18 Months

This post is a bit delayed because Sophia turned 18 months last week! I've been a bit preoccupied between working Black Friday and a week of the stomach flu hitting every person in the house. And a mom fail? I wasn't able to get her in for her 18-month-check-up until...January. Oops!

Age: 18 Months!

Favorite Foods: Cantaloupe, Broccoli

Favorite Words: "Wo wo" for dog

Favorite Toy: Snoopy

Favorite Activities: Riding her new bike, Watching Vine videos, Helping out :)

Least Favorite Activities: Going to sleep without mommy AND daddy in bed with her

Nicknames: So, B

Signature Moves: Blowing kisses, Putting her hand under her chin & saying "cheese"

Biggest Change Since Last Update: She is able to communicate everything she wants with us even without saying a word. From our room, she'll pull me to the baby gate, throw her arms up to be carried down the stairs, and point at what she wants once downstairs. That's not to say that her vocabulary has remained stagnant. It has grown significantly, and she can put together some phrases. Her understanding of everything we say is pretty incredible as well.

Here's some photos of her riding her new bike. She doesn't have the hang of moving her feet to get around, so sometimes she just pushes it along. P.S. Yes, that is my favorite shirt on her.

Hi Friend!

Hi friends! Worst. Blogger. Ever. When I'm not at work (holiday season has taken over the retail world, eek!), I'm running after this crazy lady. Her current obsessions are fuzzy slipper (the white ones on her feet & the duck ones for her hands), drinking from water bottles, and hoarding my EOS chapsticks & bouncy balls in her puppy purse. Love her and all her craziness!

Suggestions?

For some time now, I've been considering opening up my own handmade shop to bring in some extra money and to eventually be able to stay home with Sophia. The only problem is I can't decide exactly WHAT I should make. I absolutely do not want to do anything that has already been perfected and "taken" by someone else. I hear about copycats in the homemade community so often, and it's not even something that I want to be involved with. So I turn to y'all...what do YOU want that you feel is an untapped area? I'd prefer to stay in the baby girl market :)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

It is a dark and stormy day here in Sugar Land. I guess it's perfect for Halloween.

I'm so behind in blogging, and well, life in general. Sara nominated me for the Liebster award, so that post is coming up! Thank you so much, by the way. I'm not ignoring it; just busy!

Sophia has been changing and growing and learning so much. She observes and remembers EVERYTHING! I caught her doing some of the cutest things that she learned just from watching mommy and daddy:

1 | She touches the lid/pump of hand soap and rubs her hands together as if she's washing her hands. She does the same with lotion.

2 | She holds the phone up to her ear and starts having a conversation.

3 | She tries to hang up her towels after bath time. She also tries to help hang up clothes in the closet.

4 | She takes tissues out of the box and wipes her mouth/nose. SO cute...but who taught her to put it back in the box?!

5 | She picks up her dirty diaper...AND THROWS IT IN THE TRASH HERSELF! Whaaat?!? She also brings us a diaper and the box of wipes if she needs her diaper changed. (This isn't an every day occurrence, but I am still so proud!) 

6 | She also takes the diaper rash ointment and puts it back in it's spot.

7 | She opens my purse because she knows I always have Ritz crackers in there.

8 | She helps me close the baby gate at the top of the stairs.

9 | She takes daddy's slippers and put them back with the rest of his shoes. She knows where everything in the house belongs. EVERYTHING. Except keys.

10 | My sister has to wear a cap when she goes outside. Sophia hands her her cap whenever it is time to leave the house.

She's pretty much a sponge and soaks up everything. I guess that means we need to be so careful about what we say and do around her! Eeek!

I'll leave you with some photos of my little tin man!

My Little Crazy

Sophia is a CRAZY little girl.

Her new thing is to cover her mouth with both hands, double over with laughter, and then throw her whole body backwards while cracking up.

Mid laugh...

It's hilarious! My new goal in life is to capture that laugh on video. 

Oh and Sophia has an obsession with my sister's old duck slippers. She puts them on herself & somehow manages to walk around in them. Look at that sass!

Oh Hello!

So it's been a million years since I last posted. Life has been a little crazy around here lately. Teething, a minor ear infection, and all THREE of us with the flu has really drained all my energy.

It's been a long week & this is the first night Sophia has slept in her crib since getting sick, so it's going to be a short post.

Here's some recent photos of my little So!

Sophia and I on my birthday! I'm definitely starting to feel old.

Cheering on the Dallas Cowboys with daddy on Football Sundays. Anyone that knows me well knows that I always wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Since I'm way past that point in my life, Sophia's DCC training starts now :)

Celebrating the first day of October with her little babyGap "Boo" dress! I actually bought that dress the second it was added to their website & waited until it was socially acceptable to put it on her. I'm dying over her tiny little pigtails. I can't wait until she legit grows more hair though!

Watering plants outside with grandpa.

Representing our great state in her Texas tee. "You can still dream big even if you're little." How cute is that?!

And modeling her Circus Peanut outfit.

In other news, today the hubs and I celebrated four years since we started dating and three years since he proposed. It's been a crazy ride, and our lives have changed so much since our carefree days in good ole' Waco, Texas!

Next up is a trip to Dewberry Farms for some pumpkin patch fun (and an early glimpse at the Christmas tree farm!!!!!) and some family pictures for our Christmas card. Anything to coordinate some cute outfits, right?

Have a good weekend!

Peek...

"People tend to forget that play is serious." -David Hockney

So as you already know, I recently started working at Peek & I'm loving it. I have officially become OBSESSED with the clothing, the celebration of children and curiosity the brand represents, and the incredibly nice people that make up the heart of the company. I cannot say enough great things about this company.

And Sophia has never looked cuter either.

I will do a post on our favorite Peek outfits once I get more pictures!

And yes, I know she looks so big in that picture. She is growing up way too quickly :(

She is such a smart little girl even though I'm pretty sure that half the time she thinks she's a dog. She starts barking when we're outside to "talk" to the neighborhood dogs. I've actually heard her carry on a "conversation" with a dog.

Her love for "The Sound of Music" continues to grow. She stands up and claps at the end of "The Lonely Goatherd" and waves along to "So Long, Farewell." For now, she only watches the musical scenes. She's definitely too young to understand the heavy storyline and the history behind it.

We also had our first official play date this week with sweet, little Aviana and her beautiful mother, Marissa. We met on IG & learned that we both live in the Houston area with baby girls only one month apart. We had a delicious lunch at the cafe in Nordstrom and did a little shopping at Peek, of course ;) Even though both girls were a little shy around each other, I think they'll be great friends after a couple play dates. And I love having a mom friend!

Now we're looking forward to the next week or so. Sophia finally has a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit to cheer on her daddy's favorite football team. And my birthday is in about a week and a half. Sorry if my thoughts are a little discombobulated. I'm so tired :) Happy Saturday!

Tired

Hello. We meet again. It's been awhile, but you'll have to forgive me. I. Am. Exhausted.

I think I talk to more people in one day than I did the entire two months I took off from work. That in itself is tiring. Geez, I sound old.

But our store opening went well! I even got to bring Sophia in for the ribbon cutting. It was so fun introducing her to the Peek... family & watching her run around the store that I helped put together.

One negative? I already want every single baby item for Sophia...

...moving on. I'm so proud of her for adjusting to our new crazy schedule. Most of the time, she just runs laps, flips around, and pretends that she's a dog. Okay, so maybe she isn't adjusting so well. At least she's still cute.

Since I'm back at work, Sophia has been spending most of her time with my family. She even got to go on a day trip to Austin with them. 

How pretty is Mt. Bonnell?

Life Lately

It's only my first week back at work & I'm exhausted! Who knew opening up a new store was so much work? ;) 

No, but honestly, it has been so much fun. Today I got to learn visual merchandising & how to put THE cutest outfits together. DYING! I was giddy all day.

Here is a sneak peek of the baby display that I got to design myself!

However, I'm not so sure Sophia shares my excitement. She has been acting a little odd around me since I started. The first day, she cried when I tried to hold her as soon as I got home. Is that normal? I thought she'd be running towards me the second I walked in the door. Obviously, I'm still upset about it. And then she has randomly decided to bring crawling back into the mix. She hasn't crawled since she was 11 months. I'm not really sure what is going through her mind.

She has been doing some super cute stuff though. I've been teaching her to cover her mouth when she sneezes. So far, she covers her mouth when she fake sneezes. And forgets what to do when it is for real. Silly girl.

Sophia has also picked up two new phrases: "what's that" (pronounced watsdat) whenever she points at something & "oh dear" (odea) for when she drops, or rather throws, something on the ground.

Oh and somehow she has more energy than ever. She's energyenergyenergy in a tiny little package. Sophia runs laps around the couch & squeals every time she sees one of us.

She continues to copy what she sees around her. I make her stuffed animals clap & she'll make them do the same. Then, grinning, she will look to me for approval. It's adorable. I can't get enough of her.

She also tries to wear my bobby pins. She'll take them out of my hair and push it against her forehead thinking that's enough to make them stay. She doesn't give up or get frustrated each time it falls...I like her "I'll just try again" attitude. Babies are pretty cool like that. I hope she never loses that determination.

And according to Johnny, Sophia now puts the phone up to her ear and "talks." I can't wait to see if for myself :)

I could go on all day about her, so I'll just leave you with a picture.

P.S. I need to improve my Sophia photo taking skills. Any tips?

New Adventures

It's a new month, a new season, and time for a new adventure. Those of you that follow me on Instagram (@emilierivera) know that I announced this yesterday, but I wanted to officially confirm that I am once again a working mom. I was offered a position with Peek Kids. We are scheduled to open our first Houston store at the Galleria next week! I start tomorrow, and I am very excited about this new opportunity.

But, I sure will miss this sweet face.

Thank you all that have expressed their congratulations. I am forever grateful for your continued support. XO-Emilie

15 Month Update

15 months. 15 MONTHS?!?!

Sophia turned 15 months yesterday, and I don't really know where the time has gone. Didn't she just turn one yesterday? Whoa, it's been three months since her first birthday. And three months until she can start gymnastic classes. And one year until she starts a Mother's Day Out program...and..and..and {deep breathe} Okay mini anxiety attack over.

I feel like everyone always says this, but this month was my favorite! I think it is because of her increased awareness and understanding. She's so much fun and has the sweetest, silliest personality. Disclaimer: She is fun, sweet & silly...but only if she knows you. To anyone she's not comfortable around, she hides her face. Or she just stares. And doesn't make a sound. If she does that to you, please do not ask me why she's "mean" or "antisocial". She just doesn't know you. And I'm secretly glad she doesn't just laugh with and hug people she doesn't know. I would be concerned.

Moving on. Today was her 15 month check up, so here's a little update.

Age: 15 Months!

Favorite Foods: Watermelon, Bananas, Strawberries & Cheerios

Favorite Words: "Wo wo" for dog (and horses/ponies/unicorns, ha!)

Favorite Toy: Jellycat Bunglie Pink Giraffe & any stuffed dog

Favorite Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Favorite Activities: Playing/Watching puppy videos on Instagram with her bff (Auntie Melanie), Dancing, Kissing the family & all inanimate objects, Pulling mama's earrings out :O

Least Favorite Activities: Getting told "no," Waiting for anything

Nicknames: So, B

Signature Moves: Sticking her finger up her nose, Smelling her toes, Twirling her fingers in the air when she eats something she really likes

Biggest Change Since Last Update: Started growing some hair! Even though it's not very much, she looks SO bald when I look back at her twelve month photos.

And just for fun, one year ago Sophia & Daddy!

I will try to get some more photos of Sophia. For now, she is sleeping away the memory of those 15-month shots.

Dreaming of...

...a place to call our own. 

Lately we have been cleaning out the house. Boy are we a family of hoarders. Between us four girls moving in and out of dorms, apartments, and the house the last several years, we have quite a collection of junk. The house looks more like a giant storage unit than a home. 

So we clean. 

And I dream. I dream of a place to someday be mine. Mine and Johnny's and Sophia's. A place to make a house a home.

A place where Sophia can have a room of her own. A room to play and grow and learn and pretend. 

And be clutter free!

And, of course, a place that will rival the prettiest of places on my Pinterest board. 

But that reality is off in the future. So for now we clean. And enjoy the company of family.

And share some pictures of my sweet Sophia...

...stuffing her face with watermelon...

...running through the hallways like a maniac...

...sporting her new piggies...

...discovering her belly button...

...and attending her Auntie Melanie's White Coat Ceremony for Pharmacy School!! P.S. This photo captures their relationship perfectly.

Our Weekend

So our weekend definitely didn't go as planned. A day on the beach turned into a weekend long nap. But boy was it glorious! Apparently, I really needed the rest.

We opted for a slightly easier & much less sandy option: the pool. Sophia just loves the water, but remind me to never go on a Sunday night again. It was insanely packed, and the rowdy older kids kept running into the little ones in the baby section.

And we are quickly approaching 15 months! Here are some Sophia updates:

• Her vocabulary is still just mama, dada, ap ap (duck used for any type of bird), and wo wo (dog used for any other animal).
• Sophia's understanding and awareness is continually increasing. We can ask her to kiss anyone in the house, and she'll run over to them and plant a huge kiss on their cheek.
• Monkey see, monkey do. She has become my little sister, Melanie's, shadow. Melanie taught her to run into a pile of blankets, dance, pat her head, party when she likes her food...lots of crazy things.
• She eats the crust off her bread first. Then she attacks the rest.
• She is doing very well putting herself to sleep every night. But if you make even the smallest sound, she'll wake up. I definitely can't wait to have a place of our own, so we don't have to share a room.
• Sophia is officially off bottles!! She's drinking her milk from a straw sippy. Cheers to Sophia!
• She is obsessed with birth marks. She has one on her arm; so whenever she sees someone's birth mark, she has to kiss it.
• She's the silliest, sweetest little girl. And I love her :)

Friday Five

It's Friday, and the hubs has the next two days off (it's a big deal in the retail world!).

Here are five things currently occupying my mind:

01 | A day at the beach! Tomorrow the three of us are packing our beach bags & heading out to Galveston for the day. It's not the loveliest of beaches, but it's a beach nonetheless. 

02 | Must. Resist. Online. Shopping. I am currently on a spending freeze. So naturally, I want everything. The list of stuff I need want for Sophia is growing longer and longer by the minute. But you can't blame me; the new fall clothes are just too darn cute! And of course, I need a headband for every outfit. Not good. Not good at all.

03 | Work! Every year around my birthday, I reflect on the past year & what I can do differently to make this next year better. This past year I really struggled with work-life balance. Whenever I do something, I want to be the best and put in 100%. I felt like I couldn't do that with where I was. As the boss, I was on-call 24/7. And as a mommy, well, there are no days off either. So now, I'm on the hunt for a job that is more mommy-friendly. I have a lead. Pray a little prayer, think good thoughts, wish me luck :)

04 | Costumes! I have never been the biggest fan of Halloween, but if you know me, you know I love a good costume (I was the costume chair of my college song & dance group). Yes, I am already thinking about this. I'm considering two costumes this year, one funny & one cute. My sister wants to be a minion with Sophia, so that might be the "funny" one.

05 | Date nights. Since Sophia was born, I haven't been the best wife. Mommy mode kinda took over & I never want to leave Sophia. But our four year anniversary (dating, not wedding) is coming up in October & I think it's time to step up wife mode. Any good date night suggestions that doesn't involve a ton of money or going to the movies? Yes, I'm that weirdo that hates going to the movies.

Thank Goodness It's Friday. And Happy Weekend Eve!

P.S. I think Sophia inherited my mean mug ;)

Featured

Our family photo shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty Living this morning!

Check it out & leave it some love.

xoxo

Dear Sophia

My dearest Sophia,

Every night I ask for a kiss when I put you to bed. You put your soft, tiny hand on my face, pull me in, & give me the sweetest little kiss. That is by far the best part of my day.

I love you to the moon & back (and maybe a little more)...even if your diaper leaks while you're sitting in my lap at a baseball game, and I end up looking like I wet my pants ;)

xoxo, your mama!

Girl Mama

"But raising a girl - I ache to give her a head start in this 

Pinterest, photo shopped world." - Lisa-Jo Baker

Being a girl is not always easy. And raising a girl? Even harder! A friend sent me this article earlier today because it reminded her of this post I wrote shortly after Sophia was born.

Happy Wednesday!

Just Me & So

Family is headed to Tennessee for my sister's grad school graduation.

Hubs has a busy week at work with tax-free shopping this weekend.

And now it's just me and So. Hopefully we both make it out alive ;)

But here are a couple things we look forward to doing the next week or so:

01 | Going to the zoo! I've been dying to take Sophia back to the zoo since she just loves animals. Our collection of Eric Carle books has taught her all about them! But right now the temperatures are in the triple digits, so we must wait.

02 | Going back to the pool! We went the other day with my sister and had a blast. We're going to try to soak up every minute of pool time we can before they close in September.

03 | Going on a play date! We are dying to go on a play date. Okay, maybe just me. But I desperately need some interaction with other moms & Sophia definitely needs to learn how to interact with kids. I do not want her to be anti-social.

04 | Going shopping! Or window shopping since we're trying to save money. But it doesn't hurt to go & look at all the cute new fall items hitting the stores!

Happy Monday Everyone!

P.S. I'm loving the blog redesign thanks to the lovely Jen over at First Comes Love. Check out her Etsy shop Sugar and Spice Designs. She's the sweetest!!

Hello August!

Hello August...only 31 days until my favorite month ;)

To celebrate, my family & I headed over to the Children's Museum in Houston for their weekly Free Family Night.

And OH. was. it. crowded.

And of course, I didn't properly socialize my daughter, so Sophia gets anxiety around anyone she doesn't know. 

Awesome.

Luckily, there was a Tot Spot upstairs for newborns to 35-month-old toddlers. It was much calmer & full of Sophia-friendly toys. She had so much fun, but she definitely got nervous any time another kid got close to her. Mamas, any suggestions for what I should do? I'm hoping it's just a phase!

To wrap up July, we had a series of family birthdays. Happy Belated Birthdays Uncle Daniel, Auntie Natalie & Grandpa!! Oh and Auntie Kimberly :)

Other than that, nothing too exciting has been happening here. 

We're just doing our best to survive the Houston heat. It's either triple digit temperatures or palm-sized mosquitos eating you alive.

Last night we braved the heat & got to have a little family date night outside. Sophia had a grand ole time eating her Jimmy John's ham & cheese (sans ham & cheese) sandwich and watermelon. Yes, I basically ordered her a piece of bread. Hah!

Sophia has also learned how to use a fork. Yes, she does have a piece of bread in each hand.

AND we finally put up the baby gate at the top of the stairs.

Don't forget to follow Baby Girl Rivera on Bloglovin & on Instagram @emilierivera!

Little Minion

Sophia has been loving the little minions from Despicable Me.

(btw we've had that dress forever...size 0-3 months, ridiculous)

Some other Sophia developments:

She does this thing whenever we're finished with an activity. We turns up both hands and says "mo mo" which means "no more" in Chinese. It's too cute. I'll try to get a video of it!

She's showing signs of being left handed. Is that something you can tell this early on?

She's developed a need for a security blanket. And of course, with our luck, it's a random little blanket my mom picked up on sale from Marshall's, so there's no buying more in case she loses this one.

Oh and we're obsessed with the pool. But I'm sure you already knew that...

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday y'all!

Sophia and I are having the greatest time together. Here is a look into our latest adventures.

Pool days are always a favorite around here, especially in this Houston heat! Sophia loves splashing in the water. I have been trying to get her to blow bubbles. For now, she just drinks the water. Yum?

We try to spend our time outside before the temperatures hit the high 90s, low 100s! Sophia's favorite activity is watching the bubbles come out of her Fubbles machine. P.S. That is our favorite Little Hip Squeaks headband that we lost at the mall!

Late morning & early afternoon, Sophia usually takes one to two naps a day. I captured the FIRST time she ever put herself to sleep. Before we had to rock & sing her to sleep which often times took over half an hour (and years off my life). It has definitely been a game-changer and a call for celebration. I'm thinking new crib sheets, pillows, and wall decor!

My favorite activity is a little online shopping. But every once in awhile, we have to get out of the house. Sophia enjoyed her trip to Anthropologie & fell in love with this sweet fox.

But when it was time to say goodbye, Sophia placed him back in his little home with the rest of his furry friends. No tears. No fit. I was so proud!

Then we play with her toys. Her current favorite is a little vanity mirror that lights up and plays music. I have all the songs memorized. And they usually play in my head the second I wake up. Perhaps it's time to switch things up? And after play time, it's a little driveway fun while we wait for daddy to come home.

And of course, we like to finish up with a little more pool time!

I'm loving all this time with sweet Sophia. However, I am looking for some part-time, work-from-home job opportunities. Wish me luck!!

Oh, and this blog is in desperate need of a makeover. Any suggestions or designers you recommend?