25 Week Bumpdate

September 13, 2018 Haley Goodman

I am officially 25 weeks, and pregnancy is definitely feeling real! The bump is here, I’m feeling our baby move, and we are just over 3 months away from meeting this little baby boy! This is a long post today because I tried to update this weekly, so I would remember everything that happened from each week. Here we go!

21 Weeks- 25 Weeks

Due Date: December 25, 2018
Baby is the size of a: cauliflower (25 weeks), cantaloupe (24 weeks), grapefruit (23 weeks), coconut (22 weeks), endive (21 weeks)- all of this info came from The Bump app
Total weight gain: 18 lbs since before baby (What to Expect When You're Expecting suggests gaining 2-4 lbs in the first trimester and 1-1.5 pounds per week in the second trimester.) I'm still on track, but that sounds like a lot! And my doctor said that this month the baby and I will start growing a lot more. The baby is gaining about 6 ounces a week now, which is a huge jump from what it was before.
The bump: It is without a doubt there now. Around week 23, Parker made a comment that he could actually tell I had a bump for the first time.
Symptoms: No more nausea since week 20, except when I had to drink my glucose drink (more on that below in week 24). Insomnia once I got off my nausea meds. My hips and back started aching. Super vivid dreams. Frequent hunger. Having to go to the bathroom 4 million times during the middle of the night. TMI? Sorry! Wanting to organize/prepare like crazy for baby- my mom told me I was nesting. :)
Food cravings: fruit, Gatorade Zero, everything from Chickfila, a slice of cake (thanks commercials- Parker bought me cupcakes and that did the trick)
Food aversions: still going strong with the same aversions I’ve had basically the whole time- grilled seafood, grilled chicken, vegetables with a slimy texture (like zucchini), but I’ve also added hot dogs to the list
Sleep: Great until I went off my nausea meds. I think my body got dependent on them, so when I stopped taking them, it took about a week to start being able to sleep through the night. There were nights when I would be up from 2-5 AM. NOT fun.
What I miss: comfortably bending over to put my shoes on and shave my legs.
Movement: I finally started feeling movement consistently around 22 weeks! I felt random little flutters from time to time before that, but I wasn’t positive of what exactly it was until around 22 weeks. Then it started happening every time I got in bed to go to sleep and whenever I sat down on the sofa to watch tv.
Maternity clothes: these Zella maternity leggings and OMG I just got these maternity jeans and these maternity jeans in the mail Tuesday, and they are life changing! Quite a few of my regular clothes do not fit anymore, so I’m excited about pulling out my oversized sweaters and tops to wear with my maternity leggings and jeans once we get some cooler weather.
What we are most looking forward to: our 3D/4D ultrasound happening at 28 weeks! The doctor said the point of it is to get really cute baby pictures! He said to bring a CD-R if we want to save all of them, so obviously Parker and I went and bought a 10 pack immediately!
Apps I've used: Ovia Pregnancy, The Bump, and Glow Nurture. I also used Sprout until 23 weeks when it stopped allowing me to use the free version.
Products I've been loving: my Snoogle pregnancy pillow (helps SO much with the achy back and hips when I’m trying to sleep), leggings and sweatshirts (specifically this one), these super comfy slippers that I just got in the mail (if in between sizes, size up), pills for nausea until 24 weeks when I switched to pills for reflux, What to Expect When You're Expecting, I have purchased this cream to prevent stretch marks, but I haven’t used it yet
Purchases for baby: I now have a page on my blog under Shop My Favorites called Favorite Baby Items, and that is where I’m sharing the things we have purchased and received so far for our baby! We have received some super sweet gifts, like onesies, swaddles, bubbles, socks, hats, blankets, burp cloths, etc!

Weekly Fun

Week 21- I definitely started showing more in my clothes this week! And my hips started hurting so badly, especially while in bed going to sleep and while in the car on road trips. I had no clue this was a thing. However, What to Expect When You’re Expecting saved the day again. It informed me that it’s technically called round ligament pain, and most expectant moms experience it. I bought this Snoogle pregnancy pillow, and it has been life changing! It allows me to sleep with no pain! And it helps me stay on my sides instead of my back, which I learned you are not supposed to do during pregnancy.

Outfit Details: Dress | Crossbody Bag — **Outfit Details:** ***Dress*** | ***Crossbody Bag***

Week 22- I am finally for sure feeling movement! I think I have felt a few little kicks before this week, but I wasn’t sure what they were. Now, every time I get in bed at night, I feel all kinds of moving going on in there! This also happens throughout the day when I sit down for a few minutes. I came home to Mobile this week for an annual dermatologist appointment (everything was good!) and some fam time! Loved meeting Ebie’s puppy Sophie! I’m definitely hoping Bailey and Rosie do better with a baby than they did with a puppy though... My mom stocked us up on some adorable baby things, Ebie gave us a couple thoughtful gifts she got from the N Sale, and Gr’Ann made our baby boy a blanket- she crocheted the edges. So special!

Week 23- This was the first time Parker said he could actually tell I was showing. The bump is definitely here now. Further proof- We went to our friends’ couples shower over the weekend and I tried on somewhere around 5-7 dresses before I found one that fit. Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of some Labor Day sales and stock up on a few items that actually fit! One con- I have to go to the bathroom all day every day and all night every night. Annoying.

Week 24- Had to take my glucose test. I had heard about how awful the drink tastes, but I hadn’t heard about how it makes you feel. The taste certainly wasn’t good, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I had fruit punch, and it was sort of like a sweeter gatorade with a cough syrupy consistency. The worst part was that about 10 minutes after taking it, I got really jittery, lightheaded, and nauseous. I am beyond thankful that Parker was driving me to my doctor’s appointment because it took all I had to concentrate on not getting sick on the way over there. Once we got there, the bad feeling had mostly subsided. I asked my doctor if it was normal to feel that way, and he said yes- your body isn’t used to chugging that much sugar in such a short period of time. So I’m glad to know that was normal, but it still was definitely not a good feeling. They took my vitals, got my bloodwork, and then we got to talk to the doctor (the best part, we LOVE him!). We were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with a doppler, and it was in the 130s. That is always so surreal and exciting! He also told me I did not need to take the nausea meds I was taking anymore because that medicine was more for the first trimester. Nausea in the second trimester is typically caused by reflux, so he switched me to Nexium.

Week 25- Week 24 was such a long update, and I don’t have much for this week so far haha. Week 25 just started on Tuesday, and there's not much to report. Aside from the fact that my maternity jeans came in, and I LOVE them! And after a long week with very little sleep (caused by coming off of the first trimester nausea meds), I am finally sleeping through the night again!

Outfit Details: Sweatshirt | Leggings | Boots | Crossbody Bag | Sunglasses — **Outfit Details:** ***Sweatshirt*** | ***Leggings*** | ***Boots*** | ***Crossbody Bag*** | ***Sunglasses***

20 Week Bumpdate

August 8, 2018 Haley Goodman

I cannot believe that we hit the 20 week milestone yesterday! Time is flying and also somehow ticking by kinda slowly at the same time. We get to go to the doctor today! I've never looked forward to going to the doctor so much! Today is baby boy's anatomy scan, and we cannot wait to see him!

14 Weeks- 20 Weeks

Due Date: December 25, 2018
Baby is the size of a: banana (20 weeks), zesty zucchini (19 weeks), sweet potato (18 weeks), pomegranate (17 weeks), avocado (16 weeks), navel orange (15 weeks), peach (14 weeks)- all of this info came from The Bump app
Total weight gain: 12 lbs since before baby (What to Expect When You're Expecting suggests gaining 2-4 lbs in the first trimester and 1-1.5 pounds per week in the second trimester.) I'm right on track, but whoa- that number was not pleasant to see on the scale. Guess I need to let that go since it's only going to continue to grow.
The bump: I was so excited when Parker's mom and our sister-in-law told me they saw a little bump! They also said that I am carrying low, which is common when expecting a boy. Once they said that to me, I finally actually saw it myself. I got Parker to take a picture in my bathing suit, and there was no more questioning it! Photo below under the 19 weeks section. :) I'm 20 weeks along- I'm ready to be out of the did she just have a big meal or is there a baby in there phase!
Symptoms: I got sick for the first time. I know it is more common to get sick during the first trimester, but I never did. The nausea was real, but I never actually got sick until week 14. And one more time at week 16. I get extremely tired at night and start to feel sick if I try to stay up late, so I don't. I go to bed before the exhaustion/sick feeling kicks in. My sense of smell is still really strong, and the smell of seafood in the grocery store still makes me feel nauseous.
Food cravings: fruit, Sour Patch Kids, plain Cape Cod chips, chicken salad, chocolate chip cookies, chips and salsa/queso/guac, peanut butter, Gatorade Zero
Food aversions: grilled seafood, grilled chicken, vegetables with a slimy texture (like zucchini)
Sleep: Great! The Unisom and Vitamin B combo makes me sleep very well.
What I miss: beer/ fun drinks on vacay! I haven't ever missed it while at home, but when I was at the beach and the lake, I definitely wanted to crack open a beer or enjoy a bushwhacker like the rest of the fam.
Movement: not feeling any yet. I'm hopeful it will happen soon!
Maternity clothes: these Zella maternity leggings- they sold out during the Nordstrom sale, but they are back in a few sizes. I love them so much that I gave them 5 stars and wrote my first review on the Nordstrom site. I said- These leggings were my first maternity purchase. I LOVE all Zella leggings, and these did not disappoint! Medium is my usual size, but I didn’t really know what to get for maternity. I ordered medium and large, and I like the fit of the medium WAY better than the large. They both fit pretty similarly in the legs, but the large was way too roomy in the band part at the top. I’m keeping both just in case I need large closer to the end of pregnancy, but I suggest going with your true size. Medium is perfect for me!
What we are most looking forward to: the anatomy scan and doctor's appointment today at 2:00!
Apps I've used: Ovia Pregnancy, The Bump, and Glow Nurture
Products I've been loving: Same answer as the first trimester- leggings (specifically these) and sweatshirts (specifically this one), pills for nausea, What to Expect When You're Expecting, I have heard lots of bloggers say they use oils and things to prevent stretch marks, so I need to look into that
Purchases for baby: this fluffy bear jacket is all Parker and I have purchased so far, but my mom has stocked us up on some sale items from the N Sale and some baby boy clothes she has scored on sale! I shared some of them on Insta stories yesterday! Some of her finds include: this little puppy sweatshirt and sweatpants set, this DockATot, this Little Giraffe baby blanket, this Little Giraffe towel, this Mustella newborn arrival gift set, this Halo sleepsack swaddle, this Halo sleepsack wearable blanket!

Weekly Fun

Week 14- We went on vacation for the 4th of July! We went to visit my family in Orange Beach. Our trip included fun at the beach, pool, and lots of amazing restaurants! You can find my Orange Beach Travel Guide here. We also went to Florbama of course. I think it was the first time ever that I ordered a virgin daiquiri, and I'm here to tell you that it was delicious! On our drive back to Southaven, I got sick for the first time. And then Bailey (our dog) did. That ride back was not so fun.

Week 15-Nordstrom started their big anniversary sale for cardholders. I spent a lot less this year than I did last year! I haven't been doing a lot of shopping lately because I honestly don't know what to buy for myself. I have truly been living in leggings and pullovers. I did add to my comfy clothes collection because I know I will be able to continue wearing these things throughout pregnancy.

Outfit Details: pullover | leggings | running shoes — Outfit Details: *pullover* | *leggings* | *running shoes*

Week 16- We announced we were having a baby here! I am still so grateful for the outpouring of love we received! We went to the doctor thinking we would find out the gender of our baby, but we did not get to at this appointment. We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat with a doppler though! It said his heart rate was 145 beats per minute! And we got back a lot of blood work. The doctor said all of the tests came back great, and we have a healthy baby! However, I had it in my mind that we would find out our baby's gender, so I was so disappointed when we did not! Our nice doctor scheduled us to come back in exactly one week for the ultrasound lady to give us this info! I spent so much time on Pinterest this week looking at gender prediction charts. About 95% of them showed that we would be having a girl, but I had a gut feeling from the very beginning that we were having a boy!

Week 17- We found out we are having a baby BOY! Check out all the details in this blog post.

Week 18- The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale went live to the public, and I did lots of N Sale blogging. Sharing a picture below with my favorite items because they have been restocked (now that the sale is over- insert eye roll emoji). I also craved chocolate chip cookie dough, as well as chips and salsa/guac/queso. I never got that egg-free cookie dough. However, I did get to eat chips and salsa/guac/queso at On the Border with Parker for our weekly lunch date!

Week 19- Parker finished Phase 1 of his job here in Southaven, so he actually had a real week off where he could enjoy a relaxing vacation! We went to his parents' lakehouse at Gap Lake and enjoyed a very relaxing week with his family! This was the first time I realized I actually had a bump! Warning- If bump pictures make you uncomfortable, close your eyes and scroll past the next picture! I didn't think I was going to be one of those girls that put their hands like this, but I learned quickly that when you do not, it is not a flattering look (or at least it wasn't for me anyway).

Outfit Details- swimsuit | similar Lilly Pulitzer sarong | sunglasses — Outfit Details- *swimsuit |* similar Lilly Pulitzer sarong | *sunglasses*

Week 20- Yesterday was the day we hit 20 weeks, so I don't have much to report. Although we did go to the doctor today for an anatomy scan! The ultrasound was longer than usual because the lady thoroughly checked the baby’s heart, brain, spine, kidneys, arms, legs, facial features, etc. At one point, I said- so is he looking healthy? She said l can’t answer that. Only the doctor can tell you that. I immediately felt terrified. If she knew the baby was looking healthy, she could easily say yes, right?? From that point forward, Parker and I were both worried out of our minds. Although he did not tell me he was until after he got home from work. We were called back to the doctor’s office (ours was out, so we saw a different one), and we had to sit there for 40+ minutes wondering what was going on and dying to ask how our baby was. As soon as the doctor walked in, she said she had looked over all of the results, and everything she saw was good and showed that the baby was healthy. She confirmed that the ultrasound lady is not supposed to tell us how the baby is doing and only doctors can do that (at this office anyway). Immediate relief flooded over us. We asked quite a few questions, and we left feeling immense gratitude and relief that our baby boy is looking healthy. We will go back in 4 weeks, and I will be tested for gestational diabetes then. That’s it for now!

1st Trimester Bumpdate

July 24, 2018 Haley Goodman

I am actually 18 weeks pregnant today, but I want to use my blog to scrapbook this journey, so I am going back to document the first trimester today! I will be back next week with a 19 week bumpdate covering everything from 14 weeks to 19 weeks, and then this type of post will become less frequent! I'm thinking every 4 or 5 weeks. I'm just kind of playing catch up now since we didn't announce we were expecting until 16 weeks!

If you missed my pregnancy announcement blog post, you can click here to check that one out. And click here to check out the post where I shared we're having a baby boy! If you're all caught up on those, let's get started! By the way- this is a long read. Feel free to skim! :) Bumpdates have become my favorite type of blog post to read from other bloggers because I learn so much helpful info, so I got a little excited/wordy with my own!

First Trimester

Due date: December 25, 2018
Baby is the size of a: sweet pea (6 weeks), blueberry (7 weeks), raspberry (8 weeks), cherry (9 weeks), strawberry (10 weeks), lime (11 weeks), plum (12 weeks), lemon (13 weeks)- all of this info came from The Bump app
Total weight gain: 2 lbs (What to Expect When You're Expecting told me 2-5 lbs is the suggested weight gain range for the first trimester. I think my nausea kept this number in the lower end, but I have gained more than that since I am now out of the first trimester and will share that in my next bumpdate!)
The bump: towards the end of the first trimester, my stomach looked like I had just eaten a big meal, and my ability to suck in was no longer a possibility
Symptoms: no symptoms at all until the end of week 7, then the nausea and exhaustion kicked in. I never had morning sickness or actually got sick, but I had nausea just about every single day starting at week 8 around 4 or 5 pm and lasting until bedtime. My doctor suggested eating something between lunch and dinner because nausea would be inevitable if I didn't always have something in my stomach during the first trimester. Plain Cape Cod potato chips became a real life saver. And I used my free samples of Diclegis until I ran out (that stuff is $$$$$) and switched to a doctor recommended substitute of Vitamin B and Unisom (the one that says Doxylamine Succinate on the front). Also, my sense of smell has become insanely stronger than ever before.
Food cravings: FRUIT, Sour Patch Kids, diet lemonade, french fries, sandwiches (no deli meat at home, just sandwiches from restaurants that have been cooked), cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios and Life) for breakfast, TCBY
Food aversions: seafood, grilled chicken, vegetables with a slimy texture (like zucchini), eggs, avocado
Sleep: Great! The Diclegis or Unisom and Vitamin B combo makes me sleep very well.
What I miss: coffee and Advil. I waited way too long to purchase Tylenol for headaches, but it has been greatly appreciated.
Movement: not feeling any yet!
Maternity clothes: haven't purchased any yet, but my white jeans definitely became uncomfortable towards the end of the first trimester
What we are most looking forward to: finding out the gender and sharing our exciting news with everyone!
Apps I've used: Ovia Pregnancy, The Bump, and Glow Nurture
Products I've been loving: leggings (specifically these) and sweatshirts (specifically this one), pills for nausea, What to Expect When You're Expecting, I have heard lots of bloggers say they use oils and things to prevent stretch marks, so I need to look into that
Purchases for baby: nothing yet (surprisingly)! Looking forward to buying things when we find out the gender!

Weekly Fun

Week 5- We found out we're pregnant! I took 2 tests (one that had a plus and minus sign and one that said the actual word Pregnant). More about that here.

Week 6- I went to my doctor in Mobile who confirmed our pregnancy! She talked to me about a few basics, and I got my first ultrasound, which showed baby was doing well and had a very strong heartbeat! And the due date was Christmas day! Then I went to a friend's wedding and had to convince all of my very best friends that I had an "ear infection" and wasn't drinking because I was on antibiotics. Basically every single one of them knew I was lying and asked if I was pregnant. They know me too well. :)

However, I did learn from this, but what I’m sharing doesn’t apply to your best friends because it’s what best friends are supposed to do. And for the record, I have done the exact same thing to them. What I learned is that there’s really just never a good time to ask someone if they are pregnant. You never know what someone is going through- they could be having a hard time getting pregnant and not want to talk about it, they could be newly pregnant and not ready to share, they could have just had a baby and they're working on losing baby weight, etc. If you're unsure, stay safe and let them bring it up to you! If they are pregnant, it will come out eventually!

Week 7- I went to a blogger event in Memphis that was from 5-8 and started feeling realllllly sick for the first time on the way home. Fortunately, Parker was with me because he convinced me we needed to stop and get some food (not what I was really wanting at the time). We stopped at McDonald's and got some french fries, which actually helped. This was when the nausea every evening thing started.

Week 8- I asked a friend for a doctor recommendation in Memphis because I had only ever been to my same doctor in Mobile my whole life and didn't even know how to begin the search for a new doctor. We went to this new doctor at week 8, day 1 and had the BEST experience. We felt a sense of peace and knew this was the best place for us. They did an ultrasound and Parker got to see our baby for the first time (because he was not with me when I went to my doctor in Mobile)! And we both absolutely loved our doctor!

Week 9- My TCBY cravings started and still haven't totally gone away...

Week 10- Went to another friend's wedding and learned it's much easier to just fake drinking than fake sick. Having Parker there made this much easier too. He ordered club sodas with lime for me all night. I was worried about staying out so late because nighttime is when I typically felt so nauseous, tired, and awful. However, I was completely fine until the very end of the night. All my friends went to a bar after the reception, and I physically could not. Felt major FOMO, but I basically had to get back to the hotel, take my Diclegis, and hit the hay.

Week 11- We had another doctor's appointment where they did another ultrasound... we told the lady that we were about to tell our families about our baby and she made sure to include some cute words on the sonogram pictures for us to give our parents! Later this week, my family came to Southaven, and we got to tell them we're having a baby! I did the worst job of documenting this because I truly had the best time living in the moment without my phone. But basically as soon as they got in town and brought all of their stuff in, Parker and I handed each of them a beer. We put our wedding huggers around each of their beers, and I tied sonogram pictures around each of their huggers that said Baby Goodman due Christmas Day! We had the best weekend celebrating our exciting news, as well as an early Father's/ Grandfather's Day! :)

Week 12- Parker and I went to Dothan to tell his family we're having a baby! We went to dinner Friday night after our nephew's baseball game with Parker's parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. We told Parker's dad we wanted to give him his Father's Day gift a couple of days early, and he opened his actual gift, along with a baby onesie that said you're going to be grandparents again! Parker picked it out and purchased it! It was such a fun night with them, and then we got to share the news with Parker's sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nieces at lunch the next day with the whole Goodman fam! Parker's dad actually did it for us by pulling out his father's day gift AKA the onesie to show them! Our niece Anna Clay had already made the prediction we were coming in town to tell them we were having a baby... she was right!

Week 13- We got our pregnancy announcement photos taken! You can click here to check out the dress I wore.

We're Having a Baby BOY!!!

July 18, 2018 Haley Goodman

Parker and I found out yesterday that we are pregnant with a baby BOY! We are overjoyed and SO excited to finally know this precious info! We are 17 weeks pregnant, and baby boy Goodman is due Christmas day! The 150 day countdown is on (so thankful for the invention of apps that tell us fun info like that)!

We looked at various old wives' tales and about 90% of our answers told us we were having a girl. However, I have had a feeling since the very beginning that it was a boy. At our first doctor's appointment, my doctor looked at me and said what are you having? I said is this a trick question? Do you already know what we're having? He said no, but you do. A mother's intuition is the most reliable gender predictor. All of those old wives' tales are bologna. He was 100% correct in our case.

Like I mentioned in my pregnancy announcement blog post, we thought we were going to find out the gender at our doctor's appointment last week. However, that didn't happen, so our doctor scheduled us to come back for an ultrasound yesterday.

As soon as we walked in, I asked the ultrasound lady if she could write down the gender and put it in an envelope, so that we could find out via cupcake filling a little later. She said of course and as soon as she found the baby, she said he was face down with his legs crossed. That made it difficult to find out the gender, so she let us just watch him for a few minutes.

She referred to the baby as she or her, before and after she found out the gender. Parker didn't notice, but of course I was thinking did she slip up? Is it a girl? Or is she tricking us, and is it a boy? She kept it consistent though, and said she or her the whole time! We got to see all 5 fingers on one hand, his face, his spine, and he gave us a thumbs up at one point (pictured below)! I couldn't believe how much bigger he looked than the last ultrasound when we went in at 11 weeks. He's taking up lots of space in there! He is currently the size of a pomegranate according to 2 of my apps- The Bump and Ovia Pregnancy (this is the first time they have both said the same thing).

After a few minutes, she turned the monitor off, so that we couldn't see anymore and determined whether it was a boy or girl. She put the pictures in an envelope and included "it's a boy" on a couple of them! It was pretty hard to not bust into that envelope early because it was just held together with one piece of tape.

I had called a few bakeries on the way to our appointment. I didn't realize how hard it was to order cupcakes filled with icing. One place said they would need 5 days, and another place said they didn't offer cupcake filling. However, I ended up finding the most precious bakery called Old Towne Bakery in Olive Branch, which is basically right next door to Southaven.

The man I talked to on the phone was SO friendly. He told me the lady who fills the cupcakes was there in the morning, so I needed to let them know what to fill the cupcakes with... obviously I did not know what to fill them with, so I ordered 2 vanilla cupcakes filled with pink icing and 2 vanilla cupcakes filled with blue icing- best idea on my part because they are SO good!

Before we went to the cupcake place, we went and enjoyed lunch at our favorite restaurant- Tazikis. It's in Memphis, so we don't get there as often as we would like. Thanks to Ebie and Patrick for my birthday gift card- lunch was on them! Then, we drove to Old Towne Bakery. We walked inside, and it was the cutest place and the owner was SO nice! We gave him the envelope, and he brought us the cupcakes. He told us the cupcakes in the container with the sticker were the ones that were filled with the color of our baby's gender. The other container didn't have a sticker.

I got him to take our picture, and he told us that we better get out of there before he spilled the beans and ruined the surprise for us. We walked right outside, and there was a precious little table and chairs set. Olive Branch is very small, and we were in the downtown area that is adorable! We sat right down, and I of course had to snap a photo of the unopened cupcakes.

Then we opened the box, and Parker said he was full from lunch and didn't want one. So I pulled one out, and the white icing on top sort of slipped in my hand... and I was able to see the tiniest bit of blue poking through. Parker could immediately tell from my face that I saw it. I've never been one who could hide facial expressions, so I took a big bite in an effort to get far enough in there to show him the BLUE icing! Such an exciting and special moment!

I shared this exciting news with our family and a few close friends yesterday. Some people asked me if I was excited... I have always been a girly girl and only grew up with a sister, so I think some people might have assumed I wanted a girl. However, I could not possibly be more excited! I have honestly never prayed for a boy or girl specifically. I have only ever prayed for a healthy baby, and we are beyond thankful and excited that God blessed us with this baby boy! His plan is perfect and has been far better than we ever could have imagined!

I am also beyond thankful for your love and kind words! When I shared about our pregnancy last week, I was overwhelmed in the best way! Y'all made it the most fun day, and I cannot thank you enough! The timing of the big Nordstrom Sale couldn't have been better either because this baby boy has already been gifted this DockATot, this Little Giraffe baby blanket, this Little Giraffe towel, this Mustella newborn arrival gift set, this Halo sleepsack swaddle, this Halo sleepsack wearable blanket, as well as some precious baby boy clothing (that was just ordered yesterday)!

You can click here if you missed the blog post where I shared our pregnancy announcement. As always, thank you so much for reading! And I hope you have a great day!

Last thing- because all I want to look at now is precious teensy tinsy baby things, I'm linking some of the most adorable baby things included in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

Baby Goodman Coming Christmas 2018!

July 10, 2018 Haley Goodman

We're pregnant!!!!! Our baby is due on Christmas day, and I cannot tell you how excited we are! We are also overjoyed to finally share the news! As of today, I am 16 weeks pregnant! Our most recent doctor's appointment was yesterday. We thought we would find out the gender then, but we did not. However, we will be finding out that exciting info in exactly one week!

Photography by: Mallory Cassady // Outfit Details- Dress | Sandals + Big Sister Signs

I'll share a little bit of our story today, and I will share bumpdates and baby-related posts from time to time. However, I have not turned into a total mommy blogger. I will most definitely still be sharing all the typical Art Fashion Fun content and of course all about the best sales (be sure to check back here for my HUGE Nordstrom Anniversary Sale post going live on Thursday)!

Onto our story. :) A while ago, Parker and I made a plan and decided we would wait until we moved back home before starting a family. We are both very close with our families and want them to be as involved as possible with our baby. However, Parker is very happy with his job right now, and he would have to leave his company and find a new job if we were to move home.

Although we have known that moving home was not something that would be happening immediately, baby talk (talk of a baby, not actual baby talk) became more and more common in our house. We discussed how we could come up with excuses to put off growing our family for a lifetime and end up with no babies (and that is absolutely not what we want). So on Parker's most recent birthday, we did what all responsible adults do when needing to make an important decision- we decided to flip a coin.

Heads- baby! Tails- we wait a little while longer. I flipped the coin, it rolled behind a wall, and I went to see what it landed on. Heads. Parker hadn't seen it. I said what do you think it landed on? He said probably tails. I got him to come look around the corner, and his grin lit up his face like I have never seen. The decision was made by the flip of a coin.

Fast forward a few months. I had been feeling a strange crampy feeling in my stomach (still not totally sure if this is normal?), and I decided to purchase a pregnancy test while on a Walmart grocery run. I only had a few things on my list, and the young guy checking me out appeared extremely uncomfortable as he threw the pregnancy test into a bag as quickly as he could.

I truly had ZERO expectation that the pregnancy test would be positive. I just wanted to be sure that drinking a glass or 2 of wine that weekend would be ok. Well, that plus sign showed up just about as soon as possible. I was truly in shock. I remember staring at it, staring at myself in the mirror, and not believing it was true.

I decided to hop in the shower really fast and come up with a cute way to tell Parker when he got home from work. When I was in the shower, I thought of the perfect pink and blue Lilly Pulitzer dress I could put on, and I was going to video Parker's reaction and do all these cute things. Well, Parker gets home from work early- before I had even finished drying off.

I threw the Lilly dress mentioned above on (to go with my wet hair and 0 makeup AKA not cute), and I sprinted into the kitchen with the positive pregnancy test and shoved it at Parker and said look! I had my iPhone video rolling, and it is the worst video footage known to man. It did however capture the shock and then pure joy on Parker's face. It hit me in that moment. It did not feel real to me at all until then. I started shaking and holding my belly before Parker gave me a huge hug and asked why I was shaking so badly.

I was like well, I wanted to surprise you in a cute way, but mostly- it didn't feel real at all until this moment. It still didn't feel real for quite some time. In fact, there are still moments where I cannot believe it. Parker said it felt like we were in the twilight zone for the first week or 2. So surreal and exciting! We thank God for blessing us with this special gift every day. And for those still waiting, you are in my daily prayers.

I was going home the following week, so I called my OBGYN, and they were so kind to squeeze me in at the one time that would work for me. They said that it might be too early to find a heartbeat, but they would try to search for one because it could be a while before I found a doctor in the Southaven/ Memphis area. Sure enough, they found a heartbeat. All I wanted was for Parker to be there with me, but it started to feel a little more real in that moment. And they gave me some pictures to show him.

They told me I was 6 weeks and 1 day pregnant, our baby's heartbeat was strong, and the due date was Christmas Day. I sent Parker pictures of the sonogram right away, and he called and wanted every single detail.

I think one of the reasons it did not feel real was because I did not feel any signs of pregnancy until the end of week 7. However, at that point, morning sickness hit and the EXHAUSTION was real. More details to come on all that and more in my first bumpdate!

This last photo is one of my very favorite photos of Parker ever. It is so rare that he shares his real smile/laugh in a picture. I am so thankful to my friend Mallory for capturing these photos that are so special to us! If you're ever looking for a photographer in the Memphis area, I highly suggest contacting her. You can click here to check out her blog where you will find her contact info.

But anyway, sorry for the 8000 paragraph essay! I am beyond excited to finally share all of this with you! Thanks so much for reading, and I can't wait to share more updates soon!

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Orange Beach Travel Guide

July 5, 2018 Haley Goodman

While spending the past week in Orange Beach, I thought it might be a fun idea to create a travel guide! My parents have had a place in Orange Beach for about 10 years, so we have become familiar enough with the area for me to share some of the best places (in our opinion) down there. If you have anything to add, please be sure to leave a comment at the end of the post!

Our Favorite Restaurants

Florabama Yacht Club-the Greek shrimp nachos and chargrilled oysters are 2 of our favorites!

Ole River Grill- another Florabama restaurant with delicious seafood

Cobalt- this is where Ebie and Patrick's wedding reception was! Delicious food with beautiful views.

Tacky Jacks- you must get the Mexican Garbage (the best nachos!)

Cosmos- good seafood and dog friendly. Parker and I went for lunch one day and split a few delicious appetizers- sautéed crawfish tails, crab claws, and firecracker shrimp. We also like their sushi, but they don't start serving it until after 3 on weekdays.

Master Joe's- best. sushi. ever. The sushi pizza is a winner even if you're not a huge sushi fan. It is so unique and delicious!

Sunset Grill- we ate here for our last dinner at the beach. We got the grouper bites as an appetizer and all highly suggest them.

Anchor Bar & Grill- my mom and dad kept talking about how amazing this place is! I've never been but hope to go next time I'm down there.

Brick & Spoon- Best brunch

Cactus Cantina-Best Mexican at Orange Beach

Lulus- fun atmosphere and delicious Krispey Kreme bread pudding! (actually in Gulf Shores)

Acme Oyster House- most delicious seafood restaurant at the beach! (actually in Gulf Shores)

Shopping

The Wharf- perfect place for the whole family! You can find shops, restaurants, a movie theater, an amphitheater, Dippin Dots, and daiquiris here!

SanRoc Cay- an entertainment district with several cute little local shops and restaurants

Tanger Outlets- perfect rainy day activity! The outlets are actually located in Foley, but not too bad of a drive from Orange Beach.

Places to Go for a Fun Atmosphere and Good Drinks

Florabama

Florbama Yacht Club

The Hangout

The Wharf

The Gulf

Fun Places to Go by Boat

Pirate's Cove-for the best cheeseburger & bushwhacker in town; a little dirty, but always a good time! dog friendly

Robinson Island-an island that is constantly populated with people who want to float in the water and drink beer

Florabama Yacht Club-a cleaner Pirate's Cove that allows dogs and always has live music

Sunset Grill-for a delicious meal on the water

Ono Island- just to drive around and look at beautiful houses

What am I missing? I know there are so many more things I could add to this list, but these are our favorites! Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

Wilson Weekend in Southaven Round 2

June 12, 2018 Haley Goodman

I have not used my blog to document special memories lately, but that is changing today! I do enjoy writing blog posts about fashion and sales, but my favorite blog posts are real life posts that I can look back on and remember all of the details from the time I got to spend with my favorite people.

The title of this post says Round 2 in it because this was my family's second time to visit us in Southaven. I documented their first visit here- Wilson Weekend in Southaven. Looking back on that post, I did a much better job of taking pictures then. Whoopsies. I do not have nearly as many pictures, but I am happy to share what I've got today!

Friday

My mom, dad, Ebie, and Patrick got to Southaven around 4:30. Just in time for cocktail hour. One of my favorite things to do is celebrate special occasions. Because I will not be with my dad on Father's Day, we celebrated him a little early. My family loves to see the clock when it says 4:44. 4 is our lucky number. We just so happened to say Cheers with our first beer at 4:44- a sign that we would have the BEST early Father's Day weekend together!

We enjoyed our beer and app (cowboy caviar) while catching up, and then I showed Patrick around our house. It was his first time visiting us in Southaven. My mom and Ebie joined too. Seeing the mancave is always an interesting experience. Next up was dinner. Our weekend basically revolved around eating. We considered going out to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town- Rancho Grande. However, we ended up getting Salsaritas take out, so we could hang out with the pups at home.

After dinner, we did our little Father's Day celebration. I'm so mad I don't have pictures of my dad's treats. If you know him, you know he is not a present lover. So we kept things pretty minimal. We gave him a fun card with a golf game on the front where you had to get the little metal ball into the hole. That was fun for everyone, and on the inside was an official signed document from Ebie and me promising no texting and driving for the year (this is the only gift my dad asks for every year). Ebie's signature was a source of entertainment- it looked something like Elsaba Fosal.

Next up, my dad opened up his gifts- some books that my mom so kindly helped us with. My dad is quite possibly the hardest person in the world to buy gifts for, including books because he has read so many. We got him quite a few new ones that he will hopefully enjoy. I also made a brownie/cookie dessert. I took a picture of the box but not the actual product. Ughhhh- serious fail, but it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed it! We also got him 2 bundtlets (mini bundt cakes) from Nothing Bundt Cakes that we saved for the next night.

I did get one good photo from Friday. Rosie adored my mom the entire time she was here. She rarely left her side. The precious little sleepy pup even decided at one point that she would jump up on the back of the couch and use my mom's head as a pillow. They both fell asleep in this position, and I thought my heart might explode.

It takes a little less than 6 hours to get to Southaven from Mobile, and road tripping will wear ya out. Parker and I typically go to bed early anyway, so we were all in bed by 9:00. Had to get our beauty rest before a fun touristy day in Memphis the next day!

Saturday

We watched the French Open women's finals on Saturday morning, and I made pancakes- Ebie's favorite. Then we went on a short walk with the pups before a longer walk around Southaven suburbia. Next up, we all showered and got ready for a barbecue feast in Memphis.

We took Parker's parents to Central BBQ when they visited us last summer, and we loved it so much that we decided to take my family this time. I loved being able to look back at my blog post from their weekend here last summer and see the pictures of what all we got (blog post here). I planned on ordering the exact same thing I ordered last time before I even went back and checked out last year's post. #creatureofhabit

There's always a long line, but it moves pretty quickly. We got someone to take our pic while we were in line, and then I made sure to take a picture of all of our plates. Every single one of us cleared our plates. If you're ever looking for good barbecue in Memphis, Central BBQ is a must!

Next up, we tried to be tourists in Memphis. The Lorraine Motel is right across from Central BBQ, so we walked over there and checked it out. Then we drove past Beale Street and headed on down to the Mississippi River. We finally got some pics here! Parker and I were not the best hosts because we honestly didn't really know where else to take my fam in Memphis, so we headed back to Southaven next.

Outfit Details- Ebie: her 2 piece set is from Hemline in Mobile, Crossbody Bag |

Me: Dress, Shoes, Crossbody Bag |

My Mom: Shorts, Shoes, Bracelet, Crossbody Bag, Her top is from Anthropologie but sold out

We were all exhausted by the time we got back, so we took naps. Welcome to vacay with the Goodmans- eat, sleep, repeat. :) We had planned on grilling out for dinner, but after the enormous feast we had for lunch, nobody was really hungry. So we got some yogurt at TCBY and called it a night! Actually after the TCBY, we busted into the bundlets. We went with confetti cake and praline pecan- both were delicious!

Sunday

We woke up Sunday morning and watched the French Open men's finals before heading out on a walk. Then we cooked the meal we had planned on making the night before- hamburgers, french fries, and baked beans. Such a delicious lunch before my family had to hit the road. It's never fun saying goodbye, but it wasn't too bad this time because we will see them again at the beach for the 4th of July!

On Friday, my dad pointed out that he had never seen me put my phone down for so long. This comment really hit me. It is so rare that I am not on my phone, but it is so important to put it down and fully enjoy time with loved ones. I may not have the best picture proof of the fabulous weekend we had (because my phone was missing for part of the weekend), but I sure do have the memories of the special time we had together!

I'm excited to incorporate more lifestyle posts into my blog in the coming weeks and months. But as always- I will link up outfit details for those people here for the fashion. :) Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

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What I Learned from a Lesson with a Makeup Artist

May 17, 2018 Haley Goodman

Receiving blog post suggestions is something that makes me so happy. It's not always easy to come up with something new to write about every day. One of my friends suggested I interview a makeup artist and write about it. I loved that idea because makeup is definitely not an area of expertise for me. Thanks for the great idea Jackie! :)

I thought Ebie's wedding would be the perfect time to talk to a makeup artist because we would already be getting our makeup done. I had the list of questions my friends and I came up with, and I was ready to go. However, it's actually not easy to look down and take notes while getting your makeup done, and wedding days are definitely time-sensitive days. At some point, my mom asked the fabulous makeup artist if she taught makeup lessons because that would be a great birthday gift for me. She said she did, and I decided I would put my laptop away, relieved to know that I could ask her all the questions during the makeup lesson!

The makeup artist I'm talking about is Courtney Matthews, and she worked for Bobbi Brown for years. If you're in the Mobile area, we highly recommend her! Her email is cocokat5712@gmail.com. She did our makeup for Ebie's wedding, and then she came over to our house in Mobile and gave my mom and me a makeup lesson. This was one of my very favorite birthday gifts!

I tried to consolidate my notes, but I took over 3 pages of Word document notes while she was giving us our makeup lesson. I learned SO MUCH! When you see words in Italics, you can click on them to be taken directly to the product mentioned.

Skincare

Before we even got started on makeup, Courtney gave us a whole spiel on skincare. To sum things up, she said the skin is so important, so start there- get your skin looking great and makeup will be so much easier.

-Use a gentle cleanser every day but substitute an exfoliating cleanser twice a week.

-Also use toner if you’re prone to breakouts because it makes your face extra clean. You can use it to clean your face after exercise. Try to find an alcohol free toner that is very gentle, like a micellar water because it freshens up your skin.

-Double cleansing is something that is trending right now. What this means is you use a cleansing oil to absorb makeup, wipe it off, & rinse it off and then use a cleaning cleanser like Cetaphil.

-After cleansing, apply serum- use a dropper to put it on fingertips, rub your fingers together to warm it up and make it body temperature, press it into your skin, and let it seep in.

-Next, use a little bit of moisturizer and rub your fingers together to let it warm up to body temperature. This allows it to seep into your skin better.You want to use your hands to mimic your own body. This strategy takes advantage of the products we buy. Courtney used Brandless facial lotion. She said every product by Brandless is around $3. They wanted to create a company that has high quality products that are affordable.

-Courtney could not suggest eye cream more. She said it is SO important. Use the tiniest amount, rub it together between your fingers to warm it up before pressing it in there where the puffiness is. Bobbi Brown Eye Cream is the one Courtney used. It helps with so many things, but one thing in particular- it makes concealer go on smoother.

-Don't have a lazy night! If you don’t want breakouts, jump up and do the bare minimum before going to bed- cleanse your face and put on moisturizer at least. It takes 2 weeks for your skin to recover when you do not take makeup off before bed!

-Don't be scared of oils- use plant oils or organic coconut oil to take off makeup or for hydrating purposes.

Makeup

Outfit Details: Robe | Leggings

-Concealer- start with concealer under your eyes to brighten. She said if you start with concealer, you will find that you don’t have to go overboard with foundation. You want the concealer to brighten and lift your eye, like an eyelift without surgery. I’m in between colors of my Tarte Shape Tape concealer, so both colors together worked the best to conceal the circles under my eyes. Courtney used a cream blending brush, but she said you can also just use a regular concealer brush and then pat with your fingers. She also reemphasized the importance of hydrating before using it.

-Foundation- Courtney used a Bobbi Brown foundation stick in warm sand. It's very versatile. You can use a foundation brush or pat with your fingers. Bobbi Brown trains her employees to use their fingers a lot and not a beauty blender because beauty blenders waste so much product. Foundation can be applied on your whole face, but make sure to go around your concealer.

-Powder- use something that is as colorless as possible so you don’t look like you have a ton of makeup on. Powder should just be used to keep the shine down. Courtney said the concealer and foundation combo was enough for me. She said I could apply powder if I got shiny, but she suggested that I not use it on a day to day basis.

-Bronzer is supposed to be color correcting and not give you a tan. It should only be used on the cheekbones and then leftover product can be swept lightly over your forehead (my bronzer has shimmer, and I definitely don’t want that all over my face). You have to have a really good bronzer brush. It is worth the money because it is shaped properly and has softer bristles so its not grabbing tons of color. It is lightly putting color on our face. We want it to go on as sheer as possible, and then we can use leftover bronzer to warm up nose, under chin, and rest of face to bring the color up from your chest.

-Blush- concentrate on the apple of your face. Come up the cheekbone making downwards strokes. Use a blush brush. My color is Bobbi Brown pale pink. My mom's is dessert rose or apricot or coral shimmer. My blush is from high school and needs to be replaced. It does not necessarily go bad. It just loses pigment over time. Another type of blush that can be used is a pot rouge. Courtney called this the best purse product because it can be used on cheeks and lips. It's the same color but looks a little bit different on cheeks and lips. You just tap your finger in it and apply. Courtney’s favorite is Maui.

-Eyebrows- Courtney used an eye cream pencil and said start at the inner part and go out. Do it little by little on each side and then use eyeshadow with a brow brush to fill in. Courtney used Bobbi Brown wheat. She said it lifts your eyes and makes you look more awake.

-Eyeshadow- I have the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. Courtney said press your eyeshadow into your eye to concentrate it into your eyelid. If you’re feeling diva like, don’t use concealer first so you can go back under your eyes to cover the fallout and you don’t have to do it twice. Start with Bone for a good base shadow (no shimmer) to mimic the color of your skin. This takes the color out of your eyelid. Apply it all over from eyelid to eyebrow. Then, press in Half Baked all over lower lid. Build it with Copper in the corner and bring it lightly to inner eye. Then go over that with Snakebite. Start in the corner again and then all over the crease. Blend it out in the corner so it doesn’t stay too concentrated and chop your eye. Blend it outwards and upwards to look more like your eye sockets.

-Eyeliner- Nothing is going to brighten your eye up like black. If you don’t want black, go as dark brown as possible. Start at the outside and stay right at the base of the lashline and go all the way across as far as you have lashes. Then, you can go over it and draw more of a line or cateye if that is your thing. Courtney used Bobbi Brown gel liner with an ultra fine eyeliner brush. She suggests using a waterproof eyeliner and only putting it on the top.

-Mascara- The best drugstore mascara is Loreal Voluminous. It's great in waterproof and regular. Super helpful tip- don’t pump your wand! It puts a bunch of air and bacteria in there. The more air that gets in there, the thicker it gets. Courtney said she also loves Bobbi Brown smoky eye mascara and said to never redip mascara because there is plenty of product on your wand to do two coats on each eye. After doing 2 good coats on top, graze whats left on the bottom. Use very little on the bottom lashes so it doesn’t pull you down.

-Lips- No matter the color, when you choose a lipstick, make sure it does something for you, and it's not just a color on your face. Don’t let it take away from your eye color. Courtney used Bobbi Brown lip color. She used a basic lip brush, and that always makes lipstick stay on longer because it is pressing it into the lips. She said my lips are very defined, so I don’t necessarily need a lipliner. However, she did use a lipliner to fill my lips in at Ebie's wedding before lipstick, so that it would last longer. Wrong lip colors take the attention away from your eyes, so you want a color that will compliment your eyes!

I learned SO much and clearly tried to be as thorough with my notes as I could. I'm so excited to share this with you! I hope it helps! Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

Outfit Details: My Mom's Dress | My Dress (similar) | My Sandals

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Mother's Day Gift Ideas

May 3, 2018 Haley Goodman

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and I have enlisted the help of my mom to create this post for you! She has some items I'm sharing today and would like to have others! Click on any of the items in the collage below to be taken directly to the link!

I want to point out some things about a few of the items in the collage above. The blanket in the first row is extremely soft and made even cuter with a monogram! My mom, mother-in-law, sister, and I all have and love it!

My mom is not a coffee drinker, so that coffee maker in the first row would be a terrible gift for her. However, if you have a coffee-loving mama, Parker and I just upgraded to this coffee maker when our 5 year old Keurig bit the dust, and we cannot say enough positive things about it! This version is a little less pricy and looks amazing too!

My mom just purchased the makeup brush set in the bottom row of the collage, She said it was packaged in the cutest way and comes with a great variety of brushes for under $10! Throw in the under $5 makeup cleaner, and this would make a gift we would love to receive! Especially if it was thrown into the under $50 scalloped pink tote (that also comes in ivory!

If you are not familiar with Coton Colors, then the velcro on the soap dispenser in the last row might have seemed a little strange. We LOVE Coton Colors! You buy a base which has a piece of velcro on it (the soap dispenser in this case), and then you get attachments that have velcro on the back. The attachment can be stuck onto the base, and they can be changed out with each season or celebration.

I'll include some bases and attachments below, so you can get a better picture of what I'm talking about. All of the bases and attachments I'm linking are mini. If you order these, make sure you order a mini base and mini attachments or big base and big attachments. One base and a few attachments would make the most adorable gift!

Coton Colors Mini Bases

Coton Colors Mini Attachments

I could not fit all of my gift ideas into one collage, so I will include more options below! Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

More Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Ebie's Wedding Weekend via iPhone Photos

April 16, 2018 Haley Goodman

Ebie and Patrick's wedding photographer was amazing. I can't wait to see her photos, but I thought I'd go ahead and share some (actually A LOT of) pictures I have from my little sis's beautiful wedding weekend!

Thursday

We kicked things off Thursday with a family dinner at Florbama Yacht Club! Our adorable cousin Mary Hanlon came and joined us, and then Ebie, Mary Hanlon, and I went to Florabama for a bushwhacker after dinner.

Outfit Details: My Mom: Top | White Jeans Ebie: Top | Shorts Me: Dress

Friday

We started Friday with brunch, manicures, and pedicures thanks to Patrick's mom and aunt! Then we went back to my parents' condo and had Master Joe's sushi and some other delicious treats for lunch before heading out for a beach day!

Outfit Details: My Coverup | My Sunglasses | Ebie's Swimsuit | Ebie's Sarong

We went to the church for the rehearsal, and then we headed to the house where Patrick's family was staying for the rehearsal dinner. It was one of the most fun and stress-free rehearsal dinners I've ever been to! Plus, they had the most delicious food- crawfish, shrimp, sausage, jambalaya, gumbo, etc. Such a treat!

Wedding Day

We got ready at my parents' condo! My mom's friend Kim did our hair, and Courtney Matthews did our makeup (blog post on all the things I learned about makeup coming soon!). The wedding ceremony was at Our Lady of the Gulf, and the reception was at Cobalt. Ebie wanted to keep it small, and she and Patrick invited mainly family and very close friends.

It was supposed to rain all day, but we lucked out with weather! After the reception, one of my dad's friends and his wife picked Ebie and Patrick up in their boat and drove them away- a STUNNING exit!

The after party was at Florbama, and it is definitely safe to say we had an absolute blast!

Our bridesmaid dresses were by Hutch. This exact dress is not available anymore, but they have some other beautiful options! You can click here to check them out. My mom and I both wore these shoes, and they were the perfect heel height!