Summer 2016 Snapshots

As I'm writing this our house is full of sniffles & coughs, plus one dog with a pulled leg that needs carrying up the stairs (thank goodness for strong husbands).

But with summer 2016 officially over I can't help reflecting back on what an amazing season it was.  Probably the most amazing in both Eric's & my life.  Reflecting led to scrolling through photos which led to tears & holding baby close.

So to celebrate Throwback Thursday I wanted to share a mini collection of what has to be over a thousand photos that I've take since Cooper has been born.  Thank goodness for digital cameras- can you imagine if we still used film??

So here's a peek at weeks 2 through 14, just look at all that dark hair disappear then get slowly replaced with blond peach fuzz!

2 Weeks

4 Weeks

6 Weeks

8 Weeks

10 Weeks

12 Weeks

14 Weeks

I sometimes wish I could pause & rewind to these summer moments, but also am loving the first couple weeks of autumn & all the new memories its sure to bring <3

I'd love to hear your favorite TBT memory with baby from summer 2016 & what you're looking forward to for fall.  Can you say hellooo pumpkin season??

Baby Boy Fall Style

During tax free week in August I stocked up for fall with all 6 month sizes, but made the classic new mom mistake of cutting tags & washing all of the clothes as soon as I got home; only to have Coops get a growth spurt & outgrow a handful of them before it was even chilly enough to wear long sleeves. Lesson learned.  

So we ended up taking advantage of some a-mah-zing Labor Day sales to re-stock, purchasing all 12 month & a few 9 month sizes.  I figured we could roll sleeves & pant legs up to get twice the amount of time out of clothes- turns out all the 12 month bodysuits are a perfect fit & only the pants need a roll-up.

Here are a few of my favorites now in Cooper's closet, plus one button-front bodysuit that I'm eyeing for Thanksgiving (how cute would that be with those overalls??).  

3 Pack Thermal Bodysuits // Hiker Boot Crib Shoes // Denim Overalls
Denim-Like Leggings // Puffer Jacket // Gingham Button-Front Bodysuit

I'd love to hear about your favorite Fall pieces & what you have your eye on this season!
Happy Tuesday all <3 

Favorite Reads: Bear Edition

We had a huge black bear in our yard this past week which may not sound crazy to any of you reading from further north but for us in Branford it's a big deal.

The fluffy bear walked the entire back of our property line & scared me half to death when I realized one of the dogs could be outside (but fortunately wasn't).  So for now we're doing our afternoon yard reading a bit closer to the house but just for fun we grabbed a couple bear books to read this week.

"oh baby" Messenger Tote

Little Owl's Night

Coops ADORES this book. Not sure if it's the contrasting colors or fun story about an owl's nighttime experiences but he starts chatting merrily every time we're a few pages in.  Plus super sweet illustrations & I just learned there's a day version (Little Owl's Day) that we'll have to check out next.

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
& Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Brown Bear is a classic, but I didn't know there was a Panda Bear version until a couple weeks ago.  Love the Panda book with all of its wildlife illustrations & Cooper was enthralled by the same.
Coops has started to turn pages, this way or that, or just play with the edges of his cardboard books making Brown Bear perfect for him & leaving me in awe at how fast he's developing.

Baby Bear Counts One
The illustrations in this book are breathtaking.  Seriously.  I wish I could frame the pages for baby's nursery, plus the story is super sweet following a baby bear & his mother as they get ready for winter & see other animals doing the same- counting to 10 along the way.

Little Owl's Night

For even more books on our wish list check out Cooper's Library on Pinterest where I save everything we want to add to our own library.  And as always we love hearing suggestions on books to read next!  What are some of your favorites?

Hello Fall

Oh fall we've missed you so!  Bring on the pumpkins, hearty meals & colorful leaves. Plus having baby around this year makes our favorite season all the sweater (I mean sweeter, hello fall pun <3).

Even though it's mid-September I wasn't ready for the chilly mornings we've had all week, especially mixed with humid afternoons in the 80s. But diving into bins full of sweaters, leggings & boots just about made my day yesterday afternoon.

Coops is ready for the new season after some ah-ma-zing labor day weekend sales, but wearing my recently unpacked cold weather clothes (& jeans instead of sweat shorts, eek) at 3 months postpartum is new to me. So cue leggings- lots of leggings & THIS hair elastic jean trick that got me through the first few months of pregnancy, but is also perfect for that time when you want to avoid buying new denim during that in between maternity & pre-baby clothes.

I hate doing it, but covering up those adorable baby toes is turning into a must.  At least there are oodles of cute crib shoes out there like these sneakers & these hiker boots that we've stocked Cooper's closet with.  Combined with a set of mini moccasins that was gifted to us means we're set for the next few months.

Fall is also turning into the perfect season for Coops to learn how to grab- with leaves already on the ground he loves carrying them around the yard or house & refusing to let go.

Now it's your turn friends- what are some crib shoe favorites or fall clothing essentials for you or baby?  And follow along for a glimpse at Cooper's new wardrobe later this month.

Pullover Sweatshirt // Pants // Mocs were a Gift

Date Night Ideas with baby

I was so excited to guest blog over at Tonight's Better Together this week & talk about how we've been keeping Friday date nights alive since Cooper was born.  This article was so fun to write that I wanted to share it on our own feed too so read on & be sure to check out TBT's page for even more date night ideas.

We love supporting local businesses and bloggers. That’s why we’re excited to have Kristina Lough from the blog, “Loughs in Love” and local business, “Painted by the Shore“. You can find her beautiful hand painted totes, glasses and other goodies in shops across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. We hope you enjoy her fun (and honest) perspective of motherhood and date nights. Make sure to leave her a comment if you’ve enjoyed her post!

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About a year before baby, my husband Eric and I instituted Friday date nights. Each week we take turns planning something fun to do together. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a chance to set aside everything else and enjoy time with one another.

Cue baby Cooper. Our first date night after Coops was born consisted of Chinese food and bedtime for the both of us at 7:30pm. We were exhausted and actually getting that quality time back seemed seriously far fetched. Especially when the next couple of weeks passed with the same, take out food and early to bed.

Until one Friday I announced that I needed a night out. So we called mom to babysit, grabbed a six pack and headed to one of our favorite outdoor restaurants, Lenny and Joe’s. It was perfect and though leaving Cooper at home that first time was harder than I could have imagined, it was necessary for us both to take a breather.

In the couple of months that followed, we took date night to a whole new level; going from drives along the shoreline (in a car without a car seat), trips to the movie theater and romantic dinners to tables for three. We still take turns planning, only now the dates are (usually) more family oriented. Here are a few examples:

Beach-y Evenings

Hubs planned this one – we packed up the stroller, ordered a pizza, picked up a bottle of wine and headed to Jacob’s Beach in Guilford, CT where we dined and walked along the water’s edge.

Super Fun Night In

This date night was all me – I grilled pizza (super easy to make, I’ll share the recipe later on Loughs in Love), rented The Big Short (something that led to learning lots of new investment terms) and busted out the glow-in-the-dark ring toss (which turned into less tossing and more watching Coops shake the rings happily in the air).

Ice Cream is Our New Best Friend

When I was pregnant, ice cream was one of my more frequent cravings. It didn’t matter if it was February and on the brink of snowing. When that Ashley’s Ice Cream craving hit, we were headed to the car as fast as I could waddle. It’s a little easier to walk now but the craving still hits once and a while, leading to lots of ice cream visits over the summer.

Fall is Fair Season

Fairs are one of our favorite ways to spend a fall evening – the perfect combination of farm animals, delicious food and games. So we bundled Coops up, loaded the stroller and headed out to the Guilford Fair this past Friday. It was a perfect night filled with together-time and watching our sweet baby meet four-legged friends with kicks and smiles that made it all the more memorable.

Park Time

Foote Memorial Park in our hometown of Branford, CT is one of our favorite spots, morning or afternoon. It’s filled with playgrounds for all ages, a walking path, marina views and exercise equipment. The perfect area to walk and chat or set up a blanket with baby, a bottle and snacks.

Are date nights less romantic with baby? Occasionally yes, and in particular when you’re having a sunset picnic and he explodes out his pants and into the car seat he’s sitting in (#truestory). But it’s more romantic and special in so many other ways that I treasure setting or asking for a table for three, or two, depending on the night.

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Friday Night Lights

We've taken Coops to a couple of smaller fairs, during which he fell asleep both times. But this past Friday we decided to risk taking him in public during bewitching hour (think a pint sized version of Jekyll meets Hyde) & head one town over from us to the Guilford Fair.

The weather was amazing- one of those end of summer air is crisp kind of nights. So hubs & I broke out the long sleeves & Coops got to wear one of his new sweatshirts that I ordered a couple of weeks back <3 <3

Striped French Terrie Hoodie // Fleece Pants

And then... bewitching hour never came. We did everything from eating fried dough to meeting farm animals to watching the clowns. It was one of those perfect never forget it kind of nights & then the little darling fell asleep on the walk back to the car (#thatsmykindofnight).

We got home & Coops slept right through my getting him ready for bed, which is definitely on my list of top ten cutest things baby does, & in the crib he went to dream about all those farm animals.

Next up- I'm on the hunt for a Punkin Chunkin event in the CT area- anyone know of any??

Favorite Reads

By now you know we're huge readers around here, & I had to share these new books we've gathered up since last month's Favorite Reads.  With summer winding down (sniff sniff) we're enjoying every possible minute reading outside until it gets too chilly.  My new goal is to get Cooper's reading nook finished by the holidays (fingers crossed).

Harry the Dirty Dog

I recognized the cover of this as soon as I saw it in the bookstore.  With the contrasting black & white pictures Coops was riveted the first time we read it. And we've already sat down twice reading aloud with our own dogs on each side. 

Where the Wild Things Are

I wasn't a fan of this book growing up. There I said it, feel free to throw stones. But my husband was, so having a little boy I decided to give it another go & fell in love. Plus Coops is captivated by the monsters. Staring in awe & listening as I read every time which says something because this is definitely a long one for a 14 week old.

That's not my puppy...

Even though I'm not participating in tons of events right now with PS, we still love to go to them & support local.  So at Woofstock this year (super fun afternoon if you're in the Branford CT area come August) we came upon a Children's tent & chose this touchy feely board book where each puppy page has something you can pet.  Coops isn't too excited to play with the textures yet, but LOVES the bright colors. 

On the Night You Were Born

This one is hands down my new favorite; the drawings are amazing, writing is phenomenal & Cooper chats along smiling as soon as I open the first page. 

What are some of your favorite reads?  We love suggestions to keep building our own library, plus follow Cooper's Library on Pinterest to see our constantly updated book wish list.

Laughter & Spit Up

It's 5:30 in the morning & I'm walking baby back to bed when he spits up all over me, himself & then a huge splash sounds on our hardwood floors. And I cannot stop laughing. Neither can he.

I'm looking into the biggest toothless grin he's made yet & the coos are starting. It hits me that this is going to be a wonderful day.

I clean us up, clean the floor (after being shocked one of our dogs didn't snatch that delicious treat right up), feed baby once more & put him back to bed where he chats with himself before falling  asleep. Then I take out my phone & start writing. I want to remember this moment, a messier one but a moment nonetheless.

I sometimes forget in between the mad dash to get work done, keep the house clean & run errands that this is life. It is crazy wonderful, including the spit up.

Today will be filled with some quality Aunt time, a play group at the library, visit with great grandfather, a bank run, a stop at Michael's craft store & all that before Grandma stops by later on to give me a rest.  We are so blessed to live near as much family as we do. It keeps my heart full & there's no shortage of fun times for Cooper.

So on this wonderful day, as the sunrise is starting to peek through the shades, I want to remember that it started with laughter & spit up, & I wouldn't have it any other way.

Baby speak

Every morning Coops wakes up happily chatting & we plop him right onto one of our laps to have morning conversations.  We talk to him in his coos & giggles, mimic his facial expressions & use words to keep the talks going.  It's definitely a favorite part of the day for all 3 of us & something I've grown to treasure.

Aside from that we read books, sometimes one a day, or when he's in the mood we'll do up to a half dozen in a couple sit down sessions like today.  It's perfect for quality downtime & gives me a chance to relax after constant running around (#momlife).  And now 12 weeks in Coops will read stories back to me in his own language.  Even pausing for pages to be turned before chatting again.  It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Another of Coop's top 10 favorite things to do is chat with home fixtures.  It seems whatever room we're in or house we're visiting he'll find lights, ceiling fans or windows & visit with them; often kicking & waving his arms to get closer for a better look.

I can't believe how much Coops absorbs every day, babies are such amazing sponges that we're blessed with the once in a lifetime opportunity to fill with knowledge & fun.  Speaking of fun- what does everyone do for activities in the fall/winter?  Right now we spend so much time outside I can't imagine being without that time for a week let alone the chilly months to come!

Rolling rolling rolling

Our sweet little boy is growing so fast. Half of me wants time to slow & the other half can't even contain herself with all these amazing milestones going on.  I swear every day there's a small change & every few weeks there's a huge one.

Speaking of- Coops is officially on the move, rolling over for THE FIRST TIME at 10 weeks!! He went twice from back to stomach & I cried happy tears both times. We haven't had a full roll since, just lots of half rolls & kicks to get there but it seems every big milestone Cooper hits he'll do a couple of times, then nothing for a week or two followed by non-stop.  

Along with the rolling came a lot more wiggles that have him going in circles on the play mat & starting to move toward toys or four-legged friends that he wants to play with.

Plus we've started grabbing like crazy- holding on to everything from toys to pinching my arms while I breastfeed (nursing necklace recommendations anyone??) to grabbing hair. That last one, combined with the postpartum hair loss that started last week, may be my least favorite. I swear there's a couple of my hairs in his little fist at least half the time I look down.  Which makes me panic over my hair thinning & laugh at the same time with how cute Coops is with a fist full of red curls & that giant toothless smile on his face.  

Post rollover smiles :)