Pregnancy skincare was one of the biggest mysteries to be prior to getting pregnant. I had absolutely no idea what products were off-limits and was blind to the fact that some of my favorite acne-fighting products weren’t considered approved or recommended for pregnancy. Unfortunately, when you remove some of those products, paired with the extra pregnancy hormones running through your system, you have a recipe for serious skin disaster and breakouts galore. Thankfully my breakouts have been on the milder … Read More
DIY Idea: Baby’s Nursery Letter
A few months ago my mom sent me a handful of inspiration photos for our little one’s nursery. I immediately fell in love with the idea of writing our baby a letter and placing it above the crib in our nursery. The original inspiration photo I saw featured a canvas that was handwritten/painted by the parents, but since I wasn’t super confident in my handwriting skills I decided to make the canvas digitally and have it printed on a canvas. … Read More
24 Weeks
How far along are you? 24 weeks 3 days Cravings? Still nothing new or exciting to report here! I think Joe actually wishes that I had some sort of unique or interesting craving since you hear so many funny stories from other people. I’ve been eating a lot of string cheese, yogurt and baked potatoes this week, along with pizza, which continues to be my favorite pregnancy food. Thankfully veggies are still my friend, so there has been a fair share of kale, … Read More
23 Weeks
How far along are you? 23 weeks 2 days Cravings? Still no real cravings. I continue to prefer salty over sweet and have found that a few items I never ate in the past have made their way into my diet. Take, for example, the fact that I had my first hot dog (a very expensive organic, nitrate-free, grass fed hot dog, that is) in YEARS and it tasted amazing. I’ve continued to love juice like orange juice and grapefruit juice and fruit … Read More
Sweet and Salty Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Can we talk side dishes? I’ll be the first to admit that when planning meals during the week, I think about dishes more commonly thought of as “sides” (mainly veggie and grain sides) as the building blocks for my meals before I think about anything else. It seems to be a way for us to focus on eating whole, healthy foods and makes the meat of our meals a supplement rather than the star of the show. These Brussels sprouts … Read More
22 Weeks
How far along are you? 22 weeks 3 days (it took me this long to realize my due date is actually March 1st and not March 2nd?! Thanks to my doctor for clearing that one up!)Cravings? Honestly? Nothing significant that I can really even call a craving. My sweet tooth has come back a bit lately, but that can usually be satisfied with a piece of chocolate at the end of the day. Other than that, I’m feeling and eating pretty … Read More
Life Online: When My Motivations Are Ugly
Last weekend I did something a little bit crazy: I started working on crafting our Christmas cards. In October. We took our photos incredibly early this year because, after years of taking our photos in the freezing cold of mid-November, I promised myself last year that we would take the photos when it was still warm and pretty outside for a more pleasant experience. And because Joe got braces last week, he preferred to have the photos taken before his … Read More
Quick Weeknight Pastitsio
Even as someone who cooks and develops recipes for a living, the question of what to have for dinner frequently leaves me a little bit weary. I love cooking when I have plenty of time to plan and prepare, but the weeknight routine of figuring out what to eat serves more as a stressor than a stress reliever. Usually dinner is sandwiched in between after-work plans and trips to the gym and by the time it’s actually mealtime, I just … Read More
Splurge v. Save: Maternity Fashion
When I was first pregnant, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I was going to maintain my personal style while dressing the ever-expanding bump. I soon found that there were a few high-end maternity brands, like Hatch Collection, that matched my personal style quite well. However, the price-tag for said brands was a little hard to swallow. After saving my money, I splurged on buying a Hatch Collection dress, the Afternoon Dress pictured below. I … Read More
Grace in Our Weakness
For a while I got into a really good rhythm of writing authentically, saying what I was really thinking and feeling and processing. And then, a handful a months ago, I fell out of that rhythm for one reason or another. It’s not that I’m intentionally keeping anything from this site or not saying what I mean to say, but the truth is that this pregnancy has been all-consuming. The rocky beginning that shook us to the core, the desperate … Read More
21 Weeks
How far along are you? 21 weeks 1 day Cravings? Orange juice, milk and pizza. Although I can’t say any of my cravings have been super strong except the orange juice, which is strange since I never drank or craved orange juice or milk before this pregnancy. Now I drink both every day! Pizza, on the other hand, I’m trying to limit to once a week!Weight Gain: I don’t have another doctor’s appointment until next week, so I have no idea! Perhaps 15 pounds?Fears: This is … Read More
Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites | Espresso and Cream
How was your weekend, friends? Joe and I had the best weekend with absolutely no plans on the schedule. After traveling or being crazy busy for the last month, this was the first weekend that we had a chance to hang around the house with no actual plans. It was glorious. We did a big deep “fall clean” of the house on Saturday morning, tossing and throwing things away and sorting. Please tell me I’m not the only person who … Read More