13/52

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

penny: we spent much of the day thursday hanging out with your aunt (mommy's BFF) steph. she was 4 days past her due date so we walked, talked, and ate yummy food with her. this photo was taken about 8 hours before she went into heavy labor, and about 12 hours before the boy came on out into this world. you don't know it yet, but we have big plans for you and little wiley. visions of play dates, shared lunches, fighting over toys, and obviously one day getting married. we'll take it slow though... no pressure :)

this past week was a crazy one here, with driving back and forth to atlanta, a sad teething toddler, and being on baby watch with steph. so sadly i wasn't able to properly decide on a favorite 52 post from another blogger, let alone read much of any other blogs this week. mama needs to catch up!

12/52

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

penny: this week you and i took an afternoon trip to my favorite cast iron hunting spot. though you've come there with me quite a few times in the past, this was the first time you were able to really walk around and scope out the joint. you were pretty darn stoked on the whole adventure, and your mama was pretty darn stoked with how well you handled the hour long drives there and back!

and now for my favorite post from another bloggers 52 project. it has to be this one HERE. that sweet face on little biet is just too much! and seeing as penny and i are going on a little trip to visit some of her cousins tomorrow, it seemed appropriate. she has no idea what fun she's in for!

oh, the newborn baby smell!

a couple weeks ago friends of ours welcomed their second child into the world, miss winter eloise (seriously, how great is that name!), and last weekend i had the honor of taking some pictures of her and her big brother, dexter...

man, i could have loved on that little baby all day long! 

daddy's bike...

so since her dad rides a harley, this means she'll never want to date someone that rides one, right?!?!

11/52

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

penny: much of your week was spent in your pj's, in this here bed. between the stomach bug you were so kindly given by your sweet cousins, and your second molar popping through, you were pretty bummed on life. if i have it my way, this is the worst you'll ever have to see! as for this face above, it just cracks me up. the way you hold my phone and pretend to talk on it is something i hope to never forget!

and now a few outtakes because i had a tough time choosing just one...

and as for my favorite other post from this here 52 project, it's got to be THIS very honest capture by kate. i definitely know that sad, in need of a nap, face well!

48 hours...

tuesday night she was definitely not herself, and then in the wee hours of wednesday morning, evan and i were awoken to the sad sounds of a sick little gal. penny came down with her first stomach bug, and let me tell ya, it was no fun! a feverish, vomiting baby is probably one of the more heartbreaking things you can witness. especially when it's your own baby. she had no idea what was going on, but she definitely knew that it sucked! she spent all day wednesday, and much of today, just wanting to snuggle and sleep it off. somewhere around 4:00pm today though she seemed to turn a corner, and my happy little gal began to show her face again. we decided to make the most of it and enjoy a little hang time in the backyard, because after 48 hours of quarantining ourselves we needed to feel the sun on our faces!

and now for the next few days evan and i will hold our breath and hope we don't catch it too!

10/52

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

penny: a few new things that have happened this week... you cut your first molar, and your second is making its way through as we speak. it's no fun for anyone! you've started carrying around prudence everywhere we go. she's now officially a member of our family and it's kinda sweet. you got your first really good facial bruise after taking a head first dive into your wagon. you've been getting some sad looks when we go out, and then they take a second glance at your mama to size me up. overall this week was kinda a tough one for you, and i think we're both glad to see it go. damn you, molars!

as for my favorite 52 post from last week, i'd have to say its this post here, from little brown wren. the photos of sweet bijou have me looking forward to days of crafting with penny. 

we go stir crazy, yes we do!

with winter still bearing down upon us, penn and i are often on the hunt for fun/free things to do around town. i actually googled 'free things for kids in charlotte' the other day when i had drawn a blank on what we could plan for the week. thankfully i was given an ample list of options to start working on!

today we decided to check out number one on said list of options. Imaginon. it's a very kiddo friendly library and theater here in charlotte, and it sounded right up our alley. they do children's story time there, but penny is still too young for that (it starts at 18 months) so we just went for a couple hours in the middle of the afternoon. it was surprisingly empty, with the exception of one small 1st grade field trip, so penn was really able to explore everything without getting trampled. we had a great afternoon there, and will definitely be adding this to the 'what to do on cold/rainy days' list.

and now,  as a random end note for you... ya see that there scratch on penny's lower cheek/jaw? well let me tell ya a little something about that. we were at the playground the other day and a little boy walked right up to her and grabbed her cheek so hard he cut her! there's a cut under her eye too, but you can't really see that one. man, i've never hated a two year old before, but i kinda wanted to punch him. those protective mama emotions are something fierce! 

she never stops moving. no, really, never!

oh my dear, sweet penny, lately you are NOT into riding in shopping carts when we go to the store. you're an inquisitive little toddler, for sure, and this makes any trip to run errands quite the challenge. the only options are to expertly plan out a trip to the store and keep it under 10 minutes, otherwise you start throwing a fit in the cart. option 2 is to simply go shopping without you, either after daddy gets home from work, or once you go to bed. and option 3, the one we're able to do on weekends, is to let you run free. with two parents on hand there is one to get the shopping done, and one to tag along with you on your adventure. this weekend we went to lowes and used option 3 as our preferred shopping method, and i must say, all three of us had quite a good time. sure we were only running in for 2 things and that quick stop in ended up lasting a solid hour, but you had a blast, and in turn so did your daddy and i. so thanks penny, for showing us just how much fun these little outings can be, and reminding us to not hurry on through those errands. but also, how about once in awhile you let mama get a few things done during the week too, mkay?

9/52

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

penny: you were pretty sick this past week. between your cold, and your molars popping through, you were fairly grumpy much of the week. our big outing ended up being a trip to the post office where you fully enjoyed peeling shipping labels, and hearing your voice echo in the hallway as you sang. a nice reminder to your mama that not all of our adventures need to be expertly planned for you to have a good time!

and now, as suggested by jodi, i'd love start sharing my favorite photo from another bloggers 52 project each week. this week it's THIS adorable picture of little lamb. not only is it the picture that gets me, but also what is written along with it. i think it's so hard for children to imagine that their parents were once young too. i think it'll be so interesting when i eventually have these conversations with penny. if you haven't seen any of Lamb loves Fox's 365 project yet i definitely recommend checking it out. adorable daily posts, you can't go wrong!