Tag Archives: baby

dear peanut {seven months}

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seven months, baby girl.

aren’t you one sophisticated miss?  look at you in your string of pearls.  this mama is kind of having an anne shirley and matthew moment over here.  {i hope you love your anne with an e as much as your mama does}

oh elinor, you have such a sweet temperament.  with glimmers of intensity, of course.  you play and squeal and smile and chat.  and then you grab a toy or a book with such tenacity and just stare it down…before letting out a serious guttural baby bellow.  you growl until there is no air left in your diaphragm and your face starts turning purple.  like i said, intense.  but we love it.  you are truly sugar and spice.

you are officially eating now.  and it is hilarious.  watching you grasp and gum and respond with your super expressive faces is our new favorite.  and your favorite?  butter.  straight up butter.  and fancy butter, no less.  cultured, pasture, european style butter.  the good stuff.  that’s our girl.  avocados?  sure.  you like them.  bananas?  you tolerate.  beets?  no thank you.  but give the girl some butter and it is shiny, happy times.  how very parisian of you.  next thing we know you will be sipping cappuccino and nibbling on croissant.  you are already far too chic.

but you aren’t all style and no substance, you are quite the bookworm.  while you are fascinated by your toys and all things chewable, you are really into all things readable.  it is so cute.  and papa is so proud.  you have started bypassing the playthings in favor of your books.  you like to roll onto your belly, cuddle up with your mozart monkey, grab a good book, and just settle in.  you arrange the book just so and delicately flip the pages.  i hope that you always have this love of the written word.  it will serve you well.

and speaking of words – you are starting to speak a few words!  you make these precious sounds and string them together like you are just having a conversation with us.  and little girl, we understand.  and we love it.  your choice conversational staples?  bababa.  muuuaaahhhh.  pppffff.  buuuuh.  and have i mentioned my personal favorite?  mamama.  oh that one just melts me.  i know that you don’t actually equate those mouth and tongue movements with ME, your mama, but it doesn’t even matter.  wowee.  how sweet it is.  and i know it will continue to get more amazing.  i can’t wait to have real chit-chats with you.  about books and movies and clothes and friends and JESUS.  won’t that be the best?

and p.s. that will of yours?  still totally there.  your latest exhibition is during dinnertime.  when you are done eating you let out a tight-lipped grunt while arching your back.  you scary little thing.  already so particular and strong.  i can almost envision your toddler tantrums now…

love, love, love,

your mama + your papa

{those pearls.  they were given to you by grandma and grandpa ridley in honor of your dedication day}

dear peanut {six months}

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happy six months, my sweet little peanut! 

a very merry half birthday to you.

{did i just type half birthday?  as in, half way to one year old? good gracious.}

how happy and effervescent are you?  big eyes.  expressive brows.  wispy, warm blonde hair.  button nose.  wide, gummy grin that extends all the way to your long, curled toes.  your strong and chub-a-licious legs.

and those bright pantaloons.  dressing you is getting better and better.  although, i have imposed a bit of a fancywear embargo for our everyday apparel since you are such a droolypuss.  and talk about much ado about nothing!  not a tooth to be found.  any day now, i expect one of those pearly whites to just pop through, officially signaling your passage from infanthood into toddlerness.  but, in spite of the salivafest, nothing dental to report.  {hold off, little tooth.  stay safely nestled in those precious pink gums.  let my baby girl be a baby for just a smidge longer.  pretty please.}

by the way, you are in the 2nd percentile for height and weight.  tinier than 98% of the baby population.  the doctor just giggles as she reads it.  she thinks you are the cutest, petite little bundle.  and she is sufficiently impressed by your half-year-mark abilities.  you are small.  but FIERCE.  determined and strong.  frankly, your papa and i are already shuddering at your will.  ever since you learned that rolling is a handy way to get around, you are all over the place.  and fast too.  as soon as i plop you down, you are on the move.  rolling and shifting and grunting and flapping your arms wildly, beating on your belly little a little drum.  you pull at the blanket and shimmy until everything is just so…and then, you are off again.  rolling, rolling, rolling.

it is amazing to watch as your brain processes the world around you.  making connections.  perceiving space.  comprehending relationships.  now, when you see a toy {or anything that tickles your fancy, for that matter. fabric, earrings, ponytails, dog ears, etc.} that is outside of your reach, the wheels begin turning as you concoct a plan for how to get your little fingers on it.  it usually involves some grunts of frustration, a few furrowed brow glances at papa, followed by strategic rolls and flops and toe curls and pulls…and then, voila! your little fingers arrive at your desired location.  you grasp for your toy, pull it toward yourself, clutch it lovingly, and flop over onto your back in sheer victory and delight.  and while it isn’t pleasant to hear your sounds of annoyance and see you strain, it is pure magic to see your face in that moment.  that moment when you realize what you have overcome and accomplished.  and then, your parents realize how much you have grown.  how big you are.  you are doing so much.  you have such an independent streak.  we can already tell that you are going to keep us on our toes.  that you will challenge us.  that you have soooo much more that you are eager to learn and do.  that you have a big and bold personality locked and loaded in that tiny frame. “and though she be but little, she is fierce.”  that you will be complex and contemplative and analytical.  you will surprise us and enchant us.  bright, bright, bright.

we can’t wait to watch as your personality continues to develop.  we can’t wait to see what God has in store for you.  and we pray that God equips us to parent you with grace and strength.  may we point you to Him.  may you love Him deeply and follow after Him passionately.  may your childlike wonder continue as you explore His world and His words.  may you hold His promises to your chest and treasure them in your heart.  may you savor His presence.  may you experience and rely on His tender kindness and mercies.  we look forward to watching you as you grasp for and cling to His Word with tenacity and untamed love.  we pray that you will comprehend His precepts, revel in the joy and freedom that He provides, and walk boldly and victoriously.  “let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move mountains.”  through the power of Christ’s redeeming love – in Christ alone, soli Deo gloria - may you move mountains little girl.

love, love, love,

your mama + your papa

un fin de semana de diversión con las casablancas

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this was a great weekend.  we had lots of sunshine and a lovely breeze.

and we kicked things off with big bowls of spicy goodness from good ol’ chipotle.  that place is just so darn good.  spice and flavor.  and meat.  oh, you tasty barbacoa, you.

and then, we wrapped up the weekend {and celebrated cinco de mayo} with a little fiesta with ben’s family.  with refreshing homemade sorbet and everything!  i’m talking mango + lime sorbet with a sprinkling of ancho chile powder to add some warmth.  increíblemente deliciosa.  what a relaxing day.  street tacos and fresh salsas…oh yes, and hanging out with our baby girl.  a baby girl who is looking older and older and less baby-ish each day.  sigh.

date night @ searsucker

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oh brian malarkey.  you culinary conceptual genius, you.  thank you for gracing us with one of your restaurants here in the desert.  we thank you.

so my hubby ate at the original searsucker when he was in san diego for his boys weekend.  he came home and bragged about the best brunch ever.  and yes, pregnant me was very jealous of his gastro good time.  but then!  we discovered that mr. malarkey would soon be opening a searsucker in scottsdale {insert happy dance here}.  we waited for what felt like forever… long enough to have a baby even.  and then we finally stopped by for some brunch.  well, it was really something.  totally lived up to all my man’s bragging.

so, when we were planning our sans baby date night for this week {thank you grandparents!} we decided to give te dinner menu at searsucker a go.  good move, us.  it was amazing.  we didn’t even touch the real entrees, we just dabbled in small dish land. and oh my.  so darn yummy.  dare i say, scrumtrulescent?  yes, i dare say that.  we tried quite a few dishes and took our time savoring each one.  so much fun.  and so tasty.  if you are a local…go here.  and go here often.  it will rock your world people.

here’s what we had:

house made cinnamon infused bourbon + lime + ginger beer + bitters

cheddar puffers

nuts + spice + salt

duck fat fries + tomato jam

chicken + waffle + frank’s

shrimp “spicy” + bacon grits

and p.s. the menu descriptions are deceptively simple…what lies underneath is total creativity and flavor complexity.  i love that the menu is totally chill and then when you taste the dish it is like “woah!”  for example:  nuts + spice + salt = spice coated roasted nuts with a salty sweet, crunchy glaze.  they were the yummiest nuts i have ever had.  plain as that.

dear peanut {five months}

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happy five months, little miss elinor!  that is one whole hand’s worth.  just a few weeks shy of your half-birthday.  eeep!

you are five months…going on fifth grade.  personality is bubbling out all over the place.  you are effervescent.  and, at times, somewhat scary.  you will be a handful, for sure.  no shortage of attitude and energy and opinions and zest and personality here.  no ma’am.  but, we wouldn’t want it any other way.  and the battles of the will are already beginning.  for example: your new favorite is bathtime flailing.  on one hand, super cute.  you are discovering that you can lift your bottom up and then plop yourself down and all the water will rush up onto your belly.  you also like to plug the faucet with your big toe so that the water sprays every which way.  and, you like to spread out your hands and place them on the surface of the water like one of those water strider bugs and then you slowly raise your hands up before…splash!  okay, but on the other hand, potentially hazardous.  you have also discovered that you can kick the knobs and make them move.  and while i applaud your chimpanzee dexterity, it also freaks me out when you get your toes on the cold water knob because you never kick it to make the water colder…you always shut that guy off.  leaving only a stream of hot water.  {pretty sure this tops the caring for an infant no-no list}  and so, i find myself washing you with one hand while keeping the other up as a blocker.  which you have taken as a challenge, of course.  break through the barrier!  get to the hot water so i can burn my delicate baby belly skin!  with every kick attempt, i respond with a firm, “no elinor” and a grab of the foot.  and my oh my, you aren’t too keen on that.  you arch your back and furrow your brow…and wind up for another kick.  determined and defiant little thing.  and i am not trying to be the ogre who ruined bathtime but jeepers, i don’t think you will enjoy third-degree burns.  sheesh.  and so, my prayers are that i will be able to engage you firmly and with grace.  that the battles to come will result in softer spirits and molded wills.  that your papa and i can protect you while also teaching you to discern and navigate without our assistance.  most of all, we just pray that God shows us what to do next.

you are quite persnickety about your naptime, my dear.  you love your sleep.  but you want it done a certain way.  we have created a creature of habit.  i just know that you will have a super chic dayplanner like me one day and we can be all nerdy together and “check our calendars” and “pencil things in” and “check!” things off when we have successfully completed them.  but i hope that you have some enjoy-the-moment-let’s-be-spontaneous-go-with-the-flow-ness in there too.  so…sleep.  you like to go for a solid 12-hour stretch at night and i wake you up around 8:30 for some breakfast.  and i am pretty sure that if you didn’t need to eat to survive, you would keep right on snoozing until noon.  really, you just wake up so that you can enjoy your first meal of the day, roll around a bit, and sing and squeal.  then, you very quickly shift from a ball of happy energy to a sweet little sleepy thing.  the thumbsucking begins and i swoop in and whisk you away for your nap.  what a life.  and when it comes to your nap, you like things just so.  rushing water setting on your sleep sheep.  check.  swaddled up all tight and plopped onto your side.  check.  arms exposed so you have an easy thumb path should you become startled and need a bit of soothing to doze off again.  check.  a super soft blanket draped over you and tucked up by your hands so you can rub it between your fingers as you fall asleep.  check.  and, the most important element:  a solid window for naptime, no less than 1.5 hours in duration.  you don’t mess around.  your papa and i have learned that if we are busy and find ourselves with only 45 minutes for a nap, it is best to just let you play and catnap in our arms or in some kind of carrier contraption.  because “not it!” on being the one who has to wake you up from your truncated nap.  oooohh you give us such a death stare.  chilling.

currently… you love rolling yourself in your blanket like the cutest little burrito bundle.  you drool constantly.  you nibble on everything.  you are fascinated by dishes and cups. {probably because you are smart enough to understand that they are food and beverage vessels}  you like to impress us with your feats of strength, flipping from back to belly and the back again.  you are kind of a mama’s girl which is really cute but can hurt your papa’s feelings.  {i continue to reassure him that this is a phase and that pretty soon i will be old news and he will be her hero}

you have taught us so much in these past months.  and we know that we will all continue to grow and learn together as our little family.  you have taken me out of my type-A comfort zone.  and teach me patience and kindness.  and your sweet papa…oh, he just loves you and wants to wrap you all up and keep you safe.  forever.  he is learning to relax and let you explore the world…and even squawk at inopportune times.  you stretch us, sweet girl.  and we are grateful that God is using itty-bitty you to teach us and mold us.  we want to do this parenting thing well.

i must say that communication is getting better and better.  you are much more vocal these days.  and not just those newborn waaahhs.  you have a whole repertoire.  squawks and squeaks and giggles and ooohs and aaahs and weees.  a sound for every occasion.  and we are starting to understand your cues.  plus, you are adding in new facial expressions to help us along.  some of them are just copycat faces, i’m sure.  but others are indelible parts of your personality.  you have your sassy sideways glance.  you have your own smile of glee.  and you have your serious/focused face.  all you.  it will be so amazing to see how your face changes over the years but still maintains your very own expressions.  and one day, when someone says something absurd and you respond with that wilting sideways glance, i will just about burst.  remembering that very same expression that you have made since you were a wee one in diapers and a feathered headband.

love, love, love,

your mama + your papa

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the eyes have it.

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this little ball of blue-eyed cuteness is happy as can be that monday is here.  her mama and papa?  well, not so much.  our eyes are sleepy today and could use just one more day of lounging.  but the little one?  she is bright-eyed and ready to take on a new week of baby happenings.

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oh sweet elinor, may you always view each day with joyful anticipation and tenacity. 

…and may your parents be inspired by your spirit.

dear peanut {four months}

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happy four months, miss elinor!

wow-ee.  four months old, huh?  i can hardly believe that you will be wearing your 6-12 month summer dresses soon.  you are such a big girl.  and i must say, you are an absolute delight.  so cheery and smiley and fun.  little bits of your personality are shining through and it is amazing.  you are so entertaining.  becoming more and more like a little person.

you are quite distracted these days.  your mind is always going as you process the world around you.  it is so funny to see what fascinates you.  a cup, my toes, your fingers, stripes, the wall.  you just can’t get enough of your environment.  your new favorite is your wall of prints in your room.  you will take a break from your bedtime snack to just lounge and stare.  i watch your eyes as they dart around, settle on an image, and then move on to the next.  each one is like a new adventure.  you sigh and smile and ooh and aah.  so darn cute.  and that print of the “peanut riding the unicorn” definitely holds an extra special place in your heart, you seem to have a real connection there.  but you are also mesmerized by the picture of cinderella’s castle.  oh little girl, what fun we will have at disneyland one day!

you are mostly an independent player.  we are simply observers.  you swat at your dangley bugs, you nibble on your toys, and you suck on your thumb while chatting away.  every so often, you allow us to be a part of playtime.  and that is pure delight.  but i do love how content you are to kick and squawk and entertain yourself.  and playtime has become much more exciting these days because you are so much mor active and squiggly.  you like to do an exaggerated flip from side to side to show off those baby obliques.  and you like to press the bottoms of your feet together and hold them up in the air while you hum and coo.  then, you will take in as much air as you can and extend your legs and arms simultaneously to kick off your bicycling legs action while you exhale and make rapid panting puppy dog sounds.  after all that is done, you will let out a big sigh before getting back into it.  this time, you add in a backbend/scoot which allows you to shift your body and move yourself in little circles.  major cirque du soleil moves going on.

and once you have tired yourself out, you move your head to the side and stare off into the distance while breathing slowly and deeply – and occasionally rubbing your little eyes.  this is when we get to swoop in and scoop you up for a nap.  these few moments are the best.  you sigh and nuzzle and grab onto our shirt and melt into a little ball of sweetness.  all that energy dissipates and you become a calm and sleepy thing who just wants to cuddle for a bit.  and so, we squeeze you and dance with you and you smile.  and then, in goes the thumb and you drift off into sleepyland.  being a baby is tiring, after all.  and you love your sleep.

you adore your stroller.  you love excursions.  lunches, shopping, walks, whatever.  the fresh air agrees with you and you seem to really enjoy listening to the din of the world from the comfort of your stroller {with your little mozart the monkey companion, of course}.  i want you to know that your parents SO appreciate your accommodating and contented spirit.  you go with the flow and let us take you wherever we go.  we hope that you will always enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new things.  may you maintain that sense of adventure.  may you always be confident and bold as you explore and enjoy the world that God has created.

and the faces, oh the faces.  as your personality emerges more and more, your expressions are becoming more meaningful.  you don’t just give us involuntary facial spasms.  you do it with purpose.  you furrow your brow, you roll your eyes, you smile sweetly, you shoot us a sideways glance, you raise an eyebrow…each expression is a distinct communication. we love it.  and we hope that you always flex your expression muscles.  we like a good dramatic face around here.

love, love, love,

your mama + your papa

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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welcome to monday, folks!  this was such a lovely little weekend.  i hope you can say the same.  while the east coasters sloshed through the nemo snow, we attended an outdoor art show with the addition of our winter scarves to fight the fifty degree chill.  brrrr.

easy, easy grumpy cold people.  this is our bragging season.  you may hate me now but your time will come.  i will see you in mid-july with your “nana nana boo boo” remarks when we are being baked in the oven that is arizona.  dry heat, schmy heat.  what i am getting at is that this weekend was great.  we bundled up and wandered outdoors to take advantage of these rare cool, cloudy days.  a nice family lunch date.  some grocery shopping.  and then retreating to our home for some coffee sipping and book reading.  good stuff.

here are a few of my favorite snaps from our weekend together.  and make sure to camp out on the last pic of my handsome man and our sweet daughter.  would you look at him?  holding her hands while she naps.  and isn’t baby-wearing the cutest?  love them.

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us + the amazing purple wall at culinary dropout + pretzel fondue + my tuna salad…with roasted cashews and wasabi peas + the best sandwich ever.  the turkey pastrami + a little lunch stop for elinor at nordstrom + a papa and his girl

dear peanut {three months}

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happy three month anniversary, sweet one.

so, you are three months old now.  it is remarkable how much you process each and every day and how much you absorb and grow.  you change so quickly.  your little mind is expanding. you are moving so fast.

you are smitten with your left hand.  mostly, your little thumb.  which has become the cutest little soggy digit that you ever did see.  such joy and admiration.  you lie on your back and study each little finger while you hold your hand up just marveling at the beauty. i hope you’ll always understand that it doesn’t take nail polish and trinkets to be pretty and interesting.  you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  beautiful just as you are.  a darling little lovely from God.  may you always marvel at His works.

{and then, you stuff your thumb in your mouth and gurgle}

you like to sit up and look around.  your head bobs a bit and you tighten your tummy.  this vantage point amuses you for a spell and then you are over it and wish to return to your squirmy mat where you and kick and semi-flip and do mini-backbends and flap like a hummingbird and bat at your dangly bug friends.  you are charming.

you make faces all the time.  in fact, it is difficult to get a normal and non-swishy looking photo of you because your face is always moving around.  i end up taking about 300 rapidfire shots and almost everyone looks drastically different.  i think you get that dramatic face from your mama.  sorry.  it comes in handy for stage work but it can make the photogenic thing for everyday life a bit of a problem.  i hope that you learn to embrace this hyper-expressiveness.  it will make for some very lively pictures.

every once in a while, i have a flash of what you will look like during your sassy teen years.  you shoot me a sideways glance, curl your upper lip, lift your brows, and dramatically roll those big eyes of yours in the other direction.  and sometimes you even shift your body weight while doing so and give me “the hand”.  cheeky little thing.  but then, you roll right back my way and flash that giggly, toothless grin and all is well.

by the way, you have already discovered the manipulative power of a strategically placed cry.  every so often, you will give us a sad little look, whimper, turn on the tears, and pull out the pièce de résistance – the pouty lip.  you aren’t much of a crier but when you do, it is kind of heartbreaking.  we aren’t fans of the cry.  and we try to resist the urge to say “oooohhhh…” and hop, skip, jump into some kind of pathetic parenting action.  but as i mentioned, that pièce de résistance gets us every time.  oh little girl.

also, you talk all the time.  all. the. time.  you talk to the buddies.  you talk to your papa.  you talk to your fingers {by default since they are in your mouth all the time these days} you talk to the crawleys of downton.  you talk to the record player.  you talk to your blanket.  you talk to your books.  and you love to talk to the art in your room.  your new favorite is to take a conversational break while i am feeding you.  you pause, give me that demure smile of yours, and then we have a little chat while you stare at your art.  like a fancy little connoisseur or museum curator.  currently, you seem to have an affinity for “the peanut riding a unicorn” piece.  but i’m sure your tatses will continue to evolve.

a few weeks ago, you added another sound to your vocal repertoire – the velociraptor squawk.  but it is like a glitter-covered, big pink bow wearing, magical fairy dust version.  high-pitched squeals of delight.  your eyes dialate.  your arms begin to flap wildly.  your legs and teeny toes get into the action too.  you get the whole body working and then emit the largest giggly screech.  so cute.

you are becoming more and more interactive and delightful.  we can carry on conversations.  you sing along with music.  you giggle when you get tummy raspberries.  you look around the room when we dance.  and you wrap your little fingers around our shirt when we hold you – you cling to us.  and oh, we sure are attached to you.  we love you little girl.

love, love, love,

your mama + your papa

hipster baby

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much to my chagrin, elinor had a bit of a hipster moment the other day.  we had stripes going on.  she was wearing a baby cardigan.  and somehow, her little hair wisps styled themselves into a fashionable mohawk.  hmmm… i guess you can say that we have latent hipster tendencies here at the whitehouse home.  {sigh}  i was really hoping that we wouldn’t be those people, ya know? sorry about that, baby girl.

on that note, check out this hilarious book that we were given for christmas.  so we kind of think of it as a funny ha-ha, but i’m sure that fifteen years from now this will be the status quo for baby books.  oh, future generations…