Tuesday, July 22, 2014

baby girl clothes!

I'm not gonna lie, one of my favorite things about having a girl is the clothes.  Today when I dressed Amelia, I pulled out her old bobux and nearly died when I saw the entire outfit.  Bobux is a New Zealand company that makes adorable soft-soled shoes for babies/toddlers.  The pink moccasins were too adorable to pass up, not to mention they are $20 cheaper than Freshly Picked.  I seriously wanted to wear the noodle's outfit today.



Monday, July 21, 2014

going with the flow



Amelia's teething, which means no one in our house is sleeping so well right now.  I woke up beyond exhausted this morning, and rather than spending the morning in pjs trying to find a "game" to play so I could just lay on the floor, I decided we were getting out of the house and going on an adventure.

We ended up at Starbucks for breakfast, went to Vroman's for a little book shopping and then onto Whole Foods.  By the time we got home, I was certain she'd crash for several hours -- I got 45 minutes. Sigh.

Luckily, we had a spur of the moment play date at the park with friends and had the best time - minus the part where Amelia was walking around with a dirty band-aid and sharp piece of metal...just a reminder that motherhood is never perfect.



Friday, July 18, 2014

thankful for ...

It's almost laughable how long it's been since I've posted anything.  To be honest, sometimes it feels like motherhood has kept me from being creative. Actually, I'm plenty creative with Amelia: figuring out ways to entertain her for 12 hours a day, getting her to realize that milk tastes good (even though i never thought so), and making her laugh when we're spending two hours in urgent care on a Saturday night, waiting to be seen.

But, I feel like along the way, I've lost MY creativity.  Whenever I sit down with a friend, I feel like I have nothing exciting to talk about.  The other night Jeff got home from work and said "Go do something for yourself."  I literally sat there and had to think about what I could do, and was it really worth doing?  I mean by the time I got to wherever I was going to go, was it worth it? Would I rather just veg on the couch watching terrible tv?  Did I have to put on makeup? And driving?  Ugh.  It's just that these days all I feel is exhausted.

And there's this incredible pressure to love all aspects of being a mom, but I'm gonna say it.  It's hard.  So people without children, stop reading.  I always thought it was so annoying when people complained "I'm sooo tired. I never have a moment to myself."  But, I get it.  I'm one of those people now. And I know that is 100% cliche, but it's where I am right now.  It goes without saying how ridiculously much I love Amelia. She's my favorite person, hands down, but it doesn't change the fact that some days I feel like I've lost some of my energy and I just don't want to turn into that mom whose whole life is her kids.  I want to be more for myself. for Jeff. for Amelia. 

While I'm working all that out, I'm still grateful for so many things. Here are few highlights of my week:


The Mediterranean bowl at RFD.  The almond feta is ridiculous.


Discovering a little bird's nest on our front porch. Amelia loves listening to the tweets.


Family dinners and a baby who is a very adventurous eater.


Presents from my crafty sis-in-law.  This tray makes me happy every time I see it.


Wearing pjs to Target


Monday, May 5, 2014

my baby is 1!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, funny and curious little noodle.  I couldn't imagine loving you anymore than I do today.  How on earth did we get so lucky? Thank you for teaching me patience, the importance of truly being in the moment and noticing the little things in life, and most of all just how massively I can love. 





Wednesday, April 23, 2014

finding legitimately good bbq in la

Last weekend Jeff and I made a plan to head down to Olvera Street and then grab lunch at the Horse Thief.  My friend Marleine randomly mentioned that it served up good bbq.  I was 100% skeptical, because being from the South I'm almost always disappointed in LA's options.  But, we went and it was fantastic. Their bbq was delicious, but I'm completely obsessed with their greens - the perfect combination of sour and bitter!

It's a part of Grand Central Market, which has turned into a very cool, trendy place to hang out with friends, eat delicious food and sip espresso. 

It makes a great day excursion, even if your baby skipped her first nap and you couldn't actually make it to Olvera Street, still well worth it!






Afterwards, I needed a coffee so we headed to G&B Coffee.  The iced cappuccino did not disappoint.





Friday, April 18, 2014

Crowns and Sushi Lunches

Remember that dentist appointment that I showed up for a week early?  Well, I finally made it to the actual appointment and in my constant multitasking haze, I booked a sushi lunch with one of my favorite Marys for right after.  Yeah, didn't think that through.  In case you need to know, spending an hour and half with your mouth being held open (and half of your face numb) doesn't really lend itself to cramming sushi in your mouth.

Luckily, I smartened up and ordered a hand roll.  I could gnaw on it from the good side of my mouth!





i'm thankful for ...



Last weekend we drove into LA (so sad that I have to say that) and had brunch at BLD with Auntie Erin/Tita.  Even though Amelia had a bit of a meltdown waiting for her food, it was such a lovely time.



I may have shown up for my dental appointment a week early, but the upside was taking myself out to lunch and doing a little shopping.


Our realtor (and now friend) Grace met me out a house with a vietnamese iced coffee in hand.  It was amazing and so very thoughtful of her.  I'm now officially addicted to Lee's coffee!


Last week I went downtown to meet girlfriends for dinner at Industriel Farm.  The food was delicious (farm to table), the ambience was perfect and the conversation and company were both insightful and hilarious.  But, one of my favorite moments of the night was walking down the street, at night, by myself.  Just me.  And I know it's cliche, but I rarely get those moments where I am reminded of who I actually am.  It was exactly what I needed.


Monday, April 7, 2014

A Girl and her Daddy

The past few weeks have been rough in the Voris household.  Amelia was sick with a cold, which meant no outings with our mommy and baby friends.  Then, just as she was getting better, I got the stomach flu.  It was not pretty.  But, luckily Jeff is our rock and managed to take care of his (very) needy girls all weekend.

Even though there are few things I hate more than nausea (and everything that comes along with a nasty stomach bug), the bright side of being bedridden for days was seeing the bond between these two.  It makes me ridiculously happy to see how much they love each other.

One of the first thoughts I had when we found out we were having a girl, was that she just hit the jackpot with Jeff.  I love knowing that she will grow up feeling so, so loved by her dad.  That's pretty powerful for a little girl.





Sunday, March 30, 2014

this week has been a tiny bit brutal, but i'm thankful for ...

this little nugget has been sick all week and we've had many sleepless nights.  but, my favorite part of every day is seeing her smiling face first thing in the morning.


jeff and i have started looking for a house and put an offer on this one in sierra madre (which is not at all a town we even considered).  but once we saw this beautiful craftsmen on a sweet tree-lined street, walking distance to everything in town, we bought into the fantasy. i pictured walking her to school (yes, that could actually happen) and to the park and to ice cream (Moo Creamery, amazing!) bottom line i was sold.  sadly, we did NOT get the house, and it reminded me of my single days, when you like a guy SO much, but he never calls back after what you thought was a fantastic date.  yeah, it was that, but in house form.  we're still mourning our rejection, but, on the positive side, it made us think really hard about what kind of life we want to build with amelia.




slumber parties with my tita!  i've known erin for eight years now and we've been single together, partnered off together and now she's single again. i love that when i have a really rough week, she will come spend the night with me and my baby on a friday night. nothing like drinking wine and experiencing earthquakes together.  then getting up the next day and shopping for bargains at the rack. amelia chewed on hangers while we shopped. we all enjoyed some girl time.



secret single behavior!  i may not be single anymore, but with jeff out of town i tapped into my guilty (and maybe ghetto) pleasure - buying a slice of grocery store sheet cake and eating it for dinner! 




Friday, February 28, 2014

i'm thankful for ...



My Belated Valentine's Gift from Jeff 

A lot of women want roses, me?  I requested a tote bag that said "I'm the captain now," because I became obsessed with Muse from Captain Phillips.  It's a weird obsession, I know, but I oddly found myself loving that little skinny Somali pirate, or maybe it was the actor.  Either way, that phrase is uttered at least five times a day in our house (solely by me, of course). So, Jeff took it a step further and reached out to artist Abbey Christine and she made me my very own Muse doll!  I can't imagine what she thought when she answered her phone and heard "my wife really wants a Muse doll for Valentine's Day."


It was a big hit, Abbey. Thank you Jeff for loving my strange sense of humor and for knowing me so well.  This doll is SO much better than a tote bag.




El Bachelor
*photo by thestar.com

I don't know why I can't quit this show, but after this season it is safe to say, no matter how cheesy and sleazy the bachelor, I still come back for more.  I wish I had a good answer, but as much as Juan Pabs "ees okay," grates on me, I just can't stop myself from watching.  At this point, I barely even pay attention to the two hours every Monday night, but I still turn it on.  That being said, for the first time in probably the entirety of the series (18 seasons!), a girl actually realized how much of a narcissist this guy really is (not asking one thing about her) and walked away.  And I can definitely say that if Andi is the next Bachelorette, I'm in. Who doesn't love a girl who brings a one piece on The Bachelor?

Amelia!
This week has involved a lot of watching Amelia gain her independence, even though she always looks back to make sure I'm there.  She's almost ten months and is getting so big. As much as I love seeing her explore, I feel like she is growing faster than I'm ready for.



The Goldfinch
*picture from amazon.com

I 'd heard so much about Donna Tartt's latest novel that I finally broke down and read all 771 pages, not certain if it would live up to the hype.  I mean 771 pages is a commitment, luckily I read it on my ipad, which kept me from looking at a heavy book thinking there's no way I'd be able to finish it.  While I don't know that I loved it as much as Stephen King, there were definitely nights where I was up well past my bedtime finishing a chapter, or sneaking a few pages in while Amelia was playing, because I just had to know what was going to happen.  Though protaginist Theo meets many characters over the ten years his life is covered, my favorite moments were his relationship with Boris.  I think Tartt nailed the reality of high school friendships -- of all that dead space and time in between school and sleep, where you really got to know your friends, simply hanging out and talking.  But the best thing about this book, was that it had me turning off the tv and actually reading.  Hallelujah!  Since Amelia has been born I've wasted so many nights sitting in front of the tv, too tired to move, watching some terrible show that I didn't even like.  It's been so refreshing to get excited about reading again.  Next up, The Rosie Project.




Friday, February 14, 2014

i'm thankful for ...

lunching with old friends (and new!)



lots of family cuddle time in our new bed


getting out of the house by myself, with zero baby gear and feeling like a normal person

 
watching amelia discover things that I take for granted


new hair!


Friday, February 7, 2014

i'm thankful for ...

Baby playdates at Huntington Gardens (love the stripes and polka dots these ladies have going on) -- and for meeting new mom friends who I already feel close with.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a very social creature and part of my concern at being home with Amelia was feeling isolated.  I feel so lucky to have met great friends that we can both hang out with.



Dairy coming back into my life.  Say what you will about it not being great for us, but let me tell you my latte tastes so much better with real milk.


Our new king-sized tempur-pedic bed...sleeping in this is heaven.


These two.  It was a long journey to meet both of these guys, and I am thankful for them each and every day.


Having a connection with this little girl that I've never had with anyone





Wednesday, February 5, 2014

homemade pesto

Yesterday I had one of those days where I woke up tired and just kept going all day long, even though I wanted to crawl back in bed and take a nap.  Jeff and I took Amelia to her nine month check up in the morning, then he went off to work and I went to a coffee shop to work for a bit, then came back to play with a very active crawling baby girl, fed her, got her down to bed and went back to do more work. 

And while I was working, Jeff whipped up this delicious homemade pesto.  I love having a husband who's such an incredible cook.