^ this kid is totally obsessed with fountains these days!! ^

sunnies - warby parker, top & pants - anthro, clutch & shoes - target, bracelet - juicy
Let's be real - it's hard to feel pretty while pregnant and sexy? Well that is right out. But sometimes, for once, you want to pick aesthetics over comfort and for me that was our anniversary date this past weekend. Just this time I didn't want to wear a tent on top of my trusty maternity leggings. And wouldn't you know Anthro delivered and from the sale section!! Double score! I put the top on and instantly felt all princessy and like like just maybe I should get even curl my hair?!! And god bless non-maternity pants with stretchy waistbands!  This outfit was a little different from my usual standby of stripes and black and white and it may verge a little bit on Christina Aguilera circa the "Genie in a Bottle" video (not gonna lie I totally made my mum buy me a pair of orange parachute pants thanks to that video) but it was SO fun! Now I'm trying to find a way to make every top in my closet work with these pants.  And can I just say how nice it feels to have something new to wear for once?? I've been wearing the same three dresses and tops for months now. Obviously there's no point in buying maternity clothes now so that just translates into me not buying clothes period. Saves money but it's kind of boring at times. In case this isn't clear - I spend every waking minute daydreaming of all my NON- maternity outfits that I can wear come October. Oh to wear something with a waist...

Another week gone by in our new home and I'm starting to say "new home" a lot less often. I can actually get to the grocery store without using directions and I almost have the drive to Target down save for a turn or two. In fact it's been rather shocking to me how quickly I've adjusted to this suburban life. Life at the cabin though dreamy at times and romantic was also quite challenging on a day to day basis. I don't like to complain and I don't see the point of harping on current circumstances (especially if they are unchangeable) but there were certainly days when the fact that simply planning and executing a trip to Target with a toddler would essentially take up my entire day would be incredibly vexing. So it's been a nice change of pace and I've definitely been enjoying every bit of it. Now if only I could convince someone to make our neighborhood Starbucks a drive-through one... (just kidding, that is SO greedy).
However, Birdie unfortunately has not been adjusting so effortlessly, at least when it comes to her sleep. It's partially our fault as her bedtime got pushed up to ungodly hours of the night (9:30 pm some days... oy vey!!) during the move and of course that just throws everything off. She's been waking up several times during the night almost every night. Some days the bottle will get her to go back to sleep but we've been co-sleeping with her way more often than I would like to count. It's tough on all of us, her included, as she is a much grumpier version of herself when she doesn't get her sleep. We're trying everything to fix it and drinking copious amounts of coffee in the meantime to keep ourselves awake. And in the end it all feels sort of futile anyway as we'll be bringing home a newborn in less than two months and we'll start the joyous sleep training cycle all over again...
Other than sleeping though, Birdie really does love it here. Her playroom was a hit and we have spent many hours reading and playing there with her. The last couple of weeks we have seen a spike in her interest in books and for two book lovers like ourselves it's been such a treat to witness. Every day she will take me by the hand, lead me to her playroom, pick out three or four books and invite me into the teepee where we will lay and read and re-read book after book after book. She's even begun to take books into her crib with her when she goes down for a nap. They are her favorite thing in the world right now and I hope that we can only strengthen that bond with time. Perhaps one of these days I'll share some of her favorites, just as a way to jot it down for memory's sake.
That all being said I am so, so very excited for the weekend!! It's the first weekend that is going to be completely free of any moving related chores and it's also our six year wedding anniversary so we're going to try and squeeze in something romantic at some point... I'm just looking forward to kicking back and enjoying our hard work and maybe visiting a farmer's market at some point. I hope the weather will be courteous as our plans kind of got rained out last weekend.

Gosh this morning was glorious - temperatures in the 60's and a cool breeze coming through the trees every now and again. It instantly turned my mind to autumn. There have been little hints here and there that it's on its way - autumnal pins, talk about "summer winding down" and of course the inevitable appearance of sweaters and corduroys in stores (never mind the fact that it's still 90 degrees most days). But today was the first day that really made me realize just how quickly this season will be upon us and honestly a tiny wave of panic overwhelmed me. Because fall means baby... As in baby number two.
By the time the leaves change I will have two in my arms. I will be a mother of a son and daughter and I will probably have less time to do, well, just about anything than ever before. With pumpkins will come sleepless nights and non-stop feedings and all the other joys that come with having a newborn. I just keep wondering if I'm up for it, if I have it in me to tend to more than one tiny little person. I tell myself that plenty of people have many more children than two and seem to do just fine but the whole unknown aspect of this change makes me dizzy with anxiety sometimes.
At other times however I think it's kind of wonderful that this boy will come into the world right in the middle of my favorite season. That his birthday will always coincide with leaf piles and pumpkin picking and apple pie. And I think it's wonderful that he and Birdie will be so close together in age and I flatter myself by thinking that "I got this."
That is part of the reason papa bear and I worked so hard to get this house set up as quickly as we did. We have no time to lose. Now that all the rooms are painted and boxes are unpacked I can start shopping for a double stroller, re-organizing the nursery, unpacking the newborn things that I carefully stowed away close to two years ago and washing all the baby boy clothes I've been slowly collecting over the course of this summer. Because let's face it August will be over before we know it and September will fly by and I'm just praying that it's all enough time.
And even though adding a newborn to our family will be difficult, just as having any number of children is difficult, I know that with his presence will come such an abundance of love and joy that is uniquely his own. In the same way that raising Birdie has been both the most challenging and incredible thing papa bear and I have ever attempted so it will be with our son. Kids are messy and hard and unpredictable but they also increase your capacity for love in ways that you never thought possible. They are more than dirty diapers and sleepless nights and tantrums - they are little people that somehow teach you more about life and love than you've ever read in a book or learned in a class.

necklace - the jones market, bobby - ban.do, dress - threads 4 thought, shoes - boden
These days I have approximately three dresses that are in heavy rotation in my closet. I've hit the 31 week mark and pretty much nothing fits and I have developed a serious distaste for anything involving waistbands. Last week I was running errands in one of these three dresses when I spotted the above item - soft, pretty and maternity friendly at... Whole Foods! Into my cart it went along with yogurt, grapes and tomato sauce. What could be better than picking up a cute dress while grocery shopping?? Nothing, nothing I tell you. If some place saves me an extra "buckling thrashing toddler into car seat" episode then it instantly jumps to the top of my list of favorite places. Which is probably the biggest reason I do most of my shopping online, I just can't.  And speaking of online shopping I have to give a massive shout-out to the lovely Candis of The Jones Market. I made my first purchase there a few months ago and I have been wearing this necklace pretty much non-stop ever since! It goes with absolutely everything and really is "baby proof," in fact Birdie often thinks it's a toy for her to play with and for once I don't have to worry about her breaking it. I can't wait to add some more pieces to my collection soon! Like these darling keychain wristlets!