MINI MUNSTER.

mini munster tops and shorts // red slip-ons // vans shark slip-ons // reef surfer slip-ons 

we are kind of obsessed with the mini munster clothing line.  maybe it's because i have an obsession with all australian clothing lines or maybe it's the whole deviance of it all, but there's a sort of effortlessly cool vibe to each piece of clothing, instantly making an infant that too-cool-bad-boy that melts all the girls hearts.

BABYLEGS TO THE RESCUE.

after a few days of constant movement on hands and knees across every rug and carpet in the house, holden's little knees were raw and red with rug burn.  after a day or two he seemed to be somewhat tentative about crawling, attempting a frog-like leap versus the traditional crawl in an effort to salvage his knees.  i remembered the pair of babylegs leggings that holden wore often during the winter as an extra layer and realized they would be a perfect solution to this crawling dilemma.

HERS & HIS.

1. tortoise retro sunglasses // 2. infant straw fedora // 3. white sheer button up // 

4. body short whale // 5. infant striped rainboots

yesterday, holden started crawling and upon the realization that he can get from place to place on his own, he has decided that he isn't going to stop moving.  he pounds the ground in excitement with his fists at his accomplishment of getting where he needs to be going and i feel like such a proud mama.  

WEEKEND.

 mama wore: target dress, jcrew sweater, zara leggings, jessica simpson boots. 

baby wore: h&m top and pants.

with gray skies and illness hanging over us, we have been feeling cooped up and stir crazy and a little lonely and isolated, restrained within the four walls of our home.  i never realized that getting sick when you have a baby means that you are banned from all activities with other babies which has severely limited our interactions with other people.  despite still not feeling well (a week and a half later) we managed to escape from our confine for the day, in between the scattered showers, getting out of the house for the first time in what feels like forever and running a few errands.  in the hopes of overcoming all of our dismalality, i opted for some bright stripes for both holden and i, and the universe seemed to acknowledge this, the sun peeking through the clouds just as we left the house even if it was only for a brief millisecond.  hoping that we are back to 100% next week and can resume our normal weekly routine of activities.

DRESSING LIKE A MAMA.

mama wore: billabong dress (also worn during pregnancy), shawl c/o rvca (from a blog i wrote a few years ago), forever21 necklace; baby wore: hurley zip-up hoodie, h&m pants, trumpette "vans" socks

before holden, i thought having style meant wearing designer clothing.  i would spend hundreds of dollars on one item of clothing and end up having no money left over to actually style it.  then i got pregnant and i couldn't bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars on one item of clothing that i knew i would be wearing for small portion of a nine month time period.  i knew that i needed to create a wardrobe that could be worn during and after pregnancy instead of wasting my money on high-priced maternity clothing that i would billow and balloon around my small frame after little h arrived.  my pregnancy made me get creative with my style.  instead of blowing entire paychecks at neimans, bloomingdales, and small san francisco high-end boutiques, i perused the racks at marshalls, tjmaxx, loehmanns, thrift stores, h&m, and forever21, finding flowing maxi dresses, empire-waisted-tops, and stretchy leggings that fit snugly around my pregnant belly and now flatter my flat-again-post-pregnant belly.  i emphasized and accessorized my bump with belts, long necklaces, and comfortable wedged heels, a stark contrast from my pre-pregnancy self who would throw on designer jeans and a designer top and call myself fashionable because of the label on hanging on the back.  i loved my pregnant body and i've never felt more confident about the way i looked than in those nine months.  learning to style and dress my bump was really the start of finding my own style and feeling confident in my fashion choices.

now i'm learning how to style myself as a breastfeeding mama and there are a whole new set of rules.  can this necklace withstand holden's mighty grasp and tugging?  will this belt scratch holden's legs when i carry him?  can this neckline stretch enough so that i can breastfeed easily?  but i've learned that being creative with where you shop, the art of accessorizing, a bright lipstick, and a fun shoe can make all the difference.  i'm taking fashion risks that the non-mother in me would have been terrified to make and i'm stepping out of the constricted style box i made for myself years ago.  i am breaking my old routines like wearing nude lipstick and nothing else like i have for the past five years, feeling a sense of empowerment and self assuredness by the simple act of swiping a red stain across my lips.  who would have thought that having a baby could make you more fashionable?  dressing like a mother has a whole new meaning.

HAPPY WEEKEND.

mama wore: francesca's collections dress, zara leggings, steven boots bought on hautelook. baby wore: h&m pants & rolling stones t-shirt, minnetonka infant booties

hope everyone is having a happy weekend!  gray clouds have taken up residence over us and there has been a steady downpour since last night.  we are starting to get creative with indoor activities.  today we went to open family swim at the indoor pool in our area.  holden was like a little fish, slapping the water gleefully and kicking his tiny feet.  i wore my "vegas" bikini (it was the only one i could find) and red lipstick which resulted in a lot of gawking and gaping by my surrounding counterparts in their speedo one pieces and tankinis. oops.  next time i'll dress more appropriately for family swim.

MINI MOCS

  

Koala Kids sweater, Zara pants, Minnetonka Infant Booties

we've been on the hunt for the perfect shoes for holden to wear for a while, never finding anything that could capture his little foot for more than a minute or two before being engulfed by the vast ocean of toys and books that is constantly surrounding us.  maneuvering his body into a standing position any chance he gets so that he can walk, his feet desperately need some sort of shelter, a security blanket of sorts, in order to preserve that silky, soft, and smooth baby skin we all covet.  i'm not quite ready to roughen them up just yet.  these are perfect. the fact that they velcro in the back is genius for wrangling baby feet into them and keeping them there. and they're just dramatic enough to capture your attention, but not take over the entirety of the outfit.  so many ways to style them.  i think we are obsessed.