IT'S TIME FOR BED, HENRY HOLBROOK!

when you're a huckleberry, there is nothing cooler than the big bed,
getting caught
hiding
under
the covers.

BATH TIME

there is nothing more exciting than when dad's in charge of bath time. hooray for dads! suds gets sudsier, bath toys make way cooler noises, and all the rules fly right out the window. (like the no-standing-in-the-tub rule... that one's actually a really good rule, brandon...) 

the other night brandon shouted at me "natalie! get the camera! we made a bubble suit!" if there is one thing i've learned in my near decade of being married to this brandon person, it is that when he asks that something be photographed, it is really worth being photographed. (the man is staunchly anti-camera. like a vampire!) (wait, am i confusing things?) (i'm not!) (related: this is hilarious.)

and now, the bubble suit.

fancy!

FAT RAT GIVEAWAY! :: closed ::

happy thursday! today we have an exciting giveaway from our lovely sponsor, blowfish shoes! 

one winner will win a pair of shoes of their choosing.

to enter, visit blowfish shoes and then leave a comment below! so easy!

*update: today's giveaway limited to us residents!*

our winner will be chosen tuesday.

good luck and happy commenting!

update!

congratulations to our winner, My name is Erin!

email me at natthefatrat@gmail.com and we'll get you all set up!!

ON JUMPING

headband via thief and bandit

photos via rebecca baust

this afternoon i took a little photo of my stack of purchases as we waited to be rung up at the drug store. 

it's called duane reade, this drugstore. it's a chain out here, and one time when my sister was visiting and we were racing across town in a cab she peered out the window and scoffed, "dwaahhnnnn. even your drug stores sound fancy," and then i laughed because it's duane as in dwayne wayne and no, it's not fancy. 

even as i was taking the photo i rolled my eyes at myself. for one thing, what in heaven's name was i going to do with that photo? for another thing, i was sure it was obvious to anybody walking past the register what all was going on in my life these days by the looks of that pile. it was one of those piles, you see.

the more i thought about it on the walk home, the more i knew there was something in that pile that i needed to make peace with. generally when i feel this tugging i'll head to my computer to drill it down into something i can see and make sense of. but this was something i didn't want to have to write about anymore. i started pushing the stroller faster, like i could out run it. but still, this tugging. tug tug tug.

and so, here i am. again. this topic. 

a twelve-pack of diet coke, upon which sat a seven-pack of ovulation predictors, a two-pack of pregnancy tests, a kit kat bar, and then a little bag of clomid like the sad little cherry on top. to the side, about seven million fruit squeezies for evenings when huck's plant intake has been too low for my liking.

oh, that stupid pile.

i am that pile. that pile is me. everything in my life in one lump sum of drug store products. hopes, dreams, successes, failures. that pile was solid ground and that pile was the edge of the cliff. 'cause this is it. that pile is the ledge i am about to jump off of, eyes shut tight, fingers crossed for luck. my legs are ready, but i have no idea where i'll land.

  

i'm worried it won't work. what if it fails and something more invasive is required to get my body to do what it's supposed to want to do on its own? i don't like that idea. but if i don't try i'll never know, though some days i'm not sure i really want to know. 

and those squeezies. they remind me that this time it is different. this time i have a baby. i'm already a mother, negative results can't take that away. so the stakes are much lower now. this is not 2009. i have fought this and won this before, and there's no reason i can't fight it again. but i have such a hard time remembering this, even though i feel so strongly there's another one waiting for me. weirdly, i feel like i've known this second baby for a while. since the day i found out huck was going to be a boy, i've felt this second presence with me. i know it's worth the jump. 

that little pile today. i hated that pile even while i felt oddly proud of it. that pile is me. my every worry laid bare. that pile has the potential to change my life. i think i'm ready to find out how. 

so here i go.

i'm about to jump. 

MAMA STYLE: STYLE MUSE

photo via rebecca baust

molly, from lovely + rust, was so sweet to have me on as a style muse on her blog yesterday.

you can check it out HERE.

thanks molly! it was an honor! :)

BANG BRAIDS AT THE LILLA P ANNIVERSARY PARTY

last weekend i hosted a little lilla p. anniversary party in the meatpacking district with christine from my style pill and keiko from keiko lynn. i worked with the lilla p. brand last summer, when i styled some looks from their line for the sakura bloom styleathon. (here is round 1, round 2 and round 3) i was asked to do a few bang braids on the party guests, and each time a girl would sit down for a braid i'd get a little worried that i was about to make her look ridiculous, but every time it turned out really great. seriously, no fail hair-do.  

pauline later gave me a tour of her new office above her store. i am still dying over that chandelier! and then we got a little turned around trying to find the bathroom. (there were three! honestly, getting excited out over multiple bathrooms is probably really dumb.)

here are some of the lovely bangs i met and braided that night:

and a few other shots from the evening. (i took a lot of photos of shoes. apparently i am having a shoe moment.)

△ christine and keiko △

there was the loveliest french woman there that night. she was tousled just right, it must be a national past-time out there, tousling. i was dying over her bag from across the room and when i asked her if i could touch it, she looked at me like maybe i was crazy. but oh, that leather was like butter. worrrrth iiiiit.

when the party was over, i took the long way through chelsea in the cool night air. there is something about pushing a stroller all the time and then suddenly not pushing a stroller for a nght that makes you realize how much of the scenery you miss when you're busy handing over sippy cups and cheesy crackers and junk.

thank you pauline for the fun night, 

and thank you christine and keiko for the birth order/astrology discussions.

SATURDAY ON THE UWS

the weather predicted rain for us on saturday, but somehow the sun held out all day. so we took advantage and had ourselves a picnic lunch with take out shake shack, and then took a long walk all up and down the upper west side. 

p.s.

email me if you're interested

(natthefatrat at gmail)

(i'm a size 6.5/7)

**UPDATE** 

the shoes have both been spoken for. thanks guys!

FRIDAY IN THE FLAT IRON

this afternoon we had errands to run downtown near the flat iron. the flat iron just happens to be my favorite. sooooo we started the afternoon with bagels from our favorite street cart (egg and cheese for me, cream cheese on cinnamon raison for the huckster), and as i was paying the bagel guy asked if we wanted to take home some extra bagels, and i was all, are you kidding, bagel guy? duh! five bucks and a million bagels, it was like the clouds had parted and god had whispered, "this is your day, natalie!" 

and then it WAS.

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