The baby’s movements are much larger this week! Before it felt like little pokes and kicks and things but now when she moves its like I feel it across my entire stomach. Kev notices it too. It’s our nightly ritual to get into bed and then he usualy rubs my belly and talks to the baby. The other night he noticed as well how much bigger the movements are. hehe she growing! We are (well I am) a little nervous we are going to have big babies. Kev was 10.5 pounds when he was born. Yikes!! I dont want to give birth to no 10.5 pound little girl. hehe. So stay small but healthly little one!

Today is a very special day. Instead of talking mostly about the baby I wanted to spend sometime talking about Kev. Today is out 6 year dating anniversary. Today 6 years ago we went on our first date. We had been friends for a little while before that and after a very life changing college senior year I finally gave into his cute smile and said yes to a date (dont judge but it was the same day that I broke up with a previous boyfriend. Hey, when you know you know right?) We went to see a band play called Silent Drive. That cd became the soundtrack of that summer. It was a very magical couple months. It was the last few weeks of college when classes are winding down, you are filled with excitement of graduation, starting your life and for us starting a new relationship. We stayed up late on adventures like everynight. Sneaking around so other college friends wouldn’t find out. We wanted it to be a secret. I seriously feel like it was a movie. They are some of my fondest memories. For our 1 year wedding anniversary Kev wrote me a little novel documenting these weeks. We read it together every year on this day. I also turned a lot of his book into artwork for my artshow show last year. Remember?

A lot of things have happened in 6 years. If you told me 6 years ago as I got in his car on our way to the show that in the next six years we would get engaged and married in a 3 week time frame, move to Hawaii, move back to MA, Drive across the country twice, get a job teaching in the Berkshires, Get a job in Albany, Buy a house, sell the house, start jenloveskev, Move to NY, and now be having a baby girl, I dont think I could have believed you. There were lots of paths and adventures taken inbetween and I cherish every memory I have. I am looking forward with excitment to what the next 6 hold for us. He is my best friend and I can’t imagine going down this life journey without him. For our couple picture this week we wanted to recreate a picture that was taken of us 6 years ago one late night goofing around campus.
NOW:

THEN:

Here are some other pictures from the first summer together that all started on this day: April 29th.

Silent Drivehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561746147/
These trees always remind me of these momentshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4562374476/

Trips to go see piebald playhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561742387/
Our superhero Logo painted on a bridge over the Mass Pikehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561742725/

It was the summer Kev got out smarted by the monkeyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561744255/
We bought a sweet organ that summerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4562372612/
I dyed my hair blackhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561743855/
Spent lots of time in Maine and NHhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561744027/
You played lots of shows with Vera that summerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561746381/

Boardwalk arcades were best used to purchase spider ringshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4561745959/

Dear Baby Girl:
My letter to you today is more about the future. I hope that your dad and me can be a good example of what love should be like. I hope that when you start dating that you will know that you deserve someone who will treat you like a lady and with respect and who will love you with everything they have. Someone you can have fun with and go on adventures and share in your passions with. They should be your best friend, someone who you can lean on and trust to be there for you. I hope you will not settle for someone who will not give you all that you will deserve. I know I have found these things in your Dad and I know he feels the same way about me. We were meant for each other. Nothing that comes up in life seems unbearable when I know I have him on my side. I hope you know that this love we have for each other is going to be just as great of a love for you. We already love you so much.
Keep Growing strong!
Love,
Your Mom

I am honored to say that I was asked to be the Mamie Blogger of the Month this month over at Shop Mamie. If you get a chance hop on over to the Shop Mamie Blog and read my interview with these lovely ladies and while your there you should def. check out all their beautiful spring dresses.

Sorry for the delay everyone but here is the 3rd installment of Kev Photo Basics. If you want to catch up you can read the first 2 Here and Here.

Photo Basics 3

Making the switch from a point-and-click camera to a DSLR will do wonders for the quality of your photos, but it will only take you so far. Eventually, you’ll either find yourself in a situation where the natural environment you’re shooting does not accommodate your needs, or you’ll simply want more control over your photos. If you’ve found yourself in either of these situations, its time to provide your photos with an additional source of light (or two).

There are all sorts of tools and techniques to utilize when it comes to adding an additional source of light for your photos. Even watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model (not that I do. seriously) can be super intimidating when you see how much equipment is utilized just to get one shot. While all that equipment is great and serves a purpose, you needn’t feel intimidated by it. Not yet anyway. In order to understand how light works, you need to start small and experiment. The first piece of equipment you need is an external flash. This is not to be confused with the flash that comes attached to the top of your camera. That flash allows for very little control and really isn’t all that powerful. An external flash, however, is much more powerful and allows for a lot more versatility. In-fact, many professional photographers rely solely on external flashes as their light source(s). They just use a lot of them (when necessary), and in very creative ways. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. All you need to know at this point is: though an external flash is only one, seemingly small, piece of equipment, it is very powerful and can achieve great results, especially when added to a fleet of multiple flashes. But before you master it, you need to understand how light works.

If you pay attention to one thing in this article, let it be this. The bigger your light source, the better your results. This isn’t necessarily referring to the strength of your flash, but rather, how much you can diffuse and spread your flash. Let me explain. If you were to take your brand new external flash, strap it in the hot shoe atop your camera, aim at your subject, then fire – you’re going to get terrible results. You image will appear flat, blown out, and filled with harsh cast shadows. No good. What you need to do is take your flash and make it broader. When your flash is filtered through another surface it becomes diffused (softer), which spreads your light and minimizes harsh shadows. Spreading your light, also takes your one direct light path and broadens it; essentially multiplying the source. Your success in accomplishing this will depend on your creativity as well as your surroundings.

Depending on your location, creating a broad light source from your flash can be either really easy, or very difficult. If you’re shooting indoors and you have a standard 8 foot high white ceiling, you’re golden. All you need to do is aim your flash directly at the ceiling, then fire. You’ll be amazed at how bouncing your flash off the ceiling will not only fill your room with light, but create soft, even shadows on your subject.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/3964420885/At our old house in MA

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Please email me at jenloveskev@gmail.com with any questions and for more information on monthly rates and packages.

Have you been over to ruche lately and checked out all their beautiful spring clothes? Wowzer! (I really like that word) They have some really really gorgeous outfits. Their new lookbook is beyond amazing. I have been looking at the photos like everyday for like the last 2 weeks. I love how they styled everything. I think I need to go on a romantic vacation wearing these outfits with Kev!! What is your favorite piece from their new spring stuff? I have been drooling over all the dresses for sure. I am such a sucker for a pretty dress.
Make sure you head over and check out what Ruche has to offer!

If you are a girl with an edgier style you should check out the Threadsence Lookbook. They also have some really great looks for spring. Great source of inspiration as well as reasonable priced awesome clothes.

Dear: NY
We may live in you now and we really love the people that live here with us but I have to say our hearts will always side with Boston. We just love it there. It is our home. Boston is definitely our favorite city!

It was such a beautiful day and we had the most amazing time just holding hands and walking around the city. We didn’t really have an agenda other than we just wanted to go wander around to all our favorite spots.
We ate lunch at one of our favorite restaurants (The Parish Cafe) where I had Mmm the Veggie Corn Cakes. So Good!! We spent some time at lounging around the Common. The Swan boat rides will forever remind me of my cousins. Its so pretty down there with all the willow trees and tulips. It was the perfect spring day! It may have also included playing around and drooling over some ipads and kicking (not really) some canadian geese who were bullying the cute ducks. Typical day in boston right? hehe
What did you do this weekend?

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Happy Monday Everyone! Today marks the end of spring vacation for me but the count down till summer vacation is on. 7 Weeks!!!

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We are not trying to harm baby in this picture. Kev just thinks she is super baby and is trying to contain her powerful kicks. haha

Week 21. Crazy. I can’t believe we have passed the mid way point and are on to the other half. One of my dear friends due date is today!! and one of my other friends just had her 3rd little boy when I was away in NYC last week. I am so happy and excited for them. I just wish we weren’t so far away from each other so we could all have play dates together (Hawaii, San Francisco and NY don’t really allow for easy get together). I have my next appointment next week so I have been trying to save up all my questions again to ask my midwife when I see her. I have started reading some new books. Which are giving me lots of questions to ask. I just started reading The Birth Book by Dr. Sears.

I have been struggling this week with some of the less joyous things that come along with pregnancy (accepting weight gain, changes in your body, trouble sleeping, weird dreams, constant nasal congestion and being extremely hormonal to name a few) I have been letting them get the best of me more that I would like to admit and I’m really trying to figure out the best solutions and ways to change my attitude about them, sometimes its hard thought because really you just don’t feel like yourself. Don’t get me wrong I love being pregnant, somtimes its just hard because there are a lot of things going on with you and your body that are totally out of your control. Kev is really good at keeping things in perspective for me and being there for support. He always makes me feel better and knows just what to say when I am having a bad day. I know I say it a lot but I am really proud of him!

This is me dancing to my new improved black eyed peas song “my bump, my bump, my lovely baby bump…”

Dear Baby Girl:
We have been constantly talking about names now that we know you are a girl. Its hard though because we want you to have the best name, there are just so many names out there to chose from. We have a few that we like a lot but we havent settled on anything yet. Did you know that your Grammy sends you presents in the mail every week? They are always addresed to you and inside hold little goodies, nothing huge but just little toys and things that you will like a lot. Yesterday she came back from Canada and brought you the coolest most awesome little hooded sweatshirt. It says Canada on it with a little moose. Its beyond cool. I kinda want to wear it! We also have been getting really cute girl gifts now from friends (The American Apparel onesies above is from our friend Nicole). Everyone is so sweet about it and all are friends are so excited to meet you.

I was reading this blog the other day and she was talking about a lady who was expressing how they brought up their kids and how she was sad that one of their sons was starting school. For some reason it really has stuck with me and made me think about some of the things I want to teach you. I totally loved what she wrote about being adventurous. I hope that is something we can show you as well. I want to take you on adventures and I want to go on fun outings and not be afraid for you to experience new things. Your Dad and me are pretty spontaneous people and we like having lots of fun, I really hope we can pass that free spirit on to you as well. I just want you to love life and be able to look back when you are older and think “I had a great childhood.” I want you to feel supported enough to be able to take risks and try new things. Your dad and me will always be behind you! We are actually really excited about taking you with us on our little trips and adventures. Your dad has started asking everytime we do things “now if we had the baby how would be do this?” then we try to figure out how we would work it. We are feeling more and more confident that are adventures are going to be even more fun and exciting with you along with us. You dad thinks you are super baby. He is so proud of you and he hasnt even met you yet. I just had to leave him for a day and a bit and he gets so sad when he knows he isnt going to be around you. He has been talking to you a lot lately? Do you hear him? I hope you can recongize his voice and are comforted by it.

We have started looking at nursery stuff for you now. Its a little over whelming, there is just so much stuff out there. I have some good ideas though. Your grammy is going to help me. We have only a tiny tiny room for you but you will fit in there just fine. It will be cozy and cute and I know you will love it!
Love you lots little one!
Your Mama

YAY! So I am on vacation this week. Its spring break here in the MA public schools. I don’t have much planned other than trying to catch up on a lot of stuff, cleaning some closets, thinking about a nursery and hoping to start some paintings. Exciting vacation right? haha. Its not as fun when Kev doesn’t have vacation as well. Oh well, its still time off right?

I don’t know about you, but I love getting mail! Its such a bright spot in any day. Especially when it is a package!! Ooh I get so excited. I usually have to open it the minute I walk in the door. Sometimes I don’t even drop my purse or take of my coat. I received this Mojitos on Monday Dress last week and I was super excited. Its such a cute dress. The fabrics are perfect for the summer. The top half is a beautiful pattern with really great colors and its just really comfy. I live in dresses all summer long so I am already stocking up on cute styles. This one fits in prefect! The best part is that it just pulls over your head, its got an elastic waist at the back so its a little stretchy thru your mid section. Summer BBQ’s here I come!! The dress could definitely be dressed up for work or down to hang out with some friends.

The dress is currently out of stock at modcloth but did you know you can sign up for updates for when an item is back in stock! Good idea huh? Anyways, Modcloth told me that this dress will be back in stock in a little while, so make sure you sign up so you can get a head start to order in the next batch!!!

Have you check out Paper Sparrow on Etsy yet? I showed some of their cute things yesterday but definitely wanted to showcase this adorable locket in an outfit post. I love the little bird on the side of the chain. It makes me want to use the word “darling” a lot. hehe

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4537947064/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4537317581/
Trench: Old Navy
Mojitos on Monday Dress: Courtesy of Modcloth
Locket: Courtesy of Paper Sparrow
Peep Toe Wedges: Platos Closet

So before April is over (can you believe it?) I just wanted to take a minute to slow down and share some of the many awesome things this months sponsors have to offer. I don’t know about you but the sneak peaks of warmer weather have me constantly wanting to put on summer dresses and dream of warm summer afternoons.

First up we have the always amazing modcloth. Do you go to this site everyday? I do. They put up new dresses everyday! I love love love this little lace dress. It is so sweet and just prefect for a summer picnic I think. I also am loving this retro plaid bathing suit. I am totally all over the retro 2 pieces lately. So cute! Now I have expressed my love for Figs and Ginger Before, they make adorable eco-friendly jewelry- Remember Kev got me the lovebirds necklace for valentines day one year. Anyways, I was super excited to see that modcloth was selling one of their adorable fawn rings. You better believe that I have already snatched this up from the site!

Honey I shrunk the Deer Ring $23.99 | Rainbow Graph 2 Piece $89.99 | In Yo’ Lace Dress $84.99

Next we have Ruche. have you seen their spring lookbook part II- it is beautiful!! I will be featuring some of their lookbook pictures later this week. They have the most dreamy summer dresses their. Also they have a great selection of summer sandals. Everything is so reasonable priced. I love this green patterned dress. Its got so much fun and whimsy to it and who doesnt need a bright yellow handbag this summer. I love the bow detail! Now, I am sure you have all seen the nautical theme around this spring. This skirt is perfect to fit in with this cool summer trend. Its also classic enough to pair it with all kinds of different summer tanks and blouses.

Terry Tulip Skirt $24.99 | Eternal Sunshine Handbag $51.99 | Lady of Sherwood Dress $42.99

Roll and Tumble Press continues to impress me. Every time I go to their shop I feel drawn to buy another print. Every print is so well made and you can just see all the detail and love that went into each one. Think I might have to get this Donkey Print to put in my classroom. Its funny how loud students feel they need to talk to each other when they are sitting right next to one another. What better way of enforcing a classroom rule, then with a piece of awesome art!!

Self Help No.3 $20 | Rotary Telephone $20 | Use Your Inside Voice $20

Paper Sparrow is such a cute etsy shop. They make the sweetest and most whimsical art and jewelry. I have this panda necklace and I just love it. Every time I wear it I get so many compliments. Who doesn’t love pandas? The artwork section of the shop is just as impressive as the jewelry. I can’t wait to decorate our nursery with some of these adorable pieces.

Panda Necklace $18.00 | Brown Ribbon Locket $28.00 | Love Ring $10.00

So, I know by now most of you have heard of Couturious.com. It’s a super fun styling site (like paper dolls) and I get sucked in there for hours making outfits. So Fun!! A little while ago I was asked to be one of the Judges for a contest on Couturious where you can win a scholarship up to $2,000. All you need to do is be going to one of the 8 participating schools and design and submit an outfit to the contest page. What a great and easy way to get some extra money towards college. Submissions will be accepted from April 12 – April 25th. The contest is open to both current and incoming students (see official rules on contest website) There will be three winners: The grand prize of $2,000, second place receiving $750, and third receiving $250. Don’t miss out. Make your outfit today!!!

So the last 2 days have been a blast! I love going to NYC and I love it even more when it involves fashion, food and good company. I took the train from Albany Wednesday morning and arrived at the Bowery Hotel by noonish. The hotel is gorgeous! It has such charm and character. My favorite part were the bellhops, in their red vests and bowler hats. I got to check in and do a little bit of shopping before I headed over to LOFT in Time Square. Summer is in full bloom there with beautiful printed dresses and brightly colored jewelry. There we got to meet with some lovely LOFT ladies and do a little bit of shopping. I always love meeting people face to face after emailing back and forth for so long. It’s so much fun! The time square store is huge and has a lot of great energy in it!

After, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Party and to meet Rich and Jess for dinner. I love these 2! I am so glad that they were going to the party as well because I get so nervous in situations like that. I am pretty shy so its hard to be overly social at such a large party. I was beyond relieved that we all got to go together. The Party was AWESOME!!! The location at the Bowery Hotel was beautiful!! When you walked in all the new fall fashion was styled on mannequins and backed with a video projection of a runway show with the new clothes. It was styled perfect. Every piece was so classic yet so fun. I really feel like they are embodying how I feel about dressing lately as I settle into my late 20’s- I love it!

Alexa Chung was DJing the party and lets just say I was a little star struck, I mean who’da thought I would ever be at a party where Alexa Chung was. She totally smiled at me and Jess one time when we walked by her. She is super cute! and she played Sleater Kinney during the night! Guess who else was there?? Maggie Maggie Gyllenhaal and Alexis Bledel!! It was pretty cool I wont lie. The band Ra Ra Riot was also awesome- they are super good live. I definitely need to get some of their music.

I have to say LOFT put on an awesome party. It was a very fun night.
Thank you to LOFT and Lucky for setting it all up for me to come.

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A couple photos above from LOFT Facebook
All Transportation and Accommodations courtesy of LOFT

Full Party Style File will be up on Monday!
Happy Weekend Everyone!!

The winner of the beautiful KDikio Vintage Scarf Giveaway is…

Laura from The Time Has Come…

Thanks to everyone for participating. I have some great giveaways planned for the next few weeks!

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Dear Baby or I should say Dear Baby Girl:
You are a Girl!!! A little precious baby girl!! I can not believe it. We are over the moon about you. We would have been happy either way but now that we know, its like you know it was meant to be. I know some people don’t find out and I totally understad that but for us we had to know who you were. It has instantly made us feel 100% more connected to you. I love being able to call you “she” or “her” instead of it. Your Dad definitely feels more connected to you as well, and he felt you move for the first time!! He is so so excited about you. Everytime you are moving and I call him over to try to feel your movements, he comes running over like he can’t wait to interact with you again. So cute!!

You were so adorable on the sonogram screen. You were like a really little baby. When they had a close up of your little face, you started moving your little mouth like you were saying hi to us. Ahh it melts my heart and of course it just makes me laugh when I see it. The tech always has to wait for me to stop giggling because I make her loose the picture. Whoops.

We saw your little hands, feet, your heart and well really every part. They take pictures of everything to make sure you are growing properly. It’s funny because the night before I was getting anxious about whether you were going to cooperate for the tech to see your sex, and your Dad said “well if she’s not, then she must just be a modest little girl.” hehe. Well your dad guessed before the tech told us, but you were being very modest, that’s for sure. You kept pushing your little knees together. So cute!!

When we were all done at the appoinment your Dad ran to the car because he said he wanted to get something. As I walked out I could see him trying to push extra blue balloons into the truck. When he was walking towards me he had a bunch of pink balloons and a pretty pink flower. It was very sweet. He had balloons and flowers for each gender but the pink won. I love him very very much. He is going to be the best Dad to you. He is already worried about boys you bring to the house. He loves you so much.

Ooooh one last thing!! We are half way to meeting you! I can’t believe how fast time has gone since we found out about you. It’s crazy!!

Well little girl, that’s it for this week.
Love,
your momma

P.s. On a blog side note, giveaway winner will be notified and announced tonight. I am having a hard time doing all that from my phone. Just this post took me over an hour. When I get home from NYC I wil get right on it. Feel free to still enter.

Hello all my lovely readers! This week is going to be a little scattered. It has and is a big week full of stuff. Yesterday I had my naturalization interview and citizen test. It was totally easy and I passed the first 6 questions so they didn’t even have to ask me the rest of the 10. The officer was very nice. It’s just hard swearing to renounce all allegience to any other state. I know it’s not a big deal but it makes me sad to think about. I love Canada. I went to the interview with a little hidden Canadian pride. I couldn’t help myself. Right after I felt like I had to go find a coffee crisp bar or do something Canadian. Hehe

Next up was our doctors app. It was so nerve racking. We were so anxious in the waiting room. I will go into more detail tomorrow for the Baby Post, but let’s just say we couldn’t be happier and now that we know we couldn’t imagine it any other way! I will spill the beans tomorrow!! Aren’t these trees so beautiful? They were outside the doctors yesterday. So fitting to be going thru all this in the spring.

Well I am sitting on the Amtrak train right now heading to NYC. A little while ago I got invited by Lucky and Ann Taylor LOFT to fly down and come see the Fall 2010 Preview and attend their after party. How cool right? Well I don’t really need to fly so they got me a train ticket and are putting me up in a fancy hotel. I have to say I am pretty freakin’ excited!! I was super super nervous because I didn’t know anyone who was going to be there, but I found out a couple great peps are going to be there too and now I just can’t wait!! I will have a full update and pictures of my 2 days when I get back.

Have a great day!! Remember today is the last day to enter the giveaway below!

So I was broswing around the Roll and Tumble Press shop the other day (which I do frequently, they are so good for presents for people!) and this “Listen to your Heart” one really stood out to me. I feel like that is sort of my motto for life right at this moment. I feel like as you get older and become more secure in who are you and more grounded in the things you believe this really rings true to how I have been making decisions lately. I mean some decisions that are the best for us are not always the ones that are easy and things we want to do, but I think for the most part we know what is best for us.

I feel like Kev and me are going thru a lot of changes right now in our life, we moved, careers are shifting, baby on the way and we are getting a lot of advice from people. Now I love hearing personal experiences and advice but what I am finding out more and more is that instead of getting over whelmed about what everyone else says, I need to consider the thoughts and then apply them as they fit best into our lives. Because when it comes down to it, not everything that works for one will work for the other.

There are a lot of people asking me about how we are going to raise the baby, my philosophy on kids, etc. Which is totally cool. I love talking about it. At first it just scared the crap out of me because I was like “I have no freakin’ idea what we are going to do?” I would starting reading all these books and articles on the matter and get all stressed out thinking we are just going to screw up our kid in the end. This is where the “listen to your heart” comes in. Our baby will always be on the forefront of our minds and we will always have its best interest at heart, so when we make decisions on how we are going to raise it, we just need to look at our situation and figure out what works for us, what we feel comfortable with and what we think will be the best decision for our kid.

And I really think this can be applied to us all- baby or not. We all have decisions and changes we need to make in our lives. Advice is good, but sometimes it can distract you from what you know in your heart is the right decision.

Hmmm was that a rant? I hope that didn’t come across like that. Just wanted to share some things I was thinking about and figuring out for us.

On to this weekend! I will keep it short. Yesterday= AWESOME!! We spent the day with friends celebrating birthdays and special events and its making it clearer and clearer that moving 2.5 hours away from family to Albany was the right decision for us. We miss our family of course but our friends here are amazing and we love them as well!

BEST PART OF WEEKEND: and probably one of the most special moments of my life…
We were lying in bed. It was late. The lights were out. Our room was filled with the glow of the bright street lights out side. We were just chatting. We always seem to talk a ton before we go to sleep. I had my hand on my belly, the baby was moving a ton which it has been doing a lot but all of the sudden I realized that I was feeling the movement on my hand as well as from the inside. This was totally new. I usually only feel the baby from the inside. I grabbed Kev hand and placed it on my belly and said “I think you will be able to feel the baby” we laid quietly for a few moments when all of the sudden the BABY KICKED LIKE CRAZY!! Kev jumped way back saying “WHhhhoooa” haha I don’t think he was expecting to feel such a big movement. haha. It was awesome. I instantly teared up as we giggled in excitement and the baby continued to move around with little kicks. Amazing!!

P.S. You can Find this “Listen to your Heart” print for purchase Here at Roll and Tumble Press! Plus is you havent you should def. go check out all their inventory!

If you live in the northeast you may have been complaining last week about the amount of rain we had been getting, but then when I got this email from Jessica explaining her frustrations with dressing for the raining Vancouver season, I was at least glad that we get the sunshine most days here in NY and MA. Jessica asked if I could put an I’d Wear That together for her and those readers that are rain plagued this time of year.

I really like this kinda laid back weekend look. I love the ease of the JCrew vest. I would totally wear it open/unzipped with the floral button up underneath, even the button up could be left open with a henely underneath. I love this floral necklace from modcloth as well, I think it adds the perfect touch. Depending on the type of rain outside, I included 2 pairs of shoes. If it is a downpour and really the only thing suitable are a pair of wellies, there you go- super awesome navy ones! Now, if it is a light rain day, say a drizzle, I might opt for these fringed boots. I would def. recommend that they were sprayed and treated with a water proof spray before wearing them out, but other than that I think they are great to keep toes dry and still super stylish with the outfit.

I am also head over heels for these clear umbrellas from Target- so cute and the shape of them is just slightly different then your regular umbrella, which I think just adds to the cuteness of the umbrella. If it still is chilly out you could always throw on a pair of over the knee socks. I really like these ones from American Apparel.
So what do you think? Would this outfit work for the Northeast?

Utility Vest: J Crew $98
Floral Button Up: Forever 21 $15.80
Denim Skirt: Forever 21 $14.80
Hunter Wellies: Zappos $115
In Full Bloom Necklace: Modcloth $27.99
Fringed Boots: J Crew $158
Umbrella: Target $16.99

So I had been holding off to list this stuff in my etsy shop because I was hoping to make more goodies, but extra time is hard to come by and I just really loved how these 2 new necklaces came out and the new brooches and couldnt wait to share any longer.

Wouldn’t either of the necklaces be a perfect addition to a plain white tee, jeans and flats for a beautiful spring day outing? I love the new use of fabric rather than felt for spring, but I do still love the boldness and presence of the felt. I remade a few old felt designs that are in bright and fun spring colors with zipper accents.
Enjoy!
You can go check out each one in my etsy shop!

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So we decided to change up the style just a little. Today we have some outside shots instead of our wall backdrop. It was so nice the other night we just had to go outside for a walk with the camera and tripod in tow. There are so many cool places to go for walks around our place. I went for a run/walk outside yesterday instead of the gym because it was just so beautiful. I passed a few ladies pushing baby’s in strollers and it made me so excited. I love going for walks and I can’t wait for the nights after the baby is born to go for family strolls with Kev. Or even this summer, I can’t wait for walks in the warm nights. They might be more like summer waddles, hehe but I want walks to be something that we continue to do. When our kiddo grows up I hope that is something they will remember -always going on family walks together at night. Is that silly?

I have had a few comments about baby names and well I hate to disappoint but that is something that we will not be sharing until after the baby is born. We will def. be spilling the beans next Thursday on the sex of the baby if everything goes well at the sonogram, but names we will be kept to ourselves. Everyone seems to have an opinion they need to share when you tell them names you like. So we just decided we will decide on the name we like and we will name our kid that and then when we introduce him/her to everyone no one will say anything mean about the name because then they are insulting the baby and not just the name. Besides we have some AWESOME names picked out. We haven’t narrowed it down yet but we have a few for each boy or girl.

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Dear Baby:
I have become as round in front as I am from behind. hehe. These pictures make me laugh. Your dad can’t seem to stop rubbing my belly now talking to you. You seem to have just popped out a lot lately. When ever we are leaving each other he always kisses me goodbye and then rubs my belly and says goodbye to you as well. I had my very first person ask me if I was pregnant this week that didn’t know me. It was funny because I dont think I look all that pregnant most days but I was glad that she was at least so confident that I was and hadnt just put on a lot of weight that she would ask.

I also felt you a ton this week!! You have been break dancing like crazy!! and I havent even had to be laying down totally concentrating. I have been in the middle of doing things and I feel little kicks. It blows my mind everytime I feel it. I really just wish that your Dad could feel it as well. I know he feels left out. Soon enough. Just keep growing healthy and strong and I know he will feel you soon.

Did you know you grew fingerprints this week?? How crazy is that?? Last week you could have robbed a bank, but this week I am not so sure it would be a good idea. hehe. I cant wait till they print your little hands and feet when you come out and we can see how cute your little finger prints are.

You also got your first piece of mail this week. I got a package in the mail yesterday and it was addressed to: Baby Richardson (Kev’s last name- I never changed mine from Lula in case you were wondering) and the Return address said: Grammy. How cute is that? I like that my mom has decided that Grammy is going to be the name you call her.

This week has also been a very tough emotional week for me. There has been a lot of very sad, sad things going on at school this week and it just makes me nervous to bring you into this world and for you to become a teenager. I don’t want you to have to deal with such adult situtations at such a young age. It’s sad to me the state of our high schools now a days. I just hope that me and your dad can always have a very open and honest relationship with you, and that you will feel comfortable to come to us about things that may seem uncomfortable to talk about. I just want you to have such a happy life and I don’t want you to get bogged down with all the negative and bad in this world.

We love you more and more everyday little baby. You are already the joy in our lives.
Talk to you more next week.
Love your,
Mom

Date nights are fun. Do you go on dates with your significant other? I mean, I guess if you go anywhere with your hubby it could be considered a date, but for us to make some nights out seem more special than others, we like to label them as designated “date nights.” I also like dressing up a little bit just because its fun and you get to wear things that maybe you normally wouldn’t other wise.

Shopmamie was kind enough to let me pick something from their shop and I was instantly drawn to this little black dress. Who doesn’t love a good ol’ black dress, right? Well, this one has some flare and is a little more my style than something super plain. Its really fun with the ruffled skirt and its super comfy. I dressed it like 10 different ways before I settled on this for the night. I am totally looking forward to wearing it again after baby because I know it can be styled so many different ways.

I was just on the shopmamie site and they have so many super cute dresses right now!! I kind really love this Lilly dress or the Sparkler Dress. Oh man I love summer dresses!

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Dress: Courtesy of Shopmamie
Quilted Leather Bomber: Silence and Noise (Won from Weardrobe)
Tights: H&M
Booties: Anne Michelle
Necklace: Charlotte Russe
Belt: Random store in mall

P.S. I am so excited to share Week 19 Baby photos tomorrow they are my FAVORITE yet!! They came out so good. We changed up the style just a little. Yay!!!

Roasted Tofu, Veggies and Apples

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2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained
Baby Carrots ( you could really use what ever veggies you prefer to the veggies part)
Brussel Sprouts
Beets
Red Potatoes, washed, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon Earth Balance Butter
3 apples, cored and cut into slices

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Combine vinegar, oil, Honey, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl to make a marinade and set aside. Press tofu to remove as much liquid as possible, then cut into 8 equal slices. Pour balsamic marinade over tofu and marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove tofu and arrange in a shallow 9×13-inch baking dish along with carrots, potatoes and Brussel sprouts. Pour remaining marinade over tofu and vegetables, brushing to coat everything. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more. Turn the tofu and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes.

4. For the beets. Clean and cut into 1/4 and wrap in tin foil. Bake alongside tofu and veggies. In oven. You might need to start the beets before the tofu depending on how big they are. Can take up to 90 mins.

5. Meanwhile, prepare apples. Heat earth balance in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned but not mushy.

6. When cooked, serve tofu and vegetables alongside apples.

Recipe found and slightly adjusted from Wholefoods.

Nothing like a fresh coat of nail polish and a new hair color to give you a brand new outlook. I woke up early yesterday because I wanted to make sure I had time to do all that before Kev’s parents came over. All the red in my hair has been growing out and was becoming more and more brassy looking (which I did not like) so I decided to dye it a more all over brown. The red still shows a little bit but I really love how it came out. Nothing drastic but subtle enough that I really like the change.

There is also something about newly painted nails that makes me feel so pretty. It lifts my spirits and when they match an outfit that is even more exciting to me. I knew I was going to be wearing this dress for Easter, I have been saving it since February. So I painted my nails this electric purple to match. I really just love how this whole outfit came together. The shoes, the necklace, bracelet, my nails, it all made me feel like a million bucks. Haha when really it was only about $50- Pretty good I’d Say!

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Dress: Beacon’s Closet
Shoes: Tj Maxx
Belt: American Eagle (I am wearing it backwards)
Necklace: Target
Cuff: Courtesy of LOFT

How was everyone’s weekend? I hope the weather was as beautiful for you as it was for us. It was just insane how nice it was. We had an awesome weekend. I was sitting on the couch last night with a blanket on with the window cracked and this beautiful breeze, reading thru some of my pregnancy books feeling very happy and blessed with my life. This weekend was one of those times where you just are truly reminded of the things that matter most in your life. I enjoyed every second of this weekend for so many reasons.

On Friday we were part of our churches 2 Good Friday services which were super fun to be a part of. Afterwards to went to a wine bar with 2 of our other couple friends and hung out for the rest of the night (I sucked down my giant Shirley temples- hehe). Since we have moved out to Albany we have meet so many amazing and genuinely awesome people and I love every chance we have to get to know everyone better and just laugh and have a good time.

Saturday it was like 80 degrees. Kev and me threw the bikes in the car and headed out to try to find the bike path that runs along 787 and the Hudson River. I thought I knew where the entrance was but I was completely wrong and we ended up biking all thru troy. From the Green Island Bridge down to 378 and then on to an off ramp of the highway, because we could see the path below us and couldn’t figure out a better way to get down there. Haha. We ended up biking around all day on this adventure to find the bike path. I think we were gone for like 4.5 hours. Of course because my skin hasn’t seen the sun all winter- when I got home that night I was super burnt. whoops. I’ll have a style file of my bike adventure outfit tomorrow.

Yesterday was Easter. I just love Easter. I woke up that morning early to get ready and while I was painting my nails Kev locked me in the computer room for a little while and when he let me back out he had this amazing breakfast with flowers and smoothies all ready for me. Mmmm Smoothies are my favorite. He made strawberry waffles with Strawberry+banana Smoothies. There was some beautiful spring flowers and this awesome handmade card. I love Kev’s handmade cards, I keep them all. They always have some crazy drawing on the front with some nonsense message or pun on the inside about the drawing on the front. They make me laugh and are so sweet. This bunny is one of my favorites. Its smile is so funny. I had made an Easter basket for him and had written little poems as clues to the basket and hid them all over the apartment. I made him hop from place to place to find everything.

Kev’s parents came out for the day and it was nice to spend time with them and show them our church and all around Albany on such a nice day. So that was our weekend in a nutshell. What did you do for your Holiday Weekend?

I am going to take a little break today from our usually Friday Share and Tell to showcase one of my favorite artists… My friend Sarah. She is a beyond talented printmaker and I am in love with all the work she creates. You should definitely go check out her website to see all the other amazing things she has done. Last year our church asked her to create artwork for each of the 15 Stations of the Cross for Easter. She gives me lots of hope because she had enough energy to create all these pieces while she was pregnant (she might be super women!).

I am not going to write a lot about them because I think the artwork is so full of emotion and beauty that they themselves really captures what today and this weekend is all about. So whether you celebrate Easter or not I wish you a wonderful weekend spent with loved ones and I hope we all can spend some time reflecting on our lives and be grateful for the things we have and the love that is in them! Happy Weekend + Happy Easter!

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All Artwork Created by Sarah Gorss

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Sorry for the late start on this baby post, we actually were at the Doctors this morning and GUESS WHAT??? We have are sonogram scheduled on April 13th to find out if it is a boy or a girl!!! Eeeek that’s only 13 days away!!!! That is going to be a big big day 1. because of course we are finding out if it is a boy or a girl but 2. I have my citizen test in the morning. haha!

I always go to my monthly check ups with my list of questions in hand. I have started writing them down during the month so when I get there I don’t forget them. Today I asked about…
1. My weight gain and if I was at a good and healthy amount. Answer yes. I have gained 3 pounds since my last appointment a month ago. She said it was good that I have been going to the gym 3 times a week.

2. When we needed to sign up for birthing classes. Answer: 28 weeks

3. Sleeping. I have been have the worst time sleeping lately which of course is not helping the overall tired feeling I am having. I just sleep terrible every night. I am always so uncomfortable and I wake up on my back all freaked out because I am not suppose to sleep on my back. She told me to try laying with a pillow under my hips so that it would be ok to sleep on my back and then maybe I would sleep better than laying on my side. I have always been a stomach sleeper so this whole new sleep positions are throwing me for a loop.

4. My allergies. I have ridiculous seasonal allergies that have lead to the school nurse having to give me an epipen and the ambulance rushing me to the hospital. oh boy! I posted this blog post 2 years ago with some terrible pictures of me and this funny video Kev took of me in the hospital. This is after I have been on a steroid iv for like 3 hours too. When Kev meet me at the hospital (because it happened at school) he said he couldn’t even recognize me. They had asked what I had eaten that morning and I said an orange, so everyone was saying the orange is what did it to me, even though it wasn’t. That’s why Kev asks me in the video “what do I have to say to the orange that did this to me?” haha since then me and oranges have had a healthy relationship.

Anyways my midwife said that I can take my regular allergy medicine if I need to and that of course if I need to use my epipen that I should by all means use it and then go the ER of course. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen again this year.

5. A pediatrician. She said we should start looking for one now and recommended a family practice that is actually right down the street from us.

6. If cocoa butter was something that I should be using on my stomach. My midwife said that stretch marks are genetic and also come about from rapid weight gain. So since she said my weight gain was good this ones up to you mom! Hehe. She said its good to use cocoa butter later on because as you start growing more your skin gets itchy from stretching and it can help relieve it.

ok well those were my questions for this month but I did get a question yesterday from a reader asking about being vegetarian and being pregnant. It was not a question for me when I got pregnant whether or not to eat meat-I wanted to stay vegetarian. I just talked about it with my midwife. I was already pretty conscious about what I ate and made sure I ate the right about of veggies, fruit, protein and things like that, so it was a really easy switch to being pregnant. I just really make sure I am getting enough protein, but seriously if you are a healthy eating vegetarian you are getting enough because your meals are based off of dark greens, beans, tofu and brown rice. Now the big question for us is, will the baby be a vegetarian or not? Hmm that is something we are working on, I am leaning towards yes but that is something I need to discuss further with a pediatrician.

ok on to my letter. I really want to keep this up and be able to make a little book of all these pictures and letters for the baby and keep it until they are old enough and then give it to them as a keepsake…

Dear Baby:
Its week 18. You are never going to believe that happened this last week?? I felt you move. We were laying in bed and I had my hand on my stomach and I felt you. I think you were doing somersaults. That’s what I am imagining anyways because boy that seems awful cute. I have only felt you move a couple times. I have to be really still with no noises or distractions. You are very subtle, but its because you are so small. I read that you are the size of my hand stretched open this week. That seems amazing. When we were laying in bed the other night your dad noticed that my belly button looked shallower. Which seems like a very funny thing to think about but it seriously is. I don’t really know your belly button typically goes from an innie to an outie but I am thinking its got to be soon.

When you come home for the first time you will meet your kitties. They are sisters and I know you will love them and they will love you. Gully is so cuddling already but I think she knows that you are coming because she has been acting super needy. She has to wedge herself in between me and your dad every night. She never wants to be anywhere we are not and sometimes I will wake up and she will be curled up right next to you, like she knows you are in there and wants to be close by too. Pirate, I don’t think knows what is going on but that is just her personality. They are good cats and I hope they transition well to you being home.

Well baby. I hope you move a lot more this week. Its fun to feel you in there!
I will write more again next week.
Love,
Mom