Why House Hunting Will Be the Death of Me

Steve and I are starting to look for a new home. Since moving to New Jersey six years ago, we rented an apartment as newlyweds for three years (it was small and super cute and I loved it) and then moved into our current rental -- an end unit townhome with great light but only 2 bedrooms -- when we got pregnant with C. We started our little family in this house, and although I love it and believe it was absolutely perfect for us for over three years, now that we have another princess on the way we need more bedrooms. We also have decided that this is where we'd like to settle for a while, so instead of renting, we plan to buy.

We extended our lease at our current place for six months (until the end of this September) to ensure that we'd have a place to live in the months before, during, and after having a newborn - kind of important, right? ;) However, this means that we need to wait at least another month or two before making an offer somewhere else. The problem is, once I have my mind set to something, I'm kind of obsessive. I found the perfect house for us, guys... the perfect one. Our realtor took me to see it and I loved it even more, then we went back with Steve and he loved it too. I was hoping it would last until we could make an offer considering it's been on the market for a few months and is priced a little on the high side, but we just found out that they accepted another offer yesterday.

So, here is why house hunting will be the death of me (please let me know if you can relate!):

1. I am obsessive. I check house apps and websites multiple times a day and know everything there is on the market. While it's fun, it's also a time suck and gets kind of disappointing when nothing new and viable makes an appearance.

2. I am a perfectionist. Not necessarily in the way that I need a perfect house, but I know exactly what I want and the fact that a house that felt right to me slipped through our fingers will haunt me. Sigh.

3. It takes time. Like I said, once I have my mind set to something I work really hard at making it happen. I do tons of research, enlist professionals, etc. But the truth about house hunting is that it's a process -- one that includes so many parties, including mortgage lenders, real estate agents (ours is great, thankfully!), sellers, sellers' agents, other buyers, and more. Long processes were not made for impatient people. Or maybe it's the other way around. ;)

4. It takes money. Lots of money. Which is just stressful. Making an investment that involves a significant portion of your savings and hundreds of thousands of dollars is scary!

5. It's competitive. I can't figure out if I'm competitive by nature. Part of me thinks yes (the whole going after what I want thing), but part of me also thinks no (haggling and going up against 5 other buyers sounds exhausting).

6. Finally, disappointment is a tough emotion. And along with house hunting usually comes quite a bit of disappointment -- that's just the reality. My 2 year old has a tough time dealing with this emotion ("I don't get 5 desserts after dinner?! WHAT?!"), but so do I. 

So, there you have it. Not the most cheery post, but today I'm feeling disappointed so I'm just keeping it real in case anybody out there can relate. Can you? 

25 Weeks!

This Saturday marked 25 weeks pregnant - wow! This time around pregnancy is seriously flying by. Thankfully, it's been another easy and happy pregnancy so far and I hope I can continue to say that for another 15 weeks. :) Here's the 25 week update!

How far along? 25 weeks + 3 days today, 25 weeks + 1 day in the picture above

Size of the baby? About 13 inches long and somewhere between 1.5 - 1.75 pounds

Gender? Princess #2

Showing? Oh yeah

Maternity Clothes? It's a mix. Maternity pants for sure, starting to mix regular/maternity dresses in, and still a lot of regular tops.

Sleep? Pretty good this week!

Movement? All the time, especially after I drink my morning iced coffee or eat fruit.

Food Cravings? Fruit, cereal

Anything making you sick? No!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood? Happy :)

Best moment this week? A great 24 week checkup last Monday and telling my immediate family her name! They're sworn to secrecy!

Challenges/strange moments? Nothing much, except this bean has been kicking, punching, or head butting me really low (it must be the bottom of my cervix or something) which I don't remember with C

Looking forward to? Moving forward with living plans, getting my first glucose test over with in three weeks. ;) 

Our Easter Week and Weekend

Happy Monday! I took a bit of an unplanned blogging hiatus last week as we have begun house hunting and between that, work, and chasing after a toddler (while 6 months pregnant), I kept pretty busy. ;) 

I just polished off the last bag of Starburst jellybeans in the house, which I suppose is symbolic (and, honestly, a relief - haha!). Easter has come and gone! It was such a fun week or so of Easter activities, including a hayride and two egghunts, dyeing eggs, Easter-themed crafts, culminating of course in a lovely Easter Sunday yesterday. C is at such a fun age for holidays where she's really starting to "get it" and look forward to all that comes along with them.

I have a million pictures but I'll just post a few here or I won't know where to stop! So, first, we did a hayride/egg hunt at a local family farm. It was adorable -- they had us sit on warm hay bales in the middle of an orchard and told a story about Peter Rabbit dropping his eggs in the woods. The kids then rushed into this little wooded alcove and collected eggs. They had to return their eggs at the end but received a bag of goodies (read: candy) for their effort. 

At Johnsons, I picked up these tulips which brightened my house and brought me happiness every time I walked by them for a week until they perished. #blackthumb

Continuing the Easter fun, I decided to be brave and try dyeing eggs with a two year old. It went surprisingly well using the genius whisk trick I saw a bunch of other moms doing! We only cracked one egg, which C still talks about "oh no, we broke it!" 

On Saturday we headed over to my girlfriend's house (her daughter is the same age as C and her BFF) for another fun egg hunt in their back yard, ordered pizza, and hung out. There's something about watching your baby make friends that just makes your heart want to explode. These two have been going strong for a year and a half! They'll be attending the same preschool in the fall. :)

Finally, Easter Sunday! I prepared two Easter baskets (I ditched the third one at the last minute because I was just going to fill a few eggs with jellybeans, which I decided wasn't necessary) and C tore into them Sunday morning before I could get decent pictures - ha! Thus the blurry shot below. I tried. Her "big" gift was a Buzz Lightyear doll which has been a hit. Later in the afternoon, my family came to our house and Steve and I prepared a simple dinner for everyone: crockpot ham (turned out pretty well!), homemade mac n cheese (turned out eh), salad, and rolls. 

Adorable dress (that I would totally wear if they had my size) from Target. ;)

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend with their family! Hope to be a bit more active around here this week! XO

Five on Friday // Five Things!

Yaaaay, Friday! As usual, I'm happy to see the weekend arrive. Not so happy, however, that snow is in the forecast for Sunday. Who lives somewhere perpetually warm and wants to take in a family of soon-to-be 4 plus a golden retriever? Hmmm? Anyone? :)

Annie @ Home of Malones had a fun take on Five on Friday, so I thought instead of my usual randomness, I'd follow suit! 

At the top of your wishlist right now:
These stacked heels by Halogen (which look so much cuter in person, btw)

& also

These Sam Edelman beauties in "Nude"

Blog(s) you’re loving lately:

I'm totally stealing Annie's answer here because this post by Jessica about spending time with your kids really resonated with me yesterday.

Favorite thing(s) about spring:
Spending time outdoors, fresh flowers, fun colors, family walks, grilling for dinner (thanks husband), no bundling up, Easter... to name a few. ;)

The next trip you’re taking:
We have our annual beach trip to Stone Harbor scheduled for early June. I will be 3 weeks away from giving birth, but I can't wait!

TV show you can’t stop watching:
This is an easy one right now: Parenthood. Just started season 5 on Netflix. Side note for anyone else who has watched: I'm super annoyed with Sarah for choosing Hank over Mark. Mark was such a great guy and so genuine, and Hank is so negative and a bit possessive. Maybe this changes later on, but booo for now.

And I will leave you with this oldie but goodie eCard, since my obsession lately has been Starburst jellybeans. Happy Friday!

Confessional Thursday

Thursday again?! I can't keep up. I go between wanting time to slow down (when I look at the big picture) and loving that the weeks fly (when I'm looking forward to the weekend!). In any case, here we are, so let's jump into a few short confessions! 

-We attempted potty training on Monday. And let's just say... it didn't go as planned. I studied my book, even wrote out a list of reminders for myself, barely slept the night before (don't ask me why) and nothing went the way I had expected. So you know what I did? I gave up. I was feeling down about it and then I realized 1. C is still young 2. Everything goes better when not forced 3. We needed to get out and enjoy ourselves this week instead of being cooped up naked at home. Haha! So, when it feels right again, we'll give it another go.

-C requested a pony tail this morning which she NEVER does, and I realized quickly just how inept I am at doing hair. Now that I'm a full-fledged girl mom, I should probably up my game a little. ;)

-We are looking at moving within the next six months and I have been STALKING houses like a mad woman. It's actually become compulsive - I check the apps and real estate sites many, many times a day. It's just how I am when I know something's on the horizon. Such a planner. Tireless. I need to calm down.

-I have this bad habit and always have of furrowing my brow when I'm thinking/concentrating and now that I'm nearing thirty, I have the fine lines to prove it - sigh. And guess who else has a furrowed brow? My daughter! It's so crazy how we pass down so much to our littles. Sorry Miss C!

-I am on my second bag of starburst jellybeans. The second bag I swore I would not open until Easter. It's opened and I am popping those little suckers left and right. Perks of pregnancy... right? Right.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! May your day be full of luck & laughter!

J.Crew Spring Sale Picks

One of my favorite places to online browse is J.Crew. I only invest in a piece every once in a while because the prices are usually steep for me for every day (I am spending most of my hours getting dirty with a toddler, after all) but when I do purchase something, it's sure to last for years. I've had a winter coat from J.Crew for years and it's my go-to every season. It's still in perfect shape!

Right now they're having an extra 30% off their Spring Sale styles which makes many pieces pretttttty tempting. ;) Here are my picks!

Flutter sleeve hibiscus top - love the vibrant colors! Would be cute dressed up with slim black ankle pants or dressed down with skinny white jeans.

Double row hinge bracelet - again, the vibrant green is the perfect pop for spring/summer and for around $23, you cant' beat it!

Sloan suede d'orsay flats with bow - obsessed with these perfect neutral flats. Obsessed. 

Drapey long-sleeve striped shirt - one can never go wrong with a striped shirt. I own several and wear them all.the.time. I especially like the navy and ivory combo for Spring. 

4" Chino Short - go-to pair of shorts in this year's Pantone color of the year (Rose Quartz)? Yes please!

J.Crew Carrie Cami in Deep Spearmint - another piece that you will wear all the time - under blazers, jean jackets, and by itself. Limited sizes!

Paul Andrews for J.Crew Fringe Suede Flats - so these are your splurge, but my heart stopped when I saw them. The color. The fringe. They literally remind me of the ocean. And, hey, they're almost $200 off the original price, so... :) 

Have you shopped the J.Crew Spring Sale? Share your gems! 

Our Weekend

Happy Monday, friends! Who knows what actual time it is anymore but I'm pretty sure it's Monday at least. Did DST throw anyone for a loop? I know us parents ALWAYS love a time change! ;) I actually don't hate the springing forward because C just tends to want to sleep in more -- so I've been waking her up at normal time in the morning and after nap in hopes that I can get her back on her routine and in bed by 7:30. So far, so good, fingers crossed. But I still wouldn't mind an extra big coffee.

We had a nice weekend. On Saturday we went to dance class in the morning and headed out around lunchtime for Lancaster to visit family. Traffic was nuts but we made it there in one piece in time for a BBQ my aunt was holding for a few different people's birthdays. It was perfect, really, because C got to run around, interact with everybody, and get some energy out. Good, simple food, good company, laughs. That's what life's about. :)

We had about 15 minutes to spare before we arrived at the BBQ so we actually went to visit my dad's grave for the first time with C. I wasn't sure how she'd react but she was so sweet and sat quietly next to his stone, touching it and admiring the small purple flowers growing around its edges. Just today she mentioned "grandpa" out of the blue, like she remembered our visit, and it's safe to say my emotional pregnant self shed some tears. ;)

Sunday was a catch-up day around here -- lots of cleaning, Steve did some work, and we ended the day with Frozen. Today was supposed to be day one of potty training but long story short, it was pretty much an epic fail. Ha! So I'm ending this rainy Monday with a bowl of cookies & cream icecream and The Bachelor finale. Anyone else watching?! Who do you think wins? I like Lauren a lot but I feel like JoJo might be the lucky lady.

See you back here tomorrow for some recent Target goodness! XO

Confessional Thursday

Happy Thursday, ladies! This week is just flying by. I'm linking up with Jess today for another round of Confessional Thursday. So let's get to confessin'!

I confess:

I worked out for the first time in maybe a month (maybe more) today and literally 15 minutes into the workout I could feel my legs turning to jelly. Something tells me I won't be able to walk or sit tomorrow!

We've picked our baby girl's name! We both really love it and feel it just fits her, as silly as that sounds. HOWEVER it's not as "unique" as Carrington and something about this fact is stressing me out a little. The thing is, we didn't choose Carrington because it was unique... we chose it because we loved it. And I don't want to choose this baby's name just to be different. I want to choose it because we love it. So, here's your first and probably only hint: it IS in the list of top 100 names. Oh well!

I've never left C overnight in her 27 months of life. But I think I'm ready to change that, and I'd really like to try to squeeze in a little babymoon somewhere close by before this babe is born. A clean, crisp hotel bed, dinner out, and no responsibilities for a day/night sound pretty good to me. :)

I still take a short nap almost every day during C's "naptime." (I put naptime in quotes because whether the nap itself actually happens depends on the day - but she still gets quiet time in her room for a bit, which she doesn't seem to mind at all). By 1 or 2pm I am just so sleepy and that little refresher is usually what I need to tackle the rest of the day.

There are short little clips of the original The Little Mermaid on Disney Junior On Demand, and I've been letting C watch one a day -- she loves it! But, honestly, Ursula is scary as hell. For an almost thirty year old woman. So, I hope she doesn't have nightmares!

Today for lunch I had: two string cheeses and half a sleeve of saltines with a little taste of butter on each cracker. And a few sips of diet soda. Commence your gagging. But let me tell you what, it was delicious.

I'm not a fan of the word "preggo" and even less of a fan of the word "preggers." Yikes.

Well, that's all I have for today! Have a lovely evening! XO

Tuesday Musings

Happy Tuesday! I hope it's sunny where you are. :) We are experiencing some GORGEOUS Spring weather this week and I can't tell you how happy it makes me! I was actually planning on starting to potty train C this week but that requires us to stay indoors for a few days straight and I knew there was just no way that was happening this week... I want to do all of the outdoor things with her!

Just some random thoughts and happenings for this Tuesday:

My mom is having the first of two cataract surgeries on her eyes this morning. If you say a prayer or could send some positive vibes into the universe for her, I'd be so grateful.

Gymboree is having a great sale today: 50% off everything online! Their Spring stuff is absolutely to-die for and the sale brings the prices down to numbers I can justify. Especially if you have another coupon to layer on top. :) How adorable is this tiniest seahorse onesie for baby #2 and this seersucker dress for Miss C? 

This is a totally vain thought and not one that I take seriously at all but wouldn't it be nice to have a second wedding shower around your 5 year anniversary? I feel like that's when you get tired of all of your original decor and your appliances/accessories start to break {insert laughing crying emoji}. Our Keurig has seen better days, many of our smaller appliances (colanders, measuring cups, etc.) could use replacing, our blender just broke, and I am pretty sick of our bedroom comforter/decor. But of course, this also happens to be when many people are having children and home owners and can't necessarily afford to just keep replacing everything! I'm not a fan of the phrase "first world problems" but this is one if I've ever heard one and it's shameful. 

We had a really nice little weekend! On Saturday we had C's dance class and then I headed out around 11:30 for a birthday lunch/pottery painting for a friend's birthday. Of course, I got a picture of dance class but none of the girls' lunch. ;) Sunday was my mother in law's birthday so my in-laws came over for the day. They spent the afternoon playing with Carrie and Steve and I go to sneak out for a nearby open house, which was fun. Steve had put a Louisiana Roast in the crockpot so we had that with red potatoes for dinner and finished off the evening with some ice cream cake. :) 

Can you spot C in her blue Elsa tutu among a sea of pink?

Helping grammy make a birthday wish!

They see her rollin, they hatin... 

Sunday night I was feeling stressed about work + mommyhood + balancing it all and had a long impromptu conversation with Steve. You know you've married the right person and your best friend when they can just put it all in perspective for you. I began this week with a clear head and a positive attitude and I really have him to thank for that. Love that boy. 

And that wraps up the randomness for today. Enjoy your day, friends!

Five on Friday!

Hello, Friday... always nice to see you. It's been sort of a weird week over here. Steve has been getting home from work late most nights (except last night and were able to go try one of the new restaurants around us that we've been wanting to try!) and C and I have kind of laid low. I am just so over all of the sickness going around so I gave us a week off from all of the play dates, play gyms, etc. in hopes that the germs will stay away. We did hit up library story time on Monday and have gotten out to a few stores but other than that, we've played a lot of dollhouse. :) 

So here's what's up for this week's linkup with April and some other lovely people!

1. Easter Baskets!

C's easter baskets (yeah... there are three this year... shameful, but there are really just small things in each, they just didn't all fit into one so...) are ready to go and hiding in my the Easter Bunny's closet. :) Two of the baskets themselves were gifted and I got one a couple of years ago from Homegoods. This year we went with one "larger" gift (a Buzz Lightyear doll - girlfriend has just been too obsessed and there was a good sale at the Disney Store) and I filled the rest with mostly goodies from Target's Dollar Spot. We've got: a stuffed bunny, Llama Llama Easter Egg, a watering pail, sweet little bunny hair clips, and a few eggs which I'll sprinkle some jellybeans and crackers in. Pictures to come!

2. Remembering Charlotte

One of my very favorite things about the work that I do is that sometimes a client comes along that really moves me (and everyone else I work with). I've been working with the Bacon family for several months now to promote not only their two books, Good Dogs, Great Listeners and The Dogs of Newtown, but also their foundation: Charlotte's Litter. The Bacons lost their sweet daughter, Charlotte, in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012. Since then, they have turned unimaginable grief into a positive way to extend help and support to others -- all in Charlotte's name. It's a project that's very close to my heart. You can read the most recent article about them on Woman'sDay.com here, and if you feel so inclined to check out their books, proceeds go to support Charlotte's Litter. 

 

3. Cravings

Pregnancy is so strange. I usually much prefer salty/savory over sweet, but as with my pregnancy with Carrington, I'm craving all of the sweet things. Fruit (especially juicy berries, yum), candy, ice cream, chocolate, you name it. Those types of foods and gestational diabetes (should I have it again this time, which, fingers crossed I do not) don't usually pair well together ;) so I've been trying to be good. But it's hard!

4. Recent Beauty Buys

Lately I've run out of a few items in my typical "beauty routine" so I've tried out a couple of new products. I'm really loving this night mask for a fresh, renewed glow in the morning (and a price point that won't break the bank), this moisturizer that is lightweight, has SPF, and can be found at your local drug store, this lip gloss for the perfect pink color (I'm pretty loyal to Bobbi Brown products - they haven't disappointed me yet!), and this foundation for a fresh face. What I am not loving so much are the mascaras I have been trying: this one and this one just didn't seem to do the trick. What mascara do you use and love? 

5. This

And with that, have a happy, healthy, and safe weekend, friends! xo

I Confess...

So excited to link up with one of my favorite bloggers today, Jessica from The Newly, for Confessional Thursday! I have a few very random things to get off my chest so here we go! ;) 

1. I am in desperate need of new hair tools. You guys. First, and I guess this is a confession in and of itself, you should know that I get my hair cut/styled about twice a year. I call it "getting groomed" because I literally go to the salon as much as my golden retriever does. So sad! BUT I have been using the same straightener and travel-sized, fold up blow dryer for over 10 years now and they are both broken and chipped. I think it's time I upgrade, but my problem is, if something still WORKS I have a really hard time buying a replacement. :( 

2. I'm feeling a little stressed because I feel like I won't be able to "nest" for this baby the same way I did for C -- i.e., preparing a nursery, buying a million things, etc. Since we are planning to move probably sometime in the late summer, this babe won't have a nursery until we do. I already have a ton of things picked out for her little room, just won't be able to execute quite yet.

3. This election so far is disappointing and discouraging. I won't get too much into politics, but I'm disheartened. I know who I will probably vote for, but I know many (in my generation at least) that feel that there is just no great choice.

4. I have almost eaten an entire bag of Starburst jellybeans in the last 4.5 days. I was thinking they might last til, you know, Easter. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

5. I can identify with this. ;) Can you?

Carrington Elle: 27 Months

To a non-parent, 27 months probably seems so random: why is an update needed at 27 months?! But if you've seen a child at this age, you know how much they've changed even since their second birthday, how much they're learning, how their physical and verbal skills are exploding every day. 

So, in honor of Carrie being a fourth of the way through her third year of life, here is an update on our sweet girl:

Social: We have been fairly busy, especially considering the winter weather! C is still fascinated by other kids, especially "big kids" and I can see her confidence grow as she watches them play. Just yesterday at the playground, she watched a couple of boys a little older than her going down the slide on her belly and decided that looked like a great idea! As she climbed the ladders, ran across the bridges, and slid down the slides by herself (not to mention swinging on the big girl swings - don't even get me started!), she literally said to me "don't worry mom. I got dis." Well, ok, then. *Insert silent sob*

We've had several play dates, played at the indoor play gym, gone to the local children's museum, visited the park on a few of the warmer days, done story times, and visited with friends and family. C seems to be like her mom: she's restless and loves to be busy!

Health: Mostly good for the past few months except for a gross 24 hour stomach bug that hit on President's Day. :( My poor sweetie slept a lot and was definitely not herself but at least got over it quickly! 

Learning & Language: This has been the area that has just exploded in the past few months. C has always been a talker, but she's speaking in full sentences now, using words to communicate what she wants: "mommy, come play dollhouse!", and picks up new words and phrases every day. She can identify almost everything with words, make animal noises, recite the alphabet, says her colors, says her family members' names, counts to 10, and has memorized most of her favorite books and recites them back to us. She is definitely the most polite person in our house, always saying "please," "thank you, mommy/daddy!," "excuse me," "excuse you!" (lol), "bless you!," etc. She calls all ice cream "ice cream cake," and just comes up with the funniest things.

Physical/Activity: Not too much new here, still running, walking, hopping, seemingly always moving. She is still daring, but careful as she executes her daring move. Ha!

Behavior: We have our good days and our not so good days (or even moments) when it comes to mood/tantrums/etc. She will get frustrated easily if she can't do something she wants to (like manipulate a toy a certain way, for instance), so we've been working with her on how to handle her frustration. She'll throw the occasional non-sensical meltdown (ie - I don't want to wear pants outside) but is mostly a well-behaved kid. The tantrums are challenging when they occur, but I know they're very normal for the age so we just try to work through them!

Favorites: Loves all fruit, Chipotle (quesadilla, brown rice, and black beans rock her world), pasta, raisins, chicken, and yogurt. Recently started eating broccoli and salad so I'll count that as a veggie win! Favorite shows are Princess Sophia, Mickey, and Angelina Ballerina. Favorite movies are still Frozen, and now we can add all three Toy Story's to that list. She loves to be outside and doesn't mind the dirt (loves collecting rocks, sticks, leaves, and other treasures) but is also quite the girly girl these days: can't get enough of tutus (requests one every day), me painting her nails with Piggie Paint, princesses, jewelry, dancing, etc. Her favorite toys to play with are currently her doll house, baby dolls, legos, and books.

Big Moments: Carrie found out she is going to have a little sister! She talks a lot about being the "best big sister ever" and I don't doubt that she will be for a second. She is so tuned into other people, sensitive, and caring. Next up - potty training! I wasn't in a big rush but she's shown me clear signs so we're diving in head first next week. Bye diapers!

Carrington, you are so, so special to all who know you -- especially your mommy and daddy. :) There is just this spark in your eyes that shows how much you love learning and life. Every day is an adventure with you, and I wouldn't trade one second of it. We adore you and even though we aren't afraid to show it, you'll still never know just how much. <3 All our love, always, baby girl.