Our Weekend

Happy Monday!

Country Fest was fun, and was really the first night out we had alone since Ellie was born!  I think when I find myself nine months pregnant with baby number two, I'll drop Ellie off with one of her fab babysitters and drag myself out for my sweatpants for a date night - the opportunities for a night out with a newborn (especially a nursing one) are few and far between!  It was definitely overdue.  Anyway, we missed Ellie and talked about her most of the night, in between watching the concert and watching all of the drunk people.  It was seriously some of the best people watching I've done in a while. ;)  After the concert, we came home to a sleeping baby, which was a very pleasant surprise (thanks, Auntie Whit and Grammie).  On Sunday, Ellie was such a little fishy at my aunt's house.  Not only did she love the pool, she taught herself how to make a fishy face so she was doing it all day - too cute!

I can't believe tomorrow is SEPTEMBER!  This summer flew by.  I'm already looking forward to next summer - I think we'll be having lots of fun with Miss Ellie!

Hope you had a nice weekend!

Four Months of Ellia

Age: Four months

Height: 25 inches, 90th (ish) percentile! Whose kid is this? ;)

Weight: 13.1 pounds, 50th (ish) percentile

Clothing size: She's wearing 0-3 and 3-6 month onesies, 3-6 month pjs, and 3-6 pants that are already getting too small for her not-so-tiny legs. :)

Diaper size: 2

Eating: Formula while I'm at work, and primarily nursing when we're together.  It seems to be working out pretty well this way, so I guess we're just kind of playing it by ear.  She still eats every two hours or so.  And in terms of formula, she's been drinking 4-5 oz at a time.

Sleeping: You guessed it - still sleeping in our bed.  She's slowly getting better with naps in her crib though.  I'm not really into the idea of having to get up to flip her from her belly to her back every time she rolls over and can't do it herself (which is constantly).  So, in our bed she will stay - for now.  It is starting to get a little crowded in there though!  She'll typically fall asleep by 11:00 and wake up one or two times during the night to eat.  Lately, she's been getting up by 8:00, or sometimes she'll wake up for an hour or so around 6:00 and go back down for a bit.  Napping is still all over the place.

Favorite toys: See our three + four month favorites here. :)
Loves: Still loving being held (while standing/walking).  Walking around outside.  Hammocking.  Watching TV.  Being held + cuddling until she falls asleep.  Grabbing anything and everything she can with her hands.  Kicking the dust up. ;)

Ellie clearly wishes she could just get up and walk around.  She loves to be held so she's standing, and hates being held like a baby on her back unless she's super sleepy and has a binky in her mouth.  She is constantly rolling over from her back to her belly, and tries very hard to crawl away.  She is getting more and more giggly, which is the cutest thing in the entire world.  She'll smile if you smile, and lifting her up above your head like an airplane is almost sure to get a laugh out of her.  She's super drool-y, a little violent with her hands (and claws), and very sweet.

Happy four months, baber! :) We love you.

Ellie took the photo shoot into her own hands and decided she wanted this pose, instead...

We have a fun weekend ahead with Country Fest on Saturday and our last pool session of the season (tears!!) on Sunday.  Hope you all have a great weekend!  It's supposed to be a beautiful one! :)

Baby Faves: Three + Four Months

I can't believe Ellia babe is four months old and I'm writing this post already!  Our three and four month baby faves are in addition to our one + two month faves, all of which we're still using.

Skip Hop Sheep - The cutest little toy ever!  Ellie loves the different textures on this sheep.  It looks like the sheep is out of stock, but I love the owl, too.

Gloworm - I mentioned in Ellie's three month update how much she loves this, and she hasn't gotten sick of it yet.  Lately, she's been pretty determined to eat her face, but I like to think it's more of a love bite. ;)

Sophie the Giraffe - Ellie's favorite teether is her hand (or really any kind of human flesh she can fit into her mouth), but in terms of an actual teether, Sophie is her fave!  Of course, it could be just because she likes that she squeaks.  My mom just bought her this lion, which is similar (a little softer), and Ellie seems to like it so far, too.

Swaddle Blankets - Not for swaddling, because this kid is a ninja, but we use these all the time anyway.  They're super lightweight, so they're great for summer.  They also work as makeshift burp clothes if you're in a pinch. ;)  Plus, they're so pretty!  They have some really cute boy ones, too.

Onesies - These H&M ones are pretty awesome - super affordable, soft, and surprisingly thick. I'm a big fan of plain onesies, so you can easily mix + match them!  We also love these ones from the Gap.

Medela bottles - Like I mentioned before, these are Ellie's favorite. Obviously, these are great if you have a Medela pump because they attach right to it.  I just bought more in a larger size, even though we have a dozen other ones that have never been used, sitting in our cabinet...

Kitty Tails book - Ellie is just starting to like when we read books, or more so she just likes to look at the pictures and violently grab the pages; hence, why this soft book is great! And if you don't like cats (what kind of person doesn't like cats?), there are other animal versions of the same book. :)

Rattles - These are the ones we have (here + here), but really anything that Ellie can hold and makes noise is a win in her book.

Bows -  Obviously.  I love all of the ones I've bought so far, but the newest ones I got are a definite favorite.  I'm obsessed!

I've been keeping my eye out for some new toys to keep Ellie from getting bored, but am finding that a lot of them require her to sit up and she's not quite there yet.  As always, suggestions are welcome for new things to try!

 Looking forward to seeing Ellie grow, and our baby faves change over the next couple months!! :)

Ellia Style: Outerwear

Right now, I'm on the hunt for both a fall and a winter jacket for Ellie.  Although, I'm fairly certain she'll get much more use out of a winter jacket because it's winter here for at least eight months out of the year (or so it seems).  I rounded up some of my favorites that I've found so far:  

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

Per usual, I can't make a decision to save my life.  I think I have my two favorites, I just can't seem to commit to anything. ;) What I do know, is the thought of trying to get Ellie all bundled up to go anywhere sounds like it's going to be challenging enough to be an Olympic event.  

Any recommendations for baby coats + jackets?  I'd love to hear!  For now, the faux fur vest seems like a win.  I think it was tickling her cheeks. :)

There's nothing quite like a baby blank stare picture... :)

Our Weekend

Hope you had a nice weekend! :)

We didn't do a whole lot of anything over here.  We were expecting it to be a pretty rainy weekend, but it didn't end up hardly raining at all.  We ate waffles and ice cream, watched TV, listened to some Kenny (in preparation for the concert next weekend!!), hammock-ed and just hung out.  There were lots of cuddles, lots of giggles + lots of (excited) screaming for no apparent reason - girlfriend seems to have really discovered her lungs. ;)  Ellie is seriously such a nut lately; she gets more and more entertaining each day! :)

And, with that... morning "nap time" is over.  Have a good day, everyone! :)

Follow Friday + Favorites

Alternatively titled: I'm obsessed with online shopping.

Friday is here again - yay!  First up, some favorites:

Babylit books are on sale at Pick Your Plum for $5.49 a piece!  I've heard nothing but good things about these books.  I picked up a few for Ellie to start her collection, including the Frankenstein one to put away for a little Halloween gift I'm planning.  Even though shipping was kind of ridiculous, it was still cheaper than getting them on Amazon.  If you sign up for emails, you also get an extra 10% off!

Speaking of books, I came across the book Mitford at the Fashion Zoo, which looks too cute.  Definitely going to keep it in mind for when Ellie gets a little older.

Another find that'd be great for (very stylish) girls who are a little older is this necklace.  It's perfect for fall, and looks very J.Crew-esq, don't you think? :)

You're all going to think I'm crazy and I'm not sure if I'm going to regret admitting this, but... I'm still wearing my one pair of beloved maternity pants to work just because I love them that much.  Yes, my regular ones fit me again but these are so cute and obviously ridiculously comfortable.  I ended up buying these non-maternity ones (in purple because I'm trying to be more adventurous ha) and they're basically the same thing.  I was so excited to find that they fit so similarly, and would highly recommend getting a pair! Or you can just buy the maternity ones, even if you're not pregnant.  I won't judge. ;)

My "fall" diaper bag.  It's definitely not just for fall, but I got it to replace a summery-looking light pink Old Navy tote I've been using with this insert (which I really do like, by the way).  It's "vegan leather", and I love how it looks like a regular handbag.  I got it from Little Unicorn, which is the same company that we bought our swaddle blankets from (that we LOVE).  Also, if you happen to follow Little Unicorn on Instagram, did you guys see that someone made a dress out of their Poppy Swaddle? Check it out here - wicked cute.

You know those huge swan and flamingo pool floats everyone and their mother seems to have?  Well, I found these mini versions (swan // flamingo), available for pre-sale now.  They're so adorable, but perhaps a tad expensive for a baby pool float.  I'll be looking out for cheaper ones, now that I know they exist.

Our neighbor recently opened a new business, selling mead wine made from his own honey bees in his backyard.  He brought over a bottle of the strawberry flavor last night, and while I only had a sip because I had to go feed my little beast, it was really good!  We see him out there all the time in his bee suit, so it was cool to see the end product. :)  If you're local, be sure to check them out!

And, for Follow Friday: Cella Jane Blog.  I normally like to read more lifestyle focused blogs, as opposed to fashion blogs (because I am not so fashionable), but this is one that encompasses both.  Her styles look cute and comfortable, which is important in my book.   Plus, reading it might motivate me to try to dress nice?  She also includes some pictures of her adorable daughter, who I saw was wearing some Beck & Belle fawn ears this week on Instagram! :)

Happy weekend!!

Beck & Belle

 It's no secret that I love baby bows and am always looking for cute shops to add to Ellia's collection. So, I totally jumped at the chance to try out some of Beck & Belle's super cute headbands!  We got these two in the mail and LOVE them.

petite glitter twist bow // bitty glitter bow

Ellie's bow collection was severely lacking in the glitter department, and these bows add the perfect amount of sparkle without being too over the top.  They also fit Ellie perfectly and seem to be super comfortable for her, too. I honestly always worry about putting glittery things on Ellie, because I don't want glitter to get all over her skin, mouth, eyes, everywhere. But neither of these left behind a single sparkle on her. :) Both of these styles come in every color under the sun (including some very pretty fall colors), so you'll have no problem finding something that you love!

I love little details, so I thought it was so sweet that a little shop label is included on the backside of the bows! :)

Beck & Belle has tons of great finds, so definitely check out the Etsy shop for more products!  These accessories aren't just for babies; they're perfect for girls of all ages.  She (Molly, the shop owner) always has cute, festive items and right now she's got some adorable Halloween headbands and clips up for grabs.  These witch hats even come in both mama + mini sizes! :)  Of course, I'm partial to this striped bow (I might have a little stripe obsession) and this cute little kitty head - because, cats. ;) These fawn ears are just too cute to handle, and would be perfect for Halloween or playing dress up. :)  Her new Gatsby Collection releases shortly, too!

You'll definitely be seeing more of these headbands in Ellie's collection! :)

Be sure to follow Beck & Belle on Instagram (@beckandbelle) - Molly is always giving sneak peaks  of upcoming products and sales.  She also frequently posts pictures of her adorable kids, Beckett and Ellia - yes, her little girl's name is Ellia, too!

Happy shopping! :)

Headbands provided courtesy of Beck & Belle, LLC.  All thoughts and opinions are our own.