Lily Harper, I love you so much! How is my baby girl four months old?  I know I am exceptionally fortunate, especially by American standards, to have six months of paid maternity leave but the fact it is 2/3 over?  No!!!   It also seems like I just hit published her three month update and already it is time for the fourth!  (here is the month one and month two updates in case you missed those).

Nicknames: Monkey, Lily Girl,, Squish, Blue Eyes, and Big Girl.

Firsts:  Lily celebrated Fourth of July, first time in a pool – we started swim lessons in mid-July-  and got her first Social Security number, complementing her American passport.  Once we returned from our visit to America Lily completed her baby vaccines (they are given at 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 16-weeks here in the UK) which makes me happy because watching Lily in pain with the shots is just the worst.

Lily rolled over for the first time while on FaceTime with Mimi, Grandpa, and Great Nana and continued to do so for the rest of the month, perfecting the roll from front to back to get out of tummy time. In the last two weeks of July Lily also started cooing which is just the cutest and combined with her smiles makes me so happy.

Weight: 12.3 pounds

Length: at least 23 inches!

Teeth:  Lily has 0 teeth but has started to aggressively teeth in the last month and Calpol (the UK version of baby Tylenol) has been a life saver.

Loves:  Looking around and taking in the world.  My girl loves being propped up over anyones left shoulder so she can look around and has now nearly perfected holding her head up.  While she started out hating her BabyBjörn Bouncer bouncer it is now a favorite especially as her hand/eye coordination improves and she can spin the wooden toys on the Baby Bouncer Toy Bar.

She still loves her activity play mat, and now actively grabs toys while on it, we have actually started to hang even more!   With her travels she has also gotten to play with two others and liked both the Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick & Play Piano Gym  and Baby Playmat.   And it goes without saying she loves being in the Babybjorn carrier (but only when you’re moving).

Hates:   The biggest one this month would be the pain caused by teething and the subsequently when she pokes herself in the eye when chewing on her hands.  She seriously boycotts sleeping during the day, especially at home, and is again back to hating her carseat.  One friend called her a diva baby in that she now hates being ignored and like most babies, also hates being woken up when sleeping.

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Overall it has been a fun and busy month with our Lily girl as I think you can tell from this four month update!

The post Four Months of Lily appeared first on Sparkles and Shoes.

Given how much I was able to workout during COIVD I figured that even with a baby I would be able to get a good sweat in every day without working.  Well that was a big, big joke.  Being a Mom makes a full time job look like a walk in the park and by the time the baby goes to sleep the exhaustion is not only physical, it is mental.  Mark has been great on weekends watching Lily for an hour or two while I am able to go to the gym but once or twice a week for me is not going to cut it.  Thus I am trying to go to workout classes WITH Lily and get some momentum with a schedule.

In looking back at the past few months I have also realized we have travelled alot and similarly, before baby I struggled with eating healthy while on the go every day.  I have now started taking Grenade’s OREO Protein Bars (21g protein, just 1g of sugar) with me on a day out and in the month of August, hope I can really get back into a routine.  The biggest thing for me is nto physical though, I want to feel good in my body because I know that will make me a happier person and thus, a better Mom.

Do you have any postpartum fitness tips?

The post Postpartum Fitness appeared first on Sparkles and Shoes.

Seventeen weeks of no work but seventeen of the busiest weeks of my life.  It is so true there is no break from being a Mom, it really is a 24/7 job and much harder than I could have ever imagined.  I had thought during my maternity leave I would be getting SO much done – from blog posts to wedding albums – but instead my little girl takes up nearly all of my time.  This is not a bad thing I had just thought I would get things done in nap time but instead it’s more urgent things like countless loads of washing, life admin like the dishes and grocery shopping, and maybe an occasional workout.  However, as she gets a bit bigger and does a bit of self-play I am getting back into the things that I love, one of which is blogging.

I have decided this week is baby week and I have five (fingers crossed) posts come to you all about little miss.  The first is Lily’s nursery, a post where the photos have been sitting on my desktop for weeks but I finally got around to editing and sharing here.  You may recall a few months ago I shared the animal inspiration post and I am so happy on how it came to life. In showing people Lily’s nursery Mark joked many times he spent hours painting and to be honest, it was hours putting up the Safari Animals Wall Stickers and I am in love.  Take a look at the photos of her nursery and at the end I have linked as many of the items as I could find, more than 35!

Animal Knobs on Day Bed |  Dunelm Gold Animal Handles 

Black and White Cards |beiens High Contrast Baby Flashcards

Black Out Curtains | Deconovo Draped Grommet Insulated Blackout Curtains in Begonia Pink

Blanket |The White Company Pink Pointelle Heart Baby Blanket | Baby Blankets 

Bookcase | Ikea Billy Bookcase

Changing Mat |John Lewis Safari Animal Changing Mat

Changing Table | John Lewis ANYDAY Elementary Dresser in White

Closet Drawers | VTL® 4 Drawer Plastic Large Tower Storage Drawers (similar)

Crib | John Lewis ANYDAY Elementary Cot with Premium Fibre Cot Mattress and Cotton Sheets

Day Bed | HEMNES Day-bed with 3 drawers with Fitted Sheets

Frame | My 1st Years Personalised Welcome To The World Frame

Hangers | TIMMY Baby Velvet Hangers Non-Slip Baby Clothes Hangers

Laundry Hamper | Curver Laundry Hamper, White, 60L

Memory Box |  John Lewis Silver Plated Photo Frame Keepsake Box

Monitor | Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor & Floor Stand

Mural | One Trick Pony Safari Animals Wall Stickers

Music Box | Personalised Wooden Peter Rabbit Music Box

Nappy Bin | Tommee Tippee Twist & Click Advanced Nappy Bin (similar)

Peacock Mobile | Cam Cam Copenhagen Peacock Musical Mobile

Pillow, Dark Green |  Luna Cushion Cover in Emerald Green

Pillow, Light green |  Adeline Faux Fur Cushion Cover in Sage Green

Pillow, Pink | Deco Geo Rose Cushion Cover

Pillow, White |  Volcanics Faux Wool Throw Pillow Covers

Shelves | Great Little Trading Co This Way That Way Shelf, Blossom Pink

Stuffed Animals, Bear | Classic Winnie The Pooh Soft Toy

Stuffed Animals, Bunnies |   Jellycat Bashful Bunny Stuffed Animals

Stuffed Animals, Lion |  Jellycat Fuddlewuddle Lion Stuffed Animal

Stuffed Animals, Monkey | Jellycat Bashful Monkey Stuffed Animal

Storage Baskets | Curver 28L Vintage White Basket

Temperature Night Light | Tommee Tippee GroEgg2 Digital Room Thermometer

White Noise | Avantek Sleep White Noise Machine (similar)

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Who knew when it’s all rounded up there would be nearly 40 items to link?  And not to beat a dead horse but SO thankful to all do the friends and smalls who gifted us so many of these items! In the last shot Lily is wearing a White Company Organic Cotton Heart Print Zip Sleepsuit, also a gift, as were so many adorable things we did not register for.

There are a few things on her shelf and on the changing table that are hard to see, like the wipes and coconut oil we use or all the books but if you are interested, I can do separate posts on those.  And with that, I am wrapping up day one of baby week!

What do you think of Lily’s nursery?

The post A Look at Lily’s Nursery appeared first on Sparkles and Shoes.

Pieces are from brands you’ve likely heard;  Free People, Levi’s, Sam Edelman ,Superdry, Stuart Weitzman, Tory Burch, of along with boutique options such as Beach Riot. They can all be purchased on the web from a number of online retailers include Nordstrom, Shopbop, and Revolve.  My 44 picks for Summer white out fashion:

1 |. lovewave. Scorchin Top and Bottom
2 | Sea Level U-Bar Bandeau Bikini Top

3 | Tularosa Zilla Bottom and Top
4 | Beach Riot Vanessa High Cut Bikini Bottoms

1 |  For Love & Lemons Saint Lucia Mini Dress
2 | Pretty on Point White Pleated
3 | Katie May Boss Lady Dress (how fun are these blazer sleeves?)

4 | Pink Lily She Said Yes White Mini Dress
5 | Amanda Uprichard Russo Dress in White Check
6 |  STAUD Mini Landry Dresss in White

1 | Ipanema Women’s Street II Sandals
2 | Kira Flip Flops

3 | Tory Burch Mini Miller Flip Flops
4 | Schutz Fairy Sandals 

1 |  SLVRLAKE Beatnik Jeans
2 | MOTHER The Hustler Ankle Fray Jeans
3 | Levi’s 311™ Shaping Skinny Jeans in Soft Clean

4 | Superdry Womens High Rise Skinny Jeans
5 | Lyssé Women’s Toothpick Denim Legging
6 | Levi’s Women’s Premium Wedgie Straight Jeans

1 | ksuperdown Ria Tie Back Top
2 | More to Come Mazie Strapless Top

3 | HEARTLOOM Jules Top in Eggshell
4 | Clip Dot Ruffle Mock Neck Crepe Top

1 | Stuart Weitzman Nudistcurve 100 Sandal in White
2 | Hawti Pointed Toe Pump

3 | Sam Edelman Hazel Pump
4 | Schutz Maxima Block Sandals

1 | NBD Keoni Mini Skirt in ivory
2 | MORE TO COME Samantha Mini Skirt

3 | Lovers and Friends Fatima Mini Skirt
4 | Superdry Vintage Lace Mini Skirt

1 | SHASHI Orchid Earrings
2 | Madewell Packable Braided Straw Hat

3 | Le Specs Long Nights Limited Edition Sunglasses in White
4 |  Lele Sadoughi Graduated Baroque Pearl Headband in Ivory

1 | Beach Riot Kennedy Top
2 | Free People Oh My Babydoll Top in Nilla Cream

3 | Free People Isla Cable Stitch Tunic Sweater
4 | Calson Long Sleeve Crewneck T-Shirt (only $18!)

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And then last but not least are these Veja Lace Up Sneakers.  I bought my first pair two years ago and I am still in love today as much as I was back in 2021 – so much so I might need a second pair! Shown below are the Veja Campo Sneakers  in extra white / black, the  Veja V-12 Sneakers  in extra white, the Veja Campo Canvas Sneakers in white steel (blue), and the Veja Esplar Logo Sneakers in gold platine.

To finish off  I hought about including shorts like these  1. STATE Paperbag Short in Ultra White and these Free People X FP Movement Way Home Short in Optic White but then decided against it after my jorts feature.  And I did not come across enough jackets I like but this AG Robyn Jacket  is pretty and I wanted to give one last honorable mention to these Andi White Braided Double Strap Block Heels before wrapping up this summer white out post.

The post Summer White Out Fashion appeared first on Sparkles and Shoes.

Names were hard but my 7th try was a success, Sparkles Travel Diary. I have described it as “Photos from travels around the world. The new page of @solotraveldiary.” and then I did not know where to start.  After a few days of thinking and even a deleted post I made a plan:

Given there have been 350 posts with the tag “travel” here on Sparkles and Shoes it is safe to say I have quite a few photos for this pet project.   To give you a sense, I am sharing the first ten.  I thought about impending each of the posts but the way instagram does the code I find it often warms so I have copied over the captions and shared the images of each of the below. You can click on each photo to go directly to that post or find the full Sparkles Travel Diary profile here.

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📍Alexandria, Egypt

The Montazah Palace and Gardens is located in the city limits of Alexandria and a must see when in town. The palace was originally built by King Fuad I in 1932, as a summer palace but is now used by the President and is being renovated into an official presidential residence.

📍 Budapest, Hungary

The country’s magnificent parliament gilding sits on the banks of The Danube River. It runs not only through the middle of the country, making it Hungary’s largest river, but a river which extends nearly 1,800 miles and passes through 10 nations on its way to the Black Sea.

📍 Cinque Terre, Italy

Five of the prettiest villages I’ve ever been to. During the day we explored them all via The Sentiero Azzurro hiking trail that links the villages and by night, we saw them from the water.

📍 Dublin, Ireland

The Irish pub is more than just a place to quench your thirst. It is the epitome of Irish culture. A meeting point for friends and family, a place to gather in times of happiness and hardship.

📍 Esna, Egypt

While not as famous as it’s nearby neighbor of Luxor, Esna is a city of Egypt on the west bank of the Nile. The town is famous for its bridges, barges, and the once buried Templle of Esna. It is more than 2,300 years old and was a place for ancient Egyptians honored God Khnum and worshiped other ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses like God Horus and God Isis.

📍 Florence, Italy

One of the most picturesque viewpoints in all of Florence is from the Piazzale Michelangelo. The square piazza dates back to the 19th-century and boasts a bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David but the real star is the panoramic view over the city.

📍 Gili Islands, Indonesia

This photo was taken in Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three that make up the Gili Islands Archipelago. It is only a ferry ride off the coast of Bali and famous for their beaches, coral reefs, and sea turtles!

📍Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki is the coldest capital in the Nordic region but if you visit in Summer, it’s beautiful and quite warm! The rock church, sea fortress, and library were some of my favorite sites plus a traditional Finnish sauna of course! And did you know that in 2020, It Was Listed As The Happiest Country In The World? #helsinki #sandstravels

📍 Istanbul, Turkey

A long weekend in Instanbul was not nearly enough time to explore the ancient city but on the European side of the capital we visited a handful of mosques and the Suleymaniye Mosque, Süleymaniye Camii in Turkish, located in the Faith neighborhood was one of the most beautiful! This shot was taken from the roof terrace of the nearby Mihrişah Cafe Restaurant.

📍 Jerónimos, Madrid, Spain

It’s one of the smallest neighborhoods in the Spanish capital but Jerónimos is home to some of the city’s most famous sites. Parque de El Retiro, or Retiro Park, is always worth a visit but so is the Museo Nacional del Prado. Commonly referred to as just “the Prado” this art museum has pieces that date back to the 12th century. When I visited an art student was practicing by painting The Three Graces by Peter Paul Rubens.

Do you have any gueses on what cities will be next on Sparkles Travel Diary?

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