Hello! I am coming off of an insanely amazing weekend. Not only was it a long one, but we also got some super exciting news! More about that in a second.
First and foremost, I want to thank the incredible men and women who serve and protect our country and those who have served in the past. Thank you for your courage, strength, and dedication. Thank you for allowing us to live freely.
In case you may have missed it, I made an exciting announcement on Friday and then I left you all hanging and waiting for the details. It’s time I fill you in on the some of the details of my pregnancy.
When did we find out?
We found out just before we left for our vacation to London and Paris. I had a midwife appointment and I mentioned that there was a slight possibility that I could be pregnant. We both decided that it would be nice for me to know before going to Europe (not that this would change our travel plans) just so I could know to stay away from the champagne, unpasteurized cheeses, undercooked meats, etc. She sent me down to the lab to run a blood test and a few hours later we found out that sure enough we were pregnant!
This is something we have been wanting for a very long time so we were ecstatic to learn the news.
Finding food to eat in Europe was a bit challenging as they don’t pasteurize many of their milks and cheeses or juices. Also, we read that they don’t often wash their produce so I stayed clear of that in restaurants where I couldn’t go rinse it off. I don’t know if any of this is 100% accurate, but we didn’t want to take the risk. Of course we were also dealing with a bit of a language barrier. We learned how to ask for our meats well-done and of course skipped out on the champagne and wine. It was all good though! But I was very happy that I knew that I was pregnant so that I didn’t have to find out later and then worry about all of the things I ate or drank that I maybe shouldn’t have.
I allowed myself to eat the cheese only if I knew it was scorching hot!
How far along am I?
I am 16, almost 17 weeks. My estimated due date is November 7th/8th.
How have I been feeling?
I can honestly say that I am one of the lucky ones who hasn’t had to deal with morning sickness (knock on wood). I felt nauseous every once in a while in the first trimester but nothing that would send me running to the bathroom.
I was pretty fatigued in the first trimester and would be heading to bed around 8:30 on most nights.
How is my appetite? Any cravings or aversions?
This is a question I love to talk about because it’s food related, duh. In the first trimester, I feel like I could only eat small amounts before getting full. I was starting to notice that when I got hungry I really needed to eat stat. Towards the end of the first trimester and beginning of the second, my appetite went into high drive and I was hungry all of the time and was able to start eating normal sized meals again. Today, I find it best to eat smaller meals and then a few snacks. It sits best with my tummy. I feel my appetite has normalized a little bit, but I am still eating more than I was pre-pregnancy.
Cravings: I was talking to Dana about this one, because I wasn’t too sure if I was truly having any real “cravings.” But then he mentioned how I asked him to pick me up a bag of potato chips and how I had to go get myself a burger one night and then I remembered that yea, I have had a couple cravings. I just don’t get the cravings where I ABSOLUTELY MUST EAT the particular item or I will go crazy. Things just sound good to me and if I can eat them great, if not, that’s okay. I try to go with them because I feel like it’s my body telling me I need something. Chips= sodium. Burger = iron and protein. I have been wanting salty/spicy foods more so than sweet which is odd for me. I have been wanting more red meat than any other meat protein. Another strange one for me.
Aversions: During the first trimester, the thought or smell of chili and coffee made me woozy. Also, chicken in general just wasn’t on my radar. I found that I had a hard time finding foods to eat that sounded or tasted good so often times we would make a meal, I would eat one bite and then have to go make something else because I couldn’t stomach it. Gluten-free pasta was pretty comforting to me. Annie’s mac n’ cheese came to my rescue a few times.
Since the first trimester I feel I am pretty much able to eat anything. My diet is more or less back to my pre-pregnancy diet with tons of fruits and veggies, almond milk, protein (red meat mostly, peanut butter, almond butter, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, beans), whole grains (I have been eating some gluten and seem to be tolerating it well, but still mostly sticking to gluten-free) like quinoa, brown rice tortillas, popcorn, oatmeal, etc. Larabars have been my go-to mid morning snack.
Will I be finding out the gender?
YES! I actually already know it! That’s what all the excitement was about this weekend. We hosted a get together with friends and family which included our gender reveal. We found out at the same time that all of our friends and family found out through a giant balloon popping. The excitement was off the charts! You will have to wait a bit to learn the gender. Any guesses?
The answer was inside of this balloon!
The bump
I hadn’t decided if I was going to share this or not but I know that when I am reading pregnancy announcements and updates that I LOVE to see the sweet bump updates…soooooo. I am doing this for all of you.
I am adjusting to the changes in my body and accommodating my growing bod with elastic waistbands. I am still able to get into some of my normal jeans though! I have yet to purchase a single piece of maternity clothing. I was very fortunate to have a girlfriend who gave me a ton of maternity clothes! This just means more money to spend on baby! 🙂
Rent the Runway decision
The reason I decided not to go with rent the runway for the upcoming wedding is because I wasn’t confident that the dresses would fit my growing belly. They were SO adorable but I just wasn’t comfortable with it. I have found two dresses since then and have two more to try on from a friend, so I should be set now.
Okay, that’s enough for now. I am so excited to share this excitement with all of you! I will check in from time to time with some more updates!
Gender guesses?! BOY OR GIRL??!
