lifestyle Archives - Page 14 of 24

Saturday Stroll

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!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Top: GAP / Tank: J. Crew / Jeans: Motherhood / Sunglasses: Waveborn / Shoes: MIA – on sale! / Earrings: ALDO / Necklace: Family Heirloom / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Gorjana, Stella and Sparkle, and Baublebar / Lip: Lancome Red Haute

Stroller: Uppababy Vista / Car Seat: Chicco Keyfit 30 / Chicco Car Seat Adapter for Uppababy: Amazon / Baby Blanket: Carter’s

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.

Happy Friday and a Happy Weekend to all!

XO,

Gina

Nico’s Newborn Shoot

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!

XO,

Gina

First Family Dinner Out

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.

On me / Shirt: StyleMint – similar / Pants: Motherhood / Shoes: Nordstrom Rack / Bag: ALDO – similar / Watch: Michael Kors / Necklace: Baublebar / Bracelet: Baublebar – similar

On Nico / Shirt and Pants: Carter’s / Socks: Gymboree

Happy Monday everyone! Have a great week.

XO,

Gina

{16} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Children’s books. You know…Green Eggs and Ham, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Ugly Duckling, Blueberries for Sal. Starting Nico young and he is definitely soothed when people talk to him, so we are starting a nightly ritual. As you might imagine, I haven’t had much time for grown-up books these days, but I have been glossing over Health, Marie Claire, and Redbook magazines while pumping.

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.

listening Since 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!

smelling Mrs. Meyer’s baby oil. It smells amazing!

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!

wishing For 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.

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.

Nico’s Nursery

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!

Dressers: Gothic Cabinet Craft / Little Castle Swivel Glider: Target / Little Castle Gliding Ottoman: Target / Window Panels: Sweet JoJo Designs / Book Shelf: Target – similar / Crib: Babyletto / Panda Bank: Urban Outfitters / Panda Wall Decals: Etsy – Decal Lab / Monkey Wall Decals: Etsy – Simple Shapes / Wooden Letters: DIY (post to come soon) materials from Michaels / Panda Rug: Uncommon Goods / Green Rug: Sweet JoJo Deisgns

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.

Hope you all have a great week!

XO,

Gina

DIY: Paint a Mirror White

I had been wanting to paint the mirror in our living room white since we moved into our Brooklyn apartment almost two years ago. All I can say is, “better late than never!” I definitely think it brightens up the room, and it was so easy to accomplish that I can’t believe it took us so long to finally paint it! I guess a little nesting was all this place needed. Take a peek.

The Before:

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The During:

Find yourself a place that you can work with a lot of open space, good lighting, and make sure to put something down underneath your workspace so you don’t get paint everywhere.

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Use painting tape to place on the inside of the mirror so you don’t get your paint on the actual mirror. Make sure the tape slides underneath the frame covering the entire mirror with no cracks showing.

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Paint first coat, and let it sit until it fully dries. Then do a second coat over top to make it as opaque as possible. Try to paint in straight lines to avoid bad streaks or clumps of paint. We used Behr Ultra Premium Plus in Pure White PPU18-6. This paint has a built in primer, so we didn’t use a separate one. However, if you choose a paint sans primer, than you should use a primer before painting for your first coat.

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The After:

Once it’s fully dry from the second coat, remove the painting tape from the mirror and Voila! A fresh new look for your mirror (and my living room.)

Happy Wednesday everyone! Get your craft on.

XO,

Gina

Beachy Keen

As excited as we are for our Little Monkey to get here, the hubby and I are trying to soak up as much couple time as we can while it’s still just the two of us. We headed to Rockaway for a romantic little day on the beach complete with yummy arepas from Caracas, beautiful weather, good reading material, and great conversation. These pics are from 37.5 weeks pregnant, and today marks 38!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Victoria’s Secret (old) – similar style / Headband: Urban Outfitters (old) – similar / Sunnies: Vintage / Earrings: ALDO / Friendship Bracelets: Jacob Riis Boardwalk Vendor / Nails: Essie Play Date

Have a lovely Tuesday everyone!

XO,

Gina

Cyclones and Princesses

We ventured out to Coney Island a couple weeks ago with friends to attend our first Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game. I have to admit, a majority of the draw (aside from the lovely company) was the fact that it was Disney Princess night complete with fireworks to Disney tunes! I am a sucker for anything Disney, so this event was right up my alley. We had a lot of fun enjoying the game, the views, and the bright lights.

We’ve been hunkered down in the city waiting for our little boy’s arrival and getting some things done around the house. We hung out at Rockaway Beach on Saturday which was a gorgeous, relaxing day complete with arepas at Caracas…my favorite! We also met up with my sorority Grand Little who was in town from Boston for an amazing pizza dinner at Grimaldi’s. It was my first time there, and I will definitely be returning! Sunday, we completed a small DIY project at the house that we’ve been wanting to do for a while and created some fun artwork to hang up in the garden.

Hope you all had a great weekend, and wishing everyone a Happy Monday!

XO,

Gina

Boho Bump

You may remember this Free People number from last fall when I styled it with a military flair. These days, flowy dresses are the most comfortable thing to wear, and I love that this dress is so versatile and adaptable from season to season. I paired it with a sari bag and handmade bracelets from Uncommon Goods as well as a beaded headpiece for a summery bohemian look. These photos were taken at 36.5 weeks pregnant on my trip to the Hester Street Fair last weekend, and I cannot believe I only have a few more weeks of outfit photos left with this baby bump!

Photos By: Zack Notes / Edited By: Myself

Dress: Free People (old) – Free People Dress Shop / Headpiece: American Eagle / Flops: Havaianas / Sari Bag: Uncommon Goods / Bracelets: Uncommon Goods and Guilty Jean / Necklace: Guilty Jean / Watch: Coach / Elephant Ring: nOir / Lip: MAC Up the Amp / Nails: Essie Naughty Nautical

Happy Friday Everyone!

XO,

Gina

Hester Street Fair

IMG_0054_Layers_v1 — Guilty Jean Jewelry

I’m so happy I finally made it down to the Hester Street Fair this past Saturday to see my favorite ladies from Guilty Jean Jewelry. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I certainly liked what I found. A small, highly curated, outdoor market, the Hester Street Fair, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is full of unique jewelry, vintage clothing, pop up shops, and delicious food. I browsed each artist’s collection and sampled a few of the different dining options. I scored fabulous bracelets from both Guilty Jean as well as Stella and Sparkle Jewelry that I have already donned this week. I enjoyed the margarita pizza from Ludlow, and a Red Velvet Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwich (I’m not joking; this actually exists) from Melt Bakery. I’m drooling just thinking back to how amazing it tasted. Overall, I would say this was a trip worth making! Their summertime night market runs every Saturday through the end of August from 12pm-10pm and features live music and fabulous DJs…because who doesn’t love dancing while shopping? If you don’t make it there before the end of August, the fair will still be running through the end of October every Saturday with daytime hours. I definitely recommend checking it out!

IMG_0061_Layers_v1 — Proud owners, designers, and hand-crafters of Guilty Jean

It’s been a bit of a crazy week here…personally, I heard some horrible news about an old high school friend and hometown neighbor of mine, so that has been a bit rough. Work has been crazy as our new employee started yesterday, and I’ve been busy training while still trying to get my work done. We met our third and final pediatrician yesterday, and I think we have come to a conclusion about a doc for our little guy. I hit the 37 week mark (FULL TERM!) yesterday which is a major milestone! We completed the nursery over the weekend, my hospital bag is packed, and we are ready to go when Little Monkey is! So things have been a bit nuts, and my head is spinning a little, but trying to keep my sanity as much as possible.

Hope you all are having a good week so far!

XO,

Gina