be my valentine

dress | bag | similar pumps | necklace

photos by Ban Avenue Photography


Tis the season for red roses, heart shaped boxes of chocolate, and valentines! Bear and I did his class valentines over the weekend and he's so excited to pass them out at his school party on Wednesday. We've also been baking up some yummy treats in preparation for the holiday. Last year we hosted a "Love You to the Moon and Back" themed V-Day party and while I really wanted to host one again this year, I just didn't feel up to it being this pregnant. Bear even asked several times if we could have another Valentine's Day party this year so I felt really bad not having one, but hopefully next year we can start that tradition up again. I also shared Bear's space-themed valentines in this post- we had so much fun making them but opted for store-bought ones this year. Bear didn't mind because we still filled cellophane bags with lots of treats for his friends, and he got to decorate a Spongebob-themed box to put all his loot in. I remember loving school Valentine's Day parties as a kid and while I'm not sure if they're as much fun for boys, I feel like Bear is just as excited as I used to be which makes my mama heart so happy. 

This year, the holiday is going to be super low key for us. Which is pretty normal since having Bear, actually, and Zach and I definitely prefer it that way. We'll watch a movie on the couch, order a heart-shaped pizza (or three) from Papa Johns, and then make a yummy chocolate cake for dessert. It's been our choice to stay in for the past few years and I love spending a low-key evening with my boys. If you're wanting to whip up an easy and delicious treat for the holiday, we love these Cupid's Fudgy Brownies and I plan on making them for Bear's school party if I don't go into labor before then! Speaking of... 

The past 3-4 days have been a roller coaster in the land of Pregnantville over here. I had my 37 week + 1 day check-up last Wednesday and the doctor said Baby Boy could come any day now so to be ready, but she said he could also wait the full 3 weeks until his due date. It's just a waiting game! Fast-forward to Friday when I woke up feeling really nauseous and just felt like crap all day. I threw up multiple times a day until around the 6 month mark, but I've been over the nausea for several months and was surprised to see it come back so strongly. That night, I lost my plug or part of it (sorry for the TMI!!) and spent most of the night tossing and turning, worried that I was gonna go into labor any minute. The doctor wants Baby to keep cooking until around 39 weeks, which is a week from tomorrow. Saturday morning I woke up still very nauseous but Bear and I wanted to attend a birthday party for a sweet friend downtown. We were in the car, driving down to the party when I had to turn the car around and go back home because I thought I was going to throw up any second- I felt awful. I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed but thought I could venture out for dinner that night. We went to Saltgrass and about halfway through the meal, I started having really intense and steady contractions. They wouldn't go away, even after walking and making laps around the restaurant, and persisted the whole car-ride home. But once we got home and I laid down for a few minutes, they magically went away. False labor at it's finest! I never had any false labor with Bear so all of these Braxton Hicks are new to me. I've officially put myself on bed rest as much as I can for the next week until we hit the 39 week mark, which isn't easy when nesting is in full force and there's a crazy 5 year old running around. Thankfully, Zach was a huge help this weekend and marked a lot of things off our To Do List, so we are feeling a little more prepared should Baby Boy decide to make his big debut early. I will continue to keep y'all posted as much as I can! And in the meantime I'll just be laying in bed, watching cheesy Hallmark Valentine's Day movies and eating Pickle Pops.
xo, Britt