Hi, sweet friends! 

Thank you so much for all of comments and messages of congratulations!

Social media and blogging can get a bad rap, but man, I will sing its praises, especially during times of trial or celebration. 

If you remember, in this post last year I shared our uncertainty about whether or not we wanted to have another baby. After sharing that post, I received so many messages saying, “Me, too!” which told me that the decision to have a 3rd baby isn’t an easy one. 

So, how did we get here? (Wait. I don’t mean how. I mean, we all know how.)

Here’s where the whole faith thing comes into it. We still hadn’t decided if we were ready for another baby. So, we left it up to God. Since it took me a year to get pregnant with each girl (and only got pregnant with my oldest until I had a myomectomy to remove fibroids), I was thinking it probably might not happen. I’m 38 years old, so hello, I’m no spring chicken. 40 was my cut off, which means I was giving us a year to try-but-not-try. 

Did I mention we weren’t going to start trying until January? 

Apparently God had other plans and although I was shocked and scared about the prospect of adding to our family (and at times, I still am), I feel blessed and grateful beyond words. 

Also, I feel it’s important to say: I know it can be hard to read other’s pregnancy stories if your journey to get pregnant can feel more like a battle. To those of you who are trying and trying to get pregnant and keep seeing a negative test, although I can’t fully understand, I do know how heartbreaking it can be to pray for that second line. My biggest advice to you is NOT to wait to get help. Don’t wait a year if you don’t want to. Go see an RE, not your OB-GYN. Be your biggest advocate. Do your research. And of course, send up all the prayers you can. Faith and science can, has and will create miracles. 

I’d love to hear from you – what would you like to see in upcoming posts? Are you pregnant? Trying? Not sure if you want another? In the tough postpartum period? Let me know! 

And be sure to sign up so you don’t miss a post! For all of my newsletter subscribers, don’t worry – I’ll be starting it up again soon! I’m hoping for next week. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

XO

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I got the positive test the day after Christmas. I wasn’t feeling anything yet, but (TMI) I normally spot before my period (thanks, fibroids) and that wasn’t happening, so I had a feeling something was up. Also, my husband had been saying for a week that he thought I was pregnant, and I thought he was crazy.

I didn’t share my #ootd photos because I LIVED in this robe. Like, every single day. Also, why put on makeup when I feel like death? Also that greasy hair. Eeek. For the first 10 weeks, but hair was SO greasy every day. Not sure there’s enough dry shampoo in the world that could touch it.

It’s totally true what they say: the bump appears sooner than that second pink line has a chance to dry. It’s all because I’m bloated, but whoa.

I was symptom free for about 5 days, and I thought this pregnancy was going to be different. Boy, was I wrong. The brutal all day nausea hit me at the beginning of January and has only recently started to let up a bit. (Although, I was down and out again yesterday, so…).

In my experience, the nausea has gotten worse with each pregnancy. With my first, I was nauseous, but didn’t throw up. And I could sleep all day, which HELLO lifesaver. With my second, I was sick all day and threw up a few times. This one? I’ve been throwing up every 3-4 days, and the nausea is unbearable at times. It feels like the flu and the nastiest hangover you’ve ever had. Fun.

I’ve been eating carbs, carbs and carbs for the last 2 months. You know those people who lose weight in the first trimester? Yeah. That’s not me. I’ve already gained 10 POUNDS you guys. The same thing happened with my other pregnancies, so I’m trying not to freak out. 

(Oh, and can I say something about pregnancy weight gain? Thanks.) Can we stop shaming moms who are NOT elated to gain weight?? Yes, I want my baby to grow and be healthy. Yes, I want me to be healthy. NO, I don’t like seeing my body change into something else I’m not used to. As soon as I get pregnant, my ass competes with my bump. My hips get wider. My thighs save everything. Is it necessary? Yes. Is it easy? No.

12 WEEK BUMP UPDATE

SYMPTOMS

Sitting at 12 weeks, I hoped I’d be able to say that my nausea is gone, but, that’s not the case. Today’s a better day than yesterday (so far), so that’s good.

I’m still super tired (maybe that’s just life now) and don’t have much energy.

I feel weak easily – so I’ve been drinking orange juice in the morning, which strangely seems to help. I was anemic during my first pregnancy, and I’m wondering if that’s happening again.

I still have to pee ALL the time.

Sore breasts. SO sore.

Night sweats. So much so that I’ve had to go to the guest bed if I wake up in the night because my sheets are soaked.

My skin is breaking out a lot, which never happened with both girls.

Horrible headaches. I’ve recently started drinking my cup of coffee in the morning, which has helped.

Insomnia, which I’ve never had in my life. So weird to be exhausted and not able to sleep.

Restless legs at night. This has gotten better in the last week.

CRAVINGS

My #1 craving has been a veggie sub (easy on the cheese, no avocado) from Jimmy Johns. So strange. I ate one almost every day for the first 3 weeks. I’m able to eat healthier now, thank God. At the beach, I ate salad every day for dinner (if you’ve been around these parts, you know that I LOVE salads and eat them every day in real life) and could keep it down. 

I’ve been craving more salty than sweet. Jalapeno chips don’t stand a chance around me.

AVERSIONS

My aversions seem to change daily. In real life (meaning non-pregnant life), I don’t eat much meat, and that hasn’t changed. In the first trimester, I couldn’t stomach my salads, eggs or meat. 

I also haven’t been able enjoy my staples: La Croix, coffee and dark chocolate. WHO AM I.

WEIGHT GAIN

10 pounds. I started at 122 and now I’m 132. I’m hoping that as I can eat healthier and get back to working out (which I miss dearly), it’ll all balance out. I gained 50 pounds my last pregnancy, which was a lot for me. Hoping to keep it closer to 30 pounds this time. We’ll see.

SLEEP

Alright, here’s the bananas part. I’m SO tired, like ALL the time. But at night I can’t sleep. It takes me 1-2 hours to fall asleep. And then if I wake up in the night, I can’t get back to sleep. One night, I headed to the guest room to watch The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills at 2am. It was actually nice. Ha.

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

My bank account has gotten a good rest for the past few months since nearly all of my shopping has been put on hold. But, I do have some fav products that have helped me feel a little bit better…

(I’ll be doing a round up and reviews of everything I tried to help with my morning sickness. And believe me, I tried EVERYTHING, including Diclegis, which I’ll include in my review. Stay tuned.)

These ginger candies helped my nausea ease up a bit. I’m not sure if it’s because they are SO strong that they make you forget about everything, but I’ll take it. I also like that they’re chewy rather than hard candies.

I popped these hard candies anytime I headed out the door and needed to make sure I could interact with humans without seeming like the walking dead. I like the slight ginger taste and that they’re not overly sweet.

I used this belly oil during my last pregnancies and haven’t gotten stretch marks yet, so I’m using it again. I know that’s mostly a genetic thing, but it gives me an excuse to spoil myself. It smells amazing and feels so lux when you put it on.

I’ve stayed far away from underwire bras because my breasts have been so sore. But, they’re also getting huge, so I need good support. I’ve worn and loved these Handful bras for years. They’re comfy, provide support and hold up well – even after washing and drying them. 

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