Cardi Party

Whaaaat? A post not related to my kid? I'll proceed with the post once y'all have had a moment to process this. I know, I didn't think the day would ever come either.

Anywhoodle. Let's give three cheers for fall and cooler weather! With this comes boots, coats, jackets and, perhaps best of all, cardigans. Who loves a cute cardi?

All-time favorite cardigan from Savoir-Faire last year. Remember this post? 

I'll tell you who does. This chica above.

This lightweight sweater, with her bookoos of buttons, is the easiest way to stay comfy while not looking like a hot mess with the temps drop.

Capice?

Here are a few of my top picks on this blustery Friday. Get thy debit card and get'cha one or five, STAT.

Cotton Cardigan in brown/black from H&M // Boucle Cardigan from H&M

Sabine Textured Boyfriend Cardigan // Hive & Honey Marled Cacoon Cardigan

Metallic Melange Zip Cardy // Staring at Stars Intarsia Drape Open Cardigan

Lately

Hi, friends! I took a couple days off from blogging and have been soaking up every moment with this cutie pie.

Gaw, I love being a mom. Seriously, it's just the best. Baby Caroline is such a joy and I can't wait to get up every morning and see what awaits us. Stephen and I are learning so much, albeit not always gracefully ; )

Our days consist of a lot of nursing, napping (her), laundry (me), the occasional appointment, tummy time on our activity mat and a sprinkling of bad daytime TV. We are also frequent patrons of the Starbucks drive-thru, (teaching this girl the joys of coffee early.) Mostly, we just hang out and get to know each other. It's going to be so hard to go back to work in January!

As far as my C-section recovery, it's been fairly uneventful, which is terrific. I'm still a bit sore following days when I've overdone it, but for the most part, I feel really good. I didn't have to take the pain meds for longer than a week after the surgery, and the incision is healing wonderfully.

I've got a few more "baby's first" posts and also some non-bambina themed posts coming up, including my very first outfit pics since Caroline's birth - three cheers for non-maternity clothes! I hope to get back to a more regular blogging schedule, but it's tough with a newborn, so we'll see if that happens or not : )

Talk to you dolls tomorrow!

Caroline's Nursery + Newborn Pics Sneak Peek

First off, I wanted to share a sneak peek of Caroline's newborn photos taken on Friday by the extraordinary photog, Bethany McGhehey of Bethany Blair Photography. I know she's mine, but I just about died when I saw these. 

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I had such a wonderful experience putting together a nursery for our little Caroline. I wanted to really take my time and choose pieces that had meaning to us personally - items from our own childhoods, bedding and special items with her name, frames with photos of family and books that were special to Stephen and me growing up.

I also wanted something sweetly simple. I wanted muted, soft colors and delicate touches. If I had to choose a few words to describe it, I'd say it was "vintage and shabby-chic".

I was inspired by this gorgeous nursery featured on On To Baby. I especially loved the simplicity of it all and knew I wanted to replicate the feel in Caroline's own space.

I was taken with the DIY wall art from this blog. We wanted to concentrate the majority of our budget on good quality furniture, so decorative pieces like art needed to be DIY. 

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Here's our sweet little sanctuary, simple and understated, just what we wanted.

The wreath I made for Caroline's hospital door, which now adorns her nursery door. 

I should probably state for the record that, currently, Caroline does not sleep in the crib. When she does, the pillow, doll and any bumpers will be removed : )

The Humpty Dumpty doll was mine when I was a baby! The pink crocheted blanket was hand made by a group of ladies at our church.

The 'S' was actually the cake topper for our wedding cake, which I painted to utilize for Cee's nursery.

We love, love, love this diaper holder from Pottery Barn Kids. If you're expecting, do yourself a favor and get one. It's a stylish way to keep diapers organized and handy.

These pillows were sewn by one of my Great Aunts. Didn't she do a great job?!

I couldn't love the dachshund art prints any more. I also wanted to incorporate just a touch of gold to bring light into the room. Again, the inspiration pic at the top had these exact round mirrors from Target. It was a cheap and chic way to make the room look larger!

I found the swaddle basket randomly on a trip to Homegoods and it was a perfect match with blue-grey used in the curtains and bedding.

Items were found at the following stores:

Crib- Pottery Barn Sleigh Fixed Gate Crib, similar here
Nightstand- Pottery Barn Catalina Nightstand
Changing table- Pottery Barn Catalina Dresser with Changing Topper
Bedding- Restoration Hardware, here
Diaper holder- Harper Diaper Holder from Pottery Barn Kids, here
Chair- Club Swivel Glider in Cream from JC Penney, here
Toss pillows in chair- Custom
Toss pillow in crib- Cynthia Rowley
Lamp- Hobby Lobby
Curtains- Bed, Bath and Beyond
Round gold mirror trio- Target, here
Doxie wall prints- Custom made via Oliver Blu Designs, shop here
Birdie hanger- Kirkland's
Fabric covered giraffe and elephant- Dreamweaver Designs in Heber Springs, AR
Shelves and square mirror- Home Interiors (we refurbished these items, which were purchased for my first apartment!)
miYim Good Earth Organic Mermaid Doll- Amazon, here
Fabric for wall circles- Hobby Lobby
Letter 'C' for crib wall art- Hobby Lobby

For Your Little Honey Pie

Had to share a quick photo before we get to the post. We took this last night to mark Caroline's first Halloween! And get outta town with that photo of she and her daddy! Those two are my whole world. 

I said at the beginning of this pregnancy -- and still stand by it -- that I didn't care whether we had a boy or girl as long as he or she was healthy. Because, frankly, does anything else really matter? To us, it didn't.

But I'd be telling a fib if I said I wasn't just a little excited to get the chance to buy bows and frilly dresses! (I bet y'all could've never guessed that, huh? Ha!) So, you can imagine my delight when I received not one, but TWO precious bows for our little Caroline from the talented and sweet Elaine, owner and accessory-making extraordinaire at Honey Pie Accessories.

Is there anything more perfectly girly than a pink flower? I think not.

One of my favorite bows in Caroline's current rotation. LOVE the pumpkin!

Elaine's not just catering to the girls, though. She also does adorable custom shirts for girls AND boys, like these presh tees!

I could list a thousand reasons why I love Honey Pie, but I think Elaine sums it up best in her mission statement:

Honey Pie Accessories is more than an online store. It's a lifestyle. With HPA, you can now dress your little honey in custom pieces without breaking the bank. 

Take a look at just a few of the items listed on Honey Pie Accessories' Facebook page!

Be sure and hop on over to Honey Pie Accessories today to check out some of the other listings, just in time for the holiday season! 

Happy Halloween + Random Thoughts

1. First thing, we need to discuss the cuteness below. (I know I'm partial, but she kills me with those little cheeks and eyes!) Caroline sends her best wishes for a very Happy Halloween to all of you!

Caroline's bow was made by the beautiful Elaine of Honey Pie Accessories! There will be a full post on this fabulous shop tomorrow, just in time to buy your little one some adorable accessories for the holiday season.

2. Can I please say how happy I am to be wearing non-maternity pants again? Yes, they're comfortable; there's something to be said for a zipper and some buttons, though.

3. I am loving maternity leave to the nth degree. It's going to be exquisitely difficult to say goodbye to our little lady every morning come January.

4. That said, we took our first trip through the Starbucks drive-thru yesterday afternoon because I thought my head might explode from being stuck inside for another day. I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte and Caroline had...a nice nap : )

5. I purchased this scarf and these jeans from H&M and I would suggest you do the same. Talk about comfy cozy!

6. Anyone out there have a preferred baby-wearing device? (Moby, Ergo, etc.) I'm looking to get one, but wanted to poll the masses first. I like the look of the Moby, but wondered if it might be a bit tricky to put on without assistance.

7. I've rekindled my relationship with sweets now that I'm not pregnant anymore and can finally stomach sugar without wanting to heave. With that said, I've got a box of Halloween confetti cupcake mix in our pantry, just begging to be whipped up. Say a word of prayer that I don't eat every last one of them in one sitting. Because I may.

Tah-tah for now, dolls.