First Night Out

Last night was the first time I went out at night with friends since having Harper. We've had plenty of people come visit us at the house but up until now I just wasn't really ready to go out for the night (plus, my surgery kind of set me back recovery-wise and I've been pretty tired). 

I attended a going-away party for one of my co-workers at a karaoke place. It was SO fun. I had never done karaoke before. I love to sing but I'm definitely not a good singer---but you don't have to be. We had a private room so it was extra easy to get up and sing.  Among the evening's highlights---I did duets of the following songs: "Stan" and "My Name Is" by Eminem; 99 Problems by Jay-Z, "I Saw the Sign" by Ace of Base and "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia. Fun fun times.

I stayed out for about three and a half hours including driving time so I could come home and pump. It was the perfect amount of time to be out. Poor Harper was having lots of gas troubles yesterday evening so when I got home I gave her some gas drops. Let's just say the problem seems to have gotten better and I've been changing massive diapers all day long, one of which required a bath. Lovely.

I wore a new top and necklace last night so I snapped some quick shots before I left.

I don't know why but my hair always looks really dark when shots are taken with my Canon Rebel (I was asked if I darkened it when I posted my generations photos). The iPhone photos below are more accurate.

Top- Cynthia Rowley (from Marshalls) similar |  Necklace- J.Crew Factory | Jeans- GAP | Wedges- Ivanka Trump similar, similar | Bag- Kate Spade similar, similar, similar |

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Recent Purchases & Harper's Nursery Featured on Fawn Over Baby

I haven't shared any recent purchases in a long time, so I thought I'd share some in today's post.  All of these items have been purchased over the last couple of months.

Top Row: 

Cynthia Rowley Blouse from Marshalls (similar)

J.Crew Factory Teagan Ruffle Blouse (buy)

J.Crew Punk Floral Print Blouse (sold out | same print dress | same print bikini | )

Bottom Row:

Banana Republic Ponte Full Skirt Dress (buy)

Forever 21 top (sold out | similar | )

Banana Republic Ponte Full Skirt Dress in Stripe (buy)

J.Crew Factory Necklace- (sold out | similar | )

Top Row:

J.Crew Factory Mint Floral Earrings (sold out | similar | ) 

J.Crew Striped Shorts (sold out  | similar | )

Middle Row:

John Freida Luxurious Volume Fine to Full Blowout Spray (buy)

Henri Bendel Sandals (| similar | also love these |)

Bottom Row:

Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm (buy)

Boxwood Topiary Plants- Marshall's Home Goods

Have you been shopping a lot this summer? I've toned down my shopping now that I'm at home with the baby since I wear shorts and t-shirts everyday. I will probably buy some new things when I go back to work after my maternity leave.

I'm also delighted to share with you all that Harper's nursery has been featured on the blog Fawn Over Baby!  You can check out the feature here. Thank you to Melissa for featuring our sweet little girl's room!

Weekend...

This morning H and I went to Precious Glance Ultrasound for our second attempt at a 3D view of our little girl.  Baby girl was a little more cooperative this time and we got a few good shots of her face. It was a cool experience and I definitely recommend it to parents-to-be if you'd like to get another peek at your little one after your 20 week anatomy scan (which is typically the last u/s in your pregnancy).

I always think 3D u/s photos look kind of...like the baby is made of clay...but you can really make out her sweet little button nose in this photo. She also appears to have my husband's lips and adorable chubby cheeks.  We can't wait to meet her. I've heard from quite a few people who did 3D u/s that their newborns did actually look a lot like the way they did on the u/s, so we shall see!

After the u/s, it was time to run some errands. It was gloomy and rainy outside today (and humid!) so what better way to spend time than checking things off of my to-do list?

We made a trip to Michael's Arts & Crafts so I could pick up some items for some DIY projects I'm going to be working on for the nursery.

The first is this polka-dot piece I found on Pinterest:

Super clean, simple and pretty. I'll be sure to post about it once I've completed the piece.

The second piece is something I'm going to have my friends participate in at my baby shower that is being hosted by one of my best friends, Candice.  

I don't like baby shower games, so this will be a nice project that guests can be involved in and it will be in her room and have a special meaning.

(via Pinterest)

Instead of pink balloons, I'm doing mint green, turquoise and a bright teal.  I love pink, but I though the minty colors were a little more unexpected and still very feminine. I'm not sure I'll do the baby hanging from the balloons like in this illustration---I'm just going to have each guest write a little message for her on one of the balloons (if they want to) and then I'm going to use actual string instead of drawing the picture (I like texture!) I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I also ordered some prints for the nursery from some of my favorite gals including MadeByGirl and ISeeNoise, so it will be a nice mix of purchased and DIY wall art.

Speaking of cute baby items...I ordered these sweet little bunny slippers online this week from Cassie's Closet.  I plan to use them on her little bookshelf until she can wear them but they were too sweet to pass up:

...and though I'm not into nursery themes, I'm using bunnies and lambs here and there, so there's a little hint at what's to come! 

After we went to Michael's we headed to Empire Cafe, one of my favorite lunch (and brunch!) spots, followed by a quick trip to Marshall's Home Goods. I always find a thing or two there for the baby and the prices are unreal.

This little eyelet dress was just $7.99 and came with matching bloomers.

...and this little set was $12.99 and came with that sweet little hat---which made me realize it's the only hat we have for the baby so far...

The day wrapped up with a quick trip to Sugarbaby's Cupcake Boutique where I got a few strawberry cupcakes (my favorite!) I already had one and they are absolutely delicious.

Before I go, here's a quick snapshot of the outfit I wore to work on Friday:

I haven't worn that bubble necklace in a long time so it was a fun way to perk up the outfit. The tank is Lululemon (cool racerback, they are beyond perfect for pregnancy) and the cardigan is Banana Republic.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Shopping & Baby's Dresser Has Arrived

We had a pretty laid back Saturday, until I decided when we got home from lunch and running errands that we were going to empty out the nursery.

Our day started off with our Restoration Hardware Baby & Child Haylan wide dresser and hutch being delivered (we got it for 20% off!).  More on that later.

Then, we went out for lunch and I suddenly had a major craving for ice cream. So we made  quick stop at Marble Slab and enjoyed the beautiful warm, sunny weather.

We also went to Target where I picked up some adorable onesies for the baby.  I was thrilled to find some mint green and purple ones!

Then we stopped in at Marshall's Home Goods where I scored some lovely baby and home decor deals.

I was able to find these gorgeous tulips, which are identical to the ones I got at Marshall's Home Goods last year for our coffee table---those these are in a different shaped vase and there are less tulips. The arrangement cost $39.99, which is a deal considering how expensive these arrangements tend to be in speciality stores. They had a lot of nice ones in store today so be sure to check out your local Marshall's Home Goods!

I also picked up two of these beautiful wall mounts.  I absolutely love that the hooks spell out LOVE.  I got one for my closet and one for the baby's room. Not sure where I will put it yet but I thought it would be sweet in her bathroom or above a bookshelf.

Finally, I picked up a beautiful dress and some onesies from Marshall's:

We are so thrilled with the dresser!  It will be perfect for the room once it's all arranged. Though it's on the pricier side (heck, it cost more than our dresser) I'm really glad we made the investment because it's a piece that doesn't scream "nursery" and will look good in a child's room and eventually in a teen's room. In fact, I joked with my H that if our daughter ever doesn't want it, I'm happy to take it for our room!  It's a beautiful piece.

One piece of nursery furniture down---three to go!  We need to order our crib and glider and possibly a bookshelf (or we may do floating shelves, I haven't decided yet) as well as a chandelier.

I can't wait to see the room come together with all of the little details! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!