Little Ada Lou is almost 1!

My darling little ladybug is turning 1 next Monday! I cannot believe it! Where has the year gone?! We are planning a fun little day for her real birthday...photo shoot eating her 1st cupcake at Bliss Bakery in the morning and family shoot around the Old Market with Hooton Images, going to see Santa, possibly going to the zoo, as well... but are having an all-out birthday extravaganza at the end of the month in Wisconsin. The theme is going to be "Ada Louise Alice in Wonderland." Cute, right? Here is a Pinterest board I have started for all the birthday goodies! I can't wait...I LOVE to plan a good party...and this one is EXTRA special. You only turn 1 once!
In honor of my almost 1 year old, here are some pics of the days after her wonderful arrival.

Thanksgiving Recap

I hope everyone had an amazing and filling Thanksgiving! Our day was jam-packed and it went way too fast. We did the Turkey Trot in the morning...well, the Turkey Trot was supposed to be a 5K, but we ended up just walking 1 mile of it, stopping at the playground along the way, and stopping to take some pictures with the great morning light. After that, the day was filled with cooking and eating. The hubs and I fell asleep at about 8...exhausting day! It was kind of sad to think that this was the last "1st" holiday for Ada Louise...by that I mean that all the holidays coming up she has already experienced. How is my baby growing up so fast?! Have a good "Black Friday" and have some pie for breakfast!

Look at these cute cousins! They love each other SO much! It was so great for Ada Louise to have someone to play with who was close to her age...she just loved it.

Be Thankful!

I came upon a blog post yesterday on Nat the Fat Rat that really made me take a look at my life and what I should be thankful for. The post was about Alicia, from the blog, Posie Gets Cozy. She adopted the sweetest little ladybug of a baby last week. They named her Maisie Alice and she was sweet and full of light. Unfortunately, due to a horrible loophole in the Illinois adoption system, this baby was taken away from Alicia 6 days after the placement because the paternal father came through in the last hour. The father was never in the mother, nor the baby's life and the whole situation was quite shady and abrupt and in bad taste. I was shattered reading the account by Alicia. I couldn't imagine preparing for so long for this child, having this child and loving it, and then it being taken away. Please keep Alicia in your thoughts...and please remember to be thankful for all the good in your life. If you are a mother, be thankful for your child...even through their worst temper tantrums or when they wake up 15 bazillion times in the middle of the night. They are yours and they are a gift.

Greedy, Greedy

Christmas makes me an incredibly greedy person...really, I am the worst! I make about 5 wishlists with about 75 things on them, like I am a little kid. On Christmas, I try to be really sneaky and make it so I get to open a big pile of presents at the end, when everyone has finished opening presents, and I am the little princess on her throne, opening her treasures. I have just never outgrown Christmas. I have the same "wake up at 3am" verve as I did when I was 5. Christmas cannot be celebrated on Christmas Eve or any other time...it HAS to be Christmas morning...really early...with a good cup of peppermint coffee...and a big Christmas meal just waiting to be eaten after gifts...and holly, jolly Christmas music playing in the background. It is just such a happy time; how could I outgrow it? So, in celebration of my immaturity...here are a few must-haves on my Xmas list! Lotta Highwood clogs in Red...can't you just see these with cute tights and a skirt?

Really cute red dress to go with the clogs

Adorable top to wear with clogs and jeans

Comfy new robe, since my post-Ada Louise robe has seen better days

Cute hair wrap...I am growing my hair out, after all...which means, lots of updo's and ponytails

New Stuff!

So, there are a few new headbands in the shop...go check them out! Also, you can now follow Blue Bicycle Design on Twitter and Facebook! Hooray!

Chicago!

Derek and I got the chance to go on a mini-trip this weekend to Chicago for the wedding of our dear friends, Aaron and Lauren. The whole shindig was gorgeous! The ceremony and reception were held at Aeree Loft, which was tres chic. It truly was an impeccably crafted loft space...raw, yet modern and finished...ha ha, does that make sense? It was understated, yet oozed luxury. I loved it! The whole wedding was a beautiful, intimate, and fun affair...the food was wonderful, the guests were dancing their little rumps off. Mazel Tov to Aaron and Lauren!

There's a grump in this house

So, this is what it is looking like over here, recently....grumpy. Very, very grumpy. Miss Ada Louise is not happy about something...and this grudge has lasted longer than I would like. I have talked to some other moms at Gymboree that have kids around the same age and they are going through the same thing...so, I am not alone in this! Ada Louise is feistier than usual, super clingy, whiney, unable to sit in her high chair without standing up and throwing a fit (or on the good days, dancing), finicky about eating, very particular about what she is doing...and what I am doing (she got really mad that I was wearing a headband the other day and would cry when I put it back on after she ripped it off my head), and having horrible naps/sleeping sessions. I am glad Derek and I had a chance to get away this weekend....or I might have lost it altogether!

RANT!

So, I try not to be a ranter....especially on my blog, but there are two things this week that have really thrown me over the edge! This post might ruffle a few feathers... 1) Smoking around children- Since I have moved to Nebraska, I have seen one pregnant woman smoking and two moms smoking at the playground. REALLY?!! When I saw the pregnant woman smoking, she was in a Walgreen's parking lot smoking outside of her car, apparently waiting for someone. It took every ounce of my being to stop myself from ripping the cigarette out of her hand and screaming in her face how horrible of a parent she was for doing this to her unborn child. The two smoking moms at the playground were two separate events. The second being two days ago. I was walking up to the swings when I saw a woman pushing her baby in the swing....and she was smoking. I was so angry. How dare she defile this sacred place for children! Ada Louise and I went to play on the slides, instead. The mom did come up to us after she was done smoking and pushing her child in the swing, to make small talk. The damage was already done. I was polite, but inside I was outraged. How could she think this was okay? Where did she put that cigarette butt? There have been a few times I have gone to this particular park and have seen cigarette butts in the sand in direct reach of Ada Louise. I quickly picked them up and threw them away...but really, who would throw them in the sand at a children's playground....and who would smoke at a playground?! 2) People taking infants to adult movies- I came upon a complaint by an anonymous woman this weekend on an anonymous family group that she had been kicked out of an anonymous movie theater for breastfeeding. At first, I was infuriated. Why was this woman kicked out of the movie theater? This seemed highly illegal, how could a manager make the woman leave for breastfeeding?....and then I heard more of the story. Her babysitter had cancelled, so she took her 10 DAY OLD BABY to the movie, Immortals, because she really wanted to see a movie, again. I have included the link to Rotten Tomatoes so that you can read what the movie is about...it includes a lot of words like brutal, bloodthirsty, murderous, rampaging, and obliterated. Well sister, when you are a parent sometimes you just have to suck it up and say, well, the babysitter cancelled, I guess we will go another time. As I read peoples comments to her on this site, they were outraged about the breastfeeding situation, rightly so, but not one person questioned her for bringing this baby to this movie and many people chimed in that they had also brought their newborns to movies. What?! So, we've all been to movie theaters, right? Movies are LOUD! Sometimes I am uncomfortable with how loud they are, can you imagine how a 10 day old baby would feel? Not to mention all the violent sounds he would be hearing from the movie. I am just so upset about these women subjected their children to these situations. Am I Super Mom? No, but I take every precaution to not harm my daughter in any way, emotionally, psychologically and physically. I am really upset by parents who don't fully take those things into consideration. Again, I am sorry if this ruffles any feathers, but I really had to get that off my chest! I couldn't sleep I was so lit up by these things!

Did you ever learn to self-soothe?

I came upon a very interesting article today through Omaha Area Natural Parents about self-soothing and how it can shape a child. I have always been completely against the "cry it out" method of teaching children to self-soothe themselves into going to sleep. Many people have scolded me to let Ada Louise cry herself to sleep during the night so that she would finally sleep through the night. We tried this once two nights ago, well...not fully. I woke up with Ada Louise at around midnight to feed her. At around 3:45 she woke up, again. I thought, ok, well I guess I will try this just this once. She screamed and screamed (it was a mad scream, not a sad scream...in which case I would have bolted to her immediately). She did fall asleep within about 5 minutes, but it completely ruined my day. Yes, I am really, really tired from Ada Louise still not sleeping through the night at 11 months old, but I want to comfort her...I want to be there for her. I want her to know that I will always be there for her and always help her when she needs it. I am her mother and I have to comfort her. It just doesn't feel right to let her cry. This article really illustrated exactly my thoughts and feelings on this issue, by comforting Ada Louise I am modeling for her how to soothe herself. I am validating (yikes, the most widely overused psychological term...sorry for that!) her feelings, but offering her a solution that she can learn from. Ada Louise is highly social, outgoing, trusting and giving. I feel that she is this way from the soothing pattern that we have modeled for her....well, that and she takes after her dad's personality. I respect the decisions of others to make the choices that are best for their children. I simply feel on this issue that I have to go with my gut and what I feel is right for Ada Louise.....and just a little update, Ada Louise DID sleep through the night last night! All the way through...7-6. Amazing. Of course, I still woke up to check on her a few times...but she was sleeping sound as a little bug in a rug.

Itty Bitty Ada Louise photo courtesy of the AMAZING and WONDERFUL, Becca Wersland

Gone missing...and other tasty bits

I have been neglecting my blog....seriously. With the dogs having mysterious puking sickness for 4 days, Ada Louise being sick for what feels like 16 years and gettting my shop up and product made, it feels like there is no time in the day to settle my brain enough to write something...anything...of any coherence. Here are a few tasty bits to get you through, where I cannot with my witting banter (ha ha, right?).

Open for Business!

Finally, the shop is open! Come check out my Etsy shop, Blue Bicycle Design! It will eventually be brimming with lovely little things for your little lady. I currently have fun, boho rosette headbands up. I will be putting more up on the shop as the day goes on...when Ada Louise will allow me five minutes to post things :) In the next few days, I will be adding little lady felt pins and hairclips...and eventually I will be adding older little lady/adult hair pins. I am SO excited to finally have the shop up and running!

Etsy Shop

If all goes as planned...Blue Bicycle Design will be open this Friday! I had wanted to open it today...but having 2 sick dogs since Friday and a teething AND sick baby lady, that was not in the cards.

Pumpkins and holidays and such

It is November. I can't believe my favorite month is over! We have so much to look forward to in the next two months....going back to Chicago for Aaron and Lauren's wedding, Thanksgiving with the Chicago and Columbus brood coming to live it up, Ada Louise's 1st birthday, St. Nick's Day, Christmas, and NYE in Madison! I can't believe how many exciting things are coming my way. While I am simmering in my excitement, I thought I would post some pumpkin pics. I thought Ada Louise would be thrilled to watch us carve pumpkins...not so much. She thought taking the tops off and putting them back on was great for about 5 minutes; sticking her hand in the pumpkin goop was riveting for all of 30 seconds. I think next year she will be a lot more excited about holiday events....hopefully. I love holidays and doing them up....the hubby doesn't seem to partake in my holiday vigor, though he really has jumped on the bandwagon over the course of our 8 1/2 years together. Let's hope Ada Louise takes after me in this aspect. Holidays are more fun when you go BIG!