Maternity Design update

Often with a new year comes new changes and one of the first things I wanted to change was the website for my shop. While I loved my first website and had it for 3 years it was time to move on to something more crisp, clean and user friendly! I'm excited about all the new features I'll have to my advantage now. Some more change is the start of my maternity accessory line that is launching soon. Finally! I've mentioned it here and there on the blog over the past year and it's finally done. The idea has been in the making for years and I finally took the plunge and got the first product into manufacturing earlier this year when I was pregnant with my 4th. Stay tuned as pre-orders for the first items open up soon. If you're expecting or know someone that's expecting let em know. ;) There are currently no ruffled maternity bands like mine on the market so I'm hoping they'll do well.

35 Weeks Pregnant!

Total weight gain: Since my last bump update I've only put on another half a pound so I'm up 20.5 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes? Yes. I can hardly find anything to wear these days. Even with some of my maternity tops my belly is starting to peek underneath. I'm also living in my black maternity pants. I swear I wear those all the time if I'm not in a dress. At this point I refuse to buy anymore maternity bottoms.

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell.

Sleep: Meh. Same as always. Stinks! It's not even the pregnancy though, it's my 2 and a half year old Mariam who still climbs into our bed at night. I'm also up at least 3 times between falling asleep and 6 am to use the restroom. 

Best moment this week: Hmm. I'd say getting some more baby things in order and sewing more things. It's also been exciting getting everything ready for Serena to start 7th grade and Layla who is starting pre-K tomorrow!

Movement: She's always been a busy bee. I'm starting to get convinced that she hasn't turned head down yet. I just really can't explain why I feel her poking out from everywhere, very much in my ribs, or why a lot of her movements actually hurt. It wasn't like this with the other girls. I have an OB appt this Friday so I'll be finding out where she is.

Food cravings: Tazo passion fruit tea. I've been having a cup just about every day for the past week. I've hardly had cravings other than sweets but last weekend I just had to have some of this tea so I bought a box from the grocery store. 

Labor Signs: The braxton hicks contractions have been minimal. I get a few a day and some are uncomfortable, but nothing I haven't experienced for the past few weeks. 

Symptoms: The middle part of my back still hurts a lot and I've been extra anxious and weepy this past week. Just a lot going on with everything and these hormones are kicking.

Have a great Monday!

Dressing room files

The girls and I headed into the mall today after my OB appt and I couldn't resist popping into Nordstrom to try on a dress I had seen on Instagram a few weeks back. I've been on the hunt for a stretchy casual dress that fits the bump and I found it in this Leith body-con dress.

(Sorry for the grainy phone pics, they always look blurry when I send them to my email to upload)

{Dress: Nordstrom}

I also tried on two other dresses. They didn't make the cut, but they are really cute. The black ruched dress was really comfortable but the ivory boho dress made me look huge in person.

{Ruched dress}

{Tassel trim dress}

Another item I bought was this Betsey Johnson terry robe. It's super soft and I was in desperate need of a new robe. 

{Ruffle trim robe}

Have a great Wednesday!

21 weeks pregnant!

I've gotten a little bit behind. I normally do these every 2 weeks but never did my 20 week recap. Everything is going great and I'm halfway there!

Total weight gain: 8 lbs. My bottoms are starting to get tighter and I think it's time for a new bathing suit. Small bottoms just aren't exactly cutting it anymore, and I apologize to any people on the beach yesterday that may have seen a little more on the backside than what they wanted to see when I was trying to take my shorts off haha!

Maternity clothes? Yes but not exclusively. I wear some maternity tops. 

Stretch marks? You know I'm just not sure. I can't tell if some of these around my belly button are older ones that I can see more clearly now because the skin is more stretched, or if some are new ones. 

Sleep: It's actually been pretty good these past two weeks minus the occasional wake up and not being able to fall back to sleep for 2 hours. 

Best moment this week: This past Friday we had the anatomy scan and everything looks great. I felt even more in love with her seeing her little body and her little profile. She's healthy and I'm definitely feeling very blessed!

Movement: I've been feeling her move every day and I just love it. Around 20 weeks I was able to see taps on the outside of my belly. 

Food cravings: I really haven't gotten cravings this pregnancy. Sometimes a random food item will pop in my head and I'll think about how that sounds good right now, but nothing I have to have. I have been enjoying cold m&m's at night with a cold bottle of water. 

Food aversions: Nothing I can think of this week.

Labor Signs: Nope! According to my scan last week cervix is still long and closed as it should be. My braxton hicks have also calmed down. They come on more when I'm overly stressed or the girls are at it and fighting a lot. 

Symptoms: Itchy skin and getting breathless a lot. I found out that baby girl is currently breech so with her head up high that might explain why I'm out of breath a lot. 

So excited about having another sweet baby girl to dress. Baby bibs are from my shop. 

Have a great Monday!

We are having a.......

baby girl!!

I know almost everyone thought....or hoped that it would be a boy, but it looks like we are just destined to have a house full of girls. We are happy with whatever we are blessed with.

When we went for our ultrasound the little lady didn't want to cooperate and for a few seconds we were thinking boy because we saw something, but we ended up getting a clear picture that it is in fact a girl. We also get to have another more in depth ultrasound next week and hopefully I'll get some pictures this time. 

This past weekend the family and I went to Mounts Botanical Gardens in West Palm Beach and took some pictures to share with our family and friends. The park is a hidden gem and Saturday was just beautiful outside. The beautiful balloon tassel was provided by Love Pretty Details and I absolutely loved it! The tissue garland was already assembled and all I had to do was tie it on the balloon after I had it blown up with helium. So easy and so fun! I made the mistake of not putting enough helium in the balloon since it's supposed to be bigger, but it still came out great. Take a look at their shop for gorgeous handmade party decor.

Excited to add another little girl to this bunch!

Etsy shop: Love Pretty Details

Follow on Instagram: @Loveprettydetails

Have a great Tuesday!

18 Weeks Pregnant!

(As of today 18 weeks 5 days)

Total weight gain: I don't have a scale at home so I have no idea but my pants don't feel tighter except in the belly area so I don't think I've gained much since my last appointment.  

Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I found an old stash of maternity shirts in a closet so I took those out and have been wearing a few.

Stretch marks? Still too early in the game.Nothing new to report here.

Sleep: I've been sleeping a little bit better these past 2 weeks. The girl's have been better about climbing into our room in the middle of the night. Part of the reason is Mariam has started to just climb into Serena's bed instead of ours. 

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby become more active. I could of sworn it had hiccups yesterday but it just seems so early to tell so maybe not. 

Miss Anything? Breathing like a normal person. I feel constantly out of breath this past week.

Movement: I've been feeling a decent amount of movement this week. 

Food cravings: Pretty much anything bad. Haha! Fried foods, candy.

Food aversions: Nothing I can think of this week.

Labor Signs: No thank goodness. Way to early for all that, but I've been feeling a lot of braxton hicks contractions. More when the girl's stress me out or I have to yell at them for fighting amongst each other.

Symptoms: A little indigestion, not much energy, getting winded fast.

Have a great Tuesday!

Darker hair and OOTD

I'm all about finding a great deal especially since I love shopping. When it was just Serena as an only child, I was more of a brand snob, but these days if it's cute I'm all for it. Wednesday I took the little ones to the park and in the afternoon when we picked up Serena from School, we had to run a few errands. We made a couple extra stops one which included Payless and while we went in for a pair of tennis shoes for Serena, I saw these adorable scalloped leopard flats for only $8! I couldn't pass that up and you can find them online and in store.

Onto something else that's recent. I dyed my hair Tuesday night because I've been getting more grey's and my hair had turned into a brassy mess again. If you see the pictures from my Easter post, you'll see what I'm talking about. I used a box dye from Clairol. I normally use Revlon, but I thought I'd give this one a try. The color I used was medium ash brown. 

So the verdict. I like the color and if it the dark gets on my nerves well at least it will fade fast, but the issue I had was it left my hair color uneven. If you look at the top two pictures you'll notice I've got like an ombre going on. H assures me it's not that noticeable, but I can tell. Oh well. I'm just going to leave it as is, I'll be dyeing my hair in a couple months again anyways and I don't want to damage it. You can't see the uneven parts in indoor lighting really.

Have a great weekend!

Our Easter weekend

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. Ours was good. We started Saturday morning off by going to a nearby park for a small easter egg hunt with some of the families that live in the condos that we do. Said park is inhabited by that little alligator above which I thought was interesting. You'll see a lot of alligators in Florida! After the egg hunt we went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch--I was craving salad! Then we came home and I took Serena to the pool.

Sunday morning was a bit of a fail. We tried to go to the 10:30 am mass and it was completely crowded. They wouldn't let anybody else in the church so we went to the "overflow mass" and that was crowded too. I feel like a bad catholic about it, but the girls and I left. I was pretty irritated that I got the girls ready and showed up early and there was still no room. Next time I guess I better get there an hour early. I did stop at a nearby park to get some Easter pics and then we came back home to pick up H and Mariam and go to the beach. The rest of the evening was spent playing with the girls and getting some work done.

Have a great Wednesday!

Events & Pregnancy fashion

This past weekend was full of events. By the time Sunday rolled around I was actually happy to be back in my yoga pants and ponytail. The weekend kicked off with the Boca Bacchanal which is a food and wine event benefiting the Boca historical heritage society. It was held at the Atlantic Aviation hanger in Boca and unfortunately it rained cats and dogs as soon as we arrived but that did not keep the crowd away, let me tell you. There was over 140 featured wines from world-renowned vintners and delicious by-the-bite specialties from over 30 South Florida restaurants. Guests were also able to experience private jet tours, chef demonstrations, car displays, fashion presentations from Saks Fifth Avenue and live entertainment. H and I had a great time and hope to attend next year. I also got to know a few bloggers which was fun. 

(Excuse the blurry phone pictures. Every time I move them to the computer they come out blurry.) 

The next morning Serena and I had a mother daughter tea and book discussion event at the library but I'll do a separate post on that. So Saturday evening in continuing the Boca Bacchanal event we attended a vintner dinner which was held at the homes of various Boca notables. The one we went to was held at the home of the president for the Boca Raton historical society. Her home was beautiful! Dinner was exquisite and the company was great. It's only too bad I didn't get to enjoy any of the wines, but maybe next time. 

Have a great Thursday!

40 Week Baby Bump!

 

Oh hello there. As you can see I'm still here at 40 weeks. I can honestly say I've never been this pregnant before. I have mixed emotions. I love pregnancy and I know I'm going to miss it, but at the same time, it's the not knowing and her not being on time that has me a little on edge. I've been pretty restless and wanting the days to go by fast--I can't wait to meet her!

How far along? 40 Weeks!!

Total weight gain: 25 lbs. Looks like I am weighing less than I was last year pregnant. With Serena I gained 12 lbs and with Layla I gained 35 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes some, and I'm sure H is tired of seeing me wear the same old black yoga pants at home all the time. They are the most comfortable though.

Stretch marks? ::Cries:: Yes. I noticed new ones a little over a week ago. They waited till the end to come out. They are by my belly button and luckily are light, but are still unwelcome permanent residents visitors.
Sleep: Bad. Im getting up nightly around 2am thinking it's morning and then it takes me awhile to fall back to sleep. I also get up 2-3 times to use the restroom.
Best moment this week: The week just started so hoping we get to meet our little baby.
Miss Anything? Something not hurting.
Movement: Yes but she is cramped in there, so I don't feel her as much.
Food cravings: Chocolate and sweets
Food aversions: Nope.
Boy or girl: Girl!
Labor Signs: Meh.
Symptoms: Lot's of going to the bathroom, lack of sleep and emotions are riding high.
Belly Button in or out? Out and flat..sorta
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Looking forward to: Dr's appt & Ultrasound tomorrow. The last one tomorrow I hope. I know we'll be scheduling an induction date since the practice doesn't let you go past 41 weeks. I'm thinking Friday, November 9th would be good. In for the weekend and out by Monday. Not too mention Monday, November 12th is Serena's 10th birthday and I know she wouldn't want to share her birthday.

 

Just have to throw this one in there, because it really is a true picture of how this belly actually looks! It's very oddly torpedo shaped. Whenever I go out I immediately see people's eyes zone in on it. Sometimes I feel self concious but I'm pretty used to it. Haha.

 



38 Week Baby Bump



I only blogged once last week. It was so hectic. I had this 4 day event that I was a vendor at and there was much to prepare. It was pretty much an all day thing but some days I was only there for half a day. Even then it was tough working out childcare and being away from the girls so much. I'm not used to that. By Saturday I was pretty exhausted. The event didn't bring as big as a crowd as I was told there would be, but overall it was a neat experience.

How far along? As of today 38 weeks 2 days.

Total weight gain: I haven't weighed myself lately but I can tell the pounds are creeping up. I see it in my arms and legs.

Maternity clothes? Yes and it's slim pickins like usual.

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell.

Sleep: It's starting to be bad. I'm waking up once in the middle of the night and then it takes me awhile to fall back asleep.

Best moment this week: Well the week just started. Last week was a little blah.
Miss Anything? Wearing what I want.

Movement: Always. I feel limbs everywhere!

Food cravings: Chocolate and sweets
Food aversions: Nope.

Boy or girl: Girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: Lot's of BH contractions and going to the bathroom.

Belly Button in or out? Out I suppose.
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Looking forward to: Dr's appt & Ultrasound tomorrow! The last one I'm sure. I keep thinking what if they find something and they want to induce me? Eek. I don't want to be induced, but last year when I had a late ultrasound at 39 weeks they found I had low fluid and I was induced. I do want to get to 40 weeks (well I'm saying that now) because I'm still so nervous about having 2 under 2.

36 Week Baby Bump

 

How far along? As of today 36 weeks 3 days.

Total weight gain: 22 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes and it's slim pickins. I think the highlight of my week was finding some old dresses in my closet that still fit.

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell.

Sleep: It's much better this pregnancy than with Layla. I'm only up once close to morning to use the restroom.

Best moment this week: Hmmm...I'm terrible at these. Cooler weather I suppose.
Miss Anything? Wearing what I want.

Movement: Always.

Food cravings: Chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate.
Food aversions: Nope.

Boy or girl: Girl! Confirmed again two weeks ago.
Labor Signs: No and I hope they stay away till 40 weeks.
Symptoms: Lot's of BH contractions, some I have to breathe through...oh and the pressure I feel on top of my legs is crazy! In the morning, I seriously feel like a bowling ball is going to fall out.

Belly Button in or out? Out I suppose.
Wedding rings on or off? I've started leaving them off because then they get impossible to take off.
Looking forward to: Ultrasound on the 23rd.



My new Cybex stroller

The Cybex Ruby stroller I won from Pregnancy magazine came last week and it is awesome! The way it handles is amazing. It's lightweight and loaded with features. For instance you can make it into a travel system and put a carseat in it. It has a basket underneath so you can store things and it folds up so easily. I just love it and if you are on the hunt for an umbrella stroller, I highy recommend this one.

 

 

I also want to share some adorable new Layla bibs I made that are on sale, including the new rosette design. They are so cute! Head over to www.fhjbaby.com and check them out.

 

 



34 Week Baby Bump

 

 

Ok, this is super late and my 34 week baby bump picture, but I'm actually 35 weeks and 2 days. I'm playing catch up now on some posts since I did the wedding series last week.

 



How far along? As of today 35 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: 20 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes and I'm down to only about 5 outfits that fit! Expect to see some repeats here.

Stretch marks? No new ones this pregnancy.

Sleep: It's ok, but I'm waking up around 5 am to use the bathroom every morning and once I'm up around 7am, it's like I have to go three times within 15 minutes of going to last time. Weird!

Best moment this week: Hmmm...the week just started soooo...I've got nothing.
Miss Anything? I'm starting to miss being able to wear whatever I want.

Movement: Oh yeah. The baby will even get startled when she hears a really loud noise close to my belly.
Food cravings: Snickers blizzards. Sweets.
Food aversions: None really.

Boy or girl: Girl!
Labor Signs: No and I hope they stay away till 40 weeks.
Symptoms: My right leg and foot hurts a lot ever so often. The belly is heavy and hurts if I'm positioned wrong laying down. I have to cradle it when I switch sides. Lot's of BH contractions, some I have to breathe through.

Belly Button in or out? Out I suppose.
Wedding rings on or off? On but sometimes I can't take them off for awhile.
Looking forward to: Meeting the baby in about 5 weeks or less.



32 Week Baby Bump!

{Big ole beach ball}

 

How far along? As of today 32 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain: Not sure. I have a scale here at home but I haven't weighed myself lately. I have to say I'm quite pleased with my body this pregnancy. Not that I'm watching my weight of course but I haven't gotten the chunky upper arms and face that I got last pregnancy. Then again...it's not over yet.
Maternity clothes? Yes some. I'm really running out of things to wear, even some of my maternity shirts are getting short and I'm not fitting into even more pants.
Stretch marks? No new ones this pregnancy. Confession. I don't lotion up my stomach every night. I probably only do it about 3 times a week. Yet I religiously lotion my arms and other stuff every night. Is it laziness about lifting up my top or nightgown? I have no idea.
Sleep: It's been pretty good except I do have to get up at least once to use the restroom. During the day it feels like I'm in the restroom all the time!
Best moment this week: It's been a great week. My body has felt pretty good and it's been an exciting week for me.--I totally re-used this from my last baby bump post.
Miss Anything? I'm starting to miss being able to wear whatever I want. I see such adorable outfits out on the blogosphere and all I can do is look at them wistfully.
Movement: Definitely!
Food cravings: Nope.
Food aversions: Ok I said I was going to be better about eating fruit. I didn't do so great this week. I maybe had a few grapes and half an apple. I have been drinking apple juice though. That counts right?
Boy or girl: Girl!
Labor Signs: No and I hope they stay away till 40 weeks.
Symptoms: I was getting a lot of strong braxton hicks contractions off and on last week but they have calmed down. Also I have this weird pain on the top of my foot that has been hurting for almost 2 weeks.
Belly Button in or out? Out I suppose.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Looking forward to: Hopefully seeing my baby via ultrasound at my doctors appt tomorrow. I have another confession. I missed my last appointment and it's been about a month since I last saw my OB. I haven't even taken my glucose test yet. I've been pretty busy and didn't want to tote both girls with me and it's not so easy to have my mom come and watch them whenever I want.

In other exciting news, we got a new car. H traded in his for something bigger. It's a 7-8 passenger crossover SUV. He came home with it on Saturday and I love it. I'll have easy access to two carseats and Serena will be able to access the third row easily. It's becoming more real that our family is growing!

If I wasn't pregnant...

I'd wear the heck out of this dress...the clutch and the cuff too while I'm at it.

 

 

Love it all. It's a little flowy so one could wear this pregnant, but not if you have a giant bump in the third trimester like I do right now.

 

Instead I'd have to settle for something like this from the Hatch Collection--if I were on the hunt right now for a new dress.

 

 

Upcoming posts:

 

Show & Tell Monday link up

 32 week baby bump

Another FHJ Baby photoshoot