Fun at the Domes

Our Saturday morning started with a stop at Starbucks for an Espresso (Mr. Evans) and a Nonfat Chai (for me).

We decided to go the Milwaukee Domes for the day. It's a perfectly sunny, warm and spacious spot for toddlers on the move! We explored all three domes and had an Animal Crackers snack. Nina loved it! I remember going to the Domes as a kid with school, but Mr. Evans had never been. So, I must say we loved being there as well.

I intended to take some nice photos with my camera however due to the humidity in the Domes, it fogged right up. iPhone to the rescue again!






For brunch we went to Cafe Hollander. Delish, but not as good as Comet Cafe!


After a few stops at two or three furniture stores, Nina was wiped. What a fun family day!


Favorite things...

I love to learn about what makes someones "favorite things" list. I get Oprah Magazine and always flip to her "O List" (who doesn't). For me, of course I have staples like sharpies, white dishware, Windex and McDonald's. Classics. 

But here are few things I'm loving at this moment. What makes your "favorite things" list? New or old. Cheap or a splurge. I'd love to hear them!
I'm loving my Origami Owl necklace and all things gray (like these UGG boots and MK bag). 
It's winter so I love to burn Wood Wick candles. They're worth every penny and I stock up when they're on sale.
I also love this pretty pink polish - perfect for the doldrums of winter.
As for lip stain and gloss, I find Laura Mercier is the best. I wore these colors on my wedding day and still love them!
My cousin Dana (and my mom) do my hair, but I love this Aveda aircontrol and Moroccan Oil!
Here's a few more...
- Mr. Evans and I have been loving Ina Garten's new season on Food Network (Napa... yes, please)
- If you haven't tried Palo popcorn, you're missing out (scoop some up at Sendik's... and it's locally made)
- I don't have a tattoo, but I'm tempted to purchase these for fun! :)
- I so wanted to get this candle for Mr. Evans 
- I'm reading this book right now... so far so good!
- How chic is this watch?

Leave a comment with your fav things!



Leftover Christmas cards

What to do with leftover Christmas cards? It seems wasteful to trash them since so many are so chic these days!

My solution this year (with a busy, book loving toddler) was to create a very simple Christmas card book. I hesitated posting about this because seriously this isn't that ingenious of an idea. However, it's almost February and Nina looks at this thing once a day.

She loves seeing photos of friends and family (thanks to all who sent one our way). It's a great little recycled and cheap learning tool!

To see how we keep and display our family cards, click here.




Lunch and Letterpress

It's quite fabulous that my in-laws own Sun Graphics – a great print shop that’s very well known in the community, has very loyal customers, and has been around since 1924. In fact, my father-in-law is a 7th generation printer. Talk about blood as thick as ink!

And, thank goodness. They've done our wedding stationery, Christmas cards, baby Nina announcement and more.

It really was a match made in paper heaven when Mr. Evans (an 8th generation could-be printer) and I got married. It’s no secret I love all things paper. I swoon over office supplies and lose it at Papyrus, PaperSource and Broadway Paper.

So, for our first anniversary (the traditional “paper” gift), Mr. Evans made me handmade letterpress stationery. What a guy. Too perfect.


We've been married over three years now and ever since he made me this gift I have been wanting to learn more about letterpress. So, this past weekend we (finally) went up to Plymouth with the sole purpose(s) of lunch and letterpress.


My in-laws own a 1922 Chandler & Price 10x15 inch letterpress. Isn't it a beauty? The press still has its original one-horsepower 3-phase electric motor. They don't do much letterpressing anymore (except when we come over), but their business uses it to die-cut. My father-in-law loves it though. He said it makes him feel like a kid again to play around with these bits of history.







I love looking at these old type cases. I could sit all day and peruse the type fonts, custom logos, images and more. Their type cases are original Hamilton's from Two Rivers, WI. My father-in-law said these must be older than 1922 because of the wood facing on the drawers.

I trust him. He learned to run a press when he was 12 and his dad had him stand on a wooden roller box in order to hand feed the press.

Like the five generations before, then like grandfather, like father, like son. Here is Mr. Evans hard at work!

This time around, we made Nina her very first stationery complete with a vintage ballerina I found buried in the cases. Aren't they too cute? Now when she writes thank you notes, she'll do so in style.

Here's my creation. I went for something a little less formal this time, although I do miss the Mrs. :)

I think I could go back every weekend and learn more. I love love letterpress. Don't even get me started on all the boutique letterpressing that can be seen on Pinterest and Etsy. Ahh-mazing. Although for now, I'm quite satisfied with the simplicity and tradition of my cards. Sometimes the more personal and uncomplicated the better.

Jealous? Interested in creating some cards like this for yourself? Leave me a comment and maybe I know someone who could help you out!

Origami Owl Party

Last week I hosted an Origami Owl jewelry party. If you haven't heard of this company, check out the website here: www.origamiowl.com. It's awesome! I had a good handful of ladies come for wine, apps and a little shopping! You can see my Living Locket creation below. I was amazed with some of the beautiful necklaces and stories my friends designed.

I had my party Wednesday night and think I've worn my necklace every day since!


For apps, I made/assembled:
Homemade oatmeal fruit bars,
Ina's Sundried Tomato dip with endive, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes and green onions,
Cold cuts with olive mix,
some good chocolates to munch on, and
Ina's Parmesan Thyme crackers.

Yum.

Pigtails!

What a big girl - pigtails have arrived! I love this new cute hairstyle. Happy Monday!


Acid Reflux, Happy Spitters and Our Story

Up until she was 13 months, she always had a bib on. Usually wet, smelly and discolored. I'm glad this phase is over!


Warning... this is long. 

I am writing this post not to complain or come across as negative. I try to keep things light and happy on this blog! However, I feel compelled to write about my experience with acid reflux and a happy spitter. I'm writing this in case someone out there stumbles across this post and needs some reassurance. I endlessly searched for answers online and in books, but never really came across any information about my particular situation. My new mother instinct said there had to be someway to help my little baby. And even though the books and websites said non-stop spitting up doesn't bother babies and is more difficult for a parent to see, I felt like I had to try.

Again, please know that I am incredibly grateful for a healthy, happy baby. More than you know. She could have had much more serious issues and I pray for those mothers and families who have a much tougher reality. Nonetheless, this was my reality (no matter how small) and I thought I'd share... just in case someone out there is looking for others going through the same thing.

Also, I'm not going to lie. She's a great baby - slept through the night since six weeks old, eats well, smiles and laughs a ton. She is NOT a reflux baby who screams and screams. She's a "happy spitter" as they say. So I know .. again... it could be worse. But, spit is spit.

Spitting up consumed the past year of our lives. In fact, it only really reduced around 13 months. Even still today at 16 months we still have bouts of spit up. And although our pediatrician said it wasn't a major medical problem, it was a major laundry and social problem. She spit up for the first 10-11 months of her life about 40+ times per day. Finally, at around 11 months it went down to about 15-20 times per day, and like I said now at 16 months its basically gone. We have truly been consumed by bibs and burp rags! :)

Nina's reflux started from day one. Actually, even before she was born Mr. Evans and I joked we'd be doomed (he was a projectile vomiter and I was a spitter). Less than two weeks after she was born, I knew something more serious was up. I took her to our pediatrician and based on her symptoms she was prescribed Axid. I was reluctant to put her on a drug so early in life, but was reassured by the fact we could wean her quite easily when she was ready (or she'd wean herself based on her weight/dosage).

Eventually, after a few months I noticed the medicine wasn't really doing any good, so we stopped using it. Our pediatrician (who is great and who we trust) said that eventually she'd grow out of spitting by 6 months when she'd start to be upright more. After that didn't help, he said crawling or walking would help. Not so much. It is very rare that severe spitting up like this lasts as long as it did in Nina. She was happy and not a colicky baby, but would spit up large amounts of food/formula more than 40 times per day. Not kidding.

Over the course of the year, here's what we all tried. None of these things really helped.

1. Axid
2. Gripe water (great product, it helped a bit with other symptoms (gas, irritability) but not the amounts of spitting)
3. Propping the crib at an angle (put a pillow under the mattress to keep her on an incline when sleeping... however she NEVER spit up at night or in the car seat?!)
4. Gas drops
5. Chiropractor
6. Different formulas (We used Similac soy, spit up, sensitive, etc...but nothing seemed to help. FYI, she was formula fed from day 1... but breastfeeding moms also have reflux issues with babies!)
7. Using a Moby or Baby Bjorn (tried both, but I usually just ended up with spit up down the front of my shirt)
8. Made sure she was not overfed (they say overfeeding can contribute, but she had a healthy weight gain despite all of the spit up)
9. Extra burping
10. Adjusting the nipple sizes in her bottle
11. Different brands of bottles (we settled on Dr. Brown's)

When Nina crawled, our reality became puddles of spit up on the floor... wherever she went! When Nina switched to solid food, we got used to chunks and colored spit up stains! Puddles and spit up over me and over everything was quite the norm.

One more thing. I don't believe Nina has a milk or dairy allergy. I questioned that a lot. How could I not? I myself don't drink milk. However, she didn't have the tried and true medical symptoms of an allergy. Maybe an intolerance?  Maybe it was just that her little esophageal sphincter wasn't developed? Nonetheless, we switched to cow's milk around 11 months. However, today at 16 months we give her rice milk. I also watch the dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc). It seems to help a lot!

In the end, it was just time. As a mother, all I wanted to do was be able to fix it. Unfortunately, time was the answer. And for an impatient person like me, that was rarely the answer I was willing to accept. Thank God it wasn't anything more serious. If you're reading this and you have a baby with similar symptoms, just know that I know what you're going through. And, if you have questions leave a comment.

Was this a challenge? For sure. Many things as a parent are a challenge (sleep training, potty training, getting kids to sleep in their own bed, discipline, etc). However, the blessings FAR outweigh the bad. Like they say - too blessed to be stressed! I always remember I am not managing an inconvenience, but raising a child! :)

What is new with Nina

What's new with Nina? She is now 16 months and here's what she's up to...

Curly locks and blue-green eyes.
Favorite words: Neeee-Nahhh (Nina), momma, mommy, daddy, puppy, baby, hi, bye bye, duck, hat, all done, oh wow and more

Favorite activities: Blowing kisses, pointing our her nose, belly and ears, swaddling her baby doll, reading books, trying to put shoes/slippers on, asking Momma to put a bow in her hair, laughing with Daddy

Favorite foods: Apple-cinnamon cheerios, peas, pancakes, salmon and risotto, mostaccioli, pretty much anything we eat!!

Any other questions about little miss Nina? :)

Happy Wednesday!


In the picture

I read this article yesterday and couldn't help but share. It's long but is a must-read for mothers. Check it out.

Don't you also feel this way about photos with your significant other, parents and best friends? I sure do. I love photos that capture great memories. I love how they jog your memory of a specific moment in time. I especially would love more photos with Nina (I'm usually behind the camera), but I sure have a few I treasure.
















Cold turkey pacifier elimination

Bye-bye binkie. Pack it up paci. Nice to have known you, Nukie!

A new year brings new changes. Especially for Nina.

The first of these things was a cold turkey pacifier elimination.

You heard it. Cold turkey.

Sound insensitive? Well, would you tell a smoker that they had to quit but could still light up only when you told them it was ok?

Little miss Nina at 15 (almost 16) months is a hard-core pacifier addict. I mean like crack cocaine. It is (was) constantly attached to her mouth.

Now, one could argue whether this was fueled by Mr. Evans and I using it as a crutch, sticking in her mouth to keep her quiet in public, to help her sleep at night, to help with her reflux issues. Ok, maybe. Maybe it's her little security object.

Whatever the cause, she loves her pacifier. I knew the weaning of the pacifier would be a challenge (errr - opportunity) for us as parents as well. So, I did lots of reading and decided on a method. Here's how we did it.

1. Pick a cold turkey elimination day.
2. Stick to it.
3. A few days leading up we reduced the amount she got the pacifier (as much as she would allow without serious protests... remember she's been in love with that thing since day 1). I also told her repeatedly that in a few days the pacifiers were "all done" and that she's a "big girl" - I know she probably doesn't understand this, but I felt better giving her a heads up.
4. On elimination day, I took one of her pacifiers and cut the tip off. We told her "it's broken" over and over and she learned that the sucking power of the pacifier was gone. She got angry and would chuck the "broken" pacifier across the room. In addition, I removed and hid all pacifiers from sight to ensure she wouldn't see and beg for one. Also, since all the pacifiers were now gone from the typical place I set her stash I gave her a "tour" and let her see that they were all gone and the only one left was broken.
5. The night of elimination day, we put her to bed without her beloved pacifier. She cried for about 30 minutes. Just like when we sleep trained, we used progressive waiting. In the middle of the night, she woke up at about 3:30 am and fussed for 15 minutes. Not too bad.
6. Day 1 of pacifier freedom went pretty well. The "broken" pacifier was now gone. I was told she did well at daycare, but had a total meltdown the minute I picked her up. She feel asleep without too much trouble at night, but woke up very early fussing for about 45 minutes.
7. Day 2 went pretty great.
8. Day 3 is now. We'll see... we hope yesterday wasn't a fluke!

UPDATE: Things went great. Actually by day 3, she had forgotten about her beloved pacifier and with that, we're not looking back!

Note 1: Nina is majorly teething. These past 7 days I think we have seen about 4 new teeth pop up. No joke. Nina is also getting over a cold. She will always get new teeth, always be "getting over" some illness, etc. I picked a day and stuck with it. No excuses.

Note 2: During this cold turkey pacifier elimination process, I've also tried to introduce a little comfort item (blanket, stuffed animal, etc). She hasn't quite taken to it yet, but we'll see. I read that some kids like having a "lovey" item.

Wish us luck!

New Years Weekend

We celebrated the New Year with fun and relaxation in Boulder Junction at a gorgeous cabin on Fish Trap Lake with my parents, Molly, Missy, Dave and Maggie. We cooked delicious food, ate at some fun supper clubs, the guys chopped wood and took hikes, the girls spent lots of time keeping warm by the fire, we played Hoopla and Cribbage at night, did some shopping during the day, took Nina on a sled ride, and more. What a perfect way to ring in the new year!

Here are just a few memories:






DIY Snowflake Finger Painting Art

For Christmas, Nina wanted to make some DIY art for her grandparents. I decided finger painting and a snowflake theme were just the thing.

To begin, I purchased two small square canvases at Hobby Lobby. I cut strips of blue painters tape to create a snowflake pattern.

Then, we stripped Nina down to her skivvies - I knew a messy bath was in our future. Luckily, I had Mr. Evans there to help. I am so thankful I didn't try this by myself.

Nina absolutely loved the idea of an art project. She thought it was fun to be a nakey baby sitting in her high chair with newspaper all over.


Initially, she seemed to be intrigued by the paint. I had to help a bit, but she seemed to be enjoying it. Perhaps we found a baby Picasso?

Minutes later she either realized she was messy, was angry that we wouldn't let her eat this blue stuff on her hands, or was confused by what it was. And with that, we were done.

Here's the finished project - one for Grandma and Grandpa, the other for Grandbear and Meemaw. We hope you liked it. Nina sure enjoyed creating this masterpiece for you.

Snow Day

During our recent 12-16 inch snowfall we experienced a perfect winter wonderland, which meant a perfect time for Nina to experience her first sled ride! I grabbed my iPhone to take a few photos.

All dressed and ready to go.
I love the snow piled on top of the lamp.
Mr. Evans loved pulling Nina around in the backyard. 
I pulled out my ski coat from 7th grade. This photo was snapped right before we came inside (notice her little exposed leg). :)
Here she is sitting in a snow bank! How adorable.
Mr. Evans built a small snowman for Nina. What a guy!

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