I’ve been dreaming of a makeover for our basement playroom. Book shelves, reading corners, bunting, chalk paint, soft flooring, cozy cushions, art supplies and furniture in a tiny size are all on my vision board. Here we go! all images from Pinterest, the perfect place to collect your thoughts.
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!
Where is your favourite go-to quick getaway?
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:
We upgraded our tickets and baby’s first trip was in Business Class.
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.
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.
What are your travel must-haves? Share your faves in the comments!
Travelling to Mexico … with a baby. The list looks very different from the usual. ‘Remember,’ says my mom, ‘It’s not a fashion show… people dress super casual in Nuevo Vallarta.’
Paring down will be key. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.
For tops and bottoms, everything has to go with everything and it needs to enable nursing. In addition to a few mix and match pieces, I’ll be bringing some dresses.
I’ve been noticeably busy. Lol
I am planning a post about what to wear while caring for and feeding an infant. Planning. Everything takes longer and best laid plans get complicated and deterred.
Then comes the holiday season. The holiday show must go on. And we made merry like it was no big deal. We are getting the hang of things.
Our son is now two months old and we are smitten. From tree-side selfies to family party snaps … I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Dabbing his way through the holiday.
Inspired by easy access to the boobs, these are the outfits that are in rotation right now – as a newly-nursing mama.
I made a point of sectioning off my closet, moving conducive items to the front of drawers (I fold Marie Kondo style, like library books in my drawers, spine up), and in the closets I have a section just for items that ‘fit’ as nursing wear.
What I like best about all these pieces is that many are items I already own. Others, I will be able to keep wearing them long after my little one has graduated to solids… which is, I think, a solid investment.
Here is my fall line-up of nursing-approved, affordable fall-into-winter items. I mostly haven’t purchased anything new (either for maternity or breast-feeding), but here are the five items I’ve added to my rotation.
Not really a fan of uniform dressing, but this tunic/dress is going to save my life. I made the mistake of going out for lunch at a nice place, once already, in a dress that required a whole half top/sleeve removal to allow feeding access. This Old Navy Swing Dress is cheap and cheerful (about $40 but with a bonus 40% off and free shipping).
I got it in three colours. Layered over pants, open over another top, or with leggings and over the knee boots, this is going to be a go-to piece for all my nursing days when I’m out of the house.
Next up, also from Old Navy, and also on sale (!) the Chambray utility onesie…
With summery shoes this will be perfect in Mexico when we head for a winter getaway, but also for fall with rolled cuffs, a slubby scarf and some lace up combat boots. Open to the waist with a tank, or with a contrasting, or embellished belt – this piece is pretty versatile. Today I wore it with a half-up topknot and this teddy bear coat from Chance and Fate. So comfy. Paired it with pineapple embroidered velvet slides… No big deal.
My goal is to buy as little ‘new’ stuff as possible – this might be it. As my sister-in-law (also breast feeding) said: “oh, yay… (not) another cross front top.” When maternity options are underwhelming, I’m going to try to be inspired by what’s already in my closet. Challenge accepted.
