Milk Friendly - the Kimono.

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Outfit Details:
PinkBlush Purple Lace Mesh Kimono c/o, Target Mossimo Supply Racerback Tank, Free People Bralette (similar here and here), Free People Roll Crop Jeans, Blowfish Wedges (similar here and here)

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We continue the conversation about nursing-friendly clothes! I have boiled down my wardrobe to a set of staple breastfeeding-friendly essentials that I rotate through and mix with my non-nursing clothing. Last week I chatted about my love for the basic tunic tee. Which brings me this week to kimonos - I love them! My sisters gifted me a few last year for my birthday which was the BEST gift, because you can easily transition these from maternity wear into nursing wear and regular everyday wear! You don't have to change sizes from maternity to non, so it really is such a versatile accessory that can make any outfit all the better. I love this particular kimono from PinkBlush because it's a twist on the traditional cardigan and made with a thinner, gauzy, lightweight fabric- which really helps when you're dealing with hormonal hot flashes and a sweaty baby nestled up against your body.

I like to pair a kimono like this one over practically everything in my wardrobe - it adds an extra layer that gives your nursing tees, nursing tanks or simple dresses that extra pop of fun. Plus, it provides extra coverage, especially over those dorky clip-down straps on nursing tanks. This one really caught my attention on the website because of all the fancy lacy detail, and also, it's purple, so it's like duh. So so pretty. Almost makes you forget about milk stains and baby spit up. Almost. I also really like this one, this one, this one and this one for the coming fall months. These would look so good with practically anything!

A quick note about PinkBlush - I have featured them here and here before and it's because they have trendy pieces that work for any stage of a woman's life. PinkBlush is known for maternity wear, but they also have great women's clothing, plus-sized clothing and nursing clothing. And so many of the pieces are transitional through different stages, which is obviously what we are all trying to do - making our clothes work for us!

Featured Piece:

Purple Lace Mesh Long Maternity Kimono - Pinkblush

Talk to me mamas! What is your biggest struggle with making your clothes work for nursing? I'd love to hear from you!

Many thanks to my friends at PinkBlush for sponsoring this post and sending me the product. All opinions expressed are, as always, completely my own.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Chicken-Herb Meatballs (Whole30 Compliant!)

This is my second time around doing Whole30, and I'm starting to get into the rhythm of cooking in this style of food AKA super insanely healthy. This spaghetti squash spaghetti is a great recipe because it's reeeeeeal yummy, ridiculously healthy and easy to prep. The key is to double (or triple!) the recipe to have leftovers for lunches or another dinner. Or make a ton of the meatballs and freeze a batch of them to have for another meal. This is a great family dinner!

Spaghetti Squash Ingredients:
- 1-2 Spaghetti Squash
- Olive Oil

Method:
1.) The easiest way to cook a spaghetti squash is to place the squash on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Then rotate the squash, and bake for another 30 minutes. Once it's finished, slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp.
2.) After scooping those out, use a fork to "fluff" the noodles out from the squash. Place these in a bowl and set aside.

Chicken-Herb Meatball Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. minced herbs (I used a mix of rosemary, thyme and oregano)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tbsp. olive oil

Method:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.) Combine the chicken, egg, onion, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Roll 15-20 meatballs, each one approximately the size of a golf ball.
3.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high and drizzle with olive oil. Once pan is hot, add a batch of meatballs (you might have to do this in several batches, depending on the size of your skillet). Turn each one every 30 seconds, until it is evenly browned all over. This should take about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Let meatballs rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Top noodles with your favorite spaghetti sauce (after doing the homemade work for the noodles and meatballs, I don't dare prepare my own spaghetti sauce, too. I like to use the Costco or Whole Foods brands because they are Whole30-compliant and delicious.) Top with meatballs and fresh oregano or parsley. Bon Appetit!

P.S. - More about my Whole30 journey here.

7 months after.

It's been 7 months since I had my c-section with Daxton. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I have lived with pain at my incision site every single day since then. Every day. In the past month I can honestly say that the pain has subsided significantly and now it's only a twinge here and there. But it's been present with me, every day, reminding me of that ludicrous day and night of trying so badly to give birth to my boy.

We tried everything. Ultimately, my natural birth plan was rudely interrupted by an emergency c-section. I've come to terms with it. I am grateful, so very grateful. A hundred years ago my outcome might have looked very different. Thank goodness for modern medicine, truly. But I still can't believe it happened.

I can't believe that women, so very many of them, live with this kind of wound striping them forever. Having gone through this experience has given such an awakening, such an understanding and for what others have endured.

I have a new respect for the medical community and for how well cared for I was by my doctors and nurses. For real.

I'm more aware than ever of how very strong women are.

I'm astounded by how beautiful and terrifying and gracious childbirth is.

The thing about having babies and becoming a mother is that it changes you. Forever. All the things you once thought about parenthood and "what you will do" means nothing. All the moments of judgement you once had toward other parents - you will find yourself in their shoes. You will find yourself remembering how you once judged someone for shoving an iPhone in their child's hand when they were screaming in public. You realize it at the exact moment that you are doing the same thing. I'm not saying its right, I'm saying you will find yourself doing it though.

This journey has humbled me. I used to think people who had c-sections were weak. They couldn't give birth or didn't really have the will to finish the job. Of course, I didn't mean to have these judgements. Forgive me, all of you. These thoughts were based on ignorance (as most judgements are). But after my experience, I see now how wrong I was. I worked so hard for both of my baby boys. It's the hardest work I have ever done. I was so strong and so fierce and yet my outcomes with both of my babies were so different. Everett was born naturally without any pain medications after 36 long hours. Daxton was delivered via c-section after 24 hours of labor, and an escalation from no pain meds to an introduction of pitocin, an epidural and finally, the emergency surgery. In fact, I think I even worked even harder for Daxton and still had a c-section. Life is strange, friends. Babies are worth it, though.

The day you give birth, there is awe and wonder at the new life you just created. But there is very little celebrated about your new life - when you become a mom, you are getting a new identity. You are forever changed. And to be honest, giving birth is kind of like the hazing before you get into the mom club. I'm kidding (sort of). But it's hard to find time or energy to really celebrate your own new identity. It's all so different - the new feelings (aka crazy hormones that are running the show), the new body (that you're trying to get on board with and not have self-loathing toward), the instincts of protection and ferocious love and adoration for your squishy (in my case, hefty), little love.

Nothing can prepare you for parenthood. You're never ready. But I can say with certainty that any pre-concieved judgements I once had towards other mothers is totally gone. Whenever I see a mom barking at her child at the grocery store, I say a silent prayer for her. Who knows what kind of day she's had and what kind of pressure she's been under, the lack of sleep she's probably be living with, the overwhelm she must be feeling. Grace grace grace. Grace for all the mamas!

I saw a cool-looking mom the other day at Target. We were both checking out at different registers, and she was holding her infant while her toddler was pulling on her shirt, and she was swiping her credit card and loading bags into her buggy and she was just momming so hard. I hollered over to her, "You're doing it! You got this mama!" and without even a pause she put up her one free hand and hollered back, "You're doing it, too, mama! You're amazing!" and then we both went our separate ways. It was such an empowering, fun, warming moment with a complete stranger - I love the camaraderie of motherhood and the dissipation of competition. We are all in this together and I am so grateful for my baby boys who have introduced me to my best life - full of love and wonder and the fight for this good gift of life.

So to all of you mamas out there - you're doing it! You're amazing! You got this.

Milk Friendly - the Tunic Tee.

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Outfit Details:
Free People We The Free Charleston Tee, Target Mossimo Supply Racerback Tank, Free People Bralette (similar here and here), Free People Roll Crop Jeans, Puma Classic Suede Sneakers, Mama and Little Nicole Necklace in Sweet Mint (use code KRISTEN for 10% off!)

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I am so excited about this series. Styling, nursing-friendly clothes are seriously under-represented in women's fashion. As a mom of a 7-month little boy, I am constantly rifling through my closet and trying to find things that I can wear out and about while still looking relatively cute and put-together. Most of my tops are off-limits - they're too silky (hi, let's show all the drool shall we?), too high-neck (how to access the boobies?), too low-cut (too much cleavage with these milk monsters), too tight (because I am not back to my pre-pregnancy weight) - so seriously, what's a girl to wear??

It's complicated.

I wish I could say that I can make all my current clothing work for nursing, but that's just not the case. I've had to shop. I nursed my first son Everett for 16 months, and that entire time I was always on the hunt for clothes that worked for that season of life. Now that I'm back on this milk train with Daxton, I have more of a grid for what to shop for and how to make nursing-friendly clothes relatively stylish. Because lets be honest, most of what is on the market for pregnant and lactating mamas is just frumpy. But not all! There are ways to piece together a cute and practical outfit. Over the course of this month, I'm going to share a series of looks that work for nursing mamas. And today I'm starting with one of my most-worn essentials - the tunic tee!

I love wearing tops like this one because it's basically like wearing a gigantic tee shirt - only prettier and softer. It's easy to layer this kind of look with a nursing tank underneath (I have this tank in about 10 colors) or even just a simple bralette like this. I love a lot of the Free People tees because they have some unique cuts up the side (making it a little easier to nurse), and you can either pull the top down or pull your shirt up - these tunics make it easier to do either. But I will say that most of my Free People tops are kind of delicate (even the cotton-blends), so I wash them on gentle and cold cycles. Just FYI :)

During the month of August, I will be sharing 6 different essentials for nursing mamas! I'm really excited to share because I've spent a lot of time hunting for the types of clothes that seem to work best - other than just straight up nursing tops.

Featured Piece:

We The Free Charleston Tee - Free People (on sale now!)

Tell me, what is your biggest struggle with nursing clothing? Do you feel like there are things that "hold you back" from being your most comfortable self when it comes to what you wear during this stage of motherhood? I'd love to hear from you mamas!

Upside Down Braided Topknot.

It's practically a jungle here. The beating sun and sweltering humidity are quite a force to be reckoned with. Georgia is just so hot. I've vowed not to cut my hair off even though my baby yanks on it whenever he can grasp a handful. Which leaves me to my imagination for finding different ways to get it off my face. I can't have a sweaty neck or keep getting my hair pulled out - I am already losing so much hair with all these postpartum hormones swirling around in my bod. Please, I need to keep all that I have!

This is my latest favorite updo, and I thought I would share it here since I've been wearing it so often. It's a twist on a regular topknot, and it's best styled with extra dirty hair. I usually do this on day 3 or 4 after a shampoo :)

Upside Down Braided Topknot:
1. Starting at the nape of your neck, gather three sections of hair and start a dutch braid.
2. Begin the braid at the bottom of the head and continue gathering hair (as you would a normal french braid), and braid upward.
3. Once you've reached the crown of your head, do a few extra turns of the braid without adding any extra hair.
4. Twist your hair, as you would for a normal top knot, and secure with a hair tie.
5. Gently pull at the sections of the braid to loosen and give it a fuller, more lived-in look.
6. You shouldn't need to secure anything with bobby pins - the messier the better!

Are you all interested in more hair posts like this? If so, I can work on photographing a few more looks, especially updos for summer. Let me know in the comments! xx