a challenge.

february!

what i wore wednesday.

comfy at home.
sweater- old navy (mens) / shirt & pants- gap / shoes- toms.

target.
cardigan- lands end (sears) / shirt- gap / pants- old navy / loafers- marshalls.

it was a great day for leopard pants.

sweater- gap / skinnies- target / shoes- gap.

church to kgroup.
sweater & skirt- gap / button-up- american apparel / jeans- forever21 / boots & loafers- goodwill.

childrens.
jean jacket & shirt- gap / cropped skinnies & loafers- marshalls.

dressed for a playdate.
sweatshirt- target / shirt- gap / pants- tj maxx / sneakers- gap outlet.

happy leap day.

from us.
i would have loved to get a cute photo of millie leaping...
but i will have to wait another 4years for that one.

tonight.

i spent the evening sorting all of the clothes that millie has outgrown... so many sweet memories! i loved seeing her teeny little newborn sleepers. i cant believe she wore these for months!

an appointment.

millie had a check-up at children's today. here is what we learned!
- labs went great... i want to come to childrens from now on.
- she is still following a great curve on the growth chart in weight, length, and head circumference. they are happy to see progression, and that she is staying on the curve. and her skinfold check was great too.
- her physical exam was great.
- she is going to be officially discharged from the feeding tube.
- we met with her dietician for the first time in a few months... i was able to check-in about some questions that I've had. we are going to continue with the formula that she is currently on until she is 18months or our supply from the feeding tube company runs out. she still needs the calories, and her dietician doesn't see a rush to switch her. we will switch from formula to whole milk, not toddler formula, when the time comes. she still wants us to continue adding the powder to her yogurt or other pureed foods... until we can add the extra 100calories in at another meal. this change will most likely come before the switch to whole milk... probably by adding food at breakfast.
- we also checked with her doctor about going to the nursery at church. we wanted to make sure that they felt like it was safe for her to be around so many kids & germs. they said that as long as the kids in the nursery seem healthy, we can leave her. her steroids are nearly weaned off and her anti-rejection medication is at a lower dosage, so they feel like her body isnt at such a high risk now. we will be able to concentrate in church now!
- her medications changed today- no more aspirin, another step down on the steroid (she will be off in about 6weeks), one more refill of the nystatin (for fighting thrush), and a possible lower dose of tacrolimus (anti-rejection).
- in addition to our regular appointment, millie was also observed for the biliary atresia research study to see where she is developmentally. we met with a lady who watched her play and prompted Millie with different toys & words to see what she would do. she wasnt able to give us a score or much feedback right then... but we can call the lady in charge of the study to get follow-up and their observations. she felt like millie was doing very well for her age and time since transplant... strong in some areas and lacking in others. everything was normal when compared to other babies like millie.

fun finds.

she's growing.

53 weeks.
onesie- gap outlet
skirt- old navy
leggings- goodwill
shoes- target

(im going to attempt to continue weekly photos with millie...
we shall see how it goes!)

the army crawl.

millie has been perfecting her army crawl...
and is taking a few "crawls" on her hand & knees. 3 or 4 at a time.
she is getting into everything she can reach and is very determined to move!

home.

a snowy day at home. snacks for lunch. playing with millies new doll from the van de casteeles. naps & cuddles. and few cadbury carmel eggs- its the most wonderful time of the year!

what i wore wednesday.

busy busy.
cardigan- gap outlet / shirt- gap / zipper bracelet- etsy / pants- tj maxx / shoes- goodwill.

errands with my parents.

cardigan & jeans- forever21 / shirt- j.crew outlet / shoes- ross.

saturday. outfit 1.

cardigan, pants, & shoes- gap / shirt- gap outlet.

saturday. outfit 2.

jean jacket- gap / dress & tights- old navy / shoes- salvation army.

millie's party.

sweater- old navy / chambray shirt & shoes- gap outlet / jeans- gap.

errands with my mom.

blazer & loafers- goodwill / shirt & tank- j.crew outlet / pants- gap.

wednesday.

sweater- jcp / shirt- j.crew outlet / jeans- forever21 / loafers- payless.

our day.

an appointment. a giftcard & a drive-thru. bought a new laptop for me! and a birthday present from the spindor family- g builds the castle & millie knocks it down. she loves the blocks!

millie's one year well-baby.

we had a normal check-in with our pediatrician this morning...

-she weighs 16pounds 9.5ounces

- she is 27inches long

- her weight is in the 2nd percentile

- her head circumference & length are in the 5th percentile

- she is doing beautifully for her age, even with the transplant

- no vaccines at this visit. the 12month vaccines are live-virus vaccines which millie can never have because of her transplant and suppressed immune system. MMR and another one.

thank you.

mom & dad...

thank you so much for EVERYTHING!

you truly spoil us during your visits, and we are so grateful.

we love you tons!

uncle luke.

luke is home from LA visiting his parents... he came to hang out with g last night. and to see millie & i too.

a clown wig tutorial.

here is how i made millie's clown wig that she wore for her circus party invite photo shoot!

Supplies...

- scissors for cutting thread

- embroidery thread

- an open knit hat, found mine at Hobby Lobby

- lots of curly ribbon package bows, 3 for a $1 at DollarTree

(amount depends on size of hat & the fullness you want)

remove the paper/sticky backing & staple from the bow... keeping the spot where it was with your finger.

double knot the embroidery thread in that spot... keeping tails on both ends to feed through the hat.

feed thread through two close holes in the hat.

tie threads into a knot on the inside of the hat.

continue until you have it as full as you would like on top.

trim excess threads inside the hat.

and now you have a cute clown wig for your little one!

millies circus- the party.

our guests.

thanks for coming!

she got so many awesome presents!

she wasnt interested in eating any of the cake, but she loved the icing! at first she poked at the icing, only putting a few small bites in her mouth... and then she started waving her hand over the cake, grabbing icing and then flinging it all over the kitchen. and us. i let go of my desire to keep everything clean, and let her have fun. i am not sure how much she actually ate, but she had a great time! and red icing wasnt the smartest idea... but it looked good on the cake!

millies circus- the decorations.

i had so much fun preparing for this party...

bright colors, balloons, stars, stripes, lots of red, popcorn, candy, tickets!

here is a list of where i found some of the items:

- pennant banners on the porch: target clearance

- huge balloons: shop sweet lulu

- favor boxes: target dollar spot

- favors: oriental trading

- striped bags for favors & candy: HeyYoYo on Etsy

- tickets: dollar tree

- bottle labels: oriental trading

- straws & flags- HeyYoYo on Etsy

- ferris wheel: hobby lobby clearance

- elephant mugs: goodwill

- plates & napkins & forks: dollar tree

- untensil holder: goodwill

- star napkin holder: ikea

- ticket rolls for ticket bowls: goodwill

- party hats: dollar tree

- plastic popcorn containers: goodwill, dollar tree, and target $spot

- circus tent: ikea

- large popcorn buckets: dollar tree

- peanut bags: HeyYoYo

- cake stand: joanns

- candy jars & dishes: dollar tree & goodwill

- candy cups: HeyYoYo

- popcorn: pikes peak popcorn

and thats about it!

it was so much fun to create!