The past few weeks have been a learning experience for everyone in this household; with the biggest student, perhaps, being yours truly.  I've learned so much since the birth of my daughter, much of which has completely redefined words I once thought I had understood. 

As I've mentioned before, most of our time this summer has been spent at home, protecting miss Maddie from the heat and all those nasty germs. It's been hard not to get a little stir crazy, particularly when I exhausted the best of Netflix and Hulu during my pregnancy.

I've always been a sucker for a delicious smoothie.  Green + Tonic: Love your Ultimate Warrior. Juice Press:  Harvey Wallbanger is my JAM. But with the little monkey not being able to go out in public just yet- two months, you are so close I can taste ya- it has been a challenge to get my healthy smoothie on.  And, honestly, the thought of having to pack her up and lug her to my favorite juicery seems like quite the ordeal for a measly juice.  So when my way-too-generous mother sent me my very own Vitamix, I did a little happy dance.

In my pre-pregnancy life, I was an avid Soul Cyclist. I rode at least five times a week- particularly in the year leading up to my pregnancy, during which fertility treatments wreaked havoc on my mind and body.  Riding was my therapy, keeping me strong both mentally and physically for the journey ahead.

It became part of my every day routine, and I had so badly wanted to be one of those little pregnant women that happily pedaled all the way into their third trimester.  So when complications kept me from riding throughout my pregnancy, it was challenging. I was frustrated with my body, now so foreign to me; and struggled to find an alternative outlet to ease my anxieties. I walked and practiced yoga, but it just wasn't the same.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend is right. Happy Friday, ya'll. Since bringing the little monkey into the world, I have a new found appreciation for the weekends- most of which have been filled with a few extra hours of sleep, visits from friends + family, a little wine, lots of laughs + and the occasional trip to the nail salon while my husband/superdad watches the little. 

Getting fit post baby has been quite an undertaking.  A self-proclaimed foodie and admitted wino, I've always been one of those people that relies heavily on cardio in order to stay in shape.  So not being able to work out my entire pregnancy, and then the seven weeks after the monkey arrived, has been frustrating to say the least.

I quickly came to terms with the fact that my diet needed a complete overhaul once she came.  {Acceptance is the first step, right?}

My youngest sister, Erin {Er-Bear, Bear for short}, has impeccable taste- timeless, classic, and effortlessly chic; all at the ripe-old-age of 21. So when it came to my baby shower, it was no surprise when she gave me the most beautifully sentimental present- a Jennifer Meyer nameplate, inscribed with my initials on one side and my daughter's soon-to-be nickname on the other.

While looking at MM's nursery the other day, I noticed I have a serious baby bootie problem.  It would seem that over the past several months and, if I'm being honest, before I was even pregnant, I acquired quite the collection of baby kicks for the little lady. 

Over the past five and a half weeks, things have changed around here.

I've mastered the art of doing almost anything with just one hand...

It's been far too long since I've posted- a little over four months to be exact.  As it turns out, the notion that being home pregnant, essentially on bed rest, would make for a perfect blogging atmosphere proved entirely incorrect.

This past weekend wasn't necessarily ideal- my husband worked most of Saturday and Sunday, and the weather was predominately rainy and dreary.  Despite the odds being stacked against it, the rainy weekend wasn't a total bust.

Even before I found out we were pregnant, I knew I wanted a non-traditional nursery- no race cars or airplanes for baby boy, no hearts or princess tiaras for a girl. So when we found out we are having a baby girl (YAY!) I set out on a minimalistic grey-and-white themed nursery. I've never been too girly, and I tend to avoid most pink tones in general, and I wanted something sophisticated for our little lady.  However, as the nursery progressed it became clear we needed to incorporate some color into the space. My husband, being more traditional than I,  advocated for the use of at least some pink from the beginning.  "It's too girly," I would argue. To which he always responded, "Well, she IS a girl."

With temperatures reaching a balmy 41 degrees the past few days, I'm hoping us east coasters can start to to break free from hibernation, say "bye, Felicia" to this winter, and begin to enjoy our lives again. I've been engaging in the fun exercise of planning trips online to warm and tropical places- full well knowing our schedules and this bump probably won't allow for them to actually happen. 

Making the decision to announce our big news to our world via social media was one that took a lot of thought. To post or not to post, that was the question.  For us, getting pregnant wasn't easy, so we hesitated to post something so big on a social platform- we didn't want to hurt feelings or "jinx" anything...  In the end, however, we felt the joy was something worth sharing-- and considering so much of our family and friends are scattered across the country, it really was the fastest way to get the word out.  We toyed with a lot of ideas, including the red, white + blue option above-- she'll be a summer baby, my husband has a summer birthday, and those moccasins are just too cute.  But, in the end, we opted for a bean boot tribute in front of the fire.  We posted on Christmas Day, and it just felt right. 

Hello, hello! After a very long hiatus, I've decided to leave my former blog, mvsees, behind and begin anew- new site, new look, new year, new perspective.  I'm looking forward to posting about the things I've always loved- recipes, decor, fashion... our bulldog.  And now sporting a growing baby bump, I'm thrilled to incorporate glimpses into the big changes going on around here- maternity style, nursery inspo, teeny tiny baby clothes, lullabies + little lambs. Check back for daily posts, and be sure to follow my IG account @lilies_and_lambs for more pics!