Cream on Cream

Vest - Loft / Sweater - J.Crew Factory / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Flats - Sam Edelman / Bag - Tory Burch / Watch - Wristology / Sunglasses - c/o Sunglass Warehouse

Remember when I said if I wear a big sweater you sometimes can't tell I'm pregnant? Yep, this is one of those moments. Baby bump, where did you go?! 

Found ya! 

This vest just called to me last week (and was clearly delivered amazingly fast too). Normally I let items wallow on my secret Pinterest wish list or in the shopping cart for a while before I pull the trigger, but this one made it into my shopping cart and then a confirmed order before I even knew what was happening. I guess free shipping will do that to you sometimes! 

But really though, what's not to love? It's sherpa, the current "it" fabric, and so freaking cozy. Plus, unlike my sherpa pullovers, this will actually fit under my winter coats, and therefore actually be worn outside of the house. I did order a large which is my typical non-pregnant size at Loft and it's still a little roomy, so definitely size down! 

You could wear it with a simple long sleeve tee and keep the look really casual or even outdoorsy, but when this vest gets matchy matchy with a cream sweater, it instantly elevates the look. Pairing two textures in the same color always adds depth and richness to an outfit, and I love the cream on cream for winter. 

If you're looking for something to wear for Christmas next week, just add a red lip or some red earrings (or heck, even red nails like I'm doing here) and you're golden. But unlike all of my super festive red plaid items in my closet, it'll work really well for the rest of winter too. 

Christmas for us really starts tonight. We have a Christmas party tonight in the city, and then Saturday we're heading up to my parents to see my family and then to head to another party with some family friends. I'm most excited for Saturday though because my brother and his family flew into town for Christmas all the way from South Korea!! Which means not only do I get to see my brother and his wifey, but also meet their baby girl for the first time! They visited back in June when my sister in law was pregnant, and their daughter was born at the beginning of September. I've been dying to hold that little cutie myself! 

Since the holiday weekend really starts for us tonight, I'm going to start my Christmas vacation from blogging today too. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious there may be a post next week, but I'm guessing things will be quiet here through New Year's. Have a great week, and I'll see you in 2019!!

Vest - Loft / Sweater - J.Crew Factory / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Flats - Sam Edelman / Bag - Tory Burch / Watch - Wristology / Sunglasses - c/o Sunglass Warehouse

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Holiday Pajama Party

Is your family the type that dresses up for the holidays, or are you more of the pajamas all day kind of crowd? If we had the option, on Christmas Day we'd definitely be a pajamas all the time kind of family. Usually we head to a bigger gathering on Christmas night though, which tends to require actual clothes. The few years we haven't gone anywhere on Christmas Day though (every so often Christmas gets "cancelled" because people are sick, and we love it - such a good excuse to watch Christmas movies all day!) we are definitely a pajamas all day kind of group. I love that Jeff's family is the same way. I was initially worried the first year we spent Christmas with them when people started heading upstairs to shower, but it they all showered and got back into pajamas! Yasssss my dream come true!

This year you'll definitely find me in my favorite maternity pajama pants. Yes, that's a thing and I thought it was silly until about a month ago when I started having to sag my regular pajama pants super low below the bump - no thanks! But if I wasn't pregnant, here's what I'd be wearing! I love adding a sweater on top of pajamas, it's still super cozy but makes you feel slightly more appropriate for Christmas with your in-laws or if your father-in-law shows up unexpectedly on Christmas morning with a new girlfriend for you to meet who is fully made up and wearing spiked Louboutins. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

plaid pajama set / sweater / slippers 

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Little Black Maternity Dress

Maternity Dress (love this casual dress or this dressier option if you aren't pregnant!) - Amazon / Coat (also available in other colors/sizes here - how pretty is the green?!) - J.Crew / Scarf - J.Crew Factory / Flats (these are my fav, so comfy!!) - Sam Edelman / Bag (similar here and here) - Sezane / Earrings (I couldn't find anything similar, but love these little bow studs!) - Charming Charlie

Okay, so you know how I said I wasn't going to buy any maternity clothes?

Yeah, I lied.

I was trying to decide what to wear to the baby shower my sister and mom hosted for me last weekend, and while I had a few shift dresses that would have worked, they didn't really show the bump! I mean, really, the point of a shift dress is to skim over your midsection, and when I wear one I barely look pregnant. Which, you know, is so not the point at your own baby shower!

So I decided to head to Amazon to see what I could find on the cheap, and landed on this dress! It was black, so it's super versatile, and the side ruching really shows off that baby bump. I initially was anti ruching on pregnancy clothes since they're so obviously maternity (i.e., harder to wear after baby) but really, they just make that baby bump look good! Plus I somehow still have a waist with ruching - it's like magic. I recently stocked up on a few ruched maternity tees too, and I love that they make me look actually pregnant! Unlike the oversized sweater I wore to the doctor two weeks ago where two different nurses didn't realize I was pregnant.

I thought I'd just wear this dress just for my shower, but I've already ended up wearing it a couple other times too - it's come in so handy for all of the holiday events we have this month! The styling options are basically endless too since it's such a simple black dress - you can pair it with a scarf, a cardigan, a faux fur or sherpa or puffer vest, a wrap, or even a flannel button up! No one will ever know that you're an outfit repeater. Well, except for me ;)

Maternity Dress (love this casual dress or this dressier option if you aren't pregnant!) - Amazon / Coat (also available in other colors/sizes here - how pretty is the green?!) - J.Crew / Scarf - J.Crew Factory / Flats (these are my fav, so comfy!!) - Sam Edelman / Bag (similar here and here) - Sezane / Earrings (I couldn't find anything similar, but love these little bow studs!) - Charming Charlie

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...went to grab an early dinner after work on Friday with Jeff at Baita, the winter restaurant in Eataly. Eataly has been open in Chicago now for years but this was somehow the first time we've actually managed to go together. You guys, that place is crazy pants on a Friday night! Very glad we made 5pm reservations hahaha. The restaurant is Italian Alps themed, so we obviously had to have some melted cheese, but the best thing we tried was definitely the steak skewers!!
...got this wubby fleece vest in the mail, and it is so freaking cozy!! I ended up ordering a large and it was still a little big even with my baby belly, so I would definitely recommend sizing down. I think I'll have some pictures of it coming to the blog this week. I ended up wearing it on Saturday and got a ton of compliments!
...had a girl's brunch at Willow Room, which is such a cute little spot in Lincoln Park! I may have contemplated stealing their velvet barstools ;) There was lots of laughing and mimosas all around, but mine were virgin of course. I've still been staying away from the booze this pregnancy, but a glass of champagne (or really some red wine!) is starting to sound better and better.
...babysat Jeff's baby sister again, she's already getting so big (will be four months next week)! She's also getting smart, girlfriend has some serious FOMO and literally cried as soon as we brought her through the doorway of her room for bedtime - she wanted to stay up and hang out all night!
...drove out to the suburbs to have a Christmas brunch with Jeff's family at Medinah Country Club. Double brunch weekend! They had a huge buffet set up and you had better believe this pregnant lady filled up multiple plates, including some amazing chocolate chip banana pancakes.
...tricked Jeff into going to Target with me by saying we needed to buy gifts for my family's gift exchange, and then dragged him though every aisle while he frantically checked Bears game updates on his phone hahaha. I discovered the tiny Christmas trees I want to put all over our house (seen here) were back in stock and basically bought a mini forest ;) Oh, and I didn't actually manage to find a gift exchange gift. Sorry Jeff!

Here's hoping you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! We're heading into those weekends where we had zero plans as of a couple days ago, and now are fully booked. Isn't that always what happens?? In case you're planning on doing a little shopping this weekend, here are my Friday Finds - I may have already ordered that sherpa vest!!

one / two / three / four / five

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Naughty or Nice?

Sweatshirt (also comes in a "nice-ish" version!) - American Eagle / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Slippers - Talbots / Green Velvet Pillow and Faux Fur Blanket (similar here) - World Market / Plaid Pillow and Red Blanket - Pottery Barn

Less than two weeks until Christmas - are you feeling naughty or nice? 

How freaking cute is this sweatshirt?! It was one of those things that I saw and immediately put in my cart. I mean, I hesitated momentarily because I'm never quite sure what's going to fit over this rapidly growing baby bump I'm sporting. But really, it's so freaking cute I would have also been happy to put it away until next year. I mean, not happy because really I put it on my body as soon as I got it in the mail, but it still would have been worth it. 

This sweatshirt is actually from American Eagle. I know. I haven't shopped there since college, when it was the only place to buy cheap jeans that came in longer lengths. And when I say "cheap," I mean back then spending $40 on a pair of jeans was a huge splurge. College Kristina was poor. And probably spent too much of her hard earned cash from two different part time jobs on parties and buying costumes for parties. College Kristina's priorities were definitely in order - who needs pants anyway?!

So anyway, I was a little hesitant to shop at the old AE again, mainly because I had no idea how sizing would work. I ended up snagging this in an XL, and the fit is perfect! It fits the bump now, but it's definitely the right amount of oversized that it would fit really well without a giant basketball under my shirt too. My only complaint is that the sleeves are just a touch short, and I would assume that as you go for smaller sizes the sleeves get shorter too. 

I'm actually wearing basically this same exact outfit as I type this - it's basically been my go-to outfit lately and will be through the rest of the month! Cozy, comfy, and festive - what's not to love?! 

Sweatshirt (also comes in a "nice-ish" version!) - American Eagle / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Slippers - Talbots / Green Velvet Pillow and Faux Fur Blanket (similar here) - World Market / Plaid Pillow and Red Blanket - Pottery Barn

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Holiday Party Dresses

Getting dressed up for a good holiday party or New Year's Eve party is always so fun. I just love any excuse to wear a pretty dress or some sequins! When I look for a dress for holiday parties, I love to check out really preppy brands I don't normally shop, like Tuckernuck and Vineyard Vines, as they always have their plaid games on point and the cutest details too! I own the Vineyard Vines dress pictured above from a few years ago (here's the same plaid but with sleeves), and love pulling it out every holiday season despite rarely wearing the brand the rest of the year. The holiday designs are so classic and timeless (and also really well made) so I know I'll have them for years to come!

These days, opportunities to get dressed up seem to be few and far between. We ended up skipping my big fancy work holiday party this year, and the other family holiday party I used to always dress up for seems to have gotten more and more casual every year, so I haven't gotten an excuse to buy a pretty new dress! And for NYE this year, thanks to baby, my plans probably include going out to dinner with our friends and then ringing in the new year from the couch. And let's be honest here, most likely from the couch asleep haha ;)

So, let me live vicariously over here - here are a few of the dresses I'd love to have an excuse to buy!

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A Maternity Top for Now and Later

Top (similar maternity, exact non-maternity, more colors non-maternity) - LOFT / Vest (similar)                                - Old Navy / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Bag - Tory Burch / Boots - Sole Society 

Okay, so I know I keep talking about trying not to buy maternity clothes, but I have grabbed the occasional piece, like a dress for my baby shower over the weekend, and this top. When buying maternity pieces, I've tried to look for things that don't really look maternity so I'll be able to get some use out of them once the baby is here. This tunic sweater is basically the same as an oversized non-maternity sweater, it's just cut slightly longer in the front. No ruching or empire waist or ties that will give it away as a maternity top. And really, on my body type, a longer cut in the front is actually good for me whether or not my body is cooking a baby. If a longer front won't work on you, you could always do a front tuck into some distressed jeans, or a full tuck into a skirt. 

These pictures are actually from Thanksgiving - the bump has only gotten bigger since then!! 

Top (similar maternity, exact non-maternity, more colors non-maternity) - LOFT / Vest (similar)                                - Old Navy / Maternity Leggings (or my favorite non-maternity) - Blanqi / Bag - Tory Burch / Boots - Sole Society 

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