A little update

Well, I've obviously had other more enjoyable priorities besides my little blog these past few months.

But seriously, where does the time go?!?!

I can't believe our little pumpkin is already almost 14 months old and I am 18 weeks along with baby number two!!!  The second pregnancy is waaayyy easier, in so many ways.  I always thought it was going to be harder chasing a little one around and being pregnant at the same time (and I'm sure it's trickier 35+ weeks along when you feel like a whale) but it's not that bad.  It keeps me in better shape and I'm more focused on keeping Ev entertained, making the time fly by soooooo much faster.   Still can't believe we are almost at the halfway point.  Two short weeks and we find out for sure what we are having.  Charlie already insists it's a boy, I think it's a boy and so does my sister Jenny, who is never wrong!!!  Jenny always tells all the moms she knows what they're having and she's always right.  It's kind of scary!

Second time round is also way easier because I don't have to attend baby showers or buy rocking chairs and cribs or assemble a nursery!  Everything is already ready and waiting from day one.  We have a few gender neutral clothes and some boy outfits and blankets that were once my 19 year old brothers (thank you classic Baby Gap!!!) so we are all set to go!

Just praying that this time round the birth goes smooth and much faster.  

Knowing better the second time round, I'm taking things a bit more seriously and exercising 3X a week and THIS has made a HUGE difference so far.  

Having only gained a few pounds in four and a half months of this pregnancy was probably what I did in the first month of pregnancy with little Ev.  Live and learn. 

When I was pregnant with her,  I had bad acid reflux almost from the start and I mistook it as signs of hunger pains.  I ate all the time trying to get rid of the awful feeling.  Fingers crossed, I haven't had any acid reflux issues with this little one, thank goodness!!! 

 I'd rather have bald babies than acid reflux!!! =)

And with baby number two comes more lifestyle changes, ones that I'm extremely excited and nervous about all at the same time!!!  I'm hoping that these baby steps in a new direction help benefit my little family in many ways.  Exciting new adventures ahead!!!  I'll post more about this later, once everything comes together.

I'm grateful to be back, even if for just a short little post.  It's been too long.  But it's left me free to enjoy my sweet little babe and all the new things she does every day!  We've had a very happy and Fall-filled October and we hope you did too!!!

A Work in Progress

It's always been a struggle to stay on top of things, to plan in advance and execute those plans on time, much-less early.  So, I've really been working extra hard on trying to be better at this virtue, skill, talent... for me, it happens every so often and when it does, boy does it feel great to be on top of things!

Man, the older I get, the more my weaknesses stand out and the harder I have to work at accomplishing these personal goals.   

These past few days have been filled with many scores for the win!  Work sheets in 4 days early, a bridesmaid dress ordered for a Fall wedding, plane tickets booked, car rental booked, hotel booked, worked on planning Evenlyn's first birthday party, booked her 1st birthday photo shoot, ordered her birthday party/photo shoot outfit, ordered wedding gifts months in advance, researched baby gates that will actually fit the bottom and top of our staircase and throw in the ultra exciting accomplishment of ordering cases of diapers and dipewipes that get dropped off right at the front door!!! 

And all in a few good days work.  Now if only all my weeks were this productive =)

But the best moments of all have been spending more time with my baby girl who is growing up so fast.  It scares me to think that her 1st birthday is just a few short months away.  I'm trying really hard to focus on the here and now.  We've been enjoying the great outdoors together and walking outside as much as possible before the summer heat hits.  We've been enjoying breakfast picnics in the front yard and eating outside on patios whenever possible.

I love watching her learn, develop and grow.   I love watching her enjoy eating her food a ton!  Charlie is adorable when he says he could listen to her gab and talk forever and ever.  He is madly in LOVE with his little girl and it's the sweetest thing to watch!  He is such a great papa and I'm so proud of him!

Couldn't love these two people in my life more!!!

Wednesday Happenings

Can't believe this little peanut is going on 9 months in just a few short weeks!!!  It will be her 1st birthday before I know it.  Sad to think that I need to start planning for it soon.  

Evelyn and I are going to be spending many hot summer days at the pool together.  An extra little perk of the club I belong to is that it already includes our pool pass so we are ready to go!  I've had her swimsuit ready to go since March and so the minute the weather was right, I took her for a short swim and she loved it.  I think we have a little fish on our hands!  It was adorable, she was clapping, smiling and giggling at all the other children in the pool.  Our little social butterfly!

This little girl just loves to eat!  I think she would probably eat just about anything I'd be willing to give her, or anything she is fast enough to grab straight out of my hands. (including a cake pop, that stinker baby =)  But for now, she enjoys squash, sweet potatoes, avocados and her all organic happy yogis, yogurt puffs and gentle teething wafers! Okay, okay, so we have lots of fun in Target and Whole Foods finding fun baby snacks =)  She still nurses like a little champ, which I love!!!  I think I will cry the day she decides to give this up.  I don't think I will ever be ready for that day to come. 

Funny how when you have a baby, your budgeting and expenses totally change to accommodate the diapers, wipes, snacks, sippy cups, baby gear and clothes!  Good thing I have more fun buying things for Evelyn than I do for myself.  

Speaking of self, a new mom-self, this was the first Spring ever that I made the effort (and it really didn't take much at all, seriously) to put together a capsule wardrobe.  I've been curious about these capsule wardrobes that people keep posting about.  I think I always thought they were more of a hassle to put together than they really are.  Here I thought I would have to go out and buy an entire matching wardrobe, but thanks to fitting back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, it wasn't half bad.  I emptied everything else out of the draws and closet and let me tell you, life is SOOO much easier!  I did throw in two new easy mix-match shorts and shirts combos.  A black pair of birkenstocks and bright yellow but still post-partum accommodating swimsuit and the wardrobe was complete!!!

I would definitely rather have a few quality pieces that I LOVE and wear every day than a bunch of things I'm not really a fan of and have a hard time putting together. 

Have you tried a capsule wardrobe?  What do you think?  

Did it free you up to focus on other things?

I'd love to know your thoughts!!

A Currently AND Throw Back Thursday

3 Generations waiting for the 4th one to be born!!!

Holy cow wow!!!
  I just came across this picture sitting in a draft that I never got round to typing.
This seems like forever ago and yet just yesterday all at the same time!

Now my sweet little Evelyn is finally here and growing up soooo fast.   In just a few short days she will be 7 months old....whhhaaa?!?!?  How is time flying by so quickly?  I love that my little girl shares both her great grandmother's first name and her grandmother's middle name.  Funny to look up at this picture and "see" three ladies with the name Lois, I LOVE it!!

A little Currently update for you:

Sipping: a homemade peppermint latte.   I've been terrible about drinking way too much coffee these days!  I wish I could drink it just like water.  On this note, I'm contemplating buying an actual coffee pot.  Can you believe I don't own one?!?

Wearing: a new J.Crew scent that I instantly fell in love with and trust me, that never happens.  I love that "57" comes in a little roll on bottle that I can carry around with me in my purse, so handy.

Purging:  pretty much everything that isn't quite necessary.  I LOVE to purge!  Could be an addictive hobby of mine =)

Sleeping: oh so well.  I'm definitely grateful for a baby that sleeps like a champ.  For a stint I was doing great at getting up an hour/hours before anyone else and hitting up the gym, but this past week for some reason has been tough.  Must be the grey weather. 

Buying:  all toys wooden.  There's nothing quite like a unique quality wooden toy made in the USA.

Writing:  hand written notes to friends and family because it really does feel good to do something productive other than laundry.  There will always be cleaning and sometimes it's hard for me to let the dirt go and focus on other things.

Trying: to hold on tight to my baby girl.  I look at her sweet face and think about the day when she won't be so little anymore.  I want to soak up every minute she is a baby and willing to let her mother hold and snuggle her. 

Creating: a capsule wardrobe because a mama needs it easy and simple.

Enjoying:  gym time.  It feels so incredible to run and sweat and detox the body.  I've realized that it's not only great for the body, but also mentally clarifying.  Now that all my baby weight is gone ( and that was no small sweat :) I'm closer to my ultimate summer goal.  I have my motivation though.

Eating:  one new recipe a week.  It's been a goal and a very wonderful goal at that.  Just recently I was shopping at Whole Foods and put together the most amazing curry chicken recipe ever.  A new addiction.  Lately I've been trying to buy more items that are organic and just buying less of them.  Except, I don't know what happened with my sweet tooth this past week, it went all haywire and nuts!!!  I've got to be better about this :)

Needing:  a girls day out with my mom and sisters.  Life is so busy, it's hard to find time to just enjoy an entire day together.  Maybe when this weather gets a tad nicer!

Listening:  to a new favorite song, My Heart is Open by Maroon 5 (feat. Gwen Stefani) love love love.

But then again, I love Adam Levine.  Yes, I'm a big fan of The Voice and felt bad for Adam when people weren't picking him. 

Hoping:  to get back into blogging a little bit more.  I'm on a mission to figure out how to put together a collage of all my favorite baby items!!!  I have sooo many!

Following:  a new wonderful blog by..... MY VERY OWN MOM!!!!!  So proud of her that she finally started one.  She has been wanting to for a long time now.  She is an amazing and very gifted writer.  Go check her out HERE.

Have a very Blessed Easter Everyone!!!

xoxoxo,  Maggie

Our New Routine

It's been a good 3 months since this new mama set her foot in blogland, and I couldn't have been happier with the little hiatus.   It's quite refreshing, really.  

Sometimes it's nice to step away from the screen and refocus oneself.

These past three months I've given all my time, love and attention to my little one, my husband and even myself and it's felt pretty darn great!!!  Now it seems time to put a little focus on blogging again.  So here I am with a little update on how our days go by!  And if anyone has figured out how to slow down time, please past the know-how along, because somehow, even with nursing and changing diapers all day, these days seem to fly by way too fast!!!

After having a baby there came a point when I had to firmly decide it was time to stop (or at least strongly limit ;) enjoying ALL the sugar and ALL the carbs I wanted because heck, since I had to give them up for SOOOO many months while I was pregnant, it was time to make up for past sacrifices.  While the eating cycle can go downhill during those times when I eat whatever I want and however much I want, I definitely prefer those times when I'm on a motivated cycle of being super disciplined, healthy and active.  

About two months back, I joined an amazing cardio kickboxing class that my husband teaches!  It was a great start to getting back on track and losing lots of baby weight.  Last month, I took the next plunge. I joined a health club AND signed up with a Pilates Reformer trainer.  

Now these days I've already hit up the gym before my husband and baby are even awake!  My husband couldn't be sweeter or more encouraging and so I continue to go.

The other amazing thing about the gym is family swim time!!!  We are definitely looking forward to swimming together.  Evelyn LOVES the water and so this will be another great way for us to bond and relax on Sundays as a family :)  Oh and Pilates Reformer?!?!  I'm hooked.  It's amazing and I wish I could do it twice a week.

Best part about working out several times a week is all the energy it gives me to play with this little baby!!!

 We then spend the next hour or two playing together, singing songs, dancing and reading books.  Funny to see what activities makes a baby so sleepy!

 And then if I'm lucky, little Evie falls asleep in my arms.  Usually she prefers to be laid down in her crib or on my bed for her morning nap.  I turn on her soothing white noise and she is down for 1-2 (sometimes 3 if we are all extra lucky) hrs. That's my chance to do EVERYTHING!!!!  It's like telling yourself "on your mark, get set, GOOOO"

Amazing how quickly you can get laundry, cleaning and cooking done when you have to be focused.

 Then after morning nap time, Evelyn cooks with me and we play toys again!

Daddy comes home for lunch and we enjoy quality time together.

And that in a nutshell is our "new" morning routine and I couldn't love it more!!!

I love being a mommy.  I love and enjoy all the new challenges that come along with being a mom.  I guess I've never really seen being a mommy as a challenge, personally, but rather as an opportunity to juggle new adventures.  Yes, it can be tiring some days and yes, I only have one child so far, but I've learned to do some things at a much slower pace and I'm okay with that.  Many times, it just takes a new and fresh perspective, or a more positive outlook on just what kind of mission I'm on.  

I'm on a mission to be there for this little human being.  A person totally dependent on her mother for love, for food, for comfort, for acknowledgement, for bonding time, for every little need she has.  I want her to know how much I love her and love being there for her every second of every day!!!  I want Evelyn to know how much her mom loves motherhood and loves being her mama!

If I can do that, then it's a good, good day, no matter our routine!

Motherhood Moments

Being a mom is one of the greatest gifts God has blessed me with. 

 Try as I may, I never could imagine what it would be like to be a mom until that day, the day I will never forget, when my little sweet pea Evelyn Lois was born.  

When she came along, my life changed forever!  My heart bursts every morning when I wake up to this precious face.  I still can't believe that I get to be her mother and take care of her every day.  Never has there been a moment when I've been holding or nursing this babe of mine that I wished I was doing anything else.  In these two and a half short months, I have had some time to reflect on these glorious days of being a new mommy and wanted to document some thoughts about motherhood, sharing them with you.  

Being a nursing mom, I've craved water like never before!  It hits, just like that....boom, I need to drink an ocean full of water.  Where was this craving when I needed it during pregnancy?!?! OH, that's right, my bladder has room again ;)  Drink tons of water, then drink some more!

Even if there isn't time for a full on shower, days are looking good if mom gets in a quick body shower and some makeup.  In fact, I recommend it, especially putting on some makeup, it makes you feel a bit more put together, even if the sink full of dishes says otherwise.  

Now I understand what "three day old" hair means and understand how and why it happens, it just does.  Those are the days we wear perfume and don't hug people.  Real life folks!

Staying in bed and snuggling with baby till 11am is the best kind of day.  There will perpetually be housecleaning, cooking or errands to run.  When Evelyn is grown I know I won't be wishing I spent more time cleaning while my baby was in a swing, just craving her mother's touch.   

When I do run errands, we go at Evelyn's pace, meaning we nurse in the car in random parking lots as well as in any available dressing room or ladies lounge, then we do the shopping.

When Evelyn is in the mood for a nice nap, I run at lightning speed and empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, grab a cheese stick or make a sandwich, clean the bathroom with a few quick swipes of whatever dirty clothes lay on the ground ( just kidding :)  write thank you notes, make the bed, take out the trash, vacuum, drink some more coffee, answer e-mails, think about dinner and only get as far as pulling the pan out to cook when its time to snuggle my waking babe again.  The minute she wakes, I immediately drop whatever I'm doing and hold my little love.  Then we nurse the rest of the day on demand, another reason this pumpkin has never had the need to cry.

Then we snuggle, snuggle and snuggle some more!  Guess who's in my lap right now? Never knew how "easy" it was to blog one handed....not too bad eh?

Speaking of blogging, when you have a newborn or children, give yourself a long break from blogging, it's a really healthy thing to do.  It's helped me to refocus and put my focus on better priorities.

Our best days are when we hold up at home and aren't on the go.  Evelyn seems to be a baby that likes routine.  At nighttime she falls asleep for the evening around 9:30pm.  In the middle of the night when Evelyn wakes to eat, I turn on the light as dim as possible and refrain from talking.  I think that this has helped immensely with her knowing that nighttime is for sleeping.  On average she sleeps a good 11-12 hours a night with one to two feedings in-between.  

Also, whenever I snuggle this little love, I try and cherish the moment as much as possible, not thinking about the million other things that could be done or need to be done.  They can wait, while this moment  won't.

Think this mama has had plenty of time to contemplate lately? Thank you iphone notepad for temporarily holding a mom's many thoughts!!!

A giveaway to celebrate week 39!!!!

Here we are, at week 39!!!  I can almost feel the ribbon at the end of the finish line.  Hallelujah!!!  Any day now, we will meet our sweet baby girl.  Of course, at this point, "labor day" can't come soon enough =) We are trying really hard to be patient.  In the mean time, there are still things to do that keep my mind off of the long wait. Soooo, let's have a fun giveaway to keep this mama busy!  This giveaway is sponsored by ASOS Maternity Line!!!
I was contacted by ASOS this summer and they asked me to review their maternity line.  Being a first time mom, I was thrilled to try a new line of maternity clothing.   I picked out these two shirts and love them!  The quality of their maternity clothing is SO good that after this baby comes, I plan on sharing these shirts with a good friend due in December.  The material is very soft and I'm loving the longer sleeves!   In browsing through their maternity line, I did get side tracked with all of the other products ASOS has to offer =)  Two things I couldn't resist picking up was their eiffel tower jewelry tray and a beautiful necklace, both of which I'm giving away to one lucky reader!!!!  This way, both my pregnant and non-pregnant friends can enjoy this fun giveaway!!!

Good luck =)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Baby Girl's Nursery

    Our baby girl's nursery is all set for her to arrive! Even though she won't be in this room until she is a bit older, I still wanted everything ready and waiting.  Working on the nursery wasn't something I wanted to be doing once the baby came.  It is by far my favorite room in the whole house and I find myself time and again just sitting in her room or rocking in her rocking chair as we wait patiently for her to arrive.   Besides a few small items and the wonderful glider from my hubby, everything in the baby's room has been gifted to us!   I did add the bookcase and side table to pull everything together and I couldn't be more happy with how soothing the room turned out.   We kept the room as neutral as possible with the cream walls and accents of grey so that the room could also be easily set up for a baby boy one day.  It was fun adding hints of pastel pink throughout the room and that made the room plenty sweet for a baby girl!!!  Here is how her nursery has turned out since our baby shower last week:

 If you want to see an adorable baby boy nursery, head over to my good friend Tina's Blog!  We are due two days apart and have enjoyed sharing conversations back and forth throughout our entire pregnancies.  We are still waiting for the BIG text saying one of us is finally in labor!!!! =)

So, so soon!!!!

Counting Down the Days!

I married a romantic!

Walking around Irish Fest is a great workout!

We are counting down the days, literally days, no longer months!  Hallelujah. 26 days give or take.

Boy (I mean Girl), looking back, these 8 months have felt like a really long time.  I feel like I've been pregnant forever and ever.  Good thing I love being pregnant!!!  Still, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel feels a-m-a-z-i-n-g. 

Little baby girl's great grandmother came over yesterday afternoon to take a peek at her nursery.  I love sharing all of this baby joy with my grandmother.  It's sooooo much fun!!!  We both love getting all giddy and excited about things like this.  She still talks about the day I was born and how she took my sister to the park and when they came back home I was already born!

Two nights ago Charles offered to pick up all the remaining items we needed for our little girl's birth.  What a sweetheart he is!  Fully confident he would find all the items I placed in my text request, I still decided to "pop-in" and see how his shopping was going!  I found him in the movie aisle, with two different mattress pads in hand.  Gotta balance that purchase out you know =)  We finished the shopping together as I waddled through the store very slowly.  Never know when it will be my last time in the store.

At this point, I probably only have two or three shirts that technically "fit" and the rest, well the rest just get stretched over this big huge belly taking full advantage of meaning"stretch" material!!

My grandma keeps saying it makes her nervous that I'm out and about shopping and driving and that she feels the need to carry a basket around, just in case!  She cracks me up.  I think she forgets how Irish I am and that it takes a lot to stop me.   Speaking of stopping me, there I was yesterday evening, attempting a last minute grocery run so that I could make my hubby something good to eat.  He is the sweetest, kindest, most easy going guy in the world.   He could care less if I fed him cereal for dinner, but feeding him cereal has never made me feel like a good wife.  So, what does determination and motivation do to a pregnant lady???  It drives me to attempt not one, but two home cooked meals AND baking home made cookies all in the same evening!  Aside from the shattered jar from one end of the house to the other, everything worked out in the end and Charlie was an extra happy camper when he got home! A fancy taco feast for dinner last night and yummy Fall stew for lunch today.

Speaking of Fall, I cannot wait for Pumpkin spiced lattes.  Supposedly they come out September 2nd, not that I asked or anything :)  And not wanting to do anything besides hold and stare at a baby all day come mid September, I decided to put our Fall pillows and candles out last week.  Maybe a little premature, but at least it's done and I don't have to think about it.   

The nesting continues on, some days stronger than others.  Just this past Tuesday, there I was on my hands and knees scrubbing bathroom floors.  Boy did it feel good, at the time anyways.  The next day, my lower back did NOT thank me!  On Thursday the chiropractor said it perfectly, "well, you're well adjusted up-top which means emotionally, you got a lot of satisfaction out of scrubbing the floors, but your lower back, your lower back is all out of whack and does not thank you for pushing it past it's limit!"  Ha, ha, ha oh well, we've been adjusted and are back to normal now!

Little girl has been moving around quite a bit these days.  Several times a day I will see and feel her little leg poking out from the side of my tummy!!!  It's the cutest thing EVER!!!  

Get here already little girl!!!!  We are ready for you :)

Dear Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl, 

Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more ready or more excited to meet you!!! Your mommy has been falling asleep with happy tears in her eyes because she is getting overwhelmed with the emotion of how close your birth is.  Only 4 more weeks little one!

You are more active than ever these days and the two times you enjoyed steak this week, you went nuts.  I think I know what your favorite food is :)  We've been beefing up the protein, salad and fruit intake and cutting out all carbs and sugars which has been good because mom's lost weight and the doctor's been happy.  Win-win!

Just this past Friday your sweet daddy picked up your glorious glider and ottoman so mommy could keep rocking you in the mornings upstairs in your nursery!  I have to admit, your papa looks like a pro when he sits in it and he literally squeals out of joy and excitement when he thinks of you being on his shoulder or in his arms!!!  With a glider in your room and one downstairs, you've been getting rocked twice a day.  Here's to hoping you're a baby who LOVES being rocked instead of walked!!!  I know it works for some babies, but not all.  Let's keep our fingers crossed for mom and dad's sake, okay?

Your mom has been reading Well Adjusted Babies when she can't fall asleep at night and has been prepping for these last few weeks.  Last night was our first cup of Raspberry Leaf tea to help strengthen the uterus for birth and post birth.  Our friends swear by its magical powers!

Now that your nursery is all complete and set up, clothes washed and in drawers, I guess it's time to check off the last items on our birthing list.  Mom has the towels all washed for the birth, but she still has to pick up a water proof mattress pad and some safety pins at the store.....those last loose ends.

Last night daddy surprised mommy with a few boxes of Tucks.  It's hilarious how things like that seriously become sweet gestures of thoughtfulness when you become parents =)  

Speaking of the really romantic thoughtful, your daddy is one of the most thoughtful guys I know!  Your papa sent surprise flowers last week with a note about how excited he was that we were counting down from the one month mark!!!!!!!!! Can't tell you enough how much that encouraged and motivated me to think "we can do this!!!!" We both seriously can't wait to meet you sweet baby girl.  We are guessing the time what you will look like.....will you have hair, will it be blonde or black, how much will you end up weighing, will you come on time, late or even, of all shocking things, early?

Your mama is super excited to celebrate your life this weekend with friends and family!  Both grandmas and both great grandmas will be at your shower.  How fun is that, little one?!?! 

Up until this point, you've really let your mama sleep pretty well through the night, but all within the matter of a week, that has completely changed.  Now you keep me up on and off all night.  Things are starting to get pretty heavy and uncomfortable, which is probably a good thing because it just means we are getting closer.  If we don't think in the positive, we'll moan in discomfort.

Fall is slowly creeping into the air and daddy has brought in a handful of yellow leaves.  This makes us soooo happy because it reminds us that we are closer to meeting you!!!!  We can't wait for you to come so we can keep you outdoors enjoying the Fall weather.  Taking you to the cabin, the apple orchard, the pumpkin patch and traditional Fall festivals are on our top priority list for after you arrive, so hurry on out here little one!

Mom is definitely going to miss being pregnant with you, but she is even more excited to finally hold you in her arms all day and all night.  Seeing daddy hold you for the very first time is going to be magical, just like watching daddy's face as mom walked down the aisle at church :) nothing else like it. 

We love you, love you, love you, sweet little babe!!!! 

See you ever SO soon our little girl!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy