my grown up christmas list

I know, I know, it's only November 13th, but realistically Christmas will be here before we know it!  Darrell & I already started our shopping, and I wanted to share a few things that are on my radar for gifts and to-dos.  

This week, I'll definitely be tackling Christmas cards.  I love love love sending them out, but this year I'm trying to pick a more budget friendly option - we have to send more cards out now that pictures of Claire are involved, and more cards means more $!  We'll probably end up using Snapfish or Shutterfly for the first time, but of course my favorite place to get cards if money was no object would be Minted.  I love their real gold foil accents!  

For Claire, I know we'll get clothes & toys a plenty (which is good, because I'm a bit lacking in the 6-12 month sizes) but I've also got my eye on this hand-stitched heirloom pillow from Etsy shop The Wild Hares, and another pair of moccasins for her from Giggles & Fluff.  It almost makes me tear up when I think about the fact that her first pair was SO huge when we received them 3 months ago, and now she's going to grow right out of them any day.  The buffalo plaid bonnet from Stella & Wilbur is one of my new favorites in their shop, I think bonnets are such a cute throwback and the perfect alternative to bows in the winter!  

For me?  At the top of my list is a cognac leather Lily Jade Madeleine diaper bag, a splurge but it seems it's the universal favorite!  I have enough slings to last a lifetime and will be wearing "sangria" from Sakura Bloom the whole month of December, but since it's discontinued I wanted to share Vienna Springs' holiday ready "bordeaux" sling.  The rich dark red would look picture perfect in photos!  (Her stockings are announced via her Instagram, and they go quickly!)  

Anything on your Christmas list that you're planning to get a head start on?  If there's anything that I've found true in the last few months of life with a baby, it's that getting a head start is the key to less stress!  

what claire wore: baby moccasins

Here's a funny quirk about older people: they seem to be constantly concerned about how cold Claire's feet are.  Really, if she's upset she cries (it's not a complicated equation) but regardless I've found that it's good to have something on her feet.  Socks don't stay on AT ALL, and can really knock an outfit down a notch.  I'm not a fan of fake "real shoes" with hard soles because Claire likes to stand on your legs and I think they throw her balance off.  Baby moccasins are the perfect middle ground - they're as comfortable and as gentle on teeny feet as socks are, and just as warm if you choose leather.  

I had initially assumed that baby moccasins were crazy expensive - Freshly Picked anybody?  I'm legitimately convinced that the only people who actually own their $60 mocs for babies are 

a) wearing Payless on their adult feet as a result of their outrageous baby shoe spending addiction 

b) obsessed with Shark Tank or 

c) were gifted free pairs from the company because blogger.  

I am none of those things, and yet Claire has a nice little collection to match just about any outfit she has.  Here are my not-so-secret sources for finding them at a price that's worth paying for the month your baby will wear them.  

1.  Giggles & Fluff.  They have a great selection of basic colors, the prices are unbeatable, they use real leather and the mama who owns this shop is beyond sweet.  I would say they run a bit large.  Follow them on Insta for updates on sales & restockings!  

2.  Sweet n Swag.  This is another crazy affordable brand, and they have a much larger variety of colors & patterns than Giggles & Fluff.  I have the Rose Gold pair pictured, and they are extremely pretty, you could never tell they were fake leather and I'm really excited for Claire to grow into them.  

3.  The Coral Pear.  This is the shop I would say has the closest to what Freshly Picked is offering.  They carry a huge variety of sizes & colors and the leather they use is extremely high quality.  I bought Claire's cognac colored pair from here because I knew she would be wearing them more than any other shoes, and they run very true to size.  

4.  Shop Mini Moxie.  These moccasins are a little wilder, and right up the alley of any mama who likes big time sparkle & bling.  I've not yet ordered any but the tasseled pair above is definitely on my list.  A little pricier, these are around $50.