If you know me, I'm a list-maker and a planner. It's how I do everything: a daily to-do list, a weekly to-do list, a running larger to-do list, and then I work to plan ahead as much as I can. Planning my maternity style posts was no exception! As I swelled up towards the end of my pregnancy, I decided I wanted to knock out style posts before I no longer felt like taking photos. Little did I know, our little man would be coming a couple of weeks early!
So, I'm in this in-between limbo of maternity posts and baby photos, but I hope you'll forgive the weird transition as we balance this together. Because I am SO EXCITED to share this dress from Isabella Oliver that was gifted to me, and soon became my all-time favorite maternity piece. Saving the best for last here.
The dress is so elegant yet simple and I got so many compliments every time I wore it, from work to a local fashion event, to a baby shower. I thought pairing it with a straw boater hat gave it a very European traveler look. Maybe it's because the company is British, or maybe it's because I wore this boater hat all over Europe on our vacation last year, but I'm getting major Euro vibes.
I especially love this dress because I think it will work well after maternity dressing as well! It took me a while to figure out what size to get, but I went with a size 1 (US size 4) and it fit like a glove, with plenty of room in the arms. (I swear one of the hardest things in pregnancy was gaining all the water weight towards the end and everything was tight in my armpits. I expected fat ankles, but armpits?! lol)
In a way it's kind of bittersweet concluding my maternity posts. You get so used to styling for a huge bump and now it's suddenly gone. I will say feel like a superhero because of the narrow spaces between parked cars, and small gaps I can squeeze between now without a huge belly!
You can be on the lookout for some postpartum styling and baby some baby style posts here soon too, once our little nugget finally grows into his newborn clothes (they're all a little loose now)!
I've honestly tried to choose mostly practical pieces to add to my maternity wardrobe, so I didn't end up spending an arm and a leg on statement clothes I couldn't rewear and rewear over the course of my pregnancy. But, sometimes when a dress is on sale, and it's on your Christmas wishlist (long before you really even look pregnant), and your mother-in-law spoils you with basically an entire maternity wardrobe, including this gem of a dress, you know it's meant to be.
And then, when, at your baby shower, there are these balloons, you know what you need to do. Put on this dress, and have a photoshoot, all while fighting chilly, windy weather. Your husband may tell you there is no way any of the photos probably even turned out well because the wind was beyond insane, but you have this magical dress on your side, and its magic defies all practical odds. (To be fair, in 90% of shots, the balloons were slapping me in the face, being blown to the ground, or silhouetted, so you can't even tell what they are.)
I went for a super '20s style look, complete with a turban headband, and round glasses. The dress really reminded me of those black and white starlets perched on a big moon prop with their bob haircuts and dark lipstick, and I just went with it.
In other news, we've reached the LESS THAN TWO WEEK MARK until our baby is due, which is insaaaaane! The due date has been on our calendar for months and months (nine in fact), and it's always seemed so far off in the distance. Now here it is barreling right at our faces! I'm doing lots of planning and preparation, but mostly I'm already getting so emotional thinking about seeing his face for the first time. However, if it's anything like our sonograms and when we heard the heartbeat, I'll go in thinking I'm going to cry, but I just end up laughing I'm so happy. That's also what I did when we found out the gender. Annnnd on our wedding day. Tears? Nope, just crazy, happy laughter.
It will be so weird not to style over a huge ol' bump anymore, though I know I won't be right back to my old clothes for a while. I have a couple maternity looks left for you, so tune in the next couple of weeks for the final round of maternity style. Then you can gear up for some baby style coming your way! :)
I'm so excited to share Round 2 of our maternity photos with you today! If you haven't seen the first post, check them out here. This set of photos is just quintessentially Kansas City: artsy, casual, and dog-friendly, complete with a shuttlecock in the background.
They were shot by Mike & Lauren Photography, who I cannot say enough good things about! I mean, these images speak for themselves, but the whole process of taking the photos was so fun and seamless as well. Be sure to check them out for engagement and wedding photos; their portfolio is stunning! I talked more about the photo process in my last photos post, if you're curious to read more about that.
Now I'd just like to take this post to brag on my husband, Andy, for being a total superhero throughout my whole pregnancy. My guy, the man behind the lens, shoots all the photos for the blog and is so supportive of me all the time, but this pregnancy has made me extra thankful and appreciative of him.
I've seen so much posted on pregnancy forums (these can be a real black hole, ha!) about moms-to-be feeling like they're bearing so much of the burden, because not only are they carrying the child, but their husbands or significant others aren't really involved with much of the preparation either. I get that it isn't every man's cup of tea, but I wanted someone to share in everything with me, and he's really stepped up to the plate and then some. Here are just some of the things he's done that have made me so appreciative.
-Early on in my pregnancy, he returned from a work trip with incredibly fancy stretch-mark preventing all-natural body wax for me. On his last trip, he came home with a stylish little baby boy outfit from Zara.
-He was probably more involved in choosing items for and building our registry than I was. He knows more about ins and outs of stroller types and gear than anyone out there. He even added breast pump-to-bottle adapters to the registry. This guy thinks of everything.
-He's attended all my baby showers. He scheduled all of our hospital birth classes. He's gone to every single doctor's appt. When we've gone to birthing classes, hospital tours, etc. he does lots of research beforehand and shows up with a list of questions, in addition to the ones we've talked about beforehand.
-He has carried out my vision for our over-the-top nursery all by himself, because I can't be around paint and fumes. There was even a point when he told me our 3-D wall panels just weren't going to work out and I basically didn't take no for an answer. We brainstormed and found a solution and this man has made that wall look like actual magic. (I knew he could, which is why I held strong, haha.)
-He puts his head by my belly and talks to the baby. He sits with me every couple of weeks as we read through two different pregnancy books (What to Expect When You're Expecting and Mama Natural) to hear all about the baby's development and what we should be planning for.
-He's been cooking and eating tons of healthy meals with me, as I'm trying to give the baby good nutrients. That meat lover even went a couple of weeks without meat, and went along with my dishes of lentils, and other mostly veggie dishes. There are some days I come home so tired, I have to lie down and rest (pregnancy exhaustion is so far beyond any other tired that exists, it's insane), and he has taken over most of the cooking and dishes most nights.
-When I apologized for going to so many Bar Method classes after work and leaving him with the cooking, he said, "well, you're just taking care of you and baby!"
-Every time I say I'm feeling fat (which is basically all the time now), he stops me and says, "No, you're pregnant!"
-When I was getting ready for my office holiday party, and trying on the handful of dresses I had that still semi-fit, I asked his opinion on one, and he said "Well, I know you're wanting to look your best, and there might be others that are more flattering on you right now." Maybe some people wouldn't want to hear that, but I was so appreciative that he was honest with me; that's exactly why I was asking!
-One morning started with my fancy Vitamin C face oil flying out of the medicine cabinet and shattering everywhere and me yelling "OH NO!!!" (Really, did it have to be the most expensive beauty product I own that broke?) When I got home from work, I found he'd gone to Ulta, with a photo of the broken bottle and gotten me a new one, saying "you deserve nice things." (That one might have made my cry.)
-When I had a rough day at work, the next day, he came home with an ice-cream cookie sandwich from Betty Rae's. (To be fair, I don't think he minds extra snacks and dessert runs 😂).
-He constantly talks about doing house and woodworking projects with our son when he's a little older, adding, "as long as he likes doing that kind of stuff." Otherwise, they can bake together.
-When we watched "A Series of Unfortunate Events" together, he said he couldn't wait to watch it with our son, mostly because of the lesson that "in the end, smart kids win." I have honestly never been so attracted to him.
-This man already knows more about my bodily functions than I ever would have hoped and he doesn't act freaked out, or treat me like I'm an ogre, even though I 100% feel like one.
-I've been starting to have contractions and leg cramps over the past few weeks, and, yes, right as the first episode of the latest season of Game of Thrones was airing, I finally decided to take a warm bath after an evening of it being pushed back, and he came in with a pillow, lavender essential oils in a diffuser and a plastic wine glass filled with non-alcoholic sparkling wine. And then we watched GoT, an hour later than everyone else. What a guy.
I know I'm all hormonal and sappy and emotional these days, but I just wanted to take some time to shoutout the man behind the blog, because he is already the best caretaker and I know will be the best dad I could hope to have for our little babe!
Knowing my son is half Andy and that he'll have the example to follow of such a smart, hard-working guy that cooks as well as he builds, plays music, values education, and takes such good care of his insanely hormonal pregnant wife makes me even more excited to meet our baby. And gosh, I sure hope our baby sleeps like him. That man can sleep anywhere, at any time, doing anything. (In case you're puking from the sweetness, I guess I can add that his insanely loud nail-biting makes me want to throw myself out of a moving vehicle every time we're in the car, so he's not perfect, guys!)
Also, can I please shoutout our pup Reese, the CUTEST LIL DOG and best big-fur-sister to be! People keep telling me she'll just be a dog when we have a baby. Which honestly sounds so sad to me at this point. Yes, I get that the attention will definitely shift. Yes, I get that she is not a human. But she's been our baby for over 5 years now and I'm so excited to see her and our child get to know each other. She's great with kids, and I know she'll want to be a part of everything we do with the baby. I'm so glad that our son will grow up around such a fun and hilarious pup to keep him entertained!
Thanks for getting sappy with me today!
I've got more maternity style coming up in the next couple of weeks, as well as a nursery reveal, and, of course a baby announcement, when our little fella decides to make his entrance. I'd love for you to comment or message and let me know if you're interested in seeing baby content, or if you're more here for just style posts. Obviously, my child will now be a huge part of my life, but I'm really trying to weigh the "mommy blogger" vs "blogger who happens to be a mom" balance here and would love your thoughts!
