Oh pregnancy.  I forgot how you are both glorious and yet terrible all at the same time!  I’m hear to tell you ladies that pregnancy amnesia is the real deal.  There are so many things I forgot happened when one is pregnant … both the physical and emotional changes.  I was reading Jellybean a bedtime story and got all chocked up.  It took everything I had not to turn into a blubbery mess in front of her.

We were fortunate to have a two ultrasounds during the first trimester.  It was beyond exciting to see Kiwi {nickname for baby #2} on the ultrasound machine.  I can’t say for sure what Kiwi was doing in the first scan because the baby kind of looked like a little blob, but Kiwi was very active during the second scan.   And seriously, there is nothing like hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the very first time!  GAH love that little swishing sound!!

Pregnancy tracker, first trimester, baby bump progress, 13 weeks pregnant | Life's Tidbits

**Note: This post was drafted in early September**

First Trimester in Review

Craving …

Fruit and green veggies! Watermelon and strawberries specifically are my favorites.  I admit craving green vegetables is definitely a strange ones.  Asparagus, yum!

Food Aversions …

Meat of any kind.  While it won’t make me sick to eat meat, I really don’t want it at all right now.  I could also do without eggs.  Do eggs count as a meat or just a protein?  Either way, yuck.

Feeling …

Nauseous ALL DAY LONG and headaches are the biggest first trimester culprits. The morning sickness has been pretty bad and unfortunately eating doesn’t fix the problem (with Jellybean I would eat carbs and feel okay for a while at least).  We did so much traveling in August, it was hard to tell what was exhaustion due to pregnancy and what was jet lag.  Either way, recovering from jet lag was a lot more challenging while simultaneously growing a baby.  Shocker.  I know.

Missing …

Wine. There.  I said it.  I missed wine for about the first 4 weeks of my pregnancy and then I decided all alcohol smelled nasty — with a capital N!

Wearing …

All my normal clothes.  Wardrobe go-to’s include: shorts, yoga pants and baggy t-shirts.

Random Tidbit …

The dog absolutely knows I’m pregnant.  Fairly early on – we are talking maybe a week after I found out – we were expecting Sophi started becoming extra clingy.  Though she has always followed me around the house she is now, well, attached to me.  She sits on me or next to me on the couch, always.  If I leave the room she’s never far behind and, dare I be so bold as to try to use the bathroom alone, she looses her mind.  It’s gotten so bad Jellybean has been telling Sophi to get off me because I’m ‘HER mummy’.

Excited About …

The nausea being over. Being done with the first trimester also means we’ve been telling people about our little bundle of joy that’s on the way.  The more people we tell the more exciting and real it feels that we will be a family of 4 in just a few short months.  Also, I’m looking forward to finding out if this little munchkin is a boy or a girl!

Nervous About …

Zika.  When we found out I was pregnant I was a bit concerned about traveling to the States where Zika was more prevalent than it was (or at least as I understood it to be) here in Bangkok.  No sooner had we arrived back in Bangkok did reports start surfacing indicating Zika had made its way here.  I’m trying to stay calm and lather the whole family in bug spray, but generally I feel very paranoid about it.

First vs. Second Pregnancy …

So far the my pregnancy with Jellybean was very different than the current one with Kiwi.  The only real similarity has been I was nauseous with for both pregnancies, though this time around has definitely been rougher.  I often hear each pregnancy is different, but it wasn’t until I experienced it myself did I truly understand it.  A review of my first trimester with Jellybean can be found here.

How does your first trimester compare? What was the best and worst part of your first trimester?

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… well ladies and gentlemen it’s a real thing. I know. I know. Say it aint so! But, well, it just is.  I’m talking about the phenomena of somehow having amnesia about pregnancy after child birth.

pregnancy amnesia |  Life's Tidbits

If you are pregnant for the first time or maybe even the second or third (you go girl!) you are quite possibly thinking I am cray cray (yup cray cray I said it, what what!).  How could one EVER forget what pregnancy is like?

**I think lack of sleep and a lot of caffeine is giving me a little extra spunk today LOL.**

Calling – crazy party of one … slash thousands of other women all around the world who have come down with the same post pregnancy amnesia!

I read about this ‘amnesia’ thing-a-ma-bobby during my pregnancy and thought there is simply NO WAY. No way one could forget how this feels. I mean …

  • I am hot and “glowing”, like ALL the time
  • my fingers and feet are incredibly swollen
  • that belly of mine is HUGE. No I take that back belly is gi-freaking-normus and …
  • what about all the inappropriate things people say to pregnant ladies … thank you to the woman at work who asked me if I was ‘sure I wasn’t having twins’.
  • do I still have feet, because I. CANNOT. SEE. THEM!!!

And as someone who is almost 7 months post postpartum those were just a few of my not so amazing memories of being pregnant (after putting some thought into it).

Up until a few weeks ago I would have been right there with you. Pregnancy amnesia is a lie, a myth, just plain silly. Period.

And then … I off handily said to my husband “I miss being pregnant.”

He just looked at me. Smiled that gentle smiled of his (maybe it’s his you are a crazy woman smile, but whatevs) and replied “Babe, are you sure?”.

My response “Yes.” And I said it with some serious confidence.  To make good on my comment I followed it up with “I mean I miss having her with me all day long and the little kicks/movements she made.  And then of course there was the excitement and anticipation of her arrival.  Oh and having the baby bump was so fun.”

FULL STOP!

What?! Baby bump was fun … yup I’ve gone completely loco or pregnancy amnesia just has to be a real thing.

I even read my ‘Eviction Notice‘ post and the reality of being SO DONE with being pregnant flooded back to me … any yet … I still miss being pregnant.  Just a little bit.

The ‘not so fun’ aspects of pregnancy seem to easily fade into the abyss while the fun and happy preggo memories stand center stage.  Hindsight is 50/50 and all that. I guess.

So does this mean I’m ready for baby #2? Nope. Does this mean I have baby delivery (aka cesarean) amnesia? That would be a double NOPE!

I am not one of those women who just loved being pregnant (I know there are ladies out there who do), but it seems I might have enjoyed it more than I thought I did at the time. =)

Have you ever had a bout of the {not so} mythical pregnancy amnesia? Please tell me you have!

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I found navigating the baby registry waters a bit difficult.  There are SO many products out there and everyone has a different take on what one should buy.  Since all babies are different it is nice to have options, but at the same time it’s so EASY to feel overwhelmed with choices.

My newborn necessity list was quite robust (you can find that here).  For purposes of these favorite/must have lists I guess I am qualifying newborn as 0-2 months old.  We still consistently use all items on the list with the exception of the wubbanub.  Jellybean decided at some point she was over pacifiers, which is both good and bad…I think!

As Jellybean grows so does my list of must have baby items.  Some stuff we didn’t know to put on the registry and I wish we had known how handy they would be!

So for months 3, 4 and 5 here are my favorites …

Favorite Baby Gear - Months 3, 4 and 5 | Life's Tidbits

Puj – I really love this tub.  It’s small/compact and easily fits into the bathroom sink, which means NO bending over to wash baby!  The no bending over was key while I was still recovering from the cesarean.  I must admit I still prefer it to the bigger tub because it’s easier.  My only complaint would be baby girl falls down during her baths since she can’t sit up on her own yet. I wish there was something to help keep her upright.

Skip Hop Moby Waterfall Bath Rinser – This item came in SUPER handy when I finally worked up the courage to bathe JB without a second set of hands.  I found it difficult to hold her in place, put a hand over her face and pour water over her head all at the same time.  The way this thing is shaped it helps ensure the water cascades down the baby’s back instead of letting the soapy water get in their eyes.

Snugli – There are many baby carriers out there and honestly I felt overwhelmed trying to choose one.  We registered for (and received) the ErgoBaby.  I do love our ErgoBaby … the snugli is just SO much easier to snap baby in and go.  The other positive is your don’t have to deal with an infant insert.  As soon as the baby is 7 lbs you are good to go.  And if like me, your baby is born over 7 lbs to start with you can just it day one!  Our snugli was gifted from a friend (thanks Jessica!) and is getting a  TON of good use especially when we walk the dog.

Playmat – First ‘toy’ Jellybean was really able to play with.  So far it has really grown with her and whether she was 6 weeks or 5 months it’s a hit.  The playmat is super colorful, plays music and the toys included each provide a different type of stimulus.

Honest Hand Sanitizer – Total impulse buy, but I love it! Smells good and we got the under 3oz size so it’s FAA friendly too.

Video Monitor – The transition from our room in the cradle to Jellybean’s own room in the crib was fairly easy.  Actually it was really easy for her and super difficult for me.  I missed rolling over at night and seeing her little chest rise and fall with each breath.  Though her ‘noises’ would sometimes keep me awake I was comforted by them at the same time!  The video monitor was the only thing that kept me from demanding my husband ‘let’ me move the baby back into our bedroom.  Though JB has been in her own room for over 2 months there are still nights I check the monitor in the middle of the night just to see her little face :)

Sleep Sacks – When Jellybean started rolling over it quickly became apparent the swaddling days were, sadly, over.  We have warm and light weight sleep sacks.  If I had realized how soon we would need them I would have put a few small sized sleep sacks on the baby registry.

White Noise (SimplyNoise) App – At first we were really into the Sheep, however it turns off after 45 minutes.  A friend turned us onto the SimplyNoise app.  The only problem with using the app is our iPad has turned into an EXTREMELY expensive sound machine hahahaha.  I’ve started researching sound machines, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy one (suggestions?!?).

Baby Bullet – We just started introducing solids and I’m having fun making the baby food!  The baby bullet makes the process simple and is very to clean.  I could certainly use my Cuisinart, however the bullet is easier.

So mamas what am I missing?  Any recommendations for month 6??

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Miss Blair Alexandra!  {aka Jellybean}

IntroducingBlair

Our beautiful baby girl {FINALLY} made her debut on December 31st at 4:03am.

I must admit, I have been more of an absentee blogger than I had planned on – for the past 3 weeks that is.  Being a new mom coupled with recovering from a c-section (which was completely unplanned and unexpected) it has taken me longer than expected to get back in front of the computer.  While I am not quite ready to tell Blair’s birth story, I am hoping to share my labor and c-section experience soon.

A few new mom tidbits:

  • I’ve officially been “christened” as a mom … I’ve been peed, pooped and spit-up on!
  • I feel like a walking zombie during night feeding though I’m slowly adjusting to getting up ~3 times a night to feed the little one … brings new meaning to the word exhausted.
  • I put a sweatshirt on the other day, realized it had spit-up on it and decided it was “clean enough” to wear given all the other sweatshirts were in the wash.
  • Getting to shower during the day is considered a significant win (seriously it’s the small things in life!).
  • The dog has decided the baby doesn’t exist and completely ignores her.  Sophi sits on my legs while I feed Blair and has smelled her a couple times, but that’s the closest the dog will get to the baby.  On the up side Sophi doesn’t bark when Blair cries (thank goodness!!).

Okay one more picture, because sharing only one just isn’t enough.  Oh yes, she is sucking her thumb on her birthday =)

Blair_thumb

Needless to say the husband and I are completely in love with the newest member of our little family!!!  More new mommy tidbits to come in the next few weeks.  Hopefully I am able to squeeze in some blogging between naps, diaper changes, feedings and just staring at my baby!

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My due date has come and gone.  Honestly, I am really ready not to be pregnant anymore.  We have been  eagerly awaiting Jellybean’s arrival since the 23rd.  Every time I wake up during the night I pause and think “am I in pain?” and/or “am I am labor?”.  The answer is always no.  As I’ve mentioned (probably too many times) I am having trouble sleeping.  This morning at 5am I made this little eviction notice. I got a good kick out of it and thought it was perfect for my 40 week recap post.

Baby Eviction Notice | Life's Tidbits

In early November both sides of the immediate family wrote down their predictions for Jellybean’s due date, time and weight.  The idea was the winner gets … bragging rights.  As of today only 3 of us are left in the running to possibly win the D-Day pool prediction.

Here is what everyone’s guesses were:

Nana – 12/13/2013 7:31 pm 7 lbs 11 oz
Papa – 12/24/2013 6:00 am 8 lbs
Auntie Amanda – 12/26/2013 3:27pm 7 lbs 2 oz
Mimi – 12/27/2013 6:20 pm 7 lbs 15 oz
Daddy – 12/27/2013 6:45pm 7 lbs 8 oz
Uncle Nate – 12/28/2013 4:45 am
Auntie Alison – 12/30/2013 12:30:13 am 6 lbs 6 oz
Mommy – 12/30/2013 8pm 7 lbs 9 oz
Grandpa – 1/2/2014 3:00 am 7 lbs 8 oz

Pregnancy Tidbits from Week 40

Cravings – No real cravings, however I am counting down to having a good ‘ole turkey breast sandwich sometime soon after Jelly’s delivery.

Maternity Clothes – Clearly this is still a yes.  I’ve abandoned my maternity jeans and have been wearing leggings or sweatpants exclusively this week.  Lucky for me this attire has been completely acceptable and I’ve only had to put jeans on once.

Symptoms – The carpel tunnel in my hands is pretty bad.  The doctor assures me it will be fine, however I am concerned it won’t go away after the baby comes.  Continued swelling in my hands/feet, congestion and trouble sleeping.

Movement – Lots of it!

Missing Anything? – Tying my own shoes.  Yup I just wrote that!  Though I technically can tie my own sneakers, bending over the belly is highly unconformable.  The pressure or whatever of doing so often makes Jellybean mad and she will move into weird positions after doing so.  I have therefore passed this oh so fabulous task off to my doting husband.  =)

Highlights – Spending some quality time with the hubby.  Though we haven’t done anything productive or “fun” it has been really nice to just hang out and get excited for JB to come.

Looking Forward To…  seeing what Jellybean looks like and {finally} naming her.

Fears/Concerns…  that whole giving birth thing seems a bit scary at the moment.  :)

Labor Signs – Still a big ‘no’ on this.  Every time I feel even a little pain or cramp I am ever so hopeful I’m in labor … unfortunately no such luck.

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

signiture_nicole

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