Family Photo Shoot - 8 months

Over Christmas we were a little bit north of San Francisco with my family. Before leaving the west coast, we were lucky enough to do a family photo shoot with the amazingly talented Anna Kuperberg!

Sadie was right at 8 months for these pictures and it was just the perfect age: she made silly faces, was very interactive, and had just recently started clapping. We had so much fun during the session and were absolutely in love with the results!

Below are a few (ok, a lot!) of my favorites, although it was really hard to narrow them down. And, of course, all photos are credited to the wonderful Anna Kuperberg.

Sadie at 7 & 8 Months

I am so behind the times! Being a working mom definitely puts blogging on the back burner, and it's hard to get these month posts up. So, here we are at the 7 and 8 month updates. Wow! Sadie is growing like a weed, getting taller and taller and less "babyish" looking. She's crawling backward and sideways (no forward movement yet), eating lots of food, clapping, giggling, sitting in a high chair when we go out to eat, pulling herself up in her crib. I could go on and on! I feel like we've finally started to hit on more of the "joys of parenting" and getting to enjoy Sadie more, whereas when she was smaller we were most focused on eating, sleeping and diapers.

Nicknames: Sadie Boo, Boo-ba-loo, Sadie Girl, Sadie Baby, Stinker, Little Bun (what her nanny calls her)
Temperament: Still so happy, but also very "talkative" and you easily convey if you are happy with us or not!
Things I Could Do Without: More consistency with naps, although you are getting much, much better about taking longer (60-90 minute) naps! Those are blessings.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Your big play area in the basement - we put out a couple of quilts and you can sit there and play. Your play mat went away because you are too big and don't need it anymore!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: We bought you a shape sorter and you're obsessed with the lid!
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Watching you learn what words mean. You understand: momma, dadda, puppy, clap, dance, milk (along with the sign for milk).
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: FOOD! Anything and everything we give you. You also will not let us feed you finger foods - if I try and put any food near your mouth, you immediately close it so that I put the food down for you to crab and feed yourself. So independent!
Sounds/Words: Lots of babbling - mamma, baba, etc. Still no clear "dadda" although we hope that will happen soon!
Foods You Like: Some new foods have been: yellow lentils and rice, quinoa, beets, blueberries, puffs, oat cereal, yogurt. Again, you love EVERYTHING!

 

Sewing Project: Retro Dolls

I'm excited to start adding more updates of sewing projects that I had previously shared! I had completed our Christmas stockings, which were so cute hanging in our dining room.

One of my "super secret" projects I was working on for Sadie was kept a secret because if it went well I was going to make it as gifts for some friends who also have little girls.

Well, my first try was acceptable (resembled what it was supposed to, wasn't terribly messed up), so I decided that I could green light the project and make more!

I'd found a pattern on Etsy from Retro Mama - a super cute doll pattern that was retro and fun with quirkly little details. I knew it would be a challenging project but I decided it was worth a try. Her pattern was very well done, the instructions were easy to follow, and she even sells a bundle of felt in the different hair colors. (So, really, if I hadn't decided to make more, I would have been left with a lot of black, brown and gold felt.)

I had some struggles along the way: when it comes to assembling the doll, it's hard shoving all of the limbs into the body in order to stitch them in place. By the time you get to the legs, there is no room for them to go and it's difficult getting it stitched well. I had to re-do a few of them, and some are less than perfect. Sometimes the arms didn't line up well, either. Ah well. Each doll is unique!

It was really fun decided on the different fabrics to pair together. Sadie's was super colorful with the turquoise mary janes, argyle tights and polka dotted dress.

And, obviosuly, Sadie loves her (I hope!).

It was also fun picking out colors and patterns that I thought fit the personalities of the little girls I gifted these to (ok, they're all infants, so really the personalities of there mamas!).

For awhile these dolls were all lined up on our piano, looking a bit like a 1960s doo-wop group!

I am incredibly proud of this project and that I got 4 of these dolls made in a little over a month!

Note: Retro Mama holds the copyright for the pattern, which I purchased from her! You can check out her blog for more fantastic projects.

Fun Review: Birchbox

I'd heard a bit about Birchbox earlier in the year, but since I was on the "baby train" I didn't look into it (I should also note that everytime I've attempted to write "Birchbox" I have, instead, written "Birthbox"). Since it had nothing to do with diapers, pacifiers or cribs, it wasn't really on my radar.

Now that I'm trying to get back on the "me train" a little bit, I decided to look into it. After going to the site I checked out what it was all about: "Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase."

I was intrigued. And delighted to see that a subscription was only $10 a month. While a little bit of an extravagence (I mean, it's definitely a want over a need), I decided it was at least worth giving it a shot. If it what I received in the first box didn't feel worth $10, I could easily cancel.

After being excited about signing up, I was midly disappointed that there was a waitlist! But after a few weeks I received an email that the wait was over!

My first box arrived a few weeks later. Soy Joy bar? Delicious. Full sized masacara? Awesome. Perfume sample, dry shampoo sample, and small nail polish? Extra nice! I enjoyed each one of the products. And with that, I kept my subscription and anxiously awaited for the next month.




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I just received my second box. Adorable nail file? Perfect for filing Sadie's little nails! Perfume sample, cute little mini blush, an almost-full-sized lip balm, and a good-sized clarifying shampoo? Amazing!

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The packaging is so fantastic, too, that I've been able to re-use the boxes for other gifts. And while mostly samples (with the occasional full-sized item thrown in), almost everything is very usable. Sometimes when you get beauty samples the arrive in flimsy little single-use packages that aren't very practical. What Birchbox sends are good quality, usable items. The shampoo is a perfect travel size, the lip balm is barely smaller than the full-sized product, the perfume samples are nice little samples with a spray top. The only downside so far has been the dry shampoo. It's a delicious smelling lavendar, but since it's just a little paper packet you cannot close it. Therefore, my entire medicine cabinet smells like lavendar. Not that I'm complaining, but it is a tad bit messy.

Overall, the value is totally there at $10 a month. I'm a busy working mom and I can never justify spending money on myself for beauty products. I subscribe to fast/easiest/cheapest most of the time. So I love the opportunity to try something new and have something a little special sent to me each month.

Intrigued and want to sign up? Just follow my referral link!

Note: this review simply expresses my personal experience with Birchbox, which I pay for each month.

DIY Christmas Stockings

I've been chugging right along with my current crafting/sewing projects I'd wanted to do! So much to do, so little time!

With the Christmas holiday around the corner, I wanted to make sure we had family stockings! While Sadie won't know/remember whether or not she had a stocking for her first Christmas, I would know. But I didn't really want to spend the money on stockings, especially since fabric is so much cheaper than buying pre-made stockings.

I found a super easy and free pattern on About.com. Their version made not be the prettiest and the instructions aren't the clearest, but free is always great!

I spent $7.50 on fabric (1/2 yard of green chevron and 1/2 yard of pink chevron) along with some solid colors I already had in my fabric stash and some felt I had on hand for the names. With these supplies I was able to make four stockings.

And...voila! (please excuse the poor quality iPhone picture!)

They aren't perfect but they were made with love! And they're bright, cheery, and fun. And, as I said, only cost me $7.50! I've seen similar stockings selling on Etsy for $25+ per stocking. I also have a fourth stocking for our pup Charlie, but with the longest name in the bunch I haven't been able to sew his name onto his stocking. That will probably be a project for January when I have more time on my hands.

So, one project done, a million to go over the next couple of weeks!

Fall and Christmas Craft Projects!

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I packed away my sewing machine and supplies. I made sure I wrapped up any projects a couple of weeks before Sadie was due, partly because I was getting too big and uncomfortable to sit and sew and partly because I didn't want to go into labor early and have sewing stuff and unfinished projects sitting around.

Now that I'm starting to feel more like my old self again (slightly more energy, fitting into old clothes, thinking of more things beyond laundry and breastfeeding), my mind has been going a mile a minute with projects I want to do! I thought I'd share a roundup of what I plan to work on over the coming weeks; here's hoping I actually get some of these projects done!

Waterproof Bibs
I have a lot of colorful, fun cotton fabric that I've been wanting a project for. I also have a baby drooling a lot while she eats solids and making a mess. The cloth bibs soak right through and the drool just runs off the wipeable bibs. So I love this waterproof bib tutorial from Our Little Beehive. I've bought everything else I need to make these (flannel and PUL fabric) and I'm so excited!

One of my favorite soon-to-be-a-bib fabric is Ann Kelle's "Argyle Bright."

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Christmas Stockings
Now that Sadie's first Christmas is coming up I'm excited for us all to have matching Christmas stockings to use each year. I found this simple pattern and tutorial from About.com and made my first stocking with some fabric I had on hand. It was super simple! This one isn't perfect (the first time I make something it rarely ever goes quite as planned), so this one will be for the dog and the other three will be for me, Sadie and Steve!

Top Secret Project!
I have a super special project in the works for Miss Sadie. If all goes as planned I will be trying to make similar ones for friends who've recently had little girls. Excited to share at a later date (you know, if I don't totally mess up the project!).

Ornament
I want Sadie to have a "first Christmas" ornament for the tree. I thought about buying something through Etsy that's personalized, but part of me doesn't want to spend the money and the other part of me thinks it would be so fun to make something. I found this tutorial through Homemade Grits and it's perfect. I've made a "salt dough" like this before and it's really easy. Plus I love the thought of preserving Sadie's itty bitty hand print (and maybe I'll make two - one hand print and one foot print!). It'll be something we're sort of doing together and could be an easy tradition to do a different ornament together each year.

Flannel Sheet
It's cold out! So, of course, Sadie needs a flannel sheet for her crib. Especially because her room is in the basement. I made all of the sheets we currently use through the Bundles of Love tutorial.So, I bought some flannel fabric (after looking at every single flannel I could find to find just the perfect fabric!) and I'm excited to make Sadie's crib a little cozier. It will soon be stylin' with big polka dots!

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I'm excited to get a lot of these projects underway, but it is terribly hard to find the energy at the end of the day. And, of course, Sadie tends to not nap well on the weekends when she's with me. Her short and sweet 30 minute naps don't give me a lot of time to work on project! 

What projects are you hoping to get done over the next couple of months? And, how do you find the time?!

Sadie at 6 Months

Ahh, I have a 6 month old! And she is silly, loves to “dance” in her high chair, giggle, and eat all kinds of food. We’ve been having so much fun in the Koo household lately! Sadie has definitely been making me feel loved lately: she gets so excited to see me and is just so sweet and fun to be around. She is getting bigger and bigger (90th percentile for height and 50th for weight!) and is obsessed with her feet – loves putting them in her mouth.

Nicknames: Sadie Baby, Bear, Sadie Bear, Stinker, Silly Sadie
Temperament: Happy, happy, happy! You regularly smile at people when we are out and people always comment on how happy you are.
Things I Could Do Without: The recent night wakings. Nights have been tough and I go to bed holding my breath, wondering how many times you will be up. You're finally just getting back to your regular sleep-through-the-night routine!
Item/Toy We Love The Most:  Your high chair. You love sitting in it and it's great to be able to put you in it while we do things in the kitchen!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: The swings at the park. We just started taking you and you can't get enough. You giggle and giggle and giggle as soon as we start pushing you.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Interacting with you more. I feel like you pay more attention to me, look at me more closely, and really engage with me. It is the best!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: It's probably a tie between grabbing your feet and eating! You are such a good eater!
Sounds/Words: You having been saying "mama"! It's so fun to hear you say it even though you don't really know what you're saying yet. The downside is that you often say "mama" when you are upset...over and over again it's "mama...mama...mammmmaaaa." So sweet but breaks my heart!
Foods You Like: So far you've had banana, avocado, sweet potato, butternut squash, prunes, peas, carrots and applesauce.Prunes and banana are probably your favorite!

Sadie has lots of adorable dresses courtesy of my sister. She’s still growing into them!



I was so sad when her size 6 month jeggings became capris! We finally had to upgrade to the 12 month size. I have one long baby!




Comfy outfit!



This shirt (dress??) was from one of our Wittlebee boxes. We’re not regular subscribers – I just don’t think I’ve gotten the combinations right to get things I really love. This piece, however, is one of my favorites I’ve gotten!



Casual pants! We love super casual, relaxed Sundays.