Bicycle Baby Shower

I had this post all queued up, then Baby F went and surprised us all--no one more so than his mother, I am sure--by actually ARRIVING...a good 3 weeks early. So let's just keep on moving forward here. Baby F, mom, and dad are all doing just fine and settling in at home. He is an absolute doll!

In mid-May, two other dear friends and I had the pleasure of hosting a little baby shower for Catherine. We went with a loose bicycle theme and a relaxed feel. Katie and I wanted to use our respective sets of wedding china (so sorry it had to take a little break from its busy schedule of collecting dust), so we took a cue from our patterns' colors--mint, gold, and navy. 

cookies by the ever-wonderful Claire at Dozen

guess-baby's-birthday calendar (man, we were WAY off); wishes cards; aforementioned china

and I felt SO good about July 5...

Katie had the cocktail napkins made--we opted for a look and wording that they could use in the future. Usually the minimum order on napkins is way huge, so I always avoid putting a date or very event-specific info on stuff like this (unless, of course, that's what you want!). We are STILL using the ones from our wedding (six years ago) and I'm glad to have the flexibility. I also may have a slight problem with collecting cocktail napkins, but that is neither here nor there...

A few visual cues denoting the gift-opening spot, so the mommy-to-be 

was assured prime comfy seating

Mimosa Bar!

Catherine's a Tulane gal, so a slight nod here to her Louisiana ties

Our gift to Catherine. A real First Year survival kit should probably contain vodka and meth. But in an effort to stay practical and legal, we put this little guy together. It's a great shower gift--someone gave one to me and I have been really grateful for her forethought as those fevers always spike in the middle of the night, it seems. We loaded this up with items including but not limited to:

infant acetaminophen, ibuprofen, saline

gas drops

thermometer, nail clippers

NoseFrida snot sucker (you know I love it)

Simple Wishes hands-free pumping bra

Motherlove nipple cream

stacking cups

a board book

A tip from Katie: a "ribbon lady" at Michael's will make custom bows, which she had done with ribbon in our colors and then attached them to burlap wreaths she already had

A sweet smocked outfit belonging to baby Jack, standing in to represent the one that Hayden's mom is going to make for new baby F to Catherine's specifications (so sweet). 

the gang's back together!

Hayden and I both had wish cards like these at our baby showers, and still like looking through them (she actually had hers framed for her nursery), so we reprised the idea

Then the big and little guys joined us for a post-shower gathering!

So sweet to see the little ones play together.

Sweet Summertime

He felt left out while daddy shopped at Sunglass Hut, so I gave him mine to try on.

Post-pool pass out

Patriotic Crab Excavators, at your service.

Uncle Andy and Pete inform us that this crazy combo contraption is a backhoe.

Morning chalk and machines.

Suited up for pool time.

So basically pool and machines is what we're up to. 

Rinse and repeat. 

There you have it.

El Destructo finds the Machine Aisle

Gettin' Mah Fix

You may know I have a thing for subscription boxes. They're like a gift from me to me. I signed up for Stitch Fix, and FINALLY got my first Fix in the mail yesterday (they got featured on the Today Show or something and wait times skyrocketed).

[I will also mention that I cancelled my Birchbox subscription, partly to keep the subscription box universe (aka my wallet) balanced, and partly because I was sort of over it. Everyone I have talked to still loves theirs, and I think they're still a great gift. I just realized that, at this point in my life, I have been through a lot of trial and error and have pretty much discovered the products that work for me. I'm not really willing to change them, I guess. Some of the items I definitely loved, and it's good to have samples and travel size things. But it was just getting to be too much stuff piled up and driving me bonkers, so I bailed. Still love LOVE Citrus Lane for the little guy.]

But one of the things I find appealing about Stitch Fix is that it's not exactly a subscription service, and you only get a box ("Fix") when you ask for one. But I will back up and give the run down...

Basically, Stitch Fix is like an online personal styling service. When you join, you fill out an extensive questionnaire about your body, your style, your lifestyle, what you'd like to try, desired price points, what you don't need, the colors you wear or hate...and so on. You can then schedule a Fix, and you will get five items (clothing, jewelry, accessories) in the mail. Each Fix costs $20 to send.

Once you get it, you have 3 days to try on everything in the box and decide what, if anything, you want to keep. If you don't want to keep items, you ship them back (FREE!) in the enclosed mailer--it's like Rent the Runway, if you've ever done that. If you DO want to keep something, you log in to your account on the website and indicate that. Your $20 Fix fee is applied to that purchase. And if you want to keep everything in your Fix, there's a 25% discount off the total price. Either way, you provide feedback about the items (style, fit, etc.) and your Fixes theoretically get better over time.

So they only come when you schedule them--as frequently or as infrequently as you like--and are just $20 unless you buy something. It's probably not fair to say it's MORE economical than a classic subscription, but you definitely have more control over the cost.

Let's see how they did, shall we?
[note 1: I had pretty low expectations from other reviews I'd read online citing lower-quality fabric, etc. Duly noted, but let's be honest--did you really think you were signing up for mail-order Chanel?]
[note 2: These pictures are horrible. It was just me and the iPhone in the bedroom after the baby went to bed, and I just didn't have it in me to make it a "photo shoot." Come on.]

First: A set of cards with a note from my "stylist" and some suggested looks for the items. This was pretty cool and definitely helpful. I also could tell from her note that she had read my initial comments and she said she had looked at my Pinterest board, which you can share with them. She said she could see I "love stripes!" which I have never thought about but suppose is true...

Navy and white striped 3/4 sleeve shirt dress. Conceptually, this was perfect--I had asked for "casual dresses for outdoor patio dinners." I don't think it's optimally flattering across the hips (my fault; not the stylist's), but hopefully that situation is going to change? Keeping it out of hope.

Ditto to the first dress. Stylistically a little more outside my comfort zone (which I guess is part of the point?) but the card with styling suggestions is helpful.

Mind-reader alert. I had been driving home from the mall earlier thinking "what I really am looking for is a boat neck top with navy stripes." LE VOILA. Totally keeping, even though it might already be too hot for right now.

Love it--delicate gold twig/bar on a chain. Can top off a look but isn't so eye-catching that little hands will want to grab and destroy.

I was least excited about this when I took it out of the box. I thought the fabric maybe felt a little cheap. But I put it on with white skinnies and decided that I liked it and would give it a whirl. Zipper detail is just edgy enough to keep it from being boring. Lays nicely and doesn't have sleeves but isn't "sleeveless"--my arms aren't quite ready for primetime. 

So, if you're keeping score at home, I am keeping everything in the box, which way exceeded my expectations. I maybe shouldn't really keep both dresses, but it was cheaper to buy all 5 items than just 4. As I've mentioned, you can specify your price point, but all of these items were in the $45-$95 range. I'd say they are akin to items you'd get at maybe Blush or a similar boutique, or the casual section of Nordstrom. I think 2 or 3 items were 41Hawthorn, which must be their in-house brand or line by another company just for them. You can definitely go more chichi, but I wanted to see what the baseline was. 

I'll sign up for another one, but don't see more all-keeper boxes in my future, and I'll probably just have one sent when I'm looking for new ideas, rather than on the regular. But given that I have been on the lookout for a) flowy tops to wear with white skinnies and b) casual dresses (and told my stylist that), I think she did a pretty good job. 

I don't get any perks from them for posting this, but I do have a referral code that you can use if you are interested in trying Stitch Fix for yourself (Fix Yo'self?). Shoot me an email or comment. 

Mother's Day Wishes

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies, those whose mommies or babies are no longer with us, and all those wishing to be mommies. Lots of love. 

And, of course, thank you to all the aunts and godmothers and special women who make it all a little easier and a lot more fun. 

The Machines: A Love Story

So the entire sidewalk on our side of the street is being demolished to put in some conduits or fibers or gummy bears or hidden treasure or who knows what. They're busting up the sidewalk, putting in the whatevers, and then (theoretically) paving back over with new sidewalk. That part is ok, I guess. 

They started about 2 blocks away and we've watched them creep toward us for weeks. They finally arrived and destroyed our front access just in time for the Derby party. 

While we cannot use our front steps and can barely get the mail (how the mail carrier even gets it in there is beyond me), the silver lining is that Mr. C loves the machines. Like...LOVES. The poop lining of that silver lining is that he just wants to watch them all the time. This is ok, except for when it's not--like at nap time. If we're inside, he'll forget about them for about 5 minutes, but then remember and run to the door. So now none of our other play areas or toys or indoor activities will suit, because his little goldfish brain remembers the machines just as he starts to possibly enjoy something else.

Dining al fresco with the machines.

Pre-7am machine check. Are they here? Yes.

We beat the workers to the machines.

Over the week, his preferences have evolved--it is no longer sufficient for the machines to simply BE. 

They have to be on and working and making dust and noise.

(number of times his head has gotten stuck through the railing: 3 and counting)

I don't really believe in projecting gender stereotypes on to children, but I am here to tell you this shit is real. I had no idea it started so early. I can now tell you the difference between an excavator and a mechanical shovel (trick question! NONE!) and an earth mover and a Bobcat and the jackhammer and the bulldozer. Sometimes the dump truck comes to take the rubble, and the cement mixer should be here soon. If we're not outside, I'm reading Machines at Work 499 times a day. Relatedly, where is the line between following an interest and fueling an obsession? (Oddly, he's not really interested in toy "machines" at present. Do not send any this way).

Today it is raining, which means that not only was our plan to spend the morning at the park a bust, but the machines are also taking the day off. Hope you all enjoyed sleeping in, neighbors. I was once like you.