emerald city diaries – Page 57 – family + adventures + the emerald city

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to see what kendra, mary beth, amanda, laura, aileen & jessica are loving! we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} raising wild swimwear.

RW Print-61.jpg

{h style via Raising Wild}

as summer is quickly approaching, I have been thinking about all of the things eloise & I can do to beat the heat & get out of the house, & I feel like I may need to add another swimsuit (or two) to my arsenal. I am loving this new trend towards one-piece styles since it seems a little more mama-friendly (something about wearing a bikini with an infant seems a little weird – anyone?). raising wild is a new start-up that I found via Instagram & is doing pre-orders on two really cute styles.

{two} love ring.

Paloma Picasso®:Love Ring

{via Tiffany & Co}

I don’t wear a lot of jewelry (& much less now with eloise) but I have always had a fondness for the word “love.” I blame it on my valentine’s day birthday! so, I am definitely loving this oldie but goodie love ring by paloma picasso. diamonds & rose gold? yes, please.

{three} crewcuts romper.

{via Crewcuts}

I have been keeping an eye out for cute pieces for eloise’s one year photoshoot & crewcuts (j.crew’s baby line) is always a good place for inspiration. if I was willing to spend $49 on a stripey romper for eloise, she would wear this one all summer long!

what are you loving this week?

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project baby {pregnancy essentials}

this post has been a long time coming & I was hoping to get it out sooner, but better late than never, right?

I am almost certain (because I have taken polls!) that I am the only mama who misses being pregnant… don’t get me wrong, I love being eloise’s mama! but I adored being pregnant & look back on that time fondly. I feel very fortunate to have had a very healthy, fun, & low-risk pregnancy, & I wanted to share some of my must-haves. {I am putting together my essentials lists for post-partum, newborn, & possibly feeding (solid foods), so stay tuned if you are interested!}

{one} jersey dresses. I didn’t end up buying very many maternity clothes & really tried to either wear or buy things that were non-maternity. one of the great pieces that I wore over & over in my last trimester (& since it was warm by then) was a jersey dress. I owned a few pre-pregnancy that I was able to make work, including my favorite target purple maxi dress that I wore to the hospital! but, the best dresses I found for pregnancy were Sonnet James dresses. I discovered SJ in the fall of 2013 & quickly ordered the Stella dress for our trip to Hawaii. hands down one of my favorite dresses ever! I picked up a few more once I found out I was pregnant because I knew I could wear them during my pregnancy & after. I worried a bit that I might stretch them out, but I haven’t had any issues post-partum. I have found that my Quincy & Doutzen dresses (mine are past season colors) are a bit long when I don’t have a bump, so I will probably be visiting the Nordstrom alternations department in the very near future {my Stella & Kate dresses are midi length & are perfect!}.

{two} reusable water bottle. water, water, water. my midwife couldn’t stress enough how important it was that I stay hydrated during my pregnancy. I knew I needed to find a good water bottle that could travel with me between home, work, & everywhere in-between. thanks to amanda for her recommendation on the Camelback bottles! having already been thru this with her first child, she knew exactly what I would need, plus because of the straw end it could be used hands-free which was perfect for labor & delivery! I ended up with the Camelback Eddy Insulated Water Bottle (& also the non-insulated version) & they were perfect!

{three} body oil. for me pregnancy brought on some mild acne & very dry skin. {for the acne I used Belli Anti-Blemish Facial Wash that is free of salicylic acid & benzoyl peroxide.} I had read that body oil could help prevent stretch marks (though the truth is that stretch marks are genetic. you can do some things to help, but you cannot actually prevent them…) so I started my search for a body oil. it didn’t take me long wandering down the aisles of target to find Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Body Oil. I fell in love instantly! it soaked into my skin & left it feeling silky & hydrated, & had the most amazing lemon scent. I used it all over my body after showering, including my bump, & the smell of lemon will always remind me of my pregnancy with eloise!

{four} low-impact workout. the best advice about working out during pregnancy is to have an already-established workout program that you can continue thru-out your pregnancy. luckily for me, my workout of choice is Pure Barre & it is a great workout that can be pretty easily modified for mamas-to-be (there is a Baby on Board package – 3 months unlimited class pass). whatever workout regime you choose (yoga, running, Zumba, etc.), just stick with it! there were a few weeks during the first trimester that I had to forego my beloved PB classes because I was just so sick, but for the majority of my pregnancy I was attending class twice a week, & even went to class two days before eloise was born! I had a healthy pregnancy & I was able to keep active; I know this is in part because of staying in shape.

{five} ginger chews. oh the nausea of the first trimester. I felt nausea many, many times before I was pregnant (thanks in part to being very motion sick as a kid) but nothing can prepare you for nausea during pregnancy! I don’t like spicy, but these Gin Gin chews saved my life! I kept a stash everywhere just in case – desk drawer, purse, nightstand, car. you can pick them up at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

{six} prenatal vitamins. this is not meant to be medical advice (since I am not a medical doctor) so follow whatever recommendation your own doctor gives you! for me, my OB-GYN had me taking pre-natal vitamins years before I was pregnant. her recommendation was that any woman that was pre-menopausal should be taking pre-natals; there is no harm, the first few weeks of pregnancy are the most important for these vitamins (& most women don’t even know they are pregnant yet!), plus it is great for your hair & nails! anyways, I was taking some generic woman’s multivitamin from target, but had to find a new one as soon as I got pregnant since they were making me sick. I found the Rainbow Light Prenatal One Mulitvitamin and Spectrum Essentials Prenatal DHA at Whole Foods & no longer had any problems with my tummy. I always took them in the middle of dinner (usually my biggest meal) so that I knew I had enough food in my belly, though I take them now before breakfast (usually) & I haven’t had any issues. the multivitamin is a pretty big tablet (it pretty much has to be or else you have to take lots of pills) & if you have trouble swallowing big pills I am almost certain there is a capsule form. the DHA is great because it isn’t fish oil (it is vegan except for gelatin in the capsule) so there is absolutely no aftertaste!

mamas & mamas-to-be, what were or are your essentials?

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eloise {week 42}

{shirt: Carter’s // onesie: Gerber // leggings: Target // moccasins: Freshly Picked // Sophie the Giraffe}

{week 42} eloise is back in PT for torticollis {which I first talked about here in her five month update} since her pediatrician is still slightly concerned about eloise’s head tilt after her nine month appointment. we were going to PT for about two months & she was released from care, but now we are back at it. some of it is just going to be maturity (I think) but a lot of it is breaking bad habits & allowing her neck to stretch & strengthen evenly. we are hoping to see the PT every two weeks & do daily stretching exercises at home. I think I talked about eloise laying on her (right) side a lot, & this is actually one of the things that is hurting her progress towards a straight head! I am trying to get her to lay on her left side… yep, it is a challenge! there isn’t really too much to be worried about at this point, & honestly I don’t even notice it most of the time because I am with her pretty much every minute of the day. her pediatrician’s biggest concern is the effect it could have on her vision, though there is no indication that it has so far & it is pretty uncommon.

eloise also saw the dentist yesterday. yep, a baby dentist. the new recommendation from the american academy of pediatrics is that infants/children start to see the dentist as soon as they get teeth (the old recommendation was at one year old). so, we were on the waiting list for a pediatric dentist office that is pretty close to our house, but after waiting almost three months, I decided to do some more research & find another dentist! as much as I like the idea of eloise seeing one dentist (& not a specific pediatric one) I like the idea of having her see a dentist who has extra training with kids & children (& honestly I am not too crazy about our current dentist & his office, so no point in taking her there). eloise was a great little patient & let the dentist look (& clean – just a wipe with gauze) her six teeth! the dentist & assistant (& entire staff) were very kind & wanted to make sure we were starting good dental hygiene early. we have already been having eloise “brush her teeth” with this toothbrush after solids & after her bedtime bottle, & she is obsessed!

crawling is still going well & we are thinking that any day now she is going to be up off of her belly (I think I say this every week though!). she is really starting to use her knees when she is army crawling & rocks on her hands & knees all the time. these days if she is upset or crying in her crib, she will get on her hands & knees… tricky when she is wearing a sleep sack!

speaking of crib, we finally lowered her crib mattress down. she hasn’t yet pulled up to standing (or even sitting) in her crib, but we didn’t want to take any chances. eloise hasn’t consistently been able to get from her belly to sitting, but I know that she could if she wanted too, or by accident. she already loves the railing & sides of her crib (& always props her feet up while she is sleeping) so I know that if she finds herself sitting in her crib for any length of time, she will try to pull herself up.

happy 42 weeks eloise!

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my weekend in pictures.

{our thermostat upstairs was reading 79 degrees by noon on friday meaning it was hotter inside than it was outside! luckily our downstairs (& bedrooms) are running about 5 degrees cooler. mind you, we don’t have A/C!}

{eloise has decided that what’s on the coffee table sure is interesting. & the table is low enough that she can put two hands up from being down on her tummy… she’s going to be trouble soon enough!}

{eloise was enjoying the fan breeze to cool off on friday afternoon.}

{eloise loves to stand & has discovered that the ottoman in her nursery is perfect for leaning against.}

{being hot equals a crazy hair day!}

{on saturday afternoon aaron starting putting together our new shed.}

{mmm, cookie butter from TJ’s. a great afternoon snack on toast!}

{the man & his shed. we are in the beginning stages of completely re-doing our backyard, so don’t mind the neighbor’s peeling garage wall. we are planning on painting it soon!}

{look how red this kiddo’s hair looks in this light!}

{gave myself a much-needed mani & pedi on saturday night while we caught up on all of our shows. we don’t watch a lot of TV & typically binge on TV shows a couple of nights a week. currently we are catching up on the last episodes of shows. like grey’s anatomy. such a sad show!}

{a gold pedicure in support of our niece charlotte who will have surgery to remove the tumor on her liver on tuesday. #charlottestrong}

{eloise & her “dude” who is green & gold (in support of liver & pediatric cancers) gave me a thumbs up to share with charlotte this morning. completely a coincidence that the only picture she was smiling in she was also giving a thumbs up!}

{eloise attended her first mariner’s game this afternoon & she loved it. she napped on aaron for about 30 minutes… could have used more sleeping today, but no melt-downs so hard to complain.}

{family day at the mariner’s game. we went with three other families from our PEPS group (so there were four 9 month olds all together) & we were quite the spectacle. we lasted the entire game, but left at the start of extra innings. the mariners ended up losing 6 to 3 to the indians in 12. bummer.}

we didn’t have a lot of plans this weekend, but it ended up feeling busy. since we haven’t had a lot of plans during the past few weekends, we have been trying to devote some much-needed time & energy to various parts of the house. slowly but surely we are getting things checked off the list! we also had really amazing (hot) weather & it is finally starting to feel like summer! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

{one} oh joy! band-aids for target.

20 Count Adhesive Bandages Band-Aid

{via Target}

I adore joy cho, the blogger & designer behind Oh Joy! & I know I have raved about her before but I am just smitten about her latest collaboration – band-aids! & if you buy three boxes, you can get this little first aid kit for free!

{two} iplay sunhat.

Solid Brim Sun Protection Hat-Navy

{via Amazon}

the easter bunny brought eloise this sunhat & we have gotten so much use out of it already this spring. it is great because it is big enough to shade her face & neck, has built-in sun protection, can fold up, is quick-dry with a breathable mesh, & is adjustable. eloise has learned to untie the strings pretty quickly, but does a good job of keeping it on her head. so far. I sort of wish that I had gotten a lighter color, but the navy goes with everything!

{three} kate spade kitchen towel.

diner stripe kitchen towel by kate spade new york

{via Kate Spade}

we have such a mish-mash of kitchen towels that we have collected over the years. at this point I am ready to have a more streamlined look. I love these kate spade ones that have a fun quote as well. anthro also has some fun towels though I find that most are really feminine & don’t look good folded (does any one else have to fold their towels when they hang them. even from the oven door handle?).

what are you loving this week?

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our trip to north carolina & indiana.

{sidenote: some of these pictures i shared earlier in a weekend update so don’t mind the duplicates! also, this is a super picture heavy post.}

the first two weeks of this month we were able to get away & fly to charlotte, NC & indianapolis, IN to visit aaron’s family. we joked that we were “taking the (Eloise) band on the road” but that we were just her groupies (since everyone really just wanted to see eloise, right?).

we started out flying to charlotte (via minneapolis) to visit aaron’s older brother david & his family (jodi & their three kids). it had been about a year & a half since we had last seen them all, so there was lots to catch up on. we also got to see aaron’s aunt molly & her girls who are also in the charlotte area.

{napping on the plane – score!}

{kitchen sink bath – eloise loved it!}

{eloise enjoyed looking at kitchen fixtures with david & jodi.}

{aaron was able to attend gavin’s baseball game.}

{megan, rachel, aunt molly, lindsay, & eloise!}

{all of the kiddos playing.}

{maddie let eloise borrow her baseball hat. so cute!}

{oh boy was it hot. like too hot to wear a shirt if you were under one year old.}

{date night! we noshed on burgers & sushi, & it was amazing!}

{eloise, how is that comfortable?}

{eloise loved her uncle david. he taught her all about baseball at gavin’s game!}

{eloise & sophie enjoying the game.}

{maddie & eloise.}

{we didn’t get a cousin picture until the morning we left. this is the best we could do…}

{saying good-bye.}

{eloise & gavin were such good buddies while we were visiting!}

traveling from charlotte to indianapolis meant a stop in atlanta to change planes. our flight crew on the first leg of our trip absolutely fell in love with eloise (who wouldn’t?). she was whisked away by cindy, one of the flight attendants, & got the full tour of the plane – cockpit, galley, & meeting some of the passengers. eloise even got a shout-out during the safety demonstration & was nominated to be “Miss Delta”! it was so fun. plus, we got our own row on the flight, & eloise took a nap. fantastic!

then we flew to indianapolis (via atlanta) to visit the rest of aaron’s family. while aaron’s dad & step-mom were out at the beginning of september (to meet eloise!), we haven’t seen the rest of the family for at least a year & a half (we were out two christmases ago). we also got to see the gilbertsons (kendra, greg, & their two kids) who were visiting from orlando. it definitely wasn’t a coincidence that we were in town at the same time!

{& these photos are in no particular order…}

{eloise & charlotte LOVED each other. charlotte kept saying “baby baby” to eloise. i can’t wait to get these girls together again!}

{uncle aaron loves to play with all of the kids, but sometimes needs to catch his breath.}

{frankie loved eloise too & helped me feed her one night.}

{eloise loved all of the attention during her meals.}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise.}

{a mother’s day selfie with kendra!}

{eloise & her great grandmother eileen.}

{eloise & beau, aaron’s parent’s dog. eloise enjoyed beau since he let her get closer than sadie ever does. he liked to sniff & lick her face though so every time she saw him she would make a face!}

{i got in a free golfing lesson courtesy of aaron & sam!}

{eloise & charlotte. eloise has a way larger head & charlotte has longer arms & legs, but basically the same size.}

{eloise was playing with her aunt cari.}

{eloise got to meet her great grandmother eileen. it was the sweetest thing when we were all sitting down at the table & eileen looked at eloise & said “she has my thighs!”}

{four generations of Lowers.}

{eloise loves to play the slapping game & her papaw sam was happy to partake!}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise. the best we could do of the three of them!}

{group shot of mamas & babies.}

{love those gilbertsons!}

{kenley & eloise.}

{mamas on mother’s day – aunt kathi, kendra, me, & diane.}

{can we please live closer or do this more often?}

{kendra & eloise.}

{eloise was enjoying a delicious brunch!}

{i was comparing my feet to frankie & teddy, they are 4 & 8. teddy & i have the same size feet & frankie isn’t far behind!}

{it took a few days but charlotte finally warmed up to aaron! they were so sweet together.}

{frankie helping me feed eloise.}

{our niece mallory feeding eloise.}

{play time with nana, charlotte, & frankie.}

{eloise had so much fun with nana & charlotte.}

{eloise also got to meet her great aunt susan.}

{eloise & i practiced crawling down the hallway. i think she had more traction on the carpet!}

{me thinks someone dropped a toy down there.}

{kendra, kait, eloise & me.}

{all of the (baby) cousins!}

{kenley, eloise, & charlotte.}

{me, kait, & eloise.}

{attempting to do bedtime on the flight home. it was mostly successful but ended up being more of a nap!}

I come from a pretty small family who lived mostly in the same place as I grew up, so marrying into such a big family has been a lot of fun! we were excited to see everyone & catch up, & also be able to introduce eloise to her extended family. hopefully we will be out to visit again soon!

eloise {week 41}

{chambray shirt: Carter’s // onesie: Carter’s // leggings: Carter’s // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{& the outtake for this week! weekly photos are much more difficult to manage these days. definitely a two-person job.}

{week 41} eloise had her first fever this week which was so sad. I guess since a “low-grade fever” isn’t actually a thing, she was in the fever range. scary when the thermometer turns red which is what ours does once you get into the “fever range.” I could tell just by feeling her that she was much warmer than normal & her temp was reading around 99.5 degrees at the highest. it lasted about 24 hours & she seemed pretty normal for most of the day, other than a bit of fussiness & one episode of throwing up (maybe from chugging her bottle?). my guess is that it was just a virus or something that passed pretty quickly. I know it could also have been from teething, though she has six teeth so far & never any fever with them. glad to be past that.

crawling is THE thing around here. eloise is so quick these days though she pretty much goes for the same things so we don’t lose track of her (the coffee table, shoes in the entryway, & sadie’s toy basket). she has learned to use both of her forearms to pull herself across the floor, & also her big toe on each foot to give herself an extra boost. she is often, though, up rocking on her hands & knees, & just these past few days has taken a few crawling movements (hands & knees) up from her belly. I expect that any day now I will look over to find her crawling on her knees!

{eloise’s new funny face. also, she always has both of her hands up like that when she is in her highchair. I think it is because she doesn’t like her hands to be dirty when she eats.}

starting on sunday, eloise discovered that she could control her eyebrows. she is making this hilarious face where she furls her eyebrows & frowns. it looks like she is so mad! {aaron calls it her mean muggin’ face} the funny (or sad) thing is that if you mirror the face back to her, she gets sad. obviously she doesn’t realize that this is a mad face, she is just practicing moving her facial features! it is so, so cute & funny – we can’t stop laughing!

happy 41 weeks eloise!

my {long} weekend in pictures.

{eloise LOVES sadie & has found her new found crawling ability very useful!}

{eloise had swim lessons on saturday morning. the pool is so cold, but she was a champ & practiced her floating.}

{life is a bowl of cherries, right? we are loving that rainier cherries are in season.}

{happy birthday aaron! 32 looks good on you!}

{eloise & I took aaron out for a birthday brunch to one of our favorite places in the city, portage bay (who is finally taking reservations!). we split the pancakes & a reuben eggs benedict – so delish!}

{eloise & I in our matching chambray shirts. plus, the rhodies are so gorgeous all over the city this time of year!}

{I got aaron a grill for his birthday. it is what every man needs in his life, right?}

{eloise is a pro at posing for photos these days. & always so curious about what we are doing with our phones!}

{we enjoyed a dim sum brunch with jess, cale, & jaz this morning. such yummy food & great company!}

{I love this little one. she (mostly) plays so well by herself & is the sweetest little bug. how did we get so lucky?}

after a really long & tough week (I got food poisoning!} a long weekend was exactly what I needed. we didn’t have a lot of plans, but did a lot of celebrating since it was aaron’s birthday on sunday. while not well documented, we had a pretty fun weekend!

also, I did want to thank everyone who has been a member of our armed services for the sacrifice that they made for our country & for our citizens. thank you for your service. & today may we remember those who have fallen in the line of duty so that we can all be free. we will never forget.

how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

swelcome back friday! be sure to pop over to see what kendra, mary beth, amanda, laura, aileen & jessica are loving! we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} rifle paper co + lesportsac

{via Rifle Paper Co // rectangular cosmetic // travel tote}

I have previously professed my love for all things rifle paper co & I am smitten over all of the recent collaborations, including this one with lesportsac. I remember both my mom & my grandmother using lesportsac bags & pouches growing up so I have very fond memories of the brand. I love the spin that anna bond put on the iconic bags!

{two} j.crew

{via J.Crew}

j.crew (per usual) is killing it with its newest catalog offering. #givemeeverything I haven’t been shopping a lot for myself recently (because, let’s be honest, it is way more fun to shop for eloise if I am going to shop!) but I may need to pick up a few summer staples (like these adorable pants I just picked up at the most recent sale!).

{three} balloon dogs

Giant Paper Flower Party Hats | Oh Happy Day!

{via Oh Happy Day!}

jordan over at Oh Happy Day! always has the best tutorials & ideas for parties, & these balloon dogs aren’t too shabby. if eloise was older & could walk, I would totally get her a pack of balloon dogs!

what are you loving this week?

eloise {week 40}

{onesie: Carter’s // shorts: Carter’s // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 40} it definitely feels like we are in the “homestretch” over her when it comes to weekly updates. I want to do some type of update (maybe monthly?) for eloise (I mean, this is her baby book after all!) but haven’t yet decided. 12 more weeks until one… I still cannot believe it!

this week eloise has been much more verbal & physically active. though having already discovered her tongue some time ago, eloise has started playing with her tongue & her bottom lip. the combination of this & her constant babbling is that she sounds like a tiny auctioneer. it is hilarious! I am trying to get a good video or recording of it to share. she has also been testing the volume (loudness) & shrillness of her voice lately. this results in her shrieking multiple times a day, usually around mealtime.

on the activity level, eloise cannot sit still for the most part. in the morning time when she plays while I make her breakfast, she can usually sit on her playmat & pull all of the toys out of her toy basket, licking each one & examining it! by the afternoon though, I have to either be in the living room with her or have her “contained” in the exersaucer. she just gets too far too quickly these days & we haven’t yet put a gate up at the top of our stairs*. eloise has mastered the army crawl & now uses both of her forearms on the ground & her toes & knees (a bit) to maneuver around (she used to use one forearm & one hand). she is up on her hands & knees more & more, rocking back & forth, & seems much more in control of that movement. I expect her army crawl to turn into a crawl any day now…

many of our friends with kiddos of similar ages “walk” with their kids. by that I mean hold them by the hands or arms & help them walk while the kids move their own feet. while I am not really crazy about holding eloise just by her arms (I had one pop out of its socket quite a bit as a kid so it makes me extra nervous) I do hold her up under her arms or around her waist while she is standing. she doesn’t really walk though (as in move her feet). usually she looks down at her feet, realizes she is standing, & then starts jumping up & down. so eloise may jump before she walks! (& I am in no hurry for her to start walking – developmental delays aside)

a lot of people asked about eloise changing time zones & what I did or didn’t do to help with the time change. honestly, I kept her on her normal routine during our travel day & then set my watch to the local time zone when we landed (either jumping forward or backwards in her day). on both ends of our trip, eloise was able to be on local time as soon as we settled in for the most part. going east eloise was tired from missing her third nap of the day, so we kept her up slightly longer in order to do dinner & bathtime before putting her down to bed (three hours before she normally would go down). then going west, we did dinner & bedtime on our final flight, but eloise only slept for a few hours before we landed & then never went back to sleep in the hustle & bustle of being at the airport, getting our bags, & catching a ride home. by the time we got home she was super tired & we put her right to bed. I can’t say it will always work out that well, but I am happy we weren’t dealing with major time issues during & after our trip!

happy 40 weeks eloise!

*I know it sounds crazy to most people, but I was sort of hoping not to have to put a gate at the top of our stairs & to just teach eloise, when she is physically capable, of going up & down the stairs safely. I feel like when you gate something off, you make it forbidden & therefore way more fun for kids. if the stairs are just a normal thing, then maybe she won’t want to spend so much time on them? I also realize that she is going to be more mobile at some point & that our stairs are really scary since they are wood. this is still a work in progress, obviously! any tips?