Baby Milestones - 18 Months Old

Boy, have things changed in the last six months. Charlotte is no longer breastfed, can get on and off the couch with ease, makes an impressive attempt at counting up to 10, and her new best friend is our seven-pound chihuahua named Mila, who Charlotte affectionately calls "Mimi." This kid couldn't get any sweeter.

Over the past few months, I have accumulated more freelance work in addition to taking some online college courses, which are the reasons I have not been making this blog a priority. However, today is a very important day to me—my sweet girl has turned 18 months old!


Talking. Oh my words! Charlotte likes to say the names of some of her favorite people. She often talks about "Dada, Ma (grandma), Papa (grandpa) and Nanny (Natalie), Coco (Cody)," even when they're not around. Some of Charlotte's favorite words are, "Mama, this, see, shoe, two, eat and yeah."

Reading. Although she is quite the independent and busy girl, recently Charlotte started to ask for me to read a book by bringing the book to me and asking, "This?" She will sit on my lap and turn the pages while I read the book to her at least 15 times in a row. Then, before I know it, she's off again getting into trouble or grabbing another book.

Climbing. Charlotte is not just climbing up anything and everything in her path, she is climbing onto and gets as high up as she can. She'll try to climb up her shelves, the outside of her crib, completely up the couch, onto the dining room chairs and then onto the table . . . as well as trying to climb people. Taking her to the park and letting her climb on the jungle gym is always a good time.

Learning. Toddlers can be quick learners! It only took me minutes to teach Charlotte where her nose, eyes, mouth and ears are. On top of that, I'm trying to teach her about colors, letters, numbers and counting. Everything is a learning experience with a toddler, and I notice how many of my mannerisms she has picked up.

Schedule. My silly little goose has had a pretty set schedule for a while now, and it hasn't deterred much from the schedule I shared in her One Year Milestones post, except now she's down to one nap a day, between 11a.m. and 1p.m. Also, she sleeps through the night often, but not every night.

Playing. Charlotte loves to play with her toys, she loves to play in the water (even the ocean waves), and she does a lot of imaginative play from cooking at her kitchen set to talking to Papa or Dada on the pretend phone.

Being a parent is such a unique experience, and I love Charlotte more and more every day. Happy 18 months busy girl!

Our Adventures — Planes of Fame Air Museum

If there is one thing I look forward to, it is spending weekends with my family. A couple weeks ago, my husband, toddler and I traveled out to Planes of Fame Air Museum with the goal of having a good time in addition to writing an article in honor of National Aviation Day!

Sometimes it's hard to find a place that is "kid friendly" for little runners under three. Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino was absolutely Charlotte-friendly. Although we kept our toddler in her stroller as long as we possibly could, there came a point that it was time to stretch her legs, and burn some of that endless energy. Her little face lit up as she ran around, pointing to the various aircraft, vehicles and memorabilia on display.

There were seven hangars and two outdoor areas that housed once operable aircraft and vehicles, as well as planes that still participate in air shows. The pictures below are some of my favorite highlights from the museum. To get the full download of the museum and our experience, as well as a ton of photos, check out my feature article here.

PS: When you visit, make a day of it! Check out Flo's Airport Cafe for that classic American diner feel.  The picture of Charlotte's chubby little hand grabbing a pancake while mom took pictures didn't quite make the official article for IEShineOn.com, but I have to share the picture because it's too cute. She is always a hungry girl!

Happy National Aviation Day!

Our Projects—Sweet 16 Birthday Party

I enjoy photography, but I'm still an amateur who is constantly learning more about camera settings and reading and reacting to lighting. However, every once in a while I am still afforded the opportunity to document special moments in the lives of my friends and family, and having those opportunities always help motivate me to try and be better.

I recently took pictures at a sweet 16 birthday party for the daughter of an old friend. Going into it, the only direction given to me was that these pictures didn't need to be anything special, but just a documentation of the special day. When I got there, I was then told to try and take a picture of each person at the party, which I like to think is a give-in when capturing most special events. I was sure to show up a little earlier than the rest of the guests, so I could get those last minute candid photos of the birthday girl getting ready.

I enjoyed capturing this photograph of the birthday girl as her little sister struggled with her shoes. It reminded me of my little sister and the things little sisters are happy/forced to do! Showing up early also gave me some one-on-one time with the birthday girl to get some posed portraits.

Luckily, it was 5p.m., which during the summertime in California is great for lighting. I quickly took the birthday girl to the front of the house to find some pretty backgrounds to photograph her against, which was a challenge as there weren't many big trees or colorful walls (my favorite things). However, I did find some spots in her front yard that contrasted nicely against her dress, and I was really happy with how they turned out. Next, I wrangled the immediate family to ensure a few group shots before the crowd arrived.

Now that I had gotten all the most important shots, I moved on to getting pictures of the food, decorations and anything else the family spent money on!

Once I had most of that down, I continued to take pictures of all the guests, especially with the birthday girl if possible. When it wasn't, I was sure to walk around, table by table, to get at least one shot of everyone.   

I'm always sure to find out the tentative schedule for the party, that way I don't miss any important action shots. For any birthday party, this is going to be singing "Happy Birthday," which I'm proud that I captured of a picture of her completely embarrassed while everyone was singing. Also, there was a father/daughter dance that I was happy to photograph.

There were many more pictures that I took that didn't make this post. I was at the party for three hours, and I was able to give the family 150 pictures, which was almost a picture a minute!

Did you find any of this helpful? If so, please share more with us in the comments below!

Weaning Your One-Year-Old Off Breastfeeding

Like I've said before, I expected to breastfeed Charlotte for the first two years of her life. However, I have decided that one year of being exclusively breastfed is an accomplishment, and I am starting to slowly wean her off the breast.

I thought I would be able to quit breastfeeding cold turkey, but at this point I'm still too tired to wake up and stay up in the middle of the night when Charlotte gets up looking for boob. Instead, for the last week I've stopped breastfeeding all day, and I even try to get her to sleep at night without it. When she wakes up at 4 or 5a.m., she gets to cuddle up with the boob, which I'm sure is the highlight of her little night.

It hasn't been easy, but it has been easier than I expected it to be. She still pulls at my shirt once or twice a day, and she's definitely harder to get to sleep without breastfeeding. I'm starting to learn other ways to get her to sleep, whether it's rocking her to A Perfect Circle concerts on TV or driving up into the foothills of the mountains playing my "Baby" playlist. She also likes to eat or snack almost every hour, so keeping on top of that ensures she's a happy girl.

I've also been giving her multiple options for drinking organic cow milk and water throughout the day. My daughter has never been a fan of bottles, and up until recently sippy cups were not her favorite, except to play with maybe. I found a moment of relief recently when she started successfully drinking out of her preferred sippy cups. Trying tons of different brands, I've finally found two that Charlotte is successful with, which are either Tommee Tippees' 4m+ First Sips Transition Cup or Munchkin's Weighted Flexi Straw Trainer Cup.

Every other sippy cup Charlotte would use gave so much of the drink at one time that she would just spit it down her chin, soaking her shirt. I found the Tommee Tippee cup for smaller babies, and I noticed (I think with the help of my sister Ashley) that there was only one hole on the mouthpiece compared to the three in the other cups for older babies. We also like this cup because it's portable and lightweight, making it possible for Charlotte to carry the cup around everywhere she goes. 

The Munchkin straw cup was a great discovery once my mom taught Charlotte how to drink out of a straw while she was babysitting one day. (Grandma's house is always a fun place for Charlotte, she comes back learning to play peek-a-boo or saying something new.) A great feature of this cup is that it's virtually spill proof, and I say virtually because if your baby decides to blow as hard as they can into the straw, you can believe some pressure might start pushing milk up out the straw very slowly throughout the day. Or when your toddler throws the cup at the hardwood floor constantly throughout the day, damage could eventually be done. However, we're still on our first cup, and we have no complaints here. Another great feature of this Trainer Cup is that the weighted straw ensures the baby will get even the last drop, no matter which way they hold it. 

I've also noticed that if Charlotte is refusing the cup, but hasn't had a drink in a while, I'll cuddle her close and then offer it, and typically this works like a charm. I have to remember that although I'm not breastfeeding her, she's used to a lot of cuddles and closeness associated with nursing.

I'm not sure when I'm going to stop breastfeeding at night, but I'll worry about that another time. Thanks for following along everyone!

Our Adventures — Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

You know, I really love my job. Not only do I get the work from home, but when I do leave the house on official business, it usually consists of a trip to a local museum, a snazzy restaurant review, an opening party for a new nightlife destination or a family-friendly activity that's fun for everyone in my clan. A little while back, we took a trip to the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology for a feature I wrote for IEShineOn.com.

I attended the museum with two out of three of my sisters, Natalie and Lindsey, with the three second-generation girls in tow, Sadie, Mabie and Charlotte.

We had a great time at the museum. The kids were instantly hooked by all the hands-on, interactive displays and activities there were. The educational aspect of the museum was just a bonus, as the kids didn't even realize how much they were actually learning while digging for dinosaur bones, the oldest of the three reading everything in sight. I found myself answering question after question to the young girls as we passed countless skeletons, fossils and more.

 

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology was easy to find, as it is located on The Webb Schools campus. To find out more information about the museum, read more here in my feature for IEShineOn.com.

Photography — Amateur Tips for a DIY Newborn Photo Shoot

There is nothing more intimidating to me than a newborn photo shoot. I think this is because newborns are a little unpredictable, and they seem so fragile. However, once I get passed that, it's nothing but excitement. The newborn phase goes away before it really sinks in for parents, so it's best to take pictures sooner than later! Here are some quick tips for newborn photo shoots.

1. Accessories. In real life, I'm not one to put headbands or anything uncomfortable on babies. However, I'm not opposed to doing so in the name of a great photograph. Sometimes simple accessories with an otherwise naked baby is the most adorable styling you can do. 

2. Positioning. Make sure you use a nursing pillow and other soft padding to position and prop the baby in cute, comfortable positions. This is something I still am working on perfecting, but once you find the perfect spot and the baby is relaxing, you can really take some sweet sleepy pictures . . . which are also essential in a newborn photo shoot!

3. Meaningful Props. It's a great idea to take a picture of the baby with something meaningful to the family. For my daughter's newborn photo shoot, we took a picture with her and the softball glove my dad brought her in the hospital (it's his tradition for his granddaughters). This inspired me to take the picture above of this beautiful baby girl in an antique box, which has been handed down in her family from generation to generation.

4. The More the Merrier. Take tons of pictures, because babies movie so much it can be hard to get a perfect shot. I took these last two pictures with my iPhone, and they were some of my favorites from the day. You never know when something cute is going to happen, so caution on the side of snapping too many photos! It's better to have too many to choose from than not enough.

I hope these quick, simple tips help you on your endeavor to amateur photography. Please share your advice in the comments below!

Baby Milestones — One Year Old

Happy Birthday Sweet Charlotte!

It's official! As of 1:07p.m. today, Charlotte has successfully made her first complete journey around the sun all on her own. Way to go baby girl! She's grown so much since she was less than eight pounds and could barely move a muscle. Now she's a walking, talking, dancing baby with the personality that would go places in pageants . . . although we'll never know for sure. I'm eager to share what Charlotte is up to at one-year-old.

Talking & Reading. Lately Charlotte has been picking up her books, flipping through pages and reading out loud in sweet baby gibberish mixed with some recognizable words, which are more often than not, "up, dada, mama, happy, baba, papa, hi, hey and hello." She's been experimenting with new sounds lately, so she interchanges all her consonants and vowels, often surprising herself with what she comes up with. She also will choose to mimic certain phrases I say, which is adorable and kind of scary. 

Moving & Swaying. Dancing has taken on a whole new level recently, as Charlotte is bouncing at the knees, isolating her hips from the top half of her body, moving in all sorts of creative ways. She inherited my inner cheerleader and Josh's drummer rhythm. She's loved heavy metal since day one, and it makes me laugh all the time to see her little body shaking around to Black Dahlia Murder, especially when I used to turn my head sideways when Josh would play it for her in the hospital at one day old, and she would instantly stop crying.

No. Charlotte is really starting to understand concepts, one of which is "no." She shakes her head side to side, saying no when she is about to get into something like my purse. Other times I swear her shaking her head back and forth is really just another signature dance move, but either way it's pretty cute.

Climbing. Charlotte is a little rock-climbing baby. With or without assistance, I watch her climb up and onto baby gates, boxes, her toy box, toys, people and anything else that's in front of her. She loves climbing stairs, and she's actually really quick at it too. I have to be careful with which toys I put in her playpen, as she has already figured out stacking things together could make for a great escape.

Schedule. I work outside of the home no more than four hours a day, a handful of days a month. On most days that we spend every waking moment together, Charlotte is on a perfect schedule. She wakes up at 7a.m., naps before noon and again before 4p.m. Then she's down for the night by 8p.m. She will wake up once or twice in the night, which I'm not complaining!

Can I brag a little bit? I think Charlotte is the happiest baby in the world. During her one year photo shoot, we watched this little girl come alive on camera. She was just beside herself having the full attention of her mom, dad, aunt Natalie and new friend and photographer Katie (A Simple Story Photography). Katie admitted ours was the easiest one year photo shoot she's ever done, because Charlotte is a sweet babe.

Happy first birthday baby Charlie! You're a silly goose, and you bring so much joy to everyone around you!

Mom's One Year Milestones

There's nothing better than being Charlotte's mom!

With my baby's first birthday coming in just one week, I've thought a lot about my own "Mommy Milestones." This has been the most enlightening year of my life, and what I consider my milestones are really just some of the most significant moments and memories in my personal journey in becoming and being a mom so far. From the first day I met Charlotte until now, I didn't realize how much I would sacrifice, grow and change. I also didn't realize how quickly I would adjust to not being the most important person in my life anymore. My needs are always second, my few moments of time are always ticking away, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope you enjoy my important first time mommy moments that really changed my perspective and strengthened my gratitude.

A Moment of Relief. The moment Charlotte was freed from my body was obviously a HUGE physical relief. But when I looked down and she was purple in the face, I was still worried. She was finally brought to me, and I was instantly in love. Being super emotional and a big crier my whole life . . . I was certain I would ball my eyes out when I first saw Charlotte, but I didn't. I actually don't remember crying in the hospital at all for our three-day stay. Instead, it wasn't until we got in the car to head home with our bundle of joy that I started to cry. I remember telling Josh that the reality of what had just happened was slowly starting to set in, although I think it really took about six months to feel what I would say was "back to normal." We got home from the hospital, and I was sitting, holding Charlotte in a dining room chair in the middle of the living room in order to give us some space from the dogs. I looked at her and said, "I'm so happy you're okay," and started balling again. This time, I was crying because I finally felt that sense of relief from the worry that had been building up since the moment I got pregnant. I expected to feel relieved in the hospital, but it wasn't until I got home that I felt like everything might just work out okay. And so far it's been beyond what I could have ever hoped for.

Five Weeks. There is something about the five-week mark that is still the most significant change in my memory. I feel like things got a lot easier after five weeks. Breastfeeding was no longer so painful, Charlotte started gaining some decent weight and strength, my body was finally healing, and I felt like I was starting to wake up from a cloudy dream of love and sleep deprivation.

Mother's Day/Mom's First Outing. The first time I left Charlotte with her dad and left the house was on Mother's Day of last year. I woke up early with Charlotte and proceeded to get ready, so I could hand her over to her dad. He had set me up a spa manicure and pedicure appointment with a mimosa. To say I was excited was an understatement. I tried really hard not to worry the whole time, although I'm pretty sure I was something short of terrified. When I got home, there was a lot of evidence that Charlotte and her dad had a crazy time while mom was away! His explanation was even more comedic, which amounted to something like, "But you don't understand babe . . . There was shit everywhere!"

Introducing Food. As a breastfeeding mom, one of the best things so far has been introducing food to Charlotte. Not being her primary food source has definitely given me the ability to leave her for work here and there, and I think it's also a huge reason that she has started to sleep better and longer at night. I approached food with so much caution and control, and now it's nice that Charlotte has eight teeth and is eating most anything.

Crib Transition. Charlotte sleeping in her own room for a majority of the night has been a huge step. At first it was really emotional for me to let go, but now I see how we both benefit from it, sleeping much sounder than before. Her schedule has been pretty rock solid, and we still get our cuddle time when she wakes up in the middle of the night.

First Birthday. This one's obvious, because it's the reason I'm writing this post. Not only is this Charlotte's first celebration of her one year on earth, but it's a reminder that this time one year ago, I really had no idea how much this little girl was going to change my life forever. I was listening to a Tool song the other day, and the singer asks what he has done to be worthy of having an angel for a mother. I instantly felt emotional, realizing although I had always related to that sense of pure gratitude for my mother, that being a mother you can also feel unworthy of such a blessing that is a child. And that's how I feel about Charlotte. I feel beyond lucky and appreciative to have her energy and light in my life.

Thank you Charlotte Bae for bringing so much joy into my life and for turning me into a mother. There is no greater job, no honor more meaningful and no love deeper.

Transitioning into Toddlerhood

Big Girl!

I had no idea that transitioning Charlotte into being a big girl would be so emotional. I plan to quit breastfeeding soon (but we'll see what happens). Another big step is that we decided to move the baby's crib into her own room. Although she still ends up in our bed halfway through the night, it was still a step towards a little more independence for mom and dad.

Yesterday we broke down her beautiful crib, which has been a permanent fixture in our bedroom for over a year. We moved it to her bedroom, and soon following Charlotte took her afternoon nap. Once it was time for bedtime, she went down with ease. I was able to work and wrote for over three hours uninterrupted. Finally, it was past my bedtime, as usual, so I decided to go to bed. Josh was already asleep, so I decided to go and check on my baby for a minute before I turned in for the night. I stood in Charlotte's doorway for a couple minutes, listening to the sound of her breathing. It was difficult to pull myself away.

I went to my room, only to feel immediately heartbroken. Once I finally laid down, I started crying, as my separation anxiety and fears started to get the best of me. After Josh talked me out of my silly worries, I finally started to relax a little bit . . . And then Charlotte came through crying on the baby monitor. I quickly ran down the hall and grabbed her, putting her in bed next to me . . . I was so relieved! 

I'm realizing that in this transition, it's going to be about baby steps, and I think it might be harder for me to change than it is for Charlotte. I don't even want to start thinking about the challenges we're going to face when we quit breastfeeding . . . But I'll save that worry for another time!

Breastfeeding Challenges Continue

Charlotte will soon be one-year-old, and I'm proud to say that she's still breastfed. A couple months ago I was supplementing with formula sporadically for about a week while I was adjusting to Charlotte's increasing demand. However, that was short lived and inconsistent. She is now eating a lot more food, and therefore my milk production has been in line with her demand. Everything is back to normal . . . except that I'm ready to quit breastfeeding one year sooner than I expected to.

My mother breastfed my older sister until she was over two, and my sister Lindsey, who has two kids, breastfed the first daughter for 18 months and her second for 11 months. Needless to say, I had an expectation for myself to breastfeed my first child for at least 18 to 24 months. However, this goal has been shrinking in the last month or so, because Charlotte has become a boob-monster.

What is a boob-monster exactly? Well, a boob-monster is a child old enough to know about the milk, comfort, attention and more that comes with breastfeeding. A little boob-addict will walk over to you, pull your shirt down and proceed to breastfeed at any point in time. Recently, there's moments where Charlotte is looking for a little snack every 20 minutes. This makes getting anything done or even just playing with her on the floor near impossible at times.

I'm having a dilemma to say the least. While my head wants to quit breastfeeding, my heart is still in the game. Beyond that, I like the fact that we can co-sleep late at night and early morning to accommodate Charlotte's way-too-early a.m. feedings without disturbing my beauty sleep. Breastfeeding has posed more benefits and challenges in motherhood than I could have expected, but I wouldn't change a thing. I know that Charlotte is the happiest baby in the world because of the confidence, security, love, comfort and food that breastfeeding has provided her.

When did you/do you plan to quit breastfeeding your baby??

Our Trip to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Charlotte signing "more" at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

It's not always easy to enjoy family activities with a little one in tow. I like to think of Charlotte as a ticking time bomb sometimes. There's only so much time before she's hungry or tired, and that usually gives me a little over an hour of her enjoying an activity before she wants to breastfeed or take a nap.

Last Sunday Josh, Charlotte and I went to visit the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont for a feature I was writing IEShineOn.com. We woke up bright and early to ensure we'd be on time to the 8a.m. Free Family-Friendly Bird Walk, which led us through the beautiful garden with a guide sharing his bird expertise. We saw a ton of birds and native plants, and Charlotte lasted a whole hour! Once she started screaming and potentially scaring away any type of wildlife within sight, we decided to head out early to avoid ruining the rest of our group's time.

Photo Credit to Josh! ;)

Josh and I originally visited the garden with my family probably six months before I found out I was pregnant with Charlotte. We were looking for wedding venues, and we fell in love with the garden. It was fun to visit with our sweet girl. We want to make it a point to expose her to the beautiful world around her, and the Botanic Garden in Claremont was a great place to do so. Where do you like to take your little ones? Please share below!

Check out more about our experience in my article for IEShineOn: http://www.ieshineon.com/article/socal-families-|-rancho-santa-ana-botanic-garden/