My Sweats: Nordstrom [comfiest things you could ever own!] | My sweater: Nordstrom | Maxi’s Swan Sweater: Nordstrom | Maxi’s Leggings: Tucker & Tate | Maxi’s Uggs: Nordstrom [one of my favorite baby shower gifts we received!] | Maxi’s Adidas Shirt: Sold Out, Similar | Maxi’s Cardigan: Nordstrom

Photography by: Angie Garcia

I should be fired from taking monthly photos of my child. In the beginning I took them “right” on the day of her “monthly birthday” and now I’m taking them the day before she turns the next month. Maxi is 10 months and she’ll probably be a year before I get a “10-month photo” posted but I thought I’d do a little update with her on the blog. You win some you lose some and I’ve accepted that.

Maxi adores Peaches, bath time, eating bananas and steamed carrots, her Gigi [when Gigi is around I am deemed worse than chopped liver], her fuzzy boots, going through all of her dresser drawers and giving “sugars.” She says, “Mama” “Dada” and “Geegee.” She’s quite sassy as she says “Geeegeeee” whenever we do so something she doesn’t like, like wipe her nose! ha! She thinks her grandmother will save her. The past month she decided she had a sophisticated palette and didn’t want baby food ever again. We tried to give her a pouch over Christmas and she wanted nothing to do with that. She loves table food and if you try to “mash” anything she will mash your feelings by informing you she hates it. She has really started to adore specific stuffed animals and we are planning her birthday party around that. She still is a big cuddler and although she is busy all day long, we spend about 45 minutes in the morning cuddling while she takes her bottle and we watch GMA or The Today Show. It’s my favorite time of the day as we read books and she plays with Peaches. I also have to say a huge, “Thank you” to all the sweet mamas that told me to consistently take her out to eat. There are definitely times when you don’t want to take a baby out to eat the first year as they don’t have the longest attention spans. We hit a point at about 7 months where I wondered if we would even go out to eat again until she was a toddler. Y’all told me to push through it and keep going, but just go to family friendly places. You all were right! Once we hit about 9.5 months going out to eat was so much easier and she is great. While it’s still not exactly “vacation time” for mama as you’re making sure their food is torn up in pieces/they are entertained/etc. it’s been such a nice time for our family. I’m naturally a homebody, so combine that with being a stay-at-home mom and I could go days without leaving the house. We have marked one night a week as family night and we go out to eat. She LOVES it so much! She babbles to all the waiters, has so much fun people watching other kids, and loves to devour a grilled cheese. I truly appreciate each and every tip you all give me as I’m a rookie mom and so many of you could write books on raising babies!

With the colder weather and our month and a half long battle with constant ear infections [Poor baby!] we have spent most of our days at home. While I love her in smocked dresses, those aren’t practical for playing around the house. We keep it comfy and cozy in her nursery and play room so I thought I’d share what we typically wear when we are at home this winter.

• The Tucker & Tate Essential Leggings are our best friend. They are $14 and we have them in every color. These fit her body perfectly which is great because so many leggings are either too loose in the waist, dig into their little waists, look like high waters or fall down while they crawl. They are one of my favorite brands we purchase for her at Nordstrom.
• We also love this little swan sweatshirt. It’s extremely cozy for playing at home but if we meet Paul for dinner she looks perfectly dressed up!
• This Nordstrom Baby Cardigan is a gender neutral piece for all you boy mamas! We layer this over her little tees. I got this Adidas tee from Nordstrom but it has sold out.
• She is now in size 12-18 month clothing, so we did a huge restock on pajamas for Christmas. We got her these and these. I love anything by Burt’s Bees Baby as the cotton is SO soft. She lived in the little onesies when we were just home from the hospital.
• When she goes up a size I also get 2 to 3 new solid bodysuits to pair with leggings or tights and skirts for church. I ordered this one because the little ruffle shoulders are precious.
• I received these boots as a baby shower gift and it is one of our most used gifts! If you go in on a gift with a friend for a shower, I say grab these!

In terms of gear, here are a few items we use daily:

• We did switch her to the convertible car seat as she was measuring taller, and I’ve gotten some emails asking which one we went with. We have this Maxi Cosi Pria. Our’s is a different color option, but this is the new shade available.
• I know her stroller isn’t new, but I do get some questions about that too and wanted to link it again for y’all. This is the one we use!
• We love Melissa & Doug toys! My mom got her this and this for Christmas and they were some of her favorite toys!
• Clip-on teethers are the best for going to eat/going to the grocery store/running errands. It’s so nice that they won’t drop on the floor and she will happily chew on one for 20-30 minutes.

I also keep it quite casual at home and I live in these sweats. Now they are definitely pricier, but if you’ve ever had a Barefoot Dreams item you understand why. You truly only need one pair of these and toss the rest of your sweats. Ask for a pair for your birthday or Valentine’s Day and you’ll be in heaven. I also like that these don’t bulk around the waist so when it does get warmer you can easily wear them with a tee. If you do order these, let them hang dry after you wash them!

Thank you all so much for your kind comments and helpful tips! Do you have any favorite items when you’re at home with baby?!

In partnership with Nordstrom. All purchases and opinions are my own.