Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Aimless day

I've been pretty restrained about buying baby clothes so far -- I've only bought three little summery newborn-size thingies. And I hadn't at all given in to the urge to buy cute toddler stuff for down the line. You know, you see the most adorable things! I've been tempted in the past even when not remotely expecting a baby! Well, yesterday I broke down:
Matching mama and daughter sundresses. Is that obnoxious? I was getting the one for myself, and when I saw they had this adorable tiny version, I couldn't resist. I don't know kid sizes yet, but it's supposedly a two -- it seems smaller than that to me. Well, I guess I'll figure that stuff out as I go.


And, even with us not buying baby clothes, we're making out all right! My mom is on the job, plus I just got a package of wonderful, colorful little outfits from my dear friend Lori in Amsterdam. Here are just some of them:
They're from Hema, the Dutch department store chain, and I love them. I almost couldn't bring myself to fold them and put them away because they match the color scheme in my writing room so perfectly, I wanted to leave them draped over the back of the sofa! Ha ha. Decor. And the tiny sundress? I almost want to hang that on the wall!

Yesterday Jim returned to the land of the living after weeks of deadline-oriented zombieness. This cool illustration job he'd been working on--
(sneak peek)--was due Monday, and he was up for 42 hours straight at the end of it! I have never ever done such a thing. I am not capable. Even in college when I had the intention (and even the necessity) of pulling an all-nighter, I couldn't manage it. Round about 2 am my brain would start to flick the lights, like a bartender trying to chase out the last lingering patrons. I don't think I've ever stayed up all night in my life. Oy. So, Jim is back to life, somewhat rested and ready for some dedicated relaxation. To celebrate, we had a meandering day out yesterday, of the sort we frequently observe other people having while we're running errands. You know, the cafe-sitting? Window shopping? Nice. We had breakfast for lunch, and it was marvelous. It involved sweet potato french toast; then we stopped into a friend's cafe to visit and she whipped up a batch of chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons just for us, which made us feel very special. We did a little shopping along Alberta and Mississippi, two of our favorite Portland streets.

Portland is very villagey, with cute little streets of shops in the various tree-filled neighborhoods, and these two streets are both recently gentrified (well, semi-gentrified) centers of shops and restaurants amid hundred-year-old homes in various states of renovation. When you need some comic books, a plantain burrito, and a funky embroidered shirt, head to Mississippi Avenue. You can also get your hair dyed pink there. I do. Or you might find: animal skulls, gypsy skirts, vintage '50s table linens, and salvaged building materials off old houses. Gourmet salt, baby chicks, weird light bulbs, records, and waffle sandwiches. Fun!

We brought home some of the plantain (and yam and chicken) burritos from Laughing Planet and watched a zombie prom movie -- Dance of the Dead -- which Suzanne Young had discovered. Love a silly zombie movie. Have you ever seen Fido? That one's set in an alternate 1950s post-zombie-apocalypse, and is very campy.

Today, I am back to writing, or will be shortly. Cheers!

24 comments:

R.J. Anderson said...

I love the colors in your house (and on these dresses and onesies) SO MUCH. It makes me happy just looking at them. Gorgeous bright turquoise and fuchsia and orange and lime green... things I'd never have had the courage to put together myself, but which look so wonderfully warm and cheerful when you do it.

I eye my walls, which are sailcloth pink and eggshell for the most part, and I sigh a little. At least my bedroom is a nice deep cranberry to make up for it...

And the matching sundresses are adorable. The little girl's dress is at least a two, I'd say, possibly even a three. You cannot believe the tininess of newborn clothing and how huge toddler clothes look by comparison.

kathleen duey said...

Laini,

Not sure how I landed here...the usual clickity-click meander, jumping one blog to the next,like hopping creek-rocks on a warm day. Tim is a friend of mine and he sings your praises so I had to stop. And then---oooohhh----baby stuff. Congrats.

I don't think we have met? If we have, it was quick and part of a conference deluge. I love Portland and get up there once in a while. If we don't meet before that, maybe we can then. Now back to what I think I know about writing...(as you so brilliantly and accurately said on your other blog)

All best,
k

Amber Lough said...

Oh that dress set is adorable. I don't have anything like it--Elizabeth wears a 2 finally, for reference's sake.

If that illustration had a messier kitchen, it'd be Elizabeth and me, and the girl would have just run in saying, "Mommy! Where's my sparkly shoes?"

Natalie Whipple said...

Aw, baby clothes. I never used to get excited over girl things since I didn't have one. But now that I do they make me all melty inside.

I could never do the all-nighter either! I was the girl in high school and college who passed out around 10 most nights. Sad. My body just likes sleep. Can't help myself.

Laini Taylor said...

Hi Kathleen! So cool to see you here! I don't know that we've *met* but I have attended your sessions at SCBWI LA in the past and loved them -- and have seen you dance at the Saturday night party :-) I just got the conference brochure in the mail the other day and it looks SO good this year, really sorry to have to miss it (due date is during it! But I'd love to meet you next year or if you've ever in Portland!

Suzanne Young said...

Oh my word. You are going to be the best baby and mama combo in town!!! (And that dress is beautiful! For both of you!)

Rachael King said...

It's good to buy toddler stuff if you spot it on sale and you love it. They will grow into it and it's better than buying it full price at the time.

Debbie Barr said...

I just found out my husband and I will be in Portland sometime mid-June for a friend's wedding, and I was just wondering what we should do while we're there! I'll see if I can canoodle him into letting me visit Mississippi Ave. ;)

Sara said...

Jim is really going to regret this documentation of his ability to pull an all nighter after the baby is born. HA! My hubbie used to watch CMT with our cuties in the hopes of lulling them to sleep.

Love the sundresses. Now you need matching flip-flops.

Amber said...

Those dresses are TOO MUCH!! I LOVE them. Ohmygosh. I can't wait to see you gals in them.(with matching pink hair, right?) ;)

:)

Jaime Temairik said...

I love all these pictures, but especially the AWESOME ROBO-KITCHEN! Go, Jim, go!

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

you're so cute :)

Q said...

Those clothes are too adorable. Make sure when you go out and buy them, you pay attention to the sizing in relation to the seasons of how old your little girl will be at any time. :)

tone almhjell said...

Love the dresses and love the day. I really do want to visit Portland some day. It sounds exactly like my kind of place. Maybe Pan and I and Gameboy will drive up the coast when we're in California. Sometime in the future, when Gameboy har stopped kicking gut and come out to play.

Katie Anderson said...

Those sundresses are just the cutest durn things in town! How fun would it be to see you two bipping along Mississippi Avenue looking for skulls and stopping in for waffles in those adorable dresses!

Kiersten White said...

So fun! The matching dresses are beautiful! But just wait--she'll come out and suddenly that little girl dress that seems tiny now will seem massive.

What a fun day with Jim!

Heather said...

Those. Are. AWESOME!!! You guys are going to look so incredibly adorable! Why resist the urge? Babies grow out of stuff so fast and they produce more laundry than any adult, btw, so you definitely need TONS of clothing. Believe me, it will become an obsession!

Unknown said...

You're evil Laini. I would so kill for some Laughing Planet right now. I know it's only been 4 months since we came to visit, but I so miss everything you're describing. At least you didn't have an ODB from Voodoo and go hiking on Mt. Tabor.

Stephanie Perkins said...

The little dress is too. adorable.

But no fair talking about how awesome Portland is! Sigh.

Michele Thornton said...

You should also check out the Hanna Anderson outlet in Lake Oswego. Great deals, adorable baby clothes. For little girls, their tights CANT be beat, they never wear out and are warm and cute.

Enjoy dressing your child early on. At 6, Sophie will have none of it. She picked stripped leggings, stripped shirt and stripped skirt this am, all in different colors. And four headbands (so they'd look like stripes, of course). My days of being the wardrobe master are already over. sigh. Now all that's left to me is vetoing anything inappropriate.

Melissa Muirhead said...

Just LOVE the matching dresses. Gorgeous! I haven't found matching clothes for me and my daughter (she is 20 months old) but my son (32 months old) and husband have matching rip curl board shorts.

Christine Fletcher said...

Matching dresses are TWO CUTE!

Poor Jim! I once pulled a 40-hour stint in veterinary school and at the end of it a friend had to drive me home. I was barely coherent.

A good day of rest and wandering Portland neighborhoods (we LOVE Mississippi St.) is just the ticket.

Christine Fletcher said...

Oh, Lord, how twee. I meant to say TOO CUTE. Disregard. (See what happens when I'm tired?)

johanna said...

Ackkk! Those dresses are the best! I remember my mom sewing matching pantsuits for the three girls (me and my two sisters..) AND one for herself. They were purple corduroy, and quite dreamy. I think mine had a purple butterfly on it somewhere.

And..Go Jim! 42 hours. That is beyond impressive. I worked through the night for a deadline last summer, and I was in tears by the time the sun came up. I'm not cut out for such things!!

Hope you guys have had a lot of relaxy time! Did you make it to see Wolverine yet?