The Urban Darling

8 Months Pregnant At The Christmas Tree Lot

By Esperanza on December 16, 2023

Christmas, Christmas photography, Christmas tree lot, Christmas trees, Christmas photo shoot, maternity photography, maternity photo shoot, maternity style, Christmas maternity photo shoot, fashion blogger, Sezane, Sezane style, parisian chic style, retro style, The Urban Darling, third trimester.

The holidays have been a little hard for me this year needless to say, after having spent them with a partner for the past 10 years and now spending them very pregnant and single. As hard as they have been this year, I know the holidays will be very joyful when I get to spend them with my baby boy in the years to come. I have been so exhausted lately but I still trekked out to a local nursery here in the Phoenix area to shoot some pictures on my tripod to remember the Christmas I was 8 months pregnant with him and I’m so glad I did! Even though my camera charger blew out when I plugged it in to try to sneak in a few more photos. Tis the season lol.

My Holiday Gift Guides For 2023

By Esperanza on December 9, 2023

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I am currently nearing the end of my third trimester and I have been so exhausted! I feel like I have so much left to do to prepare for baby’s arrival but I always enjoy making these holiday gift guides so I decided to try and put a few together for you guys while there is still a little time left to place orders to arrive in time before Christmas. I hope you find these gift ideas helpful while you are doing your shopping for loved ones this holiday season!

Sedona, Arizona, USA | Travel

A Weekend In Sedona, AZ: Where To Eat & What To Do

By Esperanza on

Sedona, a weekend in Sedona, Arizona, Sedona Travel Guide, what to do in Sedona, Things to do in Sedona, where to eat in Sedona, travel guide, Tlaquepaque, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Slide Rock State Park, Freeform Coffee Roasters, Sedona Airport Overlook, Oak Creek Canyon, Northern Arizona, desert, travel photography, maternity photography, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I wanted to share a quick guide for a weekend in Sedona! My parent’s and I spent 4 days exploring northern Arizona including Flagstaff, Sedona, Jerome, and Prescott. We stayed in a cabin in Oak Creek just outside of Sedona and went in to Sedona a few times during our stay. In this guide I am sharing the things we did while visiting Sedona all of which would fit very nicely into a weekend or even a day trip if you really wanted to squeeze it all in! Sedona is absolutely beautiful and there is so much to do and explore there, but this should be a good start if you are looking for recommendations for your trip to Sedona.

My Life | Pregnancy

My Boho Baby Shower Decor & Outfit

By Esperanza on December 8, 2023

Baby shower, boho baby shower, boho decor, baby shower decor, baby shower food, baby shower outfit, baby shower backdrop, backdrop, boho backdrop, baby shower ideas, balloon arch, balloon garland, baby shower balloons, bohemian style, maternity style, maternity photography, boho style, boho chic style, boho decor, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my parent’s held a baby shower for me at their home in Phoenix where I have been living for the past several months now. We wanted to have the baby shower when my sister and sister in law were in town so it worked out that they could be there since they live in California and Oregon. My mom invited several of her friends from the community and it was so nice of them to come celebrate the baby and I! I spent several weeks prior to the baby shower getting all the decor together, coming up with ideas for the food, games, etc. My sister arrived early in the week to help me get things together and she, mom, and sister in law helped me get everything ready for the party the day of!

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA | Travel

A Day In Flagstaff, AZ: Where To Eat & What To Do

By Esperanza on November 28, 2023

In late October my parents and I took a trip to northern Arizona to see the fall leaves. None of us had been to Flagstaff before and it’s such a quick road trip from the Oak Creek area of Sedona where we were staying in a cabin for five days, that we decided to spend one of those days exploring this cute town. We really enjoyed exploring the area and plan on going back next year and bringing baby boy too! In this blog post, I’m sharing some of the restaurants, boutiques, and things we did while visiting Flagstaff.

My Life | Pregnancy

Second Trimester Update: Pregnancy Symptoms & Must Haves

By Esperanza on November 20, 2023

Maternity, maternity style, maternity photography, 2nd trimester pregnancy, pregnancy, 2nd trimester update, 2nd trimester recap, pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy must haves, western chic, Sedona, Arizona, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Northern Arizona, fashion blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I can’t believe I am well into my third trimester now… baby boy will be here in about 2 months! It’s been a very emotional and difficult time for me as I have had to go through the past 2 months of my pregnancy on my own. My partner of 10 years and I broke up very unexpectedly which was a very shocking and traumatic experience for me to have to go through. If you want to read more about that story, check out this blog post here. I am just now getting around to feeling up to sharing my second trimester update. I wanted to continue sharing all the content I was planning on sharing during my pregnancy regardless of the situation and I am trying to stay as happy and as positive as possible for baby. He will be such a blessing when he gets here! That being said, let’s get into the post which I hope will be helpful for those of you that are pregnant.

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA | Travel

5 Beautiful Places To Visit In Northern Arizona

By Esperanza on November 19, 2023

Prescott, Watson Lake, Arizona, northern Arizona, beautiful places, beautiful sights, lakes, beautiful lakes, US travel, US destinations, travel, destinations, maternity style, second trimester, pregnancy, fall style, maternity photography, scenic photography, travel blogger, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

In late October, my parents took me on a trip they had planned to Northern Arizona to see some fall colors which we don’t really get here in Phoenix. During our 4 day trip we stopped in Prescott and Jerome and explored Flagstaff and Sedona while staying at a cabin in Oak Creek. I was amazed by the beautiful sights we saw and thought I would share a few with you here in this blog post. I will also be sharing mini blog posts guides for Flagstaff and Sedona so be sure to check back for those!

My Life | Pregnancy

Life Update: 7 Months Pregnant And Single

By Esperanza on November 11, 2023

I never thought I would be sharing this news… After 10 years together, Schyler and I have parted ways. This has been extremely difficult for me because he was my best friend and life partner for all these years. He is also the father of the baby still growing in my belly. Unfortunately, Schyler struggles with mental health issues. I’ve tried to convince him to seek help many times. I dealt with the ups and downs of these issues because I loved him and I thought he would eventually get better. We had been through so much together that I truly believed our love/bond was unbreakable.

Holidays | Pregnancy

Winnie The Pooh Maternity Halloween Costume

By Esperanza on October 31, 2023

Halloween, halloween costumes, Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh costumes, maternity costumes, maternity style, maternity photography, halloween photography, halloween costume ideas, maternity costume ideas, pregnancy, pregnant, third trimester, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I debated whether or not to try and do a Halloween costume this year… I have been so exhausted going into the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy and I thought maybe it would be better not to add extra stress to my plate. But then I thought this might be the only Halloween I ever experience while being pregnant, so I decided I better do it. The day before Halloween this Winnie the Pooh maternity Halloween costume idea came to me. I had seen it on Pinterest earlier in the month and realized it would be super easy for me to pull together with pieces I already had and a little thrifting. It ended the perfect costume for baby and I!

Holidays | Pregnancy

6 Months Pregnant At The Pumpkin Patch

By Esperanza on October 19, 2023

Pumpkin patch, fall, fall photography, pumpkin patch photo shoot, maternity photography, maternity, maternity style, fall maternity style, maternity pumpkin patch, pumpkins, fall activities, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, Phoenix, sustainable style, retro style, Sezane, Sezane style, denim dress, maternity dress, The Urban Darling.

My mom took me to a pumpkin patch in the Gilbert area of Arizona called Mother Nature’s Farm. I was very excited to get some maternity photos at the pumpkin patch with my 6 month pregnant belly! It was a little bit of a fiasco trying to snap these photos because two school buses full of children arrived and there were surprisingly a lot of families there on a Tuesday at open. That’s okay though lol, the pumpkin patch is for everyone to enjoy obviously and we were able to manage to get some good shots. I can’t believe how much baby boy has grown and it was so funny seeing the comparison between my baby bump and a mini orange pumpkin!