ailee petrovic – Page 4 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Baby August 19, 2014

Week 5 in Durango

Week five has come and gone, and ohmygosh, I am not ready to go back to the ‘real world’ (i.e. Texas). However, I do miss everyone like crazy, and cannot wait to hug all of my family and friends. This past week flew by in anticipation of one of my best friends, Kirby, arriving on Thursday. I managed to run every day this past week, clock between 13,000-20,000 steps every day, enjoy short hikes to the top of a nearby mountain in the mornings, continue my Illustrator 101 and Floral Arranging 101 classes, work on the blog (some fun giveaways coming up soon!), and spend lots of time with Sasha, Belle (our dog) and sweet Isla. We also hiked the 6 mi. trail of the Animas Mountain together for the first time – Sasha and I did it last Labor Day when we were visiting (see photos here).

As you can tell from the thousands of photos below, I love taking pictures of Isla’s cute face, because I know I won’t have as much time to once we are back in Houston (and because she cannot yet tell me to stop).

In case you want to keep track of our Colorado sabbatical, you can also read about Week 1, Weeks 2 and 3, and Week 4.

Isla being sassy in her Carter’s Romper (similar here) – that last face kills me – her personality is shining through

Pretty in pink (and white!)

Cheesin’ it up

Hot pink is my absolute favorite (similar bodysuit here)

Someone was none-too-pleased with us taking photos before she got to eat ‘lunch’

Bows on bows on bows (buy dress here) – and Sophie the Giraffe making an appearance (and Isla loves her hands if you can’t tell!)

I swear this isn’t a hunger cue, Isla just adores her hands (praying this is ‘self soothing’!)

Kisses from her ‘Tata’ and (the much dreaded) tummy time (similar outfit here)

Saturday mornings are for PJs and superman time with dad

Her hair is seriously out of control, but I love it

Isla’s little Gap peplum top and leggings

This was taken after five minutes in her new heaven – i.e. the Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym… she’s enamored (this is a GREAT baby shower gift)

Loving the views from the top of the Animas Mountain – Isla loves the view from over my shoulder (her favorite holding position)

Vegan ice cream at Cream Bean Berry – my one true weakness!

Isla LOVES (eating) this lovie!

A sneak preview of my first homework assignment from Floral Arranging 101 (more to come tomorrow!)

Three weeks left! Have a great day. xo

Baby August 15, 2014

Isla Loves: The Honest Co. Diapers

I will admit it – I was one of those new moms who brought diapers to the hospital because I wanted her in the cute patterned ones right away. I never, ever thought I would be a diaper snob, but The Honest Co. has proved me wrong. I am indeed very picky about the diapers Isla wears – and these are the best. Not only do I love picking out Isla’s outfits every morning, I also love deciding which pattern of diaper she’ll wear. We subscribe to the monthly delivery, and you get to pick six prints from the wide assortment offered (see a selection below). My absolute favorite pattern is the strawberry one, while Sasha loves the giraffes. I happily let her do tummy time in just her diaper because they are so cute. I highly recommend that you get premium diapers and wipes for less than $20 a week from Honest.com – you and your little loved ones won’t regret it. Just this week, we got our monthly shipment, and I mistakenly ordered another package of size 1 diapers. While they still fit her now, I doubt they will in another four weeks. We gave The Honest Co. a call on the day they arrived, and they immediately sent a return label and waived the shipping and restocking fees. I love them!

We also use and love the Honest Shampoo & Body Wash. It contains only natural and organic ingredients and doesn’t hurt when it gets in baby’s eyes (trust me, Isla would let me know if it did!). I cannot wait to try some of their other bath products!

I’m excited to announce that I am a new Honest Company Ambassador! I am really passionate about this wholesome company and proud to help promote their products. I’ll be sharing other reviews of their many items – I hope you give them a try as well.

P.S. Dearest Isla, sorry for sharing so many pictures of that tiny little butt and cute chunky thighs with the world! 🙂

I was given Honest Co. diapers for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Baby August 8, 2014

Pink Lemonade Party Inspiration

I have long loved bright pink and yellow paired together – à la pink lemonade. When I saw this tank and these shorts on sale at Carters, buying them was a no-brainer. Isla’s outfit reminded me of the cutest Pink Lemonade Soiree I saw ages ago on Hostess with the Mostess. I love the idea of a pink lemonade themed party! I’m getting ahead of myself, but I already let my mind wander to Isla’s first birthday party. These celebrations end up being huge events! See some pictures below for inspiration. Most are from the Pink Lemonade Soiree, others from Kara’s Party Ideas, and others from Pinterest.

What are other cute toddler party themes you’ve seen?

Also, one last reminder that the MAM pacifier giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

Baby August 6, 2014

Isla Loves: MAM Pacifiers (Giveaway)

In the months leading up to Isla’s arrival, Sasha and I had many parenting discussions – some of the them were tough due to varying opinions, like the use of pacifiers. After reading about the various benefits (watch this informative video), I was completely pro-paci. Sasha, on the other hand, was against them. Without any research whatsoever, he deemed them as enabling a bad habit. However, come week one when Isla is crying inconsolably, Sasha immediately scrambles to Isla’s closet, looking for the pacifier drawer. I had stocked up on three brands, given advice from other first-time moms who said that some babies take to different types of teats. The MAM pacifier was the only one Isla liked, as others seemed more difficult to keep in her mouth. If you watch the video below, you can see it come slightly out of her mouth, yet she is able to keep on sucking due to the textured teat.

Quite contrary to Sasha’s declaration that pacifiers mess up teeth, the MAM Perfect Pacifier‘s innovative design incorporates an extra thin, super-soft and flexible nipple specially engineered to reduce the risk of misaligned teeth. The unique Dento-FlexTM nipple neck is 60% thinner and 3 times softer than those of comparable pacifiers; the thinner, softer nipple provides less pressure on baby’s jaw and teeth to help reduce the risk of jaw deformations and malocclusions. Extra small and lightweight, MAM Perfect is available for babies age 0-6 months and age 6 + months. Click here to watch a Perfect Pacifier YouTube video.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUEQln1ojQ]

I’m excited to be teaming up with MAM to give away two packs of pacifiers to one lucky follower! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

Reply to this post, including your name, email and who you want to win the pacifier for (a friend’s baby, your child, your grandchild, etc.)
Follow MAM on their Instagram
You will get an extra entry by becoming a follower of Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, August 8. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to your responses!

Follow MAM

Facebook: facebook.com/MAMbabyUSA

Twitter: @MAMBABY

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/MAMUSA

YouTube: Subscribe to MAMbabyUSA

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Personal August 5, 2014

Life in Durango & Isla’s Two Month Anniversary

Our first week in Durango was very go-go-go. We’ve gotten into more of a routine by the point, which helps this feel more like home. We’ve established local restaurant favorites – Himalayan Kitchen, Grassburger, Durango Coffee Company, and Cream Bean Berry – and had a schedule for exercise, feeding, sleeping, “working,” etc. Isla is growing by the second – I wish we knew her exact weight, because I feel like she’s doubled in size in the last 8 weeks. She celebrated her two month anniversary on Monday, August 4. I cannot believe it. She is super smiley, gurgles all day long, wants to be “standing” all the time, still spits up everywhere after eating (see bottom photo), does not enjoy tummy time except for the first 1-2 minutes, and is very used to having a camera in her face. Isla’s gassiness is much better now that I’ve cut out all dairy (i.e. become a vegan – ohmygosh I miss cheese!). Her (okay, my) favorite books are Snuggle Puppy and Oh Baby, Go Baby. She is finally getting used to taking a bottle, but I am not a huge fan of pumping! Isla went on her first hike and slept through the entire adventure (typical!). She loves, and I mean loves, sleeping in the BabyBjorn carrier. We are doing CIO (ah!) and had her fall asleep without a peep the last two nights (praying it stays that way!). We’re still learning lots and lots every day. We love her to pieces.

I put together two short videos: here and here

Lastly, the Trumpette giveaway winner is Caron B! Congratulations!