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This silly little cow sleeper costume was sent to Baby M by Mother M… something she just thought was too crazy to pass up! I just happened to see them available on Zulily today (they’re made by Empress Arts)… so you can pick up either the monkey or the sheep sleeper outfits for yourself. I only wish tails on sleepers were as popular as ears on hats!
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p.s. Zulily is yet another sample sale website for moms & kids. It’s similar to other kids-focused members-only sites such as Totsy, bTrendie and theMiniSocial.
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[thank you Tom Robinson via A Cup of Jo]

We made a trip to “the mall” yesterday only to find out from my favorite store manager (EVER!) that my beloved local kate spade store is closing. Looks like I’ll need to venture to SF for my indulgences now… or pine to touch things through my computer screen online. Some times the weakened economy is such a downer… *sigh*

Yet, with a coupon in my hand, and an array of new holiday merchandise (all still stowed away in back closets at every other store) before me, I bit into the candy apple one last time and got myself something totally silly and oh so kate:

Big Apple Right Left Mittens by Kate Spade

I’d like to think that Mr. Gunn personally commented on these when he saw them in his Liz Claiborne proof spreads and said, “Just fabulous!” Because they are. Silly and fabulous.

Being pregnant, I’ve realized that looking for clothes is a lot more fun, since I can’t really buy anything cute that I want. Nope… instead I look at all the cute stuff, then ignore it, and try to stuff my ever-expanding belly into things from my closet. We’re getting to the 1/2-way mark in a few days, and I have to stop denying my status and invest in some short-term clothing in order to survive. In the meantime, here are some of the cute sweaters I’ve found while searching online that I only wish could be in my wardrobe this year:

Old Navy: Cable-Knit V-Neck $25, Swing Coat $30 (passes the maternity clothes test!), Long Button-Front Sweater Coat, $44.50

Gap: cozy turtleneck sweater $39.50, cowlneck sweater $49.50, one-button cardigan (another one that works!) $58

Now, no one pulls out the “magic” like Disney… so it was really no surprise to see WALL-E in lifesize form rolling around and waving and interacting with guests…

…Or to see a ridiculously large but scaled replica of the future CARSLAND ride at Disney’s CA Adventure.

While “amazing and cool” things were being discovered in the Theme Parks area… you just new “cute” was around the corner somewhere…

…like Pook-A-Looz … the “homemade” looking fleece plush toys from Disney’s Consumer Products. These people were the greatest, and I really can’t wait to nab the first releases from Toys R Us in November!

But there wasn’t just cute and fuzzy — there was actually real art to be seen as well.

There were lots of Disney-commissioned artists around, like NOAH, who were both creating art (like this 5′ tall Vinylmation mickey) and signing items for guests and fans.

There was also a STICH: 626 exhibit showcasing how artists would reinterpret Stitch if they could… some were very abstract, and others were based on Lilo or Stitch or an element of the movie. All of them, however, were amazingly creative.

The highlights of the convention, however, were the key note speakers and panels, all of which were highly orchestrated and produced with the true fan in mind.

The first panel we attended was put on by Walt Disney Pictures and President Dick Cook. It started with a 15-20 minute movie montage of everything from Fantasia to Pretty Woman, and the scenes were accompanied by a full orchestra and 6 vocalists singing “Disney” tunes. Then came the celebrity appearances and 3-D previews, with Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, John Travolta, Kelly Preston & daughter Lula Bella, and Nick Cage. “Hannah Montana” herself came out to perform “The Climb” … and in all honesty, she rocked. I mean, I’m not a Miley fan by any means, but you gotta give credit to anyone who can belt a kick-ass tune like that. Definitely a little bit higher caliber than old Mouseketeer Brit-Brit.

About 30 Muppets also surfaced to sing “Rainbow Connection” on stage LIVE…  in honor of the new Muppet movie coming out very soon.

The highlight came at the very end of the 90 minute panel… a surprise no one expected and had everyone in the audience doubting it was actually happening:

Yes… Jack Sparrow appeared in person. He asked if anyone else had seen a talking frog (in reference to Kermit’s earlier appearance)… then went on to mutter under his breath that he likes frog… it tastes like chicken. It was a great ending to an amazing presentation…

We also attended presentations on Disney animation, the theme parks, and the muppets to name a few… but the real reason we went down to Anaheim in the first place:

My mom’s birthday!!!    Disneyland let her in for free, of course, and we got to play around in the park in the hours that we weren’t at D23.

In all, it was a great weekend and left me yearning for the yesterdays when I worked at the park… or just visited on the weekends for a fireworks night with Mr. M. But a taste is better than starving for a visit, so I’m happy that I got to go at all!

… and while I gave out kisses, my mom got to receive them for her birthday.

Definite highlight of the weekend… and judging from how many people waited the almost 2 hours to do the same thing I did… it was a huge deal to lots of others as well!