She's here!

Sidenote - Sorry for the delay! It happens these days. :)

If you missed Part I, you'll want to read that first (here).

6:00 PM. Mom calls J. It's go time!

J arrives in record time, a bit frazzled for sure, but he's there and he has our hospital bags (Remember when I made asked you to pack a bag and you told me you had plenty of time, you're welcome darling).

7:00 PM. Mom heads home to get some rest (begrudgingly :) ). Who knows how long this will take.

8:00 PM. 6 1/2 cm dilated. And it's epidural time. There's a line-up of 4 emergency c-sections so they give me my epidural now before they're held up for a while and I end up real uncomfortable. Fine by me!

I'm starving but it's clear liquids only. Boo. Italian ice it is! It's been years since I've had one of those and damn it tasted good.

10:00 PM. 8 cm dilated! Omg. They tell us to try to get some sleep, it could still be awhile, but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP??! Jay's actually snoring by my side....he's got an awful head cold and I keep asking him if he's ok and how's he's feeling. Pretty sure he wants me to just stop talking but I can't help it. He especially loves how I keep asking him how he's doing when I'm the one IN LABOR. Whoops.

I'm still starving so I test out ginger ale hoping the bubbles will help me feel full. Eh, kinda. And I spend the next couple hours between pinterest, facebook, instagram, etc. A.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. that will distract me.

Sunday, July 20

12:00 AM. 8 cm dilated. Wait, what?! No change. Ughh. Come one Baby C! Mama wants to meet you.

A little motivation!

4:00 AM. 10 cm dilated. Big gulps. Now it's really go time! J texts the moms, they're ready and waiting to meet their new grand baby.

This time goes by in a bit of a blur. I haven't slept in far too long, I'm starving, and I'm just not very strong anymore. J and my nurse are amazing and I don't know what I would have done without them. I keep telling J I'm either going to pass out or puke - labor is no joke.

After an hour or so it's decided I need an episiotomy (fantastic...). J will be doing the honors of announcing Baby's C's gender and cutting the umbilical cord. The delivery team is in place. Ah!!

One last push and the doctor notices that the umbilical cord is wrapped around baby's neck so she makes the quick decision to cut it during delivery.

5:28 AM.  J turns to me, huge grin, and tells me it's a girl. I couldn't believe it (really, I turned to J and asked him if he was serious). I have a daughter! And she's just the most beautiful baby ever.

5:30 AM. (Due to the cord being around her neck she's taken aside for check up almost immediately). No skin to skin as planned. Still waiting for a good lung clearing scream from her....
5:32 AM. And waiting...
5:34 AM. And waiting...She's grunting and doing everything she can to breathe, but she's having a bit of trouble. Baby girl swallowed too much fluid on her way out.

A respiratory team has been called and a NICU doctor is on site. J watches over L while they do everything they can to help her out. I'm exhausted, still need to get cleaned up by the doctor, and my nurse keeps telling me she'll be fine. She just descended too fast and needs a little attention. I feel like I'm in a state of denial and shock. I cannot look at J who's looking at the doctors working on L for nearly 40 minutes.

While we keep being told everything will be fine, we're given less than 5 minutes to meet/hold our girl before they need to cart her off for chest x-rays and further examination in the NICU. Bless my nurse for stealing my camera to snap a few first photos of us.

J goes with the team to the NICU but I cannot get out of bed yet thanks to the epidural. And right now, I need him to be with her. I can't even begin to tell you how strong my husband was during this. I still tear up just thinking about it. He was/is my rock. And I needed that. I needed him to tell me that she'll be fine. 

Apparently it was a bit of a sob fest when he met the moms in the waiting room and told them they had a granddaughter! The fact that he held it together for me is unbelievable. No joke, I'm tearing up typing this. #hormones

7:30 AM. Just me, my incredible husband, and our new baby girl. 

L spent 3 days in the NICU, and 1 night in the Step 2 care nursery before passing her final test and being discharged to come home. While it was definitely not how we imagined her delivery to go, we are beyond thankful to have a healthy, happy baby. We are so grateful for the NICU nurses who cared for our girl, and taught these first-timers a few things. I'm not sure I'll ever forget their names.

We like to think that L just joined the world about 36 hours too soon. For that's how long it took her body to adjust, which was long enough to keep her under the NICU's supervision the whole time and in the hospital a day longer than expected.

Welcome to the world baby girl! We are so blessed to call you ours.

It's Go Time

I'm doing my best to soak up every minute I have left at home before heading back to work Monday. It's going to be quite the adjustment, but we'll do our best.

For this reason, there have been days the laptop stays shut. It's amazing how quickly priorities and routines can change! Sorry blog, you've been bumped down on the list. But, it's really important to me that I document L's birth story before we're in 2015 and she's suddenly crawling, walking, etc. So much happened and I want to remember every detail.

Honestly, I'm still in shock at her arrival before her due date. I seriously did not see it coming! So here goes:

Friday, July 18: I head off to my last day of work before maternity leave! Even though L's due date wasn't until the following Wednesday (which is when my company's maternity leave kicks in), I decided to take paid time off/vacation days Mon/Tues.

On the way to work I stop at my OB's office for our weekly visit/check-in. Not surprised at all to hear we've got no activity at all - 0% dilated, 0% effaced. We make plans for our visit the following week where we'd most likely discuss my options for getting induced. In my head I'm thinking, perfect. I'll have a few days at home to tidy up the mess our kitchen reno has created, get a mani/pedi, float in the pool, etc. Can't wait!

I stay later than planned at work to do my best to close out as many open items as possible before I'm out. I cancel J & my dinner plans in the city, we can go next week!, and finally head home. As a last ditch effort to get a good nights sleep, I take Benadryl before bed.

Which keeps me up alllll night long. Ugh.

Saturday, July 19:

7:00 AM. Exhausted. Freakin A, why did Benadryl have a reverse effect on me.  J's up early to help his parents move before heading out on the boat with my dad. Tucker's been staying with my parents while our kitchen reno occurs so I head down to their house to relax with my mom while the guys are out on the water.

1:00 PM. We head out to grab lunch and my mom asks me if I'd like to split a sandwich at our favorite local place - Cravings. I decide it's probably best if I get my own, I'm pretty hungry (thank god I did this).  So we eat lunch and watch some TV before deciding on naps.

2:30 PM. Hmm, that's odd. I think I just had a Braxton Hicks contraction. And another. And another. What the....?! My mom heads upstairs to take a nap in her room and I do my best to nap on the couch but these cramps keep coming back. I haven't told her yet or messaged J. I decide to time them on one of the pregnancy apps I have first and see what happens. I grab some more water, take a walk around the house/driveway, and continue on in my state of denial.

4:00 PM. Contractions are at most 5 mins apart, but down to 2-3 mins apart at times. And are lasting up to 60 seconds. Omg.

J texts me to let me know he has his phone if I need anything (talk about timing!). I reply ok, have fun. I know I'm just going to get sent home and told it's false labor, right? So I'll just wait it out here instead.

This little voice in the back of my head reminds me of the many times I've read about when to go to the hospital: the 511 rule = 5 mins apart, lasting 1 min, for 1 full hour.

Ok, they're averaging 3-4 mins apart, lasting 1 min, and it's been over an hour. Eff. I call the Dr's office, just in case. And they tell me to head to the hospital. WHAT?!

4:30 PM. Moms sleeping, J and Dad are OUT ON A BOAT! I wake up my mom, tears start flowing and I ask her to take me to the hospital. I'm feeling like such a fool right now because I KNOW they're going to send me home.

We grab iced coffees on the way, priorities, and I finally call J to tell him what's happening. HE DOESN'T ANSWER! Seriously. Not that surprised, he never hears/answers his phone....so I let my mom call my dad. But to tell them we're going to just go see, not to worry yet (they start making their way back to the marina anyways, my dad was great and calmly told J what was happening. J said it was the longest return to dock ever of course).

And I tell her not to make another call. Unless and until they tell me it's go time, let's not get anyone too excited.

5:30 PM. Check-in at the hospital and get hooked up to monitors. My phone dies (of course).

The Dr comes in and checks what's going on. I'm starting to feel embarrased, as I know she's about to tell me we've got no activity yet. Same as yesterday. But she begins to talk and I hear the words 4 cm and you're not going anywhere. If it was physically possible, my jaw would have hit the floor.

6:00 PM. Mom calls J. It's go time!

Baby Girl

On July 20, 2014 our lives were forever changed by the birth of our baby girl, L. I remember the weekend as if it were yesterday and I hope these memories never fade.

Before I share her whirlwind birth story, I felt I needed to at least introduce you all to her! I've chosen to cover her full name but her nickname is Lucie and I will refer to her as L going forward on the blog.

We are soooo in love with this little lady! 

Pictures for our birth announcements were done by the talented Beth Miga. And I used Etsy for a template (which my brother-in-law was kind enough to then tweak for me). 

She has been such a joy. And it's hard to believe she'll be 8 weeks this coming weekend. Gah, where did the time go?!

I plan to take a monthly photo of her and add a small recap of her current stats. It will be so fun to look back! So here's her 1 month summary:

In between play time, nap time, and feedings posts are definitely taking a bit longer to put together these days! But I'd love to get her birth story written up soon while it's all so fresh in my mind.

Oh Baby! Shower Recap

You know what else was a month ago now? My baby shower! Slowly catching up over here...

When discussions of a baby shower first started, my only request was that I not be ginormously, uncomfortably pregnant if at all possible. After looking at the calendar, we decided it would work out perfectly to have my shower within a few weeks of the birth of my nephew so that my sister could get home to meet him and help host my shower within the same week. I owe you a whole post on this little bundle of joy! I'm working on it don't you worry.

So just a few days after getting home from our babymoon, at 32 weeks pregnant, my mom and sister hosted the perfect baby shower in my honor. I still can't get over how much work they did. Or how generous our family and friends were! I'm not lying when I saw there is nothing left on my registry at this point. Nothing!

Here's a bit of a recap through pictures (camera pictures finally too):

My sister made this super cute bunting for the cake and then the baker mimicked it! Cake was sooo good.

I am SO lucky to have these ladies in my life. Can't thank you enough for such a perfect baby shower.

Some of J's family - love these ladies!

 All of the women who helped raise me, my momma, my aunties, my nona. <3

Cute little gifts for Baby C!

Cousins

Yes, this is my SIL who had a baby 3 weeks prior! I know, she looks amazing right?

I count my lucky stars to have all these wonderful girlfriends still in my life - dating back to elementary school and before!

The college gfs. Who have certainly seen me at my finest! Don't judge... ;)

 Can you tell we're related? 

The grandmas-to-be! I know, they're way too young for that title right? But seriously, these two women are amazing. J & I can't thank you enough for all of your love, support, and guidance through the years. I hope my mama skills are up to par!

My Nona. I once wrote her letter requesting to move in since my mom was too mean. Ha. 

Soon to be 4 generations!

I could have sworn I took pictures of all of the decorations the ladies put together but sadly they are nowhere to be found now. A few items worth pointing out:

• Centerpieces were potted plants with burlap covering the flower pot. In each plant there were baby pictures of J & I. They were adorable!! And whoever's birthday was closest to my due date got to take the flowers home.
• Favors were baby jars of jelly beans or m&ms. I am always a fan of edible favors...and I somehow ended up with the bag of jelly beans that didn't fit in the jars...such a shame. ;)
• Jackie dyed newborn and 3 month onesies in pink, blue, green, yellow, and orange. And strung them along the entrance to the room. They were SO cute! And I'm excited to have them to dress the little love in once he/she arrives. I may even be bringing the newborn pink and blue ones to the hospital with me...

We are so fortunate to have such amazing family and friends who couldn't be happier for us. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! Even Tucker seems a bit excited with all the new baby gear floating around the house. :)

And the due date countdown: less than 3 weeks!!

Baby C - 34 Weeks

And just like that, another 6 weeks have flown by since my last update (here). Ah! And that means we have 6 weeks left give or take. Ahh!

I am definitely still freaking out a little bit about this. But I'm getting more comfortable with it. Whatever happens, happens. When this little love decides to make his/her appearance, we'll roll with it. We have everything we need thanks to the most incredible, extremely generous, family and friends who attended our baby shower (recap to come).

So let's get to it:

Size: Baby is currently the size of a pineapple or butternut squash depending on which app I'm looking at. He/she should be weighing in around 4.2-5.8 lbs and is 17-19 inches. I actually had an ultrasound yesterday to get an accurate measurement of Baby C. Their current estimate is 4.15lbs which puts him/her in the 39th percentile for growth. So we've got a little growing to do perhaps, but its just an estimate anyways.

Weight Gain: You ready for this one? About 32 lbs to date! Wowza. But at this point I'm past stressing about it. It is what it is and *hopefully* it will all just magically disappear post partum. ;)

Cravings: Still loving fresh fruit. Especially watermelon. And ice cold water. Oh my goodness its the tastiest thing ever. So much more refreshing than just cold water. Ice cold is where it's at. And iced coffee still....I made the mistake of trying the Dunks Cookie Dough flavor the other day....oh boy. (Tip - a medium has 3 pumps of flavor, I ask for 1 or 2 at most and then just milk since there's plenty of sugar in the syrup they use). Oh, and I will never turn down a burger...

Aversions: I can't think of anything too specific...it tends to be random. For example ordering pizza the other night, J mentioned one restaurant but the idea of pizza from THAT restaurant sounded horrible, I had to have it from THIS restaurant instead. Don't worry, I won. And the pizza was delish. :)

Lastly, what 34 weeks really feels like (for me): Yes, I will still tell you that I'm feeling great and have no complaints, which is true! But, let's face it, 6 weeks out from my due date is certainly taking its toll on my body.

• Rib pain/ tingling sensation across the bottom of my ribs/ top of my stomach. Not surprised at all to find out the baby is head down given the pain I've been experiencing in my ribs. Apparently the tingling sensation is a nerve issue that can happen anywhere on the stomach as it stretches too...oh and it's super itchy at times!
• The feet are unrecognizable by the end of the day. In the past week this has really gotten worse. It's more on the top of my feet rather than my ankles but they're both swelling daily now (check out those sexy cankles above! Post walk with Tuck). We've put a pillow between the mattress and box spring on my side of the bed to help raise my feet slightly above my heart while sleeping. This seems to be working. And from time to time I'll wear the compression socks I bought for running to bed- this really works.
• Taking Tucker for walks is getting harder and harder. And I now take the flat road option versus hills....it's not long before I feel it in my hips, lower back, and pelvic area. And the pain tends to last about 24 hours. But I get my butt out there a few days a week, even if it's no more than 20 minutes.
• And prenatal yoga is now a hardcore workout! I remember way back around 20 weeks thinking, well it's not really that hard at all but it is relaxing. Not anymore. Holding an extra 30 lbs up in downward dog or trying to maneuver around this belly in child pose is a total workout. 
• Sleep is getting harder and harder. Some nights have upwards of 3 trips to the bathroom, some nights I wake up and just have the hardest time falling back to sleep. 
• I am hungry all.the.time. So I've definitely been more conscious of watching for empty calories since I'll most likely be starving again soon if I don't eat something substantial.
• And at the same time I fill up fast...smaller meals more often these days.
• By Fridays after work, I'm useless. Totally drained and so ready to sleep in. Which never happens....last Saturday had me wide awake around 5:45 and finally giving in and getting up around 6:30...

To-Do List: Well this is a long one really. But here's what will get done in the next couple weeks -

• Get the hospital bags together for me, baby, and J.
• Take a childbirth class and tour the hospital Baby C will be delivered at.
• Wash all of the clothes, blankets, crib sheets, etc.
• Hang the pictures we were gifted in the nursery.
• Install a closet organizer in the nursery's closet.
• Figure out when my last day of work will be (for now). 

Here's hoping I'll be more on my game in the next few weeks and can get one more update together before it's go time!

Baby C - 28 Weeks

I am SO overdue for a baby update! My original goal was once every 4 weeks figuring that especially in the beginning, not much changed week to week. And then I missed the 24 week update and have somehow landed at 28 weeks without even blinking. Third trimester people! Ah!

Seriously, by all accounts and measures, we're in the third trimester over here and I may be silently freaking out. Definitely not ready for Baby C to make his/her appearance just yet.

These pictures were actually taken at 27 weeks but I figure you won't be too upset about that. I just can't seem to find the time on weekends lately so we'll have to go with artificial light this time.

Wednesday nights I've been taking prenatal yoga and feel the most pregnant, mama-ish, ready, and even just beautiful after. I'm relaxed, I've just spent an hour with other mamas-to-be, and the best way to describe it is that I just feel good all around. Excited. And definitely connected to the little love that continues to grow inside of me.

So let me throw some stats/info at you:

Size: Baby is currently the size of an eggplant/head of cauliflower/head of lettuce depending on which app I'm looking at. He/she is weighing in around 2.2 - 2.5 lbs and is 14-16 inches long.

Weight gain: around 23 lbs....my weight gain spiked a little since my last OB visit and I'm not going to lie, it's kind of driving me insane. Mostly because I have no idea where that much weight is going! I do notice my thighs are getting bigger but everything seems to still fit the same way it did weeks ago. And 20 lbs in just my legs would be a bit absurd. So who knows. Thankfully, my doctors are not concerned in the least bit. And I guess knowing that both my mom and her mom gained a lot of weight in pregnancies, it's basically bound to happen to me too.

Cravings: Fresh fruit. Give me all the fruit salad. And soft-serve ice cream. This is thought about daily....not necessarily indulged in daily but man is it on the forefront of my mind quite often. Iced coffee too...I could drink it all day. Don't worry, I don't. But I seriously could.

Aversions: Hmm...I think the most noticeable for me is that I could do without salty foods lately. Part of it might be because I've been traveling to warmer climates and wanting fresher foods but who knows.

Belly button is still in. For now...it's getting precariously close to becoming an outie. :)

Missing Most: My sister asked me this question last weekend and I thought it was a good one. I felt like I needed to think about it for a minute but J answered her right away for me. Maybe I complain much? Ha. Anyways, for the first half of pregnancy I'd say wine was at the top of the list. Yup, call me an alcoholic if you feel so inclined, but I do love a good glass of wine or two often.... But guess what, I don't really miss it all that much at this point. Yes, to all you ladies out there who've said, I don't know what I'll do without wine - you will survive. I am a survivor here. And overtime, the  craving/need goes away.

Anyways, today what I miss most is a hard workout. I am so limited in what I can do for a workout before I'm in pain or out of breath, plus it's important not to let your heart rate rise too high or get overheated. I'm really grateful I was able to run as long as I could but would have loved to have continued to do so. I so look forward to the day I'm cleared for a good run. And I pray that once that happens, all of the pain I'm currently experiencing will have subsided. Otherwise, there will definitely be tears. Lots of them. Yoga has been a great stress-reliever but nothing will replace a good run. It's like a good cry if you know what I mean.

What 28 weeks feels like (really): I've thought about this a lot lately. No matter what, when asked how I'm feeling, I respond with "great!" And really, things are going well for me. The biggest reason being that I know they could be way worse. But here's what being 28 weeks really feels like:

• Too much sodium or not enough movement during the day cause my ankles to swell up
• Intense/annoying pain in my lower right ribs, mostly on the front side but recently spreading to the back - the worst when sitting, especially on a couch. Flying has been fun...
• But trying to sit with a tiny arch in my back to straighten out my rib area just causes lower back pain
• Don't even think about picking up the pace more than a moderate walk because - 
• it begins to feel like I've been kicked {hard} between the legs, and my hips start to hurt
• I am totally out of breath before I'd ever anticipate
• Constantly need to use the restroom.
• Be careful when laughing, sneezing, coughing, even if you've just emptied your bladder (or so you think).....ya it's happened
• It is getting harder and harder to laugh! Omg I can't breathe.
• Wore a pre-pregnancy strapless bra to the horse races last weekend, worst idea ever. Oh the rib pain.
• Random, intense pain as the round ligaments surrounding the uterus stretch out.
• A full feeling that tends to linger and feel as though you've been punched in the stomach at times. Especially if you need to bend over, roll over, move too fast.
• Abs feel like they've had a great workout lately...but I think they're just getting real stretched out.

Don't worry, that uncovered outlet will be taken care of before he/she is here....

Baby C - 20 Weeks

I cannot believe I'm halfway through this pregnancy! Nuts. And this body is definitely starting to adjust to the growing baby in there!

To date my weight is up 10-12 lbs. To be honest, I don't feel like I've gained that much weight. So when one of the phone apps I use weekly made mention of my weight gain as excessive (a morning after consuming a box of mac n cheese...) I think my jaw hit the floor. First of all, way to make a pregnant girl feel real good about herself. Excessive?! But also, seeing as my current weight halfway through a pregnancy is still lower than it was at certain points of college, I think I'm doing ok. (It is sad that I did feel better this week when my weight gain was back in the "normal" range).

Symptoms: I'm exhausted. This is mostly due to my crazy work schedule but yesterday was one of those days where I just hit a wall. And it was so so hard to make it through the rest of the day. Otherwise, things are going fairly well. We've got an active baby over here! I started feeling kicks/movement late last week and it is just an amazing feeling. In the past week we had an ice cream social one afternoon and cupcakes another. Woah, little love was doing a few cartwheels in there. So crazy.

Other random symptoms: my hair and nails have started growing like weeds, super dry eyes - which I feel like is an oxymoron because it makes my eyes water so easily all the time, red palms (apparently due to increased estrogen), foot cramps.

Workouts: So much has changed since my last update 4 weeks ago. And I'm pretty bummed about it. I had found running to be so soothing during such a stressful work schedule. It was my time to just zone out and take a mental break. I mentioned in my previous update that I was experience some hip pain after running. Well, it has gotten dramatically worse over the course of a month.

I wasn't doing a great job of listening to my body. Even after foam rolling, I typically had pain in my lower back, hips, pelvic area for about 24 hours after running. About two weeks ago, the pain was excruciating. I had gone to the gym after work and could hardly sleep that night, it hurt just to turn over in bed. It killed to walk! And don't even get me started on trying to get dressed, lifting one leg at a time was the worst. So ya, I knew something was wrong. I'm so thankful to have a physical therapist in the family (don't worry, I talked to my doctor too - who recommends PT for this kind of pain). She has me on the mend but running, walking at an incline, and the elliptical are all off limits for cardio (womp, womp). Not going to lie, I'm having a really hard time digesting this. While I'm healing physically, my emotions are kind of all over the place. BUT, it's all for a good cause. So I will be fine.

New Purchases: This is getting it's own section because there have been a few of these lately...

• Liz Lange for Target. I had the chance to browse Target last week by myself (sidenote - isn't that the best?!). Before I knew it, there was a Liz Lange cotton tank (worn in the pics above) and cotton long sleeve T (in gray space - pics below) in my cart. Both are so incredibly soft and comfortable! I've been living in them...

• I also decided it was time to invest in a few new sports bras. I'm a huge fan of the C9 ones at Target. I probably do not update my sports bras often enough, so wow a little extra support sure is nice!
• And speaking of a little support...I also invested in a few new bras recently. Remember when I mentioned above that at certain times during college my weight was comparable to what it is now? Ya, I've been wearing those bras lately from my heavier days....years ago. These new bras are rocking my world lately. And the girls aren't looking so bad either with a little extra support. If you're in the market at all, I'm obsessed with this one. Probably the softest I've owned. I want another...
• Lastly, I took a trip to the outlets this past weekend and found myself in Destination Maternity. Per my sister-in-laws recommendation, I picked up a pair of maternity leggings (worn in the pics above). Oh man, so comfortable! I'm glad there was a deal and I ended up buying 2 pairs because they are fantastic. I'm a huge fan of the full panel belly, let it all hang out baby. I snagged this maxi dress too. Let's face it, I will be living in maxi dresses this summer!
• And one sidenote - I feel like maternity specific clothing definitely makes my baby bump seem bigger since they tend to accent the growing belly. Or maybe that's the real size, I just tend to cover it up more during the week while working. 

Updates: Baby C is right on track in its measurements. We had our ultrasound earlier this week and loved seeing him/her moving about. Of course, our baby is already rather stubborn and did not want to cooperate with the ultrasound tech! I guess it's a good thing we didn't want to find out the gender because the little love was curled up in a ball the whole time. They had me lay on my side at various times in order to get measurements they needed. And even reclined the bed so that my feet were above my head hoping it would make the baby stretch out. Nope. Baby C did it's own thing. So unfortunately J & I walked away with hardly any pictures. They did print us one 3-D image of the baby's face but he/she has one hand up next to it's face and the other covering half of it's face. Not going to lie, it's a bit creepy.

I have so much to share in regards to nursery updates and my pregnancy must-haves so far, sadly work just keeps getting in the dang way! But I will get to them, promise. The nursery set has been purchased! Eek. And I *think* we've found the perfect glider. Stay with me, pretty please. :) Because at some point work will normalize again and I'll be back more often!


PS - sorry for the world's longest post! So much to say and so little time to get it all written down these days.

Baby C - 16 weeks

It's time for another Baby C update.

While the first trimester seemed to go by rather slowly, it's crazy that it's already been 4 weeks since my last set of bump pictures (here). Baby C is starting to grow at a faster rate and pants are starting to fit a bit snugger! 

Symptoms: Feeling great these last couple weeks! Week 14 hit a rough patch with some serious morning sickness but knock on wood, no issues since then. No headaches and no fatigue beyond just being tired from long workdays thankfully. I do not have time for fatigue these days.

Workouts have been great too. It felt amazing to hit 4 miles on the treadmill last weekend! Yes, I stopped to snap a pic. I was so pumped to feel so good. I made sure to use the foam roller on my hips once home to help prevent/reduce some of the soreness I've been experiencing from running on a treadmill. 

Food aversions: None really! Which is great. It feels great to be incorporating fruit and veggies into my daily diet these days. Don't get me wrong, I realized this past Sunday I didn't eat a single veggie...but I wouldn't say there were any aversions, it just sort of happened.

Food cravings: Recent cravings have included burgers from B.Good (only once but omg so good), bagels (still), Chopped Italian salad, ice cream, iced coffee.

I'm up to about 4-5 lbs in weight gain which is totally fine by me. Making sure our little love is growing!

I don't know the last time I slept through the entire night. The say the urge/need to pee lessens in the second trimester as you start showing and the Baby moves outward a little bit, away from the bladder. Still waiting....I swear Baby C was sitting on my bladder the other day at work! It was a bit ridiculous.

Lastly, I've been struggling to figure out how I want to document my pregnancy beyond the occasional bump pictures. This is definitely the younger child in me, but I want to make sure that whatever I do for baby #1, I can do for the rest of the children we choose to have. I found this journal recently and thought it would be perfect. Allowing me to capture small snapshots of each day throughout the pregnancy and well into the Baby's first years. I also plan on putting together a baby book once they are here, but this quick snapshot journal is much more realistic for me to keep up with. It's been fun!

Stay tuned... pregnancy wardrobe updates and nursery ideas to come over the next few weeks! And of course, more Baby updates.

Fun Fact Friday - Baby C!

I think this Friday calls for the first Baby C Q&A!

First off, we couldn't be more excited! I've certainly cherished the time J and I have had together just us two, but we're counting down the days until our little one makes his/her arrival.

Due Date: Currently July 23rd

First symptoms: Sore chest, burping (yes, TMI? sorry but seriously weird yet common symptom)

How far along are you? We just finished the first trimester over here (thank god).

Food Aversions? Oh yes. My diet changed dramatically in the first trimester. Mostly due to nausea....but goodbye veggies and chicken.

Food cravings? Hello bagels with cream cheese (daily), box mac n cheese, red meat....milk and cereal, baked potatoes, yogurt, and ice cream have also been making more regular appearances than they did pre-pregnancy. But as the second trimester begins, I'm finding myself actually craving salad. Never thought I'd see the day, but thankful veggies are back in my life.

What do you miss eating? J and I talked about creating a list of things to do before I got pregnant, I was thinking trips, etc. J was more realistic listing out a sushi date, visiting a raw bar, etc. To which I responded, we have all the time in the world, think bigger! Sad to say, he was totally right. And by the grace of God, I got pregnant much quicker than we ever anticipated. So now I'm dying for sushi. And watching friends enjoy freshly shucked oysters in December was killer. I used to eat a sandwich everyday for lunch, totally missing good deli meat/subs! And lastly, probably the biggest would be red wine. Oh how I miss you.

  Don't be fooled by the little bump at 8 weeks, another first trimester symptom - serious bloating

Symptoms/ How I've been feeling: The first 7 weeks were great, no major symptoms at all. And then nausea struck. The minute I became hungry, I also because very nauseous so keeping snacks with me was important. As someone who can get car sick anyways, pregnancy totally magnified that! So commuting to/from work was a struggle at times. And waking up early during the week didn't help. I kept reminding myself though, it could have been much worse - I got through the day, fatigue wasn't terrible, and I didn't end up getting physically sick that often. By week 12 things died down. Knock on wood they stay that way.

I also experienced bleeding around week 7, which was scary to say the least! It happens and everything can be just fine, as it was in my case, but it lasted a week and I was put on a strict no exercise plan which was tough. Nothing like someone telling you not to move (while you're eating bagels and pasta daily) to make you really want to get in a workout!

My biggest symptom now is headaches. But again, it could be worse so no complaining here. We'll get through it.

How did family/friends react? This was so much fun! Our parents were the first to know of course. And they were totally shocked. Shocked! Then the siblings found out next and were all so excited. They were also completely shocked. I'm not sure I've mentioned this on the blog but my sister-in-law Meg is also pregnant and due in May. I'm really excited to go through this with someone so close - we will certainly help each other's sanity during the trying times!

Extended family found out next during the holidays. And without a doubt my mom's side of the family, a group of loud Italian women, takes the cake for best reaction. It was so fun to tell everyone at once.

Lastly, we did our best to tell as many good friends as possible before spilling the beans more publicly. We are SO fortunate to have the best family and friends who are just so excited with us. There were a few more tears, hugs, and many cheers (with water for me obv). J has certainly enjoyed having himself a driver these days.

Friends seemed to know it was coming much better than family. Apparently we did a very good job at fooling our families into thinking we were still waiting - my line for the past 6 months or so of being asked has always been, I'm too young. :) But when we realized we only have 1 wedding next summer, the opportunity to start our family became very real.

Will you find out what you're having? I've seriously gone back and forth on this one. I can't say that I have this need to know feeling. But I kinda/sorta want to know...if you have a convincing reason why I should or shouldn't, let me know! I've heard some great points on this, going both ways.

How's Tucker? Snoozing right besides me, no idea what's going on... I do think he's become a little more attached lately but maybe that's me. I'm so excited to add a little one to our family but I want to make sure Tucker knows just how important he is too so he's been getting lots of love. And I'm doing my best not to call him baby anymore. As the older sibling, he's the big boy now. We will certainly be instilling some of the great tips we've read on how to introduce dogs to babies.

Have a fantastic weekend!

What are you up to this weekend?
 I'll be working Saturday but have scheduled apps and diet cokes (for me) with girlfriends to make sure I get out of work at a decent time, then we're off to celebrate a friends birthday. So glad I won't be drinking ginger ale in Harpoon cider bottles anymore to hide being preggo! And Sunday..there's only one thing to say, Go Pats! 

Linking up with H54F, That Friday Blog Hop