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

Giving the Cold Shoulder | Floral Cabi Top

You don’t have to look far for this Summer’s best accessory – All you need is a little shoulder pop and thanks to all the different off the shoulder tops currently trending, there is an option for everyone. I love this chiffon, floral style because the subtle straps help it stay put (no annoying adjustments during the day!) and the soft ruffle across the chest and sleeves gives it romantic, feminine vibes. 

I stumbled upon this shirt at the perfect time because it has a loose fit which leaves some room for my growing baby bump yet still allows me to embrace my personal style. For me personally, one of the hardest things about these 9 months has been feeling "out of my element" when it comes to my clothes. I shouldn't be complaining because nowadays, there are so many cute maternity options available to expecting Mother's. My Mom has told me multiple times that she had two sweaters - a party sweater and a work sweater and would basically wear them on repeat because there just wasn't a plethora of things to choose from. So when I think about that, I feel lucky to have so many current trends that are also made in maternity styles but I still miss my old wardrobe and being able to pick out anything I want to wear for the day. It's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things but I am really looking forward to that day I can pull on my skinny jeans again... :) 

P.S. This outfit was featured on the Cabi blog as part of a maternity style project ...

Stop by to check it out! I had so much fun working on it :)

SHOP THE LOOK:

What do you think of the cold shoulder trend this season? 
Wearing:
Top: c/o Cabi Clothing Jeans: Jessica Simpson - Destination Maternity (similar) Shoes: c/o Shopbop Purse: Sole Society (similar) Sunnies: Old Navy Necklace: c/o Cabi Clothing

The Perfect Summer Top | J. Jill Linen Button Down

31 weeks down down, 9 weeks to go. Isn't that crazy?! Part of me wonders where all the time has gone and part of me feels like the third trimester may quickly wear out its welcome. I tried on four different outfits before work this morning before I found something that was both comfortable (a main goal of mine) and presentable...AKA my morning routine takes a lot more time than it used to. For most of my pregnancy, I was able to wear some of my regular, looser fitting shirts with maternity jeans. These days, many of them no longer work so I have been spending a lot of time in dresses (this is one of my favorites) but with our recent string of chillier rainy days, I opted for white jeans to keep the Summer vibes alive and this amazing linen button down. You guys, my new favorite shirt!

I was so excited when I put it on because it's a long length, non-maternity (which means it will be perfect post-baby) and since it's linen, it's super lightweight. It has side vents too so I think this will be one of my go-to tops to beat the heat when I'm feeling super preggo towards the end of June ;) Things are getting very real lately, friends...my body has changed a lot and so has our second bedroom, which is now almost fully transformed into the little man's nursery...stay tuned for photos of the progress next week!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Wearing:
Top: c/o J. Jill Jeans: Jessica Simpson (similar) Shoes: c/o Sole Society (similar) Purse: Express Jean Jacket: Forever 21 (similar) Lemon Cup: Kate Spade via Shopbop Sunnies: LOFT Flowers: Mariano's

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