Instagram Favourites

Instagram appears to be my favourite social media channel these days, probably because it’s visual so there tends to be very little thinking and when I scroll through and see adorable babies and cute pups I feel all warm inside. Or maybe that’s just the heat and my crazy preggo hormones but it’s still a nice feeling. I haven't cried yet so that’s a plus.

I follow a bunch of random accounts (and if all they post are giveaways I delete, delete, delete) and wanted to share a few of my favourites. If you know of them already then sorry for not bringing anything new to your life today but if you haven’t you should check them out! They probably won’t make you cry either.

CrazyJewishMom

This mom is insane in the most awesome way. She texts her daughter constantly and trashes makes fun of her boyfriend, her apartment location but most of all pleads with her to dump her boyfriend because he hasn’t proposed yet. Mom introduces herself to strangers and tried to set her daughter up with them. It’s quite entertaining and I have had people wonder if it’s a bit staged now but I don’t care because I love it.

HumansofNY

This insta account is good for a dose of real life, profiling all kinds of people young and old. You meet people who overcame everything and graduated from college as well as kids who want to be a fairy when they grow up.

Insta2yearold

Live through the eyes of a toddler and she nails it. She does have some good genes; her mom mommyshorts is pretty entertaining as well. I have one question – what happens when she turns 3?!?

Megawat

Megan was a blogger I followed religiously because of her delicious but EASY recipes but she got too busy with her jewelry business and life with her baby girl so now she just posts recipes on her Instagram account! I miss reading her blog but love that she still shares here – you will not be disappointed.

AverageCoupleProblems

Not too much to say here, funny and oh so true…

What are some of your favourite Instagram accounts??

Bump Date: 22 Weeks

I always end up doing bump photos at work...

How far along: 22 weeks

Size of Baby: Spaghetti squash / 1 lb

Gender: Sweet baby GIRL!

Symptoms: Other than the usual tiredness and massive boobs (can’t even imagine them getting bigger) I am feeling pretty great right now!

Stretch marks: Still looking good but have decided to switch to coconut oil because I’m hearing mixed reviews on message boards about Bio Oil and that even though it’s promoted to pregnant women, it contains retinyl palmitate which is like Retin A and potentially dangerous. Coconut oil seems to be good for everything and I read that if you whip it up once and put it in an air tight container it will stay like that. Seems worth it to me.

Sleep: Still sleeping really well thankfully and so looking forward to sleeping in and daily naps while on vacation next week. Thankfully we drive there so I will be bringing my snoogle and a couple other pillows.

Husband: was initially experiencing a tiny bit of gender disappointment (don’t hate on him, I discuss it here) but now I smile from ear to ear every time I hear him say “our daughter…”.

Belly Button: in and showing no signs of popping.

Movement: YES! I thought I felt an actual tiny kick yesterday and then this morning I felt it again 3 times! As a FTM I’m can’t be sure that they are kicks but what else could they be?

Cravings: I have been drinking coffee again, all of a sudden on Monday I wanted coffee instead of tea and had it again yesterday and today.

Maternity Clothes: my mom has spoiled me with a couple new things from H&M plus I found a great non-maternity light dress last weekend and may or may not have purchased in multiple colours. I will do a post on my favourite pieces soon.

Best Part of The Week: Between finding out we are having a baby girl and finally feeling her little kicks, this week has been overflowing with baby love.

Worst Part of the Week: Monday morning was rough. I woke up exhausted and feeling completely drained and seriously considered calling in sick (but didn’t).

Missing Most: this never changes for me – wine!

Looking Forward To: being on vacation next week and our first lake trip of the year.

Baby P is a...

Imagine our surprise!

Old wives tales (and apparently mommy’s gut feeling) cannot be trusted at all.

But we are also thrilled to bits and really the only important thing actually is that baby is healthy. And we are pretty sure that she is although she was being difficult during the ultrasound (is this that a sign??) and so I have to go back to check out the kidneys, etc. So they managed to get the top (brain, heart) and bottom (gender) and we have to go back for the middle.

After some gentle prodding baby girl pulled her face away from the placenta (she was right up in it) and lifted one of her hands to rub her eye… it was SO CUTE! Then we saw her opening and closing her mouth… another adorable moment. We don’t have any pictures of these adorable moments but they are burned into my brain plus I hope to get more when I go back in a couple weeks.

I have to admit that my hubby took a bit longer to “settle” with the news, not because he doesn’t want a girl, more because he has no clue how he will relate to a little girl. He was imagining himself teaching a son to ride dirt bikes, use power tools and run his landscaping equipment – and eventually his landscaping company – but at first he couldn’t imagine doing those things with his daughter.  I assured him that I want him to still do those things with our baby girl, that I want her to experience everything she can, with both of us, and that there isn’t any reason she can’t take over his company one day. And how cool is a woman that uses power tools? I wish I could. Then I reminded him of the special relationships that both his older brothers have with their daughters (both firstborn) and told him that I can’t wait to see her fall in love with her daddy. I truly am so excited for the moment they meet each other.

So Friday passed in a blur as it sank in that I am getting my own mini-me (YAY!) although of course we managed to do some baby shopping (show me all the purple!)… followed by more baby shopping with Nana on Saturday. I have to confess that I didn’t buy a ton of stuff, baby girl won’ t be in summer stuff until next year and who knows what size she will be, but it was so much fun to actually look at all the colours!

Sunday I actually got up and made breakfast for Daddy-to-be (Sunday is always my lazy day and hubby ends up doing all the cooking), baked him a carrot cake and gave him a new hat, then we went for lunch with my stepdad and father-in-law. After our ‘celebrations’ I had a quick visit with a friend and then went home to finish up all the prep for this coming week. It was a busy weekend and by the time I crawled into bed last night I was so drained and worn out.

Now I just have to concentrate on making it through this week, this coming weekend – a work golfing weekend – and then I am off for a week. We are heading up to the cabin to spend a blissful five days in one of my favourite places ever. So excited!!

Any recommendations for a preggo on vacation? There will be naps…

Linking up with:

Manic Monday | Monday Morning Gossip | Weekend Recap

 

Gender Update

I just wanted to post a quick note to say that we do know what we are having but we are waiting until we have personally told everyone we want to before posting it anywhere online. But I will be announcing next week!

P.S. Baby P was not very cooperative during the ultrasound so I have to go back in for another one in 2 weeks (more pics of my baby? don’t mind if I do!). What the tech was able to see all looks great!

Needless to say I will be shopping tonight J

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Wives Tales Gender Predictions

I am totally stealing this post idea from Alycia and as we have our ultrasound to find out the gender of our little babe TONIGHT I thought it would be fun!

FETAL HEART RATE

They say you will have a girl if the baby's heart rate is higher than 140bpm, and a boy if it is less.

Predicted GIRL

RING SWING

Tie your wedding ring to a piece of string and hold it about 12 inches over your belly. If it swings in a circle, its a boy, and if it goes back and forth, its a girl.

Predicted BOY

CHINESE GENDER CALENDAR

Predicted BOY

MORNING SICKNESS

If you are having little to mild morning sickness, they say you are having a boy. Severe morning sickness means a girl.

I had one bout of morning sickness on the last day of my first trimester.

Predicted BOY

CARRYING HIGH VS LOW

The old wives tales says that if you are carrying high, you are having a girl. If you are carrying low, it's a boy.

I am so totally carrying low.

Predicted BOY

PREFERRED SLEEPING SIDE

If you usually sleep on your left side, they say you'll have a boy, and if on your right, a girl.

When I first get into bed I lay on my left side and watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory (I seriously love that show and need all the Bazinga onesies regardless of gender so if you know of any drop me a note ASAP please!) but I always roll onto my right side to go to sleep and pretty much stay there.

Predicted GIRL

CRAVINGS

They say sweet and fruity cravings mean a girl and salty cravings mean a boy. 

I don’t really have any cravings but anything fried tastes good to me so I’m probably closest to salty meaning…

Predicted BOY

SKIN CONDITION

They say a girl will steal your beauty, so if you're breaking out more its a girl. If your skin is smooth and "glowing" it will be a boy.

I have broken out a bit (mainly on my neck eew?!?) BUT I have had 3 people tell me that the baby has not ‘stolen my beauty’ therefore I am having a boy (this includes my taxi driver in Amsterdam) so another lean towards…

Predicted BOY

  

NECKLACE OVER HAND TEST

Take a necklace with a pendant on it and hang it over your hand, palm up. This test is supposed to show the genders of all your children. If it swings in a circle, it means girl, and in a line (up and down, side to side or diagonal) it means boy. 

I tried this with both my left and right hands and it took a few beats to get started but both times it was back and forth in a line.

Predicted BOY

Almost all these old wives tales coincide with the gut feeling I have had from the start that that this little nugget is a sweet baby boy.

What do you think I am having??

Bump Date: 21 Weeks

I am so happy to say that I am feeling much better this week! I am still pretty tired but my overall mood has definitely shifted. We do have something very exciting happening this week so that may helped.

A no make-up selfie with one of hubby's lawnmowers in the background, we're rocking 21 weeks!

How far along: 21 weeks

Size of Baby: a pomegranate / 10.5 inches... last week it was a banana at 6.5" so my baby has basically almost doubled in size?? and where are these gigantic pomegranates coming from? Not too sure about these apps right now...

Gender: ONE MORE SLEEP!

The ultrasound is tomorrow!!!

I am equally excited and terrified - sh*t's getting real!

Symptoms: not too bad this week, mainly just feeling tired, my hip and back aren't even that bad so maybe yoga is helping :)

Stretch marks: Not yet and getting better with the evening lather up.

Sleep: sleeping well this week, loving my snoogle.

Husband: surprised me again this week when he rolled over one morning and cuddled up behind and asked "how are my lady and my baby doing this morning?"

Belly Button: in

Movement: I THINK I am finally feeling something! It's more like the odd air bubble than a kick but it's nothing I have felt before and it's in my belly. So fingers crossed I just feel more :)

Cravings: I am enjoying bland things like pepperoni pizza and muffins but no need to have cravings.

Maternity Clothes: maternity is just the most comfortable now especially with it being hot.

Best Part of The Week: finally feeling our little babe <3

Worst Part of the Week: getting up every morning, it's such a struggle lol

Missing Most: it's so gorgeous out and I am so missing enjoying wine in the sun.

Looking Forward To: tomorrow's ultrasound!!!

Can't Live Without It

I knew that getting knocked up at the beginning of the year meant that I was in for a hot, uncomfortable summer and that July and August were basically going to suck. So when a heat wave hit us about 10 days ago I was completely unprepared! We hadn’t brought the AC out of storage and I hadn’t bought my personal kiddie pool for the backyard. I was not a happy camper. Then last weekend I dragged my husband to Bed Bath & Beyond buy a new pillow case for my snoogle (a preggo’s sleeping dream come true) we came across something I have only even seen in Chevy Chase comedies and I threw that sucker into our cart faster than… well something fast, a speed skater?

That it came in purple was a pure bonus.

And I want to preface this pathetic photo with a note that I did try to find a pretty photo on the website but no such luck. Also if you follow me on insta you have already had the pleasure :)

I bought (and love) and personal fan spritzer!! At $14.99 it was a no-brainer and lives on my bedside table. I use it mainly on my face and chest but also give my feet a little spritz as well. 

It. is. awesome.

My hubby thought I was purchasing on crazy preggo hormones but every time he gets up to our bedroom before me he steals it. Not so crazy now am I hubby??

Oh and the portability makes it the perfect accessory for our trips to the lake, who (besides my husband apparently) would steal this from a pregnant woman in the blazing heat? Score!

Linking up with Stephanie, Laura and Cait for Can't Live Without It. 

Bump Date: We're Halfway!

This has been a tough week. I feel pretty gross and blah. I am exhausted and barely able to keep my eyes open while I’m at work. My stomach hasn’t been feeling great and I don’t really have any desire to eat. I have a smoothie every morning and have been forcing myself to eat a yogurt and watermelon so there is something in my stomach but I need more greens. Pretty sure I am a total bitch at the office, everything pisses me off and my phrase of the week appears to be ‘I am going to lose my shit’. By the time I get home I have no energy to do anything more than make a couple lunches, walk Milo around the block and take up residence on the couch or in bed. Yesterday I stopped at my mom’s on my way home from work to pick up Milo and got some support through a bit of an emotional breakdown (aren’t Mom’s the best?) drove home, told my hubby he was on his own for dinner and crawled into bed. I watched TV for a bit, spent 15 minutes putting the pillow case on my snoogle (W.T.F.?? talk about losing my shit!) and passed out for what I think was a pretty decent sleep.

To top it all off I hit 20 weeks this week – HALFWAY YAY! – and got my super cute graphic but wasn’t able to print it because the printer is broken. And I am too darn lazy to make a trip to London Drugs when I know I could print it perfectly for free 20 feet from my desk if on the blue was working!

So annoyed with life right now.

Two questions:

1)      Does it get better? (and do I get nicer?!)

2)      Is the glow a big fat lie?

And now for my actual bump date...

How far along: 20 weeks. Officially in the second trimester!

I am trying to keep in mind that I had a few rough days at my previous milestone of 12 weeks so hopefully in a day or so I will feel much better.

Size of Baby: a banana / 6.5 inches

Gender: the answer is finally within reach… one week from today we have the anatomy and gender ultrasound so the latest we will know is next Friday. We will finally know if our baby boy is indeed a baby boy!

Symptoms: Extreme moodiness. Exhaustion. So much pain in my right lower back, butt, hip and outer thigh. Not so sure it’s my sciatic or just my pelvis dropping on that side. Either way by the time I go to bed my hip and thigh are on fire. I’m actually looking into essential oils to relieve some of the pain because I only let myself take Tylenol every once in a while.

Oh and my boobs are OUT OF CONTROL!

Stretch marks: Still looking good and still oiling/creaming.

Sleep: once I’m asleep it’s pretty good as long as my stomach is behaving, but I have to find a comfortable position for my aching right leg.

Husband: being pretty sweet, helping when he can and leaving me alone when I ask.

Belly Button: in

Movement: I am not feeling movement but I am getting sharp pains in my left groin area and my right side below my belly button feels like it is bruised internally or something. I just want to feel my baby kick or move or something.

Cravings: Still nothing. How boring. I do keep reminding my hubby that he needs to remember this in case I go out of control in the coming months.

Maternity Clothes: basically in maternity clothes except for a fabulously light dress I found for $16! It’s summery, has thick straps so I can wear it to work and is a very light fabric.

Best Part of The Week: Saying screw it and crawling into bed at 6:30pm last night. I needed some me time.

Worst Part of the Week: The rest of the week L

Missing Most: patio cocktails

Looking Forward To: the ultrasound next week, not knowing the gender is driving me insane!!

That Weekend I Stayed Awake

This weekend was super busy – I didn’t nap either day so that right there tells you that I had a lot going on. I can’t believe I have to wait another 5 sleeps until another one is on my horizon. But don’t get too excited because we didn’t really do anything too crazy. Oh what weekends with wine are like compared to now are so drastically different.

Friday evening I dragged my husband into Bed, Bath & Beyond for a snoogle pillowcase and also ended up buying myself a personal fan spritzer. All we kept hearing going into the weekend was the heatwave coming our way so I was determined to do anything to keep cool. My husband thought this was hilarious but last night he kept stealing it from me.

My personal spritzer fan

Saturday was my first prenatal yoga class and it went great! After class I picked up my birthday drink from Starbucks and headed to my first pregnancy/baby show. I talked to our local library, a naturopath, prenatal and postnatal caregivers, maternity physiotherapists, the local nurses, lactation consultants and even the childcare people who oversee all the daycares in our area. The smart people had snacks at their stand (they were guaranteed a visit from me) and others didn’t do anything for me. It was all very educational though and helpful in a bunch of areas (like getting on the daycare waitlists ASAP!) so I’m glad I spent a couple hours there. I went grocery shopping on my way home (I even bought our first pack of diapers, I feel like spreading out the purchases is smart, again my hubby thought I was insane. Also grocery shopping while pregnant is dangerous – I bought Alphaghetti for the first time since I was about 6. WTF??).

No makeup, so hot and Starbucks in hand. Saturday is about to become my bitch (not).

I think my Saturday afternoon/evening consisted of putting away groceries, fruit and veggie prep for the week, eating at various points throughout and finally crawling into bed at 9pm. Yeah we’re cool like that.

On Sunday I was determined to be lazy but then I did 5 loads of laundry, cleaned out half of our living room (the corner where I was hoarding all my crap, found my fitbit yay!) and visited with my husband’s grandparents and father. By the time we got home it was too late to nap so I relaxed on the couch while he cooked us dinner. I love not having to cook.

We headed up to bed just before 9pm and then of course as soon as I climbed in I was wide awake and checking Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest… I hate going to sleep for some reason. Even on weekends, I try and push it as far as I can. Is anyone else like that?

I love this face... ignoring all the crap behind him, this is how Milo waits for me to come up to bed. Once we're both upstairs he can relax.

And then all too quickly here we are at Monday. Fun. Let’s just take it one day at a time.

Linking up with:

Manic Monday | Monday Morning Gossip | Weekend Recap

 

Jumping on the 4 Bandwagon

I had an awesome sleep last night (only had to get up and pee twice = winning!) so one would think that I might wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed but no such like. Hubby had to call upstairs 3 times for me to actually get out of bed (and that really only happened because I had to pee). A few hours later now and I still feel half asleep. So happy it's Thursday and beyond thrilled that tomorrow is Friday. I really need to win the lottery. Although at this point I would probably spend about 23 hours per day in bed and that's gross. So I promise that if I win the lottery I will only let myself spend up to 12 hours in bed. 
Because I am too sleepy to think for myself right now I am following Jessa's cue and jumping on the '4' blogger bandwagon. Let's see if I can remember that much about myself...

4 Jobs I've Had

1. Server

2. Seamstress for West Virginia Power

3. Beer Girl at West Virginia Power 

4. Bank Teller 

4 Movies I've Watched More Than Once

1. Pitch Perfect

2. The Notebook

3. The Heartbreak Kid

4. Beaches 

4 Books I would Recommend

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2. You by Caroline Kepnes

3. Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin

4. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

4 Books I want to Read

1. You Before My by JoJo Moyes

2. War Brides

3. On Beauty by Zadie Smith

4. Beyond Belief by Jenna Hill

4 Places that I Have Been 

1. Macchu Pichu (after hiking the Inca Trail, when we lived in Peru)

2. Bolivia and Lake Titicaca (on a school field trip)

3. France

4. Amsterdam

4 TV Shows I Watch

1. The Big Bang Theory

2. Big Brother

3. Vanderpump Rules

3. Nashville

4 Things I'm Looking Forward to This Year (2015)

1. Baby P!

2. Getaways to the cabin

3. My sister B's wedding

4. 

4 Things About My Appearance

1. I'm 5'4"

2. Brown eyes

3. Long hair that I never do anything with but refuse to chop any time soon

4. Never in heels

4 Things In My Purse

1. Aquaphor

2. Wallet

3. Candies

4. Cell phone

4 Things I Can't Live Without

1. Chapstick

2. iPad

3. Cell phone

4. Comfy clothes (pajama pants, etc.)