During the amazingly warm weather of last week, we took the baby on a little trip to Dun Laoghaire to walk along the pier. Of course, he slept through the entire thing. I loved the sunshine, blue sky, listening to the sea. Call off the wind and it would be perfect weather. It’s days like this that take a little bit of the sting out of my Texashomesickness.

I got this cardigan and bag at Dunnes on sale last week. It had crochet and bead patches on the shoulders, but my husband said I looked like a matador and the beads were falling off (not baby safe!). So I took the crochet pieces off and added them to the red bag (also from Dunnes) to remake two new pieces to suit me better. I plan on adding a bit more to the bag, maybe some embroidered flowers, if I get the time.

Of course the bag is just for show (and to carry my camera) I really roll with the ultimate mommy accessories, my buggy and nappy bag, and baby too of course.

Also, on the nails Rimmel Lasting Finish in Double Decker Red. It’s a great red — kinda coral, kinda orange depending on what it’s near. I’m not so sold on the Lasting big, but I’m really hard on my nails.

On Saturday, my wonderful husband surprised me (read: forced me) to leave Nate with his auntie so that we could have a romantic night out as a special treat for Mother’s Day. I am so bad at leaving Nate with family to babysit because he has had trouble sleeping, but now that he is sleeping through the night I suppose it is time to let go of my vice-like grip on him. Playing dress up in my new Vero Moda rockabilly inspired dress did help coax me out the door, as did the promise of a meal eaten while still warm without simultaneously feeding a tiny beast.

I love this dress. It is very floaty and girlie (and has a button down placket for nursing). The flowers are much brighter red and electric blue, which add a nice punch of colour on these dreary days. I thought the retro vibe of the dress looked perfect with my new Ralph Lauren glasses–my first truly indulgent specs. I love them, but I wish they said ‘Lauren’ on the arm instead of ‘Ralph’. Fact: I was named after Ralph Lauren. Just as we were about to leave, I remembered this great handbag I found among a file of lovely treasures an old woman was selling in Howth. I love discovering truley vintage pieces in unexpected places. And of course I wore my ‘N’ necklace in honour of Nate.

Chris took me to Lock’s Brasserie and it was amazing. I don’t think I can describe how good the food was or how nice it was to do something grown up and romantic with my hubby.

♥ Dress, Scarf: Forever 21 ♥ Cardigan: Gap ♥ Leggings: Old Navy ♥ Boots: M&S ♥ Bag: Dublin Flea ♥

Well folks, it’s my first outfit post in about 6 months. I have to admit, I have been lacking on the cute outfit front opting for stay-warm cardigans, yoga pants, hiking boots and nursing tops. For the most part, I’m on the floor playing with my busy little man or pushing him all around the neighborhood in his buggy. But I’m trying to pull it together a bit more on the weekends. This dress from Forever 21 is one of my first new purchases (not counting my many H&M nursing tops that I can’t live without) worn for shopping and lunch in Dundrum. It is a prefect post-baby outfit. Let’s be honest: a dark pattern to hide the baby slobber, button up top for easy boob access and flowy skirt for hiding that ever present baby tummy are all I need! That and my little monster in toe.

PS: He’s a doll. Here’s proof.

]]> http://stylebynumbers.info/2011/01/first-post/feed/ 0 http://stylebynumbers.info/2010/08/update/ http://stylebynumbers.info/2010/08/update/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:24:46 +0000 laurendare http://stylebynumbers.info/?p=2003 Well, we are at 41 weeks (term + 9 days), my bags are packed and ready to go but this little guy has still yet to show up.

♥ Skip Hop Via Messenger Changing Bag ♥ Accessorize Cherry Blossom Weekender Bag ♥

I’m running out of cute outfit pics because I’ve just run out of cute outfits. He dropped significantly in the past week and things are really not fitting (or just not all the comfortable). Right now I’m wearing leggings for pants and a big grey hoodie–who wants to see photos of that? The honest truth is that pregnancy is not always pretty.

So while I face the sartorial challenge and try to patiently wait for my little boy to decide to be born, I hope you’ll forgive another lapse in posting. But rest assured that I’ll be taking up the challenge of being a cute and uber-thirfty mom soon!

@38WeeksΞI adore this top and am so glad it has fit throughout my maternity (although the last snap is a bit snug). I feel very Brady Bunch mom (or maybe Alice) in this top and love to wear it when I’m doing housewifey things. On this occasion, we didn’t have electricity from 9am-5pm so I listened to a battery powered radio (okay, an iPod) and worked on hand stitching pillow cases for the baby’s room. It’s probably super cheesey, but I enjoyed wearing a thrifted, vintage top on such a low-fi day.

@36 WeeksΞAlong with the Gap Trench, this dress from Old Navy Maternity was definitely one of the best investments I made in my maternity wear (and they were both on sale!) It is so easy to wear and despite being ridiculously bright pink, accessorizes with lots of different things. I only wish I had it in many different colours. I’m pretty sure it will last me well into my post maternity as the bump deflates. Here is the dress at 24 weeks when my bump was barely there. The secret to maternity longevity is generous stretch in the bump area (so good draping and jersey) and length. This dress is a bit longer than I might usually wear, but at 24 weeks it was below my knees and at 36 weeks the bump brings it above my knees.

This is in the Drawing Room of the Bellinter House. I just love the mixture of curious art, mid century antiques and an old manor house. Its such easy style.

@35WeeksΞ This is one of the most comfy outfits for my late maternity wear and I throw on this tunic all the time! Light cotton is great for the warm, rainy days of summer–and the plaid brings me back to my country roots. At first I had some misgivings about the tunic. I do wish it was either longer and had a straight hem, making it a dress…or was a bit shorter, making it a longer top that could be worn with shorts. But right now, anything that is remotely cute and covers the bump is good enough for me. With only a few weeks to go at my maximum width, it’s not time to start shopping. I think I might consider altering it for post-maternity because I love the colour combo (also the main colours in the little guy’s nursery)

@36WeeksΞTo celebrate the beginning of the end and to thank my hubby for all the amazing support he’s given me during this pregnancy, I arranged a super surprise weekend for him including a scavenger hunt, lunch at the Farmleigh Boat House (delicious!) and a weekend of swimming and picnics at our favourite hotel in Ireland–Bellinter House, Co. Meath (seriously, go there sometime!) This outfit was perfect for sweet scheming and wouldn’t give away where we were headed next. I’ve loved this precious white top from Mothercare and wear it all the time as the bump grows. The clean, white cotton feels so fresh and feminine in the dog days of summer and helps me feel like I’m glowing as a pregnant woman should.

There comes a time in every gal’s pregnancy when you start to feel a bit puffy and rings may not fit. My hands are only really swollen on humid days, but since this is Dublin in the summer–that’s almost every day. To save any tight-ringed drama, I’ve decided to start wearing my rings close to my heart. ♥

@31 WeeksΞHappy August Bank Holiday! Here’s hoping the weather is a little better than the June Bank Holiday. Despite the massive downpour, the hubby and I had a great time on a surprise trip to Dublin’s north coast. We were determined have fun–even in the rain. Foul weather essentials included my maternity trench (the best investment of this pregnancy) and a trusty umbrella. I’m not sure if I would go with the white leggings again, they were a last minute addition when I realised my legs were going to get soaked. After our walk, the leggings and trench came off and were replaced by sandals and a cropped cardigan.

I thought the dress was missing something up-top and couldn’t find any accessories that I liked, so I added a halter top under the dress to give the illusion that the dress was a halter and not strapless.

At the end of a wet day, nothing is nicer than sitting in a cozy chair in an old castle with a cup of tea and a biscuit or two!

@37WeeksΞFinally, maternity leave. If anyone thinks that maternity leave is a time to relax and chill out before baby, think again. You suddenly realize how much you have left to do…and how little time you have to do it. On my first day, I made the fantastic decision to reorganise and redecorate our home office. Boy was my husband pleased to come home to find the contents of the office in the baby room with plans, drawings and long lists of things to buy at B&Q. Several trips to the shops, a new drill and two weeks later the room was completed and looks great! Anyhow, this outfit is all about comfort and looking cute while cleaning.

These light denim trousers from M&P sit below the bump, which is much more comfortable to me now (any pressure taken off the area is a relief) but the do tend to fall down a bit. They might be slightly too big, but I wouldn’t admit to buying the wrong size, ever.