What are you most excited + nervous about when it comes to being a mom? 

Well first of all, finding out I was pregnant was a MAJOR shock. I remember the day like yesterday, it was a Sunday night and I told Kyle I thought I should take a test. I came out of the bathroom with a blank face and told him it was positive. I can’t remember what he said (I think I blacked out from shock!) and I took another to be sure. The next couple days were really hard, and were spent curled on the couch in tears. Even though Kyle was supportive, I felt scared and alone. We were both super nervous at the thought of becoming parents and were scared about the changes we were going to face. I’m still nervous but nothing compared to the first couple months! I learned to turn my nervousness into positive nerves (if that makes sense?). But I do worry about normal things most first time moms get worried about – Am I going to be a good mom? Will the baby be healthy? Am I going to have time for my friends? My mom told me God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle and it will all fall into place, which I totally agree with!

 I’m most excited to just meet him and start our little family. Excited for firsts – first cuddles, first kisses, first laugh, first words, first steps. Everyone says there’s no love like you love your child and I just can’t wait to experience that. Everyday I wonder what he’s going to look like, what his personality will be. I also can’t wait to see Kyle with the baby…I know he’s going to be a great daddy.

 There’s so many great places this is going to be a long list! Brunch: Flo, Bongo Room. Kanela Breakfast Club, Little Goat. I know this is a chain but we went to Original Pancake House this weekend for the first time. I got the southwest skillet and we split blueberry pancakes – SO good! Lunch/dinner spots are Big & Littles, Tango Sur, GT Fish & Oyster, Topo Gigio, Yuzu Sushi, Homeslice, La Scarola. And of course Big Star…one of my favorite patios and margaritas in the city! I’m sure I’m missing some other goodies. My favorite area to shop is Bucktown – there’s local boutiques and name brand stores like Marc Jacobs, BCBG, Club Monaco and Intermix. It’s such a cute area! I usually end up going to the Magnificent Mile to shop since it’s walking distance from my apartment. There you can find just about everything but some of my favorites are Zara, Nordstrom, All Saints, and Neiman Marcus.

How would you describe your personal style? 

Casual and laid back! My go-to is jeans and an over-sized top. I like to invest in nice basics so they last a long time.  A nice tee (my favorite here) jeans that make you feel amazing, booties, and a great bag.

What was the most important lesson you learned from a past relationship? 

My last relationship was three years long. We had a lot of fun together but at the end of the relationship I knew we weren’t mean’t to be. I would get anxiety attacks thinking is he really the one? Am I really going to marry him? I knew deep down that I wasn’t 100% happy and I didn’t want to marry him. I struggled with the thought of breaking up because I honestly thought I didn’t have a good “reason” to. I had expressed to him I was unhappy a couple times but I didn’t have a reason for those feelings. This made me feel really bad because I knew that was hurtful to hear. We would work on things and it would feel like the honeymoon stage again but that would only last a couple weeks. My unhappiness eventually caused a downward spiral and we had a pretty bad breakup. My advice is not to settle with someone just because you’re comfortable. Breakups are hard and scary but once I was finally “free” I felt so relieved (and sad!). It may sound selfish but your happiness should come first. And in the end, it turned out to be best for both of us!

I don’t splurge often but I just bought the Stuart Weitzman lowland boots. A birthday treat to myself 🙂 It’s safe to say I luhhhh-uv them!

Three things you can’t live without? 

I’m addicted to coffee, lip gloss (I buy a new one weekly), and coconut oil!

Who is your girl crush?

Natasha Oakley. Can I just have her life?! …and bod! She travels around to the best beaches around the world with her BFF and models bikinis. Not to mention she is an entrepreneur and is killing it! I love when women can turn their passion into a career.

We knew each other from Iowa, he was one year ahead of me but I don’t think we ever actually had a conversation – he did buy me a shot once, ha! We even took a picture together post-shot…totally random! He moved to San Diego after school and lived there for 4 years. His Facebook status popped up on my feed one day that he took a job in Chicago and was moving here so I decided to message him to say congrats. We exchanged numbers and ended up texting for 16 hours straight the next day – LOL! I told my aunt about him and our texting escapade/how much we clicked and she told me he’s the one. I thought she was crazy but it turns out she was right! We went on our first date when he came here to look for apartments and the rest is history. He is the most caring, unselfish, and loyal person I have ever met and brings out the best in me daily. Everyone asks if we’re going to get engaged soon since we have a babe on the way but we decided we don’t need to rush into it. A baby is already enough pressure and we want to be able to focus on our family and not a wedding. And let’s be honest, I want to celebrate my engagement with LOTS of champagne!! 😉

Thanks for the reminder LOL! I will be 26 this weekend which seems old, only because it feels like I was turning 21 just yesterday. I’ve changed and grown a lot over the last few years but something I’ve really learned the importance of the people you surround yourself with. Family and friends that support you and stick by your side are the ones who matter most. I let go of some crappy relationships I had and it turned out to be one of the best things for me!

Best makeup trick?
I might be late to the party but I just learned the most flattering way to apply concealer is to draw a triangle with the base under your eye and point toward your cheek. It conceals dark circles and creates the illusion that your face is lifted. I need all the help I can get in this department! I use the MAC ‘pro longwear’ concealer but I’m thinking about trying the concealer Brooke uses by Make Up For Ever – it has great reviews!

xx meggan