Toddler Bed Continued


Earlier this week Lillian Elouise made the transition from crib to toddler bed (you can read the whole story here). I guess I should say she is still making the transition. Nap and bed times are pretty hit and miss right now. Ben and I text about it all day while he's at work and I have started to feel like Capitan Kirk.

Mommy Log Transition Date 043011:
The LBG* has refused, again, to go quietly. After yelling in her native tongue for several minutes she appears unconscious at the entrance of her lair. I must document this, instagram it and send it to her daddy.

This made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. She is so stubborn.

*LBG = little big girl

being 'that lady'



Poor little Lillian has been super sour for the past few days. I think it's due to the change from crib to toddler bed. Now that she has the freedom to wake up and get right out of bed so does so. Before she would hang out in her crib and slowly wake up for about 30 minutes. She has done a good job sleeping in her big girl bed despite the first night (45 minute crying session) and the nap on the following day (or should I say lack there of). The picture is from our trip to Target this morning. She cried the.whole.time. ugh. It's the worst because I am torn between giving her what ever she wants so she will be quiet and people will stop staring at me and being strong. I keep repeating in my head "I am the mother. I am in charge. She doesn't get to have whatever she wants whenever she wants it." It worked today. I am just praying that she gets used to this new routine so I can have my sweet girl back.

The Mischief of Lillian Elouise - The Toddler Bed

I had some pretty big blogging goals for today. I had a big post to finish putting together that would kick off a new series but Lilly had big plans too. And although I may not have accomplished mine she sure accomplished hers.


If you are wondering why Miss Lillian Elouise has a big grin on her face and a serious mess in her room let me fill you in. I'll start from the beginning. I tried to put her down a little early for her nap because we were driving a friend to the airport in the afternoon. She talked in her crib for about a half hour which is not unusual before she was quiet and, I assumed, asleep. Ben was in the next room when he heard her door knob jiggling. When he opened the door this is what he found. She had escaped her crib and torn up her room.

Boy oh boy, was I unprepared for this.  Should I or shouldn't I move her to a toddler bed? I immediately jumped onto the internet to get advice. The majority answer was yes for safety reasons so Ben converted it. 

Before.
Me getting teary eyed as it was coming apart. 
After.

Lilly really liked her new bed until it was time to use it. I didn't want to lock her in her room but I also didn't want to leave her door open so I put some tape over the latch so she could come and go as she pleased without shutting herself out. I also set up a gate at the end of the hallway and closed all the doors in said hallway so she could't get into anything or get out. She cried for about 45 minutes going back and forth from the gate to her bedroom. I hate letting her cry it out but know it's for the best. After she was quiet for a while I went to check on her and she was asleep in her bed with the door almost closed. My little angel is getting so big!

And the mischief continues...

MN trip part 3

On the last day of our trip we stayed home and relaxed. Well, I relaxed, Lilly ran around the house like a crazy girl. We went for a walk and ate home made cookies. Emily worked from home to spend some extra time with us. It was an all around good time. 





That night we went to The 50's Grill for dinner. It is one of my favorite places to eat in MN. I got my usual, meatloaf and a chocolate chocolate chip malt. Their malt's are exceptional. I still have not found anything in Florida that can compare.



We had an early flight home. 8 am takeoff! So I pretty much kissed goodbye any hope that Lilly would sleep on the plane. When I checked in they offered me an upgrade to first class for extra $$ (as usual) and I said no (as usual) and then thought to myself... maybe I should. The attendant told me that it included my baggage fee (which was already an arm) and an inflight meal (which can cost about a foot) so I went ahead and threw in the rest of a leg and upgraded. My hopes were realized when no one came to fill the empty seat next to us in first class so Lilly got a seat of her own. And a big comfy seat at that!




And I have to mention how awesome first class was. I told Emily that if you want to be treated like a human being while flying you have to upgrade to first class. They took my bag at check in (normally I have to drag it over to the secure drop off after I check in), I was offered a warm towel to wash my hands and a beverage BEFORE the flight took off. (Fancy, right? It gets better.) My coke came in a glass not a plastic cup. And my meal was pretty great (on a real plate with silverware and everything!). Since it was breakfast they served a spinach quiche, hash brown casserole, ham and fresh fruit with a bottle of water. (Mind you I am still on an airplane, not in a nice restaurant.) And there was a bathroom just for the 16ish of us in first class. It was worth every penny.


We were sad to leave Minnesota but happy to get home to Ben and the doggie/kitty. After our trip I feel refreshed and super motivated to create and blog about it so stick around!

<3, Sara

MN trip part 2: Linden Hills

On Saturday Emily and I went to Linden Hills. I immediately fell in love with this cute little neighborhood. I dare say it is close to the tippy top of my "I want to live here" places. We had lunch at Famous Dave's and admired the little quirks of Linden Hills.




This little book store had a little door for kiddo's in its regular sized door! Too cute.

We went to Linden Hills to go to a Vintage Button show. Emily had received a flyer for it at work and saved it for me. She knows me so well. The show was at Linden Hills Yarn which is a super cute yarn store. This little concrete chair was right out front. Check out their website here and blog here!



I chatted with Rebecca Lyon (who collects and sells the vintage buttons, slides and clasps) for a little bit and she allowed me to take some pictures to share here! Rebecca has been collecting buttons for many years. I wish I could remember how many but my silly brain likes to forget details like that. She even told me that she will get on a plane to shop for good buttons. Something that is just as amazing as her button collection is her detail in displaying them. Each set of buttons is stitched onto a special piece of architectural cardboard that is made in the twin cities. Before attaching the buttons she prints patterns onto decorative paper and presses it to the cardboard. She also gives a detailed description of the buttons: what they are made of, where they are from and when they were produced. Her whole setup is inspiring.


I took pictures of my faves. I bought one set (the one on the right in the picture below) but wish I could have bought them all. I'm pretty sure I said "wow..." about a million times. ps- you can click on the pictures to view them in a larger size.











Swoon. 

Hope you're having an inspiring day!

ps- Rebecca from our last giveaway has made some fun changes to her blog/etsy. Click here (or her button under sponsors) to check it out.

MN trip part 1

Lilly and I had so much fun surprising her Nana this last week. Emily and I have been planning this trip for about 2 months but managed to keep it quiet which was a miracle. 

Here's a little video of Cathy's reaction:


You'll have to excuse my crazy sounding voice. I attribute it to extreme adrenaline. (thanks a lot, adrenaline!)

We spent lots of time relaxing, catching up and playing around.

The second day we were there Lilly's great grandma came over with two of her cousins  for some play time. Max and Chesney are really Ben's cousins which would make them Lilly's second cousins? I'm not really sure how it works but we just say cousins to make it less confusing all around. As a super cute coincidence, Chesney and I had matching nails.




On Friday we went to the Twin's home opener which is a big deal in Minnesota. Minnesotans LOVE the Twins. I surprised Emily with my knowledge of what the "A" of Oakland "A's" stood for (Athletics) and that I knew who Justin Morneau was. (He is my assigned favorite.) Emily loves the Twins more then any other girl has ever loved a sports team in the history of sports. She likes them more then some guys too. I made her laugh by yelling things like "Way to go you guy there! Way to catch and throw the ball!" My knowledge of baseball is limited.





Target Field is new and really nice. One of my favorite parts was the pattern made in the field. It got me wondering if I could make a baseball turf scarf. We saw sports casters, news crews, TC the Twin's mascot and Bullseye the Target Dog! Lilly and I took a picture with Bullseye. It turns out she is scared of people in costumes. They also rolled out a big (I mean really big) flag for the national anthem and had a fly over. I have to admit that I got pretty chocked up during the anthem. But something that made me laugh throughout the whole game was the name of one of the A's players. Coco Crisp... for real... not a joke. 






Tomorrow I am going to share about the vintage button show I went to. It was pretty awesome so make sure you check it out!


You should also check out Emily's new blog City Limits. She is such a good writer (please always read my updates before hers to ensure I don't look even stupider then usual). Have a great day! 

<3, Sara









baby bear

Happy Monday!

Lilly running around in chilly MN.

Sleepy beauty

I am having a lot of fun on my little vaca. Lillian is having a blast too. There are so many new people to play with and new places to explore. But, unfortunately (for her), my little Lilly has had a hard time sleeping. To remedy this, she has been doing a lot of sleeping on/next to/cuddled up to me (lucky me)! 

Here are some super cute pictures I snapped on my phone during her nap yesterday:

Love

Lilly's hair kept getting stuck in my chap stick
 but it didn't stop me from laying on the kisses.

All tuckered out.

I'm one happy mama.


It's been a pretty great trip. 




Baby Talk v.1

August 22, 2009

You know how people always say "kids grow so fast" and "cherish every moment." Well, it's completely true. I can't believe how big my little Lilly is.

April 4, 2011

I thought it would be fun to share some of the cute (and sometimes naughty) things that Lillian is saying these days.

1.) "hot gog" This could mean any food and is mostly used to express that she is hungry. It, of course, also means hot dog (actually a turkey dog) which is one of her favorites.

2.) "oger" meaning yogurt. She is still refusing to drink milk out of her sippy cup ever since we took her off the bottle but she loves her "oger" and chesse so the doc said its no big deal.

3.) "peas" meaning please. But it is the tone she uses while saying it that is so great. About half of the time it is a demanding/excited "PEAS!"  and the other half is a very pathetic, begging kind of "peasssss." Very Newsies.

4.) "mouse" which refers to squirrels. It's close enough and pretty cute so I just go with it. 

5.) "butt cheeks" That's right. My sweet little baby girl says butt cheeks and then squeezes hers. I can already see the notes that will be sent home from school...   

6.) "jibity" meaning Liberty. Our dog's name. 


Please excuse the poor video quality. It was taken on Ben's phone but is way too cute not to share.
I absolutely love that little stinker with every inch of my being.