Rowan's Wishlist

Okay, so, things I want to get for Rowan. But you get it, right?

I feel like, once I had a babe, my fashion focus and buying habits switched from entirely me, to entirely Rowan. When I go to a store now, I head straight for the baby section. It's kind of fun. Plus, the au naturale mama/woman in me is always looking for holistic remedies, supplements, and the like, so my wishlist can get real long, real quick. Here are some of the things that have caught my attention lately around the inter webs.

1. Amber Teething Necklaces

 

Turns out, we have an early teether on our hands. It hasn't been that bad yet but I can tell his frustration is mounting.  To everything around him he says "Get in my mouth!!!". I've known amber to have lots of great healing properties, but now they are quite popular for the teething crowd. They aren't meant to be put in the mouth (uh, hello, choking central), but rather they are short necklaces worn close to the skin, and as your body heats up, it releases minute amounts of oils that are healing to the little ones. Of course, they should ALWAYS be worn with supervision. Locally, I found some made by Momma Goose at Posh Baby.

2.  This Adorable Growth Chart

 

 It's the Heirloom Growth Chart by Miss Natalie. Rowan isn't standing yet obviously, but I love this idea! It's basically a strip of tweed or other fabric, pins, and tags, and you pin the tag where your child stands with their name, date, and age.

3. Polka Dot Gold Sheet Set

 

Need I say more?! I'm kind of obsessed with white right now..which is probably a bad idea with a baby and a dog. But, nonetheless, these sheet are awesome, and would work well for future babes of either gender. You can find them at Land of Nod. 

4. Djeco Cachempil Mother Hen

 

How cute is this toy?! It fits all the requirements for toys babies like, yet is beautiful and most importantly, doesn't light up or squawk at you every5secondsohmygosh.  Find it here.   

5. Udo's Choice Infant Probiotic

 

This isn't a want in our house hold, it is now a staple. Rowan had extremely bad gas up until recently, and really, we tried everything. Unfortunately, I have to give Rowan formula along with my breast milk, so this was contributing to the problem. But, breast, bottle, or both, our pediatrician recommended this to us, and we will be using this for all our babies.  Pro Biotics are basically just live bacteria that you introduce to your gut, that help sort out any imbalances you might have.  Babies have constantly changing and growing digestive tracts, so this really helped get Rowan back to normal.  It's so encouraging to me that Western medicine is catching on to more natural fixes to everyday ailments. If your baby has gas, I would ask your Ped. what they think. Locally, I buy it at New Seasons.

Those are some of my faves right now. Fellow mamas, do you have any goodies on your wishlists?

xoxo,

M-A

Hot Drink.

It's cold here. Real cold. 

Perfect time for a delicious hot beverage.  I tend to fill up on coffee when I want something cozy, but a girl can only take so much caffeine. Plus if I drink anymore Rowan will be wired too, and who want a wired baby?  Not me. 

So, I turn to hot drink. It's a pretty simple recipe.  Ready for it?

Water

Honey

Lemon

Basically a hot toddy, minus the whisky. Boo. By all means, add whisky if you so desire. I'm fresh out.

Now, you may feel like this is a no-duh when it comes to the world of drinks, but I really hadn't heard of it until I had it for the first time in college. I mean, I had had versions of it like, Lipton, but nothing beats fresh honey and lemon. 

The name hot drink came from my friend Mark, Connor's old room mate. He was the best at creating great names for things- especially food.  He also coined the term "sesh" in where one eats chips and salsa. Now we have sesh's all the time. It just reminds me of when Connor and I were dating and I'd go over to their house and on a cold night and make homemade pizza and drink their nasty attempt and hard cider. Le sigh...good times. 

Anything you like when it's cold out?

xoxo,

M-A

Insta-Life, lately.

Lately, my Instagram feed is all baby, all the time. But, I think that's okay.

 

1. Rowan and his cousin on Christmas

2. All bundled up

3. Homemade candles from dear friends

4. Connor's blanket from childhood. I think I stole it.

5. My little couch buddy sitting up 

6. Mall walking with my man.

7. Go Ducks

8. The amazing "12 days of Christmas sock set" from Trumpette, gifted by our lovely friend Lisbeth.

xoxo,

M-A

Looking forward to the weekend...

Weekends for us are usually Sundays & Mondays.  

Well, when you're a mom, you never really have a "weekend" per se, but I usually base my weekends off of Connor's. He just got promoted to a new job within his company, and while this is a huge financial blessing as well as a directional one for him, for Rowan and I, it means more time without him.  So, I've vowed to make out weekends more memorable. Usually, they consist of relaxing, cleaning, and movie watching which are all nice and have their place, but I have this urge to create more memories now that Rowan is here. 

So, here's what I'm looking forward to this weekend:

Brunch with my Dad

Zoo Trip

Ikea (what am I thinking?) for help with this little project involving my sardine can- sized closet ( My dilemma was even featured on Apartment Therapy here)

Church and Sunday lunch

That's about all we have planned as of now...anything fun planned for your weekend?

See you Monday

xoxo

M-A

Textile Thursday: The Ditsy floral

Ah, it's good to be back with a new textile Thursday update. Who knows if anyone even reads this, but hey it's a nice outlet for me, so here we go!


Today we celebrate the ditsy floral.  From a little girl's bedroom, to a great cigarette pant, this print has stood the test of time, and like every fashion, had ridden the waves of popularity.

What is a ditsy? Well, a ditsy (or calico, as it's sometimes called) print is small in scale, and the design motifs are usually scattered or random rather than being ordered in a definable pattern like rows or stripes.  At a distance, a ditsy print looks almost like a solid color, the scale is so small. It's usually seen in a floral motif but can really be anything.

 

Look familiar? This one is from Liberty of London, one of my favorite textile companies. 

 We're starting to see ditsy's come into play in fashion for this Spring. These are a pair of skinnies from J Crew.  They're part of a collaboration with Liberty of London. They've also done a lot of fun items for Spring or a winter getaway if you're so lucky.

I LOVE this top from Anthropologie.  It's part of their Made In Kind collection featuring different designers who make pieces specifically for the store. Wouldn't this look so cute with some fuchsia ankle pants and some leopard flats?


Enjoy your Thursday!

xoxo

M-A

Rings and things.

So, I'm kind of {secretly} into monograms lately. Necklaces, rings, key chains, you name it, if it has initials or lettering, I'm intrigued. Now, in the past, when I thought of anything monogrammed, the deep south, or a J Crew cashmere sweater came to mind. But now, monograms and lettering have received a fresh new update, and I'm liking what I see.

 Silver Promo.

These are lovely! I think I'll get one for Connor and one for Rowan. I guess I could get one for Tino our dog, but hey, it adds up when you're paying per letter. These would be perfect stacked together, or with other simple rings.

 Mazu Mazu on Etsy

 I love how simple and chic this lettering is. Tiny letters that make a big statement.

Kris Nations silver locally at Shop Adorn

Or, if you just want to represent your home state, this little number is adorable.  In Portland, we're lucky enough to have amazing little shops and designers making things that specifically represent our state, but I've seen similar necklaces elsewhere that have a wider variety of states to choose from.

Have you guys seen any others that you love?


Well, I'm off to enjoy this beautiful weather we've been blessed with for the New Year!

xoxo
M-A

A New Year

As a new year approaches, I can't help but think of everything I'm thankful for. After a rough 2011, I swore that 2012 had to be better. And it was. Here's to an even better 2013.

Photo of sweet Rowan by Kaela Mae photography.

xoxo
M-A