a final pregnancy post: bests and worsts

I mentioned this in my last post, but I'm getting my membranes stripped tonight so I really have no idea what to expect over these next few days. Baby could be here by tomorrow (AH!) or it could be another week. Pregnancy is basically over! And in the spirit of reflection.....

First Trimester

Best: Positive pregnancy test, hearing the heart beat, finding out the gender, and eating my weight in otter pops! Obviously!

Worst: Being so sick I could literally have died, working two jobs, being in school, etc. I am happy I won't have to do that again! Also the one time I projectile vomited all over the kitchen, wall, my slippers, etc. Funny now. Definitely not in the moment! And I still have a hard time eating honey bunches of oats ha.

Second Trimester:

Best: Finally starting to show, wearing maternity clothes (maternity jeans ftw!), feeling the baby move, Christian feeling the baby move, getting the hook up with so much fun baby gear at Christmas, week 18 and finally feeling better!

Worst: Oh the sciatica! I was practically immobile sometimes! So strange that it went away as I got bigger. 

Third Trimester:

Best: Much stronger movements resulting in seeing my belly move, finally getting some comments from strangers (it only took about 35 weeks haha!), getting bigger, Christian talking to my belly and feeling our little guy respond to dad's voice. Too cute. 

Worst: Not much to complain about other than being really tired, pretty achy, and having rag doll joints. That's been a very strange feeling.

I'm getting so anxious to meet this little guy. Let's get him here already!

the end and beginning

Lately, I've really been enjoying the simple things about life.
Moving in to a new apartment (not exactly a simple process but it's so nice just being there)
Walking to and from the car while the weather is nice.
Sleeping in our own bed after months of not.
Anticipating a simple date, like a walk around the neighborhood.
Ice cream at Maceys.
Attending wedding festivities with my dreamboat.
Packing hospital bags.
Looking at tiny baby clothes.
Buying a new air freshener.
Living close to campus again.

A few days ago, my doctor said he would strip my membranes for me (TMI? sry!).
It caught me totally by surprise, and I told him no... but it's officially going to happen on Monday!
I'm sure I'm enjoying these simple life moments because something inside me knows how much it's all going to change starting next week, if all goes as planned of course. In many ways, life as I know it is ending with the arrival of this baby. It blows my mind when I think about how much it's all going to change.
In so many ways though, life is just beginning. And I'm sure I can't even grasp the magnitude of it all.
I can't wait to meet this sweet little boy!

8 months down, a month to go!

I seriously cannot believe I'm 36 weeks pregnant. 

I remember trudging through that AWFUL first trimester and feeling like: 

"The end will never get here! 

I will be pregnant foreverrrrrrr!"

And now here I sit and I can almost see my due date! AH!

Isn't that how it goes?

Here is the latest update-a-roo, folks. And I'm feeling pretty verbose today, so buckle up.

34 weeks, 

preworkout, 

and looking very tired and very pregnant ha. 

Mostly I just took this picture because LOOK HOW HIGH THIS BABY WAS SITTING

35 weeks.

36 weeks.

Aaaaand we're back to taking classy bathroom pictures.
I definitely feel like he's dropped a little bit, thank goodness!

Weight gain:

My not-really-gaining-weight phase sure ended with a bang. At my last doctor's appointment I was up 19 lbs, with more to come I'm sure!

Also just a comment about pregnancy weight gain... it's funny to me how much I can feel it! Specifically when we go to Body Pump at the gym, and the teacher's like "Okay now do push ups!" I literally can't get through more than like..... 5. Seriously. Imagine a lady 8 months pregnant doing push ups ha! It's really as funny as it sounds.

Sleep: 

Getting much harder, as to be expected! The weight of my belly pulls me awkwardly, and my hips, back and legs ache to where I'm tossing and turning literally all night. Sorry Christian! Also I somehow made it this far into the pregnancy without having to wake up and pee in the middle of the night, but I am no longer enjoying that luxury. Instead I'm up between approximately 2 and 2:15am every single night. It's the weirdest.

Best moment of the week: 

One morning, Christian and I were locked in a tight embrace (because that's the only way to cure my morning grumpiness, but that's another story....), and the baby kicked so hard that it caught Christian by surprise and almost made him jump back haha. This of course led to jokes about ways to torture our future children by being really mushy and romantic with each other, because obviously baby boy is already bothered by it ;)

Weird pregnancy moment: 

Bladder issues. Breathing. Swollen gums. Pregnancy brain. Soreness... everywhere... all the time. The last 6 weeks has majorly kicked up the weird pregnancy stuff! I have to pee literally every 10 minutes, which is pretty inconvenient being in class and all. The baby was also sitting really high for a while, so my lungs feel crushed all the time. Church is still especially uncomfortable for some reason. I can't hardly sing the hymns either, because it takes way too much breath haha. And I've resorted to stealing soft chairs or sitting on the couch in the hall for sacrament meeting. It's whatever.

Also my head doesn't function very well these days. Pregnancy brain is SO SO real. I'm lucky I don't have any tests at the end of this semester, because I'd probably fail them all. It's the one time in my life I'm actually enjoying group projects and papers! Also can we just talk about how bad my hips hurt? Because they literally feel like they are going to crack in half when I sit for too long. And let's not even address the tail bone pain. YIKES. 

Movement: 

This baby gets the hiccups 2-5 times a day, which is super funny and cute to feel. He's also found a favorite spot to sit, which is as far to my right side as he can possible go. My belly is totally lopsided most of the time. He's been especially squirmy over the last few weeks too, which is surprisingly uncomfortable! He sticks his feet right up into my ribs, especially when I'm sitting down or eating. I've also noticed that when he gets really wiggly at night (it's a routine now ha!), I can usually lay on my side and hold my belly and he will totally calm down! I'm hoping that means this boy likes to snuggle, because his mom sure does!

Cravings: 

FOOD. Seriously though, I just want to eat all the time because I always feel starved. Not everything always sounds good, unless it's frozen fruity stuff, or chocolate milk of course. 

I probably need an IV at this point.

Anything making you queasy? 

Thankfully not much. Although, I have felt little twinges over the last few weeks when my stomach is too empty. And I dry heave every time I have to open the dishwasher because that B stinks!! Other than that, we're good ;)

What I'm looking forward to: 

I'm so excited to just hold this little baby and to see what he looks like! Every time I can feel a foot or arm through my belly, it just kills me because I want him to be here already. Looking at baby pictures of Christian is also a favorite past time of mine, and it just makes me die at the possibilities of cuteness our little guy has. I'm glad we are at the tail end of this, it's getting too exciting/uncomfortable for me to wait much longer ha ;)

a third trimester update

Things are obviously boring around here guys. The 3 pregnancy related pictures on this page are proof of that! Poor Christian has mono and has been sick for over 2 weeks now (I KNOW), so we are taking things easy these days. Watching Sherlock, doing homework, sleeping a lot... you know. Real exciting stuff. 

I hit a milestone this week though!

TRIMESTER THREE!!

We are in the home stretch people! 

How far along? 28 weeks.

Weight gain: Guys, I honestly haven't been to the doctor in forrreevvveerr. Based on the way my body feels though, I'm guessing I'm about 7ish lbs up from my pre-pregnancy weight, which is actually a gain of about 15 lbs because of the vomit-inducing weight loss during the first trimester.

Sleep: I've been waking up a lot more lately, but I attribute that to being sensitive to my sick husband's tossing and turning all night.... poor guy. Still having crazy dreams though!

Best moment of the week: This hasn't been one specific moment, but sometimes little man moves so vigorously that it feels like HE is pulling me around instead of the other way. I think we've got some fun and busy years ahead of us! ;)

Weird pregnancy moment: I haven't had too many of these lately! I guess it's kind of weird to me when people find out I'm 7 months along and comment on how I still look pretty small. I mean, I'm certainly not huge, but I definitely feel very pregnant ha.

Movement: This baby gets the hiccups 2-5 times a day, which is super funny and cute to feel. He's also very fond of flailing every limb at the same time, which I feel in literally every part of my abdomen at one time. It's so strange and sweet and fun, all at once!

Cravings: Thankfully my cravings are still pretty mild. I've been loving cold cereal a lot more than normal lately (but who doesn't love the stuff, am i right?), and I've also been wanting to eat hamburgers like every day. Don't know if that can be attributed to pregnancy though!

Anything making you queasy? Slightly... which disturbs me a bit. If that nausea comes back for this last trimester, I don't know what I'm going to do! 

(Eat a lot of orange chicken, probably)

Gender? Well, a boy. Obviously.

What I'm looking forward to: I'm actually getting really excited about the birth. Not so much for the actual BIRTH, but getting it over with. If I think about it too much, it freaks me out. Can't I just hold my cute little guy without having to squeeze him out of my body first?! I'm also weirdly excited to get a stroller. We've been slow to purchase some of those big ticket items (re: we haven't purchased any of them yet!), and it will be fun to acquire some of that stuff... and even better when there's a little human to use it all! 

wellness wednesday: what's up, I'm back

It's been a while since one of these!

Truth be told, I haven't had a legitimate "wellness" feeling on a Wednesday basically since I got pregnant.
In the fall, it was more like "well I only threw up twice today so that's good" Wednesday. 

Or "hey I ate something that wasn't cold cereal without wanting to die" Wednesday. 

Then Christmas break came and I was finally feeling better, but my Wednesday's consisted of being a glutton because it felt so good to finally have a desire to eat again. And sorry guys, but gluttony does NOT constitute wellness. So there's that. And now here we are! A month into the new year, and I'm finally back into a regular exercise routine and eating like a normal person again. Although there are definitely days when IMUSTHAVECHOCOLATEMILKRIGHTNOWORIWILLDIE. But I wouldn't be a normal pregnant person if that wasn't the case, so I guess that's fine. 

Anyways. Majorly digressing here......

GUYS. 

It feels so wonderful to be taking care of my body again, pregnant as it is! It's strange because it's definitely not responding the same way it used to, and I can't tolerate as much physical exertion because OBVIOUSLY a basketball is now protruding from my stomach. Growing a person is awkward.

Proof:

Oh wait. There's a lot more than pregnancy that's awkward about this photo.

So I am noticing some differences as I've adjusted my exercise routine specifically:
1. My sciatica has calmed down a fair amount, which is awesome! It was so bad that I couldn't walk without horrific pain in my lower back, hips and legs, and it's much more manageable now. I know for CERTAIN that it's because I've been exercising.... but more specifically weight training. I have such a testimony of weight training! Thank you, amen.

2. I've been sleeping really well. Thankfully I haven't had many nights where I'm tossing and turning, but I notice I sleep much more soundly (and have MUCH crazier dreams ha!) when I've exercised that day verses not. I'm hoping this trend continues as my belly keeps expanding. TBD I guess!

3. I have a lot more energy. I'm noticing the exhaustion sloooowwwly creeping back (blast this second trimester coming to an end!), but my energy definitely spikes on the days I exercise. Again, a trend I'm hoping continues as I keep getting bigger.

4. I'm more...... regular. If you know what I mean. And this is awesome, because who's trying to be constipated when they're also preggo? NOT ME.

So here's what I've been doing, in a nutshell:
Exercise: I've been trying to make it to the gym 3-4 times a week, nothing crazy. This includes roughly 2 days of weight training, a day of hard core kickboxing, maybe some time on the elliptical, and a day for my beloved Zumba of course. Each thing I try to modify so as to cater to my awesome pregnant self
(no jumping in Zumba, inclined benches for weight lifting, don't sweat too much, etc.).
I also end up walking about 30 minutes a day, each day of the week, because of hoofing it across campus so much. I feel pretty good, and I think it's a good amount of exercise for me personally.
Food: Basically I've just been eating normal amounts of normal stuff (ie sandwiches at lunch), with some extra veggies here and there (frozen counts too!), and a sprinkle of something I want every day (like a handful of candy or some chips). Nothing special going on here, I'm just trying not too go crazy and eat everything I want. Which would be an obscene amount, let me tell you. I've also been trying to drink around 100 oz. of water a day which is SO CRUCIAL for me. I think I notice the biggest difference in how I feel overall when I do/don't drink enough water. It's the difference between super grouchy/tired/brain fogged Brooke and happy/clear headed/mostly sane Brooke.
The latter is definitely better.
I also have such a testimony of hydration, thank you amen!

So I know it's probably pointless to post all of this because no one cares but me, baby, and maybe Christian, but you guys. I just feel so much better now that I'm taking care of myself after the last 4 months of basically NOT. I guess I'm just documenting these things now because I'm sure April and May are going to roll around, and I'm going to feel huge and tired all the time, and maybe this will give me some motivation to head to the gym and eat some veggies because :
"You love it more than sitting on the couch and eating chocolate, Brooke!"
Or something like that :) Anyways, another huge digression to finish this lengthy post.
So, you're welcome for that.

another bumpdate

Oh man you guys. The crap really hit the fan this week. Thankfully Christmas break was amazing, and I'm hanging on to it..... the happy memories, the sunshine, the good food the people we love....

But we hardly made it out of Florida before life was like:

 "I'M ABOUT TO WRECK YOU!!!!" 

I will update more later, but I'm so mentally and emotionally exhausted by it all that I'm choosing not to think about it today. It's funny, none of it is school related either... for once in our lives. It's always something though, which I'm learning the hard way! Thankfully we've got our little guy to be happy about, which is why I thought it was time for another pregnancy update!

How far along? 22 weeks. Cruising right along!

Weight gain: I weighed myself a few days before we left Florida, and I had finally gained! About 5 pounds! Obviously Christmas break was good to me ha.

Sleep: Thankfully I'm doing pretty good in this department! I've adjusted to side sleeping, which was seriously my biggest worry. Now I just need to figure out how to make myself wake up in the middle of the night to pee and we're good!

Best moment of the week: While watching White Collar in bed last night, little man was seriously flipping out. Christian was able to put his hand on my belly and feel him move more than he ever has before. It was really awesome. 

Weird pregnancy moment: All the crazy aches and pains. I swear I wake up with a new one every day, and each time I'm like "how is there a muscle there?!"

Also, we had to sprint through the airport earlier this week, and I think I pulled every imaginable muscle in my abdomen, groin (TMI?!), and legs in a matter of 5 minutes. I'm serious, I was in so much pain all week long. Who knew that could wreck you so bad?! This sciatica thing is weird too. Pregnancy does some crazy ish to your body, that's for sure.

Movement: I'm feeling him move all day, every day. I can actually see my belly moving as I type ha. It's really simple, but I'm amazed at the connection I feel to him through his movements. I can't wait to hold his wiggly little body for real!

Cravings: The cravings have abated a bit, but one things that's tasted AMAZING to me this week is vegetables (specifically avocados). I never thought I'd be able to stomach veggies again after the first trimester, but I can't get enough of them right now. I'm not complaining! I'm also loving orange juice/citrus (nothing new), and chocolate milk.

Anything making you queasy? NO!!!! I'm so thrilled about it! The only times I ever start feeling even close to queasy is when I don't eat enough, which happens fairly often, but it's manageable. I'm beyond grateful that the last few weeks have been kind to me, and I'm hoping I've got more to come. I have an unreal amount of energy right now, and my mental and emotional state feels better than ever. It's a HUGE contrast to how the first 4 1/2 months went and I'm SO thankful.

Gender? A sweet little boy! We've got some good names picked out so far, and I can't wait until we actually settle on one (which probably won't happen until the delivery, but you never know!). Also don't bother asking, because we aren't spilling the beans to anyone but our families! Surprises are way more fun!

What I'm looking forward to: Surprisingly, I'm looking forward to getting bigger! I already feel pretty largeandincharge, but I guess I associate getting bigger with getting closer to the due date which I'm obviously thrilled about. I'm also looking forward to working with my wardrobe now that things are fitting differently. It's a bit of a challenge, but I've got a great stash of maternity clothes (THANK YOU MOM!!) which helps a ton, and it's sort of fun "dressing the bump". Basically pregnancy is great right now. I'm feeling thankful and blessed to be out of the nightmare that was the first trimester, and really enjoying things now. Hopefully we are smooth sailing from here!

and the best Christmas gift ever

I've already covered facebook and instagram, so might as well make it official on the ol' blog too.

(Ooooh social media)

Christian and I found out last week that we are having a BOY!!!!

I was hard core thinking it'd be a girl from the very beginning, so I was a little surprised at first but I honestly couldn't be happier. Thrilled more like it! Knowing that we will have a little mini Christian running around (hopefully with a smattering of my brothers in there) just about kills me. 

Also sorry if you think ultrasound pictures are weird. That sweet profile is just too much for me!

Baby boy, we are so excited to meet you in May!

bumpdate. or whatever.

How far along? 17 weeks

Weight gain: At my 14 weeks appointment, I literally hadn't gained a pound. I would bet I'm up by a pound or two at this point though. I mean, Thanksgiving right?

Sleep: Surprisingly gotten a little better now that my stomach isn't constantly churning. Still having psycho dreams, and trying to adjust to sleeping on my side (which is the WORST for this belly sleeper!).

Best moment of the week: Being able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner! Normally it all would have made me feel super nauseous, but I did surprisingly well. That was a huge blessing this week.

Weird pregnancy moment: Looking in the mirror and seeing my growing belly. It's been throwing me off for the last several weeks! Also, my underwear hardly fits and it's driving me crazy.

Movement: None yet, but I'm getting close! I'm hoping baby gives mom a nice Christmas present and moves in the next few weeks.

Cravings: Everything citrus-y, frozen stuff, huge bowls of Chex, and and as many chips as I can shove in my mouth at a time. 

Anything making you queasy? The smell of our apartment, until we got the best air freshener in the world last week. Also looking at food still grosses me out in general, but I think that's on its way out. 

Gender? WE FIND OUT TOMORROW!

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling the baby move, knowing the gender so we can work on names, planning the delivery (a little premature, right?), and just everything we've got ahead of us. I'm hoping the worst is behind me (even though I can tell I've got some nasty days of back pain ahead!), and I'm super excited to just watch my belly grown and know that it's our child. It's nutso and so exciting!

a public apology and other stuff

This morning, I was mentally running through the list of people who've communicated with me and expressed some desire to "catch up" and you know, the likes. Then I was mentally running through the number of people I've followed through with. 

GUYS. It's like 1. 

Out of probably 10 people. 

Which should probably make me the worst friend ever, so I just need to apologize to anyone who I've maybe half communicated with and then never followed up with. I've hardly had the mental energy for school this semester, let alone extra social engagements. One of the travesties of the first trimester drain I guess? Anyways, I'm really really tired of that being an excuse, and having to use it all the time, but I guess it's reality. I'm just a lame person okay?! I promise I love you and I promise I won't be unavailable forever!

Also, let me tell you a story. 

On Sunday morning, I woke up at 3:45 am and proceeded to puke every 20 minutes for the next 6 1/2 hours. That's approximately 20 total times. And sadly, this is not even a slight exaggeration.

After a phone call to my doctor, she confirmed my worst fear: I needed to go to the ER.

Upon which we discovered it was going to cost $1000 big ones, so we opted out of that crap (because A THOUSAND BUCKS? joke.) and went to the urgent care, where we hung out for about 2 hours while the shoved the hugest needles of my life into my hips, and did this test and that test while I sat there dying and just wishing that I could have a drink of water because my mouth felt like the Gobi Desert. Also I fell asleep in the chair at one point, and when I walked out of the office I had a huge red mark on my face which made me laugh because I already looked horrific, so why not?

Thankfully, the injections worked miracles and stopped the vomiting, and even though they made my whole body hurt like you wouldn't believe, I went home and watched movies with Christian all day while eating popsicles and gatorade and being grouchy that I always get so sick on the weekends, but also so thankful that Christian isn't grossed out by me. So that's good. 

Ah pregnancy. Such a beautiful, beautiful mess.  

And I promise I'm done talking about being sick all the time. 

Promise, promise, promise.

14 weeks

And look who finally decided to show up. 

Maybe I look like I just ate too much Taco Bell, but Christian and I have definitely noticed a difference this week. This is one of the sad realities of being tall. Baby has a lot of room to grow, and all mom has to show for it is awkward bloat and tight underwear!

(Which, by the way... THE WORST)

Also, our bathroom mirror is way too small for any sort of belly shot, so the bathroom at work it is!

Pregnancy has gotten SO much better these days. I went 4 1/2 days without throwing up this week, and I've been to the gym 4 times, so I'm calling it a win. 

 Also, we went to the doctor this morning, and baby and I are fine and dandy! I've only lost weight since this whole thing started (which I'm certainly not mad about! I'm sure I'll pack on the pounds soon enough!), and we are only a few weeks away from our gender ultrasound (EEEEEEE). Any guesses? Both our entire families think it's a girl. Minus the brothers who insist it's a boy of course.

And there's the update for you :)

Also, can I get a halle-freaking-lujah for the second trimester? Life seems so much happier now that I'm not wallowing under a blanket of calorie depletion, vomit, emotional trauma and brain fog (actually let's be real that's still there! Pregnancy brain ftw!). 

I'm so thankful that I can soak in these next few months of the holidays and colder weather, anticipate school coming to a close, and dream about a heavenly Christmas break right around the corner. 

Also I have to admit. I've been listening to Christmas music non-stop, and that certainly does a lot to improve my mood. Haters gonna hate, but I'll take any ounce of holiday-induced-happiness I can get!

telling my baby daddy

**First, I need to give a little shout out to the man featured in this post. Christian has done an amazing job taking care of me through this pregnancy thus far. I'm a very blessed girl and I can't wait to watch my sweet husband be a dad!**

Now that the sap fest is over.....
This pregnancy has been full of lots of funny things so far. 

Man, have I filed away a good barfing story or two!

(Or twelve!)

But one of my favorites is the way I broke the news to Christian. 

A little back story:

We knew that pregnancy was a very likely possibility

(let's be real, it was very strategically planned)

and being the anxious annie's we are, we bought some pregnancy tests a little prematurely. 

I took one the earliest I could, and it was negative. So we decided to wait it out for a few days before I did another one. Well, the first day of school rolled around I was feeling great. 

Chipper and happy, and abounding with energy. In fact, I spent 2 hours at the gym that morning like a boss.

(I would kill to feel that awesome again ha!)

So probably a little high on endorphins, I got home from my cycling class and was all

"HEY! Today is freaking great, why not take another pregnancy test!?"

Or something like that. 

 So I do my thing, and then I'm waiting and waiting and waiting.

And it's taking about 100% longer to emit results than my first test did, so I start freaking out because 

"I have been feeling so AWESOME, I can't possibly be pregnant can I?!"

About 3 minutes later, I walk back into the bathroom to see this.

(Sorry. Pee stick pictures are awky!)

And I immediately burst into tears. 

Obviously, I was BEYOND thrilled.

So my poor husband is already at school, hard at work in the library with NO IDEA what's going on at home. I considered waiting to tell him until we were together, or doing some cute announcement for him, or whatever...... and about 2 seconds later I decided that's the STUPIDEST THING EVER.

So I took a picture of the pregnancy test and sent it to him in an email.
(I know I know but guys I just couldn't wait!)

Followed by a frantic strand of g-chat messages, telling him to "CHECK YOUR EMAIL" of course.

So imagine. 

There's Christian, on the first day of a new semester, sitting in the library, and all the sudden he open his email to a positive pregnancy test from his wife. It's a miracle he didn't go into cardiac arrest!

And thankfully he was just as excited as I was.