20 week bumpdate!!

We're halfway done! I can't believe it. This pregnancy is flying by. That makes be both happy and sad, depending on the day :)

The biggest update I have this month is our sweet baby's gender! We are beyond happy to announce we are expecting a BOY!!!! We are all so excited! I was convinced it was a boy the entire time, but I was still surprised when I heard it. I cannot wait to be a mom to a little boy!

For the rest of my updates I'm going to answer the same questions every month to better keep track of changes and progress. 

So, here we go: 

How many weeks along? 20 weeks

How big is baby? He weighs about 10.5 ounces and is 10 inches long. About the size of a banana :) 

Total weight gain? At my last appointment 2 weeks ago I was up 3 pounds. It's probably safe to say that number will be higher thanks to the recent holiday!

Maternity clothes? Yes. Other than a few t-shirts, everything is maternity. 

Stretch marks? Luckily, no. I've made it through 2 pregnancies so far with very minimal stretch marks. We'll see how this goes. 

Sleep? Not the best. Between the potty breaks, crazy dreams and not being able to sleep on my stomach, I don't sleep for long stretches :(

Exercise? Unfortunately, not much at the moment. I walk as much as possible, but it has been really difficult :(

Miss anything? Exercise!!!!

Movement? He definitely moves, but it's pretty sporadic whether or not I feel it :(

Cravings? Peanut M&M's!!! How I haven't gained 20 pounds from the amount I've eaten is beyond me!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor signs? Nope. I do get Braxton hicks contractions pretty regularly though. 

Happy or moody? Happy...my family may say different. LOL

Anything your looking forward to? I have my 20 week anatomy scan this week. I'm excited about seeing my little guy <3

Finally, the belly shot :) 

And the view from the top :)

16 week Bumpdate.

Week 16 - 168 days to go!

First, let me start by apologizing for the lack of updates. Besides being too tired to do anything up until the last few weeks, there just aren't a lot of changes form week to week. So, it's probably more exciting/interesting if I do a monthly update rather than weekly. 

So here I am at 16 weeks! I can't believe how quickly it's going by! That both excites me and overwhelms me :) Out little baby is doing great! It's now about the size of an avocado. Over the last few weeks there has started to be definite flutters! They are becoming more frequent and little stronger. Those little kicks are the best reward for enduring that awful first trimester! 

I'm now a couple of weeks into my second trimester and I feel almost completely normal! I do find that I'm a bit slower and have to rest frequently while doing certain tasks. But, at least I'm doing something!

This coming Friday is a big day! We will be finding out the gender of our little one. I cannot wait!! As cliche as it sounds I just want a healthy baby. But, I would be lying if I didn't say a part of me would love to have a little boy. I love being a mom of 2 beautiful girls so I would be just as happy to have a third little princess. We plan on having a small gender reveal lunch early Saturday afternoon so I'll be announcing the big news on Instagram that afternoon!

Here is the most recent picture of the baby bump. It's about 2 weeks old, but nothing has really changed. With my last pregnancy I popped pretty early, but then it stalled for quite a while. It seems that is how this one is going to be :) 

Week 10 Bumpdate.

Week 10 - 210 days to go!

It's already week 10! Time seems to be flying by...for now :) 

I've been slacking on my weekly updates. The last few weeks have been pretty rough as far as how I've been feeling. With only a few weeks left in my first trimester I hope that I'll be feeling better soon! 

The little one is still growing fast. It's about the size of a kumquat. That's a big change from the poppy seed it was just 6 weeks ago! All of its critical development is complete and it's tiny little organs are starting to function. It's little fingers and toes are no longer webbed and it can move its limbs. I hope to feel those little movements in the next few weeks :) 

I have my first prenatal appointment this week. I'm really excited and hope to hear a beautiful little heartbeat <3

As far as my bump goes, it's definitely growing. In the morning it's looks like the picture below, but thanks to plenty of bloating its huge by the end of the day!! 

 

I'll be sure to update next week with all the details from my appointment :)

Week 7 Bumpdate.

Week 7 - 231 days to go!

Not a lot of changes for this week. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm just soooo tired! I had fatigue my first 2 pregnancies, but with a quick nap I was able to make it through my day. This time no amount of napping makes me not feel tired. Other than that I can't complain. 

It was really important to me to continue working out through this pregnancy. That is turning out to be easier said than done. Aside from having no energy, I physically can't do what I could do just 8 weeks ago. I attempted a Zumba class and got so winded and exhausted, I had to leave halfway through. I'm nervous to push myself too far so I'm sticking with walking and light to moderate weights. Hopefully the 2nd trimester will bring more energy and I can pick it up a bit. 

The little bun in my oven is growing like crazy! It has doubled in the past week and its now the size of a blueberry :) little hands and feet are developing and the tip of its little nose is visible. 

Here is this weeks bump picture: 

Not much of a change. There is a little bit of a pooch, but that's just bloat ;)

Here is a diagram of my little blueberry. If anatomically correct diagrams offend you then I would suggest that you stop reading now :)

Week 6 Bumpdate.

Week 6 - 238 days to go!

Today is the start of my 6th week. Fatigue has definitely hit full force! I'm not a napper, but I find myself napping on almost a daily basis...as my very active toddler allows. 

My first 2 pregnancies were pretty much identical. So far this one has a few differences. The biggest being that I'm not having any nausea or food/smell aversions. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I am very hungry...all the time! It's so bad I have to get up in the middle of the night to snack :) I struggled to gain weight the first 2 times, but its looking like that's not going to be the case this time!

Even though my pants are becoming quite snug, there's not much of a difference in the way I look. But, this little baby if mine is growing like crazy! It's about a quarter of an inch long, which is very small, but just 2 weeks ago it was the size of a poppy seed! That's a huge growth spurt! It also has a good strong heartbeat 💜 

Here's this weeks bump pic. I'm going to try to wear the same thing every week...unless I start busting the seams :)

Unexpected Blessings.

I'm a planner. I like to control things. While I know those aren't my best qualities, I'm happiest if my life is running on a smooth,predictable schedule. 

Sometimes, God has to surprise me with something unexpected to give a little reminder that I'm in fact NOT in control and that HIS plans and timing are perfect. Usually it's just something small. A subtle hint that I need to let go and listen to what He has to say. But, then sometimes he gives big surprises. Like this: 

Yeah. That wasn't exactly written in my planner. 

We always knew we wanted 3 babies so I guess it's not as surprising as if I had planned on quitting at 2. My first 2 babies were very planned, so when I got that positive pregnancy test I was overcome  with excitement and happiness. I can't really name the emotion I felt about this one. I wasn't mad or upset. I was just shocked and maybe in a little bit of denial. I felt bad for not being excited, but that's just not how I felt. 

After a couple of days, with the help of seeing hubs' excitement, I finally started getting excited. Now I'm ready to start planning, not too much though, the arrival of this little unexpected blessing :)

I didn't have this little blog with my first 2 babies and I'm super excited to get to share weekly updates! I'll try to do a small "bump date" every Monday including a belly shot. Check back every week to watch our journey of becoming a family of 5!

There's not a lot to share this week. Other than a little fatigue I'm feeling great right now. I'm only 5 weeks so there's obviously not a bump. With my first I didn't have one until around 19 or 20 weeks, but with the second it was around 12 weeks. So, I expect to see one in the near future :)

            

Making Memories With Nana.

  Last week we made a trip to Stillwater, one of my favorite places in the world, and visited the Oklahoma WONDERtorium. It's a completely hands on museum full of fun "real life" activities for kids to use. I would highly recommend it!

  Every summer my Grandma likes to something special for her grand kids before they go back to school. This was Kennedy's special day and she definitely enjoyed it! Of course, Karoline also got to go and she equally enjoyed it :) They made lots of special memories with their Nana and I took lots of pictures so they'll always remember.

Sliding in the tree house.

peek-a-boo!

"Milking" a cow.

Karoline likes to live on the dangerous side and milk from behind the cow.

Standing with the cow they just milked :)

Gathering eggs. This was her favorite part!

Playing in the doctor's office. This was her favorite part!

Doctoring Uncle Parker :)

In her lab coat.

In the newborn nursery giving her baby oxygen.

Diapering her baby.

Rocking her baby.

Practicing with crutches.

Kind of a random picture, but I loved that they had a breastfeeding poster in the nursery :)

Performing some major surgery!

Huge building blocks!

I see you :)

Pouring Nana some tea.

Attempting to use chopsticks. 

Water play.

Driving Nana in the ambulance.

This was definitely a favorite of the adults! They stuffed the yarn balls in the hole...

and they would travel along a wall of vacuum hoses and shoot out the top. It was so much fun!

After we left the museum we had lunch and did some back-to-school shopping, which both of my girls loved! It was such a special day and I know they enjoyed every second of it! Thank you, Nana!!!

10 Minute Mommy Make-Up.

**In the middle of writing this post I accidentally published it instead of saving it. So, for the few of you who saw it before I figured it out, I apologize. I can only imagine how crazy you thought I was when the post ended with the second picture.**

While I was pregnant with my second baby I made a promise to myself. I promised I would not let myself go like I had with my first baby. I promised that every day I would make an effort to make myself feel good. I promised I would not wear my pajamas all day. I promised I would brush my teeth, comb my hair and wash my face. Even if I only had 10 minutes, I would do something with that short amount of time to make myself feel better.

The difference it made was HUGE! Feeling better about myself made all of the sleepless nights and crazy days go smoother. It sounds silly and maybe even a little superficial, but I'm a believer that making one positive change will have a positive effect on the rest of your life. Now don't get me wrong, there were some days when I didn't change out of my pajamas and sometimes I couldn't shower until late in the evening, but overall the difference in how I felt was like day and night.

Over the last 2 years I have found a routine that, after I do all he necessary hygienic stuff, I can be put together and ready for the day in 10 minutes. It took some time and practice to perfect, but this is my go 

to look. Now I know some girls don't like wearing make-up and I'm not saying you need to wear it to feel good about yourself. I'm just encouraging you to take 10 minutes out of your day and do something, anything that makes you feel good. You deserve it :)

Here's my look and the products I currently use to achieve it!

Before. Just showered, teeth brushed and face moisturized.

I try to only wash my hair every 2-3 days. On the 2nd or 3rd day I use dry shampoo to refresh my style. I spray it on before I start my make-up and let it sit until I'm done so it can soak up all the oil. On days when I have to wash my hair I give myself 30 more minutes to straighten and/or curl it or I do a quick messy bun.

After dry shampoo....scary, I know.

For my face, I start with a BB Cream. They don't offer any coverage, but if you're comfortable with your skin it is a perfect and quick alternative to a full coverage foundation.

Why I love this: 1. It's easy to apply. Just use your fingers and apply like you would moisturizer. 2. It has SPF. 3.It looks completely natural. 4. It evens out my uneven skin tone.

Next I add a light powder all over my face. It helps to set the BB cream and makes it last all day.

My powder of choice is MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. It gives your skin a beautiful, natural finish. It's super light and it doesn't give you that cake-y, way-too-much make up look.

When I'm in a hurry, which is mostly every day, this is the blush I always reach for. It's a beautiful color! It's really pigmented, but is really easy to blend. You don't have to worry about having a harsh line where the blush ends. It is completely matte so it looks very natural. It's orange-ish, peach color would look good on most skin tones. Obviously, you can use any color or brand you want. Just make sure it's easily blended.

MAC blush in Honey Jasmine. I picked this up from one of their summer collections, but I'm almost positive it's a part of their permanent collection.

From the BB cream to the blush it only takes about 2 minutes tops. I spend most of my time on my eyes. They are my favorite feature so I like to enhance them. But they also give me the most work. I always have dark circles to cover and thanks to the Lasik surgery I had last year they are usually dry and red.

I start with under eye concealer. I LOVE this one by Maybelline. It doesn't crease of sink into my fine lines. It hides the circles and even help brighten.

I apply it in a triangle under my eyes. It helps to brighten the center of my face. Then if blend it out using my Beauty Blender. You can also use your fingers by very, very, very gently tapping it until it blends in. Don't rub or tug at that delicate skin :)

      For my eyeshadow I keep it really simple. I love doing smokey and fun eye looks, but for day-to-day I'm all about a swipe-and-go look. These cream shadows by Maybelline are amazing!!!! I literally just use my finger and swipe it across my lid. That's it!                            

                                       

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink. I can't say enough good things about these!

To help with the redness, which makes you look sick and or tired, I use eye drops and I line my waterline with a nude kohl pencil. It's very subtle, but makes a big difference.

This is the best nude kohl liner I have tried! Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude. It's creamy, cheap and waterproof!

The left side is without and the right side is lined. Sorry about the death stare...

Most days I don't do anything to fill in my brows I just use a clear mascara to keep them under control. I'm fortunate enough to have full brows, but if you're not I would definitely encourage you to fill them in. It makes a huge difference!

The last step for my eyes is mascara. This is the one thing that is an absolute must. I have no problem leaving the house with a bare face, but I can't not wear mascara.

Cover Girl Clump Crusher. This is the BEST every day mascara! It looks so natural , but it can be built up to look more dramatic. But, it doesn't matter how much you add it does not clump! No spider lashes here :)

After mascara! It makes such a difference.

     The very last step for the make-up are the lips. It's good to have a good neutral go to that you can throw on and not have to worry about if it matches what you're wearing or clashes with the rest of your make-up. I prefer lipstick, but lip gloss works just as well. Even just a clear, shiny lip balm will make you look pulled together.

                    

My 3 go to lipsticks. Two of them are Revlon Lip Butters. They don't feel like a lipstick, they're low maintenance and they last a long time. The third one is by MAC. It's feels more like a traditional lipstick, but still quite creamy.

Left: Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon. My summer favorite. Middle: Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. This one lives in my purse and is just the perfect color. Right: MAC Lustre in Viva Glam V. My perfect nude.

When I finish my make-up I rub in the dry shampoo and then I'm done :)


Before and After. I apologize for the difference in color. It turns out I am no good at taking selfies.

And that's it. I know it seems like a long post, but from start to finish it only took 10 minutes. Again, if make-up isn't your cup of tea then do something different. Just take the time for yourself!

Tried it Tuesday: Ceramic Painting.

Last Thursday I took the girls to our local ceramic studio, The Copper Kiln, for a little fun. It's a cute little studio right on Main Street. They have lots of different ceramics to choose from, a very big paint selection, and a friendly,helpful staff. If you're in the area I encourage you to give them a visit. Have a great time while supporting a local business!

So excited!

This was right up her alley! She loves all things arts and crafts!

I knew she would enjoy it, but I wasn't sure how long she would remained entertained.


Thirty minutes was her limit :)

After we finished painting we left our creations there to be fired. They called us 4 days later and we returned to pick them up.

Their finished creations!

                                             

Kennedy's turtle :)

Karoline's puppy :)

We had such a good time and we will definitely be returning! Kennedy and I already have a trip planned before she goes back to school.

If you're in the area swing by and create something yourself. Check our their website, they always have special going on!