Rainbow Baby

I read something this morning on Instgram and felt the need to share this...

As some of you know, I went through this and for anyone else who has been or is going through this, I thought it's a great reminder for what's to come...

"Rainbow Baby, the beauty that comes after a storm, is a description lovingly used for babies that are born after a miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss.  For women who have experienced a loss, conceiving a "rainbow baby" doesn't make them forget the loss, take it away or diminish it, but it does give them hope for a new chance at motherhood."

Oliver is our Rainbow Baby.

Boy, oh Boy!

February 3rd, we found out we are expecting a precious little boy!!

During my first trimester, I had a small hunch it was a boy.  And, for fun, I took the Chinese Gender Predictor during this time and it stated it was a boy.

Weeks later, Matt and I upped our fun games and looked up some old wives tales.

All of them said, "girl"! :)

It cracks me up that 80% of them were incorrect for us, but it was so much fun playing along anyway.

I'm excited to bring a boy into this world that we will work on being dapper, respectful, romantic, act on chivalry, and be a complete gentleman.

Reflecting back on that night; there were so many emotions...

Going in for our ultrasound I was on my tippy toes... I was so nervous!  I didn't want to spoil the surprise; I almost didn't want to know...  And just seeing our baby, again, made my heart skip a beat.  And I giggled at the fact that he was a dancing machine that night and wouldn't let the ultrasound technician capture a photo of his leg. 

(I hope he has his daddy's dance moves!)

Seeing and hearing his heartbeat made me melt... I beamed and just as my first ultrasound, it felt like an out of body experience. 

As some of you know, we didn't have the technician tell us.  We had her place it in an envelope.

We had plans to go to Lou Malnati's for the big reveal.

The same Lou Malnati's where Matt proposed and where we had some of our wedding photos taken.

My sister came up with the idea and she was the second person

to know what we were having.

                       

When we arrived at the restaurant, we anxiously waited.

               There were too many times we wanted to tear open the envelope and take a peek!

We were on our best behavior, though.

My sister snuck off to the bathroom and decided to take her time as I sat with my fingers tied in a knot as I waited for her return..

She decided to take some selfies and even a video selfie...  

(I love her!)

She came out with my new favorite shirt under her jacket.

It was truly sweet and Matt and I are ready to stock up on bow ties and suspenders.

 And, yes, I already started shopping...

Here's some photos of us celebrating!

We cannot wait to meet you Oliver!

Casual Sunday

Yesterday was such a beautiful day!

Matt and I had big plans and I couldn't wait to get outside in the sun.

We were going to do some Mommy & Daddy shopping.

I decided to head out in something comfy.  Especially since earlier this day, 

I was finally taking down our Christmas tree...

(I know, I know!)

We have no idea what we want or what we need or what is good and what isn't good...

So, we started out at Buy, Buy Baby since it seems like they may have the biggest selection.

{Outfit Details}

Heart Maternity Top: Old Navy (gifted) / Jeans: Kohls / Olive Booties: Merona for Target (purchased off Instagram) / Gray Sweater: Daisy Fuentes for Kohls

As we browsed, I realized I'm drawn to all the neutrals... Grays, creams, and whites especially!

And, if there was color, it was all the pastel colors.

(Is Spring here yet?)

Come on, we already look like pros!

The fun will continue today as we head to Babies 'R Us.

We've been there a countless of times when we first found out, but I wasn't drawn to much...

I will admit... We went to Target yesterday (so I can get my ICEE, of course!) and I may have bought the most adorable, little coat on clearance...

Katy met up with us and if it wasn't for her I probably would have left without it...

Then, she told me the magic words, "You can always return it!"

Well, if that's not the best advice I've heard all day, I don't know what is!

So, once we find out the sex here in February, and the coat doesn't work, I'll simply take it back.

Let's have some fun:

What do you think we're having; boy or girl?

Cravings:

ICEEs

Dunkin Donuts Strawberry Frosted

Dunkin Donuts Jelly Filled

Bacon

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Cereal

More recently:

Grapes

Celery

Why Maternity Clothes Rock

A few years ago when my friends were starting their little families, I was included in many shopping events involving maternity wear.

After seeing how expensive the clothes were, I made a vow to myself that I would not buy any maternity clothes except for my shower and/or photoshoot.  I told myself I would wear a belly band my whole pregnancy and simply wear my regular clothes.  

Well, I'm a hypocrite...

I haven't spent a lot of maternity clothes, don't worry...
And, I've been scoring them on clearance, too!

In addition, luckily I am blessed with some amazing moms, who I consider some of my closest friends!  They have lent me or gave their maternity clothes.  

After trying on a few, I've quickly became a fan.  They are oh so flattering!

Before we were expecting, I was considered a little overweight for my height/weight ratio.
I knew this...  I went through a lot last year and having my desk job definitely doesn't help...

I was (am) nowhere near where I wanted to be when I will only expand in the next nine months...

As I started showing, I tried getting away with wearing my regular clothes...
But, they just looked frumpy and as if they shrunk into itty bitty pieces...

When I slipped into a maternity top, I was instantly astonished by
the length and the way it slimmed me.
This made me a happy girl.

In fact, the dress I'm wearing today I snatched at Old Navy this past weekend for half off (woot!)
 I grabbed the smaller size, knowing this would fit me now,
but I wanted to find a larger size so I can wear it more frequently.

Tip: Always try to buy a size up!

I found the size up and carried on to the fitting room.

I tried the smaller size on, felt good, a little tight in some areas, but definitely doable.  I decide to slip into the larger size to compare and found myself thinking, 'What the heck?'
It was huge in the chest and tight everywhere else...
I was so confused until I looked a little closer... The larger size was not maternity.
I giggled to myself and realized even more so how much maternity clothes
actually help my new size and shape.

Close up of the print:

I'm still mixing and matching my clothes with my (now) maternity clothes to keep the spending down and it's been working out okay.

To any mommy-to-be's out there, here's some classic maternity pieces that are staple when your carrying your bundle of joy:

Bootcut Jeans:  I wear these constantly and they are so comfortable!  I stuck with a dark wash and they are seriously my favorite pair of jeans!

The Classic Tank:  I have an H&M and Liz Lange for Target white tanks.  I wear them under just about everything!

Classic Long Sleeve Tees (if your pregnancy falls in the colder months) :  And I prefer the rouching on the sides - I have a solid pink one and a gray and black striped one as shown below.

Black Slacks:  I couldn't even zip up my old black pants... I knew I had to invest in something more fitting since I work in the office/business casual setting.

Accessories:  These you probably already have.  Best way to spruce up your bump is layers, layers, layers.  Maybe not so much on your belly though. :) 

I've been layering up with scarves, chunky jewelry, and skinny belts!    

There's no need to spend a fortune on maternity clothes, especially when you are only wearing them for a small amount of time...  Score the deals, find ways to mix up your old items (think open cardis and button downs), and stock up on the classics!

Nursery Ideas

A couple of days ago we heard our sweet baby's heartbeat {again}.

The second time around was much better than the first.

Matthew recorded it off his phone and I cannot tell you how many times I've listened to it!  

The sound just melts my heart!

And, if your friends with me on Facebook, you'll know Matt compared the heartbeat to Knight Rider.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!  

As silly as it was, it just made me fall in love with him all over again.

And, in just a couple of more weeks, we'll find out if it's a Baby Boy or a Baby Girl!

Once we find out, we can really start tackling the nursery!

I've had my girl nursery planned out for over a year now, thanks to Pottery Barn Teen.  I swooned over Emily & Merrit's design pieces and I was sold!  I know some of the pieces may seem "grown up", but I love the vintage feel to it..

And, we'll brighten it up with mints and peaches to break up the space.

{Image Source: PB Teen, PB Kids, and Google Images}

We'll use teapots, bunnies, dear, unicorns, pumpkins, apples, anything you can think of to pull from all our favorite fairy tales!

I actually love the idea of using teapots as a piggy bank. 

I stole this idea from IG User: inlovewithvintageshop and already scored some from thrifting.

{Don't worry, I'll be using them in my own bedroom, if it's not a girl.}

However, the boy... The boy has been a bit tough.  We settled on Disney's Monster's Inc., but after swooning over my girl's inspiration, I just couldn't do it...  I wanted to keep the vintage feel going... 

Last week, I brought up the idea of doing Disney's Up! and fell in love! I have always pictured an Up! nursery theme for a girl, but after pulling some symbolism, I'm squealing over here!  I don't know which one I love more!

{Image Source: Google Images}

We'll definitely play up Carl a bit more here.

Of course, we'll need a printout that screams, "Squirrel!", too.

{It's one of my favorite parts!}

I only hope my ideas play out well when we actually start putting the room together.

Tick tock, February!!