A Day for Chambray

I absolutely love chambray shirts. It seems like I'm not alone as nearly every woman in my office has one! It's so easy to mix and match with light, dark and bright colors, you really can't go wrong.

Though I ended up swapping out my heels for flats after checking my calendar and seeing that I would be in the office all day, I adore these Steven by Steve Madden bow heels. They're so feminine and their nude color makes them a cinch to pair with everything in your closet.  They're fairly comfortable though they took a few wears to break in (to be fair, I had to put thicker insoles into mine beause my feet grew and then shrank back down again after pregnancy). Did this happen to anyone else? I was coming to terms with the fact that I would now have to buy size 11 (!!!) shoes from now on and low and behold, I started to fit into all of my old 10's that were tight and all of my 11's needed insoles to make them stay on my feet. Also worth noting---a lot of shoes don't come in 10.5 which may have been a happy medium when my feet grew.

shirt- j.crew(mine is a tall- 30% off today!)  | skirt- banana republic (similar, also this cobalt dress is amazing!)  | necklace- ? tinytags (enter my giveaway here!)  | shoes- steven by steve madden

I hope you're having a great week so far! Here's to a happy Friday tomorrow!

Recent Outfits...

You'll have to forgive me for posting iPhone snaps of my outfits, but for right now, they're all I've got.

 top- marshall's | necklace- j.crew factory | skirt- j.crew | shoes- steven by steve madden

shirt- j.crew (in blue) | pants- j.crew andie chinos | shoes- j.crew factory | trench- banana republic (similar, also love this one so much) | necklace- T+J designs, c/o

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Mommy + Baby in Boden

I heard about the UK-based brand Boden on a style and beauty forum I'm a member of.  I checked out the site about a year ago and loved the fresh, classic styles.

So when Boden approached me about showcasing a mommy+baby fall look, I was delighted to pick out an outfit for Harper and me.  I love that Boden has a baby line too! Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for a 20% discount code!

Shirt- Boden c/o | Skirt- Zara (old) similar, similar | Bracelet- J.Crew (and here and here) | Shoes- Steven by Steve Madden (love them in teal too!) | Lip Gloss- Almay Color+Care in Blooming

Harper's Dress- c/o Boden

...and just for fun, here are some of my favorite picks from Boden's website:

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

(here)

Before you go, Boden has generously offered a special promo code for y'all! From Sept. 9th through Sept. 12th, use the code DAFB for 20% off of your purchase. Follow this link for 20% off.

From September 13th through September 16th, use the code BD2B for 15% off of your order of $100 or more plus get FREE shipping. Follow this link for 15% off of $100 plus FREE shipping.

Let me know what your picks are in the comments below!

First Day Back...

My first day back at work went well.  It was a short day and it was nice to see all of my co-workers. I'm so lucky to have such great friends at work and a few even gave me welcome back cards and wrote notes on my white board, it was so sweet.

I think I haven't had a meltdown yet because I know Harper is being cared for by her daddy and she isn't in daycare yet. I know she will probably have lots of fun there and learn a lot but it's still going to be hard to drop her off there for the first time...and tenth time, I'm sure.

As I pursued my closet this morning, I realized that I had to be mindful of what I chose to wear since it had to be pumping-friendly.  I have some dresses that are definitely not options for pumping because I'd have to lift the entire dress up to gain access to properly place my pumping parts.

I wanted to wear something comfortable since it would be my first time pumping outside of my own home so I went with a simple tee (hello, I'm obsessed) and dressed it up with a sparkly necklace.  It was also the first time I have worn a pencil skirt in more than six months. I got this one on major sale at J.Crew (FYI, the popular No. 2 pencil skirts almost always go on sale so wait it out if you can!)  I promise my tee looked better earlier in the day but my husband took these shots after my commute, so I apologize for the mess.

Tee- Target |  Skirt- J.Crew (striped version, similar, similar, cute dress version) | Shoes- Steven by Steve Madden |  Necklace- J.Crew Factory (also LOVE this one) |  Watch- Michael Kors

a shot of Harper and me before I left for work in the morning

Having a hospital-grade pump at work means I don't have to lug my pump to and from work everyday which makes me feel incredibly blessed. I did bring it today just in case my pumping attachments didn't work for some reason but they worked just perfectly. Now all I'll have to bring are my pumping flanges and my milk storage bottles and a little freezer bag. It's perfect!

I also did some meal prep yesterday so that all of my lunches were ready for the week. I made salads with cucumbers and radishes and cut up strawberries and peaches for snacks. Then every night I make a turkey and cheese sandwich on pumpernickel bread to eat with my salad or I bring soup.  I also re-stocked my desk drawer with Luna bars, Nutrigrain bars and some other snacks like nuts. I like to keep my desk stocked because I eat every 2-3 hours so I really need to have food on hand at all times.

I ended up brining three massive bags to work. I won't need to bring my pump anymore but once we add a daycare bag to the mix I'll probably be carrying quite a few bags out the door.

I wish you all a wonderful week and thank you so much for all of the comments and emails of support about going back to work. It really made things easier to cope with hearing your experiences. 

Outfits Lately & A New Purchase

On Sunday I spent a couple of hours cleaning out and reorganizing my closet. Every spring and fall I rearrange it so that the warmer clothes are in the front for fall/winter and the cooler ones are in the front for spring/summer. It makes getting dressed easier and keeps things that are in-season easier to see. I also wanted to see if rearranging my closet would get me back into wearing bright colors again, since I am still sticking with mostly boring black. I love black, but I'm growing tired of it.  Once it's consistently warmer out, I know I'll get excited to break out color again.

I'm sure I'll end up cleaning it out again in the next couple of months (I'm overdue to donate some items I never wear) but this weekend was a good start.

Here are some of my most recent outfits:

Artizia shirt, Banana Republic sweater, F21 necklace, GAP maternity modern boot pants, Zara shoes

Lululemon cool racerback tank, PH8 jacket, GAP maternity really skinny pants, Zara flats

Nordstrom blouse, Nordstrom blazer by Gibson, GAP maternity pants, Zara shoes

Banana Republic dress, with and without tights

Zara Blazer, J.Crew shirt, GAP maternity pants, Tory Burch flats, Banana Republic necklace

GAP shirt, J.Crew sweater, GAP maternity pants, Zara shoes

I hardly ever shop for myself anymore. I'm trying to make it though the pregnancy buying as little as possible in terms of clothes. I have a lot of looser tops and tunics and a sweet co-worker of mine gave me some of her maternity clothes as well so hopefully I'm all set. I think once I start to grow more and more I may have limited options, but I'm trying to stretch the stuff I have as long as I can.

I did make one fun purchase recently though, a pair of nude Steven by Steven Madden heels.  I couldn't resist the bow and they will be great for spring (or as long as I can wear heels before the baby comes!)

(buy them here!)

Happy Monday and hope you have a great week!