My first Mothers Day

On January 28th, 2015 at 9:02 pm I gave birth to my son West Louis and at 9:04 pm my beautiful daughter Lily Sophia. My life has forever changed for the better and I have never known this kind of  love. It took us quite sometime to become pregnant with heart breakes along the way. So now looking at my twins at the tender age of 3 and a half months makes it that much sweeter. I am a mother, guardian, teacher, friend, caregiver and the list goes on and on! It's a great responsibility, to raise two precious lives. I now sleep with one eye open, if I even sleep and my mind moves a mile a minute thinking constantly of my babies! Being a first time mother is a lot, but being a first time mother with twins is like having dessert after an amazing four course meal!

Many people offered unsolicited advice upon hearing the news of our impending twins. Their eyes would widen and they would roar "TWINS?! Oh, you are in for it, two infants crying, two car seats, two of everything. I wish you luck,wowza" Or something along those incredibly asinine words. Now as a mother of twins, my response is just the opposite. It's the best thing in the world! I finally got pregnant, I have two babies and even better a son and daughter. I am in heaven, I don't know anything other than twins. So in a way my naivety works in my favor. As a wise person told me "double the blessings double the love." There is nothing in the world sweeter than my son and daughter exchanging sweet gurgles and coos with each other.

I am more fulfilled in this chapter of my life. In my twenties I earned my degree, achieved success as a model that afforded me world travel and an independent lifestyle. Then I met my husband and we were married within a year. I was able to enjoy three years as a wife, and now my husband and I are parents together, we are a family. It feels so complete. It is a magnificent time for me as a woman, wife and now drum roll please….. Mommy!

Happy Mothers Day.

"I didn't lose myself when I became a Mother I found myself."~

The sky is the limit for my babies! Photo was taken in our LA home twins were 8.5 weeks old.

West and Lily at 25 days old, this was taken in our home in NYC. Lily came home from NICU at day 22, so this was their reunion photo. She literally hugged her brother it was the best moment captured!

I Loved this moment, my son is such a charmer. Photo taken 8 weeks old in LA.

Following in daddy's footsteps, Go Stanford!

Beauty and the Bump

As an accomplished model I've taken great pride in my body and have felt incredibly comfortable in front of the camera for my various photo-shoots. Coincidently my most famous covers from FHM Magazines have been of me half naked in bikinis!

Now my toned stomach has turned into a beer belly of twins! Everybody was asking when I was going to do my maternity shoot, as a model this would come second nature to me. But I was hesitant, my husband is very private, I have step-kids and I just didn't know if this was right for me. I am so satisfied finally being pregnant, so did I need to do a shoot? I went to my husband and he was so quick to reply "Of course hunny document this historic time in your life, and celebrate the changes in your body." Boom all my hemming and hawing vanished with my husband's resounding confidence & encouragement.

There was only one man for the job, my friend, and world renowned photographer, John Russo. John is someone whom I deeply respect & could trust for this intimate moment in my life. Seven months pregnant with twins, in the privacy of my Los Angeles home, our pregnancy photo came to life.
I did the styling myself, being a New York City girl, I armed myself with some sophisticated fashion pieces from Roberto Cavalli,  Hanro lingiere  and my secret weapon Topshop.
The concept was 1980's Jerry Hall look, red lips, blonde tousled hair, fabulous furs and a scene staler naked belly. The photos exceeded my expectations and made me fall more in love with my baby bump than ever. It's truly a miracle to be growing two humans in my stomach! I encourage all women to embrace their pregnancy journey, to celebrate it and simply enjoy it, the highs and the lows!

"Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom."  ~Harriette Hartigan


Love,
Kaki

7 months pregnant with twins

My favorite shot with my baby Rook

Black & white delight

In Roberto Cavalli & my Bump!

My dog Roki actually was sleeping & we loved it.

The perfect red lip done created by the amazing John Russo!

Baby Shower Details

I pride myself on being a fabulous hostess. I enjoy throwing, organizing & theming a party right down to the color of the napkin rings. I literally become giddy with excitement and anticipation! So my baby shower would be no exception. My best friend Sabrina was throwing it for me, in my new Beverly Hills  home. Sabrina speaks five languages, grew up in two countries, has three kids at the age of 33, is realtor to the stars & knows how to throw a fabulous affair.

The flurry of calls, texts and endless emails began between the two of us, me in NYC and Sabrina in LA. The colors, the theme, catering, photography, times, table cloths, chairs, games, dessert table... it goes on & on. We connected with amazing event planner Mimi and she helped bring the party to a perfect 10. Mimi knew all the best vendors! We had a vision, we wanted it to feel regal so the theme a "Royal Shower" came to fruition. Fit for a Prince and Princess. We incorporated blue for the boy, pink for the girl and of course my favorite color gold as the accent for the crowns.

The spectacular Dessert Bar

The beatiful floral arrangements

Fun accent pieces from the shower.

On a perfect sunny and 75 degree day my baby shower was finally here. I walked outside into my backyard and it was a fairy tale come true! I stepped into a giant white draped tent with crystal chandeliers hanging, flowers everywhere huge pink, blue and white hydrangea, pink and blue balloons floating in my pool, a dessert table to die for and a make your own Mimosa bar. The centerpiece was one long table for all 35 guests flooded with gold chargers, gold chiavri chairs, crown cookies and place cards. The table cloths were handmade satin blush color and the dessert table and mimosa bar had three tiered ruffles in pink, blue and white. It was truly a "Royal Shower"!

I wanted a real glamour retro look look thanks Frani & Evey and Herve Leger!

Soon to be Stage Mama for my twins!

My Baby Shower

Dessert Buffet & tablecloth by my Gloria

Mommy & Daddy to be place cards!

The Bar, tablecloth handmade by Gloria

Close up of the table setting with balloons in the background

The signage was amazing

My backyard transformed into my beautiful baby shower!

I loath the typical baby shower game nonsense and wanted my shower to be an elegant lunch while being FUN! We played two games and the winners were given a bottle of Vodka as their prize. The games were very intimate; the first was "He said/She said" a series of quotes from me and my husband and guests have to know who said it. This games is hilarious, I highly recommend it. The second was titled "Who Know Mamma Best" a series of my personal trivia. Both games were won by different sorority sisters of mine!

Guests hard at work on the baby shower games!

I am so blessed with my pregnancy and wonderful friends and family whom came out to celebrate my growing family. I wanted to share with all of you the wonderful vendors that made my baby shower so exquisite.
Love,
Kaki

This table was perfect, thanks Sarah for the cookies :)

Party Planner: Mimi Events

Catering: Rutt's Hawaiian Cafe

Florist: Ninfa's Flowers

Cake & Dessert Buffet: Vienna Pastry

Photography: Chris Schmitt Photography

Tenting/ Tables/Chairs: Star Event Productions

Photo-Booth: Peek A Booth

Signage: Itsy Belle

Balloons: Cabrera's Balloons

Linens: Handmade by my Gloria!

Oh Baby, Baby!

I have a black-belt in shopping! However when it comes to everything baby I was overwhelmed to say the least. I am a step-mom to grown middle schoolers. So newborns are completely foreign territory for me. My big sister came to NYC for the weekend and happily led the way for all things baby. My eyes glazed over with fear at Giggles (the "it" baby store) and she quickly trotted me outside for air. We detoured and ended up at Baltazaar for a fabulous lunch. I am lucky to have such an understanding big sister!

Two weeks later after spending days online researching every baby product and necessity for my twins. I set out again, this time with my husband. My husband is already an amazing father, a native New Yorker and a shrewd financier who would have his eye on the clock as a NY Giants game would be on later. Somehow his resume put me at ease much more than my super mom big sisters. If I fumbled his type A efficiency would kick in and I could skate by. But that was not the case at all, who knew a little thing called Mama Bear would finally emerge from inside of me.

I was armed with my manilla folder full of papers on every product under the sun. But we were on a  mission to do the big ticket items. AKA the Twins nursery, we are having a boy and a girl. We designed the room a beautiful cream with white chandelier and cream and gold curtains. I always envisioned my babies nursery to feel like an elegant sanctuary not a Disneyland ride. We arrived at Albee Baby and began shopping for the next 3 hours and never had to go elsewhere!

Photo Credit: Snap Studios this was taken at 8 weeks, for a gender reveal, only turns out I was having twins boy & girl! #fate

Cribs: 2 cream and gold cribs from Newport Cottages, they fit perfectly into our room scheme and are classic yet simple.

Dresser & Changing table: A Newport Cottages dresser matching in gold and cream from with a cream changing table on top.

Bedding: We are ordering custom from Bebe Chic Company, but still deciding on the twins colors!

Glider: A modern glider detailer togo we ordered it in a light beige color, it's chic and comfortable.

Bassinets: We live in NYC & wanted nothing frilly for the house. But we care about design and wanted bassinets that wouldn't be eye sores. We found the gorgeous Monte Ninna Nonna Bassients, these are perfect for any room in our home.

High Chairs: Finding 2 high chairs that were safe, functional and design savvy was a task. We hit the jackpot with the Mima moon it's so well made and multi functional.

Car Seats: We have a large SUV in NYC & just like LA you are in a car a lot. As a new mom my only concern was safety. I didn't care about looks, style, color. All I desired was the "tank" of carseats for my twins. I found it in the Cybex aton Q currently the highest rated carseat.

Strollers: Strollers for twins living in NYC was a chore. It took us one hour of test driving, lifting, folding & pushing these beasts to narrow it down! We decided on the Stokee Crusi double in charcoal color. It's sleek for narrow city sidewalks, safe, functional and yes looks good! It also has an amazing winter add on packages which is key for NY winters. And I found an amazing double stroller from Icandy in London. It's extremely versatile and top of the line and just perfect for twins.

Fall in NYC

Fall, my favorite time of year! I love the Fall, it always feels like a clean slate to me. New beginnings, school starting, my Birthday, leaves changing, pumpkin spiced lattes, the latest fashions, cozy sweaters & the crisp fall breeze. The Fall to me is always about positive life changes. This Fall I am in my 2nd trimester of being pregnant with twins, talk about life changing!

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” 
― Henry David Thoreau

Love,
Kaki

Jimmy Choo boots, Prada sunnies, Anna Sui cape, Hat J.Crew

Pumpkin Patch in the West Village with my little fashion addition Mr Birkin

My Birthday Surprise, Libra Lady 10-10! NYC all black style, Balenciaga Sunnies & Roki!

Apple Picking in the Hamptons, Chanel boots, J.crew vest & shirt, Lululemon leggings

I had a tiny bump here in the shirt! T-shirt J.Crew, Flannel  , Channel Boots, Celine Bag & baby Roki

Manhattan in the Morning, love this view of the city & Central park

Stuart Weitzman Boots, Gap Jacket, Hermes Birkin

I am expecting Twins!

I am bursting at the seams with joy to announce that we are pregnant with twins! I waited until I was half way thru the pregnancy before sharing the news (19.5 weeks). Our little bundles of joy are due January/February. Twin births always come early, which make it that much more exciting! It has been a long road in becoming pregnant, my empathy is with all couples whom have struggled with fertility issues. Starting a family is a true blessing & the most wonderful act of love between two people.  I walk around NYC amongst the hustle & all of a sudden I feel a flutter in my stomach. It's the most incredible experience of my life. My body is creating lives right now. I am lucky to live in NYC and have the best team of doctors and holistic healers aiding me on my journey. I will post that journey in another blog!

Love,
Kaki

Esquire

Thank you to Esquire magazine Greece for my editorial. I have dreamed of traveling to the beautiful country of Greece, and now thru Esquire I got to go, but only on paper!

Photographer: John Russo
Makeup: Evelyn Ramirez
Hair: Becca Janian
Location: Rooftop in downtown Los Angeles

Spring Fashion

This Winter in NYC has been brutal, one of the coldest in history! So the joy of Spring-time with it's sunshine, vibrant pinks and espadrilles is pure heaven to me. Below are some of my personal Spring looks. Remember, the beauty of fashion & design is to take risks and express ones personality!
Love,
Kaki

"The best color in the world is the one that looks good, on you!"- Coco Chanel

Kaki West

Kaki West

Kaki West

Kaki West with God Daughter Olivia

Kaki West with her puppy Roki 

Kaki West