White Jeans for Fall?

In a post-baby shopping spree that I did a few weeks ago, I was able to score a pair of white cropped skinny jeans from AT Loft --- for $14.99!!! Score!

These aren't the exact ones because they aren't on the website anymore, but they basically look exactly like this

However, now that it's late September, I'm unsure of how to wear them into fall. Can I still rock them now that summer is over and the weather is cooler? To be honest, I haven't even worn them yet. It was still too hot a few weeks ago and now that the weather has changed, I'm just not sure how to pull them off without looking like I'm in the wrong season.

I'm planning on wearing them with a chambray button down and a pair of leopard flats, like this:

Source: http://ellaprettyblog.blogspot.com/

Can I wear them with brown leather riding boots once it gets cooler? What else can I wear them with to be seasonally appropriate? And when do I have to put them away for good?

Happy Fall!

Emmy Fashion

I love awards season - for the dresses! I barely watch any of the actual shows, I just tune into the pre-show to see what everyone is wearing. Honestly, I was underwhelmed by last night's dresses - there weren't any that I was totally in love with. But here's my favorites:

 Sarah Paulson - I love the charcoal grey, I think it's really unexpected and different.

 Melissa Rauch - LOVE this shade of green and the peek of the aqua in the front.

  Zooey Deschanel - I'm not a fan of the bottom, but I love that color on her and the top of the dress is amazing. It works with her quirky personality

 Kerry Washington - I'm always a fan of sparkle and sequins. This color is amazing on her

Julie Bowen - I love this dress, the yellow is so fun and totally on point with the neon trend. However, I HATE her hair - it looks like she just got out of the shower and did nothing to it!

Ginnifer Goodwin - I like this, but I don't love it. I wish it went all the way to the floor - I hate them hems that are shorter in the front. But I do love the orange and the print on her.

And now here's the dresses that I did not love:

Heidi Klum - not sure why, but I really do not like this. I just feel like it doesn't do anything for her, which is hard to do with a figure like Heidi! The color is blah to me as well.

Hayden Panettiere - Isn't she like 23 years old? This dress is way too old for her. I do like the dark teal color, but I'm not not a fan of this dress on her at all.

Emily VanCamp - So Revenge is basically my favorite thing EVER right now so I was disappointed in Emily's dress choice, since her wardrobe on that show is amazing. The color is just blah and that cut does not flatter her at all. Her hair also looks like a 50 year old woman.

 January Jones - The top of this dress is amazing...and the bottom is just too weird for me. If it was just a little bit more flowy on the bottom instead of so structured, I would really like this. But I'm not a fan - and I also don't like her as a red head or with such severe make up.

 Lena Dunham - I didn't even know who this was (She's on the show Girls), but this dress is just wrong. It makes her look about 50 pounds more than she actually weights and it's just blah. Yuck!

Kristen Wiig - For someone who is so funny and fun, she does not look like she's having very much fun! This dress is so boring and blah - the color, the cut, everything is wrong in my opinion.

Which dresses did you love? Which ones were you not a fan of?

I don't think I was one of those women who felt this overwhelming sense of unconditional love for P right after he was born - it took me a few weeks months to really feel connected to the little man. Obviously I loved him, but I was also overwhelmed and scared. Being a mom is hard, hard work and I was a little shell shocked in the early days.

There's so much out there about how you have to be the "perfect" mom with dinner cooked, a clean house, a full face of makeup and your hair done, etc. that it was difficult for me to feel like I was doing a good job, especially on the "bad" days.  There were days where Preston would cry all day and I would sit down and cry right along with him because I couldn't get him to stop. There's also days where the second Jake walked in the door from work, I would hand him P and walk upstairs to get away. There's times when he would wake up at 2am to be fed and I would pull the covers over my head and wish I could ignore it. Did these things make me a "bad" mom....No. However, there were so many times when I felt that I was failing and Preston would be better off without me.

I didn't realize that mommy guilt would start so early and be so strong. I agonized over our decision to switch to formula - a decision I'm still not ok with some days. I fretted over the fact that we moved him into his own room/crib at 5 weeks - Was that too early? Would that increase the SIDS risk? Was I being selfish about wanting to sleep better without a loud baby right next to me? I worried that letting him take naps in the swing would him into a horrible sleeper who would never sleep anywhere else. I worried that carrying him in the baby carrier would make him too dependent on me and in the same breath, I wondered if I was holding him enough, stimulating him enough, giving him enough attention.

A new set of feelings started when I got to the end of my maternity leave and we prepared to send P to daycare. Part of me felt relief - I wouldn't have to "deal" with him during the day during a meltdown or when he refused to take a nap. Part of me felt selfish - now I could eat whenever I wanted, go to the gym or for a run at lunch, go to the bathroom in peace or take a longer shower. And of course, the other big part of me felt utter and total depression - I couldn't fathom being away from my baby all day long. I felt like I had completely wasted my maternity leave...it went by so fast. Why didn't I cuddle him more instead of reading blogs or watching TV? Why didn't I read him more books instead of just letting him play on a blanket? Why didn't we go for more walks? Why did I get so frustrated during his fussy days?

Obviously we are all surviving and getting used to our new routine of daycare and work. It has helped me appreciate Preston and Jake so much more - I want to do nothing more than spend time with my boys on the weekends. I turn down offers to go get a pedicure with a friend. I don't exercise unless I can bring the baby. I'm ok with getting up at 6:00am on a Saturday so I can see P laying in his crib, babbling away and smiling at me. But there's still weekends when Preston screams his head off and won't nap - and I still get frustrated and cry.

You really can't understand how hard it is to be a mom until you are one yourself - so cliche, but true. There's no words to describe the emotions that you go through on a daily basis - both good and bad. It's an emotional roller coaster to say the least.

Current Love

I grabbed one of these last week because they were on sale 10 for $10 and I LOVED it! I get bored by drinking water, so I'm always on the hunt for fun drinks that aren't super sugary or caffenated and this was delicious! They have a bunch of flavors - I need to find them!

Baby Essentials 0-3 Months

I did one of these lists for the newborn stage (under a month) but I thought I'd update with the items that got us through the last 3 months!

Sleep Gowns

We started using these gowns at night about a month ago and we love them. Not only is it super easy to do diaper changes because you just pull the gown up, an unexpected benefit is that it keeps P's legs confined so he can't break out of the bottom of his swaddle blanket like he does in footed PJ's. Is it wrong that we use these to limit his mobility? HA! We would always see a rouge foot or leg come out of the bottom of the swaddle blanket in regular PJ's and that would lead to him completely breaking out of the swaddle and then waking up in frustration. So keeping his legs in these gowns keeps him swaddled which means more sleep for everyone. It's a win-win.

Lamaze Tug and Play Activity Knot

This is the first toy that Preston has really shown interest in. We keep it clipped to his car seat and it gives us a few minutes of quiet if he's super fussy. It has some different textures, a mirror and bright colors, so it keeps his attention - his favorite thing is to rub the furry brown triangle on his nose. Or eat it.

Fisher Price Bouncer Seat

Basically this seat is the only way I can make dinner in the evenings. Ours is a different pattern (ours is farm animal themed) and I got it on super clearance at Target when I was barely pregnant - I think I paid $11? Let me tell you, I would have paid $111 for this thing. It doesn't have any bells or whistles...it doesn't make noise or light up, but P absolutely loves it. Most of the time, he chills in it and looks around, but he also enjoys looking at the toys on the little attachment and spinning them around. In the mornings, he will also take short snoozes in it, which allows us to eat breakfast. Here's proof that he is super comfy in this chair:

via Instragram

California Baby Super Sensitive Baby Wash

Yes, this is probably one of the most expensive bottles of body wash ever ($18 for 8oz) however, it took us 3 months to go through it (and that's with not using it sparingly - we dump a bunch in during bath time), so that really only works out to $6 a month. Preston has the most sensitive skin EVER and we didn't realize how awesome this body wash was until we ran out. We used a bottle of Johnson and Johnson's that I got at my shower for 2 days and he completely broke out in a rash. And I totally I ran out to Target at like 9pm to stock up on more of this stuff. It has absolutely no smell, which I actually like because I don't want my baby to smell like flowers or lavender. We also use their Everday Lotion after bath time and love how light and non-greasy it is.

Beco Gemini

As I've mentioned before, P is a fan of being worn. In his 3rd month, however, he started having a fit when I would carry him facing in - little man wanted to face out and see the world! The Beco saved us - he can face out, but it doesn't kill my back because this carrier puts the weight on your hips instead of back. It's made walks so much fun because we can walk up to trees and flowers and show them to Preston and he gets so excited. And I've also totally worn him around the house while I did chores when he refused to be put down and just wanted to look around, like so:

via Instagram

Bibs

So I thought P was just a really drooly baby until my mom looked in his mouth at 2 months old and found a white spot where his first tooth is coming up. Yes, baby boy was teething at 2 months. The tooth hasn't popped up yet, but I think he'll be rocking a pearly white by the time he's 4 months. Yikes. Anyways, we now have to keep a bib on him at all times due to the high volume of saliva that is constantly flowing out of his mouth. We love these bibs from Carters because they have a waterproof backing so his clothes stay dry:

My only complaint is that I wish they made more plain colored ones that didn't have zoo animals or slogans on them. We also use these plain white bibs for daycare - they aren't as thick, but they do the job and are very neutral.

And honorable mentions go to our Baby Jogger City Elite stroller (we're still totally loving it!), Avent Bottles (super easy to clean and don't have a ton of parts to deal with), Pottery Barn hooded towels (complete splurge, but we love how big and plush these towels are - and who can resist a cute wet baby in a hooded towel? We have the whale with the monogram of course!) and my Skip Hop Versa Diaper Bag (totally in love with this bag! I carry it even when P isn't with me)

3 Months!

Preston, You are THREE MONTHS OLD. For some reason, that sounds really old to me. We survived the "4th trimester" and you are officially an "infant" now and no longer a newborn. You are definitely acting more infant-like...you are giggling, grasping for toys and *almost* rolling over!

Comparison shot of the last 3 months. Obviously there was a huge change from 1 month to 2 months. I feel like he may not be much bigger than he was at 2 months, but he looks older in the face and more "mature" HA!

Likes: Smiling, Giggling, Chewing on his hands, Sitting in the bumbo, Standing on our laps and looking around, Sitting in his bouncy chair and "talking" to me while I'm cooking in the kitchen, ceiling fans, Sophie the Giraffe, His lovey blanket, bath time

Dislikes: Still HATES burping, spending more than 10 minutes doing tummy time, the car seat unless we're moving

Milestones: We officially have a baby who regularly sleeps through the night (typically 9:00pm to 6:30 or 7:00am). He does this at least 6 times a week, and one week he made it through all 7 nights with no middle of the night wake-ups at all. Pretty. Freaking. Fantastic. The first night he did it was August 6th and it's just gotten better and better since then. It's amazing to wake up, look at the clock and realize it's 6:15am and he's still asleep. And a lot of times, he will wake up around 6:30am, drink a bottle and then go back down for a few hours. Ahh yes - he knows how much his momma loves her sleep! (Fingers crossed I'm not jinxing us! I'm looking at you 4 month wakeful period - I know you are coming for us!!)

Eating Habits: Still has a big appetite with no signs of slowing down. He's still taking 5oz bottles of formula and now with not waking up in the middle of the night, he's drinking 5 bottles a day, down from 6, which is what he was doing last month. We also moved up to #2 nipples, so he's drinking his bottles faster now. He typically eats around 6:30/7:00am, 10:30am, 2:00pm, 5:00pm and then his last bottle of the day around 8:30/9:00pm right before bed. I love how predictable this little man is, even though I know it can change at any time, we're enjoying the routine for now!

Big Change of the month: My maternity leave ended and Baby Boy started daycare last week on August 27th. I'll be writing an entire post on the whole daycare thing, but so far, we're all surviving and I actually think P loves the hustle and bustle of hanging out with other kids. He's such a curious little dude that it's actually sort of boring for him to be home with just mom and dad now - he needs stimulation and noise! I do think daycare is helping with his sleeping habits, as he's definitely very tired when he gets home, so he tends to pass out earlier than usual now. Even though I miss my little man like crazy all day, I'm glad he's around other babies and will have that interaction.

So as you can see from these action shots - P is on the move! He's super active and loves to roll from side to side and push off with his legs. He's *thisclose* to rolling over from his back onto his tummy - I think it will happen in the next few weeks.





Jake has been encouraging him to roll over, but I'm not ready for us to have a mobile baby! I know things will just get more challenging once he can roll over, so I'm ok if it doesn't happen for a few more weeks! HA!

Nicknames: P, Pres, Pres Pres (from his teacher at daycare), Little Man, PC, P-Man, Bubba

Biggest Challenges: Little dude was diagnosed with mild reflux this month, so he's now on Zantac 2 times a day. This is sort of connected to the whole hating burping thing - we think he was/is actually in pain during burping, which is why he screams and cries when you try to burp him during a bottle (because it was burning his throat to burp). The Zantac seems to be helping, even though he still really hates to be burped during a bottle. Our new routine is to stick a paci in his mouth while he's being burped, which is really weird, but it helps him relax and still suck on something so he's able to burp without too much protesting.

We went to the doctor for the reflux when he was about 2.5 months old and he topped the scales at 12.9 pounds and 25" long. Super long skinny man! He continues to be in the 95% for height and 50th for weight.

We started putting P into 3-6m clothes this month, as he's just too long for a lot of the 0-3m now, especially footed PJs. We are loving the stretchies from The Children's Place for jammies and Carter's short sleeve rompers fit him really well because they are cut long and skinny. It definitely broke my heart to pack away some of his cute 0-3m clothes.

P-man is still swaddled for night time sleep and naps and I'm dreading when we have to stop swaddling. His hands are just all over the place, so I know it's going to be a challenge. Still using the Miracle Blanket for night time and he's been so tired from daycare that he doesn't even break out of it anymore, which is nice. I think we're going to move to just one arm swaddled to help transition instead of going cold turkey. But I'm hoping to hold onto the swaddle for as long as we can!

Even though he hates tummy time, his head and neck control is really good and he can get some serious "air" most of the time. He's starting to tolerate it a little bit more, especially if we use the boppy and give him something really cool to look at. But he'd much rather be sitting up (either in the Bumbo or in our laps) or standing (his new favorite). The new game we've been doing this month is having him go from laying down, pulling him up to sitting and then to standing - he giggles and smiles so much once he gets into a standing position. We are going to try the exersaucer this week! He can also purposely reach and grab for toys now - his hand/eye coordination is really good!

He's also "talking" so much now - he will spend a good 30-40 minutes having conversations with us and making all kinds of different noises. He also learned to "click" his tongue after watching me do it for about 3 days - I was in awe that he could pick that up so quickly! His coos are so cute and I'm of course encouraging him to say "mama" by constantly saying it to him. He's even putting different sounds together, almost like forming words, which is really cool.

Preston, we have loved the last 3 months and know that the next 3 will be even better! Love you little boy!!