longest. move. ever!

a quick vent.

i swear it doesn't matter how many boxes i unpack or how many times i organize one construction filled corner of a room, i still feel unsettled. i can't find anything, anything! okay that's not entirely true but i have been looking for one box of mila's clothes for two weeks now. it's the one box i set aside because it is filled with the clothes she wears on a regular basis. where are they? yeah. wish i knew. so much for setting aside.

typically, i take mila's nap times as an opportunity to relax but there is no resting in this house. not now and it feels like not ever. yesterday was the first day i put on makeup and did something to my hair other than throw it back since last week. i actually made myself keep it down all day despite how much humidity messed with it. i may have spent the day in the same shirt i slept in (whatever) but my hair stayed down.

how do you other mamas do it? i swear i see so many well put together moms and babes out there. 

anyone want to come help me unpack and find a home in our house for things i forgot we owned? anyone? actually, until this home is up to snuff we may be more visitors than hosts. but one day, one day i will sit with tea on a couch thinking "homeownership is the best". because it is, right? okay that's all. 

this man. this man has always been some kind of amazing. watching him as a dad over the past few months has been the most incredible experience. he is kind, patient, helpful, funny and will do anything for this little girl of ours. mila sure is lucky to have a dad like him and i sure am lucky to have a partner like him in this crazy parenting journey.

happy father's day to all the papas out there but a special one to you handsome. there is no one who can make this little girl laugh as easy or as much as you can. the relationship between you two is something i could sit back and watch all day long. thank you for being the great father you are!

a little update - our first home!

i haven't posted in a bit but there are good reasons i promise; we bought our first house, ahhh!! it is something jay and i worked pretty hard for and are happy to have made it work without sacrificing our love for city life. i haven't posted any pictures because frankly there are boxes and paint cans and contractor tools in every corner of every room. i thank god mila isn't fully mobile yet and is in a somewhat 'cuddly want to be held a lot' stage. 

the move process has been a tiring one for all of us but for different reasons. everyone's schedules have been fully thrown and i don't know how we had packed away so much stuff in that tiny apartment of ours. but we managed to get it all packed and moved over the course of a month and with help from some amazing family members. 

it was a bittersweet move and i'll admit, i cried, i usually do when an old chapter closes and a new one begins. i'm a sap, there i said it. 

jay and i moved to that complex after we got married. it was our first place in the city. we lived in the first floor apartment then moved one floor up to score a private balcony a few years later. i wrote a little post here when we made the move because i was pretty excited about the charm that apartment had compared to the one below it. while we were finishing up cleaning the last day i saw mila playing ever so contently with just her soother in our old living room and that's when all the tears started. there are a lot of memories wrapped up in that place that i'll always be fond of.

we have been spending most of our days making sense of endless boxes or giving the contractors some space to work freely. i mean how can you ask someone to drill quietly? most of our days consist of day trips to the hardware store but last week mila and i had ourselves a little date at the royal ontario museum. dinosaur bones are way more fun than hardware aisles.

since moving i have been craving new designs with fresh looks and seem to be falling more and more in love with all mid century modern designs. it really is the perfect mix of old and new, simple but bold, and structured but cozy. now to figure out how to get the look on a budget...

on mamahood :: month 8

this month i couldn't stop looking at photos from when we first brought mila home. she has grown so much in month eight. her face seems more mature and her interactions with others are more engaging then last month. it's also been a ton easier to get ready in the morning or have her hang out in her exersaucer while i make lunch because she can easily entertain herself now. for at least for 10 minutes i have two free hands before she wants to get picked up again. i may complain daily about how my arm hurts or my back hurts from carrying this little lady around all day, but secretly i love it a ridiculous amount. 

LAAV on mamahood at eight months

• tooth count: 0
• she has bedhead all day, every day. 
• the first laugh where she threw her head back was because of me. and i died right there. 
• when i try to kiss her she grabs my mouth and pulls her forehead to it. then pushes me back and gives me a big smile.
• getting her face and hands wiped is her most loathsome time of day.
• she can scoot from one side to the other and wiggle herself backwards but we are still working on the forward motion.
• she can't get enough of standing or walking with support. 
• tummy time is no longer a peaceful protest. it's a pretty obvious protest at this point.
• at her 8 month checkup we asked how mila is progressing and she said "socially she is really advanced". she is our daughter for sure. 
• she laughs when jay and i kiss in front of her. 
• she turns off light switches at bedtime all on her own.
• we are over goodnight moon. it's now the goodnight train for every bedtime read.
• one word to describe this month: throwy (i know,  that's not a real word, but you get it)
• dance parties to the beatles radio station can last forever and it's still one of my favourite times!
• she waves hello and goodbye with her entire arm and with everything she's got. 
• i dress her in denim every chance i get.