A Few of Our Favorite Things

Rory's Picks*

1. Peek-A-Boo Barn App
This was a lifesaver during our trips to San Francisco and Dallas. The app features a barn with a door that opens when you touch it. Each time it opens, it reveals a different animal inside the barn, says its name, and makes the corresponding animal noise. Rory has already learned several animal names and sounds through this app. We also downloaded Peak-a-Boo Halloween, Peek-a-Boo Christmas, and Peek-a-Boo Fridge (Featuring a very strange-looking pickle.) These apps are great for long car rides, waiting in line, and keeping your toddler busy while you're trying to watch KUWTK cook dinner. I don't feel guilty about using the ipad every once in awhile when I know she's learning from the activities. Let's face it- listening to me make animal noises isn't nearly as entertaining.

2. Whats Inside?
This toy was another awesome consignment sale find. It's a large cube that comes with several stuffed objects (frog, butterfly, plane, car, etc.). The objects fit through the slot at the top of the box, and it's designed for a child to stick his or her hand in and feel around for a particular object. It's great for learning the names of things and distinguishing between their shapes. It also helps children learn object permanence. (Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it's not there.) Rory isn't able to name all of the objects or search for a certain one yet, but she loves pulling things out of the box. (Is it wrong that all I can think about is Dick in a Box whenever I see it??)

3. Humidifier
These colder temps mean the heat is on more often which means the air is super dry. My hands are already chapped and I've traded in my light lotion for my Eucerin cream. (I love this stuff...just don't try to turn a door knob within an hour of applying it.) To combat the dryness in Rory's room, we started using a humidifier again. (I'm not convinced it actually helps, but Marcos is a believer.) Rory was obsessed with it from the moment we turned it on. She can't get enough of it. It's the first thing she points to when we enter her room, and her favorite thing to do is put her face in the vapor.(Can you blame her? We all do it.) I'm waiting for the novelty to wear off, but it's been over a week, and her love shows no signs of fading. Remind me again why we buy toys?

Lindsey's Picks

1. Thred-Up
One of my friends turned me onto this online used clothing site. I bought several pairs of maternity pants for a great price when I was pregnant with Rory. I like that the shipping is always free, and they have excellent customer service. There was a mix-up with one of my orders, and they replied to my email right away and reimbursed me immediately. They have high-end brands for much less than retail, and it's all in great condition. I haven't bought anything lately because I stocked up on clothes for Rory at the JBF sale, and dressing up for me these days means wearing my "nice" yoga pants. Marcos' annual company party is in January though, so I'll be in the market for a new dress soon, and I just received a $20 off coupon in the mail.

2. Bark Thins
Buy them. Trust me.

Heaven in a bag. 

3. Shutterfly Photo Books
I hate shopping for Christmas gifts. Luckily the only people we really buy for are our parents. I find the process of shopping for the perfect gift completely agonizing. I'd rather get a root canal. Usually I just let my sister decide what to get and mail her a check, but not this year! We ordered our Christmas cards from Shutterfly, and I saw that they also make photo books. So, Marcos and I used a template to create a photo book of Rory's first year. It was super easy to do and it turned out really well. There are lots of customization options, and you can add as many pages as you want. I know several people who make the books for special events, too, like weddings and vacations. Shutterfly also has 40% off sales pretty much everyday, so we won't end up spending a ton of money. Hopefully they like it because that's what they're getting every year from now on.

It's what's for Christmas.

*Runners up include chasing the vacuum, eating anywhere but her high chair, the word "wow", and rummaging through the bathroom drawers.

Rory's First Birthday Wrap Up

My cousin's wife, Karyn, took some pictures of Rory's first birthday and was kind enough to share them with me. (I only had to send her one email begging asking for the photos.) She and her husband Brendan were visiting from Connecticut the weekend of Rory's party, and we were sad to see them go. Here are some of my favorites from the big day: 

We didn't light the candles for obvious reasons.  

First taste...

Yum!

Instead of favors, I set up a candy bar with treat bags for people to take home. 

Rory's "all about me" poster. I found the poster board at the dollar store and a chalkboard pen at Michael's. Please ignore the large smudge at the top. I did this at ten o' clock the night before the party and decided to pretend it didn't happen.

Marcos' contribution to the decor. 

Sugar cookies. I was finally able to use my box of 100 cookie cutters that I found on clearance at TJ Maxx months ago. I used fresh raspberries to tint the frosting pink. 

My cousin Brendan with Marli. I think this may be my favorite photo.

Rory with her dada and a pink balloon. It doesn't get any better.

One of my closest friends, Melissa, with Rory. She was Rory's first official babysitter when Rory was barely 2 months old. 

Family shot. I know it's hard, but try to ignore the hanger string sticking out from my shirt in the next few photos. 

Rory with one of my oldest and best friends, Shannon. It's hard to tell in this pic, but she's due with a girl in January. I'm so excited!

Aunt Kayra came into town from Dallas especially for Rory's birthday.

The Fukumoto family with Karyn and Brendan. Thank you for coming and for being the official photographer! 

Three Things Thursday

1. Brrrrr! 
A cold front moved in on Monday, and to say it's been cold would be a severe understatement. It was -17 degrees this morning. It's literally too cold to leave the house, and Rory and I both have cabin fever. There's only so much Baby Einstein I can take and Rory's attention span is that of a....one year old. It's been rough. Even though it's still super cold, we're going to brave the freezing temperatures and head to the library or Target or anywhere but here.

Marli is not having quite as much fun as Rory. 

2. Skidders
Isn't it funny how other moms always seem to give the most practical/usable gifts? My friend Karla has two boys and asked me what Rory needed for her birthday. Rory doesn't like wearing shoes, but her socks make her slip on the hardwood in our house, so I asked for some socks with grips on the bottom. Karla, the all-knowing super mom, gave us something even better: Skidders.
They're reminiscent of water shoes, except much cuter. They have a super-grippy, rubber bottom (good for snow and ice), and a soft, stretchy top. They are tight enough that they stay on, but comfortable enough that Rory doesn't stage a sit-in every time I put them on. Plus, they're way cute and come in lots of different styles and designs. I definitely plan on buying a few extra pair.

Rory has these "mary-jane" style skidders in a purple chevron pattern.

3.Internet Karma
Remember when I bragged said that Rory eats whatever we put in front of her? Yeah, not anymore. I should have known better than to put that in print...and on the internet where everyone can see it. Everyone knows that internet karma is the most vicious of all karma. She's been spitting out everything that's not a fruit or some sort of chip. It's great that she's eating fruit, but fruit only has so many nutrients, and it's not especially filling. I'm not sure how she's still standing at this point. So far today she's had about 1 cup of raspberries, a half a banana, a grape/apple pouch from Starbucks, and 5 blackberries. She's spit out blueberry yogurt, turkey, green beans, a chicken quesadilla, and a raspberry oatmeal muffin. So, now that I've written about what a terrible eater Rory is, perhaps the internet karma Gods will take pity on me?

How Rory Celebrated her First Birthday

Here's a breakdown of how Rory spent her birthday weekend:

1.Listening to her mom sing, "Go Rory! It's your birthday! We're gonna party like it's your birthday!", over and over again. (I swear I saw her roll her eyes.)

2. Getting her flu shot. (What? It was the only time her doctor could fit her in!)

3. Refusing to nap.

4. Tasting her first truffle fry and her first sugar cookie. (She was a fan of both.)

5. Spitting out the banana-Greek yogurt-applesauce cake I made.

6. Playing with the boxes that all of her gifts came in.

7. Listening to the check-out lady at the grocery store say, "Happy Birthday, Laurie!". (I corrected her three times before I began singing Frozen's "Let it Go" under my breath.)

8. Torturing Marli with her birthday balloons.


All in all, it was a great first birthday. (Except for the shot.)

Christmas Photo Shoot

I have yet to get professional photos taken of Rory. I was going to do newborn photos, but then my eyes felt like sandpaper and I could barely remember to brush my teeth, let alone schedule an appointment. By the time I felt like I could manage leaving the house without having a panic attack, Rory had a pretty bad case of baby acne. Plus, we take so many pictures on our phones, and I'm a firm believer that the best photos are candid ones. (There's nothing candid about a family wearing matching sweaters and smiling identical smiles throwing leaves into the air on a perfect fall day. I may believe it if one of the kids is missing a shoe and the other one is throwing an enormous fit because a leaf landed in her hair.) Also, I'm cheap, so there's that.

So, when it came time to take our Christmas card photo, I scoured Pinterest for ideas we could do at home without the help of a professional photographer. Marcos' sister let us borrow her nice camera when Rory was born, and we've been using it to take her monthly photos. It makes a big difference when it comes to the quality of the shot. I figured we really only needed one good photo for the card, so the odds were in our favor. We took photos on two separate days and got some pretty good shots. I used wrapping paper as the "backdrop" and borrowed a Santa hat from our neighbor. Marcos edited the ones we used for our card. Here are some of my favorites (pre-Photoshop):

One of my favorite holiday books. 

Priceless.

Best friends?

This picture happened by accident. We were trying to get a shot of her standing in the gift bag, but she fell over, and her concerned father kept snapping away.

This may be my favorite. 

And some of our Pinterest fails:

Awkward. 

Marli wasn't a fan of the Santa hat... 

...And Rory wasn't either.

A Year

12 months. 365 days. 8765 hours. It's easy to define your existence in calendar terms, but it's almost impossible to put into words how much my life changed when yours began.

It wasn't long ago that you were merely a thought- a piece of the puzzle that was my future. A "someday". Then you turned into a plan, and a few months later a bean-shaped thing with a heartbeat. Now you are almost too heavy to rock to sleep. You point and laugh and push me away when I try to kiss your forehead. Somewhere between waking up three times a night and putting locks on all the cabinet doors, you grew up.

Of course, I still have many years left of being your mom, but you are a baby no longer. There is nothing like the first year full of firsts. You will get bigger and smarter and need me less. You will fall asleep on your own, walk to school, and roll your eyes when I remind you to wear sunblock. You will turn into the child, then the teenager, and finally the adult I always hoped you would be. My heart will swell with pride at who you've become,but also clench with sadness, because I will remember when you needed me. When you tugged on my leg, reached for me, and said "up, mama".

I want to freeze time and drink in every little thing about you at this very moment. The way your hair smells after a bath.The way you kick your legs in excitement when I strap you into your tricycle. The way your eye lids flutter when you've just fallen asleep. The way you examine every little leaf at the park. The sound of your voice. There will come a day when I will struggle to remember the way you crinkle up your nose when you smile, or the squeal you make when you hear the garage door open at 5:00. Soon there will be math homework and soccer practice and prom. Soon we will be too busy to remember the little things. The important things.

I wish you could understand how grateful I am for this past year. You've given us more joy than we've ever thought possible. You've helped me realize things about myself I never would have discovered otherwise and you've motivated me to grow and change. I knew becoming a mom would change my life forever, but I didn't realize to what extent. My entire definition of love changed the day you were born, and it's not one I can even attempt to put into words. You will forever be a part of me, and I am a part of you. This is what it means to be a parent- to have a piece of you that's separate from you. To have a walking, talking piece of your heart living outside of you.

I am looking forward to watching you grow and change in the next year. If this first year taught me anything, it's to live in the moment and enjoy the little things, because in the end, the little things end up being the big things. Everyday that I get to be your mom is the best day of my life. Thank you for the best 12 months, 365 days, and 8765 hours.

For me?

You were sick for the first time this month. You had a fever for three days straight. I sent this picture to daddy when you finally showed signs of improving.

Goofing off at the park. 

You love when daddy pushes you around in the laundry basket. 

Waving to random strangers at the airport before our trip to Dallas. 

You, me, and your great-grandpa, "Boppa". Thanks to Auntie Whitney, you learned how to say "Boppa" during our trip to Dallas.

Walking around outside of Auntie Mary's apartment in Dallas. You were introduced to fire ants on this walk.

Me, you, and Auntie Katie. 

You finally got to meet Olivia, the daughter of mommy's best friend from college.

Your grandparents brought you this outfit from Brazil. It finally fits, and it brought Sao Paulo good luck- they won the day you wore it. 

Before trick-or-treating. You were the only cutest pumpkin on the block.

.

I'm Free!