What's Going On

We had a WONDERFUL Father's Day weekend. Baby J bought his Daddy a new ipod holder for when he is walking Daisy, a DVD, and some Vineyard Vines Chappy trucks (currently on their whale of a sale) for our upcoming beach trip. We had brunch at a friend's house. They have 2 month old twin girls, so both Daddy's were celebrating their first Father's Day and we figured this was most easily done in the comfort of our own homes instead of at a restaurant with 3 babies. After a yummy brunch, we ALL took afternoon naps. When we woke up the sun was shining and we RAN outside. The sun has been a rarity in NYC for this past month. I think it has rained like 18/21 days. We stopped by Crumbs Bakery and got A a Father's Day red velvet cupcake (key lime for me). We took Baby J to Central Park and he went on the swings for the first time. He LOVED it!

BTW, as you can see in the pictures above we went with the rainforest jumperoo. GREAT CHOICE! I LOVE THAT THING! Baby J goes CRAZY in it and he is SO happy to bounce around. It is worth every single penny. If you have a baby or are expecting, you HAVE to buy this thing. It is worth its weight in gold! My child will literally be having a temper tantrum and I put him in this and he starts laughing. It's magical.

My heart is so heavy today. One of my sister's best friends was killed in a car accident on Monday morning. She was 22 years old and was to spend the 4th of July with my family at our beach house. Please say a prayer for her family and her younger sisters and friends. Please say a prayer for my sister. She has dealt with more hardship than anyone her age should have to. Her new boyfriend also just broke up with her via email. What an idiot. It breaks my heart that I'm not there hugging her tonight. I know God has his plans, but at times like this it is so hard to understand them. The wake is this evening and the funeral services are tomorrow.

The good news is that I do get to give her a hug on Friday!! A, J and & I leave for Bham tomorrow night. A in his his best friend's wedding this weekend so we have the rehearsal dinner on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday night. Baby J is being baptized on Sunday at A's parent's church. My entire family is also coming in town. We have a Sip & See at A's parent's house on Monday for my MIL's friends and my friends that have not met Baby J yet. We'll drive to my parent's house in South AL on Tuesday (which is also our 2 year anniversary). On Wednesday we are heading to my parent's beach house to spend 4th of July week. A heads home on Monday and I stay until Thursday! Whew, I'm tired just typing that all out! I am so excited and currently trying to figure out how to pack for a 5 month old and myself. Hmmm. We have so many necessary outfits!

I will probably be absent from my blog during the next two weeks so I can enjoy every minute with my family and friends. I may stop in here and there...I might actually have time to catch up on all of your blogs because there are going to be lots of hands wanting to hold my little munchkin. I'm praying that he does well. He's on such a good schedule right now (1 morning nap, 1 afternoon nap and sleeps 8:30/9:00pm-8:00/8:30am). I know this trip is going to throw him for a loop and he is not used to being around so many people. I'm sure he'll do fine.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Stay cool!

Preppy Baby Flowers

Thought these preppy baby flowers might make you smile. My family sent me these after Baby J was born. They know me so well! =)

Preppy Summer Baby

$35.00 for the set from Girly Twirly

(additional $7.00 if you want to add a monogram or name)

Hungry Girl's New Cookbook

I recently purchased Hungry Girl's new cookbook and I'm LOVING it! So many fun recipes and there is a print off where you can get every recipe with the Weight Watchers points. So far I have made the cheesecake brownies, the peanut butter poppers, the strawberry shortcake cupcakes, the tiramisu pudding and the banana bread.

Have you heard of Hungry Girl? I get her daily emails and she sends awesome tips and recipes (especially if you are doing Weight Watchers like me). You can sign up for her emails here.

Buy it here:

Happy 5 Month Birthday Baby J!

The Mini Social

Email me at magnoliasmarriageandmanhattan@gmail.com and I'll send you an invitation to join! It's like Rue La La for kids and babies! Current sales include Little Ella (by Ella Moss), Eight3one, and Baby Star.

Kate Spade Sample Sale

Click here to enter

More Ebay Sales

Things you might be interested in:

Hot Pink J. Crew Size 6 shirt

Navy Blue J. Crew Polo Size Small

Light Pink Ralph Lauren Sport Polo Size Small

J. Crew Navy Classic Twill City Fit Chino Size 6

Banana Republic Strapless Red Shirt Size 4

MIA Peep Toe Black Leather Flats Size 9

Merona Brown Heels Size 8.5

Expecting?

Ann Taylor Loft Maternity Dress Size 6 Months

Motherhood Maternity Dress Size Small

For your man:

Gray/Green Ralph Lauren Polo Size XL

Olive Green Lacoste Shirt Size 6 (Large)

There is more...just click on my listings to find them. I'll be listing more JCrew, Banana and maternity finds this week!

Perfect Preppy Hostess Gift

This summer you will probably be invited either to a fabulous dinner at a friend's house, a weekend stay at a friend's beach or lake house, or maybe you'll just go visit an old friend (or future mother-in-law) in their hometown. For any of these type of occasions, I was always taught to bring a "little something" for your hostess. This preppy pink and green recipe card and mat set is a perfect option for that "little something." For $23.50 you get 8 reversible paper place mats and 25 matching recipe cards. It's the perfect combo.

Gift set available at Whitney Caroline Gifts.

Diapers.Com Semi-Annual Sale

Diapers.com is having their semi-annual sale right now and there are some GREAT deals! If you have not ordered from them before, you can get $10.00 your first order with the code MMMBLOG. You also get free shipping for orders over $49.99. I talked all about how great diapers.com is here.

The bumpkin bibs everyone recommended are on sale, as is the jumperoo, pampers wipes, etc! Shop away! =)

McKenzie Originals Discount for MMM Readers

McKenzie Originals is offering MMM readers a 10% discount on their little girl flower headbands. What little diva doesn't need a pretty flower on her head? =) A, I promise I did not order one for Baby J. Use the link above to receive your discount!

Baby Issues and Questions

1. So Baby J has decided that he WILL NOT take a bottle. I've been breastfeeding him since the beginning, but have pumped bottles for him as well when needed. During the past month or so he flat out REFUSES to take the bottle. He just wants Mama. I have tried 6 different types of bottles. I have left the room and let others attempt to give him the bottle(supposedly they can smell your milk for up to 20 ft--kinda crazy). We have tried a cup (pediatrician's recommendation...he's obviously not here to help with laundry). Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm dying here. I can't leave him for very long because he still eats every 3 hours.

2. My sweet Baby J is losing his head of hair! It has been falling out in his hats and in his crib the past few weeks. Y'all he looks like a little old man with male pattern baldness. (We still think he is beyond perfect and cute.) Of course, he is being baptized at the end of this month and we have a photographer coming to take his pictures. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know long this process normally takes? It looks like there is more hair growing in (that is a little lighter).

3. Which exersaucer do you recommend? We are about to purchase one and are trying to decide between this one, this one, this one, this one and this one. I've heard bad things about Johnny Jump Ups because of spinal injuries to kids, but it seems like a lot of people have those too. Thoughts...

4. Baby J recently started rice cereal and we need some new bibs! Which ones are the very best in your opinion?

5. I'm looking for a monogrammed tshirt for Baby J to wear with his swim trunks when we go to the beach. All I'm finding is onesies. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for your help!!

Thanks for Your Prayers

Just a quick update for those of you who have kept my friends in your prayers. Sweet Baby Scarlett just celebrated her 1st birthday. She is now crawling, pulling up and taking steps. While she still has ACC and infantile seizures...all other major syndromes have been ruled out by a genetics doctor.

My friend's sister was released from the hospital this past weekend and is on the road to recovery! The doctors blame a recent surgery for the bleeding. We're just glad she is doing better and expected to make a full recovery.

God is good! Thank you for keeping them in your prayers.

Your Questions Answered (FINALLY)

Thanks for all of the great questions!! Here are my answers:

The Cape House asked a few good ones: I'd like to know how you told your parents that you were expecting and if you plan to move back down south. Also, what is your favorite family heirloom or tradition and what's the story there?

All great questions! I'll start with the first one. We found out we were expecting on May 30th (almost exactly a year ago) last year. We had been trying, but we were very lucky and it only took a month. We were both very surprised as we thought it would take much longer. I had mentioned to my parents that we would like to have a baby soon, so they were not entirely surprised. I was actually very nervous when I called to tell my Mom. It's funny, until you are married it is most girls worst nightmares to have to tell their mother they are pregnant. Even though I knew she would be excited, I still had really nervous feeling in my stomach like I was doing something wrong. She was the first person that I told (after my husband of course) and she was beyond excited! I'll never forget that moment. We agreed I was supposed to call back and tell my Dad when he got home, but she couldn't hold it in so he called me a few minutes later to congratulate me.

My favorite family heirloom is probably my Nana's silver. She gave it to me before she died. You can see a picture of it in one of my old posts (look under "weddings" in my achieves)
A's Mom loves silver and she has been great about giving me pieces of my pattern for Birthdays and Christmas. She even gave me the baby spoon in my pattern for Baby J.

Another heirloom on A's side is the baptismal gown that Baby J will wear at his baptism the end of next month. A wore it, his brother wore it, his sister wore it, all 3 of his cousins wore it (including the cousin that will be Baby J's Godfather), so and and so on all the way back to his Great Grandfather. The gown is exquisite and I can't wait to see him in it. It is going to be a very special day...not too much longer!

Courtney from Soloff asked: Random question - but what kind of camera do you use?? I love all your pictures!

Just before Baby J was born, my husband bought us a Cannon Rebel XSI. We LOVE it! He has bought a couple extra lens (including a nice 50mm) and I'm still learning how to work it all, but even an amateur can take great pictures with his camera. We are quite pleased.

Suz asked: When are you planning another NYC blogger meetup?!?!

It's in the works. Our last NYC blogger meetup went so well that we are going to do another one. We tried to do one last week, but it didn't work out. We have quite a few new girls to add to the mix and one of them actually took the reigns at planning. Email me if you want to come. If any other NYC bloggers are interested, let me know and I'll get you hooked up with the details.

Lauren asked: I do have a question for you, actually... I lived in NYC for about 2 1/2 years and moved back South last year when I got engaged. Now married, my husband and I are thinking about moving back up to NYC in the next few years and staying there. What's NYC like from a married with children perspective? I think it would actually be easier to have children in NYC - everything is so easy to get or get to - but I would love to hear firsthand!

You should move now so we can hang out! NYC has its pros and cons. Do I want to raise Baby J closer to family and friends in the South? Of course I do. But, being in the city is what is best for our family right now. When we first moved here I met a few people through Jr. League and A's work, but really not that many. Since Baby J was born, I have met TONS of wonderful new Mommies. I joined a new Mommy discussion group at a local hospital and I was in a group with 20 other new Mommies who also had babies born in Jan, Feb and March. I made some really amazing friends. We meet for lunch, go to Central Park and have play dates at each others apartments. I met one new Mommy from my blog...hi Melissa! There is so much to do with a baby in the city. It is also a very convenient city. If I so chose, I can get my groceries, diapers, dog food and dinner delivered to my apartment. I have multiple grocery stores, drug stores and a fruit stands within steps from my apartment. We stroll everywhere! (I could not live without my Bugaboo!) If you have any other questions, I would be glad to talk to you about it.

Preppy Paper Girl asked: Regarding motherhood, what has been the most unexpected thing that you had had to adjust to that maybe no one mentioned before you had the baby?

Hmmm. That is a tough one. I think that I knew it would be hard to be a Mom, but I don't think you really know how hard until you go through these first few months. It is physically and emotionally exhausting and there are very few breaks. It is the hardest job I have ever had in my life. (And, the most important and rewarding.) Everyone mentions this, but until you go through it, you just don't get it. A positive unexpected is that I knew that I would love my child, but I have never felt this amount of love in my life. The love of a parent is an amazing thing. I had no idea my parents loved me this much. =) This little guys smile brightens my day and oh my God his giggle is the sweetest sound I think I have ever heard. A and I can just stand over his crib and stare at him. He's perfect.

I know you made a list of things for the hospital - would you change any of that?
I actually wrote about that here.

Cee asked: Here is a random question...did Daisy have any trouble adjusting to Baby J?
Sweet Daisy has been a trooper. She has done remarkably well. I think her adjustment is more to having less attention than adjusting to the actual baby. I'm not going to lie, it has been really hard for me to balance spending time with her and the amount of time Baby J requires. For the first few months she would wake up when I would go out to feed Baby J in the living room and would lay down next to my chair. It was so sweet. She gets very upset when he cries and she will come and get me (even if I'm just steps away.) She does understand that Baby J has a lot of fun and fuzzy new toys. She KNOWS they are not hers and she steals them and hides behind chairs with them. (Lisagh, her favorite toy is still the one you made for her!) When she is very angry with me for not paying attention to her she will go and get a diaper or wipe out of the garbage can. Yeah, I know...gross. She loves to give Baby J kisses and he really doesn't seem to mind. He has recently started to grab at her tongue and it is pretty hilarious to see the two of them interacting. He got a big handful of her fur the other day, but she just licked him. =) Sweet Daisy girl.


Third Coast Preppy asked: He's adorable!! How's he sleeping for you?

Thanks TCP. Your little man is precious too! Baby J is sleeping okay. He slept for his first 3 months in his car seat due to choking and acid reflux. When he was in his car seat he slept 7-9 hours straight. He loves it in there! We would normally put him down around 6:30pm-7:30pm and he would wake up after about 3 or so hours. I would feed him and then he would go down again for good at 11:30pm-12:00am and not wake up until between 6:30am-8:30am.

He is now sleeping in his crib (we got a crib wedge and increased his Pepcid dosage per our pediatrician) and things have changed. Since he is older now we are really working on sleep training. We are trying to push his bed time up to 7 or 8pm. Of course, by doing this he is now waking up once in the middle of the night. Last night he went down at 10pm and woke up at 5am and then slept until 10am. The night before he did well and we got him down at 8pm, but he woke up at 4am, then slept until 9am. We're a work in progress, but we are both getting much more sleep than we did the first two months. Those months are tough times for someone who likes their sleep! I'm proud of him for making the change into his crib and I feel confident that if we continue with a routine we'll get back to where we were when he slept in his car seat. He takes 2-3 naps a day, normally one of them is at least two hours, sometimes longer. We still have a lot of work to do on a more consistent schedule. Any tips are certainly welcome!

Stationery Giveaway Winner!

I know, I know...I'm late. Go ahead. Get mad at him. It's all his fault.

Yeah, I didn't think you would stay mad at that face for long. The winner of the giveaway for a $50.00 gift certificate to Urbanity Studios Stationery is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

23

Timestamp: 2009-06-09 20:14:30 UTC

CONGRATS EMORY!!

Please email me at magnoliasmarriageandmanhattan@gmail dot com and I'll get you hooked up!

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Want to win $50.00 in FREE Stationery?

If you haven't already entered to win a $50.00 from Urbanity Stationery, click here!

Swagbucks

Are y'all using Swagbucks? I just recently started. You basically search the web using their browser (you can install it on your tool bar or just go to their website.) The results are powered by google & ask.com. Every once in awhile it will pop up that you have won a few swagbucks. These swagbucks can be turned into gift cards from Starbucks, Amazon, Itunes, Macys, Target, etc. There are other "prizes" too, but I like the gift cards. My aunt "won" 3 $10.00 giftcards to Starbucks in just a few months and used them as part of teacher gifts. You can also get swagbucks for purchasing things online. Just another little trick to make a little something extra in this economy! =) If you are going to play around on the internet you might as well get a latte out of it, right?

Click here to sign up.

Bloggy Award!

A belated (everything is belated these days thanks to being a new Mommy!) to Preppy By The Bay for giving me the Lemonade Award. (Someone else gave me an award and I saw it and then I forgot who it was...if I didn't accept your award please accept my apologies and tell me again!! I have Mommy Brain! Oh how I would love a cool glass today. H

Here are the details:

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award

1.Put the logo on your blog or post (check)
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude

1. Grove Gals
2. Bama Belle
3. From Suits to Diapers
4. Windowboxes and Weissbier
5. Under a Green Roof
6. Sweet Tea in a Pink Glass
7. Sunshine in the City
8. One Fabulous Mom
9. Some Like it Southern
10. Milltini

3. Link to your nominees within your post (check)

4.Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award (working on it)

5. Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award. (check) Thanks again Preppy By the Bay

Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude: I think I experience more gratitude than I ever have before in my life. Each time I look into those little blue eyes of my baby boy I just thank God that he gave me this precious son of mine and I thank him for giving us his Son. On a lighter note, I feel gratitude when my husband helps out around the house or does a simple task with the baby. I feel gratitude when someone holds the door open for me. Ladies, when you see a pregnant woman or someone with a stroller...show a little love! I feel gratitude in so many small and large ways. I know each day I can strive to be more grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life.

Urbanity Stationery Product Review and Giveaway

Urbanity Stationery recently sent me a few samples of their unique collection. Below are a few of my favorites from their website. They have some really cute and fun stationery and since most of y'all all things paper as much as I do, I wanted to let you in on this fun little store!

A little more about Urbanity:

Urbanity, www.urbanitystudios.com, will celebrate its third anniversary this year. The company began after President/Design Director, Meghann Kopecky got married. She and her husband could not find a wedding invitation that represented their special day and reflected the elegance of the event. The couple decided to make their own invitations and little did they know that it would start Meghann down a path of creating a design firm specializing in stationery, invitations, and announcements.

I love this preppy baby announcement!

How cute is this baby announcement? Too funny!

I love how the wording looks likes bubbles in the champagne glass. This once would be great for an engagement or bachelorette party.


I would use this one as a rehearsal dinner or shower invitation, but it could also be used as a modern wedding invitation.

How much fun would this one be for a cocktail or bachelorette party!

I love the colors of this sweet invite that is perfect for a baby shower, wedding brunch or even a birthday party.

This is one of the wedding invitations that was sent to me. While I personally prefer traditional wedding invitations, I think this would be a very pretty rehearsal dinner, engagement party, or bridesmaid luncheon invite.

Here is a fun save the date for all of you nautical lovers.

This argyle message in a bottle invitation just makes you want to come up with a party to go with the invite. Doesn't it? Please invite me. I have to admit the biggest fan of my message in the bottle sample is Daisy. She has been carrying it around for a few weeks now and thinks it is her newest toy. Oops.

This makes a great classic looking Save the Date card!

Hello fellow pink and green lovers. Where was this invite when I needed it. It can be a funky wedding invite, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, baby shower, etc! Too cute!

Isn't this perfect for a summer wedding shower, baby shower, or bridesmaid luncheon? I love aqua and red together!

I LOVE this invite! I've never seen anything like it. It makes me want a dirty martini right now!

Your thank you notes just got sweeter with this cutie!

Now for the fun part. Who wants to win a $50.00 gift certificate towards your purchase of any of Urbanity Stationery wedding designs? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Here are the rules:

1) Go to Urbanity Stationery and check out their wedding collection. This includes: wedding invitations, bachelorette party invitations, engagement party invitations, save the dates, rsvp cards, wedding invitations, menu cards, and thank you notes.

You don't have to be a bride to win! You can use one of these invites for another type of party or just order yourself some cute thank you notes!! Get creative!!

2) Come back here and leave a comment telling me what you would use your $50.00 towards.

For Additional Entries
1) Post this contest on your blog
2) Send a tweet out about this contest
3) Become a Follower (or let me know you are already a follower)
4) Follow me on Twitter (or let me know you are following me on Twitter)

5) A special extra entry if you let me know you are one of my top commentators! Check the bar to the left.

Please note that EACH of the additional entries need to be left in a separate comment to qualify for an additional entry. If you write "I follow your blog, I tweeted and I want to win the poppy invitations " in one comment it DOES not count but for ONE entry. I use the random number generator because Baby J does not leave time for anything else, so if you want additional entries you can leave up to SIX SEPARATE comments on this post. Please make sure your comments are linked either to your blog or you include an email address. If there is no way to contact you, you will not win.

**Unfortunately, this contest if for US residents only due to shipping costs**

The contest starts today and will go until Saturday, June 6th!

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!

Please Pray

One of my best friend's sisters needs your prayers right now. She was rushed to the emergency room late Saturday evening with internal bleeding. They moved her from the ICU to another room today, but she still could use all of your prayers today as the doctors scramble to find out what is wrong with her and figure out how to stop the bleeding. She got married a few months ago and was supposed to leave for her belated honeymoon on Wednesday. Please say a prayer for her today. Pray that the doctors can figure out what is going on . Pray that the bleeding stops. Pray that she is not in pain and discomfort. Pray that her family and friends have continued strength to help her through whatever lies ahead.

Thanks friends! I'll keep you posted.

The Preppiest Flops Yet

Have you seen Tucker Blair's Needlepoint Flip Flops? Now if only your Grandmother could make you something like this! I'll take a pair of the crabs in Medium, thank you very much.