p!nk aunties

Posted on July 30, 2014 by tandem in love

p!nk aunties kt and kar came to visit us!

i was awaiting for miss olive to awake so we could head out to brunch. i am unfamiliar with the restaurants around the ‘burbs. we had so many favorites in the city {oh, my lovely city} and it was always so easy to pick a place! so, these moments are a lot of trial and error; picking a place, rating it, and moving on to the next.

the restaurant of choice? labriola bakery and cafe. it was quite busy when we got there. grace and i perused the menu while we waited for kt and karen. it is a place where you preorder and then sit down. grace and i drooled over the bakery displays. we wanted one of everything! after a few minutes, katie and kar finally showed up. we squealed and gave lots of hugs. we excitedly gabbed and kt and kar were just loving olive. o started fussing a bit, so i pulled her out of her car seat and karen went nutty over her!

[kt, o, and kar]

[oh em gee…s’mores cupcakes]

[*drool* i want one of each please]

[macarons + delicious buttery cookies]

we ordered our entrees, i got the california turkey on multigrain and grace got a bowl of chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes. we went and found ourselves a table and waited for karen and kt to finish their order. it was a little awkward because it was busy so they weren’t clearing the tables right away. so, we nabbed a table with dirty dishes on it but it wasn’t cleaned up right away. kinda annoying, since we really wanted to sit down and settle in {i mean, i had a baby in my arms, drinks, a stroller to situate, grace, and the diaper bag!}.

we were served our meals but miss olive wasn’t cooperating. i had to hold the fussy missy so i only ate my chips 🙁 but that didn’t stop us from yakking nonstop! we were catching up with so many good things; love, life, relationships, kids, friends…ya know, all the good and not so good bits that makes life go round.

after noshing on our meals, we headed over to the bakery to get something sweet. we looked at the dessert cases but had briefly forgotten about the gelato! it was on the other side of the restaurant, karen mentioned it, and grace’s eyes just lit up {of course!}. we scurried over and grace chose the hazelnut gelato and started wolfing it down.

[cali sandwich and savory chips]

we packed up and headed on our way out, back to our place. once we got home, i had to feed olive and then we got down with the tour. i showed them the entire inside {and, of course, explained our remodeling plans} and walked them around the outside of the house. it was such a beautiful day!

karen soooo wanted to hold olive. i said, “go ahead! anyone can hold her, it’s about if olive will let you hold her!”. i gave karen some advice…i said to just take her. don’t gingerly grab for her. just aggressively take her and distract her. most people cautiously take her and she senses fear 😉 so, grab her she did. olive happily sat in karen’s arms!!!!! it was a miracle! i called kar the baby whisperer. not since o was a newborn had she let an unfamiliar face hold her. olive was happy as a clam in karen’s arms! i was amazed and excited. i want people to enjoy holding miss olive and it was pretty awesome to see this! i was loving it myself…although karen might have been loving it more than me! she was over the moon holding olive!

[grace, karen, o, and kt]

[karen the baby whisperer]

after touring around the house, we came inside and chatted up a storm. karen insisted on me opening olive’s present. it was soooo sweet of them! they bought little o the most adorable outfit! a putty colored knit cardigan and chambray embroidered dress from peek and the cutest, softest, stretchiest pink headband from nordstrom! it was so sweet and thoughtful of them. i love, love the outfit and i can’t wait for miss olive to wear it!

[a gift from kt + kar]

[the cutest outfit from nordstrom!! love + love peek]

after opening up her gift, kt really wanted to hold olive too! i gave her the same advice and olive was just a doll! she let kt hold her too! wow. it was a record. olive was loving her p!nk aunties and they were loving her back!

[katie super excited to be holding olive!]

[doting on olive]

after our non stop gab fest, kt and kar had to go. wah, wah. we were sad. we were having too much fun with them! grace was loving them {she said they were soooo nice!} and so was olive. we walked them out to their car, wished them safe travels, and waved goodbye.

we had such a blast with them! kt and kar, hurry back! little miss olive is missing her aunties!

xoxo

sunny funday

Posted on July 29, 2014 by tandem in love

our sunday funday consisted of great weather, warm temperature, church, brunch, furniture shopping, and long walks {a summer to do!}.

after mass, hc, olive, and i took a lovely stroll to our brunch restaurant of choice, frances. we love eating there and for some reason, after the 9:30am mass, there is always outdoor seating {any other time, there’s a wait}! we love brunching alfresco on sunny sunday mornings!

olive happily sat in her stroller while hc and i enjoyed a delicious brunch. i ordered the lox sandwich and hc ordered a spicy egg thingy breakfast. as usual, i wolfed down every delectable bit of it.

[going for a walk]

[olive in her beloved bugagoo]

[trekking along on this beautiful day]

[eating alfresco]

[me and my babes]

[lox and bagel]

after a very relaxing time outdoors, we strolled our way back to the car. we were in debate of hitting a spot in the city to walk around a little bit more {and shop, of course!} or heading back to oakbrook to do some outdoor shopping there. we decided on the latter because we wanted to furniture shop and it was more convenient because all the furniture shops there were consolidated, therefore it was easier!

we hit a bump in traffic {perfect timing for baby o to take a nap!} and finally made our way to the mall. it was so darn lovely out! we nabbed some starbucks {of course} and hit all the furnishing stores. we were mainly shopping for side chairs. we need a few {some for the kitchen area and maybe some for the living room} and exchanged ideas on color, style, and size. oooohhhhhh, the options! it’s a lot fun until you have to really decide on what you are going to buy!

we found a piece or two at crate and barrel and restoration hardware but i am also a fan of online shopping. it’s a bit more difficult that way because you can’t see it live…the way it feels, sits, and the dimensions, but i love gaining ideas that way to help with the decision process and clarifying the aesthetics.

[bar globe at restoration hardware]

anyhoo, the day was perfect. i loved seeing familiar faces at mass, being outside enjoying the beautiful weather, and spending time with my lovely family.

it was a happy sunday funday!

xoxo

happy eight months!

Posted on July 28, 2014 by tandem in love

happy eight months olive!

[photos taken on 7.27]

weight: tbd

height: tbd

well, well, well. baby olive is eight months old! oh my! she has had many great moments. as you can tell, there’s no more lying around and letting mama take some photos of her. yeah, this babes wasn’t having it, so we got some smiles and giggles while she was sitting up!

big milestone? she’s ‘crawling’!!! yes, she is doing a strange, gimp crawl. she scoots around, she does a two step crawl, she sits up, she turns a 180, she crawls with one leg bent and underneath her! but let me tell you, she gets from point a to point b in no time. at the beginning of her seven month, she was pushing around on her tummy and moving backwards everywhere, now she is totally mobile. oooohhhhh boy.

she loves to grab at everything! everything. her favorite object right now, our media console. she loves to slide the glass door open and pull out each book, one by one. we put the books back and slide the glass door shut and she shimmies back over to it and does it all over again. oy. she likes to grab for anything that isn’t her toy. how is that possible?! it’s like she knows she shouldn’t touch it, so, yes, that will be the object she will lunge for. i’ll put toys in her path but she will ignore each one of them so she can get to that tape measure that she isn’t allowed to play with.

she’s eating like a champion. she has graduated to eating her solids three times a day! i just love reading her cues, i could tell she wanted more and more she got! she loves all sorts of food. broccoli, carrots, peas, bananas, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and so forth. we try to mix it up for her every week so she can get a taste of something different and experiment with different flavors and textures. this little piggy doesn’t say no to any food!

she is still a sleeper! there was one day this past month where she randomly woke up at 4:45am. she was crying out and sometimes she does that in the middle of the night and it’s usually for a few seconds and it passes. this particular morning, she cried out and cried out. i walked into her room and consoled her on the rocker, after that she was happy as a clam but she was definitely not going back to sleep! overall, miss olive is a solid sleeper. she goes to bed to around 9pm and typically wakes up around 7am. she still naps 2-3 times during the day for an hour or two each time and is rock solid sleeping at night.

she has gotten so smiley with us. i love it. she will break out in a wide grin and it just melts my heart! another fun fact? she will grin ear to ear when you point a camera in her direction and say cheese! it’s so cute. she smiles on cue when someone is taking her picture! so funny.

her favorite, favorite program? baby genius nursery rhymes. it’s so ridiculous how much she loves it. she just lights up when we turn it on the tele. she goes into a trance and is mesmerized by all the songs, cartoons, and animals that she sees. it’s our go to when we want her preoccupied. we’ll sing along with all the songs and she smiles in happiness. thank goodness for baby genius! it entertains her, teaches her, and keeps us sane!

oh, how amazing it is to see her grow and see her little personality come alive.

little olive, we are so in love with you! you are an awesome little girl and you bring such joy into everyone’s life everyday. we love your laughs, giggles, and grins. we love seeing you getting bigger and stronger every day. we love your crazy curly hair, your chubby legs, and the funny noises you make!

we can’t wait to see you hit some wonderful milestones next month! we love you so!

xoxo

june snapshots

Posted on July 12, 2014 by tandem in love

june just flew by. oh my. so many good things that went on during that month!

we celebrated father’s day. we met up with so many of our friends. we had lots of visitors to our new house. our dear friends go married. baby olive had some wonderful milestones.

i loved june for it’s warm weather and fun filled days. olive and i spent many morning and afternoons together hanging out. i love being with my baby girl. i love going on walks with her. i love making her laugh. she is so sweet and serious. i love watching her grow but yet i want her to slow her roll! don’t grow up too fast!

i can’t believe june is over already. summer don’t fly by too fast. i love having you around.

below are a few snapshots of this past wonderful month. i hope y’all had a lovely june. enjoy my lovies!

[playing with her indestructible book // daddy feeding her]

[ffffpppttt]

[play/learning time]

[travis and olive being so cute]

[grilling]

[baptism dress…her baptism was really at the end of may but i had to include this beautiful photo of our baby girl]

[doing baby yoga]

[love her! nordstrom baby peter pan collar shirt + ruffled grey pants]

[sleepy time // one of her favorite toys]

[auntie missy feeding olive]

[yummy toes]

[taco night]

[cute cousins…olive loved being held by reagan like this]

[she was really tired and leaned over to sleep…baby yoga]

[vanilla bean ice cream with hazelnut chocolate wafers…yum!]

[a day with daddy = you wear a baseball cap]

[being cute // don’t put that crown on my head!]

[footsies]

[my belly is full]

[beautiful boka]

[cutie pie]

[love is love]

[what did the fox say?? olive, it’s sleepy time!]

there ya go…june in quick review. here’s to july’s memories to come!

xoxo

olive’s 7 month loves

Posted on July 8, 2014 by tandem in love

month seven.

color car from land of nod // mama and baby indestructible book // munchkin caterpillar spillers // classic baby beads from land of nod // wee gallery pet art cards // fisher price jungle jumperoo

the wooden car is made with non toxic paint and is great for developing olive’s motor skills. hc claims that this is his favorite toy to date. olive loves to flip the colorful wooden slats back and forth and roll the car up and down. it’s such a cute, fun object…aesthetically pleasing and great for olive!

this indestructible book is awesome. baby girl loves to play with paper, so she loves ‘reading’ this book. sometimes i’ll make up stories for her with the pictures, other times she loves to just gnaw on the edges until it’s covered with drool. it’s doesn’t rip, it keeps it’s shape, and it’s washable. a perfect book for any baby!

when i threw a gender reveal party last summer, olive received some gifts from our wonderful guests. our dear friend dana gave olive these bath time cups. she actually loves playing with these without bath time! she grabs each cup, one by one and chews on them. she also loves it when we stack them high. in a second after stacking them, she will knock them all down with a smile. thanks dana for olive’s current favorite toy!

the baby beads are very similar to the wooden car. it’s made of wood and was painted with non-toxic paint. it’s colorful, so it’s pleasing to her eyes. she loves to grab at it and drool on it and work on her fine motor skills. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, i love buying wooden toys for olive!

i love, love these baby art cards! the contrasting colors are fun for olive and she loves to pick them up and drool all over them {common theme, right?!}. it also helps her grasp objets and fine tunes her motor skills. i love how she intently looks at them and i can see how she is examining their design {it makes me wonder what she is thinking!}. such great cards to support the babes development!

she loves the jumperoo. seriously, she loves it. she can sit in it for hours. bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. she plays with all the fun contraptions on it, she gleefully laughs, and is entertained by all the fun sounds! it’s such a perfect, fun ‘toy’ for her. it keeps her curiously preoccupied for awhile and us hands free to do some stuff around the house. bonus points for everyone!

xoxo

current obsessie

Posted on July 5, 2014 by tandem in love

i’m totes obsessed with these headbands for olive. they are from em and ko. they are made with a super soft fabric, so easy to adjust, and come in many, many fun prints. i know there is a lot of competition out there when it comes to this style of product. i researched different brands and prices, i ended up really loving these headbands.

[looking chic]

[aren’t these prints so fun?! i love the soft colors]

i’m a fan of dressing miss olive in darling little outfits. it honestly didn’t get fun until she was about four months old. prior to that, it was just sleepers for the little bugger. momma was too tired, the winter was too rough, and there was no energy to dress the little babes up. once she was more active and we were more active {thank you warmer weather!}…it turned into something very fun for me! who doesn’t love dressing a cute baby girl?

i am always looking out for something new and fun to drape little miss olive in! i mean, c’mon, she will only let me do this for so long… 🙂

xoxo

l.o.n. = land of fun

Posted on July 3, 2014 by tandem in love

the oakbrook land of nod celebrated their 10th anniversary!

i was really excited to attend. i had received their email and the party looked like so much fun! they had balloons, a face painter, a photo booth, a children’s folk singer, and they had set up a whole bunch of teepee’s, tents, and blankets all over the grass in the front of their store. a perfect spot for kids to play in & lots of activities to entertain the kiddos.

we started the afternoon with some lunch at cpk. we put olive in a highchair {first time at a restaurant!} and she was quite content for a bit. i fed her some carrots and cauliflower. reagan was completely entertaining her and then she was liiiiiike, ok…i want my momma. she whimpered and whimpered, so i picked the cutie up to calm her down. i was able to wolf a bit of food down before we headed out to do some shopping before heading over to land of nod.

[reagan enjoying his sundae]

[auntie/godmother kim playing with miss olive]

we decided to hit a few stores kid’s stores before lon. it’s been awhile since i’ve purchased some cute clothes for miss olive! i bought a bunch of stuff at gapbaby, h&m, and carter’s.

of course, we stopped at starbucks for a pick me up drink! the boys got matching cake pops to nosh on.

[never without a starbucks run]

[cake pop twinsies]

[they had a children’s folk singer entertaining the crowds]

[holding on to her lon carrot rattle]

olive and i participated in the photo booth. it was delightful and fun. look at her face…so chunky and cute.

we also ran into our friends lan, pete, and avery! we were able to hang out with them during our afternoon of fun. small world, but then we ran into our friends larissa and thai and their family of three! a sunny day and a land of nod event brings out everyone!

[photo booth fun]

[avery having a blast with the campfire props]

the boys waited in line with auntie thuy to get their face painted. it was quite the popular spot! the line was so long but thuy and the boys waited oh so patiently to get their faces painted! reagan chose spidey man and bennett chose mario brothers. they loved it! it was so adorbs, after they had their faces painted, they looked so happy staring at themselves in the mirror. i love kids. so wonderful and innocent.

[reagan getting spiderman]

[mario brother]

[aren’t they so cute?!]

[i honestly didn’t know where to look at first…then we got it! isn’t she just the most adorable baby in the world?!]

[ending the afternoon fun with yummy goodness]

after an hour or so at the land of nod, we went to macy’s because the bro in law wanted to shop around. kim and i were a bit hungry, so we headed downstairs to the food court to grab a snack. well, a snack turned into more food and lots of desserts and a very full belly {there goes dinner!}!

we had such a great day lazily lounging around, shopping a whole bunch of stores, and participating in the l.o.n. party! it was such a fantastic afternoon with my lovely family! a much needed relaxing afternoon at a beautiful shopping center with my famille.

xoxo

fiona meets olive

Posted on July 2, 2014 by tandem in love

sooo…the story goes like this. last year, olivia and i visited her sister in d.c. her sister was 8 weeks pregnant. she wasn’t telling anyone yet. little did i know, i was 5 weeks pregnant {absolutely no clue i was preggers}. we had our babies weeks apart and months later, we finally introduced the little cuties to one another!!!

claire traveled {actually drove!} from san diego to chicago to spend some quality time here with her family. she was at the tail end of her stay when we finally coordinated a date together. woo!

we decided to meet halfway since our locations were so far apart. she was up in woodstock and we were probably an hour and thirty minutes south from there…at least! we decided on the restaurant wildberry. we wanted to do an early brunch…since both of us get up so early with the kiddos.

we arrived before the other half of our party did, so we put our name in for a table. it was a forty-five minutes wait!!! ugh. we decided to wait inside their foyer since it was already so hot outside. olive patiently waited with us but she was a tad grumpy. she definitely woke up that way! the day prior, we were out and about all day and she was a bit exhausted {baby girl wouldn’t nap the day before!}, so today she was not in the best mood.

[serious face]

[she was using sophie as a chin rest]

[waiting for the gantners]

[the girls!]

yay! the clan finally made it! i love them all. her mom is such a fun character, her sister is so sweet, and olivia…she is a doll. now how ’bout them babes?! it was so cool to introduce fiona to olive. babies are so funny, they kinda stare at one another and pretty much just try to grab at each other for no particular reason.

we were finally seated and perused the menu to decide on our eats. oohhhhh, olive was so fussy. she didn’t want anyone to hold her {the usual} and kept whimpering throughout our meal. she was so tired. annndddd there was fiona…happy as a clam. she just smiled and calmly sat in her high chair while everyone visited.

[aaron doing his best creepy smile]

[fiona being so good and darn cute]

i ordered their buttermilk pancakes, a side of bacon, and orange juice. my usual go to breakfast.

[so sweet, buttery, and delicious]

[olivia + thu = besties // olive + fiona = future besties!]

our gathering was short and sweet but oh so worth it. i was super, duper happy to have been able to meet up with claire and fiona. i didn’t want to miss out on seeing them while they were in town! fiona and olive had to meet!

it was a wonderful start to a great day! thanks ladies and aaron for a lovely date!

xoxo

nursing thoughts

Posted on June 29, 2014 by tandem in love

pretty much my whole life, up until i was around 8 months pregnant, i was steadfast in my stance of not breastfeeding our baby. yes, it’s true. i didn’t like the idea. i didn’t like the thought. i didn’t care to do such a thing…it seemed weird to me. uh huh. yes, i said weird. it kinda freaked me out.

i wanted to bottle feed and didn’t feel like taxing out the boobies. oddly enough, i didn’t feel like it was natural to breastfeed. it’s truly how i felt…yes, mother nature intended us to breastfeed but that didn’t mean i should or would or wanted to.

then lo and behold, as i was nearing the end of my pregnancy, something clicked. i literally woke up one day and thought…i’m gonna do it. i did debate it in my head for awhile before the enlightenment and it came down to this: i didn’t really have a legit reason or argument on why i shouldn’t nurse my little one.

i knew it was beneficial. breastfed babies are linked to having higher iq’s. breast milk helps fight diseases. breast milk provides the perfect nutrients for your baby’s growing needs. breast feeding decreases the chance of illness. the milk is easier to digest for your baby. it’s free. it’s an amazing bond you have with your child. there are no bottles to clean up constantly. i also feel fortunate that i am able to nurse, some women who want to breastfeed struggle with it or can’t. i feel blessed i can.

what i love most about it…spending one on one time with my little olive. it’s just me and her. yes, giving her a bottle is spending time with her but breastfeeding her is so different. it’s intimate. it’s quality time together. it’s quiet time. it’s skin to skin contact which is very comforting for her. our connection is stronger. i feel satisfied she is receiving the best food for her growing little body.

[the most natural thing…but people see this & get offended]

so, with that, whenever i’m out with olive, i do nurse her when she gets hungry. for me, it seems so natural and normal to do so. i have never really thought twice about what i was doing nor did i care. if we were out at a restaurant, i’d feed her. if we were shopping, i would stop at a store, use their fitting room or just sit in their chair and feed her. no biggie in my mind.

then one day, grace, olive, and i were at the zoo. in the middle of us being there, olive needed a feeding. we found a bench, plopped down and i started to feed olive. grace ran up and down the area to check out all the animals, while olive ate.

in the middle of the feeding, a women walked up to me and handed me a card. she was smiling and said, “i never get to use these…thank you!”. i read the card and was quite touched. it really made me think about nursing in public. it never occurred to me it could be so faux pas. i’ve heard stories about people not allowing it or people posting pictures of themselves nursing and it has caused an uproar, but i never really thought about it.

this made me really think about how people are uncomfortable with it. it is truly the most natural thing a women could do and in some places and in people’s mind, it is frowned upon. not accepted. that is appalling. it should be acceptable and celebrated. it’s a joyous act. feeding your baby is nonnegotiable and someone shouldn’t dictate whether you can or cannot, nor where you should be able to feed her.

i was really touched by her act as she was affected by mine. it made me feel proud and it really makes me think how important it is to do this publicly. there is no question on when or where to feed olive. i would not allow anyone to tell me i couldn’t, or tell me where. this stranger felt that my act should be applauded, i feel great knowing that i will continue to feed olive publicly, proudly, and without hesitation.

xoxo

happy seven months!

Posted on June 28, 2014 by tandem in love

happy seven months olive!

[photos taken on 6.27 // total serious face on]

height: 26 1/2″

weight: 16lbs 8 oz.

i’m loving my baby girl growing up but i’m also sad at the same time. i love her being a baby! babies are so cute and i love so many things about her, she is just so adorbs…like her babbling sounds and her clingy nature and her chunky cheeks and her fat rolls and her just being so darn small and dainty. you can’t deny it, babies are so freakin’ darling, everyone loves a baby!

olive has had a great month. the biggest milestone so far? her trying to crawl! she started month six with the lunging. she would be on her behind and shimmy forward and back. then it became an action where she bounced from her behind forward and would sometimes fall on her face. now, it’s become a hands and knee push. she will be on all fours and awkwardly {kinda creepily too} crawl or drag herself across the floor. she’ll push and move her legs and arms but she won’t lift her head off the ground! she will drag her head across the floor but she will get from point a to point b…just moving her body and dragging her head! it’s so funny! sooooo, we will see how she progresses next month!

eating foods has become so fun! olive is loving everything. she has learned how to swallow, so now she is gulping everything down. she gets so excited to eat! she loves carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, cauliflower, butternut squash, pretty much anything. it’s awesome that she is loving it so much. she has graduated to eating two times a day and it’s tablespoons full of food. almost half a cup of food at a time. what a good girl!

the little babes has become quite the sleeper. we have tried to set a regular nap schedule during the day. she has been pretty good so far, she will usually go down around nine-ten, then again around one-two, and then she will take a small nap around six. she tends to stay up pretty late every night but she usually gets tired around nine, i will then feed her and she’s out! she will sleep for 9-10 hours a night!

she loves watching baby genius nursery rhymes on t.v. and she loves it when you sing to her. she’s totally observant. she watches everyone’s moves. she really loves paper, books, consumer tags on products, brown paper bags, anything like that to gnaw on. she has been very good at playing by herself, she will go for a long stint and when she is done, she is done! she will then want momma {she’ll cry out until i come over and then smile in my arms…trickster!}! i also love that she will lay around on the couch with us and just chill. something she never, ever did before.

her hair has gotten so long…those beautiful curls, i’m afraid they will go away. actually, they probably will. the hubs and i don’t have curly hair, so i know once {hopefully a long time from now} she gets a hair cut, the curls will probably be gone. i love to put hairpins and headbands in her gorgeous hair…it’s so fun & cute!

happy seven months baby girl! we love you so much and can’t wait for all the delightful events coming our way this month!

xoxo

tandem in love

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

Tag Archives: olive

p!nk aunties

sunny funday

happy eight months!

june snapshots

olive’s 7 month loves

current obsessie

l.o.n. = land of fun

fiona meets olive

nursing thoughts

happy seven months!