aveline alenka – Page 20 – The Oaxacaborn Blog

it’s just beautiful in central florida right now. as much as i miss norcal, i’m actually really glad i’m missing the pollen-infested allergy season. see this pretty flower? it wasn’t at all sneeze-inducing. at this time last year in california, both josiah and i sneezed non-stop for two months. here? nary a sneeze.

beautiful pink blossom in central Florida

we’re taking advantage of this beautiful weather as much as we can. this afternoon, we went out for a walk in the sunshine.

oaxacaborn and 26pm - crossing the street - skirt and sandals, flip flops with blue jeans

out little neighborhood is simply lovely. we’re so blessed to live in a place like this. i just love all the palm trees! and i love that handsome man with all of my heart. (aveline’s eyelet floppy hat is from the children’s place; her dress is the sweet pinny from the pumpkin patch. it’s no longer available but you can view it here.)

26pm holding daughter baby aveline near palm trees - daddy's shirt from o'neill, baby's clothes from the childrens place

and what’s a little walk without a detour for coffee? decaf, of course. aveline is enough caffeine for me. when it comes to keeping me up at night, she gives late-night shots of espresso a definite run for their money.

starbucks iced americano with baby in background

holding aveline near florida palm trees (baby's sundress and sunhat both from the children's place; mama's tank from target)

oh, i live such a blessed, beautiful life.

Little Style

Aveline’s First Easter

April 24, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

3 month old Aveline - Baby's First Easter - Dress from The Children's Place

my little sweetums has not one, but two easter dresses for her first easter. spoiled much?! or just the perks of being the first and only grandchild on both sides of the family? in this picture, she’s wearing the rosette floral dress (complete with crinoline!) from the children’s place. isn’t it lovely? aveline says thank you, grandma susan and great grandma catron.

Poetry & Words

letters to aveline: mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird

April 20, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

hush little baby now don't you cry / daddy loves you and so do i

dear aveline,

we didn’t sleep so well last night, you and i. (and daddy makes three). you tossed and turned until midnight, and then finally fell asleep at 12:30. you were up again at 2 and didn’t fall asleep until 3. up again at 5. i was so tired i could hardly see straight, but somehow just your tiny little presence, restless in my arms, filled me with happy joy.

you wouldn’t go back to sleep, so around 6:30 i started singing softly to you, hush little baby, don’t say a word / mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird…

and you smiled at me. you looked up through your little tears and red-rimmed eyes and smiled at me. …and if that mockingbird don’t sing / mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring…

my heart melted, and just kept on melting …and if that diamond ring turns brass…

your eyes slowly fluttered closed, then opened again to look at me …mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass…

i heard soft clinking sounds coming from the kitchen, and smelled coffee in the air. …and if that looking glass gets broke…

you sighed, a deep, satisfied sigh, and drifted into a peaceful sleep as the first rays of dawn peeked through the windows and cast soft shadows over your sleeping body. i could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. your daddy walked into the room, set a fresh cup of coffee down on the bedside table, kissed my forehead, and said, you can drink it later.

and then we slept, baby. you and i. after that restless night, we slept.

so hush little baby / don’t you cry / daddy loves you / and so do i

love, your mama

Poetry & Words

this wild life

April 19, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

black and white photo of iced coffee in mason jar with straw

i’ve taken to drinking an iced coffee every afternoon. i’m relying on the placebo effect, since it’s all decaf these days. but caffeine or not, there is just something so satisfying about coffee.

last week was a bit on the rough side. the wee one suddenly decided she preferred the newborn schedule of waking up every three hours at night. she also decided there was no need to nap during the day. by the time the weekend rolled around, i was ready to flop myself down on the floor and sleep for days. and glory be, on sunday afternoon i actually fell asleep on the sunlit bed, with josiah next to me surfing the interwebs, and aveline snoozing peacefully in her crib. when i woke up two hours later, i was utterly confused at the foreign feeling of restfulness, but deliriously happy.

it’s amazing what a little sleep can do.

and now, it’s tuesday afternoon and she’s napping. napping, people!! (in this new world of parenthood, a baby napping is an epic joy — something to be celebrated. i’ve celebrated by showering and eating a proper lunch.)

and you know? this new life is beautiful. even the chaos is beautiful, because it’s not a chaos of strife or contention. no, it’s a beautiful chaos. like the lapping waves of the ocean, it’s constant motion; changing always yet the sound is a steady rhythm. the scattered blankets and washcloths and teething toys on the floor of the living room are like the stones and shells scattered across a sandy beach. there is no precision, but it’s all beauty. there is high tide and there is low tide, there is the scorching high noon sun and there is the charcoal darkness of the new moon. but it’s life, it’s all life, pulsating with love and punctuated laughter.

and we are sitting here, joy-filled, holding our precious baby and reveling in the spray of the ocean air. our hair is wild with the wind and the salt, our eyes looking onward, looking forward, our hearts firmly planted in joy and hope and peace.

Life in Photos

LIFE IN PHOTOS :: aveline will be three months old tomorrow

April 18, 2011November 6, 2012 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

where has the time gone? black and white photo of three month old baby girl

Life in Photos

a little peek into my home on a thursday morning

April 14, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Life in Photos

the best kind of evenings

April 11, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Gina (Oaxacaborn blog) and daughter Aveline

these are the best kind of evenings ever. josiah working on art. aveline and i just hanging out on the floor, happy as can be.

i love my life.

Life in Photos

a spring vacation week with lauren: the instagram version

April 11, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

this week was amazing. my lovely friend lauren–who was a bridesmaid in my wedding–came to visit! i haven’t seen her since 2008, so (obviously!) this was her first time meeting aveline.

they got along smashingly. lauren was so patient with the fact that aveline’s naplessness and teething took precedence over going out and about. so, we settled in on the couch and took turns holding aveline while drinking iced coffees, tweeting to each other, and watching back to back (to back) episodes of say yes to the dress. (ssshhh, don’t tell.)

we did have a few outings. it’s always fun to wander around ross, right? especially when you’re with a friend, and you get the giggles upon spotting the creepiest clearance rack ever. i mean, seriously! how can this get much worse? mr. chipped-ear-elephant gave me the willies. and why exactly is he giving the bottle of yeast the eye?

we also drove downtown and took a lovely walk around lake eola. in all the times i’ve been there, i’ve never noticed this monument to the confederate states. it kind of blew my mind. i should have taken a photo of the inscription on the base of the monument. a lot of people will argue that florida isn’t really the true south, but if that’s the case, why are they celebrating the confederacy every time i turn around? i’ve seen more confederate flags here than any other place i’ve ever lived. it’s bizarre.

but i digress…

while lauren was here, we also drove to the coast and spend the afternoon at cocoa beach. this beach as a special place in my heart, as my family came here on an amazing vacation when i was 16 years old, and it’s where josiah proposed in 2008. this time, we introduced little aveline to the ocean for the very first time.

she was dressed as lawrence of arabia for the majority of the time, but i think she enjoyed herself. it was a gorgeous, beautiful day. i just love the florida coast. as i was sitting on the beach looking out over the rolling crystal blue waves, i commented to josiah that as awesome as california is, i really do love florida and i wouldn’t mind living here for years. i see beauty everwhere here now. i know God has done a work in my heart, as i really am so content and happy here this time around — and it wasn’t like that at all before. thank you, Lord, for this wonderful peace.