Mommy Monday {19 Weeks}

Hello Everyone!

I know that I am a day late and a dollar short on this post {as it is now Tuesday, not Monday}, but it was a snowy day yesterday and I just felt like relaxing and doing nothing! No shame in my game! But here we go! Enjoy!

How far along?  19 weeks!

Total weight gain: My scale at home says 9-10 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: I am still wearing my H&M jeans and Leggings. I have recently purchased some gray jeans from Old Navy that I hope to be able to wear to work, Luckily, I've found some sweaters and shirts that are flowy that I can wear during pregnancy and after. 

Stretch marks: None as of yet. I've purchased a new lotion recently, Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion for Stretch Marks. I like the thickness of this lotion and seems to keep my skin quite moisturized. 

Sleep: I am still sleeping about 8 hours every night, although I wish I could sleep more. I haven't been taking any naps. 

Best moment this week: The lovely snow storm that happened yesterday. I love a nice, pretty snowfall. 

Miss anything? Not really. I'm feeling quite well and not really bothered by not being able to eat deli meat this week. 

Movement: I've been feeling baby moving {and/or kicking, still not sure} quite a bit more frequently. Usually in the evening when I'm relaxing on the couch. 

Food cravings: Pumpkin pie is on the craving list again! Yum!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Thankfully not anymore!

Gender: Well, we had our appointment a couple weeks back and got some bad news. We won't be having our Anatomy scan until after the New Year. Bummer. 

Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: This week has been more happy than moody, although I did have a nice cry just the other night. 

Looking forward to: New Year's Eve! 

Until next time! 

Rainbow Baby

I've been waiting to write this post for awhile. I just wasn't sure how to put it into words and was far too emotional to even write about it.

Back in August the Mr. and I went to San Diego for a weekend getaway. As we were driving back, we encountered several Rainbows. I knew pretty much right then that we had conceived. Or I at least had a strong feeling that this was our time. There are Rainbows after every storm. This baby is our Rainbow after the Molar Pregnancy.

On our way back from San Diego. 

Since that weekend, I have seen quite a few Rainbows. I feel like every time I'm doubting things with my pregnancy, there is a Rainbow, plain as day, in the sky as a sign that all is well. I didn't really believe in signs before this, but it's hard not to believe now when I see them soo often. It puts my fears to rest, if only temporarily. 

On our way back from camping. 

On my way back from one of my first Doctor's appointments. 

At school while I was working. 

At school another day. 

Leaving Target {because I'm always leaving Target}

Driving to dinner with the Mr. 

I thank God every day for this Rainbow baby.

Until next time!

Mommy Monday {18 weeks}

How far along?  18 weeks!

Total weight gain: Ugh, this is a sore subject. I don't FEEL like I've gained that much weight, but my doctor's scale seems to say otherwise. First of all, they didn't allow me enough time to take my jacket or boots off {which obviously adds extra lbs.}. Secondly, the nurse was so rushed that she didn't even weigh me correctly. I'm going to keep going off my scale at home, which says I have gained 9 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Living in my H&M maternity jeans and leggings. Being comfortable is my goal since I'm on vacation!

Stretch marks: None yet! I am feeling a bit more itchy in the belly area, so am trying to keep it super moisturized with my belly butter!

Sleep: I am sleeping around 8 hours and feeling more and more energetic. I did take a nice nap this afternoon as I was exhausted from all of my Christmas shopping. 

Best moment this week: CHRISTMAS BREAK HAS ARRIVED! Hallelujah!

Miss anything? I miss being able to eat Deli Meat. No Jimmy John's for this gal. 

Movement: Feeling fluttering here and there and I think I felt one nice kick last week. I wish I felt it more often! {Hopefully soon}

Food cravings: Everything bagels have been quite delicious lately. And of course Christmas cookies. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Thankfully not anymore!

Gender: Well, we had our appointment a couple weeks back and got some bad news. We won't be having our Anatomy scan until after the New Year. Bummer. 

Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: The littlest things have been bothering me lately. Not quite as moody as I was. 

Looking forward to: Christmas with the family:-)

Until next time!

Mommy Monday {17 Weeks - Can you guess the sex?}

I thought that for this Mommy Monday post I would switch it up a bit. I'm going to post all of the Gender Wives Tales to see if any of them are true! We won't be finding out the sex of wee little one until after Christmas, so that gives you all plenty of time to cast your votes! Comment on this post and we will see who guesses right!

Carrying High or Low? I think that I am carrying high {although I haven't quite "popped" yet}, so Girl.

Skin Blemishes or clear skin? I had some mild acne happening in the first trimester, but nothing as of late. Boy. 

Soft or Dry skin? My hands are like alligator skin. I am soo dry! I don't know if this is because it's winter, but either way this was is Boy.

Baby's Heartbeat: 140+ or below 140? Baby's heartbeat has been around 150 each time we have heard it. This one says Girl. 

Sweets or Salty and sour? From the get go I have been craving anything sweet. Pineapple, apples, strawberries, hot chocolate. You name it, I want it. Girl. 

Chinese Gender Predictor says Boy. 

The Mayans say Boy. 

Ring test: Swings back and forth or in circles? This one was a little inconclusive. It started swinging in circles, but would end going back and forth. I say Girl. 

Sick as a dog or no morning sickness? I was quite nauseous throughout the first trimester {only threw up once though}, so Girl. 

Is Hubby indulging in my cravings or staying the same? I would say that he is staying the same. Boy.

Hair: Dull and Limp or Thick and Glossy? My hair has been very dull and quite dry {again, not sure if it's because of Winter}.  AND my hair is ALWAYS thick, but it is most certainly not glossy. I'll go with Girl for this one. 

Body hair: staying the same or growing thick and fast? Mine has pretty much stayed the same. Girl. 

Which is bigger: Left or Right boob? Left. Girl. 

And the last one! Baking soda test. When mixed equal parts urine and baking soda, does it have no reaction at all or fizzle like soda? When I did this test, it did not fizzle whatsoever. Girl. 

Well it looks like we have 9 for Girl and 5 for Boy. I hope you have fun making your guesses! Stay tuned to see if you are right!

Until next time!

Mommy Monday {16 Weeks}

Well, I'm back for my weekly Mommy post! I'm proud of myself for keeping up with these as well as I have. I hope to start getting some of my energy back in the coming weeks so I can blog more often! Crossing my fingers!

I realize this outfit is not the most flattering, but I was too lazy to change my top. You all will just have to deal. Haha. 

How far along?  16 weeks!

Total weight gain: I haven't weighed myself in the last week, so I'm not able to accurately update this. I go to the doctor tomorrow and am hoping that I'm still only up 5 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: I'm currently searching for some work maternity pants as my current work pants are starting to get uncomfortable to wear {even with my BeBand}. If anyone has any suggestions on where to look, please let me know! I have been wearing my H&M pants and LOOOVE them. 

Stretch marks: Still none and I'm still lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee and Earth Mama Angel Baby Stretch Oil! I will also use cocoa butter occasionally. 

Sleep: I'm getting the most sleep I have ever gotten in my life.. and yet I'm still tired! It's unbelievable. 

Best moment this week: Being able to relax and stretch at Yoga!

Miss anything? Having a long weekend off, but Christmas break is swiftly approaching! 

Movement: I think {I'm not positive} that I'm starting to feel some fluttering happening in there!

Food cravings: Pineapple {and I hate to admit this, Macaroni & Cheese}. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing is really making me queasy, but I am still not a big fan of Mexican food. 

Gender: Hopefully finding out before Christmas!

Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Really moody this week. Not a big fan of much lately. Haha. 

Looking forward to: My appointment tomorrow! Can't wait to hear babies heart beating away again. 

Until Next time! 

Mommy Tuesday {15 weeks}

I'm 15 weeks today! Woohoo! Here is the weekly Mommy post that I promised!

How far along?  15 weeks!

Total weight gain: Up 5 lbs now {according to my scale at home, which I like way better than the one at my Doctor}. 

Maternity clothes: I did buy some maternity jeans this weekend from H&M, but have yet to wear them.  I've still been wearing my BeBand every day!

Stretch marks: Still none and I'm still lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee and Earth Mama Angel Baby Stretch Oil!

Sleep: Fatigue is still lingering. Over the holiday weekend I'm pretty sure I took 15 naps. 

Best moment this week: Being able to go for long walks with Ziggy over the holiday weekend and purchasing our Stroller! I'm in love with our City Mini GT {thank you black Friday deals}!

Miss anything? Having energy!

Movement: I've only felt stretching. No baby movements yet {I don't think}!

Food cravings: This week my big craving was pumpkin pie. I have also been craving any food that anyone mentions in my presence. Last night, it was Japanese Hibachi food. Today, it's fudge. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? I baked a huge Turkey for Thanksgiving and wasn't able to eat ANY of it. It just wasn't turning my crank. Big bummer. 

Gender: Hopefully finding out before Christmas!

Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: Still quite moody lately. This morning I literally cried over my spilled coffee. 

Looking forward to: All of the Christmas parties coming up this weekend! 

Until next time!

Weekly Mommy Post!

Hello all! Now that the good news is out, I'm going to be starting a weekly post called Mommy Monday. I got this idea from another blogger and I always loved following along with her posts. So I thought I'd do my first one as a catch up to where I'm at now. Through the weeks,  I've been taking bump pictures and will continue to do so throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Sorry for the picture overload, but from now on here will only be one at a time! Hope you enjoy!

How far along?  Currently, 14 weeks!

Total weight gain/measurements: Up 4 lbs so far. I was so nauseous through the first trimester that I found myself eating to keep the nausea at bay. 

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but this BeBand has been my best friend! 

Stretch marks: None to report and hoping to keep it that way. I'm lathering my belly in Burt's Bee's Mama Bee and Earth Mama Angel Baby Stretch Oil to try to avoid stretch marks at all costs!

Sleep: I am getting more than enough sleep, but ALWAYS feel exhausted. I'm hoping this goes away soon!

Best moment this week: Having a 4 day weekend for Thanksgiving and being able to eat my favorite foods!

Miss anything? Having energy!

Movement: I've only felt stretching. No baby movements yet!

Food cravings: Orange Juice has been my go to. I've always been craving Cuties, Strawberries, Pineapple, and anything sweet. What a dangerous slope I'm on!

Anything making you queasy or sick? I've not been a big fan of Mexican food {which I'm usually all about!} and Chicken that tastes Chickeny {I know that sounds crazy} is no good!

Gender: Hopefully finding out before Christmas!

Labor signs: No and let's keep it that way!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time: In the beginning it seemed that I was mostly happy, but as of lately, I'm super crabby and moody ALL the time! It's terrible!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving and all the stuffing and pumpkin pie I get to eat!

Until next time!

Big News!

Well I know it's been quite some time since I have blogged, but for a good reason! After 1 year since we found out about our Molar Pregnancy {MP}, we are expecting! It's been a long, emotional road. I am feeling quite at peace about everything that has happened and am excited to be on this new journey!

From the very beginning, I knew I was pregnant. I've heard that some women instinctively know when they are pregnant and that is exactly what happened with me. I just had a feeling. My feeling was confirmed on September 13. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my OB/GYN and began the waiting game.

I saw my doctor when I was 5 weeks and she ordered HCG hormone testing to make sure that the pregnancy was progressing normally. If you remember from the MP journey, I was having weekly blood tests done. This was one in the same. The result came back and they were at 13,998, which when I googled it, was quite high for the 5 weeks that I was. My anxiety went into overdrive. All the bad thoughts went through my mind. Could this be another MP? I just couldn't go there. I had my blood drawn 48 hours later and lo and behold, they were doubling just like they're supposed to {Praise Jesus}.

They scheduled an ultrasound for when I would be 6 weeks 1 day. Of course, I was a nervous wreck the entire day. Last time around, I didn't have one good ultrasound. I was very apprehensive of the whole process this time. We went back to the ultrasound room and my heart was pounding, my palms sweaty. I was an anxious mess. For no good reason, however, because we could immediately see the baby's heart flickering away. What a relief!

We have gone for 2 more ultrasounds since then and all has been great. We are so beyond thankful for our little Rainbow blessing.

Until next time!

An Open Letter to My Fertile Family and Friends

I recently read on the blog Waiting for Baby Bird a letter that she had written to her fertile family. It struck a chord with me and I have felt that I should write a similar letter to MY fertile friends and family. Please do not take any of what I'm about to say in the wrong way or personally. I'm bawling my eyes out as I write this. I just feel the need to put all of my feelings out there, to be raw, open and honest with all of you and get it off my chest. So, here it goes..

To put it bluntly, this last year has sucked. It has quite possibly been the worst year yet. I want 2015 to be over. Turning 30 sucked. Nothing about these last 9 months has been positive for me. We got pregnant with a tumor and then had to have surgery to remove it. We were told to stop trying until I got to negative. All of this has put a HUGE strain on my relationship with my husband and we are suffering because of that. All the while, EVERYONE is announcing they are pregnant {most without even "trying", they got pregnant so easily}. Talk about a stab to my heart each time. Every time I hear or see another announcement it chips away from my heart each time.

On top of all of that, I don't feel like it is easy to empathize with my situation, unless you have had a similar experience. It's hard for me to talk to many of you because I don't feel like I get the support that I need. So because of that, I have felt very lonely despite being around my loved ones. Even on my support groups, there are people who have had Molar Pregnancies and have moved on to the TTC {Trying To Conceive} portion of their journey and they are only there for 1 month before getting pregnant! And here I am sitting there for months on end with nothing to show for it, except depression.

I have lost a lot of faith. I've been struck down time and time again just to have to get back up again, and I'm starting to get too weak to get up. I know everything happens for a reason, but really? Does it?? For what reason is all of this happening to my husband and I? I'm having a really hard time finding one. I also hear that God won't give you anything you can't handle, but I'm officially not able to handle one thing more.

All of that being said, I am happy for each and every one of you, but it is SOOO hard when I'm not able to have what you all have gotten so easily. I am excited for you and WANT to hear all about your healthy pregnancies, just know that it is not easy for me. I don't want you to hold anything back from me. I support and love you all and hope that you can support and love me in return.

Five on Friday: San Francisco and Napa

Hello one and all!

I realize that I say this in every blog post {and I mean it every single time}, but it has been awhile since my last post and I promise I will be trying to post more often. I just haven't been too inspired lately. With that being said, the Mr. and I recently took our annual anniversary trip. Last year we took a road trip to the east coast {possible blog post in the future?} and this year we decided on San Francisco! We had already been to this beautiful hilly city once before so we decided to explore some different areas. If everyone gets a chance to go to San Fran, take it! We love it there.

1. Napa

Well, we flew into Sacramento {as I had a conference for work there later that week} so we rented a car and drove into the city. On our way, we were talking about how I had wanted to go to Napa and then the exit to go there appeared on the highway. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. So we took a spontaneous detour. What an adventure it was! We loved Napa and enjoyed all the tasty wine and food it had to offer. For lunch we found a place called Oxbow Public Market, which is a lot like the Ferry Building in SF. We ate pizza, drank wine, and enjoyed each other's company. After that we headed to a winery. It was raining out {which is apparently rare in July} so we had luck with finding a winery where you didn't need an appointment. We found Artesa Winery. They were incredibly friendly and the wine was amazing.

2. Our hotel: Petite Auberge

I believe I have mentioned before that we swear by Hotwire. This trip was no different. We booked our hotel a week in advance and went with our tried and true Hotwire. It was the cheapest route and it's always fun to get that surprise hotel. This time was probably our best surprise {or at least I thought so}. We ended up with a quaint Bed and Breakfast. It was lovely. They had free breakfast {duh}, wine happy hour {awesome!}, coffee and tea available all day, and amazing customer service. The location was in the heart of the city, too! We would definitely stay here again!

Left: Straight from the past, the cutest elevator.
Middle: Our room, complete with a fireplace.
Right: The common area where the wine happy hour took place. 

Sorry for the bad quality here, but this courtyard was the cutest! 

3. Exploring the city: China Town, Coit Tower, The Buena Vista, Union Square, City Hall, Etc.

The first full day that we were there, we woke up early and got breakfast at our hotel. Then we were off. We walked soooo much this day I thought my feet were going to fall off. We started in China Town, which we had been to before, but we just decided to walk through. Then we walked to Coit Tower and to Lombard Street. From There, we walked to Fisherman's Wharf to have some Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista, which was strong {I'm a light weight}, but delicious! At that point, we decided that we were hungry, so we went to North Beach and got lunch at a cute little Italian cafe called The Italian Homemade Company, which was amazing. We went back to our hotel for a bit to rest, then walked to Union Square and finally to City hall where we laid in the grass and relaxed. Phew, what a day!

Left: At the top of Lombard Street
Right: At the bottom of Lombard Street

Irish Coffees!

Relaxing at City Hall

4. Biking the Bridge

The next day, we decided to Bike the Golden Gate to Sausalito. I didn't realize how much exercise I was going to be getting throughout the weekend, but I wouldn't take back any of it. This was so much fun and I would suggest it for any couple to do. We had fun exploring and taking pictures along the way. We got lunch at a cute little delicatessen in Sausalito, ironically named Sausalito Gourmet Delicatessen. After that, we took the Ferry back to SF and biked back to Fisherman's Wharf to return our bikes. We were so extremely exhausted that we just plopped down on the grass in front of Ghirardelli Square and just laid there for an hour or so. Such a fun day.

Left: Relaxing
Right: View of the Bridge from the Sausalito side. 

5. Anniversary: 7.12.15

This is pretty self explanatory. We celebrated 2 years of wedded bliss with dinner at an Italian restaurant, named Piazza Pellegrini, in North Beach. It was delicious and a nice last evening in San Fran. I love my Mr. and being able to travel to fun places with him.

Dinner at Piazza Pellegrini

Well, that's all I have for today! Until next time!

06.20.15

This past weekend was spent with family and celebrating the nuptials of my cousin to her best friend. It was a gorgeous day and came together seamlessly. I was so honored and blessed to stand up as her Matron of Honor. Hailey- you were absolutely stunning and I am soo happy for you and your Justy. Love you guys!

The night before the wedding, Hailey's {the Bride} car broke down outside of the hotel. We ended up having to push it through the entire parking lot. What an adventure. 

Left: Selfie right before the ceremony with the bride and bridesmaids.
Right: Rehearsal dinner fun!

Left: The Mr. and I while in the Limo.
Right: Blue eyes and Green eyes reunited! {We are both Brittany/Brittney's so one of our friends nicknamed us so there was no confusion.}

While in the limo I snapped this shot of the photographer {risking his life} taking the perfect shot! Simply Gorgeous. 

Grandpa in all his silly glory. Such a party animal, that one. 

Left: Every newlywed needs a picture of the groom carrying his new bride over the threshold.
Right: Beautiful Bride!

 Until next time!