Still Pregnant

So… I’m still pregnant. And before you ask, NO. I am not past my due date. It just seems like this pregnancy has lasted forever and ever. I have spent a lot of this pregnancy very worried about how I will manage balancing two little ones. I am no longer fearful and feel ready to take on the challenge! I am so ready to meet this baby girl and get SO excited thinking about the fact that I will meet her in less than one week! Eeee!

My hubby and I have spent SOooo many hours “nesting” and organizing our house. We moved into our home almost 4 years ago and it has been one project after another (we bought our house in foreclosure and there was a LOT to do!!). I don’t think either one of us realized how much work needed to be done but it’s finallllly feeling like we’re getting somewhere! So adding to that list the fact that we had to get the nursery ready for baby girl and completely set up a new room for Ryder was a lot. We also went through closets and cabinets and boxes we still haven’t gone through since we moved! It’s been a LOT of work. But we now feel very organized and isn’t that the best feeling?! I love feeling organized and having a clean home.

But now … I barely have energy to get out of bed! I’m exhausted all the time. Ryder has been such a good little boy and I’m trying so hard to enjoy these last few weeks with him. But he is BUSY! And it’s hard on my body to carry him around and play with him outside in the blazing heat at the parks, pool, etc. On top of just hurting and being uncomfortable because I’m HUGE (which strangers LOVE to tell me. WTF?!)

WHY would you ever tell a complete stranger “you look months past your due date!” or “Oh my heavens! You’re about to POP!” and “Hurry and get her checked out so she doesn’t deliver that baby right here in our store!”  HUH?!?! I mean, seriously? How am I supposed to respond to comments like that?! Ugh! People. LOL PS: You don’t need to tell me/remind me that I’m huge. I already know. I’m the one carrying this beast of a belly around! Trust me. I know. People also like to comment “that baby’s ready to come out! Your belly has dropped!” Like they know anything about my pregnancy. FYI, she has NOT dropped. She is so high it’s hard for me to breathe!

I also just spill everything. I’m not sure how? Or why? Ha! I met up with some friends this week and ended up leaving our play date with cream cheese, brownie, pizza sauce, strawberries and milk down the front of my shirt. OMG. Ha! It’s kinda funny. But not! I can’t wait to feel semi-normal sized again. Until then, I try to wear a lot of black. LOL. Wearing any other color (while eating or being around a messy toddler) is very risky these days.

I am always so thankful for the cooler weather. Here I am in all black and surprisingly comfortable. Considering I’m 1,000 years 10 months pregnant. These leggings are so soft and I have been living in them lately. This top is big and baggy and I love that it gives me room. Wearing anything sleeveless, tight or short is just not my thing these days. You know you’re puffy and bloated when you don’t even want to expose your ankles! HA! I swear I wasn’t this puffy with Ryder, but maybe I was and I just blocked it out? I texted my best friend the other day telling her that if I ever talk about having a third that she should punch me in the face and call me names until she knocks some sense into me because… WHYYYYYYYY! LOL It’s amazing the things we forget once that overwhelming love comes pouring in as you’re handed your new baby fresh from heaven.

And this boy. He’s so flippin’ cute I seriously can’t take it!! I have been craving Slurpees and using the excuse that they’ll “cool me down.” But I hate going when Ryder’s in the car because I don’t want to start him on this crazy sugar addition I have! But for the first time I let him have a teeny tiny bit of my Slurpee and it’s safe to say he’s forever addicted! Oooops! When he finished the tiny bit I gave him he was SO upset and wanted “more juice!!!!!!”. ☺ It is almost impossible to get pictures of this boy smiling these days. Or in focus. I mostly get pictures of the back of his head because he sees the camera and almost always takes off running. HA! Poor kid. He’s so much fun and I am SO excited to see him with his little sister who he calls “heartbeat” or “sissy”. He loves carrying around her 3D ultrasound pictures and saying “HEARTBEAT! SISSY! HEARTBEAT!!!” He just repeats things over and over until you acknowledge what he’s saying. I love him forever and ever!

Leggings // My leopard sandals from Target are old, but these and these are similar and so cute. 

My top is old (from last pregnancy) but this top looks just as loose and comfy and it comes in multiple colors! // Clutch is old, but similar here.

I love Francesa's and can't get enough. Been wearing this braclet daily! It goes with everything. 

             

Date Night @ Comedy Works

Tooth and I have scheduled out a couple date nights while we have the opportunity to spend some time together before the baby girl gets here. I love date night and always look forward to getting away and spending some quality time with my handsome hubby. But while I’ve been pregnant, it’s been difficult. I’m tired and we usually just go out to eat and then head straight back home. Don’t get me wrong, having a meal without a toddler climbing all over me in the booth is always nice! Ha! But I was telling Tooth the other day that I miss being able to go out and really relax and enjoy each other. So this past weekend on our date night he surprised me with tickets to Comedy Works! I was so excited. We love Comedy Works and always enjoy it when we go, we just always seem to forget about it! So we had a quick dinner before we went to the show and it was so nice to laugh and be alone with my hubs. We also got to spend some time with my bestie and her hubby that night, so it was a great night all around!

This outfit barely fits! HA! I’m getting pretty uncomfortable and couldn’t wait to get home and out of those jeans after the night was over. And this top. I love it! It’s so cute and light-weight. But OMG my giant belly!!!... I was seriously concerned that I was going to bust off a button! LOL I remember getting this shirt and thinking, “this is soooo big, it’ll never fit.” HA! In your dreams, Stef. And my most fav flip flops of all time. These things were so uncomfortable by the end of the night I carried them to the car and walked back barefoot! I may be experiencing some bloating. ;-) Safe to say that I should just spend the remainder of this pregnancy in my pjs! Goodbye cute baby bump and helllloooooooo swollen hands, feet, face, legs, ENTIRE BODY!

My TB flip flops are nude, here they are in gold

My exact shirt is no longer available. But this shirt is very similar and on sale!

Capris // Necklace

             

All About Pregnancy #2

How did you find out you were pregnant?
My husband and I were ready and looking forward to getting pregnant with baby #2. I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and was told by my doctor a long time ago to always plan on it being very difficult to get pregnant. When we got pregnant with Ryder I was taking ovulation tests daily so I knew when it was prime time. We were very, very lucky and got pregnant within two months! My doctor was shocked and told me not to expect this when trying for baby number two. So when we decided we were ready to go for it, we knew we just needed to relax and take it month by month. Surprisingly, we got pregnant right away! Once again, so lucky and so grateful for this blessing!

I wasn’t expecting to get pregnant so quickly and wasn’t taking pregnancy tests because we weren’t really calculating and I wasn’t taking ovulation tests daily yet. One day I was rocking Ryder before nap-time and the rocking chair made me queasy. I thought , “What?! Maybe I should take a test? Ugh, but I’m gonna get my hopes up and it’s gonna be negative.” But I took one anyway. I kinda of forgot about it. I was busy doing my “mom chores” during nap-time when I remembered I had taken it and looked over to see “1-2 weeks pregnant”! I was in SHOCK! My heart started racing. Of course I took another test to make sure. I was overwhelmed with emotion and so excited!

How did you tell Tooth you were pregnant?
I waited to tell Tooth because I wanted to surprise him. I knew he wouldn’t be expecting it because we hadn’t been “trying” like last time. It was the day before Thanksgiving and we went on a date night out to get sushi and to a movie. I had wrapped up the positive pregnancy test and put it in a mini stocking as an early Christmas gift for him.

While we were waiting for our sushi I told him I had an early Christmas gift for him. He wasn’t expecting it and guessed that it was an ornament. LOL (We have a tradition of getting one new ornament a year for our family Christmas tree with the kids.) When he opened it, it took a minute for him to register what it was. His jaw dropped and he was silent! I just laughed and he said “NO WAY!!!! Seriously?!” ☺

I knew he would be surprised but his reaction was priceless and I wish I had videoed it! We spent the rest of the night talking about how blessed we were by our babies and I sipped on water and ate California rolls while he had a cocktail and sashimi. LOL  Ahhh … the joys of pregnancy. We were both in shock but also so excited. We had a great night celebrating and day dreaming of whether or not it was a boy or girl. I’ll never forget the look on his face!

Best part of pregnancy?
Feeling/seeing her move is one of my favorite things! Watching my bump get bigger is fun because you can SEE her move and kick in there. Pregnancy is so strange because it’s such a roller coaster of ups and downs. I was just telling my hubby yesterday that I really want to soak up these last few days because as miserable as it can be, I know I’ll miss it when it’s over. I remember missing feeling Ryder move around in my belly after he was born. It’s the strangest thing… being so connected to your baby before you’ve even met. It’s amazing. And impossible to explain!

Worst Part of pregnancy?
Ugh, where to begin? LOL Nausea, headaches, back aches, trouble sleeping, peeing every 10 minutes, bending over – well, really just moving at all. HA! I have had really bad leg spasms with both pregnancies. At the end of the day my legs go crazy kicking all over the place! I have been overheating a lot this summer. Ryder is all dude and the poor kid just wants to play outside, but the heat gets me every time. Carrying Ryder while also carrying around a massive bump has been challenging. I can’t wait to hold Ryder close again! He gets frustrated that my belly is in the way when I rock him to sleep. I have also been sick a lot this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Ryder I think I got one minor cold. NBD. This time I had flu and/or cold 5 times!!! So difficult. Especially when a toddler is involved. Those weeks were really rough!!!

Have your pregnancies been different?
YES! So different. Which is what led me to believe it was a girl – but I tried not to get my hopes up because I know some people who have had very different pregnancies and they have same sex children. I had a very smooth pregnancy with Ryder. I felt pregnant and not 100% myself, but overall, the pregnancy was pretty easy until the last 6 weeks – which were pretty miserable. This pregnancy was harder. I felt nausea all the time. I also felt SOOOO TIRED. Like, I can’t move because I’m so tired. The overwhelming exhaustion has been killer this time. I kept thinking I would have more energy later on … but it never happened. The nausea got better, but the exhaustion was intense and still is.

I’ve just been more uncomfortable in general this pregnancy but all the other stuff is kind of similar (headaches, back aches, leg spasms, etc) it’s just MUCH harder to be pregnant while also taking care of a toddler who is still so little and doesn’t understand what pregnancy is. Strangely, this pregnancy has been easiest in my third trimester. I obviously have a lot of physical pains and challenges, but I’ve had a little more energy and haven’t been overly miserable like I was the last 6 weeks with Ryder! I have days where I just want it to END! But overall, the third trimester hasn’t been too shabby this time. And… I’ve been much more emotional this pregnancy for whatever reason?

Cravings?
My cravings have been all over the place. In the beginning, I felt so sick! I ate a lot of bagels and breads. It was the only thing that didn’t make me sick! I still crave my mini bagels and split one with Ryder almost every morning ☺

There was a phase where all I wanted was chips and salsa. Then it switched to being obsessed with Cadbury eggs! I had one a day for over a month. OMG… Yikes! LOL I have craved comfort food the entire pregnancy. Mac and cheese, pizza, etc. I normally love fruit but couldn’t eat it at the beginning of the pregnancy, which was so strange! But I love it again. I have also craved ice cream, which is unusual for me. I’m usually a slurpee, sour straw, laffy taffy kind of gal ;)

How did you find out the gender?
We did a gender reveal for both pregnancies (check out my Gender Reveal blog post!) and I’m so glad we did. Both were amazing moments and memories and I’m so glad we captured it!

Here are a couple pictures from our maternity photo shoot we did when I was 30 weeks pregnant. I love these pictures and I am getting SO EXCITED to meet this baby girl! :) We love her so much already!!

Photos by Newell Jones Photography

         

Just Peachy

This peach dress from PinkBlush is adorable! It's so lightweight and we all know that is necessary when you are pregnant in the summer heat. I love dresses lately because they are so easy. I really like that it doesn't take much thought to get ready when wearing a dress, especially when they have cute patterns like this one! The dress is a statement in itself and you don't need much else to make the outfit interesting.

Belt // Necklace

My fringe booties are no longer in stock. Majorly crushing on these beauties though!

This dress is already out of stock! But here is another that I love!
Hope you're all having a fab day!
             

Sunday Funday

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We got a late start today thanks to a very late night watching fireworks. But Ryder loved it! Staying up past bedtime is a rare occurrence for him and I think he enjoyed hanging with the "big kids". 

This outfit is so simple and easy. This dress is a go-to for me lately! It's not maternity, which I usually don't gravitate towards, especially at this point in pregnancy. But it's so comfy and it's long enough that I don't feel like I have to tug at it to stay in place and cover what it needs to cover! I've also been loving tying thin sweaters or button ups around my waist (hmm... I guess that isn't my "waist", is it?! HA!) lately. I love this style and having the option to throw this on if I get chilly in the evenings. But who am I kidding? I'm rarely "chilly" these days! :-D 

I love this necklace I got it ages ago from Stella and Dot. I feel like it's so casual and goes with everything! Same goes for these glasses. I have a love affair with aviators and these always match no matter what I'm wearing. 

And this tote... I love it! It's reversible, so you get two bags in one, which I love. I have this bag in two colors and grab them all the time when I don't need everything in my diaper bag or I am running errands without Ryder. 

I was checking out at Target today and the woman helping me took one look at me and said "WOAH!! Are you past your due date?! You look like you're about to pop!" Ummm... No! I am not past my due date, but THANKS for that boost of confidence! LOL She went on and on about how I must be sooo uncomfortable and I'm probably "gonna get a LOT bigger" because you gain "SO much more in the last month". Ugh, really?! HUSH IT, lady! Aside from the heat, I actually feel pretty good. I've been able to get decent sleep most nights and try to stay in the A/C when possible. My biggest struggle is keeping up with my Ryder man. He's a busy-body and he's heavy! So carrying him around is hard on my body. But I actually feel pretty good for the most part. 

My emotions have been all over the place this pregnancy. A lot of the time I felt like "OMG, this is never going to end!" But now that I am so close to the end, I'm getting kinda sad that it's going to be over before we know it. I really do love being pregnant (even though some parts of it SUUUUCK) and I think there is no cuter accessory than a baby bump. I LOVE feeling her move in there and I think pregnancy is the coolest thing ever. I also love bitty babies and can't wait to snuggle my little girl. Ohhhh, the baby snuggles. Is there anything better?! 

I got a mani/pedi this afternoon and the lady next to me had a 6 month old sitting in her lap while she got her pedi. This squishy little boy was so adorable! He was so giggly and snuggly and it took everything in me to not BEG this woman to let me hold and cuddle her baby haha! He was so cute and OMG I just looooove babies. I never asked to hold him. Instead I just sat there for about 45 minutes starring at him and smiling like an idiot. I think I was kinda creeping her out but I seriously couldn't look away. LOL I can't wait to meet this baby girl and just the thought of smelling her sweet baby skin, kissing her chubby cheeks and dressing her in cute pink clothes makes me smile like a fool. Less than a month left! Yahooo!

Dress // Plaid button up is old, but similar here

Similar MK aviators here

Tory Burch Wrap Bracelet

Alex and Ani Bracelet

Reversible Tote // Bar Necklace

Similar Key Chain Wallet

Tory Burch Flip Flops

Similar Stella and Dot Necklace HERE

              

Kimono Love

Struggling to stay cool over here with this big bump! But hooraaaaaay for our A/C getting fixed!! FINALLY! I slept great last night, minus the crazy pregnant dreams. Ha! And I am loving this kimono top that is so thin and cool, but I still feel covered. I love that I'll be able to wear this with tanks underneath while I breastfeed as well. I remember really struggling with what to wear so I could easily nurse while on the go with Ryder (without having to take my entire top/dress off!).

I've been crushing on this necklace for a while and Tooth got it for me while we were in Chicago for the birthday. I love it! It's SO cute and I love colorless necklaces that can go with everything.

These shorts are also super comfy and I wore them for a while even after Ryder was born because they are stretchy and forgiving on my tummy in the fourth trimester. When I'm pregnant, I'm usually more comfortable in pants/shorts that have the "secret belly" fit because the fabric going up over my belly is more comfortable. But these are so stretchy, they never bothered me. And once you do have the baby, you don't need all that extra fabric to go up over your stomach, so the low, stretchy cut under the belly felt better after the baby was out.

Kimono // Tank

Mine are old, but similar here

Flip flops // Necklace

Hope you're all having a fab Friday! Happy early 4th of July! :)