A few recent pix

Rockin' her new DVF wrap dress courtesy of my friend Karla

Snoozing on our walk to MiCocina for lunch with our friends Fran and Abigail

Loves her monogrammed onesie.  Thanks Ashley!

Welcomed daddy home from his business trip with her Texas onesie

Dinner party with uncle Jon

Chillin' in front of her cartoons while mommy gets ready for work

Snoozing in the big girl bed while mommy writes a story

June recap

Homemade crabcakes, cheese, and wine on the deck

On our way to Newport!  She lives in this watermelon sun hat

Strolling through the Commons with daddy

Sporting her Ralph Lauren peasant top

Cuddling by the water

The path from the top level of the backyard to the water level.  The wild flowers were beautiful!

Michael, Landry, and Matthew (Fran's hubby) in front of the house after a walk home from Sunday brunch

Landry's W Hotel bath

Posing by the lillies, one of my favorite flowers, in the backyard

Father's Day brunch at the famous Castle Hill Inn.We had cocktails on the lawn before eating by the water.  A true Rhode Island (and WASP) experience.  (That's Landry behind us in the carseat).

Chillin' after a feeding by the Newport harbor

Rise and shine! This was taken at the W Hotel.  Landry is always SO happy in the morning.  My favorite time with her is when she wakes up because she's such a delight.

Lemondrop on the porch.  Their harbor views are stunning.  I could have watched the sail boats all day long.

Mussels at Figs.  

I cannot believe June has come and gone and I've completely forgot to post.  Sorry, Mom (and Mama, Papa, Nanay....)!

We've had a really busy month starting off with me going back to work.  I was also offered a Dallas editor position with a website called StrollerTraffic (www.strollertraffic.com) at the beginning of June and decided to accept (in addition to my DailyCandy and DMN duties).

I've spent a lot of the month thinking about my work/life balance and have decided to cut back hours with my interior design business and bulk up a little bit on freelance writing so I have a more flexible schedule yet am still fufilled work-wise.

For Father's Day, Michael and I took the peanut on her first family vacation.  We hopped around the Northeast starting with Boston and then Rhode Island between Newport and Providence.  My dear college friend/sorority sister Fran has a to-die-for waterfront home -- it could truly be in Traditional Home or a Pottery Barn catalog --in Providence with her husband, which is where we stayed most of the trip.

Michael and I started off in Boston one night with the peanut alone.  We had lunch at Figs, this darling Italian restaurant with the yummiest mussels we stumbled upon four years ago while there for a wedding.  We walked the Boston Commons, holed up in a cozy pub for a drink (Landry was a hit with the waitress), and enjoyed a night's stay at the W hotel.  Landry slept snuggly between us and took a bath in the super-modern hotel sink the next morning.  We were winging it but it all worked out and she was a champ!

Rhode Island was one of the prettiest places I've ever been.  Most of the time, we just sat with the Markhams on their back patio and ate delicious food (Fran is a killer cook) and observed their million dollar water view.  We also walked around the charming towns stopping to have a glass of wine at each harbor we could.  Landry was the ulimate traveler hanging out with the big kids just enjoying the ride.  She slept through the nights, adapted to sink baths just fine, and loved being outside most of the week watching the water and birds.

One thing I didn't plan for was the cobblestone streets everywhere.  She had several bumpy rides around the tiny little towns but didn't seem to mind!

As far as her development, she's changed so much this month!  She's about 14 pounds to start and wearing six month old clothes just fine.  She has a bit of a belly, but is more long than chubby.  She went frome eating three ounces or so a feeding to six overnight last week.  She's so long she hardly fits in her bassinet anymore.  We plan to transition her to the crib this week.

Her hair is still dirty blonde and straight, her eyes are still blue.  She's a little chatter box, especially when daddy gets home from work.  She still sticks her tongue out all the time and smiles any chance she gets.  She loves to giggle and will even copy noises you make when she's really alert.

She started teething two weeks ago, which has been a bit challenging.  She tends to get uncomfortable at night and we've found a cream that helps a bit.  She has several teeth making their way in but none in the front yet.  Because of this, she's drooling like crazy!

Her neck is really strong staying upright for 30 seconds or so if you let go.  She can't sit up on her own yet but looks like she'll be doing that in no time!

Michael took his first long business trip this week.  He was gone five days and four nights.  I was a tad anxious about it but filled my days and nights with activities and friends.  We went on a walk with Puala and the twins; one night uncle Jon came over for a dinner party.  He couldn't get over how much she had grown since the last time he saw her.

This weekend we are hanging out by the pool.  Tonight Michael and I are going on a date and trying out a new babysitter.  For the Fourth, Paula and the twins are coming over for a little pool party.  Should be a fun and lowkey next few days.

Happy Fourth everyone!

Major recap

Landry earns her wings on our way to LAX!

Landry with her great grandma, Mama

My parents' new backyard!  We said goodbye to the bathingsuit after  a diaper change.

Already a sunbathing pro

Landry and Henry's first date

First dip in the pool!

Landry hanging out in the cabana waiting for her friends Gabriella and Charlie to arrive

Pool break with the little beans

Uncle Bradley feeding Landry on the boat.  He's a natural!

Gigi and Kim loving on Landry after our Southern feast

Landry's first boat ride around Newport harbor

Happy Friday!  So much has happened since my last post!

Landry is getting soooo big!  She weighs about 13 pounds and is so long she doesn't fit in outfits with footsies anymore.  She's really gaining neck strength holding her head upright for long periods of time.

She's really alert and interacting more and more often mimicking our noises and expressions.  She's just the most precious thing.

A couple weeks ago she and I traveled to California for a week of fun with my family.  I was a little anxious about the flight but Landry was truly perfect not making a single peep (even with two poopy diapers!) either way.

We landed in LA and went directly off to dinner with my parents and all four grandparents (Landry's great grandparents).  My Mama made a delicious dinner and we just hung out, caught up and everyone got a good snuggle with the babe.

The rest of the week was full of walks, beach time (love my parents' new beach house locale!), good food and even a boat ride.  Landry got to meet many of my childhood friends and several of my parents friends.  My mom's friend Dorothy even hosted a little taco Tuesday shindig for us with a group of my mom's besties.

The flight back to Dallas was just as great with Landry sleeping the entire way not making a fuss once.
Once we arrived home I only had a day until I hopped back on a plane (sans Landry) to go to Birmingham for 48 hours for Courtney's baby shower.

The day between both flights, my friend Gigi was in town so we had a Southern feast at our friend Kim's house in her honor.  We gorged on fried chicken to celebrate auntie Gigi being in town (fun fact: I found out I was pregnant on Gigi's birthday last July).

Birmingham was such a fun break.  I was nervous about being away from Landry and even more nervous about leaving her with Michael alone all day and night!

Luckily, though, we all survived and I found that it was actually nice to get a couple days off and a full night's sleep!  I had a ball touring town from eating BBQ and burgers from iconic institutions as well as attending her gorgeous shower atop a mountain overlooking all of Birmingham.  We shopped the cute little villages around her area and I bought Landry her first doll.  She's a little old to appreciate it now but I plan to give it to her for Christmas or her first birthday.

Courtney is doing great; she's really starting to show with only about six weeks left now.  She's not revealing a name, but says they've settled on one.  My guess is Amelia, but we will see...

Even thought I had so much fun, I was excited to get home to my little family. I did arrive, though, to Landry in a day-old outfit (which means no bath) and a little cut on her nose (which means no nail filing).

Last weekend we had so much fun.  Saturday night Michael and I had a date with our first ever non-family member babysitter.  We went to dinner at Javier's, one of our favorite restaurants.  I indulged on my favorite Mexican martini in town and loved every single sip!  Afterwards we had a nightcap at Bob's for my favorite lemon drop.  It was a martini crawl of a night and just the thing Michael and I needed after a long lull of date nights.

We had Paula and Todd over with the twins as well as Jon (or uncle Jon, as he's now known) on Sunday for a pool party and barbecue.  We spent the day soaking up the sun, grilling out (Michael made some to-die-for jerk chicken), and just enjoying the three babies.

Landry took her first dip in the pool and really liked it.  She took a little time to adjust to the cool water, but then loved kicking her feet around and sitting on my lap looking at daddy splashing about.

This week was my last off from Farrow & Cobb.  I spent much of the week working ahead on some writing assignments and errands.  Cristina, our nanny, is now over on a regular basis and it's going really well.  She is gentle and loving with Landry and great with helping around the house.  Her taking on our laundry alone makes my day!

Wednesday we had a little play date with my friend Nicolette and her new little guy Henry.  It was so fun to see her as a new mom and meet the sweet baby (he looks so much like his daddy it's scary!).  I also got to see a lot of progress at her home (Morgan and I have been working on it for nearly a year) and it got me excited to get back to work.

Thursday Morgan and I had a big staging job; my first day back.  It was bittersweet being away from Landry but I enjoyed using that part of my brain again.

This weekend Michael and I plan to hit the pool with friends and hopefully get in another date night.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!