Rylan - Two Months

Rylan's two-month birthday was on August 21 (better late than never on this post). He is the sweetest baby boy and has started to develop quite a little personality. 

Sleeping at night was still a little rough, but we seemed to turn a corner toward the end of the month. But Rylan still likes to take his sweet time eating, usually nursing for an hour at a time and pretty much constantly during his six-week growth spurt...holy jeez that was a rough few days!

God definitely knows what he is doing though, because right around that six-week growth spurt was when Rylan started to smile. And that toothless, dimpled grin is one of the best things in the whole world.

His smile was on display during his monthly photo shoot. Here are some of my favorites (I don't know why his hair looks so red)...

Stats:

• Weight - 8 pounds, 1 ounce (less than 5th percentile)
• Height - 22 inches (10th percentile)
• Head - 15 1/8 inches (30th percentile)

Milestones/Firsts:

• The social smile. Perhaps my favorite baby milestone of all. 

• Rylan took his first trip down to Austin. 
• Toward the end of the month, he started cooing and has been talking up a storm ever since. 

Likes:

• White noise. Especially the sound of running water. It is amazing how fast he calms down!
• Having his hair washed. 
• Sleeping in the Rock 'n Play (we tried to switch him to the crib at one point and it was an epic fail). 
• Laying on the changing table. It is when he is at his smiliest. 
• Eating for hours on end. 

Dislikes:

• Tummy time.
• Getting in his carseat, which is a common occurrence as a second child. 

Some other photos from last month…

Grammie came up for a visit (and was a huge help!). 

He also got to spend some time with Aunt Tori (and his cousins).

Happy baby. 

The poor thing had to get the two-month shots in his tiny little chicken legs. It was heartbreaking. 

But he actually handled it better than Ava did. A little snuggling with Daddy was all it took to calm him down that night. 

Our dapper little fella. 

Lovely. 

Rylan loves his big sister.

But it's not always sunshine and rainbows :). 

WINOS Weekend 2014 | Part Three

For the final portion of our WINOS weekend, we enjoyed a fabulous brunch at The Mansion. This also doubled as our Second Sunday Brunch Bunch meeting for August.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we reserved a table on the terrace. 

We started off with Bloody Marys and mimosas...my first in about 10 months!

They brought out a bread basket for the table, and the scones were so cute (and yummy). 

Several of us ordered the three-course brunch tasting menu, which also came with a sashimi amuse. I am not really a fan of raw fish, but the others really liked it. 

For my first course, I ordered the Apple Bacon Cakes. I took a photo, but it somehow disappeared from my iPhone. Let me just say…they were amazing!

Erin ordered the tortilla soup, which is basically the same as what is served at Fearing's (Dean Fearing used to be the chef at The Mansion). I have ordered it there as well, and it is fantastic. 

The corn soup was also a hit!

For the main course, a couple girls ordered the Raisin Pecan French Toast with apple butter and orange mascarpone. Laura is our resident French toast aficionado, and while she loved this meal, it didn't top others she has ordered over the course of our Second Sunday run (such as the French Toast Casserole at Nova). 

Erin ordered the Croque Madame, which was delicious...and huge. 

Sarah chose the Brunch Burger, which is topped with applewood aioli, confit tomato, and white cheddar and comes with amazing fries. Definitely a good choice. 

And Jill and I ordered the Smoked Brisket Benedict, which comes on a biscuit with piquillo pepper and béarnaise sauce. It also had a potato cake and marinated tomatoes on the side. So good.

Perhaps the best thing about brunch at The Mansion is their dessert buffet. I mean...it's a buffet of adorably delicious little desserts. Sign me up. 

During our meal, we put together a "Hot and Not" list. Lolly's family does this on all of their vacations, and it was a fun way to chronicle the highs and lows of the weekend. We also made a list of things we want to do for future WINOS weekends…because there will definitely be more

I absolutely love these girls, and it was so wonderful to spend the weekend with them. We drank, ate, and laughed more than I have in quite a while. And it was amazing. 

I can't wait for WINOS weekend 2015!

WINOS Weekend 2014 | Part Two

After a low-key start to the weekend on Friday, we dialed up the fun on Saturday starting with drinks and pooltime at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. 

The hotel pool is not super big or fancy, but it was just what we needed...a relaxing spot to lounge by the pool and sip on some cocktails without a douchey Dallas scene. 

And speaking of cocktails, the "Sam-gria" made by our fantastic server, Sam, was amazing...and potent. 

Due to the fact that I had to get back to nurse Rylan later that afternoon, I couldn't partake in too much sangria...and my pool essentials looked a little different than normal. 

I's not really a party unless the mini fridge also serves as breastmilk storage ;). 

Several of the girls were staying at the hotel, and I left them the midst of a hilarious drunken dance party (during which someone may or may not have fallen off one of the beds) to head home for a while. But our crew cleaned up quite nicely, and everyone met up for dinner at Savor. 

Since we had to wait a while for our table, the bartender hooked us up with free champagne. Score!

We were finally seated on the patio, and it was worth the wait. The weather was unseasonably cool, and the patio overlooking Klyde Warren Park is gorgeous. 

After a wonderful meal, most of us called it a night in order to get home to our little ones (and poor Lolly got a migraine). And those left standing headed back to the hotel bar. 

It was such a fabulous night out with my girls.

Up next...an amazing brunch to end the weekend. 

WINOS Weekend 2014 | Part One

Sometime after our trip to Napa last year, we decided that we desperately needed an official girls' weekend each year...a few days filled with friends, food, laughter, and lots of wine. 

After much discussion, the WINOS (Women In Need Of Sangria) Weekend was born, and we set the date for the first one. Since I would have a teeny tiny newborn baby at the time, my friends graciously decided to hold the inaugural event in Dallas so that I could join the fun as much as possible. (However, we do plan on taking the show on the road most years.)

For those who could make it, we kicked off the weekend with mani/pedis on Friday afternoon. 

My mother-in-law graciously came up for the weekend so Josh would have some help with the kids while I was away from the house. But I felt bad leaving her alone with both babies on Friday, so Ava got to enjoy her first mani/pedi experience. 

My little girly girl loved every minute of it. 

We regrouped later that night at Jill's house for a low-key wine and cheese night. 

The sangria and was excellent. 

Did I mention we made shirts? It was clearly a necessity. 

Rylan crashed the party. He doesn't mind being surrounded by ladies :). 

Tiny crowns...because, why not?!

It was a fabulous start to the weekend!

Up next...a sangria-filled pool day and a delicious dinner on a gorgeous patio.