First Birthday Family Photos

The munchkin turned one year old last month!  I know every parent says this, but he is really growing up so fast!  Justin and I joke that the first year was both the longest and shortest of our lives, but without a doubt it was one of the best.  Watching our baby grow from a sleepy little bundle into a mobile, babbling, personality-filled mini man has been the funnest thing (and well worth the sleep deprivation, lack of social life, and messy house).  To commemorate the occasion we had some professional photos taken by our favorite photographer, KB Digital Designs.  (She took our maternity and newborn photos too.)  I thought I’d share my favorites – enjoy!

(this one cracks me up…not sure if he’s embarrassed or terrified!)

The cake smash was definitely the most fun part!  I saved it for last because of the mess but maybe we should have done it first since he was such a sugar-high happy guy after, haha.  He played non-stop for the next 2 hours and then crashed, literally going from sitting up with his toys one minute to sprawled on his back snoring the next.  (We try to limit sugar so this was his first serious interaction with it…a lot of it too.)  Looking cute for photos takes a lot out of a dude!

We had a second encounter with cake at his birthday party the next weekend!  I’ll be sharing photos of the party (and decorations I made!) next week.  Seriously so fun to celebrate our little guy, and of course we’re pretty pleased with ourselves for making it through year one!

xoxo
Urva

Oahu

In January we took an amazing week-long vacation to Hawaii!  I booked the trip last spring soon after Marcus was born, when I would longingly remember our babymoon to Kauai during 3 am feedings, ha!  We had some airline miles/hotel points to use too, and I’d say I put them to good use!  After 10 months of life with baby, a change in my job, moving, the holidays…a week at the beach was just what we needed.  Plus the munchkin was just at the right age to enjoy the sand and ocean!

We stayed in Ko Olina, which I would totally recommend – 30 minutes from Honolulu airport, on the sunny and drier side of the island, and each resort’s beach is on a manmade lagoon so you don’t have to worry about big waves or strong currents (mommyhood has turned me into a total worrywort).  It was a beautiful area and we loved our morning walk along the lagoons every morning to go get yummy coffee and breakfast from Island Vintage Coffee.

We took a few breaks from the beach to explore other parts of the island.  The North Shore is of course famous for waves, but we missed the big ones (by a day! rats!).  We did however get to enjoy the yummy food including food trucks in Haleiwa and fish tacos in Hauula.

We also stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation for a quick cup of Dole Whip.

And did the briefest of hikes in Waimea (baby experienced his first mosquito bite and was NOT happy about it).

Yokohama Bay (where the road ends on the west side) was an awesome spot to catch sunset!

As was Spitting Caves (SE of Honolulu).

Not that sunset from our hotel’s beach was at all shabby!

You know I love my sweet treats! This trip they came in the form of shave ice…

And malasadas!

While we didn’t have quite as many adventures as we usually do when we travel, I think we squeezed in all that the little man could handle.  And the point of the trip was to relax, and that was definitely accomplished!  Baby’s first Hawaiian vacation in the books!! (If I say “first” there have to be more, right? Hahahaha.)

Definitely missing that Hawaiian sun with all the Colorado snow we’ve got in the last week!  But being trapped inside is helping me catch up on photos – maybe (hopefully) I can finally put up some more on here!

xoxo
Urva

P.S. I bought all of Marcus’ little shorts and t-shirts from BabyGap when summer clothes were on serious clearance last fall. Vacation planning plus sale shopping – my two favorite things!

Valentine’s Day

By now you’ve probably realized that I am big on holidays, and a sucker for themed decor, outfits, and of course photos!  Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorites.  Growing up we celebrated it not as a romantic holiday but as a day to express your love for family and friends.  My grandpa would send all the women and kids in the family a box of chocolate, my parents would get us a little treat, and I always crafted homemade valentines for schoolmates and to mail out.  Of course the holiday does become extra special when you have a someone special to buy you flowers – and I’ve been lucky to have Justin as my Valentine for the last 10 years!  My love for the holiday has rubbed off on him and he always sends me roses and brings home a sweet treat.  He even proposed on Valentine’s Day 6 years ago!  This year I was excited to spend the weekend with my baby Valentine too – and have you seen all the cute holiday baby outfits?!  I may have bought all that Carter’s, Old Navy and Target had to offer.  We took baby photos in a couple outfits to use for cards:

I use the Ink app to send out photo postcards; they have cute designs, it’s easy to add a photo and custom text, and they mail them for you (and quickly too).  Plus it’s only $1.99 a card which is less expensive than buying and mailing a card from most places.  I do miss making homemade cards but with everything going on I just didn’t have time to craft and get them out the door.

My other favorite part of the holiday is all the yummy chocolate goodies!  I did make a few this year, including a festive hot chocolate:

And chocolate-dipped shortbread:

These cookies were so easy to make and festive-looking that I actually packaged up some for our neighbors as a little treat.  (Our new neighbors have been so sweet and welcoming!)

Justin came through with some yumminess too, chocolate-dipped strawberries and cake truffles from Shari’s Berries!  Plus some beautiful flowers.

I got him a small box of Moonstruck chocolate (my favorite from Portland!).

We were also able to enjoy a baby-free evening downtown to celebrate.  More details coming soon!  Thanks to these guys for a wonderful Valentine’s weekend.  ❤

xoxo
Urva

Baby’s First Christmas

Happy Holidays!  Hope you had a lovely Christmas and are gearing up for a fun New Year!  I took a little break from posting while we moved (moving is never fun, and it got CRAZY with the baby and the snow/cold and the holidays) but now that the piles of boxes have died down a bit I have gotten a chance to edit the crazy amount of photos we took to document baby’s first Christmas!  Which was definitely the most fun Christmas ever, and so special to see Marcus’ face as he took in the tree, tried new treats, and ripped open presents.

Bundled up in the snow! (Gap Coat)
Working on Christmas cards (from Paper Source)
My little elf! (Hanna Andersson One-Piece)

Speaking of the tree, it took us a while to get it fully decorated (and I may have skimped on ornaments a bit) but it turned out to be a nice-looking tannenbaum, if I do say so myself.

Justin’s Outfit: Gap Sweater 
Urva’s Outfit: Gap T-shirt / J.Crew Necklace (old)
Marcus’ Outfit: Baby Gap Button-Up (sold out online) and Chinos / Carter’s Hoodie

We ran into Santa again at the neighborhood community center…Marcus was not so thrilled about it, hahaha.  (As much as I hate to see my baby cry, I think “wailing baby on Santa’s lap” photos are kind of hilarious.)

My parents and brothers came into town for Christmas, which was nice for us avoiding holiday travel madness and getting some unpacking done while they hung out with baby.

As you may have noticed, I love coordinated family outfits, and no way was I going to pass up matching pajamas for baby’s first Christmas.  Hanna Andersson makes PJs for the whole family – including dog johns!  We coordinated stripes and nordic patterns.

Christmas morning was magical!  Marcus was spoiled with gifts from family and friends, but probably was most thrilled about the ribbon, wrapping paper, and empty boxes.  (I’m sure he’ll enjoy all his new toys once he notices them though!)

Carter’s “My 1st Christmas” PJs (sold out online)

Justin and I decided on no gifts for each other with the new house and all its accompanying purchases.  Plus – sap alert – we couldn’t ask for anything better than our sweet munchkin!

Carter’s Onesie (sold out online)

Hope you all had a great Christmas as well!  Looking forward to sharing more in 2016!

xoxo
Urva

 

Tree Trimming

17 days until Christmas!  Eeek!  I do not feel ready for the holiday AT ALL, but at least we have one important component taken care of: the tree!  We took Marcus to pick out his first Christmas tree this weekend and it was so much fun!

Marcus’ Outfit: Baby Gap Sweater / Zara Shirt and Pants / Carters Hat and Boots (old)
Urva’s Outfit: Madewell Sweater / Gap Leggings / Banana Republic Hat (old) / Michael Kors Boots / Scarf (old)

Growing up in Oregon I am used to cutting down a tree at one of the plentiful and nearby farms, but in Colorado the pickings are a little slimmer.  We got a pre-cut Noble Fir at a local nursery, deciding that easy was the way to go with Marcus.  Plus the nursery had Santa – and coffee and doughnuts!

We decided to put the tree up in our new house (more on that coming soon) so it’s been decorated in stages as we make trips over there.  Baby has a limited tolerance for hanging out while we hang ornaments, though he is very amused by the Christmas lights!

(Marcus is wearing Carter’s Onesie and Socks, both sold out)

When we finally have finished tree – hopefully by the end of the week, haha – I will post a photo.  It’s nice to have at least a little Christmas Spirit (and that fresh cut pine scent) up and around the house!

xoxo
Urva

Munich – Part 1

In September we took Marcus on his first international trip!  My parents lived in Munich for three months this fall, and we took advantage of a free place to stay (and their many, many miles – thanks guys!) to see another European city.  A 10-hour flight with a 6-month-old baby was definitely daunting, but Marcus was a rock star and a pretty happy camper through out the journey.  (Though it helped that we had an evening flight, were sitting in Economy Plus, and I’m still nursing.)

Visiting Munich in mid-September was ideal for weather, and of course, experiencing OKTOBERFEST!  We’re a little past our beer festival prime, but weren’t going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  And of course you can’t go to Oktoberfest without being properly dressed in your lederhosen or dirndl – shopping for our outfits was half the fun!  I had trouble choosing from all the options, but ended up with a black embroidered number:

The whole family in our Bavarian finest! (Marcus got his lederhosen onesie as a gift from Uncle Chris.)

Hanging with baby at Oktoberfest, like you do (hahaha).

Marcus reaching for a beer stein. I promise we kept him safe and away from the booze!

We enjoyed our fun Oktoberfest adventure, though I’m glad we did a quick visit during the day while it was still on the quieter, less rowdy side.  We definitely made lots of friends with Marcus in tow!  And fun fact about the dirndl – the apron ties function as a “Bavarian flirt code” with a bow on the right indicating you are married and on the left meaning you are single.  The salesgirl I chatted with said she has a boyfriend of 5 years…but he hasn’t popped the question yet so she will be wearing a left bow!  Hahaha I love it.

More Munich photos and stories coming soon!

xoxo
Urva

Park City

Last month I had to travel to Salt Lake City for work, and since I couldn’t leave Marcus for 3 whole days, I took him and Justin with me.  Once work was complete we zipped up to Park City for the weekend.  I had never been there before, but it is beautiful!  And just an easy 40-minute, traffic-free drive from SLC too, which is quite different from the Denver to ski resort commute here in Colorado.  Mid-October is considered off-season, so we scored an amazing deal at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria resort.  (P.S. We’ve been making all our recent hotel reservations through our American Express credit card.  If you have one, it’s totally the way to go: room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out, breakfast included, resort credit…  We’ve had a great experience using their reservation system.)  Our 1-bedroom suite was awesome – Marcus enjoyed the two fireplaces, and Justin and I enjoyed the comfy bed and 2 bathrooms!  Having a full kitchen was super helpful for preparing and cleaning baby bottles and meals too.  For adult meals, the hotel restaurant serves a yummy breakfast and the staff couldn’t be nicer.

Marcus and I were both under the weather with runny noses, so we just relaxed at the hotel, poked around Main Street, and drove up to Guardsman’s Pass to take in the stunning fall colors.  I think we missed the peak of changing leaves by a week or so, but there still were some gorgeous yellow and orange aspen groves to marvel at.

Of course I wanted a family photo with the trees but the best ones were either right next to the highway or down a steep ledge, neither of which I was willing to risk with the little guy.  Instead we found a leaf-less but safe stand of trees and snapped this hilarious pic – look at Marcus’ horrified face!  Only 7 months in and already embarrassing my child, haha.

Marcus’s outfit: Zara One-Piece (old) and Shirt
Urva’s outfit: NoNo Sweater (bought abroad) / J.Crew Jeans / Satya Mala

I picked up my gloriously fluffy sweater while visiting Munich in September.  I have been loving Lavender lately, especially when paired with navy.  In fact I wore that color combination again the next day while grabbing lunch in downtown Park City.  Justin and Marcus were kind enough to coordinate with me both days (hahaha, obviously I do all the packing!).

Marcus’ outfit: Carter’s Fleece Pants / Zara Shirt / Baby Gap Socks
Urva’s outfit: J.Crew Cardigan / Madewell Tank / Hudson Jeans / Satya Mala

I bought the dumorite mala over the summer with a Nordstrom gift card I had sitting around.  Being half-Indian I especially appreciate that these have become trendy, and while this one is spendy, it is beautifully constructed and doubles as a fun thing for Marcus to grab and look at while on my lap.  I have been lusting after the garnet one as well…

Thanks to my upcoming job change, I won’t be traveling to Utah again any time soon.  But after this trip and past ones to Moab, Zion, and Bryce Canyon, I definitely consider it one of the most beautiful states!

xoxo
Urva

Puppy Love

This is a throwback post to last winter, playing in the snow with my first and furriest baby, Clyde.  Since we got our first good snowstorm here in Denver earlier this week, I figured it would be a good one to share.  Plus I still own and wear this outfit!  One thing you figure out quickly living in Colorado is how to layer – our weather changes so fast!  I hate feeling bulky and like to be able to move freely, so I’m all about light, thin layers.  In this outfit I have three on top – tank top, button up blouse, and long cardigan – and three on the bottom also between tights, jeans, and knee-high boots with socks.  This kept me warm enough while running around for a bit with the pup, though I’d definitely add at least a hat and gloves for a longer stint (and of course a jacket if it was actually snowing at the time).

None of the exact items I’m wearing are available anymore, but I’ve picked out some similar things that I love:
Hollister Tank / Lush Tunic / Forever 21 Sweater / SP Black Jeans / Miz Mooz Boots

This was pre-baby when Clyde still got all my love and attention…not that he still doesn’t get plenty of both!  He has become a wonderful big brother and is amazingly gentle and patient with the baby.  We are seriously so lucky to have this dog, and speaking of which, it’s his birthday today!!  Happy 7th birthday, Clydester!  Can’t wait to celebrate and split a piece of pumpkin pie.

xoxo
Urva

Beaver Creek

Two weeks ago we spent a quiet and relaxing weekend up in the Rockies.  Beaver Creek is one of my favorite mountain towns; it’s beautiful and small and easy to get to from Denver.  Late October is definitely the off-season for ski resorts, since most of the fall foliage is gone and the snow hasn’t arrived yet.  But that does make for some pretty amazing deals at hotels, and since we needed to get out of the house anyway (we just put our house on the market and had showings scheduled for most of the weekend), it worked out perfectly!  We stayed at the Park Hyatt, which I would totally recommend for its many cozy fireplaces, perfect location with easy access to town and the slopes, and S’MORES HAPPY HOUR.  (They set you up with all the fixings at an outdoor fire pit!)

We were lucky to have beautiful sunny fall weather all weekend and didn’t need coats during the day.  I put together this red, white, and gray layered outfit for Marcus and am kind of in love with it.  That little puffy vest!  And the dog hat!  And fleece-lined booties!  Eeek.

Marcus’ outfit: Carter’s Corduroys and Shirt / Vest / Hat and Gloves / Boots
Urva’s outfit: Zara Sweater / Hudson Jeans / Banana Republic Hat (old)

Once the sun set we kept warm with coats and blankets, and the before-mentioned fire and s’mores.

Sunday was an especially lazy day – Justin and I indulged in the hotel’s breakfast buffet and needed to nap with Marcus afterward!  We did eventually make it out for a walk again, and this time I bundled up Marcus in his bear suit.  I actually bought this last November right after our gender-determination ultrasound appointment!  And have been waiting for Marcus to be big enough and the weather to be cold enough to wear it.  It’s kind of the cutest thing ever, especially paired with the little bear feet slippers!

Marcus’ outfit: Baby Gap One-Piece and Booties
Urva’s outfit: J.Crew Sweater (old) / Hudson Jeans / Michael Kors Boots

Such a nice weekend!  Traveling with a baby is fun, but complicated with all the supplies and sticking to an eating/sleeping routine.  We have no upcoming travel plans until January, and I’m excited for some time at home (maybe a new home!) with the family.

xoxo
Urva

Baby’s First Halloween

Like any new mom, I love to check off all of “Baby’s Firsts” …first smile, first airplane ride, first time eating solid food, first visit from his grandparents…  So of course, all of baby’s first holidays are extra exciting, and definitely an excuse to celebrate (or establish) traditions and take lots of photos!  For Marcus’ first Halloween last weekend, that meant a trip to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, and dressing up.

Those of you in the Denver area know that finding a legitimate pumpkin patch – pumpkins actually attached to vines growing out of the ground – takes a little bit of driving and/or dealing with weekend-only hours and crowds.  We decided to make it easy on ourselves and visit a patch of pre-cut pumpkins, conveniently located just up the street and open weekday evenings.  (The Pumpkin Patch of Centennial, organized by Good Shepherd Episcopal Church off Dry Creek Road.  I would definitely recommend you get your pumpkins there!  They had a great selection, the nicest volunteers staffing the area, and all proceeds from pumpkin sales go to charity.  Plus it’s a cute set-up with hay bales and scarecrows.)  Marcus was pretty thrilled about all the pumpkins, especially the baby-sized one we gave him to hold and take home.

Marcus’ outfit: Carter’s Shirt / Baby Gap Chinos (old)
Urva’s outfit: Limited Sweater / J.Crew Jeans / Timberland Loafers (old)

Of course pumpkins have to be carved into jack-o-lanterns, and in the process we observed that Marcus might fit perfectly into our biggest one.  We popped him for a second (no babies were harmed! or even slimed since we lined the inside with a bag) and he very happily stood inside and beat the pumpkin like a drum.  I dressed him for the occasion in a festive onesie and hat!

Marcus’ outfit: Baby Gap Shirt and Beanie
Urva’s outfit: Gap Blouse

As someone who loves to dress up, I always get excited to brainstorm and piece together a Halloween costume.  We decided to do a family Jurassic World ensemble, since that was one of the few movies we saw in theaters this year and Marcus has recently started making a squeal-roar sound that seems dinosaur-like.  I found baby and dog triceratops costumes on Amazon, as well as a vest for Justin and inflatable velociraptor.  (BDH’s white outfit and heels were easy to find in my closet.)  Getting a photo of everyone in one spot was tricky, but I was pretty pleased with end result!

Hope you all had a happy Halloween!  Hard to believe that it’s November and the holidays are rapidly approaching, but I’m excited to for baby’s first Thanksgiving and Christmas!

xoxo
Urva