My fall wardrobe staples

While I'm not ready for cooler weather yet, I am totally ready for fall fashion! Fall is definitely my favorite season for dressing. I love boots and jackets, so it's really perfect for my style. Summer was pretty much a bust for me as far as my style goes. I just had a baby at the end of June and none of my summer stuff fit me. I bought a couple of basic pieces to just get me by, but now that most of my clothes are fitting I am super excited to start putting together outfits from pieces I already own and adding a couple of new ones. I wanted to share with you my staples for what I am going to be wearing this fall and probably winter as well. Since I wear a lot of black, I am going to try to incorporate more blue denim, white shoes and cream or white tops. I have been really liking that look lately, but I am sure I will resort back to my usual all black outfit occasionally. I feel like I share this with almost every fashion post, but I LOVE neutrals. I love that between all of these pieces I can mix and match so many different outfits with them and get the most with the least amount of items! Keep that in mind when you are shopping :) I have links to all of my favorite picks below!!!

The first staple is a backpack purse. Especially since I am a mom now, this is even more convenient. Lugging around a carseat pretty much narrows it down to a cross body bag or a backpack for me. Having your hands free is major key! I have a gift card to Nordstrom Rack and I am dying for the French Connection ones! Backpacks just make your outfit look that much cooler! 

Next, I am still loving the mom jean trend. I just feel like they make your outfit more fashion-forward than a regular skinny jean. Although, I will never get sick of black skinny jeans! This would be such a good one to find at a thrift store, since this style of jean has been around for years. I love the Target ones (advertised as a straight leg) and the American Eagle distressed mom jeans (I own both of these pairs and they are pictured above!). 

I have always been a big fan of leather leggings! They are so comfy if you get the right pair. I personally don't own the Spanx ones, but every blogger raves about them! They have a pair of similar ones at Target that are Assets by Spanx and only the front is leather, which may be more flattering. I have the Wild Fable ones (also pictured above). They are more of a liquid legging rather than faux leather, but really high waisted and only $16 for someone who just wants to try out the look and keep it inexpensive. 

This is one of my favorite trends that has been going on for the last year or so. I have a pair of off-white booties from Target that I love (pictured above and listed on my Love List). They are a more tamed down version of white booties, but I just ordered a buckled flat pair from Boohoo and I cannot wait to rock them! They brighten up your outfit and just give it that cool-girl vibe. 

I love a good beige or camel jacket. It's so classic, timeless and can be worn over literally anything. Plain white tee, turtle neck, dress, etc. This might be an item worth splurging on. I love the lighter color and if you have a shedding German Shepherd like myself, this color will come in handy. 

Neutral colored tops will be in my rotation of fall outfits because A. they are pretty much all I own and B. you can wear them under everything and are so easy to mix and match. My clothes are almost always budget-friendly, but even more so with this staple. I bought that cream off-the-shoulder sweater at Plato's Closet for $6, the muted rust color tee from Plato's for $6, white tee from Target $4, pretty much all either clearance items or thrifted! You don't have to break the bank, get creative! 

I think white sneakers are a good staple for year round fashion. I have had this pair for like 4 years from Target on clearance for $8 or so. I just use a Magic Eraser to clean them up every so often and they look brand new! I love how they make your outfit look a little more laid back and tomboyish. 

This is my absolute favorite thing I am sooo excited to wear! ANIMAL PRINT BOOTS. I didn't even know animal print was a trend for this fall, but apparently it is. I am obsessed with snakeskin and leopard (always have been). This is such a fun way to make your outfit more edgy and interesting. I got my snakeskin booties from Windsor Store for $35, but I linked a couple of really cool affordable ones as well. I ordered the Billabong leopard print boots too, but shortly after I saw those $20 ones from Walmart on another blogger's Instagram and was shocked at how cute they were! 

Surviving your first few weeks of motherhood/ Newborn essentials

I haven't posted in a while on here and the reason why is the last thing I have wanted to do with my very little free-time is write a blog post, no offense! This motherhood thing is kicking my butt, but I am starting to get the hang of things and have gotten a little better with trying to manage everything, while also just enjoying this precious time with our little guy! If you didn't know, I recently had my first baby, Luke, about 8 weeks ago. I wanted to share a couple of things that have really helped with surviving the first few weeks of motherhood and my must-have products for mom and baby!

Amazon Fire Stick: I have spent so much time on the couch, especially in the first couple of weeks when I was still recovering from child birth - which, by the way, is super unglamorous and rough (probably a future post itself!) It did help to make sure I walked around the house a little bit every day, but for the most part I just wanted to sit down and rest and snuggle our sweet new addition! While I felt a little guilty for being "lazy" (totally not lazy, but when you are used to a routine and being busy sometimes you just can't help but feel that way), what other time in your life do you get an excuse to just hangout on the couch and not have anywhere to be or anything to do really? Make sure you have a subscription on Hulu or Netflix and get some good shows stacked up to watch! Let me know if you want my recommendations :)

Amazon Prime: If there is anything you need that you can't get up to go to the store for, this will be so helpful. I didn't know how big Luke was going to be so I didn't really buy newborn stuff and ended up that he wore them for about 5-6 weeks. I had my Mom and husband that could run to the store so I didn't end up using Amazon, but if you were home alone this would be a life saver for anything you needed!

Portable Phone Charger or long charging cord: I don't have any outlets by my couch and my phone was constantly dying, so having a portable charger was key! I have one by Sonix brand that my best friend got me and I love it!

Feeding app: Super helpful to have! I have the Glow Baby app and really like the format! This will suck all of your battery, so make sure you get the last must-have :)

Nursing tanks: Something I did not buy, but really wish I would have! I pretty much lived in just pajama pants and a nursing bra for the first few weeks because I was constantly feeding and lifting my shirt up and down just seemed like too much work when I had to do it again in an hour.

Cozy sweats and pajamas: You will be living in these, so make sure you have comfy ones!

Healthy snacks: All I wanted to eat was anything high in carbs after I delivered because I had gestational diabetes and wasn't able to eat many carbs for the last few months of pregnancy. While it was nice to indulge for a while, it honestly started making me feel sick. It's hard to make time to get up and prepare healthy snacks so chips, crackers, cookies were all so much easier. I was soooo hungry all the time and a lot of other women I have heard are (especially if you are breastfeeding). I would highly suggest getting some healthy, but good snacks to have at home before baby is born! Pre-cut apple slices from costco or celery with nut butter, bananas, nuts and seed mixes, healthier chips/crackers with guacamole or hummus, string cheese, sparkling waters and yogurt are some good and easy snacks to have!

Boppy: This will save your arms from burning! I was holding Luke the majority of the day and so my arms would seriously BURN they were so tired! I also just used pillows from my bedroom on the couch around me so I could rest my arms, so that will do the trick too. I would also use my Boppy as a holder for all of my remotes and snacks, haha!

Heating pad: Check with your doctor, but I would sleep with this a lot on my couch because my back would hurt from the constant baby holding and feeding.

Yeti or good water bottle: Drink TONS of water. Even if you aren't breastfeeding I think it will just make you feel way better as you recover. Whenever I am sick or not really moving around a whole lot, drinking lots of water helps me not feel so "stiff". If you are breastfeeding, this is super important. I made the mistake a few times of becoming dehydrated and not drinking enough water and literally felt like pure crap, which makes it really inconvenient when you have to feed and care for a baby -- I would not recommend getting to this point! If you ask my husband, I am sure he got so sick of me asking him to fill my water bottle up a million times a day after that.

Taking Cara Babies: The reason I am able to write this post! Okay guys, I JUST started this a few days ago, and I usually like to try things out for longer before making a recommendation, but I know this is amazing and really wanted to include it. I plan on doing a post on it later after a few months, but do yourself a favor: in the last few weeks of pregnancy, when you are going crazy and getting anxious, TAKE THIS ONLINE CLASS. I wish I would have done it earlier! My friend recommended it and I didn't listen until a few days ago and it is truly amazing! It is a class on newborn sleeping/how to calm your fussy baby, etc. Check them out @takingcarababies on Instagram and checkout her website for more info!

Community: ASK FOR HELP! There are sooo many mom's out there that are in the same position as you! Asking questions has really been helpful for me! There are lots of Facebook groups or podcasts on motherhood that make you feel less alone! I really like the Babes and Babies podcast with Jade, Carly and Liz from the Bachelor! Also, don't be afraid to ask friends or family for help even if it is just holding the baby while you take a shower!

Some kind of petroleum jelly or Vaseline-like product: The first few days of baby poop is literally tar and sooo hard to get off even if you catch it 5 minutes after. One of the nurses at the hospital told us to get some vaseline and put it on their bottoms after every diaper change and their poop will just slide right off! Sounds gross, but trust me it will make your life so much easier! I also used this on the inside of his diaper after he got circumsised, so if you plan on doing that I would highly recommend rubbing vaseline on the inside of their diapers so nothing gets caught!

Zip up jammies: Literally all Luke wore for the first few weeks. The easiest to change them into and out of. I find that he RARELY wears over the head onesies and I have so many of them. It's hard because you don't know if your baby is going to be small enough to wear newborn sizes, but I had barely any of these so my mom went out and bought a bunch of newborn ones after he was born. I love Carter's brand, they are definitely my favorite! And they always have sales.

Rock n Play or swing: Whatever one works for you will be amazing for setting baby down in or to take naps! I have the Rock n Play and love it because it's really affordable (I'll link the one I have) and folds up to be really light and compact so you can bring it wherever in your house and when you travel! We always bring this with us when we travel and it easily can fit in the trunk of a car or truck. A lot of the affordable swings I looked at had really big bases and took up way too much room so this one was nice.

Velcro or Zip up Swaddle: These make life so much easier than swaddling with a blanket. They are safer too! I use the Halo Sleep Sack and really like it.

Baby carrier: Wish I would have used mine sooner. I have the Baby Bjorn and really like it, but I have heard a lot of people like the wrap style as well. This will be a game changer, especially if you are home alone with the baby and want to be able to get up and actually get a couple of things done around the house.

Water Wipes: These are awesome and Luke has not had diaper rash yet and I think it is because of these amazing and gentle wipes. They are made with water mostly and a little bit of fruit extract, so they are super easy on baby's skin. Plus, you can use them for wiping their face or yourself too since they are really gentle!

Honest Healing Balm: I love this stuff! You can use it on anything, but I really liked it for cradle cap.

       

What's in my hospital bag?

I packed my hospital bag around 34 weeks, just to be safe! I asked around to friends and did some research to see what I actually needed to bring. I feel like I ALWAYS overpack, so I wanted to try to keep it simple. I also only live about 10 minutes from the hospital I will be delivering at, so if needed someone could always go grab something for me! I've heard from a lot of people that the hospital provides a lot of things like mesh underwear, pads, diapers and more disposable things, so I didn't really bring any of those. First, I used my diaper bag as my hospital bag for me and the baby. I'll link which one I have below, but it's super functional and actually holds a lot! Plus, it's a backpack, which I always find so easy to grab and go. It's the SkipHop Chelsea bag in black with gold hardware.

For me: I picked up a plain, waffle jersey-knit light-weight black robe to wear (I have a really nice white Hotel Collection one Chris got me for Mother's Day, but I thought white might be a little risky at the hospital). I picked it up from Wal-Mart for $12 and I think it will be perfect because I can just tie it up and don't really have to be wearing anything else if I don't want to. Plus, I know I'll use it all the time after! I also picked up two comfy nursing bras from Wal-Mart. For pants I just did my Lululemon Align leggings and a pair of jersey-knit pajama pants from Old Navy. It's going to be super hot I'm assuming so I just brought two loose tank tops to go with them and I guess I'll just wear one of those combos home. Like I said, it takes like 10 minutes to get there so I didn't really put a lot of thought into a "going-home outfit" or anything like that. I also packed my Adidas slides as my sole pair of shoes. They have good enough traction on the bottom for walking around and I could wear them in the shower too since they are waterproof. I packed a washcloth and a travel size face wash I already had (I figured it would be easiest to just do travel sizes of things instead of grabbing all of my regular sized things that I will be using up until I go into labor), a washcloth, face wipes, dry shampoo (my hair is such a pain to wash/dry), a pack of elastics for braids (I think braids will be my go-to to keep my hair out of my face and not have to deal with washing/drying my hair at the hospital), a comb, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste set, floss, a razor (we will see how much I end up caring lol) and then I will just grab my makeup bag on the way out the door. I keep deodorant in my purse so that will be included as well. The most exciting thing for me to pack was a couple of snacks haha! I haven't been able to eat many carbs or any candy or anything from my Gestational Diabetes, so I stocked up on some protein bars (figured they would be more beneficial than just a candy bar) and my favorite Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears to eat as soon as I pop that baby out! Chris has the phone chargers in his bag too. I think I will pick up a pack of gum/mints too to throw in there for when I have visitors hah. That's pretty much it though.

For baby: I really didn't pack much. I packed two outfits (cross your fingers he can fit into newborn sizes lol). If you have seen any of the clothes I have bought him you know I really only like white, black, gray and blue, so the outfits are super neutral. I also packed two cute little newborn beanies and a muslin swaddle blanket. Also, our carseat is on it's way to our house (see last post to read what happened there), but obviously I will be packing that as well. That's really it for him. Let me know if you feel like I am missing out on anything!

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 34-37

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past few weeks! I have been super busy and SUPER tired. I have been taking naps every day when I get home from work, and have been enjoying every second of them while I can :) At week 34 I had another doctor's appointment, which was quick and easy. Then, I went back to the Dr. at week 36 for my final 2 week appointment. At that appointment I had the Strep B test (google it if you don't know what it is lol). He also checked to see if I had dilated at all for the first time. I wasn't at all. After that appointment he said he wants to see me every week until the baby comes, which I think makes the time fly so much faster, the fact that I get to go in every week now and hear/check on the baby. I can't believe he's coming in 3 weeks or less! I think I told you guys a while ago that because I had gestational diabetes he had said at my diagnosis that he would likely not let me go past my due date for that reason. I am not sure if that still stands, I'll have to ask him when I go back in! The only reason why I am wondering is because I have been managing my diet so well and haven't had to do anything extra or any kind of stress tests or anything like that for the GD, which I know isn't always the case. My blood sugar has been great! Honestly, its really hard! But, I am the kind of person that when you tell me instructions on how to do something, I follow it to a T! As hard as it is to stay away from carbs, my health/the baby's health is so much more important to me. Plus, I already packed my hospital bag and put in some of the foods that I have been craving for after I have him! Kind of like a little celebration :) Speaking of hospital bag, I packed mine at around 34 weeks and so did Chris. I think I'll do a next post on what is in my hospital bag and then after I have him maybe I will go back and let you know what I actually used!

I actually got into a minor car accident this past week on my lunch break at work. Someone rear-ended me, but it was honestly such a low impact she pretty much just tapped my car. It freaked me out thought because it could have been really bad. I called my Dr. to let them know and they said it is protocol that you have to come in after a car accident, especially since I was 36.5 weeks at the time. The good thing was that I got to do a practice run of going to Labor and Delivery haha! I could still feel the baby moving around and stuff after the accident, but I wasn't sure if the tightening of the seat-belt did anything or if it hit my stomach against the steering wheel. I went to L&D and they hooked up one of those band things around my belly to monitor everything. They said my blood pressure was fine and the baby seemed fine too, but wanted me to stay around for a couple of hours to make sure nothing changed. She also told me I was having contractions, which I had no idea I don't even notice. They sent me home after a few hours and told me to just keep my normal appointment for the next morning with my Dr. I definitely feel extremely blessed that no damage was done during the car accident!

Symptoms: Just feeling huge! My stomach actually hurts towards the front because it is stretching and I can feel the baby pushing on it. No stretch marks so far, so hopefully I am in the clear! I feel like I am kind of waddling now and my feet/ankles are feeling worn out from the extra weight I am carrying around. I don't think it helps that I don't wear the most supportive shoes most of the time when I am at home. I have also been waking up with really bad charlie horses in my legs and luckily if I flex my foot they go away after a few seconds, but they seriously hurt so bad!! I think I have been nesting like a crazy person too, which I don't know if it is a "symptom", but I thought I would include it anyways. Over Memorial Day Weekend my husband and I deep cleaned the house and changed out the air filter, finished painting, cleaned out all of the vents, all of the drawers and cabinets. It felt really good! Now we just have to keep it clean until the baby comes! I also washed all of his clothes and blankets. I put together his bouncer seat and organized all of his drawers. We ordered his stroller  and carseat over a month ago and just got an email this week saying they cancelled our order because it is no longer available. That was annoying! Luckily I found the same deal somewhere else and it shipped the next day, so I need to at least hold onto this baby until June 14th because I don't have a car seat lol. We ordered a basinet that I put together and set it up in our room! Chris picked it out, which was really cute :) It's super easy to assemble and comes with a carry-bag so you can bring it with you if you travel so I'll link it below in case anyone is interested! Also, we have a name picked out, and most of our friends already know, but I will wait to announce it when he is born!

Cravings: Basically everything that I can't eat! Any kind of sweets and tons of fruit! Unfortunately, when I have too much fruit my blood sugar is too high, so I usually stick to one or two Halo oranges a day or half of an apple. Peanut butter has been my savior! I can eat as much peanut butter as I want without my blood sugar spiking. I have sadly gone through 2 giant Adam's Crunchy all natural peanut butter from Costco over the past few weeks (I'm pretty sure they have like 60 servings per container hah!!). I try to stay away from things that are "sugar-free" because I know the artificial sweeteners are not the greatest for you, but my one "bad" thing that I eat is the Danon Light and Fit yogurts (I think they are made with sucralose or something). They have 12g of protein and help cure my sweet tooth, so I figure if that's the one thing I splurge on this pregnancy, who cares! Another thing that I like to have now that its getting super hot out is sparkling waters. My new favorite is the Cascade Ice Organic Sparkling Water in Pomegranate Mango. It's sooo good when it's ice cold.

That's pretty much it as far as an update goes. Here are the bouncy seat, basinet and travel system that we got. I obviously have never used them before, so I don't know how they are going to work for our baby, but they are all really good quality and decent prices. It's so easy to spend sooo much money on baby, especially being a first time mom. But, I have been trying to find good deals on decent quality things. Hope you enjoy!

6 Summer Accessories: Affordable way to look trendy this summer

Hey guys! I wanted to do a post on some really cute accessories for the remaining summer. These are easy ways to dress up your existing spring and summer pieces to make them a little more on-trend! If you are like me and love basics, this will help dress them up. Trendy things are hard for me to invest in, so it makes me feel better when I can spend a little less on things like this! Hope you enjoy :)

1 Dress: 5 Different Ways

Sorry for the lack of fashion-related posts lately! I think since I have been pregnant it's been so much harder for me to get creative because a lot of my clothes haven't been really fitting and I honestly don't really want to buy tons of maternity clothes that I am only going to wear temporarily (you guys know I am all about trying to have a more capsule/minimal base wardrobe and the fact that I will only wear maternity stuff for a few months is hard for me to justify!). However, I am at the point now where nothing really fits, but LUCKILY it is starting to get nice and warm out and I have recently picked up a couple of comfy jersey-knit dresses that are non-maternity and I know I can wear after I have the baby as well. I wanted to show you how you can take a simple, plain black dress and wear it with clothing pieces you probably already have in your wardrobe! I didn't have to purchase anything new to make this post, which is really great. The dress itself is a midi-dress I got from Ross for $9.99! I can't find it online, but I linked some really similar dresses that are super affordable. The midi-length is great because it shows a little bit of leg so you can see your shoes, but a lot more comfortable and flattering for me than a short dress since I am pregnant. I also am all about comfort, especially now that I am pregnant and already feel uncomfortable at this point. I wanted to keep these outfits nice and comfy! I hope you enjoy!

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 31-33

Baby month is next month! I have a doctor's appointment this week with my doctor (last one was with a midwife) and I want to confirm this, but the midwife told me because of my gestational diabetes they usually don't let you go past your due date. So, since my due date is June 30th, I won't be having a July baby. I had an appointment at 32 weeks and then I will have another at 34 and 36, then every week until the baby comes! That's what he had told me before I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and since I haven't seen my actual OB since then, I am not sure if that is going to change. The midwife said we will talk about that at my next appointment. At my 32 week appointment it was pretty quick and easy, I had to bring my log of all the food I have been eating and what my blood sugar has been over the past few weeks and they scan that in for their records. She said I have been doing great and there is no need for further intervention at this point! Which is really great to hear because I have been working really hard to keep my blood sugar low and have been passing up all of the delicious foods that I have been wanting! They checked the baby's heart rate, which is always so relieving to hear. It usually is around 140 or so. They measured me to make sure baby was growing correctly (I still don't get how this really tells you lol) and just asked if I had any questions. Another exciting thing that we did over the past few weeks is get another 3D/4D Ultrasound! We went and did this at an imaging place at week 14 to find out what we were having and she told us it is really cool to come back around weeks 28-32 (when the baby is looking close to what it does at birth, but still has enough room to move around so you can actually see everything). So, we went last weekend and it was honestly the coolest thing! We got to see our baby boy and his chubby cheeks and HAIR. She said she was actually surprised at how much hair he already has considering I still had 8 weeks left at the time. So weird, I never would have imagined us to have a baby with lots of hair hah! I wonder what color it will be!

As far as symptoms go, nothing really new. Honestly, I have been so blessed to have a pretty great pregnancy and still have been enjoying it for the most part. There are hard parts about it, but I just feel so lucky to even be able to become pregnant that I try not to focus on the bad so much. Seeing your body change and get bigger is always a hard thing for a woman, I think, but it's only temporary and you get the greatest gift out of it. It's definitely getting a lot harder to workout (OMG the motivation is really lacking here), move around and pick up things off of the ground. I have been taking a nap almost every day when I get home from work, and then after that I go straight to working out because it seems to be the only thing that gives me a boost of energy so I can actually get stuff done around the house. Shaving my legs or putting any kind lotion or anything on them is really awkward. My stomach feels like it can't stretch anymore and is as hard as a rock. It changes shape all the time when I move around and stuff and I can really feel different limbs and body parts of the baby! I woke up yesterday from my nap and it looked so weird I had this giant bulge on one side and not on the other. I was slacking with any kind of stretch mark butter or lotion over the past few months, but I have started to ramp it up because of how much I can feel it stretching. My belly button officially looks weird, too. I am wondering if it will ever go back to it's original state haha. I can see the linea negra now when I look in the mirror (no way I can see anything below my belly button without a mirror at this point), but I think it looks extra visible because I am so dang white! I haven't had any near-fainting experiences since I have been tracking my blood sugar, which is awesome! I have pretty much nailed down what I can and can't eat and eat mainly the same thing every day just to keep everything in check. I am really running out of things to wear as before I could get away with all of my tops, now they just look stupid because they stick out at the bottom. I bought a couple of maternity basic tees and tanks to layer underneath stuff and that seems to be the best! I like the stuff that doesn't have ruching (that looks so weird, but I googled it and it said that's how you spell it lol) on the sides because I know I can wear it postpartum as well; and I think it just looks more seamless. Also, since it is starting to get nice outside I can start to wear dresses, which are so much more comfortable than jeans! I went to Ross recently and found a bunch of really simple, soft, non-maternity dresses that I LOVE and were so inexpensive (like $9-13). I really like the midi and maxi lengths, I find them the most flattering! Again, I know I can wear them after the baby too, so I don't mind buying them. I'll link a couple of cute and affordable ones below! Also, I had my first two strangers mention that I was pregnant! I know this sounds stupid, but I was so excited. I was in my work uniform and the shirt is skin tight so it's kind of hard not to notice haha. They were both so sweet and cute though, it made it seem really real!

I also had my baby shower and maternity photos at week 31! My sisters and Mom threw me a shower over in my hometown and it was soooo perfect! I will do a blogpost with pictures and details about it after my sister gets done editing them. Also, if you need a photographer my sister is seriously amazing! Not just saying that! Check out her photography instagram @jennifernoellephotography . She has the best style and makes awkward people (me) feel really comfortable and basically tells you what to do! I only have a few things left to purchase for the baby and would love if anyone has any last recommendations :)