Halloween 2016

Happy Halloween y’all! If we’ve been friends for a while, you know I LOVE DRESSING UP but this year, I opted to put all of my energy into Felix’s costume. Rookie mom mistake!?! Five (plus) hours of work for five minutes worth of photos, but at least we got those, right? 

For a month or so in advance I asked Felix what he’d like to be for Halloween. A monkey? An astronaut? Thomas the Train? Every time he’d proudly say “FELIX!” so that left the decision up to me. I enjoy making costumes myself, so I took on the challenge of our favorite really useful little engine.

I’ll be honest - I approached this one far too literally and gave myself a lot of stress over it.  There are some moms who did amazing jobs on Thomas costumes I found online. I like my version, but once I decided to just go for the look and feel of the character, I had much more fun putting him together. And that’s what Halloween is really about to me anyway! Just embracing the spirit of the character without pressure to be exact. And he’s two, so he got the picture! 

Here’s the breakdown: Thomas just a couple cardboard boxes, poster board, a hat box lid, craft paper and paint and some red duct tape. And a bucket load of hot glue. I actually made him in our cabin while on our vacation in the woods!

Underneath he kinda/sorta looks like a train conductor, using stuff we had around the house - a striped tee shirt, khaki pants, a red bandana and a whistle (which he really loved tooting!!)

I wanted to match my look (when don’t I want to match!?) so I went for an easy peasy Rosie the Riveter (see my non maternity version here). All it takes is a denim/chambray top and bottom and a red head scarf. Check check check. 

We won’t be trick or treating tonight, but we did take Felix to our city’s downtown Trick or Treat on Friday night (minus our cardboard Thomas). We stopped by half a dozen local businesses handing out candy, decided it was too wild for us (I hate crowds) and went to celebrate our favorite day of the week (Fry-Day) with a dinner out.

What I Wore | New England Vibes

WhatIWore: Here’s what I wore yesterday to my OB appointment. Last time I told you that I tried to wear roughly the same thing each time, but this morning I was just too chilly and just wanted to layer up. See also: we took these photos after the appointment in the parking lot, so I didn’t realize my boot was zipped weird. Oh well - you get the picture, right?

When: October 27, 2016

What:
Shades: Karen Walker
Scarf: Vintage
Sweater: Motherhood Maternity
Blazer: J.Crew
Jeans: Jeans: AG ‘Stilt’, (regular sizes here)
Boots: UGG Australia

Where: Doctor’s Appointment, Coffee Shop

See also: Another way I’ve styled this blazer here (and an inspiration board here)

Honestly all that’s on my mind right now is what I discussed with my doctor (nothing bad… just a change in plans) so I’m going to leave the writing short today. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and a Happy Halloween! Let’s see if Felix will even entertain the idea of putting on the costume I spent 10 hours on (rookie mom mistake???)

What I Wore | Like a Cloud

WhatIWore: One of the big benefits to documenting my daily outfit for the past 9.5+ years is easy access to hundreds of ideas on days when I’m not sure what to wear. This outfit is a good example! I had forgotten about the combo, but saw it pop up on Pinterest recently! In fact, I actually wore it a year ago yesterday. Luckily the tops work with the baby bump and I’ve just switched out to maternity jeans. Equally lucky - this poncho style sweater is still in stock!! 

When: October 26, 2016

What:
Shades: Karen Walker
Turtleneck: J.Crew
Poncho Sweater: ModCloth
Jeans: AG, a gift of A Pea in the Pod (regular sizes here)
Boots: Frye (older style)

Where: Coffee Shop

Pregnancy Update | Second Trimester

I’ve just passed over into the final stage of pregnancy, so it’s time to recap my second trimester!

It’s gonna be a quick post! For the most part, it has been far easier than the rest of either of my pregnancies. I finally get it when women say they like being pregnant, because I’ve felt that way lately! That said, I’ve dealt with some bumps in the road and at times, they were either emotionally or physically painful.

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Perinatal Depression I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’m a women prone to depression, especially when there are big hormonal changes in my body. I’ve had about half a dozen days of tears and wanting to stay in bed feeling really really bad about myself and the world around me. I won’t diminish it and say that everyone feels that way sometimes, because when you’re in that place, it’s like a living hell that feels very real. I wrote a little bit about it here while I was getting through it. 

I’ve also been able to see a connection between stress and sleep deprivation with mood changes, so together with my husband, we’ve been working to make sure to minimize both of those. I’ve decided not to use medication while pregnant, but will re-evaluate after birth. To be the best mom (woman/human being/etc), I need to take care of myself not only physically, but emotionally. Luckily it’s been just days (not weeks), but if it had been, I was prepared to seek additional treatment (as I would urge anyone to do if they have feelings of depression or anxiety. You are not alone!)

SPD (or Symphysis Pubic Disfunction) Sounds bad, huh? Basically, it’s a side effect of the relaxin in your body loosening your pelvis to prepare for birth. Here’s a better description. 

In hindsight, I realize I had this to the extreme with Felix (I could barely walk!) but this time around it’s been a lot less severe. Usually if I sleep wrong or have been on a long walk or sitting weird it flares up. Or when I’m balancing on one leg while getting dressed. I do some stretches to help out and the pain is less than a 1, so I’m just dealing with it! 

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That’s really it! I have some mild insomnia and am getting winded during light physical exercise, but that’s to be expected! This baby is incredibly active so the movement has been equally exciting and overwhelming at times. She’s doing jazz hands and high kicks in there all at once! It’s a nice outward signal that things are going well and reminds me what kind of crazy miracle is happening inside my own body. THERE ARE TWO HEARTS BEATING INSIDE ME! Isn’t that wild? 

All in all, things are great. We’re excited to meet our little girl and start life as a family of four. Speaking of, we anticipate a bit of jealousy with the new arrival, but we’ve been preparing Felix in little ways. He was so gentle and patient with his younger cousin last week and that made us all more confident in the transition. I showed him some of his own baby pictures yesterday and he pointed to the screen and asked me “baby sister?” This mama’s heart = melted. Only ten and a half weeks to go! 

You Might Also Like… my First Trimester Recap here.