I have been making the very best of it in nursing gear and feeling more and more comfortable with a messy bun, leggings and duck boots as my daily go-to. But lo and behold, it’s time to go back to work. Mat leave is done. Sob.
So, I cut my hair. And scoured the internet for outfit inspo to return to the daily grind (and not the kind that involves scouring the floor for renegade cheerios and packing, repacking and schlepping a diaper bag all over the city). I tried to make my life easier by inviting myself to a party – a plan two weeks of outfits so you can get up at 5 am, get a one year old ready, get out the door on time and go be profesh… without having to think of what you’re wearing. It’s the weekly meal-prep of outfits.
Chop chop! First, I needed a fresh bang to start work and feel as cool as the new near-zero temperatures.
From Monday to Friday, I basically recreated these looks:
From Dress Design Queen
For the snow day… black sweatshirt and tee, with a toque and leather jacket.
From Always Judging: crisp oversized dress shirt with big gold chains (buttoned up, obvs). High waisted denim. Leopard print oxfords. Red lip.
Merrick’s Art : This blog has a great range of wearable inspiration and outfit ideas.
Crushed it. First week down. The funny thing is… I feel like I never left. Maybe some of that is dressing for something other than nursing. And dressing for myself was pretty key to feeling right at home in front of a class for the past five days. Can’t wait to keep this pretty ball rolling.
Real talk. It’s hard to pull it together she. Your day starts at 5 am.
I love a quick jaunt out of town. Getting out of the house with baby is a must for this stir crazy new mom.
I headed to Niagara on the Lake, picturesquely snow-dusted and quaint, for four days – while my wife went to Montreal on location for a work shoot.
Travelling with little man is much easier with a solid place to land and since my parents retired in Niagara, it makes for an easy retreat … replete with breweries, trivia nights, great restaurants and all the charm of a turn of the century village – (plus nana and papa’s house has lots of great toys).
Falling asleep early with the moon over the snowy orchards is also pretty sweet. As is having a few extra sets of hands to make showering and brushing your hair possible.
Niagara on the lake, NOTL to the locals, makes for a nice relaxing staycation (with family). And just like that, our little babe is 15 weeks old. We played cards, ate half priced filet mignon burgers and beer tastings. It gave us both a chance to get dressed up to go out.
At Oast House Brewery a gentleman came up to tell us that my son was the best dressed person in the bar. In buffalo plaid, he matched the barkeep and was channeling Gaston (in style only) for an Uber-ironic nod to lumberjacks and small-batch-brewing hipster style.
Side note: If you ever wondered who goes to breweries and keeps them open on a weekday?…it’s a popular meetup spot for nursing Moms. No lie. Seriously… we were at Henderson’s Brewery in Toronto last week, in a snowstorm, on a Tuesday and it was FULL of mommies with babes in arms.
Cheers to another beautiful week with this little guy!
Planning our trip to Mexico with a two month old, was a great challenge for these new moms. It was a grand success. Check out the photos at the end. Drumroll…here is what we packed:
Infantino Carrier
Travel bassinet
wipes
diapers and swim diapers
formula (pre-mixed or concentrate)
birth certificate, parent letter and passport
breast pads/washable inserts
pump (we skipped this since I’m now producing enough milk on my own, with some formula top-ups)
carseat, base (or learn to safely install without the base), stroller attachment
changes of clothes for you
I’m investigating, in advance of travel, to see if our destination stocks the formula, diapers and other things we like for baby. If we can avoid taking a week’s supply, that will really save on spaceÂ
Also, look up whether breast feeding in public is safe/legal/recommended in your destination
Sleep Sheep or white noise machine
medications (like Domperidone, for me)
vitamins for you and vitamin D for baby
coconut oil for sun protection for the babe
a UV protecting cover for the stroller. Jolly Jumper makes a great one and Milk Snob has a great cover that doubles as a nursing screen
Diaper cream and corn starch
Baby paper and some simple toys (we ended up getting some beautiful, colourful pompom garlands in a market, which he couldn’t take his eyes off. These now hang over his change table! But careful that he isn’t unsupervised, as with anything that involves string)
Nosefrida (for air travel and stuffiness)
Infant Tylenol
Gripe Water if you have a gassy baby
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We upgraded our tickets and baby’s first trip was in Business Class.
First Class Flyer – extra leg room, wider seats and a bulkhead gave us ample room for him. No tears at all on either flight to and from Mexico! Bravo little traveller!This was the main entrance to the condos we called home for two weeks. Watching the sunrise. Three generations.A boy and his MamaThey see me Strollin’
Sun-protected
For Clothes, we knew we’d have access to in-suite laundry, so we packed:
Bibs
Layettes
Shorts and pants
Short-onesies/rompers (this was the majority of the outfits)
Pajamas – for the plane and at night with the A/C
Burp cloths and muslin wraps
Socks
A knit jacket/sweater for air conditioned spaces and the plane
Swimsuits/rashguard
Sunglasses
Hats
Copy of his birth certificate, immunization record, passport, health card
Swimming with baby was an amazing first.
We loved all the time with each other, with him and with our family. For the rest of the trip photos, scroll down, past the last of the items from our travel must-haves.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Fanny pack, a carry on for us, carry on Diaper bag, small purse, big suitcase x 2 (one for us and one for all the baby stuff), a small suitcase of diapers and formula.
We made a call to set up/confirm our travel insurance/health insurance, etc.
We arranged a cat and house sitter, and also opted to use the Park ‘N Fly valet service (plus detailing) so we came home to a happy cat, safe home and a clean car.
Adios, Mexico and Gracias for a great first vacay with our blossoming family.
Now, listen…Always time for a tasty snack.
Enamoured of pom poms
Stroller styles
Our little global traveller
Nautical vibes
Out at the Tuesday Market
Family photo at NickSan
Baby-wearing
Big Baby-sized Beer
Hot Mama, with our Milk Snob Stroller cover
Babiators. And a babe x2Hard to believe our little one is 11 weeks old!
What are your travel must-haves? Share your faves in the comments!
We had a gorgeous summer-into-fall day, perfect for juxtaposing pretty against eerie, on Wolfe Island. In the cemetery, close to Kingston, Ontario – a point on the map infused with meaning, we celebrated my recently departed Grandmother and embraced the beauty of a place steeped in history. On this new journey, I found myself enjoying a walk in an old familiar place. I have never found churchyards scary, growing up for the first years of my life with a bedroom window that overlooked an Anglican cemetery. This was where I played hide and seek and went to read books, and sing in the choir. I love the way these photos turned out. They are magical and strange, like the changes that take place in the body as it prepares for new life. He is due to arrive near Hallowe’en and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
ps. the smoke grenades are totally safe. I checked. xox A
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