I have the rest of my life to be a mother and the last thing I want to do is run myself ragged trying to be perfect…good grief, it’s only been 6 months!  If I want to keep my sanity in check I know I need to take it easy and not be so hard on myself…and hopefully if you’re a mom or going to be a mom, you’ll remember to do this too :-)

Now, a letter to my precious Evie:

My sweet little baby, you have grown so much these past couple of months!  It boggles my mind to know that you are already half a year old!

Your personality is just really coming through and each couple of days you’re doing something new!  I absolutely adore seeing your smile when I come to get you from your naps and just love smelling your sweet breath every chance I get.  You probably think this is weird but I swear,  you have the sweetest breath and I could just smell it all day long :-)  Everyone in the family just adores you and I feel so lucky to have so many people in our lives that love you!

I am really trying to embrace and enjoy every single moment of every day because time is just flying by and before I know it, you’ll be starting kindergarten!  Lord help me when that day comes because I will be a weeping, sobbing mess!  Even when you go off to college though you will always be that sweet little baby that laid quietly on my chest just moments after you came into the world.  I think of that day often because I never want to forget it.  It was the day my life changed forever and the day that my sole purpose in life was to be your mom.  I promise to try my very hardest to be the best mom I can be to you…just be a little patient with me okay?  I’m not perfect and know that I’ll make mistakes.  I’m sure there are days where we’ll both test each others patience but that’s life!  I remember when I was a teen, your Grandmother and I would go at it every other day it seemed like.  Now, 20 years later, I cherish her so much and turn to her for guidance and strength when I feel weak and scared.  I hope you never have to feel any pain in life but if you do I want you to know that I will ALWAYS be there to catch you when you fall and prop you right back up :-)

I love you more than you will ever know my sweet pea…until next month!

5 Month Highlights:

1.  You’ve started really playing with your jungle gym toys instead of just looking at them.

2.  I napped with you for the first time and it felt so wonderful!  Although it was mostly you napping and me watching you sleep :-)

3.  You giggled one day when you saw your bottle right before I fed you…you know your bottle was coming and was so happy!

4.  You are able to pull your paci out of your mouth and put it back in as long as you keep it close to your face after you take it out.

5.  You touched your daddy’s face when he was feeding you and it was the cutest thing ever!

6.  When you get happy, you bounce your legs up and down like you’re dancing :-)

7.  You blew your first raspberry!  I copied you and blew a raspberry too and then you copied me and blew more raspberries…so adorable!

8.  You discovered your feet and started playing with them!

9.  You rolled from your tummy to back but I think it was kind of by accident.

10.  You slept in your crib for the first time!  I thought you were going to fight it but you were okay the first night…emphasis on FIRST :-)  On the second and third days you woke up a few times so we figure you weren’t ready and moved you back to your swing.

11.  This has more to do with me than you but I had my first dream that included you in it!  Sprinkles had just opened up their ice cream store and in the dream we went to get
ice cream but they didn’t have any left :-(

12.  You went on your first airplane ride!  Mommy and Daddy were very nervous on how the plane ride would go.  Aside from you projectile vomiting right before and during the flight, it went pretty
smoothly :-)  We think the first time you vomited was because we overfed you but the second time were not quite sure what happened.  Anyhow, the flight back home was pretty uneventful (thank goodness!).

13.  When we were in Georgia visiting daddy’s family, we witnessed you talking in your sleep and our hearts just melted :-)

Here you are at the airport!

Sleeping on the plane!  I had hoped you would sleep for most of the flight but you only slept for the first half hour or so.  Check out your super cute hand dimples!!!

Our little family at Aunt Melissa’s House on St. Patrick’s Day in Georgia :-)

That smile…I love that smile!  Check out your toes!  For some reason, you always curls your toes together :-)

Us napping together…I love it!

LOL…”caught in the act” is what I call this image :-)  We were having a nice dinner in Georgia and the restaurant was dark so I took a “flash” shot of you sitting so nicely in your car seat and this was the result :-)  So cute!

One of my all time FAVORITE images of you!  It just melts my heart every time I look at it :-)  BTW, you normally don’t sleep with a headband.

First picture with the Easter Bunny!  You were whatev’s about him…just like your picture with Santa.  I guess you’re not easily impressed by “celebrities” :-)

Just melt my heart why don’t you?!  I can’t get enough of you!  Your cheeks and arms in this picture are to die for…I just want to eat them up!

At your first Easter Brunch after we went to Church with Daddy :-)

Sitting up all by yourself (with a little help) :-)

You sleeping in your crib for the first time!

On our play date with little James and Sisi and their mommies!

Just look at that face!

On another playdate with your buddy Abbie and her mommy :-)

6 Month Highlights:

1.  You cried at your first stranger!

2.  You had your first real “belly laugh” with Grandma!  We were visiting her for the day and she was trying to get you to laugh all day and she said one day you say the magic word
and all of a sudden she will laugh like crazy…we just have to figure what it is.  So later that day, you were playing under your jungle gym and Grandma took a piece of cloth
and was waving it in front of you.  You grabbed onto it and as she yanked it away from you, you squealed with delight!  She did it again and you started laughing.  Eventually
you were blowing raspberries like crazy.  I’m so happy I got this on video!  I can’t wait to show you one day :-)

3.  You sort of reach out when someone reaches their arms out to you but you don’t do this on a regular basis yet…it’s still cool to see when you do reach out though!

4.  You’ve started “screaming” when you play.  This happens randomly and I just love hearing you have so much fun discovering all the sounds you can make!

5.  One day you let out a big burp and we BOTH started laughing hysterically…I loved every second of it and wished daddy was there to see it :-)

6.  You finally put your toes in your mouth!!!  I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and was so happy to finally see it.  I actually got it on video too which made me so happy :-)

7.  You started bouncing in your jumperoo!  I kept bugging daddy to put it together and he said you weren’t ready yet.  Finally I got him to put it together and when we first put you in
you didn’t seem to like it but eventually you got the hang of it and now you love it!  You do the bouncing with your right foot while your left foot just kind of chills there bouncing only occasionally :-)

8.  You officially moved into your crib on 4/26/13!  We just took your swing away cold turkey and you’ve done pretty good in there.  The only thing is you take 30 min naps when you used to take longer naps in your swing!  I’m so tempted to let you nap in there but I’m hoping you’ll eventually start taking longer naps.  Mommy has actually been researching this very subject for weeks now because I know how important it is for you to take longer naps as opposed to “cat naps”.

9.  I discovered one day when I was about to put you into the crib that when I kiss you under your chin you get ticklish!  Once I realized this I try to do this as often as possible hoping for some reaction.  Usually I get one but it’s still never enough.  I love hearing your giggle :-)

10.  You’ve started paying attention to the little plush Toucan bird on your jungle gym in the far bottom corner.  For long he went unnoticed due to his low positioning but one day you turned your head and he was right there.  Soon I noticed, you would always turn to look at him and eventually started playing with him.  This may seem like nothing major but it’s something that I want to remember because it shows me that you’re growing and noticing more of the world around you :-)

11.  You’ve started leaning forward in your car seat which tells me that you’re getting stronger!

12.  You’ve starting making growling noises for some reason which I can only imagine is you testing out new “vocal” skills :-)

13.  You have this “face” that you do that I call the “shy/embarrassed” face.  It’s kind of like your biting your bottom lip slightly and you have a little smile at the same time…it’s the cutest thing and I can just imagine you doing it when you’re a little older and you get shy if introduced to someone new or embarrassed when I’ve caught you doing something silly.  I can’t wait to see if you actually do this face when these occasions arise…only time will tell!

14.  You are VERY TALL!  I was looking forward to your 6 month check up to see what your stats were and I guessed you would be 90th percentile in height while your dad guessed 80th percentile.  Turns out, we were both wrong.  You are 95th percentile in height!!!  In weight, you are 55th percentile and head circumference you are 75th percentile.  While I’m happy that you are growing nicely, there is a part of me that wants your percentile numbers to be lower because in my mind this will extend your “babyhood” :-)

Here you are flying after your diaper change!

Mandatory tummy time…you still have no interest in rolling over!  The doctor said at your 6 month visit that we need to work on this otherwise you need to see a therapist to teach you how to roll…OMG….really?!  We gotta get working on this baby girl!

The gums….I can’t handle the gums!

Look at you…already posing for mommy :-)  Good girl!

LOL…this shirt says it all :-)  You have your Grandpa wrapped around your little pinky!

Just a cute outfit I wanted to capture…

The infamous “crossing of the feet”…you do this ALL THE TIME!

In another cute outfit your auntie Melissa got you :-)

This is the face you make when the Jets win!!!

and when they lose…

Thigh chub…need I say more?

Posing with the fun books that Grandma & Grandpa got you!  You look so happy here…I love it!

OMG…I just love everything about this picture…the outfit, the headband, the baby… :-)

Having fun in your jumperoo!

I can’t get enough of your toes…even though your middle toe seems like it belongs to another pair of feet and not yours :-)  Your daddy says it will work itself out…well see :-)

The expression on your face is priceless!

Rockin’ the faux hawk :-)

On your first hike!

You loved it!

More tummy time in the crib…

6 Months…where did the time go!???

I see a very bright future for these two…CONGRATS Karen & Chuck on saying your I DO’s!  I wish you both nothing but the best! xoxo

I adored Karen’s Monique Lhuillier gown!

Karen was glowing on her wedding day!  Love this moment with her mom putting on her veil :-)

Love this!  Their suite at Casa Del Mar was like a condo!

I love the look on Karen’s face as she approaches Chuck for their “first look”.

Chuck was thrilled to see her obviously :-)

Their gorgeous bridal party :-)

The happy couple :-)

Some California sunshine for this NY couple :-)

Karen really wanted a shot on the spiral staircase…she has a great eye!  Love how dramatic this is!

The ballroom was set up beautifully for their ceremony…

Karen and her adorable parents :-)

Love how happy Karen is here!

The new Mr. & Mrs!

Lighting is SO important to set the mood for ANY event but especially a wedding reception!

The florals were fantastic…

Love how happy Chuck looks during their first dance as husband & wife!

Karen was clearly emotional during her father’s welcoming toast!

Karen is clearly the apple of her father’s eyes :-)

Happy Ending to a lovely evening!

Thanks to the following vendors for making Karen & Chuck’s Wedding AMAZING!!! :

Event Planner: Picture Perfect Events (thanks Kelley for referring Karen & Chuck to me…it is ALWAYS a pleasure working with you and your amazing team!!!)

Ceremony and Reception Location: Casa del Mar

Florist: Fleuretica

Ceremony Musicians: El Real Chamber Players

Reception Entertainment: Bob Gail Band, “Jump Start”

Lighting: G2 Audio and Lighting

Baker: Epicurean Umbrella

Videographer : Today’s the day Weddings

We’re heading to Georgia to visit Doug’s family tomorrow and I was in the midst of backing up all my important files before our trip when I came across the picture of Evie on the day we left the hospital.  An overwhelming feeling of sadness came over me that scared me.  I thought to myself “oh no…is it back?  Is the postpartum depression slowly creeping it’s way back in?  ”No” my heart answered.  I was so completely heart broken that my little baby girl will never be this tiny ever again.  She is growing by the second and the realization that there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to stop it kills me.  There are times that I wish I could just go back for a day just to relive those sweet moments I let slip by because I just didn’t know any better.  I was too sleep deprived to know any better.  All I can hope is that I’m lucky enough to experience having a newborn baby again..maybe this next time around I can enjoy myself.  In my head though, I keep thinking “nothing will ever feel as special as the FIRST time”.  Am I wrong?  I hope so!  New mom’s…have you felt this way too?  Mother’s out there who have more than one baby…how was your experience like with your children that came after your first???  I would love to hear from all of you!

In the mean time…I better start packing before Doug kills me :-)

This blog post is specifically dedicated to the celebration of the 4 months my daughter has been alive (on the outside that is).  She is just an absolute joy and continually leaves me in awe on how much she is learning each day.  It amazes me how one little grunt can turn into a real giggle in just a matter of days.  I’m constantly amazed that she is MY daughter and that I am HER mother.  I’m definitely past the new mom anxious phase but of course still am concerned that I’m doing the right things at the right times, etc.  Motherhood is definitely not for the weak…I learned that the hard way :-)  More on that next week though!

To my Evie:

Your smile continues to brighten my day every time I see it and I feel so lucky that the “man” or “woman” upstairs decided that I would be your mom.  There is no question in my mind that I was meant for you and you were meant for me :-)  I still get sad when I realize that you are getting bigger every day but try to remind myself that this is how life works.  I will try to remember each and every day that good things are to come and will continue to come…you just won’t be teeny tiny anymore.  Okay I just made myself sad again!  LOL…you will see…one day when/if you have a child of your own, the bittersweet emotions you feel when your baby does something new.  On one hand you’re excited that she/he has learned a new skill.  On the other hand you realize that this means your “baby” will one day not be a baby anymore.  I had this conversation with your Grandma and she said to me how she hated each time I would go up in a diaper size.  She would try to keep me in the smaller size for as long as she could until it just was too small.  It never occurred to me that your Grandma had the same feelings that I’m feeling this very moment.  It was a definite eye opener for sure.  One day though I look forward to having a similar conversation with you when you have a child of your own…and I hope that you do because this feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever felt.  I would easily give my life up for you if that meant you would be safe and happy.  It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?  Hopefully  you’ll know what that feels like one day.  Until next month my sweet pea…I love you so much and can’t wait to see what new “tricks” you learn this month!

This Past Month:

1.  You celebrated your first “Tet” aka Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year).  Your grandma bought an Ao Dai for you to wear and “customized” it to make it fit you perfectly in addition to making an adorable headband.  Mommy helped out by sewing on some “gold” details to make the Ao Dai extra special.  You looked so cute and Mommy & Grandpa couldn’t stop taking pictures of you…mainly because neither of us could get you to look at our cameras :-D

2.  You had your first “semi giggle” on 2/21/13.  I forget exactly what we were doing but I said “mommy don’t like that” and you did this little high pitched grunt with a smile…hard to explain but I will remember that sound for as long as I live.  I kept saying “mommy don’t like that” and you kept making that sound…my heart exploded :-)

3.  You started kicking your legs like crazy wherever you are whether it be on your bouncy chair, jungle gym, bed, etc.  You kick them so hard that I worry you’re hurting your adorable little feet but you seem to find great pleasure in doing this for some reason?  Oh well…as long as you’re having fun!  I love watching you kick because it makes me feel like you’re healthy and strong :-)

4.  Mommy played NKOTB’s song “Step by Step” for you and sang it at the same time and you really enjoyed it and smiled much to daddy’s dismay :-)  I KNEW  you would love NKOTB!

5.  You like to flare your nostrils A LOT and make this clicking sound with your tongue at random times.  Not sure why but I find it very interesting!

6.  You are now putting yourself to sleep….sort of.  You still sleep in your swing which Mommy & Daddy are going to transition you out of very soon but in the mean time, we put you in there, turn the swing on, and you either fall asleep fairly quickly if you’re tired OR you talk/sing yourself to sleep for 10-15 minutes.  Mommy always sets her timer and then checks on you on the baby monitor to make sure that you’re okay during this time…I love hearing you “sing” to yourself and wonder what you’re thinking during these times :-)

7.  Mommy caught you talking and smiling at the little lambs that “fly” above your swing and thought it was the cutest thing EVER.

8.  On 2/25/13 you had your first REAL giggle.  I was trying to do everything I could to make you laugh and nothing was really working.  Then I started making some kissy noises and you did a little grunt.  Then I kept doing it and you grunted some more.  I tried to get your attention and said “HEEYYY” and this made you really giggle!!  So I kept doing it and you loved every second of it and so did I :-)  (I got this on video in case you want to see it one day!)

9.  You are doing a lot better on car rides.  You used to cry the minute the car stopped moving but you are doing that a lot less these days which makes mommy very happy!

10.  You are in LOVE with your Sophie the Giraffe!  It was love at first “chew” :-)  Every time I give her to you, you put her ears right in your mouth and just start chewing away….I have video of this too in case you want to see how much you love her :-)  Your fur sister Spunki actually loves Sophie too and has tried stealing her from you many times.  This annoys mommy but I try to remember that Spunki is just a baby too and likes thinks that squeek!

11.  You still suck on your paci but you’re very selective as to when you need it and when you don’t.  Mommy hasn’t figured out all the logistics of this yet because sometimes when Mommy thinks you want it and gives it to you, you spit it out.  Then when I’m desperate and think “she probably won’t want this” you take it and start happily sucking away.  Very interesting little one…I’ll probably never figure this one out :-)

12.  You went on your first date with Owen!  Daddy even joined us too because he wanted to witness your first date…he is sentimental like that :-)  That’s one of the things I love about Daddy but also drives me crazy because he doesn’t like to get rid of anything and makes mommy keep ugly sweaters she wears around the house because he like them.  Weird right?  Weird but cute…I hope you find a guy just like daddy one day to marry…he is a wonderful husband as you’ll see when you grow up :-)  But anyways, back to your first date!  You, me, Owen, his Momma Nancy and your Daddy went to the Yardhouse at the Irvine Spectrum and you both dined on formula :-)  You were both a little shy but did save some conversation…not with each other but your mommies :-)

13.  You also went on your second date with Connor!  LOL…Connor fell asleep a few times on your date.  He can fall asleep anywhere…something mommy wishes you could do!  You like to be wide awake most of the time when in your car seat which suprised Mommy because she thought all babies fall asleep in their car seat on car rides.  Not the case with you my little munchkin!  Maybe  you can work on that this month okay?

14.  You had a busy month because not only did you have two “romantic” dates, you had a play date with Sisi!  Sisi’s mom Kristin and I are very good friends and have known each other for years.  We are part of a group called the “Hapa Trio”.  The 3rd member is your Auntie Angel.  A person who is Hapa is of mixed asian descent…something that me, Auntie Kristin, and Auntie Angel all are.  That’s why we call ourselves the Hapa Trio…I know…kinda dorky but still cool :-)  Guess what though?  Sisi, Auntie Angel’s baby Olivia, and you are ALSO hapa’s!!!  So you guys are the second generation Hapa Trio…something that Kristin, Angel, & mommy talked about on our many lunch dates over the years.

On Auntie Angel’s 29th birthday and your 4 Month birthday, we all went out to celebrate at Brodard…a yummy place that your daddy loves too!  We will take you there one day when you have some teeth so you can experience the yummy food there.

After lunch, mommy took you to the doctor to get your 4 month checkup where you very grumpy since you decided to not nap in the car after lunch.  See baby?  That’s why you need to work on taking naps in the car…to avoid being grumpy!  You were also hungry so mommy fed you in the Dr.’s office where you gulped down your formula.  You were in the zone so when the doctor came in, she startled you and you started screaming!!!  Mommy felt bad for the doctor and was kinda embarrassed but explained to her that your were tired and hungry and normally you would be very happy to see her.  You eventually calmed down UNTIL you got your vaccinations where you screamed your head off!  Is it wrong of mommy that she thinks you look quite adorable when you’re screaming?  Sounds totally weird but you have the cutest little look on your face when you’re screaming!  Once we got to the car though you were calm and mommy even got you to smile at me!  We went home where you ended up taking a long nap and were fine the rest of the evening.

What a way to celebrate your 4 month birthday right?  You had a great month as did mommy and she can’t wait to see what new things you learn in the weeks coming up.  Mommy still gets sad when she thinks about you getting older but I need to remind myself that there will be many fun things to look forward to in the future.

Until next month baby…mommy loves you infinity and beyond (something mommy & daddy used to say to each other all the time when we were boyfriend and girlfriend…hehehe).

Special thank you to Grandma for this lovely Ao Dai!

While this picture isn’t of Evie I still wanted to note the special occasion.  Doug and I celebrated our 10 Year Dating Anniversary last month as well as his 37th birthday!  10 years went by in a flash…can you believe I still love him? ;-)  Just kidding!  LOL…I love him ten thousand times more than I did 10 years ago :-)

Oooopppss!  I was supposed to rotate this image…oh well…basically you get the idea.  Evie loves her Sophie!

My funny valentine :-)

I love baby wrists…or should I say lack thereof :-)

My little princess :-)

People always say Evie looks so happy all the time…lol…they don’t get to see the outtakes :-)

Evie on her first date with Owen!  LOL…look how much they’re into each other!

Darn it…I was supposed to rotate this image too!  Please forgive me…I’m a busy mom now!  This pic shows how much Evie brings her hands together…she does this a lot.  Grandma loves it…as do mommy and daddy too!  She likes to match her fingertips together…I love watching her do this!

Evie on her second date with Connor.  Again…can you see the fire brewing between these two?  So much passion!

A screenshot of Evie during her “giggle” fest…still waiting for her to do this again!

Evie on her play date with Sisi!  Neither look picture-ready but oh well…that’s the best you’re going to get with a toddler and a nearly 4 month old :-)

I’ve been working very hard with Evie on her tummy time and it’s finally paying off!  Her doctor made me feel like she was behind on our last visit so I was not going to let that happen again!

Our first attendance at a social event as a family!  My friend Vanessa had a dedication party for her beautiful daughter Brooklyn :-)  Thanks for having us Vanessa!

LOL!!  I love how her feet are crossed here…she does this a lot too :-)  I can’t get enough!

Hapa Trio x 2!

Happy 4 Months sweet little angel!!!

Remember to check back next week on my blog post dedicated to Postpartum Depression.  My goal is to continue to spread awareness and also help any new moms out there who might be struggling with it right now!

Alice and Paul will be getting married this July and I simply can’t wait!  For now, enjoy some of my favorites from their engagement session in downtown San Juan Capistrano…one of my all-time favorite places to shoot at :-)

I don’t know why but I really love this one :-)

Alice knew how to work it from the very beginning :-)

Even though their doggies aren’t related don’t they look like they are?  So cute!

Alice & Paul have great chemistry together…in person and in pictures :-)

Lovely light :-)

Cute!

LOVE!

Happy Ending :-)

The day we shot Joy & Alex’s engagement session was beautiful which for us was really lucky because we got rained out twice and had to reschedule their shoot!  Their little fur babies joined us for the first half of the shoot and they were total naturals :-)  Working with pets can be challenging (especially two of them!) but the shoot went off without a hitch :-)  The day was all around perfect as you’ll see in the pictures below…the lighting was perfection which always makes me happy!

I can’t wait for Joy & Alex’s wedding in June which is set to take place at the beautiful Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate and Vineyard! For now, enjoy some of my favorites from their engagement session!

I love when my clients incorporate their fur babies into their engagement photos!

Work it girl!

They make a cute couple, don’t they?!

Sexy sexy!

IN LOVE WITH THIS!

Nothing beats golden afternoon light!

One of my ultra favs!  I will choose a simple beautiful portrait over a great background any day!

I just wanted to write Doug a little love note to let him know that he is the bestest friend and husband I could have ever asked for.  He is my rock, my strength when I’m weak, my sanity when I’m a little crazy (LOL), my comic relief and most importantly, the best father I could have ever imagined for our sweet little girl.  He really is everything I need in a man…of course he could be a little less quick tempered but nobody is perfect ;-)  I know I’m sure not!  That’s what being in a relationship is though…taking the good with the bad as long as the bad is not TOO bad ;-)  I’m sure all you married folk know what I’m talking about…I’m all about keeping it real around these parts :-D

With that said, Happy 10 Year Dating Anniversary Sweetheart!  Let’s hope the next 10 years are just as wonderful if not better than the last! xoxo

Now onto other important news…our little Evie just celebrated her 3 months on 2/7/13!  How time flies!  Just a little love note to my sweet girl telling her all of my favorite moments I’ve spent with her this month:

1.  You are such a happy & smiley baby!  Every morning when you wake up and I come to get you, you give me the BIGGEST smile!  Now if you can just do that for our guests that come over to visit that would be super cool so they can experience the joy that I do when I see your smile :-)

2. At your 11 week appointment, your doctor asked me if you were hitting your milestones such as lifting your head up, smiling, cooing, etc.  While she was listening to your heart, you looked at her straight in the eyes and started cooing at her…it was the cutest thing!  She said you were a very sociable baby!

3. You have been sleeping so well compared to when you were 2 months old!  It’s as if a switched turned on and you became more predictable.  You fall asleep much easier and you have one really long nap in the middle of the day which lets mom get some work done.  Now if you can just consolidate your other shorter naps into another long nap life would be perfect :-)

4. Your grandma has been staying over at our house helping us out and you just ADORE her!  She talks and sings to you in Vietnamese and you just can’t get enough!  While she talks to you, you wiggle your hands and feet and she just loves it…she wonders “What’s going on inside Evie’s mind when she wiggles all around like that?”

5. I’m starting to notice that your size 1 diapers seem to be a little snug even though we switched you over not too long ago.  You weighed 11.65 lbs at your 11 week appointment and your cheeks definitely show that you’re carrying a lot of your weight in there.  They are nice and firm when we kiss them :-)

6. You started using a pacifier but we noticed you don’t always need it.  You first want it when you’re ready to go to sleep and some time after you sleep you spit it out.  I’m not sure if this is normal or not but I’m glad you don’t need it all the time since I’m afraid you’ll need braces when you get older.  Who am I kidding…you will need braces when you get older because both me and your Dad had horrible teeth when we were younger.

7. One of my new favorite things you’ve been doing is that sometimes I just lay you down on my bed and lay next to you and if you’re tired enough you will fall asleep like that instead of needing to be rocked to sleep.  I love this time because I just stare at your sweet little round face and sneak in kisses every now and then.  I love the way your little face smells and could smell it all day especially after you have a new onesie on and smell like your laundry detergent Dreft :-)

8. You started losing your hair in the back of your head from rubbing it against your swing so much…it’s funny & cute although I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll look with hair!

9. You love when I sing to you even though I only know the ABC’s, Mary Had A little Lamb, part of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and one other song that I don’t know the title of.  You sing along and get this cute little look on your face…I promise to learn more songs :-)

10. Right now you’re sleeping around 5-6 hours a night although you have done one 9.5 hour stretch which was very awesome!!!

11. You semi giggled for the first time with Grandma…I wish I could have been there to see it!  You did another semi giggle for Grandma in the backseat when you were going to your 11 week Dr. appointment.

12. You love sucking on your fingers all the time which makes them smell like Macaroni & Cheese because of the special formula you are on for your allergies.  No matter how many times I clean them they are permanently stinky :-)  I still love them though so don’t worry :-)

13. You LOVE your jungle gym and get happy when I lay you down on there.  You kick your legs to the music and you can lay there for what seems like a very long time!  I try to do tummy time on there with you but you do not like it still..hopefully whatever tummy time I can sneak in the day will be enough because mommy does not want to get in trouble with your pediatrician!

14. You still do not like being put in your car seat but as long as the car is moving you are fine.  If there is traffic though, oh boy, you have a fit!!!

That’s it for now my sweet pea…I love you so much and can’t wait to see what new changes are in store for the next month!  Take your time though…mommy can only handle so much change in such a short period of time!  xoxo

My baby sweetheart!

Pacifiier Drunk???

Love her sweet smile :-)

My sweet pea!

Sleepy Angel :-) I love how rosy her cheeks get!

Love this!  Here she is with her BFF…not sure what to call him except the “dangly” thing from her bouncy chair :-)

I can’t get enough!!!

LOL..she looks so funny with her hair slicked back :-)  Major cheeks here!

One of my all time favorite pics!

I’m so lucky to get these smiles all the time!

She does this with her hands A LOT!!!

Daddy’s favorite picture of her :-)  I think navy blue is her color :-)

Can’t believe it’s been 3 months already!  Trying to remember to cherish every single second!

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect way to kick of the wedding season…thank Evan & Lisa for being awesome!  Wishing you both an amazing future together! xoxo

I loved Lisa’s shoes & dress!

Love this!!

How cute is this??

Gorgeous afternoon light :-)

Cuteness overload!

The happy Mr. & Mrs. :-)

Their friends knew how to party!

I have to thank Antonio & Heather (a past couple of mine) for referring Lisa & Evan to me!  It was soooo great seeing these two again!

Cheers!

Max was such a good little boy and was already holding his head up when his dad was holding him over his shoulder…I’m impressed!  Here are just some of my favorites from my day with Max…enjoy!

I love their bed and wall color!

Sweet moment :-)

Baby feet!

See?? Holding up his head :-)

Love his little room!

We did hit a couple of bumps this month…the biggest thing is that I discovered that Evie most likely has a dairy intolerance in addition to eggs.  What this means for me is that since I breastfeed, I now need to omit all dairy, any food that may contain dairy, and any food that may contain eggs.  What makes this even more difficult is that I don’t cook…yes you read that right…I don’t cook nor does Doug.  Soooooo….I need to learn how to cook in addition to being super vigilant about reading all food labels of things I purchase.  As you can imagine, I was super overwhelmed upon learning all of this and I’m still trying to adjust.  Nobody said this mommy thing would be a piece of cake, but I honestly didn’t think it would be this hard!

When I was pregnant I had visions of me and my newborn daughter making a trip to Starbucks to get myself a little treat before we head over to the mall for some shopping.  In reality :

I wake up at 3am and 6am to feed my daughter, take a nap until she wakes up later that morning, try to eat something for breakfast, hop on FB to do my “socializing” for the day, feed my daughter again, put her down for a nap, go downstairs and try to eat lunch, go back upstairs because Evie woke up after only sleeping for 10 min, try putting her down again for the next 20 mins, go back downstairs and try to eat lunch again, finish half my lunch because Evie woke up again, feed her because it seems like she is hungry, put her down for a nap, go downstairs and try to veg a bit in front of the TV, feed Evie again, put her down for a nap, pump milk so that Doug can give her a bottle when he gets home from work, Doug gets home from work and gives Evie a bottle, I try to eat dinner at that time but I might only finish half because Evie is having a meltdown, put Evie down for her evening nap, I go take a shower, feed Evie again, and then put her to sleep for the night.  By now, it’s about 8pm and I try to enjoy some alone time with Doug watching TV and by 11pm I’m exhausted and get ready for bed since I will have to wake up in a few hours.

LOL…so much for my quick trip to Starbucks and shopping!  I really have to laugh about just how naive I was about parenthood.  Of course I knew it would be difficult but nowhere near as difficult as it is.  I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m complaining because I’m not.  If anything, I hope I can “prepare” anyone reading this for when they might become a parent.  I was so shocked about all the work that was involved and had I known what a “typical” newborn schedule looked like I might have been able to handle it just a teeny bit better because I would at least know what to expect.  However, I have to say this this is just my own personal experience with being a new mom.  I’m sure there are many new moms out there that might have a lot easier of a time adjusting than I did so don’t feel like your experience is bound to be difficult!

Lastly, I have to mention something that I’ve truly struggled with pretty much since Evie’s birth : Mom Guilt.  Boy oh boy…all I have to say is this mom guilt is no joke and can really beat you up if you let it!  I’m still trying to figure out a way to allow myself to not feel guilty every time I do something for myself.  I constantly think that Evie’s needs must ALWAYS come before mine but I’ve realized that way of thinking is not only faulty but dangerous to your mental well being.  I’ve had some great talks with several of my mommy friends about this and am thankful that they’ve given me “permission” to take care of ME sometimes!

From what I read online, this parenting thing seems to get easier around the 3 month mark.  As you can imagine, I’m waiting with bated breath for that and hoping that it’s true!  In the meantime, as long as Evie continues to greet me with her smiles and “sing” to me as I talk to her, I can tough it out for a little longer ;-)

A love note to my Evie:

Hello my beautiful Angel!  You have gotten so BIG this month!  Everybody that sees your pictures that I post online all say how big you’ve gotten.  It’s true…when I look at your newborn pictures it’s almost as if I’m looking at a completely different baby!  Daddy tells me almost everyday when he comes home from work “awww…it looks like she is bigger today” and gets a little sad.  Daddy and I didn’t expect to be sad so soon about you growing up!  We thought you would at least be 6 or 7 years old before we start reminiscing about when you were “little” LOL :-)  You’re only 2 months old and we act like you’re turning 21!  You might not understand now but when you have your own babies down the road you will :-)

Here are some of my favorite moments from this past month:

1.  You started smiling a lot…many times a day!!

2.  You slept for 6.5 hours straight, but that only lasted a day :-)

3.  You are more “awake” and so aware of your surroundings!  Everyone comments about how alert you are.

4.  You’re able to hold your head up by yourself! LOL…Mommy didn’t know she was supposed to do tummy time with you until her doctor told her at your 6 week appointment…sorry baby!  Oh well, you learned to hold your head up on your own…good girl!

5.  You started smacking your lips as soon as you knew you were about to get some din-din.

6.  Your eyebrows and eyelashes started getting darker, which is good because your eyebrows were bleach blond and you looked like you didn’t have any eyebrows for a while :-)

7.  You took your first picture with Santa, celebrated your first Christmas & New Years.  It’s a miracle that Mom & Dad were able to stay up to see the ball drop!

8.  Daddy’s family visited and you were fussy the whole 2 weeks they were here…that’s okay, they understood that you were still a tiny baby :-)

9.  Your newborn onesies and diapers are getting smaller and tighter…I’m not happy about this at all, but still wanted to document it.  Funny story: Mommy didn’t know how big you were going to be when you were born and everyone advised her to not get a lot of newborn clothes since you might not even fit them.  Fast forward to now: you are still wearing your newborn clothes.  Mommy only got a handful of them so Daddy has been doing the laundry a lot to make sure you have clothes to wear!  We could’ve gotten more onesies, but each week we thought for sure you would grow out of them :-D

10.  You love talking to Mommy in the morning after you eat your breakfast.

11.  I tried reading a book to you, but you didn’t like it..you prefer conversing with Mom for now :-)

12.  You finally started enjoying your bouncy chair…it vibrates and plays music.  You “veg out” every time you sit in it!

13.  You started losing your hair!!  Mommy gave you a bath and rubbed your hair a little to vigorously and when she was done she realized your sideburns were missing and felt really bad :-(  Daddy tried to make Mommy feel better and said it was bound to fall out anyways…thank goodness he didn’t freak out!

14.  You started falling asleep on your own in the swing.  Mommy & Daddy used to have to rock you to sleep and our backs would ache so much!

15.  On the eve of your 2nd month birthday, Mom & Dad gave you a bath and you noticed yourself in the mirror for the first time and I think you liked what you saw because you couldn’t stop staring!  You noticed Mom & Dad too which we thought was super cool :-)

Thank you so much sweetheart for coming into our lives!  While both Daddy and I agree that being new parents can be quite challenging, we are so in love with you!  Seeing you smile makes us so happy and we just love taking pictures of you so that we remember all of the sweet moments we might soon forget when you start doing other “cool” things :-)  Who knew seeing you hold up your head by yourself for just a few seconds would make us SOOOOO proud?  I’m already looking forward to all the other milestones you will hit this year…and I’m sure I will be sad at the same time!  You will learn soon enough that your Mommy is one big sap and will most definitely cry with every big milestone you reach.  I will try my best to try and enjoy you in the present and soak up each moment instead of worrying about the day when you will be all grown up and leave us to live a life of your own.  I love you my sweet little angel…until next month!  xoxo

This past month in pictures:

Most of the time when I look at Evie I see Doug, but in this picture below I swear I think she looks like me!

I was supposed to do this picture when she was a newborn, but of course time escaped me…thank goodness she was in a cooperative mood!

Evie in my favorite onesie!

If you scroll down to her one month post below you will see my first attempt with this picture…the second attempt turned out a lot better.

Evie with Grandpa & her cousins Sydney & Elle!

First Picture with Santa!

My little Peppermint Princess :-)

Can’t get enough of her smile!

Power to the People!

Who says you can’t pair a fancy headpiece with jammies?

Evie is wasn’t sure if she wanted to take a walk or not…this is her pensive look :-)

Evie contemplating her first 2 months of life…

She likes bath time until it’s time to wash her hair! EEEEKKKK!!

Happy 2 Months to be sweet baby girl!