family update time

it’s been kind of an epic week for this little family. mostly for s.

we officially have a walker!

also, apparently walking = becoming a teenager.

it really is the beginning of the end now, isn’t it?!

in other news, i successfully completed a day (okay, four hours) of ‘keeping in touch’ work at the bux without crying or breaking down at all. it was actually kind of nice being out of the house for awhile without pushing a pushchair or worrying whether s was too hot, too cold, poopy, hungry, or tired. it was also nice knowing that p and s were spending some quality time together. i’ll be back for good one day a week in just a few weeks’ time, so i’d better be ready!

as of today, i’ve also completed two weeks on weight watchers. two weeks in and ten pounds down! thank goodness for lots of water, cucumbers, and ww snacks (mostly of the chocolate variety). i know weight loss typically slows down after the first few weeks, so i’m determined to keep on track and not to cheat myself out of anything. i WILL lose this baby weight (shhh, i know it’s been awhile, but i still like to call it baby weight. it makes me feel better).

p is back at work and it’s in full swing, so there are three or four nights a week when s and i do dinner and bedtime alone. it’s not always fun (as evidenced by the temper tantrum above) and it’s seriously testing my skills as a SAHM, but we’re getting there. plus, it’s kind of nice to spend the evening vegging out and playing on the computer (read: blog) without feeling like i’m neglecting the hubs.

speaking of alone time with s, we are officially enrolled in a kindermusik family time class for the next 12 weeks. s is kind of a bully compared to the other babies, since she thinks that slapping and climbing up on children is a perfectly acceptable form of social interaction, but the teacher assures me that it will all be okay and that s will enjoy it. i’m looking forward to it, too!

and finally, plans are coming along for s’s first birthday party in march. we’re just about to set a date and have decided on photography, (cup)cakes, and decorations. i’m sure i’m far more excited than i should be, but you only turn one once!

and now for a little bit of adorable, just to make up for the naughty baby face above.

first birthday prep (or how to plan a frat party with babies)

in less than two months, s will be celebrating her first (and most badass?!) birthday. it’s equal parts exciting and depressing for us to plan. exciting because our baby is almost almost almost officially a toddler and we get to celebrate the wonderful ways she’s changed our lives over the past year. depressing because, as cool as we make this party, she won’t remember it.

so there will be booze.

Source: 100layercake.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

obviously. because otherwise it’s just a silly afternoon where a bunch of parents wish they’d smuggled in their flasks of whiskey while their respective babies crawl and scream and cry and poop all over each other. just like every other day, really. just kidding. mostly. in all seriousness, i really want this party to be laid back and fun for kids and adults alike. so there will be beer. and tequila. if you know me, you know that one of my mantras in life is this: EVERYTHING is better with tequila. so there will be beer with tequila (desperados, anyone?!), cupcakes with tequila (for the grownups only, no need to call the authorities!), and, since i’m a little old fashioned, tequila with tequila.

**note: i am not an alcoholic. in fact, after approximately two drinks these days i am done for the night. so obviously most of this is a joke and does not affect the parenting of our beautiful child, who i’m sure will enjoy tequila just as much as me when she’s all grown up. and not before then. i’m sure she’ll be as innocent as a flower until her 21st birthday (please just let me live with this delusion for awhile).

and there will be cake.

Source: 100layercake.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

we’re still ironing out details for this aspect of the party, but i found a fantastic local bakery two little cats that’s happy to provide a smash cake for s’s photo shoot (surprise! oops) as well as cupcakes for the party. i thought two smash cakes might be a bit extravagant (read: paul thought) so we will have to settle for adorable photos of s smashing a cupcake into her face during the party. on the menu for the cupcakes: raspberry and lime flavored with lime green sugar sprinklings and fresh raspberries on top. yum. as for the smash cake, i’m hoping it’s going to look like this fabulous cake above!

there will be decorations.

Source: hapykoi.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest




Source: indulgy.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest




Source: plentyofcolour.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest




Source: 100layercake.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

i toyed with the idea of having a very hungry caterpillar theme for this party, but decided instead to go with bright colors and more basic decorations. i especially love the ideas from 100 layer cake!

and there will be presents.

Source: amazon.co.uk via Kaitlin on Pinterest




Source: shak-shuka.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest




Source: amazon.co.uk via Kaitlin on Pinterest

since march is fairly close to christmas, and since my house already seems to be a toy factory, we’re planning on keeping gifts pretty minimal this year. what i would love for her to get, however, is a few musical instruments. she shakes and bashes all of her toys already and really enjoys rhyme time and music of all kinds, so i think she will really appreciate a few things like these.

and there will be s.

Source: rstyle.me via Kaitlin on Pinterest

everyone who knows me knows that i love a little bit of baby style. in fact, i’m kind of obsessed with pinning gorgeous dresses/tops/jeans/shoes/anything to my baby d board on pinterest. and i have absolutely no restraint when it comes to baby clothes. we had BETTER have a girl the next time around, otherwise there are going to be many lonely, depressed articles of clothes that haven’t been worn in s’s nursery. so here is my inspiration for baby birthday style. (ok, so it’s more than inspiration. i bought it today but shhhhhh! don’t tell paul! ps. i want EVERYTHING from the beatrix potter range at baby gap right now. check it out here.)

i’ll keep you updated as the plans progress!

new year, new me!

ugh, i hate that phrase. you all know how i feel about new year’s resolutions (as evidenced here). but i wanted to let you all know that i’m sticking to my word and have rejoined weight watchers! the other day i was having a particularly crappy day and decided, instead of sitting around wondering why God blessed me with german genes, that i’d bite the bullet and sign up. so i cancelled our sky subscription service (shock!!!) and signed up for ww. don’t worry!!! i won’t bang on about my weight every day between now and the day i hit my goal (because i WILL, damn it!), but i wanted to hold myself accountable in a way by telling you all about it. as if paying to lose weight isn’t enough, right?

so wish me luck! i’m excited to see a lot less of myself soon. i’m sure you are, too. 😉

bam. accountability.

ten months

dear sophia,

last saturday you celebrated your ten month – day. we can’t believe how fast you’re growing (i know, i say it every month!) and can barely remember the days when you were our tiny new baby. you’re almost officially a toddler, and i can’t wait for you to start walking and running and skipping around the house. i’m also terrified of your mobility, since you have SO MUCH ENERGY all the time and never ever stop moving, unless daddy is reading to you or you’re ready for bed. God help us all when you take those first steps.

this month has been pretty epic in your little world. you celebrated your first christmas, new year, and epiphany with us. you traveled around the country to see aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, godparents, and friends. you became fast friends with our goddaughter grace and broke her poor little five year old heart when we came back home. you’ve got eight (!!!) teeth, can cruise around the room like a pro, make animal noises (elephant, kitty, and sheep) and perform other party tricks like blowing kisses and playing peek a boo on command. you’ve begun to stand on your own pretty confidently and you like to dance to the hot dog song from mickey mouse clubhouse and gangnam style (sorry to my classical loving friends; girl is a pop fan!). you’re such a happy baby; you laugh and laugh when daddy carries you on his shoulders or spins you around. you are so adaptable and laid back in most new situations, but you love us so much you cry whenever we leave the room. you give us big, open mouthed kisses and love to cuddle your stuffed kitty (dubbed mr. meowgi by daddy…the poor cat!). you can say dada, mama, and baba, which we’re pretty sure means baby. or boobie. hmm. you are our little love, and we love you more every day!

only two more months til your birthday! we can’t wait to see what these next two months, the last official months of babydom, bring for our little family.

we love you!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

mama needs a camera!

hello my lovelies! i’m sorry it’s been awhile…we’ve been away for the last few days visiting family and are planning one more small trip for the weekend. after we’re back and settled into real life, i’ll update you all on life, i promise! also look out for a 10 month post for s. seriously, my baby is going to be 10 months old in a few days. where has the time gone?

in the meantime, i thought i’d plead with you all to help a girl out. i entered a competition the other week at UK retailer john lewis to win a Canon digital SLR camera with 4GB memory card and case by posting our adorable picture of s kissing the old year goodbye on new year’s eve. i miraculously made it into the top 10 photos for the competition! now all i have to do to win the competition is garner the most likes and repins of john lewis’ pin on Pinterest. now, you all know how obsessed i am with that website, and you all know how much i love john lewis. so i HAVE TO WIN. there’s some woman who has 239852735 likes and repins so it’s kind of unlikely, but if any of you can use your internet charms and wiles to get some likes and repins, now is the time to show me your stuff! here’s the link to the JL pinterest page:

Source: Uploaded by user via John Lewis on Pinterest

 

please please please help me out if you can! the competition only goes until 5pm (UK time) tomorrow, so get pinning! love you all lots and talk soon!

happy new year, and all that jazz…

peace out, 2012!

happy new year! we said goodbye to 2012 the rock and roll way, with a normal day for s, pizza, (one) beer and 11pm bedtime for p and me. oh my, how times have changed. it was actually quite refreshing spending the day with family and remembering how much our lives have changed over the past year instead of going out, partying, and forgetting much of the night.

but today, after the dust has settled, it all seems a bit blah. p says he hates new year because it’s so anticlimactic. midnight comes and all of a sudden everything is supposed to be DIFFERENT. sleeping through the ball drop (or countdown, as is the case in the UK…man, i miss dick clark and times square new year!) made it even more surreal for us this year.

BUT, i am bound and determined to make this year even better than last year. i’m going to get fit(ish), focus on being a great mom and wife, and figure out what i want to be when i grow up. i’ll let you know how i get on with all of these goals, especially the get fit goal. due to some healthy german genes and an even healthier appetite for starchy food, my battle with weight has been an ongoing struggle for some time now. i’ve successfully lost weight a few times with weight watchers, but life and cakes tend to get in the way from time to time. it’s taken nine months of post birth weight (non) loss and a kick up the bum from my mom, who’s documenting her own weight loss story on her blog, to start thinking seriously about how i feel about my body and how i want s to think about her own. i don’t want to dwell on the fact that i have X amount of pounds to lose, but that i want to become a happier and healthier mom for my daughter. i want her to grow up with a positive body image and think that the first step towards that goal is feeling good about myself and allowing her to see that. anyway, maybe writing it down will help it to be so!

wish me luck! and of course, the occasional iced mocha. and let me know how your own hopes and resolutions for the new year are getting on!

happy 2013!!!