Yummy Mummy

Should I go straight or curly?

Usually, when I get up in the morning, I pull my hair back and wrap a rubber band around it and start the day. I have so much hair (thick and lots of it!) that styling my hair is a time-consuming affair. With a hectic morning routine of getting my daughter out of bed, dressing her, feeding her breakfast, then driving her to preschool, I rarely have time to get myself dolled up. So it boils down to, if I’m going somewhere special, have a client meeting, or getting together with some friends, I would make the effort to fix my hair so I look “decent.”

Every morning last week I woke up extra early and styled my hair, which prompted this conversation:

Husband: “Where are you going today?”

Me: “Nowhere. I just want to look good in case we have to go to the hospital and give birth today.”

Husband (rolling his eyes): “Oh, brother!”

Me: “Hey, the first time one goes through labor and delivery it’s excusable to be unprepared. The new mom can look like a train wreck. The next time, she needs to know better. I need to look fabulous!”

So on top of the hair stylin’, I’ve had a pedicure so that I have cute piggies while my legs are in the stirrups (I’m gonna be looking at them a long time!), and I’ve had my wax appointment so that I have soft, smooth legs. I’ve got to be a “Yummy Mummy” this time around – and taking nesting to completely new heights! 🙂

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Nesting and Nursery Decor

submitted by Candice B. of her last daughter's nursery. I love this contemporary and inviting space!

We had a little story awhile back about Kristin’s friend, Erin T., who was quite dubious regarding the whole “nesting phase” phenomenon during pregnancy. That is, until she became pregnant with her first child and experienced it first hand! Shortly after Erin T.’s baby girl (Emma Grace) was born, we had a follow up to show the nursery wrought by Erin’s nesting instincts…and her husband’s great painting skills! Not having been in too many nurseries, I thought their pink and brown theme was original and modern…two words I didn’t think I’d ever apply to describing a nursery! Shortly after we ran that little feature, a reader sent us a photo of her daughter’s room. I was once again impressed at the imaginative and, clearly, loving attention to detail and care that Candice put into her nursery! Attention to detail, loving care, creativity and imagination…yup…we definitely appreciate all those qualities, and more, here at le•top and rabbit moon, where we try to bring that through in all we do!

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Nesting: It’s an Obssession!

There’s definitely something wrong with me. I’m either obsessed or possessed! I’m 37 weeks pregnant and I can’t seem to stop organizing, cleaning, and putting things in order. This is like nesting to the 100th degree! It’s 2:37 AM, and I’ve done everything that I can do as far as organizing and reorganizing my daughter, Miranda’s old clothes and placing them in marked bins by size. Shouldn’t I be sleeping and resting instead?

I’m trying to get things in order before the baby arrives. And it seems like once I cross something off my To-do list, two more items have been added. I know that I’m anal retentive, but this nesting thing has made me even more obsessive. It’s quite maddening to witness. I feel like I’m watching myself go insane. (OK… that sounded insane!)

Last week, I caught up with my scrapbooks, ordered any digital albums that had been sitting on my desktop, and bought a new baby book for the little munchkin. I disinfected all the old baby toys that were in storage. I packed (and repacked) my hospital bag. I packed my daughter’s overnight bag. Every time I wash a load of baby clothes, I find something else to wash. Aaaaarrghhhh! It’s never ending. I need to stop! But I don’t…

Last weekend was dedicated to cleaning and organizing. I cleaned all three bathrooms (while doing four loads of laundry) because my husband was too slow to get to them. He was busy installing the baby car seat, washing both of our cars, dusting, and vacuuming. (You’d think he could manage to get to the bathrooms and the laundry done as well, huh?) And when he was done with all that, I yelled at him for not spending time with Miranda. So I made him take her to the park. (Oh, the mood swings!) Three more weeks… three more weeks…

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Guess Who’s Nesting, Too?

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, my husband asked me,

Do we have any of those cloth diaper thingies that you use for when the baby spits up? How about baby blankets? And do we have those little washcloths?

My response was, “Yes, yes, and yes. Why? Do you need them for something?”

“I just wanted to make sure we have enough for the new baby.”

How cute is that? Daddy is nesting, too. 🙂

I reflected on the past few days and realized there were other signs that he was nesting. They’re not necessarily baby-related, but definitely home preparation signs:

• Last week, he was conversing with our accountant making sure that our taxes are in order, and informing him that we have a new baby on the way.
• Last weekend, he was rearranging boxes and sweeping every nook and cranny of the dusty, dirty garage.
• Two nights ago, he was checking the kids’ bathroom and tinkering with the faucet and fixing the seal.
• This morning, my husband was online researching why our washing machine was leaking oil from the bottom.

So many little issues that I, myself, wouldn’t think about on my own. I am fortunate to have him in my life. He’s a wonderful, loving partner, a supportive husband, and caring father.

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Nesting Phase Happens for a Reason

Emma's "nest" (with a detail of wall stencil). Emma's daddy did a great job painting the walls!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my friend Erin T., who was in the nesting stages of her pregnancy. Well, she is done nesting and into motherhood  —  she delivered little Emma Grace last week! Erin’s nesting phase came in really handy because, as you can imagine, she’s been busy utilizing her “nested” nursery for multiple diaper changes, wardrobe changes and much, much more! We wanted to share some photos of the new room she and her husband created, so you could see what the finished product looks like. I love the pink and brown color scheme, and it is proving to be a big theme for girls recently, as a couple of other friends have chosen the same color combination for their upcoming girl’s room/nursery.

What color scheme did you pick out for your son’s or daughter’s nursery/room? We’d love to see the results of your nesting creations! Click here to upload your photos.

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“Vintage” le•top Baby Outfit

Over the weekend, I was going through my daughter’s old baby clothes, sifting through what I saved, and figuring out which ones I could use for my next little munchkin. I felt like I was going down memory lane as I perused and combed through each article of clothing. Oh, how much my little baby girl has grown. I can’t believe she’s 4 years old!

As I continued to go through the box, I found a le•top baby footed coverall! It was a baby shower gift I received when I was pregnant with Miranda, and I remember exactly who gave it to me, too (a very close friend of my mother’s). What’s so amazing about this little outfit was that it still looks and feels like new, especially compared to the other outfits I had tucked away. The fabric is still soft and luxurious. It didn’t look worn and overwashed. It looks just like the first day I got it! Amazing… after all these years! (I could probably save this one for my first grandchild, which will be many, many, MANY years from now.)

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The Nest Is Ready

It’s finally done! After two weeks of nesting, our nursery is ready for baby. This room was our spare room. Actually it was my husband’s personal space/office space (a.k.a. “The Doghouse”). As soon as we found out we were pregnant, he moved into MY office. Now we have to play nice in our shared office to give our new child his/her own bedroom. The things we give up… it’s all worth it.

The first project to tackle was to empty out the closet. It was full of empty boxes, files, rolls of gift wrap, an air mattress, extra pillows and linens for guests, and other random things. It was like a huge junk drawer! We didn’t know where we were going to put all of THAT stuff.

Next, we had to dig through our garage, my parents’ garage, and other storage areas in our house to look for the baby stuff (swing, bouncer, crib, toys, clothes, play yard, etc.) Good thing I’m so meticulous: I’d put everything back in the same boxes after my first-born stopped using them, and labeled everything so I’d know what we had without having to open up every box. Surprisingly, since all the baby stuff came out of storage, we found space for all the closet junk. Yippee!

Thirdly, I had to make sure all the bedding and clothes were cleaned, washed and ready for use. I know I still have roughly 8 more weeks to go but I figure, I could always wash the sheets and clothes again each week. It’s best to be prepared than not.

Lastly, I had my husband hang the curtains, shelves and art on the walls. Ahhh… now I can rest easy knowing that my nest is ready.

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Nesting phase… is it real?

A place for everything and everything in its place...for now!

My friend, Erin T. (everyone will soon realize I have many people in my life named Erin or Aaron!), is 7.5 months pregnant and never thought “nesting” was a “real” thing. More or less, she thought it was an excuse to stay home and redo a room or something…that is, until about two weeks ago when she called and said, “I have ten bags of baby clothes that were just handed down to me. Can you come over and help me sort through them?” Of course I said “YES!” Being in the children’s clothing business, I love going through baby clothes and see what people are putting on their kids (besides our brands!). Let me tell you, there were some really cute clothes in those bags…and I was very happy to see le•top and rabbit moon clothes (and no they were not from me) in the mix! We trudged through and weeded those ten bags down to about three, with the rest for donation. Whew! that was some work.

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