Bendelle's birthday party has come and gone but we had a wonderful and relaxing time celebrating our sweet pumpkin with a few friends and family members :)
Little Miss Social loved having people over, interacting with all of our guests and playing with all her new toys after she helped open them. It took a while for her to get excited over her multi-layered pink ombre cakes after waking her up from her beauty sleep so we could sing to her and cut the cake, but she finally did break into her smash cake. And loved it.
Although I didn't take a lot of beautiful pictures or have a professional photographer capture the essence of the day, we had a lot of pumpkins, Halloween, girlie and sparkly pinks and creams, and mostly handmade (by mama!) decor. It was fun to put a lot of love into her cakes, banner, crown, and all the different little aspects of her party.
Thank you to everyone who wished her a happy birthday. I am already thinking of themes for all the birthdays she has to come . . .not to rush ANYTHING because I am enjoying every single crazy, hilarious, and beautiful second with this girl and our little family :)
Things have been a little different and exciting around here lately because I have FINALLY (after months of researching, planning, designing, trials and endless amounts of errors) opened up my little etsy shop! I opened it up last night and though there hasn't been a ton of purchases like I ideally envisioned and hoped for, I am proud it is up and running and have high hopes for my shirts :)
Bendelle has been growing up so fast. Where is the time going, and where has it gone? I get emotional thinking about how just a year ago I was so plump with this baby kicking and squirming inside of me, and anxiously waiting to meet her. I use to dream about what she looked like and meeting her for the first time. Time changes oh so much. I am so thankful for her everyday and know that she has made me a better person.
She is rounding up on 11 months now and I'm starting to envision a little birthday celebration for her. I'm thinking something low-key and casual (of course!) that involves pumpkin and a little fairy-tale (Cinderella?) theme. Oh, I just LOVE that she was born in October ;)
xoxo
She is so big, my little one.
I can't believe she is standing, so eager to walk (but that's nothing new) ;) She loves to be surrounded by people and craves her freedom. She is happiest when she can roam freely and explore the things she knows she probably shouldn't be playing with. She is wild and brave. She's fearless, like I think a baby should be.
She is our little mountain climber--there isn't a flight of stairs that she would hesitate taking on. And she scales them fast, and is eager to do it again and again.
Looking back at the first couple of months of her life, it doesn't even seem like that delicate little baby in the pictures is really her. But then I'll look at a photo and catch a glimpse of that curiosity that sparkles in her eyes, and I'm reminded that this is the same girl--big personality compacted in a tiny little body that is rapidly growing.
She loves to open cupboards (and empty them), stand up in her bath, dig through the fridge and will play in any water she can get her hands in (which means the poor pups are constantly missing their water dish). She is such a rascal, and oh-so feisty!
My heart is so full of love for her and it is such an overwhelmingly wonderful feeling. More than ever I have just wanted to hit pause and enjoy every moment of this age together as much as I can. Having a child really is a roller coaster of emotions (and I know I'm just at the beginning), and it is something that as best as I try, I can't describe the beauty of it. I will never take being a mother for granted. Ever. It is the greatest gift I have ever been given. And I feel so blessed that I have an incredible man by my side to raise her with.
This is happiness in its truest form. This is what life is all about.
A little late, but better than never, right?
At the end of July my grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary and invited everyone in the family to go to Colorado and join them. It was a wild ride, the trip kicking off with my grandpa having a small heart attack which kept him away from the fun and family for a couple of days and to his dismay, unable to check off river rafting from his bucket list. But when he was finally able to celebrate his marriage at the big anniversary dinner my aunt and uncle hosted for everyone, gratitude was written all over his face. He was humbled by his health, but soaking in the love from his family and it was such a beautiful moment to be a part of. Watching my grandparents that evening (and over the years) has taught me a lot about patience, love and selflessness. No love story is perfect by any means, but through the highs and lows they have sixty years of marriage to set as an example for their children and their children's children. Joining hands in a circle of prayer that evening before dinner, our large family taking over the whole banquet room, my grandfather's aged fingers delicately holding Bendelle's small, chubby hand, was such a proud and emotional moment. My family, generations, filling this space with laughter and love.
Bendelle and I spent five days in Colorado, staying with my sister, cousins, father and grandparents at my aunt and uncle's beautiful new (and huge) home. It was eventful yet somehow relaxing all at once. It was so nice to have my dad around and spend time with Bendelle and watch her bond with him so quickly.
We spent our days taking long walks, shopping downtown, playing corn hole, going horseback riding, exploring beautiful Estes Park (home of the Stanley Hotel--The Shining, anyone?), getting ice cream, swimming in the reservoir, touring Celestial tea factory, exploring downtown Boulder, eating some amazing food, and spending quality time with family.
I also loved our impromptu family game night, drinking wine and watching The Bachelorette finale (eekkk!), going on a sunset run with my dad, and shopping with my sister and Bendelle.
Overall I had a blast and wish that Aaron could have been there to enjoy it too. Can't wait to visit again :)
Bendelle has officially been out and about in this big world of ours longer than she was nestled inside my tummy--such a crazy feeling. When you're pregnant, those 40 weeks feel like eternity is passing you by as you become huge and prepare for the day your little one arrives. But life with a 40 week old has flown by, and I can't quite believe that she is really 9 months old.
It has been such an amazing phenomenon watching her grow and develop over the months. I really can't believe she is already repeating words and saying things like "doll," "dog," "ta-da!" and "baba." She has been saying "mama" and "dada" for a while now, but I think now she has finally put meaning to the words. I just love hearing her little voice make up words and spit out sentences that make absolutely no sense to me (yet!), and love teaching her new things!
These days she would rather be standing than sitting anytime, ALL the time. Of course this means more falls, more bumps and more crying :( But I love watching her challenge herself. She is the most determined little soul.
She mostly holds onto furniture pieces and pulls herself up and takes steps while holding on. She hasn't quite figured out the grace of sitting down once she's standing, but she'll get there ;)
I am still obsessed when I hear her sing (her voice gets higher as she attempts a tune). It just melts my heart. And as far as smiling? Her cheesy smiles are back in action, coming at ya in full force.
We love to tickle her and hear her deep belly chuckle. And she is still rolling her tongue like Spanish is her first language.
She is the best eater, which I am very thankful for, and since she is a girl on the move, baby gates are up! She loves to get into everything (especially things she is positively sure she shouldn't get into), and loves when you massage her back. She just started reaching out to me to hold her and enjoys when I cuddle her, which is kind of new and oh so sweet.
We supervised her and let her climb up the stairs the other day and she did the whole flight without looking back! I let her do it again this morning. She is so fearless and strong. I was so impressed with our little mountain climber. And she literally will climb onto anything she can!
She is more often than not interested in things we don't want her to have (cords, glass bathroom scale, bills, the dogs' water dishes), but I love her curiosity. As she gets older, especially in this last month, I really feel like our bond has strengthen so much. I just love having this little girl in my life!
#proudmama
It's always hard coming back from vacation, so I thought I'd reminisce by blogging about it :)
This vacation checked off a lot of firsts for us-first time traveling on a plane with a baby (4 total plane rides with the layovers!), first time most of Aaron's family got to meet Bendelle, and first time I went a whole trip without sleeping on an airplane!
Our trip was everything we wanted it to be--fun, relaxing and memorable. It had been two years since we had last visited Aaron's hometown and we knew that this trip would be different. Bendelle loved all the attention and it made me wish she could spend more time around her relatives. Being out and about was a little hard on her nap time regime but we made it work one way or another. It was really nice still being able to keep Bendelle in a separate room (Aaron's old room) while we slept in the guest room. And really nice to have a babysitter one night so we could have drinks with Aaron's cousin and his fiancee ;)
Overall we had a blast, and no amount of time would have been enough. Some of my favorite memories were:
-Walking down the boardwalk with Aaron and his grandma while Bendelle took a nap in her stroller and spotting a whale in the ocean. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life (my favorite animals are whales and dogs), and simply surreal seeing a whale unexpectedly jumping out of the water and splashing his tail on the surface of the water.
-Visiting a local farm and picking fresh berries and feeding the farm animals, all while imagining how awesome it would be to have a mini farm of our own one day.
-Staying up really late with Aaron and his mom, sipping chard, playing Sorry and indulging in homemade hot fudge sundaes topped with the fresh berries we picked.
I also loved swimming in the Atlantic, taking Belles in the pool and letting her splash and kick her little feet in the water, going on beautiful country drives, getting Rita's for the first time (!!), drinking Dunkin' Donuts coffee, eating a wonderful farm-to-table meal at Natirar, evening walks with family, getting Bendelle dedicated at church, having a night out, sitting around a bonfire on the 4th watching fireworks, and every moment spent with family :)
I so look forward to going back in October :)
Let the countdown begin ;)
