drink up: festive favorites

I have a pinterest board full of delicious looking drinks (mostly alcoholic, some not), but today I'm sharing a couple that I've tested and that have a big ol' stamp of approval from myself and all who've tried them. First up, she's not just tasty, she's also pretty: say hello to the appropriately festive Pomegranate Margarita.

Get the full recipe here

I will say, removing seeds from a pomegranate was not the easiest thing I've ever done. And they are messy little suckers, so be careful! If you're making this for an event, do it before you put your party pants on. Also, I recommend making a pitcher, rather than one glass at a time. But even though it takes a little bit of work, this recipe is totally worth it.

Now, If you don't have the time to deal with removing pomegranate seeds and making your own simple syrup, I have something for you, too. Try this super-easy Pom Sangria:

1. Dump a bottle of red wine into a pitcher 
2. Add a cup of pomegranate juice
3. Pour in one shot glass of Grand Marnier 
4. Add sliced apples, oranges, limes, whatever fruit you have on hand
5. Serve cold

I've made this on many occasions.  It's so easy, and I'm almost always asked for the recipe. Can't beat that. Cheers! 

HOLIDAY DRESSING [for your little]

Happy Black Friday! Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We're celebrating with family on Sunday, so yesterday was a lazy day for me and the babe (as in the baby, not my husband - he was working). However, I already have the next big holiday in the back of my mind ... seeing that it's Emerson's first holiday season, one of the many things I've been looking forward to is picking out her first Christmas outfit. Since I'm a crazy over-analyzer, I went ahead and created style boards for my top 3 options before deciding. I love them all, so I figured I'd share in case anyone else is looking for a little outfit inspiration for their own baby girl. Which one did I pick? You'll see December 25!

Get the look:
Fair Isle Sweater |  Navy Dress | Red Ruffle Tights | Gold Shoes (similar) | Red Velvet Dress | Black Bow Shoes | Red Stripe Tights |  White Terry & Tulle Dress | All Bows from Splendid Bow Shop 

#EmersonMarieObsessed

I'm obsessed with this kid, I tell ya. Obsessed. At least for today.

Parenthood is a funny thing. One minute you're all "my kid is a lunatic. She won't sleep, she's refusing bottles, and she's so cranky. She must hate me." (This was me two weeks ago.) The next second it's rainbows and butterflies and you're all "my kid is the best! She smiles at me and coos, takes 3 hour naps, goes to sleep without being rocked, and is sleeping through the night!*" And it's wonderful and you walk around with a smile on your face, singing her praises. In the back of your mind, you know it won't last forever, and another stormy period is on the horizon. But that's okay. Because right now things are sunny and you're gonna enjoy, damnit! That's where I am right now.

Today was my first day back at work.  You'd think it would've been a rough day, right? It started out interesting. E woke me up 10 minutes before my alarm which made me unreasonably angry. But that's okay. After she ate, I cuddled with her for as long as she'd let me, thinking about how I was going to be away from her all day. Then I realized she pooped up her back. Moment ruined. Thankfully she made up for it by going right down for a nap when I needed to get ready. (This kid is practically leaping into her swing for naps right now. It's crazy.)

As I got ready, I wondered if I would cry on the way to work. I'm not a super emotional person. Rational is a better description. I didn't cry at our wedding, and I didn't cry when Emmy was born. Still, you don't know how you'll react to something until you're in it. When I left the house she was napping, and I was fine on my drive to work. I knew she was in good hands (our sitter has been with us part-time since she was 6 weeks old) and I was just going to enjoy being out of the house for once.

Work was fine. Pretty uneventful. When I got home she was napping again and I couldn't wait to see that big smile on her face when she woke up. Well, that didn't happen. She woke up cranky and hungry. Not what I envisioned for my big moment.

But later on, something happened. As I sat with her in my bed, putting lotion on her, and changing her into pajamas, she was full of smiles and sweet coos. I put her on her stomach for her usual tummy time, and out of nowhere she rolled over for the first time. Something I had tried to get her to do before but she had showed no interest in ... she just did it, all of the sudden. Even she seemed shocked. We stayed in the bed awhile longer, just hanging out together, and I stared at her, smiling at me in her 3 month pajamas that are waaaaay too tight on her and need to be retired but her 6 month pjs were in the wash (mind you, she's not even 3 months old yet), and it just hit me how fast she is growing up ... and I kinda started to cry. Just a teeny tiny bit ... but still. I told her not to grow up to fast and to stay my sweet baby forever. I hope she heard me. Working, not working, whatever I do, I just want to cherish every moment I have with my girl.

Until the next stormy period. Then she's off to grandma's!

*if you count sleeping through night as putting her in bed with you so you can pop the pacifier in her mouth as quickly as possible each time she wakes up. Then yeah, she's sleeping through the night. 

My time as a stay-at-home mom

Otherwise known as my 3 month long ride on an emotional roller coaster. 

As I sit here the night before returning to work, I'm reflecting back on the last three months I've spent at home with my baby girl, and it's true what they say; time really does fly.

Never in my life have I had so many ups and downs. From the first blissful week at home, where I dreamed of having a hundred more cuddly little babies just as perfect as this one, to the second week, that for some reason seemed to stretch on forever, to now ... 12 (some long, some short) weeks later. I can't believe my time with her is already up.

It wasn't the most traditional maternity leave, given that I returned to part-time freelancing (from home) when she was 2 weeks old. At 6 weeks we hired a nanny to come over for about 12 hours a week so that I could get my work done uninterrupted. At first I was excited about it, and then I was hit with my first wave of mom guilt. Did I really need a nanny already? Just 6 weeks in? None of my SAHM friends have help. But the thing is, mom guilt is just another part of the job. I'm always going to find something to feel guilty about, so I just need to do what works for me. And it ended up being the best thing ever. The freelance I do more than pays for her time, and it gives me a couple of hours a day to do something other than mother, which makes me a better momma when I am spending time with her (instead of wishing she would take a nap so I can get work done). At about 8 weeks, the nanny proved invaluable when E stopped taking naps altogether. I couldn't have gotten my work done without her. Hey, it takes a village.

Now that the time has come to really return to work (my full-time, out-of-the-house job, not just the freelance I do on the side), I have such mixed feelings. On the one hand, I can't imagine not spending my days with Emmy. And I can't imagine someone else spending all of that time with her instead. There's a part of me that wants to be her sole caregiver, to soak up every single last moment that I can with her. On the other hand, there are days when I go absolutely crazy staying home with her all day. Days where I just need a break from having this tiny, needy little human attached to me at all times. So what's a momma to do? And why does it have to be all or nothing?

For now, I'm lucky, as I'm transitioning back into the workplace. I knew I wasn't ready to be full-time again, and I let my employer know that during my maternity leave. I'll be going back into the office for 3 days a week for the next 60 days. But eventually they'll want me back in the office full-time, and we'll have to decide if that's what's right for our family or not. It's a shame it has to be so cut and dry. "Will you be going back to work?," everyone asks. What if it's not that easy? What if I want to work, and want to have some part of my day that's mine, but maybe not for 40 hours a week? What if I want to spend more time with my baby girl than just an hour in the morning and an hour at night, if that? What if I want more? What if I want it all? Then what? I guess we'll just have to wait and see ...

Some of the moments I'll miss with her:

Don't grow up too fast baby girl!

The Arrival of Emerson Marie

On June 30th, 2015, one week and one day before her due date, we welcomed our sweet, little Emerson Marie into the world. She arrived at 10:15 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 21.25" long.

Throughout the pregnancy I had maintained that she would come early (as a favor to me, perhaps?!), even though I knew it was unlikely for a first time pregnancy. At around 37 weeks I started walking, swimming, eating pineapple (?) ... basically anything that google said would help me go into labor. Every time I got up in the middle of the night to pee, I would hope my water broke, but it never did. Finally, at almost 39 weeks, with only three days left of work before I started my maternity leave, I resigned myself to thinking I'd be better off if I just made it through the week and went into labor closer to my due date.

And then ...

It happened. Only I didn't know it happened. At 38 weeks and 6 days, my water broke at around 9 am in the morning. But instead of a break and a noticeable leak, like I was expecting, it was more of a reeaaallly slow trickle (sorry, TMI). I wasn't sure if my water had broken at all. I stayed home from work and moved up my doctor appointment for that day, just in case my water had indeed broken. But I really didn't think it did.

At 1pm I went to the doctor and described the morning's events. She checked out the goods and then stated so calmly and matter-of-factly that yes, my water had broken, and that I was going to have a baby today. WHAT?! I was instructed to go straight to the hospital, I couldn't even grab my bags from home on the way. Alexis was working so he would have to meet me there with our stuff. The whole thing was surreal.

I arrived at the hospital at around 1:30 pm and got settled while waiting for Alexis, who arrived a couple of hours later. I started to have some contractions and was put on pitocin to get them going even more. Once the contractions started getting stronger and more frequent, I opted for an epidural and instantly felt more relaxed (best. decision. ever.) The doctor eventually came into break my water even more, and the nurses continued to monitor my contractions for the next couple of hours. Most importantly, I asked Alexis to order Jimmy Johns, just in case the cafeteria was closed once the baby was born (this was my worst fear; hours of labor and nothing to eat when it was over. Also, I wanted my first Turkey Tom in 9 months).

When I was almost about ready to push, the doctor was busy delivering another baby via C-section, so we waited and shifted position to get the baby to move down even further. Finally, at around 9:30 pm, we got the okay to start pushing, and 45 minutes later, the doctor was holding up little Emmy for me to see, much like Rafiki held up Simba in the Lion King. I just remember thinking, even at almost 8 lbs, she looked so long and lanky. She was laid on top of me for skin to skin contact, and everything still just felt so surreal. There was no crazy roller coaster of emotions, just a sense of peace, like "we did it. That's our baby."

She was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little beauty, which neither of us was expecting. I was so worried that she would look nothing like me, and instead she very much resembles the baby pictures of myself and my brother. I can't wait to see what features she gets from her father as she gets older.

I still can't believe the whole process was as easy as it was. Not that there's anything easy about labor, but I had prepared myself for the worst, and at the end of the day, my experience was so relaxed and peaceful, and (thanks to the epidural), far less painful that I had imagined. I feel extremely fortunate to have had such a healthy pregnancy, a safe labor, and a beautiful little girl. Not to mention, a husband that is such a natural at being a father, it blows me away. I simply couldn't be happier with our little family.

The Second Trimester (a look back)

Ahhh, the second trimester ... the easy one, where you just walk around glowing and can't get enough of those little baby flutters in your belly, right? riiiight.

Yes, it was way better than the first trimester, I'll give you that. The nausea and sickness had totally subsided. I could eat normal, healthy foods again, which was great. And I wasn't yet as big as a house, so there's that. But I also found the second trimester to be the surprisingly stressful trimester. Once we found out what we were having (a girl!), we actually had to start thinking about all of those things that we'd been putting off ... like names, and nursery colors, and what the eff stroller are we going to register for?

I'm not a good decision maker. I've always been a chronic over-analyzer and it can be stressful and paralyzing. All of the things I had been looking forward to, like designing a nursery and registering for baby gear, suddenly scared the shiz out of me. I spent hours and hours researching, and then changing my mind over and over and over. I found myself getting angry at my husband because he wasn't helping, but let's face it, I'm so type A that I wouldn't have let him anyway. Luckily there were a few helpful resources that I turned to on a regular basis, and I highly recommend them:

• Cricket's Circle was usually my first stop for a product recommendation because it's just so simple. They only offer up their top 3 picks for each category, and no more. They also give bulleted lists of pros and cons for each. Some of their picks tend to be a bit pricey, but I found the site very helpful. I also love their blog.

• Lucie's List was another favorite, and great when you wanted a second opinion, another option or a little more explanation. You also get timely emails based on where you are in your pregnancy, and I actually found them worth reading.

• My Registry took my registries from Pottery Barn Kids, Land of Nod and Amazon, and combined them all into one list. For me, this made it much easier to manage. I also kept a separate registry with Target, because for some reason I could never get that one to sync. BabyList does the same thing and is probably worth checking out as well.

• And of course Pinterest, for nursery inspiration. Duh.

And with that, somehow we made it. Thank goodness for the internet, no?

And now my friends, I leave you with some parting advice to keep in mind if you happen to be in your second trimester, or will be soon, because there's nothing better than learning from someone else's experience ...


1. Don't eat snacks during meetings at work, unless you want to look down and see said snack all over your (large) boobs and belly. And you probably don't.

2. Don't think you can squeeze into pre-pregnancy spanx just because they "fit" standing up.
I did this, and then upon getting to work, quickly faced the realization that I needed to get those things off, like now. The big question was, attempt to peel them off under my desk, or do it in the bathroom and then have to walk across the office with balled-up spanx in my hand? After failing at getting them to budge under my desk, I opted for the bathroom and nervously attempted to hide them behind a large pad of paper as I walked back. So, just don't. And do yourself a favor and buy some pregnancy spanx, they are the best things ever.

4. Go do things, lots of things, while you still can. Because once you get halfway through the third trimester, you won't want to do much of anything. Trust me.

Planning the nursery

I'm not going to lie, when I found out we were pregnant, decorating the nursery was probably one of the things I was most excited about (right behind the actual baby, of course). The secret interior designer that lives inside of me just could not wait to decorate a room from scratch, top to bottom. 

It was overwhelming at first, mainly because I had a hard time finding anything that I actually liked enough to build a room around. After searching and searching for a crib quilt, I finally asked myself why? Babies don't even use those dang quilts, at least not at first. So I threw out the idea of finding one and instead I just started pulling together things I liked. I went a little beach-y with it, because it just feels right for this time in our lives (we're hoping to buy a vacation home on the beach this year, more on that later). It's soft and feminine and uses pink, which is usually so not me ... but I just love it. I'm sure what we end up with in real life will vary a bit from this board, but the idea will be the same. I can't wait to see how it turns out, and will surely post updates. 

Get the look: flush mount lighting | oyster print | surfer print | flamingo print | pineapple print | crib | side table | ceramic pineapple | glider | pillow | knit pouf | floor lamp | rug | dresser | table lamp | hamper | tassel curtains | polka dot sheets | striped blanket

The First Trimester (what got me through)

The first trimester: How quickly the initial excitement fades as the reality of the "what-the-eff-is-happening-to-my-body" symptoms set in. Between the nausea and the secret-keeping, those first 12 weeks can seem to stretch on forever. Luckily I stumbled upon a few things that helped get me through ...

Lemon and Ginger Tea
Everyone knows that ginger is supposed to help with nausea, but I read somewhere that you need to be taking it on a daily basis before it starts to make a difference. I drank this tea on the regular during those yucky weeks of all day nausea ... and it did seem to help. (Bonus points for the probiotics).

Carbs, carbs, carbs
For awhile there, I wasn't able to stomach anything but simple carbs. I stocked up on crackers, bagels, cereal and anything else that made me feel good. I usually felt best when I had a full tummy, and would sometimes throw up (gross, yes) if I let myself get too hungry.

Forever 21 Longline Knit Camis
I kid you not, I wear one of these almost every day, even now at 24 weeks. I bought one on accident pre-pregnancy (I thought it was a normal length tank), and hardly ever wore it. Once I got pregnant and the belly started to get a little bigger each day, I realized this was the perfect tank to put under all those those shirts that would soon be too short on me. And they're only $4! Stock up on the cheap stuff when you can, because maternity clothes are expen$ive.

BKR Water Bottle
I know you're supposed to drink a lot of water when you're pregnant, and I had been on the hunt for a new water bottle anyways, so I used this as my excuse and went with one of the pretty BKR bottles. There are so many colors to choose from, and I get compliments on my water bottle all the time.

Vitamins
Take your vitamins, y'all! I've been taking this one since before I was pregnant. I hate swallowing pills so I mix my liquid vitamin with a little bit of pomegranate juice and suck it back. I like that it has the DHA in it, so you don't need a separate supplement. Chase it with some OJ or Mango juice if vitamins are making you sick.

Cocoa Butter
Boobies, belly and thighs, everrry day. Never too early to start slathering on the lotion, right?

An Extra Pillow
Congestion is a fun little pregnancy bonus symptom. At night I made sure to prop that head up in an effort to keep the nasal passages a bit clearer.

Rubber Bands
You know, for this fun little my-pants-are-too-tight trick!

Books & Apps
I've been reading the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting, and Your Pregnancy Week by Week, both of which I borrowed from a friend. I also checked in with these two apps every morning: Ovia for updates and it's list of approved/unapproved foods and medications, and Glow for a daily update of what's going on with my baby.

An Understanding Husband 
(This is a big one!) Even though this pregnancy has been pretty drama free on all fronts, I know there were times that my dear husband probably wanted to kill me. The first trimester is full of moments where you just want to lie there, and you can't be bothered to complete even the simplest of tasks. I know it was not fun for him to have (at times) a seemingly helpless wife, and I could sense his frustration, but he loved me anyways and we made it through the tough days.

Fun, right?!

The First Trimester (a look back)

The beginning

So I'll start from the beginning, because I should probably be documenting this little miracle of new life in some way or another, no?! The beginning of the pregnancy would bring us back to October, but if we really start at the beginning of the journey, it's when we decided to start trying for a baby, which was just a few months before that. 2014 marked 7 years of marriage for us. SEVEN YEARS! We got married fairly young, and back when we were just babies ourselves we used to say we'd have kids while we were young, too.  I wanted to wait until after I was 25 and Alexis wanted to do it sooner than that. But as the years passed by, we waited and we waited (much to our parents dismay). The timing was never quite right.

In 2013 we decided to do "one last big trip" before maybe-sorta-kinda being ready to start trying for kids. We spent a gloriously amazing week in Maui that I will never forget ... and then we started planning our next trip, because, duh, "we need to do a Europe trip before kids!" So in May 2014 we spent two weeks in Italy. After that, we knew it was time, because if we didn't do it now, there'd always be "one more thing" to do or see before we did. Pretty soon we started ... well, you know, trying. The problem with that is, I'm the opposite of patient. Once I decide I want something, I want it yesterday. So it wasn't long before I caved and bought an ovulation kit. It was a 2 month kit and I didn't even get through the entire box before, BOOM, the bun was officially cooking in was in the oven. 

We're pregnant

In October we were pregnant, but of course, you don't really know it right away. I kind of assumed it would take several months of trying before it happened. Still, every month I took a pregnancy test, and for October I had a date in my mind on which I would take one, first thing in the morning, just like you're supposed to. However, there was this one particular Monday while walking to my car after work, I had the most overwhelming urge to TAKE ONE NOW. I drove straight home and while Alexis was working, took the only pregnancy test we had in the house. Lo and behold, there was the faintest little line I'd ever seen in my life. You could barely see it. So I drove to Publix where I bought an early predictor test and, yes, there it was, a real line! (well, a cross actually). I was freaking pregnant. 

Sharing the news

I couldn't wait to tell Alexis as soon as he got home from work. While I was out picking up the second pregnancy test, I also bought a "welcome new baby" balloon, so I left it sitting in the garage for when he got home. As much as I wanted to see his face the instant he knew, I also kind of wanted him to have a moment to himself to take it in before I bombarded him. In typical Alexis fashion, his reaction was "no way, you're kidding me, there's no way," even though he knew full well, it's for real. I had both tests on the counter (safely sealed in a plastic baggy) to prove it. We were both so excited and yet it felt so surreal.

The hard part was waiting until 12 weeks to share the news with everyone else. The week of Christmas would be 12 weeks, so we decided to have our families over for a gift exchange where we would drop the bomb. We gave our parents gifts that they had to open at the same time, and each one contained a framed picture of our 8 week ultrasound, with the words "The best parents get promoted to Grandparents" engraved on the front. Upon opening there was a lot of shouting, screaming, and freaking out that ensued, followed by a quiet "what is it?" from my father-in-law. What, that black and white etch-a-sketch looking thing doesn't scream "little grandbaby" to you?! 

The first trimester

Looking back on the entire first trimester, I was extremely lucky to have a (mostly) drama-free pregnancy. There was that one time I went to the doctor for extreme cramps and they couldn't find a baby and told me it could be a molar pregnancy and to come back next week ... but after a week of wondering (and pretending to drink at my sister-in-law's 30th birthday bash, complete with party bus), praise God, they found a baby! And the cramps were gone. Other than that, I had it pretty easy. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't fun. I had food aversions to anything even remotely healthy (which means I ate mostly fast food and packed on 5 more pounds than I was supposed to, right out the gate). There were a few weeks of all day ickiness and nausea, some occasional vomiting, and there was a lot of being tired (can't wait to do this again, y'all!). But I've heard crazy horror stories of extreme nausea lasting for up to 16 weeks, so I'll thank my lucky stars. My symptoms subsided fairly quickly and by week 10 were pretty much gone. By the end of the first trimester, I almost felt ... normal. (We'll see how long that lasts).

To be continued ...

20 weeks!

So tomorrow is officially the halfway mark: 20 weeks down and 20 weeks to go with this pregnancy, but today held all of the excitement as we went in for a checkup and saw a healthy, active baby GIRL! I don't know if I'm not surprised (because I assumed girl from the beginning, as did everyone else we talked to), or shocked (because for sure it would be the opposite of what I thought it was, right?), but either way we are so very, very excited. I didn't know if she would cooperate based on the positioning she was in, and at one point she even shielded her privates with her hand while we tried to look (so modest), but eventually we saw what we needed to see (or at least the ultrasound tech did, because I didn't see much of anything I could make sense of at that angle). Of course we had to stop at Target after dinner where we were each going to pick out one baby girl outfit; I picked the one above, and Alexis left with two outfits because he couldn't decide. She will be a daddy's girl for sure, and I can't wait!

Keepin' it real for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  No pretty pink flowers and beautifully wrapped chocolates here ... we celebrated a day early with dinner from my favorite midwestern fast food chain, which has finally made it's way down south to Tampa. Culver's opened earlier in the week just down the street from us, and take note fellas, it is the key to a pregnant woman's heart. Love and butterburgers, what more do you need?!  

You gotta start somewhere ...

... and so here I am. Starting the blog I've been meaning to start for years. Yes, years. And if there's one thing I've learned over time, it's that if I wait for something to be perfect, and wait for just the "right" time, I will be waiting forever. So instead, we start somewhere and we make mistakes, we strive for progress over perfection, and we grow along the way. So, bear with me people, but in the meantime, here's to starting!

hear, hear! 

[ See more of the quotes that get me going on my pinterest board ]