Missguided Do Maternity

I absolutely love scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration these days, who doesn't? It's fabulous for all kinds of different things from DIY to recipes to fashion. It is my go to when my little bump and I are feeling in a style rut and I find it SO difficult to dress my bump. It seems like many retailers only cater for older women and all I see are stripes (I don't want to look bigger!) or floral patterns. It can become pretty boring so when I see all these gorgeous Pinterest mummys-to-be I get so envious and like "HOW CAN YOU LOOK THIS GOOD?" 

Yummy Pinterest Mummys! 

Anyway, I digress. I was scrolling through ASOS today, as I do many a lunch time at work when I stumbled across a Missguided maternity dress! Yes, Missguided have a maternity line which I had never even heard of until today. After doing a little research it seems the line is quite new and is exclusive to ASOS. The line is pretty small but they have certainly kept everything fresh and on trend which I absolutely love. Here are two of my favourite things from the collection but you can shop the rest here.

Well done Missguided!

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

*this post was not sponsored, I just wanted to share the good news! Hurrah! 

Wishlist | Baby Edition feat Next

So with the much anticipated arrival of Baby Walker happening this week (yep we're very over due), I thought I'd do a little baby wear wishlist. Believe me when I say, shopping for neutral clothes is fun and cute and exciting, but I secretly pine over pink and blue outfits whenever I go past any of the baby aisles. Had we found out if baby was boy or girl, we would have gone absolutely mental buying everything pink or blue, so in a way it's saved us a small fortune (not really, we have a lot of clothes for Baby W already.)

Baby Girls Clothes

My mum and I cut through our local Next store recently and instantly fell in love with this little collection. Who says a baby girl needs to be in pink? While I'd probably wait a few months before I put baby in proper little clothes like this, it's safe to say if Baby W is a girl, she NEEDS this little outfit in her life. I think it's perfect for A/W! 

Baby Boy's Clothes

This boy's post is a little bit more suitable for newborns than the girls clothes. How adorable is this little panda collection? I just absolutely love the little baby grows with the panda hat! I just want to dress Baby W in all things animal although I don't think Pete will appreciate it very much! 

Are you having a baby? Did you find out what you're having?

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

All items above are from Next. This post was not sponsored.

Bump and I | 41 Weeks

Bump and I reached 41 weeks yesterday, which means we are now 8 days over our due date. This is extremely frustrating because Peter and I are desperate to meet Baby W. While we are waiting for our bundle of joy to arrive, I decided I'd share my experience of being pregnant without going into TOO many gory details!

1. The First 12 Weeks:

The scariest 3 months of your life is those first crucial 12 weeks from when you conceived. Waiting for your 12 week scan, checking you have no spotting or bleeding every time you go to the toilet, knowing that morning sickness is a GOOD sign and keeping this big secret all to yourself before you announce you're expecting. Then, when you have your 12 week scan and see your baby is fine and wiggly and perfect, your heart does a massive sigh of relief, it's emotional, 

2. Morning Sickness:

Doesn't always mean you will throw up. You will want to throw up to make yourself feel better. You can be extremely nauseous and not want to eat anything. Ever. Smells make you sick. You don't have to throw up to experience this. And all you'll want to do is sleep.

3. Bump:

You will fall in love with your bump, yes you will probably have a hissy fit (or 10) over clothes not fitting you properly, but you will love your bump. I touch mine all the time, like a comfort thing. Although my bump is quite huge at this moment in time, and I can't bend down, it's stayed very neat throughout my pregnancy (which makes me lucky because I'm all baby and no additional weight), and I LOVE it when people compliment my bump. People will want to touch it, which is weird, it's something I'll never understand, you can tell them no, it's your body! I'm going to miss my bump when it's gone.

4. Questions, Questions, Questions:

You'll get bored of hearing "do you know what you're having?" "have you had any weird cravings?" People ask these questions all the time. At one point, I wanted to get a tshirt printed saying "it's a surprise and we don't crave anything strange" just so I could point to it when people asked.

5. The "Are You Still Here?"

The absolute WORST question you will ever hear in your last few weeks. If you go shopping, people will ask when you bump into them. You want to scream "no I had the baby a week ago" while pointing to your massive baby bump. Along with this, people will text you asking if you've had the baby, they will write on your Facebook wall, they will tweet you, they will comment on Instagram posts, they will tell you off for posting photos of other babies. They will tell you to hurry up. They will ask when the baby is coming. They will ask if there's been any signs. While it's nice that people care, and people are interested, it's a little bit frustrating when you're sitting at home, past your due date, just waiting and waiting for one little twinge yourself. Nobody is more excited and impatient for your baby to come except YOU. You want to tell people "if I could have it today, I would, but unfortunately, it's not up to me." but you have to be polite don't you?

I must apologise for the little rant at number 5. It's the hormones!

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Life Lately | August

So in my bid to develop a more steady blog habit, I've decided to start a 'Monthly Roundup' post. Here's what happened in August:

I had a baby shower, you can read about it here. It was such an amazing day and I didn't want it to end!

My gorgeous cousin was born on 08th August, so I got to meet him for plenty of cuddles. I hoped Baby W would get a bit jealous I was holding another baby and make an appearance. No such luck!

Pete turned the big 30, I threw him a surprise party which I also blogged about here. I also met my niece Georgia, cuddling her didn't encourage Baby W to arrive either!

Pete getting his daddy practice in with niece Georgia. We also went to Blackpool. I sorted out baby's wardrobe. 

Addicted to Ru Paul's drag race thanks to my 9 year old brother. Some lovely presents I was bought. How gorgeous are my flowers?

Some little preggo selfies, I had a new fringe cut in and thought why not? Also trying to make the most of my maternity clothes before our bundle of joy arrives aaand ready for A/W 14!

Bought myself some treats to welcome in A/W 14. Our last selfie before baby arrives (hopefully) and our due date has rolled around pretty quickly!

So that's my month in a nutshell. Baby was due yesterday and the stubborn little thing is refusing to make an appearance, but that's okay because we hoped for a September baby anyway. It's all just a waiting game.

Now I'm off for a hot bath, a spicy curry and a bounce on my birthing ball to try and encourage the little monster to come out! 

Wish me luck!

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Bump and I | Baby Shower

On Sunday, I had my baby shower. My mum and dad worked pretty hard at making the whole day simply perfect for me. My mum decorated the whole house in banners, balloons and home made bunting. She even made me the biggest nappy cake I've ever seen, it's so cute, I don't want to take it apart, but given it has 140 nappies inside it, I have no choice! 

My extremely talented dad made a baby shower cake, complete with stork and a baby with ginger hair. as well as some gorgeous cupcakes, which were pretty fantastic. 

I made some mocktails for guests on arrival and we played some amazing games throughout the day. My favourite was The Great Sperm Race! You had to pin the sperm to the egg whilst blindfolded, absolutely hysterical. I don't know how I got pregnant since my sperm went nowhere near the egg! My nan even had an eptopic pregnancy as hers was in the fallopian tube! The day went absolutely nowhere and I was sad when everybody left, but I was a little bit relieved because I was exhausted. Baby Walker was absolutely spoilt rotten and we received some of the most adorable gifts! Peter and I are very lucky to have such amazing family and friends (excuse the gushing!) 

I'm very ready to have this little baby in my arms now! Only 24 days to go - not long at all, it's very exciting.  We're just preparing for our new addition by bringing all our baby stuff to our house which my mum and dad have kindly been storing for us. 

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Bump and You | Surviving the Heat

Boy is it hot?! Now, I'm not a fan of the sun at the best of times, throw being 34 weeks  (that's 8 months to people who don't understand the whole weeks thing) pregnant into the mix and it's 100 x worse. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but I'm a drama queen, what do you expect?

Anyway, if any of you lovely blogger mommas out there are struggling in the heat, here are a few tips I've found help:

1. Invest in a fan

Okay, this one speaks for itself, I've had my fan on constantly for the past week. This combined with opening all the windows in the house normally does the trick! My lovely mum has just bought me a hand held fan so I can pop it into my bag and stay cool on the move.

2. Stock up on ice pops

I won't lie, ice pops have been my saviour throughout this pregnancy, they helped with my morning sickness, and since then we've been pretty stocked up, I'm certainly making the most of them with this current sticky weather. Baby doesn't like how cold they are as I constantly get kicked during the eating process but, hey ho, I'm cool!

3. Clothing

I have lived in cheap maxi dresses from Primark for the past two weeks, they are a god send, and the best thing about it? I can wear post-pregnancy. I have loads of maternity skater dresses that have more than see their wear, and while you will get fed up of wearing the same clothes all the time, you'll be thankful they keep you cool! You don't need to spend a fortune on maternity wear, especially PJs, I've recently purchased 3 pairs of short PJs from Primark and just opted for a bigger size. 

4. Footwear

Sandals! Anything that doesn't require attempting to bend down and buckle is okay with us pregnant ladies. A bonus? Ones we can fit our swollen tootsies into!

5. Keep still

It's pretty obvious, the more you move the more you'll sweat and the more uncomfortable you'll be. I try my best to do as little as possible (no change there then).

6. Stay hydrated

Again, an obvious one, but you're carrying a lot more weight than normal, so it's extra important to take care of yourself! Carry a bottle of water around in your bag if you need to leave the house. If you're still working, a bottle of water at your desk. I kept a bottle of cordial at my desk in work, so when I went to the water cooler, I could just add a bit of flavour. Also, dehydration headaches are a bitch. I've also put some juice in a bottle, laid it on it's side, stuck it in the freezer, and when I'm going out, I can top up with water and voila, ice cold juice.

7. Stay indoors

I've found that when I open all the windows in the house, and lie on the couch with my fan, it's much better than being outside in the baking heat! I also keep the blinds closed so that the sun cannot burn me through the windows.

8. Take a cool shower/ bath

I made the best decision earlier this week when I decided to have a nice cool bath and put my new (short) pjs on. Your body will feel amazing for it, and what's even better, is that when you get out, you will be cold and your body will heat up to room temperature and you will feel instantly refreshed. 

9. Hair up! 

While I don't think up dos are the most flattering hair style on myself, keeping my hair off my neck and out of my face is just bliss. I don't mind as much when I have a donut bun or a little flower crown surrounding my bun (I have no idea what they're called).

10. Sunblock, sunblock, sunblock

A must for anyone during the summer months! I made the mistake of going out a few weeks ago without any sunblock on (stupid of me given my ginger skin, I know), and got burnt. Now normally, aftersun makes this go away, but alas with crazy sensitive pregnancy skin, the itching got so bad, I wanted to claw my own skin off! 

How are you keeping cool this summer ladies?

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

OOTD | Bump Edition 28 Weeks

Dress: ASOS // Kimono: Boohoo // Earrings & Necklace: New Look // Bag: Primark // Shoes: eBay

Life lately has meant putting blogging on hold for a while. I vowed at the start of the year to be more blog active, however, with being pregnant, starting a new job and moving house, you can probably imagine how hectic things have been for me! 

I'm back this week with a little outfit post. During my pregnancy, I have moped about the lack of pretty pastel clothes until ASOS came to my rescue with this adorable little number. After seeing it on their Instagram account, I knew it had to be mine! 

I'm not normally a lover of pastels but this Spring/ Summer I've been swooning over them, so when I saw this kimono on Boohoo, I NEEDED it. 

I am most definitely going to be rocking this outfit many a time during the rest of my pregnancy (not long to go now!) given the sun stays out, but who can predict with the lovely British weather we're so accustomed to?

Are you loving pastels just like me?

Rachael xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

OOTD | Bump Edition 25 Weeks

Dress: New Look // Sunglasses: Primark // Sandals: Primark // Flower Crown: River Island // Necklace: eBay // Bag: eBay

So the sun was out at the weekend, so after a day of carpet shopping, baby shopping and kitchen designing (as well as a cheeky McDonalds) I took the opportunity to snap some outfit photos in my mum and dad's back garden.

I've been so busy the past few weeks with my new job and sorting out the house that I just haven't had time to blog, or even when I have had time after work, I've been too tired to bother. It's hard work this pregnancy lark! 

I wanted to show off my maternity dress which is from New Look. It was in the sale quite a few weeks ago (I bought it before I had a bump) but you can still find it on here. My bump looks really big in it, but it's just so comfy and still flattering! I love New Look for clothes, so it made me happy to discover their maternity range. I really like what I wore on Saturday, especially since I get extremely grumpy when it comes to maternity clothes! 

What are you wearing this summer?

Jegz xo

Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram