Pretty In Her Pearls

Blush and Gold Freshly Picked Keepsake

December 15, 2016

Last week we had our first outing as a family of four. Technically it wasn’t a complete outing since our little Sofia hasn’t had her first round of shots yet, and couldn’t really be out in about. We picked up a pizza to go since we had cabin fever. I decided getting out was the perfect opportunity to dress up a little. Yep after being in pajamas for a few weeks wearing my favorite denim was dressing up for me. Since becoming a mom I’ve become sentimental about having keepsakes that can be passed down to my children as they get older. For my son I have a personalized bangle with his birthday inscribed on it, and his nickname on the inside. For my daughter, Sofia, were starting off with the cutest gold bottom blush Freshly Picked Moccasins that she can pass down to her little girl someday. I love that these little moccasins will have her sweet little footprint on them in time from wearing them. They are the softest leather, and come in the prettiest colors. They are the perfect keepsake that I can collect for Sofia through all the stages as her little foot grows to add to her memory box.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope y’all have a fabulous weekend!!

This post has been sponsored by Freshly Picked Moccasins. As always all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting those who support Pretty In Her Pearls.

UncommonGoods Gift Guide for Her

December 13, 2016

1 / 2 /3 / 4 / 5 /6 /7 /8 /9 /10 / 11 / 12 / 13

With Christmas just a few short weeks away let the shopping begin. Today, I’ve partnered with UncommonGoods to round up my favorites for that someone special in your life. What I love about this company is that they are socially and environmentally responsible. They only sell products that are handmade, organic, or have a recycled component to them. Non of their products have feathers or leather in them. So you can rest assured that no animals were harmed. Also, you can read about the person that created what you are buying. For me knowing that this company is invested in a good working environment for it’s employees means a lot to me because sometimes I over look the people that are behind the scenes. Please feel free to comment and let me know of any other companies you have shopped with that are environmentally friendly as I would love to check them out! I think I might check out t-shirt quilts in an upcoming post as a reader recently recommended them as they love their unique gift ideas and how it links in perfectly with recycling old clothes so be sure to keep an eye out for that!

Shopping for the ones we love can be stressful, and that’s why I’ve done the leg work for y’all. If I could have one of everything on my list that would be amazing. With smart phones being something that almost all of us have I thought anything smart phone related that’s cute was a must have. This reversible tote that can also charge an iPhone had me at first sight. I’m eternally trying to keep my phone charged, and I really like that since it’s reversible it’s perfect for winter and spring. They also have a really great variety of unique jewelry. I’m a huge fan of personalized jewelry, and this personalized love birch cuff is so pretty. I love that it has that personal touch while still feeling a little rustic. Earrings are usually my go to day to day accessory, and I love that these wrapped crystal bar earrings are gold, and the perfect neutral for all outfits. It makes the perfect gift for someone that wants a great everyday earring that is anything but basic. I couldn’t forget the person that loves something a little sweet or caffeinated. The hot cocoa infused with vanilla bean, and the merlot infused coffee has me wanting both of them. It might have something to do with all the amazing red wine hot chocolate recipes I’ve seen on Pinterest lately, or just my love of sweets and caffeine. As a mom of a newborn coffee is my bestie, and this coffee sounds interesting in a good way. Also, if you love the bar cart trend, but have a pet, or a toddler that makes it impractical to have one. I have found the perfect alternative. It’s the wall wine bar that would hang on a wall, and be high enough from pets, and little toddler hands. I absolutely love it, and plan on trying to add one between the bar area at my house. I think it’s the perfect blend of rustic and cute. I can just imagine it with the perfect gold bar accessories to add that girly party touch to it. They also, have collections of the perfect Christmas gift ideas, Christmas gifts for women, and Christmas gifts for wives that are perfect.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I can’t wait to hear what you choose!! What are your favorite gifts to give and receive?

This post has been sponsored by UncommonGoods. As always all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting those who support Pretty In Her Pearls.

Sofia Penelope: Birth Story & Newborn Pictures

December 12, 2016

I’m so excited to share the good news with y’all. We are officially a family of four, and I couldn’t imagine life any other way. Sofia was born on November 21 at 7:28am weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces 19 3/4 inches. I had a scheduled c-section because the baby was breach (which basically means she hadn’t flipped). I had a feeling this was probably going to be the outcome since my son was breach as well.

On the day of the c-section, we got to the hospital a little after 5am, and they started checking me in. I was really excited that I would be meeting my baby girl in just a couple hours. After, I was all checked in they hooked me up to a monitor to listen to the babies heart beat, and check my vitals. Listening to her heart beat made me feel less stressed while the nurse put the IV in. I have a phobia of needles, and look the other way whenever needles are involved. On a side note, I’m not sure how I gave myself shots during the whole IVF process. As soon as I went into the operating room my nerves got the best of me, and I was so scared of everything that was ahead of me. I’m not sure why I was so scared since I had done this before, and had a good idea of what to expect, but I was so petrified of what was next.

Once the doctors and nurses were in the Operating Room they gave me the epidural which wasn’t easy because my nerves by that point were off the charts, and trying to stay still wasn’t easy. I seriously had the nervous shakes. I don’t know if that’s the technical term for it, but that’s the only way I know to describe it. The nurse told me to take a deep breath, and that seemed to help calm me down just enough to get the epidural. After that, I was laying on the table waiting for it to kick in. The first thing I noticed kicking in instead was the nausea. I remember the doctor saying I might get nauseas, but I didn’t think much of it because it didn’t happen with my son. The nausea was really bad, but thankfully shortly after they brought my husband, Manny, in and that seemed to help. He held my hand while the doctors worked on me. I remember thinking while they were working how am I going to love this new baby the same way I love my son. I started to wonder if it was even possible to love this new baby as much as I love my little Manny Jr. A few minutes later, they pulled her out, and I heard her cry. That was one of the best sounds to hear. I took a deep breath, and thought this is what Manny and I worked so hard towards. Hearing her cry, and knowing I’d see her in just a few minutes made all the shots, and doctors appointments so worth it because now we had our sweet baby girl.

The nurse gave me a quick peak before weighing her, and cleaning her up. Manny was there for all those special moments. He brought her over one more time so I could see her, and have a moment to say hello to my new baby girl. She was the prettiest baby girl I have ever seen. She had the prettiest delicate features, and the sweetest personality. The first thing I thought was my mom would have loved her. I didn’t get to do skin to skin with her in the operating room because the nausea was so strong by that time I was worried that I wasn’t strong enough to hold her. Manny went to our room, and bonded with our new baby girl until the doctor was finished with me.

Manny Jr. met his baby sister a few hours later. He wasn’t really sure what to make of her. I think he was more scared of the hospital, and his mommy not being able to pick him up. He’s only 21 months, but he’s beginning to really love his sister. He gave her a gentle pat on the head the same way he pets our puppies at home. I figured that was a good sign since he loves them so much.

Since I was pretty sick after the c-section we didn’t take many photos after the delivery. I had every intention of hiring a photographer that specialized in birth photography, but with me being sick afterwards I’m really glad we didn’t do this. I pretty much had every side effect from the epidural that you don’t want to have. I couldn’t keep anything down from the nausea so I nursed, and then Sofia cuddled with my her dad the rest of the day. The next day I finally started to feel a little better, and had a chance to do more skin to skin time with Sofia, and nurse her. Thankfully we were home by Thanksgiving to celebrate the holiday with our family.

These photos are from our newborn session. I knew, I didn’t want a really posed newborn shoot, and really wanted more of a lifestyle shoot sharing our new normal as a new family of four. Thankfully we were lucky enough to get a few pictures of my son, Manny Jr. Ever since he started walking getting pictures of him has become a new whole challenge. He’s 21 months, and loves to run all over the place. Sitting still is not his favorite activity. I am really happy that we have some really cute photos of our family of four.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for all the love you have given us as a family through the blog and social media. It really means the world to us!!

« Previous Page