Soul Searching

The season is changing.  Although the weather does not indicate this change around my neck of the woods, you can feel it in your bones.  When this change happens, I always seem to take inventory on my life; reflecting inwards and thinking about the days that have passed by.  It's so important to take a moment to make new goals and dream.  Each season is a gift.
 
And even if it will be a while until the leaves change color, I lit a beeswax candle to welcome the changing season.  As I cleaned and de-cluttered I thought about how transformative this year has been so far, the challenges of a new baby and a growing love that makes my heart ache.  Change has never meant more to me.  The months that lay ahead hold so much wonder, with great new milestones to celebrate and a new life to help shape.  In taking this time to reflect, I realized that it is the simplest of moments and things that have made me happiest.  Simplicity is truly a state of mind, as well as a beautiful daily act that I hope to incorporate more into my families life.  Slowing down, taking time to be present and appreciating my now are goals I have made for this new season.
 
The simple act of lighting a candle has made a big impression on my soul.

Insta Love Sunday!

It's a beautiful Sunday here along the coast & I am set to enjoy this pretty day...I just wanted to pop in and say hi!  I also wanted to share some of my fav snaps from the magical world that is Instagram!  This is life lately, according to my instgram photos.  You can find me @littlewhimsical if you would like to follow along on my daily adventures.   Don't forget to link up to your instagram-I'd love to see what you are up to!  See you back here on Monday...I've got a new outfit post and Motherhood post this week!  Enjoy your day!

Neighborhood Edition: The 16th Ave. House

For this Neighborhood Edition, I am taking you on a little detour!  And, technically this is a mini house tour of the lovely home of our favorite San Francisco neighbors (if we still lived there, right!).

This is the home of Scott and Cissa, which sits atop the foggy hill that is 16th Avenue, above busy Park Presidio and a skip & a hop from the University of California at San Francisco (the hospital school).  When the fog clears, you can see all the way to the ocean from those magnificent windows!  Scott and Cissa are dear friends.  And, even more dear to us since they graciously let us invade their serene home for a couple nights, baby and all!  When we lived in the City, we spent many a night in this light-filled house at Scott & Cissa's infamous dinner parties.  Their space has evolved over time and has settled into a lovely mixture of Danish-Modern furniture that I tried to steal while I was there (damn Toby, he would not help me carry anything to the car!) and funky trinkets and art collected on their many travels abroad.

Maverick was the first baby to share this space and I think Scott and Cissa liked him!  He enjoyed time spent on that amazingly cozy & soft wool rug from Pottery Barn (where Cissa once worked-major employee discount holla!) and trying to chase their chubby cat around the living room!  It was great to come back to this treasure of a house after a long day of being tourists in our old city all day!  We listened to records, talked, ate take-out and sampled some funky liquors from their recent travels.  It was a peaceful and restful space to unwind in and we are forever thankful for their hospitality!  Thank you Scott & Cissa!  We love you both, muah!

We are traveling to Paso Robles this holiday weekend to visit the grandparents!  Fun, fun!  See you back here on Tuesday!  

The Neighborhood Edition 01

Went on a little walkabout yesterday evening.  Just Miya dog and me.  I could here the noises from houses quieting a bit, as dinners were being made and children played for a few moments longer.  Our neighborhood is vibrant and colorful.  I enjoyed these un-rushed moments, just lingering with the sun as it was preparing to set low behind the green mountain near my house.  Watching the colors change, steeping the light with dreaminess.  I could feel the ease of summer gently shifting, as school has begun and the rush of life is in full force.  She is slipping through our hands.  But on my walkabout, I found remnants of her: a bright red passion flower brazenly popping out from the other flowers, a hand painted sign on a dusty patched up wall against the setting sun, a sign for warm fresh donuts for a lazy morning.

Mister Boy: 6 Months Old

Yes indeed, this guy is 6 months old today.  I can't believe it!  Half a year, just like that.  Craaaaazy!  Here are a few things to ponder:

A few more stats...
Personality-Maverick's personality is really starting to shine through!  What we have learned so far is that he is super smart, intense, silly and curious.  He gets frustrated when he is unable to do something and he flashes his beautiful smile to strangers every chance he gets.
Physical Milestones-Mav has mastered sitting up and rolling every which way.  Now he is trying desperately to crawl, already rocking on his hands and knees and lunging forward.  He's also working on getting into the sitting position from his stomach, which is some hard stuff!  He is "talking" like crazy and using "ga" and "da" sounds.  His latest favorite is screeching and screaming.
Eating-we are still breastfeeding!  Yay us!  He recently started solids and has eaten banana and avocado so far.  He loves banana.  We are taking the whole food thing slowly, just letting him explore textures and flavors right now.  Breast milk is his main source of nutrition, but he digs food.  We are working on getting him used to the sippy cup (he was only given a bottle once).
Teeth-None yet, but he's teething and seems to be working on something.
Sleeping-Maverick is a tough one to nap!  He takes a morning nap around 9:30am and usually an afternoon nap around 2pm.  Some days he naps for up to 2 hours, but mostly I am lucky if it's an hour.  He also snoozes here and there if he is in his Ergo carrier or car seat.  He sleeps with us at night and still wakes a few times to nurse a little.  I know that someday he will sleep through the night (or at least 6 hours straight), someday, right?!!

Mav's sailor onesie-vintage/thrifted

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Maverick enjoys diaper changes, watching everything Miya does, his daily walks, peek-a-boo and playing with his hands and feet.  He is finally getting better in the car seat too (thank baby jesus!).
Basically, we are falling more and more in love with him each and every day!  I am so excited to see him grow each month.  He has changed our lives forever and I never knew my heart could feel this much love.
       Beanie, we love you!

Motherhood...So Far

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I do a lot of mothering these days.  So, naturally I think a lot about motherhood and what it means to be a mother.  I think a lot about my baby and hope with all my heart that I am doing everything I can to help shape my son into an awesome human being.  It's tough work & it's a lot of pressure!

Before having Maverick, the Hub and I talked often about the types of parents we hoped we would be; the type of parenting style we thought we felt most comfortable with.  We did tons of research, talked to lots of parents and read lots of books (way too many!).  All of the things we were most into seemed to fall into the category of Attachment Parenting.  We were and are ok with this title.  It sounds a bit stifling, the word "attachment."  But the actual actions and daily motions of this type of parenting, although exhausting (parenting is exhausting no matter what I say) is so rewarding & wonderful.

We do a lot of Attachment Parenting, whether we mean to or not-we sort of naturally do it.  We don't do everything by the book (who does?) and feel that it's best to not stick so strictly to one particular parenting style.  You gotta try new things because each day is different & what didn't work yesterday may work today!  That being said, we do a fair amount of holding (Maverick is an arms baby), breastfeeding (lots!!), carrying (we have a Baby Bjorn, Ergo and Maya sling-whew!), cloth diapering (not quite sure if that's AP included or not?) and we co-sleep.  So far, everything we do has been working for us.  But it doesn't mean it's working for everyone.

We have received our fair share of questions, criticisms and disapproving glances.  Some people can't believe I pick Maverick up right away when he cries (although, when he's sleeping I do wait a few moments to see if he will settle now that he's bigger before tending to him) or that we barely use a stroller or that there's no crib in his room, blah blah blah....Some people say it looks like so much work-all the baby holding & breastfeeding on demand.  Well, it is.  But, it is also all so natural and I really believe it's worth it.  I feel like this time in my son's life is so short; he won't be a small baby for long, so why not hold him as long as I can?  So what if he falls asleep in my arms and I can't get up and do the laundry?  Or, I have to breastfeed him while I eat my sushi dinner?  Maybe my back aches a bit each day after I have carried him on a long walk.  What I know for sure is that my baby is happy.  He's getting the love, nurturing and care that he needs; that's right for him.  So, at the end of the day I fall into bed tired and with a full heart next to my sleeping babe.  I am so ok with that.  And, I am so ok with other mama's doing their own thing-because seriously, no judgement!  You do what you gotta do for your baby & for your family.

And between you and I, sometimes Maverick has to fuss a little while I go to the bathroom.  I'm pretty sure he won't be scarred for life.    

My Littlest Loves: Stormy Hearts

Sunday's are truly one of my favorite days of the week.  It's the Hub's day off, so we usually sleep in a bit, snuggle in bed and then eat a big breakfast (we had waffles & bacon this time!).  We usually have lots of chores to catch up on (there are just some things this big bellied lady can not do anymore, like wash the dog), but lately I have been making sure we fit in some quality family time doing something relaxing and mellow.  This little ritual has become especially important to us as we get closer to our due date (just a week away!!), as it's a time to be present with each other and enjoy some selfish "us" time before little babe makes his appearance.

So, yesterday we set out with burritos in hand at lunchtime, to the beach.  The colors of the sky and the ocean were pretty spectacular-everything looked washed out in muted tones & the sky was perfectly stormy.  The water had this beautiful green-jewel tone to it-just couldn't capture how awesome it looked!  We walked a lot (I'm trying to get this baby to move down), combing the sand for interesting rocks, shells and what-not.  Miya dog played her heart out, laying in the water to cool off, chasing birds and making little children cry as she kissed them (she's so sweet, but so big that she scares unsuspecting little people-oops).  The Hub and I enjoyed being together, simply and calmly taking in our surroundings, talking and people watching.  It was the perfect little adventure-uplifting my spirit and reminding me how lucky I am to get to spend time with my family in this beautiful place.