Babymoon

I can't believe it's been a month since our trip to the beach! It was our one last hurrah before our lives are forever changed by this little babe that will be joining us so soon. A babymoon as it's called today.

Our plans for this vacation: To hit the beach and pool, that's about it. My only must-haves were that it be along the coast. And not be in an area where there were things we'd like to do besides just relax. Otherwise, I really didn't care where we ended up.

So after a bit of searching and pricing out various options, Ft. Lauderdale Beach, FL won our bid.

Thanks to J's parents' timeshare, we were able to get a 1-bedroom condo a block from the beach. It was seriously perfect. Having a full kitchen was awesome. So we made one big grocery run on our first day there with plans to eat most breakfasts and lunches at our place, or on the beach.

Here's a recap of our week through iPhone pics:

Yogurt parfaits for breakfast on the balcony. And lots of fresh fruit to snack on throughout the day.

Having a blender in our room was awesome for J. Frozen mango margaritas to-go! And I may have enjoyed a virgin pina colada or two by the pool. 

We took the water taxi downtown one afternoon which was awesome. It was a little too hot to be walking around at 32 weeks preggo but we loved touring the intercoastal and hearing all about the ridiculous houses. I'd highly recommend it.

Mornings included walks to Starbucks for Green Tea - Lemonades. Afternoons included frozen (virgin) cocktails to-go by recycling our cups. 

On our last full day we headed up the coast to Lauderdale by the Sea. What a fantastic area! 

One of these fro-yo's is not like the other....oops.

We had such a fantastic trip in Ft. Lauderdale and we can't wait to go back. One of J's uncles lives there and we were able to spend quality time with him throughout the week. If only I could have indulged in a few drinks with the guys! Next time for sure. Especially when there are half-priced bottles of wine to be had. MA, get on that!

Next trip will include our little love. Crazy! (in a fantastically awesome way)

Baby C - 34 Weeks

And just like that, another 6 weeks have flown by since my last update (here). Ah! And that means we have 6 weeks left give or take. Ahh!

I am definitely still freaking out a little bit about this. But I'm getting more comfortable with it. Whatever happens, happens. When this little love decides to make his/her appearance, we'll roll with it. We have everything we need thanks to the most incredible, extremely generous, family and friends who attended our baby shower (recap to come).

So let's get to it:

Size: Baby is currently the size of a pineapple or butternut squash depending on which app I'm looking at. He/she should be weighing in around 4.2-5.8 lbs and is 17-19 inches. I actually had an ultrasound yesterday to get an accurate measurement of Baby C. Their current estimate is 4.15lbs which puts him/her in the 39th percentile for growth. So we've got a little growing to do perhaps, but its just an estimate anyways.

Weight Gain: You ready for this one? About 32 lbs to date! Wowza. But at this point I'm past stressing about it. It is what it is and *hopefully* it will all just magically disappear post partum. ;)

Cravings: Still loving fresh fruit. Especially watermelon. And ice cold water. Oh my goodness its the tastiest thing ever. So much more refreshing than just cold water. Ice cold is where it's at. And iced coffee still....I made the mistake of trying the Dunks Cookie Dough flavor the other day....oh boy. (Tip - a medium has 3 pumps of flavor, I ask for 1 or 2 at most and then just milk since there's plenty of sugar in the syrup they use). Oh, and I will never turn down a burger...

Aversions: I can't think of anything too specific...it tends to be random. For example ordering pizza the other night, J mentioned one restaurant but the idea of pizza from THAT restaurant sounded horrible, I had to have it from THIS restaurant instead. Don't worry, I won. And the pizza was delish. :)

Lastly, what 34 weeks really feels like (for me): Yes, I will still tell you that I'm feeling great and have no complaints, which is true! But, let's face it, 6 weeks out from my due date is certainly taking its toll on my body.

• Rib pain/ tingling sensation across the bottom of my ribs/ top of my stomach. Not surprised at all to find out the baby is head down given the pain I've been experiencing in my ribs. Apparently the tingling sensation is a nerve issue that can happen anywhere on the stomach as it stretches too...oh and it's super itchy at times!
• The feet are unrecognizable by the end of the day. In the past week this has really gotten worse. It's more on the top of my feet rather than my ankles but they're both swelling daily now (check out those sexy cankles above! Post walk with Tuck). We've put a pillow between the mattress and box spring on my side of the bed to help raise my feet slightly above my heart while sleeping. This seems to be working. And from time to time I'll wear the compression socks I bought for running to bed- this really works.
• Taking Tucker for walks is getting harder and harder. And I now take the flat road option versus hills....it's not long before I feel it in my hips, lower back, and pelvic area. And the pain tends to last about 24 hours. But I get my butt out there a few days a week, even if it's no more than 20 minutes.
• And prenatal yoga is now a hardcore workout! I remember way back around 20 weeks thinking, well it's not really that hard at all but it is relaxing. Not anymore. Holding an extra 30 lbs up in downward dog or trying to maneuver around this belly in child pose is a total workout. 
• Sleep is getting harder and harder. Some nights have upwards of 3 trips to the bathroom, some nights I wake up and just have the hardest time falling back to sleep. 
• I am hungry all.the.time. So I've definitely been more conscious of watching for empty calories since I'll most likely be starving again soon if I don't eat something substantial.
• And at the same time I fill up fast...smaller meals more often these days.
• By Fridays after work, I'm useless. Totally drained and so ready to sleep in. Which never happens....last Saturday had me wide awake around 5:45 and finally giving in and getting up around 6:30...

To-Do List: Well this is a long one really. But here's what will get done in the next couple weeks -

• Get the hospital bags together for me, baby, and J.
• Take a childbirth class and tour the hospital Baby C will be delivered at.
• Wash all of the clothes, blankets, crib sheets, etc.
• Hang the pictures we were gifted in the nursery.
• Install a closet organizer in the nursery's closet.
• Figure out when my last day of work will be (for now). 

Here's hoping I'll be more on my game in the next few weeks and can get one more update together before it's go time!

WIWW: Bump Style - Part II

Just a few more ways I've learned to dress this growing baby bump by mixing in non-maternity pieces where I can.

Dress: Old Navy (maternity)

Belt: Target (non-maternity, old)

Cardigan: Gap (non-maternity)

Dress: New York & Company (super old, non-maternity)

Cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet (old, non-maternity)

Necklace: Francesca's Collection

PS - Don't mind the mess behind me in these! Packing for our babymoon had commenced. So yes, these pictures are from baby bump weeks 30-31.  Wait til you see it now! 

Baby C update to be posted later this week. :)

The Sweetest Bridal Shower

Seeing as we attended this wedding last weekend, I think it's time to get the bridal shower recap up! I don't even know where to begin with this shower, Corey's bridesmaids did such an amazing job with it. There were so many thoughtful details!

But first, let's start off with the bride. Cor and I were college roommates sophomore-senior year. There were 5 of us total and we had so.much.fun.together. Period. I love these girls and am so grateful we're still in touch (how has it been 6 years already since we graduated??!). As you'll see from the photos below, Corey has one of the best smiles ever. It's contagious really. And its a true representation of her personality - happy, bubbly, sweet to a fault. 

And so I couldn't be happier for her, marrying her college sweetheart. Someone I've grown to know better actually since college, and someone I know is absolutely perfect for her. More importantly, they're perfect for each other. 

So let's jump into the bridal shower details - 

Bright sunflowers in mason jars and burlap runners adorned every table.

The gifts table with such sweet details as photos of the happy couple and the cutest Mr. & Mrs. pillow

This game was such a hit! We all knew Corey at different phases of her life so for those of us who met her in college, it was fun to see all her baby pictures, and teenage pictures - though don't we all wish those didn't exist. Awkward years ha.

The bridesmaids that hosted the shower made these coasters. Yes, that's right - they made them! And they are so nice. Think plain tiles, scrapbook paper, and modge podge. Genius. And I give them a ton of credit, these must have taken quite a few hours to piece together. 

Messages for the couple to open up on their 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th, and 50th wedding anniversary. So sweet! The bottles were also brought to the wedding for wedding guests to provide their well wishes and advice.

The food was all delicious, as were the desserts. I may have tried one of each....

The lovely bride with her mom and MOH/sister assisting her with the gifts. Corey & Brandon actually live down in Charlotte so many of us shipped our gifts and brought something small to the shower. 

All the college girls.

And last but not least, a roommates picture. <3

Now I cannot wait to share some photos from this wedding. I was up wayy past my bedtime celebrating! Totally worth it too.

If I had gotten my act together and posted this recap prior to the wedding I would definitely end this post saying Corey will be the most gorgeous bride and I can't wait to see her dress! But now I can end this saying Corey was the most gorgeous bride and her dress was incredible!! So stay tuned, a wedding recap will occur eventually. ;)

Charlotte, NC - April 2014, Part II

Continuing my recap of our trip to Charlotte (Part I here), Day 2 we attended the Queen's Cup horse races. This was the first time J or I had ever been to a horse race before. What a beautiful venue! 

And while it was not the Kentucky Derby by any means, people still had a lot of fun getting dressed up for the event. I went with a flow-y Cynthia Rowley dress I found at Marshalls while visiting my mom in St. Augustine. Couldn't have been more perfect for me that day, as it was hot. So something with a little room was ideal. 

Our tickets allowed us to park one car inside of the track which was absolutely perfect. We packed coolers, chairs, and lawn games and set-up shop in a nice shady spot to watch the races. 

The ladies

 Jackie's girlfriend on the left is also preggo, due in the next couple weeks!

There were 6 of us and 6 horses in most of the races so we each got a number and cheered for that horse in all of the races. Definitely added to the excitement, I think I may have "won" once. 

Obligatory hubs/wife photo. Love this guy!

Ok fine, here's the full view. Baby bump in full effect! (27 weeks here)

We could not have asked for better weather this day. It's 7pm in this photo and still absolutely gorgeous. It was hard not to fall in love with it all. After an extremely long winter in Boston, J loved every minute of the sunshine and warm weather in Charlotte. Showing his true American spirit right here. 

We were one of the last cars to leave the track....it was just so nice out.

But we had to get back eventually, and get ready for Day 3 of awesomeness - a day on the water! Like I said in the last post, it was seriously the best weekend. 

A view of Lake Wylie from the marina where J&A were picking up their new boat (!!)

Sisters

And brothers (in-law)

We cruised all over the lake, swam, and even fished before calling it a day around dinner time. I think it was time to finally relax a little bit. My cankles (or maybe swankles?) were begging me to put my feet up by this point. ;)

Thank you J&A for hosting us for such a great weekend!! We cannot wait to get back down there once Baby C has joined the family.