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9 Months

9mo5Yesterday, Isla celebrated her nine month-iversary, which means she has now been outside of the womb as long as she was inside. I’m struck with mixed sentiments on the passing of time: Did it fly by? Yes, absolutely. Where did my baby go? But does it feel like Isla has been a part of my life forever? Without a doubt. I cannot imagine life without her.

While every day gets more and more fun, taking non-blurry photographs has gotten more and more difficult. She is constantly on the move, making these monthly pictures a bit of a challenge!

Isla now has one tooth (you can see it popping through above), and another about to break through the gums. She says, “Dadadadada” all day long, and even a few “Papapapa” but no sign of “Mamamama” (go figure!). Her tongue is always, always, always sticking out of her mouth.

Isla’s favorite foods are Plum Organics Puffs, oatmeal, Special K Protein Plus, black beans, avocado, fusili pasta, sweet potato and all Plum Organics puree pouches. She tends to eat naked, as she is a hot mess!

It is now impossible to change Isla’s diaper, as she will flip over mid-change, getting diaper-contents everywhere. Fun times, right? She is wearing 6-12 month clothes, and mostly 9 month outfits (if they exist), except for pajamas, as she’s very tall (or long?). Bows don’t last very long anymore, because she pulls them out and (you guessed it) eats them.

She is mega, mega ticklish (video here) and starts to giggle when I get anywhere near her underarms. She loves peek-a-boo, but mainly when she’s the one hiding her face and revealing it (here and here). Isla loves playing with crayons and her xylophone. She loves bike rides (pulled by Tata) and walking with her Hape Walker. Isla’s most recent tricks include waving and clapping (as of this morning!). She gets so excited when she does it.

Week in Review

Happy Monday! As I mentioned here on Friday, the week flew by and then we had the busiest Saturday I can remember. We had Hollis’ first birthday party near our house, then Nora’s first birthday party in Katy, and James’ fourth birthday party back in town. Three birthday parties, coupled with some other secret stuff (that I hope to share soon!) meant that by 6:30pm on Saturday night, the entire Petrovic family was exhausted. All of the celebrations were so much fun, and the three mommas did amazing jobs with the decorations! I only got a few photos at Hollis’ and none at James’, as I was holding Isla for both of those parties. However, I got a ton at Nora’s and plan to share them later this week, as Danielle really outdid herself (check out her beautiful Etsy store).

I”m sharing lots of other highlights from the week (as well as tons of photos) below. It seems that I really like to photograph Isla eating and sleeping the most. I seriously could watch her sleep all day long (but she hates naps, so that is impossible). When she does go to sleep, Isla loves to be covered in blankets, lovies, Meg the Monkey and her favorite butterfly (one of these).

Moments to be grateful for:

  • Having cheese, wine, and truffle popcorn at our house with two sweet friends, Jessica and Brittany (host of this year’s Galentine’s Day) – I made them the raw healthy, vegan Oreos (renamed N’Oreos by my sister) which were eaten quickly!
  • Eating at one of my favorite spots in Houston – Tiny Boxwoods – with my friends, Melissa and Kiran (Good chats + Beet It Burger + White Wine Mojito – it doesn’t get any better than that!)
  • Going over to my friend’s house for a playdate with her son, Alexander – the lunch spread that Emma put together could not have been more perfect!
  • Touring First Baptist Academy’s Primary School with Marcy, the Director of Early Childhood – she is seriously the sweetest, and that school is unbelievable… we’re on the waitlist and I will be praying every night for those spots to move quickly!
  • Being surprised with a belated birthday flower delivery from a sweet friend – they’re the most beautiful pop of color in our kitchen right now!
  • Going with my older sister to visit our little sister’s apartment in the Med Center (she’s a student at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston – she requested frozen yogurt, so I brought (and ate) the best – Orange Leaf
  • Staying in on Friday evening with my sister to play Bananagrams – have you played? If you’re a logophile, you would adore this game.
  • Being talked into going to STRIKE! at Life Time Fitness – I haven’t been able to move my arms since Thursday
  • Going to church on Sunday – it’s always my the way I calm down after a busy Saturday/week, and I love Bayou City Fellowship so much
  • Visits from Sasha’s mom (Four days – lots of Baba-loving!), his step dad, and my parents!
  • Laughing as Isla learned how to master the straw sippy cup, which she did after a few upside-down attempts! Sasha at first thought it was too hard to sip through the straw, but was proved wrong!
  • More berry painting – It’s so messy, but Isla and I both love it! She kept trying to eat her masterpiece!
  • Stopping by Biscuit Home for birthday party gifts and being tempted to buy absolutely everything
  • Getting a new BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light in the mail, which is seriously incredible. We used it as a playpen temporarily on Tuesday as my sister and I prepped for a case study, and Isla loved it! I can’t wait to take it with us to Europe in May.
  • Watching Isla as she practices how to wave and point – my sister taught her to point at me when she said, “Where’s Muma?”

How was your week? What were the highlights?

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Do As I Say And As I Do

Do as I say and as I do Mom Talk Advice Role Model Babies

You’ve probably heard the phrase: ‘Do as I say not as I do‘ a thousand times in your life. As a new mom, I keep on thinking about this adage and how flawed it is. Every night, I pray that I will be a good role model for Isla (and our future kids), and in order to do this, I need to act the way I want her to act. Therefore, my mom mantra is going to be ‘Do as I say and as I do.’

This statement applies to all aspects of life, from being kind and respecting all individuals to eating healthy and staying active. I cannot tell Isla to eat all of her veggies if I’m stuffing my face with pizza, nor would I be able to scold her for talking bad about a classmate if I constantly gossiped about my friends. Although many of the examples I can think of pertain more to a few years down the road, I know that I need to get into a good routine now so that she doesn’t grow up watching Sasha and I have bad habits.

One example of us getting into a bad habit is with our meals at dinner time. We spend a lot of money at the grocery store every week, buying organic veggies, fruit, meat, etc. to prepare all three meals at home. There is a delicious health food store and restaurant a stone’s throw from our house that is very reasonably priced, and so a few weeks ago, we decided to get takeout from A Moveable Feast every night (Monday through Friday) to see if we saved money by eating out (making our grocery bill significantly smaller). Not only did we spend less on food that week, it was such a relief not to have to cook dinner and clean the dishes. By gaining thirty minutes every evening, I felt like a new woman!

My Life-Changing Playlist

best christian playlist in oceans deep my faith will stand
I started going to church as a senior in high school because of my best friend from Scotland who was living with us at the time and my boyfriend (and his incredible mom). I became a Christian the summer going into my freshman year of college after reading Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (naturally I really recommend it, but have Kleenex nearby). I was really, really into Christian novels at the time and went through over twenty of Karen Kingsbury’s books (amongst others). Although most of the reading was fictional, I was incredibly moved by the stories I was reading. I read less now, but recently finished Love Does by Bob Goff and seriously loved it to pieces – it’s an easy and moving read if you’re looking for something in that category.

Although I became a Christian going into college, my faith developed significantly during my time at The University of Texas, as I was attending an amazing church called The Austin Stone. The worship music was unbelievable. For my first few years, Chris Tomlin led the singing, and it was like being at a concert every Sunday (and the best one ever at that). I learned during my four years in Austin the impact that music can have on your soul. Singing worship songs did not end at church – my iTunes account is 90% Christian music, and I listen to it while I drive, work on the computer and workout. When I start to feel like nothing is going right, I’ll put on Lord I Need You. When I am needing a reminder that I’m loved, I’ll put on How He Loves Us. When my faith feels weak, I listen to Oceans. When I doubt God, I listen to Mighty to Save. When I want to dance around the kitchen with Isla, we jam to Marvelous Light or Like a Lion.

After an insane amount of thought and consideration (i.e. this started off with around 70 songs), I’ve created the 30 most life-changing Christian song playlist (according to moi). I had a great time making this, as I got to listen to all of the songs at one time. ‘Life-changing’ is a really bold statement, right? Well, it’s true. I am a completely different person than I was before 2006. These songs have had a huge impact on the person that I am today, so yes, ‘life-changing’ is right.

  1. Mighty to Save by Hillsong United (iTunes)
  2. Lord, I Need You by Chris Tomlin (iTunes)
  3. What Joy by Generation Church (iTunes)
  4. Desert Song by Hillsong United (iTunes)
  5. It Is Well With My Soul by Aaron Ivey (iTunes)

Week in Review

I seriously had the best week ever, so much appreciation to all of my lovely friends who made me feel extra special on my birthday. I was surprised by the most gorgeous flowers delivered from my sweet friend Mara (of Hook, Thread and Tinker) – the only way I would have been more excited about the delivery would have been if she had been at my doorstep instead of thousands of miles away in chilly Chicago! I also got beautiful flowers from my three close friends from high school, and have them spread around the house, bringing happiness to various corners! It’s incredible the joy that florals can bring.

In addition to birthday festivities (more details below), one of my best friends, Kirby, was in town with her husband, Brett, and daughter, Lillian (more about this tiny little angel here!). I am so incredibly grateful for the time we were able to spend together (as they live in Oklahoma City), and Sasha is too, as he loves Brett.

We had dinner at her brother and sister-in-law’s house on Friday, then went to her parent’s house during the day on Saturday and celebrated Mardi Gras together at our mutual friend’s parents house on Saturday night. I wish they lived here so badly, but I’ll take action packed visits as a second best option any day!

Some other exciting things that took place this week include:

  • Getting treated to birthday lunch by my best friend, McKenzie, and her wonderful boyfriend, Bryan – we ate at True Food Kitchen, and I’m officially obsessed
  • Eating birthday dinner with Sasha and Isla at Rosie Carrabba’s, which is one of our favorite spots in the city (and his ‘Holy Ship, it’s your birthday!’ card still has be laughing)
  • Celebrating my birthday with my family at Benjy’s on Washington on Saturday for lunch – their beet hummus and Brussels sprouts are phenomenal
  • Meeting Sasha during his lunch break at Zoe’s Kitchen on Monday – his office is only 15 minutes away, so getting to see him for a bit during the day is such a treat
  • Going to lunch with two co-worker friends on Friday at none other than Ruggles Green – so much fun to chat with them, especially since the main topic of conversation was blogging!
  • Feeding Isla restaurant food – she had a chicken skewer at Zoe’s Kitchen, a grilled chicken breast at Benjy’s and Carrabba’s, and guacamole and quinoa from A Moveable Feast – it makes our meals a smidgen more expensive, but we love watching her feed herself like a tiny human (and these stick-on mats are necessary now!)
  • Sleeping – although Sasha and I both feel exhausted from the busy week, Isla has slept from 6:30 pm – 7:30am every night this week, and I’m praying it’s not just a fluke… I want to get used to that!
  • Planning the final wedding details with Amanda, who surprised me with gorgeous tulips, delicious vegan cookies from Whole Foods and an amazing card on my birthday!
  • Getting a manicure and pedicure at Paradise Nails while Isla’s Baba (Sasha’s mom) babysat – it was such a treat, and I’m definitely going to try to keep it up (typically terrible at this…)
  • Going to Sephora and being surprised by my birthday gift, which was two NARS lipsticks – my favorite gift they’ve ever given!
  • Catching up with one of my best friends, Paola, who moved to Honduras after their wedding in Mexico City last fall and I miss her so much it’s insane! I did not want to get off the phone!
  • Spending way too much money at The Monogram Shop – that place is dangerous (if you live in Houston, you need to go)
  • Spending the night at my parent’s house after the Mardi Gras party and waking up with the entire family there – my two sisters had spent the night too!
  • Buying and setting up new furniture for our bedroom as gifts from my parents – they also got me the Audrey Lamp, which has been on my birthday and Christmas lists for years!
  • Heading to Memorial Park during a patch of sunshine on Sunday and doing the 3-mile loop together (and Isla’s straw hat does me in every time!)

You can also follow along during the week by following on Instagram! How was your week? What were the highlights?

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