Lifestyle/ Style

MY CAPSULE COLLECTION WITH KUT FROM THE KLOTH

The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection

Someone please pinch me!!!! I feel like I’ve been saying that on repeat over and over but honestly you guys, this a dream come true!!

I never knew where this little blogging journey of mine would take me. What I love about the idea of blogging is the unknown. I find comfort in it, and know that the sky is the limit here.

Anything is possible. You must believe and have faith that you can make it all happen!

I was so ready for a new “job,” a fresh, new kind of a job that would feed my soul and my passions as I got to share my life and inspire the world around me. I’ve put my fair share of blood, sweat and tears into this little business of mine and it hasn’t been easy, but it’s been such a rewarding journey so far.

I started my blog/IG in early 2016 and while it was rough in the beginning, I loved every moment of it. I was ALL IN, dedicated 10000%. Even when I wasn’t making a penny from it. At that time of my life, things were stable in my life and it allowed me really focus and work around the clock to build my brand.

Things progressed so quickly and every year that I did this was so different from the last. This has been my main job for a little over 3 years now and no year has been the same. All I can say is that what you put into it, is what you get. The last year and half have been more than I could have ever imaged!!

Hard work PAYS OFF and dreams do COME TRUE! All you have to do is believe in yourself and EXECUTE. Let nothing slow you down. 🙂

And with that it is my honor to present to you my Summer Vibes Capsule Collection! It’s been such an honor working with KUT From The Kloth! They made it all possible, and I’m forever grateful for this experience. 🙂

Shop the full collection HERE

The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection

Edythe Eyelet Knit Top – Oatmeal | Raine Culotte Pant – Olive

The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection

Edythe Eyelet Knit Top – White | Connie Ankle Skinny Jean

The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection

Abbigail Blouse – Off White |Gaerwen Drawstring Pant – Black

The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection
The Charming Olive x KUT Capsule Collection

Edythe Eyelet Knit Top – Rose Mauve | Raine Cullote Pant – Dusty Sage

I wear my Kut from the Kloth pieces on repeat and I’m certain you will too! People often ask me how I define my style. I like to define it as casual, elevated chic. Timeless basics, basically! And this is what the “Summer Vibes” capsule collection is all about. 

I hope you’ll love these piece(s) as much as I loved designing them!

Made with love from me to you!

xx Adelina

Home/ Lifestyle

BABY REGISTRY MADE EASY WITH WALMART

Baby Registry Made Easy With Walmart

Hello friends! What a week it’s been here in the Perrin household!! From getting ready to launch my own capsule collection in just 2 short days, to making huge leaps forward with our house construction, to announcing that we’re expecting a baby BOY, life can’t get any better, or busier! LOL

This past week I also gave into a big craving: Cherries. I would eat half a bag of cherries, or about a cereal bowl full of cherries each day. Fast forward to yesterday and I go the worst abdominal pain OF MY LIFE. For two days. Today is day two and I could still barely walk. Yesterday I was barely able to breathe! It hurts that bad! I think baby boy has lots to do with this spontaneous fruit craving, and I’m already learning I need to take parental measures when he says he wants something. No matter how cute he is. 🙂

Meanwhile, on the side I recently started working on something very dear to my heart. I’ve been soo excited and slightly intimidated to create my very first baby registry! It’s crazy just how much you can learn, and also how fast, about what a baby needs from one baby registry!! Well, at least that was my experience. Walmart made everything so easy …

Right before I started, I might have had a little panic attack. I had NO idea what to expect going into my first baby registry. But I had faith that Walmart’s new Baby Registry would be easy and affordable – two things I needed.

Getting Started

The reality was not far from that, in fact, it was even better! Getting started was so easy. I logged into Walmart.com, clicked the blue tab on the left of the webpage and cursored over to Baby and then clicked Baby Registry. A cute little chatbox popped up “Hoo the Owl.” 🙂 I was asked when baby is expected to arrive and to share the gender, or not. The 3rd and last question was which nursery style do I like the most from an option of 4 styles. No worries what you choose here, as you can always make changes later.

Based on my 3 answers, my registry was created with 84 matched items for me! This made my day you guys!!! I would have no idea where to even begin otherwise! This way it was soo much easier!! I was able to either keep that item, change the item or delete the item. It gave me a head start, saved me a lot of headaches and I was having a lot of fun simply browsing and learning.

My baby registry started out with 84 matched items and after a lot of changing, deleting and keeping about half of what was originally matched, I still ended up with 86 items! I think that goes to say something. 🙂

I felt like everything I needed was there! Walmart did an awesome job at keeping everything categorized so you stay on track. Gosh, if this didn’t exist, I might have registered for clothes and diapers only! LOL

Below are my favorite categories and what I chose for my baby BOY 🙂

Health & Safety

I went for safe, clean products, organic fabrics where possible, and technology to know my baby is safe when sleeping. Can’t wait to use the baby monitors!

Diaper Duty

Walmart has the best diaper collection! So many great brands to choose from. I’m personally really looking forward to using the diaper pail trashcan!

Clothing & Accessories

Organic cotton onesies, pajamas, and more!!

Feeding Favorites

I love everything I was able to find. I can’t wait to use all of these!

Quality Gear

One of my favorite categories! I can’t wait to have baby use these items. I can see myself using this baby bouncer all the time!

For The Nursery

Saving the best for last! I love what I found for the nursery! Looking forward to many items from here. 🙂

You guys, I now feel one step closer to being more prepared for baby! Even though his nursery is still being framed, its going to look so good in the near future! Can’t wait to meet my baby boy 🙂

PS. Do any of you mama’s use/love some of these items? Would love to hear your thoughts! Comment below! 🙂

xx Adelina

This post was sponsored by Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lifestyle/ Style

WHY HAVING A PERSONAL STYLIST IS THE BEST IDEA

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive wearing Stitch Fix Maternity

This post was sponsored by Stitch Fix. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You never have to shop alone again with Stitch Fix! If you guys caught my recent IG Stories, I was telling you how I’ve seriously been avoiding shopping for maternity clothes. With everything that’s going on in my life right now, trying to figure out maternity sizes, styles, where to shop, what will fit, what won’t, just wasn’t in my list of priorities. Like at all! I’ll be completely honest and say that trying to find cute outfits for my growing bump has been a growing challenge though. I’ve reached the point where sizing up to “large” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Insert Stitch Fix. It’s the easy-to-use at-your-finger-tips online service that allows you to get matched with a personal stylist who will put together a fun package of goodies with what’s called your “perfect fit.” You can be as specific to what you need or what you’re looking for! Before you think this is something that’s totally out of your budget, think again! They’ve made it fun, easy and accessible to anyone!

HOW IT WORKS

Available to women, men & kids! More about each category at the end of this blog post.

So to get started, you’re in charge of step 1! You share your fit, style preferences and set your shopping price range that best suits your lifestyle and needs.

Step 2, you sign up to receive your first package that will be put together by your personal stylist, and this package is called your “Fix.” This is NOT a monthly subscription! When you sign up for your “Fix” you can choose either automatic deliveries or schedule on demand, meaning you can use this service as much as or as little as YOU like. You then pay a $20 styling fee for each “Fix” package delivery, which is then credited toward anything you decide to keep. Pretty cool right!? I’ve used it a few times now and I always receive the cutest things!! If you haven’t tried out the style-quiz yet, you must try it out now. I love quizzes and this one is soo much fun!!!

Most importantly, if you’re looking for anything specific for an upcoming event, or if you’re like me and going through pregnancy OR you just want to discover some new styles, you can do exactly as you wish!! And if you sign up here you’ll receive $25 towards your first “Fix” delivery! I’m soo excited to help you guys save and discover something really fun I know you’ll love! 🙂 Offer valid until June 1st 2019. Feel free to share this with friends & family!

Step 3, you try on the goodies in your “Fix” and the delivery of it is fast! You only pay for what you want to keep. Step 4, you return what you don’t want. Shipping and returns are free and easy, with a prepaid envelope included.

WHAT I CHOSE: Maternity Styles

My personal stylist sent me the cutest maternity pieces which I’ve styled below: Do you have a favorite of the 4 looks?

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive wearing Stitch Fix Maternity
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive wearing Stitch Fix Maternity
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive wearing Stitch Fix Maternity
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive wearing Stitch Fix Maternity

WHAT BRANDS / WHAT TO EXPECT

Stitch Fix carries a variety of prices so they can best personalize items to your budget. Women’s and Men’s items range from $25–$500. Items in our Kids offering start at $10 each. Your Personal Stylist will do their best to send you items within your set range. If you choose to buy everything in your delivery, you’ll receive a 25% discount off of your entire purchase!

– WOMEN

They work with more than 250 established and up-and-coming labels and brands—some you’ll find featured in magazines and on celebrities. Your shipment might feature clothing and accessories by Kut From The Kloth, Eloquii, Joie, Gorjana and Citizens for Humanity. Part of the fun of Stitch Fix is that they’ll introduce you to new brands that will bring diversity and freshness to your wardrobe! Something I love so much!!

– MEN

They work with 30+ established and emerging men’s brands that are known for their exceptional fit and quality. Your shipment might feature clothing by Ben Sherman, Original Penguin, Scotch & Soda, 7 For All Mankind, Mavi or Converse. No matter the brand, each piece is picked with your fit and style in mind. 

– KIDS

They work with 40+ kids brands chosen to deliver uniqueness and value. Some of the brands may already be familiar, and some may be new to you. A few of the established brands you may receive are Tailor Vintage, Nike, BCBG Girls, Threads for Thought, Hurley, Kate Spade, and Hanna Andersson. Whenever your personal Stylist is picking an item, they’re keeping your kid’s individuality and lifestyle in mind!

Try out Stitch Fix here and receive $25 towards your first “Fix” delivery! Offer valid until June 1st 2019. Feel free to share this with friends & family!

xx Adelina

Home/ Lifestyle

GUEST BATHROOM REVEAL!! (AFTER)

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After guest bathroom

EEEK!! It’s soo exciting getting to share with you guys our brand new guest bathroom!!

We partnered up with Wayfair for this renovation as part of the #wayfair1roomreno challenge. I’ve been shopping at Wayfair for YEARS and I must admit I was ECSTATIC to work with them! Wayfair carries everything home you can imagine, and I’ve just been soo excited about our charming old guest bathroom getting a major makeover.

Let me just remind you of what the bathroom used to look like. If you missed the “before” blog post, you can check it out here.

THE BEFORE

The original gross & moldy bathroom!

The first thing we did when we bought this house few months ago was to rip out the bathrooms. I mean, EW!! We wanted to have a comfortable sized guest bathroom with a window to the outside.

Simple, right?!

Guest bathroom renovation Adelina Perrin

We redesigned the entire floor plan of our house, pulled permits and we were able to make the bathroom bigger! We shifted things around so it could have a window. Natural light is everything and I can’t imagine a bathroom without a window! It should be illegal, LOL.

This bath tub was the first item that we installed from Wayfair. Since this room will also serve as the kids’ bathroom, we wanted to make sure we had a nice cast iron tub that would serve us for many years to come. Couldn’t be happier with the quality of this tub!!

For more details on the progress and our inspo board, visit the “before” blog post here.

Ok drumroll please …

THE AFTER

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After bathroom closeup details

The goal was to create an inviting space that is bright, timeless with quality products. We also wanted to keep it minimal. We installed all Moen Align bathroom hardware in Matte Black. We’re so excited about the classic look and contrast!

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After guest bathroom view details

We love how beautifully these 3 color tones come together! We’ve wanted to do this combo for a while now, and we’re so glad we did!

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After tub tile toto

Love, love our Toto Washlet Seat and Toilet from Wayfair. The toilet arrived in 3 separately packaged boxes and John was the one who installed it!

Definitely glad we got the Toto Washlet Seat! It’s a spa-like experience, you’ll love it too! The seat itself is comfortable and heats up, soft-close (yesss, no more loud slams)! It’s equipped with a warm air dryer, and a deodorizer to neutralize odors. The bidet has instantaneous water heating with five spray settings, controlled via remote. Never thought I’d be calling a toilet seat FUN, but it is!! And it’s so easy to use!

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After toilet detail

Speaking of fun and some flare, we added these beautiful Artea Porcelain Tiles – I’ve had my eyes on them for a long time and we’re thrilled we got them for our bathroom! We love the way they look and feel!

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After vanity details
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After Moen faucet detail
Adelina Perrin The Charming Olive Wayfair After- tub detail

We love the simple lines and modern design of these Moen Align Matte Black accessories. We’ve always had chrome or stainless steel and the matte black is a great new change for us!

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After shower detail
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wayfair After guest bathroom tile tub

We’re thrilled over how the bathroom came out and it’s going to tie in so beautifully with the rest of our house (eek I’m excited to share more home design features soon!!)

Now that the main things are done here, I’m soon able to focus on the little details such as the shower curtains, towels, shelves, and even smaller but equally important things – like soap! 😉

OUR WAYFAIR SELECTS

Wayfair Guest Bathroom Renovation Picks
  1. Wayfair Basics Shower Curtain Hooks
  2. Kohler Bellwether Raphael 60″ X 30″ Bath with Integral Apron
  3. Zella Single Shower Curtain
  4. Hotel Comfort 72″ Adjustable Curved Fixed Shower Curtain Rod
  5. Moen Align Posi-Temp Faucet Trim with Lever Handle
  6. Moen Wall Mounted Tub Spout
  7. Toto Aquia IV Dual Flush Elongated Two-Piece Toilet
  8. Moen Eco-Performance Massage Slide Bar Shower Head
  9. Moen Align Wall Mounted Robe Hook
  10. Artea 9.75″ x 9.75″ Porcelain Field Tile
  11. Eatonville 1-Light Armed Sconce
  12. Moen Align 9.17″ Wall Mounted Towel Bar
  13. Align 24″ Wall Mounted Towel Bar
  14. Moen Align Widespread Bathroom Faucet
  15. Needville Modern & Contemporary Beveled Accent Mirror
  16. Moen Align Wall Mounted Toilet Paper Holder
  17. Toto Washlet K300 Toilet Seat Bidet

What’s your favorite part or product from this renovation?! Would love to hear from you in the comments!

ONE ROOM RENOVATION CHALLENGES from 4 other fabulous bloggers this week!! I’ll be sharing below their posts as they go live, so stay tuned!! 🙂

4/12: Beneath My Heart

4/13: The Charming Olive

4/14: Dear Lillie

4/15: Lombard and Fifth

4/16: B Vintage Style

xx Adelina

Thank you Wayfair for sponsoring this project! All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Daily Inspo/ Home/ Lifestyle

GUEST BATHROOM RENOVATION (BEFORE)

Many of you guys are likely aware by now that John and I are in knee-deep working on our new house. We’ve been working on it around the clock ever since we bought it, end of last year. Nothing about the house or yard will remain the same! And as designers, this makes our souls sing! 🙂

This is the first official blog post of our ground-up renovation since we first started 6 months ago, and it’s specifically focused on our Guest Bathroom. The only reason why we’re even at this phase [near completion] is all thanks to Wayfair! They reached out to me with a challenge to renovate our bathroom in 60 days and be part of their #Wayfair1RoomReno campaign. Sooo exciting!! We were planing on using Wayfair products originally and so the partnership was a no brainer. I’m grateful that Wayfair saw how much demo we were doing and reached out at the perfect time.

I had been gathering inspiration images for the new house as soon as we sold our old one. Come follow me on Pinterest if you don’t already. I love sharing what inspires me! Anyways, as soon we started the project with Wayfair, I had a few days to wrap up our vision and select our pieces. Here are some of the inspiration images we used:

Bathroom Inspo

Guest Bathroom Inspiration Images 2019

John and I both wanted a black and white exterior house (more on this in another blog post), so the idea was to keep a similar theme on the inside. For this bathroom we wanted to have white subway tile, a patterned black and white floor tile, black and chrome bathroom fixtures, with a pop of natural wood. Our biggest bathroom inspirations came from @thehouseofsilverlining @ameliahannah @joandkemp @sivanayla and @maraferreira.

Our original bathroom was tiny! As you can see by the images, it was also untouched – probably from when it was originally built – in the 60’s.

Guest Bathroom before The Charming Olive
Original Guest Bathroom The Charming Olive
Guest Bathroom pre renovation Adelina Perrin

One of the very first things we did when we bought this house was to tear up the bathrooms. Blehhh, they were disgusting, moldy and yellow!

We then redesigned the entire floor plan, re-engineered the house and turned this bathroom into double its length by removing the old master bathroom behind it. We wanted to have a comfortable sized guest bathroom and a window to the outside.

Guest bathroom renovation Adelina Perrin
Guest Bathroom Progress The Charming Olive

The goal was to create a space that was bright, inviting, timeless with quality finishes, yet minimal. We also wanted to create a moment of flare without being too overpowering (hence the floor tile). Just wait until you see how it all ties together!! I’m sooooo excited to share it! There’s more items going in that are NOT shown below (ie., our vanity, sink, countertop!) I’ll have the FINAL reveal of our guest bathroom posted here on the blog on Monday, May 13th!

Wayfair Renovation Picks

Wayfair Guest Bathroom Renovation Picks
  1. Wayfair Basics Shower Curtain Hooks
  2. Kohler Bellwether Raphael 60″ X 30″ Bath with Integral Apron
  3. Zella Single Shower Curtain
  4. Hotel Comfort 72″ Adjustable Curved Fixed Shower Curtain Rod
  5. Moen Align Posi-Temp Faucet Trim with Lever Handle
  6. Moen Wall Mounted Tub Spout
  7. Toto Aquia IV Dual Flush Elongated Two-Piece Toilet
  8. Moen Eco-Performance Massage Slide Bar Shower Head
  9. Moen Align Wall Mounted Robe Hook
  10. Artea 9.75″ x 9.75″ Porcelain Field Tile
  11. Eatonville 1-Light Armed Sconce
  12. Moen Align 9.17″ Wall Mounted Towel Bar
  13. Align 24″ Wall Mounted Towel Bar
  14. Moen Align Widespread Bathroom Faucet
  15. Needville Modern & Contemporary Beveled Accent Mirror
  16. Moen Align Wall Mounted Toilet Paper Holder
  17. Toto Washlet K300 Toilet Seat Bidet

Progress

Here’s the progress as of last week! We’re just a few short days from completion!! Don’t forget, I’ll have the FINAL reveal of our guest bathroom posted here on the blog on Monday, May 13th!

Adelina Perrin The Charming Olive Guest Bathroom Update

What do you guys think about our Wayfair picks and how it’s all coming along?! Comment below!

xx Adelina

Thank you Wayfair for sponsoring this project! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lifestyle/ Style

WOW, I’M PREGNANT! First Trimester + Q&A

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant

This is much more than just an update. I wanted to make this a resourceful blog post for women of all stages, so it’s a be a bit lengthy. Please feel free to skip around as you wish. 🙂

Leading Up To Pregnancy

I’ve always wanted to be a mom some day. John and I knew we were going to wait a while before trying. 7 years (after we got married) ended up passing before we tried for the first time. I definitely was not the type of girl that said, “if it happens, it happens.” NO – we had waaay too much going on after we got married, we were barely able to keep up with everything as it was, and then we both felt so young. Getting pregnant just didn’t feel “like the right time” to us prior to recent. We had to get our ducks in order if you will.

Also, I never knew if I was fertile or if I would still be fertile by the time I “got around to it” (I’m 33 now). So I always thought to myself, that at best, it was going to take me a few months to possibly a few years to get pregnant.

I don’t know why. Maybe because of movies, maybe because of hearing the tribulations of so many, that I just told myself years and years ago, that chances were, it wasn’t going to be easy for me either. Maybe I was going to be infertile. I chose to mentally accept all possibilities of what God has in plan for my future. Whatever the turnout, I was going to be happy.

I made peace with the thought that I might not be able to have children of my own, long before even trying to conceive.

Years ago, I decided that I was going to get myself in the best physical and mental shape I could, and that I was going to make it become part of my daily lifestyle (not just something I did for 30 days or 3 months), I followed The Whole 30 in 2012 and haven’t looked back since. I consider my diet Paleo for the most part. I thought, if I did this that it might give myself better chances of conceiving later on. This might sound super silly given that I never tested my fertility at the doctors (I just didn’t want to know – I knew that would add extra stress on me mentally). I also didn’t want to try just to try. I wanted to feel “ready” in my own way that made me feel like I had done my part to best prepare myself.

At some point last year, I was finally feeling ready to start trying in the fall (2018). However, John and I were going through soooo much at the time. We sold our first home, then we moved, we were trying to figure out if CA could provide us with what we were looking for or if we needed to move states. We then found and bought our next home in CA, which we completely tore up to the core, and I was swamped with work around the holidays. By late December I was eager to start trying – my entire life I’ve wanted to have my first baby by age 33 – the very latest.

End of last year, I was feeling more calm than ever. Life, even though we had changed everything (town, new puppy, totally new adventure of living in an airstream while we rebuild, etc.), brought us so much comfort and joy. I told John, “I’m ready to get the process started, it will take us awhile probably, let’s see how this goes, what do we have to lose?!” The answer was, nothing.

The Logistics of Getting Pregnant

Over the years I’ve become really in-tune with my body and I’m much better at being able to tell when I ovulate, especially with the help of my Flo app. Every month I would enter in the date of my first period and that’s it! It would then calculate my estimated day of ovulation. It’s really all you need to know. For me, it’s about 10 days after the first day of my period. So 2 days before my estimated ovulation date, I was supposed to go to a local wine tasting with girls – it totally slipped my mind, I was so late realizing I was late, lol, that I had to cancel. John and I spent time together that Saturday instead. We also made sure we kept trying for the next 2-3 days leading up and passing my ovulation date. We wanted give it our best shot first-try around.

Later that week, we both forgot we even tried for a baby. We were so busy with the house and our jobs, we had ZERO expectations of the first try working. I was getting new shipments of winter outfits, jeans, skirts, etc. Life went on.

I’m PREGNANT!!

It was the start to the new year, so we took the pups and went on a little one-night trip to Santa Barbara end of that week to just get away from the chaos of our home project. I had such a bad lower backache sitting in the car. I get that way sometimes when I’m under a lot of stress from work or when I’ve been sitting down working overtime (which I was at the time). We went out to dinner, had a few drinks, and crashed. The next day, we both felt a little off. Eating out isn’t always as healthy as you might think and I might have had one margarita too many.

My breasts felt tender that morning. I thought I was super run down, or that my body was just out of whack. We went to shoot photos with John and I was wearing a leather mini skirt. It felt unusually tight on me. Given the night we had, I was feeling a little bloated. John kept telling me to suck in my belly. I was half laughing, half offended!!! Lol, I couldn’t suck it in!!

Few more days passed and I was feeling unusually bloated with lower back pain still. I started eating more yogurt/taking probiotics, but I thought I had a stomach bug or something. I kept asking John if he was feeling as bloated as me about 10x a day, and so he made a box for me to put $1 into it each time I asked him that question. What a dork! He did make some money though! hahah!

I was making sure I was taking it easy because I just felt “off.” After a few more days of not feeling like myself, I decided to google “symptoms of pregnancy.” I shared them with John, and right there an then I decided I was FOR SURE PREGNANT. John was skeptical, and so was I like 5%. The 5% for me was all “there’s no way I got pregnant on the first-try!!”

Fast forward to 2 days before my next period, and my First Response pregnancy stick came out with one bold line and one faint pink line. EEK!!! I was PREGNANT!! I shared the news with John, he couldn’t believe it!!! I told him, “let me retake it again in a few days after I miss my period and see what happens to the second faint pink line, just to confirm”. And oh did it confirm, PREGNANT FOR REAL!!!! On the first-try. I was in shock!!!!!

First Trimester

I had NO clue what to expect aside from what I had heard from other women and google. One thing I knew is that I LOVED every second of being pregnant, no matter the symptom! I’m growing a human, WHAT?!?! <<Insert heart eyes>> With that said, I had my fair share of symptoms: tender breasts, I slept like a rock, had to take 1-2 hour naps during the day everyday (woot woot, fatigue!!) I still have to wake up and pee once in the middle of the night every night, bloating, constipation and an overwhelming sense of calm.

Somehow I managed to get away with no nausea or vomiting. When I say somehow, I think it was all diet related. More on that below. I clearly remember thinking around week 8-9 that maybe I should buy some ginger supplies in the event nausea decided to kick in – it never really did.

My food aversion was beef. One night we were hosting my mom and I had made beef meatball & veggie soup for dinner. We all sat down to eat and I couldn’t for the life of me, eat it!! It smelled like ANIMAL SO STRONG. At this time, I was 4 weeks pregnant (had just found out 2 days prior for sure, for sure) and wasn’t ready to share with my mom just yet. It was hysterical if you had to watch me try to eat those meatballs. I was laugh-crying the entire time. Tossing a meatball every now and then into Johns soup bowl when my mom wasn’t looking. I had to pretend like I was fine, and I kept laugh-crying over my soup!! My mom thought I was on drugs. 🙁 Her saying that was a joke, but I certainly acted VERY kooky and not like myself. I definitely left her suspicious.

At week 5, I couldn’t fit into any of my new or old jeans. I kept asking myself why I went shopping for all new jeans and skirts just weeks before, knowing that I might be pregnant anytime. That’s how little I thought about all of this.

My energy zapped out much quicker in my first trimester, so I quickly learned to give myself grace without feeling guilty about it. I stopped lifting heavy things (over 10-15 lbs). If my body was asking for a nap, I would make it a priority. I would eat all throughout the day as my body needed. I kept my snacks balanced in fat/protein/carbs (if I didn’t, I would get sugar crashes sometimes). I accepted the fact that my pregnant-self required more love, more time, more rest, and that it’s completely ok!

At this time it was end of January, early February and all I wanted to do was cook, eat and sleep still. The weather was shit grey, shit muddy, and just shitty cold and wet for what felt like forever. We were falling behind on our house because of the weather and I remember I could have cared less. Progesterone mellowed me out completely. I had not a worry in the world, until about week 10.

Around week 10-11, I dove into how we’ve been doing with our budget for this project and I got stressed out to see we had already gone quite a bit over. The problem was that we called it a “remodel” when we first started, but because of the poor condition of the house, nearly everything needed to be torn and “rebuilt.” Ugh. I blamed myself for not being more on top of the budget during the first 2 months of my pregnancy. But even if I had, we wouldn’t have saved much because of the bones of the house. So bad!!

My motivation in my first trimester was so low! I struggled with SAD and desperately needed sunshine to feel better. On days we had sun, which weren’t much at all, I felt instantly happier, more energized, and overall better. Those were my most productive days!

Pregnancy Priorities

I’m huge on nutrition in general. I started studying on my own time and doing my own research since 2012. I’ve come a long way since, I feel like I should write a book one day. And I might! But I have not shared much of this with you guys on IG and it’s been killing me! I made myself a promise that I will start sharing what I know with you guys this year. Some of you already know that I loooove to cook! I can cook 6 meals a day from scratch with the biggest smile on my face. A lot of the advice I have to share is health & wellness related. I just wouldn’t be myself If I didn’t share this side of me with you guys (it’s all I talk about sometimes)!! 🙂

I knew I wanted to have a natural healthy pregnancy. What that meant to me, was that I was going to cook and prepare as many fresh-from-scratch meals (yep – given the capabilities of an airstream) each day as possible. We have a small 15 inch. single rack propane oven, 3 burners and one 15 inch. round kitchen sink. We also have a small fridge, slightly larger than the small undercounted ones. Tiny freezer, no dishwasher. The kitchen actually has been really great! Though, I do have to run to the grocery every other day.

The part that pushes me overboard is the washing-by-hand, every single little bowl, pan, cup, utensil… We use paper plates when we can, but everything else is porcelain, glass, steel. I’m against plastic, so for my average time over the sink per day is about 1 hour 30 minutes. I’m a human dishwasher! LOL. That doesn’t include cooking/prepping time. Nearly half of my day goes into clean eating, but it’s a decision/sacrifice I made for our health and the wellbeing of the baby.

Here’s a book I picked up, that I can’t recommend enough: Real Food For Pregnancy. YOU NEED IT!!!! It covers everything from foods that build a healthy baby, to foods to avoid and why, meal planning, essential supplements, toxins, pregnancy expectations and complaints, stress and mental health, exercise and even dives into postpartum healing/breastfeeding. I also bought a few other books but they’re geared more for second/third trimester. I’ll share them as soon as I read through them 🙂 Aside from Real Food For Pregnancy and a few apps (The Bump, Pregnancy+, Ovia), it’s been enough to help get me through my first trimester. I knew noothingggg about pregnancy before I got pregnant! So if you’re in that boat, don’t worry!!! Just take action and start learning when you’re ready.

My Struggle With Prenatal Vitamins

Is it just me or has anyone else experienced bad abdominal pain with pregnancy? To be more specific, I was feeling major pain in my intestines (so much pain that I nearly fainted from it once – I’ve never fainted in my life!). I was also getting way too much bloating – I looked “larger” to everyone, and at one point before my first prenatal appt (around week 8) I had myself convinced I was carrying 6 embryos! Twins at the very least!! I also had unusual constipation, pain around my belly button, etc.

By week 10, I had tried at least 4 different prenatal vitamins. I knew it was them causing me all the discomfort. I tried ones without iron, farm to table with healthy ingredients and raw ones with iron. One brand that I really liked without iron was actually making me dizzy, almost nauseous. Two days of that and I was done with them. It wasn’t until I asked my mom to find me some in Europe without Iron, with just the basic ingredients necessary, that I started to feel like myself again (around week 13-14). The brand is called Femibion by Merck, and she bought them in Germany, but you can order them here. Same brand but these are for the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. The only prenatal vitamins that don’t give me any side effects! YAY!

Trip To The ER

First day of 13 weeks and I had such severe abdominal pain, I didn’t feel ok or normal. My belly button was protruding and hurt like a B**CH. By 6pm I couldn’t take the discomfort any longer and headed to the ER. There they ran some tests and did an ultrasound. They ruled out some major things such as UTI and Appendicitis. Baby was doing amazing, moving around so much, and I was able to see its tiny little fingers and toes!! It was a beautiful moment and all worth the trip, just for that.

Though they did find that I have a small umbilical hernia which was being pushed on not by the baby, but by the tremendous amounts of bloating I was having. Doctors sent me home telling me to drink more water – nothing about my prenatal vitamins. If anyone knows me, I drink so much water, even before pregnancy. I wasn’t dehydrated that day because my urine was clear. It is even more important to stay hydrated when pregnant. The next day my mom arrived and I switched over to Femibion and haven’t had an issue since (going on 2 weeks now). Feels so good to feel like myself again!

Why I Cancelled My Trip To Dallas

This was a last minute call you guys. Just an hour before I left, I was all packed and ready to have an amazing week with my girls for #rSTheCon with Reward Style/LikeToKnow.it team. Well, I found out that I’ve never been vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chickenpox and others when I was a kid (like whaaat!?) and since there’s active measles outbreaks in CA and TX, 4 doctors advised me not to fly. It all happened last minute as I got my results back.

Some might think it’s silly, but of course I would take caution for my baby even if my chances of exposure were just 1%. I’ve never had chickenpox or measles or anything and I’ve traveled my whole life internationally and nationally. But this time it was different. There was no way I was going to take the risk.

Q & A

  • Are you wearing maternity clothes yet? No, not yet. 🙂 So far I’ve been going up a few sizes in jeans/shorts and one size up to Medium in some dresses. I’m still wearing my normal size in tops. As soon as I start wearing maternity clothes, I will let you guys know.
  • How do you feel? Have you been feeling sick? I feel amazing! Getting myself on a healthy diet thanks to The Whole 30, 8 years ago I think is the reason why I wasn’t feeling sick. I haven’t gotten sick (cold/flu) once so far in my pregnancy.
  • What have you been eating while pregnant? I’ve been making lots of bone broth soups, lots of crock pot meals, roasted dishes, risottos, salads, baked salmon/white fish with veggie sides, avocado toasts, egg wraps, lots of yogurt, berries, nuts and seeds. I also eat olives everyday, and have been enjoying GF pizza’s, bunless burgers, fries, pasta and smoothies.
  • Are you gonna show a house tour when it’s all done? Absolutely!! We’re actually working with WayFair on our guest bathroom renovation! Stay tuned for the first blog post going live this month! 🙂
  • Did you have bad morning sickness? No nausea and no vomiting. I’m convinced it has all to do with my diet/lifestyle.
  • Are you nervous about your pregnancy? I was nervous in the beginning for sure. I had very light spotting around week 3-4. It’s considered normal, but I was nervous until I got my lab results back which confirmed that baby and I are healthy.
  • Does John speak any other languages and will baby be bi/tri lingual? John understands Bulgarian better than he can speak it, but overall he’s doing so well with it, it leaves me and others in awe! We also remember a little bit of Italian from when we lived there for a year. Baby will definitely be bi-lingual at the very least!
  • Do you know the gender yet? When will you find out? We have the gender tucked away in an envelope and we will open it this month with family to reveal. We have something really cute planned, so stay tuned for that too!

PHOTOS

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
the night we knew for good
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
first appointment at 8 weeks
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant
hike in Brentwood after telling my brother + his gf
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant 12 weeks
12 weeks by mid-day
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Pregnant First Trimester
12 weeks in the morning

xx Adelina

Style

Comfiest Spring Shoe + Life Update

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes

SHOES: Sperry | SHIRT: Rails | JEANS: Kut From The Kloth | BAG: Strathberry

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes
Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes

Adelina Perrin of The Charming Olive Wearing the new Sperry Sailor Boat Shoes

Life Update

Anyone else start 2019 off in a funk? If that’s you, you’re not alone!

If you guys recall, we bought our new house in October 2018 and tore out everything, down to the studs and foundation. In California 2018 was the 4th hottest year on record and we had about 5 days of rain total up until mid November. We had a few great weeks where we were able to get a lot done but when December rolled around, we started getting more rain than what we’ve had in years. I was hopeful enough to think the rain would end there, but boy did it get worse, so much worse! I don’t remember the last time we had a winter this crazy, January and February of 2019 have been brutal months. No contractor wanted to work in a house that was 40 degrees or below with no heating or in a flooded muddy yard. We’ve been so spoiled in the wintertime for years that it felt normal to expect nothing different for this winter too.

Looking back now, December had its challenges, with the rain and all, but at least it wasn’t 40-50 degrees as the daytime high! If you’re reading this and live somewhere with much colder winters, let me just explain … No spot in our entire house has heating yet. We have one small electric space heater, but in a big empty house with no windows, its always beyond freezing!

I didn’t believe this would happen to me, but I’ve 100% gone into hibernation mode. You guys probably recall that our current living situation is only about 200 sq. ft. total. To make this transition to live somewhere we’ve always wanted and rebuild to create our “dream” house, we had to make a great deal of temporary sacrifices and a private office space for me to work out of was one of them. As you can imagine, running a fashion business may require quite a bit of space. Our last house, my business took over about 2,000 sq. ft. of it! I was scattered all over and used all 3 bedrooms of the house as my creative and storage space. Including our entry way and living areas! I’ll admit that was way too much, and was starting to drown in stuff. As much as I got rid of stuff, that much more new stuff kept appearing (ie, giftings, unexpected packages, etc.).

Somehow I managed to perform really well in Nov/December out of our 200 sq. ft. airstream and was able to run things smoothly enough but the moment the temps dropped to uncomfortable lows, with weekly rain, storms, and no sunshine, part of me said, “I just can’t do this right now!”

I have a 5×8 ft. shed in our garage with all my clothes and shoes in it. Walking over to it alone has been a depressing and muddy experience for 2 months now. Every time I walk over there I need to have my warmest jacket, beanie, and boots on. More than half the times I’ve gone to the garage I’ve found my one light to be disconnected and moved or the electrical wiring was tempered with and not working. I’ve cried too many tears in frustration over not being able to have a “functional space” to do my work. I’ve done my absolute best with working out of the airstream or while traveling but this weather has been making the tough, nearly impossible!

I like to think of myself as the one that never gives up no matter how tough things get. I have super strong will power and everyone who knows me well enough, knows of it. Nothing is impossible, and I truly believe that. I’ve managed to still run my business successfully with the least amount of packages coming in (for the lack of space at the moment) and have weaved out nearly 90 percent of all collaborations while we go through this winter and construction phase.

Enter Sperry

When I received an email about partnering up with Sperry on their new line of Sailor Modern Boat shoes, I got so excited! These are the kinds of collaborations I love to accept, because they are fun, motivating and in line with my mood or style. Of course I’ve been dreaming of spring for weeks now and any project that takes me closer to the ocean is a win in my book!

The saying “look good, feel good” is a real thing you guys! I loved getting dressed in these light colors, and it was these Sailor Boat shoes that inspired the entire look, which gave me all the happy spring feels! I really needed it to get out of my funk! We headed out to the port in Avila for a bite and thought it was the perfect location to shoot this look. The sun shined bright for us, even though it was in the low 50’s and windy, I was still having lots of fun.

I love that Sperry has taken their iconic Boat shoe and given it a subtle spin of modern with a touch of sneaker styling. Hense, the Sailor Boat shoe. Not only is is cool, but its the best spin on classic! Full-length cushion for all day long comfort! I’m wearing my true size and in color Lilac. If you have a more narrow foot, I would consider sizing down 1/2 size. I PROMISE you guys will love these new Sperry Sailor Boat shoes as much as I do! Now, all I need is to get on a boat and sail away to spring temps! 🙂

Shop The Look

xx Adelina

*Thank you Sperry for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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