The best place.

The best place is home and that's exactly where Mikey, the baby, and I rolled into late this afternoon.

Some other life perks!

1. We're moving this week! This could be a bummer but I'm going to spin it because I really like our new place and it's actually a really good thing, just challenging to complete - especially with the next four days being either grossly hot/humid or horridly stormy...wish us luck!

2. I ate only beige today; this isn't good but travel days are fun because the rules go out the window...fried chicken! Chiptole at 9 AM! That second one didn't actually happen today and when it did really occur I was pregnant so there's justification.

3. Our baby...is such a baby and we're loving it! Except when she cries or doesn't sleep. But then again, that's the whole being baby part.

4. Our time with family in both California and Arizona was the best ever. I'm sad to have it behind us so I won't dwell on that, rather, I'm basking in the warm glow of having had such a good visit with everyone.

5. We have great families.

Here's to more soccer this week! Though we won't have a TV...probably a positive in the grand scheme of things!
xoxo, natty ♥

Le sigh.

Mikey and I had a glorious night away but were SOOOOOO excited to see that baby girl this morning; funny how that works.

Our last day in Arizona has been lovely, visiting with friends, soaking in the pool, having a margarita, watching soccer, and making plans for our next visit. 

It's been a great time "abroad" for me and baby. I feel as though I want to say a "great summer" but we still have a bunch of time left before Back to Work and it's so nice to think about that! Coming up we have a glorious reunion with poor-neglected Guinness!, a move {very soon, actually, by next weekend}, more visiting with friends, the rest of the World Cup {poor México!, a trip to the midwest, and setting into our new neighborhood {but a mere handful of miles from our current locale}.
xoxo, natty ♥

A great gift.

We are so thrilled {& a bit sad} that my in-laws are taking baby Hanna ALL NIGHT LONG so that we can enjoy a night away at a local resort {the prices during the summer here in Arizona are super great}...will we miss that baby? YES! Will we enjoy more than two hours of consecutive sleep? YES!!!

Wish them luck!
xoxo, natty ♥

Pretty pretty.

After dinner with an aunt and uncle last night we enjoyed this beautiful desert sunset.

Then someone {not I!} cried the whole way home.

Here's to the weekend!
xoxo, natty ♥

Go USA.

Before story time at the library this morning {we're making the rounds at area libraries!} we dropped off daddy to watch the game.

And then the result wasn't the best but we still had a good day in our red, white, and blue!
xoxo, natty ♥

Strangely it doesn't bother me.

14 weeks.

What a little growing weed we have on our hands!!! Let's see what she's up to this week.

• The most adorable "talking"; she has such a cute little breathy voice.
• LOVING on the ceiling fans and chandelier in her grandparent's Arizona house.
• Said "goodbye-for-now" to her California family; we miss them so much!
• Said "hello again" to her Arizona family; we're so glad to be here with them!
• Flew in an airplane again; she did marvelously!
• Rolled from her back to her...side!
• Has tried out and seems to like a Bumbo chair! We keep a close eye on her and will put it on a chair {a big no-no but, again, we're right next to her watching her} and pull her up to the table for meal times; she loves it.
• Continues to enjoy sucking on her hands and fingers and also loves getting her hands on her feet.
• Likes her toys; a flashy firefly thing and an adorable little dolly she got as a gift in California.  
• We LOVE this little baby and just can't get enough of her. Even every two hours throughout the night.

xoxo, natty ♥

Heat.

We're in Arizona for another week so let's see what's going on...

1. It's summer; officially and weather-wise...woo hoo! 

2. As mentioned, we have a solid week here before back to reality {moving apartments}.

3. That remaining time here in Arizona means more hands to help with baby...though except for her papa those hands don't help much when she's waking up every two hours at night.

4. Despite #3, there's a possible overnight sans baby this weekend! Are we all ready for that?!

5. There's plenty more World Cup for all to enjoy...good job Mexico and ¡vámonos Colombia!

How's your week reader?
xoxo, natty ♥

Don't go.

I've been loving this June-travel-a-thon so much; spending time with friends and family. I guess it'll be nice to get on a routine with this little one of ours, though it's not like each day is totally different while we're here nor was it in California. What I'm saying is "June, cut it out, take your time, move slower!" It's mi favorite month of the year anyway but it's been made even sweeter by the folks with whom we've been lucky enough to spend it.

Anywho, have a lovely start to your week wherever you are!
xoxo, natty ♥

Couch family.

After a great deal of soccer today we grilled some carne asada, swam, had tacos, and then got shave ice.

Concerned baby that her parents are letting her watch TV. "But it's the World Cup" they retort.

What a summery day!
xoxo, natty ♥

HOT lunch.

We had a great first day here in Arizona. We hung out around the house in the morning and then had lunch at a fun {& delicious restaurant} - Hanna Lu's a pro at eating out now!

Little girl got to try a Bumbo!

Our friend Zack is visiting us from Los Angeles and we're looking forward to some grilling out and swimming in the next few days.
xoxo, natty ♥

Back in the Valley of the Sun.

Hanna Lu and I arrived safely and bittersweetly back in Arizona tonight {so sad to leave California, so happy to be with Arizona family}.

And we get to enjoy our time here until the end of the month; yippee!!
xoxo, natty ♥

Three months.

Oh they weren’t lying when they said it would get better!! Life has been so amazing and such a turn-around from the first six weeks of Hanna Lu’s life. We’ve actually soent the past month no really in DC but with family in Shenandoah, VA, and home in San Jose, CA, and we’ll spend the rest of the month with family in Pheonix. It’s been SO nice to have people around and to have our daughter meet and get to know and enjoy her family. The baby is so much more interactive than before and she’s just so darn cute. Let’s look at what three months is like.

How old: three months

Weight: hmmmm…we haven’t visited the pediatrician in a long while so my guess is somewhere between 13 and 14 pounds. She’s still not a big weight gainer but the ounces do creep on, just slowly.

Likes:

·      Eating…she’s much better. Hanna Lu will still be fussy sometimes but this situation is much better than it had been.

·      “Talking”, cooing, squawking, giggling, and making all sorts of sounds with people.

·      Grabbing and sucking on her feet.

·      Grabbing and sucking on her hands; she’ll grip each hand with the other.

·      Being naked.

·      Baths; we got to use a real baby bath here in California {as opposed to the sponge mat we put in the sink at home} and she LOVES it.

·      Being outside.

·      Sucking on toys…she has some soft toys we brought with us and she enjoys gnawing on these.

·      “Sitting”; she enjoys being pulled up into a sitting position and has some pretty good neck control as of the last week or so.

·      Grabbing onto toys; she just started this in the past two weeks and even though her movements are very zombie-like, she’s definitely reaching for things.

·      Swimming; the babe has gone several times and will hopefully go more in the next two weeks while we’re in Arizona.

Dislikes:

·      Being in the car! She cries and cries unless she’s just tired enough to fall asleep.

·      Tummy time, though she’s getting to be more tolerant of this.

Milestones:

·      So many new people! Hanna Lu met a ton of family this month.

·      Air travel; the dear child experienced three take-offs and has three more before we get back to DC.

·      Grabbing for things.

·      Sleeping in a real crib.

Sleep and eat:

·      She’s less fussy when she eats.

·      Hanna Lu eats anywhere between every hour to three hours; if she seems fussy/hungry she gets a snack.

·      The bedtime is very late, in my opinion {between nine and 11 – and it stayed that even after we got to the west coast time zone which makes me worry for when we go back east; will she not adjust and be wanting to go to sleep between 12 and two AM?!}.

·      Hanna Lu has recently {since we got back here} been able to fall asleep pretty quickly if she’s swaddled, nursed, and rocked in a rocking chair simultaneously. This is a huge change from back home where she wouldn’t nurse and it took extensive bouncing and walking around to get those eyes to close.

·      Staying asleep is another question. At night, she usually wakes up about an hour after going down {boo} which I think can be attributed to not enough sleep – every infant sleep issue seems to be caused by inadequate sleep.

·      After that first wake-up {or two}, the babe will go down in her crib/bassinet for a two to four hour stretch…there had been a five and six hour one when she was younger but not since. She eats and then goes back down in her crib/bassinet for another two hours. We then repeat the process but in our bed and she’ll snack/sleep on and off until we get up between eight and ten AM. We need to get on a better schedule for when I go back to work but I still have two solid months to get there so I’ll not worry about that right now!

Miscellaneous:

·      Michael and I are wanting to sleep train this kiddo but need to choose some techniques, wait a bit since she’s not old enough, and build up the fortitude and patience…wish us luck.

·      We’re so excited to have another two months together before work; we’re so lucky {& poor!} to have been able to pull this off!

xoxo, natty ♥

13 weeks.

This is our third Tuesday in California; we're sad not to have a fourth to look forward to but we are so happy for the wonderful time we've had here, visiting with friends and family.

On to what's new this week in our baby's life!

Nary a smile was to be had in today's serious photo shoot.

• There was one big first; a trip to the Pacific Ocean! Hanna Lu made no reaction when we dipped her feeties into the cold water but she did seem to love the experience of being there and the sights, smells, and sun.
• More hanging out with friends.
• Her first {then 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th} restaurant visit; she did splendidly each time! This certainly won't last until the baby's mobile so I'm enjoying it now.
• Hanna Lu is still loving on her hand and thumb; both are in her mouth quite often.
• Drooling a lot! I now understand keeping a bib on baby all day.
• A bit fussy with her eating again; just being a baby!
• Not sleeping super well but there's SO much that she's been doing I don't blame her...though yesterday was one of our more low-key days and she didn't give me her best night so who knows {no one, I think...babies are all mysteries we're better off not trying to hard to figure out...at least I'm better off that way!}.
• A visit to Rancho San Antonio for a walk; this is a nature reserve with tons of trails that I've spent much time at and it was fun to take the baby, even if she slept/cried in her stroller.
• Baby's first visit to Ikea.
• Baby's first Father's Day which was not actually with her father but we'll make up for that later this week!

There's a flight on our agenda on Thursday so wish us luck!
xoxo, natty ♥

Pockets!

California has been too much fun; it will be sad to leave later this week.

But! Some good things!! 

1. A pocket on our daughter's shirt.

For, you know, small baby belongings.

2. Cool nights here {thank you fog!} which makes for being able to "wear" the little one on walks very easily. This won't be possible in Arizona!

3. Ugh. The baby is waking up...she's been asleep for an hour. Will this child EVER sleep? But, the marvelous thing is that she's ours and she's wonderful.

4. Dinner at my dad's tomorrow night!

5. Street tacos tonight...but let's hope they weren't a bad idea.

I hope you're well and enjoying the last few days of Spring this week =).
xoxo, natty ♥

Papas.

Happy Father's Day to my own father, Michael's dear dad, and to my sweet husband himself {his first Father's Day!}! 

We love you all and are so appreciative of everything you do for us!
xoxo, natty ♥

Beach babe.

We had a lovely day today; Hanna Lu went to the beach for the first time and visited two restaurants {she was super good in both!}.

I thought it would be nice to let our daughter's feet touch the water. In case you're not familiar with how the Pacific Ocean feels in our neck of the woods, it's COLD. And the little babe showed no reaction to the temperature.

But she sure was cute with her rolled up pants and sandy feet. I can't wait for the days when she's toddling around in the sand and surf.

THOSE LEGS!

An early Happy Father's Day to Mike and our two dads...we love you all immensely and are so grateful for all of your wonderful and much-appreciated dad qualities!
xoxo, natty ♥

More friends and more lunch.

Today was a wonderful day...I took our daughter for a walk at Rancho San Antonio, a place where I've run and walked many happy miles. We saw turkeys and a deer.

Thanks to my dad for this glorious picture.

Then I met friends for another lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get our baby to nap.

Now I'm trying to get her to sleep. Fun times.

Happy weekend y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Friends and lunch.

Oh how I miss my friends! Today we had lunch with each other and our babies...what fun and what a way we've come since we first met eight {eight?!} years ago, right before we started teaching.

And our own little, apart from enjoying these ladies and one little man, is loving on her feet.

And who can blame her, they're so darn cute!
xoxo, natty ♥

My favorite flower.

xoxo, natty

12 weeks.

We're in the middle of a few very warm days here, but nothing compared to what we had in Arizona last week and with nowhere near the humidity we're missing out on in DC so we're not complaining! 

Let's see what else we're doing this week...

• More and more frequent giggling; ADORABLE!
• HL "met" the California redwoods yesterday on a hike with our friend Eddie...she loved looking up at the greenery even though it was sweltering {mama kept wetting her down to try and keep her cool}.
• We've discovered our legs and feet and toes...and getting them into our mouth is a wonderful thing!
• Some attempts at grasping at things in a deliberate manner...such jerky movements still!
• We went to our first restaurant; we had Indian food at our favorite restaurant tonight. The proprietor, such a kind man, offered to hold the babe while I ate and this scruffy man did a great job with our little one! And said little one did quite splendidly...she was giggly and cooing in her car seat for a while, good in my arms/on my lap for a bit, and then our friend carried her around for the rest of the time.
• Hanna Lu visited my old school and workplace; what a joy to introduce her to my friends and be back at one of my favorite places.
• Swimming happened two more times.
• Hanna Lu met a lot of neighbors both at my grandmother's house and my father's...so much fun!

I'm sure there's plenty more that's happened in this baby's life the past seven days but this feels good for now; what a California cutie!!
xoxo, natty ♥

A meeting.

Woah there went the temperature again today...toasty and just the way I like it unless I'm trying I keep a small baby cool. But we did some good thing; read on!

1. Hanna Lu met California's great redwood trees for the first time. We went with our good friend Eddie for a little hike/walk that was warmer than I had even thought. But the babe loved the trees {she honestly appreciated a good green canopy} and I cooled her down with a wet washcloth each time we passed a fountain. It's a beautiful regional park in the Oakland hills that we explored and I highly recommend it if you're in the Bay Area looking for an easy nature fix.

2. Monday crossowor! But I just haven't gotten to it yet; something to look forward to!

3. More time in California; yippee! We're here until well into next week.

4. And more travel this summer to look forward to; Eddie and I were talking about a wedding we're all going to in Wisconsin in August. It's not exactly iceland like last summer but I'm pretty pleased with our plans.

5. Great dads all around; as Father's Day approaches I'm very grateful, as always, for my own papa and the one that my dear husband has now turned into.

What's good where you're at folks?

xoxo, natty

Hot dog!

Last night my wonderful dad hosted a BBQ {tri-tip...California yum!} and Hanna got to enjoy herself too {no tri-tip for her though}.

And on today's agenda? Another dip in the pool as the mercury rises.

Stay cool folks!

xoxo, natty

Rummage.

It was warm today as my aunt and I explored a local church festival'sn rummage sale.

But not too hot to enjoy Italian sausage and lemonade! And to score some good kids books and a play mat for our traveling baby; she loves her one at home and now gets one on the road too!

Good Saturday to you!

xoxo, natty

Artsy fartsy.

Today we enjoyed a slow morning at home, some more visiting family, a walk with my grandmother's dog, a quick dip in the pool {too cold! #bayareaproblems}, and walking around and arts/music festival downtown.

It was a good day and we're excited for the weekend ahead; meeting more people and some rising temperatures.
xoxo, natty ♥

Alma Mater.

The little one and I visited my old high school today, a.k.a. my first job after college and where I taught for six years. A place I find it hard to be away from.

And we had so much fun visiting and walking to get lunch!

What a lovely visit we're having so far, and how few pictures I'm posting as well! Hopefully more in the next few days will find their way up here.
xoxo, natty ♥

A week's worth of free eruditeness.

11 weeks.

Woo hoo we're into using digits for our weeks now, not spelling out the numbers; the baby's getting so old! Ha!

This past week has been a big one for our little girl. We are so grateful to be able to travel this summer and show her off so let's see what's up!

She had a very serious photo shoot today, not many smiles...but lots of cuteness!!!

• Giggles! Though they quickly turn into a little cry so...
• Air travel! Wow! Hanna Lu has now flown three times; DC to St. Louis, MO, {layover} to Phoenix then to California this morning. She was a champ each flight and even slept through the first two...though there was a big diaper {& the blanket she was wrapped up in and the baby carrier below that} mishap today which was actually good because it let me know that I can successfully take care of business in an airplane bathroom.
• Swimming! The little girl seemed to really enjoy her first dip and looks forward to more in the coming weeks!
• Continued cooing and smiling, which we love.
• Meeting her great-grandmother, my grandmother, after whom Hanna Lucille is named; what a joy.

xoxo, natty ♥

Ahhhhhh.

When I'm not working, I love Mondays. Because...

1. The crossword puzzle is really do-able. Even if for ten to twenty minutes at a time because that's how long the baby sleeps for when she "naps".

2. There's an entire week ahead to do things. Weekends feel like they should be reserved for "weekend things" {?} and there's a nice feeling to normal workdays, even though I'm not working.

3. The baby and I get to "sleep" in together. 

4. Cheese crisps for dinner.

5. A sojourn to California tomorrow! Wish us luck traveling.

What's good about Mondays for you Reader? 

Oh yeah...IT'S JUNE! The most beautiful month of the year!
xoxo, natty ♥

First swim.

Tonight Hanna Lu enjoyed her first swim in her Grandma and Zaide's pool.

She was tired to begin with and not in the best mood.

And even though the water was not the warmest…

she really liked it!

Hanna zoomed around a bit with all of us and can't wait for her next time in the pool!

Ugh…the internets are being reeeealllly slow for me tonight…I'll add in pictures later!
xoxo, natty ♥