Stop me!

So....I need to be stopped from looking at baby girl clothes. Gap has another sale for card members, 30% off everything with code USHOL30, and I can't help filling my cart.

How cute are these legging cords-

If they were maternity I'd buy them for myself right now, instead I'm contemplating getting them for our peanut that hasn't even arrived yet.

And this adorable footie -

It's so cute! I love the dots and the pink scalloped edge, and the zipper - easy entry and access for a newborn who might not like fussy clothes or might need frequent FAST diaper changes.


And don't get me started on the Nordstrom half yearly sale that started yesterday. Lots of cute baby and kid stuff.

Mama wants a brand new bag

A diaper bag, that is.

The 7 A.M Enfant Large Voyage bag.
It's big, has tons of compartments, even a diaper clutch kind of thing you can take instead of the bigger bag. It goes with the rest of their line which I love, I don't have the stroller blanket, but when Nate was tiny I brought him to Chicago in the winter and got him the booties and mittens from Gilt and they are so cute. I just pulled them out for the girl, it's going to be cold here after all...

Anyway, back to the bag, did I mention it looks big? I'm going to be carrying out diapers and other stuff for 2 kids, I need room. Snacks for Nate, maybe a bottle for the new baby, especially if Greg might take both kids out. Man, that sounds like so much prep, maybe we'll just stay inside for the first few months...although the bag will hopefully make it easier to go out.

And it's a girl

Um, did I forget to mention the other day that it's a girl? Maybe. Oh the clothes! I love boys clothes, I do, particularly as Nate is so, um, particular about what he wears - collared shirts, jeans, no sweats for him. It is so darn cute. But the dresses, wow. I'm trying to control myself, I keep telling myself she can wear Nate's blue clothes, I'll just put a pink hat on her...but who am I kidding?


I love this -

I would wear that, and it's even cuter on a teeny baby. And with these velour pants -

So cute, I can't stand it!

More girl clothing posts to follow, I'm sure...

It's Valco Baby, Baby

So, as some people may have gathered from the last post (or maybe not) I'm pregnant, and those maternity jeans were on my mind because boy did I need them! With Nate, I didn't move into maternity clothes until halfway through, this time I think it was 8 weeks. Oh well. There are other things to obsess over as I prepare for our second child (so many things)- like a double stroller.


Our regular, amazing stroller turns into a fantastic double, the Baby Jogger City Select, but we will need a lighter one that is easier to fold to keep in the car and I think I've found the one!

First, I should say how much we love the city select, it's really been a great stroller for us and I'm looking forward to tooling around the neighborhood with the 2 of them in it, but I haven't taken the thing apart since we moved to Chicago last year. I don't fold it and put it in the car, I try not to lift it. I know plenty of people who do, including a friend who takes hers apart and tosses it into her trunk sometimes 3 times a day. So it's definitely possible.

But not for me. Because I found this one - The Valco Baby Zee Twin. It's relatively light, really easy to push, has a huge basket with good access (relative to all the other doubles)and is easy to fold and unfold. After I watched a few review videos I knew it was the one (go ahead, google them, you know you want to) You can also put a carseat on one side. Oh, and another cool thing, when you fold it up, the seats are on the inside, instead of outside like in the city mini double. For someone as, um, particular, as me, that's a good thing. Click on the photo above to check it out at mystrollers.com, where you can get 15% off right now. A very good deal.

Sale Maternity Jeans

Looking for maternity jeans? I lived in my basic bootcut jeans throughout my pregnancy and found a great pair at a great sale price at Piperlime -

The waistband looks like it will work throughout the pregnancy, and be great afterwards as well as your stomach shrinks back to normal. The transition back to a real fly wasn't one I was ready to make right away, these are great! And DL1961 denim is a wonderful thick stretch fabric that holds it's shape and size.

 

Boys Sandals Found!

I've been looking for sandals for Nate and it's alot harder than I thought it would be...and then I saw the Umi shoes deal of the month -





They are perfect! And at 50% off they really are an amazing deal.

I'm Done with Junkie Pj's!

Sorry Carters but I've had enough of your Toddler PJ's. They are made from a weird fabric, they don't wash well, they pill and I'm done! Through June 10, if you have a Gap card (or Banana or Old Navy) you can get 30% off everything on the Gap site so I'm stocking up on PJ's for Nate for the fall. They have a bunch that are marked down anyway, so with the additional 30% off they aren't that much more than the Carter's and they will probably actually make it to be a hand-me down (as opposed to the junkie ones I'll be throwing out soon).

These are just so cute -

 

Use code GCAPP to get the discount.

Must be in the air - tons of Spring sales!

Get 25% off everything at the Gap through the 18th (just today and tomorrow!) use code GAPSAVE. There are very cute bright tees, shorts, etc for the whole family.


Love this bright blue -



And 20% off everything on Piperlime -
Use code TWENTY.

And 20% off for the Shopbop friends and family sale - use code INTHEFAMILY20.

And buy 1 get 1 free sale at Pea in the Pod - even Seven jeans!  You can get a pair of bootcut jeans and a pair of skinnies for the price of one!

great casual tee

I went to Nordstrom Rack this week and found a great t-shirt from the brand Wilt, It was soft and well cut, I particularly like how it fits well through the shoulders and is kind of long with an uneven hem - it hides a tummy and looks really good on. Turns out there are tons of them at Last Call Neiman Marcus so you can have one too!

It's coming up blurry because the site won't let me take photos properly, oh well. They have tons of colors, definitely worth a look if you need some new tees for casual wear, perfect for casual days with the family! Find all the Wilt items here.

Monday Monday

After a week of gorgeous weather we seem to have a more appropriate March day for Chicago and it's sad. There must also be something else going on as there were a lot of moms signing their kids into the gym childcare to sit in the lobby (rather than workout) me included. I wore workout clothes just in case, but let's be honest, I'm sitting here playing on facebook, obsessively reading Hunger Games reviews and blogging. Mama needs some down time.

On my mind this week - mint colored jeans, polka dots and stripes and The Hunger Games - I'm going to see the movie on Wed night, it's only the 2nd time I'll have been in a theater since Nate was born.

I got to go shopping for a few minutes without the babe yesterday and I spied some of these and love them -

Such a lovely color that I could never wear near my face, they make a great pair of spring jeans.

the sundresses and maxi dresses come out to play!

time to stock up on spring and summer clothes for the kiddos (and yourself if like me, you've found your tanks are somehow all stained from cooking, cleaning, life with a babe....) Good thing Gap and Old Navy are having sales this week. Also, I have to say I've had my eye on a cute sundress from old navy - I love cheap summer clothes, I'll admit it. I sweat too much and spill too much to spend on my everyday clothes for hot weather. So I don't know what this will look like on, but I'm definitely going to find out!

Use code ONPLUSUP to get 10% off, or 15% of you use a gap/banana/old navy card.

Oh yeah, lot's of cute stuff for the kids too...

The Gap is 25% off today and tomorrow and 20% off on Wednesday.
From there I'm eying the maxi dresses (they come in petite!!!) in addition to all the kiddo clothes...

A few good sales

There are a couple of sales going on this week for maternity clothes (and non-maternity too) -

Shop Isabella Oliver Maternity and save 15% on this great assortment of mix and match Maternity Must-Haves with promo code FOUNDATIONS15 until 3/15/12

The Designer Denim Event - Save $20 off your favorite brands at A Pea in the Pod. Valid March 14-20, 2012.

Up to 50% Off during the Most Wanted Bra Sale at BareNecessities.com. Ends 03.15.12.


Also check out the Japanese Weekend sale on Gilt, some cute dresses and tops for spring - click here.

ready for the beach

As the weather warms I'm planning to start Nate in swim lessons, I would love it if he felt comfortable in a pool or even the lake with me come summer. But I'm also concerned about the sun. Hanna Andersson has some adorable swimwear for babies and toddler that they say offers 99% UVA/UVB. Even better, it's on sale for the rest of the month. Here are a few of my favorites for boys and girls -

All season maternity top

Looking for 1 maternity top to wear with everything and take you through the seasons? That's certainly how I liked to shop for maternity clothes - all purpose/all seasons as much as possible. So check out this tunic at Isabella Oliver -



It would look great with leggings or jeans, probably a light flowy summer pant as well. And  it would also work as a nursing shirt for later. I loved jersey shirts when I was pregnant, they felt great against the skin which was so important.

It's also 20% off through Sunday, so get moving and check out everythign else that's also marked down. These are my favorite maternity clothes.

A Weekender

When we go away for a weekend Greg and Nate are packed well, 1 bag each, all the necessities tucked away. Me, not so much. I have the right suitcase for flying, I have great purses (way too many I'm afraid) but for weekend trips when we drive, I'm a mess. Years ago I got one of those monogrammed boat and tote bags with a zippered top, which is great but way too small. I end up overstuffing it and not being able to close it and then packing other bags (usually the reusable totes I should leave just for groceries). It's a sad state of affairs and drives Greg CRAZY! Particularly because on our road trip from CA to Chicago he had to shlep my million bags from the car into motels every night.

Today we are going to Cleveland for the long weekend to visit Greg's grandmother, and I finally did it - I bought myself a proper weekend bag. I don't know what I was waiting for, it wasn't expensive, and it's not like it's purchasing something to last forever, in the end it was such an easy decision and I'm happy. I got a Lesportsac weekender bag, that was on sale at Shopbop. The one I got was a black quilted pattern, but they have other colors on sale that might be easier to use - with a big black bag things can disappear on the bottom, never to be found until you unpack completely and turn the bag over and shake it out.

I like this one -

There are other patterns available.

All by myself!

Somehow almost a month has gone by, we haven't gone anywhere and yet life gets in the way. Greg finished his Phd, that was incredibly exciting and such a relief, and then we had a little staycation, very relaxing. And even with all the sales all over the place, no shopping was done by us. Although I did just go to New York all by MYSELF last week. Yup, I left the babe with daddy and grandma and grandpa and flew the coop for the first time. It seems like a great time was had by all. In fact I'm not so convinced Nate noticed I was gone, or I suppose he had to notice but he didn't care too much, which is a good outcome. Now I know I can leave him occasionally and all will be well.

I tried to do a little shopping for myself while I was away, but all I really wanted to do was eat and drink (my first margarita in over 2 years I think! Pumping and dumping was a good thing) although I stopped into an Ann Taylor while waiting for friends and ended up buying a couple of sweaters that were ridiculously on sale - I highly recommend getting over to one those stores and seeing if there is anything you like. I bought a cowlneck sleeveless tunic sweater for $9.99 and I've pretty much worn it every day since I got back, so you know, cost per wear is going to be nothing very soon...I can't rip the photo from their site so click here to see it. It's longer on me than the model (no surprise there) and looks great with skinny or straight leg jeans and I've worn both black and brightly colored long sleeved tees underneath and it looks nice either way.

Aside from my sweater, I've been thinking about kids hats yet again because Nate tossed his out of his stroller the evening before I left and I didn't notice until later, once I went out to look for it it was long gone. I immediately ordered that Hanna Andersson hat I posted recently, and yesterday I found these -

 I found them here.