Friday Highfive

Happy Friday!

This week was a quick one for me.  Not sure why, but not complaining.

Anyway, Here's a highfive for getting through the week!

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1. Baby Girl Clothes

My mom brought over 2 bins of my little baby clothes last weekend and we had a good time going through them all.  I'd say there's a nice mix of southern classics and fabulous 80's wear, both of which I love equally.  I can't wait to get them all hung up in her closet and put away in drawers, which we need to line.  Planning to do that this weekend.

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2. Freezer meals

I made some delicious enchiladas this week and it reminded me that I want to set a date to do some freezer meals.  I'm not planning on a large scale operation but I would like to prepare a few of the meals that we love, that require multiple steps, so we can have them on hand the first couple of months postpartum.  I am planning to do a few pans of chicken enchiladas and a few of spinach/ricotta stuffed shells.  These are 2 of the only meals that I could think would really save significant time by making ahead.  

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3. Folk Doll

Last week there was a conference at my work that featured a little "market" of crafts made in Haiti.  I picked up an adorable folk doll for our daughter.  These dolls are handmade by women living on La Gonave Island.  You can read about the company, Beatitudes Inc, and purchase your own here.

100% of the proceeds go straight to back to the women who make them.

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4. Dinner and Movie

I am headed out with my gf tonight.  We are going to see Bad Moms... I think it looks so bad it may actually be good?  I am confused with the casting of Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell. They seem a little young to be portraying mothers of kids over the age of 5.  We'll see.  I haven't been to the movies since The Revenant so I'm excited to see anything at this point.

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5.Maternity Dress

Last, because it's Friday and I think we all deserve a laugh, check out this epic fail. On top of the fact that it is huge on me, the shape of the dress is so terrible that even the correct size would not redeem this look.  Behold!

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I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Pregnancy Journal: 30 Week Update

30 weeks, check me out!

So let's see...  The past five weeks have (you guessed it) flown by.  I passed my glucose test (phew!), had the rhogam shot (rh negative blood) and the Tdap vaccine.  I am now going to the doctor biweekly for check-ins.  All is well.

Symptoms:

Sleep  Sleeping pretty good.  Some nights are more restless than others but nothing too out of the ordinary.  I usually get into bed between 8:30 and 9:30 and read for an hour or so.  Depending on her position on my bladder, I'm up between 1 and 5 times a night for bathroom breaks.

Exhaustion I definitely have to watch myself to make sure I don't overdo it...especially with the heat we're having here.  There have been a couple days where I've tried to tackle too much and paid for it.

Weight Gain 15 pounds

Hair growth Nada

Food  Cooking again, trying to get back into my menu planning groove.  No real cravings, though I did buy hot pockets at the store this week which is not something I would normally do.  No regrets.

Acid Reflux  I forgot to mention this in my 25 week update, but this randomly comes on every now and then.  More at night, but sometimes during the day.  I've tried to track and see if any specific foods bring it on, but I can't find any pattern.

Movement  As she is growing, I am feeling her kicks all of the time.  I love it!

Nursery:

Here is a peek at what we've done so far.  This is a view from the door.  You can barely see the glider in the bottom left corner.  Also, can you spot my little boo taking a snooze?  I'm pretty sure he thinks we set this room up for him. 

Here is the view from sitting in the glider.  The lighting isn't great for photos but it felt very peaceful without the overhead lamp on.

We still have several things to do in here but I'm happy with the progress we've made!  I am planning to do a full reveal with all of the details later.  It will most likely be the first room I post in my House Tour series.

Anticipation: 

LOTS to be excited about right now.  We have a Baby Shower next week with K's family.  I am pumped about our beach trip next month.  Coming up we've got parenting classes at the hospital and pediatrician visits.  And of course we're still busy with setting up the new house!

Lots happening and we are very focused right now.  It's such an exciting phase of life we're in and I'm soaking it in as best I can.  

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Visit my "Baby" page for more!

Friday Highfive

TGIF, for realz.

Here's a highfive for getting through the week.

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1.

I am SO bummed to have to miss the long awaited "hometown" Band of Horses show.  They are one of Kev and I's favorite bands to listen to together and I have been sporadically checking their website for YEARS hoping for a local show.  As much as we intend on maintaining "date night" post-baby, I think October 19th may be a liiiittle soon (10/7 due date) to be hitting the town.  Tickets are on sale today for any of y'all interested.  I am certain it will be an awesome show.

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2&3

I'm back in the kitchen, which makes me happy...only thing missing is my glass of wine in hand.  Here are three of our dinners from the week:

Shrimp Alfredo

Two things: We used local shrimp which made this extra delicious.  Also, I know I've mentioned this before, I love adding peas in with pasta if I'm using a cream based sauce.  I just throw them in frozen with the boiling noodles for the last few minutes and they add a fresh crunch to richer dishes.

 Stuffed Peppers

These had seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, and black beans.   As you can see here, we eat most of our weeknight dinners in front of the tv.  I'm sure this will be coming to an end soon. 

Breakfast

'Nuff said

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4.

Are any of y'all watching 'The Night Of'on HBO?  We caught the first two episodes On Demand this week and it's pulled us in.  I absolutely love the dark lighting and the slow suspense, reminds me a lot of the movie Seven.

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5.

I am looking for baby shower dresses and I found this one, but can't decide if I like the solid black or print better??  I am ordering both to try on but would love opinions.  I initially found it on Nordstrom's site (simply had to pop over and see what all the #nsale fuss was about) but then I found it on Amazon for less than half the price!

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I hope y'all have a great weekend!

I will be posting my 30 week Pregnancy Journal and a peek at the nursery next week.

xLaura

Weekend Snaps

I sure hope this work week is a quick one.

I am anxious to get to Friday because we are setting up our girl's nursery this weekend!  I'm also revved up on window treatments after buying Ikea out of curtain rods.  So, yea!  We had a good trip to Ikea.  The store was a bit overwhelming but I really stuck to my list so I'm happy...with one exception.  I accidentally purchased the nightstands with the "wireless charging capabilities", meaning I paid double what I intended..bummer.

But it was overall a good experience. We were inside for 3 hours and we didn't even walk the showroom, we spent the entire time in the marketplace.  You could easily spend a full day in there.  I really recommend wearing athletic shoes.

Here I am in the parking lot.

If I look awkward in this photo, it's because I was!

But I am making a determined effort to take more photos of myself during this pregnancy.

I found my gingham maternity top at Sears for something like $10.  It was one of the only department stores that had a maternity section and then I went in a second time and poof! it was gone.

I have also found a few maternity basics at Burlington.

From Ikea we hit the road and stopped for lunch at a Moes in Gastonia.

There was no time for the mall if we wanted to make it to Asheville at a decent hour.  I think we must have really built up our appetites because we both felt like our meals were the best thing we'd ever tasted!  

We ended up getting to my aunt's house around 5:30 and had a quiet, early to bed night.  The mountain weather was such a welcome reprieve from the oppressive heat we've been having here in Charleston.  According to their thermometer, it was 62 on their porch Sunday morning. 

We left mid-day and, even though it was a super short trip, it was still a relaxing night away. 

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In other news, this is my favorite La Croix flavor to date.  The watermelon is perfect for summer.  Also, have y'all noticed the label on the boxes that says "Calorie-Sweetener-Sodium=INNOCENT!"   Clearly the company is passionate about it.

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Oh, and we have decided we are going to do a little beach getaway before baby. 

We had initially thought 'No' because of the new house and wanting to save save save, but we both agree that we need a little escape together. I booked the house last week and I am already so excited, planning my menu and packing list.  August 26th can't come soon enough!

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I hope y'all are having a good week!

Baby Shower Gift Idea

For baby showers, I typically either shop the registry or go with diapers+something cute (like a hooded towel or pair of shoes).  

But for my friend Kristina, I knew I wanted to give her something different.

This baby has been long anticipated and Kristina's positivity throughout her entire "journey" has really been something special and inspiring to witness.

I also, having felt overwhelmed with the amount of *stuff* you accumulate for a tiny baby, wanted to go with a 'less is more' approach.

  So, I had the idea of a custom stamp.

My initial thought was wanting to make personalized cocktail napkins for the shower, and wanting to go about it economically.  I then started thinking about all of the other uses she may have for a rubber stamp with her daughter's name, and the decision was made.

I was able to find an Etsy shop, Fairmont and Grove, to make me exactly what I was looking for.  I chose the 2 inch self inking stamp.   The owner, Christine, was super quick with getting me a proof of the design.  I'm so happy with how it turned out!
 I chose yellow chevron napkins to stamp for the shower.

Here is a side view of the stamp.  I was pleased that there was no smearing and the ink was very clear and crisp.

I also included an extra stack of the personalized napkins in with the wrapped stamp, so she can have them as mementos or even use at Emma's 1st Birthday.

Other uses I thought of for the stamp:
Inside of Emma's books
Personalized notecards (for teacher gifts, bakesale tags, etc)

I think any mom would love this!
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P.S. More baby shower gift ideas I love:

Personalized Stork in front yard (for Chas locals here)

And I also loved Allie's idea of an engraved cake serving set for all future celebrations

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P.P.S. Charleston gift ideas found here.

Our Weekend

Hey, Tuesday!  It's my first day back in the office today.  I had my glucose test yesterday and decided to take the whole day to relax.  So it's another short week over here.  How was everyone's weekend?  Mine was good.  I managed to remember to take some pictures, so here you go!

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Does anyone know what's the deal with these wooden silhouettes around town this weekend?  I can't make out any words or logo so I'm just wondering what's the message here...I saw several in West Ashley and Downtown.

In other "scenes from the car" I have got to give some credit to whoever does the landscaping for the Harris Teeter on Savannah Hwy.  I swear it's like a tropical oasis in that lot and I want to hire whoever created it!

 I met up with my friend Carrie for dinner at East Bay Deli and she gave me some pictures printed from her wedding, including this "hidden camera" shot.  It's such a sweet memory for me because this was during the time that K and I were keeping my pregnancy a complete secret.  It was a really special time for us and this picture captures it nicely.

Ok, on to this weekend's main event: Kristina's Baby Shower!

We had a delicious brunch to honor the mom-to-be and sweet Emma, who will be arriving late August. 

We had the pinterest favorite, Late night diaper messages.  

My co-hostess, Bonnie, came up with a fabulous craft where we all painted tiles with a "wildflower" concept, which is the general theme of Emma's nursery.  

It was a blazing furnace outside!

The (nearly) finished product.  The final tile in the bottom right will have the date of the shower and then it will be framed as wall art for the nursery.  I loved the way this came together.  Bonnie said that it was around $40 for the paint, brushes, and tile. 

Me with the glowing guest of honor:

The shower was so perfect and you could really feel the joy and anticipation for Emma Grace.

I can not wait to meet this little lady and for our daughter to have a special friend.

Later this week I'll share my favorite baby shower gift idea.

Until then...

Y'all have a fab week.

Pregnancy Journal: My Second Trimester Essentials (+Ikea Recs)

The second trimester was really great for me, especially when compared with my first.  I actually had a hard time putting together this list because, besides being overwhelmingly busy with house projects, the last three + months have really just been normal day to day life.

But never the less, here are a few things that have helped me through this (easy) stage of pregnancy.

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Portable AC Unit

We purchased this last summer when our AC was out over a long weekend and the repairman was unavailable until Tuesday.  Best. Purchase. Ever.

Charleston has been blazing hot lately and we've been using this in our bedroom at night, keeping us extra extra cool.

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Candy

I don't remember the last time, except at the movie theater or on Halloween, that I ate candy.  It's generally something I stay away from because, well, it's pure junk.  But during the last few months I've been treating myself to Reese's or Dark Chocolate Raisinets about once a week.

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QVC, specifically Isaac Mizrahi Live

This is a weird one because I have never watched home shopping network in my life before becoming pregnant.  I think it has something to do with my lack of social life this year, but I found myself turning this on and getting engrossed more times than I care to admit.  I never purchased anything but I really do love Isaac Mizrahi and still treasure a few of the dresses he did for Liz Claiborne. 

Sidenote: What is this photo of the large dog in the background?  

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Bedroom Slippers  

I have the most annoying pair of white bedrooms slippers that I bought in St. Barths (which is a whole story in itself, remind me to tell you one day.  A french girl tried to trick us into paying for each shoe individually)  Anyway, they are obnoxiously loud when I walk yet extremely comfortable.  I have never really been a slipper person but now I'm reaching for them every night after my shower.  I am lucky thus far to not have any aches or pains associated with pregnancy, but I still love the extra cushion.

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See, sort of a lame list, right?  I wanted to mention that I haven't purchased a pregnancy pillow.  I truly haven't felt the need which I thought I'd share because so many people have made it seem like you absolutely can't make it without one.  I am doing just fine.

I am also still using my Cocoa Butter and, of course, taking my prenatals. 

I took gummies in the first trimester, due to morning sickness, but I'm now back to my Nature's Bounty, which is what I took even before getting pregnant.

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Ok, Ikea!

My mom and I are heading to Charlotte next weekend for a quick trip to Ikea.

I think we will also be heading to Southpark mall and the Cheesecake Factory before staying with my aunt in Asheville for the night.

Here are the items on my list so far but, as this is my first trip, I'm searching for all Ikea must buys.

Please do share if you have any!

High Chair

I have heard great things about this chair and for the price, I may grab two!

Nightstands

I want some basic, inexpensive nightstands for our guest room.  

Picture Frames

I plan on picking up at least 10 of these frames.  We are wanting to display wedding and vacation photos and I'm all about a uniform look.

Also:

curtains rods

crib skirt

What else??

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This weekend is my best friend's baby shower and we are all looking so forward to it.

I will share photos next week. 

I hope y'all have a good one!