My Pregnancy...First Trimester

Hello loves!  As mentioned before, I wanted to devote some posts to my pregnancy and I'm starting with my first trimester.  Before we became pregnant, my husband and I had been trying to conceive for a couple of years.  When I say trying to conceive, we were just hoping it would happen.  But it didn't.  This can make a girl go crazy.  Things kept going through my mind and I kept wondering if there was something wrong with me.  I wondered why it was so easy for some to get pregnant, but so difficult for me because everyone else made getting pregnant look so easy.  I decided to go to the OB/GYN to get some expert advice.  He put me on a plan to try to conceive and this plan consisted of trying to conceive on certain days of the month.  We went according to plan for 3 months (well, sorta according to plan...more difficult than we thought it would be :)), and I went back to the doctor at the end of the 3 months (which was in January).  When I went in, we assumed I wasn't pregnant and he told me that he wasn't concerned about whether or not we could conceive, saying that this could take up to a year.  After a year, we would talk about other options.  I left the doctor's office.  That same week, on Thursday, I took a pregnancy test...and guess what...it was positive!  If only he had done a test on me when I went in on the previous Monday.  I made an appointment to go back in the next week to start my pregnancy journey.  On January 9, 2014, my life changed drastically...it was the day I found out I was pregnant!  I was at work and had not gotten my normal monthly sign that I wasn't pregnant, so I took a pregnancy test when I got home.  When it showed those two lines, I was so excited..and shocked.  You never really believe it's going to happen, until it does.  I immediately got into my car and drove to my husband's work.  I told him I was in the area, stopped by to see him, and wanted him to meet me at my car.  When I saw him, I asked him, "How would you like to be a Daddy?".  He smiled really big and said, "You're pregnant!".  I said yes and we hugged.  He told me he was happy and nervous.  That night, we visited each of our parent's homes to tell them the good news.  Everyone was so excited!  We kept it to close family until about 3 months, when we announced it on Facebook.  You know that everything has to be announced on Facebook, or it's not official!

 

During my first trimester, I felt like I had a 24 hour hangover.  I didn't, and trust me, the doctor asked to make sure!  I was miserable because I hate being naseaus.  It was literally about 12 or 13 weeks when my nausea tapered off.  I was also very hungry.  I mean, so.very.hungry!  I ate so much and couldn't get enough.  I could not stand the smell of garlic and chicken cooking together, which my husband was not happy about, because that meant we didn't have garlic chicken soup the entire time I was pregnant!  I also wasn't a fan of these scented trash bags that we had.  We had to buy unscented trash bags just for that reason.  I would like to note that my husband is happy now that we can have garlic chicken soup again (which was a slow process even after I had the baby), and we are using the trash bags that I couldn't use during pregnancy.  I am frugile and will not throw useful items away, ha. 

 

My first ultrasound was somewhere around 8 weeks.  It was the very first emotional moment I had with my child.  My mother and mother-in-law went with me, since my husband was out of town working.  It was nice to have them in the room with me to experience such a sweet moment.  When I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time, I immediately started crying.  These were excited, happy tears.  There's just something about hearing your baby's heartbeat when he's inside the womb.  It's reassuring and comforting at the same time.  We captured the moment on video, which I am so happy about. 

In the above photo, I was really early in my pregnancy, but late enough to finally have a bump!  Maxi dresses were my best friends during pregnancy.  I could wear my normal maxi dresses almost the entire time.  And they were so comfy.  I didn't buy many clothes during my pregnancy.  I think I have been trying to make up for that this year....:-/

 

At a training for work.  This dress didn't last very long in my pregnancy because it was snug around the mid-section. 

My Daddy, Me, and My Husband after church one Sunday.  This is a church that I grew up in and it has the most beautiful trees and landscaping of any church I know. 

So, that was my first trimester.  Next, I will post how things went during my second trimester.  Enjoy!

XOXO Jess

It's March!

This is my happy face!  Because it's March!  Y'all, let me tell you, I do not like winter.  I am a warm weather gal up and down.  I try to be optimistic during the winter time, but I still can't wait for it to be over.  I will have to admit, though, that this year has been much easier since I have my sweet punkin to spend the cold days with.  And it has been cold.  Can we talk about that?  I love it when we have warmer cold days here in the South, but I feel like this winter has been especially cold.  Maybe it's just me.  Not sure.  And speaking of this being my happy face, it's my happy, pale face.  I can't wait to soak up some rays and get a little bit of tan.  I used to tan all the time...I'm talking tanning bed tanning.  I stopped doing the tanning bed in my early 20s.  The past few years I even stopped tanning on the beach.  I use 50 SPF.  I finally decided (and maybe my health promotion degree had a little to do with it) that it wasn't worth dying early for because of skin cancer.  That being said, I do think that being in the sun and being outside is good for the soul.  It makes me feel better and makes me happy.  So I will still continue using sunscreen, and hope for a little sun-kissed skin too!

 

 

How cute is this sweet little boy?!?  This was a couple of weeks ago and I had to take a picture to send my friend Kim because she got this outfit for him.  It fits him so nicely.  He's been under the weather lately and it breaks my heart.  I can't stand to see him sick, although he is a good sport about it.  He is such a happy, sweet baby.  And I'm not just saying that because he is mine. 

 

In the weeks coming, I'm going to be doing quite a few pregnancy posts.  I want to give you all some insight into how my pregnancy was and do some shower and nursery posts.  Hope y'all have a great day and Happy March!!

 

XOXO Jess 

A lot has happened....

Hello friends!  It has been over a year since my last post and it's because a lot has happened since then.  In January of last year, I found out I was pregnant!  I had no intentions of quitting my blog, but I didn't feel that great during my first trimester.  Because of that, I had no interest in taking blog pictures and kinda felt too tired to be doing blog updates all the time.   

 Then life happened.  I was consumed by my pregnancy,  with gender reveal parties, maternity pictures, baby showers,  etc.  I still desired to update my blog, but I just didn't have the time to spend on it like I did before.   And that makes me laugh because if I thought I  didn't have the time while I was pregnant,  I definitely don't have the time now that my sweet baby is here.  So, on August 25th, my sweet boy made his appearance!  Let me tell you, there is no love like the love I have for my child.  Words can never express.  What's kinda crazy is that he is almost 6 months old!  That is a big milestone for us.

 I've been thinking about blogging again and plan to make some changes to my blog.  First off, my posts aren't going to be just about fashion anymore.  Which means I probably should change the name.  It's going to be about a lot of things in my life....my baby, family, life experiences, friends and fashion.  Also, I don't have any desire to spend the time on editing photos like I did before.  Therefore, you're going to get real life, take me as I am, pictures and blog posts.  This kind of excites me.  I feel like when I was blogging before, I got consumed with following all these other bloggers, trying to make my blog big, etc.  I don't want that anymore.  If you like my blog, great!  I'm grateful you are here and happy to provide some reading material!!  I am no longer going to be concerned about my number of followers though and am happy with my numbers now.

Anyway, I think this is enough for today and I hope you enjoy my new blogging journey!!

XOXO Jess

Happy New Year!

Good Morning Loves and Happy New Year!  I am just getting back into the swing of things with blogging.  I took a little break with the holidays and also getting back on track with work.  Here is a quick look that I captured recently.  I love this pink blouse from J.Crew Factory and re-work it all of the time.  I love transitioning pieces for different seasons.  How do you transition some of your bright clothes? 

You can see where I wore this blouse to work last spring Here

Blouse: J.Crew Factory Similar

Jeans: LOFT Here

Cardigan: Express Here

Scarf: Charlotte Russe Similar

Bag: Kate Spade Similar

Boots: Steve Madden Similar

Watch: Fossil Similar

 

XOXO Jess

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Year in Review-My Favorite Looks for 2013

Good Morning Loves!  Since today is the last day of the year, I thought I would pick my favorite looks for 2013.  I have learned a lot over this year of blogging.  Being very new, I look back and see that I have learned to take better pictures and to make sure the sun is in my face and not behind me.  I have also learned that I don't have to put every picture up that I take, and that a lot of them weren't as good as I thought.  LOL...how tastes change over a year.  I have learned that you can see more detail the larger the picture....so those important accessories can be seen better.  I have also learned that quality is better than quantity. So, here is to a new year with an even better blog....I hope that this coming year is even better than the last!

                    

 

XOXO Jess

Casual...Again

Happy Monday!  I have been thoroughly enjoying my stay-cation and haven't been posting much because I have been so busy with the holidays!  I promise to get back on track over the next couple of weeks.  

This is an outfit I wore a few weeks ago around the Thanksgiving holidays.  That shows you how far behind I am on posts.  Anyway, it was perfect because being casual is a must around our families.  We are active and constantly on the go.  It was a mix of casual and cute.  I really liked the earth tones with the different shades of browns and green to top it off.  How do you stay comfortable but stylish during the holidays?

You can see where I wore these boots for another casual look here!

Sweater: Older 

Jeans: Similar

Boots: Anne Klein On Sale Here

Earrings: Jessica Simpson Similar

Watch: Michael Kors Similar

Bracelet: Jessica Simpson Similar

XOXO Jess