35 weeks and loving the moments we're in.

11.28.2014

All week I've been crossing my fingers and toes that this nasty cold I've had would let up in time for me to be able to taste Thanksgiving Dinner (lunch at our house) and I am happy to announce that my gratitude for a working sense of smell, and in turn, the ability to taste, is alive and well.


The meal did NOT disappoint! I just kept asking myself, WHY DO WE ONLY EAT STUFFING ONCE A YEAR!? My mom's is seriously the best.

Marcus and I woke up early and turned on the We Bought a Zoo soundtrack as we peeled and boiled 20 pounds of potatoes. It was such a beautiful morning together in our little home. I kept getting an overwhelming feeling of happiness by simply working together in the kitchen with my husband as we looked forward to a day of good food and family. I really like this guy I married and as excited and impatient I've been to have this little baby, today I was just so happy with the little family I already have in my home. I knew I needed to take these last few weeks to really appreciate our alone time. I know it becomes harder to come by, once the little ones start showing up. So, today, I'm grateful for my little family of three (including Poppy, of course!).
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she's wearing:
floral dress (I got a M for reference)//c.o. oasap (buy it here on sale!)
arrow necklace//stella&dot (buy here)
midi rings//etsy (similar here)
nail color//jcrew (buy here)
round sunnies//c.o. oasap (buy here)
tooled leather clutch//vintage (similar here)
petty booties//sam edelman (buy here)


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he's wearing:
rust button up//j.crew (buy here on sale!)
denim//american eagle (buy here)
watch//skagen (buy here)
boots//ben sherman (buy here on sale!)
 __________
she's wearing:
green maternity dress//asos (buy here)
multi chain necklace//old (similar here)
skinny belt//forever21 (similar here)
sweater tights//nordstroms (buy here)
petty booties//sam edelman (buy here)


 __________
he's wearing:
flannel top//H&M (buy here)
jeans//banana republic (buy here)
mocs// (similar here)
Also grateful that I got my sister to get on the pregnancy bandwagon so we can have babies together!
My dad wanted a picture of his pregnant "babies" for his instagram :)
How cute are my twin nieces!? They were my dress up dolls when I was younger and now they're beautiful young women!

How was your Thanksgiving? 
Anything you're feeling especially grateful for this year or any fun traditions your family has?

Non-Maternity Jeans, FTW!

11.20.2014

Oh man, looking at these photos is making me laugh, I remember when I shot this video with Reachel, I thought I was getting prettttty big--HA! I'm looking at myself in jealousy, longing for the comfort of that barely stretched belly, I don't even thing I was using the rubber band trick at this point. (People, if you don't know the rubber band trick, please see pin here--it is the lifesaver of pregnancy).

And even though I am now utilizing above trick, I am still wearing these jeans (when I'm not in leggings, lounging around the house) and they are still 1,000,000 times more flattering AND comfortable than the one pair of maternity jeans I finally bought from Gap, which I never wear because they hurt my stomach and they give me a saggy butt.

So, heed the advice of the Empress, Reachel, you won't regret it.
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wearing:
maternity sweater//asos (buy here or non-maternity here)
metallica necklace//the modboho (buy here)
top jeans//AG (buy here)
middle jeans//Level99 (buy here)
black jeans//Paige Denim (buy here on sale)
loafers//forever21 (buy here)

32 weeks and I'm really pregnant//

11.13.2014

For a long time during this pregnancy, I've felt so much bigger than I was used to (obviously!), but when I would wear certain things, people didn't even seem to notice that I was or if they did, they thought I was was earlier than I was, but those times are gone!

It's to the point where everywhere I go, people are looking at my belly. I finally understand those 'busty women woes' you've heard of--you know that one's that feel like people are always staring at their chests, only for me, they're staring at my bump and there's no denying it. Luckily, I'm not a self-conscious person, so it doesn't bother me, but I just find it funny to look around and see everyone I interact withs eye's going straight down.

It's getting harder to get out bed or out of the car.... or bend over and play fetch with Poppy, or find any shirts that aren't belly shirts, or eat any decent sized meals, but I know I still have several weeks to go, so I'm trying to grasp the fact that I still have a whole lotta growing left to deal with, so I better just suck it up.

This little guy better deliver on the cuteness because pregnancy is not super fun in my opinion and I'm having a hard time imaging that I'm going to have to do this again someday! HOLY MOLY! *insert sweating emoticon*

Hope your day is going well, it's almost the weekend!

XO
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wearing:
buffalo check shirt//gap (buy here or similar here)
lip color//covergirl really red (buy here)
maternity striped dress//old navy (buy here or non-maternity here)
"silver stunner" bracelet//themodboho (buy here)
dot socks//madewell (similar here)
petty booties//sam edelman (buy here)



a rainbow of midi-skirts!

11.12.2014

My best friend's brother is getting married next month and she's frantically trying to find something to wear that is
A. Under $50
B. Dressy enough for a wedding, while still being versatile for mixing and matching within her wardrobe once the wedding is over
C. Accommodating for her new, but growing baby bump

She knew she felt feminine and pretty in A-line or full skirts, plus those are easy to pull over a bump, so that was mostly where I started. I was just going to send her all these cute skirts I found, but I figured you all might be interested as well, so here is my rainbow of options for your browsing pleasure (be sure and click the little arrow to the right to see the few on the next page).

All are under $50 and include free shipping and returns--just click on the images that catch your eye and pair them with a bold necklace like this one, this one, or my personal fave, here, to take it up a dressy notch :)

My Simple Pregnancy Essentials//

11.07.2014

I've been a fan of this stuff long before there was a human growing inside of me, but for whatever reason my skin and lips have become even more dry since said human showed up, so know it's a must have before I go to bed and right when I wake up. I love it, because most lip balms I've tried have a weird smell or chemical taste, but this one is the golden ticket for sure.

I tried this after I saw it recommended by Sydney, from The Daybook. So glad I did. I'm not sure if this is a normal pregnancy symptom or not, but I get really sick (nauseated, dizzy, achy) when I have anything restrictive on my torso region. I can't handle any tightness around my ribcage or my stomach, so all my normal, sized, wired bras were NOT working. This bra basically saved my life. It's super stretchy and has (removeable) lining so you don't have to worry about things showing through that you don't want showing through. I don't have experience with this yet, but I'm guessing it will be nice for nursing as well, because it's so stretchy; I guess we'll see if it makes my Post-Pregnancy List...

This is almost surely my absolute favorite thing on the list. I can not tell you how this pillow has improved my life! People who know me in real life are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this gem, but I'm sorry, I'm an evangelist for it. It is so freaking comfortable--Marcus (and Poppy) try to steal it from me almost every night because whatever foam/stuffing they put in this thing is magic. Plus the cases are so darn cute! When we went on our trip to the PNW, I didn't bring it and my SIL said she had an old pregnancy pillow I could use. It was the same basic shape, so I figured it would work just as well. People, IT DID NOT. It was terrible and you should not buy any other body pillow than the Bump Nest, because it trumps all. Amen and amen.

Alright, this is a new find this week and I'm majorly in love with it. I started having pain in my sacroiliac joints when I'd be on my feet a lot, so I went to my chiropractor and he said it was due to my loosening ligaments in my...FEET. He adjusted the arch of my foot and to my surprise the pain was gone within a few hours. He told me I could use this percussion massager on my arches to do mini-adjustments at home. It doesn't work quite as well as when he does it, but it definitely helps! Plus this thing feels so good on my back and shoulder blades and Marcus loves it too. Twenty-five dollars well spent, I'd say!

As I mentioned, my skin has been really dry and dead looking and it's really got me feeling down because a flakey face is not a pretty sight, but I recently remembered that when I was living in freezing/windy Idaho, my dermatologist recommended I try this moisturizer and it saved me then. I picked some up a couple of weeks ago and I've already seen a lot of improvement on my face. I usually just use it at night before bed because it's pretty thick and makeup doesn't really adhere to it, but it's a great night cream.

Marcus picked up a travel size bottle of this on our last trip and he fell in love. We then got a big bottle of it and so I started using it as well. It's a natural/organic soap and because of the peppermint oil, it's super cooling and refreshing. BE CAREFUL not to get it in your eyes though--it's crazy painful, but if you can keep it clear of those babies, I'm happy with this soap.

I love having this longer length robe to throw on if the UPS guy shows up in the morning before I've gotten dressed (let's be honest, sometimes it's after noon and I still haven't gotten dressed, but I digress...) It's super soft and the midi-length provides the modesty to be able to open the door, without being so long that it trips you up. I think it will be nice to bring in my hospital bag as well, or I might order this cute one from Gap.

Now this kimono robe is quite a bit shorter, but it's so dang pretty and even though it looks and feels totally luxury, it's machine washable! I like to wear this one when I'm having a lazy weekend morning at home with Marcus and I'm not ready to get dressed (I'M NEVER READY TO GET DRESSED! Getting dressed while pregnant is SO HARD!) but I still want something pretty on. It also looks super cute with a pair of leggings on underneath, now that the mornings and evenings are finally cooling off :)

Alright, I don't claim to be someone who does tons of research on making sure everything I use is perfectly natural, but I do try to have an idea of not putting totally toxic stuff on my body, especially now that I'm carrying a growing human inside of me! So I was looking for a lotion that smelled yummy and was relatively natural. I had gotten a sample of this at a blogging conference I attended and Marcus loved whenever I put it on, so I read up a little more on it, and thought it sounded pretty good, so I ordered a full bottle and I'm a super fan. Next time I think I'll try one of the other scents, just to mix it up. I use this all over my body, but most often on my belly, in hopes of keeping it moisturized enough to avoid/minimize stretch marks...fingers crossed!

So, I'm sure you've heard the idea that a pregnant woman's sense of smell is on high alert, I can't say that mine has gone up that much because I was always at the top of the scales with my super senses, but smelling good is of high importance, and it's quite important that Marcus smells good if he wants to get...snuggly with this pregnant lady. Commodity sent us a pack of their sample scents and this one was both Marcus' and my favorite smell by far. He got a full size bottle and every time he wears it, he get's lucky, let's just be honest. Ha! It's so good.

Alright! Your turn! 
I'd love to hear things you've tried and loved. 
What am I missing to make this pregnancy more comfortable? Anything on the list you're excited to try?

As always, thanks for reading and commenting! Feel free to pin this post if you found it interesting!

thirty-one weeks and my five senses

11.03.2014

Seeing: My belly like a wave as this baby boy jabs his little heel up and down my right side.
Hearing: The Essential James Taylor Album while I organize a drawer full of tiny baby socks and hats and onesies in the nursery, the same drawer I've opened and closed and moved things around in at least three other times in the past few weeks--i need this little baby to come start wearing these mini things before i lose my mind!
Smelling: This candle in gogi berry from anthropologie. It's my all time favorite house smell. It's on it's last burn, but luckily I have my birthday discount this month--time to restock! :)
Tasting: Cold, soft ice coated in a little bit of cran-apple juice--it's my latest addiction.
Feeling: Acid in my throat and stomach after every meal I eat and wondering how my belly could stretch any tighter than this. Mostly feeling ready for the baby to be in my arms and not in my uterus.
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wearing:
buffalo check coat//c.o. oasap (buy here)
locket necklace//jcrew old (similar here)
oxblood long sleeve tee//forever21 (buy here)
fox ring//c.o. cents of style (buy here) *use code for UNICORNS for 20% off anything in the store
demin skinnies//levi's curve ID (buy here
forest green heels//just fab (similar here)
© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.