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Last week, I shared a little about my decision to take the summer off from blogging plus some of the things I’ve learned during that time. [You can read that post here.]
I mentioned that there had been a lot of changes in our home over the past several months – my oldest has dropped his nap, beginning a flexible, informal, but still more structured home school preschool routine with both boys, home projects, and other things “that we’re hoping to share soon.”
And so in case you’re wondering, today is the day we’re sharing.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen this photo, which is innocent enough. It’s pulled straight from last week’s blog post and taken by my favorite guy on a summer day date to celebrate our anniversary.
And a couple of you caught the sneaky little announcement tucked away in the hashtags of that post, but in case you didn’t, here it is:
We’re having a baby!
It’s true. Our sweet little summer plot twist. We’re expecting baby #3 early next year and to be honest, it is finally really sinking in over here. You can see all our pregnancy updates for baby #3 here.
This post is in collaboration with PinkBlush. This top was gifted to me, but all experiences and opinions are my own.
So, today – I’d like to share our first official pregnancy update for baby #3 here on the blog, answer a few questions about this pregnancy so far, and share one of the softest, most comfy, feels like pajamas maternity top I’ve worn in all my pregnancies.
Finding Out We Were Pregnant with Baby #3
Hubs and I always knew that we wanted more than 2 children. And while I don’t know the exact answer to the “how many kids do you hope to have” question, we knew it was at least 3. Hubs comes from a family of 3 boys and there are 4 kids in my family, so we are both used to having lots of siblings.
But, man – this little one took us by surprise. To be honest, I thought I still had some time to continue getting back into shape before we started trying for baby #3. I was trying to get back to the gym, and had actually just started pelvic floor physical therapy (which I’ll share more about later because I think it’s good and important to talk about). I was still breastfeeding my littlest and frankly, he still seemed so much like my baby. So, it was hard to wrap my head around the idea of him being a big brother. A big kid. Not the baby of the family.
Even so, in one of the most romantic phone conversations of our marriage to date, I asked Hubs to grab chips and pregnancy tests on his way home from work one night. We were having tacos for dinner and my period was 3 days late. Any brand of test would do, I told him. Since I was just going to pee on it anyway.
See? Very romantic.
I peed on the stick before bedtime and that second line immediately appeared. I hurriedly told Hubs and then we split up to tackle bedtime with the boys.
It didn’t really have time to sink in, I think.
The First Trimester
I had already been stepping back from the blog before I realized I was pregnant for all the other reasons I mentioned, but the positive pregnancy test just sealed the deal for me that I needed to take some time off.
The very first few weeks seemed like a breeze – I didn’t have many pregnancy symptoms at all.
By about week 7, there was no doubt in my mind that I was pregnant. Exhaustion and morning sickness (all day nausea, really) came in strong. It’s hard to compare with my other pregnancies because I think I block out a lot of the discomfort of pregnancy once it’s passed.
But man. I usually woke up each day feeling great, but felt so bad as the day went on. It was difficult to get enough to eat because we’re always on the go and when I didn’t eat enough, I immediately felt sick and didn’t have an appetite for anything. Such a catch-22.
What eventually ended up helping was just filling the fridge and pantry with healthy snacks and trying to munch on something all day long.
Feeling Better
By week 10, I began rounding the curve and feeling much better. While it’s hard to accurately compare the sickness with my other pregnancies, 10 weeks is a milestone that has marked all three.
My body just starts responding better to pregnancy. I can eat normally again without feeling terrible. And some of the hardest exhaustion began to fade. (Although, I’m still tired everyday – and I think that part just doesn’t go away at this point.)
Where are We Now? Pregnancy Update
Now that you have the back story, here’s where we are now.
How far along? 16 weeks. Due in early February 2020. These photos are from the end of week 14 – almost 15 weeks.
Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I’ve pulled out a couple of pairs of maternity shorts to get me through the rest of summer. And added a few versatile maternity tops (that are longer and forgiving, but don’t scream maternity clothes), like this blush mauve pink one from PinkBlush. It’s the perfect color pink to transition from summer to fall. I loved that I could wear it with my white cropped pants in the summer, but it will still work in a few months with a vest and jeans.
That said, I am ready for Fall weather so I can start focusing on one season of maternity clothes. Trying to just make do in these last weeks of summer, to be honest.
Stretch marks? Nothing new.
Sleep: eh. Resting well is not one of my strengths these days. I have to be really intentional about putting other things down and getting rest. Actual sleep is fine once I get there. If I stay up too late, look at screens before bed, or eat dessert (namely chocolate) too late, I will end up laying awake for hours. I’m looking at you, fresh baked brownies…
Best moment this week: Well, considering it’s Monday, I’m going with best moment last week – and that was getting to hear baby’s heartbeat at our 16 week check. I’m still in a strange maybe looks pregnant, but that could just be leftovers stage, and not able to feel much movement so the reassurance of a strong heartbeat did my heart some good.
Have you told family and friends: Yep. We told them super early. Probably before hearing the heartbeat for the first time. I know I’ve waited a long time to share on the blog, but we always tell family almost as soon as we know.
Movement: Nothing regular yet. But, if I lay down very still and put my hands on my belly, I can sometimes feel what might be little baby movements. Excited to feel those sweet kicks when they come!
Food cravings: Nothing in particular. Really, just all the food.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Thankfully not anymore.
Have you started to show yet: Yes. But if you didn’t know me, you might not assume I was pregnant yet. But, if my last two pregnancies are any indication, once I start really showing, there will be no question. I tend to carry really big, I think.
Gender prediction: Ugh. It’s hard to commit to a prediction. I’m just so aware that it could be either and that you really cannot tell by symptoms or wive’s tales. In many ways, it would be easier to have a boy because we already have 2, but a girl would be a fun new experience. We’ll find out next month, and I’m just praying for a healthy baby. We’re already so in love with this sweet baby and know they will add so much for our family. So boy or girl, we’ll be happy.
Hubs is confident it’s a boy though. He has all brothers and we have boys so far, so adding a girl would definitely be a surprise.
Labor Signs: Hopefully not for many many weeks.
Belly Button in or out? Eh, depends what I’m wearing. Not really “out”, but definitely stretched out from carrying the boys so it’s visible sometimes.
Wedding rings on or off? On. Shockingly, I made it through the whole pregnancy the second time around with them on, so hoping to be able to do the same this time around.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Just tired. Mostly happy, I think. Really thankful. Sometimes frazzled.
Milestones: Hearing that sweet heartbeat, announcing the pregnancy publicly.
And Now You Know
And I am glad that the secret is out. It’s been difficult to find motivation and inspiration to share on social very much without announcing the pregnancy. While we do have a lot going on, this is by far the most life altering of the things.
So now you know. So many changes around here. We’ve been busy this summer. And now here’s praying for a healthy pregnancy, a fun finale to the summer, and a beautiful fall season this year. Am I right?
What I’m Wearing
I mentioned this PinkBlush Maternity top earlier, but it truly is one of the most comfortable tops (maternity or non-maternity). It’s got just the right about of stretch, but is still fitted well. And it is SO incredibly soft.
When PinkBlush reached out to me with the opportunity to try one of their pieces, I was so excited! I had seen so many of their things, but had not tried them for myself yet. To be honest, I was torn between choosing something for summer or fall because they had so many great things for both seasons.
Ultimately, I went with this long sleeve pink striped top because the color is great for milder summer days, seen here, but I know it will transition well into the fall. And the long sleeves will be perfect for the changing season.
And these little tie sleeves add just the right amount of interesting detail to keep the top fun!
Your body changes SO much during pregnancy (and after, let’s be honest), it can be difficult to find styles that compliment you and make you feel really great throughout it all. This top does just that.
And I am really thankful.
PinkBlush carries both maternity and non-maternity styles in a huge range of sizes to help you feel your best no matter what season you’re in. And now that I know how not only pretty but also comfy their pieces are, you can bet they will be taking up a little more space in my maternity wardrobe this time around. And then some, too – let’s be honest.
Oh my gosh! Congratulations Mary! That’s so so exciting!!
Thank you so much!! We are excited!