Mama and Little Collab

A few months ago I discovered the amazing Mama and Little teething jewelry.  I had basically given up hope on ever wearing any sort of necklace again since Emi started teething.  Since she was born I had been wearing my favorite Christmas gift from last year (three days before Emilia arrived!), a sweet "e" initial on a dainty silver chain from my hubs, but turns out dainty necklace and crazy, active, kind of nutsy baby do not go together.  So, like I said, I had given up hope.

Enter Mama and Little.  I ordered my first necklace, the Anna, and Emi absolutely loved it.  I promptly ordered one for my best friend to give to her at her baby shower.  I had to share the love.  Mama and Little's jewelry is so much cuter than any other teething jewelry I've come across. The colors are completely on point.  And the styles are far from the typical "teething necklace" look.  Not to mention they are made of 100% food-grade silicone, dishwasher safe, and made with a breakaway safety clasp.  Do you need more?!?

Emilia and I "met" Arlene of Mama and Little through Instagram and were so honored when she chose us to take some photos for her new website!  Seriously.  Go order these adorable necklaces and bracelets now! When I say I wear one literally every day, I am not exaggerating.

Here are some of the photos we took for mamaandlittle.  You can find all her amazing designs at www.mamaandlittle.com

Lexi Necklace in Bubblegum and Linda Bracelet in Bubblegum

Jess Necklace and Finley Bracelet in Milk

9 Months Old

When I pictured myself as a mom, I always imagined having a nine month old.  Before I had a baby of my own, nine months just seemed like a great age.  And now that I have a nine month old, I can say that this age definitely does not disappoint.  Emilia is fiercely independent and very interactive.  I feel like the loneliness of being a new stay at home mom is completely cured because now Emilia talks back and wants to have dance parties and is truly my little friend.  Nine months has really been the most fun stage with Emilia.

Emi now weighs 16 pounds 11 ounces, which is still on the small side (around the 25th percentile) and is getting much longer, coming in at almost 28 inches, which is close to the 50th percentile!  She's growing really well, even though she's definitely on the smaller side (which every old person in my little town loves to point out at the grocery store!), it looks to me from her measurements she's shaping up to be a lot like her mama.

My girl has accomplished some pretty amazing things in the last month.  She can climb stairs on her own... and fast.  She stands up on her own without any help and can stand unassisted for really long periods of time.  Emilia walks very confidently around the furniture or with help and now takes one-two steps on her own going back and forth between Dan and I.  She bounces on her own on the big girl trampoline at gymnastics... it's actually pretty amazing.  The best part is she just did it on her own.  Each baby takes a turn on the trampoline and most kids just kind of sit there or crawl around so I was shocked (and... not going to lie... so proud) when Emilia let go of my hands and bounced all on her own with a huge smile on her face.  Yeah, girl, I thought it was pretty cool, too.  And of course, she dances.  She somehow picked up that Dan and I snap a lot, so she thinks she can snap.  I constantly catch her in the rearview mirror snapping along to the music in her carseat. 

Emilia also is a big talker and says quite a few words.  Her current vocabulary includes mama, daddy, doggy, otay, and hiiiiiiiiii.  She claps (mostly at her own accomplishments), waves bye, and, of course, shakes her head no... to every question I ask.  It probably comes as no surprise that I talk to her A LOT during the day.  Her doctor was super impressed at how many words she can say, but I quickly chimed in that I never shut up, so it was bound to happen.

My absolute favorite part of this age is her imagination.  Emi plays so incredibly well by herself.  She can normally be found in her "fort" in between the coffee table and sectional.  She takes all the pillows off the couch and takes her baby, Stella, in there and plays.  I literally found her in there the other night reading a baby version of the Bible to Stella.  This was after Stella was getting majorly in trouble and totally lectured earlier that same day.  I could not even make this stuff up if I tried.  She's going to be a great mom haha!

I am so grateful I started this blog, because even though I'm sure it seems to some like a major brag sesh about my amazing daughter ;), it has truly become our "baby book."  I've found myself describing being a mom as having your heart outside of your body.  That's what I want to remember, especially about this age.  Emilia is getting more independent and though I do stay home with her, she is starting to spend a little more time without me, whether it be at her "class" at my women's bible study group, or with a babysitter for a few hours.  I'm fiercely protective of her.  But I know the value in letting her grow into her own person.  She is my heart outside of my body.  It's such a vulnerable experience.  It's being a mom.  And I love it. 

Hump Day.

It's 7 am.  I'm looking at the clock.  Emilia is in bed with me.  We are snuggling, but she is definitely restless.  She's going to wake up.  I don't want her to wake up yet.  Bad mom.  Maybe if I stick a boob in it, she'll sleep to 7:30.  Yes.  That's what I'll do.

And we are up.  No use staying in bed because that means I'll just have to catch my baby by the ankles 25 times as she attempts to crawl away and fall off the bed.  Don't worry, she hasn't fallen off yet.  OK, Emilia, let's get up and go watch Good Morning America. 

Dogs out.  Dogs barking.  Dogs in. Oh good, the guest bathroom door was open.  Oh good, they're eating the trash.  I'll pick that up later.  At least they're entertained.  Should I feel bad that they don't get as much attention now that I have a baby?  No.  I shouldn't.  Because they're really bad.  And they have each other.  Boris, please don't hump your brother.  UGH.

Iced coffee please.  Oh good, Steals and Deals on GMA. Holy cow?! 65% off?! I want it all.  Oh wait, I don't work anymore.  No more shopping online.  But seriously, those personalized waterproof bags would be such good Christmas gifts.  For myself.  I'll text my mom.  OMG Deals and Steals today, right?!?

It's 9 am.  Yay!  Kelly and Michael are on! Gotta change the channel.  Gotta change the channel.  Seriously, I will never get over how Kelly and Michael are not on ABC up here.  What the heck?  It's like I'm living in some alternate universe.  Emi, do you have the remote?!  I'm probably ruining my baby with too much morning tv.  But Kelly and Michael are my friends.  It would be way too quiet in here without them.  I'll just turn the high chair around. 

Eat some Puffs while I get your yogurt Emi!!!! Seriously?! They are all on the floor.  Did you even eat one? Dogs in... I wonder what a serving size of Puffs is anyway? Oh my gosh.  Seriously?  75 puffs?  So Emi literally had like .000001% of a serving.  That's like negative 50 calories.  I better get this yogurt in her stat.

Nap time! Nap time! Nap time!  I should do laundry.  Or pick up the trash from the dogs.  I'm super tired though.  Emi was awake like 4 times last night... I think... I actually don't even remember when I wake up anymore.  It's like sleep-momming.  Screw it.  Instagram.  Damn... these moms and their perfectly edited, over-exposed pictures.  Why are you so perfect?  Is this what it's like to be a high schooler today with social media?  Is that why they always comment, ur soooo perfect bae??? Oh my gosh.  I get it now.  Sooo much sense.

Oh shoot.  She's still sleeping.  We gotta get ready for baby gymnastics.  But if I shower, she'll wake up and then I'll have to run out and grab her with shampoo in my hair and naked or something.  That's OK.... I can get ready in 45 minutes now... 35 minutes.... oh crap, 20 minutes.  We gotta go Emi! We gotta go! Gymnastics time!!!!! 

Aaaaaand we made it.  Baby gymnastics is basically like Sorority Rush for stay at home mommies.  Except without the matching American Apparel shirts.  And the singing.  Well, actually, with the singing.  Just a little less If You Wanna Be My Sister to the tune of Spice Girls and more Shake My Sillies Out. This song is seriously so catchy... I'm gonna shake, shake, shake my sillies out.  

Oh gosh.  That mom is totally going to ask for my number after class.  I'm really not into her.  I don't want a play date with that mom.  Maybe I'll just take her number instead and like, not text her.  Ugh.  That definitely won't work.  I see her like every week here.  Then I'll be, like, the bitchy, elitist sorority that doesn't give anyone who isn't rich and gorgeous a bid.  That's not me.  I'm like the sporty, well-liked sorority that has all the cool nice girls.  If, you know, sporty means, wearing a Lululemon top, yoga pants, and Nike's to baby gymnastics even though I definitely did not work out today.  And well-liked means having like 3 friends.  Ugh... I need more friends.  Yeah, sure, we should totally have a play date.  Here's my number!

On our way home.... You can go to sleep if you want my sweet girl.  

Ten minutes from home... OK, nevermind, please don't fall asleep now, Em.

Two seconds from home... STAY AWAKE! WOOHOO! PARTAY!!!! GIRLS ON MINNIE'S STREET KNOOOOOOWWW! Aaaaaand... you're asleep.

Pull into driveway... And you're awake.  Awesome.  That was literally a 2 minute nap.  How are you so sprightly and energized? You were asleep for literally 2 minutes. 

Maybe she'll go back to sleep?  I mean, it never happens, but maybe today is the day?  Let's go to the boobie bar, sweet girl.  Awww, so sweet, she's petting my arm fat.  OK, wow, I need to clip her nails.  And she's scratching.  She's scratching my arm, but her eyes are closed.  You can do this Caitlin.  Am I bleeding? Whatever, it's worth it.  I think she's asleep.  I'll just sneak into her room and lay her.... damnit.  It never works.  Seriously, how are your eyes so big, Emi? It's like you're mocking me with your big, round, wide open eyeballs.  Ughh, fine! Let's go play!

It is way too quiet in here.  When does Ellen come back?  Ooo!  Elsa, is totally joining Once Upon a Time.  I'm going to rewatch in preparation. Netflix time! Holy smokes, those trolls are so terrifying.  Look over here! Look over here! We are playing! Lalalalalala! I wonder when Dan is coming home?

Yes! Daddy is home!  Here.  Hold her.  I've had to pee since 10:45 am.  Oh my gosh, how was work? Great.  Why don't you get her some dinner while I cook? Yeah, I know she throws like all of the puffs on the floor.  Boris! Simon!

Let's take a bath.  A bubbly wubbly bath.  Seriously, those Disney Junior songs are so catch.  Emi! Stay on your booty please!

Ahhhhhh.... we made it.  I should just go to sleep.  Today was seriously so exhausting.  If I went to sleep now, I could get like 10 hours of sleep.  That would be amazing.  I would be like the most amazing woman tomorrow.  But then I've had like seriously no alone time.  I'll just watch some tv.  Awesome.  Behind the making of Frozen.  Ugh, seriously, these Instagram moms are so perfect. Who has time to turn a pancake into a cute little fishy with cheerio bubbles? And how do they even have money for all these little hipster baby clothes? They stay at home too! I don't get it. 

Crap... it's midnight. And everyone's asleep.  I did it.  Hump Day is over.  One day closer to the weekend.  Which really means nothing anymore.

 Here is a real.life pic of Emi and I cuddling in the morning caught by my fabulous husband.  It's edited to protect your eyeballs.  But all the brightening in the world doesn't hide my horrendous roots.  Hashtag real life yo.  XOXO, Caitlin

 

Baby Gates, Bumped Heads, and A Lot of Iced Coffee... Emi is 7...oops... 8 Months Old

August 28, 2014

July 28, 2014

I blinked and my baby went from 6 months old, to 8 months old.  Oops! It probably has a lot to do with the fact that she learned to crawl, stand up, balance, cruise, and walk with help in the last two months.  It has literally been insane, but both Emi and I have been SO much happier now that she can get herself where she wants to be.  I've only heard how hard it is when they become mobile, and I have to say, it's made my life so much easier. I'll let you know if I feel the same way when she takes off walking on her own, but for now, crawling, standing, cruising Emilia is a happy Emilia. And a happy Emilia is a happy mama.

Emilia is full of personality.  Every fiber of her 15.5 pound body is made up of a combination of tenacity, humor, and determination.  The other day at Target, Emilia insisted on "holding" the 12 pack of paper towels.  When I say insisted, I don't mean she threw a fit when I put them in the back of the cart... that's not her style.  She simply turned around in her seat and tried to lift said 12-pack back into her little section.  After a few attempts, I just let her hold the damn paper towels.  I mean, once she had them, there is no way she'd want to keep them, right? Well not only did she hold those paper towels the whole Target trip, every time someone walked by our cart, she flopped to the side and made this face, which I believe translates to, "Help! My parents are crushing me with a 12-pack of store-brand quicker picker uppers!" Yeah, tenacious, hilarious, and determined.  That's my girl.

Since Emi has been crawling, she graduated from her baby gymnastics class to the "explorer" class filled with teeny tiny crawlers and walkers. I am consistently blown away by how fast she picks up on things.  The first week, Emi was quiet and observed every.single.thing that was going on.  We've been going for about a month now and she jumps on the trampoline on her own, can climb up the ladder, hangs from a bar (which is by far my favorite thing to watch... it is hilarious), and is able to grab a swinging ring mid-air and hold on.  She has amazing coordination and determination. She really admires the bigger girls in the class and I can see that she tries to emulate them.  It's not only sweet, but very impressive, because some of those skills are way beyond her age.  This video isn't the best quality, and she's progressed to hanging on her own now, but how cute is this little monkey??

Emilia also has quite the vocabulary.  She calls Dan "dada" and me nothing.  Haha, oh being a mama ;)  She says "hiiiii" and has said "papa" to my dad quite a few times, which is the cutest.  My absolute favorite new word is "otay!" She says "otay" at remarkably appropriate times, including when I told her to take her bunny and play by herself when she was being a wild child during nap time.  It went something like, Me: Fine, Emi! Take your honey bunny and go play by yourself! I'm done! (Parenting win, right there.) Emi: OTAY! Yeah, not the response I expected, Miss Independent.  I have been determined to teach her pretty, which was my first word beside mama and dada (explains a lot, no?), but so far we only get a "ttt" :)

I love this girl with all my heart, and being her mama is my jam.  I can see her personality developing each and every day.  To say she is feisty would be an understatement.  Emilia knows exactly what she wants and is determined to get it.  She listens to me for the most part, but is known to furrow her brow and look me straight in the eyes with her big baby blues, as if to say "Really? We are going to play this way?" I adore her and see so much of myself in her. She is inquisitive, funny, and smart (see... all me... just kidding!).  But, truly, watching her grow into a little person has been the highlight of my life thus far.

Until next month... xoxo!

6 Months Old!

July 14, 2014

Six.point.five Months

We are a little behind with our 6 month post!  So many exciting things going on in the Gluvers' household, so we've been busy!  But, we have some very fun things to report and, of course, some adorable pictures to share!

June 28, 2014

Mom forgot my 6 month sticker. Great job, Mom

We spent Emi's half birthday with my family in beautiful Sunset Beach, where my parents rented a beach house for the week of the 4th! Emi was so at home at the beach. We had so much fun spending our days outside in the cool ocean air.  Her and I are a lot alike in that we both do not do well in the heat. I melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, and Emi sweats and then becomes a slippery mess.  Not to mention, I had forgotten how adorable Emilia looks in actual p.j.'s.

She kind of hated the big waves

So scary, Mom

She adored playing in her fishy tent.  We've been making forts at home ever since.

Twin profiles and I love it

P.J. Pic

Adore my family.  Happy 4th.

 A lot of firsts are happening over here these days!  Emilia got her first tooth last week.  After what seemed like two months of non-stop teething, a teeny tiny, razor sharp tooth poked through last Tuesday the 8th.  I have never been so excited, until she immediately started biting everyone in sight.  Hey, you gotta take it on a test drive right?! 

Emi has also been scooting/crawling successfully since she was about 5 1/2 months.  And now, she *officially* crawls.  This morning was the first time I noticed her full on crawling across the room! I was so, so proud and I know she will love her new found freedom.  I, on the other hand, will be downing even more iced coffee than I already do to keep up with her.  This is a game changer fo sho.

Emilia also can pull herself up to standing, which is her absolute favorite thing to do.  She pulls herself up on anything that she can reach, which, luckily, is not a lot because she's such a tiny thing.  But, that really doesn't stop her from trying.  She has loved to stand since she was a newborn (which I always found a little freaky! Seriously, newborn, lay down!) and it is definitely her favorite thing to do these days.  And of course, it's not enough to just stand, she has to try and balance with one hand.  Who is this daredevil kid?  Clearly this is genetic material from her dad, because we all know me=rule follower! She is really trying to find her balance, and even though I'm not the gambling type, I would put good money on her walking very soon.  Scary thought!

We have also had our first trip riding in a shopping cart.  So funny because my kid is a shrimp and just barely peeks over the cart!  And our first time eating out while Emi sat in a high chair.  Seriously, so funny! She was like, finally, I'm where I belong, pass me a menu.

Emilia started eating some real food since she turned 6 months as well! I adore breastfeeding this baby and am so happy that I was able to exclusively breastfeed her until she was truly ready to start solids.  I know some moms out there who know what a sense of accomplishment this brings! She loves bananas and sweet potatoes, but her absolute favorite is squash with cinnamon.  Though it's my goal to make the majority of her baby food, I have found that there are some awesome baby food brands out there that include nothing but organic fruit.  We have definitely been using those without a tinge of guilt as we have been traveling like crazy since she turned 6 months!

Weight: About 15 pounds

Sleep: We are getting longer stretches (finally!) now that she eats dinner!  By longer, I mean 4 hours, but PTL, I will take it.

Favorite Thing to Do: Anything with water.  Splash. Swim. Shower. She loves the water and loves water in her face.  Once again, this is definitely not from me because I was literally terrified of getting my hair washed until I was like 15.

Highlight of the Month: Starting solids! Meal time is a family affair now and I know Emi loves to be included! It makes me so happy to see her enjoying new food and participating so actively in our meals.

I'll leave you with this photo shoot of Emilia.  What? Can you blame me? She's so damn cute.  And I promise I won't be this late with her 7th month post!

Love, The Gluvers