Surprise! We're Expecting!

Finally sharing this much over do post of our pregnancy! As I’m writing this at the end of my 2nd trimester I’m in awe of how fast time is flying by and in a few short months we’ll be bringing home our sweet baby! I’m over the moon excited to be experiencing a healthy pregnancy and couldn’t wait to share the news back in the fall with our closest family and friends. It was so hard keeping it a secret, we didn’t share with our families until I was 16 weeks and could make the trip upstate to share in person.

Shortly before our summer vacation to Bermuda we found out we were expecting! It brought a whole new meaning to our trip together. And in all honesty, it was an emotional relief. We had been trying to conceive for about a year and were becoming concerned that something may be off. I may have been naive but I really thought being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle wouldn’t create any issues with conceiving. We didn’t have to start further further fertility testing, but that was our next step after meeting with our doctor to discuss our options. Conceiving definitely took longer than we both first thought. There were a plethora of steps we started to take to prepare both our bodies for pregnancy the moment we knew it was taking longer than expected. I had already been taking pre natal vitamins, exercising, eating healthy all around so we started doing our research into some other life style habits for both of us. There’s more to share in this area (in a future blog post on our journey toward pregnancy)

I know everyone’s situation is different, and everyone’s body is different but I wanted to normalize how common it is to face challenges with fertility and it’s not something everyone talks about enough throughout their experience.

Rewinding back to the earliest moments before actually becoming pregnant Kevin and I knew we always wanted to be parents. We’ve been together for 10 years and close to that time we started getting more serious about our family planning. Our last biggest change was taking the risk of leaving our hometown of Buffalo, NY and chasing our dreams in New York City. The past 8 years in New York have been some of the best experiences for both of us both personally and professionally, where we’ve grown so much as individuals and in a partnership together.

We’ve had phenomenal experiences traveling allover the world together before and during our married time and knew we wanted these experiences before starting a family.

Choosing a career devoting myself to the lives of children I have always been passionate in that area and knew early on and always dreamed of a family of my own. My earliest days in college and beyond I had baby sat and nannied, loving every aspect of working with children. I cannot wait to see Kevin in his new role as a father. Growing up as the oldest brother of 4 boys he’s always demonstrated an incredible amount of patience and support to his entire family.

One of my biggest fears aside from the typical early pregnancy concerns and paranoia (thanks crazy hormones) where I knew my identity would change and I’d miss our old lifestyle and relationship as just the two of us. We knew that becoming a family of three would change most parts of our lives, and we knew we wanted that change for the better. We can’t wait to welcome baby Siskar this April 2020! It will be the greatest surprise yet for us as we’re waiting until delivery to find out the sex.

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have already been so supportive throughout our journey thus far, from both near and far! Can’t wait to keep you all updated on some motherhood posts soon to come.

Huge shout out and thank you to @CailtynReilly for our gorgeous winter bump pics! If you’re in the Buffalo area I highly recommend booking an appointment with her for a special family or couples shoot. She is so talented and so down to earth to work with!

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Outfit Details

Dress/ Rachel Parcell Shoes/ Linked here and here Sweater / H&M (sold out) similar here Denim/ Joe’s Booties/ Dolce Vita

The day we surprised our family with the news at a pumpkin patch in october!

Sweater Dress in the Snow

One of my favorite winter combinations this season has been comfortable warm sweater dresses with boots. I slipped on my favorite vintage coat from my great grandmother for these photos and just love how soft the cashmere is! I thought I would share a few over coat options that are long enough to cover you in the cold weather with warmth but without being bulky!

There’s so many different weights and textures for a sweater dress and they all pair well with or without leggings/ tights and so many shoe styles. Anything that can be versatile and fashionable I’m down for. I love pairing them with over the knee boots (hello easy way to avoid stockings and elongate your legs!) I’ve honestly never really been a fan of tights ever since a kid actually, except for dance rehearsals. But I know they can make some outfits look so well put together! Some things you never grow out of …or into :)

I found this Caslon one I’m wearing from Nordstrom when it was on sale. It’s only available in plus size right now, but it happened to be a great length that could be casual for work or dressed up for after without being too short or tight. I highly recommend it and have shared a ton of other options below. This new B.P mock neck sweater dress is a favorite I may have to get for the holidays. I love the red color and would probably pair it with leopard booties.

My hoop earrings are festive & fun too. This pair has a cute texture on the balls and a great gold without looking cheap. They aren’t heavy either. I have super thin ears, like I have scars on one from them ripping over the years so I can’t wear anything heavy and these are fine!

I’ve shared all product details in the widgets below or check out my shop style account for more direct links to all my outfit details!

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November Sales

There’s some really great sales this month leading into the holiday season so I’ll be rounding up some of my top pics that are versatile for yourself or would make for a great gift. I’m always eyeing something that can be personalized or made practical enough for whomever you have on your shopping list.

I’ve been really loving cozy fleece pullovers, especially on weekends and during errands. I can’t ever get enough of over the knee boots since they’re not just fashionable but for myself, they keep my legs warm! It’s always hard for me to find a pair that will stay up on my thin calves and are tall enough for my longer legs (human giraffe over here) so when I find a pair that works I can’t hold back.

Living in NYC I literally am walking every day all day so finding shoes that are comfortable, yet fashionable are always on my radar. I’m careful of the ones I splurge on and try to wear them only for date nights or special occasions. I feel like I go through shoes so quick here but really try to weatherproof the winter ones. This Marc Fisher pair are a great quality but still less than the Stuart Weitzman style (which is the only kind that stay up! :( and I love the shape of the toe and the colors it comes in.

This season I’ve seen some of my long term favorite sweaters marked down especially over the holidays and the softer the sweater and the longer the tunic are perfect for me! This cashmere one I have LOVED for so long and was excited to see it on sale. So much so I have it in my shopping cart and debating a neutral or pop of color again. It is super soft & warm without being too heavy and the perfect length for leggings. I have a bright magenta one I’m wearing here from a few years ago. If you take good care of the cashmere, especially when packing away seasonal clothes it will last. The Laundress shampoo for this fabric works so well too.

My new obsession for a little statement coat for winter that’s a less traditional is this lavender wrap coat! I LOVE the color because it stands out from my other winter neutrals and I was able to find it marked down both here and here. It runs true to size and the color is much richer in person with a long length. Also on sale is this pear & grey version that I think is gorgeous and would be perfect for dressing up a simple outfit or pairing with a dress.

Many of the sales are offering up to 40% off! Much of which will most likely be further marked down for Black Friday. So book mark this post so you can retrieve it quickly while shopping. Be sure to click on the different photos in the widget below for details one each sale. Happy Shopping!

Click the photo below or scroll to shop the items all on sale!