Modern Bird Studios Giveaway

***This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!***
Are you ready for one of my favorite giveaways in the history of All Things G&D?

Seriously, you may need to sit down for this one.

The husband and wife team behind Modern Bird Studios transform your favorite photograph into a personalized modern art piece that is so amazingly incredible it will take your breath away and have you FIGHTING BACK THE TEARS.

I speak from personal experience.

Remember this photograph of me and Kate?


It's my current favorite picture and I was SO EXCITED to have it turned into an original piece of artwork for our home. Megan from Modern Bird Studios was a dream to work with as we swapped emails about colors and cropping, and a few days later I received my proof:


It literally TOOK MY BREATH AWAY when I first saw it. It still does actually, and I was absolutely GIDDY to see how the finished product would turn out!

Luckily I didn't have to wait long! Gregg--the artist of the duo--went to work transforming this from a digital image to a two-color painting on a 12" x 24" piece of oak composite, and soon it was at my door:


To say that I'm in love with how it turned out is an understatement. I'm in awe. It is so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes, and it has quickly become my most treasured item in our home. I've been asked where I plan to hang it and the truth is I don't know yet! My plan for now is to just carry it around with me everywhere I go.

I have big handbags.

I can make it work.

Interested in snagging one of these for your handbag home, too? Well you're in luck! Modern Bird Studios is giving away a 12" x 12" custom piece (valued at $215) to one lucky All Things G&D reader! See entry rules below.

Can’t wait to get your shop on? Well from now until June 8th Modern Bird Studios is offering 15% off your total purchase! Just enter the discount code ALLTHINGSGD at checkout and then camp out on your front porch until your prized possession arrives!

Just try not to tackle the mailman, mmkay?

ENTRY RULES:
To enter this giveaway, comment on this post with the words MODERN BIRD by Tuesday, June 1st at 11:59pm CDT. You may enter up to 5 additional times by doing any of the following:

Follow/Like Modern Bird Studios on Facebook

Follow Modern Bird Studios on Twitter

Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook page

Post a link to this giveaway on your blog

Post a link to this giveaway on Twitter

Leave separate comments letting me know which of the above you have done for each additional entry. Your comment(s) must include an email address to be eligible to win (either through your blogging ID or typed into your comment entry).

This giveaway is open to the lower 48 United States only and previous Modern Bird giveaway winners are not eligible to enter.

The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Wednesday, June 2nd.

Good luck everyone!

So Long Elastic...See You Next Time!

I returned to work at exactly 13 weeks postpartum, and I'll be honest--I wore maternity jeans the entire week. I rationalized this by not wearing my maternity jeans with the big elastic belly panel, choosing instead to wear my "real waistband" maternity jeans...which are basically just regular jeans but with an elastic waistband.

Like I'm some kind of toddler.

A really tall and chubby toddler.

When it got to the point where I was belting my maternity jeans to keep them up, I realized I had a problem. They were a crutch. A very comfy, stretchy, crutch--but a crutch all the same. I needed to break myself of my elastic habit, so I packed up all my maternity clothes and said, "THAT'S IT. No more maternity clothes allowed until Baby #2 is on his or her way!"

It was a little bit frightening...but also very liberating.

Time to move forward! Time to look ahead! Time to get back in the habit of using a zipper!

In honor of that liberation, here is the first outfit I wore to work after having Kate that didn't include one single "maternity" item:

Jacket: Old Navy
Top: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Nicole


...and as soon as I got home I changed into my (elastic waist) sweatpants.

Baby steps!

Family Pictures

I was so excited to get family pictures taken for Kate's 3 month photo shoot!

My husband? Not so much.

He's just not a pictures guy. And I'm never further than three feet away from my camera at any given time. You can see how this could cause some friction, right? When I told G that I really really really wanted to do family pictures he shot me down instantly. I begged, he still said no. I bribed, he still said no. And then in a huff I said, "Fine! But thirty years from now when Kate's getting married and we're watching the video photo montage of her life and you're not in any of the pictures, you are going to be pissed!"

"Okay, fine, I'll do it."

Aha! Found the weak spot!

Once again we had Andrea Elberg (the photographer who did Kate's newborn pictures) come to our home for the event, and let me tell you--she was amazing. We didn't know it at the time but Kate's reflux was at its worst, so instead of our usual happy, smiley baby, we had a little girl who was in a lot of pain and just not pleased about anything. We kept thinking Kate would calm down, but after a few attempts at pictures we decided it just wasn't a good day and told Andrea we needed to finish. I was thinking to myself, "Oh well, we don't need three month pictures," when Andrea surprised me by saying, "I can come back and try again tomorrow if you'd like." Andrea came back not once, but twice, to complete Kate's three month photo shoot. I couldn't believe how patient and understanding she was with what our little girl was going through--and I'm so grateful to finally have a family photo where I'm actually clothed from the waist down!

Postpartum...Fashion?

I think at this point we should add "fashion" to the list of F-words I'm no longer allowed to use. These days getting dressed consists of pondering which cardigan I should put over which loose-fitting top.

The other day I left the house in jeans, a graphic tee (which admittedly G has seen me wear as a pajama top on occasion) and a jersey cardigan, and G said, "You're wearing that to work?"

"I HAVE HEELS ON!" was my defense, followed by a feeble: "It's clean and not wrinkled."

These days that's an A+ outfit.

So let's go back to the beginning, shall we? My first attempt at wearing something other than sweatpants and dark circles under my eyes was for a casual joint baby shower for my friends Erica and Tappa at about 5 weeks postpartum. At the time I was still in so much pain from my c-section that forgoing my seatbelt for the five minute drive was a risk I was happy to take, but DAMMIT I WAS GOING TO WEAR JEANS! Even if they were maternity jeans...

Top: Target
Tank: The Limited
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Boots: Nine West
Ring: New York & Company


I should note that I took this picture recently, so this is me NOW, not then. I really wish I'd had the energy to take a picture back then, because while I was 5 weeks postpartum, I actually looked 5 months pregnant. It wasn't pretty.

I'd added this oversized flower ring at the last minute in hopes that it would distract from...well, things needing distracting:


The liars ladies at the shower were all, "You look fantastic!" but looking back I realize my ring probably should have been bigger. Much, much bigger.

Today I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but the majority of my pre-pregnancy clothes still do not fit. Like my friend Steph explains, "Things shift."

The other day I tried on a pair of jeans that I remember wearing into my second trimester but now I can't even get them PARTIALLY zipped. And if it's not my pants being a pain in my ass, it's THESE DAMN MILK JUGS busting out of every shirt I own. (I officially take back ever wishing for bigger boobs when I was younger.)

So yeah, dressing my postpartum body has not been easy.

Sure I could buy new clothes that fit...but I'm too stubborn. And yes, I could stop eating like a teenage boy now that I'm no longer pregnant...but I don't want to. And of course, I could work out and tone up and try to get all the jiggly bits back in place...but I'd much rather spend my precious time and energy playing with my daughter.

So for now, I'll just stick with my heels and oversized jewelry.

Kate: 3 Months

I was doing okay with Kate turning 4 months old. I really was. I received her 4 month onesie in the mail--my favorite so far!--and was actually starting to look forward to the day I got to put it on her. But then it came and G was all, “Four months is a third of a year.”

NOOOO!! STOP GROWING UP SO FAST!!!

But before we get too far into her fourth month, here's a look back at all she learned and did at three months old:

I've been taking monthly pictures of her next to her teddy bear to track her growth, and here she is on her 3 month birthday:


One of the things I love about this picture is her hands. She continues to be in love with them and spends most of her awake time with them clasped together. I love that this picture captures that so well.

Kate started daycare earlier this month (age month, not calendar month) which just makes everything fly by so much faster. I swear she grows by leaps and bounds between 7:30am when I kiss her goodbye and 5:00pm when I race in the door and scoop her back up in my arms. Kate has adjusted incredibly well to daycare. (Her mom? Not so much. But this is about Kate so I’ll save my story for another day.) She seems to really love her daycare provider (“Miss Debb”), and is already taking an interest in the other little kids which is fun to see. She currently goes there four days per week and Grandma Pam (G’s mom) comes to our house on the 5th day for some Kate & Grandma time which is so nice.

Over this past month Kate has been a rockstar with her “tummy time.” We put her down on her tummy and she kicks and wiggles and lifts and grunts--she works so hard! She has this inchworm move where she pulls both knees in, sticks her little tush in the air, and then pushes off. She’s not covering much ground yet, but I’m guessing it won’t be long. When she was 14 weeks old she accidentally rolled over during some pretty rowdy tummy time action. It happened so fast that I couldn’t believe it! One second she was on her belly and next she was on her back looking up at me like, “How the hell did THAT happen??”

And then she burst into tears.

Since then she’s been a little more cautious with her tummy time, but is getting a bit more courageous when she’s playing on her back. She’s starting to use her legs to turn to her side, but that’s all the farther she’s willing to go at this point. She probably needs a few good hours of trauma therapy before attempting a full-blow roll over again.

Kate is taking more of an interest in her toys and is beginning to reach out and grab for things if they are closely within reach. Right now she loves these little barnyard animal clip toys she got from my coworker Robin (the “funky chicken” is her favorite) and her little puppy toy/blanket which was a gift from our friends Kadi & Jeff. I have a feeling the puppy might turn into her must-have toy, but we’ll see!

One of our favorite developments over this past month has been hearing Kate laugh. For quite a while she’s been giving us laughs, but they’ve been one little laughing sound at a time. Now she’s starting to string them together for actual laughter. It is the most amazing sound in the world! Kissing and blowing on her little belly is what usually gets the laughs going so we’ve been doing that A LOT.

A sound we’re not quite as crazy about is this high-pitched squeal Kate has recently discovered. This kid has an upper register even Mariah Carey would envy. Of course she just thinks it’s the funniest thing and will make these high-pitched squeals and shrieks over and over again while G searches for the earplugs and I silently plead, “Please don’t let that be her regular voice, please don’t let that be her regular voice...”

Kate’s feedings have been going pretty well and we think, hope, and pray that we have her reflux under control. We introduced her to her highchair earlier this month and plan to have her sit at the table with us during dinnertime, but of course this means we need to have an ACTUAL SEATED DINNER sometime before 9:00pm and right now that’s about as rare as sleeping in and using real swear words.

Speaking of sleep, Kate is sleeping really well at night. She still wakes up for a middle of the night feeding more often than not, but we typically have a couple of nights per week where she sleeps all the way through, so she’s getting there! Of course I’m still at that crazy stage where the middle of the night feedings don’t bother me one bit. I enjoy that quiet time with Kate and sometimes find myself just rocking and staring at her long after she’s finished her bottle and fallen back asleep. I’m sure before long the middle of the night feedings will either start to wear on me or she’ll no longer need them so I’m just trying to savor them as long as I can.

Two more “firsts” finish out Kate’s fourth month of life: She got her first cold, but luckily it was nothing major--just a congested nose. She was one week shy of four months old when it hit and we felt pretty lucky that she’d managed to stay healthy for so long! This month also marked my first Mother’s Day which really meant a lot to me. G and his parents pampered me with such a wonderful day, but my favorite gift was a homemade card Kate made at daycare with Miss Debb. It said “Thank you for being the best mommy in the whole world! Love, Kate” and was stamped with her little footprint. It’s amazing how something so simple can mean so much! It is something I will treasure and keep forever.

I’m guessing this is how hoarding starts?

Close-up of Kate's personalized 3 month onesie from The Cotton Cupcake Shoppe.

Flower Ring

Easing back into a little bit of fashion on the blog, I thought I'd share with you my current favorite ring. I'm a sucker for oversized flower rings, so when I spotted this beauty at Pier 1 (Pier 1 of all places!) a little drool may have escaped my mouth. Add to that a $6 price tag and it had to be mine.


Here it is making a little guest appearance during our maternity photo shoot with the fabulous Melissa Oholendt last fall:


Mmmm...looks so good I'm surprised I didn't eat it.

Stay tuned for some post-partum...fashion?--well, outfits at least--coming soon. And I should warn you now that I make no promises about them being spit-up free!

Happy Mother's Day!

In celebration of my first Mother's Day with Kate being outside the womb, I thought I'd share this poem that my friend Dana sent me shortly after Kate was born. Even though Kate was only days old at that time, this poem already rang so true for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Mother's Day!

Before I Was A Mom

Before I was a mom, I made and ate hot meals, wore unstained clothes and had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a mom, I never worried about how late I went to bed because I could sleep in as long as I wanted.

Before I was a mom, I washed my face and brushed my teeth everyday.

Before I was a mom, I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee while reading the
morning newspaper on a Saturday morning.

Before I was a mom, I slept the whole night through.

Before I was a mom, my house was clean everyday and I didn't worry about whether or not my plants were poisonous.

Before I was a mom, I had never been puked on, pooped on, peed on, chewed on or pinched by little fingers.

Before I was a mom, I had complete control of my mind, thoughts and body.

Before I was a mom, I never held down a screaming child while doctors and nurses did tests or gave shots. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces because I couldn't stop the hurt.

Before I was a mom, I never knew how satisfying it is to feed a hungry
child. I never knew how fulfilling it is to soothe a baby's cries.

Before I was a mom, I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

Before I was a mom, I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

Before I was a mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never was up in the wee hours of the night just watching a baby while it slept. I never knew that something so small couldn't effect my life so tremendously.

Before I was a mom, I never knew I could love someone so unconditionally and completely.

Before I was a mom, I never knew the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

Before I was a mom, I never knew the warmth, the joy, the heartache, the
wonderment, or the fulfillment of being a mom.

Before I was a mom, I never knew I would love being a mom.
----------------
Note: I searched online to try to find the author of this poem, but there appears to be conflicting information, so I will leave it uncredited until notified otherwise.

Mommy Kisses

Kate: 13 weeks

I reluctantly admit that kisses from Mommy are not something Kate has always enjoyed. When she was first born she'd scrunch up her little face whenever I planted one on her and have this reaction like, "Whoa, where did that come from?!?" But I just kept kissing away! I bet I kiss her fuzzy little head and cute little cheeks and belly and neck and eyes and nose and toes a hundred times a day.

I am nothing if not persistent.

Currently she's somewhere between "get off me lady" and "what's the point of this?" but I'm wearing her down. Soon she'll be BEGGING for my kisses!

Things Loved In April

1. The smell of fresh cut grass. Mmmmmmmm. One of my favorite signs of spring!

2. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.


Have you seen this show?? I am shocked and appalled at the crap our kids are eating in our schools. SHOCKED AND APPALLED!! I told G that Jamie Oliver better bring his "revolution" to Madison, WI before Kate starts school or she'll be brown bagging it everyday! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Jamie Oliver is a chef from the UK who is currently in America trying to revolutionize the way we eat--his main focus being getting all the processed foods out of schools, and replacing it with healthy school meals cooked from fresh ingredients. It's on ABC and there were only a few episodes, but hopefully they'll show reruns this summer (or you could watch it online at abc.com). I really hope this show comes back for another season because it's incredibly eye-opening, and I really hope it's able to make a difference. If this sounds like a cause you'd like to get behind too, please take a few seconds to sign Jamie's petition and show your support for fresh and healthy meals in our children's schools!

3. Waterproof mascara.


Kate started daycare earlier this month, so waterproof mascara has been a daily must-have. I plan to write more later about returning to work and Kate starting daycare, so I won't go into detail here, other than to say that without my waterproof mascara things would be getting pretty ugly pretty quickly!

4. Scarves.


Yes, they're all cute and springy and fashionable, but over this past month I've found they serve an additional purpose--hiding leakage. Oh sure, you think it'll never happen TO YOU, but then one afternoon you're running late at the dentist's office and you look down, and WHOAMIGAWD, WHEN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?? And then you're frantically searching your car for something--ANYTHING!--that can help you and half-wishing you were still in college when you pretty much carried a laundry basket of clothes in your backseat at all times, and wondering if you can rig a floor mat and a bungee cord to somehow pass as a shirt...and then you spot a scarf. Oh sweet glorious fabric that falls so perfectly over the baby feeders. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

...Of course this would never happen TO ME.

I'm just saying.

Hypothetically speaking.

Scarves: Don't leave home without one.

5. Newborn babies--and wow did we welcome a lot of them over this past month!

First my sister Apryl, her husband Keith, and son Rylee welcomed my handsome and oh-so-cuddly newest nephew Everett James (EJ) on March 31st. Technically not an "April Baby" but his due date was April 2nd, so I'm going to sneak him in here!


On April 26th our friends Sara and Nick welcomed their adorable son, Cash Stephen, to the world:


Then my friend Kent and her husband Adam welcomed the fashionably late and absolutely gorgeous Sarah Elizabeth (Sarah Beth) on April 27th:



The beautiful Taylor Lucy joined her proud parents Matt and Erica on April 29th:


And last but not least, our friends Lisa and Jason greeted their third child--a daughter named Lia--who is so new I don't even have a picture of her yet!

Congratulations to all the beautiful new babies and proud new parents in our lives! I can't wait to snuggle and cuddle with you! (<--The babies, not the parents. Although I may snuggle and cuddle with their parents too if it meant I could get a few extra minutes of sleep. I'm willing to negotiate.)