quachlife

I didn’t think it was possible, but every smile is the best one yet ☺️ The side smirks, the squishy face smiles, the big gummy ones - I live for them all. I tell her she’s my happy baby at least 25 times a day. Mayes is so cool - she chills while we’re out. Even though she sleeps most of the time, I’d guess that I look over at her at least 50x throughout a meal. Can’t help it! I get my cardio in dancing with her nightly. So funny - they say you should sing to your baby. Mayes doesn’t get the average lullaby. I’ve been serving her a range of throwbacks - a little Shai, some Motown, up to Janet Jackson, And when I say our child grunts, I don’t think you understand. Listen to the last video. She is a straight dinosaur 😂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CYV0UeWLftm/?utm_medium=tumblr

I honestly didn’t think motherhood would be this fun and genuinely enjoyable 🤗 I also acknowledge that Mayes has been super chill so far, so we’ve been lucky. The multiple middle of the night feedings and diaper changes are not a daunting task like I thought they’d be. Taking care of this little potato that is completely dependent on you changes your perspective and most noticeably, your priorities. Yes, I’m falling asleep as I type this, but posting has helped me slow time down. Reflecting on the day in photos + videos helps me reinforce memories and gives me something to look back on one day. Many parents have shared the quote “The days are long but the years are short” So I’m really trying to soak it all in 🧽 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CYTVWPNLobb/?utm_medium=tumblr

One of the best Sundays I’ve ever had 🤍 Mayes let us sleep in a little this morning by hitting a 3-hour streak 🙌🏽 She loves to pee mid-diaper change so we got that out the way early when she peed all over the pink onesie daddy picked out 🙃 He picked a good backup too with the birdies The tummy time reps are paying off! She’s holding her head up more often 💪🏽 She stayed up hella long this afternoon, so tried some goblet baby squats + mini twerks to lull her back to sleep 💃🏻 It was such an eventful day that we both KO’ed trying to finish The Matrix Resurrections 🕴🏻 And starting to work on a nighttime routine. Right now bath time is still kinda stressful, but we’ll get it down. Shooting for bath 🛁moisturize + massage massage 💆🏻‍♀️ feed/burp 🤱🏻story time 📖 swaddle 🌯 KO 😴 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/quachlife/p/CYQofgZL7z1/?utm_medium=tumblr

First day of 2022 successful 🥰 Matching daddy/daughter shirts, practicing dinosaur noises, brisk morning walk, enjoyed dumplings in her @magneticmebaby dumpling onesie, then kicked it at her first bar with some mules + hand pies + cornbread. Must try @saucedbbq 🍽 Had a total brain fart today and completely forgot to refill diapers in the diaper bag. Pretty proud of myself for working through an almost full diaper with no replacement 🤗 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CYOSoNkL9aI/?utm_medium=tumblr

If you told me in January that we would have a baby by the end of the year, I would have laughed at you. But here we are and I have never felt more grateful and fulfilled. We have a freaking DAUGHTER 💞 We celebrated the last day of 2021 with Mayes hitting her first MJ pose, serving all the faces, an aggressive diaper-less blowout 💩, a clever fitness onesie, sleepy smiles, lunch at True Food with Auntie Steph + Uncle Nate and an excellent meal at Sasa for NYE dinner 🎊 Sending all the happy, healthy vibes to everyone for the new year 💫 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CYLkRmQLN0u/?utm_medium=tumblr

21 days old! 💫 Her due date was Dec 21 but she came early on 12.9 🐣 12 + 9 = 21, my birthday is June 21 and we’re wrapping up ‘21! So I guess you could say today was a special day for my blackjack baby ♠️ That first fit is the only piece we personally purchased for her. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a ton of clothes gifted from friends 🤍 It was the shortest-lived fit given the amount of spit up it accumulated in the first 30 mins of being worn. But that’s OK We were only 12 mins late to our first Pediatrician appt (not bad for new parents) and the doc said she’s looking healthy and happy! He confirmed the gains: Mayes put on 1 lb 9 oz from when she first left the hospital 💪🏽 We kinda laughed at her “height” being in the 92%ile, but the doc said it can level out after a few months, so we shall see. I spent my first couple hours apart from her today aka being more than 20 feet away. I’ve been dreading it, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Ant sent a ton of pix which helped. After my mani pedi though, I was ready to get back. Can’t believe it’s NYE tomorrow. Without getting super mushy, just wanna say that it’s gonna be the most special countdown with our little family at home ✨ Sending all the happiest, healthiest vibes to you and yours! #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CYI-FMoLtP5/?utm_medium=tumblr

Super low key day, especially with this rain. Cuddled on the couch and danced around the living room with baby girl 💃🏻 Mayes has definitely helped me be more present. I’m constantly in motion, so being able to appreciate stillness is kinda foreign to me, but I’m learning to love it and not taking it for granted 🧘🏻‍♀️ I look forward to looking back on these posts as she grows up 🤗 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/quachlife/p/CYGNClGrAdQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

I thought I wouldn’t be the mom that wants to dress her up everyday and why pay for newborn clothes that you know will be short-lived? Answer: Because it’s unbelievably fun to put cute fits on your baby 🤗 Mayes got to meet Auntie Marissa who’s probably gonna be the one to drink with her first 🧃 She also got some drip from Auntie Chiemi and Uncle Ray - the CUTEST Nike and H&M fits + Mayes’ first pair of Air Maxes 😍 + Go the 🖕🏽 to Sleep book + a sloth book 🦥 And for mommy and daddy: Clase Azul 💙🤍 Had my first PP hazy IPA and espresso martini with an excellent meal and the best company at Social Bird tonight. Getting more practice feeding and changing her in the car too 🤙🏽 The last close-up videos are me just admiring her little angelic face and also sticking her tongue out 😝 Swipe to the end for a slow-mo treat 😚🎁 https://www.instagram.com/p/CYD8HwYrUKv/?utm_medium=tumblr

I thought I wouldn’t be the mom that wants to dress her up everyday and why pay for newborn clothes that you know will be short-lived? Answer: Because it’s unbelievably fun to put cute fits on your baby 😊 Mayes got to meet Auntie Marissa who’s probably gonna be the one to drink with her first 🧃 She also got some drip from Auntie Chiemi and Uncle Ray - the CUTEST Nike and H&M fits + Mayes’ first pair of Air Maxes 😍 + Go the 🖕🏽 to Sleep book + a sloth book 🦥 And for mommy and daddy: Clase Azul 💙🤍 Had my first PP hazy IPA and espresso martini with an excellent meal and the best company at Social Bird tonight. Getting more practice feeding and changing her in the car too 🤙🏽 The last close-up videos are me just admiring her little face and catching her sticking her tongue out 😝 Swipe to the end for a slow-mo treat 😚🎁 https://www.instagram.com/p/CYD7BN5rEDo/?utm_medium=tumblr

Started the day with my absolute favorite thing: kiss, stare and talk to Mayes right up in her face when she’s awake. Then take helllla photos only to favorite one, maybe two. OWC (Old Wives’ Club) Reunion 👵🏼 One baby down this year, Nats + John in Feb/Mar ‘22 then Blake and Lex understand the assignment for ‘23 and ‘24 👶🏻 The guys are also professional cleaners. We dropped one champagne flute and all of em suddenly jumped cleaning mode. Delicious BBQ from @sauced and Blake brought me my first DCL (Delicious Coors Light) since pregnancy with the bluest Rockies 🍺❣️ Also shoutout to T and Aaron for bringing Monikers to get our competitive juices flowing. Needed a fix 😉 https://www.instagram.com/p/CYB7qJtlrQb/?utm_medium=tumblr

After making art on my new nursing top, we got to spend the day with 3 month old Fynn and his parents 😜 At brunch @batchandbrine we learned that you can flip a high chair over to rest the car seat on top. Had a couple delicious margs at Puesto. Then finished at Mikuni where I tried unsuccessfully to feed in public for a 2nd time. The video of me inside the @milksnob cracks me up 👻 It was hot in there! I ended up going to the handicap stall in the women’s bathroom. It’s all a work in progress 🤓 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CX-teQ3LnTz/?utm_medium=tumblr

Mayes’ First Christmas in the books! 🎄 Her wish was to be held all day because she wouldn’t stay down for more than 2 mins without crying. Hence, no cute dressed up holiday fit + photo today 🙃 Burpee & Escrow were also super hyped today. Had to kick em out of the bedroom at 6AM and they decided they’d wreck their cat castle, murder the It’s a Girl balloon and the stuffed bear it came with and put it all in front of the door as a big 🖕🏽to us 😂 Shared a delicious meal courtesy of @texts_from_ma 🍽 Prime rib, BBQ ribs, lumpia, inari, cocktail shrimp, cucumber salad and of course, Schubert’s mango mousse cake 🥭 Wrapped up the evening with a movie, nap and Mayes’ first bath! No photos because it was hella stressful and we probably should have researched a how-to beforehand but bottom line is she’s clean and now swaddled up and sleeping. Really hope y’all had a day full of love and happiness as well 💓 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CX8FUF3Ls8T/?utm_medium=tumblr

Parenthood is legit a club where the ONLY initiation is having your own. Someone could explain it a thousand times, but it’s literally - and I can’t stand when people use literally incorrectly - impossible to truly understand until your mini me is here ❤️‍🔥 Another realization since Mayes is that every first time parent kinda wings it, and we’re no different. I try not to over-google, but it happens and I’ve definitely panic-purchased unnecessary Amazon items late night 😬 There’s a lot of second guessing your own intuition because you just want to make sure you’re doing it right. I’ve learned (mostly) to trust my gut, and give myself grace when I feel lost. I remind myself that people have been raising babies for a long time with a lot less knowledge, so I can’t F it up too bad, right? 🙃 Thought I’d share, even though I am pretty embarrassed: Have to give a shoutout to my sis @dianabayaca for teaching us the proper way to put her in a car seat. We were pretty flustered at the hospital getting discharged late night. We would have been charged for an extra night had she not pooped before midnight, so you know my ass was cheering her on like LFG 🙌🏽 💩 We couldn’t get the car seat right even though we had practiced, and the nurse ended up doing it for us. I know she’s not supposed to, but I think she felt bad and knew we wanted to go home. Anyway, we had her in there completely wrong the last two weeks until Diana showed us. I felt terrible for messing it up, especially when it comes to Mayes’ safety. Might sound extreme to say I felt like a failure, but when I don’t get simple things right, that’s where my mind goes. I’m working on the grace part 💖 Still surreal to say things like “my daughter” or “our family” out loud, so I better start getting used to it! From OUR FAMILY to yours, we wish you the happiest of holidays and all the good jujus going into 2022 💓 🤍🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️👼🏽😸😼 Anthony, Lauren, Mayes, Burpee & Escrow https://www.instagram.com/p/CX6h9ddpgvT/?utm_medium=tumblr

Sitting here with the soft light from the sound machine playing Rockabye Baby and I just started crying nonstop while watching Mayes sleep on my chest 🥲 The last two weeks have been the most fun and fulfilling experience of my life. Old me would say that sounds soft AF but I’ve accepted it’s who I am now. So much has happened and I still wanna make time slow down. Baby girl is so loved already and Anthony and I are grateful for every second we get to spend with her, even the hella tired ones 💓 My mom raised me on her own and I don’t know my dad’s side, so Mayes being able to have two Grandmas is extra special for me and her 🤗 Looking forward to our little family’s first Christmas together 🎄 Really feeling the holiday cheer amplified this year. Maybe it’s the hormones, but I’m enjoying it either way! #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CX3BGwdr16y/?utm_medium=tumblr

Who you got? Does Mayes look more like mommy or daddy? 🥸 More firsts today! She rode along to her first home inspection and experienced her first backseat feeding and diaper change. She was a trooper 👊🏽 Then she got to meet her cousin Jayden and Ant’s Godson Fynn. Thanks sis for the Hawaiian breakfast! While hanging with Jaybo, we squeezed in some tummy time, and she rolled over on her own! 💪🏽 And look! Her first ornament 🧑🏽‍🎄 Thanks Auntie Aerie + Uncle Tom 😙 This is seriously going to be the best Christmas ever ❤️‍🔥 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CX0WXIpLrrQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

More 12/21 due date festivities 🎊 Morning musical education with @e40 ❤️🏈💛 Practicing mobility with Daddy aka big stretchies 😌 Rocking her new Jordan fit from Auntie Leah 💖 Keeping her eyes closed for Auntie Karissa 😴 Craft cocktails, delicious Benihana style chicken fried rice and good times with even better company. Cheers to Mayes coming early and my half birthday 🥃 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CXytKRUve2c/?utm_medium=tumblr

Happy Due Date Mayes! If you came today, we would be each other’s half birthday 🥳 We’re so grateful she came a lil early. After all, if you’re 5 mins early, you’re late, you know? ⏱ Having arrived at the hospital super early in the morning on 12/8, I was initially hoping for a 12/8 baby because those numbers are considered good luck in Chinese culture 🤑 But naturally, she was a lil stubborn and made her entrance 24 hours after getting to the hospital. My mom brought up a good point. She taught me how to add playing blackjack, and a 12/9 birthday can also be good luck because 12+9=21 ♠️🎰🧧 Anyway, more Mayes! 👇🏽 As you can see, Mayes is my little mini me 👯‍♀️ Last night we were blessed with delicious poke by the wonderful @hirocatering 🍣 I missed raw fish so much during the pregnancy, so this was a real treat. And look at the presentation! 👀✨ Also had my first drink post partum! I thought it would be a Jamie/ginger, but having a Tommy’s Margarita was PERFECT ❤️‍🔥 Fun fact: Julio and I went to the same grade school and high school! 🤓 #sfnative Swipe to the last photo for a lil extra love from Mayes 😘 #MayesEmoryBooker https://www.instagram.com/p/CXv_A7LFHAn/?utm_medium=tumblr