photographer {emily ulmer}

emily and i were destined to meet.  i was first introduced to the utterly amazing work of emily ulmer by a good friend of ours almost two years ago.  she had shot our friend's kids and her photos were stunning.  the images just captured them beautifully in such a suspension of a moment.  i started following her work and noticed she had taken lots of photos of friends' children.  her images are so unique, deep and seem to absolutely capture the essence of the child she's photographing.

recently, bea's godfather posted a photo of himself & bea on instagram and emily commented on the photo saying that she wanted her "camera to meet {her}."  a few days after that, i was at my dear friend elizabeth's house and she mentioned off-hand that she had written a note to her friend emily and told her about bea and that she needed to photograph her...

some things are just meant to be...the connections were bringing us closer.  we managed to meet in person and emily offered to photograph bea.  this month, we had the honor of having emily in our home, we spent a few hours together, with the morning light filtering through the windows, chatting and laughing, while she photographed bea.  she was so easy and comfortable with bea...it was like she just opened up for emily and let her inside her world.

if you are lucky enough to live in the los angeles area, emily is offering a special rate for holiday portraits...1 hour session for 4 prints.  please feel free to contact emily at info@emilyulmer.com to capture the beautiful moments in your little's life.  not only will you get to have some amazing photos, you'll enjoy the time spent with emily as she's truly a treasure.

{photo credit:  emily ulmer}

oh the people you'll meet...

this week is world breastfeeding week....so why do i have a picture of beatrice and patty with yo gabba gabba you might ask?  well, rather than post about the benefits of breastfeeding and how much it has bonded me with beatrice, i'm going to take a lighter approach...since there are numerous beautiful posts about breastfeeding {i'll share some links at the end}, i thought i'd relay my favorite funny breastfeeding story...

a few months back, we volunteered at the pablove valentines day event for kids.  this organization is near and dear to our hearts, so we really wanted to participate.  since beatrice was only five months old, i wore her in my moby wrap and was able to work the silent auction.  at the time, i hadn't quite mastered feeding her while carrying her, so when i needed to breastfeed, i would just pull up a chair or sit on the floor, but it wasn't really comfortable.  our friend jeff, the president and founder of pablove said: "this is a kid's event!  we should have a breastfeeding area for mamas...next time, we'll set up an area with comfy couches...but in the meantime, would you like to sit in the dressing room on the couch?"  he wasn't trying to "hide" a nursing mother...he was just trying to make me more comfortable...

so back to the dressing room i went...and guess who was getting dressed?!? the characters from yo gabba gabba! now, beatrice doesn't even watch tv, but patty & i are huge fans {well, especially patty!}...when we took care of our friend jorjee's daughter, maude, she really got us hooked!  so, when beatrice does finally watch some tv, i'm sure it will be yo gabba gabba!

now i'm not going to tell you what went on in that dressing room, as i'm sure that would violate some trade secrets!  let's just say it was fun, fun, fun!  but the point i'm really trying to make here is...breastfeeding can take you places, open doors, provide a great topic of conversation, etc...

one more fun reason to breastfeed your baby:  you never know where it will take you!

here are some great links and organizations that promote breastfeeding:

• la leche league is a great resource for breastfeeding moms...look up a local chapter for great support meetings!
• live in the los angeles area?  the pump station has great support groups and classes! the support classes were a lifesaver for me.  they really helped us get our breastfeeding off to a great start.
• great online community of breastfeeding mamas, check out the leaky boob and like them on facebook.
• best for babes provides valuable resources and studies about breastfeeding benefits for mama and baby.
• unfortunately mothering magazine is no more, but their website and forums are a great place for information and support.

do you have a breastfeeding story or resource to share?

{photo by jennifer hamilton}

music mondays {rock and roll camp for girls}

this past week, patty has been teaching drums to girls at the rock & roll camp for girls...she is so passionate about this.  it's an amazing program that teaches girls about being in a band...everything from how to play their instrument to how to silk screen their band t-shirts.  music being a fairly male dominated field, i think this is so inspiring!  girls are so often taught be quiet and polite, and rocking out is the opposite!!  girls also often lack the self-esteem necessary to really put themselves out there...and i love what the rock camp is doing...really giving girls the tools necessary and the confidence to play and perform music.  their tagline is "empowering girls through music education."

adult women instructors teach the girls for one week, and then at the end of the week they have a showcase so all the bands can perform.  this year, patty had her friend linda perry come down to perform and give a song writing workshop...it was really powerful...the girls were blown away!

i didn't get to see the showcase, unfortunately {sleeping baby & rock show don't go so well together!}, but i was there when the show ended and got to see the beaming parents and thrilled kids exit the venue...there were so many smiles and proud moments and kid after kid with their moms came up to patty & the other instructors and told them what an amazing opportunity the camp was for them...

what an fantastic program to support the esteem-building and empowerment of young women!  they also offer adult ladies camps if you are in the los angeles area that help fund scholarships for girls to go to camp.  be sure to like them on facebook and follow them on twitter to find out when the next camp is and how you can help!

{photo credit here}

kids helping kids...

how amazing is this kid? so inspiring to see other kids giving back to help each other! he's raising money for one of my favorite charities, the pablove foundation.

go vote for him now!

luving luvette...

i have to say it's been pretty cold here in los angeles. i know, i'm spoiled--no snow blizzards or anything, but for sunny so cal, drops into the 4o's are considered cold. so beatrice has been keeping her little bum warm with cashmere. yes, cashmere. she got a pair of bum warmers as a gift from luvette.

luvette is run by an eco-responsible mom who re-purposes sweaters into adorable baby & toddler wear. you'll find pants, diaper covers, even blankets, all lovingly hand-crafted for your little one. how genius & adorable...beatrice's little pants are made from an old cashmere sweater {the sleeves are the legs!}...so soft & luxurious for her little tush!

i think beatrice needs to sport that little skirt...

{photo credit: luvette}

hand-made eco toys on etsy...cuteness abounds!

it's unfortunate that one needs to make sure that a toy is non-toxic these days, so i tend to stick to hand-made and made responsibly. plus, the hand-made ones are the cutest! so sweet and special. here are some of my favorites from etsy sellers:

{cloth play blocks from the polka dot spot on etsy}

{soft baby rattle, bee from by handmade by marika on etsy}

{crocheted organic rattle, monkey {there are lots of animals to choose from!} from locomomma on etsy}

{little anchor teether from little sapling toys on etsy}

{felted sheep from woolies on etsy}

{matilda, the eco friendly owl also from woolies on etsy}

happy friday...donate toys!

happy friday, folks!

what are you up to this weekend? if you are in los angeles, please consider donating toys to children's hospital los angeles. they have run out of toys! it breaks my heart to think of kids in the hospital at all, let alone on christmas, so please consider brightening one child's life this season...since they only accept new toys, i try to purchase eco-friendly wooden toys, that are safe and non-toxic. these kids are already so exposed to toxins, why expose them to more...

in fact, continue to spread the love for children with cancer, eschew the gift giving frenzy and for the adults in your life, consider a donation to a favorite charity. one of my favorites is the pablove foundation, fighting childhood cancer with love. the foundation was started by our friends, jeff & jo ann, who lost their sweet boy, pablo to cancer. they have turned their struggle into an amazing foundation that helps other kids...truly an inspiration.

{photo credit: oompa.com}

baby clothes get me every time...

ok, i'll admit it: not everything i buy for beatrice is vintage, home-made or from a re-sale shop...sometimes i buy her some basics, toys, books & other sweet stuff from zulily or gilt sales. basically they are invite only sales where they feature great deals on clothes, books & toys for babies and maternity & nursing gear for mamas {gilt also has women's, men's, gift & home sales, but i only shop children's!}...i've gotten a few of my favorite glamourmom nursing tanks on zulily for half price...

this morning i bought a super-sweet tunic from kayce hughes, an adorable striped sailor suit & floral playsuit from coccoli. pretty cute items that i probably wouldn't have purchased full price...

{photos from zulily}

so here are your invites to zulily and to gilt...

steady as she grows {thirteen weeks}

lucky thirteen weeks old...beatrice is really much more alert to the world and enjoying every minute of it. smiles, smiles and laughter. she's also graduated to facing out in her moby wrap. she can hold her head up very well and loves looking at the world go by...she's still a great sleeper at night, although lately she's been waking a bit more for feedings...but i can't complain...

she also took her first plane trip last week...it was a short flight, just one hour home to oakland, but she did great! she nursed on take off and landing and didn't fuss at all. i'm so glad i bought an extra seat for her, it's so much safer...i never understood just holding a baby on a flight. both my parents are in the airline business, though, and they always said it was better to have a baby secure in their own seat if {god forbid} anything happened. patty & i were flying home once and the plane had so much turbulence, the wings were at a ninety degree angle to the ground! i can't imagine having to put beatrice under the seat in front of me in that situation...

so if you're traveling this upcoming holiday season with baby, spring for the seat & bring her carseat, hopefully you won't need it, but it's worth it!

she's wearing:

{adorable vintage 2-piece bunny outfit}

{pixie lily booties}

music mondays {renee & jeremy}

in the morning, beatrice loves to have a dance party...we put on music and i dance with her until she falls asleep for her morning nap. one of her favorites is home by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, but lately, we've been listening to a children's station on pandora. i keep bookmarking the same artist over & over again, so i decided to check them out...renee & jeremy.

they are not new to the kids' music scene, their first album, it's a big world, came out in 2007...but i am new to the kids' music scene, so i'm just now learning of them. the songs i kept bookmarking on pandora are from it's a big world, and they are all really beautiful, loving, sweet songs...their voices together give me goosebumps. you absolutely do not need children to enjoy these tunes...but being a parent just enhances the already lovely listening experience...

i'm excited to really listen to their other album, c'mon, of which this is the title song...and who can resist little drummer boy...i had to download that one right away!

parents & non-parents alike: enjoy!

if we have a girl...

this will be her nursery inspiration. drum kit & dj lance included. {click on photo to view larger.}

{photo credit here.}

sweet boy...

i'm not a mom yet, but i can't imagine the incredible love, courage and bravery of this mom, lynn of satsuma press. her sweet boy, liam, has a neuromuscular disorder called spinal muscular atrophy type 2 and they are raising money to remodel the bathroom to accomodate liam's wheelchair.

another example of putting things into perspective and being grateful for every moment of every day.

help liam's cause & learn more here.