Honesly, I cannot believe I am even writing this post because I feel like I JUST wrote my first trimester post! These last few months have been great and when people would ask me how I was feeling, I could genuinely answer them by saying “really good!” My energy level came back around the beginning of December as well as my full appetite for the normal foods I enjoy eating. I started feeling the baby move around 17 weeks and I don’t think he has stopped moving ever since then! And yes, its is a HE! I guess I’ll dive into a few specifics starting with the gender…

What are you having?

Its a boy! I was seriously convinced that this baby was a girl, and so was everyone else for that matter. We found out a few days before Christmas and when the ultrasound tech got to the anatomy section of the scan, I said “is that what I think it is?!?” and she laughed as she typed “it’s a boy!” on the screen. I’m no professional but it was so very obvious it was in fact, a boy. We had the kids in the room with us and wanted to wait until Christmas to tell them so I couldn’t say much else but my response was just pure laughter! It was so shocking to me that it was a boy! We told the kids and the rest of our family on Christmas by popping a balloon filled with blue confetti and everyone was just as surprised that it was a boy. Poor Sutton was a little heartbroken as she has been praying for a sister for well over a year so when we initially told her I was pregnant, she immediately said she thought it would be a girl. Thankfully she’s come around to the idea that its not so bad to be the only girl in the family!

Any Cravings?

Still wanting asian food (pad thai and cooked sushi) most commonly. My sweet tooth did come back but it hasn’t been out of control thankfully. I just found out I passed my glucose test so I am celebrating that news! I’ve also really been loving the tiny mandarin cuties and could eat 5 or 6 in one sitting. I can’t wait to have an icy margarita this summer though…I do miss those! Its been so fun to be back in the kitchen with both energy and an appetite. Ive really enjoyed our new space and we’ve had quite a few people over for dinner.

How Am I Feeling?

The second trimester was glorious. Great energy, good appetite and enjoying all the wiggles, kicks and flips from our little guy. It’s these three months that make me say “I love being pregnant,” to which my husband quickly reminds me how miserable I was my first trimester to snap me back to reality. And I know those third trimester sleepless nights, aches and pains are coming!

Hows the Weight Gain?

With my last two pregnancies, I gained around 40 lbs each time. As of my last appointment this week, I’ve gained right around 25 pounds, so I think I’ll end up right at that same 40 lb number this time too. I also just noticed (or should I say Sutton did) my first stretch marks the other day. “Mommy, you have scratch marks on your bottom!” were her exact words, LOL. Sometimes I wonder if the baby is growing in my tush because that is where I gain alllll of my weight. I’ve had stretch marks there in the past and am honestly not that worried about them because I know they will fade…plus no one really sees my butt anyways so who cares! Its signs of my body doing amazing work to grow and eventually nourish a human. Thats something to be pretty proud of.

What Have I Enjoyed Wearing?

Dresses, dresses and more dresses! I set out this pregnancy to wear pants as little as possible and thankfully, our climate is very conducive to that. I own a pair of (really nice) maternity jeans that I purchased during my first pregnancy and every time I put them on, I tell myself I’m never wearing them again. So in order to avoid the pants, I bought several non-maternity dresses that would accommodate my growing belly right after Christmas that were very inexpensive. Maternity clothes can be really pricey and then become unwearable pretty quickly…and I always feel like they make you look more pregnant that you really are. Obviously some good maternity basics like a white t-shirt, maternity shorts and a few other things are pretty essential, but other than those, I’ve really been able to get away with non-maternity items that I can continue to wear after pregnancy. I’ve enjoyed scouting out some of the best pieces and sharing them on my instagram and its made me so happy that there are other pregnant moms that are appreciating these options I’m finding too.

However, if I’m not wearing dresses, I’m usually in my black amazon leggings with an oversized white button down shirt (also amazon). I sized up one size in the leggings and two sizes in the shirt and they have both been perfect.

shop my looks

What Do My Days Look Like?

This was a question I was asked when I polled what sort of information my readers wanted to see in this post and I think I’m going to do a whole separate “day in the life” post to cover this since it could get a little long. Most days look very similar but we have a few that are busier than others, which makes for a few scheduling changes.

What Pregnancy Safe Skin Care Products Am I Using?

I haven’t bought any new products and thankfully, all of my existing skincare items were already safe for me to use while pregnant and breastfeeding. However, I have cut down my routine quite a bit as I’m just too tired at the end of most days to do more than maybe two or three steps so here’s everything I’m using…and applying it some nights and mornings:

Evening Routine:

• Cleanse with Tula Purifying Face Cleanser

• A swipe of Bioderma Micellar Water on a cotton pad to remove any excess makeup or dirt.

• Good Genes lactic acid treatment by Sunday Riley. I use this about every other night

• Obagi Vitamin C Serum. Before I was pregnant, I only used this in the mornings, but since my hyper pigmentation and melasma tends to get worse during pregnancy and postpartum, I am doubling up morning and night.

• Moisturize with Obagi Hydrate Moisturizer.

• Tula Eye Cream. I got this as a sample last month and have been enjoying using this. I haven’t used an eye cream consistently in a few years and I know I need to!

Morning Routine:

• Bioderma on a cotton pad to remove any residue from the night before.

• Vitamin C serum immediately after while my skin is still slightly damp.

• Elta MD sunscreen.

  shop the products

Hows the Nursery coming along?

Ha! Um, its not! So I haven’t even started decorating the kids rooms yet and I’m not in any rush. Plus the boys are going to share a room so I’m really not even going to set up a nursery. #thirdkid. My plan is to put bunk beds in Quint’s room and temporarily move Sutton into his room until the baby sleeps though the night. I’ll move the crib into her room and sleep in our guest room, which is right next to hers so I can be close to the baby…but working diligently to sleep train him. It was SUCH a struggle getting Quint to sleep well/through the night when he was an infant because we kept him in our room way longer than I would have liked because we were living in a two bedroom house at the time and Sutton was in the other room. It wasn’t until we started working with *Sleepy Cues that we moved Sutton into our room and Quint into the nursery by himself that we started seeing success in his sleeping…so I am not messing around this time! Ha! Once the baby is sleeping well and consistently through the night, we’ll move Sutton back into her room (and get it decorated!) and then move the crib into the room with Quint. I just don’t want to expend a lot of time and money into a space that is going to be pretty temporary and would rather wait until everyone is in their long term room to get settled. Sutton was my only child that really got a true nursery…must be good to be the first born, LOL!

*You can read about my experience using Sleepy Cues here

Feel free and drop me a question in the comments section if I missed something you’d like to know. I’m not planning on buying anything new for our little guy besides a few outfits and some diapers. The more kids I have, the less I realize we need! I do plan to work on a post about my personal favorite baby items and products so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.

Lastly, I’m so thankful for the miracle of life that I have the privilege of growing within me. For each of my babies, I have asked the Lord to give me three character qualities to pray specifically over them and also selected a special song as their lullaby. I think I’ve chosen my song for this little guy but I’m still waiting for God to give me the words for him. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of LIFE!

Blaire