Weekend Things + Think Spring!

 

You know how Memorial Day is considered to be the unofficial start to Summer?  Well, March First is pretty much the unofficial start to Spring.  In my mind, anyway!  We've totally lucked out over here in MA with an overall mild + not-ridiculously-snowy Winter (so far - knock on all the wood!), but are more than ready for all things Spring.  Even the daffodils along our front walkway are starting to pop up already, so here's to hoping the cold weather stays away + Happy Last Day of Winter to you all! ;)

I grabbed this doormat at Target on Saturday to add a little color to our front steps - cute, right?  We usually don't go to Target every week because I tend to buy a few too many things, but were headed right past it to drop Tyler's truck off at the dealer to get some work done on it.  I could totally write an entire post about all of my favorite Target finds (a new weekly feature?? ;) ) but will pick just a few to share today:

1.)  I got Ellie an Easter basket.  I know, enough with the Easter basket talk, lady.  I can't find it online, but it's a white + gold woven Threshold basket that was with the Easter home decor, not the Easter baskets + candy.  Virtual high five if you can picture exactly where I'm talking about in your local Target store.

2.)   Ridiculously cute sippy cups - we picked up the fox + the turtle.  Did anyone else dream of the day when you could buy your baby a new seasonal sippy cup from Target throughout the year?  Not joking in the slightest.  When Tyler suggested she wear her fox socks while using her fox sippy, my mama heart pretty much exploded with one million heart eye emojis.  He totally gets me, guys.

3.)  Pillowfort.  Maybe I'm a little out of the loop, but I had no idea this was the new big (Target) thing until I got home and saw multiple IG posts about it.  We held Ellie up and let her pick out a new "mini pillow" (aka stuffed animal), and she picked out the bear with the floral crown.  She carried it around the entire store and she and her bear (who we named Summer) both got stickers on our way out. :)

4.)  All of the outdoor things.  SO many cute pillows + decor for your outdoor spaces, I could have sat down on one of the chairs and stayed awhile if my shopping buddies would have let me. ;)  I think the seasonal space should consist of either outdoor or Christmas things year-round.  Who's with me?!

 Just casually stopping in the doormat aisle for a quick twinning photo-op. What? You don't do that?

The rest of our Saturday was pretty quiet, aside from the big crib transition that I talked about in my last post.  She did pretty well again last night, other than one wake-up that brought back some early Ellie memories.  But, a bottle, a diaper change, a stroller ride around the house in the dark while singing "ole ole ole ole" repeatedly, and an hour later, she was down in her crib again.  Also, the best part about this whole sleeping in the crib thing?  When 5:15 rolls around, she immediately gets up and starts jumping up and down, rattling the sides of the crib like crazy.  If that doesn't scream "good morning", I don't know what does. ;)



 Mac + cheese coma.

On Sunday, my dad came down again in the morning (he golfs nearby so he loves to stop in on his way down), and then Tyler's younger brother + his sweet girlfriend came over in the afternoon.  Ellie was hamming it up big time for them, and his girlfriend goes to our old high school so I love to hear stories about what's going on there now.  Good times were had by all.  :)




Clearly, I can't handle waiting to break out the summer attire.  Must get this front tie tank in every size so she can have it forever, right?!

Also, YES, my Warby Parker trial pairs came in this weekend (I am wearing them in the photos in this post).  If you don't know about the trial program, you can pick up to five different frames to have shipped to your house for free.  You keep them for five days, so you can really try them out (and maybe wear them to Target even though you can't see shit.  But hey, at least they look cute).  You can either get the frames at a small discount and have your doctor put in the lenses, or scan in your prescription and have your new glasses mailed to you.  I really like a few pairs and think I have narrowed it down to two: the Upton (my favorite) and the Wilkie (Tyler's fave and my runner-up).  Depending on how much my prescription has changed, I may end up getting two pairs to have one as a back-up.  You know, in case the Ellie tornado rolls through or they decide to hide under the pack n play again.  So yes, I would recommend giving it a shot!  I mean, it's free to try so there's really no harm if you don't find a pair you love.

Hope you had the best weekend filled with lots of Spring thoughts + sweet treats! ;)

Operation: Kick Cosleeping to the Curb

If you follow me on Instagram (@linleynoel), you might have already seen that on Saturday night, Ellie slept in her crib all night long for the first time ever.  I know, ten months old and never slept in her crib overnight?  If you're new here or would like a refresher, you can read the cosleeping post I wrote a little while back.  I won't get into the details of how we ended up here since I already explained it once, but I'll just say that even a nap longer than ten minutes in her crib was still a rare occasion for Ellie at this point. 

 I've been thinking of moving her into her crib for quite sometime now, but always found excuses not to.  So, on Saturday night I decided that there really wasn't any time like the present to just give it a shot.  I honestly lost count of how many times she woke up during the night, I'm guessing about a dozen (she was up to five before 10:30 rolled around), but for the most part was easy to put back down so it wasn't completely horrible.  I am so used to running to her as fast as I possibly can because I don't want her to crawl off the edge of the bed, so I think I've become extra sensitive to any noises she makes - which is a lot.  Think puppy locked in a crate away from it's mom for the first time noises (even if she's still pretty much asleep).  I also found her repeatedly hitting her head against the side of the crib trying to get settled in, so she needed a little help adjusting herself since I'm usually the one to turn her back after we find her head in Tyler's armpit and feet on my face.  

Tyler grabbed the twin mattress off our "guest bed" and put it on Ellie's floor for me to sleep, which was more for me than it was for her - both for a peace of mind as well as to make it a bit easier for me to get up and check on her before she completely lost her shit and I'd end up strolling her around the house at 2 a.m.  I'm planning to sleep there again tonight but am hoping it'll be the last night and I'll be back in our bed tomorrow night (fingers crossed!). 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad that we're moving her out of our bed.  Tyler and I have both already said that we miss her, which probably sounds silly but the snuggles are just so sweet.  It was also nice to be able to check on her without even opening my eyes.  Now she will be a whole two doors down the hallway, which seems oddly faraway.  I'm sure Ellie will still end up in our bed overnight on occasion, and am already planning a mandatory cuddle session on weekend mornings in our bed. ;)  We'll see how it goes, but I know it's best for both her safety and my sanity - not having to worry about Ellie making a beeline for the edge of the bed the second she opens one eye (which is every. single. time.).  

This week, I am going to look for a sound machine to put in her room.  We sleep with a fan on every night of the year in our bedroom (for me to help drown out Tyler's snoring), so I know she is used to the white noise.  I'm also on the fence about a blanket.  I know it's recommended that you wait until your baby is one year old to sleep with a blanket, and while I will continue to let her sleep with one for naps, I'm a little nervous about overnight.  I mean, she's slept with a comforter for the past ten months, so I don't know why I'm concerned other than the fact I can't just reach over to check on her.  She hates any kind of restrictions, so any kind of sleep sack is out of the question.  Girlfriend can't even stand the constriction of socks or footie pajamas at this point, so I'm sure she would lose her mind if I tried putting her in one of those.  I am worried she will be cold without a blanket though/she's just used to having one.  Suggestions are welcome!

I'm hopeful for another successful night ahead of us in our effort to kick cosleeping to the curb, and am looking forward to our first night just Tyler + I (and three fur babes) in our bed this week.  Imagine how much bigger (and lonely??) the bed will feel!  I'm sure it'll take a little bit to get used to, but it seems like it might be harder on us than her and we are so proud of our baby girl!  

Off to another "slumber party" with Ellie!  Sweet dreams, friends.

Ten Months of Ellia + TGIF

Happy Friday + welcome to the world's longest blog post!  Lots of things to share today - first up, Ellia Summer's ten month update:



Age: Too big ten months

Height: Won't find out until her one year appointment because trying to measure her sounds like a complete joke.

Weight:  Right around 19 pounds according to our scale.

Clothing size: I think we've finally retired all 3-6 month clothing this past month.  She's primarily in 6-12, but her new 12-18 month stuff fits her a little better than I care to admit!  I've been dressing her in anything from 6-12 to 2T these days.  A 2T top works great as a dress, same goes for a smaller dress doubling as a top! :)  I'm all about getting more use out of the clothes that needed to get in my online shopping cart rightthisinstant.

Diaper size: 4

Sleeping:  Up around 5-5:30 am pretty routinely, in bed around 7- 7:30pm.  She still has no real nap schedule, although this week she took one good nap in the morning and another good one in the afternoon.  I could totally get used to that!  As I mentioned a few posts back, she is still waking up a couple times a night but typically will go right back down after we put her paci back in her mouth.  While we don't have any plans to do so at this point, I'm already dreading the day we have to wean her off of her beloved binkies.

Eating:  Anything and everything.  She's probably the least picky eater I've ever seen in terms of liking different things; but, as I also mentioned she will now refuse baby food to get some kind of "real food".  Typically once she feeds herself a little, she will go back and eat her baby food again.  She loves her snacks, and some "big girl" favorites seem to be bananas, raspberries, carrots, pasta (with sauce or mac & cheese), mashed potatoes and pancakes.  I will let her eat pretty much anything with her hands just because she enjoys it more, even if it means I spend half her nap time cleaning mashed potatoes off the highchair/floors/walls to get ready for the next meal.  Bottles are kind of on a day by day basis, but I'd say she averages about 18 oz plus another 6 oz of water.  She loves her straw sippies and I'm so glad we are getting some use out of the reindeer cup that I had to get her at Christmas!

 Slamming sippies of water like it's nothing. ;)


Favorite toys: Still pretty much rotating her toys throughout the day, but a few that she seems to play with more that I haven't already mentioned are her radio, blocks (anything that can be stacked + knocked over) and her push walker.  She also loves to throw balls, and still enjoys her books - touch + feel, any that require us to sing the words, Ten Tiny Toes (pointing to her body parts as we read), and the last page of Little Blue Truck's Christmas are her faves.  More than any toy, she likes to crawl around the house, touching everything that she shouldn't along the way.  I'll be sharing our nine + ten month baby faves next week!
Loves:  Eating/snacks. Being mobile.  Going outside.  The cats.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (the intro + the hot dog dance).  Dancing - she was definitely bopping along to Kenny's "I Go Back" in her highchair the other night... Be still my heart. Her binkies.  The Keurig. Jumping in her crib.  Sorting through anything (bags, baskets, etc.).  When her daddy comes home from work. Anything wild!
Least favorite things:  Socks.  The baby gate (the sound of it closing behind us can bring tears).  The sound of the front door locking (can also bring tears - ??).  Laying down/diaper changes/getting dressed.  Anything that restrains her.  Bedtime.  Being told "no".

Ellie's vocabulary consists of  "mumma" (pretty much everything she wants is "mumma"), the occasional "dada", some other gibberish and lots of random yelling.  She crawls ridiculously fast, loves to cruise around with her push walker, and thinks it's hilarious when she stands on her own.  She gives lots of cuddly hugs + kisses, and still loves being carried around but never "like a baby" on her back.  She loves to wave and waves to herself/reaches when she wants things.  She pulls at her hair and rubs her eyes when she's tired, plus she'll grab our hands and pull them over her eyes/on her forehead.  Her day is made when she wakes up from a nap and her kitties are in bed with her, and she loves chasing them around like a little terror.  She has two teeth on bottom and two that are both about half in on top. She waves her arms back and forth to say "no".  She's also a little rough and will slap you hard across the face a few times like nothing (we're working on that).  Ellie is super wild and super sweet.  She's growing SO much so fast - including her hair.  Giving Ellie her first ponytail is on my weekend to-do list.  I can't believe she will be one in two months!



These monthly white rug photos are getting SO hard to get, guys!  Remember those Ellie outtakes I shared a while back?  Well, add this one to the bunch (actually, maybe all of three of these).  I promise, no babies were harmed in the taking of these photos.



Looking for a previous monthly update?  You can find them here:
one month // two months // three months // four months // five months // six months // seven months // eight months // nine months

I'm still working on the video I mentioned last week - no surprise there.  I've been busy collecting clips of Ellie being Ellie and can't wait to share a snippet of our girl with you.  I feel like photos don't do her personality justice. :)

Also, an update on my Warby Parker trial since I included them in my last post and last week's Friday Favorites, but never gave an update - I'm still waiting for them to arrive in the mail! They have been in our small state since Monday but now the tracking says they won't arrive until next Tuesday (yes, I'm totally one of those people who checks tracking numbers multiple times a day).  Anyone else wish everything could be shipped UPS instead of USPS?!  We always seem to have the worst luck with the post office at our house.  Insert one million eye roll emojis here. The pair I shared in my last post are the ones I'm guessing I will like the best on, but it's so hard to tell until I see them in person.  Anyway, as soon as I get them I will share my thoughts! :)

Since it's Friday, I figured I'd share some favorites as well as our photos from the week.  My first favorite was getting to spend an extra day home with Ellie.  No complaints over here!

When I searched Amazon for Ellia's radio, this little ride-on hedgehog came up.  I have no idea why it was the second result in the list but I think he's so cute!

Ellie's purple sweatpants?  Also so cute.

Our little unicorn swaddles that we pre-ordered on Black Friday came in the mail and are even prettier in person.  I think Ells will be breaking in the "boy" one I bought, too! ;)

Also, this hat that came in the mail this week as well and I just about died when I put it on her... and then she immediately ripped it off.  Here's to hoping she gets over her hat issue by this Summer so she can rock it with her bikini!

Loving these distressed white jeans for ladies - makes me immediately think of warmer temps!

Speaking of warmer temps, how pretty are these lanterns?  Perfect for your front porch or your own little backyard oasis.

Wishing a very happy ten months to our baby girl +  a happy weekend to all of you!! :)

Spring Style: Mama Wardrobe Refresh

 Let me preface this by saying that I am certainly not a fashion blogger, nor am I going to pretend to be one.  While I like to think I don't walk around in completely ridiculous clothing (at least outside of our house), I choose comfort over anything the majority of the time.  I feel like my this Winter my daily wardrobe has taken a step in the wrong direction.  The days I'm at home, I almost always spend in leggings and a sweatshirt, and getting ready for work always feels a little rushed so I tend to throw on whatever happens to be on top of my clean laundry pile - which is likely one of the three same cardigans I keep rotating, a black cami and black dress pants.  Black dress pants that are about two sizes too big at this point but I'm afraid to spend money on smaller sizes in case I gain my weight back.  Maybe if I stopped eating donuts I wouldn't have to worry about that. #yeahright #lifesshorteatdonuts  So, with the change of seasons coming soon (I see you, Spring!!), I think it's always nice to take a step back, evaluate what you already have sitting in your closet, and maybe spend a little less of your clothing budget on your kids and pick out a couple new things to refresh your wardrobe instead! :) 

Here are some of the looks I'm loving - practical pieces that can easily be dressed up or dressed down, as well as a mix of colors + neutrals.  These are all 100% things I would wear.

glasses // necklace // pencil skirt // cardigan // chambray button-down // flounce blouse // v-neck tee // nude flats // jeans // tassel booties // hunter boots

I have a slight obsession with J.Crew Factory.  

Statement necklaces are hands down my favorite kind of jewelry to wear, and most of the time the only jewelry I wear other than my wedding rings.  I have a small collection of those pencil skirts and they are the bomb.  They fit so well and are available in so many different colors + styles each season.  That chambray button down is one of my favorite articles of clothing in my entire wardrobe, so I highly recommend it!  I also included a cute blouse, my favorite v-neck tissue tee, and a cardigan that are all perfect for layering (I also recommend Target cardigans!).  I have Steve Madden Heaven flats in black that I wear to work every day, but am loving the slightly pointed toe on the ones above.  I used to wear more of a mix of heels and flats to work, but stopped wearing heels in my third trimester after my doctor suggested I stop... so, I've just kind of gotten used to the comfort aspect of flats.  I've gotten multiple pairs of the same SM ones because I end up loving them so much but have to say it does take a little bit to break them in (although I think my feet are more sensitive than the norm).  I've gushed about my love for those jeans before, but they are my favorite and I own more than one pair of the exact same kind like a crazy person.  Spring in New England doesn't necessarily mean sandal weather, so I picked out a cute pair of booties to include above, as well as my beloved Hunters that I wear more often that maybe I'd like to admit!

With just the items above, there are a handful of both comfortable + stylish outfits that you could put together!  I get so excited about the ability to mix + match, it's kind of silly.  I went back through some of my photos to see if I could find a few that I'm wearing these pieces in because I already own some, but am definitely lacking in the Linley photo department, go figure.  Here's the best I could find - one from Christmas where I'm wearing the chambray top with my leopard pencil skirt (same skirt as above, just a different print).

Obviously you don't have to be a mama to need a little Spring wardrobe refresh, but I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that I'm willing to bet I'm not the only mama who is feeling she needs to put a little spring in her closet's step for the upcoming season! ;)  I'm going to make a conscious effort to think about my outfits a little more, but of course you will totally still find me wearing my Gap (ahem, maternity) leggings some days  - don't knock them 'til you try them, ladies!  Side note: who thought of "maternity leggings" in the first place?  Like, aren't regular leggings stretchy enough?  Some marketing genius who gets suckers like me to buy into the concept of maternity leggings, that's who. 

Do you have any Spring style must-haves?  I have my wish list made and am ready to treat myself to a new thing or two! ;)

Postpartum Essentials

This post is long overdue, like nine months overdue, but better late than never, right?  I never shared my postpartum favorites after Ellie was born, but was reminded of a few items the other day when Ellie was digging through the bathroom vanity while I brushed my hair and pulled out some of my leftover postpartum treasures.  So, here are my must haves - the not-so-glamorous items that helped me out most in the first few weeks after giving birth.  Disclaimer: Perhaps some TMI going on here, just keeping it real. Also, I had a vaginal delivery, so that's what I know and am sharing about today.

Tucks pads - You may or may not need them for one reason or another, but I don't think it would hurt to have some on hand just in case.  I've also seen similar ideas on Pinterest for "homemade" pads that you can make before your baby is born and you actually put in the freezer (?!). There's a DIY here.  I'd be interested to hear if you've tried these out before for next time around!

Poise pads - Totally adult diapers and they might be a little much, but it's better safe than sorry. ;)  I meant to buy pads before Ellie was born, but since she came three weeks early I kind of dropped the ball on that.  The only ones I had were the ones I had taken from the hospital (take EVERYTHING you can, ladies!!), so Tyler kindly offered to go to the store to get some for me the day we brought Ellie home.  While I don't think it's a big deal, I am not normally one to send my husband to the store for "feminine products"; however, since I was in the whole it hurts to stand up, sit down, sneeze, breathe, do anything kind of pain, I gladly accepted and requested that he get the super absorbent kind.  Well, these are what he came home with and I definitely laughed (to myself) at first but ended up being happy he did!  You certainly won't have to worry about leaks with these - I probably only needed to use them for the first week (or two?), and then switched over to the normal kind for the next four(ever).  Also, I was very glad I had bought some undies in a larger size than normal to wear the first couple weeks after having Ellia - both from a comfort standpoint as well as the fact that they needed to be bigger to accommodate the giant pad that I was wearing.  Good times.

Motrin - Don't try to be a hero, if you're in pain, take something!  Looking back, I definitely should have requested more pain killers at the hospital, but between what felt like forever for a nurse to get me anything I asked for, and really just wanting to go home (I was afraid they wouldn't let me go home if I complained too much - pretty sure that wouldn't happen), I just went with whatever they gave me.  Once I got home, I followed my doctor's recommendations for dosages, which was slightly more than the normal dosage, and it helped SO much.

Peri bottle - You will need to use this squirty bottle religiously.  I still remember the nurse showing me how to use this about two hours after I had Ellie - normal Linley would be so uncomfortable in that situation.  Linley who just pushed a human out of her body?  Totally didn't give a shit.  Honey badger status.  I took a couple from the hospital so you might not need to buy one beforehand, but it is a definite necessity. 

Colace -  The nurses gave this to me within hours of giving birth, and I continued taking it daily when I went home, regardless of whether I felt I needed it or not.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of what was going to happen the first time I had to go postpartum, especially with what felt like a million stitches down there, but turns out I had nothing to be afraid of!

Nursing bra - I don't want to get too into breastfeeding essentials because I've already posted about mine, but a good, comfortable bra is definitely a must have.  I loved that these ones were comfortable enough to sleep in (and I did feel more comfortable sleeping in one than not), and of course they made it easy to nurse.  I would think a comfortable bra would be nice to have, regardless of whether you're nursing or not!

Nursing pads - I only ever used these when I left the house because I didn't want my show up somewhere with a soaking wet shirt; however, home was a whole different boobsoutallday kind of ball game.  Nursing in the first few weeks for me was kind of crazy, and pretty much constant, so there was not a whole lot of caring going on at home.  Side note: after breastfeeding and waking up uncomfortable and in a puddle of milk on a daily basis (no matter how often Ellie was up the night before), I have a newfound appreciation for dairy cows.  Not even joking.  I feel like I'm making nursing sound awful, but really once I got through the first month-ish, it wasn't so bad and actually got kind of nice at times! Promise. ;)

Belly bands - It totally sucks not being able to fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes immediately after giving birth.  The last thing I wanted to do was wear more maternity clothes, so I found myself in a mix of them plus lots of leggings and sweatpants - comfort is key!  These belly bands are awesome.  I used them a little bit while I was pregnant, mostly in the second trimester, but ended up using them more postpartum.  They were especially great in the first month or so after Ellie was born, when my pre-pregnancy pants were just a couple long inches away from being able to button but I just wanted to wear my normal clothes again so badly. 

Not pictured: lots + lots of water, coffee glorious coffee, and as much help as you can get.  Water is a necessity to keep up your milk supply, but even if you're not nursing, you will just feel better if you're hydrated.  I gave up caffeine while pregnant and happily welcomed it back into my daily routine after Ellie was born.  Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it (or want it) - significant others, moms (they've been there!), dads, siblings, friends, the UPS man who's constantly dropping off packages of diapers at your front door (kidding)...  Sleep deprivation is no joke and unless you are blessed with an amazing sleeper right off the bat, the first few weeks are completely exhausting.  And completely amazing at the same time.  I am totally feeling all the feels thinking back to a newborn Ellie right now, sigh.

Throwing it way back to when the nights were long (sometimes so, so very long), but my teeny tiny wide awake at 3 am baby made my heart so happy it could burst.

Look at how little she was! How is that even real life?!

If you haven't had a baby yet, I am willing to bet this list makes you all kinds of excited for what your future may bring. ;)  I can promise you that your sweet new baby makes every unpleasant second 200% worth it.  If you are already a mama, what are some of your favorite postpartum must haves and recommendations?  I'd love to hear!

Our Weekend

Happy (almost) Monday from one of us, not so sure about the other! ;)

 I had to snap a picture of this girl in action Friday night.  My mother-in-law said that Ellie wouldn't eat her baby food but was clearly still hungry and wanted "something else".  That seems to be her new thing these days.  It's not that she doesn't like the baby food, it's just that she prefers to feed herself "real" foods.  Basically, she'll start to get sick of the pouches if that's all she's eating and girlfriend knows how to get what she wants.  Since I had nothing ready to give her, Tyler was getting home late and it was almost getting to be Ellie's bedtime, I had to give her something to do to keep her occupied while I cooked dinner.  If I'm not setting her up in her highchair with a snack while I get our meal ready, I will let her go to town in the tupperware cabinet.  She unloaded all of these things three times while I cooked some pasta for us to share and she loved every minute of it.  It's kind of a pain to have to pick up afterwards, but so easy to keep an eye on her while we're both busy in the kitchen. :)  I know, first time mom problems over here.

We had a slow morning on Saturday, which is pretty much the norm in this house - breakfast, jammies, and midday baths.  Ellie and I doodled on our chalkboard after she woke up from her nap while I was about to update it for something new.  It was all fun and (dusty) games until she decided to make a piece of chalk her mid-morning snack.

Bath time is still one Ellie's favorite parts of the day, aside from getting her hair rinsed of course.  Girlfriend gets excited from the second she hears the water turn on.  How sweet is she up on her tippy toes watching the tub fill up? :)

Later in the afternoon, we went to out to pick up some groceries and hit up our favorite store!  Yes, Ellie (I) totally brought her purse with her and even into the store.  Now she's currently hoarding one of those $5 gift cards Target gives you when you buy a life's supply of baby food at once in there.  She's going to use it to buy something nice for herself next time we're out and about - she told me so. ;)

As always, Target did not disappoint.  I could seriously spend an hour looking through the dollar section, but refrained as I was afraid my two shopping buddies would quickly lose their patience.  That sweet bunny bucket was $1, and I also grabbed a few of the metal buckets and trays they had for $3 (as well as a few hundred other things).  The pink metal bucket is so cute, I might end up using it as Ellie's Easter basket this year just because I love it so much.  Either way, it'll be the perfect addition to Ellie's room!

I'm a sucker for anything and everything galvanized, so these cute tubs were just calling my name.  You can use them for organizing all around your house, plus they'd be great for entertaining.  We have a similar, larger galvanized bucket that we have used like a cooler for holding drinks and I love it!

As I was throwing a handful of dollar section items in the cart, Tyler asked what I was going to use these for.  Truth is, I had no idea but I knew I would think of something!  We used to have some of Ellie's baby food on our kitchen counter in an old basket we had sitting in our closet, now they look much cuter in this tiny metal tub. ;)

The trays they have look so similar to these ones.  Perhaps not as good quality, but probably just as cute.  I'm hoping to pick up a couple more if they're still around at our next Target outing!  There were also a few cute things in the dollar section that I might be able to use for Ellie's birthday party.  The theme is floral, "botanical boho" if you want to get fancy.  I've had the theme picked out since before she was even born and am taking full advantage of the fact that this very well could be the only birthday I get to pick the theme for.  I have a funny feeling she will want everything Mickey Mouse and be asking everyone to end her party by doing the hotdog dance next year. ;)  Her first birthday party is not going to be anything extravagant; however, if you'd like to see some slightly over-the-top party inspo, you can check out my Pinterest board.  More party planning shenanigans to come soon!

On Sunday, my dad stopped by to see his little girlfriend and bring us bagels in the morning.  Later on, Tyler had a co-worker's birthday party to go to, so Ells and I had a girls day.   We were supposed to do pedicures, but only got as far as a bathroom sink foot soak for Ellie before we decided to head outside instead.  Read: I will only try to paint her nails while she's napping, and she was doing anything but napping so there's always another day for painting piggies. ;)  On an completely unrelated note, those little bottles of Piggy Paint fit perfectly inside of plastic Easter eggs! :)

Tyler snapped these pictures of us when he got home from the party.  He's learned how to rapid fire the shutter like a champ so I'm bound to get at least one "good" photo from the bunch!  I ended up with a few cute ones as well as the one of Ellie looking less than pleased about my kisses, which I might love just as much as the others because it is just so her. She prefers to give kisses rather than receive. :)




You may or may not be able to tell that we are totally twinning here - grey sweatshirts, black leggings and blue camp socks pulled up high. ;)  We might not look alike, but we sure can dress alike! #shegotitfromhermama

Hope you all had a nice weekend! I have a couple posts that I'm looking forward to sharing this week, so stayed tuned! :)