baby t

five things

So, it's not exactly a secret that the first six months of motherhood kicked my booty. In all seriousness, I was pretty consumed with postpartum anxiety (and pre existing depression). There were weeks where I rarely left the house with Asa for fear that x,y, or z would happen. Looking back on this I realize how crazy that is, but of course hindsight is 20/20. Part of dealing with this and putting those fears behind me is making goals for myself. So I thought I'd share some things I'm looking forward to these next six months.

 

I am really looking forward to this one! Whether I go alone while James watches Asa or we get a sitter and go together I don't really care. I know there are some Mommy matinees here, but I just want to go and enjoy myself and not have to worry about the little one. Got to make this happen.

 

I cannot wait to give Asa his first taste of a ripe Texas peach or some juicy melon. I hope he loves them as much as we do.

 

Call me a dork but I'm so excited about planning Asa's first birthday party. 

 

Asa is really enjoying playing with toys right now. he loves music and anything that makes noise. I'm so excited to watch him grow, learn and play over these next few months.

 

We are lucky to have a pool at our apartment and I am so *stoked* to be able to take Asa swimming whenever we'd like. If bath time is any indication, he is going to love the pool.

How about you? What are you looking forward to doing with your little one?

(all photos taken by me)

Little Edie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I didn't want to turn this blog into a shopping blog but here I am again, posting about another shop.Oh well!

I'm completely smitten, yes smitten-with everything in the Little Edie shop. I adore the products but am also inspired by the styling, everything is spot on.

I mean, moccasins, an adorable mobile, a fun bath time kit and a teepee? What's not to love?

Found via the Handmade Charlotte blog.

 

Asa's first dishes

So we've started Asa on solid food. Of course, it's once a day-in very tiny amounts and it's a process but yes-the process has begun!

At this point, we're not really in need of dishes for Asa. I have a tiny little Japanese saucer (a little present given to me years ago by Lisa) that I use for his meals but mostly we're trying a baby led weaning approach so no dishes are really necessary.

But the sentimental part of me really wants a special little dish set for Asa. Silly, I know, but I can't help but look! When I was little I remember my sister had a porcelain set decorated with smurfs and I was oh so envious of it. 

Now I realize Asa wouldn't be using these dishes any time soon, but aren't they so lovely?

From the top: A reproduction of the 1937 Wedgwood Alphabet Blue pattern available at Ancient Industries (thanks Anna for the tip). Middle: a custom plate from Paloma's Nest. Bottom: Baby Dish Set from SKT Ceramics (many other animals and designs available on their site).

Do you have any dishes from when you were little? Am I just being ridiculous in wanting a special little set for him?

Plum Bunny

 

When it comes to dressing Asa, I don't typically put him in "sweet" feeling clothes but for some reason I'm pretty smitten with the sweet line Plum Bunny.

Plum Bunny is produced by my favorite organic line, Kate Quinn, and features a muted palette and simple little details. I'm pretty smitten with their pilot caps, bunny onesies, and rompers. For girls they have adorable legging and dresses.

They are on sale today over at the shopping site Zulily.  If you join via this link, I will get a credit on my order.  http://www.zulily.com/invite/apowell840 Yes, full disclosure there! But seriously, the stuff is over half off! Zulily has daily sales and it's one of the few places I buy organic clothes since they are always clearanced priced. 

 

music for your busy bee

 

I'm not saying anything new when I say that it's hard to find kid appropriate music that parents actually like. Of course, Asa is still a baby so we listen to most everything we did before he was born. As he gets older I'd like him to be able to sing along with some tunes and not worry about the lyrical content.

Laura Veirs is a Pacific Northwest based musician and mama. Her cd, "Tumble Bee", is one of the best children's albums I've heard. It features old classic tunes and some hidden gems. You can purchase it here or even download it direct right here.

There's a pretty awesome interview with Veirs about her process and kid's music in general right here.

What are your favorite kid albums?

P.S. there are also beautiful coloring pages to download featuring Carson Ellis' artwork here

 

small friends to stitch

 

How insanely cute are these little fabric creatures?

Fabric artist Cynthia Treen sells pdf patterns and ready to make kits for these animals.You can view the full collection at her etsy shop here.

I'm tempted to download the rabbit pdf and make one for Asa's Easter basket.

The kits are a great project for children ages 8 and up. You can find out more behind the project at her website Threadfollower. Treen also has a fabulous blog right here.

 

...but a whimper

Hello.

Do things look a little different around here? I'm doing some cleaning up.

I've actually got a slew of new posts waiting, too.

Time to start blogging here again.

I start with not fanfare....but a whimper. Perhaps I won't jinx myself into not blogging that way?

* * * * *

Anyway...

Shooting film photos of Asa is a funny thing. 

I just got these shots back and I took them about 6-8 weeks ago. 

He probably grew about three inches since I took these and he's losing that chub day by day.

Yes, all those cliches about time passing are true!

 

 

 

toys we love: stacking cups

I thought it would be fun to include a regular feature about toys we actually PLAY with at our house. As a stay at home Mom I'm lucky to be with Asa pretty much 24/7 so I get to see firsthand the toys he's drawn to and those that are left behind in the basket. This also means that I'm constantly looking for activities to fill our day. So I'd like to share our experiences and maybe along the way I can hear some of yours?

Asa is pretty active and has played with toys from about eight weeks on. When I say "play" I mean reacted to, shook, giggled at or reached for. Obviously an eight week old isn't prentending to play house or anything...you get what I mean, right?

Anyway...on to our first toy.

Asa is six months old (and one week) and loves these rainbow stacking cups. I bought them at a thrift store so here is a link to a similar set. I love the way they look just stacked up in his room. I've been stacking them up and letting him knock them down which he seems to thoroughly enjoy. He also loves picking them up and observing them. When he's a bit older it'll be fun to show him how they can nest. I also think they will probably be great in the tub.

Do you have stacking cups? What are some ways you play with them?

 

 

You're doing it right

I wish I could say that life with a six month old is now easier.

That we are getting sleep.

That my baby doesn't scream through a good portion of the night.

That I feel more at ease as a Mother.

That we are settling into a routine.

None of those statements is true.

But you know what is?

I've decided to stop caring about those things.

I cannot waste any more time caring about how Asa can not sleep through the night...about how what worked yesterday does not work today. It doesn't matter that naps one day are plentiful and the next almost nonexistent. I just can't care anymore.

But you know what I can say?

Asa is amazing.

He is strong and hilarious.

He loves to smile and move all over the place.

I'm biased but dang, the kid is CUTE.

So maybe one day he'll sleep through the night.

Maybe one day we'll get to those predictable nap cycles.

Perhaps I can sleep for more than two hours at a time....

But for now, I'm just trying to enjoy this.

My one tip for new moms? Believe that you're doing it right.