Made by Me File/OOTE: A Zara Inspired Birthday! Simplicity 1099 and New Look 6314.

Have you ever been fixated on a "look" and had to have it?  Well a few months ago Zara sold a beautiful sleeveless crop top and matching full skirt with pockets (photos are in the made by me portion towards the bottom) in a pretty African print fabric.  I was head over heels in love with the look.  So even though my normal sizes in Zara had sold out, I thought I would order the one size smaller and see if they fit, and of course they didn't (because Zara is teeny tiny sized).  I went to plan B afterwards and decided that if I couldn't have the exact Zara look, I could at least have a sewn by me version in a fabric just as pretty.

I didn't know when I would want it done by, but I figured if I could finish in time for my birthday (yesterday, yep, same as Canada Day/birthday of Gigi/Sufjan Stevens--he's even my exact freaking age), I could wear this beauty on a very special day.  Now admittedly I didn't finish it until 5:00 pm yesterday, but I took my time and didn't sweat over how long it was taking me, I just enjoyed it during the process.  I think I need to sew like that more in the future, it felt great instead of "OMG I AM NEVER EVER GOING TO FINISH!"

First up is the OOTE portion, followed by the Made by Me File.

Day: Wednesday, July 1, 2015.

Where: Winesday with my brother and our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Hey! I made it! For me! So it was very easy to wear.  I only put a 4.5 because the Winesday at Whole Foods and the restaurant were blasting the AC and I spent half of the time freezing my a$$ off.

I didn't even have to wear a bra, btw, since the crop top is lined and interfaced, and because I have no real "anything" up there, that's all the support I need.  So even more comfy than usual.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Top, Simplicity 1099; Skirt, New Look 6314; Sandals, J. Crew here; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  Normally for my birthday dinner we head to sushi, but we took my dad there for Father's Day, and with our budget being so tight, I decided to make my birthday dinner be less expensive, so we went to the Mexican restaurant where we usually go for all birthdays.  It was fun to wear the sombrero.  Pictures are in this Instagram.

INSTAGRAM of the outfit HERE.

Above is the Zara outfit I fell in love with and so desperately wanted to be able to fit into, even though I am a reasonable person and *know* that a Zara size small top and size medium bottom would never ever fit me.  LOL.

After returning the above to the store, I kept in mind what I loved about the outfit, the length of the skirt, the pockets, the ease of two pieces working together, the silhouette, and the beautiful print.  I also decided to change a few things up on my version, including using a top pattern that was a touch longer overall, doing something different to the back of the top, and changing up the neckline.

Enter Simplicity 1099 for the Top and New Look 6314 for the skirt.  Initially I was planning on using the skirt from the 1099 pattern, but it required a whole lot of fabric, even in the shorter skirt, and I would prefer that my skirt not have that much volume, especially for summer.  I may try that skirt with a more formal fabric for winter, but for summer, the NL 6314 fits the bill quite nicely.

The basic idea of this look is close to the Zara images.  Obviously the fabric is very different, but graphically still very bold and colorful.  I bought this fabric from Fabric Mart (it is a Maggy London print--she used it this way in a different colorway), but it sold out.  However, Emma One Sock has a blue version for sale right now, but again, that one will likely sell out, too.

I appreciate that this top and skirt combo does appear to be a dress when worn *just so*.  By the end of the night, the fabric had loosened up a bit and the skirt was riding a touch lower, but only the barest amount of my belly was exposed, so it felt more retro 50s/60s than crazy 80s/90s crop tops.

The NL pattern wanted me to place my skirt pieces on the bias, and while that would have made for a cool print placement and a bit more drape, I didn't need the bias to help with stretch since this sateen fabric has a good amount of lycra in it.  Ultimately I decided to ignore the instructions on placing the pattern pieces on the bias and make the print properly line up with the top, whose pattern pieces said to place them on the straight grain.

I added pockets, using the ones from the Simplicity pattern.  They were fine, although I took off the extraneous bit at the top (it had extra fabric on it as it was supposed to be integrated with the waistband).  They could be a bit deeper, but otherwise I was happy with them as a design detail.

I also chose to make the skirt close up in back, with a zip there, instead of at the side.  It meant adding a seam allowance to the back waistband and back skirt pieces, but that bit of extra work took very little time, but makes getting in and out the skirt a whole lot easier for me.  

The top was interesting in that it called for interfacing all of the lining pieces.  I mean every single one.  I think the decision is sound, though, since it gives the top a lot of structure, meaning if you are as small up top as I am, you can go without the bra (though the back is high enough that as long as you are in a strapless or convertible bra you can wear one, too).  In essence, I made two tops, sewed them up together, but cut out 12 total items (four main fabric, four lining, and four interfacing).  As I wanted to keep the fabric stretchy, I decided to use a stretch fusible interfacing that is meant for knits. It worked well with my cotton stretch lining.

The construction of the top was very precise.  I want to encourage you, if you try this pattern, to make sure to mark all the circles very well and the match points very well.  If you don't, it will be very hard to make the cross back straps work, and to make the princess seams properly line up together.  You also really do need to follow the directions as best you can, and in the right order.  They are involved, but worth the effort.  I still managed to do something wrong, though, and instead of having a clean, enclosed hem, I ended up having to fold under both the lining and main fabric together 5/8", press them, and then carefully topstitch them to create a hem. It is okay, but not nearly as nice as a hidden hem would have been.

I think I love the back as much as the front.  Look at those gorgeous cross back straps!  And sizing wise, they were exactly the right length on me instead of being too long (usually my issue in my upper body is that there--too long straps).

Sizing wise, I made both pieces in a size 12.  I really think I would have done better to make the top in a 10, because there is a bit of excess fabric around my bust and underarms, but I am not super stressed about it enough to go and purchase the next size of patterns down.  (However if Simplicity has another 1.00 per pattern sale at Joann's, I will likely pick it up.)  In a non-stretchy fabric, I would make the 12, though.  The skirt is fine in a 12, though I more closely measure to the 14 or 16.  The hips are free, so that helps, and my waist is smaller.  NL patterns run small in the waist.  In some companies I can wear a 10 in the skirts if the skirts are a-line, but not NL.  I saw this in the Easter dress I made from one of their patterns.

If you look closely at the skirt, you will see my hem has a stitched hem detail.  That is actually a serged edge.  I serge all my hems on my items that I sew, but this time, after finishing, I tried it on, loved the length on me, and also loved the way the serged hem looked, so I kept it.  I don't normally leaving serging visible, but this time it suited the design.  :-)

I am planning on writing these pieces up at Pattern Review, so I will update the links to their pages when I finish each of them.  That is so those of you who would like to learn more about the process can see what I did in greater detail.

Pattern Review of Simplicity 1099 Top.
Pattern Review of New Look 6314 Skirt.

Alrighty, you all have a great day!  Hope everyone's July is off to a great start!

OOTE: Birthday Party and Why I Love Canada.

Day: Saturday, June 29, 2013.

Where:  My Birthday BBQ/Party.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The Mirabel dress has been taunting me over the past two years since I had gotten pregnant in 2011 and was still too postpartum to wear it in 2012.  I was determined to wear it this summer, so I decided to see if I could fit into it again on Saturday night.  And since CW really wanted to wear her factory version (from the current collection), I was hopeful since clearly my daughter has been on a run of "let's look like Momma" lately.  (See yesterday's post for more proof of that.)

Fortunately, I have lost *just* enough weight to fit into it again.  Now, I am not as thin as I was when I first bought it, but it felt great on and was exactly right for me to play hostess at my "I am getting SO old" party.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Simple, great length, with darling embroidery, this dress felt cool and in my mind, looked cool.  The minimalist accessories (barring the balloon, of course) kept things easy and chic.

CW's hair is now long enough to pull back into a high ponytail, so I think she looks really cool.  But I am biased, of course.

Anecdote from the day:  Originally I had decided that I wanted to celebrate my continuing aging by inviting a bunch of female friends over and having "festive" drinks, which depending on the friend either means wine or sparkling orangina.  (Guess which festive drink I prefer...)

But as the numbers came in, it became obvious that only a few women could attend (thank you so much America's birthday holiday week) so I decided to turn the party into a bbq with husbands and kids invited, as well.

It was wonderful, but check out these numbers.

Women--6.
Men--5.
Boys--15.
Girls--5.

Yes, there were 15 (!!!) boys total to a total of 5 girls.  For every one little girl there was three boys.

Okay, so since it is my birthday today and since I get to share it with both the wonderful Gigiofca* AND Canada's Canada Day, I thought I would make a list of things I totally {heart} about Canada.

*Go on over and send her some bday love, y'all.  ;-)

(I have only been to Canada once, btw, in 2004, for one day, and to Vancouver.  I know this seems ridiculous for me to love this country so much--but I don't care.  I still love it.  My husband says my obsession with Canada is only eclipsed by my obsession with clothing.  Har-dee-har.)

I had intended to start this list last July 1, but the Derecho got in my way, and (haha), I lost the wind in my sails to get it done, even late.

1. Rush.  Did you expect I would have written something else first?  And let's be honest, I will admit to loving "In the Mood" which is from their first album and totally LOL-worthy.  But I still LOVE it.

2. Crash Test Dummies.  Especially Brad Roberts, 'cause his voice kicks major butt.

3. Bryan Adams.  I have roped CW into this one since "Cuts Like a Knife" is one of her favorite songs.

4. Ice Road Truckers.  They drive on ice. In 40 below 0 weather.  Because they know no fear.  I can't look away.

5. Survivorman. This guy goes out into remote wildernesses BY HIMSELF, with only a camera, and the barest amount of things to live on...he and the Ice Road Truckers are my personal heroes.  Amazing.

6. Love it or List It, and its sister, Love It or List It, Too.  HGTV has a ton of Canadian programming in its lineup, and of all of the Canadian choices, these two are my favorites.  They are formulaic and I think probably "fixed" for the ultimate "drama" every episode, but I can't help but be on the edge of my seat every time...are they going to "love it," or "list it?" 

For the Love It or List It version (the one in Ontario), I always want Hillary to win since David reminds me of a wily snake, but on Love It or List It, Too (Vancouver), I always want Todd to win because he is my man from reason #7.

7.  Fifteen.  Please please tell me someone, *anyone*, out there reading my blog watched this show in the early 90s and remembers both Todd Talbot and Ryan Reynolds from this "so bad it's 'awesome-ful'" show on Nickelodeon?  I would love it if they were to issue all of the episodes on DVD.  I would 100% buy it and re-watch every single episode.  Multiple times.  (My brother would join me, he loved the show, too.)

8. Gordon Lightfoot.  No, I am not joking.  I adore it when his music comes onto Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Bridge."  My fave song?  "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

My dentist *hates* that song.  It was playing while I was having my cavity filled and I told him it calmed me down, and he was all, "glad to hear it, because I hate that song."  Well, then.

9. Metric.  Their "Breathing Underwater" song is lovely, pure and simple.  CW and I sing it so much that Angus can sing it, too, albeit in his own special, "I am only 1-year old" kind of way.  It is more like "Aww ah AW, Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, ohwwww!"  

10. All my Canadian friends, in real life, and in the blog world.  You all rock, seriously.  Sweet, kind, thoughtful, and pleasant.  I would even bear the terrible temperatures (well, maybe for a week, let's be real here) in winter to spend time with them.

There are items not on my list, but I will make sure to add to it next Canada Day.  I think I need to keep a word file for my list of things I love about Canada.  ;-)

Happy Canada Day, everyone! 

OOTD/Review: Breton and Some Liberty, Please.

Hey, that sweet little man turns one today!  :)

Day: Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Where: Little Gym and Preschool Run.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Yummy.  Everything, from the thick rugby fabric of the Boden Breton Sweatshirt (available here--review below) to the easy, stretchy twill Liberty print cotton (in the Emma and Georgina floral here--review also below) was so comfortable.  I often think I will be comfortable at Angus's Little Gym class, but I will get there in my "comfortable" outfit and find I am definitely not nearly as easy-peasy as I thought I was going to be.  For those who don't know what Little Gym is and what it entails, the parents or nannies of the toddlers have to run around just as much as their little ones.  I definitely sleep well on the nights I have Little Gym with Angus.

Anyhow, yay for finally choosing an outfit that feels as good as it looks.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The whole outfit is pretty cool, but I still very much give off the stay at home mom vibe in it, probably because I am happily wearing a pair of Cole Haan penny loafers.  ;)  If this outfit was on a fabulous twenty-something blogger, I am sure it would look far hipper.  But that's fine with me. 

Anecdote from the day:  Angus's birthday is today (yay for #1), but because all the Little Gym locations are closed this week for spring break, I had him wear his "Birthday Boy" tee to the class that day so his friends and their families could sing him the Little Gym version of the Happy Birthday song (think it is so hilarious that the song is copyrighted and all businesses are forced to create their own song so as to avoid copyright infringement).

REVIEWS:

Breton Sweatshirt.  I purchased the size 4 since I didn't want to chance another sweatshirt coming to me and being too big on me, which has been happening a lot lately with the Boden tops.  It was a good call, the 4 fits perfectly everywhere, although if you did happen to buy a size too large, the sweatshirt would still look great a bit slouchy.

I really liked the grey color, since I haven't seen this particular color combo on a Breton yet (although I probably just missed it when it did come out).  I also have plenty of striped tops, but it is nice that Boden made this in a sweatshirt, which means I can use it alone once it gets warmer out, and when it is super chilly, it is a very warm layer.

The material is more like those thick rugby shirts that were popular in the 90s (please tell me that some of you all remember those*), which I think is step in the right direction, as I think some of the sweatshirts recently have been too thin and too stretchy.

*I linked to a video of my favorite "guilty pleasure," the show "Fifteen," which ran on Nickelodeon in the early 90s.  Matt Walker (played by Todd Talbot**) is wearing a thick striped rugby shirt in this video.  He's the "hunk" sitting at the table.

**Todd Talbot is now, inexplicably, on the show Love It or List It, Too, yet another one of my guilty pleasures.  Clearly I majorly {HEART} bad Canadian television***.  Shh.  ;)

***And early 90s Canadian country/rock bands, too.  Brad Roberts, love you and your deep deep voice!

Liberty Toothpick Jean in Emma and Georgina Floral.  I bought these in a tall 31 since I had run they ran small (I wear a tall 30).  Another good call since the hip and thigh area fit perfectly.  I have a smaller waist/upper hip area which means I sometimes have a gap in the waistband, and yes, I did have a bit of one on this pair, but not nearly as bad as it can be.

My inseam is 34 inches, and the length in the tall is a hair under 30 inches, which means it hits right above my ankles, which I love, and appreciate.  Now if J. Crew could get away from making Cafe Capris, I think there would be a whole slew of tall women celebrating. 

The floral is beautiful, and much brighter and more primary than it looks on-line.  I thought I was going to end up with something more muted since the J. Crew catalog and stock photo depicted it as almost a pastel (the still shot of the pants, though, is very accurate).

The current sale price, plus the extra 20% off, makes this pair nearly 50% off, which is a pretty good price for what you receive.

Okay, that's it for today.  :)

P.S. I announced it yesterday, and I am s-l-o-w-l-y working on my "picks" post, but Boden is having one of their diminishing discount sales right now, with 20% off until Wednesday (all current season womenswear is included--Breton sweatshirt, too!), but clearance and any mini Boden in the separate "up to 35% off" sale are not able to be further reduced by this 20% off sale.  You can use my sidebar coupon to access the sale or the one at the bottom of this post.

Fabulous Florida Mommy has a few picks (plus other sale announcements) at this post!  I think she made some great choices.  :)

Mommy Style Monday #28: Postpartum "Style" Week One and Two.

I placed a set of quotation marks around the word style because, in all honesty, the first two weeks of postpartum life are so flipping difficult that if you simply make it out of bed and into something other than a hospital gown, then you are doing great.  In fact, for the first four days of Angus's life, I was in the hospital bed, gown on, with only brief moments of moving to the bathroom and/or window (to remind me that, yes, there was a world left out there).  And bear in mind I only moved as long as my painkillers had kicked in.  (I am a big wimp when it comes to pain.  The pain, OMG, the pain.)

The very last day in the hospital, I attempted to dress myself and discovered that the blouse I had brought to wear (and it was maternity, I am not crazy enough to believe I could walk out of the hospital in normal clothing) was too small on my hips.  Wah!  I had worn it in my pregnancy and in no way, shape, or form was it too small on my hips.  I asked the nurse about this and she said that c-section mommas, because of all the fluids they give during surgery and thereafter, often keep the water weight in their legs, hips, and waists.  Well, yay for me.  No.

So thank goodness the shirt I had worn to the hospital still fit on the way out of the hospital.

5:15 AM, Sunday Morning, March 25, 2012.  Yeah we take photos before getting in the car to go the hospital to give birth.  Yeah, we sentimentally roll like that (even if Mr. Dina closes his eyes).  BTW, that bright yellow top saved me...I had nothing else to wear home from the hospital.  Take a look here to see it on me on the way home.

Once I got home, I spent all day Thursday in bed (Thursday was my first full day home).  I happily took my painkillers every four hours on the dot and slept as need be.

By Friday we needed to take Angus to the doctor, and I knew that it was really important for me to give it a go even if I may overdo it (and I did, btw, but I spent Saturday recovering, fwiw).

I still had a TON of water weight on my hips and legs, which meant that I still could only wear soft, comfy leggings (these are the Maternity Leggings from Boden) and super flowy, soft, soft, soft tops (this is an ancient J. Crew top made from a cotton jersey).  Since I was feeling a bit tired and ache-y, I limited my accessories to the J. Crew palm springs necklace and a pair of Missoni for Target flats.  I did manage a bit of makeup, but again, very subdued.

I absolutely love J. Crew's weekend wear, they do understand what "sort of stylish and comfy" can look like, and if you are in the throws of only being able to wear comfy clothes daily (for whatever reason), J. Crew's weekend wear is the place to go...especially on sale (which is the only way I will buy it, the pieces always seem to go on promo with an extra percentage off).

So since I still had a bit of water weight throughout my hips and thighs, I pulled out the Saturday pants in grey, added a pair of glitter flats, and put on my crewcuts star shirt (made from a super soft cotton).  My daughter asked me to...wouldn't have been my first choice but I felt bad that I couldn't spend a ton of time with her (constant feedings and sleeping prevented that) so I said sure.  I think I may have worn this outfit for a grand total of one hour that day, for dinner.  I figured it was better than nothing. :)

And here is where the true version of postpartum me comes out.  Because of the flowy nature of the first J. Crew top (the one in pink) and because the crewcuts top was black, I was able to really hide the effects of the water weight from the eyes around me (and your eyes, too).

However, on Monday (one week and one day after Gus was born), I heard we were going to Five Guys (mmm, Five Guys!), and I wanted to again just dress up a little.  So I pulled on the Boden Maternity Leggings, a Mossimo tank top (Target), the Paisley Gust Cardigan from Anthropologie, and my Cole Haan penny loafers.  I actually thought I looked halfway decent...until I saw the photos and realized you could for sure see all the excess poundage on my abdomen.

I could have changed, but in the end, I was all, "screw that."  I don't know.  Maybe I just felt good enough (thank you, Percocet), or maybe I was (and still am) proud that I carried a MASSIVE baby in my belly for ten months (well the massive part was only the last month or so) and was not afraid to show off the evidence of it, ESPECIALLY since I had just given birth.

I also felt proud that I was walking around, smiling, functioning, etc.  After my birth experience with both Rex and CW, to do so a mere week and one day is saying something.  (I had to use a cane after both of their births, for a couple of weeks, AND I was in far more pain with both of their births.)

Anyhow, I know that the above outfit is definitely a style "no," but because of the particular situation I was in, I actually believe it was a style "yes" because I had the exact right attitude to pull it off.  So there.  ;)

 Ah, Angus me boy.  (He looks so cute here.)

The top part of this outfit is actually salvageable, especially if I tuck the tank into a cute pair of jeans and add a statement necklace or a scarf.  BTW, we are at Five Guys.  My smile is directly related to my little cheeseburger I had just eaten.


(We go to Five Guys at least twice a month.  It is my local restaurant done good.  I grew up one block from the original in Arlington, so it definitely is important for me to see it succeed the way it has.)

Okay, so even though I owned my atrocious outfit (you go girl and all that jazz), I knew I had to learn from it...so the next day I decided to wear my pink maternity shorts, my striped blue/white maternity top, J. Crew necklace, and trusty Cole Haan penny loafers.

I clearly do not hold weight in my upper torso, arms, and lower legs, but I still felt I needed to wear a maternity top because I needed to have the extra give for the hips.

By Thursday (one week and a few days after Gus's birth), I was seeing the pounds falling off and my hips going back to semi-normal (still larger, but I could feel the difference when I put on certain pants).  Instead of these J. Crew pepper pants sitting below my hips, I was actually able to pull them on to my waist and almost cinch the tie.  The material is very flexible and (say it again now) soft, so I spent the day in a cashmere/silk/terry cloth heaven.  Yum.  Gus was in heaven, too, in his adorable striped bodysuit.

Still showing my curves here, but it truly is amazing what a body can go through.  I know women are meant to be able to do this, but it still boggles my mind.  (If you are a doctor or nurse, I am sure it is old hat by now, but for a lay person like myself, I am stunned by the human body's flexibility.)

This was taken nearly two weeks after Gus was born.  Again, still wearing the leggings and a super stretchy tunic, but I could see and feel the difference in my body compared to the first few days out of the hospital.  I wear that smile honestly.  By this point I was off the hardcore painkillers (quickest yet, btw, with Rex and CW I needed them for nearly four weeks) and felt so excited to go out and get out.

I know some of you saw these two photos already (the tunic was part of last week's Boden Weekly Review Roundup), but I wanted those of you who didn't see that post to understand how nice it felt to have a wardrobe piece that could work so effortlessly with my changing figure.

So here are my thoughts on postpartum "style":

1. It is going to be hard.  REALLY REALLY HARD.  Even if you don't have a c-section or complicated normal birth, your body will be your enemy.  For some women it will be WEEKS before you feel even semi-normal (this was me with Rex and CW, but not Angus).  For other women, you'll pop back into normalcy mere days after giving birth (and trust me, I am in awe of you if you do that).  But for most of us, we will be somewhere in the middle, between two to four weeks.

2. Your body will not bear any resemblance to its pre-pregnancy shape for a long while, likely.  Even though I have lost almost 26 pounds of the 31 I gained (as of today's weigh in), I still have an extra three inches on my waist, and an extra inch at my high and low hip.  And thanks to Angus being hungry constantly, I am now one cup size bigger.  For some of you, your weight will hang out in your belly, for others, you will gain near porn star sized "girls," and for some of you, your feet will have increased in size.  With Rex, I never got back to my normal size...I instead got pregnant with CW.  After CW, I was SO SURE that I would always be a size 10-12 in pants, and a size 8-10 in tops that I overbought and now have a ton of clothes that only fit when I was postpartum with her.  (Most of these I have since sold.)  It took me a whole year after she was born to get back to normal, BUT I DID.  And when I did, I was all, "oh, wait...my postpartum period was just really long, and that's okay."  And now I tell everyone, DO. NOT. OVERBUY. CLOTHING. WHEN. POSTPARTUM.

3. Because your body feels so different and so painful and so bloated (likely), just accept that style in the first couple of weeks is a fairly fluid notion...leggings, casual wear, stretchy tunics and top are all great.  If your feet don't see the inside of heels until months later, so be it.  YOUR body will let YOU know what you need.  If style means you simply got up, put on something other than PJs, took a shower, and maybe put on some lip gloss, then that is what the style is for you.  If, however, you feel fantastic and want to wear real jeans (with buttons and zippers, no less), then you go on with your bad self.  ;)

4. You may be in your maternity clothing for a full three months after pregnancy, so don't be in a super rush to sell or donate it.  If you had a c-section, especially, since that scar can be sore and sensitive...it makes sense to use pants with a belly band top rather than traditional button/zip pants until your scar is completely healed.  (Likely completely healed by six weeks postpartum, usually coinciding with your checkup with your OB/GYN.)

5. Oh, and because I didn't realize this myself until it was too late...you may need to bring more than one top and pants to go home from the hospital in...even what you are sure will fit you may not fit you.  Just bear that in mind when packing your hospital bag.

Anyone else have early postpartum style advice???

P.S. We'll talk soon...as  you all may have noticed, my blog writing is WAY down.  There are days where I am unable to get on the computer until way late at night, and because of my love for the vino, most of those nights I am just not really using the sharpest knife in my brain.  (Although I am sure my vino influenced posts could potentially be hilarious, depending on the amount of vino I have drunk.  Just kidding.  I only have one a night...I am way too lazy to pump and dump because I can't control my drinking habits.  Oh, to be 22 again.)

Baby Angus: Week One...in Photos!

Hello! Baby Angus is officially one week old today! :)

I want to say THANK YOU for all the incredibly sweet and kind comments left at the our announcement post.  I am full of gratitude that so many lovely people swing on by my blog!  You all are the best and I had a lot of smiling/tears of joy in my life after reading them...

We are surviving, but let's just say that I am not exactly in any position to be on the computer much. In fact, when I wrote the last post introducing Gus, I was full of the best painkillers (which is how I got it done). Ha.

Today is very much the first day I have felt up to getting out of bed for more than a few hours, and I thank God for that. I had a few nights of pain (even with the medicine) where I just was all, "can I really make it through the night?" I had those with the other two kids, but your body lets you conveniently forget them so you go on and have more children. Ahhh, instinct and evolution messing with memories.

I am going to keep this short and sweet and show off some of my favorite photos of the family from this week (no ootd photos, well, you know, there may be two from the past week, but for me pjs and soft leggings were on order for the most part).

Enjoy!

 

Gus, still at the hospital, on the last day.  I spent that whole day pretty much chilling with my little man.  It was great.  For a few moments my kids and my dad showed up, but for the majority of the day it was just the two of us.  I think he liked the peace and quiet.  :)

Last day at the hospital, took this shot of my dad, CW, Rex, and Angus.  LOVE this.  So sweet and happy!

Our "going home" photo.  Technically we left about four hours later, but CW, Rex, and Grandpa left a few minutes after this photo was taken.

It was nice leaving the hospital past 8 pm.  Very quiet and serene.  Gus has had few moments of that since arriving home.

Angus and Rex.  Rex is IN LOVE.  He is a great big brother.  All those issues we have had with our big guy in the past year or so have gone by the wayside.  Love that he can focus his energy into being a great big brother.

The three of them.  Two seconds after this shot was taken, Gus bawled his head off.  He was ready for--wait for it--more food from momma.  Anyone surprised?

Taken yesterday.  These blanket sleepers are awesome, keeps them warm but you don't have the worries like you do with actual blankets going over the little baby's heads.

This is darling.  I can't believe I managed to grab this photo!  :)

I did venture out on Friday to go get a refill of my medicine (have to pick it up from the office, controlled substance and all--ooooooooh....) and our first doctor appointment for Gus (he's in fine shape!).  We also stopped at McDonald's for lunch and because of my anemia (more on that in a different post--let's just say I may have needed a couple of units of blood transfused while in the hospital), I HAD to have the Angus burger, natch.  (Although even if I had a clean bill of health, I still would have.  Can't resist, I mean come on!)

This photo is of me with Rex after he was born.  I am a big fan of the putting babies really close to my face and squishing them with all my momma love.  ;)

Squish, squish, squish with all the love and CW. 

Okay, that's it! :)

I hope to be back to fairly regular posting in a few days, but obviously it is as the situation dictates. (Oh, the littlest ones...so many needs that directly involve my chest and arms. LOL.)

P.S. Boden decided to start their mid-Season sale this morning, which means that many items are an additional 15-35% off their regular price. This sale goes until April 13, so you all have time, but I have noticed some items are running low in stock. Having said all this, my 15% off coupon link with free ship and returns gives you the same basic deal on many of the sale items, so think of dipping in this sale if you see an item you were really interested in that is 20% or more off.

I will likely write a post on this sale either tomorrow night or Tuesday. :)

This mid-season sale does not come with free ship and returns, but the code in my sidebar and below will allow you to have free shipping and returns (but not stacking of the 15% on top of the mid-season % off, darn it!).
Save 15% at Bodenusa.com with Free Delivery and Returns!

Night night!

Introducing Gus...

He was early. (4 whole days before his scheduled c-section and 8 whole days before his "due" date.)  His birthday?  March 25, 2012. 

I did end up laboring! And I made it to the hospital with *just* enough time to spare. The c-section we had was neither scheduled or an emergency...it just fell somewhere in between.

His real name is Angus, which is way more popular of a name for boys and men in Scotland, Canada, England, Ireland, and Australia. In the US, Angus is beef, and real "manly" beef. :)

The nice doctor who gave me my anesthesia told me that this is not only the year of the dragon in Chinese astrology, but also the year of the black dragon, which is auspicious if you have a boy, as they will be especially manly. Guess he suits his real name, then. (Oh, and at 9 pounds, 3 ounces he showed us who is boss in the weight department besting Rex by 1 pound and CW by 2 pounds. Rex WAS 4 weeks early, but imagine if those two had been twins, ouch!)

I did end up having some complications, but I will get into that at a later time. That said, these people know my messed up delivery history and were very. well. prepared. for whatever my body decided to throw at them this time.

And now for some photos of his first and second day of life!

Rex and CW have been so excited to meet him that when the time actually came, I seriously felt like they thought of Gus as a rock star...and they acted like his groupies.

Rex held him and then CW.  Supervised of course.  Well, not by me.  I can barely move--THANKS MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. 

Grandma and Grandpa were over the moon, too!  BTW, best babysitting grandparents in Virginia, just so you all know.  And I am surely not biased or anything.  ;)

He has blonde hair and really blue eyes.  He looks exactly like CW sometimes and exactly like Rex at others.  And then sometimes he will look exactly like both of them AT the SAME time.

He is at that age where he just likes to sleep.  (On my belly, of course, but every once in a while on an actual baby bed.)

He may have left the big baby belly I had for all these months, but that doesn't mean he has to leave the general vicinity.  If he had his druthers, he would be in this position all. the. time.

(Which I don't mind.  Might be super warm, but oh, so freaking cuddly!)

That's it for today and likely a little while.

Those Boden fans out there who know that for the past two Tuesdays I have published a post on the "Week's Temptation" will have to use my link in the sidebar to get to it today or visit last week's post for more information about this kind of sale in general.  I have a feeling all the Boden fans who come here and visit will understand my priorities over the next few days to a week or so (depending on recovery, etc.).  (Of course you would.  Imagine the person who doesn't understand.  LOL.)

You all have a WONDERFUL day.  I certainly plan to.  :)

Happy Belated...

#4 (Rex) and not quite #40 (Mr. Dina)...

From one of Rex's very first photos (he was in the NICU for 8 whole days!)...

To one of Rex's first big, BIG smiles...

To a brush with a dandelion's soft seeds...

To Rex's recent brush with Howard Jones hair...

My dear sweet Rex has turned the big, huge FOUR!

(As did Mr. Dina--not quite the big FOUR-OH--, whose smile shows how pleased he is that people remembered to put his name in the Happy Birthday song!  When you and your son are born ONE day apart, the tendency is to forget the older one's birthday...)

Happy Birthday, my favorite man and little man.