baby girl

TGIF!

Ah Friday….again haha. Looks like all I can manage right now are Friday posts…. I don’t know if it’s because we are wrapping up a huge renovation downstairs, or if it’s because I am pregnant, or because every day my toddler seems to have more and more energy. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. I am friggin’ exhausted! Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Jumping on here to write a post every couple days has just been impossible it seems. Not going to lie, I have had the best of intentions. Sometimes the day just manages to fly by though and there is not enough time. Tonight however I have managed to convert my mindless perusing on Pinterest into a collection of Friday Favourites to share with you. My mind is on babies and sunshine right now so they generally all are taking on that direction!

This Learning Tower is so awesome! I think we are a tiny bit early for Hallie but soon enough, this will be perfect for her! She can stand right up to the kitchen counter and ‘help me’ bake and be apart of the kitchen action. Perfect for water play in the sink as well. If we had it now though I am scared it would be used as a climbing apparatus and we would quickly have tears and broken bones!

This site here has some amazing ideas for creating all sorts of fun in the yard for kiddos this summer. My absolute favourite is the outdoor kitchen. I love the one side of the sink with dirt and the other with water and all the tools and pots and pans you need right there on hand.I can see Hallie making a big muddy mess and having a ton of fun doing it! All outside where the dirt belongs and clean up is a dream.

Speaking of being outdoors in the sunshine, this romper/sandal combo has stolen my heart! Is it not the sweetest little boho toddler outfit you have ever seen!? I happen to know a little lady who could pull it off perfectly. Yum! This Little Arrows Romper also gets me in the feels but I think it might be more for a newborn or at least a bit younger than my wild woman…. we will find out Monday though if a little lady or a little gentleman will join us in July so lets not cross it off the list just yet!

Onto newborn babies, I am obsessed with Little Unicorn Swaddle Blankets. They have the sweetest prints for tiny babes. I find it impossible to settle on just one. I am personally in love with the Garden Rose Set and the Berry Lemonade Set – hello summer!

This hanging cradle would be so perfect with the new baby when the weather turns warm. We have a large covered back patio and it’s a spring project to really baby proof it and set it up so that we can spend many afternoons out there, should the sweltering heat permit. I think it would be so sweet to have a peaceful rocking cradle just hanging there for babes number two while Hallie and I busy ourselves on the deck. Might have to draft up a little design for hubby to make me one!

Lastly, I love this idea of a Busy Board. Can’t decide it it’s too young for Hallie or too advanced for the new baby, probably both! Either way though I like it and I think someone will benefit from it, hopefully both. I keep wanting to say ‘the girls’! Ah!!!! MONDAY CAN’T COME QUICK ENOUGH! I have no patience left. Need to know if this baby is a boy or a girl now! I know, all you surprise lovers are just hating me right now.

Happy Friday friends! Here is a summer shot just for fun, since we are dreaming of all this sunshine.

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Meeting Santa Clause!

Last year when we went to meet Santa, my precious newborn babe didn’t even stay awake. She fell asleep on route to see him and we waited until we were second in line to sit on his knee to wake her. She remained awake for all of one minute and then fell asleep again. It’s still a darling picture but she is very much asleep. This year, I had no idea what to expect. Judging by how emotional my girl can be (she slightly takes after her mother there) I was thinking it would probably not be a positive experience. I braced myself for tears and screams. So all dolled up in our Christmas plaid, we set out to meet Santa Clause. The Kamloops North Pole set up at the mall was great. They did a very good job. The Santa, though he be a little on the skinny side, was wonderful too. In my opinion, with Santa, the ‘jollier’ and chubbier the better. But he was great. Hallie however was very unsure of the entire process. There were no tantrums or meltdowns or tears. It was actually just awkward. She was frozen like a statue on his lap and had this funny look on her face. Not quite a smile or frown. Just awkward. She even gave a very uncomfortable wave to the camera. No matter what happens it is still a very special moment for parents and we loved every minute of it. It’s not every day your child really meets Santa for the first time! At least she was coherent this year. =) Children really have a way of making this time of year so extra special. I can’t wait to experience the many more ahead of us. Merry Christmas Hallie!

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Furry Girl eyeing up my Hot Cocoa….
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First Birthday For My Baby Girl

It feels like forever since I have written a post; it has just been too busy lately! Between Thanksgiving, ongoing home renovations, a teething baby who doesn’t sleep anymore, and a trip back to Vancouver, free time has been non-existent. I keep waiting for things to quiet down but really that is just not this family’s style. We thrive on the chaos I suppose….
Like I said we just came back from visiting family in friends in Vancouver. The trip to the Coast was for two main reasons. First reason is that I refuse to let go of my relationship with my doctor and Hallie was due for her one year appointment. I know that one day soon I will need to find a doctor in Kamloops but really, my doctor in North Vancouver is just so awesome. I love her and Hallie loves her so we are having a difficult time moving on. With that being said, we had to get Hallie’s one year immunizations done and it made sense to tie it into the trip! I am such a mean mommy though; I scheduled them for her actual birthday! Needless to say it was a bit of an emotional day. Considering it was four needles, my kid took it like a champ! I probably cried more than her. She had been teething badly all week long too so Friday quickly turned into a bit of an Advil day for my sweet girl. The second reason for our trip was to celebrate her FIRST BIRTHDAY! How is it possible my baby is one already? The year went by so quickly. Now my little baby is a toddler! Even Hubs can’t believe it so it’s not just a mom-thing.

So the birthday party….. man did I get a shock on this one! I have had my share of parties and many of them a little overwhelming. I have planned parties and events through work for many years and usually have a steady head on my shoulders. (meaning I can handle all of the stress!) Even at nine months pregnant I threw my own baby shower which was very busy and long and energetic… still, I kept calm hah! I did remain calm yesterday but it was a challenge! My mom’s house is on the tiny side. Many people didn’t RSVP either so as people poured into her little living room, with ALL of their kids, things got squishy very quickly. Hyper children everywhere. Plus a couple round Hallie’s age who are not solid walkers yet still want to play with the big kids so basically they are just tripping hazards. Throw in a couple of newborns and maybe 20 adults – then we have a party! (Insert moment to chug white wine here!). Luckily, most of the adults were those that have kids and didn’t seem to be too concerned. I THINK everyone had a good time but they could just be polite and secretly avoid all calls, texts and future party invitations from me. I am sure most of them are cursing me for hosting such a zoo of a birthday party but oh well. That is what happens when you don’t live here and have to host the party at your mother’s! =) In  the end, it was all worth it to see my baby smile!

About that baby!…. Hallie skipped napping entirely before the party. She did sleep in until 10 AM so I figured it would be okay. I was very wrong. Really, the only thing she was content doing was crawling outside to the yard where the big kids were playing. Her highlight of the day was sitting in the dirt. MY CHILD WAS FILTHY!!!! I salvaged the tutu and cream fur vest but the gold and white leggings were disgusting. Every time I tried to redirect her attention inside to people or other shiny objects, she would scream bloody murder. So back out in the dirt she went. If you can’t get dirty on your birthday when can you?! We also decided quickly that cake would happen outside. That was the best damn idea of the day! From then on, things relaxed a bit, or at least I did (perhaps the wine?) and I finally got to catch up with some friends. All in all, despite the chaos and stress of entertaining, it was a great day.

Happy birthday my sweet Hallie Marie! You are a wild child and I would not have that any other way. We love you to the moon and back and can’t wait to see how you grow this year! Love Mom & Dad! XOXOXO

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Oh yes AFTER haha… The poor baby fells asleep when I was trying to feed her dinner. Out cold. I like the comparison of the two pictures!

Who Needs To Nap When There Are Cookies 

Ah Mondays…. I remember that in every professional position that I have ever had, Mondays are always one for the books. It’s hard to shake off the weekend and get your head back in the game. Now I find that being a mom, it is no different. Mondays are hit or miss. Sometimes they rock, sometimes they are disguised as satin himself in the form of my darling little girl. This Monday my friends, was one of those days. Of course by DAY, I mean it all started at three am. I think we were awake from three until six and that also included momma attempting to sleep on the nursery floor for a good hour. There was no pain, no hunger and no wet diapers, just a whole lot of playtime dance party fun. For one. Eventually at daybreak we both drifted off to sleep, HARD. My sweet husband woke up with her somewhere around eight and I continued to sleep until ten. Bless his heart. We somehow managed to make it on time to our Tiny Tunes sing along at the library at ten thirty when the insane behaviour continued. Rather than adhere to the rules of sitting in a circle and happily sing Incy Wincy Spider, my little angel preferred to scramble around the room, steal other baby’s toys and hide shoes. If I wasn’t so tired it would have been comical but this momma was slightly sleep deprived! I digress…. We arrive home only to discover that nap time is not in the cards for the day – someone is opting out of nap time. Instead a giant sh#t occured – one of those ones where you reach over to discover ONE LAST WIPE on hand. I refasten the mess so that I can run to the other room and grab reinforcements. Upon my return I find my sweet little girl with her hand firmly jammed in the side of her diaper, twirling her poop in a sleepy daze. I can’t help but think this situation really could have been avoided. Once all cleaned up, the only thing I feel like doing is making cookies. Gooey chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. So that is what we did. I made cookies and Hallie made a giant mess of toys in my kitchen. On the plus side, I discovered a fantastic recipe! Rather than talk about yumminess in the same area as poop though, I will include a post and pictures next for the next time you have one of those ‘Mondays’ and need a cookie break. Cheers to the week ahead friends!

Some cuteness to redeem herself…..
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Nine Month Favourites For Baby

Nine months was such a fun time with my baby. There is so much happening in a baby’s development at this age. We were still enjoying the fruits of a hot summer when Hallie was nine months old so fortunately, we spent most of this age outdoors. So much time outdoors helped in two ways. Hallie was motoring around crawling, and also trying to walk so being outside doing both of these things allowed her to explore and feel things like grass and dirt, pretty exciting stuff for a kid! All of this time in the fresh air also helped with tiring my energetic babe out. Nine months old was actually a great time for sleep (now enter 11 months where she has no idea what the heck sleep is, nor does she wish to try it out). Below are my favourite items that I found most valuable at this age.
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Little Tykes Swing – This swing is awesome! It was the first thing I did in our new home when we arrived. Located the perfect tree in the backyard and hung this bad boy up. Pro: We can swing whenever we want. My favourite time is after dinner/before bed, while the weather is still nice. Con: It really takes away from the excitement of going to the baby swings at the park. I guess when Hallie is walking we will be able to do more at the local playgrounds and that excitement will return.
Footless Sleepers – I have an exceptionally long baby and even if I buy two sizes too big, sleepers seem to run a little short on her long legs. Footless I have quickly learned it the way to go. I am obsessed with Hanna Anderson sleepers, especially the festive ones for Halloween. Cannot wait to get my hands on some Christmas themed ones!
V-Tech Sit-To-Stand Learning Walker – Like I said, my sweet girl is trying her hardest to get going on the whole walking thing. This walker allows her to do just that, she loves it. She surprises herself quite a bit when she really gets moving on it too!
Baby Oragel – This one speaks for it self. We cut two teeth in the nine month period and this baby was a life saver, for everyone involved.
Babies R Us Snack Cups – These are reusable and are actually great quality! I am still using them. Perfect for some goldfish on the go or when we head out to the park to have lunch. Also perfect for today’s current eating habit: When Hallie refuses to finish her food and I need to pop it into the fridge in hopes of serving it for the next meal!
Baby Bjourn Potty – I know. It’s too early. But there is nothing wrong with getting her used to it. We ‘use’ the potty after meals and she has christened it four times now. I know that the road of potty training is a long one but maybe we can get a head start.
Coleman Cooler – Like I said before, we were spending a lot of time outside at this age. I bought a larger cooler to take on our park adventures because I still had to keep milk and lunch cool from the heat. This one in particular was a favourite – Go Steelers!
Vichy Sunscreen for Infants – There are a lot of opinions about sunscreen for babies. I found Vichy to not only be great for her but also for me.
Sun Shade – I bought this sun shade and it is perfect for the beach and park. It is even relatively simple for one person to set up on their own. Saved us on many hot and sunny days!

What are your favourite products to use at this age? I will be adding this post to the full list of favourites located here and continuing with ten, eleven and twelve months very soon. I can’t believe it has almost been a full year!

Hot Summer Days On The Westcoast

If you are living anywhere in B.C. right now, you certainly know about the crazy hot temperatures that we are getting lately. It has been smoking’ hot for quite some time! We have been back and forth from the Coast to Kamloops as well and it does not feel all that different no matter where we go. (more…)

Home Renovations Continue

And we are still going over here with all the chaotic renovations. It’s been non-stop for the last couple weeks and exhaustion seems to be a common theme in this house. Grandma has been so helpful by coming over on certain days to entertain Hallie but since she can’t be here all the time, the days are full on. (more…)

Home Renovations & Getting Ready To List

Holy moly have we been living in chaos! We finally decided that we will get our home ready to list. This meant a full paint job throughout the entire house, minor projects here & there, and ripping out the main floor flooring. (more…)

5 & 6 Month Favourites For Baby

Baby Girl is 6 months old! Okay, she was a couple of weeks ago… but that allowed for us to truly see what her favourites are in the big bad world of baby goods. It was a challenge to keep the list slim but a few things stood out more than others for sure. (more…)

Nursery Planning Obsessions

I was just working on something for a friend of mine and became very nostalgic! She is having a baby this summer (a little girl!) and had asked me to gather some nursery planning ideas for her. (more…)