Journal

Hard to believe another month as come and gone — every since Isla hit month five, the months have flown by at rapid pace. And each and every day I am ever so grateful she is in our lives. This age is JUST THE BEST!! She is cuddly, silly, loves to explore and watch the world around her. Being able to be at her side as she learns life is such an honor and just so fun!!

Family is everything to Willie & Joanne so when it came time to plan their wedding day they were sure to fill every moment with meaningful tributes to their loved ones. They married on the Cape – a place incredibly special to Joanne’s family, at the Wianno Club. Joanne wore her grandmother’s dress – the same dress that her Mom wore on her wedding day.  Willie invited family from the Midwest to experience all the East Coast has to offer. Joanne shared a meaningful and heartfelt first look with her Dad. It was a joy to be there to capture it all!! Enjoy my favorites from the day below!!

New England had a pretty rainy, cold spring. Some might even argue we went straight from winter right into spring. So when Michael & Camie’s wedding day approached I was slightly concerned about what Mother Nature might have up her sleeve. Well all those cold and rainy days must have been leading up to their wedding because it was one of the most beautiful days we’ve had yet. The gardens at Moraine Farm were in full bloom with a gorgeous blue sky and the air was filled with a warm gentle breeze. It seemed as if Mother Nature wanted to show off just for Camie & Michael.

To be honest at this point it kind of feels like the months are all melding together. Five, six, seven – it’s been hard to keep them all on track and remember the milestones Isla has been reaching at each point!! She does so many new things all the time that it’s just an all around exciting time.  I have to say that month six has been a fave of mine. It has been SO.MUCH.FUN. Her cuteness is over the top and her personality is really starting to show through. She’s observant and has started to LOVE watching other people, learning what they are doing. In short, being around Isla right now is a pure joy!! Here are a few highlights of her sixth month : 

• Isla has started sleeping consistently through the night… 7pm-6:30am!!!! It has been a game changer for us and our family. 

• In related sleeping news, Isla has started napping!! Literally over night she decide napping was a good idea and will give me 1-2 great naps a day. Going from absolutely NO napping to at least a nap a day has been HUGE for me and for her!!

• She LOOOOOVES food, LOVES IT!! Sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, mangos, pears, kale, cucumbers, carrots, apples and more. She get’s real grumpy too if we don’t feed her fast enough. Such a difference between her and her brother!!

• Also over night, Isla started having extreme stranger danger. Mama and Daddy are it. She’s gotten a LOT better as the weeks have gone on, but it’s been hard as she’s even uncomfortable with her grandparents. We take things slow and steady with introducing her to new things and that seems to help a lot 🙂 

• Isla can sit up but hasn’t mastered this skill yet. We’re working on it!!

• SHE POPPED TWO TEETH THIS MONTH!! Her bottom two. 

• We FINALLY cleared the weight hurdle with Isla — she’s still not huge but the doctors are no longer concerned with her weight gain. Hallelujah!! 

• She WANTS to crawl but hasn’t gotten there yet. However if she wiggles enough she can get herself from point a to point b, even if it’s not exactly where she wants to go 😉 

• She is just so dang cute — I love her beautiful eyes, her beautiful hair, her cute little chub, and of course those cheeks, still going strong!!

If there is one thing about New England that is predictable, is that weather in New England is completely unpredictable. Sunny one moment, rainy the next. And that’s exactly what Mother Nature gave us on Genna & Max’s wedding day. Off and on rain, mist and some incredibly beautiful fog. But despite the up and down of the weather, Genna and Max remained steady – both grounded in the happiness they shared to finally be at this moment together, their wedding day. 

Married on Cape Cod, where they spend much time together as a couple and with family, Genna & Max were delighted to share this special place with their loved ones. They filled their day with nautical and classic details, a perfect compliment for their coastal New England celebration!! Enjoy some of my absolutely favorites from the day!!

I better write this post fast before she turns six months!! Gosh this month has FLOWN by!! I think month five has been the fastest so far — truly in the blink of an eye we’re nearing six months!! To be honest, there hasn’t bee a HUGE change from month four to month five or maybe it’s that all the changes are subtle and meld together that it’s hard to keep track. Just all of a sudden you turn around and it’s like your baby is a new person over night!! Here are a few of the highlights of month five!

• Isla is a ROLLING machine!! She loves to roll from her back to her tummy – just don’t let her stay that way for long or she’ll let you know she’s not happy!

• Speaking of rolling over, she LOVES sleeping on her tummy. As soon as I place her in the crib, before I even leave the room, she’s already rolled onto her tummy to sleep. 

• Still HATES the pacifier – I still don’t know if it’s good or bad for us!!

• She started eating solids this month – we started with oats and she DEVOURED THEM. She LOVES her food!! We just started on avocado. 

• Isla has learned her voice this month becoming more and more vocal. He little coos and squeaks are pretty much the sweetest sound in the world!!

• Sleep still alludes us — she’s given us a few days here and there where she’ll sleep through the night (a consecutive 8 hours) but most nights she’s up around 4 or 5am AND WON’T GO BACK DOWN. We’re tired. 

• Isla helped me kick off the wedding season by traveling to the Cape with Dave and I in May. She slept like a champ in a strange place and even took a nap so I could watch the Royal Wedding!!

• Isla loooves her big brother and thinks he is the silliest — he obviously loves this to no end 🙂 

See more of Isla’s First Year : Month One, Month Two, Month Three, Month Four

On a beautiful spring morning YQ & John met me on the Boston Esplanade just as the sun was peaking above the horizon. Amongst the glorious cherry blossoms we enjoyed the nearly vacant park near the river. We visited the site of their epic first date and talked about their plans for the wedding day. It was such fun to enjoy the sunrise together and I couldn’t help but smile watching these two together. They have a quiet kind of love that is sweet, simple and perfect. I can’t wait to celebrate with then in November!! Until the enjoy a few favorites from their engagement session!!

Well it’s happened — its month four and I’ve fallen behind on Isla’s monthly update!! I’m only two weeks behind so I’m calling it a win 😉 Getting anything done with a infant, 5 year old, and busy wedding season just beginning is giving a huge does of reality. Maternity leave is over and relearning that mommy/business balance is beginning all over again. Good thing these kiddos are cute!!

Month Four was certainly an exciting one and saw many developmental achievements for our little babe!! Lots of fun highlights to share :

• Isla learned to roll over this month and gradually she has gotten stronger and stronger. Now, nearly every time I place her on the floor seconds later she’s on her tummy looking at the world around her!!

• She laughed for real this month and it is pure bliss. She has the BEST little giggle and I can’t wait to hear it more in the coming months!!

• She’s still a little cooer and it’s pretty much the best!!

• We dedicated Isla this month with our immediate family in attendance. We all went out afterwards for lunch and well you can imagine the fun chaos that ensued with five kids under the age of 5 😉 

• It was FINALLY warm enough to sit out on the deck and watch big brother play. Isla LOVES the sunshine, just like her Mommy!!

• I’m pretty sure we can feel some teeth in there – there’s certainly enough drool to make near hourly outfit changes necessary!!

• Sleep is OK. Isla has an established bedtime of 6:30pm/7:00pm which is GREAT. The daily wakeup call of 4:30am, not so much.

• The attic was finished this month which means that everyone, including Isla, spend a lot of time up here enjoy the soft carpeted floor and ample sun kissed spaces 🙂 

• We’re pretty sure we see some red hair coming through, but WHO KNOWS?!

• She’s started to slowly bring things up to her mouth which is really fun to watch her do!!

• Isla loves to sit up (with some help) and MUST see the world around her!!

See more of Isla’s First Year : Month One, Month Two, Month Three