Life Updates & Things

• Jolie's 1st birthday is coming up on Monday...can you believe it's going to be a year already? I've come such a long way, yet the wound feels so fresh. I'm nervous about it. The Husband couldn't take the day off work, neither could my mother, so I'll be spending the day with my aunt until he gets home from work. This way I'm not at home all day alone with my thoughts. I thought her birthday was falling on Sunday, and we had an entire day planned to go to Miami Seaquarium and then out to dinner, only to realize it's going to be on Monday - nice timing leap year, damn you!  
• I heard Baby 2.0's heartbeat today! I haven't come up with a nickname for this baby as yet - I guess we'll just call it "Baby" until we find out the gender, lol. We already had a boy and girl name picked out before we even conceived. Baby is due in January and my instincts are telling me it's a boy. Granted, when I was pregnant with Jolie, I just knew it was a boy, only to find that I was having a little girl. We'll see how good my prediction is this time. I'm also thinking of having a Gender Reveal Party...for no reason other than I want to celebrate this baby as much as possible...and eat. 
• I also officially changed my last name after almost 3 years of marriage, lol. I've never had an issue with changing my name, I just never got around to it. When Jolie was born, her wrist band once we got to the hospital had my maiden name on it and the Husband informed me that will be unacceptable with this new baby, lol. He's not having it again! So...I finally got around to it :)
• I've been spending an unhealthy amount of time watching Idris Elba on tv. Between his movies, and tv shows, my Netflix and On Demand have been on Idris mode none stop for the past few days. Uuuhhhh that man! I'm obsessed...speaking of "Obsessed", maybe I'll watch that movie next ((writes note to self)). 
• My cough is still lingering and pissing me off...I've gotten so many people in my family sick
• Somebody ate my last cupcake...and yes, I'm still angry about it days later
• I'm starting to miss living in New York...a lot!!!
• My little sister is growing up so much this summer - I hate it! I wanted her to stay a baby forever and never grow up, but she selfishly continues to mature each day. I made her sign a contract a few years ago that she wouldn't do this, obviously she's now in breach of contract. I borrowed a pair of shoes from her today...since when am I able to do that??? It's freaking me out that we wear the same shoe size now. The day she thinks she's too cool for me and doesn't hold my hand in public anymore will be a tragedy, I will sob uncontrollably. She's 12 and going into the 7th grade this year, so I fear this time is coming to an end soon. How dare her!?!?
• Are any of you on the 50 Shades of Grey bandwagon? I read the first....and barely have any interest to get through the second, I'm forcing myself. What do you think about the book(s)?
• ...oh yea, that song and video I included in this post...is my love for this summer ((hits repeat))

what's new with you?

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

outfit inspiration // 4th OF JULY

topshop STRIPE VEST DRESS BY BOUTIQUE // ESSIE NAIL POLISH IN ARUBA BLUE

TOTEM SALVAGED CLUTCH // TOPSHOP SHOES

A fun and casual outfit for an outdoor 4th of July celebration: a loose dress so you can hide the bulge after eating lots of food, comfy shoes for running around & a fun patriotic clutch!

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

Summer Babies

Blouse: Everblue Casuals // Tank: Mossimo // Necklace: Forever 21 // Denim: Dollhouse Maternity // Shoes: Dollhouse // Bag: Louis Vuitton

It's Friday! It's Friday! I hope you all have been having a wonderful week and have lots of fun things planned for the weekend. I've mainly been trapped in the house for quite sometime with the flu. Luckily my fever is  gone, but I have an annoyingly painful cough that seems it doesn't want to leave. I thought I was going to have to miss out on Cousin Kim's birthday dinner because I didn't want to infect the rest of her guests, but it's her big 25 - I couldn't miss it for anything and decided to go last minute. Her and her younger brother's birthday fall within just days of one another, so as they've done before, they decided to celebrate together. 

The venue was Asian eatery Tatu, located at The Hard Rock Hotel. A large amount of the group dined on various kinds of sushi, saki and fun looking cocktails, while I drank Ginger-Ale and settled on the Crispy Orange Beef dish. Despite how amazing my dish looked and tasted, my excitement was cut short by a random wave of nausea (thanks Kid). By the time I got back from the ladies room I was over it...but I will be tearing it up for lunch today! That beef will not escape my wrath!

It seems like the birthday kids had a lot of fun and were lucky enough to head over to Puerto Rico this morning to continue celebrating for the weekend. I had an excellent time with my girls! Sometimes being outside with other humans is much for fun than hanging out with your humidifier all day!

Happy Birthday Kim & Steve

what does everyone have planned for the weekend?

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

Birchbox June 2012

More goodies came in the mail !!!!

Is it weird that I'm most excited about these Cynthia Rowley Band-Aid's??? With all these doctors visits where it seems I'm always getting stuck with needles, I'm just going to bring these fashionable band aids with me to my appointments. Everyone in the office already thinks I'm a nut job, so they probably won't think it's weird that I'm bringing my own stuff. By the way, I got a yellow neon band-aid last time...which made me overly excited...they didn't get it...

Juliette Has A Gun: Not A Perfume // Melvita: Rose Floral Water // theBalm Cosmetics: Stainiac in Beauty Queen

Masqueology: Pore Minimizing Mask

what did you receive in your Birchbox this month?

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

...WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY

...so this is what's happening in my uterus right now...Jolie's little brother or sister is in there

Between a bladder infection, a trip to the ER due to bleeding, some bed rest and this fever & cough I've been fighting for the past few days, this pregnancy has been quite the challenge so far...but I am Blessed and remaining positive

...the first few days were extremely emotional trying to keep all the negative thoughts at bay due to what I've been through...but every fiber of my being believes that this pregnancy will be full term and I will not leave the hospital empty handed for a second time.


6/23/12 edit:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the overwhelming amount of kindness and support you've sent my way since deciding to share this news. I appreciate it more than you'll ever understand. God Bless you all :)

CURLBOX // June 2012

Happy Thursday my loves! It's that time of the month again...well the happier time of the month...MY CURLBOX IS HERE ((does the "Running Man"))...and yes I still feel the need to break out that old school dance under special circumstances - don't judge!

This box was all about the things that Myleik loves and loathes about summer. The information booklet is brightly colored with amazing graphics and descriptions of the products - by the way, there are 3 full sized products in my box. There's also a fun DIY scarf tutorial on the back, which features a fun style for summer.

First up is Dr. Miracles Curl Care Frizz Control Serum which will come in handy for me this summer. I'm looking forward to testing this product to see if it really holds curls for up to 12 hours. I tend to leave my house with defined curls only to return home with an afro, so I'm curious to see how this works.

...and we all know that I love a good twist out. I believe I found God's gift to my twist outs in the May box, but the product junkie in me and always looking to see if there's something better. I've never heard of or tried anything by Tropical Roots, but the first thing I wanted to do when I landed on their website, was book a trip home to Jamaica. I'm so looking forward to trying their Twist Cream!!!

Free Your Mane has been on my wishlist for a while and no you don't have to be relaxed to use this line. I'm overdue for a wash, so I should be playing with these samples sooner rather than later.

When I initially saw this Nutress Foam Wrap Lotion, I was a little confused as I haven't wrapped my hair in years, lol. However, Myliek explained in the booklet that this product is great to use when doing flexi-rod sets! Genius! Mind you, I've yet to perfect the flexi rod routine, so maybe this will help me out.

This Sofn'free GroHealthy Milk Protein & Olive Oil Really Deep Conditioning Treatment looks like a delicious treat for my parched strands. And I've always been curious about dry shampoo, so I can't wait to try the one included by Organica.

Because we all truly loathe bugs and mosquitoes, I'll be busting out this water proof Bugs Off wrist band!

 I am loving this months box!!!

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

The Guilt & Shame of Baby Loss

I got around to reading the article that Bethenny Frankel penned for Glamour Magazine about her miscarriage. I cried. Truthfully I balled my eyes out. It was as if she were sitting in front of me and we were having a one on one conversation. Her emotions of guilt, having the unfortunate experience of truly understanding how other women who have miscarried have felt...all the myriad of feelings you experience at once within a matter of months, days...minutes.

Through meeting other baby loss mothers there's one emotion that seems to stand out the most among us - shame. There were a few months where I was utterly embarrassed. Really, I can't carry a baby full term? I blamed myself for Jolie being born preterm and saw her death as another failure to add to the long list of things I've done wrong in my life. I failed...and it was my fault. No matter how many times my doctors reassured me that I did everything right. Through therapy, I learned to let go of guilt and shame...but it was a struggle. I would often look around to the other women who was pregnant around the same time I was. Everyone else had their baby while I watched enviously from the sidelines with empty arms. It hurt and I was embarressed about those feelings as well.

11 months later with Jolie's birthday approaching, I'm in a much better place. I've accepted my daughters place in Heaven and the fact that I couldn't control the events of July 2, 2011. No matter how much I try to replay that day and fix things in my mind, this is my new normal. Seeing my daughters urn everyday is normal. My husband and I telling Jolie good night every night before bed is normal. It's our new normal.

Time doesn't always heal all wounds

some wounds are beyond being healed

And time doesn't change anything

They just stop hurting so much

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

summer outfit inspiration // Calypso Dream

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

Try This // HEADBAND BRAID

Whether your hair is relaxed or natural, most of us aren't fans of hair on our shoulders during the warmer months. A fun style to try this summer is the headband braid - it's quick, simple and can also serve as a protective style.

Step 1 // Part your hair into 3 sections - two towards the front with the biggest section in the back

Step 2 // The back section of your hair can then be styled into a cute bun

Step 3 // Braid one of the front sections into a loose braid and then secure with an elastic Repeat with the other side

Step 4 // Take the ends of the braids and crisscross them on top of your head. Make sure to leave a few inches back from the hairline,

Step 5 // Pin the braids down with bobby pins [ tip: make sure to crisscross the pins for extra security ]

will you be trying headband braids this summer?

[inspiration boards & graphics by lovelossandlacquer.com // images via google images]


LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

Nailing It // Summer 2012

Summer is here and I have my eyes on a few cool hues for my nails. Between nudes, minty greens and a punch of purple, I've zeroed in on a specific pallette that I'm looking to try. However, what I'm most excited about is Zoya's Remove Nail Polish Remover 3 in 1 formula. I hate the smell of acetone so I'm looking forward to a refreshing lavender scent. This award winning product serves as a nail polish remover, nail prep and nail conditioner - and we all know, no one loves a multi purpose product more than I do!

what colors are you into for the summer?

LL&L Elsewhere: Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest | BlogLovin

a month away...

Jolie's birthday is now less than a month away.
...I don't know what else to do except cry...
the pain hurts just as much as the night she died
I've been doing my best at staying positive over the last weeks, but it hurts so bad...
I don't wish this on anybody.