Target Goes Glam

Tomorrow, Target launches their collaboration with Neiman Marcus. My life is complete! Neiman Marcus style on a Target budget... why oh why did they have to launch when I'm supposed to be buying for others?

Here are some of my favorites from the lookbook:

Alice + Olivia for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Luggage, $179.99



Diane von Furstenberg for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Jewelry Box, $49.99

 

Jason Wu for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Ornaments, $49.99 (set of 3)

 

Marchesa for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Girl’s Beaded Dress, $99.99

 

rag & bone for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Flask, $29.99

 

 

Robert Rodriguez for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Top, $79.99

 

 

Tory Burch for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Beverage Container, $24.99

 

Tory Burch for Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection – Lunch Box, $19.99

 

 

I will, without a doubt, buy something from the Tory line. She is my absolutely favorite, favorite, favorite and this is the only way I can afford her! :)

 

 

22 Weeks

Blurry self-portrait time again!

I found this top at Forever21 and I'm obsessed. I just went up a size to accommodate the bump + it's plenty long enough for maternity wear. Best $20 spent so far!

Size: A papaya. The average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches & weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces right now. Woo hoo!

Major happenings this week: I experienced my first episode with round ligament pain. Wowzers. Luckily, Jamie called me right as it was happening & calmed me down.

I've also been experiencing a lot of back pain, which I've read is normal.

I ordered On Becoming Baby Wise on Cyber Monday. I'm looking forward to reading it. Everyone I know who's followed their suggestions has had a baby who slept through the night very early. I'm willing to read every book in the universe to make this happen!

Sleep: I've been having some crazy nightmares & heartburn this week. I hope the heartburn means she's growing lots of hair... not sure what the nightmares mean.

Miss Anything: Pretty much anything I can't have - sushi, a cold turkey sandwich (not sliced in front of me), wine, etc.

I'm also missing the desire to work out. I can tell a huge change in my body (aside from the belly), and I'd love to regain the want to do something about it.

Food Cravings: Nothing new - still Italian & Burger King chicken sandwiches.

Bellybutton in or out? Outtie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Gender: Baby girl :)

What's been happening: We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of family. My mom & I were able to knock out a good bit of nursery stuff last Saturday before the big let down game. I'm anxious to get started on that and hopefully have it finished by week 32.

Looking forward to: Spending a weekend at home with my husband. After traveling all over the state for Thanksgiving it will be nice to have nothing to do for a couple of days. The town parade is on Saturday, so we'll probably head out there & maybe to the zoo to see the lights. I love Christmas time!

On a side note - I'm not sure why my blog is so wonky. I'm working on getting that fixed!

Best Friend Day 2k12

Have you ever been so enamored with something, but you were a little ashamed because you knew it wasn't cool? Chill out, video gamers. I'm not picking on you today (although I eventually will, so get ready.) No, I'm talking about something much more real. Fasten you seat belts, ladies. We're jumping into the wild world of HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADING.

If you weren't a competitive cheerleader (or weren't a crazy cheer mom), you probably won't understand. Cheerleaders are of a different breed. This stuff gets in your blood like rat poison, and a lot of times, stays with you forever.

I ashamedly admit I still know 99%... who am I kidding, 100% of my high school cheers & dances. My husband frequently finds me doing them in our bathroom. I used to be embarrassed & tried to convince him I was yoga stretching or something when he caught me, but now I don't care. He took vows, he's locked in for life.

Cheerleading is my crack (better than real crack, right?) Once I get a little taste of it I can't get enough. I haven't cheered since my freshman year in college & most of the time I regret not cheering throughout college.

My best friend shares the same passion for this sport (please don't try to start an argument with me about cheerleading being a sport). Competitive cheerleading is a sport. Sideline cheerleading, probably not. End of discussion.

Back to what I was saying... my best friend, Jamie, shares the same passion for cheerleading that I do. We've made it a bit of a tradition to go to at least one cheerleading competition together each year. This year we went to two, including State this past Saturday. To commemorate this momentous occasion, Jamie named Saturday "Best Friend Day 2k12." She'll probably be mortified that I leaked this to the general public if she reads this post. :)

We made big plans for Saturday and decided to make a full day of it. We started off bright and early - AAA didn't start until 2:00. I picked her up at 11:15 and we headed to downtown Greenville to Brick Street Cafe. If you live or have ever been anywhere near Greenville and haven't stopped into this restaurant, shame on you. They have, arguably, the best cake ever made. Ever.

We both ate a reasonable lunch because we knew what was coming... SWEET POTATO CAKE. Oh my gosh. This stuff is absolutely ridiculous. Trust me, you've got to try it. It doesn't taste like sweet potatoes, just heaven on a plate.

After we awoke from our food coma, we headed over to the Bi-Lo center for the main event. I mentioned we got started a little early, so we had to sit for about an hour before the competition started. No big deal for us. We got to people watch.

The AAA squads were first. Both of our high schools competed in this division & Jamie's Alma Mater got 2nd!

AAA Parade of Teams

Palmetto, my high school

Wren, Jamie's high school

Mauldin (one of my closest friends coaches here)

Jamie & I had the best day together & I can't wait until next year. Maybe we'll both be coaching! ... Or maybe we'll spend the entire day eating cake & people watching again :)

On another note, this article was in my parents' hometown newspaper. The first line made me giggle. I love small towns.

With Love, From Logan

We all know there are bad people in the world. Just turn on the morning news and you'll get an ear full. Sometimes, though, the world surprises you and reminds you that good people still exhist.

One of those good people is a little red-headed boy named Logan. I don't know anything more about him, just that he has red hair & is a student at my mom's school, but he's a precious little thing.

My mom called me this morning and said she had to tell me a story. Here it is...

Another teacher approached my mom this morning with Logan and said, "Logan has been looking all over for you. He has something he wants to give you." Little Logan strolled beside his teacher wearing a hoodie and his hands were tucked in the pocket in the front of the shirt.

Mom leaned down and asked, "What did you want to give me, Logan?"

Sweet Logan pulled his hands out of the pocket of the hoodie and they held a single pacifier. Logan said, "I wanted to get something for the new baby."

As he handed it to my mom (who, was of course, fighting back tears at this point), she asked, "Is this for my new grandbaby?"

Logan replied, "Yes ma'am. I asked my mom if she'd take me to get something for the baby."

Of course my mom doted over the precious boy for a few minutes and thanked him over and over, but how sweet is that? How many little boys would think to do something that thoughtful?

I'm so thankful there are still good people running around this crazy world.

20 Weeks + Name Reveal

We've finally decided on a name!!!

Miller Elizabeth Grubbs

 

• Miller is my paternal grandmother's maiden name.
• Elizabeth is my sister's middle name & her initials will be MEG. Ryan's sister's name is Megan... see how this all works?

We were able to honor both of our sisters with Miller's name and couldn't be more thrilled or proud of her name. I've known for a long time that I wanted to name her Miller if she was a girl. We threw around a couple other middle names, but in the end knew Elizabeth was just right because it would remind us of two of the most important people in our lives. We also hope Miller has a little bit of both of her aunts in her. Katie & Megan are both such special people.

Also, we had our 20 week appointment yesterday. All moms know this is the biggie. They measure for every possible thing, and luckily, everything looks great! She's big & healthy (weighing about 13 ounces right now) and I'm measuring right on track.

Also, I found out a dear friend of mine is 9 weeks pregnant & I couldn't be more excited for Nikki & her husband, Jordan. They are a very special couple & are so excited to welcome their little baby into the world in late June.

There are so many exciting things happening right now: birthdays, holidays, rival football games... I can hardly contain my excitement! I hope this will help the next 20 weeks fly by!

20 Weeks

And since he doesn't get spotlighted much, here's Ryan hard at work! This is usually how I find him when I beg him to take yet another picture of me in his office each week :) He's always anxious to get back to work, so I usually only get 2 takes before he loses interest. I always post the lesser of two evils.

This picture was taken last weekend. Ryan is such an amazing uncle (even wearing a donkey visor in public at Jake's request). I know he's going to be an even better dad to Miller!



NYC Teaser

We took our trip to NYC nearly two weeks ago and we got some great pictures while we were there. I haven't had a chance to sit down with my computer for an hour to go through everything, but promise I will soon!

Also, we've made some progress with the house and I can't wait to show you that too!

I'll leave you today with a couple of NYC pics from my trusty phone. Happy Friday!

We flew out of Charlotte at 6am. I'd highly recommend this time - we had no delays & the plane wasn't even full, so we got 3 seats all to ourselves. We also saw the most beautiful, colorful sunset I've ever seen.

Our first night in Times Square

Two words: Brooklyn pizza

19 Weeks

*I apologize for the bathroom shot. I apologize even more for not making a kissy face in my bathroom shot. My regular photographer is out of commission today. You may (or may not) notice my hair is a little bit lighter. My face still doesn't look like Jennifer Aniston's, though. No props for the stylist.*

Size: A mango. She's about 6 inches long & weighs almost 8.5 ounces.

Major happenings for the baby: Her senses are developing rapidly. I wonder what the inside of my body smells like...

Sleep: So far, still great!

Miss Anything: Sleeping on my back, and for the first time, a cold glass of Riesling.

Food Cravings: Nothing crazy, but if I get my mind set on something specific, I have to get it or I'll go crazy.

Bellybutton in or out? Out & visible through some clothes now.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Gender: PINK!

Looking forward to: Our 20 week ultrasound next week where they'll do all of her big measurements. I've felt her move tons this past week and even Ryan, my mom, sister & grandpa were able to feel her move around. I attribute this to extremely thin skin, although she may just be a really strong baby!

The Great Reveal

October 18, 2012 was by far one of my most favorite days ever. Not only did we learn we were having a little girl, we also got to share the news with our family and friends (and a few other hundred people we hardly know on facebook.)

Both sets of grandparents were able to make the trip to Lexington to be told in person. The aunts, uncle & cousin couldn't make it, so we phoned/face-timed them in. Their reactions were far better than I EVER expected. In fact, I'm aiming to make $10,000 when I send this video into America's Funniest Home Videos. Trust me... this is TOTALLY worth watching...

Make sure you pay close attention to my mom. You may have to watch it a couple of times to hear/see what she's saying. Then, immediately, listen to what Ryan's mom says. Priceless.

If you need a hint... both grandma's need to invest in Depends stock.

A New Look

I've been wanting to change my hair color for quite some time now. I wasn't shy with the cap or foils in high school (I'd go from a blond to a brunette in a hot second), but since 2004 I haven't colored my hair.

Confession/Correction - I did get a hold of a box dye a couple of months ago, which turned out okay, but other than that, my hair has been virtually untouched.

I'm easing up on 27 (January 6th, mark your calendars) and I'm starting to spurt white hairs near my crown. Not gray. White, coarse hairs. Yikes. Thanks Minnie Ruth (you'll get this if you've ever met my grandma).

I want to ease back into the world of highlights and lowlights. Baby steps, if you will. I'm really nervous that this could turn out badly. I figured I'd stick close to my normal color, just warm it up a bit. 

I've always admired Jennifer Aniston's hair. Let's be honest, hasn't everyone? She always manages to look natural with her color, so here are some of the looks I'm going to show my stylist...

Easy enough, right? Now, if she can also fix my face and get rid of these breakouts my precious little baby has given me I might pay her the big bucks! My appointment is tomorrow - no turning back now!

Oh, and for those of your who are curious, of course I asked my doctor if this is okay! :)