Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks

Where in the world did the time go? It felt like time was moving slowly, and then all of a sudden I woke up with just 10 weeks left to go! It definitely feels like crunch time. My baby shower is next weekend, and then after that it's full speed ahead to preparing and buying for baby's arrival. I'm feeling nervous and excited. 
Due date: October 1, 2014
How far along: 30 weeks + 2
Next appointment: This afternoon. 
Gender: Girl! :-)
Stretch marks: None on my tummy, but I do have a few on my thighs. 
Swelling: I've had like 1 or 2 days where I felt like my feet were swollen at the end of the day. I also think my hands are a little swollen, they don't look it, but my wedding ring is tighter than usual. 
Maternity clothes: I'm either in dresses (both maternity and non-maternity) or I'm in maternity pants/shorts. I don't know how people can possibly wear pants during pregnancy that aren't maternity. 
Belly button: It is trying SO HARD to stay an innie, but right now it's almost flat. 
Sleep: See my Three Stages of Pregnancy Sleep post. 
Food cravings/aversions: This whole pregnancy I've not really had any cravings for one specific thing over and over. I have been easily persuaded by commercials to want foods though. I haven't eaten anything I'd say is particularly strange. Although, I'm not a big ice cream eater, and I MAY have eaten a whole pint of Cookies & Cream ice cream in one sitting the other day... I may have... ;-)
Movement: Absolutely. She's moving around in there all the time. I love it. It's also like having an alien inside me, but it's cool nonetheless. 
Labor signs: None at all. 
What I miss: Being able to lay/sleep any way I want to. 
What I'm loving: Feeling her move around. 
What I'm looking forward to: Having my baby shower and doing the rest of the shopping so I can really feel prepared. 
Milestones: Only 10 weeks left!
In other news, I'm probably the most uncomfortable I've been all pregnancy, which is to be expected. I have a whole human and human supporting habitat in my abdomen, that's bound to cause some achy joints, and it is!

The Three Stages of Pregnancy Sleep

A lot of people, upon hearing you're pregnant, throw around the old adage "sleep now, because you won't get any sleep when the baby gets here." This has to be one of the worst pieces of advice ever because most women begin to have sleep issues early on in their pregnancy. Here's how it goes: 
Stage 1: You are newly pregnant and can't sleep because A) your mind is like OMG I'm going to have a baby!, and that can very easily keep you up at night and B) the change in hormones just generally gives you insomnia. 
Stage 2: You can sleep again! BUT, now you are using the bathroom all.the.time. so your deep sleep is interrupted by frequent evening bathroom breaks and sometimes it can be hard to get back to sleep after the trip to the throne. 
Stage 3: You've gotten really good at sleep walking yourself to the bathroom. You can stay mostly asleep, keep your eyes clothes, feel your way to the bathroom and make it back to the bed without really waking up. Great right? Yes, except now you have this huge belly, so you can't sleep on your stomach. Doctors recommend not sleeping on your back. So you're down to two sleeping positions, left side or right side. You've lost the ability to comfortably just roll over from side to side, so you have to fully sit up to switch positions when one side gets numb, which is likely to happen. 
All this sleeplessness, and the sleeplessness to come will all be worth it though, because you are magic, and you have a life growing inside of you. You are incubating the future, and I'd say that's pretty cool :-D

Latest bump pic:

Seven Months In - How's that Vision Board Treating You?

On New Years Eve 2013 I created a Vision Board instead of making a New Years Resolution and hung it in my boudoir so I could see it when getting dressed every day. 

Since we're more than half-way into the year, I thought now was a good time to to check-in and see how/if my vision's are coming true. My main focuses of my vision board were home, relationship and physical health, and....BABIES! lol

Well we know I have a baby on board, so that portion of my vision for 2014 is on it's way. 

Regarding my home I wanted to put more energy into it. This has been happening a bit. We've done work on the guest room that will become the nursery. We got a new living room set, and we upgraded the look of our laundry room replacing some broke down sliding doors with curtains. 

living room

I also wanted the love between my husband and I to flourish. Pregnancy is usually a time that can tear couples apart, but we've been blessed to share even more laughs and good times than we had before. 2013 was SO HARD on us, and 2014 has definitely blessed us. 

I wanted 2014 to be filled with healthy home cooked meals and healthy living. This one I need to work a little harder on lol. Healthy living takes effort, and even more of an effort when you're pregnant, fatigued, and have a really wacky appetite. This vision will take some more work. Here's to an increase in healthy eating and exercise. 

Did you make a Vision Board or set a New Years Resolution?
 How is it going?

Motherhood Worries + Labor & Deliver Support

At the end of my last blog post I asked what you would like my next post to be about. The lovely CC asked: 

Can you talk about what you're most worried about in motherhood or who your support for during labor and after delivery will be? 

When it comes to what I'm most worried about in motherhood most of my anxiety stems from what is going to happen when my three months of maternity leave is up. By the time I was of an age where I could remember my grandfather was retired, so he was essentially my stay-at-home grandpa. I feel like this is a large part of why my childhood was so awesome. I'm worried about being away from my daughter (OMG I'm going to have a daughter!) for so much of the day when I go back to work. I do plan on having her with my at work from time to time, as my grandmother did with me, so I'm very blessed to have a job that is flexible in that way. For the rest of the time, we need to a good nanny, at a good price, so that search will begin once she's here. Because I was pretty much always with my grandparents I can't imagine being a child growing up and only seeing my parents in the morning and night. I know plenty of people do it, because it's pretty much a necessity to be able to be financially stable for both parents to work, but it still gives me worry. 

When it comes to support during labor my husband will be with me and I'm planning to have a doula. I have coffee shop date "interviews" with two potential doulas next week and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to choose between the two of them. 

After delivery my doula will provide some support, my husband is planning to take a week off from work and depending on scheduling my mom will come visit for a few days as well. 

I imagine labor, delivery and those first weeks with her home are going to be the wildest adventure ever...but I am so looking forward to it!

Pregnancy Update: Week 24

24 weeks woohoo!
How far along? 24 weeks + 1 day
How big is baby? According to my apps she's as big as a squash and as long as an ear of corn.
Maternity Clothes? I made a trip to Destination Maternity this week and picked up a pair of black skinny pants, two pairs of shorts, and a pair of casual linen pants (they were buy 3 get 1 free!). I feel like I'm definitely squared away in the bottoms department. I have dresses already, and lots of dressy tops. What I feel like I'm missing is just some plain maternity t-shirts for casual dreary weather like it's been ALL WEEK. 
Symptoms? Must pee all the time. 
Mood Swings? Yes. I can have a total meltdown over absolutely nothing. 
Buy anything for baby this week? Since my last update I think the only thing I've bought were some cloth diapers. This weekend we're planning on getting a changing table and dresser to start putting away all the diapers I've already bought, and the clothes people have given us already.  
Sleep? I'm usually ready for bed by 10, pee 2-3 times during the night, and then my brain is wide awake at 5am. 
Best Moment This Week: Being able to see her movement from the outside, and Hubs feeling her move. 
Cravings: Dunkin Donuts Arnold Palmer Coolattas were my thing last week. 
What I miss? Not having to use the bathroom ALL THE TIME. 
What I am looking forward to? Making headway on the nursery, washing and storing the diapers and clothes we have so far. 
In other news, I have less and less of a belly button every day. This innie is sure to turn into an outtie one day soon. My nails are starting to see the pregnancy benefits. They're longer and stronger than usual. 
What would you like my next blog post to be about?

Philly Natural Hair Show 2014 + Ticket Giveaway!

I am so excited the Philly Natural Hair Show is back this year, Saturday, June 7th. I had a great experience last year. I feel very fortunate that I will be a part of their blogger/vloggers session again this year. Here are some other event highlights: 

John Casablancas Modeling and Acting agency will be at the show scouting. If you are a model or an actor bring your headshots and make sure you stop by their booth!

International Celebrity Hair Stylist Felicia Leatherwood will be leading a workshop and doing a Q&A. 

YouTuber/Blogger Jouelzy will be returning again, as well as lots of other workshops, vendors, and the hair fashion show. 

There will be goodie bags for the first arrivals, while supplies last. Includes products from Miss Jessie's, Curls, Design Essentials, Cantu and more.

Tickets can be purchased HERE for $20...BUT, I have FIVE tickets to give away! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The giveaway will close Sunday, June 1st at midnight and I will contact the five winners on Monday, June 2nd. 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What is the Millennial Generation's Man on the Moon?

Note: this post contains information about the May 25, 2014 episode of Mad Men. I don't consider the information to have spoilers, but proceed with caution if you haven't watched it and don't want to know any details.

On last night's episode of Mad Men the date in history was in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew landed and walked on the moon. Everyone on the show was huddled around their televisions watching the event. Everyone talked about it leading up to and after the moon landing. It was interesting to see a whole country (as depicted by the show) in a unified interest and consciousness.

It got me thinking, what is our generation's, the Millennial generation's, Moon Landing? What is it that we all sat around and watched in awe? My husband suggested 9-11, which did have everyone huddled around their TVs, but I'm looking for something awe inspiring yet not horror inducing.

What is the Millennial Generation's Moon Landing Experience?