Hayden's First Birthday {Re-Cap}

Part I – 7.24.13 Hayden’s actual birthday!

I started the tradition of taking off birthdays with Hadleigh and it’s something I always want to do.  I wanted to go to the Children’s Museum or a local park, but the girls weren't feeling 100%.  They both were battling fevers, so we took them to the doctor twice (the first time the docs sent them home with a “virus”).  Thursday, I took them again and they both had strep with Hayden having a double ear infection on top. Poor babies. So, we hung out at home and had quality time snuggling, reading, and playing with all of their toys.  Daniel and I took Hayden to the toy store the weekend before her birthday to let her kind-of pick out her present.  We wanted to get something she really gravitated to.

 

She loves it (and so does big sister).  I still wanted to have dinner and cupcakes to celebrate, so both of our parents came over that evening.  They gave the girls small gifts and Hayden opened another present we got her.  She’s starting school soon (wah!), so she needed her own backpack! It’s so cute.  Hayden wasn't too into the cupcake; she was more interested in the ice cream J 

 

Part II – 7.27.13 Hayden’s Birthday Party

At first, I had big plans to do a bunch of decorating for her party, but then plans changed when we decided to do a very small party at a local park.  We didn't want to have something at the house because it becomes so much work for me and Daniel.  Maymont Park ended up being such a great location for the party.  It’s a free local park, so we set up a little picnic as our party area. The weather ended up being perfect.  It was a laid back afternoon where the kids could all run around and have fun looking at the animals.  Hayden had fun eating the food – she’s a foodie for sure!  She liked playing with her toys, especially her new chair, and looking at the animals.

  

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Design Bug Studio {Review}

I ended up going with Design Bug Studio for Hadleigh & Hayden’s birthday invitations.  I first decided on Hayden’s since her birthday is a month before Hadleigh’s.  She has the cutest designs on her Etsy shop.  I didn't want to go with a “theme” for Hayden, just a cute design.  Becky was so sweet to work with and she was very quick on getting your picture ready to print. 

We had already decided on a mermaid theme for Hadleigh, and I didn't see a mermaid design in her shop.  I decided to reach out to her to see if she could do a custom design for me.  She immediately responded and had my design that same evening!  She is great!  If you’re looking for invitations for the birthday girl or boy in your life, go to Design Bug Studio!

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*I was not paid or perked for writing this review.  These are my own opinions and experiences*

Hayden is 12 months! {7.24.13}

This year flew by! I cannot believe Hayden is ONE!  I know every parent says that, but it’s true.

 Doctor Stats: {TBD – we haven’t had our appointment yet}

Weight: 20 pounds

Height: ??

Head: ??

Hayden is still co-sleeping.  I started to put her in her crib for about a week, and she did fairly well.  But she would wake up at 2 or even before, and wake up every time I tried to set her back in there. So…I caved and she’s back in our bed.  I’m totally consistent! Ha!  If she’s in our bed, she sleeps great.  She may wake up once on a regular night.  If she’s not feeling well or teething, she will wake up several times.  I’m not sure how we’re going to tackle moving her to the crib, and honestly I’m not in a rush (on most days).  One day she will rather sleep in her own bed, but there are some days where it would be nice if she fell asleep in her crib.

She’s crawling everywhere still.  She will walk along furniture and stand on her own, but isn't confident enough yet to take any steps.  She’s a climber, so she keeps us on our toes often!  She likes to climb up and down from the chairs and then she likes to stand in them as well.  We tell her “no”, but she gives us this look like she is so proud, and then will finally sit down.  She has NO fear, so we will have our work cut out for us.

Hayden is a great eater!  She will eat pretty much anything you put in front of her.  If you’re eating it, she wants it.  She’s starting to like bigger pieces – I usually break things up into small pieces, but she would rather have them unbroken to take bites.  I’m not comfortable enough with that yet, so we are still cutting things up for her.  We’re crossing our fingers she doesn't become as picky as her big sister!

She loves the water and like I said before, is fearless.  Yesterday, she was in a baby pool and fell over.  We sat her back up, and she went on about her business playing with a smile.  It didn't deter her at all. She loves anything her big sister is doing as well.  We constantly are working on “sharing” in our house, but Hayden is already sticking up for herself!  She has a good grip on the things she plays with and Hadleigh & her end up having a tug of war contest. J  Although very busy, she loves to cuddle.  I love this about both of my girls.  Hayden loves her mama and dada, so if we are around, she doesn't usually want business with anyone else. 

She loves music.  We sing nursery rhymes because Hadleigh likes to sing them too.  Well, we started to sing “Ba Ba Black Sheep” and Hayden will immediately start “singing” as well.  She has the “Ba Ba” part down.  Then it’s just babbling loudly with you while you’re singing. It’s the cutest!

I can’t wait to see her personality grow more and more!

Vocabulary:

Mama

Dada

She says “Ba” for lots of things – bippy (paci)/she wants to nurse/and just babbles “ba”

Chevron Accent Wall {How-To}

Our weekend wasn't extravagant, but it was definitely productive!  We've been in our house almost a year and a half and Daniel’s home office has sat empty.  He works from home, so we knew it was next on our list after we finished the kitchen.  He really needs (and deserves) a nice place to work especially since he currently is working on the couch in our sitting room.  J

Here is what we started with:  

We wanted to do something fun on one of the walls, just to bring some contrast to the room.  Chevron immediately came to mind when we decided to do some sort of pattern.  We had NO clue where to start, so we googled.  We watched a few videos to get an idea of how to start, and then rolled with it.

You’ll need:

Chalk

Level

Measuring Tape

Frog Tape or Painters Tape

First, we measured the wall horizontally.  Ours measured 185.  Then, we divided that by 2 to get 92.5 -make a chalk mark at the 92.5.  Then we decided that we wanted our “boxes” to be about 8.5 inches tall  & wide.  I don’t really remember how we came up with that number (oops), but I think it was because it covered the area above the window.  We knew that small area would be the more difficult to tape through.  From the mark at 92.5”, we made a mark every 8.5”.  After we did the right side, we did the exact same thing on the left.  Then we drew the lines from the marks with a level (vertical lines). 

Then measure the wall vertically.  Divide by 2 and make a mark in the middle of the wall.  From there, every 8.5” we made marks with the chalk and then drew the lines (using a level) going horizontally across the wall. WHEW!  This is what we ended up with: That’s a pretty impressive grid huh?!

Time to tape!  We used frog tape, to see what it was all about.  Let me tell you, we loved it!  We decided we were going to tape at every horizontal line and I was going to make the zigzags every 2 boxes. For example, I started, went down and over 2 boxes and then took it back up and over 2 boxes.  Repeat all the way across your wall. For every.single.line. you made J I told ya’ll it was tedious!

From here, things were a little easier!  We picked every other section to paint the lighter color brown/tan.  Once finished we removed the tape.  Here you will still see some of the chalk marks we made that were hiding underneath the tape.  It wipes right off with a wet paper towel.

I promised you guys a picture less chalk marks.

Stay tuned to see how we decorate the room! We are ordering furniture tonight.  Daniel might have to share this little home office once we’re finished cause I’m starting to get attached.

Little ThreadWagon {Review}

I actually won these super cute shoes for Hayden from Wifessionals series Supporting Small Businesses.  Surprised that I won, I got in touch with Ruthie immediately.  She was very quick to respond and great to work with.  I was pretty flexible on patterns because well…I’m a horrible decision maker when it comes to things like this.  I ended up giving her a couple different patterns I liked form her shop and told her to surprise me.  Let me tell you… I was not disappointed!

They are adorable online, but even more so in person.  It helps when you have a cutie to model them too. J  

This is the best I could get - sitting still is not her forte'!

The fabric is vibrant and colorful.  The buttons are to die for – can I get some in my size?!  Hayden’s not walking yet, but when the time comes, she can wear them outside.  

Note: The customized bag is a small additional fee.  Great for gifts at only $4!

The bottoms are anti-grip and made with indoor/outdoor materials.  

Hayden's foot is pretty slim, so I ended up putting socks on her and then the shoes to avoid them falling off.  I surely wouldn't want to lose these precious shoes!

Check out Ruthie’s sites!  She has products other than baby shoes as well.  You will not be disappointed.

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Mom Fail

Originally Written on 7.9.13

Tonight is a mom fail night (well that’s how I feel).  The night started out normal. Daniel and I went to work, Hadleigh went to school, and Hayden was at home with NeNe. I got home and we went out to a local restaurants burger night for dinner. Things were good. Then we got home. The dogs were excited to see us when we walked in, so they started playing with each other and being loud.  Well, Hadleigh thought they were "fighting" and FREAKS. So Daniel got them to stop and lay down on the floor while I went upstairs to get Hayden to sleep for the night.  Hadleigh still freaks. It turns to a Full blown - almost three year old - crying meltdown.

Hadleigh ends up going to her room to get away from the dogs and tells Daniel she is ready to go night-night.  I end up handing Hayden to Daniel because Hadleigh wants me. She kept telling me "Isis and Duke aren't my friends anymore". 

While I’m in consoling Hadleigh, Hayden cries because I’m not with her. I never win. I finally get Hadleigh calmed down, but she won't leave my side so I get her to lay quietly with me while I get Hayden to sleep. Hadleigh ended up falling asleep while waiting – This whole meltdown was probably just her being tired and a toddler, but man! Both girls asleep (Woohoo!), so I quietly went downstairs to start some dishes…Got through washing my first dish to Hayden crying for me. I'm sitting here in bed because she starts crying when I even attempt to get up.

Then, my mind starts racing on why they only want me, why they have meltdowns, possible reactions to me being a pushover… "Gosh I hope I don't screw them up" "Please don't let them have anxieties" "Please don't let my actions make them overly dependent"

Why do I feel the compelling need to console them 24/7?  I'm definitely pushover when it comes to them. I know that.  I'm overly trying to make sure I calm any fears or anxieties they might have. I have anxieties myself...and I know some anxieties might sound crazy to someone else, but it’s a horrible feeling and I can't bear the thought that the girls might feel that way sometimes. So, even though it sounds silly why Hadleigh would freak out over dogs she has been around her whole life...she was still scared, so to me that needs to be handled in a way that she feels safe. I want them to grow up to be strong, independent, confident, and loving.  It's so hard when you don't know if you're truly doing the right thing or not, no matter what decision you make.

Linking Up for Wildcard Wednesday!

Low Country

I haven’t been posting much, I know! I’ve gone out of town the past 3 weekends, but now things are slowing down, so back to the posting routine (just in case, ya’ll were wondering)

This past weekend was fun and anxiety filled for us!  Daniel, the girls, and I headed to Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday afternoon to go visit my sister, brother in-law, and nephews.  They moved there back in May, so this was our first time seeing their new house and town.  We were all excited to see them and to explore Charleston for the first time!

Thursday

We were on the road pretty much all day.  We stopped and got a late lunch / early dinner and then stopped again at South of the Border.  Bathroom breaks, photo ops, and some browsing were a must.

We got to my sister’s around 9:30, but we went to sleep not long after we got there. We were tired from the long drive especially Daniel - because this is what most of the way looked like:

 The girls did great though.  We actually switched Hayden’s seat forward facing, so her and Hadleigh could both watch movies on the way down.  It was worth it.  Although not recommended by doctors…I wouldn't have done the trip any other way!  She loved sitting like a big girl and watching movies with her big sister.  Both girls only slept about an hour the entire way down, but did great (no fussing!).

Friday

We took our time getting motivated in the morning.  The kids were having fun playing with each other and we weren't in any rush.  We then headed to the South Carolina Aquarium.  The kids had fun looking at all of the fish, birds, lemurs, turtles, sharks, and alligators. Hadleigh had a fall while we were there and it ended up being pretty dramatic. She got a pretty nice laceration on her head which got us an ambulance ride to the children’s ER. She did great – it probably took more of a toll on daddy and I. She loves doctors, so she didn't really cry when we were there. End result was 3 stitches. I know this probably won’t be the last of cuts and bruises in our future, but for my heart and sanity – I hope they are few and far between! There is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain. We are very thankful that it wasn't worse. We got back home around 8pm and we were all worn out form our eventful day!

Saturday

Hadleigh woke up with lots of energy, so she immediately was ready to play with her cousins.  I think she’s even more obsessed with playing doctor now. J  We headed out to downtown Charleston to have some yummy lunch before we walked around.  We ate at Southend Brewery & Smokehouse which was delicious.  Daniel and I both got a cup of their She Crab Soup (if it’s on the menu, we’re getting it).  It was so good!  Then Daniel got the shrimp & grits and then I got the butternut squash ravioli.  Both were great.  After lunch we walked over to the water to see Fort Sumter and some boats, browsed through the farmer’s market, and then King Street.  The kids were troopers since it was a lot of walking and it was hot.  We treated them to some candy from the local candy shop, so they were all happy.  That night we just watched movies and ordered pizza.

Sunday

We headed home – and the girls pretty much slept the entire way.  I think they were pooped from their weekend with their cousins!

We can’t wait to visit again and maybe experience some Charleston beaches J

July 4th!

Our July 4^th weekend was spent on the Rappahannock River.  Both Daniel’s parents and my parents have a house there, so that’s where we usually spend summer holiday weekends.  The girls love being there – they love hanging out with their grandparents, playing in the sand and water, and riding around in the golf carts.  Neither of them were too impressed with the fireworks – Hadleigh would have been, but she was tired.

1 – Daniel and Hayden sitting in the golf cart about to watch some fireworks

2 – Hadleigh & Hayden in matching swimsuits on the beach – nothing cuter!

3 – Hadleigh decked out in glow sticks.  We come prepared for the dark!

4 – Cousins Hadleigh, Hayden, and Linsay playing with Aunt JuJu

5 – Pancakes are a must at the Rivah – and usually it’s chocolate chip or pink pancakes…

6 – The girls in their matching outfits

7 – Hayden driving the golf cart

8 – The girls on the back of Baba & Nene’s golf cart, ready to go for a ride

9 – Hadleigh singing and playing the guitar for us

What did you do for the 4th?

Did you get to see Fireworks?

Summer Bucket List

Here’s what’s on our list of things to do this summer (heeyyy babe!) I may or may not have consulted the hubby before thinking of these things ;) He’ll be excited I’m filling his calendar up – you know between getting his Masters and work. He puts up with loves me.

What’s on your summer bucket list?

Blate, Forts, and Raleigh, NC!

I’m so glad this is a short week!  Even though I had a 3 day weekend, I’m ready to have a 4 day weekend coming up ;)

Friday

I had a blate at Panera with Mallory over at Mal Smiles.  She’s fabulous and I cannot wait to get together with her again.  We've already talked about a double day date, so stay tuned – we will for sure take pictures!  I spend the rest of the day with the girls – playing, reading, playing, and making forts. Or “castles” as Hadleigh would call it.

Saturday

I headed down South for a good friend's wedding.  Raleigh, NC treated us well , the wedding was beautiful, and the bride was stunning!

 

Sunday

I got back into town around 2, so I soaked up the time with Daniel and the girls.  I threw in a trip to the grocery store too. Oh, and Daniel surprised me with this cute bracelet…for no reason. Isn’t he the best?!

Linking up for Weekend Shenanigans!