For my baby shower, I made these simple, rustic centerpieces for the food and beverage tables. The Mason jars, vases, and burlap table runners are all leftovers from our wedding, and were perfect for decorating our BBQ-themed shower. I love that after 5 years, I could pull this stuff out and use it again. I picked up the wooden rounds at Target and the flowers were grocery store specials.

I think simple flower arrangements are the most elegant, so I stuck with one main type of flower and one to two complementing types. For these, the main attraction is the baby’s breath with the complementing daisy and the small pop of color from the yellow carnation.

I also think having a few smaller vases with only one or two flower stems added some visual interest and gave off a more casual vibe, which was perfect for our casual shower.

I love putting together flower arrangements like these, especially when we entertain, because they make the house feel so cheery and fresh. I feel like you can never go wrong with beautiful flowers in a vase on your table or shelf. What do you think?

Happy February, everyone! I can’t believe we’re already in the second month of 2017. At the beginning of the year, I set some pretty good goals both for my life and for the blog that I’m really excited about achieving. In order to hold myself accountable, I’m going to check in each month with how/what I did to accomplish them, as well as a plan of smaller goals for the following month to continue using/accomplishing them.

Life Goals

1. Focus more on experiences and less on material things. For this goal, I simply want to get out and do more things so as to make this a habit for the little one on the way. I want him to experience the city in ways that will instill in him a love of community and adventure. He won’t be here until March/April but I figure if we start focusing on experiences now, it will come naturally when he gets here.

January Progress:
–Unfortunately, we didn’t do much in January that focused on experiences. We attended several baby showers (two of which were our own and one was for our dear friends who are due around the same time as me), and I had some job interviews so we’ve been pretty busy.

February Goals:
–I’ve signed up to recieve emails about events happening in and around my town from Get Offline, a company that curates experiences in your city for you to “keep your free time exciting.” I’m hoping that constantly seeing all of the fun things going on around me will remind and motivate me to get out and do more fun things!
–Visit the farmers’ market at least twice during the month, but ideally more if possible
–Have a fun Galentine’s and/or Valentine’s outing
–Try our hand at a DIY maternity photo shoot (I’m really excited about this one!)

2. Focus on my health and learning as much as I can about the rest of my pregnancy, labor & deliver, and being a good mother. Being and staying healthy, as well as being prepared for what is coming in the next few months and beyond, is really important to me.

January Progress:
–We attended a childbirth class and took a tour of the labor & delivery unit of our hospital. I made sure to ask as many questions as I could to understand the processes.
–To focus on my health, I’ve started taking Mia on longer walks.  Normally, she gets two to three 15-minute walks per day to do her business but since walking is good for both of us, I’ve tried to incorporate longer walks any time the weather is nice (e.g. sunny, not too cold, not raining, etc.)

February Goals:
–Prenatal yoga at least 3 times a week, with a focus on meditation and relaxation (to help me prepare for labor & delivery)
–Practice some breathing and relaxation techniques at least 3 times a week (also to help me prepare for L&D)
–More long walks with Mia as the weather permits

3. Read more books. For now, I’m sticking to my initial goal of one book per month, at least until the baby gets here when I might lower the number to 6 new books within the year.

January Progress:
–I finished Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. It’s been one of the best celebrity autobiographies I’ve read so far. I was interested in it because I always thought she seems really cool and fun in real life and from what I’ve read, it does sound like she’s really cool and fun in real life, but she’s not without her hangups, which makes her feel all the more real to me. I would definitely recommend it.
Note: I’m continuing to choose and read books related to pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, etc. but I’m not including them in this goal.

February Goals:
–The next book on the list is Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I only intermittently read her blog but I did read her first book and I loved it. I can’t wait to read this one.

4. Write more letters/send more cards to my friends and family. 

January Progress:
–Not so good with the progress on this one. With all that’s been going on, I haven’t had much time to think about letters and cards. I didn’t even send a birthday card this month because the one family birthday we had, we were able to have lunch with them so I gave them their card in person. I supposed that still counts, right?
–I did write and mail out some thank you cards from my first baby shower at the end of the month, so that counts, too!

February Goals:
–Continue to consult my calendar to send birthday cards
–Thank you notes for my second baby shower by the end of the month
–Choose at least two people to write a handwritten letter to by the end of the month

Blog Goals

5. Write more content. I used to write a lot. Somewhere along the line I stopped writing for fun and I want to get that back. So, along with journaling more and writing more stories for myself, I will focus on creating some original and fun content for the blog.

January Progress:
–I’ve included a few new features that aren’t just outfit related (e.g., NCsquared Conversations, my mini house tour post) so I think I’ve gotten a good start. I would still like to incorporate some of my personal views on things, but I have to figure out how to do that in a peaceful and non-divisive way.

February Goals:
–At least 3 Fashion Flashback posts where I compare my style over the past few years. It’s style related but at least I can incorporate some thoughts.
–Writing more stories about my childhood and incorporating more humor into the blog

6. Post more often. Writing more content should lead to posting more often. I’m still aiming for 3-4 posts per week.

January Progress:
–I’ve gotten off to a good start with posting at least three time a week

February Goals:
–Post at least three time per week
–Spend more time on the weekends planning and writing,
–Maybe even try to take photos in the morning when I first get dressed instead of waiting until the evening (when it’s much less likely to happen) or the weekend

7. Take better pictures. This year, I resolve to comprehend more about lighting, ISO, aperture, exposure, focus, how to take advantage of the features on my camera, as well as better editing so that my photos look better are more appealing.

January Progress:
–I read a few tutorials on how to improve my Instagram photos. That’s a start.

February Goals:
–Read as much as I can about lighting and aperture speed to figure out the f stop feature so I can take my camera off of its automatic mode!

8. Grow my readership.  I would like to create content that is fun and engaging for a lot of people and, therefore, gain more readers.

January Progress:
–I’ll admit I haven’t done much this month to grow my readership. I did start a Facebook Page for the blog and have done a decent job of keeping it updated.

February Goals:
–Read at least 2-3 blog posts from other bloggers that give advice on growing your readership and brainstorming how I can incorporate their advice into my blog
–Make a plan to incorporate at least 3 new ideas from these advice posts by the end of the month
–Participate in more link ups

The year is off to a great start. Here’s to hoping I can keep up the momentum, especially after the baby gets here in March!

There are only a few more months to go before Nick and I have a baby. A son. A living, breathing little human that is going to be dependent on us for EVERYTHING. Holy Crap! In all seriousness, though, we’re getting pretty excited. And I’m getting a little nervous, especially about labor & delivery. I’m trying to remain calm and positive about it so I don’t freak myself out. The last thing I need is a traumatic birthing experience. To all the mamas out there, I’d love to hear about your positive experiences/moments in the comments! No negative or scary stories, please. It’s not good for my psyche.

On to the baby stuff…

baby size: Approximately 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama or bok choy) and about 16.7 inches long. Although it still looks fairly small, my belly is measuring right where it should be at 32 cm (also known as fundal height).

cravings: Though not as intense, I’m still craving cereal and I eat a bowl (or two) each day. We’ve gone through A LOT of milk! Baby S should have the strongest bones on the block when we arrives. The past month I’ve been chowing down mostly on Rice Krispies cereal with bananas. I passed my gestational diabetes test (meaning I don’t have GD) but we discovered that I’m slightly anemic (losing iron to the baby) which is very common in pregnancy, so my doctor has advised me to add more meat, beans, and leafy green vegetables to my diet. No big deal. The good news is that Rice Krispies are enriched with iron so my bowl or two a day is probably helping.

I have a serious cereal problem!

movement: Baby S is moving around so much! Before, I was mostly feeling him in the evenings but now it’s all the time: mornings, evenings, middle of the afternoon, when I wake up to pee in the middle of the night, when we’re in childbirth class… He’s even kicked my ribs a few times, which is painful. I’ll be sitting on the couch and feel a sharp jolt in my ribs that makes me jump. I gently ask him to kick somewhere else. Luckily, he doesn’t do that very often but I imagine bruised ribs all the same. He also gets the hiccups several times a day, usually after I eat a meal or drink something really cold. As weird as it is, I love feeling him moving around and I think that might be the only thing I’ll miss about being pregnant once he’s here.

miss anything?: I miss being able to comfortably bend over to do things like put on socks, tie my shoes, and pick up things off the floor. My belly is pretty big for my small frame and it’s been getting in the way of certain things. I also miss getting to wear all of my clothes! I have so many cute skirts and pants that just aren’t comfortable with my belly band. Same with some of my cute tops — they just don’t fit over the belly so they’re all just sitting patiently in my closet until I can fit into them again. I could purchase more maternity clothes but I only have a few more months and plenty of non-maternity things that fit, plus the budget could be better spent elsewhere.

how we’re prepping: We’re still working on the nursery, but we’re so close! We’ve had two small baby showers already with one more planned  for next month (which is a little embarrassing to admit that we’re having so many but it was really hard to get all of our people in one place at the same time) so we’re still stocking up. Most of the furniture is in and most of the decor is finished. We’re just missing a few pieces like a rocking chair/glider.

We’re also reading as many books and taking as many classes as we can. I’m actually really interested in Hypnobirthing so I’ve been reading books and resources on that method of pain management, and Nick has been reading books and articles about how to be a great support person (he’s going to be amazing, I know it). Last week we took a childbirth class, this week we’re taking a tour of the Labor & Delivery unit of the hospital and a newborn care class, and in a few weeks we’ll be taking breastfeeding classes. I’m learning so much!

looking forward to: Completing the nursery so we have one less thing I have to worry about. Feeling like I’m ready, although, will I ever feel ready? Probably not.

best moment so far: I already mentioned this last week, but I was concerned that I wasn’t gaining enough weight. My midwife said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad.

I haven’t been able to get many good photos the past few weeks with my camera because of being busy and not feeling well, but I have shared some good stuff on Instagram. Here’s a round up of what’s been going on this week in the life of NCsquared as seen through Instagram filters.

Last week started out cold and snowy. This picture is exactly what I was talking about in this Thankful Thursday post. As I mentioned there, I often enjoy venturing out in the crisp air or snow on a sunny winter day and getting to bundle up in cute hats and scarves and coats. These are the days when the bright, winter sun glitters in the snow and everything is quiet and calm. Can’t you just feel the calm in this photo?

It started to warm up a bit and all I needed was a sweater, button-up, and puffer vest to stay warm. I wore this to one of our Centering Pregnancy classes where we talked to a labor and delivery nurse from the hospital where I’ll be delivering Baby S. I left feeling very lucky that our hospital is so accommodating to women in childbirth. The nurse kept saying that everything is a conversation, from what kind of pain management you want to how you make your room more comfortable to where you actually give birth (lying in the bed, squatting in the floor, etc.) which I think is SUPER important to creating a positive birthing experience!

Sweater & Button-up: Banana Republic | Puffer Vest: Gap | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom

As it started to warm up even more and the snow slowly melted, the hazy fog rolled in. Look at this beautiful morning. It was so stunning that it almost took my breath away. It gave me renewed energy for the week and made me feel like everything was going to be all right.

By Friday, it was in the 70s! Only in North Carolina does the week begin with Winter and end with Spring. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the weather, so I threw on a floral top and canvas shoes to run errands. I won’t really be pregnant in the spring, as Baby S’s due date is a few days after the official first day of spring this year so it was nice to not have to bundle up the bump when I ventured outside.

This photo was taken just a few nights ago. It may not look like it, but the bump continues to grow and that means making myself comfortable is getting increasingly difficult. I have a pair of maternity pajamas and I wear them almost every night but on laundry nights or nights that it’s a bit colder in the house, I’ll wear Nick’s clothes. And I’ve discovered that there’s no piece of maternity clothing that is as comfortable as his t-shirts!

That’s it, lovelies. I hope you all had a great week. I will try my best to be back next week with better photos, I promise! Until then, stay warm or cool and be happy.

A few months ago, I shared with you some silly conversations I’ve had with my husband, Nick, as a mushy little tribute to him and his ability to always make me laugh. One of the reasons we’re complete opposites is because he has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor while mine is very silly, and it makes for some interesting exchanges. And as such, these silly exchanges just keep on coming. Today I thought I would share some more little conversations with you in hopes of making you chuckle to brighten up this gray and dreary Tuesday.

It’s like he reads my mind.
Me: I feel really weak.
Nick: That’s because you’re sick and haven’t been eating well. Don’t worry, you’re not going to die of weakness overnight.

Womp, womp.
Me: Let’s tell each other jokes all day
Nick: You know I don’t know jokes
Me: Hmm, make some up
[pause] Nick: How many miles did your car have?
Me: Idk, how many? 😀
Nick: I don’t remember, that’s why I asked
Me: Oh, I thought it was a joke

My very own Ron Swanson.
Me: Give me a list of the tools you want.
Nicholas: Oh man…that’s a broad question.  All of them?
Me: Sure (thinking he was asking if I wanted him to list *all* the tools he wants)
Nicholas: No, I mean all of them. I want all of the tools.
Me: LOL, okay
Nicholas: No wait, I’m afraid what you heard was I want a lot of tools. What I said was I want ALL of the tools!

photo source

While listening to 90s R&B as we painted our bedroom, No Scrubs came on.
Nick: That’s just prudent; why would they both need to drive their cars downtown?
Me: It’s because he doesn’t have a car of his own.
Nick: Well, that’s different
Me: Don’t act like you don’t know what TLC is bringing to you, son!

Right after we got married.
I walk out of the bedroom this morning to make my coffee and find Nick sitting on the couch with his tablet. He looks up at me and says, “I made your coffee…because that’s what husbands do.” This is definitely love.

Once again, I believe that not only do we make a great team, but we’re also really fun to be around. There’s never a dull moment! These conversations are just one of the many, many reasons I love him so much.