millie maternity photos

we took our maternity photos the VERY LAST week that i was pregnant with millie. the photos taken with travis were taken the very last day of my pregnancy, while i was in labor. i had to pause every three or four minutes and wait for the contraction to ease up. how silly am i to try and take photos of myself in the middle of labor??
i think next time around i won't wait so long to take maternity photos. the first time i saw these i was astonished; my belly was gigantic! i can't even believe it... i had no idea how huge i was at the time. they say true love is blind, and i guess the phrase extends to a mother's love.

& please enjoy this darling little nugget. i about died laughing when i saw it.
pregnant ladies are so fabulously graceful don't you think?


we shot our maternity photos with lofgran photography {my newest sponsor}  he made me look so good even at 39 weeks pregnant... i think it's save to call him a miracle worker.
we'll definitely be using him for everything while we're both living in rexburg!
lofgran photography's blog & facebook
xo lauren

she is here!!

& she is the most beautiful thing in my entire world. xo lauren

still no baby

oh hey. still no baby over here. this whole "patiently waiting" thing is getting SUPER old... we just want to love on our girl already! but you guys, the best thing happened to me this morning. as i was pouring myself a glass of milk, i noticed that the milk we have in our fridge right now expires AFTER baby girl is due. that means we are so close! the end is in sight! or should i say the beginning? {smile}
i've been feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, sometimes they'll come every ten minutes but then won't come again for hours. I guess my uterus is just practicing for the big day! I am kind of scared for what real contractions will feel like. I've never been in any REAL pain before {i've led a very sheltered life} and wonder just what my pain tolerance is. not to mention that all of my mama friends describe contractions very differently, some say they get it in their back, others say it's similar to menstrual cramps, some say it's like bad indigestion! that is so confusing!

all i know is that i am anxiously awaiting the day t & i will finally be able to meet our daughter. OUR DAUGHTER!! this little spirit that we already love more than anything. soon. very very soon.

instagrammin' it

i got an instagram this week! follow me @xolaurenwhiting

wooooooooooo!

i love seeing fall outside our window

just me & my belly dance. it's infamous you guys.

our new little home is coming together!
i REALLY love this whole nesting thing, i am so dang productive now.

t & i got new grown up bedding.
it's like sleeping on a cloud.

can you tell i am ready to pop?? 

37 weeks and counting!

xo lauren

burg baby shower

sweet friends put on a sweet shower for me and baby girl this week! everything was WAY TOO CUTE and i had so much fun. thank you thank you to everyone who came & showered me with love!
xo lauren

cribs

usually when travis comes home from school he likes to grab something to eat, and chill. you know, facebook it up & stuff. but yesterday when he came home, instead he chose to set up her crib!! i was thrilled! i think now that it's getting to the point where soon i could go in to labor anytime, all of this is getting more and more real to him. last night as i was browsing pinterest, he even asked, "do they have any ideas on there of what to pack in the hospital bag?"
ha! and i was like, "boyyy, you don't even KNOW".
travis will seriously be the best daddy, you guys. i am so excited to see those two together. he loves talking to my tummy and lately has begun relishing the thought of me being in class next semester, so that he can have daddy-daughter time, and "take her fishing, and play x-box and watch cool movies, and take her fishing". ha! apparently this girl will learn to fish before she learns to talk.
i love my guy so much. i can't wait to start this family with him.
and i really love this whole forever thing. {smile}
xo lauren

36 weeks & doin' fine

i am thirty six & a half weeks today! it's business time, people! and can i just say... i am ready.
this has been such a wonderful pregnancy. though i have nothing to compare it to, i know that i am very blessed to have been handed the pregnancy symptoms i was. i felt healthy & happy for most of it and really the only things i have to complain about is the tired feeling 24/7, the heartburn, and the stretch marks. ohhhhhh the stretch marks. but those will fade with time RIGHT!?
in retrospect, i feel beautiful and strong. i am so amazed at what my body has been able to do these past few months. and very soon baby girl will be here & i will be amazed all over again. I CAN'T WAIT TO BE A MOM!!
in pregnancy news:

• i dragged trav to a childbirth class last weekend. we learned how to "hee hee HOO" and all that jazz. i found it so very helpful, i think travis did too. we even got to tour the hospital we'll be delivering at!
• we moved into our new apartment and I LOVE IT! whoever invented a washer/dryer... i want to kiss them. all over. big sloppy ones. i seriously love travis for getting us this and making it so i don't have to go the the laundromat week after week.
• at the doctor's today we were surprised with another ultrasound! she's still head down & very wiggly. and measuring 7 pounds. at 36 weeks! that's the gestational diabetes for you!! the doctor said that ultrasounds are often off with their measurements, but if not... and since babes grow about a 1/2 pound a week... i very well could be delivering a ten pound baby. let's hope my vajay is up for the task!

xo lauren

34 week bump

guess what? we're moving! Two bedrooms with a washer & dryer. We're excited {smile}. especially because after we made the decision to make the move, the owner informed us that this new apartment would be getting new carpeting, a new bathtub, new shelving, and new paint all over! He even let me choose the paint colors, it was basically a dream come true.
in pregnancy news:

• baby girl is back on track with her measurements. so maybe i won't be delivering a ten pound baby after all! 
• everything is coming together for her little room, i can't wait to get it all set up!
• i am super tired, again. like, 1st trimester tired. it's ridiculous! i'll wake up, eat, shower and then be so tired i need to take a nap.
• less than six weeks till my due date! it's the home stretch! and it is so crazy to think that i could go in to labor anytime after three weeks. THREE WEEKS!! it's insanity. 
•  at my doctor's appointment today, my doctor determined that she is in the head-down position, with her knees facing my belly button. that probably doesn't mean much to you, but i think it's the most fascinating thing in the world {smile}

xo lauren

DIY baby mobile

i just finished a mobile for baby girl's room! it took many hours of cutting circles & hot gluing, but i am so very happy with how it turned out. i saw this mobile on pinterest a few weeks ago & fell in love with it, but didn't feel like spending almost $200 for it. so, i made my own!
& i just love it.
i hope baby girl does too!

xo lauren

a 32 week bump

BEHOLD. IT LIVES!!!
hey heyyy guys. still very much alive over here. {smile}
lots of things have happened while i've been on my little blog break. i'll share the pregnancy related things today, and the rest later this week. because pregnancy shtuff is way more interesting than normal shtuff, of course.

• i have been consistently measuring 2-3 weeks bigger at my last few appointments. travis thinks our due date might be off, i think it's because of how i've been carrying baby girl. who knows!
• i can still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! SUCCESS!! i can't button or zip the crotch, but that's why God created rubber bands.
• i took that icky glucose test a few weeks ago and turns out i've developed gestational diabetes. at first i was very disappointed in myself, but also frustrated because it wasn't like i was eating junky foods all the time, i thought i was doing pretty good! it shouldn't have been a huge surprise though, since diabetes runs in my family. after a few (okay, a lot) of initial tears and wallowing I've come to think of this as a great opportunity to learn more about nutrition and how it can effect my body! this is a good thing!! the only thing that stinks is the finger pricking. the finger pricking stinks. 
• t & i watched What to Expect When You're Expecting last night & i LOVED IT! i thought it was hilariously cute. i am also now very certain that i am terrified of needing a C-section. 
• we are pretty sure we've decided on a name for baby girl. i'll keep it a surprise till she's born, but i will say that we are loving it more and more every day!
• my due date is in 8 WEEKS! can you believe that?? and i could give birth anytime after 5 WEEKS! oh the insanity!

xo lauren

AZ Baby Shower

while in arizona a few weeks ago my mom & a few of her friends put on a baby shower for me! too sweet of them! luckily, since i was camera-less this entire trip, i was able to snag these photos from my mom! the theme i gave them was "princess", but not like disney princess... more like "Daughter of God" princess. i thought they did a fabulous job. {smile}

my sister & i took all morning to make these cake-pops, they very quickly became the bane of my existence.

thanks so much to everyone who came & rubbed my belly!

it was so very fun!

xo lauren

baby girl will have it goin' on

1. inspired by | 2. inspired by | 3. jennie moss | 4. tutorial here i've been a busy bird making & collecting things for baby girl! so far i really really like this whole "less pinning more doing" thing.  sooner or later i'll have to post some photos of the things i've collected for her room!! but before i do that i think someone should teach me how to take photos of inanimate objects. cause seriously? that up there is just sad!! anyway, have a darling day xo lauren

the day we learned we were pregnant

i was re-reading my journal last night and found this little excerpt, i thought it too perfect not to share. enjoy!!

March 12 2012 1:32pm
Monday

i am freaking out. i skipped my last period ( which was about 2-3 weeks ago), i've been more tired lately, and i've been putting the wrong things in the freezer, forgetting to turn on the oven, other funny brain deficient things like that.
i think i'm pregnant.
i'm not supposed to take a pregnancy test for another week.... but right now i'm home alone, i have to pee, i have a test... and i'm FREAKING OUT!
i think i'm pregnant. i think i'm actually pregnant this time!!!
i just called travis to ask if he was ok with me taking it without him, he was so supportive & sweet, i love that hunk of muscles!
so, now it's go time. just me and that little stick that will decide our futures.
i strive to be a mother. travis & i are ready to love a little one of our own. now we'll see if Heavenly Father agrees. i am so so nervous. ok. ok. ok.
it's go time.

March 12, 2012 2:01pm
the most heavenly word!!
"pregnant"

immediately there were tears.
then i called travis to tell him the news... more tears! i wished so badly that he was there on the bathroom floor with me. darn my excitement! i was still clutching the test so tightly like it was my live's dream... and you know what? i guess it was. 
travis & i on the phone, we had no words. we couldn't think of what to say. when he talked i could hear the smile on his face. our adventure together was about to get a little bigger. we were so happy.
when we hung up, i immediately prayed. Heavenly Father had just blessed us with the biggest gift, i needed to let Him know how thankful i am, and how determined i am to be a good mother to this new spirit.

travis & i are going to have a baby!
we're going to be parents!
pregnant pregnant pregnant!!!

xo lauren

a bump

i am getting fairly bumpalicious, if i do say so myself. now, people comment on my belly when i go to the grocery store and they let me sit in their chair! oh the perks of being a pregnant woman, i think i'll soak it up as much as i can. baby girl loves to kick ALL THE TIME and she makes mama and daddy very happy when she does. i feel like she has a sixth sense when travis is around, she always kicks more when he talks to my belly and when he whistles a bird call to her. it's the cutest {smile}
lately i've been busy making her all sorts of hair things and such {i'm still goin' strong!}, as well as getting things for her room started. by the way DON'T YOU LOVE MY SHOES?? i first saw them at target in idaho falls for like thirty bucks, and had to talk myself out of buying them. actually, travis did that. i don't think i would have had the will power. but then when in arizona last week we stopped in to target again and guess what? 8 bucks. TOTALLY. PERFECT.
i was the happiest little clam. baby girl was happy too, i'm willing to bet she also has a sixth sense for cute shoes.

xo lauren

spontaneous

i can still see my toes!
the semester has finally ended. this means that i have one semester left before graduation. and because next semester i only need to take one class... this means I AM FREE.
at least for a little while.
i've been thinking a lot lately about just how much our lives are going to change around here once baby girl comes in November. there will probably be no more running out to a movie on a whim, no more completely spontaneous anything. a few friends & their four month old stayed with us this weekend and i think she stated it perfectly:
"when you're single, your independence is 100%! when you're married, it goes down to maybe 60%... since you need to work with each other's schedules. when you have a baby... it goes down to 3%."
although i'm willing to bet this is true, i also bet that it is worth it.
t & i are so excited so have our baby girl.
i think we are prepared to make the change.
we are going to love on that babe so very much!

happy monday thugs,
xo lauren

snapshots of life

1. nineteen weeeeeeeks! 2. my beautiful fabulous FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC petunia pickle bottom bag {smile} 3. t & i (well, our feet) made it into my little sister's (aka my old highschool's) yearbook. sometimes our cool factor is just sky high. 4. figuring out some frames for our walls!

5. a cute couch 6. a HUGE pizza for a late night at the laundromat 7. I FOUND A DAISY! 8. usually, being a blogger means taking too many photos and posting them on the internet. but sometimes, it means chocolate covered fruit baskets. {i like those times best}

9. a date to the taco bus 10. i made a pillowcase for baby girl!

don't forget the CUSTOM SWIMSUIT GIVEAWAY!
xo lauren