05 September, 2013

Ten Months


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Cecily turned ten months on Tuesday, 20 August. Stacey was in town so we got to spend the day with her and Frankie! We met up with them at the Abbot Kinney Intellegentsia and did a little browsing at Firefly Kids. The babies were all over the place at the coffee shop so we ended up meeting up again for dinner in the early evening after naps. We had a really great meal but a super bad dining experience at a restaurant in Manhattan Beach. It was actually laughable!

We got Silly a new, full-size crib this month! It was actually quite an adventure getting it because, apparently, Ikea is re-doing the only crib we wanted/could afford so there was only one left in all of Southern California! We tracked it down though and actually had fun driving to Covina in my brother's car to get it. Silly is adjusting pretty well to sleeping in her new crib but still joins us in bed at some point most nights.

Levi gets up with Cecily every morning (usually around 8:00) while I get some extra sleep all by myself. They usually make coffee and go on a walk and just enjoy some good, old-fashioned daddy-daughter time. I love that they have that time together! I also love the extra sleep. ;)


At ten months, Cecily:

• thinks my eyelashes are hilarious and fun to play with.

• is a sponge and is great at repeating things I do.

• tries to snap her fingers when she sees me snapping mine (she's actually been doing this for ages, but she's getting a little better at mimicking the movement now).

• gives lots of kisses... but not to Daddy. He's scratchy.

• is such an examiner! She loves exploring objects more than most things.

• claps for real now! She loves clapping, and we clap for everything!

• still doesn't crawl, but she's trying!

• is still a music lover. I don't see this ever changing. She'd prefer it if we ALWAYS had music playing.

• can put two hands on the side of the pool while we count to five at swimming lessons.

• is super talkative and cheerful in the mornings.

• notices all the little things. I think this is why she hasn't started crawling or pulling herself up to stand. She doesnt' need to get far to have things to explore.

• sits up on her own!

• sometimes sits up while sleeping in her crib and wakes herself up.

• tugs at her ear and hair while nursing.

• squealshriekscreams a "meow" in response to Gretel.

• HATES having her diaper changed. This is annoying since she used to love it. :\

• loves Yo Gabba Gabba.



04 September, 2013

Piggie Piggie


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^^cecily and piggie piggie taking a nap^^

This week, I'm working on getting Cecily attached to a lovey,  specifically a tiny, soft, pink pig called Piggie Piggie. So far, we're doing really well! Cecily really likes her! Piggie Piggie only comes out for naps and bedtime. We talk to Piggie Piggie and give her kisses. Piggie Piggie always tells Cecily that she's very sleepy and asks if she can sleep next to her. I put her in Cecily's arms while I feed her. She really likes that! She periodically stops nursing to say hello to Piggie Piggie and give her a kiss. It's so sweet. At bedtime, I've been sleeping with Piggie Piggie to get her to smell like me before I start giving her to Cecily at nighttime. My hope in doing all of this is that Cecily will be comforted by her little pig when she stirs at night and soothe herself back into a deeper sleep. Plus, every child needs an inanimate best friend, be it blanket, stuffed animal, doll, toy car, or wooden spoon! I still have my ee-ee, a tattered green blanket that I slept with into my early twenties. I used to joke that I'd take that thing on my honeymoon with me (I did not). Here's hoping that Piggie Piggie turns out to be Silly's first best friend!


35/52


35:52

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 45 weeks. "Hello, fountain." We've been waving hello to everrrrything lately. People walking by. Appliances. Gilmore Girls characters on the television. The kitties. Flecks of nothing on the floor. Cecily's an extrovert.


Linking up with Jodi.



25 August, 2013

34/52


cecily the graduate

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 44 weeks. Levi and I are referring to this as Cecily's senior portrait. She looks like she's pondering her future behind the bars of her crib. Such a little character. I'm just happy to have a photo that shows her face still and clear. That's a rare occurrence these days! Oh, and by the way, that lump behind her is me sleeping. Levi took this one while I obliviously snoozed this morning.


Linking up with Jodi on Che and Fidel. Every week, Jodi links to a few of her favorite portraits from the previous week. I was thrilled and very flattered to find that she shared Cecily's portrait from last week on her blog over the weekend. :)


17 August, 2013

33/52


week 33

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 43 weeks. Cecily outgrew her Bloom Alma Mini crib at six months. I was pretty irritated by this because we had intended to keep her in there for at least the first year, and we didn't want a full-size crib because we live in a small, one-bedroom apartment. But we have a very tall daughter (99th percentile). Because we couldn't afford another crib at six months, we put the mini crib away and Cecily started sleeping in bed with us. It was all very cozy and sweet, but it was also completely nerve-wracking for me. I wake up every SINGLE time she shifts or moves at all. I've read that breastfeeding hormones make mothers more sensitive to their baby's movements while they're sleeping (some even say that formula-fed babies shouldn't sleep with their parents due to a lack of heightened awareness). And I'm just a paranoid person. Levi and I don't really move in our sleep at all, and we were very very careful, but it was still worrisome for me. Plus, I really missed being able to cuddle with my husband! Or talk to him in bed. Even though I had all these reasons for wanting her in a crib, I got so attached to sleeping next to my sweet baby. I loved looking over and seeing her breathing softly with her little, sweet, full lips parted. I loved seeing her smile and hearing her laugh (she's a sleep laugher, this girl of mine). There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby, and sleeping next to mine definitely had its good qualities. But I reached a point where I had had enough. Levi and I decided to put off some other very important financial decisions in order to get Cecily into a new crib. So all that to say, here is my sweet girl asleep in her new crib! Her new, big, GIANT crib next to our GIANT, king size bed in our small bedroom! It's pretty much wall-to-wall furniture in there, and it looks slightly ridiculous, but that's okay. You gotta do what you gotta do. Cecily is doing a great job. She's had two nights and one full day of naps in her new crib. I'm putting her in the crib after she has fallen asleep while nursing just to get her used to it. After awhile, we'll start working on getting her to put herself to sleep again. She was SO good at that before she outgrew the mini crib and her first sleep regression hit. But she likes sleep so she'll get back to a good place. I trust her. I love my sweet girl so much. Seeing her sleep is a cure for any frustrations I experience. It's good for my soul... especially when it's in her own bed. I'm so proud of my Cecily.


13 August, 2013

32/52


week 32

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 42 weeks. We went to Ikea today (actually we went to two Ikeas to track down a sold out, discontinued crib that we had our hearts set on... it was kind of a nightmare Ikea day). While we were at the first Ikea, Cecily tested out some sheepskin rugs. We are totally the type of parents who pull things out, put our baby on the floor, and play with her in the middle of an Ikea. I've started noticing that Cecily is getting bored pretty easily lately, and I think it's because she isn't stimulated enough during playtime. So I've thrown myself into researching age-appropriate activities. We're focusing a lot on sensory play now (hence, the rug). She loves it! She's such a little sponge right now. I've noticed that she's gotten a lot better at mimicking me (kinda scary actually...), so I really want to take advantage of that and dive right into teaching her and interacting with her more. I feel ashamed to say that I've been ignoring her too much up until this point. I hadn't quite accepted that I can no longer lay her down on her activity mat and do my own thing while she quietly plays next to me. She needs a lot more interaction now. And when I give it to her, she's much more content when it's time to play on her own. Motherhood is tricky because it changes ALL the time.


P.S. I've pretty much given up on trying to get portraits of her face at this point. She moves around way too much now. ;)



Linking up with Jodi.

11 August, 2013

And now I like showers!



I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for T3. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating.


When we were given the opportunity to try out the T3 Source Shower Filter, we jumped on it. As a hairstylist, Levi loves trying out new products on the market. He especially loves products that can improve the health of the hair, not just the look. I really respect that he educates his clients on how to best care for the health of their hair. Not all hairstylists do that.

Okay, so did you know that regular household water can contain half as much chlorine as a swimming pool?! HALF! And this is what I use to clean my hair? Not good. The T3 Source Shower Filter removes 95% of that chlorine and promises to give you healthier, more beautiful hair, longer-lasting hair color, and softer skin that retains moisture better. Sounds good to me!

We were able to choose between the Showerhead, the Hand-Held, and the In-Line. We went with the Hand-Held because I like to spray Cecily off when bathing her. And she loves trying to eat the shower head and drink all the water. ;)


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Installation was a breeze. It took maybe five minutes, and Levi was able to do the whole thing holding Cecily. She was very keen to "help."

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All you have to do is remove your existing shower head, screw a few things into place, and you're pretty much done! After that, you let the hot water run for a few minutes, and you're good to go!

I was really impressed by how beautiful the Hand-Held is. All the materials used are really high-quality, and the dial to change spray settings has a pretty purple jewel on it! Seriously, this thing is waaaaay too good for our shower. ;)

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^^ see how pretty? ^^


Levi and I both admitted that the first thing we did when we got into the shower that night was taste the water. Haha! And it tasted way better! The tap water here is pretty gross, and the filter definitely improved the taste. I tried out all eight spray settings and was really impressed by how nice they were! I still can't choose a favorite so I switch between them during showers. The water actually feels better with the filter. It feels softer and purer... if that makes sense. It's seriously a joy to shower with this thing! And this is coming from someone who has always claimed to hate showering. It makes me feel like I'm in some beautiful, outdoor shower at a luxury resort somewhere exotic. And then I open my eyes and see my cracked tile and dark yellow tub. Ha!

We've been using the T3 Source Shower Filter Hand-Held for a couple weeks now, and I have definitely noticed a difference in our hair and skin. After our first shampoos, all of our hair felt softer. I was a little nervous about this because my hair tends to lose body when it gets really soft, but I've actually noticed more volume, AND, best of all, it stays clean longer! I usually shampoo every other day, but I can skip two days with this. I can't speak to their promises about hair color lasting longer because it's been ages since Levi colored my hair. My regrowth is out of control. But we've also all noticed that our skin feels less dry too.

So, obviously, I love this product. At $150 for the Hand-Held (you can buy it here or here), it's definitely more expensive than the Target showerhead we were using, but I really think it's worth it. It adds a little bit of luxury to the end of my day before getting into bed, and my skin and hair feel healthier. I would definitely recommend this, and Levi is recommending it to his clients. Thank you, Mom Central and T3, for the opportunity to review the T3 Source Shower Filter!


07 August, 2013

Shop my closet!



After having Cecily, a lot of my favorite and cutest shoes no longer fit. :(

So I decided to sell them on Instagram.

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You can check them out here.

If you see a pair you want and don't have an Instagram account, let me know in the comments and I'll send you a PayPal invoice.


05 August, 2013

Nine Months


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Cecily turned nine months on Saturday, 20 July. She weighs 19 pounds 13 ounces (75th percentile) and is 29 1/2 inches tall (98.7th percentile). Her head is still in the 75th percentile.


At nine months, Cecily:

• is really into clicking her tongue.

• loves pickles.

• covers her eye, holds her ear, or scratches her head while nursing.

• asks me to read to her and loooooves it.

• is very, very loud.

• is a bit of a pill.

• has some pretty major separation anxiety (which I've read is super normal at nine months). She acts like I'm leaving her forever if I even walk in the opposite direction of her. Heaven forbid I try to get myself a glass of water or go to the bathroom. The bumbo is permanently in the bathroom now so that I can pee without having to put her on the bathroom floor.

• has two teeth trying to get through! One of them has popped through the surface. It's sharp!

• leans forward and to the side to get things she wants while sitting and props herself up and kinda scoots backwards while on her tummy. The backwards tummy scooting  is very frustrating to her though.

• is a really great eater. She likes almost everything! Except puffs. She thinks she's too good for puffs. Tosses them off her high chair like they're beneath her.

• STILL doesn't seem to have an eye color. Sometimes they're still sort of grey blue. Other times they look blue or blue with a little yellow-brown around her pupil. Or violet or just dark.

• loves taking her medicine so much that I sometimes give her water with a syringe if she's cranky.

• is ticklish on the inside of her wrists. Levi discovered this one while trying to clean her hands with a wipe.

• sat up from laying on her tummy ONCE with Levi. While I was in the other room. And wouldn't repeat it for me. Of course. Her first back to tummy roll was for him too! Little minx.

• might refer to me as "ah-baba." Not entirely sure.

• LOVES the intro to Doug.

• does her own version of clapping, which involves hitting her diaper or the floor. It's soooo cute!


New nicknames:

• sesame (this one's from Levi 'cause she's his seed - HAAA!)


03 August, 2013

31/52


31:52

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 41 weeks. She loooves food (as in the kind that grown ups eat), but she's still predominantly breastfed (we haven't done any bottles so far). We've been doing this breastfeeding thing for nine months now, and we're pretty good at it! Nursing has been such a bonding experience for me and Cecily, and it has really empowered me and helped me to trust my instincts as a mother. I always thought I'd be a very strict, by-the-book, anxious, worried mother... but I'm not! I frequently go with my gut, and I'm not afraid of making unpopular decisions if they seem right for my family. I, honestly, attribute most of this confidence to my experience and success with breastfeeding. Happy World Breastfeeding Week!


29 July, 2013

30/52


30:52

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 40 weeks. She's such a little gem. Especially when she's sleeping.


20 July, 2013

29/52


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"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 39 weeks. Me and my fountain-loving babe at the Hyatt last weekend. Cecily took her first dip in a swimming pool at the hotel and loved it. She may not like the ocean, but she's certainly a water baby.


P.S. My girl is nine months today. Practically a little old lady.


19 July, 2013

Fountain Girl


Cecily is a major fountain lover (so am I), so whenever we're around one, we stop and take a look. 

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^^ the best is her squeal at the end ^^

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Apparently, we go to lots of places with fountains. This is just from the last week or two. Having a baby makes you slow down and enjoy life more.


Crossing the Border


Last Wednesday, Cecily and I had the car for the day so we picked Levi up from work a little after 7:00 with plans to go to the mall for dinner. It was drizzly and cool, and we were all in good moods so we spontaneously decided to head to Border Grill in Santa Monica instead!

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^^ silly & daddy paying the meter ^^

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^^ dressing silly up as mother mary... or something? ^^

We ate a zillion chips with the best salsa then shared a chicken quesadilla and a sweet corn tamale. That chicken quesadilla was something else. Best flour tortilla I've had in my life. If you ever get the chance to go to Border Grill... go! It's delicious.

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^^ our attempt at a family photo in a dark restaurant with a baby ^^

After dinner, it was lightly sprinkling and we felt like a little walk, so we headed over to the promenade. Everything was starting to close, but I really wanted dessert so we found a little crêpe café. I got a cinnamon-sugar crêpe (my favorite), and it was perfect.

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Then we headed home! It was such a fun impromptu weeknight outing! Totally necessary in the summertime.

I love my little family of three. :)


13 July, 2013

28/52


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"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 38 weeks. With her sippy straw cup yesterday afternoon. I don't know what it is about Veggie Tales, but she loves it. I'm happy to have found something that she's content to sit and watch on her own for a good little chunk of time. Thank you, Dave and the Giant Pickle. Also, she can drink from a straw now!!


Linking up with Jodi.


12 July, 2013

27/52


52 27

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2013."

Cecily: 37 weeks. Just trying out some headphones with Daddy at the Apple Store.


Linking up with Jodi.


Another First :\


Cecily fell off the bed today, about an hour ago. She's fine, but I still feel like I'm going to die. I left her lying on her back (btw, lay vs. lie - so confusing) in the middle, but more towards the right side, of our king size bed, went to the living room to get it set up for her nap, heard a clunk, and ran back there just as she started screaming. I found her lying on face down in a frog-like position with her arms up and my cell phone on the ground at the end of the bed on the left side. ??? She was obviously after my phone (SO mad at myself for leaving it in there since it's the number one Silly-tempter), but I seriously don't know how she got there. She can't sit up on her own or crawl yet (to my knowledge anyway), so I'm guessing that she rolled to my phone, knocked it onto the floor, and then ended up sliding off the bed to the floor while lying on her stomach reaching for the phone. So maybe the fall wasn't that bad. I'm so glad our bed is fairly low and not one of those ones you need a stepladder to get on.

It was terrifying. I scooped her up immediately and held her close as I started checking all her limbs. She calmed down pretty quickly, and then she was just sort of silent and watching me for a couple minutes, which scared the CRAP out of me. I called Levi at work and put him on FaceTime so he could see her, and she started smiling and talking to him. I gently squeezed every part of her body - no problems or negative reactions from her. I got her to track my cell phone just fine. No bumps, red marks, scratches, bleeding, etc. So I guess she's fine even if I'm not!

She's napping now, and I keep psychotically checking her every 12 seconds to make sure she's breathing.

So yeah, that was probably my scariest parenting moment yet. I guess I need to start leaving her on the floor when I have to leave the room for a minute... let the babyproofing begin!


11 July, 2013

Apparently, I relate to 11-year-olds.


The question of the day in my 5-year q&a diary today asked which literary character I would be, and I think I actually figured it out!

I would be totally be Harriet M. Welsch.

She gets very obsessive and hyper-focused/fixated (you don't even want to know what I've spent the last three hours doing). She likes to wear the same thing every day. She likes to eat the same things over and over. She is very attached to her closest people. She's kinda bossy and likes things done her way... :\  She's really snoopy and sleuthy and kind of a stalker.

Yep. Just call me Harriet the Spy.

Funny that I've read this book 10-15 times since I was eight years old, and I'm just now realizing this.


Who would you be?


10 July, 2013

At the library


Last Tuesday morning (the 2nd), Levi and I took Cecily to the Central Library in Huntington Beach. We were trying to make it to toddler story time (even though she doesn't toddle), but we got there late and the story time room was so packed that I swear it was steamy in there.

So we had our own story time! I randomly chose a picture book off one of the shelves. The title was something about Sybil and a blue bunny or a sick day. I don't know. It was a really weird book, but I like weird things and Cecily isn't picky.

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^^ pretty sure those boobs up there are trying to take over the world. sorry! ^^

If it's safe, I like to let Cecily sit on the floor when we go places (during response time at the end of church, you can almost always find Silly on the floor). Even though she isn't crawling yet, I like her to feel free to explore her immediate surroundings. I can see Levi and I naturally starting to build the "cadre" for Cecily already. It's interesting to see how our innate parenting styles are coming out as Cecily grows.

Anyway, Cecily really enjoyed sitting on the floor for a bit and pulling books off the shelves. When she's older, I'll teach her how to put them back in order. ;)

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After hanging out in the children's section for awhile, we introduced Cecily to the rest of the library while I shared stories and memories from all my times there as a child, adolescent, and teenager. I really love that library. It's so beautiful. I hope they never update it. It's so midcentury and cool! I love all the fountains and water everywhere. It makes me feel peaceful.

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^^ these two are so sweet together. ^^

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We couldn't check out any books this time because we don't have non-resident library cards yet (I'm sorry, Long Beach, but your libraries are not the best), but I bought some old Martha Stewart Living and Whole Living magazines for a quarter each... did you know that Whole Living is no more?? I'm so sad about this. I loved that magazine.

So that was Silly's first visit to the library! The first of many. Levi and I really want to help her develop a love of books, reading, and storytelling so we will certainly be back!


To the beach!


We did one of the things on our summer list yesterday: we took Cecily to the beach in Huntington. It was... interesting.

She had woken up from her nap on the wrong side of the rocker seat. So much crankiness. But we went anyway! After driving around the parking lot looking for parking forever (this whole having to pay to park to go to the beach thing is soooo weird to me having grown up a block away), we coated ourselves in sunscreen, dragged all of our crap (blanket, towel, backpack, baby tent thingie, umbrella, etc.) out of the car, and began our trek to the water.

First stop: strips at Dwight's! Of course!

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^^ reaching for the strips. smart girl. ^^

I really wanted to eat on the sand because it's more fun that way so we added two boxes of food to our haul.

After setting up our blanket and umbrella (and making an attempt at setting up the borrowed baby circus tent thingie), we ate.

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Cecily really liked strips (the cheese and the sauce part anyway)! She liked them so much that she didn't really let me enjoy them because she demanded bites every two seconds! Haha! This girl loves to eat! We're working on patience right now... as much as you can with an 8-month-old anyway!

After eating, we put on Silly's Esther Williams swim cap and took her to the water. By the way, I bought this suit for her last summer while I was pregnant. I couldn't resist that swim cap. She looks like a little tomato head.

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^^ she looks like a squinty old man in all the pictures. it was BRIGHT. ^^

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^^ "i hate it, momma. i hate it!" ^^


^^ choose "original" under the settings for the best quality! ^^

This was her second time touching the ocean, and she still hated it. Haha! Poor girl! We tried for awhile after taking pictures and video, but she kept making these miserable little groaning sounds. She looooves water, but I guess she prefers it warm and not freezing cold/filled with sand/rushing at her.

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^^ "save me, daddy!!" ^^

After our "swim," she was totally over the whole beach thing so we left. I think we were there for about 20ish minutes. Haha!

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^^ she fell asleep nursing in the car. she was so tired that she didn't even wake up when i put her in her car seat. this never happens! poor sleepy babe! ^^

Oh well. We tried it! Even though we live so close, we probably won't go back to the beach until she's old enough to actually enjoy it. I'm sure she'll be a total beach girl next summer. :)


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