I really wish Baby Gap could make this swimsuit just a teeeeeny A LOT bigger so that I could get one too. Is it not the cutest thing ever? Is SHE not the cutest thing ever??? (You don't have to answer that. That's just the crazy mom talking.)

I am in awe of this girl. She is learning so much lately and I'm so blown away by the constant talk/babble coming out of her mouth (things like "bay" - baby, "pa" - light, "min" - "moon", "mine" - mine :), how she knows exactly where to point when we say "mama's nose/eyes", "daddy's beard/nose" and "outside", her constant dancing,  how she's learning what "hot" means, how she gets so excited to play outside, how her walking gets better every day, how she's now trying to jump in place, how she now has 13 teeth!!, her sweet little voice...her chunky legs...her smile...her curls. I would love nothing more than to just bottle her up at this age (I'd throw out the tantrums and crappy sleep but that's neither here nor there) and keep it forever. Everything about her is happiness and I am so grateful for her and the privilege to watch her learn and grow every day. We are so completely in love with you, little girl!!

Sappy post brought to you by our makeshift pool day yesterday, a la Brittany :) Violet's future husband Harrison seemed to love this pool-in-a-bin so I thought she would too. Not so much. Being outside in her bathing suit was happiness enough for her and for me too.

I'm back! :)

 1. Quality time with my girl before I left

2. Ronnie was busy being single dad for a week

3. Meanwhile, mama did a lot of boozing and schmoozing (work, too!)

4. The big girl and the fun mail I came home to.



I'm so happy to be back and back into my regular routine!! I had such a great time and the event was a success but I am worn the hell out. It always takes me a week or so to fully recuperate after every one of our events. It was so so hard being away from V all that time and even worse was coming back to a child who looked like she had changed SO MUCH. Her hair looked longer, she was talking more than ever and she stared at me for a full day as if she was pissed that I'd left her. It wasn't this hard when I left her for 10 days when she was 8 months old - she had NO idea I was gone and I don't feel like she changed nearly as much back then. This time around was tough and really makes me dread my even longer trip this coming October :/ But all complaining aside, it's my job and I have to do it for my family so I'll keep on keeping on! I really am so so grateful for my job.

Ronnie was a champ at holding down the fort while I was gone and I am seriously lucky to have him! They had a great week together but I know he was even more beat than me when I got back on Friday night. So, Saturday I took V to my cousin's baby's 1st birthday party and spent some time with her at the park afterwards (with my parents too) so that he could have a few hours to himself. I know he needed a breather. Then Sunday, Mother's Day (my second one!), Ronnie bought me my favorite breakfast ever (Bill Miller's!) along with their coffee AND sweet tea. Best surprise to wake up to. He left for a few hours of volunteer work so it was just me and the babe and we had fun catching up :) That evening he took her to his mom's and I had the entire evening TO MYSELF. Best gift ever. Funny how it works out that way on Mother's Day.

Monday was a vacation day (thanks to the best bosses ever who knew we needed rest) and we did pretty much nothing. Ronnie's now out of school for the summer (um, until summer school starts) so the three of us just ran errands, grabbed some food, grocery shopped and made another stop at the park. It's pretty much our favorite thing to do nowadays to wear out that child :) Every time we go though, I see just how much she's grown compared to the last time we were at the park and I kinda hate it. I never realized how quickly she'd turn into a toddler and then how at this point, it would fly by faster than EVER. I'm always reminding myself how fleeting these moments are. And many times, I just cry about it. A growing baby is so amazing but can make you feel so sad! Time for baby #2?? ;) (just kidding. not even a chance.)

Hope everyone is well! Thanks again to Rhonda and Kali for your guest posts while I was gone! I hope to get back into some regular blogging soon. I missed you guys!

Glitter and some tears.

I swore I would never be a mommy blogger but I kinda am and I don't care like I thought I would. V really is our LIFE and if anyone had told me two years ago that I'd be talking this way, I'd have laughed and taken another swig of beer. But it's true. Having a baby changes you, your life, your relationship with your significant other, all of it. It's overwhelming and amazing all at once.

Last night I held her as she fell asleep and realized that YES, I'm going to be a wreck for the next 2 weeks. I'm taking a sad little walk down memory lane because I hate how fast it has all flown by and you know what, I'm allowed. She might be the only babe we ever have (and honestly could ever handle ;) and all sobbing aside, I really am just trying to live in each and every moment.

Last night I was knee deep in all things sparkley while I DIY'ed some props for her 1st birthday photo shoot this afternoon.

(This is definitely the fun part about having a girl :)

I'm completely excited for the photo shoot and can't wait to see her reaction to the cupcake but have to admit, I definitely have THIS girl on my heart:

Same baby Violet, just a brand new, 2 week old version.

The next 2 weeks are going to be real mushy. Fair warning, y'all.

Blog Sale - Mommy/Baby Gear!

I'm cleaning out some of my stuff and have some Mommy goodies to sell! Once I finally go through the piles of Violet's clothes and choose what I want to sell, I'll put up a separate post for that stuff.

All transactions will be made through PayPal. Shipping will be $5 (unless otherwise noted below). Just comment with the # item you want and I'll e-mail you to get the purchase started!

FYI: I didn't type out the brand names because I work with these companies and don't want anyone from the company happening upon my blog ;) However, you can clearly see all the brand names in the pictures and I did post the pattern name so if you want to Google them to find out more, do it to it! And of course if you have any questions about any of the items, leave a comment or Tweet me!

#1  SOLD!

Clutch - Dancing In Dublin pattern $30
Comes with a snap-in changing pad and a diaper wipe case with the brand name written across it.
I used this as a cute clutch for myself maybe 4x and this was before I even had a baby so the pad and case have never been used. The purse has one small stain inside and a couple little pen marks on the front and bottom. I'm sure you can't even see them in the pictures, that's how minuscule they are. If you want better close ups, let me know and I'll email them to you!

 

#2

Poppy Clutch $15

This is another "diaper bag clutch" and normally comes with a matching changing pad but I bought this pre-baby as well and they just took the pad out since I didn't need it. This was used twice.

It has two compartments: the large one and then the smaller one in the front. It has magnets so you can fold over the large section as you can see above.

#3 SOLD!

Nursing Cover - Mosaic Pattern $15

I used this maybe 4 times. It's a really awesome cover and would still be in use if I was still bf'ing but that's a story for another day ;) The neckline has a flexible piece inside so that it stays open to view the baby, the neck strap has a d-ring and is adjustable and the inside corners have terrycloth pockets to use for clean up or to keep a pacifier handy.

#4 - SOLD!

Adjustable Sling - Geo Pattern $20

I'm in love with this sling and the pattern but Violet was not. Being a reflux baby, she was never comfortable in this position and would rather be carried straight up. So we tried this out maybe twice and for about 10 minutes each time. It has large adjustable rings on the strap and the edges are really fluffy and comfortable. The box is tall and skinny so I will probably just ship the sling without the box!

 

#5 SOLD!

Car Seat Adaptor $35

We bought this to use with a stroller we were given but used a different stroller instead so didn't need this! It  sells for $60 and can be used with the Mini, Elite and Classic strollers. The box is a little heavy so shipping might end up being more, we'll discuss that if you're interested.

I hope you find some goodies you can use! Let me know if you have any questions!! :)

photo monday!

Normally I hate Mondays but this one was almost welcome! This weekend was a tough one.

Violet was super needy all day Saturday (more so than the usual neediness of a baby) and would barely let me look away from her, let alone actually get anything done! I managed to clean some of the house but not what I'd planned on doing. I don't know how you SAHMs do it. Oy it was tiring.

I was hopefu for a better day Sunday but that didn't quite happen. We went to my sister's going away party which wasn't a huge party but just having the few aunts, uncles and my sister's best friends there made for a terrified Violet. She freaking cried her eyes out the moment someone tried to hold her or even just looked in her direction! Agh! Only my sister (she looooves her) and one of her best friends were able to hold her but everyone else? Nope.

So yeah, it was a tough weekend. I'm glad it's over and I just hope Violet isn't giving Ronnie too hard a time this week at home. As for her freaking out around small crowds, I'm not sure what to do. She's fine in large crowds and will even smile if a stranger comes up to see her. But small crowds where everyone's focused on her, she's not having it. Any advice, moms?

Anywho, on to the pics from the past week. Happier times. ha!

I'm linking up with Savanah and Ashlee!

1. Flash faces!/ 2. Oompa loompa hair!/ 3. My Latina VoxBox came in!/ 4. Pouty face :(

5. Love my new Old Navy top!/ 6. Dust storm on Friday/ 7. Finally have V pics at work/ 8. Goofy daddy

9. Sibley dying for some attention/ 10. Boys dying to go outside

11. Loving her Aunt Jeena yesterday/ 12. So cute in this outfit!/ 13. Trying out the highchair for the first time :)

Also, Savanah & Ashlee are celebrating 1 year of their link up with an
Erin Condren giveaway - a $50 gift card! Go enter!

And just a teaser for tomorrow - I'm gonna share a fun little gift I made!

A year ago today

I was just randomly going through my blog archive of last July and crazy enough, on this day last year is when I blogged about finding out I was pregnant! I had actually wanted to post on July 7th which was a year since the day I took all those little pregnancy tests but I was in the hospital the day after surgery.

So a year ago today I was sitting at work typing out my whole pregnancy story, still on cloud 9 and still in shock that I was even pregnant...and today my day started out by covering my nearly 5 month old in kisses after bringing her to our bed.

It's amazing how much life has changed in one year! <3

Sunday Scene

Sometimes when baby sleeps and daddy leaves to run errands...

Momma takes a break.

I'm not sure if every mom's break includes drinking alone and out of a plastic cup...but I'm ok with that :)

Happy Sunday and here's to forgetting (at least temporarily) that tomorrow's Monday!

The old me

This blog has definitely turned into baby fest lately. I swore I wouldn't become a "mommy blogger" but wouldn't you know, I totally have! I guess being the naive newbie mom-to-be that I was, I had no idea that my life would be all about baby.

But in case you forgot, my name's Jessica. HI.

Remember me?

I used to be fun.

I used to have time to sit on the couch and get caught up on TV and celeb drama!

I used to have date nights and parties with friends.

I used to cherish every glass of wine. And every bottle of beer.

I used to do some serious shopping.

Now? I'm just Violet's mom. The lady who feeds her. The lady who changes her diapers. The lady who comforts her when she cries. The lady who puts ginormous bows on her head because she just looks so damn cute in them.

And I love it.

I know I'll be "me" again one day but for now, it's all about that sweet baby girl who has stolen my heart forever. And I am totally ok with it. It's going by so fast and I just want to enjoy every moment.

So if you're new around here or would just like to get reaquainted with the Jessica ME and not mom me, there's always my "About Me" section.

But for now, I'm in mommy mode and I'm happy with that. So thanks for sticking with me!