Favorites >> Maternity

Not like I'm an expert or anything, but I definitely know more this pregnancy than the last. For example: Don't over pack for the hospital, the nurses will laugh at you. Ha! Seriously, so embarrassing. Anyways, there are certain things that make pregnancy easier, or for my sake, more bearable. Some comfy/cute clothes, the right beauty products, those things make you feel good when you might actually not feel so good. Here are a few of my favs:

1. Japanese weekend maternity leggings. I don't splurge on maternity specific items (especially this go around) because you are only really wearing them for a few months. But a great pair of comfortable leggings are a must have of mine. I really like the kind that go over the belly.

2. Kimono cardigan. This super cute one is from Nordstroms. Easy, versatile, and you can use it post-baby. They dress up or down and camouflage the areas that I'm a little self-conscious about during pregnancy.

3. Liz Lange tank tops from Target. The absolute best! Thick and stretchy, I still wore mine after I had Silas.

4. OLE HENRIKSEN moisturizer. This is such a splurge, but my skin is crazy when I am pregnant. Breakouts galore! A girlfriend of mine got me some of this for my birthday and it is without a doubt the best moisturizer I've ever used. It's free of all the crap that is normally found in beauty products (parabens, sulfates, etc.) which makes me love it even more. So worth it, and you only need the smallest amount to cover your face.

Baby Boosh // 15 weeks

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain: 4+ lbs (I don't own a scale, so I'm going off my last appointment)
Maternity clothes? Nope. Still able to squeeze into my jeans, but it's been so hot that dresses are my go to.
Stretch marks? Using avocado oil every night in order to prevent any new ones from popping up.

Sleep: Still no sleep due to my sweet little angel boy...hoping we get there before this babe arrives though. I can't imagine going through labor feeling this exhausted.
Best moment this week: So much more movement! Nothing really distinct, but a lot of tumbling. I sort of feel like my belly popped out a bit too.
Movement: Yup!

Food cravings: So gross and weird, but I want some ramen. The packaged kind. Filled with MSG and weird things...so gross. And sour candy...I am disgusting! (I haven't had either though...)

Anything making you queasy or sick: I had the mother of all migraines this week. Puked all day Monday and could not stop crying. It was awful. The baby tumbling around also gives me a little motion sickness.

Gender: Not yet!

Belly Button in or out? *sigh* that sucker will never look the same...

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Mood of the week: Still so emotional over the tiniest things. Hoping it eases up for the sake of my poor hubby.

Looking forward to: Hearing the babe's heartbeat at our 17 week appointment and then finding out the gender :)

Pregnant and lazy

I was about 34 weeks pregnant here! Photo by the oh, so lovely Christy Cassano-Meyer.

Pregnancy...oh man. I know, it's a blessing to be able to be pregnant and I love this little nugget to death already, but my god it makes me want to sit on the couch and nap until week 40 rolls around. Especially now that I am running around after a 15 month old, my energy is on empty which makes it really hard to find the energy to get a good workout in. When I was pregnant with Silas, I gained an enormous amount of weight. It was winter, I was in a city with no friends, the list of excuses goes on. Everyone tells me that they didn't see it, but the scale does not lie people. It made for an extremely uncomfortable 3rd trimester and even though I lost all of the weight + some (due to breastfeeding) the outside just does not look the same. My midwife "diagnosed" (<---that seems like a rather intense word to use for this) me with diastasis recti. My muscles never healed on my abdomen from being stretched. This is fairly common, but tends to get worse with subsequent pregnancies. My goal this time around is to keep the weight gain at a healthy number in order to lessen the chance that I make the diastasis worse. After baby boosh #2 comes I'll head to a physical therapist to help me heal and lessen the gap in between my muscles. I've also been looking a lot into belly binding. Interesting enough, our culture is one of the very few that does not bind postpartum. Binding the belly after pregnancy really helps heal your muscles, organs, and bones after months of stretching. I can't wait to try it! In the mean time, I've decided to challenge myself to yoga 3 days a week. I am determined to get stronger this pregnancy and there is no time like the present. I've taken up a gig at a new spot downtown cleaning 2 nights a week in exchange for all the free yoga my heart desires. Not a bad trade. Namaste!

More about diastasis recti here
Yoga studio here

The longest first trimester in the history of pregnancy...

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain: 4lbs and feeling SO much bigger than with Silas.
Maternity clothes? Not yet...
Stretch marks? I got some with Silas so I have been rubbing avocado oil on my belly every night to help heal those and prevent any new ones.

Sleep: I haven't slept a full night in 15 months so the answer to this is "none".
Best moment this week: I felt some little tumbles in there! My midwife asked me at 12 weeks if I had felt anything yet and I was like, "Too early girlfriend, you're crazy!". She told me second time mama's usually feel something around this time. She was right, of course.
Movement: Some little tumbles here and there...
Food cravings: A ham & Brie sammy from New Seasons. Can't. Stop. Thinking. About. It.
Anything making you queasy or sick: This tension headache that is going on 2 days.
Gender: Not yet!
Belly Button in or out? It never really went back in after Silas...
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Mood of the week: Emotional as could be. Sorry, Nick!
Looking forward to: Bigger kicks and movements and seeing our little babe on the 20 week ultrasound. I can't wait to find out if it's a girl or a boy! 

Oh, hey! This first trimester is almost over. Praise jesus. It has been a struggle. The morning sickness has been minimal compared to my pregnancy with Silas, but wow, the exhaustion is horrific. The other day I found myself lying on the couch throwing a ball for Silas to run after. We were playing fetch. I was so tired I was treating play time with my child like he was a puppy so I didn't have to move. Sad, sad day you guys. I'm still fuming over my due date moving up two weeks. Like it's my midwife's fault or something...haha. I keep thinking, "I should be 15 weeks now!". I guess I should get over it soon, not like it's going to change. I am looking forward to hopefully feeling a bit more up beat in the next few weeks...fingers crossed!

Don't Rush

"I can't wait until ____". I am notorious for making this statement time and time again. I'm always thinking ahead, to the next memory we are going to create or adventure we are going to embark on. And then I sit back and remind myself to really savor the now. Because this isn't going to happen again. Enjoy the moment. With that said, I am already looking forward to next summer, ha! Seriously though, it will be my first summer in 3 years where I am not pregnant or have just had a baby. I plan on kicking my 28 (I'll be 28...oh LORD) year old body into killer shape, enjoying yummy cocktails, and going on lots of bike rides with my 2 yr old (gasp.) and 6 month old (yikes). I just try and conjure up moments that will be had in my head and I am liking what I am seeing. Could things look really different than I am imaging them to be? Possibly. But I sure as hell am putting good vibes out there for this next year. At this moment though, I am really soaking up the days with my baby boy. Watching him learn and explore the outdoors this summer has just been the best. We went to a splash pad the other day and there he was, running around with the big kids. I felt like I had a really intense "mom" moment. It was sweet and sad at the same time. Time goes by fast. It's cliche, but it's true that they grow up so fast. So while my mind tends to drift off and daydream about life with two babies, every time I look at Silas I'm reminded to be present in the moment and enjoy the time I have with just my one and only.