for my girl...

these days i've been thinking a lot. a lot about what it is to raise a girl today. about how everywhere you look there are images of what a girl should look like, and how they should act. it's a discussion that's been had many times before, but to be a mother of a little girl suddenly makes it all very relevant.

with summer upon us i can't help but be aware of my own self conscious body issues. they've been there for as long as i can remember, and i couldn't for the life of me tell you where they come from. the feeling has it's peaks and valleys, but by all accounts i couldn't say i've always been 100% comfortable with my body. this feeling, the one that shows it ugly head when i just can't seem to find something to wear that feels right, is not a feeling i ever want to pass on to penny. she's going to get bombarded by it when she's older, and i want to protect her from that for as long as i possibly can. i can't help but see myself through her eyes now, so i'm making a promise now to you penny...

i promise you will never here me belittle myself because of my appearance...

i promise i will never ever talk about dieting, or weight, in any way in front of you...

i promise to never not take you swimming simply because i don't feel like wearing a bathing suit...

i promise to always compliment you for your qualities that have nothing to do with your looks...

and above all else,

i promise to be a woman you can look up to. to never seem weak, to always be what you need me to be, and teach you to never, even for a second, doubt yourself. 

this is a lot to promise, but for you my little girl, i promise to try!

summer weekend!

oh don't mind that, that's just our little redneck baby swimming in a bucket! 

with it being 90+ degrees here in NC the past few days, and us not having a swimming pool, i decided that our little lady needed a fun spot to splash around. not only did i opt for this sweet tub over a kiddie pool because of the insanely cute photo ops, but also because it's doggy proof! our pups have been known to chew a hole in a kiddie pool or two, and i wanted penn to have something that i knew would stand the test of time. also, once she's grown out of it, it will make a super cute planter. so yup, we're the parents who put our kid in a bucket... 

my folks came up from atlanta this weekend to stay with penn and i while evan was out of town. my mama needed a baby squeeze, and i was more then happy to have their company. we had so much fun going to the park, out to lunch, and my dad clued me in to why our garden wasn't doing too hot, not enough water, who knew! penny was stoked to have her gaga & pop pop here, and after they left yesterday she was absolutely wiped out. she took a nap right away, and then even went to bed an hour early. thank you mom & dad for that sweet sweet extra hour!

today it's back to our regular routine though. the babe is currently napping and i've got some orders to stitch up... so off i go. happy monday friends!

24 weeks...

pardon the extremely photo heavy post, but this little country baby was just killin' me this week!

24 weeks, just shy of 6 months, crazy! this little gal right here is a hoot and a half, let me tell you! she knows she's funny and she's milking every second of it. she spends much of her days squealing, singing, and telling stories to her girl sophie. she drools buckets full on a daily basis, and i'm thinking that first tooth might be just around the corner. it's hard to tell for sure though, because every time i try to look in her mouth she just grabs my fingers and eats them. she rolls around the floor like a champ, and is investigating this thing they call crawling. she's more like a little worm though, scooting along on her belly. if she wants to get somewhere, she's going to find a way! as you can see she's a pro sitter now. she really wants nothing to do with laying down anymore, and will do baby crunches if put on her back. girls gonna have abs of steel! she's really starting to let that personality of hers come out, and it's so beyond heart melting when she throws those little arms around my neck to give her mama a big ol' baby hug. i always heard that 6 months is when things really start to get fun, and i can absolutely see why!

oh, and here's one more because her backside in these overalls is just too darn cute!

i've got a bit of OCD... what's it to ya!

just wanted to share this little peek into my obsessive picture taking habit. seriously, my phone has never before told me so often that i was out of space for any more pictures. oh penny, you are one well documented child!

father's day...

this one's for the father's in my life

       for my own... who taught me a love of gardening, a deep appreciation for cooking shows, and how to perfectly enjoy the act of doing nothing while enjoying a glass of wine. who pretends to be a tough cookie, but deep down is a big ol' softy. who gave me his thick dark hair and sky blue eyes, and who worked hard so that his family could enjoy a really good life. i love you dad!

for my father in law, evan's dad, taken from us far too soon... who gave the biggest longest hugs, who always had a somewhat questionable joke to share, who welcomed me into his family the first moment i met him, who supported a family of 8 children, who never let us be sad even when the cancer was really bad, and who helped create the most wonderful husband i could ever ask for. we love you and miss you!

and for evan, the father of our little girl... who has shown me an effortless love that i didn't believe could be possible, who understands my short tempered flustered moments and doesn't judge me for them, who despite having no rhythm has an enthusiasm for dancing that can't be matched, who is always the first to volunteer to help a friend or family member with a laborious project, and most importantly, who loves our daughter to the moon and back. seeing you step into the roll of "papa" has made the love i already have for you grow in leaps and bounds! i'm so happy that she has you to show her what a good man is, and watching the two of you together makes me the happiest mama on the planet. we love you today, tomorrow, and always!

i hope all the other father's out there had a wonderfully spoiled father's day

date night

last saturday, for the first time since penny was born, evan and i went out on a date. we dropped penny off at our friends house who live about 3 minutes from the restaurant we were going to, and we enjoyed ourselves a few hours minus baby. i was a tiny bit nervous before hand about leaving her, but once we left for the restaurant i felt surprisingly ok about it all. i knew she would be just fine, especially since our friends have a cat, and a three year old, two of penny's favorite things to watch in action! evan and i both got to take our time eating, with no worries about a fussy baby... it was glorious! we were only gone for about 2 hours, but when we got back to their house penny was over the moon to see us. it was the cutest thing ever! she had fun, we had fun, and i think we're all better for having done it!

22 weeks

it's amazing how much this lady has grown up just in the past week. she can now sit up all on her own, (well with some pillows behind her just in case) and like i mentioned in my last post, she's onto solids now too. the sweet potatoes still aren't a favorite, but she's since had a taste of brown rice cereal and she's kinda stoked on it! she really enjoys a good game of peek-a-boo these days, she can now sit in a high chair, and she even learned to roll from her back to her belly! she wants to explore everything, mainly with her mouth, and you can tell she's really trying to figure this world out... and i'm so ready to show it all to her.

oh miss penny... you make your papa and i so very happy!

baby led weaning

penny has been seeming hungrier then usual lately so we've begun introducing solids over here... and it's a messy endeavor to say the least! we decided to offer penn her first foods by doing baby led weaning, and though i'm not sure how much is actually making it into her belly, she's having one heck of a time exploring those sweet potatoes. she picks it up, mushes it between her fingers, smells it, and occasionally takes a lick. for a gal who puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, she's certainly timid about these taters! it's been a week now of just sweet potatoes, so next we're giving bananas a go!

a day at the park...

yesterday, much to mama's dismay, penny decided that she only needed an 18 minute afternoon nap. so after she woke, we packed ourselves into the car and headed to our favorite park. we ended up having the best afternoon together. she's getting to this great age where she's actually fun to be with. i know that may sound a little weird, like shouldn't she always be fun to be with, but it's different now. she's not just fun, she's really funny too! she got a kick out of sitting in the big kid swings, and watching the older kids play on the swings next to her, she loved looking at the ducks, and the highlight for both of us was definitely the surprise nap she took on our blanket. it was all i could do to not zonk out next to her. afternoons like this are what it's all about!