What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I swear, this week is flying by (seems like I say that every week).

I am loving my new boots! Comfort is my #1 priority these days, and these boots (by Aerosoles) are very comfy. An early Christmas gift from my mama! Yes!!!

Via

Speaking of Mamas, I am loving this Pinterest find:

So true, right?
Via

And, while I'm being truthful... I'm also loving this little nugget of wisdom:

Source unknown

I am (still) loving my iPhone. And especially loving the Instagram App. (Mostly because it makes it easy for a mamarazzi to take cute cell phone photos!)

You know I'm loving this sweet baby girl!

And, finally, I am loving that the halls are decked at my house! Yay for Christmas!

What are you loving this week? Link up, here.

Thanksgiving Recap

Happy Monday, friends! How was your Turkey Day? Our Thanksgiving was extra fantastic this year since it was Elena's first. We traveled to Nashville to spend the holiday with Jonathan's extended family. Of course, our baby girl was the center of attention, providing hours and hours of entertainment for the adults. Little Miss loved it!

Here are a few photos from our trip...

My little family!

Victoria, Thomas and Elena

Aunt Grace and Elena

The Collins kiddos

Silly face

Scary face

Elena and her GiGi

Thomas and cousin Cates

Proud grandparents

Beautiful day!

Tummy time with Uncle Tom

This is why kids love him. He lets them torture him.

So much fun.

Family time

Elena providing entertainment for all

Elena and her great grandmother

Grandma Alice with Jonathan and Elena

Elena and her great grandfather

Proud grandpa

The day after Thanksgiving... Elena continued to provide entertainment during breakfast.

Great grandparents!

Elena's expressions are hilarious.

Showing off her dance moves.

Cutest baby in the world!

Now back to the M-F grind, y'all! (And, yes, "back to the grind" applies to stay-at-home moms too!) Next up: Elena's first Christmas! Exciting times ahead!

Elena's First Year: Week 27 (Thanksgiving Edition!)

Happy Turkey Day from my little 27-week-old turkey baby!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. Reading my Thanksgiving post from last year brought tears to my eyes. A year ago, I knew my life was about to get a lot better. But I never knew just how great my life would become. So, so incredibly grateful for my wonderful husband and our happy, healthy baby girl. We are very blessed.

Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful, friends!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! Are you counting down the hours until you can officially dig in at Thanksgiving dinner? You know I am! All the more reason to love this Wednesday!

Obviously, I am loving that Thanksgiving is tomorrow! And, of course, I am loving that it's Elena's first Thanksgiving. Such a special time for our little family.

Via

I am loving the cute outfits I found on super clearance at Crazy8 ($3.99 each piece!). Perfect for Elena's spring/summer wardrobe.

Speaking of shopping, I am loving that my grandmother and I took a pre-holiday shopping trip to our local outlet mall. Santa (i.e. my dad) bought Elena a bunch of goodies at the Carter's outlet. Woo-Hoo!!!

Via

Finally, I am loving that our fall family photos are so close to complete! Ashley (over at Ashley Wade Photography) posted a few previews last week, and I'm love, love, loving them!

Via

What are you loving this week? Link up here.

Dear Working Mother,

I don't know how you do it. I am certain your morning routine alone would kill me.

Via

Take yesterday morning, for example:

• 6:30: Up and at 'em! A quick shower for mom.
• 6:45: Quickly put in contacts and apply face lotion. The clock is ticking, after all. Baby bear will be up any minute.
• 6:50: I check the video monitor and see Elena rousing. I quickly get a bottle ready before she starts wailing.
• 6:55 - 7:25: Feed the babe, kiss the babe, play with the babe.
• 7:25: Alfie's whining becomes unbearable, so I put baby-bear on her play mat and take the dog outside (the husband is awake and in the shower by now).
• 7:35-7:40: Outside with Alf. Waiting... 
• 7:40-7:50: Feed the dog and make coffee (ahhh, coffee!). I can hear Jonathan and Elena playing upstairs.
• 7:50-8:00: Alfie finishes eating, so it's back outside for (ah-hem) #2. But rather than taking care of  business, my blind Yorkie decides to chase a car down the street and almost gets hit. Now I'm on the porch (in my PJs, with wet hair) yelling at my dog to get his ass back in the house. (Classy, San Diego.)
• 8:00-8:10: Put Alfie in his crate, because I don't have time to deal with him. Kiss the husband goodbye, as he leaves for work. Then, it's back upstairs, where Elena is no longer a happy camper on her play mat. I quickly discover that somebody has a stinky diaper. I change and dress her. Then, I put her Bumbo chair on the bathroom counter, where she can look at herself in the mirror while I do my makeup and dry my hair.
• 8:1o-8:25: Apply makeup and dry hair (in record time) while "chatting" with Little Miss.
• 8:25-8:35: Elena decides she is no longer interested in her reflection, so I transfer her to the swing while I brush my teeth and get dressed.
• 8:35-8:40: I make sure the diaper bag is replenished with plenty of diapers, wipes, bottles, burp cloths, bibs, change of clothes and toys.
• 8:40-8:45: Put the babe in her carseat and leave for her 9:00 a.m. doctor appointment.

If I had to do that every single day, I would lose my mind. And, I would never be on time for work. Ever.

Yes, being a stay-at-home mom is hard work. It's 24/7/365.  But most days, I don't have to be anywhere, so I can do my job in my PJs if I want. And, I cannot imagine the overwhelming stress of balancing a professional career with family life (not to mention chores and other responsibilities).

All this to say:
Here's to you, Working Mother. 

You're kind of like a super hero.

Monday Randomness

Happy Monday, friends! Is it just me, or is this week already flying by? It's a short work week for the husband (which means it's a short "work week" for mommy too). Just a few more days until we'll celebrate Thanksgiving with the family. There's nothing I love more than stuffing my face with delicious food. Spending time with people we love is kind of great too. =)

Via

I took Miss Elena to the doctor this morning for her six month visit (and shots - ouch!). Guess who weighs a whopping 12 pounds now? And she grew two inches in the last two months. Such a big girl.

She even eats like a big girl. Well, she tries to eat like a big girl, anyway!

After her doctor visit, Elena and I met up with a couple of my Zeta Tau Alpha sisters and their "little legacies" for an afternoon playdate at the mall playground. Super fun. Even though Elena can't exactly walk, talk, run or play, I think she enjoyed watching the other girls. It's good socialization for her, right? Let's face it; it's good socialization for mommy too! (Adult conversation? Yes, please.)
 

For my ZTA sisters
Via

And... There are just a few more hours to get a fabulous personalized iPhone case for el-cheapo via this Plum District deal. I am pretty excited about this one. So excited, that I used two email accounts to get the deal twice. (One for you, one for me. That's how Christmas shopping is supposed to be, right?)

Via

(FYI: if iPhones aren't your thing, Paper & Ink Designs has cases for iPods and Blackberry too, along with tons of stationery gifts.) 

I hope your Monday is fabulous!

Deal Alert: Personalized iPhone Cases!

Y'all. I just stumbled upon an AMAZING deal: personalized iPhone cases for super-duper cheap!

Via

Here's what you need to know to get this great deal from Plum District:

• Click here for the deal (if you're a new Plum District customer, you'll automatically get get $5 off your first purchase).
• Choose $20 for $40 toward elegant, sophisticated personalized stationery and gifts at Paper & Ink Designs.
• When you check out, apply code FABULOUS or code PDX10 to receive 10% off. Since I was already a PD customer, my price was $18 ($20 + 10% off). The new customer price is $13 ($20 - $5 for signing up + 10% off with promo code). If you're already a PD customer, and you simply cannot bear to pay $18 when newbies get the deal for $13, then just sign up for PD using a different email account. It's that simple.
• Wait 48 hours to receive your voucher code from Plum District. Then visit Paper & Ink Designs, choose your case, personalize and enter your voucher code in the "discount code" field at check out.
• The cases retail for $45. SO, since your PD deal is good for $40 worth of merchandise, your balance should be $5 at check out.

There ya have it - adorable custom iPhone case on the cheap. Gotta love a good deal!

(BTW, I cannot take credit for finding this deal. Becky at From Mrs. to Mama posts about great deals all the time. You should definitely follow her blog!)

Elena's First Year: Week 26

My tiny baby girl will be six months old tomorrow. Six. (Where did the time go?) She's such a big girl now with a great big personality to match. I feel so lucky to be her mommy; the one who gets to watch her grow, change and become the person she's meant to be. Plus, I get to snuggle her every single day. Very lucky, indeed.

 

Elena's First Tennessee Sporting Event

Against our better judgement, Jonathan and I prolonged Baby Girl's bedtime the other night in order to take her to her first Tennessee sporting event; a men's basketball game. Cheering, chanting (Defense! Defense!), buzzers, announcers and lots and lots of "Rocky Top."

"She'll totally love it," we thought.

We bought our seats on Stub Hub at the last minute. Guess where we sat for the first half.

No, really. Guess.

Yea, those are tubas. We sat one row behind the friggin' tubas. With a baby. (What were we thinking?)

Cautiously optimistic before the game started.

She was definitely having fun. Definitely.

The game started, and for a few minutes she seemed to like it. Until Tennessee scored. And the crowd cheered. And the band played "Rocky Top."

She cried every time we scored.

After the first half, we moved to another section in search of "quieter" seats. (Silly rookie parents. There's no such thing as quiet seats at a basketball game. Sheesh.)

The "quiet" section.

One not-so-terrible photo with Mommy.

But then she remembered that she was not having a good time.

Surprisingly, we stayed for the entire game. Granted, I spent a lot of time pacing in the concourse. But we made it 'til the end.

Snuggled up in the "Baby Carlos" (Baby Bjorn).

The good news: after our family fun night, Baby Girl slept through the night (big accomplishment at our house). I guess she was exhausted from crying over three-pointers. Did I mention she slept through the night in her carseat?

We're obviously strong front-runners for Parents of the Year.