olive’s eating solids!

Posted on May 27, 2014 by tandem in love

it was quite a momentous occasion here in the heintz household. olive’s first time eating solids!

when we went in for olive’s four month appointment, her sweet pediatrician, dr. perlman okay’d us to start feeding olive solids. so, i inquired other moms about the subject. most people started out their babies with cereal. i was wary of the idea because baby cereal was not very nutritious and they were all fortified with vitamins, which made me skeptical.

i am also into reading olive’s cues on when something feels right. i love, love breastfeeding her. it’s time so fabulously spent together and such a wonderful bond you build with your baby. i felt that she was always full after each feeding; she was growing and gaining weight, so i did not want to start her with solids until she was closer to her six month mark.

i looked into what foods you can first give your baby and how to make it. i loved the idea and option of creating your own baby food with whole, fresh, organic products. why not serve your child simple, whole foods that give her all the nutrients she needs than a bland product such as white cereal that is not naturally nutritious?

i noticed right around her five month mark, she started to get very curious when i was eating or drinking anything. she would watch and stare as i picked up food and put it into my mouth. she stared intently as i chewed my food. she would follow my hand as i pulled my drink towards my mouth and watch in awe as i sipped my beverage. that’s when i knew it was about that time to introduce some solid foods into her diet.

[daddy affixing the chair cover to our tripp trapp with a smiley olive]

[first foods – a whole avocado]

***

so, at 5 1/2 months, i fed olive her first solid food!

i looked at several books on baby food. i debated on whether i should just google simple recipes on the web versus buying a book. i decided to buy this book called top 100 baby purees. i love it, it has awesome recipes that are so easy to make. i then went to the grocery store and purchased a bunch of organic ingredients to make olive’s baby food.

[here we go…ready to nosh on some solids!]

making baby food is absolutely easy! the recipes are very simple, some require just one or a few ingredients, some mashing, or just throwing it in the food processor. i love using oxo freezer trays and their square containers. they are bpa free and perfect for freezing and storing all the food you pre-make.

olive’s first food were bananas. i just sliced off two inches of a banana, warmed up a small amount of breast milk and mixed it all together. the consistency is on the soupy side but still like a thick paste. i also used a silicone covered spoon from oxo to protect her sensitive gums. i love the spoons, they are ergonomically made and they also come in travel cases for when you are on the go!

[organic bananas + breast milk]

[nom, slurp, nom, slurp, nom…she likes it!]

[yummy!]

[she loved it so much, she was ready to feed herself!]

the verdict? feeding olive her first solid food was a hit! she absolutely loved her bananas and milk! the first time she ate, she consumed maybe a few teaspoons but her second time eating her banana milkshake…she ate the whole thing! that was probably at least two tablespoons or more. what an eater!

what an exciting time! i can’t wait to explore new foods with her and broaden her palate. oh, i love my baby olive!

xoxo

memorial day

Posted on May 26, 2014 by tandem in love

today we honor all the men and women who have given their lives, fighting for our freedom.

i thank those who have, who do, and who will serve our country.

[image via bhldn]

God bless america.

xoxo

olive’s day with olivia

Posted on May 24, 2014 by tandem in love

we were so excited to have olivia watch over olive one day this past week!

it was so kind of olivia to spend her day with little miss olive. it was an early morning for all of us, olivia came bright and early so she could see our new house. hc did a quick walk through with her while i got ready for work. we chitchatted for a bit and i walked olivia through olive’s routine – her eating schedule, her naps, her behaviors, likes, dislikes, etc. then off i went!

i was excited they were spending the day together! when we were in florida, olive was so overwhelmed by her environment that olivia didn’t get to spend a lot time holding her and playing together. so this was their catch up time!

[olive and olivia about to start their day!]

[a selfie sent to me while i was at work!]

midday, olivia sent me a snapshot of themselves and a recap of their day so far. awwww, they are so cute together! everything was going well and they were having a great time playing.

when i arrived home from work, hc had just gotten there prior to me; so olive, olivia, and hc went for a walk to the liquor store. right?! the liquor store…olive’s first trip to buy alcohol! when they arrived home, olive was wearing her hand knit cap {from my friend kristin, who’s friend actually did the knitting!} and it was so adorable on her! what a cutie.

[returning from a walk outside]

[returning from work to find these two cuties]

olivia stayed for dinner and hung out for a bit longer. i am so glad this gal is back in chicago! we now can have our girly lunches and time back!

thanks so much olivia for taking care of olive. we love you!

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on May 23, 2014 by tandem in love

today takes us back to 2009. on this evening, we met up with a few of hc’s friends in algonquin. they were going to midnight wake surf on the fox river. it was a bright, full moon; enough light to be able to wake surf the calm, quiet water.

it was a chilly night and i always think that hc is crazy for not blinking an eye and getting in that frigid, cold water! ugh. so not me! since it was midnight, it was so serene being out on the river {very quiet}. we went back and forth in the boat riding the river while each person took their turn surfing the wake. it was pretty cool. as close as you can get to surfing in the midwest!

[go cubs go]

midnight wake surfing was definitely a night to remember. it is something that doesn’t happen often for us, so it was quite a fun memory!

happy friday y’all!

xoxo

our best day ever on refinery29

Posted on May 22, 2014 by tandem in love

i am so excited to have our wedding featured on refinery29!

almost three years later and it’s pretty awesome to have our wedding still talked about. it was, seriously, the best day ever. without that wonderful, euphoric, romantic, amazing, whimsical, lively, dynamic, exciting day…there wouldn’t have been the next best day ever…giving birth to miss olive!

our wedding was like a dream come true. so cliche right?! but it was. everything was perfect. celebrating our union with our friends and family was a recipe for unparalleled goodness. hc and i had the best time reveling in the love and joy of our guests…how could it not be fabulous when everyone is celebrating, eating, and drinking? best combos ever.

from our rehearsal, to our rehearsal dinner, to the wedding day, the sunday brunch, and then onto an alfresco dinner at my parent’s with our family’s out of town guest, it was a whirlwind of delight. the next morning we sped off on our honeymoon floating on cloud nine, full of happiness.

[photo by kate headley // bouquet by justanns]

i am always so thankful to everyone who helped make our day so magical, from our amazing, prompt, creative vendors to our friends and family who helped make this moment so special. i am forever grateful because i will always claim this day to be the best day ever!

xoxo

first mother’s day ~ part two

Posted on May 20, 2014 by tandem in love

soooo on sunday funday mother’s day celebration…olive and i started the day lazily lounging in bed. i love this little peanut. hc got this momma another starbucks start! we relaxed together, that morning, before we headed to parker’s for a mother’s day brunch.

[morning selfie]

[watching videos together]

[morning pick me up]

we got ready and merrily went on our way to the restaurant. we pit stopped for some beautiful flowers for the famille at the grocery store. on our way there, the babes decided to take a little nap. how cute is she?!

[nap time before brunch]

[beautiful flowers for some beautiful ladies]

we arrived at our destination. it was a madhouse inside! whoa. dan was the first to get there and then boom…everyone was there, the whole family literally trickled in within seconds! we were seated right away and ready to eat! it was a brunch buffet, so we literally sat for a minute while the server took our drink orders and then we all scurried to the buffet tables, ready to fill up our little plates.

[kir royale…favorite drink]

[our coordinating outfits // olive is in little tots long sleeve onesie, gapkids pants, and hair clip by etsy]

[buttercream topped cupcakes, it was really good!]

[olive having a moment with uncle dan]

[olive having a smiley moment with her cousin]

[celebrating moms]

after brunch, we trekked our way home for a just a second to then head back out. we took my mom to a pretty little garden center so she could pick out flowers for the yard!

[flower shopping]

after that, we headed back home to my parent’s. we relaxed for a bit there before we headed back out to our home {ya know…that long car ride home we have}! of course, more work had to be done on our house, so wasting the day away is never an option!

[coffee break with my chunker munker]

overall, it was quite an amazing mother’s day. i am thankful for my beautiful mom, my wonderful husband, and my amazing daughter.

my first mother’s day could not have been better. i am so blessed to be a mom. i am so blessed to have such a loving mother. i am amazed that it was my first mother’s day and i am in awe that this little baby is ours…making it quite a special day for me. i still cannot believe that i am mom, it’s a milestone in my life that is a dream come true.

i know that i just rambled a bit. i wish i was more eloquent about it. i have so many thoughts and wonderful feelings around this…it’s hard to capture it all in words without spewing a lot of random phrases!

God bless all the mother’s out there!

xoxo

first mother’s day ~ part one

Posted on May 19, 2014 by tandem in love

mother’s day celebrations started on saturday. i woke up to a very relaxing morning. hc and grace went out and purchased starbucks coffee for us {bonus points!}. they also arrived home with a beautiful bouquet of lilies for me {extra credit}! what a great start to my mother’s day weekend.

i was very excited for my first mother’s day! after all these years of celebrating my mom and other moms, it was my turn to revel in this day! how special and exciting. being a mom is amazing and i am in so in love with it…having had olive has changed my life completely in every positive way! so celebrating that fact was delightful in itself. it’s taken on a whole new meaning and i was feeling quite loved and blessed.

[lovely lilies]

[my gorgeous mother’s day bouquet picked out by grace and olive]

[selfies while we wait for breakfast]

continuing on with my mother’s day celebration, hc started to whip up a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. yummy! he’s such a perfect partner…always so caring and loving.

[hc starting on a yummy breakfast for this momma]

[seasoned eggs, maple sausage, and buttery rich pancakes]

after breakfast, we had a very relaxing day of doing much of nothing…ok, well i did much of nothing while hc manicured our lawn {ummmmm, that took 3 1/2 hours! whaaaaa? damn yard}.

so, relaxing i did with little miss olive by my side. we sat around, we played, she slept, and i chilled. it was quite a beautiful day…sunny and warm. my dad also made a pit stop by the house to say hi to the babes. my parents miss little olive so much all the time. thank goodness we are right around the corner! they are able to stop by anytime and pinch her cheeks!

that afternoon, miss grace so lovingly gave me a sweet mother’s day card. she’s such a doll…it was a very thoughtful card and it had the best words written inside from her. how splendid.

later on in the evening, hc made a tasty dinner of burgers and sautéed brussel sprouts. he was happily grilling our organic burgers and assembling a wonderful dinner while i downed cold, crisp, thirst quenching coronitas…ahhhh.

[my summer drink]

[onion and gorgonzola burger on a brioche bun with sautéed brussel sprouts]

after finishing up dinner and with it being a beautiful night out, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood! our first walk together since we have moved in. it was so awesome. the night was perfect, the sky was clear, the temperature was just right. we explored our delightful neighborhood…it is such a cute little area.

[a perfect evening for nighttime stroll]

after 40 minutes of walking, it was time to return back home so we could put little olive down for the night.

once we settled in, i had a nightcap of refreshing, cold, creamy coffee ice-cream! a well deserved treat for my hard day of work…being a mom is tough 😉

[a perfect nightcap…coffee ice-cream]

well, that was my first day of my mother’s day celebration. it couldn’t have been any better, i love that my husband is so kind, caring, considerate, and thoughtful. he really is the best. i am a lucky gal. i love him to bits.

he always makes every day feel like it’s mother’s day.

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on May 16, 2014 by tandem in love

today, we are going back to 2009!

hc and i woke up very early one morning and traveled out to the city to support and cheer on our friends matt and michelle, who were participating in a triathlon! i love going to these types of events because it’s inspiring and fun. i love being in the city, i love the crowds, and i love supporting people in their endeavors.

i was glad we were able to catch michelle at the end of her run, we screamed and cheered her on to the finish line. it was awesome and quite thrilling to be in the midst of so much excitement and energy. at the end of the race, i was able to meet michelle’s parents, who traveled in from indiana! they were so sweet.

[after the race // rockin’ my cubs hoodie next to this white sox fan!]

after the race, hc and i parted ways with them and headed to breakfast at my favorite joint – the bongo room.

we were happy to have gotten together with matt and michelle to support them in this wonderful event! they were also married last year {posted here}…we are thankful to know them, they are such a great couple!

xoxo

hb to my dear dad

Posted on May 15, 2014 by tandem in love

we celebrated my dad’s birthday on a beautiful, sunny sunday {common theme of late…i just can’t get enough of the sunshine right now}.

we all met up at pf chang’s, in lombard, for a birthday lunch in honor of our papa. little o was having a good ol’ time in her carseat before she got a little fussy. i had to then pull her out so she can get all nosey and see what was going on around her!

we ordered apps and waited for my parents to show up {um, the guest of honor was late!}. they finally did arrive, along with my lovely o voung. i love my aunt. she’s such a sweet, sweet lady. i was so happy she was there to celebrate with us!

[selfie at the restaurant]

[wearing their favorite hockey team]

[my two loves]

[olive being all melancholy]

after lunch, we invited everyone back to our place for cake and ice-cream! yay! my parents walked my aunt through our new house as i prepped for serving desserts! i purchased two yummy, yummy cakes from whole foods. a decadent carrot cake and a sweet vanilla cake to serve. we topped off each piece with either chocolate or vanilla ice-cream. nom nom.

[party utensils…getting ready to get our cake on]

[carrot cake…it was so moist and delicious]

[happy birthday decor]

[sweet vanilla confetti sprinkle cake // moist delicious carrot cake]

[me, dan, r + b]

[blowing out the birthday candles]

[cake and ice-cream]

so i am the worst picture taker ever on this day. i didn’t get to snap a photo of everyone who joined us in my dad’s birthday celebration {ya don’t see kim, terry, my mom, aunt, or thuy} and worst so…i didn’t even snap a pic of my dad! whaaat?!

anyhoo, it was a great day to celebrate my dad’s 77th birthday. happy birthday to the best dad ever.

xoxo

liam’s baby shower

Posted on May 13, 2014 by tandem in love

our friend jaime and sean prematurely had their little baby liam on st. patrick’s day! he was delivered at 30 weeks and he came out a fighter!

j’s shower was prescheduled for that saturday, following the delivery of liam on that monday! so, that was unexpected! her shower was then rescheduled for the end april. it turned out great for me because i couldn’t attend her first original shower date and now i was able to attend the latter.

pampers drove over to our house and we were able to tour her through our new home. after hc did the full walk through and talked in detail about all the changes we were going to make to our place, we finally went on our way to go pick up marina at her house.

then, onto burr ridge we drove. it was such a beautiful day…the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. it just makes me so happy to have such great weather.

the party was already in full swing. i settled in with olive’s stuff and walked into the mix with my little bebe. oh! she was a hit! everyone just adored her! the only problem?? olive didn’t adore anyone! it was so loud, there were so many people, and all these unfamiliar faces were freaking her out! yikes! olive only wanted to stay in my arms. she would not let anyone hold her! poor babes. she kept crying if anyone got too close to her face. omg. it was comical.

so, there i was…just holding my precious baby making sure she stayed clam. everyone ooh’d and ahh’d over her cheeks, her hair, her outfit, her cuteness. i know, she’s my little girl…she is so flippin’ cute!

[j, rina, preggo pampers, moi and o]

[champagne libations // gifts]

after some mingling…darling hostess with the mostess, amber, offered us some drinks. yes, please. champagne with fresh raspberries…gulp, gulp.

[red velvet cake favors // scratch off cards to win a prize]

the decor/theme was so sweet! i loved all the details of the party! the pastel blue hues, the pretty lanterns, the personalized napkins, the chevron design…definitely my kind of party planning! they also had hired help; so servers came around and offered us savory hor d’oeuvres and sparkling refreshments. we socialized for awhile before lunch, it was great seeing all the familiar faces…gals from high school i don’t get to see often but always have a great time catching up when we do get together!

[drink bar + cuteness]

[i love the animal decor and personalized water bottles]

[how fabulous is this decor?]

[me, amber {hostess with the mostess}, and jaime]

[personalized cocktail napkins]

we were then summoned for lunch, we all chose our seats and then went to grab our food at the buffet table. i was able to connect with some new faces at our table and had an absolutely swell time chatting it up with them! i met lauren’s mom {sister in law’s mum} and amanda {cousin’s wife}, they were such sweet, sweet ladies!

while we were eating, olive was getting cranky…it was around 1 which is her nap time. amber directed me to an empty room, so i fed her upstairs and then put her down for a nap. baby girl was out. i went back downstairs and they had served the delicious looking cake and j was about to open gifts. i bit into my slice of the cake and was in heaven! it was so scrumptious! i could have eaten at least four slices! delish.

[sugar + balloons]

[how amaze is this cake? i loved all the details]

[candy favors]

jaime continued to open up all her wonderful gifts {so many great items} and we yakked it up in the background. after all the present time, we stayed a bit longer to hang out with the crowd. it was honestly a great time and we didn’t want to leave right away! besides that, olive was having herself quite a good nap!

[jaime opening up all her wonderful gifts]

[the most delicious cake ever!]

we finally wrapped it up and i gathered my luggage to get ready to go. i went upstairs to transfer olive from the bed to the carseat, hoping she would stay asleep…unsuccessful! but she was in great spirits! she said goodbye to everyone and off pampers, rina, o, and i went.

what a beautiful shower for baby liam! amber and randi did an amazing job! baby liam is one lucky boy!!

xoxo