Artist Madrid, Naturally

**Originally Posted in My Birth Group back in December** STORYTIME: I am a naturally clumsy person and everyone knows this about me. During this pregnancy I have stumbled a few times but I always catch myself. And of course I move around cautiously at all times.  This past weekend my family rented a lakehouse at a nearby state park so we all can chill and take some professional family photos. We arrive and of course it's drizzling rain when it was supposed to be sunny. My dad,  husband and brother are unloading the cars so my sis-in-law and I take our dogs around back to patio because they aren't allowed inside the lakehouse. We are taking our time,  being careful and for once our pups are being complete angels when WHAP! I slip on a slick area in the yard (there was red clay hiding under the grass). I didn't even register I had fallen until I was on the ground and my whole body connected including my head. My sister-in-law is yelling if I'm okay and my puppy sits down ...

Miss Ayla is Here! She's actually been here for over a week but it's taken me awhile to post since I've been preoccupied with learning how to take care of a newborn. However I wanted to give everyone an one week postpartum update. Disclaimer: The new mommy brain has hit me hard so the only way I could do this in a timely fashion is turning my real responses from text conversations with friends into sort of a self-interview. So here goes... How are you doing? I won't sugar coat it: the healing process is rough but the adorable baby makes it all feel a little better.  Are you glad to be home from the hospital?  Yes! I got out of there as soon as possible. They let us go Sunday morning (less than 2 days postpartum). I'm grateful that my mom is staying with us a few nights to help out like they sort of do in hospital.  Were the first few days of healing as rough as people say?  Everyone has a different experience but for me... I don't know how second kid...

It's a fact that, as with anything body related, pregnancy will be different for every woman. However, I never considered this fact would include my baby bump. I thought that when the time came I'd have a round symmetrical tummy like we've all seen*. Once getting pregnant it didn't take me long to realize that a lot determines the shape of your baby bump including baby's position, your body type, position of the placenta etc. Since I'm a curvy girl a couple of things happened: 1) It took longer than I expected to "look" pregnant 2) Even when there's no denying I have a bun in the oven I have what is affectionately called a "B" belly. A B-shaped belly (vs a D-shaped belly) just means when you look at your reflection from the side your stomach resembles the outline of a capitalized B. It doesn't affect the baby's health or growth and is actually pretty common. So why have you never heard of this before? I think it's ...

Hi & Welcome 2020! Long time no post! We seriously need to catch up... But for now just wanted to let everyone know that I am doing well and will be posting again soon to explain my long absence. Until then here is a pic of hubby and I (with me sporting my baby bump).

IT IS OFFICIALLY SPRING TIME!!! ARE YOU READY FOR SWIMSUIT SEASON?  HERE ARE MY FAVORITE ONLINE* PLACES TO HIT UP... FOREVER 21 Plus + Curve Plus Size Lace-Up One-Piece Swimsuit $34.90 Super cute at a good price is music to my ears. In my opinion their swimwear is of a good quality. So if you are stocking up on different options or only plan to hit the beach a few times this season, this is a good choice! Also they participate with AfterPay (where you can get your payment split up- no credit check required) so go ahead and buy 2 or 3!! Plus Tribal Print Lace-Up Back Swimsuit $14 SHEIN Short on money but have time to wait? Welcome to Shein. Everything I have ordered took 2 weeks to arrive once shipped but I was in no rush. The clothes are mid to good quality and if you have any problems their customer service team are on it. Their swimwear is too cute and too cheap not to give them a try.  Also they have sales often so sign-up f...

Snapshots of the Active Preference Survey Prices Sports Bra $69.50 Active Tee $50.00 Capris Tights $39.95 Active Hoodie $49.95 Jogger Bottoms $49.95 Strike A Pose Takeaway If you are looking for high quality plus size clothing without the guesswork involved in online shopping, I believe Dia & Co is the way to go. Their customer service is great and I feel that my personal shopper Fariya did a fantastic job finding pieces that I not only can fit but could enjoy wearing during my workout grind. The items were a little more than I usually would pay but for the services offered & quality of the clothing, I feel that at least trying out the Dia & Co Active Box is an investment well made.

So let me start off by saying that I am absolutely love Aldi's. I can always find an unique buy at an exceptional price. So when I decided I wanted a Foodie-Inspired Lunch , I knew exactly where I was headed. 15 minutes later I had a tasty and quite visually stunning salad* with a bottle of Kombucha tea all for under $8 and at 350 calories! *Cranberry Walnut Salad and Salami slices were purchased separately :)