"Pregnancy is a humbling experience. Your body changes. You might get heartburn, varicose veins, or start snoring like a lumberjack. At times you may feel like it ain't your finest hour. But know that your body is working like never before. Not only is it taking care of your needs, but it's building a new life within you. Be gentle with your precious and miraculous body today. " Here we are... my bump update at week 25. It has been an awesome week. I have been feeling really great energy wise (despite trouble sleeping), my appetite has been good and my work/life balance seems to be finding the perfect pace for me at this time. Timmy has been home so we were able to get out on our bikes and this mama covered 27 miles this week on my mountain bike! Feeling pretty solid about that. Size: Baby Boy is as big as a cantaloupe and weighing 1.5 pounds! Measuring at about 10.5-12 inches long (the length of an ear of corn), he is getting ready to thrive in the outside world every day! Weight Gain: I have gained one pound in the last week or so, that puts me at 12 lbs. gained since conception! Symptoms: CONGESTION. This is seriously the worst, it comes and goes throughout the day, but when it hits I can hardly breathe out of my nose. I also had two nights this past week when I woke very early in the morning with leg cramps. I also had a very active week so it might be due to both pregnancy and recovery. For obvious reasons my body is recovering from my workouts at a much slower rate and its just something I will continue to be mindful of. Favorite Wardrobe piece to wear right now: I have been loving this Patagonia layer, W's Organic Cotton Quilt Snap-T® Pullover It is a great weight and layering piece for under my jacket. It works well as the weather has been getting cooler. It's also nice that I can still wear the brands I love with a growing bump I just need to size up. Nursery Update: Stay tuned for picture update next week. We have decided on a nautical theme because lets face it, our sons are and will be water loving, boat driving fanatics! We just ordered the carpet and a new sheet set for the twin bed. It is coming along great! Pregnancy related item I have loved this week: My Mama Natural Affirmation cards by Genevieve Howland, a reader of my blog and fellow mama-to-be, sent them to me as a gift in the mail this past week and they have been such a lovely way to refocus my mind every day and provide some inspiration and affirmation on the awesomeness of this experience. Thank you Laura! Xo 1 thing I am currently having trouble with: Sleeping is getting to be a bit more difficult. Between the not being able to breathe because of congestion and then trying to find a comfortable position with a growing bump I find that I am tossing and turning a lot. I also have been waking up around 3 am with a little boy who is hungry and ready to eat! He is ready to start the day while mama still wants to catch those last couple hours of quality zzz's. 1 moment I loved about this past week: Getting ready for Christmas. Our tree is lit and in our home providing us with the sweet smells of Christmas, the lights are strung outside the house and the packages are being delivered and waiting to be wrapped for under the tree! I love this time of year. There is just something about sitting on the couch with a cozy fire, smelling the Christmas tree and enjoying the lights that makes me so happy! 1 thing I plan to do for myself this week: Find a prenatal massage! I keep talking about it and I just need to do it. I also need to find a holiday outfit to fit my bump. Open to suggestions :) Food cravings: I have enjoyed eggs throughout this pregnancy, but recently when I wake up in the morning, baby and I are SUPER hungry. So my traditional egg breakfast has looked something like this every morning and its so satisfying. I look forward to it every day. Currently working on: Budget! Yup, that is what is going on over here! While the Christmas shopping to do's are finishing up, Timmy and I are focusing on our finances going into the new year and planning ahead for all 2018 has to offer our growing family.
Thats a wrap for Week 25 friends! Thanks for checking in xoxo
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Happy Holidays everyone! I had lots of family in town and many moments to enjoy that I wanted to stay present and decided to put my computer and bloggin on hold. I apologize for the delay, but I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to make memories with friends and family dear to you. The holidays can be so hectic at times, but it is such a special time of year where we are reminded of our life’s blessings and I just love soaking up every moment. Many of you took the time to participate in my gender survey and I am so excited to reveal the gender of our sweet Baby Dow! 65.85% of you thought that Baby Dow was a Boy, and 34.15% of you thought that Baby Dow was a Girl! Last week our families received these adorable bird nests on their doorsteps. Inside was this cute quail egg that they needed to crack in order to reveal a nursery rhyme that stated the gender of the new family member! Huge shout out to TheQuailCottage for creating these for our families, they were exactly what we wanted and the customer service was amazing. Here is a picture of what they looked like: Then on Thanksgiving we did a gender reveal with Hawkins. Check out the video below for an inside look at how we told him, it was awesome!
So there you have it! We are having a BOY and we are over the moon excited to bring this little man into the world. Here is how mama has been feeling at week 24:
Size: Our baby boy is the size of a large grapefruit measuring at about 12 inches long and weighing about 1.30 lbs.! The baby’s face is fully formed now and he just needs some fat now to fill him out. Weight Gain: Considering Thanksgiving AND being pregnant I would say I am doing pretty well weighing in with a + 11 lbs. Symptoms: Still nothing new to report here… I am still dealing with terrible congestion that comes and goes randomly throughout the day, but I would say it’s the worst at night and when I am trying to sleep. My lumbar spine is still bothering me. As my belly continues to grow I can feel my body compensating in my lower back as it tries to adjust to carrying this belly that it has never had to deal with before. Also, as hormone production is taking place full stop, I can feel the difference in my joints. My joints feel less stable which is totally normal, the body does this in order to allow the pelvis to spread and make room for the baby to grow. I have incorporated the following exercises to my routine more regularly to continue work on strengthening my abdominal, gluteus and back muscles.
Favorite wardrobe piece to wear right now: My cozy Pranayama Wrap from Athleta. I love this piece because it is super soft, can be worn with yoga tights or jeans and boots and looks great with a scarf. I am a sucker for comfortable wraps and cardigans these days. This one is definitely a favorite. Boy or Girl: Boy! Boy! Boy! Nursery Update: Over the last week or so Hawkins was visiting so not many updates have taken place. I am currently looking for the perfect carpet, but I have not find it yet. I want something neutral and super soft for baby and Hawkins to crawl around on and play. Hawkins absolutely loved his new space and thought his new bed was awesome! The bins under the bed filled with toys that we added two weeks ago were a hit and worked really well. Pregnancy related item I have loved this week: My Bambeego which has allowed us to listen to his heart beat whenever we wish! Its such a wonderful way for Timmy to stay connected to baby. 1 thing I am currently having trouble with: Finding a comfortable position for sleeping. I have a body pillow, I have my diffuser going with lavender oil and I am exhausted by the time I get to bed, but for some reason I can not seem to find a comfortable position with my pillows and spend most of the night flip flopping from one side to another. 1 moment I loved about this past week: Sharing our surprise with family. It was so fun to get the responses to our reveals and to talk with Hawkins about his little brother. It all is becoming more real every single day. Hawkins is very excited to teach his little brother how to play with Thomas the train and to bring him along on our visit to Edaville next year. 1 thing I plan to do for myself this week: Schedule a prenatal massage!!! Food cravings: Cheese. My body has been craving cheese this week and not a huge amount, but just enough to get a healthy dose of protein and fats and some added calcium in my diet! Pregnancy has taught me so much already. One thing is that preexisting “rules” of what my body tolerated well and what it didn’t have gone out the window. Prior to pregnancy dairy products was one of those items that I felt didn’t work well for my body, but since I have been pregnant and have just listened to what my body is craving I have found that high quality dairy products have actually made me feel very satisfied and provided a nice energy boost between meals when mixed with nuts or fruit. Currently working on: My Christmas shopping list! I have been very mindful this year with setting realistic expectations for this holiday season and so far I feel like I am doing really well with the shopping to do's list. The last thing I wanted was to be in a position of last minute shopping that creates unnecessary stress. So I made my shopping list at the beginning of November and have been tackling it bit by bit leaving me almost done and we have 4 weeks till Christmas! Yippie! There you have it friends! Week 23/24 Bump Update, Stay tuned for continued updates xoxo More than half way as we get close to the end of the second trimester and this mama is feeling awesome! I had a doctors appointment today to check in and listen to our little ones heart beat. Today we experienced the elation of hearing our child’s heartbeat for the first time. Brings tears to our eyes. As I listen to our babys heartbeat as I look into Timmys eyes, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude comes over me. After an awesome appointment with our doctor the big take away was that I am right on track, the baby is measuring out great and all looks good with mama and baby.
Size: The Baby is the size of a banana measuring at about 8-9 inches long! Weight Gain: Today I weighed in and I have gained 9 lbs. since conception. Needless to say the doctor was thrilled… as was I! If I can eat as often as I am and virtually be gaining no weight… I love this program! Symptoms: Nasal Congestion and sneezes … seems to be the worst every morning and every night. There isn’t much I can do for relief because I can’t take a nasal decongestant so I have been wearing a breathe right strip every night, which helps a bit. I also have noticed a little bit of a shift in my energy over the last 5 days or so. I fall asleep almost every night on the couch and I am still tired 9 hours later when I wake up. Getting outdoors and exercising has helped with that, but it’s definitely at a different pace. My lumbar spine pain is catching up to me! As my belly grows and my back and hips adjust to make room for baby the lumbar spine shifts and that’s causing some overall discomfort. I have a body pillow and that honestly isn’t helping much at night, so if any mamas out there have any advice on easing back pain and finding more comfort when sleeping I would love to hear from you! Favorite wardrobe piece to wear right now: CARDIGANS. I have decided that my go to outfit this winter will be jeans or leggings with boots, a tank top (because the hot flashes are legit) and a cardigan. I will mix it up with different blanket scarves because I am obsessed and call it a day! Its cute, its comfortable and I will be able to wear the cardigans post baby, which makes it easier for me to spend money on some new clothes. I have a hard time justifying expensive maternity clothes that I will only be wearing for a short time. Boy or Girl: Next week I promise to report! Nursery Update: This week we added under the bed storage baskets that fit nicely under Hawkins bed. This is going to be one of the ways that we keep the nursery neat and all the toys organized. We found some awesome bins at the container store for a great price! They also match the overall décor and are super cute. Pregnancy related item I have loved this week: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion. I have been using this as well for keeping my skin hydrated and it smells awesome. 1 thing I am currently having trouble with: Breathing at night. Thank goodness for breathe right strips. 1 moment I loved about this past week: Having my hubby home!!! As many of you know he has been traveling for work sense Labor Day, which is very different than our past routine together. It has made for some challenging moments during my pregnancy, but he returned home this week and will be staying here for a bit. It has been so awesome to cook dinners together, watch our favorite shows and continue doing some renovation and planning around our home together. 1 thing I plan to do for myself this week: Buy a pair of comfortable gym sneakers. I stand on my feet most of the day and I need some more comfort under foot. Food cravings: Watermelon! My body is craving all kinds of fruit during this pregnancy. Currently working on: Breathing. This week I have found myself at times getting really overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations I set for my “to-do” list. Luckily I have been able to return to the tools of mindfulness and just taking a deep breathe or two has helped a lot! Stay tuned for Bump Update next week! xoxo Is it a Boy or Girl???
Okay… so there are SO many Old Wive's Tales about whether or not you could be carrying a boy or a girl… If you had terrible morning sickness, it’s a girl! – I literally didn’t have a single day spent nauseated If your skin is breaking out, it’s a girl! – I have had little breakouts under my chin, but that’s about it… so what does that mean? If you are carrying “cute” and just in the belly, it’s a boy! – I don’t know if I can say I am carrying cute, but many have told me you wouldn’t even know I was pregnant from behind… If your craving salty, it’s a boy- if you are craving sweet, well... then it’s a girl!- well my cravings started out with gherkin pickles dipped in peanut butter, but after dinner I certainly have a sweet tooth! If you are able to eat lots of garlic, but you just cant smell it, it’s a girl!- I loved garlic, but I literally cant stand the taste or smell of it during this pregnancy. If you look in the mirror for one minute and your pupils are dilating, you’re having a boy! - Honestly, I am not even going to waste my time with this one… seriously!? So now it is your turn! Click here and cast your vote :) Let me know what you think we are having… a boy or a girl?? |
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