emerald city diaries – Page 61 – family + adventures + the emerald city

my weekend in pictures.

{seriously? can she get any cuter?}

{we spent a lot of time at children’s hospital on saturday afternoon for a car seat check – we are transitioning into a convertible car seat soon – & eloise learned about the front seat. in other news, we also introduced almond butter (with banana) while we waited since it was lunchtime & we were at the hospital in case there were any serious issues with nut allergies (luckily there weren’t!).}

{playing on sunday morning. all of the things come out of the basket.}

{having a giggle sesh with papa – so fun!}

{a sneak preview of an awesome DIY that I hope to share this week. such a long time in the making & so excited to have this one done!}

{another fun addition that has been a long time coming to the house – window treatments for our master bedroom window! I am hoping to include this in a house tour soon.}

we had a super low-key weekend with almost no plans (that seems to be the theme recently) & it was wonderful. we got a lot of things done around the house which is my favorite. it is definitely feeling like spring in the PNW with the rainy days & bulbs in bloom, but I am still in complete disbelief that it is the end of march… really, the entire first quarter of 2015 gone just like that! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

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

{one} farewell paperie.

{via Farewell Paperie}

it is not a big secret that I am a huge fan of paper goods, snail mail, handlettering, & the like. call me old fashioned, but there is nothing better than getting a handwritten letter or card in the mail! the only thing that is better than a paper card is one that is letterpressed. swoon! enter Farewell Paperie – a local Seattle company that is letterpressing the most fun & awesome cards. also, while on the topic, a big BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUT to my mama (HAPPY BIRTHDAY)! I have a card & present waiting for you here, but let’s just pretend I sent you this card in the mail & it arrived just in time!

{two} eloise hugs.

I have been meaning to include it in the past few weekly updates, but it’s slipped my mind. hard to believe though since it is the best. thing. ever. eloise is now giving awesome hugs (like really solid ones) where she wraps her arms around your neck or shoulders for a moment. it is the sweetest thing & I hope you all get to experience an eloise hug some day soon.

{three} online fabric sources.

TITLE

{via Style by Emily Henderson}

I have been on a complete sewing frenzy & pretty much want to do it all day (when I am not cuddling with eloise, of course). there are lots of things on my to do list (see my Pinterest board here) & I can’t wait to get started! shopping for fabric is slightly difficult since getting out to shop is tricky when you have just a short window of “play” time before eloise goes down for a nap. I like to take my time perusing fabric & really making sure it is exactly what I want (& since I am a terrible decision-maker in that I can never decide anything!) it is always a lengthy process. despite not getting to feel the fabric, I do buy a lot of fabric from etsy. but, Emily Henderson just made my life a lot easier with her newest post this week: the best places to buy fabric online!

what are you loving this week?

PEPS annual luncheon.

I am certain I have PEPS before {see here} because it has been a HUGE part of our life since eloise arrived on the scene. eloise & I ended up in two different PEPS groups since last fall – a mamas’ group & a parents’ group. I still continue to meet with my fellow mamas & their babes every monday morning (despite the formal group being over), & all three of us (aaron, eloise, & me) meet with our fellow parents & their babes every month. it is such an amazing community & I know that so much of the joy that I have found in parenting & being home with eloise has come from these groups. I only wish that every parent had access to a group like this! & if you are lucky enough to live in the seattle-eastside area, definitely look into PEPS if you are expecting or have very small children.

each year PEPS hosts an annual luncheon which brings together it’s board members, volunteers, participants, & others to join together & raise a large part of its annual budget. I was thrilled that eloise & I were able to attend, along with another mama friend. the food was amazing as was the company. PEPS is doing amazing, amazing things both in our local community & far beyond the state borders (like partnering with programs in Germany!) & it was exciting to be a part of it.

there were event photographers floating around the event & happened to take a few snaps of eloise & me. that first one of us even made the PEPS website (scroll to the bottom) & the thank you letter emailed out to attendees!

{photos via The Happy Film Company}

I am so thankful for our ability to be part of PEPS & can’t wait for next year’s luncheon!

are (or were) you part of any parenting groups or communities?

eloise {week 32}

{top: Carter’s // jeans: babyGap (similar) // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 32} this week has been all about teeth. eloise has been cutting her bottom two teeth for some time. the right one is very visible, & the left is well beyond just a little white spot. I just assumed that her two front teeth would be next (since that has been the typical growth pattern for all of eloise’s friends) & although those front teeth look imminent, it is actually the one to the right of the middle that has made it’s entrance. aaron discovered it this weekend & we didn’t even realize eloise was cutting that tooth since she didn’t seem fussy/drooly/stuffy/etc.

beyond growing teeth, eloise is busy. she is constantly moving (even in her sleep – she is all over her crib!) & never staying still. I think this is good practice for, well, the rest of her life. if eloise is being held, she either wants to be facing you & poking or pulling at your hair or nose; if she is nursing, she is constantly looking around & grabbing what she can & waving her arms; if she is on the ground, she is rolling & scooting around; & if she is sitting, she is tapping her (right) foot – tap, tap, tap!

eloise can also sit completely by herself now, & since she can pretty safely get down to her side or tummy from sitting, it feels much more real. you can set her down now on her playmat on her bum & she will play independently. she loves to pull everything out of her toy baskets, examining each toy & tasting any tags she can find along the way. I find that I am often putting toys back in the baskets for her after playtime since it makes me feel better (organized!) & eloise prefers a cleaned up playspace – win-win! I know it will get old very soon for me to continue cleaning up toys, but for now I don’t mind & I find that it also increases eloise’s exposure to some toys that may otherwise be forgotten. that said, when (if at all) did you mamas out there start rotating toys? we have toys in the living room, toys in the diaper bag, & toys in eloise’s nursery, but I haven’t started rotating things out yet (but would like to at some point).

happy 32 weeks eloise!

P.S. only 20 weeks left until she is one – where did the time go?

this post contains affiliate links.

my weekend in pictures.

{uh oh, look who’s in the “I’m going to start crawling soon” pose…}

{stepping up my baby-food-making game!}

{spring means jelly beans right? these from TJ’s are awesome!}

{oh my gosh this little one. oh, & I think that is the last time she is wearing those pants – hello highwaters!}

{saturday morning means playtime with papa before breakfast!}

{also, standing? we are in so. much. trouble.}

{eloise finally fits into this little fuzzy, white bear jacket & it is oh so cute! too bad we never got winter this year.}

{selfies with my girl. we were both wearing purple dresses to celebrate our friend miriam’s birthday whose favorite color is – you guessed it – purple!}

{“uh, whatcha doin’ in the kitchen mama?”}

{eloise’s dinner: sweet potato-black bean-quinoa & roasted cauliflower. she loved every bit of it. yay for a good eater!}

{aaron adjusted the foot platform lower since eloise has grown. she looks so big in her chair now!}

we had a pretty low-key weekend with not a lot of plans. it was lovely. the weather wasn’t really lovely though – here comes the spring rain! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

{one} misha & puff sale.

{via Misha & Puff shop}

the little shop Misha & Puff is having a big sale, you should check it out if you need any adorable knitted clothes for your kiddos (or grand-kiddos, or nieces or nephews, or friend’s babies!). not only does this store have an AWESOME name, but the clothes are so sweet. I picked up the Sugar Maple Sunsuit for eloise during the last sale (which you can see in her 6 month photos here).

{two} neighborly app.

{via Neighborly App}

I had heard about this app from a fellow new mother & have had it installed for months, but didn’t use it until this week. we have been trying to get rid of a bunch of old paint cans & don’t want to make a (paid) trip to the dump. we also want to make sure they are responsibly disposed of. so, I took a look at the Neighborly app to see what type of services were offered, & lo and behold paint can removal! we will also be having some yard work done in the very, very near future! the app was easy to use, the guy that came was super friendly, & you just pay thru the app – so easy!

{three} wallpaper.

Anthropologie Rose Petals Wallpaper #anthrofave

{via Anthro}

I think that wallpaper (if well designed) can make a great statement in a house. I have been itching to get some up on our walls in our bathroom (in the toilet room to be exact) & have fallen in love with this beautiful floral. it’s chic & sophisticated – swoon! any other wallpaper lovers out there?

what are you loving this week?

this post contains affiliate links.

eloise {week 31}

{chambray shirt: babyGap // leggings: Gymboree // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{week 31} so this is fun: see eloise 31 weeks in my belly!

this week seems like it is just setting our new normal. not a lot of exciting things to report or any big changes.

eloise has been consistently taking three hour plus naps a day – hooray! sometimes she will wake up 45 minutes or so into her nap & start to talk to herself (or her lovie I suppose) & then soon enough she is back to sleep. it has been nice to know she is sleeping well during the day & that it is so consistent since that makes it easier for me to plan my days! sleeping at night is going well, but eloise has been waking up fussing around 3 am for the past few days. that isn’t too fun since she is still waking between 4 and 6 am for a feeding. just as I am getting back to sleep it seems she is waking me up again! I have definitely been taking advantage of eloise’s morning naps lately to get a little more shut-eye of my own. plus, who wants to be dressed before 11 am anyways?

eloise is still a roly-poly & will pretty much flip over immediately whether you put her down on her back or on her tummy. she doesn’t seem to mind the hardwood floors at all, despite having blankets down in her playspace in the living room. she is engaging so much with toys these days & often lights up when she sees a specific toy. sitting is also still going well & she is getting better at it each day.

food & eating is eloise’s new fascination. any food that she sees she thinks she is meant to eat! we have been continuing with the purees & BLW which is going so well. I am still liking the combination of foods. eloise has eaten everything we have offered her, & even though she always makes a face on her first bite of food, she happily eats. yesterday I roasted sweet potato spears & cauliflower, & she was delighted. I have been trying not to share any of my own food bias & introducing her to a wide spectrum of food (broccoil & cauliflower are not my favorites). I also introduced quinoa which is a nice change I am sure from just the fruits & veggies. she doesn’t quite get eating it by herself, but seems to enjoy it mixed up with pureed food. we are still working on teaching eloise how to drink from a sippy cup & straw, but she mostly just wants to play with the cup. oh well. we have lots of time before she will really need water for hydration.

happy 31 weeks eloise!

my weekend in pictures.

{eloise & I headed over the u village to pick up a few things & had to step into the Land of Nod. I noticed they had these old Childcraft encyclopedias being used in the staging – so weird to see these since we had them when I was a kid!}

{who could resist this happy little bug fresh off a long nap? seriously, 90% of the time she is all smiles when I go in to get her after nap time!}

{eloise & papa comparing teeth.}

{on friday night we had friends over for dinner – which they brought! – & then played some games after eloise went to bed. such a fun night! thanks for dinner dave & kurt!}

{we headed back to the u village on saturday afternoon – yep, we basically live there since it’s right down the street! – for lunch & to pick up a few other things. we ate “american” with a burger & salad – so yummy!}

{I finally tried coconut milk in my latte after aaron convinced me it was amazing. I was skeptical, but it was so good!}

{despite her face, eloise loved quinoa!}

{our friends made an impromptu visit for dinner & some catch-up on saturday evening. eloise & lily are going to be besties when they grow up. plus, they are just one month apart! great to see you steiner family!}

{we also tried roasted blueberries this afternoon. I think they were a success! (& so, so messy!)}

{eloise was still napping when I got home from pure barre this afternoon. I pretty much can’t resist staring at her when she sleeps… creepy? perhaps.}

we had a really low-key weekend with no real plans. even though we didn’t get much done, it was nice to just hang out & enjoy each other’s company. plus, we got lots of rain the past few days so it was nice to be in & dry! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

{one} madewell at nordstrom.

Brand spotlight: introducing Madewell at Nordstrom.

{via nordstrom}

I am a pretty big fan of madewell – it’s like j.crew’s casually chic cousin. I didn’t realize until recently that we are lucky in seattle to have a few stores in the area, but it is now available at nordstrom! the reason this is exciting is because then you get the madewell goods with the nordstrom perks (great alterations & notes!). I have been wanting to try madewell jeans (since my beloved paige jeans are so stretched out, what gives?!) & I have been hoarding nordstrom notes (which are rewards) – seems like a win-win!

{two} fruity frozen sips (from oh joy!).

Fruity Frozen Sips / Oh Joy

{via Oh Joy blog}

joy cho is the amazing woman behind Oh Joy (blog & brand) & is a genius! (she is also really sweet – I got to meet her, see here!) I love all of the delightful things she comes up with, including these awesome fruity drinks! I can’t wait for summer just for an excuse to have a BBQ & make these!

{three} macaroon rattles.

{via Project Nursery}

in my hunt for ideas for eloise’s first easter basket (since candy is pretty much a no-go) I came across these adorable macaroon rattles! french macaroons are my favorite & eloise is french so it seems like it’s meant to be, right? well, I should have made my mind up faster because now they are sold out… but so cute nonetheless!

what are you loving this week?

eloise {week 30}

{dress: Crewcuts // leggings: babyGap}

{week 30} I am not sure what about 30 weeks feels so old, but it does! eloise – you are growing up way too fast! all of the updates for this week are in eloise’s seven month post from yesterday {HERE}.

happy 30 weeks eloise!

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