oozing with love . my sophia

in the beginning, i thought my sophia was goofy cute. then we bonded and i began to grow in my 'like' of her. after some more time i started to love her. just recently though do i look at her and love her SO MUCH and find her to be the most adorable little baby ever. i've become that mommy. :)

let me explain.

her thighs are chubby. they are soft and they like to kick and fling about ever so carefree-ly. they don't have much control yet which just makes it all that much cuter. it makes me smile.

her cheeks {the ones on her face} are similarly chubby and so kissable. i often squish my lips into them. sometimes she'll squish back against my face. i like that.

even her little teeny tiny feet are so irresistible. they're adorably pudgy and rounded-ly rectangular. she finds it funny when i play games with them.

her head is so round and smells a little sweaty most the time. it's not disgusting, it's rather endearing. :)

her chubby arms are just long enough to reach the side of her head to tug on her hair, which she will do when we read together or when she gets tired. those often go hand-in-hand. i like peering down at her when we're reading together. all i see is the top of her head and her cheeks.

when she wakes from a nap, she lets me know by 'calling' me.  when i go to her and her eyes focus on me, she breaks out in a cheeky sweet smile. i love lifting her up from her crib and hugging her close to me.

see what i mean? don't you love her now too? {{smiles}}

my sophia at 4.5 months.

review and discount code! {the fresh stitch}

i first found corinne at the fresh stitch by search for baby related products on etsy. how delighted i was when i clicked into her etsy shop! i was greeted with quite the visual... adorable (and some eco-friendly and organic) fabrics that made up a variety of great looking bibs, burp cloths, minky blankets, embellished onesies and more. i was addicted and looked at nearly everything in her shop. :)

after starting up a conversation, corinne generously mailed me this beautiful bib and burp cloth set since i had mentioned to her that my sweet baby girl is quite the spitter upper. the green leaf fabric is 60% cotton and 40% bamboo poplin and the reverse side is 100% certified organic french terry. isn't it pretty?

i was delighted when i received it. the package was so thoughtfully put together (i could easily have given this as a gift!), the product looked amazing (sewn so perfectly. believe me, i examined it!) and felt so so soft to the touch, but i still wondered how it would hold up under sophia's, at times, messy dribble and massive spit up. the answer? BEAUTIFULLY!

first the hubby tested out the bib when he did his once a night bottle feed. many other bibs that we have get totally sopped and instead of keeping the milk dribble off sophia, the end result is a wet disaster. {note how she's now naked when feeding from the bottle!} not so with this bib! i loved it. baby remained dry and the bib was somewhat damp but not even completely sopping wet. i didn't know how corinne did it until she mentioned the layer of cotton batting inside the bib. she's a genius! :)

sophia looks kind of serious here but she's really thanking corinne for making a bib that has kept her dry! {"thank you!"}

now to the burp cloth. corinne is accurate in saying that this burp cloth has a variety of uses. she writes, "this burp cloth wipes up any mess resulting from spit up, vomit, baby food, milk, diaper changes and can also function as an over-sized wash cloth!" it's true. i've used it while burping baby (works well so long as she doesn't completely spit up her entire meal -- for those instances, i'd use the fresh stitches cloth diaper variety which is 6-ply. talk about absorbent!) and while baby is on her activity mat (another great use since sophia tends to drool when on tummy time.)

look at that neck strength! :) yay for sophia!

all in all, i just love this etsy shop and owner. aside from the many different adorable/cute/fun choices and products, corinne was so kind and easy to converse with. i always love 'meeting' the face behind a product i love. it's particularly refreshing when that person is so open and friendly!

what's in it for you?
corinne at the fresh stitch is generously offering 10% off to my readers for the month of august. simply write MUSTARDSEED10 in a conversation to corinne prior to the sale for a reserved listing or write it in the 'note from buyer' section at checkout and corinne will refund your paypal.

thank you corinne for sending us the bib and burp cloth. you really do make such wonderful things and we'll be back for more!

diaper bag {genius}

it's hard to find a good diaper bag. as i searched for the 'perfect' one and wasn't able to find it, i gave up. thankfully when baby came, the hospital gave us a similac diaper bag on our discharge. it was great! it came in an urban and simple across your chest backpack form with just enough space for the changing pad, numerous diapers/wipes/buttpaste, change of clothes, a couple of burp clothes and a swaddle blanket. we were even able to stuff a few other things in there when needed. that took care of the functional aspect, but what about fashion? i was still searching.

one day i stumbled upon babyeverafter {aka. hot mama handbags}. this etsy shop sells handbags that can also be used as diaper bags. or maybe it's better described as diaper bags that can also be used as handbags. in any case, i was so excited because the prints and patterns of the fabrics are so very cute. after hemming and hawing and saving up some money, i purchased one.

today i received it and i just love it! first, the owner, maranda lee has great customer service. she had so many conversations with me as i considered and re-considered and requested some changes, etc. i was very thankful for her willingness to talk with me through some thoughts and to answer questions i had.

now to the bag. it is very well made, the fabric is beautiful and it's an easy bag to pair with many different things. the pockets come very much so in handy whether i want to put diapers or a bottle or anything else. the little compartments help me easily find things. there's even a key hook so i won't need to be rummaging around to find my keys. i highly recommend this bag for diaper bag/baby needs and/or for just plain pretty handbag needs. :D p.s. isn't my bag pretty? 

{the mommy cover by joia} review and giveaway!

{{edit: and the winner via random.org is #21 - melanie! you will receive an email from me shortly! thanks to all for participating!}}

being a new mommy has many challenges. one of them is figuring out the art of breastfeeding in public. enter the mommy cover by joia.

joia products was founded in 2007 by mommy of 2, charlie. she sought to combine the two sides of being a momma - "The Mommy - who simply wants something that works well, is easy to use, and is equally easy to maintain; and The Fashionista - who still craves some sense of individuality, confidence, and style."

i was introduced to the mommy cover by my sister who received the cover as a gift when she was pregnant. i loved its chic look. the satin strap up top, the bold pattern print and its reversibility. it looked too good to be true! when i became pregnant, i received a mommy cover of my own and i was so excited to have the baby so i could use it!

MY REVIEW ::

now that baby sophia is 2.5 months old, i've had many chances to use the mommy cover. the mommy cover is beautifully made. there are many wonderful fabric combinations to choose from! i love all the attempts at making this cover functional and easy to use - their innovative reel feature which keeps the cover closed helping to avoid any accidental flashing and the semi-rigid band across the top so i can see baby while she's nursing. their website is extremely helpful, with FAQ's, their story, and even a how-to on using the reel. a gallery shows the mommy cover in use.

i had some challenges with the reel as it pulls the fabric tight across the back and therefore affects the ability to see baby while nursing. i've found it easier to use the cover without closing the reel. additionally, the semi-rigid band at times will break its hold so i have to readjust to maintain eye contact with baby. i like how the cover is wide horizontally. this helps keep me covered when baby is struggling or flailing her arms during a challenging nursing session. i'm still getting the hang of using a cover in public so i think as time passes, it will all go more smoothly. my suggestion would be to have a more rigid band up top as that aids in keeping the cover off baby and would allow for easier use.

this company's customer service is unmatched. when the reel on my mommy cover broke, charlie kindly sent me a new cover. i greatly appreciated the individual attention and care!

THE GIVEAWAY ::
charlie at joia products is generously offering a gift certificate to be used towards one of her lovely mommy covers. thanks charlie! :)

TO ENTER :: {one entry for each. leave a separate comment per entry. make sure to leave your email address so i can reach you if you're the winner!}
1. head over to their website and comment on which mommy cover you want.
2. head over to my etsy shop and tell me what you'd like to see more of.
3. 'like' their FB page.
4. 'like' my FB page.
5. become a follower of my blog.
6. blog about this giveaway on your blog! leave the link in your comment.

the lucky winner will be chosen via random.org on 7/23/10 at 12.00pm.
ready? set? GO!

initiation

i am now a true momma.

life with sophia

sophia is almost 2 and a half months old now! can you believe it? thankfully, we've started to find some sort of rhythm. in the coming weeks and months, sophia should get on a more organized schedule which will be very helpful to me in terms of going outdoors more.

baby is super mellow and that has been such a blessing for me as a new mommy. she's learned the art of breastfeeding rather well, though each week she challenges mommy in one way or another related with the feedings. i've been learning the importance of letting things go, going with the flow of each challenge, and adapting. this is only the beginning and likely, the easiest part! :)

these days baby is cooing, intentionally smiling, grabbing, pulling, holding her head and neck stronger, pushing off her legs, and doing lots of finger sucking. :) baby is also starting to chuckle! she makes the cutest noises at the most random moments. what a true joy and blessing from God. we're so thankful.

precious moments captured .