Life with Olive through our month milestone photos.
Oh, what a joy it has been to be the mom to this little miracle baby girl. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know about our journey to Olive. Years TTC and then going through IVF was the hardest thing we have ever done, but BOY was it worth it a million times over! These photos may not seem like anything too interesting and let’s be serious – they are mostly here for me to look back on.
My favorite thing about this is probably watching her hair grow. SO CRAZY.
Need help finding a dress for an upcoming wedding? We’ve rounded up our favorites from Nordstrom, Anthropologie and REVOLVE for you.
NORDSTROM
Nordstrom is by far the most popular amongst our followers for shopping for wedding dresses! We have to admit that we are a little salty that the Nordstrom here in Richmond closed and haven’t shopped there in a while. BUT, they really do have a great selection of, well, almost everything. So, we hit our old trusty site to find a few favorites for wedding guests and here they are.
I picked a bunch of VERY different style dresses to hopefully appeal to all styles and dress codes.
REVOLVE
Revolve seems to be a pretty polarizing retailer. You either love it or you hate it. Either way, they have a great selection of wedding guest dresses – including the ones we are wearing in the pic above! (Rebecca’s Saylor Dress, Catherine’s Bardot Dress). Here are a few of our favorite options available right now.
ANTHROPOLOGIE
I have to admit that it has been a while since I shopped on Anthropologie! But when I polled my instagram followers and asked what their go-to retailers for wedding guest dresses were, so many people said Anthro. And DANG. I have been missing out!!! For a while I have had trouble getting inspired or seeing something that really *wows* me and now I know where all the good stuff has been hiding! There are so many fun occasion dresses and not just from in-house brand BHDLN. Now I just need more special occasions.
Here are a few that really caught my eye, but their whole wedding shop is great.
The most maximalist pajama collab that LAKE has done since we have been partners.
When we got the email that LAKE was partnering with Blair Eadie for an Atlantic-Pacific x LAKE Collection, we were thrilled. We immediately texted each other to say how stoked we were to see the designs. As LAKE partners, we get to choose a few pieces to try from each collection and choosing which ones we wanted for this was SO hard. I swear, we both stared at the line sheet for hours trying to decide.
It’s just that good.
We were both immediately drawn to the rainbow pieces! Cath decided on the pajama set and I went for the robe. They are like rays of sunshine in our closets (and drawers). We chose the poplin pj sets this time, but of course they have the classic PIMA Cotton pajamas in a special Atlantic-Pacific color combo as well.
We were so excited to bring our pjs with us to our recent trip to Primland’s Auberge Resort and snapped some pix in our cottage. Stay tuned for more photos and video from the trip, it was a good one and the pajamas really brought up the morning vibes.
As always, we only share things here that we REALLY love. So trust us when we say that everything LAKE is worth the price tag.
Olive is wearing the baby Easter pajamas and they are beyond adorable! If the Atlantic-Pacific collection isn’t speaking to you- there is still time to get your Easter pajamas, yall! (Size up for babies, they run a little small. Olive is in 9-12 months).
Which pieces do you guys have your eyes on? Let us know if you buy something!
These 4 dresses are flattering, affordable and fun for spring.
I am getting used to my postpartum body & weight loss and finally felt like buying myself a few nice new things for spring! I have been faithful to Abercrombie for a few years now, and as always they come through with this haul of dresses! They have options for all shapes and styles and they are basically always having sales. SO, if these aren’t on sale right now, bookmark the links or save this blog post and come check back in the next few days. Chances are, a sale will be going on!
OR as always, follow me on instagram, because I will let you know when the sales are the best!
This is a classic Abercrombie style and I have to admit that I just ordered it to “see what it was like.” I didn’t think that I would love it as much as I do! It comes in a few different colors and is SO flattering! A spring must.
If you are a busy women who enjoys the glamorous process of getting ready but don’t always have the time you need for FULL glam, this product review of Color Wow’s Dreamcoat Supernatural Spray is for you.
Color Wow Dreamcoat Supernatural Spray is a haircare product that I have been eyeing for weeks. I was hesitant to purchase because of the price point and because I tend to be a sucker for products involved in the oh-so-fun process of getting ready and have been duped by this category’s advertising more times than I can count. (Hence why I have a blog basically about shopping L O L)
OK – if you want the cliff notes of cathclaire’s review of the Color Wow Dreamcoat, I effing love it (click here for more beauty faves.) If you want to read further to discover the 5 Reasons I love it- let’s get into it.
First and foremost, I am all about optimizing my life.
When it comes to my glam routine (makeup and hair), I value products and rituals that save me time and make getting ready for the day or an event easier. This usually looks like a product that can do double-duty and Color WOW Supernatural Spray fits the bill – it works as a heat protectant AND a dreamcoat for your hair.
There are SO many suggestions for things that you need before your baby comes. All babies are different and all moms are different but we all want to be prepared, so we register for all of it. I was definitely guilty of this! I thought if I had all the things that would make this giant life change easier. And it some ways it did, and some ways it didn’t. It certainly didn’t hurt. But there were definitely lots of things we never used because they just didn’t fit with our needs.
SO, I thought I would just highlight a few things that we registered for, got and used a lot in the first three months. Again, these are my personal experiences and opinions but hopefully they are a helpful for you!
The boppy is one of those things you either receive as a hand-me-down or you definitely have on your registry! It is meant for different uses as your baby grows and starts out as a *nursing pillow* Personally, I didn’t really use it when nursing, but we did use it just as a little lounger on our lap to give our arms a rest. John particularly loved using it this way! Then, as they grow you can use it for tummy time, help to learn to sit up and lounge once they can sit up. Definitely worth having. Our rainbow Boppy Cover.
I am just absolutely swooooooning over the LAKE Pajamas Valentine’s Day Collection! The lips and the hearts are just too adorable. LAKE’s super soft PIMA Cotton pjs have become a staple in our house ever since my best friend gave me a pair during pregnancy! We wore them over Christmas as a family (even John had them) and I just think their mommy and me sets too sweet.
I went for the Poplin nightgown for this collection since I have a good number of the sets and it is breathable and cooling and chic. Honestly, it is kind of out of character for me but my style has changed since Olive was born! I’m a sap. I mean, the kisses! It comes in the heart print, too, and both come with matching sets for the little ones. Cath even got the kisses for Phoenix too and I gotta say they are ADORABLE for little boys.
Because I have a little baby Olive napping in my arms right now, I will keep it short and sweet but trust me when I say that any purchase from LAKE is money well spent. Every pair I have is worth the price!
Gifts that show you actually thought about them this year 😉
Instead of bringing you a long boutique style widget with lots of options, I decided to narrow down my gift list this year to a more reasonable and readable list. SO, here are some thoughtful gifts that will for sure make for a happy girl on Christmas! Below I will highlight the pieces that I actually have and can vouch for firsthand.
Okay, I don’t have this YET but my mom and sister do and it is on my wish list 😉 This handblown colored glassware has been growing a cult following over the past few years and it has finally hit the big time (aka landed on Nordstrom) this year. I have seen it alll across the ‘net and the ‘gram on wish lists and gift guides and I can personally say, they reallyyyyy are worth it.
For the stay at home mom or work at home mom or lady who loves to lounge. This set was gifted to me and I have been wearing it nonstop since it landed on my door step. I am super particular about having loungewear and knitwear that isn’t itchy and is actually comfortable so I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that this set lives up to the price point. I have the white and its real pretty.
For the traveler on your list. I hear from trusted sources that this bag is a MUST for your adventure loving friends. It is the perfect size for a weekend and slides right onto your carry-on when you’re cruising through airports.
14K Gold jewelry for deeply thoughtful gifts. If you are looking to spend a little more on someone special this year, Hope & Celebrate is the way to go. From their beautiful “MAMA” necklace, to customizable jewelry like my necklace with Olive’s initials, they have quality jewelry at reasonable prices. You can use my code REBECCA10 to save!
For the skincare lover. You know I am a TULA lover through and through! They have lots of great gift sets for the holidays this year and would make for a perfect stocking stuffer. Use code REBECCA15 to save <3
My latest personal obsession. I have the Luxe Cashmere blend sweater and Colorblock Quilted coat (pictured above!) and am so thrilled with both. Summersalt takes the trusted quality that we have come to love in their swimwear into their full collections for every season and I continue to be impressed. GREAT gifts for the ladies on your list.
yep, that one. If you haven’t jumped on the Stanley bandwagon yet, I am here to tell you it is time! This thing literally goes with me everywhere (because it fits in my cup holder!) and helps to keep me hydrated on the daily. It was a lifesaver during pregnancy and during the early newborn days and even John and my mom recently got ’em too. While you’re giving one, get one for yourself if you haven’t already. You’ll thank me later.
Lake Pajamas became an instant favorite of ours this year!
TIS THE SEASON! PAJAMA SEASON.
We have been highlighting gift ideas that we will be gifting / would love to give this year. Like the things we actually have and love. LAKE PAJAMAS are DEFINITELY on that list. We fell in love with LAKE’s Pima Cotton pajamas earlier this year and haven’t looked back. They are BEYOND soft.
I wore them throughout my pregnancy, they have nursing friendly options now, they carried us through the summer and now we are loving their holiday collection! They have pajamas for the whole family. Phoenix and Olive have little matching sets and we are gonna grab a couple of pairs for our husbands this year.
Olive Rebecca Piersol was born on July 29, 2022 and here is her birth story.
I am sitting here at my desk, with Olive asleep in the carrier and it is surprising and not surprising at the same time that it took me 3 months to get this written out. Life is so completely and utterly different and beautiful and hard all at the same time, everyday. BUT ANYWAYS LETS GET TO THE STORY!
On my due date, July 27th, we were scheduled to go in at 4 pm to check in for my induction. Even though baby Olive wasn’t showing any signs of making her appearance, I was getting anxious and because some doctors recommend inducing IVF babies, I figured we should go ahead and get the ball rolling. We called at 3:30 to make sure they would be ready for us at 4 and they said, no, call back at 8. BOY, did those 4 and a half hours CRAWL by. (Obviously I made a tiktok) When we called at 8, they said to go ahead and come in. So we got all packed up and headed in. EEK!
