sb2013- holla

Yea. Gone are the days of basking in the sun by day and partying it up by night. I did catch a few days at the beach with some lady friends to celebrate the ole Irish redneck style (Florabama Bab-aaaay!) and to enjoy a country concert, even though I don't know much country music. Who? Luke Brown?
I am so thankful for a job that gives me a week off of work for Spring Break. I am double thankful that my Spring Break now involves full days of baby kisses, shopping and lunch dates instead of string bikinis, baked skin and the tiki bar (ok, those still sound kinda fun, but no longer worth it).
Here are some pics from my Adult Spring Break.

Florabama bathroom words of wisdom

St. Patty's Day attire

Ri Baby and I enjoyed lots of morning snuggle time all week long. She never has really just laid there to snuggle this much so she must know to take advantage of me being home for the week.

We had lunch with friends every.single.day this week. We also got out and did a little bit of shopping.

I snatched these two tops from F21 while we browsed around. Very pleased having not tried them on beforehand.

One night we took dinner to some lovely friends who just had their precious 2nd baby boy. It was great to catch up and Ri thought their oldest son, Jake, was a hoot. She is such a flirt and I am in so much trouble.

The weather over spring break sucked so we didn't even manage to be able to get out in the neighborhood in the stroller. But all the more reason to take Ri up on snugglefests.

Oddly enough, it was the fastest and best Spring Break of my life. Oh, how times have changed for that to have just come out of my mouth.

being PRESENT. an emotional read...

In today's technologically driven world, everything is done via internet. Phone books, road maps, letters, bills, catalogs, pictures, notes, journals- you name it; if it was every on paper, now it is not. But it seems like the technology has sucked us all in and sucked our personal, social selves out.

I feel that it is especially true with our children.

When Ri was a newby and I rocked her to sleep each night- or in the middle of the night- I found myself using much of that time to catch up, err, play on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or and my email. Granted, it kept me from falling asleep, but she would snooze away, making the most precious little smiles in her sleep, and I would sometimes miss all but the end of them because I was looking at my phone.

There finally came a night when I realized that I was there, but not present. I was not taking in the invaluable moments that would too soon be gone. I wasn't loving her to my fullest capacity. No, let me restate that. I couldn't love her more, but I wasn't physically and mentally soaking it all in. So I stopped taking my phone in her room just so I could spend my every thought on her. Squeezing her tight. Saying I love you. Staring at her precious little face.

As she gets older, there are times I catch myself spending much of her waking hours trying to get the perfect picture for Instagram or texting while she is in her exersaucer. That is not being present. That is just being in the room.

It is important for us to use our time wisely. Cherish the moments with our kids by being actively present in what they are doing, saying, learning. Make them the priority. Not the smart phone.

I stumbled upon this article on another blog the other day. It is heart-stopping, gut-wrenching, true.

little bunny foo foo

Easter is around the corner. It was one of my favorite times growing up. I loved wearing my Sunday best to church, feeling the warmth of the Spring sun in the afternoon as we gathered with family for good food and to hunt eggs until our legs fell off. I never got super into the Easter bunny- he wasn't quite as believable as Santa (I mean, come on. A human-sized Bunny that walks on 2 legs?)- but I did look forward to the seasonal Cadbury eggs in my basket.

These are the fabrics chosen for Ri's custom Easter dress. I normally wouldn't spend a lot on an outfit for such a small child, but being that it is her first Easter, I couldn't resist. The dress and bonnet have arrived and it was worth every penny. Don't worry- I will post LOTS of pics after Easter weekend.

I want Ri to have a basket that she will cherish and have forever. I am not really into the "catchy" modern-day baskets-although there are some cute ones out there. I just love the traditional wooden basket. So, I have decided to go with the always-safe bet of the Pottery Barn Sabrina in Chestnut. That way I can always update the liners as she gets older and I grow sick of them.

In addition to the traditional Easter basket, I couldn't help but think these items would also be oh so cute for the Easter babes in our lives.

Bunny footie - The Country Bunny - Peter Rabbit dinnerware - Peter Rabbit Touch and Feel

Monogrammed bible - BlaBla bunny dolls - Egg Chalk - Sheep Footie - Bunny pillow

                                                                                                       

Now to go finish our gold leaf Easter eggs, following this tutorial from She Knows. Will ours be as pretty? Probably not, but we are giving it a shot! :)

five months

Ri Baby has been showing teething signs for a while now. Fussier some days than others, constantly gnawing on her hand (if she can't get ahold of anything else) and we are swimming in drool over here. I am ready for these suckers to start appearing if we are going to be enduring these signs for the next several months. She also started spitting up quite a bit in the last few days as well and I have been told it could be a sign of teething.

Ri has been talking up a storm lately and has really been practicing her raspberries a.k.a. spitting everywhere. I even hear her doing it in her crib in the mornings. Nice, right?

She is intrigued by everything. Finding Nemo and Small Potatoes have really got her going on the television. I understand the vibrant colors of Finding Nemo but I am not sure what it is about Small Potatoes that she loves so much. Maybe the fact that they are potatoes dressed in clothing? Or their baby voices with British accents? I don't know, but I am not going to lie, I think they are adorbs and love when they come on.

Ri has a thing for dogs- not just Copper anymore. I am fine with this. I love my animals and did not want a child who is scared of dogs. Hope her love for my 4 legged fur babies continues to grow. She is now reaching out to pet Copper and thinks it is funny when he then licks her to death. I am serious when I say that I don't think he would EVER quit licking her face if I wasn't there to scold him.

We have starting introducing solids this month. Dr. C told us to go ahead and start getting her used to the spoon since we were downing 32 oz a day. She really got the hang of being spoon-fed pretty quickly, but she still loves her bottle. Now, she is just trying to hold it by herself and it makes me very sad.

Much more interested in our bib than the food

I also forgot to mention that Ri is no longer in daycare. After January, Hell month, with us all being sick and tired of being sick and tired, we lucked up on finding someone willing to keep Rilynn until the end of the school year when I will be off from work. We are in heaven. Ri has one on one care and attention all day every day. There is one other little girl there too, who is 4, but she is such a sweet heart and loves that Ri is her new audience. I think Ri loves the entertainment too. Ri came home on the first week with a new affection for Itsy Bitsy Spider. I loved that. There was no way at this age, she would have come home from daycare liking Itsy Bitsy Spider. Tay Tay is our sitter and she loves her "Cupcake".

We have attended 3 first birthday parties this month and Rilynn has wanted two things at each of them: a nap and a balloon. So, as crazy as it may sound, it is almost time to start thinking about her 1st birthday party and as it is right now, balloons may be our theme... more on that in the coming months as her interests become more apparent and her birthday looms nearer (the thought that we are halfway there is just mind-blowing).

Reeeeally excited about Harper opening her gifts!

I think she decided to hit almost hit some milestones just in time for this post. Literally in the last few days. She is leaning in and stretching her arms out more when you go to get her out of someone else's arms, we are trying our best to roll from back to stomach, we found our feet, and I swear she tried to wave bye when I waved at her at the sitter's the other morning. It may have only resembled a wave to us (to others it may have looked like she slightly raised her arm and just spread her fingers out by coincidence) but I am going with it. ;) She also fell asleep on her back the other night for the first time ever since she was teeny tiny and swaddled. I was so excited but knew it might not last long. Sure enough, her eyes popped open 60 mins later.

We have a contagious laugh and think that Daddy hangs the moon. It drives me nuts. I love that she loves her daddy but come on, she is alive thanks to me, after all!! 

She apparently also thinks Daddy and Bruce Willis hold a resemblance to one another. She gets super excited every time he appears on the television screen. I don't know if it is the facial structure, the head or the fact that he has the phone glued to his ear. :)

I cannot believe my next monthly development post will be 6 months. Her half-birthday. It is frightening how quickly the time flies. I look back at newborn pictures when she was teeny tiny and I almost don't recognize her. I love the spunky personality she is developing and I love that she is growing up so happily, but it is just so sad to know those newborn days are gone forever. Even when we have another baby, the newborn days with my first born, with her, are irreplaceable and already such a distant memory...

Ok- to end this post on a lighter note, here are some video clips from this past month!