Our baby girl, Rain Harlow, made her entrance into the world a little less than 3 weeks ago, 10 days after my due date and after a long long labor.  Here she is in all her perfect-ness.  We can’t believe what a beauty she is – it’s hard to do much else these past three weeks then stare at the little bug with adoring eyes (that is, in between feeding, changing diapers and trying to get in some Zz’s).

Her birth was quite an adventure.  When I found out I was pregnant I knew that I wanted to have a natural birth – no drugs, no medical intervention.  It spoke to me on so many levels to give birth this way.  Woman were made for giving birth, and I wanted to feel every part of the experience and I believe in my body’s ability to handle the pain and whatever else I needed to get through it.  I also should mention the idea of having a needle injected into my spine (an epidural), scared me more.  I don’t frown on medical intervention at all, it just wasn’t what I wanted for me.  Natural birth takes preparation, and so I took an extensive birthing class that focused on natural birthing techniques and hired a fabulous doula, Stephanie, to help my hubby and I have the most positive experience possible.

Stephanie had told us that one thing is the same about every birth experience – they are never what you had expected, and boy was she right.  My labor lasted 3 days, and I pushed for a whopping 3 hours – way way longer then I could have ever imagined, especially after being a week past my due date, which by the way, felt like a year.

I went into labor on a Friday afternoon.  All that day and night my early labor contractions were totally manageable at 30 seconds long, 20 minutes apart.  By that evening and early the next day they grew stronger and slightly longer but varied from 5 minutes apart to 17 minutes apart.  By 1am Sunday morning, with only about 5 hours of sleep under by belt over the course of 2 days, they were 1 1/2 minutes long and between 5-8 minutes apart and super intense.  In order to see any real action and be sure that delivery is near, contractions need to be consistent, so we worked with Stephanie through the night and well into the next afternoon trying to get them consistent (I walked stairs, did lunges, laid in various positions, took showers).  After 15 hours working at this with contractions still inconsistent, and me knowing I could not go on another night this way without sleep, we headed to the hospital early Sunday evening.  With lots of conflicted emotions, I decided to get an epidural in order to help me sleep a few hours and be prepared for whatever was in store in the coming hours.  By Monday morning I was fully dilated and ready to push, and grateful I did not have to be induced.  The epidural had worn off and I felt every bit of those three hours of pushing, until baby girl came out at 11.48am on Monday and everything that had happened over the last three days had melted away and there was just us.

I have to say, labor and birth is a little like getting a bikini wax – borderline, if not full on torture, but when it’s over, it’s over.  Yes, there is healing and what not, but the reward is beyond, and the pain is a thing of the past.

In the end, even though I did not have the experience I had hoped and planned for, I was fully satisfied with my entire birth experience – the great care I received at NYU Medical Center, the patience shown by my OB Dr. Whitehead, the guidance and support I received from our doula Stephanie, the unbelievable love and support I received from my husband, and the excitement and caring shared by our family and friends.

We are tired, I mean really really tired, but also calm and cool and feeling so much love.

Until next time… Xo.

My due date has come and gone and one thing is clear – I’M STILL PREGNANT!  At this point it feels like I will be pregnant forever, and of course I know that can’t be the case.  There are signs starting to appear that we might be getting closer (slightly stronger contractions, other not so pleasant unmentionables), but still…  My doctors are letting me go up until two weeks past my due date, which would bring us to next Friday at the absolute latest, but here’s to hoping that’s not the case and I will not have to be induced, and I can have the natural child birth I have been planning for.

In the meantime, I have been doing lots of things that supposedly help bring on labor, and here is a short list of some I have tried, and others I have not tried but people I know swear by (its funny how everyone has something different they are SURE will work) – lots and lots of walking, acupuncture, sex, drink red wine, drink raspberry leaf tea, eat dates, eat large meals, take primrose oil capsules, clean the windows, eat a reuben sandwich, eat chicken cordon bleu,  eat fruit cake…  and the list goes on.  In the meantime, I have gained an extra 5 pounds ‘trying’ to bring on labor!

Here is me on my due date, this past Friday (poor quality iPhone photo alert) – it seems each day since this belly keeps getting bigger, and the waddle is in full effect!

And in other superficial news this week…

Since I first found out I was pregnant I have known that I wanted to get the Marc Jacobs Eliz-a-Baby Diaper Bag in the Normandy print, seen here:

Even though I’m not terribly superstitious, I didn’t want to make any baby purchases too soon – just didn’t feel right.  So, I waited, and when it finally came time to make the purchase the print was sold out in every store across America and Europe, and the Marc Jacobs store told me it was seasonal and sold out never to be made again.  Slightly broken-hearted, I settled on a great second runner-up and practical khaki color bag of the same make.  And then this week, to my surprise and delight, a friend introduced me to the blog Tres Chic Mama, and there, to my envy, was one of the contributors talking about her new diaper bag – MY Eliz-a-Baby Normandy print.  I clicked on the link hoping that maybe, just maybe, and wa-la, the bag is once again available (only at Endless.com and currently with 20% mothers day discount – score!) and that baby is arriving to my house tomorrow, and the practical khaki is going back to the store today (that is unless I go into labor before hand).  And… my day is made!

Please send your good vibes over my way that baby will come this week.  Until next time… Xo.

These past few weeks I have been brought to tears by just about everything.  Not sad tears, just pregnant person full of emotions, elevated hormones, major life changes, touched by everything kind of tears.  I thought the latest tear inducing video I watched was so moving and special, I just had to share it with you.

The video was posted on one of my favorite blogs, Girls Gone Child, and is just about the sweetest bit of inspiration, and human goodness.  Enjoy.

I have been silently following the blog Girls Gone Child for at least the past 5 years.  Not sure how I ever got started reading this parent leaning blog, but one link or another led me there, and I liked Rebecca Woolf’s writing style, her taste and her life views were in line with mine.  Five or six years later, I still check out her posts around once a week, and have followed her through raising her first, getting pregnant and having her second, and most recently having twins, her 3rd and 4th, all by the time she turned 30 - and most of this way before having a baby was on my radar.  Blogs are a crazy thing – I know lots and lots about the writer’s life, yet have read silently, never commenting or engaging, selfishly enjoying her little world as a few minute escape from my day, or future parenting education.  Anyhow, I thought I would give back by sharing her blog with you, and hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years.  She is an inspiration, raising her own bohemian babies, and soon will have her own web series on HGTV.com called “ChildStyle: with Rebecca Woolf”, about nursery and children’s room decor (envy!).

We just welcomed another perfect little person into our lives.  My bestie Alison gave birth to the most beautiful little thang, Harley Mia, and we are so lucky to be her god parents.  We spent the day with Harley on Saturday, and I got to do a photo session with her.  Here is one of my favorites from the bunch.  I am madly in love.

And finally, today is my mom’s birthday, and I know that with my own pending motherhood just around the corner, I will gain a whole new appreciation for everything my mom has given me from birth until now, and beyond.  So, happy birthday mom – looking forward to watching you become a grandma and sharing in all the amazing-ness to come.  You are the best, most loving and giving mother a girl can ask for - our baby will be so lucky to have you.

NINE days to go until my due date – NINE FREAKIN DAYS, and I still can’t believe it.  Xo.

One thing you can bet on as you reach the end of pregnancy is a little discomfort due to belly size, maybe heartburn and foot swelling, throw in extreme exhaustion for good measure.  One thing I didn’t count on being 3 weeks from my due date is coming down with fever and an awful head cold, which is what I have been busy nursing for the past week.  Well, I am finally back to the land of the living and despite all the self despair I felt over the last week, I come out the other end mildly grateful, feeling minimal end of pregnancy discomfort and just willing the baby to give me at least another week to fully recover from the residual cold effects (nose blowing) so I can breathe easy during labor.

The last week+ has definitely not gone by without some good ole decorating fun.  Baby room is coming together and most things are in their place.  The room color we chose (Sea Froth from Benjamin Moore) is a super light and pretty neutral (thanks mom+dad), and definitely brings warmth to an otherwise white-walled rental apartment.  It’s actually the first time we have ever painted a room in any of our many apartments over the past 10 years and gets me super excited about future painting projects once we finally settle somewhere and don’t have to paint the wall back to white before vacating.

Here is a peak of my favorite little corner of the apartment baby room, decked out in Sea Froth, hugged by a cozy glider from Little Castle and guarded by a sweet little monkey from Danish company Maileg.

Another favorite in the room is the dresser that will double as a changing table.  I found it on etsy.com at the shop Vintage Reborn and took a risk purchasing it based on the internet pictures and excellent email correspondence from Laura, the owner and refurbisher of antique furniture.  It’s a beautiful and very well done piece, price was right, delivery a cinch – a risk well rewarded!

As a special added bonus, the dresser came with this beautiful antique key attached to one of the handles and just looking at the tiny key sends pleasure chills up my spine.  It’s just a lovely little touch.

Thinking about it, almost everything we purchased for the baby room was a risk, based on internet photos and non returnable.  The dresser, rug, crib, glider chair, blanket, monkey stuffed animals – all purchased based on instinct that I would love them and with fingers crossed.  And luckily, I do!

The finishing touches of putting anything up on the walls will be the last part of the decorating process, and I am going to wait to complete that until after we find out if this little bugger is a boy or girl, because even though I don’t subscribe to ‘blue is for boys, pink is for girls’, I would still love me a little pop of hot pink in that room somewhere and it’s just not right to do to a boy!

Next on the ‘to do’ list is finalizing names.  We are almost there but not quite.

Have a great weekend, until next time… Xo.

Ever since I started writing this blog, a whopping 2 months ago, I really look forward to writing and sharing my finds with whoever wants to listen (er, read).  This past week+ I have been finding it difficult to get anything down on paper (er, computer screen), and I’m pretty sure there are two main reasons for that.

The first is that I am nursing a pretty mean case of end of pregnancy cankles.  Since last week I first noticed my right foot starting to resemble the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, and early this week my left foot has joined in the fun.  Today I took a visit to the trusty doctor and the good news is it’s nothing to be concerned with – a combo of the warm weather kicking in and carrying 40% more blood volume, plus I’m sure the added weight I’m carrying can do that to a girl.  Problem is I am supposed to do lots of lying around with my feet elevated, which I am not at all good at, and needless to say, after sitting at a desk all day for my day job, its been hard to sit at a desk at night to write and keep these tooties elevated at the same time.  See below for reluctantly posted photos of said swollen feet/cankles (yes, that is me chilling on my newly arrived glider chair), and the photo below for what my feet usually look like (thats me on the left in Florida this past November)!

Reason two for the lack of motivation is the sudden onset of the so-called ‘nesting’ urge expectant mothers have been said to get before baby comes.  My nesting urge is in full effect, and I have been finding myself just standing in the soon to be baby bedroom staring at the walls wondering how exactly its all going to come together, and still in awe that I am old enough and qualified enough to become a mother over the next few weeks.  Even though I have watched most of my girlfriends become mothers themselves over the past 3 years, and totally confident and elated about whats to come, it’s still a hella crazy pill to swallow.  Ok, back to the room.  So far I am really happy with the few things that have arrived – the crib, the dresser, the glider chair and the mirror.  Even though they are all separates, I am loving how they are all perfectly mismatched together.  I am still waiting for a delivery of the rug, and looking forward to a visit from my folks this weekend for some good ole fashioned room painting fun, which I think will bring it all together.  I’ve also been collecting some fun things to hang on the wall including some old angel wings I purchased in a market in Guatemala last year, some old picture frames and an initial wall plate from John Derian.  And when I’m not standing in the center of the room staring into decorating outer space, I am brainstorming ways to turn this most neutral nursery into a more femme or masculine space once baby comes and we find out the sex of this kiddo.

My husband says everything in the room is too ‘adult’, like the bedroom I would decorate for myself if I slept in a crib, so he urged me to do something, ANYTHING, to address the fact a newborn will occupy it shortly.  And so, this giant giraffe was ordered and its even more beautiful in person, and I think just the thing.  You can find it on the Melissa and Doug website, or for less on amazon.

And last but not least, this past weekend one of my dearest friends, Nell, who writes the fantastic blog Nell’s Dish, gave birth to the precious, perfect in every way, baby Theo.  His arrival has both stolen my heart, and has got me even more excited for what’s to come for us.  Isn’t he sweet?

As of this Friday, 4 weeks to go.  Hope to have some room photos and more fun finds next week.  Until then… Xo.

Its been a busy week with hospital tours, doula meetings, furniture deliveries and all else that is life, so this one is going to be short and sweet.  Tamar Mogendorff makes the sweetest fabric mobiles, wall animals, mushrooms and birdhouses I ever did see.  The fellow Brooklynite by way of Israel, hand stitches each of her creations using various pieces of linen, cotton, wool, vintage fabrics, antique embroidery, old buttons and ribbons to name a few.  Each piece is unique and beautiful and has an heirloom quality hard to find these days.  They are not inexpensive but for the craftsmanship and the fact that your baby will (hopefully) love these pieces for just about ever, I think its worth the splurge for that extra sentimental value.  Tamar has a little on-line shop here, or you can see and purchase some of her pieces in person at ABC Home in NYC.

This week/weekend big changes are happening inside our casa.  The crib and dresser were delivered (and I love them both – more details soon), and a new bed is arriving for all the guests who will be coming to visit baby – making it all the more clear that expected D Day (delivery day) is just a mere 6 weeks away.  Needless to say, there will be lots of cleaning and moving things around in our apartment this weekend to find space to make it all work.

Enjoy your weekend.  Xo.

I am constantly thinking up new ideas that I would love to turn it into a business, so I love discovering a great idea that becomes a well executed business.

A few weeks ago while killing time in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn waiting for my Birthing Class to start, I stumbled on a great maternity store called Bump. A few days prior I was with a few mommy girlfriends who were discussing how their babies are in the teething stage and chewing on all of their necklaces, bracelets, etc, and ruining them, and that there are no good alternative options out there for wearable teething jewelry for moms. With this conversation fresh on my radar, I noticed these great necklaces and bracelets showcased in the center of Bump while browsing around and couldn’t believe the coincidence  since this was never before on my radar.  Chewbeads are a cute, stylish option for wearable, chewable, pullable and totally safe for baby jewelry for moms to wear during those teething months.  There are two different style necklace options and two different style bracelet options that come in tons of different colors.  Chewbeads are a great way to camouflage resourcefulness in a stylish accessory.  Smart, very smart.

You can buy them here or here.

I tend to be drawn to the more is more philosophy when it comes to accessorizing.  While I definitely appreciate a minimalist home, I am way more attracted to purposeful clutter.  And while I love a great single statement piece, I would wear 10 necklaces and 15 bracelets all together all the time if other people didn’t look at me like I must have lost my marbles.  And I love me a great gallery wall filled with prints and photos and what have you.  A great gallery wall or mini gallery wall for that matter can make a room so much more interesting.  Since I have found so many great prints out there that feel perfect for a baby room, looks like a gallery wall is in order.  Here are some great examples for inspiration, and some of my favorite prints I have found around the way – several of which will be making their way to a wall down the hall.

Source: seenandsaid.blogspot.com via Amie on Pinterest

Source: cottageandvine.blogspot.com via Amie on Pinterest

Source: simplyseleta.com via Amie on Pinterest

Many years ago at an art market in NYC, I stumbled upon the artist behind She Hit Pause Studios.  I loved his dreamy, timeless photos and Polaroid transfer printing style and bought a print.  Since then I have seen him a bunch around town at places like Brooklyn Flea, always feeling compelled to buy another print from him.  Now I have a good reason why.  Here are some of my faves for baby:

Etsy.com is a treasure trove of talented artists whose wares are just waiting to be found.  I could spend a lifetime searching etsy and never stop finding things I would love to own.  Here are some of my favorite prints from various shops on the site:

From Parada Creations on etsy.com

From The Big Harumph on etsy.com

From Jennifer Comstock on etsy.com

From Zebeedee Print on etsy.com

From Yellow Button Studios on etsy.com (I love you to the Moon is my fave!)

For Like Ever poster from Super Rural, which has been featured on many interior design magazines and blogs, and comes in different colors.

John Derian also has beautiful postcards and wrapping paper sheets that I wouldn’t hesitate to frame.

What’s so great about gallery walls is you can keep adding and adding and it will probably still look great, so think old family photos, baby drawings once the kiddo is old enough to do so.  Skies the limit really.  Having fun with it is most important.

Xo.

The seed was planted back in August, 30 weeks ago, and its hard to believe how far this little bean growing inside me has come.  The miracle of life becomes so apparent when you are growing life inside you, and with 10 weeks to go, I can’t wait for all of the questions that have been bouncing around my head to be answered.  Is it a boy or girl?  What will he or she look like?  Be like?  Smell like?  Sounds like?  Feel like?  How will becoming a mother change me, us?  And most of all what I can’t wait for is to feel the overwhelming LOVE that comes at first sight, and watching my husband holding and loving our little bean.

30 weeks down, 10 more to go.

Photos taken from my iPhone to send my parents progress.  Funny that at 15 weeks I thought I was ‘showing’!

Happy Valentines Day.   Hope yours is filled with love.  Xo.