We're back from Utah! I'm back at it! And the blog is *finally* back. Thanks for your patience while I took a much-needed break.

We actually returned from our trip on Sunday night, but given that traveling a long distance with a baby [+ a time change that screws everyone up] is probably one of the most exhausting things I've ever done, I'm just now reemerging and declaring myself "caught up" enough to sit down and pull together this blog post.

The plus-side of the long trip? I felt far away from home and was able to totally unplug. Also, the trip was WONDERFUL and basically went as well as it possibly could have. No major travel issues, no major Charlie Mae issues, no major skiing issues. But it wasn't just a lack of issues that made the trip great, it was also an abundance of experiences that went even better (and were even easier) than expected that made it so great. 

For example:
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• The mountain where we were skiing (Alta) had an incredible daycare at the bottom of it. Charlie Mae did really well at the daycare and had a ton of fun there so Ben and I were able to ski together every morning (!!!) for 2-3 hours without having to worry about our child. This is the most child-free time we've spent together since Charlie Mae was born and it was really important for our relationship.  
  
  
• In the afternoon on 2 of our 5 ski days, my dad's girlfriend offered to stay home and babysit Charlie Mae while we went back out and skied again. You should have seen how quickly we were out the door when she made that offer! ;) 
  
  
• The weather was perfect. A big snowstorm moved in on the day we arrived and stuck around for a few days leaving the slopes super soft, powdery, and GORGEOUS throughout the trip. The skiing was unbelievable.
  
  
• Despite the time change wreaking a bit of havoc on Charlie Mae's sleep schedule, she was able to adapt to traveling really well. I was super impressed by how well she held it together despite all of the challenges that we threw at her during the trip!
  
  
• During Charlie Mae's afternoon naps Ben and I were able to lounge on the couch in front of the fire, hop in the hot tub, and just BE. Another rarity in our normal lives.
  
  
• We got to spend some QT with my family in a beautiful place! We didn't ski together that much because we're we're all different levels, but we ate dinner together every night and hung out in between things, which was lovely. I don't get to see them enough. 
  
  

Was the trip perfect and without stress? No, of course not, but it really gave us the break we needed from the daily grind, our super busy normal routine, and work. 

Also, I CANNOT OVERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SPENDING A WEEK OUTSIDE DURING THE WINTER!

Before our trip, we'd been dealing with record-breaking cold temps here on Cape Cod, and because of this, I had hardly been outside in the past month or so. This trip changed that, and reminded me of how incredible it is to get outside in the snow and be active; it's so invigorating and energizing (and exhausting in a really gratifying way). 

I am very thankful to my dad for treating our family to this trip and for making it possible for us to truly get away at the start of 2018. Now I'm ready to embrace this new year + get back on track! Keep an eye out for a new audio yoga class + podcast episode, both of which will be headed your way very soon.

As I mentioned on Friday, we got our 'Charlie Mae's 1st Birthday' family photoshoot pics back last week, and it was incredible looking through them and seeing how much our little one has grown.

Since I love a good side-by-side comparison, today I've pulled together some pics from our newborn shoot to share alongside some of the pics from our 1-year shoot; I can't believe the staggering difference that a year makes in the life of a babe! Not only is Charlie Mae bigger, but I think that Ben and I look a lot more settled into our roles as parents now, too. Also, Ben's beard has filled out and man, has he gotten a lot tanner in the past year, haha! ;)

Quick shout-out to our amazing photographers (who both happen to be yoga students of mine, as well):

• Newborn shoot: Kati Mennett of Sparks Fly Photography (view more pics from this shoot here)
• 1-Year shoot: Olivia Beaton Photography

Oh, and I should note that Sayde is still VERY much a part of the family, but she's not allowed on the beach this time of year so couldn't be included in this latest shoot :( We missed her!!!

We had such a special weekend! Our little girlie turned one last week so we had a bunch of family over on Saturday to celebrate her first birthday and our first year of being parents (!).

I have to say, this was definitely my favorite party we've ever thrown; the weather was perfect, Charlie Mae was crazy happy, I had a blast creating + setting up all of the decor for her duck-themed party, Ben grilled up some amazing food, and we had a lot of fun visiting with the wonderful family members who attended.  Also, I didn't get super frazzled the day of the party (or during the party, for that matter), which is a *huge* win for an easily-frazzled gal like myself ;)

Highlights of the day? Watching Charlie Mae point out + name every duck at the party (her latest animal obsession), seeing her light up when opening her gifts--especially her "big girl" basketball goal that her Dad got her--watching her eat her first bit of cake, and of course, seeing her interact with her dear family.

As you all know from my many blog posts about motherhood, I've found being a mom to be the most rewarding and simultaneously most challenging thing I've EVER done. This past year has been a rollercoaster of emotions {ALL OF THE EMOTIONS ALL THE TIME} along with more sleep deprivation, overwhelm, and pure joy/happiness/love than I ever could have prepared for, and while I am sad that this first year of Charlie Mae's life is over, I'm also thrilled to see what the future holds for our little babe and can't wait to watch her continue to grow + develop.

I'm also hoping that this second year of her life brings us a lot more sleep and a bit more "balance" (WTF is balance, anyways? Does ANYONE have it? No, I don't think so...and especially not parents of little ones. But still, a girl can hope, right?).

Anyways, you can see some more snapshots from our ducky party below:

Above: Charlie Mae gives her new stuffed animal a "smooch" + does one of her many assisted dunks of the party. 

Below: This girl is hovering around 55th percentile for height and weight, but is 75th percentile for head circumference. Can you tell from this silly pic of her dome? Such a little melonhead, just like her mom ;) 

 Above: After trying the cake herself, Charlie Mae promptly fed some to her dad. I don't think I have to tell you how much this meant to him ;) 

So that's that! This first year has definitely come and gone in an instant. Does the fact that Charlie Mae is now 1 mean that I can no longer use the excuse "I just had a baby" for why I'm falling behind in every aspect of my life...?

[Me getting my emissions checked after noticing my sticker had expired months ago: "I just had a baby, so just completely forgot about it." Me running late to a doctor's appointment: "I just had a baby so am a bit all over the place right now." Me explaining why I can't sub classes for other yoga teachers: "I just had a baby and haven't gotten into a good groove with my schedule yet..."

The person who I'm explaining myself to: "Oh congrats, how old is your baby?"

Me (making super awkward face as I realize how old she is): 1 year. ] 

Thanks for sticking with me through this past year of transitions and for all of the <online> support you've provided as I've muddled my way through this whole mom-thing. 

Oh, and for those who love a good look back in time, here's the first post I wrote after giving birth + some snapshots from Charlie Mae's first week of life. 

Oh man, we had such a wonderful vacation last week!!

I have to say, taking an actual staycation when you have a baby (and oh yeah, live at the beach) is totally the best of both worlds. We were able to spend time with loved ones, go to the beach every day, go out to dinner, eat ice cream, grill out, and play TONS of Spikeball (my new favorite sport) all without having to pack, unpack, find a dog sitter, deal with buying groceries in a new place, and/or travel with a baby.

Charlie Mae was able to sleep in her own crib, we were able to use our existing daycare for an adult day at the beach, and we were able to stay in a somewhat predictable schedule all while enjoying the best of Cape Cod. And did I mention that my family rented a house for the week so that they weren't in our space the whole time? It was such a win!

I think the pictures speak for themselves, but here are some snapshots that capture our week of fun in the sun...

I feel SO grateful to live in such a gorgeous place, to have such a fun, loving family, and for the absolutely *perfect* weather we enjoyed last week [except for the one day of flash floods...whoops!].

Oh, and because it's important to me to keep it real, I must mention that the entire week wasn't just one dreamy Instagram scene after another, despite what the pics above might suggest; last week I learned that when you have a baby, "vacations" (and yes, even "staycations") are still tiring and full of complicated logistics, canceled plans, incorrect expectations, frustrations, and sleep woes. But hey, I'd rather deal with those things while "off" than "on," ya know?

I hope you had a great first week in July, too. Here's to another sunny, relaxing week for all! 

Oh my, traveling solo with an almost-9-month-old is exhausting. I had no idea.

Everything went as smoothly as possible and Charlie Mae was an angel on our return trip yesterday (she didn't cry once during all of our travels from 11am-7pm!!!), but still, I have never been so relieved to cross over the bridge onto Cape Cod...

Of course, that doesn't mean that our trip wasn't wonderful and totally worth it, because it was! It meant everything to me to see Charlie Mae with my side of the family for only the second time ever, and watching her interact with both of my grandmothers and my great aunt was more touching than I even imagined it would be--especially on Mother's Day weekend.  

Also, I got to see my dad do a poetry reading for the first time! He's an incredible poet and there was something so special about seeing him read his poems aloud, despite having read so many of them over the years. When he read the following poem about feeling Charlie Mae in my belly when I was pregnant, I lost it...

Happy [belated] Easter, everyone! And happy Patriots' Day to all of my fellow Massachusettsians.

Because today is Patriots' Day, Ben is home from work so it felt like a nice long weekend around here. And wow, was it a gorgeous weekend! The weather was PERFECT, we were all pretty relaxed, and we actually spent some time together as a family for once (it's been a while since we had almost an entire day together), so I'm feeling good today.

Since our little chickadee is up early and we've got lots on our plate for this sunny Monday, I'll keep this short + sweet and just share a few pics of our weekend festivities (to be honest, they're mostly pics of Charlie Mae, but what can I say?)...

[Above] Charlie Mae sees her first horse! Ben was just as into it as she was and it was adorable to watch them together.

[Below] Just as I had hoped, I found time to make Charlie Mae's Easter Basket this weekend. I have really special memories of my homemade Easter Basket from when I was a child, so wanted to create something similar for her. I'm happy with how it turned out and as you can see, she seemed to be into it! ;) 

[Above] The girl has cheeks for daaaaayyyyyssss! Also, you can see that she's learned how to blow raspberries and just generally make crazy noises and faces--which I catch on camera every once in a while ;) 

[Below] Sayde exemplifies how we were all feeling by the end of the day yesterday...tired, relaxed, and ready for a lazy evening on the couch...

I hope your weekend was equally beautiful and the good kind of exhausting. 

New month {OMG}, so I think it's time for another "lately" post! Here's what's happening in my world these days...

​1: Number of times I've practiced yoga for longer than 15-20 minutes in the past month. I am SO sad about this and am planning to remedy the situation this month. This is the least yoga I've ever practiced in my life (since starting practicing regularly, of course). I blame all of our childcare issues (see below). 

2: Number of cans of seltzer that I'm drinking per day--but only because I'm limiting myself to this number (or it would be WAY more). Could there be anything more refreshing than a cold can from the fridge? #addicted

3: Number of childcare providers we've been through since Charlie Mae was born 6 months ago. Why has it been SO hard for us to figure this out?!? We start our newest childcare option next week--praying that this one finally works out!

4: Number of unread books on my nightstand. Also the approximate number of minutes I can read each night before falling asleep, and thus, why there are so many unread books on my nightstand.

5: Number of weekly yoga classes I'm teaching right now. This is also the least yoga I've ever taught since becoming a teacher back in 2010, and it's weird because it still feels like a lot. How did I teach 17 classes per week when I first started? Or even 12 classes per week when I lived in DC? Or 10 when I first moved to the Cape? Crazy. 

6: Hours of sleep I've been averaging since we introduced solids into Charlie Mae's life on Friday. The girl has been having some serious belly issues and those great nights of sleep that I told you about recently? Vanished, just like that. Hoping this new pattern is a short-lived thing and her digestion calms down ASAP. 

7:  Days per week that Sayde now asks for her "dinner" at least 1-2 hours before she's supposed to get it. The girl is killing me with her nonstop barking and sad "I want dinner" eyes at 1:30pm!

8: Number of client projects that I'm currently in the middle of (with Sara's help, obviously).

9: Number of tabs open at the top of my browser right now; most of them are articles or links that I need to check out and haven't gotten to yet. Do you leave this many tabs open at once, too? I know I'm not the only one who works this way...

10: Number of Dark chocolate bars that Ben purchased on his trip to Whole Foods yesterday (when I asked him to pick up just one). The guy is OUT OF CONTROL when it comes to sweets these days. Is this what parenthood looks like? Just making it rain with $4 chocolate bars? 

...And that's what's happening in my hectic life right now. What does the numerical breakdown of your life look like these days?

Happy March, everyone! 

What an amazing holiday weekend! Charlie Mae's first Thanksgiving and our first time hosting at our house was a success. It was even more special because my youngest brother, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Caitlin, came to visit and got to meet Charlie Mae + visit Cape Cod for the first time.

We started Thanksgiving with an AM football game (Ben and his high school friends play every year and Patrick joined), then went home to host a low-key gathering at our house. Ben cooked most of the meal while the rest of us handled the set-up and took turns entertaining Charlie Mae. She turned 3 months old on Thanksgiving AND discovered her feet for the first time, so it was quite an exciting day in baby-land. 

For the remainder of the weekend we went on lots of walks, ate heaps of leftovers, played with Sayde, had friends over for dinner, went and watched Ben play in an alumni basketball game at his high school--which was also the perfect occasion for Charlie Mae to break out her basketball hat and shoes for the first time, as pictured below--and stopped by the beach for a short afternoon stroll.

Today, I'm slowly trying to get the house organized, get caught up on work and emails, and get Charlie Mae back into somewhat of a routine (if you can call it that at 3 months). Sayde is mourning the loss of her two new best friends and Ben is back on the grind...whew. 

You can view some pics from our long weekend below [they're mostly of Charlie Mae, if I'm being real]...

As you can see, everyone--including Sayde--had a lovely family-filled couple of days. I hope your Thanksgiving was divine and you're as excited about the rest of the holiday season as I am!

As you've probably already seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, our darling baby girl, Charlie Mae Starr Vaneria arrived exactly one week ago today, on Wednesday, August 24th at 10:48pm.

Born at exactly 8lbs and 20 inches (she likes to be precise, just like her parents), Charlie Mae is already the light of our lives in *every* way imaginable. Obviously. She is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to us and we seriously couldn't be more head over heels in love.  

So, this post will be fairly quick because I'm still in the thick of the early days and am trying to make this time as low-key and Charlie Mae-focused as possible, but I wanted to break the silence and share some quick snapshots from our first week together. 

A few highlights and notes:

• We brought Charlie Mae home from the hospital on Friday the 26th and she and Sayde finally met. Sayde was totally weirded out for the first couple of hours, but by Saturday morning she had accepted Charlie Mae into the pack--now we're all just a happy little bunch snuggling on the couch. 
• My parents flew up from GA on Sunday to meet their very first grandchild (Ben's parents already met her, since they live here) and it was incredible watching them fall in love with her from the moment they walked in the door. So much love around here!
• Breastfeeding has been going wonderfully thus far, and Charlie Mae is eating (and of course, pooping) up a storm. Just like her parents, Charlie Mae likes to eat. We took her to the pediatrician for the first time on Monday morning and she had gained weight--hooray! 
• Speaking of poop, we've already had two projectile pooping incidents that you would have to see to believe. Wow. I never knew that I'd be cleaning poop off of the walls so often! ;) 
• We gave Charlie Mae her first bath this morning. It was adorable and she only shed a few tears, so we considered it a success. Can't get enough of those hooded towels and Ben is obsessed with combing her hair! 
• So far {fingerscrossedknockonwood} Charlie Mae has been an amazing sleeper. We are 5 for 5 at night--she hasn't woken up crying once since we brought her home! I have to wake her up to feed her and then she goes right back to sleep. It's a miracle and we're just trying to enjoy it while it lasts!!! I hope I haven't jinxed myself just by typing this...
  
  

I should also mention that I will eventually share my birth story--either via podcast or blog post--but I'm not ready to do so yet. It was pretty traumatic for me and I'm still processing it, but I think it's important to share these kinds of stories so definitely want to eventually. For those interested, stay tuned for that information and I'll share it when I'm ready. 

And now for the pics! Here are some scenes from life over the past week...

Yes, Ben is growing a paternity leave beard. Yes, Charlie Mae is almost always wearing just a diaper because it's hot around here. And yes, we have already taken approximately 10000 pictures of our little girl and I don't anticipate that stopping anytime soon. 

Before I close, I want to say a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE thank you to the amazing ladies at Cape Cod Hospital who took care of our little family during our time there. We are full of gratitude for each and every one of you.

And thanks to everyone who has called, texted, emailed, messaged me, commented on my pics on social media, etc. I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to respond to each of you individually, but know that I've read all of your notes and congrats and they mean the world to me!

I'm not sure when I'll be back to blogging, but I promise to pop-in here and there over the next couple of weeks with updates.

​Now back to Charlie Mae-land! 

Over the past couple of days, Ben and I can't call a friend or family member without them picking up the phone with an anticipatory gasp...they all think we're calling with news of our baby! But alas, thus far, we have no news to share; everything is status quo, despite the fact that we've watched my due date (or due dates, depending on how you look at it, ha!) just float on by... 

I've talked to soooo many women recently who went *WAY* over their due dates, so I know this is completely normal and I'm not worried about it, but it sure does feel more + more surreal with every day that goes by without a change or any sign that our babe is on the way. 

So, this past weekend, we mostly just went to the beach to wait it out [again]. Not a bad gig ;) 

For the first time in forever, Ben and I have no scheduled plans on the weekends--or in my case, on the weekdays, too--so we've been able to do just do whatever we feel like doing and take things hour by hour. I have to tell you, it's been pretty freeing, despite the weird cloud of the unknown hanging over our heads. It's also led to lots of time spent reading in a beach chair, LOTS of sleep (9+ hours the past 3 nights!), and lots of meals out. 

Ben is living it up like we're on borrowed time (which I guess we kind of are), and I'm just trying not to lose my mind with the excitement, anticipation, and constant questioning of every little sensation I feel in my body; "Could this be a sign that I'm going to go into labor soon? Could that?"

Thus, as we enter another new week without any major changes, I'm getting back to work on client projects (thank goodness I still have work to keep me occupied or I'd go crazy!), continuing to walk Sayde and stay as active as possible every day, sleeping whenever I feel like it, and starting to make plans to change my parents' plane flights--which we had booked for this week and now have to change to a random later date (we knew that would probably happen but it's still confusing...). 

So, here's to hoping our little girl decides to come sooner rather than later, because this mama-to-be is simply dying to meet her!

​Thanks for all the continued good thoughts, good energy, and well wishes coming our way! You guys are the best :) 

This past weekend was a weird one. It was pretty packed and full of enjoyable activities, but also full of uneasiness.

Because Ben and I know that 90% of babies are born within 2 weeks of their due date (on either side)--and we're right in that zone these days--we're both feeling a bit out of sorts; we're planners and *slight* control freaks, so being in this place where I could go into labor any minute but also might not go into labor for another few weeks is hard for us. No matter what we're doing, we've got this big question mark hanging out above our heads, laughing at our plans...

On Friday night, I finally got to see Ben coach one of his basketball games [he's the summer league coach for our local High School team and his games are usually on nights when I teach], and then we went out for one last dinner with my dad before he headed back to Atlanta on Saturday morning. 

On Saturday, I taught has usual in the AM, and then we spent the afternoon interviewing in-home childcare providers, which was really strange. We kept talking about how hard it is to try and pick someone to take care of your baby when you don't even know your baby yet. How do we know who is the best fit for her? How can we trust anyone to take care of this little being that we aren't even taking care of yet? But at the same time, we have some great options so that's a good thing.

Then yesterday, I snuck out to Love Yoga Fest in the morning and took a class with MC Yogi + Amanda Giacomini. It was called "Happy to Be Here" and was all about finding joy and happiness in life, a lovely message that I always need to hear. It was a beautiful morning practicing under the tent outside, breeze coming through, surrounded by yogis breathing--and as usual, it was incredible feeling our baby moving inside of my belly as I moved through the yoga poses. I kept thinking about how much I'm going to miss practicing with her!

In between all of the bigger activities of the weekend, we ran errands, got new phones (hooray!), took a nap because we were both ZONKED, and talked about how crazy this time in limbo feels. Physically, I feel pretty great for being 38 weeks pregnant, and feel so lucky to have had such an easy pregnancy. Does my energy drop by the end of a busy day? Absolutely. But I can still teach, I can still practice yoga, I can still walk Sayde outside in the heat, I'm still sleeping well, and I just don't believe that I could have a baby any day now...

But I could. And so we wait. And try to stay as present as possible because it could be another few weeks before anything changes [if our little one decides she needs more time].

But also, at any moment, all plans could be forgotten, all calls and appointments canceled, all subs tapped to begin subbing, and our world could be flipped upside down. 

So here we go, I guess...!

Well, I got back late last night from my last bit of travel before baby. I'm home and I'm staying put until our little one comes...phew!

The past few months have been a blast--fabulously social and packed in a great way--but it's also been kinda crazy trying to cram in all of my last trips + events while pregnant (and less energetic than usual), so it feels right that it's finally time to hunker down. 

This weekend we celebrated my BFF Kelly's impending nuptials (the wedding isn't until October, but we pushed up the bachelorette weekend so that I could be there), and it was a super fun girl's trip. We enjoyed a day on the lake in a Pontoon boat (wearing lots of flair, of course), a fun night out with dinner and drinks (water for this gal, obvs), and threw Kelly a small bridal shower on Sunday morning. 

I am *so* glad that I got to participate in this important weekend for such an important friend, and it was so fun celebrating with her, but I also have to say, my body is telling me in every which way that I've done enough and it's time to put on the brakes.

Last week before the trip, things were starting to get less comfortable and less easy for me. Then while on Saturday's boat trip (which I organized months ago), guess who got motion sickness so bad she puked 10+ times? This girl. Yep, everyone else was drinking and having fun, and I was throwing up. It took until week 32 of my pregnancy for me to get sick like this, but oh boy, did I ever get sick!

I eventually had to be dropped off on the side of the river and the bride-to-be's fiance had to come pick me up and take me home. Sigh. But I know that this is just another way that my body is saying "enough," so I've decided to listen.

These last 8-ish weeks are about starting to tie a bow around big projects, nesting, spending QT with Ben + Sayde, and s-l-o-w-i-n-g  d-o-w-n.  I can't keep going at my normal speed anymore--I'm super pregnant, this baby is coming soon, and it's time to act like it!

So, here we are. Back in town and back to stay for the foreseeable future. My next trip isn't until Kelly's wedding in late October, and on that trip we'll have a baby in tow! Woah.

Thanks again to Kelly and all of her fabulous friends for making this weekend so fun *despite* my sickness (and for taking care of me when I was throwing up into the lake)...

Welp, I'm back from Nantucket and wow, what a trip! I don't even know where to begin, except to say that retreats are *SO* special, and the connections made + community created on Nantucket [in just one week] were pretty spectacular.

This retreat was different from some of the others that I've led in that all of us stayed in one house. It was like a happy, loving, yogic Real World house, or a super grounding, uplifting, sorority house (with a 9pm bedtime) full of amazing, interesting women who truly wanted to relax and soak up this experience together. 

We shared more laughs than I could have ever imagined we would, ate lots of ice cream together (so much so that we started calling the retreat "Yoga + Ice Cream on Nantucket"), practiced yoga twice daily, and spent a bunch of time lounging around the cottage and on the beach in between trips into town and group excursions. We went on a bike tour of Nantucket, enjoyed a sunset boat ride + local wine tasting, and attempted a SUP + kayaking trip on a local pond (on a day that turned out to be a bit too windy, so we called that one early and headed home to relax). 

Each time that I lead a retreat, I'm reminded of the importance of getting out of your routine, of getting away from your everyday life, of unplugging, and of connecting with like-minded individuals. There is something so healing about this type of trip, and I urge all of you to put a retreat of some sort on your bucket list (whether it's a yoga retreat or not!). 

Another really special part of this trip was the chance to co-lead it with one of my BFFs from college, Laura Whitaker, an incredible yoga teacher + yoga therapist based in Lexington, KY. While yoga wasn't something that we did together in college, Laura and I each became yoga teachers [totally separate from one another!] after college, and it was really wonderful coming together to lead our first retreat as a dynamic duo ;) 

So with that, I'll stop blabbering and share some fun scenes from the trip...

A HUGE thank you to the incredible women who joined us from all over the East Coast. Your friendship, energy, and openness made this trip a life-changing experience. I miss you all already!

And yes, for those who have asked, we are going to host this retreat again next year! We're planning on late-August/early September, so stay tuned for the exact dates (I'll be sure to let you know when we open it up)...

Oh, you guys, I had SO much fun in Chicago! Yes, I did come home slightly exhausted + sick with a summer cold (I think I picked it up from Ben before I left...urgh), but the trip was *totally* worth it and much, much-needed.

I spent the first two days of the trip visiting with my BFF-since-5th-grade, Kelly (pictured above), during which we ate tons of delicious food (of course), got pedicures, took long walks around Chicago, and just relaxed.

Then on Friday morning, Kelly and two more of my best friends (Laura and Jessica, pictured below) surprised me with an intimate little baby shower. And when I say it was a surprise, I mean it! I was totally caught off guard and of course started crying right away. 

We played some sweet games, ate a delicious breakfast, decorated onesies, opened presents, and of course, chatted all things baby, and it made me feel SO loved and grateful for my thoughtful (+ tricky!) friends. 

The rest of the trip was dedicated to my friend Amanda's bachelorette party, which was a total blast despite the fact that I was the only sober pregnant gal in the bunch ;) While 10:30 was the latest I stayed out either night, I gave it my best and loved being a part of the festivities. We packed in a show at Second City (loved it!), two amazing dinners, a bridal shower, and of course, lots of downtime chatting in our hotel room and exploring Chicago. 

As usual, this girls' trip came at just the right time; I got to take a few days off of work, which was a nice rest for my brain and body, and I got the chance to reconnect with some of my closest friends before our baby girl comes this summer (and changes my life forever). It was the best. 

You can view a few more pics from the trip below...

Thanks to my amazing friends for the incredible weekend and to Chicago for being SO beautiful while we were there.

​Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

As you can see from the image above, things they are a-changing in my world. So, I figured it's time for another "lately" recap, this time in numerical form...

{Btw, please forgive me for the horrible quality of the above selfies--I don't take many pics of myself in the mirror so am not very skilled at capturing my face and/or making them look good.}

1: Crib put together over the weekend [with the help of Ben, obviously...so exciting!]

2: Clogged drains in our bathroom that need to be unclogged by a plumber. #Homeownership

3: Workshops/special classes left to teach before bebe...

4: Loads of tiny baby clothes washed and folded yesterday. So. Many. Snaps. 

5: Number of client websites I'm currently working on (with Sara's help, of course--thank goodness!). 

6: Number of client commissions (and/or logo design projects) I'm currently working on. 

7: Days left to walk Sayde on the beach before the 'no dogs allowed for summer' rule kicks in :(

8: Approximate number of baby/birth/parenting books sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read. 

9: Number of hours of sleep I'm shooting for each night while pregnant... 

10: Hours of sleep we got as a family last night. Yes, that means we went to bed at 7:30 (all 3 of us!)--while it was still light outside--and woke up at 5:30. {And we're all still tired.} 

Oh, and one more important number:

100: Number of days until my due date (aka 14.5 weeks or so)!

...And that's what's happening in my world. Work, baby prep, sleep, Sayde walks, yoga, and not much else ;) 

What does the numerical breakdown of your life look like lately?