Monday, August 5, 2013

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!!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

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!



Thursday, July 25, 2013

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...



Saturday, July 20, 2013

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?






Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Recent Happenings

This little girl is growing up so quickly; it's hard to keep up!

She has quite the personality and has developed some peculiar interests.

Recently, she has become obsessed with her toothbrush. Every time I try to brush her teeth, she grabs the brush from my hand & tries to brush them herself. She'll stick the toothbrush in her mouth (sometimes upside down) and move her free hand in the brushing motion. It's really cute and odd at the same time. The other night, she wouldn't let go of her toothbrush even when she was drinking her bottle. She stopped every minute to brush her teeth.

Sophia is also in the tantrum phase. Joy. The ped said that the "terrible twos" start somewhere between their first and second birthday. Looks like we got a head start. She will scream and throw her body when we take something from her (i.e. her toothbrush). But we go about our business, and Sophia usually moves on rather quickly.

She is also in the "copycat" phase. It is so cute and scary! I try to be so careful about what I do and say around her because she sees everything! The hardest part is when we are around other people. I can't really control what everyone else says (and I try not to be that mom who tells other people what to do around her kid).

So loves kisses. She loves kissing herself in the mirror. She loves kissing her aunts. She loves kissing her little giraffe. She's one affectionate little girl...

...Except when she's sick. Sophia's had a cold since the 4th & has been completely grumpy. On top of that, she cannot stand getting her nose suctioned by the aspirator. She runs and starts crying when she sees it. But it just helps to clear her nose so much, that we have to do it! Needless to say, we cannot wait until she is over this cold!

Her favorite "toy" is my mom's bag of nail clippers. She'll dump them all out, put them back into the bag, and start all over again. And again. And again.

Oh and Sophia is extremely ticklish! She will giggle forever if you tickle her little tummy.

Other than that, So is an incredibly active little girl. She starts running the second her feet hit the ground. It's difficult to get anything done other than during naps. And even then, she usually doesn't let me set her down, so I end up just looking through Pinterest on my phone (not complaining!).

I was scrolling through an old camera today & found some photos from Sophia's birth day. How did she go from this teeny tiny 6-pound newborn to this little girl so quickly?

Looks like I'm going to have to start planning her mini year-and-a-half celebration soon...just a tiny  something to mark yet another milestone in her sweet little life!

Friday, July 5, 2013

So, Meet Puppy

Like I promised, here is the video of Sophia meeting a puppy for the first time.
I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July! Unfortunately for us, Sophia was sick, so we had to skip out on the festivities and fireworks. Her poor little nose is running like a faucet, and it has completely ruined her sleep schedule. Hopefully she gets over it soon, so we can hit the pool!

Thursday, July 4, 2013