knit wit

I can't knit. I can't sew. I can barely iron. But I really love it when people who can do these things gift us their creations. This little sweater was made by Papa's aunt on the west coast. The berry colors are like opening a bag of Skittles, and the yarn is beautifully dyed with subtle variations in each fiber. Lil's grand-tante also made her a matching hat, and although I mentioned Lil hates hats, she loves this one!  It must feel good to have something made especially for you squeezing your ears.  As her mama, I just love that someone paid special attention to even the smallest detail just for my l'il Lil.

Lil paired her hand knit sweater with her favorite baggy baby jeans, a kelly green onesie, and her sheepskin mocs (the final look at our favorite footwear!). Spring has finally arrived in Brooklyn, and this sweater is perfect for keeping that last hint of cold air away from Lil's sensitive skin.  While we waited for Papa to get home, Lil entertained herself in her swing- which she's also outgrowing!

purple pain

One little tooth is causing Lil a great deal of hardship! This has resulted in a string of very bad days, and a baby who says, "no pictures!"  After three outfit changes, Lil finally settled for this little purple prairie dress, striped Legs and a rose diaper cover from Thirsties.  These covers are nice and lightweight and soft, so Lil doesn't stick to anything while wearing it. The white trim reminds me of real Jockeys. It's a good thing babies don't look ridiculous with their skirts up. 

                       

Today we're introducing Lil's new friend, Jenny Giraffe.  She's could be Jerome's new love interest.  Stay tuned...

f-f-f-frownie face, f-f-frownie face

lil theme

I've noticed a lot of baby clothes with Lil' this or Lil' that printed on them.  It's definitely a bonus when your baby is named Lil.  It's like everything is already monogrammed.  Today we have Lil Crawler, and while she is no where near crawling (thank you), she's definitely a wiggle bottom.  It was hard getting any good pictures today with the poor lighting due to a lingering storm, and her inability to keep still.  No matter, she still looked precious in today's pre-fabbed 4-piece ensamble. Normally I would separate the separates, but I thought just this once I'd put them all together for the polka-dotted fun of it. 

ruffle buns

but where's the 4th piece?

note: there were matching socks, but they were soon lost.

(peace and) love child

first smile in days

Who thought teething would call for some bling?  I found these amber teething necklaces at Caribou Baby, and learned that the amber can actually help with inflammation and pain associated with teething when worn around the neck (it would also help with arthritis in the hands when worn as a bracelet).  While we're waiting to see if there's a change for the better, I thought it could double as a fashion accessory.  Since healing crystals are associated with all that New Age Hippy Love, I put Lil in this sweet organic cotton baby tunic from Two Owls (it has real pockets!), and a bamboo diaper from Kiwi Pie.  The dress is still a little big, and kind of looks like a caftan.  That works even better for this look, I think.

Peace, baby.

peace be upon you.

ohm

daisy, daisy...

 "... give me your answer, do. I'm have crazy all for the love of you."

Pink. Florals. Peter Pan collar. Everything I like least in babywear.  But on Lil, it all looks so sweet together.  Just this once I was powerless to resist.

 

I was hoping for some pictures outside in the park today, but this outfit got slimed about five minutes after this photo was taken.  We had to revert to this previously seen dress instead.

double header

We actually had two different outfits today. The first one is a red and yellow daisy set that we inherited from Lia which Lil is about to outgrow in about five minutes.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot of the bum, which has a big flower applique matching the onesie. That, plus the scallop-edging on the pants, really makes this a special little outfit.

Lil ended up changing clothes a couple times before we made it out of the house.  It was a strange day- kind of humid, kind of cool, and quite a bit of crankiness.  When I finally had her ready to go, she didn't want to ride in the stroller.  I carried her in a wrap which just happened to match the little flutter -sleeve crochet dress she wore. When I unwrapped her once we returned home, I couldn't help but snap a few photos.  Since both outfits (and both Lils) are so sweet, I thought I would share both looks.  It's important to remember that between all the fussing and fighting there are these perfect, serene moments that I can share with the world.  (We'll leave the crankiness for Mama and Papa.)

 

        

miss peep

lil bunny

Lil's first Easter was some kind of wonderful.  Her day started with a beautiful basket of baby goodies- a fuzzy bunny, Vulli teether, new BabyLegs (I couldn't help myself), and several beautiful books to add to the collection.  Her grandparents arrived with baskets upon baskets of good things, including a rack of lamb with mint sauce, spring veggies, and two desserts (that was just dinner- Grandma also made brunch!), and a few little gifts for miss Lil.  Such special people deserve a special outfit, and since this lovely little babe was so happy and well rested, she was willing to play dress-up.

If you are thinking you've seen this dress before, you are half correct.  On April 16 she wore the same outfit- but with pink flowers instead of the yellow flowers on today's dress.  Also she didn't have the matching bunny ears. It's actually a fluke- the two dresses came from two different people at different times, but I don't mind.  It's a stunning little number.

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday, and we were happy to spend it at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  Even though the Cherry Blossoms weren't quite in bloom, it was still a beautiful place to spend Lil's first sleeveless afternoon.

my flower face

birthday bash

Today Lil went to her first kid's birthday party.  While she was much too small to socialize with the other children, she was big enough to impress the adults with this frilly frock.  She was just as juicy as her raspberry sweater, but even sweeter.  Whenever we're out, Lil seems to transform into this little fairy princess with the ability to make everyone fall in love with her.  And here I thought it was just me...

on her best behavior

so excited for party time!

delicious birthday spread

Even in all her cuteness, Lil did not distract from the main attraction.  Birthday girl Lia sparkled in her Brazilian party dress, and there were several little boys trailing after her the entire time.  I am sure this is something Lia will be getting used to as she gets older, though I don't think her papa will ever get used to it.

All of the attention did Lil some good, and she was all ready for pajama time as soon as we got home.  I also learned some very important lessons for Lil's future birthday parties: have plenty of juice boxes, plenty of good wine, and avoid any kind of time table.  The gifts will get opened and the cake will be consumed, as they say- all in good time!

birthday girl Lia turns 2!

partied till she dropped

earth day suit

I hope you read the title correctly. I will not post naked baby pictures on the internet. I don't think I could do that to my child. I'm not saying this because of the potential risk of pedophiles- I wouldn't do it to her future reputation! Remember when we used to fear that naked baby picture "falling out" of a photo album in front of our friends? Imagine those photos being stuck on the internet for all eternity...

who else would coordinate their pajamas and their diaper?

No, this is Lil's Earth Day suit!  Everything in this image is natural, organic, and/ or sustainable.  Her gown is from Baby Soy, and is made of soybean protein fibers.  Her GroVia diaper is made with 5 layers of organic cotton (though the outer shell is synthetic fibers, their interchangeable system creates less laundry than other varieties of cloth diapers).   Her BabyLegs and muslin swaddler are also organic cotton, even Sophie the Giraffe is made from natural rubber.  She's such a little nature baby!

tooty fruity

I love cloth diapers.  I love that someone out there has put thought and care into what covers my baby's bottom and what takes care of her... errrm... business.  Lately it seems that the trend in cloth is all about style and sustainability.  In all the shopping I've done and all the different types and brands I've looked at, I have found nothing cuter (not to mention affordable, soft, and top-notch) than Little Owls diapers from The Littlest Forest.  Made from 100% organic cotton and lined with super-soft and absorbent bamboo fleece, these diapers are crafted with care.  They fit Lil nice and snug even on those skinny legs of hers, and in too-sweet prints like whales, citrus fruits (pictured here), and a really cool brown geometric pattern, they look as good as they perform.  Pair these fitted diapers with one of the Little Owls organic merino covers (arriving to you pre-lanolized, thankyouverymuch), and you've got an all-natural leak-proof diaper.

Little Owls for my Little Peach

It's amazing that a diaper can inspire today's look, isn't it?  I found this lace-trimmed shirt in a soft lemony yellow at a children's consignment shop in Williamsburg called The Flying Squirrel.  And how could I pass up a chance for Lil to wear her orange slice knee-highs, especially with a butt as perfect as this one!

She's got BabyLegs, and she knows how to use them

Lil's world of citrus tones

Lil hadn't played with her music cube in a while, and since it coordinated so nicely, I thought a few rounds of Twinkle, Twinkle were in order.

a miracle

 Before you think I'm going to get all mushy about what a wonderful thing babies are, let me stop you.  Today was anything but wonderful.  The eruption of Lil's first tooth was accompanied by an eruption of cries and bona fide baby tears.  Such emotions from this wee person made it very difficult to get -and stay- dressed for the day.  In the end I went back to the basics and pulled out something called the Miracle Blanket which is basically a straight jacket for babies, but without all the straps and buckles.  And just like the criminally insane, small babies love to be wrapped tightly.  Lil hadn't been swaddled in a while, so I wasn't sure it'd work, but sure enough, she managed to produce a smile.

comforted... or crazy?

Once Lil had perked up, we moved on to the look of the day.  I found this Fair Isle sweater "dress" that was actually part of a set which included little knitted britches and a matching hat.  The bottoms are too big for Lil, plus she's more mod than that. I found argyle BabyLegs in complimentary colors, and a diaper cover from Best Bottom diapers in strawberry shortcake. 

miss mod

I really love baby clothes that have real pockets.  I'm sure any day now Lil's going to find them useful.

Lil contemplates mixing patterns

black and white and cute all over

 

 

In honor of today's outfit, all of today's photos are in black and white.  This is actually a different black velour romper from one she wore on another rainy day.  This one makes her look like a fuzzy baby ninja. She's wearing black and white Trumpette bow-tie socks for a little added pizazz. 

Today's entry is a bit short because Lil spent the afternoon visiting friends while Mama ran to an appointment down in Park Slope.  To make up for today's brevity, here's a video of Lil cooing:

spoiler alert: kinda nothing happens.

baby meet-up

Lil's first play clothes

Today Lil and I headed over to a cafe near McCarren Park to meet up with a few other mamas with babies around Lil's age. We are so glad to get to meet new people who live in our neighborhood, especially people our same age (both Lil and Mama).  In this group, Lil definitely has some competition in the best-dressed department.  There was one baby in particular who caught my eye, a little sweet pea named Agnes.  You'd never guess by looking at this wee sweetie, but she's actually 2 weeks older than Lil. Agnes was dressed in khaki and lime green, a perfect palette for early spring.  Her little jacket features a flower applique, and she even wore lime green maryjane socks from Trumpette... too cute! 

Agnes est trés chic!

You may think our activities would be limited with such small babies.  Indeed, the babies themselves don't do much more than eat, sleep, and spit up,  but the meet-up is also for the mamas.  No matter how many people you know who have or have had kids, there's nothing quite like finding other (new) parents with babies the same age, who all live in the same neighborhood.  Even though our main connection is our babies, I'm willing to bet we'll find we have much more in common than our kids.

Thanks to Gracie for the ivory corduroy overalls and polka dot bodysuit!

Lilli-Weissen

Lil's on the go again, this time chillin' at Radegast Beer Garden in Williamsburg. Mama & Papa ate several bratwurst and a mug or two of palm ale, while Lil just nommed on her shoulder straps. Before you accuse us of being unfit parents, know this garden is filled with kinders... a kindergarten of sorts!

Lil is wearing her favorite teddy bear hoodie, and her first organic cotton drool bib. This one features a cute bunny, and is perfect for chewing on.

three months!

Every baby gets dressed up special on their birthday, but Lil gets a special outfit and pictures practically every day.  On her anni-birth-ary I wanted one of those pretty benchmark photos, like one that you'd put in the baby book (if I had a baby book).

In honor of her one-quarter birthday, spring, and next week's Easter celebrations Lil is sporting a lovely pleated cotton dress with matching pleated bonnet (thank you, Miss Mary).  If you're curious why we're not saving this perfect little frock for Easter Sunday, it's because we also received the same outfit in yellow!

happy quarter birthday, my little one!