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!
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!
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.
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!]
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
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]
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.
have i mentioned that i loveland of nod?? yes, i did register there but i was in love with this store way before i became preggers.
it’s such a cute, whimsical, fun place.
***
we started out the morning with the hubs. he made banana pancakes topped with shaved chocolate and fresh, sweet bananas. we drenched the pancakes with vermont cinnamon maple syrup…yum! a big shout out to my dear friend olivia, who gave us this wonderful gift for christmas {along with a cook book that hc has used several times…delish recipes!}.
hc then left to go hang out with the bro-in-law, terry. they went to a cider fest at navy pier. so that left me and the kids to have our own fun for the day!
land of nod was offering their customers a chance to take valentine’s day photos with a professional photographer. how awesome! so, i packed up the kids around noon and headed out to the ‘burbs. the one thing that sucked?? it had just started to snow {boo}. that made for some heavy traffic out and i was already running behind {i forgot a crucial component to the bugaboo stroller and i had to turn around 🙁 }
anyhoo. we finally made our way to the store {it was quite pretty, though, with all of the snowfall…i have to find the beauty in the snow that we have been having!!!}. little olive was fast asleep when we got there…i didn’t want to take her out of the stroller {she was a tired peanut}, so grace and i took some photos together and the photographer took some pictures of scrunched face olive in her carseat.
[lol…she looked mad. rockin’ an 8o’s headband look]
after our pictures, the kids played together in the store. there was so much to look at. i was really loving their felt garlands. they had colored pennants, dots, stars, hearts, and clouds! the cloud garland was too darling to pass up, so i purchased one for olive’s room. a perfect addition to her cloud themed chambre.
[thuy just chillin’ at the kids table with her coffee]
[r being cute // photo by thuy]
[b being extra cute // photo by thuy]
we then shopped a bit at pottery barn kids, i had to pick up some gifts for some upcoming events {the next few months for us are going to be busy ones! birthdays, baby showers, vacations, oh my!}. i talked myself out of buying more valentine’s day trinkets {i was totally tempted. i mean, i can always find ways, ideas, or reasons to make or create anything crafty}. pbk has really fun decor but i’m dunzo for now.
after that, we went and grabbed lunch at cpk. the kids had your typical cheese pizza and plain pasta. i split a rustic pepperoni pizza with thuy and kim ordered quesadillas. as we sat there eating at cpk {they have huge windows surrounding the whole restaurant}, i could see that the snow was really coming down! it made me nervous to drive home because of the traffic we would face.
once lunch was done, we traipsed our way over to nordstrom to peruse their departments. i pit stopped at the women’s lounge to change and feed little o. nordstrom has such an awesome women’s lounge! i love their mother’s lounge…a cozy, comfortable place where you can feed the babes. while olive was feeding kim, thuy, and the kids went to west elm to shop around. the kids ended up decorating paper hearts for a good cause!
[the kids decorating hearts at west elm for st. jude’s hospital // photo by thuy]
i ended up going to my parent’s house to avoid the crazy traffic back to the city {i did not want to be sitting in a parking lot with the kids in tow} and thuy so kindly took grace, r + b to go see the lego movie, while kim headed out to finish up some things on her list.
[olive showing off her valentine outfit and her vday ‘beer’ belly // be still my heart…i love her so! // cherokee cardigan and pants, carter’s onesie…similar here]
i did dressed o up in a cute valentine’s day outfit for the so-called ‘sleep’ photos at lon! a soft, minty polka dotted onesie with a little mousey holding a heart balloon, a light pink cardigan, and heart printed pants. i also had her wear a flower headband. baby girl was not happy. she doesn’t like things on her head. but it was so adorbs though!
by late evening, we ended up all together, back at my parent’s house! kim came over after she did a few errands, thuy brought the kids back after the movie, and terry & rich came by after their escapades downtown. we then enjoyed the rest of our night as a family 🙂
valentine is a sweet holiday ♥. either you love or hate it…and i have never hated it. it’s not just about being in a relationship with a significant other {i’m gonna say it, but a lot of single people run with this idea about v-day, which makes it such a bitter holiday for some!} but it’s about love. we always have people around us that we love, so why not celebrate it?? don’t fall into the idea that it’s only about couples! use this day to express to others how much they mean to you and how much you care about them!
i wanted to get festive but not expend too much energy into it, ya know…with a little one, it’s a bit difficult to have spare time or even spare hands! so, first things first, i bought baby girl her first valentine’s day book! it’s called, ‘olive, my love‘. how sweet is that?! i absolutely love this series…it all started years ago, here’s a short story:
christmas 2000 {yes, that long ago}. i was shopping at oakbrook one evening, as i set foot into the nordstrom there…i was instantly delighted by their holiday decor!! i was in love! the strung lights, the little dog reindeer…what was this?! i wanted it all! i thought their decor was so darling and whimsical! i then inquired an employee about it, i wanted to know where i could buy the lights and all the fun decorations they had out, and i wanted to know more about the ‘other reindeer’. she was so stinkin’ cute! so there it was, the beginning of my obsession around ‘olive the other reindeer’ and any other book with her cute little character in it. 🙂
i decided to make a fun garland for our windows. very easy and plenty festive. i purchased lace doilies and crochet shaped flowers. i then rummaged through my craft bins and found my red twine. i strung the doily hearts right side up and upside down, every 3-4 hearts, i placed a crocheted flower. i just repeated it until i achieved the length i desired.
voila! so easy peasy!
i also made a ‘kiss me’ banner out of construction paper. i just free-hand drew the words out with pencil and cut out all the lettering and the heart. i then affixed it all to my red and white twine.
next up: a fun, bright garland!
i then made a valentine garland out of scalloped circles to add to the festive ambience in our place. using my valentine construction paper, my trusty hole punch {um, for some reason it took a lot of energy to hole punch! my palms hurt!}, and twine. ta-da! a fun, bright garland to lighten our moods! love how it looks!
next up? cupcakes! moist, yummy, delicious, sweet cupcakes!
olive and i had an afternoon delight filled with yummy eats and a little shopping.
we met up with jodi and jett at southport grocery. i love going there!
we were a bit worried about the space inside, because it’s quite a small shop/eatery; but everything worked out though! we were able to squeeze ourselves in and enjoy our time there. i love spending time with jodi and jett. he is sooo stinkin’ adorable. like i’ve said before…i love his noggin’! his big head and big chubby cheeks are so cute!
jod and i caught up and enjoyed our time together. we got up to date with the latest news and oohed and ahh’d over our babies.
olive was quite, quite cute on our ride over to wrigleyville. she was wide awake on our way out and the whole car ride there. she was never like that before! she was so intrigued by her environment, just bug eyed and looking around. it was so cute. i couldn’t get enough of her adorable face all curious looking and gazing at everything. she was awake all the way to the restaurant, once we got inside and seated, that is when she started to drift. about 10 minutes into us being seated, she zonked out. too cute.
[jett looking cute and getting creative on the table paper. already an artist!]
[selfie fun]
[sleepy olive. what a little peanut.]
[excited to eat!]
[baked oatmeal and bacon! it was sooooo good. what a {somewhat} healthy, sweet treat to start the day with!]
after brunch, we strolled over to anthropologie to shop around. i had to get a few gifts and just absolutely love that store! they have the cutest, most whimsical house ware items. my most favorite, favorite candle is called volcano…i’ve been buying it for years. i loved it when they offered it the mercury container, so pretty and very festive for the holidays too!
i also fell in love with this matte lipstick! such a pretty color…it’s called geranium from albeit. a bright, poppy, coral pink. it’s goes on smoothly and lasts a really long time! it totally brightens up the face!
{albeit matte crayon}
jod was shopping with me but i felt so bad dragging her ’round and ’round in circles trying to figure out what to buy! we finally hugged and parted ways and i kept circling the store! i finally decided on a few items…a couple of gifts for others and a couple things for myself 😉
it was quite an enjoyable afternoon, being able to relax with friends and my little one!
typical of any new mom…i can’t get enough of her adorable face!! i could just stare at her f.o.r.e.v.e.r. those eyes, chubby cheeks, her cute little chin…
her soft skin, her clean breath, her rosy cheeks, her fluffy hair, her big pouty lips, her well groomed eyebrows, her tiny little toes, her funny expressions, i could go on and on. kids are so stinkin’ cute, especially your own! 🙂 it takes all of my self control to not squeeze her so hard! so instead, i just shriek “i love you soooooo much!!!”, she probably already thinks i’m a crazy mom. oh, olive…be still my heart ♥.
how sweet is this book?!
