Important Daddy Love

February 5, 2013 by Summer

Over the weekend I captured some great shots of Ellie and her Daddy. It’s so neat to watch their relationship grow. When he wakes up in the morning and comes down stairs (yes, we’re up a heckuva lot earlier than Daddy every day), he says good morning and she gives him a huge grin and waves her arms all over in excitement. She loves when he reads to her and likes sitting with him while he watches football. He sings sweet songs to her and she smiles and laughs at him and I just know how very important this all is to this growing, developing, little girl. An incredibly important relationship is blossoming before my eyes. A relationship that will determine what types of men my daughter will decide to date, a relationship that will determine who she will eventually marry. I’m thinking that the way these two are with each other already, leads me to believe she’ll be just fine. She’s got one heckuva Daddy who is falling more and more in love with his baby girl every day.

(At the end of their little play session the dogs got jealous and made their way in for some daddy love too. I had to add the photo in because it was just too darn cute).

Weekending!

February 4, 2013 by Summer

My in-laws are in town. They are staying about twenty minutes away from us in a lovely beach house and will be here for two months. They plan on cruising up the coast of California, staying in San Francisco for a while and then heading up to wine country for a bit too. Of course they will also be spending lots of time with their grandbaby too. We had a beautiful, busy, and fast weekend showing them around Ventura, seeing the town they’ll be staying in and enjoying their company along the beach. We also had a visit from my parents and Ellie had her first introduction to Grandpa playing guitar. All in all, it was another lovely weekend. How was yours?

*linking up with Amanda for Weekending.

Portrait Project

February 2, 2013 by Summer

5/52

Eloise: Your eyes are changing. Today they are ocean blue but yesterday I noticed a tinge of my hazel green in them, and when you were born they were slightly bluish-grey. They are your Daddy’s eyes. Changing with your clothes and most certainly with your mood.

joining Jodi for the lovely 52 project.

{this moment}

February 1, 2013 by Summer

” a single photo. No words. Capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.” – Joining Soulemama today! Have a lovely weekend. I’d love to see your moments too. Please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section.

Feels Like Spring

January 31, 2013 by Summer

I know it’s only January and in other parts of the United States it’s snowing and freezing but lately, we’ve had beautiful weather and it’s feeling an awful lot like spring is here.

We’ve taken lots of walks partly because of this lovely weather and partly because we have a baby who is refusing to nap in or on anything but a carrier.

But this week has also been full of lots of outdoor time, open back doors, picnic lunches in the sun, beach visits, enjoying some good reads and a little bit of spring time inspired embroidery too.

All of this warm weather is making me think of planting and summer gardens and easter bunnies and flowers in the house and making sun tea. I’m excited for the year to unfold… but I know I really need to slow down …and take it season by season.

A Sensory Play Mat

January 30, 2013 by Summer

In my preschool/ childcare days, I worked with infants for about three years out of the ten plus I was in early education. I learned a lot about the needs of babies. Sensory exploration is a very large part of being a baby and I wanted to make a special soft, sensory place for the babies in my care to explore and crawl and lay on. I put together a rather shoddy play mat that at the time I thought was a work of genius. It has however, lasted through three years of babies in my care and then moved with me to a toddler room and a preschool room where it stayed for almost five years as a reading corner mat. When I left my job to stay home with my baby, that mat was one of the few things I took with me. I wanted to give my baby girl a chance to lay and crawl and enjoy my efforts and sure enough she is doing just that. For this sentimental gal, I get pretty happy seeing my own baby playing on a mat that I made and that already has so many memories for me.

I had collected bits and pieces of different types of fabric- sheepskin, flannel, micro-fleece, cotton, velvet , chenille and even vinyl. I sewed them all together to create the top. I took a large piece of thick fleece, sewed front sides together and turned the whole thing inside out and voila! I had myself a sensory mat. Ellie seems to really be enjoying the different textures. She prefers scratching at the vinyl the best. I love how well its held up. I can throw it in the wash on hot and it comes out just as soft and cuddly as ever. I’m tempted to make another. Some of the fabric is worn and loved on this one and I think I could make a much nicer one now. But this little mat will always have a place in my heart and now even more so with new memories of my own baby girl enjoying the sensory exploration, this very important work that babies do.

Just Write: The Barrier to Entrance

January 29, 2013 by Summer

The barrier to entrance. A phrase lingering in the air today. It was in reference to not moving that close to one’s parents or in-laws so that they give you that needed space that all of us crave sometimes. I thought about this phrase and the comment after it, the one about my parents visiting quite often since the baby was born. I thought about how I felt about them visiting so often and I discussed it with my husband and I thought about it some more later on, on my own.

And truth be told, I love them visiting so often.

If that barrier to entrance has been broken, I’d rather not mend it, because it’s been a joy having them over. They’re grandparents now. I’ve gotten to see them in this new light and it becomes them. My dad wanting to always hold the baby, my mom cooing into her face and telling me stories of how I was just like her when I was little. They are happy and always smiling when they are here with her. I’m hearing songs sung I haven’t heard since I was a child. I’m excited for the future and what it will hold for them as grandparents. I wonder about the relationships they will build with my daughter and smile thinking of the fun times they will have when she’s older. I see my mother teaching her to sew. I see my father playing the guitar as she sings along.

So, no, there is no barrier to entrance anymore. I want my parents to be around as often as possible, experiencing every little moment that my husband and I get to experience with the baby. I feel their presence in her life is incredibly important and I want them to know, and her to know, of its importance… I am already cherishing these moments that they get to have with each other. It’s funny how seeing your baby with your parents can bring you back to your own childhood. You can catch a glimpse of years long ago. I catch those small glimpses of how they must have been those thirty some years ago with me, when I was a tiny baby, their first. Now here they are seasoned parents turned first time grandparents and I don’t want them to miss anything.The barrier to entrance may have been up when my husband and I were too cool for parents, too young and hip and settling into our own married routine. But it’s different now. We moved closer to be closer. And anyway, that barrier to entrance crumbled six months ago when my mother walked into that hospital room, tears streaming down her face as she got to hold her grand baby for the first time…

Joining Heather for Just Write .

Weekending!

January 28, 2013 by Summer

For such a low-key weekend it was certainly a busy one. It was rainy and wet off and on throughout the weekend so we were inside for a good part of it. Cloth diaper laundry was done, cookies were made for a cousin on bed rest and we got out for the occasional wet dog walk too. When it wasn’t raining it was foggy. There was a foggy but colorful trip to the farmers market and we went to lunch with the grandparents at a local spot with some nice live music and rice milk chai latte’s (yay!). We took a chilly and foggy beach walk before the rain came in again for the night. Sunday was wet in the morning but perfect weather for a visit to the antique market and a beautiful walk through Marina Park. We got our compost bin up and running too this weekend. Our worm bin was a fail last year on the balcony in Orange County, so we shall see how the compost bin goes. The wet weather is supposed to return this week. I know I’m being very Californian in saying this, but I’m ready for spring. What did you do this weekend?

*linking up with Habit this weekend

Portrait Project

January 27, 2013 by Summer

4/52

eloise: this week you’re experimenting with sounds. we’ve heard lalala, dada, and mamama and it’s just so fun to hear you’re beautiful voice.

*loving this che and fidel 52 project. What fun it is to see all these amazing, beautiful photos of other peoples babies and families every week. You must check it out!

{this moment}

January 25, 2013 by Summer

“A single photo. No words. Capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.” Joining Soulemama this Friday. Happy Weekend!