My Lastest Obsession - BABY BOY CARR

Pic = moments after "BBC" was born! Such a happy MOMENT!

WOW - so today was an AMAZING day! I delivered Baby Boy Carr this morning at 5:46 am and I'm now typing next to our beautiful little boy as we speak. Peter headed home for a bit to pack up our rental house as tomorrow we are moving back in to our HOUSE - hooray! Ironically he had taken the day off to pack - but "BBC" arrived just on TIME (his due date).

"BBC's" STATS:

FULL NAME = George Martin Carr

(George is my Dad and Grandfather's name and Martin is Peter's maternal Grandfather's name -- and also referred to as the "fifth Beattle")

WEIGHT / HEIGHT = 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 19.5 inches (love that day 1 in your life is the ONLY time that your "weight" is freely announced to EVERYONE)

PERSONALITY = CHILL CHILL CHILL (like his Daddy) and very expressive and prompt/calendar oriented (like his Mother!)

He met his Aunt Stephie and Uncle Sean / Aunt Michele / and Grandpa Carr today. Tonight he may meet JuJu and Grandpa T depending on their flight. And tomorrow George Martin gets to meet some of his so-called "Aunties" - some of my buddies that are making an appearance. The gals are at their grandparents lake house this weekend - and they will meet their baby brother on Sunday - cannot wait for them to meet him! We've officially gone from a FAM of FOUR to a FAM of FIVE!

I'm IN LOVE (with George Martin) and have an entire new level of love for Cate and Margaret as his big sisters. And I have this new level of love for Peter as the Daddy of our little guy. I melt everytime I see him hold little George. So cute!

Latest Obsessions

Okay, so usually I post on Friday about my Latest Obsessions, however, I wonder if I'll be going into labor w/BBC...so here goes. My mom (fondly known as JuJu) and Travis arrive Friday and we move back into our house SATURDAY! SO excited for all these fun events!

Finally, I can start to think about wearing non-maternity clothes (soon, a couple days maybe) again - wahoo! Doesn't this cardigan look cozy and fun for fall? LOVE it!

I'm kind of obsessed with our master bedroom and bathroom paint color - Benjamin Moore's Palladium Blue which is one of their historical colors. And hilarious...if you "google" it, it seems to get quite the praise from others as well. Cannot wait to MOVE IN! The blue will look fab with our new bedding.

Ever since my mom (fondly known as "JuJu" - she self-named herself this after deciding that she did not want to be "Grandma" - name = Julie) and Stepdad Travis moved to the mountains in AZ...I've come to appreciate cowboy boots / cowboy hats / turquoise jewelry / rustic decor. I saw this post on Shopbop entitled "Boho Goes West" -- LOVE IT! These Zuni Pyramid earrings are cute.

I too am swooning over Caroline Seikaly's stunning pieces.

I just discovered a new blog that I think will become a new FAVE = Paper Crave. Trolling around on Paper Crave I discovered some fun items = Starshaped Press (who happen to be in Chicago and their tag line is something my mom always says "old - timey") /

LOVE these soda shop straws. Super cute. And LOVE these cupcake wrappers. Love these princess cupcake wrappers and toppers. FUN! LOVE this colored baker's twine - so many fun colors.

A friend of mine passed along the following article entitled "Tell Me About It" - definitely feel like it describes the moment at hand as a stay at home mom!

I love tea parties. Isn't this High Tea blouse from Anthropologie adorable? LOVE IT! Makes me want to plan a little tea party w/some gals!

My sister bought a Helen Ficalora necklace some time ago and actually met Ms. Ficalora when she opened the Lincoln Park store in Chicago. I LOVE her stamped initial charms. HMMMM. Maybe a prezzie for myself after "BBC" is born (w/his first name, M and C's).

Check out some of these vintage party goods for Kids! Super cute and different.

And a good friend of mine - Taryn/Brian - their wedding is featured on Martha Stewart Weddings. FUN FUN! And our wedding was featured in Brides Chicago - wow, that seems so long ago now that I'm on to all things BLUE and BABY!

39 Weeks - Our Mini Watermelon

One of our last pics as a FAM of FOUR (before we are a FAM of FIVE)!!! LOVE IT.

So, we are in the final stretch for sure. Baby Boy Carr hit 39 weeks this past Friday - so any day now. One of my dear friends was two days behind me and had her baby boy this Saturday (so exciting). It has been amazing to share this experience step by step with a close friend who is having a baby for the first time as well. SO FUN. I never understood before the connection you have with other women once you are pregnant - this underlying sense of unity (amazing really). Everyone loves sharing their experiences of birth, babies and being a mom. Lots of perspectives, opinions and views.

"BBC" weighs a little over 7 pounds now (mini watermelon) and is about 20 inches long (according to BabyCenter). And he is ready to ROCK!

Latest Obsessions

Happy Thursday! The COUNTDOWN for Baby Boy Carr is ON!

Tonight Peter/I are having one last Date Night before "BBC" is born - dinner and a movie. We are checking out Leo's new movie Inception. Anyone seen it yet? I cannot believe that "BBC" is due here in a week - wild. He could come at any moment! My mom (JuJu) and stepdad are heading into town next Friday (so excited to see them) to help us get organized and back into our house and hopefully meet the little guy SOON!

How fun are these alphabet bags! LOVE THEM. This "You Look Lovely" bag is fun. And then there is the "OMG" bag - fun!

Saw that Edun is doing something for Sephora. Nice work! And Julianne Moore partnered with Kiehl's on a Limited Edition Acai Damage Protection spray.

Love Egg Press' new Happy Birthday card - as I have a thing for birds on them!

I think I may do something similar to this in our master bedroom. LOVE it! This idea is pretty neat too using a salvaged window.

LOVE these reinterpreted classic book covers by Mikey Burton. Very cool!

Tie dye is back in - completely reminds me of summer and camp! My nephew had on the most adorable tie dye shirt (that he made in camp). I saw Joanna Goddard's post on Tie Dye = FUN! And here is Shopbop's Sophisticated Side of Tie Dye.

Cute blog dedicated to fun projects, ideas for Kids Birthday Parties. FUN FUN! For instance, check out this ADORABLE Wizard of Oz party - beyond cute. And what a great company - party in a box.

38 Weeks - Our little "Leek"

So, this past Friday Baby Boy Carr hit the 38 week mark! Less than 2 weeks to go. The countdown is on - not only for "BBC" - but for our house (we move in the day after I'm due!!!). So many exciting things happening at the moment - hard to focus on just one or the other. According to Baby Center, little "BBC" has now plumped up to about 6.8 pounds and is about 19.5 inches long.

I cannot wait to meet the little guy who I have grown quite attached to - his kicking seems to be on a schedule (hmmm...maybe he will be a total schedule/calendar freak like me!).

So, now time to start thinking of what to pack for the hospital. Some items that will definitely go in my bag =

• Smith's Minted Rose's Lip Balm (have always loved this stuff - cheap/and love the old school packaging)
• Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer
• My Kindle and my i-pod

My Latest Obsessions

HAPPY THURSDAY! Love the above image - Love Flowers and THINGS Yellow!

I love Minted for their unique Holiday Photo Cards and Birth Announcements. Randomly I saw an email come through re: a contest (Minted's Next Top Model) they were holding...and SO FUN = WE WON (scroll down to see the pic they chose - which is one of my faves taken by Pen Carlson - that will be in their holiday collection)! Kind of FUN!

I love this lantern - simple and different and LOVE the red.

I saw this Portable LED Lantern on Daily Candy - what a fabulous idea for when you are dining al fresco in your backyard.

I was in Williams-Sonoma the other day and love looking around at all of their fun items (note that my goal of learning to cook = 2012). Don't these Puffy Apple Oven Pancakes look YUMMY! I love Le Creuset iron cookware -- and they have so many awesome colors to chose from. We have a couple of pieces in the cherry red but how fun is the green kiwi. They have come out with a pretty new color Cassis (LOVE IT). I'm VERY tempted to buy the set of limited edition flame colored Mini Cocottes (would make the perfect gift) - okay, so maybe I'm just drawn to them because of the Mac and Cheese recipe or the Molten Chocolate.

LOVE these vintage lawn chairs from Anthropologie. Colorful, fun and different.

Love this handmade platter from Mud Studio. Pretty scalloped cake stand. And how fun - you can thread ribbon through the holes. Apparently their Mud Chandelier has won them much acclaim. And how pretty is this Versailles dinnerware.

Cute old school looking bikini from Rachel Pally. This parlays into the NY Times article about retailers looking to profit from last century's styles. Check out this past spring's Jantzen collection (inspired by the glamour days of the 50's).

Week 37 - Our little "stalk of swiss chard"

I'm sitting down and getting ready to start another week. This past Friday I hit week 37 - so little Baby Boy Carr is officially considered full term, with just under three weeks left! According to BabyCenter "BBC" is about 6 1/3 pounds and measures a little over 19 inches.

Peter and I continue to wonder about "BBC" and what he will look like and what type of personality he will come out w/. I'm hopeful for a super chill little guy that goes with the flow (sort of like his Daddy!). If "BBC" stays put and arrives on or after July 23rd he will be a Leo and if he comes a bit early we will have a Cancer.

"BBC" as a potential Leo =

• Warm of Spirit, eager for action, eager for a desire to be loved for what they bring to others.
  
• Motto may be "What you see is what you get."


• Greatest strenght is a playful and loving nature.


• Party personality = Natural magnetism and flair for the dramatic gives the whole party a celebrity aura.


• Famous Leos = Tom Brady, John Stamos, Patrick Swayze, Matthew Perry.

"BBC" as a potenital Cancer =

• Fiercely loyal and has a difficult time letting go.


• Greatest strength = ability to nuture others.


• Favorite Ice Cream = Dairy products are a Cancer's favorite indulgence. And he likes his ice cream rich and gooey. Because he is security-oriented, vanilla is his favorite flavor -- Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche or Vanilla Swiss Almond. He may try making his own ice cream too, since he is handy in the kitchen.


• Famous Cancers = Kevin Bacon, Chris O'Donnell, Matthew Fox, Tobey McGuire.

Soon enough we will see if we have a little Leo or Cancer on our hands!

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Had an awesome dinner last PM at Enoteca Roma (their back patio is FAB - think "chill friend's back patio" w/dinner service) with some friends and my sister/her husband and Peter. Such a fun catch up session. And we get to see a dear college friend and her husband and their new baby boy - Saturday - looking forward to it. They are in town for a visit. Wishing everyone a FAB weekend...and here are some of my latest FAVES. Enjoy! 

I love Dwell Studio and how nice they have partnered with Target. Love this Kitchen Set. These kitchen sets are cute as well; the Scroll set and the Damask Bird set. Love this Suzanni Blue and Yellow set too.

Cynthia Vincent did a shoe line for Target - so fun. I bought these white studded thong sandals

the other day - super cute.

I'm always looking around the house for a card or something to use as a bookmark. How fun would it be to give one of these cute bookmarks (from Greer Chicago) as a gift when giving someone a book!

This picnic blanket makes me want to head out to a park! And I love this matching shopper - the kissing bunnies are adorable.

I discovered this great blog (The Graphics Fairy) that has vintage images and crafty items - so fun!

36 Weeks - Our little "Crenshaw Melon"

Happy Monday! I hope that everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July weekend! Peter/the girls and I decided to stay local and just have a relaxing weekend with not much on the agenda. It was the best decision ever! Peter and I woke up Saturday morning and looked at one another and said "what do WE want to do today?" - as we both realized it was the first Saturday/Weekend in our 2 years together that we didn't have an agenda or somewhere to be. It was so FREEING - OMG, the best feeling ever. We took the gals to the Oak Park Farmers Market in hopes of scoring some of their fresh (and highly talked about) donuts and some fresh veggies. We then hit the pool later that afternoon and ended up at a good friend's house for an impromptu BBQ with some awesome fireworks! Sunday we were at the tennis club for Fourth of July activities - the petting zoo, pie baking contest, pool games and a BBQ. The weekend could not have been more perfect and was just what we needed (for one of our last weekends as a Family of Four!).

This past Friday I hit the 36 week mark - wahoo - less than 4 weeks to go! I'm laughing as our move in date (back into our house) is scheduled for the day after my due date - why not do it all at once?! Ha! We are SO excited to get back into our house - cannot wait!

Little Baby Boy Carr is now the size of a crenshaw melon (which I had never heard of before) - per Baby Center. "BBC" now weighs about 6 pounds and is putting on about an ounce of weight a day. He is about 18 1/2 inches long. We cannot wait to meet "BBC" - I've grown quite attached to the little guy and his patterns of kicks. Being pregnant has been such an amazing and interesting process - and talking to other woman that have been through it has been so helpful. There are so many random things that they don't really talk about in books - and it has been nice to talk to other moms about the process.

My Latest Obsessions

What a great kick off to the long weekend - a good friend of mine who lives in the city came out for breakfast and then hung out w/us at the pool this afternoon - we had a relaxing afternoon of catching up. And the weather has been FAB all day long. She is due just a few days after me and it has been so much fun exchanging emails/chats about our experiences during our first pregnancy! 

I hope everyone has a great long weekend. Time to wear some RED, WHITE, and BLUE! We are staying put this weekend and going to relax over the long weekend. I'm looking forward to some chill time with the fam! I am jealous though of my two sisters who are in AZ visiting JuJu and T for their annual Fourth of July party! 

I saw Bundlelove (tag line = unique baby gifts with personality) in Daily Candy Kids and think it is such a FAB idea - especially for someone who is hard to buy for. Apparently Nicole Richie was sent the rock star bundle, Kourtney Kardashian the shoe addict bundle and Bethenney Frankel was sent a foodie bundle. 

I have a few pairs of Corso Como shoes and adore them (super comfortable). Corso Como recently came out with a new line - called "Ballasox Festive" flat. They have a soft, form-fitting sock sewn into the lining of a butter skin leather and cushy rubber sole. LOVE THEM. And they come with their own carrying pouch (perfect to put in your bag). And enter the code REALSIMPLE at checkout and save a few bucks. 

I wish I never discovered Carol's Cookies - as I can never pass one up. And the cookies nearly weigh a half pound. They just came out with two new flavors - Kitchen Sink (slivered almonds, pecans, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, coconut and rolled oats) and Turtle Fudge Brownie (a combination of the toffee crunch cookie and the brownie cookie and some pecans). YUMMY GOODNESS! And here is a fun combo (Lou Malnati's pizza and Carol's cookies) to send to someone out of town - (my sister just sent one to a colleague that just had a new baby - perfect - dinner for the two of them and some of Carol's goodness!). 

LOVE the new colors from Paper Source - persimmon, sunshine and peacock. 

Here is a great idea to use a picture frame - as a vanity tray. I may try this and use fabric inside. FUN!