Photo of the Day: 07.31.11

Three things completely unrelated to this photo (a view from my office building):
1. I am hungry; really, really hungry.
2. I cannot eat anything because I'm starting this new "rule" where the kitchen is closed after 8 p.m.
3. I am really, really hungry.

Photo of the Day: 07.30.11

Does it qualify as sleeping in if one of us wakes up at 5 a.m. to feed Alexa, the other wakes up at 7 a.m. and all three wake up at 8? In this household, yes. Yes, it does.

Photo of the Day: 07.29.11

Alexa just loves to play with her hipster penguin. I call him that because he is wearing a cap, has corduroy "sleeves" under his red bowling shirt and sports one ironic eyebrow. There are other penguins in this set, including a girl penguin with a pink bow in her "hair." Aside from their obvious appearances there are plenty of learning tools on each penguin. Most of them are wearing different colors, shirts with different numbers on them and the letters of the alphabet in fabric all over their backsides. They are some educational penguins for sure.

Photo of the Day: 07.28.11

Last weekend we spent three hours moving our furniture around in circles. Alexa was looking at us like we were crazy. The couches were looking at us like we were crazy. When all was said and done, we switched spots with the loveseat and rocking chair. It seems like such a little difference to write that down, but the difference it makes to the room is HUGE. For one thing, a lot more light spills through the patio windows. And any light is good in this dark dungeon.

Steppin' Out

What I'm wearing:

Cardi: Kohl's

Blouse: UK Style by French Connection, Sears (I know, right! Similar here)

Jeans: Target

Necklace: Vintage via my grandmother

What H is wearing:

T-shirt: Thrifted

Jeans: Gap, thrifted

Shoes: Skechers

Accessories: See previous Steppin' Out posts

What Alexa's wearing:

Dress and bloomers: Janie and Jack, via Sara

Hair bow: Target

This little Janie and Jack dress has been hanging on the wall in Alexa's room for a few months because it's so pretty. I've been looking at it daily and not thinking about it much, but then I had a panic attack. OMG, did Alexa outgrow this beauty while it was hanging on the wall? I tore it down and my heart sunk to find that it was 3-6 months, exactly the size she's growing OUT of. Crossing my fingers, I put it over her head, and voila! It fits, with room to spare. Such a gorgeous color. Maybe a little dressy for our leisurely day of coffee, ocean and thrifting (hello, we like Saturday routines around here), but it's better to be overdressed than underdressed, right?

I have loads of necklaces and other jewelry that was given to me after my mom died, and most of that jewelry includes pieces my mom inherited after my grandma died. This necklace is one. It's gorgeous. I wish I knew the story behind it. This curiosity is happening to me more and more often. But everyone who knows the story is gone.

On a lighter note, H's birthday is Monday so we celebrated with a low-key day this weekend, finishing with a dinner of salmon, potatoes and kale that I prepared. I think he enjoyed it. It's a far cry from the all-day affairs I used to plan or the parties I used to throw, but whatchagonnado? We have a baby now!

P.S. Happy birthday to my brother, too, who turned 29 on Friday. All these Leos in my family. So much drama. Just kidding, guys.

Photoshoot: 6 Months Old

Baby girl turned 6 months old on July 28. Each month on the 28th I plan to take a photoshoot with Miss Alexa and her owl to mark her growth because, as everyone likes to remind me, "they're only little for a short while."

Guess who just pulled out all the 6-9 month clothes? There are so many cute things, but you know what that really means. I have to put away stuff she's outgrown, which always makes me choke up.

She is sleeping through the night consistently. Usually 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. If I'm lucky she'll sleep till 6 a.m. Needless to say mama still has bags under her eyes.

Something clicked one day and she started drinking her milk faster, so we switched to the fast nipples. Her feeding time has been cut down from 20 minutes to 5 minutes. Awesome! And she also decided she likes to eat whatever we have on our plates. Any baby food specifically for her? Uh, OK. But she really wants our pasta. I think we will be buying some of these soon so she can suck on the things she can't chew yet.

Doc says she's growing "perfectly." She went back for her checkup and shots, and she hates those shots. The cries she lets out simply make my heart shrivel up and die. But I put on a brave face and hold her close so she knows everything is OK. And she recovers pretty quickly. I'm so proud of her.

Stats: 17 lbs., 8 oz. 25.5 inches long.

Past months: 1 month old  •  2 months old  •  3 months old  •  4 months old  •  5 months old

Tune Time: A Tribute to Is This It

I'm a little late to this party, but I just have to share. Head over to Stereogum to check out a compilation of indie bands' take on The Strokes' "Is This It." I can't believe it's been 10 years since that album came out. My love affair with this band has been going on for an entire decade. Wow.

So. There is at least one "cover" that makes no sense. But to me, the standouts are Peter Bjorn and John's "Is This It," Owen Pallett's "Hard to Explain" and The Morning Benders' "Last Nite."

Flickr Fridays #118

1. At the Gate in Blue, 2. búðir, 3. minja's home, 4. 200 topknots

Happy Friday, friends! What do you have in store for the weekend? I think we'll be playing it close to home. We're working on trading in our cars for more family-friendly vehicles. God forbid maybe even a minivan (this is all H's idea). So we'll be checking out the dealerships. Or maybe I should clarify that H will be checking out the dealerships while Alexa and I entertain each other. Read: car shopping is BORING. Necessary, but boring.

Photo of the Day: 07.27.11

I've been eating like a 10-year-old this week. Every day I've taken a turkey sandwich and an apple to work. All that's missing is the miniature milk carton and the Jem lunch pail.

Photo of the Day: 07.26.11

It's crazy how much more relaxed I am about taking Alexa to the pediatrician now. It was her six-month checkup, and we sat in the waiting room just cooing at each other, not a care in the world. And in came the couple with a newborn baby, and they looked harried and frazzled and held their baby close so nothing could harm him. As they scurried past us I was reminded of our first appointment, a week after Alexa was born.

H and I were sleep-deprived, probably unshowered, wearing wrinkled clothes. We kept Alexa covered in the car seat so no one could see her or *gasp* breathe on her. I was in breastfeeding hell, and was so upset when I was told I needed to supplement so she could get back up to her birth weight.

Fast forward six months later, and I have a healthy, smiling 17-pound baby who in the doctor's own words is "perfect." I wish I could go back in time to tell myself that everything would be OK. Relax.

Design Dialogue: Howkapow Prints

Pop Print

Swan Print /// Super 8 Print

Toucan Print

I've been browsing the likes of Howkapow lately and falling in love with these prints. The latter three are works of Luzelle van der Westhuizen, a London-based South African designer. I've always been a sucker for repetition in design, and these are no exception. The first print is by Katy Binks. If the sheer scale doesn't draw you in, the awesome color palette should.

Baby Talk

Dear Alexa,

Twenty-five weeks old. You've started singing this week. Daddy is convinced that you are going to be a natural talent. He's already planning your "American Idol" audition for 2026. You will sing something by The Beatles, who will by then be Really Classic Rock.

You're really taking to the food now. Mommy feeds you in the morning, and we have quiet, relatively mess-free mealtime. Daddy feeds you in the evening and takes raucous videos of you flinging food around and smearing it all over the place. He might be teaching you some bad table manners. We'll work on it.

You're sitting up by yourself easier now. Mommy gets down on the floor and plays with you. Most of the time you sit unassisted, but just in case you forget and fling yourself backward there's always a pillow to catch you. You stood up, holding onto the ottoman, for all of fifteen seconds before you let go and knocked your chin! Just the first of many such boo-boos, I imagine.

You love to hold books. You grab the pages and yank on them. You stare at the colors. You like paper in general. Mommy always hands you the bills in the hopes that you'll rip them apart so she won't have to pay them.

Things you love: Ripping paper, drinking your milk (you are using the "fast" nipples now, yay!), eating (your latest yumyums are green beans and pears), grabbing our hair and yanking with all your might, being held
Things you hate: Standing up when you're tired, stranger danger (you cry when you see someone new), not being held by Mommy or Daddy

Xoxo,
Mommy

Photo of the Day: 07.25.11

There's nothing better on a hot day in L.A. than finding refuge in an establishment with air conditioning. The Coffee Bean is my preferred spot because I can have a cold beverage at the same time. I understand there are places in the U.S. that are much, much hotter right now. My hometown of Wichita has been in the triple digits for what I'm sure feels like a century. So you're probably laughing at my "we must escape 88-degree weather" post. But let me ask you this: Is your home quiet and cool because you set your thermostat to 73 degrees and you have good insulation or is your home a loud, suffocating hellhole even with the windows open (or especially BECAUSE of the windows being open, what with the 5,000 ambulances, loud trucks and idiots on the street we suffer every five minutes)? 

So yes, Coffee Bean it is. And it is good.

Photo of the Day: 07.24.11

Somewhere around 3 months old Alexa decided she wanted to drink her bottles facing out. She likes to look around and see what's happening. Totally curious baby. She used to lock her little hands around my fingers and hold them while she ate, but now she's taken to flailing her arms around. Sometimes she bats the bottle like she's going to hold it, and I'm like, "Please. Please hold the bottle." And she lets go. Then she picks my nose and grabs my chin. It would be cute if she weren't so violent. The last time she pulled my hair I nearly screamed in agony.

Photo of the Day: 07.23.11

This might be the best worst photo I've ever taken, you know what I mean? It's fundamentally all wrong. The background is crooked, the foreground is blurry, the whole thing is pixelated because I took it with my cellphone camera. But you know what? I LOVE THIS PHOTO.

This is my little family, early early early on Saturday morning after little girl wakes up. This is us cuddling in bed for a few more moments of rest before we start the day. If only every morning were Saturday morning.

A few clicks for Saturdays?

Photo of the Day: 07.22.11

Blogging is a time-consuming process. I never realized how many hours it sucks up until Alexa came along. Now all of my creativity is shelved in the 7 p.m. and later section with an expiration date of midnight. I have to do everything in those few hours: spend time with H, work out, make dinner, write novels, try to find time for myself (that bottle of nail polish is still waiting to be opened) and blog. I usually make dinner so we don't starve, but most of the other activities are put on hold for blogging.

H asked me the other night what I would do if I didn't blog.

"You'd have so much free time all of a sudden," he observed.

I can't quit. I suppose it's a compulsion I have. The dream to self-publish without a middle man. The dream to be my own boss. I'm fulfilling these fantasies every time I press "publish post."

But I've been thinking. Maybe I should stop spending so much time on this. What do I really gain from writing this little blog? I am not stacking up wads of cash in exchange for my valuable time. I'm not bettering my writing. Are the hours spent slaving away on these posts worth the sacrifice?

I wonder if any other bloggers ever feel this way.

Like Mother Like Daughter

A few weeks ago my uncle sent me some photos taken when I was a baby, saying I might get a kick out of them. The first thing I thought was, "Oh my god, Alexa and I look like twins!" See for yourself:




Wait, there's more:




It's amazing to see resemblance in my child because every time I look at her, I see Alexa. Sometimes I see H, but I never really see myself. Perfect strangers are always commenting that we look alike (even down to our haircut). H says we make a lot of the same facial expressions. But I never really noticed it until I saw these photos.

A side note: Notice my mom's fingernails? They are real. I KNOW. I did not inherit her talons; mine are always trimmed super short because they are fragile and break easily.

Photo of the Day: 07.21.11

This was the first day in nearly a month I woke up not sweating. Coincidentally it was the first day in nearly a month I woke up in a good mood. Me + heat - air conditioning = BAD.

Overcast summer days with a delicious breeze remind me of my childhood, when neither clouds nor wind would deter us from the pool on a summer day. The sticky sweetness of Jolly Ranchers from the little snack shack and the chlorine sting in my eyes pleasantly haunt me to this day.

Two clicks for watermelon Jolly Ranchers? Or grape perhaps?

Photo of the Day: 07.20.11

One of my co-workers brought in a bunch of baby photo frames for me to set up on my desk. Now I just need to print some photos. Can you believe I have not ONE physical photo of my baby anywhere yet? It's getting a little embarrassing. People at work are always like, "Can I see pics of your baby?" And I have to whip out my cellphone. Oh, this digital age we live in.

What about you? Do you find yourself printing pics very often? And I wonder what happened to all the one-hour photo shops of the 1990s (I've been looking for one for a long time with no luck). They died a quiet death I think.

Steppin' Out

What I'm wearing:

Dress: Ross, 2008 (I wore this dress in Hawaii three years ago, wow)

Hair clip: Gift from Sara

Leggings: Old Navy

Shoes: Payless (similar here & here)

What H is wearing:

Pink dress shirt: Hermes, thrifted

Slacks: Thrifted

Shoes: Stacy Adams (similar here)

Watch: Gift from moi

What Alexa's wearing:

Dress and bloomers: Another gift from the lovely Sara

When H got home Friday night he found his two gals sitting on the floor looking at Dr. Seuss books. He suggested we go out for pizza so we headed out the door immediately to avoid the dinner crowds. I didn't style my hair or put on any jewelry. It is nice to have go-to dresses for everyday activities because you always look nice if you have to go out in a rush. It's more out of comfort than vanity, believe it or not. I used to think jeans were super comfortable but now they just annoy me. Must be my mom body.

Anyway, this dress has special meaning to me because I bought it before H and I went to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary. I wore it the night we went on a dinner cruise (also with yellow shoes, only a different pair). At one point during the cruise the "couples celebrating an anniversary" were asked to get on the dance floor. It was us (I wasn't even 30 at the time) and a bunch of fiftysomethings. The MC had us all state how long we'd been married. Most of the older couples were like, "five years" or "three years." When it was our turn the other couples did a double take -- I could see them doing the math in their heads and looking at our youthful appearance.

We married when I was 19 and H was 20. So yeah.

H usually wears polos to work, but he decided to step it up just for fun. His outfit is almost entirely thrifted. I found that Hermes dress shirt at a Goodwill off Fairfax Avenue. Men's dress shirts are mostly an untapped resource at thrifts; you can find really nice ones if you just look.

Alexa's dress/bloomers combo is so adorable. She really prefers to wear these soft cotton dresses now that it's so warm outside (and in turn inside our apartment). I can't remember the brand name, and I don't really care to rummage through the laundry basket right now, but knowing Sara it's probably a fabulous thrift find. I love how her hair has this feathered look. She looks like she could be joining Charlie's Angels.