Happy First Birthday to Baby Bear!

 

 Here are belated photos from my baby bear's first birthday party, or as we call it in Korean culture, her dol.  The dol is a huge celebration, and usually there's a table full of mounds of traditional rice cakes and fruit - or in this case, rice cakes, macarons, cupcakes and rice krispies.  I love my sweets!  The highlight of the party is a ritual when the child selects a single object from a number of objects placed in front of her.  This object symbolizes what she will become in her future.  Noa picked the pen, meaning she will become a scholar!  The party took a lot of work, mainly since I didn't want to hire a planner, but thankfully with amazing friends and family we were able to pull it off.  A special thanks goes to my good friend Jen, and her etsy store LoveMercat which showcases her artistic talents.

 

Happy birthday, Noa Bear!

Ombre cake: Jennifer Wang (she made this monkey cake too!)

Gold cake topper: Z Create Design

Korean rice cakes: Siroodang

Mini Cupcakes: Dots Cupcakes 

Bear cupcake toppers: KaLiceDesign 

Macaron tower: Lette Macarons 

'Happy birthday' banner: Rifle Paper Co 

 Invitation, welcome sign, and doljabi sign: LoveMercat

Rentals (crates, books, wooden risers, cake stands, vintage scale): Party Pieces by Perry 

Marquee letters: Heidi Swapp, customized by me

Flowers, vases, backdrop, party hats, Rice Krispy hearts: me

Venue: Saladang Song

Photography: Erin Saldana

Rustic Jungle Animal Baby Shower

Long time, no post!  I haven't completely forgotten about this blog.  Life has just been busy!

Here are some photos from a baby shower I helped throw this past weekend for a good college friend, Kim and her husband Peter.  Kim and Peter are some of the sweetest people I know.  Peter has a pediatric dentistry practice and Kim has her own orthodontics practice, both in my home town of South Pasadena.  Such a small world!  I couldn't have put this shower together without the help of my friend Christy, Peter's aunt Carol, and Kim's sister Anita.  Thanks guys!   



Is this not the cutest monkey cake ever?  A special thank you to my talented friend, Jen, and her amazing cake baking skills!  The chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, chocolate chunks, and raspberries was DELICIOUS. 

Animal cracker favors with adorable stick-on animals from Michael's.

Can't wait for the arrival of Baby Joe!

Maternity and Postpartum Essentials

I have definitely been MIA and I am so lucky to have a great blogging partner in Sarah, who is single-handedly keeping the blog alive despite having her hands full with her adorable 9 month old daughter. I welcomed my own bundle of joy right before Thanksgiving and am thoroughly enjoying all that motherhood has to offer. While on maternity leave, I haven't had much time to snap outfit pics (need to teach a newborn how to operate a dSLR) but I do want to share with you some items that have proved to be invaluable to me during my pregnancy and in the first few months postpartum.

1. Ingrid and Isabel Maternity BellaBand - This product is no secret and it really came in handy during my first and second trimesters when I wasn't quite showing but was feeling bloated and thicker in my midsection. I was able to extend the life of my regular wardrobe and I didn't have to succumb to maternity wear until pretty late in my pregnancy.

2. Maternity leggings - Sarah got me these Ingrid and Isabel leggings and near the end, they were the only "pants" I wanted to wear. I wore them to the hospital when I was labor and also when I brought my daughter home. The belly panel can be folded down early on in the pregnancy and then pulled up over your bump as your grow. The seamless feature really makes these the most comfortable leggings in the world - ask any pregnant woman - seams are the enemy! I actually purchased these Hatch Collection leggings near the end of my pregnancy because I was desperate for a second pair of pants.  I wish I had gotten them earlier because these would have been perfect in the first trimester and second trimester as well.  I can see how the waistband may not be the most comfortable with the giant bump but I have been living in these pants postpartum.  The thick knit material provides comfort while hiding all those lovely flabby lumpy parts of my postpartum body. What I love about Hatch Collection leggings is that they don't feel or look like maternity wear.

3. J. Crew Minnie Maternity Pants - These were a lifesaver for work. They are a bit of a splurge. Luckily, J. Crew has frequent sales and I picked these up in black and navy and wore them throughout my entire pregnancy.

4. Mama Mio Tummy Rub - Unfortunately, there is no magic cream or potion that can prevent or cure stretch marks. Sorry ladies. But I loved rubbing this on my growing bump every day. I took advantage of the time to talk to the baby and pamper myself a bit.

5. ASOS Maternity BodyCon Dresses - Near the end of my pregnancy, I was having a hard time finding work appropriate attire. Regular clothing wouldn't cover my bump and maternity tops weren't that flattering on me. I relied on these ASOS maternity bodycon dresses. They were super comfortable and made me feel stylish and attractive when I was feeling the complete opposite.

6. Undercover Mama Nursing Tank - Sarah has already raved about these tanks in a previous post and I could not agree with her more. 

7. Bravado Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra - I can't say enough about these nursing bras. If you are a nursing mommy, you need to get these. The end.

There you have it. My seven maternity and postpartum essentials. I'll be back with some outfit, DIY, and recipe posts soon but for now, I'm just enjoying being a new mommy. Happy New Year everyone!

xo,
Carolyn

Brocade, Lace, and Wicked

While I might be spending Valentine's Day working all day and eating takeout Thai food for dinner, my husband and I managed to sneak away for a rare date night a few weeks back.  The night was such a welcome respite from our regular routine.  Since having a baby, the smallest things can feel like luxuries.  Taking a shower where I can take the time to use shampoo and conditioner.  Sleeping for more than 4 hours straight.   Leaving our place on a whim, without lugging around a huge bag full of stuff and a stroller.  These were considered "givens" at one point pre-baby.  What about a night out to eat dinner and to watch Wicked (definitely one of my favorite musicals of all time!) with just the two of us?  That's like winning the lottery!  Sure, I called my mom after dinner, before the show, during intermission, and after the show to make sure the baby was safe and sound.  We still enjoyed every moment of our night out!

Dress: Leifsdottir 'Water Garden Dress from Anthropologie.  Jacket: Sandro 'Vendredi' (similar here). Silver beaded clutch: Vintage from mom (similar here).  Fleece lined tights (amazing when I was living in the Northeast!): from Korea.  Peep-toe booties: Jill Stuart.

Happy New Year

Dr. S and I spent a rare dinner out on New Year's Eve with a couple good friends.  It was our second dinner out without our baby bear since she was born 7.5 months ago (the first being Dr. S' birthday a couple months back).  Those days when we would spontaneously go out to dinner for a date night seem like a lifetime ago!  Luckily, our baby bear's sleep has become decently regular over the past couple months, and we gladly accepted my parents' offer to babysit for a few hours.  Although the weather was a bit nippy by Southern California standards, I braved the chill in this hi-low multi-print number I picked up during the recent tag sale at Anthropologie.   It's official - I've completely lost my tolerance for cold weather that I developed after being in the Northeast for 11 years.  After dinner, we drove back to my parents house and watched the ball drop (albeit 3 hours later with the time difference) in our cozy PJs.  With the birth of our daughter and starting fellowship, it's been an amazing and memorable 2014.  Here's to an equally amazing 2015!

Dress: Anthropologie 'Cadria High Low Dress' by Troubadour (also called the Troubadour 'Croix' dress and available here). Coat: Zara (old).  Handbag: Chanel medium flap bag in black caviar leather.  Multi-strap calf hair heels: Proenza Schouler (also worn here).