Apple Picking

Last Saturday was such a perfect day.  Chris, Addilyn and I ran a few errands and had breakfast at Panera.  I went to yoga and came home and Addi was napping, so I watched tv and took a mini nap. Then we went apple picking with our good friends and went to their house for tacos and apple pie after.  It was just perfect and I'd happily relive it every weekend.  

One of Addilyn's favorite foods is apples and she was in heaven.  Picking up an apple, eating a few bites, then finding a new one.  She loved the hayride to the orchard and loved finding and picking apples.  And of course loved the apple cider and donuts, which is always my favorite part.  She kept saying "We're going apple pie picking!"

This is her saying "cool dude."  Also I'm pretty sure my favorite maternity outfit will be leggings, a long tank top and cardigan.  This one is from JCPenney and I love it!  So thankful for weekends together as a family and love doing new things like this with Addi.

Pink Blush

top: c/o pink blush  leggings: gap maternity  scarf: world market  boots: ?

I'm excited for this post because this store has become one of my favorite stores.  It's funny because when I was pregnant with Addilyn I bought a lot of maternity clothes and at the end of my pregnancy I said if I got pregnant again I wouldn't buy any more maternity clothes.  Yea, so I was very wrong about that.  With Addilyn I was teaching and wore dressier clothes most of the time, and the season I was pregnant was different, as well as my style has changed this time around too.  But when buying new clothes I wanted them to be first of all comfortable, good quality and clothes that I could even wear for awhile (or forever) after I was pregnant.  Especially dresses and tops.  I mean, baggy and comfy are my two main requirements pregnant or not! 

Before I worked with Pink Blush for this post, I had ordered from them two times the month before. They always have amazing sales, free shipping and free shipping for exchanges, which I ended up doing.  They were great to work with for that order, as well as when I worked with them for this post. I bought these items and each one was under $15, with free shipping.  

I love them all and I'm pretty sure I'll wear all of them after this pregnancy.  That's acceptable if they are really cute right?

 sweater: c/o pink blush 

I picked out this sweater and I love it.  It is so comfortable and I love the zippers at the bottom.  It is perfect with leggings, but as my belly grows and it gets shorter I think it will look great with jeans. 

 baseball tee: c/o pink blush 

Notice the Little Mermaid? Addilyn had to make sure she got in the picture.  A maternity baseball tee has been on my pregnant wish list since I was pregnant with Addilyn, so I was excited when I got to pick this one!  I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be more of a shirt, but is long enough to be a dress on me.  Which makes it perfect for leggings, boots and a scarf this Fall and Winter.  

jeans: c/o  pink blush   sweater & boots: target
I was a little nervous to order jeans, as I never do online since sizes are always so different. But I knew their return policy was really easy so I figured if I had to exchange them it wouldn't be a big deal.  Thankfully they fit great, minus being a little long, which is always my problem.  I think I may cut the ends off and hem them so I don't have to roll them so many times!  They are full panel, which is my favorite as this belly grows.  
Pink Blush also has a non-maternity shop with pieces just as cute.  Both sites always have flash sales and deals of the day, with free shipping always.  I may check their sites many times a week and have had to restrain myself from ordering more.  I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a dress or two for our maternity pictures when that time comes!  Thank you so much Pink Blush!  I love my new clothes and may already have some more sitting in my cart waiting for me to buy them!
(Make sure to follow them on instagram to keep up with their sales and specials!)

Weeks 15 & 16

I'm actually 17 weeks this week, but keeping up by the week is not happening, so catch up it is!  I've been feeling a little better the last two weeks.  Maybe throwing up a few times a week, as oppose to multiple times a day.  I still feel pretty tired and am waiting for that second trimester energy to come! In the mornings I often feel like I'm going to be good for the day, then come Addilyn's nap time and I feel exhausted.  I definitely can't sleep on my stomach any more, so getting comfortable at night is a challenge.  I wake up at least a few times to go to the bathroom and often feel nauseous when I wake up so it takes a little while to fall back to sleep. 
My belly is definitely growing and I shouldn't be surprised, as everyone says it, but it's crazy how much faster I'm showing than with Addilyn.  It's funny because depending on what I'm wearing I feel like while I look pregnant no matter what, the size of my belly seems to differ a lot.  It's definitely bigger by the end of the day too. 
I already feel like my belly is so high.  Up until the day she was born my belly was high and I felt like it was overtaking my ribs and chest.  I never "dropped" and I feel like I'm going to be in the same boat this time.  It scares me a little that I already feel like I don't have a ton of space between my boobs and belly!  
I haven't felt any kicks yet, and I'm feeling anxious to.  I felt Addilyn move around at 16 weeks, and while not consistently even Chris could feel it that early.  So while I know it's normal to not feel your baby this early, I thought I would by now and am anxious for it to happen!
I've been making plans for the baby's room, but they are mostly all still in my head. We have a lot of moving around and organizing to do to make room for stuff from upstairs and into the basement before we can even think about making it a nursery.  I have a good idea of what I want it to look like, boy or girl, but finding out what we're having will make it way more exciting.  My 20 week ultrasound is October 15th and I can't wait.  
I'm sure I could say this every time, but I still have many days where I just can't believe that I am pregnant.  I feel so so thankful for this baby, and don't ever want to forget what a miracle it is! 

26 months and my favorite age so far

There are so many things that are so different in each stage of Addilyn's life so far, which makes it hard to compare.  There have been things I've loved about each of them, but I think we are currently in my favorite stage.  While we are not free from some fits, time outs and lots of learning how to handle our emotions, it's been filled with way more enjoyable things than difficult.  
Addilyn is so vocal, funny, affectionate, a little more independent, and overall pleasant to be around.  She's still clinging and needy, and I know come March that will have to change, but for now we manage it fine. We are currently in a good phase of sleep and naps, which I fully appreciate as I know things change quickly, but I love our current schedule.  She goes to bed around 7:30, wakes up between 6 and 6:30 and takes a two to two and half hour nap around 12.  No complaining here! 
She'll sit on my lap in the mornings and after her nap and watch tv for awhile.  Which these days is Daniel Tiger every single time.  We run errands together, and while she doesn't sit still in the cart, she'll usually do a decent job staying close to me, and while it's tiring, we have more successful trips than not.  We've started Bible Study and MOPs, and have only gone to one of each.  Bible Study went great, MOPs not so much, but we've made such huge progress with her in childcare that it's been nice to have a little reprieve from anxiety in that area and I'm hoping it continues to improve and is good for both of us this year. 
She's obsessed with brushing her teeth and will stand at the sick using water and toothpaste for twenty minutes if I let her.  She has become a better eater and would eat shredded wheat for every meal if we let her.  Although I'm sure candy would still win at her favorite food.  She can be quite dramatic with her words and often says things "Mama, I need you forever and ever!" or "My lamby is lost forever!"  
She can tell you that "A-d-d-i" spells Addi and when you ask her what road she lives on she'll say "Dowell Road" with the cutest little puckered lips when she says road.  She thinks any candle is for celebrating her birthday and loves retelling what she did during the day.  Talking with her hands, and listing off things she did (or didn't do).  
Here's a few funny things she's said lately:
We were about to go down to the basement and she closed the gate so Molly couldn't come in and said "No Molly you stay up here.  I need my space!" 
At dinner the other night she said "Can I have a sip of your water Katie?"  Then looked kind of shocked that she called me Katie and started laughing saying "I just called your Katie?!" 
I was telling Addi about how she gets to go to a new class tomorrow (MOPs) and she said "um . . . I'll just go in a few weeks instead." 
Chris said I love you to Addi and she said "No.  I love mama."  I said "remember you can love a lot of people," and she said "Oh yeah! I love Lena and Aunt Lauren and Grandpa too!" 
Her and Chris were coming home from picking up Subway and he said we're bringing mama a sandwich and she said "yeah, she's a nice mama." 
I know things change so fast with toddlers, and motherhood in general.  Which is a good reminder that when things are hard, they can change so quickly.  And then when things are good, you should appreciate the moments and be grateful.  So right now I am feeling grateful for this phase! 

Addilyn Jane I think you are just the best! Thank you for being sweet, and funny and for taking good naps! :)  You make me so happy, and I am thankful I get to spend my days with you and am going to cherish the next many months of time with just the two of us! 

$5 Booties

dress: old navy   booties: old navy 
Last week I went to Old Navy and got super lucky.  I found these booties for less than $5 and I love them.  They now beat my favorite $8 booties from Target.  They are super comfortable and now I love wearing booties with dresses and jeans, so I know that I will wear them a ton!  I also got this dress for $15 and it is so comfy.  I'm sure I'll wear it with leggings this winter, as it is super flowy and will hopefully fit this growing belly for a long time!  Hooray for $20 outfits!