father and son memories

My husband is the hardest person to buy gifts for. The reasons why could be a whole post in itself. One day I'll spare you with the details ;) So the other day, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a Chatbooks ad with their new album covers for Father's Day. And that sparked a brilliant idea: make him an album full of pictures of Diego and him. Genius. I know. I know.

As I was looking for the pictures, I found so many good gems. These two are the cutest thing together. I just love seeing them interact. So for your viewing pleasure, here are some of my favorite ones. Get ready to go "awwwwww".

 ^^ First day they met.

  ^^ Father's Day 2015

  ^^ Watching TV. OMG Diego looks so little here!

  ^^ In NH last summer.

  ^^ After school snuggles.

  ^^ Boys being boys.

  ^^ I just love Diego's tilted head.

  ^^ In some deep conversation.

 ^^ Reading books before bed.

Matt, if you are reading this: Happy Father's Day. We love you to the moon and back :) xoxo

And if you haven't heard of Chatbooks, then you need to check them out. They make quality photo books from your phone and it is SUPER EASY.

0

i'll never forget...

9/11. A day that I will never forget. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I was a Sophomore at the University of Dayton in Ohio. I was in an 8am Video Production class that morning and when I came out of class, I went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. As I walked in, I noticed that everyone was staring at the TV in the corner of the room. It seemed so odd. What could they all be watching?

As I walked closer and saw the footage on TV, I asked what was going on. Someone said that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. At that point we thought it was an accident. I mean, how could it be something other than that?

0

5 last minute mother's day gift ideas

 Greeting card from Julie Ann Art

In case you were unaware, Mother's Day is this Sunday. So if you "forgot", here are 5 last minute gift ideas that any* mom would love. 

*And by any, I mean, I would love. Matt: if you are reading this, pay attention.

1. A day at the spa.

You can't go wrong with this one. You probably ran out of time to schedule her a day at the spa on Sunday, but you can still give her a gift card that would cover a couple of services. Tell her to pick whatever day she wants and that you will take care of the kiddos. If you live in Boston, I highly recommend Bella Sante. They have locations in Boston, Lexington and Wellesley. 

2. A coffee mug painted by you and your kids.

Go to a pottery studio that has ready-to-paint pottery shapes and paint her a nice mug. Have your kids participate to make it extra special. Check out Made by Me in Cambridge.

3. A pretty potted plant in a homemade hanging planter.

You could buy a hanging planter at a store but then it's not as special. Buy a plant that is easy to take care of and hard to kill. She already has enough to worry about. Here is a fun tutorial. 

4. Schedule a professional family photo shoot.

She would love to have some nice pictures taken of all of you. 

5. A year of dates

Give her the gift of 12 awesome dates planned by yourself. Do one date a month. It can include the kids if you want. Just make sure it's something different, fun and that she would enjoy. I gifted this to Matt for our anniversary. 

Have a great rest of the week and don't slack off when it comes to Mother's Day! Take care of breakfast and make her feel special. We moms work very hard and a little appreciation is nice ;)

Xoxo Dylcia

0

a year of dates

The other week I was reading the Cup of Jo and she was talking about gifting her husband a Year of Dates for Christmas. It's a pretty simple concept: plan a date every month where the two of you get to do something different and fun. I immediately LOVED the idea. 

It's so hard to buy presents for the husband. He is so picky. Everything I suggest as a potential gift idea, I get an "eh" from him. To the point where he STILL hasn't received a Christmas present from me because he can't decide what he wants. You would think: "Just buy him something. Make it a surprise!" Well after you have done that for years and what you buy him sits unused, you have to try other ways. 

For the last couple of years I have been "gifting" him trips. And I say "gifting" because it's also a gift for myself. HA! I love traveling and planning trips. Thankfully he loves traveling too but hates the planning part. So it's a win-win.

So for our 4th wedding anniversary last month, I wanted to change our gifting strategy. Plus, we can't afford that many trips anymore (thanks daycare costs!!!). So when I read about a Year of Dates, I was sold.

We decided that I would be in charge of the first 6 months and he will be in charge of the last 6 months. So to kick things off in March I planned a date night thanks to my parents being in town and babysitting. Aren't grandparents the best???

We started the night off at the 6pm show at the Improv Asylum. I've heard great things about this place so it was finally time to check them out. It ended up being a great show! I definitely recommend it. 

After that we went to Taranta for dinner which is a Peruvian Italian restaurant in the North End. The food was good. It wasn't a memorable meal but it was yummy. 

To end the night, we got cannolis to-go at Mike's Pastry. And we were home by 10pm. I know I know. We are such big partiers. Lol but jokes aside, it was a great night. Matt and I rarely get to go on dates just the two of us so it was nice to spend some time alone. It's nice to know that after almost 10 years we still like each other. Haha 

 

So 1 out of 12 dates done. 5 more dates to plan. Any recommendations are highly welcome!

0

New blog name. New content. Same old me. Well sort of.

 

I have been writing this post in my head for months now. When I started blogging 2.5 years ago, I had just opened my Etsy shop and wanted to share all of my latest work with you guys. But slowly, I started blogging more and more about life in general and less about my designs. Aaaaaand then I had Diego and well… you know how it goes when you have a baby. So I decided to take a break from blogging to reassess and figure out in what direction I wanted to take this little blog of mine. And that is how xoxo dylcia came about.

Now that I am a mom, I see everything from a different point of view. Time is PRECIOUS and I’m all about being efficient and smart with how I do things so I can spend more time with my little munchkin. So xoxo dylcia is going to be just about that. Our life. Sometimes I might get personal, other times I might just share things that I’m loving at the moment. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but isn’t that what life is all about?

Talk to you soon.

xoxo Dylcia

0

obsessed with: ban.do

I don't even know how I found ban.do. But once I did, I have been obsessed with this online shop. All of their stuff is so colorful, cute and fun. I WANT IT ALL! I'm definitely getting some of these goodies for when I get back to work. Here are some of my favorite things:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6

0

one month check in

Diego turned one month old last week. Can you believe it???? Our little prince was born on May 4 at 11:40am. He was 7lb 6oz and measured 21 inches. And yes. He was born with all of that hair :) In a way, I can't believe that a whole month has gone by. But in another way, a LOT has happened in just 4 weeks. This past month has definitely been an eye opener to childbirth, motherhood, relationships, faith, hope... You name it. Here is a little recap of this past month for me and for Diego.

**MIND AND BODY AFTER BABY - 1 MONTH CHECK IN**
I knew that labor would be hard and that I would be sore after giving birth. But man. Oh. Man. No one really told me how hard recovery was going to be. Not only physically but mentally.

Before giving birth, I read a lot of birth stories to prepare myself mentally for labor. I mostly read positive ones because I didn't want to be freaked out. I knew of some complications that could happen but never thought those were going to happen to me. I had a pretty easy pregnancy so I figured that I would have a relatively drama free labor. Well, I was wrong. Long story short (I will write a birth story one of these days) I ended up being induced, pushed for almost 4 hours, got an infection after giving birth, had to be admitted to the hospital for an extra week and needed 2 surgeries. So as you can imagine, recovery has been pretty rough.

I know that my case is not the norm, but no matter what, recovery is hard for everyone that goes through labor. I realized that when you are pregnant the focus is on you, but once you give birth, it becomes all about the baby and you take a back seat. People talk about how the baby is doing and rarely talk about how they are feeling. And let me tell you, you feel like shit. You are in pain, sore and you come to the realization that your body will never be the same again (hard pill to swallow on that one! yikes!). Maybe it's because of the media's insane focus on how celebrities are back to their normal self after just a couple of weeks that you feel you will be back to normal soon after giving birth. Well that is not the case. After lots of reading and asking friends that have kids, it could take several months to feel like your old self again. And I'm not just referring to weight loss. There are a lot of other changes in your body that people don't talk about.

I was also very surprised by how off and hormonal I felt after giving birth. People talk about the baby blues, but you don't really know the reality of it until you experience it yourself. Let's just say I cried for the first 3 weeks after Diego was born. Thankfully, I have a great support system and I've started to feel more normal in the past 2 weeks.

**BABY DIEGO - 1 MONTH CHECK IN**
Diego is such a sweet and happy baby. He is also so cute! OMG I love that face so much.

So far he is pretty chill. He cries when he is hungry, has a dirty diaper or wants you to hold him. I love those big eyes and I still can't believe he is all mine!!! It's also pretty surreal that he grew inside of me. He is such a blessing and I already can't imagine life without him.

Unfortunately, he currently has a milk and soy allergy, which means that I'm on a dairy and soy free diet as well :( Good times. Hopefully he is not allergic to anything else and he will outgrow this within a year. Has this happened to anyone? What formula did you use?

My favorite moments with him are our naps on the couch. They are just so sweet and it's one of those moments that I will always cherish.

I also love how he smiles when he is sleeping. Can't wait when he starts smiling for real!

I also love seeing Matt taking care of him.

**THE BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED THIS MONTH**
If someone offers help, TAKE IT! I am so thankful for all the help I have received this past month. My mom has been my savior! She has been here the whole time helping us take care of Diego and also taking care of me since there are things that I need help with until I fully recover. My dad and my two sister's-in-law also came and helped and it was such a blessing. So take the help when it's offered. Trust me.

Overall, I love our little family so much and can't imagine life without Diego. It's crazy how we lived without him for so long.

0

pre-motherhood thoughts

Happy Friday everyone!!!

As of this Sunday, I am going to be full term. Crazy, I know! I can't believe it's almost time to meet our little man. One thing I know for certain is that our lives are about to change big time. I'm really looking forward to this new adventure, but I'm also terrified of all the unknowns. How long is labor going to be? What type of baby are we going to have? How will I react to the lack of sleep? How is my relationship with Matt going to change? The list goes on and on. So I figured that it would be fun to put all of my current thoughts in writing and in a couple of months, I'll look back and reflect on the way I was feeling pre-baby.

5 things I'm going to miss the most
• Our current Saturday morning ritual: waking up but staying in bed catching up and planning our weekend.
• Sleeping. If you know me, you know that I loooove sleeping.
• Traveling whenever we have the chance.
• Date nights with my boo.
• Being able to sit down on my couch and watch endless hours of TV whenever my heart pleases. Which is often.   

5 things I'm looking forward to
• Meeting our little guy and seeing whom he looks like.
• Seeing how Matt interacts with our son. I bet this will melt my heart.
• Going on nice long walks with my boy while I’m on maternity leave.
• Fitting into my old clothes and being able to buy cute non-maternity clothes again.
• Working out! I am not one of those people that like working out that much but I haven’t done it in 8 months and I am starting to miss it. Say whattt? 

5 things I'm hoping for
• That I will have a fairly easy and safe labor.
• That our baby boy will be healthy.
• That I will have an easy time breastfeeding.
• That our boy will love sleeping as much as I do.
• That all of the maternal instincts will kick in and I’ll know what I’m doing.

It will be interesting to see how everything turns out. We will know soon enough! :) Have a great weekend everyone.

0

30-week bump update

How far along? 30 weeks and 1 day to be exact. Crazy! 10 more weeks to go :)

Maternity clothes? Oh yes, but I haven't purchased that much maternity clothes. I'm actually proud of how budget friendly I have been! I've only purchased 2 pairs of maternity jeans, a couple of maternity black leggings and about 6 basic maternity tops. Other than that, I have been wearing my regular sweaters and cardigans.

Sleep? After I got my pregnancy body pillow from bumpnest, I have been sleeping great. I'm definitely more tired on the third trimester than I was on my second, but that is to be expected.

Best moment this week? We finally made it to IKEA and since we have been stuck inside the house for days (the snow has been brutal here in Boston!), we were able to put all of the furniture together. I can't wait to finish the room and share it with you guys.

Physical activity? Ha! With all of this snow (84 inches and counting!), I haven't been doing much of anything. I usually walk a half a mile to and from the train station, but with all of this snow I have been driving to the train.

Baby movement? Oh yes! All of the time. It's one of the best feelings in the world.

Food cravings? Mexican food and anything that you would consider a dessert. Ice cream, cookies, donuts... I want them all.

Gender? It's a boy!

Milestones? 10 more weeks to go! It's crazy how fast time has flown by.

Feelings? Getting very excited and nervous at the same time. Trying to "prepare" myself as much as I can by reading and trying to educate myself about how to take care of our little one. I hardly ever babysat when I was younger, so I literally have no idea what I am getting myself into. I bought the husband a couple of "dad books" for Christmas, so he is hopefully doing some reading of his own ;)

0

monthly beauty buys

Lately, I have been using a couple of new beauty items that I am really digging. And since I love to share, I figured that I would share my finds with you guys.

1. Bliss micro magic spa-powered microdermabrasion treatment
This exfoliating treatment was recommended by someone at Sephora and at first I was a little hesitant to purchase it because of the $48 price tag. Well I was hesitant for like 15 seconds and then I was like: Screw it. I deserve it! I use it every 3 days and my face feels great after it. And since you don't really need to use that much, it's going to last a pretty long time.

2. Tarte waterproof bronzer  |  Color: Park avenue princess
I've heard great things about Tarte makeup so I decided to give this bronzer a try. I'm really liking it!

3. BareSkin pure brightening serum foundation
I'm a big fan of BareMinerals so when I starting hearing a lot of people mention this foundation, I knew I had to check it out for myself. I just put this on top of my moisturizer, add a little blush, mascara, lip gloss and voila! You are set for the day.

4. Aveeno skin relief body wash
During the winter my skin gets super dry, especially my legs. To top it off, now that I am pregnant, I noticed that my legs were also getting itchy. So I picked this up at CVS and it has been a huge help.

5. Moisturizer lip color balms by Clinique
I have been obsessed with these since I gifted them to myself during the holidays. I love all of the colors and they feel great on your lips.

0

nursery inspiration

We started working on the nursery a couple of weeks ago and it's going to be the cutest room in the whole house. When I am decorating a room, I usually do a moodboard so that I can wrap my head around what I want the room to look like. It helps me think of the color palette, the textures, and the overall theme. It's also a great tool to have. It helps me figure out if pieces that I am looking at (like furniture, art, rugs...) fit with everything else.

The theme for our baby boy's nursery is what I am going to call: happy camper. It is a pretty neutral color palette with touches of gray, yellow and navy. I wanted the room to be peaceful but fun at the same time. It's also a theme that our boy can grow into. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see how it all comes together.

We also decided to create a mural on the wall where the crib is going to be. It was inspired by this pin.

(Image source)

Isn't it super cute? Can't wait to share it with you guys!!!

Below are the sources for all of the items:
Room sign  |  Laugh pillow  |  Cloud pillow  |  Hello adventure art print  |  Wood camera  |  Baby animal prints  |  Campsite nightlight  |  Crib  |  Dresser  |  Fabric swatches (yellow, gray, navy)  |  Rocker  |  Planter  |  Globe  |  Cloud mobile  |  Animal hamper  |  Side table  |  Rug  |  River photograph  |  Pouf  |  Wood toy

1

yeah in review 2014

2014 was definitely an amazing year. I traveled a lot, I got to spend quality time with my family and to top it off, we received the best news. To recap, here are some of 2014's highlights.

1. Our trip to Thailand and Cambodia. 

In a way it feels like we went forever ago, but in another way it feels like we were there just yesterday. It was definitely a once in a lifetime vacation. I am now obsessed with Asia and can't wait to be back.

2. All the fun projects I got to collaborate on with friends. 

3. Our trips to Puerto Rico.

 

4. Our week in Martha's Vineyard.

Such a dreamy place. I just can't wait to go back and experience it with our baby boy next year.

5. My trip to Barcelona.

I still have to post pics of this trip which I went with my fabulous friend Jen. Stay tuned for this post. 

 

6. The news that we were expecting a baby boy in April 2015.

7. And to top it off, we got to spend Christmas with my crazy family in Puerto Rico. 

Damn! That's what I call a great year. I have a feeling that 2015 is also going to be pretty amazing. But really, all I wish for is for 2015 to be a year full of health and happiness. Thanks for following this blog and can't wait to share our new adventures with you next year.

(first image source)

0

first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a...

...a baby boy!!! We are super pumped to share the news that Matt and I are expecting a little boy this April. We are super excited and terrified all at the same time. Haha. Lots of changes will be coming our way next year but we are looking forward to all the new adventures and experiences.

Maybe now you realize why I have been MIA from the blog world for the last couple of months. The first 10 weeks of pregnancy were brutal. I felt like I was hungover every single day. But now I am 20 weeks (half way there yay!) and I feel great. If I could only get motivated to start working out again... Maybe that will come next week or maybe not. I'm just taking it easy and enjoying being lazy for the last time in my life for the next 18 years.

So don't worry, I'll keep posting on the blog here and there. I still have so many pictures to share from my trips this year. If I could just not fall asleep every night at 8:30pm on the couch that would be helpful! Let's hope this baby likes to sleep as much as I do (wishful thinking, I know!). A girl can dream.

Here are some frequently asked questions that people have been asking me a lot when they found out there is a bun in the oven.

***
 
When are you due?
April 26.

How are you feeling?
I currently feel amazing! Can't complain. After the first 10 weeks of pure misery, I am really enjoying being pregnant. It's a great excuse to use in order to have the husband do things for me ;)

Is Matt all excited to have a boy?
He is super excited. I actually thought it was going to be a girl for some reason and he was insistent that it was a boy. So he was right. And we all know how much men love to be right. haha
  
Are you having any food cravings?
Mexican food. All the time. Can't seem to get enough.

Any foods that you are currently hating?
Peanut butter. Super weird since I still love almond butter. But the other day I tried to eat peanut butter on toast and almost threw up.

Are you going back to work after the baby?
Yes I am. I will take 3-4 months of maternity leave and then I will go back to work. I'm one of those people that really like their job. So I think I will be more fulfilled if I still had my career. I bet it will be super hard to leave my baby at daycare but at the end of the day, it's the best decision for us. Plus, Boston is crazy expensive so it will be easier financially if we both worked. 

Did you already think of names?
All we know is that we want it to be a Spanish name. Preferably, a Spanish name that has no English translation to it. So we are still in the brainstorming phase. At least we now know to only think of boy names :)

0

fall tv season is here

If you know me well, then you know that I love to watch TV. When people ask me to name things that I couldn't live without, cable and my DVR are always on the top of that list.

After a summer full of not that many exciting shows to watch, fall is finally here and I'm very excited to discover new shows that are premiering in the next couple of weeks.

Below are some new shows that I have a feeling are going to become quick favorites:

1. Marry Me
Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. 
This show comes from the same peeps that brought us Happy Endings (a show that I loved and miss so much). It's apparently the same fast pace and Casey Wilson's character is very similar to Penny's. How can you not be excited?

 2. A to Z
Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9:30 p.m. 
This new show is a romantic comedy and I've only read great things about it. It supposedly follows the relationship of the two main characters from the day they meet and start dating, to the day they break up. 

 3. State of Affairs

Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 2 at 10 p.m. 

I've read that if you are a fan of Scandal and The Blacklist, then you are totally going to dig this show. The only misfortune is that Katherine Heigl is the main character and I don't love her. But I am going to look pass that for now and give this show a fair chance. The preview is just too good to pass up. 

 

4. How to get away with murder

Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m.

This is probably the show I am most excited about. This show is from the same people that brought us Scandal and Grey's Anatomy so how can it NOT be good? All the previews I've watched seem soooo juicy. I just can't wait. 

5. Selfie

Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.

When I read that ABC was going to have a show called Selfie, I quickly thought that it was most likely going to suck. But I've got to say that after watching a couple of previews and reading a bunch of reviews, it seems like it is actually funny. So I'm going to add it to my DVR and see how it goes.

 

6. Red Band Society

Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 17 

This show is about these kids that are live in the hospital because of a variety of diseases, like cancer, eating disorders and heart failure. With a storyline like that you would think – how sad can this show be? – but it's actually cute and funny at times. I actually already saw the first episode since it premiered last week and I think that the pilot episode was ok. But pilot episodes are always hard ones to watch since they need to setup all of the story lines. So I'm definitely going to keep watching for now.

So that's it folks! What about you? Are there any shows that you are looking forward to watching?

0

10 years ago today

10 years ago today I moved to Boston. I was 21. I had no friends in the city. I was starting from scratch. A new life. I remember being scared, but ready, hopeful and super excited.



I also remember having high expectations with this city. It had always been a dream of mine to live in Boston. When I visited for the first time as a high school student, I fell madly in love with this town. It was a big city with a homey feel. It was walkable! It had amazing restaurants, parks, architecture, history. I could use public transportation. It was close to the water. It had a diverse community. It was not too far from other exciting cities... So once I got my acceptance letter from Boston University's grad program, I couldn't had been more pumped.

It's funny that my biggest concern when I moved was: will I get bored? I remember worrying about the fact that I wouldn't have things to do, plans for the weekend or people to hang out with. Let's just say that I have been busy every weekend since.

So much has happened in the last 10 years. I graduated grad school. I created life-long friendships. I met and married the love of my life. I moved to 6 different apartments. I became a homeowner (and hopefully won't have to move for the next 10 years). I traveled to Europe, Asia and South America. I managed to land a job at the biggest advertising agency in Boston. Let's just say that this city has treated me pretty well.

I'm happy to get to call Boston my home and I'm looking forward to our next 10 years together.

All the pics are from my Instagram.

0

my flea market must haves

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I love flea markets. I'm always in the search of "treasures" that will give our home a unique look. Whenever I go to a flea market, I like to have a list of things to be on the look out for. That way you have sort of a mission and won't be as overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that you can encounter at these places.

With that said, here is a list of the things I have been in the look out for lately.

 

1. flower pots
One of my goals this summer is to proof to my husband that I can keep our plants alive. My track record in that department hasn't been the greatest. So I have purchased a bunch of plants and would like to find cool pots to put them in. They could be rusty watering cans, food cans with neat labels, vases, metal containers... You name it. Part of the fun is using your imagination and trying to figure out what you can convert into a pot.

2. mirrors
I am obsessed with antique mirrors of any size. I don't discriminate. The mirrors I'm looking for need to have a nice design that is delicate and unique at the same time. I don't want any cookie cutter mirror. I can go buy one of those at West Elm.

3. small vintage plates
The goal is to collect a good amount of small mix matched plates. Every time I have seen this done on blogs I read or on Pinterest, it just looks so pretty and effortlessly put together. I'm looking for vintage plates that have a pretty floral design or a unique design that will make for a great conversation piece.

4. old fans
For some reason, I have been obsessed lately with vintage fans. I thing they are so pretty and simply designed.

5. big picture frames
I'm always in the lookout for big picture frames that I can incorporate into my gallery wall or convert it into a chalkboard. You can also add chicken wire to a frame and convert it into a jewelry frame. Lots of possibilities with these.

Very soon, I'll share with you guys some of my latest finds. Pumped? I know you are.

Image sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

0