Baby Shower Style | ASOS Maternity Dress

A pancake station ✔️ 

Baby succulents ✔️ 

A "Mom-osa" bar ✔️ 

A carriage made of cupcakes ✔️

...These are a few of my favorite things 

I must say, the gracious hosts of our baby shower (all 7 of them!) didn't miss a beat in personalizing the day just for us and our growing Family. I remember how early my Mom started plotting ideas for shower day...We shared the big news with our parents in December and a few weeks after Christmas, she was already making folders with ideas and inspiration. A few months later, she hosted the rest of the ladies in my Family at her house for an Italian dinner while they narrowed down options and delegated different tasks to be completed. All along, my Mom made sure everything was kept secret from us because she wanted all of the touches to be a surprise and more than that, didn’t want us having to think about anything since there was already so much on our plates. I’ve been involved in planning multiple different showers (baby and wedding) so I know how much work they are and I can't thank them enough for their time and efforts.

The shower was a few weeks ago and we are still overwhelmed with the love we were shown that day. There was so much joy and happiness spilling out of every little moment and we feel so blessed that our little man is already so loved. P.S. You should have seen our faces once we got all of the gifts into our house...oh my God. I just kept saying, babies CANNOT need this much stuff (though I'm told we'll be surprised how much of it we actually do use). We put everything in the dining room until we were ready to start going through it (many days later) and then napped on the couch for hours, the dog included. A tiring day for us all!

Here are few shots of my favorite details:

party favor succulents found here

cupcake carriage by smallcakes 

"mom-osa" station

As for the dress, I considered quite a few – I basically kept my eye on the rotating maternity styles at ASOS for a few months and closer to shower day, I ordered a few different ones. I was obsessed with this style online – It was out of stock for so long (and actually is again, but the maxi version is available!). I loved it so I waited for it to be re-stocked to try it on...unfortunately, it was still a little too big/boxy on me and I was really looking for something more body hugging. As I’ve mentioned previously, I prefer this when it comes to maternity styles…in my mind, there’s no reason we should hide our bump or the rest of our shape. With that said, I ended up choosing this half sleeve style (in light blue, of course!) and was very happy with it. 

SHOP MY SHOWER LOOK:

P.S. If you're still hunting for a maternity occasion dress, here are a few of the other runners-up I debated on and off...they're all so beautiful! 

SHOP OCCASION DRESSES:

And because this outtake is too good not to share...Damn wind! Would have been a fun shot :)

Overjoyed and overwhelmed, all at once!

Can't believe we're about to become Mom & Dad...Eek!!

Let the adventure begin... 

Wearing:

Dress: ASOS Maternity

Shoes: Splendid c/o ShopBop

Earrings: Francesca's (old), similar

Bracelet: Alex & Ani

Lipstick: Butter London - Loved Up

Happiness in 3 Words | J. Jill Print Dress

“To be happy, it’s not necessary to expend great effort so we get somewhere else. Instead, relax into the present moment while finding humor in your life. With humor, life becomes light and leisurely. And laughter always brings people to experience openness and joy.” - Current read

If you think about it, true moments of happiness don’t require much. Outside of the obvious staples (my Family and friends), I require just a few simple things to experience joy: Sunshine, warm weather, being outdoors (and bonus, a perfectly made iced coffee). Not too much to ask, right? Then how come it seems our generation, me included, focuses all our energy on having it all? Whether it’s having an endless wardrobe, unique travel plans every weekend, an HGTV style home or many times, all of the above, we often seem to lose sight of what we already have.

As big of a role as social media plays in my life (both for work and play), I also have negative feelings towards it which come in waves. I think it's the main suspect in our negative feelings if our lives don’t match up to the images portrayed in perfectly curated feeds of squares. It’s easy to forget that these are just fleeting moments of people’s lives – Between your friends last perfect blow out and trip to some exotic island, it’s very possible she lost a loved one or had a misstep in her career. It’s inevitable to experience moments of heartache, regret, sadness, jealousy and stress…it’s just that those moments often don’t make the cut for our internet lives.

Maybe this is currently on my mind because I’m just about to wrap up 13 Reasons Why and it’s been a good reflection of how much others actions have an impact on us. We share our lives with the public and hope to get validation from others, a sense of approval that we’re doing meets the standards of complete strangers. I’m being a bit hypocritical because I’m just another wheel that makes this cycle go round. But it’s funny if you think about it because like I said, real feelings of happiness are produced from so little. Suddenly, I am picturing the moment our car crosses over the Wisconsin state line to our lake house and we're driving through miles of open land with the windows down because the air smells so good. THAT is a real happiness moment and sometimes I wonder how much pressure and uneasiness would be alleviated if we all took a break from the mechanical scrolling through the “real” lives of others.

So, I challenge you to think: What are the first 3 things that come to mind when you think about what really makes you happy? You probably didn’t think of a pair of shoes or even a week in Europe. I’m willing to bet they were much more vanilla examples...like iced coffee ;)

Speaking of iced coffee, this beautiful Saturday filled with sunshine was one of my recent favorites. I spent the day with my Family, felt the warmth on my face and repeatedly said, "This day is amazing! I'm so happy!" -- Because it really is all about the little things (including a summer dress with enough stretch to get me through the next 2.5 months!)

SHOP THE LOOK:

Wearing:

Dress: c/o J. Jill

Jacket: J. Crew (sold out but similar here)

Shoes: c/o Shopbop

Lip color: Fruit Punch - Milani (only $6!)

Earrings: c/o Park Lane Jewelry (similar)

Sunnies: Old Navy

Bag: Target

Short necklace: LOFT

Long necklace: T+J Designs (on sale!)

A Different Spring Break Staycation

Fact: Every now and then, life throws you a curveball that just can't be avoided. Sometimes, no matter how you try to work around it, plans are broken and we just have to go with the flow. For example, a certain pregnant gal and her husband were looking forward to a long weekend in Charleston, SC beneath the Spanish moss and among pastel colored homes...The last Spring Break just the two of us, exploring with no strings attached. But then life started to play ball and threw husband a torn ACL, making for a disappointed couple and possibly a a long road to recovery ahead, amidst all of the other changes already taking place. Not only was I sad to be missing our next adventure together but I felt so bad to hear his news...so much of what he does is to make me happy and when he finally started playing in a regular basketball league again with his friends, he was tossed a bad hand. But like I said, there will be many instances like this in life where we must adapt and make the best of the new situation. 

 I'd have been more content with staying home for Spring Break, working on the house, continuing to prepare for the addition to the Family and enjoying some of the things in our own city... that's actually a pretty accurate description of what we ended up doing last week but please note a few things: It has been gloomy and/or rainy almost every. single. day. and it's killing me slowly. These photos were taken on a rare sunny Sunday afternoon, so do not be fooled. My mood has always depended on the weather, but this end of Winter/beginning of Spring has truly had me feeling out of sorts and wishing for a few days on the beach or another place entirely, a little more than usual. Not to mention, I cannot catch a break in the world of flu's, colds and fevers - I have been hit with one illness after another which has been very tiring so even our staycation plans were a little more couch related than planned. It's really hard when the baby takes such a toll on your immune system!

All of this combined plus the realization of how many things are shifting in our lives has made for quite the roller coaster of emotions lately. As ecstatic as I am for our new adventure (tiny little man!!), our chapter as the two of us is soon coming to a bittersweet end. So, I guess that's made me a little more starry eyed and filled with wanderlust than normal. But I digress...this is all slightly selfish, as I think about all the amazing things we've done together already (our Ireland trip being at the very top) and all the memories yet to be made. So, here's to going with the flow, stocking up on green smoothies and welcoming the sunshine back, whenever it's ready.

In other news, this whole outfit not only seemed super Spring Break appropriate but also made me feel the most like myself that I have in a while. No belly bands, no long shirts to COVER the belly band...just a comfy pair of striped linen pants, with enough stretch for me to even TUCK IN my lace top. YES PLEASE! I miss tucking in, guys! Pair it all with the chambray straw hat and I'm ready for a day in the Sun...should it ever choose to return ;) 

Thanks for listening to my rant session today - sometimes it just feels better to let it out! Xo

Wearing:

Top: c/o J. Jill

Pants: c/o J. Jill

Sun Hat: c/o J. Jill

Purse: Jessica Simpson (similar)

Sandals: c/o Shopbop

Sunnies: LOFT

Blue Hues + Big News

Style obsessions come and go and coming in hot for me lately, are peplum tops. A little ruffle never hurt nobody, especially a preggo lady looking for an extra boost of flirty and feminine...plus they are super flattering on all body types. I have a growing collection and was excited to add some gingham to the peplum gang -- I jumped at the chance to order this LOFT top (on sale!) because with it being so light, I figured it was perfect for Spring and will pair great with white jeans as well (*tip - as with most things from LOFT, size down with this top...runs pretty big!)

I suppose I love this top because I'm also very into blue hues lately...Perhaps this has something to do with some BIG NEWS we found out last week! My husband and I are still reeling from finding out we have a son on the way. I'm going to have a son...a SON. In case you are wondering, typing those words feels just as surreal as the vision in my mind. I will be honest - For some reason, I was so positive we were having a girl (which makes no sense because it was obviously just a shot in the dark!) But because it's my first pregnancy, I found it fun to play into all the stereotypes and old wives tails, a lot of which made me think bows and tutu's...except for the ladies in my life who thought boy all along because of the way "I'm carrying." Seriously, does any of this stuff hold any truth?

Well, they were right. My Dr. said with much certainty, "looks like you're having a boy!" and I felt slightly blindsided...Sir, I don't have any boy names on deck and I don't know a thing about Matchbox Cars or Dinosaurs (or whatever boy things are cool these days...) But a little while later, I started thinking about my nephew (Lisa's boy) and what a big piece of my heart he has. Like, heart physically hurting when he's in pain or fluttering when he's happy and then I realized it's not about toys or what you "might not know," because it's only what you don't know YET...there's so much time to learn. Soon, I will begin a lifelong relationship with a special boy unlike any other in my life. A gentleman who I hope will always protect me, treat women with much-deserved respect, work hard at something he enjoys and love his Family just as unconditionally as we love him.

I should have figured because it IS customary in my Family for a boy to be born first...I always felt lucky to have an older brother who watched out for me (especially because he's the best one I could imagine), so hopefully we're following that trend. Not to mention, he and my Mom have such a special relationship...they got to spend almost 8 years together before I came along and you can definitely tell how much of her was instilled in him. Her generous spirit and sensitivity are obvious in his actions every day and I love seeing how great of friends they have become. I have so many amazing Mother-son examples in my life and look forward to setting my own soon enough.

Now, back to hanging with my hubs and editing/politely disagreeing over our "baby boy names" google doc... ;) 

SHOP THE LOOK:

Wearing:

Top: LOFT

Jeans: Destination Maternity (similar)

Trench Coat: H&M

Wedges: c/o Shopbop

Bag: Just Fab (similar)

Bracelet: c/o Park Lane Jewelry

Lipstick: GloMinerals

Because We Love Camo Pants!

Similar to our leopard obsession, Kaitlyn and I cannot get enough of camo pants this season. The most common ways to wear them include pairing with a chambray top, a black or white blazer, or a cute graphic tee.

When I poked around Pinterest, I saw a lot of similar looks but I found some unexpected ones too! I am really loving the unique styling of these looks below. 

(source)

(source)

(source)

How do you style your camo pants?