Recent buys…

 

MAMA

Gap 1969 Legging Jean– Prior to getting pregnant, I probably hadn’t stepped inside a Gap for 3 or 4 years.  Gap’s maternity line is what originally attracted me back into the store and I have continued to shop there post pregnancy as I really think they have upped their game.  The 1969 Legging Jean is the best fitting jean I have tried on in years and the price can’t be beat.  The 1969 Legging Cord is next on my list.

Vince Camuto Elvin Bootie– I know I am about 3 years late to the bootie trend, but I promise that is only because I have been actively hunting for the perfect pair.  Enter the Vince Camuto Elvin Bootie-love the shape, the height, and the reasonable price.  They were worth the wait. I plan on wearing them all winter long with jeans, skirts, and dresses.

Banana Republic Piped Corset Dress– I just scored this dress on a mega sale ($38) at BR this past week.  The fun color and contrasting piping (hot pink) is what initially attracted me.  The price sold me.  I’m thinking it will make its debut on Valentine’s Day this year.

BABY

Minnetonka Baby Fringe Booties– One of Isabel’s Christmas gifts (if I’m being real, she is 7 weeks old -so more of a gift to myself). They are a little big on her now, but I think she will be living in them once they fit.  I also have my eye on a pair of Freshly Picked moc’s for her in the spring.

Baby Gap Pink Coat (sold out)- Never ever pay full price for anything at the Gap.  They seriously have some sort of sale going on almost every other day. The day I purchased this, I bought no less than 10 things for her for under $100.  This coat rung in at $14-insane!  I bought it in the 12-18 month size for Isabel to wear next winter.

Baby Gap Printed Flutter One Piece– Once the holiday season passes I quickly start wishing for summer.  Can’t wait to see our little monkey in this heart printed bathing suit.  She has some cute Janie and Jack oversized red shades to match!

Isabel Reese

Isabel Reese was born in early November, 6 days after her due date.  We had scheduled an induction for two days later, and I was so happy that labor started naturally.  I was surprisingly calm leading up to my due date, and didn’t spend too much time thinking about actually having to give birth-my feeling all along was that billions of women had done it before me and I could do it too.  I had planned all along to have an epidural, and I think knowing that also helped as I had heard from friends and family that once you had it, it should be smooth sailing.

I went into labor at around 1:00 a.m. and was at the hospital by 2:00.  At that point I wasn’t very far along, but was feeling some pretty intense contractions so they had me sit on a birthing ball which helped the pain tremendously!  I highly recommend using one if you are able to.  During this time an IV was put in and I honestly think that was the most painful part of my whole experience.  The epidural went in around 5:00 a.m., and was not nearly as bad as it is made out to be.  Maybe I just had a great anesthesiologist, but I didn’t feel much more than a pinch.  I felt almost instantaneous relief and was able to get a few hours of much needed sleep.

By 2:00 p.m. the following day after being given Pitocin to help move things along, I was finally fully dilated and was given the okay to start pushing.  This was probably the part I was most surprised about-I couldn’t believe how exhausting it was.  It made me so thankful that I had continued to workout throughout my entire pregnancy, I can’t imagine how I would have been able to last as long if I had not.  Unfortunately, after three hours of almost constant pushing we were not making much progress.  The doctor made the decision to go ahead with a C-section as he didn’t think she would be able to descend enough to have a safe birth.  I got a little teary when he made the decision, but was so exhausted by this point that I quickly made peace with it.

At 5:02 p.m. after a successful C-section, Isabel Reese was born.  She was a little peanut-weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long.  Both C and I cried when we heard her first sounds.  I was so relieved that everything went well.  After a C-section they let you see the baby for a minute or two and then they are brought to the nursery for a checkup and to be bathed.  I was brought to a recovery room during this time and un-patiently waited for her to be brought in to see us.  It felt like forever.

Finally, almost two hours after she was delivered she was brought into my room.  I was in awe at how beautiful she was-she had a head of dark hair, blue eyes, and the longest eyelashes.  We all had made guesses prior to the birth on hair and eye color and I was the only one who got them both right-mother’s intuition already kicking in.

We spent the next four days in the hospital as I recovered from the C-section.  I was up and moving around by day two and was anxious to get home to begin our new life.  Looking back, I think being in the hospital for an extended period of time was a good thing as it allowed us to establish a routine while still having others around to help us.  It made our transition from the hospital to home a lot less overwhelming.  It also helped that Isabel was and continues to be an extremely relaxed baby which we are so thankful for.

A Peter Rabbit Baby Shower

On a beautiful fall day in late September, my mom and her closest friend hosted a baby shower for us.  The months of planning that went into the shower showed in the tiny details centered around a Peter Rabbit theme (which was a childhood favorite of mine).  The picture above was an area they created exclusively to open gifts.  The crib and bassinet that are holding some of the gifts were both vintage, and Isabel now spends some of her time at my mom’s house in the bassinet.  The graphic designers at the company my mom works for were nice enough to design the picture of Peter Rabbit covering the door.  I loved how they placed the carrot’s on the fence-it was one of my favorite details! There was also a bunch in the bassinet as well.

Loved the mason jar glasses with adorable pink and white striped straws.  They served apple cider from a local farm and iced tea.

Guest’s left the shower with mason jar’s filled with homemade cookies.  My mom had the mother rabbit stickers made for on top of the jars and used cupcake holders to create the ruffle around them.  Although you can’t see it, my mom painted the tops of the jars with chalkboard paint so guests could use them after the cookies were gone to store things.

Childhood pictures of C and I were hung from an old gate for guests to view as they entered the backyard.

Since the shower was held in the early afternoon, we had a light lunch.  Each guest was served chicken salad with a croissant.  There was also crudite at all tables (I wish I had a picture-the presentation was so cute!).  For dessert the hosts passed out carrot cake cupcakes and apple cider donuts from a local farm.

Catering-Chive Cafe (Lahaska, PA)

Apple Cider and Apple Cider Donuts-Solebury Orchards

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful group of family and friend’s to celebrate with!

Isabel’s Nursery Tour

As soon as I found out I was pregnant (and really let’s be honest and say a good year before I got pregnant), I began pinning nursery ideas.  I didn’t want the nursery to scream “baby” and found myself leaning towards a more neutral color palette.  Once we found out we were having a girl, I settled on a pink and gray color scheme and set out on creating a simple but elegant space that could grow with her throughout her childhood.  The nursery took longer than anticipated to put together (one word of advice-order furniture early!), but I am so happy with the results.

 

The nursery ended up being a good mix of old and new, higher end and inexpensive.  Some of my favorite things were finds at local antique and flea markets.  Although the furniture was pricey, we picked a set that we thought could grow with her from infancy to adulthood.  The crib isn’t able to convert into a full size bed, but it should last her through her toddler years with the addition of a conversion kit that transforms it into a mini daybed.

My favorite piece in the room?  The elephant rocker my mom snagged from Pottery Barn kids. I’ve been tempted a time or two to try it out.

Furniture- Young America Abigail Collection

Rug, Curtains, Bedding, Storage Cubes-Restoration Hardware Baby and Child

Chair and Elephant Rocker-Pottery Barn

Mirror-found at a local antique market

Lamps-HomeGoods

Life changes in an instant.

My name is Jessica, a 2o something wife and new mother.  The moment my daughter Isabel was born just 7 short weeks ago, my life changed in an instant.  I hope you will follow me on my journey as a new mom while I continue to adjust to a new way of living.  Traveling, fashion, and spending time with friends and family are my passions, so you can expect to find a little of each on here.