Weekly Recap Blog: Hello Third Trimester, Decorating for Christmas, & Mom Life

Ever since I got over the sickness wave of my pregnancy, and now that school has started and the holidays are here, this pregnancy is flying by. Last time, when I didn’t have a child, it felt like my pregnancy lasted nine years. Now, I keep myself so busy that we’ve hardly started anything to get ready. Aside from going through the tubs of clothes, we are so laid-back about it all compared to the first pregnancy. We’re not even doing a nursery! The plan is to move my son into a bigger room this summer, and then move the baby into his current room. I’m not sure if being this laid-back is a good thing or just stupidity, but so many of you messaged me on Instagram saying this is total second-child behavior, lol.

My son has the rest of November off for Thanksgiving break, so I’m predicting some late nights of writing for me. I still have so many things I want to share before Thanksgiving! I do feel happy that my blog finally has some consistency again. I’m on month two of posting, and I always feel so accomplished when I get a new blog published! So, here is this week’s recap post. I hope you all enjoy it!

I had my gestational diabetes test done a couple of weeks ago. The only reason I don’t like this test is because I hate putting that much sugar in my body in under five minutes, or in a whole day. The drink itself actually tastes really good and I always ask for a dye free one. I’ve been pretty sensitive to sugar this pregnancy and have only been craving healthy things like salads, lots of meat, fruit, yogurt, and veggies. Completely different from my first pregnancy, and truthfully, I’ve been really cautious about how I eat this time around since I gained so much weight last time and it took me a full year to lose it. I lost like eight pounds a week after giving birth, and the other pounds DID NOT just fall off. I had to work my butt off on the Peloton and walks.

Not that weight is everything, but I really didn’t want to put my body through that again. Unfortunately, my body does its own thing and puts on whatever it wants no matter how I eat, but if I can help it even a little, that’s more than I did last time. This time, I’m not banking on it “just falling off.”

I know weight and pregnancy can be a sensitive topic, but if you’d like to see a post from me about my thoughts, how I navigated it last time, and everything around that topic, let me know.

Oh, and apparently my body does great with sugar, I passed with a score of 75! If you’re wondering, that morning around 4 a.m. I had a whole-milk cappuccino, a bowl of plain oats, and two hard-boiled eggs. I fasted for about two hours before the test.

During my appointment, my doctor ordered a fetal growth ultrasound since I was measuring two weeks ahead. I’m pretty sure the glucose drink just bloated my stomach, and the ultrasound will come back with the same due date, but that’s just my opinion! I’ll keep you posted on that. It’s scheduled for right after Thanksgiving.

My parents tagged along with me since my son was off from school that day. There’s a really cool spot called The Ballantyne Bowl right by my doctor’s office. They hung out at the park with him while I did my testing, and then we headed out for lunch.

We ate at Postino Arcadia. I ordered the Brussels sprout salad with steak kebabs. It had kale, Brussels sprouts, manchego, spicy Marcona almonds, bacon, dried cherries, and a lemon-manchego dressing.

And of course, Grandma and Grandpa had to treat their sweet grandson to a huge box of donuts from The Salty Donut! These were gourmet-style donuts… and I’m sure you’re laughing after I literally just gave you the whole weight and sugar talk.

I ordered a decaf whole-milk cappuccino from FlyKidFly (it’s so good!) and treated myself to just a few bites of the Dubai chocolate donut and the maple one. And honestly, those few bites were some of the best donuts I’ve ever had.

My sons favorite dessert is a donut so he was in his happy place.

On Saturday morning, I made our weekly sourdough bread. We’ve been going through the jalapeño cheddar and pepper jack sourdough so quickly between Kyle and me. We’ve been toasting it and enjoying chicken salad on top and it’s so good!

The best way to store sourdough bread is to bake it, let it cool, slice it, and then freeze it. It stays super fresh that way!

I cannot wait to dive into this bread tonight for dinner. Every time I look at a photo of it while blogging, I instantly start craving it! I’m making sourdough bread for Thanksgiving this year with rosemary and garlic folded in.

After getting all the laundry put away on Saturday morning, I got all the baking supplies ready for some neighborhood girls who were coming over to learn how to bake sugar cookies. They were having a decorating party later that day and wanted to learn how to make the base, and it was so much fun.

Also, those shoes in my hand in that photo were covered in mud and black tar after a day at Carowinds, and I put them in the wash with a little bit of bleach and they came out like new. Washable toddler shoes are a must!

On Saturday afternoon, we headed to the mall so I could return some maternity jeans and hopefully find new ones. Joke’s on me, there were zero stores at the mall with a maternity section. Why do they make it so hard for pregnant women to find clothes in stores? Even the new Targets have taken the maternity sections out of the stores.

It’s so frustrating to order everything online, wait for it to arrive, and then have it be the wrong size. And don’t even get me started on how they double the prices for maternity clothing. It’s annoying. Only a few more months, so I’m hoping I can make it through with what I currently have.

I finally found a pair of jeans that worked for me from H&M online, but I had to order them twice to get the right sizing.

When we got back, I prepped the sourdough pizza crust for our family pizza night! Kyle and I split a pizza loaded with sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, peppers, onions, mozzarella, marinara, pesto, and basil. It was amazing!

My son only eats the crust, so I made him homemade garlic and cheese breadsticks instead.

My husband treats himself to a sweet treat once a week, and for the rest of the week he does no added sugars. He always picks a place on Saturday nights and we go. Last week, we went to Inside Scoop Creamery in Rock Hill, and it was actually really good. My son ordered a little scoop of cookies and cream, and like usual, took two bites and was over it. So I had a few bites, and it was great.

I’ve learned to never order anything for myself at a sweet shop with my son because he thinks he wants something and then eats maybe 1/8 of it… which I’m definitely not complaining about!

We’ve decided to start trying out a new coffee shop after church on Sunday mornings. We both have our first cup around 4:30 a.m., so by the time 9:30 rolls around, we’re ready for our second cup of the day. Kyle gets his sweet treats on Saturday nights, and I get my coffee shops on Sunday mornings. Win!

Even though I’ve been to Rock Hill Coffee a bunch of times, my husband never had. So we stopped in for a refill of beans for our home machine, and I ordered a whole-milk cappuccino.

The past few weeks have been stunning with all the fall scenery around here. I love how long fall lasts in the South. It’s like a slow process of the trees changing at different times. We’re getting toward the end of it now, but there are still some incredibly vibrant trees standing.

I knew I was really going to need this cappuccino because our plans for the rest of the day involved getting all of our Christmas decor down from the attic, cleaning the house, and putting everything up (we haven’t done the outside yet!).

My son is in his “I NEED TO HELP WITH EVERYTHING” phase, and sometimes it’s a blessing… and sometimes it’s a deep breath and get through it moment. He wanted to hang all the bulbs, but it was so cute, and his little commentary had me laughing. This kid is definitely my child when it comes to loving Christmas and baking. Him going up into the attic made his entire week. You’d think we took him to Disney World with how excited he was.

His dad doesn’t get the Christmas fuzzies like we do, but we’re determined to change that. He’s going to be forced to watch Christmas movies this year!

After getting most of the decor up, we made some delicious french toast with sourdough bread. It’s a great way for me to get my picky eater to actually eat eggs.

I love when the house is decorated for Christmas, especially early in the mornings when I have my coffee and it’s quiet, or at night when we’re up late watching a football game.

We still have to hang the stockings and add the rest of the Christmas decor, but I’m saving that for December.

We had some work done on the house with our air conditioner. Note to self: renew the warranty on your unit after five years. That was a fun bill! And since it was going to be so loud with the guys going up and down from the attic, I decided to head to our neighborhood clubhouse to work for the morning and afternoon while my son was at school.

I grabbed some food at Earth Fare when I panicked and got hungry right after drop-off and had a rush of weird cravings. I ended up with tossed kale from their salad bar, yogurt, dried papaya, some peanut butter protein bites, and a kombucha!

After picking up my son from school, we decided to have a lazy afternoon at home. We watched some Little Bear, and he helped me in the kitchen with a bit of meal prep. I made an apple and quinoa salad, roasted sweet potatoes, and our favorite chicken salad! I’m lucky he likes to get his stepping stool and help me in the kitchen. He’s not the best at playing by himself, so at least he can play chef with me!

This meal was on repeat twice a day for a week! It was so good!

We decided to bundle up and take Leo around the block after all the cooking. I don’t know what happened, but the wind and air got so cold outside. We only made it up the block and back before we were both freezing our cheeks off. I was like, “This is the kind of weather you feel right before it snows.” The sky was dark and cloudy, and it was absolutely frigid.

As soon as we got inside… it started to snow! And snow hard! Guys, I live in South Carolina, and in November most days are like 75 degrees (like today!), so this was a wild weather phenomenon. Most cold places in the U.S. haven’t even had snow yet!

It was really fun to see, especially since all my Christmas stuff was already up. Talk about getting in the holiday spirit. And of course, the dogs were LOVING it!

You’ll have to watch the video recap I inserted in this blog to see how crazy it was! But like all snowstorms in the South, it didn’t last long enough to stick. It did last long enough to kill off all my dahlias and zinnias though, so… see ya later. 🙁

Once my son was tucked into bed, I somehow rallied and headed downstairs to watch the Eagles’ late-night game with Kyle. I usually always go to bed or fall asleep putting my son down around 7:30, but I was ready to stay up and hang out. It was actually really nice because we hardly ever get to spend time together at home anymore. We both get so tired and pass out early, which is why we are both up for the day at 4.

I cannot believe I stayed up until midnight!

Every morning for breakfast, we make our smoothies!

Our go-to smoothie has organic mixed frozen berries (I get them at Costco!), organic whole milk, a few scoops of Greek yogurt, local honey, ½ serving of organic Orgain protein powder (it makes it so creamy and delicious!), juice from half a lemon (or orange), one serving of kids’ elderberry juice, and ½ banana. He usually has half of the smoothie for breakfast with his waffle and peanut butter, and the other half with dinner later in the day.

HOW AMAZING are these Little Bear ornaments my mom made for my son? His favorite show is Little Bear, and it’s so hard to find anything with Little Bear since it’s such an old show. She made them out of polymer clay, which is not easy to work with! She did such an incredible job.

You should see her military collections she’s made, too! They’re unbelievable. My son was so excited when she showed him the ornaments!

On Wednesday, I headed back to pottery class to glaze my Christmas tree. I chose a latte brown for the cross and garland since I planned to add gold later, and a matcha green for the tree.

I picked it up a week later and loved how it turned out. I bought a metallic gold paint marker for the finishing touches, and it looks so pretty with the battery-operated light underneath. The pottery class was so much fun! Now I want to take another one and make a mug.

Meal prepping for lunch seriously makes eating healthy so much easier!

For the first time in maybe a year, I went out before my son was put to bed. I know how crazy that sounds, but bedtime has been a little tough with him only wanting me at night. He’s a very routined kid, but we decided it’s time to start changing things up and getting him used to a little flexibility before the baby comes. We do our bedtime routine together, but I’m the one who does the final book reading, prayers, singing, back rubbing, and sneaking out once he’s off in dreamland.

I left the house around 5:30 pm for a dinner at Speckled Pear with some neighborhood moms, and I’m happy to report he went to bed successfully without me, which made me feel so much better knowing we can do this.

I ordered their cod and a side salad! We tried all the desserts on the menu to celebrate a birthday, and everything tasted amazing!

On Thursday, I made the healthier almond flour pecan pie bars for a Thanksgiving recipe on the blog. They’re made with an almond flour crust and a coconut sugar and maple syrup sweetener, so they don’t have any refined sugars. They’re honestly some of the best pecan bars I’ve ever had, and you’d have no idea they weren’t as heavy as the traditional ones.

And like most meals lately, this has been my go-to chicken salad on top of toasted jalapeño cheddar and pepper jack sourdough bread with some smashed avocado. I’m not sure where the baby is sitting this time, but I feel like I can only eat small amounts before I get so uncomfortably full it hurts to breathe! I’ve heard this can be normal in some pregnancies, but I used to be able to down plates on plates of this kind of stuff.

On Friday morning, we tried out the new Steele Street Park in Fort Mill. It was so fun and great for all ages! It’s funny how, when you’re a toddler mom, trying out new parks becomes the new “cool” thing to do, but I love any excuse to get my kiddo out in the fresh air! I’m really excited for post-baby when I can get down on the driveway and make fun art with him again. Right now, I feel like I can’t sit there and draw without getting a cramp or struggling to reach the chalk bin or a corner of the art! I still try, though. It’s funny how I went from being super sick to now just super uncomfortable. It’s crazy how you can carry your pregnancies different each time.

We’ve been getting him and his little best friend together after school once a week to play outside for hours. I love their friendship and all the little adventures they go on together. I was looking back at photos of them when they weren’t even two yet, and I was reminded just how much of a thief time is.

Lazy-girl dinner lately has been air-fried cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s with tomato basil marinara. SO GOOD.

On Saturday, my husband took my son out for the entire day so I could tackle organizing all the bins of clothes, sorting through my son’s current closet, and getting our changing area ready. You can call me crazy or warn me in the comments, but I think the plan going forward is this: we’ll have the bassinet by my bed for a few months, and we’re keeping the nursery chair and a lamp in our room as well. Across the hall is our laundry room. It’s a really large space since we never remodeled it or added cabinets. We put the changing dresser in there with a rack to hold all the diapers, wipes, creams, etc. The dresser has all the onesies and clothes, too.

I love the idea of being able to throw clothes straight into the wash while I’m in there. And the laundry room has super soft lighting, so at night when I walk across the hall to change the baby, the lights won’t blind my eyes. As he grows out of all of that, we’ll switch the boys’ rooms around (most likely this summer).

Last time, I felt like we were overprepared, and maybe this time we’re a little under prepared, but like I always say, with all pregnancies and babies, none of them are the same! You never know what kind of routine you’re going to get. You just kind of go with the flow and adjust when necessary. I realized quickly that I didn’t have to have all the things right away.

Our goal for January is to be done with everything! And I’m the type of person who cannot function in clutter or chaos, so that means going through every inch of the house and organizing or donating as much as possible. I’ve already started on the kitchen, office, and pantry, and now this weekend… the dreaded downstairs playroom. No matter how many times I clean that space, it becomes a wreck. I feel like I need a new system! Also, you know how we painted it black before having kids? I REALLY am leaning towards painting it a concrete beige color…I feel like it’s too dark in there now. Now, I’m just ranting.

We were so excited about Saturday night. We haven’t had a date night in so long…like months on months. We usually do everything together with our son, so when his school hosted a Parents’ Night Out fundraiser, we said, “Sign us up!” He loves his school so much, so we were all about it.

I don’t dress up much during this pregnancy unless it’s Sunday for church, so putting on a sweater that barely fit over the bump, my new maternity jeans, and my coat and boots was such a nice change. I bought the MAMA Straight Ankle Jeans in a light denim blue wash from H&M, and so far I like them the best. I want to get them in the darker, but wondering if it’s even worth it since I only have a couple months left.

We were having dinner with some friends and headed to The Speckled Pear. I can’t believe I had the privilege of going twice in one week! The food is amazing there, and they change the menu constantly to fit the seasons. It’s truly a gem and such a one-of-a-kind spot in Fort Mill, and the owners are incredible. The atmosphere at night is the perfect date-night vibe with a warm ambiance. They work so hard to make that place great.

The cod was so good last time that I ordered it again. We also had the charcuterie and bread board. It was my husband’s first time trying this spot, and he loved it. The night was so nice and such a good reminder that we need to take time to get out as parents more often.

After church on Sunday, it was time to try out a new coffee shop! I’ve been wanting to try Flora in Rock Hill for a while, and it was even cuter than the photos. What a dream coffee shop, and located right across from the college, the perfect spot for a laptop and a latte. The inside was stunning!

As someone who’s been having trouble finding things to wear throughout this pregnancy, I’m going to try to share some pieces as I go. This sweater dress is something I’ll be living in all pregnancy long. You can dress it up for church or wear it casually on the couch while watching a football game. It’s SO comfortable, stretchy, and bump-friendly.

I’m 5’8”, so I have to be careful with things being too short, and when you add a bump into the mix, it can get even shorter. With the bump and my height, the dress still hits right at my knees. I bought it in three colors since it’s on sale. I love stopping into Belk way too much (me and all the meemaws on a Monday afternoon.) I also picked up another dress to wear this winter (I’m thinking maybe for Christmas Eve). It’s a black boucle dress with a back bow, and it fits just like the sweater dress. I love it!

His eyes zoned in on that cookie.

We ordered two whole-milk cappuccinos and an oatmeal raisin cookie to split. I’m excited to go back and whip out the laptop sometime to work at this cute little spot, or maybe go for a girls’ date with Becca. This is exactly the kind of coffee shop we love to sit in and catch up!

When we got back, I headed out to shoot some photos for a friend for their Christmas card.

I spent the rest of the entire day plopped on the couch with my computer working on the blog, then I tackled cleaning up the downstairs, made a quick grocery trip, and started cooking around 5 p.m. My son and his little best friend had a dads’ day out at Carowinds! It was nice having that weekend time to myself to get things done around the house.

I love making a Sunday dinner, and I was in the mood for steak, potatoes, and green beans! I’ve always had an iron issue, so I try to eat red meat twice a week.

Dinner was chef’s kiss and exactly what I was craving. I generously season the steak with salt and pepper and sear it on the stovetop in my Dutch oven with avocado oil at a high heat for about 3 1/2 minutes on each side (depending on size and preferred temperature). After I take it out of the Dutch oven, I sprinkle a little garlic powder on top and let it rest for about five minutes before cutting. The steak turns out perfect every time! It’s my favorite way to cook steak indoors.

I boiled Yukon potatoes and whipped them in my KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment along with whole milk, butter, sea salt, black pepper, and chopped garlic. I really need to get a tutorial up soon because I love garlic mashed potatoes, and I don’t make them nearly enough! The only thing I didn’t add because I forgot to pick up at the grocery store were the chopped chives. I love them in potatoes!

The green beans were partially pre-steamed, tossed in avocado oil, sea salt, and black pepper, and then baked in the oven for ten minutes at 400°F. We plan to have this exact meal on Christmas Eve after service because it’s so easy to make and so delicious. I may pair it with a homemade cheesecake!

I don’t even like red wine, but for some reason (blaming weird pregnancy cravings) red wine with a steak just sounded good. I do love the Fre non-alcoholic drinks and have always enjoyed having them! Their non-alcoholic champagne is really good too, so I poured myself a glass of their red blend to go with my steak. It was very good, and honestly much tastier than real red wine (coming from a non–red wine drinker!).

That night, after putting our son to bed, we stayed up late for another Eagles game! This time, I didn’t make it past halftime. I marched myself upstairs and put myself to bed. I knew exactly what the next day would feel like if I tried to stick it out. There’s nothing harder than being up all night and then going straight into toddler-mom mode early the next morning. I’ve been dealing with insomnia a lot during this pregnancy and will be up for like three hours just staring at the ceiling, and it’s so hard to function the next day.

After school on Monday, we decided to make some peanut butter Rice Krispie treats before heading to the park for a play date with friends.

These were so easy to make and so good! They tasted like peanut butter fudge with Rice Krispies. They have three tablespoons of butter, 3/4 cup peanut butter, 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, and 4 cups of Rice Krispie cereal. We melted the butter and peanut butter together, folded in the marshmallows (had to melt those in the microwave for a few seconds), coated the Rice Krispie cereal, added a few extra marshmallows, transferred it all to a pan, and let them cool. SO EASY and such a treat!

My son is always looking for a cooking activity! Each day he asks me “what are we making today!”

We did Hobby Lobby reindeer crafts, played our favorite fishing game (definitely add this to a toddler Christmas list!), played with chalk, stopped at the new donut shop (donut house) went on a walk, did playdough with a book from his school’s Scholastic Fair, harvested zinnia seeds, and made cookie dough!

That night, I had a pedicure and an Ilios date with my friend before coming home to tackle bedtime. We’re going to Florida for Thanksgiving next week, so I’m happy I was able to get some cranberry-colored toes! lol

Thursday was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. We woke up early to bake all the cookie dough for the teachers’ cookie boxes. If you’re looking for a cute teacher gift, I love making these cookie boxes! Plus, these chocolate chip cookies are our FAVORITE, and they always turn out to perfection.

Make them fresh in the morning and allow them to cool for about 45-minutes before putting them into their boxes.

The key is to make the cookie dough 12 to 24 hours in advance. When you put the chilled dough in the oven, the cookies stay perfectly thick,crispy on the edges and gooey in the centers!

Bakery Boxes:
(I used these all year for baked goods, and even used them for cinnamon rolls when I ran the markets! I like having them in the house so I can send Kyle to work with sweets.)

Let’s talk about ribbon! I am a die-hard Hobby Lobby stan. THEY HAVE THE BEST selection, affordable and ALWAYS 50 percent off for the holidays. Target had the same ribbon with no sale for over $10. NO THANKS.

Cookie recipe is here!

For the cards, I used a template in Canva, printed it out, and also printed the cookie recipe to tuck inside the card.

After drop-off, I did a quick grocery run (yes, I’m there daily), and then toasted up my favorite breakfast! You already know…

We headed out for a park date after school yesterday, took a trip to the library (I know I need to update our book club!), stopped at Southern Olive for a macaroon, and then headed home to play outside since the weather was incredible. How did we go from snow to 75° in a week? Truthfully, I prefer a litttttle bit colder weather. Give me the chills!

And I had to share that photo of sweet Tux. Every morning when Kyle comes downstairs, he sprints over to him, jumps up, and gives him kisses. It’s crazy to think how much he’s changed over the past five (woah yes, FIVE!) years he’s been with us. I bought him and Leo Christmas bandanas for photos this year, and I can’t wait to get those taken!

Today, we’re headed out to a farm to kick off Thanksgiving break with all the activities, and then we’re having Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ tomorrow. I’ll be making sourdough bread, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, cranberry sauce, and green beans to bring! Don’t forget to check out my 2025 Thanksgiving Guide if you need any Thanksgiving menu or table inspo!

I am going to be working a toddler & family gift guide the next few days! I have so many fun things that my son loves, and even things we got him last year that he’s still obsessed with. Stay tuned for that!

Thank you all for stopping by to read my recaps! I love doing these 🙂

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite Sunday meal to cook?
2. Do you have any Thanksgiving plans?