Friday night was the annual holiday party for Casey’s office, and a date that has been on my calendar since before Cullen was born. I knew that December 9th would be the first time we’d need to leave our little guy with a babysitter, and I dreaded it for seven weeks.
But by the time it actually rolled around, I found myself surprisingly calm and, dare I say…excited? It’s not that I wanted time away from Cullen, but I was excited for the chance to have some uninterrupted time with Casey outside of the house.
Getting ready to actually leave the house was probably the trickiest part of all. We both needed to shower and get dressed, and Cullen needed to be fed, dressed, changed, and packed for his night out. I started early to make sure we’d have enough time, and even snapped a few pictures before we left.
My two favorite fellas dressed for a night out – Casey in a suit, and Cullen in his turtle pajamas. :)
And a new mama in a new dress bought to make her feel pretty on her first night out – thank you Casey! Check out that boob grab…
I think most people leave their babies for the first time with doting grandparents or other family members, but out here in Seattle, our closest family members live in Indiana. Being so far away from family and helpers while taking care of a new baby has been really tough, but I feel lucky that I’ve made some great friends out here who have made me feel supported.
Case in point, who watched Cullen for us on Friday? My friend Nicki and her husband, who also have a baby. Oh, and their baby is actually nine days younger than Cullen. Two babies under seven weeks for the night – that’s what I call friendship.
Nicki was one of my pregnant walking buddies this fall, and even though our due dates were a month apart, we ended up having them almost within the same week. I felt great leaving Cullen with Nicki, knowing that as a new mom herself she knew exactly how to handle his age, and any crying fits wouldn’t phase her.
We dressed him in his jammies, made sure his belly was full of milk, and took him over to their place. He fussed a bit when we got there, but I knew he’d be tired and ready for bed soon. I forced myself to not linger and worry, and we gave him kisses and headed out.
We weren’t even to the party yet when Nicki texted me this picture of Cullen already passed out on her shoulder. What a good boy!
The party was at the Seattle Aquarium, which I was excited to explore for the first time. Within ten minutes of getting there my feet were KILLING me in my 4 inch high heels. Note to my future self: I am too old/lame for heels these days.
The only bad thing about the party was that there was literally NO food. I was expecting a sit down dinner, so I actually went hungry thinking I was going to stuff myself silly with delicious food. Turns out it was a small plate buffet, and the only vegetarian food we could even find was pita bread and grilled eggplant. Major fail.
Halfway through the night I checked my phone and saw this picture…
Cullen is such a good snoozer in the evenings, and I was glad to see that he was just as happy to sleep on his pillow at Nicki’s house as he is at ours. I never worried once knowing that he was in good hands, and it was so refreshing to just relax and unwind for a few hours.
We got back to Nicki’s around 10pm to pick up our sleeping turtle, and bundled him back into his car seat for the drive home.
Our first night out was a big success, and I am so grateful to our babysitters for giving us a few hours to ourselves. I spend every waking (and sleeping!) hour with Cullen, and honestly love every minute of it. But I think a few hours apart now and then is probably good for both of us, so he can see new faces and be exposed to different things, and so I can release my brain from baby-watch occasionally. And it just makes coming home and seeing him again that much sweeter.
After eating nothing but two small plates of eggplant at the party, we were ravenous when we got home. We watched TV and ate Trader Joe’s frozen enchiladas at 11pm, and then crashed hard on the couch. I can’t quite hang like I used to.
It was a great night out, and hopefully we get the chance to do it again at some point. But until then, I’ve also found that snuggling at home with my little family isn’t so bad either.
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A night out sounds lovely! I’m so glad you got to enjoy one :) I think our first night out together will be in January for Davud’s birthday and I can’t wait!
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Aww sounds like you had a fun first night out! LOVE that new dress… you looked beautiful!
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You look beautiful in the dress, and bahaha at the epic boob grab!
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Awww. 12/9 is my Dad’s Birthday! :)
Glad you had a great night out. That was my holiday office party as well.
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What a wonderful first night out! Props for being so strong and calm during this first time away from him. I am so proud of you
You also looked so beautiful in that dress. I love it :)
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Glad everyone did well! Major fail on the no food. I did stuff myself silly at J’s office party, which was a buffet (and would have been fine for a vegetarian!). And M did fine too at parents’ night out. He took his bottle like a champ. His caregiver wrote that he was such a happy baby and said he was so good! I think he just likes to give his grandparents some attitude :) Oh, since you don’t have relatives around, you should check and see if Seattle has a drop-in childcare place. Had it not been parents’ night out at E’s daycare, we would have possibly used the drop-in one in Montgomery. It’s great! And since my parents do childcare while I work, we try not to impose on them on the weekends.
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Awwww, you look gorgeous…and well…so does your little man ;) It sounds like you had a fun night out, but its always nice to be home too :)
xxoo
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Emily you looked amazingly beautiful in that dress! I’m glad your first event away from Cullen went well. I work in childcare and I know how hard it is for moms and dads to leave their little ones!
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Wow new mom, you look great!! Such a funny boob grab photo.
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You looked so beautiful! Its awesome that you found great friends willing to hang with the little man since you don’t have family close by. Glad the night went well for all…
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Beautiful dress!
I’m not a mom, but…even if you DO want time away from Cullen now and then, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all. Don’t apologize for enjoying a break every now and then!
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Do you have any ideas for a good Christmas gift for a new mom?
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:26 am
Oooh what a fun question! Depending on budget, maybe a massage, and offer to babysit, an offer to CLEAN (so hard to find time for now!). Or maybe even just an offer to go get a pedicure with her and have some girl time out of the house? I would love doing that with a friend!
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such a pretty dress! Glad you were able to enjoy some adults only time.
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You look so beautiful Emily!! Glad it went well.
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What kind of swaddle is that? Also, I see that you use your boppy pillow so much. Do you think it’s necessary if you also have a chair and a one-level apt?
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Swaddles are the Summer Infant Swaddle Me, and we love them. Also LOVE the Boppy pillow and I literally take it everywhere (all over the house). We have a small place too, and a swing (which he doesn’t love), but I find the pillow more useful for bringing into the kitchen, onto the table, etc. just to keep him near me.
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haha, nice job Cullen re: boob grab! LOL. :) My parents are itching for a grandchild, even though Ryan and I haven’t even tied the knot. haha. So I know that there will be nights off in my future… even if it is far into the future.
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You look so beautiful! Such a stunning mama :) I’m glad you guys got a couple needed hours away – I’m sure coming back to that sweet face was an amazing feeling!
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You look absolutely stunning! Mommyhood is suiting you well! :)
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You look completely gorgeous!! Makes me want to go the the Seattle aquarium. I haven’t been there in years! :)
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Sounds like you had the perfect attitude about your first night out and you looked absolutely gorgeous!
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keep up the date nights, trade off with Nikki and her husband…the stress of the planning is worth it in the end. we didn’t go out for years without our kids unless they were left with a family member and i really regret that! now they are older and we have two awesome babysitters!
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Hahaha love the boob grab! Babies are good at that! You looked so pretty :D
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You two wrapped up look so cute! And Nikki is great for babysitting!
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The boob grab cracks me up! Boys…they’re all about the boobs! ;)
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That sounds like the perfect night, especially the ending with the TJ’s food. :) You look gorgeous in that dress. So happy for you guys!! Such a cool thing now, to be able to send photos of the baby…it’s a nice way to ease into being away. I’ve done that before too!
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:34 am
YES! The pictures made me feel so much better!!
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You are ROCKING that dress! It looks absolutely amazing on you. And in that picture, Cullen is definitely trying to say “see this here boob? this is dinner.”
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What a great night, and I’m so happy that Cullen was such a good little guy for your friends!
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Ok Emily, we’re going to need more than just one picture of you in that dress!! You look awesome, I want to see the whole ensemble!! Haha glad you had a good night out as well :)
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You are courageous… I still haven’t had a night out since my son was 5 months ago. He used to eat every 2 hours and refused bottles, so that made it impossible to go anywhere without him.
He sleeps for longer strenths now, but he still refuses bottles. I wouldn’t want to leave my baby with someone knowing that when he’ll wake up, he’ll scream for my boob and they’ll have nothing they could do to confort him. In fact, I had to skip my work Christmas party last Saturday.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Not being able to use bottles is tough. We just started him on them and no problems so far! Crossing fingers it stays that way.
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*since I had my son 5 months ago.
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You look so beautiful in that dress! I love it! Haha, and the boob grab made me laugh!
Glad you had a great night out!
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Glad you had a night out! Us mama’s need a break every 7 weeks or so! ;)
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That last picture is so cute! Glad you had a wonderful night out. Sounds like being away made coming home all the sweeter :)
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Glad you two had a fun night! You looked gorge in that dress! And that last pic of you and Cullen is too sweet! :)
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You look great! That picture of Cullen grabbing your boob is hysterical and adorable!
Glad you had a good time!
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you 2 look so great! i LOVE that dress!!!!
good to see cullen did well with a sitter =) yay for cullen!
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Glad your night out went smoothly. You looked beautiful and I love your dress. :)
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Bummer on the no food. I don’t know about you, but I as a fellow breastfeeding mama I am STARVING all the time! I eat way more now that I did while pregnant! That mama’s milk takes a lot. I would have been so disappointed not to have food at a party. That being said you are doing way better than me at leaving your little one. My girl is 5 months old and the hubby and I have yet to go out. We also live far from family and I met a great friend who’s babe is a week younger than my little one. If I left her with anyone it would be with her!
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Yeah I was STARVING, actually to the point of being lightheaded, and since I was wearing those ridiculous heels I was nervous I was going to tip over a few times. It’s amazing how hungry breastfeeding has made me!
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Hot Dress mamma! Glad your first night out was successful (minus the food) and that you have great friends to look after your bundle of joy!
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You looked gorgeous! Congrats on a successful night out! Also, what kind of swaddlers do you use?
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:24 am
Summer Infant Swaddle Me – we LOVE them!!
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If there is one think in the world that makes me super cranky it is evenings where I’m left hungry, specifically in situations where I’m looking forward to a meal out! And that’s me without a new baby.. quelle horreur!! Good on ya though – sounds like it ended up being an OK first night out on the town : )
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I love that dress :) and the last picture is just too sweet for words.. He looks like a little caterpillar. haha
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I am loving all of the posts about adjusting to your new role as mom. My husband and I are just starting to “try,” and it is nice to see how other new moms are integrating their old lives with the new. You look absolutely stunning in the photos…and you two handsome men don’t look too shabby either! :)
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You look amazing! I’d never guess you’re a mere 7 weeks post-partum. Congrats on a successful first night out!
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He looks like a glow worm all wrapped up!*
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:31 am
Hahahaa YES!!
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Good for YOU! (to get a night out!) You do look fabulous as a new momma all dressed up. All i could think is: WHAT A CUTE, HAPPY family- you guys are have such radiant smiles now that you have your little garnish around. =) I am looking forward to motherhood in the future.. thanks for letting me soak it up here!
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You look absolutely fantastic, and I really like the new dress:) It sounds like you had a great night, and I’m glad that you all did ok on your first night apart.
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I love this post. The boob grab is too funny! The dress is gorgeous and I especially love the turtle jammies! Your family is too cute. :)
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I’m so glad your first night out was a success! I love your dress and who doesn’t love turtle jammies?!!
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You both look great! I’m so glad you had an amazing night out :)
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What a bummer about the food!! You look beautiful!!! Glad you had a nice evening out. What awesome friends you have!
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You look fantastic!!!
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Does Casey help you take pictures? I had this thought after seeing the last photo.
I’m so glad it was fun! 1ST new job Christmas parties are really important!
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:24 am
Yep – he snaps pics if my camera is laying around. Need to teach Cullen to help out! :)
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I love, love, LOVE reading your family posts :)
And that dress is gorgeous, how sweet of Casey.
Cullen- makes me want to have a baby ;)
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You looked amazing! I hope you had a great time!
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Congrats on your first night out! You look great, and Cullen has got to be one of the cutest babies ever!
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You look lovely in your new dress! Glad you had a nice night out! :)
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Sounds like a fun night out! Love your dress. You look great!
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What a great, supportive sitter/friend you have with pic updates and everything! I found every “first” post-baby surprising in some way. Whether it’s learning you can’t deal with heels or can’t stay up past midnight anymore. Jed’s 2 and I’m still discovering firsts! It never ends. Kinda scary, but totally great.
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Such precious pictures of the little guy! You guys looked great too for your night out!
Major fail on the food for sure! Poor planning on the companies part. :( Bummer.
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he is too adorable all wrapped up on that pillow, and you look so pretty in your dress! I’m glad your night was a success! minus the starving part… haha
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Glad you had a good first night! he looks so cute wrapped up:)
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Such a bummer about the food situation! But glad you got to enjoy a few kid-free hours with your hubby. :)
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Congrats on your first baby-free night out! what a great success. I think it’s good not to wait too long to have a night away from your little one.
Bummer on the food situation! I just don’t understand why it seems to be so difficult to have decent vegetarian options at parties like that…
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The whole family looked beautiful for their night out! Oh, and major bummer on the food!
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I love reading about your experiences as a new mother and seeing pictures of adorable Cullen. You look amazing, btw!
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You look absolutely beautiful!!! I am so glad that Cullen did so well at your friends’, it makes having time for your hubby that much nicer!! —- I’m a new reader and have to say, I love how truthfully you write about being a mother and all the sides of having a newborn as well as your honesty about the changes to your body from motherhood, I’ve enjoyed all of your posts!
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I love that little baby-wrap-blanket-thing! He looks like a cute pea in a pod.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:30 am
Totally. I call him the pea pod every night. :)
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Gorgeous dress, you do not look like you had a baby a few weeks ago!! Can’t believe there was no food- also weird that there was no veggie options as they must know that Casey is vegetarian!! Maybe you/casey could get involved in next years party or you could cater, there would be tons of healthy, vegetarian options!! Our Christmas party has been cancelled this year due to ‘budget cuts’, so sad.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:30 am
Aw bummer.
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Hi Emily! You looked beautiful on your night out! Where did you get the dress?
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Anthropologie!
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Meredith Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 11:34 am
glad someone else wanted to know this too, I was scrolling down to the bottom to ask the same!
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I honestly love reading your posts about Cullen! Not that when you blog about food it isn’t interesting, but what can be more captivating than pictures of your charming son :)
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So Casey works at the same place as my brother! The date and location of the party just all match up. I was going to mention that my brother was interviewing there when I first heard about you and Casey but don’t think I did. My bro’s a new grad, just started in June. I think his official title is ‘actuarial analyst.’ Haha…small world.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:30 am
Oh wow, crazy!! What is your brother’s name?? I would guess Casey knows him if they are both in the Life department. How fun!!
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ashley Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
His name is Lewis. I’m not sure what his dept name is though. We grew up in Charlotte :) Maybe they’ll see each other around!
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We left our son for the first time at that age for a birthday date. Fortunately we had my mother in law to come over and care for him. It was one of the best dates ever. Not sure if it was the amazing restaurant, the alone time with my hubby or simply being away from my baby for the first time in weeks but it was just lovely.
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That last picture is so flipping cute!
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What a great night out and yes the boob grab is priceless. Men will stay attracted to those for life :)
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Hi Emily. I absolutely love your blog and how cute your family is. I was wondering how you make friends in new places so quickly? I’ve just moved across the country to a place where I know no one and I’ve found it really hard to make friends now that I’m a “grown up” :) You’ve been successful in both Virginia and now Washington! Would you mind sharing some secrets?
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I love that photo of you and Cullen crashed on the couch! You look great in your pretty new dress!
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I have had the fortune of 2 after hour events at the aquarium and both times the food was lame (I am vegan). I think when you rent the facility you are limited to their food options. Fortunately the after hour experience makes up for it.
Love your inspiring blog. Thank you.
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You look beautiful! So glad you had such a great night!
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oh my goodness you look gorgeous! and love that dress! where did you get it?? glad you and casey enjoyed yourselves and got a night out together!
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Congrats on your first night out! That is so exciting. And it looks like he did great too!
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How are the sleeping arrangements going? My little girl just turned 14 weeks and tonight is the first night that we moved her bassinet into her room and put her to bed in there! I’ve been saying for weeks that it was time because she moves around and makes so much noise while she’s sleeping that it keeps me awake. Curious to see how it goes tonight, and oddly I’m pretty nervous about it. I liked having her near me, even when she kept me up. Anyway, just curious how things are going for you in that department since you talked about it before.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 14th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Hope it went well for you! I’m still scared to move him back in…
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I have to tell you, I feel your pain over the lack of veggie options at the party. My company holiday party was tonight and we had a big sit-down dinner. The vegetarian options were definitely slim – even the salads had bacon on them! I basically had a dinner of eggplant, marinara and tiramisu. We almost broke out the TJ’s frozen enchiladas when we got home too!
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New fan and mom2be (mid january) , I absolutely love your recipes and blog updates! I gotta ask- where on earth did you get the turtle onsie?! I’m obsessed with turtles and have been trying to hunt turtle/ baby related items (not easy!). Btw Cullen looks ADORABLE in it- but you know that! :-)
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 14th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Baby Gap! :)
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Sounds like a great night! You look gorgeous! Where did yiu get the dress?
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 14th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Anthropologie!!
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Your dress is GORGEOUS!!!!
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Glad you had the chance for a night out and that you’ve found friends you can feel safe leaving Cullen with.
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Your dress is beautiful! Where is it from?
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[...] past week, we conquered our first night out, and Cullen partied it up at his first night with a babysitter. As he continues to get older [...]
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