First Time Mom! Mother's Day at 7 Months Pregnant | Random Act of Kindness

As a first time expecting mom-to-be this was the first year I was able to celebrate Mother's Day for myself.  As supportive and loving as always, Brandon made it a memorable day for me.  He knows the way to my heart right now is food (pregnancy cravings!) and made me a delicious pre-Mother's Day dinner, gave me my favorite chocolate strawberries, and then took me out to brunch.  We also did a little baby shopping and took in some phenomenal Mexican food for dinner.

While we were at brunch I witnessed a random act of kindness for another mother, who appeared quite lonely.  It only served to strengthen my love and appreciation for everything my gentle giant does for me every single day.

Next year I'm excited to see what Brandon does with baby Welles to celebrate this holiday.  Check out the vlog below for a play by play of our amazing day!

Want MORE vlogs and pregnancy videos?  Check out my YouTube!

    

SNAP ME @AshleyEBeauty

NEWBORN BABY CLOTHING HAUL! | Carter's, Old Navy & More!

The very first item we purchased after learning that we were having a baby boy was an adorable Batman onesie.  It was about an hour after my 20-week ultrasound appointment and we had stopped at Target to grab something for dinner.  While I had thought for sure I'd be browsing the racks of cuteness-overload in the little girls' section, trying to decide between which infant flower dress I wanted more, I was still in a state of shock that I'd be spending the next months picking out overalls and shirts with cars on them.

After the initial shock, I set out to find little boys clothes that I actually liked.  I do not favor anything with cartoon characters or childish drawings, and have instead gravitated towards the "little vintage man" types of clothing.  This included suspenders, henleys, rough button-downs, bow-ties, and anything with a nautical or "vintage" look to it.  

This newborn baby clothing haul includes all of the clothes we have purchased ourselves.  We have thankfully received many, many secondhand clothes; if I were to go through them all it would be an hour long video!

I hope you enjoy my picks!  Leave in the comments your favorite places to shop for baby.

Want MORE pregnancy videos?  Check out my YouTube!

    

SNAP ME! @AshleyEBeauty

Tulip Festival Travel Vlog | Baby Bump Keeps Growing!

The Annual Wooden Shoe Farm Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon is known for its acres upon acres of colorful blooms that grace the Portland countryside.  We went on opening weekend last year and absolutely fell in love with the picturesque scenery and fresh smell of thousands of newly bloomed tulips.
 

We loved it so much we decided to bring Alva with us on this year's adventure to opening weekend.  However, we were disappointed to find an underwhelming number of tulips in bloom.  In fact, just several rows of reds and yellows had blossomed.  Turns out the rest have been stifled into a late bloom due to the abnormally cold winter and wet spring Oregon has experienced this year.  

The pictures used in this blog are from last year's (normal) opening weekend.  Acres of beautiful tulips for as far as the eye can see, set against a backdrop of clear blue skies, a traditional Dutch windmill, and the graceful outline of Mount Hood.

Lesson learned: check with the local news before heading out to the farm.  However, we still had fun, we got VERY muddy (I'm blaming pregnancy brain for failing to realize we should bring towels and wipes with us when bringing a dog to a field that has had a very wet spring).  We cannot wait to bring Welles with us next year, to not just experience the tulips in my belly but also in person!

Check out the vlog below of our fun and exciting day at the Tulip Festival!  Caution: mud on the baby belly may be involved : )

Want MORE vlogs and pregnancy videos?  Check out my YouTube!

    

SNAP ME! @AshleyEBeauty

21 & 22 Weeks Pregnant | SEEING THE BABY'S FACE!

Here I am at 22 weeks pregnant and I cannot believe how fast the time is flying by.  It felt like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant, and it seemed as if we had all the time in the world to get ready.  Now, the second trimester is winding down, and the home stretch of the 3rd trimester feels like it is coming up so fast!

The past two weeks have been intensely busy with us moving into a new house and having two doctor visits.  The first was our routine midwife visit and the second was a follow-up anatomy ultrasound.  Everything went great and we were even able to get some very clear and accurate 3D pics of little Welles' face!  It's crazy how fast he's growing and how human-like he now looks.

In this vlog I go into more detail on our doctor visits, share some of ultrasounds pics, and let you know the goods on what it feels like to be 22 weeks pregnant!  Make sure you check it out, as well as all of my other pregnancy vlogs.

Interested in MORE pregnancy vlogs?  Check out my YouTube!

    

SNAP ME! @AshleyEBeauty

Syracuse Travel Vlog | Baby Gender Reveal & Surprise Engagement!

Surprise!  We traveled back to Syracuse from Portland to surprise our family with a gender reveal! We told our family to gather for a gender reveal via Skype, but little did they know we had other plans.  Make sure you check out the whole amazing surprise in the video!

Unfortunately, I was sick for most of the long weekend, and didn't start feeling better until we went back to Portland four days later.  There are very few safe medications to take when you're sick while pregnant, so it was mostly honey, tea, and ultra soft and strong tissues for me.

Oh yea...Brandon shocked everyone with a surprise proposal at the end of the gender reveal!  Thankfully, there were several people recording and that made it into the vlog as well.  Share in the joy and excitement with us and check out the vlog!

Interested in MORE vlogs?  Check out my YouTube!

  

Snap Me! AshleyEBeauty