How to Wear Merlot 2 Ways this Fall.

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Oxblood. Burgundy. Crimson. Ruby. Merlot. Gang's all here.

Since I can't drink it (the merlot, not the oxblood), I might as well drape myself in this mighty bold shade that just conjures up all the decadent delights of fall. I love mixing the merlot color with like-minded shades, or wearing it simply on its own as a statement. It works really well as a neutral in the fall, or as that necessary pop of color we are all looking for. I styled a few ASOS pieces 2 ways, showcasing my favorite color for fall - M E R L O T.

What I love about this first look is how sassy and free it feels, while still being super functional. The backpack is perfect for my stage of life - running after a toddler (okay, waddling, because I'm currently 8-months pregnant), and keeping all the increasingly pudgy parts of my body well-covered while maximizing comfort (that cardigan!) and fun (that hat!) I love this look, especially because it makes me still feel like I am in the fashion game.

Don't break my heart and tell me any different.

Outfit Details:
Look 1:
ASOS Midi Cardigan c/o, Blanqi Support Tank c/o, ASOS Maternity Rivington Denim Jegging in Oxblood with Under the Bump Waistband c/o,  ASOS Leather Embossed Backpack c/o, Sebago Claremont Boots, Urban Outfitters Hat (similar here)

This sweater dress is pretty much everything to me right now. Worn alone (like I did on this day), or over jeans or leggings, it's an essential piece for fall. Especially when you are growing at the rapid rate like I am. I especially love the ribbed fabric on the sides and the bitty turtleneck. Just a hint of Audrey Hepburn in that turtleneck, which is really all a girl needs to feel ladylike. And again - that color. It's making me feel all the crunchy leaves and taste all the hot beverages.

Outfit Details:
Look 2:
ASOS Maternity Knit Swing Dress in Cashmere Mix c/o, Kate Spade Varick Street Abbie Bag (on sale in this color!), Stella & Dot Alila Cuff

What is your favorite shade to wear for fall? What colors make you "feel" your wardrobe in a new way for the season?

Many thanks to ASOS for sending products to style for this post. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting brands that make running this blog a joy!

Keeping Up With The Boys.

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This was the day that my two-year-old wrote in pen on my white bed spread.

This was also the day he lunged toward the garage door as it was closing. Thank God for motion sensors.

This was the day that I cleaned bedrooms and went through old baby clothes while my 2-year-old zoomed trucks around my piles for his soon-to-be-bro. This was the day I did a zillion loads of laundry and cooked some freezable meals while he built block towers around my ankles. This was the day we finally collapsed in exhaustion onto the couch, and decided to watch Christmas Mickey Mouse on Netlflix (his favorite) with our feet up (my favorite). We both ate graham crackers in silence. Mickey gave Minnie a necklace.

This was the day that the 31-week-along baby in my belly learned how to do somersaults. Nay, learned to master somersaults.

These kinds of days aren't for the faint of heart. Keeping up with these boys requires all my concentration and energy, and even then, sometimes it doesn't feel like enough to fuel me through the day. When someone asks a mom (especially a pregnant mom), "How was your day?" the answer is almost impossible to summon. My day was wonderful, hilarious, exhausting, infuriating, impossible, delightful, and then exhausting again. As a mom, you can't sum up your day in a few words. Each new hour ushers in a set of circumstances and emotions that unbutton my pride and reveal my weakness once again.

During this pregnancy I've been on my feet a lot. I'm trying to refrain from being on them too long, but let's be honest - a woman's gotta walk! A mama's gotta play trains! And this lady has to get the laundry done, beds made, and meals doled out. After being on my feet too much and an enlightening visit to the ER (which I shared about here), it was recommended that I find a really good belly support band to help alleviate the weight and pressure. I shared last week about my favorite 2nd Trimester essentials, and one of those was the Blanqi Support Band that I started wearing when I was about 27 weeks pregnant. The band has made such an enormous difference in my day-to-day, and when I reached out to the company to spill my praise about the amazing support I've received from it, the lovely ladies over at Blanqi sent me a few more support pieces to try. And I am almost undone about the quality and, for lack of a better word, magic of these clothes.

If you want to know what I've been wearing for the past two weeks (by themselves and layered under other pieces), you're looking at it. The Maternity Belly Support Tank Top offers insanely maximum lifting support - it literally lifts my belly up and take so much pressure off my lower back.  The Maternity Support Wear Leggings offer moderate support and keep everything smooth and taut underneath clothes. And I've been wearing these two items together since they came in the mail - imagine the double support I've been experiencing! I was actually really sad yesterday when I was laundering everything again, just because I was missing out on the inexplicably great lift of this shapewear. I'll admit that the only downside to this shapewear is feeling hot from time to time- if you're like me and feel hot all the time when you're pregnant, then wearing leggings in this 80-degree Georgia heat can present some challenges. But still - I wish I would have known about this game-changing gear during my last pregnancy. It would have really alleviated that last 6 weeks of back pain.

Blanqi Oy11.jpg

I love sharing when I find things that really, really work for me. And these pieces are the real deal, a must for any maternity wardrobe. I am so grateful that I discovered this brand so that the final leg of my pregnancy doesn't have to be quite as miserable as the last time around. And it's just a bonus that the ladies who run Blanqi (which is based here in Atlanta - what are the chances?!) are the sweetest, kindest moms who just want to help other women have easier, more comfortable pregnancies. I love supporting U.S. businesses, women's businesses, and most importantly, businesses creating something that MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

These pieces might not be able to get the ink out of my bed spread, but they are allowing me to stay on my feet a bit longer to get all the home life chores done that need doing. So I can not only keep up with my boys, but keep myself well cared-for, too. Every pregnant mama's dream.

You can shop Blanqi with this link and receive 20% off your order, friends!

P.S. if you have a pregnant friend, this is the perfect gift to give her - seriously! She will thank you every single day for the remainder of allllll her pregnancies :)

Outfit Details:
Blanqi Support Tank (c/o), Blanqi Support Leggings (c/o), Wendy Bellissimo Maternity Poncho (on sale here!)


Many thanks to Blanqi for sending me the featured support wear. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Falling for Fringe.

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Outfit Details:
Forever 21 Floral Fringe Kimono, Kate Spade Charlotte Street Alek Crossbody Bag, Isabella Oliver Helston Maternity Top c/o, BDG Skinny Jeans (past season, similar here), Coach Lace Up Wedge Booties (past season, linked to a similar below)

I wore this lovely little fringe number last week on our date night. The date night where we toured the local hospital, formulated a birth plan, and ate Thai food. We know how to plan a wild night, right?

We are delivering at a different hospital this time around and we wanted to get the lay of the land, and honestly, hear about how much the hospital tends to intervene in birthing situations. It was really good to get the tour and ask questions (Stevie and I asked the most in the group, we are such dweebs), but then it was even better to drive away from the hospital and process everything that's coming up.

All the feelings that have been lying stealthily in wait from the last time I gave birth. All the hopes bubbling up in my heart. All the unanswered questions about how it's going to be this time around. We talked through the things we loved about Everett's birth, and the things that were different than we expected. The things we didn't like. The things that scared us. All the birth planning in the world can't really prepare anyone for actual birth, and we relived all the emotions involved with meeting our little boy for the first time.

And that was all before the dim sum arrived.

Have you guys had dim sum? I can't get enough in my life.

We ate our Thai food and laughed about the wonder of it all. This burgeoning season of Fall. The fact that we are going to have two boys by Christmas. The fact that we still really love each other (and like each other!) after 9+ years of marriage. The really cute kimono that I was wearing that my sisters gave me for my birthday (okay, it was just me going ga-ga over that one).

Life is so beautiful, friends. It's so beautiful and so fleeting and it's slipping away as quickly as it's brimming forth. Happiest weekend to you :)

Lady in London Red.

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Because when you're invited to a smashing wedding in London, you just go. Even if you're five months pregnant and have no idea where to find a formal maternity dress. Have I said "thank God for ASOS" enough? I know I sound like a broken record over here but I have been so pleased with my maternity finds from ASOS that I have to share. And hilariously enough, this dress isn't actually maternity but I just had a feeling that the empire cut would work for this 5+ month bump :) And it did the trick!

This was the perfect date night, one that I will always treasure. Not only was it really special to get gussied up and have a night out on the (foreign) town with my man, this wedding was such a standout. One of those that causes you to, over and over again, catch the sparkling eyes of your spouse and remember your own wedding day. Cherishing the years you've forged together. The speeches made us well up with tears. The meal made me wish for a bigger stomach (oh wait). The band made me regret not learning to play the saxophone in middle school and the dancing made my feet hurt (in that good kind of way). This was one of those nights that I will remember fondly in the months to come, when I am wrapped up in bed with my newborn baby boy and not going anywhere for quite a while.

One really good date night. And one really good dress. And one extremely good man. Too much to ask for? I think not, friends. I think not.

P.S. - More London maternity style here, here and here.

A Mad Hatter and a Rolls Royce.

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Outfit Details:
ASOS Floral Bardot Maternity Dress, Pink Hat (borrowed from my Mom's hope chest, similar here and here), Charming Charlie Clutch (old, similar here and here), Banana Republic Wedges (sold out, similar here), Anthropologie Stud Earrings

It was all just so British.

The cobblestone streets, the rare London sunshine and the hat atop my head. Coming out of the whitewashed hotel we stumbled upon these flowers that freakishly matched my dress and then a Rolls Royce just appeared out of nowhere. Beckoning me to it, really. Not only is this is the stuff dream blog posts are made of, this is the stuff that dreams are made of! I can't say enough gushing things about this particular experience, because Stevie and I were literally so giddy, relishing the most British experience of our lives (except for maybe the time we did high tea at Fortnum & Mason). We even rode on that red bus you see in the background (up top!), across town to the loveliest of weddings. It was an experience friends, one that I will never ever forget.

I was a little bit wardrobe challenged when I received the invitation to the suite of celebratory events for this wedding. How in the world does one plan for so many maternity outfits? Well, ASOS Maternity ended up being a lifesaver, because the prices are so reasonable and the options are so stylish and sassy. The problem I've found with most maternity sites is that all the dresses look very classic and alike (and let's be honest - bland), which is sort of understandable, since women want to be able to wear their maternity clothing throughout several pregnancies. But that makes it really hard to find trendier, or even colorful options, especially when it comes to occasion-wear. That's what really sets ASOS Maternity apart - I found so many options that I loved, and actually ended up ordering about ten dresses, trying them on at home, and choosing between them. Obviously ASOS is known for it's non-maternity clothing, but if you're a pregnant lady in need of a nice dress, their maternity line is the go-to. And as for that hat, well, what can I say. My mom is my style icon, the original fashionista in my book. This thing was just laying around in her closet.

And there's my date. Oh, and there's Stevie, too. JUST KIDDING! As much as I loved that bus ride, I loved experiencing it with him even more. It was sightseeing and transporting and Kate Middleton stalking all at once. :)

P.S. - More from our London trip here - inhaling rose lattes around Notting Hill and wearing a sari on Queen's Gate Road.