MATERNITY CLOTHING: WHY I LOVE H&M BASICS

Yes, this will be my one and only maternity fashion post - if you can even call it that. After a recent trip to H&M, I feel the need to share (weird. me? share?) my extreme excitement over how many non-maternity pieces they have that work for my expanding belly. Seriously! It was fabulous. Not only are they not maternity clothes (so I don't have to feel weird about wearing them post baby) but they have great price tags! Most items I just sized up one size and they work like a charm! I would suggest actually going to the store vs. ordering online. Some items I didn't need to size up and some I did. It is obviously hard to tell those things when buying online.

I have a few thoughts when it comes to buying maternity clothes. I personally do not like to spend a lot of money. Wait... who am I kidding? I don't like to spend a lot of money on anything. Hey, call me frugal cheap! ;) Anyways, this might (might not) be my last pregnancy. That being said, I really do not see the need to spend a lot of money on clothing to get me through the next three months. I try to buy as many non-maternity items as possible b/c they work great during that awkward postpartum stage (and possibly even after) and buying basics works great b/c you can dress them up with jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc. You know, the stuff that stays the same size no matter how big your belly gets....

Anyways, I am loving H&M basics. Here are a few things I picked up to get through the home stretch.

Oh, wait one more thing....
I hate maternity jeans with a passion. They slide down in the back constantly and make your butt look saggy. I pretty much wear leggings with EVERYTHING and these ones from Old Navy are my favorite! I wore them all through my last pregnancy and I ordered another set (black and grey) this time around. I love them AND they are 50% off right now - two for $15!

And b/c I wear leggings with everything and firmly believe leggings ARE NOT PANTS, I am always looking for long tank tops, shirts, cardigans, and tunics that are long enough to cover my butt. Thanks H&M for having me covered... literally. ;)

Old Navy Jersey Maternity Leggings

Ok, now on to the H&M basics....

Jersey top - $9.95

Maxi Dress - $17.95

Jersey dress - $12.95

This might seem like an odd one, but after sizing up, the dress is not that tight on me - plus, I wear it with my favorite leggings and a cardigan that covers my butt. :)

Fine-knit Cardigan - $14.95

LOVE this cardigan. It is plenty long and lightweight, so it will work great into the hot months of summer!

Long tank top - $5.95

Superstretch Treggings - $17.95

These pants!!! These pants!!! I love them! They work great now and will work perfect for the awkward post baby stage! Yay for elastic waists!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIS & FINN!

A few weekends ago we celebrated two birthdays in the family. Ellis' second and Finn's (our nephew) fifth. People always say that time flies after you start having kids and are they right. I cannot believe two years have passed since Little Miss Ellis Averee entered our lives. She has brought us so much happiness and we just couldn't imagine life without her. It kind of feels like she has just been here all along.

It was a great weekend filled with friends and family. We celebrated both the kiddo's birthdays together with an underwater themed party. Ashley and I had fun crafting the silly underwater creatures for the decorations. We both just pulled together stuff we had around the house and in our crafting supplies to make them. (It probably helps that I hoard crafting supplies.)

We had smoked chickens, pulled pork, homemade buns, pasta salad, ceasar salad, caprese salad kabobs, deviled eggs, chips and dip, taco dip, veggie platter, cheese tray, pickles, olives, home brewed beer, lemon cake, chocolate cake, trix treats, and cake pops! You name it, we had it! ;)

After a celebration like that, I cannot help but feel so truly blessed. We are so lucky to have so many friends and family who love our little girl.

ELLIS' BIG GIRL ROOM - INSPIRATION BOARD

As most of you know, baby #2 is a BOY! This means we need to start thinking about switching up rooms. Ellis will eventually move into her 'big girl' room and we will make a few changes to the nursery to make it a bit more boyish. Here is my inspiration board for E's new room. Who knows if it will actually end up looking anything like this, but it is where I am headed with it at the moment. :)

This weekend we are starting on the triangle wall and Logan is adding some shelves and cubbies to the closet to make it more useful for all of her tiny clothes.

Anyone going to IKEA within the next few weeks??? I need a large picture frame and possibly some shelving! ;)

THREE LITTLE BIRDS

Last night we put Ellis to bed as usual and as she often does, about 10 minutes later she starts yelling "Mommy...Daddy... Where are youuuuuuu?????" as she stands in her crib with her arms stretched out ready for one of us to sweep her up and rock her back to sleep. Last night, that person was me. As our routine goes, I grab her and 'baby', wrap her in her fuzzy pink blanket, and rock her as I sing Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' until she falls asleep.

As I was singing, I asked her to sing with me to see if she actually would. To my surprise, she belted out the words in the most adorable way I could ever image. You know, in the way only two year olds can "Don Wowwy, bout a ting" bc they really can't say their R's quite yet. So, there we were, rocking in the dark, both singing Bob Marley, and my heart just about melted. I almost couldn't sing with her b/c I was trying so hard not to laugh. Then I thought to myself, this is what life is about. This is the good stuff. This is the stuff I never want to forget.

Then I started to think that I wish I would have had my phone so I could take a little video of her singing b/c moments like this I do not want to forget. I do not want to forget how sweet her little voice sounded, how content and happy she was to just rock with me, and how she needed me. Because the truth is, kids grow up. They do not stay this sweet and innocent forever. I know there has been, and will be, so many moments like this with Ellis and Baby #2 that I will want to capture so I can look back and remember their little voices and sweet little faces, but you just can't capture them all. Some moments were just meant to be just that - memories that live in your head.

But I CAN write down a few things about Ellis that I want to remember at the age of {almost} 2 years old. Part of the reason I write and post pictures in this blog is b/c it is a way for me to document our lives. Logan, Ellis and I can look back on these posts when she is older and remember these moments. So, here they are. The little things I do not want to forget...

1. Her sweet little voice as she sings her favorites - Three Little Birds, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Pat-a-Cake ('leaving on a jet plane' is a soon to be favorite - we are working on it ;)

2. How her hair curls in little ringlets after a bath

3. How she runs to me and grabs my leg when something scares her on TV - Yes, even Disney can be scary to a two year old

4. How she shakes her finger at me and says, 'No Mama!' (Yes, I know it is naughty, but it is just too cute not to love)

5. How she proclaims she is done after everything (eating, getting dressed, brushing her teeth, etc) with a big "ALL DONE!"

6. How she almost always wakes up happy and jumps up and down in her crib with excitement

7. How her little feet turn in as she walks

8. How she runs into our bedroom after I get her out of her crib and yells "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!!" Oh that one just melts me every time. She then climbs on the bed and plays with the dogs and giggles as Logan tries to sleep. I let it happen and find it quite amusing.

9. The way she says 'Gamma' and Gampa' when she sees my parents. AGAIN, 'R's are hard ;)

10. The way she gives kisses and says "wove you Mommy' before bed

11. How she gets excited when one of us gets home from work. She runs and gives hugs. :)

12. How she says our dog's names (Emma & Oliver (Olie-Vair) - in a British kind of accent)

13. How she copies what we say when we give the dog's commands. "Emma! hurry up!" and "Emma! Get in here!"

14. How she uses 'baby' as a pillow when she's tired

15. How she looks when she sleeps. We like to sneak into her room at night to watch her sleep before we go to bed.

16. How she is sleeps with her head on the mattress and her butt in the air

I just love this little girl more and more every day. I know I say that probably way too much, but on the other hand, can you really say that too much? :)