I got a Kindle!!

It's awesome! Now that I'm trying to watch less TV and read more, I decided to invest in an eReader. I got this one. I was dubious about them before Jerod got a Kindle and loved it. Jana also has one and says it's awesome, and she goes through like 17 books a week so I trust her opinion. I've downloaded a bunch of books from the library already, and it's rad because the books automatically return after 14 days so I don't have to get my butt down to the library to avoid fines. Score!

There are a few books that I want to read that the library doesn't have a Kindle version of, or they have a big waiting list, so maybe when I'm bored with their selection I'll buy a few off Amazon, or sign up for Amazon Prime so I can access the Kindle Owner's lending library which has a ton of free books. I'm really happy with it, fun new toy!

So sleepy...

4 eyes!

Time for new glasses! I got my "at home try on box" from Warby Parker in the mail today (they send you 5 frames of your choosing to try on for free for 5 days) and two were duds, but the other three I'm having a hard time choosing between. Soooo... votes! Let me know which pair you like best on me.

#1- Pierce in "Greystone" which is a tortoise, but in gray. Really pretty color.

#2- Beckett in "Revolver Black" which is a matte black. Super cool.

#3- Webb in "Crystal". I love clear plastic frames. My last pair looked like lab goggles (and became Jeff's sunglasses) but these ones are cuter I think.

And ignore my crazy hair. I'm a mom that works full time. I don't have time for blow-outs. I put on lip gloss at least!

Long Beach Aquarium

We got our family pass to the Long Beach Aquarium this past weekend when we went with our friend Joie and her two crazy cute daughters. That place is awesome!! It's so great that it's like 5 minutes away from our house and full of under the sea wonderment for the baby. Jeff carried her around in the Baby Bjorn so she could see everything and she seemed to be into it. It's going to be another great spot for Jeff to go with the baby during the week when I'm working when there's nothing much to do.

That's a giant sea bass!

Above the shark tank. You know, no big whoop.

Elsa is so blase about the sharks.

See? Super cute kiddos. Future BFFs for Elsa.

Jellyfish are my favorites. So pretty!

I see many more trips in our future... and unlike Disneyland, I can go too!

Shhh... the baby is sleeping...

So our lives got dramatically better in the past week. The baby is sleeping!! Like really sleeping. Like 12 hours of sleeping at night and several 30 minute to 1 hour nap chunks a day sleeping. I was totally pushing off sleep training Elsa for several reasons:

1) She still seems so little so I thought the several feedings a night were because she needed the nourishment. The pediatrician confirmed that this is not the case, she's a healthy weight, and at this age babies can go for 10-12 hours stretches of sleep with no feedings. They'll eat if you give it to them, but that's for comfort and not necessarily because they are hungry.

2) I liked having her in her bassinet close to our bed, and even liked having her sleep on me. She's a warm, adorable, good smelling baby. Why wouldn't I want her on me cozy in bed together? Oh right, because she woke me up every 20 minutes moving around or wanting to nurse. Still, it was hard to let go and have her sleep in a different room from me.

3) I was frightened of long nights of her screaming with us going in and out a million times comforting her and not getting any sleep for weeks.

It took a pediatrician appointment, a book recommendation from Amy/Lynne, and a gentle hint from Jerod about baby brain development needing deep sleep hours to get me serious about teaching Elsa how sleep should work. Jeff and I both read "Good Night, Sleep Tight" and started putting Elsa in her crib for night time sleep and regular naps. It's been over a week now and I am so thrilled to say that she is sleeping so well now. The crying is minimal, and it's usually just sleepy whines until she soothes herself to sleep. We get up a few times a night when she starts really crying to check on her and give her the dropped pacifier and that almost always does the trick and gets her right back to sleep.

I think she was really needing this deep sleep and is why she's taken to it so well. Jeff and I didn't have high hopes for this working out this easily, so we're pretty damned pleased with ourselves now! We're amazing parents.

Playtime

Etsy favorites- 2012 edition

Sundays are meant for blogging, baby watching, cleaning and Etsy trolling. Here's what's catching my eye this afternoon...

These toddler dresses from Wild Things dresses. This picture is adorable but my favorite dress is the badger.

This gold glitter twine from Knot and Bow:

This gold dipped geo bead necklace from A Merry Mishap (the matching earrings are rad too!):

This sewing pattern for baby harem pants from Too Sweets Patterns:

This Meowby Dick embroidery pattern from Studiomme:

Hey little girl... want a candy cane?

Jeff has been accused once before of looking like a creep walking up and down our neighborhood streets at all hours of the day while carrying the baby in a pouch. I didn't get it, and thought it was mean for anyone to think that, until I saw this photo:

I get it now. CREEP!

Tyr's poo streaks

*art by the awesome Nathan Spoor

This post title was the title of the email Jeff got from our vet this week. We had to take in a shapoopie sample from the litter box to try to diagnose the problem that results in Tyr leaving dingleberries and poo streaks all over the house. Gross! The sample came back with a diagnosis of Giardia. Awesome. Treatable though, so we're back to squirting medication in their mouths. This time it's a thick toothpaste-like medicine that they are NOT happy about taking. At least it's just once a day for 5 days. Could be worse I guess.

Being this pretty sort of gives them a free pass to leave poo streaks all over the house.

Recent acquisitions

Our annual conference that I organize is this Monday and Tuesday so I make it an annual event to treat myself to something pretty to wear to the meeting, to make it slightly more fun to look forward to. Elsa and I went shopping yesterday and I found this gem at Old Navy.

And if you can't make out that print, here's a close-up:

CATS! Uh, sold. It'll look fabulous with some black dress pants and red heels. Watch out Scientists.

Then for Elsa, because of course she needed a little something too, we got this stripes and chambray dress (H&M has a lame website. They have a ton of baby clothes in the store, and like 5 things on the website. The dress I bought her is shown on the website on a "model" but not for purchase. Dumb.):

I also got a new timepiece, because my old Swatch watch was falling apart and I grew tired of having to dig out my phone from my purse to tell the time. I was actually just looking for an excuse to buy one of the awesome new Swatch jellies. It was tough to pick a color, but I'm happy with the blue. It's kind of sparkly which you can't tell from the website. It was down to that, the mauvey pink, or the gray. I'm kind of shocked I didn't go with the gray actually. Look at me being colorful!

And lastly, some pretty notebooks to start the year off fresh. I love these notebooks and used them in my xmas gifts to friends. I got jealous so I bought another for me.

Shopping is fun!

I have no teeth...

Just cuz it makes me laugh.

Good kitty.

Elsa is really starting to take notice of the cats now. We have to watch those grabby little hands...

Thanks Karen!

Elsa in her new sun hat, photographed by Karen...

2012

Happy New Year!

We rung in the new year in style (Jeff wore a tie!) at Andy & Kim's annual bash and had an awesome time with the baby and friends. Elsa was a doll and let mommy and daddy have fun.

She was in love with my necklace.

I neglected to mention one of the top 10 highlights of 2011 in my last post; Lynne moving back to California!! And like 10 miles away from us too no less. So of course it made the start of 2012 even more amazing to have one of my oldest and dearest friends there to celebrate with. Even if she's trying to steal my husband and baby.

Peace.

Mandy and Seth looking smashing as usual...

And the next morning. Feeling good and getting use out of the Baby Bjorn Karen handed down to us. Elsa loved being in it and helping Jeff make us breakfast. This thing is going to get a lot of use. (P.S. We got fake tattoos at the house party next door the night before, so the panther Jeff is sporting on his neck in this photo is no longer on his neck)

What better way to start the new year than with ebelskivers, family, and 80 degree SoCal sunshine? It's going to be a good year...