InstaFriday 5.18.12

It's Friday again, which means it's time for a phone photo dump! InstaFriday is fun because it lets me tell the story of our week through the iPhone pictures that would fallen into the picture abyss. Most of these pictures are edited with #vscocam, check them out!

My first Mother's day was a ton of fun! Cora was a hit at the dim sum restaurant and had fun sitting in her first restaurant high chair. Cora and Stu spoiled me rotten, and I'm super excited to schedule my massage at the Claremont someday soon. My favorite part of the day was our family nap though. Those moments are the best. 

Love this B/W edit through #vscocam

We took pictures to send to our moms for Mother's day, but these sign pictures are becoming more difficult as Cora becomes more aware of things. It's funny to see come up with things to make her look at the camera. 

Cora and I stuck close to home this week, we took a long walk along the Lake Merritt. It was so pretty out.

 I saw this man pushing his wife along the lake and on our way back I saw them just sitting next to each other chatting, looking at birds, and reading. It was so sweet! 

Miss Cordelia finally fell asleep as we were walking, but had a death grip on her pacifier. Seriously though, how cute is she? Her eyelashes are pretty spectacular. 

Lazy mornings in bed are the best. Sleep and breaking the swaddle has been an uphill battle around these parts this week, so we spent most mornings napping next to each other before the day really got started. 

And what would a week be without stuffing diapers every other day? 

Teething pain has been coming and going this week, along with my typically happy, easily comforted baby. So, we're trying out being hippies for the time being with the amber teething necklace that came in the mail Thursday. Jury is still out on if it works or not, but at least it looks super cute! 

Oh, the exersaucer. I was totally against getting one of these monstrosities because our space is so limited, but seriously? Look at that face! She loves it and I melt. Well, that, and our door jams were far too wide for any of the door frame jumpers. Ah, old buildings. 

 We spent our Thursday night driving along I-5 on our way to southern CA for the weekend. Stu has a bachelor party to attend in Ventura, so I decided to tag along and visit the grandparents in Camarillo. This wasn't such a bad nursing view though. What was bad is that 4 hours into the trip we weren't even half way there, stuck in a stinky cow town, trying to calm a very grumpy baby. 7 hours later, at 1:15 am we were back in Camarillo. Oye. 

And the week wouldn't be complete without a dive bomb kiss for daddy in Starbucks. 

Happy Friday! 

Mother's Day

Before yesterday I didn't fully realize how much Mother's Day would mean to me. I mean, I've always wanted to be a mom, and I knew that becoming one would likely turn my sarcasm into sappiness. But to have a day celebrating motherhood: the love, the joys, and the challenges? That was delightful.

Motherhood, from what I understand of my mere 5 months of experience, is a type of emptying. Emptying of yourself for the care of another, emptying your heart, your physical self, your desires for sleep, your plans for the day, and your potential plans or desires for the future. It's a practice of selflessness, and it causes me to look at my own desires and reconsider them in light of this fully-dependent little human. It's challenging. It opens more questions rather than providing answers. It's fulfilling, frustrating, and wonderful.

And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Thanks for making me a mom, baby girl. I'm so glad God chose me for you.

InstaFriday 5.11.12

 

Insta-Friday is a way to share the story of your week through cell phone pictures. Sounds like fun, so here goes nothing!

The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, so we headed out to the farmers market and met up with our friends Lyndsey and Ross with their son Emmett. He's 3 weeks older than Cora and infinitely cooler with his sunglasses.

 On Sunday, Stu had to be at church at 9am for band rehearsal, so Cora and I took a walk through UC Berkeley's campus for a couple hours before church (1 & 2). It was another gorgeous day. We spent most of our week outside on walks trying to stay cool (3). And we're loving the stokke chair! I love having company at the breakfast table (4).

 Cora struggled with naps this week, but I enjoyed some snuggle sleep time as she napped in my arms (1). We grilled out on our patio a LOT this week and Cora loved playing in the portable crib (2&3). We had fun dressing Cora up for a Cinco de Mayo party at the Crandalls' (4).

We are beginning to transition Cora out of her swaddle and into a sleep sack (1). So far, we've had two late, but good nights. I'm just not ready to sleep train. I'm still operating under the delusion that she'll teach herself how to sleep. I'll leave denial soon, I'm sure. Cora likes to wake up slow, and I like to finish my nap time tv, so it works out well (2)! Stu brought home awesome treats from the city (3), and Cora grew a bubble beard (4).

 And that's our week in iPhone pictures! Happy Friday!

Lately...

Lately, I've been searching craigslist for our next apartment, getting frustrated, trusting that something will come along, going to see apartments, not liking them, liking them but not being able to afford them, losing hope, but loving coming home each day to our home. It seems that with every new place that I see, I gain a better appreciation for our wonderful walkable neighborhood, the beautiful character that comes with living in an old building, and our view from my rocking chair as I nurse and rock Cora.

I know this space isn't going to work for us forever. We will eventually grow out of it and we'll either get really lucky and find an equally awesome place in the same neighborhood for a comparable price, or we'll have to make compromises. A backyard for Cora or nearby playgrounds.  A neighborhood that's not quite as walkable but is more affordable. A place with character or modern amenities.  I'm just not ready to make those compromises yet, which I suppose means that I'm just not ready to move our family.

So until then, we'll enjoy being two blocks from the Farmer's Market, one block from Dave and Andrea, around the corner from tempting, delicious restaurants and Starbucks, a 1/2 mile from the lake, John Yoo and the Crandalls, in a gorgeous neighborhood that we love. In a one bedroom apartment with a closet as a nursery.

After all, Harry Potter grew up in a closet, right?