Jonas goes to a baseball game

This past weekend we did something we were super excited to do, take Jonas to see his first Giants game. We planned it with a bunch of friends, it was a beautiful day, the Giants slaughtered the Braves.....but it just wasn't any fun for Jon or myself. Jonas was scared whenever people cheered, there was drama getting into the mother's lounge to nurse him, it was just sort of a big fat headache. An expensive headache. So keep that in mind while looking at these pictures that totally depict something else!

Some things come to mind when I see this picture of Jonas driving to the game. One: Thighs! Two: Teeth.

He is already wondering what we have got up our sleeves.

Not our ride. I decided to bring Jonas in the Ergo instead of bringing our stroller in and checking it at guest services. This worked out great, especially since he was so scared of the noises he was extra clingy.  Also it was nice we didn't have to deal with a stroller in the crowds and find elevators, etc.

On our way to our seats!

Not pleased. 

Our parting gift. Pretty cool thing they do for kids first games. 

Passed out while walking back to our car during the 9th inning. 

We are going to chalk it up as a learning experience and not take him again until we can give him a bag of popcorn to occupy himself while we watch the game. ;)

Bathtime Routines (& Aveeno Baby giveaway!)

For Jonas, bath time is every night. I know you don't technically need to bathe your baby more than every 2-3 days but we did it nightly early on to help establish a nighttime routine and cue bedtime. Which worked, because as I have boasted in the past, he has slept through the night since about 9 weeks. Even though the routine isn't as necessary now, we still love doing bath time nightly because he loves it so much! He gets so giggly when he is naked and Jon is carrying him into the bathroom, even if he was fussing just 5 minutes prior. So we run through a lot of baby wash with how frequently we soap him up! I was happy to try out the Aveeno Baby Wash and Shampoo and am pleased of its really light scent as the best smell is the baby themselves, they don't need heavy fragrance! It soaped up nicely and while Jonas doesn't have sensitive skin, this is great for those babies that are prone skin allergies. And bonus points for no parabens!!

If you'd like to enter to win a bottle to try for yourself and baby, leave a comment below. You have until Friday 12AM PST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed on Monday morning. Good luck!

Post Postpartum

 

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There is so much information out there for the weeks directly following birth and after your 6 week check up, it's like the medical field dusts off their hands as if to say "Good work, you're back to normal!" Ha...haha. I'd like to talk a little bit about what they don't tell you and how long things can last! Because I am nearly 7.5 months out and there are still physical signs that I "just" had a baby.

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For starters, depending on how you birthed your baby, your healing could go well beyond 6 weeks. Sure your tear can heal, but it can also re-tear. That tear takes awhile to heal because they can't go putting stitches in you now, but they can cauterize it with silver. Yup, fun times.

The linea nigra. That awesome line that appears on your belly during pregnancy doesn't fade right away! And maybe its because I am breastfeeding still, but I can still see mine. It has faded quite a bit and thinned out, but it is still visible.

Hair. There is lots to be said about hair during and after pregnancy! Yes my hair was awesomesauce during pregnancy, just like all the books claimed. And the makeup of it changed a bit, I used to be so oily that I could not skip a day of shampoo ever. I was a serial 7-days a week shampoo-er but about halfway through my pregnancy I noticed that I didn't need to wash everyday! My hair wasn't as greasy, it was great! I also thought I wasn't going to have the major shedding that everyone describes but it happened to me too. About 3-4 months postpartum my hair was shedding like mad and my brushes were filling up so fast! Thankfully I never had any bald spots or clumps coming out in the shower. Skip to now, it is back to how it used to be, needing to be washed frequently and now I have a crown of disgusting baby hairs that are over 1 inch long. I haaaaaate them. And they are obviously my natural color of darker blonde that make my whole head look darker! This one bums me out the most.

But there are some pluses. Weight loss for one. I weigh less than I did before I got pregnant. This has got to be because of breastfeeding because I exercise maaaybe once a week and eat ice cream after dinner often. (Although my alcohol consumption has gone WAY DOWN.) And the weight fell off fast. I don't own a scale but at my 6 week check up I was 5 pounds away from my starting weight. This was a huge welcome surprise!

And maybe the most awesome of all? No period...still. Which if you do the math means I haven't had one since December 2011. Yeaaaaah. That doesn't suck!

What am I missing? Anything you other new mamas want to add? I'm all ears!

Tilden Park

This past weekend we went to Tilden Park in the Berkeley hills. It is so kid friendly, and the weather was perfect so we decided to take Jonas on the steam train and to visit the Little Farm.

All aboard! The beginning of the wonderful "Free 2 and under" begins now... :)

Happy to be on the train.

The train winds through the redwoods for about 15 minutes. With lots of bells ringing and whistles blowing, Jonas was happily stimulated. Even through the dark tunnel he was fine. 

 

It would be an insult to call Little Farm a petting zoo, it is so much more!

Cutie cows.

We ended the trip with a little picnic and Jonas had his first orange! He was a fan.

recent purchases

I find these sort of posts so helpful on other people's blogs (and Instagram feeds!) that I figured I would let you all know what to buy and skip!

Ok, no judgement here, but these are from Walmart. I think I have been inside Walmart 4 times in the last 10 years. But! I saw these baby tanks and women's leggings on my Instagram feed and knew I had to have them. These baby tanks are so great for little boys, they remind me of something a little baby in the 70s would wear with long hair and a vintage Nike sweatband. And they were something like $2.50 each. Whaaaaat? The leggings are great but I wish I bought a size smaller. Even though they are in the juniors section, just get your regular size. Tie dye workout leggings make me feel like a hot mama. That was until Jon told me he saw our tween neighbor wearing them...Ooops! For less than 6 bucks, grab yourself a pair!

I know I am not going to be the first (or the last) person to tell you that Benefit They're Real mascara is pretty freaking awesome. I had been a gal that was perfectly happy with my Maybelline drugstore stuff, but decided to give this a go with a recent Sephora discount code. This stuff is legit, and with primer it's even more amaze. But the one negative, it always leaves a smudge on my eyelid that I need to remember to swipe off. Maybelline never did that.

Ok, I wanted to love this shaving cream by eos so bad, but it sucks. Despite the packaging, company ethics and subtle scent (I will take vanilla bliss over strawberry-champagne-mandarin-twist any day) this just does not deliver. It is more of a lotion than a shaving cream which means that it clogs up your razor after 1-2 short swipes. Also, I haven't cut myself shaving since I was a teenager but since using this stuff, I've cut myself twice! Ladies, as much as this bottle calls to you from the Target shelves, skip it.

I'm at the point where I need to wear a little under eye concealer every day. This Fake Up by Benefit is the best! It's in a little lipstick like tube that just swipes on. The concealer is in the core surrounded by vitamin E so once its on your face it blends in so well with the extra moisture. No greasy residue or sheen come afternoon, either. This one is a buy!

Jewelry with a baby

Before Jonas was born I would wear all sorts of jewelry on a daily basis. I loved my signature gold necklace, would play around with vintage bangles, big cocktail rings and loved sporting dangely earrings. Enter grabby baby...exit all that stuff. Necklaces, especially delicate ones will get ripped off so quickly, Jonas loves reaching around and grabbing stuff while he is nursing. Same goes for long earrings, while I am carrying him he loves to grab ahold of my hair or earrings. And bangles and bracelets get in the way. Lately I just wear my wedding rings and watch. Why have a forgotten about the ever-chic stud earrings??? It's the perfect way to still feel put together up top and show everyone that you still care about your appearance.

I am in love with all of Anjolee's stud earrings, which are all customizable! You have a budet in mind and you can play around with their jewelry maker and tweak all aspects of the product until you are happy. Any of these earrings (and a swipe of lipstick) would take my daytime "mom look" up a notch! But for those nights out without the little one, you better believe I am still grabbing my go-to pieces, the longer the better!

Sponsored post, but all thoughts belong to me!

a day in the life

When your husband (jokingly) calls you devil woman this is how you email him a simple question later that day.

My first Mother's Day. (pause for drama...) For what I have endured over the last nearly 7 months, I really am expecting Obama to call me up and thank me or give me a gold medal or something. But since that probably won't happen here is a handy list for Jonas to refer to when picking out his mama's present. Psst...it's a three short weeks away!

Iron Wire Table from Target for holding all my cups of decaf coffee. That's right, I can't have a strong cup since I'm still breastfeeding. See what I do for you??

Marais Side Chair will match nicely with all the loud primary color toys strew about the house these days.

Eileen Fisher Washed Linen sheets and pillowcases for when I get to finally rest from the day.

Swedish Hasbeens Sandals perfect for running around doing mom things but still looking like I care about my appearance.

Spa Treatment I have a feeling this will be on every wish list I make for the next 18 years. 

Card because let's be honest, a thoughtful card (bonus points for letter pressed) it really is all I want.

Weekend Scenes

Really great weekend. I can't remember the last time I even did a weekend scenes post to commemorate a great weekend. It has been way too long.

Hanging out in the back before dinner with friends on Friday. Look at those BLUES!

I cut my hair and I am kicking myself for doing it. Gah, back to growing it out. And notice that bruise on my arm? Its from where Jonas BIT me. Homeboy can do some damage with those two little chompers. 

We went to my friend's fiesta birthday party and her decorations and papel picado were a huge hit! 

I go to the farmer's market now in search of baby food makings, oh how times have changed. I made two big batches for Jonas. He loves butternut squash and sweet potatoes, especially when I add cinnamon! 

6 Month Faves

Here are some of our favorite things these days:

California Baby Sunscreen- Once babies hit 6 months they get the go ahead to start wearing sunscreen. It is still most important to be covered with hats and layers, but any skin still exposed needs to be covered with sunscreen. That baby skin can burn quickly! I like the California Baby kind, it rubs in nicely. (I did also just get the Babyganics kind too since it is mineral based, which our pediatrician recommended.)

Oxo Tot Sprout High Chair- All of Jonas' meals are now in his high chair. It's great because after meals we can put toys on the tray and he will sit and play for awhile longer since he is comfy in there. It is sort of pricey as far as high chairs go, but it works great with our decor and we will save it for baby #2.

Life Factory and Zo-li Gummy Stick Teethers- by far, Jonas' favorite teethers. They are both really easy for him to hold and work around his sore gums.

Spiffies Tooth Wipes- Now that Jonas has two teeth, we have to clean them! Twice a day and always before bed after nursing since we can't have that milk coating his teeth all night long. Early tooth decay is super common and can be avoided. These teeth wipes I got in a Bluum box and he loves them, especially if I pop them in the fridge beforehand.

Indestructibles Book- This book cannot be ripped! Babies can happily chew, bend, crinkle and try to destroy this book but it remains in one piece. Its nice and lightweight when sometimes Jonas just wants something to wrench on something for a bit.

Plum Organics Baby Food- I love this line for introducing foods to Jonas that aren't in season and I cannot find locally and organic. He loves peaches. And they work wonders for constipation if your little one is in need! We actually got more moving with pears and peaches than prunes.

Baby Gap Favorite Ribbed Socks- Literally the only socks that don't fall off. Enough said!

Let me know if you have any favorites for your little ones I need to know about.