OH BABY: 1ST TRIMESTER SURVIVAL KIT

It's good to be 14.5 weeks along! As usual, the first trimester was difficult. I was blessed to not have extreme nausea but the worst part of it for me was the complete lack of motivation to do absolutely anything. See my 1st trimester journal here. I spent A LOT of time laying around in bed. I am so grateful for this little one growing away in my tummy, AND I'm thankful that my 1st trimester is behind me! I've been feeling a world of difference lately. My nausea is gone, my energy is back and I'm starting to get into the nesting mode. I'm not allowed to nest until we move into our new house so I'm holding out and pinning to my heart's desire. ;)

I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite "survival" necessities that I found extremely comforting and helpful during my first trimester:

1// Cute Pajamas - I felt like I lived in my pajamas during the 1st trimester. If I didn't have to go anywhere, PJs it was! Living in your PJs week after week can really make you feel down. Hunt down your cutest and favorite pair of PJs hiding in your closet or make a little "you time" trip to the store to buy a couple pieces. Might as well look cute while you feel puke-ish. ;)

2// Remote Control - For obvious reasons. ;) I'm not ashamed to say that I had my husband move our television up to our bedroom. Since we don't have cable, I spent ALOT of time watching movies and browsing shows on Netflix and Hulu. My favorite show to catch up on was "How I Met Your Mother". It's good to have a marathon show you enjoy that also makes you giggle. Also, beware of The Little Mermaid or any other slightly emotional movie...it might make you burst out in tears. (King Triton was so kind to let his daughter marry the love of her life....he's really. going. to....miissss herrrr *cries*) 

3// Ginger snaps & other snacks! - The best advice I got to help with the nausea was never letting your stomach get empty no matter how much you didn't want to eat. I certainly had a lot of food aversions but noticed a huge difference when I tried to eat every 2-3 hours. I'd usually turn over around 7 or 8 in the morning, snack on a few ginger snaps or saltines just to get something in my tummy before I started my day. Don't go too long in-between meals if you can help it or you might be sad and sick feeling. :(

4// Bath Bombs - LUSH is pretty much my favorite, so I knew I'd find some good natural comfort in their products during my pregnancy. I loved using their bath bombs during a rough day to have some extra relaxation time. I definitely sat my iPad on the toilet seat and watched Hulu during bath-time too. ;)

5// Facial Wipes - Not that it's good to be lazy or anything, but when you're growing a human you need to give yourself a little mercy. Most of the time during my 1st trimester I used these wipes to get all the make-up and dirt off my face from the day. They are quick and easy to use, which meant I could crawl back into bed sooner!

6// Baby Lips - Things on your body just get dry and tired just like you. I was a chapstick-o-holic during the 1st trimester and was alway reaching for soothing lip balm whenever I could.

7// Belly Laughs - This is one of the first books I read after finding out I was pregnant. Jenny's pregnancy experience was certainly different from mine but it was hilarious to read about all the nitty gritty. She is hilarious. It's important to have some serious laugh time. It makes you feel loads better. :)

8// Cocoa Butter - Go ahead and get started now! This stuff smells and feels great. I'm super blessed to say my husband is good at massages so after he learned a little bit about giving safe pregnancy massages and using this stuff, it made me feel SO much better. I've been getting a lot of back pain so it was defiantly relieving. Also, it just feels nice to keep your skin moisturized during this time!

9// Water Bottle - I love my BKR bottle. I'd much rather drink out of glass than metal or plastic. I also love that this bottle has a cap, so when you're swinging yourself up out of the bed in the morning to pee for the 173rd time you won't make a mess when you knock it over. ;) They also come in pretty colors, which is awesome.

10// Body Pillow - I love my Leachco body pillow. Although I'm not massive yet, this really helped me get comfortable during the 1st trimester and start getting used to sleeping on my side. It did make Jon a little jealous though. It's like a giant pillow fortress of comfort.

Every pregnancy is different, but I hope some of these tips might help you out during your 1st trimester.  I'd LOVE to hear your 1st trimester survival must-haves! Please feel free to share in the comment section below. :) Happy weekend, friends!

PROJECT HOUSE: SEARCHING

It's unbelievable to think we've only been looking for houses since July 20th. A LOT has happened in 19 days. I'm actually sitting here a little shocked that it's ONLY been 19 days. We feel like we've been searching for months and have known our realtor for years! Our decision to buy a house happened during the beginning of July. We were pretty determined to continue renting our condo for the next couple of years but really felt strongly that we needed to move and we needed to buy a house. After some phone calls and references we found our realtor, contacted a lender, got pre-approved, and met our realtor all within a few short days. The first day we looked at four houses, one we thought was really interesting but didn't get those butterfly feelings when we thought about it. The second day we looked at a really nice townhouse on the other side of town, but ultimately wanted to move into a house and wanted to live much closer to our families, if possible. Our third time looking at houses we found one we really liked but decided to continue looking. Our fourth and final time looking at house we saw three and enjoyed all of these for different reasons. All that to say, after a quick whirlwind of looking at only nine houses within a week, we've come to this point...

While I can't say much at this point, we've found a house that we are truly in love with. It meets all of our needs, a lot of our wants, and is the type of home we can imagine growing a family in for years and years. We are working through the entire process still but things are moving along smoothly and I hope to be able to reveal "the one" to you soon. :) Again, a lot has happened over the past 19 days!

As Jon and I have been going through the home searching process, we feel like we learned a lot in the way of searching for a home. Here are some of our top "learnings" so far:

1// Realize what you're looking for - Before we started our search, Jon and I spent a couple days discussing our "deal breakers" and "wishlist" items for the house. This really helped us in our decision process and helped us to view each house and ask ourselves if it would fit our needs. The more houses we looked at the more we realized what we truly wanted and needed in a home. Check out some of our "deal breakers" and "wishlist" items on this post.

2// Listen to your heart - *Sappy music starts playing* but seriously, people told me that we would get that "feeling" and just know the house that was our house. Waiting for that feeling and being patient for that definitely paid off. We both felt that way when we first saw photos of "our house" and each time we looked at it afterward.

3// Don't pressure yourself - If you see a house that you like ok and feel any pressure to make an offer because of the deal or because of other offers already on the table, don't do it! Hold out for the house you love. It's really easy to get wrapped up in the "game" of finding a house. Don't loose sight of finding "the one"!

4// Advice is great, but it's your decision - Being first time home buyers, we felt the stress of not knowing a lot about houses. Luckily, my dad and Jon's dad are great with homes and have a lot of knowledge and advice to offer. We found their opinions and thoughts super valuable but at the end of the day realized it was our decision to make. Seeking advice from smarter people is always wise, but just remember you're not trying to find a house that will please everyone, you're looking out for you and your family. :)

5// It's stressful - Going into this process felt almost like we were taking on a part-time job. There are lots of decisions to make, things to think through, papers to collect, documents to sign. Expect that your journey might be stressful, but in the end hopefully filled with lots of joy when someone hands you the keys to your new home. If you're not feeling it, step away, continue looking. You'll know when it's your home! :)

I seriously can't wait to share more with you about the home. It's a great story. Once things become really official, I'll be sure to share more. We'll have lots to do before the baby comes in February, so expect lots of home update posts, too! As well, if you have any home searching advice to add, please feel free to share in the comment section below!

Photo Credit: Homes Illustration by Amy Blackwell 

AUGUST WISHLIST

1// Pleated Chiffon Dress by CiChic - I think chiffon is one of my favorite types of fabric to wear. I love the flowy-ness and they way it fits. I love how simple and elegant this color-blocked dress is.

2// Jaxen Flats by Need Supply Co. - I love how classy these flats are! I've been looking for a similar style black flat lately and I'm loving the straps on these!

3// Tulum Print by Max Wanger - I'd love to have this print in a massive size to hang in our house. I have a lot of wall space to fill! The colors and feeling of this photograph is stunning. In general, I'm a huge fan of Max Wanger's work.

4// Photo Idea Book by A Beautiful Mess - I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book when it comes out in August! These girls are the sweetest and SO inspirational. I know this book will be filled to the brim with inspiration and awesomeness. I'm always on the lookout for photo inspiration!

5// Flash Bobby Set by ShopBando - I can't stop eyeing the goodies in ShopBando! It's awesome to be able to dress up my crazy curly hair with something a little extra. I'm always wearing bobby pins anyways, might as well make 'em flashy!

What's on your August wishlist?

TEXAS STYLE COUNCIL RECAP

Yesterday, Jenny and I returned from an amazing weekend in Austin attending the Texas Style Council. This was probably our all-time favorite conference of the year. We had so much fun networking, meeting new people, meeting friends in person, learning, and enjoying Texas. :) It started on Friday night. We were invited to attend a dinner hosted by Minnetonka. We got to meet a handful of other amazing bloggers that have worked with Minnetonka, got a peek at their new line of shoes, ate delicious food and mingled with some awesome ladies. You can get more details from our dinner over on Tieka's blog! After the dinner on Friday, we attended a clothing swap party hosted by Lulu's. It was hectic and awesome. Jenny and I each scored some great pieces that we're excited to wear. :)

Saturday and Sunday were filled to the brim with amazing classes taught by awesome bloggers. There were so many incredible sessions to choose from it was hard to pick! Saturday ended with an amazing dinner with some of my favorite ladies and a "Prom" party complete with a dance-off and superlative awards. Jenny and I were able to connect with a lot of great companies during that time and have fun with our new friends. Some of these blogging ladies sure can dance!! Sunday was the last day, but we ended it with an after party and more great conversations. It was so sad to leave on Monday, but we were so thankful to have the opportunity to attend the conference and connect with so many amazing people. I knew I liked a lot of the bloggers attending, but after meeting them, I just love them to pieces! What a supportive and encouraging community to be part of! Can't wait to go next year!!

Top photo credited to Tieka of Selective Potential