February 2020: Recap + On My Shelves / So Obsessed With

February 2020: Recap + On My Shelves

Mar 3, 2020

February was the sweetest month – our second baby was born! That meant we spent most of the month at home, but it was still filled with so many great memories. I can't wait to see what March will hold!

1. Celebrating My 31st Birthday – My birthday was February 1st, and I opted for a quiet day at home and then dinner with my family that night. I loved being with all my favorite people and celebrating another year of life. Kelly sent me this HRH sweatshirt + a hilarious card with Prince Harry on it from her sister's bridal shower. OBSESSED!

2. Our Second Baby is Here – Our sweet boy was born on February 7, which means he shares a birthday with Kelly. From the moment I told her that I was pregnant and due in February, she insisted that’s what would happen. I'm delighted that it did! We've slowly been adjusting to life with a newborn and as a family of four.

3. Sweetest Brothers – Our older boy was counting down the days until his brother was born and that love has only grown now that he's finally here. For the first few weeks, he'd start every morning by saying, “Good morning, baby! Welcome to the world. This is your family, and I’m your big brother.” My heart could burst – it's the sweetest!

4. Family Bowling – Nick is a Leap Day baby, so he was excited to have a birthday this year. And we laughed because the last time he had one was the year our older son was born! Nick decided he wanted to go bowling – an adventure that was close to home, a treat for our big boy, and something we could check off our 20 in 2020 list.

Read 11 Books | Favorites:

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

“I think of the banal platitude: Love isn’t supposed to hurt.
But really, if you’re doing it right, love hurts all the time.”
You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

“I felt what I felt before I knew what I felt, you know what I mean?”
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

“Laurie felt loved, and, more than that, she’d remembered how to love herself.”
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

“Did he repeatedly stab me in the heart, or did I just keep running into the knife he aimed at me?”
Open Book by Jessica Simpson

“Sometimes the right thing feels all wrong until it is over and done with.”
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

“ I cannot come with you wherever you go,
And I cannot stay by you in joy and in woe,
But I’ll be beside you, though gone from your sight,
I’ll love you and guard you till we meet in the light.”
The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier

One of my big goals for this year is to blog more consistently, with two posts per week being my goal. But I knew that the birth of my baby might present a challenge because I stopped blogging for three months after my first baby was born in 2016 (and for the same amount of time when I got pregnant last year). So, I decided to try to schedule most of the month's posts in advance – and I did it! Here's what I posted in February:

I kicked off the month with my January 2020 Recap and followed it up a few days later with my February 2020 Goals. I shared So Obsessed With: Mini Edition #7 with eight things I've been loving lately. A Valentine's freebie for Top Ten Tuesday inspired me to write about 10 romantic tropes and a favorite book for each one. I chatted about what I'd read in January in two Quick Lit posts: Part One and Part Two. Since the new baby was on my brain, I shared 15 new things I bought for baby #2. My favorite posts of the month? The two-part discussion I had about creating new routines! I shared the cleaning and meal planning routine that I've been implementing in Part One, and then I discussed some of my other monthly and weekly routines in Part Two. Then, I shared thirteen Jane Austen-related items I've been eyeing lately in So Obsessed With: The Mini Edition #8. And finally, my Currently {February 2020} was all about my life lately! Will my blogging mojo continue in to March? I hope so!

I only posted once on bookstagram in February, which is becoming my norm. I just don't find the outlet as enjoyable as blogging! I did share this photo to share the new that my baby was born, and I added a little mini review in there for If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane – my favorite read in February. • @soobsessedblog

Podcast Episode: The Duchess of Cambridge on Happy Mum Happy Baby
I didn't listen to very much music in February, probably because I barely drove anywhere.
But I did make time to listen to this fun interview with the Duchess of Cambridge!
It was so cool to hear her in an extended interview and get some of her thoughts on parenting.

Miss Americana (2020) starring Taylor Swift – I watched this while I was in labor and enjoyed it for the most part. However, I probably saw too many reactions to it beforehand because my expectations were a bit too high. It was interesting, and I liked the various aspects of Swifts's life and career that it covered. But it felt a little choppy to me and was (understandably) very curated. All in all, as someone who is already a fan of Swift, I liked it overall.

Cheer (2020) starring Coach Monica Aldama and the cheerleaders of Navarro College – A documentary about cheerleading isn't something I'd normally watch, but Kelly's love for it + the Internet's rave reviews convinced me to try it. It's definitely an addicting watch! But I don't have an athlete's mindset at all, so I wondered why anyone would put their body through this for a two-minute routine in a sport where there's no real future beyond college.

Next in Fashion, Season 1, hosted by Tan France and Alexa Chung – Once I was home from the hospital, I found this new fashion competition show on Netflix and was immediately hooked. It reminded me of Project Runway, except the contestants were all kinder to each other. I loved that it was only 10 episodes, which made it easy to binge. And I was so pleased with the top two (my favorite people) and the final winner!

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Jordan Fisher – Was I counting down the days until this sequel was finally released? You better believe it! I loved watching this, though I don't think it's as delightful as the first movie. Lana and Noah are adorable as Lara Jean and Peter, and Jordan was a compelling John Ambrose. I don't think I'll rewatch it as often as the first, but it was still adorable.

Timeless, Season 1 & 2, starring Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett – Nick and I didn't watch this when it aired, but I remembered the online campaign for its renewal. I can see why everyone loved it! The time travel element was so fun, especially because it made every episode its own visual surprise. I was less impressed with the villain/conflict, but it was still a really fun binge. And it wrapped up so perfectly, too!

Aladdin (2019) starring Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott – I hadn't seen this live action remake yet, so Nick and I decided to watch it one night. It was pretty good, but not a favorite for me. The costuming and set design / scenery were absolutely gorgeous, and I thought the casting was well done (aside from Will Smith). But I could not get over how computer generated all the effects looked! A little too much for me, and I kept laughing about it.