Daily Darling 6/30

Here's little Zo-Zo sitting on Auntie Jenese's lap... I sware, Zoe loves her Auntie Jenese a lot more than this picture lets on! She looks too cute in this green gingham sunsuit with her fat little thighs hanging out. And what's that poking out from behind that pretty headband? Yes, it's hair! Now she almost has as much as she did the day she was born:)

I'm Sorry But It's Way Too Hot...

For attachment parenting! Too bad Zoe doesn't think so... Yesterday she decided the only place she would sleep was on my back in the Oh Snap!. And to make matters worse, I had to vacuum the entire downstairs. Ugh, I love that baby, but she's like a sweaty little oven. And then there's the little issue of co-sleeping... THIS is what I get into bed with every night:


Cozy and cuddly on a winter night, downright cruel when the weathers like it's been. Oh well, today was actually nice, the weather was just right for babywearing, and I'm looking forward to cuddling up with my little cuties tonight:)

Daily Darling 6/27

Aww, look at that little darling, she's so proud of her mama. I have to say, I maybe didn't put quite as much effort into her outfit today as I normally would, because a family of 5 with 3 kids UNDER 5 attempting to leave the house by 7am is just slightly stressful. Yet somehow, big surprise, she looks as adorable as ever.

Can I Just Say How Awesome I Am?

So here I am just 2 minutes before the start of my very first half-marathon. Just to give you a little background, running has only recently become a hobby of mine. About 2 months after I had Zoe, I started a modified version of the couch to 5k program, which I highly recommend for beginners. When I started, running 1 city block was a challenge. Really. But after doing the couch to 5k, I was able to jog 3 miles without stopping, which was huge for me. I enjoyed running because I could just put the kids in the stroller and go... I got my exercise and they got some fresh air after being trapped indoors all winter.

Then one day I was browsing in Walmart, killing time while Greg was in a dentist appointment, and I noticed a cover story on the March issue of Fitness magazine, entitled, "Yes, YOU Can Run A Half-Marathon". I bought the magazine, and read the article. The proposed training plan was for anyone who could run 2+ miles without stopping. That was me! In April I bought my first pair of real running shoes, and a double jogger marketed for "serious" runners.I began following the training program religiously, rain or shine, all the while falling deeper and deeper in love with the sport.When I finished the program, I still had some time before race day, so I began following the advanced "Race in Record Time" version of the Fitness Magazine program, which includes hill training and speed intervals. It kicked my ass, but felt AMAZING at the same time.

So here I am. 5 1/2 months after giving birth, down 12 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight, and in the best shape of my life. Here I am, a beginner, really, standing at the starting line of a 13.1 mile race, and not a flat and fast one either. This is the Fairfield Half-Marathon, and here is the course map, if you're interested. Those hills are no joke.

I wish I had an after picture, but I was too busy trying not to pass out to whip out my camera phone. I can tell you that as I was climbing those hills, a couple of things were going through my head. 1) Wow, this is a picnic compared to pushing 45 lbs. of kids and 25 lbs. of stroller! and 2) The worst hill on this course is about a million times more pleasant than my worst contraction during transition. If I can survive natural childbirth, I can ACE 13.1 miles.

And I did. I finished in 1hr, 46 min, and 7 seconds, #394 out of 2,824 runners. I finished number 34 in my division, and 91st in my gender. There is something to be said for hard work, dedication, and striving towards a personal goal. And there is even more to be said about the super-powers of your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill Mommy:)

Daily Darling 6/25

10:17pm. Asleep. Finally. Getting sick? Teething? Gas? Spoiled rotten? Off to bed now, who knows what the rest of the night holds. I am probably the only mother on earth who is now about to pick up her sleeping baby from a swing and transfer her to my bed. But that's just the way I am,,, I can't sleep unless I know my baby is safe and sound, an arms reach away:)

Daily Darling 6/23

Here's my girl, looking very much like the late Chris Farley wearing a giant bow... um, in a cute way. The dress is one that I snagged for her this weekend. It's a Piper and Posie, and was on the clearance rack at Marshall's for 6$! Up close, the pattern is adorable... it has the cutest little pink birdies... I couldn't resist!

Summer Sickie Update

So yesterday I brought Elliott to the walk-in clinic near my house, because I didn't think it was fair to drag him on 2 buses across town to see our regular pediatrician. They did a rapid strep culture, which was negative, and didn't bother to do a 24 hour culture. "Soar thorat + fever= antibiotics" he said. So Elliott is on Zithromax, which absolutely kills me... I HATE giving my kids antibiotics. But I also hate seeing them sick, so when a Dr. tells me antibiotics will make them better, it's hard to stick to my guns... Who knows, maybe he did need it, because he seemed to be feeling 100% better after his first 2 doses.

But of course, this afternoon, Max suddenly came down with a fever. The walk-in clinic only sees kids 5+, so it looks like we'll be making that hike to the ped's office after all. Poor Maxy. I'm just praying Zoe stays healthy, and me, too, for that matter... I've got a 1/2 marathon to run on Sunday!

Daily Darling 6/24

I don't know why, but I see so much of myself in her in this picture. She is wearing a baby pink eyelet dress with pretty ribbons on the shoulders. It reminds me of one of those pillowcase dresses, and I like it so much that I'm feeling insprired to make her some pillowcase dresses... I see a craft show and tell in this blog's future!

Another (Almost) Great Day

Today was another day of summer bliss... Well, almost. We took the G bus out to Lighthouse Point Park here in New Haven and met up with my friends Stephanie and Jenese, and their younguns, including 3-week-old baby Kaleb! The kids all played so nicely together. Lighthouse is a great place to spend the day with little kids, because it has the whole beach/sand thing, and when they get bored of that, there's a HUGE splash pad with nice big umbrellas for the grownups, and when they get bored of THAT, there's a fantastic playground. And if you're really lucky, the beautiful old carasouel will be running.

So after the kids had done the entire beach/splash pad/playground circuit, I noticed Elliott looking really tired. I didn't think much of it... Hey, a day at the beach will wear anybody out. But as we were packing up, he just laid down on a towel and closed his eyes, and at the bus stop, he only took 2 bites of the popsicle he'd been begging for all day. By the time we got home, he had a 103 degree fever, chills, and a gray cast to his skin. Poor guy! I gave him some Motrin to bring his fever down, but he's saying his throat hurts, so I think tomorrow we'll have to pay a visit to the pediatrician.

Daily Darling 6/22

Awww, look at that chubby, smiling face. My little beach babe looks so sweet in this romper my mom bought for her. I love the summery colors, the little whale applique is adorable, and my favorite part, of course, is that it shows off those gorgeous dimpled thighs! Ah, to be a baby... the only time in our lives when cellulite is adorable.

Hello Summer!

Okay, so I have to admit I've been somewhat living in fear of Elliott being on summer vacation. Not that he's a lot of trouble, but having 3 kids under 5 under 1 roof 24 hours a day is enough to scare any stay-at-home mom. Now I don't know how the rest of the summer will go, but today couldn't have been more perfect. The boys were on their best behavior all morning, no temper tantrums, brawls, hunger strikes, etc., and Zoe even played quietly in her exersaucer while I vacuumed the entire downstairs. In the afternoon we walked down to the park on front street, where they have a little splash pad. Zoe and I lounged in the shade while the boys played in the sprinklers and dug trenches in the wood chips. Then we went home and had some BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. (we were supposed to have asparagus to, but apparently it had gone bad... Like, 3 weeks ago). Ah... If only every day could be filled with summer bliss.

Daily Darling 6/21

There's my happy girl! She looks so cute and, dare I say,sophisticated, in this little black and white checked shirt with the strawberries on it. Although it is hard to look sophisticated when your shorts resemble a sausage casing, but I digress.

I think she looks so funny sitting up in a stroller like that, but I guess lots of people put babies her age in that kind of stroller. I just propped her there for the picture... She rose to the park in the Oh Snap!, Max rode in the Maclaren, and Elly walked.

Daily Darling 6/20

Zoe was all coos and smiles today... Yay! Despite lingering nose drips here and there, she seems to have overcome this cold, and it really had her down for the count for a day or two. I'd like to credit exclusive breastfeeding for helping her to recover quickly from things like this, but Max nursed until he was two, and is still plagued with ear infections (until he got tubes), sinus infections, coughs, and colds that linger for weeks on end. But I have to remind myself that, although he does have trouble in the ear, nose, and throat department, imagine how much WORSE those issues might be if I hadn't breastfed him for so long? He might have ended up with allergies, asthma, or God knows what else. I really believe that breastfeeding gave his little immune system the boost it needed to get him through a bout of pneumonia at 11 months quickly and safely. Thank God for nursing... truly.

Anyway, back to Zoe's attire... This pink and green plaid jumper is, you guessed it, a MJ hand-me-down. The plaid is so vibrant and summery, and her gorgeous crystal-centered dahlia is a perfect match.

Mr. Messy x2

After a fun and exhausting day at Munga's pool, we took a detour to Rich's Dairy Farm
for some ridiculously tasty homemade ice cream. I got the "brown cow" flavor- creamy chocolate ice cream with orgasmic chocolate brownie bites. Max chose strawberry and Elliott chose chocolate... And Zoe fussed and whined and tried to grab my cone the entire time. A FEW MORE MONTHS, MAMA! Daddy dressed them this morning, and their matching "Mr. Messy" shirts couldn't be more appropos.

Daily Darling 6/19

My baby's back! I've been slacking on the blog, because Zoe's had a cold and has been in no mood to have her picture taken. But today she was feeling MUCH better. Here she is pictured in her carseat on a visit to Aunt Munga's house ("Munga" is the name Elliott coined for my sister Meghan as a baby... It just stuck). Munga lives in a rental community that happens to have a gorgeous inground pool. Today we visited the pool for the first time this year. I wore Zoe in my mesh water sling, and the monkeys paddled around with their swimmies on.They had so much fun, although it was admittedly stressful monitoring 3 children near big, deep water.

Zoe is wearing a gorgeous spring green dress curteousy of one Mille Jane Olynciw- Olkuski. And this headpiece is one of my favorites... the green of the flower is so delicate and feminine against the ballet pink of the band.

Daily Darling 6/17

Look at those eyes... She looks like a little doll. I love this dress on her (Ralph Lauren, Millie hand-me-down) because it matches the color of her eyes almost exactly... And because it has a matching ruffle-butt diaper cover... My favorite!

No smiles from this little girl today, she's got a nasty cold. And apparently no one has told her that when you feel crappy to you're supposed to sleep. She was up at 5am, and I didn't get her down for a nap until 11! And then, she only slept for 10 minutes before waking up again. But luckily, my Babyhawk Oh Snap! came today, so Zoe was able to spend the day catching ZZZ's on my back:)

Daily Darling 6/15

Okay, I took this sleeping pic of Zoe for a few reasons... Mainly, I had forgotten to take her pic until I was climbing into bed next to her... Oops! But I also wanted to dispell the rumors and prove to everyone that, yes, I do remove her bow at bedtime:) And lastly, to show the world that, as cute as those big flowers are, the cuteness of those precious cheeks alone will knock your socks off.

Daily Darling 6/14

Yeah, yeah, same old story. Zoe was wearing this super cute flowery purple dress that matches her headband, but she pooped all over it, and since we were a half hour from pajama time anyway, I just left her nakey. Besides, is there anything more beautiful than the simplicity of a baby wearing nothing but a fresh white prefold diaper... And a giant flower headband?

Drool With Me

OOOH OOOH I am so excited! Look what I have coming in the mail! The Oh Snap! soft-structured carrier by Babyhawk in the gorgeous "Kimono Plum" pattern from metrominis.com, complete with hot pink straps. Yes, I am aware that 139$ is pretty goddamn steep, especially when an Ergo is between 110$-120$. (Although they can be up to 148$ in the organic fabric). But let's take a closer look.

Ergo VS. Babyhawk Oh Snap!
1) Obviously the most important here... Fashion! The Ergo is available in some cute color combos and patterns, the girliest of which being the Heartrose pattern. However, the Babyhawk Oh Snap! is fully customizable, available in over 100 fabric choices and strap colors. They even allow you to send in your own fabric and have an Oh Snap! custom made just for you, for just 5$ extra.

2) Weight limits- The Ergobaby has a weight limit of just 40lbs, while the Oh Snap! is recommended for little ones up to 45 lbs. And at the rate Zoe is going, we'll be needing that extra 5lb. allotment! Now granted, the Babyhawk does not market an infant insert and is therefore recommended for babies 15 lbs. and up. However, I have always found the Ergo infant insert at 25$ to be a waist of money. Swaddling you baby in a bulky blanket and placing them in the carrier accomplishes the exact same thing.

3) Manufacturing- Ergo has factories in China and India, while Babyhawk is made right her in the USA. I am always willing to pay more for stuff made in the United States vs. overseas.

4) Mama Weight Range- Ergo offers a waist extension for an extra 8$, but the Babyhawk Oh Snap! comes standard fitting women sizes 0-22.

So if you are a plus-sized mama who wants to get the infant insert, you are looking at paying between 110-48$$ for the carrier, plus 25$ for the insert, plus 8$ for the extension strap. That is a total of 153$ MINIMUM for a carrier made in China with limited fabric options. Not that I don't have TONS of love for the Ergo, but if you're in the market for a soft-structured carrier, IMO, the Oh Snap! is the way to go.

My Boys

It's been a while since I've posted pics of those two sweet monkey faces, so I thought I'd share this pic of them out to lunch at Friendly's on saturday (Mamu's treat!). It is just ridiculous how grown-up Elliott is getting. For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you may have read that I accidentally put on Elliott's t-shirt the other day! It is a sad day when you actually momentarily consider "Hey wait, can I pull off this pokemon shirt?"

After we went to Friendly's, we headed over to Target to pick up some unnecessary necessities. Max decided he HAD to have a 20$ motorized R/C "Hiro" train from Thomas the Tank Engine, and, well, it just wasn't "in the budget", as my Dad used to say. So, because he is 2, he cried like his heart was broken through the aisles of Target, while people stared at me as if I was an abusive parent. THEN, I saw a display of little 2$ nail polish bottles.

Me: Max, do you want Mommy to pant your nails when we get home?
Max: (Gasping for breath between sobs) Yeeeeeeaaaaaah!
Me: Okay, if I buy you nail polish will you stop crying?
Max: (Struggling to regain composure) O... (sniffle) kayee!
Me: Ok, what color would you like?
Max:(Beaming as if he hadn't been crying so hard he was about to vomit 2 seconds ago) BWOO!
Me: Blue it is.

2$ is totally in the budget.

So an hour later, both my sons had bright blue fingernails and toenails.Today we went to a birthday party for the daughter of one of Greg's co-workers. At bedtime, Elliott told me sadly, "Mom... A lot of those boys were teasin' me about my nail polish." For a second my heart raced. Am I a horrible mother for allowing my son to do things that will doubtless make him the target of ridicule and disdain from his peers? Did I use poor judgement? Shouldn't I be encouraging him to "fit in"? "Elliott," I said "should we take your nail polish off so you won't get teased by the other kids?" Elliott says "No way! It's totally awesome!" That's my boy! This week I think I will check this book out of the library: "IT'S OK to Be Different" by Todd Parr... Every child (and parent) should read this book. It's one of my favorites:)

Daily Darling 6/13

Oh my god, look at those thighs! Let's bite 'em! You've seen this dress before, I think it is my absolute favorite... The little ice cream sodas are just so retro-cute. And apparently the curse has been lifted, because she manged to get through the day without having an explosive poop. YAY!

Now just for fun let's do a little comparison from last month to now:


Is it just me or is she getting cuter?

Daily Darling 6/12

Ah, what a goofy girl. This is her second outfit of the day... She of course pooped up the front of the first one, which I discovered as we were walking out the door for a run. Thanks, Zo! But seriously, I secretly like when she has an exoplosive poo and I have to change her outfit... It's an excuse to dress her up all over again, right down to the bow! I know, I know, I'm demented.

Daily Darling 6/11

What is it about those cheeks that makes me want to bite 'em so bad? She's irrsistable. She looks so cute and comfy in these denim overall shorts with the heart and flower patches. You can't see it, but her onesie says "Little Ray of Sunshine". Cute, but lately, she's been acting more like a giant rain cloud:(
Teeth, maybe? She's usually so good about entertaining herself while I get stuff done around the house- she generally is content to sit in her swing or lay in her baby gym looking around, happily jabbering at me or her brothers for a good 15-20 minutes at a time. But the past 2 days, she will not let me put her down, even when she seems to be in a great mood- if I even try she immediately dissolves into tears. Oh, well, my mei tai has been getting plenty of use- thank god for that. Max has also been acting like, well, a two-year-old, I guess... but a very cranky, disagreeable one! And thank God for Elliott... he is certainly hard to deal with at times, too, but at least him you can REASON with. He actually cares how I feel about things. Empathy, that wonderful thing that kicks in around age 3, making a parent's life OH so much easier. Aye, they're lucky they're cute.

Daily Darling 6/10

It takes one beautiful girl to pull off a 4.5 inch black and white leopard print velour rose, that's all I have to say! I was afraid she would never get to wear this outfit again, because it's more for fall weather. But this morning there was quite a chill in the air, so I jumped at the chance to put her in this adorable preppy plaid jumper from the GAP. Paired with a pair of gray footless leggings, black and white Mary-jane Robeez, and that fabulous headband, this little mama couldn't be more fashion forward.

She was wearing a cute little cotton rose print pants and onesie set, but she did a huge explosive breastmilk poop and then bounced in her exersaucer until it oozed up her back. Hey, even the fashion elite poop their pants every now and then:)

Daily Darling 6/8

BIG is BEAUTIFUL! I'm talking about my chunky little princess, but of course her bow is of a respectable size as well:) I don't know what's going on with her, but lately it seems like she develops a new fat roll every day! And that is just fine with me, because each and every ounce is the result of a 100% breastmilk diet.

Today was the end if the year picnic in Edgewood Park for Elliott's school. I had her in a little Ralph Lauren dress and cardigan, but the weather turned out to be damp and chilly. I knew I had a warmer outfit packed in the diaper bag, but it must have been a while since I packed it because I could barely snap the crotch, and the pant legs were like capris. I ended up having to wrap her in Elliott's viking beach towel to keep her little cankles warm warm!

Daily Darling 6/7

Okay, I know all moms are biased when it comes to their babies, but it's not just me right? Is this little girl not breathtakingly gorgeous? She is actually wearing her Easter dress today... I loved it so much I had to put it on her at least one more time. I can't remember who makes it... it was a last minute TJ Maxx score by my mother-in-law. The floral pattern is so soft and spring-like, and the coordinating stripes make it look so elegant. In fact, the only thing I DON'T like about it is that the two little bows on the front of the straps won't lie flat, no matter how many times I go over them with the iron. Argh. Okay, now ask me how many times I've ironed one of my sons outfits. (Hanging my head in shame.)

The Face Behind The Blog!

So as camera-shy as I am, I just had to show off the FABULOUS haircut my husband gave me. My hair is naturally curly, and I rarely, RARELY blow it out... but Greg had to have it straight to do some detailing on it, so I thought I figured since I looked so chic, I should take a picture- and it's a good thing I did. Ten minutes later I was dripping in sweat on the elliptical with my hair plastered to my forehead. So much for my blowout...

Daily Darling 6/6

This outfit is definitely one of my favorites. It was given to her by one of Greg's co-workers at the salon. For some reason the girl just looks fabulous in beige- don't ask me why. It is actually size 0-3 months, but I'm just not ready to let it go yet:) I actually designed a headband especially for this outfit- it was a HUGE 7-inch tan spider daisy on an ice blue band, and it was just stunning on her. Unfortunately, she, for some strange reason, found that particular headband irresistable. She couldn't stop pulling it off her head and trying to munch on it. So we switched to this one- a sassy turquoise chiffon bow tipped with blue and brown star printed korkers on a brown crochet band. Not quite the perfect match, but still very cute and playful.

Daily Darling 6/5

Do I really need to say anything about this? C'mon, sing it with me... "She wore an... itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikini... That she wore for the first time today."

Daily Darling 6/4

What an angel! This is of course another hand-me-down from Millie, and I've never put it on her before because I always thought it looked a little silly... It's a ivory-colored diaper cover with a lacy sort of tutu around it, and a white baby-doll style top with little ivory rosettes. But now that I see it on her, I absolutely LOVE it. And her ivory peony headband couldn't be more perfect to complete the outfit.

Daily Darling 6/3

Oh, baby blue. I looove this outfit, I can't believe it took me this long to put it on her. It was handed down from Ms. Millie. The material is so nice and light, almost like linen, and it has pretty white cotton trim with tiny little flowers. I know she just wore this headband on memorial day, but it just goes so nicely I had to put it on her again. The only downside to this outfit is that the straps falls off her shoulders. I am pretty sure she has inherited my abnormally tiny shoulders. I, to this day, have never owned a bra whose straps don't slip off my shoulders. Looks like she'll suffer the same plight.

Fun In The Sun

Well, summer is here, unofficially. The weather her in New Haven has been hot and humid, so, like every other urban mama with no car and very little money, I went out and bought a kiddie pool. I put it out on the deck. Max took to it like a fish to... uh... water. Zoe, however, took a tad more convincing. I started by dipping her feet in her feet. She would retract them and do a few girly whimpers, but I could tell she liked the feeling of the cool water. Slowly but surely, I coaxed her into her little baby boat, and she ended up spending a half-hour lounging in it while Max pushed her around the pool making motor-boat noises. A good time was had by all.

Daily Darling 6/2

Yes, I know this is quite a change of pace from our usual "Daily Darling" post. But I ran out of the house today without taking Zoe's picture, and by the time I thought of it we were in Jenese's backyard by the pool. She WAS wearing a cute little pink and white floral Gap dress, but it was too damn hot for babies to wear anything but a diaper today. So her she is, in all her cloth-diapered glory.

So today, Zoe is wearing a plain white Bumgenius 3.0 one-size pocket diaper. On her head is a large puff of soft white chiffon, with a sweet little 2-inch pink flower pressed into the middle. What a beauty.

P.S. Two seconds after this picture was taken, she started screaming because she's a priss and doesn't like laying in the grass... Girls (insert eye roll).

Daily Darling 6/1

What a happy girl! People ask me all the time "Doesn't she try to take those headbands off?" or "I can't believe she lets you put those on her!". And no one believes me when I tell them Zoe LOVES her bows. Every morning when I get her dressed she smiles and coos as I'm diapering her and pulling on her clothes. But I sware, when I put on her headband, she smiles and looks at me with pure joy and her eyes say "Thank you, Mommy, for putting this gigantic flower on my head. I feel SO pretty." Yes, I realize I sound like a complete maniac, but c'mon, her face says it all. She loves it.

She also looks like such a BIG girl in her little t-shirt and shorts. The shorts are actually size 12 months, but they fit just fine over her big cloth diaper butt. And I love this onesie, it is the only one she has that I don't just use as an undershirt. The rainbow hearts have such a fun 80's vibe.