32 weeks!

If you checked out my blog over the weekend, you'll know that I had my first baby shower last Saturday, hosted by my mother-in-law's sweet friends!  More excitement is coming up this week as my friend Heather just flew in from Toronto last night and my second baby shower is this Saturday. I can't wait to see everyone and to spend time with Heather, who I haven't seen since last May (other than via FaceTime, of course). I am so lucky to have such amazing and supportive friends in my life, there's nothing better.

Now that I'm past the 32-week mark, I'm starting to see my OB every two weeks instead of every four. The reality that we have just seven weeks until my due date has really hit me.  I am so excited but I've also felt more anxious lately.  I worry a lot...is the baby moving enough? is everything going to go okay during my delivery? I've always been a worrier, but it hasn't really escalated until recently.  I don't know if it's the hormones or what...I've just been more anxious lately than earlier on in my pregnancy. Can anyone else relate?

I'm thankful Heather and I booked a spa day today because I think a little relaxation and girl time may be just what I need to soothe some of my anxieties.  We are getting manicures and pedicures and then lounging by the pool and having lunch (followed by some shopping because there are a lot of stores here that they either don't have in Canada or that are much pricier there).  Can't wait!

In other news, the baby's nursery is almost complete.  All of the furniture is there and the book ledges are installed too. Now all I need to do is complete some of my DIY artwork projects, frame the remaining artwork and hang everything.  It's all of those little details that will pull together the room.  I can't wait to share it with you all!  

How far along? 32 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 33 weeks today).  Just 7 more weeks to go!

Total weight gain/loss: I found out at my 32 week appointment that I've gained 20 lbs. so far. 

Maternity clothes? I'm still able to wear some of my regular tops and maternity pants. I have a couple of maternity dresses I've worn a few times too. To be honest, I'm rotating the same few outfits over and over so there really isn't much to showcase here on the blog. I just wear what's comfortable and flattering at this stage of pregnancy. My favorite go-to outfit has been a Liz Lange for Target maternity tank, my GAP really skinny maternity pants, Tory Burch Reva flats and my Talula blazer.  It's comfortable and still somewhat pulled-together.

Speaking of clothes, I also stopped wearing regular bras weeks ago. My rib pain is too intense to wear bras (they dig into the part that hurts) so I'm wearing these Gap ones--- they are amazing, super soft and most importantly, comfortable. I also have this one (in jade) and this one (in mint) from Forever 21. The colors are gorgeous and they are also really comfortable and flattering.

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: I still have the rib pain on my left side and my back hurts when I'm sitting at my desk a lot (thankfully I have days where I'm out and about much more).  I'm also feeling more emotional and hormonal lately. 

Sleep: Sleep is okay. I still get up twice a night or so to pee, but it has become the norm and I fall back asleep pretty well most nights. Sometimes, especially on weekends, I have a hard time sleeping in.

Best moment this week: My baby shower was amazing. I felt really blessed that so many people came out to celebrate our baby girl.  

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Just not having pain in my ribs

Movement: Movement has been something that has really been stressing me out lately. I have times of the day where she's really active and other times I worry if I haven't felt her for awhile. I do the kick counts but sometimes it's hard not to worry.  I know as babies get bigger they have less room to move. I feel more pushes, swishes and pressure now versus kicks and jabs (though I still definitely feel those sometimes too).  She is definitely more active some days than others.

Food cravings: Still Subway, Reeces peanut butter eggs and honey nut cheerios.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.


Have you started to show yet: Most definitely!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Outie and still looks like a deformed cinnamon bun. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: My baby shower on Saturday and my friend visiting from Canada :) 

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!

Giveaway with Daily Mom: Sugarjack Diaper Bag!

I'm delighted to be hosting a great giveaway today---it's actually my first ever baby-product related giveaway (and it's a good one!)

This giveaway was all made possible by Daily Mom, a new online magazine for moms (and soon-to-be-moms) that features articles about all aspects of life - from parenting to beauty, fashion, green living, health, fitness, and more.  It's a great resource whether you're trying to conceive or want tips on how to make your child actually enjoy doing chores (I'm going to bookmark that one- maybe my baby girl will love to clean and organize as much as I do when she grows up, haha!) 

I have partnered with Daily Mom to host one of their giveaways as a part of an extensive 50 Days of Giveaways campaign to celebrate their launch. For 50 days, they will be giving away one awesome prize a day to thank their new readers.

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So today we're giving an opportunity for one lucky reader to win a Diaper Bag from Sugarjack.

Sugarjack bags are designer leather bags and the quality of the leather is obvious from the moment you put your hands on it. Their bags come in so many styles and colors and I love that they don't look like a typical diaper bag and more like a nice purse.

Be sure to check out their bags on their website---you can also stay in the loop by following them on Facebook and Twitter.  And of course, enter below for a chance to win (I know a lot of my blogging friends and readers are pregnant as well right now so I was so excited to host this particular giveaway!) You can also check out the Daily Mom Feature on Sugarjack bags, by Daily Mom contributor, Kayla.

The giveaway will run for a week, and there are only two mandatory entries with many optional ones. All you have to do is follow the directions below in the Rafflecopter widget.a Rafflecopter giveaway

And be sure to visit Daily Mom tomorrow to see what new item they are giving away and to enter previous drawings! The prizes range from strollers to high chairs, monitors, diaper bags, fashion items, baby clothing and photography products. There is something for everyone.

Need Help? Don't have a Facebook account to enter with? Email Daily Mom staff!

After you've entered the giveaway, be sure to browse Daily Mom and check out some of my favorite posts! I'm loving:

Why You Should Exfoliate Your Skin

Ways to Live in the Moment With Your Baby

Shoes We Love: Ankle Straps

FEATURED SPONSOR GIVEAWAYS FROM DAILY MOM:

This post is for notification purposes only. To see a full list of prizes and current giveaways, please visit Daily Mom's Giveaway page.

FTC disclaimer: I am not being compensated to write this post, just hosting a great giveaway for a quality product for my readers :)

A Hairstyle for Spring!

If you read my recent updated hair routine post, you know that I'm pretty set in my ways when it comes to my hair---I always wear my hair down at work and either blown-out or curled with a curling iron, depending on the day.

When I saw the video below by It's Judy Time, I thought the braided headband look was really cute for spring. I was a little intimidated to re-create it because it looked complicated at first glance.  I watched the video a few times and followed it step-by-step and found that the trickiest part was creating the twists with the clockwise/counter-clockwise turns and pinning them into place. But I think the effect it gives is worth the extra time you'll spend perfecting them!

Several of my coworkers noticed my new do today so this is definitely a fun look if you're like me and you hardly ever switch it up.




I used my Hot Tools curling iron to create the curls, a teasing comb and my L'Oreal Elnett hairspray (the same hairspray Judy used in the tutorial). This style would be perfect for spring and summer weddings and I like that I can still wear my hair down but with added interest and texture. 

The finished look!

I think there are lots of ways this style can be adapted too---like creating the twists and then pinning them to either side of your hear versus making a "faux headband" or just doing twists on one side and leaving the other side loose.  

Would you try this hairstyle? Check out the video above and let me know if you were inspired to prettify your hair for spring!

Sunday Fun at the Park!

Today Meg from Meg O. On the Go, Michelle from The Vintage Apple and Magen from MMM Style and I all met up at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.  The ladies had their little ones in tow and it was so fun to see them all---especially Michelle's little three and a half month old baby since I'm expecting so soon! 

Here's a shot of the three of us (Magen was running after her adorable twin girls!):

The dress I'm wearing is new---from Forever 21 and super affordable. I saw it in the "maxi dress" section on Forever 21's website last week and then I remembered that Kristen had mentioned it in her "recent spring purchases" post. So yes, this is the second dress of hers I've copied ;) what can I say? She's got great taste!

Dress- Forever 21; Necklace- Stella & Dot c/o; Sweater- Zara (old); Shoes- Reef

The dress was a steal at $15.80---though I wish the chest part was a little more fitted. I think it's a little too loose, but it's a comfy dress and such a great color that I looked past the fit of the top. These days comfort is king. I also think it would also look super cute with wedges---but since we were walking a lot I decided against it. I purchased a size medium. I'm not sure if a small would have fit in the bottom part but the top might have worked better. 

Thank you for all of the sweet comments on my baby shower post!  It was such a fun day :) This upcoming week is pretty busy. My husband and I are going to the Sigur Ros concert on Tuesday evening (one of our favorite bands) and then my friend Heather is flying into Houston on Thursday and we have a girls spa day planned Friday.  I can't wait to relax and catch up with her.  Then Saturday is my baby shower hosted by Candice for my friends. I am one lucky gal, definitely feeling the love!

Wishing everyone a happy Sunday! :)

First Baby Shower!

Words can't express how blessed I'm feeling today.  My mother-in-law's friends hosted a beautiful baby shower for me and I'm feeling so grateful for all of the incredible love and support we've received as we celebrated our impending bundle of joy.

(The entire party!)

I was so lucky to find the perfect baby shower dress---but I can't take credit for it at all---the beautiful Kristen over at Love, Lipstick and Pearls (we are a week apart in our pregnancies!) wore it to her baby shower and when I saw how beautiful it was I knew I had to get it!

Kristen shared with me that she got the dress on Zappos.com---it's the Gabriella Rocha Hally dress in "mint" (buy it here).  It is the most comfortable dress ever! I had been searching for a long time for a dress to wear to my baby shower since I had ordered one from Forever21 but was disappointed that half of the bottom of the dress was sheer.  I absolutely love the simple style and fit of the Gabriella Rocha dress.  I purchased it in two sizes---small and medium and tried them both on when they arrived just two days later (Zappos has the BEST shipping ever).  I stuck with the size small, which is what I would have purchased pre-pregnancy.  I found that the medium had a lot of extra fabric in the back that was just gathering and bunching on me.  I think this dress will fit great post-pregnancy too and I'm considering purchasing it in a second color when I send back the size medium. So size-wise, I would say it fits TTS for anyone contemplating a purchase.  It's super stretchy too, which is a bonus for anyone with a larger chest.

(Before we left the house)

I finally wore these gorgeous J.Crew earrings. I had been wanting to save them for a special occasion and they went perfectly with my mint green dress.  I kinda want to wear them everyday...ha!

(with my mother-in-law before heading to the shower)

The baby shower was so much fun---it was nice to catch up with a lot of the ladies I hadn't seen in awhile and just to share excitement about the baby.  It was also great to get tips from everyone---a lot of the ladies care for their young grandchildren all of the time so it's great to hear their feedback about the best products for baby as well as their parenting wisdom!

(the sweetest idea---the ladies got this for my mother-in-law as 

a "grandma-to-be" essentials kit!)

Towards the end of the shower, my husband came to the house to say hello and thank all of the ladies for their generosity.  Once the guests had left, we took a few photos by the pool since we realized we hardly had any photos together where I'm pregnant.

...and then I took a few with Candice since she and I literally don't have even one photo together during my pregnancy! I love these photos! Such beautiful scenery...

...and here's a group shot of the three shower hostesses, me, MIL and Candice:

When we got home, we opened the trunk of our car and wow...

We just feel really thankful and blessed.  I've already unpacked most of the items in the nursery and some of the bigger items (like the swing, bouncer and pack n' play) will stay in their boxes for the next few weeks as we finish the nursery and figure out a place for everything.

Next weekend Candice is hosting my second shower for my friends and I can't wait! I also can't believe there are just seven and a half weeks left until we meet our baby girl...

Thank you for reading and hope you're having an amazing weekend!

31 weeks!

I want to start this post by saying that I was absolutely blown away by the thoughtful, sweet responses to my last post about parenting.  I'm so lucky to have readers who are supportive, compassionate and willing to share their own experiences. It means the world to me that many of you took the time to leave a comment---thank you for allowing this to be a place I can share such personal parts of my past without fear.

It's safe to say that third trimester has officially hit me. I'm at the point where I'm experiencing those nagging discomforts. I try to take it in stride because I feel blessed to have had a good pregnancy so far.  I'm experiencing increasing rib pain and lower back pain from sitting in my chair at work.  I try to walk around a lot and sit up straight but it can be hard sometimes. I also notice I'm out of breath more often these days as baby is growing rapidly and taking up more room.

Though there are some discomforts in these last couple of months---there's also so much excitement! My first baby shower, hosted by my mother-in-law's sweet friends, is this weekend and my second shower is the following weekend.  It will be so nice to spend time with everyone celebrating the impending arrival of our precious baby girl. I'm also excited about all of the yummy food and desserts.

This past weekend my husband and I drove out to Willowbrook mall which has one of two H&M's in Houston. I wanted to check out the baby clothes because I saw so many cute ones online.  I was a little disappointed in the selection, but I did pick out a few sweet items:

I also picked up some tension rods from Target to use in her closet so that there was more hanging space. I'm going to hang everything by size eventually.  I still have tags on most of the items--- because a lot of moms gave me the advice to only wash items that are 0-3 months and maybe a few 6 month items. That way if the baby never wears something before she outgrows it, I can exchange it.  

As far as nursery progress goes---some of the prints I ordered came in but I'm waiting until after my showers to really start putting the finishing touches on the room.  All that's left is wall shelves, hanging wall art and little details here and there. I can't wait to share the final look with you all!

How far along? 31 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I'm actually 32 weeks today).  Just 8 more weeks to go!

Total weight gain/loss: I will find out at my 32 week appointment tomorrow, but I imagine it's somewhere around 15-17 lbs. or more. 

Maternity clothes? I'm still able to wear normal tops and maternity pants. All of those loose tops are coming in handy now that my belly is round and getting rounder...

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: Still rib pain, lower back discomfort if I sit a lot, more shortness of breath...typical third tri symptoms.  Also---funny pregnancy "symptom": I only have to shave my legs like once every 3 weeks. It's like my leg hair just doesn't grow anymore. Kind of hoping it stays that way.

Sleep: I'm sleeping well and dreaming a TON.  I get up twice a night to pee (always at 1:30 a.m. or so and 4-4:30 a.m. or so).

Best moment this week: On Sunday when we were at church for Easter, the baby kicked, rolled and pushed around in my belly the entire time we were there. It made me smile :)

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Just not having pain in my ribs

Movement: She has on and off days. Some days she is all over the place having a dance party in there and other days she moves less often in little spurts. Feeling her is always the best part of my day.

Food cravings: Still Subway, Reeces peanut butter eggs, ice cream, fruit loops with milk.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.


Have you started to show yet: Most definitely!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Outie and still looks like a deformed cinnamon bun. It shows through when I wear a fitted tank and it makes me laugh (awkwardly). 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: My baby showers and my friend visiting from Canada.

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!