Happy Birthday, Baker Bree!

"I would have given anything to keep her little.  they outgrow us so much faster than we outgrown them." - jodi picoult

Baker Bree- you are ONE!  can I just go on the record to say that this was THE fastest year ever.

I cannot even imagine our life without you in it. 

your bright personality.

your contagious laugh.

the joy that spreads across your face when your big sisters come into the room.

the biggest swell of my mama heart when I see all three of my girls sharing the biggest sister love.

so many things come flooding to my mind as I think about this first year of your little life.

a YEAR.  I cannot believe it's been a year since you made your unexpected entrance into this world.  teeny.  wide eyed.. and completely content- already 100% Baker. we spent a good time of those 9 months of you growing inside my belly contemplating who you would most resemble.  who would be the lucky one for you to favor in looks and personality.

but we learned quickly that you are just YOU.  Baker.. there is no one like you.

it has given me nothing but pure joy to watch you reach and succeed in these major milestones in the first year: rolling, sitting, pulling up, crawling, walking..and now talking!  so many fun things and moments and memories to look back on- and while I thought YES, for sure I would be heart broken because a whole year has flown by in just a blink of an eye.. I'm kinda loving this age with you, girlfriend.  

the complete disarray of your hair when you wake from a good nap.

the bob of your head and thrust of your tummy when you catch a tune + beat.

the squeals and screeches when you are the most happy.

the necessity for 2-4 pacifiers at all times.  one for your mouth and as many as you can carry.. no paci will be left behind!

..and from the stories from my own mama, I did this, too when I was your age!

the way you stomp your right foot when you are squawking for attention..

and when you turn to smirk at me when I call your name because you are wandering too far for comfort.

you are just too much, Baker. 

over the last year we have been through it all! the good times are too many to count.. but I cant forget those bumps along the way.  during those first few months I can never recall being more exhausted in my entire life!  nursing you to sleep turned into a terrible habit of cluster feeding at all hours of the night.  hey.  whatever works. and we made it through - 6 months later.  but not without remembering that one time your mother forgot to put a diaper on you at the 5am feeding and woke up to a nice surprise at 8am.

..or the time you had a blow out while sleeping in the solly wrap and you completely destroyed the wrap, my clothes, your clothes.. and your mama had no diapers or anything to change you into.

okayyy!  it totally took me some time to get the hang of having a newborn in the house again!

either way.. you've completely changed our lives, Baker girl

your big sisters absolutely adore you and want nothing more than to make you laugh.  your daddy is smitten and I hate to say it, but you have got him hooked with whatever charm you spit out in his direction.  your BB cannot get enough of your joy.  papa just giggles with every move you make.. and big cousin kendall just wants to hold Baby Baker as tight as she can and for as long as she can get away with it. Grayson tolerates your love pats (smacks?) and fish hooks- and reciprocates the 'love' with his slobbery sugars and head lean. auntie finds you hilarious and such a busy body, and you are never too busy to stop for a snuggle from the scratchy bearded face of uncle j! 

you are loved my sweet little girl.  loved BIG TIME.

today is all about you.

and may it be the happiest.

I love you, boo!

Baker Bree,

my sweet Baker Bree, oh my sweet Baker Bree. my eyes fill with tears of joy as I reminisce on your birth one year ago! I had no idea the joy and love you would bring into my life, and I still remember that sweet time in the hospital with just you and your momma. you have a smile that can light up a room and I always look forward to the happiness on your face when I walk through the door after being at the fire station for 24 hours away from all my favorite girls. 

your scrunchy face is one for the books. 

my days with just you when the twins were at mother's day out were some of my favorite. you have such a spunkiness about you and you have no problem in getting right in the middle of your twin sisters to play along, even if you have to force your way in physically and make sure to get all the attention with your loud screech. but you have such a softness to you. you go to your sisters when they are crying and upset..you want to love on them and console them. there are times when all you want is to be held by me or your momma and just love on us. it is some of the sweetest moments when you lay your head on our chest and cuddle in and you give the best slobbery sugars there are!

Baker, I promise to always be your cheerleader. to always be in your corner. to be your protector and your hero. I promise to teach you and show you the love of your Heavenly Father. I will always love you no matter what. I promise to advise you and help guide you without force. I will always have your best interest and safety in mind, even when you don't believe it. I promise that my decisions will always be based on my love for you, your mother, and your sisters. 

Baker girl, you bring so much joy to your mother and I. we talk about how special you are all the time! our hearts are overflowing with the love we have for you. I love you sweet girl and am blessed to be your father. 

Dad

happy birthday, big girl!! 

photography by: b faith photography 

custom flower crown // two sparrows headbands

crop top halter c/o gypsy lala

custom unicorn hi-lo tutu c/o trevi ave co

'eat cake' ballon //  tomkat studio

fabric 'baker' banner + mini scrap banner c/o pearl + jane

custom 'one' crown c/o little blue olive

white swing tank // old navy

watercolor strawberry bloomers // sugar plum lane baby

red cake plate // target (no longer available)

cake pops // jenny lane bakery

crib sheet c/o alexandra rose handmade

throwback thursday | twelve months of Baker Bree

hello, baby!

july 11th, 2015

birth story part i + part ii

o n e

our first month with Baker was the most incredible and life changing time of our life.  adding a third was CRAY-ZY but we all loved her SO much and couldn't believe this was real life.

 t w o

our first visit to the pool!  growing like a weed and personality changing by the day

..AND she finally cracked her first smile.

t h r e e

she found her thumb and quickly learned the best part about her baby life- self soothing!

she slept through the night (7 hours).

..and the Texas Ranger's welcomed Baker Bree to their home stadium.

f o u r 

halloween + pumpkin patch.. all the fun things of her first fall season!

f i v e 

thanksgiving and the GLORIOUS holiday season.  baby christmas pajamas for every day in December.

s i x 

Baker's first Christmas

..and she tried her first food!

she made her first visit to the church nursery and her fingers and toes were the most delicious! 

s e v e n

miss Baker went on her first road trip!  nobody slept, but it was still a fun first. 

e  i g h t 

valentine's day

we finally have TEETH!  her bottom two teeth finally popped through.

we also lowered her crib to the bottom notch and her favorite thing to do was to cruise the furniture!

n i n e

this tiny miss took her first steps!!

she also let out the biggest belly laugh, and that was all she wrote:)

t e n

mama spent her first night away from this sweet one (for the sandy beaches of Cabo!), and she did amazing!

e l e v e n

summa summa time!!  a water baby at her finest!

t w e l v e

..and here we are.  my big girl, mere days away from ONE.  

I love her something fierce!

baker bree | first birthday wishlist

oh my goodness.  we are in countdown mode!  our sweet girl is turning ONE in a little over 2 weeks and how in the world do I explain how fast this year has gone?!   I am loving every minute of her little growing self and cannot wait to celebrate her in a BIG way! showering her with stuff isn't what is important on her birthday, but it totally makes it that much more fun:)

its all about you Baker girl!

for my snuggle bunny // chloe the bunny is just the sweetest and softest bunny EVER!  I got this precious bunny for Baker as our gift to her from her mama and daddy.  not only is this doll uber cute, the story behind this company is amazing.  cuddle + kind is a company started simply because they wanted to make a difference.  with each doll they sell, cuddle+kind donates 10 meals to children in need through their giving partners.  each hand kit doll is made in Peru by artisans from locally grown cotton and provides women with sustainable fair-trade income.  they have donated over 200,000 meals in just over 6 months!  they have a goal of one million meals in one year and I am so excited to be apart of it!

developing her fine motor skills // we have a TON of hand me down toys from the big sister girls.  we kept nearly everything, so there isn't a lot of toys I can think of to 'need' but its amazing how much times and toys have changed in just a couple years!  looking for anything to develop her fine motor skills that seem to be thriving at this age.  she shakes nearly everything that she picks up to see if makes noise which is why the parum pum pum drum would be such a fun toy for her to play with- and I can guarantee her sisters will be playing with it, too!  she also is really into stacking and fitting toys into like spaces, so the shape sorter pull toy and the animal nesting blocks would be right up her tiny alley-o-fun.  she digs the phone and loves to have you talk, too..and while we have about a million options for pay telephones, the skip hop owl phone would be something new and fun for her to enjoy.  the little people noah's ark is something I get for every little friend that has turned a year old.  I also can appreciate that this toy doesn't sing, make noise, light up..require batteries! 

baby in style // Baker specifically requested these precious outfits (obviously).  while I am a huge advocate of the moccasin and we wear them often, my favorite shoe for the big girls has always been TOMS and when I put Baker in her first pair of tiny TOMS , I just about died!  I love them! I have also heard awesome things about native shoes, and got a couple of hand me downs from cousin Kendall, but with Baker being such a busy body these days she definitely needs to be in shoes when we go out.  old navy is basically killing it with their spring and summer collection.  I want everything!  this two piece is screaming to my boho heart + and this bubble denim romper is precious to the bone + give me every floral dress on the rack.

baker bree | 11 months

it has just been THE BEST MONTH!  Baker is developing at hyper speed.  literally surprising me every day with the way she acts and responds- her demeanor when she is really examining this new world around her and I am so happy to say that I love her even more every day that she grows. whatever her mood she completely rocks my/our world.  most of the time we are absolutely dying laughing.. saying Baker girl, you really cant be any better.

and then she proves that statement wrong in the next moment.

eleven months!  I totally love you. I cannot believe this time last year I was super duper pregnant and waiting patiently for her arrival! and now I am sending out the invites for her first birthday party!

I think her dad's forearm is excited for the weight to be lifted soon:) 

banner c/o // halter // skirt c/o // headband c/o

whats new? well.. SO MUCH. thats what!

• she has perfected her baby stroll. she is all but running to keep up with her sisters, mama, daddy, and of course her BB.  its rare that she crawls anywhere these days and if she does its a bear crawl- no knees touching the ground.
• she started to react to things that are said to her.  "where is the dog?" or "do you hear your sisters?!" or "do you want some?".  she looks around to search for whoever she's been prompted to find and/or will point in that general direction.
• ..pointing is her favorite game!  she loves to point and have whoever she's pointing to touch her finger with their point in return.  she cracks up every time.
• she cracks herself up A LOT. 
• shakes her head yes and no if she doesn't want to eat or do something.  it didn't take her long to figure that out.
• I'm pretty sure her eyes are staying the color they have been since she was born- but her right eye has this random patch of hazel right in the middle.  its not noticeable all the time, but in the right light you can really see it.  
• you have a short list of words that you say regularly.  mama, dada, 
• no official measurements for this month, but I did weigh her on my home scale and it read 20 pounds!  the twins were barely 17 pounds at this age, so she's my little chunky monkey (compared to the twins)! 
• that being said, she seems so long and skinny these days, but then you get down to her knee dimples and ankle rolls.. and the tan lines in between and realize her mobility ain't got nothin' on that chunk.
• she's started to tilt her head to the side when she plays.  it is the sweetest thing I have ever seen!
• she loves afternoon walks.  we have been walking several days every week in the afternoons and she hardly makes a peep, cat naps, and sings the entire time.
• she is a WATER BABY.  I knew she liked water pretty well.  the bath is her most favorite of her day, but going to the pool. I cant lather her up with sunscreen fast enough before she's making a run for it!
• she hates being in a float.  she will tolerate her little swan, but for the most part she doesn't want anything to do with it.
• we have figured out the FaceTime!  she loves to call her daddy when he's at the fire station and she insists on holding the phone while she 'talks' to Jordan.. complete with the biggest and most slobbery sugars all over the screen.
• she's become less interested in drinking from the bottle and more interested in eating solid foods.  weaning her from the bottle will be a piece of cake.
• she LOVES to drink from her sippy cup!  and any other cup she can get her hands on.  she started with little stolen sips from her sister's water bottles, and now she is a pro! 
• she's had those bottom two teeth for the last 4 months and finally we have a couple more coming in!  her top two are coming in!  the right side has already erupted and the left is close behind!  
• she is wearing 6/9 or 6/12 month clothing and still in size three diapers.

E A T

another great month of eating BIG for this tiny one!  She is definitely growing because she's eating like a horse.  we officially weaned right before we left for Mexico earlier last month and after finishing the frozen stash she was on formula for every feeding- it was a really easy transition (thankfully)!  we have been buying the Target brand formula (sensitive) and she seems to love it!  she has been much more interested in table foods, so its been fun to experiment a little more than  the last few months. protein is still her favorite.  chicken, beef, meatballs, deli meat, beans.. but she's become a little more interested in grains- rice, quinoa, pasta.  she wont touch oatmeal (still) but I keep offering it just in hopes that one day she will love it!  

she has been eating so much table food that there are time when she just plain skips that bottle all together.

daily feeding/solids schedule:

 7:30am - 8am: 8 ounce bottle 

9:30am - 10am: breakfast!  cheesy eggs + toast + yogurt + fruit

1pm: 8 ounce bottle of formula 

4-4:30pm: 4-8 ounce bottle of formula

5pm: snack! (puffs + goldfish + veggie pouch)

6pm: dinner! (protein + starch + vegetable + yogurt)

7pm: bath

7:30pm: 2-4 ounces of formula /bed

after Ashley posted these amazing meal ideas I've been trying to offer Baker more complete meals rather than random bits of food at meal times.

new + old favorites: guacamole, fruit leather (these are easy to grab and go and this homemade recipe is easy and delicious!), granola bars, refried beans (look for the organic canned option), cheese toast, strawberries (cut into quarters), watermelon, nut butter (peanut butter and almond butter), English muffin with melted butter, grapes (cut into quarters), tortilla, eggs (scrambled egg white + smoked paprika + shredded mozzarella), baked sweet potatoes, chicken burrito 'bowls' (I've also made this without the chicken), bbq meatloaf muffins, steamed and chopped broccoli, quinoa patties w zucchini

S L E E P

not a lot has changed in this department.. she's still THE BEST sleeper!  earlier this month when those two top teeth started to make their decent her sleep was off.  naps became shorter and she started waking up through the night at least once.  most of the time she would just cry out, feel around for her pacifier and then plop right back down asleep.  she really does love her sleep and rest (which is completely new for me in my experience with the twins who still fight sleep every single night). her morning nap is still most regular and if we are home in the afternoon for that second nap she at least rests in her crib for 45 minutes and if she does fall asleep she'll sleep for up to a hour and a half. she rolls and moves all over her crib throughout the night.. its comical and sort of a joke to see how she's laying when we look at the monitor.

typical sleep routine

wake: 7:30am (bottle) and then back to sleep until 8:30-9am

nap #1: 10:30am-1-2pm

nap #2: 3:30pm-5pm

bedtime: 7:30pm

P L A Y / D E V E L O P M E N T

this girl is ALL OVER THE PLACE.  she surprises me with the thing she picks up along the way.  since summer break has started at the girls' preschool we have been going to open gym for a couple hours in between nap time.  they have a special area for tiny tots and, well, the first time I let Baker loose in there she climbed right to the top of those foam blocks.. and clearly is so proud of herself.  she thought it was hilarious!

the basics: brushing hair + teeth, talking on the phone.. everything is a phone these days, "sweeping" the floor..and she's even started to help me get her dressed!!  thats a game changer rather than preventing me from getting her floppy arms in those tiny holes very easily. 

her communication has much improved. her words are few, but her expressions of interest, dislike, or pleasure are very apparent. she's hanging with the big girls on the regular.. letting them know whose 'boss' when she doesnt appreciate toys being taken away.  the other day it was just me and the girls at home.. Parker and Jolie were playing with their horses and show barn and Baker swiped a horse and scrambled to my lap.  when Parker came to get the horse back, she screeched like a banshee and sat on the horse.  she is such a mess!  knows exactly what to do to keep up with those big girls.

other developments: dancing!  she waves her arms back and forth as if she's conducting a symphony. sings to herself while she plays.  communicates with outbursts of her voice, points at everything! nods her head yes and no, and slowly learning to use a spoon.  most of the time we offer her the food (a sticky food like yogurt or peanut butter) on a spoon and she eats it using her left hand. we might just have two left handed babes.  Jolie uses her left hand a lot, too!   she's a sass machine and we all know if she loves or hates something:)  the twins were no where near this kind of development as far as sassing me and her daddy go. she also LOVES to play peek-a-boo.  we say "where's Baker?!" and she will pop out with a huge grin and laugh out loud.  

B A K E R

girlfriend.  I love you more than anything!  you have the most outgoing personality of all of your sisters and it doesn't take long for you to fall in love with anyone that will laugh at your silly antics.  it is rare for you to be in a sour mood, but when you want someone to hold you, there is no letting up until you are comfortable on someones hip.  sitting in someone's lap isn't good enough- we are required to stand and walk around with you.  you definitely know what you want and when you want it.  you love your routine and stick pretty close to it for the most part, but you are pretty easy going when we take you out and about.  just go with the flow and I really appreciate that!  sometimes the day runs together and before I know it, the day is gone and you haven't had a real nap.  but you just go with it. I cant even begin to describe how awesome that is!

you love to snack and table foods have become much more fun than your bottle.  puffs, cereal, goldfish, bite of toast, and fruit leather are the go-to options.. but Costco always has the good stuff and you never cease to amaze me when you eat every bit of the samples offered.  you still love the fruit pouches and some evenings that is all you'll have- no matter what I have laid before you on your  highchair tray. 

the pool has become your favorite place.  when we are walking up and you can see what fun is about to happen you start kicking, squealing, and squirming to get out of my arms!  you are a water baby and how fun that it to watch you nearly run through the fountains at the splash pad.  hours and hours have already been spent at the pool and I know even more will come in the next couple months.  summer with you has already been the best ever!

you have become quite the chatter box and will talk and point out every little thing.  I attest to be taken back at least once a day by how quickly you pick up on various things. your big sisters are your best friends- the light up of your face is unforgettable and the sweetest when you see those big girls.  squeals and literal trembles of excitement when you see them first thing in the morning and after nap.  they LOVE you so much and I know the feelings are mutual.  

you are on the go-go-go nonstop all day long.  can we talk about how hilarious it is to watch you walk around with toys and things in your hand?  some of those things are as big as you are! stealing toys from your sisters has become your favorite game.. and you know how to do it successfully to really rile them up!  playing the baby card all the way through.  

Baker Bree.. thank you for your contagious smiles and amazing personality.  our days are much sweeter with you apart of them.  you are just one incredible light to our life.

eleven month photo dump

happy 11 months to you, little dollie!