Embroidered pom pom tank...

Top: J. Crew

Pants: J. Crew last year (Factory version)

 Shoes: Birkenstocks

When I find a good thing lately, I wear and rewear and wear it some more. It's been that way with my skinny zipper pants, and also with this embroidered top. It's hard to find things that work on the postpartum/breastfeeding body, and so I've tried to carefully purchase a few things that will tide me over for the time being. This beauty easily transitions from work (layer it under a blazer) to a dinner date with Stephen (it's perfect over skinny jeans or these grey skinnies) to church (denim skirt/cardi) and our recent pre and post wedding festivities (my brother got married this past weekend). It's also currently on sale + 40% off here.

Top: J. Crew

Cardi: Gap (old), similar

Skirt: J. Crew (old), similar here or here

Since we're on the subject of my postpartum wardrobe (yet again - sorry), here are the five pieces on constant rotation in my closet:

1. J. Crew Factory Swing Tunic: I'm wearing it here, and I loved it from my first day out of the hospital.

2. J. Crew Campbell Capri: Stretchy is the secret to pants fitting postpartum. These literally saved me during orientation at three weeks post-birth - I wore them every.day. and since they are my pre-pregnancy size, I'll be wearing them for a long, long time.

3. J. Crew Embroidered Pom Pom Tank: Gorgeous embroidery and just loose enough without being sloppy.

4. J. Crew Skinny Zipper Pant: Wore them here and every day lately they are pretty much either on my person or in the wash (white + baby).

5. J. Crew Factory Embroidered Peasant Top: Wore it here...summer perfection.

Linking up with Heather // Agi // the Pleated Poppy.

Sunday blues

Dress: EShakti c/o

Shoes: Sole Society

Earrings: Stella and Dot

You guys, this dress! It's comfy, A-line (hello flattering - even two months post-baby), the brightest/prettiest shade of blue, aaaaand it has pockets! Could a girl ask for anything more?

EShakti contacted me when I was pushing 9 months preggo and asked if I would review one of their dresses. After confirming that they really did want me to review a dress in my soon-to-be postpartum state (ha), I happily obliged. I picked this dress because of the color, post-baby friendly cut, and because it looked breastfeeding compatible (it is!) which is excruciatingly hard to find. But there are so many lovely options like this one, this one, and this one. The best part? EShakti will customize a dress for your measurements. This is gold for a girl whose chest is consistently several sizes bigger than her dress size (and when you add in breastfeeding - almost impossible to find any dress that fits properly). You can also customize the sleeves, length, or neckline if that's your thing. 

This is the perfect Sunday dress and I'm linking it here.

Newborn pics + 5 favs (baby edition)

I'm so glad that in the haywire that ensued after Stephen Gabriel's birth we somehow made time for newborn pictures. It's such a fleeting time and I feel like I missed some of it with the afterbirth, move, and orientation so I'm glad we have these photos to capture some of the indescribable sweetness that comes with the newborn phase (the sleepless nights are worth it). Little Stephen has gone from 6 pounds, 3 ounces when we brought him home from the hospital (down from his original birthweight of 6 pounds, 11 ounces) to his current two month weight of (drumroll) 12 pounds, 2 ounces! So all those late night feedings are doing something :) I can't get over his growth chart (proud docta momma) which shows a steady incline from the 9th percentile, to the 27th, to the 54th. And if you make it through these gazillion pictures (it was so hard to choose just a few!), I shared my five favorites for the newborn phase at the end of this post. Also, if you are wondering about my sweater (drapey but not sloppy = a postpartum lifesaver) it's this one.

All photos by Vafa-Coffman

So after my vast experience of two months (ha), I can now share my 'wisdom' on my five favorite things for the newborn period. The truth is, they really don't need much and there are definitely things that we got that were totally unnecessary (although that doesn't include the notorious wipe warmer, which I still love contrary to popular belief). These five essentials though I would 100% buy or register for over (and over) again.

1. Aden By aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Blanket 4 Pack, Safari Friends: There's nothing I can say that truly sums up how wonderful these are. Yes they're pricey, but the gazillions of moms who love these can't be wrong. They are perfect swaddlers (those silly flannel receiving blankets never cut it for our little houdini), burp cloths, breastfeeding covers, sun protectors/insect repellers when draped over a car seat, etc. etc. They also come in the very cutest patterns and get softer with washes.

2. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Adjustable Infant Wrap, 2-Pack, Woodland Friends: My sister-in-law recommended these and my mom gave them to me as a Christmas gift after we found out we were pregnant. Somehow I forgot about them in the craziness after he was born and just starting using them a few weeks ago... and they are gold. I first was using the Halo sleep sacks at night but they were waaay too hot, then I was using the muslin swaddle blankets but the extra steps to swaddle started driving me crazy when the little man went through a wake-up-every-hour phase at night. These swaddle sacks are perfectly lightweight for summer, so soft, and super easy to use.

3. Boppy Pillow with Slipcover, Lots O Dots: This kind of goes without saying since almost everyone loves the Boppy. We used this from Stephen Gabriel's very first days of life and we love it both for breastfeeding and for holding the little guy. My mom birthed eight kids without a Boppy and after she saw me using it proclaimed that she had no idea how she did it.

4. Fisher-Price Deluxe Newborn Vibrating Rock n' Play Sleeper, My Little Snugabunny: those of you who read this post know about my love/hate relationship with the Rock n' Play. I question whether it meets safe sleep standards (although absolutely no judgement on anyone who uses this as a sleeper - we did for almost a month and I have tons of friends who do so I'm probably just being paranoid) and little Stephen also had some sleep problems that I don't think were helped by this. All this being said, this sleeper is gold still for daytime naps, occasional playtime (or to put him in while I'm showering, etc.), and I think helpful for his mild reflux. It also folds up which is really nice for the traveling we've done.

5. Graco Duo 2-in-1 Swing and Bouncer - Sweet Pea from the Sprout 'n Grow Collection: I saved the best for last. This was actually something that I didn't register for, but one of the residents in my class loaned me hers after insisting that it was an essential. Stephen Gabriel loves.it. I so wish that we had registered for this in place of our bouncer, which he hates, not to mention that this doubles as a bouncer in case he ever has a conversion. After we discovered this awesome swing, Stephen and I could actually sit down and eat dinner together again. He occasionally naps in it too.

Those are my five, although I'm sure that some of these are baby specific and there are probably other items that more experienced moms swear by for the newborn phase. Linking up with Heather for Five Favs.

Savoring it...

We packed Jr., as Stephen as started affectionally calling him despite my protests that it just might stick and I really prefer Stephen Gabriel, in the car last week for a spontaneous trip to visit my family in the town where I grew up, the place that I'm convinced is the best place in the world during summertime. Sadly it was a little cold but that didn't stop us from reveling in the green grass and fresh air and crystal clear lake views. We also were able to go out alone a couple times while my mom watched the baby, always briefly of course but I'm convinced that a little time with just the two of us is important before I go back to work.

It didn't really make sense to make the trip since we'll be going back next week for my brother's wedding, but little Stephen is more than used to long car trips by now (move to Minnesota at 2 weeks, wedding in Detroit at 3 weeks, and now two more trips to northern Michigan at 8 and 9 weeks) and he doesn't seem to mind (as long as we have his tunes). 

I'm really trying to ignore the fact that each day that passes brings me closer to the inevitable day in August that I go back to work (officially, since I've already been back for quite a few days of orientation and training) and instead savor each day that I get to spend with the little guy. It's hard though, because each moment seems so fleeting and every day he grows and changes...I just hate the thought of missing any of it.

One of the things that makes me feel the saddest is thinking of him waking up at night without me there. As an ER physician, I'll be doing lots and lots of late evening and night shifts (next month is a lighter month and 16 of my shifts are late evenings or nights). Last night when he woke up at 3 a.m. I snuggled him close, his head fitting perfectly in the crook of my neck, and tried not to think about the nights at 3 a.m. when I won't be home.

And he 'turned' two months this week! We go for his check up today and I'm waiting anxiously to here how much he's grown...he's definitely come a long, long way from the fragile 6 pound, 3 ouncer that we brought home (I'm pretty sure that he's jumped at least three curves on the growth chart). He's so interactive lately, looks right into our eyes and smiles, and I'm loving every bit of it.

I promised myself that I would never do posts on "mom" style (it just sounds so old) but the truth is, lots of things do change...one of which is gravitating toward more practical shoes that aren't too 'mom-ish' ha. These have been quintessential to my summer uniform.

And the top I'm wearing in this post is from J. Crew Factory, another great postpartum one. It's currently on clearance here.

That makes seven, so I'm linking up with Jen.

5 Favs: J. Crew edition

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

J. Crew is still running a huge sale (40% off all final sale items and 40% off select summer items) and five of my favorite things are on super sale:

1. Downtown Field Jacket (worn here): This jacket is timeless and uber flattering...I love the navy and gold buttons (this is one of my sister's favorite things to borrow out of my closet).
2. Boyfriend Fatigue Jacket (worn here and here): You can't go wrong with a pretty and structured military jacket in a classic shade of green.
3. Linen Baseball Tee (worn here): J. Crew's linen tees are light and airy for summer, and I love the pale pink/grey color scheme.
4. Skinny Zipper Pants (worn here and here): I already wrote all about my love for them in my post here. It's tough to find flattering and comfortable pants postpartum, but these work thanks to the stretch and the mid-rise. They can be dressed up or down and the 'pearl' color pretty much goes with everything.
5. Linen Lace-trim Tank (worn here): Another pretty and comfy top (I have the heather grey/champagne)...and it will transition easily to fall with a cardigan or jacket.

I also realized that my favorite cardigan (ever) is part of the sale...the mixed tape cardigan is a closet staple in a great length (hits just past the hip on me) and fit (the arms are nice and snug...I hate cardigans with baggy arms!). I own it in black and ivory, and wore it here and here.

Linking up with Heather for Five Favorites.