3/4 of the way there and so not ready

It's hard to believe we're already 3/4 of the way there! I'm feeling large, but still get surprised when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

When I think about meeting this little one face to face in about 10 weeks (give or take), I get really excited and a wee bit anxious. The phase of people asking "when are you due" and looking surprised when I reply with July 5 has started. They must think I look like it should be sooner. Yes, it's still over two months away.

They also ask if I'm ready, to which I am usually honest in my "heck no" reply. I told one person if the baby shows early, it will be sleeping in a laundry basket (but they didn't find that humorous).

We do have a timeline and will be doing the majority of our baby prep in the last month before the due date (which has been planned all along). I am confident this baby won't be early (and I realize I may eat my words later). My showers are in early June and I am hoping to find some nursery essentials from yard sales and Craigslist in May (crib, changing table/dresser and rocker). My hope is that having a good amount to do toward the end will keep me distracted enough to overlook not seeing my own feet and counting down the minutes until my due date.

A current pregnancy update: 

• How far along: 30 weeks, 3 days
• How big is the baby: butternut squash (17 in., 3.1 lbs) 
• How I'm feeling: Pretty good. I'm surprised how much energy I have most days. My ankles have started to swell, but not every day (if you look closer they appear thicker above) which I am grateful for!
• Sleeping: I'm still sleeping well and kind of can't believe it. I do wake up in the night, but quickly fall asleep. 
• Food cravings: Meat and vegetables. I find myself wanting more meat, but also excited for a salad with lots of fresh veggies on it. 
• Food aversions: None. I should say nothing out of the usual for me. Pepperoni and most Italian meats turn me off, along with goat cheese.
• Doctor's appointment: I have one this week.
• Movement: Lots! I noticed my belly was lop-sided for the first time last week and now I catch myself watching to see if one side of my belly bulges more.
• What I'm looking forward to: I'm  getting excited to decorate. We've been keeping an eye on Craigslist for a crib and changing table. My theory is that we just have to be patient and persistent. Thankfully the Mr and I both enjoy looking.
• What I did / got for baby: I've picked up a few onesies and such over the past few weeks. I'm planning to hit up a second hand store this week for gently used baby clothes. 
• What I'm wearing: Dresses are by far the most comfortable thing to wear. I am thankful it's warming up, though I still wear leggings with many dresses (my office is still chilly).
• What I learned this week: I can't believe the baby is the size of a butternut squash. No wonder it gets uncomfortable and I feel like I'm smooshing Baby G when I sit. I get up and walk around a lot to give myself a break from being all bunched up. 

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! It's been a pretty busy week. This post is purchase-heavy, which is not normal for me, but we've scored some great deals from thrifted nursing tops (I hope that doesn't weird you out too much) to something for our home to the addition of a much needed second car!

an April wishlist

I've been loving maxi skirts, but it's not quite warm enough to wear them. While we were down south, I wore them and felt so comfy. I can't wait until it warms up around here. This maxi skirt is affordable and gives a spring/nautical vibe in navy blue.

I'm dying to buy another pair of TOMS, and I've settled on the crochet women's classics but have decided to wait until I reach 35 weeks (at least) since I don't know if my feet with grow.

I'm wearing more gold these days. I have a bracelet that was my mom's I love to wear and a few necklaces that have gold in them. Aside from a few handmade dangly earrings I own (like these from Acute Designs), I don't have a go-to pair of gold studs and these gold from any angle earrings seem perfect.

I'm sure you've heard about the latest book from Shauna Niequist, Bread & Wine. As soon as I'm past the childbirthing books phase, I plan to pick this one up.

Have you heard about Zoya's Earth Day Nail Polish Exchange ? They're offering half off in exchange for sending in your non-earth friendly nail polish. I especially love this reddish-orange nail polish.

I call this pre-nesting

I've been on a quest for simplifying lately. From approaching my blog differently to washing my hair only twice a week, I'm cutting back. I am giving myself room myself to not do it all.

Our days still feel full. We have too many commitments and we're working to cut back as a couple, but in the immediate future, we're guarding our unscheduled time like never before. Part of it is in anticipation of Baby G and part of it comes from feeling plain worn out.

l-r: Starbucks date with the mister, rainbow while we were in Tennessee, and our niece and her puppy

When we traveled to TN last week, it took me days to recover. I just couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to lie down and go to sleep. I know that may have something to do with growing a little one inside me, but I am trying hard to listen to my body more than ever; to put my feet up when my ankles swell or linger over dinner with my husband instead of rushing on to the next thing.

Has spring finally arrived?

...My husband got a new camera. Can you tell from the photos? I borrowed it on Sunday and snapped a few pictures from our yard and of course couldn't pass up a shot or two of Milton.

...Last week was unlike any other as a Boston area resident. Friday was an especially long day. I lost track of the hours I was tuned to the radio. I'm so grateful to the FBI, Boston PD and many others who worked diligently to track down the Marathon Bombers last week.

...I'm trying not to freak out after my friend told me she had her first baby at 32 weeks (I'm currently 29 weeks and we don't have a crib or bassinet).

...It finally looks like spring in Massachusetts! The tress, bushes and bulbs are blooming. I cannot help but smile when I pull in the driveway and go by our forsythia bush.

...Pregnancy has officially become uncomfortable (I'm not complaining, just being honest). In the past few weeks, I've been getting heartburn, my ankles swell most days and the growing little one is creeping into my rib cage. I've been trying to stretch more and get up while sitting more frequently. I find myself wondering how much more uncomfortable it will get in the next 11 weeks or so!

What signs of spring have you seen in your neck of the woods?

a Tennessee weekend

Last weekend, we traveled to see my husband's family in Middle Tennessee. We went for his great grandma's 90th birthday and spend some time with his ill grandmother. We celebrated one woman's life, met our two year old niece for the first time and rejoiced over a growing family with the arrival of our baby in just a few months.

second trimester essentials

The second trimester was way better than my first! I really did get renewed energy by my 14th week of pregnancy. All in all, I felt pretty good throughout the second tri. I started wearing maternity pants and was able to make regular tops last by layering long tanks underneath.

1- Wearing skinny belts with tops and dresses has been essential. One of my favorites is an elastic one from Old Navy.

2- Once the belly started the grow, I picked up Palmer's Cocoa Butter and began using it daily. I thought the smell would bother me (I don't care for scented lotions), but it really hasn't.

3- I've never been one for high heels, but comfy and cute flats are a must. Thankfully, I had a good collection of flats since I wear them to work daily. Last year, I pickup a pair similar to these from Target that offer good arch support.

4- I drink a lot of water, but sometimes I wanted something different but without added sugar or flavorings. Seltzer has been my go to drink.

5- I felt pressed for time with a packed schedule, so audiobooks and podcasts like Preg-TASTIC were helpful to find time for "reading" while driving/traveling and working out.

Just as my first trimester essentials post was not sponsored, I'm not using affiliate links for this post either. These are simply some products I found helpful and wanted to share. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments for items you loved during pregnancy!

My heart is heavy for Boston

As I mentioned yesterday, Marathon Monday is one of my favorite days of the year in a city I hold dear: Boston. We were out of town for the long weekend to visit family in Tennessee and returned this morning. Hearing the news of the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon was unsettling to say the least.

Throughout the day, I tracked a friend running the marathon using the Find My Friends app, but was also watching my two and five year old nieces, so I couldn't turn on the news when I learned about the explosions via Facebook. My newsfeed was flooded with news links and status updates from many Boston friends at the race.

I was in disbelief.

Marathon Monday + my favorite earrings of the season

Happy Monday! How was your weekend?

You're gonna hate me, but it's actually a state holiday today in Massachusetts. It is Patriot's Day, where we remember the start of the American Revolution, complete with reenactments of the battle at Lexington and Concord. The day is also known by locals as Marathon Monday because the Boston Marathon is run. It's seriously one of the best times to be in the city (if you can handle crowds).

Since not everyone can have a holiday today, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite earrings of late.

Treasuring a changing routine

Do you enjoy routine or resist it? I typically gravitate toward routine when it comes to our day to day activities. For the past five and a half years, I've had a pretty "typical" work schedule where I work Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Working at a university means there are also evenings where I stay late and go to weekend events, but it's a pretty well established routine when it comes to my work life.

My husband's work schedule recently changed so that he works four days a week, but not always the same days. Sometimes he works Fridays and sometimes he works Saturdays. Not having our Saturdays guaranteed as together time can be a challenge and this being a new thing since late January, we're having to work at ways to make the most of our time together.

It's forced us to communicate about our schedules regularly and make our time together more intentional. We still watch Duck Dynasty and movies, but we also walk the dog together on the weekends and work from our laptops in the same room.

Despite the changing schedule, I've found this to be a sweet season of marriage. We're preparing for our life to change drastically once Baby G arrives in July. I am also planning less in some respects. I have been somewhat unintentionally letting go of a few chores and being less rigid.

I still clean the house, but I don't beat myself up if I'm not able to clean both bathrooms every Saturday morning like I used to. At this stage, it's more important to take the time to go to a bagel shop with my husband, than do chores.

Inspired by stripes

Lately, I've been loving stripes. I see them everywhere: home decor ideas, clothing, and more. I usually consider myself more of a polka dot person when it comes to the pattern I love to wear, but stripes have been calling to me for the past month or so.

Check out these inspirations I've pinned and seen recently around the blog world:

image sources:
1 Oh Sweet Joy // 2 Rouge + Whimsy // 3 What a Nerd Would Wear // 4 Rustic Living // 5 Pinterest // 6 The Tiny Twig // 7 Pearls Poppies Pinkies Up // 8 Still Being Molly // 9 My Pretty Pennies // 10 Modern Mrs Darcy

mustard + rosemary encrusted pork tenderloin (recipe)

It's been too long since I posted a recipe, huh? We haven't been cooking as much as usual lately. Life seems to have gotten busy and we find ourselves making more and more choices of convenience. In the last week, I've picked up a roast chicken at the grocery store on my way home and we've gone out for dinner more than once.

This weekend, we did manage to plan a meal in advance. We didn't have all the details planned, but we picked up the pork and veggies on Thursday evening with the intention of cooking it on Sunday. The mister put together a delicious breading for the pork tenderloin I just had to share.

The List: April

A look back at March:

• The weather continued to be cold here in the Northeast.
• I traveled for work to St. Louis.
• I did some thrifting for clothes to fit the belly.
• More and more people noticed I was pregnant and started to stare at my belly.

A few goals for April:

• Complete my first crocheted baby blanket (and maybe a second)
• Stop wearing a coat because the weather warms up...I'm still wearing a heavy coat!
• If I buy anymore clothes to accomodate my growing belly, they should be thrifted and/or non-maternity that I can wear after the baby comes
• Eat more salads and veggies (I've been eating too many carbs lately)

The kitchen is coming together

It's hard to believe we'll celebrate two years of living in our house later this month. It's been a work in progress and will continue to be for a while longer. However, it's become a labor of love.

I've shared some pictures of the kitchen along the way, from installing new windows to picking out cabinets and their hardware. We've done several projects in phases.

Easter weekend + 26 weeks

This was our first spring-like weekend. The sun shined on both Saturday and Sunday and nearly all the snow has melted. I had to crack the windows in the car since the sun had warmed it up so much. Being out and about in spring weather is rejuvenating.

Highlights of the weekend included:

• Going to the Good Friday service at Citylife
• Time with friends in the city
• Cleaning and rearranging our kitchen (I can't wait to share photos)
• A little Goodwill and Target shopping
• Easter dinner with church friends

I'm feeling more and more pregnant and noticing more and more people looking at my belly when I walk by. The third trimester is drawing near, so I'm trying to make the most of my energy while I have it. Now that there isn't any snow on the ground around here, I can wear ballet flats, which also makes me feel like it's really spring!