Thursday, December 16, 2010

ben is #1!

another day, another birthday! happy first birthday to my nephew benjamin!

little ben after his first haircut

my brother couldn't wait for his turn on the airplane :)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

what are you reading?

i sometimes go on reading binges after a literary dry spell, i'm on my third book so far. i think it has something to do with the coziness of the season. i'd love to create a family reading nook, a nice cozy place to relax and maybe take a little nap. or i could make one for audrey with big pillows and quilts and make mama a separate one like this: (!!!)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thursday, December 2, 2010

bubbly boy

can't wait to see this little guy at christmas!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

a breath before the next plunge

things have been busy these last few weeks. thanksgiving was shared at our house again this year, giving me a reason to clean the house from top to bottom. sometimes i really need good motivation like that to get some things cleaned and organized. i never could have done it without my mother-in-love though, best babysitter ever :)

audrey's been busy as well and is now the proud owner of a perfect pair of teeth. they came out at the same time and i'm so thankful they weren't too tough for her. mostly she was extra clingy & fussy, but nothing like the horror stories i've heard. its hard to believe she'll be eight months in less than two weeks!

i'm looking forward to lots of family visiting for christmas, especially my dad who i haven't seen in awhile. gosh, it's almost time to start cleaning again ;)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Friday, November 12, 2010

it's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year

its that time of year when i eagerly wait for my martha stewart special christmas issue in the mail. i mean, its that time of year when i begin marking off my christmas gift list. i mean, when i buy my christmas cards & round up the lucky addresses. i mean, when i wonder why we only bought one tiny space heater for the house and if i could find a similar one on sale. i mean, when i begin to mentally plan christmas dinner. i mean, begin to search for the most adorable christmas dress for my favorite sugarplum. i mean, find time and beg the inlaws to take new a new holiday family photo for us that we can all agree on. i mean, plant the cool weather spinach, lettuce and carrot crops i suddenly decided to try. i mean, begin to clean and redecorate the guest room for my lovely mum. i mean, find the most well thought and perfect birthday gift for the hubbs. i mean, all of the above?

please join me as i raise my cup of hot chocolate in honor of the busiest & cheeriest time of the year :)

family photo outtake

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Monday, November 1, 2010

uhm your fly's down


in honor of election day tomorrow, this is a political cartoon from one of michael's journalism students. it reminds me of something my friends and i would come up with in my old journalism class :)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

i'm excited

we're having a halloween party/spooky movie night at our house on saturday and i'm making butterbeer. i found the recipe online and since the movies will probably go late, what's better on a chilly night than a hot cup of butterbeer??

4 cups cream soda
2-3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup cream
4 or 5 Werther's Originals


  1. Put the cream soda in a pan to boil.
  2. Melt the butter and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Pour the butter and sugar mixture into the pan of boiling cream soda.
  4. Add the cream.
  5. Add the Werther's Originals and stir continuously until they melt.
  6. Serve hot

Thursday, October 21, 2010

a pop tart for my little pop tart


the little boy in this commercial reminds me of a little chibi version of michael. i also just really like these pop tart commercials, i always notice something new in the background every time i watch them. ten points to the first person to spot the dancing strawberry heads!

Monday, October 18, 2010

of life and loves in bakerville

while i may have been neglecting the blog lately, things have been pleasantly busy in bakerville. audrey and i went to see aunt brandi and cousin ben visiting from baton rouge last week. little ben isn't so little anymore at 10 months and has a nice head of hair now. it was so great to hear his squeaks and giggles again and he's so sweet with his younger cousin. can't wait to see that little family again at christmas!

audrey celebrated her 6th month on friday and is surprising everyone with her talents. she will pull herself up on anything taller than herself, including other babies and joey if he would let her. she's really helped tone my ninja reflexes since her determination is still ahead of her balancing abilities. i live for that triumphant grin she gives me when she pulls up all by herself though, that makes all the close calls and head bumps worth it. she's also discovered that she loves LOVES drinking water and would rather eat what we're eating instead of her socially approved allergenic-free baby food. she loves pasta pieces, ketchup and mild salsa.

today is cool and cloudy. i love having a reason to bundle my favorite girl up in sweaters! we're heading out to shop for aunt valerie's birthday and to the grocery store for cookies to bake for daddy. :)


sweet sweetness

baby benjamin's big browns!

cousins!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

sweater weather


rainy day sweaterfest!


always makes a b-line for the camera

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

big bear

well i forgot to bring the nikon, but managed a few photos with my cell phone. the weather was pleasantly cooler than forecasted, and very breezy by the lake. we had lunch, sat by the lake and took a nice walk around the village. michael worked overtime everyday last week trying to get the school's paper out on time, so it was great to have him for the entire day and relax a little.

audrey & daddy

fascinated by ducks

mommy got her pumpkin spice latte :)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

delicious pumpkin autumny scarfed goodness

tomorrow michael's taking the day off work and we're driving up to big bear lake for audrey's first visit. i'm so excited because it's the first official day of autumn and i've been craving a pumpkin spice latte since the beginning of september! oh yum! it's been too hot lately for such an autumn brew. tomorrow it's only supposed to reach 65 degrees which means: jackets?! and scarves!? and an adorable bundled up baby!? and crunchy orange and yellow leaves!? and a wonderful hubbs to walk hand in hand with!? and delicious pumpkin autumny scarfed goodness.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

g

i've been thinking of the environment and responsibility a lot lately, mostly because i want to teach audrey the importance of such things in her everyday life. i finally bought some gdiapers today that i'd been wanting for awhile. they're hybrid pocket covers that can be used with cloth or biodegradable liners. i've been using cloth during the days at home with a bummis cover but found the cloth bunching too much from audrey's constant need to move. she really is moving, leaning, wiggling, wobbling, bouncing, crawling and kicking constantly these days.

we finally traded in my '96 suzuki last weekend and bought a new prius. we've been very happy with it :) my grandpa van corbach has a first generation prius and still loves to tell everyone about what all the on board computers can do. when i see the motor switch from gas to electric i smile and think of him. i'm off to hug some trees now :)

i also recycle my used plastic bottles as baby toys :) har har

Thursday, September 9, 2010

it's beginning again and....

....i'm feeling like it's time to bake something. autumn. i love autumn. i love the cool evenings, the fog, the smells, the crunch of dying leaves and yes, even the familiar itch of needing to bake. i think i've posted an "i love all things autumn" post every year since this blog's infancy. it usually happens after i get a little taste of cooler weather. yesterday was cool and cloudy all day. audrey was having a bad day & refusing her naps but i was left swooning over the weather and my fussy clingy baby. i saw halloween candy in vons, oh man that made my day too.

this picture is of laurelhurst park in portland, my favorite city park. i even love the name, laurelhurst. michael proposed to me on that hill two days before thanksgiving in 2005. i think he made me love autumn and thanksgiving even more, if that were possible.

i'm thinking brownies, peanut butter brownies.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

made my night

pat sajak was on celebrity jeopardy tonight, my mind was blown! he won, with over $55,000 for his charity. he has, my respect.

Monday, August 30, 2010

it counts, right?


can i say audrey is crawling yet? i've been holding off on the official call until i see her hands start walking forward, but what if she's more of the tummy scoot-pull forward type? she's only 4 1/2 months so there's plenty of time for hand walking later?

Friday, August 20, 2010

it's 10 am and...!



we've been watching the price is right together nearly every morning since we were in the hospital. i hope to groom her into a future champion :)

Monday, August 16, 2010

she's got mad skillz

i've never seen such a small baby sitting in a cart before. she didn't want to sit in her sling and my arms were burning so i thought i'd sit her down to see what she'd do. she loved it! i think i'm going to get her one of those shopping cart buddies to sit in because the germ factor makes my skin crawl a little bit.

i snuck the peet's coffee in the shot just for you valerie :)

Friday, August 13, 2010

currently, we....

6:30 - mommy wakes up early with intention to make coffee and read quietly but usually hits the snooze button at least twice

7:00-7:30 - daddy goes to work, audrey wakes up smiling and talking

7:00-8:00 - audrey eats breakfast and plays on her aqua mat with her toys and mommy while mommy watches the today show and drinks her coffee

9:00 - audrey takes her morning nap, mommy checks her email and facebook and drinks more delicious coffee

10:00 - audrey plays on aqua mat and practices crawling, mommy watches the price is right and gets dressed

11:00 - the girls take a walk with joey to the park and/or take a drive and do daily errands

11:00-1:00 - various activities depending on audrey's mood, mommy cleans up house (maybe)

1:00-2:00 - audrey (hopefully) takes another nap

3:00 - daddy's home!

3:30 - mommy washes dishes and/or takes a shower (maybe), audrey and daddy play

4:00-5:30 - various activities depending on audrey's mood, takes another nap

5:30 - mommy makes dinner, daddy reads audrey a book

6:00-6:30 - dinner

6:30-7:00 - audrey practices crawling/sitting and plays with mommy and/or daddy, evening walk to the park depending on audrey's mood

7:00-7:30 - mommy and daddy put on audrey's jammies and play with her piggie-toes

7:30-8:30 - audrey has dinner and falls asleep for the night, mommy and daddy watch tv together

9:00 - audrey is in bed, mommy picks up messes and gets ready for bed, daddy reads and plays records

9:30-10:30 - mommy reads in bed with joey

10:30 - bedtime!!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Saturday, August 7, 2010

what a difference a year makes

about this time last year michael & i had just gotten back from our rejuvenating vacation in chicago a month after the news of a fourth miscarriage. it's also the same time i found out i was pregnant, again.

i was scared. i knew i was going to have another miscarriage. and why not? nothing had changed, i was still damaged. i was scared of the toll this was going to take on my body. two dead babies in two months. i was scared of the toll this was going to take on my faith.

as i type this, audrey is nursing in my arms and drifting off to sleep. she'll be four months old on the fifteenth. this little baby fought for her life. she won over the same affliction which took the lives of her brothers & sisters. she's our little survivor. our little miracle. our answer to tearful prayer.

we drove to the beach yesterday (audrey's first time!) and stopped at corner bakery in anaheim hills for breakfast. we ate breakfast every morning we were in downtown chicago at a corner bakery down the street from our hotel. i loved drinking my hazelnut cream coffee, (BEST cafe coffee ever,) watching business people hurry by with their briefcases and shooing pigeons away from my breakfast panini. mornings are still my favorite time of day.

i ate the other half of my breakfast panini already. oh yes, it's that good. :)


www.jennylynnbaker.blogspot.com/2009/07/and-so.html

Sunday, July 18, 2010

pop ups


pop ups with grandma!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

three months

life is fun and interesting when you're three months old, but also frustrating. our little lady has always been strong, (she began to stand on her own while i was burping her while in recovery in the hospital) and her inability to sit, stand and move on her own is obviously frustrating to her. she hates to be cradled and would rather observe everything and everyone. she's now begun to reach for daddy's bearded face and likes to reach out and hold mama's finger when she falls asleep. while its hard at times to try to communicate with my increasingly strong willed child, i love my curious little cuddle bug and her individualism.

audrey started teething shortly after her two month mark and the whole family has been feeling the pain. breastfeeding is uncomfortable for her at times, especially in the mornings and evenings when she's most hungry. she's still sleeping through the night though and is usually quite content to chew on her fingers while she sits in her bumbo. she's a happy baby who smiles often and is learning to laugh more frequently.

audrey attempting to sit on her own :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

lullabies

audrey's favorite lullabies:

somewhere over the rainbow
que sera sera
moon river
scarborough fair

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

how do they put up with me? and a park day

audrey is two months old today :) i decided yesterday that she was old enough to sleep in her own crib instead of the bassinet. she's been sleeping through the night regularly since she was four weeks old so there's no need for her to be in our room any longer, right? as i set her in her crib last night, she settled in and continued to sleep peacefully. as i went about getting ready for bed, i chatted to michael about how this was the best thing for her now and how we should have put her to sleep in the nursery weeks ago and how she should really start using her own room because that's why we bought her all that stuff to set it up and about how good i felt about my decision to leave her in the crib and have i mentioned she's sleeping through the night? i mean that's what you're supposed to do, right?

michael called my bluff pretty quickly thank goodness and i soon grabbed her out of that dangerous crib. i mean what if i didn't hear her when she needed me or she suddenly is able to SIT UP and PULL herself out of the crib or OMG what if she stirs in her sleep and the blankets cover her face?! the blankets?! its better if she sleeps with us because i would KNOW if anythings wrong and gosh she's awfully young isn't she? and i would keep those blankets far, far away and no where near her face. of course. because i would know. of course i would. anyway, audrey will be sleeping in her bassinet in our room for the foreseeable future. audrey may be ready for her crib, but for goodness sakes her mother is not.

here's a few pictures of the lil' pumpkin at the park last week:


lovely maria and audrey.


she loves looking up at trees. :)


napping on the drive back home.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

headbands

i made these little headbands out of ribbon this afternoon for audrey, while daddy & i watched funny people. :) they're super cheap and super easy to make, i'm hooked!


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

sunflowers

my only surviving sunflower is doing really great! i'm planning to harvest the seeds soon, roasting some & saving the rest to plant later. i hope the birds don't harvest my seeds before i do!


Saturday, June 5, 2010

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

oh yes, we're fans

audrey and i went to target and bought her this sweet set of wheels. here she is enjoying herself at the mall. mama also picked up some sweet new slippers for herself. :)


Saturday, May 22, 2010

it is my favorite and my best

thanks to lauren, hannah & phil and a trip to the downtown library, i'm really looking forward to when audrey starts showing interest in books. i know that's far down the road from now, but michael and i still plan on reading to audrey regularly and making it an important part of her early education.

a series i'm super excited about are the charlie and lola books by, possibly my favorite children's author, lauren child. not only are her illustrations adorable but i love that lola incredibly absolutely has a large vocabulary for a four year old. check out her other books at www.milkmonitor.com :)

there's also a television series that's shown on the disney channel. i'd rather buy it on dvd though to regulate audrey's tv time. enjoy!


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

let's have a picnic....

i have no clothes that fit! with the lil' one i'm more limited on budget than ever, which is unfortunate because i'm a different shape now after giving birth. my maternity clothes are too big and my pre-pregnancy shirts and jackets are too tight for my chest, even my beloved trench coat that i've been hoping to fit back into. oh well, i'm just going to have to get creatively thrifty. accessories can go a long way you know!

i love anthropologie. if budget weren't an issue, i'd love to go crazy in there. so, here's my dream outfit for today:


a cute dress.... (perfect for picnics i think!)
with a flowery bag....
little yellow sandals....
& a bright scarf.
don't forget the perfume! i love flowery/citrus scents :)

Monday, May 3, 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Saturday, April 17, 2010

audrey lynn baker


born on april 15, 2010 at 11:35 at night. 7 lbs 2 oz & 21 inches.

i'll post our birth story soon, hopefully. we're completely devoted on learning how to breast feed right now. :)

oh, my cervix & i are still not on speaking terms, yet.