Four things Friday

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So, I’m cheating because it’s actually the last hour of Thursday night, but chances are you will be reading this Friday morning, hence my four things Friday title. You know, a brilliant webby friend of mine once said I need to stop using cute catchy subjects and instead do SEO-rich titles. He is right and I agree with him usually but sometimes, you write something just because you want to and your SEO rank at that moment doesn’t matter. Like right now! But anyways, here’s four things on my mind:

1) #DescribeYourselfInThreeFictionalCharacters
I like silly memes, because that’s a large part of what the Internet is great for: cats sitting on Roombas and double rainbows. So when this challenge popped up, of course I had to contribute. Here’s me, in 3 fictional characters.
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2. One of the things that I suffered from during pregnancy was major prego brain — and the little brain storage vault it affected most were my passwords to online accounts. I typically keep a spreadsheet on my computer, but now that I’m back and forth between laptop and cell phone and iPad so much, I decided I needed something handwritten. Enter this handy, inexpensive, and cute little solution: the password journal! Thank you, wonderful password journal maker, for helping a gal out. (And yes, that’s an affiliate link, so blah blah the usual gist about how I’ll make 1c if someone buys it.)

3. I’m still working out with a personal trainer and I have ALL THE SORENESS. Especially in my quads. Squat goals, am I right? Anyways, do you guys know the miracle of epsom salts? Cheap, fun to pour into the bath tub, and really helps soothe your aches and ailments. This is 31: extra creaky. Get you some.

4. I’m walking in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention “Out of the Darkness” Walk in Santa Monica on October 15. If you’re local, I would love to have you join me on the walk. Please also consider making a small donation (Even $5 is put towards life-saving treatment.) Let’s end the stigma: more now than ever, people need our open arms so that we can tackle this public health problem head-on.

5. BONUS! It was only supposed to be four things, and you get FIVE! Poor Harambe – but oh, Internet, how you just keep going with the jokes. By the way, my patronus is an otter. What’s yours?

Happy Friday, friends! Watch this space and the Double Chin Diary soon for a feature about PCOS (it’s PCOS awareness month!) and a yummy new recipe featuring Sambazon, Bob’s Red Mill, and Pic’s Peanut Butter.

 

Alyssa’s 5 New Mom Must Haves For First Weeks With Baby

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Photo by LynnetteJoyPhotography.com

Having a baby is super fun, because not only are you obviously excited about the joy of having your little one earthside, you get to stroll the aisles of stores with impossibly itty bitty versions of human clothes, like little socks that make you turn into a giggling, cooing, baby-like version of yourself. We were incredibly blessed to have several baby showers, and we received TONS of stuff that has made our arrival into parenthood just a bit easier. However! As massive life changes are, you can never be 100% prepared, and we found our Amazon account burgeoning with frantic middle of the night purchases (thank you, same day shipping.) As I have several friends due to deliver in the next few months, I wanted to share some things that got us through the first few weeks and are still going strong after month one. This could be helpful as well if you’re picking out baby shower gifts, etc. In full disclosure these are affiliate links, so if you happen to click or buy something, I’ll make a few pennies and go buy myself a Porsche. Or not. 😉

  1.  The Breast Friend Nursing Pillow

Breastfeeding has been tough. I naively didn’t do much research on the subject, assuming once baby arrived she’d open her mouth and milk would flow freely. Not so much, especially when you have a few hormonal disorders that make milk production challenging. This pillow was recommended to me by my friend who’s also a new mom, and it is WORTH EVERY PENNY. It clips around your waist, essentially providing a table top for baby to rest on that’s perfectly aligned with your chestal region. We even use it when bottle-feeding, and Dad likes to use it too. It comes in all kinds of cute colors and designs and has a machine washable cover because babies and boobies are messy.

2. Motherlove More Milk Special Blend

As I mentioned, my PCOS and thyroid conditions mean the dairy fairy isn’t visiting as often as I would like. I am meeting regularly with a lactation consultant, and she started me on this herbal blend to help make more milk. It works! It tastes yucky, so dilute it with a shot glass of cranberry juice (fun to shoot in front of unsuspecting visitors who look on horrified, wondering if new motherhood really IS going as well as you say), or you can order the pill version. There’s all kinds of things you can try to help you make more milk like Mother’s Milk Tea or Lactation Cookies, but this stuff does a pretty good job and is quick n’ easy.

3. Aden and Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets

Before I was initiated into the cult of motherhood, I scoffed at the price tag on these. Sure, I thought, they’re soft and trendy and have cute prints, but what’s the big deal? Well, here’s the big deal. They honestly get softer with every wash, and once you’ve mastered the art of the swaddle, you’ll learn that it’s an ancient magical technique that turns your wriggling, screaming baby into a marshmallow of soft contentedness. We have eight of these and they’re in constant rotation of use in our house, as the material stretches enough to not squeeze baby like a boa constrictor, but it keeps them wrapped up like cooing little mummies. LOVE them – 1,400 awesome Amazon reviews don’t lie.

4) Bath Sponge

We had several bathing contraptions for the bambina, ranging from a fancy sling with multiple upright positions to a miniature bath tub, to a spongy ring with a built in pillow and straps. Well, every single one of those has been ixnayed in favor of a plain old sponge, baby sized. For a mere $7, you can stick this thing in the sink or bring it into the bath tub with you and baby. It’s just cushy enough to hold up their little bums, but light enough for you to float them gently down the river of your bathtub in your hands like a raft.  You can get these at any baby store (ours is actually whale shaped and was $6 from Buy Buy Baby). I’m sure we’ll use the fancy bathing contraptions when she’s bigger, but for now, the sponge is the way to go.

5) Gowns

I have learned in the short month I’ve been a parent that onesies with snaps are the devil when it’s 3:00 a.m. and you’re trying to dress a screaming baby. It’s all about zippers down one leg, or even better, the baby gown. We had two of these on hand and in the first week of Holly’s life, ordered four more. These are super easy to put baby in, and to just pull up to change diapers. They also have the rollover cuff so if you have a baby scissorhands, they can’t scratch their darling little face (we have a baby scissorhands.) Worth it. Get a few! Also, who doesn’t look darling in a miniature night gown?

So that’s that! Honorable mentions go to Gas Drops and Gripe Water for fussiness, the Munchkin Latch bottle (doesn’t leak nearly as much as others and helps our girl switch easily between bottle and breast),  connecting rings for baby hands to grasp, the Baby Bjorn WE Carrier (she’s in it and nuzzled against me as I type!), and the Simple Wishes L-Plus Hands Free Pumping Bra.

Looking for other recommendations and insight? These two bloggers helped me out a lot on my pregnancy journey: KJPugs and What I Run Into. Every baby and parent is different, but I hope this helps some of you out as my fellow bloggers helped me!

Till next time — got any must haves to share with me? Let me know in the comments!

 

She’s here! A bundle of joy

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Hello everyone!

I am back and overjoyed to announce the arrival of our daughter Holly on 11/9/15 at 11:45 p.m. Holly weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19.5 inches tall. It was a long 17-hour labor but there were no complications and both Holly, me, and her daddy are happy and healthy!

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I plan to take it easy on the blogging front for my maternity leave through January but I may pop in here and there with some random ideas (for instance, some of my friends have requested a top 5 things you need in the first few weeks with baby. That sounds fun!).

I hope you all have a holly jolly holiday season <3

 

 

Week 35 Bumpdate

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It’s almost tiiiiiime! I have less than 4 weeks to go! (Assuming baby girl is on time, because come Nov. 13 she will receive a legally binding eviction notice!)

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How far along? 35 + 3
Baby’s Size: A large lop-earred rabbit or large bunch of carrots from leafy stems to carrot bottom.
Weight Gain: I appear to be one of those people who doesn’t gain, doesn’t gain, doesn’t gain… and then BOOM! Weight gain! I’m going between 12-18 pounds gained at this point depending on time of day and how much I’ve been eating. Baby girl now packs on at least 1/2 pound per week. While the weight gain freaks me out, my OB has assured me it’s normal and she’s not concerned.
Maternity clothes? The only thing I can wear!
Best moment this week: I am now doing twice weekly non-stress tests as a precaution because I have what’s called white coat hypertension – when my blood pressure gets taken at the doctor, it’s always high. Even just 15-20 mins later it usually comes down substantially. However, because of my weight, PCOS, and the fact that I’m having low blood pressure episodes, I’m a higher risk for developing pre-eclampsia. Twice a week I go to Labor and Delivery to have babe’s heart rate and activity monitored and my BP. The first NST, I was a  nervous wreck and my BP’s were predictably high. The second one on Thursday was awesome, because not only did my little girl prove her strength by kicking the monitor off my belly, but my blood pressures were picture perfect. That made me feel a lot more confident about hopefully making it through the remaining weeks of gestation a-okay. It’s also neat to talk to all the L&D nurses and get to know them, knowing that several of them will be helping bring baby girl into the world in just a few short weeks.

Feeling happy at Labor and Delivery with excellent blood pressures and a wiggly baby

Feeling happy at Labor and Delivery with excellent blood pressures and a wiggly baby

Honorary mention to another best moment being my first chiropractic adjustment. I’ve been having pretty intense pelvic girdle pain (in your last few weeks of pregnancy, hormones loosen the joints of pelvis, hips, and groin), and a visit with a highly recommended on Yelp doc meant after several pops and cracks later, my pelvis, which had popped completely out of alignment (yuck), was back in, and I could walk like a 30-year-old instead of a 90-year-old. I go back this week and am so grateful there’s relief, because not being able to walk definitely sucks. Add it to the list of things pregnancy makes me grateful for: mobility.

Another honorary mention goes to a brunch my local coworkers took me to on Friday. I work with really incredible people, and it was so sweet of them to get together and shower me and baby girl with a little love. Since we all work remote we don’t get to see each other often, so when we do it’s always lots of fun catching up. With some other coworkers, they all pitched in on a giftcard which will be hugely helpful for us in the coming weeks. I was so lucky to be showered with so much love all around this pregnancy! Our baby girl has pretty much everything she needs, and we’re so grateful for that.

Miss anything?

  • Sleeping on my stomach. I’m not going to take this bullet point off  this list ever.
  • Still going outside. The past few days have been record breaking heat for Southern California and yesterday clocked in at 104 degrees where I live. I’m not asking for much, weather gods, I just want to be able to take a walk without feeling like an egg melting on a Hibachi. We’re still expecting mid-90s to high 80s by the end of the week. I signed up for a Fall baby, not a hellacious heat Summer baby. Next pregnancy I’m moving to Antarctica.
  • Exercise. I can’t ride my Pedego anymore because of the pelvic joint pain (bummer), and the heat. I am looking forward to walking outside with the baby and once I’m cleared by doc, getting back into shape.

Movement: Some days she’s wild, some days she’s lazy.
Food cravings:  Grapes continue to be a thing, and this week, I craved vegetable tempura, street tacos, and apples. I want to eat all the things all the time! I also craved split pea soup which I made in the crockpot, and then I made Knedlicky and Zeli, which is a Czech dish of saurkraut, potatoes, dumplings, and pork. Deeeeeelish!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No. It is glorious!
Gender:  Girl!
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Pelvic girdle pain, back pain, the waddle, and being hot. I’m actually sleeping pretty darn good.
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy. I am feeling so much better than I did in my second trimester (again – weird….) And while the physical aches of the third tri are rough, I’m so excited to meet baby! However, I am getting sick of people’s comments about my size (I’m either “huge and ready to pop”, or “too small” for 9 months pregnant.) I don’t think it’s fair that at a time when a woman’s body is clearly changing drastically, it gives people a free pass to comment with all of their observations. Hint: Telling a woman she looks huge is NEVER a compliment.
Looking forward to: Cooler weather, seeing my parents this weekend and hopefully doing maternity portraits (if it’s cool enough), continuing to check off the days until she’s here, and finishing our nursery. We’ve gotten so much done and now it’s the fun phase of decorative accents, which I love doing. I’ve been trolling TJ Maxx for treasures and hope to share photos in the next week or so.

32 Week Baby Bump Date

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32 weeks?! What? Who? How? That’s kind of how I’ve been feeling lately, except I feel VERY pregnant. Like, no joke. Like, I’ve been pregnant forever. I was cooking dinner tonight and I snuck a sip of Matt’s wine and I swear the sky opened up and the angels sang… and then the pregnancy gods decided to punish me, because I went for another little sip and it went down the wrong pipe, and I spent the next ten minutes sputtering as I sheepishly continued to dice zucchini. No wine for you, prego.

I’ve been quiet on blogs and social media because #tired. And, as most of you know, I work in social media and while I absolutely adore what I do, honestly, sometimes my eyes just want a break from screen time in the evenings and weekends. But, I have lots to tell you, so let the 32 week bump date commence!

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How far along? 32 +5 which means I’m just two days away from 33 weeks. Hot diggity.
Baby’s Size: A naked tailed armadillo, Florida pomelo, or head of lettuce, depending on which app you go by. Pretty sure none of those things are the same size… so baby is about four pounds and 19 inches.
Weight Gain: Well, it finally caught up with me. At my last appointment I had put on 6 pounds and got a bit of the eyebrow raise from my OB. However, I’ve been cleaning up my act the past few weeks and am thrilled to be able to eat again without vomiting, so I’ll take it. That’s 6 pounds at 32 weeks. I’ll take it!
Maternity clothes? All day every day. If it doesn’t have stretch to it, it’s not anywhere on me.
Best moment this week: We’re in full on nesting mode after having baby showers, and I am continually humbled and grateful for how freakin’ generous our friends and family are. We have so. much. stuff. and it’s overflowing in our humble abode. This weekend we’re hoping to finally set up our crib and baby dresser, and once that’s up, it’s time for the fun stuff (DECOR!). One of my friends also gave birth last week , and a fellow blogger friend also had her baby (Welcome to the world, sweet William and Delaney!).

Miss anything?

  • Sleeping on my stomach. I’m not going to take this bullet point off  this list ever.
  • Being able to get up or flop on the couch with abandon. When you have a massive, bulbous abdomen, you totally move slower, more deliberately, and more painfully.
  • Wine. Salami. The ability to pop an Excedrin (or two) when you have a wicked headache. Pants with buttons. Uninterrupted sleep. Getting out of the bathtub without feeling like I need a complex system of levers and pulleys to hoist me out.
  • Going outside. It’s consistently been in the hundreds here and my OB asked me to stay indoors because of my blood pressure (more about that in next bullet).
  • Not worrying about baby’s health as much. My blood pressure is a weird devil, and I’ve been having low blood pressure episodes which make me dizzy. In the past I’ve had high blood pressure, but never needed medication or anything like that. Well, my OB decided at my last appointment because of my track record this pregnancy (even though my blood pressure was great!) that she wanted me to do twice-weekly non-stress tests at 34 weeks. Regardless of them being called “non-stress tests”, of course I stressed out, thinking “WHYYYYYYY? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!”. It means my OB is conservative, as she said, and it’s just two more chances each week to make sure mommy and baby are healthy. But man. Pregnancy. All the feels.

Movement: This girl is hilarious and definitely knows when the kitty is lying on me or when live music is playing. We captured a video of the little lady moving her leg to Matt playing the guitar and I thought it was sooo cool. I mean.. that’s a frickin baby leg, in my belly. Crazy!
Food cravings:  Grapes, as usual, milk, as usual, and tonight I had to have a homemade veggie primavera pasta.
Anything making you queasy or sick: This week the smell of black beans made me feel gaggy, and then walking by the fish section in the market (as usual) turned my stomach. But! I have not thrown up in over two weeks… great success in my book!
Gender:  Girl!
Labor signs: Uh, I hope none, though some of the lower back pain and achiness this week makes me paranoid.
Symptoms: Less nausea (praise God or Allah or Flying Spaghetti Monster), lower back pain, cramping, wanting to eat ALL THE THINGS, hot all the time.
Happy or moody most of the time: Other than being a cranky crabby patty because I feel icky, mostly happy. Getting so excited to meet the little lady. I was in Sears the other day and got ridiculously excited thinking about taking her shopping!
Looking forward to: Finalizing our day care plans for February (you have to do it crazy early here), finalizing our pediatrician (another thing you have to do before birth!), getting the nursery set up and washing and putting away adorable baby clothes like the onesie below, celebrating hubby’s birthday.

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So that’s it, everyone! Hope life has been treating you well 🙂

Alyssa’s 5 Pregnancy Must-Haves

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Hello everyone! I am writing with cautious optimism that I have not been sick to my stomach since Sunday. Woohoo! I wanted to share some of my favorite items for pregnancy, now that I’m in my third trimester. Several of these products have affiliate links, and I did receive the Secrets of the Mommyhood book free in exchange for review (if I liked it ,which spoiler alert: I did!).

1) The Snoogle.

I have discussed this pillow before, and while initially I found it cumbersome and massive, now that I’ve got a small watermelon on my stomach, I would be sleeping even worse without it. You really need leg support at night when you’re knocked up, and this helps keep my head and neck rested while also sometimes putting pressure on my lower back, which has been helpful. It’s not cheap at around $59 but worth it for the very long 9 months that you’re pregnant.

2) Preggie Pop Drops

These are yummy, discreet, and a mild way to tame mild nausea or queasies when you’re prego. In the early weeks of pregnancy when I was still undercover, it was convenient to pop one of these in my mouth as if it were a cough drop, to help ward off any wayward hurling. They taste like sour jolly ranchers and are packed with essential oils and B Vitamins. I know some people also use a brand called Queasy Pops, which are a big hit among people who have motion sickness. They’re inexpensive and yummy and definitely a must have.

3) Sprite, Smart Water, Gatorade

Just like ginger ale has long been used to soothe the tummy, I rely on Sprite when I’m feeling gross to pep me up. Yeah, yeah, it’s soda, so it’s not going to win you any awards in the health department, but when you can’t keep anything down, you need something, anything, to settle your stomach. So Sprite wins my award for saving the day! Anything with electrolytes is also great, like Smart Water (which I’m chugging now!), or Gatorade.

4) Secrets of the Mommyhood Book

The author of this book, Heather, emailed me after finding Lalalyssa on the web and offered me a review copy. First of all, always super cool to be contacted by a real live author (I wanna be one one day!), and second, so nice of her to send a copy to me! What I really liked about this book is in addition to being written in a “real” voice is that it covers pregnancy, post-partum, and the first little bit of baby’s life. So many other pregnancy books are just pregnancy, and that’s fine, but it was refreshing to read something that covered the additional parts of life after gestating. I also liked Heather’s personal anecdotes, like the story about the time she went hormonal on a random woman in a shopping mall (I feel ya, sistah). I also appreciate that she goes into some of the less rainbow-unicorn parts of pregnancy, like how at a certain point you will want to wear granny panties, and you need to just embrace it. That’s something none of my other books have covered — and guess what, it’s true!

There’s also a good section on baby gear, which was timed perfectly as I start to fill in our baby registry. For just $10 on amazon, I think this book is a great buy and a simple, quick read that will make you smile with its candid voice. Check it out!

5) Belevation Belly Band

My mom totally cackled when I lifted up my shirt to show her my bump and she saw me rockin’ nude Spanx style hosiery, but these have a LEGIT purpose! This band lifts up the belly a little bit and provides some support to the aching lower back, rounds out your bump, smoothes the tummy for under clothes, and can keep non-maternity pants unbuttoned but secure on your body. This thing was well worth the $20 price tag and makes wearing dresses and jeans waaaaay more comfortable. I recommend it heartily!

Alright, pregos, what else am I missing? Fill a girl in!

Week 26 bump date!

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26 weeks!

26 weeks!

How far along? I’ve been slackin’ on my updates due to feeling crummy, and am now officially 26 weeks even. What?! When did that happen?!
Baby’s Size: An eggplant
Weight Gain: 0. I’ve lost the weight I’ve put on due to some major nausea and vomiting. Bah. More about that in a bit. Still no cause for concern given that I’m making sure to keep eating enough for baby, and I started the pregnancy overweight. (Don’t worry: OB is monitoring me well and making sure the baby is growing on track. Lots of overweight women lose weight during pregnancy.) Who’da thunk my weight during pregnancy would be a non-issue?! (Knock wood)
Maternity clothes? Heck yes. Leggings FTW.
Best moment this week:  Got to celebrate a friend’s baby shower and a wedding! Lots of exciting life changes. ALSO! I do not have gestational diabetes! Woohoo.
Miss anything?

  • Sleeping on my tummy, forever and always. Once the bump goes down post-baby, I feel like I’ll mark the first time sleeping on my stomach with champagne. We went to the beach last weekend and I legit dug a hole in the sand to lay my belly in. It was genius.

-Not feeling barfy.

Movement: Heck yes! Baby girl as her prime time hour from 7 pm to 9 pm, and lately, she’s been into early mornings as well. I love feeling her kick.
Food cravings:  Fruit (particularly strawberries and grapes), anything not super scented or strong.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Unfortunately yes. The past few weeks have been ripe with sickness. I don’t know why and it’s an on-going discussion with my doctor. It’s usually first thing in the morning after I wake up but this weekend I had a really hard bout after going to the grocery store. It’s been consistently in the mid 90s here, and I think maybe I was overheated, because I ran into the bathroom, threw up, and then laid on the cold tile of the floor as I broke into a sweat. My sweet husband brought me a glass of water and a wet towel for my head. That guy is seriously amazing. It’s kind of an every day thing now…
Gender:  Girl!
Labor signs: None. Please stay that way.
Symptoms: N&V (naus and vom), lower back aches, heartburn, insomnia, super tired, less appetite thanks to the nausea and vom.
Happy or moody most of the time: I’ve admittedly been not my usual sunny self as I’m just not feeling good. I know that this too shall pass, which helps, and I find some relief with ice cold water and things like that. Please send happy thoughts that this weird patch goes away. I’ll be in my third trimester in just one week (two weeks if you go by the What to Expect app) (WHAT?!) and I’m actually really excited to be there. I’ve talked to a few women who’ve had difficult second trimesters (and easy firsts) and they’ve told me they felt great in their third, so that gives me hope! Little miss is healthy and happy, and that’s great 🙂
Looking forward to: hopefully some relief in sickness, and hitting the third tri milestone!

Bump Update: Week 22 and 23

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Goodness gracious! The time is just flying by. I got home from Denver and pretty much had one weekend home before I was back in the sky again, flying up north to have a belated 30th birthday celebration with my bestie Katelyn. I also got to see my fam which was super fun 🙂

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How far along? Reporting on week 22, but as of writing this I’m 23 weeks and 3 days.
Baby’s Size: A  papaya. nom nom.
Weight Gain: 2+. I’ll take it! At our 21 week appointment, the doctor told me I was doing a perfect job managing my weight. That’s music to this plus-mama’s ears because it is a challenge (as I type this I’m fighting the “Make chocolate chip cookies!” urge, but settled on some raspberries. Has my eating been perfect? Heck no. But has it been controlled? Yes.)
Maternity clothes? Yes. That and loose, cotton dresses are all I want to wear. A lot of my pre-prego pants are too snug, which is a weird sensation because they’re not snug from gaining weight but from gaining…volume? Or rather, since my belly shape is changing they just don’t work anymore. I just ordered a bunch of cute maternity stuff from Penney’s, so fingers crossed it all fits.
Best moment this week:  Matt got to feel the baby kick! It was 10 p.m. one night and me and the bump were reading before bed. I saw my stomach wiggle out of the corner of my eye (cool but yes, kind of weird), I yelled for him to get in there, and he felt the little nugget wiggle when she did a giant barrel roll. It was so cool to get to see him “feel” her. I’m going to be a big pile of mush seeing those two together.
Miss anything? Oh man. Sleeping on my stomach and uninterrupted sleep, in general. The last two weeks have marked the start of ‘pregsomnia’, and between my frequent night time pee breaks and being uncomfortable, I’m spending some time on the couch in the wee hours of the night so as not to disturb my peacefully slumbering hubby.  I really think the crummy sleep must be nature’s way of preparing you for a baby. I’m so grateful I work from home because I’ve been doing a lot of lunch hour naps.

We also made a big change this weekend to our bed. Those who have come over have seen our ridiculously tall Cal King bed. We ordered a bed frame with built in shelves and stupidly didn’t take measurements, and because we got a bangin’ deal on the set it was all sales are final… which means with our pillowtop mattress, the bed towered into the sky. I have a little stool I use to climb up into it (and I’m frickin 5’9, which shows you how tall it is). I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage such a tall bed too far along into the pregnancy, and this weekend I officially put the kibosh on the tall bed. We’ve moved our spare queen bed onto the frame, which is MUCH better because I don’t have to hoist myself in and out of it like a turtle on its back, and it’s safer. Now we just have to figure out what to do with the King mattress, as getting a new frame and such for the guest room seems kind of silly when in a few months the bed will be relocated to the garage anyways. Ah, adulthood and its perpetual series of small annoying decisions. In this way I guess nesting has started as we prepare our tiny bungalow for baby.
Movement: Definitely. I feel her most when I’m lying in bed when I wake up in the morning and then at night. It’s fun and a cool little reminder that she’s hangin’ out with me all day (As if she has a choice).
Food cravings:  Mexican food, raspberries (again), tomato slices, and Twix.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Sigh. Yes. I totally jinxed my self when I first announced my pregnancy by being like “I’m not sick at all!”, because 2nd trimester has just been my time of sickness. It’s not severe by any means, but I had to cancel a lunch date I was really looking forward to because I was barfing, and the queasies come and go every few days. I always ask my OB and I just get a compassionate smile and a “Some women just go through it.”
Gender:  Girl!
Labor signs: None. Please stay that way.
Symptoms: Tired, occasional queasies, pregsomnia, and SORE HIPS. Good lawd. For being told so many times I have “child-birthing hips”, you’d think they wouldn’t ache like they’re being stitched together. Sadly this is just part of the pressure of sleeping on your side, and my pelvis expanding to prepare for the kiddo. Hopefully it doesn’t last much longer.
Happy or moody most of the time: Heh. Let’s just say mood swings are a real thing, mmmk? My anxiety has been up this week as at my last appointment we went over risks for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and because I’m heavy and have PCOS, I’m at a higher risk. I pretty much spent the rest of the day convinced I’ve doomed my baby because of my size, which I know is not true, but I’m just a *tad* more sensitive these days. I take another glucose test in a few weeks and while my doctor feels like it’s unlikely given my very controlled weight gain and excellent numbers the first time they checked my glucose at 8 weeks, you just never know. I have to accept, especially as I’m becoming a mom, that there are some things in life I just cannot control, and I have to be positive and continue to make positive efforts to affect the things I can impact. Easier said than done!
Looking forward to: the next few weeks will continue to be busy, but are full of exciting things like a Rasputina concert, my friend’s baby shower, another friend’s wedding, and then a work trip to Michigan for the 3-Day.

That’s it! Still with me? Sorry for the length on this post but I felt like I had lots I wanted to tell y’all. Thanks for hanging in there and checking up on us, and I hope you’re doing fantastic!

Bump Update: 21 Weeks and It’s a….

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Hellooooo, 21st week of pregnancy! Today, baby C is the size of a baby bok choy (yummy baby!), and we can now share the gender! We had our 21 week anatomy scan today, and the baby looks perfect and mom even got kudos for maintaining “excellent habits” during pregnancy. Hooray!

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If you’re impatient you can scroll down, but first I thought it would be fun to look at old wive’s tales and see if there was any truth to them…

Carrying high or low? High, Girl

Chinese Gender Calendar: Predicted Boy

Heartbeat above 140 bpm: Girl

Cravings: Salty, Boy

Skin: Breaking out, Girl

1st Trimester Morning Sickness? None, so Boy

Mother’s intuition: Girl

So, what is Baby C?

ItsAGirl

We’re over the moon! I actually had such an unbelievably strong intuition it was a girl that when a friend dropped off some hand-me-downs and a cute little onesie that said “Mama’s little boy”, I said “Oh, too bad we won’t need that ‘cuz she’s a girl…” and sure enough, we found out she was a girl the next week! My sister was sure I was having a girl, Matt suspected it as well, but it was my mom who swore we were having a boy. We shared gender with our parents while we were in NYC for my 30th birthday, and we did the cupcake reveal with pink filling inside. (And YES, we have video of my mom and her reaction… haha. I just have to hunt it down!)

We do have a name picked out, but are choosing to keep that one close to the vest for awhile. So there you have it! The Curran family adds more girl power to the ranks 🙂 YAY!

Thanks as always for reading and for your excitement about our sweet little lady 🙂

 

Bun in the Oven Update: Week 17

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Happy Friday! Here we are moving right along!

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How far along? (Officially 18 weeks today but writing about week 17)
Baby’s Size: A pomegranate. Yummy.
Weight Gain: Plus two! While initially I felt nervous, I realize two pounds after 17 weeks aint no thang… and with it has come what appears to be a tiny bump! (If it still looks like I ate a large burrito, shush and keep that to yourself. I’m excited, okay?!)
Maternity clothes? Yes. This week in particular I haven’t wanted to wear anything restrictive. Elastic bands and sundresses are my friend. When you work from home, getting showered and dressed feels like an accomplishment…. now being a pregnant work from homer, getting showered and dressed feels like you deserve a gold medal.
Best moment this week: While it was super exhausting, our petroglyph tour in the Mojave desert was really incredible. I’ll try to write a post about it next week for you to see! I’m also still so grateful for how generous people have been about our upcoming bundle of joy. One of my cousins is mailing us some hand-me-downs and another cousin is mailing me some maternity clothes. It’s so nice!
Miss anything? Uninterrupted sleep. I had my first night of terrible insomnia in a hotel the night before I needed to be up at 5:30 a.m. for our tour. I finally fell asleep at 3 AM. I couldn’t get comfortable because the bed was hard, and my brain just wouldn’t shut off. It seems like this week my sleep has been dicey, with all the peeing and readjusting. I’m usually a stomach sleeper, so having to learn to sleep on my side is rough. It’s physically uncomfortable now to be on my stomach.
Movement: No, but I think I will soon. I definitely know something is there!
Food cravings: Tonight I pretty much told Matt if I didn’t get a particular kind of salsa from one of our favorite restaurants, there would be anarchy in the streets (Spoiler alert: I got it and it was glorious). That, and an ice cold coca-cola! I finally indulged today after that craving lasted for three days.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Much less than last week, thank goodness. Only two noticeable moments this week – one after a shower (seems to be a theme, with heat), and one while I was doing dishes and a whiff of old chili on a dish struck me.
Gender:  Still know and we’ll know if it’s a correct determination on July 2!
Labor signs: Nope. Let’s keep it that way. (Same.)
Symptoms: Still tired (where’s my second tri energy burst?), constant peeing, restless sleep, and not much else this week. Yay!
Happy or moody most of the time: I felt great this week. After kind of an off week last week, I’m feeling much more myself.
Looking forward to: Seeing our friend Jason graduate nursing school this weekend, binge-watching the rest of Orange is the New Black, and relaxing this weekend.