There are only a few more months to go before Nick and I have a baby. A son. A living, breathing little human that is going to be dependent on us for EVERYTHING. Holy Crap! In all seriousness, though, we’re getting pretty excited. And I’m getting a little nervous, especially about labor & delivery. I’m trying to remain calm and positive about it so I don’t freak myself out. The last thing I need is a traumatic birthing experience. To all the mamas out there, I’d love to hear about your positive experiences/moments in the comments! No negative or scary stories, please. It’s not good for my psyche.

On to the baby stuff…

baby size: Approximately 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama or bok choy) and about 16.7 inches long. Although it still looks fairly small, my belly is measuring right where it should be at 32 cm (also known as fundal height).

cravings: Though not as intense, I’m still craving cereal and I eat a bowl (or two) each day. We’ve gone through A LOT of milk! Baby S should have the strongest bones on the block when we arrives. The past month I’ve been chowing down mostly on Rice Krispies cereal with bananas. I passed my gestational diabetes test (meaning I don’t have GD) but we discovered that I’m slightly anemic (losing iron to the baby) which is very common in pregnancy, so my doctor has advised me to add more meat, beans, and leafy green vegetables to my diet. No big deal. The good news is that Rice Krispies are enriched with iron so my bowl or two a day is probably helping.

I have a serious cereal problem!

movement: Baby S is moving around so much! Before, I was mostly feeling him in the evenings but now it’s all the time: mornings, evenings, middle of the afternoon, when I wake up to pee in the middle of the night, when we’re in childbirth class… He’s even kicked my ribs a few times, which is painful. I’ll be sitting on the couch and feel a sharp jolt in my ribs that makes me jump. I gently ask him to kick somewhere else. Luckily, he doesn’t do that very often but I imagine bruised ribs all the same. He also gets the hiccups several times a day, usually after I eat a meal or drink something really cold. As weird as it is, I love feeling him moving around and I think that might be the only thing I’ll miss about being pregnant once he’s here.

miss anything?: I miss being able to comfortably bend over to do things like put on socks, tie my shoes, and pick up things off the floor. My belly is pretty big for my small frame and it’s been getting in the way of certain things. I also miss getting to wear all of my clothes! I have so many cute skirts and pants that just aren’t comfortable with my belly band. Same with some of my cute tops — they just don’t fit over the belly so they’re all just sitting patiently in my closet until I can fit into them again. I could purchase more maternity clothes but I only have a few more months and plenty of non-maternity things that fit, plus the budget could be better spent elsewhere.

how we’re prepping: We’re still working on the nursery, but we’re so close! We’ve had two small baby showers already with one more planned  for next month (which is a little embarrassing to admit that we’re having so many but it was really hard to get all of our people in one place at the same time) so we’re still stocking up. Most of the furniture is in and most of the decor is finished. We’re just missing a few pieces like a rocking chair/glider.

We’re also reading as many books and taking as many classes as we can. I’m actually really interested in Hypnobirthing so I’ve been reading books and resources on that method of pain management, and Nick has been reading books and articles about how to be a great support person (he’s going to be amazing, I know it). Last week we took a childbirth class, this week we’re taking a tour of the Labor & Delivery unit of the hospital and a newborn care class, and in a few weeks we’ll be taking breastfeeding classes. I’m learning so much!

looking forward to: Completing the nursery so we have one less thing I have to worry about. Feeling like I’m ready, although, will I ever feel ready? Probably not.

best moment so far: I already mentioned this last week, but I was concerned that I wasn’t gaining enough weight. My midwife said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad.

Yesterday I talked about how my go-to formula lately has been sweater (top) + jeans + boots. Here’s another example of how well that works. It was almost 70 degrees so I got to wear a tee under the cardigan and I’m not complaining.

I wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment the other morning and I told my midwife I was concerned that I’m not gaining enough weight. She said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad 😉

It was totally warm enough to not wear the cardigan but it wasn’t too warm that I was uncomfortable in it, so I mostly left it on.

You can see the tip of my sock, which I think is cute. I hate the advice I’ve seen some bloggers give that your socks should never be visible but there really isn’t anyone looking down my shoe so I see no reason to worry about it. Plus, it could give a nice, unexpected pop of color.

Tee: Gap | Sweater Cardigan: Loft Outlet | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

My fall and winter maternity formula has been sweater + jeans + boots. Completer pieces may vary.

Even though I don’t have an office to go to anymore, I feel that I’m more productive if I actually get dressed instead of staying in my pajamas all day. I wore this to run to the UPS store and to grab a quick lunch. It saw very little daylight but it did see me do some laundry, get some freelance work done, and prepare for a job interview, so I’d call it a win. Plus, I liked it enough to want to share it. I’ll be putting it on repeat for the next few weeks, at least until the sweater doesn’t fit over the bump anymore. You can see in some of the photos that I’m not too far from that. Also, I debated whether to wear this necklace because you can barely see it in the photos but in real life I think it looks nice, so no regrets.

Here’s the evidence (below) that my bump is almost too big for this sweater. See how my tank top is showing underneath because it’s longer/fits over the bump better than the sweater? I won’t be able to wear it much longer. Le sigh.

The weather has been very spring-like lately so it hasn’t even been that cold. If this keeps up, I might have to change up my formula to cute top + jeans + boots/flats sooner than expected. But, really, who am I to complain about beautiful sunshine and 60-degree weather?

Sweater: J. Crew Outlet | Vest: Banana Republic | Necklace: Old Navy | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: Steve Madden | Sunglasses: Target

Holy cow, when did I become six months pregnant? It feels like the time is both flying and creeping along. March will be here before you know it, but let’s get through these holidays first, shall we? In the last few weeks, I think I’ve started experiencing every pregnancy symptom there is when you’re in the second trimester, which has been rough considering I went from no symptoms to ALL of them. I experience a lot of gas pain/pressure in my ribs and back, getting comfortable has become increasingly difficult, and I get breathless just sitting on the couch! I’ve been trying to do some prenatal yoga to help me feel better. But, enough about that!

baby size: 11.8ish inches and 1.3ish lbs, about the size of a large zucchini or ear of corn. He’s now considered viable if we were to be born tomorrow!

cravings: Chocolate-y cereal and cookies (fig newtons and sugar cookies). Y’all, the amount of sweets I’ve been eating this pregnancy has been unreal. I’ve always preferred salty and crunchy foods over sweets (like chips, fries, and savory cheese) but since becoming pregnant and having cravings, I’ve wanted the sweet stuff. I’m a little concerned that I’ll end up with gestational diabetes or something. I’ve gotten much better about balancing my intake of healthy foods with the sweets, but I still have that bowl of cocoa puffs before bed just about every night.

feelings: Emotionally, I’ve been staying pretty stable. I have had a few days recently where the crying has been free-flowing because of current life situations, but nothing that hasn’t been controllable. I figure I’m allowed to have a little catharsis every now and then. Physically, however, I’m feeling it. Like I mentioned above, I’m having all the symptoms right now and that’s making me a little moody.

movement: Baby boy is moving All. The. Time. I still feel him most in the evenings when I’m relaxing on the couch, but he does randomly kick and punch throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll even feel him moving around in the middle of the night if I wake up from a weird dream or have to go to the bathroom. It worries me just a little on the days he’s really still, but I guess he needs his rest like everyone else.

miss anything?: The holidays are coming up, which means parties and dressing up are just around the corner. Right now, I miss getting to wear all of my pretty and fancy dresses to holiday gatherings. And, while I haven’t done a deep search, it’s been harder than I expected to find a fun, glittery cocktail-style dress for pregnant women.

looking forward to:  Working on the nursery. The crib is up and we’re debating whether we should paint the room before we get any more furniture. Initially, I wasn’t interested in painting but here lately I’ve been changing my mind. We’re going with a woodlands/forest theme so I’m thinking we might paint at least one wall light blue and then put up a tree decal and paint some clouds. It seems like a lot of work so we’ll see what we end up deciding.

how we’re prepping: We’re still adding items to our registry to prep for baby showers. I have very little experience with babies so I’m practically clueless when it comes to knowing exactly what they’ll need besides a bed, food, and diapers. I’ll add a bunch of things to the registry and then remove them, and sometimes add them back! Do we need a changing table or should we invest in a dresser with a changing pad? Which mattress is best? What are the pros and cons of everything?  Ugh, it’s very overwhelming.

best moment of the month: Not specifically related to the pregnancy but I really enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with our families, some of whom haven’t seen the bump in a while, if at all. I love family so getting to spend the holiday with them while we’re prepping for our own little family was one of the best things to happen this entire year.

That’s it for now. Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s updates.

Linkups: Let it Shine

I love reading random things about the bloggers that I follow so I thought you might enjoy reading some about me. I think it’s a nice way to get to know someone a little better.

1. I’ve never had any surgeries in my life. How I managed that, I have no idea but my dentist has been fussing at me to have my wisdom teeth removed for years and I’m just like, “Nah, I’m good.” That makes me really nervous about the possibility of having to have a c-section at the end of this pregnancy. The plan is to have a medication-free labor and delivery but I understand that you don’t really know what’s going to happen until it’s going down. I’m keeping those fingers crossed, though!
2. My secret favorite dinner is party foods: charcuterie, chips, dips, bite-sized anything really. When I moved into my very first apartment in undergrad, I ate a lot of “party foods” for dinner because I could! Wavy chips and french onion dip, little sausages in thick sauces, bite-sized pizzas, sausage balls, etc. My other/more acceptable favorite dinner is sushi. Who am I kidding, I just love to eat.
3. I love the idea of reading non-fiction but I prefer good fiction. Sometimes reading about real life is just too depressing for me and I often read for an escape. While I think non-fiction is really important and I read it from time to time, I gravitate toward something that is made up and sucks me in. However, I’m currently reading Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Yes, I’m way behind on the times.

4. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. In elementary school, we had career day and I was upset because I didn’t know how to dress up as an author so I dressed up as a doctor instead. I won a story-telling contest in 5th grade for a story I wrote called Rumpelstiltskin Continued, as well as an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood that was told from the wolf’s perspective.
5. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I love being in the field of public health but I feel like I still haven’t found my calling, so I just do all kind of things and have become somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. I think that works for me, for now.

On to the outfit: sometimes I take too much time getting ready because I overthink things. Do I have the right completer piece? What is the best necklace to wear? Which shoes look best? But I’m learning it’s easy to keep it simple and still look good. Sweater, jeans, cute shoes, and a necklace. Doesn’t get much more simple than that, except maybe sweatpants or pajamas. I suppose you could wear sweatpants to the grocery store but this simple casual outfit is better and it didn’t even take that much to put together. As the weather gets colder, I’ll add a vest or cardigan as my completer piece but for now, this is just fine.

Sweater: Old Navy | Jeans: Liz Lange maternity @ Target | Shoes: Target | Necklace: Claire’s (old)