Dressed to Drool

In the early days, Aubrey would go through at least 4 or 5 bibs a day. She had reflux and she spit up after every.single. feeding. She always had a bib on and sadly, that means all of her cute onsies were covered up. 

I had such a hard time finding bibs that I liked. There are far too many bibs (and onsies) out there with those silly sayings on them (Daddy's Princess, Mommy Loves You, etc.) I don't know why but for some reason they kind of bother me. I'm not much of a screen print shirt fan as it is so maybe that has something to do with it. I thought about making my own bibs but I was so strapped for time as it was and I still need to get reacquainted with my sewing machine so that didn't happen... but maybe one day.

It wasn't until recently that I found some at Carter's that I liked and TJ Maxx. Then I stumbled upon the bibs in this etsy shop, the same shop that Aubrey and I ordered our matching headbands from, Baby Sew Stunning. Katie, the shop owner was sweet enough to send along a couple of bibs as well. 

Thankfully, Aubrey has gotten over the reflux issue so we aren't going through 5 bibs a day anymore. Just when I thought those days were over she started teething and then there is the drool... lots of it! These bibs are perfect for teething because the backing is terry cloth and it's super absorbent. They are also larger than most standard sized bibs which is great now that she is starting to feed herself solids. I wish I had larger bibs like this when she had reflux, we went through so many outfits every day and it could've been prevented. 

 How pretty are these designs? 

The purple one reminds me of pearl bracelets and if you know anything about me, it's that I love pearls so this is my favorite. 

 Terry cloth backing for great absorption. 

Large velcro strip which makes it easily adjustable. 

Be sure to check out the other adorable designs that Katie offers in Baby Sew Stunning. 

She has a variety of headbands, bibs, burp cloths, pacifier clips, and more. 

P.S Am I the only one annoyed by those quirky bibs?

A day at the Park

This past weekend we went to a beautiful nearby park for a fall mini portrait session. It was a quick 20 minute shoot but I think we got some really nice family photos- I'm so excited to see them! When the shoot was finished we decided to go for a walk around the park. This park is so huge we didn't even put a dent in it so we're hoping to go back next weekend to do some more exploring.

Aubrey's first time in a big girl swing! She LOVED it!

 She was hysterically laughing and
smiling the whole time.
Seriously, the best time ever.

image via nayaugpark.org

image via fickr

In the giant tree house!

One of the two (that we saw) playgrounds in the park.

image via city-data 

image via city-data

MMR: Celebrity Doppelgänger

Question of the Month: Who is your celebrity doppelgangers? Do people keep telling you that you remind them of someone?

I've never really had anyone tell me that I look like someone else, unless my mom counts and I've never been told that I resemble a celebrity. This all changed this past week when I decided to dramatically change my hair.

This is the photo that I brought to the salon to show what kind of bangs I wanted. My stylist said that I look a lot like her. I don't really see it. Do you?  Then my father in law told me that I look like Lea Michele with my new bangs. I'll take it- I think she's beautiful! Maybe it would help if I could remember that every time I get second thoughts about my new hairstyle. Maybe.

• Alison*Elle - Alison is sticking to a tried and true combo of blush & black 
• Ella Pretty - Ella reviews her new Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC bag
• Lindsay J Everyday - Lindsay loved the golden light at her maternity photo shoot...
• Love, Lipstick & Pearls - Kristen shared her favorite budget friendly beauty products.
• Schnelle Couture - Danielle custom ordered mommy and me headbands
• Sequins and Stilettos - Skylette does Mod in the rain! 
• The Currently Obsessed - Mehreen dresses casual chic and breaks in her new Louboutins

Here are my Celebrity Doppelgangers that were generated via the My Heritage app.:

Changing with the Season

So... I've had the ombre look for over 2 years now and as much as I love it, I just felt like I needed a change. I contemplated cutting my hair, like many new moms do, but I decided against that when I remembered how much more work that will actually be for me.

My hair is actually much more manageable when it's long because it's naturally curly/wavy because the weight of my longer hair helps to keep the unruly curls at bay. Plus, I have my hair routine down to a science now. I wash it and curl it twice a week and it will hold the curl until my next washing. It doesn't get too much easier than that.

Here is the BEFORE:

...and here is the AFTER:

Sorry for the grainy picture, the lighting was bad once I got home to finally take a photo.

It's hard to tell in the photos but the ombre is still there ever so slightly. She didn't color my full head of hair, she did balayage lowlights over my ombre. The color she used was a dark drown with a hint of red.

I went into the salon wanting my hair colored dark brown/black- back to my natural color but she convinced me to go this route and I'm kind of freaking out. I liked it when I came home from the salon but after washing it and styling it as usual today, I'm not such a fan.

When I curled it I realized just how much she chopped off. Not thrilled. My hair isn't holding a curl as well either and the curls that do hold look kind of strange. Oh and then there's the bangs- maybe I just need to get used to them. The color is another big adjustment. It's SO dark. My hair is dark brown/black naturally but this is like a whole new level of darkness because its so deep.

I. miss. my. good ol' ombre. bad.

Monthly Milestones: 7 Months

Aubrey turned 8 months old on September 28th so here is our 7 month recap:

The monthly stickers aren't holding up so well anymore. She just wants to tear them off and crinkle them up so I'm lucky if I get 3 pictures now with the sticker before it's gone.

Month 7

Weight & Length: 18 lbs. 7oz., 27 1/4 inches 

Clothing Size: 6-9 months and even some 12 months!

Diaper Size: Size 3

Sleep: Two words. Separation Anxiety. We went through a week and half of her waking several times throughout the night. She wasn't hungry she just wanted to make sure that we didn't leave her and she wanted to be cuddled. She hasn't been getting a lot of solid sleep at night since the 4 month growth spurt so we decided that it may just be time to start sleep training. The pediatrician wants us to drop her night feeding by the time she hits 9 months so we're working on that. She wakes at 3 or 4am every night and it's so hard to not give in because I know if I feed her she'll go right back to sleep. 

Feeding: 4 1/2-5 oz bottles of breast milk, fruits, veggies, meat, and rice cereal
We started a new routine to help with sleep training so toward the end of the month she started taking 6oz bottles. I'll post our new routine below.

Hair Color: Medium brown with a golden hue. Little curls are starting to form at the ends of her hair!

Eye Color: Hazelish- dark blue with flecks of brown- a perfect combo of mine and my husbands eyes.

Milestones & Firsts: She can sit herself up from the laying down position, she can sit up an play with toys without any wobbliness, and toward the end of the month she started pulling herself up on furniture and in the crib. She is scooting around everywhere and really gaining some distance. She loves drinking from a cup- not a sippy either! She grabbed on to my cup when I was holding her and tried to drink my water so I let her and she loved it. We now give her cups of milk or water from time to time. Last but certainly not least- she said "mama!" 

Nicknames: Aubster, Aubs, Aubstalina, Lobster, Aubs Lobs

Future Penn State Cheerleader!
She did this pose all on her own, she's a pro already!

Hello Fall!

Our weekend was filled with all things fall even though it was over 80 degrees outside. We went to a fall festival at a local farm this weekend and while I expected to wear a cute fall outfit, I ended up in jeans and a tank top and I was still hot. I'm not complaining at all though; we soaked up what will probably be the last of the warm weather and enjoyed a full day of sunshine.

I've joined the chalkboard party! I plan on updating the board for every season/holiday/event etc. It's so much fun and for me, it's a great stress reliever.

Freshly picked pumpkins and gourds to decorate the house with.

How beautiful is this old green house?! I'm so in love with it. Wouldn't it make the perfect location for a party, wedding, or shower?

Such a relaxing little spot that we found on the farm. There were benches where you could take a load off and listen to the trickling water.

Heart shaped leaves- so pretty!

We fed some ducks...

...and Aubrey got to pet a calf! She immediately started reaching for the baby cow and she was so interested in checking her out. So cute.

via Hillside Farms

Talk about being in the right place at the right time- we got to witness the birth of this little calf that you see here. It was the coolest experience.

We tested out some delicious salsa and bought and bought a jar of mild which was still pretty hot.

...and I started decorating as soon as we got home. You may have noticed that the bottom shelf is empty; this is what happens when you have a little explorer in you house that now crawls everywhere wanting to check everything out and put it in her mouth. We're also packing lots of stuff away for our big move so I guess the consolidation came at the right time anyway.

Have you been to any fall festivals yet?
Don't ya just love fall?