pregnant fashion Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Wedding Wear

The last weekend of June, the hubby and I headed down to Maryland to see our good friends Kurt and Tiffany tie the knot on the Chesapeake Bay. I struggled with whether or not I should buy a maternity dress for this event, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the expense for one night, since this is the last wedding I am going to be able to make before the Little Monkey gets here. Instead, I decided to wear this number I purchased from Forever 21 a few months ago. I wore it to another wedding earlier this year, and because of the stretchy middle material and the flare underneath the bust line, it works perfectly for my prego shape. I topped off the look with earrings from Amrita Singh (a bridemaid’s gift from my friend Katie’s wedding), and these gold sparkly bow pumps. My husband calls them my “Wizard of Oz” shoes, but I absolutely love them. Before you think I am insane for wearing 5 inch heels while 6.5 months pregnant (ok, so maybe I’m a little insane, but heels just make a girl feel prettier, right?), I did end up changing into flats for the dancing portion of the evening. No one needs a pregnant woman falling over on the dance floor.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Forever 21 (now on sale!) / Sparkly Glitter Bow Pumps: ALDO / Earrings: Amrita Singh – this pair is also similar / Watch: Michael Kors / Gold Clutch: (old) – similar here / Lip: MAC Candy Yum Yum / Nails: Essie Boom Boom Room

We got back from our mini-vacation to Maine this weekend, and wow did we have an amazing time! I have so much to share from our trip, but first I want to share some fabulous wedding photos from Kurt and Tiff’s big day. I have lots to edit and catch up on from my time away, so stay tuned this week and next for some exciting posts to come!

XO,

Gina

{11} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed, about a woman who finds herself while hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. Sort of an Eat, Pray, Love in the wilderness if you will. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys the outdoors. I am now starting Bossypants by Tina Fey, and hoping for a laugh.

writing Other than blog posts, I haven’t been writing much of anything else lately…

listening Violin and Dubstep? Who knew this combo could work. Check out Lindsey Stirling’s Crystallize. She’s mad talented.

thinking That I am extremely grateful to my husband and neighbor for installing our A/C window units this week. It’s 90 degrees here today!

smelling Yankee Candle’s Summer Scoop. A candle that smells like my favorite dessert? Yes please!

watching Well, I got dragged into a “Bachelorette Draft” this past weekend. Yes, it’s like fantasy football, but with Des and a bunch of hot guys. I really had no interest in this show whatsoever, but after investing time into making draft picks for a friend that couldn’t make the event…I am now finding myself wanting to know how this whole thing is going to pan out. Go Juan Pablo!

wishing Everyone a Happy Last Day of May! Can’t believe it’s going to be June tomorrow.

hoping For a fun-filled weekend with friends in the Big Apple.

wearing A dress that I found at Nordstrom Rack a couple years ago along with red, strappy Sam Edelman sandals.

loving This strawberry, banana, pineapple smoothie I’m consuming right now.

laughing At what happened when Vine tried to make a commercial for Vine. See over at FunnyorDie.com

wanting To meet my new little cousin, Noelle Raelyn, who was born yesterday! Congrats to her Mama and Papa, my cousins Brittany and R.J.

needing To figure out what to wear to a costume party on Saturday…Disney princess or pregnant Britney Spears? Hmmm…

feeling My little one kicking up a storm in there all day long. It’s such a crazy and awesome feeling!

craving I had been craving a pedicure (since I can no longer reach my toes well enough to paint my own), and luckily this was fulfilled on Wednesday. I went with the new Essie 2013 Neon Collection’s DJ Play That Song. I can now proceed with open-toed shoes again.

clicking Researching pediatricians and birthing classes for the little one.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Find the Sun {Waveborn}

My Waveborn sunnies arrived in the mail, and I was super excited to rock them this past weekend! For each pair of Italian designed and handcrafted shades you purchase, Waveborn provides a new pair of prescription eyeglasses or funds a portion of vision-restoring cataract surgery for a person in need through their partners Unite for Sight and SEE International.

They are currently hosting a crowdfunding campaign so they can continue to bring you more styles and colors for 2013. They raised over $10,000 on the first day of their campaign, and the numbers are still increasing. There is still plenty of time to join the campaign, so check it out!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Sunglasses: c/o Waveborn / Maxi Dress: Target / Jean Jacket: American Eagle / Flip Flops: J. Crew – similar / Bag: Longchamp – this color sold out, but more colors here / Travel Bag: Urban Outfitters (old) / Earrings: ? (old) / Necklace: Family Heirloom / Chevron Stack Rings: Baublebar / Snake Bangle: Henri Bendel – sold out, but shop bangles here / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Guilty Jean, ASOS, Baublebar (similar) / Nails: Essie Mint Candy Apple w/ Madison Avenue Hue accent nail / Toes: Essie Avenue Maintain / Lip: MAC Impassioned

I was very excited to find this colorful maxi dress for such a bargain price at Target this past week! Typically, with my 5’0 stature, it’s very difficult for me to find a maxi dress that isn’t too long. I suppose since this dress was in the “juniors” section, maybe it was a bit shorter. Or could it be because I’m now sporting a little baby bump? Either way, I plan on rocking maxi dresses all summer long. Frankly, I have found the majority of maternity clothes I have come across to be old-looking, frumpy, and just plain ugly. Of course, there have been some good finds here and there, but I am beginning to think gorgeous maxis from the regular sections (sans ones with zippers) may be the way to go this spring/summer!

Happy Hump Day!

XO,

Gina

{10} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading May issues of Health Magazine and Marie Claire. Got some yummy new recipes and a desire to return to Italy!

writing Thank you notes for all of the kindness my family and friends have shown toward Little Monkey so far! He is a lucky little boy!

listening To the news. I admit, I am not the best when it comes to keeping up with the news. I usually get my updates from Facebook and Twitter (I know, that’s horrible, but true). But events from the past week have kept me tuned in.

thinking That I cannot believe I am halfway through my pregnancy! 20 weeks in, and 20 weeks left until I get to meet my Baby Boy!

smelling Not much of anything. I have been sick and stuffed up all week.

watching The always entertaining Real Housewives of Orange County. Never a dull dinner party.

wishing For safe travels as we head down to Maryland this weekend.

hoping That I can pack my bags in less than 2 hours. For me this would be an accomplishment.

wearing Today is a lazy day. I blame it on being sick all week. I’m literally in yoga pants, New Balance tennis shoes, layered tank, tshirt, and sweater. On days like today, I’m so very lucky my office is low key.

loving The fact that 215 people have signed up for the John Petrovick Memorial 5K this weekend! I am so thankful to my friends who have put this event together. This is a great turnout for the very first event, and John would be so happy and proud. So excited to see you all in Baltimore!

laughing At myself trying on bathing suits with my prego belly last night in preparation for our trip to warm-weather Arizona. No really…it was quite comical.

wanting To be outside playing in this sunshine today. It’s gorgeous in NYC!

needing To flush this sickness throughly out of my system as soon as possible.

feeling Super excited for our trip to Arizona at the beginning of May. Hanging out with my pen pal in her hometown for the first time, seeing family and friends, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, warm weather, Mexican food, our two year wedding anniversary, and our “baby moon” trip…so many reasons for this excitement!

craving Everything and anything neon. As seen on Monday’s post.

clicking I took a million photos during our Boston trip last weekend of the wedding and the rest of our adventures. Once again, I’m blaming my sickness for my delay in posting these, but I promise they should be up sometime next week!

*Sidenote: I just got my Waveborn shades in the mail today, and I cannot wait to rock them oh so soon!

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Walk on the High Line

Here’s Part II of our little girl’s weekend in NYC. Sunday, we got bagels at the best place in the city. And yes, you can quote me on that. We then ventured into Manhattan to do a little shopping and take a walk on the High Line. For those of you who have never been, this park was built on top of an old abandoned elevated train track and runs down Manhattan’s West Side. It’s so unique, and provides wonderful views of the city. It was a gorgeous day, and I think the girls enjoyed it!

Outfit photos by: Nichole Cohen & Lisa Dannenberg / All other photos my own / Thanks to random stranger for the photo of the three of us

Coral Trench: GAP – sold out – similar here, here, here, and here / Mint Button Down: Express / Skinny Jeans: Motherhood Maternity / Ankle Boots: Target / Scarf: Gift / Sunnies: Vintage / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: ASOS and Gorjana – 2nd one sold out, but see more bracelets by Gorjana here / Lip: Lancome Groupie

Today brings a doc appointment and my 2nd to last photography class. Hoping for a good report on the first and to learn as much as I can during the latter.

Crazy enough, we have a trip to Boston coming up on Friday for a dear friend’s wedding. It still breaks my heart that people could purposefully cause harm to so many innocent others. I am still praying for all of those in Boston that were affected by this horrible madness. I am looking forward to the wedding and hoping it will bring some happiness and light to the Boston area. In the midst of this tragedy, it’s nice to know there is still some love out there.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

XO,

Gina

Skulls Meet Spring

It was a beautiful weekend, and I had the pleasure of hosting two of my favorite Baltimore blondes at our place on Saturday. We spent the day galavanting around Brooklyn and Manhattan…brunch at The Farm, followed by a day of shopping in Soho, & gelato and hot chocolate in Little Italy. Much to our surprise, we came home with our wallets full and bag-less. If you know us, you know this is not normal. However, it was probably for the best. We had planned to go out on the town that night, but we ended up passing out early from all the walking around we did.

The flowers in these photos make me happy, because it’s actually starting to feel and look like Spring around here! We also thought it was a nice bright contrast to my dark and stormy outfit.

Photos by: Nichole Cohen

Skull Tank: Hot Topic (now on sale!) / Leather Jacket: Wilsons Leather (old) – similar / Black Skinnies: Motherhood Maternity / Combat Boots: Steve Madden ( now on sale!) / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff – sold out, but a variety of other colors available at Saks / Headband: (old) – similar / Watch: Betsey Johnson – sold out, but check out Betsey’s other watches on her website / Bracelets: ASOS, Wanderlust + Co., c/o Flair Accessories / Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean / Ring: Forever 21 / Lip: Nars Born This Way gloss

Last night, the hubby and I went to see one of our favorite indie rock singer-songwriters perform, Matt Costa. Let me tell you, this man is talented. He plays the piano, harmonica, three different guitars, and has a voice that will make you melt. His laid back style is very inviting and his tunes range in variety from bluegrass, folk, rock, and more. Some of my personal favorites include: Miss Magnolia, Sunshine, & Mr. Pitiful. He also has a lot of good tracks on his new album. Check out some of his videos here.

Tonight, I am treating myself to a little mani-pedi with the other NY Alpha Phi Alums, and I cannot wait. It will be the first pedi of the season, and boy do I need it!

On a heavier note, I am glad that my friends and family in Boston are safe and sound. I am praying for all those who were affected by this tragedy. I will never understand it, and it saddens me. Sending love to Boston today.

XO,

Gina

{9} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg which I strongly recommend to everyone. Currently reading The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. It’s decent so far.

writing A birthday card for a special someone.

listening I’ve got a Mumford & Sons station on Pandora at the moment. Fun tunes from Passion Pit, Cold War Kids, MGMT and the likes.

thinking About the fact that Tissycole and Lisa are coming to visit tomorrow!!! Super excited!

smelling The rain. Is it weird that I could smell it before it even started coming down?

watching The always fabulous Rachel Zoe Project. Dying over the fashion weekly. Also just started watching the Real World Portland. Yes, I still watch the Real World.

wishing For sunshine. We were so spoiled at the beginning of the week with warm temperatures, and I’m wishing for them back this weekend!

hoping That the laundry will do itself. No? Not possible? Oh well, I tried.

wearing My “Amaze” sweater from ASOS (now on sale!) with an Old Navy poly button-down underneath. Black skinny jeans from Motherhood. Leopard print rain boots similar to these. Red Haute lip from Lancome.

loving I never realized how much you can love someone you have never even met. So excited for my baby boy to get here in September, and so in love already.

laughing At the fact I actually tried to straighten my hair this morning. The hair in the photo above lasted all of 2 minutes as I stepped out into the wind and rain this morning. You know those days where your umbrella decides to flip itself out over and over again? Did wonders for my hair today.

wanting To finish the friendship bracelet I started making over a month ago. My 4th grade skills just aren’t where they used to be…

needing To paint my nails tonight. They are in dire need of some Essie love.

feeling Excited for the girls to get here this weekend! Can’t wait for a weekend of shopping, photographing and girl talk.

craving Strangely enough, I am not getting any weird pregnancy cravings. I mean, I want ice cream…but I always want ice cream. Nothing new. I haven’t started liking condiments, so I think my appetite is relatively the same.

clicking Through fashion blogs of expecting mamas. Trying to figure out some tricks to looking chic while prego.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Spiked & Studded {Guilty Jean Series #3}

I’m now back to my regularly scheduled posts for this week. Here is my third look for the Guilty Jean series. This look is a bit edgy and punk rock-ish. It’s also super comfortable. So glad the weather is warming up and I can actually think about wearing short sleeves! Very exciting.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Top: Forever 21 – similar here, here, and here / Studded Denim Vest: Forever 21 – similar here and here / Pants: Motherhood Maternity / Shoes: ALDO (now on sale!) / Skull and Cross Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Wood Agate Beaded Skull Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Lucky 13 Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Sunglasses: NY Street Vendor

I’m definitely going to have to venture outside at some point today to enjoy this gorgeous weather. Maybe even head down to watch my soccer team play tonight at Columbus Park. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the gang.

Hope you all have a beautiful sunny Tuesday!

XO,

Gina

It’s A………….!!!!!

I interrupt the Guilty Jean jewelry series for a very special announcement!!! The hubby and I went to the doctor on Friday for our anatomy ultrasound for Little Monkey. We opted not to find out the sex of the baby that day. However, we decided to plan a little surprise reveal for ourselves. We had the nurse write down the sex and place it in a sealed envelope along with the ultrasound photograph of “the goods.” We then took the envelope along with a large empty box to Hallmark and asked them to fill the box with either pink or blue balloons depending on whether Little Monkey was a girl or boy. Yes…the Hallmark employees knew before we did! They wrapped the box up beautifully, and when we opened it…SURPRISE!!! Our friend, Justin, was gracious enough to spend the day with us and document this special moment. We are so thankful for the many photographs he took and time he spent working on them. I think they turned out fantastic. Scroll down to see the big reveal for yourselves!

8626424952_98cc2ddcfa_b — Boy…or Girl???

8626924023_36442d17b4_b — Opening the card with ultrasound from the doc

8628977139_13bfaccf24_b — Proof of “the goods”

8626905787_134c6cf259_b — So excited for our Baby Boy!

8628783810_3f6420d5bf_b — So in love and so excited for the newest addition of the Notes Family to arrive!

Photography by Justin Goldberg of Eudora Video Solutions

Were you surprised? Or did you “know” already?

As you can see by the photos above, Zack and I were clearly shocked! It was such a magical day, and I’m glad we decided to do something fun and a little different to reveal the sex of Little Monkey. We are so excited for our little bundle of joy, and cannot wait for our Baby Boy to get here in September. I already ended up buying him his first onesie today at Brooklyn Flea. I mean, come on. There was a panda on it. You can’t blame me.

We had such an amazing weekend, and it is definitely one we will remember. We are so glad we have these photos to capture our surprise and excitement of this day, and I look forward to showing them to our Little Boy one day.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

XO,

Gina

Spring Has Sprung {Guilty Jean Series #1}

Here is the first outfit post from my Guilty Jean series, and this is one of my favorite looks of the bunch. The weather was gorgeous for the first time this spring, and I was clearly loving it! This look is girly, flirty, and fun, but definitely has a bit of edge as well. When I found this dress and floral crown, I immediately couldn’t wait to add my Guilty Jean jewelry to complete the look. I love how the skull and bow necklace sits at the perfect length, and the pop of turquoise on the bracelet is a perfect compliment to the pink and black color palette. Spring has finally sprung!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Hot Topic (on sale!) / Jacket: Macy’s / Shoes: Betsey Johnson / Pretty Little Evil Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Turquoise Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Skull and Cross Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Ring: Forever 21 / Floral Crown: Urban Outfitters / Eyes: Make Up Forever – Lid: No 26 Fuchsia – Crease: No 58 Dark Raspberry – Brow: No 303 Diamond Pink / Lip: Mix of MAC Candy Yum-Yum and Lancome Fuchsia Clutch / Nails: Essie Smokin’ Hot

Of course, now that I am back in New York, I am feeling much chillier temps this week. I am eager for that sunny, warm weather I experienced in Maryland this past weekend! Come back to me!

This week has been a bit busy with unpacking, eating Easter leftovers, a girl’s night, and tonight I have photography class. Hope you are all having a good week so far!

XO,

Gina