.

Our Baby is 9 Months Old

Our sweet baby girl is 9 months old.  Hard to believe.  She is such a joyful, happy baby.   I smile, laugh, and stare in awe at her each and every day.  Enjoy some highlights of the past month ...

Crawling ... I've been saying this for a while, but she really is close.  For now, hopping on her tiny tushy and waving her arms seems to be her favorite mode of transportation.  She has also mastered going from her tummy or back to sitting.

Loves to clap her hands and wave.

Got her first cold and handled it very well {the worst part was that darn mommy bugging her nose all the time!}.

Has mastered the sippy cup and can feed herself her "puffs".

Started learning sign language.

This girl loves technology.  Cell phones, computers, cameras, remotes ...

Loves to read and go to story time at the library.  She's a picky one, though and has 4 favorite books.  If we try to read anything other than the chosen 4, she's quick to let us know that it is not acceptable.

Three more teeth this month!  She still loves to bite {knees and shoulders are her favorite places to nibble}.

We love our sweet baby girl!

The Nursery Is Finally Finished!

The surprise I received on Blaire's birthday was easily the greatest moment of my life.  Nine months of dreaming about a little Dean or little Allyson was so much fun and something we'll definitely do with baby #2 {no, not any time soon!}.  The only draw back of not learning the sex was not being able to complete the nursery before she came.  And so, 8 months later ...
Blaire finally has a completed nursery!
For those who are interested, here's the run-down on how the nursery came together.

Our nursery design began with the crib.  I wanted something with clean, straight lines {I am a minimalist through and through}.  I instantly fell in love with the Oeuf Sparrow Crib in grey.  We thought it would be easy to incorporate pinks or greens into the design once our tiny one arrived.  

We also knew we wanted a day bed for the room.  A place for mommy to crash when she needed to be close, a place to cuddle and read books, and a place for Nanny to sleep when she visited.  The day bed is the Window Day Bed from West Elm and it has been the best purchase we made for the room {cuddling on it as a family every night at bedtime}.  My talented friend Lindsay made all the pillow covers for me.  We love the bright pop of color against the grey of the crib and accent wall.

We wanted a dresser that matched the modern/contemporary theme of the furniture in the room, but didn't want to shell out hundreds.  We found the dresser at our local Goodwill {$20!} and Daddy spent a week sanding and painting it - finishing just in time for Blaire's arrival.  

A Few Finishing Touches.  

We added a wall decal to the soft grey paint color as well as a homemade mobile & "You Are My Sunshine" print from a talented artisan on Etsy.  I wish I was that talented!  Maybe I'll learn a skill before baby #2!  The windows are simple roller shades that I covered with fabric {thanks to my good friend Amy for her help}.  Now that Blaire has outgrown her bassinet, we'll use it for baby dolls and other treasures! 

I love Blaire's nursery!   It's a great space to play and hang out without being too cutesy "baby".  I see us enjoying this room and adding more personal touches for years to come!

Eight Months Old

Our baby is 8 months old.  I can't believe it.  I am amazed every day by how much she has grown.  It is amazing to see her discover the world around her.  Here are some highlights this month...


Still not quite mobile {unless you count sitting and waving arms frantically in the air}.
Six teeth now - watch out, she bites!  
Loves her kitty.  I think Bella feels the same way, even when Blaire has a fist-full of fur.
Hates bath time.
Ski trip to Park City!
Gets the cutest wrinkle on her nose whenever she smiles big.  
Favorite things: Playing with mommy's cell phone and makeup, "popcorn popping" song, reading, teething biscuits, and playing peek-a-boo.

Blaire's First Valentines Day

Relaxing on a Saturday Morning

Baby's First Ski Trip!

Tiny Food for a Tiny Person

I enjoy cooking.  I love searching for recipes and sharing a wonderful meal with the people I love.  I am now finding new joy in preparing delicious food for my tiny eater.  I have become a bit obsessive in making sure Blaire is only eating the freshest, organic fruits and veggies. And so, after a couple weeks of buying the jarred stuff, I decided I would much rather prepare her food myself.  Enter the Baeba Babycook {and my new hobby}.  This is one impressive piece of kitchen equipment.  It steams, purees, and re-heats all in the same container.  So much fun to use - I can't stop!  My freezer is now full of baby food.  Dean and I might have to scrounge up something to eat tonight but Blaire is set until she's ten.

Sweet Potatoes steaming away

Next step ... puree

Fancy freezer tray. Love it!

Happy Baby.