:: calgary stampede baby wear ::

The Calgary Stampede kicks off early Friday morning with the Stampede Parade. Next year I will have a little cowgirl or cowboy in my arms and I can't wait to dress them up in these western duds! Yahoo!

Burp cloth from PaisleyBaby *Canadian Etsy Shop

Cowboy Sunhat from JustKiddn

Buckaroo Onesie from PerryJane

Cowboy Bib from SusysBibs *Canadian Etsy Shop

Cowgirl Boot Onesie from BambinaMia

Cowgirl Nursing Cover by TheHayPatch

Bandana Bow by PunkieGrace

Cowboy Booties by disliltreasures

::canadian company spotlight - obleek diaper bags::

Katie Lee of Edmonton, Alberta is a talented chica with a passion for graphic design and sewing. This comes out in her modern, funky purses, totes, lunch bags and fab diaper bags. Obleek bags is a great up and coming Canadian company that I am really excited about!

Special Offer Alert! For readers of Mon Petit Amour, she is offering her merchandise for par with the Canadian dollar. Just mention this feature or my blog with your order.

She also makes beautiful SLR camera straps, Rockband Guitar Straps, Yoga Mat bags, and reusable sandwich bags.

Check out her completed custom designs here at her Flickr photostream, and see the gorgeous fabrics you could have made into a diaper bag here. I am loving Bloom in Chocolate, Gothic Window and Digital Dots in Chocolate. I also love that you can customize the liner colour. How will I ever decide?

Obleek will handmake you the perfect diaper bag to meet your needs! Best of all, you get your custom bag for a great price. The custom Stevie diaper bag is only $65. Remember to mention Mon Petit Amour when you order to get it for $65 Canadian!

::nameberry - baby name inspiration::

Nameberry is a great online resource from the authors that brought you the books Beyond Jennifer and Jason and the brand-new Beyond Ava and Aiden.

Their blog is a daily source of namespiration. I loved the feature on Hippie Names I read yesterday. There are some I would consider as a middle name.

I wasn't so much a fan of names like Cloud or Mystic but did find some names that struck my fancy - River, True, Clover, Meadow, Sequoia, and Summer.

Be sure to check out the pages and pages of themed name lists on the website. These are great if you know what type of name you are looking for. Choose from lists like:

Names all your Friends will think are Cool

If you like Ava, you might love....

Short and Strong Names

Truly Unisex Names

Happy name-searching! As a lifelong lover of names.....this may be my favourite part of baby planning! I need to have about 10 kids to use all the names that I love. Websites like these just make it harder because I keep finding more and more lovely monikers.

::off your rocker::

Off Your Rocker is run by Frank Bray of Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He makes beautiful, family heirloom-worthy rockers and ships them all over North America.

Bray says:

I sell more rockers for the nursery than any other room in the house. My chairs have superior comfort to a glider and no bearings to creak and disturb junior! There are no sliding mechanisms to pinch inquisitive fingers either. The runners are long enough to resist the chair tipping over. Pair these rockers with a matching rocking ottoman, making for a truly relaxing experience when nursing baby or reading a bedtime story. Available in all three of my rocker styles (mission, granddaddy, or sleigh).

Visit his online store here and consider a handmade (and made in Canada!) rocker for your baby's nursery. He welcomes custom orders as well. You can specify the wood, paint finish, and fabric. In reading his website, you get the feeling of walking into the workshop of a kind, old friend. I look forward to working with Frank in the design of Baby C's nursery rocker.

::ikea hacks - genius ideas for kid's rooms::

There is nothing I love more than crafty people that can imagine something beautiful from something.....well, less than.

Ikea is a great place to find inspiration, and the website Ikea Hacks provides endless examples of people taking the sometimes plain swedish furniture and turning it into works of art.

I explored the posts tagged children today and found some lovely projects I know I am going to try to get the Hubs to agree to try.

Cream of the Crop:

Ikea Play Kitchen by blogger Andoo Baby

Ikea Lego Table

Ikea Latt "upholstered table" - by blogger DesignMomma

::itzbeen::

I love to sleep....and I know I will not be getting much of it come November. When I don't get enough zzz's I forget everything, which is why I know I will be getting one of these.

Itzbeen was created by two tired new parents who were frustrated with keeping track of baby's sleep, feeding and changing on paper. I could totally see myself losing the paper, my pen, it being too messy to read, which is why this is so brilliant!

This handy little gadget tells you how long itzbeen since the last nap, feed, and change. Daddies will love it because it is a gadget, and if they are anything like my hubs, they are all about gadgets.

Canadians can buy them here at Dearborn Baby or here at CheekyMonkey for $34.99

As for moi, itzbeen way too long since I went to sleep. Good night!

::print*pattern*paper prints and textiles::

I just added my schmancy new Etsy widget on my sidebar today and I am loving being able to glance at all the items I am currently coveting. Hope you are liking it too.

I love these wallcards from artandphilanthropy, and when DesignMom posted today about some new prints from print*pattern*paper, I thought they looked familiar. Turns out Etsy Seller ArtandPhilanthropy has a website and blog called print*pattern*paper.

Best of all, she prints on 100% recycled paper with soy ink. J'adore.

All images copyright Rebecca Peregrine. Learn more about the artist here.

::maternity skinny jeans::

Though I am not getting any skinnier these days, I did buy some maternity skinny jeans yesterday at Thyme Maternity.

WOW. Why did I wait so long to finally buy maternity pants again? They are so so comfortable, though they are falling down sometimes because I don't really fill them out yet.

I also picked up this white sleeveless cotton tunic. It's got a lot of room to grow in, and I can tie it in front to show off my mini-belly right now, or in the back once I am bigger.

I am off to run errands in my new outfit.

à bientôt!

::alphabet blanket::

I spotted this blanket in a teensy twins photoshoot with the talented Penticton photographer Michele Dyson and I am now wishing I could knit or crochet so I could make one for Baby C.

Thank goodness for Etsy! I found a couple contenders as well as a pattern on Ravelry (perhaps to pass off to a lovely friend of my Mom's that can knit/crochet and has some time on her hands? I will keep my fingers crossed)

lovely photo by michele dyson

::paperless post::

I stumbled on Paperless Post's beta website yesterday and love, love, loved the concept. I have, in the past, been an evite addict, but these are so much more sophisticated. Your guests will recieve a clickable envelope in their inbox which will open to reveal one of these beautiful invitations to your fête.

Click here to join Paperless Post, peruse all the lovely invites, and recieve 25 paperless stamps. Wouldn't these gorgeous invitations be perfect for your next baby shower?

::week 17::

Even though I cannot even think of eating onions right now, that is approximately the size of little Baby C at 17 weeks. According to The Bump, Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

Here is my weekly update:

Feeling: Excited for the first week of summer break!
Sick?: meh....feeling a bit better
Cravings: cold water with lemon, peaches, nectarines, cherries, mexican food
Wishing for: a strong flutter or kick....I thiiiink I felt something this week, but I am not sure.
Reading: trying to finish The Gargoyle for bookclub (blah!), looking forward to starting The Thirteenth Tale, finished up Oscar et la Dame Rose (for the second time, love this book)
Favourite clothes right now: Joe yoga pants and Lululemon hoodie. I love lounging at home!
Current Project: enjoying my first week of summer break. Going to begin cooking for the hubs again. Reveling in all my free time.
Weight: up 5 pounds total.....though with staying home all day this could start accelerating rapidly!

::The Perfect Baby Handbook::

I am picking this book up at Chapters tomorrow. It is not often that I actually LOL. In fact, I hate even writing LOL, but when I started laughing, almost to the point of tears last night while reading The Perfect Baby Handbook's website, even my husband had to come and see what all the fuss was about.

I was surprised to learn that the witty author of this blog and this hilarious book is from my part of the world - Alberta, Canada!

If you need to laugh today, please go and read some of the excerpts of baby wisdom, coupled with equally hilarious illustrations (by Kagan McLeod) on his website:

Improving on Perfection - tackling the three most common infant makeover challenges

Advanced Slumber Strategies - and a glossary of "Parentese"

Timing is Everything - a prototypical daily routine for a perfect baby

Choosing the Perfect Baby Name - inspiration from all over, including the IKEA catalog

A brief bio about the Canadian, now New-York based author from his website:

Although Dale Hrabi began life as an eerily non-verbal baby, he went on to become an acclaimed editor and writer for publications such as ELLE, Wired, and The New York Times. The former editorial creative director of Details, he was also a top-dog at the irreverent pop-culture magazine, Radar, a 2008 finalist for The National Magazine Awards “General Excellence Award.” This would be even more impressive if it had won.

Dale grew up in Alberta, Canada, attempting to master every known art or craft, reading Jane Austen and The Official Preppy Handbook, and admiring America’s love of excess from a distance. He currently lives in New York City, where he is working on his next book and consulting unofficially on the upbringing of various moody, terrific kids including Woolfie, Annabel, Dahlia, and Felix.

::happy daddy's day::

Daddy and Son Tie Tees from etsy seller SuperSweetCreations

I'm cute novelty onesie from etsy seller KoolKidz

Daddy golfs because I cry novelty onesie from etsy seller Fun2Wear

Or....if Daddy likes gadgets, how about a FLIP video camera? This mommy-to-be is seriously coveting one of these as well. These pocket-sized cameras, made famous by Oprah herself, just became available in Canada.

::damask for baby::

I heart damask and I am seeing it pop up all over for babies. This sophisticated print is lovely in many colours beyond black and white....

Shoes from etsy seller Gracious May

Blanket from etsy seller ThePatacakeBaby

Dress from etsy seller TinderDesigns

::tickled pink photoshoot::

My SIL is a photographer and I am the luckiest girl ever to get to have my pregnancy documented by my talented and lovely friend. Thank you BIL for marrying the sweetest girl ever!

Here are some highlights from our 16 week photoshoot. We are going to do a shoot every 2 or 3 weeks, which makes me so so excited. She makes a grumpy and frumpy feeling girl feel so beautiful. Thank you Amy!

To see bigger individual pics, visit Amy's photoblog at http://weretickledpink.blogspot.com

::etsy baby headbands::

I am not usually a fan of baby headbands, (since they are usually satin avec rosettes and lace like this) but these felt fascinators from etsy seller ShoozieShoes are just too cute. This is why I cannot find out if Baby C is a boy or girl....I am truly not sure how I will control the shopping, especially if we are expecting a little princess!

::16 weeks::

Today I am:16 weeks and 1 day pregnant

Feeling: Tired with bursts of energy
Sick?: at nighttime still (boo!)
Cravings: cold water with lemon, chicken pot pie, eggs
Wishing for: a flutter or kick! I can't wait!
Reading: Birthing from Within, The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy
Favourite clothes right now: my Old Navy pink maxi-dress
Current Project: finishing school so I can start concentrating on the nursery!
Weight: still only up 3 pounds

::knit hats on etsy::

One of my favourite things to drool over on Etsy are the lovely knit hats and cocoons for newborns. There is nothing cuter than a cozy little sleeping baby wrapped up in something handmade.

Since our babe will be born in the winter, he/she naturally needs a couple of these!

I am loving this Canadian Shop - Mad About Colour. I am especially fond of the grinch-like red and white hat....it should be perfect for our Christmas baby photoshoot! And the photo in the wooden bowl, so cute! I even have a bowl exactly like that. Luckily my sister-in-law is an up and coming baby photographer, so I look forward to many photoshoots with her in the future.

When is this baby coming again??? I can't wait to dress them up!

...InStyle Belly - online consignment heaven...

This is one of those "why did I not think of this first?" ideas. InStyle Belly is an online consignment shop offering high-end maternity wear at a fraction of the cost of buying new.

Any newly pregnant girl knows that the some of the hideous

stuff that passes as maternity wear these days (and the equally ridiculous price points) are enough to make you wonder what you got yourself into. Then you end up finding these gorgeous independent maternity boutiques and realize that you are going to have to dip into the Baby's college fund to pay for your new wardrobe!

Founder and CEO Krista Karo was frustrated with how expensive maternity clothes were, especially when they are worn for such a short time. Her website enables women to buy high quality pieces and consign them again when they are done with them.

Right now, they are consigning maternity items from Days of Our Lives, with proceeds going to charity.

I have my eye on this gorgeous Liz Lange suit - too bad I am not a size 0!

...etsy baby love....

I discovered Etsy last year and I have spent hundreds of hours browsing it ever since. It is the perfect place to find original and handmade.....well, everything!

I especially love browsing the Gift Guides because it gets me clicking around and discovering new favourite items and shops all the time.

Now that I am expecting, I am checking the Baby Gift Guide all the time for new finds. From vegetable dyed wooden blocks, to hand-sewn Robeez-ish shoes, to the sweetest knit hats, to lovely art prints like this one for Baby's room.

This sweet photograph is from Jennifer Dennis Potter Photography and would go wonderfully in our "whimsical woodland" themed nursery.

Here is what the nursery looks like right now. With the addition of some tree wall decals and other woodland accessories, it should look like a forest wonderland soon. YAY for summer break!

...UPPABaby for the stylish mommy...

I have been in love with the UPPABaby stroller pretty much since conception. It is sleek and stylish, relatively light, easy to fold, gives the look of a pram with the beautiful bassinet, and is a great all-terrain stroller up to a toddler.

I brought the hubs to go and look at them yesterday, and after he got over the sticker-shock (hey! It is half the price of a Bugaboo!) he liked it too.

Now for the hard part:

Jake? or Mica?

...gatie maternity...

I am still on the hunt for stylish maternity clothes as my belly gets to the point that many of my pre-pregnancy clothes (even the ones I thought would be pregnancy-friendly!) are starting to get tight.

Stumbled upon Gatie Maternity this evening and I am loving this front-bow top. So Blair Waldorf.....but with child.... am I predicting storylines for next season? Je ne sais pas, but if anyone on Gossip Girl was to get pregnant, they would definitely be wearing some of these stylish pieces.

xoxo - M