Girls Trip

The past few weekends have been super busy and filled with lots of firsts. One of which was my first night away from M for my Sister's bachelorette party. The following weekend was my first flight without her. Luckily both were super fun, I could (almost) totally relax knowing M was with her Dad who is easily the better parent ;)

How cute is this new shirt? Check out my upcoming Stitch Fix review for details.

I headed to DC early Saturday morning with my girlfriend to celebrate our dear friends 30th birthday. Her husband was so sweet to email us back in April so we had plenty of time to plan our stay. We arrived early and headed for our hotel. I snapped a few pictures of our room - I loved the shower and dark floors (mental note for future home!) 

We then went over to Le Diplomate for brunch. I adore this place! The food is phenomenal, the decor is perfection, which all comes together to create the most perfect ambiance. 

We then headed back for some relaxation and girl time before heading to the new (to me)  Dry Bar location in Dupont. With great hair and relaxed moods we headed back to the hotel for bubbles and the finishing touches.

The party was at Maple so we popped in earlier for dinner and drinks before heading upstairs to the party. It was such a fun night! There was an awesome  rosé bar, amazing gold flecked jewel treats, cake & apps. 

On Sunday I got to visit some old favorites, Bethesda Bagels, Baked and Wired, and visit some friends from our time in DC. I also popped into a shop and picked up a gorgeous new bag, but more on that in a separate post! 

It was a fabulous 36 hour trip, short & sweet but worth every minute! Happy 30th to my sweet friend! I hope this year brings you so much happiness, puppy snuggles & many more trips together!

 XO

Traveling with little ones

Our first family trip was to DC when M was 10 weeks old. She did so well on the flight and was a total angel despite the chaos of travel. We thought we nailed it and were super proud of ourselves. So when we booked our flights to London I was feeling pretty confident we would have smooth sailing. In my mind she was going to nurse for takeoff, sleep the whole flight in her bassinet and wake up on London time. While the flying part was easy it wasn't quite that easy...

We quickly learned we just got super lucky the first time, and traveling with a baby to another country will put even the most laid back of personalities into overdrive. Also if you're type A++ like me- then it might just send you over the edge! 

With a little perspective... and wine... I realized it could have been worse, but we definitely learned some lessons for next time.

We certainly over packed when it came to clothing for M, we ended up doing laundry almost daily so we could have done with half of what we brought there. Things I didn't think of was Dreft- we couldn't find it anywhere so we ended up using an alternative. Luckily M doesn't have any skin sensitivities so it was fine, but if your baby does it might be worth packing it.

Some of our go to gear for the trip is listed below. We got most of our stuff from Magic Beans, if you live in Boston (or CT they just opened a store there) you have to go there! We have had the most amazing experience there every time we go in.

The Ergo 360 carrier is amazing because it packs down super small and your babe can face outward and inward. This one is the breathable fabric, we opted for the less practical but cute orange polka dot! ;)

I LOVE our Nuna travel crib, it is smaller than your average and is super portable! 

I am obsessed with Little Unicorn's line of muslin blankets and bibs! They are super soft and are awesome to have in your bag to use for anything from a blanket, shielding from the rain, a nursing cover or to cover your child when they have pooped through both of the outfits you brought for them until you can get them to a clothing store to buy something new (#momfail). PS I don't own this pattern yet but you can bet your bottom dollar I will as soon as I publish this ;) 

This diaper bag is AH-mazing! Seriously it's the little things that make a big difference! The changing pad unzips from the front so you can roll it out, lay the baby down and have all your changing stuff accessible, perfect for small European public restrooms! 

What is your go to gear for traveling with a baby? It can really be all about those essential items to help get past the little challenges!

Weekend Recap

Happy Wednesday! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing weekend and ready for a short week ahead!

We took full advantage of the beautiful weather and spent as much time outside as possible. Saturday we got up early and headed to Tougas Family Farm for some berry picking, tractor rides, animal viewing and little Miss M's first time on the swings!

We had a total blast! I had the best intentions of making a blueberry pie when I got home, but family nap time followed by the pool won me over in the end.

 

See all those apple trees? I will be back for those babies come the most wonderful season of all..FALL!

Sunday we had a relaxing morning followed by the wedding of one of my oldest friends and Clovis' favorite dog sitter. On our way there Oliver asked me if I remembered how I felt the day of our wedding. We then spent the next few minutes reminiscing about the details we remembered most vividly - our vows, the emotions, and of course the cake ;) I questioned him as to why he asked, to which he explained that on the way to every wedding he thinks about how happy, hopeful, & excited he was on our wedding day and how that very moment the couple must be feeling the exact same way. If you know Oliver you know he is not the most traditionally romantic person, I mean he refuses to celebrate Valentine's day for goodness sake, but he is without a doubt the most kind, loving, thoughtful and present person I know.

The wedding was stunning, as was the bride! Being someone who has been to a fair few weddings myself I can say the best ones are where it represents the couple. This wedding was so true to who they are and it couldn't have been more perfect!

If you saw my Instagram post my Rent the Runway dress was a total fail, so I ended up wearing an old bridesmaid dress from my brother's wedding. I plan on giving RTR another shot and will do a full review on the blog soon!

Monday was a day filled with errands, laundry, meal prep, and my all time favorite family snuggles!

What were your weekend highlights?

6 Months into Motherhood

I truly can't believe it has been 6 whole months since M was born! Life has changed a lot since then, but I can honestly say having M is the best thing we've ever done! (I know it's soo cliche, but absolutely the truth)

Going back to work proved to be a bigger challenge than I realized. I was overwhelmed and felt forever guilty, it is a tough balance and a constant battle to feel like you are giving both your career and your family 100%. I have since realized that in order to do that I need to ask for help and learn to be flexible about things like having a perfectly clean house, laundry done, and clean hair (thank God for dry shampoo!). It doesn't hurt that we have the best in home chef, laundry folder, dog walker, bedtime story reader, snuggler, Dada in all the land! :)

When I first started thinking about how we would raise M there were lots of questions and choices to be made. Some of which didn't feel like so much of an "option", which leads me to the expectations of our generation - You must have a completely natural childbirth in a field, return to work 48 hours later in size 0 clothing, breastfeed exclusively for 3 years, grow and make organic food for your baby, never let your baby cry, EVER, oh and did I forget that you need
to never let a single chemical touch your child's skin?


While I can recognize that is a bit of an exaggeration it sure does feel that way sometimes! Oliver had to literally drag me away from the online forums for new moms to prevent a full scale meltdown. Since then I have learned to trust my instincts, cut myself some slack, and surround myself with supportive and loving Mamas who pass zero judgment on my parenting choices.

So here's to all the Moms out there doing the best they can, making the best choices for their family. We support you!