pregnancy diaries - 15 weeks

a little update:

how preggo am I?

15 weeks 

(actually I'm 16 weeks today but I like to recap the week before)

gender

we actually just found this out today at our 16 week ultrasound - so I'll give you a little news ahead of time ...

the verdict is in .... IT"S A BOY!!! 

I have to say that I knew it. I had that gut feeling. My dr. said that when the mom has a gut feeling that they she is usually correct 85% of the time.

When the ultrasound tech told us I wasn't surprised at all. E videoed the whole visit. He is going to be the best dad in the world. 

I am so excited to be able to say "he" or "him" instead of it. 

We're also narrowing down on boy names. We're about 95% set on one, but we still haven't committed. 

weight gain

I'm not sure how much I've gained since last week when I went to the dr. and weighed in plus 10. I feel like looking at my belly in the pictures that I can tell I am getting bigger, but so far I think my pants/shirts fit about the same. I don't notice them being a lot tighter. People continue to make comments about how "big" I am for only being 15 weeks. I'm not sure how you're supposed to take those comments. I guess I'm getting used to it.

maternity clothes

Maternity pants all the way. They're so much more comfortable. I would wear the same pair of Gap maternity jeans everyday if my employer wouldn't mind :) I am still wearing all of my normal shirts. I am also wearing a lot of non-maternity leggings.

movement 

Last week I wasn't sure, but this week I know it has to be HIM moving around in there. I don't feel any strong movements, but I do feel a mix between popping or stirring in my stomach every now and them. I was sitting in the movies this weekend and know for sure that I could feel him moving. It's so hard to describe what it feels like. This week I told E that it feel like someone is taking a large spoon and stirring my stomach. Super weird right? I don't think that even describes it, but it's the first thing that came to my head.

sleep 

Sleep has remained about the same. I get up 1-2 times a night to pee, but other than that I sleep fine. I have become pretty used to sleeping on my side only - it doesn't really bother me anymore.

what I miss

There's not a lot that I miss this week. Maybe still steaming hot baths a little, but not as much as in the beginning.

cravings 

Nothing new here - CHIPOTLE.

I still feel the same - I could eat it everyday. It's probably a good thing the town that I work in doesn't have a Chipotle. I also ate some Cinnamon ice cream when I was visiting family for Christmas and loved it. I have been thinking about eating it again quiet often :)

symptoms 

This week my belly continued to grow larger. I guess that's what happens when you're pregnant. I also had some abdominal pain this week. It freaked me out a little, but after talking to people and doing a little bit of research I believe that it was caused by the stretching of my round ligament. 

I haven't been as hungry this week, but when it hits, it hits. I can't go as long between meals, and there is no in between hunger. Once I feel hungry then it goes straight to starving. 

Since this past week was Thanksgiving I ate a lot of turkey and other yummy foods. I did notice though that we I got full, I was really full. Extra uncomfortable full. Like there was no space in my stomach and all of my organs were squished together. 

Lastly, we travelled a lot since it was the holiday and I was once again reminded that my motion sickness is so much worse since being pregnant.

fears

stretch marks - none yet - woo hoo. If you know of any remedies that actually work - please share.

I have a weird fear that I won't know how to relate to a boy. I told E this and I think he brushed it off like I am crazy. I guess I just feel like I know a lot more about girls bc I am one. 

I also fear labor - who doesn't though right? I continue to go back and forth between natural and epidural. This week I am leaning more towards epidural. I may sign up for birthing classes at our local women's spa and talk to them about different options. 

best moment of the week

1. Seeing all of our family for Thanksgiving. This was the first time we saw our family since I have been showing. We had not seen them in over 7 weeks, so it was really exciting to show off the bump. I love seeing how excited both E and I's parents are about becoming grandparents.

2. This moment is technically from 16 weeks, but I will include it here anyways. Having our second ultrasound and finding out that this little baby inside of me is in fact a BOY! E and I are going to have a son. Wow, this is all so overwhelming. Having the ultrasound in general was great. We saw the profile of the baby, the little arms, legs, fingers, and toes. We saw and heard the heart beating, his stomach, brain, and spine. It was so cool. I can't being that he is growing so perfect inside of me. It is truly a miracle. God is good. 

for the travel tree

If you've been reading for awhile, or been in my house around Christmas time ... 

you'll know that E and  I have what we call a travel tree. I got the idea from my parents who have been doing this for years. Every time E and I take a trip somewhere we pick up an ornament as a souvenir. Then, we put all the ornaments on a "special" tree in our family room. It is so much fun pulling out the different ornaments and remembering the many places we've been blessed to be able to travel to. 

This year we added quite a few ornaments to our tree. But ... one place that we forgot to get an ornament was Paris. Paris is quite possibly my favorite place that I have ever been ... I really don't know how we forgot, but we did. 

Since I knew we wouldn't be back anytime too soon, I started searching online. Buying an ornament online isn't as cool, but I figured that I'd at least have one to put up and remember our amazing trip. 

Then, I found these lovelies. Are they not the most adorable things you have ever seen?? I ordered them right away and cannot wait to put them up on our tree. 

I'd say that they sum up the trip pretty well...

Now if only I could find an ornament in the shape of a fondue pot or a block of cheese.

Ohh I could go back in a heartbeat!  
Maybe someday :) 

if the baby is a boy

If this little baby inside of me is in fact a boy ...

then this airplane mobile will be a must!

Only a couple days until we will find out :)

Anyone want to comment and post their official guess ??

pregnancy diaries: 14 weeks

Here I am - 14 weeks!

Entering into the second trimester 

1/3 of the way down - 2/3 to go ...

a little update:

how preggo am I?

14 weeks

gender: 

We still don't know yet. I continue to lean more towards boy, but I honestly don't care either way. I know everyone probably says that, but I mean it. I really don't care if it's a boy or girl. One little treat is that we will find out what we're having a week from today! 

total weight gain:

 I've gained about 10 pounds. My doctor didn't really seem concerned, but did give me a little talk about healthy eating habits. I feel like I have been eating healthy, and I haven't gained weight anywhere else except my belly ... so I'm not going to stress about it. I have tried to make sure that the snacks I eat are healthier, but so far that's the only change that I've made. Somedays I feel like I'm doing ok with the weight gain and other days it's really weird to me. Maybe I'm the only women we feels like this. It's exciting and also makes you question your attractiveness at the same time. This week I went into Victoria Secret to get my free pair of undies (I feel like they send me a coupon every week) and after stepping foot into the store, I decided that I will not return until I am no longer preggo. It just made me feel self-conscious. I know that sounds really vain, but I am just being honest. 

maternity clothes:

 I am in maternity pants about 90% of the time. I was blessed to have a friend loan me a ton of her clothes, but I also went out last weekend and bought a pair of paternity jeans from Gap. I love them. I feel like they're something that I would wear if I wasn't pregnant ... minus the big stretchy band.

movement: 

Call me crazy (bc it's pretty early), but I really think I felt the baby move this week. I was driving in my car and commuting to work and felt a weird flutter or flicker (I'm not sure how to describe it) three times in a row. The movement was close together, so I waited to see if I would feel anything else and I didn't. I am thinking it was the baby, but I'm not sure. I know that it wasn't gas and I wasn't hungry. That was probably 5 days ago, and I haven't felt anything sense then ...so who knows. I am really looking forward to the day when I feel "it" more often and know for sure :)

sleep: 

I have been sleeping great ... except for my usual staying up too late! I wake up about once a night to pee, but I feel like I can't complain about that. I have gotten pretty used to sleeping on my side too. I am thinking about investing in one of those large body pillows once I get a little bigger. 

what I miss: 

Lunch meat, Diet Coke, being able to drink anything with caffeine in hopes that it will give me more energy, and taking really hot baths.

cravings: 

CHIPOTLE. Every single stinkin' day. I actually ate there tonight. I love everything about it. I also get the salad there so I don't feel too guilty. Lettuce, corn salsa, chicken, and cheese (no dressing) - that can't be too bad for me right? 

symptoms: 

I feel like my belly is continuing to grow, but not as drastically as last week. I had a little pain in my hips one day this week, but it wasn't bad. Also, I am starting to get the dark line down my belly (linear negra). It's faint, but you can definitely see it. Maybe for next week's picture I will take a bare belly photo. I also think that my belly button is starting to flatten. Sometimes when I am sitting down I think that it is going to disappear. I feel less tired than previous week's. Overall I feel great! Oh the joys of the second trimester. 

fears:

stretch marks. labor. that my baby will cry all the time like my mom said I did when I was a baby. 

best moment of the week: 

A couple of things have been great this week. 1. Possibly feeling the baby move ... 2. Having parents' of my clients continue to nervously ask me if I'm pregnant ... and 3. Hearing the babies heartbeat again! We had a monthly checkup this week and the dr. said that everything was perfect.

first homemade christmas decoration

 I did it! I finally made a yarn wreath. My first homemade Christmas decoration of the year. Hopefully there will be a few more to come.  I've been eyeing these wreaths on etsy for months now, but  I am way too cheap to shell out $40.00 for one.

 So I followed this little tutorial and made one myself. I didn't take any step-by-step instructions because the diy tutorial that I followed was very detailed and had a lot of great pictures. I was a little surprised by how it turned out. The part that I thought would be easy was more difficult and the part that I thought would be hard was super easy. By that I mean, I thought that wrapping the wreath in yarn would be easy, but it was actually tedious and annoying. I wouldn't say that it was hard, but it was very time consuming. Then, I was intimidated about making the roses, but they were super easy.

 If you follow this tutorial, you can't go wrong. 

PS - the wreath will not always hang awkwardly like it is in the picture. That's just the first place I found to hang it and snap a few pictures. 

Alright bloggers, I am off to do some paperwork for work (boo). I'll be back tomorrow with a preggo update.

pregnancy diaries: week 13

How Far Along: 13 weeks


Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure because I don't own a scale. I did weigh myself at work and I think I've gained around 12 lbs since we started trying. 


Maternity Clothes: This week I busted out the maternity clothes. A lady at our church gave me a whole huge box of hand me downs. It was such a blessing to not have to go out and buy all new work pants and stuff. I came home the night that she gave them to me and tried everything on. Oh my! I had no idea how uncomfortable I had been for the past week or so. Who knew the stretchy band could feel so good. I am still wearing all of the shirts just fine. Although I prefer the maternity pants, some of my regular pants still fit ok when I do the hair band thing.


Gender: Well up until this week I had no feeling at all. NONE. Then all of the sudden this week I started thinking boy. This week I told E that if I had to guess I would say boy. Before this week I couldn't have even guessed. I was totally clueless. E and I will find out what we're having at 16 weeks. I guess we'll see ...


Movement: None, but I don't really expect any this early. I can't wait to feel "it" move though! I think about it a lot when I am sitting still on the couch. Sometimes I think could that have been the baby? Then I realize - no - that's my stomach growling bc I have been starving all week.


Sleep:I have been sleeping great. I do wake up about 1-2 times to pee ... which is not like me at all. I usually sleep through the night.


What I miss: Burning hot baths, lunch meat, and diet coke. Oh year and I also miss sweet tea. I practically miss being able to order something other than Sprite or Water at a restuarant. 


Cravings: Chipotle. Right now I could eat it everyday. I asked E if we could eat at Chipotle tonight ... he said that it didn't sound good :(



Symptoms: I'll just go ahead and say it - hair on my belly. Weird I know. It's not a lot, but it's a little bit more than normal. I didn't even know that this could be a pregnancy symptom until I googled it. I also read a couple places that this could be a sign that you're expecting a boy. Maybe that's what's swayed me. Also, I think the baby must be going through a growth spurt bc I am starving this week. At least I hope it is growing bc my belly sure is. I would say that I have really popped this week. I can notice a big difference between week 12 and 13. Apparently other people can as well bc they come up to me and say "I just saw you a couple days ago and you look bigger now then you did then." When I hear that, part of me gets excited that yes I really am pregnant and showing ... and the other part gets freaked out. If I am growing bigger each day, then how big will I get????? It's a scary thought.


Best Moment this week: By far the best moment of the week was having my first person who didn't know as if I was pregnant. Yep, a grandmother of one of my client's looked down at my belly and said "are you???" I think she was a little nervous of offending me if I were not. 

making a list

#1 on my Christmas list 

what's on yours?

pregnancy diaries: first trimester

Happy Sunday Bloggers. 

I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend. 

E and I enjoyed lots of time together and lots of time with friends. 

A few events from the weekend included -

1. Roaming around the mall - I had no clue that it would be so unbelievably crowded this early in the season. As E and I stood in Bath and Body Works, he looked over at me and said "I guess Thanksgiving isn't even a holiday anymore." 

2. Ate dinner at Smashing Tomato. It's not really new to our town, but it was new to us. We loved it. I would say that we will definitely go back. 

3. Finally switched out my summer and winter clothes. We live in an old cape cod, so our closets are literally the size of a coat closet. Not my favorite thing. So I keep my in season clothes downstairs and pack away my out of season clothes upstairs. Well I was a little late on getting around to switching everything up. Maybe bc the weather has been warm, I don't know. I blame it on being overwhelmed by not only having to switch out my clothes, but also having to go through and see what still fits me.

While I was cleaning out the closet, I was once again woken up to the fact that I have way to much crap. I think that I've convinced E to help me go though each room of ours at a time and purge all the stuff we haven't used in over a year.

4. And of course took lots of naps. 

Now onto other things ... like growing babies.

I have been terrible about updating the blog and journaling about this pregnancy. Last week a came across a blog where another preggo lady posts each week about her pregnancy. I have committed to following her format. I want to document and make sure that I remember as much as possible. 

 I will do each week in retrospect. So on Tuesday I will start and blog about week 13 (the week I am currently in right now). I didn't take a picture last week for week 13, but I will from now on. 

So here goes my best attempt on catching up on the last couple of weeks.

Here I am at 5 weeks -

And here I am again at 10 weeks-

You can definitely tell that my belly is pooching out a little. I showed pretty early. I don't know if people who didn't know me would think - that girl is pregnant. But if you knew me before, then you would definitely wonder what was up. At 10 weeks I was still wearing all of my pants. Some were a little tight though. I kind of went through and the pants that used to be loose or baggy became the everyday pants at this stage. 

At 10 weeks I was also feeling a little queasy. Not bad at all though. I cannot complain. Some women have crazy pregnancies and puke all the time. I only puked once ... so I feel like that is pretty lucky. I would feel nauseous though - on and off throughout the day. However, I learned early on that if I ate a small snack every time I started to feel queasy, then the nausea immediately went away.

From what I remember the most difficult symptom at this point was being so stinkin tired all the time. I can remember telling E that I felt like I had taken a bunch of Benadryl. Pretty much from 1:00 PM on I felt like I could go to sleep at any second.

Also at 10 weeks, we were able to hear the heartbeat for the second time. It took them a little while to find the little babe because it is so tiny, but they did and we heard the faint thumping noise again. I was so realized. I am still always a little nervous before dr.'s appointments. I hope that the nervousness will soon turn to excitement.

There I am again at 12 weeks preggo-

I feel like I grew a lot between 10 and 12 weeks. I haven't really weighed myself, but I can tell that my belly is bigger. A lot of my work pants that fold across and clasp don't fit anymore. Sad news. I am able to get away with the hair band trick with my pants that button, but it's getting a little uncomfortable. 

I think that I have mentioned it somewhere on here before, but sometime around 10-12 weeks I got this weird leg/hip pain. Thankfully it only lasted maybe 4 days and then went away.

Also by 12 weeks the nausea was totally gone. I still got tired, but not as often. 

So there is the update for right now. 

I'll be back next week for the 13 week update.

. E and I go to the dr on Wednesday morning for our next checkup!

Please be praying for our little babe.

sad

Sorry there is no pretty image today.

It's just not been one of those days. So I am going to write and vent.

At times I love my job. I love being a social worker. I love being a counselor. I love seeing families work through their stuff and lives improve. I love sitting down with parents and have them tell me the improvements that they see in their kid's behavior. 

Those are good days.

Other days I am burnt out. I wouldn't say I hate it. But I would say that it's hard. Sometimes it is emotionally hard. Sometimes you get sick of kids. Sometimes I feel like if I have one more kid disrespect me I am going to scream. 

I really want to be the person who intervenes, meets them where they are, builds trust and all that stuff ... but sometimes all I want to do is scream. 

I know that the Lord is using me, but some days I wonder if I am loving enough. Or and I letting my anger and frustration show. How many times can I be cussed at or back-talked and still love. I know what the answer should be, but it's so hard. Really really hard sometimes. 

Sorry to be the downer. I am really feeling burnt out. I know that the feeling will not last. I know this is what I am called to do. 

I need God to guide me each time that I meet with a kid. I need Him to intervene. I need him to change hearts and families. 

I need Him to help me love those who are really stinkin hard to love.

1 Year Anniversary SALE!!!

{I was committed not to be one day late on this one}

I can hardly believe it, but today marks the one year anniversary for STELLA BELLA BOUTIQUE!

Yes, one year ago today the cyber doors of my etsy store opened. 

Stella Bella Boutique has been an amazing adventure. 

I am excited to see what's in store for the upcoming year. 

In honor of Stella Bella's 1 year anniversary, I will be offering a week long of $1.00 shipping. 

Go ahead and stock up on Christmas gifts, or a little something special for yourself.

Please feel free to message me if you would like to place a custom order.

Thanks to each and everyone of you for your support. 

I couldn't have so much fun designing jewelry, if you were not out there to support me!

Here's to another fabulous year of design, and a lot of learning along the way ...

around the house on halloween

Happy Monday Bloggers! 

I know this post is a day late, but I guess that's my blogging style lately.

Better late than never though - right?

E and I had a really fun Halloween. We spent some good quality time together, around the house, and with the many animals. 

We I ate tons of candy that was bought for the trick or treaters. I swear I ate so much candy that I thought my mouth was going to be raw.

Made an "easy" pumpkin pie. I cheated with the mix, and it is delish. I love making things that only call for three ingredients. Three ingredients is easy on my budget.

We carved our pumpkin. In the past few years, we've done the fancy designs from a carving kit. This year we went with the quick and easy jack - o - lantern.

Pom Pom waited patiently for the trick-or-treaters

 Of course the girls were right by my side and other my feet. They're like my crazy shadows.

I also saved the pumpkin seeds and roasted them.

I tossed them in olive oil and them sprinkled salt on top ... then baked for 20 minutes.

 Next, I followed Darby's recipe and made a little pumpkin seed trail mix. 

Equal parts dried cranberries, chocolate chips (Darby used milk chocolate, but I substituted white), and roasted pumpkin seeds. 

It is so yummy.

Finished the night off a scary movie. Oh course I fell asleep about 20 minutes in. Does anymore have a suggestion for how to stay awake for an entire movie???

I am up for suggestions.

So without further ado - Happy Halloween - One day late!

I have lots of posts in mind. Hopefully I will get them out of my brain and into blogger. 

Also, check back soon for a special Stella Bella Boutique Anniversary Special!!

Also, just a random note - I will be 12 weeks preggo tomorrow! Time is going fast and slow at the same time. I know that probably doesn't make any sense, but that's how I feel. I am excited to almost be over the 1st trimester. I am excited for my little baby bump to grow. Ok, I won't say anymore. I'll save the preggo thoughts for another post.