Dear Emilia

Dear Emilia,

Being your mommy is the greatest honor of my life.  You are so smart and so beautiful.  You make me want to be the best version of myself.  The way you are jumping like a wild banshee, yelling at me from your bouncy while I write this.  Perfection.  You are demanding.  You are full of sass.  You are funny.  You are my girl.  Thank you for making me a mommy.  I love you.

xoxo,

Your mom

Four Months

April 28, 2014

Happy Four Months of Life Emilia!  You are the most beautiful baby in the whole freaking world.  Seriously, your face just kills me.  And your sassy personality.  Oh man.  You are my bff, girl.

We have a saying in our house these days, don't bite the boob that feeds you.  We say this, well, because it's not nice to bite mommy.  Exclusively breastfeeding a four month old is a total game changer.  Amirightladies? I call this stage, the easily distracted nurser.  Because this is the face I get about every 30 seconds during snack time.  Every noise.  Every sight.  Anything.  Pops right off and makes this face.  She clearly has a future in C-list horror movies.  She is great at being shocked.

Four months old has definitely been my favorite stage so far.  I can put her in her jumpy for extended periods of time.  Long enough to actually keep my house in a somewhat picked-up state. However, don't be too impressed, because I definitely have been working on finishing this post for two weeks now and just ate a funfetti cupcake for lunch. That's my secret to getting into pre-baby shape.  You are welcome.

Emilia will do anything for a laugh... wonder where she gets that? Hmmm...  She's really into fake coughing and fake crying right now.  She's very convincing at both. Remember, she has a future in low-budget film?  Emi is also really into her hands and feet.  She rediscovers that she has hands like 20 times an hour.  Each time it is a big deal.  And each time it is hilarious to watch.  Emilia also loves to be standing.  All. The. Time. Everyone keeps telling me she's going to crawl so soon.  But I'm pretty sure to learn to crawl, you have to be on the ground for more than 2 seconds at a time.  She seriously hates being on the floor.  But, she doesn't really believe she's a baby, so this doesn't really surprise me. 

We had a very exciting month! We took another trip down to my parents this past month for Easter.  It was the most amazing trip! So many fun firsts for Miss Emilia.  First, Dan and I drove down in my Passat with Emilia, Boris, and Simon. We left at 4 AM so Emilia would sleep most of the way. This lovely plan was thwarted when the 99 was closed both ways for hours.  We sat in between two exits for two and half hours people.  With two bassets.  And a baby.  Let's just say we watched a lot of Sofia the First on YouTube. Parenting win. I actually think Emilia has PTSD from driving that long, because she now refuses to get into her carseat by arching her back and yelling at me. Yeah, we are flying again next time.

Are we there yet?--Simon Gluvers

The highlight of our trip was definitely Emilia's very first Angel's game! I am a huge baseball fan.  Growing up, we went to a ton of Angel's games and I was seriously so excited to take Emilia!  We got all dressed up in our Angel's gear and it was so, so fun! Thanks to our dear friend, Emilia's name was up on the big screen as the Halo's welcomed her to her first game.  Bright lights, loud crowd, and a three and a half month old? No problem for us! Emi adored the excitement. OK, she fell asleep for a while, but when she was awake she actually watched the players. It was so cute!

Don't worry, people, she's still giving her signature dirty looks.

 

OK, I'll admit it, baseball can get a bit long ;)

We celebrated Emilia's first Easter at my parent's too.  The Easter Bunny brought Emi two adorable, and almost identical baskets.  I am literally turning into my mother as I type this.  We seriously got her the EXACT same things, but amazingly, in different patterns.  I'm not exaggerating.  This kid got two personalized beach towels. In different patterns.  Two sun hat/diaper cover sets.  In different patterns. Two of the exact same bunnies. In different colors.  We are that good.

 

OK.  So here are her 4 month stats for you guys:

Weight: 12 pounds, 13.5 ounces

Length: 24 1/4 inches

Sleep: Bed at 8. Up at 12, 2, 4, 6, 7, and awake at 8:15. I read a lot of interesting news stories in the middle of the night.  And then I wake up and share all those very interesting news stories with Dan. I'm sure he wants to kill me because practically every sentence that comes out of my mouth starts with, So I was reading this really interesting article last night...

This is Emilia mocking me as she sleeps and I don't. Ever.

BREAKING FREAKING NEWS PEOPLE!!!! Napping is finally getting better though.  I am attempting to sleep train this baby girl into napping successfully in her crib and she fell asleep in there on her own for the. first. time. ever. as I am typing this! 45 minutes of talking to herself later, my child is asleep in her crib.  PTL, as my mom likes to type, PTL!!!!!

Proof. Also, she totally covered herself up with her blankie. So talented, Emilia. So talented.

Favorite Song:  Sofia the First Theme Song.  Here's a moment of mommy truth for you.  Sometimes we watch an episode of Sofia the First on Disney Jr.  And I may or may not have picked out some Sofia themed Christmas gifts for her already.  

Favorite Thing to Do: Definitely jump in her jumpy.  She's obsessed with this thing.  See her face.  Obsession.

 

Highlight of the Month: Emilia figuring out that there are two furry things that roam around our house and they are hilarious.  Watching Emilia crack. up. at the puppy brothers during the day has got to be the cutest.  In fact today we were petting Mr. Simon and Emilia was laughing so hard I can pretty much guarantee that she peed her pants.  Which is OK. She's a baby.

Well, we are flying down to my parent's yet again next week to meet some more of Emilia's great grandparents.  I am praying that she will be as easy on this plane ride as she was on her first.  Otherwise I will be buying the whole plane those teeny little wine bottles. 

 

Though She Be But Little, She is Fierce: Three Months Old

March 28, 2014

Almost as big as her owl!

Her eyes just kill me!

Happy Three Months of Life to my sweet, fierce, headstrong little mini-me! Emilia means to strive; to excel; to rival. And boy does this girl live up to her name. She still rolls like a champ, talks to me non-stop during the day, and hates naptime.  And I wouldn't have it any other way! I have joked since she was born that she doesn't realize she's a baby. She is my big girl and she does not like to miss out on anything!

Weight: About 11 and 1/2 pounds

Sleep: Not much has changed on this front! Luckily I get a few 3 hours stretches from 8-11 and then 11:30-1:30.  After that it's back to every 2 hours! But girlfriend never cries... just asks politely for a snack with a few grunts :) Amazingly, I wake up well-rested and happy.  Probably has something to do with the face I get to wake up to!

Oh! Did I wake you?

Favorite Song: I have discovered that Emilia shares my love for all things Disney and Disney songs are a huge hit.  (This may or may not have something to do with my self-professed **amazing** talent of knowing every word to every Disney song ever and my willingness to put on a one-woman show every day from about 1-2 with help from the Disney Pandora station.) Emilia has a very emotional reaction to The Little Mermaid's Part of Your World. It's the funniest thing ever.  Bottom lip pops out. Starts to quiver. The tears flow. I believe that Emi really relates to Ariel. She also wants to be where the people are.

Favorite Thing to Do: Reading! All day every day! Emilia adores being read to. And I adore reading to her! Here's a video of Emilia and I reading Olivia and the Fairy Princesses. It's one of our favorites because Olivia the pig is independent and just a little bit sassy. Just the way we like to be!

Highlight of the Month: Emilia started gymnastics this month at 10 weeks old. She be working on her fitness. I'm her witness. It was a necessity. This kid is crazy. And just as I expected, gymnastics was a huge hit. Class starts with a few songs. Then, we do stations where we practice rolling, tummy time, and work on our core. And class always ends with bouncing on the trampoline, obviously Emi's favorite part. And she always naps on gymnastics days and it is glooooorious, obviously my favorite part.

Emi and her gymnastics teacher

Emilia, Dan, and I traveled down to Southern California for Emilia's baptism on March 16th. Emilia and I stayed for an extra week and flew home all by ourselves the following Saturday! We had the best time with our family and meeting so many of our friends.  I have so many pictures of the baptism and our trip that I'll share next week!

We'll catch you later...

I'm Two Months

February 28th, 2014

Oh! Mom! You scared me!

I cannot believe I am typing this, but Miss High Maintenance is two months old! And she rolls!!!!!  March 6th, the day after her two month check up she said "Suck it tummy time!" And rolled her little self right over.  She's been working on back to front for weeks now (she's soooo close!), so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she did the easier direction no problem.  I was, however, quite surprised when I looked up "average age infants roll front to back" and found the answer--4 months. So clearly she is going to be an Olympian.  An ice dancer.  She just needs to find the Charlie White to her Meryl Davis.  And she will twizzle her way to the top. 

Emilia is smiley, giggly, and very talkative.  I mean very talkative. She rarely cries, but she loves to yell. I think her yells translate to something like Mom? Mom! Seriously? Mom! I am bored. Mom!  Her eyelashes are getting darker by the day and they are long! How lucky is this girl? She has the hairline of my father, but it's slowly making its way back.  I still have no idea what color her hair will be. Sometimes it looks red, sometimes it looks platinum blonde.  She is extremely expressive.  Her faces are adorable and oh so captionable :) She never stops moving.  We are looking forward to starting a mommy and me gymnastics class to expend some of her never ending energy! Emilia loves her puppy brothers.  She pets them every day.  And she is mad I haven't finished my blog post about them yet, so I'll get on that. She has a favorite song.  And sometimes that song is the only thing that will make girlfriend happy. (It's on repeat right now, so I can write this.)  

Same thing we always do, Pinky.  Try and take over the world.

We had our two month appointment last week and I was such a proud mama! She's still a peanut, but a ridiculously strong peanut.  The pediatrician actually said that it was a good thing I am now **officially** a stay at home mom, because this girl is demanding! He even warned us about her being an early walker and possibly breaking the office record of 7 months.  Um, not funny.  But if you've met this girl, you know it is totally feasible. Within minutes the doctor had Emi's number and I hadn't even opened my big mouth.  So let me guess, she doesn't really sleep a lot does she? And she probably doesn't nap? And she likes to snack often, but no big meals.  You probably get nothing done? 

Weight: 10 pounds 2.5 ounces.  Coming in at the 15th percentile.

Length: 21 and 3/4 inches.  Once again, the 15th percentile.

Sleep: Ha! What's that? Remember I said frequent snacker? Yeah, that doesn't stop in the middle of the night.  We party hard.  10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8.  All night long (all night.... all night).  Yes, I'm singing Lionel Richie as I type.  Don't judge.

Sleep? Ha!

Favorite Song: I've Got Your Number Passion Pit circa 2007.  Google it.  It's a party.  And she likes to party. It's funny because it's about crying and it gets her to stop crying.  And it came out the year Dan and I met.  Awwww.....

Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice; a Little Miss Austen book of the BabyLit series.  It's about counting.  You know, two rich gentlemen, four marriage proposals, ten 10,000 pounds a year.  Let's be honest.  This is mommy's favorite baby book of the moment, but Emilia loves it too.  We can't wait to learn about the weather via another one of mommy's favorites, Wuthering Heights.

 

Favorite Thing to Do: Talk to her boytoy, the ceiling fan.  She's the fan's biggest fan.  She is all about that fan.  She loves the fan, ok? And she's not embarrassed to chat him up any given morning.

Oh hey there fan

Highlight(s) of the Month: Chatting it up with girlfriend while out and about.  I have said it once and I'll say it again--chilling with my BFF Emilia is my favorite thing to do! We've officially headed to Nordstrom for a shopping trip. It was an emotional experience for me because I felt like I had finally made it in life--pushing my baby girl around Nordstrom at 11 am on a weekday.  OH! And she had her first official babysitter this month.  Her wonderful papa stayed with her so I could go with my sister and get a pedicure and pick up a dress to wear to her baptism.  They had a lot of fun.  Let's just say all the stuffed animals were lined up on the floor in her nursery and there was a lot of giggling involved.

I'm Emilia and I'm probably judging your outfit.

Favorite Product: The NoseFrida. Those Swedes have it figured out.  Those nasty bulb suckers they give you at the hospital.  Try to wash it.  Then when you can't, cut it open.  And after you see what's inside (and possibly barf) go buy a NoseFrida.  Girlfriend got a bit of a cold this month and eating was a HOT MESS.  We had to get those boogies out before she ate otherwise there was a milk explosion, usually culminating with Emi coughing and spewing a ridiculous amount of milk into my face.  And before you judge, the NoseFrida is not gross at all to use.  You do not eat the boogers for breakfast.  But, I will say I cannot get the boogers out like Dan can, and it does make me gag, so if all else fails, enlist the husband.

Our next big adventure is flying to Orange County on Friday for her baptism.  I cannot wait for Emilia to meet all my family and friends.  It's been a long time coming.  She has many cute outfits planned.  They may or may not involve jellies.

Are we done yet?

Happy Valentine's Day

Emilia and I are celebrating by sharing the...

Three Baby Items We LOVE Valentine's Day Edition!

1. The Honest Company Diapers

Not only are these diapers adorable (they come in the cutest prints!), but they are non-toxic and eco-friendly.  How ridiculous is it that you have to seek out baby products that leave all those harmful chemicals behind?  But, that's the world we live in!  Before becoming an Honest convert, I was under the impression they were too expensive to be worth it.  Well, I did the math, and we are saving by buying the monthly bundle of diapers and wipes from Honest (we were buying Pampers before) and I am so happy with the products so far! Plus, Emilia is decked out for the Day o' Love right down to her diaper :)

2. Lana Del Rey Born to Die

OK, so this is definitely my slightly inappropriate parenting moment.  This is not exactly a baby item... however, nothing calms my baby down like Born to Die by Lana Del Rey.  And of course, since we are in Valentine's Day mode here, we love us some love songs (however twisted they may be!).  We sing.  We dance.  We bleep.  Perhaps I should invest in the edited version? ;)

3. Baby Gap Heart Jeans

Seriously.  See above.  Oh em gee.

Have an amazing Valentine's Day! We love to love over here in the Gluvers' house!

xoxoxo, Miss Emilia Cathleene

Emilia's Nursery

I have been looking forward to writing this post since Emilia's nursery was finished about two months ago.  I had a vision in mind for her nursery as soon as Dan and I found out we were having a girl.  I wanted something classic and feminine without being PINK. 

 

When planning Emilia's room I quickly found myself with a major design challenge.  Dan inherited a beautiful upright grand piano from his grandmother.  It is a gorgeous antique and it is HUGE.  So huge, in fact, that Emi's room is literally the only room in our whole house that this piano will fit.  And I don't just mean from an aesthetic standpoint, I mean logistically, this piano only fits in this one spot!

At first I was disappointed because the piano wasn't conforming to my vision. However, I quickly found that not only would the piano fit into my vision, it would become one of my favorite parts of her nursery. And I think you'll agree.  Not to mention Emilia loves to lay on her rug while her daddy plays a little something for her.

I provided information on where to find some of my favorite items in her room.  And feel free to pin away ;)  Enjoy!

 crib | Pottery Barn Kids

changing table | Pottery Barn Kids

rug | Home Decorators Collection

ballerina print | September McGee

 chandelier | Pottery Barn Kids

chalkboard | World Market

lullaby sheet music | etsy

  Man in the Moon silver spoon | Tiffany and Co.

"E" artwork | Handmade by my mom

 Mr. Boddington's Penguin Classics | Anthropologie

 owl | Pier One Imports

Genevieve crib bedding collection | Pottery Barn Kids 
adorable baby | she's mine, sorry :)

 "E" | Anthropologie

clock | Anthropologie

blanket | Avoca

Ugg boots | Nordstrom

I do have plans for that large blank space above Emilia's crib.  I am currently working on a canvas of my favorite portrait of her from her newborn photo shoot.  I can't wait to share that with you when it finally arrives! Hey! It's her room, she should be the star!

One Month

January 28, 2014

So teeny next to her owl

And we're done

My peanut turned one month on Tuesday of last week.  I still can't believe I'm old enough to be married, have two dogs, let alone be a mom! Dan and I certainly don't look old enough to be married, have to dogs, and a one month old, which makes for some interesting looks in our tiny town made up of 80% old people who drive "neighborhood electric vehicles" to Safeway to petition to end "co-ed showers" on college campuses.  True story.  All I can say is I hope when I'm a little old lady I have better things to do than ruin the lives of college students everywhere, amiright?

Anyway, we went to our one month check up today.  The nurse practitioner walked in and said hi to Emilia.  Em immediately gave her the biggest smile and the NP said, "Wow, she is so young to be so responsive!" Duh, that's how you get to Stanford, lady.  So, here are some stats on Emilia at one month old!

Weight: 8 pounds, 9 ounces (Still smaller than some newborns, but up to the 20th percentile! Go Em!)

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights.  Her first night as an official one month old she slept 8pm to midnight and mom rejoiced! Then she was up at 2, 4, 6, and 8 for snacks!

Why would I sleep when I could just stare at you with my big eyes instead?

Favorite Things: 

Dance time with dad! Emilia insists (and I mean, insists) that her Dad "dances" her to sleep.  This means bouncing, preferably to music, completely upright, until her eyes close.  Dad also learned the hard way that she does NOT want to be held in any other "normal" sleep position when she's with him :) 

Exhibits A, B, and C

Snuggle time with mom!  Miss Emi loves her mama.  I guess after hitching a ride as my little parasite for nine months, it makes sense that we are pretty much attached at the hip!

Bath time! Hands down! Best part of the night! Emilia is obsessed with her baths.  She literally kicks her feet up and relaxes while Dad holds her up and Mom pours the warm water on her.  Her bathtub is one of my favorite baby items we own. Check out below--I give my praises!

Emilia-isms: Emilia came out of her womb with a view giving dirty looks.  They are hilarious!  Her big, round eyes (straight from her daddy) are SO expressive.  I tell her all the time that she's going to need botox by 6 months if she keeps up all the furrowing :)  And in the last week/week and a half she has found her voice.  Not only does she coo like a professional baby, she yells.  It's hilarious.  I'll often get a few nice loud yells before she starts to cry, so I can usually intercept impending meltdowns these days!

Seriously girlfriend?

Highlight of the Month: My absolute favorite part about being a mom so far is having a tiny version of myself to hang out with all day.  I refer to her as my side-kick, mini-me, my amoeba attachment.  I love looking at her and seeing a teeny version of my nose.  And it is the coolest feeling when nothing else can calm her down, but me.  Just because I'm her mama.

Favorite Product: I thought I'd include a favorite products section, month by month, for any other new moms or moms to be!  Everything about having a baby is pretty much trial and error, so if this can eliminate a few errors for someone else, I'm happy to help!

4 Moms Infant Tub

This thing is amazing! It's pretty much Em's personal hot tub.  The clean water flows in as the dirty water flows out.  This also means the water temperature stays consistent the entire time she is in the tub.  But my absolute favorite feature is the constant temperature gauge that monitors the water temp and alerts you when the water is outside of their comfort zone.

And I am happy to report, Dan and I have successfully avoided crisis two nights in a row when Emi pooped in her bath and we were able to drain, clean, and refill this tub within 30 seconds and without a peep from the pooper :)

Love, Caitlin and Emilia