nope nope nope

We took Millie to visit Santa last night.

Remember how happy and peaceful that experience was last year, when she was a clueless newborn?

Ahhh...to be young and unaware.

This year? A little less young...a little more aware.

Ummm, Mommy? I don't think I like this.

I thought that the giant sprinkle cookie might help distract her from the strangely-clothed man. It didn't.

 And I'm not sure what's going on with the pointing finger in this next one, but it makes the whole thing just extra tragic...

I promise that the entire thing took less than thirty seconds. We didn't prolong her torture, just snapped a bunch of pictures really fast and then rescued her.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS TO GET OFF YOUR LAP!!!!

I was pretty pleased with how the whole thing turned out. Crying Santa pictures are a rite of passage, so I'm glad we got ours! And as soon as she was back in Mommy's arms, she was giggling and happy about the whole thing- and especially about the cookie. I asked her if she wanted to go see Santa again, and she nodded yes, soooo...I'm guessing she also thought it was worth it. Just kidding. We'll try again next year.

And just to balance things out...how about another festive Christmas outfit, this time without the tears.

I LIKE BIG BALLS AND I CANNOT LIE!!!

This is only the second smocked thing she's ever worn, but I just couldn't pass up the nativity + blue + bubble pants thing. It is too fabulous for words. And although when I bought it, I was thinking "what good is a short-sleeved lightweight romper going to do us at Christmas time?"...well, turns out a lot. Because it's like 75 degrees every day still. So this is actually perfect!

Hope your week has you looking more like Big Balls Millie and less like Santa Lap Millie!

fashion and blankets and anniversaries- oh my.

Today and tomorrow are the one year anniversaries of two of the very best days of my whole entire life: Millie's dedication and adoption finalization. Good grief- rereading those posts and seeing that tiny little lump of a baby...the tears. They flow. What a year it has been. I remember those two days as clearly as if they were yesterday. The day we (officially) dedicated our daughter to our God. And the day the state officially dedicated our daughter to us. Big days.

But that's ancient history, Mommy. Let's talk about NOW!

 In more recent news, Millie is the most fashionable and adorable baby ever. It seems that the hand-me-down-clothes train has officially left the station and we're on our own for clothing our babe...which is a bummer for my wallet, but a big win for the part of me that LOVES picking out outfits for this girl. Her current fall wardrobe consists of about six things, ha. Luckily, they are all super cute. I'm hoping to hit up my favorite consignment store this weekend so that I can quit doing laundry every night, though...

I'll humor you and sit on this painted bulldog, Mommy, but I really want to go back to eating those delicious wood chips.

 We've been delighting in this cooler weather. We spent Saturday morning at the park and Millie definitely approved.

What I approve of is the wood chips. I'm only going to ask you one more time...TAKE ME BACK TO THEM!

I know I've mentioned it before, but Millie (and Mommy and Daddy) are huge fans of her aden + anais bamboo swaddle blankets (they are infinitely softer than the normal a+a blankets, trust me). We have four of them, which works out fabulously...one at daycare, one in the car, one to play/sleep with in the house...and one to be rotating through the laundry. It's perfect. But in the event that Millie finds more than one blanket floating around the house at a time, she feels compelled to carry both of them. Or all of them, as the case may be. No blanket left behind...that's her motto.

Leave me alone. I just woke up. If you're not a blankie, I'm not interested in you right now.

The only problem is that- as you may notice- the blankets are rather long. Or Millie is rather short. Or both. And our floors are rather slippery. This does make for some tricky situations...but Millie doesn't let it get her down. Figuratively. Literally, though, they do get her down.

VICTORY!!! I'M NOT TRIPPING OVER MY BLANKIES! Vision is overrated.

 Two seconds later...

Oh, never mind. Scratch that. Hey, can we get back to talking about how fashionable I am?

Please note: no babies were harmed in the making of this amazing photo montage.

Tonight she found one of my winter scarves hiding on the coat rack. She thought it was pretty great.

I heard leopard was in this year?

 I tried to help her wrap it a little better so that we didn't have Millie's Face and the Floor: The Reunion Tour.

That's because we're about to have Millie's Mouth and the Dried Grass: The Reunion Tour. YUM!

 In conclusion...I wish I were as cute as my kid. That's about it.

Dream on, Mommy. And also...fetch me my blankets.

sometimes we're fancy, sometimes we're not

Matt's brother got married last weekend, which made for a fun weekend of food, family, and my personal favorite- coordinating outfits. 

"Selfies are SO SCARY, Mommy!! I'll hold on for dear life!!"

Matt was busy with groomsmanly duties most of the time, which left plenty of time for Millie and I to walk around flaunting our perfectly-coordinated teal, blue, and white ensembles. It was pretty much the best thing ever. I mean, besides the gorgeous venue, delicious and freely-flowing foods and beverages, and gaining a new SIL.

After the ceremony, we finally got a picture with our favorite man. Luckily, his groomsman ensemble looked pretty snazzy with our dresses. And Millie has decided that boutonnieres are her favorite accessory ever and that they should be worn by all people at all times.

"BUT I WANT TO GRAB IT!!!!"

 Millie had a lot of fun all weekend with her cousins Eliana and Timmy. It is so much fun to see them actually interact as the babies get older! Millie's preferred way to interact is by...uhhh...asserting her physical prowess. Proving she's the Alpha Female. Eeesh. We'll work on it.

"I'm twenty-four pounds of power, Mommy. I just wanted to show them..."

We enjoyed having Monday off to recover from all of the excitement. A short work week is never a bad thing. Especially when it's a short week that is significantly less swelteringly hot than normal!

Tonight we celebrated the cooler temperatures and lovely rain by letting Millie run wild and free. Go ahead and insert your favorite cheesy/sentimental "dancing in the rain" quote here, because here we go...

"I WILL STOMP AND STOMP AND STOMP!!!!" 

"THIS IS SO FUN I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!!!!"

"Why is there water on the sidewalk? Are we swimming? Is it bathtime?"

"I have my Mommy and my Daddy and my rain puddles and I'm good to go."

"PLAYING IN THE RAIN IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!!!!!"

So between getting dolled up for the wedding and playing like drowned rats in the driveway, I think we've covered all the bases this week. Millie and I also managed to survive our first night sans Daddy! He spent a night in the mountains for the bachelor party and we missed him very much, but somehow managed to make it on our own. Wellllll...."own" being a relative term. When "own" includes having your SIL come over for the night (bringing sushi, wine, and helping hands). But you know, basically on our own.

Ignore her unimpressed face. She's as happy as they come. As are we.

matching outfits, broken backs

It's been a good weekend.

I needed a good weekend.

Next week we're going on vacation.

I need a vacation.

Today I finally got to spend a few hours relaxing in the pool with just my little family. Millie has definitely come to be the pool-loving baby I'd anticipated she would be. She's happy and splashy and quite in her element as we hold her in the shallow end or let her bounce on floats. Today she was so happy with Matt that I even took a little nap on my own float. Bliss.

Millie loves the water, but she still isn't a huge fan of all the things that have to happen before the water part. Swim diapers. Bathing suits. Sunscreen. I tried to explain that sometimes you have to suffer a little before you can get to the good stuff. I hope the lesson sinks in. Preferably before we get to the beach next week, ha.

Because I like to focus my mental energy on things that really matter, this weekend I spent an awful lot of time thinking about, planning, and shopping for our Fourth of July outfits. Ha. You know I love a good coordinated family outfit!! And July 4 is basically my favorite holiday. And it's Millie's first one. And we're going to be with my sister and her family, which means the babies will have a patriotic photo shoot!! Anyway, that was my weekend project. I'm almost done...just need to find a good red shirt for myself.

But we went ahead and coordinated ourselves today, too. No reason to wait for a holiday. My favorite thing is when people see us in OBVIOUSLY MATCHING outfits (like above, and picture Matt wearing another version of yellow and navy and stripes) and are like "oh wow! You guys match!! Did you know that??!"....ummm...yes.

Anyway, yellow and blue are our team colors, and our anniversary is this week, so we'll probably be doing it all week. There's nothing that I love more than my husband that loves being matchy-matchy with me!!

Yesterday Millie had a few hours where she felt like the world might end if I wasn't holding her. As it turned out, I actually needed to get a few things done, so we decided to try out our old friend the Baby K'tan. We normally use our Ergo and Boba Air these days, but they were both in the car (and therefore probably 12 feet away...perish the thought), so I grabbed what I had nearby.

 Let's just say...a 23 pounder in a K'tan is really something. Supposedly the K'tan is good for up to 35 pounds, but I just can't imagine the back strength a person would need in order to keep wearing a baby that heavy. I basically want to walk to the nearest hospital and sign myself up for spinal surgery today. DANG. THAT WAS HEAVY.

I do like having her forward-facing, though. I can't do it in any of my other carriers. Now I really want an Ergo 360...but I'm also wondering how comfortable I will be even in that. I just feel like when she's forward-facing, her weight is more obviously pulling away from me...compared to when she's facing inward. Maybe that doesn't make sense. It just seems like gravity is more intense, ha. So maybe I wouldn't really be able to handle her facing outward in any kind of contraption. In conclusion, if you have personal experience with a really heavy baby and an outward-facing carrier that didn't break your back and shoulders, please share your recommendations (or non-recommendations)! We still use our Ergo regularly and I have no complaints with it- I imagine we'll keep wearing her for quite a bit longer, so I'd just like to have more options for how she faces.

I know this is the most random post ever, but that's pretty much all I've got these days. I've learned- and I guess you've noticed- that I just don't have the time and/or mental energy to write a whole lot these days...so when I have 15 minutes where I'm waiting for the chicken to cook as I make enchiladas, and Millie and Matt are happily occupied in the other room, and I have a few pictures that make me smile and haven't already been shared on Instagram...well, I better grab it and do what I can, or it may be another week before the chance comes again.

But now my enchiladas are calling, so it's time to go! Have a wonderful week...good luck choosing the most patriotic and matchy-matchy outfits EVER for the Fourth!! :)

medical mysteries and the pool

We had a wonderful, hot, mostly-relaxing summer weekend.

But it didn't start out that way. So I'm going to kick things off by sharing a TERRIFYING STORY, but I'll go ahead and tell you that everything turned out fine so that you don't worry excessively while I tell the tale.

On Friday afternoon, the director of Millie's school called me in a panic.

Um...we-she-I--- there's been a situation, do you have a minute?

A "situation??" JUST START TALKING, DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES ALREADY!!!

So apparently Millie was eating her sweet potatoes in her high chair when all of a sudden she started screaming, and the teacher feeding her saw blood pouring out of her mouth. Both teachers rushed to her and tipped her head forward so that the blood didn't go down her throat, and they frantically went to get the food/blood out of her mouth, while having no idea what on earth was causing the bleeding. The director was in the classroom at that moment, too, and said "it was just so much blood. We had no idea where it was coming from."

Let's pause and consider how much you never want to hear other people describing your daughter's mouth as being filled with so much blood. Ever.

So anyway, they got the so much blood (and the chewed up sweet potatoes) out and quickly realized they couldn't figure out any reason for the bleeding. There were no cuts, no scrapes, no open wounds. Her teething-teeth (all four up top, yo...no wonder she's in so much pain!!) still hadn't cut through the gums. There was just nothing. Her mouth looked totally normal and there was no new blood currently bleeding (weird sentence, sorry). After they got her cleaned up, they said that Millie was acting totally normal and happy- not at all upset or like she was in pain. So at this point, they called me.

I, of course, am not able to shed any light on this incredibly disgusting and scary scenario, but I thank her for calling and say I'll be right there to get her and take her to the doctor. As I pack up to leave work, I call the pediatrician, praying they can squeeze me in before they close (it was already after 4:00). Sadly, I learn that the doctors have already gone home, but after I told the nurses the situation, they were able to shed some light on the situation (as well as offer to call the on-call doc to meet me right away at an urgent care clinic if I wanted to, ha).

Apparently it's unusual (but not abnormal) for babies to develop blood blisters underneath their gums while teething- just like the blood blisters you may have developed at some point on your finger or toe if you pinch it somehow. And when something (like a toy...or a bite of sweet potato!) ruptures the blister...well, it ruptures. The blood dumps out. And then it's over and the baby probably feels a whole lot better with all of that swelling and pressure released.

They asked if she'd been having a lot of pain and swelling from teething. Um, yes. Did she seem fine once the blood was gone? Haven't seen her myself, but they tell me yes. Then they were pretty confident that that's what it was. Weird, but not bad. They suggested we give her popsicles and ice cream to help with the swelling (why do I never get prescribed things like this?) and to call back (or go to prompt care/ER) if it happened again or it seemed like something else may be going on.

Annnnd...that was pretty much it. It hasn't happened again and she's been a much happier camper, so I think their diagnosis was spot-on. Freakiest thing ever, but apparently not abnormal. I only share the story here because I had NEVER heard of anything like that before, and neither has anyone else I've told the story to, so I thought I'd throw it out in case anyone else ever witnesses something like that. Maybe it will save you a heart attack!

Proof that she's doing a-ok:

I'm a happy baby! I just ate more BBQ than my daddy!

On Sunday she had her first experience in the Big Pool. But prior to experiencing the pool, she got to experience her cousin's hand-me-down ladybug bathing suit. This particular suit is special to me because just about exactly a year ago I was putting Carley in it to swim, thinking how cute the suit was, and wondering if I'd ever have a daughter of my own to dress up in cute bathing suits.

And now here we are, exactly a year later. 

Hey mom, I'm not so sure about all that blue stuff behind me...

Maybe if I look away, it won't be there anymore!

She was a little hesitant to embrace the pool. Her initial reaction said that she just may enjoy it...

But attempts to actually leave the stairs were not really applauded.

We tried to take things slowly, though, and back up to where she was comfortable: the steps. And also: sitting in a rocker three feet away from the water.

Much better...

But after a good hour of taking it slow and giving her breaks when she needed it, she really warmed up to the idea! She eventually gave us her trademark smiles and giggles even as she was out in the water (while clinging firmly to mommy or daddy like a little spider monkey, of course)! It ended up being a lot of fun and I think that eventually, maybe by October, she might even want to try sitting in her little baby float! Ha. 

It's back to another busy week for me, but Matt (and therefore Millie) took today off (because he just has vacation time to burn...grrrr...), so they're all set for a fun daddy-daughter day. The whole family celebrated by wearing our team colors: yellow and blue.

Have a wonderful week!

so many options...

Millie is still a baby right now...obviously the cutest, sweetest, funniest baby ever, but still a baby. With each week that passes, though, I catch more glimpses of what she might be like as she grows out of her baby-ness. Her personality, her tendencies, her preferences...it's just so much fun watching those things develop. I love imagining what she might be like next month and next year and in five years. I can't wait to see how she unfolds.

One thing that I have trouble imagining, though, is what she'll look like. Not that it matters. It's just I can only imagine her looking one way: exactly how she does now. Which is perfect, of course. But for whatever reason, I just can't imagine what she'll look like as a toddler. And I think that the crux of the issue is that she doesn't have (much) hair. I can't draw a picture of Older Millie in my head because I don't know what she will look like with hair.

But who needs hair when you're this cute?

Lucky for me, there is the internet. And free time. And possibly mis-using a makeover webpage. But who cares, because the end result was lots of laughs in my house...and perhaps a slightly better idea of what lies ahead for Millie...or something.

Like, you know...maybe she'll be blonde!

Such luscious locks...this would be convenient because then we could easily discern whose long hair was responsible for clogging the drain/covering the floor/sticking to the shower wall. No confusion about blame!

But maybe she'd rather grow up to look just like her mom?

Haha, I know, I know. My hair never actually looks that good. If Millie got hers to look like that, I'd really have to step up my game. So maybe I'll encourage her to go another direction...

Aack...well, maybe not this direction, exactly. That looks painful and very non-cuddly. I want Future Millie to cuddle with me still, so I might discourage this look. Also, all those various colors would probably cost a fortune to maintain. Future Millie's gonna have to get a job if she expects a high-maintenance look like this.

Maybe Millie will truly follow in my footsteps and just phone it in with a bun most days. Thatta girl.

In conclusion...this is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever done, but I'm laughing so hard I can barely breathe, so it really seems worth it. 

And P.S.- Millie, just stay a bald baby as long as you can.

double standards

Yesterday Millie wore this adorable little Vera Bradley onesie. It was a gift given to us/her before she was even born- it is springy and adorable and I love it. 

It is size 0-3 months. Except OBVIOUSLY NOT because there is nothing 0-3 about this chunk of babe.

I chuckled all day about my 20+ pounder wearing a 0-3 onesie. Who invents the sizes of these things?

Today she's wearing a little bubble pants suit thing from Gymboree. ALSO ADORABLE.

Only this one is size 18-24 months. 

Again- WHO INVENTS THE SIZES OF THESE THINGS?!?!

So in two days she has spanned two years in sizes. It's hilarious and also totally doesn't matter. They both fit, so whatever.

If you ask what size she is, though, I'll tell you 9 months. Most of her clothes are 9 months, with a few extreme outliers thrown in for variety, I guess.

But then I was thinking about how sometimes women's clothes are not so consistent, either. I have a closet full of a particular size, and then like one thing a number or three smaller, and two things a number or three larger. Kind of like Millie- a closet full of 9 months, a lone 0-3, and a lone 18-24. I'll tell you Millie is clearly a size 9 months.

But if you ask me what size I am?? Oh, 0-3. Without a doubt. All the other clothes are just lying. 

wardrobe and musical interventions

We ended up having a wonderful Valentine's Day (and weekend).

Her festive Friday outfit

 When I took Millie to school on Friday, after walking in and taking her jacket off and setting her down, her teacher looks at her and then me and says "oh, are you saving her Valentine's outfit for tomorrow?" I must have made a really confused face or something as I stared at my pink-bedecked, festively hairbowed child, because her teacher repeated herself: "you must be saving her Valentine's outfit for tomorrow?"

Then I looked around the room at the other babies. The ones dressed head-to-toe in pink mesh tutus and red-heart-blinged headbands bigger than a dinner plate. The ones that looked like they were ready to hit the pageant circuit at any minute.

Ummm...no. This is her festive Valentine's outfit, thankyouverymuch. Ain't nobody got time for that nonsense. Like...how do you even put a baby in a car seat when they're WEARING A TUTU?? Just stop. Call me a Valentine's grinch, but like...no.

Despite Millie's lack of appropriate pageant-worthy flair, we did actually have a lot of fun at her ice cream social. I've been scoping out the parents of the other babies in her class and have had my eye on the one I plan to make my friend. We tend to pick up our girls at the same time, PLUS I discovered that our babies were born one day apart- so they are basically twins. Also, her baby is easily the second most precious one in the class. So I decided I wanted to become friends with her. And then we ended up sitting together (with our husbands, who are apparently equally quiet in social settings) and chatting for the whole party! It was great. I really want more working mom friends, so it seems like daycare is a good place to find them, ha. 

Sorry for the mega close-up of gross chewed-and-then-spit-out food, but look at those little teeeeefffff!!! Also, the eyelashes. I mean...seriously. It's not even right.

We didn't do much official celebrating on Saturday (I mean, besides cleaning, meal planning, and running errands...so festive!!), but we did take a pause in our errand-running for some delightful sustenance.

It was every bit as delicious as it looks. I miss it.

We had hoped to get some snow today but it seems to have passed us by. Womp womp. I would love for Millie to get to experience the white stuff this year, but she may just have to wait. We have some freezing rain and ice going on right now which isn't nearly as thrilling, but may earn a delayed work and daycare start tomorrow, so that could be exciting. Perhaps.

The most exciting news of the day is completely unconfirmed and therefore might turn out to be nothing at all, but for now- I'm excited. I think I am getting (inheriting) a CELLO!!!!!!!!!!! I have wanted this cello (and to learn to play it...for the record, I have NO IDEA how to play a cello) for about 20 years and today I got some good intel that it might be coming my way soon! I am basically beside myself and have fabulous visions of how awesome a cello player I will probably be. I seriously need a new hobby that doesn't involve Netflix and this would totally fit the bill. Plus, Millie's favorite thing in the whole world right now is listening to Matt and I make music of almost any kind. She loves to sit in my lap while I play the piano...she jumps and squeals and smiles her face off if either of us play the guitar and sing...she giggles wildly as Matt makes random noises on an old harmonica...so I predict that listening to her Mama learn the cello will suit her just fine. And maybe she'll want to learn one day! But then again, I also thought she would like to listen to me play the flute.

And I was seriously, severely, incredibly wrong.

Not such a fan of woodwinds, that one. My feelings would have been really hurt if I weren't so extremely dead from laughter. She was okay with a few low notes, but then I decided to really wow her with the upper register and OH MY GOSH THE TEARS AND THE SADNESS AND THE HEARTBREAK AND THE MISERY!!!!!!!!!!! It was the funniest thing ever. But also...seriously, Millie. Show a little appreciation, would you?? Sheesh. I used to be really good, promise. Do you think that this is a sign that she doesn't want to be in band when she gets older? Because that would be the worst thing ever. Is there some sort of early intervention for this situation (besides the obvious: MORE FLUTE EXPOSURE)? 

Soo...I think I've covered all the bases here today. No pageant dresses, no snow, maybe cello, more cowbell flute. And now I return to my regularly-scheduled nightly marathon of Parenthood (currently on S4:E9)! Have a great week!