My greatest teacher.

Things have been busy around here. I feel like I have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time, but don't we all? Our house is slowly but surely starting to come together, we have tons of diy projects we want to accomplish, Miles' work schedule is more cram packed than ever, and we have a 7 month old on our hands! One thing I take pride in is my ability to follow through with things...buuuut I am a master procrastinator--in fact if Cal State would have offered a bachelors degree in procrastination I'd have been valedictorian. I am simply that good at it. I don't know when, how, or by what means things will get done, but what I do know is that they will. 

Luca was diagnosed a while back with plagiocephaly, which in layman's terms means flat spot. From the time he was born, my baby boy favored his left side. No matter how much we would adjust him or face him in different directions, he always ended up on his left. At four months we noticed the toll it had taken on his scalp. The entire left side of his head was as flat as a pancake. When I brought it up to our pediatrician he said it should self correct as he begins to spend more time on his stomach. Well, Lulu spent tons of time on his tummy, and we wedge pillowed him and the whole nine, but by six months there was only minor change. We were referred to a plastic surgeon who strongly suggested we put him in a cranial helmet to correct the problem. We agreed. Luca had a helmet created just for him that puts very light pressure on the spots that are well rounded and leaves gaps in the areas that are flat. When his head grows it will only be able to grow into the free space, rounding out his head and correcting the problem. Apparently plagiocephaly has become extremely common since they have switched babies over from sleeping on their tummies to their backs although I had never even heard of this issue until our little Lu was referred to a specialist. The helmet is pretty intense. Right now we are weaning him into wearing it, but eventually he will wear it for 23 hours a day for 4-5 months. He has been such a good sport about it so far, and I'm thankful that they have the ability to help him. I'm hoping the rest of the transition goes well for him, and I'm praying that the summer heat doesn't prove so intense this year. Sometimes we parents have to do what's best for our babies, even when it's difficult. As you can see, Luca always finds a way to smile through everything, this is one of my favorite things about him...His sweet innocence finds the good in everything. I could definitely take a lesson from him--slow down a bit, and stop taking everything SO seriously. This little boy...he's teaching me things I'd never have learned without him. When he's old enough to understand, he's due for an enormous thank you.

Happy Thursday Everyone! One day closer to Friday, and that's something we can all be thankful for!

1 year down, a lifetime to go

It's taken me forever to finally write a post about Miles and I's anniversary getaway. Our first anniversary was perfect, just how I'd imagined it to be. We drove out to Del Mar and stayed at the bed and breakfast we stayed at the night of our wedding.  It's a quaint little b&b that feels like home which is why I love it. Each room is decorated beautifully and every room has their own theme. We stayed in the Lotus Room the night of our wedding, but we decided to mix things up stay in another suite. We ended up in the Georgia O'Keeffe room which was beautiful and lively with character. The photos speak for themselves. 

After checking in and getting settled we still had time to spare before our dinner reservations, so we strolled down the street to overlook the ocean and took some time to breathe in all that wonderful ocean air. It makes me sad to think this is no longer my home, I still feel like it's my home...but I know one day we'll find our way back here because there is just simply no place like it.

A perfect heart shaped rock we stumbled upon. Love was in the air.

For dinner we ate at the restaurant that catered our wedding. I had mushroom raviolis and Miles had a pasta in rosa sauce. We swapped back and forth and ended up sharing because both were so delicious. We couldn't stop laughing at the photo I took of Miles because of the heater in the background that looks like a hat. It looks like he just graduated and technically he did--he graduated from being newlywed--although we still have yet to take our honeymoon, so I'm gonna hold onto that newlywed title for as long as I can. People just love newlyweds, don't they? 

They do things like "treat you to the chef's special" that was out of this world delicious by the way.

They also treated us to a delicious dessert and a nice bottle of olive oil that I dropped and shattered on our way to the car...oops.

Our first anniversary wouldn't be complete without delving into our top layer of cake, although we cheated a little, we didn't actually freeze our original, the bakery we used offered to recreate a fresh one for us, and that sounded much more appetizing. And it was.

We also exchanged gifts. Year one calls for paper so I made Miles a frame filled with paper maps of all the places we've lived together and a paper booklet titled "52 Reasons I love You" one reason for each of the weeks we've been married. Miles so beautifully hand-wrote his wedding vows and framed them for me. I loved it.

Before we left the next morning, we stopped and had breakfast at the exact spot we had gotten married. Literally, the table we sat at was the exact spot where we stood and said "I do" one year before. I couldn't think of a better way to end our anniversary. I'm so in love with this man, time seems to only make my love grow stronger and I had no clue that was even possible.

Here's to many more trips around the sun with a love that could have been straight out of a movie, only better.

xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds out there <333

Making Valentines

 With Valentine's Day just around the corner I had to get a head start on my cards. Luca and I had a mini photo shoot and I picked four pictures out of hundreds (and I literally mean hundreds) to be the highlight of the cards. My side of the family is ginormous and then you add Miles' list of relatives and I'd be making cards until St. Patrick's Day, so we just sent them out to our immediate family members to keep it simple. With a baby, simple holds so much more meaning!

Holidays with little ones are just more magical. Since having Luca, I feel like my holiday spirit has been revived after being buried by life stresses over the years. It's like reliving my youth all over again and for me that is a wonderful thing! Well here you have it, my heart in human form <3

 Mr Right Onesie | Heart Garland made by me similar here

 I found these pretty heart stickers on sale at JoAnns and sealed each envelope with pink heart washi tape I found in the dollar section at target. 

 Knowing me, you know I had to have a bachelor theme of some sort going on, so included in the card is the gram saying "Will you accept this rose?" I would have  propped Luca with an actual rose, but at this age he puts everything in his mouth and thorns + a baby equals...well I'd rather not find out! There's always next year! 

XoXo

Happy February to you all!

Let the month of love begin!

Anniversary

One year later and we're still crazy about each other. 

I remember so vividly walking down the aisle and feeling like it was just Miles and I there. It was completely surreal. And then we were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Miles Wood. Here we are now, married a whole year already. My how the time has just whisps on by. I'm still impressed with myself for winning over this man's heart. We all know he won mine.

5 and 6 month roundup

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back here. My blank post has been staring at me for quite sometime now and I couldn't muster up the words. I've had a heavy case of mom brain lately and my short-term memory loss is at an all time high. I'd be lying if I said January hasn't been kinda crazy for us. We still are not in our new house and probably won't be for at least another month. I know it will be amazing when it is finished, but the waiting game is tough. As much as we enjoy temporarily living with my dad, we, as a family, need our own space. Who was I kidding when I said February 1st?! I should have known better--home renovations never work within estimated time criteria. All in all, I am just so grateful we will have a home we can call our own.

In the baby scheme of things, Luca had a scary outbreak due to an allergy from his oatmeal and so now we are back to rice cereal. He doesn't mind. I don't think our little butterball even noticed we swapped. Luca is now six months old and growing bigger and stronger everyday. Crawling will be coming soon enough and we recently got the ok to begin feeding him solid foods which I am ecstatic about (although from what I've heard,  I won't be so ecstatic about the new smells that are associated with the diapers as they bring with them a whole new meaning to "dirty"). I will be homemaking all of his food myself, so I need to gather up my supplies and get to it already, especially before the beloved squash goes out of season.

As much as I love watching him thrive and grow, I can't help but get sentimental. My baby boy is becoming more and more independent everyday and sometimes I feel like the past six months flew by in the blink of an eye. Though I thought I was relishing in it all as the time passed, I'm working harder now to walk a little slower, breathe a little deeper, and really take in the short time I have left of him needing me to carry him to get around, reaching him a toy, or supporting him as he sits up. One thing is for sure, I'm so in love with him and each and every stage has been a joy. Six months just might be my favorite, but then again I've said that each month for the past six, so don't take my word for it.

Speaking of eating real food, I myself have been trying my best to make healthy choices. I've been going with the 80/20 rule (80% of the time you stay strict to good choices and 20% of the time you splurge) and I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Even in areas where it's a splurge, I still try and make healthier picks such as dark chocolate over milk or wheat bread over sourdough. My eating habits are constantly evolving for the better--now if I could only motivate myself to get to the gym...although I am constituting carrying around my solid 18 pound six-month-old as some sort of work out. Sometimes I'll even do a few squats or lunges while he's in my arms. Hey, whatever you gotta do right?!

Well I hope the new year has been nothing but wonderful for the rest of you! Cheers to new beginnings and cheers to all of you for giving me this beautiful place of comfort to write, to share & to celebrate. Let's wrap it up with our five and six month favorites, hope you enjoy!

1 BreathableBaby Crib Bumper | 2 Ulubulu Silicone Bib | 3 Honest Healing Balm  

4 Britax B-Agile Stroller | 5 Gumdrop Ortho Pacifier | 6 BeginAgain Bathtub Ball & Play Set 

7 H&M Organic Baby Clothes

New Year, New faves.

We're one week into the new year and I want to talk about a few things I'm really into right now.

1. First up on the list, Salad in a Jar. Omg, how did I just now learn about this??? I was at the bank the other day and the teller told me about this phenomenon. As soon as I got home I looked it up on pinterest and found tons and tons of recipes. This is a great "take your lunch to work" idea because you can make a week's worth ahead of time and take them with you, granted you have a refrigerator or cooler. Then when it's time to eat, shake it up and pour it onto a plate. And since the number one new year's resolution is to lose weight/eat healthier, this should be a hit.  Here's the gist of it:

photo via pinterest

2. Keeping with the "healthy" theme, number two on my list is Tone it Up's "Love Your Body Series." If you watch bravo, you may have caught the brand new series "Toned Up" which is a spin off of a healthy lifestyle website/blog called Tone It Up. My friend Stefanie told me about this site about 6 months ago. She was obsessed with it and knew I'd be into it too (Especially after just having a baby, um yes please). It's ran by two gorgeous and very in-shape girls, Katrina and Karena, who always have great work out tips and healthy recipes to share. Right now they are running the "Love Your Body" series which is a great way to learn a few new quick and effective work outs that you can incorporate into your daily life to help you to lose weight and tone up along the way. Just in time for v-day <3! Yay!

3. Crock Pot Bean Posole. I made this a little while ago and have been itching to make it again. It was so delicious and ridiculously easy. It's perfect for the chillier weather were having, and extremely appropriate for my east coast friends and family! (Personal tip: shred tons of cheese on top and add lots of lime to it, this takes the flavor up tremendously and completes the dish in my opinion).

4. The Bachelor. Juan Pablo. Yes, the new season has begun! I'm sure you remember all my wild rants about "The Bachelorette" last season. If you don't, you're probably better off, but if you do you know I was way too into it. No joke, I was in heavy labor watching "the men tell all" special. I am a devoted fan to this ongoing ridiculous, yet totally entertaining series and I am not ashamed to say so. Expect many more of those blusters this season. In fact, I'll throw one in now. First episode, all the women are being introduced (Name, age, location, occupation) and I kid you not this one chick is 24 and her occupation is "Free Spirit." WTH?!! In what world does that constitute a career? It's like claiming you are a "Stay at home Wife" when you have no kids. Another girl claimed her career "Dog Lover." All of these so called "careers" translate into one thing, UNEMPLOYED, own it. Glad I got that out. Anyway, I picked up these adorable onesies for Luca specifically for the occasion! Love them!

Onesies can be found here and here.

5. Lush Bath Melts. My husband brought me home a few of these the other day, and last night I actually found time to fit in a bubble bath, so I dropped in this dream time melt and it made my dry skin so so soft by the time I got out! It had these pretty gold flecks in it and looked so pretty, I almost didn't want to use it! The best part about Lush, is all of their cosmetics are natural, vegan, and handmade. I can't wait to try a few of the bath bombs next time!

6. And last, but certainly not least, I've enjoyed waking up to this face lately. Miles has been out of town since Sunday and I've been on full-time mommy duty, which I can in no way complain about. This little one makes my heart flutter and burst into a million pieces and his whole being beams like the sun. There is simply nothing like having a baby boy and I feel honored to be this one's mother. 

Thank God for Ryan Gosling and Thank God for Pinterest.

Today I want to talk about Pinterest or "pinning," which has to be one of my favorite words in today's American Lexicon,  and also one of my favorite indulgences of all time. What I love most about Pinterest is my ability to have endless 'vision boards' all saved under one roof. Simulated cork boards galore. Image bookmarking. A virtual hobby (have I taken it too far?). I'm the imaginary type, hence my degree in creative writing and hence my love for pinterest. 

Now that I am on the verge of having a new home, a clean slate for me to decorate like crazy, I am a drudge to this site. Can we afford all of the ideas I've compiled onto my home decorating board? Absolutely not. Will I somehow find a way to make it happen? Yes. I'm not opposed to selling a few things on craigslist either. VCR anyone? Remember Miles' Robofan? That 90's gem must go for a fortune (I'm totally kidding, just throwing in a robofan threat to see if my husband ever reads my blog. Lord knows he'll go apeshit even at the jest).

  My home is my temple. I've fallen in love with each and every place I've lived since I've first moved away to college and I believe it's because I've decorated each place so personally. I spend a lot of time at home, especially now with a baby, and I want this place to be my best work yet.

Right now I'm collecting images and inspiration for my new home file so I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorites, Ryan Gosling included.

 Photos via pinterest