We’re Having a Baby!

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This is #20weeks

I had hoped 2017 would be the year I got pregnant and I’m so excited to share that Baby Lease will be arriving November of this year!

This may be oversharing, but if you’re thinking about getting pregnant you may be interested in knowing a bit about my pregnancy journey. It goes something like this: After 14 years of being on the pill I went off it in January and got my first non-pill period six weeks later. I then downloaded the Ovia fertility app and based on when I had my period it told me what days of the month would be optimal for baby making. Five weeks later I’m peeing on a stick and it’s POSITIVE! I’m sharing this story because that’s what this blog is all about, but believe me when I say we both realize how ridiculously lucky we are right now and we don’t take anything for granted.

So how do I feel? Today I’m 22 weeks and fortunately I feel mostly good. The last three weeks I’ve been suffering from daily heartburn and the occasional short-lived shooting pain up and down my side that I’ve learned is called round ligament pain. I have to pee virtually every hour, including most nights, which I tell myself is good practice for the sleepless nights ahead (hey, just trying to put a positive spin on things). Thankfully, I’ve been able to stick to my workout routine which consists of dance cardio and barre a couple times a week. This is not only good for the baby, but mama needs it to help quell the occasional holy SH*T we’re having a baby freak-outs (more on this in the next blog post).

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House Update Part 3

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Our Restoration Hardware bed with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams nightstands 

Victory! We stuck to our move-in date and we’ve been living in our house for exactly two weeks. These two weeks have been exhausting, and there was a point I thought we’d never make it through all those boxes. Butttttt, with lots of help from one very organized mother-in-law and a lot of long days, we made it. We’ve got a couple big projects left and after that’s done we can focus on getting the place furnished and hanging all of our art.

The major project that remains is creating an entryway from our joint office (which is right off the kitchen) that will lead into the dining room. We think this will create a better flow, especially for all those parties we plan on hosting (a gal can dream). We ordered a set of double pocket doors and they arrived today. I’ll keep you updated on that in my next post. We’re also hoping to finalize our plans for custom built-in shelves for our family room, as well as a custom bar for our living room (for all the entertaining we’ll be doing!). Custom built-ins are expensive (what isn’t?), so it’s been taking longer than expected to find the right company for the job.

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House Update Part 2

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Our floors in the process of being sanded (before)

Hiiii. So we’re just about ready to move into our house. Hard to believe it but after nearly three months of deliberations followed by work — we’re nearing the finish line. Right now our marble floors are being polished, and tomorrow interior painting begins. We’re painting the interior in Benjamin Moore White Heron with the exception of  one wall in our media room which will be a dark navy called Deep Royal.

Following the painting,  wallpaper will be applied in the powder room and the master bedroom (the wall the bed will be on), and then we can move in! I’ve had a toilet in my living room for the past month so I’m especially excited about getting the powder room ready so said toilet can go back to its rightful place. Believe it or not, picking the right wallpaper for the space proved to be quite the challenge despite the myriad options out there. Wallpaper, I’ve also learned is very pricey which makes the decision that much more difficult.

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Babies on the brain? Read this

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My nieces and nephew four years ago.

Happy New Year dear readers! As I’ve said before, my life is essentially an open “blog” because I find the act of sharing to be quite therapeutic. So here goes: I’ve got babies on the brain. Perhaps it’s because I’m surrounded by the most adorable little ones (thank you friends), or because my clock has started to tick (thank you mother nature), or because my husband is so freakin’ amazing around little kids that it fills my heart with glee (thank you husband).

It’s probably a combination of all the above, plus the fact I’ve always loved babies and have wanted to have children since before I even knew where they came from. You know those people that stop to ooh and aah at every puppy they come across? Well, that’s me except with babies. Once they hit five I start to lose interest (unless they’re related to me like my nieces and nephew, and obviously if they’re mine, or at least I hope so). All this to say that I’m praying 2017 will be the year I get pregnant. Holy sh*t — just writing this makes me extremely happy and terrified all at once. #overwhelmed. Continue reading

I had a Second Wedding and it was the Best Decision

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Our celebrity moment walking into a room filled with our family and friends. Photo by Jeffrey de Belle photography.

There are so many reasons not to have a wedding. Weddings tend to bring up otherwise dormant family issues, and they’re ridiculously expensive, not to mention time consuming and stressful. So then why did I disregard all the naysayers, including my very own husband, and willingly choose to have a second wedding?

To understand my decision, allow me to explain the circumstances surrounding my first wedding. It was an eight-person affair that took place at sunset, on the beach in Miami, where we live. I wore a knee-length Elizabeth and James white dress sans shoes, while my fiancé sported khakis and a linen button-down. I carried a pretty bouquet and we said “I do” in front of a notary and our close relatives. It was magical and beautiful, but it wasn’t how I pictured my wedding day.

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