33 Things I am Hopeful/Looking Forward to in 2021

1. Meeting Baby Bae. I am officially 52 days away from my due date and it’s hard to think about anything else! Will he look like a mini version of Jonathan?! What will his personality be like?!
2. While we are on the topic of babies, I cannot wait to meet all the covid babies in my friends group! Never in a million years did I think we’d all be parents the next time we saw each other. A lot can happen in a year.
3. I hope to celebrate my dad’s life in the most colorful way possible. When he passed away last spring we were at the peak of the pandemic. Funerals, memorials, or any “social” gathering with people outside of your home were strictly prohibited in Connecticut. He deserves a party.
4. I cannot wait to get the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available to me and experience a sense of normalcy again.
5. Leaving the house without a mask…the day that can happen will be one for the books. I am hopeful it’ll happen later this year.
6. To Worry less. I know what you are thinking…when you become a mother you always worry. While I understand where you are coming from, this is different. I am sick of worrying about everyone else. Will Jonathan contract the virus at work from an asymptomatic carrier? Will my mom choose the checkout line with the cashier who is unaware they are shedding the virus? Worrying about the last person to touch the doorknob…the list goes on.
7. Speaking of my mom, I cannot wait to see her again. We’ve been on separate coasts since May and Baby Bae needs his Bubbie!
8. Flying on an airplane will be a delight. It will be an “event” like it was in the olden days…so I hear!
9. I fantasize of relaxing on the beach in Hawaii. My definition of paradise.
10. But before we travel outside of California (after being vaccinated of course), I cannot wait to enjoy city life to the fullest. It has been months since we’ve been able to dine inside of a restaurant, or meet after work for happy hour.
11. Wine and dine in Napa Valley. No explanation needed.
12. I look forward to the day it is safe enough for us to introduce our son to our siblings and extended families.
13. Entertaining houseguests. When we moved to SF it was important to me to have a guest bedroom. We live across the country from our families. When they come to visit we like them to be close! Same goes for out of town friends – you know who you are!
14. Witness GG become the best big sister!
15. Attend in-person events and meetings. Zoom is great but I am OVER IT.
16. I do not mean to come off as vain, but if regular manicures are in my future I will not take it for granted.
17. Wear Lipstick…I miss it. The mask-life doesn’t really allow for it.
18. I never thought I would say this, but I look forward to the day I shop for my own groceries. Delivery is so convenient but I lack inspiration with my dinner menu when I’m not walking the aisles.
19. Simply put, shooting blog pics with a photographer will be luxurious!
20. I am hopeful I’ll be able to play field hockey next fall.
21. Resuming Spanish lessons. It is very important to me that Baby Bae is exposed to his latino heritage and that he learns to speak the language.
22. Callin’ Baton Rouge. I cannot wait to go to Tiger Stadium for a LSU football game. GEAUX TIGERS!
23. I think this goes without saying but here’s to visiting and double dating with friends when it is deemed safe to do so!
24. I cannot wait to wear my quirky outfits to more than just the living room. This HILARIOUS TikTok video is a perfect depiction of my thoughts exactly. Insert laughing emoji.
25. Dressing my baby boy – bring it on!
26. I would love the opportunity for more TV time aka on-air experience!
27. Diversifying my small business. I am looking forward to delving into a new vertical and sharing the baby products I cannot live without.
28. Joining a mom group. I can only imagine how many valuable resources would be available to me!
29. Meeting new friends. The more the merrier.
30. Attending an in-studio workout class.
31. Hosting a dinner party.
32. Eating a deli sandwich….I prefer salads to sandwiches but now that I can’t have one, (pregnant women are advised to avoid consuming deli meat because they are more susceptible to food borne illness), I crave subs constantly.
33. Wearing my high heels. If I’m rocking heels it means we are back to regular scheduled programing. I dream of the day, and I imagine you do too!

Shop the Post:
Dress c/o (Get 30% off with code GLAM30) | Earrings | Makeup – Eyeshadow and Lip Color (Get 10% off with code KELSEY) | Press-on Nails | Flower Crown | Balloons

A special thanks to Bump Biddy for outfitting me for my birthday!

The post 33 Years and 33 Birthday Wishes appeared first on Kelsey Kaplan Fashion.

32 January 4ths ago, my 16-year-old biological mother gave birth to me. She named me Marina and very courageously gave me up for adoption. I was cared for for the first five months of my life at Los Pisingos orphanage in Bogota, Colombia – my city of birth. My mom tells me each baby received incredible one-on-one around the clock care. We were even fed home made (Spanish-style) baby food. I practically came out of the womb with a plantain addiction!

Mom & Dad

My adoptive parents (this is the only time I am going to refer to them as that because they were put on this earth to be my parents – we might as well share blood) are the most worldly, accepting, self-less people I’ve ever met. My mom grew up in Jersey (was high school classmates with Meryl Streep!) and my dad was raised across the river in NY. They were both American and the children of two loving families. My mom lived abroad in Paris in her early 20s all by herself. I honestly don’t know how she lived that far away from home…snail mail was the only form of communication. The number of times I call or text her in a day is slightly embarrassing. But she always dreamed of experiencing the Parisian culture so she made it happen and returned to the states fluent in French! My dad studied abroad in Spain and fell in love with the Spanish culture. He learned Spanish fluently and was determined to land his first “real” job in an industry that would allow him to use his new language! Long story short, my parents met on the job in NYC. They had a short engagement (ours was only five months!) and were married by June of 1972. This year will mark their 48th wedding anniversary!

Just as he had hoped for, my dad’s career relocated him throughout Latin America. He and my mom moved to Puerto Rico as a young married couple. My mom picked up Spanish very quickly – apparently the French she learned in Paris was a huge help. Three years later they were placed in Caracas, Venezuela, and while my dad sold elevators, my mom taught JEWISH school children (how ironic!) English! At that point my parents were in love with Latin America, but their families were all in North America. So every summer they’d return to the states to visit family. One of those summers my mom found an article in the New York Daily News featuring a NYC lawyer who was facilitating adoptions out of Colombia. Once they returned to the states for the foreseeable future in the late 70’s, they decided to seriously pursue adoption.

Bogota, Colombia

Colombia in the 80’s was pretty “sketchy.” The drug cartels were out of control. There was a lot of criminal activity. But like any other couple going through the adoption process, the adoption agency performed home inspections, background checks, and took finger prints. Their paperwork was held up over and over again because the Colombian government was tending to more pertinent issues. It took them almost five years to finally adopt my older sister Kyla in 1984. We are from the same orphanage but from different biological mothers. I cannot imagine how frustrating this must have been, BUT I am so grateful it happened. We could have ended up with another family.

Evidently one Colombian baby would not suffice so they adopted my sister a sister (me!) four years later. It was a much smoother process the second time around and I literally HIT! THE! JACKPOT! To clarify, I HIT THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS JACKPOT. What are the chances that two Colombian babies would end up in the home of Americans who were not only fluent in Spanish but who embraced and loved the culture?! SO MANY STARS HAD TO ALIGN…and it gets better. During my childhood, my dad’s company relocated US to Puerto Rico. It was those 3.5 years of my life where I was immersed in the Latin culture, language, and food. This is where my love for “tostones” (friend plantains) began! I met my very best friend to this day, Megan, the first week I was there and she was a bridesmaid in our wedding. I left the island with a very strong grasp of the Spanish language and an immense appreciation for my Latin heritage.

The Next Chapter

This Colombian adoptee (LOL) went on to spend most of her adolescence in Connecticut, before attending LSU where I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Textile and Apparel Merchandising – surprise, surprise! Eventually I met and married Jonathan (but that’s a book for another day), and a few years after moving to San Francisco, I returned to Colombia for the first time in 30 years. It was wonderful and I got a kick out of Jonathan’s new Spanish vocabulary. #BlessHisHeart. I went to Colombia for one sole purpose: to see with my own eyes the country where I was born! I had no ulterior motives. But visiting Los Pisingos felt like the right thing to do during my time in Bogota. I brought a suitcase full of women’s clothes and children’s toys (items on their donation list) and had a great conversation with the assistant administrator of the facility, Gloria.

Gloria was fascinated and proud of my life in the US. We shared photos and stories as well as a book of thank you letters from the newly adoptive parents. As I leafed through the book, my mom’s handwriting immediately stood out to me. It hadn’t changed A BIT and neither had her voice or sincerity. I immediately felt emotional. My parents definitely shaped me into the person I have become today and I am forever grateful. They are always supportive of my dreams and aspirations. I cannot imagine my life without them. A match made in heaven. Thank you for reading my adoption story.

It wouldn’t be a birthday without a celebration dress! Shop the look here:
Dress c/o | Shoes c/o | Earrings c/o

The post More than a Birthday: My Adoption Story appeared first on Kelsey Kaplan Fashion.