Weekday Musings... Halloween Edition

EATING // All the Reese's Halloween Peanut Butter Pumpkins! You guys, have you noticed how these morsels are more delicious than the original peanut butter cups?! It must be the chocolate-peanut butter ratio... Whatever it is... I just can't get enough!

HOME*WORK // We picked up this spooky little tabletop tree to add to our Halloween decor and are in total love!

CRUSHING ON // The houses from HBO's Big Little Lies are hauntingly beautiful... And their price tags are sure to give you a fright! If you swooned over Madeline's, Renata's or Celeste's luxurious homes as much as I did, click here for a dose of reality. 

READING // Want to get your thrills from a book? I highly recommend these five nail biters... The Woman in Cabin 10, Truly Madly Guilty, Sharp Objects, The Girl on the Train, Luckiest Girl Alive...

THANKFUL FOR // Now I live in the city (remember those country road Montana roots...), I especially love Halloween because of the hundreds of little tots and kiddos who ring our bell as trick-or-treaters. 

THINKING ABOUT // But do we have enough candy?! We trekked out to Target this weekend and purchased 5 giant bags of sweets for our trick-or-treaters but I worry we will run out again this year and be met with looks of disappointment. Is there anything worse than a kid donned in a giraffe, a cowboy or a bee costume with a bottom lip tremble?!

WATCHING // Netflix's Stranger Things is back with Season 2 and I promise it doesn't disappoint! There's no denying this 80s sci-fi thriller will have you shaking in your boots one moment and laughing the next. Now please go binge so we can discuss!

WEARING // Today's the day... What are you waiting for? The Hubs and I hit the town this weekend as astronauts ready for blast off. The jumpsuits, conveniently purchased at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, were comfy and fit just right. And of course I added an element of surprise with a cut out alien attached to my belly... Say it with me, "we have an alien on board!" #18weeks and counting!

Now go scare someone with a BOO and have a SPOOKTACULAR day!!

The Pregs Essentials

Now that I'm well into my second trimester, I wanted to share a few items that have been keeping me on the up and up...

TYLENOL EXTRA STRENGTH // I've always been loyal to Aleve for headaches but Tylenol is one of the only pain relievers doctors recommend while pregnant. And my first trimester included some gnarly headaches so you know this stuff is on my bedside table just in case.

KIND BARS // Always! You never know when you are going to be hungry and I got seriously ill during my first trimester if my stomach was close to empty. Popping a few Kind Bars in my bag has been a simple and easy solution.

TATA HARPER'S CLARIFYING MASK // One thing you hear during pregnancy is that your hormones can cause some heavy breakouts. Three years ago when I got off birth control for the first time in 15 plus years, I broke out like crazy. You guys! It was so bad, I sometimes confined myself to our house. To arm myself in our new journey, I did some research and learned that Tata Harper's products are ALL safe during pregnancy. Not sure I could believe what I had found on the web, I contacted Tata's team directly and they promptly replied and said this was 100% true because there are no toxins, GMOs, fillers, artificial colors, artificial fragrances or synthetic chemicals in any of their products. Winning! Now I use Tata's clarifying mask once a week and afterwards I swear my skin feels so smooth, I may just give our new baby a run for their money in the soft skin department!

WATER BOTTLE // Something I have definitely noticed is my increased thirst for water. I carry this S'Well water bottle with me everywhere and love that it's lightweight and can keep water cold for 24 hours, although I'm constantly refilling it.

MATERNITY CLOTHING // Finding maternity wear has been more challenging than expected, especially as most stores don't carry their maternity lines in-store. Thank goodness for free shipping and returns because otherwise this mama-to-be would be out some serious cash! I've had some luck with Old Navy and Banana Republic, which is great because they're relatively cheap, but my favorite pieces I've picked up thus far are from Storq and Hatch. Storq's basic dresses and tanks are a must. Storq uses thicker material, which is great and their pieces don't come with gimmicks like side-ruching. (Don't get me wrong, ruching can be cute sometimes but for everything in your closet - yuck!) I've only bought leggings from Hatch during their "Friends & Family" sale as their collection is very pricey but again the fit is right and they're way better quality. Plus both Storq and Hatch brag that their pieces can be worn before, during and after pregnancy so maybe I'm saving money in the long run?

LETSCOM FITNESS TRACKER // Like clockwork, as soon as I cleared my first trimester, I instantly got all my energy back and was ready to hit the gym. Many doctors advise keeping your heart rate below 150 beats per minute so I picked up this fitness tracker to give me peace of mind. Best $30 I've spent because now I can get back into my workout routine and know my limits. This wristband also keeps track of my mileage. And much to the Hubs' dismay, I've added an evening walk to our routine to hit my goal of walking five miles a day! :)

IMMACULATE CANNED CINNAMON ROLLS // It's like I'm back in college... OMG I love these cinnamon rolls so freaking much! Although I normally don't have a sweet tooth, these baked little goodies make me smile from ear to ear. I mean we are buying them from Whole Foods and they are organic which means they're better than the Pillsbury version right?!

NIKE AIR MAX // You're probably tired of hearing about these shoes but seriously now that I've increased my daily mileage, I couldn't live without them.

CHANEL NAIL POLISH // There are some nail polishes to absolutely avoid during pregnancy but there are also many nail polishes that are free from the toxic chemicals that may hurt baby - DBP (dubutyl phthalate), toluene and formaldehyde.  Happily my favorite long wear nail colour, Chanel, is totally fine. And I snagged this soy nail polish remover from Priti NYC that is also a safer choice for baby.

LEACHCO SNOOGLE // Before pregnancy, I was a belly sleeper. But sleeping on your stomach gets uncomfortable real quick once your baby is sprouting. I ordered this body pillow to help keep me on my left side (optimal for not putting weight on your organs too!) This thing is for real and literally is like adding another human to our already small queen bed but it is here to stay at least for the next 6 months plus...

MUSTELA STRETCH MARK PREVENTION CREAM // After reading several reviews, I picked up this lotion to avoid the potential long-term effects of pregnancy. It's thick and feels nice but we just started our relationship so I'll keep you posted about how it ends up working.

Any mamas out there with other recommendations to keep me sane and safe? I'm all ears!

Our BIG Announcement

Remember when I mentioned, I underwent a minor surgery? Whelp it just so happens there were two minor surgeries and it was all in the name of the Hubs and I building our family. We are beyond excited to share that our Woodley will be a big brother to a real life little human this spring! April first to be exact and it's no joke! But wait, how did we get here?!

The road has been LONG. After exhausting natural options, we went to Shady Grove Fertility to educate ourselves on a path forward. We started with three rounds of IUI and then after recognizing we needed to take further action, signed up for our first cycle of IVF.

You guys, IVF is serious business! Timing shots morning and night with personal and work travel was beyond challenging and before we learned about pre-icing, the shots were undeniably painful! Could it be more complicated? YES! The mixing of the medicine before injection? Thank goodness my partner in crime is ever steady and charming with a needle - I mean neither of us is a doctor or nurse! But after a few trials and errors, we were ready to retrieve and freeze my eggs.

And although cycle one of IVF did not take, we were confident and signed up for round two immediately because of the A-Team behind us: Dr. Devine, our coordinating nurse Morgan, our families and our dearest friends who asked questions, supplied hugs and were always there with kind words of encouragement. We knew it was a matter of time because science, people... SCIENCE! It's incredible what doctors are able to do these days and we knew that however messy the process got, we would have our own baby when the timing was right and always have love and support.

The Hubs' mom gets a special shout out here. Without hesitation, she flew down from their summer cottage in Massachusetts when we figured out the Hubs would be away during my next embryo transfer. From the morning of to the evening, she stayed with me, made sure I was fed and watered (including my fav ginger cookies from Whole Foods!) and steady again on my feet after anesthesia. Literally she's a lifesaver and does it with such style and flare!

And now as my belly grows more by the day, we are so very thankful and CANNOT WAIT to meet our baby! Keep it here for regular updates...