Lauravista

Las Vegas VIPs

•April 15, 2012 • 1 Comment

Adrienne got to go on her first vacation to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago — and she was definitely treated to first class service (she is the only girl grandbaby after all). We had been looking forward to this trip for a while. Pete was going to be at a conference all week, but Adrienne and I got to spend the whole week with my family, including her new cousin Miles. The week was also full of so many firsts and it was nice to have my parents witness them all.

Adrienne is such a good little traveler! She was wonderful on the plane. It didn’t seem to bother her ears and she slept most of the way there. Despite the rocky start to our day (seriously, it was like the universe didn’t want us to make it there), Adrienne was a trooper and settled in for a fun week. First on our agenda was meeting her cousins. Cole was super sweet and gave her kisses, hugs and held her hand.

I also got to spend quality time with Miles. He was so cute and little! It was almost hard to even remember Adrienne that small.

Like I said, Adrienne had a week full of firsts. On one of the first nights we were there I took her to get her ears pierced. A friend of mine took her daughter to Claire’s at the mall, had a really good experience and recommended it to me (thanks, Jackie!). I can’t say enough good things about the experience. Adrienne hardly cried at all! She hated me holding her hands and head still more than she hated the piercing. Two minutes after it happened she was already back to her normal happy, smiling self. And, her earrings look super cute.

Another first was getting to eat veggies for the first time. We started with carrots. Adrienne, like her mother and father, loves to eat! It’s one of the comments we get most about her at daycare, “Adrienne is so much fun to feed. She loves it!” She also liked green beans. Now we’re up to sweet potatoes, peas and bananas. She loves it all and I’m so glad she isn’t a picky eater (for now anyway).

Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was getting to take some family photos with my parents and all of their grandkids. Naturally, we dressed them all in Longhorn gear! (Adrienne is destined to be a fourth generation graduate from Texas. And since my husband will read this, I’m supposed to also say that she could go to Oregon State too).

We had so much fun, but the week flew by! I can’t wait for my family to come visit in June for Pete’s graduation. I love having everyone together and hopefully by then, it will actually feel like spring in Oregon!

Posted in Uncategorized

A…B…Cereal!

•March 11, 2012 • 1 Comment

It amazes me how fast Adrienne is reaching certain milestones. Yesterday was her first taste of rice cereal. It was messy, but she loved it! I can’t tell what she loved most — the taste or discovering that she can now talk while eating (she loves to babble at the top of her lungs). That made for some nice spits of cereal aimed at mommy, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

My little nugget is not staying very little. She had her 4-month check up with the doctor last week and even he was surprised at how much she’s grown. She now weighs 15 pounds and is 25.25 inches long. That’s in the 80th percentile for height, so she must have gotten Pete’s tall genes, at least that’s what I’m hoping for. She is also starting to roll over (from back to front) and hold her own bottle. And, she even has her first boyfriend at school! They like to play on the jungle mat together and he cries every time they take her away — although Adrienne hardly bats an eyelash. That’s my girl!

One thing we are looking forward to is Adrienne’s first airplane experience (well, I might be a little nervous about it actually). We’re going to visit my family in Las Vegas and finally have all the little cousins meet. I’m so excited!!

I could go on and on about how much I love my baby girl and how much fun she is, but I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves (that’s all you really want to see anyway, right?).

Adrienne and her favorite Longhorn

In her high chair for the first time

Getting ready for her first taste of rice cereal

Yum!

Convincing dad to shave his beard - it worked!

Dancing with mom on a Sunday morning - one of our favorite things to do

Posted in Family

Time for a dinner party!

•March 7, 2012 • 1 Comment

Our dining room turned out better than I could have imagined! I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of myself for being willing to take some risks. The first was ordering a dining set that we hadn’t seen in person. The second was painting the pattern on the wall. And the third was letting Pete pick new fabric to recover the chairs. Thank goodness I love every bit of this room! The table, chairs and buffet server are gorgeous.

I love the grain and inlay of the wood – so pretty!

And I couldn’t be happier with how the wall turned out. I like the contrast of the cool blues with the warm tones of the wood. Now all that’s left is finding some accessories. I picked rust colored curtains for the one window – again to add a bit of warmth to the room and to carry that color from our family room into the dining room. I normally don’t like solid curtains but I didn’t want them to compete with the accent wall.

Just a thing or two for the walls and a cool centerpiece and I think we’ll be all set. Time to host a party!

Posted in Home

Adventures in stenciling

•February 27, 2012 • 2 Comments

Despite being in our house for almost a year, Pete and I are finally getting around to getting the dining room set up. The room used to be our pool table room, but once Adrienne arrived, it quickly became the pool table that holds all of her stuff room. We decided it was time to be real grown ups and get a dining room set so we could host more family (and friends) for meals.

I knew I wanted to do something different and almost daring for the decor (well, daring for me anyway). Thanks to Pinterest, I saw an idea to paint a stencil on the wall. You can see that idea here. This was originally done with one color paint – just two different finishes. We started down that road, but decided that it would be too subtle, and if we were going to go through all the work of stenciling, we wanted people to see it!

We picked a stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. Their site has a wide variety of patterns and has easy to follow videos that show proper stenciling technique. I’ve used stencils on plenty of craft projects before, but since an accent wall is the major leagues of stenciling, I didn’t want to mess up. Their stencils are so easy to use! It took a couple of times before I felt that my technique was good, but the stencils are forgiving (thank goodness)!

I can’t wait to finish the room! Our new furniture gets delivered on Saturday and then I will be ready to accessorize which is my favorite part. Below are some before and after pictures of the process of painting the stencil. But, I’m saving the final photo for when the room is put together, so stay tuned for that in a few days!

Posted in Home

Look at me, I’m three (months)!

•February 2, 2012 • 1 Comment

Today is Adrienne’s three month birthday! Where does the time go? It went by in the blink of an eye. Probably because we were too busy having so much fun. Month three has been her best month so far! Now that all the tummy/formula issues are way past us, we’ve been able to focus on watching Adrienne grow and develop into such a sweet, happy girl. She is such a calm baby and loves to play, smile and “talk.”

Some highlights: Adrienne is such a good sleeper. Not only does she sleep through the night but she sleeps for about 10-11 hours! It is so nice both for us and her. I love going into her room every morning and watching her wake up full of smiles. It’s the best part of my day. Last week, Adrienne got to spend the whole week with her Abuela. My mom came to visit and help while I made the transition back to work. I thought it was going to be hard, but I was excited to get back to my co-workers and projects (as Pete says, I have way too much fun for it to be called work). Easing in with half days was definitely the way to go. Plus, it let me spend more time with my mom which I always love. We got so much accomplished! This week, Adrienne had her first day of “school.” She loved it and her teachers loved her. She is one of only two girls in her class, and I’ve already warned Pete that she is going to have so many boyfriends! Choices are never a bad thing.

I can’t believe my baby is growing up so fast. She has already changed so much since we brought her home and I’m excited to see how she continues to develop. Here are some pictures of our sweet girl.

Posted in Family

Photo Wall

•February 1, 2012 • 1 Comment

I have been wanting to hang family photos in our house ever since we moved in. And of course, other projects crept up the priority list. Shortly after little one was born, we did a photo shoot at our house. The photos were so amazing that I quickly moved the photo wall project back to top priority. My original plan was to place the photos along our staircase, but I loved the idea so much, I just had to move it to a more prominent place in our house – the hallway that leads from the front door to our family room.

I am not a matchy matchy person so I decided to use all different frames in black, silver or a combination of the two. And since I’m a little OCD (the first step is admitting), I wanted a little bit of symmetry which I managed to create even though many of the frames are different sizes. I used the same color palette to make our initial block to add a personal touch. I also picked up a vinyl wall decal on etsy, again to make feel more personal and special. I chose a blue for that so it would be a nice pop of color in the space.

I love how it turned out! Now I just need to have people over so I can show off my handy work!

Posted in Home

Adrienne’s Second Month

•January 17, 2012 • 1 Comment

Adrienne definitely had a December to remember! There were some great moments and some struggles, but overall Adrienne is continuing to grow and develop, which is super fun to watch. The most challenging part of our December was finding the right formula. It seemed like every week brought a new issue and a new food — we went from one end of the spectrum to the other and nothing seemed to agree with Adrienne’s stomach. Luckily, we discovered that nothing was wrong, she just had a sensitive and often fussy tummy. She did really well at her two month check up and we finally found a formula that agrees with her (the second try of Similac Sensitive is a win!)

December also brought some important milestones. We spent Adrienne’s first Christmas in Beaverton, OR with Pete’s parents. It was a relaxing few days and we all enjoyed watching Adrienne get spoiled! This month also brought Adrienne’s first smiles (as in the real kind and not just due to gas), lots of tummy time (she is getting so strong), the beginnings of talking by way of cute sounds and coos, starting to reach for her toys and overall being lots of fun to play with. Perhaps most fun for mom and dad, was Adrienne’s first night of full sleep. Yep, that’s right — Adrienne’s birthday gift to her father was a full eight hours of sleep at night. It was the perfect way to start the New Year and it’s been that way ever since! During the past couple of weeks, we’ve taken Adrienne to her first basketball game (where despite all the noise, she slept!) and she witnessed her first snowfall.

Here are a few photos so you can see how much she has changed! In just another couple of weeks, my sweet girl will be celebrating her three month birthday! I have some fun things in store for her, so I can’t wait for my next post!

Bath Time!

Getting ready for Santa

Heading to the OSU basketball game

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the jungle

Two months old!

Posted in Family

Christmas Crafty

•December 15, 2011 • Leave a Comment

A little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to make stockings for me and Pete. I had always loved the ones my family had growing up — the ones my mom made for each of us. They were felt with sequins and embroidery and had our names on them. Given that my mom made those stockings 30 years ago and you can no longer find the kits in stores, I wasn’t sure they could be recreated. Luckily, we were able to find kits online. I was so excited. Well, as many craft projects go, the stockings were put on the “I’ll get to that later” list and I never made them, partly because I got busy, but partly because I was intimidated about all the hand sewing. These things have what seems like a million steps!

Babies have a funny way of inspiring craft projects, so when my mom was visiting for Thanksgiving, we decided that not only did we need to resurrect the stocking project, but we needed to add one for Adrienne too. Like I said, these things have a million steps and are very time consuming. Needless to say, I’ve only finished Pete’s. I know they won’t be completed by Christmas (at least I’m not betting on it), but seeing how I plan on using them for 30+ years like my mom, we’ll get plenty of enjoyment out of them!

Posted in Crafty things

Our first month with Adrienne

•December 2, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I can’t believe my sweet little Adrienne is one month old today. The past few weeks have gone by so fast, and I can’t believe how fast she is growing. I love seeing her change every day and how she shows more and more of her personality.

Here is a recap of our first month (in probably more detail than anyone cares to read, but it’s my blog and therapeutic to tell the story):

Adrienne’s birthday

Adrienne must have known that her mom is a planner and likes to have things in order. The day I went into labor (November 1) I had been to the dentist for a cleaning and got a haircut — two of my favorite things to do, by the way. The house had just gotten cleaned and we were just passed Halloween (I didn’t want to have a Halloween baby). I think I had even uttered the words “I think I’m ready for baby to come now” to Pete that very morning. Anyway. As I was getting ready to watch Glee, I thought I started having contractions. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then I kept having them about 10 minutes apart. When Pete got home from class (this was around 8 p.m.), I told him that I thought I was in labor and that we should probably finish packing our bags. We didn’t wait long to call the doctor since I had been instructed not to wait, and of course, the on call doc told us to sit tight and wait for the contractions to be closer together. I tried, I promise. Not 30 minutes later, however, the contractions were much closer together and my water broke. By the time we got in the car (8:45ish), my contractions were three minutes apart and increasing in intensity. I knew Adrienne was on her way! It didn’t take too long to get to the hospital, get checked in and get all situated in a delivery room. By 9:15 or so, my contractions were a minute and a half apart, I was 5cm dilated, and I really wanted drugs. Luckily, the anesthesiologist came quickly and on the second try, the epidural kicked in. I was much more comfy and if you ask Pete, he’ll tell you it’s when I came back to life. The nurses told me to take a nap and that they would be back to check on me. At around 3:30 a.m., Adrienne’s heartbeat dropped a little so everyone came in to check. I remember hearing the words, “Let’s wake up and have a baby!” So, we that’s exactly what we did. By 5:07 a.m. (November 2) I was holding a tiny 6 lb. 11 oz. baby in my arms. I have to say, it was probably one of the best labor experiences I think I could have had. I feel very lucky!

The first two weeks

I have to admit, the first couple of weeks were hard — trying to learn how to care for this tiny baby, going through what seemed like an emotional roller coaster and adjusting to mommyhood. It made me wonder how my mom did it with two! Once we found our routine (amazing how it happens right around the two week mark) and I learned her cues, things got a lot easier. Probably the biggest hurdle was breastfeeding. It is not as easy as you might think (at least not for me). We did our best, but it was a struggle. Ultimately, we (it was a family decision) decided that a happy mom made for a much happier baby and at two weeks, we went to a formula diet. I wasn’t prepared for how guilty I would feel — like I couldn’t feed my own baby. But luckily, I had plenty of family and friends that reassured me that everything, especially Adrienne, would be ok. I felt such a relief when my doctor (who I LOVE, by the way) told me that his wife did the same thing. And they were all right — Adrienne is growing and developing just as she should and is such a happy baby.

Celebrating one month

Today is really a big milestone for our family, so we are celebrating! I’m so glad that my mom is still here to join us. We have had such an amazing past few weeks and have celebrated so many firsts. Bath time, Thanksgiving, stroller rides, trips to Portland — I have loved spending time with my baby and my family. Tonight we are having a special treat of cupcakes complete with singing happy birthday to our sweet girl. Happy one month birthday, Adrienne!

Posted in Family

Adrienne’s Room

•September 19, 2011 • 5 Comments

Pete and I finally got our act together this weekend and finished the baby’s room. All that’s left is to add some art and accessories, but all her furniture is in place. I love it! My goal was to have a modern baby girl’s room that wasn’t too frilly, but bright and fun. I think I accomplished my goal.

Paint

Despite several weird looks and “Are you sure?” questions, I decided on a light gray for the walls. It’s gorgeous. It adds enough color, provides a great backdrop for all the other colors in the room and even seems like a happy gray if you can imagine that. (In case you are wondering, it’s called Cathedral Gray by Behr)

Lanterns

Instead of going with a traditional mobile, I wanted something more colorful and modern, so I went with bright paper lanterns to hang above the crib. I picked out a random assortment of shapes, sizes and colors and hung them randomly from hooks in the ceiling. Pete helped with the arrangement and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. I think they will give baby something pretty to look at.

Furniture

To keep the room bright, I chose white furniture. Plus, it matches the trim and blinds already in the room. We went with the Graco Lauren set for its clean lines and simplicity. Again, I wanted modern and not too frilly. I thought these were a great affordable option and they are super sturdy.

Odds and Ends

I was having trouble finding bedding that I liked in the right color combination (pink, orange and yellow), so I went to Etsy, my staple place to find custom made things. There are heaps of stores that offer crib bedding and it was so fun to pick out the combination of fabrics.

We also decided to add a twin bed to the room, so that I can sleep (read: nap in between feedings) in there with her and it will help Pete get some sleep since he’ll be having to go to work. We found an inexpensive IKEA bed on Craigslist and it fits perfect. We also bought an IKEA dresser for added storage. I’ve ordered some pink curtains that should be in this week — they will also add a nice pop of color to the room.

That pretty much sums it up. Although they don’t do the room justice, here are all the pictures we have taken so far (I’ll have to take some in better light later)!