:: Welcome Baby ::

Exactly one week ago Alaa and I welcomed our sweet baby girl into this world.  This past week has been life changing to say the least.  The baby and I are trying our best to adapt to our new lives - and to get as much sleep as we can (successful on her part, unsuccessful on mine).  

I'll be back soon with a couple of guest posts.  Thank you to those of you who sent well-wishes!

<< 40 weeks >>

jersey dress : gap  | blazer: h+m | necklaces: f21 | shoes : elie tahari | ring : ysl

My uniform as of late - a comfortable jersey dress with some sort of blazer/ vest on top, flats, and messy hair.  It's all about being comfortable lately!

:: XOXO ::

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 (gold, silver) / 5 (gardenia bonsai, calamondin plant)/ 6 (flats, wedge) / 7 (critter collection, dylans brownie batter candy bar) / 8

Come Valentine's Day I'll be sure to have the greatest gift of all - a sweet newborn baby.  But I wouldn't mind seeing one or two of these things come my way either.  They're almost all investment pieces - with the exception of the chocolate, but I won't tell if you don't.

February 4th, 2013

Today is the 4th - a.k.a "d-day".  No baby yet, but that's fine with me.  I'm letting Mother Nature work her magic and bring us a healthy baby whenever the time is right.  This is basically what I've been living in the past two weeks.  I've been sick fighting the flu- and then as soon as I got over that I got the cold.  Seriously, not even a full day of recovery!  You would think that at this point I'd be sick of being pregnant , but truthfully I'm sick of being sick!

Right now, I'm just going to enjoy all the peace and quiet that I can.  The baby's room is almost done - finally!  So that's definitely a huge relief.  I just need a few more things - ottoman, curtains, hanging the art, etc. before I can finally feel like it's complete.  It's nothing like the original mood board I posted about here, but it's growing on me.

Here's to a very wonderful February 4th!

The NOT so Maternity, maternity Wear

I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of "maternity clothes".  Maybe it's because I was afraid to look frumpy or maybe it's because I was afraid the extra "room to grow" would encourage me to over indulge in my favorite treats ..actually I do that regardless.  Anyways, I digress.  Basically, I wanted to shop my closet for as long as I could and figured I'd invest in a pair of maternity jeans and a belly band when the time came.  Lucky for me, I found a few tricks that held on strong throughout my pregnancy.  I'm 39 weeks today (aghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!) and I haven't bought anything maternity - except for a belly band.  Here are my tips for getting through your pregnancy sans moo moo's.

jegging : Hands down probably the most important thing on this list.  Never underestimate the power of stretch denim! I only have one pair of jeggings, but I'd say invest in at least 2 different shades - only because I got bored of wearing the same pair of pants.

 boyfriend tee : Notice the boyfriend part of this - meaning it's loose and long.  No baby tee's here!  Get it at least a size larger than your normal. 

 button down : Again, get this a few sizes larger than your normal.  This J.Crew version is my fave. It easy and comfortable, yet polished.

  cardigan:  Get a light cardigan that is pretty long - like to your thighs long.  When your shirts start getting snugger (and your booty starts getting bigger) this is the perfect cover up.  Also, I have a sleeveless version for days that it's super hot.  I couldn't find one online, but if you find one get it!

  belly band:  I only have one of these and truly I didn't start using it until recently.  Some people swear it helps keep their pants up - I'm just paranoid people know my pants are open that I give it away anyways.  It has come in hand recently though.  It lets me wear some of my shorter shirts without worrying about my tummy showing.

  leggings:  Let me start off by saying that I am of the political party "LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS!!!!"  That was until about 2 weeks ago when I basically boycotted all types of pants.  Swelling is not your friend during pregnancy.  So basically, leggings are not pants for  the non-pregnant population.  However, those of us who are pregnant may reap their benefits. 

 flats (mint, black) :  I pretty much wore all of the same shoes - heels and flats- but for daily errands flats are your friends.  Get a few pointy toe pairs to make an outfit a tad bit fancier.

 jersey dress :  Remember my post about wearing fitted dresses v. flowy dresses?  A maxi jersey dress is great because it's comfortable and versatile.  You can run around in it or dress it up.  I wish I had bought one of these sooner.

So there you have it!  The main idea is get a few basic staples and rotate them.  Jazz things up with accessories and your good to go!

Becoming momma

38 weeks.  If you had asked me about 8 weeks ago how I would feel at 38 weeks I probably would have said "ready!"  Truthfully, my body is so physically "ready".   Everything aches.    I don't sleep through the night.  I have horrible heartburn all.the.time.  I'm just exhausted.  Plain old physically exhausted.  I hate to sound like I'm complaining because I know there are a million and one people out there that would love to be pregnant and can't.  But I'm just trying to be truthful...pregnancy is amazing.  People are so incredibly friendly and caring.  But it's also hard.  

Then again, isn't the sheer exhaustion of it, part of the beauty?  

Anyways, going back to being "ready".  While my body is achey and sore, my mind is anything but ready for this baby.  It's kind of like fitting a square into a circle.  I know that I'm pregnant (duh.).  We've been preparing for months.  I've bought the diapers, the wipes, the crib, the onesies (so stinkin cute).  But mentally I haven't wrapped my mind around the fact that I'm going to be a mom.  Even typing that makes my heart pound a bit faster.  Growing up, I was always the "mama" of the group, but now that I get to carry that title.  Well, it's a little overwhelming.  

And it scares the crap out of me.  

Taking care of sick kids in the hospital- that I can do.  But being a mom?  

Truthfully, the role terrifies me.

// Stripes Re-visited //

dress: gap , jacket : old (unknown), tights + flats : target, necklace : paris, gifted

I've learned that with pregnancy you've got to be pret-ty careful about what you wear.  What's comfortable one minute, is suddenly suffocating the next.  Even worse, what looks great from the front can look embarrassingly horrible from the side - I'm looking at you flowy skirts!    You all know how much I love my chiffon skirts that are loose and flowy.  From the front  they look okay, but when I turn to the side the beautiful flowy-ness that I love basically backstabs me.  My very-much-out-there pregnant belly and the loose fabric makes me look like I'm 10 feet wide.  *Cue the bus reversing noise *  Basically, I've learned that fitted is a much better approach to dressing my pregnant body.  It's definitely more flattering and if you get something in a jersey/ cotton fabric it's unbelievably comfortable too.

<< 36 weeks >>

In case you were wondering what a full term pregnant woman looks like... here you go.  

<< So long 2012 >>

shirt: jcrew | vest: old navy | jeans : guess | boots: steve madden | belt, glasses: f21 | purse : kate spade | watch : michael kors | ring: ysl | necklace : Swarovski 

Just popping in to say hello!  Can you believe we'll be in 2013 in just a few days?!  Insanity I tell you.  2012 was a great year, and I'm hoping that '13 will be just as good.  We've already got a lot of exciting things to look forward to - mainly welcoming our baby girl into this world.  

Today Alaa and I are going to celebrate our 4th anniversary ( it was on the 27th) by running around downtown taking pictures of ourselves and hopefully snagging a few things for the baby's room.  Speaking of the babe's room - it's finally coming along!  There's still so much to do, but I can finally breathe now knowing that at least she has a crib in there :-)

Oh, and keep your fingers crossed for me today.  The majority of my clothes don't fit so I'll be getting pret-ty creative with my outfit. 

Have a great weekend! xo

<< Breakfast Run >>

sweater: ann taylor | shirt: j. crew | denim : old navy | shoes: elie tahari | watch: michael kors | bracelet: apricot lane | necklace: f21

I've been trying to be pretty good about what I eat throughout this pregnancy (*ahem* with the exception of my daily intake of dessert).  I really haven't had any "got- to- have-it" cravings, but after dreaming about cinna-stack french toast and belgium waffles for the past few days I figured I should pay good ole IHOP a visit.  And so as soon as my sweet husband opened his pretty little eyes on Sunday morning the first words out of my mouth were "Let's go to IHOP!"  And off to IHOP we went.  While I would have loved to indulge in both the french toast and  the waffle, I retained some sort of dignity and only ordered the french toast.  That stuff is heaven on earth I tell you.  Forget that it's probably a one way road to diabetes.  It's good.  Real good.  I brought the rest of it home and we've been bonding.  Ya know, nothing is better than quick one-on-one times with leftovers.

:: Pink + Stripes ::

top: zara | pants : gap | shoes : elie tahari | tote: zara  | watch : michael kors | ring : ysl | bracelet: apricot lane | necklace: ebay | scarf : love culture

I'm not quite sure how I got away with not posting these pictures for so long.  It's such a fun preppy look and definitely one of my favorite outfits.  It's definitely been at least a month or so since I wore this outfit, because my tummy is MUCH bigger than that now.  I wonder what the odds are of me fitting into those pants right now. All I've got to say is Thank God for the hair tie trick.  I'd be pants less without it - and that my friends would not be a fun site.

Oh, and those trees in the background are officially dead. 

 Dangitt.

What should we call me?

shirt: polo | pants: j.crew | jacket : unknown (old)  | shoes : elie tahari | watch : michael kors | sunnies : f21  | necklace: swarovski

What should we title this outfit?  

a.) Thank God the election is over.

b.) It's cold, but not too cold so I'm not sure how to dress.

c.)  I need long shirt to hide the fact that my pants won't button anymore.

d.)  If I wore this outfit any other time I would consider it  to be "New England Prep"

e.)  leave your own caption!

Have a lovely weekend!

p.s. love the "what should we call me " tumblr!

<< 26 weeks >>

Can someone please tell me how I'm 26 weeks pregnant?!  I'm just about in my 3rd trimester - which still stuns me.  Since the baby isn't due until 2013, I naively convinced myself that I basically had the rest of my life to prepare for her arrival.  Now, it's like "ready or not, here I come!!"

What, tha whatttt?

So since I've got a good bit of pregnancy behind me I thought I'd share the good and the ugly with you.

Source: gravster22.tumblr.com via Hannah on Pinterest

The Good
-Feeling her kick.  And even better, watching Alaa's excitement when she kicks.

- Seeing the genuine happiness on our family & friends face when we talk about the babe.  We are so lucky.
-Being able to eat and not worry if I have a muffin top or not...this is nice.

-Having people do simple tasks for me just so I can stay comfortable.  It's the small things that show you how great people can be.

- Back and feet rubs.  I think these may need to continue post-partum as well. Hmmm

- Getting sweet baby gifts from friends who know how to take care of babies better than I do.

- Sweet ladies at work who chase me down making sure I've eaten breakfast, lunch, and snacks in between.
-Knowing that before we know it we can kiss our babes sweet little fingers and toes.

The Ugly
{These are all in a tone of fun and games..I know that everyone means well!}

-Please do not tell me your birthing stories.  For the love of God, I don't want to know how you were in labor for 21 days / pooped yourself / gave birth to an alien.  Thank you for your understanding.

-Dear cute little cashier in cute little children's clothing store:  I liked you - until you told me that kids were a nightmare.  I'm not disillusioned to think that it will all be fun and giggles, but I did not want to be reminded of the less-than-fun-times to come while I'm buying cute little onesies. 

p.s. did I mention she worked in a children's clothing store?!

-I don't understand what the obsession is with maternity clothes.  "Have you started buying maternity clothes?" is probably one of the most frequent questions I've been asked.  Thankfully, I haven't had the need ( or desire) to.  I'm trying to hold off on that end, but I wouldn't be against investing in belly bands or a pair of black maternity jeans.  But am I ready for a nursing bra?  Not quite yet....

-The infamous phrase : "because you're pregnant..."  Trust me, I have not forgotten.

--Being awoken in the middle of the night with numb arms.  I'm watching you carpal tunnel.

- My intense desire for a Red Bull.  Those suckers better be waiting for me come delivery time!


All in all I'm at the stage where pregnancy is enjoyable.  The little kicks and flutters make the back aches and everything else all worth it.

p.s. a funny birth story

:: Minty Fresh ::

Blazer: Zara  | Tshirt: F21 | Jeans: Old Navy | Purse: Rachel Roy | Shoes, Necklace : F21 | Lipstick : YSL

Guys.  

Today is D-Day.  Meaning today I have my glucose test.  Being that a good chunk of my intake consists somewhat of sugar (those "little bites" add up!!) I am absolutely dreading this test.  I'm not looking forward to the drink itself.  I'm not looking forward to the 1 hour wait for my blood sugar levels to spike.  And most importantly, I'm not looking forward to the results!  I ate donuts twice last week!!!!!!!!!!  My bad habits are going to come back and haunt me!  I guess now would be a good time to say that I have a family history of diabetes so becoming a diabetic has always been a fear of mine.  That, and being a nurse, diabetes scares you regardless.  That disease is serious folks!

Anyways.

I'm going to go ponder as to what is the lightest thing I can wear to my appointment tomorrow.  Yes, I do coordinate my outfit to make sure I'm not adding pounds to the scale through my clothes. 

Yes, I know that sounds insane.

But I do it anyways.

<< Stripes & Such >>

shirt: zara (similar)  | blazer: bar III (similar)  | pants: miu miu (similar) | shoes : zara (similar) | necklace: diy | watch :michael kors | bracelets: asos (chain, stud) + apricot lane | lipstick : sephora

I feel like my baby bump made it's grand debut this week.  Some days I can still convince myself that I accidently over ate, but then as soon as I do eat there's no denying it.  It's like "gurl, you preg-nant".  And I have finally, finally started to feel the baby move!  It's exciting and weird at the same time.  Every time it happens I feel so proud of my little babe.  Future soccer player in my tummy! Oh, and you know what else made it's grand debut this week?  Bags under my eyes.  Why hello, there dark circles...I kinda don't like you.

And you know what else I don't like?

Charlie horses.

Oh.

Em.

Gee.

If you've never felt the wrath of a charlie horse (in both legs - apparently I like to go big or go home), may you never feel one.  Let's just say Alaa woke up at 3 a.m. to me squealing and flailing in pain.  

Have I tainted your rose-tinted sunglasses of pregnancy yet?  

I'm actually having a fine time so far.  I'm so happy to be feeling good again and that the babe is healthy.  I really do think I'm a lucky gal! Working in a pediatric hospital definitely puts healthy babies into perspective for you.

p.s. I know I promised to announce what we're having a few weeks ago, but I just haven't had the time to dedicate a post to it.  But soon!  Patience little ones.

:: Transitioning ::

t-shirt : f21, similar | jeans: old navy, similar | vest : unknown, similar | necklace: egypt, similar | shoes: payless, similar | shades: vintage, similar | watch: michael kors | lipstick : sephora

Lately, I feel like my life has been full of changes.  A new job, new furniture, new season, and a pending new addition to our family.  It's definitely been keeping me on my toes trying to figure out how to adjust to these new pieces of my life.  But season changes are a little tricky to adjust to.  Hot and sunny one minute, cool breezes the next ..it's mother natures own version of menopause.  And as much as I'd love to, it's not quite time to pull out my sweaters and coats.  So a little plum lipstick, a boho vest, and some ankle boots will have to do for now.