First Birthday Photos

It's the beginning of birthday celebrations for us over here in the Lishia-house! 

To kick off the festivities, here are Juliet's birthday photos that we took back in September with Princesse and the Pea Photography.  Elise has the sweetest little miniature horses and the moment I found little riding pants for Jules, I knew the horses had to be a part of her first birthday shoot!  We got exactly what we wanted, especially the one of her loving on George.  If you've been around Juliet much you know she loves to hug, kiss, and pat her stuffed animals so I'm glad she captured that side of her personality.  They turned out just perfect and we couldn't be more ready for this birthday thang this weekend!  

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Bedtime & Bathtime

We have two new front teeth as well as a baby that can soothe herself to sleep!  We love rocking her and giving her all of our attention, especially at bedtime, but we also wanted her to get to where she could soothe herself to sleep now that she's getting older.  After contacting a few of my mama friends and talking about what worked best for them, we combined a couple ideas and came up with what works best for us.  We slowly transitioned her bottle away from bedtime so that she doesn't depend on it to go to sleep and we only rock her until she gets sleepy then we let her drift off by herself.  We also use to bathe her every night to settle her down.  That is until a few dry spots started showing up on her skin, so now we do bath time every other night and on the nights of no bath I just wash her face, lotion her down and put fresh pajamas on her.  We read every night before bed depending on her level of tiredness... sometimes bedtime reading is the first 2 pages of Goodnight Moon and others- the entire story of Ferdinand- ya just never know.  

Here are a few other things that we have found that help Juliet sleep soundly.  

Thanks to all my pro-mama friends that suggested some of these items.

Hippo Plush Toy  /  Honest Brand Shampoo & Body Wash  /  Sound Machine  

Huggies Snug & Dry  /  Johnson's Aloe Oil Gel  /  Sandra Boynton Book

1  //  The plush toy was given to Juliet by my sis-in-law for her first Christmas.  It's infused with lavender and it's microwavable!  I began using it when we started laying her down drowsy, instead of asleep.  After laying her down I lay this on her back or next to her and the warmth and heaviness settles her down and she's able to go right off to sleep.

2  //  The honest brand soap is the only thing that I have found that doesn't
 irritate her skin and/or my nose.  I wish I could still use my baby magic but it leaves
tiny little bumps on her tummy so we had to toss it.

3  //  This sound machine is the best!  It not only plays music and nature sounds, it also projects rotating pictures on the ceiling.  You can also set a timer for the music and projection to turn off.  It creates such a sweet and comfy environment for baby to go to sleep.  

4  //  Huggies Snug and Dry are my favorite nighttime diapers because of the 12 hours protection against leaks.  The last thing you want happening is a diaper leak in the middle of the night...
Baby crying, stagger in, change diaper, change pajamas, change crib sheet, and get them back to sleep. No thanks.

5  //  I actually put the aloe oil in her bath water and I can defintiely tell a different in her skin afterwards!  I don't have to moisturize her twice a day if I do this.  

6  //  And lastly, her favorite bedtime book Happy Hippo, Angry Duck.  She literally laughs out loud when she sees the frown on the duck and it's got to be the sweetest sound in the world. 

That's it mamas.  I'm sure you already know how special these first little months are, but it's not without it's challenges.  That's what this post is all about.. documenting the sweet moments and the challenging moments.  Giving the situation thought and doing everything you can to overcome the challenging moments are key.  That way you are enjoying your precious little one all of the time cause one things for sure, these are fleeting moments... challenging or not.

Sincerely, 

The Lishias

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*11 months*

Just over the past couple days I've watched Juliet become more independent and not only inquisitive, but adventurous.  She's testing her limits when it comes to mobility but she's a very careful and cautious girl, though.  She'll move very slowly when she's unsure and squint and blink her eyes if something is in her "bubble".  She hasn't taken any steps, but we're buying her a babydoll pram for her birthday that may encourage her to take a few!  We're a month away from her birthday and we're all very excited.  Also, as you can tell in the picture, she's getting really hard to photograph.  They usually have blurry arms and/or legs but always a sweet smile.  

Boo-tiful Onesie:  This year Old Navy

She loves putting things on her head.  She took my cap, put it on her head and this happened.  Perfection.

Having a piano duel with her buddy before our road trip to Ohio to visit Joey's baby sister and her family for Labor Day weekend.

{30 minutes into the road trip}

Watermelon on a hot day is way better while sitting on the counter.

Her newest baby cousin, Harper.

Some nights we have to read ALL the books.

{Exploring reflective objects}

{Game. Face.}  Bring it Pats!

We took her 1 year photos this month with Princesse and the Pea photography.  Elise has taken all of Juliet's pictures so far and we love her work.  Can't wait to share more!

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Happy First Day of Fall!

It's always a little bittersweet letting Summer go.  I love Fall and the newness that it brings, but I love the laziness of Summer too- (not to mention all the free time that we have with Daddy to do whatever we want).  This was Juliet's first summer and because of that it will always be a precious time in my mind.  Fall always makes me think of school supplies, pumpkin patches, and apple orchards!  However, for us, it's mostly the time of year for repainting and repairing our patio and porch furniture, saying hello to long-lost warm comfy sweaters and gaining extra pounds from all the yummy Fall-flavored recipes I find on Pinterest.  I will miss Summer and miss seeing Juliet's chubby legs hanging out of summer bloomers, cooking out in the backyard, and hearing the ice cream truck roll through the neighborhood in the evenings.  Many great memories were made and I'm very thankful.

Happy first day of Fall everybody!

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Spooky Finds

Flashing back to our Halloween last year, we spent most of the day at the EENT doctor and the rest of it was spent nursing, eating cupcakes, refilling the candy bucket, and staying up way past our bedtime watching Halloween movies.  She was only 5 days old, but you better believe that we found the time to throw some candy in a bowl for our sweet neighborhood kids!  Halloween is such a huge event in our neighborhood and it's always so fun to see all the littles in their creative costumes.  So from 5-8 we peeked through the blinds to creep on all the cuties.  We kept giggling because we could hear all the tween girls "awww" and "gasp" at the huge pink stork in our front yard while saying, "ahhh- there's a baby in there... awww"! 

This year we will be celebrating this fun time of year, more than likely, like the rest of you- with fall scented candles, fun pajamas, football, and pumpkin everything.  Here are a couple of our favorites from this year's Halloween shops!  And yes, we do start celebrating holidays 1-2 months in advance.  Hey- Don't judge... you should be impressed with my ability to say no to Christmas music in September!  

    I Love You Little Pumpkin  :    Little Owl Night  :  Wizard of Oz  :  Boo Pajamas  :  Boo Pumpkin  :  Cat Pajamas  :  Cat Bow

Also, I'd love to hear of any Halloween traditions that you have with your kiddos; such as, movies, treats, parties, etc.  Enjoy this fun time with your little ones!  

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*10 months*

This month we welcomed a new little love into our daily life!  I started keeping my friend's little boy while she goes back to work.  He and Juliet are 10 days apart so me and his mom were pregnant at the same time... which is the BEST!  (You always have someone to talk to about all the weird wonderful things happening to you during pregnancy.)  Juliet is seriously loving having a playmate!  It's so sweet to watch them when they see each other for the first time each day, it's as if they haven't seen each other in weeks.

In other news... We have two teeth!!  Both bottom teeth are through and she is chowing down on any and all food that we give her.  This girl loves to eat and does a great job of feeding herself.  Since we have new teeth, she also loves "popsicles" which are just ice cubes in her mesh teether.  You say the word "popsicle" and she comes running, well crawling at a really high rate of speed.

{ Trying to sneak up on Daddy. }

{ Grilling outside. }

 { She loves when I do "my very best Spanish accent". }  

{Please excuse my wet hair & no makeup look...  Juliet pulls it off better than me. } 

{ August is our rainy month and she loves sitting in the door and watching it fall. } 

 { Relaxing and watching George.  It's August and hot, if you can't tell. }

{ I only do this face for the camera. }

{ Loves to lick syrup off the pancake. }

 { Such a snuggle bug.  Especially after a bottle. }

 { I have a bad habit of sneaking into her room at night to check on her and sometimes snap a photo... Do you think she'll be ok with this at 16? }

Bow  :  Sun Suit

You're growing into such a fun little person Juliet, and we love you so much it hurts.  

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Our Favorite Teethers

Here are some of our favorite teether toys along with a couple home remedies that we've tried. I truly believe that they make a difference.  Juliet began teething at 4 months, but we didn't have any teeth appear until 8 months.  The one thing that we've been blessed with is that she hasn't had a runny nose or fever with teething... yet.  (Now watch her nose start runny as soon as I publish this post!)  I hope this helps save you awesome mommies some shopping time plus trial & error. 

Banana Teether  :  Wooden Heart Rattle  :  Raspberry  :  Kiki Elephant

1.  //  Juliet also likes the Nuby silicone teether.  It's easy for her to hold and since it has a ring on the bottom I can attach it to her shopping cart cover, (this is the one we have), with toy links.  

2.  //  I also bought this necklace from Etsy.  It's versatile and resembles a real piece of jewelry.  I also have a red silicone Silly Monk, but I can't wear it with everything.  This one I can!  It's also a great length. She doesn't have to lean over to be able to gnaw away!  

3.  //  These mesh food feeders are also an easy way to relieve teething pain.  I'm sure most of you have either done this or have heard about it, but it definitely works!  I put an ice cube inside the mesh bag and hand it to her.  It relieves her pain and keeps her busy for about 10 mins.  I like that it has a handle on the bottom for her to hold that isn't cold.  Most ice teethers, you have to place in the freezer, which means that the entire thing is freezing cold and they can't hold it for a long time.  

4.  //  A wooden spoon is also a handy piece of equipment!  I know that you don't want to carry around a wooden spoon in your diaper bag, so this is mainly something you can use at home.  I have a little short one that I give to her when she's in her highchair.  However, she swings it around pretty violently these days...  It may not be around for awhile!  

5.  //  Another remedy is something that my Aunt told me about when we were home at Christmas.  You can rub a little bit of liquid benedryl on their gums!  I swear by this.  I asked my pediatrician why it works so well and he said it's because their gums itch with their teeth are coming in and that's mainly what irritates them the most.  And don't worry, it isn't enough to knock them out or make them drowsy.  I notice that when I rub it on Juliet's gums she seems more content.  She usually does the whole bite-down-so-hard-her-head-vibrates thing, but with this she doesn't.  

I've also heard that chamomile tea on a dish rag is helpful as well.  However, we haven't tried that. 

Do you guys have a favorite?  (Remember, we're still going through this so any advice is welcome!)

Enjoy the rest of your week!  

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