jessica mcdougall

It's delightful to discover the repetitive things that Gabrielle does. One of which is sleeping with her arms up in the air. It's when you know she's really enjoying her sleep. What a sweet girl.

 

And I'm daydreaming about this. Even though I have NO time right now, I'd love to be able to one day teach Gabrielle how to sew - in the same manner that my mom taught me. (Even if my favorite sewing project for several years in a row was hair scrunchies!)

A rainy Saturday in Charlotte meant an outing to the mall for some exercise for Grandma and Grandpa and Jessica and baby.

 
I got worn out pretty quick, so it was nice to have a place to rest and relax

And at dinner, Gabrielle never made a peep.

Nap time is much more fun with a friend!

I'm not so sure that the car crash was necessary in this Barney's catalog photo - but oh how I would love to wear these. It's been a rainy, gloomy last couple days here in Charlotte and I'm ready to see the sun and feel the warm weather! Happy Friday!

Today started with an exciting and refreshing sponge bath for Gabrielle. I found the great tub on giggle.com. It safely holds an infant in place and can be used for babies up to three years.

She loved the warm water and hair wash.

And Grandma Pati got lots of great snapshots of the moment.
All clean!

And the chance to wear a fun new outfit.

Just about nap time.

But not before a large eruption all over the great new outfit!

Welcome to my new world!

Photographs taken by the great Mitchell Kearney.

Baby Gabrielle and her cousin Baby Anna were able to meet for the first time via iChat.

The encounter was a bit of a sleeper.

So many incredible moments over the last couple days. I'm trying to soak it all in!
Hope you're having a delightful weekend.

Jeffrey and Gabrielle, just moments after we arrived home from the hospital.

Jeffrey drilling down his vintage Buster Brown chair in the baby space.

Jeffrey and Grandma Pati watching Gabrielle's first bath.

Jeffrey and Gabrielle - first moment of bonding - March 18, 2009.

What a sweet and delightful surprise. A little girl.

This is Gabrielle McDougall Gitomer. Born March 18, 2009 at 7:53AM. Weighing 9.1 pounds! She is a total sweetheart and a blessing to Jeffrey and me. I am loving this time to get to know her.

There are visitors on the way here tonight.

I can't wait for them to arrive!

I received the following email from Barbara:

Hi Jessica, I've been a lurking fan of your blog and love your posts when you've offered advice to others. I would totally appreciate if you have the time for my small dilemma. My husband and I are going to a black tie event this Friday. I'm wearing this dress (see left image below) in this color (see right image below). It's a silvery blue with a shimmer to it. I bought silver strappy heels to wear with it and plan to put my hair up with a sparkly clip since I can't see a necklace with this. My question is, what type of bracelet and earrings would you wear with this?  I'm really looking for ideas like "silver bangle," "sparkly wide tennis bracelet,"  "cuff,"  "hoops," or  "dangles."  I'm not great at accessorizing so would appreciate any input on this. A little more info that might help too is that I'm 45 years old and 6' tall. So with my height I can do bold but usually prefer things that are more dainty. I'm willing to go out of my comfort zone though. Oh and finally, it must be costume. I won't be buying any diamonds for this event.  :)

Here is my response...

Because there are stones on the dress, I would keep the earrings either very simple or go with some loud, huge statement ones and very little other jewelry.I would go for a big statement bracelet and potentially a really fun ring. If you want to keep a color palette of blue/silver based on the dress and shoes, here are some accessory suggestions...

In hair – this would be super cute!

Bracelet — I love both this and this chunky bracelet.

You can also make a really chunky bracelet by wrapping a necklace like this around your wrist several times. Earrings - something sparkly and pretty and super inexpensive like these!

 
Ring – nice size, lots of sparkle, very diamond like (without the price) like this or this.

 

But if you’re wanting to take some risks...I think it would be fun to add a wild pop of color. Something like these. And this could be a definite conversation starter!

  I hope the event is wonderful!

Wow, lots going on around here in the final stages of "get ready for little one."

I'm feeling great and getting so much done. I really how no idea that in the last stages of pregnancy I would still be feeling up to getting everything done! Pictures of the baby space and several fun style challenges will be posted in the course of the next couple days.

Hope you're having a great week.

Belen, Heather, and Lourdes put together the sweetest surprise red baby shower for Jeffrey and me last week. Here are some of the pictures of the special little details that went into it.

(Click on any of the images for a more detailed picture.)

 

I did it!

I decided today was a great day to have bangs cut. My hair is super healthy right now from all the prenatal vitamins and I know it will continue to grow fast (in case I get over the bangs quick!).

Thanks to Lori for incredible color and Arezo for an amazing haircut at Modern Salon and Spa. They get excited about their work. And I admire and respect that.

I feel new and fresh. And that's just what I needed with 15 days until the big delivery!

Received an email from Tylene and here are the details of her request for dress suggestions...

Tylene is attending her sister's wedding this June in Los Angeles. She is looking for a dress for the rehearsal dinner. She is extremely petite (5'1" and 100 lbs). The dinner will be held at "a trendy Latin restaurant/club" and after dinner they will be going dancing so she needs a dress that "will transition from dinner to dancing." Something "elegant but fun."

She would prefer not to wear black since the event is in the summer and she'd like to spend no more than $200. She loves to wear jewel tone colors - purple, pinks, red, blues - but also black and chocolate brown. If she has a bit of a tan, she also likes oranges and lighter shades of green. I asked her what color she considers a risk and she said nude colors. She said, "I love the nudes J.Lo occasionally wears on the red carpet/special events but when I try on these colors I feel a bit washed out." And she is 40 but doesn't look it!

Her hair color and skin remind me a lot of Kourtney Kardashian - and I think she would be a great hair/makeup inspiration for Tylene to use when getting ready for the event.

 

Here are some of the dresses I think would be great for Tylene based on the picture she sent me, what she wrote above, and my own style instincts.
 
 
I think this J.Crew brown and pink dress would be adorable and fun to wear. The bright blue T-bags dress is flirty but fun and the material they use feels incredible against the skin. I love both the color and the back of this turquoise Banana Republic dress. I think the color would look incredible on Tylene - she'd need to do a more nude lip and eye, similar to the right Kourtney K picture above.

This nude Caroline Hedaya dress is more of a color risk for Tylene, but with the right hair and makeup, it would look amazing! The orange Banana Republic dress is a bit more casual, but still fun, flirty, age appropriate, and would be a blast to dance in. The last T-Bags dress is a unique mix of color and I love the one strap look.

The key will be in alterations because of your super small frame. Make sure whatever dress you do choose fits you right and flatters your best assets.

This is the skylight view of last night's snowfall here in Charlotte. When we woke up, the entire window was covered. It's now slowly melting away in the sunlight.