WALKING IN CARYTOWN

my sister pointed out that it's been almost a week since i posted, which i didn't even realize, that's how fast time is flying by.! i'll more than make it up with this post though, which will also have a lot of instagram photos. excited? this is a post about how long walks are the best thing for a slightly cabin-fevered body and how i made the best of some really beautiful afternoons. 

on saturday, me, baby sloane and her carriage - because yes her stroller is now a formidable entity in our lives - went out to carytown to check out some shops and walk it out. we went first to the new fresh market that opened and it was kind of glorious in there. everything was shiny and new and everyone was super friendly, i was like, what is this place?! 

i had all these lovely interactions with other shoppers there - i was trying some free samples of coffee and there was this other lady who was there as well, and we looked at each other and realized we both had the same stroller and carseat combo and it made me feel kind of eery, kind of the same feeling that i had when i looked out the window one day and saw this girl walking her dog and her baby in a stroller around the neighborhood and i had this feeling of, 'we are the same person!' anyways, we started chatting it up and talked about our babies and she shared some nuggets of wisdom that she's been learning about getting her son to sleep and i thought, how nice to commiserate with a stranger about this! another girl, God bless her soul, asked about sloane and then remarked that i looked quite well for a recent mother and i wanted to take her home with me. that's how nice it is sometimes to have strangers be encouraging and sympathetic to your plight. you feel fondly to your human race and i'll cherish those moments cause they don't come to often. 

all the employees there were in terrific moods and i kid you not, it felt like i was at a party at a friend's house. probably also because they had free samples of coffee, wine, ice cream, salmon and other such goodies, i did several laps around that grocery store just looking at all the shiny things and feeling happy for everyone. i got some giant honeycrisp apples recommended to me by the apple stocker person, who was all, 'HAVE you tried the honeycrisps?? they are sooo good.. do it!' and they were. i also discovered these vegetable chips that they have in bins that you can scoop up and they are really delicious. i've already been back once already just to get some more of these. 

then with a pep in my step, i proceeded to walk throughout the rest of carytown to explore and people watch.  especially on days like these, and especially now with a stroller, i wish even more that i lived in a place like nyc - a walking city where people watching, sidewalks and shops abound. i would be an extremely happy gal and i would walk/talk/instagramphoto the heck out of such a place. my sister was in town this weekend and we did another walk through carytown; here some photos from both trips:

snow cone! 

i love sleepy chub babies..especially when they're mine!

ashby: i'm so into the decor of this place.

i want that piano!

ashby is one of many consignment stores in carytown and they donate their profits to various organizations around town.

seester!

such great details

i love the look of these white jars. i'm thinking about trying to make these myself with some white spray paint... 

sigh.

...then comes a baby in a baby carriage...

hoorah for fall weather and long walks!

HER SMILES

S. is smiling more often these days and when she does it totally melts my heart. Seeing my baby and my husband interact like this is one of my new favorite things. 

THE AUTUMN WIND

the autumn wind blew through town this weekend and visited our house.  i woke up on saturday morning to swaying trees and rustling leaves and decided that i must open all the windows to let whatever was happening outside to the indoors. it was GLORIOUS.  the air was crisp, the wind was fresh and everything was all a rustle. especially after two years of living in places where we couldn't open the windows, it felt luxurious to have the wind whipping throughout all the rooms of the house.  it felt like everything in the house was getting a wind bath, including my skin. those are my new favorite things right now, open windows and the autumn wind.

there was a saturday morning meeting of the minds for shower planning and catching up via skype with some lovely ladies,

and then

sloane, rusty, and i spent the rest of the afternoon outside to drink in more of the fresh air and keep ken company as he did some yard work.

 porch time with these lovelies = blissful

our favorite lawnmower 

the dreaded crabgrass

she got herself a fistful of hair...she's grabbing!

the little dragon will scorch you with her jet black eyes

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Thanks for visiting us autumn wind, come back soon, anytime.

FRIDAY AND INTERWEB GOODIES

I was at Target the other day and feel like I should share that they have their fall stuff trickling in and so much  of it is super cute. Most notably, there were these ponchos that I kind of fell in love with because I love the idea of ponchos - I automatically picture some rustic scene where I am coming out of a woodsy cabin or walking onto a beach at dawn where it is just chilly enough to throw on a blanket with buttons on it. Also, I get nostalgic for that crisp, fresh air smell and then I'm craving a campfire, real bad. I especially liked this particular poncho because it was a southwestern print with a flair - neon! and triangles! I'm into it. I didn't end up getting it though because I couldn't justify even an extremely really reasonably-priced poncho seeing as I will probably not wear this enough. The poncho-wearing thing is a delicate balance of appropriate place/body type/length/style/use - a poncho can go horribly wrong, I've seen it happen.  I'd limit my poncho-wearing mostly to sitting by the campfire type activities but my camping days will be put on a brief hiatus while Sloane does a little more growing up...maybe next year. And yes, that is Sloane in a carseat/stroller with me in the dressing room at Target. See? I'm still getting my Target shopping on, but now with baby in tow.

Sloane liked the poncho. too.

You know how I told you that I'm into Siggi's yogurt? Well I'm trying their orange & ginger right now one and it actually has little pieces of ginger something all up in it. Super fancy. I can't decide if I like this flava. To be determined.

And let's give it up for Friday! Even though I'm on maternity leave, I'm just as happy that it is Friday because 1) I'm happy for all ya'lls working folk, especially those of you that have had tough weeks, and 2) the plans for this weekend are plentiful and most of them involve spending time with friends.

And now let me do one of those posts that have a bunch of links in it because I have goodies to share.

Check it.

1. I need to lead with this because I can't stop thinking about these cookies. Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies?? Are you serious?!
2. I'm all about dewy make-up and make-up how-tos. I also dig make-up reviews.
3. I love this site so much. It makes my heart swell for RVA. See if your city has one!
4. Did I already tell you how excited I am about fall? Also, I am extremely excited about apple picking.This homemade apple crisp recipe is stoking the fire. Which reminds me, I need to get me a mandolin.
5. My eyeballs are soaking in all the details of this house renovation/design. Gawd, the details!
6. Another pretty Southwestern print.
7. How stellar are these planet lollipops.
8. I love this mobile, so hard.

LIFE LATELY

currently addicted to: siggi's yogurt (14 grams of protein!), the idea of being able to fit into my pre-pregnancy shorts, this week's fall-like weather, looking through old photos, internet shopping for the perfect autumn back-to-work shoe, and kissing sloane's chub cheeks.

confession: i am counting done the days until i have to go back to work with a little bit of dread. i know and have been telling myself that it will all be fine once i start and get into the swing of things, but i've never had to work with a baby before and the logistics of it all is what makes me a wee anxious. how do working moms get up in the morning, nurse, pump, take the baby to daycare, do a full work day, pump during a work day, battle traffic to go pick up baby from daycare, get home, nurse some more, make dinner, clean, do dishes, laundry, prepare and pack lunch, and spend time with husband and baby? and also get enough sleep, look good, and stay sane? how?? i don't know, but I'm about to figure it out. i know i can do it because first of all, tons of women do it, and secondly, i've been surprising myself a lot these past few months - i gave birth to a baby and am now taking care of one - and at least i'm getting to do it in gradual stages, right? it truly is a mixed bag, this becoming a mother thing. methinks that each new mother should get a welcome-to-motherhood kit which includes a bag of fairydust.

THERE'S A TINY CRITTER IN MY BED

...and I love her so!!

END OF SUMMER PLAYLIST

Summer is ending and I'm not happy about that, especially how it's already starting to get darker sooner in the evenings, buut I am really excited about fall.  In the spirit of that kind of usual end-of-summer nostalgia and giddy excitement for fall, here's the playlist I've been listening to:

1. Lights - Ellie Goulding
2. American Blood - Passion Pit
3. Carried Away - Passion Pit
4. Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It - Stars
5. Thinking About You - Frank Ocean
6. Curtain - Flock of Dimes
7. Don't Think Twice - Bob Dylan
8. Can't Go Back Now - The Weepies

FLEUR AND DOT

I must have looked through Fleur and Dot's lookbook for their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection about twenty times because, can you blame me?, these outfits are adorable. Little vintage-inspired pieces for girls? I'm in. Not to mention these outfits are styled pretty much perfectly. Check out the entire lookbook here. 

ONE MONTH WITH A BABY

Sloane at one month on a deliciously colorful and soft blanket made by my friend's sweet mom

It has been much harder than I thought it would be write up the story of my labor and birth. It is clear in my mind, but it is as if the right kind of words do not exist to describe that whole experience. I’m working on it!

Aftermath

 I remember the first few days after it all, I kept thinking, WOW, I did it.  I also remember being in a lot of pain- it hurt to pee, I was freaked out about going number two for the first time, and everything just felt really sensitive. I remember during the first couple of weeks how I kind of felt like I was in shambles, physically. Along with engorged breasts and realizing I still wasn’t going to fit into most of my normal clothes, I wasn’t sure if I quite felt like myself.  Actually, I did feel like myself, but just an older and slower version. I really did move slower. I think the most difficult part, besides trying to get used to the different (and lack of) sleep schedule, was still feeling like I was captive to my body. I fully understood then what it meant when doctors and midwives would refer to this time after birth as the “fourth trimester”.  And there of course, was the baby. The sweet baby who I loved dearly but didn’t’ quite know, yet.  In the beginning, the baby doesn’t do much else except sleep and eat and doesn't quite yet have a personality, and sometimes it felt like I was taking care of a living, breathing doll. After a few weeks though, I started to get to know her. What all her different coos, whines, and cries mean, how to hold her, and I was starting to memorize her facial expressions from staring at her for so long. Sometime during the third week, I realized I felt like a mom, and I was falling crazy head over heels in love with this tiny creature who was now meeting and holding my gaze. Sometime between that third and fourth week, I realized that I felt ok. Physically, I felt much better, the bathroom wasn’t as much of an issue anymore, and I had gotten the hang of breastfeeding. Most importantly though, I started to feel that surreal elated joy of having this baby girl in my life. I knew about that joy in my head, but it was as if the experience of labor, the tiredness, and the different pace of life didn’t really let me fully feel it until that third week. Nowadays my heart is full to the brim when I think of her and I feel so blessed/lucky/grateful.

I love the people in my life

I think my transition from no-baby to new-baby was relatively smooth. And I think a huge part of making that happen was the people in my life. I need to make this note of how incredible it was to have all the support that we had from friends and family, to remind myself that even while having a baby is a personal thing, it is also the most amazing community thing. Having friends send congratulatory messages, bring by food and gifts, and having people be genuinely happy for us has been such an encouraging and humbling experience. Also having family stay with us for the first few weeks was a God-send and it did my heart so so good to see S. with her grandparents, aunts, and great-grandparent. It was also deliciously sweet to spend those 'awakening' moments with Ken, first in the hospital and then when we came home. 

My job

Right now my job is to take care of this baby, and I have just been realizing that I love this job. Not because changing diapers and nursing is super fun, but because I have been tasked with the mind-blowing responsibility and privilege of knowing and taking care of this very unique and baby that is ours for a reason. She needs me and I’m amazed that I have what it takes to meet her needs.  My favorite thing about this baby is that she is our baby…she is ours not just because I gave birth to her, but because Ken and I have fully committed to loving her, we have made room in our lives for her, and we know her better than anyone else. It also helps that she smells and feels so good, and that she is so darn cute. When she falls asleep and snuggles up against my chest, or when I find her wide awake and cooing by herself in her bassinet in the mornings, I fall in love with her all over again. I’ve been thinking about what it’ll be like to go back to work and I’m conflicted. I do want to work, (or more specifically, I want a career) but now it makes me want, more than ever, to love my job, so that it will make being away from her worthwhile. I like making money, but it kind of sucks that it has to be at the expense of leaving S. with someone else while I do it.  I wish I could be two different people at one time so that I can work but also be with S. during the day. Being a working mom is going to be challenging, and this will be the next chapter of my life. 

CHICKPEA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I KNOW, right? Chickpeas?! 

Ken saw these and thought they were regular ol' chocolate chip cookies and when I told him what they were made of, he said, "Why would you do such a thing??!" 

Which may be what you're thinking, too...but hear me out. These are actually really good. Not just tasty, but good in the sense that if you are like me and are unable to stop eating warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven, knowing the cookies are sans flour and full of chickpeas instead makes you feel a little better. 

The important thing about these is that you need to eat them hot. Even if you save them for the next day, make sure you microwave them for about 10 seconds before eating. The heat on these and the melted chocolate keep the cookie tasting like a true chocolate chip cookie; when cold, the chickpea flavor and texture is much more evident. When hot, it's a soft, gooey, chocolatey goodness that will satisfy your hankerings. You can still taste the chickpea slightly, but it's a nutty flavor that totally works with the chocolate. Try it! 

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe from Createlive) 

Ingredients: 

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup of almond butter
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder 
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (i used 80% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mash the chickpeas in a food processor, and combine it with all ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Mix together and make sure there are no whole chickpeas. 

3. Add the chocolate chips.

4. Scoop balls of the mixture onto greased cookie sheet. I just used my hands to form the balls and then flattened them into a cookie shape. 

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

HANDMADE LOVELIES

The other day I got a package in the mail and was so excited to see what it contained:

How adorable are these?! They are from my sister's friend, Laura, and I was smitten especially when I learned that she knit these herself. The hat is a strawberry!

I love the detailing on the collar of the sweater...I would totally wear a grownup version of this!

The hat is too big for her now, but it'll be perfect for this upcoming winter. The sweater fits her perfectly right now so I made sure to take a gazillion photos on my phone:

Thanks Laura!

TO THE MARKET

On Saturday, K., Rusty, Sloane and I packed ourselves into the car and ventured out to the farmer's market.
The excursion ended up being more stressful than it needed to be - because of Rusty, not because of Sloane - but I'm still glad we made it out. Next time, we vowed, we'd leave Rusty at home. Which is a shame because the South of the James farmer's market is where dogs of all shapes and sizes come with their owners to see, be seen, and mingle. but it's also gotten so much bigger and more crowded, which means Rusty can't contain himself he's so excited. I don't blame him, bigger means there are more vendors and I myself can hardly contain myself from wanting to buy up all the fresh produce, flowers, cheese and other nifty things they have out. I am realizing that I'm a sucker for nifty things sold at a stand, outdoors. Especially in farmer's market format.

Pictured above is the glorious Bagel With the Works from the Crossroads vendor at the market: onion bagel with herb cream cheese, tomatoes, capers, red onions and microgreens.I had to wait almost 30 minutes in line for this but it was deelicious.