my sun, my moon, and all my stars

I came across this quote on Pinterest and right away pictured my sweet girl. I love the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles, the soft rolls on the back of her neck, her shiny new smile with two little teeth, her little monkey feet, her dramatic pout lip, her laugh, the way she grins up at me when I'm singing her lullabies before bed. I love being her momma.

xoxo, Jen

Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale: What I Bought

Well, it happened.

On Friday I finally (and gleefully) fell victim to the Nordstrom half yearly sale. I blame it all on that Carrington... she is a great shopping partner and a bad influence. ;) 

Check out what I picked up:

North Face "Oso" Hoodie for Baby

I've known for a while that I wanted to pick up a North Face for miss C. Steve and I live in ours in the colder weather, so it only makes sense. :) I can see Carrington wearing this all throughout the fall and winter, so grabbing it on sale was perfect. (I got the white and grey combo, not pink, as shown above.)

Bobbi Brown Makeup 

My make-up needed a major update (I still wear eye shadow from high school. I'm not even kidding.) and I love Bobbi Brown cosmetics -- I use the shimmer brick and lipgloss every day. So since they were having a buy $75 and get a free lipgloss (a $25 value and the same as my favorite lipgloss listed above, only in a great sheer cherry color for summer), I took advantage. I chose this, this, and this. 

Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunnies

These are reasonably priced for "designer" glasses. I bought a pair (the only pair of sunglasses I own!) 4 years ago and wear them every single day. Due to my own carelessness, they're all scratched up so I picked up this pair for just $60. The shape fits my face well and they've held up great considering what I've put them through!

Did you shop any Memorial Day sales this year? What'd ya get? :)

xoxo, Jen

Four Years Later...

Four years after saying "I do" on a sunny (and warm!) May day, our life together is very different, and yet so much the same. I was just a baby (barely 22) when we stood at that altar, and yet my heart always knew it was you.

Here we are today, living in a different state, on house number two, on baby number one (the very best thing that has happened to us, hands down), with different jobs than we had, and different cars, too. We've traveled to a few different countries and several different states, slept on the floor of an empty apartment, gone for hikes, swam in the ocean, flown on planes, and taken about a million walks. I love our walks together. I can picture still taking them when we're 80. 

 I love the way you make anywhere home. 

I love the way you make my dreams your own.

I love the way you refer to Carrington, Layla, and I as "my girls."

I love the way you make me laugh.

Four reasons (out of so many) why I love you, for the four years we've been hitched. :) 

Happy Anniversary to my Stephen!

xoxo, Jen

Don't You Hate It When...

I've been having a week of the most random thoughts. Can anyone else relate to these? 

Don't You Hate it When...

1. You're trying to shove popcorn (Target popcorn, obviously) into your mouth (like an animal) at a red light, and someone pulls up right next to you? I don't need an audience, k? Look away.

2. There aren't enough bunches of oats in your Honey Bunches of Oats.

3. Monday and Tuesday TV is over (all of the good trashy reality, of course) and there is nothing else to look forward to the entire week. Well, until Friday when Shark Tank is on. What is my life? 

4. Speaking of TV, when shows you like are only 30 minutes long. With commercial breaks, that's like 4 minutes. You look at Facebook for a sec, and the episode's over!

5. You just bought something and you get a coupon in the mail the next day for that very item.

Anyway, I'll leave you with this ham. :) That face. That bellybutton. She kills me.

xoxo, Jen

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the momma's out there! You all deserve to sleep in a little, put your feet up, enjoy your favorite things, and of course your favorite (little) people. :)

 I had a wonderful first Mother's Day weekend. It kicked off on Saturday with a delivery of 24 beautiful roses, lunch and shopping with one of my besties and my sweet mini. On Saturday Steve, Carrington, and I went to visit Johnson's Farm, which is an adorable little farmer's market and nursery near us. We browsed the market goodies, strolled through the flowers, and ate lunch (including apple cider smoothies...um, YUM) outside. Later, Carrie and I took a nap together. After she went to sleep, Steve and I rented We're The Millers for the second time. That movie is hilarious! 

Today I woke up to two cards (one from Steve and C, one from our puppy), and we met our moms for lunch halfway between our homes. It was such a perfectly beautiful day, and I soaked up every minute. My mom is truly the strongest, most selfless, most loving person I have ever known, and I am grateful for her beyond words. Love you, momma!

And to the little girl who made me a mother...

Dear Carrington,

The moment I knew you were coming, I became your mother. I worried, and hoped, and wrote, and thought, and dreamed, and cut out caffeine, and cut out hot dogs (probably for the best!), and added more vitamins, milk, fruits, and veggies. I recorded every moment and cherished every movement. From the very moment I knew you existed, when you were still microscopic, I adored you. 

The moment you were born, is a minute that stands still in time, that is on "pause" in my mind. 10:26 a.m. If the rest of my life becomes a blur, the exact minute you were born into the world and I heard them announce the time and your daddy say "She's here, she's beautiful, she has your ears," will always be clear. 

You, with blue eyes like the sea, like the sky, like your great-grandmother's, and your rosy cheeks (so very kissable), and your fuzzy head, and your gummy smile - you are the one who made me "momma." You have made all of my biggest and best dreams come true. And I love you somethin' awful, Carrington Elle. I always will.

All my love,

Momma

xoxo, Jen 

5 Month Update

I can't believe it's been 5 months since I delivered this little peanut. Where is the time going, and can it please slow down?

Weight: Not sure, but I'd say definitely over 15 lbs.

Length: She was 23 3/4 inches at her 4 month appt., so I'm guessing she's grown a bit

Health: Still great... yay!

Sleep: Still sleeping 11 or 12 hours, typically 7:45pm - 7am. We started unswaddling her arms since she's rolling constantly now, and while she has a little harder of a time falling asleep, she's doing pretty well with it so far. Fingers crossed that we are past the 4 month sleep regression threat... I was so worried about that!

Social: Still busy as ever! We've had a good amount of visitors to the house, including both sets of grandparents, gone to may lunches, traveled home for a family get-together, and finished up our mommy/baby yoga classes. I'm thinking things are only going to get busier with summer around the corner.

Diet: Still doing great with Alimentum. She is so fascinated when we eat. I can't wait to let her taste her first "real" food in a month!

Clothes: Still rocking 6 months -- you can tell that a few outfits are getting snug. Ack!

Baby Gear: We added the Fisherprice Rainforest Jumperoo to the many pieces of baby gear in our living room. She's liking it so far (for short periods of time).

Crying: Cries when super hungry (we try not to let it get to that point) and super tired. She is going through a screaming/shrieking phase that is pretty tough on the ear drums. ;)

Likes: Still singing, reaching for and grabbing whatever's in sight (and then promptly shoving it into her mouth), walks, and rolling... especially from back to belly.

Dislikes: I think she's teething so she's most unhappy when she can't shove something into her mouth... poor bub.

Postpartum: Feeling good. :) Still not as "in shape" for summer as I'd like to be, but I'm feeling a little better about that. I recently had a baby... I think I get a pass this year.

Milestones: Rolls from back to belly constantly, is starting to sit unassisted (not for very long yet), more interactive and interested in her surroundings than ever!

Happy five months in the world, my sweet girl! You are learning and growing so much everyday, and daddy and I couldn't be more proud of you. We look forward to waking up to your big smiles every morning. You are such an easy-going girl (for the most part), and so determined to move, grab, do. Your giggles are my favorite sound in the world, I love kissing your sweet pudgy cheeks, and I can't wait to see what this next month brings us. Love you, always!

xoxo, Jen

Weekend Recap

We had a really nice weekend... hope you did, too! As I type this, miss C is sleeping unswaddled in her crib. Such a big girl. I can't believe she'll be 5 months old tomorrow!

On Friday morning, we had our last mommy/baby yoga class. I'll miss it and considered signing up for more sessions, but I think summer will be keeping us plenty busy. Here's Carrington with her sweet little pal, my friend's daughter Josephine. :)

Friday early evening my in-laws arrived and were sweet enough to watch Carrington while Steve and I went to dinner with all of my co-workers and our significant others. It was our second time away from C in 5 months, and while I really missed my girl, it was a fun evening! I might have had a touch too much champagne ;) but got up at 7am (like a boss) with C on Saturday morning, so all's well that ends well. 

Saturday we started the day with Dunkin' Donuts (that's how you know it's going to be a great day!), did yard work, took a walk, took a nap, and relaxed. Saturday night we had another event to attend... our dear friend's surprise 30th birthday party. As reluctant as I was to leave C for a second night (even if it was only a few hours), I think it is good for her to have time with people other than myself, since I'm with her all day every day. I knew she was in the most loving hands with her grandparents. :) The 30th birthday party was a blast! 

Sunday was spent with our girl... snuggling, finishing up some yard work outside, and hitting up Barnes & Noble for a Starbucks fix and some reading. We took C into the children's area and she was reaching for and grabbing almost everything. It's so much fun to see her learn and grow!

xoxo, Jen