A Weeks' Worth of Outfits.

Back when I was working I had to wear nice clothes every day. I had to be in dress pants or a dress, no yoga pants, no shorts, and no jeans. Now that I stay at home, I can basically wear whatever I want (within reason) and I've noticed that my style has gotten way comfortable and basic. I took pictures of myself every day last week and I thought I'd share them with you and tell you what we did each day. You also get to see a week of Landon's outfits because he's with me in every picture.

Monday: Music class. Striped tee and black yoga gauchos.

Tuesday: Grocery store. Black tee and grey yoga gauchos.

Wednesday: Playdate at a friend's house. 2 jersey tanks and the grey gauchos again.

Thursday: Dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with Landon, my husband, and a friend. Black kimono sleeves dress and a jersey tank underneath.

Friday: We went to the mall. 2 jersey tanks and the black gauchos again.

Saturday: A birthday party for a 1 year old. Blue patterned dress from Old Navy. This is by far my nicest outfit of the week.

Sunday: BBQ at my parent's house. Black shorts and a striped top.

A few things I've noticed since looking at these pictures:
* I wear a lot of stripes and jersey tanks. Before it got warmer, I wore a striped short sleeved tee pretty much every day.
* I wear a lot of black (that's nothing new)
* I'm a boring dresser!
* I do my hair and makeup the same every day. I will put on more makeup if we're going somewhere nice.
* You can't see my feet, but I had flip flops on in every picture. I hate heels and only wear them to weddings and stuff like that.

I've always been one who likes classic, easy clothes. I'm not huge on trends, but I used to look a lot more put together than this when I had to go to work. I don't think it would kill me to wear a necklace or bracelets once in awhile, but jewelry is hard because Landon likes to grab everything. I actually do like to dress up though. Anytime we go to dinner or any function where I won't be on the floor with my baby, I wear a dress and sometimes additional jewelry. When we have date nights I like to really try to look hot because I never get that chance otherwise anymore. I do make it a point to do my hair and light makeup every day because it makes me feel good about myself, but I just don't see the point in dressing up to go to the grocery store. I don't do many glamorous activities and I don't go anywhere super formal. When we have music class, I need to be dressed in something that I can be on the floor in. If we're just hanging out around the house or going for a walk, I go for comfort rather than looking really dressed up.

Any other moms out there boring like me? Please tell me I'm not the only one who lives in yoga pants and tank tops.

Family BBQ.

My parents invited us over for a BBQ yesterday and it was a lot of fun! We had great weather and it was nice to hang out with my family. Landon got some early birthday presents because we had asked for no gifts, but of course my parents and brothers didn't follow that rule. It was easier to open them yesterday rather than drag them to his party only to bring them right back home.

Landon is obsessed with chewing on his snack container. I don't know why, but he got really upset if we tried to take it away. My parents got him 3 Disney DVD's (Lion King, Cinderella, and Beauty & the Beast), a Fisher Price little people barn, a Little Tikes work bench, and a rocking sit on tiger toy.

My brothers got him this great swing. It will grow with him for many years. He LOVED it! I wish we had a yard to put a swing in for him. We definitely will in the next house.

Jeff and I goofing off. I need to remember to suck in my gut at all times.

My brother Warren made me a pink margarita. I had 2 of these and it was awesome. I love that L isn't nursing so much anymore and I can enjoy a drink or 2 and not worry.

When Landon sees a camera now, this is what he does. He's trying to smile, but doesn't quite get the whole smile on command thing yet. Also? Someone needs to start wearing bibs again. That's ALL drool. Holy cow, teething is a nasty thing.

Much better smile! He really likes his rocking toy and the tiger fits in with his birthday party theme. So cute!

What did everyone else do for the holiday weekend?

A Birthday Party.

We went to a little girl named Wyatt's first birthday party today. Wyatt's mom, named Caitlin, is Jeff's cousins' cousin, so we aren't really related to her. However, we see her for many holidays and consider her and her family our family too. We were due about 3 weeks apart, but our babies were born 8 days apart because she went almost 2 weeks late and I went 5 days early. I really can't believe we were at her first birthday party today. I feel like she and I were just discussing how sick we were feeling in the first trimester and beginning of the second trimester! Landon's party is in a week and it hit me today seeing him in all of the pictures I took that he is NOT a baby anymore. He doesn't look like a baby, he looks like a little boy. It's kind of sad, but at the same time, it's been so fun to see the little people all of these babies are becoming.

My kid makes the best faces.

Landon will only drink cow's milk out of a Nuby straw sippy cup. I don't know why, but I'm rolling with it so I can wean him. He'll drink water or breastmilk out of his usual Playtex straw cups.

This is the picture that really made me realize that Landon doesn't look like a baby anymore.

Tomorrow we're going to a BBQ at my parents' house and Landon is getting some early birthday gifts. My parents don't want to make us drag everything home from the party next weekend when we're seeing them beforehand. I'll post pictures tomorrow or Monday. I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!

I Need An Intervention...

I love shopping for clothes. I admit that I get a lot more clothes for Landon than I do for myself now, but I still get more than my fair share. Some of it is justified because dressing my new mom body is different than my pre-pregnancy body. I am 11 lbs thinner than pre-pregnancy, and I'm working out more than I ever have,  but things just don't fit the same. I've had to get all new shirts in a size larger than before because all of my old stuff is too short and tight. It's annoying. My absolute favorites for summer are dresses, and I have several, but I also had to suck it up and get some shorts. Dresses just aren't practical when I am chasing after a 1 year old. Luckily, all of my old pants still fit. The annoying part about that is if this was pre-pregnancy I'd be a size smaller at the weight I am now. I'm pretty sure my hips expanded a little and won't go back to the way they were ever. I donated 10 bags of clothes to Goodwill last week, and I'm still left with all of this and some other stuff in the guest room closet. I think it's time to stop haha!

Yes, my closet is a mess. I just cleaned it a couple months ago. I don't know how this keeps happening. I keep the rooms of my house pretty clean, but cabinets and closets always wind up super cluttered. Do you think I like stripes? Also, a good third or so of the clothes you see hanging up on the right side are dresses. I have more in the guest room closet.

I've recently become obsessed with gingham shirts. I got all 4 of these from Old Navy and they're so cute and preppy! I kind of want more from other places. Jeff supports me buying these because he loves all things preppy. I like that these are lightweight, so I can wear them on a spring evening or in the fall. I'm thinking the orange one will make an appearance at the pumpkin patch come October.

I had to buy new bathing suits too. I had lots of cute bikinis, and even though I am thin enough to wear them again, I have stretch marks and no one wants to see those. I also don't think a bikini is practical while I am running around after my son at the beach, tankinis are always too short on my long torso, so 3 1 pieces it is. They're actually pretty cute and very flattering.

I get the vast majority of my clothes at Old Navy and Target, so it's not like I'm breaking the bank, but I'm pretty sure I have enough until the fall and winter. Maybe my old shirts for those seasons will fit again because I will be done breastfeeding by then (ideally I will be done in like 2-3 more months) and hopefully my girls will shrink back down a bit and old things will fit right again.

Did any other new(ish) moms have to get a whole new wardrobe? Is anyone else as obsessed with clothes shopping as I am?

Fun With Water.

Jeff and I bought Landon a water table for his birthday. It's actually here now, but we're not giving it to him until his actual birthday. It was so gorgeous and warm here this past weekend that I decided to fill up a few containers with water, bring out some toys, and let Landon play outside. I also wanted an excuse to put him in one of his bathing suits hahaha. I figured that because he loves his bath that he'd love the water toys and containers. He didn't hate them, but I wouldn't say he had a blast either. He liked chewing on the toys (of course) and he splashed a little bit, and let me squirt him with a toy. He did enjoy dumping the containers of water onto the towel, but he got tired of it and fussed. The kid is afraid of grass, so my goal is to get him outside as much as I can and try to get him used to the texture of grass.

He did look absolutely adorable in his bathing suit though :)

Landon's First Birthday Party- Sneak Peek

I promised you all a little peek at what I've been doing for Landon's birthday party, so here it is!

I covered soup cans with scrapbook paper and ribbon and we will use these to hold the forks and knives for the pizza (we have several kids coming, so parents will have to cut up pizza, myself included) and cake.

Party favors for the kids. I got the animal print Chinese take-put style boxes at Michael's and each one has a jungle animal hand puppet inside. The stickers are from Oriental Trading and I just wrote names on them.

Landon's high chair decoration (drying in the kitchen where the cat can't get it). I freakin love this, but it took me a little while to make. It was pretty easy though and all I did was cut ribbon, attach the glittery ribbons to the yellow ribbon with adhesive dots, and then glue the orange ribbon on top. I wasn't planning on doing the orange ribbon, but you could see the adhesive dots through the light yellow ribbon, so this was my solution to hide them. Even Jeff said this was pretty cool and I cannot wait to see it on Landon's high chair, which we are bringing to the party site.

This is about as crafty as I get haha! The only other thing I am "making" for the party are coloring pages for the kids. I'm printing a bunch of jungle animal coloring book pages from the internet, providing crayons, and letting the kids color them however they want. I also got more of those stickers I used for the favor boxes because they also come with all of the facial features and stuff to make your own jungle animals. The party is only 2 hours, so I figured between pizza, cake, and these few activities, the kids coming should be entertained.

I can't believe how close the party is now! I pretty much have everything I need to decorate, and I'm excited to see how it all comes together!

Music, A Bridal Shower, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

May has been a very busy month for us so far, and it's only going to get crazier each weekend until Landon's birthday party the first weekend in June. We normally do Kindermusik classes on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Due the amount of parties we have on Saturdays and the fact that Landon absolutely has to have a morning nap, we've switched to Friday afternoons for the last few weeks of class. The Friday class is a "sign and sing' which is not what we usually do, but a few friends of mine do the class, so we joined it. It's SO MUCH FUN! It's basically a little sign language, music, and letting the kids play with toys while the adults socialize and play with their babies. It's awesome and I might sign us up for that class in the fall. Landon and I both enjoyed it very much and I liked hitting the drive-thru Starbucks I recently discovered on the way home.

Friday night once Landon was asleep I did some crafts for his birthday party. I will post a sneak peek later this week. I think everything turned out well. I did really simple crafts and I found them to be tedious and very time consuming. I don't know how some of you do crafts all the time! I'd much rather spend a little extra money to get something pre-made if I can haha!

Yesterday I went to a bridal shower for a good friend of mine who I used to work with. She's getting married to one of my former co-workers in July and I am so excited for that wedding (and to get a new dress)! The shower yesterday was held at the school I used to work at, the same place my engagement party and baby shower were, and where Landon's party will be in a couple of weeks. It was a pretty fancy shower with servers passing around appetizers (all of them were seafood, which I hate.) There was also some delicious sangria and a really good lunch. We did a little quiz to see how well we knew the bride and groom and a friend of mine and I won! We each got to pick a prize. I got some yummy smelling lotion and a pumpkin face mask, my friend got makeup. I was away from Landon for 4 hours, which I think is the longest I've been away from him (I know how pathetic that is) and Jeff got to watch him. It was really nice to go out for a few hours by myself, be with my friends, and have adult conversation. I also really loved my dress and makeup for the shower.

Once I got home from the bridal shower, I fed Landon and put him down for a nap and one of my brothers came over to visit. We wound up going to Buffalo Wild Wings, where I got this delicious Strawberry Lime Bite Mojito.

After dinner we had to go to Target right next door and get Starbucks. Jeff and I have an obsession and it's getting out of control haha! I think I had it 5 times this week! My drink of choice? Grande, iced, decaf, skinny mocha. It's delicious and gives me my chocolate fix. Since I get a skinny one, it's not too high in calories either.

Today we're just hanging out. Jeff doesn't feel well and just wants to relax. It's gorgeous out, so I'm thinking about taking Landon for a walk once he wakes up from his nap and eats.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that the weather where you are is as nice as it is here in CT!

The Ball Pit.

This past Tuesday was an awful, rainy day. I was getting so bored in the house and so was Landon, so I decided to take out the ball pit we bought for him a couple months ago. It's pretty big, which is why it wasn't out, but I went for it anyway and he loved it! It kept us entertained for awhile and we're keeping it out, just pushed in and to the side so it doesn't take over our living room. Landon likes to kick the balls around or reach in and take one to play with outside of the pit.

I even climbed in with him. I'm sure it was very amusing to watch me try to squeeze through the opening!

My First Mother's Day

Jeff and I make a big deal out of holidays for Landon, but we don't always do anything crazy for each other. We would much rather go out for a nice meal than get gifts, and we both just buy whatever we want when we want it anyway hahaha. The exception to that is our anniversary. We always go out for a nice meal and get each other a gift that goes along with the traditional gift for that year (this year is leather). Now that we are parents, I feel Mother's Day and Father's Day are very important as well, especially as Landon gets older and can be more involved. I told Jeff I wanted to go out to eat (and I chose Buffalo Wild Wings because I'm ridiculous) and that I wanted a band for my right hand with diamonds and Landon's birthstone. Never in a million years did I think I'd get it and Jeff basically told me it wasn't going to happen. It was a crazy and expensive request, so I understood.

Yesterday when Landon and I got home from music class, Jeff suggested going out to a local Mexican place for lunch. Landon wasn't due for a nap yet, so I said yes. This Mexican place happens to be on the same street as our jeweler, but I didn't think anything of it because it's a busy street and we're there for various things all the time. On the way home, Jeff suddenly pulls into the jeweler and tells me we're going in to pick out my ring for Mother's Day! I was so shocked and very happy! I wound up picking a white gold band with channel set diamonds and alexandrite going across the top, which I guess is a June birthstone. I thought I'd have to get pearls, but the alexandrite is much prettier and I'm happy the jeweler mentioned that stone to us. The ring is custom made, so it will take about 6 weeks to get here. I cannot wait to have it and I will be sure to post a picture once it's here. Jeff told me I was worth it and that I deserved this for taking care of Landon all the time. I married a great man :) I told Jeff I want another band for the next baby in a few years to stack on top of this one, but if baby #2 is either April (diamond) or another June (alexandrite) birthday, then this ring will represent both kiddos. He's really hoping for an April or another June baby next time haha! I am too actually, but for different reasons.

Jeff also cooked me a delicious breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and sausage this morning. It was great and we all enjoyed it. Jeff definitely made my first Mother's Day very special and I am so lucky to have him. Next month is his second Father's Day, but I really couldn't do much for his first since Landon was 2 weeks old and I was still a mess, so I need to make sure he has a very special day this year, just like he did for me.

Before becoming a mom I had all sorts of ideas of what kind of mom I would be and what kinds of things I would never do. It all goes out the window when you actually have a kid! I will say that being a mother is harder than I expected, but it's also the most rewarding job I have ever had and I wouldn't change it for the world. I have wanted to get married and be a mom for as long as I can remember, and I am so grateful that I have the family I've always wanted.

I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Landon is 11 Months Old!

Dear Landon,

You're 11 months old today! I cannot believe that in just 1 short month, you will be 1. I don't know if I'm ready to have a toddler, but it's going to happen whether I'm ready or not! People keep telling me that you don't look like a baby anymore and I agree. It kind of makes me sad that you're growing up so fast, but I love it at the same time.

You have had a huge explosion of gross motor skills this month! You are finally crawling on all fours consistently, but you still prefer the army crawl. You are pulling up on EVERYTHING, cruising, and climbing up the entire flight of stairs all the time. It's your new favorite thing to do. You love to explore and get into everything. If a door is open, you have to go close it. You like to unravel the roll of toilet paper and get into anything within your reach. You also like to follow me around the house.

You are a lot of fun to play with! You love to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and do the Hot Dog Dance at the end of the show. Your favorite toy is your ball popper and you know how to turn it on yourself. You enjoy chasing after the balls that wind up on the floor and throwing everything. You can play with a lot of your toys correctly now, but you still love to put everything in your mouth. You are also giving me a ball when I ask for it. That's really cool to see. I like that even though you're not really talking yet you can understand me. You're babbling like a champ and make certain sounds when you're excited. You say "Mama" and "Dada" but I'm not sure you really know who "Dada" is. You do know who "Mama" is though. You also love your books and often crawl over to your book basket, pick one out, and flip through it on your own. Your favorite is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" I love that you already enjoy books. You like all music and often dance to it. You're obsessed with our iphones and your favorite app is Peekaboo Barn.

You aren't waving consistently yet, and I am working on that with you along with pointing and clapping. I can't wait for you to do those things because they're so cute!

Typically you're pretty happy, but you do have a temper! When you want attention or you're upset, you let out a high pitched scream! It makes my ears ring! You will also throw your head back and scream and cry if we won't let you do something or take away something you wanted to play with that's unsafe or not for babies.

You are such a good eater! You can eat a fruit/veggie pouch all by yourself and you're on all table foods otherwise. You like everything but green beans and cottage cheese. You favorites are red pepper hummus (but you will eat any kind), blueberry waffles, yogurt, and chicken tortellini. You like to feed yourself and often grab at the spoon when I try to feed you. It's nice that you can eat what we eat for the most part, and that you like to be independent and feed yourself. Your way of communicating that you're all done is to throw food or your sippy cup on the floor or push things away when I offer them.

You had your first Easter this month and we celebrated by going to church and to see Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Warren, Uncle Kurt, and some extended family. You enjoyed going through your Easter bucket and playing with your new toys and books and looking at the bubbles from your bubble machine.

You got 2 new teeth on the bottom this month. They gave you a bit of a hard time, and I'm pretty sure you're working on some more top ones right now. You have 6 teeth so far and each time the teething is harder for you to deal with. It makes me sad to see you in pain, but we manage it.

Stats:

Weight: According to our scale you are 28 pounds.
Length: No idea, we go to the Dr. next month.
You are in size 4 diapers, but they're looking a bit small in my opinion.
You are in 18-24 month clothing.
You are nursing every 4-6 hours during the day and getting up 1-2 times/night if you aren't teething.

You get more and more fun each month and whatever age you are at the time is my favorite. Your personality is really starting to emerge and it's great. Your dad and I are really excited to throw you your first birthday party next month and watch you learn to walk, talk, and do all sorts of new things. You are such a joy and we love you so much!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy