Shane and I are so excited to share that we will be welcoming a baby BOY in December 2020. We were completely shocked and surprised by this as both of us thought it was a girl up until Sunday! Regardless, we are overjoyed with excitement and can't wait to welcome little man to the family. As you can see, Shane is so excited he actually looks like he just won the Masters, ha! I have to say, this was hands down one of the most special days of both of our lives and we are so happy we chose to keep it a true surprise & host a reveal with our closest friends and family. Shane described this day as pure "euphoria", and for me - there are no words to describe the feeling I felt in this moment other than pure joy. Our doctor called us 10 days prior to this moment with the results of our blood test and I quickly handed the phone to a girlfriend of mine who kept this secret lock and key!
You don't think he was team boy, do you? Haha! I had lots of questions about party decor, vendors we used and who coordinated everything so I thought I'd give the links to everything a permanent place to live here in case you're considering a similar event of your own.
As for coordination: I did it myself. Parties are so fun, but let me tell you - they are a TON of work. Meryl and John, and my friend Andrea, extended a helping hand to set up and run a few errands which I felt really grateful for but outside of that I planned and coordinated everything on my own. I would recommend getting started with the planning process about a month in advance as certain items take awhile to ship and that way you aren't stressing out last minute about items that didn't make it in time.
We are beyond thankful for all the well wishes, sweet comments, and love this baby boy has already been showered with. December can't come soon enough! Thank you for letting me share these special moments with you, our hearts are so full.
You can view our reveal video here (Shanes reaction in real time is worth the view, ha!).
*Something worth noting - due to the current state of our country, we opted to purchase an infrared thermometer and scanned each persons temperature prior to letting them out back at the advice of our doctor. The entire event was held outdoors, and hand sanitizer was given to everyone throughout the party.
Ahhh, I can't believe the news is finally out. I'm not a good secret keeper, and this one was by far the hardest to keep. The last 12 weeks have been interesting to say the least and I've found myself looking for similar personalities to relate too. With that said, that's been somewhat challenging to find. So, I wanted to document my own personal experience and journey with this pregnancy in the hopes that it can be comforting to someone else looking for the same.
I found out I was pregnant right around the 4 week mark. The biggest indicator was missing my period. I was about a week late which wasn't normal for my cycle, so two days before Shane's 33rd birthday I decided to take a pregnancy test. To be honest, I really didn't think it was going to come back positive. I thought the stress and change of being home and in quarantine was maybe causing my hormones to fluctuate, buttttt... as we all know, I was clearly wrong, ha!
Weeks 4-7
Throughout weeks 4 and 5 I still felt pretty normal. I looked bloated and I had an insane appetite but other than that, things weren't too different. Week 6 was when I started to notice the biggest change in symptoms. I felt insanely exhausted, to the point where some days I couldn't do anything at all outside of a workout because the workout took every last ounce of energy out of me for the day. I also experienced extreme nausea during week 6 that lasted all day long, food aversions, weird cravings and excess saliva. I also started waking up at 6:00 AM on the dot on my own - goodbye to sleeping in. Week 7 looked about the same as week 6 without as intense of cravings. I was still craving things, but not as intensely. My eating habits have done a total 180. Those of you who know me, or who have spent significant time following my blog, know that I am big on eating healthy and actually enjoy finding healthy recipes and things to eat. Well, that has pretty much gone out the window so far. I am craving nothing but carbs and savory things and have probably doubled my daily carb intake. Foods I have loved and eaten for years make me want to gag at the moment, and the only thing that seems to settle the nausea are bagels and bread. I've struggled with this because my body type does not thrive off a high carb diet. I've spent years building muscle, toning, eating healthy and focusing on fueling my body with nutritious choices so it feels very unlike myself, but then again - pregnancy is a beautiful thing and I have to remind myself that I am blessed to be able to carry a healthy baby!
Weeks 8-11
Week 8 was still full of nausea, exhaustion, carb cravings, food aversions, and honestly - probably the toughest week for me so far. I wasn't able to workout a single day during this week, and spent most of it in my bed. I may or may not have had a slight meltdown born out of exhaustion and hormones and the fear of never getting some relief from the nausea, but Shane has been nothing short of an angel and really made me feel loved and supported when I needed it most. I also began to show a slight bump this week and my elastic waistband on my Lululemon tracker shorts were beginning to pull! Week 9 we went to the beach with a couple of our friends, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I actually felt the most like myself. I think the distraction really helped take my mind off of things which maybe eased up the nausea as well. I still experienced food aversions, especially towards meat, but I noticed if it was already cooked and in front of me I could manage to eat it and be okay with it. It was more the thought of meats and eggs that made me want to gag than it was actually eating it. I was able to do a few light workouts this week as well, although I'm out of breathe like I just ran a marathon after a mere walk down the beach, but nonetheless - i'll take it! Week 10 I experienced a couple days of the nausea and fatigue again but overall, things were looking on the up and up. Week 11 has been pretty good! I added a vitamin B complex supplement at the recommendations of my doctors which has helped my energy levels tremendously. I'm also finally sleeping better at night with less frequent trips to the bathroom, and am slowly starting to add back in some of the healthier foods I've loved for years without the gag effect. My diet is still so far from what it has been for so many years, but I feel hopeful that things will become more familiar for me in the second trimester.
We are so incredibly excited for this new chapter! Baby is dancing around nonstop, rubbing his/her face with both arms and hands and kicking it's legs all over the place. I think it's safe to say baby is as happy as a clam in there! Shane has only been able to attend 1 doctors visit with me so far due to COVID19 but we are hoping our clinic will start to consider support guests soon. Seeing our child on the ultrasound screen together and hearing the heart beat (176 the first time, 171 the second time) was by far the most surreal experience I've ever had in my entire life and filled my heart with more joy than I know how to describe. Here's to the next 28 weeks, we can't wait to meet you little Been!
Let's be honest, it's not always convenient to carve out time for taxes. This rings true for Shane and I especially! If one is at home, the other is on the road traveling, and taxes always seem to be a last minute push for the both of us. They are time consuming, tedious, and complicated, but my roots with H&R block run deep! I have used their tax services yearly since my very first job as a Target employee working the meat department - true story! So when I heard about their Tax Pro Go option, I was all over it.
Tax Pro Go is a virtual tax service that matches you with an H&R Block tax professional who will do your taxes for you, without you ever having to step foot in a tax office (and with all of us practicing social distancing right now, this is ideal). Tax Pro Go allows you to easily upload your tax documents from yourmobile phone or laptop via H&R Block’s secure portal. From there, a tax professional trained to handle your unique filing situation does the rest, and you can be on your way! In the past, I have sat at a physical office while the tax pro keys in the details and goes over documents which can take some time, and even include more than one trip. This year, a few weeks ago, I used Tax Pro Go and uploaded all my documents from our local coffee shop over breakfast and coffee, and then went about my daily routine without any interruption while my tax pro handled the rest. From there, my return was completed within 5 days.
Cost is based on the complexity of your filing situation, but can range anywhere from $49-$249 for business owners like myself (which is half as much as I've paid in previous years so this program is also cost effective). In addition to cost, something I was curious about was where my tax professional would be located as I wanted the peace of mind that the person working on my taxes was knowledgeable about laws and regulations in my home state, as well as my field of business. I was pleased to learn that Tax Pro Go actually pairs you up with a tax professional that best suits your needs based on the answers to a few questions they ask at the beginning of the process.
Lucky for you, if you're interested in using this service to file your 2019 tax return I have a discount code for you! Enter code "30705" at checkout for $20 off!
*Thank you to H&R Block for sponsoring today's post. As always, all opinions are my own.
The first official day of spring has arrived, we have moved, boxes are being unpacked, and I'm excited for the weather to be warm so I can wear my new spring shoes and accessories. Life has been rather crazy lately with selling our old house, moving into our new house, and living in a sea of boxes for the last week - but, I'm super excited to get everything situated so we can enjoy this outdoor space!
We were unpacking boxes in my closet when I realized I haven't shared a few new items I'm excited about from Sole Society with you guys! It felt like I hadn't gotten ready in days, so I decided to throw on some clothes and do what I do best - play around with new outfits, shoes, and accessories. If you've been around for awhile, you know Sole Society is one of my favorite retailers. I use their weekenders every time I travel, I've been wearing (and raving) about their shoes for years, and all around can vouch for the quality of their products. Not to mention, the price point is perfect.
Clearly I have a thing for espadrilles in all forms, ha! I love how practical and comfortable the flats are, and the pattern is neutral enough to go with just about everything while still drawing the eye down because of it's fun pattern! They run TTS and come in a few color options (also really want the cream and black ones). As for the wedges, I am in love. I wanted a pair of neutral espadrille wedges last year and just couldn't find the right ones, but these are everything! I'm obsessed with how comfortable they are to walk in, they don't slide off your feet, and because of the wedge nature you can wear them for hours without your dogs barkin'! They're super easy to dress up or down as well. I styled them here with jeans and a tee, but they also look super cute with a midi dress, shorts and a flowy top etc. Lots of options!
The weekender is also a Sole Society find, and honestly probably the best bang for your buck in terms of quality. Every weekender I own is from Sole Society and has lasted me years with continuous wear and tear. Most of you know my luggage set is white and tan, so when I saw they came out with a white and tan weekender that matched perfectly, I jumped all over it - it will get put to good use! Not to mention, it was actually really handy to have during the move. I stored the valuables I didn't want to leave with the movers inside of it, and transferred those over in my own car.
Alright, I'm off to continue unpacking these boxes - wish me luck! xo.
SHOP THE POST:
*Thank you to Sole Society for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
