20 week baby bump

Hello! So... I've had a very busy week and am just getting to my 20 week baby bump update. {As of today I am 21 weeks + 1 day.} I couldn't not snap a picture, this is major! HALFWAY. wow. Time is really starting to tick now.  

   

{please excuse the tired eyes, this photo was taken after a day of work, and after being up since 4:30am!}

How far along? 20 weeks 

Gender? Definitely a GIRL! My sweet baby Carter Jane.

Total weight gain/loss? 10 lbs from the start of pregnancy.  

Maternity clothes?  I still haven't gone full blown maternity yet.  My favorite type of outfit consists of: my Ingrid & Isabel maternity leggings, a black cami, flowy cardigan and a scarf! {oh, kind of like my 20 week picture I shared with you!}  I did just purchase this cute top from LOFT today in size xl which will be good as my stomach keeps getting larger! I think this week i'll go ahead and order some maternity boyfriend jeans I've been eyeing up.  

Sleep? Still overall pretty great - especially since my doctor let me know I didn't have to sleep directly on my left side like I thought and that I do have the option to sleep on my right side if it feels more comfortable.  I'm typically up by 5:30/6am, this morning was 5:30am! HUNGRY. gotta love it!

Best moment this week? I'm an ultrasound - a - holic.  I love seeing my little girl on the monitor.  On Thursday of this past week I had my level two, 20 week ultrasound.  My mother-in-law and bestie came along to "meet" baby Carter and it was such an amazing experience to share with them.  Nothing is better than hearing that baby is doing well and everything is growing appropriately.  Carter is currently 13oz, just under one pound! little cutie. We saw the four chambers of her heart, looked at her brain and all of her little limbs were measured.  


Symptoms? Hungry very early in the morning, sometimes I'll also catch myself out of breath.  

Food cravings? this week I had a few interesting ones: 

• a hot dog, french fry, birch beer combo from our favorite pit stop on our way to our family cabin...aka no where local! 
• klondike bars
• creamed corn casserole {my husband has made a version of this before in the crockpot and I can't get it out of my mind}
• chocolate orange cookies {I think they call them "pillows"} from Tabora Farm - which I stopped to get this week and they were SOLD. OUT. break my heart! 

Food aversions? Chicken.  I used to love chicken, now I barely eat it at all throughout my pregnancy unless it's camouflaged in a recipe and not in huge pieces.  Strange. 

Labor signs? x

Belly button in or out?In.

What I miss? Nothing this week, I've been too busy to miss anything! 

What I'm looking forward to? More sunlight in the day.  It seems like its starting to not get dark so early, or maybe that's just my imagination? 

Nursery? My husband and I ordered Carter's crib two days ago and it should be arriving this week.  I plan to order her curtains this week or maybe next.  I found these super cute ones:

I've been shopping around and they are a steal at $26.99 per panel! We have three windows in Carter's room and I think to start I am going to order three panels and see how that looks.  I don't want overkill with ruffled curtains and I think one panel will be enough for each window.  We plan on also getting black out shades for each window so that will take care of keeping sunlight out at certain times of the day.  I also want to get to the antique store in town on one of my days off to peek around and see if I find anything cute for Carter's walls.  I've already started a small collection of items, I will share with you soon! 

Want to see my other nursery inspiration? Follow my Carter Jane's Nursery Pinterest board! 

Mood? Motivated!

Small Biz Saturday: my latest loves!

The power of Instagram is amazing! There are so many cute independent small business shops that you can stumble upon just by seeing what friends are tagging or by browsing hashtags.

Today I'm featuring two shops that I am currently loving! {want to see who else I follow? You can follow me on Instagram HERE!}

1. Lemons & Lace

Lemons & Lace is a super cute small business that makes handmade headbands, beanies, apparel, scarves, duos, binky clips and bow ties.  My most favorite items from their shop are the headbands for little girls and binky clips.  So darn cute!

{all images via Instagram} Follow Lemons & Lace on Instagram HERE

When following a shop on Instagram, sometimes they tag another shop that is featured in their photo. Click on the tag and BOOM you're browsing another shop.  Then the photo-hopping/ liking / following begins...

{image via Instagram}

PS - How cute are those two BlaBla Kids dolls in the picture above?! My Carter is going to need at least one of them!

These are my favorite headbands for your little babe: 

all images via Lemons & Lace}

1.  Fancy That - Bow Style
2.  Sandy Shores - Nautical Knot
3.  Hello "Mauve" lous/ Sequin Mix - Bow Style 
4.  Baby Blush Pink - Nautical Knot

... and a few other items I'm loving in this shop: 

{all images via Lemons & Lace}

1. Baby Blush Pink - Turban
2. Lady Eleanor - Headscarf
3. Itsy Bitsy Spider Binky Clip
4. Little Bo Peep Binky Clip 
5. Mr. Sandman - Bowtie

Love Lemons & Lace as much as I do? Click to shop >>> Lemons & Lace

2. House of Nelms {l.nelms}

Holy wow, these scarves are so cute.  I literally want one in every color.  Especially with how cold it has been lately! 

House of Nelms is an accessory company started by a friend of mine, Lindsay Nelms featuring handmade scarves that are oh so beautiful and chic! love.   Lindsay lives in Manhattan and is no stranger to bundling up on her work walking commute.

Some of my favorite Insta snaps:

     {I'm a sucker for a pretty bow!} Follow House of Nelms on Instagram HERE

Loving these: 

{all images via House of Nelms - ETSY shop}

1. Super Soft Luxe Knit Infinity Scarf
2. Super soft Chunky Novelty Knit Infinity Scarf
3. Super Soft Chunky Novelty Knit Twist Infinity Scarf

Shop House of Nelms >>> ETSY - House of Nelms

Hope you all have a great weekend! Stay warm!

19 week baby bump

19 weeks! WOW! In less than a week I will be hitting the halfway point of my pregnancy.  I remember when I booked my first doctors appointment and how slow the days went by until that appointment. Now, time is FLYING! I officially have "baby brain" and thoughts of my daughter consume my days and nights! 

How far along? week 19, day 4

Gender? GIRL! My sweet baby Carter Jane.

Total weight gain/loss? I haven't weighed myself since last week, where I was up 8 lbs since the start of pregnancy. I have two doctors appointments next week, so I'll wait to hear where they say I'm at.  No need to rush any info about weight gain.  

Maternity clothes?  I haven't purchased any this week, I am in need of some new pants! I did, however pick up this super cute dress from LOFT today.  I got a size large to cover the baby bump, it's a little big in the arms, but it is so cute and easy to wear!

{image via LOFT.com}

Sleep? Sleeping great! Usually fast asleep by 8:30, if I have the day off usually I'll stay up a little later the night before.  We have dinner plans with friends this Friday at 8:30pm, wish.me.luck.

Best moment this week? Conversations with my husband about baby Carter.  He cracks me up! He referred to a pack and play as a "snatch and pack".  And he shared his concerns about his daily routine with Carter when I'm not around... "How will I go to the bathroom with her? Do I set her down? Where?" ... "If we go somewhere what do I dress her in? How do I know what she wants when she is crying?" so. cute.  It will definitely be a learning experience for the both of us! 

Symptoms? I've been feeling great this week! {knock on wood}

Food cravings? Still veggies, veggies and more veggies!  Tonight I made myself eat some chicken to get some meat in my system.  Salads, black bean burgers, and chipotle black bean hard shell tacos have been my go - to! 

Food aversions? Nothing major this week.   

Labor signs? x

Belly button in or out?In.

What I miss? A glass of wine when I'm out to dinner.. but that's the only time I miss it.  

What I'm looking forward to? Spring! Move over winter.  

Nursery? We have two guest rooms in our home, I've decided Carter's bedroom will be in the front room of our upstairs which I'm excited because it gets great natural light and is larger than the "middle" bedroom that I originally thought would be hers.  My goal this week is to start organizing and flipping our closets.  Since we live in an older home with small and limited closet space my clothing is currently in the guest bedroom that is now going to be hers.  

Mood? Energized!

baby wish list

Creating a baby registry can be SO OVERWHELMING, my gosh! So many small items that are just as important as the large, and being a first time mom it's very easy to get confused.  I can't imagine not finding out the gender, that would be even harder to make decisions!

There are so many great places to register: Target, Buy Buy Baby, Babies "R" Us, Pottery Barn Kids, Land of Nod, Rosenberry Rooms, etc etc.  It's very easy to get carried away!

I decided on two registries: Babies "R" Us and myregistry.com. I figured two were easy to navigate. Anything I didn't find at Babies "R" Us I could add to MyRegistry list.  If you install the "add to MyRegistry" icon on your bookmark bar you can literally add anything from any website to your universal list.  Fab! Cute items that I found at Anthropologie, Rosenberry Rooms, Layla Grace, etc could all be put on one list.

{warning: using the registry gun is so.much.fun. I could have scanned the whole store!}

Here are some of the perks of creating a registry with Babies "R" Us

• Babies "R" Us host FREE new parent classes.  You are given a hand out of upcoming scheduled classes at the store in your area.  Newborn basics, successful breastfeeding, classes for Dads, there are many options.  
• Online buying guides and advice.  They have a tool called "R" registry builder where you can look at example registries based on gender and personal style: bargainista, spotlight on style, classic focus, disney baby.  I like this feature because I took a few things from each style, and got an overall idea of what to put on my list.  
• 1 year for returns! From your baby's expected date, you have a full year to make returns.  
• Price match guarantee.  Hello! This is great... take an ad in from Target, Amazon etc! 
• Get up to 10% back on your nursery registry purchases! 
• 5% back ($1 to $300) ex: you'll receive $15 back for your first $300 in baby registry purchases
• 10% back ($300.01 & up) ex: you'll receive $85 back if you reach $1000 in baby registry purchases  

Here are some of the photos I snapped of my trip! Note: super cute 10 year old in some photos is my youngest sister, Sammy!

stroller options. OMG there are so many! We liked this one -

Graco Modes Click Connect Travel System Stroller - Downton {okay, Lady Mary!}

$399, $499, $599 - there were many cribs that fell in this price range.  Yikes.  With all of the other baby gear I know that I am interested in, NEED, I'm not sure that I can justify that price.  Also - none of the cribs pictured above spoke to me like the one I ended up choosing.

which is THIS ONE! {so cute!}

This crib is perfect! It has that charming vintage feel that I want! After I found the style I was looking for, I was shocked at the price - $199! I've read in reviews that some people that have purchased this crib have taken off the wheels at the bottom.  They are definitely staying on there, anyone that knows me knows I love gold accents!

Since I know I will have some pieces of furniture in the room that will be mis - matched, I picked out a changing table that would compliment the crib.  I also am a fan of the size, not too bulky or overpowering for the room.  

Here are some of my other favorite things on my registry list: 

Bunny Pierre and Stars Lagoon Traveling Play Pad by Blabla

Skip Hop Diaper Bag Duo - Special Edition - Aztec

Welcome Baby! {keepsake book} 

Ergobaby Four Position 360 carrier - Grey

Dot & Stripe Chamois Stroller Blanket, Pink 

Carters 3 pack assorted mittens

LulyBoo Baby Lounge To Go 

Classic Tiny Herringbone Slip-On Toms 

Motorola MBP43-2 3.5" Color Video Monitor with Pan/ Tilt/ Zoom

I'm sure there will be many more trips to Babies "R" Us, and a lot more adding and subtracting to the list, I'm pretty proud of myself that I got this far! 

Good luck to all of the new Mommas out there creating a registry for their first time! 

18 week baby bump

Before 16 weeks hit I didn't really take many belly photos because well, there wasn't really much to see!  It was that confusing "did she eat too many cookies?" phase that is now definitely over. Below are photos from weeks 16, 17, 18.  

I'll be more consistent with photos from here on out, I promise! {Plus, I'd like my husband to start getting familiar with our new camera before baby CJ gets here}

How far along? 18 weeks

Gender? GIRL! My sweet baby Carter Jane. Here is her latest photo, she's waving Hello!

Total weight gain/loss? +8 total (from start of pregnancy)

Maternity clothes? I've purchased some maternity leggings, a few tops.  LOFT has so many great long flow-y tunics right now that are a perfect fit.  Many more maternity clothes will need to be bought in the next few weeks i'm sure! Especially pants!

Sleep? I am having the CRAZIEST dreams I have ever had! 

Best moment this week? Feeling more flutters and tiny movement.  I also broke down and bought just a few pieces of clothing for Carter.  I was having the "itch" so I picked up some goodies at Target.  I couldn't say no to some of the clearance bibs and swaddle blankets! Yikes, with how much I love prints, i'm not sure if this little lady will ever own anything solid. lol! 

Symptoms? My nausea came back! For two days straight everything I ate came right back up.  It was 10 times worse than in the beginning of my pregnancy.  After two days I felt amazing again, energy was back up. 

Food cravings? sweets. still! My gosh, I need to calm down with that. Also veggies: salads and veggie sandwiches.  

Food aversions? Some days chicken and any type of meat.  

Labor signs? x

Belly button in or out?In.

What I miss? Not having food aversions. lol!

What I'm looking forward to? Darren being able to feel the baby kick! 

Nursery? I've picked out some of Carter's bedding, I'm excited to share that in another post ... stay tuned for my nursery inspiration board!

Mood? Excited!

our wedding: the BRIDAL party + groomsmen

First, I have to start out by saying I had one of THE best photographers for both my engagement and wedding photos!  My good friend Rachael McCormack, owner of Mily Photography was able to capture every single moment {and detail} that I could have wished for!  I cannot wait to have   maternity and baby sessions with her also.  

Here we are on wedding day, she's the best. It felt like she was one of my maids too!

The bridesmaids...

And these three cuties! 

I ordered the little maids dresses from a shop on Etsy, the long bridesmaid dresses were a mix of three different vendors we found at a local bridal boutique and my sister's short dresses were great finds from David's Bridal.  

And the groomsmen... 

Sun, humidity, rain, pouring rain... you name it, it happened that day! I'm glad we were still able to get some great photographs!

This is one of my most favorite photos - my husband + my two brothers!