happy three months!

Posted on February 28, 2014 by tandem in love

happy three months olive!

[photos taken on 2.27]

length: 23 1/2″

weight: 12lbs 6 oz.

oh baby olive, my how you have grown and changed {and that crazy hair of yours!}. you love to sit upright on the couch, you started to like tummy time, you still love watching t.v., you love ‘talking’ back, you love bath time, you love flailing your arms, kicking your legs, and smiling!

the first officials for this past month? a few days before her three month mark, she laughed out loud! yes…it was amazing! grace was sitting on the couch and hc was in the bathroom at the time. i had put olive in the swing and we were playing peekaboo and the next thing i know, she giggles out loud! grace jumped off the couch and asked, “was that her first laugh out loud?!”. i said yes! hc came out of the bathroom and asked if that was olive laughing out loud…why yes it was! that was pretty cool.

another wonderful first? olive sleeping in her crib {hallelujah}! it was absolutely fantastic. for a long time, that crib was collecting dust and she was quite cozy in her bouncy next to our bed. so, we started to notice that is was getting easier and easier for her to fall asleep flat on the couch or our bed {after a feeding in the morning she was would just fall asleep on the bed}. we then decided to try a run at the crib one night. lo and behold, she slept beautifully through the night {all swaddled snug as a bug}! it’s been amazing ever since.

now this first really did happen. i’m not sure if it will happen again very soon but the proof is through the video footage i took of it. so, i put olive on her tummy for some time to do her push ups {she’s gotta work those arms, neck, and back muscles!}. she was very much enjoying her time on her tummy and staring and smiling at herself in the mirror {very cute}. it was so adorbs that i whipped out my phone and started to record the cuteness when out of nowhere, she rolled over!!!! yes, she pushed herself up with her right arm and rolled to her side! now, granted it was a half roll because she was stopped by her left arm and the bunny pillow that got in her way of a complete roll over but darn it, she rolled over! i couldn’t believe it and i actually caught it on video! that was super exciting!

well, those are some highlights of olive’s third month. we are looking forward and so excited to see the wonderful things our baby girl will do within her fourth month! we love you so much baby olive!

xoxo

i love you book

Posted on February 27, 2014 by tandem in love

hc and i had a love book personalized for our baby girl olive.

it is such a delightful book by paper hat press. they customize the story to your child’s favorite items! olive received the christmas mouse book from her aunties kim and thuy this past holiday {you can see it here}. it definitely was my favorite christmas gift for olive.

so, i as was surfing the web, i stumbled upon a valentine’s day themed book through pbk. of course, i couldn’t pass it up!

we received the final product the day before valentine’s day. how perfect! so, we were able to read olive’s book to her on this past wonderful vday.

[i was super, duper excited to see this package in the mail!]

[how sweet! isn’t it just adorbs?!]

[awwwwwwww]

[i love the illustrations]

[aaanndd we do love our pasta!]

how sweet is this book?!

sweeter than this cupcake ↓ i voraciously consumed from previous weeks!

xoxo

ahhhhh!

Posted on February 25, 2014 by tandem in love

this is so cute. i couldn’t pass it up. i was playing with olive, shaking her vera bradley bunny rattle {courtesy of aunt missy!}, when i captured this adorable photo of her!

it reminds me of a fun movie i just saw with grace…’wallace and gromit: the curse of the were-rabbit‘. a great movie; a funny, cute must watch with the kids!

xoxo

dana’s new place

Posted on February 23, 2014 by tandem in love

such great things are happening this year!

included in one of those things is dana buying her own place! i am so excited for her, what a grown up thing to do 🙂 she moved in a few weeks ago and we were in limbo on when we were going to visit her. either it was too cold and snowy for me to tote olive around or she had workers coming to her place on her day off and that wouldn’t be a good time as well. so, finally we agreed on a date {not without complications!} and we were able to see her on a thursday night.

hc came home and we relaxed for a bit before we gathered ourselves to head out the door close to 5:30pm. not ideal, due to the high traffic timeframe, but c’est la vie! we pit stopped at starbucks, although it was 5 degrees outside, i wanted an iced coffee. an iced grande vanilla latte to be exact! yum!

we scored rockstar parking in front and trekked our way to the front of the building. there were some residents coming home and they just let us in {at least we didn’t look dangerous…a man, a women, and a baby aren’t threatening!}! the building was gorgeous inside! i loved the entry way. so pretty!

[the foyer]

[dana and moi relishing in her beautiful condo!]

[olive pouting in dana’s new abode]

now this is hilarious! dana is having a good amount of work done on her place. the floors being re-stained, painting of rooms, new kitchen counter tops, window blinds, etc. so, we walked into her bedroom to find this. no, peeps, it’s not a work of art that you see or some might consider it a work of art! she doesn’t have her curtains or have had blinds delivered yet, so she taped up holiday wrapping paper over her window with blue painter’s tape! we could not stop laughing at this crazy looking display! oh dana!

this was too cute. rosie was scared? nervous? curious? over baby olive. she didn’t know what to do with herself. i don’t think rosie had ever seen a baby before! she was freaking out, barking, and pacing like a mad animal! olive was laying on the couch and dana was playing with her. rosie was acting so funny! as dana leaned over to play with olive, rosie kept leaning over her shoulder to see what was going on but she definitely didn’t want to get too close, in fear the baby might attack {lol}. how cute is rosie in this picture?!

[dana’s reading nook]

we got the tour {fabulous}, we relaxed {ahhh!}, and chatted. we absolutely love her place! we are so excited for her and can’t wait to see her complete the decorating {how fun!}

xoxo

olive’s 2 month loves

Posted on February 20, 2014 by tandem in love

month two

mustela cleansing cream // pbk hooded towel // saftey 1st clippers

graco swing // lansinoh storage bags // blowout blockers

aden and anais bibs // lon carrot rattle // safety 1st brush

iron man 3 movie

***

i love the mustela cleansing cream for o. it smells wonderful, it’s tear free, and cleans her little body so gently!

not having a cute little hooded towel for your baby is impossible! i love the pbk ones…i also have the animal terry towels too! olive looks absolutely adorable after her bath in one. you just want to squeeze her, there’s so much cuteness!

i avoided clipping her nails for a long time. it made me nervous. those little, itty, bitty fingers and toes are so delicate! i finally succumb to it and trimmed her tootsies all nice. i love these safety 1st clippers because they are easy to use and snips a clean, quick line with a fussy baby.

oy vey…parents, get a swing! your baby will love it and it will help calm a crying/fussy baby. i must admit…it didn’t work with olive right away. she preferred her ‘daddy’ swing {hc plopped her into the carseat and had to swing it back and forth until olive fell asleep…yowza}. it’s a great distraction for olive and she can be content in it for a bit. if i rock her to sleep, i’ll place her in the swing to keep the motion going.

at first, i started using the avent milk storage bottles but it became cumbersome in the freezer {and too pricey to buy}. i do love storing milk in the bottles because it’s so easy to warm up and feed but when you’re storing mass quantities, you gotta find some other means! i love the lansinoh storage bags! they take up less space and are very convenient to store, archive, and tote around.

soooo, the blowout blockers. our baby girl pooped like it was a rocket coming out of her behind! not pretty! sometimes her number two’s would shoot straight up the back of her diapy, yes…new parents, it’s true. it scared the bajeezus out of me to travel with her with a possible accident like that waiting to happen {and it’s happened. you have to then clean her, the clothes, the carseat cover, the car seat…and so on}. the blowout blockers prevents a crazy mess from happening! total peace of mind with this product!

the aden and anais bibs were essential the second month. she started to spit up and throw up a bit more often. it also protected her clothes from major accidents {projectile vomit anyone?!}. these were good because she’s not drooling a lot {yet} and they are soft, comfortable, and pretty for her.

i found out during the second month, her eyes really latched onto objets! she really liked her carrot rattle. i would rattle it back and forth above her and she would be fixated on it. plus, it’s a stinkin’ cute toy!

since baby girl was born with a head full of awesome hair, having a brush came in handy right away! after her baths, her hair would be crazy mangled and this safety 1st brush is super gentle on her little noggin.

last but not least, i’m sure you’re wondering why i have the iron man movie listed? olive loves watching this action flick! she’s glued to the tube when it’s playing. so sad but true, i’ve probably seen this movie hundreds of times. no joke.

there ya go! olives’s monthly loves!

xoxo

foiled again

Posted on February 18, 2014 by tandem in love

i was very excited to have plans with matt and ande. i absolutely love getting together with them. we are such a fun bunch, if i do say so myself!

we had planned to meet up on division street at prasino but this weather has been atrocious. it snowed the night before and during the day of our plans. after mucho texting with each other, matt suggested that they come over to our place instead. of course, i am not against that at all. it was a nice idea to be able to relax at our place without worrying if we were holding anyone up, since we gab non-stop.

i was all psyched to break out the stroller and traipse my way to the restaurant, since it was only a few blocks away. that meant i could get some exercise and get out but i was foiled by the weather again!

hc was actually working from home that day and took a lunch break when they came by. he met them at a local deli, rosie’s west town, and grabbed some bites to eat, while i stayed in with the babes. they came back and we sat down for some tasty food. ande was excited to see olive {she hadn’t yet met her!} and see her nursery!

i love the sandwiches at rosie’s!! it is so delicious. they have great soups, sandwiches, and desserts. it makes me happy to have such good, local businesses like that around us.

[matt and ande…some very good peeps. love them!]

[matching sweaters!]

[tiramisu and brownie desserts]

[the girls!]

[hc and i relaxing after our visitors. little o was napping :)]

after several hours of hanging out together and catching up on the latest news, it was sadly time for them to part. it was a really, really great visit in so many ways. mostly because of the wonderful news we heard from ande! we had good eats, they got to say hi to the baby, and we had such wonderful things to talk about!

thanks for coming our way for our lunch date! love you guys!

xoxo

a cozy vday in

Posted on February 17, 2014 by tandem in love

this year for valentine’s day, we had a cozy night in. in our pj’s that is…it was that cozy! we truly had a wonderful valentine’s day together. it was the best one yet!

my, what a difference a year makes! last year, we spent valentine’s day at one of our favorite restaurants, roy’s. you can read about it here. i wasn’t even pregnant with little olive yet either! now look where we are at! blessed with the cutest little cupid ever!

[cutie patutie]

this year, we had dinner at home and i couldn’t have asked for more! we waited for hc to come home that evening; he arrived at the door with a bouquet of beautiful flowers and a sweet, sweet card for me! we relaxed for a bit before hc started his cooking magic. he fancied out the dining room table, opened up a delicious bottle of wine {thank you to terry for the gift}, and started to whip up some amaze appetizers {oh em gee!}. i am a lucky gal!

[the cute card from hc // a few fun, valentine’s from us and others!]

[gorgeous flowers from cattails]

it was a three course meal totally at our pace and comfort, which i was absolutely loving. the three of us sat down to nibble on the savory appetizers hc had made. stuffed artichoke hearts. they were to die for. so stinkin’ good. dangerously delectable. i wanted to eat the entire dish as my entree but i knew some more yummy goodness was on it’s way!

[the fancied up table // the amaze stuffed artichokes]

after noshing on some starters, we continued to sip wine, enjoy each other’s company, and chill in our warm abode. all the food was prepped, so once i started to feed the babes, hc started to cook up our entrees. we then sat down for our main course. words cannot describe how piquant the dish was! i was in love with every bite! i couldn’t thank hc enough for the best meal ever!

[the prepping of the soon to be devoured entree]

after our main course, we then devoured our decadent dessert from alliance bakery! hc had purchased a red velvet heart shaped cake from one of our favorite bakeries, down the street. we sliced it in half and savored every morsel of this rich, moist, sweet, yummy cake.

[olive’s first photo bomb // the wonderful, sweet red velvet cake]

[family selfie! doesn’t olive look amused?!]

it was the best valentine’s day yet. i have had so much fun celebrating it the past several weeks and it ended with a wonderful family night celebration this past february 14 ♥!

much love mes amies!

so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 corinthians 13:13

xoxo

foto fun

Posted on February 16, 2014 by tandem in love

the other snowy day, we ventured out to the land of nod to take some vday pics! here’s a sample of pics from the photo shoot from this past post!

the store had created a fetching backdrop for the pictures; patterned chairs, heart pillows, and darling stuffed animals to pose around with for the photos! katherine salvatori was the photographer who captured the fun pics for valentine’s day! the photo shoot was quick {the store was quite quiet, making it even better for us to play and shop!} and our afternoon evolved into a great time together.

the pictures turned out quite festive. here are a couple of the charming snapshots:

ya gotta love all of the festive stuff going on here. hearts, dogs, red, pink, oh my!

i love this one of grace. so precious!

happy love day to all! i hope everyone had a wonderful february 14!

xoxo

is it christmas?

Posted on February 15, 2014 by tandem in love

i ventured out to my sister’s house this past week to celebrate a little love with the nephews.

i hit the roads during rush hour {ugh}; it was congested but not so bad! i was constantly moving and it didn’t take that long to get there. i was, at first, hesitant to travel out there because it was suppose to snow during the late afternoon, which is a recipe for a driving disaster!

i brought over valentine’s day cupcakes and i set the boy’s presents on the console as i walk in. it was too cute, they kept asking who those presents were for. i told them it was for two boys named reagan and bennett, i asked them if they knew who these two boys were. bennett looked confused but reagan blurted out, “that’s us!”. i told them there are more little boys out there name reagan and bennett, which made them giggle. 🙂

[it’s fat free…yum]

[olive chillin’ while we ate our dinner]

after a healthy dinner of portillo’s, we exchanged presents! it was so fun! i gave the boys their gifts, and they gave olive her gift. thuy had brought the boys and olive presents too! there was a lot of exchanging and gifting going on, the boys screamed out, “is it christmas?!”. lol.

[the boys with their vday presents // s’mores // alien pom growth on r’s face]

[the cute stuffed animal // olive’s vday fashion // r + o]

kim, r n b, had gotten olive the cutest stuffed animal that came with the most adorable tutu and headband! we dressed her in it and we were just delighted on how darling she looked! it was so precious.

[r + b decorated olive in valentine’s day stickers! // baby’s first valentine // wooden animal blocks]

[love her first valentine’s day card]

thuy had bought olive awesome wooden toys and a lovely outfit {so cozy and cute}. i love wooden toys. i want to stay as close as possible to just buying wooden toys {quite a feat but i’ll try my best!} for olive.

[thuy’s stenciled clutch gift for me! // auntie kim and olive {look at her face and skinny legs!} // adorbs outfit from thuy]

it was a very sweet evening with the family. we had a blast celebrating valentine’s day together. it was filled with lots of love, giggles, and charming fun.

xoxo

happy, happy love day

Posted on February 14, 2014 by tandem in love

happy love day to everyone!

may your day be filled with hugs, kisses, sweet treats, pretty flowers, smiles, and love.

olive wishes you to have a wonderful, happy, fun valentine’s day!

[i’m trying to smile, despite what mommy makes me wear]

[i’m so stinkin’ cute…or so what mommy says all the time]

[am i done yet?!]

life is too short. tell someone you love them today!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Monthly Archives: February 2014

happy three months!

i love you book

ahhhhh!

dana’s new place

olive’s 2 month loves

foiled again

a cozy vday in

so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 corinthians 13:13

foto fun

is it christmas?

happy, happy love day