// Outfit Details //
Dress: Love, Fire (old) another option here and here
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Handbag: Sole Society
Sunglasses: J.Crew Factory
Earrings: Lauren Conrad
Watch: Kate Spade
This crochet shift dress with bell sleeves is so easy and perfect for my growing bump. I got it last year, but linked other great options for you. I wore it yesterday to church for the dedication of our youngest. Leave to me to not get one single family picture and then the guest of honor fell asleep on the way home. But, it was great having extended family there to celebrate the day with us and we enjoyed lunch together afterwards.
After sharing the story behind baby number four and being well into my second trimester now, I thought I would do a little recap about how the first trimester was this time around.
As I mentioned last week, I was very unsure about being pregnant again. Even once I ‘knew’ I was pregnant and had a positive test, I was in denial. My youngest, Maddox, was already two-years-old and we had made it through yet another baby-stage. Finding ourselves with a the ‘freedom’ from baby feedings (nursing, purees, etc.) and multiple nap times to enjoying communicating with all of our children and savoring the full nights of sleep. And then there are the older two kiddos; Savannah, 7, and Hudson, 5. They are active and we are able to go, do, see, experience so much with them whether it be in our normal daily lives or off on vacation. Maddox isn’t far behind that stage. Would I be able to give them the time and attention that I want to give them? Also, for the longest time, when asked ‘what if mommy had another baby?’, Savannah said she didn’t want me to have any more babies. WHAT?! How can my little girl not want another little baby in the family? That made me sad to think about.
So there I was, pregnant again, and with so many uncertainties. I was an emotional mess for about 8 weeks. I cried and worried over all kinds of silly things (and still do occasionally). But I just kept praying that this was right. That God would remove my fears and worries. And, that Savannah would want another little baby in the family.
I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of November, but we planned to tell the kids and our families the big news as part of Christmas. As the days and weeks went by, I became more excited and less worried about having another baby. In the back of my head, I was still a little concerned about what Savannah would think. Then one day in the first week of December, as I was feeling sick and questioning the whole pregnancy, God reminded me again that this is his plan.
We had taken dinner to a family in need and stopped to pick up pizza for our family (this was in my barely surviving days). There had not been any mention about a baby that whole evening (and honestly, probably not all day or week). From the third row seats of the car, I hear Savannah randomly say “momma, I want a baby sister.” And just like that, tears filled my eyes. My heart needed to hear that. I know that I can’t control the gender of this baby (we’ll cross that bridge in a few weeks), but just to know that she also wants a baby made me so, so happy. When we did tell her and the boys on Christmas Eve that I’m pregnant, she was SO excited!! Que the tears, again. Since telling her, she has said almost daily that she hopes it is a baby sister. Ohhhh the pressure! She hid from us at the news of Maddox being a boy. I pray daily for a healthy baby and that just maybe God sees it fit for our family to have another little girl; a little sister.
Here are some other little tid-bits about how my first trimester was:
Food cravings: SALTY! Oh man, I generally have a decent sweet tooth, but as of lately, the saltier the better! One day, Hudson and I enjoyed almost half a jar of sliced pickles together as an afternoon snack. I also am so thirsty all.the.time. I drink so much water all day, but it never seems like enough.
Morning sickness: For the most part, it was afternoon/evening sickness. I felt the best in the mornings, but by mid-afternoon the nausea would start and progressively get worse as the day went on. I would go for nearly a week feeling just fine, then one day be nauseous again. I got sick one single time, the same as I did with all three other babies. Thankfully, all of that subsided not long after exiting the first trimester.
Eating habits: When I was nauseous feeling, I was constantly putting food in my mouth. Not always smart choices, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The scale has made that evident. I felt like munching was the only way to keep from actually getting sick.
Energy: I had the most energy in the mornings, napped every day that I could, and went to bed early! I still need lots of sleep, but I at least don’t feel like a walking-zombie if it doesn’t happen.
Exercise: Before becoming pregnant, I was in the gym 3x a week for an hour each day. I have continued to keep that routine. I typically do 30 minutes of cardio followed by 30 minutes of rotating focus on different muscle groups (arms, back, legs, abs, etc.) as I have for over a year now. {Disclaimer: my midwife gave me the “okay” to continue any type of physical activity that I did prior to pregnancy, so long as I am comfortable doing so.}
Clothing: As of now, second trimester, I’m not wearing anything maternity. Some of my pants are starting to feel a little snug, especially by the end of the day, but otherwise all my clothes still fit fine.
Baby movement: Nothing in the first trimester. I started feeling little flutters about a month ago. Within the past couple of weeks, I’ve started being able to feel kicks if I lay my hand on my stomach. Caleb felt that for the first time this weekend.
I think this gets me caught up to date on baby news. Thank you for reading, for all of the sweet comments and messages. Have a wonderful day!