New Year, New Baby

Above photo is Lyla at 8 months and the following are from this past Summer & Fall.





Hello and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best this year.

2011 was a crazy, wonderful year for us. We traveled a lot - I was away for 4 months throughout last year so I wasn't able to devote much time to my blog (as many of you have noticed). We were in Venice, Ca for June, Maine in August, Florida, Minnesota, London, Chicago, Arizona throughout other times in the year. Traveling is fun of course, but can be very exhausting, especially with a 2.5 yr old. But I can't really complain because I know how fortunate we are to be able to get on a plane and head somewhere fun.

One amazing little tidbit that I haven't shared on the blog is that I'm pregnant and due in less than a month! It's always such a miracle to get pregnant and I feel very blessed. The last month has been busy getting ready for the baby and more importantly, making sure this shift is easy for Lyla, my 2.5 year old. Everyone says how important it is to make sure Lyla is happy during this time and when the baby arrives. I've been told not to open presents for the new baby in front of her and for close family and friends to buy Lyla a little gift instead of the baby. From friends and family alike, everyone says you'll realize how easy a healthy newborn is to take care of and how hard it is to take care of a toddler.

One big question I had for friends that have gone through this before is what if I have two crying kids at the same time? Who do I console first? Lyla. The toddler will remember and the newborn won't.

This pregnancy has been similar to my last but more extreme - more tired, more sick, but I think it's because I'm already a mom and don't really have much time to myself or rest to begin with. We don't know the sex of the baby - like last time, everyone thinks I'm having a boy. I go back and forth between boy and girl. We finally figured out a boy name that we both love and have had a girl name picked for a while so we're set on that front. I recently finished up all my design projects for a good while, so it's nice to not have to think about work (well sort of) and just focus on my kiddos.

I'm also experiencing a different type of emotion this time around. Last pregnancy I would get sad that it was no longer going to be just me and Patrick. But now, I feel guilty that Lyla's life is about to change more than she'll ever know. I feel sad that I won't be able to devote all of my time and energy towards her and that she'll have to share Patrick and me. I guess it's normal to feel this way. To Patrick's point, he almost feels guilty for the new baby that it'll never get total focus and devotion like Lyla had for almost 3 years.

And my biggest question of all is - Will I love this baby as much as I love Lyla? I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love Lyla but everyone says you do. Just like how you have no way of comprehending a love for a child pre having a child, I imagine it'll be a similar feeling. I just can't wait to experience that burst of love all over again.

One of the biggest differences in this pregnancy is preparing for labor is ALL about logistics with Lyla. To be honest, I haven't even thought about mentally and emotionally preparing for labor like I did last pregnancy, because it's all about logistics in making sure Lyla is ok and taken care of. We have about 4 different back up plans if I were to go into labor pre-family arriving. We can only prepare so much but it helps to know we have neighbors in our building that could help out, babysitters that'll be on call and friends who live in Brooklyn that are willing to head over to our apt. to help out.

It's all overwhelming, but like everything else, you just figure it out and do it.

photos:
Going through Lyla's personal blog just makes me so sad & amazed at how quickly time has gone. The top two photos are from less than 2 years ago and the rest are from this Summer and Fall. It's amazing how quickly time goes in two years in the life of a child.

Lyla Belle's Birthday

I can't believe our little Lyla Belle is two years old! This past weekend we celebrated her 2nd birthday with a raging house party. It was good times had by all. We had 25 adults and 12 little kids running around our apartment. The biggest highlight of the party was the guitar player I hired to entertain the kids. She was awesome - and at this age, that kind of entertainment really helped with the party flow. We set the party at 2 hours, which was perfect. Any longer and I think it would've been too much.

A friend gave me good advice and told me to avoid chocolate icing on cupcakes for 2 year olds. She learned the hard way on her white sofa. It was great advice and I felt the need to share it with you. But I did use chocolate on the cake pops I made and those were a big hit. And they were delicious. I'd never had one before this weekend and now I see why they have a cult like presence on the blogosphere. And they weren't that hard to make. They are really tasty and so much fun for the kids and adults alike.

I didn't really have much of a theme going on - we used pink and orange balloons as decorations. Boy do balloons go a long way when decorating! The hats and goodie bags I bought for the kids were from Kelley Cards and they were a huge hit! I loved them. All of the characters were made from stickers, and they were all so cute.

Celebrating Lyla's birthday was a lot of fun, but it was also really emotional. It feels like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. Time really does fly. I can't believe she's already 2. And she's a really sweet kid. I can't begin to tell you how lucky and blessed we are with her. She's the most amazing thing in our life and it's so much fun to see her blossom into a little person.


{For the party I made Martha Stewart's perfect macaroni & cheese recipe & it really is perfect! It's a huge recipe - I was able to make two large casseroles out of it.}

{photos from me}

Tiny Pattern & Color

Spring is here and so is my shopping bug for Lyla's summer wardrobe. Sweet William is definitely one of my favorite stops in Brooklyn for Lyla and other special gifts. I often feel very lucky that I get to buy clothes for a little girl. It's just too much fun!

{all photos and product from sweet william}

A little lovely

This kid's shop makes me really, really happy.

{all products from shak-shuka via fine ting og sjokolade}

Triangles in Squares

Garland, bunting, whatever it is you may call it, have been all the rage for sometime now. And for good reason, they add that special sweet & crafty touch to any decor. I especially love these trompe l'oeil geometric ones by Wunderlust - the color selection is fantastic!

{photos from wunderlust via papier mache}

Soft & Lovely

Soft Gallery just might be the hippest and coolest clothing store for kids I've ever seen. Every photo, child & product is so beautifully shot and styled. Their product photos are more like works of art. I would love to own these clothes for myself! And that feather headpiece, forget about it...I want one now!

{photos from soft gallery via small magazine's blog}

Letter Lights

I've always loved Perch, but I've never owned any of their pieces. Lately I've been thinking about buying Lyla one of these letter light pendants. How cute are they? I would love to spell out her whole name, but that may take quite a few years to complete...

{photo from perch}

Delicate & Dreamy

I came across Pilosale's site recently, and I have to admit I'm simply in love with her products. And you can tell each item was made with a lot of love and care. Her eye for detail is really beautiful. Everything is just so soft and gorgeous. Although I am only highlighting a few of her creations, I adore absolutely everything in her shop.

{via small magazine}

Warm & Sweet

Could a baby capelet get much cuter than this? I think not. How adorable is this!?!

{via nicole hill}

Happy Halloween!

How cute are these costumes from Martha Stewart? As always, they reign in DIY costumes and well everything else, but these costumes are just such sweet little treats to enjoy before this fun Halloween weekend!

Don't you guys miss Martha Stewart Baby? That magazine was sooo good, and so ahead of it's time.

This is our first Halloween as parents so we are skipping the parties our friends are throwing and heading out to a Halloween parade for kids in our neighborhood. Good times!

Have a happy and safe Halloween weekend everyone!

{photos from martha stewart}

To Catch a Dream

What better way to start the week than with these precious little dream catchers by Nest Pretty Things? Happy Monday!

{photos from nest pretty things}

Floating Patterns

I am in love with these paper mobiles by Almost Sunday. The mix of patterns and colors are just gorgeous! I especially love the origami bird mobile, such simple shapes that form an elegant composition high above. Her shop has a really great selection of paper items from invitations to wall art. Check it out!

{images from almost sunday}

Ruffles & Roses

Do you remember these adorable little onesies from Krafty Kym? Well now she is offering precious little girl's clothing. There is so much detail and craft that goes into these little pieces, what is not to love?

Have a great weekend!

{photos from krafty kym}

Baby Love

I love this yearlong timelapse of this baby. So precious.

Having a baby is amazing...

{via twbe}

Totally Stylin'

How cute are these little onesies for your future little executive in the making or just plain dapper gent? I have a feeling if you gifted one of these at a baby shower you would win the prize for coolest gift! And how great is Krafty Kym's photo styling? I love love love!

{photos from krafty kym}

Ittikid

Okay - these seriously have to be some of the cutest baby clothes I have ever seen. I LOVE the patterns!

{photos from ittikid}

A little bit of this and that

A cute little poster from Sparkle Power is being sold for a hard to pass up price. I like.


And how cute is this bunting banner? It is the perfect decoration for a baby shower...

{photos from sparkle power}