All About Baby #2: My First and Second Trimester

I can’t believe I’m already in the third trimester with our second baby! I’ve gone back and forth on writing a full post about this pregnancy because it’s been a bit on the tough side, and I really didn’t want to make it seem like I’m complaining (I’m honestly so thankful to be pregnant, and all the difficulties are worth it). I mostly decided to write this post as a way of documenting some of this pregnancy for myself. During Anthony’s pregnancy, I wrote a daily journal about my symptoms and everything we did to prepare. This pregnancy, I haven’t written a single entry in my journal. I want to have at least some sort of record of this time, so I thought I would answer some frequently asked questions and share some more details about this pregnancy.

Was this baby planned?
First of all, why do people ask this? Does it really matter? I’ll go ahead and answer it here, but I do think it’s a strange question. Yes, this baby was planned. The smallest age gap we wanted was two years, but I honestly didn’t think I would get pregnant as quickly as I did with Anthony. It turns out I did, and I’m beyond thankful for that.

How do you feel about the age gap?
Ask me this question when the second baby is here! Haha. I’m excited to have children close together, but I know it won’t be easy at first.

How did you find out?
With Anthony I took a test while Chris was at work and told him in a creative way. This time around, I took a test while he was home on a Sunday (March 10) literally minutes before his parents came to visit. Like I said, I didn’t expect to get pregnant on the first try again, but I had been suspecting I might be pregnant for a few days because I was starting to break out pretty badly (I usually never break out, so this was a big sign for me). Chris was pretty convinced I was pregnant at that point, but I don’t like to take a test until my period is due. It took about 10 seconds to see a positive result, and we were so excited!

How far along are you? When are you due?
I’m 31 weeks! I can’t really say this pregnancy has been going quickly, but we sure have accomplished a lot in those 31 weeks. (Life update is here). My due date is November 15. If the baby isn’t late, the age gap will be exactly 24 months!

When did you start showing?
I definitely feel like I started showing faster this time around, but I think I really started to look pregnant about halfway through our trip to Europe (around 24 weeks). It’s funny because you can really see the change in our photos from the trip.

Did you have a feeling this time around whether you were having a boy or a girl?
I have felt strongly since I found out I was pregnant that I was having a girl. I was constantly doubting myself, though, because the joke is that my husband’s family is more much more likely to make boys.

Are you excited about having a girl?
I honestly would have been excited either way (I also liked the idea of having brothers close in age!), but I am definitely excited for Anthony to have a little sister. I can’t wait to see the two of them together, and I am all about the bows and dresses!

Do you have a name?
We do! We actually decided on a girl name more than ten years ago, so it will be really special to be able to use it. We didn’t have a middle name set for sure, but we have pretty much decided on that too. We don’t like to share names until birth, though a few people do know this time around because I’ve randomly shared our girl name throughout the years.

How have you been feeling?
I have been pretty open about it—this pregnancy has not been easy. I thought I had a rough time with Anthony, but this pregnancy has been much harder. I spent the first 20 weeks vomiting many times a day. Around 16 weeks I started having debilitating migraines that also caused vomiting. I would wake up in the middle of the night just to vomit. I also have a hard time breathing, and I have a lot of heartburn, which isn’t something I really dealt with during my first pregnancy. I actually mostly felt decent on our trip, though, which was a huge blessing! The vomiting just recently came back in the morning, but it’s only once a day, so it’s much easier to handle. I’m feeling quite a bit better overall the last week or so, other than pregnancy insomnia, heartburn, and normal third trimester aches and pains, so I’m hoping that the third trimester ends up being the best trimester for me! I think it’ll definitely be much better if we ever get past these 100 degree days!

Does Anthony understand he is getting a sibling?
I think he understands as well as an almost two-year-old toddler can. He loves to give my belly hugs and kisses, and he brings me toys to show to the baby. He thinks it’s hilarious when he’s sitting in my lap reading a book, and she kicks him. He did ask me the other day if there is also a baby in his belly, which was the cutest thing ever.

Have you had any cravings?
For a while, nothing really sounded good. I basically couldn’t eat chicken at all, and it honestly still barely ever sounds good to me. At first, I always wanted chips and salsa and fajitas. That craving has changed to ground beef tacos, which I basically never eat when I’m not pregnant (not that I don’t like them. I just like other Mexican food more). My biggest craving is fruit. I survived the first trimester on smoothies, and I pretty much always want peaches and watermelon.

Apparently I either don't blog at all or write over a thousand words! Honestly, it took me a few weeks to write this post, but I've also been working on a few travel posts, so I hope to have some of those ready soon.

A Year in Review: 2017

Happy New Year, friends! Now that Anthony is a bit older, I am hoping to start blogging regularly again. This will be my only post this week, but then next week, I want to start my normal schedule. I’m writing that here so I can try to commit to it. 2017 will always be a special year for us because it was the year we became parents! After a difficult 2016, I am so thankful 2017 brought us Anthony!

January

Most Popular Blog Posts: California Road Trip: The Most Beautiful Place in Big Sur and Five Things You Must Do in San Diego 

We kicked off 2017 in a different way than usual. Chris had been working a lot, so instead of going to a party, we decided to celebrate the new year as a couple by going to Texas de Brazil. We had a blast reminiscing over 2016 and bringing in 2017 together! I started out January full of hope, and I even made that my word of the year. I was hopeful 2017 would be better than 2016, but the one thing I was truly hoping for was that I would get pregnant in 2017.

February

Most Popular Blog Posts: Eight Ideas for the Best Romantic Getaway to Paris and Five Reasons You Should Visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 

February brought us a lot of joy as I found out I was pregnant on February 17! Christopher and I kept it a secret for a week (here is how I told him) before telling both sets of parents right before our trip to Colorado. We had a wonderful time exploring Colorado Springs and Breckenridge with my in-laws.

March

Most Popular Blog Posts: Happy Sixth Birthday, Skyler, Five Reasons You Should Visit Breckenridge, Colorado, and Five Things You Must Do in Marseille, France

We got back from Colorado in early March, and I almost instantly started feeling horrible morning sickness. March was a bit rough, but I was so thankful for the little one growing inside me that I didn’t care. My very first prenatal visit was March 31, and it was amazing to see the little peanut for the first time and hear the heartbeat. That was also the day we shared we were pregnant with the rest of the family and some close friends.

April

Most Popular Blog Posts: Best Weekend Trips from Chicago and Let’s Have a Coffee Date 

You can really start telling by the amount of posts I wrote that I had a rough April. It was also busy as we moved to a bigger apartment and celebrated Easter! We also ran around on what was the coldest day by far in April with giant baby balloons to prepare for our pregnancy announcement.

Easter Sunday selfie

May

Most Popular Blog Posts: Best News Ever, All About Baby, and Pregnancy Confessions

On Mother’s Day, I finally shared our pregnancy with the world! It felt so great to be able to share our joy. We had a busy month with my brother-in-law’s wedding and my parent’s housewarming back to back.

June

Most Popular Blog Posts: Gender Reveal and Stunning Views of Chimney Rock 

June was also really special because we found out we were having a little boy! We had a fun gender reveal party where we shared our news. We also decided we were going to go to Maine for our babymoon!

July

Most Popular Blog Posts: How I Told Chris About Baby and Reflections: Surgery Day One Year Later 

July is always a really busy month for us, and 2017 was no exception. Chris started the hardest year of his residency, and we celebrated both of our birthdays and our eight-year wedding anniversary on our babymoon to Maine. We struggled picking a location for our trip, but it turned out to be the perfect place to go before baby!

August

Most Popular Blog Posts: Five Reasons You Should Visit Maine, Eight Favorite Experiences in Eight Years of Marriage, and Pregnancy Update: My Second Trimester 

August was another fun month. We had our first baby shower and I planned a fun weekend for my best friend’s bachelorette party. We did an “Only in Dallas” Food Tour that I still need to share on here!

September

Most Popular Blog Posts: A Decade of Just Us, Our Elephant-Themed Baby Shower, and Pregnancy Update: One Month to Go

Our last full month before baby was super busy! We had another fun baby shower, celebrated our ten-year dating anniversary (which is exactly a month before I gave birth to Anthony!), and I helped with the coordination of a conference of doctors’ wives. We also took our maternity photos when I was 36 weeks pregnant.

October

Most Popular Blog Posts: Our Maternity Photos and End of Pregnancy Confessions

We spent the first few weeks of October preparing for our little Anthony! We went to one last party on October 1, and I realized I was at the point in pregnancy where it was just too difficult to go out to parties. We also went to our birthing class (and the second part, which was taking care of an infant, was actually the day I gave birth! The instructor came and visited us when she found out.) Chris and I went on a few dates, and exactly a week before Anthony was born, I had one last dinner date with some great friends. My water broke at 3:30 a.m. on October 19, and Anthony Christopher was born at 3:46 a.m. on October 20. I had severe preeclampsia during labor, had to have a blood transfusion a few days after he was born, and then got discharged only to come back with a kidney infection a few hours later. Needless to say, I was so happy when I got discharged on October 28, and we could officially start our journey as a family of three!

November

Most Popular Blog Post: Welcome to the World, Anthony!

I basically completely took November off of blogging as we adjusted to life with a newborn! The highlights of this month were, of course, watching Anthony grow, and my dad turning 50 on November 3. We also celebrated Anthony’s first Thanksgiving!

December

Most Popular Blog Posts: Six Books I Read in October and November and Coffee Date: Newborn Edition

December started out with two straight weeks of nights for Chris, so we spent the time with my mom. It was nice because Chris could sleep upstairs during the day while Mom and I spent time with Anthony. He would have constantly woken Chris up in our apartment otherwise. The holiday season with Anthony was the best—we decorated the tree and spent Christmas weekend at my in-laws’ house before coming back on Christmas Day to spend some time with my family.

I’m so thankful for everything that happened in 2017, but I am even more excited for 2018 and our first full year with Anthony.

End of Pregnancy Confessions

Oh hey, somehow I blinked, and I’m over 38 weeks pregnant. I thought I would post some thoughts and confessions today as I’m (hopefully!) nearing the end of this pregnancy.

I’m nearing the point in pregnancy where I’m ready to meet this little man! I’ve been dealing with painful Braxton Hicks off and on, and now that I’m past 38 weeks, I wouldn’t mind if he decided to show up a little early. That said, Chris is working nights all of this week, so it would be rough timing. There’s really no way he could leave if I go into labor in the middle of the night, and I definitely want him to be there. Talk about mixed feelings! I know baby boy will come on his own time, though!

I’m actually a little proud that I have both the diaper bag and hospital packed! Even though I’m a big planner, I really really hate packing. I basically had to go ahead and do it since I’m spending time with my parents while Chris works nights just in case I go into labor. Everything else is done, too! The nursery is ready, and all of his newborn clothes are washed.

Chris and I spent from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a childbirth class on Saturday. I had to get special permission for us to go so late in my pregnancy, and if you’ve ever been 38 weeks pregnant, you know how pleasant sitting for that long is. I do think it was worth it for us to go. The second part of the class is this Saturday, but Chris is working 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday, so we’ll see if he wants to go!

I just love the looks on people’s faces when they ask me when I’m due. I mentioned before it would bother me when people constantly told me I don’t look as pregnant as I should, but now, it’s entertaining because they are shocked by how close I am.

I wanted to end this on a good note. I’ve mentioned in the past some of the negative comments people have said, but yesterday, I received the sweetest compliment. An elderly gentleman I had never met came up to me at church and said “You are so beautiful. I think pregnant women are the most beautiful women in the world because they just glow.” Such a nice thing to say!

Our Maternity Photos

I debated for some time as to whether I wanted maternity photos. Although I've kept a daily journal of my pregnancy, I haven't really taken many bump photos. That said, I'm really glad we decided to take some maternity photos. Our photographer (Brittnie Renee Photography) did such a wonderful job, and I love that we have these shots to remember such a special time in our lives! Brittnie gave us over 50 photos, so I thought I would share some of my favorites with y'all today!

What's your favorite photo? 

Pregnancy Update: One Month to Go

“You don’t look like it, but somehow, you’ve got a six-pound baby in there.” That’s what the ultrasound tech told me as we left yesterday. Today, I am 36 weeks and am truly thankful to be this close to meeting our little one!

As I mentioned in my life update, I constantly go from I can’t wait to meet him to there is still so much more I’d like to get done! Knowing myself, though, I will always feel like there is more to get done, so I’m trying not to pay attention to it.

Speaking of getting things done, the nursery is getting close! I had a minor panic attack this week when I realized how much gray there is in the room, so I’m hoping to buy a few more things this weekend to add more blue.

I’m starting to hate hearing how tiny I am. I guess people forgot what I looked like before pregnancy. Y’all, I’ve gained over 30 pounds. It wouldn’t bother me except that often when it’s said, the person is implying I’m doing something unhealthy for the baby, and he’s healthy and growing well, thank you very much.

Overall, now that I'm over my cold, I’ve been feeling really well! Sleeping has gotten harder, and I definitely struggle with walking, but I haven’t hit that get this baby out of me stage yet. I have been dealing with some Braxton Hicks, though, which truly feel like a cruel joke sometimes.

This is my last super busy weekend before my due date, and I’m planning on taking it a little easier after that. I do have a few friend dates since I know they will be harder in the next few months!

We got our maternity photos back, and I love them! I’m really excited to share some of my favorites with y’all next week!

Life Lately: All the Happy Things

Lately, I’ve been in the mood to just write. From helping with a conference to having a cold immediately after, I’ve had no energy to edit photos for travel posts, but I’ve had so much on my mind and just want to share a bunch of things that have made me happy lately.

Chris had his first day off in several weeks on Saturday, and we had the best day together. I had tried to plan several big things for us to do, but he was tired (and also worried about me walking around festivals in the heat), so we mostly did chores, but it was perfect. We painted letters for the nursery, installed the car seat, went grocery shopping, and celebrated our 10 year dating anniversary at Joe’s Crab Shack. None of that is super special on its own, but it had been so long since we got to spend time together, so we really enjoyed every moment.

I can’t believe I’m already 35 weeks pregnant. I’ll post a pregnancy update on Wednesday, but I’m definitely to the point where I’m super excited and ready one moment and anxious the next because it feels like there is so much left to get done (isn’t there always?).

I’m so happy it’s time for fall! It hasn’t felt like it here in Texas yet, but we should be in the 80s by the middle of the week, which will feel great after being close to 100 most of last week. I can’t wait until it cools down enough for me to be able to take walks again, and of course, wearing fall clothes is always fun!

Speaking of fall, I’m excited to make more slow cooker meals these days. I’m all about lighter food in the summer, so my slow cooker has been neglected. Blogging for Books sent me Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker, and I basically want to try every meal in the book. I’m loving all the variety in the book with 110 dishes (which also include desserts) as options. I’ll probably be making more slow cooker meals once the little man arrives, so I’ve been flipping through the book to see everything I want to try. Recipes that have caught my eye are: ropa vieja, carbonnade (a Belgian-style beef stew), beef and black bean chili, sausage lasagna, and croque monsieur strata. For a fall dessert, I’d love to try the apple-cranberry crisp.

This has been a weird reading year for me. I’ve been reading in spurts-either a bunch or barely anything. I just got through several books pretty quickly and am about to finish my 75th book for the year! I’m basically right on schedule to finish my goal of 100 books this year, but I’m hoping to get a little ahead because I know life is about to get busier!

What have you been up to lately?

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Our Elephant-Themed Baby Shower

Hey, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We managed to go shopping and take advantage of the sales. We got the last piece of furniture we wanted for the nursery (a glider) and bought our travel system since it was around $100 off!

Speaking of our nursery, several of you have asked if we have picked out a nursery theme, and we are doing blue and gray with elephants. Our friends figured that out from our registry, and they threw us the cutest elephant-themed baby shower last month! We’re all crazy about brunch, so it was held at this great brunch place in Dallas called The Woolworth, followed by more fun at a friend’s place who lives nearby. All the details were great, but my very favorite was the host of the shower made the cutest diaper cake of an elephant riding a motorcycle. I’m so thankful for our sweet friends, who hosted such a fun party for us!

The two lovely hosts!

She also made "cupcakes" at of onesies and socks! So cute. 

Rice Krispie treats made in the shape of elephants! 

Such a delicious cake!

So excited to start this parenthood adventure with my favorite person!

Reading the sweet poem where our friends told us they put their money together and bought us a crib!

Let’s Have A Coffee Date (Vol. 8)

Hey, friends! I wanted to have another Maine post ready for today, but we’ve been focusing on supporting the many, many friends we have in the Houston area as much as we can. For those who have asked, we are nowhere near the devastation (we’re talking over 250 miles away), but many of our friends from college are from the area, and quite a few of my high school friends also moved to Houston, so we’ve been talking to them and trying to help from a distance. I thought I would do a quick post of life updates and work on travel posts this weekend when Chris is working!

My best friend’s bachelorette party was this weekend! I picked the Omni Dallas as the location, and it was the perfect place for it! The view of the skyline from the pool deck was just stunning, especially at sunset. One of my favorite parts of the party was an “Only in Dallas” food tour! I liked it so much that I will be writing a post about it soon.

I am now officially at less than two months from my due date! I’m definitely uncomfortable and have a lot of trouble sleeping, but overall, I’m doing really well. Our temperatures dropped a lot this weekend, so I’ve been taking advantage of that and going on several walks. We get to see our baby boy on an ultrasound on Friday, and I’m super excited because it’s the first time we’ve seen him since our gender ultrasound.

I’ve been on another reading roll after quite the lull in July. It has a lot to do with my lack of sleep, but it’s been so nice to read more recently, and I’m excited to share my latest reads with y’all soon!

With everything going on lately, I totally missed the fact that college football starts this week, and the NFL will start soon too. I’m only participating in one fantasy football league this year since I will have a newborn soon, but I’m still super excited for the best time of the year.

This time of year (the summer to fall transition) makes me want to buy all the clothes, so I'm pretty thankful I don't know what my size will be after pregnancy, so I can save money! I did buy some more flowy dresses to get me through the next few months, though.

Now it's your turn! What's going on in your life?