Earlier this week, one of my closest friends, Kelsey, welcomed her second daughter. I was lucky enough to meet sweet little Piper and photograph her on her very first day earth side. Piper joins her big sister, Avery, who seems to be settling into her new role so well. It was such an amazing experience to get to document a small part of their first day together, and I cannot wait to see how their bond develops as they grow up together. Here are just a few shots from Piper’s big day.
A couple weeks ago {on my birthday, actually}, I shot an engagement session for Nikki & Brian at the Urban Ecology Center in downtown Milwaukee. This was my first true engagement session, and I really enjoyed getting out of my element a bit. I am used to shooting mostly kids who don’t take direction at all, so it was fun to be able to play creatively and pose them a bit. Nikki & Brian were pretty laid back, and they only had one request: that I include their pup, Vader, as much as possible. That was simple, since he is so stinkin’ cute. I had a great time with the three of them. Below is a sneak peak of the shoot.
On another note, the Urban Ecology Center is pretty amazing if you live in the Milwaukee area. Not only is it an awesome natural setting for photography (with a few urban/industrial settings as well), but it’s a great place to walk, bike, and explore, and they have a resource center with a lot of fun activities and events. We have taken Ellie there, and she’s had an absolute blast. The best part? It’s free.
So, I have a confession: I am OBSESSED with Valentine’s Day. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I know, it’s a bit ridiculous and a lot of people think it’s a stupid holiday, but not me. What’s funny is that my love for Valentine’s Day has nothing to do with the romantic, traditional Valentine’s stuff. In fact, Dan and I don’t usually even celebrate all that much. The extent of our celebration usually includes going out to dinner or staying in and cooking something special, plus flowers for me {if I’m lucky}.
Instead, my love for Valentine’s Day is rooted in all the hearts, pink and red everything, and sweets galore {particularly chocolate}. As a child, I loved decorating my Valentine’s mailbox and making Valentine’s to pass out during our class celebration at school. My mom also tried to make the day special for me and my brother, always having a little gift, like candy and a stuffed animal, to give us in the morning when we woke up {she did this with pretty much every holiday, and it’s something that I’ve tried to do with E as well}. As an adult, I love to add a few {minimalist} decorations to our home, bake a bunch of sweets, and spoil my loves with goodies. I’m particularly excited this year, because Eloise is old enough to help with some of these tasks. I even have a few special crafts planned for us this weekend.
Below are a few Valentine’s items and gift ideas for Ellie that have me all heart eyes this week. I can’t wait to celebrate with her next weekend!
I’ve been meaning to post an 18 month update on Eloise for a bit now {about a month, actually, considering she’s now over 19 months}. Since I see this blog, at least in part, as a journal for our family, it seems like a good place to record updates on her development, her interests, etc. Plus, I have been HORRIBLE about updating her baby book, so having this information recorded somewhere makes me feel a little better.
E hit the 18-month milestone just before Christmas. Over the past couple months, she has really started to turn into a toddler, and she all of a sudden seems like an actual person {though miniature}, rather than a baby. She has such a unique little personality. At times, she is sweet, quiet, observant, and such a good listener/rule-follower. This seems to be the consistent report from her daycare teachers, who note that she doesn’t talk much when she’s there, is always helping clean up, and follows instructions better than any other child in her class. However, at home, she’s often wild and silly – she runs and jumps on the bed, screeches and makes the silliest noises, and loves to be the center of attention. She talks a lot, using a mixture of actual words and baby jibber jabber. She’s also become sassy and outright defiant at times – often telling us “no” or “mine” when things aren’t going her way.
She is a pretty good eater, and she’s usually willing to try just about anything we offer her. Her current favorites are berries {especially black, blue, and raspberries}, yogurt, broccoli, raw red peppers, lasagna, and anything sweet. She’s becoming pretty efficient with a fork and spoon. We also recently promoted her to a booster seat at the dining room table instead of her highchair, which is going well.
Her favorite activities are playing in her kitchen {especially pretending to wash her hands}, jumping on the bed, anything having to do with Elmo, painting and coloring, and reading. She’s always been OBSESSED with books, but recently she started reading aloud to herself and her stuffed animals. She doesn’t say actual words when reading aloud, but she makes various little noises in a particular rhythm as if she were actually reading. It is the sweetest thing ever. In general, she’s just a little busy body, constantly “doing stuff,” as we like to say.
She’s currently working on learning her colors. Her favorite so far seems to be purple, which was also the first one she learned to identify and say. She loves to spot purple items around the house, in books, or out and about and shout, “PURPLE!”
Of course, any update on E wouldn’t be complete without an update on her sleeping habits. Over the past few months, she has started falling asleep on her own at bedtime, which is amazing. We snuggle while she drinks her milk, brush her teeth, and sing a quick song before I tuck her in wide awake, and she then closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep as I leave her room. She was also sleeping through the night for a couple months, but after teething, traveling for the holidays, and an ear infection, she has consistently been winding up in our bed at some point during each night {as you may remember, she refuses to go back down in her crib after waking up in the middle of the night}. She’s been sleeping well in our bed without waking us up much, so for now I’m soaking up the extra snuggles and not worrying about crib training. I’m just happy that all three of us are getting some sound sleep for the first time in nearly two years.
I’m not big on New Year resolutions. In fact, I’m almost positive that I have never actually made one. However, as I get older, I’m recognizing the power, and importance, of setting goals for myself – especially personal goals, outside of work {I’ve got a lot of career goals, too}. Obviously, there’s no reason that goals/resolutions need to be made with each year, and frankly I think it’s a bit silly to wait until a new year comes to start working on something you want to tackle – why not start as soon as you think of it?
Regardless of these feelings, I do have a few goals/plans for 2016. Over the past few months, I’ve found myself particularly reflective on my life, and there are a few things that I’d like to focus on changing or expanding. By posting my goals here, my hope is that I will feel more accountable to actually follow through and make them happen. So, here goes…
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling 2016 to all. Cheers!
My most favorite holiday tradition that I’ve picked up from Dan’s family is St. Nick’s Day. Depending on where you live, there is a good chance that you’ve never even heard of St. Nick’s Day – I hadn’t until I moved to Wisconsin for college and met a bunch of people from the Milwaukee area. It’s popular in Europe, but not at all here in the States, with the exception of Milwaukee and a few other small pockets. Anyways, St. Nick’s Day is a day of celebration for Saint Nicholas, an actual bishop who was known for leaving coins in people’s shoes. If this sounds at all familiar, it’s because the modern day Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas, and he is why we fill stockings with candies and gifts at Christmas.
St. Nick’s Day is December 6th. The night before, St. Nick visits your home and leaves goodies in your stocking {just like Santa}. As a kid, emptying my stocking was always my favorite part of Christmas morning, so I absolutely love having a day dedicated to that particular tradition. As a mama, it’s also been a fun excuse to get a few small, more practical, gifts for Eloise.
With St. Nick’s less than a week away, I’ve been picking up little things here and there for E’s stocking. Below are a handful of items that she either already has and loves, or things that I’m planning to stuff her stocking with this year. Even if you don’t celebrate St. Nick’s Day, these will make great gifts for your littles on Christmas or any other upcoming holiday.
1. String Light Pajamas // 2. BabyLit’s A Christmas Carol
3. Where is Baby’s Christmas Present? // 4. Bracelets // 5. Bath Letters
6. Milk Bottle Cup // 7. Watercolors // 8. Mittens
9. Beanie // 10. Window Clings
Stay tuned for more holiday gift guides to come over the next few weeks!
Whoa. It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. Life has kind of been a whirlwind for me for the past couple of months. It seems like it all began when school started up again for Dan in the beginning of September and Ellie went back to daycare. Things haven’t necessarily been busier for us, but I’ve felt busier. After a long day at work, a 30+ minute commute {most days}, and the rush of spending an hour with Ellie before bath and bedtime, I am exhausted. When I finally get to my moments of “free time” after Ellie is down for the night, I find myself zoning out to one of my many obsessions on hulu or browsing my favorite blogs, rather than coming here to write. Even though I feel motivated to blog, and I have plenty of ideas for posts, I find myself simply lacking the energy to put my hands to the keyboard. So here I am, almost six weeks out from my last post. I’m feeling a burst of energy and drive {likely the result of my major excitement over the pending holiday season}, so I’m hoping to be around here a lot more often. But, I’m not making any promises.
So, a little update on us. As I mentioned, E is back at daycare. I have had such a love-hate relationship with the whole idea of daycare, and E’s specific daycare facility as well, since day one. I was FINALLY to the point where I was completely comfortable taking her there everyday, and she seemed so happy there, when it came time to pull her out for the Summer. After a couple months at home with Dan, it was like we were starting over. She had such a hard time adjusting to being back. She was in a new classroom, with new teachers, and a new daily routine. Every day for the first month back {at least} she cried when I dropped her off. Like sobbed. Right from the beginning, I could tell that she adored her teachers, but she was still having a hard time being away from us. We often got reports like, “she was a little sad today,” and we’d be happy just to hear, “she did ok.” Over time, she has started to do better and come out of her shell a bit. Most days, she doesn’t cry when I leave, but only if I hand her off to one of her teachers. She even started a new room this week, and has already been receiving glowing reviews.
Ellie’s sleeping is also getting significantly better. If you’ve been following along here for a while, you know that we have been through A LOT of sleepless nights and way too many early {like 4:30am, early} wake-ups. I am happy to report that she is now able to fall asleep on her own in her crib at bedtime, with no tears or fuss. She was also sleeping through the night consistently for a few weeks {even until 5:30am}, until she got sick last week and had a really hard time breathing while lying flat. Now, were back to least one long wake up at some point in the middle of the night, which almost always ends with her snuggled up between us in our bed. Despite this little hiccup, I’m feeling good about where she’s at and I’ve accepted that her sleep habits are going to keep changing periodically for the foreseeable future.
I have nothing new to report on Dan or I. We’re both plugging away at work, still trying to figure out the whole parent-professional-spouse balance. But things are good, were both so happy with where we’re at in life, and there’s not much more that we could ask for at this point. Cheers!
At the end of October {on Halloween, actually}, Ellie will be acting as flower girl in one of my best friends’ wedding. The wedding’s theme is somewhat of a vintage spin on traditional autumn decor, with a bit of a Halloween influence {think apothecary jars, natural crystals, and bold autumn colors like mustard and copper}. The bridal party will be mostly in shades of grey, with a little tan and brown mixed in.
When the bride saw Ellie’s one-year photos, she asked if she could wear the same feather crown for the wedding. Obviously, I said yes, and I began to put together an outfit around the crown, taking into consideration the vintage-feel of the wedding decor. The final outfit is an ideal mix of vintage & sparkle {and I think she’s going to look like a little woodland nymph, which is perfect because the bride has always said that E looks like a little fairy}.
1. Feather Crown // 2. Dress {here, in grey} // 3. Houndstooth Cape
4. Cable Knit Tights // 5. Ballet Flats
After a two week hiatus, I’M BACK! The end of September was a little rough for us. Work was crazy busy, Ellie and Dan were both sick, and I feel like I’ve been getting even less sleep than usual lately. After a long day at work, chasing E around all evening, and then fighting to get her to bed at night, I was lacking the motivation and creativity to plan and execute new blog posts. Now that I’ve kicked that “meh” feeling, I’ve found a new burst of energy going into the Fall and the soon-to-be-here holiday season. I’ve got a lot of fun posts planned for October, so hopefully I’ll be popping up over here more often.
This weekend, we did all sorts of traditional Fall things. On Saturday morning, we headed to a local apple orchard to pick apples with our friends, Kelsey and Mike, and their daughter, Avery. It was about 55 degrees, but it was cloudy and windy, so it felt much cooler. Because of the chilly weather, our trip was relatively short, and the girls didn’t really get the chance to run around and play as we had hoped. Maybe we’ll just have to try again another weekend, if it gets a bit warmer again.
On Saturday afternoon, I baked pumpkin zucchini chocolate chip bread following this AH-MAZ-ING recipe. {As a side note, if you haven’t heard of Ambitious Kitchen, you have to check it out. We’ve loved all of the recipes that we’ve tried, and she has a ton of suggestions on substituting healthy ingredients. Almost everything is kid-friendly, too.}
While the bread was baking, I spent a little time updating our decor for Fall. I don’t get super in to holiday decorations {except for Christmas, of course}, but I do like to make a few small changes with each season.
pumpkin cheesecake candle // copper terrarium // faux deer bust
For lunch on Sunday, we went to Empty Bowls Milwaukee, an event that raises money for nonprofit organizations that fight to alleviate hunger in the Milwaukee area. In exchange for a $20 donation, you get to select a handmade ceramic bowl {all of which have been donated by local artists and various other organizations}, which you then get to fill up with two servings of soup. There were over twenty Milwaukee-area restaurants there offering up some pretty tasty options. It was a fun event for a great local cause.
And, of course, on Sunday afternoon we watched the Packers game. We spent the afternoon over at my in-laws’, eating spaghetti and apple crisp. It was the perfect way to end the weekend – especially since the Packers won.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be collaborating with my good friend, Kelsey, on a series of posts aimed at helping new mamas navigate early parenthood. Kelsey had her daughter, Avery, six months before E was born, and she was a great resource for me during my pregnancy and the early weeks of E’s life. We are certainly not experts on the subject, but we were the first of our friends to have babies, and we know a few expectant mamas now who’ve had some questions for us. So, we decided it might be helpful to organize our thoughts into a few blog posts.
First up, we’ve put together some advice to get you through those first few months after baby is born. There’s no doubt that newborns are A LOT of work. Those first months are kind of a daze, with the lack of sleep, crazy hormones, and constant new experiences. Emotionally, it can be really hard on you, but hopefully these few tips can help get you through.
1. Take it one day (or hour) at a time.
This might sound cliche, but during newborn mania, it is an absolute must. At times, you are going to feel so overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, etc. When you are feeling this way, it’s easy and natural to flip into full-on panic mode, thinking, “how am I ever going to get through this?” This was a huge problem for me, because I tend to be a catastrophizer – I always jump to the worst conclusions. But, whether baby’s in the midst of an hours-long crying spell, refusing to sleep at night, having a hard time breastfeeding, or sick with a first cold, it’s important to take a minute to calm yourself. Make a plan to get you through that day. Then the next morning, make a plan for that day. And so on. Breaking things down and taking them even an hour at a time will help you keep your cool and make it through the difficult hours and days.
2. Accept that it’s going to be hard, and you may not be able to “fix” everything.
Despite the advice above, sometimes, you can’t make a plan. Sometimes, there is no explanation for what’s going on with baby, other than “that’s what babies do” {or “that’s what your baby does”}, and there is nothing you can do. For example, the “witching hour.” This is pretty common amongst newborns – it’s when your sweet little cherub turns into a screaming, psychotic mess around the same time everyday, sometimes for hours at a time. For us, this happened every night for about a month and a half, from roughly 8 p.m. to whenever E would finally pass out {anywhere from 9 p.m. to midnight}. As a mom, listening to your helpless little newborn wailing away for hours is the absolute worst, especially when there is nothing you can do to calm them. I spent hours on the internet reading articles, blogs, and forums, looking for some magical cure. And guess what? NOTHING worked. Eventually, I realized that there was nothing I could do, but hold her, try to make her comfortable, nurse her, and hand her over to Dan when I needed a break. She was just going to cry. This was SO hard to deal with, night after night, but over time, she grew out of it. The sooner you learn to accept that babies are weird and difficult at times {or pretty much all the time, in E’s case}, the better it will be for your sanity. {Note: we have also gone through this same process of acceptance with E’s sleep habits, which is still an ongoing issue at 15-months, despite having tried nearly every approach out there – more on this here}.
Keep in mind, if baby is doing something that concerns you {like crying uncontrollably}, always check with your pediatrician, because something could be wrong. If not, at least confirming that with a doctor can put your mind at ease.
*A side note on crying: When we were first dealing with E’s witching hour, my dad told us, “I kind of like when babies cry – that’s just how they express themselves.” Thinking about it this way actually really helped me to cope with my emotions and frustrations during E’s crying spells.
3. Ask for help.
Face it: A LOT of new moms are reluctant to ask for help. You feel like as a mother, you should be able to take care of your baby on your own, as well as do all of the other things you did before baby. But during the early days, being willing to accept help from anyone who offers it, and make sure to ask if you need more. Things will not always be able to be as clean, organized, or timely as you may like, but ask for help so that you can at least find the right balance. Help can come in many forms. In the early days, friends and family can bring you meals or stop by to help you clean your house. When baby is a little older, maybe you’ll just need someone to drop by to watch baby for a few hours while you run errands, pamper yourself, or head out for a date night. Figure out what it is that you need, and ask for it!
For Kelsey, it was cleaning. Her home is always spotless and perfectly organized. When she first went back to work after having Avery, the last thing she wanted to do when she got home each night was clean and pick-up her house – she wanted to enjoy time with her family. But, she couldn’t stand being in a messy house – it was impossible for her to ignore. Someone suggested to her that she could hire someone to come to her house for a few hours every-other week to clean for a pretty reasonable fee. As soon as she did that, she was able to focus on her family and felt so much better.
4. Think about “the grand scheme of things.”
Life with a baby or toddler is generally exhausting, and it can be pretty stressful at times. I don’t remember the last time I got a full night of sleep {even being away from E}. It also can be hard to adjust to the lack of free time. It’s important to keep these less-than-ideal parts of early parenthood in perspective though, because the early years are also some of the most exciting – baby is constantly changing, growing, and learning new things. “In the grand scheme of things,” this period of 2-3 years is so short when compared to the rest of your life. Try to focus on the positives and not dwell on the negatives. If something happens with baby or your significant other that truly isn’t that big of a deal, don’t let it become one.
5. Make quality time // be present.
I imagine that this is hard for most parents of my generation. We are constantly on the go {or sucked into our phones or computers}, and we always have an endless list of things that we need to get done. But, those things can wait. Whether you’re spending time as a family, alone with baby, or just you and your significant other, make a point to focus on the time that you have and make it special. Get off of your phone, iPad, whatever and just BE PRESENT. You can check your social media accounts/work/shop/etc. after baby goes to sleep. This will help you build a better connection with baby and show them that they are more important to you than your phone. Again, this time truly does go by so fast, and you really don’t want to miss anything. Even if it is just an afternoon of stacking blocks and reading books.
6. Remember, you’re an amazing mama.
There are so many resources out there that can help you navigate parenthood – books, blogs, forums, etc. Just hop on goggle and you can find a TON of information on any subject within seconds. With all of these resources come a lot of different approaches and opinions on every facet of parenting – breastfeeding, sleeping, discipline, etc. Nearly every topic has at least two sides, some have several. All these options can put us mamas in a hard place – what’s the best approach?
Take sleep-training for example. Some resources say that you have to let baby’s learn to self-soothe {which often involves at least some form of crying-it-out}, or she will never be able to sleep on her own and be completely dependent on you. Other resources say that you should nurture baby, and that letting them cry-it-out will teach them they can’t rely on you and damage their self-esteem. Well, both of these alleged outcomes are pretty scary. What’s a mama to do?
Go with what works for you. Consider your pediatrician’s advice, read others’ thoughts online if you want, but make the decision that seems best to you. You know yourself and your baby best, and you are more than equipped to make the right decision for your family. And once you’ve made your decision, don’t let other mamas {or non-mamas} make you feel like you’re doing the wrong thing. What works for one family might not work for another. You’ll figure it out.
{Photo by Amelia Coffaro.}
the pios 