The Bump Diaries | Week 15

We got to see Baby at our last appointment and Dr. says he or she is doing great! He said so far I am healthy, no issues, and I go in for my next ultrasound in a few weeks!

Due Date: October 2, 2017

Size of Baby:

Week 15 - Apple (4 inches)

Symptoms: I actually have had way more energy, I have taken less naps throughout the week and have been able to stay up past my bedtime!  So exciting! I've also been able to sleep through the night!

Eating Mostly: Fruits, larger portions of anything! (Finally getting my appetite back!)

 

Can't stand: Steak, Shrimp,Chili, Garlic.

Gender: We had an appointment on April 21 where I thought we'd find out the gender. (We did not) However, we go in on May 9th for a 45 minute ultrasound where they will check literally everything. And the gender!

 

Since we are planning a gender reveal party, I wanted to surprise our parents by taking them to a ball-field, throwing our gender reveal ball, and having my husband hit it which will then have the color gender smoke dust! Then we will have the party with family and friends a few weeks later.

Name: We're waiting until after we find out the gender to start picking names. We have a few names we like, but not sharing yet!

Movement: Still too early. Haven't felt anything yet. I thought I felt what I've heard is called "fluttering" but I think it was something else. I definitely have slight rib pain so I can tell whatever is going on in there is moving something around!

Nursery:  Been clearing out the dresser in the room to get it ready to sell. Since I have the Ellen Mother's Day show special in May that I am going to, I haven't wanted to buy anything big until I see what she gives away. Then we will start hitting the ground running on getting the room decided. Plus,  once we get the gender I can really tune into the design!

  Maternity Clothes: I went shopping again last weekend and found some new body-con dresses which seem to be my thing nowadays. They are so comfortable and simple, so I know they will come in handy this summer when it's a million degrees outside.

Sleep: Still no complaints. I have been able to sleep through the nights.

Mood: Been in a good mood for the most part. I did cry the other day at work, like balled my eyes out crying with tears dripping down my face and I had no idea why.

Looking forward to: May! So many fun things ahead! We find out the gender, I go to the Ellen Show, I go to my favorite restaurant in Burbank (with the BEST cheese bread) called The Smokehouse after the Ellen Show with my cousins, aunt and mom. (They live down the street from Warner Bros Studios.) and I'm attending a Baby Show!

 

Pregnancy Must Haves | First Trimester

I have been wanting to do a pregnancy "must have" post for a few weeks and finally got around to doing so! Since I am already past my first trimester, I thought it would be good to split up the posts between First, Second, and Third Trimesters. This is my personal opinion and things I've found helpful throughout my pregnancy so far.

Belly Bands: I love these when you need to wear over your pants that will no longer button. I actually borrowed my friends on my bachelorette cruise when my shorts shrunk! And I remember telling her I needed to get them! Well now that I finally had a good reason to, it was my first purchase. I normally wear a small, but I ordered a medium knowing I'd grow into it. I wanted it to last with my growing belly. I still wear them under certain tops with my maternity jeans too. (Great for after baby too!) I recommend this pack of two for $16. 

Pant extenders: I had to add these to the list because they have been a huge lifesaver for me in my first trimester when I wasn't quite ready to make the plunge and get maternity pants. They will save you a lot of money so you can keep sporting your normal shorts, jeans, and pants for a while. (Also great for after pregnancy!) I recommend this pack of 5 for $9.

Bio Oil: I swear by this stuff! My friend actually mentioned how it worked really well for her so I gave it a try and I really love it! It feels great and keeps my skin moisturized.

Sports Bras: Because those ta tas start growing and they get sore. Wearing a normal bra everyday just doesn't go so well. Plus, the sports bras stretch a little where your bra does not, so when those babies keep growing you won't be overflowing your bra with all that boobage.

Leggings: I mean, leggings are always amazing, as you know. And of course you want to be comfortable when you are feeling pretty awful in your first trimester. I literally have been living in leggings. All different colors. You can dress them up with some cute flowy tops or dress them down with a more sporty look. Leggings will be your best friend.

Maternity Jeans: Because leggings aren't necessarily always acceptable. (I mean, to me they are, but in general) If you are going out for a nicer dinner where jeans can be worn, this is the time to do it! I've been lucky my job accepts jeans to be worn on a daily basis because I couldn't imagine wearing anything else. You can dress them up with wedges or wear them casually with flats. The maternity jeans are so comfortable and you don't get that belly overhang when you are sitting-- you all know what I'm talking about.

Prenatal Pills: While I think every pregnant woman should take prenatals through the entire pregnancy and while breastfeeding I had to include it in the first trimester post. For me, I had a hard time eating my first trimester- nothing sounded good and I couldn't eat large portions. The prenatals help make sure that my baby and I are getting enough nutrients when I can't keep food down. I recommend these Prenatal Multi DHA vitamins. 

Tummy Butter: I didn't like the smell of the regular cocoa butter, so I opted to try this brand. It still has cocoa butter but without the smell. It smells good, and it goes on thick and keeps my tummy super moisturized.

What To Expect App: I didn't buy the book, but this app has been super helpful as this is my first pregnancy. It shows you videos and photos of what your baby might look like as well as what you should expect to be feeling week per week.

The Belly Book: Ok this one I had to add because I LOVE it! It's a way to track your pregnancy- like a scrapbook but more organized. I have been writing my feelings, cravings, adding photos and tracking my pregnancy progress. I got it here and it's so fun! I love knowing I'll be able to look back at this book one day.

A few other things I've found helpful during my pregnancy not pictured above...

Cardigans, tank tops, kimonos. In all different colors. It's so easy to put an outfit together that looks cute with no effort. (Especially when you are exhausted!--I was so exhausted in my first trimester.)

For any fellow Mamma's or Mommy's to be - I would love to hear what items and products you have found to be the most helpful in your pregnancy! Let me know in the comments!

The Bump Diaries | Week 11-14

As soon as we found out we were expecting I cut out coffee cold turkey.  As an avid coffee drinker, this was no easy task and I of course had some major headaches for the first couple of days. Now, I don't really crave it anymore and the headaches have passed.  The first 12 weeks of my pregnancy was not the easiest. I'm one of the "lucky" ones that got morning sickness. (By the way... morning sickness for me lasted ALL day. The fact they call it  "morning" sickness makes me laugh. ) I decided to piece together a few weeks rather than doing them all separately since we told our families and finally announced to the world (aka facebook)at 14 weeks. Also I figured I'll do the rest of the week by week posts now that I'm starting to feel like a real human again. haha.

Due Date: October 2, 2017

Size of Baby:

Week 11 - Lime (1.6 inches)

Week 12 - Plum (2.13 inches)

Week 13 - Peach (2.9 inches)

Week 14 - Lemon (3.9 inches)

Symptoms: Up until week 12 I had morning "all day" sickness. I've had some major food aversions. My favorite foods that I once loved, no longer sound appealing. Such as steak and shrimp. I even have to close my eyes when a commercial comes on with a photo of steak. It makes me sick even thinking about it. I also have to eat smaller portions because I get full so fast. I've been emotional over the silliest things. My sense of smell is heightened, which has been a huge annoyance. The strongest smells have been making me super nauseous. I've also been super exhausted. I've been taking naps on my lunch break at work, and then lay down as soon as I get home and in bed by 8pm.

Eating Mostly: Fruits, peach yogurt, cereal.

Can't stand: Steak, Shrimp,

Gender: We go in for my next appointment April 21, and I am hoping we find out the gender then. I am wanting a gender reveal party, and want the Dr. to keep it a secret and give it to my friend to help plan that way all the guests, including my husband and I will find out the gender at the same time!

Name: We're waiting until after we find out the gender to start picking names.

Movement: Still too early. Haven't felt anything yet.

Nursery: We sold our guestroom bed and bed frame a few weeks ago, now we need to clear out the dresser and sell it. I also need to start going through the closet and getting rid of things. We plan to get all the carpets cleaned before purchasing anything for the nursery.
Maternity Clothes: Well it's official, I can no longer button any of my regular jeans and pants. The first purchase  made was for maternity jeans, and MAN are they comfortable.

I want to live in them. (And I pretty much do)  I've also been eyeing some maternity dresses since the weathers been so nice here in California. I'll be shopping this weekend for some new outfits! (And also getting rid of a lot of clothes on Poshmark /Ebay/Thredup/Salvation Army)

Sleep: No complaints here - I have been able to fall asleep at any time, anywhere. (I am wanting to get one of the Bumpnest pillows though!)

Mood: Been pretty happy and calm. Just emotional at silly things lately. Like looking at a lemon tree and realizing how beautiful it is. Yea.. That happened.

Looking forward to: May!  So many good things are happening! Hoping our gender reveal will be planned for May, We have another Dr. appt. in May, and I was invited to the Mother's Day Special at the Ellen Show! (On the downside, I also have Jury Duty.)

Husband is: Noticing the bump more and more every day (Baby is definitely popping out). 

The Bump Diaries | The Beginning

My husband and I married July of 2014 and we knew we wanted to enjoy some time ourselves before trying for kids. After a few years went by and we decided it was the right time and that we were ready to start this new journey bringing life into the world. 

It took us a little over a year to get pregnant and honestly, I started thinking that something was wrong with me. I had always had irregular periods so tracking my ovulation cycles was more difficult.  I bought the strips, I started taking prenatal vitamins, (by the way,I totally recommend this brand by Nature Made), I tracked my Body temperature daily and was very thorough with jotting down every little note and detail on what was going on with my body. I tracked how I felt, when I had cramps, what I ate, etc. It started feeling so unnatural and exhausting after seeing Negative after Negative on each months pregnancy tests. I decided to give it a rest and thought I'd give it time before having to consult a Dr. on what out next step should be. 

On Wednesday, January 18th, 2017- the day I was supposed to start my period- I decided to just take an ovulation strip and pregnancy strip just for the heck of it. The pregnancy strips showed up negative, however, the ovulation strip showed the first positive I ever saw. I thought that was weird considering I shouldn't be ovulating when I'm supposed to start my period so I took two more tests, another ovulation and another pregnancy strip. Same Results. 

I started wondering what would be causing the ovulation strip to show up positive and the pregnancy to show up negative. It just didn't make sense. I spent a while googling the possibilities and was wondering if it was possible for an ovulation strip to show up positive and that be a sign of pregnancy. 

I decided to take one of the pregnancy tests I had stocked up on. (First Response) 
It felt like forever waiting for the results, it was driving me nuts. I waited on the side of the shower hoping my wishes would come true. After three long minutes the first line appeared and then the second line showed up. I didn't believe it. Could this finally be our time?! Could this really be happening? I cried tears of joy and just kept staring at the test. I didn't believe it was real.

Once my husband got home from work, I grabbed him by the hand and took him upstairs. He kept asking what was going on. I didn't even have words to say I was so excited and shocked myself. I explained to him that I took both the ovulation strips and the pregnancy strips and how the ovulation strip showed positive but the pregnancy showed negative and then I took them again and finally took a First Response test.

He looked at me confused because I was talking so fast and said, "So what does that mean?"
I said, "I think it means I'm pregnant!" 

We hugged for a long time, tears rolled down my face and he asked what I need to do next. I called to make a Dr. appointment the next day as I had no idea how far along I was or if the test was truly positive. They scheduled it a few weeks out and I had my very first visit February 2nd.  I went in to get my blood tests taken care of the Friday after finding out I was pregnant.

I took another test on Friday evening just because I still couldn't believe it. I decided to take a different brand to see if it showed any different. I took the Clearblue and sure enough it showed "Pregnant" right away.

We didn't want to tell anyone the news just yet, we wanted to wait and see what the Dr. said, and then wait some more just in case. Not telling people sure is hard, especially when they flat out ask you. We did pretty good not spilling the news, but it was no easy task!

To Be Continued...



 

We Have Some News!

If you already follow me on facebook or instagram, then you may have already heard the news.... My husband and I are beyond excited to announce that we expecting our first child! We expect Baby F to arrive October 2017! I'm excited to let everyone know our little (not so) secret and I'm even more excited to be able to document and share everything I can about the pregnancy. I'll be starting the Bump Diary series soon!

 

The Baby Cubby

I've had several friends who have become pregnant in the last few months and have learned a great deal of "Baby Must Haves" for every parent.

It's not just a baby store. It's so much more than that! It's a resource for parents and parents-to-be. Baby Cubby basically is the researcher and tester for the best and safest baby gear and provide it to parents in a fun shopping experience. And of course they price match--even amazon, and offer free shipping nationwide. So you KNOW you're getting a great deal. As an avid Amazon Prime shopper, this is such a relief to know I am getting the best deal possible.

I've compiled a list of 5 Baby Must Haves for every parent. 

1. Diaper Bag | This might sound like a no-brainer but where else are you going to store all the necessities? From diapers, to lotion, sunscreen, to water and snacks. Even a few extra pairs of clothes.

2. Furniture | Crib, co-sleeper, changing table, dresser, hamper, rocking chair or glider. i really like the 4 in 1 Convertible Crib.

Convertible Crib with Toddler Rail -Espresso

3. Feeding | Whether you breast feed or not. You'll need a breast feeding cloth,  bottles, breast pump, etc. And storage if you need to refrigerate or freeze any extra milk to save for your baby for feeding time.

4. Baby Care | The Health and Safety of your baby is your number one priority. Making sure harmful chemicals are kept away from baby's reach is very important. Making sure you have safety cabinet knobs up in the right places will keep your baby from grabbing things they shouldn't. I also really like the idea of baby monitors because you can check up on your baby at anytime without having to disrupt them.

5. Gear | Strollers and Car Seats are a few must haves for every parent. They have a wide selection and have handpicked and tested the best, safest choices for your family.

I love how the Baby Cubby feels more like a family with their online community where you can follow along as a great resource through the amazing journey of parenthood.  My favorite is the Community Blog.

Diaper Bags

Diaper Bags

Are you a first time Mom or an experienced Mom? What are your 5 must haves? I would love to hear you sound them off in the comments! I am still learning and need to hear all the best advice from those who have experienced pregnancy and motherhood.