Our baby has arrived!

Our baby has arrived! I’ve been taking a bit of social media break since he’s been here, to take in all those newborn feels to cuddle this sweet little one. He arrived on Monday February 5, a big boy weighing in over 10lbs, 22″ long!

Taking a mindful approach to what I’m doing these days. I’m somewhat on an internet/social media break, but definitely post a few times a day to my IG stories on snippits of our days lately. This newborn stage, the whole being a new mom/parent thing is unreal and I want to soak up every last ounce all without distractions from what *doesn’t* matter. If that makes any sense. Many have reached out with congratulations and many more asked about how Alfie is dealing with being a big brother. It only took a few short days for him to become fully used to the fact that baby isn’t going anywhere and now he’s more interested in him, than us! Any time Alfie barked at baby he was removed from the room. So he caught on quick.

As for how I’m feeling, I’m (knock on wood) surprisingly great! Doc said I was “all-belly” (ahem…regardless of the rude comments I’ve received) and I asked for a belly band at the hospital which I’ve been wearing a few times a day, it helps make you feel secure when walking around, and it also I suppose you could say…suck everything back in. It’s interesting watching it all go sorta back into place. Haha. Every 3 days or so I take a photo of my belly to track the progress. I’m not obsessed over it, but it’s super interesting to see how quickly things have been squishing itself back into place. It’s wild to me. As of day 10 I was in my pre-pregnancy jeans (and they were too big!), and day 14 I was at my pre-pregnancy weight. I know this isn’t the case with everyone’s post-partum, so I’m happily surprised how well things are going on my end.

I don’t know if this sounds smug, or not — but I’m being honest with you. I thought for sure I’d hate my body after baby, that I’d require so much help around the house and be almost immobile, as everyone was telling me it would be so difficult. But it’s all been fantastic!

I’ve been a little lack-luster with my maternity wardrobe in the third/final trimester. I haven’t done many bump photos or even wrote about the pregnancy stages that I did in my first, and second trimesters. Living in the same clothing and rotating different colours of the same long-sleeved tee’s I’ve been feeling the most comfortable in. So it definitely felt good to shop my wardrobe again, and also receive some new goodies from prAna’s spring line (#mindfulprAna). So I thought I’d show you a little peek at how things are looking right now and over the past two weeks:

Day 6, 9, 12 and 15 (today is day 15!). Lol day 9 the belly was weirdly ‘pointy’ haha.

(And if you’re interested in shopping on prAna’s site, I have a 15% coupon code for you: MPSKS18 Note that it won’t work on sales/markdowns)

I know a lot of people enjoy documenting their birth stories on their blogs, but I’m not interested in sharing that with the world. I’ve mentioned this before, but we’re pretty private people despite me having a public blog and Instagram. Just as much as I’m not sure that I’ll be posting many photos of the baby’s face. I mean, I’m being mindful of it all – he’s gonna be his own person, and who knows if he even wants his pictures plastered all over the internet as an infant. That’s not to say I won’t post any, ever. But at this point in time I’m just leaning towards the “no” option lol.

Thanks for reading! Have a great rest of your week :)

Continue Reading

What a week its been…

Oof! What a week it’s been.

I’m short on blog deadlines — and not because I don’t realize it. I’m not sure I’ve officially announced it here on the blog or not, so I’ll sneak it into today’s blog post. We bought a house! It’s just that we’re super busy with the house, hunting for appliances, buying appliances, Alfie’s been sick for a good week, and going to my many doctor appointments. Seriously I think I have 4 a month, or so.

This week they all lined up on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Between appointments I was packing up our kitchen and living space. There’s a lot on our plate! But it’s all good things. At one appointment (our detail scan) on Monday, as I was driving my phone rang (Scott answered) and they told us the power went out at the Dr’s office. So, we drove back home and they rescheduled us for a different location, later that day. We drove to the second location, only to realize everyone and their dog had been reschedueled to that spot too, so we waited 1hr 15 min for our flippin’ appointment. And you know what? You gotta have a full bladder too at some of those!

I’m pretty sure it all evaporated by the time my appointment came.

Speaking of those detail scans, I gotta be honest here… they’re creepy looking by the way: 3D/4D scans. The kid is so little that obviously everything isn’t fully grown yet. At one point I asked the sonographer if the kid even had a nose “yet”. Then on the photo it looks like he’s definitely taking after both parents here (hi, we have prominent schnozzes lol) Sheesh! I can’t tell what I’m looking at lol. I definitely spoke up about it, and as soon as she flipped from x-ray looking to totally 3D/4D, I was all “WHOA…. weird.” I’m sure she was simply expecting an “aww” out of us. I’ll say it how it is b’ys. It’s weird. But in kind of a cool way.

Sorta.

Needless to say I’m feeling subsconciously stressed. I always say subconciously because I don’t feel stressed for the most part. It’s just a few times a week when I get overwhelmed, not sure what to do next with the house-prep, etc….then we all freak out lol. This week has been the worst for it. I’ve never felt so angry and for no good reason! It’s making me feel weird.

In other news, let’s pop in another OOTD in here a few bottom pieces from prAna‘s fall launch (which was sent to me as a #sweatpinkpartner. #prAnaFallStyle17 #prAnaStyle #sweatpink). I’ve been diggin’ outfit of the day posts lately.

 

Wearing:
prAna London jeans
Cardigan with hood
Black Tank top
Brown leather belt
Pink faux-suede slip-ons
Blue sunnies
Fossil Rachel Tote (also sent for review, from Fossil)

Shop the look: 

Wearing:
prAna mantra pant
White tank
Google Moto 360 watch

Shop the look:

Above: prAna mantra pant + prAna London jeans

Get 15% off your prAna order by using code FANG15 at checkout!

Thought I have to say, one of the first things in the apartment I packed for the move, was my clothing. I donated countless bags of unwanted pieces, and packed away 90% of my wardrobe. I have probably 10-15 tops hanging in my closet currently, and you know what? I don’t miss the other items. Sure I don’t even know what the heck is even in the packed boxes for heaven sakes. And guess what? I’m probably going to be ruthless when opening it back up to hang it all back into my closet — and back to the donation site with more bags. Now, let’s see if I can do this with the majority of stuff (makeup, haircare, skincare, local friends — I know you’ll want some! Ha!).

Who’s ready for the weekend, raise your hand! Although I don’t have a full-time job, I treat the stay-at-home sitch like one. I do the daily chores that I set out for myself, and whatever else needs to be done. Weekends are days off for everyone in this household.

What do you have on the go this weekend?

Psst..Can you tell I’m craving the oldschool blogging technique? Typing out thoughts in my head, not really spell-checking/grammar checking/etc. I am bringin’ the good ol’ days back you guys. Ha!!!

Continue Reading

Packing for Portland in May

I’m on my way to Portland, Oregon for a press event and thought I’d compile a post of what I’m bringing for the three day trip.

While I don’t over pack, I’m also not the lightest packer. For instance, I’m totally bringing four pairs of shoes for this three day trip. I mean, there’s room in the carry-on and I have outfits for each one — so whynat? The part of my suitcase where I try and keep it minimal is my makeup and toiletries bag. I just hate packing it all back up to go home. I guess this isn’t ideal for those that travel regularly, but since I don’t travel all that often and I’m in need of a new toothbrush when I get back, is that I’m going to chuck my travel-sized toothpaste and full-sized toothbrush in the garb after the trip and before I head back home.

DO LAUNDRY + CHECK WEATHER|

I think it goes without saying, check the weather forecast before you start piling clothes into your suitcase. Then, I do laundry for whatever clothes I need to bring, and start packing days before the trip because I’m super organized like that.

CLEAR PACKING CUBES|

Everything. I mean everything goes in a bag. From chargers and cables to my clothing. It all goes in packing cubes or these plastic cosmetic bags I purchased from eBay. The outfits are a bit of a struggle for me as I try and be strategic about the clothing I bring, being versatile. I want to bring enough to see me through all scenarios but I also don’t want to lug around a heavy carry-on full of anything and everything I want to wear. I have no qualms about piecing outfits together and settling on that, days before I wear them.

DO THE SPILL CHECK|

The last thing you want to happen when you open up your suitcase upon arrival, is seeing all your liquids over your clothes. Luckily I learned at a young age thanks to my tetris-queen-packin’-Mom, is to seal up any and all caps with saran wrap. Everything adds up in weight, and since I tend to use travel-sized items on the regular anyway, packing other items like sunscreen into smaller containers makes sense.

CARRY-ON SUITCASE + PERSONAL ITEM|

My carry-on suitcase is from Delsey and I’ve been using for the past 2 years. We have two (husband has the brown version) and I have to say it’s a really prime piece of luggage. I get stopped more often than not, asking who makes it. My personal item on this trip is my backpack doubling as my purse which I don’t usually bring, but I need to bring a few extra things this trip, and I need them close by instead of tucked away in an overhead bin.

I bring as limited identification and cards as I can. The essentials I’m bringing is my passport, drivers license, a credit card and some cash. My fancy wallet stays safe at home, and I use a small card case so it takes up little room.

AIRPLANE OUTFIT|

I select an airplane uniform for myself, to help conserve valuable carry-on space, therefore I wear the same outfits on both flights. For instance I’m wearing most of my heaviest items and packing the lightest (for more room). Layering your clothing is always a good way to go. Here’s an example of what I’d wear on an airplane:

Thread & Supply rain coat (it is Portland, after-all)
Parka Sweater
Kara Jean (indigo)
H&M slip on sneakers
Suede backpack

I always make sure I bring a pair of socks with me because 99% of the time I don’t wear them; and I know darn tootin’ well I’m going to have to remove my shoes when I go through security and I do not want my bare feet touching the grimy floors. Call me Canadian, yes, but I’m always freezing here in California regardless of where I’m from. I even wore these jeans when it was 28°C outside, and I didn’t get overheated like I would in a regular jean. Perhaps because I went up a size and wanted them to be a little looser fitting.

What are some of your must-have’s while traveling? 

Get 15% off your prAna order until June 16. Enter S17TRAVELSK at checkout.

Continue Reading