olive’s big girl room

it was time! olive transitioned into her big girl bed! it had been a long time coming…she never complained, she never climbed out of her crib, she was always so good about sleeping in it but she definitely showed signs of being ready for a big bed!

there were a few times she really wanted to lay in our bed at night. she liked laying in our bed, to relax, and when she was ready – she wanted to be put into her crib to sleep. she has only slept in our bed twice. each time was her choice. she really wanted to be in our bed and was so good about sleeping in it! she’s the most still kid sleeper ever! i mean, this toddler hardly moves. she typically stays in one place and wakes up in the same position she fell asleep in. it’s quite amazing.

we probably would have put olive into a twin bed a bit earlier but we had plans to transition her once we got started on the nursery, so we waited just a bit because we needed to figure out what we were doing from a decor standpoint {on both ends…the nursery and what bed frame were we going to get olive!}. we finally decided {after much research!} to go with the jenny lind bed frame from the land of nod.

i love how it looks. i love that it is made out of wood and really like the aesthetic of it. the only unfortunate thing was that it is on back order until august! what?! hc and i put in our order but what were we going to do?? so, we decided to take grace’s old bed…which we were trying to sell, and use it until the bed frame arrived.

i was pleasantly surprised how nice the bed frame looked in olive’s room! i wasn’t a fan of it and i really wanted to get rid of it but it has so many upsides once we put it into the room. i love how the head board isn’t really high and we were able to position it under the window, what we really wanted because it would look best and most balanced in the room there. i love how low the bed is, a perfect height for little miss olive to get in and out of on her own. the bed frame is clean and simple and it doesn’t have a high end board, where i feel that something high would cut off the space. with the bed frame having a low profile overall, it really opens up her room and it feels so much larger!

we chose sheets from land of nod, her duvet and sham are from pottery barn kids and most of her pillows are handmade from independent shops. we kept with her cloud/sky theme and i really love how we incorporated it into her new bed appearance.

we decided to not go with guardrails because olive is such a still sleeper. she pretty much lays down for the night and wakes up in the same spot, so were aren’t too worried about her falling off. plus, the bed is so low that she wouldn’t get hurt. so far, she’s been sleeping in it for a month without any troubles!

she was so excited to have a big girl bed! she loves to jump on it, into it, and lay in it. i was so relieved because being almost 9 months pregnant, it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to get her in and out of her crib and reading her a bedtime story at night was absolutely uncomfortable. now, i can lay in bed with her, snuggle with her, and read her a book without straining to see the words, or not hold the book in the right positions for her to see, or even put pressure on my belly or pain in my back!

we both love it and we love how her bedroom turned out! we didn’t change too much of her decor but what a difference it makes in her room putting in a twin bed! it really does change her room and makes it so much more grown up!

it’s always so darn bittersweet to see her hit these wonderful milestones. i cry a little bit inside with joy and sadness watching her go through this. she seriously makes my world go round. we love your room miss olive and we really think you love it just as much as we do! sweet dreams my love!

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[cheeeeeese! she loves her big girl bed!]

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[paper tassels]

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[collection of pillows]

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[she’s so silly!]

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[we changed out the knobs of the dresser and repainted the front drawers]

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[jonathan adler giraffe]

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[cloud shelf]

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[cloud banners]

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[sheep rocker]

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[star pillow]

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[handmade doll from england]

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[the cutest little red piano]

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[handmade cloud stool by hc]

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xoxo

baby sprinkle

it was such a perfect day. i was so excited for my baby sprinkle, hosted by dana and olivia.

the weather and temps were amazing. it was so hot the days before the sprinkle and pretty hot the next day, so we lucked out with it being sunny and temps in the mid seventies!

olivia and dana came over to prep for the party. it was a very small, intimate gathering. i was so excited when dana offered to throw me a shower! we wanted it to be small and intimate. obviously, it’s our second baby and it’s a girl and we pretty much have everything we need for her! we didn’t register anywhere and i was happy to have a little get together to celebrate this new babe. i believe every baby first or third or whatever number should be celebrated!

the guests slowly arrived and we met and greeted with everyone. mimosas were served and soon was brunch. we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather and conversations. the kids played…it was cute to watch them interact. reagan and grace get along so well and olive kind of did her own thing. she’s such a funny, quirky gal. i love her for it.

after brunch, cake was served and presents were given. baby gifts and cards are always so darn cute! i can’t believe we are going to have a little baby soon. a tiny little cute baby girl. it was surreal to see all the little things…how tiny the clothes are, how small the booties are, i remember olive being that small and now she’s such a big girl. wahhhhhhhh.

we lingered a bit longer, soaking in the sun and enjoying the wonderful company. i was so happy! my heart was so full being surrounded by such great friends and family. it definitely was a glorious afternoon celebrating our baby to be!

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[pretty little banner!]

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[getting the mimosa bar ready!]

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[my favorite champagne!]

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[hostess with the mostess]

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[dearest dana, who coordinated everything]

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[the yummy spread]

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[the ladies]

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[eating by herself, the other kids left her…]

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[ready for gifts]

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[pam’s music lamb]

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[loving lan’s gift!]

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[kissing the sweet lamb]

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xoxo

bump update

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how far along? 36 weeks!

this could possibly be my last ‘bump’ post! everyone is guessing that i will go earlier than 40 weeks, so we will see! my next post would be the 40 mark {i carried olive to exactly 40 weeks!} if this babe decides to hold out until then!

weight gain: i definitely feel like i packed on some pounds this time around. maybe because the babes is suppose to grow exponentially the last few weeks and i need to eat to keep her big and healthy! haha! i have my official appointment this week but quite surprisingly, at my 32 week check up, i had gained NO weight! i actually lost weight! whaaaaaa? i was shocked. i have never lost weight with olive and at the rate i have been gaining with this babe, i was besides myself i lost any! i am a professional weight gainer when it comes to being pregnant, so it was a bit of a shock to see the scale lower! so far, for this pregnancy, i have gained a total of 34 lbs. i am expecting to be at least five pounds heavier the total weight i had gained with olive.

maternity clothes? um, what happens when you start to outgrow your maternity clothes?? haha! yes, it’s true. my maternity shirts and pants are becoming too short, too low, or too tight. oh my goodness. what’s a preggo lady to do?? i am definitely not buying new clothes and i will just have to settle that my belly might peek out, y’all. i only have four weeks or less left!

sleep: i’ve gotten a bit better. finally! i am going to bed not so late and i am able to sleep in when i can. olive is a night owl and late morning sleeper {just like her momma!}, so our schedules coordinated pretty well. on days where i can, i will sleep in until 9 am! woo hoo! it’s a bit of give and take…i was on a roll for a few months, where i was sleeping 5 to 6 hours or less every day and that was no bueno! so i am glad i have been able to creep in more hours here and there. eep…until the new babe gets here! that will be a whole ‘nother level of sleep deprivation!

physical state: so, when i was pregnant with olive, i was a freaking trooper. i was the energizer bunny up to 40 weeks. when i hit 37 weeks with olive, my feet started to ache {with no special shoes…just flats everyday} but it didn’t bother me that much. with this babe, i hit 5 months and i was exhausted, like tiiiiiiiiiired. who knew it would only get progressively worse? exhaustion turned into pain. yes, pain. i have so much pressure on my pelvis area…it’s almost unbearable at times. the sharp a pain in my hip joints, the pain and pressure in the vulva area {yes, tmi but all y’all moms out there know exactly what i mean!}, the swelling of my legs, the sensitive throbbing spider veins, the pressure i feel in my bottom half stops me in my tracks! i am barreling through, though…i can do this!

miss anything? i miss being fast. i miss being able to do everything…i am not very good at depending on others and i have to being this pregnant, slow, and in pain. every one has been so helpful but it’s been most difficult at home. olive is very demanding of me and it’s hard to not accommodate. i love doing everything for her and she loves having me do everything for her too. hahaha! there are moments i just can’t. there are days where i am in a lot of pain, so i miss being able to be there for her.

baby movement: this babe is so crazy in there! she kicks more than olive and she’s a total fighter inside! she definitely moves more, i remembered olive was pretty stationary in the tummy but this babe swings back and forth and kicks like a mad person along the way. olive never really bothered me in the womb. i didn’t understand it when moms said their babies would kick their organs, ribs, etc. because olive didn’t do that. welllllll, this baby does d. all of the above. the pressure and the pinching of my bladder is the worst. that is probably the most painful and it’s gotten worse since she’s gotten so big!

food cravings: same old, same old. i have become so routine with what i am eating every day, maybe that is why i lost a little bit of weight last time? i am not craving anything in particular, although fruit has been on my radar of late. i replaced eating a bowl of cereal at night with lots of fruit instead!

bump status: oh my goodness. i am so big. so, so big. how am i so big in the belly?? this babe is estimated to not weigh too much more than olive but my belly is huge! it’s heavy, cumbersome, and i forget how big it is sometimes, trying to squeeze through cracks or getting up or sitting down at a table. ha! i will hit the belly on something! i also cannot reach for items in high places or anything on the ground. so cray, right?!

gender reveal: as y’all know, it’s a girl! we cannot wait to meet you!

xoxo

simple saturday night

we were excited to have olivia and aaron over for a simple saturday night dinner. we try to take turns to come into the city and they try to come out to the ‘burbs…since we are now suburbanites. {insert monkey emoji covering his eyes} so they wanted to come out to us this time!

we kept it very low key. we didn’t have olive this weekend because hc’s parents wanted her for a sleep over. so, we decided to throw some items onto the grill and buy some deli items to compliment it. voila! a simple, easy meal.

as usual, olivia and i secluded ourselves and just chitchatted the night away while aaron and hc hung out. as i have said in the past, olivia and i can talk, talk, talk the hours away. we always have endless amounts of topics to talk about. it’s seriously never ending! i love the comfort of our friendship and love that about us.

it was also the first time i really wanted to have a glass of wine. yup. hc poured us each a glass and i happily sipped on it. it was delicious! although, i only had maybe eight sips in total, it was perfect and yummy! for dinner, we decided to sit outside. it was a fantastic evening. not too cold or warm and very tranquil. we talked, ate, and then realized as we sat there, that the mosquitos were in full force! ugh! we gathered our dishes and headed inside.

we all hung out a bit longer and then olivia and aaron realized it was almost 10. omg. it’s like we are so old! we get tired so easily. what?!! yes, it’s true. so, they headed on out, back to the city and we retired onto the couch for the rest of the night! hahaha! such party animals!

it was a fantastic evening and we are so happy they were able to come out to visit with us! we always have such a great time with these two beautiful people!

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[my look now a days. very simple and plain. eek!]

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[you just can’t go wrong]

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[these two…]

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[my favorite…olivia knows me well]

xoxo

parker’s sporty birthday party

last year i was working and i didn’t get to attend parker’s first birthday party. hc and olive went but i was super bummed i didn’t get to celebrate such a sweet milestone! but this year, i was the one who was able to go but olive was having a sleep over at her grandparent’s house and hc needed to work on the girl’s room to get them done for us to redecorate. it was on my list of a must get done or i might go nuts! haha, i know, i am already nuts.

anyhoo, i felt so bad because it was raining! parker’s first birthday was inundated by rain as well, so two for two! eep! as i walked up, i ran into pam’s bestie becky. i love talking with her…she’s such a sweetheart! it was great to see and catch up with some old acquaintances. i don’t get to see pam that often, let alone her circle of friends! when pam lived a little closer, she used to host a christmas trolley party where we would see the neighborhood lights but now we connect through parker’s birthday party…it’s when i can reconnect with her friends!

the good news is the rain stopped! yay! so, everyone shuffled out of the garage and into the back yard, where the kids jumped on the jumpee. i have never been to pam’s house {since she moved}, so she took me on a tour. it’s so nice and spacious! i loved how open it is!

after the house tour, i visited a bit more with ryan but then i had to leave. we had guests coming over for dinner that evening and i needed to get home to get ready! i was super bummed because when i was leaving, that is when jaime and liam arrived! i just couldn’t stay! we said our quick hello’s and goodbye’s and i headed out back home.

it was such a great time! i loved seeing pam, ryan, and parker and it was great to visit with some familiar faces. happy birthday parker! i am so glad i was able to celebrate this special occasion with you!

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[oh… we are tired mamas!]

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[such cute decor]

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[he’s not quite sure about the bat, yet]

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[watching the kids hit the piñata]

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[there are a lot of braids going on here]

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[he nabbed a sucker!]

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[that smile is so presh]

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[it was so adorable that he was so excited when everyone sang!]

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[black frosting]

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xoxo

daniel’s confirmation

my baby brain is in full force. i had this post all set to publish but i totally forgot! ugh! story of my life currently. i haven’t published a lot on my blog due to my forgetfulness!

so, our nephew, daniel, went through his confirmation a few weeks ago! we are so proud of him! i, honestly, have never been to many masses that aren’t catholic. i have been to a presbyterian mass recently and now, a lutheran mass. it’s very rare for me to attend other religious mass unless it’s a special occasion.

we arrived just in time to see daniel walk the procession. the mass, of course, was very different for me. a lot of people say that the lutheran religion and catholicism is very similar…maybe by certain beliefs but the masses are dramatically different!

anyhoo, it was a beautiful celebration and it was awesome to see daniel so grown up, involved, and reaching a millstone in his journey with the Lord!

after mass, we headed on over to the restaurant to have lunch with the family. we made a pit stop at starbucks because, since we were running behind that morning, we didn’t get to grab a snack or anything before mass and i was starving!!! being preggers and not eating right away is a bad combo! we enjoyed our lunch with the family…olive really enjoyed the pizza and drinks! she was too darling and it was fun to sit down with everyone and chill.

lunch was short and sweet and afterwards, we snapped some cute photos of daniel and grace outside. of course, i nabbed several dozen pics of olive! how could i not?! it was definitely a beautiful day!

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[it was like overnight and he grew up!]

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[such a wonderful moment]

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[sweet little babe]

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[almost everyone got in on the pic!]

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[cousins…like brother and sister]

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[so vain…she loved seeing her reflection in the car!]

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[watch out! the diva is walking her runway!]

xoxo

huy + tashina

we were so excited to have my brother huy and his fiancé, tashina, come visit us from L.A.! they were going to come out here the week prior but work caused them to cancel their trip out to chicago {on their way to the dominican republic}. so, we were glad they could rebook their trip and still make it out here {albeit it being very short but nevertheless!}.

they spent two days here before flying out to the dominican and on their way back to L.A., they spent two days here again before going home! we super happy to see them even if it was for just a few days. on their last night here, everyone came over for dinner and some family fun!

olive still wasn’t taking to uncle huy. it’s so cute to see them together, though. he’s so sweet to her, dotes on her, and yet she just turns the other way and runs away screaming! hahaha!

it was super awesome to have everyone over. we love hosting and having our friends and family over any time! spending time together like this is always the best. it’s so hard to describe the happiness you feel just doing very simple things with very special people. these moments are what makes life so special, meaningful, and fulfilling. i love my family.

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[it was about to rain but the kids took advantage of the warm weather and played outside for a bit before the down pour!]

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[how ’bout reagan’s hair?? courtesy of grace marie]

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[huy ran out to the store and bought a bocce ball set so they could play!]

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[please don’t mind the awful coloring…i am still trying to figure out my camera and the right settings for indoor photos]

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[social gathering]

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[the people i love the most]

xoxo

baby wants

with the new babes coming here soon {i can’t believe it!}, there are a few things i really have my eye on! some decor, some lifestyle, and some necessities! we are decorating her room in monochrome colors with pops of light whimsical tones and i am super excited to get started! hc is prepping her room right now and by next week, i will be able to get things together! my goal is to finalize olive’s room {with her big girl bed} and finish decorating the nursery, get her going home outfit together and then i should be set {or i like to think so…hahaha}.

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bassinet banner: hooray everyday

felt flower garland: fancy free finery

teether: sophie the giraffe

stroller: gb pockit stroller

stuffed animals: pottery barn kids

portable crib: dock a tot

i just ordered this lovely, whimsical bassinet mini banner for our babes {no, this is not her name!} for her first day in this world. we will use it for pics at the hospital and possibly her newborn pics a few days later! after that, i will hang it in her room!

i love these felt flower garlands! so fun and pretty! i want to get one to hang in her room to soften up the strong colors we will decorate her room in! i think it will be the perfect touch and add some prettiness!

i would have passed down sophie to our new babes if we didn’t lose it in the city! right at the tail end of when olive was starting to lose interest in sophie, we lost it while we were walking around in river north with a friend. such a bummer! olive really did love it and it was of great use; for her teething moments, it kept her entertained, and sophie was her bestie for many months! so, i hope to get another one for her baby sister!

hc is totally digging this stroller! it’s tooted as the world’s most compact, smallest stroller out there! i only know a few details about it but hc is most excited over this item! i know that it can fit into your backpack and, obviously, it’s a perfect item to travel with, plus it’s not too shabby looking!

i love these little stuffed animals from pottery barn kids! it’s a perfect decor item for the babe’s new room! i am not into a ton of stuffed animals but i love cute, whimsy items such as these that just add a bit of fun to her room and gives a bit of pizazz to the decor!

so, the new rage is this dock a tot. i have only heard amazing reviews about it. it’s convenient, it’s an all in one baby lounger, it’s a portable bassinet/crib, great for co-sleeping, and it’s super snuggly {100% breathable materials} for the new babes! i am really interested and hoping we can get this before the babes is here!

xoxo