Stitch Fix #2

My 2nd stitch Fix came in the mail last week and it was another winner. Though I didn't buy most of it, I loved all the pieces.

For this fix I asked for a pair of skinny cords in a fun color, any new fall trends, and sweaters.

Here is what I got and my reviews:


Heavy Elbow Patch Sweater - $58
This month I pinned a sweater I loved that had elbow patches and buttons down the back so I was excited to see this in the box. It is cuter in the box than on. It had no shape and was a little big so it looked a little masculine. If it was a size smaller I would have kept it.
Verdict: Returned

Bird Print Blouse - $48
I loved this top and its cute black birds. I don't have anything like it. I tried it on and it fit perfectly but the arms were very wide with wide openings at the bottom. I wanted to keep it so badly but I knew the arms would drive me crazy.
Verdict: Returned

Wakefield Crossover Sweater - $68
This was the surprise of the box. I pulled it out and said "Nope". I am usually not a fan of crossbody/wrap type tops. But, I gave it a whirl and tried it on and loved it. It fits like a Piko top with tight arms and flowy. It is so cozy and and super cute on. I definitely don't have anything like this so I was excited to add something new to my wardrobe. One of the biggest perks of Stitch Fix for me is receiving something I woudln't normally pick for myself and loving it. Expanding my wardrobe horizons.
Verdict: KEPT!

Spiky Necklace - $34
I liked this necklace and don't have anything like it but decided to send it back for budget reasons. I liked her thinking though.
Verdict: Returned

Jonathan Skinny Cords - $68
My stylist Catherine did it again. I got another pair of perfect-fitting pants. These are a very dark green and super comfortable. For my next Fix I might just ask for all pants :) They will be great to wear with browns, creams and navy, and my maroon/cream/navy infinity scarf I got in my first Fix.
Verdict: Kept!

Overall it was a great Fix. I kept two items and paid $110 thanks to a $25 credit I got from JoLynn who signed up for Stitch Fix through my referral link. Thanks JL!

I did back to back months of Fixes to see how it would work for me and now that I see it does, I am going to limit myself to every other month. Otherwise it could become a very addictive and expensive habit.

Again, I highly recommend this fun "delivery service" - especially for the working moms. So give it a try - or at least sign up to think about it. You can schedule your first fix at any time after you sign up.

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3779702 

My First Stitch Fix Experience

After hearing more than one positive review about Stitch Fix I decided to give it a try. While researching it, I found it helpful to read other's blog posts about each of their Fixes in order to gauge how effective the service really was so I thought I would share my thoughts as well. Hope it helps!

I must admit I was anxious all week to receive my package so when it finally arrived it was almost like Christmas. The suspense is a great selling tool for them because you never know what you will get! Below are my reviews for each piece I received. 

Here is my very first Stitch Fix - received in August.  When opening the box, I had no expectations whatsoever because this was my first Fix and my stylist was "still getting to know me."  I was prepared to not like anything and send everything back, but... I was pleasantly surprised.

Item 1 - Rolfe Geo Print Top - $54
I knew when I pulled this item out of the box I would not like it. I liked the dark turquoise color but did not like it paired with peach in this geometric design. But just like I was told, try everything on in case you are surprised. Well I was not. The top was my size (medium) but was waaaay too big. Just blah on, not flattering.
Verdict: Returned

Item 2: Astair Scoop Neck Blouse - $48
In my note to my stylist I requested a red piece for football season and this is what she sent and suggested I pair it with white jeans. The picture looks more red than it is. In real life it almost looks pink because of the white design. This top was also in my size but very boxy and no structure to it. The arm holes were tight and it was tight across my back. It was just ok on. I wasn't in love with it, therefore...
Verdict: Returned

Item 3: Alzora Zig Zag Infinity Scarf - $34
I love me some chunky infinity scarves and this one did not disappoint. In fact, my stylist said "I noticed you have a lot of scarves on your Pinterest board so I wanted to include one in your fix."  It was love at first sight. The colors are maroon, navy and cream which are beautiful together. It is really think and is going to be so cozy come winter.
Verdict: KEPT!

Item 4: Colibri Solid Tab Sleeve Blouse - $48
This top is a beautiful emerald/hunter green and EXACTLY something I would like. In fact, I have some similar items but nothing in this color. It has extra length which looks great with skinny jeans. I knew I would love it before I tried it on and I did.
Verdict: KEPT!

Item 5: Collenn Straight Leg Jeans - $78

I was very skeptical when I pulled a pair of pants out of my box. I thought Catherine had some guts sending pants in my first box. I noted in my style profile "I'm very tall and require extra length for pants". Like a good fixer I tried them on anyway and was shocked to find they fit PERFECTLY in waist and length. They are very stretchy so they will be a "wear once and wash immediately" pair but I love them. So comfortable and a great dark wash color. Its always great to add another pair of pants to my wardrobe. They are hard to come by for this tall girl. 

Verdict: KEPT! 

Overall, my first Stitch Fix was a success. I had a lot of fun with it. I kept three items and spent $140 which I thought was pretty good since it included a pair of pants. It was definitely convenient and I didn't have to spend 4 hours in a mall trying to find a pair of pants that fit me. I will definitely being trying it again. 

And if you want to try it out, use the link below to get started! 

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3779702  

11 Months

It breaks my heart to think this is the last month before my baby turns 1. But alas, that is life and it most progress.

Harlan continues to grow and make us smile every day. He currently weights a little more than 20 pounds and is officially in all 12 month clothing. His favorite foods are strawberries, avocados and peas and he loves eating outside on the back patio.

He continues to say Mama but its not quite fully directed at me yet but I'll take it. He can crawl with unhuman like speed and still has no interest in walking. He is still a great sleeper as well.

One milestone that happened this month is that he graduated classrooms at daycare. He is no longer a Duck, but now is a Frog. His next class is 10 months - 18 months. We were really sad about him moving up because we loved his teachers so much in the ducks room. Plus there were only 5 babies in that class. there are 10 in his new class.

We had a couple of fun celebrations this month.

First was Easter.

As well as my first Mother's Day which was so special!

I started planning his birthday party and that has been fun but also bitter sweet. We can't wait to celebrate our little man next month!

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Last month we decided to take Harlan to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Spring. It is a habitat for large a cats and some bears. It was a really neat experience and Harlan really enjoyed seeing all the animals. Surprisingly, I have lived in NWA my whole life and never been to this place.

We saw jaguars, mountain lions, tigers, ligers, lions, tigons and a grizzle bear. Some of them were really close up which was great for Harlan because he was able to see those better. We even got to see them feed eggs to some of the lose up cats.

It was a bit chilly so we didn't get to stay as long as we wanted but I have a feeling we will be going back when Harlan gets a little bit older.

10 Months

Baby Boy is 10 Months old now! He weighs around 20 pounds and continues to make us laugh every day.

He wears size 3 diapers and size 9-12 month clothes. Still only has 2 teeth but loves to chomp down on anything that goes in his mouth.

We have started giving him more "big people" food as compared to mushed stuff. He will eat strawberries, peas and carrots, scrambled eggs and he loves pancakes and waffles. I still make his pureed veggies too.

He has become a little more hesitant of big crowds and different people. If we go somewhere that has a lot of people, it takes him a few minutes to leave our arms but he eventually does. There has been occasions that somebody grabbed him and he wanted nothing to do with it. And who does he reach for, his Daddy. That hurt my ego a little but I got over it :)

Crawling and pulling up have been mastered and he can walk a few steps if he holds on to his walking toy but that has only happened a few times.

A new thing he started this month was growling at us. If he is concentrating on something or is mad at us, he will growl like a little goblin. It is really funny.

Sleeping has been great (knock on wood). I will nurse him for about 5 minutes then just lay him in his crib and he will usually fall asleep within a few minutes. He goes down around 7 p.m. and I usually have to wake him up around 7:20 to get ready for school. During the days he is at daycare he takes naps that are only 30-45 minutes long but when he is home, his naps are usually 2 hours long.

Now that I have started working from home on Fridays, we have gotten in a pretty good routine for that day:

• I let him sleep for as long as he can but he usually wakes up between 7:45 and 8
• Nurse right when he wakes up
• Eat breakfast around 8:30
• Play for about an hour
• Nap from 9:30-11/11:30
• Lunch between 11:30 and 12
• Play
• Nap from 1:30-3:30
• Nurse around 3:30
• play and snack
• Dinner around 6 with bath immediately following
• Nurse
• Asleep by 7

This month we went on our first road trip to visit our friend Tate,

 had our first Easter Egg hunt

and visited the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.

 It was a fun month and we are treasuring every day until he turns 1. I don't want that day to come!

9 Months

Harlan has hit the 9-month mark and it has been so much fun!

Harlan weighs 19 lbs and 13.5 ounces and is 28 inches long. He is 50th percentile in weight and 75th in height. His 9-month check up was great. No shots but he had to have his toe pricked for an iron test which he hated worse than the shots. We found out he is slightly anemic. The "good" range is 32-40 and he came out at 31. Nothing to worry about, just added a multivitamin with iron to his food.

This month we battled a head cold, a double ear infection and a rash but came out on the other side unscathed.

He is such a happy baby and loves to click his tongue and say mamamamama, bababababa and dadadadada. He hasn't really directed any of those to us like he is talking to us but at least he has got the sounds down. We also started clapping in excitement. He has only done it a few times but we are getting better.

Harlan can crawl at a furious pace and pull up on anything. If we are sitting on the couch and he is in the floor, he will crawl over to us, pull up on the couch and try to climb up to us.

He is still eating like a champ. This month we have tried pears, mango, greens, Greek yogurt and some pureed meats. I make pretty much everything he eats EXCEPT the meats. That just grosses me and him out so we buy that in the baby food jars and mix it in with the veggies. In fact, we have to mix pretty much everything he eats with some sort of orange veggie. He loves those and they mask the things he doesn't want to eat.

I am still nursing him in the mornings and at night. I have noticed recently that he is not as interested in it anymore and pulls away after only a few minutes, which makes me terribly sad. I planned on breastfeeding until at least one year. Even if he weans himself off, I will still pump and continue to give him the breast milk. I just hope he lets me breastfeed him for a few more months. I'm not ready to let go of that!

This month Harlan got to visit the Pettigrew family farm for the first time and he loved it. But I think his Grandpa loved it even more. This is a special place for Ryan, his brother and his dad and I know it will become special for Harlan too.

He is right on schedule in the clothes department. He wears only 9-month sizes right now and size 3 diapers. He hates having his diaper and clothes changed. He won't lay flat on his back so I have gotten pretty skilled at putting clothes and diapers on backwards.  

This has been one of the most exciting and exhausting months yet but I wouldn't change it for anything. It is so fun watching him learn new things. Words can't express how much this momma loves this little boy.