Month: February 2013

Inspiration

by Ashley filed under Uncategorized
+ + + + + +
Willy and I get really bored with our home really fast. We’ve lived in this home for three and a half years and have gone from one sofa, to another sofa, then back to the first sofa. We’v changed out various pieces of furniture and always seem to be taking something down off the wall and putting something new up.
Everything in our home is bothering me right now and I have that itch to change everything out once again. I’ve started taking things down off the wall because I can’t stand looking at them anymore. Poor Van’s room has become a storage place for dejected items I don’t want for my own home but can’t bring myself to donate.
I have a vision in my head and have been compiling a mental list of the changes I want to make. So I’ll be sharing more in the months to come. But for today, how about these lovely plants? Plants brighten any room and I can’t wait to add some greenery.

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Van @ 7 Months

by Ashley filed under Van

Growth & Appearance: You hair is lightening up, just as your brothers did, and I suspect it will officially be blond in a few months time. Your eyes are transitioning to brown. You have a chubby belly and chunky little legs that I can’t help but squeeze. You face is round and your eyebrows and eyelashes are still hardly visible. You are exceptionally long and fit into 9 month 12 month pajamas as a result. You are in onesies your brother wore after he had already started walking. You wear size 3 diapers (which are almost too small) and size 9-12 month clothing.
We moved you into the bigger car seat this month. For the record, your brother didn’t make the move until he was over a year. Just saying, for the record.
No teeth yet.
Development: Not only are you ticklish, but you also find all the ridiculous faces and noises we make at you funny. You now have a sense of humor, which means you’re officially part of the family. Your arms never stop reaching and your eyes never stop tracking. Your grandma and grandpa call you “Boris” because they imagine you growing up to be a girthy guy that lifts weights. I can’t say I disagree. You’re strong and sturdy and you hold on to things like a magnet holds on to metal.
We left you both with a babysitter for the first time this past month. You cried the whole time.
You’ll be crawling soon enough. Currently you like to reach out to the side when you’re sitting, which ultimately lands you on your belly and frustrated. In general, you’re frustrated by your limitations.
You haven’t quite mastered the pincer grasp, but you able to get small items (like peas) into your mouth. You appear to be right handed.
You rock back and forth when music is on. Every time.
You’ve started waving, or at least imitating our wave.
You’re fine with others holding you until you spot me. Once you spot me, you throw your body in my direction and whine until the person holding you starts to feel uncomfortable. You prefer me over anyone else and are rather vocal about your preference.
You’re able to help us get you out of your car seat by reaching your arms out. This sounds rather minuscule, but I’m sure all the other mamas out there know how difficult it is to get a floppy infant in and out of a seat. In any event, thanks for helping out. 
Eating: I thought you’d be like a well oiled machine when it came to eating. It started so promising. I gave you green beans and you looked as though you were in heaven. Given the fact that I gag on green beans, I thought we were off to a pretty stellar start. Then you spit carrots and sweet potato out and currently I’m not sure if you’re more into the food or the spoon it’s on. Each time I try to put the spoon in your mouth, you grab for the spoon and don’t appear so interested in the food. I suppose I’ll let you lead the way and, truth be told, I’d rather keep you on as much of a breastfed diet as possible anyway.
Things you’ve tried and liked: squash, peas, green beans, blackberries, sweet potato, pieces of the wool rug.
Things you’ve tried and not liked: carrots, sweet potato, broccoli.
Breastfeeding has been boarder line abusive. I’ve almost considered throwing in the towel. It’s like Chinese torture to feed you. Your hand is constantly smacking me in my face or pulling my hair. Your tiny little death grip of a hand pinches the backside of my arm. And I wasn’t kidding when I said last month that your grip could kill a small mouse. In fact, I think it could kill a large rat. You also like to bite down on my nipple and jerk your head away. I’ve had to hand you off to your Papa from time to time out of frustration. Other times I simply feed you while starring straight up at the ceiling to avoid being slapped around, as that’s the one that ruffles my feathers the most.
I breastfeed you on demand, which ends up being 9 to 10x/ day. Not all of these feedings are of great quality, some are just quick snacks. I’m still donating milk, but in a lesser quantity than before.
Sleeping: You have an official routine. And, as luck would have it, it coincides with your brother’s routine. I may not have won in the food category, but I think I take home the trophy for the best sleepers in town. This is not to say I’m not exhausted on most days and that I don’t complain on the days I do have to get up during the night. On comparison to other babies, however, I think you’re both pretty stellar. I’m hoping you continue to follow in the long-nap-footsteps set before you.
We quit the swaddle cold turkey, mostly because you outgrew it and the velco was shot. We had ordered another one but had to send it back because you were too long for that one as well. We’ve also given you full range of your crib by removing your sleep positioner. You seem to stay on your back nonetheless, but wiggle around to different areas of the crib.
Here’s your schedule: I breastfeed you around 9pm. You drift off to sleep when you’re done eating and I put you in your crib for the night around 10pm. Some nights you wake up at 3am and want to eat, other nights you wake up briefly but drift back to sleep. The last few nights you’ve gotten up at 12am. It’s really a crap shoot as of late. You’re typically up for the day between 7 or 8am, depending if you had a middle of the night feeding. You nap around 11 or 12 for a couple of hours (fingers crossed) in the afternoon. You’re ready for another nap come 5pm and usually drift off to sleep as I feed you around this time, but more times than not, as soon as I put you down to nap, you scream. So the afternoon nap is hit or miss. 
Favorites: You love the toy guitar, which is a recipe for a fight because it’s one of Hooper’s favorites too. You love pushing the buttons and rock back and forth when the music plays. But your favorite, hands down, is your mama. You’re not a happy camper when I’m in the room and you’re not in my arms. You also love to bounce in your jumper. You’re actually able to jump, with both feet pushing off the floor. You’re bouncing right now and giggling while you do it. You also love sitting alongside your brother while he plays with his toys and, oh yes,  you love the remote controls. I’m quite sure if you had to chose two things to have for the rest of your life, it’d be me and the remotes.

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A Sponsored Giveaway

by Ashley filed under Uncategorized
When I was pregnant with Hooper, I planned on using cloth diapers. I was cloth diapered as an infant and it seemed, from that, I had the expectation for myself to do the same. I agree that it’s better for the environment and all that other ish. But I also knew I would not be the only one changing diapers. Willy wasn’t for the idea. Not one bit. Eventually, we compromised on paying a monthly fee to a diaper service. It seemed like a good middle ground in that we would still be cloth diapering, but we would not be responsible for cleaning and folding and all the other clean up that goes along with cloth diapering.
Then Hooper was born and we both looked at each other in confusion; We weren’t sure how to get the big clunky cloth onto our little newborn. And we were exhausted. And trying to figure out how to make it all work was too much for us to take on. So we went the disposable route. And I’ve never felt bad about it. I’ve always said, in regards to parenting, that you have to do what works for you and what maintains your sanity.
When Comfy Rumps contacted me about doing a product review, I was scared. It was like returning to a challenge that I had already thrown the towel in on. But, I read about the company and it’s a great company and I thought I’d be doing an injustice to my readers not to give it a proper chance. And so we’ve entered The Cloth Diapering Experiment, compliments of Comfy Rumps, because – you know – rumps must be comfy. 
First thought upon opening the package: Wow, that’s a lot of snaps.
Second thought: Holy sheet, there’s snaps.
When we signed up with the cloth diapering service, we literally received a bag full of folded cloths. No snaps, no ties, no pins. We purchased these weird hook things that attached one side to the other, but they were neither user friendly or attractive. So, after I got over the perplexion of all the snaps, I was quite happy to see that they were user friendly.
Third thought: We’re really doing this, Harry. That’s right, it’s a movie quote from the girl who never quotes movies because my memory has suffered from things I did during the days I was an asshole teenager.
Here’s a little about their original cloth diapers:
-The outer layer is made of polyester with a polyurethane laminate coating, making it 100% waterproof.
-The inner layer is made of a light and soft microfleece.
-The snaps allow for adjustment to both the waist and hip in addition to the rise.
-The soakers/inserts are made of a three-piece microfiber terrycloth material that are able to absorb up to 250ml (that’s a little more than a cup of water) .
What I thought:
Truthfully, I’m a little regretful that I didn’t commit to cloth diapers when Hooper was an infant. I think if I had done more research and familiarized myself with the products beforehand, my good intentions would have come to fruition. I think it’s too late in the game now to make the investment, but after this cloth diaper diaper experiment, I have some regrets. For starters, it wasn’t nearly as hard as I had imagined it to be. In place of throwing a diaper into the pail, I simply threw the terrycloth insert into a wet bag. The only difference is that the pail gets taken to the trash while the wet bag is taken to the laundry room.
The cloth diapers were easy to snap, fit nice and snug around Van’s legs, and dried fast after washing. They also maintained their softness wash after wash. The adjustable size, via the snaps, means I would only need one set from birth to toddler. It also means that had I invested when Hooper was an infant that I would have been able to use the same set for Van, thus saving even more money in the not-so-long run.
The cloth diaper lasted for about 3 hours until Van required a changing. I experienced no leaks or blow outs. They were easy to change and what once seemed incredibly daunting and intimidating ended up being incredibly easy.
Why chose Comfy Rumps:
Comfy Rumps is super affordable. From the reviews of their product that I read online, many seemed skeptical because of the price. I did not, however, read a single bad review. Everyone that uses these diapers seems to love them. The original pocket cloth diaper costs a mere $7.75, considerably cheaper than other cloth diapers (BumGenius cloth diapers run $17.95). Comfy Rumps also has affordable Bamboo Diapers. Bamboo is a renewable resource and is grown without fertilizers or pesticides and is said to be more absorbent than cotton. Bamboo diapers, through Comfy Rumps, cost $8.25-$10.25.
Comfy Rumps also has training pants to ease the transition from diapers to underwear. The training pants are designed to feel wet against the skin in an effort to teach your toddler the association of feeling wet with having to go to the potty. Hooper has been doing great with potty training, when home, and is able to use his potty on his own. We have slowly transitioned to putting him in underwear during the day, though he still needs help pulling his underwear down. I use the training pants for naps and, when I decide to take the plunge, will use them at night as well. He did wet his pants the first time I put him down for a nap in the training pants. They were able to hold the urine and did not leak. He has not wet his pants during his nap since, but I still use the training pants as much as possible in case he forgets. I’ve also used the training pants to transition him to wearing underwear in public. For a while, Hooper was potty trained so long as we were home. Now that he has a good grasp on using the potty, we’ve been leaving the house with him in the training pants and reminding him frequently that he needs to tell us when he has to go potty. No accidents.
The training pants are super soft and are made with the bamboo fleece I spoke of before. They’re made with great quality and fit snug around his thighs. The training pants appear shiny on their website, but in actuality they are a soft fuzzy material that feels like velvet. I like nothing more than running my hand over Hooper’s soft little covered butt. Comfy Rumps makes their pocket cloth diaper with this same “fuzzy wuzzy” material and they are to-die-for cute. Here’s some of my favorites:
 Comfy Rumps also sells wet bags, pail liners, cloth diaper wipes, and other accessories.
Comfy Rumps is offering one winner a $25 gift card to their online store. Interested in trying cloth diapering? Have a toddler you’re potty training? You can enter by doing one or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry to increase your chance of winning:
1. Visit Comfy Rumps and tell me what you would get with the gift card.
2. Follow Comfy Rumps on Facebook.
3. Follow Comfy Rumps on Twitter.
4. Follow The Stork & The Beanstalk on Facebook.
5. Follow The Stork & The Beanstalk on BlogLovin’.
This giveaway is open to US & Canada residents only. Please make sure your email address is valid, as the winner will be contacted via email. I will also announce the winner on Facebook in two weeks (2/13).
The giveaway for a $50 gift card to Custom On It is still going on. You have six days left to enter.
Good Luck!

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Mama's Corner

by Ashley filed under Motherhood

Wearing: A vintage dress, these sandals, Dooney & Burke vintage purse.
Searching for acceptence. My postpartum body is foreign to me and I struggle on a daily basis to accept it for what it is. I remember Melissa saying it felt like someone put her body back together using an Ikea manual and I couldn’t agree with this analogy more.
Counting down the days. I know, from past experience, that I’ll miss it when I’m done but today I cannot wait to be done breastfeeding. I miss the freedom.
Listening to Johnny Cash, “I’ve Been Everywhere”, while daydreaming about a roadtrip to Palm Springs in the relatively near future with this girl.
Waiting to win the lotto so I can buy this dress.
Smitten with this photography project. It’s the highlight of every Tuesday. Click To Vote For Us @ Top Baby Blogs Directory!

08/52

by Ashley filed under A Portrait A Week Project, Photography

Something you may not know about this man: He’s the easiest going guy, for the most part, but is the most particular about the most peculiar things; Like the ice he puts in his drink. He’ll engage you in a conversation about how the right kind of ice cubes make his whiskey taste better and you’ll walk away from the conversation no longer believing the ice in your freezer is adequate.
You can check out other photos from the series here.

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Is It Summer Yet?

by Ashley filed under Motherhood

We showed up to the beach the other morning totally unprepared. There’s a lot I’ve learned since becoming a mom, but one of the most important is this: pack the night before and think ahead. I did neither. Thus, we arrived at the beach Monday morning looking more like we were going to play at the park on a cold winter day. Clearly I had delusions of grandeur thinking I could handle both babes and Sarah. We met a friend down there with her two boys and their dog because it’s always better to have a friend that has delusions of grandeur as well. In any case, we came with pants and sweaters. Then Hoop rocked the t-shirt and diaper. Realizing I didn’t bring any Kleenex, his shirt quickly became the snot rag and when Van spit up, I used it for that too. So Hooper ended the day in his diaper, which he really shouldn’t have had anyway because we’re trying to do the whole underwear thing. I ended the day feeling like a lazy and unprepared mom. How do so many do this motherhood thing? And how do so many do it so eloquently? Hash tag: Still learning.

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Hooper @ 27 Months

by Ashley filed under Hooper
Growth & Appearance: Two more molars are making their way through. They didn’t seem to bother you much except for the fact you woke up with diarrhea that resulted in the worst diaper rash I’ve ever seen. You woke up crying in obvious pain and I found you on your bed on all fours. I cried too. It was so hard to see you in so much discomfort. I know, I’m such a sucker. When I removed your diaper, it looked as though you had laid under the sun, in the Sahara desert, with your legs spread wide open. The upside of it all was that it resulted in extra cuddles and it cleared significantly after a day or so of treatment. Those damn teeth…
You’re still in size 4 diaper/ size 2T undies, size 2-3T in everything else, and size 7 shoes. You have some great size 8 kicks waiting for you, so I’m eager for your feet to grow.
Eating: Note to self: If you go a full day with refusing to eat, assume you aren’t feeling well. It’s happened a few times now and your Papa and I go to bed so fed up and frustrated only to discover in the morning that you’re not feeling well or have teeth coming in. I feel like I say it every month, but I really do need to trust you to eat when you’re hungry and not eat when you’re not hungry. Note to self: my job is to provide you with healthy choices. Note to you: your job is to eat it. Capiche?
If we let you eat whatever you want whenever you want, you’d already be diabetic. You’re just like your Mama in that you like cupcakes, cookies, and all things breaded. I made you a belgium waffle the other morning and put some whip cream on it as an added treat. You proceeded to lick the whip cream off of each bite. I think you’re the only kid in town that would discard a waffle. I tried to get you to eat pancakes for the longest time and, now that you discovered it has the word “cake” in it, you like them. 
Talking: When we ask you what show you want to watch, you reply, “Cat-uh-hat”, but are unable to answer questions like “what’s your favorite color” or “what would you like to eat”. I suspect that’s just around the corner and I’ll have the video ready to record some of our what’s-sure-to-be captivating conversations.
You still use “hi” on a regular basis and it remains your go-to in uncomfortable situations or situations where you’re trying to accomplish something you know you shouldn’t. Like the other day, for instance, Papa left a chocolate chip cookie on his nightstand from the night before. You wiggled your way over to the nightstand and kept saying “hi” as you inched closer and closer. Then, when you got within reach, you glanced at the cookie then back at us and said “hi”. You sure know how to land a cookie into your mouth. Your cuteability is heart stopping.
You’ve started replying with “okay”, which has been entertaining.
You pronounce all your “S’s” as “F’s” so “sleeping” is “feeping” and “sock” is “fock”. Papa still makes you repeat “sock” a lot.
Things you say that we did not teach you that don’t make sense to anyone other than us. AKA, “Hooper Language”:
Blanket: Da-dgee
Motorcycle: Da!
Thank You: Deep
Fork: Bem-mee
Development: You love your balance bike, which you refer to as your “new bike”. This is because it came to us as a hand-me-down (thanks Kris) and I kept asking you what you thought of your “new bike”. Now, I’m pretty sure you think it is called “new bike” as opposed to just “bike”. Either way, you love to ride it around and have taken a few spills that don’t bother you much. The other day, you insisted in putting your bike in your wagon and then proceeded to pull your wagon around. Needless to say, you’re still entertained with putting things into other things and organizing different piles of things. On any given day and at any given time, our sofa is still covered with your cars neatly placed in separate piles or lines.
Potty training seemingly started slow but looking back in hindsight, it was rather easy. You haven’t had an accident for some time, but we haven’t ventured out in to public with just chonies just yet. You use your potty with ease when you’re home and naked. You refused to wear your chonies initially; apparently big boy batman undies mean nothing to a Cat in the Hat fan. Now I’ve gotten you to wear your chonies and for the most part you’ve transistioned well. You’ll grab your dong and announce, “pee pee”, signaling that it’s time to take you to the potty. You aren’t able to pull your own pants down yet, so you ask for help with this. It was relatively easy to get to this point, but we still have quite a few challenges: wearing chonies in public, using public restrooms, using an on-the-go potty, and wearing chonies for naps and at night. We’ll get there my young lad, we’ll get there.
You have a gentle and tentative nature. You enjoy jumping off surfaces, for example, but often need prompting to do it on your own. I’m probably the only mom in town encouraging her toddler to jump off the furniture by themselves. Don’t tell Papa.
You like to emulate your Papa by going around the house with your toy computer and toy phone and say, “Papa werking”. You’ll set up your little area complete with a pen and paper, phone, and computer. Oh my young little lad, have fun while you can. You can work later.
You counted to six clear as day the other day. Your Papa and I both looked at each other in disbelief, unsure of who taught you that… Until we realized all the time outs you’ve earned have actually taught you something; You may still spit and hit, but you’ve learned to count. I suppose you have to take the good with the bad.
We left you both with a babysitter for the first time this month. Your grandma and grandpa had watched you before but your Papa and I decided it was time to squeeze in more Papa & Mama time. You love your babysitter and had no problem with us leaving (you know her from your gym class).
For the most part, you do a good job of entertaining yourself. Once you get going, you can play with your cars on your own for an hour or more. You like lining them up and organizing them into different areas, but what’s new?
Favorites: Your cars make the cut each and every time, it seems. You also love your “new bike” (aka your balance bike) and pretty much anything else with wheels that goes. You also like Dr. Seuss books and the Cat in the Hat cartoon. We’ve started making forts, which you love. Currently our forts consist of lying on your bed with your big blanket over us like a tent; you have no idea what kind of forts are sure to be in your future. Just wait until you see what a cardboard box can do!

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A New Perspective

by Ashley filed under Motherhood, Parenting

I received some great comments to my post on the terrible twos and, since writing the post, things have improved. Over the course of just a few days, there have been major improvements (most notably is the fact Willy has return from his business trip). Hooper can still be a little pistol at times, but my perspective is in a better place to deal with the asshole-ish behavior. Here are some things that I learned from ya’ll that have really helped reshape my perspective and some other tips for handling Hooper when my new perspective alone isn’t enough:
It can get worse. Age 3 seems to have nothing on age 2 and one reader commented that 7 year-olds are just plain weird and even annoying.
Follow through on threats. This suggestion was repeated throughout. I’m far from a push over and my problem was not with the follow through, but rather with making threats. We had been doing the time out in the corner, but clearly threats are where it’s at. I’ve started with threatening no TV if he kicks me while I change his diaper. Truth be told, I hope he kicks because I hate TV. I’ll “allow” him to kick me once, then I’ll reiterate the threat, and if he kicks again, it’s game over. I explain the consequence clearly and when he brings me the remotes and asks for a show, I reiterate it all once again. Surprisingly, he hasn’t put up much of a fight. I’ve heard before that children actually thrive when given boundaries and I believe I’m starting to see this in action.
Readers Plum and Amanda suggested rewarding normal behavior. This gave me a good chuckle because it assumes (and rightfully so) that the good behavior is the exception. I was just telling Willy yesterday that we need to decide and be consistent with what we scold him for because if we scold the big stuff and the little stuff, we’d be scolding him constantly. Rewarding normal behavior kinda flips this all on it’s head and allows you scold for the big things and intermix a few rewards for the normal behavior. I like that. It sucks being the bad guy all the live long day, so I’m all for reinforcing the good. I love to keep it positive and it’s nice to see a light from the reprimanding hole I had been buried in.
Stay flexible, as reader Jessica said, discipline is a moving target. What works one day isn’t always going to work the next. Accepting this realization seems to immediately give me more patience; patience that seemed to be wavering.
Reader Tamera suggested tickling it out. This was the first thing I tried as Hooper repeatedly kicked me as I changed his diaper. And you know what?, it worked. He kicked, I tickled, we laughed, I changed his diaper, and we went on with our day. It was such a relief. Granted, the next time the same event occurred it didn’t work and then a threat was made and then a threat was carried out. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a positive starting ground. I wish the need for affection was the answer to every toddler episode… I love nothing more than cuddling my little guys.
Reader Megan talked about how, as parents, we kind of own the infantile stage. They’re our little babies and we control much of their lives. At the ripe age of 2, she reminded me, they start to transition into their own independent beings. The tantrum phase is developmental and though Hooper may need to be disciplined throughout it, he also needs my support as he transitions into his own person. Hitting, kicking, refusing, throwing… they’re all experiments a two year old uses to eventually decipher right from wrong. They need to learn what produces a positive response and what produces a negative response, and the consequences for each. Knowledge is power.
I used to work at a daycare that followed some philosophy that did not believe in saying “no” to a child. We were not allowed to use the word at the daycare and in its place we were instructed to use redirection. It worked a lot of the time and I am now reminded of its benefits. I do, however, reserve the right to use “no” but I think it is more effective when reserved for the big things.
When all else fails, drink. I spend much of my afternoon dreaming about a big glass of wine. In reality, by the time I’ve put Van to bed and I’m able to have a drink without worrying about my baby also having a drink, I’m ready to hit the ol’ hay too. Sometimes a good nights rest is even better than a glass of wine, but not always.
Understanding toddlerhood is a learning experience for both of us. While Hooper’s experimenting with his behavior, I’m experimenting with how to most effectively deal with it. Not all days are going to be good days, but with my new found perspective and some tricks up my sleeve, I’m feeling much better about things. So thank you all, your comments always mean a lot to me.

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A Sponsored Giveaway

by Ashley filed under Uncategorized
It’s crazy―as in cah-ray-zee―to think that my boys will one day be in students in school and players on teams and cubs in scouts. What’s even crazier is that there will come a day when I’ll have to volunteer and participate in these things.
And when that day comes, I’ll be turning to Custom On It.
Custom On It helps people and organizations customize products used for fundraisers, promotions, and more. They work with schools, moms (like lil’ ol’ me!), event planners, fundraising organizations, and companies we all know―Asics, Trader Joes, YMCA, Mozilla Firefox, Dos Equis. Creating your own brand? You can use Custom On It to grow your company.
Other products include: sweatbands, silicone wristbands, slap bands (OMG, remember these?) and even koozies (for the adult fundraisers, of course).
Custom On It is providing one lucky winner with a $50 coupon code to their online store. You can enter any of the ways listed below. Please leave a separate comment for each entry and please make sure your email address is valid, as the winner will be contacted via email. Open to US & Canada only.
1. Visit Custom On It and tell me what product you would chose and what you would do with it.
2. Like Custom On It on Facebook.
3. Follow Custom On It on Twitter.
4. Follow The Stork & The Beanstalk on BlogLovin.
5. Follow The Stork & The Beanstalk on Facebook.
Interested in making a purchase? Custom on it is giving readers of The Stork & The Beanstalk a 10% discount with coupon code beanstalk. I’ll announce the winner here in two weeks from today. Good luck!

07/52

by Ashley filed under A Portrait A Week Project, Photography

A portrait of my husband, once a week, every week, in 2013.
I laugh every time he uses the word accolades. He harbors resentment for whoever decided on the five day work week. I get mad when he stares at me while I’m trying to fall asleep. He drinks a lot of milk. I am his wife, he is my husband. BooYah!
You can check out other posts in the series here.

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His & Hers

by Ashley filed under Photography
I decided to post another edition of His & Hers (an Instagram lovefest) in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Today’s power instagram couple is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She’s a graphic designer and letterpress artist; the Primary Designer for Kinfolk Magazine. He’s in law school. They are Amanda Jane and Cree Lane Jones. And, oh ya, she’s pregnant. You can find them on instagram under @amandajanejones and @creelanejones.
Their images are warm and rich and make me want to pour a cup of apple cider and build a fire. They also make me want to go shopping, she’s as cute as can be, no? You can almost palpate the love in their portraits of one another. The glimpse into their lives via instagram will keep you coming back for more, rest assured.
Here’s some of my favorite images from the duo:
Wishing everyone lots of love on this lovely Valentine’s Day. You can check out the last edition of His & Hers here.

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Link Love

by Ashley filed under Ashley, Photography
This photo is making the green thumb in me want to come out and play.
Loving this song. It makes me excited for summer. So does this 80 degree weather. That’s 25 Celsius for all ya’ll on the other side of the globe. Good song though, no?

Wishing I could afford this top. It’s $180, on sale, mind you.
This photo is so simple, yet dreamy. It’s by Lonnie Webb, one of my favorites.
I’m loving on this song too. Such a beautiful intro.
Wanting to do this DIY when the time fairy chooses to grace me with her requested presence.
Supporting this documentary and all it stands for.
Side note: Thank you all for your thoughtful comments on yesterday’s post. There was some great dialogue and I felt a lot better after reading what ya’ll had to say. My favorite part about blogging, hands down, is the support we can all give one another. So cool. Thanks for inspiring me and for supporting me.

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Two.

by Ashley filed under Hooper, Motherhood, Parenting
Hooper has changed overnight. Like seriously, he’s a new kid. I started writing a post on the “terrible twos” just two days ago and it’s already outdated as I described him from being far from “terrible”. Today, he’s all kinds of terrible. I feel as though the toddler gods fill you up with all kinds of love and attachment and patience during the first two years because they know you’ll need to pull some from your reserves when your child turns two and you don’t like them anymore. I called Hooper an asshole today. Not to his face, of course, but more times than I should have behind his back.
What kind of behavior warrants calling your two year old an asshole, you wonder? I’ve been smacked in the face. A lot. It almost always occurs when I’m holding him and looking for a little affection; Affection he used to give me all the time. It also happens when I drop down to his level to put him in check. There’s nothing more infuriating than scolding your child only to get smacked in the face as if to say, “Yeah mom, I heard what you said but please allow my hand across your face to remind you that I don’t give a shit”. I’ve had to take a lot of deep breaths these last few days.
Other things he’s doing that are pissing me off and making me turn to wine at the end of the day even though I feel like turning to a whole bottle of wine to start my day (and yes, that is intentionally a run-on sentence): Throwing toys, spitting, spitting out his milk, taking toys from his brother, hitting Sarah, and kicking me while changing his diaper. He has also started to fold his arms across his chest as if to say, “Go suck a dick, I’m not happy”, only he still uses this body language at inappropriate times so I guess it’s still endearing; but the endearing part is still debatable.
Much of parenting is a learn-as-you-go process. We had been punishing him by putting him in the corner and calmly explaining that we can’t hit or throw or whatever. Then we’d count to ten and end the time out with a hug, after making him say “sorry”. I no longer have the patience to calmly scold; now I put him in the corner and yell, for emphasis ya know? But clearly, it’s not working. Counting to ten has done nothing other than teach him how to count. Seriously, he counted clear as day to six yesterday. That’s probably when his attention span runs out, otherwise he’d know that seven ate nine. So, I turn to my lovely readers for the touchy subject of how to discipline your lovely toddler. Please share your opinions and suggestions.
Hey Hooper, just for the record, Van is my new favorite. Shape up, you little asshole.

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Mama's Corner

by Ashley filed under Motherhood
Wearing: This dress is from ModCloth. I wore it in the beginning of my pregnancy with Van. I paired it with black leggings and some old black suede boots that I’ve had for years. Dresses with pockets are always my favorite. And, as an added bonus, Hooper likes the birds on it and refers to me as “prit-tee” when I wear it. It goes without saying that I want to wear it everyday and if it weren’t for the spit up, I probably would.
Celebrating: My hair is growing back. I’ve bitched and moaned long enough and finally the postpatum hairloss gods have heard my cries. On top of my head are tiny little sprouts of hair yearning to make me look ridiculous in the months to come, like little antennas endlessly searching for a signal.
Recovering: Hooper, Van, and I all have colds. This has resulted in Van not taking solids, which has resulted in more nighttime feedings in addition to cough attacks due to post nasal drip. This, in turn, has resulted in complete and utter exhaustion for me, as well as a decrease in patience. Hooper’s been testing boundaries left and right as of late, so yeah, hoping we can all be healthy again soon.
Dreading: Willy has been working a lot. He took on a new position at the company he works for and it’s meant longer days and weekend business trips. He is out of town right now and, let me tell you, this single parent thing sucks.
Wanting: More energy. I’m not a coffee drinker. I’m thinking I should tell my taste buds to kiss my ass and throw back a few of those espresso shots like they were shots of vodka in my college days.
Listening: Lucero, “She Wakes When She Dreams”. I’m such a sucker for a deep raspy voice. His voice brings tears to my eyes and forces me to listen, and then hit repeat.
Trying: To shake the travel bug. I’ve been daydreaming of far away places and though the possibility feels at least a year or so away, I’m banking on the fact that time has been flying.
Juggling: Diapers vs. underwear. Not for myself; For Hooper. Some days I just don’t have the potty training energy. He is doing really well, however, and I owe ya’ll a round three update. You can read about round one and two, if you wish.
Side note: A friendly reminder that the giveaway to etsy shop Moonbeatle ends tomorrow. You can enter five different ways to win FORTY SMACK-ER-ROOS to Fritha’s lovely store. You can’t win if you don’t enter. 

Bits + Pieces

by Ashley filed under Bits + Pieces, Family

We’ve been making the most of 80 degree weather coupled with the fact our zoo pass is about to expire. Hooper is at the age where he enjoys pointing out each of the animals and Van enjoys the blue skies above. With any luck, we’ll squeeze a few more visits in the weeks to come! Don’t mind the pouty pic of Hoop above, it’s all for show.

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