many weeks ago was the first time in a looooong time since olive was introduced into this world, that i didn’t have her.
there were two times prior: one night when we were celebrating my sister thuy’s birthday, we left her overnight at my parents. that was nerve racking. c’mon…i’m a new mommy. every momma goes through that, right? the first time leaving your babes…you can’t help but have a little anxiety! i completely trusted my parents {it would not have been anyone else!}, but you do have your jitters, naturally. we were already out by my parents and it just made sense {logistically} to go back to the city and stay in the city without the babes and then come back the next day to get her. so, of course, that was a success and totally fine. olive was a happy camper.
the other time was when we moved into our house. i dropped olive off at my parent’s house so i could get some work done {aka cleaning} in our new house. this time around wasn’t as long. it was for maybe 5-6 hours, while i pretty much spent the entire time cleaning the dirty fridge {yuck}.
so, those were the two times prior and since then…it’s always been me and olive, like always!
i had a week of time off and my parent’s typically watch her on designated days. well, i decided i would let them have her and i would get to do things and get things done! it was, honestly, the weirdest feeling. i felt free but lonely at the same time.
i am racked with momma’s guilt when i’m without my babes {totes normal, right?!}. i know, i should have time to myself. i should feel good that i have a me day but i can’t help it! it is rewarding to be able to have a day to myself, or an afternoon. i can get stuff done, i can relax without it being interrupted, i can focus on projects without worries but i do miss her. i do. don’t get me wrong, i will go out without her. i will have someone else care for her so i can go shopping, do errands, or meet up with friends for lunch. i do get excited for such things and do enjoy the moments, even though it’s rare.
no matter what, i will always love sharing every second with my presh lil one. it will always be an internal war within me. maybe when she’s older, i might feel better or different? maybe it’s because she’s so tiny and i am relishing in all her cuteness? maybe it’s because she brings me such joy, so not having her by my side makes me sad? maybe it’s because she gives me hugs and kisses and it always makes me smile?
i know a lot of people are quick to give up their kids to have a day to themselves but it’s not the same for me. i do love having date nights with hc or if it is just me and the hubs without olive, i’m okay. it’s the only time i am ok with it. otherwise, i don’t foresee a ton of days or times i will be out and about without my olive.
well, i’ll let y’all know if any of my emotions changes in the next few months or years 😉 until then, the internal battle of feelings still rages inside…one day, i’ll have a day without the little babes and totally feel liberated! 🙂
warning: total mom photos coming your way. a.k.a photo overload of pretty much the same thing – baby and me.
when my dear friends carol, dana, and andrea hosted my baby’s shower last year, dana had given me the cutest little sippy cup evah as a gift! i couldn’t wait to use it! i’m such a starbucks addict. yes, i will pay $4.50 or so for a fancy coffee. yeahhhh, a fancy coffee for a fancy lady {what grace used to call me…fancy}.
anyhoo, olive has finally reached an age where she uses a sippy cup. we actually introduced a sippy cup months ago but i finally dug out this ‘starbucks’ cup for her. oh, i was loving it. me with my starbucks cup and her with her version?! i was in heaven. i was gleeful and excited {wow…the simple things in life}. i could not stop snapping photos. i seriously thought it was the cutest thing {well, i still do}.
this was a morning where we had glorious olive and me time. we were loving life and having a grand ol’ time with each other. we snuggled in each other arms. she played independently, i did errands around the house, we would come back together and have more play time and just chill.
well, back to the starbucks moment. when dana gave me this sippy cup…i totally envisioned me and the baby strolling around, outside on a sunny day, starbucks in hand and her sippy ‘starbucks’ cup in her hands. we are enjoying our drinks and loving life. hmph, that will totally still happen but our first moment of bumping starbucks cups was just too perfect!
that was just so cute, non?! thanks dana for the best sippy cup evah! you know me too well {and the le petit prince livre is still my favorite!}. cheers to the daily guzzling of delicious coffee!
so, the day had come…olive’s first birthday party! oh em gee. i was feeling a bit stressed, excited, anxious, and bittersweet. my little babes is about to be one and it makes my heart melt. the first year is so full of many wonderful milestones and memories. each day possesses something new and fun. she is growing up so fast already…i can’t even take it! she amazes us every day; she brings so much joy and laughter into our lives! okaaayyy, so enough mommy gushing…okay, just keeding! i’m always mommy gushing! ha!
anyhoo. preparing for olive’s party was fun, crazy, time consuming, and very obsessive inside my nutty creative mind. i was scheming up so many ideas! i really loved the aesthetic feel of gold and light pink. i’m not a pinky kind of gal, well, okay i am but i’m not into piiiiinkkkk. for example, pink overload…like as if pink was to puke all over olive’s clothes. so not my style. but i was loving the idea of pink, albeit, a light pink {with pops of bright pink} for olive’s first birthday party! how perty it all sounded to me…pink and gold!
so, the day of her party was finally here! i had decorated, crafted, arranged, and tucked in many sleepless nights to get everything done. the guests started to arrive and we were just pulling together the final details of the decor. woooo!
[do you remember this chalkboard?? when we lived in chicago, there was never a place where hc could do any type of wood work or really do any type of reconstruction project. i had always wanted to redo the chalkboard i had purchased and my wish was fulfilled the past month! hc finally deconstructed the chalkboard and framed it in the white border that i had originally wanted!]
[her decorated highchair! // number 1 gold balloon & highchair banner {and most of the banners} by littledovie]
[my favorite…macarons and they were flown in from france!]
[owl treats by the krispie bakery // made especially for o{wl}ive]
[personalized first birthday book by i see me // add extra pages and have your guests sign in by wishing the birthday girl something special!]
[cookie favors by rpconfections and the biggest balloon evah!]
[monthly birthday banner]
[photo booth!]
olive was still napping when our first guests arrived. within a half hour, the guest of honor had arose! i gleefully ran into her room to greet the little babes and get her ready for her big day! i got her dressed, hair styled, and all purty for her party. she was ready to go in her graphic black and white dress, gold glitter tights, and a gold glitter bow hair clip. natch. she looked so cute!
olive and i greeted all our guests, while hc got all the food ready! libations and snacks were out and about, while our guests mingled around and explored. after visiting with our guests for a bit, the food was ready to be served and everyone grabbed a bite to eat. it was great; our guests relaxed, mingled, and enjoyed themselves around the house while olive bounced around amongst different peeps.
hc and i had cleared out the basement and made it a play area for the kiddies and boy, they sure loved it! they had a blast running around and playing downstairs. it was a perfect area for them to go wild!
after lunch and a bit of resting, it was cake time! we changed olive into her second outfit of the day. a birthday crown, ruffled white onesie, and a pink fluffy tutu! we paraded her around for a bit and then plopped her into her chair.
we lit her glitter candle, presented the cake, and sang happy birthday to her! she was so unfazed. she stared at the cake and didn’t know what to do with it! ha! so, i helped her along by poking at the cake and putting a little frosting into her mouth. yes, that got her going. delicious, sweet frosting on the lips will inspire any babes to dive into a big yummy cake!
it was too sweet {literally}. we let the birthday girl sit there and maul her lovely little smash cake, while hc and i sliced up her beautiful gold birthday cake. we served the cake and ice cream on pretty little gold speckled confetti paper plates by merimeri.
after the cake smash fun, olive was given a quick bath and changed into her final outfit of the evening {such a fashionista…three outfit changes on her big day!}! hc dressed olive in the adorbs outfit kt and kar had given her a few months ago!
once the cake was served, all the guests hung out, socialized, and had some super fun with our photo booth! as you can see in all the pics down below!
[mom and thuy]
[lexi and dom]
[yesss, her third outfit change…such a fashionista!]
[auntie kim and olive]
[bennett and reagan]
[aj]
[lexi, cam, and chaz]
[cousins]
[new fuzzy pbk chair by auntie karen and katie]
[dana and scott]
slowly but surely, all the guests went on their merry way. we were so blessed to have been able to celebrate olive’s big day with our wonderful friends and family. it was a day filled with fun, love, and laughter. we seriously had a great time, i know olive did! the whole party was a success! wow…it had come and gone and nothing but fabulous memories now remain {well actually the glitter and a bit of confetti are still lingering around!}.
thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate olive’s first big day! we can’t wait to celebrate her real {for reals} birthday on thanksgiving day with more of her family, this week!!! woo hoo!
we were able to get together with dick, jane, aunt wendy, and their cousin donna for a little birthday celebration! olive’s first birthday! well, her birthday day is still a wee bit aways but we love celebrating all week long here!
it was our typical routine. wake up. nurse. playing around on the bed. she gives me kisses. olive gets bored and now slides off the edge of the bed and scurries away. i get ready. she tears up the house. i run around and pick things up. i brew a pot o coffee. i make her breakfast. she eats. she plays. she rubs her eyes. she nurses. she goes to bed for her morning nap. every. single. morning. that we have together. so trying to predict how long she will sleep is a gamble!
so, i waited and waited and waited. a bit stressed out because we had to leave for our lunch date! so i went in her room to peek on her…i kind of made a ruckus to see if she would stir {i shuffled through her drawers to pick out her outfit of the day}. stir she did! woo!
she nursed again, i got her dressed, and we were off! i had already thrown everything into the car and got myself ready while she was napping. we sped on our way to the restaurant. we had agreed to meet at a halfway point…at the streets of woodfield, where maggiano’s is at. we were already a half an hour late!
they so kindly waited at the bar…a good excuse to have a drink, non? once we arrived, we were seated right away. it was too cute…they had decorated the table with confetti and wrote a sweet note to us. we were celebrating a few birthdays! olive’s and jane’s!
[sitting next to papa]
[they sprinkled our table with confetti!! how cute!]
[jane, donna, and wendy]
we perused the menu and quickly decided on food. how could you not go with their buy a classic pasta and take one home?! um, best deal evah! i ordered the mushroom ravioli and asked for the eggplant parmesan to take home. yum!
we entertained olive and conversed amongst one another. she was having a blast playing with the crayons and having papa feed her pieces of bread. I had a great time talking with the ladies. It was wonderful to finally meet donna! over the summer, while jane was watching olive, donna stopped by to visit…she was able to meet olive but i didn’t get a chance to meet her. so today was the day!
[my babes]
[yummy mushroom ravioli]
after our meal, the sever came by with a birthday cookie cake topped off with a candle. olive wasn’t quite sure what was going on. she stared at it, perplexed. we wished her a happy birthday and i then blew out the candle for the little lady! she then proceeded to throw almost all the cookies onto the floor! hey now, mama will eat those cookies! thank goodness there was another plate…i devoured three! they were so yummy!
[lemon cookies]
[happy birthday olive!]
[make a wish!]
after dessert, we started to pack up to get going. i tried to get olive to walk to show dick and jane but olive wasn’t cooperating. she just wanted to crawl. so, all they got was a little stroll while she held onto jane’s hand. too adorbs.
it was a lovely lunch date with the fam! we had a great time starting out olive’s week long birthday celebration! woo hoo!
i searched and searched for glitter ‘1’ birthday candles. no one sells them in a retail store {at least i couldn’t find one!} and i found a few on etsy but i was not going to pay $10 for a glitter candle!! yes, i will pay for handmade things but it has to be comparable to time + price to push me to buy it. making one costs less than 1/5 of what they were charging for it {including shipping}. so, i decide to makey a candle myself! it’s so easy peasy, that is why i couldn’t bring myself to buy one at that price!
everyone wants to have a little sparkle on their birthday, non? well, olive definitely does. much to hc’s dismay {he hates glitter}. so glitter, sparkle, shine i did.
1. just buy a one candle at the local party store or whatever number you wish to glitter.
2. take the rubber cement wand {tap off the excess glue} and brush it along the outline of the candle. just enough to the edge so the colored outline will be covered. if you want, you can also use a different, smaller brush to help control the glue and be more precise.
3. take gold glitter {or the glitter color of your choice!} and sprinkle it all on top of the candle. be generous! cover the entire top and let it sit for just a bit before you tap off the excess. you want to make sure it has a thick, even coat of glitter.
4. ta da! you have yourself a nifty, cool, homemade glitter candle! let it sit for at least another thirty minutes before you can tap off any excess glitter {again}.
so, there you have it! a lovely, gold glitter candle for olive’s first birthday cake! i’m super excited and can’t wait to see it on her sweet little smash cake.
well, we thought for sure, that olive would be walking by ten months {’cause she was standing up so early!}. but ten months came and went and she did not independently take a step. then came her eleven month mark and holy moly, we got a walker!
oh it was just fantastic. it started out at my parent’s house. hc is away for work and my parents wanted us to come over for dinner.
btw…it’s soooooo cold out! windy, cold, and a low of 7 degrees! yowza! ohmygosh how it reminds me of my maternity leave…we were paralyzed by the polar vortex. i was trapped inside for months, with it being so cold, and almost went out like jack nicholson.
anyhoo, we were over at my parent’s house when this glorious moment occurred. we were all upstairs hanging out when my dad stood olive up and had her walk towards him. walk she did! she took a solid three steps. so we kept it up. my mom sat across from my dad {about five feet apart} and they called for olive to walk. she would take 4-5 steps and fall into their arms! she was so giddy! she was having a blast taking her first sturdy steps. they did it back and forth. we were all giggling and laughing joyfully. it was just so awesome to watch her walk for the first time. olive was so happy! this went on and on for quite a bit of time. i think i recorded a dozen video clips.
after awhile, we called it quits. olive looked a bit tired {she also didn’t nap very well today…she took two very.short.naps}. we wrapped it up and decided to head home. once we settled in, i wanted to see if olive would do some more walking. oh my, she did a lot! this clip you are about to watch was so impromptu, i wished i had better lighting! we had just gotten home and i only flicked on a few lights in the house, so therefore the video footage is so dark {sorry folks!}.
her face is too presh in the video, isn’t is?! she is now officially on the go and we are now officially screwed 😉
olive is really loving any push toys right now. she will grab anything on wheels and roll it all around the floor. well, it doesn’t have to have wheels. she will just push it across the floor if she can. so, this little wooden taxi is a favorite. it’s actually a substantial size. it’s sturdy, bright, and easy to play with. it’s so cute to watch her roll it across the floor while she does her gimp crawl {it’s an interesting combo of moves that gets her across the room}. annndddd, like i have said before, i love wooden toys. i love the texture of them. i love that they are environment friendly. i love that they are made with non-toxic paint {cuz everything goes into her mouth!}. i love that they are so aesthetically pleasing as well!
i love, love these moccasins from stitches and soles. they are too cute and so easy to put on olive. they have elastic hidden bands and they totally stay on her feet! her shoes are top notch in quality and design. these shoes add total oomph to any of olive’s outfits. they come in lots of fun colors and she offers two cute styles in ’em. i can’t wait to add more colors into her collection and dress her up in my love {all over, all over}. yeah, madonna fans…ya got that one?
hats. hats are a must right now. i think my problem is finding hats that fit olive’s noggin. okay, she doesn’t have a huge head but it’s near the 80th percentile on her chart {so, she has outgrown some cute hats i have gotten her a few months ago!}. i love fun little hats like this babygap one. it’s good to have a few neutral ones available that can go with any outfit she has or any coat. the weather is so unpredictable, so it’s imperative to have warm hats on hand to protect her little, presh noggin.
this push car is one of olive’s favorite. it’s at my parent’s house and olive loves to push it around. she is such a strong little girl that she can push it when her cousin reagan or auntie kim is sitting on it {or both at the same time!}. it is hilarious to watch…and ya kinda feel bad for her at the same time. olive loves to push people around on the car {so cute} but yet, it melts your heart she is working so hard at it. a determined little gal.
she’s such a snuggle bunny now. she loves her little blankies or anything soft, so she can rub her little cheeks and lips onto them. she loves this soft owl blankie {courtesy of auntie carol} and has become so attached to it. she loves to sleep with it. she loves to watch tv with it. she loves to crawl around the house with it. it comforts her. it calms her down and i’m totally into it. it’s so endearing and heartwarming to watch her snuggle her blankie {her new bestie}.
boogie wipes are a lifesaver. seriously. olive went through a week where she had a bit of a runny nose {poor babes!} and she did. not. like. it when i tried wiping her nose. it finally dawned on me that i had a stash of boogie wipes in her diaper bag! hallelujah. it saved me. she totally let me wipe those icky boogs off her face with these wipes! no problem. no fussing. no tears. i just pulled out a wipe, cleaned up her nose, and she would hardly flinch. thank goodness! she didn’t have to look like a kid whose parents would let their boogies run down their face {yeahs right…like i would ever let that happen!}.
well, those are olive’s eleven month loves! can you believe she is eleven months?! oh em gee…it’s cray to think about it. she is so amazing. i love her sooooo much and every minute i have with her just melts my heart to a mushy, puddled mess. she brightens up our world and sometimes i think my heart might explode with love. *sigh*
i’m a bit obsessed with baby moccasins. yes. yes i am. i am loving those cute little shoes for miss olive. i’ve seen a few brands around {some that are really expensive!} and have fallen in love with these cute, little, sweet shoes for miss olive.
they are from this etsy seller, stitches and soles. they are well made, constructed, and sturdy. i am in love with them! they come in so many different colors and she makes them with hidden elastic sides, so it’s easy to put on and take off. plus, they stay on her feet {even when the little bugger tugs and tugs at her toes}! bonus. that’s why i love them so much!
i have already complied a list of colors to purchase for olive. a girl’s gotta have a slew of choices to match her wardrobe! natch. the leather is buttery soft and the platinum color goes with everything. it also comes with the cutest little muslin bag to store it in.
our first run with the shoes was a trip to ikea to pick up some knick knacks. hc was like…”what are those?!” i said, “her new shoes!”. he was not impressed. psh. men…what do they know about baby style?
anyhoozle, as we were cruising around the store, olive received plenty of compliments on her awesome shoes. customers were loving her and loving her fun shoes. hmph. that showed hc up! ha! he knows better than to question mine or olive’s choice in fashion {she’s a fashionista in training}! snap. 😉
[a shopping trip to ikea…the other consumers would compliment her on her ‘fancy’ shoes. olive was like “yeah, i know”]
so, these are my current obsession. i am soooo loving these chic little moccasins for our baby girl. such a cute addition to any outfit she sports! yay!
ah! we are one month away from her first birthday! where did the time go?! i can’t believe our little baby olive is getting so big. this past month has brought us many wonderful memories and milestones.
no walking yet. i really thought she was going to take her first step around the ten month mark. only because she is standing by herself, she was walking everywhere {albeit holding onto something}, and everything was pointing in that direction but nope. don’t get me wrong…i am aaaa okaaaay with her not walking yet. i hear all bets are off when the little nub starts a walking! then the real trouble starts! 😉
she is such an eater. this girl loves her food. she is still eating purees but has graduated to eating solid, solids {like mac n cheese, fish, beef, chicken, salmon, rice}. she doesn’t refuse anything but she loves to eat whatever we are eating. she will eat 3-4x a day with snacks in-between. breakfast is usually something like bananas and cereal. lunch is typically fruit and cereal, and dinner is usually something heartier…like salmon and carrots. we gotta keep those chubby cheeks fat!
sleep is her best friend. it’s the same as it has been since almost the beginning. baby girl will go down around 9:30 and sleep until 8am. her morning naps are like clockwork but her second nap is unpredictable. she typically goes down for the second nap around 4 but it could be 3 or it could be 5. it’s all based on her morning nap and how long she sleeps for that first round. sometimes she won’t get that second nap in but overall, she sleeps at night and that is what matters!
olive loves to play by herself {sometimes}. she loves to explore. she is getting stronger and wiser and funnier. her humor is silly, her looks are so sweet, and her giggles are too presh. it is so awesome to see her personality develop. she loves to copy you. she intently stares and will copy what sounds you make and what movements you do. she’s becoming a little girl and i love her to bits.
omg. she is crawling up the stairs! um, we need to get a gate pronto! of course, like any babes, she knows how to get up the stairs but has no clue how to get down the stairs. typical. she thinks crawling head first down the stairs is the right way. nope baby girl, no. we’ll learn the right way later {well, hopefully sooner than later}.
officially, her first word was bye. it comes with a hand wave and a meek ‘byyyyyeeee’. you walk towards the door, she waves her hand and says “bye”. she sees you grab your purse, she will wave her hand and say “bye”. you put her in her car seat and she will wave her hand and say “bye”. way too adorbs. the second words? ‘uh oh’. everything she drops on the ground comes with an “uh oh”. so stinkin’ cute.
this past month, you have totally developed an affinity for your stuffed animals. you love your teddy bears {the little one and the big one} and your kiki doll. it is so sweet to see you snuggle with them. it melts my heart when you give them kisses and hold them close.
well, those are her ten month milestones in a nutshell. wow. again, i can’t believe she will be one next month! eeeekkkkk! we are all so excited for this. olive continues to amaze us and our love for her is growing and growing beyond capacity. how can all that love fit inside my body?? sometimes i feel like i might explode! i can’t wait to share some great moments from this coming month!
so, to get into the spirit of things for halloween, i purchased olive some fun, festive pj’s! oh, i do love holidays and halloween is the start of the holiday season! it’s spooky, scary, and fun! there’s a chill in the air, it’s time for pumpkin fun, the leaves change into vibrant colors, and it’s a perfect time to watch one of my favorite movies! sleepy hollow by tim burton, my fav, fav, favvvve director! yes. a must see. yes, you must see it!
anyhoo, one day i was shopping with my olive and i stumbled into pbteen. i saw this adorable, sequin cat pillow and fell in love! how cuuuute! i had to have it for miss olive. i thought, it would be so cute in her room and perfect for halloween; a fun, festive update to her abode. so, the kitty cat came home with us.
well, as i was shopping around some more, i found the cutest halloween kitty pj’s from baby gap. how fitting! so, those kitty cats came home with us too! ta da! olive was getting a head start on her festive attire for this upcoming holiday!
now i did go picture crazy with her {c’mon…i’m a momma, it’s in our job description}. i couldn’t stop snapping pics because it was such an adorable combination. her fun sequin pillow and her adorbs cat pajamas! aaand her fluffy, crazy hair. aaand her cute, chubby cheeks. aaand her adorable, little pot belly. yesss, d: all of the above got me snap happy!
i’ve snuck in a few more cute outfits for miss o for halloweeenie. a girl has gotta have several outfit changes for any special occasion {as her momma did for her own wedding day…duh! like mother, like daughter} but we’ll show those off another time! right now, i’m relishing in all the cuteness right here.
[holding on to her favorite carrot rattle from land of nod]
[look at that hair!]
[showing off her bootyliciousness]
love her. love her show. i’ll watch it anytime.
yup, we’re kicking off this october with sass and sweetness. sparkly pillows, cutesy pj’s, and my darling olive. it’s looking like a spooky start already! muwhahahaha!
