Sleep training

We reached the BIG 1 year. Yay!

Between all the milestones that surprises us everyday we also have some major setbacks not so "enjoyable " , if you can call them like that. It happens when you sleep so good in your big cosy bed you hear the baby crying for you to wake up, to feed her or just to have a cuddle every night at the same hour like a Swiss clock not a minute late nor a minute earlier. And you are like: OK this could work, I can wake up 3 times per night at same time but then it escalates into every 2 hours and then into every hour and i feel like pulling my hair out.
I realized that my lovely little baby has sleep associations hence the waking up so often during the night. The sleep association would be me and my breasts. She developed this sleep association due to breastfeeding. She would wake up during the night and i would be there to comfort her.
Not to mention that i moved her in the same bedroom with my 4yr old and if it was fine at the beginning its not the case anymore.

The baby sleep website i founded really helpful. I read many helpful articles. Many advices from other parents that were going through the same baby sleep problems as we were. Love this website. With the help of many advises from this website I was able to train my old one to sleep on her own. Now I'm going back to the website because I'm training my little one to sleep on her own too.
I'm still breastfeeding her once a night. I will breastfeed her until she will wean herself out.

I'm not in any way imposing this website to anyone. I know there are so many resources on the web with relation to the baby sleep problems and what to do about it. 

17.03.2014 sleep training start

When I started sleep training Tyana she would wake up 6-9 times per night. I decided to move my 4 year old in my bedroom. So the three of us co sleep together. I didn't want her to suffer because her little sister wakes up so many times during the night.

 You need to be armed with tons of patience. As everybody would tell you, your baby needs you to guide her on how to sleep without her mommy's arms/breast.
During the first week of training, when Tyana would wake up I fed her only when I considered that she is hungry, based on when i last breastfed her. The rest I would only try to calm her down by offering her water and sing her a song. Of course it was not on her liking and she would cry and scream. But i tried my best to stay calm as much as possible.
Talking to her in a calming and soothing way. Explaining her as much as possible about where she needs to sleep and how good and safe her little bed is ;).

On the fifth day, of the first week of training i started to see improvement. She would still fight and cry but would wake up less - around 5-6 times per night. Breastfeeding only when i considered that she might be hungry. I gave water and sang songs for the rest of the times she woke up and try to calm her down.

During the weekend, 22-23.03.2014, i have seen more improvement. less waking up but just as much fighting.

I have to mention that i also applied the same technique for the naps. Here we have long way to go. Its so frustrating that she would just fight and fight and refuse to nap. But, hey i wont give up :)
For the morning nap, after almost 1 hour fighting, crying a bit , talking and playing a lot she would give up and sleep.
The after-noon nap is another matter.

That's it for now in the baby land.


Love,
      Angie




Stay healthy and beautiful and especially ZEN

first outfit with my new booties

This casual outfit i wore it at a family birthday. Nothing major, just few family members and friends. All casual and relaxed.
I'm a beginner at taking pictures of my outfits so please have a bit of patience with me, but comments and constructive critic are more than welcome.

Shirt - Veromoda
Jeans- Mango high waisted jeans here
Shoes- my refashioned Zara boots


Love,
       Angie



Stay healthy and beautiful

hello new you!

I'm a fan of re purposing and refashioning of most everything from clothing, shoes to furniture. Everything can be transformed and given a new life.
So i decided to give a new life to my old Zara boots. They have been hanging around at the back of the closet occupying space and gathering dust.

I bought these boots around 7 years ago and i still like them, but the style doesn't suit me anymore.
Supplies:
-boots
-seam ripper
-brown thread

I have decided to cut them at the seam situated right under the fold.

Once i ripped the seam, the result is more than pleasing as this is the right height that i was looking for for the booties.

Love love love them.

Let me know what you think and what is your latest refashioning.

Love,
       Angie

Stay healthy and beautiful

blonde ambition

It's crazy how the desire of becoming a blonde comes back over and over again. If in the past i only tried once to become blonde, and its been years since then, last night i decided that , that's it!
I'm doing it!
I'm getting my hair a blond. Everybody seems to say that the blonde girls have more fun so......
Will it suit me and my personality? don't know, i hope so though.

This is me as brunette :)

Being sick and not feeling well doesn't help very much. But because i have been so excited and i just really really wanted to make a change i decided to bleach my hair.
The end result i like it , but its not the expected blond.

I really don't mind the red ginger colour that resulted after my experiment. I actually like it!
This one was a good one. ;)

Love,
      Angie

Stay beautiful and healthy!

red shorts for summer

While going to a flea market here at Nice, France i found these gorgeous red shorts, a size to big for me but seeing that they were not worn and they looked new and of course 100% cotton i decided to buy then. The price couldn't be any more appalling as well - 2€ i said: "Damn I'll buy them".
As they were as long as a bermuda i decided to shorten them and make the waist a bit smaller to fit my size.

 I decided to remove around 4cm from the length for each leg. Measure from the bottom up, pin in place and cut.

At the back, i pinned in place 1 cm of fabric on each side of the main sewing line. At the end this will give a nice volume for the "derriere" ;)

All around the leg i folded the hem twice. Where the fabric was cut its folded inside and hold in place when being sewn.  

 ta daa! the end result. size smaller and shorter to show my legs.

It only need a good ironing and its ready for the summer.

XOX
angie

Baby and the milestones!

This is something I wrote almost 2 months ago, but haven't had the chance to post it.

Happy birthday Bushka!

I have to add that tomorrow tyana will be 9 months and everyday she is showing all of us how fast she grows. Already able to stand on her own without any support, pushing and walking object that are easy to move around such as foot stool, small chair, trunki, kids table. She has so much strength and energy that at the end of the day I'm so exhausted that it feels like I'm the one doing all that pushing and moving around.

Clapping hands, opening and closing hands, asking to be taken in the arms and waving goodbye are few of the things she can do right now.

My Inaya is growing too, way too fast. Dressing herself, choosing the clothes on her own she has became a little fashionista. 

Got to go to sleep.

love, hugs and kisses

xxx

Angie

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Tyana is now 7 month and 2 weeks and she can do plenty of stuff. And sometimes I wish she would just slow down a bit. She is growing way too fast

Tyana can do list:

Smile- She smiles a lot. She always has a smile to offer and I love her to bits.
Crawl- She can crawl on four.
Stand- She can pull herself up and stand next to a solid object, like a couch. She can stand holding herself with only one hand and sometimes she is not even doing that and only the gravitational force plus her own wait supported by object stops tyana from falling. But the experience of falling with the resulted bumps made her realize that the motion of pulling up has an opposite namely the descending which is quite safe so she has been perfecting that move too.
Talking about safe baby ...in 90% of the cases, tyana supports herself when standing on unsteady objects such as rocking chair or footstool, and that will probably give me a heart attack soon as I always see her falling and getting hurt. I' m a bit paranoid about this, but, I guess what mother isn't.
She is fast when crawling.
Love for share- She loves her big sister very much. When Inaya is not around Tyana is looking for her.
Eating- She eats paper. Yep. If u lost your paper and cannot find it well...do not worry it is in a safe place... in tyana's belly.
;) Note to me and to the visitors: do not leave your papers around they might disappear.

Being more serious, we've started solids and so far so good. She is a "gourmand".

She can feed herself. I guess my work is done!

Talking about eating I can honestly say that after all the paper munching she still finds some space in her little belly for some banana or anything else I give her. 
Drinking- She loves drinking water from a glass. Not a big fan of baby bottles though.

Grabing- She can grab tiny objects and move them from one hand to another. 
When you interdict her something She will give out to you with the associated slapping.
She is curios about the dogs and I guess that soon she will remove the gate that keeps the dogs away from the living room. Watch out Bugsy and Hayllee. Something new to munch on.

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little section!

starting kindergarden is always a happening of joy and happiness for kids that land into the unknown world with the satchel on his back, smiling face and a look of unbounded eagerness to a period of new knowledge, friends, songs and games. A teacher that welcomes them with opened arms. For parents, and here I'm mainly talking about those of us who were the center of their little world, it was only mommy and daddy into a close circle. its scary how fast she grows. First day at kindergarden she told us to go home acting like a little adult proving that being with other people it is not a problem for her. While other kids were clinging on their parents and crying cuz they didn't want to stay at the kindergarden our girl acted calmly coloring and playing with the toys, not bothered as if she has been doing this all her life. I felt pride because she was acting so mature and yet so scared because she no longer needed me.

so we left her there. I arrived at home just to let my tears run their course. 
 
PS:all went all and she loved it! 

love and kisses,
angie

New year new baby.

It has been a crazy new year so far. New year new baby! Yeah! We've added one more addition to our family. Family is getting bigger and bigger and crazy days are ahead of us.
Here is Tyana, a beautiful little baby girl born 3 months ago on the 3rd of march 2013.

So far i love to:
- suck on my hands mommy's hands, daddy's hands, i love munch on my fingers because they are soft and yummy
- smile a lot to everybody and especially to mommy and daddy when they make silly faces
- being hugged and walked around so i can see and explore the world around me
- play a lot
- sleep too
- grabbing things and everything that is at close range especially mommy's hair
- talking is my expertise and i love to talk to the people that talk to me back

happy birthday and may you be happy, healthy and loved all your life.

love you "tiny" bug.

hugs and kisses,
your mama

hearts and lampshades

we finally painted inaya's room  in the colours she chose herself, with some indications from us ;) i admit it! i know, but sometimes we have to make small hints in order to get to the desired results or otherwise it would be anarchy.

a new room deserves a new lampshade for that naked light bulb that looks a bit strangled on the ceiling and alone.
cuz she likes colours and lately, hearts too, we go with the flow.

supplies:
- old lampshade - strip off the fabric to remain only with the iron frame
- cotton or wool
- 4.5 mm crochet hook
- scissor

  and the result:

love and kisses,
Angie

Christmas count down!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you all!

Getting ready to receive Santa! 

Making decorations for Christmas is always fun especially when you  have your own little helper! Decorating is another thing. Especially when you run after her and try to convince her not to throw them at the other end of the room just because its fun and makes the dog run after them.
Or: "look mommy all these sheep, I'll make a star with them. Can i have them, they will be better with my animals not here"

about me

I'm a woman that loves her man.
I'm a mother that adores her little ones.
I'm a dog owner that tries to squeeze some time for her dog in the day to day busy schedule.

I'm just an apprentice with photography so please have patience with me!

what else is there to say only that i love fashion, dressing up in lovely tailored clothes, I'm addicted to shoes,  make-up and everything that is lovely and handmade.
i love reading, painting - which lately haven't had much time to do it, love crocheting and making things for my sweet ones.

this blog is for you my loves.

talking about loved ones i have a confession to make. my family is bigger now and here are the 2 munchkins:

ta daaa....

 Tyana

 and haylee















this blog is a lifestyle blog focused on creating a beautiful life filled with beautiful people and beautiful handmade things. i believe in taking time to enjoy life and make the most of it. embrace your personal imperfections for a beautiful life.

love and kisses,
angie