TGIF it's a big day tomorrow!

My dear friends I'm telling you this... I hate this yucky weather. I really am trying to do some fun stuff despite the shit weather but it's just so gloomy and cold. What makes things more fun is that I really don't know how to dress this bump when it's cold (but I'm usually hot), it's windy (but no coats fit), and its rainy (but my rain boots don't fit either...). I'll admit that this week my "maternity fashion" (hint: any kind of cute style at this point) has gone out the window with the wind! I've stuck to my comfy $12 walmart pants, a good ol lululemon power y, and some sort of sweatshirt/wrap/warm layer. Here I introduce the amazing-ness of the fold over pant. These are comfortable cotton fold over pants that I also got in tights. On the left you see them folder (going under the belly but still able to cover the bum), and on the right is the over the belly thing that works well when you're wearing tight layers on top (does the sucking and smoothing bit we all love).

I did treat myself to a pedicure and a little spray tan action (organic of course) in prep for my shower, now I look like I just got home from a month in mexico ha but it's all good in the name of beauty! 

Haha I like the one on the right because not only does it look like I have nudie boobies but also because I look half black. After you get a spray tan you have to wait 6-8 hours then shower off the extra stuff... that pic was before my showering off bit... the one on the left is what I actually look like now. Sweet tan lines eh? And noo skin cancer! A+


The really great news is the my lovely Wayne is finally home, which means any time after Saturday (my baby shower) this babe can come out any time he likes! I did have a doctors appointment this week though, and my belly is measuring a mere 34... for all you non-preggers readers, usually you're belly size matches the weeks you are (ie. I am currently 36 weeks so I should measure 36) Which means that if I am actually two weeks behind, this little Hylariberry might just be a June baby after all. When I first found out I was pregnant I figured that I would be due closer to June, because I had started some anti-biotics for a lovely 4 week bronchitis spout that I was fighting. Low and behold I was pregnant a few weeks later! I guess instead of wishing this babe would come asap I should let him grow and be huge... I guess! 


Also exciting (maybe only for me) I had my first real rough work out, and felt great! Usually when I try to do a long walk with bossy boy I end up having to pee 10-15 minutes in... so I had the thought, "DUH I should walk on the tredmill so that if I have to pee I can press pause and go for it!" boy oh boy as if I never thought of this before! I did a good 30 minute walk, 5 minute up hill walk, arms and some serious squats... OH and I managed 5 flights of stairs (of a potential 22 that I have up to my condo). I feel pretty darn great about that and will have to keep up the trying (on days when my lower back isn't hurting) and hope that I don't get some hella growing stretch marks. 

Check out that intensity!
Stay tuned for baby shower photos!! I'm SO excited and can't wait to see all my lovely friends!!

Rainy day paranoia and fun

I'm not sure about all my lovely readers out there, but in my beautiful city mother nature has had a bit of a confusion in what the weather for spring should be. It's been raining and nasty gross all day... really for the last 4 days. The also unfair thing about this weather and being pregnant is that my rain boots don't fit my swelling feet and legs. NOT cool. It makes getting around hard, but I'm K.I.S.S (keeping it simple stupid) which works best! Bossy is keeping me company, and basically never leaves my side... makes me worry that he senses me going into labour... paranoid?

Yesterday my dearest friend that has finally returned to Canada and I went shopping for some baby shower decos and treats... All those attending should be prepared for early diabetes because if you know me, you know I love my sugar treats! I've been trying my darnedest to not eat too many treats during my pregnancy to avoid this babe being addicted to sugar... but lets get real, it happens.

Yeah check those bad boys out!! I can't wait :D Not only was it cold and rainy but I also woke up to snow, yes, SNOW on APRIL 23rd. Wayne asked me why I was so upset about there being some wet snow and I said simply "It's April 23rd, I've been wearing sandals because that's all that fits... what happens now?"  What happens now is uggs and two besties facing the lovely (not) day and let me tell you, I was exhausted by the end! Watched the game later that night and fell asleep, only to wake to see that NY scored, jerks. Then we lost game 6, but that's totally ok because I'm not a hockey fan anyways! It was hard going to sleep alone in the house... like I said this is the first (and last) time I've been alone since being pregnant. I was very nervous that I was going to wake to broken water and then have no Wayne... it didn't happen thank goodness!
Today it was still yucky and rainy and so I snuggled in to some trashy tv by my self, and then visited my friend Jen and her 10 month old baby Kolton... check his cuteness out!

"Is that my new best friend? When's he coming out?"  (I think he likes the lace!) She (and two other friends who had babies in June) are probably the reason I am pregnant now... Wayne heard a lot of "I want a baby, everyone else is having a baby... we should have a baby too!" and we were going to wait until Jan-Feb 2012 to start "trying" but that didn't happen!


More fun things to do when you're bored and worried... find new apps to waist time on!
Check out my growing belly photos! These are only the ones that are nudie aka in my bathing suit haha cause I love seeing my ribs expand! I am way bigger now and every cramp or pain I get I worry about going into labour while Wayne is gone. I've been trying to avoid all things that include bending over and haven't been walking as much... I know, I know, paranoid right? I keep looking up things like what your mucus plug looks like, what it feels like when you're water breaks, tips for keeping calm during labor etc. which seems silly because I'm probably making myself more nervous/anxious. I've got a doctors appointment on Thursday and hopefully he can tell me more about where I am (those effacement percentages etc etc). For now we're growing growing growing (and suffering from more heart burn that ever!)...

Make a gloomy day brighter

Let me tell you that all those people that talk about S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder) are not full of c.r.a.p! I totally find myself in a blah mood when I wake up in the morning and there's grey clouds as far as the eye can see and it's all gloomy and cold and yucky. Don't get me wrong, I love a rainy day when you're sitting inside, watching classic movies, cuddled up close, got some yummy snacks and listening to the rain... but I'm talking about those days that you actually want to be outside but its so cold and rainy and shit that you can't be bothered. Yesterday was that day. I disliked every minute of it (except for the extra long cuddle in the morning because Wayne and I both knew it was going to be a loooong day). One fun thing we did yesterday, and maybe you'll get a giggle out of this one, we went to Radio Shack and bought old school bunny ear antennas to catch free digital cable (because we don't believe in spending $60+ a month on useless tv when you can get most of your fave shows online FO FREE Y'ALL!). Wayne's idea to get the $80 antenna and we now have about 14 channels... I haven't decided yet if it's worth $80 for useless tv channels that we probably don't watch, but that's the great thing about having 30 days to return them! Holla sistaaa. We also got to enjoy the Sens vs. New York Rangers game LIVE... in our house... in our pjs... it was great!! Which by the way, I can't help but brag about this physic ability I must have... At 1:15 left in the game the Rangers pull their goalie and I say "OH well the sens will score on an open net for sure!" and at :58 SECONDS left to go what do those amazing boys do but SCORE ON AN OPEN NET!!! Now I'm not a huge hockey watching obsessed kinda girl here but that is some game call am-I-right?! 

Today is a little brighter, as you can see in my 36 week photo shoot below. BUT still quite chilly and yucky feeling, so this morning we treated ourselves to a Mill St Brewery and Pub breakfast (which was decently good, nice view most of all), and enjoyed the ease of not having a little one to tote around quite yet! (Though he is moving and shaking around in there like its a party!) I've figured out that on days when it's gloomy I wear bright colours and that cheers me right up! Today, baby blue for the little one inside, because of course I'm attracted to anything blue now (where as I used to hate the colour all together!). A style pointer that I forgot in my "Style that drives me wild" post is the power of a lace tank... I LOVE how precious a big ol belly looks with lace over a coloured tank. So cute and dainty looking agreed?? I've got one tank from Walmart for $9 that I wear all the time and also a cute dress (that is a top for me) that I got from Urban behaviour for $16 that looks just darling over the big belly... or at least I think so!

That's all for this weekend, Wayne is leaving for a work trip to Moose Jaw Saskatchewan... whoopie right? It will be my first time being alone while pregnant (usually my mom visits, but this time she's getting ready for her big move to the city to be closer to me and this little babe!! I CANT WAIT! so she's off the hook for now) and I'm a little nervous about going into labour when he's not here and not knowing what on earth to do. LUCKILY my best friend Megan has finally returned from an amazing adventure down under (Aussie land you silly goofs) and we will be spending the day tomorrow figuring out baby shower stuff! I will be keeping my legs crossed for now, but next week it's pineapple, spicy food, and squats all day long because I am ready to stop growing and have a normal-ish body again! (I know I should want him to grow to 40 weeks but I'm so tired of wearing stretchy cotton pants and sandals because everything about my body is so darn big! I want shorts and dresses to fit and for a beautiful summer to come back into my life!!!)

 36 bumpin weeks!

Can you tell this is my favourite scarf? Vinyassa scarf from lululemon, running luon just SO soft against my cheeks I love it! It's also a neutral grey stripe so it goes with most everything! Little jean jacket action to keep it chic and we're set for breakfast!

What a handsome fellow at the Mill St Brewery and Pub. 

 Look at that cutie!! Don't you just love her already?!

SOOOO HAPPY YOU'RE HOME GIRL!!! xoxoxo

Lets play catch up...

OK ok I know my life isn't super interesting but let's pretend that it is!

For those of you that know me in real life, not internet web cyber space life, know that I used to work for this amazing and beautiful and ever inspiring company lululemon athletica. During my employment I gained so much insight into life and one of the most important gifts that the company gave me was the ability to set achievable realistic goals for my life. Typically at lululemon we set 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year goals in three main areas of our life... Health, Personal, and Career, and for those three areas you give a by-when (dead line or due date to complete by) for each goal (ie. I run the Ottawa Race Weekend 10km May 2013 would be a one year goal). This time I'm going to switch things up a little, and make goal setting all my own. I'm sharing my 1 year and 3 year goals for Me, Us, Family... mostly because for the next year (and hopefully longer) I won't be technically employed... I know that it will be hard at times to focus on myself and my relationship with Wayne as a couple not as "Momma" and "Daddy"... and I also sometimes can't even imagine what I want my life to look like in 5 + years because things change so much...so I believe that these goals need to be suited to my life. The thing I love about goals is they are never set in stone, I can change or modify them whenever I want, and YOU all get to hold me accountable to achieving (and mainly remembering) my goals.


1 year Goals: 

• Wayne and I have a date night once a week while my mom spends time with the babe.
• We walk bossy as a family (Wayne, babe, and myself) at least once a day for at least an hour.
• I loose all weight gained during my pregnancy (and hopefully more).
• I get a mani/pedi at least once a month. (Gotta keep things fresh and massaged).
• I complete the Ottawa Race Weekend 10km with my mom next May 2013 to keep traditions alive.
• I complete the Great Canadian sprint tri September 2013.
• Wayne and I take our first trip with the babe to Hong Kong to visit friends. (Also to celebrate my big 25th birthday and Wayne's dirty 30th)

3 year Goals:

• Wayne and I continue to have a date night once a week. 
• We are living in our Westboro condo and walk along the river at least once a day (not in winter though, I'm not a trooper like that)
• We go on a family trip every winter somewhere warm, babe included because he's learning how to swim!
• Our family goes camping for a week every summer (canoeing, hiking, s'mores and all that good stuff included).
• We bike up the Gatineau hills to Champlain look out at least once a week (babe rolling along behind us)
• I do yoga at least twice a week and run at least three times a week.
• I complete the Radient Child Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ducros.
• Wayne and I are investing in properties (we own 2 already) and searching for a new home in Westboro.

Here are some pictures of our home boy bossy. He's a 4 year old St. Bernard and a huge suck (sometimes he's a bit of a fuss pants though and thinks he's super tough) he likes to slobber and shed hair every where and is a sweet sweet boy. I can't wait to see how he handles having a new suckie baby in the house!

 Unfortunately our bed is high enough for him to juuust rest his sloppy lips on our sheets, which is really fun when I've just washed them and he's just eaten dinner... not

 Yep, We're about the same size... I love that he rests his big ol bear paws on you when you give him a good pet!

After biking up the hills on a very hot day. Check out that view!!

Bigger belly things

Eating right: We all know that what you eat this probably the most important thing to focus on when you're pregnant, but being a pretty healthy eater already I didn't feel the need to change anything in my diet just yet. So instead of focusing on getting enough meat, veggies, and whole wheat yummy goods I let myself enjoy the smaller chocolate-ier things that I'd been missing! Obviously this needs to happen in moderation but hey, I'm creating a human... I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to have a little bit of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, or a few thousand Reece's pieces! (P.s side note did you know that you're only actually meant to have about 200-300 extra calories while pregnant... so that whole eating for two thing is just in our dreams, our candy land dreams!) Apples and peanut butter have been the treat I basically live off of, because it's a little bit healthy and a lot bit delicious (I also don't feel as guilty eating a spoon full of peanut butter, than 3 Reece's pieces cups...)Let me tell you about the days when all I can think about is how delicious chocolate, ice cream, gummy candies, chips, cakes, pies... all that junk would takes. Better to think than to act or else your bumm is bigger than your belly before you know it. It's death by hormones!
What's been really fun since I've been off work is learning to cook (aka mostly using the slow cooker!) Wayne bought a $30 cook book that at the time I almost shit my pants when I saw the price, but it turned out to be a book full of yummies! For those of you who don't know me, I HATE cooking. I love to eat yummy foods but for whatever reason, mixing things together and waiting around while it cooks just isn't my thing. I love to make salads full of chunky veggies (cause it's easy to chop and eat) and I can make some mean pasta or toast, grilled cheese, or a ham sandwich... but that was pretty much the extent of my cooking abilities. Wayne has been VERY impressed with my new skills and I've even ventured out to baking (don't give me a pat on the back yet though because it's mostly "Just add water" mixes ha!).

(Wayne chopping onions, obviously sunglasses were the best thing to keep from having his eyes burn ha)


Excersize: We all know (or at least we should) that the warmer you keep your skin the fewer stretch marks you will have, which to me is bonus enough let alone the feel good endorphins you get from a good workout. I like to think that I've been active my whole life and can officially say that these last 9 months have been about the slowest of my life. I've learned that things are hard when you carry a giant belly and extra baby weight, so I have told myself that I never want to feel this way when I'm not growing a human... ever again!! I've heard some stories about women that are still running around and doing boot camp work outs, but to me that just seems crazy! I've been keeping it simple by walking, hitting up the elliptical, doing squats and arm weights, and most of all swimming! I can't justify doing things that hurt my body because I've already experienced enough lower back pain and hip joint discomfort that my new motto is "If it hurts me, it can wait" and that it will! Some days my lower back hurts so much that I can't go for a long walk with bossy, some days I could walk for hours and hours on end and not hurt at all. That's just how life is I guess! Feeling the extra weight for the first time in my life has also given me a huge kick in the pants as far as motivation to get every pound of baby off of my body asap as well. I'm all for growing healthy children but NOT for letting yourself stay in the "growing" stage. That being said I also know that I will be hella sleep deprived and that I won't want to do things right away but my momma always said "Just K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid!)".

Style that drives me wild (in a good way)

This will soon be "Shit I wore pregnant..." but for now, I will share my fashion/style inspirations. Mind you that it always is easy to be stylish when you're size zero and I don't have that option... I made due with what I could!
Things that pregnant ladies need to live on:


1. BELTS: I never thought I would wear a belt under my bosoms because it's never really looked right, but let me tell you that pregnancy is the right time! It makes even the smallest bump look amazing and instead of getting one slug looking front, you get separate boobs and belly. Even tops that are empire waisted don't compare to how cute things look with a little belt action.

 SO cute right? Boyfriend's shirt and a belt you're set for action...

 Nothing better than a little matchy matchy! LOVE the bright colours she's got on!Check her out!! She's been a real inspiration for style!!

 I also believe that pregnancy is a time where you can wear almost any set of colour together, no such thing as colours not looking good together. THIS is the time to get creative and not give a sh*t, soon you'll have a baby coming out of your cooter... that means you are BOSS.

 Ok ok... so I bought the exact sweater she is wearing... judge me for it! (It's the most comfortable thing EVER p.s) http://lolovelace.blogspot.ca/

 I think this was my 34 or 35 week photo shoot... check out that Bossy bum bonus on the side :)

 Patterned belts from other tops are also fun to match... 

Keeping the colour pallet simple is also just as cute.

 LOVE the colour pop on these ones! http://lolovelace.blogspot.ca/

2. Stripes. Now the hard part here is that you don't want to buy too much because you never know what will look good after the adorable bump is gone. I've gone with all different sizes of strips, the key is feeling good about them. I've learned that it's also fun to mix and match stripes if it works... (Helpful pointer here is also that little tiny people can go with big stripes and look amazing, my bum didn't look so hot in the bigger stripes so I stuck with a little smaller stripe if it was long enough to cover my butt!) 

 Mug shot, yes!

 If I could pull off yellow tights I TOTALLY would.

http://lolovelace.blogspot.ca/

 Sailor strips are in EVERYWHERE and check out those boat shoes... us preggers can pull off a little nautical themed outfit too :)

 These pants will one day be on me, I love the basic colour top and amazing bright bottoms... one daay.

Hard to tell but these are small pink and grey strips with grey and white striped scarf. Matchy-matchy but not...


3. COMFORT! Holla sista yes I said it, I should have put this as number one but forgot Anywhoo being comfortable in what you're wearing is and should always be (pregnant or not) the most important thing. I've heard that when you feel comfortable in what you're wearing you are more confident, thus being happier and having more fun! I've included pictures that I just love because once I found the perfect pieces they ended up being the MO-comfortable ever. Button down plaid shirts are great with jeans (if they fit) or stretch pants and look ADORABLE with a belt. Also anything cotton (dresses, tops, tights etc) is key because it may stretch out by the end of the day, but it will wash and wear  super easy. Maxi dresses and skirts are not only fashionable for everyone but also another super comfortable thing to wear when pregnant. Pair it with a belt and you don't look as much like a whale or a moo-moo wearing lazy bum. Check it:

 Good ol lululemon power y and pants. GREAT for when you're feelin lazy... lets be real I live in this, you should know that about me.

 Again some lululemon with a nice bright top. 

 Stretch lululemon with a cardi over top. Let me tell you, I've been wearing stretch pants for SO long now that anything else on top looks great, no one looks at your ass (or at least I tell myself that) when you've got a giant cute belly! I also mixed and matched patterns (grey leopard and a beige leopard) it works!

 She looks so great, but you know she's just SO comfortable!

 Sparkle and a cardi... so easy to do!

 If you're skin can stretch, so can your clothes! I have bought VERY little maternity clothing (mainly because mat. stores are quite frumpy... you can find some goodies but I only went there for jeans) and have made the best of stretch, or one size-ing it up!http://lolovelace.blogspot.ca/

 I NEED THIS DRESS.... but can't find it any where... girl has my life's wants in this one picture. DAMN

 Loves this skirt, so cute right?

Pattern with some bright pants, once again if I could pull it off I 100% would but this is something that big bum mums can't always do. SOO create the goal to do it post pregnancy YES!




4. Last but not least... scarves. Belts and scarves and comfort are all tied for #1 style thing for me now a days. Bright colours or keeping it simple, they are all great, and bonus if you can find cotton scarves that feel like a cozy sweat shirt on your face :) I think scarves are essential for everyday life so invest people!!