Boys, Bump, and The Beach

I had scheduled to take the day off of work yesterday 6/24/13. I was going to use is to catch up with laundry, cleaning, and finishing up some baby prep. Instead I followed that little voice that always seems to call when I need it the most. That little voice that interestingly enough sounds a lot like the beach. I packed up the boys, my sisters, this belly, and we all headed down to Ocean City, NJ for a day of fun in the sun. 
These boys have salt water running through their blood just like their momma. They love everything about the shore...finding sea shells, walking the boardwalk, swimming in the sea, and building sand castles.
It was a picture perfect day and it was pure joy being with my 2 amazing little men. We only have 2 weeks left until baby brother's arrival so I've been trying to soak up as much of these guys as I can.

There She Grows

A little game of catch up on this baby bump. 30-36 weeks!

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

1. How far along?: 37 weeks and 3 days! 18 days and counting until we meet our baby boy!
2. How big is baby?: Watermelon but it feels more like 3 watermelon's.
3. Weight gain?: Up a total of 16 lbs. 
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: I wear whatever fits these days maternity or non maternity!
6. Best moment last week?: We are getting really close to finishing up his room and another good doctor appointment!
7. Food cravings?: I can't stop eating ice cream!
8. Symptoms?: I still feel great!
9. Exercise?: Chasing after my 5 and 2 year old and spending some time in the pool.
10. Gender?: Boy! 
11. Movement?: Lots of strong kicks and rolls
12. Belly button?: In...still
13. What I miss?: Mostly being able to function without a huge belly getting in the way.
14. Labor signs? Contractions and some other sure tell signs that he will soon be arriving!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Meeting our baby boy and spending the summer with the kids since I'll be off of work!

Name Game

Wow, I can hardly believe it's only 27 days until the little guy makes his arrival! I also can't believe I haven't been on here in over 2 months...sorry. Things have defiantly progressed but one thing hasn't changed, the little guy still remains nameless. We go back and forth everyday between a few we like and have since the beginning. It usually lasts about 5 minutes and then it turns into who can out do who in the crazy name game. The kids are always good for suggestions too. Optimus Prime Smith does have a nice ring to it. 
Hopefully we can come up with something in the next 4 weeks. Suggestions welcome!

25/26

1. How far along?: 26 weeks! Officially double digits and 96 days and counting!
2. How big is baby?: Head of lettuce
3. Weight gain?: Up about 9 lbs!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: Tops and bottoms both maternity and non maternity
6. Best moment last week?: Easter was really nice and the kids had so much from decorating eggs, having multiple egg hunts,  and eating lots of candy!
7. Food cravings?: Nothing really these past few weeks.
8. Symptoms?: Feeling really good and hoping it continues
9. Exercise?: Nothing really. Hopefully the weather will warm up and I can start taking some walks outside
10. Gender?: Boy! 
11. Movement?: He has been moving a lot and getting a lot stronger
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: A nice cold beer
14. Labor signs? Maybe a few braxton hicks here and there but that's about it
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Glucose test this week...haha not really but if all goes well that will be it for the testing and blood work the rest of this pregnancy! 

22-24

1. How far along?: 24! Less than 16 to go! Shots above are from 22,23, & 24! Better late than never?!
2. How big is baby?: Size of a cantaloupe
3. Weight gain?: Up about 6 lbs from the start
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: Tops and bottoms both maternity and non maternity
6. Best moment last week?: Started getting stuff for the nursery together!
7. Food cravings?: Sweets! All I want is candy and ice cream! Oye.
8. Symptoms?: Feeling pretty good lately! Yay!
9. Exercise?: Does chasing around a 5 year old and almost 2 year old count?
10. Gender?: Boy! 
11. Movement?: Been feeling a lot of movement usually after I eat and when it's bed time! Haha
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Figuring out a name for this little one! Suggestions welcome!

Nursery Decor

Roughly 4 months until little guy makes his arrival. The thought of this makes me break into a cold sweat...mostly so because he still doesn't have a name(more on that later). There is so much to do and so little time. 4 months left to get everything I need together for his arrival, clean, paint, decorate,  etc...Thankfully Pinterest has made the search for the perfect bedding, colors, and decor a very simple process. I literally have found everything I want for this little guy design wise and have a neat little place to keep it all, with access to links and prices only a click away. Here are a couple samples of what I have in mind for his room. 


All links for credit and purchasing can be found here: #3

Pomegranate

1. How far along?: 21 weeks, moving right along
2. How big is baby?: Size of a pomegranate
3. Weight gain?: I think I'm right at where we started
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: Tops and bottoms both maternity and non maternity
6. Best moment last week?: Nothing too exciting
7. Food cravings?: Fruit and nuts
8. Symptoms?: Feeling pretty good lately! Yay!
9. Exercise?: Does chasing around a 5 year old and almost 2 year old count?
10. Gender?: Boy! 
11. Movement?: Been feeling movement daily! It's so exciting to know our little bean is bouncing away in there.
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Starting to work on the little guys room! I have so many ideas!

Banana

1. How far along?: 20 weeks - half baked
2. How big is baby?: Size of a banana! 
3. Weight gain?: I think I'm right at where we started
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: Tops and bottoms both maternity and non maternity
6. Best moment last week?: Found out we are having a healthy and beautiful baby BOY! 
7. Food cravings?: Not really craving anything this week
8. Symptoms?: Feeling pretty good lately! Yay!
9. Exercise?: Nothing much lately. Hopefully something soon.
10. Gender?: Boy! I am completely outnumbered 4-1! Yikes!
11. Movement?: Been feeling movement daily! It's so exciting to know our little bean is bouncing away in there.
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Beer
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Starting to work on the little guys room! I have so many ideas!

Mango

1. How far along?: 19 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Size of a mango
3. Weight gain?: Still down 1lb as of last weeks appointment
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: I've been shopping for some clothes lately. Mostly spring/summer stuff in hopes that I can wear it soon!
6. Best moment last week?: Had a good appointment
7. Food cravings?: Salads!
8. Symptoms?: Feeling pretty good lately! Yay!
9. Exercise?: Nothing much lately. Hopefully something soon.
10. Gender?: We have our anatomy scan tomorrow and will find out if we our adding a baby boy or baby girl to our family on Valentine's Day!
11. Movement?: Been feeling monvement daily! It's so exciting to know our little bean is bouncing away in there.
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Wine and a good nights sleep!
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan and making sure baby is healthy and growing as he/she should be
16. Different this time: No gut feeling or baby dreams so I have no guesses on what #3 is going to be!

What to Wear

I'm really interested in baby wearing and think it's something that I am going to invest in with this baby. The ease and convenience of being able to strap on baby and have my hands free while trying to wrangle 2 other little ones seems like a no brainer. It also makes me wonder why I didn't get one of these sooner. There are so many options out there to choose from and I have been spending a lot of time online looking at reviews and getting opinions on what one's people like best and why. I think it is one of those things though that I am going to  have to go see for myself. Try them all on and see what I feel is most comfortable.  Below are a few that I've had my eye on and hopefully can get to check out in the next few months! Do you baby wear? What are your favorites and why? I'd love to know!

Beco Gemini

Baby K' Tan

Sakura Bloom

Ergo

Maya Wrap

Baby Hawk Mei Tai

Sweet Potato

Wow, 18 weeks already! It feels like this pregnancy is flying and I'm defiantly feeling bigger at this point than I ever have before! I've been a pretty bad blogger as of lately but things this year have started off just a little crazy. I apologize and am going to make a better effort to try and stay on top of this thing. We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the next few weeks that I am really looking forward to share!

1. How far along?: 18weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Size of a sweet potato
3. Weight gain?: I think I'm back to my pre preg weight if not more! I'll know for sure tomorrow.
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: I bought a couple shirts and some new maternity leggings. Other than that things are still working but things are getting tight.
6. Best moment last week?: Found out good friends of our were expecting their 1st baby! I was so happy I cried. These little babes will only be about a month apart!
7. Food cravings?: No craving this week.
8. Symptoms?: Feeling pretty good lately! Yay!
9. Exercise?: Nothing much lately. Hopefully something soon.
10. Gender?: We caved and are now going to find out. We have our anatomy scan on 2/13 and will hold out until Valentine's Day to see what our own little Valentine will be!
11. Movement?: Been feeling monvement daily! It's so exciting to know our little bean is bouncing away in there.
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Sushi and a cold beer
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan and making sure baby is healthy and growing as he/she should be
16. Different this time: No gut feeling or baby dreams so I have no guesses on what #3 is going to be!

Avocado

1. How far along?: 16weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Size of an avocado
3. Weight gain?: Still down 2 pounds, trying to pack it on but nothing is working
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: A pair of maternity leggings.
6. Best moment last week?: Spending time with family and friends and celebrating the life of a wonderful man
7. Food cravings?: Fruit smoothies!
8. Symptoms?: Still getting headaches and some morning sickness but over all feeling really good
9. Exercise?: Does chasing around a 5 year old and 21 month old count?
10. Gender?: We caved and are now going to find out. We have our anatomy scan on 2/13 and will hold out until Valentine's Day to see what our own little Valentine will be!
11. Movement?: I've been feeling some movement. Nothing consistent yet.
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Sushi and a cold beer
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan and making sure baby is healthy and growing as he/she should be
16. Different this time: No gut feeling or baby dreams so I have no guesses on what #3 is going to be!

Lets Go For a Ride

I made my first baby purchase last week. I am patiently waiting for the arrival of this piece of art and inspiration for baby #3's nursery. I had a general idea of what I wanted and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't take too many hours of searching to find exactly what I was looking for. My search started and ended with one of my favorite sites, Etsy. I have bought a lot of things off of this site from cookies to party decorations. 

The specific shop was called pixieblossoms and it carried a variety of whimsical carnival prints. I found the most perfect shot of a ferris wheel with beautiful colors and character and instantly knew it was the one I wanted for our baby. Here's hoping that delivery won't take too long because I cannot wait to see what the final product looks like and get it hanging on the wall! Baby on the other hand can keep me waiting until July!

Lemon

1. How far along?: 14 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Size of a lemon
3. Weight gain?: I get weighed tomorrow so I'll know for sure
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None but I did look in a few stores over the weekend.
6. Best moment last week?: Announcing to the world that we are expecting again!
7. Food cravings?: Fruit 
8. Symptoms?: Finally feeling like myself again! Hello second tri!
9. Exercise?: Went to the gym! Did 2 miles on the treadmill and some weights! It felt great!
10. Gender?: Don't know, thinking about possibly finding out now...
11. Movement?: I sometimes I feel little pops here and there. Maybe baby??
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Wine
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: My next doctor's appointment tomorrow and most likely scheduling my anatomy scan!
16. Different this time: No gut feeling or baby dreams so I have no guesses on what #3 is going to be!

And Then There Were 3

We sent out this announcement on New Year's Day. It feels so great to not be keeping this secret any longer and to have made it to my second trimester!! I'm not sure why, but this baby and the fact that we are going to have 3 kids has recently become very real!! I seriously can't stop smiling!

Just Peachy

1. How far along?: 13 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Size of a peach
3. Weight gain?: Down 3lbs total. Starting to gain back what I've lost from all the crap eating I've been doing these past few weeks!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: I had an ultra sound and the baby is looking beautiful so far!
7. Food cravings?: Fruit and salad
8. Symptoms?: Headaches and some mild morning sickness
9. Exercise?: Nothing in a while. Starting up very soon now that I'm feeling back to normal.
10. Gender?: Don't know, thinking about possibly finding out now...
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Wine
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: My next doctor's appointment next Wednesday.
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Mellow Yellow

This time around we decided to wait until birth to find out if little baby Smith is a he or a she. It seems like July is forever away and the thought of finding out in February is very tempting. As much as I would like to prepare for all things pink or all things blue the idea of not knowing is really intriguing to me. I truly think we can hold out as I only have to get through 1 ultra sound without peeking. I just need to keep imagining that magical moment in the delivery room when I will be introduced to my son or daughter. That joy and the fact that I am 99.9% sure that I picked out the most perfect gender neutral nursery color have only solidified my decision to wait.
After spending some time talking with Brian about what color he would like to go with we decided that yellow would be it. I took some time to look around the internet today and came across the most lovely shade. It's called Lemon Sorbet by Benjamin Moore. It's been names their 2013 Color of the Year and I am beyond excited to go check it out at the paint store. I am really hoping these online samples match it in real life and am able to get started on his or her room very soon! 

Benjamin Moore-Lemon Sorbet (2019-60)

                                         

Plum

1. How far along?: 12 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Plum
3. Weight gain?: Down 4lbs total. I've been loading up on the Christmas cookies and delicious food!
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: None
6. Best moment last week?: All things Christmas! 
7. Food cravings?: Fruit
8. Symptoms?: Starting to feel semi normal again
9. Exercise?: None lately but hoping to get back into it soon since I was given the green light
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out! 
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Wine
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: My next ultra sound!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

Lime

1. How far along?: 11 weeks!
2. How big is baby?: Lime
3. Weight gain?: Down 5 lbs total. Not even trying.
4. Stretch marks?: None
5. Maternity clothes?: The one in my picture today is maternity but that's about it
6. Best moment last week?: A great doctor's visit with a lot of questions answered and hearing baby's sweet heartbeat! 172bpm
7. Food cravings?: Strawberries and clementines
8. Symptoms?: Nauseous all day/night, exhaustion, and headaches
9. Exercise?: None lately but hoping to get back into it soon since I was given the green light
10. Gender?: Don't know and we decided to wait until baby is born to find out! I'm leaning towards girl right now if I had to guess
11. Movement?: None yet. Can't wait to feel some kicks!
12. Belly button?: Always in
13. What I miss?: Sushi
14. Labor signs?: None thankfully!
15. What I'm looking forward to?: All the Christmas festivities over the next week and spending lots of time with my family!
16. Different this time: Just the amount of nausea and lack of motivation! 

1st Appointment

I had my first official OB appointment today. It went so much better than I could have possibly imagined. The doctor was someone who I had never met and she was so awesome. She thoroughly went through everything with me and answered all my questions. I didn't feel uncomfortable or rushed at all. It was a typical check up and all seemed well with my blood pressure, weight, etc...The highlight of the whole appointment was hearing baby's beautiful heartbeat. I couldn't believe it and may have even cried a little. When I was pregnant with Cole I didn't hear the heartbeat this early. I was genuinely surprised and in awe of the beautiful sound and couldn't believe she found it so quickly. That plus the reassurance that everything was going as it should be really put my mind at ease after all the stress of spotting for the past 2 weeks. Here's hoping that mom and baby stay healthy and happy for the next 30 weeks. Since I never put this on here when I had my ultrasound, here is a pic of #3 @ 8 weeks old! Isn't he/she so cute?!