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.

shoes

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!


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