Friday, March 30, 2012

Fact Friday


:: I get embarrassed easily.
:: My first crush was Bryan Adams, he sang that song (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. I remember sitting on my parents bed with my Mom watching the music video for this song when I was younger and thinking he was the man I wanted to marry one day!


:: When I was younger I used to love playing with the American Girl Dolls.
:: I am an awful speller. 
:: One of my favorite artist is Gustav Klimt!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Hello Windy City

Today marks our second day in Chicago, we are absolutely loving it here! The weather is perfect and sunny and we feel so at home! It will be a few more days until I'm really able to sit down and blog again, we are still settling in and computer isn't due to arrive until Friday. I cant wait to update you all in more detail about our move to Chicago and to share some adorable pictures of my sweet Chloe lately!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Windy City Here We Come: Part 3

Today is the day we are moving to Chicago! I cant believe how quickly these past few months in Seattle have gone. I am beyond grateful for this experience, living in Seattle has had its ups and downs but its been an amazing experience that I will always hold dear to my heart! I looking forward to the day when Chicago feels like home again and I cant wait for all the adventures me and my family will journey on!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Good Music: The Grateful Dead

 Happy Monday! The Grateful Dead is one of my absolute favorite bands so I am so excited to be sharing some of their songs with you today! Oh and tomorrow is moving day, so, so excited!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Girls Night Out


Yesterday evening my good friend Erika and I left our babies with the husbands and ventured out to a restaurant called Blueacre Seafood in downtown Seattle! I was nervous and sad to leave Chloe at home but she had a great time with Mike! I am so glad Erika and I got a chance to hang out just the two of us before I leave. It was so fun to get dressed up and wear heels again, to be in Seattle, to have my first drink since before I got pregnant, and to spend time with one of my closest friends laughing and sharing sweet memories!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fact Friday


:: I cant stand strong smells. I had really bad morning sickness during my pregnancy and anything that smelt too strong whether it be perfume or strong smelling soaps to all different kinds of food and anything else you could think of made me so sick. Even now that my pregnancy is over anything too strong makes me a little nauseas  but its definitely not as bad as it was when I was pregnant.
:: I remember reading the book The Secret Garden when I was a kid and ever since then I have always wanted my own little secret garden.

Image Source

:: I wear yoga pants and hoodies more often then I would like to admit these days but I really do love fashion and hope to one day have a closet full of amazing and beautiful clothes.
:: I am terrified of public speaking. I took a class once in College and every time I had to stand up and give a speech I would become sick to my stomach and feel shaky and out of breath.
:: I love early mornings when the house is still quite and the sun is rising into the sky.

Image Source

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Never Gets Old


 My sweet Chloe has six little teeth now! For so long she only had her two bottom ones and then just a month ago she got four brand new teeth all at once! I took this picture yesterday while we were at Starbucks with my Mother in-law, it has quickly become my favorite picture of her! I just love her sweet, beautiful face! I love the way she smiles at me with those beautiful little teeth!

It never gets old....

each new milestone reached, each new tooth grown, each time she smiles and giggles and snorts with pure excitement over even the most simplest things in life.
it never gets old....
watching her grow and learn and blossom into her own beautiful being.

Motherhood is the most natural, beautiful, life changing and humbling experience I have ever experienced in my life and I just cant thank God enough for blessing me with my sweet child, I just cant thank Him enough!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Windy City Here We Come: Part 2

In exactly one week from today the three of us will be boarding a one way plane to Chicago. Right now I am filled with so many different emotions - excitement, nervousness, fear and the idea of moving is finally sinking in. Seattle has been our home for 5 years now, its what we know and though we lived in IL for the majority of our life it now feels like such a foreign place in my mind.

I really am excited to move but with any big decision comes fear and worry. I love knowing we will be raising Chloe in the same place we grew up and I cant wait for all the wonderful adventures we will have as a family!

We are almost completely packed and ready to go! We have some friends picking up our dinning room table and chairs tomorrow evening and besides a couch that's all the furniture we have left. After that the only thing left to do is to pack our suitcases with clothes and deep clean our apartment before we turn in our keys. This apartment will always hold such a special place in my heart, this is the first home Mike and I have lived in together and the first place we raised our daughter in for the first 9 1/2 months of her life, I will never forget this sweet little home of ours!

Tomorrow my Mother in-law will be meeting Chloe for the first time!, then we will be going out with some friends and their kids for a goodbye dinner. Then on Friday me and my good friend Erika will be having a girls night out in Seattle! This will only be the second time I have been without Chloe so I'm nervous but also excited to get dressed up and spend time with my friend without our babies around. Then on Sunday my sister in-law will be throwing a goodbye party for us at their house! Its going to be a busy and fun week!

 Be on the look out for lots pictures in the next few days!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Good Music: Silverchair

For this music Monday post I am featuring one of my all time favorite bands - Silverchair! I started listening to Silverchair during my high school days and though they are not together anymore I still absolutely love them. They will always remind me of my husband and those sweet new moments of our relationship. In 2007 Mike took me to go see them for my 21st birthday in Seattle, it was an incredible night to remember!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

9 Months Old


 Its hard to believe that 9 months have already passed since that magical day my sweet Chloe arrived into our arms! Looking at that picture above I see a toddler starring back at me with curious eyes and my heart is once again filled with so much love and pride. It still makes me sad to think how short babyhood is but every month that Chloe gets older I am loving more then the last!

Here's whats new with my sweet Chloe:

:: Chloe is drinking from a sippy cup now (just water)

:: She has discovered her nose and we will often catch her with a finger up it!

:: Cruising from object to object

:: Chloe can say Ma Ma, Da Da, Wa Wa, and Ra Ra

:: Loves to shake her head back and forth

:: Sleeps in the most funny positions and with her butt in the air!

:: Babbling a lot more these days

:: Has fully developed her pincer grasp

:: Breastfeeding is still going strong!

Chloe loves, loves food now! I honestly don't think there is a food she doesn't love, which makes me so excited! We are back to doing baby led weaning which I will do a separate post on shortly.

:: Chloe loves to wave and Clap

:: has 6 teeth now!

:: Chloe can stand unassisted for a few seconds at a time

:: And loves to snort when she is happy and excited!

:: We have been struggling with sleep a lot this past month, it feels like Chloe is waking up a lot in tears and wanting to nurse all night long.


Stats:

We took Chloe in for her 9 month checkup on Wednesday, her doctor said she is in perfect health and growing just beautifully! She now weighs 21 lbs .03 oz and is 29 inches long. In 3 months Chloe has only gained half a pound. Mike and I were shocked when the nurse told us Chloe's weight, we were guessing she was already somewhere between 24 - 25 lbs. The doctor told us it was perfectly normal for her weight to slow down and speed up. We also got her iron levels checked and that came back perfect! 


 Its hard to believe my baby will already be 1 years old in just 3 short months. I cant wait to see what next month will bring, happy 9 months my little love!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Firsts: Playdate At The Park


A few Thursdays ago Chloe and I had a playdate at the park with my friend Jessica and her three boys. It was Chloe's first time at park and also her first time on a swing. We had such a great time playing in the warm sun! Chloe's favorite part was eating wood chips off the ground!

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Phone Diaries: Happy Friday


I have been totally missing blogging this week since our computer broke last Thursday but its fixed now and we will be picking it up tomorrow. Look out for a few new post's this weekend, and for now, an adorable picture of my sweet Chloe wearing a pretty pink flower barrette!

Happy Friday!

xoxo, Jennfer

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Phone Diaries: Weekend

Its always amazing to me just how quickly the weekend goes by! Each passing day brings us closer and closer to the day we leave for Chicago and as much as I am excited to move I am cherishing these last few weeks here in Seattle trying to soak up as many sweet memories as I can!

This weekend was fun and relaxing! On Thursday Chloe and I had a playdate with a good friend of ours and her 3 boys. We had a picnic at the park and Chloe swung on the swings for the first time! Then on Friday Chloe and I met up with my old boss and her adorable son at Starbucks and spent some time catching up. Friday evening the 3 of us went out for pizza with my sister in-law and her husband. Chloe had a small plate of cottage cheese, cucumber and pineapple which she loved! Then Saturday evening we had some friends over for dinner.

Sunday was relaxing and peaceful, we took naps, watched movies and ate tacos for dinner! We have a busy week ahead of us with packing, appointments, and catching up with good friends! Mike's Mom is coming into town to visit from North Carolina next Tuesday. We are so excited to be able to spend some time with her before we leave and for her to finally meet her new granddaughter for the first time!
I'm hoping we'll get our computer back sometime this week, I have so many blog posts I want to write like Chloe's 9 month update and photoshoot, an update on our experience with baby led weaning, fact Friday and music Monday posts, as well as my experience with being a vegetarian!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekened!!

xoxo, Jennifer

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Windy City Here We Come: Part 1

Tomorrow we are buying 2 one way plane tickets to Chicago.... one way! The last time I purchased a one way ticket was when I moved to Seattle 5 years ago. I am so excited and nervous to move back home, so much has happened during these past few years, I am now married with a child of my own, I have grown and changed and matured and honestly I don't feel like the same person I was when I first arrived here in the beautiful northwest. 

We will be moving in with my parents temporally until we can get on our feet and find a place of our own. It will take some getting used to but I know its the right decision for us. Mike already has a few job interviews lined up and I will be looking for a part time nanny or babysitting job that will allow me to bring Chloe along. I cant wait for the day when Chicago feels like home again. It took about a year for Seattle to feel like my home so I wonder how long it will take us to feel like Chicago is now the place we call home. I love that we will be raising Chloe in the same City that we grew up in! 

This move is all about starting over and new beginnings so we wont be bringing a lot with us, only the things that means the most to us. We still have quite a bit of packing to do but this past week we have sold 3 big pieces of furniture and a few things Chloe is to big for now, like her infant car seat and bouncer. Craigslist is seriously amazing for selling things.

Be on the lookout for more updates on our big move!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Good Music: What I'm Listening To Now

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Here's what I've been listening to lately!


Sunday, March 4, 2012

Dear Chloe

Dear little one,

Once upon a time you were so tiny in my arms, you loved spending your days nursing and cuddling and now my sweet Chloe you are turning into such an independent child. You have the most beautiful personality, so full of energy and curiosity, always wanting to explore and play. The way you smile and laugh is so completely infectious.

At only 4 days old!

I love watching you learn and grow, there is not a day that goes by that I am not amazed by you! There are certain things you do that get me every time, like the way you clap your hands together when you are excited or the way you wave to your Daddy and I as if to say hello. You are an expert stander, you stand on everything and anyone and lately we have noticed you moving from object to object while you stand. I think you are going to be walking in no time, wow I jut cant believe that!

I love the way you dance to music and recently you have added shaking your head from side to side to your routine, its the most adorable thing to watch! A few days ago I got a kiss on the lips from you for the very first time, it was the most sweetest thing. You sure know how to melt my heart little one!

Playing in the bath at almost 9 months old!

I love you forever and ever my sweet Chloe!

Mama

Friday, March 2, 2012

Fact Friday


:: Sometimes I just love a good cry.
:: The first time I left Chloe for more then a hour was about a month ago to get my hair done. I was in desperate need of some " me time", but when the day I made my appointment for finally came and I had to say goodbye to Chloe I got really sad and teary eyed and all I could think about while at the salon was Chloe's sweet smile and how much I missed having her in my arms. I knew I was going to miss her but I didn't know I was going to miss her that much.
:: I have naturally curly hair.


:: I was a vegetarian for 6 years.
:: I would love to go on the show What Not To Wear, $5000 in clothes and a makeover sounds perfect right now!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

A New Name


As you can see I have made a few changes to my blog! While Chloe was napping I was busy designing a whole new title and header, and I am so happy and in love with it! I have wanted to change the title of my blog for the longest time but nothing really stuck out till now. When I started this blog I came up with the title My Family of Three simply because my little family of two was now becoming a family of three and at the time I just couldn't think of anything else I really liked. Fast forward to today, I was putting Chloe down for a nap and as she was drifting off to sleep I started thinking about different titles for my blog, that's when the words Forever Lovely popped into my head and I knew instantly that it was perfect for me! Forever lovely means to me that even through the thick of Motherhood, through the tears, and joy, and struggles, and stains, and love, and milestones I will always still be me, forever lovely.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my blog, it has been such a blessing to me to have made so many wonderful friends and I have loved getting to know each one of you!