TESSA RAYANNE

Friday, May 15, 2015

What We Wear: Sonnet James + A Trip To The Aquarium

I have been dying to share this play dress with you all for all of my mamas out there or ladies that just like to have a good time and look pretty but still want to have fun and have the flexibility of not worrying about what you're wearing. This play dress by Sonnet James is one of my favorite play date outfits right now. I could literally sleep in this dress its so comfortable.. and thats saying a lot for a pregnant women 4 weeks away from her due date? ha!

Heres a little inside scoop on Sonnet James: "Whitney believes passionately in being a playful and involved mother. She also believes that with the right dress you can look great without letting your clothes get in the way of the next big adventure! Sonnet James was born out of the idea that beautiful clothing should work for moms—durable, comfortable, and beautiful, yet easy to care for. So, enjoy your Sonnet James dress at the park, the museum, and the city".

... or in my case, at the aquarium. (:

This dress in particular is called the "Reese Dress" in white (although i love the grey and navy too), its my favorite! I also love their "Piper Dress" and "Remi Dress". They're not maternity but they certainly work for us prego mums. Im in a size Small and couldve easily squeezed this bulging belly into a extra small and had plenty of space to spare. You'll be seeing me in this dress all summer long, especially when im concealing my after baby belly hah. You must must must stop by their website to check out what Whitney has created. I think i need to order 5 more for when im running after two little ones in the near future.

We had such a great Mother's Day spending it together as a family at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. I loved watching my little guy take over the tanks one by one with the widest eyes and touching every part of the glass he could get his little fingers on. I live for these days.. the days i get to spend with all of my family members (almost four of us now!) and watch them smile, make memories, and play with so much love and joy in their hearts. The weekends are my favorite, and anything we are doing together is fun as long as we are together. As cheesey as that sounds, aint it the truth?!

I hope you ladies had a fabulous Mother's Day, and thank you to Sonnet James for making my so sweet with this beautiful play dress. (:

^^^sporting that 35.5 week pregnant peek-a-boo belly button ^^^

^^^The length & stretch is perfect for kneeling down to play with our littles^^^

Shop Sonnet James here.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

35 Weeks: Pregnancy Update

How far along: 35.5 weeks pregnant (quickly moving onto 36 in 2 days)

Due date: June 11 2015

Weight Gain: 24 lbs.

Symptoms: Lower back aches at night, bathroom trips usually once a night, TONS of braxton hicks daily, cervical sharp pains here and there that stop me in my tracks and i have stand there cringing until they're gone. This week i had some really bad ones. I was told they are the baby either moving lower or hitting a nerve on your cervix that sends shooting pain. Shes so active and her movements are sometimes uncomfortable but thats to be expected at this stage. Im SUPER exhausted, all day long, so being motivated to do anything is tough. I have to go go go with my toddler so resting isnt really much of an option besides nap time and night time..which i look more and more forward to do these days (; I have a little acid reflux here and there but not often, maybe once every few weeks. I eat spicy and acidic foods all the time and eat regular sized meals and dont seem to have an issue with heart burn, which is SOOOO nice because i crave mexican food and limes/tangerines. I have that darn numbness under my rib cage (especially on the right hand side), i had this with my first pregnancy too, it seems to be aggravated by my bra and sitting. At 35.5 weeks i started experiencing pelvic pain or lower abdomen pain, it just feels really really sore/heavy, the dr said thats "pressure" from the baby.

Still a little acid reflux (burning in my throat) but not really that intense, and hasnt led to that dreaded heart burn a lot of mommies talk about. Im still eating spicy foods, late at night, and big meals and haven't had too much of a problem yet. I have a numbness on my right upper rib under my right breast. I read this is common for a lot of moms and its just my uterus pressing up against my other organs cramming them

Cravings: Chocolate, sandwhiches, and chips w lime and rock salt still.. new ones lately are smoothies, cold tangerines again, and sees candy loli pops. Coffee is and off and on thing for me, i cant make it myself because the smell makes me gauge, so ive been opting for Chai Tea Lattes when my hubby and i do coffee runs.

Wedding Rings: on. Although im just wearing my engagement ring because im too afraid my wedding rings will cause another allergic reaction so i put them on only for special occasions.

Belly button: out, no question there!

Exercise: Lately just cardio once a week. Im lucky if i get to go twice. Ive been so tired though that its probably for the best to rest more often.

Sleep: sleep is ok, i wake up tired though and it lingers throughout the day. I still use my pregnancy pillow and ask for massages nightly. Which reminds me, i had the best pregnancy massage at Burke Williams spa this past week, if you havent had a spa treatment during you pregnancy... get one!!

Maternity Clothes: Yes rotating between maternity pieces and non maternity pieces. Im all about comfort these days. Anything tight or restricting hurts.

Excited for: finishing her nursery, our babymoon next week!!!, and meeting our little girl.

Missing: feeling comfortable. I often have waves of nausea lately, and ill get hot flashes and feel like im going to faint if im standing in heels or in heat for too long.

Pre Labor Signs: YEP, we are at that point where this is now part of the update!! AH! I started having a little menstrual like cramping in my lower belly with a dull back ache (at 35.5 weeks) for an hour here and there throughout the day. Im thinking this is just practice and/or dilating or effacing my cervix, who knows?! I remember having this all the time with my first pregnancy but not so sure it was this early on? Im excited for my dr visit this week to check! Im feeling sore around my lower pelvic region and my bones down there feel achey on and off.

Dr Update: My dr will start doing internal exams this next week! im excited to see if things are already progressing. I also have a scheduled growth scan, the dr didnt say why she just said she would like to do one. My fundal measurement is right on track so not too sure what her curiosity is but im not too worried about it.

Life update: my sister had her baby 6 days ago!! My heart is so so happy! Her little girl is so precious. Being in the delivery room for my sisters birth just a month away or less frm being there myself was a little bit scary.. ive seen births before in person but my poor sisters epidural didnt numb her all the way down there, so she felt all of the crowning and babys head coming out, which looked so extremely painful. I wasnt expecting to feel that because with the epidural i didnt with my son.. but now im preparing myself for it just incase. and lets just say, thats the part im not looking forward to. The part where we meet her and get to see her little face and her personality is all i can think about at the moment though!

See my 35 week pregnancy update with my first here and 36 week update with my first pregnancy here.

^^^35.5 weeks this past Saturday celebrating our sweet friends Andrea & Kileys nuptuals^^^

^^^& a huge I LOVE YOU and HAPPY MAMAS DAY to my gorgeous mom who has made me the women i am today, without her I would be so lost. Shes the best mom and I am so honored to follow in her footsteps with my own children^^^

& lastly, my sweet niece was born just a little over a week ago!! She is precious and makes me feel extra excited for our sweet angel to be here.

I hope youre all having a lovely day!!

Saturday, May 2, 2015

What We Wear: Tart Collections + 30% OFF COUPON CODE!

The past two weeks have been so jam packed with so much going on, and not all the fun kind but the massive "to do list before the baby comes" kind. So I do apologize for the slight delay in posting lately! I will have plenty of time to catch up, im going on maternity leave very very soon here & we've been narrowing down on that list day by day. I have a lot of things I want to share, a 'life lately' post, our maternity pictures, some great shops for little girly/boy items, a pregnancy update, "a health recipe and what we've been eating lately" post.. and the list goes on. We will get there eventually!

Today I have a really special company to share with you all, Tart Collections, im sure you've heard of them, but did you know they have a maternity line? Um yes please. Tart Collections contacted me and gave me the opportunity to test out some of their great pieces! I was so excited because I know anything maternity is actually comfortable, and I knew they had a very very cute line to start so adding comfort to fashion was just what i needed to hear. Check out some of the items below from their maternity collection, i also picked 2 items that are non maternity for all of you non pregnant ladies who follow along here and are looking for some cute spring clothes.

^^^Find this adorable Tatum triangle geo print maternity dress here^^^

^^^Shop the Jeana Maxi in Aqua Aztec here ^^^

^^^I wore this non maternity (but very stretcy and comfortable) maxi dress to my second baby shower thrown my by mother in law last weekend, find it here^^^^

^^^This is my favorite color so anything that comes in it lets just say im all over it! I loved this materniy knee length dress, those leather sleeves are so adorable and its super flattering. I wore this out to dinner with my sisters (see below) Find the Judith maternity dress in maroon here^^^

^^^Sorry for all the poor quality iphone photos^^^

^^^This non maternity navy and white striped cardigan is a perfect spring cover up or throw on when the weather is off and on chilly. Find the Darla cardigan here^^^

^^^Here are some cute heels and wedges that can go with all of these dresses (i wore a nude heel), a few options of turquoise drop earings like the ones shown in the baby shower photo, & a couple really afforadable a fake tooth long pendant necklaces like I wore with the black and white triangle geo print dress^^^.

Shop Tart Collections website HERE

Follow them along on instagram @tartcollections

My readers get 30% OFF at checkout with

COUPON CODE: tessa30

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

What We Wear: Humble Hilo

Hi all, i hope everyone has had a great week thus far, we have been so busy lately i feel like life is just going by so quickly! I have this feeling of restlessness where i feel like i have so much to do and not enough time to do it. It must be early nesting or something? Whatever it is, its good and bad. I get a lot of the fun stuff done but the things that i really really need to do i keep putting off because of my lack of energy these days (pregnancy update post to come soon). I am sooooo tired from being 32.5 weeks pregnant, third trimester is beating my bum! Anywho, one of the many things on my list of to do's is to share with you all some of the cute baby girl clothes ive been collecting for our sweet little lady on the way! Today i have SUCH A RAD brand to share with you. Humble Hilo.

Humble Hilo is a company that was started by two friends, Lauren and Erica, who share a passion for fashion and helping others!. Together they created beautiful bags, shoes and clothing created from Guatemalan textiles. Humble Hilo creates job opportunities for Maya women and families living in poverty. They also give a portion of their profit to a hummanitarian organization called World Link Partners. This organization helps the Guatemalan people in 3 different projects: Infant and child nutrition, Literacy and Education and lastly Microfinance loans for women. With every item you buy youre supporting these families that are employed by them, as well as you get to choose which of the 3 projects your purchose will go towards supporting! HOW RAD IS THAT?! This is a company i can fully get behind. Find more info here.

"With more than 7 years spent in Guatemala working with non-profit organizations, we want to do more than just sell products; we want to create a change. We have traveled back to bring fashion-forward items to market. These unique items mix ancient techniques with modern style that will set you apart from the rest." -the lovely ladies of Humble Hilo. They have hearts of gold and just want to help others in need.

I love this sweet little dress handmade and handwoven below and these leather sandals are probably my favorite sandals ive ever seen!

With the purchase of JUST these $25 leather sandals, you can choose a portion of the proceeds to support one of the following humanitarian projects:

Nutrition: Feed a malnourished child 2 meals for 1 week
Microfinance: Provide a portion of a microcredit loan to a woman for the duration of 4 days
Literacy: Provide literacy classes for a woman for 3 weeks

YES YES YES!!!

^^^these handmade/handwoven (by Guatemalan women) dresses come in sizes starting at 6months all the way up to 24 months. Traditional materials used: Huipil patch with blue corte fabric^^^

Please be sure to stop by their site and check them out ((HUMBLE HILO))

Follow on instagram @humblehilo

Monday, April 13, 2015

What We Love: A Little Lady Shop & Petit Patch

Hey Lovelies, we just got back into town last night from Colorado celebrating my husbands grandma's 80th birthday! It was so nice to have time away with his side of the family that live in Colorado and have Cash finally meet the rest of them & just enjoy time together. Today I want to share with you these two adorable shops that have the cutest girl accessories and handmade dresses. I love A Little Lady shop's headbands and felt bows, they are made so well and come in the cutest options of patterns and colors. I cannot wait to put our baby girl in these. That top crystal headband is what she'll be wearing (matching with her cousin who will be 5 weeks older) to my brothers wedding in September. I can hardly wait!! I adore these vintage inspired hand made dresses by Petit Patch, they have handmade embroidered roses & geometric shapes on them and are the most dreamy material. She is going to be so sweet in these flutter sleeves (obsessed). Check out Petit Patch and see their two piece sets and rompers as well.

A Little Lady shop also has swaddle blankets & they are too die for with sweat pom pom details! (see below)

^^^Headbands all c/o A Little Lady Shop ^^^

^^^ A Little Lady Shop^^^

^^^Here you can see how airy these are, perfect for nursing or swaddling!! They are 38 x 38 and made from cotton muslin material^^^

^^^Dresses c/o Petit Patch^^^

Use Coupon Code: TESSA for free shipping over at A Little Lady Shop

A Little Lady shop website or etsy, follow on instagram @alittleladyshop

Petit Patch etsy here

Friday, April 3, 2015

Garden Tea Party Joint Baby Shower

Garden Tea Party Joint Baby Shower:

A couple weeks ago my mom threw my sister and I the sweetest garden tea party baby shower for our sweet little girls at the San Juan Tea House on Los Rios Street. As I've mentioned in the past my sister and I are 5.5 weeks apart in our pregnancies, and this being both our second pregnancies and our first daughters we knew it would be fun to do a combined shower, with just us and our girlfriends and a couple family members. I have always wanted both a boy and a girl, but I knew the moment I found out we were having a daughter that I would be able to go nuts with flowers, glitter, lace, and all things feminine! So a garden tea party full of flowers and dainty tea cups was exactly what we needed. My mom did all of the floral center pieces, shes insanely gifted and so creative and insisted she do them herself. She also brought in some cute collector tea pots to put the center pieces in, some adorable lace and patterned tea pot fabric for table runners, and some vintage vases. The restaurant served us a 4 course high tea meal which consisted of an assortment of finger sandwiches, delicious heart shaped scones with creamed butter and jam, a selection of teas, and topped us off with a selection of desserts. YUM. I had a couple things in mind I thought would be cute finishing touches, so I partnered with a few shops to help out in achieving the feminine shabby chic look we were going for. See all the details below:

^^^ These custom invitations and registry inserts.. i mean?!! Arent they just perfect for a tea party?! I could not have asked After February to do a better job on these. They were one of my favorite parts of our shower.. I just want to box it up and hang it on my wall its so cute. Do yourself a favor and check out her custom work, shes such a doll & so so kind & does a whole lot more than just invitations^^^

^^^These adorable Tulle pom poms c/o Shanz Party Decorations hung from the ceiling in ivory and soft pink. They were such a cute addition to the already cute atmosphere. They just made it so girly & really vamped up the place, i will definitely be using these again in the future!^^^

^^^Pretty Palace1 made these perfect little tea party food picks which we used to put cute sayings on them like you see below "blessed", "joy", "its a girl", "something sweet", "wonderfully made" and we topped off our cute desserts with them as you can see above. Also made by Pretty Palace1 were these adorable tea cup paper banners we had strung across the front of all of the tables! I just love details, i think party planning is one of my most favorite hobbies, can that be a hobby? well i guess it is now! vvv

^^^Opening gifts..whats more fun than baby girl gifts?!?^^^

^^^ GUYS.. you must go to The Bloomin Gypsy if you are local or anywhere near Orange County, shes so insanely good at all things floral, but seriously she is a Flower crown goddess! She made me one for my maternity photos as well & all i can say is her attention to detail and color combos is spot on! Shes also such a pleasure to work with and the sweetest babe ever. A huge thank you to these beautiful crowns The Bloomin Gypsy gifted us with^^^

^^^This dress was seriously sooooo comfortable, airy (a must for a hot day), and those crochet sleeved details were exactly what i wanted in a shower dress, thank you to Bump Style Box for the perfect find ^^^

^^^These two precious babies are my nieces and are so excited to be adding 2 more little girls to their team ^^^

^^^ Some of the best gals & mamas i get to do life with, our daughter will already have 2 best girlfriends in their daughters ^^^

^^^We truly felt like queens with these gorgeous flower crowns on ^^^

^^^From Left to Right: Our soon to be sista in law (5 months away!), me, my sister Kelsey 5.5 wks ahead with a baby girl, & our older sis Courtney 4 wks behind me with a baby boy!^^^

^^^Best friends since second grade, love this sweet bride to be! ^^^

^^^ some of my lovely ladies who are just too good to me, one of them flew out from Colorado to make it to my shower and her sister in laws bridal shower, can you get any more lucky than that?!^^^

^^^I will never forget how special this has been being able to be pregnant together with my two sisters. Thank you Jesus for this precious gift of carrying life together and having one another to lean on during those challenging/emotional times. Its going to be so fun raising 3 babies together that are all within 3 months apart! ^^^

^^^ Little tea bag & candy jar party favors my mom made ^^^

^^^So many of the ladies complimented on these cute banners, the flag bunting banner is from an adorable shop called Starlit Nest Gifts, she does custom work & has a crazy wide selection to choose from. I told her exactly what colors we needed & that we wanted vintage, floral, & shabby chic looking fabrics & she did not disappoint. The "It's Tea Time" banner c/o Anista Designs had the cutest little tea pots in between each word & printed in the prettiest golden floral wreath were the sweet hand stamped letters hanging on pretty vintage cream card stock (w/ distressed blush ink around the edges) which hung from pink silk ribbon .... perfection. Both banners made our gift table extra special and extra cute. I can reuse these for tea parties with the girls and holidays! ^^^