Father's Day, a belated post

Interrupting regularly scheduled South Florida vacation posting . . . Baby Max and I are super excited for The Fella to join us here tomorrow! In light of this, we thought it appropriate to catch you up on what went down for Father's Day right before we hastily left Chi-town . . . I had planned a man-friendly, BYOV lunch at BadHappy Poutine Shop (where "sometimes you gotta be bad to be good," ain't that so true?!) . . . followed by a first-time outing to Open Books, which I discovered recently when I blogged about a wedding photo shoot that took place there. And, back by popular demand, what's more fitting to wear than matching Dude tees and cargo shorts?

Uncomplicated

Straw fedoras . . . flip flops . . . avocados and hearts of palm . . . ice cold drinks . . . crisp blues and sunny yellows . . . saltwater pools . . . yep, life is good . . .

Wheels

That's how we roll in Florida.

Here I am in the place where I come let go

I'm vacationing in South Florida for two weeks with Baby Max, splitting time between my hometown (outside of Ft. Lauderdale) and Miami. All the rumors you heard about the people in Miami being the most beautiful in the world and in perfect tan and shape are absolutely true. They are living the dream! Naturally, muscle tees are de rigueur here. My folks have a condo on South Beach overlooking Star Island* and it is seriously amazing! My sister lives in it, just below the PH (yep, as in Penthouse). This is what we wake to:

Last weekend, succinctly

I usually like to have set plans, but sometimes spontaneity can work out, too. Like when a lovely girl friend calls you up to hang out the next day (k, there was some advance planning––we both have babies, people!). Other than that, no specific plans were made. In fact, our conversation went a bit like this:

{ Baby } OOTD: Rugby stripes + checkered plaid

Once again, Max is in another super cute Baby Boden shirt, of which I have no recollection where it came from! Then again, much of my third trimester was a total blur when the baby gifts came pouring in. Max has some mad football skillz, he's been working on his passes this week. Of course, mommy couldn't resist adding a touch of geek with a red checkered bowtie––actually an old hair clip of mine! 

My Summer Essentials Giveaway with The 900 Shops!

Last month I was approached by 900 North Michigan Shops to be one of their Chicago style experts in a huge marketing campaign that would be featured on national style websites like GQ.com and Style.com, and local sites like ChicagoReader.com. So, off I went on a fashion hunt through their 70 luxe retailers, putting together my "perfect summer ensemble" to take you from work to play, valued at over $1,000! Do you know how fun and excruciating it is to hypothetically spend that amount of money on some amazing shopping finds? Very. (My checkbook does thank me though.) 

Partying with Chefs and the City

I recently attended the kickoff party for the annual Chefs and the City event, which takes place July 27th at the Ritz-Carlton. The party was at Paris Club and I made it a "working" girls night, bringing as my guest a local photographer that I began working for as a blog writer. Last time I was at Paris Club was for the Topshop dinner party when I was 8 months preggo; this time I now have an 8 month old baby! 

Never before seen photos of Max!

Baby Max at 7 months old in May, at his pal Jack's birthday party, wheeee! We really need to get Max a vintage red wagon, too! And yes, those are baby Chuck Taylors on the stoop! Thanks to Annie for the pics!

{ Video } I like big butts

Happy Hump Day!

- Baby Maxwell

The weekend, succinctly

We went to a swanky wedding at Spiaggia over the weekend. We were lucky to have eaten at Tony Montuano's famous restaurant once before (I was 8 months preggo!), but this time we got to feast and dance the night away in Spiaggia's private dining room in celebration of the marriage of our two friends. 

Playdate at Lakeshore East Park

{ my friend Jaz, putting on a bubble show for the babes at Lakeshore East Park }

It was a busy week for Baby Max, with three consecutive playdates (it would have been four, but Mama needed a break!!). It might sound so fun and easy being a SAHM, but running your baby around (especially for playdates) in between all the routine baby care tasks is tiring! Just trust me. 

{ Baby } OOTD: Backyard BBQ

Baby Max is ready for summer! Check out his adorable plaid overalls . . .

Last weekend, succinctly

We've had quite a few friends in town lately, and last weekend was no exception. I got to get reacquainted with my Chicago girl friend who now lives in North Carolina with her husband, and she got to meet Baby Max for the first time! We spent some time in the city and also in the 'burbs where our other friend just bought a home. Although I'm a bit resistant to the idea of leaving the city, I'll admit that I could probably get used to having so much space––especially if I could lounge away every day on an adirondack in a beautiful backyard patio! 

Max's photo shoot with FurFur

I usually hover over Baby Max for fear of the dog stepping on him. I think the earliest I ever put him on the floor was when he was around 3 months. I resisted the idea of buying a playpen or a gate because I wanted the two to learn how to naturally coexist as early on as possible. 

Greek-inspired quinoa salad

Lately, I've been getting a little too acquainted with the rice cooker if you get what I mean. So to mix things up, recently I decided to finally dig into this 4lb bag of quinoa we got at Costco ages ago. It has literally been with us for two years! I was inspired by Chef Michael Symon's Grilled Shrimp with Barley Salad and did a Greek-inspired spin using the quinoa and whatever veggies I had laying around. 

Playdate in Lakeview . . . again!

It seems like all the mamas in this Meetup moms group I belong to live in Lakeview. We've been to at least four other playdates over there. That's probably because that neighborhood isn't ghetto and is therefore a calm, quiet place to raise a family, unlike where we live.

Maxwell, standing!

{ taken a week and a half ago, at a little over 7.5 months }

I feel like I can hardly call Baby Max a baby anymore, it's like life is speeding up and he's growing so fast! This standing-with-support thing happened like overnight. Then, that night I dreamt he was zipping about our living room with his little hands clenched together and his cheeky smile. 

Last {holiday} weekend, succinctly

{ Publican }

Last weekend is this weekend, and this weekend shall be the next . . . isn't that how it goes? As I mentioned here, over Memorial weekend we ate a lot, as you typically do on any holiday, even those that are not traditionally about the food. 

What I Wore: Memorial Day Whites + Brunch at Publican

Playing a bit of catch up here again . . . been busy kicking off some exciting work projects and it was a busy holiday weekend for mom and baby (post to come soon). Highlights of it included lots of eating. One to note was our brunch with out-of-town friends at Publican, which is also on my Chicago bucket list. So, check!