Snapshot of 2015

Happy New Years Eve! Ever since Thanksgiving I have had the feeing of how in the world did this year pass by so quickly. I know this happens to everyone and this year it has hit me harder than most. I have been pregnant for 8 out of the 12 months this year. That has made time pass by very slowly but yet move very quickly at times. This year has been a whirlwind of huge life changes. I am thankful that I have this little blog to document it all.

Here is a month by month snapshot of 2015. While writing this I realized how our lives have slowed down since August. This mirrors how much how much I have slowed down myself as well. These different seasons happen for a reason and I enjoyed our busy months as well as the slower ones.    

January: Fell in love with Pure Barre. A wonderful workout which helps clear my mind after a long day. I am thankful that I re-discovered Pure Barre and have continued it into pregnancy. 

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February: The highlight of February was a girl's trip to Walt Disney World. I visited Orlando for a psychology conference and an added bonus of spending a few days at the happiest place on earth.

March: Enjoyed hosting friends in Cary and exploring the local breweries. 

April: Stepped up my healthy cooking game with some great recipes including Tropical Energy Bites and Blueberry Macadamia Muffins.

 

May: Attended my 10 year class reunion in Wilmington. I am thankful that these wonderful girls from high school have become lifelong friends. 

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June: Celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary. We enjoyed dinner at our favorite restaurant at Wrightsville Beach. June 16th also marked the day we found out we were expecting! Then we spent the last week in June at Topsail Beach. We also purchased our home establishing roots in Raleigh.

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July: Had a blast in Charleston celebrating Jen the beautiful bride to be. Loved every minute of our Bachelorette Party in Charleston. 

August: The month started out on a sentimental note as I said goodbye to my grandparents with their passing less than a month apart. The month wrapped up on a much happier note as we let the world in on out little secret! 

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September: September really starts a slowdown in my blogging. I did share an amazing hack for Fruit  & Yogurt Parfaits along with weekly pregnancy re-caps. 

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October: Hosted the first party at our new home. Loved decorating our home for the season and look forward to many mote celebrations to come. 

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November: Made huge steps to making our house a home. After much procrastination, deliberation and planning I hired painters to re-paint our bathroom, bedroom and nursery. 

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December: Celebrated our last holidays as a family of two. We spent Christmas Eve with my extended family continuing the traditions of secret santa and gag gifts. Then I was able to head down to Georgia to celebrate Christmas Day with my Grandmother and parents. 

Oh man, what a year! I'd love to hear your favorite memory from 2015. 

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Wishing you lots of love and joy this Christmas. I am so thankful for all the blessings that God has bestowed to my family this year. I am thankful for this holiday season as a chance marvel and His grace and mercy.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10- 11

Holiday Photo Session

A few weekends ago Joe and I had the pleasure of taking our Christmas card photos with Jordan Maunder. These photos came at a perfect time to capture the best stage of my pregnancy. These were taken at the end of the second trimester. When I scheduled the pictures in the fall, I was concerned at that time that I might not look pregnant enough. Ha! I am so glad that the timing worked out as once I hit the third trimester I started feeling huge!

We took the photos at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. It ended up being a perfect warm and sunny afternoon in November. I love the sweetness of these photos and I know we will enjoy them fondly for years to come.

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Pregnancy | Week 29

Size of Baby: Baby M is the length of a pineapple. She is 16.7 inches long and weighs up to 3.5 pounds.

Gender: Baby girl. 

Weight Gain: Total gain of 20 pounds so far. Feeling every pound.  l 

Maternity Clothes: I am enjoying dresses thanks to the warm weather this week. I purchased some high waisted leggings over the weekend as I am tired of by leggings rolling over during barre class. Gave them a try this morning and they stayed up perfectly. 

Nursery: Nursery is painted, curtains and rug purchased, and a monogram ordered for her wall. So excited to see everything come together. 

Movement: All the time. Felt some hiccups one night which was a strange experience. She is becoming stronger everyday as my arm or hand will jump off my stomach when she moves!

Symptoms: Still struggling with heartburn. Thankfully, I can knock it out with a few tums. I don't know how to describe it other than I am feeling really pregnant these days. I am still getting carsick on the ride for work and spend most morning battling rounds of nausea coupled with feeling hungry. My emotions are all over the place as well. I find myself grumpy for no reason and can get into a funk that I just can't shake. My poor sleep habits are not helping matters.

Sleep: Sleeping is becoming more uncomfortable. I wake up every night around 2-3 am and struggle to fall back asleep. 

Cravings: Food is losing it's appeal as I am running out of room to digest it. I was craving "shower punch" the stuff they serve at church or wedding showers the other day so I grabbed some ginger ale and grape juice. Just not the same. 

What I Miss: Having control of my own body. Honestly, I miss having a normal digestive system and being able to sit without feeling stuffed. I know it will all be worth it. 

Exercise: Three Pure Barre classes and one long and very slow walk. 

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Friday... Short & Sweet

I hope everyone has had a great start to their Friday. Keeping things short this week as I have a lot to do today! This week has flown by and I am thrilled to see another weekend. I finally feel like we are making progress with little one's nursery thanks to having the room painted Wednesday. I can't wait to see her room come together. Our Christmas cards also went out this week. I just love being able to document each year especially as our family grows. For our cards, I used a few beautiful photos we took as our holiday/maternity photo shoot. Here is my favorite one that we used for the front of the card. I will be sharing the rest next week!

{Jordan Maunder Photography}

Happy Friday y'all and have a great weekend! 

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Simple Christmas Wishlist

This Christmas things have switched tremendously from baking, decorating and buying tons of gifts for friends and family to preparing for little one's arrival. Baking has been pretty non existent thanks to pregnancy hormones. I am hoping after February I will have the desire to get back in the kitchen. Moving from an apartment back into a house, there is a lot of space to fill with potential Christmas decorations. Thanks to my wonderful parents, we have a new to us tree and outdoor garland decor. With that out of the way, it's time to focus on gifts. Thanks to Amazon prime, I was able to knock out family gifts quick and painlessly. We agreed that for each other we would stick to a budget based on a short Wishlist. I would be thrilled with any item on this list!

I have broken my list into four main themes which would be perfect for any gal this holiday. You can never go wrong with cute winter clothes, beauty basics, jewelry and especially shoes!

Simple Christmas Wishlist by sweetcarolinabelle

1: Winter Wear. I love this fur topped knit beanie. I have very little (none) old weather headwear. Since beanies are back in style, this would be perfect on cold winter walks. This Lululemon Poncho would be perfect for lounging around the house with baby and keeping me warm on the way to barre. 

2: Beauty. Chapped lips are a serious problem for me in the winter. I love the idea of having a chapstick that also adds a bit of color to your face. I feel like having a bit of lip color helps brighten even the most tired under eyes. I love Chloe's signature fragrance. I just ran out so the holidays are the perfect time to restock.

3:Jewelry. Simple statement pieces are my favorite accessory. Both of the House of Harlow necklace and Kate Spade earrings are classic pieces I could see myself wearing for years to come.

4: Shoes. Many, many years ago, Joe got me my first pair of Revas for Christmas. I love how comfy they are still after years of wear. I also feel like they are the perfect flat to tie together any outfit.

What is on your Christmas list this year?

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Pregnancy | Week 28

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of a coconut. She is 16 inches long and weighs 2.5 pounds.  We have made it to the third trimester! Can't believe that we will be meeting her in just 12 weeks. 

Gender: Sweet, sweet baby girl! 

Weight Gain: Total gain of 20 pounds so far. 

Maternity Clothes: I am currently repeating the same 2 pairs of dress pants and 4 dresses for work. I have a bit more flexibility on weekends thanks to jeans and leggings. Thanks to donations and friends lending me items, I have spent very little on my maternity wardrobe. Hoping I can make most of these pieces last until February! 

Nursery: Purchased paint and scheduled the painter for this week. Looking forward to start work on decor.

Movement: All the time! I will never get used to her sudden jabs during the day. I love it and am weirded out at the same time. 

Symptoms: Heartburn and digestion issues are becoming a daily struggle. I have started feeling quite lethargic and achey after my long walks around the neighborhood. Hot flashes are no joke and I am considering a portable fan for work. (Put that under things I never thought I would say.)

Sleep: Regularly getting around 8-9 hours of sleep a night with one bathroom break. 

Cravings: Still loving carbs in almost any form. Bagels, pancakes, oatmeal, potatoes you name it. 

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach or being able to lay on my stomach in any way whatsoever. 

Exercise: Three Pure Barre classes and one long walk. 

Best Moments: Every second of knowing I am going to be this little one's mother. 

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