zen wednesday

things seem to be moving so fast. avery is getting bigger by the second and i am afraid that life will take off. i want to enjoy these times, and be in the moment. it's like ferris said: life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.

i have decided to make an effort to find zen in our daily lives. i am not talking about deep meditation or long periods of quiet…that does not happen often around our house…just little moments of happiness, times of calm awareness, and a maybe a glimpse of inspiration in day to day activities.

i will write about it here on zen wednesday. i will share adventures, inspiration or ways that we were able to slow down. it is a conscious effort to take time to be present.

i think the simplest way for me to relax is to read. i am an avid reader and always try to find time to read. now, i can’t really say avery is reading (yet) but she does love books. we always read before bed, but more and more she is going to her books and instead of just pulling them off the shelf, she is actually flipping the pages and looking at pictures.

she has a favorite lately, peek-a-baby by karen katz. it is a lift-the flap book and you can play peek-a-boo with the pictures. this book has gotten a lot of use, and one of the flaps came off of a page. i was watching avery while she was looking through the book and lifting flaps. when she got to the page with the missing flap, she covered the picture of the little boy with her hand and then took her hand away and laughed. she did it a few more times before flipping to another page. i couldn’t believe she was playing peek-a-boo with the boy in the book. it brought me much happiness!!!

this is a different book...i didn't take pictures at the time, just watched.

have a zen wednesday! namaste

how it all started

i started going to yoga when i was about 12 weeks pregnant and it has been a part of my weekly routine ever since (missing a few classes here and there, and stopping all together towards the end of my pregnancy). when avery was 6 weeks old i took her to an itsy bitsy yoga class. i wouldn't say she loved it right away, but i certainly loved hanging out with other moms and having a place to share stories and get advice.

avery became a little yogi herself. her laid back personality was a perfect fit and deana, the instructor began calling her "little zen baby" (hence the name zen bebe).









right after itsy bitsy, there was a postnatal yoga class. the moms that stayed would feed their babies in between. i had a blanket to cover up with, but it was very awkward. after a few months of class, i decided to make my first bff (or breast-feeding fabric) which was a very convenient way to feed avery, keep my privacy, but it was a style that was me (not baby pink like everything else i was carrying lately.) other moms noticed and asked where i got it. when i told them i made it, they asked if i would make them one, too!










at the same time, i had a lot of friends having babies and baby showers. i have always thought it was more personal to make gifts rather than buy them so when i had the time, i would make something just for them. i started to get the idea to sell on etsy after seeing many cool gifts on mightygoods. i gave it a try and the rest (as they say) is history.

zen bebe...official business

ok, i am in the process of making zen bebe an actual business! i have filled out all the paperwork and just have to get something notarized and sent to the state! it is kind of scary to take this next step but I am excited. i have been selling on etsy for a while now and it seems like the next logical step. now that school is out i have some time to work some things out. i am so happy for all the support and encouragement i have gotten so far. it is really great to be able to create little things for little bebes! here are some things in my shop, let me know what you think! check out more at zenbebe.etsy.com

little monkey

it is sunday morning and there is so much to do! the in-laws are coming, maverick needs to go to the groomers, we have no groceries and a messy house and I have a lot of catching up to do with zen bebe orders. instead i am listening to avery. she has just woken up and she is babbling to herself. every once in a while she will giggle or give a big fake belly laugh. i almost went in there a few times, but she is really enjoying her morning so i think i will just leave her for now. she will let me know when she wants out.

she is quite the monkey! i got a call from miss karen this week and she said avery had mastered the fort. meaning - she can climb to the top of jake's swingset/fort without even stopping or looking down (twice). she has a couple of bruises from climbing adventures and i know they will not be the last.

she is probably figuring out how to climb her crib (i have seen her, she is pretty close) so I better go get her and we will start our day!

byebye

Avery is one!

avery jane

Avery is 1! I cannot believe it (actually she will be 13 months tomorrow). She is a little firecracker so I wanted to start this blog to give people updates on our family AND to share info about zen bebe, my shop where I sell handmade bebe stuff. (more updates on that will come later.)

Here are some cool things she can do:

her first steps on mother's day

walk! she can take about 7-8 steps in a row, and she likes to walk backwards if she is holding on to your fingers. She just mastered sitting to standing without pulling up on anything today.

first walk across the room

annabelle and avery

talk! well, kind of! she says hi, yeah, uh-oh, and ba on a regular basis. She says ma-ma and da, but I am not sure she means it yet. sometimes ma-ma and da end up sounding like bop-bop.



climb! she wants to be on the highest point in the room. she would climb you and stand on your head if you let her. she can climb on and off the couch without falling on her head and she can pull herself up on her highchair (but not all the way in it yet!)

sign! she knows how to say more, food, eat, milk, please, all done, and help.

laugh! she has a huge belly laugh, especially if you are crawling after her or tickling her. she also has a fake laugh, if she hears other people laughing (even if they are on tv) she wants to join in.

peek-a-boo with Riley

play! she loves to play. she likes to figure out all of her toys and flip through books. her favorite game is peek-a-boo and she likes to play it with strangers in the grocery store line. she is quite the yogi too!



We will keep more updates coming...