Immunized

Worn to take Eleanor to get her first round of immunizations done ... in August because I'm insanely disorganized these days and this post completely fell off my radar but the bonus is it's like a flashback moment to the summer. The day we took Eleanor in I also got a couple of booster shots to make sure all my immunizations were up-to-date. So basically the baby and I were both super cranky for the afternoon and most of the next day, which I think the vaguely irritated look on my face conveys.

dress: Simons / shoes: Primark / cardigan: Target / necklace: Forever 21

Back in an Old Favourite

I am beyond excited that I fit back into this dress – and old favourite that I haven’t been able to wear in almost a year. It feels so amazing to be able to put in on again and not have it be uncomfortable.

In other news, my little article on honour among the early modern English elite got published and you can read it here!

leggings: Simons / dress: H&M / shoes: Target / jacket: Joseph Ribkoff / necklace: Stella and Dot

All the Frills: Nursery Rearrange

I recently did a bit of rearranging in Eleanor’s nursery in advance of our plan to transition her out of our bedroom into her own in a few weeks. I love this little gallery shelf I set up for her, which, of course, includes an image of the tomb of her namesake, the incomparable Eleanor of Aquitaine. I’m so excited to get her into this space so that I can stop waking up every time she so much as shifts in her sleep in her current crib that resides right by my bed.

Weekend Reading:

• This book about an Indian school of scientists predating several of Newton’s key discoveries looks fascinating (although I’m not sure I’m convinced of the author’s ideas concerning the transfer of said knowledge to Newton).
  
• There are a lot of misconceptions about kilts and their history and the historian in me has always been very irritated by it … this article soothes me.
  
• Remember that rediscovered da Vinci that recently sold at an incredibly high price? Well, the author of this piece has doubts about its authenticity and makes some pretty convincing points.
  
• This photo series, entitled Afro Art, is beautiful.
  
• I think you’ll be hard pressed to a find more hilarious headline than this.

Cardiology

Worn to take Eleanor to a follow up cardiology appointment. Since bringing her home from the NICU her heart rate remains low but she is thriving and asymptomatic (basically, if you didn’t know it was there, you would never imagine she had a wonky heart rate). Anyways, the cardiologist agreed that she seems the picture of health and they don’t anticipate any long term consequences of the lower heart rate but they’ll continue to check in on her periodically. To that end, they sent her home all hooked up to a monitor for 24 hours so they could get a more comprehensive picture of her rhythm. So navigating around all those wires, etc was a real fun time for us!

Full closure, these photos are actually from a couple of months ago and they totally got lost in the shuffle over here. I've actually been sitting on these for so long that this Friday it's already time to take Eleanor back to the cardiologist for another appointment! The good news is that, according to her pediatrician, who we saw last week, her heart rate is not in the normal range ... so hopefully the cardiology confirms that and then maybe I'll only have to take her back once more. Which will be amazing because not only will it mean she's healthy but it was also mean I don't have to do another of these appointments.

The cardiology appointments are brutal. The clinic is actually in the hospital (hello $20 to park for the day in a massive lot) and the appointment itself takes about 3-4 hours as we shuttle around the hospital to various departments to see first nurses, then get an echocardiogram and various other tests, then wait around a bit, and then finally see the cardiologist. It's a long day for a baby that hates beings in a stroller (so basically I have to hold her in my arms the whole time and she gets real fidgety (she loves wiggling on the ground these days and only really likes being cuddled when she's sleepy)) and she'll be halfway to a meltdown by the time we get home, especially since the appointment runs right through her usual nap time!

dress: Zara / leggings: ASOS / blazer: thrifted, Clavin Klein via Value Village / shoes: Target / necklace: Target

Spooky Print

Because a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes no longer fit quite right (I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight but the shape of my body has just been forever altered (wider hips now, etc, etc)), I did a quick shopping trip recently and got myself some new jeans and this cool, kind of spooky printed top. I can’t tell you how nice it feels to be in clothes that actually fit! And apologies for the crappy lighting - the sun sets here now at like 4:30 pm (and rises at 8:30 am) so I'm often reduced to doing photos when it's dark outside because my helpmeet leaves in the morning when it's still dark out and it's usually dark out again by the time we both get home. It's going to be a long winter...

jeans: Mavi / shirt: Winners

All the Frills: Regretting a Recent Win

So I recently entered a gift draw at my local drugstore and I won! Which is shocking because I never win anything. My haul included an insane number of little samples of various high end creams and skin care products and makeup. And that’s dangerous because it’s caused me to fall in love with this particular product that retails for over $100. But now I’m hooked and so my bank account is going to take a big hit when my little sample size runs out. Do you indulge in any skin care splurges?

Weekend Reading

• The controversy over this sausage roll ad is the best thing to happen all week.
  
• Let’s looks at some gorgeous wedding gowns, shall we?
  
• This shark is the stuff nightmares are made of.
  
• This story just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

Maternity Leave Reality Check

Full disclosure, I’m finding being on maternity leave a little rough – and I freely admit that. It’s a bit like walking of a cliff in that I went from having a really challenging job that I put a lot of hours into (not to mention working a lot at home on the book – which, of course, is now finished) to just full stop not much to do all day. Eleanor also still has a somewhat erratic sleep schedule so while she does take lengthy day time naps, I never really know when she will want to sleep and that makes it hard to make plans to get out of the house.

It's also further complicated by the fact that she likes travelling in the car but as soon as the car stops, she wants out of her car seat and angrily tells you so - so even just taking her out to a store or to get groceries is complicated. Combine all that with not having regular access to other grown ups and it’s definitely a bit isolating. Most days I find myself counting down the hours until the helpmeet gets home from work and I have an adult to talk to. I take her out to programs at our local library and to visit with family and friends, as well as going into the office a few hours a week (trust me, I need the break) but I can say with confidence that I’m really glad that I opted for eight months of leave instead of the more standard twelve (my helpmeet is doing the other four months). Anyways, given that I only get out of the house sporadically, I really made the most of this trip to the vet.

leggings: ASOS / dress: Rachel Roy / shoes: Spring / necklace: Oak + Fort / jacket: The Bay

Well Heeled For Winter

I may have missed out on getting a lot of wear out of my sandals this year (there's snow on the ground now so that ship has definitely sailed) but at least now that I'm driving my own car I can actually get more wear out of the few pairs of heels I have this winter. Walking in snow is never conducive to wearing heels so the driving thing makes a HUGE difference.

top: F21 / leggings: ASOS / shoes:ModCloth / necklace: Stella and Dot

Missing Sandal Season

Another bonus of not being pregnant anymore was that the swelling in my feet finally subsided in July and I could fit into sandals, etc again. While it's full on winter here now, until a couple of weeks ago I could still get away with wearing sandals - so I really made the most of it.

pants: ASOS / shirt: Winners / jacket: Aritzia / sandals: Arturo Chiang / necklace: Stella and Dot / sunglasses: Aldo

All the Frills: New Shoe Additions Edition

Lord knows I love me a good pair of loafers. And it seems like every fall I have to add at least another pair or two to my closet – seriously, how great are those sparkly ones?

Weekend Reading:

• I desperately want to see this exhibit! And the Met Gala will be insane next year.
  
• So this woman got fired for flipping off Trump’s motorcade. And she has no regrets. I love her.
  
• Cats, cats, cats!
  
• This is awesome. And so sad that it had to happen at all.
  
• These women’s ordeal lost at sea for five months is bonkers. And then the plot thickened.

Starry Eyed

Eleanor loves it when I wear this sweatshirt (the black and white, the pattern, it’s all extremely fascinating for her little baby brain and she starts giggling and watching me intently when I have it on) and I love it because it is super soft and cozy and oversized and generally just perfect for a chilly fall day. Everybody wins!

pants: Zara / sweatshirt: Winners

Back in the Red

I’m so happy that I fit into this dress again! I bought it shortly before I found out I was pregnant and was only able to wear it once or twice before it stopped fitting. I own so few colourful things and was really smitten with the vibrant red of this dress – it seemed perfect for fall to me. So, here we are a year later, and I get to wear it in the fall!

dress: ModCloth / blazer: Simons / booties: Aldo / leggings: American Apparel

All the Frills: Halloweenies!

So this is the first year in a VERY long time that I didn’t do an elaborate Halloween costume to hit the town in. Just too much going on with baby. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t dress Eleanor up as an adorable little cat (and ensured I matched) and decorated the house for Halloween. It is my favourite time of year after all.

Weekend Reading:

If I’m still doing as much baby wearing next year as I am now, I will definitely be trying one of these Halloween costumes.

I’m glad the Library of Congress confirms what I’ve known ever since my first month of landing at Yale.

Guys, these are dark days. And the world needs heroes.

The world definitely needs heroes.

Stuff like this just horrifies me and fills me with sadness.

KFC’s social media is clever. Very clever.