3 2 weeks pregnancy update

okay sooo, once again a post that's been long overdue.  i'm gonna just go ahead and blame it on the weather since it's been so crazy lately.... after all we did get home from our trip to Galveston literally a day before Harvey hit!  on that note-- a huge thank you to all of you that reached out to make sure we were safe, offered a place to stay, and prayed for us non-stop.  we are so blessed to live in a neighborhood that has good drainage and the only thing we can even "complain" about was the cabin fever.  after seeing what so many other people are going through, i will take cabin fever 1,000 times over again.  please keep those prayers coming for everyone that was greatly effected by the storm(s), i know they are appreciated 100%.

okay, on to our little, or not so little, updates!  at 32 weeks pregnant i'm feeling all the feels and so ready to be done.  but i also know i am so blessed to be able to carry this little life inside of me so i have to try my best to not complain (which is super difficult 🙈) about the temporary pains i'm going through...  let's just say compression socks are my accessory of umm, "choice" these days?  but really- the vein situation in my legs is just ridiculous and i'm super ready to feel normal again.  whatever that means.  also, when the doctor says she thinks you're measuring small you take that as a sign to eat alllll the chips & queso.  i mean, i'm doing it to help the baby bulk up, right?  at least that's what i'm telling myself.  and i'll just keep ignoring the fact that the scale IS going up despite the size of my stomach, which honestly seems huge to me and i'm willing to bet baby girl is gonna be right up there with her siblings weighing over 8lbs. and hardly even able to fit into newborn clothes. but i'll take any excuse i can get, someone pass me the chips....

-A

dress: similar || button down: similar

24 weeks pregnant & learning to relax

chambray button down: similar || denim maternity shorts: similar ASOS (shout out to awesome friends who loan you cute & perfect summer maternity clothes!:) || tank top: target || glasses: Oliver Peoples

well i am now 24 weeks along with this little pumpkin and she has really made an appearance this past week!  talkin' helloooww baby bump!  still no complaints over here excluding my bulging veins (which i briefly mentioned in my last post) in my legs which sometimes hurt quite a bit after being on my feet all day. so i've been trying to make more of an effort to sit down and prop my feet up, while wearing my ultra chic compression socks(!), a few times a day but i'm not gonna lie, it's hard.  and it's not just because of the two kids who come over immediately once they see me sit down demanding i hold one of them, play with the other and then continue to climb/kick all over me... this is how i imagine it goes in their heads-- "look! mom's sitting down! hey from this angle she looks like she'd make the perfect playground!  quick, lets go climb/beat up all over her!" thanks kids.. it's no biggie, really haha.

but honestly, i think too often i end up feeling guilty for taking just 5 minutes to myself sitting down and resting when i know there are SO many other things i need to/should get done instead.  and it doesn't help that once i'm actually sitting on the couch it makes me realize just how tired i actually feel, which then makes me realize i should make a coffee to get through the rest of the day and as i've mentioned before, it's a whole family affair when it comes to making mom's coffee... Sooo long story short, i'm working on letting myself rest more and telling myself that it's just as important as cleaning the kitchen, putting away the laundry and fetching individual snacks 1,000 times a day.  i think  i'm making some pretty big strides!  the other night i went to Aldi and got a large frozen pizza that we all had for dinner and didn't allow myself to feel one ounce of guilt about it.  i mean- i did steam some broccoli as a side so it wasn't totally unhealthy ;) but still-- little to no clean up, full bellies and time to relax/play after dinner with the kids was pretty perfect.  #itsthelittlethingsinlife

congratulations everyone, we made it through monday!  thank goodness for afternoon target trips which include coffee, cake pops & strolling the toy aisles with friends :) 

-A


*this post contains affiliate links which means by clicking these links i may receive a small commission on some items at no extra cost to you :) 

ramblings about patience

•my children are both obsessed with "helping" me make my morning coffee.  i love that they want to help but some mornings, on the outside i'm giving them an encouraging grin and dancing along to the sound of the coffee being poured into my mug, but on the inside i'm screaming that they do everything just a taaaad quicker so i can feel somewhat awake & alive after being up since 5:30am.  thank you motherhood for teaching me the need for endless amounts of patience ;) 

 

mug: Amazon

•if you didn't see my Instagram post-- surprise, baby #3 is a girl!!!
  i went and bought the first of many impulse buys for baby girl this past week from the cutest little children's boutique.  zo was obsessed with the sales ladies and warmed up to them faster than i've ever seen her warm up to strangers!  the whole time i was thinking "umm who's child is this?!" we got her a pair of adorable little Native shoes that she's been wearing ever since we got home!
p.s. how cute are those kerchief bibs ?!  

 

kerchief bibs: Amazon | Hedgehog romper: Amazon

•summer time in Texas means never going outside past 11:30am unless water and endless amounts of sunscreen are involved.  thankful for the creative engineer that came up with this adorable little splash area at a local park.
 

•gorgeous peonies, an ever growing bump & curious little hands begging to please buy the "very pretty flowers!"  

 

oh, and any tips for dealing with seriously bad varicose veins (notice my left leg) during pregnancy?? 

•taking a quick popsicle break before getting back in the pool & sprinkler on July 4th.  notice Zo's lid AND towel, she absolutely hates when her popsicle starts to melt & drip.   ahh the problems you face as a three year old...  

chairs: Target

Monday is over, yayyy!  The hardest day of the week is done!  Praying that your remaining days are filled with nothing but happiness, love & lottttsss of patience.

    

-A

*this post contains affiliate links which means i may receive a small commission on some items i have listed at no extra charge to you :) 

20 weeks pregnant & my daily fuel

helllooo 20 week baby bump! and woah, already half way done!!

dress (non-maternity): target

so i thought i'd start sharing some maternity style posts in the event that it inspires any other pregnant ladies out there that are struggling with dressing this new little (or not so little!) baby bump.  something i've learned since being pregnant now 3 times over: you do not have to sacrifice personal style when it comes to being pregnant.  it's all about what YOU like and what makes YOU feel beautiful.  after all, your body is doing something absolutely incredible--making a tiny little human life! but, i obviously know the shock of seeing the changes that happen to your body while this awesome process is going on.  it can be uncomfortable (if you're not there yet just wait, it'll happen ;) and sometimes even the teeny tiniest bit saddening (thanks hormones!) to see the way your new body looks.  but one thing to remember is that the whole process is SO worth it.  like 1,000 times over worth it.  or in my case, 3 times haha.  in the end, the only thing that matters is a healthy baby & a healthy mama. So on that note, lets get down to business!
("to defeat, the Huns!"--Mulan reference, i couldn't resist)

this sleeveless shirt dress is the perfect summer time maternity staple piece!  it's so lightweight & flowy, which is what I'm loving and basically living in right now (excluding my everyday morning/afternoon ensemble of workout shorts & tanks;)  due to scorching outdoor temps.  and I just love the simplicity of it, its one of those dresses that doesn't really need anything added to make it look complete.

mug: world market || heart pendant: similar

well, that's not totally true...  my only add-on would be a mug of espresso, or three, to make it 

through the rest of the day ;) 

happy weekend all! 

-A

life updates & new little personalities

oh my, it's been a while since my last post. A lonnngg while... I have plenty of excuses but will just chalk it up to everyday life around here-- keeping up with a 14month old, a 3 year old (how?!) and being 5months pregnant keeps me extra busy & extra tired!

so here's just a few life updates before I get on to doing regular posting:

-first & most importantly: we are SO excited to be welcoming another little life into our family come November!  Baby's due date is november 7th but will be a scheduled c-section so unless they come early it'll either be October 31st (boo!) or November 1st :) we still don't know the gender as of yet and I was leaning towards boy but now I'm feeling girl... which would be perfect cause we have plenty of girl clothes to pass down but Peter has basically destroyed all of his clothes already. #allboy.  really though, so far this has been an extremely easy pregnancy, which im so thankful for, and it would be awesome if it stayed that way!  now our next big decision is deciding what kind of car to upgrade to since my car will no longer be big enough for our little crew once baby comes.  Currently stuck between a mini van and a suburban... please feel free to recommend away haha!

⁃ Zo turned 3 years old on May 22nd and I'm kinda in denial about it.  we threw her a real birthday party this year cause she is birthday obsessed, so much so that she plays birthday party with herself all the time haha. it was such a fun day for all of us and she had an absolute blast!  will be posting
about it soon :)  it's so hard to believe how quickly she's growing up!  But honestly, we are loving this
stage of her life (so far haha)!  she's almost fully potty trained (which turned out to be waaay easier than we thought it would be!) she talks allll day long, loves singing & dancing, has taken a big interest in puzzles, the solar system and is obsessed with all things garden, floral & nature related.
and since the talking is basically 24/7 I've started keeping little notes of things she says cause they can be pretty hilarious sometimes, and I also want to have proof of these sassy little remakes to show her when she grows up ;) one of my all time faves (so far) was when my sister was visiting and we were chatting it up, like sisters do after not seeing each other for a while, and Zo apparently had enough of us and finally just blurts out "alright alright that's enough talking!" hahaha!  the girl is sassy but adorable, such a great combo ;)

the boy in his natural habitat

⁃ Peter Man (as his sister likes to call him) has developed quite the little personality too and he's not afraid to show it... Now, he's almost always smiling and just has the cutest little grin ever--unless you go outside without him, then he losses his little mind. no really, he screams and throws himself on the
floor cause he wants to get out so badly.  he'll stand by our back windows banging on them and yelling to go outside (in his own little language) and if you don't listen to him he'll go find some shoes to bring to you, even if they aren't yours or don't match, and repeatedly hold them up to you saying "dis (this) dis!" until you finally give in and take him outside even though it's already 90 degrees and humid as a rain forest.  I swear he'd live outside if he could. Like I said #allboy.  oh, and he still hasn't said "mama" yet. *eye roll*

That's about it for the "fun" life updates! we're over here bracing ourselves for the hot season that's already upon us and preparing to spend a lot of time playing in the pool, water table & sprinkler.  So bring on the heat, cause I've already stocked the freezer with multiple kinds of ice pops. Summer 2017, we're ready for you.

love,
amy