Your Nursing Wardrobe

Nursing fashion is an oxymoron. All clothes made specifically for nursing are hideous, and worse, make it very obvious to anyone who sees you that you are nursing. No one wears a shirt with snaps all over the front of it unless they need to whip their boobs out super fast to quiet a screaming newborn. If you are like me, you won't really care what anyone thinks of how you look the the first few weeks after having a baby, but eventually things begin to normalize (thankfully) and when that happens you will want some clothes you can leave the house in. Unfortunately, actual clothes shopping will be the last thing you want to do, so it pays to be prepared. Here are some ideas!

Roscoe Update

Long time, no blog. Over the past week or so, I've been recovering from gall bladder surgery, so I haven't been able to find much time for writing. I'm hoping that changes soon. In the meantime, here are some of the latest pictures of my sweet baby Roscoe. I feel like he's getting so big already!

Newborn Essentials

Before you have a baby you obsess about buying everything you could possibly need, and then after you have the baby you come to the shocking realization that half of the stuff you thought you needed is completely unnecessary or won't actually be useful until your baby is six months to a year old. So moms to be, listen up, I'm here reporting from the other side on the stuff you actually need to get through the first month of having a baby, or at least, the stuff that has been the most useful to me.

Roscoe's Birth Story

You may have noticed that I didn't have any new blog posts last week. That was because I was busy bringing my son, Roscoe, into the world. Or rather, pushing him into the world with all I had. When I was pregnant, I really enjoyed reading about other people's birth stories, so I thought I would share my experience.

Modern Lullaby Playlist

Image Source

I'm working on expanding my lullaby repertoire. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Rock-a-bye Baby" are going to get old pretty quick, I think. Here is a playlist of songs that, while not technically lullabies, will probably do the trick. Plus, I can get an early start on sharing some of my favorite musical artists with my son.

Buster's Bunny Nursery

I shared my nursery earlier this week; today I have the pleasure of sharing my sister Molly's! I think I can speak for her and say we have really enjoyed experiencing the joys of pregnancy at the same time, especially the decorating part. Molly's husband, Bill, even got in on the fun, creating the above pennant welcoming their son, Buster, to his new room.

Roscoe's High Contrast Moon and Stars Nursery/Office

Months of planning and posts on my inspirations have finally paid off in the form of a finished nursery! I'm very happy with the final space, and I hope our little guy (who, by the way, we're planning to call Roscoe) will be too.

Felt Moon and Stars Mobile DIY

Last week I shared some adorable mobiles that I considered buying for my nursery.  However, after much deliberation, I decided to make my own instead. I looked at a lot of other mobile DIYs before I found this picture which ended up serving as the inspiration for my moon and stars mobile. All of the materials cost me under $15, which is a lot less than what you will spend if you buy a mobile, trust me. Best of all, it is EASY to make. Really easy. I promise.

Nursery Mobile Inspiration

I've been on the hunt for just the right mobile for my nursery for months. After searching high and low for something that matched my color scheme (black, white and yellow) as well as my theme (moon and stars), I've decided just to try making my own. But, I don't want all the work I did searching for mobiles to go to waste, so I'm going to share all the awesome ones I found with you!

Star Mobile from Etsy

Black and White Nursery Art

Etsy is pretty much unbeatable when it comes to finding inexpensive art for your home. I've been searching high and low for black and white moon or space themed artwork for the past few months to use in my nursery, and all of the pieces I've ended up purchasing are from Etsy. Here are a few of my favorites.

Constellation Print from MelindaWoodDesigns

Sister Style: Maternity Edition

I love A Beautiful Mess, particularly their sister style posts. I've been meaning to do a copycat post with my sister, Molly, for a while. We finally made it happen and upped the ante a bit by making it all about maternity style! Yes, my sister is also pregnant. She's due two weeks before I am, though we're pretty sure we'll end up going into labor at the same time.

My Favorite Pregnancy Stuff

Pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant? Just like everyone says, it is an amazing, wonderful, and life-changing experience. But no one can deny that it is also often confusing, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. With the latter in mind, here are some things that have helped me get through the first two trimesters of my pregnancy with a smile on my face (most of the time).

Modern Rockers

I like to rock. Judging from what I've seen in stores, these days gliders are the chair of choice for most nurseries. But for me gliding just isn't as satisfying as rocking. And while I enjoy a classic, traditional rocker, my dream nursery is decidedly modern in style, so my rocker must be also. Here are some gorgeous options for moms and dads who want to rock at a variety of price points.

My Pregnancy Skincare Routine

While I've been blessed thus far with a generally complication free pregnancy, I have had occasional struggles with my complexion. Either this was just more of an issue during the first trimester or I have finally figured out the right combination of products for my skin, because my face has been more or less clear of blemishes for the past few weeks. Several people have complimented me on my "glow," which I attribute at least in part to my new beauty regimen. Check out my favorite pregnancy skincare products below!

Nursery Inspirations

Now that the holidays are over, I've begun to fully focus on preparing for the baby on the way. The main things I need to do at present are decorate the nursery and build my baby registry.  Before I get too far with either of those projects, I need to decide what kind of space I want to create. I know that I want to keep the existing paint color in the room that will be the nursery: peacock blue. I haven't been able to find many examples of nurseries that use this color, but that isn't going to stop me because I love it. Since the main color of the room will be bold, I'm sticking mostly with black and white for accents, with pops of bright yellow. Black and white is a great color combination for a nursery, because babies find high contrast colors visually stimulating. Here are a few examples of modern nurseries with high contrast accents that are inspring me.

Source: BuyModernBaby

A Celebratory Mocktail: The Cranberry Shrub

Tis the season to celebrate. Not only is my favorite holiday rapidly approaching (Thanksgiving) but I'm also excited to share that I am pregnant with my first child. Yay for babies!! Or baby, to be more precise. However, actually celebrating this happy news in the manner that I am accustomed (i.e. several cocktails) is, alas, not recommended for those who are in my condition. Thus, I've made it my pregnancy mission to discover a decent mocktail.

Lola

As you may or may not of noticed, I was an absentee blogger last week. That is because the craziest and most amazing thing happened to me last Monday; I gave birth to my baby girl Lola Bonita.