In my 'Noelle's Fourth Month' post, I mentioned that she likes giraffes. Somehow in all of our coordinating, decorating, and buying things in the theme of owls and birds, a giraffe snuck in there, and now it's her favorite animal.

First, for being such a brave girl at her two month check up, Nene and Da got her a plush giraffe rattle from the Wynn. She totally loves this toy. I had originally named him Mr. Raffe (I'm not creative), but soon that changed.

Noelle's buddy Mr. Raffe

Two months later, before our vacation to Florida (keep staying tuned, I will post about this), I decided to get Noelle a new toy to entertain her during our flight. Every kid has to have a Sophie Giraffe from Paris, right? I found a deal for a Sophie + giraffe Wubbanub (pacifier) and was sold!

Giraffe Wubbanub is a soothing companion during takeoff

Sophie from Paris in Florida

Mr. Raffe soon became plush Sophie, and giraffe Wubbanub did too (well, he's just Sophie).

Eating Plush Sophie's ears

Eating Sophie from Paris' ears

While plush Sophie is a rattle, Sophie squeaks when you squeeze her. To make our lives more chaotic  squeeze Sophie when Halas is near, and he'll grab her by the neck and claim her as his! Not to worry, she gets thoroughly sanitized before she's returned to Noelle, and she puts Sophie right into her mouth. Luckily Halas hasn't made it too far with her! Plush Sophie also gets a good bath on a weekly basis since Noelle likes to eat her ears. Sophie (of the Wubbanub variety) is the calmest of the three, and only hangs out with Noelle at bedtime. However, he can be found being used as a helicopter to try and propel her right out of her crib at night : )

Playing with both Sophies

Plush Sophie is a great cuddler

Wanting to get in on the giraffe theme myself, I couldn't resist these $20 shoes from the Gap!

This summer I can assure you we will go to the zoo so Noelle can see a real live giraffe in person. And, don't look at us funny when we refer to them as Sophie, ok?

Here we are, into our fifth month and more and more I can't believe how quickly time has passed. The fourth month was a pretty big one for Noelle. She grew a ton (we'll find out exactly how much on Thursday at her check-up), took her first airplane ride (stay tuned for another post on this one), and really just blossomed into more of a little person, rather than a bitty baby.

This month I thought I'd show you some of Noelle's favorite things.

smiling when Erin takes my photo for mommy and daddy at work

blowing bubbles

my stroller

hats

sitting when propped up & headbands

tummy time & headbands

holding onto blankets (& burp cloths)

giraffes. really loves giraffes!

Although time is passing super fast, we are having so much fun with our little lady, and can't wait to see everything that she has in store for us this month!

Recently I added a page to my blog for some of my favorite Etsy shop owners. I thought that, here and there, I might do a little spotlight post for them, too!

Around the one to two month mark I was getting a lot of comments from strangers (nice comments) about my "cute son." Well, we were just not going to stand for that, so headband shopping I went! I found one shop, Cutenessbuns, where I have done all of my headband shopping since then.

Husband hates headbands. He thinks they dent the babies head. Obviously, they do not, but I wanted to find a headband that was not only cute, but soft and "dent proof." When Noelle was smaller, I purchased the wide band kind since her head was a bit more fragile than it is now. My most recent purchase (since she's growing out of those) was all skinny elastic bands. Either way, none dent the babies head!

I love the selection and variety that Cutenessbuns creates. There are some special for holidays, some with one plain flower, and others with multiple flowers and pearls. They make a variety of colored flowers too so not everything is bright pink! This is my favorite part, probably. We have some very neutral clothes for our little girl, and her grey and navy headbands are the perfect accessory!

I hope you all check out the Cutenessbuns on Etsy. It is absolutely one of my favorite places to shop for our favorite lady!

With Valentines Day approaching faster than I can comprehend, this is the perfect message for today's Wednesday Wisdom!

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I can't believe that January is almost over, and right after Valentines Day is here, I will have a four month old. Holy moly. Time - SLOW IT DOWN!!

Happy middle of the week, ya'll!

Earlier this week I promised a post about a favorite weeknight meal. The first thing I will tell you is I'm sorry for the horribly low quality photo that is to come. It's just not in the cards lately, getting out the DSLR and setting a scene for my food shot when I barely have time to eat it.

Our nights with the babe are short and sweet on a weeknight. Dave and I both typically get home around 6 pm, the sitter leaves, the dog gets a walk, Noelle gets a bottle, and then it's bed time between 8-8:30 pm (for her, not us). In that two hours somewhere one of us makes dinner and we eat. 

Years ago Dave and I started making "Mexican Stirfry." It was one of our favorite dishes. Over the years though, it has transformed into more of a taco bowl. We love eating mexican food, and this is a super easy way to get that fix without all the work and assembly that tacos require.

You'll need ground beef, seasoned with taco seasoning, and your veggies of choice to mix in. This night, we chose a red pepper, a green pepper and half an onion that was leftover. We made a side of my favorite yellow rice (Zataran's is the best if you ask me) to go with it. I put my rice and taco mixture in a bowl together, and topped it with chunky avocado. 

In the old days where we had more time to linger over our meals, Dave would make his own pico de gallo, and guacamole. We would have other toppings such as salsa, sour cream, and melty Chihuahua cheese. If you like, I highly recommend these items! However, the sour cream and cheese definitely pack on the calories, so if you're looking for something with slightly less, don't cave into their deliciousness!

From start to finish, I'd say this takes about 35 minutes. Get your rice going first, and when it has about 15 minutes left, start your ground beef. After you've drained the fat out of your pan, add the taco seasoning. Once that is blended together throw in your veggies until they're soft. By the time this is done, your rice will be finished, and you're ready to chow down.

Enjoy!