Pregnancy Update

Hey everyone! Sorry that you are not getting a blog post from us until Wednesday. Things are a little crazy busy ( in a good way) for L&L. Be sure and follow us on IG for quicker updates!! I have been wanting to share a pregnancy update with you for a couple of weeks now. We just had our monthly check up on Monday, and I am happy to say that everything is looking good! My doctor mentioned that she will be watching as she noticed I have a low lying placenta. She said I have no reason to be concerned about Placenta Previa ( which is truly my biggest fear in pregnancy), but it hasn't stopped me from googling and reading every good (and bad) story that each person has posted online. Ugh!! Whyyyyyy do I even do that? 

I guess most of all it just makes me even MORE aware of how much of a miracle it truly is to get healthy babies into this world. I don't take for granted one second of what God is doing to grow this baby boy of ours and bring him into the world safely. He has been moving non-stop.... mostly at night just as I settle into bed :). I am grateful for those kicks. Anyway, I am choosing to not worry or be anxious. I am choosing God's peace, and will continue to pray to Him for my health and for a good report at our next ultrasound. 

Weeks: 23 (almost to the 6 month mark. Whaaa?)

Gender: boy!!! Our reveal here incase you missed it.

Sleep: Very restless at night, but day naps are my jam right now. Invested in this pillow, and I couldn't be more pleased! I highly recommend it!

Cravings: French fries, lots of fruit (oranges in particular.... like alll day), salads and lots of water. Much better cravings than I had during my first trimester (junk).

Big sister thoughts: Amara is asking almost daily when we will meet her little brother. It is the sweetest thing, and he is starting to move where you can see the kicks outside of my belly. We try everyday to feel kicks or "see him". We have officially moved the crib and glider out of Amara's room and made it into an official "big girl room". She has adjusted so incredibly well. 

Maternity wear: I have been rocking my normal clothes, with the exception of some borrowed maternity jeans from Leah, but planning on investing in maternity tops and some more denim this week. It is time!! Pea in the Pod is having a great sale, and these items are in my shopping bag: jeans , button up , sweater , nursing bras.

Things that bring me comfort and make me feel pretty: 

Insoles - I bought these to put in my booties for a Justin Timberlake concert we went to a few weeks ago. We stood danced the entire time, so I had to be prepared. They have been in every pair of shoes I have worn since. They help soooooo much with my tired legs.

I have also been using these serums the last few weeks. They feel SO amazing, and have really helped hydrate my dry pregnancy skin. I also invested in this Personal Microdermabrasion wand during the Black Friday sale I saw on Mintarrow.com. Totally noticed a difference in just two uses! I am in love!

This shampoo/conditioner is one that I keep going back to. This line is fairly new, and definitely competes with salon products. There is nothing that smells better to me or hydrates my hair more than good ole Suave, ya'll. It makes me feel like I just left the salon. 

Stretch marks: none yet. Using this belly butter, which worked wonders during my first pregnancy. Plus, the smell is not harsh at all in my opinion. Planning on adding this and this to my regime as well.

Indulgences: I have been getting pedicures and gel manicures, and will continue to do so until this baby arrives. It just makes me feel good and put together... even on my worst days.

Nursery: ummm, what? This baby needs a nursery? 

Thanks for reading! Hope this helps any of you other soon-to-be mamas. I would love to know what some of your must haves are right now!!

-J

IT'S A......

We went to our 5th month check-up today, which is when we also find out the gender. We asked for the Ultrasound tech to put it in an envelope because we wanted to go get a balloon filled with confetti for us to pop and find out as a family. We thought it would be fun for Amara, and wanted to make it extra special.  Leah was sweet enough to let us pop by her entirely gorgeous and so spacious I am jealous new home. The plan was to video and take photos while we popped the balloon and watched the confetti fall and tell us what our sweet new addition would be. As we were setting up and getting ready to start snapping and filming.......

this happened.....

The balloon literally just popped on its own while my husband was walking around with it. The confetti was made of stars ( with really pointy edges), and we think it miraculously poked a hole in the bottom and BOOM! Just like that ( when we weren't even "ready") there was confetti all over the floor.  We all just stopped and stared in silence and in shock!! Number one, we couldn't believe that the balloon popped. I am a little bit of a control freak, so the fact that it didn't go as planned really caught me off guard. Ha! Secondly, wait..... is the BLUE????

 We really thought pink confetti was going to fall out of that balloon, even though we were totally open ( and maybe kind of hoping) for a boy. I felt immediate happiness for my husband who said he was so okay with either and just figured it was going to be a girl. I can't wait to watch him be a dad to a boy!!

We are ready for this new adventure, and are so excited!! After Amara ONLY speaking of a baby sister, and shutting people DOWN if they mentioned a baby brother, we thought it would be hard for her to accept. Honestly, there was an immediate smile on her face and she celebrated with us on our ride home better than I could have hoped for! After her nap today, she woke up and told me " baby brothers can be fun too!" My mama heart melted. We feel grateful for a healthy check up, and for God offering up the perfect addition to our little family of 3. 

Thanks for sharing in our joy!! 

XO!

-J

MY FIRST TRIMESTER....LOOKING BACK

15 week bump

After the pure joy, excitement and "oh my gosh, are we really having another baby?" moment that my husband and I experienced in the beginning of this pregnancy, all I could think about is how badly I wanted to blink my eyes and be in my second trimester. I mean the first trimester is for the birds.... seriously! I LOVE being pregnant, I embrace all of the little things that come with it, but I am a major sicky in the beginning, and it just sucks.

I was truly worried about how bad it would get. Could I still be a good mom to my 3 year old? Will I drive my husband to hate me? Am I being lazy? I would just tell myself that I need to push through it and deal, but my body shut that down real fast.... I literally couldn't get out of bed some days. I remember we found out we were pregnant just before we went to Disney in September, and I just kept asking God to keep me feeling good for the trip so I could enjoy it with my family. He did just that! Literally on the flight home, I started feeling that good ole nausea that you know is from a growing human, not a bad piece of meat.

As I reflect, it is really easy to say that the first trimester "wasn't that bad". I think God designed it that way so we "forget" and keep having kids. Sigh..... My husband travels for a living (he tours doing music), and even when he is home, he has writing sessions that go late and other commitments. I am so grateful that he was home for the majority of my sickness. SO GRATEFUL! Our moms both work during the day, and we have yet to put Amara in childcare. All that to say, I couldn't just fully depend on family that I am most comfortable with. However, we made it through! The hardest part for me was just not having an ounce of energy for my daughter. Getting up to brush my teeth ( which I didn't do most days) was a hardcore chore for me. 

Here are MY tips for making it through the first 3 months ( or longer for some of us :) :

Let people help you!

It is sooooo hard to just let someone take my child for me or come over and be in my house when it is a disaster and I look like I am on my last leg. Trust me.... I get it! However, your friends ( especially other moms who have been there) are such a great tool during this time. If they didn't want to help.... they wouldn't offer. Let them bring you those things you need (milk for your other child that can't be bribed with juice anymore) that you couldn't pick up at the grocery store because you didn't have the energy to go.

Listen to your body:

I can't take prenatal vitamins. They really upset my stomach/system, so I literally take kid gummy vitamins to get my folic acid. I crave coke when I am pregnant.... yes it has caffeine, and probably isn't the healthiest of things during the beginning, but it settles my stomach like no other. I like fries and everything else salty. My stomach would lose it if I tried to eat a sweet of any kind. I can sleep allllllll day. I get most of my energy ( which was still very little) in the late night hours. It was so important for me to just let my body do its thing. I just kept telling myself that it was just a phase, and all of these hours of tv that Amara was watching wouldn't ruin her. Right? There were no instagram posts of me eating a health salad or a juice from Whole Foods. You are not out to impress anyone.... just keep yourself alive! Haha! I tried meds to take away the intense nausea, even though I am highly opposed to taking even a headache medicine if it is unnecessary. I was desperate. The meds helped, but gave me a lot of weird side effects that were almost worse than the actual nausea, so I stopped.

Take lots of naps:

A nap a day is essential for me. Even as we are entering the second trimester, I continue to nap when Amara naps in the afternoon. Did I mention how grateful I am that she still naps? :) It just makes the 5-7 o'clock window much more doable. Normally, I am dragging around that time.

Don't "make more" for yourself:

You guys.... this has been my biggest lesson. There is so much that I was even doing for Amara that I didn't have to do. Me being in the bed a lot the last 3 months has really forced Amara to be more independent, and it has made me realize that things can still go on without me having my hand in every. little. step of the day. I am still embracing this lesson as my pregnancy goes on. I cannot carry her everywhere and every time she asks, or grab every little toy for her or get her a snack RIGHT when she asks. All of that has been a good lesson for both of us. 

Drink lots of water:

I struggle with this on a daily basis... pregnant or not. However, during this pregnancy, nothing as truly quenched the crazy thirst I will get in the middle of the night like water. I helps me fight dizziness, headaches, and even slight nausea at times. I am really trying to make a conscious effort to increase my intake daily.

Don't cut bangs if you don't already have them:

Yeah, just don't do that.

I have really enjoyed watching other mamas-to-be on Instagram and/or blogs that I follow. So much has changed even in 3 years, so it is fun to see what new products are out there, what they have chosen to differently the second time around, their style and so much more. Here are some of my favs to follow right now:

Naomi over at Love Taza

Brooke from Somewhere, Lately

Sarah Shabacon ( IG name sarahshabacon) from I Wear the Headress

Amy at Little Hip Squeaks

Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere

Thanks for reading! Have a beautiful weekend friends!!

-J