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All photos in this post were taken by Molly Stillman from Still Being Molly. She’s awesome.
Happy October, friends! It is truly so hard for me to actually believe that it is already October. I feel like just yesterday I was saying how the summer had gone by so quickly and September was here before I knew it. Speaking of summer going by so quickly, we spent almost the entire month of September in the upper 80’s. And I am one happy girl that October has ushered in some cooler, more mild weather!
This is my favorite time of year. I shared our fall bucket list earlier and I think that this is the month that we are really going to start getting into all those activities. I love how refreshing it feels outside and all the excitement around with starting school, visiting farms, anticipating holidays. Can’t wait.
Now onto the biggest and most exciting part of this post.
Surprise! There’s a baby in there!
The big news on the blog this week is that we are expecting a new little one over here in the Live Well Play Together house! If you know me in real life, this is old news, but I’m excited to share it with all of you today. Frankly, it’s been a little bit strange to have a place where I like to share so much and to not have shared one of the most exciting parts of our lives at the moment. The fact is though is that we had so many people to tell and I wanted to wait until we’d told them to share so publicly like this.
But here we are. Little is going to be a big brother and we’re going to be a family of four. Below are some little tid-bits about the pregnancy to date.
October Pregnancy Update
How far along? 23 weeks tomorrow – due late January/early February (although I was just 18 weeks when these photos were taken)
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I have a pretty long torso and I like to wear tops that are longer and more flowy anyway so I’ve been getting by with lots of those. I have been wearing a mix of maternity shorts (I own 1 pair from my last pregnancy), athletic shorts, maternity capris, and non-maternity skinny jeans that are a few sizes too big (I bought them a few months post-partum with Little and now they fit my pregnant self). This is a BIG reason why I am so ready for the weather to start cooling down. I’m only getting bigger and I really do not want to buy multiple seasons of clothes.
Stretch marks? I really think this question should read, “Any NEW stretch marks?” Then the answer would be not that I’ve seen. Little was 9lb. 2 oz. though, so yes, I have my share of stretch marks. Wouldn’t even trade them.
Sleep: Is pretty good. I get up during the night to use the bathroom, but I also try to drink a lot of water all during the day so this isn’t a new thing.
Best moment this week: Continuing to feel baby move more and more. I’m also really glad to be in the “officially looks pregnant” phase of pregnancy, rather than the “maybe pregnant, maybe ate too many chips” point of pregnancy.
Have you told family and friends? Yep.
Movement: Yep. I can definitely tell when baby is awake versus sleeping.
Food cravings: Carbs and baked things. Love pimento cheese with jalepenos. Is that weird? Maybe. Not sure. (Carbs and baked things – definitely not weird, and likely not even pregnancy specific.)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fortunately no. I spent the first several weeks feeling pretty nauseous, but never actually got sick, which I am really thankful for. That eased off around 10 weeks, similarly with Little, and I’ve been feeling mostly good since.
Have you started to show yet: Yep.
Gender prediction: It’s a boy! I thought about doing a fun gender reveal party for about 15 minutes and then decided not to because I just didn’t want to add one more thing to our plates. We’re excited to be adding another boy into our family and are looking forward to seeing our boys get to know one another.
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? Out. It didn’t really stand a chance after having such a big baby before. My doctor actually told me that it looked like it had been stretched out before. Yes. Yes, it has been. (This wasn’t an insult. We were talking about the fact that I over extended a muscle in my core before my last doctor visit. Just to clarify.)
Wedding rings on or off? On. But I’m sure they’ll be off before we have this baby. I’ve already bookmarked these silicone wedding rings for when the time comes. (True story: I bought a fake ring during my last pregnancy before these silicone rings were a thing and it just turned my finger green after a week.)
Happy or Moody most of the time: I think mostly happy. And often tired. Hubs would be a better judge of this.
Weekly Wisdom: To not let your emotions dictate your attitude. I know I just said that I was mostly happy, but I have certainly had my moments. I’m all about self awareness and acknowledging your emotions well. But, man, I can let them be totally in control sometimes.
Milestones: Nothing particularly crazy this week that I can think of.
So now you know. And I’m glad to have shared with you all; I’m looking forward to bringing you along for the adventure! In my dream land, I would be able to happily commit to weekly “bump-dates” and photos on the blog. Instead, I plan to post monthly updates. My hope is that this will allow you to stay up to date, but also allow me to continue to create and share content besides pregnancy updates. It’s likely that content will include pregnancy related topics, but just not all bump date type posts. If you want to keep up with more weekly updates, be sure to hop on over to Instagram and click the “follow” button. 😉
What Does That Mean for the Blog?
Not a ton, to be honest (except for maybe a break following delivery and getting home.) It’s just another facet of life that I get to share here with you all. I like to think of this space as a family and lifestyle kind of blog and I’m already sharing about my journey through motherhood and things our family is up to, plus fun kid-friendly projects. I plan to keep much of that the same. Hopefully this will continue to be a place where you’ll be encouraged and maybe even a little bit inspired.
Today’s Look
This dress is a favorite that I picked up from a local Clothes Mentor consignment shop. It’s by Vineyard Vines and it is SO incredibly comfy. It’s a great dress to transition into fall with since it’s got long sleeves, but isn’t too heavy. Honestly, I wear this dress from the time it starts getting cool in the evenings until it’s cold outside because it is just that versatile. Assuming it still fits, I hope to style it again in colder temps with ankle boots and a vest. (For a more casual look, I tend to style it with leggings and sneakers.) *Now you know my secrets in the event that I outgrow the dress before it gets cool enough for those outfits this year…
Today though, it’s styled just about as simple as it can get – with flat metallic sandals. Remember when I said it hadn’t really cooled off that much in September around here?
Basically, this is a perfect casual dress. It’s great for dinner, perfect for errands, and is machine washable. What more could a girl ask for? (Answer: pockets, but I’m not complaining…)
Tell me your favorite pieces to transition into fall with below in the comments. I love to know your tricks!
*Note – both the dress and sandals in this post are old and therefore no longer available. I’ve linked some great alternatives below to help you achieve this look.
Aww congratulations! Thank you for linking up at Mommy Moments last week! This was the top viewed link and will be featured in the link up today 🙂 Prayers and best wishes to you in the remainder of your pregnancy!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the feature and your prayers!
Congrats on the big news! You truly have such an exciting year ahead of you. I understand how difficult it can be to dress while you are expecting, but this dress is the perfect look for maternity. I can’t wait to read all of your pregnancy updates to come!
Thank you for linking up this week!
~xo Sheree
PoshClassyMom.com
Thanks so much! Now if only I can find a great pair of jeans to fit over the bump!
congratulations! this is very exciting. you look gorgeous!
Thank you so much! <3
Congratulations! My baby is 2 months and I sometimes miss being pregnant. This is such an exciting time.
Thank you! It is really exciting!! It all goes by so quickly!
This a cute outfit and some great I sight on what it’s like to be pregnant.
Thank you! It’s one of my favorite dresses!
Congratulations! You look adorable!
Thank you so much!
Oh lots of congrats!!! How wonderful and I love your dress, thanks for linking up #BloggersBests
Thank you so much!!
Congratulations to you and your growing family!! My favorite thing about being pregnant were the baby moments. ♥️♥️
Thank you so much!
Aww, Congratulations 🙂 Lovely dress, looks stylish and comfortable. Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays, hope to see you on Wednesday for our next blog hop 🙂
Thank to so much!! You’ve got a great blog hop; I look forward to it!
Thanks again for sharing last week, Mary. You are one of my features this week.
Thanks so much!! I appreciate it!!
Congratulations! I’m so excited for you! That looks like a perfect dress for you right now too- so cute!
Thank yo so much! It is one of my favorites!
Congrats!! How exciting for you and your family!
http://michellespaige.com
Thank you so much!
Congrats! That’s so exciting for you and your family! Glad to hear your not feeling too sick. That can be so hard when you’re chasing around other kids.
Thank you!! I am so thankful for that, too!!
Congratulations! A little one is always exciting news for the whole family. You make pregnancy look great. The dress is a total keeper as you progress through pregnancy and even post pregnancy.
bosboadaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Thank you so much!
Congratulations! I did not look this good when I was pregnant lol. You make such a cute pregnant woman!
Aw, thank you so much!
Congratulations! You are looking great, I love the dress. 🙂
Thank you, so much!
Thank you!! <3
EEK! So exciting for you!! I love that dress too!
Thank you so much!
What a wonderful way to kick of the new year! Congrats on your sweet little boy!
Thank you; we are excited about it!
Thanks for linking up to Top of the World Style.
Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by!
Congratulations and you look absolutely adorable!
Thank you so much!
So excited for you. Expecting a new little one is an exciting time. Congrats.
Thank you so much; we are excited!
This is the second blog I’ve visited today with a baby announcement! Congrats!!! You look gorgeous in that dress with that adorable baby bump!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you so much!! It is one of my favorite dresses so I’m trying to wear it as long as I can!
Congratulations! And also, what a great find of that Vineyard Vines dress at a thrift store! I’m sure you’re going to rock maternity style.
-Kristin
countdowntofridayblog.com
Thank you! I agree! I’m always on the hunt for top name brands at consignment! You can really find great things sometimes. I’ve had this dress for a while and it is one of my favorites!
Hi, congratulations. I love the dress and perfect for the transitional months of autumn it would be great with boots and tights as well #bloggersbest
Thank you! I’m hoping it continues to fit so I can wear it into the cooler months!
Congrats to you! How exciting!
I just recently had our 3rd baby and my wedding rings still don’t fit 🙁 so I’ll be looking at those silicone rings you mentioned!
Marissa
http://www.shabbychiccheap.com
Thanks so much; we are really excited! I’ve known several people with silicone rings for various reasons and they all seem to like them!
Congrats on your little nugget! You’re glowing!
Thank you!!
Congratulations!! That’s great you’re finally showing now. I have a friend that’s due in November, and I swear you can’t really tell with the clothes she wears. LOL
I LOVE fall clothes because I really like to layer. You can still do dresses or skirts with jackets and/or tights and I love that.
-Lauren
Thank you! Fall really is my favorite season for many of those same reasons! I love so much fall style!
you are beautiful! so excited for you!
Thank you so much! I so appreciate these photos!
SO excited for you!! Congratulations to you and your family ❤️ Can’t wait to follow along with your pregnancy.
Thank you so much! Excited for y’all, too! <3
Congratulations on the little one! Jess at Just Jess
Thank you!!
ahhh! How exciting! Congrats to y’all! xoxo
Thank you!!!
Congrats on another little man!! So excited! This dress looks beautiful on you and so very you. And yes to actually looking pregnant and not maybe she ate too many chips! I know that feeling oh so well! You are glowing mama!
Thank you so much! It’s going by so quickly!
You are an adorable and stylish mama! I love the dress on you. May you continue to have a wonderful pregnancy.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Yay!!!! Congratulations!!! Oh what fun! So glad you’re feeling well and you look awesome!!
Thank you so much!! I hope all is well your way with your sweet little one!
Ah wow what amazing news and you look amazing! Massive congratulations and all the very best! #bloggersbest
Thank you so much; we are very excited!
Congratulations! That’s so exciting!!
Katherine | http://oneswainkycouple.com/2017/10/hiking-through-colorado.html
Thank you so much!