What a day! Emotions were high and if it wasn’t enough to be getting sworn in today, all my family is in Canada for a huge 80th birthday party celebration for my Nana that I had to miss because of the ceremony. Geez. Way to kick me when I am down America. hehe. Well, it was a nice ceremony and there were 56 other people getting sworn in as well. It was fun when they called your name and your country to hear where everyone was from.
Dress: Johnny Martin
Lovebird Necklace: Figs & Ginger
Owl Ring: Target
Volcom Sandals: c/o Pac Sun
I have been having the worst luck lately taking my pictures. I feel like no matter what I find a spot where no one else is around, set up, start taking some pictures and then someone shows up and doesn’t leave, making it super uncomfortable. Ahh so annoying. They just keep staring at me. I don’t know why its so weird that a super pregnant girl is taking pictures of herself. haha. I know I would stare too I am sure, but come on? Can you tell I am turning into a crabby pregnant lady. I didn’t want to leave either because I really like the purple spray paint with the little purple flowers in my dress. I tried to wait him out but he didn’t want to go. It was just me and the land surveyor.
Here is a picture with the judge after they called my name to come get my certificate…
Happy Weekend Everyone! I am excited because I get to go see these http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4720955740/ tomorrow for some more clothing swap goodness!!!
I feel like I am writing these post like every day. Its a little scary and super exciting how fast this is coming. 5 weeks!! (or sooner- fingers crossed). Last night we got diplomas that we graduated from Birth class. haha. Crazy! We have both really enjoyed our birth class. It always seemed like a special night during the week. It was dedicated time each week we spent together learning about the baby. It was fun. I am a little sad its over. We do have a baby basics class coming up and a breast feeding class- so its not completely over yet.
There have been some changes I have been feeling over the last week…
1. Sleep has gone out the window. I have been sleeping like 3 hours a night if that. I am so uncomfortable. Anyway I lay- it just feels like so much weight pulling somewhere from my belly. Last night I made a cocoon of pillows around every side of me. It was pretty funny BUT I actually slept thru most of the night. So Watch out Kev, me and my pillow army are taking over our bed. hehe. I can not wait to be able to sleep on my stomach again and Kev cant wait to snag my pregnancy pillow after for himself.
2. Nauseous! like whoa! I thought I was way past that 1st trimester feeling. But it is back with a vengeance. I do not like it one bit!
3. Appetite has gone thru the roof. For the last few months I have had a pretty regular appetite. I did not have any crazy cravings are anything. I would have to remember to eat because I really was fine just eating small meals here and there. For 2 months almost I gained no weight and even lost a few pounds. Now all the sudden I am so hungry all the time and if I don’t eat something then the nauseous feeling comes on hard.
and now a question for moms out there that have gone thru labor before. Did you listen to music while you gave birth? What kind of music? Did it change as you progressed thru your labor? I am trying to figure out music to put on a playlist on my ipod and I am wondering what will be best. Our birth class talked about slow calming music which I can see, but all I keep thinking about is when I was training for my marathon and what type of music got me thru that. Is there a place for very upbeat rhythmic songs? I am sitting here now listening to Florence and the Machine “Dog Days are Over” on repeat and thinking this would be an awesome song to distract and motivate me thru. Is it just different for everyone? I’d love to hear what you listened to! and any advice you have and what styles helped you and if it changed at the different stages.
Dear Baby Girl:
Oh boy is it hard to not tell the world what your name is! I have to consciously not say it when I talk about you to others, because we are so use to calling you by your name at home. We are so excited by it. Its so pretty!! Sometimes when strangers ask I want to blurt is out because who are they going to tell but I resist. I don’t know if I can make it to the end though. Hehe. Speaking of names. Mommy is going to be officially changing her name soon. When you are born you will def. be a Richardson. That is your Daddy’s last name. My maiden name is Lula. Well its still my last name. I never changed it because I am a Canadian Citizen and it was more hassle and costly than it was worth to have to change everything I had over- green card, passport, and everything else that goes along with it. I know your daddy cringes every time we have to sign papers at the hospital and I have to sign Lula and he signs Richardson. Its hard for me though. I love being a Richardson but I love being Lula too. Its more than just my last name. No ones last name is Lula. Its such a cool name. I mean a super awesome Fashion magazine is called after us! (hehe thats what I tell myself). All thru school I was not called “Jen” but “Lula” and then your aunts were called “little Lula’s.” We are a special breed. We have a “thats how we roll” motto and have crazy things happen to us.
Well tomorrow I get sworn in as an American Citizen (*tear) and yes technically I will have dual citizenship because Canada will always recognize me as a citizen, when I get sworn in tomorrow I have to pledge to give up all allegiance to foreign countries. How sad is that to say. I have always just been Canadian and thats been my thing. I’ve been a Lula and a Canadian and now all the sudden its changing and its a little weird. I know its not a big deal and maybe its my pregnancy hormones but its making me feel sad about it. Hmm I guess I don’t really know the point of this letter to you today. I just wanted to share what was happening with Mommy and how she was feeling. I just want you to be a little bit Lula and Canadian too. I dont want that to disappear. I want you to feel a special connection to Canada. I want you to know what real smarties are, and like Shreddies, and cherry blasters and eat chocolate popsicles (not fudgesicles) and like getting Shirley temples and treasures from the toy chest at Swiss Chalet. I want you to know what the lakes smell like in Northern Ontario, and chase Northern lights thru the sky. I want you to go to a Royal Winter Fair, and see the Snowbirds and go to The Ex. I want you to be proud of where half your family is from. Your mommy loves it there very much and she wants you to love it there just as much. One of the first gifts your Grammy gave us was a little hooded sweatshirt with a moose on it that says Canada. I can not wait till you fit into it.
Just a side note: I want to change my name to Daddy’s. I know I wrote that I am sad and I am a little but that doesn’t mean I don’t want my name to be Richardson either. I am excited for us to be our own little Richardson Family.
Love you little one!
-Your Momma
We are so close to being #3 again. Would you please vote for us!
So a while back I got invited to come down to the city and attend Timberland’s City, Cycles and Style Fall Preview event. At first, I was like have they seen my style? I don’t really wear what I had thought was Timberland style. In my head all I could picture were big yellow work boots. Not really my cup of tea. I looked around the website and saw they had a very well designed site and offered a lot more than my vision of the Timberland boot. They were also very nice sounding in their emails so I thought hey why not?
The event was called City, Cycles and Style and was held at a restaurant in the West Village called Market Table. I brought my friend Erin with me and we were picked up at the train station by a car service and brought down to the West Village. I was completely and pleasantly surprised by the whole event. I had such a fabulous time. It was so laid back and real (if that makes sense?) Everyone there was down to earth and so friendly. We chatted with a bunch of wonderful ladies from Timeberland and enjoyed a delicious brunch at the beautifully styled restaurant. Their fall boots were awesome. Totally not your yellow work boots. If I were you I would look out for these fall boots!! They are going to look great with a lot of your fall wardrobe. I really loved a pair of laced up boots they had and also these very tall riding boots. So pretty and so well made. Timberland is doing a lot of work with using reusable materials in their boots which is awesome. I really suggest you check out their site and keep checking back and their new fall boots come out!!
One great detail about the event was that they had a bunch of vintage bikes there that they were giving bike tours with around the West Village. Super Fun!
Thank you Timberland for hosting such a fabulous event!
Thank you to Oh! Darling Photography for some of the photos above. p.s it was awesome running into Whitney and her Husband at the event!
The winner of the Vanessa Boulton Peacock Handbag is… Andrea
Do you like maxi dresses? I have never owned one before. I always try them on and I always hate them instantly, but then I see them on other people and think they are adorable so the next time I see one at the store I try it on again. Its a vicious cycle. I think the reason I hate most maxi dresses are they always have like a dust ruffle thing at the bottom and they are usually out of some jersey cotton that is just too clingy for my liking. I feel more prairie girl than anything. Thats why when I saw this dress at the store I had to try it on. 1. it was not made in a jersey fabric 2. There was no gathered hem at the bottom 3. it had a cool corset top and chunky exposed zipper 4. it had pockets!! and 5. it had a bold bright pattern. I tried it on and I actually liked it! Its still a new feeling to wear a dress that goes down to my ankles but it is very comfy and very cool in this heat wave of a summer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4819294761/
(pockets in dresses are like my favorite thing!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4819915536/
Dress: ELLE/Kohls (on sale only $29.99)
Necklace: From my sisters wedding
Volcom Sandals: c/o PacSun
So its super early. The sun is coming up and I can’t sleep. Its getting worse and worse every night! I am eating some green apple slices and cocoa covered almonds (new obsession- thanks carrie!) and well I stumbled upon this cute clothing site for kids. Now when I say cute I mean so adorable that it hurts. I just had to share because I have been sitting here wishing this little one would come out toddler size just so she would already fit into these outfits. I mean how cute is that cape? or that peter pan collar dress??
I bought this dress at the goodwill way over a year ago. I had planned on wearing it on Easter 2 Easters ago. I never did because I had not gotten a chance to hem it shorter. I still haven’t hemmed it shorter but I kind of liked the length it was when it was paired with these high high heels and my new little boater hat. It seemed so proper. I just got this boater hat in the mail last week from Modcloth and as soon as I had it on my head I knew I wanted to pair it with this dress. I love the polka dots in this dress with its fun flutter sleeves. I think it fits better non pregnant. You have more of a cute waistline at more of your natural waist on your body instead of up right under your boobs but Hey! it fit so that was a win for this very pregnant lady. Aren’t my giant pearls awesome. They were my Grandma’s and I love them to death! They are so classic yet William Flintstone all in one. haha!
We live in a very old industrial town outside of Albany. There are lots of old factory buildings (as I am sure you see from backgrounds in my photos a lot), we live in one of these factories that they converted to Lofts. Anyways, when I was taking these pictures some creepy old man walked by and said “you’re taking these pictures for school right?” I nodded because saying yes was easier than then explaining that I have a fashion blog to a man who was missing teeth and wearing overalls. He then said “I have keys to every one of these old buildings, even the roof, you could take some really good pictures up there” at first in my mind I was like ROOF! I have been dying to figure out how to get on the roof of these old buildings. I laughed and said “yeah that would be cool” starting to feel a little uncomfortable and thinking maybe I should throw in a line like “My husband would really like to take pictures up there too” or something. haha. Well next line from the guy was “if we take pictures up there though you wouldn’t be able to bring them into class.” Umm hello time to leave! With that my photoshoot was over. I quickly grabbed the tripod and said goodbye and dismissed any idea I had of getting keys to the roof. Oh photoshoot stories you are always the best!
So this is a special last nights dinner because it was created and cooked by Kev with no help from me at all. Now, he is no cook (sorry sweetie) but he recently joined and started a website called BBQ Wars with some other super talented designer friends. Its basically a place boys can be boys and post about their grilling conquests. hehe. Of course all are great photographers, so it even makes this vegetarians mouth water a little looking at their nightly bbq’d dinners. They have challenges they compete in (like this weekend was a Burger Bun Alternative challenge). Its been fun seeing Kev cook more because I think he has learned a lot from our Hawaii days and his “surprise dinners” he use to make. Hmmm maybe I should make him cook for me more often!!
Ingredients:
Boca Burger
Grated cheese
Avacados
Salsa
Sub buns
Here is what he wrote for this entry:
(he of course made a boca burger sub for me!)
“I took this first BBQ challenge/battle on the road with me to New Hampshire. I headed up to my family’s cottage with my wife and a few friends and started grilling. I was a little out of my element so I kept things simple. I hollowed out wheat sub rolls to fulfill the alternative bun requirement, then filled it with cubes of hamburger. I wanted to keep a slight Tex Mex theme, so I topped off the burger with salsa, fresh avocado and sprinkle cheese. To add to the presentation I aggressively grilled the sub roll in the flame that was shooting through the center of the grill (it was a really old grill). A side of regular ruffle chips seemed to compliment the fairly simple entree well, so I went with. Overall it was really good and it seemed to fit the atmosphere and attitude of the day really well.”
One of my favorite style files yet will be up later this afternoon!
Ok, we are late again with this post. Eh? whatcha goin’ do. Things have been going pretty great for mamma and baby. We went to our midwife appointment last week and she said everything is perfect. If there is one thing that I can suggest to make sure you do when you our pregnant is find the right fitting hospital and doctor/midwife practice. It seriously makes a world of difference. We feel so blessed with our choice and it has made for a very easy and comforting pregnancy. This weekend when we were away was the first time I started having the thoughts “ahh what if this little baby comes early and we are out here in the middle of no where?” I was so scarred and upset at the thought of having to deliver the baby somewhere other than at the birth center we chose. I love everyone there and I love there philosophy on everything. I am so confident in how they choose to do things there that I am not walking in the day I start labor with a written out “birth plan” but a birth game plan. I fully trust that they know what is best for the baby and for me and because of that I don’t feel the need to have written out every detail of how/what/or what not I want done. I seriously can’t say enough about finding the right choice for you. Everyone is different and no one choice is right for everyone, but for me my game plan is to have a natural birth. This is not something I decided on a whim, I have read, read, read many books on both sides and have decided for me that is the right choice. I don’t want to get all preaching on the subject but if you are interested on how I made that decision or why I think it is the best way for me you can def. email me (jenloveskev@gmail.com) and I would love to talk about it with you.
(not so tiny baby movements anymore)http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4830909758/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4830910090/
Dear Baby Girl:
You are getting so, so, big! I can tell because when you move you make Mommy make faces like the one above. They are not little tiny movements anymore. The midwife showed us how to feel around my belly and tell how you are positioned the other day. Now we are always trying to tell how you are laying in there. Last week we had a little bit of false labor one night. I could not sleep and you daddy rubbed my back for a long while and then I went and took a hot shower and you decided to settle down. I want you to come early but let’s wait until 37 weeks little girl (after that you are welcome to come anytime!). We are starting to feel pretty settled and ready for you to come. We have all your things put away and ready for you. We are not setting up a nursery for you yet because our lease is up in Nov. and we are not sure what we want to do yet. Somedays I am ok that we dont have a nursery for you, but other days I feel bad and want to set one up for you so badly. I love decorating and its hard not to make a perfect little place for you. I know that it wont be forever and even if you had a nursery you would be sleeping next to us in your pram for the first little while anyways but its hard sometimes. haha, I know it’ silly because when I think about it you wont even know the difference, but still.
Every night when we go to bed your daddy likes to lay his head across the top of my belly and talk to you. He tries to hug you a lot too, its pretty cute (picture above). He is so excited for you to come. Everyday that goes by he gets more and more excited to see you. Sometimes out of no where he will turn to me and say “I just love her so much, I can not wait for her to be here.” Seriously, he says the most adorable things about you all the time. I always feel like I am going to instantly start crying because you have changed him so much over these last 8 months. He was always a great man, friend and husband but you have made him so much more. I don’t know if everyone changes when they are going to become a parent but for us you have really shown us the things we needed to work on and also just enhanced every good thing in each other. You have brought us even closer together and in a way I don’t think possible other than for you. I always feel like as you get older your marriage gets better and I think its because you go thru different milestones as you get older. Its a funny thing how each one of those things changes you. I have very much loved every min. of my “my” time with your daddy. Sometimes its hard to think it wont be just be the two of us anymore, but then I think about you being here and this new journey we are all taking together and I am appreciative for the time we have had but am so looking forward to having you here. Eeek- it can not come soon enough now little girl!
With all my love,
your momma
If you could be so kind and vote for us. It just takes 2 clicks.
Yay! It’s Friday!!! We are off to the White Mountain in NH today for the weekend. We are staying at Kev’s family’s cabin on the lake. It’s so awesome up there. I love it! There is a natural lazy river, waterfalls from the mountains, cliffs to jump off and rope swings. So fun!! We are going with our friends Jon and Carrie. Can’t wait for late night campfires!!
We are down to 1 car right now because the element is getting fixed from the accident. This leaves me a little stranded some days. Yesterday I went for a nice walk to the post office to mail out all my thank yous for the baby shower. Can you see how hot I get from being pregnant?? I was dying of heat while I was taking these pictures. Haha anything I do outside I get so flushed. I’ll just call it my pregnancy glow. Haha.
I am not sure if this top is suppose to be a dress or a top. I feel like that is my major problem lately. Are things getting shorter?? I don’t think I am getting taller. Well I had to add a little black skirt under it to add some much needed length. And of course mustaches are awesome!!
Have you ever checked out Vanessa Boulton’s line of Handbags? They are very adorable and super fun! Vanessa is a talented designer and illustrator who won the Creative Accessories Award 2010 at the Miami International Fashion Week. They sent me this Peacock handbag a few months ago and I instantly feel in love with its charm and character. Every detail is well done. The lining, the colors, the hardware, even how the bag came packaged was beautiful. I felt almost bad keeping such a nice bag for myself so I decided since I love all of you so much I wanted to share it!!
I want to giveaway this very playful brand new peacock handbag to one lucky reader. The giveaway will run from now until Tuesday afternoon when I will randomly select a winner.
To enter all you need to do is…
1. Visit Vanessa Boultons Website
2. Leave a comment below.
Easy Peasy.
Good Luck!
p.s. No baby post today! Life is busy. It will be posted on Monday.
So this week my I’d Wear That post is going to be a little different. I didn’t put together one outfit I would like to wear, more just a collection of pieces from my lovely sponsors that I wish I could wear. Having no waist this summer is really a bummer when there is such cute and adorable dresses, shorts, shirts and rompers that I wish I could be wearing. I just live vicariously thru all of you and all the fashion blogs I subscribe to. As I was looking thru Ruche and Modcloth though, I was finding myself thinking that would work for fall still. The end is near my friends! I can see the light!!! I can’t wait for post baby style files… My closet is getting dusty.
There is nothing that I love more than getting a new dress. I just love it! It can make any day brighter. Any new clothes can, but a dress I feel like is something special. When I got this dress in the mail last week, I could not wait to try it on. No, it is not a maternity dress, but the waist hits high enough that I thought I could get away with it, and boy was I right. I love it! Its a cotton dress that has a little bit of stretch to it which makes it super comfy and cool to wear in this hot heat. Aren’t the details super cute? I love the gold buttons and high ruffled neck. A little military inspired.
I paired it with only a gold cuff and some gold sandals and then left it at that. I didn’t want to over do it and my sandals are pretty jazzy already. haha! I have been taking outfit pictures myself lately and I have to say I think I am getting way better. Except, I always pick the wrong time of day to go take them. The old factory building we live in is being renovated right now- they are adding like 90 new luxury lofts to the other half (and pool and spa-yippie!) so there are A LOT of construction works around. I tried twice yesterday and each time it was when what felt like hundreds of them were walking by me (lunch + quitting time) doh! Its hard not to feel awkward taking pictures of yourself but even more awkward when its in front of construction works and you are very pregnant. Oh well!
If you havent checked out Shabby Apple’s Dress selcetions yet- I would go check them out. They offer some great stuff. I really LOVE this yellow ruffled dress as well. Its just so pretty!!!
Have a great Day everyone!
Cortez Dress: c/o Shabby Apple
Gold Cuff: c/o LOFT
Sandals: Steve Madden
So last Tuesday I invited one of my favorite blogger friends to come into NYC with me to go to the Loft Holiday Preview. As I said before and I will say again, my favorite thing about blogging is the community- it has been incredibly awesome getting to know Julie and to be able to call her my friend. We have so much in common and I just really enjoy spending time with her. We planned on having this amazing day in the city but the weather did not want to cooperate with us. We got soaked, we had blisters, we got ripped off with $25 stupid tiny umbrellas, we were exhausted, paid way to much for food & drinks and well are still trying to navigate the subway system without looking like total tourists. I think overall we had good attitudes and still enjoyed ourselves, but I will say we very much enjoyed coming home, taking showers and watching Arrested Development on the couch later that night.
The day started off good. We meet one of my other favorite blogger friends, Jessica at the MET and went and saw the American Women exhibit. It was of course awesome but ended way to soon. I think the “American Women” has more to show past the 1940’s. I could have stayed in the exhibit for like an hour longer. I wish there was more because it was pouring out and we didn’t want to leave. The rest of the day was spent trying to avoid getting wet and killing time until the Preview started. I will say it was well worth the wait because LOFT did a fantastic job!! The elevators opened and you were instantly placed in this amazingly beautiful atmosphere. Every detail was beautiful. The space, the floors, the layout and of course the clothes. I, instantly was like Hmmm how do I get this job of setting up and styling at LOFT? haha. Dream job, right? Oh man it would be so freakin’ awesome.
The more and more I go to LOFT the more and more I really fall in love with what they have to offer. I feel like lately I am coming to this age where I am really disgusted by cheap and blah clothing from stores like Forever 21 and H&M. Don’t get me wrong, I will continue to shop there for some things for budget reason but I am understanding the benefit of buying nice quality pieces that will last you more than one season. Everything LOFT had displayed was extremely well styled and made me long for the crisp air of fall and winter. I loved the tweed jackets, fur collars and long cardigans. Plus don’t get me started on the jewelry!! I have already marked the lookbook with wishlist items. I can’t wait for them to come to the stores! I would def. recommend visiting a LOFT store over the next few months as these pieces start to come out and see for yourselves. I know you will love them all as much as I did!
p.s. you can def. expect to see that faux fur collar (below) being a major staple to my winter wardrobe. *Swooon
Bbq’d Chik’n Sandwich with Tangy coleslaw, Roasted potatoes and Sugar snap peas
Summer always means BBQ’s and for a vegetarian that means a whole lot of boca burgers. Which I am totally good with, I do LOVE Boca Chik’n Patties. But I have been realizing that my meat eating friends and even my hubby have been more adventurous than just the regular hamburgers and dogs this summer. I decided I wanted to try something different too! I made a glaze for the chik’n and some coleslaw (minus any mayo- yuck!) and made a delicious sandwich. Sugar Snap Peas are a total summer food for me. Mmmm I love them cooked or raw (although raw makes my lips totally swell up and itch- yep its a weird food allergy but I can’t help still eat them raw) Anyways, they totally remind me of my cousins. We use to go strawberry and pea picking when we were little. We would have massive pea fights in the fields. It was awesome. We would come away from the day stained red and pulling peas out of hair.
Ingredients:
A package of any kind of fake chik’n. I am sure every vegetarian has their own preference. I know I do.
Rolls
Baby Red potatoes
Sugar Snap Peas
Paprika
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Parsley
A package of preshredded Cabbage
Glaze:
1/2 cup any grill sauce (I used a hannafords brand Honey Bourbon)
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1. Preheat over to 350. Wash and cut potatoes in half. Place in a bowl and mix together with paprika, garlic salt, parsley, pepper and olive oil. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and cook about 25 mins.
2. In saucepan combine grill sauce, honey, mustard powder, mustard and vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and then removing from heat. Set a aside for a moment
3. Prepare coleslaw: In large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, and honey. Add celery seeds and coleslaw mix and toss together.
4. Take chik’n pieces, spread glaze on top. Then either on a BBQ or on a stove top in a frying pan, cook Chik’n for a few mins each side. Applying more glaze as desired.
5. Steam some sugar snap peas.
6. For the last few mins turn the broiler on in the oven to toast up the potatoes.
7. Pile it all on a plate together. Enjoy with some lemonade, good friends and hopefully a beautiful backyard.
I will have a recap of my trip to NYC last week with Julie and some pretty pictures of the LOFT holiday Preview Party later this afternoon!!
It’s funny posting this when in 3 days I will actually be 34 weeks. Eh, better late than never I guess, right? I am just going to let Kev take this post. He wrote such an adorable letter, I don’t really want to write anything else. All is good. Baby is healthy, we are happy, and time is ticking down!! We are so excited!!
Dear sweet little girl,
You’ve been becoming more and more real to me as the past few weeks have gone by. Last week, however, confirmed how real you truly are. I received a phone call from your grandma around 5:00pm on Wednesday evening. She had a troubled sound to her voice. When I asked her how she was doing, she told me that your mom had been in a car accident and was being sent to the hospital. My heart sunk into stomach…
I rushed out the door and headed to the hospital where your mom was being sent. As I raced down the pike, all I could do was think about your sweet little face and how badly I just wanted to hold your little hand and tell you that everything was going to be ok. Terrible thoughts filled my head. The thought of never being able to meet you in person absolutely ruined me and I couldn’t erase it from my mind. I was a wreck. I never realized how someone that I’ve never met before could have such a strong hold on me. From this moment on, you were as real as you’d be if you were sitting directly in front of me.
God answered our prayers that night and kept you and your mom safe. For that, I’m eternally grateful. Now, you cannot come soon enough. I’m longing to meet you in person. I think about you constantly and day dream about what it will be like when you are finally here. Your mom and I have so many things we want to show you and share with you. There is no doubt in my mind that you are gift directly from God. You’ve completely changed me and we’ve never even met. Before you were conceived I used to think I was too selfish to be a father. Now, all I want to do is give you everything I have.
We have a picture of you on the fridge from your latest sonogram and every time I walk by the kitchen I stop and look at it. You look so peaceful in that picture. When I look at it I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with this emotion that I’ve never felt before. I’m excited to have that emotion come to fruition on the day that you’re born. Until then, I can only describe it as pure joy.
You are my new reason for getting out of bed in the morning. I can’t wait to be your best friend.
With so much love,
– Your Dad (first time I’ve written that; weird)
Happy Monday! After a very laid back weekend I woke up this morning ready to start a productive week. I was able to get a little head start yesterday afternoon which left me feeling excited and refreshed for this week to start. Also, THANK YOU ALL for the kind and encouraging words about the accident. The main reason I love blogging so much is the community you become a part of.
Anyways, we went to the pool on Saturday to relax and escape the heat a little. We meet some friends there and Kev and Dave ended up playing full court basketball next door for a while in flip flops/bare feet. This lead to the largest blood blisters I have ever seen on the bottom of Kev’s feet. I have no idea how he played for so long with out realizing how sore his feet were. Needless to say, he had to be set up on the couch the rest of the weekend with his feet up unable to walk. He hobbled off to work this morning still unable to put pressure on the pads of his feet.
Poor guy.
This left me yesterday to play a little dress up and practice some more photography on my own. I was super excited to finally get dressed and off the couch. I received these cowboy boots last week from Fossil and I have to say I was a little scared at first. I have never owned a pair of cowboy boots before. I didn’t know how to wear them and wasn’t sure I was going to like them all that much. Well let me just say, it only took trying them on with 2 outfits before I was totally head over heels. They instantly gave me this fun and carefree attitude- hehe. I know it sounds funny but they were super fun to style an outfit for. I can’t wait for it to be just a little cooler so these boots can come out more often to play.
I am also not much of a lipstick person but with my new attitude from wearing cowboy boots- I felt it was only appropriate to try out this new lipstick from Talbots. They created a shade called CHARMED and is available for free with any $150 purchase at Talbots from now until Sept. 9th. For not having picked out the color myself I have to say this red is pretty universally flattering. I really did love it when I put it on for the first time, and as a non lipstick wearing girl that says a lot.
Dress: c/o of Modcloth
Necklace: Gift from BFF
Belt: Target (on sale right now for only $5.94!)
Boots: c/o of Justin Vintage for Fossil
Lipstick: c/o Talbots
Sunglasses: Ray Ban Clubmasters via eBay
Week 33 Baby Post will be posted around 6pm later this evening! Kev wrote a special letter to baby this time!!
As some of you know I was in an accident on Wednesday. I was rear ended by a girl who was not paying attention and it really freaked me out. I personally was not hurt, other than some whiplash, a sore back and a scrap on my knee but it was the first time I have been in this type of situation (thank goodness) where I felt instantly I was a mom. You really dont care about whats going on with you and just want to make sure the baby is ok. Its funny looking back now because my mom was actually in the car in front of me and you can tell that is instantly what she was feeling towards me (and of course grandbaby). We spent the whole rest of the night at the hospital, first in the er and then up in the womens center being monitored. Once we got to the hospital, I don’t know if it was all the adrenaline or that I was surrounded by my mom and Kev but I knew everything was going to be ok. Then yesterday came and I had a break down freaking out about what if something had happened, what if they missed something and she is hurting or not ok inside my belly. All the sudden the world seemed so scary and it took me by surprise.
Honestly I was really upset yesterday. I don’t know if its because we are getting so close, or that I am just way over tired but I am just over thinking everything. I know I need to slow down. I can not keep up like a non pregnant lady but I have been trying and I think I have been doing a pretty good job but its taking a major toll. Its a very hard pill for me to swallow. I am not someone who sits and relaxes very easily. I am always doing something and wanting to go on adventures somewhere. I know that doesn’t need to stop but I need to not push it past my limit. I am pretty sure I know what that limit is but I never like to tell anyone because I dont want to be the pregnant girl who is making everyone go home early or have to do anything to help me. I want to do everything myself.
Anyways, I am taking today to relax and enjoy some much needed creative time. The computer is going off. The music is going on. I have some necklaces I want to make and some sewing of cute soft things for the baby girl to do. I can not wait for Kev to come home tonight. I am looking at this framed letterpressed picture he has next to his computer, its such a good motto in our house because its just so true… “Your Love Saves my Day.” His love does save my day, any bad day he makes it seem better. He is my rock. His little pep talk and supportive words last night totally changed my frame of mind. Sometimes thats all you need. Someone who loves you to tell you everything is ok.
Well I wish everyone a happy weekend. Take time this weekend to spend it with loved ones. Its a good way to feel refreshed and fix perspectives on life. Love is good! I am going to stay off my phone and computer as much as possible to really enjoy all the small things this weekend has to offer.
Next week on jenloveskev there will be…
1. a giveaway!
2. Yummy Last Nights Dinner post!
3. 2 (count ’em 2) baby posts. This weeks 33 weeks post will be up on Monday and then the regular 34 weeks on Thursday
4. New outfits
5. An I’d Wear that full of things I’d love to be wearing this summer if I was not pregnant.
6. A recap of the LOFT Holiday Preview Party in NYC
ok, one last thing. It you had a spare 2 clicks could you please vote for us on Topbabyblogs.com? You can vote once a day.
I have heard on multiple occasion the words “grandma dress” come out of Kev’s Mouth. I think he thinks every dress I get from the thriftstore looks like a grandma dress but, hey they probably were. I think I see the potential a lot easier then he does. haha. Anyways, with this dress I have to totally agree. I love this dress but at the same time the pattern on it looks like something from a grandmas moo moo she would wear around the house with slippers. It just fit my belly so well and was super comfy and pretty cute to wear, I had to overlook my second thoughts on the pattern.
Are there things you over look when you buy something if there are other good factors involved? Fit? price? color?
We went for a little stroll the other night when Kev came home from work. There was a beautiful sunset, which we only were able to catch the very tail end with these photos but it was a lovely night. I brought my little purse for the walk (we were going to get popsicles from the gas station- classy, I know) I love this little purse, its so dainty and cute. I found it at a thrift store years and years ago. I love the smell of the inside every time I open it. I feel like it is full of stories.
So Friday night was a very special night! Our close friends Jon + Carrie tied the knot. Kev was a groomsmen in the wedding and I did a reading as well as made all the invitations and programs. It was such an honor to get to help out and be a part of their special day! It was a fun, fun wedding. We had so many friends there to celebrate with!! I danced for almost the whole
night in these wedges which I have to say I am quite proud of. I am a pregnant dancing machine!!
I had trouble finding something to wear because of my giant belly and the fact that I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. It was an evening wedding and their colors were black, white and lime green. I finally found this black dress at target. It worked for the night. I felt good, it fit my belly, I matched Kev and it was in my budget. I even painted my toes lime green.
Mexican Chopped Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
So it’s been a while since I have done a Last Nights Dinner. Whoops. Summer happens and it always comes down to quick and easy rather than labor intensive. Since we have been having a crazy heat wave lately, I have been eating lots of salads. Salads for lunch and dinner. I try to create some kind of new salad every week. This week for dinner I made a Mexican Chopped Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips. I found the recipe from this months Vegetarian Times.
Tortilla Strips:
1 tsp. Canola Oil
3 6-inch Tortillas
Chili Powder
Salt
Dressing:
1/2 cup Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Salad:
Romaine + spinach
2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 cucumber, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen, thawed corn kernels
1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1 red pepper, sliced
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1. Top make tortilla strips: preheat oven to 350. Brush oil on tortillas. Cut in half, then into 1/4 inch wide strips. Spread on baking sheet and sprinkle with chili powder and salt. Bake for 10-15 mins.
2. To make dressing: heat oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, sugar, and salt in saucepan 2 to 3 mins over low heat.
3. Blend remaining dressing ingredients with garlic oil in blender until smooth.
4. Toss together all salad ingredients and tortilla strips. Drizzle with dressing.
Voila!
(p.s. for you meat eaters. I cooked some steak strips for kev and added some fajita seasoning to the pan. Then placed them on top of his salad)
Happy Monday Everyone!
I hope you all had a great weekend! If you follow me on twitter I am sure you read about how our friends got married Friday night!! All day I was searching for something to wear. I had been to the mall several times looking but had found nothing. Well I did eventually find something and will share those pictures with you tomorrow. We had a blast that night and couldn’t be happier for Jon + Carrie. The rest of the weekend was spent hanging around the house organizing, cleaning and unpacking baby things. I got a lot done and am feeling a little more confident that things will be ready for when the baby arrives. I still have a butt load of things on my lists to do but slowly they are getting knocked off.
Anyways, right down the street from us are the Waterford Boat Locks. They are actually some of the largest ones thru the series of locks that go from Canada to NYC ( its part of the Erie Canal). Now that it is summer, its busy all day letting boats thru as they travel on their way to wherever they are going. I love going down there and watching the locks. Its so crazy to see the water getting sucked out and the boats dropping down like 30 feet to meet the water level on the other side. I love it!
I thought how fitting to wear my little sailor dress I found at the Goodwill down there last weekend. I love this dress although it is really hot. It’s a really heavy linen type fabric (not great for air flow) but it will be awesome for the fall. I hemmed it a lot after I got it from the goodwill to make it a little more modern looking. I always feel pretty excited when I realize I am wearing a fully thrifted outfit or pretty close to one. After I put this outfit on I realized my whole outfit cost me like $15 bucks (well minus my sunglasses). It makes me want to do a little dance or something!
8 more weeks my friends! (although I feel like she is going to come a little early- I dont know why just wishful thinking I guess) and I have to say I am pretty darn proud of myself for not having bought a lot of maternity things. I have really just been super lucky in the dress department lately. Goodwill, Savers and Salvation army have been my life saves. Modcloth as well! I have picked out some great dresses from there that have worked perfect for expanding bellies. You just need to look for: higher waists (empire), elastic waists, a longer hemline (its got to lift up over the belly), Long cotton tanks or cute elastic waist skirts (there are lots out there right now!) I think the trick too is just trying everything on. I have been pleasantly surprised sometimes trying on something non maternity just to find it fits me great. Others times of course not so much, but you start to learn what will work and what wont. The only things I have bought that are maternity specific are:
1. a pair of jeans (worth it!) I don’t like belly bands. Why would you want to walk around all day with your pants unbuttoned? Not comfortable for me at all
2. 2 pairs of Maternity shorts (same reason as jeans)
3. I did buy 2 of these maternity tanks from target, but they could have been any long tank instead. I do however love them. They are long and soft and stretchy and perfect to wear under about anything. Smooths out everything nicely as well.
4. and as of the other day I did buy a more modest maternity bathing suit top. I am ok wearing a 2 piece around most people (kev+friends) but its nice to have the extra coverage around others to make you a little more comfortable with yourself.
And now my little rant on maternity clothes… Why do you have to suck so bad? I am sorry maternity clothes are absolutely terrible and yes I know Forever 21 has a new maternity line, but have you looked at it? Its still just regular tee shirts and a long tank basically. I searched and searched for dresses at thrift stores because I refused to wear 9 months of plain cotton tee shirts. ugh! I am excited for Forever 21. I hope they continue to expand the line and actually make some cute things because it is a market that needs some major help. I wish I was a fashion designer because I know where I would start. Has anyone been into a Destination Maternity/Motherhood store? You walk in and you feel like you are walking back in time. It’s very upsetting. I set foot in one once at the beginning of my pregnancy and have never gone back. Even Targets maternity stuff is terrible. I mean really, really terrible. I hope whenever you are pregnant, you will challenge yourselves to not feel like you have to settle on all this crappy stuff. It doesn’t make you feel good about yourself when you wear it. You should feel cute and beautiful. I mean as Kev keeps telling me “you are more beautiful now than ever” and ladies you are! When you are pregnant you really are even more truly beautiful. So make sure you are finding clothes that make you feel that way!!
Ok, one more thing. There is nothing like a little self reflection while pregnant to make yourself feel good about how your body use to look. Does that make sense? haha. I guess what I am trying to say is after getting use to seeing my chubby ankles, my no longer existent waist, bigger hips and well everything else comes along with baby, I have very much enjoyed looking back at all my old style files. I think back to pictures where I was afraid to post them because I felt so insecure about them and think now “wow, I looked pretty good in those.” I have never been a super stick thin girl and I was ok with that. I like my height, I like my curves and I liked my strong healthy body. I think looking back is a good thing. Reflection is a good way to move forward. I really hope that mentality carries thru to post pregnancy. I know it will take time to lose baby weight, but I hope that after all this I will end up on the other side proud of my body for what it was, what it has been thru and how it will change with giving birth and becoming a Mom. I do have to say I am really, really looking forward to my first marathon post baby. I feel like that will be a great accomplishment after pregnancy. ahh just to run again!! hehe
Dear Baby Girl:
I want to write your name when I start off these letters but its still a big secret. We are 100% sure now though. Your daddy is convinced! He is so excited for you to come. He keeps saying the sweetest things I have ever heard when he talks about you. You have no idea how much he loves you already. We were both a little scared of what they were going to say when they gave us your estimated weight the other day. Your daddy was a big baby, almost 10lbs, so honestly we were a little afraid of what you were going to be too. At the sonogram they said you were weighting in right now at 4.6lbs and that you should grow 1/4-1/2 pounds a week till you are born. So that gives us a range of 6.6-8.6, and I am ok with that. She said that you gaining a 1/2 pound every week was very unlikely. So I think you will be in the 7lbs range.
This sonogram was absolutely amazing. Your Daddy said to me later that night while we were in bed that it was one of his favorite moments of his life so far. You are so close to being here, so when we saw the pictures of you on the screen you were like a real little baby. We could really see you. You had the most adorable little face, little puffy cheeks, and the most dead on little bubble nose- just like your mom!! Its really funny because your Auntie Amy has always called your Daddy and me, Roman and Bubble because of our nose shape. I have a very distinct bubble and your daddy has a very roman shaped nose. Its been a joke this whole pregnancy what kind of nose you will have. Your Auntie Amy even sent us a card one time that has a pop up crib and in the crib she had cut out hundreds of little noses from magazines as a joke wondering what type of nose you would have. At the sonogram, the tech was moving around the picture and then all of the sudden she came up to your little face and out burst your dad “oh my goodness”, we both instantly started laughing so hard. It was plain as day that you have the same little bubble as me. It is seriously like the cutest, most adorable thing ever. I don’t normally share your sonograms pictures because we like to keep them private, but I am going to show this particular picture we had the tech take of the outline/underside of your cute little nose. (We got better detailed pictures of her and her cute little face but this one shows her little nose the best!)
Love you with everything we have,
Your Mamma
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There is lots of good stuff about this style file. I have already talked about the super awesome Franklin Necklace in the last post, go check it out if you haven’t already. But now I want to share the pictures we took for the lookbook. I knew I wanted to wear something very special and this lovely dress had just arrived on the doorstep a few days before. The amazingly talent Megan Nielsen created this pregnancy dress just for me!! Isn’t it just the most adorable dress you have ever seen???!?!?! I opened the package when it arrived and jump around like a little girl for like half and hour.
It was so fun working with Megan, she sent me a bunch of sketches and we worked together to pick a design that I thought would work good for me. Then it was time to pick fabric!! There is lots to choose from out there. I wanted to go with a retro floral type fabric and fell in love when I found this pattern. The trim and button details I left up to Megan because I knew she would pick something beautiful. Boy was I right. How cute is the lace trim? The dress even has pockets!! I can’t say enough good stuff about this dress. Thank you so much Megan!! It was the perfect dress to pair with my Franklin “Be Thankful” necklace!!
Don’t mind my short art teacher nails in the picture above. haha. I can never keep long nails. They are always just dirty and disgusting with art supplies. I get mean looks when I go into the jewelry store we got my wedding ring at because when they clean it for me there is always clay and paint stuck in all the cervices. whoops! So I wanted to share one last picture with you. haha. When I was looking thru the photos, I was like “Oh my goodness, I have crazy spider veins.” So unattractive, but totally an unwanted side effect of pregnancy. Kev of course thought it was funny to crank up the contrast and saturation to make http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4772568730/ but the unedited version is just about as scary. Ha! I hear it goes away after the baby is born. Here’s hoping!
Franklin Necklace: c/o Jess LC
Dress: Custom Creation by Megan Neilsen
Shoes: Thrifted via Clothes Mentor
I have the extreme pleasure of sharing with you guys the launch of the new line of necklaces from Jess LC. The Franklin Collection is a set of 5 beautiful necklaces with different Braille “intentions” printed on the front. All the intentions were submitted by readers and narrowed down by Jess to the 5 that were used…
Jess decided to print each intention on the front of the 14k gold vermeil pendants in braille (the words are in printed in English on the reverse side). That way you could rub the braille to remind yourself of your intention throughout the day… without displaying the meaning to the whole world. So cool huh?
Jess asked each girl in the Delightful Dozen to pick a necklace that had particular meaning to them and then to style the necklace how we wanted for the lookbook. I was so, so excited!! As soon as I read all the intentions I knew I needed to get the “Be Thankful” necklace. Everyday is an overwhelming blessing of things that I need to be thankful for and sometimes its easy to forget that. So this necklace is the perfect little reminder to see the small things and think “I should be thankful!”
Here is a sneak of my pictures and quote for the lookbook…
Make sure you check out the entire lookbook to see each Delightful Dozen lady style the Franklin Necklace and reflect on why the necklace they chose meant something to them!
I will be sharing a style file post later this afternoon that we used for the lookbook. Check back!
No, these are not very serious questions but questions none the less. I do have a few questions I will post about soon that are a little more in depth but today lets keep it light hearted. I need your opinions on a few things! There are a few things I have yet to decide when it comes to this little girl. First is a diaper bag. Now this is very important to me because well its an accessory and I really can’t bring myself to carry one of those terribly ugly patterned bags around. haha! We registered for a olive green columbia one for Kev. It will be his very manly man purse, but for me I really would like something that is more purse like than diaper bag. I am really diggin’ the Timi and Leslie bags. They look like purses I would carry normally. What do you think? Do you think they are worth the price and do you need a specific diaper bag or would a very large purse work just as good? Does anyone know of any other sites that have cool diaper bags?
A very high end but oh so gorgeous diaper bag is the Cake series by Petunia Pickle Bottom. Oooh what a dream those bags are!! So beautiful!! I love the elegant vintage feel to them. I would carry this around whether is was a diaper bag or not. To bad they are way, way, way out of my price range. I will just drool over them from pictures on the internet. You can enter to win a little clutch over on BleuBirdvintage right now though. Here’s hoping!
OK next question, diapers! Now this is a big one! I have gone back and forth between the idea of cloth and disposable and am right now leaning towards a little of both. I think that will work the best for our lifestyle. We are away a lot. We are always up and doing something so that part was were I was hesitant to say I wanted all cloth. I know it can work but honestly I didnt want that to be our main focus everytime we left. So I am thinking cloth at home, and then we will be more relaxed when we are away. Now on to cloth diapers. I am leaning towards Bumgenius. Any users out there? reviews? Love or hate? I am really excited about them but?? how do you chose between the All in One or the One Size fits all?? I really don’t understand how you figure out which is better. Can someone please feel me in!!! Any advice on the subject would be greatly appreciated!
We have decided on our stroller. We are getting the Uppa Baby Vista. Which we are so, so excited about!! But, what color do we get… Grey or Black? We both kinda want black but will that be to hot? I mean its not leather or anything but will it still make our little one too hot if we are out in the summer? What do you think?
and lastly, this is not a question but I had to share how excited I was about one of our shower gifts!! My aunt got us the Beaba Babycook!! I am so pumped about making baby food, You have no idea!! I have gotten some great baby food books and could not be more happy with our decision to make our own food and also to raise her vegetarian. The babycook, steams, purees and can reheat frozen food. I mean I know you can do that all on the stove but how convenient is this little guy. I just love it!!!
Lastly, If you could be so kind to vote for jenloveskev on Topbabyblogs I would be so appreciative! I think you can vote everyday, so if you have before THANK YOU and if you have time again THANK YOU!! hehe. Click the banner below and then click again on the top link of the voting page.
Happy Monday Everyone!! I hope you all had a fabulous 4th!! I have A LOT of photos to share from over the weekend. haha. I tried to narrow them down, but there was just so many good ones. As of Friday morning we really didn’t have any plans for the weekend. But by days end we had decided to drive to Ogunquit, ME for the day on saturday and had roped in some friends to come along. We drove out to central Mass on friday night to cut the trip in half for the next morning. Saturday was the most beautiful day ever! Of course the roads were busy but I love the energy that the 4th of July brings. We spent the day lounging by the ocean, soaking up the sun, kayaking, eating ice cream, walking along the coast and enjoying the company of good friends. It was an awesome day!
Sunday we headed out to church in the morning and then hung out in Waterford at the Boat Locks for a little while. I love boat locks, they are so cool. The temperature was beyond too hot for this pregnant mamma so the rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out at home in the air conditioning. Later in the evening we headed out to Empire Plaza in Albany to enjoy the festivities and watch the fireworks. Hermans Hermits played a free show and it was awesome. I love them! I wish my Dad was there with us. There were so many people there, it was crazy. It was again a beautiful night and we had an awesome time with some of our good friends. The fireworks started around 9:15 and they were the BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! I really dont think I have ever seen such huge fireworks so close. It was so awesome. I seriously had my mouth open the entire time. It was like a major 30 mins firework show. The state buildings and the Egg made a beautiful backdrop and a crazy echo noise as each firework went off. The baby was moving like crazy because it was so loud. I hope she wasn’t scared! Afterwards, the building spotlights came back on and we amused ourselves for a long while taking pictures in front of them. We ate some late night Denny’s and then called it a night. It was a fantastic 4th!
4th of July Style File will be posted this afternoon!
First off: Is Anyone reading this the maker of this beautiful handmade knitted baby blanket? It was left in the gift section at the party and when we were opening everything the next day, there was no card with it. We have no idea who made it and we feel terrible because it is seriously so nice and is such a cute color. So if you are reading please let us know or if you know who knitted it for us please let us know.
See how cute it is…
Since we took the pictures last night on one of our nightly “hooded sweatshirt” walks (bright eyes reference) Kev told me I should write “we are in the dark as to who made this blanket” haha so dorky. Anyway, I feel like I have lots to talk about today. First, can we talk about how beautiful it was yesterday again. I know the weather has nothing to do with baby but when we went for our walk last night it was like heaven and really all we can think about is going for our nightly walks with the baby and how fun it will be. I am really hoping September and October are warm months so we get some good walks in before it gets too cold.
Last night was our first of 6 birth classes. I signed up for a standard birthing class instead of a specific birthing method class. I have yet really to decide what method/how I am feeling about the whole thing. I do know I want to try as hard as I can to have a natural birth but I know things can happen, so I am trying to have an open mind. This whole subject will be a post in itself sometime soon. The RN/instructor was really nice and I am glad we chose to do the classes there at the hospital where the birth center is because she is actually the day shift RN in the birth center. It will be nice to get to know her. I have nothing but good things to say about our midwives or OB practice at St. Mary’s in Troy. Everything they believe fits right in line with how I feel, so we are making a great team I think. It makes you feel so reassured as you get closer and closer to your due date. The class was just the beginning one, so we made a list of the psychical changes we have felt and then discussed them as a group. We went over exactly why we are experiencing each one with props and diagrams. It is crazy to see an anatomy crossview of what your insides look like when you are full term. Your poor intestines. hehe. Then we did some massage techniques at the end, which were of course awesome. Best part of class! Next week we watch our first birth video. yikes!
So I have been thinking a lot about jenloveskev and her future (yes, my blog is a girl). I have debated for a while whether I wanted to make a second blog for baby or not, but after a lot of thought, I think I am going to keep it all one. Jenloveskev has always been a lifestyle blog not just fashion, so it would be hard to separate my life with baby from here and move it to somewhere else. Somethings will not change. There will always be daily (heres hoping to get back on a better schedule when my clothes fit again) style files, I will still talk about food and art and crafts that I am making , but I am thinking I am going to add more baby related topics to my blog. Baby things are filling my life right now and I want to share so much, but I feel like I hold back a lot and wait till thursday to try to jam so much into one little baby post. I will not bombard you, but I think I will write more about the things that are going on with baby. I am hoping to find the perfect balance to keep jenloveskev about my life and its passions and that just includes adding these new and major changes to that. So with that said, I would love it if you would take just a moment and give me “2 clicks of your time” (haha oh man I crack myself up) and vote for me for top baby blog. Its not a competition but I do want to be added to the directory. I have found such an awesome community thru fashion blogging and I am hoping to meet more amazing people in this new community as well. All you have to do is click the banner below and then click once more to vote for me. I will so greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!!
Dear Baby Girl:
Do you like mommy’s Avril Lavigne look this week? haha. I didn’t mean it that way but that’s what I think about when I see it. But I guess I can’t really say anything, this is what I looked like most of college. So in a funny way I really love this photo. That hooded sweatshirt I have had since college too. I can’t part with it. I like that this new life we are making for you can include some of the old me as well. Its nice to think not everything has to change. I can’t wait to tell you about our college years ( I can’t type college years without thinking of Saved by the Bell). It’s when I meet your daddy. We had so many adventures, most of which I was probably wearing this sweatshirt. I hope to share all the music we listened to and bands we went to see, and bring you to a very special place we use to hang out together over the mass pike. We painted a picture there. We keep talking about going back there one of these days and painting a picture on it about you. I want to show you the fields we would run thru to layout and look at the stars. Things like that always get me excited. To share with you places that have meant so much to your Dad and I. I know I am going to be so super excited the first time we get to bring you to Hawaii. We have always said we hope Hawaii can always be a part of your life. A goal for us is to be able to spent a significant amount of time there with you each year. How that is going to work we dont know, but its a dream for us.
You have been moving so, so much this last week. You always move a lot, but I can tell how big you are and that you feel cramped in there. It makes me gasp sometimes when you move because the movements just seem SOO huge. We have our last ultrasound next wednesday. I can not wait. I love getting to see pictures of you. They are going to give us an estimate on how big you are going to be when we deliver you. That part I am a little scared, because I have convinced myself you are going to be a good size baby (no offense of course, hehe). Whatever they say, I will just be happy to see you again. You are going to be so cute. Last time you were moving your little lips like you were talking to us.
Well keep growing strong.
With all my love,
Your Momma
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Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!
