38 & 39 Weeks!

I decided to combine my 38 and 39 week posts so that by next Wednesday (my due date) the updates would be current.

My life these days consists of going to work (still working full time), OB appointments and trying to get rest every night.  I have been feeling pretty tired after work everyday so I just try to take it easy when I'm at home. 

I still don't feel a sense of urgency even though my due date is a week away--but I do feel anticipation, of course. I have a feeling this little girl will go into June (though if I don't go into labor before 41 weeks I will be induced because of the aforementioned clotting issues).

Maybe I don't feel a sense of urgency because I haven't been making any progress at my weekly checks...but then again I've heard of women not being dilated at all and then going into labor the next day. Everyone is so different when it comes to their labor experience so I suppose it's possible I'll have the baby by my due date but I just have a feeling she will be late.

I did start packing my hospital bag with all of the essentials so I know if I went into labor I could quickly throw in a few extra items and be ready to go. Plus, we don't live far from the hospital so my husband could always go home and get anything I needed. I've heard that most women over-pack for the hospital anyway so I'm trying not to pack too much since I'll probably be in a hospital gown most of the time. 

Having said that, I did pick up a few new sleep shirts from Victoria's Secret because I have worn out my Target and F21 sleep dresses and sleep tees during my pregnancy. I was using creams and oils on my belly every night and wanted to wear-out the stuff I already had instead of wearing nicer stuff. I love the Gilligan O'Malley line from Target, but those sleep dresses fall apart after like six months of wear (this was happening with my sleep dresses before I was pregnant, so not due to pregnancy, pretty sure it's a quality issue).  They wash okay but they tend to just start looking drab and the ones with lace start to rip all over the place---I've already had to throw one away that I didn't even get to wear into pregnancy. 

I purchased three sleep shirts from VS---two for post-baby and one to wear at the hospital.

This is a cotton one from the Mayfair Collection and I also got it in a blue and white small gingham print.  They are so comfy and nice and long. Plus, since I'll be hanging out at the house all day feeding, changing and tending to a newborn, it might be nice to wear something that's somewhat cute and also is easy to breastfeed in (yay for buttons!)

The third one I got is the Sleepover Cotton Sleep Tee---this one is SO soft and feels amazing on.  It's lightweight and I got this one to wear after delivery (after showering, obviously) with a nursing bra. The buttons will be convenient for breastfeeding and the soft fabric will lovely for mom and baby. Plus, it's black... so I'm not worried about stains or anything.

It felt nice to buy some new PJ's after wearing ratty ones for the last few months.  It's kind of like wearing nice workout clothes...nice PJ's won't make you sleep better (umm...especially with a newborn), but you'll feel good putting them on and I'll take any feel-good I can get postpartum.  I realize the baby is probably going to spit up all over me too, but oh well, that's life with a baby!

How did YOU feel one week before your due date?  Did your baby arrive early, right on time, or late? Please share in the comments!

How far along? 39 weeks today! Whoa.

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained 30 pounds so far and will probably gain a few more, who knows! 

Maternity clothes? Same as last week---lots of maxi dresses and my GAP maternity skinnies with Liz Lange tanks and non-maternity loose tops and tunics. I pretty much just want to wear sweatpants everyday, but I can't show up at work like that, haha.

Stretch marks? Still none. I'm using Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. 

Symptoms: I'm feeling tired, lots of pressure, having Braxton Hicks contractions occasionally and overall I feel uncomfortable and sometimes crampy at night. I'm ready for baby girl to make her arrival.  

Sleep: I wake up a lot to pee and most nights I wake up around 3-4 a.m. and can't get back to sleep again for an hour or so. They say it's your body's way of preparing you for all of those night feedings...

Best moment this week: Realizing that we will meet our baby soon and celebrating with friends at my work baby shower:

Miss Anything? Being comfortable

Movement: Some days she is partying in there and other days I feel less movement now that she's running out of room.  

Food cravings: Subway, honey nut cheerios, ice cream, fruit (I am eating tons of it lately)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really

Have you started to show yet: I feel huge!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing faux bands

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel happy and also anxious and excited to meet our baby...just overall feeling anticipation

Looking forward to: A spa/pool day with Candice to celebrate my 30th birthday!  We decided to celebrate this weekend since I could go into labor by my birthday (crossing my fingers!)

I found Lulu in the nursery hanging out on this lamb mat---don't worry, I haven't washed it yet and it will be washed before the baby uses it! I have to remove that tag too.

Speaking of my birthday, this was an early birthday gift---a Nespresso machine to use during my leave to make delicious lattes. So many of you recommended this espresso maker and we absolutely love it, so thank you!

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check-in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) 

Maternity Photos!

I had the opportunity to have some maternity photos shot by one of the photographers at work in our home and I'm excited to share them with you!

I recommend having maternity photos taken because it's such a special time to capture in your life.  You may not look or feel your best when you're pregnant, but working with a photographer you're comfortable with will make all the difference. I'm glad I'll always have these to capture my pregnancy. 

Here are some of my favorite shots:

As I write the post, I'm 8 days away from my due date and like I mentioned last week, it still feels surreal to think she will be here soon. 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

All photos are copyright by Allen Kramer.

A Cropped Denim Jacket

I haven't owned a denim jacket in a long time but suddenly I was craving one.  I wanted something lightweight for summer and a darker denim (though I love the light ones too!)  

I was browsing at Nordstrom last week and saw a really cute denim jacket on display and decided to try it on just for fun.  It was reasonably priced at $69 (some can go into the $200 range and I didn't want to spend that) and it fit really nicely and was really thin (perfect for the hot weather).  The jacket is by Kut from the Kloth Denim and it comes in different colors. For reference, I got a medium and I would say it fits on the smaller side, so size up if you're between sizes. I'm 38 weeks, 2 days pregnant in these photos :)

Denim Jacket- Kut from the Kloth denim @ Nordstrom (light color, dark color)

Necklace- J.Crew 

Maxi Dress- c/o PB&J Boutique 

Shoes- Steve Madden- similar, similar, similar

A few ladies have asked me if this maxi dress is see-thru because of the close-up photo where you can see skin through it (it's actually a nude slip, not my skin).  Yes, the entire fabric of the dress is sheer. I have to wear it with a nude slip to make sure my underwear doesn't show through.  

I took a photo of the dress upside-down so you could see how the fabric is throughout the garment if you're thinking of purchasing.  The sheerness doesn't bother me, but I realize that it may not be up everyone's alley.  I've kind of noticed that most maxi dresses that are a jersey/cotton material are not thick enough to wear without a slip and I wear them with slips even when I am not pregnant. My mint green one required a slip as well. 

Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

37 weeks! FULL TERM

I was so blown away by all of the thoughtful and sweet comments on my last pregnancy update post---thank you so much to all of you who took the time to leave a comment or email me about your breastfeeding experience. It was so nice to hear from mommas in similar situations to me and I'm so glad to have gotten so much encouragement and support from so many of you. A million thanks!

I'm two weeks out from my due date today and emotionally I'm in a place where it all feels really surreal.  The birth of the baby still feels far away (it's not!) and for some reason it's so hard for me to picture this beautiful life growing inside of me actually being in my arms soon.  

I think that if you've always wanted to be a mom, you kind of picture what your life might be like with a baby but now that it's so close, it's hard to actually imagine the moment where I'll first see her face and hold her tiny little body.  I am so excited and have so much anticipation for that incredible, life-changing moment, but like I said, it feels very surreal. It doesn't help that I was watching Holly Madison's E Special about the birth of her baby while writing this post...definitely teared up a little when the doctor placed her baby on her chest after birth. 

In terms of being prepared for our little arrival, the nursery is done, but I'm going to post the photos after her arrival because her name is in there.  Speaking of the name---I've gotten a lot of questions about it. What I can tell you is that we've had her name picked out for about four years now. I've kept a list of baby names we love on my iPhone for a long time and when we found out it was a girl we knew immediately the name we were going to choose.  We've been calling her by her name since we found out she's a she and we already have about 17 nicknames for her (yep, we're those people!) 

All of the newborn and 0-3 size clothing is washed and most of the essentials have arrived at our doorstep (thanks, Amazon!) We've assembled the pack n' play, swing, bouncer, etc and our carseat is being installed this weekend. It feels good to have most of the major items taken care of. 

Some of her clothing--I have it all divided by size. Up until last week I only had about four pieces of newborn and 0-3 clothing so I ordered more online and my mother in law got us some awesome stuff as well. Everyone told me to buy bigger sizes and then I realized I didn't have anything for her to wear those first few months.  I kept the tags on the larger clothing like a lot of you recommended in case she outgrows it before she has a chance to wear it. I made little sizing tags out of scrapbook paper (you can see them above) to divide up all of the sizes too.

I know babies need to be changed a lot when they are little so I also have some simple/plain onesies in newborn and 0-3 sizes in her dresser.

I got this cute little hanger thing at Marshalls Home Goods and I had my husband install it in her closet to hang all of her hooded towels from it. I got each towel as a gift at my baby showers so they are extra special!

Also...how cute is this hat? (from The Tiny Toppers on Etsy.com) I bought it for her newborn photos!

I still haven't fully packed my hospital bag but it should be done soon...usually I'm so prepared for everything but I guess the whole "so surreal" feeling has kept me from having a strong sense of urgency. I figure if I went into labor early I could just toss most of what I need into my hospital bag and go.

In terms of how I'm feeling these days...it is what it is, ha. My hands and feet have swollen up a bit, my back hurts, almost all positions are uncomfortable to sit in and I'm still feeling a lot of pressure down low---but hey, two weeks out, I can't really expect anything else.

I'll find out at my OB appointment on Thursday if I've made any progress---last week the baby was low and my cervix was softening. My OB won't let me go past 41 weeks so I will definitely have the baby sometime before June 5th.  

How far along? 37 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 38 weeks today).  

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 27 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes? I am still wearing non-maternity tops (aside from the Liz Lange tanks) and maxi dresses and my GAP skinny maternity pants. Ladies who are thinking of becoming pregnant one day---hang on to all of those looser tops and tunics you bought because they will get you through your entire pregnancy.

Stretch marks? Still none. I'm using Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. 

Symptoms: Pretty much what I mentioned above. Overall general discomfort. The other night I woke up a lot and had cramps that radiated down through my thigs and legs. It was awful.

Sleep: It's been okay. During the work week I tend to sleep better than on weekends.

Best moment this week: Feeling like things were getting done for the baby. Everything is ordered and organized. It's all coming together and that's a good feeling.  I also had a good NST test so positives all around.
 Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Being comfortable

Movement: She has been pretty active lately. It's so tight in there though. Hopefully she will see the running out of space as a cue to let us welcome her into the world :)

Food cravings: Subway, candy, ice cream

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just eating large portions, so I'm trying to eat small portions very often

Have you started to show yet: All people ask these days is when I'm due.

(this was actually taken today, at 38 weeks)

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? I finally stopped wearing them this week. I just wear a thin, faux band now.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel emotional but overall happy.

Looking forward to: My OB appointments, seeing my maternity photos, meeting our baby SOON!

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) I also welcome everyone's advice and comments about pregnancy!

35 Weeks!

Today marks the 36th week of my pregnancy and it feels surreal to know that today, May 1st, will mark the baby's birth month (unless she's late and arrives in June). It has been such a pleasure to document each week and share my thoughts and feelings with all of my wonderful readers. I love reading your feedback and reading about your own pregnancies too. I also appreciate all of the product recommendations many of you have provided on my Facebook page!

I've had a pretty smooth pregnancy which I'm so thankful for but these last couple of weeks have definitely been a challenge. I finally get what people mean when they talk about how rough third trimester can be.  That home stretch seems to bring with it a slew of symptoms---constant pressure, Braxton Hicks contractions, constant bathroom visits, discomfort while sitting/standing/walking, lower back aches, cramping, waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. and not being able to sleep again..the list goes on.  Fortunately, it's such a small amount of the pregnancy that's on the rougher side and it's all worth it for the baby.

April was a really busy month for me professionally---tomorrow I'm filming a story with a national media outlet that I've been planning with producers for nearly a year, so seeing that finally come to fruition is really exciting.  The crew is flying in from New York and I have a super early morning tomorrow so I'm heading to bed early to get some rest.  I had maternity photos taken today and all of the standing and positions have really given me some lower back pain so I'm trying to take it easy since I'll be with the crew for 12 hours tomorrow. After this week, I'm ready to slow down a bit for the rest of my pregnancy. 

In other updates, the nursery is almost complete and I've also washed some clothes and blankets and my husband assembled some of the baby items we still had in boxes.  I realized when I was washing clothes that I literally had maybe five pieces of newborn and 0-3 month baby clothing. I was buying everything in larger sizes as so many people recommended, so I had to order some footed sleepers and onesies in 0-3 month sizes so the baby would actually have clothes to wear when she was born. Every mom has recommended the footed sleepers with zippers to me so hopefully they will work out!  BTW---I used the code GAP35 at checkout to get 35% off of all of my Baby Gap purchases. Not sure how long it's valid for but check it out if you're looking to buy some cute baby stuff.

I'm also in full-on nesting mode. I decided last Sunday while half-asleep on the couch that suddenly I had to spring into action and rearrange my kitchen cabinets. Totally had the husband get a step ladder so I could go all organization-freak on the cabinets. I've just been really into organizing lately, which is not unusual for me---but the unstoppable drive to organize is kind of hilarious. My husband was like "are you serious right now with this cabinet stuff?"

Speaking of cleaning an organizing, we finally hired a maid/housekeeping service.  When I first moved to Houston, I have to admit I was completely stunned to find out that a large majority of the people I met had maids or cleaning services. Even single people and married people with no children. It was definitely not the norm where I grew up and I admit I didn't "get" why people would pay someone else to clean their house when they could clean it.  I'm a weirdo who likes to clean, but admittedly, it was getting hard to keep up with it all as I got further along in my pregnancy--- just the physical nature of it and also not wanting to use certain cleaners (chemicals).  

My husband has been so awesome during pregnancy and has really gone above and beyond with pitching in---but we always knew that once we had a baby, family time would be our largest priority and to be honest, we were spending hours every weekend cleaning/maintaining the house. 

Once the baby is here we want to spend all of that extra time with her, especially since we will both be working full time, so this is a great choice for our family.  Plus, I totally get it now---coming home to a clean, sparkling home after a long day is an incredible feeling.  We are going to have our home cleaned every two weeks. It will be nice to have the extra help while I'm on leave too, since just adjusting to life with a new baby can be challenging enough without having to worry about cleaning your shower (and everything else, too).

One more thing---I got my hair done last weekend. I just added a few more ombre pieces to the underneath part of my hair and around my face. I am really happy with out it turned out! I also noticed that since I've been growing my roots out during pregnancy (I used to have them colored darker than my natural color) that I seem to have some light pieces through the top and especially in the front that appeared out of nowhere. I think it has to do with pregnancy hormones because I don't have the top colored.

How far along? 35 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 36 weeks today).  Just FOUR more weeks to go! EEEPPPP!

Total weight gain/loss: I will find out for sure at my 36 week appointment on Friday. I am feeling more discomfort and the baby is definitely larger so I know there is weight being put on each week.

Maternity clothes? I still live in my GAP maternity skinnies for work and maxi dresses on weekends. Also love love love long, stretchy tanks (Liz Lange for Target and Lululemon cool racerbacks) and my Tory Burch Reva flats. They've been great during pregnancy.

Stretch marks? I'm continuing to use Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil, Mamma Mio Tummy Rub and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. I am literally waiting for the day to see a stretch mark where my belly button piercing holes are, I just have a feeling about it with how tight it is. It's all worth it though for a precious baby.

Symptoms: Just the ones I mentioned at the beginning of my post, same as last week basically.

Sleep: Not great these days. Waking up randomly in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep is becoming a regular occurrence. 

Best moment this week: Getting a good report on my fetal monitoring this week, hanging artwork in the nursery, getting more and more done for the baby.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Being comfortable

Movement: Baby girl has been active lately---her kicks and movements feel more intense as she gets larger and larger. I will find out at my ultrasound how big she is (approximately).

Food cravings: Honey Nut Cheerios with milk, Subway, sweets in general

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes, round and proud!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Outie but flat.

Wedding rings on or off? On---getting tight though---noticed that this week

Happy or Moody most of the time: all over the place, to be honest...I can go from happy to crying to stressed to excited....


Looking forward to: Breastfeeding and infant care classes this week and next and my 36 week OB appointment.

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) I also welcome everyone's advice and comments about pregnancy!

33 weeks

I had my 34 week appointment a day early this week and I mentioned to my OB some of my worries about the baby's movement.  Some days she is so active that I wonder why I even worry...and other days I panic when I don't feel her for a few hours or feel very minimal movement throughout the day.  My OB put me on a fetal monitor during my appointment yesterday for 20 minutes for what's called a non-stress test (NST).  I had heard of them before but never had one.  The baby was really active during the test and her heartbeat and everything else was great (also, no contractions at all detected, which didn't surprise me because I haven't yet experienced any Braxton Hicks).  

My OB ordered me to have a 20-minute NST once a week for the rest of my pregnancy. I was surprised that my OB recommended this but I also learned through both my OB and an online forum for moms and soon-to-be-moms that it's not uncommon--- a lot of women have NSTs throughout their pregnancies and especially in the last trimester. More than anything, it feels reassuring to know that the baby is okay---and also to know that if anything was out of the ordinary, I would know sooner.

I'm a chronic worrier and I was actually really proud of myself during this pregnancy for being relatively calm and anxiety-free...until third trimester came along and then a lot of my worries just flooded back. I think it's normal to feel anxious at this stage because it's so close and you've got all of this anticipation and you just want your baby to be okay. I'm glad my OB errs on the side of "better safe than sorry." I have a family history of clotting issues so it provides more peace of mind for me to have weekly monitoring for these last several weeks.

Speaking of my OB appointment, another thing we discussed is baby girl's position.  She is still in a transverse lie so my OB ordered an ultrasound for my 36 week appointment in two weeks to check on both position and growth.  I have started doing inversions from spinningbabies.com as well as pelvic thrusts to try and get the baby to turn.  I know I still have time, but the larger the baby gets, the more difficult it can be for baby to turn (though it's still possible, of course, some babies turn at the last minute).  She seems comfortable in there but I'm trying to do everything I can to get her to turn because I'd really like to have the option of a vaginal birth.  If she is not turned by 36 weeks, my OB will schedule a c-section and then of course that will be cancelled if she does end up turning prior to that date.  I'm not willing to try an external version---the success rate is not high (and the baby can turn back around even if the doctor manages to turn the baby) and the risks are personally something I'm not willing to chance.  I know there are risks with everything, but even my OB does not like to do external versions and I value her advice and experience.

At the end of the day---my birth plan has and always will be to be educated about my options and then to make choices based on what is best for the health of the baby and myself.  I don't have a "dream" birth plan---my only wish, hope and dream is that I am holding a healthy baby in my arms at the end of it all---and that I'm healthy too. 

That may sound cheesy but that's truly how I feel.  Labor is unpredictable for every woman. You don't know how you'll feel, how your body will react, etc.  I always wondered how someone could say "I would NEVER get an epidural" because I always felt that's a decision I personally couldn't make outside of the moment of actually being in labor and experiencing those sensations---and then deciding what I wanted based on that.  I think every woman should do what she feels is right for her and her baby---I'm just very open to whatever kind of experience brings my baby girl into this world safely.  

There are of course some things that I do really care about when it comes to my post-birthing experience---and those are immediate skin-to-skin and attempting breastfeeding as soon as possible after delivery.  Other than those two things, I really don't have a pre-determined vision of how it will all go.

One of the reasons I don't want to become too wrapped up in a formal plan or vision of how I hope my birthing experience will go is because I don't want to potentially set myself up for disappointment during such an emotional and life-changing time.  I don't want to put myself in a position where I will be upset if something doesn't go the way I had hoped---because labor is just one of those completely-out-of-your-control things...so to try and fit that experience into a really constructed plan isn't a good choice for me.
Usually I like to feel in control and have a plan for everything in life---but this is one of the few areas where I have an "anything goes" mentality.  I've heard from so many moms and read a lot of birth stories online where women were really disappointed with their birth experiences and my motto has always been healthy baby in my arms= successful and amazing birth experience, no matter how it all went down. This isn't to say that my "plan" or way of thinking will ensure that I am happy with every aspect of what ends up happening, but I think it will allow me to have a more open and relaxed attitude.  Only time will tell.

Did you have a birth plan/vision of how your birth would go when you went to the hospital or was your attitude more like mine?  

How far along? 33 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 34 weeks today).  Just 6 more weeks to go! Eeeepp!

Total weight gain/loss: I found out at my 34 week appointment that I've gained 22 lbs. so far. 

Maternity clothes? I'm basically wearing a uniform at this point. I've moved all of my favorite pregnancy tops to the front of my closet and I just rotate like five different outfits.  Not exciting, but I'm still working full time and I need to be comfortable at work.  Most days I wear my black GAP skinny pants with flats and a tank and blazer.  Sometimes I wear a stretchy-material dress. I'm also still wearing the shelf bras that I talked about in last week's post. On weekends, I pretty much exclusively wear maxi dresses or Lululemon gear.

Stretch marks? Not yet, I'm continuing to use Belli's Elasticity Belly Oil, Mamma Mio Tummy Rub and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation. 

Symptoms: The same as last week---rib pain, tiredness, back pain when I'm sitting for a long time and overall just feeling more emotional.

Sleep: I feel like I get a good amount of sleep. I never feel too draggy in the morning, but I get really tired around 3 PM everyday. I am still waking several times a night to pee, as expected when baby is on your bladder.

Best moment this week: Celebrating our baby girl at my second baby shower and spending time with one of my best friends Heather who flew in from Canada. One of my best friends from back home also gave birth to her beautiful baby girl last Saturday and I had a total meltdown when I saw her photo (total ugly-cry).  I am just so happy for her and was so overwhelmed with emotion that one of my best friends became a momma. Love that baby girl so much already.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Being able to sit at my desk without being incredibly uncomfortable

Movement: As you read in my post today, some days baby girl seems to be having a dance party and other days she is kind of on and off with her movement.  Today, for example, she has been all over the place rolling, kicking and swooshing around in there.  I find that when I'm really busy or walking around a lot I feel her less. I know it's normal for babies to have periods of wakefulness and sleepiness---I find that if she has a super active day one day, she will be quieter the next day.

Food cravings: Honey Nut Cheerios with milk, Reeces peanut butter cups, cookies n' cream ice cream 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.


Have you started to show yet: Most definitely!

Taken at 33 weeks, 3 days

Taken at 33 weeks, 2 days

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Complete outie and oddly flat.  I am not regretting piercing my belly button...twice (top and bottom) because those holes are not looking good all stretched out. They never closed even after years of no jewelry in them and now they are taking on a whole new look.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy---and emotional.

Looking forward to: 

Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going :) I also welcome everyone's advice and comments about pregnancy!

Recent Purchases...

When my friend Heather was in town from Toronto over the weekend for my second baby shower, we had such a blast having some much-needed girl time and that included some shopping.

Heather got some pretty great deals at the 290 Premium Outlets and I picked up a few items from Kate Spade---all were 40% off!

The first item I purchased was this pretty color block zip case.  It can fit an iPad and would also be ideal for travel (makeup, toiletries, etc). The outside is like a coated canvas so it won't get dirty easily. I actually may use this in my diaper bag to carry some baby items like diaper cream, wipes, etc. The outlet price on the bag was $65.00 and I got an additional 40% off.

The second item I purchased was a black and white bird print makeup bag. I don't take makeup to work with me (other than lipgloss) and I don't touch up my makeup during the day, so I don't need a makeup bag for daily use but wanted to get this one for travel.  It is large enough to fit all of the makeup I'd take when I travel but like the bag above, could also be used for toiletries.  I like to take one bag for makeup and one for hair products and toiletries when I travel, so I'm glad I have the two.  The regular store price on this bag was $80, the outlet price was $50 and I got it for 40% off of that price.

The last item I got at Kate Spade was this tee.  I loved the minty color with the contrasting sleeves and pocket.  I got a size medium and it fits over my pregnant belly right now---although it won't in a few more weeks, I really bought it to wear post-baby.  The outlet price was $55 and I got it for 40% off of that price. You can buy it here on zappos.com or here at Neiman Marcus (also on sale!).

The next item is a chambray shirt I picked up at Forever21. I have been searching for a chambray shirt that fits really nicely for a long time. I had purchased two others from Old Navy---one of them was even in the tall length, but truthfully, neither fit how I had hoped they would.  I still wore them, but I was always on the hunt for one that fit better.This one is absolutely amazing. It's super long and every part of it fits really nicely.  I got a size medium and it's perfect. Right now, I can button down up until the last 2-3 buttons which can't button over my belly---but the shirt looks super cute layered over a tank with the last couple buttons undone or just completely undone.  I also like the way it looks paired over a maxi dress right now.

You can buy this gorgeous chambray top right here :) Best $20 you'll spend!

This is the outfit I wore to work today at 33 weeks, 5 days pregnant---and I have to take a quick moment to rave about Lululemon's Cool Racerback Tanks. They have really been incredible to wear throughout my pregnancy.  They are super long, fit over my belly, stretchy and not at all sheer like some tanks get when you stretch them a bit.  They also come in an extra-long length (but only in select colors). I find the regular length to be pretty long anyway.  You can check out all of the seasonal colors here.

Wishing you all a wonderful week and thanks for reading!  Have you made any purchases recently?  Share them below!