Pepper Design Blog

Weekend Fun: Field Trip + Dolphins + Relaxing

Because all work and no play makes for a boring time… here’s a quick round-up of a few of our busy weekends over the past couple of months. While we don’t get to play like this all of the time, it sure is fun when a great weekend rolls around.

First up is a trip to our local Wild Animal Park with a few friends. We are blessed to have two of the most amazing animal habitats in our San Diegan backyard, and we try to make the most of zoo and wild animal park time whenever possible.

Baby Liv makes a beautiful butterfly.

We also noticed a few uncanny similarities while visiting the monkey exhibit…

She has opposable thumbs on her toes, we’re sure of it (it’s hard to see in this picture) and she stretches like the photo on the right an awful lot.

But I digress…

San Diego is also fortunate enough to be located just a few short hours from snow! Our local group of friends attempts a yearly snow/relaxation trip to one of the couples’ family cabin (this year the snow was just barely visible) and it’s always a welcome retreat. (Cabin photo on the left, cute little Lake Arrowhead village shopping on the right).

As a full time architecture student, Kevin spends much of his time dreaming up neat structural design concepts (I’m not the slightest bit jealous…) and was asked recently to compete in a regional design competition with his group! When I found out the competition would be held in San Luis Obispo (my favorite little town in the whole wide world) I begged to come along for the field trip.

‘Design Village’ is assembled in the rolling hills of SLO, here’s a shot of us in one of the projects, of the village from afar with the 50 or so structures (whose materials were hiked in and built onsite) spread out, and a close up at #24 (a shelter that spent much assembly time in our backyard).

The boys camped in their structure (I wish I had a decent shot of the inside with the hammock cots and LED lighting) while Liv, my Mom (who drove down from Santa Cruz) and I stayed at a cute B&B.

As for the competition? The team placed first and second in two different categories.

We had a really special treat just this last weekend. On especially warm days we love to sail in San Diego Bay and this past Sunday was no exception (blue skies! cool breeze! perfect). It was Liv’s maiden voyage and she was equipped with the ultimate ‘infant life jacket’ and she was the best trooper (it was like a life jacket papoose – there was no moving in that thing except a little wiggle of the arms here and there).

Friends of ours that train dolphins for the Navy (to help identify deep sea objects) happened to be out and about in the bay as well and they joined us for an impromptu dolphin show! So neat. Check out the video I just uploaded to Facebook.

It’s been a busy past few months and I’m so grateful for good times, great friends and a loving family. It doesn’t get much better than that. Now back to work I go.

Easter Fun + Bath Progress + Mantel Feature

Hope your Easter weekend was full of time spent with family and friends! We had both staying with us for the holiday and it was a happy weekend.

Here’s a quick shot of us on Easter Sunday morning with my parents who drove down from Santa Cruz, California.

And how adorable are these cake pops? They’re well worth a shout out – our friend Stephanie whipped these up to share at an Easter brunch and they turned out terrific. I have tried to replicate Bakerella’s fabulous desserts but without much success. These chicks and eggs, however, take the cake.

Easter was also a deadline for the bathroom – oh how sweet to have a guest bath for the guests! But we’re just a bit behind so the guests will have to wait a couple more weeks.

But we have made one huge step in the right direction – a commitment to our tile! It can be time consuming imagining what the final look will be for several different tile motifs, let alone making a full commitment to move ahead with a final choice (feels so permanent…). The above tile was from our original inspiration board but we tossed around 5 or 6 before taking the plunge and ordering enough Elida Ceramic Recycled Glass Tile (in moonlight) to tile the entire shower nook.

More on that soon.

Some exciting news to share – the new living room mantel made it on Centsational Girl’s Best of the Blogosphere Round-Up! Check it out (and many more great projects) here. Centsational Girl is one of my daily reads, so inspiring.

But before I sign off for the day, take a look at this cute little conversation Liv and I had while she was desperately trying to distract me while I was getting some work done (she’s in her little Bumbo seat):

I’m pretty sure it went something like this:

Liv: “Hey Mom, watcha doin? Are you listening to me? Can we play and ogle and coo at each other for a while? Pretty pleeeeaase with cherries on top?”

Oh those sweet eyes. And with that the computer screen closed.

Favorite Baby Products for the First 3 Months

Liv is three months this week! Wow it seems like it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital.

Being the new parents that we are, there are a few products that have helped to make the transition a little easier. I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite finds.

Clockwise from top:

1. Jeep Car Seat Carrier & Bob Revolution: While it’s definitely not necessary to have two strollers, we’ve found that our quick snap-and-go stroller is a dream for trips to the grocery store and other errands (easy to fold and our Graco Snugride carseat fits right in), while our Bob Revolution is great as a walking and park stroller (we use it ALL the time!).

2. Baby Wise & Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: These two books have been our everyday resource for introducing a new baby into our lives, and vice versa. The tips on schedules (we keep a pretty relaxed but somewhat regular schedule) and sleep training are invaluable – Liv began sleeping through the night at 8 weeks (the a few exceptions here and there…).

3. First Friends & Wubbanub: The newborn soothie pacifier is amazing – but it’s a lifesaver when attached to the Wubbanub or First Friend! These, along with the above books, can be credited for Liv’s sleeping patterns. When she spits out or drops her paci, the stuffed animal on her chest keeps it within reach to grab again! It’s a-mazing.

A little demo in how both the First Friend and Wubbanub works. When Liv falls asleep in one of her sleepsacks with her paci, I like to keep a very thin blanket over her pacifier (rather than swaddling it directly into her sleepslack which could be dangerous) so that when she spits it out and wakes up again, there it is! Of course you don’t need the blanket on top to help begin the self-soothing process, but I find it can help.

4. Moby Wrap: We’ve taken Olivia everywhere in the Moby Wrap – from playing in the snow to walking the streets of New Orleans while on vacation to sporting events to shopping around town. She loves it and it’s so very comfortable for Mom and babe.

Hint: It can be tough running errands with a baby that you have to take in and out of a carseat at each stop – I wear the Moby while driving – without her in it, of course – so that when we stop I can slip her right into the Moby at each errand. It beats carrying a heavy carseat everywhere.

5. Arms Reach Cosleeper: Liv sleeps right next to our bed in her cosleeper. It’s wonderfully convenient to not have to get up out of bed in the middle of the night to nurse and it’s nice to safely ‘co-sleep’ during her first few months. We use the risers now (not shown in picture below) to bring the cosleeper up even with our bed.

6. Total Baby iPhone App: This app keeps my life in order – well, my life so far as Liv’s schedule goes. It tracks when she eats, on which side, for how long, etc. It also includes cool tools such as sleep tracking and diaper counting. By checking my phone I can predict when she’ll be ready for her next nap and if she’s crying because it’s time to eat or time to sleep.

7. Boppy: I love my boppy nursing pillow! I wish that I had one in every room because it makes nursing so easy with its wrap around shape.

8. Udder Cover: Speaking of making nursing easier, my Udder Cover is big and breezy and super convenient for nursing on the go. I use it almost everyday and because of its light material (the actual pattern I own is linked in the name) I don’t worry about it being too warm for Liv beneath the cover. The boning around the top of the cover is a hands-free way to keep an eye on her.

9. Rockabye Baby, U2: You won’t mind listening to the same lullaby cd again and again when it’s a rendition of Coldplay, Bob Marley or U2. In fact you’ll look forward to hitting play each time you rock baby. Another great lullaby source? Looping Lullabies – check the site out to hear a few soothing samples.

10. Halo Sleepsack: We have several sleepsacks to rotate throughout the week but one of our favorites is this version by Halo. Because Liv was born in the winter, and because blankets can be dangerous, this super cozy sleepsack both swaddles and keeps her warm all night long. I don’t worry about a blanket covering her face and her arms don’t wake her up when they’re snuggled by her side.

And there you have it! I hope it’s helpful for all of you mom’s-to-be, current mommies, aunts, grandmas, etc!

And just for fun, a little video of Liv singing at three months old:

Ahhh, too cute. She just learned that her little voice has pitch and that she can control it.

If you have any favorite products or tips of your own, feel free to share!