5 little things...

 

 

I love the smell of

jasmine flowers in a warm summer breeze and lavender even more in the evening. They're romantic scents which make me think of the times in my life where I have been most fulfilled and happy.

 

I love the sound of

Tui birds in the trees, another thing that reminds me of summer and the beautiful things that make the country I live in great.

 

 

I love the taste of

 fresh fruit, cold ice cream and pistachio nuts.

They're just amazing.

 

I love the sight of

people enjoying their families.

 

I love the feel of

the sun bouncing against my skin, the sand between my toes, the warm wind travelling through my hair and my baby kicking in my belly.

what do you love today?

 

XOXOX

 

 

Latest little splurges...

Ugh I feel like it's been ages since I've brought something worth blogging about!

I haven't really spent a lot of money on myself lately due to saving money and spending it mostly on the baby.
But last week, and the week before, I decided to splurge a little on things I wanted and needed :-)

 

Wedge heels // 'Poppin' from Overland Footwear // NZD$199.90

 

 

Sandals // 'Michele' from Overland Footwear // NZD$159.90

 

 

Bag // 'Cora' from Overland Footwear // NZD$139.90

 

I'm quite rapt with the shoes I chose. They're both very comfortable and go with a range of outfits, the wedges aren't too high and the sock lining is so spongy!

I really love the gems on the sandals, they capture the light so beautifully when you walk it looks as though they change colour, my work mates and I were a bit iffy about them to begin with but it was really one of those things that you had to try on before you judged. It was one of our best sellers and both styles are a true summer essential!

 

I'm really happy with the bag too, I've needed a change from this Olga Berg one I've had for 2years!

I love the teal colour, it brightens up any outfit and it's incredibly spacious so I'll be using as my own bag as well as a baby bag by buying a bag organizer which come with compartments for bottles, clothes nappies etc etc.

Definitely saves me spending money on baby things that I don't need, and the bag is synthetic so it'll be easy to clean :-)

 

R.I.P bag, you served me well

 

 

And last but definitely not least is this beautiful one shoulder green maternity dress from ASOS.

Kiwi's are known in fashion for the amount black they wear, and I'm finding myself slowly moving towards more colour, mainly because it's summer but also my tastes in fashion have changed quite a lot since being preggers.

 

 

 

 

 

Dress // ASOS Maternity // Brought on sale for NZD$38.73 from NZD$96.84!

 

I really don't feel the model does the dress any justice as it looks much nicer on, quite Grecian styled and the dress has been made to look like a wrap around even though it isn't and I really love the bow at the front, makes me feel like cute pregnant present :D

It's nice and floaty and it's something I'll find myself wearing even after I've given birth.

Another thing is that the colour looks more like the 3rd picture rather than the first two and the spaghetti strap on the other side is detachable.

I'll be doing an outfit shot for this very soon...

 

Anyway enough about me! Here's a few things that little Luka has been brought/given lately...

 

Buzzy Bee 'Pull Along' toy // Can purchase from The Warehouse or other toy retailers // NZD$34.99

 

This is a Kiwi classic 'must have' in toys. The Buzzy Bee made itself present in the 1940's, it's a simple and 'cute as a button' toy which clicks as you pull it along.

Prince William was given one when he first visited New Zealand with his parents :-)

 

Luka's grandmother (my lovely mother in law) paid a visit to Vietnam recently and brought her some clothes for when she's much older (we're pretty set with newborn items).

They're all so cute and colourful!
Most of the items were handmade too and the tailoring is just fantastic I can't wait to get bubs into them :-)

In between the clothes was this gorgeous handmade dragonfly mobile. Sorry if the photo does it no justice :P

The top two are just a few things I've brought for Luka, the cute Piglet onesie and a reversible cardigan.
The bottom two are more handmade items from Vietnam :-)

And finally this t-shirt was a gift from one of my friends who knows how much I love Metallica!
I have already planned to pair this up with some striped leggings, sneakers and put her hair up in pigtails CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!
Of course Luka will need to be at least a year old+ before she'll be able to fit this but it's still an awesome gift :-)

So that's me for now, I know it's quite pic heavy but I'm very excited for what I've received :-)

Until next time!

XOXOX 





Knowing when to stop...

During the last 6months of knowing about my pregnancy and even before that I have been constantly on the go.

I've made time for myself and had my days off to relax, but in all honesty, as much as my body has slowed down my brain has not.
Heck I don't even know how I've remembered to breathe all this time!

This week the work gods have blessed me with 4days off to do absolutely anything I want.
And so far all I've done is sleep in, go on Facebook, Pinterest, general online browsing, gas bag with my mum, read, eat and just laze.

Utter bliss!!!

Note taken!

I've found since I've hit the final trimester of my pregnancy I've finally listened to what my body needs, and that is rest.
Throughout this whole time I have been as stubborn as a mule and not wanted to put my feet up and be one of those 'lazy pregnant women' that gets everyone else to do their work for them.
I've continued to push myself at work, gym and in my own life not fully realising I was running on fumes till just the other day when the first thing I thought of when I woke up was "OK, time to hit the gym", but then a little voice inside my head said "Hmmm you've worked pretty hard up until this point, why don't you sleep in?".
And sleep in I did, and I fully don't regret it cause I had no idea how much I needed it!
I've noticed my skin is glowing, hair has more thickness and lustre and I feel amazing :-)

With my belly being so big and tight now I can feel every single movement so well that Luka makes and I am (gulp) starting to waddle :-(  (I like to think I'm waddling 'gracefully', but lets face it, pregnancy in the last trimester is anything but graceful)
And it's no wonder, I am carrying and extra 10kgs on my body! Plus most of Luka's body has developed and she's depositing fat which is taking up so much room in my tiny body it is leaving me breathless, exhausted, needing to pee every 10mins and putting strain on my back.
I am so happy that I've timed it right to go on maternity leave at the end of next week cause anything longer and I think I'd pass out!

I may sound like I need to harden up, but until you go through it yourself you really have no idea!
Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant and it has been a fantastic pregnancy, my midwife even said that I have been the easiest patient she's had to date!
Hmm we'll see how I go in labour.....

It was so easy up until now. I've had huge problems coming to terms with pregnancy because prior to that I was always 'GO GO GO!' and full of energy I just totally underestimated how much energy it took to grow a baby. I almost feel like I'm back in the first trimester when I was so tired and slowed right down, I felt so guilty that I was letting my family and work colleagues down when I actually wasn't and I do kinda feel a little like that now but having this time off to think about it I've actually let myself down by expecting way too much from myself.
What can I say? I am my own worst critic.
I'm just glad that I've finally realized that this is my time to relax and let rest take care of itself. I have a mum that has been helping and a wonderful boyfriend that has been nothing but amazing this whole time so I may as well take advantage of it while I can!
After all, I only have 2 more months left to go before mine and Andrei's world is changed forever may be even less...

So that's my little rant for today, sometimes the only way to get out what you feel is by writing it.

XOXOX

 

**Images found via my Pinterest account