Isla Turns One!

Hello, blog friends!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  We recently just celebrated Isla's first birthday (I can't even believe that I'm writing that!) and I wanted to share some of the details of her party with you all......assuming anyone is still even checking out my blog from time to time.  

This past year has gone by in the blink of an eye, and I'm really happy that I made the decision to take time off from here, as well as slow down with social media posts.  I wanted to truly focus on quality time with Isla during her first year, with no pressure on myself to blog, post, photograph, etc.  But, with that being said, I'm starting to miss this space!  I miss the creative side; my recipes, staging & photographing, and also the friendships that I've built with you all.  While I've said in my last few posts {the last of which was 9 months ago} that I plan on posting more content soon, I truly mean that now.  I'm ready to start blogging again....and I'll start with these photos below.

Cake topper {here}

Planning the party for Isla was very last minute.  Originally, I thought that I just wanted to set up a cake smash session with a photographer, and then do a little bbq with family for her birthday, but with about 3 weeks left until the actual date, I completely changed courses and decided to do a small celebration with friends + family at our condo (we live in a condo now!  I really need to do a life update soon...).

I decided against an actual "themed" party, and opted instead for a color palette of pale pinks, creams, and gold.

I found this poster on Etsy in a standard A1 photo size {link to seller here}, and took it to Walgreens to have it printed out.  After printing, I brought it to a local frame shop and had it professionally framed.

Cake topper from Etsy {link to seller here}

I wanted the decor of the party to be soft, and girly.  I scoured the internet in search of "non cheesy" party supply stores, and found Shop Sweet Lulu, and Paper Boy Party to have the cutest party decor.  I bought most of the supplies needed from both of those websites.  I purchased this tiered stand for the cupcakes, this white flint glass stand for her 3 tiered cake {which was mostly fake tiers since we only had about 25 people in attendance}, and the milk glass stand for her smash cake was a major score from Homegoods!  Her birthday crown and the small glittery party hats for the little guests were from Easy {seller linked here}.  The lace table cloth was actually the canopy from our huppah that we used during our wedding!  

I had the idea of adding a floral wall as the backdrop for Isla's cake smash, and my florist did an incredible job of making that vision come to life.  

One of the luxuries that we have indulged in this past year is hiring a private chef to come to our house on occasion and cook "date night" dinners for Adam & myself.  Since Isla came along, we don't go out to dinner nearly as much as we would like, so this is our way of having a nice date night in the comfort of our own home.  For Isla's birthday, we had him prepare finger foods & easy appetizers.  If any of my South Florida girls want his info, I would be happy to share as I highly recommend him.

With all the excitement of setting up her party, Isla completely skipped her afternoon nap and was a hot, cranky mess by the time guests started arriving.  It was quite difficult to get a photo of her smiling....until we introduced her to cake ;)

She absolutely loved her cake.  I had given her small bites of sweet treats here and there, but this was the first time she had ever indulged in a large amount of sugar.  Needless to say, she was on a bit of a sugar high for the next couple of hours!

Both of my brothers, and my mother flew in from the West Coast to celebrate the big occasion.  It was extra special that they were able to be here for her.....even though both of my brothers were obscenely hung over from the night before haha!  

We kept the party short and sweet, around 2.5 hours.  I didn't want for her to get overwhelmed and have a major meltdown from all the commotion.  This ended up being the perfect length of time to mingle with guests, open her presents, and enjoy birthday cake.  In the end, I'm so glad that I decided to throw her a small party.  Even though she won't remember this day, the photos turned out to be so beautiful, and they serve as wonderful memories that we can share with her for years to come.

Photography - Katie Lopez Photography

Cake - Sweet Brantley Cakes

Donuts - Nani's Dough

Floral - Julia Rohde Designs

Isla's Dress: Janie & Jack

My Dress: Saylor {available here}

Life Lately

Hi there!  I hope that you all have been well, and had a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family & loved ones.  I thought I'd check in and share what I've been up to lately via a few photos on the camera roll of my phone.

Lets get started!

^^  We took a short trip up to NYC, and had so much fun strolling the streets of Soho with Isla.  Every experience is so much better now that she's in our lives!  Wearing:  Splendid PJ's {25% off here}  //   On Isla: Old Navy Onesie {on sale for $11 here}

^^  Family selfie time!  My hat: Target {here}  //  Isla's hat: Old Navy {here}

^^  Walking through picturesque Central Park with this little bear {who was livid that Adam had just put her back down into her stroller for this photo! ahhh memories lol!}  I had to purchase a new coat for this trip since none of my old coats would zip over my chest....perks of breastfeeding ha!  Wearing:  Ralph Lauren coat {on sale! here}  //  New Balance sneakers {exact ones here}  //  On Isla: Gap fleece {our fave for cold weather! here}  //  Bugaboo stroller {here}

^^  Red cup season!  Nail color:  Gelish Princess Tiara

^^  We always stay at the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho.  I absolutely love the eclectic decor, the location is perfect, and they have the BEST hamburgers which we always order from room service.  I definitely recommend this hotel if you're looking for a luxury boutique hotel in the city.

^^  In other news...we're building a house!  It's still very early phase 1 of planning, and we haven't broken ground yet, but I'm having a lot of fun working with our interior designer and architect in creating the layout of the space.  I LOVE Spanish style homes, and Adam really gravitates toward modern architecture, so it's going to be a bit of a challenge to fuse both of our tastes together.  Stay tuned!

^^  What boot dreams are basically made of :)  //  Givenchy boots {here}

^^  I still wear my Isabella Oliver maternity dresses even though I'm almost back to my pre pregnancy size.  They really are designed to be a forever dress!  Wearing:  Isabella Oliver dress {here}  //  Citizens of Humanity denim jacket, old {similar here}  //  Prada wedges {a few sizes still available & on sale here}  

^^  I'm on a bow kick with Isla lately, and love these handmade bows from Splendid Bow Shop. 

^^  Thanking my lucky stars that this little girl chose us.

^^  I was so obsessed with the scent of this seasonal multi-surface cleaner, that I purchased the dish soap as well.  It smells so good - like pine trees, mixed with vanilla and spices.  I find myself spraying it on our counters just so I can smell it lol!  You can purchase it at Whole Foods or Target.

^^  A little leopard + leg roll.  She's starting to develop those yummy baby rolls everywhere :)

^^  Basically what I wish for every day!  Wearing:  Wildfox tee {here}  //  Paige Denim {so comfy & on sale! here}  //  Isabel Marant booties {30% off here}  //  Chanel handbag  //  Ray-Ban sunglasses {on sale here}

^^  We're currently in the middle of celebrating Hanukkah, and this is my current table setting this year.  I picked up some festive plates that I hope to pass down to Isla one day.  Star of David dinnerware collection can be found here.

^^  I'm currently reading The Girl From Krakow.  I really enjoy WWII era books, and this one is addicting!  It started out a little on the slower side, but now I can't put it down.

^^  'Tis the season for holiday baking!  I bought the cutest loaf pan {found here} to make this ginger spice bread. 

I have so many posts that are sitting half finished, just waiting to be completed and published, but this has really proved to be quite the challenge since Isla still doesn't like to nap during the day and demands my attention!  I'm really hoping that eventually I'll be able to get back to posting more regularly, but until then I wanted to thank you all for your readership and for sticking with the sporadic post schedule.

Happy Holidays! xx

Month 2 Favorites And Flops

And just like that we're officially into November.  I feel like I tend to overuse this phrase, but time really is flying by.  How are we down to less than two months left in this year?  

Normally, I would be apologizing for the lack of posts lately, but this little person has been keeping me pretty busy over here.....

#WorthIt

So I've had several email & instagram requests to put together a post containing my favorite baby products.  Since we've officially entered into month two territory of 'all things baby', I thought now would be the appropriate time to fill you in on our favorite products, and also what have been absolute flops.  

It has been a lot of trial & error, and taken some experimenting with various products but I feel like we've finally gotten the hang of things.  Isla is starting to get into a morning + night routine {during the afternoon is another story}, and is giving us between 6-8 hour stretches of solid sleep every night!

Everything listed below is what we're currently using on a daily basis and I whole heartedly recommend every product on this list. 

Diapers - We've been using Honest Co. diapers & wipes since we brought her home from the hospital.  It is really important to me to use more all natural diapering products on her, and so far these have been great!  I know some people have complained that the diapers leak, but I haven't had any issues with leakage.  I did try out another brand that I purchased from Whole Foods, and I didn't like them nearly as much.  

I've also been using this soothing spray on her daily and I love that it contains all natural ingredients, and smells great!  I tested it on myself, and it really is a cooling & refreshing feeling.

If you're in the market for a good diaper pail, I highly recommend the Ubbi Diaper Pail.  This bad boy is pretty pricey, but it really does an amazing job of keeping any smells contained.  A huge added bonus is that you don't need to purchase any special bags for it!
 

Feeding - I am mostly breast feeding Isla on demand.  I did have some issues with breast feeding in the beginning which required me to pump and bottle feed her for 3 days.  Since she took a bottle so well, we've been doing 1 or 2 bottle feedings per day of pumped breastmilk.  This gives Adam the opportunity to feed her, and do a bit of father/daughter bonding.  I haven't tried any other bottles out since she did so well with Dr. Browns bottles.  I use these smaller 4 oz. bottles, with a size 1 nipple.  We're also currently using the Dr. Browns bottle warmer and it's been great.  It has a memory timer, so it automatically remembers the last length of time that was used, and heats up bottles relatively fast.  I've read some reviews that say that it works really well with most other brands of bottles as well.  If you're planning on doing any bottle feeding, I really recommend Dr. Browns products.

Along with feeding comes the need for burp cloths.  A big mistake that I made was buying Aden & Anais burp cloths.  The best ones that I've found so far are actually cloth diapers {particularly these from Gerber in this specific ply}.  They are durable, inexpensive, and can be used for so many other things besides being a burp rag.  I almost always slide one under Isla during messy diaper changes, which helps with having to wash the cover to my changing pad all the time.    

Bathing -  We established a nightly routine that included a bath when Isla was around 1 week old, and she absolutely loves it!  Every night we bathe her in her 4-Moms tub {couldn't recommend this tub more!}, and use this all natural lavender body wash/shampoo every few nights, followed by a mini massage with this calming lotion.  On the nights that we don't use the body wash, we just let her sit in the warm water and wipe her down with a washcloth {this one from RH is my favorite}.  She has really come to expect her nightly bath, and if we try skipping it she is really fussy, and has a difficult time falling asleep.


Swaddling - Admittedly, I purchased a ton of swaddle blankets {see this instagram picture}, but since having Isla I've actually purchased more!  We go through several every day since I use them for so much more than just swaddling.  They're great for those moments when you don't have a burp cloth handy, as stroller/car seat covers when baby is sleeping, spread out on the ground for tummy time or playing, rolled up under the mattress of her bassinet to help elevate her for acid reflux, etc.  Aden & Anais are an obvious choice for great swaddle blankets, but I also love these from Little Unicorn {although the quality of the cloth is a bit stiffer}.  Recently, I just discovered these extra large swaddle blankets {on sale!}, and purchased two packs of them.  I love the cute whimsical designs!  They're a bit thicker, and the longer length is perfect for swaddling since she is starting to get bigger.


Napping/Sleeping - I mentioned earlier that Isla is sleeping great at night, and has been clocking in 6-8 hour stretches of solid sleep in her bassinet every night since about week 5.  At night, we use this sound machine which is great for drowning out any noise {I actually sleep much better with it going!}.  Napping during the day is a different story however.  With the exception of our morning routine, in which I take a shower and she falls asleep from the sound of the water in her rock n' play, she really fights her naps unless she's snuggled on my chest.  I obviously love cuddle sessions with my baby, but holding her all day long makes it really hard to get anything done around the house.  Her morning nap does give me a small break, but basically the only way I can do any laundry/cooking/tidying up is by wearing her in the Solly Baby Wrap.  I even wear it while grocery shopping with her snuggled up next to me!  This has really been such a lifesaver, and I definitely recommend purchasing one.  Also recently after a conversation with my girl Brooke from Somewhere, Lately we added this swing to our fleet of gadgets, and I can usually get Isla to take a small 20-40 minute cat nap in this.  I'm hoping that as she grows she'll learn to love this, and go down for longer naps.


Clothing - I know firsthand that it's hard to not get carried away with all the adorable baby clothing, but when they're so little they really don't need anything besides onesies, and sleepers.  Some of our favorites have been these affordable zip up onesies {which make middle of the night diaper changes a breeze since there is not a zillion buttons to snap}, and also these super soft footed sleepers from Kickee Pants.  I love the fun designs that they feature, the cute little ruffles on the bum, and also the super soft fleece lining in the foot area to keep little toes toasty warm.  Since we don't swaddle Isla's arms {she HATES her arms being confined and will fight it until she breaks free}, it's really important to have pj's that have the mitten cuffs so her little hands don't get too cold, and both of these have that feature.


Playing - I was a little hesitant about whether or not a play gym was worth it at this age, and I'm really glad that I ended up purchasing this one.  At first she was mesmerized and would get a little overwhelmed, but lately she gets so happy and will smile + laugh at the little hanging animals.  She really seems to like all the different sounds, and the bright colors.  This mat also makes for the perfect spot for doing morning tummy time!

and for any mama to be's or new mommies who might be struggling with breastfeeding.....

This combo helped me tremendously during those painful early weeks of breastfeeding, and I highly suggest both of these products along with this nursing bra {I have it in 3 colors, and wear them 24/7}.

all natural nipple cream / gel soothies

Flops:

So far these have been the biggest flops for us.  But since every baby is different, that doesn't mean that they won't work for your little one!  As I've quickly learned, it's a real trial & error process.....

sleep sheep - doesn't get the job done!  Better to invest in a real sound machine.

mamaroo - I wanted to love this because the look + concept is so cool, but unfortunately Isla isn't a big fan.  I don't think it moves fast enough for her. 

 expensive burp cloths - see above for my recommendation for inexpensive, durable ones.



I hope this helps you ladies, and if you have recommendations for must-have baby products leave a comment below.  Thanks for reading! xx