20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks

Maternity clothes: Since I've been on Christmas break, I've been rockin' mostly pj's. Aside from that, leggings and I finally ordered these work pants, these jeans, and a few tops from GAP. 

Stretch marks? None

Sleep: Back to going between our bed, the guest bed, and then sitting up on the couch at night... just can't seem to get comfortable these days.

Best moment this week: Whew! This past week has been one for the books for sure. Christmas Day was definitely the best. No one was sick and we got to spend time with family. (And we even got to FaceTime with my grandma in Texas who's in a nursing home!) Aside from that, we've been sick over here pretty much the entire week. Aurora actually came home sick from school last Friday and we ended up taking her to the ER last Saturday (Christmas Eve) because she wasn't eating a drop of anything, would barely sip water, and was vomiting quite a bit. It turned out that she just had some awful stomach bug. Needless to say, we spent the rest of Christmas Eve at home and things were pretty quiet around here Christmas Day until we started getting ready for everyone to come over for dinner. Huge shout out to my mama for doing our Christmas dinner grocery shopping while we were at the hospital, since I knew most places would be closed once we left. You are the best! We were pretty lazy on Monday and Tuesday (minus getting out of the house to see Sing! with the neighbors!), but then all hell broke loose on Wednesday when Jose came down with a touch of I'm guessing whatever Aurora had and then I followed suit on Thursday and Friday. I woke up this morning feeling much better, but by the time I got ready for the day, I was already out of energy. Aurora and I attempted lunch with my mom and grandma and some quick errands after that, but had to cancel dinner with the family tonight because neither of us was feeling well. We'll see if we even make it until midnight.

Another highlight of the week was starting and finishing The Magnolia Story (my Christmas present from Jose!). I now love Chip and Joanna Gaines more than I already did and am trying to figure out how we can move to Texas and live on a farm and enjoy the simple life. Don't stay tuned. That will probably never happen. :/

Miss anything? My husband! He had to go back to work Thursday evening, so being sick the past few nights and not having him here has been rough. I'm pretty certain Aurora's had a Lunchable for every meal for the past three days. 

Movement: Finally feeling movement on the outside! I still love the little flutters on the inside too. :)

Food cravings? Still fruit, but haven't had much of an appetite for anything these past few days

Anything make you queasy or sick? Again, aside from being sick the past few days, not really

Gender prediction: We find out on Tuesday, but still thinking boy

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: More and more movement!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Pretty sure I've moved on from cranky to whiney these past few days. Can't wait to be pleasant again. I'm sure Jose would agree. 

Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender on Tuesday!

Total weight gain: ~14 lbs. (Down a few from Week 18, but probably from being sick.)

18 Weeks + Sweet Potato Hash Recipe

How far along? 18 weeks

Maternity clothes: I was supposed to go maternity clothes shopping over the weekend, but 1. We were too busy and 2. Trying clothes on right now sounds exhausting. I'm going to be ordering some things from ASOS this week when I'm off and actually have time to figure out what it is I actually need. When did my favorite pastime become such a chore?! Has anyone bought from ASOS' maternity collection? Their stuff looks super cute, but I'm curious as to how their sizes run, etc.

Stretch marks? None. Hoping to keep it that way!

Sleep: Better, but still never consistent

Best moment this week: Again, the weekend. Weekends when Jose is off seem to come and go way too fast. There's so much that we want to do together and just never enough time to do it all. Last night was pretty awesome as well, though. We were watching Season 2 of Fuller House and one of the episodes (I won't explain it in case you haven't seen it yet and plan to!) was way nostalgic and we ended up watching NKOTB music videos for a good hour, which of course then lead us to introducing Aurora to all our favorite 90's bands. She kept wanting us to play more NKOTB though. I think we've created a blockhead. Is anyone else torn between whether Donnie or Jordan is their favorite?

Miss anything? Still my energy. As much as I'm loving our busy weekends and spending the time together doing holiday-related things, I get exhausted/short on breath pretty easily. 

Movement: Definitely more frequent movement on the inside, but nothing on the outside.

Food cravings? Fruit. Cuties have been my fav!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really

Gender prediction: We find out on January 3rd, but still thinking boy

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Nothing new. Just the growing belly, pregnancy brain, some slight movement on the inside, low energy, exhaustion, strong sense of smell, shortness of breath

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Still cranky 

Looking forward to: Christmas break!!! One more day of work!

Total weight gain: ~17 lbs.

In honor of the baby being the size of one of my favorite foods, I thought I'd share one of my fav sweet potato recipes! Second only to the sweet potato casserole recipe I make for Thanksgiving, this Sweet Potato Hash is way healthier and just as tasty! I usually have this for both of my yellows for any of you Fixers out there!

       For Potatoes:

       4 large sweet potatos, peeled and diced

       1 tablespoon onion powder

       1 tablespoon garlic powder

       1 teaspoon dried thyme

       2 teaspoons sea salt

       1 teaspoon pepper

       ¼ cup olive oil

    

       For skillet mixture:

       1 medium onion, diced

       5 cloves of garlic, finely diced or minced

       1 teaspoon olive oil

       Sprinkle of sea salt & pepper

1|  Combine diced potatoes with spices and ¼ cup of olive oil, mix well. Bake in a glass dish at 450 degrees for 40-50 minutes, stirring several times, until crispy

2|  Sautee onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper in a skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until browned

3|  Once potatoes are crispy, transfer into skillet with garlic and onion mixture, mix well

4|  Enjoy!

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks

Maternity clothes: Still no more yet, but definitely going to be needing some more work pants soon and I'll probably invest in a good pair of maternity jeans. Other than that, leggings for the win!

Stretch marks? None. Hoping to keep it that way!

Sleep: Sigh... Back to waking up in the middle of the night again and napping during the day quite a bit. 

Best moment this week: The weekend! (Pix are below.) We made our yearly trek to Bass Pro yesterday to see Santa and have dinner. Aurora's friend was able to join us and the girls had a blast playing games and riding the carousel. The drive there was fine, but there was a snow storm on our way back and it took us almost twice as long to get home. Today we had family over for our annual Christmas cookie shenanigans, which is always a good time and we always end up with cookies for days!

Miss anything? Energy! Energy! Energy! I seem to have taken a step backward as far as my energy goes (I thought it was getting better), but I've also backed off of eating healthy these past few days, so I'm sensing some correlation between the two. 

Movement: Definitely more frequent movement on the inside, but nothing on the outside.

Food cravings? Nothing in particular.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really!

Gender prediction: Sticking with boy!

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Growing belly, pregnancy brain, some slight movement on the inside, low energy, exhaustion, and adding to that list: strong sense of smell. That can be both good or bad. Allow me to give you an example. I just got some more of my favorite bubble bath/shower gel by Philosophy in Snow Angel. It honestly is probably my favorite smell ever. It's so fresh and clean! I could smell it all day long. On the other hand, we had our fireplace on last night for just a few minutes and smoke started coming out of it. We're not sure why, because the chimney flue was open, but Jose immediately turned the gas off and put the logs out in the snow. Now, all I can smell is campfire. Normally not a smell that I mind, like in the summer or fall, but it won't go away and to me it was still pretty strong this morning.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Not gonna lie, I've been super cranky and probably pretty unpleasant to be around the past few days. I got mad at Jose because he brought home imitation vanilla extract, as opposed to pure vanilla extract. He was so mad that he shoveled off the whole driveway. Now I'm not sure how things work around your house, but that doesn't exactly motivate me to want to stop getting mad about stupid shit anytime soon. 

Looking forward to: Christmas break and having two weeks off!

Total weight gain: Grrr... back up to about a 14 lb. total weight gain. I'm guessing this is also a direct correlation to my eating habits this past week, but also starting to think I don't have the most reliable scale.

Jose was at the store this morning and sent me the following picture with the caption: "Baby's taking a ride with me" <3

Bass Pro

Cookies!

I can't leave without saying how much I love this picture! After being stuck up in an apartment for a few years and only being able to play with friends at school or playdates here and there, it sure is nice to have this sweet little lady living just a few doors down from us. Her and Aurora became friends the second they met and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. We are so thankful for their friendship! <3

That's all for now my friends!

XO

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Maternity clothes: I see more in my near future, but nothing else yet. Putting on my work pants has become a struggle and outside of work, it's mostly leggings.

Stretch marks? None. Hoping to keep it that way!

Sleep: Sleep is pretty much back to normal and I haven't been waking up in the middle of the night. 

Best moment this week: Making Aurora's advent calendar! I've wanted to do this every year, but just never got around to it and then December 1st would roll around and I'd end up buying the chocolate calendars. This year I actually made a calendar with little things for her to do each day. She gets so excited to run downstairs and check what each day holds! Observing the Christmas season through your child's eyes is so stinkin magical! 

Miss anything? Energy! Still! This past Monday, I woke up feeling like a brand new person (which is weird, because Monday, right!?) and I thought maybe my low-energy streak was finally coming to an end, but then every day since, energy has been on the lower end again. Oh well, I'll take those random days whenever I can get 'em.

Movement: Haven't felt anything on the outside yet, but the past few days I'm pretty sure I've felt movement on the inside. 

Food cravings? Still nothing in particular yet, but happy to start craving healthier foods like fruits and veggies. I have actually been craving Shakeology shakes, so definitely signing back up for those in the near future!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Other than about 5-10 minutes when I first get out of bed, the queasiness has pretty much stopped!

Gender prediction: I'm starting to thinking boy more and more! This one is definitely sitting higher than Aurora did.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Growing belly for sure, pregnancy brain, some slight movement on the inside, low energy, and exhaustion if I'm standing too long.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: I actually wasn't sure how to respond to this one so I asked Jose.

Me: Jose, how would you describe my mood lately?
Jose: Mmm. Jenna.
Me: Okay, so how would you describe that to someone who doesn't know me that well?
Jose: You've been fine. I mean, actually, you've been pleasant lately.

Haha, not sure how to take that, but it is what it is.

Looking forward to: Christmas break and having two weeks off!

Total weight gain: Oddly enough, I've lost 5 lbs. (from last week). I think it's because I'm not constantly hungry like I was at first and I have been eating healthier, too. 

15 Weeks

How far along? 15 weeks

Maternity clothes: The top in this pic was my first maternity purchase this time around. It's super comfy and has ruching on the sides for when the bump gets bigger! 

Stretch marks? None. Hoping to keep it that way!

Sleep: Sleep is pretty much back to normal and I haven't been waking up in the middle of the night. 

Best moment this week: Thanksgiving, of course! Loved spending time with family and friends. Jose's and my schedules actually worked out to where we both had all four days off together, which seems like it never happens. Our long weekend was a good balance of productivity + laziness + fun! Sad it had to come to an end.

Miss anything? Still missing my energy, but I do feel like I'm not having to nap as much to get through the day. Still need to sit down and rest quite a bit. 

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings? Still nothing in particular yet. I'll have a bite of this and a bite of that. Basically, if I could just have a random smorgasbord of food for each meal, that would be great.

Anything make you queasy or sick? The queasiness is finally wearing off! I don't think I've felt it at all these past few days, but I've also been able to sleep in too, so we'll see how it goes getting up earlier again for work. Fingers crossed!

Gender prediction: I'm not really sure why, but I'm starting to lean towards boy. We thought the same with Aurora though, so we'll see.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Just a growing belly at this point. Oh, and pregnancy brain for sure. Although, I'm not quite sure it ever went away after I had Aurora. Not even kidding. 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Still irritable, but I think it's worn off a little since I've started to feel better. Definitely more emotional when it comes to shows and movies too, haha. Jim & Pam's love story is just the cutest. <3 (We've gotten to Season 6 of The Office, so no spoilers if that changes!)

Looking forward to: Christmas break and having two weeks off!

Total weight gain: 10 lbs 

13 & 14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks

Maternity clothes: Not wearing any yet, but I did buy this guy from Old Navy that I'm thinking of wearing with this scarf for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But we'll see how fancy I feel. I'll probably end up wearing pjs for both. ;)

Stretch marks? None. Hoping to keep it that way!

Sleep: Sleep has been a bit more regular. I'm not waking up as much in the middle of the night and slowly gaining energy back. If we go out and do things on the weekends, I usually have to stop to rest a few times, but other than that things are looking up!

Best moment this week: Binge-watching The Office with Jose. I always thought that show looked so stupid and never watched it, but Jose talked me into it and I'm hooked. It's totally my sense of humor.

Miss anything? Just hoping to start feeling more like myself soon

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings? Nothing in particular, but happy to not want to throw up at the sight of food anymore!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Still pretty queasy when I first get up in the morning

Gender prediction: I really don't feel strongly either way.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Nausea

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: I guess a little grumpier than usual

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! This will be our first time hosting and I'm super excited! Also, a few things I've learned so far as a hostess: Your husband will look at you like you have dog crap smeared across your face for deciding to use paper plates rather than going out and buying 4 sets of brand new dishes (since we currently don't have enough matching dishes for everyone coming). Sorry, Jose, it will be a while before you live that one down. :) And, apparently, I'm completely crazy for waiting until the weekend before Thanksgiving to go out and buy our table top decor. I drug Aurora to eight stores today (EIGHT!) and there was almost no fall decor left. I guess I learned my lesson. We'll see what I come up with this year. 

Total weight gain: ~8 lbs 

12 Weeks

If I'm being honest, the main reason I've been itching to announce Baby #2 is so that I can finally publicly complain about how crappy I've been feeling! Kidding, kidding, but seriously, this pregnancy has been so different from when I was pregnant with Aurora. With her, I had pains the day before I found out I was pregnant (which I was sure was appendicitis!) and then a kidney stone a few months before she was born. Other than that, I felt great. I remember people always asked me how I felt and I never understood why. Now. Now I get it. I've been nauseous since I was 4 weeks. I've been stuffed/starving basically my entire pregnancy so far, which makes eating anything at all extremely complicated. And to say I've been exhausted is a major understatement. I've basically been a waste of space when I'm at home. All I do after work is sleep. Weekends, sleeping. Even with a to-do list a mile long, I can't find the energy to do any of it. Thank God for my amazing husband! The only reason anything around the house gets done these days is because of him. Even after working long hours, he'll come home and clean because he knows I don't have the energy to, but also that our house being so messy bothers me at the same time. One Friday evening, I came home from work and he seriously had a bath set up for me so I could hop right in. We're talking candles, bubbles, the whole nine yards. And I looked at him and said, "I am so sorry, but I can't even sit in a bathtub right now. I'm too tired." Bless his sweet heart. Sometimes at work, I'll catch myself sitting at my desk, barely able to keep my eyelids open. Like I've just taken a strong dose of cold medicine or something. On the bright side, I read that the nausea part usually ends around 14 weeks, so I have that to look forward to. What about the exhaustion? Anyone had experience with this? I'm just curious if it goes away, or if I should expect to feel like this the whole time.

Anyway, I mentioned that I would be documenting this pregnancy, so here we go!

How far along? 12 (and a half!) weeks

Maternity clothes: None yet, but definitely starting to show. Or is it all that Taco Bell I've been consuming lately? (Insert curious emoji here.)

Stretch marks? Nope! I didn't have any with Aurora, so I'm hoping for the same deal this time around. Palmer's Cocoa Butter products have been a lifesaver!

Sleep: ALL. THE. TIME. However, sometimes at night I wake up and have to go lay in a different room. Not that our bed isn't comfortable, but the change in cushioning seems to make a difference.

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat again at our appointment on Tuesday!

Miss anything? Energy. Motivation to do anything!

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings? Everything and nothing! I don't know how many times we've driven all around to get whatever will satisfy a craving and then once it's actually in front of me, I'm disgusted by it. Or I feel full. That happens all the time! I have been craving BBQ a lot, but I love BBQ anyway, so I don't think it's pregnancy-related. I am looking forward to hopefully starting to eat a bit healthier once the nausea subsides, as so far I've been eating whatever I can get down (which is usually Taco Bell :/).

Anything make you queasy or sick? Still pretty queasy when I first get up in the morning, but it doesn't last the majority of the day like it did at first.

Gender prediction: I would say a boy, just because I feel so different than I did with Aurora, but I know that each baby is different. We were so sure that Aurora was a boy and were dead wrong. I honestly have no clue.

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Nausea, exhaustion.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: I've had a few dramatic episodes, but nothing too crazy. I don't think. Maybe Jose should be answering this one.

Looking forward to: Holding a tiny baby again! It's been so long and I've definitely had the fever.

Total weight gain: ~5 lbs