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{19} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading A little here. A little there. Chapter here. Magazine article there.

writing Finished up my Christmas cards over the weekend, and sent them out this week!

listening Christmas music…duh.

thinking I can’t believe the year is almost over, my maternity leave is coming to an end, and it’s almost time to go back to work. Bittersweet.

smelling Roasted pork in the oven.

watching Vanderpump Rules (cringing as I write this, because it’s so trashy).

wishing Everyone a Happy Holiday season and safe travels!

hoping That all my holiday gifts I ordered arrive in time and ship properly to my parent’s house.

wearing This tartan jacket, a gift from my aunt from last year’s Christmas.

loving That Nico is now sleeping through the night. I didn’t mind waking up once a night to feed him (he really is a great sleeper), but the two hour scream-fest before bedtime was not working. I now feel like a human being again since we aren’t fighting to put him to sleep every single night anymore.

laughing At this Xmas Jammies video. An interesting take on the holiday card, and also a smart way to plug the new family business.

wanting To get rid of this cough. Have been sick for about a week now, and can’t seem to shake it.

needing To pack for our holiday trip to Maryland.

feeling SO excited for Nico’s first Christmas with my crazy, lovable family.

craving Some new jeans.

clicking Through photos that I need to edit.

What have you been up to lately?

Have a happy one ya’ll!

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.

{18} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Attempting to read the 6th Harry Potter Book. It tough to get a lot of reading done without my hour long subway commutes, but trying to enjoy a chapter here and there when I can.

writing Questions to ask potential nannies. We are starting our interviews this Wednesday. Excited to find someone great for our little guy, but sad this means I will be spending a lot more time away from him when I go back to work.

listening Frank Sinatra. Nico just loves him!

thinking I am happy the weather looks nice for this week! Makes taking those walks around the neighborhood so much more enjoyable!

smelling Blueberry coffee. It sounds kinda gross, but trust me, it’s awesome!

watching Teen Mom. Makes me so glad I have a stable, loving husband, a good job, a nice home, and lots of family support. I could not imagine being a mom at their age.

wishing That time didn’t go so fast. My little guy is growing up too quickly already.

hoping To go for another run this week. This past weekend I went out for my first run since getting pregnant and having a baby. I stayed active by walking, but hadn’t run in probably over a year! I suddenly got to the urge to get back out there, so I went for a 2 mile run, and it felt great! (despite now being sore haha). Hoping I can keep it up and at least get a run or two mixed in with my walking every week.

wearing My typical mom gear of activewear. Although, I actually did get to wear real clothes yesterday for a mini trip to Manhattan for a mani/pedi with a friend.

loving The crockpot that my Grandma bought for us. We tried it out this weekend, and made two awesome dishes: White Bean Chicken Chili and Carnitas Tacos. I love being able to prep a meal quickly in the morning, let it sit all day, and come home to an amazing meal with leftovers! Yum!

laughing At the @HonestToddler Twitter feed I just discovered yesterday. Cracking me up!

wanting My Christmas cards to arrive! Maybe it’s the fact that I now have a little guy this Christmas season, but I am extra giddy and excited this year.

needing Christmas lists from my peoples. I am ready to start shopping already! Send ’em over…you know who you are.

feeling Happy that we were able to go to Florida and spend time with my parents and Grandma. It was really great for them to spend that quality time with Nico, and it was nice for Zack and I to get some alone time as well.

craving Some snuggle time with my nephew, Nathan. It’s been too long since I’ve seen him…is it Thanksgiving yet?

clicking Through weeks worth of blogs that I am behind on.

What have you been up to lately?

Hope you all had a great weekend! Enjoy your 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.

Sweet November

So, when I had to remove my white blazer the other day, it was pretty chilly out, and I had nothing left but short sleeves. In my attempt to keep warm, we stumbled into a little boutique in Park Slope, Brooklyn called Habit. It was my first time in the store, and I was quite delighted! It was filled with lots of stylish clothing, jewelry, and great accessories at prices that don’t break the bank. I found this sweater wrap to keep me warm and decided to throw in this hat while I was at it. I’m sure they will both get plenty of wear this season and next.

Photos By: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Hat: Habit / Sweater: Habit / Shirt: Urban Outfitters (old) / Pants: Motherhood / Booties: Target / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff – sold out, but love this burgundy one on sale for fall! / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Bracelets: Guilty Jean and Wanderlust + Co. / Earrings: Swarovski Crystal / Necklace: Family Heirloom / Lip: Lancome Fearless

I am just about finished packing for our trip to Florida! Looking forward to a relaxing trip with my parents and grandmother at her condo in St. Pete Beach. We leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow and will be gone through Monday of next week, so you probably won’t be hearing much from me until we get back. Until then, you can follow our adventures on Instagram!

XO,

Gina

{17} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading What to Expect The First Year by Sandee Hathaway, Arlene Eisenberg, and Heidi Murkoff. Rather than read the entire book all the way through right away, I have decided to read each month as we are all going through it as a family. So far I have finished the first month, and I’m starting on month 2.

writing Well, Nico’s birth announcement cards just came in the mail today, so I am super excited to address and send them out!

listening The Coffee House station on XM Radio has been a top contender for most played the past few weeks. It’s soothing and Nico falls asleep in the car to it.

thinking I can’t believe we survived our first weekend trip to Maryland as a family! Although it was extremely stressful at some points, everything ended up working out well and the bottom line is we did it.

smelling Pumpkin Spice coffee…mmm…

watching Million Dollar Listing LA. My husband used to be a real estate agent, so this is one of the few shows he will actually watch with me.

wishing A lifetime of happiness to my friends Teri and Charlie! They are the reason we went down to Maryland. We celebrated their wedding, and it was phenomenal. What an amazing couple. I am so happy for them!

hoping To survive my first 48 hours as a single parent while Zack goes to Chicago to present at a conference. Hopefully it will be nice outside and Nico and I can take some walks together.

wearing Got dolled up this past weekend for my friend Teri’s wedding, and man did it feel good! Hair, makeup, mani, pedi, a sexy bridesmaid dress…the works. It felt good to be pampered again after rocking sweats for so many weeks!

loving The fact that I have amazing friends and family. While on our first trip as a family, there were some bumps with the weather, traffic, fire alarms in the hotel, etc. I am so lucky to have had my friends and family to help us out on our first trip. From helping me carry diaper bags, driving my car, watching my little boy, holding him during dinner so we could eat, and more. I know I am super lucky to have such wonderful, trustworthy people in my life.

laughing Every time Nico farts, I think it’s the most hilarious thing. What am I, 5?

wanting My bags to unpack themselves.

needing Snuggles from my little boy. I just can’t get enough!

feeling Sleepy sleepy. While we had a great weekend, it was a bit crazy trying to figure out our new normal. Did I mention the fire alarm going off in the hotel? TWICE.

craving These over-the-knee boots by Sam Edelman.

clicking Through photos to try and figure out which ones I want to frame and hang up in the apartment.

What have you been up to lately?

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend! 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.

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.

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

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

{15} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished a couple books including Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Maine was an okay beach read, but I honestly didn’t care for the characters all that much. They were a bit bitchy and whiny, and while they were all family, it was pretty tough for them to all get along. It was a decent read, but not a must for me. Sharp Objects on the other hand was a really good book. If you liked Gone Girl, then you will like this book as well. This mystery/thriller is an easy read that captures your attention, and makes you unable to put it down.

writing Finished all of my thank you notes for the many wonderful gifts we received for our little guy! I’m also writing up my to-do lists for how to train our new employee who is coming in next week and will be filling in while I’m on maternity leave. Can’t believe it’s almost that time!

listening Loving this summer jam, Reload by Sebastian Ingrosso, Tommy Trash, and John Martin. Makes me wanna dance.

thinking It’s been a beautiful week here in NYC, and that I am incredibly lucky the weather has been kind to me this August.

smelling The new Bath and Body works lotion I got for my birthday, Rio Rumberry.

watching A French, indie film called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I read the book a few years ago, and have been wanting to watch the movie ever since. It’s a true story about well-known man in the fashion industry who became a paraplegic and learned to communicate and write a novel with the blink of his eye. Fascinating.

wishing That the rocking chair/glider that just arrived for our nursery didn’t feel like it was taking over the entire room. I swear it didn’t look that big in the photos! I think I’m starting to get used to it, but when it first arrived, I was in a bit of shock!

hoping For a fun, yet productive weekend ahead! Planning on finally checking out the Hester Street Fair (for real this time), attending a Brooklyn Cyclones game with friends, and putting in some more work on the nursery.

wearing An old blue/green maxi skirt from American Eagle that I’ve had in my closet for awhile now paired with a coral and white striped maternity tee from Motherhood. Old Navy white flip flops for comfort, and my vintage sunnies.

loving These sexy, fall booties from ALDO. Gah, I can’t wait to wear heels again!

laughing We’ve been listening to all the comedy stations on XM Radio during our past few long car rides. I’m usually the driver, but Zack has had to drive a bit this summer due to my pregnancy sleepiness. We find that laughing while driving is a good way to stay awake.

wanting To be with my family this week in the Outer Banks, NC on our annual vacation. It’s the one time of the year when both sides of my family all get together, and it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. However, I know I’m staying put in NY for a very good reason! Luckily, the weather has been so great here, and I have been keeping myself distracted with a busy work schedule and prepping for the baby to arrive. I just flash forward to next year when we will have an almost-one-year-old running around with us at the beach!

needing To get my hospital bag packed. Next week I’ll be full term, and they say you could go at any time between 37-42 weeks. I know that is a big, open time frame, but you also never know when the little one will want to make his debut! Therefore, that is on the top of my list for weekend priorities.

feeling Pretty good! Sometimes it’s hard to get comfortable, and I have to pee at all times, but overall, I am feeling pretty good in these last few weeks of pregnancy.

craving Sweets. It’s probably not good, and I typically have a sweet tooth anyway…but I’m finding myself wanting something sweet almost every day now. I guess I can milk these last few weeks while I can 😉

clicking Through many animated commercials that our new clients have done. Been trying to familiarize myself with their work as much as I can.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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.

A Storybook Shower

Last Saturday I was down in Maryland to celebrate a baby shower for my sister-in-law and future baby nephew! It was adorably themed as a storybook shower, with many of the food options based on some of our favorite childhood books. We each also brought a book in place of a card to shower the momma-to-be and start a library collection for her little guy. I am so excited to meet my nephew, and looking forward to introducing our boys so soon! Of course, I had to get our last bump-to-bump shot as well. It’s crazy to think that the next time I see my sister-in-law, we will both be moms!

Happy Bump Day 😉

It’s been a busy week here with long work hours, doctor’s appointments, a dinner date with a friend in town from Detroit, and more. Hope you are all having a good one as well!

XO,

Gina