How Hard Is It To Find A Decent Holiday Dress For A Toddler?

It's really hard!

Last year, I spent the month of November looking for a beautiful Christmas dress for Little B. It was our first holiday as parents and I wanted her to look as pretty as possible. We lucked out, since her dress was marked down 50% by mid-November. I found a beautiful cardigan from Pottery Barn Kids for $19.99. This is our peanut last year:


This year's pickings were slim. I didn't want to spend more than $40 on an outfit, as she is growing fast and we don't have many occasions to wear something so fancy. But of course, I want her to look nice. Le sigh.

Gymboree had a few cute things, but I wasn't thrilled with the velvet collar and waistband on this dress (at least it's made of 100% silk):


Janie and Jack tend to have beautifully made dresses. This is where I bought Little B's dress last year. But I wasn't enamored by the designs this year. This dress is cute, but the brown flocking makes it a bit drab in my opinion. Plus it was a bit pricey at $89.


I liked this outfit from Janie and Jack, because I thought I could have Little B get more use out of it, but the ensemble would cost more than I planned to spend (OMG! $102 for the sweater, skirt, and bodysuit!).



I found this one at T.J. Maxx for $19.99. It's not silk (100% polyester). The consolation is that it won't wrinkle too much in our suitcase (as we are visiting Grammie & Grand Dad for Christmas). I have a feeling Lola might not be too fond of the black & white print, but it's much nicer than many of the mostly black ensembles I saw. I like how the lining of the coat matches the dress, and the sash on the dress matches the coat. It's a size 12 months, so I am considering going up a size since Christmas is still 8 weeks away and Little B eats A LOT. I made her hair clip and she already has the shoes. We are set!

Stalking These Dresses

This dress is ideal, but I'd worry she'd get it all messed up.


This dress is absolutely gorgeous, but $265? Not within the price range.


This one is adorable, but it doesn't seem right to dress an infant in what is essentially a black dress.



This dress is made by Florence Eiseman. My parents bought me dresses by this designer when I was a little girl. I think it's so beautiful, but I will wait until it's on sale.

Adventures in Decluttering

The three J's love books. Yes, even Little B. Since we have limited space, I went through all of mine and put the ones I don't want to keep in a paper bag. I considered selling them online, at eBay.com or Half.com, but decided I just want them out of my house. So I took about 12 books here. They gave me $9.50 in cash.

I also receive a lot of hand me downs for Little B--some of which are just way too big for her (Size 5T, etc.) and still pretty trendy. I dropped them off at a nearby consignment store and today I picked up a check for $43. Not bad. I can buy Little B a pretty dress for Christmas. :)

Now our house has a bit less clutter.

My Favorite Artichoke Dip

Super-easy, light & tasty!

4 tablespoons (packed) grated parmesano reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
3 tablespoons light sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

Whisk 4 tablespoons cheese, light mayonnaise, light sour cream, dried marjoram, black pepper, onion salt, and garlic powder in medium bowl to blend. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts. Transfer mixture to 1 1/2-cup ramekin. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover mixture and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake dip until heated through, about 20 minutes (about 30 minutes if chilled).

We serve it with small pita or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Oops!

I accidentally taught Little B to jump on my bed. Bad me! Hope she doesn't fall off and bump her head.

Question of the Day

Do I want to go back to work?

I was up late last night writing cover letters and resumes, not really expecting to hear back from anyone. The job I had in Chicago is not easy to come by here in Edina, MN. And then I truly wonder if I'd take it if it were. But I miss it. And I miss the paychecks. That is not to say that Team J is destitute. Nope. We're fine. But there's something to be said about being paid for your time.

In some ways, my 'day job' looking after Little B is very fun. I love playtime. I love the hugs and kisses, and wow I LOVE naptime (as I type this, she is whining in her crib because girlfriend doesn't want a nap at all). But I miss interacting with other. I do miss thinking about stuff other than how much the per unit cost of diapers are at the Bullseye versus Sam's Club, etc.

Today reality sunk in. Of the three opportunities I reached out to, I heard from one this afternoon. I am flattered that I received a response so quickly. I won't bother going into details, but this job is not easy. It's flexible. I can do most of this whenever I want (which is nice). The first project is on a trial basis. If I do well, they can take me on, and we can re-negotiate my pay. But I'm still wondering...

Here are the pros:

- I can have something on my resume
- Flex hours (Little B can be at home, etc.)
- I can turn down projects and go on vacations when I want to
- I can use my brain and it WILL be challenged
- The experience may be very useful for the future (develop a new skill)
- Nothing to lose (try first project and can leave at any time).
- Travel not required :)
- Non-negotiable deadlines

Here are the cons:

- I will be on my own (no office, no lunch dates, no one to talk to every day)
- No benefits
- Pay is low
- The work isn't easy, but it isn't impossible
- Do I really like it?!?
- Very little mentoring
- Very little room for growth (will never turn into a full-time position, or management position)
- Cannot renew my licenses (which will expire on June 1, 2010)

The potential employer send me a lot of materials to go through. Guess I have a bunch of reading to do tonight.

Wish me luck.

Object of Desire

I saw this during the summer of 2002 and I've never forgotten how much I liked this pendant in Ruby and how it looked on my neck. Alas, I never got around to buying it for myself, but I plan to one day.

The J's Prepare for Winter

Dear B,

Time has passed so quickly. How I wish I did a better job at documenting how much you have accomplished in a little over 13 months. Today, I noticed how much my neuroses is being passed to you; during breakfast, you got some rice cereal on your fingers. I usually wipe it off immediately, but you beat me to it, and wiped your hand on my jeans.

You are starting to walk, but tend to prefer holding things while you try. Not matter how bulky or heavy the object may be. I wish I could tell you that it may be easier to balance without dragging along your "Poppin Pals" but I find it too amusing. You take a few steps and your face lights up. But you come crashing down soon after. I think you have taken 9 consecutive steps so far. Whenever you try, your joy is so apparent, it's infectious.

In the past week, you finally have the hang of not nursing. This shift has been very bittersweet. I never thought I could nurse you for so long. After my first two days of trying, I remember feeling dread when it was time to feed you. I thought I would end up failing so terribly at giving you the nutrition you needed, and when you lost more than the typical 10% of your birth weight, I was a basket case. As we both got the hang of nursing, I wondered if I was a bad mama if we quit after 3 months. But time flew and you gained weight steadily. Why fix what isn't broken? Plus, in a sense, I was a bit lazy too. Nursing you means I don't have to mix formula.

We used to have our time together before you went to sleep each night, I cradled you in my arms as I nursed you to sleep. Now, you are plain tired and want to go straight to bed. I miss you. You are becoming so independent already!

I melt when I see you every morning or when you smile. And I fall in love every time I pick you up from daycare and you are so happy to see me and wave. But even when you're mad or frustrated or just plain naughty, I want to scoop you up on my arms and hug and kiss you. I am so glad that you like to be cuddled by your daddy and me.

We love you more than any words can express, and I am honored to be your mother.

Looking forward to seeing your beautiful face tomorrow,
Mama