A week back from vacation and boy does it feel good to be home. Yes, I miss the breezy perfection that was the nor-cal air; but nothing beats mornings waking up in our cozy home with my two loves. And since our trip out west kicked Maddie into a routine of 12 hour sleeps, I've had a little extra energy to spruce up the house, organize MM's wardrobe (this girl's a-growing) and spend some extra time in the kitchen during these last few dog days of summer.

This summer has made it official: my baby girl is a beach bum. It comes as no surprise really, as her dad is a lover of all things nautical- sand, sea + ocean air. And just like her dad, she's happiest after a few hours spent running along the shore + kicking around the Sound. Luckily, we are just a few minutes from the beach; making daily trips possible, if only for an hour or so.

Truth: sometimes when MM won't nap I drive her around until she falls fast asleep. And sometimes those drives take us to Buy Buy Baby. Which works out, because I almost always need something there. And even when I don't, I always end up finding something I never even knew I needed- baby must-haves that totally up my mommy-game.

Yesterday was one of those days.

This week was bittersweet.

My mama headed back to her home on the west coast, leaving a little Mema-shaped hole in our house. It was a great three weeks with her- we cooked, laughed, cried and drank a few good bottles of wine; all while watching my little girl grow before our very eyes. And just like all our goodbyes, the countdown to her next visit has officially begun, thankfully just a few short weeks away.

On the other hand, the sun finally came out- bringing the warmth and official feelings of spring. Maddie and I took countless walks in the park, enjoyed music class with a few baby friends, and we celebrated eleven months of our baby girl.

As I've mentioned before, books have been an important part of our daily routine from the beginning. In fact, I don't believe a day has gone by over the past ten months without turning the pages of a sweet story

I bought Madeline her first book months before she was even in my belly- a board book version of Guess How Much I Love You. In the throws of fertility treatments, this purchase served as a reminder of the little one that would eventually come, and the memories we would someday create as a family. Today, that book will forever remind me of that strange time in our life.

Books are funny like that- serving as symbols of various events throughout our lives. Over the past several months I can think of countless examples: The Poky Little Puppy will always remind me of the time my six month old sat patiently while I read the entire book to her (and that's a long one, folks); Giraffes Can't Dance will always conjur giggles as I remember my husband's rendition; I will forever think of Valentine's Day when I see You Are My Sunshine; and Bathtime Peekaboo will always make me nostalgic for the first time my mother read to my daughter.

And the truth is, no matter how many books one has in their library- there is always room fore more stories; more memories to be made.

A little over a year ago we celebrated our baby girl at a beautiful backyard baby shower- just a few weeks before she arrived.

We were so blessed to celebrate with family and friends, all of whom gifted us so many amazing things in hopes of making that journey into parenthood all that much easier.

The best part about these helpful tokens was that we were given essentials we could use throughout the first year of new parenthood. Some of my most favorite gifts have been the ones we couldn't necessarily use right away. Of course we love and needed the onesies, swaddles and binkies; but there's something about opening a gift or two every few months throughout that first year that makes you feel like a kid on Christmas the whole year through.

This B.O.B Stroller is one of those gifts.

I've been reading to Maddie Mae since the day she was born- my hospital bag packed with a few favorite bedtime stories, in addition to a loaded iPod to play her first lullabies.

And while she probably didn't understand the stories I read, I wanted to instill the act of reading into our daily routine- hoping it would someday perpetuate a love of books. And today, whenever I see Maddie light up at the pages, I'm grateful I made that a priority from the start.

Friday already?! This week's been a fast one- starting off cold and snowy and ending happily sunny + spring-like.

The past few days have been filled with a few fun excursions, afternoon walks + shipping off lots of pretty packages filled with lyrical baby onesies.

In the midst of it all, my Maddie Mae turned ten months old- blowing my mind when I finally made the realization. My little babe is no longer such a baby- she stands + babbles + is so close to walking; but she'll forever be my little girl. It goes way too fast; and as exhausting as it sometimes is, these 10 months with her have been the best of my life. And I can't wait to explore another season outdoors with her this spring.

Oh, cup of joe. Let me count the ways. It was hard taking a break from you those long nine months; but our reunion after was pure bliss. And never did I ever need you so much as I did in those first, newborn months. I overdid it at times, but eventually, we found balance. And now I enjoy you a {moderately} reasonable amount thoughout the day. That morning cup, most often at 5am, is a life-saver- and is almost worth getting up for.

Easter's on its way! And with that comes another holiday first for miss MM- and lots of fun for mom. Its been years since the Easter Bunny has visited our house; so I'm super excited to see what he'll bring.

I'm envisioning a basket filled with musical instruments, wooden toys, and some super cute accessories for the little one. 

Here are a few goodies I'm hoping to see in MM's basket this year: 

We started our teething journey when little miss MM was a mere two months old. I was relieved; thinking that the sooner we started the sooner we would get past this phase of our life- goes to show you how much I knew about infants + newborns as a first-time-mom. Now, nine months into this gig and we are still deep in the teething phase, with two more pearly whites peeping through.

Oh, the joy!

Have you heard? My little Maddie Mae has been teething- for what feels like her entire 7-plus months on this earth. Her first two came in super early- by month three- meaning she's been rocking the bib-look for about four months now.

Oh, hey February. So happy to be here. And what better way to kick off the month of love than with my very first giveway? Woot Woot. I'm so happy to be hosting with some of my favorite ladies to give one lovely reader this adorable Valentine's Day gift for mama and her little.

Before I had MM, I really wasn't a fan of all the primary-colored plastic toys out there.  Aesthetically, they're pretty hard to look at, and at the time, there was something super cheesy about them to me. I think I had envisioned an earthy, neutral-toned playroom filled with wooden toys a la Melissa + Doug.