Best of 2014: October, November, December

And now we've come to the last months of the year... lots of stripes and polka dots in this post!

October

In October, I was still a stay-at-home mom who wanted to be fab, but un-fussy, and comfortable footwear was a must. Also: Look at little Thomas in his first pair of pants. So cute! So darn CUTE!

November

November was our transition month, I got new glasses and a haircut for my return to work and then, what do you know, I returned to work. It was a big change! But I love being a teacher and being back  in the classroom with my (non-biological) kids, but I also had to get used to not being with Thomas 24/7.

December

And now to our final month of the year -- December. Baby's first Christmas! Boots weather! A season of sweaters and snuggles! Happy New Year to all! Hopefully next year will be just as full-on fab. (And, really, let's be honest, Thomas has easily started upstaging me in the style department with his monster outfits and cute knits. I don't see that trend stopping any time soon!)

Thanks for putting up with my 2014 nostalgia! It's so crazy wonderful to see all these pictures of my belly and baby boy growing! I do not take it for granted and feel very, very lucky! 2014 brought us such a blessing.

Favorites of 2014 -- July, August, September

In July, life changed forever!

July

July saw me sporting third-trimester accommodating duds, one stellar hospital gown and some fourth-trimester fabulousness. We were so excited to meet baby boy! Best month ever.

August

August was a bit of a blur, but I did manage to get dressed a few times. Stretchy clothes and clogs for the win! 

September

In September, I wore outfits on a pretty regular basis, and developed a little eBay addiction while stay-at-home momming it. Our little boy started sleeping for longer periods of time, and life became a bit less blurry.

Up next: The end of the year! More sassy, sleep-deprived style!

Favorites of 2014 - April, May, June

Let's continue our sartorial journey through 2014!

April

In April, I apparently wore a lot of stripes and polka-dots. And why not? Stripes and polka-dots are the best! Also, the bump turned into a full-on belly.

May

In May, strangers asked me if I was 9-months pregnant and/or pregnant with twins (No and no). I also wore some adorable things. Look at that vintage owl necklace I bought at the beach!

June

In June, it was hot, hot, hot! I wore lots of pretty prints, bright colors and the only shoes that fit on my swollen feet -- my Birkenstocks.

Up next: Some brand new mom style!

Favorites of 2014 - January, February and March

It has been a pretty amazing year for obvious, tiny-baby reasons, but I've also worn some cute clothes while pregnant and taking care of the little nugget, so I thought I would have a sartorial look back over 2014! Starting with January, February and March:

January

In January, I was pregnant, but very few people knew it. We visited Virginia, I got sick a lot, and it snowed!

February

In February, it snowed a lot for our neck of the woods, which was terribly exciting. You could even call it a snowstorm! I was pregnant and everyone knew it. I started sporting a baby bump, but I could still wear most of my looser clothes. 

March

In March, it wasn't freezing, but I could still wear cardigans and boots -- ideal weather! Normal pants were out. Flouncy dresses were in (but, really, when have flouncy dresses not been in?). Maternity wear started to be worn.

Up next: A super preggers woman attempting stylishness through April, May and June!

Loving It (A quick list)

This is my end-of-the-year list of my super favs in 2014:

Musician: Lorde

Song: "History Eraser" by Courtney Barnett



Book: "Instructions" by Neil Gaiman (Ostensibly a children's book, 100 percent the best any-kind book I've read in a long time.)



Movie: The Giant Mechanical Man (Not a 2014 movie, but I watched it New Year's Day totally nauseated, not because I was hungover, but because I was pregnant. It was awesome largely because it stars Danny of The Mindy Project.)

Poem: "Dinosaurs in the Hood" by Danez Smith

TV Show: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Happy almost New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas -- a day to believe in Santa Claus and Norman Rockwell paintings!

Also: Here is a picture of Thomas in a Christmas sweater because what is Christmas for if not for Christmas sweaters?

And, okay, you probably also need to see this picture of Thomas with a ukulele. 

Merry Christmas!

When Christmas is sad

I was watching Indina Menzel, whom I love (Um... she was both Elphaba and Elsa) sing Joni Mitchell's "River" and I was like "This is JUST WRONG." Because it was. Indina wasn't sad enough. She just really needed to be sadder.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about my favorite sad Christmas songs. Here are my Top Five (High Fidelity style) in descending order of super sadness:

5. Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" (Obvious choice. Kind of not sad because Elvis's voice makes me happy.)



4. Mariah Carey's (totally sad - she doesn't not have him there! - yet misleadingly upbeat) "All I Want for Christmas is You"



3. Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Is everything she sings sad because of her Judy Garland voice? Maybe.)



2. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (He's homesick. It's sad to be homesick at Christmas.)



1. Joni Mitchell's "River" (She made her baby say goodbye.)




So much sadness! It's hard not to be a wee bit melancholy at the (literally) darkest time of the year.

Style Icon: Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman -- one of the most major makeovers in Christmas movie history.

You start with a regular ol' snowman, throw on a magic hat and whammo -- Frosty is here! And isn't he lovely? The corncob pipe! The button nose! The magic hat with that little pink flower! A broom! Who doesn't love a snowman with a broom?

Frosty the Snowman is a really silly movie, and that's why I love it. I love wholesome, sweet Christmas movies that make me super nostalgic. And it can't be denied that he has some great signature style. Keeping it classy with that top hat, Frosty. Keeping it classy!

Sneakers

These Blowfish sneakers bought on eBay (Of course. All things are bought on eBay.) are my new favorites. So comfortable. So cute. They totally work with baby toys and polka-dot mint jeans. And a white rug. Why do we own a white rug when we have an infant son and old-lady dog? Because we inherited it, and you really can't beat plush, fab and free. (And stained. Yep. Oh well.)

Cheese

So.... this happened. And it's kind of the most amazing, cheesiest bunch of adorable Christmas cheese of all time! What is happening in this picture? I'm not so sure, but I'm loving it! Thomas wishes you all a Merry Christmas!

Style Icon: Cindy Lou Who

Cindy Lou Who - How cute are you? You were full of sweetness and love and you melted the heart of the meanest of Grinches. You understand the true meaning of Christmas!

That little pink nightgown and red hair ribbons? Adorable. Stylistically appealing. Classic. Simple. Loveable. And then there's the live-action version of "The Grinch"...

And Cindy Lou Who went from less is more to more is more (and when it comes to her hair -- WAY more).

Whether she's sporting a minimal or maximal style, Cindy Lou Who looks fab and spreads the joy of Christmas to the coldest of hearts!

Loving it

Lately I've been loving...

1. My baby boy and his super cute cuteness. Not loving: The fact my family seems to be constantly battling colds and losing those battles.
2. Clementines all the time.
3. Season 2 of Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. So good! Seriously one of my favorite shows ever!
4. Cinnamon coffee. Yep. Yum.
5. Trimming the tree, old school carols, Secret Santa - loving all things Christmas including my son's candy cane pajamas!

Style Icon: Gloria Pritchett

Modern Family is one of my favorite shows these days basically because it is so very hilarious. One part of the "modern family" featured on the show is Gloria Pritchett, the loud, eye-catching trophy wife.

Her style is a little ridiculous and a lot of fun. This is a woman who is all about high heels and leopard print. 

Gloria's pretty into tight pants too. Definitely digs the tight pants. Here's the thing with Gloria -- she's got it, and she's not afraid to flaunt it!

The character is more than just a hot, younger wife though. She's also a loving (smothering) mom and outspoken (meaning: very loud) partner, and she is highly entertaining to watch -- only in part because of the sky-high heels and spandex-tight clothes!

Little tree

(The best.)

Remix - Red coat

Hello to you, red coat.

Before this coat, I was a neutral coat kind of girl. I bought a coat that would go with everything. My coats were always gray or black. That was it. It wasn't the coat's job to put on a show! It needed to match a lot of stuff and keep me warm, that's it!

Then I met this ruffly beauty, and my world view changed. Okay, maybe not my world view, but my coat view. I no longer thought the coat needed to be a muted neutral. Oh no! Sometimes all you ever see is the coat! Let your coat have something to say!

What does my coat say? Well, it says "I am a coat. I am very red and very orange. I am reddish-orange, and I am ruffly. My owner is looking fabulous thanks in large part to me. You are welcome, owner. You are welcome." To which I say, thanks coat. Thanks.

My new thing

I bought this gray sweater at a thrift store when I was visiting my little sister years ago in Santa Barbara, California. Like everything else in California, its thrift stores were more expensive than our North Carolina thrift stores, but I thought this gray short-sleeved sweater was worth the cost (which was probably still under $10). 

I liked the neckline, and it's gray, which is Robert's favorite color on me (weird, I think, but true). So I wore my gray sweater and my black maxi-skirt and my moccasins to hang out with my baby and husband.

Sidenote: These shoes make me think of that "Thrift Store" lyric "Passing up on those moccasins/ someone else has been walking in them" because they are moccasins and someone else has walked in them. Whatever. They're cute. I wasn't going to pass them up.

Blue bangle: Also second hand. I wear bangles now. It's a thing. Okay, now let's look at my precious baby's face. In this picture, my baby is about to seriously spit up. Pre-spitting up he looks pensive and thoughtful, like he's pondering the difficulties of life. 

Post spit up, he's all like "Hey guys! Wanna play?!" Also let us take a minute to admire his second-hand playsuit situation, which has an adorable three-toothed monster on it. I think monsters are my new thing. And since they're my new thing, they're Thomas's new thing. That's just the way it works, kid. 

A tale of two babies

First up: I bought some shirts from Out of Print with my first back-to-work paycheck because I have been wanting them forever. I bought "A Wrinkle in Time" because it's a great book, and it's one my students read. I plan to wear my book T-shirts to work, and Robert told me I'm "a hair's breath away from becoming Ms. Frizzle." (Becoming Ms. Frizzle is my ultimate dream.)

Second up: Remember how I moaned and moaned about how my favorite boots no longer fit because my feet grew during pregnancy? Well I followed the advice of you guys, and did not get rid of them, and they fit! Most of my old shoes still don't (and I did donate a lot of them that were too small), but these are back, baby!

So I wore my old favorite boots and my new literacy teacher shirt out to a mall to visit with my friend Sherrie. I hate malls, but I love Sherrie, and it was rainy, and I'm not sure where else to go with two babies in the rain, so mall it was! Plus, I thought I might do some Christmas shopping, which I did not end up doing.

Sherrie lives in Illinois so it's big news whenever she's in town. This was her first time meeting Thomas and Thomas and Sabria's first time meeting each other. (Sabria and I, on the other hand, totally old friends.)

It was really lovely to hang out and have our babies stare at each other. It was also nice to catch up between being distracted by our babies' needs! How's your job? (Insert baby paci into cranky baby mouth.) How's the husband? (Shake toy at baby. Give baby the toy.) Love your hair! (Feed baby. Burp baby.) And so on. 

Unapproved action

So... motherhood is interesting and not what I expected, and I think the best thing I can do for my baby/myself is just roll with it, live in the present and accept life as it is. For example: Once upon a time, I thought I wouldn't let Thomas have sugar until his first birthday, maybe his second.  

But then his great-grandmother gave him a bite of banana pudding (without permission, people!), and so his second food was banana pudding (first food: peas). Not what I had planned.

And while it was not planned, I found it to be hilarious. We are back on a baby-appropriate diet now. He's tried peas and rice cereal mixed with formula. It's a terribly exciting time. (Also terribly exciting: my bobbed haircut. I don't know why I didn't cut my hair sooner for serious. I may never grow it out ever again.)

So, yes, out of the very few foods Thomas has tried, banana pudding was his favorite. Look at that little grin! (No sugar again until his first birthday! Or maybe his second! Allegedly! So I claim!)

Style Icon: Joanne Woodward

This post is ostensibly about Joanne Woodward's fabulous '60s style, but really, it's an excuse for me to post photos of my favorite Hollywood couple of all time. Oh Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, you two were the cutest.

They seem so happy and domestic together. They love their children and pet their dogs and read newspapers and eat breakfast together. And they stayed together until death did them part (Paul's, Joanne is still around and still looking fab).

But they were also glamorous and fabulous. World travelers! Movie stars! Super stylish!

Joanne Woodward had cute, bobbed blonde hair and wore the sweetest dresses, peg-leg pants and flats. (Paul Newman looked pretty hip too.)

I love them both so much. They seemed so sincerely in love, and they made such great movies together and apart. Hollywood legends for sure.