Peace (out) in 2013

I'm starting a new blog.  One that better reflects my interests and current baby-toting, research-mongering, fashion-obsessed, sometimes crafty, always wistful life.  New URL is TypeAlex.blogspot.com, first post to come soon.  But in the meantime, I want to revisit my 12
 resolutions from last year and see how I did...


1. Floss more
NO!  I'm awful...
2. Exercise more
Yeaaaaah, buddy.  5 lbs under pre-preggo weight, thank you very much.
3. Come up with an awesome dissertation idea.
I didn't come up with it with as much expediency as I thought, but I got it - the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on executive functions/ attention in children exposed to trauma.  It's a mouthful, very interesting, and terribly important.  More to come on that soon!
4. Go on dates with my husband.
Yeesh, we did not do this enough.
5. Take more family walks.
Also did a poor job on this one.
6. Make my house beautiful on a budget.
Sooorta.  Our house is pretty sweet, but it's nowhere near finished.  And what's a budget?
7. Spend more on clothes but buy less of them.
Ended up buying less clothes, and really nothing too expensive.  Santa was very generous, however.  I got Frye boots and a leather jacket.  Many a cow died for me this year.
8. Take sewing lessons.
Nope.  Ugh.
9. Take a vacation that is not related to a wedding.
Again, nope.  But Mexico, Hawaii, and the Philippines are all on the docket for next year.
10. Consign
YES.  Consigned so much.  Thank you, Buffalo Exchange, Revival Outpost, and Swap!
11. Take more pictures of Henry
Yes.  Henry is very well-documented.
12. Be crafty as hell.
Little bit.  Made a pretty sweet Christmas stocking for Henry, and his nursery looks pretty cool.  Got an awesome printer's drawer for my jewelry, and am in the process of converting an old sewing cabinet into a vanity.  Notice none of things things were blogged about.

I do love this blog, and am sad to be moving on.  But my new one will be pretty similar, minus the mildly sexist title.  Everything will be archived, though, and I plan on posting things that are more unique to me.  I do some pretty cool research, and want a place to post my work.  One of my first orders of business will be to post my master's thesis (the most recent one.  Yes, I have more than one).  So, bye for now, and thanks for reading all this time.  Please follow my new project, coming soon!

Lullabies

I sing Henry to sleep and I love it.  And trust me -- I hardly ever sing.  This is our favorite song.  Minus the falsetto.  And I tend to make up my own words.  

I love my little baby :o)

And oh yeah - I have full confidence that Henry doesn't have a fearful look on his face when I leave him and close the door.  Yeesh.

She's Stacked

Although I hate the expressions "arm party" and "arm candy," I love the look of a heavily decorated wrist.  But as I lamented before, cute bracelets can be pretty pricey.  That's why I am currently obsessed with making my own bracelets a la Honestly, WTF.  Love this blog.  And love these bracelets.  Above you'll see a DIY braided hex nut bracelet, braided bead bracelet, and my favorite, two double wrapped bracelets.  Each took less than 10 minutes to make.  I followed all directions, but used embroidery thread for the wrapped bracelets because that's what I had on hand.  I'm working on a bunch of more colorful ones.  I'm telling you...obsessed.

Summer Sweater

Okay, okay, so this was never intended to be a summer sweater but I'm slow.  Incidentally, my baby is teeny and this wouldn't have fit him any sooner anyway.  Check out Henry's new sweater!  It's a pattern from Plymouth Yarn and is perfect for the many hyper-A/C'd restaurants and shops in NOLA.  I cannot believe this is supposed to fit a 3 month-old, even a normal sized one (Henry's in the 5th percentile, the little squidget).  I did gauge and everything.  Oh well.  Enjoy the pics!

 Cute lil' elephant buttons in alternating shades...totally unplanned.  They came in packs of five and Gus ate one (or two) of them.  Looks cuter this way anyway.

 From the back:

In action!

100, yay!

I'm officially in the Pure Barre 100 club, meaning I've taken over 100 classes at my local Magazine Street studio.  If you read my blog, you know how much I endorse the workout and I cannot emphasize enough how it's changed my post-baby body.  I am a cool 5 lbs under pre-pregnancy weight.  Granted, I can't tease apart how much my overall weight loss is due to breastfeeding (although there is evidence that breastfeeding can make you lose weight quicker OR slower, depending on the woman...breastfeeding doesn't allow you to process carbs efficiently or something) or to my body just naturally shedding all that extra weight (over fifty pounds, guys.  I gained over fifty pounds.  Crazy!!!)  Weight loss aside, I can say with confidence that my thighs are as small as they've ever been, my seat is more defined, and arms are more toned.  As for abs...I still need some work, which is likely due to the fact that  I never do any cardio and eat like a trucker (I'm still using breastfeeding as an excuse for that).  I can only do so much, right?  

On another note, more diversity in posts to come.  I've been really busy with school and renovation stuff this summer.  I'll be way more excited to post about the crafting I've been doing once I can actually put Henry's room together.  But in the very near future, I'll post about Henry's baby book (which is looking pretty sweet) , the sweater I knitted him (which is basically done), and a cute lamp I've decorated.  Stay tuned.

Say it Right

I'm oddly self-conscious about pronouncing things correctly.  There's a lot of weirdly-named baby products and companies out there, so I found this baby product pronunciation guide pretty nifty.  I knew about my Key-ko carseat but many of the others were pretty surprising...

Big Boy Seat

In the past couple months or so, Henry has taken to sitting in high chairs in restaurants.  This has changed our lives.  Don't get me wrong, as far as babies go, Henry is a relatively easy one.  But he's just about the wiggliest, most squirmy thing in the world, and once he no longer tolerated sitting in his car seat while his parents enjoyed their dinners out, he had to be held by someone.  Which meant that one parent didn't get to eat right away, and instead glared with jealousy at the other parent who was actually able to enjoy their meal.  Can you tell that this bothered me?  Sitting Henry in the High chairs at restaurants meant he also needed one at home.  I had been avoiding buying one, mainly because I was hoping not to have to do it until we were in our new house (side) with our fancy new kitchen.  Seeing as that has been (ahem) delayed, I figured I'd go ahead and give in.  I wanted something plain and easy to clean.  And not cartoony and corny, since this thing will be a main fixture in a place other than the baby room (believe me, I'm all about cartoony and corny within the confines of a nursery).  Unfortunately, the non-cheesy modern look I craved came with a pricetag.  Check it out:

Fresco Loft High Chair, $500                     Tot Sprout, $250

                    

Siesta Highchair, $300      Phil and Ted's Highpod, $200

Yikes.  I wasn't all about it.   Luckily, there are some cheaper options.  I settled on the Safety 1st Posh Pod.  $70 on Amazon.

                                           

This thing has zero bells and whistles.  It isn't adjustable.  It isn't collapsible.  But it wipes clean, isn't heavy to tote around to different spots in the house, and most importantly, Henry loves it.  This is what allows me to brush my teeth and hair in the mornings, and to put together a decent outfit.  He stays in it for much longer before whining than he will the crib or pack n' play (affectionately known in our house as "baby jail").  It's also got a huge tray on which I can put whole steamed baby carrots, cheerios, and other fun treats.  Yes, he's even eating big boy food now.  This is happening way too fast.  I need a time machine.  (Which would totally match with the fancy new high chair :o)

Ikat's Out of the Bag

Ikat prints are everywhere! Throw pillows, rugs, place settings, shoes, accessories...everywhere.  But I especially love ikat print shorts.  I am all about shorts this summer...mainly because I lost the baby weight and actually like my legs for once but also because it is hot hot hot in New Orleans and pants are a no-no.  And let's be honest girls, sometimes dresses are too, with all that thigh-rubbing (I lost weight, but not that much weight ;o).  Check out this ensemble from Rebecca Minkoff:

Rebecca Minkoff Ikat Becky Jacket and shorts

 I got these Ikat shorts from the Gap, $50,  a while back...super comfy.  Would have preferred slash pockets, but then again, shorts look best when they're flat in the front.

I saw these from Banana in Lucky, but never actually found them for sale online or in person...turns out the Heritage Collection is only in a few stores, and of course, not the ones in Nola.  Probably for the best...

 

I recently read some advice somewhere to try a pair of board shorts.  Don't think I'm ready to do that, but these are the next best thing.  They are super crazy short, but I love them anyway.  On super sale at AE for $29.99, in stores for even cheaper.

 

Good thing we have an extended summer down in the bayou.  I'll be wearing these puppies for a few more months.

Tie One On

I've never liked blouses with big ties at the neck.  They seem too prim or something, plus they tend not to be flattering if you have anything bigger than an A cup.  On the other hand, I love the tie front blouses that are on trend right now, with the knot on the bottom.  I don't know how, but with the right print and length, this style transcends 80's cheese.  I got one while in Myrtle Beach last week.  It'll look great with leggings or the right cutoffs.  Look - all the cool kids are doing it --

The best part about this trend is that you can do this to any old button up shirt or blouse.  You don't have run out and buy anything special (though the longer ties do help).  Cute, huh. 

And kudos to anyone who got the Bouncing Souls reference.

Heavy Metal

I love metal hardware on bags, so of course I'm super thrilled that lots of shoes are cropping up with metal details.  I got these last month.  These are by dv by Dolce Vita ("Archer").

I also love these ("Bagley" from big sis fancy brand Dolce Vita)

 

And these, from Nine West ("Wewantit") - 

 

Ugh, I love shoes.  I need more money.

Yellow Fever

I needed a pair of yellow shoes to compliment the gray dress I bought for my sister in law's wedding.  There is a surprising dearth of cute yellow shoes out there.  Granted, I had a few parameters.  Definitely heels, but not stiletto or sky high- the wedding is outdoors, and as far as I know, we'll be doing plenty of walking on grass.  I don't need to aerate their lawn or twist an ankle.  No patent leather or suede.  The former is just cheesy and the latter doesn't hold up.  I scoured the internet and most of what I found was awesome, but had something not quite right about them.  These Cole Haans from Saks are super hot, but just too casual. 

 

These are pretty cool, and in the bride's wedding colors, but I learned from my own wedding that sometimes, it's not good to be so matchy-matchy.  They're from Sole Society --

 

Finally settled on these - the coney heel is just high enough, and the birdcage look can go either dressy or casual, which is good for shoes I hope to wear more than just this once.  Plus the stretchy elastic is super comfortable.  I got them on Ideeli and they're Seychelles.  Should have figured I'd end up with a pair of Seychelle's...they're very me.

 

 

Minty Fresh

Mint, seafoam, jade, whatever you want to call it, is very of-the-moment.  I've been seeing it everywhere.  And why not - it's such a cute color and compliments every skin tone.  I don't have many mint-toned pieces, and I won't, due to the Sims housing crisis of 2012.  Luckily, lots of inexpensive brands have caught on to the craze and mint can be bought on the cheap.

Love these shorts I saw in Lucky.  They're LC by Lauren Conrad at Kohl's for only $44 ($33 on sale!).

 

Also love this top ($58) from Fossil:  

I'm crazy about this ring from Cyclical Industry on etsy, but I'm not going to buy it.  The design has, however, given me an idea for a ring I own.

I'm Sorry, What Tribe Are You From?

"Tribal" and "aztec" prints have been hot for a while now, and while I'm a fan, all I can think of when I see these patterns is that scene from Sunny where Mac talks about his tribal tattoos...silly.  Anyway, I've been looking for an easy breezy summer dress in a fun print.  This one, from Parker, was on sale at Saks and I wore it to my birthday dinner the other night at Coquette.  I love that it's a mixed print and it's a great length, even for a shortie like me.  I'll probably wear it all summer long with chunky heels or wedges, and into the fall, paired with a jacket.

Hot Pants

I'm a big fan of bright pants.  I think they're fun and easy to style.  I dig the skinny crop fits, mainly because for me, crop = regular length.  I picked these up while my mom was in town this past week - a bright blue denim pair by Calvin Klein:

And  these coral ones from the Gap:

Also thinking about a mint pair, like these, from BlankNYC - I recently got some regular skinnies from the brand and I am obsessed with them.

New Fave

It's official - Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday.  And it certainly helps that classes are finished, I'm almost completely wrapped up with clients, and am on the verge of spending an entire summer focused on my own research and professional development.  Side note -- I'm going to a structural equation modeling workshop at UNC, fondly known as  stat camp.  I'm pretty jazzed...and I miiiiight have just found a direction in which to go for my dissertation.  More later.  Maybe.  Anyway, I had the most perfect day.  Breakfast at Slim Goodies (favorite breakfast diner) with my men, intense morning Pure Barre class, biked into the quarter with my sister in law, bought a birthday dress from Anthropologie (below), and spent the rest of the evening sipping a happy hour frappaccino while weeding out my closet - successfully extracted a whole box worth of clothes.  All the while, my awesome husband got our house together so it looks fantastic for my MOM who comes TOMORROW!  In sum, despite the dark cloud of our lagging renovation that constantly looms over my little family's heads, I am reminded today of how awesome I have it.  And the best part of it was this picture gift from B.  Henry is truly the boy version of me.  Mad love to all the mommies out there.  I love this holiday.

Baby Foodie

Henry recently made his foray into big boyhood by starting solids.  I was pretty stressed about the this before he started - I'm a pretty methodical person and tend to approach things very deliberately.  I knew I wanted to make his food, so solids just sounded like one more complicated thing in our lives.  Up until about 6 months of age, Henry had never eaten anything but breastmilk.  And while that was and continues to be a huge feat in and of itself, there was some simplicity to it - all my baby ever needed was me.  No formula, not even any water.  The idea of making purees and buying baby food was intimidating at first, because they say you're supposed to only expose baby to stuff for three days to make sure there are no allergies, but also give them lots of new tastes and blah blah blah....But now that I'm in the thick of it, I can safely say feeding Henry solids has been super fun.  I haven't baked anything significant in about a year, so making my baby food in large batches and freezing it has appealed to a creative cooking side of me that hasn't made an appearance in quite a while.  Below are some essentials.

You could buy one of those all-in-one baby food makers, or you can use stuff you have around your house.  I've done the latter.  A steaming device is essential.  I have both a microwave steamer and a foldout one, shown below.

I am obsessed with my Cuisinart Smart Stick.  It's great for emulsifying everything, and it's even great for smoothies for mom.  I drink a berry smoothie almost every day.  We have a blender and food processor, but I find the Smart Stick so much easier to use because it's little and requires minimal clean-up. 

I know these things look like ice cube trays, but they are even better because you can easily pop out 1-ounce servings of puree.  I usually make a big batch of something, freeze it, then move it to freezer bags.  Henry has a huge supply of sweet potato (below), mango, avocado, and other goodies waiting for him.

I've had a ricer forever and seldom used it before.  But it's great for potatoes and other things that are a bit too tough for the smart stick.

These are my favorite feeding spoons.  I love them because they look very similar to grown-up spoons but have a gummy end to protect Henry's gummy mouth.  By the way, there is nothing cuter than a baby's gummy mouth.  It's ridiculous.

We feed Henry in his Bumbo chair.  My mother in law told me it has been recalled, which I totally didn't know, so we lovingly refer to it as the death chair.  We think Henry is perfectly safe in it while we're sitting with him so we continue to use it.  Plus it has a tray, which is really handy.  I was hoping to not need a high chair until we move to our new house, but I may not be able to wait any longer.

 

Of course there are plenty other things you need to make and serve food to your baby, but these are the things I've found most useful.  Making food is for your kid yourself is cool because you know exaclty what they're getting.  And on days when I don't have time to whip something up, I can always either pop out  some frozen puree or do something simple and no-fuss, like smush a banana or avocado slice.  I know things will get complicated soon when Henry requires a more balanced diet, but we're loving how things are going at this eating stage in his life. And it certainly doesn't hurt that full bellies = better sleep at night.

Dr., Dr.

I absolutely lived in these shoes in middle school.  I had them in burgundy.  I was a big fan of Dr. Martens back then, and apparently, am one now.  Saw these in Lucky mag last month and am obsessed:

 

Seriously, how cute are these?  May not be summer appropriate, but I still love them.  Something to lust after...

Mawwiage, That Bwessed Awwangment.

Love the Princess Bride.  So does a special person in my life who is getting MAWWIED!  And I'm in the wedding party!  Yippee!  I've never been a bridesmaid before!  Never even been in a wedding (except my own).  We get to pick our own dresses and I've already gotten mine.  I've needed an excuse to get a BCBG dress.  Technically this is BCBGeneration, the cheaper version of BCBG, but still.  It was on super sale and although I'm not a fan of chiffon, I'm digging this look.  I worry that the weird rusching makes one boob look bigger than the other but my sister in law (who was with me when we got it) swears it's just the angle.  Excuse the crazy hair and silly baby in the picture.  It was a hectic shopping trip...

I clearly took a blog-cation this past month or so.  And you can't blame me.  It was about that time...that perfect storm of finals, papers and conferences.  The March-April lack of blogging has been my M.O. (or is it m.o.  modus operandi...do you capitalize latin?  Did I even spell that right?)  Throw in a baby who decides to all of a sudden become a rotten sleeper and a house renovation that refuses to get finished and there you go - no blogging.  Which should also communicate to you that I've had no fun this past month.  This isn't entirely accurate, but it pretty much sums things up.  But with the end of school around the corner, I can say pretty confidently that I'm back, baby.  More posts to come.  In the meantime, look at this cute baby. Henry had a great Easter with a visit from one of mommy's super great friends, Drew (aka Tito Jru Jru).  He had so much fun he fell asleep.  That's Henry's M.O./m.o.

Henry at Twenty

My baby is 20 weeks old. And he's changing every day. Granted some of these weekly pictures are at times as many as 10 days apart and not 7, I've done a pretty decent job of taking these wedding table number pics. He's so itty bitty in the first pic. But 20 weeks later he's healthy, happy, and ready for St. Patrick's day with his Dropkick Murphys onesie. He gets the coolest baby award, hands down. And I'm not biased at all.