“A portrait of my baby boy, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
April 16, 2014: He is rolling from back to front. It feels huge, such a big deal, this roll. He has only done it a handful of time, so Jeff and I still sit with bated breath, watching him roll to his side. We find ourselves holding our breath, excited to see if this will be the time he finishes what he has started. Such fun found in the anticipation.
Happy Easter!
Linking up with Jodi’s 52 Project
{ 1 comment }
In trying to decide what diy to create for our terrarium making party, I realized that the diy is happening at the party. We are making the terrariums! So I decided to make an illustrated instructions sheet, the how to of terrariums.
After drawing the illustrations and typing up the directions I printed these beauties on cream colored, heavy weight paper. My plan is to use washi tape to attach a sheet next to each guests workspace. It will help set the mood and make sure that if anyone gets stuck, help is at their fingertips.
The other thing I have been doing in preparation for this shindig is making polymer mushrooms using this lovely tutorial and spray painting small plastic toys gold. More fun than I could have imagined. I have some plastic dinosaurs on the way, but I already raided a bucket of Jeff’s childhood army men that I found in the basement.
You can download this instruction sheet here: Terrarium How To.
You can see the party’s inspiration here.
You can get the printable invite here.
And, you can check out the menu here. Yum.
Super looking forward to this one!
{ 1 comment }
“A portrait of my baby boy, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
April 5, 2014: This boy loves to fly through the air. And his daddy loves to help him.
Linking up with Jodi’s 52 Project
{ 5 comments }
Dear baby boy,
My favorite part of this month has been the singing. You started one day, sitting at the table while Jenny and I sang together. You just chimed in, letting out one long note after another. You grabbed your first toy, taking Sophie by the legs. You enjoy sitting in your Bumbo. We cook together; you in your highchair, me rolling you around as I explain how pasta is made. You wake up talking instead of crying in the morning. And when you wake, you snuggle in and stay for awhile. Hiccups won’t leave you alone. You’ve learned to stick out your tongue. You drool and blow bubbles like a champ.
The battle for sleep has raged this month. After going from little sleep to less sleep we started sleep training. It was close to impossible to leave you to comfort yourself for five minutes at a time and then rush in to let you know you are not alone. Only to leave again.
You play with toys now, really play, grasping your green ball or the legs of your octopus. We have full on conversations. You are brimming with smiles and laughter. Your laugh is my new favorite sound.
This month you have gone from being an infant to being a baby. I love you to the Milky Way and back.
Love,
Your Mama
You can read Grayson’s 1 month letter here, his 2 month here, and his three month here.
{ 1 comment }
“A portrait of my baby boy, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
April 2, 2014: Grayson loves to push against the ground and stand up…with help. I can’t get over his wide open eyes. He examines the world, finding one thing to stare at and staring at it until he is satisfied. What a curious boy.
Linking up with Jodi’s 52 Project
{ 0 comments }
When I throw a party, one of my favorite thing to do is troll the internet for recipes. For the Terrarium Making Party I wanted to put together a yummy, spring inspired menu. Olive oil and fresh produce to keep it bright with a nod to the passing winter with a little warm brie. Delish!
{Chamomile Honey & Whiskey Cocktail}
Menu:
I always like to try a couple new recipes mixed with the tried and true. I have made this Green Goddess Dip several times now. It is from Bon Appetite and I cannot get enough of it. Olive oil cake has been on my “to try” list for a long time now. I bought the ingredients once, but didn’t quite finish the job. These open face sandwiches look amazing and I mean really, can you go wrong with brie and prosciutto?
Any tried and true spring recipes you have up your sleeve? I would love to hear about them!
Don’t forget to check out the party inspiration here and the printable invites here!
{ 2 comments }
It stormed on Monday, thunder and lightning stormed. I like the rain, like how fresh and clean the world feels while being drenched. I like the sound against the windows. I like stepping through puddles in galoshes.
This rain arrived at the perfect time. It is hard to believe I have been a mom for almost four months. I delight in it, am shocked at the patience I find in myself, and am struck by the joy of little things. I also have never been so challenged, or had so little sleep, or battled so hard to decipher reality through a fog of emotions and exhaustion.
The battle that is currently raging is that of sleep. Just before the storm hit we decided to start sleep training. I didn’t want to. I’m still unsure of how I feel about it. Day after day I wanted a magical switch to flip and help my baby snore through the night, but when Grayson went from waking every two hours, to every one hour, to every forty-five minutes my belief in the magical switch faded.
I tell myself that to be a good mom I have to sleep. I tell myself that because we go in regularly to comfort him and assure him that he has not been abandoned that this will not scar him for life. I tell myself that learning autonomy is a good thing. I believe all of this, but it doesn’t help when you hear the cries and see the tear-stained cheeks.
We started Thursday. Thursday was awful. Friday, wails turned to whimpers. Saturday whimpers were occasionally interrupted by babbling. And then, as if by magic, Grayson slept through the night on Sunday.
The morning sky was filled with heavy clouds that broke open as we were preparing to meet our friends at the Cal Academy of Sciences. We walked out the door. I was questioning my sanity for heading out into such serious rain and my apprehension grew as thunder cut through the air and lightning flashed.
With Grayson’s warm body tied to mine, I stepped out of the parked car into the rain. The sound of large drops of water hitting the umbrella drowned out the rest of the world. Grayson’s eyes were wide. He looked around, soaking in this new experience. He seemed mesmerized by the water falling past him. I stepped in one puddle after another in my black and white galoshes and then stopped.
I stood in a puddle with the sound of the rain washing over me and my little human held tight to me. I wasn’t sure if it was the extra sleep, or the warmth of Grayson’s little body, or my love of the rain, but in that moment I felt a deep gratitude for the privilege of the time I have been given to be with my baby. I stood in the rain and watched those big blue eyes take it all in. I was so glad that we went out in the rain.
Grayson hasn’t slept through the night since, but that moment of clarity and gratitude, standing in the rain, hasn’t left me. I hold onto it as I wake up to comfort my crying baby and trust that adventuring out into the storm can lead to something wonderful.
{ 0 comments }
What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than by filling a couple jars with succulents. We are gearing up for our little garden party, starting with these invitations.
Deets:
After drawing around five different types of succulents, I ended up loving the aesthetic of the simple jar. Isn’t that the way it goes. The jar also emphasizes the request that each guest bring their own container to create a terrarium with. I wanted to incorporate that hard-to-capture, blue green color of succulents. If you download the printable you will notice the colors are on the bright side. Once they are printed on the brown paper they take on a beautiful earthy quality. 
I wanted to incorporate that hard-to-capture, blue green color of succulents. If you download the printable you will notice the colors are on the bright side. Once they are printed on the brown paper they take on a beautiful earthy quality. To quickly finish the edges, I used a squeeze punch to round the corners.
Get the printable here: Printable Terrarium Party Invite. Check out the party inspiration here.
Having your own garden party this summer? I would love to hear about it!
{ 2 comments }
There are few things I love more than lazy weekends spent near home with my two favorite people in the world. Although we moved across the bay to beautiful San Francisco two years ago, the city has so much going on that we still have a lot of exploring to do. This weekend we ventured out to Heartbaker, a new cafe on Clement, for their brand-new brunch menu and followed it up with my new favorite hike at Land’s End.
LOCATION: Heartbaker & Land’s End
GOOD FOR: Sunday morning adventures.
IN MY BAG: Camera, water bottle, & cash for a mid-hike latte.
I have a little crush on Heartbaker. I visited this past week for lunch with my dear friend Ari and learned they would be serving their first brunch on Sunday. The lunch was amazing and I loved the place, so I talked Jeff into joining me for an amazing breakfast. They have a short and sweet menu. I had their twist on Eggs Benedict, which involved a homemade biscuit and a yogurt hollandaise sauce. Amazing. Jeff had a fried egg sandwich atop the same homemade biscuit. Ridiculous. We split a Bomboloni, also known as an Italian doughnut. Delish. Could not have been happier with the food or the ambiance; check out the light fixtures.
Even Grayson had a great time. I am grateful that our very curious baby boy is a fan of brunch. He hung in there the whole time, looking around and hanging out in his moby wrap. And he wasn’t the only baby in the small, but spectacular cafe. Always good to find baby friendly spots.
In the same week that I found Heartbaker, I was also introduced to Land’s End by my good friend Mallory. Not only is she a wonderful wingman, but she is a recently-minted personal trainer. I have agreed to be her guinea pig, which means she is going to get this postpartum body back into shape.
After hiking there with Mallory I wanted to get back as soon as possible. I was surprised that such a gorgeous place had hidden from me for so long.
The trail is immaculately maintained and I felt safe hiking, even though I couldn’t see my feet past the baby strapped to my chest. The views are unmatched; well worth the small crowds near the parking lots.
The trial ends at the Sutro Baths. Their is a lovely little visitor center with a cafe ready to hand you a latte half way through your trek.
I am pretty sure this exact morning will be happening again in the very near future. Great food, great views, and quality time with my little family of three; a weekend doesn’t get better than that.
What adventures have you been on lately?
{ 0 comments }
“A portrait of my baby boy, once a week, every week, in 2014.”