14 & 15 weeks

Second trimester is officially in full swing and all I think I can sum it up with one word: bliss.  Yes, pure bliss.  It's like the clouds have lifted and I can see the heavens!  Those dark clouds of nausea all day long, feeling like a zombie, wanting to curl up into a ball at any time of the day, looking at food and wishing it actually tasted better than how it made you feel and yet you force it down because it will be your saving grace to tide over your ever-upset stomach. Yes, second trimester sure has treated me well!  

I'm beyond thankful that I'm feeling great.  The only things that have caught me off guard is this new found insomnia.  This girl just isn't tired when it comes to bed time, and then I end up tossing all night long, not falling into a good sleep until 2am.  There's no body aches or anything contributing to it, just a mind that is on overdrive at night time.  I'm going to try drinking chamomile tea at night time as well as taking a warm bath to see if that helps because I'm left exhausted the following day. 

This past weekend I ended up getting my first maternity outfit.  Everything has still been fitting me, which I've been so thankful for, but there was a maxi skirt and tank top at Target that were so soft and luscious, they basically had my name all over them.  And they did not disappoint.  I also bought a white top which I'm wearing during 15 weeks, the other one was getting a little bit tight.  I'm still waiting for the belly to "pop".  Maybe it has?  I just can't tell. 

I plan on writing more about exercising when pregnant, but I wanted to share how that has been going for me.  I'm still able to run 3-4 days a week, although my pace has slowed down and I'm getting winded a bit easier.  I go to a bootcamp one day a week at the beach and have been able to keep up.  Modifications are made for plyometric moves as well as abdominal moves.  70% is the new 100%.  My instructor told me that you don't want to be winded because your baby's oxygen is caught off as soon as yours is.  So, working out at a 70% intensity level is what is best during pregnancy.  Sadly, I've found it more difficult to exercise because I'm so tired in the mornings due to the lack of sleep and am feeling a bit unmotivated.  I did swim laps last Friday, which is something I haven't done for a good 5 years.  Holy smokes!  What a workout.  I only swam for 30 minutes, and boy was I tired (and so sore the following day).  That is something I definitely plan on keeping up with during this pregnancy.  

Each day we pray over our sweet baby boy, and I just can't find words to express how much I love these moments.  We pray for his development, his health, for him to love God with all his heart.  

Next steps: registering!  And I'm already completely overwhelmed with just where to register.  I'm hoping to nail that down by the end of the week but any suggestions would be so lovely! 

two napkins really do make a pillow

Happy Monday lovelies!  I hope you had a very beautiful and relaxing weekend.  Our weekends have changed a bit now that Daniel is working Sundays instead of Saturdays.  The transition has been harder than expected (I know, it seems silly that one day would make such a different).  We were in a groove on Sundays: make breakfast, go to church, grocery shop, relax all afternoon.  Now that he is working on Sundays we are limited when we can go to church.  Our church has an 8pm service, and last week we tried to go...it failed.  And I turned into that wife I didn't want to be.  I was upset that he can't just leave when he is "off", that we couldn't go to church, and it turned into the "Jamie Pity Show".  I know, it's not pretty.  And that makes me forever grateful for a loving, and forgiving, husband who never remembers these ugly moments the next day, and just hugs me through it all.  

So this morning I went to church solo.  And instead of being upset, I got inspired to catch up on some crafts that I've been wanting to do for a couple months.  On the list of things to do were make new throw pillows for the living room and new coasters.  

For the coasters I followed this tutorial and it turned out quite well.  I'm not very familiar with stenciling, so it was a bit of trial and error.  The cat kept jumping up on them, then the stencil would slip a minute later, paint was everywhere...in the long run here were the 6 that turned out: 

And the two that didn't.  

Next up were the throw pillows.  I attempted some last summer, and even though they were cute-they just weren't quite what I wanted.  I found the pillow forms at Ikea (after much digging around) for $6 each.  A friend mentioned that the best way to make pillows was to use fabric napkins!  Genius, right?  Off to Anthropologie I went and ended up spending way too much money.  They all ranged from $8-12 a piece.  So I decided to check our World Market, just to be on the safe side.  Turns out I was able to find napkins there just as cute, for only $3.99.  I ended up keeping one from Antrho and used the rest from World Market.  Oh, and the black and white one I can't take credit for-that's all Ikea.  Overall, I'm in LOVE with how they turned out and they are a beautiful reminder that we all have our moments and we can make something beautiful out of unpleasant attitudes! 

it's a....

 

Well, it looks like we are having a little prince!  We couldn't be more excited and thrilled to have a little boy.  We found out just the two of us yesterday, which was such an emotional experience.  Before I was ever pregnant I always thought that I would be itching to find out what we were having.  As the weeks went by, know that we had a healthy baby safe inside was all I wanted and I wasn't that anxious to find out the gender.  Seeing how much our little guy has grown during our ultrasound was so overwhelming, the little nose displayed itself perfectly for us as well as so many other features, including 10 tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes. 

To share with our parents what we were having, we filled a box with blue balloons and they opened it up together.  What a beautiful surprise for them!

It is always so crazy to hear what people say about what gender your baby will be.  The moment my mom hugged me after I shared we were pregnant she had a feeling it was a boy.  I'm quite a girly-girl and really thought I'd want a girl so badly, but then I saw us with a little boy and I just couldn't be more excited! 

Oh Boy!!!