Zebra Tee

So here's an outfit that I wore about a month ago.  If I remember correctly, Mr. Baby and I had lunch with John, and then walked around the mall a little bit before going to a doctor's appointment.  But then we were getting onto the elevator for the doctor's office, and they called to cancel, because the doctor had to go deliver a baby.  But then I went up to the office to reschedule, and they said that the doctor actually had time to see me before she left.  So I felt a little awkward because I was worried about the woman who needed to give birth!  But I assume the doctor was being responsible with her time, right?

These are the boring OB visits.  I know baby is fine because he's kicking me all the time, so hearing the heartbeat isn't as important to me as it was during those earlier visits.  It's mostly just "how are you?"  "more uncomfortable than last appt."  "Okay, sounds about right! See you in a few weeks!"

Cardigan: ON
Tee: Everly Gray via Bella Gravida
Jeans: ON Maternity
Shoes: Target

Red dress

I'm a good 5 or so weeks behind on outfit posts, but I'm going to try to post them somewhat in order.  This was from late March.  I think I just wore it to run a few errands with Mr. Baby and meet John for lunch.  This is my $4 dress from Gap.  I'm sure it's not the most flattering, but it is comfortable, and sometimes that's all you need as a pregnant lady!  

Jacket: JCF

Dress: Gap

Shoes: Target

Oh Hey There

One minute I'm ranting about elevators, and the next I disappear.  Sorry to anyone who was worried the elevator trolls got to me.  I'm safe and sound, I promise. 

Life has just been busy lately, and when I have any free time, I'm tired.  No idea why!  It might be the fact that my body is building a human right now.  But I'm not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. 

Anyway, this outfit is from a few weeks ago, when it was still tights weather.  I think we are safely out of that now.  I'm excited for warm weather, but am also nervous about being pregnant in the hot months of summer.  I'm trying to enjoy my ankles while I have them. 

Cardigan: JCF

Tee: ON Maternity

Skirt: Bella Gravida

Boots: Madden

Doctors and Duck Ponds

I wore this a couple weeks ago for my big exciting ultrasound.  John and Mr. Baby came with, and then they went and ate lunch at the duck pond nearby while I had my appointment.  And then I got lunch and found them.  Incidentally, these shoes are not that comfortable for walking around a duck pond.  

Ultrasounds are so weird and so incredible.  We got to see Baby2 doing all his crazy moves, and he stubbornly kept his legs in front of his face so our 3D face  pictures look like he has toes growing out of his forehead.  The tech assured us he doesn't. 

FYI, I won't be posting any ultrasound pics.  I guess I just feel like photos taken of the inside of me shouldn't be on the Internet.  Even though u/s pics pretty much all look the same!  

Jacket: JCF

Tank: ON maternity

Skirt:   Via Bella Gravida

Shoes: ON

Third Thursday Blushing

It's the Third Thursday of the month, so that means I'm linking up with Bri.  The theme for February is blush.  I don't have anything in this color, mostly because it would match my skin and wash me out.  So I grabbed my palest pink item: this necklace.  

I wore it on Valentine's Day, so decided to be as cliché as possible and wear read and pink.  Mr. Baby was still not feeling the best, so John stayed home with him and I went to church by myself.  Which is why i could wear a necklace and my hairdown.  When I got home, Mr. Baby immediately achieved a death grip on the necklace and was heartbroken when I wouldn't let him play with it.  Choking hazard, buddy!!

Anyway, that's my story.  And I'm happy to report the temps are finally rising, so we may not have snow on the deck for much longer.  You know, until the inevitable March snow storm.  

Necklace: h&m

Dress: Limited

Cardigan: Old Navy

Belt: Chinese Laundry

Boots: Madden

Dog Sweater

A few years ago, there was a similar dog sweater at Old Navy that I almost bought.  I think every blogger had it. But it didn't seem like the type of thing I would wear often enough to justify buying.   So I was kind of excited when LeTote sent me this one, but kind of disappointed because I really want the giraffe sweater instead.  Oh well, maybe next tote.  

I wore this for a recent Friday night dinner with my 2 favorite guys.  It was a big moment for Mr. Baby.  First time sitting in a restaurant high chair.  He's growing up too fast!  

Sweater:  LeTote (similar)

Jeans: Old Navy (similar, similar)

Shoes: Old Navy (similar)

Third Friday Whatever

Sometimes you just have to put on a polka dot top, jeans, and colorful shoes and call it a day.  I actually wore this yesterday.  Mr. Baby was napping and I was on the phone with my sister and ironing clothes.  Then he woke up, and John texted me to see if we wanted to meet for lunch.  I'm almost always happy to do lunch, but it was 12:15, and we were both in our pajamas.  I asked if we could do a late lunch, we agreed on 1pm and I took a shower as fast as I can (which isn't very fast).  This was an easy outfit to throw on, and I felt pretty cute in it.  

Yesterday was the Third Thursday, but since no theme was announced, I never thought about it.  Bri announced the them yesterday of "any outfit," so I'll join in with this one.

Also, our backyard has finally gotten the memo that fall is here. Leaves everywhere!

Top: JCF (similar)
Jeans: Loft (exact)
Shoes: Target (similar)
 

That's a Wrap

This is another LeTote item.  I really love wrap dresses, but they don't love me.  I wanted to love this dress, but it just didn't fit my figure right, and it was a few inches shorter than I would like.  I would have been more comfortable in tights, but it wasn't quite cold enough for that.  Speaking of tights, I should really check on my stash and see if I need to buy any in preparation for winter.  

I also realized when we were in the car on the way to church that the little dark accents on the dress are actually navy, not black like I thought.  Good thing they are too small for anyone else to notice, unless I tell you. Why am I telling you?  No one knows.  I also started out the morning with a black cardigan over the dress, but it warmed up and I forgot to put it back on for pictures.  

I should be getting my 3rd box from LeTote in the next day or so.  I requested 3 specific dresses, so I hope they work out.  We have a wedding this weekend and I am planning to wear whichever one I like the best.  Unless I hate all of them, then I will panic and go shopping.  

Necklace: LeTote
Dress: LeTote (exact)
Cami: Gap (similar)
Shoes: Target (exact without captoe)

Accidental Matchers

Mornings have been tricky, because our child is a night owl like me, and then sleeps later in the mornings.  So we hadn't been to morning church in a few weeks.  We finally made it last week, and I accidentally wore a combination of what my two favorite guys were wearing.  In our defense, I was getting dressed while John was getting himself and the baby dressed, so I didn't realize we kind of matched until we were heading out the door, and it was too late to change.  

Church went pretty well.  Baby Smith slept for the beginning of the service and then woke up about halfway through the sermon, so we ducked out.  Then he fell asleep again for Sunday School.  

He's not really into outfit pictures!

Cardigan: JCF 

Dress: banana republic factory

Belt: gap

Sandals: target

Weekend Update

Another weekend is gone, and I'm really starting to feel like time is flying by!  How about a quick weekend update?

Friday after work, John and I went out for dinner and a movie.  The weather was so gorgeous that we sat outside to eat!  I am so terribly excited for warm weather, I don't even care about being a blogging cliche!

On Saturday, I met up with a friend for lunch, and catching up on life.  Then I went to the outdoor mall and did a little shopping.  I didn't buy too much (more on that at the end of the month), but it was so pretty walking around in the sunshine!  And I may have purchased these shoes for the baby, because they were only $4 and I just couldn't help myself.  I was very brave and left behind a very cute baseball cap.

Saturday afternoon/evening, John and I put together the baby cage crib that recently arrived.  Okay, John did all of the assembly, but I helped hold things!  It's pretty cool to see the room coming together.

Sunday was church, lunch, home for a little bit, and then I went over to a friend's house for a few hours in the afternoon.  She's got a 5-month-old who is completely adorable.  So again, it's fun to think about having a little person soon, and sort of shocking how quickly they grow up and change!

Anyway, it was a fun weekend, but I didn't get much accomplished.  I'm quickly running out of weekends, so I guess I need to work on my task lists in the evenings.  Well, not this week.  I have plans almost every evening.  Maybe next weekend will be more productive?

Cardigan: H&M
Necklace: F21
Top: Kohl's Maternity
Jeans: H&M Maternity
Shoes: Target

Matchy Red

Sometimes, it's just fun to be a little matchy.  When I imagined this outfit, I was going to wear black boots, or maybe black flats if the weather was cooperating.  When I was getting dressed, I saw my red shoes and decided they would be a more interesting option.

Scarf: Christopher & Banks
Cardigan: Old Navy
Tee: Loft Maternity
Pants: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target

PMT - Wear Red, Pink, or Purple

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, the challenge this week is to wear red, pink, or purple.  I decided to try the red and pink route again, like I did last year.  First, I pulled out all the red and pink items from my closet and laid them out on my bed to see what tones would look good together, and remind myself of what I even have.  I ended up with this lighter pink skirt that I've been neglecting since the 30X30 got over, and my red polka dot scarf, which I should also wear more often.  A little gray and black helped tone down the obscene Valentinesy vibe, I think.  At least, I hope.

Anyway, I thought it turned out pretty cute, so that's what matters, right?

Jacket: Target
Scarf: Target
Sweater: Gap
Skirt: Loft
Boots: Madden

Happy Post-Christmas Day!

Happy day after Christmas!  I hope everyone had a great day.  If I had to guess, I bet I had a pretty good day.  But I'm writing this a few days early, because we are spending the week in New Mexico, so I don't really know!

I think this is the last time you'll see these jeans for awhile.  The belly band trick just isn't going to cut it anymore.  Hopefully I can fit into them again next fall/winter.  And hopefully red skinny jeans are still acceptable.  Wait, are red skinny jeans even still acceptable now?  I mean, I like them, so I guess I don't really care!

I'll be getting back home this weekend, so hopefully I will be able to share a Christmas week wrapup soon!

Cardigan: H&M (similar)
Top: Target (similar)
Necklace: F21 (similar, similar)
Jeans: Old Navy (similar)
Shoes: Gap factory (similar, similar)

Some Kind of Superhero

Do I look like a cartoon superhero in this outfit?  Because this is what my husband accused me of.  He couldn't think of which cartoon superhero it might be, but maybe something patriotic?  Like maybe a more-clothed version of Wonder Woman?  We may never know.

In addition to the big news that I shared yesterday, you'll notice in today's pictures that I chopped several inches off of my hair!  You may have actually noticed that my hair was shorter in the HFEyewear post, but this is my first official outfit post with short hair.  What happened was I meant to trim about 2 inches off.  But I accidentally cut more like 6.  Oops.  But I actually like it quite a bit, so it all worked out!  Except, I'm still not sure if the one side is a bit longer than the other, or if it just isn't quite as curled.  I'll have to keep an eye on that!

Cardigan: Old Navy (similar)
Top: JCF (exact)
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Graphic Tee Week: Weezer

Another band t-shirt, but I couldn't help myself.  These are absolutely my favorite tees.  It seems like band merchandise has gotten nicer over the years.  My recent concert tees are all super soft cotton, so I love them.  And I mean, this one features a robot in an argyle sweater playing a drum.  What more could you want from a t-shirt??  Maybe a blogger whose hair doesn't cover half of the design?

I went the more casual route with this outfit.  This probably wouldn't fly at most offices, but as I've mentioned before - mine is super casual, unless we have clients visiting, which is pretty rare.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for the grand finale of Graphic Tee week, which also happens to be my 30th birthday!  (send presents)

Tee: concert souvenir (exact)
Jacket: Target (similar)
Jeans: Gap factory (similar)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

A Birthday Party

Several of my friends have birthdays in the coming weeks.  An unreasonable proportion of my college friends have birthdays in the late Sept-early Nov range.  So we always had lots of birthdays to celebrate this time of year.  Over the weekend, one of my friends had a kind of epic 30th birthday.  I skipped the roller skating rink, because I'm clumsy enough on my own..  Strapping wheels to my feet seems like a recipe for disaster.  So J just met up with everyone for dinner, which was at a bar with karaoke.  I wasn't brave enough to participate, but a few friends did and it was awesome.  And then a few strangers sang and it was very bizarre.  There was an eclectic mix of folks at this particular locale.  The best part - my friend gave our favor bags (just like in elementary school) that contained awesome things like slap bracelets and Lisa Frank stickers.  It was like 1993 all over again!  So fun.

Okay, the actual best part was hanging out with friends that I don't get to see very often.  But the favor bag was pretty great.  And I absolutely can't believe we are all turning 30 this year.  I still think of my college friends as "new" friends, but I guess we've known each other for 11+ years now.  Not so new anymore.  Funny how that happens.

Jacket: J.Crew Factory (exact)
Scarf: Target (similar)
Tee: Gap (similar)
Skirt: Gap (exact)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

Currently

Today I'm jumping in on the "Currently" linkup with Anne.  So here's what I'm currently:

Writing:  pretty much just blog posts.

Anticipating: October is birthday month for both me and John, and this is a big year for me as I will hit the big 3-0.

Missing: family that lives far away!  After spending the weekend with my parents, sister and nieces, I just wish I could see them more often.  And of course, I wish I had been able to see my other siblings and nieces/nephews.  (And I wish there was a word to describe all of my siblings' children, without having to say "nieces and nephews" all the time).    

Wearing:  All my summery clothes that will be unwearable in a month or so.  I'm in the end of summer panic where I want to wear shorts, sandals and sleeveless things as much as possible!  

Craving:  A relaxing vacation, preferably to the beach.  I've traveled quite a bit over the last few months, but it's all been pretty busy travel.  I'm ready for another lazy vacation!

Necklace: Old Navy (similar)
Dress: Banana Republic outlet
Sandals: Target (similar)

#27 - Summer Book Challenge Update

Well, the Summer Book Challenge is over as of September (check out Megan's blog for more details), so here's my final list.  I mostly finished, and not for lack of reading enough.  I just didn't have many options in the category of "finish a book you couldn't get through the first time."  Basically, if I stop reading a book, it's pretty bad.  I shouldn't try again.  Anyway, for anyone who is interested, here's my full final list of what I read for each category, and my rating of the books.  I was pretty good at writing book review posts early in the summer, so I included links to my full reviews for those.

Read in May: 95 points

• 15 points: Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe - The Wives of Los Alamos (240 Pages) - 3 stars (my review)
  
• 25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir - I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star (256 Pages) - 4 stars (my review)
• 25 points: Read a book written by a blogger - Hyperbole and a Half (384 pages) - 5 stars (my review)
• 30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles - Where'd You Go, Bernadette (330 pages)-4 stars (my review) and Uganda Be Kidding Me (257 pages)-3 stars

Read in June:  55 points

• 5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long - The Rosie Project (295 pages) 5 stars! (my review)
• 10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore - Walk Two Moons (280 Pages) - 4 stars
• 20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014 - This is Where I Leave You  (352 Pages) - 4 stars
• 20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title - Cinderella Ate My Daughter  (244 Pages) - 4 stars

Read in July: 30 points

• 15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List - Landline (308 pages) - 4 stars
• 15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge - Orphan Train (294 pages, 5 stars) 

Read in August: 10 points

• 10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born - The House of Dies Drear (244 pages) - 2 stars

 Total: 190 points (out of 200)

• 10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around. (You must have at least 150 pages left in the book to use it for this category.)  
• Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America by Tanner Colby (320 Pages) - I started reading this again and just couldn't get into it.  The topic is really interesting, but the writing is not.  So I gave up.  And I wasn't about to pick up Eat, Pray, Love again, so I'm skipping my final 10 points. 

I was getting into a bit of a reading rut, so this challenge helped inspire me about what to read this summer.  My to-read list is out of control, and sometimes when I look at it, I just don't even know where to start.  The good (and scary) news is that there are quite a few books coming out this fall, and I'm already on the hold list at the library, so I should get them pretty soon.  I just hope I don't get them all at once, because I'll have to read quickly before they are due back!

Have you read anything good this summer?  So I can add it to my ever-growing list!  
 
Top: Gap (similar, vaguely similar)
Necklace: F21 (exact, similar)
Skirt: J.Crew Factory (exact style in other colors)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

#8 - This Shirt

I bought this shirt back in April.  It was $6 and I loved all the colors in it, and how the print is sort of floral, but not really.  Then I just kept wearing it with jeans.  So when I wore it with my white shorts for shorts week, I decided to really plan some outfits around it.  My first thought was all "pair it with white jeans!" which is basically exactly like wearing it with white shorts.  So I went for a bolder look and grabbed this reddish-orangey-coral skirt, which is the exact color of the smaller accents on the shirt.  And I officially loved it! 

But then my normal picture spot by the gym was full of people who actually parked their cars in the parking spots?!!  Who would do that?  So here I am in the bright sunshine with my purple sunglasses.  But I get extra points for remembering to take a close-up picture of my jewelry situation.  I usually wear a watch and one ring on my right hand, and then just my wedding/engagement rings on my left.  But this day - I added a bracelet and an extra ring.  Because I like to live on the edge.  One of my pearl rings is real (a gift from my parents for my 16th bday, I think?).  The other one was recently purchased in a 3-pack from Old Navy for about $3.  But I think they look good together. 


Cardigan: Gap (option, option)
Top: Gap (option)
Skirt: J.Crew Factory (exact style in other colors)
Shoes: Old Navy (option, option)

Long Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday!  I'm going to pretend that I purposely skipped posting on Monday for Memorial Day, but really, I just forgot to schedule something.  This outfit would have been perfect, because it's all red, white, and blue.  Anyway, enough about my outfit.  How about a weekend recap??

On Friday, I left work early and had a late/long lunch with a friend.  Then I had the rest of the evening to myself and decided it was time to really do a full closet inventory.  I got about halfway done before I had to take a break for dinner.  Then I binge-watched Netflix while ironing for a few hours.  And I'm at a point in my life where I'm content with spending my Friday night ironing.  (Sometimes I still feel like I'm 19, but there are moments where I can believe I'm almost 30.)

Saturday involved more closet sorting, more ironing and folding laundry, AND a lunch/movie date with John.  We went to the new X-Men movie.  It was pretty good, but I have a lot of questions now.  I mean, time travel is always pretty sketchy, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here.  And how long Hugh Jackman can play Wolverine.  He's just getting a little old.

After church on Sunday, I spent the afternoon helping to make wedding mints for my friend's wedding.  It was fun to hang out with her, and the mints are delicious!  Then John and I went over to some friends' house for a good old-fashioned cookout.  Good food, fun people, and my team won at Catch Phrase!

On Monday, I finished my closet inventory (post coming soon), and did a few other things around the house.  Then we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant.

I'd say it was a pretty nice weekend!  Did you do anything fun with the extra day?  (my apologies if you had to work!)  

Top: Michael Kors via TJ Maxx
Cardigan & Shoes: Old Navy
Skirt: Target
Belt: NY&Co