Sincerely, The Lishias

10 months

11:34 AM

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.

Our Favorite Teethers

7:59 AM

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!

SUMMERTIME and the living is easy

2:10 PM

I'm trying to slow down and not think about the fact that Michaels, Pottery Barn, and World Market all have their Fall decor out right now! After the 4th of July, I constantly fight the urge to fill my house with pumpkins and spice candles. Luckily, this year I've found a great 'cheat' candle. It has just enough smokey-pine scent to remind you of blankets, fire pits, and smores, but enough vanilla to be used anytime. It's a Target exclusive and isn't on their website yet however, it's called Cozy Nights. Also- NFL preseason starts in like, 2.5 weeks... Until then I'll soak up the last few weeks of flip-flops, sundresses, and watermelon shakes from Cook Out.

The Summer brought many new experiences for us all. For Joey and me; middle of the night wake up calls- and for Juliet; 2 new teeth, (they both came in at the same time). She is also eating more solid foods than ever, which has made mealtime a big production at our house now and diaper time a fiasco! It has left me screaming, "There's poop on my finger! There's poop on my finger!", several times- which weren't my exact words but you get the idea.

Here are a few Summer favorites... some of which include mealtime favorites and even though the list should include cords, door stops, and shoes, this is the more acceptable list of things that she loves!

Flora the Flamingo book

Our pool days are almost over but I will gladly trade them for denim jackets, scarves, and cute boots! Has anyone picked out their little's Halloween costume yet? It's hard shopping for 12-18 month Fall clothes for my girl, but I know it's a must.

Month 9

9:56 PM

Whew! This past month has been a doozie! Almost to the day of our sweet girl turning 8 months old, she began teething something fierce. She quit sleeping and started drooling and gnawing on anything, everything, or anybody. It took her most of the month, but her 2 bottom/front teeth popped through- finally! Because I'm not going to a job early in the mornings, I'm able to be up with her on those restless nights and it's made it a lot easier for all of us. However, Joey has become quite the "Daddy Robot". The moment she makes a sound his feet hit the floor- awake or not. It's honestly hysterical to witness!

I love her monthly pictures... each one shows just how much she is changing. She's growing into such a sweet, mischievous, and silly girl that loves to hide behind things and suddenly jump out to scare you. (And you have to jump or she will continue to make zombie noises until you do.) She still loves to be rocked and swaddled in her blanket at night, which I wouldn't change for anything. We keep on having to struggle with dry skin though, (which means that we had to stop using my beloved Baby Magic. So sad. The lavender Baby Magic is my favorite). We traded in the Baby Magic for the Honest Co. skin products. If you moms have any other suggestions, please feel free to share! I want to try Tubby Todd- it makes phenomenal bubbles and I've read that it's very mild on baby's skin. I'm just curious as to how it smells. Also, we're hoping that she doesn't have to have the procedure done that opens her tear duct. Since she was 2 weeks old her right eye runs water sporadically. It gets worse when we go outside and it takes awhile for it to get better each time. I've tried to massage it as much as I can, but it was much easier to do when she was younger.

Along with her 9 month favorites, she loves ripping magazines to smithereens and playing in the tub until the water is cold enough for penguins. WARNING: She will scream if you take her out too soon. And to add to her least favorite things, let's just narrow it down to anything that straps her in; carseat, buggy, highchair... She's fine after you click her in, but until then... shew!

She completely melts when she gets in water which means we can make more trips to our neighborhood pool this summer.

She loves her reflection... obviously.

"Gotta kiss myself, I'm sa-pretty"

Home from church.

Keep a bow in this girls hair if you can. If it isn't a headband- it ain't stayin'. Her hair is getting fuller and has good body too! I actually fixed it with Davines Sea Salt spray and it gives it lots of volume. It's our first thing to share as momma & daughter... She obviously can't wear my shoes yet.

Oh, Juliet and Jackson... their friendship is so sweet, yet so typical. She follows him everywhere and he has to show off every time they're together.

Someone found Daddy's candy. Look at that face...

Shopping with baby in tow.

Blurry but a goody.

We love you so much Juliet Frances and watching you grow and change every day is such a blessing! You capture everyone's heart with your big smile and sweet spirit and we become more and more proud of you every single day.

Month 8

10:03 PM

I hope everyone had a fantastic and safe 4th of July weekend! This month has been her busiest yet, as far as development goes. We've been climbing the stairs, clapping when music comes on, (which turns from this mad attempt to put her hands together, to opening and closing them vigorously... It's seriously the cutest thing to watch those pudgy little fingers trying to create sound), ~~talking~~ jabbering, waving hi and bye to anyone that will look her way, crawling and pulling up!

We took some snapshots in front of the stables for Daddy's Father's Day present. Here are some of my favorites from that shoot.

We spent some time in Mississippi swinging on one of Gran's many porch swings.

Sun's out, bum's out

One of many naps taken in the car. I had to take this because she is such a blanket baby. She is either cuddling it, like in this picture, or chewing/sucking on it.

Let's just stop for a moment and discuss teething. Whew! I think there should be an awards ceremony for parents and babies after the teething months.

And it should be held on a Disney cruise ship.

She has taken a liking to baby dolls lately. Especially this one, (which was mine as a girl).

She pats it in the face to show how much she cares.

This is how I find her sleeping 98.9% of the time-

no cover and stretched out as far as humanly possible.

Bath-baby pictures are the best.

And chicken is her favorite. We decided early on that we would take the "child-led weaning" approach with her so that she could feed herself whenever she was ready. (Which is just a fancy way of saying, "we started offering her real food from an early age from the table".) She wasn't quite ready at 6 months... she would gag really easily on anything that had a thickness to the texture. But after month 7 she's been eating everything we eat and it's so easy! Her favorite foods right now are french toast, grilled cheeses, yogurt melts, chicken in any form or fashion, and this girl will eat blueberries faster than I can cut them in half for her.

Obviously.

Lastly, the Reggio teacher in me has to end this 8 month post talking about Juliet exploring light and shadow. There is something so magical about light. No matter the extent of your understanding of the science behind light, it always ignites curiosity and wonder within us. The real magic is watching my sweet girl making sense of the world around her; discovering shapes and lines, exploring the movement of light and how she relates to it. For 10 minutes I watched her lean towards her shadow trying to make contact as well as chase the shadows of her hands, up and down the light path in her room.

"Light is vital for life, has great metaphorical significance, and is a highly fascinating element which children encounter in their everyday experience, from a very early age. Children encounter light- a natural phenomena in general- with strategies which are at once relational-affective and rational-cognitive. The first triggering elements are wonder and curiosity, i.e. the activation of a questioning intelligence." -The Wonder of Learning, The Hundred Languages of Children.

Our Weekend

8:22 PM

This weekend called for some much needed rest, morning snuggles, meeting long-lost-friends for brunch, inviting friends over for grilled chicken sandwiches and a game of corn hole, discovering Blue Bloods on Netflix, and of coarse celebrating Daddy as well.