My Life

Third Trimester Update: Pregnancy Symptoms & Must Haves

By Esperanza on January 21, 2024

Maternity, maternity style, maternity photography, 3rd trimester pregnancy, pregnancy, 3rd trimester update, 3rd trimester recap, pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy must haves, boho chic style, boho nursery, neutral nursery, baby boy nursery, boho desert style, neutral boho nursery, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I am writing this blog post the day before baby boy’s due date (January 22nd), which is so crazy to say! Although he must be quite happy and cozy in there because I hadn’t started dilating at all yet at my appointment last week. We’ll see what happens this week! This pregnancy has felt so long, especially because of everything I have been dealing with in my life. My partner of 10 years was really struggling with mental health issues when we had to part ways over halfway through my pregnancy. Four months later, he is finally getting the help he needs which I am so thankful for and gives me a lot of peace of mind going into the birth of our son.

My Full Term Boho Desert Maternity Shoot

By Esperanza on January 14, 2024

Maternity photography, maternity photo shoot, maternity style, maternity photos, desert maternity photo shoot, desert photo shoot, full term pregnancy. pregnancy, third trimester, desert, Superstition Mountain, Phoenix, desert vibes, boho vibes, boho maternity photo shoot, pregnancy pictures, lace dress, bohemian dress, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

Full term with my baby boy in the desert! These last few months have seemed so long but now we are only a week away from his due date. It’s been a long and tough journey emotionally for those who have been following along with my story, but it feels incredible that I will finally be meeting him so soon. All my life I have wanted to be a mommy while also being petrified of being pregnant and going through labor. Now that I’ve experienced pregnancy, I know what an incredible miracle it is to be the perfect home for my baby and how amazing that feels. That’s not to say it doesn’t come with its challenges of course but every inconvenience has been worth it. I haven’t felt too scared about labor which has been surprising, although I know the day it happens will be tough. I’ve been doing my best to research and prepare myself for it but I know the joy of getting to hold my baby in my arms will wash the rest away.

My Life | Pregnancy

15 Must Haves During My Pregnancy

By Esperanza on January 3, 2024

Pregnancy, first pregnancy, pregnancy must haves, maternity style, maternity outfits, third trimester, third trimester outfit, must haves, boho chic style, boho bedroom, boho nursery, first time mom, neutral nursery, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling, neutral room, neutral bedding, pregnancy must haves, Phoenix, Phoenix blogger.

As I am writing this blog post, I am actually at full term (37 weeks) which is so crazy! This pregnancy has felt so long, but also very fast at times as well. I wanted to share some of the products that really got me through my pregnancy for all the other first time mommas out there who are curious about what they will need. These are my top 15 pregnancy must haves although I left a lot of things of this list that I only used for a little while or in a certain trimester, etc. Check out my first trimester recap and my second trimester recap for more tips and check back for my third trimester recap as well!

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!

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.

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.

My Life | Pregnancy

First Trimester Update: Pregnancy Symptoms & Must Haves

By Esperanza on September 14, 2023

1st trimester, first trimester, first trimester symptoms, my first trimester, pregnancy, pregnancy must haves, pregnancy symptoms, first pregnancy, baby bump, maternity style, pregnancy style, maternity, boho chic style, sustainable style, clean hair care, clean skin care, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling.

A few months late, but I am finally sharing my first trimester recap! I’m currently 21 weeks into my pregnancy and life has been so busy. Luckily during a lot of my first trimester, I was able to take things slow, take naps, and meditate which was much needed because of all the symptoms I was feeling (more on that later in this post). Going into my second trimester, life got much busier! Between creating content for my social media business, researching + creating a baby registry, pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy appointments, trying to make time for self care, and making time for my relationship… my plate has been super full. I’m hoping things will slow down a little bit soon and I’m trying to focus on how lucky I am to be pregnant. Getting back to it, in this bog post, I wanted to share some of the pregnancy symptoms I experienced, things that helped with them, and my must have items for the first trimester!

My Life | Pregnancy

Our First Baby Gender Reveal

By Esperanza on August 26, 2023

I have been dying to share our baby’s gender since we announced our pregnancy two weeks ago. It’s usually recommended to wait until you are past the first trimester to share pregnancy news. We waited until I was about 4 months pregnant and it was so hard keeping it a secret because I wanted to shout it from the rooftops but we wanted to make sure our risk of miscarriage was far enough behind us after having had an early miscarriage when we first started trying to get pregnant. I have known the baby’s gender for about a month now so the wait to share that news was much shorter at least!

Couples Style | My Life

Our Desert Pregnancy Announcement Photoshoot

By Esperanza on August 12, 2023

Pregnancy announcement, Pregnancy announcement photoshoot, pregnancy, maternity photography, desert photography, couples photography, desert, Tri-Cities, couples, baby, couples style, desert vibes, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling.

I’m so happy to finally be able to share our wonderful news: WE’RE PREGNANT! Schyler and I have been wanting this for quite awhile now and I have wanted to be a mom since I was a little girl, so I’m thrilled to finally be starting this journey into motherhood. It has been so hard keeping this a secret but I’m so excited to be sharing more about my pregnancy moving forward!

My Life | My Style

Boho Lingerie Photo Shoot & Turning 30

By Esperanza on August 9, 2023

Lingerie, neutral lingerie, chic lingerie, lingerie photo shoot, self love, boho chic style, boho bedroom, boho decor, boho lingerie photo shoot, 30, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, at home photo shoot, turning 30.

I was scrolling through my camera roll this week and remembered I hadn’t yet posted these lingerie photos Schyler took for me a few months back. I debated whether or not to share these because I know being too “sexy” in photos can be a little controversial. I was raised Catholic so there is a part of me that always feels a little uncomfortable about sexuality and things of that nature. All that aside, as a woman, I’m very proud of my body and looking at these photos makes me feel empowered, confident, and beautiful. I turned 30 this year and I am at the point in my life where I care less what other people think and more about doing whatever makes me feel happy and good about myself. That kind of freedom is a thing of beauty.