Purchases For Baby Girl

I hope you all had a great weekend!  We had a pretty low key weekend over here; worked around the house, ran errands, went to our first hypnobirthing class, took the pups on a long walk around one of our favorite jogging trails, and had the absolute laziest Sunday on record.  Seriously, Adam & I were total bums yesterday, migrating back and forth from the couch to the bed all day.  He was completely engrossed in a book, while I was the online shopping queen ordering all things baby related.  I've been on an online ordering rampage lately {shopping for babies is so much more fun than shopping for myself I've decided!}, and thought I'd share a few of the items that I've purchased for baby girl.

Full deets are below, including links to a few of my favorite new Etsy shops that I've recently discovered :)

Shop These Items:


The cuuuutest little bow pleated dress and kitty cat sweater from Jacadi.  They're definitely on the pricier side for baby clothing, but are having a great summer sale right now which definitely makes things easier on the wallet. {Dress found here / Gray sweater here} //  I absolutely love this Etsy shop, and have purchased a few of their headbands including {this white one} //  A super soft little lamb that doubles as a rattle {available here} //  These simple BPA free pacifiers had great reviews on every website that I could find them on.  Worth a shot! {here} //  The Sleep Sheep is another product that I had to try out.  Amaaazing reviews everywhere you read for helping soothe your little to sleep! {found here} //  This diaper pail is supposed to be the holy grail of all pails!  It is made of solid steel, looks chic in my nursery, and doesn't require special bags! {available here, also in multiple other colors here} //  The softest baby blanket which I may or may not have purchased in 2 colors ;) {found here} //  Handmade baby shoes that are all made to order {here} //  An adorable fuzzy rabbit rattle {here} //  A personalized handmade wooden teether toy shaped like a bunny.  I love this company as they plant one tree for every product sold! {found here}





There's lots more that I've purchased but I'm trying not to go too baby crazy on the blog.  If any mamas out there have any recommendations, I'd love to hear what your baby loved!  xx

26 Week Bumpdate

 Wearing: Isabella Oliver Clement Print T-Shirt Dress c/o {currently 15% off using code CX315}

How Far Along?   26 weeks - almost out of the 2nd trimester!
 


Total Weight Gain?   19 pounds.  I can not believe that I'm actually typing those digits out!  At this point I'm just letting my body do its own thing.  I'm still active, and eating healthy organic + nutritious foods {most of the time!}, so as long as I'm healthy and babies healthy that's all that matters.  I know that with time the weight will come off.....

 
 
Maternity Clothes?   Oh heavens, yes!  I live in these maternity jeans from A Pea In The Pod {they're my absolute favorite pair}, and Isabella Oliver dresses.  I can not even begin to tell you how comfortable their dresses are!  They are probably the #1 thing I'd recommend to any of my prego girlfriends :)

 

Gender?   It's a sweet baby girl!

Cravings?   Still chocolate protein shakes every morning made with 1 banana, and a scoop of PB2 - so yummy!  I've also been craving salmon a lot lately, and have been eating it almost every time we go out to dinner.  Over the weekend, I had a killllllller craving for gnocchi, so I made it from scratch in my kitchen!  Recipe will be up on the  blog soon :)



Miss Anything?   I basically just miss feeling like my old self.  I used to feel so confident and sexy in my own skin and I feel differently about my body now.  I feel beautiful, but in a completely different way, more along the lines of what my body is going through to create this little life is so remarkable and beautiful.

I talked about body image in my last bumpdate, and while I am more accepting of my new curvier figure, there are certain things that I'm ready to say goodbye to {like the cellulite on my ass & thighs. ughhhhh}.  I also miss being able to throw basically anything on and feel cute & put together.  Now it takes serious thought to put together an outfit that is flattering and doesn't make me feel huge!  



Exercise?   I ended up quitting my prenatal yoga classes a few weeks back.  It was too weird for me.  There was so much chanting, and singing songs to our bellies - not the workout that I was looking for.  Since then, I've upped Pilates to 3x per week.  I work out with a private instructor who has worked with multiple pregnant women in the past, and we work on not only strenghtening moves, but also concentrating on moves that will help get me through labor + delivery.  I've also been swimming in my pool several times a week which feels gloooooooorious!  Seriously, swimming has never felt so good before!



 
Symptoms?  Besides what I described in last months bumpdate, the only new symptoms that have cropped up are some serious hip pain, and pain in my ribs.  Pilates really has helped with the hip pain, but it seems to really strike at night when I'm sleeping.  Lately, it's taken some strategic positioning of pillows in order to get a good nights sleep!

Mood?   Really, really happy!  If you would have asked me 2 years if I was happy, my answer would have immediately been yes.  We had just gotten married, taken an unreal honeymoon in Africa, and had a lifetime of possibilities ahead of us.  But now looking back, the excitement & joy that I've experienced during this pregnancy overshadows any happiness that I've ever felt before.  It sounds pretty corny, but I really feel like my heart is just overflowing with so much love and happiness.


Baby Movement?   So much movement!  She has certain times of the day when like clockwork she starts moving around, and other times when she will get really active from hearing something like our dogs barking & playing, or from music.  Adam & I love to just sit and watch my belly move at night - it's pretty amazing!



Best Moment This Week?   Passing my glucose test earlier this week!  I was so convinced that I was going to fail the test {because of my weight gain}, and was shocked that I passed with flying colors!

 
Looking Forward To?   Meeting with our doula that we hired to go over my birth plan {I want an all natural birth, I know cue the eyeroll!  I'll hopefully get a blog post together that goes a little more in depth on that topic later!}.  The nursery furniture is supposed to be delivered in the next few weeks, so I'm really stoked to get started on that project, and we're leaving to go on our babymoon in the next couple of days!!  

21 Week Bumpdate

Morning chicas!  I haven't done a bumpdate in a hot minute, so I thought I'd start this week off by updating you all on how my pregnancy is going.  Sharing the good & the bad today.  Lots of real talk :)

Read below for all the deets. 

How Far Along?   Over 21 weeks - more than halfway there!
 

Total Weight Gain?   13 pounds.

 
 
Maternity Clothes?   Heck yes!  In addition to maxi dresses & maternity jeans, I basically live in these tanks from A Pea In The Pod, these leggings from Gap Maternity + these super comfy leggings from Motherhood Maternity. 


Gender?   It's a girl!



Cravings?   Still chocolate protein shakes {I have one every morning!}, but I've cut back on the peanut butter I normally added to it because Adam was making them for me every morning when he got up for work and I caught him one morning putting about 4 tablespoons of peanut butter in it - so my daily morning shakes were rounding in at about 700 calories!  Eeek!  Peanut butter is currently off limits, and now I just make them with half a banana.  Trying to get back on track and keep this weight gain to a minimum....other than that I've been drinking organic lemonade like crazy which is weird because I've never been a huge lemonade drinker, and I've also been really into baking {and eating!} fruit pies, cobblers, and tarts.



Miss Anything?   My old body!  I always pictured myself being one of those girls who stays tiny and just has a big ol' basketball belly in front and that is just not the case.  My body has just kind of went soft and doughy everywhere; my arms, face, thighs, ass - this body has just socked away the extra weight everywhere.  Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving being pregnant and I LOVE having my baby bump, but I'm definitely struggling with body image lately.  I'm really hoping that I can get past this mental battle, and learn to embrace & love my new curves, because this really is such a beautiful time {I mean, I'm growing a tiny human inside my body! what's more beautiful than that?} and I know that it will go by all too fast.


 
Exercise?   Still doing prenatal yoga once per week, and working with a private Pilates instructor twice per week.  Also trying to squeak in a walk whenever I can, but we've officially entered rainy season here in South Florida, and the weather has been pretty crappy these past few weeks. 
 


Symptoms?   Goodness, where to begin?  A couple weeks back, I told you guys about the "pregnancy mask" that I've developed, but only appeared around the bottom of my nose & upper lip area.  Basically it looks like I have a big ol' mustache.  So sexy!  I've also started sporting the linea nigra which is really weird to see, and recently a huge majority of my eyelashes have started falling out {probably because I haven't use Latisse since I learned I was pregnant back in January}.  Hmmmmm what else?  Oh, my feet have started swelling if I'm outside and walking around a lot {I think it's due to the fact it's gotten so dang hot outside recently} so I've started drinking 1 gallon of water per day to combat that which obviously results in me having to pee every 30 minutes, and I'm also still dealing with my constantly stuffy nose that is so annoying when I'm trying to sleep at night.  Lastly, this isn't really a symptom, but can I just take a sec to talk about these boobs?  HOLY HELL, these things are outta control.  I had implants to start with, and am normally a full D cup and these girls are just on a whole nother level now.  It boggles my mind that they're going to get bigger {is that even physically possible!?}, so I haven't really invested in buying bras in a larger size and instead have been wearing tanks with built in camis, bralettes from Victorias Secret, and sports bras {I had to size up to an XL eeeek!} for around the house.  If anyone has reco's on good maternity/nursing bras I'm all ears....

This probably sounds completely cliché, but every small symptom that I've developed is 100% worth it.  If I had to live with all of these symptoms, and never got my pre-pregnancy body back + had to  rock my new shadow 'stache for the rest of my life I would be fine with that as long as I got this healthy baby girl in return :)


 
Mood?   Really happy & excited!  I met with my doctor last week and baby girl is healthy and absolutely perfect, I signed up to take hypnobirthing classes this summer {more about that later}, and over the weekend I started planning the nursery and ordered a few pieces of furniture.  It's gettin' real over here!




Baby Movement?   I started feeling her little kicks about 3 weeks ago, and now I feel them several times a day; usually right after I wake up in the morning, about 15 minutes after I eat a meal, and she's always pretty active right after I lay down in bed at night.  Feeling those tiny kicks is everyyyyyything!



Best Moment This Week?   Adam was able to feel her kick for the first time about 5 days ago when we were lying on the couch watching tv.  I've been dying for him to feel it, so when he was finally able to it made me a bit emotional, and he was so excited!  He told me later that night that he was so excited that he didn't know if he would be able to get to sleep :)



Looking Forward To?   Getting started on the nursery, and our babymoon next month!  We're headed to St. Barths!

16 Week Bumpdate

Happy, happy Friday friends!  As of yesterday, I am officially 4 months pregnant and couldn't be more thrilled about that fact.  So many exciting changes are happening over here, and I thought it would be fun to document my pregnancy by posting bumpdates from time to time on my blog.  I've always enjoyed reading along as my favorite bloggers documented their pregnancy journeys and I really hope that you enjoy this new portion of my blog!

So lets get started....

How Far Along?   16 weeks


Total Weight Gain?  6 pounds so far and feeling really good about that number.  I've been trying to eat as clean & healthy as possible to nourish this little one.

 
Maternity Clothes?  Yes, and no.  Tops are all still non maternity and some of my baggier boyfriend style jeans still fit perfectly fine.  I've always, always gained weight in my legs {thick thigh club member over here, holllla lol} so most of my tighter skinny jeans I've just completely given up on and shoved into the depths of my closet for now.  I did recently purchase maternity jeans from A Pea In The Pod, and HOLY HELL those babies are basically the best thing ever invented {beyond comfy, how do women go back to regular jeans after wearing those?!}, and I love that most of my favorite denim designers make maternity versions.  I'm totally not one of those girls who will be trying to squeeze into my non maternity clothes for as long as possible and am ready to embrace my changing physique and maternity fashion.

 
Gender?  Not sure yet.  This little one likes to keep us guessing :)


Cravings?  Chocolate protein shakes made extra thick with lots of ice, peanut butter & half a banana.  I have one every day! 
 
Miss Anything?  Wine and margaritas.  We ordered a case of wine from our favorite vineyard when we were in Italy and it's just sitting in my wine fridge haunting me!


Exercise?  In the first trimester it was absolutely non existent.  Recently I've gotten more energy back so I've been taking brisk 3 mile walks 5 times a week for the past few weeks {wearing my heart rate monitor & aiming to keep my heart rate around 140}, swimming laps in our pool {hence the golden tan I've been sporting recently}, and I just started with prenatal yoga & pilates.  It feels really good to be active again!



Symptoms?  Feeling really good although my nose is constantly stuffy {but only in my right nostril} and that is especially annoying when I'm trying to sleep at night & I'm also SO thirsty 24/7.  I've never drank so much water in my life!


Mood?  Excited!  I keep thinking about how our little baby {who's the size of an avocado this week!} is half Adam & half myself.  I could daydream for hours wondering what pieces of him and what pieces of me he or she might have.....Adam's naturally curly hair...my Italian olive skin...his smile that instantly just melts me....only 6 more months to go until I get to meet this little one who has already captured my heart.


Baby Movement?  I can't feel anything yet, but we had an ultrasound last week and that little cutie was moving around like crazy - full somersaults included!  



Best Moment This Week?  Nothing that really stands out, I just feel so blessed to be given this gift.  I had a lot of dark moments last year and I had such a negative outlook on my ability to get pregnant.  To be here now, writing my first bumpdate is a really special experience that I feel so grateful for.


Looking Forward To?  Our ultrasound next month & finally finding out if we're having a boy or girl - I can't wait to start shopping :)

Thanks so much for reading & following along!  Hope you all have a great weekend! xx

Cravings - What I've Been Eating Lately

Now more than ever, I've really been monitoring what I put into my body.  The number 1 reason being I really want to nourish my baby with real whole & nutritious foods {preferably organic whenever possible}, but in all honesty, I'm also terrified of gaining too much weight.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gaining the healthy amount necessary for growing my baby, but the thought of just kind of accidentally letting myself go scares the bejesus outta me!  lol

I'm definitely not monitoring my calories, nor am I tracking my carb intake.  I've just been listening to my body & try to eat as clean & healthy as possible.

Here's what I've been chowing down on lately....


Snacks

Veggies w/ spicy hummus.  I eat this nearly every day!

These are so yummy and ring in at 110 calories each.

I've never been a huge cottage cheese lover until recently.  I love combining it with fresh fruit!

You guys, I am OBSESSED with this stuff!  I eat it with multi grain tortilla chips, with carrot sticks, or with my eggs in the morning - I could eat this all.day.long!

More veggies + hummus....

These bars are my favorite; they're 100 calories and contain only 1 dried apple + 10 cherries.  Nothing else.  :)

Breakfast

Pregnancy is weird - I have never been a huge fan of eggs {unless they were drowned in hot sauce} but now I LOVE egg whites!  I make these egg white scrambles probably every other day and load them up with whatever fresh veggies we have on hand.  This particular one was asparagus + zucchini with fresh herbs from my garden and a small amount of feta cheese on top.

These gluten-free frozen waffles from Whole Foods are pretty healthy and really easy.....

I like to pile on the fresh berries and finish with a small drizzle of honey.

I came up with a fool proof way to make frittata!  I'll share the recipe with you guys soon!  It's super easy {no special pan required} and the presentation is amazing.

Low-fat cottage cheese paired with sliced strawberries, nectarines, pineapple, raspberries & blueberries for the win!  I finish this with a super small drizzle of honey for a little extra sweetness!

Sorry for the terrible lighting in this shot!  This is a sprouted raisin english muffin, topped with all natural peanut butter, sliced banana, and a drizzle of agave nectar.  Also pictured: a Pink Lady apple {my faveeeee!}.

Another egg white + veggie scramble.  This one is asparagus + mushrooms paired with a slice of high fiber multi-grain bread.  I don't like butter on my toast, but instead will lightly drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top.  So yummy!

Fruit cravings daily = lots of smoothies!

What type of blogger would I be if I didn't post a picture of avocado toast?!   ;)

Lunch + Dinner

Not too many pictures, but still worth sharing...

 

Brown rice wraps are so good!  I love them with spicy hummus, and loaded up with veggies.  I always add a dollop of fresh salsa on top for extra flavor.

I made a shaved corn + quinoa salad that I paired with a homemade vinaigrette.  Super simple + delicious!

I made this whole wheat Mediterranean pasta salad last night for dinner, and it turned out SO GOOD!  I need to tweak a few things, but will definitely share this recipe later on this week.  We paired this with grilled chicken....

Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches are a HUGE craving for me right now, and I'm obsessed with this superfruit jelly spread from Crofter's.  It's made with Acai berries, Morello cherries, pomegranates & red grapes and contains no added sugars.

Indulgences

And lets get real.  I'm definitely having my fair share of sweets + indulgences.  I'm just trying to do it in moderation and not go overboard with the indulgences.

 

There is a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop a few blocks from my house and we have definitely made our way over there a few times!  Ben & Jerry's is the ONLY ice cream that I'll indulge in because all of their products are 100% non GMO {which is super important to me during my pregnancy}.  My faves are the Cherry Garcia & the Half Baked Fro Yo!!!

Nothing better than Key Lime Pie with a burnt marshmallow topping!  **drooling**

A few quick notes:

Not pictured but is a hugeeee craving for me right now is Kettle Chips Salt & Vinegar flavor - I can't get enough, but only eat a few handfuls and then throw the bag out because they are d.a.n.g.e.r.o.u.s for me! 

We do all of our grocery shopping at Whole Foods which is SO expensive.  I wish there was a Trader Joe's closer to us, but the nearest TJ's is a good 45 minute drive from our house.  We do have a small veggie + herb garden which does help cut some costs, but for the most part it's almost always Whole Foods for us.

We always eat Kosher meats in our home.  Yes, we are a Jewish household, but in all honesty, there's a reason that Kosher meat is just better.  Kosher meat is basically the equivalent of organic meat {no hormones, no antibiotics, all natural, etc} but Kosher meat takes it a step further.  The animals are inspected by a certified veterinarian prior to the animal being killed.  The animals must be disease free, and can not have any broken bones, no injuries, etc, and then they are killed in the most humane way possible by a man who must be specially trained in this method which is quick & painless for the animal....no stress hormones released in the meat.  There are tons of studies that are available online if you want to read up on this.  As a small side note, my girlfriend who lives in Russia told me that it's well known in Russia that Kosher meat is much better, and whenever she {or her friends} travel, they always request Kosher meals on the flights {even though they're not Jewish!} because they just know that the meat is so much healthier, and doesn't contain all that other crap!

Non GMO products are huge for me right now.  I've been doing quite a bit of reading about the effects of GMO's on babies in utero during pregnancy and the results are scary!  I know that buying organic products can get real expensive real fast, but there are tons of small local farms who can not afford to be organic certified, but still are committed to not using GMO seeds.  Always good to look into!

Thanks for reading!  Have a great week! xx

And Baby Makes Three (Plus 2 Pups)

In case you missed probably the weirdest baby announcement in history on my Instagram over the weekend, Adam & I are expecting a sweet little addition to our family in early September!  Initially, I wanted to wait until I was out of my first trimester to announce the good news, but we were in a pretty horrific car accident last week which really made me realize how precious life truly is.  This tiny little life inside of me already means the world to us and I just felt that it deserves to be celebrated not hidden away for a few more weeks until it's socially acceptable to announce it publicly.

I'm still in complete shock that I'm pregnant as you may remember from my post back in November that I've struggled with infertility issues for over a year & a half and was told that my chances of conceiving on my own were pretty slim.  We had actually scheduled to begin IVF when we got back from our Austria/Italy trip in January, but it wasn't necessary as I became pregnant naturally on my own!  Remember when I told you guys how I was SO sick while we were in Austria?  Well it's true that I was nauseous, vomiting & just feeling pretty crappy the whole time we were there.  On our last day in Salzburg, after Adam + our friends from Moscow urged me several times to take a pregnancy test, I finally took one {which was in German and we had to translate on Google to read the results!} and it was positive!  I honestly thought we translated it wrong, and didn't believe that it was true so when we went out to lunch that afternoon, I drank a ton of tea and went and bought 2 more tests and they were positive also!  In case your wondering, "schwanger" means pregnant in German :)

That next day we flew to Italy, and as soon as we got settled into our B&B, we immediately walked to the nearest pharmacy and bought another test....again it was positive.  We called our IVF doctor and explained everything to her and she told us that if we had taken 4 pregnancy tests and they were all positive than, "congratulations, you're pregnant!".  

Complete and utter shock you guys!  I definitely "feel" pregnant now.  I am 10 weeks pregnant and have been SO sick the entire time.  I've cooked a total of 2 meals over the course of the past month {my poor husband!} because the different smells from cooking send me straight to throw up...no bueno.  I hope to post "bumpdates" on here from time to time like some of my other favorite bloggers do, but for now I definitely don't have a bump, it's more like a hot bloated burrito bump mess lol! 

I'm really looking forward to the 2nd trimester, and hopefully starting to feel better soon.  I'm also really excited to start shopping for baby gear, nursery furniture, and maternity fashion!  

So to all my mama readers, lay it on me.  Any words of wisdom?  Any must-have baby products that I absolutely need?  I feel SO clueless in all of this!