Well, technically, he's not 15 months old yet - he'll be 15 months on Christmas day!
My husband and I debated whether or not to even get Luca Christmas gifts (especially after reading this.) He has so much already, and the last thing he really needs is more toys! But, alas, we are having two Christmas celebrations - one in New Jersey at my apartment and one at my parents' home, where we'll all actually be for Christmas. Since Luca actually loves unwrapping things and general excitement, we couldn't resist getting him a few gifts.
When thinking about what to get him, I tried to think of development toys, toys he plays with when he's not at home and loves (like at...
Continue reading 
When Luca was 5 months old, I decided it was time to go back to work full-time and so we hired a nanny (more on how we found her and our thoughts on the whole thing, here and our 3-month nanny update, here.) Our nanny has become a part of our family, and I couldn't imagine life without her! She's amazing with Luca, reliable, trustworthy, dependable, understanding, and has honestly helped me through many stages of infancy and toddlerhood with her expertise (not only having 3 children herself - including twins!, but having nanny-ed for several other families, she has a lot of experience.)
Finding the balance between working full-time at home and having a nanny at home definitely has its challenges,...
Continue reading for each month of this year (I started in March), I'm going to be doing a monthly challenge, where I practice something NEW for the entire month (about 30 days). I didn't want to preselect all the challenges for the entire year, because I'm always changing and there are always areas of my life that change and some need more help than others at certain times.
let's start with a recap of the last month and then get into this month's challenge!
november's challenge: recap
november's challenge was to say goodbye to desserts/sweets until Thanksgiving. I "cheated" on this challenge twice - once I stress ate a box of cookies and the other time was while on vacation in Turks & Caicos with...
Continue reading When Luca was born, there was a bit of a September heat wave and it was really warm. I remember planning his delivery month thinking, "New Jersey weather is unpredictable, it could be in the 50s!" Well, it was warm, but I still prepared with winter gear on my baby registry and got all the necessities for bundling him up over the wintertime (and just in case it was chilly when he was born.)
For most of his infancy, he was in the cold weather. By the time we got out of the thick of winter, he was about 6-7 months old and by then, I knew how to bundle up my little bundle of joy! And now, as we head...
Continue reading 
It's that time of year - gifting season! Whether you're gifting something tangible (like a present!) or gifting an experience (like a trip!) or just gifting love, it's such a fun time of year to show your appreciation for your loved ones. To make that process a bit easier on you, I've made a gift guide for the man and the woman in your life (although both men and women could use a little bit of each!) Happy holiday shopping!
Holiday Gift Guide For Her
1. Diffuser: who doesn't need a little more zen in their life? I have this diffuser and love it. You could even gift the diffuser with a couple of essential oils to get her started.
2. Pom pom...
Continue reading
for each month of this year (I started in March), I'm going to be doing a monthly challenge, where I practice something NEW for the entire month (about 30 days). I didn't want to preselect all the challenges for the entire year, because I'm always changing and there are always areas of my life that change and some need more help than others at certain times.
let's start with a recap of the last month and then get into this month's challenge!
october's challenge: recap
october's challenge was to set myself up for success in the morning by keeping the living space (living room, kitchen area, etc) clean and ready for a new day. that meant doing all the dishes, clearing the clutter,...
Continue reading when we were nearing Luca's first birthday, my husband and I decided that for the first time ever, we'd take a trip just the two of us, without the baby. for some reason, with Luca being 1, we felt ready. a month after Luca turned 1, was Lu's 40th birthday, so we wanted to do something new - go on an adventure! we're such beach vacationers (we've done most of the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda, etc) that we wanted something different. something new - something to discover together!
as a mother to a 13 month old and entrepreneur (and wife of an entrepreneur), getting to take long vacations is tough. Lu's birthday falls right before Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we couldn't...
Continue reading My getting-into-shape postpartum journey has two parts and some ups and downs in between.
The first part
First off, my body recovered pretty quickly after having the baby. About 6-8 weeks later, I felt great. I felt like my body was starting to look like its old self, with a flatter tummy. Breastfeeding was really working wonders, from a weight loss perspective. Then, at around 2.5-3 months, my appetite kicked up big time throughout all of Luca's growth spurts and breastfeeding. I started to use that as an excuse to eat more than necessary, and I started gaining some pounds back. I wasn't exercising constituently, either, because, well, newborn life.
I was okay with that, because I was being gentle to myself during...
Continue reading 
I'm always fascinated by how parents balance life with children - the housework, the meals, the playdates, appointments, classes, school, and just the day to day. No parent duo is the same, but we all seem to make it work (and major shout out to the single parents out there - you're the real heroes!)
Before the baby, Lu and I had the, "I cook, you clean" separation of duties. Now, there's a lot more to do other than cooking and cleaning (and there's even more of that with the baby, haha!) and it's a bit more complicated and busy, which is why it's important to have each partner be responsible for something separate.
I feel like Lu and I have our...
Continue reading
It's so hard not to buy clothes for your baby. Everything is so cute! And the time when you can decide what your baby will way is limited, because then they grow up and they have their own opinions! I've loved buying Luca's clothes, from his first outfit home from the hospital to now, with his big puffy vests he's been wearing now that the temps are dropping.
Babies grow so quickly, so you feel silly buying clothes they'll grow out of in a month. For me, I say what the heck, babies are only babies once, and his cute little outfits make me so happy and we need a bit more happiness in the world! Sometimes, it's the little things,...
Continue reading