New Camera, New Pics

We recently got a new camera and have been having so much fun playing around with it. Bye bye small three year old point n shoot that I thought was good until getting my hands on this new little beast. It's not the lightest thing in the world, but the pics are already worth lugging it around. And we don't even know what we're doing. We have some learning to do, but here are a few of our little babies, four-legged babu included.

Meet Miss Louise

It's a girl!

I'm so excited to introduce you to: Louise! 

She arrived ten days early last Monday, January 14. She is named after John's paternal grandmother Luigia, who was born in Italy and along with John's grandfather, moved to NYC and had John's dad here. Louise is also John's sister's middle name - named after Luigia as well. We decided to give her two middle names: Linda Maria, after both our late mothers. We love these names & the connection to these three strong beautiful women in our families. 

We are so thrilled to have a little girl (a girl! I still sorta can't believe it!) and love watching Griffin with his new little sister. I'll try to post some more pics soon - in between naps, feedings & poopy diapers. 

xo

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I was excited to flip the Quilt Calendar to January and see the white & silver, which feel very fresh and light after looking at the big pink cover for so long. 

This is the month we're due to welcome our second child - so white & silver seem fitting, as well, for marking this new addition. More on the prep for this new addition to come... 

We're baaaaack!

 

Sorry for the super long hiatus. I didn't mean to leave you so abrubtly or for so long. But sometimes life tells you to just take a break. A big ol break.

And that's what we did. 

We had Popsicle Night every night.

 

 

 We learned a whole new set of vocabulary - all related to things of the beach. Correctly identifying a mahi mahi not excluded.

 

 We got our first haircut at a barber shop. (Thanks to a lolipop.)

 

 We became obsessed with surfing. On the sand or in the kitchen. Didn't matter. It was surfing.

 

 We shared our dessert.

 

 And sometimes ate that dessert with sand. No matter. It was sugar!

 We explored.

We took a big time out without even really realizing that we needed it. A lot has happened in the past couple months since I left you hanging, so I'll fill you in a bit.

We moved. Not far - about a mile away - but a move nonetheless. A pack up everything, get rid of everything, unpack everything, get rid of more of everything kind of move. The next day, John's mom passed away, rather unexpectedly. And our lives changed. As it goes when you lose people you love. My brother & sisters and I agree that it's the finality of death, of being gone, of not being here, that is so hard to accept. One day they are there, the next they are not. One day you can call them, and the next day you can't. Time passes, and it kills you because it's further away from that person actually being there - you count the days, the weeks, the months, the birthdays. Last month, I celebrated my first birthday without my dad. His birthday is the day before mine & we had celebrated together every year of my life. My birthday also happens to be John's mom's birthday, so it was even harder and more surreal.

But one little (or sorta big) piece of good news & happiness has come into our lives recently. I am expecting our second child! News we were fortunate to share with John's mom before she passed - her 14th grandchild. We are so excited (and also a little nervous to have two!), and I am especially happy that the first few months of nausea are behind me. As I'm sure are the people around me:) I'm due in January, which means Griffin has about five months to figure out what big brother means. And we have five months to get some sleep.

In the meantime, we're happy to be back at work (there's something so benignly right about getting back into a routine after life changing events) & gearing up for the release of the new products we debuted at the National Stationery Show this May. So stay tuned. And if you haven't done so, sign up for our newsletter (by entering your email on the right) so you can be the first to get the news of the launch, as well as upcoming launch discounts.

Many thanks for reading & supporting. I don't intend to weigh down this blog too much with my personal life, but it's comforting for me to be able to share all of this - from the not so good to the great. So thank you.

xo
Liz

Egg by Susan Lazar

 Egg has some of the best kids clothes around. Period.

[images courtesy of Egg]

Hanna Anderson for Serena & Lily

Swedish company Hanna Andersson makes the best children's pajamas. They're footless (perfect for growing limbs) and they zip (easy for changing fussy night-timers & dirty diapers). So it's no surprise that they have collaborated with the line Serena & Lily on a new line of baby sleepers. Love these stars & stripes ones.

[images courtesy of Serena & Lily]

Mr. Sun

We've been listening to a lot of Raffi. Do you know of him? He's a children's singer-songwriter who I had never heard of until our nanny suggested we listen to him. (When I told her I didn't know who he was, she asked me if I grew up here. Apparently my parents were not hip to the children's music scene.) Now Raffi is our go-to Pandora station. Our favorites are Baby Beluga and Mr. Sun. Although, we're still pretty smitten with Ernie's I Don't Want to Live on the Moon. Do you have favorite childrens' songs? I'd love to hear!

Mini Boden

 

I looove this sweater & these rompers from mini Boden. I got their catalog last week with a coupon for 15% off and free shipping. Done & done! And with snow in the forecast for tomorrow (boo hoo!), we're not out of sweater-weather just yet.

But if we were and if I had a girl, I'd definitely pick up this cutey bears number below. The colors, the pattern, the cut - all perfect.

Egg Sun Hat

I'm lucky to have a couple nephews just a few years older than Griffin, so most of the clothes we brought to Florida were hand-me-downs. But when I saw this sun hat by Egg in Lulu's for Baby, I couldn't help myself. I love this print & the little pocket on the side. Plus, I knew he'd be living in a sun hat all summer, and hats are essentially size proof anyway, right? Wrong! We get down there, and it's too small! The straps didn't even meet. This kid's got quite the noggin. Guess I'll be lending this to Griffin's newest niece or nephew, who's due in a couple weeks. And then I might just have to go back & get the larger one. It's really just so cute, isn't it?

[image courtesy of Egg]

Adele Enersen

Adele Enersen takes these photos while her daughter sleeps.  Amazing.

[all images courtesy of Adele Enerson]

From the {Nursery} Fridays: New Favorite Book

Last weekend at my mother's family's Christmas party, my aunt gave me this book for Griffin: On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman.  I had never heard of it before, but after reading it to Griffin with tears in my eyes, it has quickly become my favorite and has been read to him at least once every day since.  I thought I'd quote you the last part, my favorite part:

If the moon stays up until morning one day,

or a ladybug lands and decides to stay,

or a little bird sits at your window awhile,

it's because they're all hoping to see you smile...

For never before in story or rhyme

(not even once upon a time)

has the world ever known a you, my friend,

and it never will, not ever again...

Heaven blew every trumpet

and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous

night you were born.

You must read the whole thing, though.  It's short, but so very sweet.  It's going to be my new gift-must for parents to be.  (Thanks for the introduction, Aunt Beth! xoxo)

From the {Nursery} Fridays: What I've Learned

In the past nine weeks, I feel like I've done an Ironman, taken 100 exams (& stayed up all night studying for them), and had my body used as a science experiment.  Being a new mom is the hardest thing I've ever done.  And as I've heard it described, "hardest and best" thing I've ever done.

Now that I feel like I'm finally getting back on my feet a bit, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned along this relatively short roller coaster ride:

1) Breastfeeding (sorry, I have to go here b/c it's the number one thing I've learned) is hard!  It's not "natural" or "intuitive" and is certainly not easy.  Well, maybe to some three lucky women out there it is, but not this one.  It takes work, and as I've learned, not doing it right can lead you to the doctor's office (and then a specialist & then a dermatologist) many times for many different meds.
2) Women don't talk about things like number 1.  (Why that is is something I don't know.)
3) I can get by on four hours of sleep.  Barely & bleery-eyed, but I can do it.  And a full stretch of four hours seems like a good night's sleep.
4) I've never felt love like this before.  It was said to me by many moms, and it is absolutely true.
5) When I get up in the middle of the night, I forget that I'm tired as soon as I see Griffin.
6) Kingsley isn't jealous of Griffin, she just wants as much attention now as she got before he was born.
7) I can do this.  (Took me a while to get here.)
8) Time flies.
9) Happy Mommy, happy baby.  And happy Daddy.  And happy dog.
10) I'm starting to see why people do this more than once.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

[photo of me & Griffin the day we left the hospital]

Trumpette Socks

How cute are these seasonal Nordic socks by Trumpette?  Griffin loves his Vans ones & these are just too cute to pass up for the holidays - especially when they're being offered right now on Gilt Groupe for half the price.

It's a Boy!

 On Monday night, we welcomed Griffin Libre, our 8lb. 10oz.  hefty & healthy baby boy.  I have never felt such excitement, such great anticipation, and such incredible love as I have in the past 24 hours.  We are absolutely over the moon & enjoying every sleep-deprived second with this little guy.

As I mentioned before, I'm taking a little break from blogging this month, but I'm leaving you in great hands.  Stay tuned for her intro.

Map by Famille Summerbelle

How great is this World Map print? It's based on the original hand paper cut by Famille Summerbelle designer, Julie.

See the video capturing the nearly 20 hours of cutting that went into the paper cut here.

Famille Summerbelle also has a little gem of a blog you should really check out.

From the DeskTOP Fridays: Mobiles

I told myself I wasn't going to hang anything on the walls until Baby is born - mostly to see if it's a boy or girl, but also to give myself a little time to find out who this little person is. But a mobile isn't really going on the wall and with Baby being on his or her back so much, it might be nice to have something to look at.


I've always loved the work of Brooklyn artist Tamar Mogendorff & think this is finally the excuse I need to bring one of her amazing plush pieces into our home. I see her work in local shops & truly get weak in the knees over the the friendliness of it. They just make me smile. I bet Baby will agree. Now which one to choose...


See more of Tamar Mogendorff's work here.

[top image courtesy of Acorn; bottom images courtesy of Tamar Mogendorff]

Reflections of Motherhood

A friend recently sent me this video. Makes me want to ask the same question of all you moms out there: If you could go back to right before you had your first child, what would you tell yourself?

Baby Guesses

On Saturday, my friend planned a fancy brunch & spa day in honor of me & Baby. I don't venture out often or far these days, so sitting around with girlfriends felt really refreshing & super relaxing. My friend didn't torture me too much with games - just this fun popsicle stick one. Each of us guessed the sex, weight, and first letter of the name. With just about two weeks to go, I am more excited than ever to meet this little person & finally find out who I've been carrying around since January!

From the {Nursery} Fridays: Drawers

Nesting is no joke, people. I recently told a friend that I feel like a cave woman. I just want to stay in, wash clothes, clean surfaces, and organize everything. Which makes me really fun to be around:) Last night's project was washing all the little clothes we've received. I lined the dresser drawers in some old L&H envelope liners because I couldn't stand the idea of all these newly washed tiny white pieces sitting in an old naked dresser drawer! (See?? Nesting! Or, crazy-head.)

Lucky for me, this same friend has decided to take Cave Woman out tomorrow for a surprise-to-me girlfriends day. I was told what time to be ready & to be hungry. :) I can't wait!

The Nursery: A Start

Yesterday was a big day in the Libre household. With the help of my sister & her husband, we made some good progress on the nursery. The rug is down, the dresser (mine from growing up) is painted & has new knobs, and the crib is assembled. We have a few more things to do, but getting through step one always feels good.

ps - How beautiful is this knitted blanket? A super nice handmade gift from John's aunt.