“Happiness is home grown…..”
Well, we’ve been keeping a little secret for the past several weeks…. We’re adding to our little family with another baby girl, due this coming April!
There were so many different times that I wanted to share the news… since I’ve been so open thus far with our pregnancy journey….but couldn’t bring myself to. While the first trimester holds so much joy and anticipation, it also comes with a lot of fear. There are a lot of complications that can happen in those first 12 weeks that it often becomes all consuming. Even though I’ve been through the process before, I monitored every symptom closely…. was I still “feeling” pregnant… where was the afternoon nausea today?? Why were the symptoms stronger yesterday than they were today?? Occasionally peeking at a message board now and then (which I NEVER recommend… too much information….). After our first ultrasound, and strong heartbeat, I felt slightly more assured. It wasn’t until my blood test came back, and our 12 week ultrasound confirmed that everything was going smoothly, that I breathed a sigh of relief. I remember driving home with TJ and feeling as if a small burden had been lifted. Gone were the fears of the past several weeks… seemingly overtaken with excitement for this new little lady that will be entering our world in six short months (I pray that our home remodel will be done by then…….)…..
Like with my first pregnancy, the first trimester was relatively easy. With the exception of extreme fatigue in the afternoons and evenings (hello 8:30 bedtimes), and occasional nauseousness here and there, I was still able to go about most of my daily activities with relative ease, which I feel profoundly grateful for. I continued my morning workouts, monitoring my exertion level much closer than usual (my running pace went from 8:45 minute mile to a 10:45 minute mile)…. attended a few spin classes… and kept up with Harper (barely)….
A noticeable difference between this pregnancy and my last pregnancy is the early appearance of a little bump. When we were in New York I brought along this body-con dress and found that at only 8 weeks I looked very well past my first trimester. I immediately texted my girlfriend (who is further along in her second pregnancy) and asked if she had the same experience. She said, “Everything is bigger this time around….” My first pregnancy took 15 weeks for a bump to appear… now I feel like I’m showing well past that!
Something I can’t contain my excitement for, and tear up when I think about it, is that Harper and our new little lady (we have a name but haven’t shared it with family yet, so I’ll reveal after we have) will be sisters. I know the profound bond that sisters can have. For me, I always have a built in best friend, no matter what. Someone who always has my back, who I can turn to whenever I need a laugh, to cry, or vent… and someone who I am always guaranteed a good time with. Knowing that our little girls can possibly have that makes me so thrilled.
I shared, at length, about my acupuncture journey here, so I don’t want to get too into it in this post, but for me it had such a powerful influence on my pregnancy journey. I went from having a 35 day cycle, to a 32 day cycle (after one round), and then a 24-28 day cycle after the third month. We weren’t able to conceive in the second round because I wasn’t using the Ava bracelet consistently and missed my ovulation window, since my cycle had been shortened and I wasn’t aware. On the third cycle, I used the Ava bracelet consistently, and accurately, and it told me I was ovulating 4 days before I was anticipating. At first I thought it couldn’t be right, but obviously it was. I’m not saying either of these “got” me pregnant, but they both assisted greatly in the process.
As far as eating goes, I’m not one to get ravenous cravings in pregnancy, but this time around, as with the first, I craved meat, warm soups (hence the vegetable soup + chili recipes that came so close together…(#ThankYouPregnancyCravings), and Chinese Food (which is why my Cauliflower Fried Rice made a weekly appearance over on stories…). I was aversive to many green vegetables… and the thought of my favorite cauliflower gnocchi + marinara sauce made my stomach churn…. but that seems to be subsiding as of late. We’ll see what comes in the next two trimesters…
In the end, I feel so blessed for all that has been given to our little family over these past couple of months. I remember crying to TJ in June/July feeling as if life was just at a standstill… that nothing was working out… and questioning God’s plan (house, work, baby, etc…). Yet, all has seemingly fallen into place, and I am so grateful and excited to share these journeys with you… especially this pregnancy one……
P.S. To all who have reached out over the past few months saying that I was in their thoughts, prayers, or sending positive vibes, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it! The community support is amazing!
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(Outfit Details || My Dress | Harper’s Romper | Flower Crowns by The Happy Haku | TJ’s Shorts | TJ’s Top)
