Still Pregnant

So… I’m still pregnant. And before you ask, NO. I am not past my due date. It just seems like this pregnancy has lasted forever and ever. I have spent a lot of this pregnancy very worried about how I will manage balancing two little ones. I am no longer fearful and feel ready to take on the challenge! I am so ready to meet this baby girl and get SO excited thinking about the fact that I will meet her in less than one week! Eeee!

My hubby and I have spent SOooo many hours “nesting” and organizing our house. We moved into our home almost 4 years ago and it has been one project after another (we bought our house in foreclosure and there was a LOT to do!!). I don’t think either one of us realized how much work needed to be done but it’s finallllly feeling like we’re getting somewhere! So adding to that list the fact that we had to get the nursery ready for baby girl and completely set up a new room for Ryder was a lot. We also went through closets and cabinets and boxes we still haven’t gone through since we moved! It’s been a LOT of work. But we now feel very organized and isn’t that the best feeling?! I love feeling organized and having a clean home.

But now … I barely have energy to get out of bed! I’m exhausted all the time. Ryder has been such a good little boy and I’m trying so hard to enjoy these last few weeks with him. But he is BUSY! And it’s hard on my body to carry him around and play with him outside in the blazing heat at the parks, pool, etc. On top of just hurting and being uncomfortable because I’m HUGE (which strangers LOVE to tell me. WTF?!)

WHY would you ever tell a complete stranger “you look months past your due date!” or “Oh my heavens! You’re about to POP!” and “Hurry and get her checked out so she doesn’t deliver that baby right here in our store!”  HUH?!?! I mean, seriously? How am I supposed to respond to comments like that?! Ugh! People. LOL PS: You don’t need to tell me/remind me that I’m huge. I already know. I’m the one carrying this beast of a belly around! Trust me. I know. People also like to comment “that baby’s ready to come out! Your belly has dropped!” Like they know anything about my pregnancy. FYI, she has NOT dropped. She is so high it’s hard for me to breathe!

I also just spill everything. I’m not sure how? Or why? Ha! I met up with some friends this week and ended up leaving our play date with cream cheese, brownie, pizza sauce, strawberries and milk down the front of my shirt. OMG. Ha! It’s kinda funny. But not! I can’t wait to feel semi-normal sized again. Until then, I try to wear a lot of black. LOL. Wearing any other color (while eating or being around a messy toddler) is very risky these days.

I am always so thankful for the cooler weather. Here I am in all black and surprisingly comfortable. Considering I’m 1,000 years 10 months pregnant. These leggings are so soft and I have been living in them lately. This top is big and baggy and I love that it gives me room. Wearing anything sleeveless, tight or short is just not my thing these days. You know you’re puffy and bloated when you don’t even want to expose your ankles! HA! I swear I wasn’t this puffy with Ryder, but maybe I was and I just blocked it out? I texted my best friend the other day telling her that if I ever talk about having a third that she should punch me in the face and call me names until she knocks some sense into me because… WHYYYYYYYY! LOL It’s amazing the things we forget once that overwhelming love comes pouring in as you’re handed your new baby fresh from heaven.

And this boy. He’s so flippin’ cute I seriously can’t take it!! I have been craving Slurpees and using the excuse that they’ll “cool me down.” But I hate going when Ryder’s in the car because I don’t want to start him on this crazy sugar addition I have! But for the first time I let him have a teeny tiny bit of my Slurpee and it’s safe to say he’s forever addicted! Oooops! When he finished the tiny bit I gave him he was SO upset and wanted “more juice!!!!!!”. ☺ It is almost impossible to get pictures of this boy smiling these days. Or in focus. I mostly get pictures of the back of his head because he sees the camera and almost always takes off running. HA! Poor kid. He’s so much fun and I am SO excited to see him with his little sister who he calls “heartbeat” or “sissy”. He loves carrying around her 3D ultrasound pictures and saying “HEARTBEAT! SISSY! HEARTBEAT!!!” He just repeats things over and over until you acknowledge what he’s saying. I love him forever and ever!

Leggings // My leopard sandals from Target are old, but these and these are similar and so cute. 

My top is old (from last pregnancy) but this top looks just as loose and comfy and it comes in multiple colors! // Clutch is old, but similar here.

I love Francesa's and can't get enough. Been wearing this braclet daily! It goes with everything. 

             

Bold Patterns

We're getting so close to meeting our baby girl! I feel like I've been pregnant for 100 years! LOL I have been having contractions on and off for quite some time and have actually gotten used to them. For the most part, they don't bother me all that much. Just a little uncomfortable and it makes me tired. Every now and then I'll have a few close together that are pretty intense, but they always calm down after a while. So no major false alarms. 

I've been so emotional lately. My baby turned two and I just don't know how that's possible. NOTHING has made time fly by so quickly other than watching my baby grow. I love to see him grow, learn and change. But also feel so heartbroken as each day passes knowing that this wonderful phase of life will be missed once my babies are all grown up. Time is slipping through my fingers. I'm trying to just enjoy each day and be as present as possible, which can be hard when you're massively pregnant and miserable at times. 

I'm also just trying to enjoy this bump while it lasts. Part of me is like "GET OUTTTTTTT! I can't take it anymore!!!" and then another part of me is so sad to say goodbye to my bump. Leaving me with thoughts like, "I'm gonna miss feeling her kicks in there. Oh, I don't want to say goodbye to this cute bump!" There is something so special about carrying your babies and feeling them inside of you. Being able to carry my own babies is a gift I don't take for granted. With that being said, it doesn't make pregnancy any easier. Pregnancy is hard. This back and forth in my mind is making me feel a bit bipolar! LOL I was trying to explain to my hubby how hard it is for me to take care of Ryder on days I'm not feeling well (and even on days I AM!). Trying to explain to him that I really appreciate and enjoy my time when we are able to have sitters here playing with Ryder and entertaining him with his toys and playing on the ground with him. But then, I feel guilty one minute later. It is so confusing how I can be so grateful for some time away and feel so much guilt all in one sentence! Tooth has been SO helpful. He's always helping with dishes, laundry, dinner, bath time for Ryder, etc. And every little thing he does is MUCH appreciated. I truly feel I have a caring partner who is doing everything he can to help me out. Oh, I love him. But again, I feel grateful for him doing these things... and then... wait for it... Here comes the guilt!!! WTF?! Ugh, pregnancy hormones. GO AWAY! I do miss Ryder. I say this to my hubby all the time at the end of the day when Ryder is sound asleep in his cozy crib. And he just looks confused and says something along the lines of, "but weren't you with him all day today?!" HA! And yes, usually the answer is yes. But because I'm so pregnant and it's hard for me to really play with him and be fully there for him, it leads to me just feeling like I miss him. And I probably also miss him just because I know soon it won't just be him. I am really hoping to get some quality time in as a family before this baby girl gets here! Change can be hard. Obviously, having a baby is SO exciting and something we are so blessed to experience. Again! But it will change the dynamics of the family and I guess knowing that a huge change is coming my way is kinda scary. Welcome! But scary. 

Ok, onto this gorgeous dress! Sometimes a dress in large pattern like this can scare me. It’s a little out of my comfort zone. But OMG I’m so glad I got it! I love it! Once again, I feel like the pattern makes my bump look much smaller. That’s a huge bonus in itself. LOL But, it is also so comfortable and flattering. It’s more covered for the summer months, but I didn’t feel overheated in this dress at all (I wore it at night). Since this is also a nursing dress, I love, love, love that I will be able to wear this again after I have my baby girl. What a great dress to have for date night, a special occasion, and church. And you don’t have to add anything to this look to make it amazing. It already is! I love the colors in this pattern. Patterns are so fun and pieces like this can be memorable if you’re looking for something for your baby shower, maternity photos, etc. 

Get this PinkBlush dress here

PS PinkBlush also has a non-maternity line for all you non pregnant friends! Shop that line here. I didn't know about this non-maternity line until this pregnancy and I can't wait to try out some pieces after my baby bump is gone. Let me know what you think of the clothes if you try anything out! :)

           

PinkBlush Maternity

I’m so excited to share with you all a recent collaboration I had with PinkBlush Maternity. I have loved this clothing line throughout both pregnancies! Whether I’m buying a cute sweater or a summer dress, I’ve loved everything and have gotten a lot of use out of their cute clothes. 

I have fallen in love with PinkBlush’s dresses this pregnancy. On days I’m feeling really lazy but still need to look put together, I gravitate toward their dresses because you just throw on these cute dresses and look like you spent a lot of time and energy getting ready when in fact, it was so easy! I love effortless looks that look like you put a lot of time and thought into. Because Lord knows there won’t be a lot of time for me to get myself ready once I have two little ones!

A huge bonus is that some of their dresses double as nursing dresses! I had the hardest time knowing what to wear after Ryder was born when it came to nursing in public. I hated feeling like I was stuck always wearing the same tanks under the same loose T’s for almost a year of nursing! I’m so excited to have more options of cute clothing to wear after this baby is born and I’m needing clothes that make nursing easy and convenient! 

My first look is this gorgeous dress. Perfect for a date night out! This dress is spaghetti strapped but it has a built in bra (and pads!). I loved that because I hate trying to figure out what bra to wear with dresses that require strapless. And strapless bras while pregnant are not comfortable, especially as the bump gets bigger. I'm in love with this pattern that kinda “hides” my bump. Ok, it’s not HIDDEN! But it tricks your eye and makes it look much smaller than it actually is! I love patterns for this reason. 

Get this dress here

My second look was this cute maxi! OMG, so comfy!!! This is a dress that will also come in handy for my nursing days ahead. This dress comes in multiple color options and I had the hardest time deciding because they are all so cute! This dress is such a great option to have in the summer months because you can wear it alone on hot summer days and because the dress is so cute on its own, you don’t need to put much else into the outfit to make it interesting. And, I love that I can just throw on a jacket or a sweater in the evenings if the weather is a little cooler. This dress is really comfortable and I wear it all the time because of that!

Same dress, different color here

A special thanks to PinkBlush for inviting me to do this collaboration with them. I highly recommend PinkBlush! Their items are very reasonably priced. Plus, you can get the dresses and tops that double as nursing clothing! I’m so excited to have cute, fun things to wear other than just a chambray over a nursing tank after the baby is born (and for when I need to nurse discreetly in public). I’ve seriously had times where I wanted to wear tops and/or dresses that didn’t work well with nursing and then when I did need to nurse I’d have to excuse myself from everyone and go to a room or bathroom where I could lift up my entire top or dress and nurse while covering my post pregnancy bod with three swaddle blankets! LOL – never again!

Click here to start shopping some PinkBlush Maternity looks! Happy baby bump shopping :)

             

Maternity + Nursing Dress

I have been living in this black dress! It's so comfortable, you guys. I seriously feel like I'm in a comfy robe when I'm wearing it. The bonus about this dress is that it doubles as a nursing dress. I know this dress will get a LOT of use after the baby comes. I really struggled with what to wear and feeling like I didn't have a lot of options when Ryder was born when it came to clothing and nursing in public. This dress is super stretchy and allows easy access to nurse in public without all the fuss. I'm so excited to have some pieces that truly work for being majorly pregnant AND nursing. Double bonus (insert high five)!

Speaking of nursing... I am so nervous about how I'm going to balance the full-time job that nursing is with a toddler. Friends have told me that I'll learn to multi-task and nurse while she's in a carrier on me. What?! I know this will need to be a talent I learn. But I'm seriously concerned! LOL I have the Moby carrier, which I used twice when Ryder was little. I felt SO hot when I wore it. And all that fabric! Ugh! It just wasn't my thing. If I needed Ryder to be on me in a carrier, I preferred my LilleBaby Carrier. It was just more structured and I didn't have to think about how to put it on and what piece of fabric went where... I just snapped it on! But I'm thinking it will be hard to nurse her while she's in this carrier because it is more structured. Any tips for balancing nursing 24-7 with a toddler are greatly appreciated!! How to strap her on me so she's comfy while eating, how to distract Ryder while I'm feeding her, etc.

Anyway... I wore this dress out at a concert this past week and felt so comfortable. I stuck with some of my most comfy flip flops and an easy bag. BAM. Done. Easy. It was a hot night (the concert was outdoors at Coors Field) and I love having flowy clothes on (as apposed to tight, thick clothing that just seems to trap the heat even more!). Because everything seemed simple and plain, I decided to go with a bold necklace. I love this necklace because it will always and forever remind me of our maternity photo shoot we did while I was pregnant with Ryder. It's crazy how attached I get to random things because of the memories they hold!

Black Nursing Dress // Flip Flops

Clutch // Necklace is old, similar here

            

Just Peachy

This peach dress from PinkBlush is adorable! It's so lightweight and we all know that is necessary when you are pregnant in the summer heat. I love dresses lately because they are so easy. I really like that it doesn't take much thought to get ready when wearing a dress, especially when they have cute patterns like this one! The dress is a statement in itself and you don't need much else to make the outfit interesting.

Belt // Necklace

My fringe booties are no longer in stock. Majorly crushing on these beauties though!

This dress is already out of stock! But here is another that I love!
Hope you're all having a fab day!
             

Sunday Funday

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We got a late start today thanks to a very late night watching fireworks. But Ryder loved it! Staying up past bedtime is a rare occurrence for him and I think he enjoyed hanging with the "big kids". 

This outfit is so simple and easy. This dress is a go-to for me lately! It's not maternity, which I usually don't gravitate towards, especially at this point in pregnancy. But it's so comfy and it's long enough that I don't feel like I have to tug at it to stay in place and cover what it needs to cover! I've also been loving tying thin sweaters or button ups around my waist (hmm... I guess that isn't my "waist", is it?! HA!) lately. I love this style and having the option to throw this on if I get chilly in the evenings. But who am I kidding? I'm rarely "chilly" these days! :-D 

I love this necklace I got it ages ago from Stella and Dot. I feel like it's so casual and goes with everything! Same goes for these glasses. I have a love affair with aviators and these always match no matter what I'm wearing. 

And this tote... I love it! It's reversible, so you get two bags in one, which I love. I have this bag in two colors and grab them all the time when I don't need everything in my diaper bag or I am running errands without Ryder. 

I was checking out at Target today and the woman helping me took one look at me and said "WOAH!! Are you past your due date?! You look like you're about to pop!" Ummm... No! I am not past my due date, but THANKS for that boost of confidence! LOL She went on and on about how I must be sooo uncomfortable and I'm probably "gonna get a LOT bigger" because you gain "SO much more in the last month". Ugh, really?! HUSH IT, lady! Aside from the heat, I actually feel pretty good. I've been able to get decent sleep most nights and try to stay in the A/C when possible. My biggest struggle is keeping up with my Ryder man. He's a busy-body and he's heavy! So carrying him around is hard on my body. But I actually feel pretty good for the most part. 

My emotions have been all over the place this pregnancy. A lot of the time I felt like "OMG, this is never going to end!" But now that I am so close to the end, I'm getting kinda sad that it's going to be over before we know it. I really do love being pregnant (even though some parts of it SUUUUCK) and I think there is no cuter accessory than a baby bump. I LOVE feeling her move in there and I think pregnancy is the coolest thing ever. I also love bitty babies and can't wait to snuggle my little girl. Ohhhh, the baby snuggles. Is there anything better?! 

I got a mani/pedi this afternoon and the lady next to me had a 6 month old sitting in her lap while she got her pedi. This squishy little boy was so adorable! He was so giggly and snuggly and it took everything in me to not BEG this woman to let me hold and cuddle her baby haha! He was so cute and OMG I just looooove babies. I never asked to hold him. Instead I just sat there for about 45 minutes starring at him and smiling like an idiot. I think I was kinda creeping her out but I seriously couldn't look away. LOL I can't wait to meet this baby girl and just the thought of smelling her sweet baby skin, kissing her chubby cheeks and dressing her in cute pink clothes makes me smile like a fool. Less than a month left! Yahooo!

Dress // Plaid button up is old, but similar here

Similar MK aviators here

Tory Burch Wrap Bracelet

Alex and Ani Bracelet

Reversible Tote // Bar Necklace

Similar Key Chain Wallet

Tory Burch Flip Flops

Similar Stella and Dot Necklace HERE

              

Kimono Love

Struggling to stay cool over here with this big bump! But hooraaaaaay for our A/C getting fixed!! FINALLY! I slept great last night, minus the crazy pregnant dreams. Ha! And I am loving this kimono top that is so thin and cool, but I still feel covered. I love that I'll be able to wear this with tanks underneath while I breastfeed as well. I remember really struggling with what to wear so I could easily nurse while on the go with Ryder (without having to take my entire top/dress off!).

I've been crushing on this necklace for a while and Tooth got it for me while we were in Chicago for the birthday. I love it! It's SO cute and I love colorless necklaces that can go with everything.

These shorts are also super comfy and I wore them for a while even after Ryder was born because they are stretchy and forgiving on my tummy in the fourth trimester. When I'm pregnant, I'm usually more comfortable in pants/shorts that have the "secret belly" fit because the fabric going up over my belly is more comfortable. But these are so stretchy, they never bothered me. And once you do have the baby, you don't need all that extra fabric to go up over your stomach, so the low, stretchy cut under the belly felt better after the baby was out.

Kimono // Tank

Mine are old, but similar here

Flip flops // Necklace

Hope you're all having a fab Friday! Happy early 4th of July! :)