38 Weeks

Dress (c/o Le tote) // Sweater: Topshop via Nordstrom // Hightops: Old Navy (from last year but similar here and here)

If you haven't noticed my maternity uniform trend, let me lay it out for ya. Soft cozy stretchy dress, big cardigan sweater and sneakers! It works so why mess with a good thing. This particular dress is my absolute favorite! I wore it in pink on Monday's post. The fabric is just perfect and provides coverage and length for my tall frame so that I don't have to worry about it riding up. Also this oversized cardigan sweater has gotten alot of wear around the house but this was the first time I actually wore it out of the house. I got it a few months back at the Nordstrom Sale. It runs insanely big, so if you click over and are bummed it's only left in a 2 or 4, have no fear! Mine is a 4 and it's still pretty huge!

On to the pregnancy details! Mondays seem to be when all our weekly doctors appointments are so this was from this past Monday's appointment. I was 38 weeks so now I'm 38 weeks and 4 days...but who's counting. Umm...US! For the last few visits baby girl was measuring perfectly on schedule, not too big not too small. I was even losing weight every week when I went in! Then, all of a sudden this week I gained 4lbs and she was measuring two weeks bigger! Wow.

I'm probably not the only pregnant woman at this point who would welcome labor and wants to be done with pregnancy. I'm just so excited to remember what it feels like to not be nauseous and sick all the time. To not be disgusted by most food and unable to cook or eat anything with more than 2 ingredients! It's been a really hard 9 months and I'm just SO ready for some of the good stuff. I mean, I know a baby is hard work but so is having the stomach flu for 9 months along with all the various other pregnancy problems I've had. I'm just ready for something to change because this has really worn me down. I've tried to stay as positive as I could and keep myself occupied and get projects done, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy not feeling like myself pretty much since moving here. Whenever Andrew asks if he can get me something, I say "take the baby out" or if he can do something for me, " TAKE THE BABY OUT!"

So here's hoping she will decide to come a little early and finally cut her mama a break. I think she owes me one!

Wishing you all a great weekend full of Fall and Halloween fun!

Fall Layers and the Beginning of the End

Dress: Aritzia // Sweater: H&M // Hat: Urban Outfitters // Sunglasses: Toms // Boots

First of all this dress, and really anything from Aritzia are my classic pieces that never go out of style. I don't think there is a single thing I've ever bought there that I still don't own and love! I've turned countless friends onto the store too. The quality is excellent and somehow manages to fit me at 8 months pregnant as well as not pregnant at all!

These pictures were take on the way home from our baby moon in Park City which was pretty much the beginning of the end of my ability to function independently. As soon as I got home I started feeling shooting pains down my back side. I had felt these a little bit before but these were getting intense. So I took it easy and stayed on the couch for most of the night then hoped a night's sleep would make it better.

The next morning I walked from our bedroom to the kitchen and had to sit down. After trying to call the doctor for about an hour, I finally called Andrew and told him I was in a lot pain. I couldn't take a step without uncontrollably bawling and shrieking out in pain. He came home and tried to help me figure out someone we could talk to since the doctors office still wasn't answering. All I could think that made sense as to why there was no answer was that it was Columbus Day and maybe they were closed but that just didn't seem right. After finally deciding that we would just go to the emergency room, we tried my doctor one more time and they finally answered. We found out their power went out which was why it kept going to the answering service. Thank goodness I wasn't in labor.

Getting to the car seemed next to impossible since every step was so incredibly painful but Andrew managed to scoop me into the back seat and get me to the doctor. After crying and squeaking my way into the room, my doctor told me it was my sciatic nerve and that something was pinching it, maybe the baby's head, maybe the pressure from my bones on it. They put me on pain killers and sent me to a Physical Therapist the quickest they could. Never have I felt pain so terrible in my life! A few of the nurses and people I have talked to said that they have had some of that nerve pain as well and it was worse than labor so that made me feel like labor won't be so terrible.

As of now, it's so so much better. PT taught me better ways to stand and sit and gave me exercises to do to make the pain better which have helped immensely. Since then I have pretty much given up on driving though. It's not worth the chance of it coming back suddenly and getting into an accident, not to mention it's really hard to look back and back a car up with a big belly in your way. I'm a slave to Andrew coming home and taking me to the grocery store just for a chance to get out. Now we are just playing the waiting game. I'm due the 7th of November but I'm hoping for earlier. Let's hope she gets here soon and stops being a literal pain in her mothers butt!

Anniversary Weekend Continues

Dress: Le Tote (c/o) // Purse: Le Tote (c/o) // Cardigan: H&M (Runs big! Mine is a small) // Bee pin: Banana Republic // Sneakers: New Balance // Wave Wand: GHD Curve Classic Wave Wand // Lips

Last Friday I told you about we celebrated out 5 year anniversary, but that was just the beginning! We went to dinner Friday night and then the next day we decided to toss a little baby moon trip in there too, because who knows how much time we have left. 

The day started with our Labor and Delivery class at the hospital and then we were off to Park City. On the way there we pulled over on the side of the road when we saw how pretty this spot was. That's really one of my favorite parts of living in Utah. It's not hard to find a pretty place to take pictures because there are so many beautiful places everywhere you look. I was wearing my favorite comfy Summer and Sage dress in my favorite color and was feeling good (not sick!) for a change!

We made plans to stay at the Hyatt Centric  that we have stayed at a few times before and loved, but this time we got a king suite and it was fantastic. 2 fireplaces, a huge balcony and my favorite part was the giant jacuzzi tub. We even got to go in the bigger outdoor hot tub that was actually more like a warm pool which was great because it was safe for the baby and felt amazing on my belly! 

It really was such a great and relaxing weekend! And even though it was our chance to hang out just us, I can't wait to bring our little lady with us on all our adventures. 

5 Year Anniversary Dinner

Dress: Rachel Roy (on sale in 6 colors!) // Scarf: Aritzia // Button down: J. Crew // Flats: Loft (similar)

This Rachel Roy dress (non-maternity) has saved me many times this pregnancy. It's super soft and comfy but is made from a cotton silk hybrid that reads dressy, so it was the perfect choice for our anniversary dinner 2 weekends ago. 

It was our 5th wedding anniversary, so the symbol for gifts this year was wood. We pretty much has a whole wood themed evening. We drove through the woods to make our way to the Log Haven restaurant where the whole place is decked out like a fancy romantic log cabin. They have tons of weddings there and this waterfall you see above is right on the grounds. It was super pretty and relaxing. We had a great dinner where andrew discovered his love of Bison steak and I revisited my love of lobster. For some reason meat and protein have been very hard to eat this whole pregnancy but crab, lobster and shrimp are always something I have a taste for. Guess this baby has expensive taste! 

We also exchanged wood themed gifts! Andrew gave me a wooden framed picture of my favorite shot from our maternity session and I gave him a wood tree ring I had to chase down from a tree guy in Salt Lake to make a little plaque to hang on the wall in our house.

This weekend is my birthday and I'm keeping my expectations low as far as plans go. After last Monday's crazy sciatic pain, I'm pretty much staying at home in bed on my side for the most part on unofficial bedrest. Andrew has something fun up his sleeve but it all depends on how I'm feeling. so let's hope I can get out for a little bit and enjoy some of it! 

Have a great weekend!

Magic at the Bonneville Salt Flats

Overalls // Top // Bandana (.99c and free shipping!) // Sunglasses // Adidas // Lips

A few weekends back I was having a good day were I wasn't feeling super sick so Andrew and I decided to make the most of it and drive out to the Bonneville Salt Flats. This had been on our bucket list of places to see in Utah since we moved here. Lucky for us it's not super far from our house in Salt Lake, only about an hour and a half.

We arrived just as the sun was setting so every minute became more gorgeous with the sky developing into such pretty shades of pink and purple. It was so strange to see people driving out on the salt because it looks more like a body of water than solid ground. It's even a little weird stepping out onto the salt for the first time. Coming from the midwest, it reminded me more of a frozen lake which is usually something pretty dangerous to go frolic about on. 

Although it may look cold, it was actually in the 70's when we were there. It's finally starting to feel like Fall  here and I'm loving it! You may remember awhile back when I posted these overall shorts. Well I bought them in the pants version you see here and they are just as comfortable. These will take me through the fall with the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy. I've also been digging the bandana trend all summer since they are so lightweight and cheap! Since I get them on eBay for about a buck each, I have them in 4 colors now.

With the weekend upon us, I'm super excited because I have so much fun stuff to share with you guys. Lots of fun collaborations (one with an awesome giveaway), home projects, new hobbies, the nursery reveal and our Maternity pictures! SO MUCH! Hopefully I can start getting this to you guys next Monday so stay tuned!

30 Week Bumpdate

*This one was taken on my phone. This wall was too big to capture fully, But how cool is it?

Dress  (same dress non maternity)// Shoes // Pineapple pin // Sunglasses

How far along are you? 30 weeks today! The end is near and I'm keeping my eye on the prize!

How are you feeling? STILL. Like. Crap. I've still got terrible nausea and feel sick pretty much all day, every day. There was this one magical day, August 11th, where it all vanished but then it all came right back the next day with a vengeance and I cried. How silly I was to actually think I had turned a corner! Still taking all my anti-nausea meds and the only bright side is that I don't ACTUALLY throw up as much any more, now it's just occasional but I still feel like I will, so that's kind of an improvement.

I've also developed pregnancy induced carpal tunnel (who knew that was a thing?) and have to wear wrist braces when I sleep. It makes me feel like I'm useless. Opening things, brushing my hair and writing is hard (hope you all liked the chicken scratches in my thank you cards!) If the blanket slips down in the middle of the night I need Andrew to help me pull it back up because the pain in my hands is so bad. I used to be able to prenatal yoga at least once a week but my hands and wrists are so painful, I can't even go to that anymore. 

Oh yes, and I currently have an upper respiratory infection too. Fun times!

Any cravings? I kind of hate food. I'm really hoping one day my love for vegetables and cooking comes back. My husband explained it well when he said that it's like going to the grocery store when you are hungry and you want everything, well this is the exact opposite. I want absolutely nothing. Nothing sounds good, nothing looks good and nothing tastes good. I kind of just wander around and think, can I tolerate eating this and will it fill me up enough that I wont wake up at 3 am and need to eat more. I'm mostly eating bread, white rice and any other boring plain foods you can think of.

Any fun parts of the pregnancy so far? Andrew and I do enjoy mocking her and putting words in her mouth. She is definitely a feisty little thing and will  literally swat off pretty much anything that gets in her space thats touches my belly. She does not care for me wearing pants and will kick at the waist band till I take them off. She also does not care for me sitting down either. We like to say that what she is telling me daily is "hey lady, take off your pants and walk around!"

Thoughts on maternity clothes and dressing the bump? I actually really like it. It's pretty great wearing loose dresses all the time and I haven't had to buy much that is actually "maternity" aside from a few essentials. the rest is just flowy and comfortable.  

Le Tote is also pretty great for some random fun pieces that I get to borrow and send back. They send me 5 new maternity pieces that I can swap out an unlimited number of times as well as edit before they send them out. Highly recommend using Le Tote if you are pregnant and have job where you need to look professional while pregnant! Use code HOTPINKSTYLE at check out for a 20% discount till 9/17/16!

What are you looking forward to? We have out maternity pictures coming up with my friend Octavia! She takes amazing photos (for real! Check them out here)so we are going to meet her up in the mountains and take some family photos! Now, what to wear?

How is the nursery going? It is actually almost done! There are really only a few things left to do in there and we plan on knocking a few of them out this weekend. Other than that it's pretty much done. I love hanging out in there and turning on the white noise machine and relaxing in the glider. It's going to be a very relaxing space. It sure makes me sleepy, let's hope it makes her feel the same!

Off The Shoulder Floral Dress

Dress // Sandals // Sunnies // Purse // Lips

You may remember me talking about the cute dresses that H&M has been putting out this summer that all ring in at under $20! You can see my navy boho printed maxi here and another bright red number here. Well here is the latest edition. This one is just $17.99! it also came with little shoulder ties but I chopped them off because I liked how it looked better without them. 

I just checked the site and this dress is still in stock in almost all sizes but these cheap thrills seem to sell out really fast, so act fast. It also come in blue as well. Hope you catch this one before it's too late!

Happy Friday!!

26 Weeks

Dress // Shoes 

This is one ridiculously easy to wear outfit, which is probably why I bought this Gap dress in two different shades of blue. It's not Maternity but certainly stretches to accommodate the bump. The first one I bought in navy on sale for around $21 and I thought that was a good deal. The one you see here I found in store marked down to $19 with an extra 40% off. When I brought it up to the register it rang up $7!! I'm not sure what kind of math Gap is doing but I'm not going to argue with a $7 dress!

Also I should mention that although this post is titled 26 weeks, I am actually 27 weeks currently, and the photos were taken in my 25th! Life has just been so crazy traveling for the last two weeks, it's been near impossible to get a post up.

The pregnancy update itself is almost too lackluster to share. She's still healthy, but man am I NOT! I'm still sick, still nauseous, still throwing up, still bad heartburn and I've also developed a fun new symptom. Apparently I have carpal tunnel now which makes me feel like an old lady who cant open jars or control a hair brush. The doctor says the pain can minimized by wrist splints. Fun stuff, huh? I feel like I'm in the running for the award of worst pregnancy of all the people I know, but I really don't want to win this contest. Let's just hope she throws me a bone and gives me either an easy delivery or a good temperament. For her sake she better be a sweet heart, because mama didn't teach inner city kids for 11 years and not learn a few tricks. She has to deal with ME on the outside! 

Old Navy Swing Top

Top: Old Navy // Jeans: Motherhood Maternity via Macy's // Sandals: Topshop // Sunglasses: Forever 21 (old but similar here) // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

As you can see I'm still getting away with as many non-maternity tops as I can. I love this Old Navy swing top that can work now and after pregnancy. The only things I'm actually spending money on that are true Maternity pieces are staples, and I haven't even gotten many of those. I got these boyfriend jeans on sale at Macy's in their Motherhood maternity section but everything else is non-maternity. I've also bought 1 pair of maternity jean shorts and that's about it. The rest is just regular flowy tops and dresses and a few maternity tank tops! Thank goodness for saving some money!

By the way, how cool is this mural we found?! Between my husband and I it took us about 20 mins to find it. We had both seen it out the corner of our eye before and thought we remembered where it was. Well 20 minutes later we realized we both had one of the the streets right and it was on the intersection of them!

We head home from Vegas soon but then we will be off again! This time to Chicago where my awesome friend Amy is throwing us a baby shower! I'll be out there for a few days and then I think I'll be staying put in Salt Lake and hibernating in my house and hiding from the heat until this baby is born!

The Best Maternity Piece in my Closet!

Shortalls: Asos maternity (maternity full length overall version here) // Tank: Target // Espadrilles: Nordstrom // Sunglasses: (old) Forever 21 (similar here for $13)

If you are pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant or want to be pregnant in the next few years, GET THESE SHORTALLS! These short overalls are my absolute most favorite item I've purchased. In fact I loved them so much they came in full length overalls that I snapped up immediately too! They are so light and stretchy with zero waist but no ruching so they don't look scream "maternity" and I seriously think I will wear these when I am not pregnant too. Most days the very thought of pants or a waist band is enough to make me want to stay in pajamas all day but these are perfectly cute for public and you can wear whatever cute top (that still fits) underneath.  They also have pockets! So in case you missed my point, just buy these!! When the time comes, they will be the best 33 bucks you've spent in awhile!