Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sunday Swoon

It's been ages since I've swooned on a Sunday...

Just another Masquerade Ball...


Cutest little scarf ever...


I would love to live here...


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (I will make these)...




And finally, my best friends fun blog and AMAZING costume....



(she's the purple grapes)


Happy Sunday!!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Diapering

**Photo from Wee Textile**

When I was pregnant I planned on using cloth diapers. There was not a doubt in my mind that my little Ava's tush would be covered by some soft cloth and not plastic. But alas, here we are, almost 10 weeks after her birth and we are using Pampers. At first my excuse was that she was too tiny for the cloth diapers. And now I have no excuse. So here I am, debating what I should do.

I still want to use cloth diapers, I am just debating what kind to use. I originally was drawn to Bumgenius and Fuzzibunz, but now I am oddly drawn to the classic cotton pre-folds. Call me crazy, but I think I might just do it. You see, Ava and I spend 90 percent of our time at home (I'm a natural homebody) so the idea of using a classic pre-fold isn't so scary. And since we started supplementing her diet with formula she only poos every 2 days. Plus, they are SUPER SUPER cheap. However, if you use cloth diapers (Scarlett and Sara...) I would love to know how your experience is going and what kind you use.

Also, I read this great article about one mothers personal experience that made me smile. It makes me feel good about my decisions in how I respond to Ava, especially since lately I have been getting a lot of negative comments about such matters. In the end, I know I have the final say because I am her mother.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Love Her Style

Seriously, how cute is she??

**via The Sartorialist**

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Silly Ava

She is very temperamental.

Say I Love You

Here is a little video of Ava since I am slacking on taking photos.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Breastfeeding AND Formula

It's official....Ava is a titty trader (Vulgar saying, I know, but it makes me laugh). Here is the story:

The past few weeks Ava had been fussier then usual. She would cry and cry and cry and the only thing that would calm her down would be to breastfeed. It wasn't an issue until I realized I was feeding her almost every hour, sometimes even less. Naturally I was worried I wasn't making enough milk, but I was. Plus it was sad that no one else could hold her because she was crying so much. I noticed she was vigorously gulping down my milk and then not burping after eating resulting in painful gas later. It was an endless cycle and nothing we did seemed to help. She also seemed to have trouble digesting the milk. I could hear her little insides working hard. It was heartbreaking to hear her cry so much. After giving it some thought we decided to see if formula made a difference. The answer: YES, a HUGE difference.

She is so much happier now. She eats and then she plays and then she easily falls to sleep. It's amazing. Of course I am a little bit heartbroken that I am no longer her sole food provider, but I am happy to see her happy. I am still breastfeeding her here and there but I can see the difference.

Meanwhile, it's great to see her grandma and grandpa and papa feed her, and it gives me a little break. PLUS I no longer have to wear nursing tanks everyday (amazing...).

I wanted Ava to be exclusively breastfed but I understand that the happiness of Baby Girl must always come first. I am happy that I was able to exclusively breastfeed her for the first two months of her life. And who knows? Maybe this is just a phase....

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Cute

I think I might attempt to make a whole bunch of these little gems following these super easy directions from Elsie's blog A Beautiful Mess.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Amanda Wachob

I am OBSESSED with her work.

**Thanks Alyse for sharing**

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Identity

While I was pregnant, my mother and my aunt shared some great advice with me. They spoke from personal experience (they were both young mothers) and I've been thinking about their advice a lot lately. They both told me to take time for myself and always remember that while I am a mama, I am also my own person. They explained how important it is for me to remember who I was before Baby Girl and who I am becoming because of Baby Girl. I think their advice is perfect for all new mothers, which is why I wanted to share it here. I know this is much easier said than done, but even those small moments count. Here is how I use their advice:

Taking a shower everyday and shaving my legs
(silly, considering no one is going to touch those legs, but it makes me feel good)

Putting on concealer and blush
(creates the illusion of being well-rested)

Enjoying my limited amount of coffee
(I can't wait until I can drink however much I want)

Staying up to date with Fashion Magazines
(This includes a trip to the library)

Dancing and singing along to my favorite music
(Ava loves that time of day as much as I do)

Indulging in my favorite TV shows
(easy to do while breastfeeding)

Those are just a few little things I do to remind myself that my interests revolve around more than just baby development and breastfeeding. So I have to ask any mamas out there, what do you do to remind yourself??

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Boots Update

So I spent yesterday evening and this morning searching the internet for the perfect boots. I have settled on these:



I ordered both pairs from Piperlime for a total of $85 (after using a 10% off coupon) but I plan on returning whichever pair I like least. I chose these boots based on style, price, and reviews. I love reading reviews of items I am considering purchasing. I can't wait to get them and I'll be sure to let you know which ones I keep.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Fall Look


I love love love this look for Fall, especially the short brown boots. I have been on the hunt for Fall boots but everything I love is waaaay out of my price range or just not what I want. Boot shopping is hard. But after seeing this look in the new Lucky Magazine I am searching for that perfect brown, short, boot. I'm going to look on Ebay, at every store, and my local thrift stores. Let the hunt begin....

I'm back....

I have been so absent from this blog since little Ava has come along. Shame on me. Any free time I have I am either eating, cleaning, showering, or catching up on my favorite blogs. This blog and my Etsy shop has been put on the back burner. But starting this week I plan on getting back to my little hobbies. Another reason I haven't updated much is because I have been debating what I want this blog to be about. Do I want it to be a personal blog where I discuss my life as a new mother or do I want it to be a general blog about design and fashion and other interests? I've given it some thought and I am going to do my best to make it a best of both worlds kind of blog. But I suppose only time will tell how that goes. I have some ideas for this blog and for my shop and I am excited to get them started.

On a side note, another reason I haven't been updating is because this past week little Ava and I had some very special visitors. Two of my best friends came to meet Ava. Meet Auntie Katie and Auntie Alyse...



Us girls had so much fun. We lounged and ordered pizza and watched lots of TV (just like the old days...). We took little Ava to a fancy Happy Hour (I know, I know, Baby at a bar....maybe a little controversial...not to us.). Mama had her first night out minus little Ava and had a delicious dinner and a well deserved glass of wine. It was a such a fun week and I miss them already. It was great to have them around to remind me that I am more than just a mom. As a new and young mother I think it's really important to be reminded that I am my own person whose interest are more than breastfeeding and baby development (I'll write more about that in another post). We had a blast and Auntie Katie recorded a lot of fun moments that you see here.

I miss them so much and I am so happy they are a part of our lives. They are going to teach little Ava so many things about art and fashion and NYC. I can't wait.

That's all for now. But please don't desert my blog! I promise I am going to update regularly.