December 2012
9 posts
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Christmas Lights
A few Decembers ago, Joe and I were wandering around Long Beach on our very first date. We had indulged in the typical small talk over dinner, and normally, I would have just gone home. But there was clearly something different about this date for both us. Neither of us wanted to end it just yet. So, talks of family Christmas traditions turned into a playful argument about where the best...
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Christmas Morning
Lula woke us up bright and early Christmas morning, so we inspected Santa’s offerings and opened presents when it was still dark outside, just like I used to do growing up. Of course, Lula was probably more in the mood for milk than books and new blabla dolls, but once she realized there was crinkly paper involved, she got in the spirit pretty quickly.
I got lots of great gifts...
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Little Bits of Christmas
We just got back from our trip (WAY more on that later), and all of a sudden, it’s Christmas. I have to admit that I’m incredibly unprepared this year, and I feel like such a failure because it’s Lula’s first Christmas. I should have a commemorative ornament and special pajamas and all of those sorts of details that good moms remember. That just didn’t happen...
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Being Present
It is very clear from my absence on here that I’ve been struggling quite a bit to get this whole working mom schtick down. If you are a teacher or you know a teacher, then you know that it’s not a typical 9-5 job. There is always something to do, and if you let yourself, you can always be doing that something. The problem is that I can never shut it off. (Of course, this...
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Nana and Lula
Because I’m not with Lula every second of every day now, I’ve been able to watch her develop stronger bonds with people other than me. At first, that hurt me a little inside, but my mom helped me realize that new relationships don’t take away from my own bond with Lula. They just give her an even bigger circle of support. And how can that be a bad thing?
I’ve loved...
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Five Months
You may have noticed that this is a little late (two weeks, to be exact). Well, that’s because apparently five months was such a huge milestone for Tallulah that she decided she was done sleeping through the night. As such, we are really tired. Hence the late post. You may notice that these sentences are bleeding testosterone and that’s because I am not Elise. I am her husband, Joe. Hi....
November 2012
5 posts
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Birthday Weekend
With the craziness that this past month has been, I was all ready to just let my birthday pass by quietly. Well, I was planning to use it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, but let’s be honest here: that’s most weekends anyway. I just didn’t want to deal with planning a big event or a party. I was too exhausted, too stressed, and a big birthday wasn’t high on my...
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Baby's First Trip to Disneyland!
I know I keep saying this, and it’s probably getting a little old, but these past few weeks have been crazy! I feel like I hit the ground running at the end of October, and I haven’t stopped since. And now that it’s finally, FINALLY the holiday season, I can stop and take a breath, and marvel over how great things have been in our little family. Things are definitely busy at...
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Happy Thanksgiving!
I know there’s a lot to catch up on in our little piece of the internet (Disneyland! My birthday! Are you excited yet??), and I fully intend to get to that. But right now I’m thankful for the cuddly baby asleep on my chest, cookies for breakfast, and a forgiving waistline on my dress that’s going to make it possible for me to eat as much as I want today.
Happy Thanksgiving...
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Halloween
I know November 12th is a little late to be posting Halloween photos, but as I’ve mentioned before, things are a little busy around here and I’m just now getting my mommy act together. On the bright side, though, at least I managed to get Lula in a costume on the actual holiday. That counts for something, right? And in my completely non-biased and humble opinion, she was the most...
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My First Week Back
(Daddy and Lula sending me off. You can see why it’s hard for me to leave.)
Last week was my first week back, and of course, it was a complete roller coaster. Switching to rush hour traffic and middle school sass from days centered around naps and diaper changes was a major change of pace, as was to be expected. At first I was on a roll, though. Tuesday flew by, and I didn’t feel...
October 2012
12 posts
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Four Months
I just want to bottle up everything about this age. Tallulah has become the sweetest, smiliest, cuddliest baby on the block, and at times, I don’t ever want her to grow up or change. Four months seems to be the best thing ever, so I’m finding it hard to comprehend how she can improve upon this with any upcoming age. I mean, I guess it will be cool when she can walk and talk and...
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Five Favorites
Like I mentioned before, things have been really busy around here lately. But instead of feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I’m happy. Like spontaneous crazy dancing around the house happy. And that’s because there are just so many good things in our life right now. Here are a few of my favorite things from this week:
1. Please, Baby, Please.
Now, we read to Lula every night,...
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Mommy Style: Finally Fall!
Shirt: Gap // Jeans: Old Navy // Flats: Charlotte Russe // Earrings: Kohl’s
After months of ridiculous heat, the temperature finally dipped below 80, and I was able to wear jeans without suffering from hot flashes. And that’s a big deal because it’s these jeans - the jeans I bought before Tallulah was even born (in 5 different colors, of course), and I am finally able to...
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Back to Work
The plan was for me to be a stay at home mom for the first year. But as time has passed, it has become increasingly clear that I’m just not completely happy with that plan. I don’t feel like myself anymore, and even though I thought it was impossible, I miss my days of to do lists and lesson plans. I’ve been working on the list of things I said I wanted to do here and...
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Tummy Time
Tummy time is Lula’s favorite part of the day, which, of course, makes it my favorite time too. As soon as she gets on her belly, she lifts her head up and lets loose these long squeals of excitement. I’ve been feeling kind of down and anxious lately, and tummy time has proven to be the perfect pick me up.
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Five Favorites
Okay, so I was really enjoying doing my Five Finds posts, but I think I’m going to take a little break from them. I was starting to feel like they were out of place on this blog because we’re trying to save money (PFL is done and we’re officially on one income now), and I’m trying to focus on all of the things already in my life that make me happy. Scouring the internet...
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Mommy Style: Baby Shower
Shirt: Kohl’s // Skirt: Blu Button Boutique // Flats: Old Navy // Earrings: Forever 21
On Sunday morning, I woke up, did the laundry, made Baked Coffee Cake French Toast from Joy the Baker’s cookbook, took a shower, and got myself and Tallulah ready. All. Before. Noon.
Now, I know that might not seem like a big deal to most, but personally, it made me feel like one of...
September 2012
16 posts
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Her Newest Trick
Copying Daddy from Elise Bryant on Vimeo.
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Three Months
Tallulah was actually officially three months old last Tuesday, but I took my time posting this because 1) I’ve been watching a lot of Parenthood on Netflix, and 2) I just can’t believe that our little girl has been on this earth for three whole months already. Joe and I were looking through pictures from when she was first born the other night, and I just can’t believe how...
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On Staying Home (Part 2)
I am extremely hesitant to post this in a public forum because I’m pretty sure this isn’t what I’m supposed to feel, and I’m breaking the laws of motherhood or something like that. But I’m just going to be honest here: I don’t like staying home.
When I was working full time and going to grad school, there is nothing I wanted more than to ditch my one...
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Cousins
By some crazy twist of fate, three of my cousins had babies right around the same time I had Tallulah, and we finally got around to visiting with all of them this week. It was so entertaining to see all of them exist near each other (because they’re way too young for interaction) and to compare their sizes and the baby tricks they’ve conquered so far. I know that some of my best...
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Mommy Style: Surprise Party Hostess
Shirt: Old Navy // Skirt: Loehmann’s // Necklace: Forever 21 // Sandals: Saltwater
Saturday was hot. Like really, really hot. So, what did I decide to do in the 100+ heat? Drive out to San Diego for lunch at Stone (where it was even hotter!) and then host a surprise party for Joe in our condo with no air-conditioning. It wasn’t one of my best plans, but I at least managed to...
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Sleeping Through the Night: What Worked For Us
Lula started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks, and every night she did it, I was sure it would be her last. Surely, we couldn’t have reached the holy grail of infant parenthood already. There had to be some catch to all of this, as if she was just offering us a taste of what we would be missing for the next year. Now, though, we’re at 12 weeks, and there hasn’t been a...
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In case you were wondering...
This is what Lula’s poop face looks like. I don’t know how something so cute can signify the arrival of something so incredibly disgusting.
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Day Trip: The Getty
Before Lula was even born, I remained convinced of one thing: she would not change our travel plans. Weekend getaways, long beach vacations and road trips are a way of life for me. It’s in my blood. I spend most of my free-time actively planning future vacations, and when I’m not doing that, I’m daydreaming about far-away destinations. I love seeing new landscapes and...
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L.A. County Fair
Like I mentioned before, we had a busy weekend in the Bryant household, and we started the holiday off with a bang at the L.A. County Fair. We usually frequent the much closer Orange County Fair, but Lula was just too young and it was too hot when that was around earlier this summer. So, when my dad’s company held their annual picnic at the L.A. Fair this weekend, we jumped at the...
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Mommy Style: Labor Day
Shirt: Forever 21 // Skirt: Forever 21 // Necklace: Kohl’s // Shoes: Classified (I have no idea where I got them.)
After a week of staying home, we went all out this weekend. And I’ll get to that. But first I’m going to start with my outfit today because, well, I feel like it.
One thing you’ll learn about me if I keep posting my outfits on here is that...
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Lessons in Motherhood
Some important lessons I’ve learned in the past month:
1. High waisted skirts are a postpartum body’s best friend.
2. The free diapers aren’t worth it if the free diapers leak poo all over our not-free comforter.
3. Never tell anyone Tallulah’s sleeping through the night. Because as soon as she hears that, she’ll spend the next night doing the exact...
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Five Finds: Peter Pan
I used to have fairly long, straightened hair. And then one day I decided (for reasons I’ll probably write up on here sometime) to cut off all of my hair and wear it naturally. Six years later, I’m beyond happy that I made this choice, but at the time, I nearly had a nervous breakdown. I didn’t leave my house for weeks and I cried like a crazy person because I was completely...
August 2012
17 posts
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My Baby is a Genius
Tallulah needs something in her mouth at all times. It started in the womb (in every ultrasound picture we have, she’s lounging around with her thumb in her mouth), and the habit hasn’t gone anywhere. Because of her constant sucking, I’m often stopped by older women in public who like to inform me, “your baby’s hungry, you know,” even though my baby is...
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Mommy Style: Picnic at the Plaza
Dress: Kohl’s // Jacket: Handmade, from market in South Africa // Sandals: Forever 21
Thursday was one of those days in which Tallulah kept waking up as soon as the water turned on, so I didn’t get a shower until way too late. After spending much of the day smelling like B.O. and old breast milk, I was ready to take it up a notch once I finally could get dressed. So, I threw on...
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Date Night
My mom came over to watch Tallulah while I went to the dentist, and when she offered to stay for a few more hours so Joe and I could go out alone, we quickly took her up on the offer. We rarely get some time to just be together, so when the opportunity arises, we try not to think about it too much and let the guilt take over. Our relationship is just as important as our relationship with...
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Two Months
Our little girl is two months old! Or she was, officially, a few days ago. Sometimes, I feel like we just came home from the hospital, and I’m confused and taken aback when landmarks like this come up. I find myself thinking: How did we get here so fast? Wasn’t she just in my belly? And then other times, it feels like she’s been with us forever. I can’t remember...
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Long Beach Flea Market
Sometimes, I just need to get out for a little while. I used to feel guilty about that - the desire to be away from my baby for a couple of hours. I felt like I was supposed to want to be with her at all times, and anything different meant I was a bad mom. While I do have some of my happiest moments with Tallulah, staying at home with her can make me go a little stir-crazy. She is awfully...
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Bass Lake
This summer has been the best ever (thanks to our baby girl!), but it’s also been stressful and exhausting at times. We definitely needed a vacation. Thankfully, my parents have a house in Bass Lake, so last week, we took a little road trip up there, accompanied by my family and a few of our good friends. It was a great little break away from it all, filled with my dad’s...
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Five Finds: Leopard Print
Yesterday, I made a deal with Joe that I would refrain from buying anything new until the beginning of October. You see, in October we are taking a trip out to Palm Springs with his family, which will include a drive past my favorite outlets. And it was decided that I could buy whatever I want then if I practice self-control now. Now, those close to me can confirm that I make promises like this...
