Monday, April 30, 2012

hippie hippie joy joy





My mom found it just in time; Mila was able to squeeze into my sister's onsie-from 1986!! It had been on a Cabbage Patch doll in the basement, ha. She looked SO cute, I just had to have a little photo shoot, plus document the nap and then the lap time that she had when we met Sara for 'linner' (late lunch, early dinner) at La Grande Orange.

cuddling

This photo is super grainy but I love it.

Our trip to the Arboretum


This afternoon once Greg went to work at 1:30pm, Mila and I ran into Target (still get very uneasy about going there; she always manages to be in a fussy mood when we go there-how can my own daughter not like Target?!). We returned two items and picked up some photos. I was browsing the office decor (I thought that buying cute desktop organizers and clipboards would help my transition of returning to work) but Mila kept me from purchasing. Off we went. By the time we drove through our neighborhood drive-thru ATM to deposit a check, she had quieted down so I knew she was asleep. Over to the Arboretum we went. It was a nice afternoon, not too hot. I didn't have enough sunblock on and the shade there is scarce, but it felt so good to walk around. The only peacock we saw was on our way out, in the parking lot funny enough. (I guess they've all officially migrated to our neighborhood) (Yes, for those who don't know, we have wild peacocks in our neighborhood; I love hearing them squak at dusk).
Anyway! The best part of our hour at the Arboretum was the hidden bench that I found by the lake, on a little pathway. I was able to feed her and change her diaper while relaxing and watching the water and ducks. I definitely prefer either Descanso or the Huntington, but the lake at the Arboretum is really nice. 
The photos w/Mila are not good but when you're by yourself, you can't exactly hold a baby up to the rose bushes; I also didn't want to take down her shade cloth b/c it was so bright. Oh well, at least I have proof that we were there. 

Sunday, April 29, 2012

zzzzzzzzzzz











A collection of sleepy-time photos, in chronological order...Just 'cause they're cute (and the one where she's swaddled and her hat is sliding up cracks me up; she looks like the Pope)

so fresh & so clean clean

Miss Mila loves bath time. 
We were gifted Johnson & Johnson bath products (classic) so that's what we use but I am curious to try Aveeno as well. We bathe her twice a week and it only takes about five minutes and she just sits and stares at us while I scrub her down. Greg's job is to strip her down while I warm up the water & grab the washcloth, hooded towel, and container w/spout. He plops her in the tub and picks her up at the end, while I take care of the scrubbing. We love our Puj Tub which is made of foam so it's super light, and fits inside our bathroom sink! I'll be sad when she outgrows it; I can imagine the back pain from bending over a bath tub; plus now I'll actually have to clean my bath tub! ;)
(*top photo is from her second bath ((we were too nervous to take photos during the first bath)) and bottom photo is more recent. Her body sure has filled out; no more funny arm and torso folds like you see in the top photo)

Greg transfers stores

About a month or so ago, Greg caught word that our nearby TJ's was looking to hire more people. I've been wanting him to switch to this store since we moved to Sierra Madre. He was due for a change-he had been working at the South Pasadena store for five years, which is a long time (TJ's transfers employees often) and this new store is humungous; it's the one I always shop at. He called the 'captain' (each store has multiple managers but only one captain) and she met with him and told him she wanted him at her store (this is his first time working for a female captain). So he said goodbye to South Pas (see cake photo) and now he's about half a mile away instead of 20 minutes via fwy :) :) And even better: the closing shift at this store is 10pm, as opposed to midnight. So he's much much closer, and he's home two hours earlier. I'm a happy wifey.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

G.G.


Mila with her Great Grandma Peggy on 4/21. Very special!!
So, it's been over 2 months since my last post. Ideally, I would do my best to recap everything in a chronological order, but at this point that would be impossible. As time/energy permits, I will rehash what these past two months have been like (summed up in one word: Wonderful). For now, here's a photo of a smiley two month old, and what we've been up to most recently. 

 Our baby girl is happy & healthy. I keep saying that I don't know how she could be easier. She smiles often and has been doing well at restaurants and in people's arms. She likes to be held so that she's facing out, watching all the action. She likes fixating on the teal duck that hangs from her car seat handle. She likes both her pink & brown vibrating chair, and her swing which she naps in. She typically goes to bed around 11pm and sleeps anywhere until 5am through 7am. As long as she's swaddled in her 'Miracle Blanket,' I can sometimes put her down and she'll fall asleep on her own. 

Today she was laying on her activity mat and watching Cleo, who was chasing her own tail nearby. That's the first time I've seen her notice the cats. Yesterday evening the three of us were at our local Whole Foods and I looked over and she was grasping that duck toy in her car seat. Neither of us saw her grab it so we're not sure if it was intentional or accidental, but it was very exciting. 

She has been to the Huntington twice, Descanso three times, Lacey Park once, and sees/hears many peacocks on our neighborhood walks. She enjoys walks more now than she did in the beginning. My mom and I took her to the Santa Anita mall on a recent drizzly day and she was so good; she seems to like shopping-uh oh!

I have two weeks until my maternity leave ends. It will be hard (harder than I can imagine b/c I'm not letting myself think about it) but I feel so lucky that we don't need to go the childcare route; Greg will have her twice a week, my mom will have her twice a week, and I'll have her the other three days. 

The biggest adjustment will likely be lack of sleep, and a new morning routine, seeing as how I'll need to wake her to feed her before I leave her in the morning..... and then I won't get to fall back asleep with her for her morning nap. Sob. 

Ok, I think that's good for now. I've gotten my feet wet, and now I can post much more often-hopefully.