sunday in july.

if there is one thing that having a baby forces you to do that is live in the moment and take it one day at a time. so, here’s my post about today, a sunday in july.

the day started off playing with lucy and all of her toys on the living room floor. some bad dane cook movie on in the background. little lucy was still battling her ear infection that was diagnosed yesterday at the ER (a great way to start the weekend, by the way) and the subsequent fever. but i could tell she was beginning to pull out of it by her interest in her bevy of toys!

hubby and i worked up the energy to go check out made in the 216 down on 4th street. it felt a little like the day after the party with things picked over and a bit bare. the photo booth was fun though and we took full advantage of it. felt great to get out of the house and lucy was a trooper and hung in there while we stopped by target afterward to grab socks.

after being back at home for a bit, we decided it was pool time! we scored a super cute little whale-shaped pool at target a few weeks back and were excited to test it out. it was lucy’s first time wearing her yellow polka dot bikini too. and…probably her last as it is snug. (i bought it when she was maybe 2 weeks old and boy is kids’ clothing sizing terribly off. can someone fix that already?)

then lucy napped (hooray) and joe worked on his scooter and i worked on some new mini cake stands that will soon be for sale at salty not sweet (@saltycleveland).

and now, with ohio city four cheese ravioli in our stomachs and showers had, things are winding down. lucy is asleep but not so sure for how long with her not feeling well.

today felt like a bit of a marathon (especially with a sick kiddo) and i know that it’s not over yet (again, kiddo) but if i step back for a moment i can see that it was a good one. i think i just need to remember to step back more often.

Happy New Year. Happy New Baby.

2011 really will be a year full of HAPPY and NEW for me. Any day now, I will meet my little person who has been growing inside me (and kicking me with what feels like stilettos) for the past 8.5 months. Pregnancy is a wild, fascinating ride but it is these last few weeks that are the most intense both physically and emotionally. I am literally sitting around waiting to go through labor and delivery (not the easiest thing I hear) and to have my life change forever when I see my baby for the first time. It is…indescribable.

Every so often, my husband or I will abruptly announce to the other–“We’re going to have a baby”–as if it is new news. I just think that the human brain can’t grasp such a large concept. And yet I realize that people have babies every day.

So here is to a HAPPY first year for me, my husband and our little one, and our family and friends. May it be filled with sweet little grins and giggles.

An old rocking chair fixed up with cotton candy pink spray paint and Amy Butler fabric purchased at Stitch Cleveland

my four-year-old friend.

i have a four-year old friend. she’s the daughter of a neighbor couple that my husband and i have gotten to know over the last six months or so. last night, i volunteered to take her to the neighborhood park just a stone’s throw away.

at the park, i did a lot of pushing her on the swing. (it was sad that my arms started to hurt at some point. note to self: need to work out more.) my little friend held onto her stuffed animal, catty, and talked about how she was as high as the birds and commented on how much both she and catty loved to swing very high.

we also climbed around on the jungle gym playground equipment at the park. i was the student as she taught me how to navigate the different obstacles and then we took turns on the slide. occasionally, we had to take a break so we could refresh ourselves at the drinking fountain, catty included.

during my time at the park with my little friend, all my thoughts about laundry and “to do” lists and monday coming soon quickly faded away. i started to see the world from her perspective–a big, amazing place full of opportunities for fun and laughter. it was a great reminder to stop thinking ahead quite so much and sink into the moment so you don’t miss the  ladybug next to you on the park bench.

photo: chalk art on my patio by my little friend

small stuff.

i was very excited to hear that my neighbors are expecting.

not because i’m “baby crazy” but because i am crazy about buying tiny, cool stuff. and now i have a valid excuse!

but who wants to be a gift-giving hack and buy a onesie with some overused saying like “too cute” on the front? not i!

so i was thrilled when i discovered unique, hip baby apparel made locally in cleveland by small screen designs. sara hoover is the genius behind the label. her designs are simple and clean and lots of fun.

and to top it off, sara screens her designs on american-made american apparel products. how can you not feel good about this!?

double the fun and get one of her designs in your size.

(small screen designs are available at room service in the detroit-shoreway community and online.)

bye-bye, boo-boo.

who said functional items can’t look good too? take, for instance, these handmade cold packs called “boo-boo babushka cool packs” made by cleveland’s snollygosters. (how much do you love saying that word!?)

these doll-shaped packs are filled with beans that hold the cold (if you keep them in the freezer) or the heat (if you throw them in the microwave for a few seconds). the back of the pack is a super soft double layer of flannel so you can snuggle up with it. works for adults as an eye mask just as well as it does for the kids and their “ouchies”. (read: you can use your kid as a cover when ordering one even though you know you’re really buying it for yourself!)