national building museum.

on saturday, the three of us traveled around the corner to visit the national building museum.  we have been wanting to see the "unbuilt washington" exhibit that housed drawings and models of architectural projects that were proposed, yet not built in washington.  it was pretty cool to see what could have been in dc - some crazy, some beautiful, and some pretty wacky.  

xoxoxoxo

baby curls.

check out my curls after bath time!

xoxoxoxo

top ten newborn essentials.

this week, little logan is already six weeks old {where did the time go!?} we seem to be in our own little routine now, and have learned a ton along the way.  thought i would put a list together of some "newborn essentials" in case you are expecting (!) or know someone who might be expecting (!)....  and while not every newborn is the same, these ten items have saved us over here at our house.

 {the boppy covered by a blanket}

1. the boppy::  i'm sure most of you are familiar with the beloved boppy.  while i didn't use ours for nursing, due to my c-section, it is a great item to place logan on while i'm doing things around the house.

2.  the pacifier::  logan seems to really enjoy her pacifier and is usually found sucking on one multiple times a day.  we got the one above from the hospital.  i like it the best because it is designed to go around her nose instead of pushing up against it.


 


3.  the sound machine::  logan uses this adorable sound machine in the form of furry friend {thanks kate!} every night when she goes to bed and sometimes while she is fussy during the day and needs a little help for an afternoon nap.  it has four different options for sounds - logs tends to enjoy "relax" and "sleep."

4. sack onesies::  before i got pregnant, i thought these sack onesies were kinda funny and didn't really plan on buying any.  but, i kept receiving them as gifts and realized how wonderful they are!  when you are changing a diaper about 10 times a day - the sack onesie comes in handy.  and when you are up in the middle of the night and not wanting to fool with snaps, buttons or zippers - the sack onesie wins again. 

5. swaddling blankets::  little logan loves to be swaddled as do many newborns.  we like to wrap her up tight and call her "burrito baby."  we received many swaddling blankets as gifts - such as these {thanks kristi!} and even some handmade blankets {thanks dianne!} that we like to use as swaddling blankets.  the miracle blanket is pretty sweet too.

6. changing pad covers::  before we brought logan home from the hospital, i only purchased one changing pad cover thinking that would be enough.  well, we quickly realized how often these little ones go to the bathroom and how often there are accidents while changing them.  i quickly ordered back up changing pad covers at target so we would always have a clean one handy.

7. moses basket:: sweet friends, sean and carol, let us borrow their moses basket with a stand {great for rocking logan to sleep!}  this has been wonderful to have in our room, so we are constantly not having to get up and go to logan's nursery when she wakes up in the middle of the night.


 

8. drying rack for bottles:: this drying rack has saved us from all the little bottles and breast pump pieces.  plus it is super cute!  {thanks megan!}

9. bouncer chair::  little logs enjoys a good swinging movement.  we can easily put her in this bouncer chair from baby bjorn while she bounces away and is still propped up to where we can see her. 

10. for the mom:: these nursing tanks have been so easy and comfy to wear for the past six weeks.  they come in a ton of different styles and colors too.

so, moms/grandmoms/aunties/friends - what "must haves" would you like to add to the list?  would LOVE to know if i'm missing some key items!

xoxooxoxox

hangin.

just hangin in her new favorite bouncy chair.

 

xoxoxoxox

shoe love.

someone has quite the shoe collection...

i love how she already has TWO pairs of RED cowboy boots.

how fitting for her texan roots.

xoxoxoxo

weekend bits. {according to my iphone}

the weather was GLORIOUS this weekend - so we tried to take full advantage since it will probably be spring time before we have another one.  we took many family walks, cooked in many meals and cheered on the TEXANS. 

 {white house fun}

 {dupont farmer's market}

{football watching}

xoxoxoox

happy friday!

just a few snapshots of our evening last night...

having fun with this little cutie - 

 with cheeks that continue to get chubbier and

hair that continues to get longer and wilder

{which turns into the most adorable little ringlets when wet!}

xoxoxox

baby's first trip to the national gallery of art.

on monday, the three of us ventured over to the national gallery of art to introduce logan to one of our favorite pass times.  we wondered around the galleries, ate, chatted and ate some more.  it was a perfect last day of vacation before we all returned to the real world.   

 

i love this last shot of little logan looking up at her daddy...

xoxoxox

our new years celebration.

we welcomed the new year by gathering with dear friends at the lovely cheek casa.  dear friends who have babies as well.  and we laughed about how different it was than our previous new year celebrations....because every so often the ladies would disappear to go nurse/pump, the mens would go change our babies diapers and everyone got up multiple times during dinner to go check on their baby.  but, the best part is that we have sweet friends who are going through the same ups and downs of parenthood like we are at the moment.  and we are so thankful that we can share this time with others we care about.

the dinner was rockin as well - thanks cheeks!

 {sean, willa and jeff}

 {carol and eveyln}

 {j cheek and eveyln}

 {megan, olivia, me, willa and carol}

 {eveyln and logan}

xoxoxox

2011 in review.

2011 was a big year for our little family, mainly because we grew from a family of two to a family of three.  we experienced all the ups and downs of pregnancy and got to welcome our sweet baby girl in november.  2011 proved to be a big year for our siblings as well - my brother and jeff's two sisters got married.  we also to go celebrate dear friends {and a cousin} getting hitched - it was a year of celebrating unions!  here is a little breakdown of 2011....

in january::  we kicked off the new year in belize with the wonderful ainsworth family - soaking in the sun and getting some great family time.  we made two trips down to texas to help celebrate some of jeff's friends getting hitched.  it was a wonderful break from the cold harsh winter we were experiencing in dc.

 {belize 2011}

in february:: we celebrated jeff's sister - kata - and her marriage to drew.  it was a fabulous weekend of celebration as we toasted the happy couple.  yeah for family weddings!  i also got away for a fabulous girls weekend to charlottesville, va. 

 {r dinner fun}

 {ladies weekend}

in march:: we attempted to go on a ski trip, yet sadly the weather didn't really cooperate.  i also jetted off to california to help celebrate my dear friend - mags - with her bachlorette weekend.  fun times were had all around.  we also found out that we were EXPECTING at the end of the month, but kept it a secret until the month of may :)

 {ski trip 2011}

{mag's bachlorette weekend}

in april:: we celebrated three years of rockin marriage, but officially celebrated in the month of june with a trip to nyc due to the lovely morning sickness i was experiencing.  we also traveled back to cali to participate and cheer for dear friends maggie and trav as they recited their own vows on their wedding day.

  {mags and me}

in may:: we announced our pregnancy and enjoyed all the joy that comes with celebrating this amazing news.

 {wahoo!}

in june::  we jetted off to nyc for a little weekend get-a-way to celebrate a belated anniversary and my early bday.  we also ventured down to texas to help celebrate my sweet cousin, gina and her union to brian.  it was a fabulous welsh gathering.

  {houston welshes!}

in july:: we found out we were having a GIRL!  which made the whole experience much more real to us.  we also celebrated sibling number two getting married - zachary and jenn - in lovely big sur, cali.  good times indeed.

 {wedding fun}

in august:: we enjoyed our babymoon by driving down the coast of gorgeous california while dreaming about our baby girl.  we also ventured back to texas to celebrate sibling number three's wedding - becca and chris.  it was a memorable family wedding at grace church and the cohen house - yeah yeah!

 {babymoon}

 {wedding fun}

in september:: we jumped on a plane and visited my folks in good ole santa fe, new mexico.  also, my dear welsh cousins threw me a baby shower in houston, texas.  it was so wonderfully special.

 {santa fe goodness}

 {the lovely welsh ladies}

in october:: my sweet dc buddies threw me a dc baby shower as we prepped for baby girl ainsworth.  it was beyond lovely and memorable.

 

in november:: jeffrey and i hosted our parents for our very first thanksgiving here in dc and most importantly welcomed our sweet baby girl, logan maeve ainsworth, into this world on november 29, 2011.

 {tgiving 2011}

{mama and babe}

in december:: we played, stared, and loved on logan maeve as we settled into our new life with her.  we also celebrated logan's first christmas with the swanson family in middleburg, va.  wonderful memories were created.  

 {our cutie}

 {family time}

{good times in middleburg, va}

2011 has brought us so much love and joy, mainly due to the fact that our darling daughter arrived safely and healthy.  this year's memories we will cherish for years to come.  here is to 2012 and the new memories we will create and endure as a family of three.  cheers to 2012!

xoxoxoxo