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Baby Registry Guide: Newborn to 6 Month Essentials ($400+ Giveaway)

babyguide2When I sat down to write this post, I thought to myself, ‘I need to make a concise list of all essential items for a baby’s first five months.’ Then I listed all of the products we use on a day-to-day basis, and oh-my-gosh – it is quite the opposite of concise. Babies require lots and lots of stuff.

I felt very overwhelmed while creating a baby registry, even though I was fortunate enough to be given recommendations from a number of friends. I decided to register on Amazon.com – I’m so glad I did, as it was very convenient to have everything in one place. My list of essential baby items is pretty lengthy. I’ve provided a little description to each item which will hopefully help guide you! If you have further questions, please feel free to email me.

My absolute must-have items are Honest Co. Diapers and WipesMedela Contact Nipple ShieldSummer Infant Baby Zoom Wi-Fi Video Monitor, PacaPod Diaper BagFisher-Price Newborn Rock n’ Play SleeperMAM Pacifiersaden + anais Muslin Swaddle BlanketsBABYBJORN Bouncer Balance and Baby Carrier WeDr. Brown’s Wide Neck Bottles and Bottle Warmer, and Carter’s Onesies. So far, our favorite baby brands have been BABYBJORN, Honest Co. and Dr. Brown’s. We’ve tried a number of different items from each company, and swear by them all!

As part of the 0-6 month baby essentials post, I’m giving away a few of these must-have items (valued at over $400!), including a Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer ($45 value), BABYBJORN Bouncer Balance ($160 value), 4 packs of MAM Pacifiers ($25 value), a pack of Carter’s 0-3 mo. Onesies ($25 value) and a PacaPod Diaper Bag ($150 value). One winner will be drawn at random on Friday, November 5 at midnight.* Good luck!

Week in Review

Whew – what a week! It ended on a rather low point – mastitis (again!). Mastitis is a breast tissue infection that, quite frankly, sucks. I had it for the first time 6 days after Isla was born (on Sasha’s birthday!). This time, I was able to identify it early, as I knew those flu-like symptoms weren’t the flu! Thankfully, we got medicine very quickly and started the antibiotics, and I’m feeling much better.

Besides mastitis, the week was wonderful. Kirby, one of my best friends, was in town for a wedding, so we got to spend most of the day together on Friday and had a quick little visit on Sunday. Sweet Lillian is just gorgeous! See photos of their last two play adventures here and here.

Other highlights include:

How was your week? Tell me about it in the comments!

islaweekThe sass.DSC_0911Ugh, over this.

Week in Review

We find ourselves in October, yet it doesn’t feel like fall in Texas. I am really excited about the prospect of cool temperatures coming soon. Sasha, Isla and I had a wonderful, busy week with many highlights, which I’ve outlined below (the first being my favorite):

  • This giggle fit (I’ve watched it on my phone at least 50 times!)
  • Visits from numerous sweet guests (lots of cute babies)
  • Isla passing her four month appointment with flying colors (58% for weight and 93% for length!)
  • First FaceTime session with adorable Simon (of Hook, Thread and Tinker)
  • Spending quality time with Sophee (one of my best friends who lives in Austin)
  • Much needed workouts at Life Time
  • A video shoot (more details to come soon!)
  • BBQ at Sasha’s cousin’s new home
  • Serbian Slava (party celebrating a family’s patron saint)
  • Eating out at our favorite places with friends: breakfast at Buffalo Grille, lunches at Local Foods and Counter Burger, and dinners at Empire Turkish GrillCarabbas, and Adair Kitchen (see all of my favorite Houston restaurants here)
  • Officially becoming Texas Exes
  • Bedroom furniture shopping at Restoration Hardware (i.e. design heaven)
  • Spending four hours at the hair salon getting my hair colored (it has been 8 years since the last time I had blonde in my hair!) and chopped – five inches off – I am still really on the fence about the whole thing though…
  • Retail therapy at the new Nordstrom Rack (reference above for why) and getting the cutest chambray tunic for Isla (probably not very comfy, but ohmygosh so cute – to be debuted soon!)

Did you have a good week? What did you get up to? Have a wonderful Monday. xo

weeks1Getting all dolled up for Sasha’s uncle’s Slava party

Family Photo 101: Outfits, Poses, Photographers

As crazy as this sounds, it is time to start planning your holiday card photo. My family has taken an annual photo every year since we moved to America in 1996, and I plan on keeping the tradition alive with our new little family. After 18 years of practice, I have lots of tips to share for photos: what to wear, how to pose, and who to use! These things are all very important. If you’ve got additional help hints, please share them in the comments below!


Outfit Tips 

  1. Coordinate everyone’s outfit colors, but don’t be too matchy-matchy. 
    It is important to pick colors that complement each other, but are not all the exact same. Not sure of a color scheme? You can use Adobe Kuler for inspiration.
  2. Observe your home decor before picking your outfits.
    We recently put up a new gallery wall in our kitchen and are only using professional photos (wedding, engagement, newborn, sister’s wedding, etc.). I realized that in all of the photos, we are wearing pastels – there is a coral color in every photo. I’ll continue this trend in our family photos this year, as they will be added to the frames. Is your house full of burgundy? Wear browns or deep reds. Do you have pops of yellow? Incorporate that into your outfits.
  3. Don’t wear all white or all black.
    The detail of your outfits gets lost when someone is in all black or white – with the exception of a dress. Try to vary your color from head to toe.
  4. Avoid too many patterns.
    One plaid shirt is okay, but don’t have two, unless they are in a very similar color scheme. Try to avoid big, bold patterns and stick to solid colors.
  5. Remember that textures and accessories are your friend.
    Add textures to your outfits, like scarves, belts or jewelry. Avoid anything that makes a strong statement, unless it coordinates closely to other family member’s outfits. Another great texture is a chambray (denim) shirt. And it complements almost all colors.
  6. Classic never goes out of style.
    I love a good silk blouse and jeans. Add heels or solid flats and a pretty gold necklace and you’re set. Something that is overly trendy may have you groaning in ten years time.
  7. Wear soft tones to complement skin tones.
    I love pastels on kids – cream and tan also look incredibly good. I would strongly advise against a bright color, as those are much  more difficult to pair together.
  8. Put your baby in something simple.
    Cute onesies and pants always look good in photos! I don’t recommend multiple outfit changes, but having your baby in a sweet formal outfit melts my heart (and others’, too!). Pick your outfits, then find a cute Carter’sBaby Gap, Old Navy, Zara or J. Crew Cuts (or Factory!) outfit to match.

For Herfamily photos - what to wear, photographers, natural light, film, poses, modern, trendy, classic, blazers, cream, white, gap, j. crew, banana republic, mom, babies, dad, kids

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Week in Review & Tour through Blogland

Isla’s four month ‘birthday’ was on Saturday. My word, how did that happen? She is killing us with her adorable giggles, but driving us insane with her rolling over at night in her crib (lots of going in and flipping her back over). She goes to sleep peacefully now, which is a huge blessing. We check the monitor constantly because we miss her (how insane is parenthood?). Isla coos all of the time… and does her fair amount of high pitched squeaking. She loves when we dance and sing to her (especially the alphabet and In the Jungle). She is way more engaged in books now and will grab and hold on firmly to the pages. She drools everywhere – so attractive! I am loving this stage the most – although taking photos is now a real challenge.

This past week, I helped a friend with her wedding stationery, applied for Isla’s passport, ran a ton of errands (yet still haven’t managed to fit in a pedicure), had friends over for dinner three nights, created a new gallery wall (design from Hook, Thread and Tinker – more below), met two sweet friends for lunch at Dish Society (love it!), went to Life Time and got my butt kicked in STRIKEagain, and fit in some shopping at City Centre and Highland Village. The weeks are flying by, and this upcoming week is full of doctor, dentist, hair appointments and visits with friends. I cannot wait to see Sophee, one of my best friends who lives in Austin and is in Houston this weekend.

week2 The little roller is starting to be okay with tummy timeDSC_1000The photoshoot overseer