Our big little girl :)

Our little girl is looking sooo big these days! Granted she is only 13.5 pounds, but if you think about it that is almost double her birth weight! 

We celebrated Valentines Day with our friends during the day and then got some one-on-one time (well you know, with baby) at night. All in all it was the perfect day, and I was glad to finally be able to hang out with our friends who finally got to meet Bendelle. My dad who lives in Florida was able to finally make it out and meet Bendelle for the first time as well! It was so nice to watch him hold her and see her get passed around by other family members too. I'm so use to always holding her that when I see other people holding her I get to take a step back and realize how big she has gotten.

Two couples we know are getting married this fall (one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast!) and all I can think about is how big Bendelle will be by then! Almost a year old! I can't even imagine her walking or what her little voice will sound like :) EVERYONE tells us how fast the first year flies, so my goal this year is to really just be in the moment and enjoy every new stage of babyhood and parenthood.

That's all for now! Tomorrow I am so excited to visit our friends in Rancho Santa Margarita and FINALLY see 50 Shades of Grey with the bestie! :0

My 4 Month Old Valentine

I can't believe my little girl is 4 months old! She is finally at that little chunky stage that I have been waiting for! This past weekend we went to Seal Beach to celebrate my birthday and it was so nice to dress her in short sleeves for a change and show off those little rolls. Being at the beach and in warmer weather has definitely gotten me in the mood for spring and summer!

I'm sure I will say this for every age and stage, but I am loving 4 months! She is so interactive and her eye contact (which has always been great) is better than ever. Sometimes I will have a staring contest with those deep blue eyes and she will finally break away and then smile. It is the cutest thing. She loves to hear herself talk, and I love watching her trying to form words and make noises. She has recently discovered her feet and toes and is constantly throwing them up in the air and grabbing them. When you go to give her a kiss she will open her mouth, and is starting the stick anything she can get her hands on in her mouth. She is smiling more than ever which makes us so incredibly smitten.

She just transferred over to 6 months clothes for the most part. Her onesies were not long enough for her and my sister convinced me I would stunt her growth if I continued to out her in her 3 month pjs. Her 3 month pants still fit as well as some tops, but this weekend she got a ton of new clothes from both Mama and Nonna and is enjoying her new wardrobe :)

Things we are still struggling with is keeping her in her bassinet throughout the whole night. I don't mind her sleeping with me for a couple of hours in the morning--in fact I love it--but all selfishness aside, I want her to be able to sleep on her own. How are we ever going to make more babies if she doesn't??  ;)

She still wants to be held all the time, which is difficult. The thing that I am having the hardest time with is letting her cry it out every once in a while (when she is clean, has been fed, doesn't have a temperature or anything else wrong with her, etc. and is just plain tired but doesn't want to sleep or be put down). It breaks my heart into tiny little pieces hearing her cry but we want her to be able to soothe herself and be independent and happy in the long run. I know letting babies cry it out is somewhat controversial, but we are always checking in on her and letting her know we are there. It is just refraining from picking her up every time she cries when we know there is nothing really wrong because she was happy/asleep in our arms before we put her down.

Aside from that, everything is so amazing. I am loving each day of motherhood more than the last, which I didn't think was possible. And I am loving being able to raise our baby with my loving and supportive husband, and realize we are so very blessed.

Her are some pics we took in Seal Beach this weekend:

Postpartum Wins & Losses

In order to end on a positive note, lets begin with the annoying topic of postpartum hair loss. In all fairness, I was warned that this would happen. But it didn't happen until about 2.5 months after Bendelle was born, so I thought I was one of the lucky ones and in the clear. I definitely shed a lot before I got pregnant, and my hair was definitely amazingly strong during pregnancy, but my hair now sheds more than ever before. It's the worse when Bendelle is sucking on her hands and I see a strand of hair wrapped around her little fingers. Any of you mama's who have dealt with this have a solution that worked for you?? Would love to hear it.

On the upside, I went on my first run since I was 20 weeks pregnant! I was definitely active throughout my whole pregnancy and have been active since Bendelle was born, going on long walks and short hikes with the family, but for me, working out means sweating. And it felt so good to hit the road again . . . even if I did feel a little nauseous in the beginning. I am planning on taking it slow in the running department, and make sure I am really in-tune with my body, because now I have a little one who depends on it! I think the most important thing to remember when getting back into shape after a baby is to go at your own pace and not compare yourself to friends or anyone else and how quickly they got their bod back. I saw this on Pinterest the other day, and loved it:

 

On a different note, my baby is almost 4 months old! And in February I will be 312 months old! Haha. I can't believe that last year at my birthday party I was hiding the fact that I was a month pregnant! I think from now on our birthdays will take the backseat, as we have a baby now and will be throwing her little parties for the next . . . who knows how many years! As long as I get to be with family and my sister makes me the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted in the world, I will be more than happy.

Happy Saturday everyone!

xoxo

Fun days off :)

I can't believe that Valentines Day is less than a month away! I know some people hate Valentines Day, but I'm such a cheeseball and I naturally love every holiday. Plus it's my best friend Amanda's birthday! ;)

It's not like Aaron and I go all out, but we usually do try to do something special, like cook a fancy dinner together accompanied by some kind of chocolate or dessert. And I have been DYING to see 50 Shades of Grey, so hopefully Amanda and I will see it together!!

This past weekend was great--my mom and sister came up for the three days and I got to catch up on some serious sister bonding. Aaron and I went out a couple of times and hosted a yummy shrimp pad thai dinner, and then my mom babysat a couple of times once Aaron had to go back to work and my sister and I went out to eat together and ran some errands by ourselves. It is crazy to think that the last time that probably happened was when I was pregnant!

During the week Aaron had a few days off so we went out to breakfast and lunch a few times with Bendelle. We also took Bendelle and the pups to Lake Hemet one day, and let the pups run wild. They had a blast chasing the ball and watching the ducks on the lake. It was so sweet to see them so excited. We drove around Garner Valley, and looked at all the farms and explored a little. Later that night Aaron made me my favorite pasta dish ever--bowtie with sun dried tomatoes and roasted red pepper. It seriously was a perfect day. :)

Little Miss Bendelle is truly the sweetest little thing I have ever laid eyes on, and it is such a blessing to see her grow and change on a daily basis. Some of our silly nicknames for her are Miss Milk (due to her obsession), Pterodactyl (because of her loud screams--this is one dad gave her in the very beginning), Little Miss B, Baby Blue Eyes, Little Belle, Cherub, Queen Bee, Sweet Cheeks and of course mama's/daddy's girl.


Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
xoxox

3 months my mini

My little mini is 3 months old! Being a mom is definitely the hardest but most rewarding job I have ever experienced. I love this new chapter of our lives and feel blessed that I have someone I am truly in love with to be part of this adventure with me.

So at 3 months Bendelle is a big talker--at least she thinks so. ;) I love her attempts to talk and can't imagine when (real) words start spilling out of her mouth! She says "mama" a lot (usually when she's crying). And although I've been repeating it to her (a bagillion times) and got really excited when I heard her say it, I'm aware she has no idea what it means.

She is more interactive now than ever, and I love that she is starting to play with her toys and reach for things. It also means she gets bored very quickly, so we are constantly bouncing around from station to station. Earlier today we played with her little piano Aaron and I gave her for Christmas. It was fun watching and hearing her play press the little keys.

More than anything she loves looking at herself in the mirror. Most of the time she loves her playmat because it is so interactive, but as I mentioned before she usually only lasts about 10-15 minutes at any given station. She does not like to sit still, and prefers if we hold her and dance around the house 24/7. I am convinced this is how I will lose those last 3 pounds pregnancy gifted me.

She has really always had great eye contact, and I love that about her. She is so alert all the time and just seems wise beyond her months.

And although I love her so, sooo much, I have to admit (I think anyone who really knows her would admit) that she is a colicky little baby. But you know what? It just makes me even more grateful for all the moments she is happy and content.

Aaron and I had a wonderful weekend together. We were able to go on nice family walks, spend a day being productive down in the desert, and cooked a couple of gourmet meals together. We made a Mediterranean halibut one night and a halibut piccatta the following night. It was sooooooooooo bomb. I seriously could eat the piccatta every night. 

Annnd dessert!

Hello 2015.

What a great year 2014 has been to us! From continuing to making our house a home, to starting off the year by getting pregnant, 2014 has been one wild, beautiful ride.

I can't believe that we literally started our year off with a bang by getting pregnant in the beginning of January. By my 25th birthday, a month later, I already knew before peeing on the stick that I was knocked up. It's funny how in-tuned to your body you become once you get pregnant and have a baby. And it's amazing how much my body has changed and gone through over the course of this year. While I'm not too crazy about my new-found tiger stripes, I am more thankful than ever for my body and the miracle it has created.

We brought in the New Year with our best friends (our oldies but goodies), and I wouldn't have it any other way. We opened Christmas gifts from each other, ate pizza, played games (oooh Cards Against Humanity), and went out to eat for dinner. I love our friends for being patient with us as we circled around outside until Bendelle was calm enough to take inside, and for helping me change Bendelle after she had a HUGE blowout in the first five minutes of being in the restaurant (why don't all bathrooms have changing tables??). Nevertheless, it was nice to have company and come home to a snowy, cozy home and watch the ball drop (three hours later) while we brought in the New Year.

The next morning we had mini chocolate croissants and went up to Humber Park to play in the snow with the pups (which was a little to hectic for my taste, with all the tourists, carrying around a baby, and trying to keep Bennet from eating random old ladies). But the dogs loved it, so that's all that matters. I have to say though, it amazes me how crazy some people are, trying to push their little cars up the hill without chains or four wheel drive, as they skid down the road with their whole family shoved in the backseat, putting everyone in danger. But at least it was kind of entertaining . . .

Obviously a goal for me this year is to be the best mom I can be. I have always wanted to have kids, and now that we finally have our first, I want her to always know the love and support of her parents. I want to work on being more patient, and continuing to practice gratitude, and recognize all that we do have, instead of the few things we don't have. And as my relationship with Aaron is the most important relationship I have, I want to continue to grow stronger as a couple and work on being in the moment with him (Milena, put that cell phone down!), as time with my family is cherished more than anything.

 And now, off to see Nonna! :)

Happy 2015 everybody!!!

Christmas 2014

I can't believe Christmas is over and by tomorrow at midnight will be bringing in the New Year. I always get a little sad after Christmas because more than anything I love the anticipation of the holidays, but this year all I could think about was how many new and exciting milestones we have to look forward to with Bendelle! I can't believe that next Christmas she'll be walking! 

We hosted both Christmas Eve and Christmas, but my sweet Mamma really did all the work. It really is harder to host with a (always hungry and still somewhat of a newborn) baby, so I was so thankful to have the helpful hands of my family around. :)

Overall we had a wonderful Christmas. Bendelle had so many gifts from our family, I felt like I had another baby shower! Among my favorites were an outdoor swing and a cute little pink Paris rocking chair (just stop), both from my Mamma. I loved watching everyone open their gifts, and so did Bendelle. Most entertaining day of her life, for sure.

I don't know if you can tell, but Bendelle's eyes are bluer than ever! They were grey when she was born, and about a month ago they turned blue! So funny because both Aaron and I have hazel eyes. I wonder if they will stay . . .  
 

I have been feeling so under the weather (it's been going around!), and have been so nervous about getting Bendelle sick, so my Mamma (the best mom in the world, if you haven't already figured that out), came up with my sister to help out for a couple of days. They were lifesavers. Seriously, made dinner, watched Bendelle while I took a nap, and took care of the pups. Aaron has to sleep during the day because he works at night, so the help was definitely appreciated! 

Today was tough as I was still getting over whatever the heck I had, and Bendelle also had to get a couple of shots. It was heartbreaking. But on the bright side, it snowed! And I like to think that brightened her day a little bit. ;)

We are excited for the New Year and to celebrate with our best friends, who plan on being part of our little winter wonderland for a night. I hope this year was as beautiful for you as it was for me.  :)