Layla's First Photo Shoot

We have had another successful shoot with Kevin Wong, our wonderful photographer friend, only this time, what Matt and I did was really of little consequence. The entire shoot depended on Kevin's talent and of course the mood of our little Layla. We had planned a Saturday shoot to get Layla's first professional pictures taken as she was already 4 months old! Luckily, our little peanut woke up in a great mood that day and we even managed a nap before Kevin arrived. We had 3 different outfits picked out and were all set to go. The only concern that I had was keeping her outfits spit-up free until we got some pictures taken in them. Layla is a notorious spitter and is always wearing a bib...not really an option for pictures.

It actually worked out pretty well in that we were able to get shots in all of the outfits and Layla puking on them just dictated when it was time to change clothes and locations. We took pictures in her room and our bedroom. It was really fun and relaxed and we really enjoyed it! Of course they turned out beautifully as I knew they would because Kevin is amazing! Our little girl has become quite the ham and has no shortage of smiles for the camera. We also got some great family photos and I can't wait to get them printed and framed for the house. It was a wonderful day and we're so thrilled to have these photos!

Another Little Layla

I am relatively new to the world of Twitter and really only use it to keep up on my celebrity gossip, so as a result, the majority of those that I follow are celebrities. However, in the last week my attention has been focused not on what the celebs are up to and the excitement of Hollywood, but rather it has been on a BEAUTIFUL 2 year old little girl from Houston, who shares my daughter's name and is fighting a terrible battle against cancer.

I initially learned about her from one of Kim Kardashian's tweets. I then read Layla Grace's story on her mom Shanna's blog and began following her on Twitter. I can honestly say that I broke down and cried with every new tweet. Here I was, nursing my sweet angel Layla Corinne and watching her peaceful, happy face, so thankful to have a healthy little girl and at the same time, completely heartbroken over Layla Grace's struggle and that of her family. Layla Grace suffers from stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Unfortunately, she is coming to the end of her fight and will soon find her way home, but she has made a huge impact on the world in her very short 2 years. She is such a strong little girl and her family has amazing faith. I could not even begin to imagine what they are going through...all I can do is pray for this sweet baby girl and her family and hold on extra tight to my own little one. I will certainly do my very best to cherish every single moment with my Layla and thank God for this wonderful blessing.

I also took the time to order an adorable tutu from LittleDivaTutus.com for my Layla as a portion of the money goes to Layla Grace. I would encourage you all to take the time to read her story at http://laylagrace.org and go order a tutu for a cute little girl in your life from www.littledivatutus.com to help her family with the enormous medical expenses.

Children are such a blessing and there is something special about little girls...especially the Layla's...

My Daughter Needs a Tip Jar...Apparently

This past weekend Matt and I started sleep training Layla so that she can sleep in her own crib in her own room. This decision was preceded by our 4 month check-up with our doctor who agreed that now is the time to make the transition, especially since I hadn't been sleeping well over the last few months with her in our bed. I knew it was the right thing to do but, I had no idea how hard it would be emotionally to send our sweet little baby packin' to her own room.

We decided to start on Saturday night because that day she had a photo shoot with Kevin (who did our maternity photos) and I did not want a crabby baby for pictures. That first night was brutal putting her down to sleep all by her lonesome in her crib and leaving the room. She slept for a half and hour and then woke up screaming looking for comfort from Mommy like she is used to getting. We used the "graduated extinction" method where you let your baby cry in timed intervals gradually increasing the time between going in to soothe them. It was a very long rough night with her waking up every hour, however as time went on, the intervals were shorter before she would fall asleep.

All in all, we made it through the night but by morning we were all incredibly sleep deprived and not feeling well. Matt and I decided to spend the day in sweats and not do anything, despite the fact that it was Superbowl Sunday (yay Saints, btw). We did however, go to Panera for lunch, sweats and all and who knew it would be such a lucrative lunch. When we got there I found a table with Layla and Matt ordered our food. As we ate we took turns holding her, as she is simply not satisfied sitting in her carseat anymore when we are out to eat. We talked and Layla smiled and looked adorable (as usual) and as we were finishing up, the woman sitting at the table by herself behind us puts $20 on our table and says that she would like to buy our lunch. I was incredibly confused...did she think we were poor because we were dressed like bums (my iPhone was sitting on the table)? Did she feel bad for us because she thought we were teen parents (a common misconception Matt and I always deal with, we get carded to see R rated movies)? Or was she just trying to do something nice? I told her she did not have to do that and that I could not accept it, however she insisted saying that one look at Layla's big blue eyes and she had to and that I must accept it. She was very insistent so instead of continuing to argue with her, I took the money and will put it towards Layla's college fund (or more realistically, her ever growing wardrobe). It is very nice to know that there are sweet people out there in the world who do generous things for no good reason. I think from now on when we go out in public with Layla, we'll just put a tip jar on the table and see what happens. The kid sure knows how to earn her keep :)