monday maternity dress

Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting this past week.  I now unfortunately have to deal with pregnancy carpel tunnel, so working on the computer isn't as fun as it used to be. Carpel tunnel is no joke! Really tough to sleep at night with achy joints and numb fingers.  For those who have this issue too, I've found that ice packs help to relieve the discomfort.

Anyhow, onto the more fun stuff - clothes! Today, I'm wearing a super comfortable kimono dress.  It's flowly, so I don't need to worry about any material clinging in the wrong places. The cut is flattering and is perfect for the summer time heat.  As it gets hotter, I definitely don't like to be in any form-fitting type of outfit.  Any chance to feel a breeze is amazing at this point.

I paired the dress with a pink purse to add a pop of color and black sandals.  These sandals have been on repeat since the third trimester. With the fun of everything starting to swell, it seems my shoe options have been pretty limited as well. These are extra comfy and can accommodate my marshmallow feet. :)

Outfit details below:
1. Liz Lange for Target Maternity Printed Kimono Dress
2. Ipanema Cleo Pyramid Stud Ankle Strap Flip Flop
3. Rebecca Minkoff Blake Crossbody Bag (old, similar here)

maternity staples for bump closets

Happy Friday everyone! Today, I'll be going over some of my maternity staples and "must-have" wardrobe items.  Over the last 7 months of my pregnancy, I've had a lot of time to try different jeans, tops, workout clothes.. basically everything one would need to look decent stepping out of the house. :)  Below are my top favs! Hope it helps you in your bump style!

1. Jeans: my favorite pair is the Jessica Simpson Maternity Skinny Jeans.  They are extremely comfortable and have a good amount of stretch for your growing bottom half. During this pregnancy, it seems most of my weight went straight to my thighs! So it was great that these jeans were able to grow with me. :)

2. Tees: I must admit, I basically lived in my Gap Pure Body Short Sleeve V-Neck Tee.  I think I wore these t-shirts almost everyday! Soft and comfy, they were always my go-to top.  Especially for running errands. I could also dress it up by layering a blazer.

3. Cami: Bematernity by Ingrid and Isabel Seemless Cami is great for layering.  It doesn't ride up from the bottom like other camis do.  The material is soft and stretchy.  Also on sale right now for 30% off! So a great time to snatch some up.

4. Activewear Bottoms: love, love, love my BeMaternity by Ingrid and Isabel Active Black Capri Pant with Crossover Panel! With activewear bottoms, I always have issues with constantly having to pull up the pants if I'm doing any cardio.  I didn't have this issue at all with these! And I love how these are full panel (goes over my belly for more support/coverage), but low in the back so I don't get too hot.  If you prefer long/legging pants, they also have it here.  I have the leggings too and love them as well.

5. Ribbed Tank: another staple is my A Pea in the Pod Rib Knit Maternity Tank Top.  Super soft material and great stretch.  It's also long which I love.  It covers my full panel jeans nicely!  The assortment of colors is great too.

baby showers galore!

 

 

I'm officially 33 weeks! I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by.  When asked "are you ready?" My only response is: "I'm ready to not be pregnant, but not ready for my baby girl to come!" We still have SO much to do and time is just dwindling away.

Over the last couple of weeks, my wonderful family has thrown me two baby showers - one where I currently live, and one where my husband's family lives.  Needless to say, it's been a very busy last two weeks!  Lots of eating, celebrating with friends and family, and DESSERTS!  Check out photos of my dessert tables below, along with outfit details!  The dress is non-maternity, so can be worn even after little ones arrives!

Outfit:
1. Minkpink Little Blooms Printed Wrap  Effect Maxi Dress
2. Rebecca Minkoff Fiona Thong Sandals


Baby Shower:

 

 

 

 

stripes and sandals

Third trimester is no joke! After hitting my 28 week mark, it's been sort of down hill from there.  Back pain, lack of sleep, and weird numbness in arms and legs.. aren't I supposed to be catching up on sleep before the baby comes? And of course, the summer heat is not helping any of those things.

On a hot sunny day, I decided to wear a t-shirt dress and sandals.  The dress is soft and the material is lightweight, but heavy enough to stay down if a breeze comes. :)  Best of all, there's a promo for BOGO 50% off dresses right now, so be sure to stock up as summer hits in full swing!  Another wonderful pregnancy phenomenon is swollen everything! Sandals were a sure way to go in this case.  These are really comfortable and I could wear them all day! If you're in-between sizes, order half size up.

Details on where to buy below:
1. Liz Lange for Target Maternity Striped Short Sleeve T-Shirt Dress
2. Ipanema Cleo Pyramid Stud Ankle Strap Flip Flop
3. Rebecca Minkoff Blake Crossbody Bag (old, similar here or here)
4. Michael Kors Watch (old, similar here or here)
5. Silver Bar Necklace (old, similar here)

bumps and blazers

 

It's starting to get warmer in California, but still cool enough to wear a light blazer.  I love wearing blazers during pregnancy since it semi hides the bump on days you just don't want your tummy sticking out so prominently. :)  Underneath, I'm wearing a maternity layering tank and maternity jeans of course.  The tank is super soft and is a staple during your preggo months, and the jeans are extremely comfy as well.  Lots of stretch to give your growing belly room to expand! To give some pattern to the outfit, I decided to throw on my leopard pumps and a cross body with metal details.

Outfit details below:

1. H&M Blazer (old, similar here)
2. Liz Lange for Target Maternity Fashion Tank Top
3. Jessica Simpson Maternity Skinny Jean, Medium Wash
4. Loft Leopard Pump (old, similar here)
5. Vince Camuto Lizel Small Convertible Cross Body

and more! pregnancy products

Happy Friday everyone! To continue the theme of skincare products from earlier this week, I'll dedicate another post on pregnancy skincare.  See below for other daily and non-daily skincare products I use!

1. Suncreen - hubby and I recently went to Kauai for our babymoon, and I needed to find pregnancy-safe sunscreen.  I ended up going with Coppertone Water Babies Pure and Simple Sunscreen.  As I mentioned in the other post, there are a few sunscreen chemicals that aren't safe for mamas-to-be.  This particular sunscreen's main active ingredient is zinc oxide (mineral based).  Also, I figured since it's safe for babies, it should be safe for babies still in the oven, right? :)

2. Bug spray - with all the crazy diseases being spread from mosquitoes, I also wanted to use a bug spray for my trip to Kauai.  I went with Cutter Backwoods Insect Repellent.  It worked great and I got bit maybe once on the trip (and trust me, once is amazing.. I'm always a magnet for bug bites!).

3. Mosquito repellant bracelet - just to be double-sure I wouldn't get bit, I also wore this bracelet on my trip.  It has a strong citrus scent which could be overwhelming sometimes, but worked great in conjunction with the bug spray. 

4. Body wash - for my wash, I also switched to a product that was more natural and paraben free.  I started using Method Body Wash Olive Leaf and love it.  It smells great and leaves my skin feeling soft!  I also use Method products for household cleaning items.

5. Body lotion - love the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream! It's gentle and doesn't have a fragrance which is great for my sensitive pregnancy nose.  Moisturizes, absorbs quickly, and leaves my skin soft!

6. Dry shampoo - I use dry shampoo between washes, and since it's a product I apply directly to the roots of my hair, I wanted to find something that contained better ingredients than the one I was previously using.  I started using Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk.  It's pricey, but works pretty well and is sulfate and paraben free.

pregnancy facial skincare routine

Now that I'm pregnant, I've been a bit more cautious in my skincare routine and avoid using products that contain a ton of chemicals.  After doing some research, these were the items I'd settled on.  I generally tried to pick items that didn't have chemicals on the "must avoid" list during pregnancy (e.g. salicylic acid which is found in a lot of acne facial products) and tried to find items that were paraben and sulfate free.  Reviews of each item below (left-to-right from picture above).

Quick disclaimer - I'm not a doctor, so the reviews below are based on my opinions and information I could find online regarding chemicals safe to use during pregnancy. :)

1. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - with crazy fluctuations in my hormones comes crazy fluctuations with oil production in my face! I love that his moisturizer is oil-free.  It keeps my face soft and moisturized without feeling greasy.  I also noticed less breakouts once I switched to this product (probably because my last moisturizer wasn't oil-free).

2. Organic Coconut Oil - for those looking for a cleanser or moisturizer that's completely chemical-free, I'd recommend coconut oil.  It may sound counterintuitive to slather oil on your face, but coconut oil is actually an antimicrobial and acts as a great face wash! When I used  this, I noticed it stripped all the makeup off and left my skin feeling soft.  I used a hot wash cloth to remove the oil from my face after cleansing.  You can also use as a moisturizer, but I find it rather messy to use for this purpose. 

3. Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser - I discovered this brand just recently, and love the cleanser! The product has a gel-like consistency and leaves my face feeling clean and moisturized.  I love that it doesn't strip my face of oils (I hate the feeling of a tight, dry face when using too harsh of a cleanser).  Super gentle, and I use it around my eyes to remove waterproof makeup as well!

4. Coola Mineral Face SPF 30 Matte Finish Cucumber - I use this product as my daily moisturizer.  After doing more research, I found that pregnant women should also avoid certain SPF chemicals such as oxybenzone, which is actually the main active ingredient in a lot of moisturizers that contain SPF.  The Coola moisturizer is mineral-based and doesn't contain these chemicals.  It smells nice and dries quickly.

5. Fresh Sugar Face Polish - love this product! Made with brown sugar and strawberries, it smells delicious and leaves my face exfoliated and soft.  These pregnancy hormones wreaked havoc on my skin, so it was great being able to find this product to slosh off dead skin!  After using, my face does feel more radiant and smooth.. just as the description says :)

6. Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask - I use this mask when my face needs some extra help combating those pesky hormonal blemishes.  It leaves my face feeling squeaky clean, and I do find it helps reduce the redness and breakouts the next day!