Archives for July 2012

Giveaway: Blabla’s classic doll (CLOSED)

July 24, 2012

One of the first gifts I bought for Levi while I was still pregnant was Socks the Fox. I was charmed by the handmade quality and overall adorableness of this tie-wearing knitted doll from blabla and–bonus!–he perfectly coordinated with the nursery’s color scheme.

My favorite of Levi’s stuffed animals, Socks the Fox was an easy choice when I was looking for an object to place next to Levi in his monthly photos. Socks has played a supporting but very important role in all twelve of Levi’s chair portraits; posing Levi with the same toy really helped to illustrate his month-by-month growth. Some of my favorite outtakes feature Levi squeezing, sitting on or chewing that silly orange fox!

In celebration of Levi’s first birthday, blabla would like to offer one Bunny & Dolly reader a large Socks the Fox doll or any large doll of their choice! Blabla knows how much Levi loves his classic blabla doll and wants your little one to have his or her very own knitted companion, too. Hooray for blabla! (Can you tell that I’m absolutely giddy about this giveaway?)

Here’s how to enter:

Visit blabla’s website to check out their collection of classic blabla dolls and tell me which large doll you would like to win in the comment section below.

For BONUS entries:

“Like” Bunny & Dolly on Facebook and leave a comment below.
Share this tweet on Twitter: “I just entered to win a @blablakids doll on @bunnyanddolly!” and leave a comment below.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, July 29th at 11:59pm CST. You must include a valid email address with your entry! One winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Monday, July 30th.

I hope you’re all as excited about this giveaway as I am! Good luck!

UPDATED: Congratulations to the winner, Catherine V! Please contact me to claim your prize!

Levi’s monthly photo (12 months old)

July 23, 2012

Dear Levi,

You are 12 months old! Actually, you have been 12 months old for over a week and a half already. For some reason, I had a hard time writing this month’s letter to you. I’m not sure if it was because I was feeling extra emotional about this particularly milestone – after all, you are now officially a toddler and no longer a baby – and when I’m dealing with a whirlwind of emotions, I have a very hard time concentrating. Or maybe I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to properly express how I feel about you turning one, and I let my obsessive-compulsive tendencies get the best of me.… READ MORE!

On my mind

July 19, 2012

Every day this week, I sat at the computer and attempted to write my monthly letter to Levi. He has been one year old for a week now, and I still don’t have a milestone post worth sharing. My words are jumbled; my sentences, confusing. Why is this month’s update so much harder to write? Is it because talking about his last official month as a baby is too emotional for me? Perhaps. Is it because I’m less prepared, having not taken as many notes as I took for other months? Maybe a little bit.

No, I think the main reason why I can’t write a monthly letter worth reading is because I’m too distracted. I can’t quiet all of thoughts running through my mind, and I literally can’t hear myself think.

So instead of posting a half-ass letter to Levi, one I would surely critique harshly later on, I’ve decided to share with you everything that’s on my mind. Like a brain dump or a virtual therapy session.

In no particular order, here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately:

Levi’s one-year portrait session is schedule for this evening, but will it be too hot to shoot them outside?
Should I reschedule for early in the morning on another day?
But what if we can’t find a morning that works and Levi is 13 months old by the time we can reschedule?
If we do them tonight, what will we all wear?
I have so much laundry to do.
I have to clean the basement because JB’s mom is arriving to Omaha tonight and will be sleeping downstairs.
I really want to redecorate the basement.
Maybe I can rearrange furniture and hang some art on the walls this afternoon.
I need to get a manicure this afternoon, especially if we are still taking family photos.
Should I cancel Levi’s midday playdate so that I have more time to run errands?
I need to go to the supermarket.
What are we going to serve for lunch at Levi’s birthday party on Sunday?
I really need to count the RSVPs and decide whether we need to borrow/rent tables and chairs for the backyard.
I hope it doesn’t rain on Sunday.
Should I make or buy a cake for the party?
Or should I serve cupcakes?
Normal-size cupcakes or mini cupcakes?
I really need to get organized for this party.
What should we do with Briscoe during the party?
I need to write more posts for Lifetime Moms this month.
I can’t forget to submit my hours for my copy editing job today.
I can’t forget to RSVP for a wedding in September that we were invited to. The deadline was yesterday.
I want to take new head shots to use with my freelance writer byline but I can’t afford $300 for them.
How can I make more money?
I need to finalize plans for a trip to NYC in August.
I’m nervous about going to a blogging conference.
Is it even worth investing time and money into this blog?
Does anybody read Bunny & Dolly?
Maybe I should quit blogging all together.
Maybe I should just go back to bed.

Another reason why I’m so anxious to post Levi’s 12-month-old photo and monthly letter is because I have an AMAZING giveaway to go along with it. Maybe the most exciting giveaway yet. But I can’t tell you about it until I post his milestone update, and I can’t post his milestone update until I’m able to think clearly. Let’s hope that happens quickly.

{cell phone cover image found here via Babble}

Vote for Levi’s 12-month-old photo!

July 18, 2012

I don’t normally ask for your help in choosing Levi’s monthly photo, but I’m having the hardest time picking my favorite.

(I also seem to be suffering from a bout of writer’s block, which is another reason why his milestone post is not up on the blog yet, but short of writing my monthly letter to Levi for me, you probably can’t help me with that!)

However, you can assist me in narrowing down my top three photo picks. Which of the photographs above do you like the best? Which do you think captures Levi’s spirit and personality? PS: The final photograph will be in color.

Please cast your vote for #1, #2 or #3 in the comments section below!

Should you hire a birth photographer?

July 17, 2012

As I trying to pick a few photos to include in Levi’s birth story (part 1 and part 2), I began to wish we had hired a professional photographer to document my labor and delivery. (Sorry, JB!) So I wrote about the pros and cons of using a birth photographer for Lifetime Moms. You can read my article here.

PS: I was hoping to have Levi’s 12-month-old portrait and letter ready to go up today, but I’m finding it difficult to write about this particular month’s milestones. Perhaps I’m still in denial that my baby is officially a toddler now.