half a year old.

(i think i had olive in these pants in her three month pictures- and she was just as fascinated then as she is now)

today we celebrate olive's six month mark. six months! half a year old.  it blows my mind that half of a year has already flown by.  olive is the biggest blessing in my life- and also in dave's.  she brings so much joy into our home.  we love her to pieces and can't imagine our lives without her in it.

she is growing so much, every single day.  she just wants to be a big girl and do her own thing.  she hasn't had her check up yet- but my guess is she's about 14-15 pounds. at six months old, olive is-

// eating solids // man! this girl loves food.  ever since she was born she has been such a hyper eater.  it seriously takes us way too long to drink a bottle- all she wants to do is wiggle and look around.  we introduced olive to solids a little over a month and a half ago.  it took her a little while to get used to the whole eating thing, but now she loves it! she is having breakfast, lunch & dinner- and all of her bottles in between.  and she eats ALOT. olive loves: peaches, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, peas, bananas and we're still workin on the green beans.

// rolling //  olive rolls like crazy!! she loves being on her tummy. she thinks it's so cool that she can roll around.

// turning & scooting // to go along with the rolling- she also loves to turn around (while laying down; either on her back or stomach) and loves to scoot backwards.

// not a good sleeper // yes, we're still struggling with this.  a few weeks ago we tried to do something new. got olive in a different nightly schedule.  i was so hopeful and excited because it was actually starting to work.  we got olive to sleep THROUGH the night 3 or 4 times.  but then it all went downhill from there.  olive went to waking up only once during the night to 3 or 4 times!!! ahhh! i want to pull my hair out every night.  it's like we messed up her routine somehow by changing it up. i just want this baby girl to sleep through the night. because her mommy and daddy sure need it!

// sitting // olive is SO close to sitting up on her own.  i'm sure it will only take her a couple more weeks ( or sooner ) to get it!!

// such a wiggle worm // seriously guys.  she never stops wiggling. ever.  we are definitely in for it once she gets on the move.  i'm pretty sure olive would be sitting up on her own right now if it weren't for all those wiggles.  she loves to stand up. or lay down.  anything in between she is not a big fan of.

// stories //  her stories just continue to get cuter and cuter.  and more and MORE.  her little voice is so dang cute.  dave has this huge teddy bear that he lets olive play with.  one day he asked olive, "what does the bear say olive?" and did a little growl at her and she growled BACK! a few times.  it was hilarious and we wish we had captured it on video.

// personality // her little personality is starting to shine through and i loooooove it. she smiles so much! i just want to eat her little face!

// kisses & loves // i kiss her all day- so she grabs my face and kisses me back.  a lot! ( i think she loves me too:)) she also loves to give hugs.  i love it.

(i think i found this idea on pinterest... i couldn't wait until she was six months old so that i could bake this cake)

from the weekend

we took our first adventure to station park since it's been finished || olive sat in her high chair for (technically) the first time- she looks so big! ||  olive was literally on fire in her fleece pajamas, she loved being a naked baby for ten minutes. just look at that smile. || we went to target and bought olive more toys, she's in heaven.

// both dave and i were really impressed with station park in farmington. so much shopping!! there's even an ice skating rink! how cool!

// we got olive's high chair from a family member at one of our baby showers before olive was born. we seriously love it.  olive may not like to spend very much time in it- but you need this high chair.  it reclines!! and you can remove the tray- and not the whole tray- just the top. amazing.

// we put olive in fleece pajama's the other night, when she woke up the next morning she was literally so hot.  we took her pj's off and let her play for a little bit and cool off. she was loving it. i love her little smile!

// we went out to dinner with rachel and zack and then afterwards went to target to just browse.  we ended up buying olive more toys.  it's probably dave's favorite thing to do.  she's pretty spoiled.  we can't wait for her first christmas.

christmas oreo's

there's a reason why olive doesn't eat her peas..........

we gave olive her first oreo last night.  pretty sure she was in heaven.

what they don't tell you- post baby!

during my pregnancy, i didn't read very much... i figured my motherly instincts would kick in.  plus, i have had years of experience with babies and toddlers.  now, six months later- i wish i would have read a little more about what happens to me-post baby. so for all you new mothers expecting, here are a few things i wish i would have known.

1|| the fluids.  you thought your regular periods were bad? just wait.  do yourself a favor and take home as many of the hospital granny panties and huge pads as you possibly can.

2|| breast feeding is hard.  probably the hardest part about having a baby.  unless you have a baby born pro at breast feeding.  you will hurt ALOT , you will cry ALOT, you will bleed, you will crack, and you will feel like your nipples are going to fall off.  There will be times when you are so engorged that you will not be able to move.  GO TO A LACTATION SPECIALIST. Please.  it will help alot! these nipple shields will help give you a break from the pain.  they made it harder for olive to eat, but it gave me a little break from physical contact.

3|| post-pardum depression.  luckily it didn't hit me too badly.  but there were times when i thought that i couldn't be a mom or that i wasn't a good mom. being a mom is hard work- probably the hardest thing you will ever do.  but, it is the best thing that will ever happen to you.

4|| if you have a c-section like i did, rest rest rest!! get as much help as you can when you get home.  bending over sucks. and on all things holy- don't stretch out completely.  you will regret it.  it will take your body up to 10-14 weeks to feel completely back to normal.

5|| along with number 4, while in the hospital- let the nurses take the baby in the nursery at night.  since we didn't get to see our baby the first 3-4 hours of her life, except for maybe 10 minutes, we kept her in the room with us the first night.  it was hard and very rough.  i was still so drugged and in a lot of pain.  we didn't get very much sleep.  letting the nurses take the baby will let you get the sleep you need before you head home and you're all on your own.

6|| feeding, pooping and- if you breast feed- pumping will become your whole life.

7|| don't neglect that husband of yours.  he will feel like he's been replaced and non- existant.. which in a way he has been replaced.  but let him know that you love him, appreciate him and know he's there. find a show that you guys can watch together.  because you will spend a lot of time at home.

8|| and lastly, don't wait too long to get out of the house! get dressed, get ready, it will make this whole post-baby thing better if you can feel good about yourself.

my winter wish list..

// i saw these wedges on glitz and gold and immediately asked my husband to buy them for me!!

// sooo.... i wear sweats 95% of the time.  it's awful, but i seriously hate all of my clothes.  you know how girls are always like "i don't have anything to wear" or "i don't like anything i have" but most of the time it's a lie? yeah, no not for me..  these sweats are actually cute and i probably need them.

// and i need some cute mom pants.

// please just give me her whole outfit. period.

// everybody needs a pair of these adorable winter leggings... my hubs said i can only get a pair if i buy a matching ugly sweater to go with them.

// i have always wanted a pair of hunter boots... just have never actually purchased them.

can you tell that everything on my list is in the clothes department?? i'm definitely in need of the "new mom make over"!! what's on your wish list??

my everyday make-up

ever since high school i have been asked more times than i can count, how i do my make-up. or what products i use.  i don't use anything fancy and i don't do anything special.  super easy & quick!

before i got pregnant slash had olive, i loved the brown eye shadow and would apply that every single day.  it was my go-to look.  and rarely did anything different.

now that i have a baby, and more important things to worry about, but still want to feel like i look somewhat pretty- instead of a mess all the time- i've simplified my look.

i have never filled in my eyebrows up until maybe 6 months ago... and honestly, i don't know why i never did!! my hair color is naturally blonde.  my eyelashes & eyebrows are seriously so blonde, they're non-existent. i've had dark hair for years now, so my blonde eyebrows and dark hair didn't go together.

most days, i just apply my foundation, fill in my eyebrows and apply mascara.  when we actually go out- it's the exact same thing with a little bit of whites & brown eyeshadows.

foundation: revlon colorstay whipped// face powder: revlon colorstay aqua// bronzer: covergirl trublend minerals// eye shadows: revlon|matte- 009 rich sable// mascara's: loreal voluminous & revlon lash potion

the binky + another giveaway

we gave olive a binky a couple days after she was born, in the hospital.  we started out with the soothie binkies but she had such a hard time actually keeping it in her mouth.  so after a couple months, we decided to switch to the nuk binkies.  the way the nipple is shaped helps her keep the binky in her mouth so much more easily.  she's finally to the point where she just sucks on it for fun, and honestly i think it's the cutest to watch little babies suck on a binky.  olive loves her binky, and knows exactly what it's for and where it goes.  if she sees it, she'll reach for it.  if it's in her hand, she puts in right in her mouth.

i've been lucky enough to have my etsy shop featured again on another blog, called all things unpredictable & chic.  where two lucky readers will be given a print of their choice.... just follow the instructions to enter the giveaway.  thanks for stopping by.