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!