Today Charlie and I braved the snow, wind, and super-cold temps to spend the morning with Lauren and her Mommy, Ms. Liz. It was so fun to catch up while the girls chased each other around the dining room table in fits of giggles. You’ll notice in these pics that Charlie had another haircut this week. I think she is destined to have incredibly fast-growing hair, just like her mother! I feel like we have it cut quite often!!

I am pooped. By the time 6 pm rolls around these days, I am half-asleep on the couch as my toddler is lighting up the apartment in a ball of fire….well, not really, but doesn’t it feel that way sometimes?

Today we spent the morning with the Jernigan boys. It’s so cute to see Charlie and Henry together because they are the same exact height, although Henry weighs much more than she does. I tried to get them to both smile but she would not cooperate. She was much too busy playing with Thomas the Train and all of his friends. Henry was more than willing to oblige a smile. “Baby” Henry just turned 1 this past Wednesday!! Happy Birthday, Baby H!!!

40 degrees?? What is this, summertime??

Just a friendly reminder about my Matilda Jane trunk show! These darling pieces will be there, as well as (I hear) around 43 more!!! The Bischoff Boutique will officially be open next Tuesday night, March 3rd, from 7-9 pm.

Check out www.matildajanegirls.com in the “Blog” section for continued “sneak peeks” and info on the new line. If you see something that interests you but you don’t live in Chicago, let me know and my trunkkeeper can take your order over the phone. Email me for details at amandaandvann@yahoo.com. Happy Shopping!!

Hibernation also means that you all are subjected to my random musings and thoughts throughout the day…ready for it?? When we purchased all of our nursery furniture and decor, we planned on re-using it because it is gender neutral and will work for a boy or a girl. This also means that I get full reign to play with Charlie’s future “big girl” room. Yay!

I love Pottery Barn Kids, but Lord knows, it’s not the most cost-effective stuff out there. In my head, I see a great variety of pieces coming together to make a whimsical and eclectic space for my whimsical girl. That being said, I fell in love with this bedding set MONTHS ago:

So sweet, right?? Owls, mushrooms, deer….the more the merrier…I am just loving it. I would probably try to convince Daddy to let me purchase said bedding with say, oh, a tax refund (if we were so lucky), but knowing me, I might like something better when it’s ACTUALLY time to make these kinds of decisions. Ah, fickleness, you are my friend.

But here’s something I discovered that might help with the problem of fickleness….check it out…. www.wallcandyarts.com. Removable decals for nurseries and children’s rooms. Umm….if I were as creative and talented in the area of painting (as Ms. Marla is!) I would tackle these things on my own. But this, THIS is my kind of decorating!!!!!

This was the best picture we could get of Charlie after church on Sunday! She refused to hold still. She’s wearing a Petit Ami dress I bought at the now-defunct City Mouse store in Lincoln Square. It’s probably a good thing that the little boutique went out of business, as it always seemed to be a good destination on those days when you just wanted to get out of the house with your newborn but didn’t want to go too far. *Sigh* It’s now been replaced with a women’s shoe store….not the same excitement, at least not in my book.

Daddy had to work Journeyland (Park’s children’s ministry) on Sunday, and I still wasn’t feeling at 100%, so he (being the man and father that he is) knew it was a perfect chance for a little daddy/daughter time. They went to church, and blissfully, I stayed nestled in bed and succeeded in sleeping for a total of 12 hours. I don’t need to tell you how great THAT felt. Charlie had the pleasure of spending Oscar night with her Auntie’s Em and Kate. They wore her out real good. After she went to bed, it was the usual combination of celebrity gossip, sushi, and cupcakes, which you know, can never go wrong.

Today, we bailed on Aquababies (yes, I know, our attendance hasn’t been stellar) and I find that I am in total hibernation mode. I’m not sure what I was thinking, signing her up for a swim class in the dead of winter, if only to have SOMETHING to do with our time. The timing of the classes are not ideal with Charlie’s schedule (having to rush home afterwards to feed/bathe/nap her before it’s so late that she won’t do any of those, for example) but we still have two classes left before the end of the session, and I will make a concerted effort to make it to those. It’s just so COLD.

One really positive thing that I will share (since I’m feeling chatty today), is that Daddy and I decided to instill a “no computer Sunday” rule. We’ve been feeling like our Sunday’s (after church) are usually spent with one of us in the office the entire afternoon, which leads to no actual family time. We tried it out yesterday, and it was awesome! Even though I was reading my Vogue and he was watching HGTV (we are very into shows about homes these days), we were in close proximity of each other and really got to focus on Charlie the hours she was awake. It made for a really nice day. I do however, reserve the right to include a clause for A. occasionally listing on eBay, and B. the spring release of Matilda Jane, which incidentally happens next Sunday, March 1st. The lookbook will be out, and you know I’m gonna want to check that out! Here’s a teaser shot for all you ladies with teeny weeny ones…cute, eh?

The other exciting part of our day was a visit from the UPS man! Every single time I leave Texas to come back to Chicago, I inevitably have more than I can pack in my suitcase. Mimi always ends up shipping a box. This time, the box included some awesome hand-me-down’s from Charlie’s cousin Dali!

One item was this dress that we originally bought for Dali in Hawaii LAST year. We tried to buy another like it for Charlie in Hawaii this time, but couldn’t find one! I’m glad this little dress will get so much use!!Something else of note: we bought our china cabinet off of Craigslist for super-cheap when we moved into our current apartment. It’s not the nicest in the world, but it does the job. Ever since we got back from Texas, Charlie has not been able to stay away from the bottom two doors. I think my options are either to A. figure out a way to keep them closed, or B. move everything out of the bottom part of the cabinet and let it be her kitchen/toy storage. Oh, to have room for an actual china cabinet AND some toy storage for Charlie….

We had such a fun morning! Charlie’s very good friends Lauren and Elynor came over to play, along with their Mommies, Ms. Liz and Ms. Sarah. The girls had a great time catching up and shared a snack of Ms. Sarah’s delicious poppyseed bread. We were having such a blast that I completely forgot to take any pics!

As the months move towards spring, I find myself torturing Charlie with more and more fashion show’s. Unfortunately for me, she is not a great subject, and humors me under GREAT duress. She is definitely not one of those kids who will calmly stand there as I dress her. I spend the greater part of our mornings chasing her down, my hands covered in Desitin.

At any rate, here is a Luna Luna eBay score that’s been quietly waiting in the back of a drawer….