This past Saturday, we celebrated the fall season by taking our first family day trip to the pumpkin patch. We trekked outside of the city to Alstede Farms in Chester, NJ where we found a sprawling PYO (pick-your-own) farm littered with TONS of people. The crowds were a bit overwhelming as we didn’t know what to expect, but once you got out to the fields for picking, it was a lot less crazy. There were tons of crops for the taking including pumpkins, apples, corn, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, raspberries, blackberries, and more. And these items were just currently what was in season. Other seasons of the year you could pick strawberries, peaches, black raspberries, and so much more. It was definitely a place for kids with a moon bounce, corn maze, hay ride, farm animals, etc, and even though Nico is still too small really remember the experience, you could tell he was enjoying himself. He was looking around and in a happy mood the entire day. This adventure was our first foray into sharing and experiencing the world with our little guy, and it only made us more excited for the future ahead.
My bff, Meg, is arriving today to hang out for a few days and meet little Nico. I am so excited to spend some quality time, since we rarely get the opportunity these days to hang out with just the two of us. We head down to Maryland on Thursday to meet our new nephew Nathan, and to celebrate the wedding weekend of another one of my best friends, Teri. It will be our first long weekend trip with Nico, and being the obsessive compulsive paranoid person that I am, I’m a little nervous about how it’s going to go. I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t forget anything and that it all goes smoothly. Either way, my new mantra is “just go with the flow!”
It’s officially fall, which means it’s jacket season! I had been searching for a great camo jacket for awhile, and finally found this one on sale from JC Penney. If you hurry, they may still have the sale going! This outfit is proof that you can dress up any simple basics (white tee and jeans…boring) by adding some fabulous accessories (camo jacket, studded combat boots, statement necklace and bracelet…no longer boring!) We headed to the pumpkin patch this past weekend to pick out some fall decor for our Brooklyn abode. It started as a crisp fall morning, and changed into a hot summer afternoon, so I eventually had to ditch the jacket, but that is the fun of fall layering, right?
Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself
Camo Jacket: JC Penney – on sale! / T Shirt (my husband’s): Express / Jeans: Motherhood / Combat Boots: Steve Madden (last season) – also loving these / Bracelet and Necklace: Gifted / Aviators: NY Street Vendor / Satchel: TJ Maxx / Lip: Rimmel Vintage Pink
Stay tuned for more photos from our day trip later this week. Hope you all have a good one!
The weather has been so gorgeous, and last weekend was perfect for a Saturday stroll with the whole family. We headed over to Caton Park (near Prospect Park) to check out the kids playing soccer (boy, do I miss soccer!), and then headed out for a second family dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Yes, I had dessert before dinner…oops! But the coconut ice being sold at the fields was too yummy to turn down. Nico is loving his stroller (thanks Mimi/Nano and Aunt Angie/Uncle Adam!) We are pretty lucky to have received this gift as it’s basically the Mercedes Benz version of a stroller. It even has shocks! I have to say, it’s perfect for our bumpy neighborhood sidewalks, and it’s definitely getting a ton of use right now.
I’m feeling good and had a great post partum doc appointment this past week. Nico also had his 1 month appointment. He seriously disliked getting his shot (Mommy and Baby were both in tears.) However, he is hitting his milestones so far and is looking to be a healthy baby at this point, so I could not be happier!
Looking forward to the weekend and having Daddy home with us. I’m picking up a dress for one of my best friend’s wedding’s next weekend. I was super worried about how it was going to look having just had a baby, but luckily the material is forgiving and the color is black! Also, breastfeeding and walking around the neighborhood have proven to be advantageous to starting me off on getting my old figure back. I have to keep reminding myself that it took me 9 months to get the way I was, so getting back to normal is not going to happen overnight!
Also on our possible weekend agenda is taking Nico out for his first visit to the pumpkin patch! Hoping photos will follow.
I am so excited to share these photos of Nico from his first couple weeks of life. Photographer Justin Goldberg of Eudora Video captured these precious moments of our Little Monkey when he was only 11 days old. Looking back at these now after only a month, he has already changed so much. His long, skinny arms and legs have plumped up, and he now has his eyes open much more often. It hasn’t been that long, but it’s hard to remember just how tiny Nico was when he arrived. It just goes to show how fast time flies. I am very grateful to Justin for shooting our first family photo op, and I will treasure these photos forever.
This week has actually been a busy one around here (and busy definitely has new meaning as getting out of the house is a feat in and of itself). I made a Target trip on Monday with some moms/babies in the neighborhood, and took a long walk in Prospect Park with another mom/baby on Tuesday. Have I mentioned how awesome the Cortelyou Moms group is? Amazing. Today, I have a doc appointment, and tomorrow Nico has his. If we make it to Friday on the minute amount of sleep we’ve been getting, we are having lunch with Zack and his coworkers as they celebrate our Nico’s arrival.
Hope you are all having a wonderful week and enjoying this fantastic weather!
With all of the craziness of figuring out life with a newborn, I sometimes find myself not leaving the house for days on end. I also find that this isn’t very good for my sanity. The constant 24/7 loop of feed, change, sleep, repeat can be a little mind numbing, and as adorable as that little face is to look at every day, living in a constant loop can drive you a little nuts. Therefore, to break up the monotony, I have been trying to get out of the house for walks whenever possible. Nico loves the stroller, and we have been super blessed with amazing weather these past couple weeks. Two weekends ago, I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to take advantage of one of these walks and go out for our first family dinner. I put on “real” clothes (the pants are still maternity, but at least they weren’t sweats!), make-up, and even semi-did my hair…that’s as good as it was gonna get that day. We tried a new place in the neighborhood called Dogwood, which boasts southern comfort food, and was absolutely delicious. At three and a half weeks, Nico was an angel the entire time. It was as if he was allowing Zack and I to actually have a date night. Amazing. I know they say these “quiet sleeping times” won’t last forever and eventually he will be a toddler and impossible to bring out to dinner, but I am living in the moment, people…living in the moment and loving it.
Would you believe that today marks one whole year that I decided to make the change to my little ole blog, popcorn and pandas? I know, I can’t believe it either. It’s been a crazy year full of adventures and travel, fashion and fun, pregnancy and now a new baby. It’s been wonderful and therapeutic to have this creative outlet to share with you all, and I am completely grateful that you all have chosen to follow along for this past year.
Below I have reflected a bit on some of your favorite posts this past year:
My first two outfit posts with the amazing photographer Marisa
It’s been such a great year, and I am hopeful that this year will bring even greater joy. Thank you so much for following my adventures. Would love to hear any feedback that you have of things you want to see from me in the coming year. What you like/don’t like. What you want to see more or less of (outfit posts, lately posts, shopping posts, personal stories, photography, baby stuff, etc…) I have less free time on my hands, but hopefully I can make things happen!
writing The majority of my writing these days has been logging feeding times for my little guy while we made sure he got back above his birth weight. He was born at 5 lbs. 1.6 oz, and dropped down to 4 lbs. 11 oz. At our last doctor’s appointment, he was well above his birth weight, and I’m pretty sure he is still gaining well! We are very happy he is a healthy growing baby boy.
listeningSince Nico has arrived, I have been finding myself listening to more mellow jams. My “Relax” playlist on my iPhone has gotten a lot of play lately.
thinking I can’t believe how fast time is already flying. Nico is already over three weeks, and will hit his four week mark this Thursday. Insane! I’m also thinking that I am very lucky I got to enjoy the first family dinner out with my boys last night, and he was an angel the entire time!
watching I basically caught up on every single TV show that I had on my DVR since I’ve been home. Not that I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands, but just a lot of time at home!
wishingFor a little bit more sleep!
hoping To find some more time this week to work on this blog. I have a lot of posts I want to share of things that have been going on, but with a new baby on board, it’s definitely been a challenge!
wearing Mostly leggings and sweats lately. Comfort is key when nursing and staying at home. It’s also a challenge finding things that look flattering on you post-partum. What looks “adorable” with a baby bump does not look so adorable when it’s a post-prego fat bump. I am, however, happy to say that we shot our first post-pregnancy outfit shoot this past weekend! It was nice to put on real clothes again (although I’m still in my maternity pants), and I’m looking forward to sharing soon.
loving Being a mommy. As crazy and exhausting and emotional as it can be sometimes…the good times FAR outweigh the bad! I love seeing Nico smile and those newborn cuddles are just the best. He is such a sweet boy, and I feel so very lucky to have him in my life.
laughing Just took a look at my friend’s wedding highlight video, and saw all of us crazy clowns on the dance floor. One friend was even captured mid cartwheel. It was pretty hilarious!
wanting The weather to be nice this week. I have found that when I can get outside at least once a day and out of the house, I am so much saner and happier! Nico also loves riding around in his stroller, so we both win.
needing A mani/pedi. I was supposed to get my last one the week I went into labor, and so that never happened. I keep saying I will do it myself, but how do you pick up a baby with wet nails? Haha. Needless to say, I have also been sporting closed toed shoes when I leave the house.
feeling Pretty good! It took about two weeks for me to start feeling like my normal self again since giving birth. Besides being tired from a few sleepless nights, I feel quite good. I have managed to take some walks in the past two weeks, met up with a new mom group in the neighborhood last week, and I’m loving it.
craving A personal chef and a house cleaner. I barely have time to eat, let alone cook my food or scrub the floors.
clicking Googling three week baby milestones, and catching up on all my favorite blogs I have missed out on for the past few weeks.
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What have you been up to lately?
Happy Monday! Hope you all have a great week ahead!
Love,
Gina
***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.
I got this idea from a friend who recently had a baby, and I just loved her nursery letters! I really appreciated her filling me in on how to make these yourself rather than spending tons of money to have them made, so I figured I would pass this idea along to all of you! It’s simple, quick (it helps when you only have four letters to work with), and easily custom made for any name, color, or theme. Take a look and get crafty!
1. Choose a scrapbooking paper print that you like and flip it over so you are looking at the back of the paper. You can choose all the same or a variety of patterns in the similar color palette depending on your preference.
2. Flip over your wooden letter and place that on top of the paper. It’s very important that these are both flipped over for tracing purposes!
3. Trace your wooden letter, and then use the scissors to cut out the letter shape from the scrapbooking paper.
4. Flip over both the scrapbooking paper and the wooden letter so they are now face up.
5. Use the paper glue adhesive to glue the scrapbooking paper to the top of the wooden letter. Press firmly and set aside to let it dry while continuing with your other letters and scrapbook paper patterns.
6. Once they are all dry, jazz up your letters with some fancy stickers or other types of adornments.
I have been wanting to share these photos for awhile now, but had been holding off because I wanted Nico’s name to be a surprise until his arrival. Zack and I worked tirelessly on this nursery for a few weekends in a row to get those wall decals perfect and to make sure everything came together with the finishing touches. We purchased these dressers when we first moved to NYC, and we saved them and used them in the guest bedroom when we moved to Brooklyn. Rather than buy new dressers for the nursery, we figured these were the perfect color for the panda and monkey themed nursery we were planning. We have already spent many sleepless nights rocking Nico in the glider, and have spent many hours in this room for his diaper and wardrobe changes. He is currently sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but when he is older, we will eventually move him to his crib. We hope Nico will grow to love his nursery as much as we do!
Today is Zack’s first day back to work, and it’s my first day at home alone with my little man. It’s definitely a lot of work to be on your own, and I applaud all single parents for being strong enough to do this! I should probably be sleeping right now (sleep when the baby sleeps right?), but I wanted to take advantage of his little nap by getting out this blog post today.
We had a great weekend with my sister and her boyfriend in town as well as my in-laws. My sister cooked us up a phenomenal meal, and we spent the two days hanging out, taking a little walk around the neighborhood, and snuggling our little monkey. Nico is a lucky boy to have so much love and family around him, and I couldn’t ask for a better support system.
You may have been wondering why I suddenly fell off the blogosphere these past two weeks…or maybe you have already guessed. Much to everyone’s surprise, our Little Monkey decided to grace us with his presence two weeks early! Now this Great Freakin’ Adventure bucket list item is probably the most significant one I will ever check off.
Please welcome Nico Alfredo Notes to the world! Born Thursday August 29, 2013 at 10:53pm at 5 lbs. 1.6 oz. and 19 inches.
Ever since I was a child myself, I dreamed about what it would be like to have a child of my own. As kids, my sister and I played house, school, doctor, and other role-playing games where we would play the “mom” taking care of our babies. I guess that is just something that little girls do…or maybe that was just us, I don’t know. As we grew older, the idea of having kids was something we tried to avoid, especially during our teenage and college years. Finish school, get a job, get married, then have babies, right? Of course, that doesn’t always ring true in the real world, but that’s what I was aiming for, and luckily, my life played out according to plan in that way.
However, the plan itself does not always go the way you would imagine. Life is just not that way, and ours was no different. It was not without struggle and some hard times. We were fortunate to get pregnant pretty quickly, but then our world crashed down when we lost our little Peanut. It was tough to move on, but the news of our Little Monkey on the way helped with the process. Although we were scared of something terrible happening again, there was still that glimmer of hope which increased with every week of my pregnancy.
There were both ups and downs with the pregnancy, but all in all I would say I had a very healthy, wonderful pregnancy experience. Toward the end, I loved feeling him jump around in my belly and we imagined every day what he would look like. It still feels weird to not have him in my belly anymore, and I half expect to feel a kick every now and again. I am glad to have this blog which documents most of this experience, and I look forward to showing it to Nico one day.
Now let’s look back to right before Labor Day Weekend. What I thought would be a routine 38 week check up on that Wednesday morning at 9am turned into me being admitted to the Labor and Delivery unit that morning and staying there for quite some time. My husband and I got called back for my routine ultrasound, and baby was not exactly cooperating that morning. He passed all of the tests with flying colors, except he wasn’t making any sharp movements. Now, I have my theories on this…we typically had 1pm appointments…maybe baby was just sleeping at 9am? However, he also fell down quite significantly in the growth percentile. He had been measuring small the entire time, but the docs said he was growing every time, so they were not really too concerned. They kept a close eye, and at this 38 week appointment, the percentile dropped to where they started to be concerned. My regular doc was on vacation that week, so they had someone filling in. Because of the lack of movement and drop in growth percentile, and the fact that I was full term at 38 weeks, the fill-in doc recommended that I be induced that very day. I’m sorry, WHAT DID YOU SAY??? Induced…today??? As in, RIGHT NOW??? Where is my normal doctor? Who is this lady?? Does she even know what she is talking about? She doesn’t even know our story! Would Dr. Stein say the same thing? These are some of the thoughts that ran through my head. My husband and I were clearly in utter shock. We had nothing with us. Our hospital bag was all packed, but it was all the way at home. I told myself beforehand that my “birthing plan” was more of a go-with-the-flow mentality, because it’s impossible to predict what will happen…but this is NOT what I was thinking, and I was not feeling like going-with-the-flow right now. We went down to the Labor and Delivery unit at the hospital and I spoke with the midwife on call. We did a series of extra tests, which the baby passed with flying colors, and I really second guessed this decision to be induced two weeks early. It was ultimately our decision, but we had a strong rec from the doctors, and really, what was our alternative? Go home, be stressed 24/7 about whether or not we made the right decision, or wondering if my placenta was somehow failing and baby was not getting nutrition the whole time? Or get the baby out now safely while he’s still healthy, no matter what it took. The choice for us was obvious.
Luckily, the hospital staff was wonderful, and because baby was still doing really well, they told me they would not rush the process, and make sure to take as much time as needed for as long as we could to make this induction happen and to try to avoid a C-section. They let me have my “last meal” before being admitted, and Zack went home to pick up all of our stuff for the hospital, including our car. The next time we would be going home, we would be going home with a baby. This reality was finally creeping in on us, and it brought a whole new meaning to Labor Day Weekend.
Once the induction process started, it was a long road. It finally got started around 6:30pm (after being in the hospital since 9 am). 12 hours and another day later things finally seemed like maybe they were moving along. Unfortunately, after the midwife examined me…it turned out that things were not really moving along all too well. Rather, than drug me up with more and more pitocin (which they did not think would work for a natural delivery), she suggested that we start the process over. WHAT? Again? 12 more hours of this? And what if it doesn’t work again? I am doomed for a C-section. I wasn’t feeling too optimistic at this point, but I trusted that the midwife was recommending the best thing for me and what what we wanted for this delivery. So, they let me take a shower, have another “last meal”, and we tried again.
Somehow, someway, the process worked this time and I started progressing. That was a ridiculously happy moment for us, and I started to feel hopeful. The rest of that afternoon, I felt contractions, but I wasn’t in a terrible amount of pain. My mom, sister, and mother-in-law were able to make it up to NY in time to be there before the delivery. I had very lucid conversations with them through my contractions, and I was generally pleasant for a lot of the time.
I kept progressing, they eventually broke my water, and it was then that everything kicked into high gear. My contractions started getting more difficult to handle, and thank God for those birthing classes my husband and I took as he was so helpful in getting me through a lot of them. Eventually it got to a point where I said, “I don’t have to be supermom right? I need an epidural.” It didn’t kick in right away, but let me tell you…I was so happy when it did. Before we knew it, the midwife was telling me it was time to push. Already? For such a slow start, this birth certainly was moving quickly now! We didn’t even have time to tell our family that it was go time. We just had to go. A small army of medical professionals surrounded us and my nether region, but at this point, I was so over feeling awkward…I mean I had to pee in a bedpan for the past 24 hours, because they couldn’t unhook me from the machines…my humility had already gone out the window. I pushed like a rock star for only 20 minutes, and our baby boy finally arrived! Right before he came out, his heart rate started to drop, and there were talks of possibly using a vacuum to get him out. I guess that was all I needed to hear to get him out as soon as possible. Turns out, the culprit was the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice that had tightened up as he was coming down the birth canal. Thank God for those last quick pushes. They placed him on my chest, and I was so overwhelmed with emotion and shock, and I don’t even know what else. It was so surreal that this little “alien” jumping around in my belly for nine months was finally here and a teeny tiny human in the real world. My Little Monkey. My Nico.
It was a magical experience, that I don’t think you can even accurately describe or understand the feeling unless you have gone through it yourself. We stayed at the hospital for about a day and a half after Nico’s birth, trying to recover and pick up all the tricks of the trade from the nurses. My husband even videotaped a nurse doing a swaddle. Trust me, it has definitely helped out at home! It was pretty unreal taking our baby home and realizing that we were now officially parents who had a new job of raising this child.
My mother-in-law stayed with us for a few days to help out with cooking, cleaning, giving us time to catch up on sleep, etc. We are extremely grateful to have such a wonderful support system. Once she left, we missed her and the help, but it was nice to try and figure out this parenting thing on our own, and get into as much of a routine as we possibly could.
I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks since our little Nico arrived. I already feel like we have been through so much emotionally, mentally, physically, and more. As soon as we think we have things figured out, something changes. Everyone says this, and I thought I would be different, but breastfeeding is not easy. Sleep is so important for your sanity and well-being. And it’s integral to get out of the house every now and then.
Nico is doing well and gaining back his birth weight. He has been a pretty awesome baby so far, and he sleeps a lot for which we are very appreciative. As crazy and exhausting and hard as motherhood can be, I am loving every minute of it so far. Just seeing that little face every day, the little smiles he gives, and knowing that my husband and I created such an innocent, wonderful little being makes everything worth it. I already feel like time is moving by so fast, and before I know it, he will be going off to prom or getting married. I am so excited for the journey that is to come and ready to take on all of the challenges that come with being a mommy.
Heading home from the hospital
Like father like sonNico with his Nana (my Grandma)He smiles!Silly MonkeyFirst trip to Prospect Park
Since this major life change, I can’t promise to keep up with my blog as often as I once did, and I can’t promise I will take a shower every day. But I can promise to give this baby the world, my best, and everything I’ve got.
