Pregnancy: Week 12

I'm really excited that I'm almost over that first trimester hump.  The first trimester is filled with exhaustion, nausea, bloating, food aversions, and in my case, eczema.  Apparently these are supposed to be going away.  Some women have these symptoms throughout their pregnancy.  Thankfully, most of these have already subsided.  The second trimester is known for being the most comfortable of the three so I'm really looking forward to that!

I feel like my body has already made so many changes in the last 4 weeks.  If you can't tell, my bump has totally made an appearance!  It kind of arrived overnight and it's still a little hard to get used to.  While I know that I'm getting bigger because of my baby, it's still confusing and a little frustrating when I'm trying to get dressed.  I think I'll be happier when I actually look pregnant and not like I've had one too many beers.

I still have a little bit of a battle with eating certain foods so I haven't had any weird cravings yet.  I have noticed that I'm eating a lot more eggs (especially in salads) and meat.  I guess I'm craving protein?  But for the most part my diet has stayed exactly the same.  My doctor has recommended a weight gain of 15-25 pounds so I'll be doing my best to keep within that limit.  I'm still at a total gain of 4 pounds but I'm sure that's going to start picking up soon!

The baby so far is doing great.  My next appointment is in a few weeks and we are hoping to find out the sex (fingers crossed!) but it's more likely we will have to wait until 20 weeks.  I just want to know so bad!  Our nursery is still completely empty and I'm itching to get started on the decorating process.

Okay, I think that's all for now!  I'll be updating you next month at 16 weeks.  I feel like a lot will be changing between now and then :)

xoxo

Ashley

P.S. Make sure to check out an interview I did for Chocolate Fashion Coffee HERE!

Proud of You

Oh, this dress.  We have such a love/hate relationship.  I had it made years ago for a wedding and I ended up losing too much weight during the process.  I loved it too much to give it away so it's been hidden in my closet ever since.  I figured since I've gained about four pounds now it would probably look better.  While it does look better, it still looks off.  I think I'm just going to wait until I gain a little more and try again.  I refuse to give up on this dress!

Inspiration: Summer Outfits

For the most part, I love summer.  But unfortunately my style suffers a little bit in the crazy heat.  When all you do is slap on a dress, it's easy to forget that cute summer outfits are possible too!  I've been really inspired by these five ladies below and I'd love to show you their perfect summer ensembles.

Erica of Sweets and Hearts

Erica looks so cute in this outfit!  While I do own a pair or two of shorts, they don't look very flattering on my body.  I love how the addition of a fedora and a feminine printed top really dresses up her denim shorts.

Whitney of See.Shop.Eat.Do

 I love how Whitney takes a cute white dress and puts her own country spin on it.  Sometimes it's one accessory that can change the feel of the entire outfit!

Franziska of Frannish

 The gingham print of these shorts are too cute for words!  Franziska has a wonderful way of putting outfits together and I love the little hints of color in her belt and sandals.

Kat of Love & Ace

How perfect is this beach look?  Kat really knows how to make a tee look super chic!  Her style is always right on point and I love this beachy outfit.

Jessica of Midwest Muse

When living in Ohio, summer isn't nearly as long as it is here on the west coast.  I'm always excited to see Jessica's warmer weather outfits and this dress is truly the epitome of her style.  I'm seriously in love with every little detail here :)

What's your summer staple?  I'm going to try and think outside the box this year, but no promises!  I think I'll always be a dress girl...

xoxo

Ashley

Fault lines should be worn with pride...

Well, I'm not going to fool you.  These pictures are a few weeks old.  But hey, I wanted to show off this ridiculously cute dress I got awhile ago.  So look past the old location and the old hair color to check out this new(ish) dress.  I love anything with a great back detail and you can actually wear a bra with it!  My body has been going through some weird changes, but the bigger "girls" has been one of the good ones.  But let me tell you, a bra must be worn at all times now!

Dreams Realized

I have been waiting about two months to let this cat out of the bag and I'm so happy that today is the day!  While my online absence has been partly because of our big move, it was only half the reason.  I'm overjoyed to tell you that I'm going to be a momma in January of 2014!

At the moment I'm three months along and Kevin and I couldn't be happier.  While I haven't shared much of my experience with trying to get pregnant, it was a little bit harder than we had thought.  Thankfully, it just took time and patience (and charting!) and our dream of being parents had come true.

As for my pregnancy, it's been a little exhausting but nothing to complain about.  I'm one of the lucky 25% of women who don't have morning sickness.  My main issue is exhaustion, by the end (and sometimes the middle) of the workday I'm ready for a nap.  I guess you can imagine how hard it is to keep up with my favorite blogs and take outfit photos when I'm always napping.

As for the baby, he/she is doing great!  I actually got to see it move it's arms and legs two days ago.  It was simply one of the most amazing moments in my life.  We have already painted the nursery a nice light green and a mystery person already purchased our baby furniture.  How lucky am I?

Of course, I'll be updating you with baby bump pictures whenever I can.  I already have a little one!  This picture was from last month and I'm happy I can finally share it with you.  I'll have another one next week :)
I was conflicted whether or not I wanted to share this experience with you on my blog.  In the end I realize that I'm more than ecstatic about my decision to be a mother and I hope you'll enjoy reading about it.  Plus, I think you'd probably figure it out in a few months!  It's going to be a challenge to style my ever changing body and I love me a good challenge!

To those who already knew, I want to thank you for your support (and for keeping a secret!).  And for those who find this as a surprise, I hope you enjoy a different yet style centered direction my blog is taking.  Outfit posts will always be a focus, but I think crop tops will take a back seat this summer :)
xoxo
Ashley