Fashion Friday: Tiny Toes

Today's blog post is dedicated to my Little Lamb and her tiny tiny toes! When Ava was born she had tiny little feet, well every baby has tiny tiny feet... But Ava's have grown at an incredibly slow pace! I mean SUPER SLOW! Ava still wears 0-6 month shoes and just now fits into infant size 2 shoes. Her buddy who is 2 months younger than her wear size 5.5 and most kids her age wear between size 4 and size 5. Her feet are also super narrow so finding shoes that don't fall off is a challenge. I guess she is going to have feet just like her Momma! Here are my top pics for kiddos with tiny toes. 

1. Pedipeds: Although a little pricey, these shoes are AMAZING! They are all leather so they are great first shoes for walkers as the kids can still feel the ground and help with balance. You can also wipe off all dirt so they always look new. The mary janes can tighten to accommodate very tiny narrow feet or stretch wider for chubby ones. They also come in lots of cute colors and styles. 

2. Robeez: These shoes will NEVER fall off! Well unless you have them on a 1 year old who has learned to pull them off! But these are also all leather so are great shoes for when they are first walking. They too come in fun colors and designs. 

3. See Kai Run: These shoes are super cute and all leather as well. My one issue with these is they are cut a little wide so only the mary janes which can be tightened fit. 

4. Toms: We bought our first pair of Toms the other day and they are very comfortable and durable. Ava got the cutest paisley pair. My friend told me they look like Lily Pulitzer and Toms conspired to make some adorable little girl shoes. They are holding up well but they are very easy for Ava to kick/ pull off when she is done wearing them so we have had a few almost losses. 

5. Lastly we love some Target OshKosh shoes! These are more for walkers and not pre-walkers as the bottom is full rubber but they are not too heavy. These metallic gold ones have been our favorite during the holiday season! And the best part is they are only $12.99! SCORE!

"I can only imagine where these tiny feet will go in their lifetime. My only hope is that they never forget the way home."

 Author: Candice G. (Kendallsmommie)

I'm Baaacccckkkk...

Hey Ya'll! Whew, what a crazy few months it's been! We were gone 17 days in December/Janurary for the Tour de Feliz Navidad, as I like to call it. We went to Miami, Key Biscayne, Port St Lucie, Florida and then flew up to NC to visit my family in the Durham/Pittsboro area. During the second leg of the trip Peter and I caught some terrible upper respitory virus and were sick as can be for a week. Ava seemed totally fine but the day before we were supposed to be home she spiked a 102 fever and ended up with a double ear infection. Luckily, I took her right to the urgent care and 24 hours after taking the amoxicilin she was back to her old self and ready to fly home. Seeing family was great but that was the last double location trip we will be taking for several years! Here are a few pics from the trip

Peter's Family at Christmas 

Rolling in Lila's jeep 

  

Fun at the Ferrington House                        Dinner with my Mom and Sis

Cutest little cheeseballs around!

After we got back to Cali Peter started a new job at Cisco! Peter had the increadible opportunity to help lead a new division of Cisco here in the Bay Area. Of course he misses the all you can eat free food and I miss the heated Google toilet seats but this opportunity was such a great career move that it made sense.

check out this fab Google toilet seat. 3 heat settings and various other functions I was too scared to try

We also decided to find to a much bigger townhouse in North San Jose. It is closer to Peter's job and has 3 bedrooms for the growing family! It even has a tiny little yard! Real Estate in the Bay Area is incredibly depressing, especially when you are from the Triangle and a moderately priced real estate market so for now we will just be renting. There is something about spending $900k+ on a 3 bedroom 2 bath 1800sq foot home that just doesn't quite make sense to me. Hopefully in the future we can move back to the East Coast and buy something amazing! For now we will just focus on packing and moving into our fab new 1800 sq foot townhouse on February 1!

Ava also gave up her beloved paci this month. Ava only used her paci for naps and bed time but when speaking with her Pediatrition she mentioned that if you can take away any baby habits before 15 months that the transition is much easier. So we stopped the bottle right at a year with no issues and decided the paci was next. We obviously waited until after the Tour De Feliz Navidad where we would be on 6 airplaes and in all new places and started the weaning process a week after we got home. We tried the cutting process and honestly next time I would just go cold turkey. The first night of the paci cut she didn't notice and sucked away. The second night she was so confused as to why she couldn't get good suction and the 3rd day during naps she was LIVID. She could see the cut paci and really did not understand why we had mutilated her beloved friend. The 4th day was much better as we did not leave her paci in the crib and by the 4th night she went to bed in 5 minutes with no tears. Praise GOD!

I have also still been having some pretty terrible bouts of morning sickness. Almost 18 weeks and still sick 2-3 hours a day. I'm not tossing my cookies quite as much but just have awful nausea. Praying that 18 weeks is a better week for us! We also get to find out the gender at the end of next week! We are so excited to find out if Baby L is a little boy or a another sweet girl! 

So as you can see we have been PRETTY busy here at Case de Lamar. Oh and lastly Ava started carrying around a purse everywhere she goes. It's pretty adorable and hilarious.

Thank God for Zofran

So I have been a little MIA from the blogging world lately for a few reasons...

1. Ms. Ava is now walking which requires way more adult supervision. It's crazy how quickly those little feet can get into mischief. Ava loves pulling everything out of drawers, cabinets, baskets, shelves, basically anything she can grab and destroy she does. 

My makeup bag is also an absolute favorite!  That girl loves some Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara. She also loves to hide my makeup all over the house. I am still missing my eyeliner and assuming it is lost forever. RIP Estee Lauder gel liner.

As you can see chasing around a toddler requires the majority of my time. Oh and when I am not doing that I am tossing my cookies or trying to stop the world and my stomach from spinning because...

2. WE ARE PREGNANT! SURPRISE! About 7 weeks ago I went to my High School reunion in NC. I was standing there talking to a friend from High School about kids and how Peter and I were going to start trying again after Ava was 1. Little did I know 3 days later I would find out I was pregnant! At first I didn't believe it. I took a test very early in the morning while in NC ( I did this because things have not been regular since I just weaned 2 months previously) and after 30 seconds decided to go back to sleep and see the results later. A few hours later I woke up to 2 pink lines. 1 was very faint so I decided it must have been because it sat out for a long time. I first texted my Sister because I couldn't call Peter at 4am CA time. She said normally those things don't have false positives. I still didn't want to get too excited. Plus I had a 10 month old! I was not thinking it was time for number 2 just yet. We flew home that day and on the way home I had Peter stop to get the Clear Blue tests that say "Pregnant" "Not Pregnant." I was SURE that it would say Not Pregnant but about 20 seconds later the words "Pregnant" showed up! 

Peter was SOOOO HAPPY, I was happy but still a little in shock. I honestly was scared. With Ava I was SUPER SUPER sick for about 14 weeks. I got sick almost every day and had all day nausea. I didn't know how I would handle that if I got sick again with an almost toddler. 

Well guess what happened?! I got super sick AGAIN! I didn't get sick with Ava until 8 weeks but this time around I ended up in the ER at 6 weeks after not being able to keep anything down for 26 hours. But then I got some Zofran. I took Zofran with Ava every now and again and sometimes it worked. This time around I had no choice. I could not spend all day in the bathroom because I had an almost walker on my hands! So I took Zofran and 3 out of 7 days a week I only had nausea but was able to function. I think having a kid running around helps a little because you can't focus on how terrible you feel, you have to keep moving. 

I am now 12 weeks and I have only tossed my cookies once this week so that is a HUGE improvement! Hopefully, in a week or 2 I'll have that 2nd trimester burst of energy! I mean it's not like I'm going to run a marathon or anything but not having to spend all of nap time trying to recover would be great! 

We are so excited to be a family of 4 and know this kiddo is going to bless our family in so many ways. I can't wait to see Ava as a big Sister! She loves to hug and kiss her stuffed animals and I know she will just love her brother or sister! We sure have a few crazy years ahead!!! 

A Very Bunny Birthday

I have been the worst blogger lately! Things have been very busy at Casa De Lamar and I have not had a free second! We had both families fly in for Ava's big party and then Peter and I went on our first solo trip to Tahoe. Let me tell you 12 hours of straight sleep never felt so great! Ava is an awesome sleeper 7pm-7am but 7am still feels so early! 

Anyways, with all the visitors and birthday fun I haven't had a minute to spare! Ava's real birthday isn't until today but we had the party 3 weeks ago so all of the family could join in the fun! We went with a Bunny Birthday theme since I have always called Ava, Bunny. Ava was quite the kicker while I was preggo and has always had some strong little legs so Bunny has been the perfect nickname! 

Ava's party was a very Bunny Birthday indeed. The invitations were so bunnytastic

We had carrot garlands

Bunny muffins and cupcakes

A giant bunny cupcake for Ms. Ava 

Bunny peep centerpieces

and carrot favors for the guests

Ava looked quite adorable in her bunny outfit

and all the babies had a blast playing together 

Now for the cake... So we don't know if it was the 30 people starting and singing to Ava or the ginormous size of the bunny cake but Ava was NOT happy with the birthday cake situation. 

After she calmed down we let her sit alone with a normal size cupcake and she DUG IN! She loved it and ate every crumb!!! 

It was a special day for many reasons but also because it was the first time that our "Prep for Parenting" small group was able to get ALL the kiddos together since a lunch outing 8 months ago! These ladies have been a great support system during all the crazy baby phases. It's so great to have other Mommy friends who are going through the same growth spurts, milestones, and sleepless nights during the first year! 

It was also so amazing having Ava's Mimi, Memei, Pumba, Aunty Serena, Aunt Lindsay, and baby cousins Alivia and Penelope here. So many friends so share in our little Ava Ray's special day!! 

Happy Birthday sweet Ava Ray! 

All You Need Is Love

On the eve of Peter and My 5 year anniversary I feel so blessed. These last 5 years have been filled with new faces, new places, new jobs, new babies, and lots of love. I have been so blessed to marry such an amazing man of God! A man that honors God every day and provides for our family. Peter is the hardest working man I have ever met. He greets the day with optimism and passion no matter how he is feeling. He comes home every day, exhausted from work, but still greets us with a smile and chases around our daughter for an hour and a half. He has always encouraged me and always has kind words that lift me up. He is my gift from God and I am so thankful that I have been blessed to marry him. 

The last 5 years have been just the beginning.  Can't wait to see where our adventure takes us next! Here's to 60 more!

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Ava is quite the cross country traveler. She just completed her 5th cross country round trip. She took her first flight when she was 16 weeks old and has been a pro every time! This last flight home was a little rough as Ava got sick for the very first time this week! Over the last 11 months the only sickness Ava has had was a runny nose but besides that has been as healthy as can be. Ava caught a little cold while we were in NC and the plane actually made it worse. She now has an ear infection and has been pretty miserable this week. We got some antibiotics last night so hopefully she'll be back to her happy self in no time! 

Besides this past flight, which really wasn't that bad, we have had 0 issues with flying. I say that now but I KNOW that one day we will. You can't expect babies to deal with confined spaces and ear pressure perfectly every time! I know my day is coming... believe me! 

Several people have asked me what to take and what to do while flying with a baby. I think that every few months you need different things, do different things, and act differently when flying with a baby. 

Month 1-5: This is probably the easiest time to fly! Babies sleep A LOT during these first couple of months and they are very little and portable so you don't have to worry about them wanting to wiggle and crawl around. During this stage you will want a Travel Boppy! This is by far the most amazing thing you will ever buy for traveling. It folds up pretty small and it is a lifesaver while flying. You can use it to support your arm and the baby while nursing and then you have a place to set the baby for awake and sleep time. Ava isn't much of a cuddler so she loved her space while traveling. We used this for her first 2 trips. 

You should always nurse or bottle feed during take off and landing. There were a few times Ava was sleeping during landing and I DID NOT wake her up. As for things to pack you will need:

1. 1-2 thin blankets

2. Several pacifiers

3. A backup bottle of milk if they have nursing issues

4. Nursing cover

5. 2 changes of clothes for the baby

6. A backup shirt for you incase they poop/spit up on you

7. 8-12 diapers (depending on how long the flight and if you have a lay over) 

8. Wipes 

9. Snacks for You and your spouse

10. An Ergo or Bjorn to carry the baby in

11. Burp cloths

12. Sanitizing wipes for the plane and hand sanitizer for you

13. Travel Boppy

14. Changing Pad

15. Infant Tylenol (This is VERY controversial for some people but the Pediatrician recommended I give it to her an hour before we fly and I have done it every time and she has never cried because her ears hurt) 

Month 5-6 : You need a lot of the same things as before plus 1 or 2 toys that light up. Kids at that age love light up toys and it will help distract them. You should also bring a few chew/ teething toys. I would also recommend stroller straps. You can hook these onto the chair and put their toys on them so when they throw them they don't end up on the nasty floor. 

Month 7-9: NOW it starts to get a little more difficult. Your kiddo is probably sitting alone and is possibly crawling. Once they start crawling things are very different when traveling. My advice is plan your flight around nap times. For example Ava naps every day at 9 am and 2 pm. So I normally schedule flights to leave at 1:30pm. This way Ava gets a good morning nap and then I run her around and around at home, drive to the airport and then let her play at the gate before we leave. I would bring a small nylon blanket (I use the bottom of her playmat) that you can wipe off easily. You can also bring a regular blanket as well. Just set the blanket on the floor of the airport and let them play. If they are crawling I would try to rope off an area and let them do it ( I know bad Mommy letting them get nasty airport germs) Just use hand sanitizer after. The more energy they get out in the airport the better they will be on the plane! I would also ask when you check in if there are any open seats on the plane. You can ask if there are 2 together and you can change your seat or tell the flight attendant when you get on if they do happen to have any open seats if they wouldn't mind switching you. Half of the flights we have taken Ava has lucked out and gotten her own seat. You still need to hold them on landing and take off but it's easier to let them play and sleep in their own seat. 

Month 10-12: Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because all I did on the airplane was walk up and down the aisles with Ava. She wanted to make sure she met every single person on that plane 50+ times. I did rotate in some ipad and book time. I don't normally let Ava play with the ipad for more than 10 minutes a day or watch any TV at home so when she does get the chance she loves it. We would play a game for 10 minutes then walk. Watch 10 minutes of tv then walk... over and over and over and over.... Let's just say I was EXHAUSTED after!!! I also took far less things with me on this trip because Ava has 1 million toys but loves to play with my things. We brought:

1. 8 diapers 

2. Wipes

3. 1 book for Ava

4. fake keys (she LOVES these) 

5. ipad

6. Extra onsie for Ava

7. Sleepers to change into on the last flight

8. Changing pad

9. Pacifiers and paci clip 

10. Infant Tylenol

Now the only thing I still debate is the need of a stroller in the airport. I would 100% say check the car seat with your checked luggage (car seats, strollers, and pack n plays are free to check). But the stroller has come in useful, once, and other times is a hassle. If you have a connecting flight with a tight layover time then DO NOT take it! You will spend 10 minutes waiting for it and then you have to wait for the elevator to switch terminals, in some airports, which can take a while. It's much easier to throw them in your Ergo or Bjron and walk to your gate. It is nice to have it if your flight is delayed and they need a nap. You can roll them around in it until they fall asleep and then you have some hands free time. I think each trip it changes so think through your travel time and layover time and decide what works best. 

Hope that helps and safe travels!! 

These Boots Are Made for Walking

The last few weeks have been a tad bit chilly here in Northern Cali. By chilly I mean my normal sunny and 75 is now sunny and 70. This clearly calls for sweaters, scarves, and boots! I have been wanting some ankle boots but it seems all of them make me look like a motorcyclist, a cowgirl, or a anime character. I looked high and low and found the perfect ones at Target! To make it even better they were buy one get one 50% off so both pairs were $50 total!

The first pair the Mossimo Kodi boot has a a higher heel with a cute zipper up the back. A little fancier for a date night or dinner out.

Love them paired with a cute dress.

They look great with jeans and a blazer. The heel height is perfect where they are a little fancy but not too high where they hurt or are hard to walk in.

They make a cute girls night outfit with leggings and a cute silk tunic.

Now onto the every day boot, The Mossimo Supply Kendall boot. This boot is super comfortable, a great grey/brown color.

So cute for a play date with rolled jeans and a sweater.

Add a cute shawl sweater with the leggings for a fun shopping day. 

I feel like all that's missing is a Pumpkin Spice Latte and some fab sunnies! Love these cute boots and you cannot beat the price at $34.99 each! Total steal!