Despite my best of intentions I’ve totally failed at taking bump pictures.  I had planned on keeping up my silhouette photos, however I haven’t so the picture below is the best I’ve got.  My sister asked to see the bump one day when I was at the gym so I took a quick pick with my iPhone.  I’m completely unable to explain that weird smirk on my face, but at least I have some kind of documentation of the bump during the 6th month!

6MonthsPregnant_SecondTrimester

Second Trimester: Month 6 in Review

Craving …

fruit {still}, ice cream and peanut butter.  Peanut butter on an English muffin in the morning is probably my favorite thing right now.

Feeling …

Pretty good!  I’m still in the sweet spot of the pregnancy and generally feeling well.  The bump is starting to get to a point of being a ‘substantial’ bump so definitely starting to feel bigger.  I was feeling a bit worn-out and decided to stop my weight training and kickboxing routine.  Instead I’ve been doing a lot more walking as well as starting a prenatal pilates class, which I’m really enjoying.

Missing …

nothing really.

Wearing …

all maternity clothes with the exception of a few pairs of sweatpants, yoga pants and a sweatshirt that oddly still fits.  The sweatshirt’s days are certainly numbered!

Movement …

So many little punches and kicks!  It’s really fun to feel Kiwi move and his movements seem to get stronger by the day.  He loves to party while I’m trying to sleep, which can sometimes makes falling asleep difficult.  I really don’t mind though.  I love feeling him move.

Excited About …

Moving into the 3rd trimester.

Monthly Highlight …

This month the highlight was our trip to Chiang Mai.  We had a friend visiting from the States and decided to take the opportunity to do a little exploring outside of Bangkok.  The mini vacation was a lot of fun.  We managed to cram a lot into the long weekend and even spent a morning hanging with the elephants!  I was a little hesitant to be do the elephants excursion while pregnant, but it was a highlight of the weekend and I’m SO glad we did it.

Nervous About …

Jellybean acclimating to life as a big sister.  We’ve been doing as much as we can to help prepare her for the change, but I know there will be an adjustment period.  That said, Jellybean is already so sweet and loving towards the baby bump.  Every night she kisses and hugs my belly before bed.  I’m not allowed to touch her while she does this … I’m told it’s ‘Kiwi’s hug’ not mine.  Too cute, right?!  She also loves to feel the baby kick and will sometimes tell me ‘Kiwi is saying hi sister’.  My heart melts EVERY TIME!  If you are on the lookout for a good big sister book we are loving Little Big Girl.

First vs. Second Pregnancy …

I don’t have the congestion or snoring that I had with my first pregnancy.  This could be in part because of the different climate, but it seems to be this is just a different pregnancy. Checkout my recap of my 6 month with Jellybean.

Any pregnancy tidbits you care to share?  I would love to hear them!

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Let’s talk about the honey lime drink pictured below for a second.  It is freaking delicious!  I typically buy myself one as a treat when I go to the Thursday market held at Srinakharinwirot University.  The popup market is home to various vendors selling everything from clothing and toys to street food and produce.  One of my favorite parts about the drink is the handy-dandy plastic handle.  It allows me to easily carry my beverage and purchases at the same time.

It’s been quite a few months since I shared Bits of Bangkok part 4, but I have compiled some new tidbits to share about how expat life in Bangkok is a wee-bit different than life in America.

Tidbits about living in Bangkok as an Expat from America. | Life's Tidbits

Bits of Bangkok – Part 5

  1. Children are provided with plastic plates, cutlery and cups in almost all restaurants.  This is super handy and makes sharing meals with my toddler that much easier.
  2. Changing tables are nearly impossible to find, even in very kid friendly places.  While this is no longer an issue for us since Jellybean is potty trained (wahoo!) it was really annoying when we first moved here.  The lack of changing tables surprises me given what a baby/kid friendly country Thailand is.
  3. Pushcarts at the airports are free.  There is no rummaging through your purse for change, jamming the coins into a slot and then trying to extract a pushcart like one has to do in the States.
  4. Pregnant women wear a safety pin on the belly part of their shirts to signify they are pregnant.  I guess the idea behind it is patrons on the train will give up their seats for you.  Not entirely sure why someone would need a safety pin though as it’s usually fairly clear who’s pregnant. :)
  5. Sometimes it’s okay to round down when paying.  For example, if your taxi ride comes to 41 baht a taxi driver will accept 40 baht.  I never have felt comfortable with this and always round up, but rounding down is sometimes common practice.
  6. Some public restrooms you have to pay to use.  This includes places like parks, markets and other tourist attractions.  It’s usually only 2 baht, but if you don’t carry change on you it can be problematic as the toilet attendants don’t typically have the ability to break bills.
  7. Toilet paper is sparse in public restrooms.  Usually you can deposit 5 baht into a dispenser for toilet paper, but ever once in a while there are no dispensers to be found, which can be hugely frustrating.
  8. Sorry for the potty theme, but as someone who’s constantly peeing (thanks pregnancy!) I’ve started to take note of where bathrooms are and their conditions … so yeah, last potty thing.  Toilet paper is thrown into a small trash can next to the toilet instead of down the toilet.
  9. At most indoor playgrounds and play areas children take their shoes off to play.  We keep socks in our bag just incase we unexpectedly stop someplace to play and Jellybean needs socks.  She’s totally programmed to take off her shoes when we arrive places … it’s going to be a problem when we move back to the States.
  10. Need to pay you kid’s school tuition?  How about your cable bill?  Cash or bank transfer is the preferred way to pay any and all bills.  We recently rented a jumpy house for Jellybean’s 3rd birthday party and the email confirmation included their bank’s name and account number.  It was then left up to us if we transferred the money into their account or deposited the cash directly to their account.  Thailand is definitely a cash based society, which is so different from the USA.

Incase you missed it, please check out the firstsecondthird and fourth installment of Bits of Bangkok.  More of our Bangkok adventures, to date, can be found here or please follow along on Instagram.

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The first and second trimester of my pregnancy completely flew by!  As I quickly trudge through the third trimester, I wanted to do a overview of some maternity must haves that are making for a more comfortable pregnancy.  Being pregnant is such an amazing experience and we should enjoy it.  Sometimes when nausea, hip pain or whatever-else-ails-you decides to rear it’s ugly head, it’s hard to fully enjoy some phases of pregnancy.  I’ve put together a few items that have helped me out while growing my little bundle of joy!

Pregnancy must-haves and essentials for all moms-to-be! | Life's Tidbits

Pregnancy Must Haves

Ovia Pregnancy App // Somehow I find it easy to forget exactly how far along I am.  Not sure if it’s just a case of the second pregnancy OR pregnancy brain.  Either way this app helps track pregnancy stats (gestation, weight, doctors appointments and more) as well as providing updates on baby’s weekly growth throughout the pregnancy.

Water bottle // It’s important to stay hydrated throughout pregnancy and I’ve always struggled with drinking enough water.  I find it easier to track how much water I need to drink when I can count how many times I’ve refilled the water bottle.  Silly as it may sound, I’m more likely to drink from a cute water bottle.

Oyster Crackers // Every morning of the first trimester and a few weeks into the second I woke up feeling nauseous and queasy.  Every.Single.Morning. And, unfortunately it stayed that way for most of the day.  The only thing that helped was to eat a small handful of crackers every once in a while.  I could barely stomach a full meal and the crackers helped keep me from hurling.  Gross, but true.

T-shirts // These t-shirts are flattering, comfy, hold up well after multiple washes and, the.best.part, they last the entire pregnancy.  I had a couple from my first pregnancy and bought a few more for this pregnancy.  My favorite part about these t-shirts is no matter how big my bump gets it’s always fully covered.  No mid-drifts for this pregnant Mama!

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth // This book is divided into two parts.  The first part contains various birth stories.  The second part is very informative with information on pregnancy and birth, forms of interventions, mantras and mindsets.  I really wish I had read this book during my first pregnancy.  I found the positive birth stories coupled with substantive birthing information to be very helpful.

Raspberry Leaf Tea // Raspberry leaf tea is thought to tone the muscles of the uterus and help it to work better during labor.  Read more about it here.  I started drinking the tea around the 24 week mark.  What surprised me the most was it doesn’t taste like raspberry {mind blown!} instead it tastes more like a black tea, which is right up my alley so I enjoy my daily cup!  This should go without saying, but talk with your healthcare provider to decide what’s right for you before drinking the tea.

Snoogle & Boppy Wedge // Moving from the second trimester into the third I have found sleeping to be more of a struggle.  I prefer sleeping slightly on my stomach or on my back.  With a growing bump it is was basically impossible.  The snoogle body pillow is very comfortable, but sometimes I just not in the full body pillow mood.  The boppy wedge is the perfect solution.  Pop the wedge under the belly, throw a regular pillow under my head and between my knees and goodnight!  While I’m still feeling a bit like an insomniac I’m as comfortable as possible doing it.

Check out my pregnancy essentials list from my first pregnancy!  What are your pregnancy essentials?

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