Pregnancy Style: Sister's Tea

Admittedly, I totally failed at blogging my outfits during my pregnancy.  However, I still want to share them, so here is one of my cutest looks from those fabulous nine months.  I think this was around five months.  I thought I was huge at this point…I had no idea! 

When my sister Tati came for a visit, we went to the St James Tea Room here in Albuquerque.  My dress was from Modcloth, and not intended for pregnancy. However, it is made of a stretchy material that made it just perfect for my growing bump!  Of course, I will still wear it now that I am bump free as well!  It is a modern update to a very 1940’s look, with power sleeves and a peplum waist.  My adorable sisters were also in Modcloth. 

I am going to make my pregnancy fashion posts brief, mostly just because they are old news to me, but this dress was really too fun not to at least get a quick mention. 

Also, aren't my sisters beautiful?  Too bad my sister Darci and my brother Sully weren't here for the pics, but two out of four siblings is about as good as it gets.  We are rarely all in the same place at the same time.  

I have a few more pregnancy related posts left in me, but man!  That feels like a long time ago already.  It sure was a lovely time in my life though. 

Welcome Back Style!

Boy does time fly when you have a new baby!  I know it's time to blog about Spring clothes, but today I wanted to do a simple outfit post from a few months back since I hadn't made the time to blog about it before.



This was one of my first outfits that I wore after I had my baby that really represented me, rather than just pajama pants and whatever top currently fit me.  I was still in the process losing my baby belly, and my boobs were still insane, but I was feeling pretty confident and ready to go out in the world and show off my little girl.  I wore my velvet pants from GAP, along with a black top with a gold collar that I have had for a few years from Modcloth.  I also wore my tallest heals and a statement necklace because I was feeling really ready to have a little fun with fashion again.

Up next: more post baby fashion fun.  Blog to you soon!

Crazy Hat Day

This post is all about the hat.  My awesome friend Tiffani made me this hat for my birthday and I have already worn it three times!

This photo is actually from a different day when I wore a different mint colored shirt.

I decided that this purple hat looks pretty amazing with mint, and lucky me, I have a lot of mint in my wardrobe! This top was a Modcloth purchase from way back, and the jeans are even older GAP boyfriend jeans. The shoes are simple leather pumps from Dillard's.  But it's all about the hat, right?

You can see more of Tiffani's creations at her Etsy site here: Lovelymuggle

The cute little bug pin on the hat was a gift from my sister Rachel.  Darling, right?

I am a hat girl from way back, but often forget to accessorize when I am running out the door.  Hopefully this will be the year I remember to bust out my lovely jewelry, scarves, belts and hat collections more regularly. I smell a self made challenge!

Speaking of self made, Me-Made-May is almost upon us again.  Me-Made-May is when those of us in the crafting/ blogging world try to wear one hand made item every day in the month of May.  I am really going to try to accomplish it this year, but we shall see!  It might be a little more challenging than it is worth while breastfeeding since it is harder to wear my dresses.

And just 'cause I like you guys-here's one of Sonora just being awesome!  Have a great one.  :)

Bikini mamma!

Who wore a bikini while pregnant?  This girl!  Personally, I love one piece swimsuits-so classic!- but they are just not practical for a growing bump (or rack if I am being honest).  I was not about to miss out on swimming during my pregnancy, so it was time to bust out that bikini and rock that bump!

Here is the proof.  Mini baby bump at 18 weeks pregnant:



But of course, a changing body when you are pregnant is expected.  Cute even!  I was much more nervous about what my body would look like after pregnancy then I was during.  I am a confident person, but going through such drastic changes can be more than a little frightening!

Still, I knew that I owed it to more than just myself to keep up my great body image after I became a mommy.  I owed it to my daughter! So when it came time to ask myself if my bikini days were over for good after having my kiddo, my answer, of course, was hell no!

I was lucky and breast feeding took off the pregnancy pounds quickly for me (I know this is not always the case) but my body has still changed a lot since I gave birth.

Part of what helped me feel good again in my post baby body was consciously re-writing the language I used when describing myself to myself.  My skin hasn't lost firmness, it has become softer!  Yes, my breasts and stomach have changed, but why does that have to be a bad thing?  And beyond that-I grew a new human in my body people!  I am a rock star!

These photos were taken when my baby was just around two months old.  My uterus hadn't even fully shrunk down to its original size yet, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from wearing whatever I felt comfortable in to go swim on my mini vacation with my hubby.  I should mention that my self confidence is helped out a lot by a husband that adores my body no matter what.  He was so proud of me and couldn't stop telling me how beautiful I looked.  I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to show my tummy off this much without his encouragement.  I knew that in a few months my body would be a lot closer to looking how it did before I had Sonora, but it was important to me to be confident in this moment and live my life without caring what others thought.  Too many of us spend our lives waiting for the day we are perfect to feel good about ourselves and to let ourselves live our best lives, but perfection is a dream that will never come.  Never deny yourself pleasure because of how you feel about your appearance.  If I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing it would be that.

So why did I decide to share these photos?  For one, I think I looked pretty darn great for someone who just had a baby.  I want other women to see that pregnancy doesn't ruin your body, no matter how much it changes it.  But I also wanted to post them so that I could show that I stand behind what I tell other women every day.  No matter what body type you have, you will be beautiful if you are happy and confident.  If I was a different kind of woman, I could look at these photos and see a collection of flaws.  I could see the changes in my body and be ashamed of them, and worry about what other people would think if they could see them.  But I am not that kind of woman.  No matter what, I will not be ashamed of my body.  It is strong, it is amazing, and it is mine.  It's already changed a lot since these photos were taken.  Both my belly and my boobs are a little smaller.  But it is no more or less beautiful now than it was on this day.  The first day I took my perfect little princess swimming!

Okay enough about me.  There was another bathing beauty there that day and she deserves a mention too!  Here is little Sonora, proudly showing off her adorable tummy before we headed into the pool.  If I have anything to say about it, this wont be the last time this little mermaid swims without a second thought about how her cute little body looks in a bathing suit.  I will do my best to show her how to be confident in herself.  I will lead by example.

So what are you waiting for?  Don't you know you are perfect too?  Don't waste a second.  Throw on that bikini and head out the door.  Life is too short to spend your days hiding your light for fear of what others might think.

Who wears short shorts?

It's me!  Well, not that short.  Shortish.  Here I am feeling fabulous in a rayon top and my new gap shorts ready to spend the day shopping with my kiddo.  This weekend, Sonora and I had a blast walking around our uptown outdoor shopping area here in Albuquerque, getting some exercise, some sun and a white chocolate mocha for mommy!  I love to walk for exercise already, so it is the perfect activity for me to do now that I have a kiddo in tow.

Top (similar) and shoes, Modcloth. Shorts, GAP.  Necklace, Etsy.  

I've never been much of a shorts person.  When I was younger I didn't like how my legs looked, I thought they were too chubby, so I spent every summer sweating in dark jeans just to keep from exposing my thighs. So silly!  I also had an aversion to tops that didn't show off my waist because I thought they made me look too top heavy.

Thank goodness I got over that!  Now I know that if you feel comfortable in your own skin, you always look beautiful.  Yes, there are clothes that are technically more flattering on one body type than another, but there really are no hard and fast rules as to what you should or should not wear.  Paying too much attention to fashion rules takes the fun out something that can really be a great way to express yourself.  Besides that, rules in general are based on ways to disguise what is wrong with you, not enhance what is right.  Repeat after me: "there is no part of my body that is bad and needs to be hidden!"  I know you don't believe me, but the second you start to really believe that you are great as you are right now will be the second that you are free to have fun and let your true beauty shine through.

We are all made to be beautiful in our own way.  How you choose to embrace and enhance that beauty is up to you!  And don't forget that our bodies change, and that is okay too.  Getting older, loosing weight, gaining weight, yes-even having babies, changes us.  But those changes don't have to be a bad, scary thing!  Learning to embrace different kinds of beauty and not getting stuck thinking one body type is more beautiful than another goes a long way to helping each of us continue to love ourselves through all of the changes.

Finding a way to see your own unique light, without comparison to others or yourself in a different time period, can be a very freeing thing.  You are living in the only body that you will ever have (in this lifetime anyway).  There is no use wanting a different one.  Be kind to the one you have and give yourself permission to dress it however you want to, in whatever way makes you feel good and happy.

I started this blog for a lot of reasons.  Wanting to share my love of fashion was certainly one of them.  But the main reason that I wanted to share my life and my style with the world wasn't that I believed that I was so beautiful and perfect.  It was really because we all are.  I know that I am no more or less lovely than the next person.  I simply refuse to live a life where I have to be perfect to love myself.  I am an average girl who was sick of hearing that average girls didn't belong in pretty clothes, or that we should all be striving to fit into the same box to finally be the right type to participate in the fashion world.  I was sick of hearing gorgeous women describe to me what was so wrong with them that they simply couldn't wear the clothes that they dreamed of wearing.  I was angry that it was more acceptable to describe your flaws to a group of friends than to talk about what you liked about yourself.

Yes, I am a very confident person.  But that confidence came from a decision to learn to be kind to myself.  It took practice.  It took the realization that the only one putting limits on me was me.  Friends, please stop picking yourselves apart and telling yourself that you will finally be good enough when you are five pounds lighter- or if only you were something else entirely.  You are you right now, and that is good enough.  Don't ever let yourself believe that you don't deserve to wear whatever the hell you like because of some rule that some idiot made up to sell products.

Also, don't forget that taking care of yourself through exercise and healthy eating doesn't have to have anything to do with losing weight or appearance. You deserve to feel your best from the inside out at any size! I always make room for treats in my life, be it a fancy coffee, a nice warm bath or a new pair of shoes.   But getting a little activity in can be a treat too!  

Like so many people, I sometimes forget that taking care of my body is a big part of honoring it, and it doesn't have to be painful!  Have fun and do what you like instead of pushing yourself for hours in a gym (unless that is what you love!) and you can't help but feel more positive about yourself, as well as life in general.

 I decided when I was trying to get pregnancy that I needed to make exercise a priority again for the health of my future baby.  I wanted to make her home for the next nine months a healthy place to visit.  Did that mean I went fitness crazy?  Sorry, not in my nature.  But I did make time for walking and getting outdoors because that is what makes me feel good.  It wasn't a lot, but it helped me stay fit through my pregnancy, and helped me to stay strong enough to take care of my little one once she got here.  Don't forget that taking care of yourself is part of taking care of the ones you love.  They need you to be healthy and happy so they can love you for as long as possible too!!!

And with all of that in mind, my next post will be a swimsuit addition!  Yes, ladies with post pregnancy bellies are allowed to wear bikinis too, and no one has ever died from it!  I'm living proof.  I am also not quite done with the pregnancy related posts, but I wanted to take a break from that for a while for some more recent fashion fun.  I am so ready for Spring clothes!

I’m Back!

Oh my.  I had so many great intentions to blog about my pregnancy style every week, but alas, being pregnant ended up being enough of a challenge on its own without trying to document it as well.  

However, I still plan on doing some brief pregnancy style posts, since I did make the effort to dress up from time to time, and managed to look pretty dang hot, bump and all (if I do say so myself)!

But enough about me…baby Osborn is here!!!  Sonora Evangeline Osborn was born around 4:00PM on Dec 26, 2014.  She was almost nine pounds of perfectness right from the start.  Just look at how beautiful!

Seconds after she was born.  

 

Just a few weeks old. 

Six weeks old.

Cutest!!!!!

Eight weeks old.

Eight weeks old, and already a diva.  

Nine weeks old and full of smiles!

12 weeks

Today!

As for me, I am ready to start blogging again, although my posts might be a little random for a while.  I am happy to report that being a new mom has not taken away from my love of fashion, sewing or creatively expressing myself one bit.  My style has changed a tad though, mostly out of necessity.  Wearing dresses has become a major pain while breast feeding, making pants and tops a lot more important to my everyday wardrobe than they have been in years.  Being a dress girl for years, this is a little hard for me to navigate, but I am having fun with it. 

Beyond fashion, I will say that motherhood has given me a whole new appreciation for my body that I can’t wait to blog about soon as well.  I am excited to start sharing my fashion, sewing projects and thoughts as I explore my new life as a mother of the most amazing little girl in the whole world.  In the meantime, happy Saturday everyone!