1st Trimester Must-Haves

My friend Rachael posted some of her First Trimester Lifesavers, and I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I've been loving this time around too (two image boards in one week? Hope you'll bear with me!). I've mentioned it before but this pregnancy has been really different than my first. Luckily this week my energy finally returned but over the past few months there have been some very specific things that have kept me sane!

1. Rainbow Light Prenatal Vitamins. I LOVE these vitamins for a few reasons- but mainly because they don't upset my stomach at all. I've taken them all times of the day, stomach full of food or not, and they've never made me feel ill. They're also a food-based multi-vitamin which is awesome, and you only have to take one a day.

2. Chobani yogurt. I'm not always the biggest dairy person but lately I've been so into Greek yogurt, especially Chobani's Apple Cinnamon and Black Cherry. I add in all sort of different things to mix it up (granola, frozen fruit, etc.), and I love that it's a healthier choice for a sweet treat for the end of the night, chock full of calcium and protein for the baby.

3. Clementine oranges. Henry and I have been eating a box of these a week. Cannot get enough!

4. Champion seamless cami sports bras. Target sells a few different versions of this bra, but the photo above is the exact one I love. I have a ton of them in different colors and wear them almost everyday when I can get away with it. Once of my first (and most annoying, in my opinion) pregnancy symptoms is a bigger chest. Almost overnight I had to say goodbye to my small Bs. Some women love this change but as for me, no thanks. I get through it though by wearing comfy things up top, and this bra is a lifesaver for sure.

5. Old Navy's maternity leggings. I've tried a ton of different types, and these are hands down the best. They're incredibly comfortable with a totally non-binding waistband that makes lounging and running errands that much better. Throw on a cute tunic and flats and you're good to go!

6. Bio-Oil. I used this last pregnancy, in conjunction with a cream (I can't for the life of me remember what it was called), but the latter stained almost all of our sheets and clothing I wore it with. I didn't get one stretch mark though, and although I know it's largely due to genetics, but I do think the Bio-Oil had something to do with it. I use it twice a day, and love the smell.

7. Broadways Calls Oregon. This might be an odd choice but I've been listening to this album non-stop while doing cardio this pregnancy. I think a couple good albums you love are so important to have loaded on your phone so you can really unwind and unplug while you exercise. I've been using either the treadmill or elliptical most mornings and this album has been my best friend. Maybe the baby will come out already a Broadway Calls fan?

8. Belli products. This is a new find and I'm SO thankful for both this Acne Spot Control Treatment and the Anti-blemish Face Wash. I haven't had any morning sickness but I have had to deal with some acne, and the Belli line has helped immensely. Plus, it's formulated especially for pregnant women so unlike most over-the-counter acne treatments you know it's safe for the little one. They offer many, many products for pregnant women so be sure to check them out.

9. Camelbak Water Bottle. I aim to drink 3 of these of a day, and being able to refill it keeps me on track with my water intake.

10. Omega Mom Prenatal Fish Oil (Omega 3) and Borage Seed capsules. I take two of these everyday along with my prenatal vitamin, and unlike many fish oil products, these have zero aftertaste and don't bother my stomach either. Love them.

Fellow mamas, is there anything you'd add to your own list?

 xoxo

p.s. this post is completely unsponsored, but I did use Amazon affiliate linking on #1, 6, 8 and 10.

Girl Crushin': Hannah of Marvelous Mayhem

This week's girl-crush is another lady who I find to be incredibly inspiring. Hannah is a ray of sunshine in every person's life that she's in, and her beautiful smile and humor is positively contagious. I first met Hannah through her older sister Sarah, who has been a long time friend of mine, and since then have been able to follow along with her online, and I'm happy to share that she now also has a new blog. Hannah's been through a lot over the past few years, but you wouldn't know it with the huge smile that's always on her face. She's strong, she's kind, she's smart, she's gorgeous...the perfect recipe for a girl crush, wouldn't you agree? Thanks Hannah, for being a part of my blog today.

 

Name: Hannah Cobley
Blog: marvelous-mayhem.blogspot.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/hannimal

Something you should know about me: I was diagnosed with Leukemia a week before my 18th birthday and a month before I left for college.

How I fill my days: I wake up every morning not knowing how I’m going to feel that day. I still take oral chemotherapy, which cause severe migraines and nausea. So some days I wake up feeling great, and some days not so much.  On the good days, I am a part-time nanny to three little girls ages 7, 5, and 3 who I have been watching since the oldest was a baby. Currently I am in a cabaret at our local community college and take some classes there. I spend a lot of time with my awesome family just hanging out and being wacky. On the not so good days, I usually lay low. I stay home and read, blog, craft, paint my nails 18,000 times, watch old SNL episodes, and do homework!

What I'm currently working on: I have healed physically. The hard part is over, no more hospital stays or IV chemo. Now I am working on healing emotionally.  I am taking each day as it comes. I am working on not taking this whole experience so lightly and letting myself cry about it, which I haven’t done that much. I have had to go from a lifetime high point, to seemingly having the rug pulled out from under me. I still haven’t processed the whole thing, and I’m doing it one step at a time. I didn’t get a say in what happened to me, but I get a say in how I react to it.

Who or what inspires me: So many things and people inspire me! My parents inspire me to be the best possible version of myself. My sisters inspire me to be the best sister I can be. My beautiful and supportive friends inspire me to be my wacky self. Other kids at the hospital with cancer, my nurses, books by John Green, Kristen Wiig, happy people, writing, bloggers, music, DIY projects, and the list can go on and on!

3 current favorite blogs to read: Bleubird, A Beautiful Mess, and Earl Grey Blog!

Home.

When I was 15 I wanted to live in New York City. I wished it, I dreamed it. I imagined being grown up (21 or 22 probably- "old" at that time), and walking around in my adult clothes, doing adult things, all on my own. Later after graduating from college I was all ready to move to Japan to teach English, thoughts of Tokyo and big buildings and things I had only seen in photographs swirling around my mind. I dreamed of big places, big cities, but the older I got, and the more I traveled, the more I realized that what my heart yearned for was quite the opposite.

And now here I am in this small town. This town that I write about all the time, the town I love so much, and really, the last place I ever thought I would call home. Once in college Shirley and I had to take my car to get fixed, and the closest place to our college town of Flagstaff that serviced my type of car happened to be in Prescott (wherever that was, we said). I remember that first time I saw downtown- for some reason it almost seemed like an old Western movie- in my memory there are false storefronts and far less people out than I'm sure there were. I just remember thinking about what a tiny place it was, even smaller than the town I grew up in, and how weird it was to be there. Shirley and I actually ended up getting lost for hours, with her her subsequently being late for her first day of work at new job because of those godforsaken name-changing roads, but we made it back eventually, laughing about our day in that strange little place.

So later when I met Hank I had to smile when he told me it was where he was born and raised. To me it was just that town Shirley and I spent an afternoon in, driving in circles. But little by little I became enamored with it. The drive up became therapeutic, full of trees and mountains and fresh air. We spent so much time walking around downtown, around the square, and maybe it was because I was falling in love, or maybe it was because it's just that wonderful, but I never grew sick of it. And now almost eight years later it's still just as exciting.

I love so much about this slow little life- our quiet weekends, doing the same kinds of things we always do. We visit the same restaurants we've called our favorites for years, being greeted by name when we walk in, looked at in surprise if we change up our usual order. We can't go anywhere without running into at least one person we know (sometimes annoying, most times charming), and it's refreshing to really feel involved in the community. And of course small town living has its funny perks too: special collections at Target are always in stock, the rail seat at the movies is almost always guaranteed, and friends always want to come visit to "get away from it all" (especially Phoenix friends who want to escape the heat come summer!).

Sometimes I wonder if it's this place, or if it's Hank and Henry, but this little town has become one of my favorite places in the world. It's funny, isn't it, how our idea of home shifts as we grow. How somewhere we could have never imagined calling home, slowly becomes the one place we couldn't ever imagine leaving. How sometimes big cities can feel small too (I know this to be true). And in Hank's case, how sometimes the place we grew up is the place we will grow old. Home is a magical idea, sometimes just one place for one person, or many places for another. And sometimes we just know it's home the moment we step foot inside, be it a town, a house, or someone's arms.

I'd love to hear your "home" stories. Where do you live? Where did you want to live growing up? Where do you call home? I look forward to reading your responses!

xoxo

A Fab Spring

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

So technically spring hasn't sprung quite yet...but it's definitely on my mind. There are two times during the year where seasonal changes leave me feeling so inspired and happy, and one of them is right around the corner. There's just something about the weather warming up that makes me feel filling my life with all things floral and pretty, and I love browsing around online to get ideas.

So when Fab invited me to share some of my favorites from their site, I knew I had to do a spring round up. They are a design marketplace that carries a huge variety of cute and colorful items and all of their items are marked down from their normal selling price (seriously, click some of those links above to check out the prices!). I found items from some of my favorite shops and artists while browsing their categories, and I bet you'll be similarly impressed when you go check out all of their goods. So awesome right?

I hope you'll join me in wishing away the last of this cold weather, or at least do some spring-dreaming with me. Isn't it time to move on to complaining that it's too hot out?

xoxo 

p.s. how CUTE is that tunic? I might just have to treat myself to one...

*Post sponsored by Fab. Thank you so much for your support!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Today, 14 weeks and 5 days

1. So Hank and I went and saw Silver Linings Playbook yesterday. I really loved it, but I think if I hadn't already read the book I would have loved it even more. The book and movie were so different, and although I definitely preferred the book to the movie, I think they did do a great job with the film adaptation. The acting was great and I think the casting was perfect. Also, I never really thought of Bradley Cooper as a great actor but I was just so in love with how well he portrayed Pat. So B.Cooper, you've got a new fan in me!

2. The energy level difference between the 1st trimester and this one is insane. With Henry I felt pretty normal the whole time- never super tired or fatigued but with this pregnancy I've felt like I've been in a sleepy haze the past three months. And even though I'm already in the 2nd trimester by a week or so, I FINALLY woke up this morning feeling like my normal self. SO excited about that. I'll be doing a proper weekly pregnancy post later this week so I'll talk more about all of this then but this is worth a paragraph all its own. Celebrating!

3. Downton Abbey. Okay so I know I am insanely late to this party but wow! I watched all of Season 1 on Netflix, then borrowed Season 2 from Hank's step-mom and it was so hard to make myself go to sleep and stop watching episodes. I thought it would probably be overrated since everyone and their neighbor seems to be obsessed with it but lesson learned (again), everyone and their neighbor were right. I don't really even know where to begin but the main thing I love about it is how developed the characters are. It's so strange how quickly you become attached and invested, and the writing is just beyond wonderful. Favorite, for sure. Have you see this show? I'm JUST starting Season 3 so no spoilers please.

4. Can we just take a second and thank Costco for selling huge 4lb bags of frozen organic cherries? I've been living off them as my nightly sweet treat. I mentioned it on IG/Twitter but oddly enough chocolate or any non-fruit sweets do not sound good. I wouldn't turn down a slice of pie or anything, but my beloved Cadbury Mini Eggs actually are disgusting to me right now. I have no idea how that happened. Pregnancy is caa-razy.

xoxo
 

Weekend Links

In the summer of 2010 Chelsea (one of the founders of P.S. I Adore You) found out that her 4-year-old daughter, Cami had leukemia.  It was pure devastation to say the least. The doctors told Chelsea that Cami had a very good chance of surviving, but they would have to fight the battle of their lives and it would need to start NOW!  Cami's battle lasted about 3 years. She had many ups and downs along the way, but we are happy to report that Cami is off treatment and officially CANCER FREE!  That is when P.S. I Adore You was born. Throughout their battle, Chelsea met many other cancer moms and their precious kids who often times didn't have a happy ending.  These are the families P.S. I Adore You strives to help.  

Together with Hello Apparel, P.S. I Adore You is donating $6 for every shirt sold from February 18th- February 22nd a. Funds raised will be given to the SLC CureSearch in honor of Cami and all her little cancer buddies. The sale ends today but the shirts (and some blue ones for guys) will still be for sale on the Hello Apparel website, with some proceeds still going to the cause.

And now, some more links to check out!

Have you tried coconut oil as a body/beauty item yet? Check out my friend Jenny's video all about it.


A fun, new way to print Instagram photos.

15 minute Thin Mints: 3 ingredients, no bake...and vegan! Say what?

What a beautiful blog full of beautiful recipes!

Have you ever tried wooden sunglasses? Aren't these gorgeous? So happy to have Tumbleweeds on Sometimes Sweet this past month.

Food tattoos!

Oscar Actress Quotes: The best things 2013 nominees have said during awards season.

Were parents better then or now? Interesting read.

The surprising last words of 11 entertainers.

How Red Velvet Cake got its name. Neat!

A few blogs to check out: one, two and three.

Have you seen this movie? I saw this trailer and thought it looked great. Luckily it's on Netflix!

THIS SHOE. So pretty.

Still Juxing...are you?

7 tips to love where you are, right now.

Dolphins are pretty amazing.

Coral foxes? Can I use this as an adult blanket?

Some strange things are happening to astronauts returning to Earth. A must-read.

"What's in my bag," Martha style.

Sweet Stacie sent Henry one of these this week. I can't wait to share a photo!

Sponsor love: this necklace, these hairpins, this movie review, and this blog.

Stop apologizing for what you like to read!

What are your broken windows?

A piñata cake. Amazing!

Okay I feel kind of bad laughing (I'd be devastated)...but it's SO FUNNY it's impossible not to.

And finally, window washers at a children's hospital. Love this.

Henry, 7/52

"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2013" 

Henry: my little "Valentime" contemplating his love life. He later exclaimed that Madeline was his Valentine this year, for sure.

See previous portraits here.  
This is a part of the 52 Project from the Che and Fidel blog.

Read & Do: If You Give a Moose a Muffin

I talk about it often, but growing up I was lucky enough to have a Mom who was not only an elementary school teacher but also a librarian, so my life was always books, books, books. And so often my Mom would also do an activity with us that went along with whatever book we were reading that made the pages come to life. I have some of the best memories of cooking food and making fun things with my family in our little yellow house, tucked away in the forest. And now that Henry is older and is all about making things and helping out, I thought it would be fun to start a tradition where we do the same!

For the first Read & Do I picked a book that has been on heavy bedtime reading rotation lately- If You Give a Moose a Muffin. Henry LOVES this book, and I like it too; the moose is huge and silly, and the story is adorable. It's by the same authors of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, so I'm sure you can guess how the story goes.

So this morning we read the book for the 1000th time, then we got out muffin-making ingredients (and blackberry jam, the moose's favorite!), and got to baking. We used an old favorite clean-eating oatmeal-applesauce muffin recipe I make often, and I'll include it below as well.

Henry and I had the best time getting covered in flour, counting out all of the ingredients, and then eating the fruits of our labor. He kept saying "I made these, Mommy!" with a huge smile on his face. I already can't wait to choose our next book, and I'm thinking next time I should get out the tripod so I can snap some of us together, too. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins (from the Eat-Clean Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 cup dry, old-fashioned oatmeal flakes
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim, rice, soy, or almond milk
2 egg whites, beaten (vegans, you can substitute egg-replacer also- I've tried it and it works well with this recipe)
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp + 1tsp canola oil
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dried fruit of your choice (try to get unsulfured and unsweetened if you can)

Directions:
1) Preheat over to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2) Combine oatmeal, applesauce, milk, eggs, flax and oil in a medium bowl.
3) In another medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, including dried fruit.
4) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it. Stir until all ingredients are just combined.
5) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes (we baked ours for about 15-16).  Cool and enjoy!

Currently.

the most amazing cake from Veronica's Valentine's party last week- lemon, strawberry, and red velvet. I'm actually going to get crazy and say it was THE BEST cake I've ever had in my life.

Watching: ***Spoiler alert for Top Chef and The Bachelor if you're not caught up! Anyway, I'm watching the same old stuff I always watch but a few notable things- one, how GREAT is this season of Top Chef? I'm really loving it, and my pick for the win is Sheldon. I think he's the sweetest thing and such a great chef. I've just really been enjoying this season, even though any time I watch it I'm immediately hungry. It's also made me have an even bigger interest in going to Alaska- it looks beautiful. Secondly, the Bachelor...my not-so-guilty pleasure. This season is okay, right? Not great but fairly interesting. I really like AshLee and I think she's my favorite, but I don't know if she would necessarily be a good match for Sean. I feel like he'll probably end up picking Lindsey or Catherine, although I don't feel like Catherine and him have much of a connection. We'll see! Who is your favorite so far?

Thinking about: the internet and how quickly it changes, and how different aspects of it become a part of our daily life...and others just don't. I really tried to get into the Vine app. In fact, at first I thought I could really love it and imagined it would become a part of my normal social media routine. For a few days I enjoyed it, but after a week had passed I realized it just wasn't a natural thing to do- I had to really think about opening the app, where as with Twitter and Instagram it's almost an organic thing to share via those avenues. On a whole separate note I'm not too sure if that's a good thing either- to have a funny thought and want to share it immediately. Hmm. But anyway, Vine just didn't fit into my little online world. Did you have a similar experience? Or are you still loving it?

Reading: I've been blazing through the Beautiful Creatures series and LOVING it. I was a little unsure about even starting it (I'd only seen the movie preview) but I'm beginning book three after just a week of obsessively reading during any chance I get, and I am so hooked. Great writing, wonderful storyline. I'll talk more about it later in a book review but I'm so into this series.

Looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby. I'm at exactly 14 weeks today (hello second trimester!) and we have a month and a half to go. We aren't doing any fancy ultrasounds, or early 3D ones to determine if the baby is a boy or girl so we have to wait alllll the way until 20 weeks. And speaking of the sex of the little one, one of my readers left an interesting comment about how we mistakenly use the term "gender" when talking about this. It's actually always "finding out the sex," because gender is socially constructed. Thanks Alicia! 

Making me happy: sweet Henry as always and his ever-growing vocabulary, Valentine's night at home with my two guys, really enjoying working out on my own- and loving listening to music again. I sure miss Crossfit but I am enjoying doing it on my own a lot more right now, warm weather dreaming, egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast, citrus ANYTHING, long walks with Henry, some awesome new blog stuff on the horizon, feeling purposeful in my daily life, and starting to feel SO much better with the arrival of this second trimester.  

So, how about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.

Henry, 6/52

"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2013" 

Henry: Loving the snow, and feeling so important and proud as he shovels the yard, just like Daddy.

See previous portraits here.  
This is a part of the 52 Project from the Che and Fidel blog.

Def Shop & Weekend Links

Def Shop is a Berlin-based online shop full of fun items and fashion for men, women and children. They have a huge, wide variety of items that are awesome for all types of shoppers, and some really adorable picks for this mama! So many of their dresses and shoes have me so excited for summer. They're neat because you get some of the brands an American shop would carry, but also some unique European brands and a different perspective. When Def Shop got together with me about promoting some of their new products, I thought I would share some of my favorites, and encourage all of you to head over and check them out!

Dresses: one, two, three. Brown wedges, sunglasses, woven wedge.

Thank you all for supporting my blog and the occasional sponsors I work with! xo

And now, some weekend links!

First up, my friend Jenny recently started a new YouTube channel full of hair tutorials and inspiration. There are a lot of YouTube videos out there but hers are SO good, and really helpful. Plus, she's the sweetest thing alive. Watch this week's, then be sure to subscribe! She'll actually be doing my hair in a couple of weeks and I can't wait.

Here's her Taylor Swift Grammy hairstyle- I'm excited to try this one.


Lessons from my classy Grandma. Love this!

This would be a great way to visit NYC.

I adore Katie, and adore her posts.

Henry needs one of these in his life! I can only imagine all the fun we'd have reading inside.

Full House Valentines! Cool!

This blanket is perfect.

The one thing that has been helping my pregnancy acne.

Best photo from the Grammys. Or this one.

How to feel okay.

Have you ever gone on a digital detox before?

Love reading others' 5 senses. 

Etsy wishlist: one, two and three. And two more from my sponsors: this adorable blanket from Little Hip Squeaks and these gorgeous earrings from Acute Designs.

Sylvia Plath's original, handwritten chapter outlines for The Bell Jar. Amazing.

How to find your purpose and do what you love! 

What? This blog's author is 16? Wow. So much amazing-ness, and I'm sure a lot more to come.

Thanks Babble, for including me!

Happy Love Day.

Is it possible to be in love with a stroller? Love.

And let's talk about this gorgeous diaper bag. And this would be so cute inside.

Look! My favorite fox pillow from sponsor Gingiber is now HUGE!

Brights and neutrals- so many great items.

Cute post over on Jen's blog- it's the small things.

And finally, the typical day of a teenage girl in the late 90s. YES!

xoxo

Pregnancy #2, Questions and Answers

{about 12.5 weeks along}

So, so much to catch up on! First of all, THANK YOU so, so much for all of your kind words, congratulations, comments, messages, etc. about our exciting news! Hank and I were just blown away with all of the love you guys showed us and I just want you to know how much it's appreciated.

I also wanted to add that my friend Lauren Ristow took all of our announcement photos (she's amazing) and if you're on the West Coast and want to work with her, she's offering $20 off your package. Just head over to her website to contact her. She shoots everything from weddings, births, babies, events, you name it. She's affordable and insanely talented. Just be sure to tell her I sent you!

It's hard to know where to start, but I thought for this first pregnancy post I'd just answer some of the questions I've been getting- so many of them have been the same so I figure I'll touch on some of them now.

1. Will you be doing weekly/monthly updates? 

Updates yet, but pregnancy photos every week/month? I'm not sure yet. It's hard because I did that with Henry, but I just don't feel as motivated to take photos of myself. I usually feel awkward in posed photos like that but at the same time I feel like it's unfair to not have a ton of pregnancy photos for this little one to look back on (if they'll even think that they're cool to look back on?! haha...). But, now that I'm thinking about it, I probably will and if I do, I'll most likely begin at 15 weeks. And on a related note, I cannot believe I ever posted bare belly photos with Henry! Hats off to anyone who does, but honestly looking back it surprises me that I did that.

2. Do you want a boy or a girl?

Honestly, I don't care either way. Before I was pregnant the first time I always envisioned having a little girl, but then once we had Henry it just made sense that he was a boy. And now I can't imagine it any other way. I love being the mama of a boy and would be delighted to have TWO boys to cherish, but at the same time having a little girl would be INSANE. Both are equally exciting, but for different reasons. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be finding out the gender come 20 weeks. (Impatiently) counting down...

3. Do you feel like you're having a boy or a girl?

Not really, although I had the weirdest dream which I'll talk about next week. Henry also consistently says "my baby sister" unprompted, so we'll see if his hunch is right. Do you have a guess?

4. Do you have names picked out?

Yes! We've had our girl name for seriously EIGHT years. Isn't that crazy? We've just always known that if we had a girl that would be her name. And we decided on a boy name about 6 months ago, and we're set on that too. I'm a weirdo and live in fear of a friend or blogger using the same name (even though we'd still use it), so I don't tell anyone. Maybe that's silly but it makes me feel better to keep it locked up.

5. How have you been feeling?

It's weird, with Henry I was teaching full time, so in a way I'm not sure if I ever gave myself time to feel like shit. But with this pregnancy I've been SO tired. I'm just starting to feel normal again and get some more energy. No sickness, but I have had a couple of days I felt overall queasy...but I wouldn't classify it as full blown morning sickness. The main symptom I'm dealing with? ACNE! Oh my god, it's terrible. I've always had good skin, but after I stopped nursing Henry it went all wacky. It never went totally back to normal and a few weeks into my pregnancy it went absolutely crazy. I've been dealing with blemishes like I've never had before and thankfully it's finally starting to clear up a little.  I know there are many other issues I could be dealing with, but it's still a huge bummer. On the flip side though, I'd deal with a million zits just to bring a sweet baby into the world! It's all relative...but I really can't wait until my hormonal skin stops being...so hormonal.

6. Are you planning on continuing with CrossFit?

Actually, no. I have been doing it up until last week, but I just don't feel like I'm getting the best workout there, since everything has to be scaled. I'd rather workout on my own, and do things I am 100% able to do. My focus is on keeping the baby healthy and safe in my belly, not on doing Olympic lifts or keeping up with my pull-ups, and I'd rather do exercises I can fully do that make me feel happy and healthy. I'm still lifting weights regularly but not in the CrossFit setting. I look forward to returning though, after I recover from delivery. I'll basically just be doing the same thing I did last pregnancy (walking, cardio machines, weights, and yoga), which worked out great. I should also add that many women DO partake in Crossfit throughout their entire pregnancy and it's wonderful for them- there are some great websites full of information on how to do it safely- but it's really just not for me.

7. Are you going to try for a VBAC or have another c-section?

I had an emergency c-section with Henry and this time I am planning to go in and have another c-section. I have no interest at all in trying for a VBAC and will happily be scheduling my c-section for August. Some people have been appalled that I don't want to try, but hey, that's the beauty of being able to choose. ;) I just find the idea of VBAC scary, especially after my experience, and although I know c-sections are risky too, I feel totally okay with going for it again.

8. How is this pregnancy different?

It's funny- with my first pregnancy I felt like I was the first person to ever be pregnant, like everything revolved around my pregnancy and me being pregnant. It's kind of embarrassing to look back, but also kind of sweet in my naivety. I was also OBSESSED with being pregnant- I would look at pregnancy apps all day long, read every pregnancy book known to man, scour websites, bookmark nursery inspiration, visit message boards...and this time, I'm just pregnant. At least when I remember I am! It's so funny to me, and totally different. Outside of that, I'd say that my pregnancy with Henry was super easy. I felt normal the entire time and this one I feel very "blah" most of the time. But again, who knows if that's my mindset because I have more time to think about it this time around. Either way it's JUST as exciting, but really different. As far as physical differences, I'm still not showing but I do feel like I'm thicker around the middle already, which I noticed in our pregnancy announcement photos, and in the way my clothes fit. That would be the major thing so far.

On a side note, would you agree that there is major blogger baby boom happening right now?! I'm so excited and happy for so many of my friends who are expecting! Two of my most favorite girls are due right around the same time as me, so hop over and say congrats to Mandy and Diana. So exciting.

p.s. all of these were asked either via comments, emails, tweets, or IG comments. If you have anything else you'd like to know, leave a comment below and I'm happy to answer! xoxo

Girl Crushin': Amber Beck of I Love You To The Moon

Happy Valentine's Day! What a perfect day to share another girl crush. This time it's my real life and online friend Amber. I LOVE Amber. Like really, really love her. She has the kindest heart of anyone I know, and her zest and passion for life is truly contagious. She's just the best, and if you're curious as to why she's the best, go check out her blog or follow her on IG...your day will have a lot more sunshine in it, that's for sure!

Picture by Kara Mercer 

Name: Amber Beck from I Love You to the Moon and amber_beck on IG.

How I fill my days: I am currently working full time as a police dispatcher, going to school full time – Early Education/English as a Second Language, and student teaching 15-20 hours a week. So that is pretty much it for me! Haha. When I can, I squeeze in coffee dates with my favorite people, try and make it to the gym, and wind down with a book or fall asleep to a favorite t.v. show.

What I'm currently working on: taking pictures with different film cameras I own and developing them each month. 12 months, 12 rolls of film from different cameras. :] I’ve been collecting cameras from thrift shops for a few years now, but seem to stick with the same two or three cameras when I go to grab one. I love how convenient and awesome digital pictures are, but there is nothing quite like film.

Who or what inspires me: People that love life. Seriously. It is the most refreshing thing in the world to see people truly happy. There is a Dr. in the college of Education that is the most joyful person I have ever met. The last time I stopped by her office she said while laughing, “Oh! What a good day! Lucky me, I get to help this beautiful girl on this beautiful day!” and it's 100% her, all the time. She also has a really awesome accent which is just fun to listen to.

3 current favorite blogs to read:

Katie at Skunkboy

Suzy at Suzy Krause and the Sky Scrapers

and Carly at Tea Cups and Bubble Baths

CLOSED // Be Your Own Valentine Giveaway!

Congratulations to the winner, Sara! Sara I'm sending you an email in just a moment with all the info you need! <3

Thanks again to all who entered! :)

xoxo

----------

So, so excited to present a super fun Valentine's giveaway today. ONE winner will win it all, and I'll choose a winner on Monday, February 18th. I'll announce it on my Twitter and Sometimes Sweet's Facebook page, but be sure to check back here as I'll post the winner at the top of this page.

Up for grabs, courtesy of some of my favorite shops and companies:

$50 giftcard to Ever + Mi.Crush
$50 credit to Pinhole Press
1 12x12 wooden Instagram print from InstaThis 
1 Sugarwish gift box
1 of every bar The Good Bean makes, as well as two of their snacks
$30 to Hello Apparel

Amazing right?

Here's how to enter:

1. Quick and easy for those of you who hate having to enter multiple ways- just leave a comment with your name and email below.

And for up to two bonus entries:

1. Tweet the tweet below, then come back here and leave an additional comment letting me know you did so, along with your name and email again.

 I'm entering the Be Your Own Valentine Giveaway via Sometimes Sweet and @danihampton! #ssvalentine http://tinyurl.com/b9v55eg

2. Follow me (@danihampton) on Instagram. Find the giveaway photo on my account, screenshot it, and repost the photo on your own IG account. Be sure to tag me and also hashtag #ssvalentine. If you're private leave a comment on my photo to let me know you posted it. I'll include those in the total to find the winner!

So you have up to THREE ways to win!

And remember, ONE winner will get it all.  Good luck, and happy Valentine's Day!

xoxo


InstaThis image from DesignCrush.

Book Review: The Silver Linings Playbook

Earlier this week I tweeted, "Ever finish a book and want to cry because it’s over and you’ll never get to read it for the first time ever again? Yeah, that." I was talking about The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. Honestly, it's hands down one of the best books I've read in a long time, kind of on the same level as The Fault in Our Stars. It's hard to explain all of the emotions it brought out of me; at times I was crying, then laughing, then shaking my head at the sheer happiness it brought out of me. It's funny and touching, heartbreaking and heartwarming, all at once.

I first heard about this book because of the movie. In fact, I had no idea the book even existed. But while watching the Golden Globes it was impossible to miss- the movie was mentioned a million times, garnering many nominations and a win too, for Jennifer Lawrence. I didn't really know anything about the film though, from the 5-second clips I saw over and over, and I wasn't exactly interested outside of just wanting to know what the hype was all about.

So last week while on Amazon picking out samples for my Kindle (one of my favorite things to do), this book was in the middle of my recommendations. I actually thought it was the DVD at first, so I skimmed over it, but when I had a hard time finding books I was excited about, I went back through my recommendations and clicked through. And I'm SO happy I did.

I started the book that night, and immediately got lost in its unique perspective and story. It's beautiful. The story centers upon its protagonist, Pat Peoples, who is released from a mental hospital at the start of the book. I hate summarizing books for fear of giving anything away (I prefer to know nothing about a novel going into it), but just know the book deals with Pat's life; his "recovery," with love, with hope, with family...and with Kenny G.  There were so many times I found myself just smiling ear to ear as I read- and unable to put the book down. I read it in two days and was thoroughly depressed when it was over. To me it was part Catcher in the Rye (odd comparison, maybe), part The Fault in Our Stars, and part any wonderful, sweet novel I've ever read that inspires hope. And yes, even though it's a novel that deals with dark topics, in its own quirky way I was left feeling inspired, hopeful, and smiling.

Read it, and when you do, let me know how much you loved it! Hank's reading it now, and when he's done I can't wait to see the movie together, which I heard is wonderful too.


image above via Amazon
I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. If you'd prefer to view the book without my affiliate link, feel free to click here instead! :)  

Plus One

Yes...that's a baby! Come this August, we will be a family of four!

I'm 13 weeks along, and Hank, Henry and I are just bursting at the seams with excitement and happiness. My talented friend Lauren took these photos of us a couple of weekends ago in an old, historic building downtown that was just at the beginning of its renovations, and it's been so difficult for me to keep from telling all of you the good news until I could share the photos. I've had babies on the brain, and some of you may have even guessed what was coming; it's hard holding in news this good!

There's so much more to write about, but I'll keep this first post short and sweet. For now, I'm just so ecstatic to finally share this news! Now who's ready to get excited with me over little tiny baby things, Henry as a big brother, and this sweet summer baby on the way? So, so happy.

xoxo

Weekend Links

source

First of all, Phoenix people, I wanted to share the coolest thing ever with you. My friend Gabe works for Uber, and this Valentine's Day they're doing something really special that makes me kind of, sort of wish we lived in the Phoenix area. Drumroll please...Uber is making it possible for you to send your sweetie on-demand roses delivered by barbershop quartets. Ahhh! Here are the details: for $75 you get a bundle of fresh red roses, one song from a real Barbershop Quartet, and a personalized Valentine’s Card. This is happening between 9am and 6pm, with the quartets pulling up in Uber's black cars & SUVs.

You can request the service right from your Uber app, set the location you want the gift to be delivered. You’ll receive an ETA and be able to communicate with the driver delivering the gift. The Barbershop Quartet will arrive to your desired location, deliver a rose & perform a love song for your sweetie! One thing: if you do this PLEASE tweet or IG me a photo. I'm so sad to miss out and really want to see the quartets in action.

And now, some links-

Filming the imagination of a 6 year old, literally.

S'mores hot chocolate

Always love Denene's blog, and especially enjoy her round up of links.

On my Etsy wishlist these- hairpins (in coral!) in the Acute Designs shop, and this gorgeous print that would look amazing in any kitchen.

And how about this dress? Wishlist material for sure.

Some great web fonts for download.

Did you know Friday was National Girl Scout Cookie Day?

So many beautiful kids items.

Click through to see what Diana's learned from social media. 

20-somethings- can you relate?

Always love Megan's Currently posts.

Stage Left. A post about the little things we do for ourselves.

I'll be participating in this game from Trisha's blog next week.

Honestly DYING over Missy's babywearing video. Seriously laughing out loud- I love her!

How to see if your images are being used on another site. 

Oh Katie, always such a doll!  

What Janna really wants. How about you?

The perfect summer drink. Definitely bookmarked this one for warm-weather get togethers.

A simple, beautiful hairstyle. 

These sunglasses! Swoon! 

Are you on Vine yet? I posted my second compilation last night- loving these little videos. 

Adore this quote...especially printed like this. And for $5 too.

Frank Ocean can fly. Will you be watching the Grammys? We will be. So excited.

Some blogs to check out: The Baby and the Artist (a sponsor this month)...and is it okay to still link one of my favorite blogs of all time, even though she doesn't blog anymore? 

And finally, A Valentine for my Gay Ex Husband. Beautiful.

xoxo

  

This Week on Vine

Little bits of our week, compiled together via the Vine app! My name still isn't searchable in their datebase (ugh) but hopefully you can find me through mutual friends. It's so fun seeing everyone's clips, and to me, it's like Instagram has come alive! Here's this week's video:

TOAST! // digging in the dirt at Gigi and Poppy's // date night // Henry's little dancing clown, that was once mine when I was baby // a hungry dinosaur // "yeah, fruit salad!" // snowy morning // wanting his snow toys // driving to the store in the snow // building blocks // the magic words!

The Trap.

It's a crazy world we live in, with all of this technology and connection, and the ability to see and read anything our heart desires, right at the tips of our fingers. And in the blog world it's all right there- beautiful design, writing, photos. People doing things, making things, all of the time, never-ending. It's easy to get lost in all of it, isn't it? And sometimes I do. Sometimes I'll read so many sites and blogs, one after another, and feel so overwhelmed. Inspired, of course, but overwhelmed. And I'm not sure if this is a normal response, a common response, but that's just how it is sometimes in this head of mine.

And when this happens, it's almost like I'm stunted. I stop. I find it hard to think of things I want to share, I feel like I don't have much new to offer. All of these other people are doing, making, creating, photographing- how can I add to it? It's already all out there. But then I remind myself that there is one me, and one Henry, and one little family like mine. And really, only one story like mine.

It's hard to take a step back from that, from the overwhelming amount of information we're all given. It's easy to feel like your voice is just one tiny whisper in a huge room of people shouting, wanting their voice to be heard, but it's good to remember that your story is your story, your voice is your voice. And that no matter what, it's a beautiful thing all on its own. I'm reminding myself of this today.

xoxo