Motherhood: What I Wish I Knew Then, Part 2

Today I'm continuing the second part of my "What I Wish I Knew Then" series, talking about what I've learned during my first year of motherhood and what I didn't expect before I gave birth. To read Part 1 you can click here.

Motherhood: What I Wish I Knew Then, Part 1

Photo of Miles by Fiddleaf Photography 

I can't believe it: Miles will be a year old next week! The past 12 months have flown by and looking back I realized I've learned so much about him, babies in general, myself, my husband and how to survive that crucial first year of parenthood. To say my hubby and I were unprepared for what Miles had in store for us once he entered the world is an understatement. Here are a few things I wish I'd known before I gave birth!

Family Photo Session With Fiddleleaf Photography

A couple of weeks ago my little family and I had the pleasure of working with local lifestyle photographer Kelly Marleau from Fiddleleaf Photography. I had actually met Kelly when I was pregnant, a few weeks before I gave birth. After following each other on social media and deciding we just had to work together, she came over to my house with coffee from Starbucks to meet my husband and I and check out the lighting in our house for the shoot, which wouldn't happen for another month or so, after baby decided to make his appearance ; ). This time was also spent getting to know one another. Kelly has such great energy and is super talented so I was really looking forward to our photo session with our brand new son! Here are some images Kelly took that day.

Introducing My Son + My Birth Story

Gosh it's been so long since I last blogged, over two months ago! I have a good excuse though: I had a baby : ). A baby boy who we named Miles John. He was born on March 23rd at 12:30 a.m. (10 days late) weighing 7 lbs 15 oz, measuring 22 inches long. Since then life has been a whirlwind and a blur. All my focus has shifted to this little miracle and I haven't had any spare time to sit down and blog until now. So I apologize that this official announcement is so late! Better late than never though, right?? 

Since today is Mother's Day I thought it would be fitting to share with you the moment I became a Mama (above) and my birth story, for those of you who are curious how Miles entered the world. (It wasn't ideal.) So here goes!

9 Months Pregnant: An Update

I can't really believe I'm 9 months pregnant, it seems like just yesterday I was in the early stages of my pregnancy puking my guts out every morning. Time has really flown by quickly! This will be my last preggo update before the baby comes. (!!)

8 Months: Pregnancy Update

I can't believe I'm 8 months pregnant. Seriously, where has the time gone? And where have my abs gone??

What NOT To Say To A Pregnant Woman

wearing: striped top - Motherhood Maternity, cardigan - Banana Republic, jeans - Thyme Maternity,

 purse - Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac c/o Shopbop, boots - Steve Madden (old), toque - Bench Canada

Goodbye 2015

I don't know about you but I have never been so excited to enter a new year. 2015 was horrible and beautiful all in one.

7 Months: Pregnancy Update

I'm officially in my 3rd trimester (what?!) so I thought I'd post a little pregnancy update. 

Six Months Pregnant: Update

I thought I'd do a pregnancy update, it's my first one and I've seen these on other bloggers' sites and I thought it would be fun! So here goes!

Baby's Gender Reveal!

Yesterday I had my second ultrasound for the baby and my hubby and I had decided early on that we would find out if we were having a boy or a girl. I'm a planner and not a huge fan of surprises so I definitely wanted to know and my husband didn't really care either way.

Older But Wiser

I turned 35 this past weekend. Usually I wouldn't talk about how old I am on the blog, you may have heard the saying, "A true lady never reveals her age?"

How I'm Staying Healthy During My Pregnancy

A couple of my readers suggested I write a post on vegetarianism and pregnancy and how I'm staying healthy throughout so here it is! I wrote a post back in 2013 detailing my health journey and why I eat a mostly vegan and gluten-free diet so I'm not going to get into that now (too long of a story) but please read that post if you are curious as to why I do what I do ; )

BIG NEWS!

I can't believe it's been over two months since I last posted. I am so sorry I've been absent from the blog, this is the longest I've gone without writing since starting Marie a la Mode five and a half years ago. But I have a really good excuse!

Mexico Travel Diary

I'm sorry I took a little hiatus from the blog! I have a good excuse for not posting though, I was on my honeymoon in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico ; ). It was a very late honeymoon (we got married last September) but better late than never! We decided to go to Cabo because we heard it was absolutely beautiful there and we'd never been before. I wanted the weather to be perfect and it didn't disappoint - there was no rain and we enjoyed clear blue skies and the hot sun every day. It was also a short flight to get there (less than 5 hours)! I took a ton of pictures and wanted to share some with you guys!

That '70's Flow

Update

I'm writing this post with a very heavy heart. Ten days ago my brother-in-law (my husband's sister's husband) was killed in a tragic accident along with one of his close friends. He was 36 years old. I wasn't sure if I should write this post because I didn't want it to come across like I was exploiting this horrible tragedy, but I wanted to let my readers know why I haven't been blogging lately and I wanted to be honest. How can I blog about clothing or makeup products when something like this has occurred? I can't. Curtis's death has shook our family to its core and now that we've said goodbye to him we are left with...."now what?" How do we move forward? How does my sister-in-law get over something like this?? Why did this have to happen?? There are so many unanswered questions. Such is life, I guess.

Curtis was one of those people whom everyone looked up to and got along with. This man always had a smile on his face, I can't remember ever being around him when he was in a bad mood. His passion for life, adventure and positive attitude was contagious. He cared so much about everyone dear to his heart and most importantly, this gentle soul made my sister-in-law extremely happy; their love story was a beautiful one. I have learned so much about life and how to live it, thanks to him. He was also a big supporter of mine whether it be with acting, styling or blogging and he read my posts regularly so Curtis, if you're reading this now, please know we miss you like crazy and hope you are at peace, fishing up a storm up there! Thank you for all that you have taught me.

I'll be taking a little break from the blog, but not too long though. I'll be back soon. Thanks for understanding. And as always, thanks for reading.

Marie

xo

Wedding #2: Yellowhead Brewery

Just wanted to share a few photos with you from Wedding #2 in Edmonton! You can see photos from Wedding #1 here ; ). Last month we threw a big party at Yellowhead Brewery downtown to celebrate our marriage with 100 friends and family, after tying the knot a few weeks before in California. I got to wear my dress again and we partied the night away. I seriously danced ALL NIGHT LONG. I didn't even have time to eat (except for a cupcake at about 1 a.m.) and neither did my hubby, we were having so much fun with our guests! But I hear the food was amazing ; ).

Details:
Venue: Yellowhead Brewery
Photography: Chicks That Click
Flowers: Endless Possibilities
Cupcakes: Flirt Cupcakes
DJ: Urban Metropolis
Hair: Angela at Ponytails + Horseshoes
Makeup: Alanna Orr

P.S. If anyone is looking for wedding decorations in Edmonton contact me, I'm selling them! styling@mariezydek.com

Holy Sh*t I'm Getting Married!

I really can't believe we fly out to California tomorrow to get married this weekend. Wow, how time flies! It seems like yesterday we just got engaged! I am feeling all sorts of emotions - I'm excited, happy, nervous, anxious, and eager to tie the knot. My heart is pounding as I type this in fact ; ), I am also looking forward to a vacation. We haven't been anywhere in a year (I know, "first world problems") or taken any time off really so I'm excited to get to relax a little, after the wedding. I won't be blogging while I'm away but I will be Tweeting and Instagramm-ing so if you feel inclined you can follow me on my adventure ; ). Thank you for all of your support!

xo

A Little Note

Hi guys. I'm sorry I've been absent from the blogging world the past couple of weeks.The reason for my little break is because a week and a half ago my Uncle passed away unexpectedly and it has shaken our tight-knit family to its core. I just need a little time to grieve and comprehend what has happened. I will be back to blogging very shortly though, I promise.

In the meantime I wanted to share a very cool photo with you. My Uncle's son, my cousin Glen, took this photo the morning my Uncle passed. He died in his favorite spot - at his beautiful home he shared with my Aunt at the lake, before the sunrise. This was his view. And if you look to the right of the photo, there's a blur, do you see that? I'm a very spiritual person and I believe that is my Uncle's spirit : ). I know he's watching over us and that gives me comfort.

Thanks for your understanding, I will be back soon.

xo