I took these
pictures on a Saturday afternoon when Mila was almost two weeks old. I
nursed her, got her good and sleepy, and put her in our well-lit bedroom
with the space heater on. It was warm and toasty in there and Mila
turned into a zombie baby! For two hours, I played with her like she was my doll. I'm used to chasing toddlers down for a good picture and it was
so fun to have a subject that hardly moved! I just love how they turned
out and Mila has since found her favorite spot to nap! What is it about kids and their parents' beds?
Happy Friday!
We finally got Mila's birth announcement in the mail this week. I am so happy with how it turned out and wanted to share a picture of it here.
Welcome to the world, Mila Carys!
104. I could watch him eat cereal for days
105. My brown eyed boy
106. White onesies, stripes, and a little boy who's never too far away
107. She already seems so curious
108. Superheroes are his thing. I love when he talks about Martian Manhunter.
109. The days are getting longer. Spring will be here soon.
110. Somebody needs a haircut
111. Always congregating around the Moses basket
112. I have pictures of Cruz that look just like this
113-115. Shadow puppets and afternoon naps in our room while waiting for Dad to get home.
116-117. So glad to have a baby that loves this basket as much as I do
118. Pink flamingo jammies from Grandma
119. I can't get enough of watching them together.
120. Nursing baby and watching the boys build forts on a Saturday afternoon
121. After discovering his yellow one is buried in our snow somewhere, I found this blue one for 99 cents at Wal-Mart. He was so happy to have his own.
122. I love to watch her sleep
123. Showing off her new trendy hat from her girlfriend, Callie, born just two months before her.
124. Big brother and little sis. He will be her hero.
Tonight, I'm sitting in the recliner with a baby curled up on my chest, her cheek pressed up against my skin with one arm spread out on either side of me as if giving me a hug. Sounds range from the Olympics on TV, the dishwasher washing tonight's meal of smothered pork chops and rice, Beau's guitar playing from our bedroom, and a quiet little baby snore coming from my chest that makes me smile. It was bath night tonight, and Beau and I sipped Stellas, folded laundry, and enjoyed some adult conversation while Cruz played away in the tub and Mila soaked in the kitchen sink next to us. Her freshly bathed head is just inches from my nose and the smell, and her snore, make it nearly impossible to put her to bed. It's been a great night and Beau and I both commented that it seems as though we're finding our groove around here. That isn't to say tomorrow morning will be a different story, but we pat ourselves on the back tonight and savor the peace that surrounds us.
This weekend, we celebrated our Mila girl's very first holiday. And let me tell you, it's not hard to get into the Valentine's Day spirit with a little girl and all this pink around here. It's been fun to be home on maternity leave this month and nice to have had more time to do some fun things with Cruz during the day. We've baked, we've crafted, we've dressed Mila up in silly pink hats, and we've talked about all the things we love in this world we live in. Last week, Cruz and I were decorating cupcakes while Mila napped and we were talking about Valentine's Day. I told him that it's a day when we celebrate the people we love and do nice things for them. Then I asked what he likes to do for the people he loves.
I like to pway wif them and give them hugs.
This weekend, we followed Cruz's lead. We spent Friday night at home as a family of four, making heart-shaped pizzas together, sipping wine, and passing baby Mila back and forth. Beau surprised me with a Crosley vinyl player and hid a backpack stuffed full of his parents' old records. Beau got cologne, Cruz got puzzles, and Mila got a handmade doll. And we gave plenty of hugs, too.
How else we celebrated love day this year...
We made chex mix and ate the entire bowl in three days.
We had a dance party to the tune of one of Beau's newest Raffi-inspired kids' tunes called, "Funny Guy." We come up with various verses that all end with the line, "He's Cruz...he's a real funny guy." Cruz is a fan, but prefers lines about his baby sister the most.
We dressed Mila in lots of pink...and lots of hats.
We enjoyed our first date night since Mila was born. My parents came and treated Beau and I to a nice night the two of us and really good food. We went to SingleSpeed for a couple of beers, a couple of martinis at Montage, my absolute favorite shrimp spring rolls and raspberry chipolte pasta, AND a chocolate souffle for dessert. It was amazing to drag out a meal without worrying about a hungry baby or the attention span of a toddler!
We spent an afternoon baking chocolate cupcakes and pretending we were bakers...Mila took a three-hour nap and gave Cruz and I this special, uninterrupted time to be together. With no other distractions, I was relaxed, letting him get a little messy with his sprinkles and laughing at the funny things he says.
Ready to "xoxo" this snow goodbye and welcome green grass and open windows. I'm officially over winter and ready for fresh air around here. Soon...
