New friends and a bit more

Amélie and I have made some new friends in the last week. As mentioned in my previous posts, it's been a challenge to meet stay-at-home moms in my area. I did look into other groups as some of you suggested and I will be attending a meeting in the near future when I have time. For now, Amélie and I have been socializing with moms and babies at the local museum.

{in "The Wonder Closet"- the area for itty bitty babes}

The Children's Discovery Museum is just three miles from our house and we've been really taking advantage of it's proximity since we got an annual membership a few weeks ago. I love the fact that we can jet over there for a quick visit any time of day. In fact, on Tuesday I had hoped to take her to story time at the library downtown (not the one two blocks away), but her nap ended up interfering with the time. So, while she napped I crossed my fingers she'd wake up in time for us to make it for the last hour of the museum. She woke up at just the right time, I fed her, packed her dinner, a snack for me, a blanket, and then drove over to the museum. After an hour of playing and walking around with the other kiddies (there's always lots of kids there), we left and had a nice little picnic dinner on the large grassy area in front before we had to go pick up the hubby from his stop. It was perfect.

{isn't the short handrail adorable?}

We recently even had a play date with some new friends. We had some play time in the park, a picnic lunch, and a nice walk around downtown Campbell. We had a great time and are looking forward to hanging out again. The girls are only a week apart in age. Amélie's always very interested in other kids and will watch their every move, but it was cute to have another little person with the same amount of interest in her. They got along wonderfully! 

{cuties}

{see...she loved watching her little friend}

Amélie also made a new friend for Easter. She was made especially for her. =)

{ i found a pattern on Martha Stewart, but I changed her quite a bit}

{I painted her face using delicate paint brushes}

We had a laid-back Easter sunday. We enjoyed...

our amazing roses from the backyard...

our sweet baby "flower"...

wearing our aprons...

dyeing some eggs...

playing with egg shells...

and eating some deviled eggs!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

9 Months of Curiosity

Happy nine month birthday to our baby girl! Where does the time go?! In three short months she will be one whole year old!

We adore you sweet girl. You light up our days with your smiles. Life is more exciting and simply complete with you in it. We could not have asked for a more wonderful addition. 

A Side of Rice and Beans

That's us. The hubby's been enjoying not just the company of myself and our little blondie bean, but also the daddy man. He came in about a month ago from Guatemala and has been keeping us company and doing lots of things around the house like picking up Eric from his bus stop, making awesome dinners, completely clearing our big yard area of a gagillion weeds, making plant stands for me, and a whole lot of other things we very much appreciate. We always miss him when he leaves; not because of all the things he does, but because we love his company. This coming week he'll be leaving us in order to move to Arizona. He's decided that being back in the States is what he prefers. He misses us (my brothers and I) and his new grandbabies. We're definitely happy to have him back closer to home.

{delicious dinner made by daddy man}

{visiting Bakersfield for our nephew's first birthday}

While the daddy man has been here we've been keeping ourselves pretty busy and our little girl has been growing and changing on a daily basis. I can't believe how big my girl is getting! I could probably write a detailed 10 page essay all about her changes this month, but I'll just provide a glimpse here. How about some to-the-point bullets?! 

{her 8-month photo at home}

• She is getting so heavy? I can't wait to find out how much she's gained at her next appointment in a month. I'm going to guess 19 lbs. Our chunky monkey.
• Two visible teeth! The bottom left came in first and is still working on coming out completely. The right bottom is just barely coming out, but I can feel it. She loves feeling them with her lips and tongue. 
• Crawling in reverse (still not loving it) and would love to spend all day standing holding onto something. 
• Still loves eating. She's tried lots of new things, but her faves are still yogurt and sweet potatoes. 
• Talks and talks and talks. She gurgles, "dadas" all day long, squeals really high (we say she's practicing her Mariah Carey notes), loves blowing raspberries, and says "hey" and "hi" to everyone she sees. 
• Happiest baby ever! She can definitely be a grouch when she doesn't get what she wants and can go from super cheery to big tear girl, but she is overall super duper happy. She adores people! Whenever we go out to she will stare at people just waiting for them to make eye contact with her so that she can smile and wave at them. Oh yeah, she's big on the waving of hi and bye. I can leave a room for one second, come back and she will have the biggest smile and will talk a lot. 
• Dropped her third nap and her awake sessions have been stretched out to three/three and half hours. Since dropping her third nap, she now also sleep for longer periods of time. I love this! I can get so much more done. She used to take three 40 minute naps and now takes one 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap in the morning and an hour nap in the afternoon. We can actually go out and do more things too. She's also sleeping all 12 hours most nights. Sometimes she'll still want to eat once around 5:30am, which isn't too bad for me since I've slept a good length of time. (Okay the last two bullets weren't really to-the-point. oops)
• Adores her abuelito. She can be pouting for me because she doesn't want to eat her lentils, but one look from her grandpa and she will be all smiles. 
• Separation anxiety still present, but we're working on it. 

{yes, that blondie baby really is mine}

The hubby and I have been taking advantage of the daddy man being here by going on a date every weekend. It's been really nice. We've gone out to dinner and enjoyed a movie on every date. We love going to the movies, so it's been such a treat. Before the bean, we used to go almost every weekend.

{candlelit dinner in our backyard}

Life is really good. The house is all organized, so I'll be posting some projects I've completed on my neglected blog. I've been working on making things for my shop, but I've lost some steam with daddy man being here since I rather be spending time with him than crafting. Initially, my vision was to make pillows, but I've actually made a detour since I was inspired to make other things that I'm having more fun making. The Miscellany Shoppe is up, but not very exciting at the moment as I'm still learning how to set it all up. Basically, I'm making children's goods for celebrations or fun. I only have the bunting listed, but I've made fabric covered and sewn party hats and cupcake toppers/flags as well. The pillows...the cut fabric and zippers are hanging out while I have fun with playful fabrics. Any suggestions on items you'd like to see would be really appreciated. I'm already thinking of themes for Amélie's first birthday and one of my ideas has my brain swirling with ideas for things to make and probably sell in the shoppe. 

{some of the items in the shoppe!}

I honestly haven't missed work(the grading, the annoying kids, the politics...), but have had moments of nostalgia. I have always been very passionate about my teaching and truly enjoyed it. The hubby asked me if I thought I'd go back to teaching and I really had never questioned that I wouldn't. I will, but right now I'm doing the right thing for us. 

We're feeling pretty grown-up around here as we survive on one income and make big purchases like buying a new mattress and another car. Thank goodness for both, but more-so for the heavenly mattress! I was finally able to convince the hubby it was time to retire the cheap-y mattress he'd had since he moved to California, once it started to squeak. I'd been begging for one since before we got married. We're still shopping around for another car but I'm sure we'll be getting one within the next two weeks since the daddy man is leaving us and won't be here to help drop Eric off and pick him up from the shuttle stop while I stay home with a sleeping baby.

{the beginning of my garden with help from daddy man}

I gotta get back to blogging on a regular/weekly basis because I really don't like "dumping" memories in one post because I'm sure there are things I'm leaving out. I'm sure the next three, actually more like four months, will be full of things I don't want to forget. There are weddings!, birthdays, vacations, museum trips, and lots of outdoor activities we've scheduled. It's going to be busy!

Getting Around

Now that we're back in a city where I can actually ride my cruiser, I've been contemplating buying a bike trailer so that Amélie and I can ride around town. I really love my cruiser and I used to ride it everywhere when we lived in Sac and a bit in Petaluma when we could find paved trails. It definitely did not get a lot of use in San Francisco where riding up the hills nearly made me pass out.

I've been thinking about getting a trailer since we moved here and with the amazing weather we've been having this week, it's reignited my desire to purchase one ASAP! While out on a walk with the bean and my dad earlier this week, we wondered if it would be possible to convert my jogging stroller into a bike trailer. I mean, all we'd need is some kind of hitch to attach it to my bike and replace the front tire on the stroller and then purchase a bug cover, right? Apparently, it's not such a good idea because of the higher level of gravity on the stroller and no such part exists. Bummer.

{we have the BOB Sport Utility}

While conducting my research on rigging up my "bike trailer," I did come upon some really interesting alternatives. There is the obvious choice of purchasing an actual bike trailer; which, we'll most likely do, but there are also other options. For example, the Taga Bike. If I had money burning holes in my pockets I'd definitely get one. It is soo cool!

Or, how about a Zigo?

Then, there are also Chariot strollers that be converted into joggers, bike trailers, hikers, and for use in cross-country skiing...yeah, crazy, but cool.

If I can only decide on a trailer, we'll be up and biking in no time. I can't wait! 

Do any of you have any recommendations? 

Sewing Mania

I'm a serial sewer. I.cannot.stop. It could be worse I guess. With all the sewing I've been doing I feel like such a domestic housewife. Next thing I know, I'll be making my own clothes. Actually, that sounds like an awesome idea! Really though, I'm even working on growing my own veggies and fruits in our yard. I'm really enjoying myself.

My most recent sewing creations have moved beyond the usual curtains, pillows, and bunting. I'm making clothes for Amélie. I was inspired after spotting this adorable dress. 

{cute, right?}

After seeing that dress, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Why not? I bought some red gingham (so cute!) and used some striped tan linen from my stash and away I went sewing. Well...my first attempt is looking like this...

{close, but not there.}

I started by making a pattern with some leftover flannel and using one of Amélie's t-shirts as a guide. I then cut out my pieces with an idea in my mind as to how I was going to attach it all together so that it can be reversible. Well, after working on it for about two hours last night, I went to bed frustrated because it wasn't working out the way I imagined. Once in bed, I couldn't sleep because the wheels were turning.

As soon as Amélie went down for her first nap this morning, I started on a design that I thought up in bed last night and almost finished it before she woke up. It worked!

{i used some Amy Butler fabric and some organic fabric 

from my stash}

{side 2}

{back side}

{side 1 with a view of the inside or reversible side}

Basically, it doesn't have any visible seams that you usually see on the inside of your clothing. I sewed the two different patterns together inside out and then flipped it to the right side. I also used Heat and Bond to stick the two fabrics together inside to prevent the design from becoming floppy. 

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to the things I sew that I'm considering adding them to my shop. Would people buy this?! Either way, I'm really in love with it and can't wait for Amélie to wear it. It's perfect for spring. 

Here's a picture of her wearing one I made(in a similar design) first as practice using a fabric her daddy picked out at the store. This one is not reversible and I added snaps instead of the ribbon. 

{gosh, i love her}

{look at that crazy hair!}

I'm going back to the fabric store tomorrow for more gingham and trying it again. Also, I'm going to try out these other adorable designs from the same company. Love them. 

{cute gingham sunny dress? yes, please!}

I just learned how to use elastic thread, so that should be fun!

{linen shift dress. too cute!}

I don't know what the back of this little number looks like, but I'm imagining buttons all down the back and instead of that collar, how about a rounded peter pan collar? Oh, how about gold round buttons? Cuuuuute!

I've already seem a bunch of other designs that I think I can definitely tackle and am looking forward to making more clothing for my baby bean. 

Shoes for the Bean

Honestly, the bean doesn't really need shoes at this point. She has a pair of soft leather boots that she does regularly wear when it's cold out, but other than that her shoes have been purely decorative. Oh-so adorably decorative!

Yet, now that she's actually spending a fair amount of time with her feet on the floor while in her jumperoo or "walking" I've realized her socks are just not cuttin' it; especially her white socks that pick up dust particles like crazy. I started looking for an alternative to solid rubber soled shoes and found a tutorial for an adorable pair of cloth baby shoes.

I just finished her first pair. I chose some coordinating fabrics and bought a bag of remnant pieces of leather at Michael's that had enough to make two pairs with suede soles.

{i opted for using some suede remnants for the soles instead of fabric}

{the model in her new shoes}

They were really easy to make and they really stay on. I'm looking forward to making her next pair. Who wants a pair?

What's New?

Where to begin...Amélie and I (and the hubby) are having a ball! We've been in our new place for almost two months and we're in a groove. There's still things we're working on; like finding a mom group that will actually return my emails and calls (ugh), finding time to work out, finishing the decorating, and getting around with only one car... but I'd say that at this point we're doing great.

 {seven months. Whaa?! Where did the time go?!}

I'll start by saying that I love being a stay-at-home-mommy. I still can't believe that I really get to enjoy my baby girl every.single.day.all.day! We're just doing our mommy/baby girl thing. The location of our new place is really awesome. We have a really nice big park a block away and we usually go there a couple times a week if the weather is nice. The library is just a 5 minute walk away and Amélie and I have become regulars there. We'll usually go after lunch when the younger school kids have just gotten out of school from the cutie school next door and she'll get to see lots of kiddies moving around the busy library. Our little library is very much kid-centered. More than half of the library is devoted to children's literature, music, and videos. We love it. Oh, Amélie loves looking at all the bigger kids. She'll just watch their every move. We also live a few blocks away from San Jose's teeny weeny Japan town. It's adorable and now that I think about it, I can't believe the hubby and I haven't enjoyed any sushi yet. We'll sometimes go on long walks to the Downtown area and have lunch or do a little shopping. We also have a fabulous Children's Discovery museum, which, we have yet to discover. It's on our list and we plan on getting an annual membership for the us and the bean. They have some really awesome programs there for kids of all ages, even for our petite thing! At this point, we are not short on things to do. I still really love the later part of the day when the sun really shines in the family room and we enjoy some girl time together. We'll play, talk, laugh a lot, sing, have a snack, dance (she LOVES it when you dance) and sometimes even watch some girly television for a bit. "Say Yes to the Dress" is currently our fave. Oh, and aren't baby giggles and belly laughs the best EVER?! Oh my goodness, we're constantly telling ourselves how lucky we are to have such a smiley happy baby that loves to laugh. It's fabulous.

{hey lovers. Happy V-Day!}

Amélie has really adjusted well to the new environment. During the first month we were here she was having a somewhat difficult time sleeping well at night and we believe it was a combination of teething pain and just being in a new place. But, for the last month, she's been back to her old sleeping habits and has even gotten some full nights of sleeping in; 12 whole hours of non-stop sleeping! Its was great, but also not so great to wake up at 7 and realize she hadn't woken up (was she okay?!) and having rocks for boobs (from not nursing at her usual time around 3am). But, those nights have been sporadic and I'm totally okay with it because I enjoy our little night time reunions and it's much better than the three+ times she was waking up during that first month.

She's also growing like crazy! She's got quite a sprouting crop of hair in a coppery-brownie-blondie highlighted shade. I can't believe I have a green eyed blondie baby. Crazy. At her last doctor's appointment our baby bean weighed in at 16 lbs. 5 oz. She's close to 25 inches long and has a big head just like her parents. She's in the 20-something percentile for her height and weight, but something like 70 percent for her melon. Amélie has got some cheeks on her and they're definitely not going anywhere with the way she eats. We've ventured out of the simple baby foods and have her trying almost everything we eat. She still loves her sweet potatoes and squash and her usual breakfast of yogurt and pureed fruit. But, she's so far really enjoyed: butternut squash risotto from an awesome baby food cookbook recipe my bestie gave us, beef vegetable stew, sourdough bread, raisin bread, hummus, pita bread, hard boiled egg whites, chicken, pear spears (she'll gnaw on them forever), whole wheat bread, tomato bisque, greek yogurt, peanut butter and jelly, frozen yogurt, refried bean with homemade corn tortillas...basically this girl loves food! We're really crossing our fingers this will continue forever. This week I'll be trying out some new recipes for her; many of which I'm sure I will be enjoying as well. They all sound very yummy.

{just hangin' with my homie Boo}

She's super chatty. She's definitely fluent in Spanish as my brother recently made a quick visit and he noted that all her baby sounds are in Spanish; which, I thought was funny. But, that's not the first time someone has said that about her talking. Somone asked me if I spoke Spanish to her because her sounds have softer accent and inflections than English speaking babies. Uh, yeah; I only speak to her in Spanish. The only time she hears me speak English is when the hubby is around and it's never directed towards her. I'll still only speak to her in Spanish when Eric is around and then I'll translate for him. Although, he is definitely picking it up a lot more lately.

Amélie loves standing on her legs. So far is doesn't look like she'll be crawling since she detests being on her tummy for extended periods of time. But, when I say manos (hands in Spanish) and hold out my hands to her, she will immediately grab on and pull herself up to a standing position. She can stand and take steps for a really long time. She'll even give us attitude if we make her sit before she wants to. She can stand holding on to something for a while and will sometimes take little steps to the side. At this point, we're thinking she'll be walking before she crawls. We'll see. It makes me laugh to think about our itty bitty walking around on those little legs and that protruding belly.

Oh, and she got her ears pierced. It's very common for girls of Latin American decent to have their ears pierced as infants. My ears were pierced the day after my birth and my mom had hers pierced as a baby as well. I don't know why it's common, but it is. I would say it's a cultural thing. Amélie had her ears pierced shortly before her seven month birthday. She wasn't very happy during the whole experience, which, I understand, but once it was over she quickly forgot and moved on. She's had no discomfort and does not touch/mess with her earrings. I clean them as directed and she doesn't mind one bit. She looks freakin' adorable! She also cannot be mistaken for a boy now!

Before this post goes from super long to a novella, the hubby and I have not questioned our move once. We're so happy. There are definitely days when I wish I could interact with some other stay-at-home moms (helloooo...where are you?!?!?!) But, I've got my crafts going full force and now that we signed up for our local gym I'll be hitting it up frequently; I've gotten some kind of reply from one mom group, and I've joined a book club! Oh, and I have an etsy shop in the works. Yup, I'll be a real-life "business" owner. I'll definitely be spreading the word on that soon. The hubby and I have been out alone on a real date since I have good friend from my credential program that lives close by that loves babies and will babysit for food! Although, when we got back from our date he did say it was the easiest job he'd ever done in his life. He got to sit around on the couch, watch television shows, eat the cookies I made for him and the soda I bought specifically for him while Amélie slept soundly in her room. Of course I didn't only pay him in cookies and soda. He and his girlfriend are coming over for homemade pizza and game night on Sunday. The hubby feels good about being closer to work, having his wifey take on housewifey duties (girl power!), seeing his baby more often, learning to play the piano, having guy nights playing poker with co-workers, and doing his manly duty of bringing home the bacon. Yet, he is most definitely helping with cooking it up and taking out the trash since this whole thing is still a team effort.

Once last thing. Amélie recently started doing this thing where if I'm holding her and someone starts talking to her and smiling and basically fawning over her cuteness she'll get really shy, smile, and then bury her head in my shoulder. It is soo freaking adorable! Yeah, I have a crush on my baby.

Okay, really, the very last thing...separation anxiety...totally dealing with it. She needs to be able to see me unless she's with her daddy. Did/do any of your kiddies deal with this?

Sweet

I am soo going to make this for the hubby. So sweet.

You can find more pictures, recipe, and instructions here.

Ballet Flats for my Baby

I think Amélie needs these. How cute are they?! Perhaps a Valentine's gift for one of my two loves?

{found here}

Can I just add that Amélie loves being on her feet. She's got some really strong legs on her. The hubby predicts she'll skip crawling. I'm pretty sure I crawled before walking. Although, once I did walk; I only walked on my tippy toes. Maybe I was supposed to be a ballerina? ha.