Tuesday, December 27, 2011

happy baby.

Sorry we've been MIA lately! It's been such a crazy week. I worked 6 days in a row for the first time since I've been back, which just about killed all of us and took a major toll on our holiday spirit :(. Andrew was great about keeping me updated with photos and videos all day, but, to be honest, it kind of made the day stink more. Every time my phone buzzed, I cried knowing that I was missing some big smile or giggle. As you can see in the photos and video below, even with her first cold, she is the smiliest/happiest babe in the land:)

We (andrew mostly) dog sat this weekend for the uncles in the west village and what little time I was able to spend with the family there was fabulous. Sometimes it's so nice to just get away from your house for a few days - even if it's just a subway ride away!


YouTube Video






Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas!


Hope everyone has a safe and merry weekend!  Enjoy our annual Holiday Video :-)

3 months already!


My baby is sooooo big! And sooooo cute.  I am sooooo lucky :)  3months is the best month yet!

Monday, December 19, 2011

cute vs. cute

ok...this is a toughie.  
as you all know, i went back to work this week and, let me tell you, it's been rough.  I'm doing my best to focus on my work and am trying not to just sit around all day thinking about how she's doing.  i am happy that she's doing so well with andrew (the first few days were a bit hairy) and on saturdays she gets to hang out with our good friends ryan and jay who are about the most skilled mannies you can find, so i am happy that she gets to socialize.  i'm trying to keep a positive attitude about our situation, hoping that we've created a safe and loving environment and that beetle feels okay about leaving us every now and then.  obviously, i miss breastfeeding the most when i'm in the office (high-five to all you breastfeeding champs out there!) - it's such a great quiet time with lu and pumping in the lactation room at work does not quite add up.  when i'm in there, i fantasize about some distant relative leaving us their fortune (or at least their health insurance), so i can return to the days of long walks with lu and being able to keep up with this blog!
however.
there are a few perks to being back at work.  i love the adoption center staff.  i really do. there are so many unique and beautiful people that i get to laugh with every day.  and we laugh a lot, because there are a lot of aspects of animal welfare that are very sad (please think twice - or three times or ten times - before you get a pet) and laughter is a necessary stress reliever.
also.
i can't believe some of the cuteness that comes through our doors.  the fact that these little bitties are homeless is beyond me.  when i'm missing lu, i go around and squeeze all the babies and play the "are you cuter than lu?" game.  it's tough.  try it!
 
 
VS.
 
 
 
...really, it's a cute overload! 

Thursday, December 15, 2011

christmas past.

...in the last post, i mentioned our annual cao christmas card, which is well on it's way to completion for this year.  i took a second to revisit our first two years of christmas cards and thought i should go ahead and share/re-share them with you, so you can see where we've been!  i think we'll always do our holiday greetings this way and i'm so excited to have beetle around this year to make her debut!

yes, that's andrew and i singing, too :)




Tuesday, December 13, 2011

guess who went back to work today....



Can't you tell?

I think both Andrew and I realized today that if we had the money, I would not be doing this whole working thing.  It was really tough to be away from Lu and I think it had some effect on her, too - (apparently she only napped for an hour TOTAL all day).  The second I picked her up at the theatre, she fell fast asleep and when we got home she nursed for a good 45minutes, which she hasn't done in nearly a month.  And look at the apartment!  Granted, we have been busy shooting this year's Cao Christmas Card, but, come'on...really, Sophie! Get it together!

I did like seeing all of my work buddies, though, and plan to make the most of my job.  Hopefully the time away from sweet lu will make this little family even closer ;)

Tomorrow we have a photo shoot scheduled with the lovely Alyson Edie.  I'm so excited to finally have some family photos! Cross your fingers that beetle puts on a smiley face :)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

late night finds.

it's 3a.m. and i'm waiting for andrew to get the babe back to sleep so we can finish watching this amazing documentary...CATFISH...anybody heard of it? i caught the tail end of it earlier today and could not wait to share it with the hubcap when he got home. about a friendship made through facebook that is unexpected. very unexpected.

anyway, i'm sitting here on the computer and so i hop on etsy.com to buy some scrap fabric and yarn for my next DIY (i KNOW! go me!) and I stumble upon this great baby shop - the measure. Check out these gems!











Saturday, December 10, 2011

snapshots.

So, I just found the coolest iphone ap - picture show.  I've been looking for something like instagram - which I love - but, without the requirement to post the photo right away (sometimes I take too many photos of beetle!).  Picture Show features totally edit-able photos, plus some pre-fixed actions/filters for quick adjustments!  Check out the snapshots of the beetle this week :)

P.S. -  Yes! We got Lu a Christmas tree this year :)  She loves looking at all the twinkly lights and I love having something green in the apartment, if only for a couple months.




 



P.P.S. - can you tell I LOVE the film strip frame!?!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

holiday cheer.

the Cao family has started this awesome annual tradition:  Holiday Decorating party/contest! we love our friends, playing games and being creative, so this party is just about perfect.  the first year we did cookie decorating, but the last two years have been a graham cracker extravaganza!  my little brother myles and i made chili (which was a big hit!) and got pretty loaded on sweets ;)  lua handled all the excitement fairly well, considering she was on the verge of a cold and it was way past her bedtime!  merry merry!

i asked everyone to give me their best "game-on" face :)

love all the pics of the family throughout the years :)

all that candy for decorating!  we're serious here, folks.

the beetle judging everyone's piece.

the beginnings of chili!

our friend jake, caught in the act.

making palm trees for my "welcome to paradise" piece.

becca dolan "dolanator" working on her graham "packer" field ;)

we love each other ;)

i hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season as much as we are.  i go back to work soon and so am really trying to soak up every lovely second with my family and friends! 

Saturday, December 3, 2011

if i had a million dollars...

...of course AFTER I donated to charity, paid off our student loans and did a bunch of other things...I would snatch me up these fancies ;)
found these prints on etsy from trafalgar's square.  so cute and simple!


i found one of these chairs at Salvation Army when we were first moving for $150, but we had no room for it.  this one looks so worn and comfy :)
i'm always on the lookout for vintage inspired baby clothes!  this hankyblanky romper is just perfect.

back when i was a nanny, the family invited me to go on vacation with them to hawaii.  i thought hawaii was going to be this cliched and touristy place, but it completely proved me wrong.  if i could afford it, i would take andrew and lu in a heartbeat!
i've finally gotten the hang of layering my clothes to easily breastfeed the beetle, but this top by the company BOOB is just awesome.


i'm a little embarrassed to put this wayyyy too expensive bag on my list but, alas, I'm a bag gal.  if you've got a ton of moolah lyin' around, you can find it here.

my brother-in-law and i like to talk about someday co-owning a cabin on a lake.  i would love the family to have our own little getaway...
What would YOU get if you had money to burn?

Friday, December 2, 2011

our pet is disgusting ;)

...really, would you want to vacuum this up every day?



for those of you thinking that having a rabbit as a house pet would be easy, cute and fun...

Thursday, December 1, 2011

out and about

Lately, Lua has been quite the mover and shaker...here are just a few of the outings we've been on this month!



Becca invited us all out to Lincoln Center where there was a winter festival going on (in 70 degree weather!).  A bunch of music, food and fun :)  Unfortunately, it was sooooo crowded, we could barely navigate the stroller through.  That's the trouble with awesome things in NYC.  EVERYONE is there!



 We have a new-found love for Costco.  Lua has been so great on shopping trips, she sleeps almost the entire time!



The last few pictures are of our Thanksgiving Day outing down on Perry Street :)  Beetle rocked her adorable Lou and Lee headband from Auntie Audra; there was wine tasting, cheese guessing and pumpkin cheesecake...yummmmm!



Dub the bulldog reeeeally wanted to get to know Lu.  I think they are going to be fast friends :)


Sunday, November 27, 2011

snapshots.











      ...morning messes...







...loving looks...
                                                                                                         



...nursing and napping...



...a very "adult" morning - coffee, muffin and poetry...


...a very "baby" morning - tea and toys...











...walking in the warm fall weather...
   ...beetle basking in the sun...



Hope everyone is having a great week :)  Beetle is talking and smiling more than ever!  She is even starting to do this single laugh thing - just one big HA! - so cute.  She also sneezes open-mouthed like her dad (like an old man).  So funny :)

I'm in talks with my job about returning to work and am having such a hard time with the thought of leaving her.  I can't even think about it without crying.  I know that, ultimately, it will be for the best.  It will give Andrew a chance to spend some alone time with Lu and will give us some added income, which we could really use.  I just can't get over the fact that she's only this age (not even 3 months) once, and if I go back to work I will miss so much precious time with her.  I have never experienced this feeling of ... loss.  I know, I know, I'm being overly dramatic.  Maybe "selfish" is the right word.  I don't want anyone else to hear her first giggle or see her roll over for the first time.  I want to be there.  I want to see it, to hear it.  I want her to see my face when she wakes up from her nap and secretly want her to hate the bottle because I've worked so damn hard at this whole breastfeeding thing.  I don't want her to grow up without me watching...ya know?  Anyway, I'm sure I'll be fine whatever happens and Beetle could probably use a break from this goofy face in her's all the time :)
Wish us luck!