Friday's Five

Happy Fourth of July weekend!  I'm looking forward to a mix of time between the lake and being home for this long weekend and especially the fact of not getting back into the real world until mid week next week.

Home, Again
We just got back late last night from our annual trip out west to California.  Like usual we tried somewhere new plus our old favorites - this time we tried a few days at Terranea Resort before finishing up in Beverly Hills.  It's crazy to believe our next trip out there we'll have the baby with us!

Last year in Newport Beach

Holiday Plans
I love Fourth of July - hoping for a dry and not super hot day.  Like usual I think we'll celebrate with a night or two at the lake then come back for the actual holiday - I'm thinking pool then our usual BBQ on the actual Fourth.

Fourth of July spread from 2016

Patriotic Picks
If you're still looking for something holiday appropriate, I shared these picks last week.

Mamas!
If you're a mama and missed my post on Wednesday, please take a peek back and share with me your favorites! Favorite Instagram/Etsy boutiques, favorite registry items, favorite maternity items and for boy mamas - favorite clothing brands.

Blog Post Wants
Anything you want to see around here?  Please let me know! It's been a little less usual posts and more house/baby but I try to throw in some this & that a lot or a weekend scenes each month.  Some of my usual posts might have gotten put in the back burner with what's consuming our life right now so if there's anything old or something new you'd like to see.. please share!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend! xx

Pregnancy Thoughts

Depending on the outfit, the bump is starting to become more noticeable on a daily basis.

Maternity clothes are the greatest.  The shorts are super comfortable and my favorite part.  Despite the heat I'm a huge fan of being pregnant in the summer - dresses make it so easy.

On that note, I definitely thought you started needing maternity clothes earlier on - I also thought the bump appeared earlier than it did.  Recently I've really been noticing the bump which I've bene loving... for now. 

Baby registering is a mix of so much fun and so overwhelming.  There are so many things out there but I love all things little - it's just so cute.  I love the lists the stores make to use as a guideline - it was a great starting point.

Naps are the best - I could take one every single day even if for just 15 minutes it gives me a boost of energy.  Now that I'm midway through the second trimester if I nap too late or too long I usually struggle with sleep over night - that was never an issue for me in the first trimester - I could nap all day, sleep all night.

It's going to be a hot summer - I notice myself being much more aware of the hot days and wanting to stay in the AC - although if it's low humidity and breezy, I need to be outside.

I might change my tune come late summer/early fall but as of now I'm a fan of being pregnant.  I miss my wine but love an ice cold La Croix at 5pm.  I love taking advantage of the naps.  I like the little bump that's becoming more noticeable.  

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm pregnant, it just doesn't seem real some days! Come this fall I'll be this little one's mama.

Thanks for stopping by! xx 

Mamas!

Mama's, it's time for some advice! Today I'm looking for a little help and referrals on some favorites. There's no better way to learn the good stuff then from people with experience.  Please share your favorites...

Favorite online/Instagram boutiques/Etsy shops

Favorite baby registry items

Favorite maternity items 

and... Boy Mamas! Favorite clothing brands

Thanks! xx 

Summer Reading List

Summer is always a season I read more than any other - time on the deck, time on the dock, time by the pool - perfect reading season.  I'm hoping to make it through some of these books this summer - maybe more, maybe less.  Anything that I should add to the list??

Perfect on Paper

Jumping back into the dating scene after her fiancé calls off the wedding - this reminds us that everyone has a bad date and plenty of life situations to deal with.

Girl Boss

Stories from the CEO and creator of Nasty Gal.

Upstairs at the White House

A former White House chief usher shares history and stories of former first lady's, hosting large functions, etc.

The Magnolia Story

Everyone's favorite couple Chip & Joanna Gaines' story - I started this months ago and never found time to finish.

The Weekenders

A perfect summer read.

Southern Charm

From Bravo's newest housewife, Tinsley Mortimer, about NY society life and such.

Arranged

A tale of contemporary romance and unconventional matchmaking.

Party Girl

A glimpse into the life of a girl on an adventure planning the most glamorous parties in Hollywood.

Girls in White Dresses

Three girls dealing with their own lives and attending wedding after wedding after wedding.

Malibu Nanny

Stories from one of the original Beverly Hills nannies - a former Kardashian nanny.

The End of Normal

I was drawn into the Madoff specials on TV recently.  This read is by Bernie's daughter-in-law.

All Summer Long

Another perfect summer read.

Patriotic Picks

Happy Friday! Fourth of July along with the holiday weekend are just around the corner and while I can't believe we're almost to this point of the summer, I also can't wait - such a fun summer holiday. 

Red, white and blue are some great colors to work with and easy to stay in theme of the holiday - although, I'm usually mostly in blue/white - usually incorporating the red only by a lip color.

caslon wrap maxi dress / mac red lip kit / sole society tote / bauble bar tassel earrings

tory burch navy striped sandals / tory burch slide sandals / tory burch red striped sandals

Have a good weekend! xx 

Summer Recipe Repeats

Anytime of the year we're appetizer people but especially in the summer.  We're good with the classic cheese plate, shrimp, easy appetizers but have found a few homemade ones we love too.  I need to search for a few new ones to try this summer but today I'm sharing a few of our top favorites... 

Watermelon & Feta Bites

Refreshing for a hot day.

Balsamic Strawberry Toasted Crostini 

We've made a similar one with mushrooms too - any topping is good! 

Melon, Prosciutto & Mozzarella Skewers

These are great especially for the lake because you can just throw them in a container and bring them down to the dock already made.

Cucumber Bites

A healthy choice that makes for a nice presentation. 

Feta Dip

Last but not least, this is our number one favorite appetizer - anytime of the year! 

Enjoy! xx 

This & That

Last week we attended a fun fundraiser at the local arboretum.  A handful of food stations to try, cocktails and a silent/live auction.  The weather was beautiful and seeing as we've been consumed by moving lately - it was a fun night out! 

Before taking off for the lake last weekend we went to a white party with friends to kick off the summer.  As soon as I found out about the party I picked up this dress - non-maternity but I knew it would work for a growing belly. (it's also now 40% off!)

It's finally starting to feel a little more like home around here.  I unpacked the last of the boxes last night - the baby's boxes! There's less clutter and more things coming together.  By late summer I'm hoping to have the house work where we'd like it to be before the baby comes - window treatments should be installed by then, we need to work on some wall hangings and decor then any other actual work can wait until the new year.  

Have a good day! xx 

Weekend Scenes

Another Monday, already.  We celebrated the dad of the family and also the dad to be - a barbecue Saturday night and then a little brunch (complete with donuts!) yesterday morning.

We've been on the go since Thursday night with events and such but Saturday afternoon we headed up to the lake for the night.  The weather wasn't the best here but we got there to a clear sky and were able to head right down to the dock for happy hour - clam dip, peppers/hummus and devil eggs plus cocktails.. we stayed down until almost 9pm - as long as the sun would let us! 

Yesterday the weather was better than expected so we had a great dock day, got some sun and let the dogs swim before heading home.  After US Open watching we enjoyed a bit of time on our deck - finally a night with nothing to do! 

Have a good week! xx 

Friday Picks

Happy Friday! It's hard to believe it's already time for Father's Day (enjoy celebrating!) and that June is half over - these summer months always fly by and this year is no exception.  We've had a crazy week continuing to settle in around here so I'm more than ready for the weekend.  A few favorites for the week...

wrap maxi dress

I love this color and I feel like this style of dress could go well with a bump but also still fit next summer.

bauble bar fringe earrings

These earrings would make for the perfect color combo (in my mind) with the above dress.

little book of life hacks

Little coffee table books like this are always hard to pass up for me.

dry bar dry shampoo

After deciding to try this the other day, the list of dry bar products I want is continuously growing.

bp floppy hat

Perfect for pool days, beach days, summer in general.

candle

I think this pattern is so cute - it comes in about five more different styles too (equally as cute).

steve madden slide sandals

I've had my eye on these forever and picked them up as soon as they were restocked.  They are comfortable and go with everything - a must have.

Enjoy your weekend! xx 

Halfway

This post is making it's way a few weeks late but we reached and celebrated the half way mark a little bit ago!  It was definitely exciting and I love that the weeks left are in the teens as opposed to the other way around.  The bump was slow to show but week by week it becomes a little bit more noticeable.  Most recently I started to feel the baby kick so that's been exciting! 

Best:  Enjoying the experience! I've liked being pregnant for the most part (minus the wine) and the little milestones like ultrasounds, hearing the heartbeat, feeling the kicks, seeing the bump grow are all such fun.  I'm obsessed with buying baby clothes and once things settle down around here really can't wait to the house ready for a baby!

Worst: Probably being so tired the first trimester - I feel like I just slept threw a few months! It was hard during the move to not just be able to pick up a box and move it myself.  My feet noticeably get sore quicker after being on the go a lot.  I've had a few nights (and this week especially) where I'll wake up overnight and can't fall back to sleep for hours - it's tough.

Celebrated: Seeing as cheeseburgers are one of my favorite cravings and we were quite belated on our celebration we just kept it very casual and ate on the patio at Shake Shack the other night!  We splurged and took milkshakes to go - delicious. 

This & That

It's been a whirlwind few weeks around here - hopefully things will let up soon.  We had no plans this past weekend other that to work on the unpacking and enjoy the new house.

The weekend after we moved in we headed up to the lake for our first weekend of the season.   

We offered to host dinner if my parents brought the food - pretty good deal if you ask me! 

One of many house stock ups.

After slacking for a bit, we finally got back into our routine of daily Stella walks.

A weekend by the pool was the best way to relax and enjoy the summer days.

A little different shopping than we're used to - once we get back from vacation we need to get into baby mode and start picking up a few things.

Just because I'm obsessed... 

Pregnancy: Weeks 17-20

I'm so excited to have made it to the halfway point! We have lots of fun things to look forward to each month from now until the baby's arrival so hopefully the time flies by!

top (l-r) 17 weeks, 18 weeks

bottom (l-r) 19 weeks, 20 weeks

Baby's Size:

Flan (17 weeks/May 9th)

Slice of Pie (18 weeks/May 16th)

Chocolate Lava Cake (19 weeks/May 23rd)

Ice Cream Sandwich (20 weeks/May 30th)

Gender:
Boy! 

Best Moments/What We've Been Up To:

17 weeks: Celebrating Mother's Day!! I loved celebrating my mom and got even more excited to be a mom myself next year.  We kicked off the baby registry thing - while it was fun at first, it's totally overwhelming! We also ran all the new house errands in one day and I quickly learned that I need to move a little slower than normal. Looking forward to another doctor's appointment next week.

18 weeks: A visit to the doctor, hearing the heartbeat and setting up our 20 week ultrasound - for the morning of moving day, ha!  Thinking we finally decided on a middle name. Also realizing it's okay to slow down and do things a little bit at a time. 

19 weeks: Having fun deciding on the nursery and making lists of what to get - most items picked out it's just about when to order/get them.  We have our 20 week ultrasound next week (the morning of our move!) and I can't wait; it's hard to believe this is supposed to be the last one! 

20 weeks: We've made it halfway - so exciting! This milestone also falls during the week of our move so busy busy - it's fun to see a few moves labeled "nursery" be put into the baby's room for unpacking.  

Maternity Clothes:
Yes and no.  I've started using maternity shorts/jeans - why did I never before - they are so comfortable?? Regular flowy dresses and tops work just fine. Found a couple maternity swimsuits to be ready for summer - they seem to sell out fast! 

Missing:
I slept on my back as long as I could - adjusting to new positions.  Other than that just really missing my wine especially with the warmer weather and nights on the deck. 

Cravings/Aversions:
No strong cravings but definitely enjoying/wanting donuts, chocolate chip cookies and cheeseburgers.
I've been loving cheese sandwiches or pb&j for lunch to get past the whole no lunchmeat thing.  

Still not loving the idea of all meats and seafoods but it's getting better.  While the start of the pregnancy brought "give me all the carbs," this month I've really just enjoyed simple summer meals. 

Feeling... Symptoms/Sleep:
Tired, Acid reflex, frequent bathroom trips (although doing good with keeping up drinking water!)... all in all, I can't complain! 

At 17 weeks I woke up starving most days this week (the only time I feel sick is when hungry!) but a breakfast drink or some fruit cured that quickly.  A little bit of dizziness too. For 18 weeks I was exhausted - I blame it on that we were so busy getting house things done - quick afternoon naps helped.  I also had some back pain this week but again we've been on the go.  One day I came home crying for no real reason, Derek and I were both somewhat laughing during it.  With 19 weeks a few days with with back pain but I was on the go/packing most days too.  And 20 weeks I was so sore and tired from moving.

Weight Gain:
10 pounds from the start - I forgot to include this in the first post so about three pounds in the first trimester and the rest slowly since then, about a pound on week so on track. 

Exercise:
This month I really tried to make sure to stay active with the nice weather.  Longer family walks were key and we did them just about every day. 

Dad to Be:
Derek's been great like always - he goes on a walk with me everyday when he gets home.  Packing can be challenging when pregnant so he puts the boxes together, brings them to me then moves them once filled.  Always cleans up after dinner so I can relax on the couch :)

Excited For:
I'm so excited to reach the halfway point - I've been waiting for this milestone for a while.

Moving! It's been a process packing up while pregnant (luckily it's a good time in the pregnancy) but I cannot wait to wake up on a weekend and not have to pack, run errands, etc.

We have a trip coming up next month so I can't wait for a little time away just the two of us with no house/baby/other to do's.

Sumer nights! While I can't enjoy a cocktail on the deck,  I am looking forward to nights lounging on the deck and such.

A little belated but we're going out to celebrate the halfway mark.

A couple lost photos from when we told my Mom the gender and also our first shopping trip! 

Summer Bucket List

Happy Friday! I feel like we're crawling into the weekend around - we've had the busiest week, had an unexpected night out of town and are ready for some sleep, to finish up the unpacking and enjoy our new home.  Our washer and dryer was finally hooked up so I just started my first of many loads of laundry this morning and whatever boxes are left are neatly stacked so that's a win. 

Now that we're one week post move and the foreseeable forecast looks sunny and warm - I'm ready to enjoy summer! 

Vacationing last summer

Summer Standards: 

Weekends at the lake, walks at night with Stella after the weather cools off, watch a baseball game, barbecues, enjoy a rooftop mocktail, ice cream nights, date nights al fresco, etc.  

Final Pre-Baby Travels:  

We have our annual California trip coming up and we're hoping to get in another small weekend trip somewhere later this summer too.  

Celebrate Our Three Year Anniversary: 

Right at the end of summer we'll hit three years of marriage - three years just the two of us (and Stella!) before our family grows - I won't be able to travel at that point so I'm excited to figure out something fun to do to celebrate locally. 

Pool Days:  

We have a pool in our new neighborhood and we've so been looking forward to it - we'll enjoy our first pool day this weekend, finally!

Grilling & Deck Nights:  

We live for nights on our deck in the summer - and spend most nights out there! While I'll miss our old one, I'm super excited to have more room on our new deck.  It's been a whirlwind few weeks + bad weather so we've hardly done any grilling yet - really looking forward to those summer meals soon.

Strawberry Picking: 

It's been a few years since we've done this an strawberry shortcake is becoming one of our favorite summer desserts (we've already checked this one off!)

Mocktails: 

While I really miss my white wine and summer cocktails - I do enjoy a nice cold summer beverage - so far it's mainly been a coca cola, peach lemonade or la croix ( in a wine glass) but I want to take the time to find some fun recipes to make myself. 

Do a Little Hosting: 

Key word - little.  Not too many events as I've noticed with past hosting I tire out way quicker than usual but we love having people over for bbq's and such in these warmer months and I'm very excited to hold a few events in our new house soon. 

Baby & House To Do's:

These lists I'm sure will be long and will have their own post but while summer will be fun/relaxing we have lots of work to do too.  Although, I think of both these categories and "work" as fun things.   I'm a little more eager to get things done around the house now ahead of our sweet baby's arrival.  And I cannot wait to start preparing for the arrival of our little boy - first up, a stroller!

More to come!

Have a good weekend! xx

Moved!

Happy Wednesday! It's been a whirlwind of a week over here - we closed on our new house last Thursday and started moving some things over right away, the movers came on Friday, deliveries on Saturday, home appointments on Monday and unpacking in between.  We've come along way but it still feels like the to do list is never ending.  The box piles are slowly dwindling and hopefully by this weekend they will be gone. 

Moving is tiring and moving while pregnant is exhausting! A few times during the big move days I'd find somewhere to hide and take a break! Thankfully my mom made all the beds in the house for our first night, if not we'd have probably fallen asleep anywhere. 

I'll be sure to share a peek into the house and get back into my normal blogging routine soon - it's been a busy few days and I see that pattern continuing throughout the week.  Looking forward to settling in and getting the unpacking done! 

There might still be boxes, but at least they are stacked neatly! 

It's taken her a little while but once Stella saw our bed ("her" bed) she started warming up to the place - I'm thinking she feels at home now.

Thanks for stopping by! xx 

Floating Into Summer

Happy Friday! Keeping it short and sweet today... We've accumulated quite the float collection at our lake house - everyone's favorite is just to float off the dock but I'm always looking to add to the collection.

We have the flamingo, donut, pineapple and love them.

swan

mermaid tail

lobster

watermelon

cactus

Have a good weekend! xx