Light Reading

I've been doing heaps of nighttime reading lately (mostly self-help baby books), and found myself wishing I had some sort of old-school reading light (remember those geekly little gadgets that would clip onto your book pages, hold your spot, and light up when you opened to that page??). Each night, after brushing my teeth, I head to bed with the intention of finishing another chapter in book #1 so that I can move onto book #2... but you know how it is - you say you'll be in bed reading by 10:30, but 11:15 rolls around and you're still in the living room? Anyways, I'm now at the point where I think I'm in the middle of about 5 different books! And since all are read primarily as I'm turning in for the night, I couldn't help but covet this insanely awesome bed lamp!! Not only can it shelve all 5 of my current reads, but it can hold the place in the one I fall asleep holding (my husband is rather good at removing forlorn books from sleeping clutches), and let there be (reading) light! Genius!!

This light would actually make for a creative and effective bed hack - imagine mounting these lamps to something as simple as the Ikea Malm headboards... Immediate custom made design-y beds! Pretty sweet for readers.

P.S. About those 5 books :)

A Labor of Love (I wrote about it once here.) The most perfect birthing book.

HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method (Thanks Rachey!!) Very helpful birthing techniques.

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems (Which is what has me coveting a bedside reading lamp to begin with - Freida has been inhabiting our bedroom at night, and I need to nip this in the bud before baby!)

The Sleep Easy Solution Reading up a bit on sleep scheduling for newborns... after the first two weeks I hope to establish a bit of a eating/sleeping schedule. This book makes it easy as pie!

Eat, Sleep, Poop A common sense guide to your baby's first year - well-written facts of little lives.

Pregnancy Dreaming...

These images from Pregnant Chicken totally made me laugh out loud. (But none as much as Hugh Jackman's!)

Belly Art

Have any of you mamas out there ever done pregnant belly art? I'm so intrigued by the concept! I've been seen henna-decorated bellies since my pregnancy with Frieda, but never thought I'd actually go for it! Perhaps it's due to the fact that I'm currently on a decorating-stint with nesting our new home and all... or maybe I just like the fear-factor of messing the thing up and being stuck with some gnarly brown design on my stomach for the next 2 weeks. :)

In any case, I'm totally smitten by the ritual and plan on picking up a henna set and letting my husband go wild with his middle-eastern side this weekend - right onto my growing belly. Here's to celebrating the life we grow inside - through random and far-out rituals!!

Balloon Class

While majority of my time over the past few weeks has been spent on either settling into our new home, or planning and working on my newest project, Babyccino, it dawned on me recently that Freida's birthday is in just a few little days!! The big 3 totally and completely snuck up on me!! And though I feel guilty about it now, I've really been working on convincing myself that I had every reason in the world to neglect planning her special day: a new place, a new job, a new city, a new and final trimester in my pregnancy (!!), and to top it all off - I've just gotten blood test results that show I am severely anemic! I was low on iron while pregnant with Freida was well, but this time it looks like the deficiency is far greater. I'm just so relieved to know that something is actually wrong with me, and that what's been going on inside of me is not, in fact, normal at all. Grocery shopping takes me falling faintly on the couch upon completion, small tasks look like treacherous mountains, and no matter where I find myself - that spot on the floor looks like an amazing place to curl up for a nap! So grateful to hear that something is off, and that this will not get worse and worse as delivery draws closer...! I'll be getting onto an iron supplement immediately, and I should be seeing results within a few days of medication. Joy!! Which, brings me back to Freida's party - threw a little backyard shin-dig together for the cousins this Sunday afternoon, and looking forward to a lovely few hours spent with family (especially since my mother will be in town - we are going to fetch her at LAX after lunch today!!!) celebrating our little lady and her divine entrance into this world 3 bright and beautiful years ago!

While on my quest for some last-minute-party inspiration, I came upon the realization that balloons can have some serious class!! Not just that, but while balloons have been used as props in fashion photography for quite some time, now they seem to be seriously stealing the spotlight!! Especially the giant round ones, like we had at Freida's first birthday - they are popping up everywhere!!

It seems lots of moms these days are either suffering from balloon-overkill or seem to think the balloon era has faded the way of pin-the-tail on the donkey, in any case these fashion shots are sure a strong shout-out that ballons are very much in the here and now, and proves they can be both chic and childish - providing perfect party pictures!

And for those of you adults who are still feeling a bit balloon-weary... check out Geronimo; not just for kids anymore!! I'd totally love to order one of these babies for a friends birthday - just imagine this being delivered to your doorstep, attached to your favorite cupcake! Magic...

Hatch!

As I've mentioned previously, I'm finally on the lookout for some versatile maternity pieces, and trying to put together a tiny and minimalist maternity collection - mostly things that will last me through pregnancy, into postpartum, and preferably beyond! Have you ladies ever heard of Hatch by Two Birds? Firstly, and foremost - how awesome is that name?! Just the word itself depicts the items in this collection as those functioning well beyond birth! Hatch! Anyways, the main idea is a teeny-tiny collection of the very best pieces an urban girl could live in! While the tags are quite pricey, it's not the very items themselves that could me - it's the idea of the signature and classic pieces that manage to make up a full wardrobe! Check this:

Cardigan, Errands Dress, Button Down, Overcoat, Soiree Dress, Afternoon Dress, T-Shirt, Dinner Party Dress, Wrap. 9 pieces I could live in.

                

You can start with the basics you should already have in your closet (great leggings, pencil skirts, and blazers), and move on from there, building piece by piece for a versatile, long -lasting "maternity" collection. Plus, buying like this should take you well beyond "hatched"!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/28726307]