Mother Love

Another great weekend!

Weekends have always been a favorite (i mean, who doesn’t love them!?), but I think since having Ayla they are even more wonderful. We love having Ben home with us and going out for fun things together with him. There is nothing I love more than watching my husband with my little girl, and it just melts me every time she lays on his chest and is so still and content to be there with him. So when we can have him home with us, we love it!

It was a beautiful weekend with the perfect balance of bright sunshine and cozy rain! We haven’t had rain for several weeks, and it was so super nice to get a good thunderstorm and a downpour on Saturday evening. I love a good thunderstorm!

We went into town on Saturday to do a little shopping for our growing girl and have lunch. Ayla is such a champ and pretty much sleeps the whole time she is in her car seat, although we always find ourselves speeding back towards home as quick as we can in case she wakes up before we get there and needs to eat, haha. She started stirring awake just as we got home, so it was perfect timing! We filled her little tummy, and then I tucked myself in for a nap…and for whatever reason could.not.sleep. We had a short night on Friday night since the little miss was waking up to eat every two hours versus her normal three – four hour night cycle. Growth spurt, I think. I was pretty exhausted on Saturday, but couldn’t seem to find sleep when I was able to crawl into bed. Strange! Thankfully the next night was back to the normal two-wakings, and I was able to get better sleep.

Sunday was our normal day of relaxation at home. The rain and clouds hung around all day so it was the perfect day for naps and reading and snuggles. We had church in the evening and came home to the little miss having another epic meltdown…apparently Sunday evenings aren’t her favorite, hehe. It can feel so helpless to know what to do when your baby is in the middle of those kind of unconsolable crying sessions and won’t go to sleep…but we just take turns rocking and bouncing and singing to her and tell ourselves that the crying can’t last forever! And it never does and eventually she settles down and all is quiet once again. Like I’ve said, Ayla isn’t a fussy baby at all, but sometimes we all just need a good cry, right?!

Here are five things I love:

– this nail polish
– this is wow
– this skirt
– this springy soup
– this album

Have a great week!

What about you: how was your weekend?

…feeling proud that I’ve actually remembered to water my flowers several days in a row now. Also feeling grateful for my mom who managed to bring most of them back from the brink of death that I had them on.

…letting my dishes set in the kitchen all morning long. Normally this drives me crazy and I can’t stand having dirty dishes at the sink…but I’ve learned that it’s ok to let those little things go for the sake of rocking my baby to sleep, having my devotions, and putting on some make up. The dishes will get done eventually!

…reading The Baby Book and BabyWise, which is kinda funny since they present almost opposite points of view on parenting. The Baby Book advocates for a more attachment-parenting based style with on-demand feedings and co-sleeping, while BabyWise is all about helping babies to live on a schedule and training them to self-soothe. I actually like both of these books, and we’ve implemented some of each view into our parenting style so far.

…looking for a new hairstyle inspiration. I took off a few inches a few months ago to try to get off some of the dead ends that are inevitable after having ombre done a few times, but I’m not interested in going any shorter. I’d like to redo the ombre again soon, but also ready for something a little different with a cut. I generally get long layers that create a natural v-taper look, which I love…but I’m trying to decide if I have the nerve to do something different with my bangs. I actually love the heavy bangs look, but also pretty sure my fine head of hair wouldn’t stand up to it very well. I’ll keep scouring Pinterest for inspiration in the mean time.

…watching Chopped and Cupcake Wars. We don’t have a tv subscription, but it’s amazing how many shows are available for free online! I’ve been watching Chopped for forever and it’s definitely one of my favorites, but recently I’ve started in on Cupcake Wars…not sure why since it just makes me want cupcakes all the time!

…eating all the time. Current snacks of choice are homemade granola bars, anything with almond butter (trader joe’s has the best drippy almond butter!), morning glory muffins, yogurt parfaits, almonds (the best grab-a-quick-snack-in-the-middle-of-the-night snack), rhubarb crisp, sugar snap peas, apples with peanut butter, and chocolate bars. #nursinghunger

…so grateful for people and family that love and care for us so well. We’ve been overwhelmed with all the congratulations and meals and gifts and help from so many people in the last few weeks!

…trying not to spend all my life savings on baby girl clothes. Why do little things have to be so CUTE?!? Thankfully we have several really great consignment and thrift shops around that carry used baby clothes for a fraction of the cost. Ayla is already outgrowing a lot of the newborn things and is jumping right into the next sizes!

…using raw honey on my face to try to get rid of the postpartum rash around my eyes and mouth. My hormones are making my face look like a teenager again! I had a little rash around my eyes even during pregnancy, but ever since Ayla’s birth it’s gotten worse. Any remedies?

…looking for the perfect swim suit. I still have some from last year, but with pregnancy and breastfeeding let’s just say those don’t fit me in certain areas anymore, hehe. I generally go for a basic black swimsuit, but thinking of switching it up for a different color and/or pattern this year. I’ve got my eyes on this, this, this, this, and even this.

What about you: where do you like to shop for swimwear?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!