Mommy in Heels: Friday FAQ's
Do you wear Spanx or anything under dresses?
I do not! I have shared before on Instagram my love for all things MegaBabe! It's an amazing company run by Katie Sturino-she is so fabulous and is really in tune to what women need!I am a big fan of MegaBabe's Thigh Rescue. Any time I am wearing a dress or a skirt I rub it in between my thighs-it's amazing and I can't recommend it enough!
What brand strapless bra do you recommend?
The strapless bra that I have is honestly really not the best-it's just from Target! I do recommend Cacique though-their bras are great and I know they have a pretty decent selection of strapless bras. Their size range is pretty expansive as well! I was able to spend a day at their headquarters in February so I can speak to the detail and research that goes into their products-it's very impressive!
Waiting for our first ultrasound-any tips on helping with anxiety?
I understand that anxiety! I wish I had some really great tips on how to help with it, but I honestly just rode it out. I felt the feelings, and worried the worries, I talked to my husband about it. It definitely is something that is nerve-racking, but there isn't anything you can do other than pray and let God be in control!
Favorite maternity jeans?
What a saga this was! I tried the Old Navy maternity jeans in three different sizes-the 14's (my normal size) and the 12's were too big, but the 10's were too small. It was super frustrating!At that point I had given up, but randomly decided to give a pair from Target a try, and honestly I love them! They've worked really well for me, ad more importantly I don't feel like I am constantly pulling them up. I did size down to a 12 though, so I do suggest going one size smaller than your normal size.
What tattoos do you have and what do they mean?
I chatted about them a bit in this Q&A post! The Roman numerals on my wrists are the girls' birthdays, the hanger is for my store/blog, another is for when Ryan and I got baptized, and the last one on the back of my arm I got on my birthday in January-it's a flower from my favorite quote, one that has helped me a lot on my self love journey!
Tips for building your audience?
This is a tough one, and honestly one that could have its own dedicated blog post. The long and short of it, is to stay in your own lane and be consistent.It's hard to not compare yourself and want to do what others are doing that seem successful, but its important to stick to who you are, your style, your interests.Sure, I miss a day or two here and there but for the most part I feel like I have been pretty consistent with my blogging/social over the last 7 years. I like that my readers can rely on me to post on a (pretty) regular basis!
I'm 18 weeks pregnant and plus size-having a hard time navigating this new style
It's tough, plus size or not, navigating your body/style as it changes so frequently when pregnant. My advice is to try different styles-things that you may not have cared for prior to being pregnant you may love now!Also, if you find something you love, buy the crap out of it! I bought one dress in 5 colors, I love it that much! Just keep trying new things and be open to new styles!
How are you staying so small while pregnant?
I'm not a small person in general, so definitely not small while pregnant so I don't know?!?! Weight wise, I haven't really gained any weight if thats what you're asking! I have an appointment today and will get weighed there, but as of my last appointment I was in a 1 lb deficit from my starting weight. I had lost about 4 pounds within the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy because of my lack of appetite-it was tough, to be honest.But, my appetite is pretty much back to normal, and I am trying to stay pretty active. I walk about 5-6 times a week which has been really great for me. I gained about 60 lbs with Ella's pregnancy and I think even more with Charlotte, so this time around, the fact that I haven't really gained any is new to me. I will say despite not gaining any weight, I am having more of hard time not focusing on my weight. I had made such great progress with my whole self love journey over the years, and some days I feel like I am taking two steps back with this pregnancy. But, I just keep telling myself that the most important thing is that the baby is healthy! It's so weird, when I was pregnant with Ella and Charlotte I wasn't concerned about my weight at all-even with the doctors telling me at all of my appointments to slow down my weight gain it didn't bother me. This time around though, I am so aware of it and its always a concern for me which I know it shouldn't be.
Are you settled on a name for baby girl #3
We are not! We have the middle name locked in but are still struggling with the first name. We all have one or two that we like (the girls included), but we haven't been able to agree on one yet! We are also leaning towards keeping the name to ourselves until she is born! My friend will randomly texts me names that she hears or thinks of, and she just texted me a name the other day that I fell in love with. I keep going back to it, and it flows with the middle name as well. We will see!
Car seat and stroller?
I have to say, being that Charlotte is almost 7, it was overwhelming looking at strollers! I felt like a first time parent all over again!Full disclosure though, we are doing a collaboration with Nuna, but I am super thrilled about it. I did a lot of thorough research on strollers and I am really pleased with their travel system! We settled on the Mixx Travel system!The stroller and the car seat are currently apart of Nordstrom's Anniversary sale, so if you were thinking about this brand, now is the time to grab it!
I'm pregnant with my 3rd too, are your nervous juggling 3?
Congratulations! Yes and no. Part of me is like so low key about this pregnancy. Like I'm not worried or stressing about adjusting our schedule, or bottle vs breast feeding, or even having all of the latest and greatest gadgets, and then also juggling three. I think because Ella is 11 and Charlotte will be 7 when this baby comes makes me a little less nervous. I know I will be able to count on them to be self sufficient when I need them to be-I feel like that takes a little bit of the pressure off for some reason.On the other hand though, I freak out because Ryan and I are so far removed from the newborn/infant/toddler stage that I am like WHAT ARE WE DOING?? We are at a really good spot in our lives, with our girls. Doing things is so much easier, no diaper bags, no diapers, if they're hungry or thirsty they can get it themselves, they shower on their own, etc. The idea of adding a baby to the sweet spot we are in makes me equal parts nervous and so excited!
What was it like going from 1-2 kids and how do you feel about the family expanding into 5?
If I'm being honest, going from 1 to 2 was so much harder than no kids to 1. I remember when we had Charlotte we were like wow one child was SO EASY. I vividly remember thinking how I wanted to go back in time and shake myself to realize just how easy one child was!But with most things, it just gets easier and easier. You settle into a new routine, a new normal. Yes there is an adjustment period, but eventually you get to a point where you can never imagine your life without them!We are really excited to be a family of 5. This baby girl will complete our family, so I feel incredibly lucky to be able to complete our family.
Do you do a lot of back to school shopping for your girls?
You bet! It's one of my favorite things to do every year with my girls-I even "back to school" shop for myself-HAHA! While we don't go overboard, and we do stick to a solid budget (Hi, Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University!), we do enjoy getting the girls new things! I will be sharing more about Back to School shopping later this week (and I shared a bit about it last week too), you can shop some of the things we've gotten so far for the girls!