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!

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. (!!)

Date Night

 Wearing: sweater - Jessica Halabi (not a maternity top), jeans - Thyme Maternity, jacket - Asos (old), booties - Vince Camuto, 

bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs  Classic Q Natasha via Shopbop, ring - Material Girl via The Bay, scarf - Jacob

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

January

 Wearing: jacket - ASOS (old), top and pants - Motherhood Maternity, boots - Vince Camuto, 

               purse - Topshop (old), scarf - Simons, ring - Material Girl via The Bay

7 Months: Pregnancy Update

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

These Boots

Wearing: jacket - Banana Republic (old), sweater - Motherhood Maternity (similar here), jeans - Thyme Maternity, boots - Poppy Barley, 

Natasha Q Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs via Shopbop, scarf - Simons, ring - H & M (old)

Gentle Plaid

wearing: Voyage shirt dress - c/o Gentle Fawn, jeans - Thyme Maternity, top - Soprano via Nordstrom Rack in the states (old), 
boots - Franco Sarto, scarf - Simons, watch - Michael Kors, bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier Hobo

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!

Hat's On

Wearing: cardigan - Dex Knitted Cocoon Cardigan (on sale!) via The Bay, top - Motherhood Maternity, jeans - Thyme Maternity, 

booties - Vince Camuto via Designer Shoe Warehouse (in the states), hat - Aldo, infinity scarf - Aldo, bag - 3.1 Phillip Lim c/o Shopbop 

Orange is the New Black

jacket - Zara (old), top - GAP, pants - Thyme Maternity, bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs via Shopbop, 

boots - Steve Madden, scarf - JACOB, necklace - Aldo (very old), bracelet - H & M, ring - Simons

Closet Organization During Pregnancy and Weight Fluctuation

jacket - Maison Scotch via Shopbop (old), top - Motherhood Maternity, jeans - Thyme Maternity, scarf - Chandi via Bamboo Ballroom, 

clutch - Topshop (old), boots - Vince Camuto via Designer Shoe Warehouse (in the states), ring - Simons

The BEST Homemade Belly Butter for Fighting Stretch Marks

After I graduated from high school and entered college I gained a lot of weight really fast and then lost it quickly. (Freshmen 15? More like Freshmen 25!) Unfortunately there was something else I gained in the process while my weight went up - lots of stretch marks - mostly on my hips and thighs. So when I found out I was pregnant, I vowed to try as hard as possible to prevent the little red suckers from showing up anywhere on my body while I was gaining a healthy weight for the baby. I remember there was a homemade belly butter created by Lori Bregman mentioned in Molly Sims' book (below, it's a great read!), which I had come upon a while ago that caught my eye.

21 Weeks

These photos were taken the day before it started snowing. (I'm crying a little bit inside right now as I type this.)

Halfway

I can't believe I'm officially halfway through my pregnancy already. Where did the time go??

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.

Wrapped Up

Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend and I hope my fellow Canadians had a lovely Thanksgiving!

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!