Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic
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Week in Review

Quite a few highs and lows occurred over the seven days – a low being that I got mastitis again on Wednesday, and a high being the quality time I got to spend with two of my best friends, McKenzie and Kirby. We hosted a Friendsgiving dinner on Sunday evening, which was so much fun. I have never prepared that much food before, and now feel I have to run out to West Elm to get more serving ware! We played Cards Against Humanity afterwards, and (no big deal) I won. Apparently I’m hilarious (kidding).

Other highlights include:

  • Going to Sasha’s grandma’s Slava party on Friday
  • Solids! Isla started solids – she’s had mushed apples, avocados, carrots and sweet potatoes (Mara, please help me! We don’t know what we’re doing!)
  • Moving most of the furniture from our study into our master bedroom (planning a redo!) and created a playroom (mainly just a safe zone for Isla) – we’ve asked for this house for Isla’s Christmas
  • Going to lunch with my mom and our sweet friend at Black Walnut Cafe
  • Seeing my sister’s new town home – they are renting out the house they renovated (I shared lots of photos in the Dream Home series)
  • Trying a new barre class with my friend Jessica at Life Time Fitness (I am definitely not a ballerina)
  • Spending time with Sasha’s aunt, uncle and cousins – Natalia is in town from Los Angeles (has the best job ever at Disney) and I love getting to catch up with her

I hope you had a great week! What were your highlights?

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Baby

Isla at 5 Months

The majority of our 2014 family photos were posted last Monday (read the post here); however, I wanted to take a few non-Christmasy pictures, and I’m glad we did. With a quick outfit change, we moved into more neutral colors and added an Anthropologie headband, A Little Lady bow, a big Geronimo-style balloon, and Thimblepress confetti (this was a big fail, but a good laugh).

Paige of Awake Photography did such an amazing job capturing Isla’s sweet smiles and sassy personality. We took these two days before her 5 month anniversary – I wish she would be able to take each month’s photos! I’m looking forward to taking our ‘big’ family pictures with my family (parents, two sisters, brother-in-law, Sasha, Isla and me) in two weeks time (right before her 6 month anniversary!). My mom even managed to sneak into a few photos from this session! She was so helpful to have with us at Memorial Park.

A little 5 month update, because I think these are sweet! I’ve been capturing all of the milestones in her baby book, but thought I’d share some  here. Isla is now officially mobile, and first made her way from one side of the rug to the other the day before her 5 month anniversary (albeit, very slowly). She laughs non-stop – her stomach is so ticklish! She adores when I sing, which is fantastic, as nobody else does. Her favorite story is Good Night, I Love You. She wants to eat everything and certainly will lick whatever comes her way. We still haven’t started solids, as she is still vomiting a lot, but it’s coming soon! She is so much more predictable, although we’d had a few off-nights here and there. Her hair keeps getting longer and longer – it is a legitimate mullet. She is much more observant and I can tell her thoughts are getting much more developed. She still doesn’t like getting  into her car seat, but now falls asleep almost every time the engine starts. She’s at home with me every day, but has been going to the Life Time Fitness day care 1-2 times a week and most recently, at Bayou City Fellowship. I had to take her to the pediatrician recently for her erratic breathing that causes me a heart attack. Other than that, she’s a healthy 15 pound baby girl whom we love beyond imagination. I cannot imagine life without our sweet little miss Isla.

I hope you’re having a happy Wednesday and that your week is going well so far!

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Personal

Week in Review

Happy Monday everyone! Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Time is flying by (I’ve probably said that 10,000 times in the last 5 1/2 months). Quite a lot has happened in the previous two weeks (missed last week’s review due to Isla’s First Week with Carter’s series – see here for the winner!), Isla had her first trip to the Houston Zoo (we’re now members, so excited), which made me so happy. She loved staring at the fish – everything else was too far for her to see (oh, and then she fell asleep, which didn’t help).

Other highlights from the last week (and a bit) include:

  • Crawling! Well, sort of – Isla is mainly motivated by her favorite book (Goodnight, I Love You) and my iPhone (Digital Natives!) – watch the army crawling here.
  • Finger painting again with mushed berries that turned into a face painting session… and then I gave her a spoon, because solids is coming very soon! I can tell she is interested now.
  • Shooting Christmas card photos for my good friends, Matt and Erin (their wedding photos here) – I’ll share all of the pictures soon!
  • Swimming at the Life Time pool twice – the second time involving our new Otteroo, which we both love.
  • Taking Isla to get frozen yogurt at Yogurtland for the first time (okay, she only ate it indirectly through my milk!)
  • Shipping off a few of my first Etsy orders!
  • Attending a beautiful wedding in Austin at Thurman Mansion (last time I was there, I was 36.5 weeks pregnant!)
  • Going to the church sermon at Bayou City Fellowship and hearing Curtis preach, and having Isla in the daycare for the first time – they said she loved it!
Some of my favorite photos: 
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Isla's Christmas with Carter's

Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s: Relaxing Family Time

As I mentioned yesterday, we tuck into a delicious meal cooked by my very talented mother almost immediately after opening the gifts from under the Christmas tree. When we finish our Christmas lunch, everyone admits defeat, and we normally go to the living room and lay on the couches in a food-induced coma. After being all dolled up for a few hours in fancy clothes, we will change into more casual, comfortable outfits to ‘play’ with our new gifts. Last year, Sasha gave me an iMac, and I stared in awe at this big screen for hours and hours, never wanting to leave its side. Most of Isla’s presents this year will be stuffed animals (she already loves this laughing monkey that she got to ‘preview’ and BabyLit’s A Christmas Carol) or developmental toys, so I know she will want to lay and play too.

The perfect outfit for Isla to change into after being in a dress all morning is the 3 Piece Long-Sleeve Body Suit (love the solid red and floral pattern), with the adorable Sparkle Pants and this amazing Fuzzy Faux Fur Vest from Carter’s Holiday Collection. In fact, I’d love to be a baby and wear that entire outfit.

There is a park less than a quarter mile from our house, so we will bundle up and walk there (burn off those Christmas cocktails!) with our sweet dog, Belle. Although it’s not freezing cold in December in Texas, it’s definitely cardigan weather. I adore this sweet Shimmer Cardigan. We love seeing extended family and friends on Christmas after spending the morning and early afternoon with my parents. How sweet is Isla’s friend, Kevin, in the Stretch Jeans, Poplin Plaid Bodysuit, and also that adorable Polar Bear Tee (found in stores, not online – similar here)? Carter’s entire holiday collection (boys and girls of all ages) is so perfect for relaxed play.

How do you spend Christmas afternoon? Do you eat? Play with gifts? Travel to visit family? Please share your traditions in the comments below!

In case you missed it, you can read Monday’s post our annual family photo tradition, Tuesday’s post about the Christmas Eve candlelit church service,  Wednesday’s post about opening stockings on Christmas morning, and yesterday’s post about gifts under the tree and Christmas lunch.

Make sure you enter to win the $100 Carter’s gift card and free outfit of your choice from the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series! The deadline is tonight at midnight.

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Isla's Christmas with Carter's

Isla’s First Christmas With Carter’s: Opening Presents

As I mentioned yesterday, the Santa stockings are opened at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning – who has the control to wait any longer? After ripping through our stockings, we were made as children to go upstairs and get dressed up for the big present opening. As a child, this killed me. It used to be so difficult to see the gifts under the tree but know I had to put on a dress before finding out what was inside. Now I love this tradition of getting dolled up! It makes Christmas all the more exciting to have the entire family look fancy.

We’ve always opened the gifts by the big tree in my parent’s living room, and will do the same in our house. Our living room connects with our dining room and the entrance (it’s very open plan), so I had to decorate everything in a similar rustic Christmas theme. Getting to decorate the house is one of my favorite activities and traditions of the year (and involves lots of trips to Hobby Lobby, Crate & Barrel, West Elm and Target).

After we finish opening all of the gifts (distributed to everyone by my dad, who sits right beside the tree), we settle down at the dining room table and enjoy a delicious Christmas lunch. Since my family is from Scotland, this meal has always been a much bigger deal than Thanksgiving (an American tradition we adopted after a few years in Texas). We’ll have to factor in Isla’s feeding and nap times in the equation, but I know we’ll make it work and am so excited to have her be a part of this tradition.

The Holiday Collection at Carter’s has a number of sweet fancy dresses for little girls (and equally cute formal outfits for boys) that are perfect for our present opening celebration. When I saw this sweet Shimmer Satin Dress in Pink, I knew I had found Isla’s first Christmas day outfit.  It is not overtly Christmasy, which I like, as she can wear it again and again. However, it is very cupcake-esque, and I think it’s just perfect this big occasion. Isla absolutely loved the tulle layer, and by loved, I mean wanted to eat. As for a baby boy’s Christmas attire, I’d have him in the Button Front Shirt and Corduroy Pull-On Pants. Seriously so precious!

What are your Christmas tree present traditions? Do you open them right when you get up? Are they wrapped or unwrapped? I love hearing other family’s traditions!

In case you missed it, you can read Monday’s post our annual family photo tradition, Tuesday’s post about the Christmas Eve candlelit church service, and yesterday’s post about opening stockings on Christmas morning. Make sure you enter to win the $100 Carter’s gift card and free outfit of your choice from the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series!

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