I didn't have many pics for my last post so here are some of my favorite pics from the past few days....

Me with my Rhys-ter egg on Wednesday morning. This beautiful vintage bed jacket was a gift from Emily of Livin' Vintage

On Tuesday, Missouri was hit by severe storms but after the hail and rain had subsided, we had a beautiful view of historic St. Charles and a rainbow from our hospital room.

My tiny little guy- just 6 pounds! (and thank you to my sister in law for the much-needed donuts in the background!)

Rhys in his car seat on the ride home. That pacifier really shows how small he is. He really loves a pacifier but the hospital soothie is just way too big for his little mouth.

When you have a big sister, you're bound to have some pink, girlie blankets in your life, right? This pile of toys was an offering from Olivia this morning. She tried to share her cup of orange juice but he wasn't really interested.

Look at those huge hands! Just like his daddy!!

Again, just like his daddy- always making silly faces. I've seen Pj make this same face on many occasions

Thank you again to all of you sweeties for your congratulations and well-wishes! My little family is home now and we're all enjoying getting to know our new arrival. Olivia is very excited and happy about having her very own baby in the house. She helps rub lotion on his dry little feet and tries to share her toys with him.

Rhys is doing very well. He's eating non-stop, napping the days away and getting lots of wet kisses from his big sister. We call him our little "onion" because it sounds like he cries "un-yun!" when he's hungry.

I am quickly recovering from delivery and am SO happy to be able to see my feet again!! I'm walking (not waddling), bending over to pick things up and before you know it, I'll be back in pants with buttons *yay*!! I foolishly ignored advice to do post-partum exercises and wear a belly band last time but now that I have a nice, big mommy pooch, I'm following instructions to get back to pre-pregnancy size.

I think I'm going to try to venture out into the world to buy some supplies to whip up a pretty nursing cover tomorrow. I spotted some feed sacks at an antique mall a few weeks ago and if they're still there, I may use it for my cover.

My little guy was born on April 18th at 7:53pm his name is Rhys Zachary Lewis Sherman. He weighs 6 pounds, is 18.5 inches long and looks exactly like his daddy.

Rhys gets a bath

Labor and Delivery
I went to the doctor yesterday and after an exam, we agreed that it was time to go to the hospital and have a baby! The nurses started me on pitocin at 4:30 and by 5:20, I was feeling heavy contractions. I had an epidural with Olivia, which made labor and delivery a fairly pleasant experinece so I wanted to take the same route this time. I recieved an epidural at 7:30pm, the doctor broke my water at 7:40 and at 7:50, I was screaming "He's coming!!" A nurse said "Oh, honey it's just pressure you're okay." and I yelled back "no, he's coming NOW!!" My epidural had no time to kick in and I was flying all natural. They peeked under my blanket, saw a noggin getting ready to make an appearance and ran to get the doctor.  I screamed like a lunatic but after 2 pushes for his head and one for his body, he was born and all of my pain and worry was gone.
My mom, my sister, Pj's mom and Pj were all present for delivery. Pj and Mom helped hold my legs and everyone was there to support me and tell me that I could do it. It was a big party but I was so glad to have them all there for me. All of the women in my family have been blessed with 4 hour labors but this was madness! Throughout my contractions, I kept saying "The big prize at the end is almost here. I can do it!"

My New Little Family


Olivia meets Rhys (and mommy wears a very glamorous towel on her head!)

Rhys is more amazing than I could have imagined. I am so tickled at how much he looks like Pj. He's a teeny tiny boy but he has a big nose, ears, hands and feet. I think he will grow into them like a puppy. Olivia saw him and loved him at first sight...and then he started to cry, which upset her VERY much! I'm breastfeeding and he's a very good little eater so far. He's very alert, curious and healthy. He likes to try to chew on his hands so we're keeping mittens on him so he doesn't scratch his little face. He must have been a thumb-sucker in the womb because when he was on his way into the world, he had one hand up to his face, trying to suck that thumb. Rhys loves to snuggle and look at faces while people talk to him.
I will probably be blogging a little less for the next few weeks as I get to know Rhys and adjust to being a mommy of two. Olivia will be needing LOTS of extra lovin' now that there's another little bean in the house, taking our attention. I'm sure I'll pop on to blog a bit and read your blogs while the kids nap. I hope you enjoy pics of my little "peanut butter cup".

Thank you so much to everyone for the advice and well-wishes throughout my pregnancy and of course, for your patience while I rambled on about babies! We'll soon be returning to our regularly-scheduled vintage fashion programming. I'll be sent home from the hospital tomorrow so there will be -loads- of other baby pics very soon!

xoxo
 Brittany

Hello, everyone!
 I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I'm still alive...and no baby yet!
 This past week has been full of fun things, which I will share pics of very soon.

I got a middy plus on Wednesday and I LOVE it! I've been practicing setting it for a few days before I post pics. It's much easier to pin curl and take care of than my previous length.When it's not styled, it does a cute little flippy-outie thing on the ends that looks really cute with modern outfits too. I'm so glad that I finally took the plunge and got a chop.

Yesterday, I went to see my little brother, Tristan in Beauty and the Beast Jr. It was a middle school production of the Disney version and it was -fantastic-!! Tristan played a villager and a wolf and did an excellent job! We're all so proud of him.  We bravely brought Olivia along for the show and she sat quietly and happily through the entire play. She really loved all of the clapping and singing. We've never taken her to a play or movie before this so I think we may try to take her to a kid's movie soon.

On the baby front, I saw my doc on Thursday and she said that the baby will probably come this weekend but it's Sunday at 7:30 and so far, no baby! I've had LOTS of indications that labor is just around the corner so I really hope that he comes soon. As of Thursday, I was dilated to 3cm. I've had loads of contractions since then so we'll see what the doc says this week! On Tuesday, I will be 39 weeks. I cannot believe that he's held on this long.

Anyway, I hope to be back to regular blogging (and less laying around the house) in the near future! I'll keep you all posted! :) xoxo

This full-color 1940's spread covers the most flattering colors and hairstyles for your individual look. I have my copy hanging over my vanity for daily inspiration for both makeup and clothing color choices. Over the years, the poor thing has become quite crumbly and wrinkly but it's still fun to share!

Click the images below to enlarge

 

I'm 37 weeks pregnant now and today's outfit is one of the last of my dresses that still fits and is comfy to wear. It's a vintage striped sun dress with little clear buttons on the straps. I picked it up at an estate sale last summer and I really love it, especially during St. Louis' 100 degree summer days. I think I may replace the clear buttons with red or blue ones and add some fun rick-rack or other trim to it at a later date.






My little lobster pin is one of my favorite, new silly accessories. I found him at an antique mall for $1. The dish that he was sitting in had a matching lobster pin in it so I bought them both. My little "love lobsters" are named Sally and Pete.


Baby Update: yesterday afternoon, I went to the hospital with contractions. They were regular and going pretty good for about 2 hours when they suddenly stopped! After an exam and being hooked up to the monitors for a few hours, they sent me home. Aww, bummer! Oh, well- it just means that my little bun gets to bake a bit longer! :)





Outfit Details
vintage sun dress- estate sale
red cardigan- thrifted, Value Village
red vintage belt- The Vintage Haberdashery
Vintage espadrilles- Retro 101
thermoset red leaf clip on earrings-bought from Temperamental Broad
anchor pendant necklace- craft store
blue snood

Saturday was my best friend, Amanda's birthday as well as the celebration for my niece's 3rd birthday so I got to get out of the house and party all day long!


 The day started with a short trip to the antique mall with Amanda.  I bought this beautiful pair of deadstock pink gloves and Pj bought this vintage "Mother" necklace for me.
 

 My niece's birthday party was in the afternoon. She's 3 and loves things with wheels so we bought her a little pink shopping cart full of play food so she can shop to her heart's content! On the way to the birthday party, I started having my first contractions. *YIKES* Once we arrived at the party, I sat down and stayed put most of the time and baby Rhys stayed put as well! :)




After the little one's party, we picked up the other birthday girl and headed out to a fun, kitschy BBQ restaurant called Ethyl's in O'Fallon, MO. We were met by a bunch of her friends and family to celebrate. The food was delicious and the company was very entertaining.

 After dinner, we went to the bookstore and took Amanda out for some birthday ice cream. We bought a book for Olivia about being a big sister and had fun reading some of the other "growing up" books in the children's section...


 baby update: Oh, another baby update! I had to run to the doc on Friday. I was feeling a really intense low pressure like this kid is going to fall right out! The doc said I'm 2cm dilated and 70% effaced! He told me to try to get through the weekend to next week so little Rhys's lungs can develop a bit more. They expect me to go at any time now. I can't wait to meet him!!

Outfit Details
vintage barkcloth skirt- handmade by me
pink knit blouse- thrifted
black maryjanes- thrifted
50's deadstock pink gloves- St Charles antiques
vintage "Mother" necklace- gift from Pj
vintage lucite and wicker purse- Creve Coeur antiques

This spring, we're planting a garden at my sister in law, Nellie's house. She has a great big yard with lots of room for veggies, herbs and flowers. She invited us over for amazing chili, brownies and seed-starting. The kids all loved sticking their fingers down into the dirt-filled dixie cups. While cropping my pics, I noticed that they had a method to the planting: stick out your tongue, poke a hole and plant the seed...look at those little tongues!


 With the help of the girls, we planted snapdragons, marigolds, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers and more. We'll be building raised garden beds and putting the little seedlings in the ground in May. I can't wait to watch the little girls dig in the dirt! These cuties are my nieces, "Booger" and "Stinker"


 
Lulu did a great job planting the cilantro until the end, when she starting eating the seeds. YUM! I got to plant the snapdragons, my favorite!

 
Today, was one of those "I don't want to get dressed" days so I wore my most comfortable, stretchy skirt and a snuggly aqua cardigan.


Check out my awesome new brooch! It's a vintage lucite "B"
which I found on ebay for a song. Amanda has an "A" just like it and I loved hers so much that I had to be a copycat and find one of my own. We like to look like total matchy-matchy dorks and wear them together when we go out. hehe!

 Outfit Details
atomic print top- thrifted, goodwill
aqua cardigan- thrifted, Salvation Army
black stretchy skirt- New York and Company
black maryjane wedges- thrifted
bakelite necklace- antique mall
lucite B monogram brooch- ebay

On the 20th, my family hosted a baby shower for me. Having babies so close together, we already have most of the big baby items that we needed but since there aren't many boys in the family for hand-me-downs, we were happy to receive many gifts of clothes and blankets that weren't pink. I had so much fun opening packages of teeny tiny socks and hilarious hooded towels. The funniest little outfit was the Star Wars onesie from my brother and Yoda hat from my sister. I can't wait to get a pic of Rhys decked out in his sci-fi geek finery. Oh, that's my sister, Chelsea in the pics with me!
 
The shower was a nautical theme. My mom made beautiful invitations with this vintage picture "Wynken Blynken and Nod"

My sister in law, Nellie opened her house to us after a last minute catastrophe at a neighborhood clubhouse that they had booked for the party. The house was decorated in red and blue streamers and little fish.

Chelsea made these netted bags full of Swedish Fish and star-shaped candies, tied with jute twine.


I wore my favorite dress to the shower. It's a handmade vintage maternity dress (a Christmas gift from Amanda) with little babies in strollers all over it. I adore the print and colors.



 The dress has pleats at the sides of the belly to allow plenty of growing room for the baby bump. I love the collar and bust detail. Whoever made this dress ages ago did a beautiful job. I love it so much, I will wear it long after the baby is born.

Lulu wore her yellow sun dress, which I picked up at a festival for her the summer I was pregnant with her. The fabric is gauzy and light with hand embroidered flowers along the crocheted yoke. It was handmade in South America. I loved it so much, I bought one in white also. She also wore her blue bolero and white maryjanes. The only thing cuter than a bolero is a miniature version! She soon ditched the shoes and opted for the butterfly wing headband. I love how serious she looks sometimes! 


 Nellie makes the worlds most beautiful (and delicious) cakes. They're always the centerpiece of the party.



See what I mean? Uh-mazing!! Is that home made icing? You betcha!

Just a few days before my shower, I received a beautiful vintage gift from Emily of Livin' Vintage, who visited St Louis last summer. She sent a gorgeous vintage bed jacket for me, which will be -perfect- to wear while nursing and for the baby, she sent an adorable receiving blanket, which is very soft and the perfect size for swaddling. Both have been packed away in my hospital bag to use right after he's born. Thank you, Emily!!