Far Away From Home

Gabriel Viggo 9 months

The month of February was filled with a lot of traveling for our little family. The month began with a road trip to Tampa, FL. The middle of the month we found ourselves on a plane New Jersey-bound for a trip that was meant to last 1 week but ended up as three weeks. And to end February, we flew to snowy Minnesota to celebrate Wil's birthday with friends and family. Its been fun, but i'm kind of looking forward to time off here in quiet Atlanta. We'll be flying overseas within a few weeks so i really want Gabe to be able to enjoy his own crib for a little bit.

While we were in NJ, I was able to do a lot - see a lot of friends, catch up with people i haven't seen in awhile, spend time with family. We were also able to attend one of my good friend, Archieline's son, Connor's baptism. Its always so nice to catch up with everyone. Here Wil, Gabe and I are getting ready to party for Baby Connor. As you can tell from Gabe's smile, he's excited to party and meet his buddy.

Nail Polish Snob

Loreal Nailpolish in "Apple of my Eye"

I just got over my nailpolish snobbiness. My go to brand for nailpolish has always been essie. I have no idea why - maybe its the pretty packaging with the square shaped bottle and the neutral white tops, maybe its the consistency of the nailpolish itself, maybe its their wide array of trendy colors that I always seem to go for. I don't know.

I've been itching to get a nice coral or peachy color for spring/summer. When i went to the store, i was ready to buy an $8 essie bottle until my eye spotted a similar looking bottle in the loreal section - white top, square bottle and all! I skimmed the shelf and found this pretty little thing - "Apple of my eye." Its a rich coral tone perfect for my skintone. and the best part - price tag was $4.99 (or 3.99 -can't even remember). All i know is it was way less than essie. The consistency of the nailpolish was great and its lasted a long time without chipping. A++ in my book - especially for mommies who find themselves washing their hands a gazillion times a day.

So now, me and my pretty colored nails can go on our merry way with a few bucks to spare :)

Fuschia Fashion

Revlon Lipstick in "Fuschia"

Ok, so i am a drama queen. And I do like dramatic looks and fashion trends that sometimes people don't get. I REALLY

like the look of a rich lip color. I love pin up girl red lips, i

love deep coral lips for this spring, and I especially love the color fuschia. I think i'm leaning towards fuschia just because its a universally flattering color. Since I'm darker toned, I usually have a tougher time picking out lipstick colors. But i really want to take the plunge this spring from my normal glossy nude lips. I just bought Revlon's lipstick in "fuschia." I couldn't resist the chanel looking quilted pattern on this tube.

I know that pulling off rich lip colors like this is tough so here are a few tricks i found online. I also found some fab pictures of celebrities sporting pink pouts. Enjoy!

How to rock fuschia lips and look good!

1) Always start with a heavily exfoliated lip, make sure to add a lip moisturizer as a base after exfoliating.

2) Line your lips, for bright colors such as fuschia, precious is key so lining your lips is necessary, for even more precision, apply lipstick with a lipstick brush. Start from the center of your mouth and work your way to the outer corners.3) Since this color is so dramatic, keep the rest of your face neutral and fresh, do not use heavy eye makeup. Also, keep your outfit subdued. You really want your lips to be the main event.4) if you're like me and are used

to glossy lips, this matte look might be too much of a shock for you, so to ease the transition, you can apply a sheer gloss over this lipstick. Please note that this color on the runway is portrayed as matte and hardly ever glossy, but for us com

mon people who don't walk the runway on a daily basis, a gloss would be fine. A makeup artist i spoke to suggested looking at lustre lipsticks which have a lot of shine to ease the change from gloss to lipsticks.

info found from:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5849832/fuchsia_lipstick_how_to_apply_it_and.html

Playing with Python

Michael Kors - Python Wallet

I am in love with my new toy - my Michael Kors Wallet. I've been wanting a new wallet for awhile - its just one of those accessories that you really don't pay attention to - but really should since you carry it around everyday. For the past 4 years I've been using my Mimco wallet that I got from Australia. It was definitely time for a change.

I spotted this gorgeous snakeskin accessory and I couldn't resist. (Thanks to my hubby :) ) Its the perfect size, its big enough to hold my passport, checkbook, etc. The neutral color goes with everything. The gold hardware on the zipper and on the faceplate gives it a luxe look. LOOOOVE IT!!!

Mommy Makeup Essentials

Got this video from my good friend :) She's always on top of the makeup report. This one is a goody for moms on the go - Lord knows I know how it is to rush. Pre- baby days you could spend hours getting ready. Nowadays sometimes you have 10 minutes to glam yourself up. Enjoy!

Bye Bye Baby

Gabriel Viggo Cayetano Leano

9 months

There's my little baby, proving that he's not a baby anymore. Gabe is so determined to walk and see the world. Its so amazing to be able to see your child's personality already. I'm not worried about him, Gabe is very strong minded and goes for what he wants so I know the future is his. As a mom though, its so tough knowing that he'll want to leave and do bigger and better things. I want to just hold onto him forever.

At this stage Gabe is crawling all over the place. He just learned to climb the stairs which was exciting - but scary. He doesn't know how to go down quite yet. He's eating A LOT - he's still on his rice cereal and his baby food. I haven't taken the jump to feeding him from my plate yet. Maybe in a month or so. He's copying us more and more. His new tricks of the week are clapping his hands and pointing to the light in the room. He's such a smiley baby. He smiles and laughs all the time. I'm calling it now - he's going to be such a flirt. Again, I'm not happy about this. lol. He's got 4 teeth now. 2 on the bottom and 2 on top. His grin is absolutely adorable.

He is at the stage where stranger anxiety is kicking in. I have to admit, i like it when he looks for me. hehehe. But of course, its also tough leaving him.

We're still teaching him sign language. He hasn't fully grasped it yet, but i think now that he's mimicking us a little more, he might understand sign language soon.

Gabe's sleeping has gotten a lot better. He sleeps through the night now. My only regret is he still needs a bottle before he sleeps. I have a feeling weaning him off will be an issue. We'll see. I'll save that for another post when the time comes.

My favorite toy for him at this point is this little gumball machine toy from fischer price. I got it for him from a garage sale awhile back. It spits out little plastic balls when you press the lever down. Gabe pressed the lever once by accident and ever since then he knew how to play with it. I guess it just amazes me how babies can now comprehend cause and effect, and how they now have minds of their own.

I could watch him for hours, watching what he does, how he does it, why he does it. I'm so lucky to be able to work from home and share all his firsts with him.

To my baby Gabe, you are such a joy to your daddy and I. You amaze us everyday. We love you. mwah.

Ring in the New Year

I am in loooove with the cocktail ring selection that Forever21 has this season. I have to admit i usually don't shop for jewelry at Forever21- their pieces exude mass production and a slightly cheap look. But if you look at their current selection, it's on point and perfect for the warm weather clothing that i'm praying to take out soon - i'm definitely tired of the winter. Can't you just picture carrying your baby around or even typing an email on your blackberry with your freshly manicured fingers with a fabulous oversize cocktail ring? All of them just under $6. Yikes!

I couldn't resist this one so i bought it already. Picture white tunic, straw fedora, walking the beaches of the Philippines with this ring:

Framed Oval Ring

And here are a few other's that caught my eye.

Oversized Faceted Ring

Oval Textured Ring

Textured Stone Ring

Dramtic Cocktail ring

Sunburst Ring