the kid is good at this - L's 1st go at unwrapping a christmas present

we were so excited! ok, ok, -i- was so excited, the package for liam from his aunt & uncle in chicago had arrived. i plopped the present on his lap & his little active fingers began to dig in instantly. talking to and tearing away at the paper. let's call today a dress rehearsal. christmas morning is going to rule!

once he had his little vetch talking bunny open he kind of squealed. then immediately began chewing on his hear. then peek-at-me bunny began talking and L smiled HUGE. wish i'd kept video rolling! thank you, aunt laura & uncle rich!

traditions happen

so... as halloween approached i thought "i want to decorate L's stroller!" for halloween night & so i did, making the above sign for the front of it. then, we ended up snapping photos of L beside his halloween sign on the couch which were so cute.

so when thanksgiving rolled around it dawned on me that i should whip up another "Liam's 1st" sign. and... so i did. as shown below.
then, sure enough, christmas came flying through the universe at us at a lightning speed and the challenge was on once again to craft up a little sign for photos on the 25th. voila! big sigh of relief! i did it!
next up: valentines day! and a tradition is born.

L meets jolly old st. nick

i think i mentioned here how i often text myself "late" at night, things i wish to remember pertaining to L. this was december 12th's...

took you to meet santa today. wasnt really my intention but when i saw the santa at the gardens mall & no lines i had to get you on his lap! sooo..... i walked clear across the mall to nordstrom to change your diaper, feed you and put you in cute clothes for your 1st pics with santa. i was nervous, you've been having some major melt downs lately. plus, some kids are scared of santa, but not you!

you and santa looked upon each other with curious joy, i almost cried. he adored you AND the darling outfit i put you in! you grabbed his beard, looked into his eyes, charmed his socks off. he said to you "you are such a special boy, such a happy baby!" it was a joyful & magical introduction.

oh heck. i haven't posted this yet?! DIY XMAS ornaments for baby L

i told myself i'd be buying little L's "baby's 1st christmas" ornament this year, based upon the fact that these days folding a load of laundry and unloading the dishwasher in one day is an everest-size feat.

eff, i never ever wanted to join the ranks of other mommies who exasperatedly profess such, EFF. i suppose hating such so much seems to provide me with the little spurts of fiery energy (i was once so bloody full of) needed to tackle things like DIYing my sweet baby's 1st ornament.

thankfully L slept through the majority of my michael's trip, and when he did wake up he was enamored enough by the colorful shiny chaos that is a michael's craft store to refrain from a five alarm L melt down (yes, he still has these. my guess is, he will until he's seven or so). of course i acquired the goods for like THREE ornaments, i know not how to stop once on a roll...

anyway, a new friend i've made via la leche league came over with her adorable 11-month old and we got DIYing amidst juggling both babies between L's various distraction contraptions, our laps, etc. holy hell, not easy.

and her brilliant idea to capture each baby's hand print with glitter was a bit of a #fail on my end. L stamped his ornament with his fist mostly, but we made do... that's his cherished masterpiece below, abstract and glittery! i'll love it forever.
sure, the whole process was challenging, i ended up feeding L in one arm whilst trying to paint with the other at one point in hopes of silencing his waa waa's for just five more minutes. but as i said to my new mommy friend, 20 years from now we'll be incredibly fond and nostalgic about the little glittery baubles we set out to make and actually accomplished.
it's not too late loveys, get out to your area craft store and whip up something for your tree with the wee ones, 1st xmas or not. join me in the mess and madness that is the holiday season with a child. ;-) oh the memories...
p.s. the perfect little glitter hand print belongs to the 11-month old. maybe next year...

#DIY xmas baby photo shoot set

i've been collecting and acquiring christmasy odds & ends since they appeared on shelves this season with intentions of creating a festive backdrop for holiday photos. with no snow, tons of palm trees and a #SAHM photo budget, this was essential!

i found sweet felt ornaments, shiny silver jingle bells and sparkling wired star garland at target, the german got the little felt santa basket there too. i picked up this santa-esque faux-shearling trim red velvet blanket @ tj maxx. i acquired the oversized glitter candy canes @ home depot.

then i popped baby L in his sling and got busy DIYing this set. i hung the ornamented garlands from the light fixture above my overstuffed chair. got L all dressed up & started shooting away. stay tuned for family pix & even fun fashiony ones with this backdrop too, should time ever allow. cross your fingers for me please. in the mean time, each time we put L in something festive we'll plop him down here before setting out!