life lately.

Hello there! Remember me? I am so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for the last few months. (Didn't you know that the face of the earth was this blog? I kid, of course.) Truth be told, the transition back to work after maternity leave wasn't as seamless as I thought it would be. When I'm not working, I'm making the most of my time with {jv}. Even though he has a somewhat regular bedtime these days, I don't feel like I have the "free time" to share posts like I imagined in my head. I have plenty to share in my drafts folder, but I refuse to put up content that isn't quality -- just for the sake of posting. I did a "life lately" post a few months ago and loved that I was able to share a ton of random thoughts in one place. (Since new mom brain is also in full effect, I decided that a random compilation of thoughts is an acceptable practice. My brain always seems to be on ten different tangents (at once!), so it only makes sense. Without further ado, here is a window into my life lately... xoxo {av}

P.S. As always, if you want the most recent updates (and shall we say "micro blog posts"), my Instagram is the place to find them!

-This satirical article from The New Yorker about Pinterest cracked. me. up. In the months since {jv} was born, I have spent much less time perusing Pinterest. While I miss it, I do find myself less inhibited by the pressure to make my life look "just so". My home won't always be ready for a photographer to stop by -- and I'm more than fine with that ;)
-Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, it doesn't feel right to let it pass without a yearly reminder about my own experience with melanoma. If you're in the market for sunscreen this year, here is a round-up of my favorites. (I have a few new sunscreens to test out this summer, so I will be sure to report back.) I also appreciated this honest perspective from Jacqueline Weppner about her battle with skin cancer after the birth of her daughter.
-On the topic of returning to work after maternity leave, I found this discussion around the cost of childcare fascinating. There is so much more work to be done on this topic. I'll leave that there.
-Sharon Holbrook read my mind with this one. I can only blame the hormones so much now, but this post makes me tear up each time I read it. I live quite a distance from most of my friends (and a good portion of my family), so Sharon's words definitely struck a chord.

-We've been in our new house for six months now -- and we're still not completely unpacked. Oops? I blame it on my inability to be away from {jv} or my pump for much longer than four or five hours. I need to find a few more storage options for books and a variety of accent tables to round our our space. I don't want to unpack things just to move them again (I'm all about efficiency here!), so those things will remain in their boxes until I have what I need. (If that isn't this first year, maybe we don't need the contents of the box after all...) I will say, however, that the packing system I shared last fall worked like a charm for finding things we needed from random boxes. Small victories.
-You know what small thing makes me feel like I conquered something big? Framing recent photos! We ordered a few framed photos from Framebridge and I'm obsessed. They can print directly from your Instagram feed (and the prices are reasonable too!). I am always a sucker for packaging and the Framebridge crew knocks it out of the park there as well. Do yourself a favor and frame a few of your favorite Instagrams (or photos just hanging out on your camera roll). You'll be so glad you did!
-Slowly but surely, we're crossing little projects off our list. Hanging {jv}'s gallery wall and our bigger pieces of art was a step in the right direction. Since I can't forget about everything I see on Pinterest, I'm working to round out some of the "tchotchkes" and little vignettes. I would love some off-the-beaten path places / websites where you've had good luck. I don't want something super cookie cutter, but I also want to invest in something which won't end up in a box in the basement in 18 months. Send along your favorites -- I'd be forever grateful!

-I can hardly believe the baby in the picture above is mine. I feel like he graduated from newborn status in the blink of an eye. {jv} is sitting up like a champ, though he still hasn't quite mastered the whole rolling over business. I won't complain though -- he can entertain himself in one spot for a little while longer. I know I'll be chasing him soon enough! (If you have kiddos, did they do some things "out of sequence" too?)
-{jv} joined in our annual Memorial Day weekend on the Cape! I was excited to break out this playard (that the kind folks at Delta Children sent us this winter) for a few days away. We have a larger playard from 4moms (which we have handy on the first floor of our house for easy diaper changes), but I was thrilled to have something a bit smaller for his first year. If we're staying somewhere other than a hotel in his first year, I can guarantee this will be in use. It's lightweight but still sturdy -- and the price is super attractive too.
-In the months since {jv} arrived, there has been a large influx of stuff in our house. I found this post a few months back and it made me feel better about our decision to not buy out the toy store. While I want him to have whatever his little heart desires, I think there's a limit as well. (I may do a post down the line on what toys you really need -- because, let's be honest, the options are limitless!)
-When I wrote my last "life lately" post, I asked for tips on pumping while at work. Though I never thought I would get pumping down to a science, I have managed to make it work and I am just about two weeks away from my "goal" to breastfeed for six months. In my day job, I spend a ton of time on the road which makes pumping super difficult. In a perfect world (and one where I worked in a cubicle!), I would try to keep breastfeeding exclusively. I am hoping to transition to a first feed + a dream feed combination, supplementing with formula during the day. If you've made that move, I would love to hear more about your experiences (and if you have any tips!).
-Last note about my "ladies": my supply has started to decline in the last few weeks, as I've been away from {jv} for longer stretches because of work. I always thought lactation cookies were just a disguise for eating cookies, but I believe the hype. With limited time to bake, I took the easy way out and bought a pack of the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies from Milkmakers. Let's just say I'm going to have a hard time not ordering these cookies once I'm done breastfeeding ;)
-One final plea for my fellow mamas out there: what tricks worked for you with teething? {jv} has had a few early mornings the last few days and it kills me not to have a good answer.