Happy Galentine’s Day! How cute is this floral maternity dress from Old Navy? It’s really comfortable, too. It would make the perfect Galentine’s Day outfit for brunch with all of my favorite lady friends. Also, I’ve worn it to two (of three) baby showers and I wore it out shopping and to enjoy the beautiful 80-degree weather we had on Sunday. The first two showers were in January, and it was slightly colder then so I paired the dress with my taupe ankle boots and looked pretty darn cute. It’s also office-appropriate so I’ll probably be wearing it a lot in the next few months as I start my new job.

I’m 34 weeks now and the realization that in about six-ish weeks I’ll have a real, live baby is sinking in big time. We’ve had all of our baby showers and finished the nursery, and now all that’s left is installing the car seat and packing my hospital bag. March 24th will be here before you know it!

Dress & Shoes: Old Navy | Necklace: gift | Sunglasses: Target

Linking up with Let it Shine

P.S. What’s Galentine’s Day? Allow my spirit animal, Leslie Knope, to explain:

image source

I returned some Christmas/birthday gifts and with the extra cash, I headed to Target to shop for purses and instead found this scarf. I was drawn to it immediately because of the beautiful colors and floral pattern, and I knew I had a lot of stuff I could wear it with but especially these cobalt flats. Like most of us, I usually try to match or coordinate my accessories and this combination was surely a match made in heaven.

this combination was surely a match made in heaven

I wore this outfit to tour a few day care centers near my house. Why was I touring child care centers, you might ask? Because on Thursday I accepted a job offer to work in the Development unit of a local women’s health organization as their development and program coordinator! I can’t tell you how grateful (and relieved) I am that they hired me knowing I’m 8 months pregnant AND knowing that they’re giving me maternity leave when I’ll have only been there for, like, a month. It only took me three months, which was only half the time it took me to find a job when I graduated from my masters program. This is definitely going to make life easier for my little family.

Back to the outfit: It was so nice in NC yesterday that it got too warm for the scarf. In fact, I removed it completely when I took Mia for her late afternoon walk. Now that I’m going to be working again, Nick and I did some shopping over the weekend for office-appropriate clothes should be able to wear both now and after the baby (with the help of my trusty belly band) and I can see myself wearing this scarf with most of the outfits that I bought. That means you’ll probably be seeing it a lot more on the blog!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Jeans: Mavi maternity via Stitch Fix | Scarf: Target | Shoes: Old Navy | Earrings: Spencer’s

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.

This is a redo of an outfit I wore on one of the coldest days in NC two years ago that I called “winter pink.” I’m wearing the same sweater and jeans, but I switched up the details just a little. My vest is more ivory than white and it isn’t as puffy, I’m wearing ankle boots instead of tall boots, and my necklace is shorter. I’m still wearing a floral scarf but it’s a different one. It definitely wasn’t as cold this time around as it was a few years ago!

So, I was going to wear this to work yesterday but I had a bad case of the Mondays. My car wouldn’t start so Nick was nice enough to drive me to work, but when I got there, I realized that I grabbed his computer on  my way out of the house so he had to turn around and bring me home to get my computer. I decided to cancel my one afternoon meeting and work from home. I’m extremely grateful that I have a job that will allow me to work from home in a pinch like that. Btw, we had to get a new battery for my car. Blah!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Denim: Gap | Vest: Old Navy | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstorm | Scarf: Planet, a boutique in Wilmington, NC | Necklace: via Le Tote

Linking up with Hello Monday | Let it Shine | Confident Twosday | Garay Treasures | Trend Spin Linkup

I’ve been doing a bit more outlet shopping than usual lately, and I’m kind of loving it. Visiting a Banana Republic Outlet in undergrad is what sparked my love for Banana Republic. It was around the time that I got my first part-time office job and needed appropriate clothing for it. So, I went to a BR Outlet and purchased an adorable pencil skirt, a great pair of trousers, some cute jeans and several blouses and hence a new love affair was born.

In an attempt to save money and closet space, I’m trying to only purchase pieces that I absolutely love and will wear all the time. I love both this shirt and pair of shorts. I’ve worn them several times already in several different outfits so I know I picked some winners. I also purchased a cute little skirt with this top so that I can wear it in an office setting once I find a job. I’m just hoping that’s sooner rather than later! I wore this outfit at home, while I was clearing out some clutter in the office and then to dinner at our favorite taco spot, Nanataco.

Top: Loft Outlet | Shorts: J. Crew Outlet | Sandals: Target