The Classy Giraffe

In Home Session + Life Update

We had these pictures taken when Theodore was 7 weeks old. Life has been so crazy that I haven’t had the time to post these photo’s. I am beyond in love with how these photo’s turned out and will most likely be printing a few of them. Looking through these pictures I can’t believe how little Theo was. Now he can almost sit up, almost roll over, can stand with assistance, and loves to laugh.

Theo is now 4 months old. Time has been flying by like crazy. It feels like just yesterday I welcomed this sweet baby into the world. Being a mother has been absolutely amazing but also challenging. It has been a balance trying to figure out how to find time to take care of myself while taking care of Theo. I have been working on putting Theo down in his room for naps which has been hard but is nice because it gives me time to get some of my things done. I am also working on putting him in his crib at night instead of having him sleeping in the bassinet.

Big thanks to the wonderful Evelyn from Dear Frida for taking these wonderful photos.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Glamping at Conestoga Ranch

This post is sponsored by Conestoga Ranch. All opinions are my own

I’m not sure where to start with all the details about our stay at Conestoga Ranch in Bear Lake. We had an absolutely amazing time and it was a great little get a way, that we will never forget. Casey and I haven’t been able to do much this summer, since welcoming our son Theo into our family. I have been dealing with postpartum anxiety, so leaving the house hasn’t been easy for me. This trip was just what I needed.

Conestoga Ranch is the perfect place to go, if you’re looking to get away and spend time outdoors, without having to give up all the amenities. Casey and I both love to camp, but I also enjoy staying staying in hotels. This is literally the best of both worlds.

Conestoga Ranch is located in Garden City Utah, about five minutes from Bear Lake, which is known for its beautiful blue water and sandy beaches. The town is adorable, and they have the best raspberry shakes. Casey and I met at Utah State University, which is fairly close to Bear Lake. Back, when we were dating, we ditched classes and headed there for a day trip. We had a wonderful time skipping rocks and fishing at the lake. A week later Casey proposed to me and the rest is history. Bear Lake holds a special place in my heart and we like to go whenever we can.

What Is Glamping?

Glamping is basically luxurious camping. It is perfect for those who love being outdoors, but also enjoy the comforts of home. You DON’T have to pack a tent, sleeping bags, blankets, or basically the whole house. They have the essentials for a comfortable stay and even provide a pack N play for baby. They offer everything you need, so all you have to pack are personal items, clothes, and items for a fun day on the lake. Every tent even offers a heater so you won’t get cold during the night.

Sleeping Arrangements

They offer five different types of tents/wagons and all of them are cozy and glamourous. You can see all the different types of tents here. We stayed in the Grand Family Tent which has it’s own bathroom along with electricity. It also had a king size bed along with 4 twin beds.

What is there to do?

There are so many different activities to do while at Bear Lake and Conestoga Ranch. They have bikes that you can use at your leisure, a game tent (full of arcade games), yoga, a spa, sit in hammocks, hang out around the camp fire (they have smores kits and someone will come and light your fire), play at the lake, go on hikes, etc… You can check out all the amenities here.

Food

They have an on site restaurant called The Campfire Grill which has a variety of items on the menu to choose from. We had both dinner and breakfast during our stay at the campfire grill, which was a short walk from our tent. I had the BBQ Pork Rubbed Bone in Pork Chop and Casey got the New York Strip and we were both very happy with our choices. We started the next day with a filling breakfast of pancakes, topped with macerated berries and honey butter as well as meat scrambled eggs, cooked to perfection. Some of the tents are equipped with mini fridges, so you are able to bring items that need to be refrigerated.

FAQ

For more answers to your questions you can check out there FAQ page on their website here.

Pictures from our stay

 

Thanks for reading,

 

-Abigail Brady

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Z’s Steak and Chop Haus

This post is sponsored by Z’s Steak & Chop Haus. All opinions are my own.

Last week Casey and I went to Z’s Steak and Chop Haus in Midway Utah. It was a lot of fun driving to Midway to enjoy some delicious food. Casey and I are big foodies. All of our dates include food of some sort. Which is why I will never be able to go on a diet. Casey also loves to cook so we are always up for trying new food places or new recipes. The restaurant is located at Zermatt Resort in Midway Utah. It is an adorable little town and the resort is incredible. I would highly recommend trying this restaurant out if you are looking for a delicious steak house.

We brought Theo along with us on this date and it was a lot of fun having him with us. I always feel so weird when I am not around him. I love being able to spend time with my cute little family.

They had some amazing food options at Z’s Steak and Chop Haus. For our appetizer we got the Gruyere Fondue and it was so good. I am pretty obsessed with cheese so this really hit the spot for me. It was by far the best tasting fondue that I have ever had.

For our main dish we got the Chateaubriand for two. It was so delicious. Every bite was absolutely amazing. The potatoes were also incredible as well with the veggies. Casey and I were pretty full after we finished eating.

For dessert I got the Vanilla Creme Brulee with Fresh Berries. Casey got the Triple Chocolate Decadence cake. I have a major sweet tooth and these desserts just hit the spot.

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

 

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

 

-Abigail

The Roof: Celebrating 5 Year Anniversary

Casey and I went to the roof on August 1st 2018 to celebrate our 5th anniversary. It was also our first date night without Theodore. We dropped him off at my parents house and headed to Salt Lake to celebrate. It was pretty weird at first not having Theo with us. It had been the first time I had been away from him. We basically spent the whole time talking about him. I am pretty proud of myself because I only called my mom once to check up on him.

It is crazy to think that we have been married for 5 years. It feels like just yesterday Casey and I were walking out of the temple as husband and wife ready to take on the world hand in hand. I remember telling people that we had been married for 2 months and I felt so cool. Now when people ask it’s 5 years. I can’t imagine my life without Casey. He has brought me so much joy and is the best husband. While our marriage is far from perfect I have never been happier.

We had the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary at The Roof. We first went to The Roof in 2015 to celebrate my first post graduate job. I was very excited to go back to the Roof to celebrate our anniversary because of how delicious the food was. The atmosphere is also very relaxing. They have a pianist playing music the whole entire time and each member of the staff is so sweet and made me feel special.

The view is absolutely breathtaking. You get to see the whole Salt Lake valley followed by a perfect view of The Salt Lake Temple.

The food is set up via buffet style which made it great to pick whatever I wanted to eat. There were so many great options from salads to crab.

The dessert area is by far my favorite part. I have a major sweet tooth. They have so many options to choose from and they are all the perfect size. My favorite dessert was the creme brulee because it was so creamy and delicious. Looking back at these pictures makes me want to go back.

The price is $42 for adults, $18 ages 7-11 and $9 for ages 4-6. You get access to a whole buffet of delicious food (you can check out the menu here) and you get access to a gorgeous view. If you are ever in Salt Lake I would highly recommend going to The Roof. It is the perfect place to celebrate your anniversary or basically anything. I’m considering going back to celebrate when Theo finally sleeps through the whole night.

 

This post is sponsored by The Roof but all opinions are my own. 

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Postpartum Care Products

Postpartum Care

Having a baby is a wonderful experience but it is also very painful. According to my OBGYN birth is a very violent process and can do a lot to a woman’s body (definitely something you don’t want to hear lol). Which means recovery should be expected not to be easy. Prior to having Theo my sister warned me about how sore my body would be after giving birth. She gave me the run down of how painful everything would be. She gave me a list of things that I would need after having a baby. I was glad that I had those items during my recovery. I have put together a list of things you will need during your recovery.

Herbal Perineal Spray

This stuff is by far one of my favorite products that helped me through my recovery. It contains witch hazel along with some other ingredients that will help aid you recovery. It is very easy to use and it brought me a lot of relief. It is designed in a way so you can spray it upside down so using it is easy. I had a second degree tear and this stuff really helped me to heal. You can get it here.

Organic Perineal Balm

This balm is wonderful. It contains witch hazel and rich organic botanicals meant for postpartum care. It gives a cooling comfort to your sore areas. You can get it here

Herbal Sitz bath

This Herbal Sitz bath brought me a lot of relief while I was still very sore. You can use it as a sitz bath, a poultice, or a padsicle. You can get it here

A Squirt Bottle

Most hospitals will provide you with one. Believe it or not using the bathroom for the first little bit after you have a baby is painful. Having a squirt bottle to use makes the whole experience of going to the bathroom less painful. A squirt bottle was another one of my other favorite products that I had during recovery. You can get a squirt bottle here

Ice Pack

Icing your downstairs will bring you so much relief. If you don’t have an icepack you can fill a latex glove or even a sandwich bag with water and freeze it. You can get it here

Stretchy pants or a House Dress

You will want to make sure you have comfy clothes to wear during your recovery especially some sort of stretchy pants or a dress. I personally didn’t want to put jeans on or any other type of pants during my recovery.

Maxi pads and/or Adult Diapers

Unfortunately you are going to bleed for awhile after having a baby. They will give you mesh panties in the hospital but for when you get home I would recommend getting maxi pads or adult diapers that you can wear while you bleed. I bled for about 6 weeks.

Nursing Pads

If you plan on breast feeding I would highly recommend getting some nursing pads. There are disposable or reusable options. Once your milk comes in pads will help to prevent cracked nipples and keep you dry.

 Nipple Cream

If you plan on breastfeeding I recommend getting some sort of nipple cream. I was pretty sore

A SUPPORT SYSTEM

Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. You are going to be tired and overwhelmed. Have a support system set up in place before.

YOU GOT THIS

Just a reminder that you are awesome and you are going to be great. Don’t over stress and take time to relax and try to find sometime for yourself.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,

-Abigail

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Loving Your Postpartum Body: Mom Bod

Every summer since I started blogging I have done a swim suit post. This year since I had a baby I wasn’t going to do one because of my 8 week postpartum body. Well after deciding to ignore my insecurities I changed my mind and threw on a cute swimming suit from Lime Ricki and posed my heart out.

Having a baby was such a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for the opportunity. Theo is the best thing to happen to me and I love having in my life. However the whole process of having a baby did a number to my body. It has left me with some battle wounds: cellulite, stretch marks, and a mom gut. I’m not going to lie I felt ashamed of my body because of how different it looked. My old clothes don’t quite fit the same and I have to wear a belly band if I want to wear high waisted pants. However I shouldn’t be ashamed of this body of mine because of all that it has done. This body endured a 9 month pregnancy, 23 hours of labor, and 2 hours of pushing. It also provides me with the energy I need to take care of my sweet son. This body of mine is beautiful and is so strong.

I could have easily edited out my stretch marks and cellulite but it has always been my policy to never edit out my “imperfections”. While this body of mine doesn’t look like a Victoria Secrets model it’s my body and I love it regardless of how it looks. I am proud of my mom bod and all that it is capable of doing.

Regardless of how your body looks I encourage you to love it.

Shop This Look

|| Swim Suit: Lime Ricki ||  || Sandals: Lime Ricki ||

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

-Abigail

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Theo’s Newborn Photo’s

Theo will be 2 months next week and I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. It feels like just yesterday I found out that I was pregnant with him. It has been the best being his mother. He is such a sweetheart and loves to cuddle. He is a pretty good baby. For the most part he is pretty good at sleeping during the night. He gave me a full 5 hours the other night and went straight to bed right after I fed him. He loves to sit in his swing which has been great. He also loves to take baths. It is so much fun watching him splash around in the tub. He is such a cutie.

Casey and I have had so much fun taking on our new role as parents. We are VERY sleep deprived but haven’t been happier. I am definitely your typical first time mom who basically worries about everything. I am constantly checking on him to make sure he is breathing and always make people was their hands before holding him. I never realized how much I could worry about another human being. He is worth everything and I am so lucky to have him

My friend Emi Stewart took Theo’s newborn photo’s and I am obsessed with how they turned out. He looks so cute in all of the picutres. You can check out her website here. We had these photo’s taken when he was 1 week old. He was in such a great mood while the pictures were getting taken. It’s crazy looking back at these photo’s because of how much he has all ready changed in the past two months. Time really does fly by faster when you have kids.

 

Thanks for reading and have a great day

-Abigail

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

A Birth Story: Theo James Brady

40 WEEKS PREGNANT

May 10th was my official due date but when the day came I was only dilated to a 2. With how things were looking it seemed like baby Brady wouldn’t come for a little bit longer. My doctor stripped my membrane to hopefully get things going. To avoid going past 41 weeks I scheduled an induction on May 17th. When we left that appointment we kept our fingers crossed that baby Brady would come before the 17th. By May 11th Casey and I had tried everything to try to induce labor. A few days earlier I even made some cupcakes that were supposed to induce labor, but unfortunately they did nothing for me. We were pretty desperate to meet our sweet son before May 17th. Not ready to give up Casey and I decided to get me moving to hopefully induce labor. Since it was rainy and cold that day we walked around Costco, ate some pizza, and went to Sportsman Warehouse to walk around some more. After our little adventure we went home. I was tired (walking around while 40.2 weeks pregnant isn’t easy) so I went upstairs and started getting ready for bed. At 8pm while I was getting ready for bed my water broke. Unsure if my water had actually broken Casey and I went to labor and delivery just to be sure. After they ran a few tests they were positive that my water had broken and I was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately I was still only dilated to a 2 which meant it wasn’t going to be a short labor. To help hurry things along they put me on pitocin. The nurse told me that it was going to be a long labor and not to expect the baby until the next evening.

THE EPIDURAL

Since I was in it for the long haul I wanted to wait to get an epidural. I didn’t want to spend the whole time numb and unable to move. After 12 long hours of painful contractions I decided it was time to get an epidural that afternoon on the 12th. To be honest I was absolutely terrified of getting an epidural because of my fear of needles. Being a sweet husband, Casey let me squeeze his hand like crazy while the anesthesiologist put the epidural in. It wasn’t as bad as I had expected. The IV hurt more than the epidural. Since I am pretty sensitive to medications I became nauseated and threw up right after they put the epidural in. A few hours later my sister, mom, mother in law, and father in law came to the hospital. It was wonderful having everyone there to celebrate such a wonderful moment as a family. I was pretty out of it because I hardly slept the night before and I was pretty nauseated so I spent most of the day attempting to sleep.

LABOR

After laboring for 23 hours (literally felt like forever) I was finally dilated to a 10 and it was time to welcome Theo into the world. I’m not going to lie I was super worn out when push time came. I didn’t know if I would have the energy to do it. The nurse also brought in a mirror so that I could watch. With the help from my husband, mom, sister, nurse, doctor and a few sips of sprite (I had the best nurse) I was able to find the energy. I had the best support group there to cheer me on. Because of the epidural Casey and the nurse held my legs. Casey was so sweet and supportive the whole entire time. He had so much energy and showed so much love while I was in such a vulnerable time. I honestly could not have done it without him. Pushing was hard but so empowering at the same time.

WELCOME THEO

At 7:21pm on May 12th 2018 after 2 hours of pushing Theo was born 8lbs 2 oz 20.5 inches. Immediately after he was born he was placed on my chest for skin to skin. He was so warm and snuggly and he was mine. He had a full head of beautiful auburn hair. It was wonderful meeting my sweet little boy that I had grown for 9 months. I fell in love with him the instant I saw him.

After I delivered my placenta I started to get pretty dizzy and nauseated. I had Casey hold Theo while I threw up. They gave me a shot which helped me out. Later that evening I found out that I had a postpartum hemorrhage. I am thankful that I was in the hospital because they were able to get control of my bleeding and I didn’t have any problems because of the hemorrhage. Once things were sorted out I was handed Theo again and a lactation consultant came and helped me breastfeed him for the first time.

First family photo with all 3 of us

Casey showing his family pictures of baby Theo

After spending some time learning to breastfeed and doing skin to skin with Theo we were moved into the recovery room. While in the recovery room family came to meet sweet little Theo. Everyone was so excited to meet him.

Theo meeting Grandma Farr and Grandma Brady

Theo meeting his aunts and uncles for the first time

 

Huge shoutout to my sister Rachel for flying all the way from Missouri to take my pictures and being there for Theo’s birth.

 

Thanks for reading

 

-Abigail

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Maternity Session + Baby update

It is crazy that in the next couple of weeks I get to meet this sweet little boy. It has been so much fun feeling his little kicks. I can’t wait to see whose features he takes after and who he looks more like.

My pregnancy this far has been fairly standard. I wouldn’t say I’ve had a hard pregnancy but I also wouldn’t say that it has been easy. During my first trimester I was constantly nauseated but I never really threw up. By my second trimester I started throwing up but wasn’t nauseated as often. The aches and the pains also started in my second trimester. The third trimester I have been dealing with swelling, false labor contractions, and pregnancy pains. I thought I was going to be one of those people who didn’t have to deal with any swelling because up until I was 34 weeks I didn’t have any swelling. Well once 34 weeks hit my feet, ankles, and fingers started to swell. My wedding ring got so stuck on my finger that I couldn’t get it off for an hour. I was on the verge of going to the jewelry store to get it cut off. Luckily after enough tries I was able to get the dental floss trick to work.

At this point this little boy doesn’t have a name quite yet. He has a middle name picked out but no first name. We had girls names we agreed on but when it comes to boys names we have nothing. I am really hoping that we leave the hospital with a name. A couple of months ago Casey and I both separately went through a list of 1,000 baby boy names and picked out the ones that we liked. Not one of the names on our lists were the same. That is pretty pathetic if I say so myself. Let’s just say that Casey and I have incredibly different styles of names. Casey likes the more modern names while I like older names. The kind of names that haven’t been popular for years and your great great grandparents most likely are named. Casey is pretty set on naming this boy Thomas. While I like the name Thomas I am not the biggest fan of it going with our last name which is Brady… that would give my son the name Tom Brady… after a football player. While both Casey and I are Patriot fans I don’t want to name him after one of the team players. I have really been liking the name Theodore and we would call him Theo. Casey doesn’t hate that name, but he doesn’t love it. Fingers crossed that we are able to find a name that we both like and that works with this little guys personality.

I have to give a big shoutout to Charly Hill Photography for taking these amazing photos. I had so much fun going to the Utah State Capitol to take these pictures by the blossoms. I am so incredibly happy with how they turned out.

The dress and floral crown I am wearing are from Sew Trendy Accessories. I absolutely love this dress because of how flattering it is. I was pretty worried about doing a maternity session because the majority of the weight I have gained during my pregnancy has gone to my behind. This dress is very flattering and with the help of maternity spanx I was able to feel confident during this session. I am not going to lie I felt pretty cute which I haven’t felt a lot during my pregnancy.

Use code INSTACabigail10 for 10% off of your purchase.

You can shop the dress here and the floral crown here.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading,

-Abigail

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

How to Style a Blazer

Blazers are a trend that never seem to go out of style. They are great for office wear but are also great to wear on the street. You can dress your blazer up for the office or dress it down for a night on the town. I styled this blazer in two different ways.

 For the first outfit I went with an all white look and paired it with some cute loafers from Long Tall Sally. I would suggest tucking the shirt in. However due to being pregnant tucking a shirt in wouldn’t have looked good with my bump so I left it untucked.

For the second outfit I styled it with this cute beret that I got from ASOS. I went for a black long sleeved cowl neck top and black pants to give it a more sophisticated look.

 Other ways you can style a blazer is with a basic white tee and some mom jeans which would be the perfect look for a casual day at work or hanging out with some friends.

 

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading,

 

-Abigail

 

Follow Me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter