fifteen months

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today is adam’s fifteen month birthday! so i thought i’d share a few photos we snapped last weekend on easter. apparently my grandpa got a little overexcited about the event and decided that he wanted to build a sandbox for adam. my grandma had to convince him to settle on something store bought, so they spent the entire week prior shipping around for the perfect sandbox. unfortunately, it’s more of a seasonal item, so they had to settle on the iconic plastic turtle. which, might i add, was perfect. i’m merely retelling the tale of their hunt!

so of course, it was a big event to watch him discover the contents of his bucket and eventually play in the sand. and adam was outfitted in this dandy little look for the day. the shirt, shorts, and sunhat were all a gift from egg by susan lazar, and the shoes are a classic pair of saltwater sandals.

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bitte

my internet pal maia mcdonald has just launched a fundable campaign for her new venture, bitte! and of course, it’s right down my alley. she’s teamed up with her mother (and former vice president of product development and creative services at faber-castell usa, no big deal) to start a new baby boutique, and they’re asking friends, family, and the great big internet for help meeting their funding goals. the focus of their latest venture is “to create a unique and trusted marketplace of carefully curated products for young children.” each product is meticulously assessed based upon sustainability, form & function, so you can enjoy shopping knowing that each item has been carefully selected, and has earned the bitte stamp of approval.

and of course, maia is not without her own credentials. she’s a pinterest wizard, freelance graphic designer, art director at rue magazine, and a new mother. i am so excited about her latest venture, and can’t wait to see more! and if that’s not enough convincing, check out the sneak peek of fun items you can score with your pledge to back to the project.

now go fund bitte!







adam’s nursery

it’s been a long time coming, but i’m finally sharing photos of adam’s nursery! i have no good excuse for why it’s taken so long for me to share this because the room has remained pretty much the same since he was born. as he’s grown, i’ve rearranged things to make the space more appropriate for his level of development, and added a few things here and there, most notably after christmas and his birthday in january, yikes! we originally had a big mid-century style shelf against one wall, but once he was actively reaching for things above his head, i decided that it might be wise to build a shelf up high so he wouldn’t be able pull something down on top of himself. and as he’s grown, i’ve also started to imagine it as more of a play area with little carts full of toys and a tiny wooden kitchen all safely within his reach.

as far as a theme, there really isn’t one. i had originally wanted to go with jungle animals and an aqua blue/mustard yellow color scheme with pops of red here and there. but as i started collecting things, i quickly realized that it would be almost impossible for me to maintain any sort of theme or color story. as soon as i let go of whatever preconceived notion i had about how i wanted the room to look, it just sorta fell together as i picked up the things i liked. in the end, i’d say it has bright and colorful, eclectic, slightly european vibe to it. if we’re going to put a label on it, haha.

above: adam’s beloved hape play kitchen, a classic red radio flyer push bike, lots of fisher price classics, babylit books, and plenty of other bright and colorful delights.


the vintage emmaljunga pram. we don’t use it nearly as often as i thought we would, but i am still so pleased that i found one! that cloub b gentle giraffe, on the other hand, was a lifesaver when adam was an infant!


the print above us is by marrimeko from a few seasons ago.


prints from fine little day and petit collage elephant mobile.


aqua blue velvet glider, the tassel pillow is now out of stock, mini boheme lion pillow, and lucy owl courtesy of hazel village.



the crib is part of the babyletto skip set, and the crib mattress is from naturepedics. the blanket is by blabla from a few seasons back.




i love this p’kolino elephant wall easel! sadly, it has been discontinued.


the babyletto skip dresser. the changing station on top is removable.



outfit: wrap happy

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the flowers are blooming, the weather is hot, and i’ve been stuck inside for the past several days taking care of a baby with a really nasty cold. we normally spend a lot of time out of the house, so it’s rough being cooped-up inside, especially when the weather is so nice. we’ve been alternating between episodes of yo gabba gabba, taking quick baths to help him clear his chest, napping, and going on walks around the neighborhood for fresh air. all of which has been made much easer with my the help of my new tula woven wrap. when babies are sick, they just want to be held nonstop, and without a carrier of some sort, i think my arms might fall off! i definitely prefer this to propping him up on my hip because his weight is more evenly distributed across my back, and my hands are free so i can get things done around the house. bonus points: these wraps must be woven with some kind of magic, because when you put a baby in one of these, they usually pass out in 5 minutes flat!

i’ve worn adam in a soft sided carrier since he was a tiny baby because it was super convenient and easy to use, but i was always intrigued and intimidated by woven wraps. they come in all sorts of pretty patterns, and they look nice and comfy, but the wrapping techniques look really complicated. but now that i’ve given it a try (with the help of this video), i wish i had gotten one sooner! it’s really not hard to do, and they are super comfortable even with a large baby like adam!  i like the pretty mustard yellow pattern on this wrap, and i’ve been having fun figuring out how to coordinate it with my outfits. so far, i’ve discovered that simple jumpsuits like this are a really good option because they stay put when you’re pulling the wrap up and around you and baby.

in fact, i’m beginning to think i could write a whole book about what to wear while babywearing. or at least a comprehensive blog post! so stay tuned because i’ve got a few more suggestions on the way. and feel free to ask me any questions you might have about wraps or carriers or babywearing in general!

wearing:
lauren moffatt romper (past season)
brookes boswell wakefield hat in panana straw
tuto sandals
migaloo woven wrap courtesy of tula
clare v. messenger
shinola runwell watch
gillian steinhardt right hand charm bracelet courtesy of aro

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a nursery sneak peek with munchkin!

back when adam was just a tiny babe, i half-jokingly declared that i would consider it an accomplishment if i managed to photograph the nursery before he was a year old. and here we are. adam is 14 months old, and i’m finally getting around to it! besides the fact that i have never photographed or shared any of my interiors on the blog before, i think my biggest hurdle was that i kept expecting the room to be “finished” one day. but then, as i rearranged the room for the millionth time since he was born, i realized that there would never be an end point. a home is this living, breathing thing that grows and changes right along with us. adam’s needs are ever-changing, and so is his room. (and with any luck, we’ll be moving out of this place very soon, so i really need to document it before we leave. more on that later!)

so in the spirit of building things up, i partnered with munchkin to give you a little tease before the big reveal. most of the room has remained pretty much the same since adam was born, but i’ve been making important additions to the room here and there. one such essential came in the form of our new arm & hammer diaper pail that we received courtesy of munchkin. i had originally picked up a little stainless steel step can because i thought it looked nice, and i honestly never even considered using a diaper pail. and i got away without one for quite a few months before i started to notice a particularly offensive funk wafting from the nursery. unless you plan to make multiple trips to the dumpster throughout the day, a regular can just isn’t gonna cut it. needless to say, i was pretty relieved to finally make the upgrade, especially after having to explain the stink to guests a few too many times…

and with that final odor-free addition, i can finally say that i’m ready to share the nursery! hope you enjoy the photos, and stay tuned for the full reveal coming soon!

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this post was created in partnership with munchkin. thank you for supporting my sponsors!

thirteen months

well, it finally happened. after thirteen months of carrying around this extremely large baby, i finally injured my back. it’s just a strain, but if you’ve ever hurt your back, you’ll know how much it still totally sucks! much like when me and adam both came down with a nasty cold at the same time last month, being sick or injured is a million times more challenging when you’ve got a little one to care for. he’s at a very clingy stage, which is totally normal, but i can’t exactly bend over and lift him up! i know i need to stay down for at least a couple of days if i want to heal, and thankfully i’ve got family members taking shifts to help me take a break. so of course, i’m propped up at the computer editing photos! i shot these a couple of weeks ago at the elementary school near our house. brendan usually takes adam there on weekends to explore the playground. i’m actually surprised how often we have the whole place to ourselves! adam gets to roam free in the big grass field, or else we help him maneuver his way around the play structure.

and can we talk about his vintage sweater set? i’ve recently fallen down the vintage baby clothing rabbit hole. there are a ton of sellers on instagram who post new items daily. i’m actually lucky that it’s so much harder to find cool vintage baby boy clothes or i might be out of control. the girl stuff is crazy good. it’s taking all of my strength not to start collecting darling little ’60s baby dresses for a girl that i don’t even have haha!

wearing: japanese vintage sweater and hat set from vintagenthings, levi’s knit leggings, hansel from basel mini puff dot crew socks, handmade leather moccs that i picked up from kissui, our favorite local baby boutique!








giveaway: win $150 to micaela greg!

i’m happy to say that adam and i are finally recovering from that nasty cold we caught last week. and it couldn’t have come at a better time because today just so happens to be my birthday. i ended up postponing my own party plans until next week, but in the meantime, i decided to celebrate with a giveaway! i’ve partnered up with san francisco-based knitwear designer micaela greg to offer you the chance to win $150 to the shop!

i’d been familiar with design duo marie and karen potesta’s line of womenswear knits for a couple of years now, but was especially excited when they recently launched their first kid’s line this fall. i think i’ve said this before, but as much as i love dressing myself, i have even more fun dressing adam! so when they sent me these little sweatpants, i knew i wanted to bundle him up in all his best knits (including a misha & puff sweater and hand knit goodnight, day toque). meanwhile, i’ve been lounging around in this ridiculously comfy knit jumpsuit, usually paired with an oversized jacket and mules.

so now’s your chance to win something for yourself! you can enter by using the widget below:

Micaela Greg Giveaway!







life lately

if you haven’t noticed, january is officially the month of adam around here. as soon as the holidays ended, i hit the ground running when i realized that i only had a week to plan his first birthday party! we pulled it off, and i couldn’t have been happier, but all of the stress and anticipation and ups and downs must have left me susceptible because both adam and i have been sick all week with a nasty bug. at first i thought it was the flu because adam had a bit of a fever, but now i’m thinking it was just a bad cold. either way, we’ve been resting all week on our “mandatory staycation” and are finally starting to get back to normal.

so 2015 is off to a bit of a rocky start. i’m not feeling glum at all, but i am feeling pretty overloaded. i’ve hardly had any time to keep up with work and emails, and i’m not anywhere near back to my normal blogging schedule. and it’s my birthday in only a few days! we have a little getaway planned for this weekend, but i almost don’t feel like i’m ready for it! i still have a million and one things to do this month, including a nursery makeover for adam’s room, which i was kinda hoping to complete and photograph before he turned a year old. i guess the universe is trying to tell me to chill out and take a breather, but i’m fighting it like mad. i just want to go go go, and i have so many ideas and plans that it makes it hard to take a step back and just chill out!

above is a shot of adam wearing the cutest little hansel from basel socks. he’s not quite walking on his own yet, but he’s just about the age where i get to put him in fun shoe and sock combinations like this. 

happy birthday, adam!

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oh man, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since my little dude was born! i still remember the day we brought him into this world as if it were yesterday. but here we are, celebrating our little one-year-old boy. i’ve never been one to get into party-planning, i hate celebrating my own birthday, and even decided to forgo a baby shower before adam was born. but obviously, i changed my tune when it came to celebrating the big number one! i still wanted to keep things simple, but i also wanted it to be special. so after much hemming and hawing, i decided to rent a cute little cottage in the mountains for the weekend, so we could have a few days to celebrate. my mom and sister came with me and we made all of the decorations by hand. and on the big day, we served tacos hot off the grill, and i decorated a bunch of tiny cakes just for the occasion. we sang happy birthday, and adam cried when everyone applauded, but quickly changed his tune when we gave him his smash cake, which he very delicately broke into. and when it was time to open presents, he squealed with delight over each and every gift. it really was a great show. i am so happy that it went off without a hitch, we survived the stress of it all, and were able to enjoy celebrating adam’s first year with family. so here’s to many more birthdays to come!

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the decorating party

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over the weekend, we had the pleasure of celebrating adam’s very first birthday party. it was such an exciting milestone for us that we decided we might as well turn it into a weekend affair, which included a little pre-birthday decorating party! i really wanted to create an uplifting atmosphere for our guests, and thanks to pinterest, i had about a million different diy decorating ideas i wanted to try. and as luck would have it, glade just so happened to reach out to ask if i’d be interested in trying out some of their candles and wax melts to help create the right mood for my next party! so we partnered up to share a few of the fun things i created for the occasion.

i really wanted to add my own personal touch to such an important event, so instead of buying a bunch of pre-fab decorations, i opted to personalize the decor with a series of very easy diy projects. with that in mind, i set out to create a bright and cheerful atmosphere using white, gold, and silver as my “neutral” backdrop, and incorporated plenty of bright pops of color using rainbow confetti, sprinkles, and pom poms. it was super easy to make, and the bright colors mixed with the uplifting scent of lavender & peach blossom created such a delightful feeling for me and my guests.

confetti cakes

instead of making the cakes, i simply ordered them from a local bakery and asked for them to be undecorated so i could add my own rainbow sprinkles for a personal touch.

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confetti balloons – for these, i purchased confetti and added a little handful to clear latex balloons. make sure you use paper confetti, the metallic variety will pop your balloons!

 

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pom pom garland – i wanted to add pops of bright color throughout the room, so i created a simple rainbow-colored garland by stringing together various sized pom poms with a needle and thread.calivintage_com_0625  calivintage_com_0639

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this post was created in partnership with glade. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that make this blog possible.

 

 

 

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