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Bucket List: Famous Landmarks

If you’ve been following Snapshots and My Thoughts for any length of time now, you’ll now that I love to travel. I have an extensive list of places I’m dying to go and visit – Sasha tells me that I “need to pump my breaks,” because I’m already planning an international trip for us three in December, and he thinks it’s a bad idea to take a 6 month old out of the country. We’ll see! I am not a list-checker when I travel, but there are some iconic landmarks I’m dying to see – see below. Have you been to any of these? If so, I will be asking for advice on what to do and see. Machu Picchu is probably at the top of that list! I’ve been very fortunate and have ticked-off quite a few of my ‘to-sees’ in the last few years (pictures below). Of all these places, Sydney, Istanbul and Paris were definitely my favorites.

As the adage goes, ‘not all who wander are lost…

 Great Wall of China

Beijing, China

Machu Picchu

Peru

Cristo Redentor

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Giza Pyramid and Great Sphinx

Cairo, Egypt

St. Basil’s Cathedral

Moscow, Russia

Taj Mahal

Agra, India

The Colosseum

Rome, Italy

Stonehenge

Wiltshire, England

Petra

Jordan

Milford Sound

New Zealand

Newgrange

Dublin, Ireland


Some iconic landmarks that I have visited – and would love to see again! These travels have taken place mainly over the past 6 years – I don’t have many older pictures on my computer. I would love to give suggestions on any of these places if you’re traveling there!

Table Mountain

Cape Town, South Africa

Christmas Break 2008 260

Sydney Opera House

Sydney, Australia

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Eiffel Tower

Paris, France

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Mont St. Michel

France

The Beautiful Mont Saint Michel (1)

Tirta Empul Temple

Bali, Indonesia

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Statue of Liberty

New York, New York

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Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California

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Grand Canyon

Arizona

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Iguazu Falls

Argentina/Brazil Border

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The Parthenon/Acropolis

Athens, Greece

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The Blue Mosque

Istanbul, Turkey

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Devrent Valley (or Imagination Valley)

Cappadocia, Turkey

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El Obelisco

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Big Ben

London, England

Oh Hey Big Ben

 

Want to track your worldly travels? Try Wolpy – it’s free and I love it!

Happy Monday Link Love

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Happy Monday, everyone! We survived our first weekend at home, and Isla is finally getting better sleep at night (she’s be an owl to day). We both slept 7 hours last night which is record since Wednesday. I’ve had some time to browse the internet in my many, many hours spent breastfeeding, and below are a few of my favorite recent finds! Enjoy reading and have a wonderful week!

These colorful May Designs books are perfect for journals and even have a baby diaper/feeding diary version which has been our lifesaver

This Rifle Paper Co. inspired nursery on Grey Likes Baby is the cutest thing ever

These airmail inspired wedding invitations on Oh So Beautiful Paper are simple, yet bold and I love them

This elegant chateau wedding shot by Taylor Lord is breathtaking

I want the entire outfit that Rachel wore in this post

I finished reading The One and Only by Emily Giffin the day before Isla arrived – it has a slightly weird plot twist, but I liked it for the most part – easy reading!

Any other recent reads that you’ve bookmarked? Any reading appreciated! xo

 

 

photos via once wed

Introducing Isla Milijana Petrovic

My water broke 13 minutes into my due date – Wednesday, June 4 – proving that all Petrovics really are Type A personalities and enjoy a good schedule. Sasha and I headed to the hospital around 2:30am, unsure of whether I really was in labor, as I wasn’t having any contractions. We arrived at Memorial Hermann Hospital at around 2:35am (we live super close), and got put into a room quickly. My nurse initially thought my water hadn’t broke, but after a secondary test, found out that it had. Since I wasn’t having any contractions at all, she started me on pitocin to induce labor. I still wasn’t feeling the contractions when they started, but we watched them pass by on the monitor. I was exhausted as I had only slept for one hour before being woken with my water breaking, so I fell asleep while Sasha took a work call at 6:00am – it was that exciting in the room! At noon, my mom came to visit and brought Sasha Lupe’s Tortillas – the smell of it almost killed me. I was STARVING at this point and eating so many ice chips it wasn’t even funny. Around 2pm, the pain from the contractions became too much, so I opted for the epidural. Before getting it, I made one last emergency trip to the restroom – I was determined not to poop during labor (TMI, I know – but it worked!). The anesthesiologist allowed Sasha to stay in the room, which was so nice. I gripped onto his hands so hard but fortunately didn’t faint (I received lots of oxygen during the day to prevent fainting). After the epidural kicked in, all of the pain went away; however, our day nurse, Annie, was getting nervous as when my contractions came, Isla’s heart beat plummeted, which likely meant that the umbilical cord was around her neck. Annie and Sasha moved me from left to right every five minutes (I couldn’t feel my legs at all), which became rather annoying and I was getting nervous. My ob-gyn, Dr. Tejml, came around 3pm and told me that she wasn’t happy with my progress as I wasn’t dialating quickly enough and I was beginning to get a fever, which is the sign of an infection (common when your water breaks). They had dropped my pitocin due to Isla’s heart beat action, but needed to increase it again to progress my labor. Dr. Tejml came again around 5:45pm and said that if I didn’t dilate further (I was 7cm) in the next 20 minutes, she was going to have to do a c-section. I was devastated. I did not want to have this major surgery, and was so scared about being cut open! So, I prayed and prayed, and when she returned at 6:05pm, she checked my dilation and thank the Lord, I was 10cm. She explained what I had to do to push, and around 6:10, we started. After about 17 minutes, she called in the forces, and 1 minute later, Isla Milijana Petrovic entered this world at 6:30pm, as cute as can be, even covered in all that goop. She weighed 6 pound 12 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long – with some long legs, not inherited from me! She has jet black hair and looks almost identical to me as a newborn (but I think she looks more like Sasha now!).

The last few days have been such a whirlwind – learning to breastfeed, struggling to sleep (both me and Isla), adjusting to life with a baby. I am truly on cloud nine. I love her more than anything in the world. I’ll post more pictures soon, but for now, it’s time to rest!

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The Countdown: 39 Weeks

Yesterday marked my 39th week of pregnancy. Part of me feels like it was just yesterday that I announced our good news – the other part feels like I’ve been pregnant for the last 3 years. I started my maternity leave today, and instead of laying back and putting my feet up, I’ve planned a day filled with visiting my parents and friends (this sweet girl!), doing a few returns, going to the post office (finally changing my name on my social security card!), buying a birthday gift for my mother-in-law, writing a few last ‘thank you’s,’ and meeting a potential nanny (so excited!). I am so anxious to meet Isla, but definitely feel like I need a few days to catch-up on life before she arrives. Given my mom’s history (two babies that were 14 days late and one that was 18 days late), I don’t have my hopes up that she will arrive on June 4, but we’ll see! The longer she waits, the more time I have to address all 100 baby announcement envelopes.

Highlights:

    • Agreeing on her name and announcing it!
    • My three baby showers (mom’s friends, my friends, and work friends)
    • Finishing Isla’s nursery
    • Listening to her heart beat at our first ultrasound
    • Designing and doing a few samples of Isla’s birth announcement
    • Buying her first piece of clothing while on our honeymoon in Bali
    • Feeling a kick for the first time
    • When the cashier at Home Depot asked me how far along (first public acknowledgement!)
    • Adding Isla to our “family song” (yes, Sasha and I have one that we sing every day)
    • Listening to Sasha talk to her at night

One of the most difficult adjustments in pregnancy is the growing belly. It’s funny to look back at, say… week 29, because at this point, I feel like I was still really small, but at the time, you’re like WHOA baby is really growing. People claim you miss your belly post-delivery, but I’m not sure I believe that. I have serious pains in my stomach right now from what feels like my ab muscles being torn apart. As mentioned here, I have bought the Belly Bandit and Wink Compression Girdle to get back in shape afterwards.

We decided not to do maternity pictures for a number of reasons, but I did snap a photo every Wednesday to mark each week off (Note: If I looked like Cara Loren or Amber Fillerup Clark, I definitely would have!). Most are taken in our closet mirror in my workout clothes before the gym, so they’re not cute selfies, but I’m still glad I did this to see the progression over time.

Baby bump pictures by week:

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39 weeks and one day down… please, please, Isla – don’t make us wait too much longer!

 

featured image via

Pink Peonies

It’s my favorite time of year – pink peony season. I could not be more obsessed with these flowers – definitely my favorite by far (well, you can never go wrong with tulips and hydrangeas!). I love seeing them begin to pop up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Central Market and other local flower shops. There is something about how full they are and their gorgeous variations of colors that just inspires me. I love them so much and would quite like a constant supply in my kitchen and living room! What is your favorite type of flower?
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all images via weheartit.com