Hello & Goodbye: 32 Week Bumpdate

Hi friends!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  I've been trying to get into the habit of unplugging from my computer & social media a lot more recently.  And you know what?  I get a lot more accomplished around here when I'm not wasting time online.  30 minutes reading other blogs, another 30 minutes of responding to blog comments & emails, an hour on Pinterest, 20 minutes of looking at someones pictures on instagram {read: creeping}, an hour of online shopping on various websites.  It all adds up to stolen moments throughout the day that I'll never get back.  The thought of stolen moments once Isla arrives makes my heart hurt.  I want to be present always, not zoned out staring at my phone or a computer screen.  And for this reason, I've made the decision to drastically cut back on the amount of time that I'll be posting on this space.  This pregnancy is flying by at an alarming speed, and I really want to savor the small amount of time that I still have her all to myself.  I plan on doing a bit of heavy reading {I have 6 books in rotation that I have yet to finish}, finishing up a few more projects in the nursery, cooking all those labor intensive recipes that have accumulated over the years that I've wanted to try but never quite found the time, and soaking up these last few weeks alone with Adam before our life is forever changed.

I'll still post on here sporadically from time to time {it's not like I cancelled our internet service}, I just want to reevaluate the amount of time that I dedicate to Typical Domestic Babe, especially in the first few months after she arrives.  So many of you have became familiar online friends over the years, so I felt it was necessary to give you a heads up rather than just go silent for weeks & weeks on end.

With all of that being said, I do have lots to update you guys about so my last pregnancy bumpdate is below.  

How Far Along?   32 weeks 
 


Total Weight Gain?  26 pounds.  Nearly 5 of that is baby already!  At our ultrasound last week, we learned that she's on track to be an estimated 8.5 pound healthy little baby.

 

Maternity Clothes?  Absolutely, although I'm really looking forward to wearing normal clothes again soon. 

Gender?   It's a sweet baby girl!

Cravings?   Anything chocolate peanut butter, and organic sour worms from Whole Foods :)


Miss Anything?   Sleep - although I guess this is prepping me for those sleepless nights in the beginning.

Exercise?   Up until last week I was still attending private Pilates sessions 3x per week.

   

Symptoms?  Ughhh, where to begin?  Heartburn - check.  Restless legs syndrome - check.  Carpel tunnel in my hands - check.  This pretty much sums up why I've been having such a hard time sleeping lately.  My nightly routine involves tums, breathe right strips {since I've had a stuffy nose since early on in my first trimester}, tiger balm patches placed on my calves for my restless legs, and ice packs for my legs and for my hands that I rotate throughout the night.  I am basically the epitome of sexiness at the moment ;)

Mood?   Emotional.  It must be the hormones because I've been crying so much lately {and I am not the crying type}.  Movies make me cry, sweet little text messages from my husband make me cry, conversations with friends & family members make me teary eyed, even just sitting in her nursery and thinking about all the memories that we'll create in that space makes me emotional.  Also, every time I take a few quiet moments to really connect with her and talk to her I end up crying.  It's impossible for me to have conversations with her, like so many books suggest that you do, because I end up a blubbering mess.



Baby Movement?   She loves her 4 am karate practice!  Feeling her move all throughout the day is one of my favorite parts of being pregnant and I know that I'm really going to miss feeling those rolls, jabs and kicks. 


 
Best Moment This Week?   After our ultrasound last week, Adam & I went shopping at Bonpoint in Bal Harbour Shops and he picked out the sweetest little outfits for her.  I loved watching him study all the tiny dresses and onesies and thoughtfully arranging them to see how they would look together.  Envisioning chubby baby legs filling out those rompers & dresses makes my heart swell with so much love & excitement.


   
Looking Forward To?   Seeing my mom at the end of next month.  I'm so grateful that she'll be coming down for a couple of months to help me with the baby.



On My Mind?   For the past 6 weeks or so I've had a suspicion that Isla was breech because I've never felt her kicks up by my rips, they've always been down really low.  Our last two ultrasounds have confirmed that she's in the Frank Breech position, and unfortunately it looks like she's going to stay in that position.  We learned last week that her umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck and that is most likely the reason that she's not able to turn into the typical head down position as her cord is keeping her strapped in up there.  My doctor said that at this point the cord is still loose so it's not affecting her health in any way, but if I was to force her to turn by doing yoga moves or seeking out chiropractic that encourages breech babies to turn, it could potentially be very dangerous.  For now I have to cut back on any yoga & pilates and just take it easy.  I'll also start going for regular ultrasounds to monitor her situation in there, and at this point it looks as if I'll be having a scheduled c-section.  Obviously I'm extremely thankful that we were able to catch this now rather than have it crop up at the time of delivery when it could be a real emergency.  I'm also feeling slightly disappointed that I won't be able to experience the natural birth that I had envisioned {for my own selfish reasons}, but I know that it's not just about me anymore, as her health & safety are 100% top priority.  At the end of the day, as long as she arrives healthy and is safely in my arms it's not going to matter how I gave birth.      

You can check out any of my past bumpdates by clicking here. 

Stay well, friends.  See you around! xx

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

26 Week Bumpdate

 Wearing: Isabella Oliver Clement Print T-Shirt Dress c/o {currently 15% off using code CX315}

How Far Along?   26 weeks - almost out of the 2nd trimester!
 


Total Weight Gain?   19 pounds.  I can not believe that I'm actually typing those digits out!  At this point I'm just letting my body do its own thing.  I'm still active, and eating healthy organic + nutritious foods {most of the time!}, so as long as I'm healthy and babies healthy that's all that matters.  I know that with time the weight will come off.....

 
 
Maternity Clothes?   Oh heavens, yes!  I live in these maternity jeans from A Pea In The Pod {they're my absolute favorite pair}, and Isabella Oliver dresses.  I can not even begin to tell you how comfortable their dresses are!  They are probably the #1 thing I'd recommend to any of my prego girlfriends :)

 

Gender?   It's a sweet baby girl!

Cravings?   Still chocolate protein shakes every morning made with 1 banana, and a scoop of PB2 - so yummy!  I've also been craving salmon a lot lately, and have been eating it almost every time we go out to dinner.  Over the weekend, I had a killllllller craving for gnocchi, so I made it from scratch in my kitchen!  Recipe will be up on the  blog soon :)



Miss Anything?   I basically just miss feeling like my old self.  I used to feel so confident and sexy in my own skin and I feel differently about my body now.  I feel beautiful, but in a completely different way, more along the lines of what my body is going through to create this little life is so remarkable and beautiful.

I talked about body image in my last bumpdate, and while I am more accepting of my new curvier figure, there are certain things that I'm ready to say goodbye to {like the cellulite on my ass & thighs. ughhhhh}.  I also miss being able to throw basically anything on and feel cute & put together.  Now it takes serious thought to put together an outfit that is flattering and doesn't make me feel huge!  



Exercise?   I ended up quitting my prenatal yoga classes a few weeks back.  It was too weird for me.  There was so much chanting, and singing songs to our bellies - not the workout that I was looking for.  Since then, I've upped Pilates to 3x per week.  I work out with a private instructor who has worked with multiple pregnant women in the past, and we work on not only strenghtening moves, but also concentrating on moves that will help get me through labor + delivery.  I've also been swimming in my pool several times a week which feels gloooooooorious!  Seriously, swimming has never felt so good before!



 
Symptoms?  Besides what I described in last months bumpdate, the only new symptoms that have cropped up are some serious hip pain, and pain in my ribs.  Pilates really has helped with the hip pain, but it seems to really strike at night when I'm sleeping.  Lately, it's taken some strategic positioning of pillows in order to get a good nights sleep!

Mood?   Really, really happy!  If you would have asked me 2 years if I was happy, my answer would have immediately been yes.  We had just gotten married, taken an unreal honeymoon in Africa, and had a lifetime of possibilities ahead of us.  But now looking back, the excitement & joy that I've experienced during this pregnancy overshadows any happiness that I've ever felt before.  It sounds pretty corny, but I really feel like my heart is just overflowing with so much love and happiness.


Baby Movement?   So much movement!  She has certain times of the day when like clockwork she starts moving around, and other times when she will get really active from hearing something like our dogs barking & playing, or from music.  Adam & I love to just sit and watch my belly move at night - it's pretty amazing!



Best Moment This Week?   Passing my glucose test earlier this week!  I was so convinced that I was going to fail the test {because of my weight gain}, and was shocked that I passed with flying colors!

 
Looking Forward To?   Meeting with our doula that we hired to go over my birth plan {I want an all natural birth, I know cue the eyeroll!  I'll hopefully get a blog post together that goes a little more in depth on that topic later!}.  The nursery furniture is supposed to be delivered in the next few weeks, so I'm really stoked to get started on that project, and we're leaving to go on our babymoon in the next couple of days!!  

21 Week Bumpdate

Morning chicas!  I haven't done a bumpdate in a hot minute, so I thought I'd start this week off by updating you all on how my pregnancy is going.  Sharing the good & the bad today.  Lots of real talk :)

Read below for all the deets. 

How Far Along?   Over 21 weeks - more than halfway there!
 

Total Weight Gain?   13 pounds.

 
 
Maternity Clothes?   Heck yes!  In addition to maxi dresses & maternity jeans, I basically live in these tanks from A Pea In The Pod, these leggings from Gap Maternity + these super comfy leggings from Motherhood Maternity. 


Gender?   It's a girl!



Cravings?   Still chocolate protein shakes {I have one every morning!}, but I've cut back on the peanut butter I normally added to it because Adam was making them for me every morning when he got up for work and I caught him one morning putting about 4 tablespoons of peanut butter in it - so my daily morning shakes were rounding in at about 700 calories!  Eeek!  Peanut butter is currently off limits, and now I just make them with half a banana.  Trying to get back on track and keep this weight gain to a minimum....other than that I've been drinking organic lemonade like crazy which is weird because I've never been a huge lemonade drinker, and I've also been really into baking {and eating!} fruit pies, cobblers, and tarts.



Miss Anything?   My old body!  I always pictured myself being one of those girls who stays tiny and just has a big ol' basketball belly in front and that is just not the case.  My body has just kind of went soft and doughy everywhere; my arms, face, thighs, ass - this body has just socked away the extra weight everywhere.  Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving being pregnant and I LOVE having my baby bump, but I'm definitely struggling with body image lately.  I'm really hoping that I can get past this mental battle, and learn to embrace & love my new curves, because this really is such a beautiful time {I mean, I'm growing a tiny human inside my body! what's more beautiful than that?} and I know that it will go by all too fast.


 
Exercise?   Still doing prenatal yoga once per week, and working with a private Pilates instructor twice per week.  Also trying to squeak in a walk whenever I can, but we've officially entered rainy season here in South Florida, and the weather has been pretty crappy these past few weeks. 
 


Symptoms?   Goodness, where to begin?  A couple weeks back, I told you guys about the "pregnancy mask" that I've developed, but only appeared around the bottom of my nose & upper lip area.  Basically it looks like I have a big ol' mustache.  So sexy!  I've also started sporting the linea nigra which is really weird to see, and recently a huge majority of my eyelashes have started falling out {probably because I haven't use Latisse since I learned I was pregnant back in January}.  Hmmmmm what else?  Oh, my feet have started swelling if I'm outside and walking around a lot {I think it's due to the fact it's gotten so dang hot outside recently} so I've started drinking 1 gallon of water per day to combat that which obviously results in me having to pee every 30 minutes, and I'm also still dealing with my constantly stuffy nose that is so annoying when I'm trying to sleep at night.  Lastly, this isn't really a symptom, but can I just take a sec to talk about these boobs?  HOLY HELL, these things are outta control.  I had implants to start with, and am normally a full D cup and these girls are just on a whole nother level now.  It boggles my mind that they're going to get bigger {is that even physically possible!?}, so I haven't really invested in buying bras in a larger size and instead have been wearing tanks with built in camis, bralettes from Victorias Secret, and sports bras {I had to size up to an XL eeeek!} for around the house.  If anyone has reco's on good maternity/nursing bras I'm all ears....

This probably sounds completely cliché, but every small symptom that I've developed is 100% worth it.  If I had to live with all of these symptoms, and never got my pre-pregnancy body back + had to  rock my new shadow 'stache for the rest of my life I would be fine with that as long as I got this healthy baby girl in return :)


 
Mood?   Really happy & excited!  I met with my doctor last week and baby girl is healthy and absolutely perfect, I signed up to take hypnobirthing classes this summer {more about that later}, and over the weekend I started planning the nursery and ordered a few pieces of furniture.  It's gettin' real over here!




Baby Movement?   I started feeling her little kicks about 3 weeks ago, and now I feel them several times a day; usually right after I wake up in the morning, about 15 minutes after I eat a meal, and she's always pretty active right after I lay down in bed at night.  Feeling those tiny kicks is everyyyyyything!



Best Moment This Week?   Adam was able to feel her kick for the first time about 5 days ago when we were lying on the couch watching tv.  I've been dying for him to feel it, so when he was finally able to it made me a bit emotional, and he was so excited!  He told me later that night that he was so excited that he didn't know if he would be able to get to sleep :)



Looking Forward To?   Getting started on the nursery, and our babymoon next month!  We're headed to St. Barths!

16 Week Bumpdate

Happy, happy Friday friends!  As of yesterday, I am officially 4 months pregnant and couldn't be more thrilled about that fact.  So many exciting changes are happening over here, and I thought it would be fun to document my pregnancy by posting bumpdates from time to time on my blog.  I've always enjoyed reading along as my favorite bloggers documented their pregnancy journeys and I really hope that you enjoy this new portion of my blog!

So lets get started....

How Far Along?   16 weeks


Total Weight Gain?  6 pounds so far and feeling really good about that number.  I've been trying to eat as clean & healthy as possible to nourish this little one.

 
Maternity Clothes?  Yes, and no.  Tops are all still non maternity and some of my baggier boyfriend style jeans still fit perfectly fine.  I've always, always gained weight in my legs {thick thigh club member over here, holllla lol} so most of my tighter skinny jeans I've just completely given up on and shoved into the depths of my closet for now.  I did recently purchase maternity jeans from A Pea In The Pod, and HOLY HELL those babies are basically the best thing ever invented {beyond comfy, how do women go back to regular jeans after wearing those?!}, and I love that most of my favorite denim designers make maternity versions.  I'm totally not one of those girls who will be trying to squeeze into my non maternity clothes for as long as possible and am ready to embrace my changing physique and maternity fashion.

 
Gender?  Not sure yet.  This little one likes to keep us guessing :)


Cravings?  Chocolate protein shakes made extra thick with lots of ice, peanut butter & half a banana.  I have one every day! 
 
Miss Anything?  Wine and margaritas.  We ordered a case of wine from our favorite vineyard when we were in Italy and it's just sitting in my wine fridge haunting me!


Exercise?  In the first trimester it was absolutely non existent.  Recently I've gotten more energy back so I've been taking brisk 3 mile walks 5 times a week for the past few weeks {wearing my heart rate monitor & aiming to keep my heart rate around 140}, swimming laps in our pool {hence the golden tan I've been sporting recently}, and I just started with prenatal yoga & pilates.  It feels really good to be active again!



Symptoms?  Feeling really good although my nose is constantly stuffy {but only in my right nostril} and that is especially annoying when I'm trying to sleep at night & I'm also SO thirsty 24/7.  I've never drank so much water in my life!


Mood?  Excited!  I keep thinking about how our little baby {who's the size of an avocado this week!} is half Adam & half myself.  I could daydream for hours wondering what pieces of him and what pieces of me he or she might have.....Adam's naturally curly hair...my Italian olive skin...his smile that instantly just melts me....only 6 more months to go until I get to meet this little one who has already captured my heart.


Baby Movement?  I can't feel anything yet, but we had an ultrasound last week and that little cutie was moving around like crazy - full somersaults included!  



Best Moment This Week?  Nothing that really stands out, I just feel so blessed to be given this gift.  I had a lot of dark moments last year and I had such a negative outlook on my ability to get pregnant.  To be here now, writing my first bumpdate is a really special experience that I feel so grateful for.


Looking Forward To?  Our ultrasound next month & finally finding out if we're having a boy or girl - I can't wait to start shopping :)

Thanks so much for reading & following along!  Hope you all have a great weekend! xx