Bump Love {18 Weeks}

           

  Baby is the Size of an Sweet Potato!

Due Date: October 26

Maternity clothes? I'm planning a post about this very subject because it was definitely a learning process! The one thing I learned is maternity jeans were so worth it for me! Even though it took forever to find a good pair, I wear them all the time!

Best moment this week:  There's always lots of little moments but I love seeing my best friends and their eyes pop out at my belly because it's growing so fast haha. 

Miss Anything? The warmer the weather gets, the more I miss summer drinks but a virgin margarita once in awhile is quite satisfying! Also sleeping on my back.

Sleep? See above! Sleeping on my side is pretty comfy thanks to my snoogle pillow, and it also feels more natural, it's almost like my brain is telling me to sleep on my side. I sleep on my left for the best blood flow as my pregnancy app tells me. It's funny though because I almost always wake up and my arms are asleep. So blood is getting to my belly but not to my arms! I've dropped my phone on my face a few times trying to grab it to check the time with sleepy arms.

Movement: Not really anything yet.

Cravings: Still nothing too crazy.

Aversions: Nothing to crazy the other way either. Just kinda eating normal lately! Although a chicken aversion is pretty normal for me!

Symptoms: My belly feels freaking huge. Every day it's a little bit bigger, it's so weird and cool. Also the aches and pains have started. All kinds of weird feelings going on, some of which may be round ligament pain. It got a little intense on Sunday so I called my midwife who assured me everything was normal. It makes sense because everything, and I mean everything is growing! My butt is bigger and let's just say I went down a few letters in the alphabet in my bra size (I really hope guys aren't reading this haha) and that is a serious adjustment. I also had my first visit with my chiropractor since I got pregnant and I feel sooo much better! 

Workouts: Same, walking and a bit of strength training.  I feel way more comfortable focusing on being "active" than trying to achieve my own fitness goals. My goal right now is just to be healthy and active and not lose too much muscle.

Baby Items Purchased: Nothing purchased but my friend Amanda gave me a Bumbo (and it's turquoise!), nursing pillow and some diapers! Plus I got to hold her adorable baby for a couple minutes. Side note: DEFINITELY focusing on upper body strength this week, my arm was sore the next day!

Mood: Mostly happy with some random waterworks happening. Sorry Leigh!

Loving: Having a bump!! There's some definite perks, such as people holding doors for you, and expectant mom parking at the mall right next to H&M!

Looking Forward To: Things are definitely starting to feel more real this week. Looking forward to feeling some baby kicks and just being further along. Oh, and FINDING OUT GENDER! Also, doing a little shopping when I do find out the gender. I don't want to go crazy but I definitely want to buy my little man or little lady an outfit at least! Also, I have a pre-natal massage in two weeks!! Woohoo!

Bump Love {17 Weeks}

                                                      Baby is the Size of an Onion

Due Date: October 26

Maternity clothes? Yup, and loving them! So much more enjoyable being pregnant when you have clothes that fit and that make you feel good. Worth the investment!

Best moment this week:  Lots of good moments but seeing all my Edmonton family and Grandma. Grandma is loving the belly!
 

Miss Anything? All my cute little dresses!

Sleep? Still sleeping pretty good but having tons of weird dreams so sleep hasn't been quite as restful.

Movement: I swear I've felt a few little movements but then nothing after I try to feel again.

Cravings: Nothing too crazy again this week. I get crazy hungry out of nowhere though!

Aversions: I ate both chicken and beef this week so I feel like I tackled my aversions haha. 

Symptoms: Belly is POPPED, that's for sure. It also feels really full if that makes sense. It's like being bloated when you drink lots of water but then the feeling never goes away. Also starting to get some aches and pains but I feel very, very lucky that my symptoms are so mild.

Workouts: Walking, squats, lunges. Need to work in some more upper body stuff, though, slacked on that a bit this week.

Baby Items Purchased: Nothing yet. Being good!

Mood: Happy! Starting to relax a little bit more and just enjoy it!

Loving: Actually looking pregnant. It's so cool looking down and seeing this little bump stick out. I love looking up online and seeing what baby is up to at that moment in their development.

Looking Forward To: Finding out gender! and all the fun that comes with it, picking out names, clothes, nursery decor....can't wait! Also we have an ultrasound coming up in a few weeks! I'm excited to see the baby looking more babylike!

Life Lately - Long Weekend Edition

One big thing that I haven't really mentioned yet was moving all my clients over to a different training location! It wasn't exactly in the plan, but circumstances arose where I and the other trainers had to find a new location, thankfully one of them found a great gym for us to train at and set it all up, which I am very thankful for because it saved me a ton of stress. So that's been a bit of an adjustment training clients in a huge gym vs the small private studio I was training at before. But so far, so good! My clients are so awesome and loyal, I'm so lucky!

Onto the long weekend! On Friday night I did an extremely late bump update in case you missed it here:

wearing my new maternity jeans from Old Navy ($25!!)

The bump is really growing!

It was kind of not a long weekend for me, because I worked on Saturday. I had a client consult in the morning and somehow I thought I worked at the store 10-530 but I found out when one of the guys showed up at 2 that I was not scheduled all day, I read the text from my co-worker wrong! It's always nice getting off halfway through your work day.

Saturday night we had dinner at my Grandma's house with all of the Edmonton clan. Aunts, uncles, cousins, a puppy and a bunch of little munchkins running around. Chaotic and fun! It's always nice to have the whole family together.

Sunday we had a memorial service type thing for the anniversary of my Grandpa's passing. We went to the cemetery where he was buried and they unveiled the headstone. It was really nice but a bit sad. Still miss him like crazy!

Afterwards we were quite close to Cupcakes so we stopped by for a little treat. Should have got a mini though, I couldn't finish a whole one!

Monday I got some much needed time with the hubby, we went for a long drive aiming for Whistler but ending up in Horsehoe Bay, which was apparently where all the sun was hiding! We sat on a gorgeous rooftop patio and had lunch, it was so nice and peaceful. The menu was a bit fancy for me, so I sweetly asked the waiter if I could just get a BLT (while sticking out my belly a bit) and of course he complied. It was so good!

It was really nice to get lots of family time in this weekend. I've had to adjust my schedule a little bit because I found I was working a bit too much. Maybe not too much but too many days. I find I need at least one full day where I can relax and enjoy life. After all, it might get a little busy coming up here. :-)

Bump Love {16 Weeks}

                                                

Baby is the Size of an Avocado!

Due Date: October 26

Maternity clothes?  I FINALLY bought maternity jeans after pretty much being jean-less for the last few weeks. Can I just say maternity jeans actually make the bump look so much cuter? Also got a dress and tank from Destination Maternity thanks to a handy 20% off coupon!

Best moment this week:  Giving our moms their mother's day gift, teddy bears with a recording of the baby's heartbeat attached. Also, hearing the heartbeat when we had our sneaky ultrasound appointment to get the recording done. The baby was sleeping during our appointment so didn't seem much movement but got a little peek. Also TWO people assumed I was pregnant! This makes me very happy because it means I'm finally starting to show.
 

Miss Anything? I went to my friend's housewarming party last weekend and I'm not going to lie, the ice cold bottle of moscato our friend brought looked pretty darn amazing. Although I did find these mocktail margaritas from Superstore and they were pretty good!

Sleep? Sleeping good, nice and deep. I love sleeping, it's kind of one of my favourite activities right now. 

Movement: I MAY have felt something, I pressed down on the bump and felt something bump up against my hand but who knows.

Cravings: Nothing too crazy this week.

Aversions: Chicken.

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good other than heartburn and feet killing me after standing. Also, noticing that my body temperature is definitely higher than normal, it feels too hot to sit outside and it's not even that hot yet. I see a kiddie pool in my future.

Workouts: Finally getting somewhere in that department, I've been doing about 30 minutes a day in between clients and some light weights.

Baby Items Purchased: Nope. I honestly would buy something gender neutral if I found something I wanted but there's been nothing super cute that was gender neutral that I had to have. Also, still doing research on all the different baby stuff.

Mood: I've been pretty happy but definitely more easily thrown off by life craziness lately. More on that later!

Loving: Actually having maternity clothes and feeling like I'm starting to look pregnant. My bump is definitely kind of rounding out.

Looking Forward To: Pretty much until 20 weeks this answer is going to be the same, finding out the gender! I'm also just kind of enjoying this second trimester. Trying to stay in the moment!

On Pregnancy Weight Gain

When you get pregnant, you realise that a lot of stuff that you have thought or said before about pregnancy was kind of stupid. For instance, I never got people who complained that they felt fat when they were pregnant. They weren't fat, they were carrying a child and freaking adorable.

I am eating my words. I get it now. When I first found out I was pregnant, obviously I hadn't gained any weight yet from the pregnancy. I couldn't wait for my bump to get bigger. Ummm yeah, for some people that is the first and maybe only thing that gets bigger but for me that was not the case. I gained about 5 pounds with no sign of a bump whatsoever. I'm sure part of that was due to increased (make that extremely increased appetite) but I wasn't really eating much different than normal. (Just more pickles)

By the time the little bump did make an appearance, I really was just feeling fat. If you have been pregnant, you will probably understand this. If you have not been pregnant (or are a boy) it probably won't make sense because it didn't to me. The fact of the matter is your body starts to change and it's not in a cute way at first. For people that are in super fantastic lean shape, maybe this doesn't happen.

Anyways, so at some point the bump will show up, but it will be little. It will kinda just look like you had Christmas dinner. When people look at you they will probably not guess that you're pregnant. It's really kind of an awkward stage. I seriously can't wait to actually look pregnant.

That all being said, as awkward as I feel sometimes, I am totally embracing it! Who cares if I gain a few pounds? This is what our bodies were meant to do and It's not like I don't know how to get back in shape after! I am actually really excited about this new challenge of creating a fit mom body!

I found this chart and thought it was really interesting. I always thought when you gained weight while pregnant it was the baby plus just fat. However, there is a lot of other stuff going on! Also, it changes with how much you weigh before as well. I believe this is the recommended weight gain (25-30lbs) but I'm sure most people gain more and I might be one of them!

Full disclosure, I do not plan on weighing myself during my pregnancy at all, because I don't want to focus on the numbers, I just want to be healthy for myself and my baby. Of course, I will get weighed at various points but I'm not going to keep checking and updating each week with my bump posts. To me that just doesn't feel healthy.

That being said, I am going to be fully honest with you guys after the baby is born and once I start working out. I will disclose all the numbers as I get back in shape, because I want to share this journey with my readers. 

I am currently reading "What to Eat When You're Expecting" which is a lot more interesting and way less scary than the regular "What to Expect" book. I'm also using my fitness pal to keep track of my calories to make sure I am eating enough. It's also helpful keeping track of protein and things like that because I'm currently at this moment having difficulty eating meat.

So yeah, that's my two cents on pregnancy weight gain. What are your guys' thoughts on this?

Bump Love {15 Weeks}

                                      

                                            Baby is the Size of a Navel Orange!

Due Date: October 26

Maternity clothes?  I tried shopping for maternity clothes last week and was a bit appalled. They're so expensive and I didn't love anything. The main thing I am looking for is my regular cropped tights that I wear to work. My fave pairs are American Eagle and Costco and the maternity version doesn't seem to exist. I may see a sewing project in my future.

Best moment this week:  Someone asked me when I was due and I was delighted because maybe I'm starting to actually look pregnant! Also my neighbour said I'm glowing! 
 

Miss Anything? Wine. Sangria. Margaritas. But not that much, thanks to my friend Hilary, she whipped me up some virgin ones for Cinco De Mayo and they were so refreshing!

Sleep? I added this in this week because sleeping while pregnant is tricky. The past week I have been sleeping with the window open a crack and wow has it made a difference! I sleep so deeply and wake up less often to go to the bathroom. Weird, but fabulous!

Movement: Not yet. If I press down on my belly I can feel something but I don't know if it's my own heartbeat lol

Cravings: Pickles. How typical. I went through a whole jar in three days. Also, obsessed with lemonade, fruit and veggies.

Aversions: Chicken and beef, although I did manage to eat a taco salad tonight and it was actually pretty good!

Symptoms: I actually feel pretty great, other than feeling tired easily. If I'm standing at work all day I'll feel like I did a full body workout!

Workouts: Due to the above, not much. Still walking quite a bit and doing light weights.

Baby Items Purchased: Nope. Holding off till gender!

Mood: Pretty happy this week, although definitely have some emotional points once in awhile!

Loving: Shiny hair, glowing skin and how good everything tastes!

Looking Forward To: Pretty much until 20 weeks this answer is going to be the same, finding out the gender! 

Our New Home {Inspiration}

Even though our apartment won't be ready for months and months, it doesn't stop us from driving by several times a week to check on the progress. Our particular suite is fully framed, and it looks like it's next up for windows. Next to the baby's room is a concrete firewall, so that's kind of nice. I also can't stop myself from daydreaming and planning layout and decor.

This is our floor plan, except ours is actually flipped. Meaning when you walk in the front door, the kitchen is on the left and the bathroom is on the right. It's so weird because all the show suites are the opposite so I can't picture what this will look like.

For the glorious two weeks after we bought our place and before I found out I was pregnant, I planned to work my little bum off for a year so I could buy whatever I wanted to make our place amazing. March 1st I realised a) I was only going to be able to work for 7-8 months b) my bum was not going to be little, and c) disposable income was most definitely going to be redirected. And I didn't mind one bit. I just have to prioritize! My focus now is making our apartment cozy and a real home.

The first thing we need is a new couch and I am dying for one of these giant sectional monstrosities aka living room bed. How cozy is this for piling up all exhausted with a newborn and watching half a movie before falling asleep?! Actually finding the perfect couch is another story, so I've started my search already.

source: Pinterest

My other main project is either re-doing or creating one of these farmhouse style tables. I have an idea for it and I'm not entirely sure it's going to work because I sort of need Leigh to execute it because I'm not really allowed to play with sharp objects anymore ;-)

source: www.cedardowns.ca

One of my favourite details of our apartment is this little office nook. As you can see from the floor plan, it has a linen closet next to it so I want to use a few shelves in there for organizing papers/mail so that this area doesn't get super cluttered. There's also a linen closet in my bathroom (the one with the tub, obviously) so I can store towels ect in there. I also wanted to share this photo because it shows the wall colour really well. As much as I'd love to paint and customize our place, we're going to leave it as is for now. I wouldn't even know what to call this colour though!And as I've told Leigh, I make no promises on the baby's room, it may need to be painted depending on if it's a boy or girl and what kind of nursery décor we decide on.

Another thing I'm excited about is our patio, because it's not just a normal patio, it's a solarium! It is all glassed in but the panels are removable, you just slide them over and fold them away when you want fresh air. It's not my top priority to decorate the patio since we're moving in January. 

source: Pinterest

I found this photo and it's totally my inspiration, it's so simple but creates the perfect little space to hang out and have coffee in the morning (or a glass of wine at night...can you tell I miss my wine?)

I have so many more apartment ideas that I will share over the next several months while I wait patiently for exciting things to finally happen!

Pickles, Abs and a Serious Lack of Either In My Life

Yesterday I told Leigh that I wanted to go to the store for waffles, lemonade, pickles, and a pineapple and he laughed at me. But then he took me and I was a happy camper. Except when we were loading them into the car, one of the bags slipped and the pickles took a tumble and shattered everywhere. So so sad. I kinda wanted to cry a little bit. I was tempted to go buy another jar but I decided not to and really regretted it later.

Sometimes the universe does strange things...mean things...like today, I plugged in my iphone to add some music to it and it somehow restored it to my OLD iphone, as in the one I had two years ago. In an even more cruel twist, it replaced all my saved nursery/baby/maternity ideas with progress photos from my competition and fitness inspirational photos.

This is the photo I posted on Instagram just this morning before the Great Cruel Replacement Incident:

Aaaand this is just one of the ridiculous gems I found on my time travelling phone.

Whhhhy Apple, why! I didn`t want to see that! At least not for another year or so haha. On the bright side, it reminded me that I can and will be in great shape again one day!

On another random note...

I know I'm super late to the party on this, but the VIP movie theatre at Coquitlam Silvercity is pretty much the best thing ever. Last weekend we went to go see the Other Woman which is the perfect chick flick movie. I went with a couple girlfriends and it's the perfect night out, at least for this preggo girl. I was momentarily jealous of the cocktail menu and instead ordered my latest substitute, the Shirley Temple. Except at some point between 10 weeks and 14 weeks, I developed some kind of weird cherry aversion and now they taste like cough syrup to me. It's time for me to create my own little low sugar all natural lemonade, I think.  Anyways, I am hoping to take Leigh for a date night to the VIP theatre since every time we go it's like the opposite of VIP experience.

Happy Friday everyone! Random preggo thoughts out!

Bump Love {14 Weeks}

Due Date: October 26

Maternity clothes?  I bought two maternity maxi dresses from Old Navy in the states and a nice long maternity tank. Other than that, clothes still fit, I did buy regular jeans and just sized up and they're still super comfy. My sis in law also lent me her belly band so that's handy if I want to wear jeans that don't button. I'm officially packing up all my skinny clothes till Summer 2015! :-P

Best moment this week:  Starting to have a real life bump! It definitely varies in size from morning to night but it's still so cool! Sometimes it looks really big, it's so weird!
 

Miss Anything? Wine, sangria, cocktails. I wasn't even a big drinker but the not being allowed to have cold refreshing drinks on the brink of summer makes me a bit sad. Bring on the pink lemonade!

Movement: Not yet. Can't wait!

Cravings: Not really anything this week I HAVE to have. Having some serious food aversions though. So many things is just like "Nope, not interested" such as pretty much any kind of meat. Bummer. Loving pickles, lemonade, and any cold veggies.

Symptoms: Food aversions, nausea more so this week (could be due to dry socket still healing) and a bit tired.

Workouts: Ha. I'm getting there. I'm sneaking in a bit before an after clients but standing all day is wiping me out. Mostly just little walks and a bit of weights. I'm definitely very active but any kind of hardcore workouts aren't happening at the moment.

Baby Items Purchased: Nope. Holding off till gender!

Mood: A lot happier this week due to lack of pain in my jaw/teeth! Dry socket is no joke. I definitely do find that I get emotional a lot more easy. I feel tears coming on at the drop of a hat!

Loving: Warmer weather this week, finally being able to wear dresses! My sweet friend lent me a few maxi dresses so I have a little collection going! So comfy!

Looking Forward To: Finding out the gender even though it's so far away. Also, getting a freaking tan. I'm so pale right now and after doing research on self tanners while pregnant I got a little freaked out. I'm actually just kind of enjoying the now, even though there is so much to look forward to. I'm finally in my second trimester and I'm going to enjoy feeling good while it lasts!