Anna Saccone Joly

Bet you thought I wouldn't blog today...ha ha ha! It's super late because I had a really busy day but I made it just in time! ;)

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Emilia wore all grey today - how very stylish and grown up of her! She quite likes this outfit...it's from her Oma and it's by Zara. I love how the little socks have stars on them too! The black bow is by Layniebug Designs just like yesterday! It's hard to get a picture of her where she isn't stuffing her hands into her mouth...she has been chewing on them like crazy! She's also dribbling a lot - teething already?

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We ended up going to Market Lane for lunch with Emilia's aunties & grandma. I had the feta salad fried in sesame crust with chargrilled watermelon - yum!

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Emilia with her daddy! She had a lovely time with her dad's side of the family and was sad to see them go back to Dublin! But we will be spending time with them again soon nearer to Christmas. :)

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Today also marked the four year anniversary of my dad's death. Coincidentally the Marymount Hospice who looked after him in his last days were holding their "Light up a Life" Christmas fair so we went along to show our support. To be totally honest though aside from the Christmas fair, today was no different for me in terms of missing my dad. Not a day goes by where I don't think of him & I know he would have been a wonderful grandpa to Emilia :( I wish he could be here to see her! I will always do my best to let her know what an amazing man her nonno was.

I hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday...don't forget to light the first candle on your Advent wreath!! ;)

Stay Stylish!

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This morning started with a doctor's visit...my postpartum checkup with the OB! I snapped this picture of Emilia in the waiting room. Doesn't she look like a present?! I especially love the drool on her mouth, ha ha ha! Jonathan and I always remember watching the new mamas come into the waiting room with their bundles of joy and thinking "that will never be us!" It just seemed so surreal and far away yet here we are almost 3 months later with our own little Emilia! It's quite amazing when you think about it...being an OB or midwife must be such a rewarding job. Although it was a bit sad leaving the clinic knowing that we were now finished or I guess you could say "honourably discharged"! After months of doctor's appointments and ultrasounds you build up a relationship with these people and it seems strange when it's suddenly all over. Jonathan and I both feel like we just got out of a 9 month relationship or something, ha ha ha!

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After the doctor's office we went to Costa for a much-needed coffee fix. We are all exhausted after the weekend...I don't even know why, I think we must be old fogies or something! Any bit of excitement has us yearning for a long nap afterwards to recover, ha ha ha! It's probably because of the broken sleep with Emilia...but we are definitely very tired lately! I got a chicken sandwich for lunch followed up by a croissant & black coffee...and you can catch a glimpse of Jonathan's lemon & poppyseed muffin in the background, mmm!

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I attempted to film a video for my channel with Emilia today...it was a big fail but she did enjoy hanging out in my cupcake room!! Do you think she wants to swap?! I love her chubby cheeks!! And her little hand dimples, he he he! What a cutie ;) I also tried putting her down for a nap in her crib this afternoon but it didn't work because she had fallen asleep on the boob (like always!) and was taking a grand old nap then until I attempted to put her down. Of course the minute her head hit the mattress she opened her eyes and smiled at me as if to say "oh hey mama, is it playtime now?" I even put on her mobile in hopes that the music and spinning would hypnotise her into a deep sleep but it was all in vain...she just lay there grinning at it the entire time thinking it was all a game. And then when I crept up to her closet to take out her hair bows for the video she locked eyes with me through the bars of her crib and let out a big fat CHUCKLE. Ha ha ha, what a fail! We'll try again tomorrow...

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In any case I did manage to film my Mom & Baby November Favourites video (sans Emilia...aww) so that will be up on my channel later this evening. YouTube is performing maintenance today so I'm not sure what time it'll be available to watch. Above is a sneak peek at my favourites for the month!

Hope you're all having a marvellous Monday, as my blogger friend Liesl would say ;)

Stay Stylish!

We had such great plans for today! But it ended up being the rainiest afternoon ever and I'm talking POURING rain, not just a little drizzle! Which meant none of the doggies got their walk as it was too wet and if anyone else knows anything about Maltese, you'll know that they do NOT like the rain. Albi & Nuvies just point blank refuse to move their bums so I just end up dragging them everywhere...and looking like a horrible dog-owner! Ha ha ha!

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Emilia and I stayed home all afternoon and played together while daddy was out. Poor Jonathan ended up getting quite delayed in the yucky weather so we entertained ourselves making adorable faces like this:

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I hope your day was more productive than ours! Sorry this was so short & a bit boring. Hopefully tomorrow will be more interesting!

Stay Stylish!

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Today started off with a ridiculously adorable outfit of the day from my favourite little girl in the whole world! Emilia's top is from Zara, pants are Carters (gift from a lovely subscriber Kristen) and the bow/headband combo are by Layniebug Designs. Theo had great fun with the footies on these pants...he couldn't understand how they wouldn't come off everytime he tried to grab them! For those of you who don't know, Theo is the master thief of shoes, socks and slippers...ha ha ha!

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I finally got around to filming my everyday makeup routine video...I think this is one of my most requested videos of all time! Like the regular creature of habit that I am, I tend to wear my makeup the exact same way everyday...with the exception of one or two eyeshadow colours. Even after having Emilia I always make sure not to skip this part of my daily routine no matter how tired I may be that particular morning. I'm not saying that wearing a full face of makeup is always practical for a new mom (sometimes it's a downright chore!) but I honestly feel it's really helped keep me sane when everything else around me felt like total chaos! Being a mama is a completely selfless job, but it's important to not lose sight of who YOU are...because happy mama = happy baby!

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And speaking of being good to yourself...don't forget to treat your sweet tooth either! ;) Here is one of my current favourite evening snacks - Maltesers...also good with popcorn but we didn't have any left :( Yesterday I bought some Betty Crocker red velvet cake mix so I might attempt to bake that tomorrow!

Hope you're all having a nice evening and if you celebrate Nikolaus I hope you find something in your slippers tomorrow morning!! ;)

Stay Stylish!

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Another day, another outfit! This time it's a warm fuzzy Winnie the Pooh babygrow Emilia got from our dear friend & fellow YouTuber Sam (samanthaschuerman). She got this for her before we even knew if Emilia was going to be a boy or a girl! The headband is by Next and was a gift from a lovely subscriber of ours! I can't believe I actually got her to smile for this OOTD picture...usually she's very serious when we take these! And she seems to really like the Dr. Evil hands pose, ha ha ha!

We spent this morning/early afternoon in Mahon Point shopping centre and Jonathan helped my mom pick out her first ever smartphone...welcome to the world of internet phones & touch screens mama!! :) She doesn't think she'll be able to figure it out but I'm sure she'll be a pro in no time. I even set her up an Instagram...he he ;)

I'm feeling quite stressed about Christmas shopping -- I hate when the shops are so crowded and you feel like you can't move :( I feel like this year I am so unprepared...I haven't even organised our Christmas cards yet!

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Later this afternoon I took the dogs for their walk. It hasn't snowed here yet but I think it might! The temperature has really dropped and I find myself adding more layers each time I go out! Yesterday we took our walk quite late and I felt my shoe slip several times but it was dark so I just thought it was wet or muddy...then I realised it was actually ice! Even the grass got all crunchy and frozen. I think we're going to have to purchase some warm winter coats for the doggies...this weather is too bitter for their little bodies!

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How hilarious are her eyes in this picture?! She had just woken up from her nap and was looking very intense! Emilia didn't nap in her crib today because we were out and then by the time I got home from my walk I was tired too so I fed her in our bed & we both fell asleep together. Then I got up and she looked so peaceful that I just left her there...only problem was she slept till 8pm! Good thing we don't usually go to bed till about midnight. Having said all of that, Emilia has always been a very good sleeper! Sometimes she sleeps 6 hours straight and has done since the beginning. I don't know when we'll start moving her into her crib at night time and honestly right now I don't want to! We love sleeping with her and the idea of putting her into a different room makes me feel horrible! :(

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What better way to end the day than with this adorable little one-eyed bandit?! Ha ha ha! Albi came to join me while I blog this evening and he looked so cute I just couldn't resist snapping a picture! Daddy is watching Resident Evil but we just weren't interested ;) Hope you're all having a relaxing night!

Stay Stylish!

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How cute are my two lovelies all snuggled up together after their shower!? Love them both so much :) They both looked so adorable this morning I couldn't resist snapping a picture!

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I filmed my wet to straight hair routine video today. As you can see this is my very professional and practical filming set-up, ha ha ha! Now you know why I always say my neighbours think I'm talking to my plant!! I was requested to make a video on how I style my hair whenever I wear it straight which is basically the easiest way for me to do it after I wash it. My hair is super dry so I only wash it twice a week...it's also very long, thick and is prone to the frizzies so if this sounds like your hair too you might find my routine helpful!

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This afternoon we stopped by Ballyseedy for a bite to eat and to make a dent in our Christmas shopping. I got the open salmon sandwich on brown bread and it was delicious! Jonathan was naughty and got two sausage rolls...he he he ;) We actually ended up getting some great stuff for my in-laws - Ballyseedy has a good selection of home decor, garden, clothing & kitchen items! Unfortunately I can't show you what I got because they're all Christmas gifts...sorry :(

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And here's what Emilia wore today! It took me ages to get a good picture of her this morning as every single one involved her shoving her hands into her mouth, ha ha! She's such a little muncher! Her outfit today is all Baby Gap with the exception of the hairbow (Layniebug) and socks (gifted from a Norwegian subscriber, Maren!).

Hope you're having a fabulous Friday!

Stay Stylish!

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Somebody was feeling very festive today! The I heart Santa top was a gift from our friend Jan (couturemomnyc) and is by Babies R Us, the white leggings & booties are from H&M and the hairband/bow is by LayniebugDesigns.

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Bianca came and kept me company this morning while I was checking my email & drinking my coffee...I caught her peeking out from behind this cushion and thought she looked so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture! This little pup probably has the most character of all four - she barks the loudest, has the worst tearstains, has an underbite and the most squished up face...not to mention the fact that she's also a total pro at knock knock jokes ;) Ha ha ha!

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We went out to do more Christmas shopping this afternoon and Emilia wore her adorable fuzzy reindeer suit for the first time! How cute are those little antlers?! We got this in Tesco - surprisingly enough they do some very sweet kids' holiday attire! We also picked up my mom's tree (a real one) and now Jonathan is jealous because it smells so good...honestly though I don't mind going fake this year. I know how much more hassle and mess a real tree would have been with six little doggies running around and pissing all over it - ha ha! No thank you!! My mom's does smell lovely though...the Christmas Tree Yankee Candle we got doesn't come close to the real thing.

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After delivering my mama's tree we were invited for dinner and she cooked her amazing lasagne. It is SO GOOD, one of my favourite meals growing up. Well let's be honest...any kind of pasta dish is a favourite of mine ;) My mom makes the best lasagne I've ever tasted. I've tried to replicate it many times but failed miserably :( She usually would make this with red meat but recently started doing it with turkey per my request!

For dessert we had mince pies with whipped cream - my first mince pie of the season! Yum!! This truly marks the beginning of Christmas for me. Yay! :)

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

Stay Stylish!

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For today's outfit, Emilia decided to match Woodstock with her yellow socks & bow! Ha ha ha! I absolutely love this outfit from Zara...the little navy blue velour pants & Snoopy top are both so soft! Her mary-jane style socks are Trumpettes and the hairbow is from Layniebug Designs. Aaand we're doing the clasped hands pose again...she really loves that one doesn't she?!

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Happy second Sunday of Advent to all of my blog reader friends!! I got this pretty wreath in Dunnes Stores and love how it matches our tree :) The candle in the middle is actually our Christmas Tree Yankee Candle that I stuffed into it for some added pizazz...ha ha ha!

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Being that today was a lazy Sunday, it was mostly spent cleaning, doing laundry, playing with Emilia and walking the dogs. Not very exciting! But it gave me a good excuse to lounge around in yoga pants and try out my new Boob hoodie! Yes, they make nursing hoodies too and they are amazing! I got one in a dark petrol colour and it's super soft, comfy and convenient for breastfeeding! It beats having to shove Emilia under my regular bulky hoodies and sweatshirts anyday!

I hope you all had a good weekend - our next one will be crazy so it was nice to have a rather relaxing one this time around.

Stay Stylish!

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Happy Monday! Today Emilia went with an all pink outfit...hot pink leggings (Tesco), light pink "Nuts about Daddy" t-shirt (Primark), pink Layniebug Designs hairbow and these adorable little socks that were a gift from a subbie. She looked so adorable...for all of about 10 minutes. That was when she had a massive poo explosion and the entire outfit had to be changed, ha ha ha! Story of my life!

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Luckily we found this pretty ensemble to wear instead! We actually ended up matching when we filmed our Mommy Monday video - both of us were in black :) We filmed Emilia's 3 month update as she turns exactly three months tomorrow. I can't believe it! She is now technically out of the newborn/"fourth trimester" stage...yay! I can definitely tell a huge difference from last time we filmed a video together. She is a lot stronger and better at sitting/holding her weight. She is also so much more aware of her surroundings and loves to take everything in! She does NOT look impressed in this picture though...ha ha!

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We did some more Christmas shopping today as our first family Christmas party is this Saturday...we are almost all done for my in-laws! I also got some really cute wrapping paper and stationery. Wrapping presents is one of my favourite parts of Christmas! While we were out we grabbed some lunch in Quigley's. I had a tuna salsa bap on wholegrain bread - yummy!

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I snapped this picture of Emilia at lunch. She was so alert and awake, sitting up like a big girl on the couch next to me! Aww... We also bought two of her main Christmas presents. I know she won't remember her first Christmas but we want to make it special. I am so excited for her to play with her gifts! ;)

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I thought I'd share some updated home decor pictures with you guys...we bought our wreath and a new throw for our sofa in Tesco. The wool throw on the upper part of the couch is from Dunnes and by Paul Costelloe and the one on the lower part is new. It's super warm and furry plus I love the colours in it and they match our decor perfectly! It was only €33 and is pretty big (this is it folded in half and it fits the entire length of the sofa). I added an orchid and Christmas lantern (not seen here) to our hall table. The candle holder & pink candle was a wedding present from my late grand-uncle and is very special to me! Let me know your thoughts! I will do a more detailed home decor post soon...probably after Blogmas is over!

Stay Stylish!

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My baby girl turned three months old today! A quarter of a year...how exciting! :) I can't believe it's been three months already - and so much has changed! She is really blossoming into such a sweetie pie. Jonathan and I almost feel like we cheated in a way...only because she is such an easy-going, laid back baby! She is hardly ever fussy or difficult, she rarely cries unless she's hungry/needs a nappy change. She seems so content and smiles/laughs SO much...she is very independent in the sense that she will put herself to sleep without needing to be rocked or fed, she will also entertain herself for long periods of time either on her play mat, crib or swing. Maybe our next baby will be a little devil just to punish us for having it so easy this time - ha ha ha!

Today she wore a little cream velour sweatsuit from H&M...I think this is getting a bit small :( It's a size 2-4 months and they tend to fit a bit snugger than her 3-6 clothes. (FYI she has been fitting into 3-6 since a few weeks ago!) The headband is from Next and her pink long-sleeve vest which you can't really see is one of the loveliest presents we got from a viewer of ours! She designed a picture on the front of Emilia with the four puppies and there's even a cupcake on the bum...ha ha ha!

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Breakfast time! My breakfast looked very festive this morning so I thought I'd snap a picture. This kind of thing makes me happy...I don't know why! It's not like anybody joins me for breakfast, I bring Jonathan's into his study for him and Emilia's not technically "eating" yet, ha ha ha! But I always light a candle & set the table for myself anyway...just a funny little tradition :) The table-runner was a gift from my mom and I think she bought it in Germany while visiting my sister. The place-mat is also from Germany, we got a set of two as a wedding present from a friend.

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I spent the whole morning wrapping presents...yay! My mom always gave me this job whenever I was a bit older and stopped believing in Santa as she hates wrapping but I love it! I don't think I'm very good at it either...I just like the feeling I get from seeing all of the pretty presents wrapped up! It's like instant gratification, ha ha! I bought this Hello Kitty paper and the coloured bows from none other than good old Tesco :)

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For lunch today we went to my mom's as I had gotten her a little gingerbread man candle-holder (you can kind of see it in this picture) to match my one and I wanted to give it to her! She's actually sick so technically I should be the one making her soup, not the other way around!! But she was already making minestrone so she invited us over. It was SO delicious! I had to eat it very slowly while feeding Emilia in the other arm but I enjoyed every bite!

I hope you guys are having a good December so far! We did a little more present shopping for Saturday in TK Maxx...their home section is amazing! I also picked up some new cushions for our bed which I'll show you in a picture tomorrow. I just can't believe how little time I have nowadays...it's like the days just fly by and I never manage to get everything done! :( I remember a time before Emilia where I actually would experience boredom - ha ha ha! Now that is a thing of the past, there's no time to be bored! I am not complaining though and I wouldn't change it for the world, it just takes a bit of getting used to!

Stay Stylish!

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Emilia's outfit of the day...isn't it cute?! Everything is from Zara except for the black headband which is by Layniebug Designs. I think she looks a lot like my goddaughter & niece, Sophia in this picture (the flowergirl at my wedding if you want to reference her pics!). It's funny how babies really change everyday! I feel like every picture of her is different.

Lately I've been doing a ton of research and reading up on baby schedules. At the moment Emilia is just kind of fitting into our schedule which was fine when she was just a few weeks old but as she grows older I find myself wanting to get her into more of a routine...especially when it comes to napping in her crib and such. We've got a pretty steady morning routine going and our night-time routine is okay but she does go to sleep with us - at the same time and LATE which isn't always ideal. As much as I love spending time with Emilia and Jonathan together as a family, sometimes you just crave and miss that alone time as a couple in the evenings. So today I tried out a baby schedule I found on Babycenter and although I definitely didn't stick to it fully, I found the earlier part of the day's schedule hugely beneficial. Emilia napped in her crib for 50 minutes and I feel like we really got to enjoy quality time together :) The problem areas are still late afternoon (around the time when I start to freak out and realise that I've got nothing done!) and night time...when I feel like she should be going to sleep earlier than us. I'm not too worried about this just yet as I know it's all a learning curve but I'm curious to know your thoughts on baby schedules! Do you think they're beneficial or too restrictive?

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The funniest thing about the baby schedule I was using is that it was based off of a slightly older baby...so during playtime Emilia drifted off, ha ha ha! She does love her playmat though and is getting great use out of it, both for tummy time and laying on her back touching and grabbing at her hanging toys.

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I did manage to film my Winterlicious Tag video this afternoon while Emilia was napping but unfortunately it won't be up this evening as planned :( Sorry guys!! Poor Jonathan was just too tired to get to editing it today as we had so much else going on...but it will be up tomorrow and I will post the link to it here, promise!

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And here's an updated picture of some bedroom decor! I purchased two new cushions from TK Maxx yesterday - the bigger sequin one (it's by Kylie Minogue apparently, I didn't know she had a homeware brand!) and the furry chocolate brown one. These two

replaced two pink ones that I moved into my cupcake room. For those who are wondering, our bedding is by John Rocha for Debenhams and the chocolate brown throw is from Dunnes Stores. The big furry beige cushion and smaller button one are from Debenhams and the small white one is by Laura Ashley. Our lamps are from Atlantic Homecare.

I hope you're all having a happy Hump Day! ;)

Stay Stylish!

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Emilia decided she would pick a different pose today...I think she's quite happy with it don't you?! Her new outfit is from my mama who bought it for her yesterday when she was Christmas shopping! The grey leggings are size 6-12 months, can you believe it?! Girlfriend has some chubby little leggies ;) The dress/top is size 3-6 and fits a little big though - so weird! And both items are from Baby Gap. Her star socks are from Zara and the headband is from Walmart (I think...it was a gift from an American viewer!).

Well we tried some more with our schedule and then I had a bit of a mommy meltdown because Emilia fell asleep in her swing while I was vacuuming at 12:30 and she was supposed to go down for her nap (in her crib) at 1. I was running behind on everything else and feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the things I had to do so I popped her in for a few minutes and she was out like a light...gah! I felt like a failure! :( It's so hard to get everything right - especially when I'm trying to look after the doggies and keep the house clean all at the same time. Sometimes it just gets to be too much! But after some cuddles from Jonathan everything was alright again. :)

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We attempted to go to the Farmers' Market today which was another big fail as the weather took a turn for the worse and it ended up pouring rain so we took shelter inside and instead ate lunch at the Bagel Bar ;) The Bankok bagel is my favourite right now! When I was pregnant I loved the Ploughman's without the meat! While we were out we finally got our weekly shop done...we usually do it on Mondays but things have just been so crazy lately that we didn't have time!

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I also picked up two new baby books from Easons today, The New Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford and Annabel Karmel's New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner. I already have one of Annabel Karmel's books on baby food recipes and I love it! I can't wait to start making Emilia's food when she starts eating solids!

And as promised here is the link to my Winterlicious Tag video! Sorry it's a day late but I hope you enjoy...it was quite hard to film though because Emilia was crying as she woke up from her nap a little earlier than I expected :( But she is definitely getting used to sleeping in her crib and seems to really like it - yay!

Stay Stylish!

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Look at this happy girl! Her morning smiles just light up my day :) Here she is dressed head to toe in Next - one of my favourite clothing brands for kids! They really have the best quality stuff! This baby-grow/hoody is super soft and she loves it because it keeps her nice & snug!

We tried a little bit of a new routine today...which actually went quite well! I'm not sticking to it very rigidly but I did take a lot of tips from the Gina Ford book and am applying them to our own current "routine" (if you could call it that!) and daily life. Emilia napped from 12-2pm today in the car/stroller while we were running errands and it was very convenient for everybody! We FINALLY got to the post office and are done with the Christmas shopping for Jonathan's side of the family!

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A few of you have commented asking me to post more outfit pictures and I promise to do better at that! It's just that usually when I'm at my mirror (in our bedroom) I've got slippers on...ha ha ha! Then by the time we're ready to go I'm rushing out the door and I forget to snap a picture of the whole outfit. Anyway, here's a peek at what I was wearing on our daily walk today! It's super cold so I'm wearing gloves, my trench coat (Sisley - about 5 years ago!), scarf (not pictured) and Chelsea boots (LoveClothing).

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Tomorrow we are driving to Dublin for the first of our family Christmas parties, so here are all the presents wrapped up and ready to go! I got this paper in no other than good old Tesco...in case you're interested ;) This will be Emilia's first family Christmas party which is pretty exciting! I even have a festive dress picked out for her and I can't wait for you guys to see her in it! Every morning we have this little tradition after I get her dressed for the day (and snap her outfit pic!) when we go down to daddy's office where he's working and show off her outfit! It's so cute because it reminds me of how my dad used to admire all of our pretty clothes - the only difference is I think he was genuinely interested in fashion and things of that nature, whereas Jonathan probably just pretends for my sake...ha ha!

Hope you are all having a fabulous Friday!

Stay Stylish!

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(Sorry this blogmas is so late but we only got back from Dublin around 11pm and we're exhausted!)

Here is Emilia's pretty dress she wore to the Christmas party today!! Everybody loved her outfit and it was a real hit ;) The dress and striped top set is by John Rocha and is actually size 0-3 months but I knew when we got it that it looked big and had planned for her to wear this for Jonathan's family dinner. I actually was lucky enough to find tights in the same colour as the shirt stripes in the Pumpkin Patch. (It's not pink or red...kind of an inbetween rose/cranberry colour.) My sister thinks this outfit makes Emilia looks like a gingerbread house and I have to say I agree...I don't know why but she's right! Ha ha ha!

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This picture was taken on the way to Dublin - I am so sick of long hair!! Not because I don't like it, but rather I just don't have the time to spend styling it anymore :( So I just end up leaving it as is and not liking it very much! I love long hair but it's too high-maintenance with a baby! I want a change but I refuse to cut it short...no freaking way!! So I need ideas...if any of you have some, please send them my way! Jonathan thinks I should get a fringe but I don't know...that seems quite drastic to me, what do you think?!

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Here's Emilia and me at the Christmas party - note the different tights, we had a little poo explosion which she conveniently saved for RIGHT before we left the house for Dublin...how considerate of her, ha ha! Just as well I had back-up! These are from Benetton and Jonathan actually thought they matched the dress better! Emilia had a wonderful time at her grandma's house and got to see all her aunts, uncles & cousins! She got super spoiled with lots of lovely presents...yay!

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You know I can't resist dessert ;) This apple crumble Jonathan's mom made was delicious!

Hope you're all having a great weekend - I'm absolutely exhausted and falling asleep on the keyboard, ha ha ha!

Night night!

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My first time blogging from my iPad! Yay! It took me a while...but I finally figured it out. Today was another lazy Sunday - what else are Sundays for?! ;) After yesterday's long round trip to Dublin we were super tired and decided it would probably be best if we wore something comfy & cosy...like this fleecy baby-grow from Carter's! Jonathan and I followed suit with our sweats but didn't look half as cool without these little monkey feet!! Emilia's headband is adorable but I'm afraid I don't know where it's from as it was a gift from a lovely subscriber! Sorry! :(

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Today was also the third Sunday of Advent - eek!! I can't believe how fast this month is going...and I still feel like I'm so behind on getting things done! We still have to do all of our Christmas shopping for my side of the family, buy each other presents and get some bits and pieces for the pups ;) Two things I'm very excited about this week: Emilia meeting her UrOma (great grandmother) for the very first time!!! And my sister Emma is coming home on Friday...yay!!

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Halfway through this morning Emilia's big brother Albi rather fancied her headband so she let him borrow it for a while...ha ha ha!! He looks so handsome! I think he quite enjoyed being a princess for the day.

Hope you're all having a relaxing Sunday!

Stay Stylish!

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Emilia laughed and smiled the entire time I was taking these pictures...and all I kept thinking to myself was "I never knew I could love somebody this much." I mean really, how is it possible?! She lights up my day with her beautiful smiley face :) This outfit is from two lovely Australian subscribers and she looks adorable in it! The headband is by Layniebug Designs and actually features a Maltese puppy in the rosette! The owner Melissa made this especially for Emilia and we appreciate it so much!

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Emilia has begun to grab things lately...her toys that dangle in front of her, necklaces, my hair (ouch!) and I can see that she's beginning to make the connection between sight & touch. It's kind of fascinating to watch! We practised with this pink butterfly from her playmat this morning and I saw her look at it for a while, then grab it and then think about how it felt in her hand. She would even let go and then grab it again just to go through the process all over again. So cute! Before this she would occasionally grab a hold of something while feeding (usually my bra/top/hair) but not really register what was happening. Now it's like she's making a conscious decision to reach out and touch!

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I feel like all I really did today was clean - so I thought I'd document my progress and show you guys! I like to have the house looking super clean and tidy for Christmas so today I tackled the kitchen & living area. This is usually the biggest job as it's the largest space in the house! I also put away all of Emilia's Christmas gifts that she's received so far, organising the clothes by size. She got some really cute stuff!

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Here is my belly 3 months post-partum. I filmed my Mommy Monday video today on one of the most requested topics - how I lost the baby weight. Honestly there is no magic formula! I talk about it a little bit more in depth in the video but to give a brief overview...I now weigh a few pounds less than my pre-pregnancy weight and I'm pretty sure that this is all thanks to breastfeeding. I believe that this along with normal healthy eating (not dieting or cutting calories!), and the belly bandit helped get my body back to its pre-pregnancy form. Hopefully some of you will find the video helpful and if you are thinking about having a baby, please don't let the whole weight gain/body changes side of it discourage you! My pregnancy was honestly one of the most amazing experiences in my life and I would do it all again in a heartbeat :) My body isn't "perfect" but what is perfect anyway? It's not like I ever thought it was even before having a baby ;) And I kind of like my new stretchmarks around my bellybutton and my faded linea nigra! They remind me that I carried a beautiful baby called Emilia, ha ha ha!

Stay Stylish!

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This picture was taken very early in the morning when Emilia and I were having our mommy daughter playtime together on the couch while I finished off my coffee! Every morning she has playtime on her mat and then she sits on the sofa with me all snuggled in her cupcake blanket with her pj's on and we play with her toys. I love this time the most because it's right before anybody else gets up so these are our special "quiet moments" :)

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Is it just me or does she get funnier and more giggly with each of these outfit posts?! This morning she was particularly giddy and would not stop laughing! The picture on the right cracks me up!! I put her in this outfit especially for my Oma (who is German) because I knew she'd like it ;) Too bad Emilia had a poo explosion right before going to meet her but luckily only the pants needed to be changed!

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Here's my outfit...like I said it's hard for me to remember to do these at the right time because I'm always in my slippers when I'm home! But these leopard print slipper make me laugh so much...they remind me of those crazy Minnie Mouse shoes ones you can get at Disneyland, ha ha ha! I think my mom got them at Lidl or Aldi. My pants are by Cheap Monday, the cardigan is Soaked in Luxury and I'm wearing a nursing tank by Boob. Emilia's outfit is from a Norwegian subscriber/viewer and her headband is by Layniebug Designs!

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While Emilia was taking her afternoon nap I managed to film my December Glossybox "unboxing" video. I feel so bad as I haven't filmed one of these in MONTHS and I literally had about four unopened Glossyboxes stacked up in my room...ever since Emilia was born I've just been so busy and I kept putting off opening them/making videos! I was really happy with what I got in this month's box - especially the nail polish, lipstick and leave-in conditioner. You can watch the video here!

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And here we go...after 3 long months of waiting, Emilia finally got to meet her Uroma!! (Great grandma!) It was such an emotional and wonderful moment - I wish I had gotten the chance to meet my great grandparents! I love my Oma so much! I would love to get a picture of her with my mom, Emilia and me...four generations! I'm so happy my Oma is here for Christmas - now all we need is my sister to come home and the holiday can really begin!

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In other news, the puppies all got groomed today - just in time for Christmas! And check out their festive red and green bows!! Can you tell who's who?! I'll give you a few hints...Sina pissed me off by snuffling around in the mud right before this photo was taken (such a little tomboy...ha ha ha!), the boys (Albi & Theo) have green bows and girls have red (that makes it easy!), Bianca has the smallest/most squished in face, Nivea's adult coat came in the worst and she had so many matts she had to be cut super short so we gave her a coat, Nuvies has a pink "waterline" (we call it her little pink eye!) and, well Albi only has one eye...ha ha ha! Does that make it obvious enough for you guys!? It does get easier to tell them apart the more you see them, I promise! Now I can even figure out who's who just looking at them from the back!

I hope you're all having a good night...Emilia is ready for her second boob so I need to end this now, ha ha ha!

Night night!

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Today was the day that Emilia found her voice! I'm not even joking...I call it "talking" but of course she hasn't said any real words yet, it's more a mixture of coos and gurgles. It's so cute! It first started with her making cooing noises while feeding which I thought was adorable. Then my family came over and she decided to join in the conversation. She started babbling like there was no tomorrow - but as soon as we all stopped talking she was silent! Then we realised she tended to "talk" more when everybody else was doing it...what a sweetie pie, she wanted to be part of the fun! :)

Her outfit today is a mixture of different brands - the leggings are from Baby Gap, socks are from Zara, hair bow is Layniebug Designs and the Aristocats top I bought on sale from Tesco for about €4! Poor baby scratched herself on the face with her nails while we were in the car yesterday :( I was so sad for her when I saw it, it looked really bad too and was bleeding! She didn't seem upset or bothered by it though and didn't cry so I guess it's okay. I don't like putting her hands in mittens because she loves to suck on them and I hate to take that feeling away from her!

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Here I am surrounded by my ~~flock of sheep~~ little white pups relaxing on the couch after our guests came to visit! My uncle, cousin, grandmother and mom came over for tea & coffee this afternoon. I tried to get a good picture of the four generations but I look like a frazzled mess in the shot so I'm not posting it - ha ha ha! I will try to get another (nicer) one tomorrow!

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This is what Jonathan cooked for dinner tonight - chicken Thai Green Curry! Yum! Usually we have this on Monday nights while watching Dexter...I don't know why or how that happened, it just sort of became a tradition! This week we broke the tradition and now Dexter's over, boo hoo! :( That has remained my favourite TV show since we first got into it 4/5 years ago! Though I don't understand how it is that I find Michael C. Hall so ordinary in "real life" (whenever I see him on the red carpet, at events or playing different roles) but yet as Dexter I can't help but find him really attractive! Does anybody else feel this way?! Maybe that means he's a great actor, right?

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So in love with my little princess...possibly even more so now that she's started "talking"! I love listening to the sound of her babbling voice. She was having so much fun finding her voice that she even let out a huge belly laugh while in the middle of feeding this evening...nearly scared me half to death!! There's nothing like a good old chuckle when you've got a mouthful of boob...ha ha ha!

Night night from the two of us!

xoxo

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Sorry this is so late but today was kind of an off-day! We slept in super late...I think I was just exhausted and tired myself out with getting up really early every morning and going to bed too late!! I need to start getting to bed earlier...anyway this meant I got hardly anything done :( But at least I got to sleep in! Emilia felt like being festive today so she wore her pretty Christmas tutu and outfit from her auntie Leah! She looked so cute and matched it perfectly with a white bow and red headband from Layniebug Designs. Her whole outfit is from Dunnes Stores (tights, tutu & top).

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How to get a good picture of six dogs looking at the camera all at the same time? Say the word "TREAT!" Ha ha ha! Can you tell which is which? No hints this time ;) This was right before they all got their "naughty or nice" bones...Jonathan and I spent a ridiculous amount of time arguing over who deserved "naughty" and who deserved "nice". We are such great parents, ha ha ha!

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Good night from the cutest little feet in the whole world! These are the only feet I'll admit I find cute...ha ha ha! I can't wait to paint those baby toe-nails ;)

Stay Stylish!

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Today we celebrated Emilia's Uroma's 83rd birthday! Although it's technically not her birthday till the 26th, we always have terrible trouble trying to find a place that serves food the day after Christmas so we decided to celebrate on a different day this year! My Oma picked the restaurant and Emilia got the chance to wear her pretty pink corduroy dress! Yay! :) She is getting so much use out of all her outfits, ha ha ha! This ensemble is courtesy of her auntie Ruth and is entirely from Next (minus the bow which is Laynie Bug!). Everyone thought she looked absolutely adorable and she actually managed to keep the whole outfit on all day! (No poo explosions - woo hoo!)

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Here are our outfits of the day together! I actually filmed a video on this but didn't get a chance to edit/upload so it will be up tomorrow instead! My cardigan/shirt/dress (I'm really not sure what to call it!) is from French Connection and looks waaaaay better on me when I'm not pregnant, ha ha! I remember hating how it looked a few months ago...probably because it was seriously unflattering with a bump, oh well! Underneath I wore a black Boob nursing top (this outfit is actually very breastfeeding friendly!), black ASOS jeggings and my furry black wedge boots are by Chinese Laundry!

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The birthday lunch was in Hayfield Manor which was beautifully decorated for Christmas...they even had an upside down Christmas tree!! I couldn't believe it! This is so odd to me, at first I didn't even realise what it was supposed to be! What do you guys think of this strange trend?! I guess it's pretty eye-catching and it definitely makes you do a double take when you first see it but I don't know if I'd ever consider one of these for my own home, ha ha ha!

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My lunch was delicious...I had the gnocchi with winter veggies - yum!! For dessert I had a mince pie and to my surprise they brought me out two so my Oma insisted I bring it home (she always asks for a doggy bag!). Hayfield Manor have cloth napkins so she rummaged in her handbag for a bit and then presented me with a tiny crumpled paper one to wrap it in...ha ha ha! She is so funny! I hope she had a good birthday lunch. Emilia enjoyed herself too even though she slept most of the way through it! Oh yes, and my sister Emma is home from Germany - yay! So Emilia will get to spend some quality time with her "Auntie Em" over the holiday season!

Stay Stylish!

Blogmas Day 2: Anniversary

Blogmas Day 3: Babies & Cupcakes!

Blogmas Day 4: Rain Rain Go Away...

Blogmas Day 5: Everyday Makeup Routine

Blogmas Day 6: Freezing Cold

Blogmas Day 7: Hair Routine & Christmas Shopping!

Blogmas Day 8: My First Mince Pie!

Blogmas Day 9: Lazy Sunday

Blogmas Day 10: Home Decor Update

Blogmas Day 11: Emilia's 3 Month "Birthday"!

Blogmas Day 12: Baby Schedule

Blogmas Day 13: New Baby Books!

Blogmas Day 14: Wrapping It Up!

Blogmas Day 15: Family Christmas Party!

Blogmas Day 16: Brotherly Love!

Blogmas Day 17: How I Lost the Baby Weight!

Blogmas Day 18: Great Grandma!

Blogmas Day 19: Learning to Talk!

Blogmas Day 20: Naughty or Nice?

Blogmas Day 21: Upside Down Tree?!