Dress: Ingrid and Isabel (maternity) | Heels: Jessica Simpson | Clutch: (old) option here
Sunglasses: Tory Burch (similar) | Watch: Kate Spade | Earrings: (old) love these
I wore this lace dress on Sunday to our Easter service at church. I thought the color and simple, yet classy, style were perfect for Easter. It’s maternity, but I love that it does not look maternity at all. It comes in six colors and I’m wearing it in berry. I’m also wearing my normal size of XS.
We hosted Easter dinner at our house for both sides of the family. I think there were 25 people in all and it’s always nice to have our whole family together. I was glad the prediction for rain faded away so that the seven little cousins were able to run around playing outside. They also loved getting to have an egg hunt together. I sure am thankful that all of our family live close by and that my kids are able to grow up with their cousins. Having awesome aunts, uncles, and grandparents in their lives is a huge blessing, too.
Baby Update:
I am well past the half way mark and creeping up on the third trimester, so I thought I would give a little update on how the past few months have been. You can read my last update here. While part of me feels like I still have forever to go, another part of me thinks ‘Oh, not much longer until we are holding her.’ And then I think about all the things that will change.
How I won’t experience life growing inside of me again. How and when labor/delivery will take place. Imaging the moment she is born and how I’ll get to embrace a tiny and fresh newborn once again. How her older siblings will bond with her. How our hearts will grow once again with even more love than we have now. How our schedules and routines will change. How life will be with four little ones. The thoughts are endless, so I try to savor the moments of her tiny body growing and moving inside of me. Okay, now that I have tears streaming down my face, here are a few updates…
Food cravings: Those have mostly subsided. I don’t really crave foods or have aversions to anything.
Morning Sickness: Oh, man. That stuck around for way too long! I didn’t feel sickly every day, but I would feel fine for several days and then suddenly feel nauseous again one afternoon. The sickly feeling lingered off and on until probably 21-22 weeks. I’m a little nervous about it coming back in the third trimester, like it did with my last baby. Unfortunately, about the time the morning sickness finally, fully subsided, I got sick with a cough turned bronchitis, combined with a sinus infection. Having never experienced either of these in my life, I did not know what I was in for. It was a long, miserable three weeks! So even though it wasn’t pregnancy related, I was limited on what I could do to feel better and I was tired of simply not feeling good. I just wanted to enjoy the “easy” stage of pregnancy for a change.
Eating Habits: I’m back to eating as I did pre-pregnancy. Not feeling the need to snack all the time or feeling super hungry every 3 hours.
Energy: I still like my daily afternoon naps, but that’s just me; pregnant or not. Otherwise, I’m a night owl and still stay busy with the kids, as usual.
Exercise: I make my way into the gym as best as I can, but I’m not as diligent as I was. It’s easy to find a reason to not go. Like yesterday, when I opted to go get a 90-minute massage during the time that I normally spend in the gym.
Clothing: As you’ve probably noticed, I’m no longer able to fit into non-maternity jeans. I’m still wearing regular tops, sizing up when needed. Cute, stylist maternity clothes are hard to come by so I’ll continue to dress this way for as long as possible.
Baby Movement: Ohhh this is so fun! Baby girl is active, but nothing crazy. I’m carrying her high, just as I did her big sister, so I mostly feel her up near my ribs. I feel her throughout the day, but I almost always notice that she’s active around 11:00 at night. All of the kids have felt her kicking around and they think it is neat. I love when she’s pressing outward and I can clearly feel her heel/knee/elbow or whatever. It’s fun to imagine what she is doing, what looks like now and what she’ll look like when she’s born.
Baby Name: The question that virtually everyone asks. We are fairly certain on her first name. Her middle name is still being debated. We will share her name when we share her birth announcement.
I am so very thankful and blessed to be carrying this baby girl. My husband hears my complaints, but I often hear things that remind me to not take this for granted. I thank God every day for this miracle of life and continue to pray for a safe and healthy baby.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!