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Monday, May 23, 2011

11 Months!?!?!?!?!?

The !?!?!?!?!?!? is completely necessary, because this one totally snuck up on me. I was truckin' right along, when all of a sudden, BAM! My kid's nearly 1. Here are her accomplishments to date:
  • Proud owner of 6 teeth total now. This month was a toothy one, and she got 4 teeth (all on top) in a matter of a couple weeks! Whew! I'm hoping the teething can subside for a little bit now, but I think the other bottom 2 are going to be coming in soon too. Poor girl needs a teething break already!
  • She's still happy as a clam crawling and cruising everywhere. Her favorite is going up the stairs (and being "chased" by us in particular!). She stands independently for extended periods of time, but hasn't made that first step alone quite yet. She's very cautious with her movements, which gives me a huge sense of relief - if she were a daredevil I'd be petrified alllll the time. Now I'm just terrified like 79% of the time.
  • Words she says - Mama, Dada, Up, and either "at" or "dat (that?)" The other day I asked her if she wanted tilapia for dinner and she responded back saying something garbled that sounded a bit like "laptop". Similar letters, so it sounds like she's really able to start repeating things to us. We need to start watching what we say!
  • She's developed some hysterical preferences. She has the laugh and learn home (which I totally recommend, btw) and must always have the mailbox open. Don't even try to sneak it shut when she's not looking, because when she happens to catch a glance at the closed mailbox later on, she pops it right back open. Silly girl! Her new favorite thing is to throw all her toys out of her pen/pack n play/crib. One by one she drops them... the other day she went to throw out her pacifier, thought better of it, and popped it into her mouth. What foresight the kid has!
  • She also loves being tickled now - she developed tickleishness all of a sudden it seems.
  • Eating in front of her now is officially a problem. She wants what we have. And has developed a resoundingly high-pitched scream aimed specifically for getting this point across. So now she gets some table scraps to tide her over from time to time. I'm also still trying to get her to like a sippy cup and she hates them all. Can she just drink from a bottle until she's 12?
  • She learned to shake her head "no" which cracks us up to no end. "Gigi did you clean your room?" ::head shake:: "Gigi are you ready for bed time?" ::head shake:: It's great.
  • She wears 6-12 and 12-18 month clothes (the 12-18 in particular for leggings) and recently got fitted for her first walking shoes at Stride Rite! These shoes came highly recommended, and with walking surely right around the corner, I thought we ought to get her some shoes with good support. Her little chunkers are wide so we had to get special wider shoes! I love love love her lil chunky foots. 
  • She flaps her arms like a seal when she gets super excited. Also, I think I ought to note that I'm the person she finds funniest. This is important because DH maintains that he is way funnier than I am and this is clearly untrue.
We won't have a weigh-in this month because our pedi said the next time he needs to see her is after her 1st birthday! Hooray for no shots/schlep across the valley for mama!



    My little onesie stickers have dwindled down to just 1 more after this. As I lamented what ever would I do with myself on the 21st of each month after this June, I found these on etsy! She's getting harder and harder to photograph sitting still, but a huge part of me still wants to continue our little tradition into her second year.
    Problem is that now there are like 8525827025 different choices in onesie stickers. When I was 9 months pregnant with G there was only 1 seller that I knew of that did these! I think I like the simplicity of those I pictured above, though. Easier to read. You know, since I'll have all these blurry pictures because my toddler will be running around. OMG toddler?! (Isn't it so irritating amusing how I constantly freak out over marvel at time passing by?)

    Thursday, May 12, 2011

    "A Revelation". Or, "Why 7th Grade Sucks"

    I was in a conversation with a friend the other day. You know, one of those engrossing, life-altering exchanges about -

    er... fashion. But I happened upon the realization of something that resonated with me and led me right back to a moment when I was 12 years old.

    You see, I have what I described as fashion paralysis. I love looking at clothes. I love every single women's magazine on the checkstands. Hell, I used to subscribe to all of them (but then I stopped to save on $$). I limit myself to the occasional rag if I'm going to be doing something particularly boring that involves waiting for a long period of time. And I still get Glamour because somehow I'm subscribed to that thing until 2014. But I digress.

    When I shop for me, I buy the same things. Very simple. I don't experiment with clothes, I don't particularly accessorize with jewelry or a fancy hat or insane gladiator sandals. But I want to be one of those girls. You know, the one who can wear a denim vest. The one who can rock a beret. The one who has 11 perfectly mismatched bracelets on that somehow come together in this glorious symphony of wrist accoutrement. But I don't wear vintage men's blazers. Or high waisted trousers. Or orange.

    I'm in a rut of sorts because I am nearly always in jeans, flip flops, and something in varying shades of gray. White. Black. Grey. And I question why I do not have the capacity to put things together like all of my fashion-forward friends. I mean, I read all the magazines. I enjoy the window-shopping. But when it comes down to it, I'm just not able to make fashion-forward choices for my wardrobe. I'm paralyzed in fear of drifting from my staples. I just can't/don't. And then I realize that I just don't have the confidence to do it.

    That's where 7th grade comes in. I remember this moment so vividly, it's like it happened this morning. I had just begun my first year of junior high at public school. I had come from a 6th grade graduating class of 16 from my private Christian elementary school. The change was traumatic to say the least. I knew no one in the whole school, and spent the entire lunch period that first week walking. From one end of the ampitheater, through the cafeteria, through the quad, and around and around again. Why? Because I was impossibly self-conscious and didn't want to be laughed at for sitting all alone. In hindsight I'm sure I just looked nutty doing laps around school, but at the time I reasoned that if I was seen walking, it looked as though I was at least en route to see friends. Then I wasn't some loser who had no one to sit with. I was this really really cool girl that was hauling ass to get to her massive gathering of friends somewhere. My adolescent logic slays me.

    So I was rather nonplussed after the first day of school. I had anticipated making 214 friends that day and had clearly come up short handed, so I stood there in my closet that afternoon preparing myself for the following day at school. I knew I had to look stylin'. So I put together this outfit that I thought I totally rocked in. Yes, if you're thinking it was a plaid flannel romper dress, you are correct. Paired smartly with hiking boots no less. Yes, like these!

    I thought my outfit was brilliant. I went to school the next day with pep in my step, determined to in the very least make a friend, or, truly in the very least to not get outed for my lunchtime 5k. I was going to have friends. I was wearing an awesome plaid dress. With a long sleeved cream shirt underneath (um it was September in Los Angeles. I'm sure the high that day was 128. Or at least in the 90s). With boots! Just like out of a magazine I'd seen! (hey, it was 1996, after all).

    Right before 3rd period P.E. (that's physical education for those of you who managed somehow to escape this educational phenomenon, though I'm sure you didn't) I head over towards the gym. The doors were still locked so my fellow classmates were congregating out front. I stood there, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, though I was clearly without a pal, in the midst of gaggles of cliques chatting away. I'm facing the locked gym door, when I loudly hear the sneer from one of those girls - you know, the ones who had 592 friends who had to be greeted before school, at snack time, and at lunch with a hug.

    "Nice boots!"

    ::laughter::

    That was it. I wanted to crawl into a dumpster out back and never get out. Those stupid motherfucking godawful boots. Why did I have to wear them?! Why did I have to think I was so "stylish"?! I felt my whole face and neck turn red. Tears stung at my eyes but I managed to keep them at bay. This was the biggest disaster of my life to date. (Granted I did go on to have many, many disasters, many much bigger than this one)

    At that one moment, in my very most impressionable formative years, I became a loser. That moment (sadly) probably dictated my self-worth for a decade. It became my modus operandi to look as inconspicuous as possible. I wanted nothing to draw attention to myself. I never again wanted to be singled out in front of all those "cool kids" for being lame. I just wanted to fit in. And to this very day I oh-so-badly just want to fit in.

    So yep, I became consumed with what other people thought about me. So by keeping my outfits simple, people couldn't make a negative decision about me, right? This revelation is really blowing my mind, because it puts so much into perspective for me. To this day I have anxiety over getting dressed for any occasion. I agonize over what to wear because I have this fear in the back of my mind. You know, this totally logical fear that you won't like me if I wear a scarf with my outfit. So I hardly ever accessorize. I wear mostly solid colors. My shoes are unmentionable.  

    Because I'm scared you won't like me.

    Like what, a 27 year old chick's going to corner me in the bathroom at work and say "Nice scarf!"??

    I've got to break myself of this habit. Because it's no fun being a wimp, and I want to raise a girl who is full of self-confidence and happiness. The only real way to do that is by setting a good example, right? Yes! I am now all about self-empowerment (today).

    So now where can I find construction boots in my size?





    *I do want to note, lest you imagine that I remained a total "loser" that I did go on to make friends. My first friend spoke no English, so that didn't really work out, but it was a start. My attempts to be affable were not completely in vain as I progressed through the public school system. In fact, by high school they let me be a cheerleader and talk to people!

    Monday, May 9, 2011

    Happy Mother's Day!

    My first Mother's Day as a mommy was absolutely wonderful. First of all, Gabriella's gift to mommy was sleeping in an extra hour - yes! Hubby was sweet and made breakfast for everyone, and we chowed down on scrambled eggs with LOTS of swiss cheese and turkey bacon. After breakfast I got to go back to bed and nap for another hour - YES! (can you tell I'm all about sleep right now?!). We spent the day at Descanso Gardens, a lovely botanical garden, with G and our moms (and, well, my dad came too. We couldn't leave the ol' man out, after all, he is our nanny during the week ;-)). We also had a yummy early dinner/late lunch at my favorite Italian restaurant (diet derailed). My awesome hubby got me some much needed bubble bath (I'd resorted to using shampoo of late!) too.


     With Nana (mother in law) and Yiayia (my mom - it's grandma in Greek!).
     Note the smile progression...

     
     
       I love how happy she always is!

     
     





     She walked around so much there! She really takes off when she hits the ground. Soon she'll be ready to let go and go off on her own... I don't know if that warrants a happy face or a sad/terrified face!





     DH and Grandpa (my dad)!


     Check out this pic of a bee I took! Creepy!
    Have I driven y'all crazy yet with picture overload? OK here's a few shots from lunch the day before!


     


     Admiring the view...



    Friday, May 6, 2011

    Mommy and Me

    A few weeks ago I won a mommy and me mini photo session with an amazing photographer. Me = winning!? Squee! I was so excited to win such an awesome prize, and I just love how they turned out. I've uploaded some of my faves with her watermark, because she totally deserves recognition :-)





     






     









    "Some" of my faves? Who am I kidding, I just gave y'all 95% of the goods. But I just melt every time I see my little sweet pea so I had to share :-)

    For those who want to know (if anyone cares to know) Gabriella's dress and shoes are Baby Gap, and her headband with the French netting was made by me. The flower one was courtesy of Banner Boutique, and you can find it here (along with my lovey modeling it!). I grabbed my dress from Forever 21, and shoes are Steve Madden. And no, I cannot walk in them without resembling a robot penguin. Steve Madden hates feet and wants to see them die.