Indie & Chic Sale // 50% off all inventory

I LOVE SALES. I usually don't buy things unless the item is on sale. Indie & Chic hasn't had one all year and I thought 'let's do this!'

I'm offering 50% off all purchases made in the shop, ends when product runs out! Stock up on Christmas, birthday and love gifts. A lot of these items will not be coming back once they are sold out. Use code : SUMMERSALE at checkout!

Free shipping will be offered to those who instagram/blog/tweet about the sale. You will need to e-mail me the link, samantha@indieandchic.com

Baby Boy Favs // August Edition

If you haven't heard the exciting news, Rob and I found out Monday we are having a little boy! Deep down I knew it, but as a first time preggo I was nervous to say it out loud in fear of being wrong. We are over the moon excited for this little one!

I've already been collecting a few gender neutral items, but now the fun begins. Boy stuff is a challenge and I'm up for it. Here are some things I've been eyeing.

Solly Baby Wrap // My SIL told me about this company the week after we announced, I pre-ordered the Natural & Grey Stripe edition and I love it. It's so easy to use, yes I've practiced. (so thank you Amelia!)

Little Hip Squeaks // I actually found this company through Pinterest! I was drawn towards the anchor blanket and any of the baby hats. I don't mind paying a little more for homegrown companies.

Hello Apparel Onsie // Neon typography one a onsie... done. I love this company and I will continue to support them. I hope they come out with some long sleeve onsies so I don't have to wait as long for little man to wear them.

Restoration Hardware Giraffe // I adore stuffed animals. When I saw this collection I knew we had to get either the giraffe or elephant!

Hanna Anderson Bodysuit // I actually bought the blue and green before we knew the gender. I thought they could go either way on a newborn. It's been hard to find cute long sleeve outfits and I scored these at 50% off.

Aden+Anais Crib Sheet // Honestly anything by this brand is pure gold. I think I may buy all their crib sheet designs and change them out as often as the baby's outfit. Oh and their muslin swaddle blankets are amazing!

And that's what I've been drooling over lately for little baby e. Any other items I should know about? I will do a toy post and book post later. Still haven't picked out our nursery furniture yet, I'm too picky!

19 weeks

What's going on at 19 weeks:

- I've stopped craving sweets and candy... I don't know how to feel about this.
- My belly is looking more and more pregnant and less like I've let myself go. This makes me happy.
- I'm so happy to be done with race training and I'm getting into a new workout rhythm
- I've started to feel the little one moving, not kicks or anything, just flutters. I can't wait to feel a kick.
- The nesting part has begun, I've been cleaning and organizing every inch of our house. It feels so good to be productive again.
- I have a hard time grasping that I'm almost 4.5 months along, but still not really half way, I'm going to have a huge belly at the end of this.
- My weight gain has been non-existent this past month, which is good because I feel like I gained more than normal the first trimester. So far I'm up 13lbs, my goal is 30.
- Rob and I have been cooking again and it feels so good to be eating healthy foods and smaller portions, we got off track with all the hospital foods and meals. I can feel a difference in my energy and moods.
- So happy to know that baby e is a boy! We cannot wait to meet him!

Our Little Baby Is A...

We are beyond excited for little one to arrive and now I can start clothes shopping for little one.

The SeaWheeze 2013 // Lululemon's Half Marathon

Vancouver, Canada has to be in my top three favorite cities. I fell in love and barely got to see it all, I cannot wait to go back next year. Rob and I flew in late Thursday night and took the skyline from the airport into downtown. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, it was a great hotel and the perfect location for exploring the city by foot.

Friday morning we woke up early to go get our packets for the race, BIG MISTAKE showing up early. The line was wrapped around the convention center, apparently most people were there to shop the SeaWheeze store, so it ended up taking us 2.5 hours to get our packets. Rob jokes that the theme of the SeaWheeze weekend was 'lines, lines and more lines,' there was literally a line for everything. At this point we headed back to the hotel to regroup. We decided to go find the original Lululemon store and grab some new gear there, WAY less crowed. I'm also very happy to inform you all that Rob is now a Lulu addict as well, he went crazy over their running shorts! Yay!

Saturday morning we had to wake up around 5:00 am to eat early enough before the race. We started heading down to the race start shortly after.  It was insane!!! Over 10,000 runners all wearing Lululemon gear was pretty insane, it made for a very colorful crowd. We found our pace group and waited for the start. We were the 5th wave start, so we had to wait a little bit, I was getting a bit antsy. And then just like that we were off.

I always think the first few miles are pretty hard, it's always so crowded and you aren't in your rhythm yet. Rob needed to stop at the first bathroom he saw, but I knew I needed to keep going so we decided he would catch back up. At mile 3 I was getting kinda nervous that it was not a great idea to separate, but then he found me. About mile 4 we started running across this suspension bridge, it was basically a long hill up each way, I think mentally that was the hardest part knowing I had to go back up the other side. All along the way there were cheer groups with THE BEST SIGNS, they were so much fun to read while running.

After the bridge we were about half way through and we began running along the seawall. OMG it was breathtaking!!! I've never run a race that was so beautiful. There were more cheer groups all along the wall and in the water, they really thought of everything. About mile 10 I really wanted to walk, I called ahead to Rob and said I need a break. He let me walk for about a minute and then started jogging again and I followed. I think he knew I could do it, I just needed him to push me. I will say the last kilometer (.62 of a mile) was BRUTAL. Everyone along the sides kept telling us we were almost there, but with ever turn I still couldn't see the finish line. I wanted to be DONE!!! Finally we could see it and I ran as fast as I could to the end, Rob right beside me (he is the best).

Once we finished I must have looked pretty bad because some race guy came up to Rob asking if I needed medical assistance. Rob replied I was fine, just 4.5 months pregnant, the guy kinda looked at us like we were crazy. People kept handing us race swag and waters, but no food. I was starving!! I had actually been hungry for the last hour of the race, haha. The line to get food was insane!! I told Rob there was no way I was standing in that and so we decided to walk back to the McDonald's by our hotel. REAL LIFE here people, after a long race the grossest things sound so good, I kinda gag a little thinking about eating that quarter pounder after the race, but in that moment it tasted like pure gold.

We then took showers and a much needed nap. I told Rob we needed to walk a little or we wouldn't be able to move the next day. We decided to head over the Sunset Festival that was provided for the runners. We took the shuttle over and stayed for a few hours, Stanley Park is insanely beautiful. We decided to walk the seawall back to the hotel, a nice 7 mile walk. It felt so good to not be running that I would have walked further.

I was pretty sad we had to leave the next day. Rob and I have decided next time we come together that we need at least a week. I still just can't get over how beautiful the city is. I have plans to sign up for next years race and hopefully someone can come with me to hold the bitty baby while I run. I'm already  excited!

Lululemon Half Marathon // Running Pregnant

Remember when Rob & I signed up for the Lululemon half marathon back in January?? We wanted to run a big race together and Vancouver, Canada sounded like a great getaway. Fast forward 3.5 months to finding out we were having a baby!! There was no getting out the race, the tickets were non-refundable as was the airfare... and so began training for a half marathon pregnant.

I've been a runner since I was in HS, but the thought of running 13.1 miles 4.5 months pregnant seemed like a lot to bite off. I was so tired the first two months of training, it was so hard to put in the miles. However, as the day approached we had the attitude of 'it will be what it will be, let's just have some fun.'

The day before the race we went to get our packets, I was surrounded by tiny little runners and I felt like a beached whale. Rob kept telling me that I looked great and to remember I was carrying a baby, however, I will say being around a bunch of very athletic runners while pregnant is tough.

The morning of the race I wasn't nervous at all, usually I'm so nervous on race days, I get so competitive on beating my old times. This race I knew there was no way I would be beating my PR of 1:54, so I really had nothing to lose, my goal was to finish and walk as little as possible.

Rob ran next to me the whole time, even when I got super slow the last 3 miles. It was the most beautiful race I've done, the course was along the seawalls. I surprisingly didn't have any pain while running, I just felt heavy, and couldn't keep up my pace at the end. Also, the baby decided that it wanted to sit on my bladder the whole entire race so that was pretty uncomfortable, but pretty funny. Rob and I finished with a time of 2:32, I'm just happy to have finished without injury.

I will say I enjoy races more non-preggo. For me races are a time to push myself mentally and physically. I want to feel like I left everything out on the course when I finish, but with this race that wasn't safe for me to do. I cannot wait to run my first race post baby and get into the routine of running  with a stroller. I've always been so impressed with moms that do that!

I'll be posting a separate post about the Lululemon Half Marathon later in the week!

our little surprise

Thanks so much for all the kind words over the past week! We are so excited about this baby. I'm currently 14.5 weeks and my belly is starting to show. I cannot wait to find out the gender, which will happen the end of August.

We found out two days before Mother's Day. It went something like 'hmm, I'm late...' and driving to the store buying a pregnancy test. I was thinking to myself, there is no way, but seconds after I took the test two pink little lines lit up (the digital one below to confirm) I didn't even really process the whole thing before I called Rob at work. I think I asked him to step outside that I needed to tell him something. Then I just blurted out 'We're pregnant!' He was beyond happy and I was on the other end still processing. We kept texting each other the rest of the day, and it really started to hit me... we are having a baby!!

We drove over to my mom's that night to tell her. We stopped by a book store and purchased my favorite childhood book. I handed it to her and told her she was going to need this soon. She just stared at it and then started freaking out. She couldn't believe she was going to be a grandmother!! We drove down to a favorite spot and just talked details, there was so much excitement.

The next day we had already planned to have Rob's parents over for dinner. We wrapped up a little onesie as one of her Mother's Day gifts. When she opened it she didn't say a word, just kept holding it up and looking back at us. Then Rob and I both told her 'you're going to be a grandma!' She never stopped smiling the whole night and she couldn't believe it. Rob's dad was just as happy and we all spent the whole dinner taking about the little baby to be.

Looking back, I think it's so hilarious we told our parents days after finding out at just 5 weeks along. But that's just us, and we are both extremely close with our families. I cannot imagine waiting to tell them till after the 1st trimester. I needed support and comfort the most those first few weeks. As a whole my first trimester was a breeze, I got so lucky. I had no morning sickness, just some nausea for a few days before I switched up my vitamin routine. The only symptom I've had is fatigue, extreme fatigue. Some days I literally slept 16-18 hours. Things seem to be easier now and I'm adjusting to my changing body. It's so crazy to have so little control, but such a beautiful miracle. I love being pregnant so far and I hope I can say that at the end.

we're making a tiny human

WE ARE BEYOND EXCITED!

She's Awake

Sunday morning was the day we had all been waiting for, Mrs. Jo woke up!! They took out her breathing tube around 9:30am and from that moment on she was showered with love and information. She woke up asking for a kiss from her husband, which was about the sweetest thing in the world. I've never been so relieved in my life and seeing Rob smile again was the icing on the cake.

Today she took her first steps post op and she's not messing around about getting out of that hospital bed. I'm so proud of the fight she made to stay here with us and I'm glad we all get to help her with the next stage of recovery. The weight of the world has been lifted off all our shoulders and it's so good to have her back.

It's times like these where you realize how important relationships are and how kind hearted everyone can be. I'm so grateful for all of her friends and our friends who showered us with love and food. I need to remember it's the little things that mean the most in trying times. Much love to you all!

Sweet Jo

I just wanted to update this space with probably the biggest heartache I've ever gone through. Sunday night Rob's mom, my MIL, went into the ER for chest pains. She was treated for pneumonia, but a few hours after arrival her body went into septic shock, we almost lost her. She has been on a ventilator since then and has been sedated. Wednesday they found an injured mitral valve in her heart and took her immediately into heart surgery. She came through the surgery well, they repaired the valve. Things were looking really great. Thursday was a hard day. We had expectations of her waking up and being fine, being able to communicate with us, make eye contact. However, she is still struggling to wake up, and we have to be patient.

I married into this family only six months ago, but my love for this woman started from day one. She took me in from the beginning and never looked back. I'm not sure many people can say that about their MIL. Mrs. Jo is a fighter and I know she will make it through this, it's just an extremely painful wait. I miss her texts loaded with emoticons, I miss her checking on me and I hurt for my husband who misses his mama. We will all make it through this and I appreciate those of you who have sent prayers and well wishes. We have a long road ahead and we are going to need as much support as possible.

I love you Mrs. Jo.