La Petite Chic

Dreamy Dress

I want to wear this dress on a romantic dinner date at a little creperie in Paris. Hope you're reading this, Jon!

Isn't it lovely? 

(Image courtesy of simplicityisbliss.etsy.com)

When the Cat's Away

Jon was in Atlanta Monday through Friday of last week for a class and back there again this week so it's just been us girls around the house. Of course, Jon has had this class scheduled for months, but wouldn't you know that this was the week that Isla started at her new school?

The actual starting her at a new school wasn't too stressful for me, but the fact that she also happened to acquire a black eye and bruised cheek after a run in with a swing set at the playground that weekend kind of had me worried. What would her new teachers think?!

After a great first day on Monday, Isla was running around our kitchen like a crazy girl (as she tends to do while I'm cooking) and she fell face first on the ceramic tile floor and busted her lap pretty badly! There were tears and blood all over both of us and a nice, fat swollen lip to take to school the next day. Oy vey! It seems that teachers of toddlers must be pretty accustomed to bumps and bruises because no one has said anything to me. I still feel like a terrible parent sending my poor baby in with a face that looks like she's been in a brawl but I guess I better just get used to this phase!

About her new school though...we LOVE it! It's a brand new center that just opened up a half mile from our house. It's completely ideal. Great curriculum (even for the little ones), lovely teachers and beautiful, bright classrooms. Isla's other school was right across the street from my office which made it convenient to get to her during the day, and while we were quite happy there, this one just seems like a much better fit for our family. We're really excited for all that Isla will learn there.

She's starting to talk more and more and it's so neat to hear her communicate. She's up to a vocabulary of over 15 words now: ball, Dada, Mama, shoe, bye, hi, bottle, milk, more, juice, doggie, that, thank you, up, no and can tell you that a sheep says "baa" and a cow says "moo". It's amazing!

She just cut her eight tooth, but I didn't even realize she had cut it until I was brushing her teeth last night. I saw something white in the back and there was a little molar popping through! She has three teeth on the bottom, her first four up top and that first molar up top. The fourth one on the bottom is ready to break through very soon. We've been really lucky that teething hasn't seemed to cause her too much distress. It's really only the third and fourth ones on the top that made her fussy at night. Hopefully the rest will come in easily as well. We all quite enjoy our sleep in this house!

Back in Black

It's me! A blast from the past! Didn't think you would ever hear from me again, did you? :)

Let's just skip all of the excuses and apologies about why I haven't posted since January. My god, it's been almost a whole year!

Life is going wonderfully! Our home improvements still continue, but thankfully now it's just here and there and more of cosmetic finishes. Though we did have to install a sump pump last month after all of that rain the East Coast was hammered with in early Autumn. Don't you just love spending money on things that you will never, ever see?

I absolutely love our old house though. It's so charming and warm and comfy. Jon has never shared my affection for old homes and has already started talking about putting it on the market in a few years when we venture overseas for our jobs. The thought makes me cry after all the blood, sweat and tears we put into it! However, the thought of renting it out for three years or more while we're in Europe or Asia is a little frightening. I really have no desire to be a landlord, nor do I want strangers sleeping in my house! A move is at least two years off in the horizon though, so no need to worry myself about it now.

Isla turned one on October 12th and continues to astound me every day. Maybe it's because the only babies I've ever known are those of the four-legged variety, but I'm amazed at how quickly she learns and develops! She's walking (more like running) and talking and somehow had the instinct to know how to stomp her feet when she doesn't get her way. (I'll take the blame for those genes!)

She's beautiful and funny and loves dogs and other animals (though Lola does not like her AT ALL). She's a rough and tumble kind of girl and likes to pull hair clips from her hair and play in the dirt. She loves shoes and crayons and knocking over towers of blocks. She adores the water and has a best friend at daycare, a little boy named Easton (coincidentally that was on my list of boys names before we knew she was a girl!). She's a hearty eater and loves sweets like her DaDa. She's just a joy in our lives and brings a smile to everyone she meets. Can you tell I love this girl?

Here's a recent photo of Isla and a family photo of the four of us. Lola tolerated her for the photo session. Hopefully it won't be a year before I post again! I've missed you all.