Olivia Isabel: Birth Story

She's here!  Our baby girl, Olivia Isabel, was born on July 23, 2016 and she was a chunk!  At 9 pounds, 3 oz, our dark haired and blue eyed girl stole our hearts.  While Lucas' birth story was difficult, I am so happy that Olivia's birth was night and day!  

(Please excuse any grammar mistakes - I'm blaming sleep deprivation!)

I had a scheduled c-section with Olivia that perfectly fell on a Saturday.  I woke up super early that morning so that I could shower and spend some time with Lucas.  An hour before we were suppose to leave, I got a call from the hospital that they needed to reschedule the c-section because there was not a bed available.  Talk about messing with your mind!  Luckily, I didn't eat anything because my doctor soon thereafter called to tell me to get to the hospital and have this baby.  As soon as I got to the hospital, everything happened so fast.  I changed into my Gownies gown that my dad got me for Olivia and Lucas' birth, visited with my husband and parents for about an hour, and then I got wheeled into the surgery room.  I was so incredibly nervous!  For Lucas' c-section, I was exhausted from hours of pushing, not eating, and no sleep so I barely remember anything but I was wide awake, rested, and alert for this one.  One of the nurses noticed how nervous I was so she asked me if I wanted to listen to Britney Spears radio during the c-section...ummmm...is she a mind-reader YESSSSS I WANT TO LISTEN TO BRITNEY SPEARS!  After talking with the nurses for a bit, I found myself laughing and talking up pop music, and basically all nerves went away.  Soon my husband came into the room and it was baby delivery time!  To keep my mind occupied, everyone kept up with the pop music theme of discussion and even my husband joined in since he knew it was helping calm my nerves.  After what seemed like minutes (but was longer since I listened to at least one Christina Aguilera song, one NSync song, Backstreet Boys song, and of course, Britney), our beautiful baby girl was welcomed to the world to the tune of Spice Girls Say You'll Be There.  I mean, perfection.  I was stitched up quickly and soon was reunited with the sweetest little girl in all of the land!

The pain wasn't as bad as I remember which was awesome.  It didn't take long for Lucas to warm up to his little sister and he is obsessed with wanting to hold her.  It's now been three weeks since Olivia's joined our family and I could not feel more blessed.  It hasn't all been roses (hello baby blues and hormones) but she is such a good baby and I can't even fathom our family without her.  So my blog break was for good reason but I hope to be back at it soon now that I'm getting a little more sleep!

#NSale Preggo Style

I LOVE this top that I recently bought during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (#nsale)!  I was saving the stuff I bought for post-preggo work clothes, however, this shirt was perfect coverage for this 9 month belly.  I love how soft it is and even more so the price!  At only $15.90 during the sale, it is too good to pass up!

Shirt: Nordstrom  /  Pants: Old Navy  /  Shoes: Tory Burch   /  Bag: Tory Burch {Similar}  /  Necklace: Kendra Scott  /  Watch: Apple

The Final Countdown

I'm in the last few days of this pregnancy and can't believe how fast time flew by.  Lucas celebrated his third birthday yesterday and I'm in shock that I have a three year old.  I decided to start my maternity leave before giving birth this time so that I can soak up some time with my only baby and nest some more.  It's weird not having to go into the office and work since I worked all though my last maternity leave and worked right up until the day I was induced.  I definitely could use this little bit of time off though.

So I decided to turn my Louis Vuitton Baggy Denim GM bag into a crossbody bag.  I prefer crossbody bags anyhow but I intend to use this bag as an everyday/diaper bag.  I know I sound like an a$$hole wanting to use a Louis Vuitton bag as a diaper bag but this time around, I will not pack 50 million things with me to just go to Target with the baby.  Seriously, with Lucas, I packed this diaper bag so much I looked ridiculous.  No one needs 6 onesies, 20 diapers, 5 bottles, toys, etc. just to run one errand...but that and more is what I packed with Lucas.  Once I learned to only carry the necessities, I was able to start using my pre-baby handbags.  That is my intention with this bag for it to carry the necessities and necessities only.  I'm planning on doing a post on what I carry in my bag since I did purchase organizational items to keep me in check - necessities only!

Shirt: Old Navy  /  Pants: GAP  /  Shoes: Tory Burch  /  Bag: Louis Vuitton  /  Watch: Apple  /  Sunnies: Ray Ban

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Purchase

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I'm sure you fashionistas are well aware that the best shopping day of the year started yesterday...the Nordstrom Anniversary sale (#Nsale)!  If you have a Nordstrom card or have your debit card linked, you can shop early access or else the sale becomes available to everyone on July 22 and lasts until August 7.

Instead of sharing some of my favorite picks, I thought I'd be honest and tell you what I actually purchased.  I also bought something for my sister who has a birthday coming up but I didn't include that in the picks below.  I started the morning with my cart completely full but narrowed it down to the items below.  I wanted to purchase shoes but since I'm having tons of swelling right now, I think I'll need to wait until a couple weeks post-partum to try new shoes on.  So I didn't go completely crazy but I'm happy with what I narrowed my list down to.  Let me know if you shopped the sale this year!

 

Cocoon Sweater  /  Open Front Blazer  /  Shirtdress  /  Striped Tee (Only $15.90!)

The Flippin' Weekend

What is this?  What is this?  Yep, a weekend where I actually put makeup on my face and clothes other than sweats!  Anytime that I manage to brush my hair on a weekend is a win for me.  This time, I went to my friend's sip and see and for those of you not in the South, sip and see's are common baby shower type parties thrown after the baby is born so you can "sip" (usually wine or champagne) and "see" the baby.  Don't worry, there was no "sipping" for me this time.  As I held my friend's sweet baby boy, I wondered if caring for a newborn would just come back to me.  With my first, a lot of trial and error so I'm hoping for the second time around, things will be easier?  Well, as easy as caring for a newborn and threenager can be...pray for me!

Dress: Old Navy  /  Shoes: Michael Kors (Very Similar)  /  Bag: Rebecca Minkoff  /  Necklace: Kendra Scott  /  Watch: Apple  /  Bracelets: David Yurman

These Tired Eyes

I only have a few short weeks until my baby girl makes her arrival and as exhausted as I look in these photos, is it weird that I'm going to miss my bump?  And as much complaining as I've done throughout this pregnancy, is it weird that I'm going to miss being pregnant?  I'm pretty sure that this baby will complete our family so as uncomfortable as I feel right now, I'm trying to savor each moment.  My husband and I were talking about how fast this pregnancy went.  My pregnancy with my son felt like it was two years long since all we did was talk about the baby, baby, baby.  Now, with a very active two year old, full time jobs, decorating our new home, dealing with our son's schedule, blah blah blah, it was like I was pregnant and now she's almost here.  Time is such a crazy thing.  Needless to say, I'm going to try to take some extra days off so that I can enjoy this short time as a family of three and appreciate where we are in life right now.

Sweater: Old Navy {Similar}  /  Dress: Old Navy {Similar}  /  Shoes: Nine West  /  Bag: Tory Burch {Similar}  /  Watch: Apple  /  Sunnies: Kate Spade