falls of the ohio.

We spent a little while on a rock near the Ohio River with some sunshine and a breeze. Ice cream from the Widow's Walk followed. It was like a mini beach look a like adventure :)

oh, tuesday.

On our day off we had brunch at Wild Eggs. We braved the movie theater with a baby and it turned out great. We were the only people in there and Zara slept through most of it. We also spent a little bit of time at Waterfront Park (with sunglasses). Everything is so much more fun with a baby, I love showing her around :)

mostly food & a baby.

I tried to do that "photo an hour" thing. I really like it, but Zara gets fussy and I start cleaning and the photos don't happen. Maybe someday. I still snapped a few cute ones. Like the title says, it is mostly baby or food. I started making Zara some baby food- she really likes it! I'm excited. Honestly, I ate quite a bit of her sweet potato. She liked the apple/ orange more anyway.
I have been trying to cook dinner most days too, it has been successful. I don't really like cooking but I love the outcome- having a healthy meal that I prepared for my family. There is just something about cooking that makes you feel happy and connected to the ones you love (when the process is over, I guess). Anyway, it was a gorgeous weekend and I got caught up on a few things(not enough, haha):::

She wakes up so happy!:::

I love this steamer/ blender. It is so easy to use:::

She looks just like Jonas in this photo:::

We took a walk in the gorgeous weather. It was way cooler out than our apartment. Our A/C always goes out. It gets so hot on the top floor! :::

I know she is too small to sit in this, but I held on to her arms and it worked:::

 We order Blue Apron every week. This was a fun meal- roasted chicken, mixed mushrooms, rosemary- orange salad and a chipotle sauce that was super hot! :::

playing soccer.:::

 She was talking while we cooked Sunday dinner:::

My 1 coke/ week with some great food:::

& we matched our toenails. love it! & it is harder to take a photo of baby toenails than to paint them, ha.:::

life update in words & photos.

*i stole this writing idea from another blogger

Learning::

Even though it's been a couple months, I'm still learning to navigate work/ mom life. Motherhood is an intense transition. I'm really trying to be kind to myself.

To be mindful and present through these days that go way too fast.

To cut sugar out of my diet (but not all the way, duh).

Happy about::

Our upcoming trip to see family.

My little family, our jobs, a lovely home.

The warm weather !

Getting better::

Understanding life and death and finding peace it all.

Good thoughts & less negativity.

Feeling like I'm part of a community in this life. I love the people I am getting close to.

Needing:

To be outdoors and travel!

To find quiet time to thoughtfully journal.

To get out and run everyday.

& now photos featuring: baby taking a nap. unicorns drawn by my niece. a family walk. zara in her suit before a family run. trader joe's saving my life with snacks for general conference to eat with the missionaries(i was sick). flowers from TJ's. z standing and playing. a family hike. a bunch of frozen yogurt. steak, eggs, kimchi rice (enough said, amiright?) the park with friends. father and daughter (both with bald heads). spring flowers.

this will be our life now...

I took Zara to the park to have her dinner next to the lion statues. Kids would come up and talk to her and we watched all the people and enjoyed the sunshine. I hope this weather is here to stay because we could get used to it !

Z 's Fourth Month!

FOUR.

This month flew by so quickly that I haven't even been counting the weeks! It has been so great though, Zara is so sweet and fun. We are obsessed with her smiles and her little voice. The three of us are together every chance we get and we wouldn't have it any other way!

There were a lot of changes for baby girl this month:::

At her 4 month check up she weighed 13 pounds 15.1 ounces. She is 26 inches long. She is healthy and happy and growing so well :)

Zara can still wear 0-3 month clothes, but they are getting tight and I am rotating in her 3-6 month clothes. She wears size 1 diapers. 

Her eyelashes. I love them:::

She is at the beginning of enjoying toys and spends quite a bit of time playing. She is great at grasping toys and she plays with the pieces of her baby gym that she can reach:::

She loves to wiggle.

Move those arms and legs girl! :::

Now she likes to grab my fingers and chew on them. Or she just grabs my hands or fingers while I hold her:::

On St. Patrick's Day we pretended she was a ginger:::

This photo is blurry, but I love it because it shows how happy this girl is!

Loves::

The morning. She may be a little cranky at first, but once she has had a bottle- we are ready for smiles and laughs and chats.

Standing. It's her thing. Jonas helps her with this all the time :)

Being held while we walk around.

Stroller rides and being outside. She especially loves the jogging stroller.

Chewing on her hands.

She adores when someone holds her while another person sings or talks to her. She beams!

Music.

Doesn't Like::

Being held while we sit.

Loud noises.

She doesn't like the moby wrap much anymore.

Nursing...it has mostly turned into pumping(except a couples times a day). I thought I would be sad about this, but I feel so connected to this girl, I don't really feel like I am missing out on anything. My top priority is to give her breast milk and that's all I truly care about. I will say though- nursing her in the mornings is so comforting :) She is also on a regular eating schedule, it makes my life so much easier while dealing with such a time consuming part of everyday. I do give her 1 tsp. of cereal in her last bottle of the day. I am so excited to start giving her other foods soon!

Sleeping...She is my champion sleeper. She has slept through every night (except one). I don't know what I would do without sleep, so I am so grateful that she does this. Still loves the swaddle. Still sleeping in the bassinet next to Mama. She is awake for most of the day now, only taking naps that add up to a few hours. It is great to have her around and alert.

Daycare & Work... Zara is fine with daycare. She plays next to the other kids on the floor and is well cared for. It has been harder for me to leave her because she is awake most of the day... she is my "happy place".

Other things...She squeals, laughs and talks for long periods now. It's downright adorable. She smiles her gummy grins that never get old. She holds her head up well and gets steadier all the time. I know she doesn't do it on purpose, but she says "Maaaamaaaa" and "Ma". She also says "ah goo". Her hair was brown when she was born, but now she is turning blonde(besides the random brown spots in the back). She seems to recognize our voices. She grabs my hands and holds onto them and looks at them. She loves glowing toys. She likes to look at herself in the mirror. Has found her toes and loves to stick her tongue out. She grabs my face. And she will lay and play on the floor or in her crib. She can hold herself up on her arms and roll both ways.

Happy 4 Months Zara Mouse! I love spending time with you. I especially love to make sure you are super cozy and warm and comforted as you fall asleep. I love your happy smiles. I love you so very much & I will forever.

a beauty of a day.

Life is amazing and then it’s awful and then it’s amazing again and in between the amazing and the awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life and it’s breathtakingly beautiful. – L.R. Knost