Lilyana’s Newborn Photos & Nursery

Tomorrow marks our sweet Lily’s 3-month birthday. While in many ways it feels like she’s been a part of our lives for quite some time, in other ways it feels like time has flown by so fast. Since taking these photos, she has already changed so much—although her facial expressions are still the same (which makes me laugh). Becoming a Mom has challenged me in new ways and stretched me to new limits. It has required giving up much of myself—including sleep (oh, how I miss you), hobbies (the blog is on the back-burner for awhile), and my body (hoping to get back in shape soon!)—but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

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My Garden Baby Shower

This past weekend my friends Tamara and Taylor (author of Simply Silicon Valley) co-hosted a baby shower to celebrate the impending arrival of our little girl. Every detail was divinely and beautifully thought through, leaving me overwhelmed with gratitude, to say the least. Perhaps it’s third trimester emotions, but the outpour of love and generosity from family, friends and co-workers has been a humbling experience. From the east coast to the west coast and a few stops in between, we’ve received countless words of encouragement, expressing excitement for our soon to be family of three!

After we moved into our new home this past December, I dreamed of one day throwing a garden party in our backyard as it lends the perfect setting for such a soireé. Unbeknownst to me, Taylor latched onto this idea and brought the garden party vision to life, in honor of our baby. How lucky am I to have such sweet and thoughtful friends!? Because I can’t resist sharing all the pretty details, and documenting the festivities so that our daughter can one day see how we joyfully celebrated her birth, below are a few photos from the day. Further down the post I share a short update on my third trimester and what I’m learning about motherhood.

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Chez Kelly – New York City

Today I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Kelly, a contributor in my Chez series. If you missed my last Chez post, you can read more about the series here. After college (where I  met Kelly!), she moved to New York City to pursue her career in fashion PR; but over the last couple years, it’s been neat to see her foster her true passion and dream: working with animals. Despite being in the city that never sleeps, Kelly manages to live a quiet and stress-free life in her darling studio apartment in the West Village. I love her artwork and decor as it’s the perfect extension of Kelly’s personality, representing her travels to Africa, love of animals, her many, many good books—and of course, her two fur babies! Scroll below to read my full interview with Kelly, where she shares her infectious philanthropic passions and favorite go-to places in New York City.

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Easter Sunday Brunch

April is here! Can you believe how fast the year is flying? Thursday I’m 25 weeks pregnant, which makes me realize I’m getting closer and closer to my due date. Eek! I need to start planning for the baby’s arrival (I’m feeling a little behind schedule). But for today I’m thinking about Easter Sunday, and our menu plans (of course the preggo girl is thinking about food).

Whether you decide to bake or takeout this Easter Sunday, I’ve outlined a simple brunch menu for your holiday celebration. Typically, when planning a menu for guests, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. It’s easy to go overboard with food preparation only to leave behind a fridge stocked full of leftovers. This year I’m opting for a simple, yet tasty brunch menu which I outline below.

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Our Baby’s Gender Reveal

IMG_4262We are having a girl!!!

During a visit back home we gathered both sides of the family for a luncheon and some very, nerve-racking cake-cutting. The anticipation continued to build over weeks of carrying a sealed envelope from my doctor, with the baby’s gender enclosed. When it finally came time to cut the cake my heart furiously pounded. I was so nervous—nervous with excitement! Nobody knew the gender (except for the cake baker) making it a special surprise the family could share together. Below are a few photos from the Gender Reveal and a short video of us cutting the cake.

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