Hey friends, happy Friday! Hope your week has been good to you.

As you might have seen on Instagram, John and I have escaped the city for a weekend in the Cotswolds so I’ll be keeping this intro pretty brief. I wrote this week’s Friday five earlier this week and was thorough, but I’m doing my best to put down the computer [and phone] and to spend focused time with John.

I hope y’all enjoy this month’s Friday Five where I tackle wardrobe essentials, things I was not expecting during pregnancy, Fall coats, early gifts & more!

5 Fall Wardrobe Essentials I’ve Refreshed This Year

Cashmere Turtleneck

I’m forever a fan of cashmere and tend to invest in one item a year. I like doing it this way because I slowly build my closet with the longevity that cashmere brings, but it’s not so much of an investment at once. This year I snagged this cashmere sweater that comes in several colors. I added a few more options below for those of you in the market for new cashmere this year!

Rain Boots

This feels very London of me and it’s definitely a must here. I will say, my older pair of Hunters lasted me years. Albeit I wasn’t wearing them as often as I will be here, they’re such a quality brand that I believe could last a decade if you wanted them to. I went with a slimmer all-black pair which I find to be super chic, though Hunter has endless options.

Neutral Coat

This year, I’ve been more into wrap coats vs. my usual cocoon coat to fit the growing belly [here’s the one I went with]. I dedicated this entire blog post to outwear so I’d check that out if you’re in the market for something new!

Everyday Boots

For me, that has been this pair of combat boots which are on sale until today over at Shopbop! I find myself pulling for them often and appreciate their durability and flatness. I shared other similar boots I’m into here if y’all are interested.

Leggings

Now that I’m expecting, the specific leggings look a bit different, but I always grab a new pair of leggings this time of year. They’re without a doubt an essential in my closet and I wear them weekly with tunics and oversized sweaters. This is the fleece-lined maternity pair I recently ordered and my all-time favorite pair of leggings are the Spanx faux leather leggings. There are a few options below with a range of options to fill in any holes you may be missing in your leggings drawer.

5 Gifts I’m Getting a Head Start on Buying Now

Funny enough, a bunch of retailers already have their gift lists up so I think people are definitely starting to shop! I do like to snag a few gifts around this time, mainly focusing on general gifts that always sell out. Whether it’s a brand or specific gift, here are a few:

Barefoot Dreams

The popular in the wild blanket is finally back in stock so I’m snagging a couple of those since they’re always a hit! Barefoot Dreams’ robe and socks are another go-to. They truly are the softest material and I love gifting these to someone who hasn’t experienced BD before…because they’re always pleasantly surprised!

Books & Planners

Books are always a good general gift to snag, IMO. They’re perfect when you aren’t sure what to get someone or don’t know someone too well [like coworkers]. Amber from Amber Interiors came out with her coffee table book that I’m dying to browse. I also like the idea of gifting 52 Lists of Calm and The Home Edit which seem to be fitting for 2020. And for all my girlfriends who love to plan, I’ll be grabbing a couple of these 2021 Rifle Paper planners that always go early.

Monogrammed Items

I try to take note of any monogrammed gifts I want to give because popular letters always tend to go quickly. Plus, sometimes the gift requires extra time to make, especially from smaller businesses. I adore this monogrammed chain necklace from Anthro [who always has a great curated gift list by the way].

Cozy Things

Who doesn’t appreciate a good pair of PJ’s or slippers? I usually go this route for John’s mom or sisters and have been eyeing this feather pajama set since it has such amazing reviews. These UGG slippers are back in stock too, so I might snag while I can. I also adore these leopard UGG slippers and this budget-friendly pair. All things cozy are below if you are thinking of someone in particular that loves a good cozy treat!

Beauty Sets

I definitely stock up on impressive beauty sets! This collagen-infused eye gel & sleep mask looks lovely, and I’d like to gift someone this Olaplex ‘hair fix’ set.

BONUS ITEM! Go ahead and get Christmas cards ordered before the end of the month so you can get those in and mail them out mid-to-late November! I usually order mine from Minted!

5 Destinations We’re Considering For Our Baby Moon

Allll of these are incredibly up in the air and may very well NOT happen as England is adding more and more quarantine guidelines daily. We originally wanted to go somewhere tropical since London never saw a real summer, or not one that I am use to. After realizing December would be the ideal time to go and with everything pertaining to Covid becoming more of a concern, a tropical destination quickly became out of the question … especially with how long it would take us to get there. Then, we started saying ‘okay let’s stay within the UK’ but, naturally, my desire for wanderlust started to make me throw out other options, ha! The ‘dream’ ones I chose are places we can travel to and from quite easily but might have some regulations that would keep us from going – whether that’s government travel restrictions or a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon return to the UK. Mainly, we don’t want to go too far and, luckily, being in London gives us central ground for a lot of pretty amazing places. Here is the list John & I have come up with, even though we are far from making firm plans at this point.

Swiss Alps

After realizing our baby-moon would be held in the winter, not somewhere tropical and more than likely in the mountains, the Swiss Alps went straight to the top of the list! A few year’s back, Victoria and I took a road trip through France and to get to our final destination we had to take a 3-4 hour trip through the edge of Switzerland and guysss … it is SO BEAUTIFUL! I cannot even imagine how much more beautiful it is in the true mountainous Alps with snow! If I could check this one off my travel bucket list this year, I will truly have so much more hope for the year that is to come, hah! Check out this chalet a friend recommended to me. Like, an actual dream …

Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands have been on my travel lust list for years! I don’t know that I would have initially chosen to visit for the first time in December but we thought it could be a great place for hiking a bit. Not sure if that is too adventurous or unrealistic for me to think I can do in December whilst pregnant but let a girl dream, ok?!

Lake District in England

I was first drawn to the Lake District when I watched Miss Potter. It is a film based on Beatrix Potter’s life and the home she made in a picturesque farmhouse in the Lake District. It is located in Northwest England and truly looks like a fairytale book. It is best known for its ribbon lakes, beautiful mountains, galleries filled with art and the most quaint inns. I could picture the most relaxing & romantic stay with John celebrating the next chapter of our lives in such a beautiful place!

Finland

 I absolutely love a good snow globe destination so Finland looks like an absolute dream to me! There are places you could stay that look like you are staying in an actual igloo … I mean, guys?! There is also a place that you can stay that is a fully heated tree house in the middle of the snowy forest! I think because I am so used to a tropical climate and never really ‘loved’ it the way some people do … I tend to appreciate a good snowy location more then others! I just took a look and, unfortunately, travel to Finland is currently restricted for those of us in the UK so this romantic getaway will have to stay on our bucket list but maybe we can go as a little family next year! We’ll see!

Ireland

Ireland is very special to John as his grandmother and his mum’s side of the family is Irish. I know celebrating being a father in a place that is so rich amongst his heritage would just be so special to him!  It is obviously freezing that time of year so we would really have to bundle up, but it is known for its incredible beauty and I know would be a destination we would return to for many years to come! We don’t have any ideas as to where we would specifically go so if you have any suggestions, please leave them for me in the comments!

5 Coats I’m Crushing On This Season

I did a full outerwear guide if y’all want to look at more ideas, though I’ll share a few new options as well.

Wool-Blend Belted Dad Coat

Not only does this belted coat work for my growing belly, but it’s perfectly fitting for all kinds of body shapes. I adore both colors and find that the cinched waist is not only flattering but also warm since it keeps you all bundled up! Not a bad price either.

Woven Puffer Jacket

I’m sad to miss out on the Puffer Coat trend this season as I know it just won’t work for long. This $39.99 H&M version looks wonderful and is probably what I’d try out first!

Car Coat

I love the button details and the whole shacket trend so this Topshop car coat is on my list! It comes in two colors that are both nice, and it’s a good mix of trendy and classic, don’t you think? It’s also under $100.

Wool Blend Overcoat

OK, so I actually snagged this investment coat because she’s just beautiful. It’s a classic collar coat that I know I’ll have for years to come!

Sherpa Teddycoat

I will forever be crushing on J. Crew’s sherpa jacket that’s still a favorite in my closet. They’ve recently restocked it in most of the colors so I’d snag it soon if you’ve been crushing on it as well! It was a top seller in September for you girls and I totally get why. Speaking of, it is up to 60% off coats & sweaters at J.Crew right now which is a great deal on outerwear!

5 Things I Wasn’t Prepared For Re: Pregnancy

Ha! This is a funny question because when I really look back at what I thought about pregnancy, or what it would be like before I was pregnant, my mind kind of draws a blank. I guess I was expecting all sorts of mood swings [which have happened!], cravings [not as much], and all that, but I don’t think I put *too* much thought into it, TBH. Here’s what I definitely wasn’t prepared for though…

Advice & Opinions

Now, before I get into this one, I do want to say that 95% of the opinions I’ve received are bundled in love. From the moment I told family and friends, I’ve gotten advice and opinions from women I admire, and I’ve also got some awesome advice from this community! I actually put together your top Mom-life tips because there were so many good ones! Of course, I’ve gotten some unsolicited and negative opinions or advice along the way, but it’s nothing in comparison to the positives! I will definitely keep picking y’alls brains when it comes to baby products and practices as I get closer to my due date. But I don’t think I was quite prepared for just so much of it 🙂

Fatigue & Lack of Motivation

My entire first trimester completely whipped me out in terms of motivation and energy. I was barely working [which I’m usually very much on top of] and quite frankly, I did nothing but lay around and nap for those first couple of months. I actually wrote all about that in this post so I’ll just point ya there so that I’m not boring you guys.

Emotions

Hormones are real! I obviously knew this as I’ve had friends and family get pregnant before, but until you’re going through it directly, I don’t think it’s something you can prepare for. Luckily John is one of the most patient and understanding people I know, and I’ve felt pretty comfortable just letting my emotions play out.

Internal Fear of Judgement

I’m not really sure how much I want to talk about here…or how to do it…though I did touch on it briefly in this post…but I’ve struggled with a lot of fear of judgment along the way. From feeling down on myself for not working as much to fear of being judged for not being married, etc….it’s been a lot, if I’m honest. Again, I want to figure out a way to speak more about this because I know I’m not alone here but I’m not quite ready to go into more detail yet. More to come!

Boobs

This is a bit of an LOL one but oh my gosh is it true! I’ve always been fairly small chested and let’s just say I’ve already had to order quite a few larger sizes of my favorite bralette to support my growing chest! John’s loving it but wow, I was NOT prepared for how much changes in the top part of your body and not just the middle, hahah!

Thanks for stopping by, my loves! Have a wonderful weekend! xo.