A trip to Charlottesville, a do nothing weekend, and baby stuff!

It’s been a few weeks since writing a recap blog. I figured it was about time I hopped on here to get one posted before they become nonexistent again. I don’t know how I’m going to balance blogging and having a baby just yet, but I will try my best! As a new mom, I don’t know what to expect for the first few weeks, so I will go with the flow. I may even pop on here from time to time with a photo and a quick paragraph to say “hello.” I’m not going to put any expectations on myself because I want to focus on my wellbeing while navigating motherhood when I get home. I don’t want the blog or posting on Instagram to be a concern. I’ve already taken on a much more relaxed blogging pace this past year, and it feels like the old days. I don’t have to worry about hustling with sponsorships, pleasing people, or feeling like I have to stay on top of the trends. I’ve been doing it in a way that feels more organic and relaxed. I started to hate blogging after what it’s turned into the past few years, but I decided to go back to what it used to be, even if that’s not the popular route.

Today’s blog post will not be as organized as other recaps. I haven’t taken that many photos the past three weeks, so I’ll compile all the ones I took and a few from over the weekend. We get one of those unorganized and wildly out-of-order blogs now and then, but that’s what my life is right now. We had a few days where the weather jumped into the 80s. Those are the mornings I like to sit outside on the porch with my coffee while the dogs play or cuddle up next to me. All of my flowers have been budding, and even our trees are starting to get their leaves. This is the weather I live for!

On Wednesdays, I go in for my prenatal massages. Lucky for me, it’s right next to Homegoods and Starbucks. I love to treat myself with a little post-massage cappuccino and a stroll around Homegoods. I’ve also had most of my prenatal appointments every other Wednesday, so it’s a full day for me!

During this pregnancy, and even before it, I dealt with some of the most excruciating back pain. Over the past month, I started to get that same unbearable pain underneath my right side rib cage. It felt like a burning and bruised sensation. I thought it was a pinched nerve this entire time, and I even had my gallbladder ultrasound a few years back. Last week, the new doctor I saw thought that it may just be severe heartburn and not a pinched nerve. She told me to start taking two Tums after every meal and prescribed me Pepcid if the pain didn’t go away with Tums. Get this; I have not had that pain in over a week. It turns out it was most likely heartburn I was experiencing and not a pinched nerve at all. I didn’t think heartburn would cause terrible back pain, but it does! I can’t believe I’m actually pain-free.
  
 
 

I have been cooking a lot lately and sticking to easy meals healthy snacks, and sometimes we’ll get the occasional takeout. My food cravings are always all over the place. I try to make extras to keep in the fridge to heat meals when I’m hungry throughout the day.
 Many of these recipes are on my TikTok! My spring flowers are still coming up, and now my tulips have begun to catch up with the hyacinths. I love this spring weather.

Last Thursday, my dad helped us pick up 15 giant privacy trees for the yard! I am so excited to get these into the ground. I live in a neighborhood outside the city where the houses are close. Even though I love my neighbors, I just want to be able to walk outside without a bra on 😆
 One thing I’ve loved these past few weeks is my homemade shamrock shakes! It’s on the lighter side. A weekend ago, I decided to wash all the baby clothing, baby blankets, swaddles, and more! I wanted to get that out of the way so we can finish up the nursery. It wasn’t too hard since I kept the baby’s clothing minimal. I can fit all of the clothing into one drawer, making me feel super stress-free. The more clothing you have, the more laundry you’ll pile up! Plus, babies grow out of their clothing so fast, so I’ll have room to purchase what they need as the days go by.


One of my favorite things to do is bake. Kyle asked me if I would bake a cake for his boss’s 15th work anniversary, and I was so happy to do it! I will look for any excuse to bake. His boss loves Snickers, so I made a triple chocolate layered cake with caramel, snickers, and peanut butter buttercream between the layers. I topped the cake with a chocolate caramel ganache drip, more snickers, peanuts, and peanut butter chocolate buttercream.
 I always make cupcakes so we can test out the cake first! They were AMAZING! I can share this recipe if you’d like.

I think the cake turned out pretty great 😊
  After a day of cake baking, it was time to take Leo out on his walk!
 I still need to get the nursery blog up soon, but we’re working on more decorating. We purchased a $5 toy chest on our neighborhood marketplace and painted it filmy green to match the board and batten. I LOVE how it turned out! I wanted a sturdy place to put my morning coffee and a lamp. I had an end table there, but it was too wobbly on the carpet.

On Wednesday, I headed up to Charlottesville, Virginia, to photograph one of my friend’s weddings! She’s having a destination wedding in late April but decided to have a wedding here in the states with family to celebrate before heading to the islands. I’m so sad I will miss her island wedding, but I won’t be allowed to fly by that time.

Speaking of my friend, Emily, is now a published author! This is such an exciting time for her, and if you’re looking for the perfect children’s book to add to your collection, please consider checking out Papayo: The Peruvian Puppy! She wrote the story after meeting Papayo in real life while traveling Peru! The book is so incredibly sweet and I’m excited to read it to my kids one day! You’re going to love it!
 Before heading to the winery to shoot Emily’s wedding, I had breakfast at Farm Bell Kitchen in downtown Charlottesville. My mom tagged along with me since it was a 4 1/2 hour drive, and we had so much fun watching movies at the hotel and exploring the city and wineries a bit. We want to come back when the weather is warmer! The city is stunning. We split a three-cheese and veggie omelet, potatoes, a blueberry scone, and bacon! I had an oat milk cappuccino, and everything was so delicious! I loved the atmosphere, and the staff couldn’t have been any friendlier!
I can’t wait to share some of the photos from the wedding!
 I had the most delicious meal at the winery before finishing up photos and heading back to the hotel for the night! The wedding was an absolute dream, and Emily was a stunning bride.

I was up at 3 am the next day because of my pregnancy insomnia. It’s been a battle, but I can usually fall back asleep after a few hours. My mom and I decided to grab a quick hotel breakfast and get on the road before the Friday morning traffic. I forgot how good fruitloops were 😆
 After shooting the wedding, I felt like I was hit by a bus! My feet and body were sore, so I had a morning rush juice from Whole Foods to help with the inflammation. I also had a massage this morning, and I’m feeling back to my usual self! I told myself that I would hang around the house and relax the next month before the baby comes. I have so much to do around here, and it’s time to relax my body! My tulips!!! I can’t wait for them to open.  Leo was happy to have mom home!

These are the only two photos I took all weekend. I told Kyle I didn’t want to do anything all weekend unless it involved watching movies and sitting on the couch, so that is exactly what we did! Sometimes, you need those weekends, and it’s been a while since I’ve just sat still.

I hope you all have a fantastic week, and I’ll try to get a bit more organized for next week’s recap blog! xo

Questions for you!

1. Do you ever need “do nothing” weekends?
2. Are you a Shamrock Shake fan?
3. Do you have any St. Patrick’s Day plans?